Open Thread Wednesday

By on November 8, 2023 12:30 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • William Gilbert

    Has anyone noticed how many mailboxes have disappeared from the neighborhood? The one in front of the St.George, The one on Hicks and Clark, the one on Henry and Pierrepont and the one on Montague and Henry. I’m sure there might be more. Are they gone forever or just being replaced with more secure ones because of the glue problems.
    Does anyone know what is going on?

  • Banet

    There’s a new Mediterranean “fast casual” restaurant on Montague – upstairs in (or near) the Five Guys space. Anyone know when it will open? Anyone try the Manhattan location?

    (I still can’t believe we lost Five Guys. If they were street level they would have been packed 24/7.)

  • Jorale-man

    Lincoln Restler handily won last night with 87% of the votes (cue the comments about his hair, or whatever). https://www.brooklynpaper.com/election-results-polls-close-in-brooklyn-victors-celebrate-in-close-council-races/

  • Bear

    what surprises me there is no slot or box outside the actual Post Office.

  • Andrew Porter

    I never use those boxes on the street any more. I only use the slots inside the Post Office on Cadman Plaza East.

    Here, btw, is what that building looked like in 1905; all other structures in this photo are gone:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6d02283eeb37d9d402510057d1071065ec8759b98a821ea0af7890ca30ee1049.jpg

  • Andrew Porter

    There was, but—guess what!—mail was stolen from it as well.

  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s 36 Pierrepont Street, corner of Hicks, in March, 1940. Frankly, I think it looks better, nowadays:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7ff3cdd16d3bb0114996ad7b1af334b39cccf0488d264ccd949c744263fb008c.png

  • Winthrop R. T213

    There’s a Scout group that’s been meeting in the neighborhood. Troop 213 of Scouts BSA meets on Thursdays most weeks at Grace Church. Scouting begins around 5th grade and runs for ages 11-17.

    https://www.instagram.com/troop213/

    Please feel free to contact us if your child might be interested. Troop 213 is fun and (very!) inclusive, and boys and girls are welcome. We are focused on volunteering in Brooklyn Heights, occasional hiking and camping trips, and lots of life skills that range from first aid to horticulture, cooking to local government, and plenty of knots!

  • Zxcvbnm

    Yes – Very excited Taboonette is moving into the neighborhood. I used to work by the one in the village and would go there for lunch pretty regularly. Their pita bread is excellent.

  • Banet

    Fascinating. The side facing Pierrepont now has a stoop. I don’t know how people entered in this photo.

  • Andrew Porter
  • Banet

    Does anyone know the details of a pedestrian that was allegedly hit by a driver with their vehicle on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street yesterday? Somebody offhandedly mentioned it to me but did not have any details.

  • Desperate Taboonette fan

    I’ve heard they are just waiting for a gas line to be installed.

  • clarknt67

    DOT is soliciting comments on a proposed rule to ban vendors from the Brooklyn Bridge. You can comment here and find a link to the public hearing. The hearing is Nov 15.

    https://rules.cityofnewyork.us/rule/prohibition-of-vending-on-elevated-pedestrian-walkways-bicycle-lane-on-a-bridge-or-bridge-approaches/

  • MaggieO

    oy… that’s not a good thing to be waiting on in the city these days… i hope it can be resolved

  • Red Leader

    Walked over the bridge last night. Vendors took up maybe the first ¼ mile on the Manhattan side. Not terrible on the Brooklyn side but still shocking.

  • TeddyNYC

    I don’t have any details, but I think I remember seeing a notification from the Citizen app that a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle on Court and Pacific.

  • TeddyNYC

    I know some people here didn’t care for Five Guys, but I liked going there from time to time. It served the occasional need for some of us. Like you mentioned, it wasn’t an optimal location.

  • TeddyNYC

    Using the slots inside the PO may be the safest option, but for some older people, especially those with mobility issues, that may be too far to walk. Also with winter coming, the cold temperatures and snow/ice can make a walk like that treacherous. It’s a shame people can’t trust the mailbox closest to their home.

  • B.

    Removing mailboxes might be a twofold thing: Yes, mail keeps getting stolen, for sure; but it certainly saves money when you don’t have to pay postal workers to pick up six to ten or so envelopes from mailboxes on every other corner every day.

    Our box is gone. A couple of years ago, it was thief-proofed, but then the local talent began to put God know what besides mail into it. For a while, it was taped shut and festooned with yellow warning tape, a tacky eyesore; now it’s gone altogether.

  • Andrew Porter

    I walked by the Brooklyn Only Foods store at 78 Henry Street the other day and inside, it was full of boxes and closed. Couldn’t tell whether or not it’s still in business.

  • Andrew Porter

    “NYC to begin enforcing weight limits for trucks on crumbling BQE next week,” reports AMNewYork:

    https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-enforcing-weight-trucks-crumbling-bqe/

  • clarknt67

    I am sure the amount of snail mail pickups need has collapsed in the last twenty years. I mail like two things a year now. Tops!

  • Effective Presenter

    In the old days Brooklyn Union Gas would have arrived ASAP to keep the customer satisfied and get that gas meter $$$ running.

  • clarknt67

    Actually, it’s a ban on all bridges and tunnels. It’s just the Brooklyn Bridge they have become a problem (overcrowding, safety concerns, litter).

  • B.

    True. But for about $22 a month to run the gas stove and dryer, it’s still the cheapest utility on my autopay.