Civics and Urban Life

Cho-Chiqq: The Ultimate Park Slope Backyard Theater Festival

Theater
This is the ultimate Park Slope backyard theater festival. It’s a down home, grown up, "let’s put on a show" event organized by a bunch of playwrights, actors, and directors, including the founder/director of the Brooklyn Writing Space, who is a playwright. This event sounds awesome: A full day of theater and fun. Karinne Keithley closes the event with her magic ukulele fingers. Look/see who/what is on this wild program. And Mac Wellman will be there.

SUNDAY MAY 18 2008
11:00am – 4pm
369 1st Street, Garden Apartment – Park Slope
(R to Union Street)
$5 (includes beer and hot dogs)
Grill Angel: Matt Korahais
$2 silk screened t-shirts – bring yer own light colored t-shirt

                    MAY 18 2008 Cho-Chiqq Line-Up

                    11:00    Doors open (coffee and donuts)
                    11:15    Black Cat Lost excerpt – Erin Courtney
                                   dir. Ken Rus Schmoll performed by Heidi Schreck, Mike
                                   Iveson, Birgit Huppoch
                    11:25    Ethan Crenson plays some music
                    11:40    Tupu Tupu Tupu excerpt – Scott Adkins
                                   dir.  Erin Courtney performed by David Brooks, Heidi Schreck, Birgit Huppoch,
                                   Lula Graves, Matt Korahais, and Homer Frizzell.
                    <Fire up the grill>
                    1:00    Lesser Magoo excerpt – Mac Wellman
                                   dir. JOYCE CHO performed by Scott Adkins, Karinne         
                                   Keithley, Sibyl Kempson and Amber Reed.
                    1:25    Brian Mendes and Siobahn  play some music
                    1:40    My Address Is Still Walton Have You Forgotten? excerpt
                                   – Karinne Keithley
                                   undirected by Karinne Keithley, performed by members of Joyce Cho,
                                   Machiqq, and "the public"
                    2:05    Mr. Aposcope excerpt – Amber Reed
                    2:20    <Break>
                    2:30    Constitution Extravaganza excerpt – Heidi Schreck
                    2:45    Hoi Polloi sings
                    2:55    Kyckling and Screaming excerpt – Sibyl Kempson
                    3:15    Off the Hizzle (an excerpt from OFF the HOZZLE)      -lumberob

 



Postcard from the Slope

May 12th: Snail Mail Postal Rates are Rising

Thanks to Leon Freilich who just sent this along:

On May 12th, 2008 the United States Postal Office will be raising the following postal rates:

• First class mail one ounce or less: Up one cent to 42 cents
• Post card: Up one cent to  27 cents
• Large envelope, 2 ounces: Up 3 cents to $1.
• Certified mail:  Up 5 cents to $2.70
• First-class international letter to Canada or Mexico:  Up 3 cents to 72 cents
• First-class international letter to other countries: Up 4 cents to 94 cents
Postcard from the Slope

Unbearable Noise Pollution From Airplane Traffic Over Park Slope

6 Comments

In response to my post/column about Jen and Paul moving from their gorgeous Prospect Park West mansion to Tribeca, I received this interesting email from a Park Slope resident, who is also selling a home. Reason: unbearable noise pollution.

I live on Fifth Street between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West and I am also putting our house on the market as Jen and Paul Bettany did, because of the unbearable noise pollution from the major air traffic that passes over our homes on route to LGA airport.   

    Since last summer there was a drastic change in all flight rotations and air traffic patterns that had a tremendous impacted on the quality of life for many Park Slope residents.   Despite letters to politicians and FAA/ Port Authority to remedy the situation, we got no relief.

    We approached Senator Schumer with several communications to his DC office and never got any reply.   We saw him on TV waving a loaf of bread during congressional hearing to illustrate how much he cares about the middle class but so far he didn’t do a thing for the community he lives.

    So I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the reason why they are selling their beautiful house: they have two young kids and they stay home a lot and who wants to live with this nightmarish noise that starts at 5:30 AM and goes on till 01:00 the following morning.

AU CONTRAIRE

Au Contraire: The Occasional Note From Peter Loffredo

Here’s a post from our pal Pete of Full Permission Living, called, Learning to Love Your Hate on Mother’s Day. As always, he’s urging mothers to take better care of themselves. Who can argue with that?

I have been very hard on mothers during the past year, its true, but invariably my criticism has been in the direction of urging mothers to take better care of themselves, to focus on their own self-acceptance and seek gratification in their adult life. I have tried to encourage mothers to trust nature more, and to trust their kids, without trying to control or "fix" everything.

In that regard, Donna Fish, a psychoanalyst writing on the Huffington Post offers a perfect Mother’s Day gift entitled, "Love and Hate in the Time of Parenting." It beautifully informs us that having feelings of "hate" for your kids at times is not only normal, but beneficial, if experienced consciously and without guilt.

Here are some excerpts from Donna:

"I want to help all you parents out there learn why and how it is vital to embrace your intense feelings of hatred at times towards your kids. Don’t feel guilty. This is not to give yourself a free pass, or a rationalization, but rather to let you know why in fact it is a vital part of teaching your children how to tolerate ambivalent feelings. Part of being a human being and part of relationships.

"I promise you, this is not coming only from the Mom perspective of how I feel at times when I am in the biggest fight with my kids. It comes from the training I have gotten as an analyst, when I was told by one of my best teachers: ‘good enough is not only ‘good enough’, it is vital to help kids tolerate disappointment, and learn to hold onto us in their minds in the face of their own anger and hatred."

I love that! I have said that many times to mothers – "Good enough is good enough." Perfect is not only not an attainable goal, it is not a desirable goal. One of the biggest and most important tasks of growing up is learning how to accept all of one’s feelings, especially the negative ones. And children, like the little sponges that they are, learn by example through absorption. If you feel guilty for every moment of anger, sadness or fear you have, your kids will pick up on that guilt, and incorporate it into their evolving personality. They will then treat their own feelings as suspect, not legitimate or acceptable.

Here’s more from Donna:

"Now we are talking primitive feelings here, right? But name me an intense relationship that doesn’t involve love and hate, and I will say that is not intimate. Or deeply involved."

Exactly. In interpersonal relationships, you cannot hate someone you don’t love and expect love from, nor can you love someone without having feelings of hate at times. But experienced in a clean way, the moments of hate are not a problem.

Continue reading Au Contraire: The Occasional Note From Peter Loffredo →

Civics and Urban Life

Ten Times Around the Park on a Bike

A Year in the Park biked ten times around Prospect Park the other day and she wrote about what she saw:

On a Saturday blessed with a few sunny hours, picnics blossomed on the soaked grass of the Long Meadow. I had ample opportunity to observe them pitching camp and settling in: Today I cycled around the park 10 times. That’s a personal best for one-day mileage: about 35 miles. (Each circuit is about 3.5 miles.) My Century ride is next week. (It will almost certainly be a "metric Century," or 65-mile segment, for less Olympian riders; I am digesting my disappointment in the hopes of converting it to fuel.) I was thrilled to find some other members of Team in Training were also charging around the park drive.

 

Smartmom

Smartmom: Jen and Paul We Hardly Knew You

1 Comment

Here’s this week’s Smartmom from the Brooklyn Paper:

So, Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany are selling their gorgeous limestone mansion on Prospect Park West for a cool $8.5 million and buying a place in Tribeca.

Sure, the mansion is a bit out of Smartmom’s price range, but she did check out the listing on the Sotheby’s Web site, where the home is called “one of the all-time great houses of New York [where] sunlight fills the grandly proportioned rooms all day long through oversized windows.” (Oh, so that explains why Connelly and Bettany always had their shades drawn tight!)

Of course, the neighborhood is abuzz. In Smartmom’s case, the buzz started at 3 am on Tuesday, with that first e-mail from her twin sister, Diaper Diva. Luckily Smartmom was sleepless on Third Street, so the pair chatted in the old-fashioned way — over their cellphones.

“One thing you have to say is they kept up the integrity of it,” Diaper Diva told Smartmom as they surveyed the pictures together. “They kept the original details and decorated with a light touch. I like the mix of the mid-century with the Victorian.”

Then Diaper Diva went back to bed. But Smartmom couldn’t sleep as she tried to figure out how Jen and Paul could possibly walk away from all that?

Why would anyone — especially anyone with a house like that?! — leave Park Slope for Tribeca? Why would anyone give up a view of Olmsted’s magnificent Prospect Park for one featuring the West Side Highway and New Jersey?

In some ways, Connelly and Bettany’s Manhattan move calls into question everything that people like Smartmom hold dear. That house on the corner of Carroll Street is a Slope dream, a home to lust over: a historic, 5,200-square-foot mansion crammed with architectural details and facing a beloved park. If they were miserable in a house like that, what does that say about the rest of us? (You got it: we’re more miserable!)

Then again, if Jennifer Connelly can walk away from such a great home, maybe it is possible for all of us to give up the material things that we always think will make our lives so wonderful (but never do).

Smartmom would prefer to think that Connelly, a lifelong Brooklynite, just wants to try life on the other side of the East River. That would be less of a blow to Slopers because we all know that Park Slope is a Shangri La compared to Tribeca.

Still, Smartmom still took it personally. After all, she liked having the actors as neighbors.

They were just a nice couple with kids. All right, they were Hollywood royalty — she has an Oscar; he has, well, those tall, gorgeous, British good looks — but they were good Slopers.

They kept a low profile.

They seemed smart.

They filled their front garden with tulips.

She rode her bike in Prospect Park and played with her kids at the Third Street Playground and the Tea Lounge (though the one on Union Street, not the less-fancy original on Tenth Street!).

Like Us magazine is always pretending, these stars really were “just like US.” Or so we could pretend.

But now they’re walking away from us.

So Smartmom is walking away from her Prospect Park West envy. Yeah, right. What Smartmom wouldn’t do for a cool loft in Tribeca.

Brooklyn Blogfest

Reaction to the Blogfest

3 Comments

Not surprisingly, there’s lots to read about the Blogfest.  I am feeling tired from last night so I swiped these links from Gowanus Lounge about the Blogfest. Thanks Bob (I knew you’d understand).

· Brooklyn Blogfest [Reclaimed Home]
· Gratitude [New York Shitty]
· Brooklyn Blogfest 2008 [Sustainable Flatbush]
· Blogfest 2008 Coverage [Flatbush Gardener]
· Blogfest 08 Photoset [Flatbush Gardener/flickr]
· Brooklyn Blogfest is a Hit [Brooklyn Optimist]

Everyone had a lot to say.

Brooklyn Skeptic  wrote with her signature skepticism that the Blogfest was an exercise in self-absorption. She did, however, like the free beer. Angela Freeburg with NBC Universal made a short video and had a more upbeat take on the event.

Hundreds of bloggers came out to promote their blogs, discuss the
evolution of blogging, and network while munching on Mexican food,
sipping Brooklyn Beer, and indulging in sweets like wasabi brownies
provided by Brooklyn Fudge.The blog-fest enabled blogging pros
and new bloggers to discuss the blogosphere, a rapidly changing world
that covers everything from vegan food to hyper-local news.

Creative Times listed some of her personal highlights, including

The evening concluded with the Shout Out, where roughly 60 bloggers
from the audience came to the mics up front to introduce themselves.

People
stayed well past the ending of the program to dine on the donated
edible goodies, mingle, and get their portrait taken by Hugh Crawford
of No Words Daily Pix from Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.

A
personal highlight from Blogfest was being part of the team of bloggers
and non-bloggers who pulled together as Staff to make every aspect of
the event go well, from the food to the DJing, to the sound system. It
definitely takes a village to raise a Blogfest.

New York Shitty, who delivered a terrific speech at the Blogfest about her life as a blogger, seemed to enjoy the fest even if it was in Park Slope:

Anyone in the know will tell you schlepping one’s ass from Greenpoint
to Park Slope and back is no picnic. This usually entails taking the G
to F. Getting to the Brooklyn Lyceum is a bit more complicated. Do I
want to transfer at the 4th Avenue Station for the M(aybe) or R(arely)?
No, I have more faith in my feet than those trains, thank you very much,

All in all, a good time was had by all. Personally, I’d like to thank Gerritsen Beach for all his help during the clean up help at the end of the night. I am now, officially, a fan of his blog, which is dedicated to Gerritsen Beach Offering current news, links and reviews and not memories.  

Continue reading Reaction to the Blogfest →

Brooklyn Blogfest

So How Was the Blogfest?

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2477008627_2ecdeb5080_m
Like a bride at her own wedding, Thursday night’s Brooklyn Blogfest at the Brooklyn Lyceum is mostly a blur for But it was also an incredible gathering of a vivacious "tribe" of New Yorkers.

Brooklyn bloggers.

As I said in the Blogfest video by Blue Barn Pictures, Brooklyn bloggers are a smart, ambitious, entrepreneurial, creative, opinionated and enthusiastic group and they’re a lot of fun to hang out with.

The Blogfest back story is just as fun as the event. For months, there’s been lots of  behind-the-scenes planning and organizing by a large group of bloggers drawn from the Brooklyn Blogade, an constantly expanding group of bloggers who meet monthly all over Brooklyn. My co-producers Eleanor Traubman and Mike Sorgatz of Creative Times, Adrian Kinloch and Petra Symister deserve the lion’s share of the credit (their links are below). 

20 bloggers showed up at 6 p.m. to do whatever needed to be done. Bloggers set up video equipment, chairs, tables, food, beer; they made name tags, signs, manned the money table and more. It was a sight to behold.

You can be sure they did it with gusto. I thank them all. 

When Amanda from Brooklyn Fudge showed up with her signage and her pretty cake plates I wanted to kiss her. She helped set up the "hospitality area" along with Angela of Red Mango Bakery, the folks behind much of the vegan baked goods at many Brooklyn cafes and Danielle of Habeas Brulee who runs Jack, an occasional restaurant that is open for one seating per night every other week or so.

I was equally thrilled when Bierkraft delivered the 17 cases of beer, that were paid for by Outside.in, the company that is fast becoming an essential resource for place bloggers.

Pre-show, I had no idea what to expect. On Thursday I started to get the feeling that the event might be well-attended. But I also had my doubts. I always have doubts and lots of worry.

What if nobody comes?

By 8 p.m. I knew we’d have a crowd. A very good crowd.

As is often the case at special events, there were some pre-show technical challenges (video, ah video). Still thanks to a great crew spear-headed by Adrian Kinloch (Brit in Brooklyn), Morgan Pehme (Brooklyn Optimist), the guys from Blue Barn Pictures and two incredibly helpful guys from the Brooklyn Lyceum, we were ready to go by 8:20 or so.

While the crowd filed into the downstairs performance space, that used to be a bath, DJ Solo P from Groovalicious Entertainment entertained the crowd with a great selection of groovalicious music including calypso favorites and other fun stuff.

The Lyceum was full of friends and strangers when the video, Place Matters; Blogging My World filled the enormous screen.

Blue Barn’s video was, as expected, fantastic and it contained the biggest talking heads in High Definition video you’ve ever seen, who conveyed something of the feisty spiritedness of the small group of Brooklyn bloggers, who were interviewed.

The video, which included an appearance by NY Shitty’s mascot, Hannah the Hardhat, was followed by short, consistently interesting speeches by a diverse group of bloggers and journalists:

Eleanor Traubman of Creative Times spoke about the community that formed around the planning of Blogfest

Petra Symister of Bed-Stuy Blog, spoke about the need for diversity in the Brooklyn blogosphere, especially in the realm of place blogs, which, she said, are very homgenious in terms of race and economic class.

Greg Sutton, Megan Donis and Narina from Brooklyn Community Access Television spoke about their new series, A Walk Around the Blog and showed a short trailer.

Miss Heather of the blog, New York Shitty talked about the interactivity of blogging, "I am not merely putting something out in
the world for people to read. My blog is not a monologue; it is a
dialog with my readership," she said.

"Keep the dead rat stories coming," she said in closing.

Gowanus Lounge’s Robert Guskind, in his sonorous, low radio announcer’s voice, suggested that the word blog has less and less meaning because there is so much unique content online. He urged those who are "thinking about starting a blog to stop thinking about it and to start doing it." especially in underblogged areas like Sheepshead Bay and Sunset Park.

WNYC talk radio host and recent winner of a Peabody Award, Brian Lehrer, appeared in a video personally reaching to bloggers to send stories for his CUNY-television weekly news show. After Lehrer’s clip, Gersh Kuntzman, editor of the Brooklyn Paper, wondered aloud about the future of blogging and the destructiveness of mean-spirited blog comments.

Heather Johnston, producer of a wonderful food blog called sogood.tv talked about her evolution as a video blogger and delivered the Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers.

Big gratitude to Morgan Pehme of Brooklyn Optimist for his  Tribute to Brooklyn’s Photo Bloggers, a montage of photographs by some of the best, including Fading Ad Blog,  Joe’s NYC, Flatbush Gardener, Bed-Stuy Banana, Park Slope Street Photography, No Words Daily Pix, Brit in Brooklyn, Forgotten NY and many more. All I can say is WOW. It was a beautiful tribute to these hardworking and creative folks, who are capturing what’s going on on the streets and skylines of Brooklyn.

Chris Kreussling of Flatbush Gardener talked about the Brooklyn Blogade as an opportunity to attach a face to a blog at monthly meet ups. This group is constantly looking for new recruits: those who blog and
those who are thinking about blogging. The next one is on June 22 at
noon at Root Hill Cafe on Carroll Street and Fourth Avenue. Come one,
come all.

Finally, Rob Lenihan, the wonderful blogger behind the very well written Luna Park Gazette, told the crowd it was time for the Shout Out, everyone’s chance to announce their blog to the world.

Imagine my surprise when 50 or more people lined up for the microphones. Thank goodness  we had that timer/buzzer with us (operated by my daughter).

In the next few days I will post a list of all the bloggers who did the shout out; it was a high point of a great evening.

The party and the schmoozing went on until around midnight. A good time was had by all. For me it’s a bit of a adrenaline blur.

But I loved it. I really did. More thoughts to come…

Pix by Flatbush Gardener

Civics and Urban Life

Bed Stuy Banana: It Was Good to See You

Now I’m the Gertrude Stein of the Brooklyn blogging world, eh? I loved what Bed Stuy Banana had to say about the Blogfest. Here’s an excerpt. She has more fun descriptions on her blog. I was pleased that she, along with many others, did a shout out.

I attended the Third Brooklyn Blogfest (an annual communion of artists,
activists, and other misfit toys culled from the Brooklyn blogosphere
by the Gertrude Stein of the Brooklyn blogging world, Louise Crawford
of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn)
last night with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, my hand firmly
clutching Big Joe’s (formerly known as Joseph, more on that later). As
usual I was prepared for the absolute worst, for my detractors to come
up and flip loaded nachos into my face, telling me how much they hated
my blog and bearing printed out sheets highlighting my blog’s
grammatical errors, incorrect word usage and run-on sentences. And as
usual, the absolute worst failed to happen. In fact I had a small group
of fans (amazing what a complimentary bunch of bananas sent to the
right people can do) cheering me on and I felt feelings akin to what
I’d felt in art school, having found my tribe at last. Or one of them
at least. At various times in my life thus far, my tribes have included
gay men at New York clubs in the early nineties, earth mamas,
curmudgeons, and fashionistas.

Brooklyn Blogfest

Brooklyn Blogfest: What Does It Want To Be?

2 Comments

The Brooklyn Blogfest started in 2006 as a joke. Sort of. I run Brooklyn Reading Works, a literary reading series and decided that it would be fun to do a reading dedicated to bloggers.

On the poster I called it the First Annual Brooklyn Blogfest. It really was kind of a joke. I made the poster in September but as the date got closer and closer, I realized, hey, I better organize this thing.

By then, there were quite a few bloggers. So it really was the first annual blog gathering.

Initially I thought it was going to be like these geeky computer conventions I used to go to with Hepcat back in the late 1980’s. He was a big Amiga Computer guy and we’d travel up and down the east coast (and even out west) attending these conventions, including Siggraph on one occasion.

The first Blogfest was geeky and fun. A bunch of bloggers in the upstairs room of the Old Stone House. And just about everyone there spoke and did sort of a show-and-tell. It was a very long evening but a fun one.

You could describe it this way: a meeting of co-conspirators, who had never met in person but had been following the activities of one another

There was barely anything to eat or drink because I didn’t expect too many people to come. I thought it would be like a poetry reading. I didn’t know any of the bloggers personally and who knew they’d all show up.

They did. In droves.

Brownstoner came incognito because he still had a day job. Gowanus Lounge introduced himself to the crowd. No Land Grab and Norman Oder were there, as was Lost and Found and the ever lovable Dave Kenny of Dope on the Slope, delivered a hilarious PowerPoint presentation about the evolution of blogging beginning with cave paintings.

Joe’s NYC and Travis Ruse both presented incredible slide shows of their work. I read the opening paragraph of "Only the Dead Know Brooklyn" by Thomas Wolfe, the story that inspired the name of my blog.

That, my friends, was the first Blogfest.

The second Blogfest was in 2007. A huge number of people crowded into the Old Stone House. Some people had to be turned away due to concerns about fire code regulations. The program was a bit more organized. It wasn’t quite the fun, free-for-all of that first year but a lot of interesting ideas were shared. Lumi Rolley, of No Land Grab, gave Norman Oder a superhero cape for for his his journalistic masterwork,  Steven Berlin Johnson, talked about place blogging, Pastor Daniel Meeter blessed the event with a dutch benediction, Brownstoner talked about quitting his day job.

Afterwards, some complained that there was too much about development and real estate. Too much about Atlantic Yards.

Everyone, however, loved that the party was sponsored by Partida Tequila. Getting them as a sponsor was a real coup. And people enjoyed the margaritas and the Mexican food.

This year was a whole other kettle of fish. I knew we had to get a bigger space and when I toured the Lyceum I was smitten by that big, historic building and the feeling of the performance space. I also noticed the huge screen and video projector and got it into my head that we could show video.

There were rental fees involved, which there never were at the Old Stone House (because of Brooklyn Reading Works). This was going to be a much bigger deal.

Thankfully, many people got involved and I even had a slew of co-producers/partners in crime, including, Eleanor Traubman and Mike Sorgatz of Creative Times, Petra Syrmister of Bed-Stuy Blog and Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn. Blue Barn Pictures volunteered to make a video and Morgan Pehme of Brooklyn Optimist put together a beautiful Tribute to Brooklyn’s photo bloggers.

Twenty or so bloggers showed up to set up before the show and it was a wonderful collaborative effort.

The presentation to my mind was diverse and interesting. There was a nice selection of bloggers, who brought up many interesting points about the lack of diversity both racial, economic and geographic. The videos were a high point, as was the Shout Out when more than 60 new bloggers got up to share their blogs with the crowd.

I got a variety of comments from people after Thursday’s Blogfest:

–quite a few people loved the event

–one blogger thought it was an exercise in self-congratulation and self-promotion.

–others found the ideas interesting

–one guy said there should be more readings from blogs and less speeches about blogs

–one guy said we shouldn’t charge for the event but should charge for the liquor; it should be a free event.

–someone said it just needs to be a party.

–others were inspired by the speakers and the shout-out; it made them feel like blogging.

All in all, it makes me wonder if there needs to be another blogfest and, if so, what the blogfest needs to be. A good question that I’m sure will be discussed in the coming weeks.

Whatever happens, it’s been a fun journey getting from that first one, which was conceived in jest to the third one which was a great collaboration and a thoughtful program and party.

 

Civics and Urban Life

Today’s the Day: Blogfest at 8 p.m. at the Brooklyn Lyceum

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Today is the day. There are a few last minute details to attend to but everything seems to be in order for tonight’s third annual Brooklyn Blogfest.

For those who don’t know, the Brooklyn Blogfest is a gathering about Brooklyn blogging for bloggers, blog fans, those interested in blogging and those passionate about Brooklyn.

The festivities are TONIGHT at 8 p.m. at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Avenue just steps from the R train’s Union Street station. Suggested donation is $10 to help offset the costs of this event. There will be food and drink a-plenty and lots of time for networking and socializing.

Indeed, it takes many hours of unseen work, coordination, attention to detail, writing, phone calling, emailing, and outreach to the community to pull off an event like this and thank goodness there were so many people lending their positive energy and creativity to the event.

As Eleanor Traubman of Creative Times wrote in an email the other day: 

Thanks to those who helped to do the behind the scenes prep work and who have stepped up in such a generous way to help out on the day of the event.  It takes a village to raise a Blogfest and we are a really great village!

Thanks to Eleanor and all the other people, who came together and donated their creative energy to this project. It was a team effort that was a joy to be part of.

Civics and Urban Life

Ikea Getting Some Positive Reviews from Hammerman, NY 1

Ikea is opening on June 18th after years of protests from local Red Hook residents. But now that it’s a reality, it will be interesting to see how the neighborhood likes its new neighbor.

According to Jeanine Ramirez, the Brooklyn reporter for NY 1, Craig Hammerman and others seem to think that Ikea is a good neighbor and doing things right by Red Hook.

It remains to be seen whether Ikea is indeed a positive thing for Red Hook and the surrounding neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

But it can’t be denied that Ikea has done (or was forced to doP quite a few things right even if the big blue and yellow box store is a bit glaring contextually in that historic area.

On a positive note, the store offered first choice of jobs to people in the community and they are offering full benefits even for part-time employees.

Now that’s cool.

No doubt the Red Hook Ikea, the first Ikea in New York City, has great views of the water, the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

Sitting on  22 acres in the Erie Basin, the big box Swedish store turned 6 of its acres into a public waterfront esplanade. I am eager to see if this effort to win over the community pays off. It sure sounds nice.

Craig Hammerman of Community Board 6 seems to be very positive about the new Ikea.

"There were certain conditions that the community board had imposed
on its land use review and IKEA has lived up to all of the conditions," Hammerman told NY 1.

According to NY 1:

Ikea helped pay for turning lanes on Hamilton Avenue to ease the
traffic flow in and out of Red Hook. Shuttle buses will pick up
customers at nearby subway stations, water taxi service will run to and
from Manhattan’s Pier 11, two city bus lines are extending their routes
to the store and rental Zipcars will be on-site.

IKEA widened and paved the street in front of the store, upsetting
some residents who wanted to keep the old stone road that was here. So,
designers included the stones in the park landscape. The store also
incorporated cranes to preserve the site’s maritime history.

Sounds like Ikea is adding public transportation (i.e. shuttle buses, extended lines for the existing buses, and water taxi service) to a neighborhood sorely in need of public transportation. Whether these modification will just be for customers or for the community as a whole remains to be seen.   

June 18th is just a few weeks away. Everyone wants to see how this store fits into the life of this very special Brooklyn community and whether it is a benefit to the place or just a drain on the community’s resources.   

Postcard from the Slope

Sharpton, Sean Bell’s Fiancee, and Hundreds Arrested at Protests

If you wondered what all those police helicopters were doing swarming over Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, it was because of the demonstrations at the Brooklyn Bridge and other sites around the city protesting the Sean Bell verdict.

Reverend Al Sharpton, Sean Bell’s fiancee and hundreds were arrested at a Brooklyn Bridge protest and call to urge authorities to launch an investigation into Bell’s shooting by police. Here’s an excerpt from the NY 1 article:

The Reverend Al Sharpton and Sean Bell’s fiancée were arrested along
with about over 200 protesters shortly after 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, as
they blocked traffic on Park Row by the entry of the Brooklyn Bridge in
Lower Manhattan.

According to police authorities, the over 200 arrests were part of
a coordinated campaign organized by Sharpton to urge federal
authorities to investigate Bell’s shooting by detectives more than two
years ago.

Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who were injured during that
shooting, joined Sharpton and Bell’s fiancée, Nicole Paultre Bell,
lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police
put plastic handcuffs on them. Sharpton and Bell were placed in a
police vehicle.

Late Wednesday night, some demonstrators told NY1 that the protests
would be weekly, but there was no official confirmation of such
strategies.

Civics and Urban Life

If You’re Thinking of Starting a Blog…

1 Comment

Come to the Blogfest and get the cool handout: Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers and Top Ten Tips for Photo Bloggers.

The Third Annual Brooklyn Blogfest 2008 is an event for bloggers,
blog-readers, those interested in Blogging, and those passionate about
Brooklyn. It is open to one and all and everyone is warmly welcomed. No need to RSVP or be personally invited.

Date and Time: Thursday May 8th, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Location: The Brooklyn Lyceum. 227 Fourth Avenue at President Street just steps from the R-trains Union Street station.

For cool Blogfest T-shirts: Come to the Blogfest

More info: Louise Crawford at 718-288-4290 or louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com

What to Expect: Here’s the line-up for the program. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Video: Place Matters: Blogging My World by Blue Barn Pictures

Brief Welcome: Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn (Louise Crawford)

Speaker: Creative Times (Eleanor Traubman)

Speaker: Bed-Stuy Blog (Petra S.)

Video: A Walk Around the Blog Promo by Brooklyn Independent Television

Speaker: New York Shitty (Miss Heather)

Speaker: Gowanus Lounge (Robert Guskind)

Speaker: Gersh Kuntzman, editor of The Brooklyn Paper

Video: A Word from WNYC’s Brian Lehrer

Speaker: Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers presented by So Good (Heather Johnson)

Speaker: Outside.in, a resource for bloggers who blog about where they live

Video: A Tribute to Brooklyn’s Photo Bloggers with music by Brooklyn’s Ready Fire Aim  (video produced by Brooklyn Optimist)

Speaker: Bloggers Reach Out: The Brooklyn Blogade presented by Flatbush Gardener

ANNUAL SHOUT-OUT: Your chance to share your blog with the world introduced by Luna Park Gazette

Food and Fun: There will be light refreshments and other
goodies from Maria’s Mexican Bistro, Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn Fudge,
and beer courtesy of Outside.in

After the presentation there will be plenty of time for conversation, networking,
beer and delicious snacks courtesy of Maria’s Mexican Bistro, Red Mango
Bakery and Brooklyn Fudge.

Many Thanks to Our Blogfest Sponsors: Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, Blue Barn Pictures, Outside.In, Brooklyn Optimist, Gowanus Lounge, Michael Sorgatz, Brit in Brooklyn,
Bed-Stuy Blog, Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn Fudge, Maria’s Mexican
Bistro, DJ Solo P from Groovalicious and the Community Bookstore.

Civics and Urban Life

Hear the Accordian Angels This Saturday

A quartet of accordian players calling themselves the Accordian Angels will be playing at the garden on Sixth Avenue and 15th Street at 2 p.m.

"A garden is a great setting for us," Bob Goldberg, one of the players told me.

They practiced in a front yard on Third Street on Sunday and got quite a response. I wish I’d been here because it sounded like a nice thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

The Accordion Angels are Bob Goldberg; Carl Riehl; Genevieve Leloup; Mark
Nathanson. They are a newly-forned accordion quartet, that
bridges the traditional and the post-modern, playing an eclectic and interesting range of musical styles, including Stephen Foster, Leonard Bernstein,  Paolo Conte, Copland, Bizet, Led Zeppelin and Steve Reich

They will be playing at Barbes on May 18th at 7 p.m. and at Le Petit Versailles, a outdoor garden in Manhattan at 346 East Houston Street between Avenues B and C.

Postcard from the Slope

Office Space in the Montauk Club

I was glad to see a post on Brownstoner about office space at The Montauk Club. It even mentions my friend and landlord, Martin Goldin, a developer who bought the lower level of the club, which at one time was the club’s bowling alley.

When Marty bought the space in 2001 the space was a complet wreck. He preserved the details that he could  and turned the rest into a modern office space complete with a shared conference room,  kitchen, public restrooms and a recycling area.

Hey, did I mention that my office is in that building. I don’t know what I’d do without it. I was Marty’s second tenant and it’s my sanctuary; the place where I get the most work done.

The available spaces are $950 and $1200.

Yes, it is hard to find office space in Park Slope. There’s very little. I’ve had a few spaces in people’s brownstones. But this is the best situation yet. I had my attic garret on 17th Street and my basement mud room on 6th Avenue. But they were both freezing in the winter.

But this is the most professional and the best. I’ve been there since 2002 and I’m not going anywhere.

Part of the fun is walking into that building every day. It’s very Grand. The offices are in the basement and have no architectural detail but it’s still fun to be part of it all.

Postcard from the Slope

Why We Liked Jennifer and Paul

They were just a nice couple with kids. We liked that. (Alright, they were Hollywood royalty. She with an Oscar, he: tall, gorgeous and British. But they were nice).

They kept a low profile. We liked that.

They seemed smart. We liked that.

They covered their first floor windows with shades so we didn’t feel
too voyeuristic. But we could see the Calder mobile hanging on the
second floor. We liked that.

They filled their front garden with tulips. We liked that.

They made up feel like we were special because they chose to live here. We liked that.

She was the hometown girl who decided to come home after Hollywood success. We liked that.

They picked the prettiest house in Brooklyn to be their home. We liked that

They had good taste. We liked that.

She told Vogue Magazine that she loved Prospect Park. We liked that.

She biked in the park; went running; they played with their kids at the Third Street Playground and went to the Tea Lounge. We liked that.

They were just like us. Or so we could pretend. We liked that.

Civics and Urban Life

How Could They Ditch That Gorgeous Mansion?

1 Comment

Exterior_2
Slopers are falling all over themselves trying to figure out how Jennifer Connelly could ditch that gorgeous mansion.

Just check out the Brownstoner comments.

It calls into question everything Slopers hold dear. That house on the corner of Carroll Street is a Slope Dream House.

It is inconceivable to most Slopers that someone could walk away from what many Slopers lust for:  a historic, 5,200 square feet mansion crammed with architectural details facing a beloved Park.

"I love that house," Diaper Diva told me. "One thing you have to say is they kept up the integrity of it. They kept the original details and decorated with a light touch. I like the mix of the mid-century with the Victorian."

Perhaps Connelly/Bettany want a more anonymous life away from the glare of envious Park Slopers. Or maybe it’s not that at all. Maybe they got tired of the multi-floor living. Or they needed  more privacy or security.

Maybe Connelly, a lifelong Park Sloper, wants to try life in Manhattan.

Moving to Tribeca? That’s a real blow to Slopers who believe that their neighborhood is heaven on earth.

Civics and Urban Life

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany Selling Their PPW Mansion

Diaper Diva writes:  "Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany are moving to Manhattan. Check out Brownstoner. They are selling their mansion. You get to see pix of the interior but I got to see the Calder Mobile I always see hanging in the window."

17ppw5_2
I checked out the Brownstoner post and it’s true.  They are selling the mansion for $8.5 million and moving to a penthouse on West Street in Tribeca.

   

Detailsizerails This is the listing from Sotheby’s: Here is an opportunity to own one of
the all time great houses of New York built at the turn of the century.
Located on a corner lot directly across from Prospect Park, sunlight
fills the grandly proportioned rooms all day long through oversized
windows. All of the original wood carving surrounding the windows and
mantels as well as the elaborate plaster work on the ceilings remains
in tact and in perfect condition.There are fireplaces in all of the
public rooms (living, dining and kitchen) as well as in 3 of the 4
master bedrooms.There is a full servant’s quarters on the top floor
consisting of 4 small bedrooms, a full bath and a large storage
room.The original stained and leaded windows exist in the baths Diningand in
the large skylight at the top of the grand staircase.Central
air-conditioning has been added and there is a large, fully landscaped
garden at the rear of the house which is gated and private. This
property is simply outstanding in every way.

Exterior
   

 

Civics and Urban Life

Do The Shout Out at the Brooklyn Blogfest

1 Comment

Perhaps the most important aspect of the May 8th Brooklyn Blogfest at the Brooklyn Lyceum is the Shout-Out. That’s when the bloggers in the room are asked to go up to the stage and do a shout-out for their blog.

It’s a great opportunity to spread the word about your blog.

Poster_4_2
The Third Annual Brooklyn Blogfest 2008 is an event for bloggers,
blog-readers, those interested in Blogging, and those passionate about
Brooklyn. It is open to one and all and everyone is warmly welcomed. No need to RSVP or be personally invited.

Date and Time: Thursday May 8th, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Location: The Brooklyn Lyceum. 227 Fourth Avenue at President Street just steps from the R-trains Union Street station.

For cool Blogfest T-shirts: www. cafepress.com/blogfest261705408v0_150x150_front_5

More info: Louise Crawford at 718-288-4290 or louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com

What to Expect: Here’s the line-up for the program. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Video: Place Matters: Blogging My World by Blue Barn Pictures

Brief Welcome: Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn (Louise Crawford)

Speaker: Creative Times (Eleanor Traubman)

Speaker: Bed-Stuy Blog (Petra S.)

Video: A Walk Around the Blog Promo by Brooklyn Independent Television

Speaker: New York Shitty (Miss Heather)

Speaker: Gowanus Lounge (Robert Guskind)

Speaker: Gersh Kuntzman, editor of The Brooklyn Paper

Video: A Word from WNYC’s Brian Lehrer

Speaker: Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers presented by So Good (Heather Johnson)

Speaker: Outside.in, a resource for bloggers who blog about where they live

Video: A Tribute to Brooklyn’s Photo Bloggers with music by Brooklyn’s Ready Fire Aim  (video produced by Brooklyn Optimist)

Speaker: Bloggers Reach Out: The Brooklyn Blogade presented by Flatbush Gardener

ANNUAL SHOUT-OUT: Your chance to share your blog with the world introduced by Luna Park Gazette

Food and Fun: There will be light refreshments and other
goodies from Maria’s Mexican Bistro, Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn Fudge,
and beer courtesy of Outside.in

After the presentation there will be plenty of time for conversation, networking,
beer and delicious snacks courtesy of Maria’s Mexican Bistro, Red Mango
Bakery and Brooklyn Fudge.

Many Thanks to Our Blogfest Sponsors: Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, Blue Barn Pictures, Outside.In, Brooklyn Optimist, Gowanus Lounge, Michael Sorgatz, Brit in Brooklyn,
Bed-Stuy Blog, Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn Fudge, Maria’s Mexican
Bistro, DJ Solo P from Groovalicious and the Community Bookstore.  

Poster designed by Michael Sorgatz.

Postcard from the Slope

Spiritual Magazine By Kids For Kids Launches

1 Comment

I just got an email about a new Kid’s magazine published in Brooklyn
focusing on spirituality. It’s a non-profit, unaffiliated with any
particular faith and 100% ad-free .

KidSpirit Magazine launches nationally this month and features the work of kids from New
York and around the country as they focus on a broad range of issues
they encounter in their daily lives.

It started in Brooklyn Heights. For over two years a group of kids has been getting together to talk about life’s big questions, and now they’re sharing
what they found in the first-ever spirituality magazine generated by
youth.   Through its open submission
process, the magazine hopes to garner contributors from all over the
country and even the world. Here are the ‘tails.   

You can find out more at our website, www.kidspiritmagazine.com.  We’re
just launching our premiere issue, Roots of Spirit, which engages with
complex issues including the relationship between spirituality and
food, climate change, and Tai Chi Chuan, and presents aesthetic
endeavors like original poetry, book reviews, and more. Each subsequent
issue will tackle a theme chosen by the all-kid Editorial
Board—upcoming issues include Science and Spirit, Myth and Meaning,
Change and Loss, and Competition and Achievement. 

KidSpirit has a dedicated base of young writers, most who fall into
the 11-15 age range, who would love to share their thoughts and
experiences with you and your readers. We hope that as more people hear
about the magazine, KidSpirit will foster a real dialog between today’s
young people and create a new space for conversation about the role of
all kinds of faiths in the lives of the next generation.

Serving Park Slope and Beyond