The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

It Happened in 2015

Like any blowhard - sorry blogger -  the Q loves to recap and reassess at the end of the annum. I'm told the Q is considered a guilty pleasure by some, as in "the blog you hate to love and love to hate." I pay the critics no mind. I have no advertisers, nor electorate to please. Even my wife stopped reading. But to those who've been bored and sick enough to lend your ear, I must note that I'm fully aware that I take a hard tone and cast a nasty line in order to catch a slug or two. It's intended as good fun, the old fashioned fork-tongued gadfly thing, the kind of muckraking thoroughly unprofessional ranting that aims to take no hostages and tell it like it is. Though throughout I hope to share my love for humans and the very real struggles of life in the modern age. I don't actually HATE anyone, and despite the tough talk, I wish no ill will on my fellows.

To further frustrate myself and others, I often take a firm position, then infuriate by changing my mind. This, I'm told, is what blogs are for - wanton infuriation, Bloviation, navel-gazing and jaundiced analysis, followed by introspection and contrition. And silliness. The hope is that every now and then I hit the mark, and it feels right enough that it sticks, and suddenly I can put into words that which used to baffle me. On issues of class and race my brain is constantly awhirl, as if I were a beginning Physics student staring at the world's most sophisticated theorem and wondering if it will ever make sense. So here we are. Another year, another waste of nearly 50,000 words.

Now to the recap. The best and worst of the neighborhood crowned at roughly the same time, like sinister fraternal twins. Two swell local guys opened Brooklyn Greenery and my colon rejoiced. Then, Veggie Castle, became an iHOP in a terrificly hideous piece of half-ass development on Church Avenue. The Q was preoccupied and disillusioned with fighting for smart planning and contextual zoning, while some had decided the City was to blame for everything and couldn't be trusted for so much as a building permit. Meanwhile, "she who cannot be named" and a few others  made it nearly impossible to go forward with a reasonable approach to affordable housing and development by choice and design. The City had (and sadly HAS) nearly written us off as incorrigible and unreasonable. (Actually I think I'll merely rearrange the letters of our nemesis' name, like Lord Voldemort. So from here on out I'll refer to Alicia Boyd only as her anagram, Cadia B. Doily. It's all best summed up by Cadia's extraordinary attempt to:

Keep Empire Shitty
Thank You Paul G. for this. Had I a car...



Enough. 2016 will undoubtedly be...who the hell knows? Economic meltdown? Terrorist shitstorm? Trader Joe's? All three?



9 comments:

MikeF said...

Capital will move to wherever it sees growth.

Fools will continue to conclude that websites like QatParkside and Brookylnian.com control the world.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Speak for yourself Mike. I've got the Elders of Zion on speed dial.

MikeF said...

I have their number on speed dial too, but they don't answer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g

yuppityyoohaw said...

I'm seeing A LOT of the local stores putting up For Rent signs within the last week. Any clues about what's going on here? (I mean gentrification is - duh - but what specifically has prompted this uptake in the number of establishments closing?)
Also, any clues as to what new things are coming to the Flabenoo? Any nice restaurants or grocery stores? ***will we see a starbucks soon?***

Clarkson FlatBed said...

There has always been, I dunno, about 10% vacancy, so I haven't really noticed an uptick. But word on the street is landlords want the underpayers out, thus as leases are up the places go vacant or switch hands. There have been a lot of stores with almost zero business for quite a few years. Those will be the first to go, I assume.

Anonymous said...

I also notice a lot more for rent that it used to be. There's a new coming soon sign from " el gran castillo de jagua" near Park Side pizzeria.

Anonymous said...

Pasteles! YES!!!

Anonymous said...

I bumped into the partner for el gran Castillo de Jaguar. He said this is the second store. The original one is in park slope and the rents were 3x higher compared to here. He seems really excited about serving the neighborhood. Best of lucky to these joints. I certainly welcome them.

Unknown said...

Great Recap. A lot happened in truth both good and bad.