Brooklyn Heights / South Brooklyn Neighborhoods Items that we find of interest in South Brooklyn that we want to share with the world.
Brooklyn Heights boasts the greatest views of lower Manhattan and brownstone mansions that rival anything on Fifth Avenue. Considered to be the first suburb in America, the Brooklyn Heights of today
is much more than a suburb. It has become one of the most desirable neighborhoods for Manhattanites ready to raise a family. It is a Manhattan neighborhood, located on the better side of the river.
With a five minute commute to the Stock Exchange via subway, many of today's residents are Wall Street workers looking for more space and neighborhoods with old New York character, something in abundance in the Heights.
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade will take your breath away. The unique park built atop the double decker Brooklyn-Queens Expressway draws tourist worldwide for its spectacular views of the East River bridges and the skyscrapers of
Manhattan. As you walk the length, small memorials for the World Trade Center still adorn its space. Many residents watched the tragedy unfold less than two miles away.
As usual, Brooklyn rebounded. The tragedy at the World Trade Center brought many new residents. The housing boom brought new life to many brownstones as renovations skyrocketed. New construction has appeared
on nearly every empty lot. And now, with movement increasing in the plans for the massive Brooklyn Bridge Park, the waterfront is set to become a new playground within Brooklyn Heights.
Remsen Street Architecture
1800's Ship Bell on Willow Street
College Place off Love Lane - "A Jewel!"
The 85-acre park gained unanimous approval from the Empire State Development Corporation in January, 2006, with new park construction to begin in 2007. Stretching over a mile on the shore of the East River, the new
park will include today's existing parkland under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges (click here for QTVR of the park and its view) and
replace Piers 1 to 6 with floating pathways, fishing piers, beaches, playgrounds and restored habitats.
Today's Brooklyn Heights is also a monument to the history of New York and the United States. Europeans first appeared in 1645, forming the settlement of "Breuckelen" near the site of today's Borough Hall.
Breuckelen, meaning marsh land, is thought to come from the areas resemblance to Breuckelen, Holland, where the settlers originated. The bluffs of Brooklyn Heights gained fame as many of Manhattan's early
merchants built mansions to gain the first views of "the city."
It was from one of these mansions in 1776, that George Washington made his fateful decision to retreat from Brooklyn. Using the Cornell Mansion as his headquarters, Washington watched the Battle of Brooklyn unfold into a
horrific defeat for his army. As his men battled the British in Battle Pass (now located within Prospect Park in Park Slope), he is quoted as saying: "Good God, what brave men must I lose this day!"
Under the cover of darkness on August 29th, Washington's army crossed the East River from Fulton Ferry to Manhattan, leaving Brooklyn to the British. The British Empire ended its occupation of New York on November 25, 1783.
November 25 was celebrated as a holiday in New York for more than a century as Evacuation Day.
The 1800's saw unparralled growth in Brooklyn. As New York and Brooklyn blossomed into the heart of the new United States, Brooklyn Heights became the playground for many of New York's wealthiest investors.
In 1807, Robert Fulton captained his steamboat, The Clermont, from the Brooklyn Ferry on its maiden voyage up the Hudson River. In 1814, Fulton gained a franchise to operate ferry service via steamboat from Brooklyn
to Manhattan. As the population boomed, Brooklyn became a city in 1833.
Early on, Brooklyn Heights became an enclave to literary aspirations. In 1855, Walt Whitman printed the first ten pages of his well-known book of poetry,
Leaves of Grass, on a press borrowed from some friends. Following in his footprints, Truman Capote wrote his masterpieces, "In Cold Blood" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," in a basement apartment on Willow
Street. And today, Norman Mailer still lives and writes at his home along the Promenade.
Montague Street, the heart of Brooklyn Heights, is four blocks long, ending at The Promenade. Named in honor of Lady Mary Wortley Montague, born in 1689 to Evelyn and Mary Pierrepont, she gained notoriety for
bringing the practice of inoculations to prevent smallpox to England after witnessing its use in Turkey while her husband served as ambassador for King George I.
For the tourist or history buff, Brooklyn Heights has an abundance of "not to be missed" landmarks:
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church on Montague and Clinton Streets, was designed by Minard Lafever and constructed between 1844 and 1847. Containing
7,000 square feet of stained glass windows designed in the 1840s by William and John Bolton, they are renowned as the FIRST American made stained glass.
Our Lady of Lebanon Church on Henry and Remsen Streets, features placques on its massive Bronze doors from the Normandie, and inside the church, a bronze railing, a cloisonne enamel bas-relief of a Norman knight,
and a bronze statue entitled "La Paix" (Peace).
The Brooklyn Historical Society on Pierrepont and Clinton Streets, is a four-story Queen Anne style building that was completed in 1881 and designed by architect George B. Post. BHS provides a
look into Brooklyn's past with changing exhibits and walking tours of the neighborhood.
Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims on Orange and Hicks Streets, first gathered in 1847, led by Henry Ward Beecher, the famed clergyman and antislavery advocate. From its beginnings,
the Church served as a vital philosophical and geographical link in the Underground Railroad.
Mark D Phillips of SouthBrooklyn.com spent twenty years as a working photojournalist. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he captured an image during the attack that came to be known as "Satan in the Smoke." This is the story of the profound effect this image had on him and the thousands of viewers who emailed him in the days and years to follow.
The Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is in dire disrepair and there is no money available in the near future to help the situation. In a letter just received from BPL's Linda E. Johnson, President & CEO, the organization is taking steps to alleviate the problems and develop a plan to bring a new library building to the same location:
"BPL is not closing the Brooklyn Heights Library. In fact, we are developing a plan to build a new, better, more modern library of comparable size to the public portion of the current branch, so that we can serve the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood for generations to come."
According to the same letter, the BPL "faces a staggering $230 million in deferred maintenance across the 60 neighborhood libraries (including $9 million in capital repairs needed at Brooklyn Heights Library), but has received $15 million per year on average from the City to address these needs."
COMMUNITY GROUP HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR COBBLE HILL’S HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
SBN wrote a feature, Christ Church damaged horribly by lightning strike, on the event last summer when Christ Church was devastated by a lightning strike, which also caused the death of local resident, Richard Schwartz.
A month ago, SBN was contacted and asked to provide the image at left to a new group that has come together to help raise money to bring the church back to its former glory.
The Friends of Christ Church Cobble Hill (FCCCH), a recently formed group whose purpose is to support and participate in the future uses of the historic church closed after a lightning strike July 2012 is holding a Cabaret fundraiser, “Spring Up: Bizet to Broadway”, on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 7:00 pm at 75 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights. The cost is $75 per person and includes a cocktail hour with dessert following the performances.
An exciting cast of singers who have performed nationally and internationally including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the Vertical Player Repertory, Broadway musicals, the Brooklyn Heights Players and the Canoni Chorale has volunteered their talent to support Christ Church. Don Barnum, the Cabaret’s Music Director, organized the event.
"After lightning struck Christ Church last summer, the community was faced with its potential loss. Neighbors have come together to support and restore the church through the formation of Friends of Christ Church Cobble Hill (FCCCH)," explained Gary Ravert, a founding board member of FCCCH. "We hope this event will serve to inform and involve the many people in brownstone Brooklyn who have expressed concern for this vital historical institution and want it to remain an integral part of the community for another 175 years."
The building is undergoing repairs in compliance with the NYC Department of Buildings statutes and code. It has been stabilized in a safe manner and interior and exterior scaffolding has been erected. Its iconic bell tower has been dismantled.
"Christ Church is one of the handsomest pieces of architecture I know, much admired by many of us," said Ben Baxt, an architect and board member of FCCCH. "But the displacement of the more than 40 community groups who use the church is the true indication of how important Christ Church is to the community as a cultural and social resource, as well as a place for inspiration."
Father Ron T. Lau, Rector of Christ Church, said he has been heartened by the outpouring of support from the community including the FCCCH and the clergy and congregants of the Kane Street Synagogue and Sacred Hearts, St. Stephens Church.
“We look forward to the day when our beautiful church can be reopened to our parishioners and for cultural and community events; when the sounds of our tolling church bell can be heard throughout the neighborhood, when our majestic church spires can serve as a guide to Cobble Hill and our garden can provide beauty and peace, said Father Lau.
For information about FCCCH, to purchase tickets or make a donation, go to FCCCH.org.
Fairway reopens in an emotional moment for Red Hook
Four months after Hurricane Sandy, Fairway Market made its grand debut in a celebration featuring large crowds and luminaries from the city, state and federal government.
"Fairway ushered in the rebirth of Red Hook, and its reopening is a milestone in the neighborhood's physical, emotional and economic recovery from Hurricane Sandy," said Senator Chuck Schumer. His presence at the event gave weight to the importance of the business' return to the ravaged area.
Even Mayor Bloomberg made his way across the river to keynote the event.
"Red Hook has always been defined by its place on our waterfront - during good times and bad - but it's also been defined by incredible toughness and resiliency," said Mayor Bloomberg.
The event drew hundreds to the newly cleared parking lot in front of the store, which even yesterday, was full of machinery completing the rebuilding of nearly every piece of infrastructure to run the business.
Vendors handed out free samples to the crowd, giving a feeling of a street fair.. The throngs gave it the feeling of a "Black Friday" shopping event, lining up at 7am to be the first to enter the new store.
Borough President Marty Markowitz put it best. "Since Hurricane Sandy, Fairway's absence in Red Hook left Brooklynites with an emptiness in their daily routines - and their refrigerators."
Since the store opened in 2006 in the sprawling brick Civil War-era building, it became the lifeblood of the neighborhood. Its loss devastated many of the small businesses along Van Brunt Street, losing a steady stream of visitors to the area.
Fairway's loyalty to its employees and the area was cemented during the last four months. Hundreds of Red Hook Fairway employees, the majority of whom live in the neighborhood, were kept on staff, with some working on the store's cleanup while others were placed temporarily in other Fairway Market locations, according to Charles Santoro, Fairway Market Chairman. The company even provided free shuttle service to and from the transportation-challenged neighborhood.
As part of a continuing effort to help the community, Fairway Market is teaming with ReStore Red Hook, a non-profit which is providing funds directly to small businesses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Fairway will donate matching funds up to $20,000.
In an exclusive interview in today's New York Daily News, SUNY Chairman Carl McCall paints a doomsday picture for the Long Island College Hospital (LICH).
The Cobble Hill hospital celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2008, and now just five-years later, faces the prospect of closing its doors forever.
Hopes were high when LICH became a part of SUNY Downstate Medical Center. According to McCall's statements in the Daily News, the struggling hospital "was not a sound acquisition." With consistent monetary losses, the SUNY trustees will vote within a month on whether to close LICH.
The Hospital has struggled in the gentrified area as new residents of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill consistently stayed with their Manhattan doctors and hospitals. The addition of a pediatric Emergency Room was well perceived within the neighborhoods, and the SUNY trustees may keep those services available.
Founded in 1858 as a medical school and hospital, LICH was the first U.S. medical school to incorporate bedside teaching to its students in 1860. Its early achievements included the introduction of anesthetia and stethoscopes.
The EPA's plan for the cleanup of the Gowanus Canal is another session of dredging to remove contaminated sediment and preventing raw sewage overflows.
What will this cost? The estimate is somewhere between $467 and $504 million, which we have learned that in real non-government money, means $1 billion after cost overruns and underestimates.
Who pays for this cost at the Superfund site? The two main responsible parties according to the EPA are National Grid and the City of New York. So our electric bills and city taxes are going to be used for cleanup.
The proposed plan breaks the cleanup and the canal into three sections with distinct actions in each area.
The first segment, which runs from the top of the canal to 3rd Street, and the 2nd segment, which runs from 3rd Street to just south of the Hamilton Avenue Bridge, contain the worst of the contaminants. As this is the main body of the canal, it is kind of a ridiculous statement, but hey, it is a government report.
The third segment, which runs from the Hamilton Avenue Bridge to the mouth of the canal and into Gowanus Bay, will receive an "armored layer" of concrete or similar material to stabilize the sediment and a layer of sand to rebuild the habitat for marine life.
Between the three segments, the EPA estimates the removal of 588,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments. That is a pile 3 feet wide by 3 feet high stretching 334 miles, the distance from New York to just outside Richmond, Virginia.
What is in this sediment? Here is the official line from the EPA:
"More than a dozen contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals, including mercury, lead and copper, were found at high levels in the sediment in the Gowanus Canal. PAHs and heavy metals were also found in the canal water. PAHs are a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage or other organic substances. PCBs were used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment and their manufacture was banned in 1979. PCBs and PAHs are suspected to be cancer-causing and PCBs can have neurological effects as well."
The problems also are not just in the water. Completed in the mid-1800s, the Gowanus Canal was once a major industrial transportation route. Manufactured gas plants, paper mills, tanneries and chemical plants are among the many facilities that operated along the canal. Contaminated land sites along the canal, including three former manufactured gas plants, are being addressed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Third Avenue and Third Street is to become the location of the newest Whole Foods superstore. The EPA ruled that the company had cleaned the site enough to begin construction, but then Hurricane Sandy struck and flooded the property. No one has stated that it was water from the canal, but are we ready to buy food from a store at this location?
We have a chance to discuss this publicly and listen to the parties involved. The EPA will hold public meetings on January 23, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Public School 58 (the Carroll School), 330 Smith Street, Brooklyn and on January 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Joseph Miccio Community Center, 110 West 9th Street, Brooklyn to discuss the proposed plan and answer questions.
Once you listen, The EPA will accept public comments on its proposed plan until March 28, 2013.
Watch the ceremony for the start of B2 at Atlantic Yards.........
WORLD'S TALLEST AND CITY'S FIRST MODULAR HIGH RISE: B2 GROUNDBREAKING AT ATLANTIC YARDS
When we first saw this story, the immediate question was "Why B2?"
It sounds so weird. "Where do you live?" -- "Oh I live in B2"
So when it was compared to a Lego set, the name sort of fits. Is B2 that piece that you can never find that keeps you from finishing the entire project?
A modular building. It does sound so futuristic and sort of cheap. All the politicians were there for the groundbreaking, with Mayor Bloomberg leading the charge calling the new building "innovative" and "changing the way cities are built in the future."
The pieces will be first constructed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and trucked to the Atlantic Yards site where the piece will be added to the overall B2 development. Fores City Ratner, the developer of Atlantic Yards, has created a new company called FC +Skanska Modular, LLC (FCS Modular) that will build the modular components ina 100,000 square-foot space located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said, "This groundbreaking is the first down payment on the promise of affordable housing in the Atlantic Yards Project. It is only fitting that today’s ceremony comes during the holiday season, as the provision of affordable housing and the innovative modular construction process - which will assuredly be a major new job provider for Brooklynites who need work most - are both wonderful gifts for Brooklyn. The B2 development will help ensure that Brooklyn continues to be a perfect home for those of all economic backgrounds, and preserves our unique cultural identity. Bravo to Bruce Ratner and his team at Forest City Ratner for their unwavering commitment to affordable housing in Brooklyn."
This will be a project to watch. Will it look like a Lego set or will it look classy? We will wait and see.
New York City handed out $250,000 in grants to seven community-based Business Improvement Districts to spur change.
Launched in June, BID Challenge is a competitive grant initiative that provides more than $250,000 in seed funding for the most innovative neighborhood improvement proposals in Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) across New York City. The program awards up to $75,000 to BIDs with annual assessment budgets under $1 million.
So with our tax money at work, the Atlantic Avenue BID came up with "Funderpass." Atlantic Avenue BID
Brooklyn Heights/Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill
The Atlantic Avenue BID will partner with the Design Trust for Public Space to redesign and program the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway underpass to draw pedestrian traffic from the newly completed and popular Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 6. The project will include a bike service station, seating, lighting improvements, prominent wayfinding signage, and wall murals.
The BID has also secured a maintenance partnership with Long Island Hospital to keep the space clean and will create a website that describes the potential to replicate this transformation on similar underpasses citywide.
The New Brooklyn Bridge! Finally, A Waterfront Connection to the Heights
With two lanes and no cars, the Squibb Park Bridge will be one of the most used and important spans in Brooklyn history. For the first time in generations, a direct link will be available in the part of the Heights totally cut off from the waterfront by the BQE!
It will also create a direct method of travel to the new Brooklyn Bridge Park by Subway riders, putting the closest station less than 10 minutes away.
In today's NY Post, local officials praised the announcement:
"This bridge marks a milestone in the transformation of our waterfront," said Borough President Marty Markowitz. "It will make people watching on the other side of the river green with envy."
"This is going to be fabulous for our community," said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.
"Pedestrian connectivity is the challenge of the next generation," said Ted Zoli, technical director for bridges at HNTB. "In an urban environment it makes less and less sense for pedestrians to take back seat."
Initial plans called for a straight and steep shot descending between the property lines of two development parcels. But Zoli saw an opportunity in an abandoned little sliver of green between the BQE and Furman Street below. The designer proposed a meandering path that would take visitors out into the tree tops of the small sliver, then track back across Furman at an angle, before turning again to clear the property lines of the parcels. The bridge then takes a sharp turn north before merging into a landscaped slope and, eventually, the park itself. The extra turns make the 400-foot-long expanse particularly wheelchair-friendly, allowing for a 5 percent grade drop from a 32 foot height.
The bridge will be built off-site and installed for opening next summer. The bridge sounds like the perfect addition to the waterfront, adding a touch usually seen in walkways in nature preserves or above wetlands.
The waterfront will only get better.
TimeWarner ups your bill by $3.95 if you use their Internet Service in Brooklyn (and I'm sure other locales)
When the mysterious $3.95 raise in my TimeWarner bill occurred, I was aware and just hadn't done anything to stop it, and didn't realize it would happen so fast. I could kick myself.
Our wonderful cable company sent out postcards about a month ago saying "if you use TimeWarner for your Internet connection, you must now pay a monthly lease payment for our cable modem."
I don't know about the rest of you, but this really just seemed like a punch in the face from the company that I have no choice but to use. The only other option I have is dish network and Verizon DSL, which in the long run, I suppose is an option. But we will never get FIOS in this part of Brooklyn, that seems to be written in stone by the Verizon gods.
So the crappy little Westell modem that has been replaced 3 times in my house because of how cheap and unreliable it is, will now cost me $47 a year plus whatever extraordinary taxes they add on that amount on a TimeWarner bill.
I placed an order from Amazon this morning for one of the modems that they tell me I can use in it's place. I would rather pay Amazon than TimeWarner.
Here is a link to the TimeWarner page on this modem issue. The Amazon Link above is for the Motorola Modem we are purchasing. Make your own decision.
Sandy and Small Business - The Casualties Mount Ever Higher
Christine Quinn, NYC Council Speaker, ventured to Brooklyn this week to announce a new city program to urge residents to shop at businesses devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The ads are underway and the website is live now at supportnycsmallbusiness.com.
This week in Red Hook, lunch was brisk at Hope and Anchor, but around the devastated areas, restaurants and businesses are failing at a terrible rate. The businesses in these areas need our help during this holiday season. For some, the loss of revenue around the holidays is a death sentence.
We are much like a small town in Brooklyn. The community has rallied in a way that surprised some, but not all. The people we meet around Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Park Slope, DUMBO.....They all care intensely about their neighbors and how to keep this area as beautiful and viable as possible. Government will not bring us back, the community will.
From Brooklyn Independent Television's BIT Specials: Brooklyn Storms Back.
From the first-hand accounts of displaced homeowners and struggling artists, to the tireless work of local community organizations,Brooklyn Storms Back highlights the stories and heroic efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy.
This is amazing coverage of what is actually happening in the devastated areas around Brooklyn. The personal stories are moving and giving us all a true understanding of how bad the devastatiton really is. It also gives an understanding of how the community has come together to help in ways that the government cannot.
The personal stories of Red Hook residents are harrowing. David Sharps speaks on camera about riding out the storm aboard the Waterfront Museum & Barge at the foot of Conover Street. After his wife and daughters abandoned ship, he watched as "the monster storm" overwhelmed the area. Carolina Salguero, PortSide Founder and Director, helped bring back the Internet to the neighborhood so residents could file claims. RestoreRedHook.org was begun by Leisah Swinson and Monica Byrne of Home/Made Wine Bar and Roquette Catering & Special Events, Matt Lewis of Baked, St. John Frizzell of Fort Defiance, and others to help the small businesses in ways that are above gaining more debt.
It is a testament to the small business teamwork that takes place in a neighborhood like Red Hook.
Trolley in Red Hook in the 90's
Free Saturday Trolleys to connect Brooklyn Bridge Park and Barclays Center
Kudos to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership with their plan announced today for FREE Saturday trolley service connecting Brooklyn Bridge Park and Barclays Center.
The looping, mile-long route starts at Boerum Place and runs east along Livingston Street, then down Flatbush Avenue, passing the Barclays Center arena.
It then loops north, briefly weaving through Fort Greene and passing by the Brooklyn Academy of Music district.
The route then heads back downtown, west along Fulton Street to Joralemon Street and south on Court Street before ending back at Boerum Place, passing the Fulton Mall, Borough Hall, Junior’s Restaurant and other attractions.
Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, has long been a forward thinker for Brooklyn. What better way to think forward, than grab something from the past that never should have disappeared. Between 1888 and 1940, Brooklynites got around via first horse-drawn and then electric trolleys that ran on tracks in the street — so much so that the Dodgers' name was based on local residents skillfully "dodging" trolleys while crossing bustling streets.
Over the past 20 years, the possibility of bringing light rail or trolleys back to downtown Brooklyn has come up over and over again. With the resurgence of Red Hook and its lack of public transportation, the use of trolleys has been studied and at one point, seemed like a real possibility when Bob Diamond rebuilt part of the line running behind the current Fairway store to Conover Street. That expansion ended in the late 90's with the cars still sittlng behind the Fairway store, exposed to the elements and rotting away.
More than two weeks after Hurricane Sandy, the EPA released information that "there were high levels of bacteria in the flood waters of the Gowanus Canal."
In a newsletter from New York City Councilmember Brad Lander, he states:
As Hurricane Sandy approached our community, I reached out to US EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck and NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland. The two agencies commited to do testing in Gowanus following the storm and to work together to address the impacts. My office connected the EPA to some of the affected businesses and residents and, on October 31st, the EPA took water samples from the ground floor of two buildings that were flooded directly from the canal.
We now have the EPA test results. There were high levels of bacteria in the flood water, which means anyone doing cleanup should take precautions recommended by the EPA (if you have specific questions, please contact my office). Thankfully, the toxic chemicals in the Gowanus Canal were not found at dangerous levels in flooded businesses near the canal.
Is this a surprise? Not really. But it is troubling, as those of us around the flooded areas cleaned out our locations without bio-hazard gear because no one in government thought it might be a prudent precaution. The Gowanus Canal flows into Gowanus Bay which flows into New York Harbor at Red Hook. So whatever is in the canal more than likely is in Red Hook. No wonder the guys cleaning out Fairway were wearing bio hazard suits. Those of us across the street were not.
What were the EPA guidelines? Levels of bacteria were high. While this type of bacteria becomes inactive over time, these findings reinforce the need for people to protect themselves when cleaning up flood waters that contain sewage and therefore contain bacteria. When you click the link for the EPA guidelins, the resulting EPA.gov/Sandy website tells you nearly nothing about protecting yourself during cleanup. But it does tell us "the first and immediate priority is the protection of people's health and their safety."
When you click on "Fact sheets on flooded buildings, mold cleanup, household hazardous waste, lead paint, NJ & NY hotlines, and more," the resulting page (http://www.epa.gov/sandy/factsheets.html) lists nothing about what to do for coming into contact with bacteria.
SouthBrooklyn.net has long been involved with the Gowanus Canal and the area. Having a Superfund site in the neighborhood is not something we have been proud of. In the 20 years we have lived here, nearly nothing has been done about the toxicity of the canal. Yes it was dredged and the flushing tunnel was worked on. But now that we have had a major flood from the canal, what does that mean for the residents who have moved to its shores as the developers moved in?
Councilmember Lander ends his newsletter with:
That is why I called on the Lightstone Group, a developer who has proposed building a 700 unit residential building on the banks of the Gowanus Canal, to withdraw the proposal until a forward-looking planning process can take place. We must figure out what infrastructure improvements are needed all along the canal to contain flood waters. We need to think about how many new residents the neighborhood can handle and what additional services they will need. And we need to decide which areas make sense for private uses and which should be reserved for everyone. That can’t happen on a piecemeal, building-by-building basis.
We hope that this is the case and that we are not going to place more residents into harms way.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG LAUNCHES NYC RESTORE, A COMPREHENSIVE NEW INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE ONE-STOP LOCATIONS FOR CITY RECOVERY SERVICES AND FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF
Seven NYC Restoration Centers, Located in Far Rockaway, Breezy Point, Coney Island, Red Hook, Gravesend and Staten Island
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today launched NYC Restore, a comprehensive effort to connect residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy with financial, health, environmental, nutritional and residential services, as well as Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) reimbursement processing. The initiative consists of seven NYC Restoration Centers, accessible, neighborhood offices located in the communities that were hit the hardest to provide long-term assistance to New Yorkers. The centers located in Far Rockaway, Gravesend, Coney Island and Staten Island open today, while the Centers in Red Hook, Breezy Point and Throggs Neck-Pelham Bay will open later in the week.
The Restoration Centers bring together information and referral to all of the City government services available in the aftermath of the storm. FEMA staff is onsite to perform benefits intake, as well as provide ongoing management and updates of applicants’ FEMA cases. NYC Restore also partners with non-profit community-based organizations including SCO Family Services, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn & Queens, Jewish Board of Children & Family Services, Catholic Charities Community Services – Staten Island, FEGS, Good Shepherd Services, Red Hook Initiative, Shorefront Y and Bronxworks to provide support services in the Restoration Centers.
The moon and Jupiter are putting on a wonderful show here at the end of November 2012. They are near each other for some nights, with a penumbral eclipse of the moon on the morning of November 28 for North American observers (evening of November 28 in Asia), and with the moon and Jupiter closest on the night of November 28. You won’t want to miss seeing the moon and Jupiter – the brightest and second-brightest orbs of evening – lighting up the nighttime from dusk until dawn.
Why is Jupiter so bright and so near the November full moon?
Next week, on December 2-3, 2012, Earth will pass between the sun and Jupiter. Our own movement in orbit is what’s placing Jupiter opposite the sun in our sky – or, as astronomers say, at opposition. A full moon is opposite the sun, too. It must be, in order to have its fully lighted face – or day side – turned in our direction. Moon opposite the sun. Jupiter opposite the sun. So Jupiter has to be near this November full moon. Read more about Jupiter’s 2012 opposition here.
By the way, the upcoming opposition of Jupiter on December 2-3 will be the closest opposition of Jupiter until the year 2021. Read more about Jupiter’s closeness at the 2012 opposition here.
The moon and Jupiter soar upward during the evening hours, climb highest in the sky around midnight, and sink low in the west by morning dawn. So if you wish to see Jupiter, the giant planet of our solar system, simply look for the full or nearly full moon and note the very bright starlike object nearby. You can’t miss it.
Brooklyn Nets take on the Knicks in start of a new cross-town rivalry
For the first time in many years, I sat and watched an NBA game on television and found myself wishing that I was at Barclays Center for the first meeting of the Knicks and the BROOKLYN Nets.
How anyone could have been against the building of the arena is beyond me. It has placed Brooklyn into the pantheon of world class venues with the chance for a world championship to take place at any given moment.
As a sports photographer through the 90's, I photographed the Knicks and the New Jersey Nets. Going to the Meadowlands never felt like a cross-town rivalry. The Nets were always from another state and were never given the credibility of a big city team. They played in a swamp. The Brooklyn Nets are in the center of the universe.
As the game goes on, it's not Manhattan that gets showcased, it's the Brooklyn Bridge. Brooklyn feels like its own city.
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to reopen for New Year; Portside New York needs your help!
According to today's New York Post, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is on track to reopen for debarkations by late December.
The terminal, lacated just below the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, was completely inundated by Hurricane Sandy. The Queen Mary 2 was at the terminal the day before the storm struck New York City.
Since the storm, all scheduled dockings in Brooklyn have been moved to Manhattan's west side cruise terminals.
The Red Hook waterfront took a beating during the storm. The damage at the cruise ship terminal is another example of the devastation that took place.
Red Hook's Portside New York reported minor damage to their flagship, the Mary Whalen, which rode out the storm at the inshore end of Pier 9B in the Red Hook Container Terminal. They are in need of a marine electrician and probably a new transformer. Their shorepower transformer was inundated and have a short in the ship's electrical system.
During this difficult time in Red Hook, the community has come together in a way we can all be proud of. The number of volunteers who have come to help clean up the debris and damage has been remarkable.
Help PortSide by volunteering this Sunday 11/18 1-6pm. They need to empty a flooded storage area and wash it out, and tidy up the tanker. People with TWIC cards are REALLY wanted as current port rules limit Portside to only 5 non-TWIC card holders. RSVP by calling Carolina Salguero at 917-414-0565.
Join the Red Hook community on Wednesday, November 21st at 7pm @ The Bell House for a benefiit night of music and square dancing. The evening starts out with a square dance with the NYC Barn Dance, followed by musical performances by John Pinamonti, Jesse Lenat, Alex Battles and the Brotherhood of the Whiskey Spitter Rebellion, and our headliner Rosanne Cash!
Also, there will be a screening of Michael Buscemi's film "B61."
The show will benefit Restore Red Hook (restoreredhook.org). Restore Red Hook aims to raise funds to help the small businesses of Red Hook, Brooklyn reopen their doors as soon as possible after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. From the restaurants, bars, and vintage shops to the corner bodegas, these businesses define and serve our community. Tickets are $30 and are available here.
This week's hour-long Brooklyn Storms Back special features stories about Brooklyn artists, businesses and volunteer relief efforts from Red Hook to Coney Island, as well as original video content contributed by the local community.
From Brooklyn Independent Television's BIT Special: Brooklyn Storms Back, episode 2. Original air date: 11/26/2012
From the first-hand accounts of displaced homeowners and struggling artists, to the tireless work of local community organizations, Brooklyn Storms Back highlights the stories and heroic efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy.
In case you missed it, we want to point you to last week's Brooklyn Storms Back special, which featured stories on Fairway in Red Hook, Occupy Sandy, the Coney Island recovery, the DUMBO business response, animal rescue efforts, and much more.
Launched by BRIC (Brooklyn Information & Culture) in 2006, Brooklyn Independent Television (BIT) is the only television programming devoted to the borough of Brooklyn. Composed of more than a dozen programs, BIT explore Brooklyn’s every corner; with coverage of issues including public affairs, arts and culture, health and sports, and business, and much more.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden report on Hurricane Sandy...
By BBG Staff
Four days after the worst of the storm hit Brooklyn, the newly reopened Garden was full of visitors and goodwill, suffused with the sort of community spirit that seems to catch New Yorkers by surprise after winter’s first snowfall. On Sunday, birdwatchers documented 26 visiting species, families enjoyed drop-in children’s activities, and a group of visitors practiced calming yoga and meditation in the Lillian and Amy Goldman Atrium. Immediately following the storm, the BBG horticulture team jumped into action to clear major areas and make the Garden safe for visitors, and we were happy to be able to offer a place of beauty and refuge.
The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy remains amply evident in the piles of brush and downed trees lining paths and areas of the Garden that remain cordoned off for visitor safety. Though the Garden was lucky to be spared more extensive damage, the storm’s impact was substantial. In the Osborne Garden, a line of 80-year-old little-leaf lindens (Tilia cordata) lie on their sides, roots exposed. In other parts of the Garden, several large pin oaks (Quercus palustris), fruit trees (Prunus species), and a historically significant Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex) were destroyed.
The past few years have been particularly tough for New York City’s green spaces. Droughty summers and early, wet snows have created challenges only compounded by a series of major storms that have struck the area—the worst snowstorm in 60 years, an unprecedented tornado, and two hurricanes, the last one of nearly unimaginable magnitude. In recent years, BBG has lost or sustained major damage to more than 100 mature trees and shrubs, all of which were historically and botanically significant. Replacing them will require care for generations to come. The good news is that, however distressing the losses, we can plan for the future and start again. Times like this remind us that plants, trees, and gardens are about renewal. Seeds and saplings will be nurtured and the collection will rebound.
Meanwhile, post-storm cleanup continues. On Monday, four arborists hoisted themselves into treetops (to heights that lifts can’t reach) to assess crown damage and remove hanging limbs so that teams can work safely below. Where trees have fallen, staff are sectioning and chipping them into a mountain of future mulch for BBG’s collections. Cleanup work will be ongoing through the next month, and restricted areas of the Garden will reopen as they are cleared. We plan to post additional blog items as the cleanup proceeds.
The Musical EXTRAVAGANZA to restore RED HOOK
Announcing a wonderful, exciting benefit show next week.
Join us on Wednesday, November 21st at 7pm @ The Bell House for a night of music and square dancing. The evening starts out with a square dance with the NYC Barn Dance, followed by musical performances by John Pinamonti, Jesse Lenat, Alex Battles and the Brotherhood of the Whiskey Spitter Rebellion, and our headliner Rosanne Cash!
Also, there will be a screening of Michael Buscemi's film "B61."
The show will benefit Restore Red Hook (restoreredhook.org). Restore Red Hook aims to raise funds to help the small businesses of Red Hook, Brooklyn reopen their doors as soon as possible after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. From the restaurants, bars, and vintage shops to the corner bodegas, these businesses define and serve our community.
We need help from inside and outside Red Hook to help rebuild our neighborhood for business owners, residents, and everyone else who loves our little seaside town.
Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012 7:00 PM EST (6:00 PM Doors)
The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY
21 years and over
MAYOR BLOOMBERG EXTENDS EMERGENCY ORDER FOR ODD-EVEN LICENSE PLATE SYSTEM FOR GASOLINE PURCHASES
Odd-Even System Helped Stabilize Fuel Purchasing; 30 Percent of Gas Stations Still Not Operating Going into Heavy Travel Week
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today extended the emergency order that established an odd-even license plate system for gasoline and diesel purchases to keep the system in place through this Friday. Hurricane Sandy caused significant flooding and damage to petroleum infrastructure throughout the tri-state area, forcing terminals and distribution networks in the region to close. The odd-even license plate system – which went into effect on Friday, November 9th – helped reduce wait times at gas stations and helped stabilize fuel purchases throughout the five boroughs. An estimated 30 percent of gas stations in the city still are not operating, and the coming week is historically one of the heaviest travel weeks of year.
Yesterday, I went to the BP station on 4th Avenue in Park Slope, pulled up to the pump, filled my car and was not asked by anyone what my license number was. The car behind me had an even number (it was an odd day) and no one said a word to him while he pumped his gas. There were no police, there was no one watching or overseeing the opearation.
Great story about Red Hook in the Gotham Gazette. Writer Sarah Crean puts forth great information:
"Red Hook provides a real world window into the vulnerability of coastal residents, and the urgency of planning for future storms. Residents and workers described five feet of water — above ground level — that poured into the neighborhood. The water, said New York Water Taxi employee and neighborhood resident James Caldwell “went to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel intakes and all the way to the Gowanus.”"
NY Aquarium at Coney Island and the Prospect Park Zoo: How the animals fared the storm
At the NY Aquarium in Coney Island, Hurricane Sandy caused devastating damage. Miraculously, nearly all the fish survived. Saltwater flooded everything, destroying much of the electrical equipment used to power life support systems.
But like everyone else, the Aquarium staff has done an amazing job in a harsh situation. We first read about the Aquarium immediately after the strom when Salon.com wrote about Mitik, the 234-pound Walrus calf, who staff stayed with during the storm. Mitik had been rescued off the Alaska coast and arrived at the aquarium with serious health problems. Prior to the storm, NY Aquarium was one of the few locations to house walruses across the country. Mitik weathered the storm and has become a rock star of the walrus world thanks to the NY Times and NBC news. (Watch the report from NBC News).
The NY Aquarium is closed indefinitely while repairs are underway. To learn more, visit their website: nyaquarium.com
The NY Aquarium is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society's four zoos in New York City. Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn has reopened to visitors, as have the Bronx Zoo and Queens Zoo. Prospect Park Zoo, located on the east side of the park, is back open. The Zoo itself suffered
little damage, but the park in general is another story. According to ProspectPark.org: "The damage to Prospect Park from Hurricane Sandy far exceeds what any storm has done to the Park in the 25 year history of the Prospect Park Alliance. Over 300 trees are down or so badly damaged that they will be taken down for safety. There were over 100 hanging limbs and almost 1,000 large branches and limbs are down or damaged."
As we all move forward post-Sandy, the damage will be with us for a long time. But at least we know that the animals will still be there to entertain and amaze another generation of New Yorkers. Thanks to all the staff of the zoos and aquariums. You amaze us!
No help from the MTA
Today's NY Post reports that the MTA will not give monthly metrocard users any extra days on their cards like they did for the commuter railroads. Just another slap in the face from an organization that acts more and more like it hates the people who most use their system.
This comes right after a hearing at the Brooklyn Marriott the day of the Nor'easter to address fare hikes. How inappropriate.
Beginning today, November 12, the Hugh L. Carey Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel will be opened to buses only, during specific time frames.
Manhattan bound bus travel will be permitted from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and Brooklyn bound bus travel will be permitted from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
The tunnel is not currently open to private vehicles.
With today's holiday, Post offices and other government buildings are closed. City offices are closed. New York City public schools are closed. Sanitation will collect recycling and garbage scheduled for Monday. At the same time, the Department will continue to clean up debris from Hurricane Sandy. Alternate Side Parking rules are suspended; all other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.
What to do with recycling when there are no pickups?
Recycling Pickups begin Sunday; New York City Rapid Repair announced; Alternate Side Parking suspended through Wednesday.
November 10, 2012:
What happens when you realize over 70% of your garbage is recycling and they stop pickups? Recycling took over my house. It was astonishing how skipping two pickups caused a pile to grow that I could not control. And it is bulky. Maybe the milk in a bag idea that I saw in Canada isn't such a bad idea.
Between all the drink bottles and plastic cleaning bottles, the sheer size is daunting. So we were all especially glad when the city announced that RECYCLYING PICKUPS RESUME SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11! Sunday will be pickup for anyone regularly scheduled for Saturday, and Sanitiation workers will pickup Monday instead of taking the Veteran's Day Holiday.
Spent yesterday in Red Hook once more. Saw volunteers, EPA people, but hardly anyone from New York City government. The deli at the corner of Wolcott and Van Brunt street is on Day 14 without power. But wonders! The Statue of Liberty was relit last night. They can see it from down the street.
I have not been to the Rockaways, I have not been to Staten Island. I do wonder how the mayor can be happy about his job performance when people less than 3 miles from his office still don't have power. How about a visit to Red Hook with a generator?
According to NBC.com, the mayor announced New York City Rapid Repair, which will deploy general contractors to oversee the work in the hard-hit areas. The contractors will manage electricians, plumbers, carpenters and others to complete the repairs, Bloomberg said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is supporting the project and will pay for most if not all of it, he added.
Beginning Tuesday, homeowners will be able sign up for NYC Rapid Repairs by going to NYC.gov or by calling 311. They will need a FEMA ID number, which they can get by registering at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. The first wave of applicants must have received a green card and be on a street where power has been restored. Residents affected by Hurricane Sandy, including homeowners, renters, and businesses should contact FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 or visit disasterassistance.gov to register for federal disaster assistance.
Alternate Side Parking regulations will be suspended citywide through Saturday, November 10 to facilitate storm recovery efforts. Alternate Side Parking regulations are not in effect on Sunday, November 11 and will also be suspended for Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, and Diwali, Tuesday, November 13, as previously scheduled. All other parking regulations remain in effect.
Officials impose gas rationing for New York City and Long Island
Why? Where is the gas? There was an abundant supply in Massachusetts. Why can't New York get its act together?
Andrea Peyser in the Post yesterday quoted Bloomberg as saying, "There’s always somebody who screams, ‘I didn’t have coffee for 24 hours. What an outrage!'" he actually said. "But for most people, they understand we’re in this together."
This comes from the man who gets driven around in a Chevy Suburban that our tax dollars both bought and fill with gasoline. I'm sure no one in his entourage spent 3 hours in a gas line.
So now we have odd-even restrictions on sales. For those of us alive in 1973, the memories are harsh of the long lines and short tempers.
To all of our friends outside of New York City, please understand that things are not back to normal. We haven't found the new normal yet for NYC.
Nor'Easter of November 7, 2012
Nor'Easter of November 7, 2012
Waking up to more damage......
Will update as day goes on.....
Nor'Easter of November 7, 2012
Another Hard Night in New York City: Snow
The wet snow hit again just like last year with leaves still on the trees. Trees began falling around our neighborhood, and we worry to see the results around the area once more.
The weight of the snow was amazing. Just scraping it from the windows of the car was frightening. Everywhere you looked, tree branches were sagging.
Accocrding to The New York Post, the Long Island Rail Road suspended service tonight due to a series of weather-related problems, including a signals meltdown.
A tree fell on the tracks on the Port Washington and a fire in the Rockaways also caused the service disruptions.
Officials do not know when service will resume.
In addition, Penn Station was shut down due to overcrowding.
Heavily-Impacted Neighborhoods Receive Collection and Debris Removal Around-the-Clock
Sanitation Collections may be Reduced from Three Days to Two or from Two Days to One in Areas not Heavily Impacted
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced changes to refuse collections to ensure Department of Sanitation crews continue to provide 24 hour a day cleanup services to Staten Island, south Queens and southern Brooklyn to clean up storm debris. The continued redeployment of personnel to meet storm cleanup needs will result in reduced refuse collection services in areas of the City that were not, or only slightly, impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Areas normally receiving three times a week collection may only receive two collections per week, while areas that receive two times per week collection may only receive one collection while the emergency debris removal work continues. The heavily-impacted areas will continue to receive collection and debris removal around the clock.
"I've been visiting the parts of our city hit hardest by the storm – here in the Rockaways, and in Coney Island, and the South Shore of Staten Island and one thing I hear in all those places is the need for debris removal and the incredible work the Department of Sanitation is doing," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Today we are announcing that we will reduce garbage collections going forward in areas not heavily impacted by the storm to allow us to keep our resources in the neighborhoods that need it most."
In addition, the Department will NOT be collecting curbside recycling, until further notice.
To help prevent future flooding issues, residents should also keep debris away from storm drains
Sanitation crews are currently working 12-hour shifts – 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM."
Holland Tunnel reopens, Brooklyn Battery Tunnel remains closed
The Holland Tunnel is reopening today for all commuter traffic.
The Queens Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels remain closed to cars. Buses are allowed in the Midtown Tunnel.
Meanwhile, the MTA announced it's restoring service to the eastern portion of the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk branch, which had been terminating at Speonk.
Subway service has been restored to most lines, with some service operating at close to normal levels. Work continues to restore full service to lines that are currently offering only partial service.
Repair work is ongoing to restore Canaries Line L Train between Brooklyn and Manhattan and Crosstown G Train between Brooklyn and Queens after serious water damage in the Canarsie and Greenpoint Tubes. Crews continue to pump out the Montague Tube, in hopes of restoring full R Train service. The South Ferry 1 Train station in Lower Manhattan is closed until further notice, after suffering serious waster damage. Sea Beach service on the N Train line in southern Brooklyn, A Train Far Rockaway and S Train Rockaway Park Shuttle service remain suspended. Access-a-Ride is providing regular service.
"Mother Nature is not cutting us a break along the East Coast," winter weather expert Tom Niziol told The Weather Channel on Wednesday. "We've got a lot of cold air in place down in the lower part of the atmosphere, and it is looking more like snowfall event for good portions of New Jersey, up through eastern Pennsylvania, right up through southeastern New York into New England.”
"This is a nor'easter. It's not a massive nor'easter by winter standards, but at this time of year immediately after Sandy's wrath and destruction, this isn't what we want," he added.
MTA rail and subway network coverage continues to improve, as additional service is restored while work to repair the damage caused last week by Hurricane Sandy continues.
Subway service in the Bronx and on Manhattan’s Upper West Side was restored for this morning’s rush hour with A train service extended to 207th Street and C train service extended to 168th St. In the Bronx B train service resumed between Bedford Park Blvd and Kings Highway. All service is operating with very limited capacity due to ongoing work to restore full service.
MTA Long Island Rail Road is restoring modified train service between Ronkonkoma and Riverhead with connecting bus service between Riverhead and Greenport. Other schedule improvements for this morning include restoration of some service to Hunters Point Avenue, as well as Freeport-Atlantic Terminal service.
Branch line service has resumed on MTA Metro-North. Harlem Line regularly scheduled service is in effect between Wassaic/Southeast and Grand Central Terminal. Train service is in effect on the Danbury and Waterbury Branches. The New Canaan Branch will have bus service in effect. Regularly scheduled service is in effect between New Haven/Stamford and Grand Central Terminal. On the Hudson Line, regularly scheduled service is in effect between Poughkeepsie and Croton-Harmon and Grand Central Terminal. On the Port Jervis Line, partial service is in effect, with NJT operating four AM local trains to and from Hoboken, skipping Secacus.
All MTA Bridges remain open. The Cross Bay and Gil Hodges-Memorial Bridges are operating toll-free. The Hugh L. Carey is closed due to ongoing waster remediation efforts. A bus only lane will be in operation at the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Major Subway Service Restorations
Additional subway service has been added this morning in Upper Manhattan and Southern Brooklyn, improving travel options for customers as repair work following Hurricane Sandy continues. The added service is as follows:
B train -- Bedford Park Blvd – Kings Highway
Q train -- Extended to Brighton Beach
The South Ferry 1 train station in Lower Manhattan is closed until further notice, after suffering serious waster damage. Work is ongoing to restore Canarsie Line L train between Brooklyn and Manhattan and Crosstown G train service between Brooklyn and Queens. Sea Beach service on the N train line in southern Brooklyn, A train Far Rockway service and Rockaway Park S train Shuttle service remain suspended.
If possible, customers are urged to stagger their commute by leaving earlier or later to avoid peak rush hour travel. Customers should check the Hurricane Recovery Map, the Service Advisory poster and monitor Service Status on this page for the latest service information.
More work needs to be done to restore normal subway service to all lines across the city. Heavy duty pump trains continue to rid several under river subway tunnels of water. Crews are checking track, signals and other components, and then testing them to make sure they will function properly when service is restored.
Bus service is operating normally, but some routes may be operating with minor detours due to street conditions, customers are advised to look for signage at bus stops.
F, M, D, Q, 2 and 3 trains now running into Manhattan; Schools reopen (maybe); Election links and watch out for the water. FAIRWAY in Red Hook destroyed??
Six more subway lines today crossed under the East River for the first time since Sandy struck.
"Subway service will not be normal," Governor Cuomo explained at a press conference. "Volume will be way up."
During rush hour, trains will run at 10-minute intervals. Expect crowded trains.
Alternate side parking is suspended today and tomorrow but meters are all in effect.
For Election Day,
some poll sites have been relocated and/or combined due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Find your poll site now. Poll sites are open from 6 am to 9 pm.
The Department of Sanitation is picking up garbage, BUT all recycling pick ups are suspended
indefinitely. We are all trying to figure out where to store bottles, cans and paper. Hopefully, this will come back soon.
The Dept. of Health advises that direct contact with the water at Hudson River, East River, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, and the Kill Van Kull for recreational activities should be avoided until further notice due to untreated wastewater being discharged into the NYC waterways.
According to today's New York Post, FAIRWAY in Red Hook faces a two-month rebuilding of the store. With more than four-feet of water on the first floor of the building, it will be a long process to prepare for reopening. 240 of the 300 employees are local Red Hook residents, putting many of them in very hard situations as we approach the Christmas season.
IKEA — the neighborhood’s other mega-retailer, which was largely unscathed by Sandy’s wrath — yesterday announced a hiring event for displaced Red Hook workers at its Beard Street store on Nov. 12 and 13.
They may not have had the glory of an opening night victory over the Knicks, but let's face it, after this week any victory is a good one.
The Nets played their home opener to officially bring professional sports to Barclays Arena last night and defeated the Toronto Raptors 107-100 before a sell-out crowd of 17,732.
As the city recovers and the Marathon was cancelled, should the Nets keep playing? It is a conundrum.
Many of the city's residents and politicians gave the Marathon such hell for taking away resources. It was a different animal than a basketball game in the arena. Everyone stressed that a mega event was not what we needed to focus on today.
The NYRR club should be ashamed that they blamed the media for the cancellation of the race.
Let's try to rebuild and refocus where the priorities belong.
"We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it," the Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this — to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."
This statement came after a day of defending the decision to keep the marathon on track for this Sunday. News reports throughout the day gave both sides of the debate as the mayor compared the decision to 9/11/2001 when Mayor Rudy Giulliani allowed the race to proceed after the terrorist attack on the city.
With the devastation that occurred throughout the five boroughs, Hurricane Sandy has left little resources available to proceed with the race that draws 40,000 runners from around the world. With hotel space at a premium just for displaced residents, it is a prudent decision on the city's behalf.
When my friends Jill and Joell told me they could not stay at the hotel they relocated to in Sunset Park from their lower Manhattan home because of the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON, they decided to drive to Boston to get away from this madness.
Normally, we love the marathon and watch it and cheer for the runners. But how can this go on? 26 miles of police barricades, police manpower, traffic tie ups, and resources that would be much better spent helping the people trapped in buildings with no power and no food.
They have used the ridiculous "Road to Recover" tag line. If that is the case, have the 40,000 runners volunteer for 8 hours to help all the people around the city that they are "inconveniencing."
The Subways start their way back from the devastating storm.....
The city is taking its first baby steps on the way back to semi normalcy as some of the key subway lines begin operating today. The graphic at left lists what is operational so far.
There is no subway service below 34th Street in Manhattan for any line, and no service under any of the rivers. Within Brooklyn, service is available on the F line from Jay Street to Avenue X. The second section is within Manhattan from 179th Street to 34th Street/Herald Square. A Train Service is in two sections as well within Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens. (View Graphic of all open lines)
Parts of South Brooklyn suffered incredible damage, but it is so hard to put our suffering in the same category as Breezy Point, or Long Beach, or the Rockaways, or the Jersey Shore. Our hearts go out to everyone.
Read today's NY Post article about our friends, Mark and Liz Ehrhardt, as they cope with the disaster and how friendship and family are the keys to all of us overcoming one of the worst disasters any of us have lived through.
We were able to celebrate Halloween in Cobble Hill last night. It was the first moments of normalcy for many of us. Now today, the reality returns. It is time to go to Red Hook and clean out the office and realize that everything there is a loss. It's time to move on.
New York will come back and so will Mark and Liz.
NY Islanders coming to Barclays Center in 2015!
Watch AP video on You Tube of Barbra Streisand Jay Z at Barclays Center
UPDATE: NETS/KNICKS Home Opener cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy......
The Brooklyn Nets open the sporting season with the first-ever pre-season matchup against the Washington Wizards on October 15, 2012. Cheap tickets are still available through StubHub.
The first regular season game on November 1, 2012, pits the Nets against the New York Knicks as a new cross town rivalry comes into being with a nationally televised matchup on TNT. Sure sounds better than a rivalry with New Jersey. And it should be, with tickets selling in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.
The NY ISLANDERS coming to Barclays Center in 2015!
In another big announcement for Brooklyn, the NY Islanders are making Barclays Center their home arena beginning with the 2015 season.
A 25-year agreement was announced yesterday, giving Brooklyn its second professional team in the new arena.
Though the stadium was not built to house professional hockey, the owner of the Islanders made the decision to leave the Nassau Colisseum and move into the heart of Brooklyn. Last year, Nassau voters overturned a referendum that would have provided funds to replace the aged arena.
The seating configuration for hockey will be unlike any other NHL franchise. In its current configuration, Barclays' will seat 14,500 for an Islanders game, making it one of the smallest arenas in the league.
Barbra Streisand made her homecoming with two sold-out shows at the Barclays Center following Jay Z's inauguration of Brooklyn's premier location for entertainment.
Arriving at the first Jay-Z show, the crowds were calm and beside the backup at the multitude of airport-style metal detectors, getting in and out of the arena was no problem. The crowd was electrified and Jay-Z was emotional. As a part owner, he could not believe that a kid who grew up in the projects a stones throw from the arena was now opening the venue. As he says, "You can make it anywhere." His message was heartfelt and moving.
The Brooklyn-born rapper debuted his new Life and Times channel on YouTube with Saturday, October 6, final show live streaming on the Internet. Watching the event from our home just over a mile from the arena made us realize just how spectacular this arena will become.
The list of events coming in the first few months include such acts as The King's Men, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rihanna, World Championship Boxing, Pat Benatar, Journey, Rush, and The New York Masters.
October's New York Masters, an Olympic-level equestrian event featuring the world's top 30 riders competing for $1 million in prize money. This global event will mark Brooklyn's debut (alongside Paris and Hong Kong) as home to one of the three most prestigious equestrian show-jumping competitions in the world.
A world-class entertainment venue now exists in Brooklyn. Watch out MSG, Brooklyn is becoming the center of the universe!
Will it be back and where?
Dekalb Market featured in The Atlantic... Where will it be next year?
I just walked by the Dekalb Market for the first time two weeks ago.
Then I was devastated to see a story about the location's closing party on September 30th (which we missed!) and how the lease was up and no one knows where it will be or if it will come back.
After reading this story in The Atlantic, SBN applaud's real estate development firm YOUNGWOO & ASSOCIATES (YWA) and their vision to create a location that small business can thrive.
As we listened to the presdiential candidates debate, small business bacame a talking point over and over. South Brooklyn was built on small business. It's nice to see new ways of keeping it alive.
Please find a new location and please let us know about it! Projects like this are what makes Brooklyn special. Kudos to all involved.
Walls appear on the Brooklyn Bridge as it is announced thet Brooklyn to Manhattan will be closed every night till 2014! Photo by Mark D Phillips
BROOKLYN BRIDGE CLOSURES CONTINUE AT NIGHT ONLY.....
The NYC Department of Transportation is performing rehabilitation work on the Brooklyn Bridge ramps and approaches, which are in urgent need of repair. As part of the project, the steel components of the entire span will also be repainted to prevent corrosion. This work started in the spring and will continue until 2014.
To facilitate this work, DOT announces that the Brooklyn Bridge will be closed to Manhattan-bound traffic overnight, beginning on Monday, August 23rd and will continue until this project is completed in 2014. All Brooklyn-bound traffic will be maintained, and there will be no closure of the pedestrian/cycling promenade. All work will occur during off-peak hours, and the bridge will be re-opened for traffic in both directions each morning.
Closure Times
On Weeknights: closures will begin at 11PM and the lanes will reopen at 6AM Saturdays: closures will begin at 12:01AM and the lanes will reopen at 7AM Sundays: closures will begin at 12:01AM and the lanes will reopen at 9AM
Christ Church damaged horribly by lightning strike
Christ Church, the stately and majestic cathedral located in the heart of Cobble Hill, suffered a devastating lightning strike during a violent thunderstorm on Thursday, July 26. (KANE STREET AND CLINTON STREET REOPEN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE ACCIDENT ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th.)
One whole spire of the bell tower came crashing down when the stones crushed scaffolding on the sidewalk. Local resident Richard Schwartz was killed as he passed beneath the scaffolding just blocks from his home.
Over the last 20 years, I have photographed the church dozens of times and felt its presence as one of the grand landmarks of the Cobble Hill Historic District.
Designed by Richard Upjohn, the brownstone building was completed in 1842. Upjohn also designed Trinity Church in lower Manhattan and the stately gates of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. In 1916, an interior renovation brought the church even more historical significance when Louis Comfort Tiffany completed his final personal commission, redesigning the nave and installing new windows.
South Brooklyn Internet and Jay Cochrane, A Brooklyn to Niagara Connection
Skywalk 2012 is complete with a world record submission of 11.81 miles (62,400 feet) / 19.01 Km (19,019.52 meters) in 48 skywalks over 80 performance dates.
It was a year of amazing accomplishments in the air over the Niagara region.
Nik Wallenda conquered Niagara Gorge, and Jay Cochrane kept the "Summer of Skywalks" alive.
Cochrane, who at 68-years-old is celebrating his 50th Anniversary on the highwire, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2014. Cochrane's "Great China Skywalk" in 1995 is considered the greatest highwire walk ever. The skywalk across Qutang Gorge over the Yangtze River was higher than the World Trade Center towers and nearly half-a-mile across.
Then with one long day, everything was different. We now know what war is like. Living in a country where everyone is scared. It is not a good feeling.
We still wait for the Freedom Tower to be completed. It slowly rises above the skyline, a testament to how slow we have healed. And have we healed? I don't think so.
The city still struggles. We feel vulnerable. People are not as happy as they once were. We have not had a VE or VJ day to close out this war. Let's hope that the long night is reaching its end.
A five-year-old boy in France learns a poem that captures his imagination….
An 18-meter long ant With a hat on its head That doesn’t exist, that doesn’t exist….
And for the next 30-years as the boy grows into a man, he asks himself “Why Not?”
On January 23rd, that little boy, Xavier Roux, will debut The Ant on Bergen Street for the grand opening of The Invisible Dog, a creative arts space in Cobble Hill. The sixty-foot-long sculpture made of structural steel and nylon balloons will fill the gallery space, and the imagination of all.
The poem’s author, Robert Desnos, wrote The Ant after his arrest by the Nazis and deportation to Auschwitz. The 18-meter length was the size of a cattle car used by the Gestapo to transport their prisoners to the concentration camps….
Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) and Rosalie Aprile (Sharon Angela) wait outside Christ Church in Cobble Hill, renamed Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church for the episode.
The Sopranos took over the landmark church to film a wedding for the sixth season of the HBO series featuring the marriage of Mob boss Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni's daughter.
Tim DeKay (center) and Sharif Atkins (right) play FBI agents in White Collar
Law and Order may be gone, but there are still plenty of other TV shows and movies using the neighborhoods of Brooklyn as their sound stage.
This past week, we got a taste on our block as USA network's "White Collar" came to film a scene.
It wasn't the fact that we couldn't park on our own block that made us despise them. It was the security guards at each end of the block with orders to not allow anyone to walk down the sidewalk that really perturbed us. We live here, you don't.
So now they create this unreal sound stage in New York. Two cars come screaming down our street, tires squealing as they skid to a stop. Like that would happen on our narrow street that usually has cars parked on both curbs. The "Municipal Utility" workmen with tools behind the parked panel truck (not even ConEd?) turn out to be FBI agents who charge down the street to the bad guys' cars with guns drawn.
I thought William Wegman was just about cutesy dogs.
Then I saw William Wegman:Funney/Strange at The
Brooklyn Museum running from March 10 through May 28, 2006.
Wegman is an experimenter who happens to use a funny looking dog as his main subject. His photographs are combinations of form and texture, shapes that capture the imagination. As Wegman says, "They are shadows and hues. They inspire me."
His work is as accomplished in all mediums. I went to the show expecting to only see dogs. Wegman's paintings and video work were every bit as captivating as his still images of dogs.
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky by Mark D Phillips
It's not very often that photographs of man's destruction of the environment can be called "beautiful." Or that one photographer will heap praise on the
works of another photographer. But, such is the case with the new exhibit, Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, at the Brooklyn Museum of art.
Travelling the world in search of devastation is usually done by the photojournalist in a quest to show news. Not so with the work of Edward Burtynsky.
His images are not a political statement nor are they meant to celebrate technology. According to Burtynsky, they are just great visuals that he wants to
share.
Several adventurous projects have taken Burtynsky on a worldwide quest to photograph extraordinary landscapes. Most recently, he traveled to the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam,
the world's largest hydroelectric engineering project, located on the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China. The dam is of unprecedented proportions, and it has required the
relocation of millions of people. In addition to the dam itself, Burtynsky also photographed upriver sites of mass displacement, where residents destroyed their own homes at the behest
of the government, recycling many of the materials in order to rebuild on higher ground.
As a photojournalist in 1995, I travelled to Feng Jie to document a world record high wire walk above the Yangtze River in
Qutang Gorge. Feng Jie was a sprawling city stretching from the riverbanks of the Yangtze to the mountaintops of Qutang Gorge and was our base of operations for the length of our stay.
One of the oldest towns on the river and rich with history, it was cut off from the world in a way that is hard for many outsiders to understand. From Beijing,
I travelled to Feng Jie in the same manner as Mr. Burtynsky almost ten years later, by train and boat.
The Changing Face of South Brooklyn: The Gallery Players bring Broadway to Park Slope by Mark D Phillips
Nestled in the basement of the Park Slope Family Neighborhood Center on 14th Street off 4th Avenue is a hidden South Brooklyn jewel.
The Gallery Players, Brooklyn's premiere off-off Broadway theater, is marked by a sign set by a side door of the building leading to their 99-seat space.
"Local residents don't even know we are here," said Matt Schicker, a board member and heralded director of many of the Players' productions, including their newest, "Side Show," opening February 18, 2006.
With a reputation well beyond the boundaries of South Brooklyn, the Gallery Players have never had a problem filling seats. Their season consists of four plays, three musicals and the annual Black Box New Play Festival, World Premiere performances of works by tri-state area playwrights. And the fact that their alumni make leaps to Broadway hasn't hurt.
"The secret of our success is we treat every production as a professional show," said Schicker. "The Gallery Players have become a great first stop for many new drama graduates nationwide."
Looming out of the fog was the largest ship Red Hook has seen moored to its shore.
The Queen Mary 2 arrived in the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 2006, for its inaugural stop at the new Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook.
For the county of Kings, and particularly Red Hook, the terminal is the first step in a revitalization of the long-neglected waterfront.
People always ask, "What are those beautiful doors on
Our Lady of Lebanon Church?"
When Our Lady of Lebanon moved into the old Congregationalist Church of
the Pilgrims on Henry Street in 1944, Monsignor Mansour Stephen planned
extensive changes to the interior of the building.
The Normandie was the greatest passenger ship of its day, and suffered a
terrible end when fire ravaged the ship, causing it to capsize at the
dock on Manhattan's west side.
The Monsignor heard that the Normandie's salvaged treasures were to be auctioned,
and with the blessings of his parish, attended the event and purchased the
bronze doors and ten placques. The doors, which once were the entryway to
the majestic banquet room of the luxury liner, now grace the entry to the church in Brooklyn Heights. The ten placques
were added to the doors. The cost of the doors was $1,025 and all ten placques for $975.
For the sixth year, Angels and Accordions brought Greenwood Cemetary alive.
With its unique presentation of accordions, singing, striking visuals, and creepy graveyard scenes, Angels and Accordions is a site-specific show, with the audience taken on a mile-long walking tour, punctuated by scenes of angels around different memorials.
Greenwood Cemetary is one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens in the world. With mausoleums structured from pyramids to Greek cathedrals and statues for war dead to cherished child, the stages for angels are designed by Martha Bowers of Dance Theatre Etcetera.
Martha's visions come to life within this unique venue. Angels sing from a vine covered path, bringing "Over the Rainbow" to a chilling feeling of sorrow.
As the premier event of Open House NY, Angels and Accordions has been a free event. Will it remain a free event? Probably not. But believe us, it will be worth the admission price.
In 2008, the Brooklyn Bridge celebrated its 125th anniversary, and this monumental occasion presented the Dumbo Improvement District the opportunity to unveil a new and improved pedestrian experience on the Brooklyn side of the Bridge.
Working with Emphas!s Design and artists Linnaea Tillett & Karin Tehve, the Dumbo Improvement District undertook this great project to provide a sense of direction and place to the one million tourists who cross over the Brooklyn Bridge each year. In the past when pedestrians reached the Brooklyn end of the Bridge, they frequently turned around and returned Manhattan when confronted with uninviting entrances, poor lighting and inadequate signage. Today, pedestrians are greeted with signage welcoming them to Brooklyn and a large map highlighting attractions within walking distance.
“This Way” serves as a grand entrance point to the fine borough of Brooklyn.
The Friends of the Brooklyn Bridge was formed by the Dumbo Improvement District to bring together the resources to maintain improvements made to the world's greatest bridge. The initiatives website, mybrooklynbridge.com, will be a major resource for the bridge. Share your memories of your favorite experience on the Brooklyn Bridge. Watch an 1899 movie by Thomas Edison Studios of a train travelling over the bridge, and read the history of the construction.
Contributions to Friends of the Brooklyn Bridge will be dedicated to the supplemental maintenance of this project. With donations of $150 or more, you will receive a framed image of your choice from our collection, including historical images of the bridge from our partner, the Brooklyn Historical Society, and new images by Mark D Phillips. They make great gifts.
THE JAIL BATTLE
According to the NY Post's Rich Calder:
Foes of City Hall's plan to reopen and expand a Brooklyn jail scored a victory yesterday when the city agreed to temporarily halt work on the $440 million project and cap the number of overnight prisoners there.
Comptroller Bill Thompson, Councilman David Yassky and civic groups cut the court-OK'd deal just days after suing the city for "secretly" and "illegally" repopulating the Brooklyn House of Detention in family-laden Boerum Hill with 31 prisoners.
The agreement runs through Dec. 18, at which time the case is to return to court. Under the deal, the jail may accept up to 50 prisoners.
The USS Intrepid returned from its two-year restoration in Staten Island Thursday, October 2, to Pier 86 on the West Side. Two hundred fifty former Intrepid crew members took the short voyage, passing by the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero.
Founded in 1986 to provide educational and cultural programs aboard an historic vessel and to advocate for and expand public waterfront access in the NY metropolitan area
US Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) talks with Howie Glickberg of Fairway Market at the Grand Reopening of Fairway Market in Red Hook on Friday, March 1, 2013. Fairway was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
Learn more about LICH.........
Christ Church damaged horribly by lightning strike
Satan in the Smoke
"Local residents don't even know we are here," said Matt Schicker, a board member and heralded director of many of the Players' productions, including their newest, "Side Show," opening February 18, 2006.
People always ask, "What are those beautiful doors on
Our Lady of Lebanon Church?"
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