The Year in Review

A single year is a long or short time. When you're older, a year is but one among many in your log of memories. It's therefore shorter compared to your whole life, and I think that's why it seems shorter than for a younger person. When you actually take inventory of the changes in a neighborhood (or your own meth-head acting children), a lot can happen in 12 months. And in the Q's estimation, this year was the biggest for change in decades, and is likely the beginning of many years of rapid change - some would call it upheaval - to the point that even middle-timers like myself will hardly notice the neighborhood in five years time.

It was just over a year ago that Tugboat Coffee opened on Flatbush near Lincoln, signalling a new era of comfort for java lovers. Kola and Chad are just the kind of entrepreneurs who really "get" the neighborhood, and it's been a pleasure having true small business owners invest in the neighborhood. Commerce-wise, it's been quite an uptick. "Feel" Beauty moved into the old and long vacant Mike's International. Tip of the Tongue (the Q calls it TOTT) added panache and freshly baked pastries to the morning commute. Wholesome Gourmet lit up the corner where Papa and Sons once thrived. A new restaurant is coming to Flatbush north of Lincoln; a new bar is coming to Flatbush and Midwood. New boutiques opened near the venerable Play Kids, notably the beautifully designed Marcia Diva's Boutique. PLG Outpost finally opened near 65 Fen for coffee and pastries and sundry culinary items. A new coffee house is opening on Rogers. New fitness joints Planet and Blink have opened or are opening. And with new housing cropping up all over, you can count on an ever-quickening pace of new biz commencements.

Speaking of housing...whoa. Prices? Oy Vey. Renters are squeezed, owners are chocking record equity gains, buildings are going condo or coop, and development and construction has picked up significantly. But prices. Man-o-Manischewist. The Q continues to try to document the very real misery out there, but feels like he has too little time to do a proper job of providing voice for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of terrified longtime residents unable to envision a future in their long-loved neighborhood. The Q also gets disillusioned at times at how insensitive are the comments frequently posted on his own blog, but tries to remember he started this thing to make sense of the world not to convert the world to his own way of thinking. And the Q remains committed as ever to providing an open marketplace of thoughts and ideas, even if three lurkers continue to comment with outsize influence, though I now have their IP addresses marked in my stats with special nicknames I've created for them (no, I'm not sharing publicly, just once again requesting that they make a New Year's Resolution to create a screen name) so I'll know exactly who they are each time they comment and from where. So you might as well choose a screen name since I've already chosen my own for you, and I'm sure you'll prefer yours. (You know who you are).

On the communal action front - we got DOT to approve and give a small startup grant to create art on the Flatbush Trees, and now we have all the permits, and only need some funding to get it going. (I'm starting to think I'll need to shoot a Kickstarter video myself and set it up. Perhaps those of you who are regular readers will consider a contribution of editing or cash). We met with the DOT, the D.A., the precinct (many times) to address crime and safety and traffic. We got approval for a plaza at the Q station, and started to address the useless and fugly parking lot that could be a beautiful plaza for all at the corner of Empire/Flatbush/Ocean. We stepped up enforcement of trash pileups along the Flabenue. A relative unknown garnered 40% of the vote in the City Council primary, giving our incumbent a run for his money. We stayed on top of the Flatbush traffic changes and continue to lobby for solutions to trouble spots. We're bringing a farmer's market to the Q at Parkside. Trees are being planted on Boxing Day all around the Q at Parkside. Neighborhood leaders sued a giant building planned for Flatbush. Nature lovers created a beautiful community garden on Maple. And so much more.

I randomly picked some fun stories you may have missed, including the Q's ongoing essays on all things Lefferts/Flatbush. Just trying to make sense. Trying to help us get to know one another. And as always, more than happy to answer your questions or share your stories. Just send an email here. And happy holidays one and all. To a safer saner 2014.

A Look Back at 2013 and a bit of December 2012, to bring the year full circle:

• New beginning for Flatbush Trees
• Stop the violence by local 9-year-old rapper
• "feel" Beauty Supply opens where Mike's International used to was.
• Neighborhood explosion in graffiti
• Rutland Road was once called Tulip
• Aunt Mazella's Pound Cake
• Tugboat Coffee Opens
• Jack Katz of Flatbush BID dies
• Flatbush Needs a Brakeover
• Son of Sal loses it, kills shopkeep
• First big Community Board 9 assessment of needs meeting at BBG
• Chester Court, then and now
• The Q tries to revive Internet Coffee House, then Abdo wisely decides to go computer repair only. And he's better at it to boot.
• NY Giants Finally Open Gyro Shop
• The Q's Band Babe the blue OX Releases 1st Record in 15 Years
• BP-henge - Stones Placed In Mysterious Patterns
• Q Skeptical On Biz Plan for Flatbush Loews
• Race and Schools - Essay
• The True Truth about that building on Empire at Washington
• Beat Cops Promised Post-Petition
• If You Live Here, You Must See This Movie - Good Hair
• McDonalds Gets Its Hair Done
• That Krazy Phone Store Skooled Me
• 23-Story Building a-comin'
• Name of Neighborhood Officially Changed to Lefferts
• TD Bank Coming to Bedford
• Free Tree Guards Program
• What Should Your Apartment Cost
• Get To Know: Nykkis Boutique
• Lefferts Food Coop Hits Stride
• Q Plaza Makeover Coming
• Tragic Pointless Shooting on Lincoln
• Blink Fitness Coming to Flatbush Near Caton
• Q's School Tool Parts One and Two
• Another Wordy Q Essay
• Know Thy Neighborhood Star Chef - Saul Bolton
• The Landlady of Lincoln
• Homeschooling Lefferts Style
• School Tool 6
• Riffing on 7-11 Coming to Empire
• Fancy Coffee Haus Opening on Lincoln
• Actual Affordable Housing Opens - Camba Gardens
• Some of Us Meet With the D.A.
• Wholesome Market Lights Up Lincoln
• Awesome New Boutique - Marcia Perfume Diva
• Tough Neighborhood
• Haunted House of Clarkson For Sale
• Traffic Pattern Changes - See the Plans
• The Q Interviews Council Candidate Saundra Thomas and Launches Two Month Fight To Oust Incumbent
• Condo Building Going Up On New York Avenue
• 35 Clarkson Gets Rid of Tenants, Goes Condo
• WNYC Airs Piece on Slumlord Barry Hers and 60 Clarkson
• Racial Discrimination and Redlining Alive and Well in Lefferts Apartment Rental Market
• Citizens "311 Pigpile" Results in Swings Replaced
• Planet Phitness Comes to Phat Albert
• Know Thy Tafari
• Q Mouths Off on Nickagooga
• Time to Weigh In On Rezoning
• Q Gardens Sprouts at Church Station
• LPT Food Improves
• BBG Work Commences
• Play For Peace at Parkside Playground
• More Q Musing On Nabe
• Toomey's Closes - Development to Follow
• 123 On Park To Open Summer 2014 at Old Caledonian Hospital
• The Q's Allegory on Neighborhood Convulsive Change
• Caton Market Admits Defeat
• Flatbush Was a Toll Road
• Neighborhood Alarm Over Flatbush Traffic Changes Premature
• Armory Belongs To City Now
• New Coffee House Opening On Rogers
• Lindiwe's shop on Nostrand great place for kids krafts
• Lakeside Opens To Rave Reviews
• New Bar to Open - Flatbush at Midwood
• Local Community Groups Sue New Tower at 626 Flatbush
• Farmer's Market Coming to Q Plaza