Open Thread Wednesday 12/17/14

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • JaneonOrange

    Anyone else notice the “REMSEM” street sign at Remsen and Court? Called 311 on Sunday. We will see how long it takes to fix it!

  • Roberto Gautier

    Another sweet dreams announcement was made by the NYC DOT on December 15, 2014 at Community Board 1 of Manhattan: the Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation Project will extend to March 2016.

  • Bornhere

    Does anyone know if the installation of “Bishop’s Crooks” lights has been derailed? It seems that the transition to the new old lights has stopped.

  • Ann B Chapin

    maybe the BHA can answer that question??

  • Guest

    Heard today the sad but not unexpected news that Dr. Norton passed away last week. Sami at Pets Emporium.

    In other Montague St news: anyone have info/impressions of Area Kids? I was just there and wanted to buy gifts for three children, but the person working barely paid attention to me and then went on a 10-minute mission to help the owner unload products from her double-parked car, with barely an acknowledgement of my existence. I waited for a while, then gave up. Really frustrating.

  • Teresa

    Oops, fragment in the last comment. Sami said that she’d been in hospice care, then went home. So sad. Such an incredibly kind, caring, and generous woman.

  • Bornhere

    Thanks, Ann — I have asked them as well.

  • GHB

    I was so sad to hear that she was sick a few months back. Dr. Norton was a terrific vet who loved her patients, and a really cool person. She’ll be missed!

  • AEB

    I’m so terribly sorry to hear of Dr. Norton’s death. She was a caring and devoted vet who had, I felt, an often uncanny understanding of cats–well, of mine, and of my relation to them.

    Slightly eccentric, she was also a solid doc. My condolences to her family and friends.

  • AEB

    BHB, I think a story about Dr. Norton is in order, please see the posted comments above.

  • Teresa

    AEB: I was thinking the same thing when I posted earlier. I’ll do something about it this week…

  • miriamcb

    I have to say – I really don’t like Area Kids toy store on Montague. A couple things – they are bagless, which would lead you to think they are trying to be eco-friendly, but they still sell the hard-plastic toys packaged in plastic, so the logic doesn’t follow all the way through. And, like you – I have not had great experiences with the people who work in there – usually not very friendly with a greeting or great at answering questions. I usually head up to Heights Kids on Pineapple Walk – much more expansive selection and the owner is great!

  • hicksanthrope

    Love Heights Kids. Who wouldn’t. They’re so much friendlier than Area Kids plus their prices are better!

  • miriamcb

    And they do balloons! I really do like them – and I have no idea how they do it, but they are usually pretty competitive to Amazon too and I think someone told me free gift-wrapping if you need it!

  • DIBS

    I don’t have kids but that is a great store.

  • Teresa

    Does anyone whether Heights Kids (which I also love) sells the NYC Transit t-shirts for kids? That’s what I’m looking for, and Area Kids does have them-

  • dodo

    The transit museum does.

  • GHB

    Anybody know what’s going on with that house at the corner of Monroe Pl. & Clark St. that partially collapsed a couple of years ago? Is it really worth saving at this point?

  • Andrew Porter

    They started working on it maybe a year ago, and there was a dumpster outside, then they suddenly stopped. Plans were submitted to and approved by Landmarks to make it a 5-story condo, which would have looked really nice. Dunno what happened.

  • Andrew Porter

    I found a webpage about the St. George Playhouse, the 900+ seat movie theatre that was at 100 Pineapple Street, before Robert Moses decided it had to be torn down along with everything else north of Clark and east of Henry Street. Gorgeous art-deco place. Photos and history are here:

    http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3881/photos/68256

  • Andrew Porter

    Walking home from Trader Joe’s Tuesday, I notice the downspout from the roof of 152 Henry Street (which looks empty; there’s a Landmarks notice in the window) had come off and was precariously perched on the roof of 154, the building where the CVS is. I notified the BHA, and showed the CVS’s manager the problem, suggesting it might be a Really Bad Thing if the wind blew it off and onto the head of a CVS patron…

  • Ann B Chapin

    The Women’s Exchange has great presents for kids as well as Brooklyn items and shirts etc.

  • Clarksy

    Never knew that was there. It looked gorgeous. A shame it was torn down. Thank you for sharing that photo!

  • Bornhere

    Andrew — What a great find! I remember the red interior and the frightfully serious matrons, patrolling the children’s section with their flashlights. Another loss….

  • someone

    Is there any store in the heights that accepts plastic bags for recycling? Gristedes used to, but no more. Thought it was a requirement for them to take it back.

  • gc

    Any nearby restaurants open Christmas day for a nice dinner?

  • DoBro84

    Two places on the edge of Brooklyn Heights have bins as you go in the door: Barnes & Noble on Court Street and CVS at Court and Pacific

  • Andrew Porter

    62 Joralemon Street is a “Building-of-the-Day” over on Brownstoner, telling us stuff we didn’t know about it:

    http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2014/12/building-of-the-day-62-joralemon-street/

  • Diesel

    You can also leave them in the baskets provided on the gates of the Hillside Dog Run.

    WOOF

  • Bornhere

    Judy Stanton responded very quickly with the following:
    “There were two sources of funds granted to the BHA for the historic light installation, one federal and one city, and this apparently resulted in two different DOT lighting contracts. I hope to have an update on the second contract which would complete the locations we reported on.”

    Many thanks to Judy for the information!