Even More Street Construction and Disturbances?

Received these emails recently:

• I live at the corner of St. James Place and Atlantic Avenue.  Today, construction crews started digging up the street yet again - I think it's the third time in three years.  I asked the crew what was going on and they said that they're first testing the water pipes and then plan on digging up more of the street to replace water pipes.  I said "The street was just paved.  Does that mean that there's no coordination between street paving and water mains?"  The guy replied with a smile, "Yes."  I was pretty horrified by this - what a waste of tax dollars.  I noticed them digging on Waverly as well.  I'd like to try to find the most productive way to suggest to the Bloomberg administration that coordination of road work may save lots of unneeded spending.  Thoughts?
• There was a road construction crew at the intersection of Gates and Waverly working until 3 AM last night, making lots of noise and rattling the buildings. How on earth is it legal to do work that late at night? I called 311 around 12:40, and they claimed they'd send someone out to investigate. Of course, the work continued for another 2.5 hours.

Apparently National Grid is not held to noise pollution rules, and may work 24-7.

Anyone else being kept up late?

Fulton Construction and Parking Problems

Received this from a reader:I live in Clinton Hill at Washington Ave and Fulton St.  There has be a lot of continuous construction going on in this general area, making it very difficult to find parking.  Does anyone know if Alternate Side of the Street Parking has been temporarily suspended in the area due to construction?  I checked nyc.gov and there was no such notice posted.

That work's been going on for years now, and I've heard no such thing about parking rules being suspended because of it.  Wouldn't it be nice if they were, though? I never considered the effect this must continue to have on parking availability in that immediate area.  Is there a way to petition for this?

I do know that the alternate side rules are being reduced in the near future, from four days to two, in our community board district.  No word on when the change will take effect.

Fulton Rising?

A few weeks ago, a reader emailed to tell me there was a new coffee shop on Fulton about a block from Outpost.  When I went looking, though, I couldn't find it!  Maybe that's because I was looking east, instead of west. Brownstoner posted about Desserts by Michael Allen last week, and this must be the place the reader was talking about.  It's at 1015 Fulton, between Downing and Grand.

I made it my first stop on a walking/photo trip Sunday afternoon, and it was absolutely wonderful. The woman behind the counter couldn't have been friendlier, and the interior is warm and inviting.  I met owner Michael Allen, too.

The blackboard menus were announcing that holiday catering orders are being taken now, and they had some wonderful gingerbread houses on display.

I took a custard cup and a mini-cheese cake to go (the cake was AMAZING).

Also received these comments from a reader, which I thought I'd share:

"The mini (gratis) madeleines were yummy (and I'm not a huge madeleine fan) and the eclair - was one of the tastiest I've had anywhere. The croissants (plain and chocolate) looked perfect (will have to try them, um tomorrow!) and they also had soups."

Also, THEY HAVE BREAD.

Choice Opens Third Location on Atlantic!

Received two emails from readers regarding an intriguing building on Atlantic Ave.  This is one of them- On my way to JFK yesterday, driving up Atlantic Avenue, I saw a red building called Choice Atlantic, which seemed to be a coffee shop/bakery. Is this the same people as Choice and Choice Green? It was somewhere around the Bedford or Nostrand intersections.

Could it be?  I checked it out yesterday afternoon.  Sure enough, there's a large, red building on the north side of Atlantic just west of Classon.  I came up on artist Aimee Leigh German painting the signage on the outside of the building.

It IS a new Choice location, and is slated to open in a few weeks. Aimee told me the Atlantic location will be more focused on catering and baking (and some of the current cooking will move from the Grand location here, which is great, because does that mean there will be more seating at Grand??), but will still have a walk-in eatery.

Wow. What will Atlantic Ave look like in one year?  In five?

Missing a Palm Pilot?

A reader/good samaritan emailed me the following: I found a palm pilot in front of Madiba (DeKalb and Carleton) in Fort Greene late last week.  I've tried calling some of the contacts to no avail, so I'm wondering if you'd mind posting?  I can be reached at nkdoula@yahoo.com with a description.

Shipping Store on Myrtle

Reader/photographer David noticed a new shopping store on Myrtle near Hall and sent me this photo:

I'm intrigued, for many reasons:

1. There's a USPS logo on the outside!  Does this mean we can bypass the local post office??
2. Will they offer PO boxes? (answer: YES)
3. Why exactly is it called "Sandbox?"  That word doesn't particularly make me think of shipping, but whatever.

I had a business breakfast on Smith Street and saw another Sandbox, so it's clearly a chain (new chain?).  There was once a different shipping/mailbox store on Myrtle but it was never open (and closed awhile back).

Myrtle Minutes offers more info, plus a coupon!

Resources South of the 'Hood

Received this from a reader and neighbor: Hello.  I am opening a cafe on Washington between Pacific & Dean avenues.  Although technically in Prospect Heights I live in Clinton Hill and look forward to reaching this community as well.

I am also trying to contact some block associations in the area but am having trouble finding any contact information.  Could anyone help me with this?  I am trying to find contact information for the Wa-Greene Association, the Prospect heights heibghborhood Development Council and the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Assocation.

Please leave your tips for Sarah in the comment section.  This isn't too far from us, so I suspect it could be a good hangout for neighbors in the soutn end of CH!

Gruesome Discovery in Ft Greene Park

From a reader: In case you haven't heard, a female body was dumped in FGP last night according to some folks I ran into in the park this morning during off leash hours.  The story I heard was that the body had been chopped up and put into  a bag and a box and left in the park, authorities found it maybe between 10-11PM.  Not sure how accurate this is but thought I'd pass along.

Predictably, there is no information anywhere.  I've checked NY1, NYT, the SCH crime map.

Anyone?

UPDATE:

The Real Fort Greene

Newsday

New Bar on Franklin!

Received this tip from a reader: have you been to sweet revenge yet? i walk by it with my dog on the daily, but have yet to have some free time and stop in. it's on franklin between lexington and greene (right across from the cupcake shop) and seems pretty cute.

I hadn't heard a thing about this place yet, so I took a stroll by on Saturday afternoon.  I couldn't find it, but there were a few shuttered storefronts, one of which was likely hiding this new watering hole.

Has anyone been? The only thing I could find via a Google search was someone complaining on Brooklynian about how noisy it was at night.

UPDATE: I rode past it on the bus Tuesday night on my way to the Y and it looked super cool!  I'll go this wknd and report back.

UPDATE 2: Check out the gorgeous photos of the bar from Bed-Stuy photog WordBK here!

Neighborhood Dog Run

A CHB reader has stepped up to the plate to help make a dog run in the neighborhood a reality.  Here is the info he provided:

Clinton Hill and Ft. Greene needs a dog run. The off leash hours in Ft. Greene park are great, but insufficient for many of us. Besides the hours being inconvenient for many, not all dogs can be trusted off leash in an unconfined space. My dog in particular is still a puppy, and can't be trusted not to chase a squirrel across the street. I in no way wish to undermine the off leash hours at Ft. Greene Park. I just think a dog run in the neighborhood would be a wonderful addition.

I'd like to hear from anyone who is interested in having a dog run in the Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene area. Whether you're ready to volunteer services or just supportive of having a dog run nearby, please feel free to email me with your ideas. I would also appreciate input on how to go about organizing volunteers and actually approaching the community board / parks department with a proposal.

I know someone else tried to organize a similar effort a couple of months back. I've tried contacting the previous organizer several times, but to no avail. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but I do want to make this happen.  I will do my best to see this through, and will keep everyone informed as to what's going on.

Please email me at:

clintonhilldogrun@gmail.com

I've also started a google group here:

http://groups.google.com/group/clintonhilldogrun

and a website here:

http://www.clintonhilldogrun.org/

I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone.

-Eric

Haunted House Series '08

A commenter recently asked if I'd be doing my annual Haunted House series this year.  The answer is NO, at least not how I did it last year.  The reasons for this are: 1. It took me days of work last year to find 31 creepy houses, upload the photos and photoshop them, and draft up the posts with locations and witty comments.  This year, I do not have the time.

2. Last year, I was inundated with comments like, "This is so annoying!" and "Let this series die already!"

Anyway, I still love all things haunty, so I'll be doing a Haunted House of the Week.  I will also be taking reader submissions! If you have a favorite creepy house in the neighborhood, email it to clintonhillblog-at-gmail-dot-com, and include its location.  Also, try to send a very small file, like less than 100k.  It will make my life so much easier.

And without further ado, here is our Haunted House of the Week!  Happy October :)

This house isn't even visible from the street!  You have to peek through the plywood that's hiding it.

(Park Ave bt Emerson and Steuben)

Debate-Watching

From a reader: Hey! Any ideas about which bars/restaurants will be showing the presidential debate tonight?

I suspected and then confirmed that Moe's on Lafayette will be having an Obama Party.  I watched the election night coverage there four years ago and had a great time.  Get there early, as it will be packed.  Moe's is truly one of the most diverse places to hang out in all of NYC, so it's a great place to cheer on Obama.

Update: Le Grand Dakar on Grand is also having a party!

(If you like McCain, sorry- I have no idea where you might go to watch.  Statan Staten [whoops, Freudian slip!] Island?)

Shooting on Monroe

Received this email from a reader yesterday: There was a shooting last night outside our apartment [Tuesday] on Monroe Street between Franklin and Classon Avenues in Clinton Hill Brooklyn between Midnight and 1:00am.  Police arrived promptly and soon after arriving taped off the street until early this morning around 6:30am or so.  I have been checking various News Outlets and blogs but haven't been able to find out anything more about the story.  I realize it may have happened too late to make today's papers but was wondering if this was something you might have heard about or may have seen a posting about...or if you know a good resource to follow up on such a story...

The crime scene, at least per my inbox, has been awfully quiet lately.  Which is nice.  Though it seems those cheerful new recruits were gone from walking the beat as soon as they arrived!

No. 7 Greene

I haven't been yet (and am shocked that it's already open!), but a reader sent in a friend's review.  Check it out here. Early reports say very tasty food and drink.

Have you been yet?

(and the address is, quite obviously, 7 Greene Ave.)

The Mysteries of 380 Clinton Ave

Received this from a reader:

There's a building just about directly across from 361 Clinton (my bldg), the residents of which I've been curious about.  It appears to be some type of dorm for young women.  I was thinking maybe it was a St. Joseph's dorm, but the women seem a little bit dowdy to be college students.  They're mostly caucasion, maybe in their 20s, and always seem to travel in a group, seemingly accompanied by female chaperons.  I'm wondering if it's a nun dorm (whatever you call housing for nuns in training (novitiates?)).  I'll take a photo if it would make things easier.  Anyway, i'm just wanting to get some type of clarification as to who the building belongs to, and what's the deal with the young ladies.

I remembered coming across some information on this particular house a few years ago, but couldn't remember where.  After some intense Googling, I solved the mystery.

The house is owned by Teen Challenge, which I first blogged about more than two years ago.  Here is the text from that post:

I’ve been puzzled by this building on Clinton Avenue ever since I moved to the neighborhood in 2004. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone go in or out, yet the property looks open and well-maintained. A family friend who grew up down the block tells me that kids used to spray paint a “D” at the end of “CHALLENGE.” Pretty basic, yet made me chuckle.

So what IS this place?

Per their website:

"Working in the heart of New York City, Teen Challenge provides comprehensive faith-based residential programs for men and women seeking help to overcome drug addiction and other life-controlling problems."

Apparently, the program provides a live-in program for both men and women looking to get clean and stay that way. Ironically enough, they only take people 17 years and older. They also run an after school program for children in grades 2-6. (Why are they calling it Teen Challenge when few teenagers actually qualify for their programs??) Actually, other chapters of the organization, which was started in NYC in the 1950s, do offer live-in services and counseling for teens. The organization claims to have a very high success rate compared to other rehab institutions.

While they don’t list the actual addresses for the men’s and women’s live-in homes, they do have photos. Both look familiar, but I can’t place them off the top of my head. I think they also might be on Clinton Ave.

Since I’ve never heard a thing about them, or direct reports of the individuals causing problems in the neighborhood, it seems they’re doing a good job. They do help those in treatment earn their GED, which I highly laud.

The photos of the houses are no longer on the Teen Challenge site, but the house above in question was definitely one of them!  I wonder if they didn't want people to know which house it was?

I've never seen anyone go in and out of 380 Clinton myself.

I suspect the men's home is located at 311 Clinton Avenue, next to the Halloween house.

Long-Time Scammer Still on the Loose

Received this email this morning: Just wanted to let you know and to have you spread the word that this guy is among us!  He gave my friend and I the whole story on Ryerson today and we unfortunately gave him a few bucks. We didn't believe it so we looked it up and it seems he has been doing this in other areas for a while. Just trying to get the word out.

The guy she's referring to delivers a believable-ish spiel about how his mother has just had a stroke while driving and crashed her car.  He needs money for a tow truck and it's an emergency.  He also claims to work in film/tv and offers to get you tickets to Letterman, or some rock concert.

He definitely approached me once and I honestly didn't have any cash on me.  When he suggested I go to the ATM, I got creeped out and left.

A sneaky Daily Heights reader snapped this photo of him:

It's really unfortunate that guys like this prey on our neighborhood.  I have no problem with helping someone in need, but sometimes it's hard to know when someone's legit (and sometimes it's glaringly obvious!).

Social Networking in the 'Hood

Reader Steve Kinney has started a "ning" social networking site for FG/CH. I've never heard of "ning" before, but the site looks pretty good so far. Seems to be kind of a message board space for user-generated news, comments, photos. Check it out here!

Murder on Myrtle?

A few readers have emailed me for more information on a murder at Washington Park and Myrtle. One reader assumed the noise he heard was fireworks, but noticed a makeshift memorial on the corner the next day. Any more info out there?

Friday Photo

(Navy Yard Hospital, by David Velez)

A New Slice on Grand?

Took this sad shot a week or so ago. BUT -- I have two reports from readers that the sign now says it will be home to Luigi's Pizza. An offshoot or relocation for the pizza place on DeKalb near Pratt? Or a different Luigi?

(formerly 275 Grand)