Waverly Storefront

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storefront on waverly aveThis old storefront sits on Waverly Ave. between Greene and Gates. I assume it was, at one time, a retail storefront. Now, it seems to be used as a residence. Sad, since the window gates are kind of ugly and the windows are shoddily papered up. Though I suppose with almost zero foot traffic, how could it return to being a store?

Wonder what would flourish here...

[Ed. -- A 24-hour pizza place!]

No New Cafe (YET) on St. James

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A few months ago, I received a tip that a new cafe might be opening in a brownstone on St. James Place. I checked it out and didn't see much aside from a demolished garden-level space. I revisited this place a few days ago, and there's still no cafe in sight.

no new cafe yet on st. james

However, the owners did put these criss-cross thingies on the windows. Um, is this 1979 Buffalo suburbs? Or Hansel and Gretel?

1979?

Mysterious Trash Can

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This falls under the category "on the way to Clinton Hill!" For those of you who switch trains at Hoyt-Schermerhorn every night like myself, you may have noticed a peculiar garbage can near the back end of the platform. For a few weeks, it was surrounded by yellow caution tape, and most recently it sits covered in a giant black plastic garbage bag. Of course, most people ignore the covering and toss their trash on top.

mysterious trash can

WTF is up with this trash can?? Why has it been covered up for so long?? If there's something wrong with it, why can't it be removed and replaced? What in the world could be inside? Yes, my first thought was along the lines of corpse, but that would be pretty stinky by now.

Seriously, this annoys me.

Just Wondering...

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Did anyone wait on line for a Jive Turkey turkey last week?  I saw a fairly long queue both Monday and Tuesday before I left town.  Can you not preorder or something?  And were those people just waiting for a fresh bird?  It seemed the boxes being unloaded from the truck were not-yet-prepared. I may order a fried turkey for Christmas...

(PS- I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BACK IN TOWN!)

Update on the House I WANT

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Remember when I discovered this house for sale on St. James place and balked at the price back in August?Well, it's still for sale! Now it's down to $799k. Most interesting is the renovation next door that's taken place since.

THEN:

house.jpg

NOW:

the house i want to buy still for sale

All the houses on either side have completed this upgrade, with the tall stairway leading to a new "parlor-floor" door. I do like this new look overall, but the Buffalonian in me has a bit of an anxiety attack thinking about a long painted wooden staircase after a snow/ice storm. All I can do is picture myself slipping all the way down on my ass. (thump-thump-thump)

Anyway, I think the owners here are still smoking some of that 1980s crack with a price still that high for this one-family home in obvious need of mega-upgrades.

What's New On Myrtle (Small Update)

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Just made a quick stop into Castro's on Myrtle and notice that they've been redecorating and it's starting to look really nice inside. Much better atmosphere now for dining in. Also noticed that this sign:

Where the Gardens use to be. Boiling Kettle LLC?? Hmmm...another bar or a restuarant? Boiling Kettle doesn't sound very "bar-like" does it? Anyone got any info on this?

Saw a new store front and new apartments (?) next to El Cofre (Good Cubanos too).

Wonder what's going to open up in there.

And last but not least, a sneak peek at the Bank of America.

Looks very "bank-ish". (And I should know - I work for a bank.)

Brooklyn Jay

Crossing Guard Observation

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Is it just me, or are Clinton Hill/Ft Greene crossing guards rather unfriendly? I pass by them every day and I automatically look at them to make eye contact and smile, yet they routinely scowl and look away. It wouldn't bother me so much if I hadn't befriended my local crossing guard in Sunset Park circa 2001. By the time I left the neighborhood, after just a year, I knew her name, about her family, etc. It was just part of my routine to say hi and chat with the crossing guard on my way to the R train.

Maybe that experience wasn't the norm, but jeez! Would it kill our crossing guards to get into the spirit of the Hill?

What's Up on Waverly?

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Thanks to the reader who tipped me off to a new bar on Waverly between Fulton and Atlantic! (And to all readers who email and comment -- I like to think that I am magical and can be everywhere all the time, but I can't.) I checked it out this morning, and I'm not quite sure what's going on there.

First, I saw this, closer to Fulton: is this a new bar?

I peeked inside, and it looks bar-like.

BUT, I continued town towards the old site of the Training Academy, and it looks like there's a bar/restaurant in there called Cover Shot: new bar on waverly?

the old training academy

Could it be that TWO new establishments have opened on this block?

I almost joined the Training Academy when I moved to CH, but I was concerned about the safety of the block at night. It's really industrial there, and I didn't know if there'd be enough foot traffic to make me feel at ease. Anyone been to either of these places yet? Have the 411?

Looks though that the street is becoming a little less warehouse-y though. Check THIS out: ick

Ew. Also interesting is that it looks like Hasidic housing based on the second floor window cages. This could get interesting...

Mullane's Revisited

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The New York Mets are in a very tight series with the St. Louis Cardinals. With Hey Momma and Brooklyn Jay both being HUGE Mets fans we decided that we should meet up at Mullane's to watch the game there and give it another try.I, for one, am sure glad we did.Someone at Mullane's read my previous review and decided to make a few changes. They added REAL BUFFALO WINGS to the menu!
These wings ARE from Buffalo.
They also broadcasted the game in HD! And they even broadcasted the television audio rather than music - an extra nice touch for all the fans that were in attendance.
In HD! No gray bars!
We also tried a new appetizer, a Quesadilla, which was very well received.

Mmm....another good bar food.

I have to say that it was really nice watching a game at a bar in the Nabe. I really had a good time, the Mets winning helped of course, and I'm glad that minor issues I had with the menu selections were addressed.

(Still chick peas in the mussels though...why? Why? For pete's sake, why?)

And, of course, Mullane's has a very good selection of beers which definitely helped to calm my nerves.

I'm headed back tonight, and I think Hey Momma will be in attendance too, to watch the Mets close out the Series with the Cardinals and, hopefully, move on to the World Series.

If anyone wants to stop on by and cheer for the Mets I'll be there. Stop by and say hi. You can't miss me.

WALLABOUT WEEK: IN DA CLUB

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Many months ago, I was taking a car service to a party, and we drove past Reign. I was shocked to see what appeared to be a nightclub in this otherwise sleepy/desolate area.100_1731.jpg

From what I've heard, Reign attracts the Escalade crowd, and that patrons party until the wee hours of the morning. Still seems like an odd locale for a crazy hip-hop club, but then again, industrial areas are probably more conducive to loud music late-night.

I've also heard that the bartenders have been opening the club early for neighborhood happy hours, catering to the chill lounge set (ie. people like me who are too tired to go out and shake it at 1am on a weeknight) and hoping to attract locals. 100_1732.jpg

I'm set to go sometime this week! Has anyone ever been inside? This is as close as I've come: 100_1733.jpg Anyone live nearby and had any very good (or very bad) experiences?

Reigh even has their own MySpace page (and a ton of friends to boot).

Reign 46 Washington Ave (between Park and Flushing)

bodega cats: second in a series

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this handsome man here kitty#2

lives here,

kitty#2

on dekalb between clinton and vanderbilt.

he's a big lover and just wants to be pet, so it was hard to get a picture of him---most of my shots looked like this:

kitty#2

his name is "cat". the woman who owns the store told me that they bought the place five years ago and cat came with the place. but even though she hasn't named him, and acquired him in a business deal, she seems genuinely fond of him.

"Hotel?"

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(sorry for the absence - i was in texas for work, and now i'm home with the flu!) Every now and then, I pass this "hotel" on Washington Avenue.

It looks pretty junky to me - boarded up windows, skanky curtains, etc, but it looks to be open and operating. Anyone know exactly what this is? Is it really a hotel? Or apartments? Or furnished apartments? Anyone ever been inside? What are the rates?

G Train Symphony

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waiting for the c train

Yesterday morning, there was a man playing the violin on the Clinton-Washington Smith St-bound G train platform. Normally you only encounter this in more crowded stations, where the music gets mixed in with loud conversations and train noise. It just seemed so out of place in the G station. But in a good way. The G platform is normally fairly quiet, and it was nice to hear the music echoing through the station. A peaceful way to start the morning.

I wanted to talk to him, but didn't want to disrupt his performance. Know him? Send him our way so we can chat with him.

He wasn't there today. I was disappointed. I was looking forward to more violin serenades. Come back, violin man!

More on Post Office Woes

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A reporter from the New York Sun has contacted me about our post office woes. She tells me that several Fort Greene residents are having major problems with their mail delivery -- mainly that mailmen/women are too lazy to climb up brownstone steps and are instead dumping all mail by the ground floor apartment, where it often gets destroyed in inclement weather.

I told her I would post a notice and ask for further comments on general mail problems in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill. Go to it, friends, especially if the post office/mail carrier has lost something valuable during delivery.

Want to file a complaint? Go here.

Churches and Chinese Takeout

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BklnJay wondered aloud one day whether Clinton Hill has more churches or Chinese restaurants. After chuckling about it, we realized that it would be a fun project.

What we need now is your help! Explore your own block and take photos of all churches and Chinese restaurants. Then email them to us, and let us know what areas you've covered.

Here's what we've completed so far:

All church-esque places are accepted (especially storefront churches!). Also acceptible are Chinese-Mexican combo takeout places.

Let's be inclusive -- Vanderbilt to Franklin.

(I considered adding bodegas to the mix, but that's just insane.)

On My "you-know-what" List

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BklnJay found a flyer for a new cafe in Clinton Hill called Head Over Heels Cafe! Of course we decided to check it out immediately. First, I visited the website.

The first thing that stuck out to me? The flash intro shows almost all Caucasian people dining! There's one Asian and one potentially African-American. Maybe I'm reading too into it, but for one of the most diverse neighborhoods in NYC, it's an interesting choice. The music is mildly irritating as well, and there's no way to shut it off!

Jay and I hopped on the Vespa, eager to explore a new haunt.

As we drove east, I realized that we had passed into Bed-Stuy. No, not THAT far, but still (and the site definitely claims Clinton Hill).

(irritation is building)

We arrive at DeKalb and Skillman, and see... nothing!! A few shuttered Mexican restaurants, but nothing else. No cute cafe, no signs, nothing.

Now I'm highly irritated.

Neither the flyer nor the website indicate that the cafe isn't yet open. Thank god Jay has the Vespa, because if I walked all the way there... grrrrr.

The upside is that the menu, which looks fairly tasty AND reasonably priced. I really admire that they're going to offer several breakfast options under $10. I can only hope if/when this place materializes it offers tasty comfort-breakfasts in a cute atmosphere. Another bonus: the HOURS! Sun-Weds 10am-midnight; Th-Sat 10am-2am. Halleluia!!

UPDATE: I just called them, and the guy who answered said they're open! Hmmm... wonder where they were at 11am this morning.

Anyone been yet? The man on the phone sounded superfriendly, so I'm willing to give it another go.

Head Over Heels Cafe 525 DeKalb Ave. (bt Bedford and Skillman) 718-624-4224

(the inconsistent opening times is a pet peeve of mine in the neighborhood. i prefer to patronize local businesses, but if i come by and you're not open when you say you'll be... annoying!