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Borough Hall Lit Tonight in Honor of Mother Teresa

by Homer Fink on 25. Aug, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn

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.

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Oh Thank Heaven, 7-11 Coming to Flatbush Avenue Extension

by Homer Fink on 25. Aug, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn

Brownstoner reports that 7-11 will be joining Applebee’s at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension. Does it get anymore fancy than that?: (more…)

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Boring? New, Lengthy Tunnel Idea Proposed for BQE

by Claude Scales on 25. Aug, 2010 in Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Government, News, Other Brooklyn, Transportation

Cobble Hill community activist Roy Sloane has proposed re-routing the BQE through what would be the longest highway tunnel in North America, taking it from the Navy Yard, under parts of Fort Greene, Downtown Brooklyn, and Boerum Hill, to the Prospect Expressway.

YourNabe.com: The extraordinarily ambitious two-and-a-half-mile tunnel is one of several options for replacing the beleaguered highway that is being considered by the state Department of Transportation, but it is already emerging as a favorite. (more…)

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84th Precinct Police Blotter – 8/24/10

by Heather Quinlan on 24. Aug, 2010 in Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Police Blotter, crime

A $2,500 diamond necklace is stolen; a $10,000 antique box of silverware is stolen; and vehicles of various Blue Book values are driven away into oblivion. It’s this week’s crime blotter. (more…)

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Cursed Court Street Corner Welcomes Chicken Joint

by Homer Fink on 23. Aug, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn

The space at 119 Court Street, formerly home to F. Martinella and Danny’s, is now Tio Pio West, Brownstoner reports. How long will it last? Who knows! One thing is for sure: everyone likes Peruvian style fried chicken and rotisserie chicken.

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.

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Star Studded Brooklyn Book Festival Announced for September 12

by Homer Fink on 19. Aug, 2010 in Arts and Entertainment, Downtown Brooklyn, Events

The Brooklyn Book Festival will take place in Borough Hall Park on September 12 and feature this star studded line-up of authors and guests:

Salman Rushdie, Naomi Klein, Paul Auster, Nelson George, Sarah Silverman, Gary Shteyngart, Mary Gaitskill, John Ashbery, Rosanne Cash, Paul Krugman, Colson Whitehead, Francine Prose, Dennis Lehane, Per Petterson, Esmeralda Santiago, Pete Hamill, Jennifer Egan, Russell Banks, Michael Connelly, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Sam Lipsyte, Sloane Crosley, Maaza Mengiste, Paul Harding, Amy Goodman, Marlon James, Sarah MacLean, Jean Valentine, Elizabeth Nunez and many more, as well as children’s and young adult lit stars like Rebecca Stead, Sara Shepard, Jacqueline Woodson, Jon Scieszka, Jenny Han, Nina Crews, Mac Barnett, Tad Hills, Chris Raschka, Michael Rex, Matthew Reinhart and Francisco X. Stork.

There will also be “bookend events” on September 10 &11. Full details available here.

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Arby’s Bails Out of Historic Gage and Tollner Space

by Homer Fink on 13. Aug, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn, Food, Landmark Preservation

Brownstoner photo

Brownstoner reports that after much fuss and LPC arm twisting, Arby’s has called it quits at 372 Fulton Street. The fast food chain had meticulously crafted its interior to preserve the landmarked Gage and Tollner space but clearly it didn’t attract enough business to keep going. The store opened in January of this year.

Maybe the guys at the Brooklyn Paper were right when they tasted Arby’s offerings on opening day. Their verdict – bleeech!

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A Stroll Down Fulton Street

by Homer Fink on 01. Aug, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn, History

Photo: Chuck Taylor/SmokingNun

Homer’s pal/Brooklyn Heights resident/ Celine Dion expert / journalist/ biographer/ census worker Chuck “the Smoking Nun” Taylor takes a walk down Fulton Street and contemplates. He also Photoshops a few pictures (above) to look like Superfly-era snapshots:

Smoking Nun: Its gentrification is an ongoing work in progress, but for now it is still inundated with electronics vendors, 99-cent stores, wig & weave stores, bargain emporiums and pawn shops. It is truly a snapshot of what Manhattan resembled in the 1970s—which I look back upon with fondness. The opportunity to surround myself with a strip of retail that has not be overrun by chain stores and Mayor Bloomberg’s clean sweep of the middle class is a daily fascination. I simply cannot pass by without camera in hand.

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Tree Stalker Nabbed

by Heather Quinlan on 16. Jul, 2010 in Downtown Brooklyn, Nature, News, crime

Courtesy New York Times

A man described as “one seriously disturbed individual” was recently caught after police and local bloggers followed his trail of torn branches. The assailant was identified as Steve Maynard, a Prospect Heights resident who had been hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation, then released only to vandalize the trees on Livingston St. from Flatbush Ave. to Hoyt. Maynard had been spotted at night literally tearing trees limb from limb. More after the jump.

(more…)

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