Open Thread: Wednesday, July 11, 2012

By on July 11, 2012 12:01 am in Kids, Nature, open thread, Pets

Last Wednesday was the 4th of July, but let the festivities continue on this Open Thread Wednesday. Fire away!

FYI: Our bear friend pictured here lives in Palmetto Playground, located in the southwest tip of Brooklyn Heights, at State Street & Columbia Place, with the BQE behind it. According to NYC Parks, Palmetto Playground’s nomenclature was inspired by the names of its surrounding streets: Atlantic, Columbia & State. Columbia is the capitol of South Carolina, an Atlantic state, and the state tree is the Cabbage Palmetto, hence, Palmetto Playground. The park offers basketball courts, a kid’s playground and a small off-leash dog park. And, by golly, a working water fountain. (Photo: Chuck Taylor)

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  • John

    I’m looking to move to brooklyn Heights from September 1st with my wife. Can anyone recommend a good place to find furnished apartments for a few months until I find something more long term. Or a good real estate agent in the area. Thanks

  • Big Dave

    @PierrepontSkin – I might be interested. What email can I use to contact you?

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    John,
    You can check out http://www.streeteasy.com
    Look under rentals, Brooklyn Heights.
    I found several listings for short term rentals at 29 Willow Street.
    The listing agent is Vicki Negron from Corcoran. I remembered
    thinking I might have to rent one of those apartments five years ago if the closing on my co-op did not go as planned. At that time it was pretty pricy at $3500. Now that would appear to be a bargain. Check it out anyway. I am sure you will get alot more info on rentals from others on this blog.

  • Alec

    @John
    have you tried AirBnb?
    my apartment may be available for most of August…

  • Cat

    @Claude–thanks for the nice send-off. I don’t think I post regularly enough for anyone to really “know” me very well. But I will miss the Heights and will keep up with all the complaints on this board–maybe I won’t miss it so much when I remember all the dog poop I have to avoid.

    Seriously, this board has been great for getting info about the Brooklyn Heights and staying in touch with what’s going on around here.

  • Cat

    On another note, does anyone know where I can recycle a bagful of expired alkaline batteries? I would prefer not to throw them in the landfill. I would also prefer not to pack/move them. Thanks.

  • Tiger Lily

    @PierrepontSkin – I also may be interested. Is it a men’s bike? What size is it?

    Thanks!

  • Flashlight Worthy

    Cat, try Radio Shack. They *might* recycle batteries.

  • Matt

    Has anybody heard anything about the city replacing the (very dusty) orange clay gravel at the dog park at Pier 6? Someone at the park mentioned it to me 2 weeks ago, but I didn’t ask when the gravel was going to be changed. My poodles thank you in advance….

  • PBL

    Had this conversation with my wife this weekend: what are you favorite neighborhood “bites?” … not a restaurant, but rather a specific dish, sandwich, meal, etc. Could be the Heights or nearby hoods. My faves:

    * The Mac & Cheese at Jack The Horse
    * The Panelle Special Sandwich at Ferninando’s
    * The Pulled Pork Quesedilla at Calexico
    * The Gnocchi with Butter & Sage at Noodle Pudding
    * The Date Cake at Colonie
    * The Honey & Ginger Duckling at Henry’s End
    * Canadien Bacon, Egg & Cheese at La Bagel Delight

  • Pineapplecran

    Hicks St Guy – You could contact Emily Matles at http://www.emaginesimplicity.com/. I bought her living social deal and she lives here in the neighborhood. She’s fantastic ! I’m sure if she isn’t able to do it she’ll have some really great connections !

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Hicks St. Guy,
    I second the recommendation for Emily at http://www.emaginesimplicity.com.
    She is my neighbor and she is a smart, focused delightful young woman.

  • Matt

    PBL…thanks for the list. I’m gonna make it a mission to follow in your footsteps.

  • She’s Crafty

    @HSG, we have both California Closets, which are lovely, and Elfa closets from the Container Store, which are also lovely and about 1/3 the price. You take the measurements of your closets and then go into the store and a consultant works one on one with you to select from vast possibilities of configurations and materials. They also install and the installer was excellent. I would definitely go with them again if I was doing new closets. Also, they have a semi-annual sale on their closet components and you can get 30% off when they are having that sale.

  • Jorale-man

    @PBL – great list. I haven’t settled on too many regular dishes in the Heights but I do like the ravioli at Noodle Pudding and the panini sandwiches at Tazza.

    So summer is road-paving season in many areas. Does BH ever get put on a list to have its streets resurfaced? Does that list exist. Some of them, especially Clinton, are in pretty dismal shape. I don’t drive but it makes cycling difficult (especially when the bike plane paint has long ago faded).

  • Jorale-man

    Oops, make that “bike lane paint.” My editor’s off tonight.

  • Neighbor Hood

    re: self check outs and the people who love them: yes, less people, more machines!!!! As my favorite new commenter observed:
    “I don’t understand people’s objection to it really.I think I can do it faster, more efficiently and with fewer errors than a minimum wage cashier that probably hates his/her job”
    Yeah…’cause who needs minimum wage jobs in this economy right? Big chain stores should move in, blow out the independently owned businesses that statistically hire more people at better wages, and then make the customer do the work they used to at LEAST pay people who need work minimum wage to do.
    They should have the customers stock the shelves too!!.They could fire more of those “miserable” minimum wage earners!!
    Yep..can’t understand why people object to those things.

  • Cat

    @flashlight, thanks for the tip. I called and no can do at Radio Shack. Packer School recycles them but only during the school year. I hate putting toxic waste in the garbage. May just have to pack/move them and find a place there to recycle.

  • Mr. Crusty

    Oh Neighbor Hood give me a break with all the moral outrage.

    So I suppose you never use ATM’s right? You always go to a bank teller because it is your duty to insure that more bank tellers are hired right? Geeze Louise.

  • Reader

    What’s up with the guy in the red fleece always hanging around outside Pea and Pickle? A couple months ago my wife and I happened upon him in the store and he let it be known that he “made fame and fortune” by exposing himself in the store in the late 90s and was in the paper for it. That was pretty creepy. Now I see him in that area all the time just hanging out. Is this guy just a neighborhood nut or what?

  • Neighbor Hood

    @Mr Crusty…”Give me a self-checkout register any day of the week. The less human interaction the better. ATM’s instead of bank tellers, self check out scanners instead of cashiers, etc. Online flight reservations rather than reservation agents.”
    You make a statement like that, basically advocating for the elimination of huge numbers of jobs so large corps can maximize profit for a few AND say “I don’t understand people’s objection to it really.” Well thats kind of posing a question, I didn’t realize it was rhetorical, but given your past stances, I should have realized it was.
    Of course I use ATM’s when necessary. I also use the cashiers etc whenever possible and am merely pointing out the reality of replacing workers with self service machines.
    What happened to the Crusty who “moved to the Heights for it’s diversity” and is all for the more development the better, more people the better. Guess as long as those people aren’t making a living wage huh? What the ell, they can always sell hotdogs for probably LESS than min wage right? Sounding a bit schizo dude (or dudes).

  • Anne

    When did 5 Guys get shut down by the Health Department? Just noticed it today. An A rating is still in the window.

  • PromGal

    @BHer
    We have used LASSEN & HENNIG caterers many times. The office is above the store, and you can call the main number and reach the catering dept.
    They do a really nice job, provide everything, and the price us reasonable. They do large parties on a regular basis.
    We have also used Garden of Eden and been happy with that as well, although the desserts from L & H are far better.
    I hope that helps.

  • PromGal

    @Topham Beauclerk
    What a totally asinine, ignorant, pompous remark. Many BH residents are from Texas, proud of it, and have family and friends there.
    Don’t mess with Texas!

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Cat, The Home Depot & Lowe’s take batteries or at least they used to.

    Reader, is he blond, about 6′ tall? If so it’s Louie Muller Yes he’s a native Heights “nut”

  • Mr. Crusty

    @Neighbor Hood I think you must be off your meds. My simple, personal preference for self-checkout lines is interpreted by you as advocating for the “elimination of huge amount of jobs so large corporations can maximize profit”. Really?

    Obviously your beef with me has to do with some prior positions that I have taken which is fine but your attack here just makes you look silly.

    But if you want to debate the issue I’m game. My belief is that in this capitalistic competitive free market any company that utilizes people to do something that could be done more efficiently and less expensively by machines will soon go out of business and everyone in that company will be out of work. You might not like that fact but it is an economic reality.

    I am glad that I can buy a Metro Card from a machine rather than wait on a long line to buy tokens like in the good old days. If that means there are less clerks in subway stations so be it. It is not a corporation’s responsibility to employ as many people as possible, their responsibility is (hold on to your hat) to maximize profit, disgusting as that is to your moral sensibilities. That is an obligation they have to their shareholders some of whom might be pension funds that lots of “workers” might be depending on.

  • WillowtownCop

    The problem I have with the machines is you can’t take anything off the scale until you pay. If you have a lot of large items, you have to do a ridiculous balancing act.

  • Winston Smith

    Anne Five Guys shut down by DOH for “No permit”

  • JT

    Reader –

    Do you mean the guy who wears army boots and army style cargo pants? I don’t know what his deal is, but I have seen him hanging around Clark & Henry Streets since I moved here in 1994. I think he was one of the barfly’s at the Clark Street Station Bar, along with another older gentleman who had a red electric guitar slung over his shoulder. They hung around Clark & Henry Streets long after the bar closed, but the other guy vanished a while ago…

  • PromGal

    @Hicks St Guy
    I used California Closet Co five years ago for 10 closets including three walk ins. They customize to your needs, are very professional, and work with you to design and plan. They are easy to clean, and have held up beautifully. Good luck!

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