What do you see?

We know a lot of things about the exterior of the new Barclay's Arena: that it was designed by SHoP Architects, that its rusty shell is no accident, but the result of a labor-intensive process to produce what is known as "weathering steel," and that no matter what it looks like, the arena's very existence will invariably cause some Brooklynites'  faces to contort with pain.

But what do New Yorkers—aside from the question of eminent domain and the as-yet unbuilt affordable housing component and the hordes of drunken tourists expected to start puking behind parked cars any day now, and all the other things that can cloud one's vision—think about the aesthetics of the place? The New York Times, in one of its charming, "ask the readers" segments, has compiled the best answers.

Among the most evocative descriptions were comparisons to things found in the animal kingdom, "a rotting turtle," "a burping clam," "a toad sticking out its tongue" and "a rusty alligator skull with a pronounced underbite." Note that none are particularly complimentary.

Some people did have some sort of nice things to say about the arena's looks, calling it "a grilled cheese sandwich," a hell of a lot better than a ditch full of LIRR trains" and "in fifty years, if it is still standing, it will be called 'Iconic.'" Possibly the descriptor "Richard Serra meets McDonald's" could be said to fall into this category as well. If you focus on the Richard Serra half of the equation.

Of course, this wouldn't be Atlantic Yards if at least some of the responses didn't tackle the circumstances of the arena's birth, like one readers' bitter bon mot: "corrupt corporate design trying desperately to look hip."

Our personal favorite was koan-like: "It looks like the center of a Barclay."

kvelsey@observer.com

Rats nest. (xbettyx/Flickr)

Late last month, a "rat tsunami" descended on Brooklyn, kicking up rodents on the streets surrounding the Atlantic Yards project. Neighbors in Prospect Heights and Fort Greene complained that construction of the Barclays Centre was sending rats into the neighborhood. Though a Forest City Ratner spokesman at the time suggested to The Observer that the problem was not conclusively worse than anywhere else in the city, the developer has now seen fit to pony up for some industrial strength garbage cans for neighbors as well as a tougher pest plan.According to The Brooklyn Paper, residents will get vouchers for the rat-proof receptacles, and more garbage cans have been installed on the construction site "after Health Department inspectors blamed construction workers’ poor food disposal habits for the rat problem." Yet tireless Yards watchdog Norman Oder notes on his blog that the city seems to be blaming the neighbors, as well.

More the fault of AY, or the neighborhood?

Unresolved was the cause of the rat problems. City officials who'd recently done a walk-through of the construction site and surrounding blocks suggested that the latter had far more uncovered garbage that would attract rats--essentially leaving the impression it was more the fault of the community than of Forest City Ratner.

What has really gotten Mr. Oder's, er, rat is that the media has paid more attention to this rodent wave than a decision last week in state court that found the Empire State Development Corporation had erred in re-approving the project in 2009, when it failed to consider that the timeline for the project had shifted from 10 years to 25.

However, he notes it will not slow down the project necessarily because the judge declined to place a stay on the construction of the arena and holds open the possibility for that to happen in the second phase; though as an article in The Times today underscores, Forest City Ratner is still short on money to even complete the apartments in the first phase, even with the help of the Chinese.

Bruce Ratner insists to the Gray Lady (his development partner in The Times' HQ on Eighth Avenue) that "we will get the project done one way or another" and also admits that he might see the new Atlantic Yards doc, Battle for Brooklyn "eventually."