At this point, I’ve almost given up.

Sixth grade? Who cares. Next year? Never heard of it. Department of Education? Doesn’t ring a bell.

I mean, I’ve been in a state of anticipation for weeks now, checking the mail every day. Today I just feel jaded, frustrated and annoyed. I really have no expectations anymore.

Yesterday I heard they mailed the letters. Do I believe it? Not really. I’ve heard so many rumors about those letters. Those damn letters. Do they really exist?

Of course, they’ve got to mail them eventually. I guess. You’d think they’d have to tell the parents where their kids are going to school next year.

Everyone I talk to is so frustrated.

I just got word from Rob Leddy of Coneyisland.com that Dick Zigun, who runs Coney Island USA, the folks who bring you the Coney Island Museum, the Mermaid Parade, and more and is considered the unofficial Mayor of Coney Island, has resigned from the Coney Island Development Corporation. Here is his letter of resignation dated June 4, 2008.

Dear Real Mayor Bloomberg,

I write this open letter of resignation from the position you appointed me to as a Director of The Coney Island Development Corporation effective Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 6 PM, the exact date and time of the first public hearing on the revised rezoning of Coney Island. I urge you to withdraw this deeply flawed plan and cancel this hearing, but as it stands I cannot leave my name on it. I am particularly disturbed that the Directors of the CIDC have had no opportunity to discuss or vote on these substantial changes to our Strategic Plan – which was the result of years of work and which had achieved widespread neighborhood consensus.

As everyone knows, I am a phony politician, no more than a spokesman and advocate for the amusement industry is this “Mayor” of Coney Island. My fantasy municipality is 61 acres zoned for amusements. Nobody lives there or votes there and most Coney Island fans are tourists who live in the 5 boroughs or other states or countries far away from the real elected officials in Brooklyn. A hundred years ago Coney Island’s amusement core covered hundreds of acres and even in the mid-20th century it was over 70 acres before Robert Moses stole Luna Park and the east end for high rise housing. My 61 acre municipality contains many large empty lots and does indeed need economic development and year round activity. Though I had no hand in writing the CIDC Strategic Plan, I have served as its #1 cheerleader and your advocate as a Mayor who could tackle Coney Island 21st century revitalization. You have done many good deeds for the beach.

The CIDC Plan promised a world class tourist attraction with an entertainment core: lots of rides complimented by year round nightclubs and enclosed waterparks. Instead the core will now be rezoned for a shopping mall full of NikeTowns, Toys R US and 4 thirty story hotels. One of these massive hotels is even proposed directly in front of The Wonder Wheel, a NYC Landmark. Only 9 acres out of 61 will be reserved for amusement park rides. The original CIDC Plan promised that any condos built within the empty lots of the 61 acres would have Entertainment Retail on the ground floor such as bowling alleys and theaters. Instead the 61 acres now crams in 26 new high rise towers up to 30 stories each with dry cleaners and hardware stories no tourist will ever visit. We worked four hard years for consensus and I for one feel betrayed

Dear Real Mayor Bloomberg, until my resignation takes effect I remain your honest advisor and the conscience of the CIDC. If no one else will tell you, I tell you and Councilman Reccia that there is almost unanimous dislike of the new plan among amusement park owners, workers and fans. You underestimate the protests, yelling and lawsuits headed your way from a land where legit businesses call themselves Cyclone, Thunderbolt and Tornado! Yes, I know I am asking a lot to expect you to reverse EDC plans, cancel hearings and reverse course on this matter… but didn’t you do just that last month?

If snooty Paris, of all places, can live with Euro Disney why can’t New York City reinvent a 21st century Coney Island the right way? I beg you to return to the balance and consensus that is the CIDC Plan… or else I will have to speak out against the new plan at the hearing June 24th.

Sincerely,

Dick Zigun
Director, CIDC

The owner of Met Food pointed to the cigarette shelf above the cash register and sighed. Because of the new city cigarette tax ($1.25) that went into effect on Tuesday, she’s selling packs for more than $9.

I think she said $9.50.

I didn’t know what to say. I despise cigarettes and am glad that they’re so expensive to prevent people from buying them.

But I didn’t know what to say to my friend at Met Food. Will this mean a drop in sales? Is this bad for her shop? I’m not sure but she did seem vexed.

I just smiled. I figured it was better not to say anything.

Councilmember de Blasio, Public Advocate Gotbaum, parents and students demand answers from
the Department of Education about the recent Pre-K Debacle. Here’s the press release about today’s press conference at Tweed at 52 Chambers Street at 12:45 p.m.

City Hall— Councilmember Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Betsy
Gotbaum, parents, and students will hold a press conference tomorrow
demanding answers from the Department of Education (DOE) about the
flaw in its new system for assigning students to Pre-K. Under the
DOE’s old Pre-K enrollment system, parents of more than one child had
priority to get all of their children into the same school. Now, a
major glitch in the new system is creating huge problems for parents
of multiple Pre-K age children by not automatically giving them
priority for placing all of their children in the same school.

Dozens of frustrated parents have contacted Councilmember de Blasio’s
office seeking help with this matter. Repeated calls from parents to
the DOE have gone unanswered, and they have been left with no
recourse to get their children into the same schools.
It is unacceptable that parents who rightly believed that they would
receive priority in placing all of their children in the same school
must now face the serious difficulties associated with having their
Pre-K age children attend different schools. With the new school year
only a few months away, the DOE must resolve this fiasco immediately.

Who: Councilmember de Blasio, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Parents
and Students

When: 12:45pm– Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Where: DOE Headquarters (TWEED)- 52 Chambers Street, NY Contact:
Sarah Figuereo 718-854-9368 or 347-277-9972

Some viewpoints from members of Park Slope Parents:

Here’s one:

Not sure if the stoop is in the public domain or not, but to clarify,
the sidewalk is in the public domain, but the owner of the adjoining
property is still responsible for it. I’m a native NYer and I
believe its ok to sit for a moment on the bottom step of a stoop as
long as you are being considerate that its also someone’s home.

and another:

No, stoops are not public domains and yes, every owner has the right to allow or disallow stoop sitting depending on their personal preference. That being said, I personally, enjoy the “social aspect” of the stoop as long as respect is maintained–hence the “stoop rules” and my enforcement of them–if you smoke, swear or are too loud, you either stop or you leave. Yes, this means talking to stoop-sitters, but if you do or don’t want them behaving in a certain way, that’s what you’ll need to do.

and another one:

There are so few public resting places in our neighborhood. You can
walk for blocks and blocks and not pass a public bench. Try talking
a hungry/tired kid into walking two extra avenues out of your way to
reach a park bench, as one poster suggested. It’s just not viable.

A couple other thoughts on the matter:
A grown man or woman “alone” may very well be in need of a resting
place for any number of reasons. Not only children get sick, tired,
etc.

Fear of being sued by a stoop sitter — really!?! Time to move to a
bubble or at least a gated community.
Since when is talking to people a “negotiation?” Won’t a simple
“excuse me” work to navigate around a stoop sitter?

Smoke & noise violations into the home space are another thing
entirely, but it seems a shame to sacrifice a fine, urban tradition
because of a few bad seeds.

The original poster had the right spirit — it is “borrowing” and
that’s what neighbors do from each other.

Gawker goes gaga for Blognigger and there are already 33 comments about it—plus quite a few on Blognigger’s site.

They posted it with a very weird stock photo of a black man at a computer. I guess they’re saying he’s blognigger or something.

Today’s post is really intense; it’s about MTV’s decision to shoot Real World in downtown Brooklyn. Here’s an excerpt from today’s post on Gawker:

We stumbled onto the words of an angry, succinct blogger who calls himself Blognigger; he’s black and a software engineer and lives in Park Slope. He’s at the forefront of several wars: he’s black in America, and in a mostly-white neighborhood, which he will soon have to leave: “I make $106,000 a year, and I’m a pauper in Park Slope. No, literally – we have to leave. I have two kids and my rent has just been raised to $3500 a month. I’ve lived here since 1999 (when 5th avenue was still a total shithole), and now I’m going to have to uproot my family and move out of brooklyn… I can’t afford to live here anymore without my wife doing online surveys and shit to supplement our income.”

But what are his thoughts on the Real World decamping to downtown Brooklyn for their upcoming season?

“I absolutely can’t believe that they’re going to put these United Colors of Benetton kids into a high-rise in the middle of downtown brooklyn. Talk about some post-apocalyptic shit. I grew up BLACK in New York, and even I didn’t set foot in Downtown Brooklyn until I was 30…”

Now they got some camera-ready glossy-ass Real Dolls™ living in a rotating health club above where the old Church’s fried chicken used to be.

…it’s times like this I wish I was a real black guy, a thick darkskinned brotha from east flatbush with a big-ass ‘fro pick, instead of my little software engineering over-educated ass, so that I could summon a crew of like-minded ignorant black gentlemen with nothing to live for such that we could go and beat the FUCK out of these little survivor wanabees and take a dump in their hottub.”

I caught the tail-end of a concert by Park Slope’s Accordion Angels, a new accordion quartet, that plays vintage americana, old and new Europeans and what they call, “striking originals.”

They were playing in the Gardens of Union on Union Street near Fourth Avenue, a perfect spot for a Sunday afternoon concert. The show was part of the Local Produce Festival.

I heard their last song, a really classic piece of Americana, very slow, very soothing. I can’t remember the name of it now. I liked they way they sustained its almost other-worldly melodic calm. Amazing how soothing four accordians can be.

After the show, the group talked about changing their name. Apparently some in the group like the current name and others are lobbying for a name change.

The group will be at the Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival on Friday June 6th at 7 pm at Valentino Park and Pier, Coffey and Ferris Street.

On Saturday June 14, they will be at Le Petit Versailles at 346 Houston Street at Avenue C. 7 p.m.

This post from Park Slope Parents was written by a woman who likes to sit on people’s stoops. Although she has never been stopped, she wonders whether there is some kind of unwritten rule about whether it is appropriate to do so. You know me, I just love this kind of thing.

A couple of weekends ago my 4 year old daughter and I were walking
around the neighborhood running errands. We were a good 10 blocks
from home and she was tired, so we found a nice sunny stoop somewhere
in South Slope between 6th and 7th Aves and sat ourselves down to
rest for a few minutes and contemplate life. Since then, whenever we
go out for a stroll or to run errands, she asks me if we can stop and
sit at a stoop for a few minutes. We live in a stoopless apartment,
but it occurred to me that we may be committing a social faux pas to
park ourselves on somebody else’s property.

Of course, I understand that there is no black and white here and
while some folks might be fine with some polite neighborhood people
borrowing their stoop for a few minutes, others might feel
differently about it. That said, I’m thinking there is probably a
general unwritten rule about this — absolutely not, it’s totally
uncool to use a stranger’s stoop, or why not? it’s nice to share the
wealth and allow someone to tie their shoes or otherwise take a very
brief load off. So which is it? If we’re violating some common
neighborhood rule, I’ve got some explaining to do to my daughter on
our next jaunt.

What do you think?

I just got word from my fellow blogger, Brooklyn Beat of Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn that he got tickets to see Dylan on August 12th.

I got tickets, too. It felt necessary, important, essential even though I’ve seen Dylan many times and his recent performances can be iffy.

I saw him with the Band in the 1970’s at Madison Square Garden,  saw him during his Gospel phase, I saw him at Radio City with GE Smith, I saw him with Tom Petty, I saw him with Joni Mitchell.

I also once saw him in Park Slope. He was standing on the corner of Lincoln Place and Eighth Avenue with an older photographer. There was a tiny crowd of people standing around him.

Would you believe, I asked him for an autograph and he obliged.

So, you see, I just had to get tickets. They were pricey but I felt possessed, driven, like I had to get tickets.

I think it was the Brooklyn angle. I mean, to hear Bob in Prospect Park—that sounds cool. I am also on a bit of a Dylan jag. We just watched both parts of No Direction Home and most of I’m Not There, which, surprisingly, I didn’t love: I wanted to and I loved parts of it. But overall, didn’t love it though I think I should rewatch it.

About the tickets: I may not be able to use them. But if Teen Spirit doesn’t want them I may offer them to OTBKB readers. I thought it was cool that Brooklyn Paper and later Brooklyn Vegan gave away the code.

Earlier this year, I think it was in an email to another blogger, I was
speculating on the hypothesis that wouldn’t it be so cool for Bob Dylan
to perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music? I mean, he plays Sequim
Island, Albany, Dubuque, Lewiston, and all points in between on his
Endless Tour, so why not Brooklyn, USA ? Shortly afterward, BAM
announced that Paul Simon was appearing as a performer in residence, so
I thought, well that’s great, pretty close, (and it turned out Paul
still gives a great show) I guess we will have to be satisfied with
Bob’s usual appearances at his usual venues in Manhattan, NJ and on
Long Island, when he plays the City. Well surprise, surprise.

I
was getting ready to get my kids out of the house to school and myself
to work this morning when I heard on the NY1 morning wallpaper that Mr.
Dylan was appearing at the Prospect Park Bandshell for Celebrate
Brooklyn’s 30th anniversary of concerts. Dang, I thought, another great
event missed. I even missed out on an attempt to get Dylan tix in
Albany last year. On my way in, I thought, darn, what are the odds that
there would still be any tickets left ?

Well, never say never.
Bright and early, after dropping the kids off, and driving downtown
listening to Blind Willie McTell and stuff from Modern Times, with that
vague sense of impending disappointment, this intrepid blogger decided
to mosey on down to planet Dylan.

Sure enough, we made it in just under
the wire. And it is an outdoor show, without primo seats, and it may be
hot, or rainy, and Boomer uncomfortable, but come August 12, when Bob
Dylan and his current hot touring band hit the stage, the show will go
on and Mr and Mrs Brooklyn Beat will happily be in attendance…more to
come.

Illustration of Bob Dylan by the etchasketchist.

 

The question came up today on OTBKB’s fave list-serve, Park Slope Parents. Is it OK to park one’s derriere on a stranger’s stoop? One commenter said she thinks of stoops as public domain.

Someone else said if the building doesn’t have a gate between the sidewalk and the stoop: go for it!

But this commenter, who lives in a first floor apartment in a building with a stoop, begs to differ. In true Slope fashion, the commenter apologizes for her less than “all for one and one for all” viewpoint.

I hate to be a stick in the mud about this, but I actually think a stoop is
not a public domain and that it is wrong to park your self there. I live on
the first floor of a building with a very inviting stoop, and my apartment
overlooks the stoop. While I am sure you and your daughter only want to
enjoy the lovely weather and rest a bit, when people sit and talk on my
stoop, for me its like they are right there in my kitchen. Sometimes they
can talk quite loudly. Some people sit and smoke, eat or drink, and then
leave behind their garbage. One time a guy actually set up his portable
stereo! I try and nicely redirect people–the park is only one block away.
I’m sorry to say, I think stoop sitting is a bit of an intrusion.

A reading by Elizabeth Royte is definitely something to make time for. That’s because she’s Park Slope’s super smart, award-winning author of Garbageland and now Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It.

She did a fantastic reading at Brooklyn Reading Works when Garbageland first came out reading excerpts with interesting introductions and asides.  It makes for a fascinating hour or so—and a very educational and informational one.

I just got this nice email from her. She wants to spread the word. I like the way she sends a mass email by specifying why you are receiving it. That’s probably something I should do.

Dear Friend Who Lives in Brooklyn,

I will be reading from/talking about my new book, Bottlemania: How Water
Went On Sale and Why We Bought It, on June 13, 7:30 pm, at the Community
Bookstore (143 Seventh Avenue – near Carroll Street). Hope you can make
it, and feel free to share this notice with anyone in the world.

All best,
Elizabeth

Read all about it:  www.bottlemania.net

Would you believe?

A friend needs a place to stay while he and his family wait for their closing date on a new condo. He called around to some local hotels. The  Holiday Inn on Union Street gave him a rate of $359/per night (on the website it said $457). I was astounded and so was he.

The Marriott wanted $499./ night. Even more astounding.

He did find a good rate at the Comfort Inn on Butler between Third and Nevins ($189. a night). Have any OTBKB readers stayed there?

I’m wondering if these rates are high because it’s June: graduations, weddings, tourist season?

Anyone know? 

That’s right. The Brooklyn Paper reports that Bob Dylan will be playing in Prospect Park on August 12th. That’s a Tuesday night and tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.

I don’t know if this is Celebrate Brooklyn or what. This is not part of Celebrate Brooklyn; but it is at the bandshell.

Brooklyn Vegan had this to say: Tickets go on presale Monday morning June 2nd at 10am for an August 12th Bob Dylan show at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY! The password is “Tilden” All tour dates below…..

Bob Dylan – 2008 Tour Dates
SUN 6/1 Helsinki, Finland Hartwall Arena
TUE 6/3 St. Petersburg, Russia The New Arena
WED 6/4 Tallinn, Estonia Saku Arena
THUR 6/5 Vilnius, Lithuania Siemens Arena
SAT 6/7 Warsaw, Poland Stodola
MON 6/9 Ostrava, Czech Republic Cez Arena
TUE 6/10 Vienna, Austria Stadthalle
WED 6/11 Salzburg, Austria Salzburg Arena
FRI 6/13 Varazdin, Croatia Radar Festival
SUN 6/15 Trento, Italy Giardino Palazzo delle Albere
MON 6/16 Bergamo, Italy Lazzaretto
WED 6/18 Aosta, Italy Chatillon
THUR 6/19 Grenoble, France Palais des Sports
FRI 6/20 Toulouse, France Zenith
SUN 6/22 Andorra la Vella, Andorra Campo de Futbol Municipal
MON 6/23 Zaragoza, Spain Feria de Muestras
TUE 6/24 Pamplona, Spain Plaza de Toros
FRI 6/27 Vigo, Spain Recinto Ferial
SAT 6/28 Avila, Spain Parque Natural de Gredos
TUE 7/1 Cuenca, Spain Complejo Deportivo La Fuensanta
WED 7/2 Alicante, Spain Centro de Tecnificacion
FRI 7/4 Lorca, Spain Plaza de Toros
SAT 7/5 Jaen, Spain Recinto Ferial Prolongacion
SUN 7/6 Madrid, Spain Rock in Rio
TUE 7/8 Jerez, Spain Estadio Municipal Chapin
THUR 7/10 Merida, Spain Plaza de Toros
FRI 7/11 Lisbon, Portugal Optimus Live
TUE 8/12 Brooklyn, NY PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL

Look at these gorgeous flip flops.
Handmade by Lenora Mendoza, the award-winning artist from Venezuela, who runs Engage Green, makers of products crafted from recyled and sustainabe materials and production processes that prevent unnecessary harm to the planet. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC. She lives and works in Brooklyn.
I bought these at the Gowanus Goes Green Festival on Sunday on Carroll Street. Lenora told me that she isn’t making them anymore; they take too long to make.
I paid $28. for them and I thought that was a fair price for a wearable work of art. Actually, I don’t know whether I’ll wear them or hang them on a wall.
The flowers are made out of fabric and buttons. I’m not sure what the sole is made of but probably one of the recycled materials she uses.

The DeFibulators are a 6-piece country-swing band with great harmonies, an upright bass, a washboard player, a fiddler, and more. On their MySpace page they describe themselves as Hee Haw on Mescaline.

They were at the Gowanus Go Green Festival today and they put me in a great mood and I fell in love with their sound. The New York Times had this to say:

No yee-haws or any other hoots or yawps were held back a few nights earlier at a show by the Defibulators at the Rodeo Bar on Third Avenue, which styles itself a honky-tonk oasis in Manhattan, with Lone Star beer, peanuts by the basket and free country and rockabilly every night. The Defibulators, from Brooklyn, are quintessential Rodeo Bar. Like a hoedown band from a Warner Brothers cartoon, they played raucous and slightly surreal “whackabilly,” as they describe it, and featured two washboard percussionists, one in crimson long johns, the other in a Viking helme

Check ’em out. They play all over the place.

So it’s Monday and we hope to get The Letter from the Department of Education. Where or where will my child be going to middle school next year. It’s June and we still don’t know.

Please oh please, I hope the letter comes today.

Brooklyn Film Works will be on Wednesdays not Thursdays as I reported last week. And I’ve got the schedule for real.

Kim Maier, who runs the Old Stone House, tells me that the Piper Theater Production of A Midsummer’s Nights Dream in JJ Byrne Park will have a “fantastic Coney Island theme.”

Now that sounds incredible.

Brooklyn Film Works. Movies Al Fresco in JJ Byrne Park. Fifth Avenue and Third Street. Wednesdays in July.

July 2 – 1776

July 9 – Reelworks Film Festival

July 16 – The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

July 23 – The Mouse that Roared

July 30 – The Candidate with Robert Redford

pix of Brooklyn Film Works in 2006 showing The Little Fugitive by Hugh Crawford