Students of the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School are showing off their creative masterpieces at a show at the Bed-Stuy Y. The opening reception was last week, but the exhibition will be up until March 25, and is a mix of photography, abstract painting, and graphic design done by 9th-12th graders at the school. The show is open to all and you do not need to be a Y member to check it out.
Most of you accessing the site have probably received a spyware/virus warning message from your browser. While we fix the problem, CHB will be on temporary hiatus to keep everyone's computers safe. We hope to be back with you sooner than later!
(25-cent parking, off of Fulton Street)
Tonight at 9pm, Fox will air the episode of Ramsey's Kitchen nightmares filmed at Mohito Mojito restaurant on Washington Ave. Sorry for the last-minute notice!
Links to other news stories in the neighborhood:
There's a new group in town who are working towards getting the Fort Greene Park tennis courts renovated. They're also focused on providing active recreation for public health. We'll speak to them in depth in the next week or so, but in the meantime they're having a fundraiser tonight at General Greene:
I'm digging their logo.
This came yesterday from Community Board 2: PRATT STATION POST OFFICE CLOSING TEMPORARILY
LOCATION: PRATT STATION POST OFFICE 524 MYRTLE AVE BROOKLYN NY 11205-9997
Effective Monday, February 22, 2010, the carriers for Pratt Station Post Office have relocated to the Metro Station Post Office at 47 Debevoise St; 11206 until further notice. Pratt Station Post Office needs to undergo emergency building repairs. There is a building structural problem and it needs immediate attention. Depending on the actual depth and severity of the problem, Pratt Station could be closed from 6 to 8 weeks, if not longer.
The retail windows may be kept open for a week or longer until Saturday, February 27, 2010. However, there will be Mobile Units in front of Pratt Station to accomodate the community.
We will keep you posted as changes occur.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience during this transition.
USPS Brooklyn Post Office
Why is there no mention of actual stuff like where packages will be?
Update: I have just emailed Councilwoman James' office to ask about packages and getting news out to the community as to what will be changed during this time.
Pratt Post Office employees apparently found out this past weekend that the post office (serving 11205) will be closed for an estimated three months for construction. Allegedly, the building is sinking (!!!) and in need of repair, and will close at the end of this week. Trailers outside will assist with stamp sales and other business. It sounds like the mail will be rerouted through a few different stations during this time. Sounds like a cl*sterf*k to me.
It seemed to me like 11205 was in much better shape than Adelphi Station. There has long been a battle over which PO was worse, and I think Pratt takes the cake on this one. Good luck ever getting your packages!
Anyone heard anything else about this?
This just in to us via Twitter, six minutes ago: Someone got shot at Classon Bet Dekalb and Lafayette
Anyone have details? That's right outside the precinct.
Hey everyone, it’s Team LWT back with another installment of Lunchtime With Tillie. Sorry we missed you last week: Yours truly was a little slack on getting Baby T out of the house to eat. (Don’t worry; we had food in the house for her!) But since we didn’t get out and about, we decided to make up for that with a trip that brought multiple food places together under one roof, the Brooklyn Flea at 1 Hanson Place. I’ve been trying to arrange a trip there for the family for weeks now, but I usually do some freelance work on Saturdays a million miles away in Westchester County and by the time I have to start my trip by plane, train and automobile to get to the job, Tillie’s just waking up from her nap. But I was off this past Saturday, and my flea market mission was not to be denied!
So as soon as T woke up from her midmorning nap, I loaded her up in her stroller to go there, where Tillie’s mom was waiting for us. Tillie’s mom had been out all morning looking at wedding dresses (she’s getting married to a really awesome dude, I hear) and beat us to the place. We talked on my way there and she volunteered to hop in the line where they were serving pupusas. Since I had been saying for months—since the outdoor Flea days—that I wanted to try a pupusa, this was greatly appreciated.
After finally arriving there, we were all set to head downstairs, but there was a slight snag. As I mentioned a few sentences ago, I threw Tillie in the stroller to take her to the Flea. We have an Ergo carrier, but I had only worn it once at that point and I had NO idea how to put it on by myself in backpack mode: Parents out there, I’m sure you understand. Anyway, back to the snag; there was no elevator to get down to the food. No worries as I just carried her down, but it was a lot of stairs to deal with and sometimes it could be said I might have a wee bit of a lazy side.
We got down there and quickly found Tillie’s mom standing in line. Tillie was kind of lethargic on our way down to the Flea, but perked up some when she saw mommy! I un-strollered her and off she went into TM’s waiting arms, joining her to get the much-awaited pupusas.
But …
There were so many other options around and the pupusas didn’t look like all they were cracked up to be, so I decided to make the rounds. I know, so close, yet so far away. Right next to the Red Hook vendors was The Good Fork stand, which had pork and vegetable dumplings as well as gumbo. I thought dumplings would make a good food choice for Tillie, even though she had pupusas in her immediate future. But I figured why not just let her have a taste of everything; I’ll get some dumplings, too. And since I was on this Brooklyn Flea-food-melange kick …
Why not get a grilled cheese sandwich at Milk Truck? Tillie has a grilled cheese sandwich almost every morning, but not like these, with the aged gruyere and crispy bread. If she likes my little cheddar sandwiches I make for her on my Foreman Grill, she’ll love these! So I went over to place the order for a grilled cheese classic, and since it takes a few minutes for those to be prepared, I sauntered back to Good Fork and got some pork dumplings. As soon as they were done, I made my way back to Milk Truck just in time to pick up that cheesy goodness for the fam. I went out to join T and TM, who were sitting on the floor next to Sigmund’s Pretzel Stand. Tillie’s mom had the pupusas, I had the grilled cheese sandwich and dumplings, and Tillie?
She had other plans.
Remember when I said she was kind of lethargic on the way down? Well, she snapped back to her usual playful personality and really had no interest in eating. She wanted to spend most of her time wandering a few feet away from us then coming back. I think she was entertained by seeing all the people in one place, and she also had fun dancing to the music playing.
In between her dancing and running, she did grab a bite of dumpling and pupusa, but had nothing to do with the grilled cheese. I guess my sandwiches are her favorite after all! But, if I’m to be honest about it, Milk Truck has me beat hands-down.
After Tillie’s mom and I finished eating, we packed up the leftover pupusas for Tillie (which proved to be a good move as she ate them while we were walking around later on). We got her back in the stroller then made our way out of the basement, back to street level and headed out—all of us satisfied with the trip.
If you haven’t been to the Flea yet, which I would be shocked about, then you should go soon, for sure. I think there’s something to eat for everyone at good prices. I would say, though, if you’re bringing the kid, take the carrier because it can get pretty tight there. I know we’ll be back soon, this time with Tillie ready to eat because we still have to try the Connecticut lobster roll and fish tacos and spinach pie and Asia Dogs and …
It's time to check in with other local blogs and news sites to see what else is going on locally:
(Greene at Classon)
We always go through phases here where we get increased reports of crime, of muggings, of the callousness of life in the city. But one reader took the time out to email in a thank-you to a Good Samaritan on the G train last week:
To the wonderful kind person who found my iPhone this morning at the Clinton/Washington G train stop,
I can think of no other way than this to sincerely thank for turning my iPhone in to the station manager. After scrambling around all morning trying to figure out the enormous steps I would have to take to recover everything, I was totally bowled over to discover that my phone was not a complete loss. You have saved me far more than the money it would have taken to get a new phone. You are totally awesome, thank you thank you thank you.
Best regards, Sara
It's nice to know we're still looking out for one another here.
Every now and then, I get on a train that has a very enthusiastic conductor. It's nice to not only hear the announcements, but to also get a little something extra. My neighbor sent me a link to this very jovial G train conductor making station announcements at 4am, which is pretty amazing. Have you ever been on his train?
I haven't ever heard this guy (I can safely say I have never, ever ridden the G at 4am), although I do usually end up on the same morning C train and recognize the conductor's very specific pronunciation.
Do you have a favorite local train conductor?
Arthur Wood's wife Cynthia, co-creator of the famed Broken Angel, died recently of cancer. I don't know how I missed the story, posted on Gothamist in late January. A note posted outside the house explains that the couple met at age 18 while ice skating at Wollman Rink, and it was love at first sight.
Things have been quiet over at the Angel in the last few years, after the fire and the code issues, and the talk of a condo conversion.
Having lost loved ones from cancer, my thoughts are with their family.
I remember being able to see the fantastical structure from my window when I first moved here, and how it took me ages to figure out what and where it was exactly.
We're off today, and will be heading to the Y to see what it's like during off hours. Hopefully not everyone has the same idea!
(forgot location)
It's that time of year once again to show your special someone how much you care. If you're going to participate in the holiday, here are some options for keeping it local: FULTON
Greene Grape and GG Provisions: Fondue tastings and wine tastings, Friday and Saturday
Aqualis Grill 773 Fulton Street (between S. Portland and S. Oxford) $55/person four course and champagne and/or wine included
Dajeh Restaurant and Wine Bar 919 Fulton Street (between Clinton & Waverly) Caribbean-Influenced, Wine-Paired Tasting Menu for Valentine’s Day. 5-course tasting menu $129 per couple. Each of the five courses is paired perfectly with a different wine in collaboration with Wine Consultant Veronique Fitzgerald, DWS. (the price without wine: $105.00 per couple).
Stonehome Wine Bar 87 Lafayette (between S. Elliott and S. Portland) 4 courses for $65 per person, with wine pairings add $40 per person. Seatings at 6, 7, 9 and 10pm For Reservations, call 718-624-9443
Cure Beauty Bar: Valentine Special: Basic Mani/Pedi/ 1 Dozen roses/glass of sparkling wine - $90 or for couples $165 (which can be friends/Spouses/sibling etc.) Runs from Feb. 12th -14th. Must make a appointment and pre-pay by Feb. 11th 2010
Social Therapy Group What’s Love Got to Do With It? Prepare for Valentine’s Day by getting better at loving. Explore where you are with love and friendship and create more intimacy in your all your relationships. Come to a social therapy group and work at making your Valentine’s Day more loving. Come alone or bring your loved one –whether it’s your friend, your partner, your mother or lover. We will help you get better at creating loving conversations. Saturday, February 13, 2010, 11am – 1pm. Fee: $30/person or $50/couple or twosome. Contact: Ann Green, 718-797-3220 ext. 319 or agreen@socialtherapygroup.com
DEKALB
iCi: Brunch from 9am to 4pm and a $45 5-course-prix-fix Menu for Dinner from 5.30 to 11pm
Chez Oskar: $36 Prix Fix menu Sunday evening
MYRTLE
Tamboril: $25 Prix Fix 5:30-11 on Saturday Jazz music at 7 and 9pm on Sunday
Chez Lola: $32 Prix Fix menu Sunday evening
When The Threading Place first opened, I admittedly made fun of the spelling errors on their sign. I did go in a few times, but found the employees to be high pressure and not-so-friendly. (One employee loudly told a woman getting her brows done that she REALLY needed her lip done, too. Even if it was true, no woman wants to hear that yelled out loud in front of strangers!) A neighbor of mine told me they changed owners awhile back, so I decided to stop in to check them out again. I was pleased to see there were a few people waiting and I got an amazing brow shaping- the best I've had in awhile.
If you haven't stopped in since 2007 (like me), you might want to check them out again.
The Threading Place 262 Vanderbilt Ave corner of DeKalb 718-622-0883
A CHB reader has emailed me a quandary and has asked me to post it for neighbor feedback. I have lived in the same Clinton Hill apartment for 8 years, in a rent-stabilized, small apartment building near the C train. Over the years I've seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood, obviously, though I'm right off Fulton where gentrification has been far less rapid - for better or worse.
I was born and raised in Manhattan and don't consider myself a reactionary when faced with the neighborhood's, and my building's, charms. Crackhead neighbors with weekly cop visits, general landlord neglect, and the friendly corner drug dealers.
Recently, however, there has been a change - now there seems to be a group of dealers operating out of the lobby of my building. It's a group of young men who are there every morning at 8 when I leave to walk my dog and remain around the area all day. I haven't witnessed any handoffs myself but have seen cash change hands and general shadiness with this group, none of whom seem to live in my building but somehow have access through one of the tenants.
I'm curious as to what other neighborhood readers have experienced in the way of actually hosting this kind of activity in their buildings, versus just passing it on the street, and what advice they might have. Call the landlord? Mine have been consistently neglectful and there are no security cameras in the building. Call the cops? Seems like a stretch that they'd be able or willing to do much.
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
