Forget Kustard King & Fresh Direct: How About A Raucous, Rumbling Stretch-Limo Bus?

By on July 13, 2012 10:39 pm in War On Fun

Any Brooklyn Heights residents miffed by the buzzzz of the Kustard King ice cream truck parked along Pierrepont Street or the persistent rumbling of Fresh Direct freezer trucks at all hours might be interested to hear about the limousine-like bus parked along the entire Montague Street entrance to the Promenade Friday night.

The vehicle’s AC system was louder than a helicopter, while its posse of tourists found it apropos to treat their visit to the Heights like a Justin Bieber concert—whooping, hollering & laughing like hyenas into the night.

I tend to be a come-what-may New Yorker, and typically take pride in the fact that our nabe is a tourist magnet. But even I have limits. This bombastic lack of respect rattled me to the point of… daring to have an opinion on the Brooklyn Heights Blog. Mind you, I’ve learned that sharing such here is seldom prudent, given the response of knee-jerk anonymous posters. But this time, I’m willing to risk it.

Mind you, I’m anticipating that some dimwit will bring attention to the fact that this might have anything to do with the fact that the folks pictured are Black. I said noise… not race.

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  • bagel boy

    When did it become a bad thing to NOT want tourist grade interlopers, stinky food carts, diesel spewing trucks and bla bla bla in the neighborhood. How does any of this nonsense benefit the residents of BHts ? Stop being so damn faux liberal and wake up to the decline of our quality of life.

  • Neighbor Hood

    “terrorist anonymous posters”?

  • Mjsolly

    I love the Kustard King and he is only there during the day.

  • X

    Maybe these tourists will spend money at Montague st shops?

  • Ummmmm

    RACIST!!!!

  • Jorale-man

    Based on your reporting, these visitors aren’t doing anything illegal. However, if idling vehicles is becoming a problem, perhaps this should be designated a “no standing zone.” I don’t know how such designations are handed out but it’s food for though.

    As for people being loud and uncouth, there’s not much you can do about that other than avoid the promenade on summer nights. If I lived around there I would probably invest in some soundproofed windows.

  • Neighbor Hood

    Chuck, why would you hold my comment from last night which consisted merely of quoting 3 words you wrote in your ORIGINAL post – “terrorist anonymous posters”?
    To make matters worse, you obviously took my comment to heart since this morning I see you have changed your original wording in the post to “knee jerk anonymous posters” and added a final paragraph if I remember your original piece, stating your post not being about black people but noise, as a result of another comment.
    This is a very unprofessional way to run a blog/comment session. Moderating is traditionally used to weed out language that is profane or violates the terms of the blog. NOT to be used to filter comments according to your personal whims, likes or dislikes.
    Also, rewriting your post after reviewing comments and not labeling it an “UPDATE” is also a bit unprofessional. I hope that you have the ethics to post this and or respond. This is not the first time in recent weeks you have held perfectly legitimate comments in limbo when they criticized the writing in the BHB. I have been an avid reader of this blog for years and am concerned about what appears to be a recent change in tone and “editorial” policy. Thanks for your time.

  • Mr. Crusty

    I don’t agree with Neighbor Hood on many things but on this he is 100% correct. Seems like comments are lately being “moderated” when the author doesn’t agree with the sentiments of those comments not for any objectionable content. I’ve seen a number of comments magically disappear. Usually on Chuck’s articles.

    Can you clarify for us Chuck what the policy is regarding “moderating” comments?

  • Chris

    Start your own blog crybabies. Any person with a blog can delete whatever comments they want at whatever time and edit stories however they want with no notice or apology to you.

    Don’t like it? Read Gothamist. Have fun in the comment section there.

  • Mr. Crusty

    Chris: “Any person with a blog can delete whatever comments they want at whatever time and edit stories however they want with no notice or apology to you.”

    No one is disputing that he “can”. If one is willing to disregard generally held blog ethics that is.

  • Knight

    Hey Chris, who pissed in your Wheaties this morning?

  • http://about.me/pschaffer Perry Schaffer

    This thread is interesting to me on a couple levels. First, the ‘substance’ i.e. the noise from the limo. It’s – for me – a little complicated. When I see loads of garbage strewn on the promenade…empty cups etc. and I think about the people I saw hangin there hours before the mess…is it ‘racist’ to associate A and B. Seriously, is it? As a (I like to think) fair minded white man – I’m a proud graduate of DeWitt Clinton – it’s…complicated….

    Separately, the role of the moderator in editing, deleting posts. Etc. As one who has managed message boards, blogs, whatever you call em – I still do – it’s an interesting challenge…how to strike a balance between free speech and a point of view you may have about tone, acceptable speech, etc. Main thing, seems to me, is to be transparent and clear about the policy and yeah, always best in my experience to err on that side of…let it rip…so long as no personal attacks and/or insanely inappropriate posts…If I’m the boss of this site, when I see that initial post in this thread, I say…”o s*it, what’s my move?” The boss here chose to publish it and I think that’s the right decision…I’m simple not going to get into the part about changing the post and not saying so, etc…With moderation comes responsibility. Holding posts to consider them, and or delays while getting to posts…inevitable and fine with me. My 2 cents.

  • Luke C

    In general all the stretch limos, hummers and now party buses bring out the Edward Abbey in me even before they regurgitate their drunken passengers. Only problem with spiking their tires is that they’ll just be stuck here! I guess a stretch pedi-cab is more than an environmentalist can ever hope to see.

  • David on Middagh

    Assuming the loud air conditioner of that limo/bus was being powered by the engine, I think one could have legitimately asked the driver to turn off the engine after a few minutes.

    New York State has an anti-idling law in order to reduce oil consumption and air pollution. The limit is five minutes. It applies to “heavy duty” vehicles, diesel or non-diesel, which can be fined $500 and up.

    There is an exception for long-term idling in under 25°F weather, but none that I can see for warm nights.

    (“Heavy duty” means that the vehicle weighs 8500 pounds or more when fully loaded with passengers/cargo. (It doesn’t have to be fully loaded to be in violation.))

    Details here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8585.html

  • Fritz

    For the record, I live across Montague Terrace from the Promenade entrance, see the traffic all the time. I like the limos. I like the noise of people being around – I find the quiet of the country side a little scary. Guess I am living in the right place.

    My only regret about this incident is I didn’t get to take a picture.

  • David on Middagh

    P.S.

    In the headline, that word is spelled “raucous” and rhymes with “caucus”, not “vacuous”. Thanks–it was bugging me.

  • GHB

    Speaking of noise, what’s going on at Pier 2 now? I hope to God it doesn’t run into the night!

  • GHB

    I meant Pier 3

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    GHB,
    What’s going on at Pier 3 is the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival featuring Busta Rhymes.
    Took a walk past the pool today and saw signs for BHF which stands for Brooklyn HipHop Festival. Tonight is the last night.
    Was on the Promenade at 4:30 and the joint was jumping.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    DoM: Your copy editor was caught napping. “Raucous” it is now.

  • north heights res

    Will agree with those raising questions about posts that are edited after having gone up. In my blog-writing and -reading experience, standard practice is to acknowledge the change with an editor’s/author’s note or with a strike-through.

    Not the first time in recent memory that a post has been changed after comments have been made about it.

    Chuck, I think that you’re doing a great job of finding stories to write about on a variety of neighborhood topics; it’s obviously really time-consuming and as a huge fan of this blog, I appreciate it.

    I would like to see a greater sensitivity to some editorial issues, which other people and I have raised, here and on other posts, about blogging ethics. would be happy to help out/have that conversation offline as well.

  • http://chucktaylorblog.blogspot.com/ Chuck Taylor

    Thanks for all the comments. It’s never bland here on the BHB, for sure. I prefer to stay out of most ongoing discussions, but there are two points I think are important to clarify.

    * I am a =correspondent= for the Brooklyn Heights Blog, not its administrator. When comments posted are removed, this is seldom my doing.
    * Of course I am going to clarify, tighten and/or edit a post after it has appeared on the blog. While I do my best to present the facts and cross reference them, occasionally we all make mistakes. When an error is pointed out to me, I want the narrative to be accurate. Who wouldn’t? That said, the administrator and other writers also occasionally amend posts that I author. That’s the way it works.

    Thanks for all the feedback. My mission here is to inform and entertain, which I hope I do, on occasion. And if that means occasionally riling the minions, isn’t that part of the magic of the blogosphere?

    I only take issue when it gets personal: I don’t know you, you probably don’t know me… so when the mud-slinging starts, that’s when the BHB administrator is obligated to get involved.

    Cheers.
    =Chuck Taylor=

  • PBL

    These tourists obviously don’t know that laughing and having fun is general frowned upon in this neighborhood. SHHHH, curmudgeons are trying to find something to be upset about!

  • El

    I’m okay with putting up with this sort of thing on a weekend night until reasonable hours (say, midnight), but I’ve seen these party buses parked in front of the Breukelen past 2am with bass pumping, which raised a number of questions for me:

    (1) who would WANT to take a party bus to the Promenade? There’s not exactly nightlife in the area.
    (2) how were they not chased out by the Breukelen residents?

    I don’t care what is there during normal daytime hours.

  • Connor

    I can’t speak to the question of the stretch limo, but I do want to take the opportunity to say that I am a big fan of the “Kustard King” and question anyone who might become “miffed” at its presence next to the Pierrepont Playground. Mike, the proprietor, is a lovely guy, the kind who knows your child’s name and who allows you an IOU (if said child is clamoring for a chocolate dip and you made the grievous error of not bringing money to the playground)…CJ and I are glad you’re there, Mike!

  • willowtowncop

    I’m sure any cop or traffic agent would have been happy to write them an idling summons, but as the bus was probably not owned by the person driving it, I suspect he or she would not have cared enough to shut off the AC. May I suggest water balloons to solve this problem in the future? If you throw them from your window, you’re safe- the cops won’t kick in your door for a harassment summons, nor could they write you one if they didn’t witness the “attack.”

    As far as the moderation of comments goes, I’ve been surprised a few times by comments that were deleted, including a snarky comment about too many yuppies on the population growth thread. It seemed pretty harmless to me.

  • GHB

    Who leaves their home with NO money?

  • Neighbor Hood

    Hi Chuck, thanks for responding, however in defense of myself and others who commented on the moderation policy of posts, I must clarify that in no way were mine, or it seems the other comments at issue here, “personal mudslinging” (“when the mud-slinging starts, that’s when the BHB administrator is obligated to get involved.”). That’s why I and others here have asked for a clarification of the blogs policy regarding posting comments, since it seems like the blog has recently begun to edit comments according to random or personal criteria on the part of the administrator. Of course nasty personal attacks, offensive language,even wildly off topic comments are fair game for the blog to ‘administrate, however that was not the issue raised here.