Open Thread Wednesday

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Rick

    For those who haven’t heard, a location near us for getting the Covid vaccine is now gone. The city has shut down the George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School on Tillary Street. That’s too bad, as it was within walking easy distance of the heights.

    https://gothamist.com/news/5-vaccine-hubs-be-relocated-middle-schoolers-return-person-classes

    I got both doses of the vaccine there, and would have recommended that location, if it were still open.

    Of course for those above 65, pharmacies are now a good option as stocks of the vaccine are now reaching them.

  • Mike Suko

    I don’t think Gothamist had the “Plan B” arrangement re Westinghouse when the article came out. Turns out to be another DOE site not terribly further away [< 10 minutes extra walk, c. 15 minutes total from Montague & Court] – basically where Chapel Street [1 block North of Tillary] meets Flatbush.

    It does involve crossing what is essentially the Manh. Bridge onramp, something easily done [well, wait 'til the too short green starts afresh] at Tillary & Flatbush [on the North/PARK side.]

    And yes, Westinghouse had gotten REALLY efficient just before it was closed!

    BEWARE, if you get an appt there – in city-at-its-worst fashion, the location is super-easy to confuse [merits a WARNING msg!] with that of the Pioneer Building (Blick's) near BAM. Ironically, it's all about the small number of addresses for FLATBUSH AVENUE *EXTENSION.* THAT! is the vac. site, and it's a stone's throw from Concord Village.

  • meschwar

    The city’s OWN WEBSITE will send you to the wrong place. It’s at “Science Skill Center High School”. Just look for that on google maps.

  • Mike Suko

    Last night’s BHA City Council Candidates event:

    Not quite a debate but – tiny good thing growing out of the Covid crisis – informative and EASY to attend/Zoom.

    Almost shocked that neither yesterday’s post nor today’s “open thread” has as much as a word by way of comments or thoughts!

    It’d probably be inappropriate to a point where it might force Claude to censor, so I’ll leave any of my thoughts as to the candidates’ merits OUT. BUT … I’ve long thought that the BHA works a little too much “behind the scenes.” To the extent that it’s effective, great, but it’s clear that our neighborhood is almost perceived as a political liability as the Dem. Party marches left & is very focused on things like income inequality.

    NO sniping on any of that from me, BUT …

    The coming June primary will force the 8 candidates to “pick their spots,” in that Council Dist. 33 runs from Greenpoint to the Heights (and a little beyond.) I’ve done some reading, and it turns out that “kissing the ring” of a certain Rabbi in Williamsburg has long been critical to winning the primary.

    (Yes, I *do* have some strong, negative feelings about that – mostly because I suspect that that community’s interests can only be served by taking a not tiny $ amount from the rest of the District.)

    Anyhow, with 8 candidates and population density realities, I think it’s likely that B.Hts’ priorities will get more lip service than anything else. Would anyone join me in urging Claude et al to pen an endorsement this year? (The BHA, I believe, is all but legally unable to do something like that.)

    Obviously, this blog has a very small number of readers, but to the extent that “the Heights” could plausibly be said to be in someone’s corner – I know that may be beyond difficult – I believe that B.H. might wind up with decent “access” to the eventual new councilmember.

    To pick one – likely THE ONE – issue, there’s (still!) the BQE. Remember that the CITY’S DOT “master-minded” the now disgraced proposal. Remember, too, that its leader in that effort (Polly T.) now works for Biden as Deputy Secy-USDOT. That frightens me, esp. at a time when “do it fast & do it cheap” will probably get a high decibel chorus.

    So, who reps the 33rd (“us”) matters – even more than usually!

  • Canonchet

    Had also turned to this page hoping to see some commentary on last night’s District 33 candidates forum – thought BHA did good job organizing and moderating, and was impressed by the policy smarts and positions and public-spiritedness of most of the aspirants. Ranked-choice voting makes this easier – don’t have to pick just one in June.

  • Mike Suko

    You DO realize that only one will have a seat on the Council?! I’m sure you do, but if our community thinks in terms of self-interest – as I did above – having several “good options” actually may entail more DOWNside than upside.

  • Cranberry Beret

    I wasn’t very impressed by the way Trottenberg handled the initial BQE rollout. That was all on her, had nothing to do with the mayor. She let the traffic engineers run the process and was surprised when the community told her there were a lot more issues to consider than just bridge engineering. Very poor judgment and political sense.

  • AEB

    I read the Gothamist article. I’m scheduled to have my second shot at George Washington this Sunday. I called 411 and was told that no information exists about rescheduling at a different hub. Have you any idea–or more info–about how one might do this? Thanks.

  • KXrVrii1

    I think you are a tad optimistic about BQE renovation being done “fast & cheap.”

    I think we’ll wind up with just doing it cheap.

  • Mike Suko

    Nah – far from her first rodeo! She worked for someone of the Trump/Cuomo/ deBlasio “I don’t like them/they don’t like me/bleep ’em” persuasion. deBlasio has never been good on details, but he’s not from Staten Island and he+staff knew he was throwing acid in a community’s face.

    And still he persisted! Worse, that’s a world where “payback” is definitely a thing. When her boss, “Indiana Pete” says, “Polly. You know this issue better than anybody – whatcha think?” I don’t think “we’ll have a friend in court!”

  • CassieVonMontague

    According the the Finance Board’s map, the top fundraiser so far in 11201 is Toba Potosky with $28,753 raised from 377 contributions.

    In second is Lincoln Restler with $23,000 from 173 contributions.

    April Somboun has raised $9,230 from 152 individuals and Elizabeth Adams raised $4,946 from 62 individuals.

    The rest of the candidates have raised under $1250 in our neighborhood so far.

    https://www.nyccfb.info/follow-the-money/cunymap-2021/

  • Rick

    Have you already tried using this link?
    https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/
    It’ll take you to a page where you’ll find a button marked “Reschedule Appointment”.

    I don’t know if that will work in your particular case. I was successful using it to change my date/time, but in my case that was for the same location. I would hope that the city would make it work for a case like yours, to choose another location.

    And even if it does, there still has to be an appointment available, so you may have to keep trying.

  • SongBirdNYC

    Rick, Middle and HIgh schools are opening back up to students. That’s why the location was likely closed. There are multiple schools in that building including MS915 (the former PS8 middle school, now it’s own entity). https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/nyregion/nyc-middle-schools-reopening.html

  • AEB

    Thanks, Rick. After many calls, I finally arrived at a vaccination hotline:

    877 829-4692.

    There I was able to schedule my second Moderna shot at the Science Skills HS, see above, for this Sunday. Almost an even swap, old hub for new.

    By the way, no one seems to have any record of the George Washington hub closing.

  • Ernie

    I called to report the wrong address. Had them do a Google search so
    they could see their address was wrong and the it was on Flatbush Avenue
    Extension. But not optimistic.

  • Andrew Porter

    I had both shots at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan, after they reached out to me, not the other way around. Scanned in both my Vacc. Cards and now carry them in my wallet.

  • Andrew Porter

    I should have bailed after the BHA community service awards were announced.

    Not impressed by the candidate who wasn’t seem aware that BH is Landmarked, and the candidates whose favorite train is the G, which doesn’t go anywhere near here.

    Somewhere along the way, dozed off. Should have done that sooner.

  • Andrew Porter

    More ancient photos of the Heights. East side of Cranberry and Henry, looking north, on June 6th, 1928. Everything east of Henry was eventually torn down for the Cadman Towers:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/422544981b90fe8e65f977940c574eeb28c1652d66894f5725fa2acf9f9b74ab.jpg

  • Andrew Porter
  • gc

    The name of the school is actually George Westinghouse.
    Seems unlikely, but maybe that is leading to some of the confusion.

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    NYC school names are tricky. One minute it’s “PS101 – The Mike Tyson School of Harder Knocks Than Wherever the Hell You Went, Nerd” and the next it’s “PS101 – The Yuval Noah Hariri Citadel of Existential Enlightenment”, and they can just change on you like *that*.

  • Andrew Porter

    Yesterday, noticed a few crocuses just starting to bloom on the Promenade, at the Montague Street entrance.

  • Mike Suko

    Thanks. Very interesting, this.

    Does anybody know – educated guesses welcome – whether (last time around, say) Brooklyn Heights had more or [my guess] a much smaller number of votes than, say, Williamsburg in the primary? Did we amount to 20%, say, of votes cast?

    Tougher question – unless this database was operative 4 years ago…. Does the Heights donate enough more than other parts of the 33rd, so that we’re high(er) in the candidates’ thoughts?

  • gc

    Report from the new vaccine spot on Flatbush Extension, which replaced Westinghouse, was that the line was really long with 2 or 3 hour delays. Let’s hope they can bring this back under control very soon. Bring back the old crew if that’s what it takes.

  • Mike Suko

    It’s smaller with fewer “shooters.” The NYT reports that vaccinations are “leveling off,” but the first day (I think that IS today) of any place’s operation is bound to have some rough edges.

  • Rick

    Do you know if they make very old and/or disabled people wait in that long line, or do they let them in at the time of their appointment?

  • Ernie

    Was there today to see what it was like for a friend who has a Friday appointment. Asked that question. Was told that if they went the front of the line on Concord Street and talked to a staff person they should, and the word is should, be allowed to go the front of the line. Appointment times sure meant nothing today.

  • Mike Suko

    Hate to pile on, but tempers flared when an occasional elder (with a walker, say) was allowed to enter BEFORE someone who had been waiting for 2 hours or more. That the State and City are more like competing than co-operating to “smooth” this process is nothing short of deplorable!

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    I am posting this for my neighbor:

    **** LOST: Husband’s gold wedding ring ****

    Happy marriage of 39 years
    Sentimental value
    Engraved on the inside of the ring are our initials and wedding date.
    Lost in Brooklyn Heights

    REWARD offered

  • gc

    Any current information how the vaccination process is going at the new Flatbush Ave Ext location? Sounds like it got off to a bit of a rocky start. Have an appointment for tomorrow so I hope they’re doing a bit better!