Open Thread Wednesday

By on November 8, 2022 11:19 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • CassieVonMontague

    Anyone who regularly walked down Willow St before 2018 would remember “Pete” Valentine, who would sit on her stoop and invite anyone passing by to join her. She would regale you with stories of growing up in Brooklyn Heights.

    She once told me she had a son who died. “He moved out to St. Louis and married a woman from a family of brewers. I forget the name,” she said. I told her Anheuser-Busch was the big brewery in St. Louis. “That’s the name! Busch!” She said. I never knew if she was pulling my leg or being modest. How could you forget that your son married into the Busch family?

    Well, I was watching the election results on Tuesday, and saw that Trudy Busch Valentine, John’s widow, was running for Senate in Missouri. I guess Pete was telling the truth. It was nice to be reminded of an old friend.

  • CassieVonMontague

    Anyone who regularly walked down Willow St before 2018 would remember “Pete” Valentine, who would sit on her stoop and invite anyone passing by to join her. She would regale you with stories of growing up in Brooklyn Heights.

    She once told me she had a son who died. “He moved out to St. Louis and married a woman from a family of brewers. I forget the name,” she said. I told her Anheuser-Busch was the big brewery in St. Louis. “That’s the name! Busch!” She said. I never knew if she was pulling my leg or being modest. How could you forget that your son married into the Busch family?

    Well, I was watching the election results on Tuesday, and saw that Trudy Busch Valentine, John’s widow, was running for Senate in Missouri. I guess Pete was telling the truth. It was nice to be reminded of an old friend.

  • CassieVonMontague

    If you travel back in time on Google Streetview, Pete is sitting on her stoop reading the paper and drinking “branch water”. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/443b22ade55345ef4e8c5e0d8868c674d202a73f5456c273e02d6b51ebe0de15.png

  • Knight

    What local volunteer opportunities exist for Heights residents on Thanksgiving Day?

  • AEB

    I was elated–yes, elated–to visit the new bookstore last Sunday. It was packed; even children were present and being childlike in a back room with books devoted to their interests.

    I felt that Brooklyn Heights was no longer just a pretty face. That the nabe, so lacking in intellectual opportunitiy, now had an example of that very thing.

    Bookstores with real live books are wonderful things. They’re places to browse and thus to roam, to set the mind free to explore and surmise. I don’t mean to be sentimental about the power of books. But really, having the new bookstore, with its well chosen inventory, is just the best.

  • aeshtron

    Is Mint Heights’ new sign in compliance with Section 2-13-7 of Landmarks rules which states “Signage mounted on the exterior will not be internally illuminated, except that it may be ‘halo’ lit with a light source behind opaque letters.”?

  • JaneonOrange

    I meant to post this last week–did anyone else notice the blue helicopter (not NYPD) that was flying VERY low over the North Heights on Thursday? And when I say very, I mean it looked like it was lower than 75 Henry and was going to land in Cadman Plaza or something. Instead, it went around and did it another couple of times?

  • Andrew Porter
  • Andrew Porter

    As long as it’s not black, or has the word “Trump” on the side, it’s okay with me. Seriously, violation of FAA rules, perhaps tourists or commercial use?

  • Andrew Porter

    I’ve noticed numerous violations of LPC rules in recent years. Those rules are spelled out in this pdf:

    https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/LPCPermitGuidebook_Chapter5_Signage.pdf

  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s 29 Joralemon Street on May 5, 1908. Very run-down then. It’s next to the pumping station that’s now a charming dwelling.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ad405a9a98fd9ee9e2d983e98c6566d26d6533a2c4e9ef330fdbb4291b642de9.jpg

  • JaneonOrange

    My first thought was it was crashing (and might hit the large building on the corner of Cranberry and Henry). Then I started to think maybe it was filming. But really, there is NO REASON to be that low. It was kind of scary because it was so confusing.

  • https://www.facebook.com/app_scoped_user_id/YXNpZADpBWEhFLTl0aHMxSUtaTGlTVnpETF8xeDcxaWxXeWxGeVVGNUt1cEN5VGstRkdfczlmVEVzaXFYOTU1d1ZAJZAkRaVWZAiTHVJRWRJeV9aYVRUVThGcDhma0tmWXlHb3VXbXFnaTgZD/ Stacey Mankoff

    Hi all. Anyone else see the Deploy Coffee cart on the Promenade this week? I checked on their license which wasn’t exactly clear but I would think it would be replacing where the ice creak truck was on Pierrepont rather than ON the Promenade, obstructing views and having a very noisy engine run all day. I have contacted the Parks Depart and the Council as well as the BHA – although someone mentioned that the BHA advocated for this – so what does that mean? Food trucks on the Promenade now? Thoughts? Any way to get them off and moved to the correct spot? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d54a27c0c587584da26c32b09ca95c810bedd5d4eda114f2a62ff4a6cd46660a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/55c9dc8f9637661a89f3197ae6479f42166da5b3d1f329b9478b29f5138d4387.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2c119c9ab368df7bc536cf07101b72a7d720868eeb73d618b82799c1feda4616.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/417549b3d81ed3b02e279fafc918f133f692250f21efdb9f8be41b79d8c79ad9.jpg

  • MB25

    I went and got a cappuccino there yesterday. It was delicious! I asked what their story was and apparently they’re two vets who got really into coffee during the pandemic. They said it took many months to get the proper licenses but they had a license on display to be in that exact spot, as far as I could tell. They are only there Mondays and Tuesdays for now. I think it’s a lovely addition to the neighborhood. And they were very friendly!

  • Jorale-man

    An annoying side-effect this global warming-induced weather: The ice cream truck still parks on the corner of Clinton and Livingston for several hours every afternoon, its rattling old compressor belching fumes nonstop. It always manages to park there (illegally) without any issue too.

  • Banet

    My whole family there as they opened the doors on Opening Day and I returned for more on Sunday. What an absolute pleasure to have such an excellent addition to the street.

    Yes, most of their books can be found for less online. But paying a little more is a small price to pay in exchange for the entertainment, education and convenience of having them in our community.

    Oh, and I spent almost $200. :-)

  • BQE

    DIdn’t see this posted anywhere — is anyone going that can post a summary?

    https://calendar.aiany.org/2022/11/10/bqe-why-cant-we/

    Come out to Governors Island on Thursday, November 10, 6:30-8:30PM for the second of three public panels held at the Block House, part of the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA)’s 2022 Fall Fellowship program. This series brings together designers, community leaders and urban planners to facilitate discussions about the potential transformation of the BQE corridor.

    “BQE: Why Can’t We?” will be a discussion of case studies of highways that have been removed, decked-over, or transformed into community friendly boulevards.

    Susannah Drake, FAIA, FASLA, an architect and landscape architect, will present her work on BQGreen, a proposed park on a decked-over portion of the BQE in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

    Phillip Baldwin, a designer and educator, will present an overview of the Cheonggyecheon River daylighting and highway removal project in Seoul, South Korea.

    Erik Frisch, an urban planner, and City of Rochester official, will present the successful and ongoing removal of the I-490 Inner Loop East/North in Rochester, New York.

    The discussion will be moderated by Katie Swenson, Senior Principal, MASS Design Group and Marc Norman, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair and Associate Dean, NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

    Can’t make it in person? Register to join our live webinar starting at 6:30PM.

    Note: This event is taking place outside of regular Governors Island opening hours. Registration is therefore required to access the event in-person. After registration, attendees will receive detailed instructions about arriving to the island. Please plan on taking the ferry departing at 5:45 PM or 6:15 PM from the Battery Maritime Terminal in Downtown Manhattan.

    Organized by
    Institute for Public Architecture

  • Cranberry Beret

    Sadly I think the current administration already knows all about these other projects, they just don’t care to do something like that here.
    It’s a politics problem, not an architecture problem.

  • Jorale-man

    Sounds like you’ve contacted the right people. Whether they act and toss this cart off is anyone’s guess. As I posted below, capitalism seems to have free rein in the Heights these days (also see the giant movie set around Henry and State Streets).

  • FatFreddy’sCatheter

    I read the permit. If that domicile counts as a “pushcart”, I’d like to see it being pushed. Also, I’m skeptical that a vendor may interpret an ambiguous permit wording to contradict the Promenade rules re: commerce.

    But I’m glad people like the coffee.

  • Alex

    My wife and I also noticed it and thought it was going to crash! Dangerously low. I think they were filming…

  • Andrew Porter

    I received the following from the BHA this morning (slightly edited by me):

    “This week we welcomed Deploy Coffee to Brooklyn Heights. You may have seen the signature blue cart … yourself during a walk on the Promenade. The cart will be in the neighborhood on a temporary trial basis from 8am-3pm on Mondays and Tuesdays in November and December, and most likely next March and April weather permitting.

    “…Deploy Coffee is founded and owned by Jimmy Lai, a ten-year OIF/OEF U.S. Veteran…

    “We are proud to be working with Jimmy and Danny, who understand the challenges of transitioning to civilian life and hope that Deploy Coffee will help promote veteran entrepreneurship. Their cart was stationed on the Promenade this week, but in response to feedback from some in the neighborhood, we have asked Deploy to locate the cart next week at the intersection of Montague Terrace and Montague Street, and not on the Promenade itself.

    “One of the things we heard a lot from this community during the pandemic is that the commercial and economic health of our community is closely tied to its social well-being. Like our other efforts during the pandemic – from launching Brooklyn Heights Together, which raised tens of thousands of dollars to help local service workers who were displaced from their jobs in the Heights, to our successful efforts to help bring great new businesses like Inga’s Bar, L’Appartement 4F, and Books are Magic to the neighborhood, our goal with this project is to help build community and restore the vibrant energy of our business district and public spaces.

    “We hope you enjoy Deploy Coffee – and we welcome your feedback and ideas, now and throughout the duration of this pilot.”

    ***
    I have protested the commercial use of Parks Dept space to the BHA, of which I am a member.

  • Andrew Porter

    Screenshot from Gothamist of how people in the 52nd voted on Tuesday:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6759b333220ccce213aa8aa61a28e4d1e3b969431b5a85978fea8a01fd9c847b.png

  • meschwar

    How do you think it got there?

  • gc

    Glad to see it removed from the Promenade. Way too much of a slippery slope to have it on the Promenade.

  • CassieVonMontague

    Slate has a story on the mystery of the disappearing drug store chains

    https://slate.com/business/2022/11/cvs-walgreens-shoplifting-plexiglass-barriers-pharmacies.html

    Long and short of it is a death spiral of more online shopping and a rise in theft. Online resellers are making it easier to fence stolen goods. The rise in theft causes stores to put everything behind plexiglass, which further reduces sales as customers would rather buy their foot cream online for cheaper than have it announced to the entire store that someone needs assistance in the foot cream aisle.

  • Mary Kim

    2022 Heights and Hills Thanksgiving Day Meal Delivery Volunteer Sign Up – Grace Church

    https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=uSGLAoobk02NRO9fkFblB1FJ6Bp5erNCsX0xij3SrLpURVZJS05XSTBGODYyRDBNWk1JNjc2WVVFNi4u

  • FatFreddy’sCatheter

    The trailer hitch.

  • nomcebo manzini

    Gotta wonder…. Whole Foods and probably others selling avocados and such are moving toward a no-need-to-deal-with-checkout-we-know-what-you-put-in-your-cart approach … and companies as big (and with lots more outlets and higher margin products) as CVS choose to “fold.”

    Yes, there are plenty of such stores in suburbs, but it’s only a matter of time before “the gangs” make inroads there. And it would be easy to switch to a “order & pick up” model to avoid the situation you mention. Same day deliveries are increasing to a point where smaller stores and grab-and-go look both necessary and sufficient to stabilize things.

    Convenience stores for groceries CAN hack it – see Peas & Pickles for proof … but a huge industry can’t charge $25 in-store and $18 online (like Walgreen’s does) for long before reduced sales & NYC rent-salaries-taxes-etc. take too much of the profit out of the operation.

  • T.K. Small
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