Monthly Archives: November 2006
OTBKB’S ANNUAL GIFT GUIDE: JUST ABOUT DONE
The gift guide is just about done. I am only missing a few stores. In the next few days I will fill in missing stores. New this year: Honey Bee and Me on 5th Street off of Fifth Avenue. She has odd hours so check her website. The guide will permanently live at its own site. Click on the OTBKB Holiday Guide logo on the right hand column of this blog. One click and you’re there.
5th Avenue 5th Avenue 5th Avenue 5th Avenue
FIFTH AVENUE Bergen to St. Marks
Lulu’s: Schylling tin toys — robot, elephant, clown Jack-in-the-Box and more — great for children and adults.
FIFTH AVENUE St. Marks to Prospect Place
Buttercup’s Paw-tisserie: coming soon…
Umkarna: Necklace with black lava beads on a stretchy string. Red and black and Chartreuse and black. Very striking ($170). Silky slip shirts or lingerie by Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent in lovely colors ($160).
Gorilla Coffee: Wooden box with a red and black gorilla printed on it with three one pound bags of coffee ($38).
Tabeel Aromatherapy Gift Shop and Hair Locking Center: last year I liked these microwavable teddy bears for muscle soreness, arthritis, backaches, sprains and headaches ($35). Glycerine soaps by the slice in various flavors and colors including grapefruit (pictured).
FIFTH AVENUE Prospect Place to Park Place
Flirt: coming soon…
The Chocolate Room: coming soon
FIFTH AVENUE Douglas to Degraw
At Home: coming soon…
Wrappers Delight: OUT OF BUSINESS
FIFTH AVENUE Degraw to Sackett
Reverse: coming soon…
FIFTH AVENUE St. Johns to Lincoln
Romp: Giraffe and monkey wall animals hand cut from vintage wallpaper ($60-$80). Customized book about your family from Good Stock — buy a book, pick out colors, fill in family tale worksheet, review up to three proofs. (All for $124). Pregnant Mommy mobile. The Time is Now — Nikki McClure calendar. Water Wizard drawing board.
Body Essentials: coming soon…
FIFTH AVENUE Lincoln to Berkeley
Organic Cafe: OUT OF BUSINESS
FIFTH AVENUE Sackett to President
Cog and Pearl: Various lamps made from Hurricane Katrina debris ($100.). Copper reliquary boxes — ery beautiful ($70. – $170). Distressed metal pocket mirrors by Vallerie Galloway with vintage looking photos of the Brooklyn Bridge, water towers, mannequins — comes with a velvet pouch ($36). Hand printed vintage leather and suede gloves ($48). Decoupage paper weights and dishes by John Derain ($60. and up).
FIFTH AVENUE Berkeley to Union
Extraordinary: Key rings with small metal high heels, wing tips, ballet slippers, high tops ($15). Small music box with Klimt painting and music from La Boheme ($20). Begamot bath oil in an interesting bottle with a purple synthetic orchid ($25).
FIFTH AVENUE Union to Carroll Streets.
Something Else: Rubber rain boots with black skeletons and red roses.
Bob & Judi’s Coolectibles: Handmade in Brooklyn: Mah Jong tile Hanukkah menorahs ($42). Vintage Brooklyn news
photos ($10). Tiny Betty Boo tea set. Vintage plastic charm
bracelets ($10). Pool balls ($5). Vintage 1940’s Santa wrapping
paper ($3).
Goldy and Mac:
Beacon’s Closet:
FIFTH AVENUE President to Garfield Streets.
Matter: Still life fruit bowl — ceramic and wood ($79)
Scaredy Kat:
Diana Kane: The Hanky Panky silk lace thong in a multitude of colors. Everyone loves these ($18). Silver locket with yellow gold chain. Holds two pictures. ($196).
Eidolan:
Nancy Nancy:
Hers and Mine: OUT OF BUSINESS
FIFTH AVENUE Garfield to 1st Streets.
3R Living: Sweep Dreams Dust Pan and Broom ($15 and $22).
Lucia:
La Rosa Dance Supply:
FIFTH AVENUE 1st to Second Streets
Jonathan Blum: Paintings by Brooklyn’s hometown artist.
FIFTH AVENUE Second to Third Streets
Zelda Victoria: To come.
FIFTH AVENUE 3rd to 4th Streets
Living on Fifth :
Serene Rose:
FIFTH AVENUE 4th to 5th Streets
Pink Pussycat:
Under the Pig Antiques:
FIFTH AVENUE 5th to 6th Streets
Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co:
Zuzu’s Petals: Framed, hand-embroidered samplers
"Love me when I deserve it least, it is when I need it most." ($18-$60). Father Christmas figures in 3 sizes ($35, $48, $90). Woven throws for cold winter nights; very frothy and snuggley ($75 and $85). Handthrown pottery: Nicholas Mosse from Ireland, French from Provence ($25- $250). Mistral soaps, bath and body products from France. Custom decorated fresh balsam wreaths and arrangements.
Honeybee and Me: fluffy wool coats, hats, mittens, scarves and pillows in fabulous colors. Range of prices. Nice jewelry from Turkey. Patent leather backpacks
FIFTH AVENUE 7th to 8th Streets
Office Equipment and Furniture: OUT OF BUSINESS
Save on
Fifth: Assortment of cool alarm clocks and wall clocks.
FIFTH AVENUE 8th to 9th Streets
Galaxy Comics: 12 inch Yellow Submarine Beatle’s figurines.
Record and Tape Center: Huge collection of used LPs and CDs.
Tip Top Gifts:
7th Avenue 7th Avenue 7th Avenue 7th Avenue
SEVENTH AVENUE Berkeley to Union
Orange Blossom Kids: Baby tee with Dalai Lama
Slope Sports: Running cap with sushi design
SEVENTH AVENUE Union to President
Blue Apron (just east of 7th Avenue): coming soon…
Newstand: Lottery ticket.
Facets: Colorful baubles and stones: necklaces by David Aubrey ($60 and up).
Area: Radiant Baby wooden yo yo’s by Keith Haring and French Yo yo’s ($9 and $11). Wooden pens with funny faces ($5).
Aersoles: To come
SEVENTH AVENUE President to Carroll
Loom: "Subversive Cross Stitch: 33 Designs for you Surly Side" by Julie Jackson ($14.95).
Lisa Polansky: Brown monkey scarf and matching hat.
Sound Track: Out of Business
SEVENTH AVENUE Carroll to Garfield
Jack Rabbit: $250. buys any pair of running shoes and tuition in the Beginner Running Clinic.
D’Vine Taste: Dried Fruits. Halvah. Fancy olive oils. Proustian Madeleine Cakes.
Community Bookstore: "We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Non-Fiction
by Joan Didion ($30).
Little Things: Mini, posable Groovey Dolls ($4.99). Best Buddy monkey rolling backpacks ($24.99), Doodle Coloing Book by Taro Gomi — author of Everyone Poops — Chronicle Books ($18.95). Ugly Dolls ($5.99 – $100).
Back to the Land: Dr. Hanuschka, Avalon, Kiss My Face, California Baby, and other skin and hair care products.
Possibilities:
Garfield to 1st
Artesana: Square dog paintings by a Thai artist in a wide variety of breeds ($75).
The Clay Pot: cross, om, heart, and star pendant by Jane Diaz ($64).
Treasure Chest: Gold necklace with one of a variety of charms: pistol, handcuffs, wishbone, pineapple, dragon fly, seahorse, and eagle ($75). Menorah with nine small chairs.
Lolli: Sock monkey by Paul Frank ($15). Paul Frank sock slippers (price TBD).
Mr. Choi: Hot Sox in a wide variety of patterns including Hanukah menorahs, cappuchino, bandannas, and polka dots (3 for $15).
SEVENTH AVENUE 2nd to 3rd Streets
Seventh Avenue Books: "ABZ: More Alphabets and Other Signs" edited by Julian Rothstein and Mel Gooding. Chronicle Books. "Anthology of Graphic Fiction" from Yale University Press. "So What is the What" by Dave Eggers
Park Slope Books: "On this Earth: Photographs from East Africa" by Nick Brandt (price TBD).
Good Footing: Kitson LA laceless sneakers (price TBD).
Tarzian West: Simplehuman brushed steel single pod coffee brewer ($129).
SEVENTH AVENUE 3rd to 4th Streets
The Cocoa Bar: Nicely packaged chocolate treats.
Lion in the Sun: Moleskin notebooks in all sizes.
SEVENTH AVENUE 4th to 5th Streets
Lumiere: Pylones lady in skirt cheese grater, cake knife, massage device, and other fun items.
SEVENTH AVENUE 7th to 8th Streets
Root Stock/Quade: What could be better than a " surprise " bouquet at your door on the 20th of the month!? Seasonal blooms chosen and arranged in a vase to complement the bouquet designed by Kerry Quade to arrive on your Brooklyn doorstep for three consecutive months. A one time delivery charge of $25.00 to be applied in addition. Delivery in Brooklyn only ($300). Floral Design Lesson with Kerry Quade ($350).
SEVENTH AVENUE 8th to 9th Streets
Brooklyn Industries: Thigh high tights ($12).
Fargo Bomber Hat ($52).
Park Slope Stationers: Claire Fontaine notebooks.
SEVENTH AVENUE 9th to 10th
Otto: Adorable Senger stuffed animals. "3 dots" polka dot cashmere sweaters (pricey). Bathing cap
bags. Nethermeade Perfume from Brooklyn Apothecary Sexy underwear
SEVENTH AVENUE 10th to 11th
4 Play: CP Cotton Phase camisole in variety of colors. Very simple, comfortable (2 for $30).
Park Slope Sports: Brooklyn tee’s hoodies. Great scarf/hat for winter runners.
SEVENTH AVENUE 11th to 12th
Nest: Paper curtains
SEVENTH AVENUE 12th to 13th
El Milagro: Frida Kahlo earrings, necklaces, pins, bracelets, etc.
SEVENTH AVENUE 13th to 14th
Sweet Charity:
Neda:
Music Matters:
SEVENTH AVENUE 14th to 15th
Toy Space: Anatomically correct soft baby dolls ($10.00).
Baby Bird: Snoopy t-shirts for babies.
Bird:
15th to 16th
Rare Device: Black sake set ($72). Elegant money clip($72). Pop-up Menorah card ($6).
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
MAIL ORDER CROCODILE
Here’s a story. This from NY1:
Police investigating a suspicious shoebox behind the Spring Creek
Apartments on Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn were surprised to find a
Caiman inside.Caimans are part of the Crocodile family. Animal control officials
believe the reptile was illegally obtained through mail order.“I’m guessing that the owners of this pet realized that they got in
far beyond what they can handle and they did not know how to properly
deal with the situation,” said Ruth Allen of Brooklyn Animal Control.
“So instead of trying to be a responsible pet owner and do the right
thing, they decided to tie the animal’s mouth and dump him in the
garbage.”Animal control officials say the animal was cold when it was
brought in. They’re keeping it warm under a heating lamp until they can
give it to the proper recovery facility.
TONY SOPRANO ON SEVENTH AVENUE
So I finally got over to Fourth Street yesterday to check out the Soprano situation. The show was shooting all day in Inaka Sushi on Seventh Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets. The actors and crew may have been in the sushi place, but all the equipment trucks, actor’s trailers, and Teamsters were lining Seventh Avenue; what a scene.
At approximately 8 p.m., a small group of local fans gathered in the Street at 4th and Seventh Avenue and waited for the wrap. A crew member came out of the sushi place saying "Cut" and it was determined that the shoot was over.
Fairly soon after, a very friendly Tony Soprano came out on the Avenue and graciously posed for pictures and signed autographs. The guys from the barber shop on Seventh Avenue near 4th Street brought a carousel horse out onto the street and asked Tony to pose in front of it. "Hey Tony, pose in front of the horse," one of the guys said. "I’m posing next to a horse’s ass?" he said.
Tony, who is much taller than I expected, was in a good mood and seemed happy to pose for cell phone cameras. A festive atmosphere prevailed in the minutes after the wrap. I had somewhere to be so I grabbed a few cell phone shots and was on my way.
REINVENTING THE HOLIDAY IN BROOKLYN
Last year we stayed in New York for Christmas for a change. And this year we’re doing that again. Here’s what I wrote last year. It still feels new and exciting to be here at Christmas.
We’ve decided to stay in Brooklyn for the holidays. Well, it was my
idea. I told Hepcat I needed to be here instead of on the farm, the
walnut farm, in Northern California.It took days to get up the nerve. I knew Hepcat wouldn’t take it
well. He looks forward to our visits to the family farm he grew up on. Our twice-yearly trips make him feel grounded; they connect him to his
past. They’re also a much-needed chance to spend time with his mother,
his siblings, their children, and other members of his family.For as long as we’ve been together, we’ve spent the holidays out
there. That’s a lot of years and a lot of Chirstmases with my husband’s
family. I don’t even know what the holidays are like in New York with
my family anymore.I must say, Christmas in California is pretty special: a real
goyisha treat for a Jewish girl from the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
There’s a tall Christmas tree festooned with family heirloom ornaments.
The house, fragrant with mulled cider and eucaplytus branches, is
decorated with colorful Mexican folkart Mexican nativity creches. There
are hot cinnamon buns on Christmas morning.Best of all, my kids get to spend days on the farm with their
cousins in a
kind of free-form indoor/outdoor existence that’s so unlike life in
Park Slope. Climbing a fig tree, taking walks in a walnut orchard,
lighting sparklers in the backyard, it’s all part of the Christmas they
know.So I finally blurted it out one night before dinner in the kitchen. "I don’t think I can go to California this Christmas."
There was a stunned silence.
I offered up my reasons like non-sequiters: My work. Teen Spirit’s New
year’s Eve gig at the Liberty Heights Tap Room. Our new niece, Ducky.
Hepcat immediately looked disappointed but he seemed to understand.
"Well, I guess that means I’ll be going to California with Teen Spirit and OSFO," he said.Teen Spirit, who was standing by the sink, cleared his throat, "Um, Dad, if
you don’t mind I think I want to stay in New York with mom," To which Hepcat replied,
"Well, I guess it’ll just be me and OSFO."
"I’M NOT GOING WITHOUT MOM," she shouted from the dining room where she was working on her homework.
"Well, I guess I’m going alone," Husband said sadly. "I’m sorry, Dad," Teen Spirit aid, giving his dad a big hug.
By morning Hepcat had decided that he was going to spend Christmas in Brooklyn with us.
"I don’t want to go without my family."
So it was decided that we will spend the holidays in Brooklyn.
Together. We’ll have to figure out what to do here: reinvent our
holiday ritual as we rediscover New York at Christmastime.Ice skating in Prospect Park, Christmas decorations in Dyker
Heights, fireworks on New Years Eve at Grand Army Plaza, after the show
at the Liberty Heights Tap Room…
It just might be fun to do something a little different.
–written in 2005
ALBERTS SELL ASTROLAND TO THOR PROPERTIES
This from Bloomberg Media:
Astroland Amusement Park on the Coney
Island boardwalk, which offered rides and thrills to a generation
of Brooklynites, was sold to a developer planning to turn it into
a year-round resort.The park will close after the 2007 summer season as part of
an agreement Thor Equities LLC, a New York-based development firm,
according to a statement released by the sellers, the Albert
family. Dewey Albert, father of the current owner Jerome Albert,
opened the amusement park in 1962, the statement said.No price was given. The owners said they couldn’t afford to
convert the park to year-round operation. The Alberts will
continue to operate the landmark Cyclone roller-coaster, which
will be 80 years old next year, under a contract with the city of
New York, according to the statement.
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
SOPRANOS: SUSHI, 30 ROCK: THURSDAY
HOT NEWS FLASH, 6 p.m., Tuesday: Rosemary writes—30 Rock is shooting today at the Grand Prospect Hall between 5th and 6th aves. I saw Alec Baldwin in a tux at 8 a.m.
NEWS FLASH, 11:25 a.m., Tuesday: The Sopranos are filming in Inaka Sushi, according to Hepcat who just walked by. And he says 30 Rock won’t be on PPW until Thursday.
Old Story:
A neighbor told me last night that The Sopranos are shooting on Fourth Street today. He saw a sign. I already knew but I acted surprised. It’s boring always being the one who knows what’s going on.
When Hepcat came home he said that 30 Rock, the new comedy show with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin about a Saturday Night Live type of show, is shooting on Prospect Park West today on THURSDAY. He said he saw signs. That was news to me. I was surprised and I didn’t know.
Funny coincidence. 30 Rock vs. The Sopranos. Shooting on the same day in the Slope.
GIVE THE GIFT OF GOOD KARMA
Today Gowanus Lounge is running a gift guide. But he’s got an interesting theme. Give the gift of good karma, support an organization that you believe in that’s doing good things in Brooklyn or the world.
Our focus in today’s first installment will be memberships in or donations to Brooklyn organizations or Brooklyn-based groups that would make cool holiday gifts. The guide is very selective and we’ve probably left out obvious choices or favorites, but here goes…
Added Value. You can’t become a member of Added Value–the
good people that run programs for young people in Red Hook and operate
a community farm and farmers markets–but you can certainly make a
contribution to the cause in someone’s name. They do good work. Helping
them would make a cool gift. Check out their donation page here.Slope Street Cats. No membership here, but you can donate to Slope Street Cats,
a Park Slope group that works to control the population of feral cats
and links a lot of people to adoptions of cats. They run educational
programs and do a lot of good work and you can make a donation here in someone’s name as a gift and get a big deposit of Good Kitty Karma to boot.Check in on Gowanus Lounge all week to see what other gift ideas he has.
FAO SCHWARZ FROM BROOKLYN
Turns out F.A.O. Schwarz (1836-1911), the toy store founder, is from Brooklyn. Maybe that’s why the company that bears his names wants to open a store in Park Slope. Or maybe it’s all the kid$, kid$, kid$. The New York Times ran this in the City Section on Sunday.
People in the neighborhood
have been buzzing about F. A. O. Schwarz since its chief executive, Ed
Schmults, was quoted this month in Crain’s New York Business about the
company’s expansion plans in the city. According to Mr. Schmults, F. A.
O. Schwarz is considering opening two smaller stores in New York, and
the publication named Park Slope, along with Union Square, as a
possible location.Mr. Schmults declined to answer questions
about the matter last week, but according to a statement issued by the
store’s public relations office, the company hopes to open one of the
new stores next summer and the other in 2008.In Park Slope,
where strollers rule the sidewalks, and nannies and young mothers rule
the coffee shops, some parents greeted the idea coldly.“I’ve
never been an F. A. O. Schwarz fan, so I would say, ‘Don’t bother
coming here,’ ” said Lauren Gropp Lowry, mother of Lila, 11 months, as
she sipped coffee outside the Connecticut Muffin on Seventh Avenue at
First Street.Ms. Gropp Lowry, who grew up in the neighborhood
and recently moved back from Manhattan, said that in her opinion, Park
Slope was all about smaller stores and personal service. “It’s not a
Park Slope place,” she said of F. A. O. Schwarz, before dashing off to
a mother-and-daughter music class. “The fact that we have a Barnes
& Noble now is a big deal.”F. A. O. Schwarz, which once
operated 14 stores nationwide, now has just two locations, in New York
and Las Vegas, after a bout with bankruptcy that temporarily closed the
flagship store on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan. Mr.
Schmults, who took over as chief executive last year, told Crain’s that
he hoped to streamline the business, making it less a toy-themed
amusement shop and more a profitable enterprise.At Lolli, a
children’s clothing store in Park Slope on Seventh Avenue, a co-owner,
Meghan Andrade, predicted that an F. A. O. Schwarz store would cut into
her business. “I feel like sometimes when I hear things like that, that
Park Slope is going to lose the charm that it currently has,” she said.
“There’s a loyalty amongst our customer base, so we would maintain some
of that, but people will always explore their options.”
Green News of the Week: Seeing Green
I learned this from this week’s Green News of the Week on Seeing Green. Speaking of LEDs…
Green Eyes Glowing Softly in the Night. Look around your
house at night and what do you see? Many, many LEDs glowing balefully
at you, each of them indicating a small but growing use of energyShut Windows to save power, urges industry:
Computer energy bills could be slashed by up to 40 per cent if Windows
had its power management settings turned on by default, according to a
leading environmentalist."PCs
consume 96% of their power in on-idle mode," said Catriona McAlister,
senior consultant for AEA Energy & Environment, speaking at an
Intel discussion on energy efficient computing. "You could save 40% of
annual energy consumption just by turning on power management on PCs
and monitors."
TWO YEARS AGO IN OTBKB: A PALPABLE FEELING OF RELIEF
Memories may be beautiful and yet…There are definitely some things you wish you could forget (so why am I reprinting this?).
Two years ago today, Smartmom, Hepcat, and Teen Spirit completed Teen Spirit’s public high school application. Now he’s a bubbly 10th grader at a small private high school in Bay Ridge. There are certainly many parents and kids going through this process right now. This goes out to them:
They did it: it’s done.
The application is filled out. Signed. Dated
Teen Spirit, Hepcat and Teen Spirit managed to select 12 public high schools and order them according to preference.
The guidance counselor has it.
Hepcat
didn’t sleep a wink last night. Teen Spirit’s high school application
was only part of the anxiety running rampant in his mind. Last week his
hard drive crashed. So in addition to worrying about Teen Spirit’s
future and the family’s money situation, Hepcat was trying to figure
out how he was going to print up 50 pictures or more without a computer
for this weekend’s craft fair.Smartmom popped up at 6:30 am and saw only OSFO in the bed — Clever Grandma was sleeping in OSFO’s room. No Hepcat.
Smartmom
looked everywhere for him. It’s not a huge apartment so that didn’t
take long. She checked Teen Spirit’s bed twice — maybe Hepcat crawled
in there. Nope. Was he on the green leather couch where he sometimes
ends up? Negative. She checked to see if his camera was in its spot —
was he out taking pictures of the dawn? Nope. Camera on the table in
the living room.Hmmmm. Where did Hepcat go? It’s time to fill
out Teen Spirit’s high school application. Procrastination time is
OVER. He wouldn’t run out over this, up and leave, end it all…Finally
the front door opened at around 6:45. Hepcat had to re-park the car
because the city is repaving Third Street and all cars had to be moved.Mystery solved.
So
they argued. Hey, isn’t that what everyone does when they’re stressed?
The argument didn’t take hold so they moved on. And thus began the
final lap of the high school application process. They started slow,
but gained momentum. By 7:15 they were really going strong.
Insideschools.com was open on the laptop, names of schools were being
bandied about: Ever heard of…what does it say about…what are the statistics on…oh shit, we still need an eleventh choice…Smartmom
and Hepcat were a walking, talking NYC public high school strategy
machine. And they worked like a team, a smooth, clean high school
machine—two heads better than one. Pencil sharpened, guide book open,
code numbers flying. They were working fast, they were working smart,
they were doing the public school hustle.And then it was done.
They could hardly believe it. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. They’d filled
in all 12 little boxes on the application form and there was nothing
more to do. The silence was truly deafening (no one was up yet). It
felt good, it felt right, it felt scary (hope he doesn’t get his 12th choice…)Then something akin to buyer’s remorse set in: Did we make the right decision? Why’d we pick that school? Should we re-order them? What the hell are we doing? But
that didn’t last long either. It was time to part ways with that
ominous piece of paper, that hideous reminder of a hideous process that
has permeated their lives these last two months.Shoo, shoo, time to fly. Be on your way high school application. Be on your way.
They
kissed the sheet of paper, said blessings over it, summoned every
Jewish, Presbeytarian, Buddhist prayer they could think of…Smartmom walked it over to the guidance counselor’s office.
–written November 2004
And so the waiting begins.
WATER TAXI TO DUMBO STARTS TODAY
This from New York 1:
Beginning today, New York Water Taxi is expanding its service to
include more of Brooklyn, adding service to and from the Fulton Ferry
Landing in DUMBO.
A special fare is also in place for rides between the new stop and Pier 11 near Wall Street.
Riders will pay just two dollars each way until March 31st. For
this week only, the Water Taxi is offering two free one-way tickets to
a stop anywhere along the East River.
For more information, visit www.nywatertaxi.com.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Quite the hoopla inside Prospect Park at Grand Army Plaza. Klieg lights, a marching band, Chirstmas choirs, and a duo of Brooklyn Philarmonic trumpeters playing a festive fanfare.
What for?
It was a a big celebration for the lighting of the lights. Paid for by
Mort Zuckerman of the New York Daily News, there are light installations at all the entrances to Prospect Park.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg
introduced a host of city officials, commissioners. Notable in his absence was Marty Markowitz.
The Mayor led a countdown and then Abigail, the daughter of Mort Zukerman, got to turn on the lights with him. Maybe they wouldn’t let Marty do it and he didn’t want to come.
Maybe there was too much political star power. Maybe he has issues with Mort Zuckerman? Whatever. The lights are lovely. There’s a Christmas tree made of lights underneath the Grand Army arch. The lights change color and it’s very pretty. There are other lights decorating the top of the arch. Brooklyn Record had this to say about the lights:
"These aren’t just normal Christmas lights either, but fancy LED ones
that change color and do other cool things, designed by renowned
lighting designer Jim Conti (who actually teaches Lighting at
Parson’s). The project is sponsored by New York’s favorite paper
(maybe), The Daily News, and also includes free trolley
service on weekends around the park to see all the lights. They’ll be
up till January 7th, so if you aren’t festive yet, you’ve got time
(though, seriously, what’s your problem?)"
It’ll look great when that big Lubavitch menorah shows up for Hanukah. Lots of lights for everybody.
What fun to be in the Park in the evening. Bloomberg thanked God for the moon and Zuckerman and others for the lighting. A lovely ceremony and I’m sorry I didn’t know about it to blog about it so more people woulda known about it.
photo by www.flickr.com/photos/suzun
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
SEND IN NAMES FOR PARK SLOPE 100
The names are coming in. The list is growing and growing. The list will be rolled out during the first week of December.
The Park Slope 100 is a highly opinionated,
subjective list of the most talented, energetic, ambitious, creative
individuals with vision in the Greater Park Slope area who reach
outward toward the larger community to lead, to teach, to help, to
improve, to inform, to network, to create change.
Send your nominations to louise_crawford@yahoo.com and include a
short bio and your reason for selecting this person for the Park Slope
100.
DOING THE GIFT GUIDE
Every day a little more. It’s really not that hard stepping into every store between Flatbush and 15th Street on Seventh AND Fifth Avenue. Ha!
I do it in bits. As I take my walks, do my errands. The truth is I do get around. I will do the South Slope on Wednesday on the way to my shrink.
I will do Seventh Avenue on my way to and from my office.
I will do Fifth Avenue a little here, a little there.
I may even cheat: There’s a booklet around called SHOP LOCAL put out, I believe, by the Park Slope Reader. It’s got pix of gifts that look real nice.
The idea is to find one item in every shop worth gifting. Sometimes there are more. Sometimes there is only one. If I get carried away it means I found a lot in that particular shop. But if there is only one item, it doesn’t mean that that store is lacking. It just means that I found THE ITEM, the very cool, unusual gift item. Then I’m on my way.
I’m usually with the shopping adverse OSFO. Mind you, she’s only shopping adverse if we’re not shopping for her. If we’re in Little Things or some other kid-oriented emporium she can spend hours. That’s why I was able to select more than one thing at Little Things.
Because I’m with OSFO, sometimes I have to do it from the window. I’ll say, "Hey, what’s THE item in this window…"
LEGION OF LIT MAGAZINES: SATURDAY AT GALAPAGOS
There are a whole lotta literary magazines in this Brooklyn borough. And a bunch of them are getting together for their yearly shindig this coming Saturday at the ultra cool Galapagos Art Space in Williamsburg. Sounds real interesting for those who are literarily inclined…
THE LEGION OF LIT MAGS event on Saturday, December 2, 5-10pm at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York.
Nine prominent literary magazines will team up to showcase the latest issues of their magazines, raffle off incredible prizes, and offer an opportunity to meet and talk with influential literary journal editors in a celebratory evening filled with readings and entertainment. Lit mags, Small Spiral Notebook and Ballyhoo Stories will host the event. Last year’s event was a smash success and we hope to rock out again!
The Legion of Lit Mags includes: Ballyhoo Stories, BOMB, Opium, Pindeldyboz, Post Road, Quick Fiction, Small Spiral Notebook, Swink, and Tin House. Readers at the event include: Noria Jablonski, Irina Reyn, Brian McMullen, Aaron Hamburger, Elizabeth Searle, Salar Abdoh, Brian McMullen, and others. Musical Performances courtesy of Pindeldyboz.
www.legionoflitmags.com
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
DECEMBER 14: 32 POEMS AT BROOKLYN READING WORKS
Brooklyn Reading Works presents an evening of poetry with 32 POEMS MAGAZINE.
32 Poems is a semi-annual poetry magazine
published in April and November. Each issue of journal contains 32 poems so you can give intimate,
unhurried attention to each. It’s easy to carry and
inviting to read.
The comfortable size of 32 POEMS
and the superb quality of the work therein provides an alternative
to larger collections and is attractive to new readers of
contemporary poetry. Publisher/poet Deborah Ager (pictured left), Daniel Nester and Theresa Coe will read their work.
December 14th at the Old Stone House. Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. 8 pm. $5.00 with light refreshments.
Continue reading DECEMBER 14: 32 POEMS AT BROOKLYN READING WORKS
HAND-PAINTED FABIRC: QUILTS. Pillows. Scarves.
Local Park Slope artisan, Susan Steinbrock, creates beautiful scarves and bedding. Her trademark silk hand painted scarves have been featured at the East Village Eileen Fisher for years.
Her debut collection of bedding was featured in Cottage Living Magazine. Go to her website for more information.
She will be selling her wares at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Amsterdam Avenue and 111th Street. Dec. 1-3.
In Park Slope on December 9: She will be at the PS 321 Holiday Craft Sale. Seventh Avenue and 1st Street. 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
SOPRANOS SHOOTING ON 4th STREET
An email from a friend and neighbor on Fourth Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.
In case you missed the tangy fluorescent lime green posters, the Sopranos will be shooting on our street up the block on Tuesday afternoon…easy fodder for the "not on my block", anti film squads, but fun for the actor spotters among us…
THANK YOU
My cousin, who runs the Petra Foundation, which honors unsung
individuals making distinctive contributions to the rights, autonomy
and dignity of others, read this W.S. Merwin poem at Thanksgiving. I liked it a lot.
Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridge to bow from the railings
we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you
we are standing by the water looking out
in different directions
back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
after funerals we are saying thank you
after the news of the dead
whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you
in a culture up to its chin in shame
living in the stench it has chosen we are saying thank you
over telephones we are saying thank you
in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
remembering wars and the police at the back door
and the beatings on the stairs we are saying thank you
in the banks that use us we are saying thank you
with the crooks in office with the rich and fashionable
unchanged we go on saying thank you thank you
with the animals dying around us
our lost feelings we are saying thank you
with the forests falling faster than the minutes
of our lives we are saying thank you
with the words going out like cells of a brain
with the cities growing over us like earth
we are saying thank you faster and faster
with nobody listening we are saying thank you
we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is.
W.S. Merwin
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
BOOB TUBE’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO THE HOUSEHOLD
Here’s this week’s Smartmom from the Brooklyn Papers
Smartmom almost fell over last month when Hepcat suggested they buy a new television. “There’s a big sale at Best Buy,” he said. “And 32-inch LCD flat screens are the sweet spot.”
Hepcat loves a new-fangled electronic toy and he was intrigued by the new flat-screen high-definition television sets.
But 32 inches? And this from the mild-mannered guy who, in a moment of acute exasperation, pulled the power cord of their old television and locked the set in the basement.
That was in 1999 and the TV-free life lasted for almost five years. Hepcat was sick and tired of the way his children turned into Zombies in front of the set. He hated the noise, the shows and, most of all, the wasted time,
In an instant, the television disappeared and Elaine, Jerry, George and Kramer were no longer nightly dinner guests.
The Teletubbies, Arthur, Barney, Marge, Homer, Lisa, and Bart, were also banished from the living room.
Smartmom, the daughter of an advertising copywriter who created the Quisp and Quake cereal commercials back in the 1970s (among other gems), wasn’t as anti-television as Hepcat. But, she went along with it because, well, everyone knows that less is more when it comes to television in the People’s Republic of Park Slope.
Still, there’s a downside to not having a TV. The idiot box is great for behavior modification. It can be a motivator: “When you finish your homework, you can watch Sailor Moon!” and a punishment: “No Drew Carey for a week!”
And as even many Park Slope parents know, the box also makes a terrific babysitter. Parking the two-year-old Oh So Feisty One in front of the cathode ray tube made it possible for Smartmom to boil the pasta, answer emails, and read her latest issue of The Brooklyn Papers (and the New Yorker, admittedly).
Sure, the apartment was quieter and less chaotic without the tube. Teen Spirit and OSFO were more physically active; time was no longer measured in half-hour and one-hour segments; and getting out of the house, getting them to do their homework and making dinner was a breeze.
But Smartmom couldn’t get anything done. Without her TV, OSFO became “Saran Wrap Girl,” clinging to mommy, mommy, mommy all the time.
It didn’t take long before she and Teen Spirit figured out how to adjust to life without the TV. It was actually eerie: One minute they couldn’t live without it, the next it was out of sight, out of mind.
But it was a myth: Smartmom discovered that her tots were merely slipping downstairs to Mrs. Kravitz’s apartment for their daily dose of the “Power Puff Girls” or “Seinfeld.”
Of course, they weren’t the only ones who missed television. Smartmom pined for her midnight liaisons with Charlie Rose (me-OW!) and Thursday night sob sessions during “ER.” From Diaper Diva she heard all about great shows she was missing like “Sex & the City,” “Six Feet Under” and “The Sopranos,” and had to settle for blow-by-blow retellings by her sis.
Then again, Smartmom did enjoy the moral high ground: “We don’t watch television,” she’d self-righteously tell people. That spelled a kind of disciplined parental style that, Smartmom figured, spoke volumes about her mothering capabilities.
Take it from Smartmom, it gets you a 10 in the Mommy Olympics. And it was a full 360-degree turn from her own television-drenched childhood.
Smartmom’s childhood memories are indistinguishable from Kukla, Fran and Ollie, Captain Kangaroo and Soupy Sales. She was even a contestant on “Wonderama” with Sonny Fox. Later, there was “All in the Family,” the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and “Upstairs Downstairs.”
During high school, she and her pals would gather at someone’s apartment in time to catch the “Not-Ready-for Prime-Time Players” live from New York on Saturday night.
Current events happened right in the family’s Riverside Drive living room. When JFK was assassinated, her family’s black-and-white tube glowed non-stop for days.
In 1968, the sit-com Smartmom and Diaper Diva were watching was interrupted with an announcement bearing the unfathomable news of Martin Luther King’s murder in Memphis. And later, she remembers seeing Bobby Kennedy dying on the kitchen floor of the Ambassador Hotel.
In July, 1969, her family, along with the rest of the world, watched as Neil Armstrong took that giant leap for mankind. How strange it was to see the surface of the moon on the TV set and the moon in the sky outside their window.
While Smartmom was willing to give her kids the TV-free life, there were some shows she refused to miss: What about the Oscars, the presidential debates, the World Series?
For these television happenings, Hepcat would be summoned to lug the television up three flights from the basement. After these television feasts, Hepcat insisted on returning the box to its home in the basement before dawn.
On Sept. 11, 2001, it was a mixed blessing not having a television. It meant that OSFO and Teen Spirit didn’t have to see the traumatic images of the towers falling over and over again.
But the family did spent much of the days that followed in Mrs. Kravitz’s living room waiting nervously for news of what was happening and dreading what was going to happen next.
After that, Smartmom knew that it might be a good idea to get a TV. Although she was comfortable getting most of her news from Satirius Johnson, the intelligent newscaster on WNYC, she thought that in a national emergency a television might come in handy.
A year ago, they brought the television upstairs from the basement to watch Jon Stewart on the Oscars and it never went back down again because Hepcat’s rotator cuff was hurting and he didn’t want to strain it.
At first, the television just sat there like an unwanted guest. But soon, Teen Spirit and OSFO started watching “Seinfeld,” “the Simpsons,” and even “Friends” again.
Eventually, Smartmom and OSFO moved to “The O.C.” Teen Spirit met “House.” And Hepcat got “Lost.”
Smartmom realized that there’s nothing cozier than sitting around the television hearth with her family and watching a good television show.
On the other hand, there’s nothing worse than crappy TV and too many commercials. Don’t tell anyone, but last spring, Smartmom, Teen Spirit and OSFO became addicted to “American Idol.” Ace, Bucky, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Hicks were like crack to their delicate sensibilities. Luckily, the family is now attending TA, a 12-step program at a local church for those unable to drag themselves away from brain-numbing TV shows.
Yet last week, the monster television arrived in an enormous box. Smartmom worried that it was going to devour the living room and her family. She wasn’t sure she liked her new identity as the kind of person who owns a 32-inch television.
As Smartmom watched her organic brownie points, moral superiority and Park Slope values fly right out the window, she lay down on the couch with the new remote control and watched whatever was on in all of its high-def glory.
For a few days, even Hepcat seemed to enjoy the techno-geek aspect of his new digital toy. Teen Spirit worried that they’d spent too much money on something so “stupid.” OSFO was just glad for the bigger, bolder images of Summer, Taylor, and Seth on “The O.C.”
As expected, after a few days, the television started to get to Hepcat, who coveted the big TV in the first place.
“I can’t stand that noisy piece of furniture that makes my children catatonic,” he said.
Smartmom hopes Daddy won’t take the T-bird away again.
If this family can just limit itself to shows that are well written, smart and only sometimes completely stupid, everything should be all right.
NAMES ARE COMING IN: THE PARK SLOPE 100
The names are coming in for the Park Slope 100. Send your nominations in NOW. Here are the guidelines.
The Park Slope 100 is a highly opinionated, subjective list of the most talented, energetic, ambitious, creative individuals with vision in the Greater Park Slope area who reach outward toward the larger community to lead, to teach, to help, to improve, to inform, to network, to create change.
Send your nominations to louise_crawford@yahoo.com and include a short bio and your reason for selecting this person for the Park Slope 100.
RESTAURANT THANKSGIVING
There is nothing un-American about spending Thanksgiving in a restaurant. It’s not like some weird cop out. It’s not a denunciation of the homey, good smelling preparations of the day. It’s not a thumbing of one’s nose at the traditionality of it all. It’s just another way. And when you’ve been to 48 Thanksgivings — change is welcome.
So eighteen of us gathered at BLT Prime on East 22nd Street, in an elegant downstairs party room that looked like a dining room you wouldn’t mind having in your apartment.
It was spacious, easy to wander around, trade seats, chit chat with family members, including my aunt and uncle, two graduates of James Madison High School back in the day, who told me that they were pleased as punch to be mentioned in an OTBKB piece about the famed high school, alma mater of three current members of the US senate.
Also there were a host of cousins and their children. Their children are articulate, graceful adults.
And it didn’t make me feel old as in I remember when you were born. Or you were only two at my wedding (that sort of thing). It made me feel grateful to have such a cool group of relatives
The children of my cousins are interesting people:
–A is in law school; her husband is a doctor and an opera enthusiast.
–AG is studying slavic languages, will travel to China, and is a delight.
–D is studying psychology in college and wants to go into clinical social work eager to help people.
–M loves Shakespeare and the idea of directing plays. She will to college in a year.
–J, a high school freshman, just made honor roll school, a cause for much celebration.
The food was delicious. FANTASTIC. Served home style, there was lots of variety: turkey, salmon, and prime rib. Incredible mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, string beans. I don’t think I saw sweet potatoes. There were carrots.
No sweet potatoes: now that’s un-American.
They served an incredible butternut squash soup with creme fraiche. Tres tres.
My children seemed to be holding their own. I was at the other end of the table so I didn’t really see/hear what they were doing. Teen Spirit was dressed to the nines in a spiffy tweed jacked given to him by my father. OSFO wore her most favorite worn jeans with lots of holes, embroidery, sparkles and colorful striped tights underneath.
My mother-in-law joined us all the way from California. A real pleasure. Hepcat talked politics and Wall Street with my cousin’s husband. That’s what they always do.
The upside of the restaurant Thanksgiving: no dishes to clear or wash. No dishwashers to load. No finding space for leftovers in the fridge.
The downside: No leftovers. Maybe four hours later we were hungry again (after seeing The Queen at Cobble Hill) and there was that longing for cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, etc.
BROOKLYN BY NAME: CARROLL
Dope on the Slope has a post about the newish book, Brooklyn By Name, which he thinks makes an ideal gift for those who are Brooklyn obsessed. H
Here’s an excerpt from the entry about Charles Carroll (1737-1832) for whom a number of places in South Brooklyn are named:
When
he died at the age of ninety-five, he was the final surviving signer of
the Declaration of Independence. (Daniel Webster referred to him as the
"venerable old relic.") The naming of Carroll Street and Carroll Gardens
was likely influenced by the many Irish Americans who settled in the
area, as well as Carroll’s association with the heroic Marylanders who
defended the Old Stone House.