If you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen Paul Giamatti around Brooklyn Heights recently it may be because he’s pretty darn busy!
The neighborhood’s most master thespian is en fuego with the buzz movie of the Venice Film Festival Barney’s Version which co-stars Dustin Hoffman, he’s expected to star in Farragut North to be directed by George Clooney and Tina Fey let out this big secret at the Emmys on Sunday — he’ll be guest starring on the second episode of 30 Rock this season as a grumpy video editor.  Wait… there are ungrumpy video editors?

BHB reader “Rich” sends us this photo of a very special rearrangement of Cutting Den’s sign at the Clark Street station.  Guess the students are back and school’s back in session!

BBC photo

Brooklyn Heights resident/BHB contributor Heather Quinlan gets some more press attention this week for her NY accent movie If These Knishes Could Talk, this time from the BBC:

BBC: For the last year-and-a-half, Quinlan, a native New Yorker and film-maker, has followed the same routine for her first documentary, If These Knishes Could Talk.

The film, part comedic banter and part serious discussion, will not only bring a taste of the NY accent to audiences, but also examine how it’s changed as the city has changed.

“I have one grandfather who was a speech teacher and another grandfather who was a truck driver, and both are New Yorkers. And I feel like this film kind of bridges the gap between those two worlds a little bit,” Quinlan explains.

WSJ: Law-enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation say Mr. Mendez, 30 years old, though trained in CPR, admitted he wasn’t confident enough in his skills to perform the procedure.

Mr. Mendez traveled behind the mother’s car, providing an escort of sorts to the hospital. However, when they arrived, Mr. Mendez allegedly drove off and never reported the incident as NYPD regulations require, police officials said. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.

After the mother went to the news media with allegations of inaction by an NYPD officer, detectives from the NYPD’s Internal Affairs unit showed the mother pictures of every officer in the 76th Precinct where the incident took place. However, she wasn’t able to identify any of the officers as the one she dealt with.

Police said Internal Affairs detectives then expanded their search to include what Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly called on Tuesday the “universe of law enforcement that might be in the area.”

After Internal Affairs identified Mr. Mendez as a suspect they showed his photo to the mother and she identified him as the officer.

Police say that a gasoline charge Mr. Mendez made with an NYPD-issued gas card placed him in the area at the time of the incident. Mr. Mendez is assigned to the 84th precinct in downtown Brooklyn. On the day of the incident he was in traffic court at 139 Flatbush Avenue and was traveling to relieve an officer assigned to a security post on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge when he encountered the girl’s mother, police officials said.

One police official with knowledge of the investigation said Mr. Mendez’s biggest mistake was that he failed to make the proper notifications.

Flickr photo by jessekalim

It’s September already!  Comment away!!

Flatbush Gardener photo

BHB contributor Claude Scales is celebrating 5 years of his own blog Self Absorbed Boomer today.   Claude’s been an essential cog in the BHB machinery and if you haven’t read his personal take on things Brooklyn and beyond now is a good time to check out SAB.

There’s a group that goes to Perelandra on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights every night and goes through their garbage looking for food. It seems that Perelandra being aware of this packs it up in boxes specifically for them and places it in the street. I’ve seen them picking out some good looking stuff but there’s no way I would do it.

So, have you seen them recently? Do they bug you, man? Think they’re saving the world?

Nightline covered this group back in 2007.

Watch it and read what Spin has to say after the jump.

Spin: MGMT continue to push the artistic envelope with the videos from this year’s Congratulations, including the just-released clip for the album’s title track—watch it below.

In the video, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser wander the desert with a skinless, chicken-like puppet who’s simply falling apart. Literally. One limb and body part at a time. In the midst of this crisis, VanWyngarden strokes the poor beast’s head while Goldwasser strums an acoustic guitar by the campfire.

We couldn’t help but think of the 1982 Jim Henson flick, The Dark Crystal, when we met MGMT’s doomed, clucky pal—he’s a benevolent version of that movie’s Skeksis creatures.

The Brooklyn Paper’s recap of the debate and video after the jump:

Assembly candidate Doug Biviano blasted away at incumbent Joan Millman in a debate last week, hammering her for taking her pension even as she works as a lawmaker, lambasting her for backing transit cuts, and for flip-flopping on housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park — but the harshest word he had for Millman was that she’s “nice.”

By our count, Biviano taunted his rival with the seemingly innocuous adjective six times during the hour-long debate in Community Newspaper Group’s Downtown studio, where the candidates in the Sept. 14 primary battled in hopes of attracting voters in the Brownstone Brooklyn assembly district.

Being repeatedly slammed as “nice” certainly didn’t faze Millman, who said she was more upset that Biviano called her a bum on his website.

“I don’t think ‘nice’ is a pejorative word,” she said. “I don’t mind being called nice because I am a nice person. But I’m also an effective person.”

Biviano certainly didn’t agree, slamming Millman (D-Carroll Gardens) on the issues — and for collecting her pension from her prior job as a city teacher while working as our elected representative in Albany. Biviano called that “double dipping.”

“I’m on the street and I talk to the people and they’re worried about their pensions,” Biviano said. “These people aren’t making six figures and on top of … another government pension. It’s an abuse of the pension system.”

Millman makes $92,000 as an Assemblywoman. She was elected to office in 1997 after she retired from her 27 years as a teacher and began collecting her pension.

“I had already put in my paperwork,” she said. “You can’t rescind it.”

The NY Post published a story by Courier Life writer Tom Tracy with the lastest in this saga:

The truth is that Millman could have deferred then -— and could still defer now. All she had to do was file a “Retirement Allowance Suspension/Resumption Form” with the Teachers Retirement System.

What Millman (D-Carroll Gardens) is doing is perfectly legal, but that hasn’t stopped her assembly challenger, Doug Biviano, from railing on her for more than a week since our debate aired on our website.

“Collecting of two government paychecks shows that Assemblywoman Millman is not only out of touch with the community, but cares more about her interests than those of the people she represents,” Biviano said. “She should be protecting the pension system and our over-burdened tax-payers, not abusing them.”

In the debate, Biviano likened Millman’s pension to Assemblymembers Rhoda Jacobs (D–Midwood) and Harvey Weisenberg (D–Long Island), Albany colleagues who collect their state legislator pensions while still serving in the job of state legislator. The loophole that allows them to do that has since been closed.

Millman’s camp has taken a flogging from Biviano since the debate, but Nelson turned it right back on the challenger.

“Doug believes she shouldn’t be allowed to retire, collect her pension — a pension funded by her money that she’s already deferred while she was a teacher in the public school system, mind you — and have a second career,” he said. “He’s sending a terrible message to senior citizens by telling them that once they retire they should just move to Florida because they’re not needed or welcome here anymore.”

Reserve your slot on the walk — buy tickets now at Eventbrite.

Members of the Empire City Garrison — the NYC-based branch of the global Star Wars costuming group, the 501st Legion, enforce the Empire’s might on DUMBO Thursday, 8/26. LucasFilm requested that the troopers pay a surprise visit to Big Spaceship’s offices on Main Street. (Yes, one of them is a pal of Homer’s.)

Karl Junkersfeld discovers actual wildlife at Brooklyn Bridge Park and he names it “Dodger”.   Is this muskrat supposed to be there?  Has he been bused in or is he a native?  Anyone know?

And should we be cranking this song?

Brooklyn Eagle: An Iftar is a break-the-fast meal held during Ramadan, considered the holiest and most introspective month of the Islamic calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset from food, water and pleasurable activities. Rabbi Serge Lippe and members of the [Brooklyn Heights Synagogue] congregation welcomed Imam Abdallah Allam, other prayer leaders and members of the Dawood Mosque, providing sweet dates and water for the fast-breaking at 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 25. In a room filled with a menorah and inscriptions from the Book of Exodus, Rabbi Lippe invited the Muslim guests to observe their regular evening prayers.

Rabbi Lippe said as welcome, “Our synagogue says on the front, ‘Let them make me a sanctuary, so that I might dwell among them’ [Exodus 25:38]. Many synagogues have the line from the prophet Isaiah, ‘Let my house be a house of prayer for all peoples.’ I think that because each year we’ve developed this relationship and have our prayers being offered here, I think it lends itself to the blessings for our communities and the buildings to be able to share our prayers.”

NY Daily News photo

NY Daily News: “See the way I’m bouncing around?” he said as he maneuvered his electric wheelchair over the path. “You’re just bumping along. It’s slow and tedious. “I can do it, [but] for a lot of people that use either a manual wheelchair or walker or a cane or crutches or something like that, they’re going to have trouble getting there,” he said. “It’s a really fabulous view; it’s just spectacular. . . . I still can’t figure out why [the gravel] is necessary.”

Brooklyn Bridge Park officials tell the paper something we’ve heard before — crews will be sweeping and tamping down the gravel to make it a smooth surface as planned. That was the case at Pier 6 where one resident tells the paper the pathway is now “perfect”.
Note: This article is not currently available on line. For now, enjoy this PDF courtesy of Mr. Small.

Photo by Kathryn Kirk for Brooklyn Borough President's Office

Brooklyn Borough Hall will be lit tonight and through the weekend in blue and white to honor the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birth.  In a press release borough president Marty Markowitz says, “We are proud to honor the life and legacy of Mother Teresa at Borough Hall,” said BP Markowitz. “Borough Hall may not be as tall as the Empire State Building, but it is Brooklyn’s oldest public building—and one of the oldest in New York City—and what better place than our diverse borough to celebrate not only Mother Teresa but people and groups of all faiths—including Brooklyn’s large Catholic community—who have made great contributions to the world.”

Updated with photo on 8/26/10.

Brownstoner: Applebee’s is a getting a neighbor. A sign just went up in the window of one of the long-empty storefronts at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn announcing the imminent arrival of 7-Eleven. Eagle-eyed trackers of DOB filings would have known about this well over a month ago because of permit for interior work at the space. Seems like a pretty good fit for that location.

Flickr photo by Jonas Bengsston

The BBP lists the objectives of the RFP as:

• Creating a new high quality year-round facility in the park to house cultural, arts, educational and/or civic and community uses that would activate the park and provide public programming both at the site and throughout the park.
• Restoring the facility as an active community amenity that will provide access to the general public and be available for community use.
• Stabilizing and preserving the historic structure, to the extent possible.
• Integrating the Tobacco Warehouse with the operations and public facilities of the Park in a manner sensitive to its historic surroundings.
• Creating a financially self-sustaining model for the continued upkeep and maintenance of the facility without subsidy from Brooklyn Bridge Park for development, construction or ongoing operations.

A local consortium of community leaders calling itself  the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council released its objectives for the Tobacco Warehouse on August 5, in anticipation of this RFP.   In our coverage of that proposal we wrote:

Sources claim that DUMBO’s largest developer, Two Trees, has been floating a plan since Spring to convert the facility into a glass roofed, single use venue. They reportedly plan to house St. Ann’s Warehouse (soon to be displaced by their Dock Street project) and another arts group… [Some say that the]  “fix is in” for the Two Trees’ scenario to move forward. The BBPCC insists that the process needs to be public and transparent to insure that the Tobacco Warehouse remains part of the park and doesn’t fall into private domain.

The BBPC has included in its presentation a statement for noted historian Francis Morrone:
Francis Morrone: A Historian’s Plea for the Preservatn of the Tobacco Warehouse Ruin

NY Times Cityroom: There is a special place in hell for the Brooklyn Heights real estate broker married to the president of the coop board who assured a first time and foreign buyer that she and only she knows what the board is looking for and you are it.. And don’t worry! She and her husband will facilitate! Yet she can’t tell us what their financial requirements are beyond “20% down and enough to pay on a rainy day”! She leaves us to put together the ‘package” – rushed as soon as the mortgage commitment letter arrives (rather than letting us address its conditions first). She has her husband call to prep us for the interview but says not to let the board know that he has spoken to us. We are blindsided in the interview – presided by the husband – by the confusing situation of this subterfuge (what are we supposed to say? what are we not?) as well as the surprise that the storage rooms in the basement have a 12 year waiting list (not 9 months to one year, as the broker wife assured).. Our rejection arrives from the broker the next morning by email. Sorry! Let me know if I can help you in your future search! With what??? We have lost a quarter of our deposit to the seller (so sure was the broker that we were “just right” that she conned us us into signing a non-refundable deposit with no board approval contingency), thousands of dollars to the mortgage company (recommended by the broker), appraiser (whom the broker made sure got the right comps to insure it was high enough), the building’s management company (chosen by the broker’s husband), and the coop board itself.
Cooperative apartments are one of New York City’s meaner realities, and they have spurned a breed of broker uniquely awful unto themselves.
Looking in Brooklyn Heights? Ask the broker what her connection to the board is! Don’t fall for the trap we did!

BHB photo by C. Scales

Brooklyn Eagle: With Eagle staffers and other passersby noting that the building is ”scaffolded and shrouded” (with netting), a check of Department of Buildings (DOB) documents was made.

That search revealed that a permit has been issued for the conversion of the second-through-sixth floors of the six-story building.

Although Mark Sharfman of Joralemon Realty LLC (and the Sharfman Organization of Hartsdale, N.Y.), identified as the building’s owner, would not discuss the project with the Eagle —(he said ”No comment,” when reached by phone) — DOB documents reveal that 40 residential units have been proposed for the five floors.

Permits also exist for the installation of pipe scaffold; the removal and rebuilding of the front walls facing Clinton Street and Joralemon Street on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors; and the installation of boilers, plumbing, hvac, kitchens and bathrooms and an exhaust system.

When completed, the 50,028-square-foot building will contain 41,690 square feet of residential space and 8,338 square feet of commercial space, according to DOB documents.

Flickr photo by Bundy's World

What’s on your mind?  Comment away!

Karl Junkersfeld has done a lot of walking recently. The top video highlights the new pedestrian and bike path connecting Piers 1 & 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. After the jump, Karl goes to somewhere called “Manhattan” to check out the pedestrian mall on Park Avenue among other sights.

Eater: The unquestionable winner on their menu is the mac and cheese app, a mix of cheeses including an incredibly smoky gouda lightly topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. You will see one on almost every table, and it is truly the best mac and cheese in town (I have had many, many.) The smoked gouda injects a rich bacon-y flavor, and my vegetarian friends cannot believe there is not meat in there somewhere.

Check out chef/owner Tim Oltmans on a recent Brooklyn Independent Television segment:

Dear BHA Members:  We are writing to make sure you’re not caught off guard by the  overnight closures of all three  Manhattan-bound traffic lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge, starting tonight, Monday August 23rd.

On weekday nights the closing hours are 11 pm – 6 am;  on Saturday from midnight to 7 am, on Sunday from 11 pm to 9 am.
The bridge will reopen to traffic in both directions each morning.

All Manhattan-bound traffic will be detoured to the Manhattan Bridge or other crossings.

All Brooklyn-bound traffic will be maintained, and there will be no closure of the pedestrian/cycling
promenade.

The closures are for the NYC DOT to carry out necessary rehabilitation work on the Bridge ramps and approaches.

Completion is slated for 2014.

For details about detour routes,see the DOT brochure at: http://nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn_bridge_brochure.pdf,
or call Sabrina Lau at 347- 647-0876.

BHB video by C. Scales

Kristina Williamson via Racked

There was a time, friends, when the phrase “Man Cave” would have conjured up something entirely different from a guy’s rumpus room of solitude. We can thank the death of disco and DIY Network for that.

Now the design masterminds behind that show, John Marsala and  Becka Citron, have opened Modern Anthology in DUMBO featuring everything a Man Cave  needs.

Racked: Take the tufted, antique chesterfield in chocolate brown, which will run you about $3000. It’s gonna end up in a man cave, just more of a sophisticated, design-minded, book-lined, old-fashioned-cocktail-and-taxidermy man cave. Think Andy Spade channeling John Jacob Astor rather than Snoop Dogg channeling his bong.

Yelper Nick K. in a review of the chain’s Manhattan outlet observes:

Pros:
- Chicken and greens are good quality
- Reasonably priced lunch
- Occasional free samples of desserts
- Never a huge lunch time rush

Cons:
- Weird logo (chicken crossing its legs awkwardly)
- Techno beats are often bumped

Verdict:
Please note: This is a 4 star review on my midtown lunch scale. The lunch options in this area are often expensive and bland, so Tio Pio stands out for its moderate prices and tasty chicken combos.