Open Thread Wednesday

Jack the Horse is for sale: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_zq7LFDrog/?igshid=1u7j8gm6e7vst https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/be7d2daf11f410550340289d5edc3a6ec962a8665e969c0b302c7b53d65b3480.jpg

“Opportunity” must certainly be balanced against cost but it isn’t cheap to fixture a restaurant or build a reputation and geographically, it has a bit of a monoploy.

How many of the restaurants in Brooklyn Heights survive/return comes down to how flexible their landlords are about rent. Heights Cafe and Dellarocco’s own their buildings. Beyond that, it’s hard to say who will make it.

If there’s a silver lining to all of this, maybe landlords will be able to refinance their buildings at today’s rockbottom rates and in turn, will be able to accept more reasonable rents to make the math work.

While I expect most small business storefronts in the neighborhood (and citywide) to be out of business within a year, I’m hoping that two or three years from now we’ll see a rennaissance of interesting businesses.

(A person can dream, can’t they?)

Let’s talk about the mail again.

I sent some letters from the Cadman Plaza post office third week of April, still haven’t arrived. Have also had some people say they’ve mailed me letters in similar time-frame, no delivery yet. We are getting other mail fairly regularly.

C’mon USPS! I understand there may be delays at each step of the process these days, but 2.5-3 weeks seems like the mail is just plain lost.

A person named Ray Ray (Columbia Waterfront) shared this on the Nextdoor App:

#StrengthInNeighbors
Being born (LICH) & raised in Bklyn Heights (Pierrepont&Willow), I always found Opinions of the diverse residents (rich & poor, every ethnicity & lifestyle), to be interesting, imaginative, skeptical of authority pronouncements of every kind, & questioning groupthink. These qualities, seem to be in shorter supply, lately, than they were back in the 1960s. I wish I could remember, in the prior decade (1950s) Kurt Vonnegut babysitting me (he worked at home), I do remember Arthur Millers carriage house across Willow street (with His new wife, Marilyn). No one seemed to care who was, or was not, rich, or famous, or not. Of course I realize, things were not really so perfect; but, it seemed pretty sweet. I even liked my doctor, Virginia Travail Weeks, whose brownstone (with office down few steps on Midaugh & Willow (she has memorial gate at Harry Chapin park (on same block). was on the same block as the “Moonstruck” house of Cosmo & his daughter Loretta. Things all fit together, she was pediatrician to the Grace Church Chior of boys & men, who’s members included Harry & all his brothers (Tom, Steve, & Jeb) as well as myself. We kept rehearsing through the blackout of 1965(?), using the candles from the alter for light to read our music, until our parents came to take us home. There was room for improvement in society, as there is (even more, it seems) today; but, Bklyn Heights seemed a little more progressive & openminded, which may be why so many writers, & actors chose to live here. I used to think of it as the Greenwhich Village of Brooklyn… There were 9 Hotels within 2 (short) blocks of the Promenade. All types of visitors way before the sightseeing buses of late.

Having been in the restaurant business I can say it depends. Rent isn’t always the biggest overhead. Payroll is usually significantly more. Sure a break in the rent would help, but the notion a lot of people have that high rent is what drives businesses to ruin is usually false, poor management is most likely to blame.

Where’s Kevin Costner when we need him?

Park Plaza Diner has re-opened today for take out. (718) 596-5900

Where “here”? Jack the Horse is the future?

Looks like this is mostly about the first round, which was clearly a mess. I work with a company that didn’t get a loan in the first round, but just got approved in the second, and it sounds like things are working more smoothly now.

You’re right … and seemingly in a good position to offer your opinions. The remarks about rent are edifying.

FWIW, the owner-chef does not look young. Health, energy, etc. are not UNlimited for any person, and re-building is distinctly an un-fun task, whatever the odds.

I’d even read “throwing in his cards” as evidence of something along those lines. While no multi-star restaurant, I’ll bet it would have drawn a crowd of maybe buyers pre-pandemic. I wish him well, of course, but others have said it from a deep knowledge base – both Collicchio and the owner of Prune – recently and VERY audibly. We got over-restauranted at a terrible time. Busts don’t always follow booms, but … it’s very, very common.

oy… at least the last flyover wasn’t done with what look like commercial passenger planes. this just feels a bit too 9/11-y to me.

Wow, I am glad you posted this. I’m near Cranberry and experiencing USPS issues too. A relative in Staten Island mailed me something twice, once it took 2 weeks. The 2nd time, it has been over two weeks and still not arrived. The mail person also dumped the entire contents of personal mail for my building all over the lobby and left it for everyone else to sort through and find their mail.

Of course we want to be sensitive to the workers as they run the risk of Covid and many of their colleagues have gotten sick or even died so I am sure there are staff shortages but this seems very specific to the service to our area now that I am hearing this.

From my experience there is nothing we can do. The post master wont take calls or complaints. USPS gov site, is impossible to reach and give you the run around. The only person you can actually complain to is your congress rep b/c there is no local oversight or input on the local level. And the congress rep wont do anything either.

Sad. Such a perfect spot in BH that really captures the unpretentious warmth of the neighborhood. The first place I had a cocktail when we moved here, and our go to with kiddos on cold Friday nights. Fingers crossed they hang on!!

I’ve tried for ages to get Informed Delivery. The post office says my home address isn’t eligible. No one there has been able to explain why. I figure it’s neck-and-neck between when USPS Informed Delivery and Verizon FIOS (both of which are “available” here) can actually be connected to my home.

I do have Informed Delivery at my business. it’s almost as maddening as not knowing at all when mail will arrive — letters get scanned somewhere in the system but don’t get delivered for a week or more.