Open Thread Wednesday

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  • William Gilbert

    I am glad to hear that Lincoln Restler is appropriating funds for the installation of historic lighting throughout the Heights. It has always rankled me that the North Heights was deliberately cut out last time this was done – nothing above Montague Street. Please! I believe that was, in the large part, the fault of the BHA as they were instrumental in where the lighting was placed years ago. Perhaps the Fruit streets will finally get their due…I HOPE!

  • bill

    With the opening of the new bike lane on Schermerhorn biking in and out of the Heights is vastly improved.

    To make things even better, Lincoln Restler has sponsored legislation to allow for individuals to provide videos of cars parked in bike lanes and get them fined (much like you can for idling trucks already). Obviously he is already the Council Member for Brooklyn Heights so he doesn’t need letters/calls to make sure he supports it. But, I suspect the more people who write in the more ammunition they have. Also, get your friends who live outside the neighborhood to support it.

  • CassieVonMontague
  • Mike Suko

    Yes, lots of maps, but one enormous unanswered question:

    Does anybody believe that this is anything but –

    “Just tell me what the weakest links are – the fewer and easier to ‘remediate’ the better – so I can look like I give a darn and then get back to enjoying Manhattan’s nightlife and letting the whole world know that I’m an ex-cop with the shortest attention span you ever saw!”

    Every administration for 20 years has been alternately flashing “Don’t worry” and “Any day now, the whole thing could come tumbling down” messages. For diBlasio – so obviously bored with being Mayor – to say, “Hey, we HAVE TO do something” and then Adams bops in and says, “3 weekends and we’ll fix the deck at the foot of Grace Court [and 2 other quick hits] – no biggie!” looks to me like what made the Big Apple Circus fun for years – 2 clowns!”

    But that circus ceasing operation was sad, while the BQE mismanagement is likely to end in tears.

  • Mike Suko

    Where was that photo taken? I can’t quite place it.

  • gc

    Roof of 57 Montague St ???

  • Jorale-man

    I wonder if Joralemon and Sydney Place will ever be repaved. The city is outdoing itself in dragging it out this time. On the plus side, not much speeding.

  • Mike Suko

    Thanks. Don’t know how come I never saw that 62 Montague was so ornate … or that the Bossert was so beefy. Guess it’s too hard to walk with your neck craned enough to take things like that in.

  • AndyHeights

    It does make walking difficult. I always wonder why the city can’t coordinate the timing between the repairs and the repaving more sensibly.

  • Andrew Porter

    They started in the south Heights and just ran out of money. Pretty sure there was no Great Conspiracy, by the BHA or anyone else, to screw the northern part of the neighborhood.

    BTW, are you a member of the BHA? I am.

  • Andrew Porter

    Another of my photos from the renovation of 60 Pineapple Street. When you throw stuff out the window and hope it lands in a dumpster, sometimes you miss the mark:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/063f95216726302a1fe9d605b164e7ad22ffb002ed0a89b5a22f4c8ab9029089.jpg

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Correct!

  • William Gilbert

    I am no longer a member of the BHA, having let my membership expire years ago for a number of reasons, among them when the BHA backed the opening of the wretched Court Street cinema, apparently believing the owner’s nonsense that the theater would be highlighting and showing “art” films (at a multiplex?) and we know how that turned out. This, after it took years to get the previous horrible theater closed on the very same site, but I digress.

    As far as the historic lighting is concerned, I stand by my comments. It is rather curious that all of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens have the lighting, but in the Heights, it stops dead a Montague Street and the BHA was heavily involved in that decision. Why? I am not the first one to notice this, but I suspect there was a little self interest at work.

    Here is a link from the BHB 8 years ago about the original reinstallation of the lights in the south Heights. Kindly note Karl Junkersfeld’s comments down in the middle of the page.

    http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/68019

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    I remember the “previous horrible theater” on the site later taken by the Court Street multiplex. For some time its marquee read “TWO FIRST RUN BKLYN”; the titles of the movies they showed probably were too raunchy to show in public. Then, for some reason, the “t” and “s” got reversed and it became “TWO FIRTS RUN BKLYN.” I thought, “Gee, I’d like to meet those two firts.” Finally, the “t” fell off, and it became “TWO FIR S RUN BKLYN.” I thought, “Gosh, not long ago, it was a big deal that a tree grew here; now they’ve taken over.”

  • Jorale-man

    Latest pandemic update for 11201:
    Dates: September 21-September 27
    7-day percent positive: 7.41%
    People tested (reported to date): 796
    New people positive (reported to date): 59
    https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page#maps
    Official numbers are, of course, dramatic undercounts due to at-home testing.
    #CovidIsntOver #MaskUp

  • Wondering About Congestion Pri

    What sre people’s thoughts on congestion pricing? Is this actually good for BK Heights residents? I’m not sure. Here’s the latest oped from our elected reps. https://www.amny.com/opinion/congestion-pricing-must-be-approved-help-community/ The thing I don’t understand is why it will actually reduce traffic in our neighborhood. Can someone explain?

  • CassieVonMontague
  • CassieVonMontague

    Barnes & Noble on Court Street is moving to the old Barneys location on Atlantic Ave

    https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-popular-barnes-noble-on-court-street-is-moving-inside-a-former-barneys-092922

  • CassieVonMontague

    And remember, according to the New York Times, B&N keeps all of our beloved independent bookstores alive.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/arts/barnes-noble-bookstores.html

    The Court Street location has always done a great job tailoring its offerings to local tastes. The window displays always catch my fancy.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    That’s a considerably smaller space, isn’t it?

  • CassieVonMontague

    Yes, less than half the size: 21,327 sq ft vs 10,465 sq ft

  • CassieVonMontague

    And remember, there is a NEW and IMPROVED booster that came out this month! Few have received it because few have heard about it. Go get it! Don’t get sick with Omicron!

    My over-70-year-old husband-and-wife neighbors are fully vaccinated with only one booster and now are both suffering from covid for the past week. They didn’t even know about the new shot! The husband lost his sense of taste.

  • FatFreddy’sCatheter

    Fond memories of the front table, carefully curated for the striking covers and intellectual, cosmopolitan sensibility the new nonfiction; closest B&N to me now is suburban, and the front table can’t compare.

  • Jorale-man

    Yes, it’s remarkable how under the radar the new booster is. A real failure of public health officials and frankly, the news media for not getting the word out better. Hope your neighbors recover quickly.

  • Andrew Porter
  • NeighboorHood

    What kind of self-imposed information bubble could people be in that they haven’t heard about the Omicron variant, the wait for a specifically tweaked vax, and the roll out?! It’s been covered multiple times by all the major media outlets, I’ve been getting social media notices from chain pharmacies and NYC Dept of Health on multiple occasions. Even Mayor Adams , while insanely pushing to lift more mask requirements still simultaneously while announcing the lifting of those mandates, rolled up his sleeve and got the new booster LIVE on the local news channels. That list doesn’t even account for the kazillion posts and news stories about “How effective is the new booster”,“when should I get the new booster?”, and “who should get the new booster?”. And we’re approaching year 3 of the pandemic for heavens sake. The more/easier it’s become to access information, the dumber this society becomes.

  • Jorale-man

    A majority of the population doesn’t have a clue. I find that for something like this to get people’s attention, it has to almost receive blanket news coverage, like a hurricane or a mass shooting. Otherwise, people tune it out, ignore it, or never hear the message in the first place. If you read the NY Times, WaPost, or similar outlet on a regular basis, you’re probably up on Omicron’s status and the bivalent boosters, but that’s unfortunately a small segment of the population.

  • CassieVonMontague

    Half of Adults Have Heard Little or Nothing About New Covid Boosters, Survey Finds

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/30/health/omicron-booster-covid.html

    From the article, the public has COVID information overload and confusion about eligibility. The booster is immediately available to ages 12 and up, which is different than past eligibility rollouts. Likewise, only 8% of children 6 months to 4 years have received a first dose, and only 9% in New York State. Parents don’t want to vaccinate their kids.

  • Andrew Porter

    High winds have forced the cancellation of the booths at the Brooklyn Book Fest today, though panels, all inside, will continue:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e456df708a6544a351347a4e20e7daf93547761bb1cc0c0a9da00defabfd91d3.png

  • TeddyNYC

    They should’ve canceled the Atlantic Antic and rescheduled it for next Sunday which according to the Weather Channel will be sunny and 61 degrees. They need to implement rain dates.