Friday, April 29, 2011

Library Reminder


We just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that you have two more days to return any overdue books to your local Library without getting charged a fine. If you hadn't heard before April has been amnesty month for the Brooklyn Public Library and they are accepting any overdue items, except those in bad shape, until April 30th and waiving any fees you may have incurred. Basically the library doesn't want to pay to replace the books that have been collecting dust under your bed somewhere. So seek them out, bring them back, and all is forgiven. The only hitch is that you have to return the items to the front desk and possibly face a scowl of the librarian you return them to. Nothing's that easy!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

By Brooklyn, Coming Soon!


Coming soon to the old Stinky Bklyn space, 261 Smith Street, is By Brooklyn. As you can probably surmise this store is going to be stocked with Brooklyn-only products. They'll have a wide variety of items for sale, not just food, from baby clothing to jewelry. They had a photo shoot going on at the time we stopped by so we couldn't take pics of the inside but here's one of the outside for you. You'll just have to stop by to see the rest. A perfect time for you to do that would be this Saturday from 4-7. They're having a garden party so stop by, check it out, have a glass of wine, and support your local artisans.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association Event


Spring Social

The Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association is having a Spring Social on Sunday May 1st from 4-6pm. It's being held at MikNic Lounge, 200 Columbia St. (at the corner of Sackett). Meet you neighbors and grab some happy hour drinks while conversing about the Association's, as well as everyone interested in the future of this neighborhood's hot topic of the moment, "Fixing the BQE Ditch: Next Steps?". Below is a little more info written on their blog about this topic. For more info and updates go to http://cowna.blogspot.com/
The EDC has released the final report on the BQE Enhancement Study. Have a look then join us for an informal gathering to meet your neighbors and discuss the study.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Barber shop moves down the block.


The Smith Street Barber Shop has a grand opening sign outside of their place. We thought they'd been there for a while but after speaking with one of the owners we were informed that their new location is right next door from their old location. The new space was formerly a shoe repair shop and is a cozy little spot. The owners also have a place on Court street called David's Barbershop. There's nothing fancy about this place. It's just your simple neighborhood barbershop. And for $14 a haircut it seems like you can't go wrong.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Five Guys Coming to Court



If you live in the Bococa or Red Hook areas soon there will be no need to walk all the way to Montague in order to get your fast food burger fix. At 266 Court Street the windows are covered with brown paper and there's a big sign saying that Five Guys Burgers and Fries will be moving in. A couple of years ago there was talk that Five Guys was moving to Court Street but in a different location, closer to Downtown. That talk turned out to be false. This is the real thing, however. These fresh not frozen burgers and fries are coming soon. We don't know how soon, though. Since the space at 266 used to be a medical office it may take a while to transform that into a working restaurant, but we're ready and waiting!

Friday, April 22, 2011

New Red Hook home for Dustin Yellin's gallery?

We've always loved this gorgeous warehouse building on the corner of Pioneer and Conover, one of the many neighborhood facilities owned by Time Moving and Storage. It's been on the market for a while, and we have had our fingers crossed that it will find a new owner who respects its incredible bones. Looks like it has. An employee paused his skid loader this morning to confirm local rumor that "the guy over there" - artist and Kidd-Yellin gallery co-owner Dustin Yellin - is buying the building.

This is great news for the neighborhood. Yellin and Charlotte Kidd transformed their current digs from "a mix between a crack den and an abandoned garage" into a spectacular gallery and studio space. They have been generous with the neighborhood, too - hosting the annual Taste of Red Hook benefit for RHI.

What will he do with this 27,000sf brick building - and its 20,000sf of parking? What would you do? Share your ideas below.

Greenmarket Compost Pilot Program.


Composting made simple? Just drop off your scraps at the Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket on Saturdays and they'll turn it into compost for you. Well, not "for you", but they will turn it into fertile soil to be used at local farming projects, which is a much better use of your trash than going to the dump.

This program started in March and will last until June 25th. You can drop off your scraps every Saturday until then between 8AM and 5pm. Below is a list of GrowNYC's do's and don'ts of composting. To learn more go to http://www.grownyc.org/compost

What to compost:

YES: fruits and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants, potting soil

NO: meat, fish, bones, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, dog or cat waste, kitty litter, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/ soil or biodegradable/ compostable plastics

Thursday, April 21, 2011

**Community Event and Traffic Advisory**

On Friday, April 22, 2011, there will be three (3) separate Catholic Churches conducting Good Friday Processions through the streets. The earliest one will begin at approximately 11:00 AM, and will be marching through the streets of Red Hook. Another one will begin at approximately 4:00 PM, and will be marching through the streets of Gowanus and Cobble Hill. The last one will begin at approximately 7:00 PM, and will be marching through the streets of Carroll Gardens. Each procession will have a police escort and will cause only temporary street closures, as it passes each intersection, thus having minimal impact on traffic.

Montessori School expanding


It looks like the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, located at 185 Court Street, has started construction on it's new expansion wing. Back in 2009 the school purchased an old fire patrol station at 12 Dean Street that had closed down years prior for $1.9 million, according to the cobblehillblog.com The inside looks pretty bare bones right now but a crew was hard at work when we passed by it last week (see pictures above and below). The expansion is said to allow the school 40 to 50 new students and the hopeful estimated opening was to be this year. We'll see though. It seems that there's a lot to be done still. Below is a little history about the firehouse that was printed in the Eagle a couple years back.
“The Brooklyn firehouse was, in fact, one of three remaining fire fighting operations of what was once a large network belonging to the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Fire Patrol members acted as an auxiliary force in the city for over 200 years…Despite its union’s claim that it saved $80 million worth of assets annually, the consortium of insurance companies that paid for its operation, decided it was too costly to maintain and voted to disband the last three units of the Fire Patrol in 2006."


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Stinky's new digs.


Stinky Bklyn has been in their new location for a few weeks now. The place is much bigger, which means not just more cheese but more high quality foods! They now have more room to carry pretty much more of everything and, as one employee told me, they have a bigger case for their cured meats, such as sopressata and prosciutto, so they've definitely expanded that selection of items. And they are still in the process of growing into their new space. What's to come? An outdoor beer garden with beers on tap and snacks (cheese will be involved , of course) and a selection of bottled beers to go. Also coming soon? Choose between either a beer, cheese or coffee of the month club. Or become a member of all three! Swing by Stinky Bklyn, now at 215 Smith st, to find out more about these clubs and to check out their new space.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Sweeten: get design tips and even find contractors

Before
Remodeling you home? New Brooklyn based company, The Sweeten, makes it easy to find local contractors and designers to bid on your projects. visit their website at thesweeten.com to see work done by their featured architects and designers. You can also browse previous projects to get ideas, or post your own project. The company was founded by architect, Jean Lauer after renovating her brooklyn home and she has teamed up with Peter Kamali, Andrew Pollock and a slew of other advisors to create and manage the website and services.
 After
 living room design by featured
designer Jason Oliver Nixon
Also, until May 3rd, enter to win a freshly painted living room from Brooklyn Based and the Sweeten, as part of brooklyn based's Home School Series. register on the sweeten website or check here for more information.




More Ice Cream!


With such a kid-friendly neighborhood there's no surprise that Bococa has so many ice cream shops. What is a little surprising is how many of these ice cream shops are geared more for the culinary-minded adults rather than the vanilla and sprinkle-loving children. Blue Marble was the first to open in the neighborhood serving up their ice cream with high quality ingredients. Since then Karloff's been scooping up their delicious cups and cones with unique flavors and local ingredients and the ever popular Van Leeuwun has also set up shop in the hood. Now you can add Steve's Ice Cream to the list. Taking over the old Blue Marble space on Atlantic and coming soon, Steve's original store was located in Somerville, Mass decades ago and was the first ever ice cream shop to incorporate mix-ins with their ice creams. Steve's shut down in the 90's but will be resurrected and improved here in Brooklyn. The ice creams and mix-ins will, of course, be made with the finest local ingredients and they will carry very refined flavors such as strawberry ricotta ice cream, kombucha sorbet, and coffee-cinnamon ice cream. Ice cream season is well on it's way! So grab your spoons and get ready for some scoops!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Market coming to Downtown Brooklyn!


First came reports about Shake Shack coming to the Fulton Mall, (read about that here: http://realtycollective.blogspot.com/2010/11/shack-is-coming.html) and now there's news about the Dekalb Market coming this summer. Yup, Downtown Brooklyn's getting hipper.

Located at the intersection of Flatbush and Willoughby, this market will be comprised of a collection of salvaged shipping containers and will be open 7 days a week. The vendors for the market are accross the board and so far include "an incubator farm, food market, events and performance venue, and a collection of eateries and work-sell spaces." But the one thing they all have in common is that they are independent, with a focus on community and sustainability.

For more info on the creators of this market and updates go to. http://www.urbanspacenyc.com/

Saturday, April 16, 2011

NO Trolley for Red Hook- Feasibilty Study info


From AICP:

Brooklyn Streetcar Feasibility Study CAC Members:

Thank you to all who were able to attend our final CAC meeting this week. As always, your input will be a valuable contribution to the study.

The PowerPoint presentation given at the meeting has now been posted on the study  website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/redhookstreetcar.shtml.
As always, we encourage you to offer your comments, which can be submitted on the website or directly to me via email.

By early next week, we expect to have details on the final, public meeting and will also be posting the Operations Memo, which outlines technical considerations related to running a streetcar, and the full Feasibility Report, which describes in greater detail the findings included in the presentation.

Thank you for your continued involvement in the study. 

Friday, April 15, 2011

Thrilling Changes Afoot! Pretty Prewars is joining Realty Collective

We are so happy to have Pretty Prewars as the newest addition to the Collective! Here is what Pretty Prewars had to say:

REPOST FOR PRETTY PREWARS:::
We are beyond excited to announce that Pretty Prewars is becoming a part of Realty Collective, an awesome, progressive, creative, knowledgeable group of agents who are deeply involved in their Brooklyn communities. It's the agency of our dreams; what we always wanted to be when we grew up, and more. And now we're joining forces!

What does this mean for you? It means that, in addition to our usual south of the park low-fee listings, we'll be offering listings in many other neighborhoods! Check out this awesome article on Brooklyn Based for an excellent portrait of the famously un-creepy Realty Collective.

From now on you can find our listings on our Facebook page, or on the Realty Collective website. Check out their fantastic blog, too!

Please feel free to email with any questions or comments: prettyprewars@gmail.com. Yay!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Cruise Ships in Brooklyn to Plug In on Shore

The Queen Mary 2 docked at Red Hook, 2009, awaiting plug.Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times The Queen Mary 2, docked at Red Hook in 2009, before the plug.
Updated, 1:06 p.m. | The mighty Queen Mary 2 will no longer be belching diesel fumes over Red Hook when it docks at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal next year. Instead, the cruise ship will shut its engines and plug into a giant electrical outlet built especially for the port.
After about two years of negotiations, the Bloomberg administration is set to announce today a multiagency agreement to supply cruise ships with “shore power,” according to several officials briefed on the agreement.
The Brooklyn terminal will become the first on the East Coast to adopt the cleaner technology, the officials said.
Red Hook residents and advocates for the environment, who have staged protests and lobbied politicians since 2006 on the issue, hope the pending agreement will rid the waterfront community of a veil of haze and what they contend are associated health risks.
“Here you have a community that’s growing, that’s traditionally left behind or that’s too often ignored, and it raised its voice,” said State Senator Daniel L. Squadron, a Democrat representing parts of Brooklyn, including the waterfront, and Lower Manhattan. “We said we’ll take the cruise terminal, but we need to protect our air, our families.”
He added: “The community got this started, and the community pushed it over the top.”
There has been little controversy about the merits of reducing pollution, mostly sulphuric gases, from cruise ships idling in port. Some environmental experts have said the contaminants cause asthma and may raise cancer risks.
The debate raged, however, over who should foot the bill. Electricity for a 3,000-passenger cruise ship the size of four football fields was not exactly on the rate card for the New York Power Authority, which provides power for the cruise terminal.
But ultimately, the city, state and private sector came to a tentative agreement. The state’s Public Service Commission negotiated the competitive rate, and the Economic Development Corporation, which manages the city’s cruise terminals, agreed to subsidize some of the cost of the power, as did the power authority.
Under the five-year agreement, the Carnival Corporation, which owns Cunard, the operator of the Queen Mary 2, will pay 12 cents per kilowatt hour, while the city economic agency and the power authority will divide the remaining 16 cents, according to one official with knowledge of the deal.
Carnival will also have to pay $4 million to retrofit its two ships that use the port — the Queen Mary 2 and the Caribbean Princess. The two ships dock in Brooklyn a total of 40 times a year.
For the cruise line, the deal may cost about $1.7 million more than using the diesel generators that now operate at the port. But the company has already embraced the technology, introducing it 10 years ago in Juneau, Alaska.
Though commonly known as shore power, the process of shutting down diesel power and relying on the local electrical grid to power a ship is known in the maritime industry as “cold ironing.”
Electrical power is now used at cruise terminals in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego and Los Angeles. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is smaller than most of these ports, but if shore power works there, officials might consider introducing it at the larger Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spent $12 million to upgrade the infrastructure at the Brooklyn port, which it owns. The project also received a $2.9 million grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, as part of federal stimulus funds.
Opponents to the idling diesel engines have been complaining of the noxious fumes and health risks since the ships began docking in Red Hook six years ago. A large cruise ship burning diesel emits more than 1,600 tons of air pollutants annually, according to an environmental impact study conducted as part of the project to switch from diesel to electricity.
Plugging in to an alternative hydroelectric source at the Red Hook port would eliminate nearly 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide, 95 tons of nitrous oxide and 6.5 tons of diesel particulate matter annually.
“It will represent significant improvement in air quality,” Seth W. Pinsky, president of the city development corporation, said in an interview. “Just from the shore powering of these two ships, it will be the equivalent of removing 5,000 cars per year from the road.”
Re-posted from the NYTIMES

Closing Bell

Just picked-up from aviewfromthehook.blogspot

http://aviewfromthehook.blogspot.com/

Sunday, April 10, 2011
"Tug Boat Parking Lot" at the Atlantic Basin?



Did you hear the news, recently reported in the New York Post (here), that the City was putting out an RFP (Request For Proposal) for an operator to create a "massive parking lot for tugs" inside the Atlantic Basin on Red Hook's waterfront? For those unfamiliar with where and what the Atlantic Basin is, it's the historic "harbor" that lies behind (inland of) the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. This body of water has been designated as the future home for PortSide New York, who's ship, the Mary A. Whalen, will be moored in the basin permanently. PortSide will also occupy part of the Pier 11 shed (currently used by Phoenix Beverages for recycling and garbage), and have the use of 600 feet of Atlantic Basin water frontage. For anyone who attended any of PortSide's excellent programs held last summer, you know what a great addition their permanent presence in the Atlantic basin will be to our neighborhood, and what a great use of this underused "blue space" this promises to be. The Brooklyn Greenway will also run along the basin, connecting more people to this unique yet underused waterfront location, right at the foot of Red Hook's residential streets.


With these proposed future uses in mind, it was of concern to me that the City and the NYCEDC, who play a large hand in the planning of our waterfront, have put out this RFP without acknowledging the fact that bringing tugboats to the Atlantic Basin - up to 15, as the NY Post article states - will also bring more pollution right into the heart of our neighborhood.


My problem with this plan mostly stems from the fact that the City and EDC have had a history of bringing new activities to our waterfront that impact our neighborhood and its residents with harmful pollution, but never seem to seriously concern themselves with meaningfully mitigating the pollution - that is until the residents discover the negative health impacts they are being subjected to and start to voice their concerns. This was certainly the case with the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, where the visiting ships have been continuously idling while in port, spewing their dangerous fumes into our neighborhood's air for the last 6 years, when they could have been plugging in to shore power and eliminating the negative health impacts they have been needlessly imposing on our community, especially our most vulnerable - kids, the elderly, people with lung disease including asthma, minority and low-income communities, etc.


The City's indifference to the negative health impacts that their plans were having on our residents was also apparent when they facilitated the relocation of Phoenix Beverages to our neighborhood where there was some long term plan (taking over 7 years) to reduce the impact of the emissions from the 200 truck trips that Phoenix was bringing to Red Hook, but there was no acknowledgement that this new business would also be bringing more ships, more emissions, more sulfur, particulates, etc., more resultant negative health impacts to our residents, and nothing was being done to address those impacts.


As with the Cruise Terminal, neither the City nor the Port Authority who operate the terminals were required to do an Environmental Impact Study - because of current land use rules, they can basically do what they like.


This is why I have an issue with the tugs. Tugs currently use dirty diesel similar to the stuff that cruise ships and container ships burn. It's high in sulfur and creates particulates and other dangerous substances that are harmful to human health.

Work Gallery this Weekend!

http://http://www.redtinshack.com/ This Friday at Work Gallery: Voice, Practice and Memory: New Paintings by David Pappaceno curated by John E Woods Opening April 15th @ 6pm Artist's Talk April 17th @ 4pm Trucks I Dusk curated films by Eric Corriel Sound and Video Presentation by et.per. se. and

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Earth Day’s turning 40 on Thursday April 22!

The day for environmental awareness started with some grass-roots teach-ins and counterculture demonstrations in 1970. Now it’s a full-blown earth-stravaganza with film-screenings, recycling demos, eco-fests and the word ‘sustainability’ floating through the warming air.
And since April 22 is a Thursday this year, the celebration’s spread out over the whole week. From a tree giveaway to a greening-your-home workshop, here’s what’s in store around the borough.


Saturday, April 17
The 1st Annual We Can Green Brooklyn EcoFair will feature green-themed lectures from industry experts, green-jobs info, a plant pavilion for gardeners, contests and prizes and live entertainment. There’ll also be recycling stations for bedding, clothes and accessories, bags, luggage, curtains, and stuffed animals. Holy Cross Auditorium & Yard, 2530 Church Ave., between Rogers & Bedford Aves.
10 am-3 pm: FREE TREES! in Clinton Hill Courtesy of Million Trees NYC (Sunday, April 18, too)
The Million Trees NYC imitative will be giving away 200 free trees.  All you need is a place to plant & access to water, and horticulture experts will be on hand to give advice and lend a shovel.  Trees will be available for individuals, families and community groups for planting on private property only.  First-come, first-served until supplies run out.  Simple tree planting & care instructions come with the free tree. Putnam Triangle in Clinton Hill (Fulton St. & Grand Ave.)
10 am-4 pm: Electronics Recycle with the Lower East Side Ecology Center (Sunday, April 18, too)
The Ecology Center is holding electronic waste collections to responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics.  A list of acceptable materials can be found here. Habana Outpost, South Portland Ave. and Fulton St.; Sun: P.S. 29 School Yard, Baltic St. between Henry St. and Clinton St.

Sunday, April 18
8:30 am: Dow/Love Earth Run for Water
Raise awareness for the planet’s drinking water shortage with a 6K run/walk around Prospect Park. When you’re done, hang around the Water Village to hear John Legend and the Roots. $40. Concert: 10 am.

11th annual Gowanus Canal Earth Day Flotilla Spring Clean-Up
The Gowanus Canal has officially been declared a superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency, identifying it as one of the most polluted bodies of water in New York.  Join the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy for their 11th Annual Gowanus Canal Earth Day Flotilla Spring Clean-Up.  Volunteers will use landing nets, or paddle the canal in a fleets of canoes to collect floating debris. Advanced registration required. Email enviromediamobile.udec@gmail.com or call 347-224-5828.

Monday, April 19
4 pm: Big Movies for Little Kids: The Lorax and The Man Who Planted Trees
Cobble Hill Cinemas will be showing two children’s short films: The Lorax (25 min.) based on the Dr. Seuss tale and The Man Who Planted Trees (30 min.), a film based on Jean Giono’s short story. $6.50 admission. Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court St.

Tuesday, April 20
Earth Day Take Action for the Earth Event with Axiom
Join the law firm Axiom and the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy’s Green Team in a volunteer effort to beautify Brooklyn Bridge Park. 6 pm. Brooklyn Bridge Park, 1 Main St.

EARTH DAY! Thursday, April 22
10 am-2 pm: Celebrate Earth Day at The Block Institute with lessons for adults and children on the future of natural resources and how we can preserve them. 376 Bay 44th St., off Shore Pkwy.
3-5 pm: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Earth Day Celebration
Take a family trip to the BBG and pot a plant to take home. $8 for adults, $4 ages 12 and older. Discovery Garden, 1000 Washington Ave.
4-10 pm: GREEN BKSTYLE! At Outpost Lounge
Brooklyn Fashion Week, in an effort toward more sustainable production, invites guests to meet local designers, discuss how to add ‘green’ to your style, and view their latest designs. Designers in attendance will include Trudy Miller, Bweela Steptoe, Melissa Lockwood, Storm’s Den, and others. Free. Outpost Lounge, 1014 Fulton St.
7:30-9 pm: Earth Day with Eco-Chic Home
Emily Elizabeth Anderson of Eco-Chic Weddings will demo some ideas from her new book, Eco-Chic Home: Rethink, Reuse and Remake your way to sustainable style. She will discuss simple projects to make your home stylish and eco-conscious. Projects/crafts will include include: a paper crane chandelier, CD case light and plastic-bag flowers. Pop quiz and prizes are also on the agenda. Facebook RSVP is encouraged. WORD, 126 Franklin St.

Friday, April 23
12-4 pm: Beautiful Earth Day 2010 Block Party
The Beautiful Earth Group will be holding “Beautiful Earth Day 2010,” a block party on Degraw Street between Columbia and Van Brunt streets to celebrate Earth Day.  There’ll be music, games for kids, educational displays, local food, tours of New York’s first solar-powered Electric Vehicle charging station and lots of other fun activities with street residents and neighbors. Email info@beautifulearthgroup.com or call Amanda Cleary at 718-488-8426. Degraw St. between Columbia and Van Brunt Sts.

Saturday, April 24
10 am-9 pm: Earth Day at Hattie Carthan Community Farmers’ Market
Celebrate Earth Day at the Hattie Carthan Community Garden with a garden planning workshop and free seed giveaway, followed by feasting and a community workday of various building and spring garden activities. Free. Clifton Pl. and Marcy Ave.
6:30-11 pm: Andi Rae’s 4th Annual Earth Day Celebration
Local NYC artist and environmentalist Andi Rae Healy and country music artist Alex Battles will be co-hosting a benefit concert at Park Slope’s Bar 4. Free, and with a raffle for places around the Slope. Proceeds go to Sustainable Harvest International. 444 Seventh Ave. at 15th St.

Sunday, April 25
11 am-4 pm: 3rd Annual Go Green! Greenpoint! Earth Day Celebration
The 3rd Annual Go Green! Greenpoint! Earth Day Celebration includes vendors selling earth-friendly merchandise, organizations promoting earth awareness, school and community group participation, music, children’s events, health and wellness demonstrations, a recycling station and healthy food and treats. McCarren Park,  Nassau Ave., Bayard, Leonard & N. 12th Sts.
1 pm: Earth Day Celebrations at Ikea/Erie Basin Park
Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy is hosting a fun-filled  family day in environmental literacy and maritime cultural enrichment in commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.  Activities include:  Catch and Release Fishing, Live Underwater Video Exploration, Recycling, Kite Flight, Mobile Museum Gift Shop, Refreshments, and Live Music.  The day will culminate with the ceremonial launch of the Giant Floating Earth Ball. IKEA/Erie Basin Park, One Beard St.

(Source: By Trevor Dye: http://www.brokelyn.com/celebrate-earth-day-in-brooklyn-all-week-long/)

South Slope, getting cooler all the time...

South Slope Sausage Joint and a New South Brooklyn Pizza Location!

One of the folks involved with Der Kommissar—the Austrian-inspired sausage stand/tavern coming to 5th Avenue near the corner of 15th Street, and perhaps the only Brooklyn business to share the name of a Falco hit—says the eatery is having a soft opening tonight and tomorrow from 7 to 10 p.m. Der Kommissar'swebsite has a menu up detailing the wurst and bier that will be on offer. The pics above show how the storefront has been renovated. 
Der Kommissar [Official Site] GMAP

(above reposted from Brownstoner)

photo from heres park slope.blogspot.com
Also new to the neighborhood is a new outpost of the famous South Brooklyn Pizza, which i have to say is the best damn pizza i've ever eaten! the new location at 447 1st street at 7th ave opened up on April 5th. This is the third restaurant of what seems to be becoming a franchise for South Brooklyn Pizza, with other locations at 221 1st ave in manhattan and 451 court street in carroll gardens.  A nice big slice is $4 but its well worth it. these guys use the best and freshest ingredients and forget dried basil and garlic salt, enjoy your slice with self serve toppings like fresh basil leaves, freshly roasted garlic, and hot peppers. The new location will be open until 4am every night making it an essential stop after a park slope bar hop!



Saturday, April 9, 2011

French English Dual Language program to open in Willyburg/Greenpoint

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A FRENCH - ENGLISH 
DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM IN GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN PUBLIC SCHOOL?


PS 110 public school seeking students to register for
Fall 2011 class to create a dynamic French - English Dual Language Program.
18 students are required to secure this program. 
If you are planning on attending please go register as soon as possible!
They already have a very strong candidate for the teaching position.
DATELINE REGISTRATION: APRIL 15
 Please email  Léa Joly Sloan 
 
PS 110 The Monitor School
124 Monitor Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 
Phone: (718) 383-7600 
 
PS 110 has many great programs already in place and is looking for ways to make their school even better!
If you are interested to learn more about this program as well as a French after school program
this is the place to show your interest and support, please email frenchinwillyburg@gmail.com

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Work it Brooklyn & Women in Music! April 20th

Workitlogo300
 Hey Y'all!
We have ah-mazing Industry Focus event coming up at on Wednesday, April 20th-- in a mere two weeks!
This time, it's all about the Music, and especially how to do-it-yourself as an independent artist. And being here in Brooklyn-- the heart of independent music in America-- we've got nothing but the best for you! In partnership with Women in Music, we've got a jam-packed event with a discussion panel loaded with heavy-hitters in the online DIY world, from the President of Tunecore(!!) to the CEO of Section101 to the Director of Pledgemusic all moderated by an Entertainment Lawyer.
Wim-logo_web_black-e1301359105769
 In addition to that, we'll have a round or two of speed networking before the panel begins, a select group of local industry VIPs who will be ready to network with you during the mingling portions of the evening, and a demo swap table.
For the full run down of the panel, the schedule of the evening, and to register, please visit http://industryfocusmusic.eventbrite.com and sign up soon-- space is limited to 100 participants!
If you have questions for any of the panelists, please email them to info@workitbrooklyn.com.
Rock on,
Aja Marsh, Briana Campbell, and Joann Kim
Work It Brooklyn (Blog | Facebook | Twitter @workitbrooklyn)
Industry Focus: Music
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - 7 to 10pm
Coco 66 - 66 Greenpoint Avenue

Register

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Save the Prospect Park West Bike Lane!

Ever since the creation of the bike lane on Prospect Park West last year, it has been under attack. Mostly from people living nearby who think its unsightly for some reason. In Fact, Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes, the oragnization formed by those who oppose the new bike lane, has hired a law firm to bring a law suit against the city to try to remove the lane. I use it regularly and think it is a great addition to the already very bike friendly Park Slope. Plus taking one lane out of Prospect Park West seemed to reduce the speeding and other wreckless driving on that street. Now, rather than a big four lane speedway, its now just a normal park side drive, which is nice for pedestrians.

If you are a fellow supporter of the Prospect Park West bike lane, come ride it this Sunday April 10th, starting at 11am. Everyone is invited to bike or walk the lane starting from Grand Army Plaza to the Bartel-Pritchard entrance of Prospect Park at 15th Street to show support for the bike lane. At the end of the ride you can look foward to Free hot dogs from Bark, cupcakes from Blue Sky Bakery and more goodies from bike shop sponsors Bicycle Habitat and Ride Brooklyn. For more info check out the website at http://weridethelanes.com/



Apparently we're not the only ones who love Smith Street

It must be Spring - the film crews have descended on Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill. So don't bother trying to park in front of our new office at 296 Smith Street this evening. They'll be filming something called N.L.P.I. (recently seen blocking traffic in DUMBO). Anyone know what film this might be? It's not Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. So what is it?

Monday, April 4, 2011

REALTY COLLECTIVE ADDS ANOTHER BROOKLYN LEGEND!


REALTY COLLECTIVE ADDS ANOTHER BROOKLYN LEGEND


Just over a year ago, Realty Collective was thrilled to announce their acquisition of Manzione Real Estate, a well loved and respected fixture on the Columbia Waterfront and Red Hook scenes for 30 years. Frank Manzione built his stellar reputation by creating and nurturing strong client relationships and business practices. When he decided to sell the company, he was looking for someone with the same kind of drive and energy to continue and expand on what he’d already so carefully established, so he approached Victoria Hagman (co-founder and President of Realty Collective) and here they are. Wisdom & longtime connections plus a future forward, youthful vision = the perfect combination.

And the Collective is growing.

In early March, another longtime BK legend, Angela Vita, approached Frank Manzione about purchasing Vita Real Estate. It was a no-brainer to recommended Realty Collective, being happy with the smooth transition and continued success after selling and merging with Victoria and her team.

So today, they are once again, thrilled and fortunate to announce their acquisition and merger with Vita Real Estate, who brings 30 years of experience and service to Carroll Gardens. They are pleased to welcome Angela Vita to their Collective. Not only does she bring her vast wealth of experience, but they now have a new office space at 296 Smith Street (in addition to their original space with Manzione Real Estate at 223 Columbia Street).

Realty Collective is so excited to continue serving their communities and continuing their love affair with Brooklyn and spreading the word!

To learn more about Realty Collective, please visit us at www.realtycollective.com


Sunday, April 3, 2011

HopHap comes to Smith Street




HopHap is a newish Thai restaurant at 204 Smith street (Smith and Baltic). We know what your thinking. Another Thai restaurant? Well, that's what we were thinking anyways. But it's actually not adding another Thai restaurant to the neighborhood it's just replacing one, since the space it took over used to be Ghang restaurant. The new owners took over the spot a couple of months ago and with an affordable menu and a nice clean and contemporary interior, (see pics below) they'll hopefully do well.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

We Love that BK Loves Japan

BROOKLYN <3 JAPAN


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Courtesy of Oh My Rockness, @ The Bell House, Tues, April 5 & 15, show some love!