Open Thread Wednesday

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Reggie

    As New Years resolutions become Ground Hogs Day self-promises, does the blogosphere have opinions on the various yoga studios in and around the neighborhood.

  • neighboronhicks

    I’ve practiced on and off for over 20 years, and prefer an Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga practice. I’ve tried the Bikram studio and Area Yoga on Montague, along with Abhaya Yoga in DUMBO. Area Yoga is my favorite of the three, their prices are reasonable and their classes offer a variety of options for many levels of yogi.

  • W.R.

    10 days on the road – I miss Willowtown and feel so lucky to be part of such a nice neighborhood and community. I am grateful for the BHA and Willowtown Association and for having neighbors who care so much about our community.

  • Teresa

    I have loved Hayley Winter’s SciYoga courses at Eastern Athletic. They are limited in number, but I think they’re great. sciyoga.com

  • MONI

    Finally paid a visit to the new temporary library at Our Lady of Lebanon. What a disappointment! It feels and sounds more like a day care center. Lots of kiddies at one end. And at the long tables plenty of adults & computers. No place with any elbow room to sit. This is not a place one could concentrate on reading or work. The replacement planned for the bottom of the luxury condos promises to be smaller than the old one, and I think we can all expect it to be inadequate. It’s a disgrace that PUBLIC property is being sold off to RE developers.

  • Reggie

    Almost all of the reduction in library size comes out of space not accessible to the public. As I have written before, the neighborhoods that have gotten only a bookmobile during construction would be glad to have a 7,000 square foot interim library, even if it can’t be all things to all people. It took you six months to go the interim library; its shortcomings shouldn’t be much of concern to you.

  • KXrVrii1

    I still quite enjoy the temporary library and have been there many more times than once in the last six months.

    Lack of elbow room is an exaggeration most days, I’ve usually been able to get a corner seat or one with one or two empty neighboring seats at the big table.

    Kids are definitely noisy at times, and at those times, headphones are nice to have.

    Oh, and just noticed that they have repaved the back driveway that connects to the handicap entrance. So Justine Swartz no longer has that to complain about.

  • Reggie

    Thanks to neighboronhicks and Teresa, as well as anyone else with a comment before next Wednesday.

  • gc

    Drone being flown on Promenade by Pierrepont St. 5:50 PM.

  • Moni

    Well you’re wrong; it is of concern to me and you have no idea why I haven’t been there in the last 6 mos. Why are you making excuses for an untenable situation? Why is the Bklyn Hgts library gone at all, instead of being renovated? Why didn’t they move the business library and expand the rest in the larger space? This grabbing of public properties ( and programs, and services) by private interests is a sign of our times; and what is to come, nationwide, is more of the same, if our Dear Leader and his Swamp Cabinet have their way.

  • Moni

    Why are noisy kids and protective head phones acceptable? It’s supposed to be a library!

  • KXrVrii1

    Because it is far better than the filthy toilets, crappy AC, and general dilapidated state of the former library.

    And it is temporary, in the new one, kids will have their own section.

    Finally, libraries are evolving in the digital age. Have you checked out the digital offerings? Ebooks, audiobooks, streaming movies. And if you still like physical books, log on from home, place a hold and have the physical book show up for pickup. I have engaged more with the smaller temporary library than the old one because it is simply more pleasant, all things considered.

  • Moni

    The dilapidated state could have been remedied. The library was allowed to deteriorate because undoubtedly the plans to sell it off were in the works for a long time before it actually happened. As for libraries “evolving”, the attempt to get rid of the stacks at the main MYPL was defeated, thank goodness. Perhaps you would have been in favor of that.

  • Andrew Porter

    I wonder if it was the same 4 guys I saw last week. Did the drone have a red light on the bottom?

  • Reggie

    un·ten·a·ble. adj. (especially of a position or view) not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. hmm, not.

  • gc

    This was one guy who had a bike with him. The drone had white, red and green lights which were on and off at various times. The drone hovered over the promenade and appeared to go out as far as the end of pier 3. He stayed for about 20 minutes or so.

  • CHASESGILBERT

    Who cares? I don’t understand the hypersensitivity.

  • Tired

    70 Willow disrupting the lives of whole neighborhood again. The road was cratered again for the 5th time. Water was shut off again. Water pressure problems again. Brown water again. Jackhammers at 2 am again. These people are obnoxious and I hope they know that are despised selfish hated morons for putting a whole nieghborhood in disarray for 2 years.

  • Richard The Red

    Just wanted to chime in to cosign this complaint. The situation at 70 Willow is legitimately ridiculous. Bright lights, loud noises, incessant jack hammering at all hours of the night. As Tired mentioned, last night’s “construction session” went from 1145p-2a. What could possibly be the explanation or excuse for this? It’s illegal to do work on residential streets after 7p without a permit–and I’ve had an inquiry made into this site. It’s important to note that this is *not* a one off. These kinds of neighborhood-wide disruptions are happening every week or two–sometimes even more frequently! It has to stop. I cannot believe that this work is allowed to go on during these obscene hours. Fellow Willowites, what can we do to intervene?

  • CHatter

    I’d say anyone with a window is right to care about drones, particularly those drones that are fitted with cameras. Perhaps you don’t have windows, in which case I sorta understand why you don’t understand. But others have windows. Let’s not label them hypersensitive just because they’ve made that (quite common, I’m told) architectural choice.

  • gc

    They are part of the burgeoning “entitled class” moving into our neighborhood. They may be the most obvious example but you can rest assured they are not alone. They buy a property and live elsewhere for months or even years while that apartment or that home is torn apart and put back together. They could care less about the disruption they cause to everyone living nearby. They are a true disgrace.

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

    No one said the drones were hovering in front of any windows.
    Sounds a bit paranoid to me.

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

    It’s the self-appointed “hall monitor” syndrome. You know, the types with 311 on speed dial…

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

    I dont think that had anything to do with 70 Willow, I heard it was a broken water main.

  • Bob Grobe

    I support NYC’s restriction on drones because I think they can be dangerous. Today’s weather is a good example of the problem.

    When I went for my run in BBP this morning there was a very strong, steady wind coming off the harbor—the flags at Pier 6 were flying straight-out toward the east.

    I think it would be very easy for someone who had launched a drone out over the harbor and/or the piers to lose control of it as it came back toward the Promenade. It could hit someone walking on the Promenade or strike a car/truck on the BQE and distract the driver.

  • Tired

    Arch, you are an idiot. 70 willow has dug so many holes in the street that im surprised every utility is not destroyed. They have stolen water from the hydrants , illegally parked, worked off hours and weekends, made everyones life nearby a waiting game to see if we will have water or not tonight. They are hateful, awful mfkrs and there contractors are worse. How can Superior Concrete illegally park every day all day for years with no tickets. Someone is being paid off.

  • Buppy

    Does anyone know who we can call to complain? Bldgs dept? Codes?

  • RBT

    Can’t believe this is being discussed here after what happened to me last evening. Around 5:30PM we had a drone fly right up to our window, hover around, and then run right into the edge of the window and fall to the ground. Pretty disconcerting. Lucky it didn’t break the window. We live near the Promenade and have a feeling that is where it was launched from.

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

    Um, that may be so, but what does that have to do with the fact that this particular disruption was unrelated to them? and why does that make ma an idiot?

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

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