At Wednesday night’s seder, Teen Spirit was upset that we were using a new Hagadah. "What, we’re not using the one we always use?" he shouted out looking quite alarmed. "But it’s a tradition!"

"Tradition. Tradition!"  Someone started singing the song from "Fidler on the Roof." I probably should have consulted Teen Spirit. But honestly, I didn’t think he’d be disturbed by the change.  Secretly, I was pleased that the old book, "The Four Questions," meant so much to him.

A decision was made to alternate between "The Four Questions" by Lynn Sharon Schwartz and the Hagadah.

That worked fairly well. But at a few points, it did get confusing and repetitive. I’m pretty sure we did the plagues and the "This is the bread of affliction part" twice. My father accidentally turned the pages of the children’s book Hebrew style — going backwards.

"You’re going the wrong way," someone shouted out as if he were a car that had turned onto a one-way-street. "Go back!"

That explained some of the repetition and added to the general chaos. 20-month old Ducky had a hard time sitting still. She kept getting up off Diaper Diva’s lap and running into OSFO’s room. MiMa Cat, my stepmother, was up and down for cigarette breaks in the hallway and Mrs. Kravitz, my friend and downstair’s neighbor came up for a visit.

We took a break mid-seder for a brief piano recital by OSFO and then got back to the reading. When we got to the end, it was time for matzoh ball soup and gefilte fish. We were off and running…

The meal was, as usual, very filling. The menu: brisket, a Sephardic spinach, matzah and noodle kugel, beet salad. For dessert: Chocolate macaroons, middle-eastern pastries from a bakery in Bay Ridge. Throughout: Lots of wine.

At 9 p.m, Groovy Grandpa looked at his watch. "Omigod, omigod," he said. "We missed American Idol." Surprisingly, the man is hopelessly in love with the show. "I can’t stand it," Mima Cat said scowling. "Your father is turning into such a couch potato."

OSFO turned on the television and the show was still on. Relief. In a post-seder stupor, everyone sat in the living room and watched as Eliot, Ace, and Ducky, were revealed to be the night’s bottom three. Ooooh. Suspense.

Finally, it was Bucky who had to go.

"Bucky?" Teen Spirit shouted out incredulously from another room. He’s been nominally following the show but he liked the modest southern rocker. All of us did. The remaining contestants gathered around the tall, handsome fellow with the buck teeth and the long, blonde hair. Some cried; the bald guy gave him a manly hug.

After the show, a quick hunt for the afakomen (the hidden matzah), which OSFO found and took the prize: a small plastic bag full of Swedish Fish. Then the guests made a dash for the door. 

Next year, we’re using "The Four Questions." It’s a damn good Hagadah and a tradition around here. A tradition.

On Brooklyn Mama writes about a new restaurant in Windsor Terrace, on Prospect Park Southwest, called "Lonelyville." Here’s an excerpt:

So, instead of cooking anything myself today, I decided to give a review of one of the restaurants in my not-so-well-traveled area of Brooklyn.

Okay!  So!  Enough explanation and on to a review of the brand new Lonelyville Cafe in Windsor Terrace!  So new that I don’t have the exact address!

In my web browsing, I discovered that Lonelyville was aided by  a grant from the Brooklyn Public Library, and it is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.  There’s a wholesome vibe to the place, largely because of its nostalgic decor consisting of homey food-and-kitchen -themed antiques from the 1940s.  The walls are lined with antique thermoses…

More details from NY1 about the demonstration in front of the Secondary School for Law, Journalism and Research in Park Slope, which is in the old John Jay High School building on Seventh Avenue.

Police and students scuffled outside a Brooklyn high school Wednesday during a demonstration against the school’s enforcement of a ban on cell phones.

Five students were arrested during the rally outside the Secondary School for Law, Journalism and Research in Park Slope. Four were charged with disorderly conduct and one with assaulting an officer.

In all, about 150 students had walked out of their classes to protest the ban, which has been on the books citywide since 1987.

The students said they need their phones in case of emergency.

They were also upset about new security measures which they say slow them down when they’re trying to get into the building.

Once again Jeanne Ramirez, Brooklyn corespondent for NY1, delivers the goods. Here with a story about what’s going on at Nelly Bly Amusement Park.

The sign is spray painted black, and the gates are locked shut at Nellie Bly Amusement Park in Bensonhurst at a time when it would normally be kicking off a new season. But while it is the end of an era for Nellie Bly – after nearly 4 decades – a new, improved park will soon open in its place.

"It’ll be a little oasis right along side the belt parkway," says Martin Garin.

Garin is the new operator, after winning a bid from the Parks Department earlier this year. He has an extensive background in amusements, having run the old Adventurer’s Inn Park in Queens back in the 60’s and 70’s and most recently the New Jersey State Fair at the Meadowlands.

The Parks Department not only wants a total renovation of this site but also wants it to be up and running by Memorial Day weekend. Garin says he’ll make the deadline but only open partially.

"The time involved to do all of this stuff is enormous, and we’ll get it done," he says. "We’re going to operate the children area in the beginning, and then later on we’re going to gear ourselves for the adult area."

Garin plans to introduce adult rides to the park and change the name to Adventure Amusement, or maybe Jolly Roger. He also plans to restore a handful of kiddy rides he bought from the former operators, the Romano family who founded Nellie Bly.

The Parks Department says financial difficulties forced the Romanos to get out of their 10 year lease just 3 years in. Attendance wasn’t the problem, the rising cost of running the park was. But this native New Yorker says he’s ready for the challenges; he just signed a 20 year lease.

"Brooklyn is a very community type place and the word gets around. And I think that once they understand that we’re going to provide them with what they want and there’s nobody else around, we’ll do well," he says.

In addition to new rides, Garin says there will be new parking, new lighting and new fencing, and he says his new park will charm a new generation of Brooklynites.

– Jeanine Ramirez

photo: Alexis Robie

There was a demonstration yesterday in front of the Secondary School for Law, which is, along with the Secondary School for Research and the Secondary School for Journalism, housed in the old John Jay High School on Seventh Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets. These kids, who are learning about law, staged a true demonstration about something that’s very important to them: being allowed to have their cell phones in school. School safety officers got involved and then the NYPD (who are often at the school). Things didn’t go very well after that. It’s too bad things got out of hand – it seems very positive to me that the kids organized a demonstration. As quoted below, one of the school’s social studies teachers, John Yanno, said he supported the students "100%." and saw the whole thing as a great civics lesson. This from the NY Daily News:

Brooklyn high school students sent a ringing message to administrators yesterday: Don’t dare take our cell phones.

More than 200 angry teens at the old John Jay High School building took
to the streets of Park Slope to protest a crackdown on the devices,
leading to clashes with cops and the arrest of five pupils.

At one point, officers scuffled with a youth, knocked him to the ground
and handcuffed him. Cops said the student, identified by classmates as
Maurice Reid, hit an officer and was charged with assault.

The busts further enraged the crowd.

"They threw him to the ground for protesting," Aundre Walker, 17, said
of Reid. "They treated him like a terrorist. All he wanted was his cell
phone back."

The teens were reacting to a school safety officer’s decision on
Tuesday morning to confiscate phones, other electronics and snacks
during scanning with a metal detector, delaying the line and making
many late for classes, students said.

"Everyone doesn’t live around the corner. We need our phones," said
Krystle Guzjuste, 17, from Brownsville. "How are our parents going to
be able to reach us if there’s an emergency?"

The students stormed out about 1 p.m. yesterday, chanting, "We want our
cell phones" and carrying signs reading, "This is a school, not a
prison."

They were followed by nearly two dozen school safety officers and cops
who tried to make them disperse. The other four arrested students were
charged with disorderly conduct.

The protests fell on deaf ears.

Principal Larry Woodbridge of the Secondary School for Law, one of
three mini-schools housed in the building, said administrators won’t
back down.

"They want to have their cell phones and they want to be able to use
them during the school day, but they can’t because it disrupts the
educational process," Woodbridge said.

The students will be penalized for cutting class, Woodbridge vowed, though he said administrators were still discussing details.

Cell phones and other electronics have been banned in city schools since 1987, although the rule is not always enforced.

Teacher John Yanno, who teaches sixth-grade social studies, said he supported the students "100%."

"This is a great civics lesson," he said. "I wish they got this involved in the war in Iraq or the immigration debate."

For the past two days, the Mojo has been boarded up. Closed.

So Mrs. Kravitz talked to the guy at the newstand next door and he said that Giancarlo, the new owner of the Mojo is selling. Just a month after the grand re-opening. Aren’t you supposed to stick it out for a year? You can’t expect a new business to be successful after a few weeks.

Well, that’s what I’ve heard.

But the same thing happened to the place that went in before the original Mojo/Carvel. The Rendez Vous. Does anyone remember the Rendez Vous?

The Rendez Vous came in after Ben’s Pizza. They spent months renovating. Expectations were high.  The owners wallpapered the space with sheet music. Promising.

Then they opened but there was no food on display. There was a menu board – tuna fish, egg salad sandwiches – but someone went into a mysterious backroom to get the food. I guess they had coffee.

I was afraid to eat the food. The Rendez Vous closed after a few weeks.

Then the Mojo/Carvel went in (pictured above). The first manager, Robert, was a rock ‘n roll cartoonist. The place looked great; it was clean. They did a classy renovation (must’ve taken a while to get that sheet music off the wall). Michael Gordon, and the other owners were in for the long haul. They worked hard and added features as they went along – Krispy Kreme donuts, wrap sandwiches, soups. The shop became an integral part of Third Street life – a great place for a coffee clatch, a PTA committee meeting, a before pick-up iced coffee, an after school ice cream cone. Corey, also a manager, was a beloved member of this community who, at one time, thoughtfully supervised the PS 321 kids who lunched there and taught them manners: "Throw out your food," he’d say. "Pick up after yourselves." There were other employees who made a positive impression on the kids (like Tito).

Mojo gave it the college try. The Carvel franchise was expensive, it was hard to make money with that as overhead. Michael decided he wanted a job in the corporate world – benefits, a salary, a different lifestyle.

Then came the (new) Mojo: Gianncarlo and his Ainsley cheesecakes of Brooklyn.  I was impressed with his cakes but I wasn’t sure if Giancarlo was up to the challenge of creating a follow-up to the Mojo. Getting rid of half the tables seemed a weird move. He lost the morning coffee clatch crowd and that always made the place look so lively.  The success of the nearby Cocoa Bar probably didn’t help. For the last month, they’ve been offering free coffee in the morning between 9 and 10 a.m. (I knew nothing about it).

So who is Gianncarlo selling the Mojo to? And what will it become. The people on Third Street are waiting with bated breath.

Gersh Kuntzman, editor-in-chief of the Brooklyn Papers, is one cool editor. He hired my friend Roxanna Velandria to do illustrations for his weekly. Last week she did two terrific illos for the the recent HAVE FAITH BROOKLYN issue.

For my article titled: "Looking for Religion: You Better Shop Around," Roxanna created a great picture of a very Park Slope-looking woman filling a shopping cart with churches and synagogues.

For Gersh’s article entitled, "Faithiests," about atheists who go to church, Roxanna created a great illo of a man in a "God is Dead" t-shirt reading Nietzsche in a church pew with devout worshipers all around him. (Above left: that’s the first sketch).

This week she’s created something really cool. And rumor has it that it’s going to be on the COVER of the Brooklyn Papers. I don’t want to ruin it – so just pick it up at Key Food or on the street wrapped in plastic – they’ll be all over the place. Also, read Smartmom – this week she’s got quite an exclusive.

By the way, you can read all of Smartmom’s columns at Brooklynpapers.com – at the top of the page look for Smartmom. Click on that and start reading.

An article about matzoh making in Brooklyn in the People’s Daily China.  Thanks Brownstoner for the tip.

In a Brooklyn bakery, each fresh batch of Passover matzoh was timed from the moment the flour touched water till the unleavened bread left the oven dough worked fast to keep it from rising.

It must stay flat "to remind us of when the Jews went out of Egypt and they didn’t have time to let the bread rise," said Chana Drizin, a 10-year-old bakery volunteer perched atop a woodpile.

With Passover arriving tomorrow at sundown, producing enough matzoh for the holiday meal without breaking tradition is a deadline met with religious fervour at this Brooklyn business.

Behind a windowless front, the boisterous, crowded bakery has churned out more than 80 tons of matzoh in the seven months leading to Passover. At US$33 a kilogram, the matzoh is shipped or hand-delivered to about 70 countries, from France, England and Greece to Congo, Viet Nam and India.

On a recent visit during the last week of production, one room in the bakery was alive with the chatter of women sitting around a long table, rolling out dough and announcing "Matzoh!" in Hebrew as they handed off the matzoh rounds ready for the oven.

Their voices, in Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian and English, mixed with the sound of clattering rolling pins in the frenzy to get as many matzohs out as possible in 18 minutes, when the dough starts to rise.

Eating leavened bread during Passover is forbidden by Jewish law, which is strictly followed in an Orthodox Jewish movement called Chabad Lubavitch that started in 18th-century Russia and spread worldwide.

Under the late Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, their leader in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighbourhood, the Lubavitchers became the most outward-looking of ultra-religious Jews, displaying giant menorahs in public places and building Chabad centres from Sao Paulo to Bangkok.

The more than 200,000 faithful use satellite and Internet technology to communicate their beliefs; even the matzoh can be ordered via the Chabad website, with recipes included.

"It’s been done the same way for 3,000 years," said Rabbi Mendel Feller, who was bringing the matzohs back to St. Paul, Minnesota

MOVIES AL FRESCO: This summer, The Old Stone House will present BROOKLYN FILM WORKS an outdoor film festival on 6 Tuesday nights in June and July. Stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, BAMcinematek presents two weeks of Brooklyn-themed films to honor the
borough’s bygone eras. Today, the festival screens "It Happened in
Brooklyn," a tribute to the Brooklyn Dodgers that was filmed during the
1941 World Series at Ebbets Field. An introduction by Brooklyn
historian John Manbeck precedes the first screening. Tonight, 6:50 and
9:15 p.m., Brooklyn Academy of Music Rose Cinemas, Peter Jay Sharp
Building, 30 Lafayette Ave., between Ashland Place and St. Felix
Street, 718-777-3456, $10 general, $7 students 25 and under, seniors,
children, and members. For a full schedule, go to www.bam.org.

Seems that Orange Blossom, that cool kid’s clothing store on Lincoln Place, a block I walk on every day, has new owners. The old owners were super nice people. I know that the off-Avenue location can be a bit of a challenge but I thought they were doing pretty well over there.

UPDATE: The old owners moved back to Austin, Texas and sold the business to business associates/friends. The new owners are designers of soft dolls and stuffed animals.

Diaper Diva and I loved going in — and buying stuff there. I’ve purchased quite a few recent new baby and birthday gifts there. We really enjoyed one of the sales people, who sang Russian lullabys to Ducky. Hope she’ll still be working at the shop. UPDATE: The woman who sings in Russian will still be working at the shop.

I didn’t have a clue that they were selling the shop. Although I did notice that they were closed for a few days "for spring cleaning."  Truth is, I’ve been so busy I didn’t even notice until recently that Kirstin at Slope Sports was very, very pregnant. Yesterday the shop was closed, anbd I wondered if she’d had the baby (baby due on April 16th). UPDATE: She did not. I saw her today and she is still pregnant.

So the changeover at Orange Blossom has been very discreet. I noticed a few changes through the window – a white picket fence around the counter. But I haven’t gone in. I went in. The new owners are very nice. A reader of OTBKB already stopped in the shop. Diaper Diva, not surprisingly, managed to find something to buy for Ducky. A cute pair of pink cargo pants and a t-shirt.

Dave Helm and  his wife, Courtney have taken over the reigns and would like to invite the readers of OTBKB to the big ol Grand Re-Opening event on Saturday April 29 11AM – 7PM and Sunday April 30th 12PM – 6PM.

It would be so cool if they had special prizes for the readers of OTBKB. Tell them you saw this on OTBKB and maybe they’ll give you an Orange Milano or something.

Come help us celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of one of Park Slope’s favorite kids clothing super shops!  Dave and Courtney Helm are the proud new owners of this gem of a shop and they are having a party to celebrate it.  All the old brands and some of the new – Tea Collection, Small Paul, Mr. Tiny, Queen Bee, Hats by Goorin, Paulina Quintana, Glug Baby, Yu-Be, Baby Bean, Bla Bla and Orange Blossom (private label) just to name a few.  Special discounts, door crasher prizes, freebies, special activities and a guest performance – Music for Aardvarks songs performed by MusicForBrooklyn.com.  PLEASE JOIN US!!!!!

ORANGE BLOSSOM
180 Lincoln Place
Brooklyn, NY 111217
877-GO-OBKIDS

 

                     

 

 

Speaking of kid’s clothing stores, there’s another new one, Area. New for Seventh Avenue, that is. They already have three shops. There’s Area Yoga and Baby on Smith Street, Area Yoga and Baby on Fifth Avenue near Flatbush (across from Lulu’s), and Area Emporium and Spa also on Smith Street.

This Area is in the space vacated by Regina Bakery. Interesting to see what that space looks like down to the bones. Without the counter and the wall that separated a small backroom, the store looks quite spacious. Brick walls. Painted over tin ceiling. Area didn’t even change the brown tile floor (they probably will).

A simple renovation done in good taste goes a long way. The merchandise – kid’s clothing, furniture, strollers, bikes – is colorful, well designed and good looking – makes for a cool looking place.

The owner of Area is obviously an ambitious Brooklyn entrepreneur. She’s got her brand — children’s items, yoga clothing for moms, spa services for moms — and she’s going in all over Baby Brooklyn. It remains to be seen whether they make as positive a connection with this  neighborhood as Loli’s and Orange Blossom have.

Area has an upscale, designer-baby vibe. Truth is, most of the stores carry the same lines of clothing.  Area has furniture and strollers…and this whole Yoga and Spa thing going.

They each differentiate themselves in their own way.  Wonder if Park Slope can support this many kid’s clothing and furniture stores.

On Seventh Avenue
Peek-a-Boo Kids: Between 6th and 7th Streets. Huge shoe selection. European dressy, cute cottons for babies.
Firefly: Between Fourth and Fifth Street. Off-price Euro designer clothing.
Loli’s: Between Garfield and First Street. Paul Frank items, very wearable, cool clothes.
Area: Between Union and President. Strollers, Furniture, hipster clothing. Unusual t-shirts.
Peek-A-Boo Kids: Between Union and Berkeley. Huge shoe selection.
Orange Blossom: on Lincoln Place. Cool clothes, great gifts, dolls, fun stuff.

On Fifth Avenue
Romp: Near St. Johns. Good design, t-shirts, no other clothing. Great toys.
Area Baby and Yoga: Near St. Marks. Strollers, Furniture, hipster clothing, Yoga clothing for moms.
Lulu’s: Near St. Marks. Great toys and haircuts.

Callalillie is waxing nostalgic today. But as usual, her thoughts got me thinking. There is picture of her at nine with her best friend, who she is still friends with. I am still friends with my best friend from when I was ten. I wonder if OSFO, who is now nine, will be friends with her current best friends for the rest of her life. Hope so. (left: OSFO with Beauty Girl).

It’s a nice feeling to know that you are a piece of someone’s
continuous history. It is even more touching to realize that, at some
point, our nine year olds will most likely meet one another.
Furthermore, that concept seems almost tangible at this stage in our
lives. Perhaps one day we will stand in front of one of our houses or
apartments, line the two kids up in all of their awkward splendor, and
snap a picture like this. In some ways, it sends shivers up my spine.
An evil grin on one hand, extreme nostalgia on the other. – Callalillie

A singer saxophonist by the name of Shelia Cooper got in touch with OTBKB. She and painist Jon Dryden are gigging at Magnolia on April 14th. Sounds like fun idea for a Friday night.

Just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to post it on your blog
re the cultural goings-on in Park Slope that Magnolia on  486  6th ave
at 12th Street (369-4814) is having music again on Fridays 9.30 to
11.30 pm, no cover.

I’ll be there this friday 4/14 with pianist Jon Dryden, my fellow Park
Sloper, we’re doing a couple of sets of music we’re calling "Ballads,
Blues and Beyond."  I’m a jazz singer-saxophonist.

A Brooklyn Life took a trapeze class and she lived to tell the tale on her blog. Check this out: And read more at the blog:

Normally, precocious seven year olds don’t calm my nerves, but the
three impatiently waiting for my morning trapeze class to begin did
have a soothing effect. After all, if children half my size and with
only a quarter of my life experience could do it, then so could I, I
confidently thought to myself.

I was the first of our group to climb the ladder. I do not like
heights. I am not deathly afraid of heights, but I am afraid, and I do
not seek them out–I respect them. And so, I followed my rule of thumb
on the way up: Do not look down. Of course, one does have to look down
when standing with all 10 toes hanging off the platform, hands
outstretched on a metal bar, body tilted at a 65 degree angle over
empty space. An instructor grasps everyone’s belt as they  hold this
position and then commands "hep," which means "jump!"

Continue reading A TRAPEZE LIFE →

Hepcat and I spent a night at the opera. Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Met. But the REALLY EXCITING PART: my best Friend from high school, soprano Amy Burton, a frequent performer with the New York City opera, had a huge role as Marzelline (the prison warden’s daughter who is in love with Fideolio. But Fidelio is actually a woman named Leonore, the wife of Floristan, a prisoner slowly dying in soitary confinement in the deep depths of the prison). Poor Marzelline.

How to describe sitting in the fourth to last row of the orchestra (DD), dead center, watching a friend singing on stage at the MET. 

What a thrill. And she was fantastic. Truly, madly, deeply. Fantastic. I loved the opera, all the singers, the sets. EVERYTHING.

THANKS AMY FOR GIVING ME A NIGHT AT THE OPERA I WILL NEVER FORGET.

Note: the woman pictured IS NOT Amy Burton.