Open Thread Wednesday 6/29/11

I was walking on Atlantic yesterday when I noticed “The Hooded Sweatshirt Guy” was following me. I called 911 and it turns out he just wanted his picture taken with the city skyline. I made my way though the minivan maze past the water park on pier 6 (aka Little Crown Heights) and noticed the children getting burned because of the lack of shade sails. I took the path to pier 1 and had a hard time walking on the gravel but it’s lack of “annoying scooter kids” was worth it. If there was a bridge to Sqibb Park, I could have avoided the constant helicopter noise but would risk the chance of getting mugged by “a bad element”. I met a friend and she suggested we get coffee at Vineapple but it was already 6:00. On our way up suicide hill, a skateboarder lost control and shot his board, missing me by a fraction of an inch. Luckily it hit an old lady in the ankle before getting crushed by a car. I think she was a JW so the Lord had her back and she was OK. We decided to get a bite to eat. I suggested Great Wall, she wanted Fascti’s , so we grabbed a slice and both agreed that My Little Pizzeria made a better pie. We walked past the smoking dorm crew while keeping a sharp eye out for projectiles from above. We took a stroll on the “smokeless” promenade and was surprised to see it wasn’t being enforced, but there was someone taking video of the incident.

It’s a shame some smokers have to be so arrogant. I’ve seen this “lovely” lady on the Promenade too. She seems to smoke and let her dog frequently roam leashless .

There is another older lady that walks her dog on the Promenade without a leash every morning as well. She ignores that many dogs get overly excited when they see another without a leash wandering around and that the owners have to contend with that.

They both let them pee anywhere as they don’t have control over them. The base of the benches are my favorite.

I hate to constantly complain about the block of Pierrepont between Hicks and Henry but there seems to be people parking there all the time when they shouldn’t. Yesterday afternoon there were the usual “Handicapped” cars on the left side of the street and about 6-8 cars parked on the right side–before 6:00. Is this the police taking advantage of a nonpriviledge or what? That is the most abused block in Brooklyn Heights. Doesn’t anyone else care?

One other thing, I would be seriously afraid if I had a child who was being constantly strolled around the neighborhood in a huge stroller. I have seen many, many cases of them being strolled in bad weather and strolled while the nanny talks on the cell phone totally disregarding what they are doing–especially by pushing the stroller in the street ahead of them at intersections before a light changes. I sincerely hope one of the mdoes not have to get hit before parents wise up and impose some rules on stroller use.

The smoking ban is much like the smoking ban in bars this mayor
put in a few years ago. So now nobody can smoke in a bar.
So now you have crowds of half drunk assorted jerks ranging from
preppy tupes to yuppies to well, typical sports bar types all now OUTSIDE the bar getting their nicotine fix and while theyre out there-making remarks to passing women, attempting to start up
with passing guys they dont like etc. The out in front of bars
behavior due to the smoking ban has generated HUNDREDS of 911 calls for fights and disorderly groups. Just ask any cops
what they privately think of the smoking ban….they have to deal
with the real world effects of king michael’s new rules…

But thats the effect of allowing Mattoid types into major public
its always ends in a disaster or just a continued decline.

I went to Vineapple a few times this week and it’s been great. . The people there are friendly and a cup of Stumptown coffee is only a $1.75. It looks like there is finally a place in the neighborhood where you can leave your apartment, plop your laptop down and get some work done.
Great addition to the neighborhood and I look forward to coming back a lot.

@mlo–funny comment. And it makes me think about people blasting their headphones so loud that you can hear them (and know exactly what song it is) from the other end of a subway car. Isn’t that basically a radio at that volume? People are funny.

Elmer Fudd–I hear you. And it is perhaps a good idea to wear earplugs in the subway. They really take the edge off, and make for a more pleasant ride. Our system is especially noisy.

A porn movie, perhaps?

@montague: I think on Tuesdays alternate side of the street hits the block you are referring to. Since the regulation ends up at six, people who own cars in the hood ‘stand’ before six in spots which will become legal at six. Perhaps that’s what you saw?

Amen, @JS. I even emailed them asking why they would choose to close so early in a community were there are so many working folks. Who is home by 6? AND, I think they should open earlier on Sat and Sun. By 830 or 9 we’re long done with coffee and paper!

Anyone with headphones or earplugs on in the subway obviously has never been mugged.

Anyone know when the garbage on the promenade get collected? It’s real bad it is at the minute, The cans are all overflowing and the wind is blowing it everywhere, it’s horrible!

This morning I stopped for a bagel at the new place on Clinton/Atlantic. I asked for a toasted onion bagel and was told that they don’t carry onion bagels.

I asked for a toasted plain bagel, and before I could finish the order, the woman at the counter interrupted to say that the bagel didn’t need to be toasted because it was fresh out of the oven.

I thanked her politely and left.

Another bagel place crossed off the list. Who knew it was going to get so hard to get a bagel in Brooklyn?

I will say that she was quite cheerful and friendly.

Clarky, did you honestly expect the MTA to spend millions of dollars on a system that would be reliable?

Thanks, Mickey. That’s good to know because I still like their food.