The photo is from Dean Street at Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Heights.

If you’ve been through the Atlantic Ave subway station in the last week, you’ve noticed increasing amounts of MoMA stuff around. There are things proclaiming an “art installation” is underway. The turnstiles now sport MoMA logos. We suspect the steel beams will be covered too, making the station look like a huge ad for the museum. What’s it all about? MoMA is installing “reproductions” of some of the classics of modern art in the station. There’s a bizarre “blogger preview” tomorrow at noon, but tomorrow is also the day the show/huge promotion for the museum is scheduled to start. Hey, see a Picasso without really seeing a Picasso while you’re running to catch the 4 Train. The website for the project is here, but it’s just a placeholder right now that takes forever to load.

[Photo courtesy of Deborah Matlack]

Yes, the sunsets in Coney Island are beautiful, especially this time of year when the sun sets over the water, but they’re spectacular in Red Hook too as this pic from our dedicated contributor Deborah Matlack shows.

We’re fascinated by time lapse vids and every day this week we’ll be featuring a different Brooklyn time lape sequence.

We’re not sure where this was shot from, but the music is TV on the Radio

Every week there are always one or two CL Missed Connections that don’t make it on Sunday, but still deserve attention. Like this one:

I go out barfing after midnight – m4m – 25 (Williamsburg)

This happened on Friday night after Metro. Me: Wasted. Worlds first supermodel. Big blond hair. Tall, leggy blond (test driving the color). I fell down, plop, not actually barfing though. All my stuff fell hemorrhaged out my maroon tote bag. You: Prince. Prince-like. You picked up my wallet and my moleskin (where I perfectly catalogue all the mutant powers I want when I grow up [iron stomach–check!]) and walked me/carried me home. I kept calling you ROY! because I thought your were my friend ROY! but he and I had parted ways a ways away. WHO ARE YOU!?!??! ps I’m not actually a hot tranny mess I just drink (a lot)

Advice: cut back on the drinkski, friend.

People will even go shirtless and wear shorts in wind chills in the low teens. Actually, we jest. This is Gary Atlas who runs every day from Brighton Beach to Sea Gate and takes a dip in the water. He was featured on NY1 last week and we just happened to catch him as he ran by. We were wearing 15 layers of clothing and felt like we were going to die. Gary, we salute you!

Bruce Ratner may (or may not) curse the day he ever became involved in Atlantic Yards, but most of his other Brooklyn real estate ventures have face much smoother sailing and gotten much taxpayer support. The building rising in the distance (next to the nearly vacant Forte condo tower) is Ratner’s 80 Dekalb Avenue, just a block in from Flatbush. It will be a 34-story Costas Kondylis-designed glass tower that kind of stands on the Fort Greene-Downtown Border. When it’s done the Ratner-Kondylis tower will have 292 units, 73 of them “affordable” housing. And where do taxpayers figure into this baby? The devleopment got $109.5 million in tax-exempt bonds and $27.5 million in taxable bonds. We like to think of this as the under-the-radar Bruce.

Every time we walk past the Chetrit Group’s so-called “Gateway to Williamsburg” development behind Kellogg’s Diner, we wonder if we should put toss it into our dead pool because nothing has happened on the site in ages. Yet, Chetrit may still pull financing for this thing out of the bag and just recently was showing redone renderings of the ugly very Williamsburg-like building it intends to build with 14 stories, 140 rental units and nearly 29,000 square feet of retail space. Duane Reade will be the anchor tenant. We digress, however. Our point is to show how even developments that aren’t necessarily dead create blight and problems. The sidewalk on Metropolitan Avenue was like an ice rink last week and there was no sign the developer had been cited for not shoveling and/or de-icing. In fact, we watched one school kid slip and fall on the ice. The developer blight that is beginning to really impact a lot of neighborhoods comes in all shapes and forms, from ugliness, to squatters to icy sidewalks. (For the record, Chetrit’s development on Kent Avenue wasn’t in much better shape.) Does The Donald shovel the sidewalks outside his developments?

A GL reader sent us a couple of short vids he shot of the “Brooklyn parrots going crazy” at Green-Wood Cemetery over the weekend. Must have been something in the air.

Another short vid of the partying parrots ahead.

· Walentas Not Renewing Lease of School for Kids with Disabilties [NYT]
· Markowitz Takes $25K from Controversial Rent-A-Center, Denies Knowing [AYR]
· Manager of Slope Greenmarket Fired, People Pissed [NYT]
· Subway Rivers [I Love Franklin Avenue]
· Another Old Shop Biting the Dust on Smith St. [PMFA]
· New Bike Shop on Lafayette [General Greene]
· Men at Work on Wonder Wheel [Kinetic Carnival]
· Letter from an Anonymous Teenager [GerritsenBeach.Net]
· Tiny Signs of Spring [AYITP]

[Click to enlarge]

Back in December, we wrote on Curbed that “This beauty, just a block from New York City’s most famous canal, is the ultimate Fizzbow. And it comes with art on the exterior. We’re unclear if the surrounding lot comes with the trailer. Get moving on this one. It won’t last.” When we wandered by the other day, we noticed the sign was gone. Perhaps, a Brooklyn property sales expert can enlighten the world on the fate of this parcel.

[Old rendering on left Skyscraper Forum, center photo 110 Livingston, right rendering Clarett Group]

We’re not sure if the Clarett Group has a death wish or just had access to toxic financing, but the firm that built the virtually vacant Forte in Fort Greene is now well into construction of 111 Lawrence Street in downtown Brooklyn. It will be Brooklyn’s tallest building at 51 stories and two feet taller than the Williamsburg Saving Bank Building. The incredible (actually mindboggling, given the market) is that this thing will have 491 units when it’s done. Brownstoner, which has been all over this story for a long time, first revealed the rendering on the right last year. It has since been removed from the developer’s website. The rendering on the left, is from Wired’s skyscraper forum and shows that things could have been much worse. The photo in the middle is from 110 Livingston Blog, which has a great view of the building going up and a nice post about it. On the one hand, it’s a shame that Brooklyn’s tallest building, which comes from GKV Architects (which also doesn’t have a rendering up), will also be one of it less attractive. On the other, one smells a strong stench of death coming from Livingston Street where it boggles the mind that anyone with a shred of sanity would have put up nearly 500 units of housing, which will likely be rental. Wagers on bankruptcy and/or bank foreclosure using taxpayer dollars?

A work of architectural genius? Or the most grotesque thing yet to show up on Fourth Avenue? There will be varying opinions but this is Robert Scarano’s at Fourth Avenue and 13th Street. This 12-story building being developed by Isaac Katan will have 135 units. (Anyone want to take bets on whether it’ll be a nondo?) Back in the day, we called this the Olive Garden Building because of a (unfounded) rumor that one of its retail tenants would be an Olive Garden. Then, we thought they could call it the Laundromatic because residents will be able to toss bags of laundry down to the laundromat beneath for that all important wash and fold service. Now, we’ve had a change of heart based on the side view and we’re calling it Big Bob’s House of D and casting our vote in the groteque column.

More pics so you can get the full picture ahead.

Has the new Brooklyn House of Detention already gotten its makeover?

Find out what this lovely structure is by clicking here.

Nothing like a little goth to start the day.

[Photo courtesy of rutila/GL Flickr Pool]

Of course, it’s the Nassau Avenue stop of the G Train in Greenpoint.

Every now and then we like to note where things are shooting around Brooklyn. This is one of several shoots today. It’s on N. 6 St and surround blocks and is an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. We have confirmed the episode is not about The Ponz.

It’s Sunday and time for our weekly Missed Connection. This weeks involves literature and a runny nose:

Months ago, you asked me about my book, and I asked you for a napkin – w4m
When you’re a girl, it’s kind of the introduction from Hell. Cute guy reading a book (means he might actually be smart) asks me about the book I’m reading (means we might actually have an intelligent conversation) and all I can do is cup my hand under my nose and ask you for a napkin. You gave me one from Starbucks, and I swear I haven’t been that embarrassed since I hit puberty. (Even though it was the weather, shit happens and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it) I was blonde, and my book was about Victorian brothels in Chicago. (still haven’t finished reading it, I got distracted by “The Road.”) I don’t remember what you look like, but you were friendly and seemed like someone who could cater to my spirit and creativity. I swear, I’m not normally that awkward, but when your nose is a leaky faucet and a seriously attractive man confronts you, it’s hard to be confident. I hope you read these things…What were you reading again?

Good luck.

This lovely creature is Gracie and here is some info about her:

Gracie is a beautiful deep-gray three-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff. She must be the only pet in a home with no small children. Gracie is spayed, dewormed, treated with Revolution to prevent fleas, ticks, ear mites and heartworm and is up to date with vaccinations. Her adoption fee is $200.00 and she’ll get one free exam at our vet’s office, one free month of pet health insurance and a microchip. If you’re interested in adopting Gracie please email us at nyanimalrescue@yahoo.com for an adoption application. We are conveniently located close to the F train in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn and we’re open daily from 11am to 7pm. Gracie can’t wait to meet you! Our organization offers 24PetWatch microchips, which include free registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information visit www.24petwatch.com or call 1-866-597-2424. This pet also is eligible for 30 days of pre-paid ShelterCare pet health insurance. For more information please visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1-866-375-PETS. To learn more about Mastiffs click here.

Clearly, Gracie is a beautiful dog and Sean Casey does magnificent work and has many animals that need homes. Check them out.

[Photo courtesy of Best View in Brooklyn/GL Flickr Pool]

The sofa comes to us from 56th Street and Sixth Avenue in Sunset Park. The picture is from the blogger behind Best View in Brooklyn who does a superb job covering her community.

We’ve known some. The band itself is from Bern, Switzerland. How they know about Gowanus and Park Slope, we don’t know.

[Photo courtesy of UrbLandPhotog/GL Flickr Pool]

A smokstack and a half, indeed.

In Coney Island yesterday, we noticed that most of the structures left standing on the Astroland property, which is now under the control of Thor Equities, have been marked for demolition. The buildings include Gregory & Pauls, which fronts on the boardwalk and is the building upon which the Astroland Rocket sat. Unless all those orange “X” marks are decorative. Mr. Sitt has promised to have rides on the land for the summer and the thought is that a big ride operator will fill the property. The big question is whether Mr. Still will demolish the Astrotower and court further demonization. We heard one theory that even Mr. Sitt–who is arguably the developer with the reptuation as the most callous and mean-spirited in all of New York City due to a series of acts and public relations blunders worthy of a short documentary–won’t risk being known as the man who tore down the Astrotower and will leave it standing and light it up. It needs repairs to carry passengers again. But the passenger cabin can move up and down safely.