January 13th, 2009 · Comments Off on Brooklyn Nibbles: New Eatery Coming to Seventh Ave. & Eighth St.
Something is up at 314 Seventh Avenue, which is the now vacant site of a former laundromat. Applications have been filed with the Department of Buildings to convert the space into an eating and drinking establishment. So far DOB has disapproved them, but early disapprovals are common and not meaningful. Also of interest is that CB6 will recommendation on an application submitted to the Board of Standards and appeals “to request a special permit to extend an as-of-right eating and drinking establishment into an existing accessory parking garage at 317 7th Avenue.” That “accessory parking garage” if they have typed the address correctly is currently the A&S Stationary store across the street. Interesting. There’s no indication in any of the documentation of what the eatery or eateries might be.
Comments Off on Brooklyn Nibbles: New Eatery Coming to Seventh Ave. & Eighth St.Tags:Brooklyn Nibbles · Park Slope
The Municipal Art Society, which has injected itself into the Coney Island debate, and has been trying to focus on coming up with some short-term strategies to keep Coney viable (which we feel should be the city’s #1 priority right now, even more important than completing the rezoning) as well as alternative visions, is holding a big public meeting tomorrow to show some of the ideas that have been submitted and to talk through the issues. Per the MAS:
The hundreds of ideas for the future of Coney Island that have been submitted so far to ImagineConey are some of the most creative, thoughtful ideas ever submitted in a process of this kind — from a proposal to build a Sushi Skate Park to rebuilding the Elephant Hotel. You can view them by clicking on the Gallery button on the ImagineConey website. If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to submit an idea, the deadline for submissions is now January 15, and an exhibit featuring all the ideas and the charrette results will open at the MAS on January 27 2009. Now, it is critical that we demonstrate to the decision-makers that New Yorkers passionately believe that Coney Island should become a great amusement and entertainment destination once again. So please join us on January 14 at 6.30PM, where the MAS will be participating in a public meeting in Coney Island at Our Lady of Solace Church. MAS will present a selection of the ideas contributed as well the economic and design work conducted by the charrette team.
The meeting will take place on January 14 from 6:30PM-8:30PM at Our Lady of Solace Church, 1717 Mermaid Ave. There is limited seating and one can RSVP online. (There is no obvious place to RSVP online, perhaps one should email imaginconey@mas.org).
GL ANALYSIS
We’re not sure if the ideas that have been submitted, some of which are even more bizarre than those floated by Thor Equities help or just muddy the waters, but the process is democratic. We simply hope the focus remains on the practrical issue of keeping Coney Island viable in 2009,2010 and beyond while the recesession and credit market make large scale redevelopment impossible.
Meg, who just returned from Hawaii, says that Brooklyn sunrises are prettier than Hawaiian ones. We need a tad of convincing on that front having seen some pretty damned nice ones on Maui especially in the special paradise called Hana, but regardless, this is a very nice Brooklyn sunrise.
This is yesterday’s news, because we ran the story on Curbed early yesterday morning, and we’re sure some of the papers are going to be “discovering” the story and having some fun with it today, but The Future of Coney Island website URL was acquired by a Belgian porn entrepreneur. (The Post’s Rich Calder predictably reports the story as though he discovered it without crediting Curbed for breaking the news.) You can’t make up stuff like this. The URL wasn’t owned by Thor. It was held by Thor’s old PR firm, the Marino Organization, but Thor continued to use the site through the summer to promote its so-called Summer of Hope. The porn site allegedly can install malware on your computer that will cause an insanity of popups of breasts and derrieres and exchanges of bodily fluids popping up on your computer at random, so we’re not suggesting anyone go there. Just, please take our word for it: it’s not a Coney Island website anymore. The Future of Coney Island now says: “Voici un des meilleurs site porno du Net!! Rien que du sexe à télécharger à volonté!! Vous trouverez des milliers de vidéos sexe, video porno, videos x, vidéos pornos, vidéos xxx, enfin bref le rêve pour vous qui cherchez un bon site porno!!” One doesn’t need to understand a single word of French to get the gist of this. The site is registered to Davina Cukier in Brussels, who is in the porno website business. Who ever would have thunk the Future of Coney Island would turn out to be Biker Chicks in Heat and Lust on the Beach? Our suggestion: Somebody reopen the Shore Hotel right away with free 24/7 Belgian porn.
GL ANALYSIS
Evictions on Christmas Eve that result in Joe Sitt pictured as the Grinch in the New York Post and The Future of Coney Island website become a porno site? If those aren’t metaphors for the tragic comedy that Coney Island is becoming, we don’t know what it. Please, God, if you exist, help get this settled before we die of a combination of rage and laughing our asses off.
This is pretty new we think and we’re trying to figure out the location. It almost looks like Shoot the Freak because of the background, but it couldn’t be.
Patois, the trailblazing Smith Street restaurant, served its last meal yesterday. This is the note that was taped to the front window. It says they’re looking for space elsewhere in the neighborhood. We can think of several spots that are empty or being renovated right off hand.
Why the hell are we still running Christmas pictures? Because as of this weekend, Brooklyn Borough Hall was still lit up like Christmas is tomorrow. Time to turn out those light, Mr. Borough President. It’s practically Memorial Day already.
It seems like only yesterday this was an empty lot with a pretty tree that blossomed every spring. No longer. This is 311 Warren Street, which is a five-story endeavor. DOB records show it as having only one dwelling unit, which has to be a typo. Either that, or someone’s building themselves a big place at Smith and Warren.
Lets face it, our lives in New York revolve around transportation. However it’s rare that we take a moment and really see the landscapes and scenery that are the foundation of our travels. Be it a ride to work or a trip to Brighton Beach, sometimes we forget that it’s all about the journey getting there. So, this week, we’re highlighting interesting Brooklyn subway videos from different viewpoints. Enjoy the rides. —E.C. Stephens
Here’s a Coney Island-Bound F Train from the front window from Bay Parkway to Kings Highway.
We were hesitant to run this because it’s a little off topic for us (No Pants 2009 being a citywide event), but Jim Kiernan, the photographer, assured us that Brooklyn is very well represented among the asses, crotches and legs you will see if you watch this big slideshow. We might suggest that if you are at the office you check to see who might be looking over your shoulder before watching this. Once you get into it, you’ll understand why. You can also catch the photoset here on flickr. We have to say that given how cold it was we have ultimate respect for anyone walking around and waiting in subway stations in their underwear.
Looks like Smith Street is in for more subway-related asbestos abatement. We got this photo from Carroll Gardens correspondent F. Jasmin Adams with the subject line “Get out your magnifying glass & face mask.” She found signs up around the Carroll Street Station. During a walkabout through Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus yesterday we also found them all over the place near the Bergen Street Station. Ms. Adams writes, “I saw these signs…way up high all around Smith & Union Streets. Seems like the Carroll Street subway riders are being eased into another asbestos abatement. Look at the dates! No notices IN the station, just around it.” We’re certain the removal will be done with the utmost care and caution, just like in the past.
Correspondent E.C. Stephens hightailed it over to Babouche the Moroccan restaurant on Fifth Avenue at Lincoln Place in the Slope upon getting word that the gate had been slammed shut. Indeed it had. As can be seen in the picture below, the reason for the closure is quite ironic in the depths of winter: a sidewalk cafe violation. Uh, okay. We’re assuming the violation stems from a different time of year. We hadn’t previously noticed people sitting out there in parkas having Crevettes Au Pistou.
As you can see from the photos above another Seventh Avenue institution in Park Slope, Super Saver on Seventh, which is near Union Street is closing. The sign says that Berman Realty is handling the leasing of the space, but it’s not listed on its website yet. What we found, however, was another interesting little surprise. It’s a space that for rent that looks like La Taqueria. If news of its pending closure has been reported, we’ve missed it, but check out the listing below.
There is almost no need to introduce this by saying that the question comes from Park Slope and that it reaches us via our beloved friends at Park Slope Parents. The question is: Is it okay to take the little one to a museum, say MOMA, even if said child acts like one and disturbs the sanctity of the temple of art? Here is the original question, via our favorite technique, copy & paste:
A childless friend with a museum membership has invited me and my 22-month-old son to go to MoMA with her this weekend. I’m tempted, but not sure it’s a good idea to take my wild-n-crazy toddler. Can anyone advise me one way or another about this? If I take him, will I (and all other museum attendees) come to regret it? I think he might enjoy the art, but I have trouble imagining how I will keep him from running amok and shouting. If not now, what is an appropriate age for a child to take a child to an art museum? (I did take him to the Met once or twice when he was a babe in arms, but that’s different).
We can understand the dilemma. Most people said sure, knock yourself out, MoMA is a madhouse full of tourists gawking at the Greatest Hits of Modern Art, anyway, as long as the little one isn’t going too berserk and running around out-of-control, shrieking wildly like he might at home causing the downstairs neighbor to have evil thoughts. Yet there’s always a stick in the mud of rationality:
My mom recently complained to me that while she was at the MoMA for a members-only opening one morning, some parents brought their child and apparently had very loud conversations with him about the art, what he saw, etc. My mom found it very disruptive and thought that it ruined the ability of anyone else to concentrate. Keep in mind before you flame her (me) that I completely disagreed with her and told her so. But I thought it would at least be fair to present the point of view of an older, now childless museum-goer to this discussion. At the same time, I went to a recent Alvin Ailey performance and was horrified to hear a baby crying at various times in the audience. I found it incredibly inconsiderate to the other members of the audience (not to mention the performers). My feeling is that a $75 ticket is very different than bringing a baby to a museum (or even a day-time movie).
Aw, come on, we love crying babies during dance performances. It makes them so much less highbrow. Likewise, the movies. Who needs to hear all that useless diaglogue, anyway? Perhaps one way to solve the MoMa dilemma is to charge anyone under ten full admission price. That’ll mom and/or dad think twice.
Yes, we know the snow ultimately didn’t amount to much, but Steven Skollar who is an old friend of GL sent us some gorgeous shots he took on Saturday. We are especially taken with the one of Gowanus above.
Okay. Fine. I thought you were kind of cute and possibly shy. I’m seeking the olive packaging boy that was laughing at my jokes and wearing plaid pants. You were doing a make up shift on Monday, January 5 from 6-8:30pm. It’s my usual A week Monday night shift and I felt too awkward to ask your name. I was wearing the leopard print glasses and my responsibilities included: Mozzarella whole milk, part skim and plain goat cheese. After our shift, I bought 3 scan-able food items, so I could quickly exit. You don’t seem like the type to read missed connections, but hopefully you see this posting.
We are enamored of the listing of all the cheeses. She wants you Olive Boy.
Our wonderful contributor Meg Groome just got back to Brooklyn a few days ago from…Hawaii. Talk about climate change. In any case, she captured some nice images of the early snow yesterday. The one above proves that Traffic Enforcement is always on the case.
Ok, get this… Thursday (1/8), was the special screening of Notorious, the new biopic based on the life and death of Christopher Wallace, aka “Biggie Smalls” and “Notorious B.I.G.” over at the Brooklyn Academy of Museum aka BAM. Now, for such a special event from a Bed-Stuy native, you’d think the borough would say “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if some respected rappers were to appear and present proclamations to Biggie’s family!” Well, instead Marty Markowitz wanted to do it. And did. What would Biggie do confronted with the Borough Prez? In any case, the film was well received and Mr. Wallace’s family was there. Mr. Markowitz presented proclamations to Biggie’s family. Wallace, a native of Bedford-Stuyvesant who was fatally shot in 1997 at the age of 24, is regarded as one of music’s most influential rappers. It kind of proves that it’s hard to control what happens to you after you’re dead. —Vaduzuvunt
