Open Thread Wednesday, July 18, 2012

By on July 18, 2012 12:01 am in Brooklyn Heights, open thread

Good day, BHB minions. It’s Open Thread Wednesday for July 18, 2012. Feel free to beat the heat and exercise your right to express what’s on your mind. And despite the ongoing heatwave, please, let’s be cool. (Dude practicing Pilates on Promenade: Chuck Taylor)

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  • billy

    What happened to the police blotter? I miss that.

  • http://facebook.com/eriik.schmick Cute

    Get a radio? or an app that scans short wave radio? It’s not exactly neuroscience…

  • http://facebook.com/eriik.schmick Cute

    #read a book dummy

  • Jorale-man

    Anyone know what the story is with all of the dead leaves that have fallen around the neighborhood? This happened last year too and I assumed it was a lack of rain then, but this year hasn’t been quite so dry. It’s especially noticeable around Cadman Plaza Park.

  • Freddie

    @Jorale-man, i believe it is the excessive heat that is killing the trees. These are trees that are not used to such hot weather being that we are in the northeast

  • RF

    The shaking from the trucks on the BQE has gotten worse in the last year, at least on the east side of CH between Clark & Pierrepont. Anyone else have the same experience? With the recent building collapses in Carrol Gardens & Bay Ridge, it makes me nervous.

  • lois

    We have not had enough rain this summer to balance the excessive heat. I have had to water my garden almost daily. The rain they predict keeps passing us by. Also, check some of the trees throughout Brooklyn Heights. Those where the tree pits have been covered with bricks are the most affected.

  • lori

    I, too, miss the police blotter (I check those of the PP and Carroll Gardens Patches. It just needs someone to volunteer to do it.

  • Big Dave

    Anyone have thoughts about the sidewalk “bumpouts” being constructed around Montague St.? And what is it about the intersection at Montague and Henry that there are two overhead traffic lights?

  • Mr. Crusty

    It looks like the much anticipated NYC Bike Share program will not kick off in July as originally thought. More like August according to the below NY Times Article.

    “Since the spring, New Yorkers were told to save the date — or at least the month.

    Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced details of the city’s long anticipated bike sharing program in May. It was to start by the end of July, but the city said Monday that it would begin in August.

    By late July, city officials said, a long-awaited bike-share program would arrive, adding a new public travel alternative to the city’s streets.

    But with only two weeks remaining to accomplish that goal, the city acknowledged on Monday that the program, Citi Bike, would not begin as scheduled. “We’re working on the launch plan and will update the public as soon as we finalize all the details,” said Seth Solomonow, a spokesman for the Transportation Department, who confirmed the program would not begin in July.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/nyregion/new-yorks-bike-share-program-delayed.

  • GHB

    @Jorale-man, those sycamore trees (or London Planes) start dropping leaves every summer, usually in July. Doesn’t matter how wet or dry, they just make a mess.

  • Ellie

    Thanks to the locals who take the time to stop on the Promenade on Tuesday mornings to express their gratitude to the perspiring volunteers who work in the gardens. I spent 3 hours last Tuesday picking up the trash in the gardens and dropped my lip when I saw the litter a week later. I’m not blaming the residents, but if you can police the visitors who carelessly turf beer bottles, cups, cutlery, lighters and other very personal items over their shoulders, that would help. Thanks!

  • GHB

    @Ellie, a lot of that activity occurs late at night. Thanks for cleaning up. It looks like that will continue to keep you busy!

  • AmyinBH

    The broken air conditioning system at the BH public library is being reported by few of news websites and CBS news radio. Any first hand reports on how hot it is in there?

    I think those sidewalk “bumpouts” seem are odd no matter where they are located. Perhaps they give a better view of oncoming traffic.

  • T.K. Small

    @Rusty: Thank you for the heads up in last week’s Open Thread concerning the Trader Joe’s pizza dough. I bought some yesterday as an experiment in making something other than pizza, and it worked pretty well.

    Also, while I was paying for my items, I had a nice conversation with one of the more long-term employees. We were speaking about various summer plans and activities, and she mentioned that she has been very much enjoying Brooklyn Bridge Park. It is good to know that the larger Brooklyn community are going to BBP.

  • http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com Flashlight Worthy

    Big Dave, those “bumpouts” are officially known as “curb extensions”. You can read more about them here:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_extension

    In summary, the main purpose of the sidewalk bumpouts is to shorten the distance it takes to cross the street — from sidewalk to sidewalk as well as to improve sightlines between pedestrians and drivers.

    While the old distance is nothing to most people some elderly or disabled folk that move much more slowly need all the help they can get in making it from point A to B safely and these extensions carve a huge percentage of the distance off. I don’t have a tape measure handy but I’d venture to say that they take of a good 30% of the width of the crossing.

    As an added bonus they prevent people from parking illegally too close to the corner which can lead to trucks (and fire engines) not being able to make the turn (how often have we seen traffic backed up for blocks as some oversized delivery truck has to make a 16 point turn to make it around an illegally parked car?).

  • http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com Flashlight Worthy

    While it’s too late to sign up this year, I just wanted to let everyone know how much my family is enjoying our membership in the Sweet Pea CSA. (A CSA is where you pay in the Spring for a weekly share of what a farm produces all Summer long).

    Every Wednesday afternoon we head on over to the Unitarian Church to pick up our share of organic veggies (And fruit! And eggs!). Everything’s been very good to great, we haven’t been swamped with veggies (yet) and it’s pushing us to eat more veggies with our meals.

    if you’re interested, take a look and you can sign up for next year:

    https://sites.google.com/site/sweetpeacsa/

  • Hazel

    I have recently been pushing a friend in a wheelchair around the neighborhood and have noticed that some of the curb ramps at the corners are in disrepair or non-existant (i.e. NW corner of Clinton and Remsen).
    I am sure others have experienced this problem.
    How can we get this remedied ?

  • j

    Does anyone know who the crazy man that is frequently standing outside the entrance to Peas & Pickles talking to himself is? I don’t know if he’s homeless or just disturbed but I usually feel safe tying up my dog in front to purchase something quickly… except when he’s there then I have to make 2 separate trips to walk the dog and then come back alone later.

  • Isabel

    My excellent cleaning lady is looking for one more day’s work. She is honest, trustworthy, and not only cleans beautifully, she has helped me organize a headache-making walk-in closet.

    If interested, please call Aida at 347-783-7671. She charges by the job, not by the hour. I highly recommend her.

  • JV

    Any word on what the “old” diva salon space on Henry St. will be? Hope its not another salon.

  • Knight

    @J: You’re probably talking about Louie Muller — tall, somewhat thin, about 60ish — wears a red vest in cooler weather. He’s been hanging out on Pineapple Walk and by the St. George dorms on Henry Street for years. Unless you’re easily bored to death, I think he’s harmless!

  • BH’er

    @Isabel – can you email me regarding your cleaning lady? I am interested

    Can you email me this craigslist email? (it masks my real address for posting here)
    ccb7t-3139191670@sale.craigslist.org

    THanks!

  • SPM

    I just want to say kudos to the NYPD for parking a patrol car on the corner of Montague Street and Montague Terrace for the last few days in the morning and going after those cars which run the stop sign at the end of the street. They were quite busy this A.M. Keep it up so we can have less offenders AND generate revenue for the City!

  • JustANeighbor

    How did everyone make out with the hip-hop festival? I was out of town.

  • GHB

    @J, I would never leave my dog tied up for any reason. I’ve been known to make 2 shopping trips because I won’t leave him. I’ve heard too many stories of dogs being stolen. There seemed to be a rash of dognappings a couple of years ago by Key Foods on Montague.

  • http://heatherquinlan.com Heather Quinlan

    I miss the police blotter, too :)

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    GHB,
    I applaud you for not leaving your dog unattended outside the stores. Dognapping is up over 30%.
    GHB & WILLOW: I SNIFF A STORY FOR BHB. CAN YOU POINT OUT SOURCES OR LINKS? THANKS- =CT=

  • lori

    Thanks Heather for doing the police blotter in the past. Hope you are doing well.

  • fast_walker

    Living up to my name, last weekend I took a stroll along the Battery Park City promenade and around the tip of the island up to the Staten Island ferry. Of course this is BH blog and we don’t care about those in the 212 land. But since we are on the topic of waterfronts and parks, I wanted to share my observations. Loved the promenade south of World Financial Center and the marina. Tons of people biking, siting in the cafes, drinking beer and just strolling. Absolutely a development, not “just a park”, but great pleasant place to be. They didn’t do a good job with the bike lanes and it is a bit annoying to walk in the traffic. Hope BBP learns from that and so far I think they have. Walked past the island tip…and then, OH GOD! what an awful site – Battery Park is poorly maintained, trash everywhere, broken benches. Felt like crossing from western into eastern germany. Don’t think you can blame this all on tourists. Is this so bad that I don’t want to live in East Berlin? Bring in that maintenace budget, please!

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