Open Thread Wednesday 6/18/08

By on June 18, 2008 6:00 am in Brooklyn Heights

What’s on your mind? Any news or upcoming events you’d like to share? Comment away!

Flick photo by The Peach Tree

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  • Nancy

    Does anyone know what is coming in the old James Weir space? They seem to have started construction last week>

  • CJP

    Three things to pass along:

    1) The “waterfall” art installation closest to the Promenade was running this morning. Presumably it was in test phase. I’ll wait to put the whole thing in context but I was a little underwhelmed. I had high hopes for the beauty of this thing, maybe it was running at 10% of power, but based on what I saw I was disappointed. Again I’m keeping an open mind…

    2) There is now a big blue sign/graphic spray-painted on the street near the Clark Street subway stop with an arrow directing people to the “waterfall.” It’s a litte tough to figure out what it is, but once you do, the sign kind of makes sense. I’m guessing others will appear in the neighborhood.

    3) Scaffolding was going up this morning in front of Heights Casino. By the time you read this it’ll probably be up. Which leads me to this observation: In my roughly 15 years in the Heights I think every stretch of Montague from the water to Court has at one time or another had scaffolding up, with the exception of Heights Cafe to Teresa’s.

  • H Fink, Jr

    Hey guys, anyone planning on going down to the new Ikea today? I’m down here now (posting on my iPhone), and its a blast! So glad to have swedish meatballs in the semi-neighborhood.

  • Monty

    In case this hasn’t been posted a hundred times already, the IKEA shuttle bus will be running every 15 min from Borough Hall and 4th and 9th: http://info.ikea-usa.com/brooklyn/directions.aspx?pageid=subway

    Anyone noticed a spike in foot traffic around that area? Will this increase business around Court St or Montague St?

  • http://newyorkadventures.blogspot.com Erin

    The NYC Food Film Festival showed 3 wonderful short films about Italian food last night in the parking lot next to Grimaldis. One even featured Gimaldis! Foodies should definitely check out the last 2 nights of the Film Festival, which is being held at the Water Taxi beach in Queens.

  • http://www.brooklynbackstretch.blogspot.com BKBS

    Does anyone know the rationale behind the changed traffic pattern at Tillary and the Bridge? The circuitious route now in operation seems designed to cause backups. Were things really so bad the other way?

  • AB

    I’m well aware that gay bars, like products NOT made in China, are virtually a thing of the past. But does anyone know of such in…well, the environs of BH? (As far as I can tell, BH is devoid of such amenities–or of any gay institutions, for that matter. )

    Thanks.

  • H Fink, Jr

    You’re a couple years late for the short-lived Dragon Lounge on Atlantic.

  • AB

    Thanks, anyway, H Fink Jr.

    Any other further-flung Brooklyn places?

  • H Fink, Jr

    Maybe check out Deity on Atlantic b/t Hoyt and Bond. Gorgeous space got great cocktails, and I believe that the bartender mentioned a gay night on Sundays?

  • AB

    Thanks again, H.

  • AliG

    AB, Superfine in DUMBO.

  • Pete

    Superfine is gay? Really? I have eaten there a few times, never knew that. Are you sure?

  • lifer

    superfine is gay owned and operated (for the most part).. but straight friendly of course… all very nice and cool people-

  • samsung

    To the first comment heard the ol’ james weir flower shop is becoming an AT&T wireless store (I assume they will move out of their place on court/cadman plaza alongside commerce bank and don’t know what will go there – but probably another bank or cellphone store since we have limited options [not!])

  • Nancy

    Another phone store? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

  • rainbow friend

    floyd does a once a month gay night, i think on mondays or tuesdays.

  • yo

    anyone have a suggestion for a dry cleaner who will not burn my shirts, break buttons, etc. etc.? I’m tired of having to constantly buy new shirts…..

    I would go practically anywhere between atlantic and montague….

  • Homer Fink

    Ah! “Yo” you have hit my hot button. Golden Hanger is good and Plaza Cleaners are as well. However they both will break your buttons and melt your shirts eventually. May be the nature of the biz?

  • AB

    AliG , lifer and rainbow, thanks for your posts, just now read.

  • joe

    I heard Kim Paris (the vietnamese place) is going out of business. I’m totally bummed. That is the only neighborhood restaurant I frequented on weekly or more basis. It’s cheap and their pho and spring rolls are good (their other stuff not so good). Apparently they get a good lunch crowd from the area workers but not enough from the locals during the dinner hours. I guess I have to go back to eating at Teresa’s.

  • Andrew Porter

    AB, you’re too late by decades. You missed the Piano Bar in the Bossert, the place on Pineapple Street (later the Mexican restaurant at #71) and the bar on the corner of Pineapple Walk and Henry (now Peas ‘N’ Pickles), and various other outposts. Once upon a time, the wild young gays lived in the Village, and the settled couples lived in the Heights. AIDS and the passage of time have done in most of those established couples. When I first moved to this neighborhood, my landlord would never rent to straight couples! But if you look, you’ll still see lots of gay people in the Heights. I just don’t know where they hang out nowadays.

  • Gristedes

    I know that most Brooklyn Heights residents have a gripe about Gristedes, but has there been any news about their reopening date? I’m getting tired of schlepping from Cranberry to Montague Street.

  • Homer Fink

    Walked by last night no date on the reopening sign yet.

  • bornhere

    Does anyone know the status of the restoration efforts at St Ann’s on Montague? The scaffolding seems to have become a permanent (and really, really ugly) part of the architecture.

  • AB

    Thanks, Andrew P.

    I DO realize that, due largely to the the Internet, I’d say, the gay bar is a dying if not dead species.

    There also seems to be fewer nabes with gay institutions, hangouts, or places to–dare I say it?–cruise.

    I blame it on rapid gentrification, the Internet (again), and, yes AIDS and its insidious effects.

  • http://BrooklynHeightsBlog Bonnie Burke

    I learned today that the wonderful, amazing 93-year-old Hattie Forgang, hit by a Health Department van, has died. I saw her beloved friend Fran on the street today. Friends with her said Hattie died not long after the accident.

    I saw her in St. Vincent’s 2 weeks ago and was amazed that she spotted me out in the hall without her glasses on and called me by name, but that was Hattie. She was as sharp and vibrant as anyone I’ve ever known and she took some fierce shorthand!!! I’ve heard her boss depended on her tremendously!!! She was one of a kind!

  • 49Remsen Street

    The piano bar at the Bossert? Yikes what great memories that brings back as well as the bar across the street that had the disco upstairs. BH in the 70s was a gay paradise, almost too gay/good to be true.

    When I went back about ten years ago it seemed totally different. Have always heard that it’s been bought up by super-Christians of some stripe.

    Thanks for this site. It’s great.