[Photo courtesy of Meg Groome]

Meg writes of this photo that “is the Brooklyn bridge from a moving D train right at sunset. I love the colors and the ghost-like look of the bridge.”

If you recall, we introduced you to Shop Art (51 Bergen St b/w Smith & Court) back in December. Well, they’re back and ready for their 2nd Opening on Saturday, 2/7, from 4-7pm. A group show, presenting works on paper by Hilary Lorenz, photographs by Anne Attal, drawings by Tony Ingrisano and wall sculptures by David Opdyke, will be on display and available at affordable prices (after all, that’s the gallery’s intention and plan) on Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am-7pm and Sundays, 12-5pm.
—Vaduzuvunt

[Photo for GL courtesy of Deborah Matlack]

Our valued contributor Deborah Matlack not only adores spending time take photos of Coney Island in winter, she manages to capture some of the most incredible sunsets around. The proof is right there above.

Ah, Sunday, time to dip our toes into that alluring pool called Cragislist Missed Connections. There were so many choices this week we may be running some overflow in coming days. In any case, here’s today’s choice:

Digging through books on Ainslie St. . .You believe in aliens. – w4m – 21 (Ainslie & Graham)

What are you supposed to say when you realize you’ve unwittingly started a pleasant conversation with someone you find rather attractive while looking through someone’s trash on the sidewalk– “Come here often?“. Anyways, I hope you’re not really an alien, but drop a line either way.

We want to know more about the alien thing, but we thing, “Come here often?” would have been genius.

We’ve been featuring a lot of cats lately and the dog lover in us wants to make sure they get equal time. In that spirit, here’s a special  Sunday Adoptable Cute from the wonderful Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Kensington, which does magnificent work:

Here’s the info about Blanco:

Blanco is a one year old Akita…he is neutered, dewormed, treated with Revolution to prevent fleas, ticks, ear mites and heartworm and is up to date with vaccinations. Blanco was attacked by another dog in the city shelter and he lost a couple of toes. In spite of all this, he is a charming, agile, goofy guy just waiting to love his new family. His adoption fee is $200.00 and he’ll get one free exam at our vet’s office, one free month of pet health insurance and a microchip. If you’d like to adopt Blanco 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. Blanco can’t ait 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.

What a gorgeous pup. Remember, though, that not every dog is appropriate for every owner or family setting, so if Blanco isn’t for you, Sean Casey has plenty of other loving creatures who are.

We have no answer here, just a question submitted by a GL Reader:

I hear from one of my neighbors that there was a shooting last night, a few minutes before midnight, on 12th St between 3rd & 4th. Unclear if someone was shot or if it was ‘just’ gun-play. Any word on this?

We couldn’t find any info, but maybe someone in the neighborhood knows.

[Photo courtesy of nifty pete/GL Flickr Pool]

The photographer writes of this station in Coney Island, “I think this station is beautiful, but when you get in close the details show their utilitarian drabness.”

From the Park Slope Parents email list comes news that nothing is sacred. Not even a stroller outside the new Trader Joe’s at Court and Atlantic:

ust fyi – our blue & yellow Maclaren Triumph (3 yrs old, beat-up, with a very used Bundle Me inside) was stolen from the front of Trader Joe’s! Just be careful. I had taken my daughter out to push in a shopping cart. Be careful! And anyone have a cheap Maclaren for sale?

Attention stroller thieves: At last steal a new one. Come one. Show some class.

Simply beautiful to watch and listen to.

[Photo courtesy of pixonomy/GL Flickr Pool]

The photographer writes: “Do swans migrate? I guess Brooklyn swans know that nothing beats Prospect Park, so they don’t head south for the winter.”

Here’s one of our GL Adoptable Cuties for this week, Peaches. We’ll have a pup tomorrow!

Peaches was abandoned in my building’s back courtyard, where she huddled, terrified, for two weeks, until the super finally told us she was there (he hadn’t thought to feed her, though). As soon as I found out about her I brought her indoors where she is now safe and warm – she loves the good life! Peaches loves to be petted and gives kisses in return. She also loves exploring and climbing (every shelf is a new challenge!), she’s curious and smart and friendly, and catnip makes her crazy. She really, really wants to get out of the one room we’ve had to keep her in (because of my angry cat) and get to know a wider world!

Peaches is right around a year old and has wonderful soft fur and a long tail. Female red tabbies are apparently rather uncommon, so she’s even a bit on the unique side! She’s FIV and FELV negative and in good health. She will be spayed and vaccinated before going into her “forever home”.

Peaches badly needs a permanent home where her personality can blossom. I would love to keep her but my cat has put her foot down! I think that Peaches would enjoy being the only cat in the house so that she can get all of the love to herself – she definitely deserves it!

If interested in finding out this little gem, please e-mail me a belinda@cooperdooper.org. This little girl will quickly be your best buddy and will not disappoint. Thanks for thinking of a rescued cat – I look forward to hearing from you!

—E.C. Stephens

Today (1/24), starting at 7pm will be the opening reception and post-screening discussion of award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer (not to mention GL contributor and friend), Nathan Kensinger’s Abandoned Brooklyn and “Covered Tracks” at UnionDocs (322 Union Ave. b/w 1st & Maujer Streets). Click the flier to see it full size.

[Nate’s] work explores off-limits parts of the urban landscape. For the last five years, he has been documenting the industrial neighborhoods of New York City. His documentary “Covered Tracks” – which explores an abandoned homeless city underneath Manhattan – is currently screening at festivals around the country including Slamdance, The Boston Underground and Rooftop Films. In 2008, his photos of Brooklyn’s endangered industrial waterfront were exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum and in a solo show at the Brooklyn Library titled “Twilight on the Waterfront: Brooklyn’s Vanishing Industrial Heritage.”

–Vaduzuvunt

The Bee Whisperer [Brooklyn Based]
Brooklyn Heights Filmmaker Wows Sundance [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Streetlevel: Gialety’s to Open on 8th Avenue [Brownstoner]
Reborn House of Yes Feeling Positive on their New Show [The Villager]
Less Flippancy Please [Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn]
Dumbo Specials: Health and Body Editions [Dumbo, NYC]
Clothing Swap at Sycamore [Kensington, Brooklyn]
Bus Cuts: Manhattan Riders Yelling Louder, Brooklyn Could Be Hit Unfairly [McBrooklyn]
A Letter from the President and the Big F’s [Sheepshead Bites]
–Compiled by Lauren Fairbanks

[Photo for GL Courtesy of Charles Andrisano]

From the New York Aquarium in Coney. Mr. Andrisano writes: “This Sea Turtle was a picture ham. He kept coming up to the glass, and that’s when I snapped away, (no pun intended).”

If you read GL you know we love animals and go out of our way to help them find homes. So, when we came across this email via the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association about Mega Pet Adoptions today, we knew what we had to do. Cats, kittens and dogs are available for adoption and it takes place today from Noon to 6PM at 106 Court Street in front of the Regal Movie Theater:

All these wonderful pets are rescued; most from the city shelter, Animal Care & Control. They are vaccinated, wormed, and fixed. This event is sponsored by IN OUR HANDS RESCUE, a NFP 501c3, member of the Mayor’s Alliance, and an ACC New Hope Partner. The shelter quickly becomes
overcrowded and New Hope rescuers take many animals that would otherwise be put to sleep. North Shore Animal League is bringing out their state of the art adoption van for this event. Application, contract, references, I.D., and donation required. TAKE YOU NEW FRIEND HOME THE SAME DAY!More info by clicking here.

Sunday (1/25) from 10am-4pm, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is hosting the 3rd annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Flower Market celebrating the New Year traditions of China, Korea and Vietnam.

Between the plentiful plants in BBG’s Asian collections thought to bring wealth and good fortune (which will be highlighted on tours in both English and Mandarin) and those available at our flower market for purchase, visitors will undoubtedly leave the Garden on Sunday a bit luckier than they were when they walked in.
The event also has dazzling performances by Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera and DVL Vietnamese Dance, and great hands-on workshops for all ages (qi gong, potting up a lucky narcissus, etc.), plus an all-new program of interactive storytelling of Korean and Vietnamese folk tales. . .so there’s plenty beyond the plant element, too.

For more information and directions, visit the Brooklyn Botanical Garden site.
—Vaduzuvunt

[Photo courtesy of Nifty Pete/GL Flickr Pool]

The Q outside in Sheepshead Bay in some gorgeous light.

Friday, Feb 6, bundle up and head on out to Wollman Rink in Prospect Park for a night of Skating Under the Stars. From 9:30pm-midnight is the perfect night to skate, nosh on rink snacks and drink hot cocoa (they’ll even spike it for ya!) and Brooklyn Beer. If you’re like us, and ain’t so good on the ice, there are all sorts of trivia games to take part in as well. Tickets start at $40, with group rates of $125 (for you double daters), and of course members of the Prospect Park Alliance get a nice discount, too. And there’s a free trolley service to get you from various spots around the park to the rink. For more information or to buy your tickets, go here.
—Vaduzuvunt

[Photo courtesy of the New York Pubic Library]

This is Rosie Bernier in her home on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush in a photo taken October 15, 1978.

[Photo courtesy of Miss Heather]

This is from George Street in Bushwick. Because of the way the sign is pointing and the Cathedral of Joy Church of God sort of juxtaposed like that Miss Heather has titled this baby “Highway to Hell.”

And, now, we present our weekly restaurant review from our friends at Eat It: The Brooklyn Food Blog. This week’s feature is Cafe Steinhof in Park Slope:

Searching for adventure, some friends and I picked Cafe Steinhof (422 Seventh Ave. at 14th Street, 718-369-7776) for dinner, not knowing what to expect. I don’t know anyone who’s eaten here, but I’ve been curious each time I’ve passed it on other Park Slope excursions. It bills itself as “Austrian Comfort Food” and there certainly is a large assortment of Schnitzel and Sausage on the menu to satisfy those cravings, but there were other, more surprising items like whole fish, vegetable ravioli and Mussels.

The interior was a bit confusing to me. On the window sills there were the obligatory beer steins and ‘old world’ knick knacks, but on the center divider between dining area and bar was a humongous potted palm, and on one wall about 10 photos were displayed and underneath it said, “These photographs were taken in various New York City neighborhoods during the period of 1981-1982.” Not sure how that relates to Austria, but I still liked them, with shots of Coney Island, Converse All Stars and short shorts & knee socks (on men). There were also lots of strings of lights that made the place feel festive, and everything was done in brown and red which made it feel cozy as well. Good for a cold January night. Some of the tables were too cozy though. We were initially seated at a round “table for four” that was too small for two people. We asked to move to the bench along one of the walls where we pushed two small rectangular tables together for more room.

All the main courses come with some kind of vegetable and some kind of starch (rice or potato). The sausages come with potatoes and either sauerkraut, lentils, red cabbage or salad. There are six soups and as many salads to start with, and the desserts were surprisingly good. All together we ordered Roesti (Potato Pancake entree), Roast Trout, Sauerbraten and Bratwurst. The trout was delicious – tender and flavorful; the sauerbraten was incredible and fell apart at the touch of the fork. To hear about the rest, plus dessert, click here!

Yeah, we did a “train week” thing last week, but when we saw this vid of the A train at 5 AM we felt a need to post it.

A kind GL reader sent us a link to an absolutely fascinating article taking a looking a the different kinds of lettering found on different kinds of buildings in various Brooklyn neighborhoods. It’s from AIGA Design Archives and was just published. An excerpt:

In Brooklyn, commercial and industrial neighborhoods are the best places to find lettering since the buildings there have names, mottoes and other inscribed lettering as well as more obvious signage. In residential areas, walk-ups and tenement buildings from the end of the 19th century and Art Deco era offer prime examples, while the abundant brownstones and row houses—not to mention housing projects of the 1950s and ’60s—are not as conducive.

Last spring, in preparation for a talk on lettering at the Coney Island Museum, I surveyed as many Brooklyn neighborhoods as I could. During the months of March and April I managed to record lettering in roughly half of the borough. I walked Greenpoint, Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and more. Walk with me through some of the highlights.

Take a few minutes and check out this piece and all the cool pics that go along with it. It’ll be well worth your while (we think). By the way, that’s some Brooklyn Heights above.

· Guess Which Brooklyn Nabe is Top Ten Dreamy [Curbed]
· Checking on 47 Dean [Brownstoner]
· Thngs to Call the Wilson L Stop [BushwickBK]
· It’s Bruce Ratner’s Birthday [No and Grab]
· Rec Center Murals [BVIB]
· Car Accident Aftermath [GerritsenBeach.Net]
· The Notorious Prospect Place [I Love Franklin Avenue]
· Galapagos Has Yes We Can Dancers [Never Leave Brooklyn]
· Greenpoint Tavern Bathrooms are Better [New York Shitty]

Brook-Vin, the much anticipated new Park Slope wine bar at 387 Seventh Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets) opened to a packed house last night and a crowd that got thicker as the night wore on. There was a lot of wine flowing and containers of liquids like bacon-infused bourbon and fruit-soaked vodkas sitting on the shelves. We spent some time with Brooklyn Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman, reporter Mike McLaughlin and the Daily News’ Jotham Sederstrom and even ran into Park Slope Parents founder Susan Fox on our way out. Looks to us a new Slope hang out has arrived. (Besides the wine, beer and various liquors, there’s also a selection of good-looking food on the menu.