Open Thread Wednesday

By on March 20, 2018 11:52 pm in Brooklyn Heights

It’s another nor’easter coming, this one called Toby. What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • CassieVonMontague

    Editorial by Regina Myer promoting the “Brooklyn Strand”: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/time-build-brooklyn-strand-article-1.3879166

  • CassieVonMontague

    Criminal installed an ATM skimmer at the CVS on Henry Street on March 11: http://longisland.news12.com/story/37742806/police-search-for-suspect-in-atm-skimming-device-scam

  • Jorale-man

    The Weather Channel really needs to stop this business of naming snowstorms. On the other hand, the snow does look nice, however late in the season it is.

  • AEB

    It’s always impressive–as well as depressing–to think about the amount of effort it can take to achieve fraud. Like becoming a counterfeiter must have been in the days when that was a going thing.

  • StudioBrooklyn

    As someone who studied art forgery rather extensively, I can personally attest to this. At the same time, I’ve been the target of some pretty poorly executed frauds (such as Nigerian princes and so on).

  • Reggie

    Is that who started it? I have been following suit but would be a bit embarrassed if that was the case.

  • Jorale-man

    Yeah, they started it a few years ago as a marketing campaign. The National Weather Service doesn’t like it, apparently because it confuses people (you don’t know big the storm is going to be but it makes them all seem equivalent). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/weather-channels-list-winter-storm-names-criticism

  • Cranberry Beret

    Regina Myer on “The Brooklyn Strand” (trying to add money to the BQE rehab to fund part of the Strand project):
    http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/time-build-brooklyn-strand-article-1.3879166

    Parts of the Strand idea are intriguing and welcome, but some of her claims make me leery of what the Downtown Bk Partnership really wants. “The Strand also calls for a strong pedestrian link from Brooklyn Bridge to the under-used Cadman Park.” Under-used?? Sometimes hard to find a free 1 square foot to play ball with your kids or a friend. Sounds to me what they really want is more “active” recreation a la Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she came from.

    Why can’t these people leave simple green space alone?

    Anyway, the neighborhood doesn’t need fancy presentations, consultants and landscape architects, which is what a lot of the Strand appears to be.

    95% of its goal of improving access between Downtown and the waterfront would be achieved through good, old-fashioned traffic planning…the city needs to fix Cadman Plaza West and Old Fulton Street to give pedestrians safe passage from the tangle of the bridge off-ramp, BQE on and off-ramps and intersections like Tillary.

  • StoptheChop

    NYC wants to make the area even more appealing to tourists, including with more tourist-oriented retail and activities– presumably as a way to connect them to BBP. At least, that’s what the plan looked like when it was first presented, and if Myer is pushing it…..

  • Diesel
  • Reggie

    I skimmed the Strand report when it came out. I think that when the Partnership calls Cadman Plaza under-used, it means the War Memorial and the area where cars get parked. If that is how they mean it, I cannot say they are wrong.

  • Reggie

    I was hoping The Guardian would share a preferred alternative way for people to refer to a particular weather pattern. Apparently there isn’t one but thanks for the response.

  • Roberto Gautier

    Master builders too often act like masters, with a public be damned bent. A daily criticism of the Strand/Gateway project is the deliberate violation of the NYC Noise Code’s prohibition of construction activity before 7 a.m. Front loaders travel along Cadman Plaza East well before 7 a.m. to their work area on Adams. The problem is that the front loaders move forward with loud motion alarms blaring and bouncing echoes onto
    surrounding buildings. Awaiting successful control of this sonic assault. Contractors’ needs should not be the dominant consideration.
    The perennial problem for those who live in tourist areas is that the “locals” erroneously receive the short end of the bargain.

  • Andrew Porter

    This is not the first time this happened there.

    My debit card was hacked there in November. On November 6th, thieves withdrew $900 in 4 transactions over a few minutes at a Chase Bank somewhere in Brooklyn. Fortunately, I was able to recover the money.

    Now, when I need cash, I go to the teller’s window at the Santander on Montague Street.

  • Andrew Porter

    From the Morning Media Report on Friday: The Weather Channel has been sold to Entertainment Studios, owned by media mogul Byron Allen, from its owners, The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Comcast/NBCUniversal. The deal [is estimated] to be in the $300 million range.

    Comcast, Blackstone and Bain purchased The Weather Channel for $3.5 billion in July 2008. The digital operations of The Weather Channel were acquired in 2015 by IBM in a deal pegged at around $2 billion.

    Allen said he want to invest more in The Weather Channel, expanding both its international and local distribution.

    ***

    And, maybe, they might stop naming those winter storms…

  • Andrew Porter

    A new store offering much the same products as the now closed “A Cook’s Companion” store on Atlantic Avenue is going into the same space. There’s more information on the store’s window.

  • Roberto Gautier

    Cranberry Beret’s points are strong. Big money from the Downtown Bk Partnership does seem to benefit consultants, architects and noisy construction companies. Cadman Plaza Park is quite vibrant and has been for years. (The corroding astroturf definitely needs a safe replacement.) Aside from some wonderful landscapes and play space, thinking of how Brooklyn Bridge Park has been transformed to a space for a luxury hotel, rows of condos and towers with apartments is always an unpleasant and sad thought.

  • Banet

    Specifically, it’s an outpost of Whisk. Whisk has had a store very similar to Cook’s Companion in Williamsburg for over a decade and a store in Flatiron for at least 6 years.

    The other stores are about twice as big so it’ll be interesting to see how they edit down their offerings.

    They plan to open May 1.

  • Andrew Porter

    Now written up on Brownstoner. Alas, Tiny URL isn’t working, so here’s the long link:

    https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/whisk-williamsburg-197-atlantic-avenue-brooklyn-heights/