Open Thread Wednesday 11/3/10

Almost Noon and there’s nothing to say on OT Wednesday? Is everyone spent from voting?

Okay – to start it off, how about the BHA doing something about additional garbage pick-ups? With the opening of the park and the explosion of tourists in the neighborhood, the cans are already filled by Thursday. At 10:00 one Friday morning, the can at the corner of Hicks and Joralemon was overflowing, with garbage scattered around it. When I passed the same can around 1:00 PM, someone had evidently decided enough was enough, because the can was pretty much emptied, and next to it were two large, white garbage bags. Was no thought given to the amount of garbage all the additional foot traffic would generate? The winter months may slow the accumulations in the cans, but during this time some plan should be put in place for the next wave, which will undoubtedly be much larger.

I’d like to second Lise’s comment about nanny’s ALWAYS talking on cell phones when supposedly attending young children. I often wonder in raw weather–does this child’s parents know they are being strolled out in this kind of weather–and not being truly watched?

Also–again–is there ANY way to regulate the handicapped parking so that it is not anywhere a person wants to park? Once agian this morning I waited a whole block to get around hardworking garbage men because of the huge number of cars parked on the opposite side ot the street from regular parking. I am just amazed at how many handicapped people live in one block of Pierpont!

In agreement with the cell phone comment but it’s not always the child care providers. Many parents are too consumed with their own “lives” that their children are not as important as their phones. While doing some online shopping for kids gear I found a device designed to make the multi tasking parents life easier…it’s a phone caddy which you attach to the stroller allowing the parent to keep both hands on the stroller while paying full attention to their phones. Great…just what busy city streets need. Cabs, cyclist and now over sized strollers being wheeled by distracted parents.

Proud mom of three who respectfully pulls the stroller over before dialing

Not to mention the idiots that wander into the street against the light whilst yacking away on the phone.

Got to say, I’ll miss Ruby’s but Shoot the Freak was not exactly an advertisement for the development of humanity.

I feel sad for people who can’t walk down a street without a phone glued to their ear. But as long as they keep their voices at a reasonable level, I can live with it.

Something that is Heights-specific to this: I’ve noticed our sidewalks are fairly narrow here, as opposed to some Manhattan neighborhoods. It means more than ever that people have to mind their manners, walk on the right side of the sidewalk and pay attention to their surroundings.

Beautiful Autumn —
Gold leaves rustle in silence
to angry bloggers.

@ Paul…I am extremely happy and easy going usually getting odd looks because I walk down the street smiling. Always stressed but rarely angry. Unless I’m really stupid I don’t see very much anger here. Isn’t there a difference between discussing and complaining?

@ BigDave…very funny!

My god, why do people have something to say about stroller parents all the time? Why the hate? Maybe it’s the ONLY time you can make a call without being pestered? Anyone thought of that? Maybe that’s the only moment you get when you can speak to someone without screaming and squealing interrupting your call? Maybe, even though you love taking care of your child, sometimes you need a moment of sanity which consists of talking to an adult? ON THE PHONE? Trust me, we are watching our children even when we GASP! dare to spend a minute or two “attending to our own lives”.

I get it. I see all kinds of people in the heights but on this blog I mostly see complaints and angry comments. I guess its easier for people to hide behind their computers and lash out.

Last night I heard from a friend that either this past Tuesday (11/2) or Wednesday (11/3) a nanny was mugged on Sidney Place. My friend was specific re: the date and the circumstances — I’m the one with the temporary memory disorder.

What I do remember is that my friend came upon the scene just after the police arrived, about 11:00 am. The crook had pulled off the nanny’s handbag with all the credit cards, wallet, etc., inside.
The nanny could not give chase as she was holding the stroller with the baby in it. I hope she gets a big bonus this holiday season!

This was at the St Charles Borromeo steps, on the corner of Sidney & Aitken Place. Aitken has always been an unsafe little street for generally safe Brooklyn Heights, but 11:00 am muggings of people with small children are especially egregious. Maybe this street’s safety record will improve once the school goes into the old St Charles Parochial school space; I think the school is related to the Montessori on Bergen & Court in Cobble Hill. Does anyone know when or if this will actually happen?

Heather and Homer — is this sort of thing in the police blotter that you see every week? If it isn’t, it should be. We are very lucky to live in bucolic Brooklyn Heights, but …this stinks.

Heather’s sock draw beckoned.

Talking or texting while walking disrupts the normal flow of human beings keeping 6″ apart from one another. Watching the flow of humans from above its amazing they don’t bump into each other more often but this radar thing keeps people from contact. I occasionally text on my way out of the subway and believe me, it disrupts this normal flow.

I am not sure if this is related to the Clark Street entrance blockade…obstacle course, but the Parks Department is revamping the park (yes it’s an actual PARK!) on the south side of the entrance. If memory serves, this overgrown little area was the site of Fort Stirling, an important location in the Revolutionary War. There is a plaque there with the details.

Some of this land is owned by the buidling on the south side of the entrance, but most of it is owned by Parks. They are planning to clean it up and add indigenous plantings and the like.

@nabe and aeb, people in the neighborhood say negative things about this blog partly because of your need to use it for personal rants and to say mean things that you find funny and intelligent…but they’re not.