Open Thread Wednesday 8/8/07

By on August 8, 2007 12:15 am in Brooklyn Heights

Another week, another open thread… 

Join us tonight for Dick Swizzle's Sudden Death Game Show and BHB's First Anniversary Party at Magnetic Field!

Waaaaaa! Long lines at Floating Pool Lady… waaaa! 

What's coming to 73 Pineapple?

Timber?! 

Who is killing the Mascots of Montague? 

Will your attic star in Whitman biopic?

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  • Andrew

    No subway service from any of the stations in the Heights (High St., Clark St., Court St., Borough Hall, or even Jay and York) at all this morning. What fun!

  • Jen

    I understand that everyone walking across the bridge this morning was hot and miserable. But do people really have to walk in the bike lane when there’s plenty of room in the pedestrian lane? And yell back at me when I ring my bell to try not to run them over? It’s not like bikers were going fast or being reckless — we were just trying to get to work like everyone else.

  • Vishnu Jones

    If you want to ride a bike, move to China.

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    Vishnu… you are an asshole.

    Jen… do what I do, scream in their faces.

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    Actually, just kidding (except the part about Vishnu). On days when there’s extraordinary circumstances, it’s probably better to just ride slowly around the people or just walk it for one day. We did it in the transit strike.

  • eric

    There was NOT plenty of room in the pedestrian lane; lots of bikers were going fast and being restless; you were a hazard this morning. You should have gotten off and walked.
    I yelled back at more than one. None stopped to discuss the matter further.

  • bayson22

    As a biker, I would love if the biking lane were better marked for the pedestrians to “get it”. I can understand if 1st timers (tourists mainly) do not get that there is a walking lane and a biking lane. In my experience, people are pretty cool about scooting over. Getting pissed has only marred my mood and not accomplished any change. Who can we contact regarding better signage?

  • eric

    All the signs in the world dont matter on a day when there are no subways. Get it through your head: there is too much pedestrian traffic to ride safely.

  • eric

    * restless = reckless. Like my typing.

  • bayson22

    I disagree Eric. Better signage would help, your shitty attitude does not. On a day like today the Manhattan bridge might be a good option though as there are fewer pedestrians.

  • Jen

    Yeah, the advantage of being on a bike is that you don’t have to “discuss the matter further”.

    And like I said, when I crossed around 8:30, there was plenty of room in the pedestrian lane.

    Why all the hate for bikers?

  • eric

    Jen:
    I crossed at 8:45 and the ped traffic was 4-5 people shoulder to shoulder in places. And still bikers insisted on zipping through, endangering themselves and everyone forced to walk today, tagging their arrogance with a cowardly curse on the way by.
    After one particularly nasty exchange, a woman of about 70 thanked me for standing up.
    Thus, the hate.

    Bayson: Everyone on the bridge this morning could see the little painted biker on the street. They just had no where else to walk.

  • yo

    people don’t like bikers because they consistently break traffic laws. i’ve never seen a bike stop at a red light or stop sign in my life. more often than not, they are going the wrong way down a one way street or riding on the sidewalk. also, they are only in the special bike lanes probably 25% of the time. my favorite is when they blow through a crosswalk, against a red light, and have the nerve to get angry at pedestrians crossing with the right of way……

  • Vishnu Jones

    Bicyclists are not real New Yorkers. If they were they would be riding choppers with banana seats. The bikers are carpetbaggers who think they’re still living in Madison Wisconsin.

  • http://www.readytoorderguide.com Ready To Order? Guide

    Have you ever been to Royal’s Downtown restaurant between Union and Henry close to the police station?
    It closed one month ago and I heard that an Italian restaurant is trying to buy it out.
    How was it?

  • Billy Reno

    MTA: keeping it real with their $billion surplus selves! Go back to sleep in your booths, assholes!

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    Vishnu… you are an asshole. I don’t know where you’re from, but those of us from the Bronx living in Kings Co ride all the time. It’s as NYC as the skyline. Maybe you should check out Madison, for a long time.

    As for the rest of you, normally I am outraged by people invading the bike lane, but c’mon, guys, when it looks like a transit strike, maybe we can walk it for a little while. It’s about common sense, whether you’re wandering into the bike lane to take a goddamned picture or you’ve got to walk the bike because an emergency has crowded the bridge.

  • Beavis

    I’m with Vishnu. Cyclists, as a group, are a bunch of d-bags–totally ignoring traffic rules, being rude to pedestrians, and thinking they are all little Lance Armstrongs in their nerdy spandex pants and those dumb brightly colored man-boob hugging shirts. There are exceptions to the cyclist d-bag rule, but Tim apparently isn’t one of the exceptions.

    Hugs.

    P.S., I had a Ross Apollo 5-speed with a banana seat. That was a bike.

  • fishermb

    if bicylists actually observed traffic rules, i’d be happy to not walk in the bike lane. but it’s absurd the times every day that they’re going the wrong way down 1 way streets, running through lights almost running me over. the one day that every single person walks over the bridge to get to work, the bicyclists get all high and mighty on the ‘this is my lane, now get out!’

  • Andy

    Not to mention that Critical Mass nonsense.

  • yo

    and biking on the promenade! some d-bag almost ran me down the other day and had the balls to ring their little bell as they sped by

  • bayson22

    Yes, bikers do ignore signs… very much like peds do on the bridge. Peds do not own the overpass, do they? Peds NEVER break the rules like those assy bikers tho. Oh, btw – how long have you been in NYC?

    JAYWALKING is a term used to describe when a pedestrian crosses the street without regard to traffic statutes. In common use, the term generally refers to someone crossing a major street outside a designated crosswalk or intersection in jurisdictions where this is illegal.

    I see that everyday in NYC. Get off your high horse.

  • fishermb

    first off bayson stop talking, because when a bike disregards traffic laws and almost runs people over, there is serious potential for injury to another person. when a person jaywalks, they’re not going to break someone else’s arm if they accidentally brush against someone else.

    NOW, for those actually interested in neighborhood news, i just noticed on my walk back home after morning workout at the Y on atlantic that there is a large garbage dumpster outside the future Trader Joe’s site and a number of workers busily going in and out trashing stuff.

  • bayson22

    fish, your comment is plain wrong. jaywalkers are a hazard to themselves, as well as any vehicle operator (including bicycles) that have to take evasive maneuvers to avoid them. nevertheless, i am happy to be vigilant of hazards and share the road with all. don’t want to see anyone hurt.

    looking forward to trader joes too.

  • Heights97

    After 10+ years of living in the Heights, I still have never been to the Park Plaza Diner on Cadman Plaza West. I usually forget that it even exists, so I end up waiting in line at Clark’s or going to Teresa’s. From the outside, it looks like it belongs somewhere in New Jersey. So how is it?

  • http://epcostello.net/ epc

    Park Plaza serves perfectly decent diner food. Can be entertaining to listen in to the politicos and lawyers talking as well. Many of the booths have annoying computer jukebox machines which I always mute as soon as I sit down.

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    Sorry, guys, Bayson is dead right.

  • Beavis

    The Plaza Diner is mediocre at best. Clark’s is MUCH better. Excellent burgers and omlettes. Just returned from the Beastie Boys show at McCarren Park Pool. The boyz still got it. No sleep ’til Brooklyn.