Open Thread Wednesday 1/5/10

What’s on your mind? Comment away!
Flickr photo by afresh1

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

    Nice to know we have a fallout shelter in the nabe. Is there a contingency plan to move Great Wall in there if there’s a threatened nuclear attack?

  • lise

    Question? Does anyone know if there will be Christmas tree recycling here in the Heights this week-end?

  • Ben T.

    Why is there a helicopter hovering around here at 7:20am?
    Ugh.

  • lori

    website for “mulchfest” for tree recycling locations
    http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/mulchfest/mulchfest.html

  • AEB

    Claude, the HS crossing guard has, in the event, volunteered to move it….

  • lise

    Thanks Lori. Pity the closest place is in Cobble Hill, can’t carry my tree that far.

  • Bongo

    Anyone else noticed the decline in sound quality at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema? The low-end/sub-woofer of the theatre on the left has been fading for some time, but the one on the right seems to have lost the center channel completely. The Coen brothers rapid-fire, heavy accented dialog was almost impossible to follow.

  • Kevin

    Can anyone recommend a spot for an all day business meeting in BH/CH/CG/PS? I would like to have an offside with my team (5 ppl), and since most of them live in brownstone Brooklyn, thought it would be nice to have in the nabe. Already checked Nuhotel and hotel Blue but neither have conference space. I work in financial services. Thanks!

  • Matthew Parker

    Anyone else notice that today was Day 2 of a noxious burnt plastic smell and fog hanging in the air around the Willow Street/Cranberry Street area?

    I’m thinking it’s some incinerator close by. I’ve called 311 to report it, but I’m wondering if anyone else has any ideas. I hate breating that stuff in.

    I’m guessing the lack of trash pickup lately has moved some building super to burn trash/recyclables?

  • Josh G

    Anyone else in the hood have a Pomeranian and want to have some sort of, like, Pom hangout? I have one and he loves playing with other Poms. I know there’s an official Pomeranian meetup group but they usually meet in the Upper West Side… there’s no BK love.

  • PJL

    Read that there was a big fire in NJ… think I recall in the past fumes have blown into N. Heights from NJ….

  • T.K. Small

    @Kevin, there used to be one of those businesses which rented office and conference space by the hour/day in 111 Livingston St.. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name. You probably to look at the directory in the lobby and figure out if they are still there.

  • B Gregory

    Please let us know when Sanitation will take old Christmas Trees

  • ABC

    I suspect 1BBP would be very interested in renting out their conference room altho I’ve never seen it.

    Other buildings — historical society, etc rent rooms but maybe not have the equipment you need? But beautiful rooms

  • http://www.danrosenbaum.com danno

    @Kevin Check out the new Sheraton on Duffield St. downtown, between Willoughby and Fulton. And don’t forget the Marriott…

  • BklynReader

    Kevin, have you tried the public library

    Brooklyn Heights Library
    280 Cadman Plaza West
    718.623.7100
    Mondays and Fridays 10-6

    Grand Army Plaza-main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library
    Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue
    718.230.2100
    Mondays thru Thursdays 9-9, Friday 10-6

  • Monty

    @Kevin, did you try the Marriot? They have tons of space though it’s probably a bit pricey.

  • DrewB

    @ Ben T. – Yep another morning that starts off helicopter blades blaring outside the window. The past couple of weeks have brought a huge spike in helicopter traffic. Mostly tours leaving from Lower Manhattan Heliport. I assume that it was because of the holidays. But the ones hovering over your building in the morning are probably either NYPD or Traffic choppers. Both basically have carte blanche to fly and hover wherever they want. However, you can still log a compliant at 311. The more that the city realizes how these choppers effect neighborhood residents, the more likely they are to do do something about it.

  • bklyn20

    Kevin, try calling the CB2 office at (718) 596-5410. They have meetings all the time, and may know of a suitable location.

    And now for — yes — a complaint: did anyone else hear a very loud, maybe very low-flying, helicopter hovering over the South Heights at about 7:30 this morning? Very obnoxious.

  • martinLBrooklyn

    1. To Bongo re Cinema Sound.:..yes, the Heights Cinema definitely needs an audio tune up. Saturday night, it was out of sync with an echo effect on the left side, among other things. And, with Tru Grit, like you, we found the dialogue muffled, garbled and often hard to follow.

    2. DEP says no recycle yet but the STREET in the Heights says WE WANT RECYCLE NOW.

  • lori

    Kevin, check out Plymouth Church – 718–624-4743 – they have some nice meeting rooms.

  • lois

    According to the local Sanitation Supervisor, they do not plan to pick up recycles any time soon – they are concentrating on refuse. However, everyone seems to have put out their recycles also.

  • zburch

    Yes, on the helicopter this morning. Feh! Stupid helicopters. I have noticed when you call 311 about them they don’t really take the complaint. Usually you get a complaint number that can be tracked. But not for helicopter noise, they just say it is being relayed to the EDC. Right. So now, I make the complaint and then make them take another complaint that I didn’t get a tracking number for my complaint about helicopter noise. So stupid, but I feel like it is important for the city to take the time to register the complaint about the noise. You know for damn sure the EDC does nothing with the 311 complaints, if they get them at all.

  • not nabeguy
  • Andrew Porter

    NABEGUY: That red suitcase on your porch with the key in the lock is a going away gift. Thought you might find it useful.

    Hope you didn’t call the Bomb Squad on it…

  • BC

    Has there been a dramatic increase in HELICOPTER NOISE in Brooklyn Heights? On New Year’s Day I counted 17 flights over Red Hook, my neighborhood, in a half hour from 1:30pm to 2!
    This seems to be in violation of the so-called agreement to curb helicopter flights over Brooklyn that was announced last April.
    I filed a complaint at 311 online but I think this noise battle will need mass attention once again.

  • Demonter

    Great Story! Brooklyn born homeless man Ted Williams gets a big break via “viral” Youtube video clip showcasing his “Golden Voice”.
    Both NFL Films and the Cleveland Cavaliers have expressed interest in utilizing Mr. Williams’ talents.
    http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/01/homeless-man-with-golden-pipes-to-voice-nfl-films/1

  • zburch

    BC, I am afraid you are right. Looks like they are back to doing whatever they want…hopefully some people will shoot some video and post it on youtube. That seems to be the most effective way to prove the point…the frequency of flights and the noise is unbearable at times, especially if you work in the area.

  • carlotta

    Bongo, Martin: Spoke with the manager at the cinema and she ‘fixed’ the sound and it cleared up for the rest of the movie. It seems to me it was Bridges who did a great deal of mumbling in Tru Grit having nothing to do with the sound – loved the movie though.

  • Bongo

    @Carlotta. I thought that it was Bridge’s mumbling for a while too, but then he moved off-screen, to the left, and kept talking, at which point his dialog became crystal clear, since he was now coming out of the left and surround speakers. I hope they have fixed it, such a convenient theatre, but I think I remember hearing the left theatre’s sub-woofer actually disintegrating some weeks ago, so I’d be surprised if they’ve replaced it. Fingers crossed.