the Q at Parkside

Delroy Wright Responds

2012-02-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a response from DelroyWright, executive director of FEPMA that I thought deserved it's own post, in reference to my recent piece on his and Wilfrid Compere's re-emerging Flatbush Avenue merchants group...

Hi Tim, thanks for the interview and the exposure it grants the Avenue. I see you have stimulated some potent discussions pertaining the shopping corridor. I felt the energy and it’s all good. It’s much different from when we got involved to re-organize the merchants’ association. We were seen then as rabble rousers—talking about organizing community. I must say things have changed dramatically since then. For one, when we started out the community was overwhelmingly labeled “the hood”. It was a task trying to convince outsiders as well as local residents to give it its appendage: neighbor. Today, the appendage is very much attached. Very rarely do I now hear the community referred to as “the hood”. It’s either referred to as the neighborhood or the community. And that I believe is a great accomplishment.

Flatbush Ave. Street fair, not unlike street fairs in business districts across the city, possesses and intrinsic value to merchants and the community at large. Idealistically, this exposition of vendors and patrons, provides an opportunity for merchants to showcase their businesses to thousands of spectators in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. The objective of a street fair is deeply entrenched in FEPMA’s mission of promoting a commercial involvement that is profitable to merchants and responsive to the community. As business owner, community building plays a pivotal role in our success and as an organization FEPMA is committed to this engagement.

On a personal note, as an organizer of this event for many years, I have seen progress in the community coming together around this event. Positive interactions has not only been limited to merchants organizing, but it has given me personal joy to see youths of Westbury Court engaging in conversations with police and proudly rallying around taking ownership of this event. I must note that Flatbush Ave. Street Fair, in its 17 years of existence can boast of a crime free record.

In addition, successful street fairs possess the potential to become and economic engine for merchants currently facing economic challenges. The Board of Directors of FEPMA, unlike BIDS, do not have salaried staff. From its inception, board members have worked on a strictly volunteer basis, (a different feat of struggling business owners). With members becoming difficult to acquire in this present economy, sustainability as an organization is key. It is my belief that as an organization, FEPMA must utilize all tools available to become economically viable. All these factors remain assets to the promotion of our ultimate goal: formation of a Business Improved District (BID).

I just want to say at this point that the comments I read in the Q are encouraging, if it is only for the fact that people are showing great interest in what’s happening in the community. It is much advance from when we started out; and Mr. Compere, Ms Sandra Marshall-Haye and I are looking forward to entertaining more dialogue and effort towards the well being of the entire community.

Thanks Tim and give yourself a pat on the back; I hope at some point in time I can lend my take on why the abundance of beauty salons and barbershops could be an asset more so than a liability.

Delroy.

Lefferts Gardens Charter School Loses Leader

2012-02-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

A number of folks asked the Q to substantiate the rumor that Marc Magnus-Sharpe has resigned as head of the Lefferts Gardens Charter School. Yes, in the most general sense, it is indeed true. Other than that the Q's learned little else for certain, and in deference to what I'm sure was a very difficult decision, it's probably best not to speculate. I'll be sure to pass along info as I hear it. Feel free to comment here, with civility as a watchword of course.

From FECMA to FEPMA - More Views From the Flabenue

2012-02-09T12:50:00.002-05:00

Meet Wilfrid Compere and Delroy Wright, president and executive director of FEPMA (Flatbush Empire to Parkside Merchant's Association):

These guys know our neck of the Flabenue like few others. Since the early 1980s, these two have been part of a sometimes waxing sometimes waning effort to turn the Phat Albert's to Popeye's stretch of the 'Bush into a retail corridor worry of the mighty Flatbush name. You may know the business Compere and Compere Tax, currently near Hawthorne. Yes, Wilfrid's an accountant, and while he's actually had several different addresses, he's been a stalwart in the neighborhood through thick and thin. He currently holds the title of President of the merchant's group, though he's quick to add that it's a volunteer force and titles mean little - there's much work to be done and too few hands on deck - so sign on up, says the Prez!

For his part, Delroy Wright also has strong ties to the neighborhood and to its unique brand of politics. He was the owner of a popular bar (Handyman) for many years, one that used to stand where Rhythm Splash (previously Lime) currently resides. He moved his joint further south on Bedford near the Sears, but Compere and others convinced him he was much needed up our way to help organize the recently too-dormant commerce collective.

A little history: the once mighty PLGNA had money and a storefront on Flatbush, and they started FECMA (when Clarkson was the southern edge) in the '70s. FECMA signs can still be seen on lampposts along the rue.

What does it all mean, beyond organizing FEPMA's revived annual street fair? Potentially, it could mean a whole lot, because there are myriad problems and opportunities to address. The landlords of Flatbush are notoriously absent and lack vision, a fact that Wright confirms. So barring a concerted effort on the part of these owners to make the area more amenable to business, the merchant's are the best bet to turn around a street that is a mere shadow of what it could be. Wright calls it the Illusionary Avenue, the way it SEEMS to hold promise and the makings of a strong commercial district, and yet there's something not quite coherent about its character, leaving one to wonder why so many shops open and shut in short order.

Mr. Compere believes he knows why there's so little permanence. He says the amount of street and pedestrian traffic, coupled with the storied Flatbush name, give the blocks an outsized allure to new businesses. Landlords are quick to take high rents from the often un-savvy prospects who are lured by visions of easy money. They see "gold" on Flatbush, but Compere knows better. By day there are precious few real "shoppers," and folks mostly pass by the storefronts to and from work, often spending their walk-around money elsewhere. Add to that the fact that many of the newcomers to the neighborhood aren't familiar with or comfortable with the current offerings, and you're talking serious disconnect. That's not to say there aren't plenty of transactions happening (legal and not so)...just not the level you'd expect from such a busy neighborhood.

Delroy says of the 120-140 businesses open at any given time along the stretch, you've got nearly 20 grocers, 35ish beauty spots, and 20 or so restaurants, mostly super-casual and take-out. Add to that my own rough count of 10 tax places and 12 cell phone stores, and that's nearly 100 joints right there. There are a few truly unique boutique type places (the awesome Tafari Tribe's Sandra Marshall-Haye is also a committed FEPMA volunteer), but many of the businesses are not of the sort that typically forms the backbone of merchant's groups. There are no banks. There are no sit-down destination restaurants. There are no wine stores (on the avenue) or comfy internet coffee houses (on the avenue). Few new stores cater to the ever-yuppifying demographics around here. It's all quite baffling, and not just to me, but to the men who've been doing this for a long long time. (A note about the beauty places: neither Delroy nor the Q see this is a negative in the slightest...the neighborhood is known worldwide for its great stylists. Some shops are clearly the labor of love of a single proprietor, but many merely rent chairs by the day or week, making it difficult to organize avenue-wide efforts around such transience.)

So what does any of it matter, anyhow? I was reminded again of just how much it matters to have leadership when I saw a piece today in a local rag about tens-of-thousands of grant and tax dollars pouring into the revitalization efforts of Church Avenue (Ocean to Coney Island). Here's the piece. They have a BID (Business Improvement District) over there with paid staff, and they won grants to redo storefronts and are in the midst of a serious upswing.

I don't doubt for a second that the reason money, ideas, vision and traffic calming are coming first to Church Avenue is leadership - it has a powerful ally in CAMBA and the BID, which by the way used to be helmed by one Marc Dicus who tried to make similar improvements up here before being unceremoniously rejected by his own Board. Church Avenue was glad to have him though. You can read that sad story here...

We wish Mr. Wright and Mr. Compere well in their endeavors. I think they need all of our support. We could all be better served by a stronger, safer and cleaner commercial Main Street. Email Delroy here if you're a business person or prospect or interested resident who wants to get more involved. The Q will be checking in with FEPMA regularly to keep you in the loop and update you on their progress.

NEXT MEETING: MARCH 8th AGENDA: Security, Spring Cleanup, Street Fair, Membership Drive, Restaurant Week on Flatbush (I think this meeting is at Tafari Tribe - email Delroy if you're interestested)

On Super Bowl Sunday, Gearing Up For Football Season

2012-02-05T06:46:00.000-05:00

Caledonia boasts perhaps the most widely used sports fields in the country, our very own Parade Ground. I think of the word "parade" and I think Macy's and marching bands, but in the 1800s they were thinking military parade, which is hard for me to picture, though visions of Russian May Day celebrations come to mind. By the end of the 19th century, however, this giant rectangle was all about sports, sports, sports, and the archives of NY newspapers are full of stories about games played here, and apparently many a baseball star got his start here. Still does, I imagine.

But these days, soccer - née football, rules the roost. If you've got a kid who's shown interest in the game or just loves to run around and not use their hands, you probably already know about this upcoming deadline already. Or maybe you don't, and I came across notice of registration in four different places, so I thought I'd pass it along. I'm keeping it in the back of my mind too, for when my kids get older. Soccer always seemed like a pretty wholesome sport to me, though where/when I grew up (Iowa, '70s) it was played ONLY when you couldn't find the (american) football or when the gym teacher forced us to play co-ed, which was definitely NOT preferable. (btw, I don't know if they did this to you where YOU lived, but we had a solid week of "square dancing" classes, mandated by the State, during gym). No one CHOSE soccer over the other sports - in fact, Americans had to create their own beloved "kickball" to emulate our more favored sport, baseball. And I do love me some kickball, though the hipster retro trend left me feeling cold...and old.

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) has opened registration for the Spring for kids interested in playing soccer in an organized league. It appears from their website that your child must be 5 as of January 31 to qualify for the youngest age bracket. Kids are separated into groups of two years each (5-6, 7-8, 9-10 etc). From what I've heard, the league is well run and well respected. Share your experiences below!

Eric Adams, Borough President

2012-02-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

According to the endlessly gabby Rock Hackshaw (who ran against Mathieu Eugene for City Council last time out), our current State Senator Eric Adams will run to take Marty Markowitz's seat as Borough President in 2013.

That's right. Brooklyn might get its first African-American borough president, and in my opinion, he would be an excellent man to represent an incredibly diverse and getting diverser "city." Adams works well with all sorts of constituencies, and he's an approachable and principled dude. I cannot speak for his personal life (he and I don't take vacations together), but I do like what I've seen so far. His brilliant "Stop the Sag" video explaining why young men need to hike up their pants, has 167,000 views and counting. As a former police officer, he sets a great tone on crime and relations w the NYPD. And he's a civil rights liberal in a borough that, in my opinion, needs to wake from its artisanal-cheese political complacency. There's so much talent and brains in Brooklyn...we could be leading the country on so many progressive fronts, and I'm hopeful we can influence the next mayoral race and national issues in a positive direction. I know that sounds very vague, but I do think a strong borough president leading the charge and representing the "entire" borough is important!

Markowitz will leave an impressive legacy of successes and controversies. Sure, the borough president has limited powers, but they're extremely important powers when it comes to getting things done - appointing board members and setting budget priorities is a lot more leverage than most people probably think. He can't really take on City Hall, but he can line up forces against it. And yes, that arena is as much his as Ratner's.

Anyway, thought you'd like to know that the guy who until very recently kept an office on Flatbush near Patio Gardens might soon be keeping house in Borough Hall.

Six Tre Outlaw Gangsta Disciples Folk Nation

2012-02-02T10:38:00.000-05:00

If you didn't see this piece about the gangs of Ebbets Field houses, it's well worth the read. Killer name for a bunch of killerz. NYTIMES GANGS OF EBBETS.

Open Letter to Tish James Re: Medgar Evers Closing Crown Street

2012-02-02T09:51:00.010-05:00

Today some quirky dude dashed off a letter to Tish James regarding the rancor surrounding the proposed (then withdrawn for revision) plan to create a "campus" by closing Crown Street just north of PLG in Crown Heights. For those wonky enough to read it, I salute you!

the Q

January 31, 2012

Councilmember Letitia James

67 Hanson Place
Ground Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Dear Councilmember James:

I’m writing regarding recent conversations that have become quite heated concerning the on-again off-again proposal by Medgar Evers College to create green-space along Crown Street. From my seat at Community Board 9 meetings, I’ve been struck by the rancor surrounding the issue, and I thought I’d bring to your attention the fact that not all constituents in the district are so vehemently opposed to the closing of Crown streets towards an ambitious project to create a “campus” where none existed before. I don’t believe you’ve done enough to elicit opinions on both sides of the coin, and many of us are only now coming up to speed on the issue. Those who live near the school, however, have had time to gather forces and draw lines in the sand. For the betterment of our entire community, including the hundreds of students and teachers who study and work at the College daily, I hope that level heads will prevail.

I noticed that you and other elected officials were quick to pick sides on this issue, even before the final plans have been submitted by the College. You yourself noted that the heated opposition of locals led Medgar Evers to withdraw its proposal for another look. So in essence, even as you complained “we should not even be here tonight” at the November CB9 meeting, you were publicly denouncing the plan, and calling it dead on arrival.

This does not strike me as the Tish James that many of us have come to respect and cheer! Perhaps the passions that were on display at a non-official meeting held at a local church last summer, the meeting where supposedly 100% of the attendees were against the plan, blinded you to your responsibility to learn all the facts before committing to a council vote. I too can pull together an angry mob on any number of issues, and were you to attend such a meeting you might think that sentiment was unambiguous and unanimous. But this is supposedly a democracy, and the loudest side of an argument is not always the majority side, or the reasonable side.

I for one would welcome a project to bring a campus to a college that has shown an enormous potential to educate folks who might not have dreamed of going to college in an earlier generation. The fact that Medgar Evers even exists in a neighborhood that has suffered much through the years is a testament to the optimism and strength of visionary public planning. Yes, there would be inconveniences if the block closes. But listening to the arguments against closure of Crown Street, I was struck by the lack of solid “community minded” arguments - NIMBY was on display, but not much else. A slightly longer commute is a drag, but hardly the reason to keep a College from pursuing its longterm vision. I’ve biked and walked Crown Street many times at various hours, and I’ve never seen any serious congestion that would lead me to believe that drivers will do anything other than do what drivers always do – make choices about their route based on what roads are quick and available. They will adjust. One local resident, in explaining his opposition to closing this single block, went so far as to exaggerate that his commute to drop off his kids at school would go from 5 minutes to 25. I'm not buying it. As for the potential loss of onstreet parking, I am constantly struck by the fact that car-owners seem to think that it is the City’s responsibility to provide them with parking! Free parking is not even a remote possibility in large swaths of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn, for instance, where parking is available to NO ONE. I for one, as a car-less citizen, have never demanded that the City provide me with public space for my private use. And really, parking could be added to the planned closure, for Crown Street residents even, if that were really the issue. I also heard people state that “the Botanic Garden is RIGHT THERE!” It’s close, yes, but it is not free, and its hours are limited. The park? Actually not that close – about a 10 minute walk, hardly convenient for students between classes. But I don’t think parking, or green-space, or commuting, or traffic is really the biggest problem here. So what REALLY is the issue?

In talking to many of the vehemently opposed residents of Crown and Montgomery Street, I see that they have felt shut out and neglected by Medgar Evers for years. The current administration has alienated many of its neighbors – how and why I cannot say. So the unwarranted anger that is currently on display represents, in my view, a deeper underlying distrust between locals and colleges officials. Given that backdrop, it is even more unwise for elected officials to choose sides without giving both parties more time to get at the heart of their dispute and for a partnership to be repaired, if it ever existed before.

Community Board 9 is not perfect; you are right to wonder why so much confusion surrounded the discussion of the project. We certainly got off to a rocky start on this issue! But I do hope you will keep an open mind to the extraordinary benefits that might ultimately be reaped in the long term. By closing just one street, thousands of potential graduates would visibly see that a quality education is not only within their reach...it's right in their own backyard. The greenspace is meant for all, and I hope that opponents to the idea will remember that this cannot be said of parking spaces, which benefit just a few.

Thanks for giving me the courtesy of your time. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Very best,

Tim Thomas

31 Clarkson Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11226

P.S. I am Chair of Environmental Protection Committee of CB9, but this letter is from me personally and reflects my personal views alone. I’ve copied members of the Board, as I would even if I had no governmental role to play. And I've posted it to my blog. You may respond to me personally at any time, either copying others or not.

Bistro Opens On Rogers

2012-02-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

A while back I wondered a-blog what might be in store at the conspicuously upscale looking Ramagi brick oven pizza place on Rogers near Hawthorne. I stopped by tonight and was pleasantly surprised by the geniality of owner Martin Ramagi and clan, and by the tasty Margarita slice I sampled. I didn't stay in, but I'll attest that the seating is small but cozy and candlelit, there's exposed brick to go with the "brick" theme, and most significantly they have a wine and beer license for the billyjoel-esque bottle of red bottle of white crowd.

Surprises on the menu include pumpkin squash ravioli in white wine butter sauce, a couple nifty salads and a curry sauce over fettuccini concoction called "the indies." And yes, free delivery.

So for you lingerers, this might be a swell date spot and for all of us of you a bit east of Eden (a/k/a prospect park) a bit, buon appetito!

below, a daguerreotype of the menu...

Radio Free Flatbush

2012-01-31T22:40:00.001-05:00

If you're new here (or a longtimer looking for the "delightful" Garrison Keillor at WNYC on your "wireless" and wondering when the old man became so taken with low low bass and air horns) you may be wondering about Pirate Radio and how that works. In fact, the Q's been amusedly amazed by the sheer number and variety of pirate radio stations working up and down the dial - all emanating from a few blocks away. Flatbush might just be the most pirate-heavy airspace in all the USA. These ephemeral stations might come in for a minute, then they're gone, or they might linger for days or weeks. They're either louder than everything else on the spectrum or painfully hard to tune. Sometimes DJs or ministers are screaming in Haitian Creole; sometimes it's a Jamaican lilt (holy cow! the nicknames! the slang! sheer genius!) And sometimes, it's just plain annoying, and you want to tear what's left of your hair out. Welcome to the 'Bush, circa right now.

The craziest part is how these stations end up all over the dial, from one end to the other, and they move! Apparently, all you need is a couple hundred bucks of gear and you're good to go. And even though it's way illegal, you might develop enough of a following to create your own brand, like VYBZ radio has.

If you want to learn more, I suggest checking out this article in the Brooklyn Bureau, of City Limits magazine. There's an interesting piece this week also about the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's role shaping that nether-region between B-Heights, Dumbo, and Ft. Greene (at one point, I lobbied to call the area TimeTown, for the giant clock at One Hanson Place. It didn't stick, thankfully).

And if you want to hear one of these pirate stations at maximum volume, you could always pay your two dollars for a ride on the Dollar Van...just wait for the one that's blasting air horns and hop on in. Heck, they might even be broadcasting from the passenger seat for all you know.

Aaaaargh, mateys!

DOT Looking at the Flabenue This Spring

2012-01-28T07:23:00.028-05:00

A couple years ago the Q caught wind of a program from the DOT designed to relieve congestion from the worst corridors in the City. Our chunk of Flatbush Avenue made the cut, though it wasn't on the first round to get looked at (perhaps, as I've remarked before, there's no one or group in the neighborhood clamoring for attention? No wheels a-squeakin'...). My fear was that after the DOT studied and addressed streets like Church Avenue (McDonald-Utica) the program would die and we'd be left crying in our sour sop.

Here's all you need to know about the program Congested Corridors.

So I wrote to Keith Bray at the DOT and asked what's up? I mean, it's not like things are getting better along double-parking Dollar Van terror-ridden Flatbush between Empire and, I dunno, the Junction. I was prepared for a non-answer, but surprisingly he told me that they would start the project in earnest in the Spring.

I don't know what the DOT can do to create a sane and safe passageway along one of the most chaotic streets in the USofA, but I've got plenty of opinions. I'm sure you do too, so share them with us! The most radical, and yet oh so reasonable, idea I can think of at the moment is this:

Flatbush Avenue is simply not wide enough to handle two way traffic, parking on both sides, insane levels of double-parking, and buses and dollar-vans. Make it one-way a la Nostrand or Rogers. There. I said it.

Finally...

2012-01-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

I've been complaining and calling 311 and mouthing off about the ridiculous makeshift dump behind 225 Parkside for months. According to the rules, you can call in a general complaint to Dept of Sanitation if the refuse is visible from the street. In this case, you have to look into the alley from 700 Flatbush. But today I saw this sight:

I can't say for certain it was my bellyachin' that made the clean-up happen, but I'm feeling much more satisfied that one's complaints do get noticed...eventually. A few tickets and I'm sure most landlords will cough up the dough to hire someone to clean up a stinky, rodent-loving mess like that.

Which begs the question...am I just a busy body douchebag to care? I mean seriously, what kind of Erkel Two Shoes have I become that I get all high and mighty about other people's garbage? Day was I would have made fun of my current self.

Ah screw it. Like the sweet potato said to Popeye "I yam what I yam." Next up, other people's car horns...

Lost Cat Named Jordy

2012-01-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

Seen this cat? Call the below Austin-based telephone number (512 area code!) Actually, you probably can't make out that number, so if you have seen the cat, this poster is near the Popeye's on Parkside and Flatbush:

Slowing Down Speeders

2012-01-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

There's not a lot of time to act (deadline is beginning of February), but if enough of you want to see parts of Flatbush become "Neighborhood Slow Zones" - using a number of tested techniques to stop speeders - then the DOT has an application for you!

To make it happen, a representative neighborhood group (PLGNA or CB9 would qualify) puts together the app, showing the DOT that a near consensus of community residents agree to the DOT's Slow Zone objectives. Some rearrangement of on-street parking is involved, but generally it's about signage and bumps and markings, convincing drivers that our residential blocks are not speedways, and making those streets difficult to to go all Senna on in the first place. The goal is to get traffic down to a 20 mph limit from 30.

Below you can see that application and what's involved. And no, Flatbush Avenue doesn't qualify, or Rogers or Nostrand! It's about side streets...even my beloved Clarkson won't work cuz it's a bus route. But if YOU happen to be looking for a cause to champion, then PLEASE take this on! I'll hook you up with the people you need to know at PLGNA and CB9. Your job will primarily involve a) deciding which blocks to include and b) getting every neighbor, church, merchant and elected leader you can to sign on. They're doing it all over other parts of the City...so why not here? Email me if you want to be the Vanquisher of Velocity.

Infrared Frisk?

2012-01-22T20:55:00.000-05:00

Stop and frisk - the Q's been noticing a lot of it lately. I'm with the State Senator Eric Adams who I'm pretty sure I overheard telling a crowd "hey, they don't stop Erkel." It's frequently the hoodiest looking young men who get the special cop love, and I can attest that the gentlemen on and around my block that seem to be targeted the most fit the, well, profile. Whether or not the S&F gets the job done is certainly an important study to study, but it's irrelevant to the broader constitutional point - is it right to assume someone who looks like they're up to no good is actually up to no good? (I'll speak for my lame-ass Iowa self here and say that when I was growing up, the cops would target those skinny, pasty kids loitering near the 24-hour laundromat with their piercings and ripped up jeans. The fact that those were friends of mine and I KNOW FOR A FACT that they were totally high, carrying contraband, and constantly planning petty crimes should not color one's convictions on civil liberties. I know for a fact that a couple of the skinheads WERE in fact straight-edge, though they did a lot of a shoplifting, and eventually got into meth. But that particular day they were totally, you know, clean.)

I've often mused that it would be great if the country that invented the iPad could invent a device that could identify a gun from 20 paces. Just point it at a thuggy looking fellow and find out whether he's packing heat. Genius, right?

Looks like the technology is getting close, according to this Daily News article. Assuming for a moment that pointing all those radiation emitting devices wouldn't permanently rattle our chromosomes, is this a good thing? On the surface, I like the idea. But I'm thinking there would be TONS of false positives, leading to lots of potentially overzealous shake downs and police overreactions. I mean, it's one thing to come up to a guy and stop and frisk just cuz he looks nasty. But approaching someone you feel SURE is armed?

Any thoughts? This one has me ethically mystified.

Q Trains Running!

2012-01-21T07:23:00.002-05:00

The Twitter don't lie, y'all. Due to the snow, the MTA work this weekend is cancelled, meaning you can ride the Q per usual.

A Little Bit About A Lot Of Things

2012-01-20T11:28:00.002-05:00

How many times have I said to myself...gee Q, it's nice living here, but there's no Renaissance Faire nearby. Fortunately this weekend, according to Ben of Caledonia, Barbara Rosen and the renaissance street singers will be singing in the lobby of 25 parade place from 2-4. Says Ben: "beautiful music and a fun hang, and free. come stop by and listen." That's just across from the playground, for ye with wee ones.

Nicole Fabri is back providing a Police Blotter of PLG over at the Lefferts Watch yahoo listserve thingy. LeffertsWatch is here, and you can sign up with a Yahoo ID. I'm crazy obsessed about police blotters. 0n this report, Envy Nails got burgled for $6,000 and basically gets blamed for not properly locking. And the Beverage store up near the Phat Albert's got robbed of $60,000! If that's not a typo, that's insane to have that kind of cash accessible. Not that I'm blaming the victim! Another sad blotter item was the mugging of a Chinese delivery guy...by a 15-year old kid.

Actually, if you're a need-to-know type, you really should sign up for LeffertsWatch (with 300+ members) AND the plain ol' Lefferts one as well (with 600+ members). Of all the very entertaining posts that go up on these listserves, my favorites are when someone puts something out on the curb as trash and lets everyone know. A veritable hoarder's paradise!

That DOT plan at Ocean/Parkside is undergoing scrutiny by both CB14 and CB9. CB9 is pretty favorable thus far, but CB14 (west of Ocean and South of Parkside) is expressing concerns about the proposed closure of the driving entrance to the park. What an effing shame it would be if the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists alike were derailed to accommodate the couple hundred drivers who use that entrance from 7 to 9 each morning. The darn thing is going to be closed soon ANYWAY due to the restructuring for the Lakeside Project. CB14 - please do the right thing and approve the plan as is...you'll be saving injuries and lives, or conversely, standing in the way of their prevention. Think about it. Hell, most of these drivers aren't even FROM Flatbush...they're coming from deeper in the borough. DOT planners are not crazy anti-car zealots...quite the contrary, it's their business to see that cars move easily and freely through the streets of NYC, and that accidents be kept to a minimum. Let sanity prevail for once.

Speaking of the Park, the Alliance is saying they're bidding out the plan to put bathrooms in the middle of the park along that road that runs north-south along the west side of the lake. You may have seen an old outbuilding there sort of tucked into the hillside...comfort station here we come! (It might be a while, so don't hold it til then...)

And word is (from those who've attended recent Park Community Committee meetings) that the BIG NEW EFFORT for the Park will be the potentially awesome northeastern part of our green oasis that includes the Vale of Cashmere. Once upon a time, the magical Vale and environs were favorite spots for families and children, but for the past decades no one goes, because that area and Rick's Place have become what my father-in-law refers to as "Pickle Parks." Let your imagination run wild on that one...apparently, the going rate is a recession-busting $40. $20 with applicable Groupon.

And go check out the progress of the new playground on Winthrop tween Bedford and Rogers. Amazing! If it weren't 30 below, I'd be out there playing chess and doing pull-ups!

MLK Celebration, Courtesy of PLGNA et al

2012-01-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's a holiday - and if you're looking to celebrate it in the spirit of its namesake, look no further than our own backyard.

more from plgna:

1 pm - 2 pm -- Sing-a-long and children's book giveway in the lobbies of 2101 Beekman Place & 40 Lincoln Road

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm -- A celebration featuring dance, music and civil rights stories at Grace Reformed Church 1800 Bedford (corner of Lincoln Road)

Our story hour will include readings from children's books about Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hammer, Malcolm X and other civil rights activists who changed the course of history. We are proud to have Imani Dancers and Grace Devotional Dancers joining us!

All events are Free and there no need to RSVP

Why the Flabenue's the Flabenue

2012-01-14T22:17:00.005-05:00

Back in December I promised another half of an essay entitled "what's really going on"...here's the third or fourth half...it kinda keeps draggin' on...

Everyone who lives or works in North by Northeast Flatbush has an opinion about what the neighborhood needs, means and exemplifies. Depending on your block, or your lifestyle, or your background and interests...there are as many ways to slice, dice and define a neighborhood as their are people living in it. This isn't a place for nifty slogans (PLG is for Lovers!) and it simply can't be defined by demographics, architecture or history. A Brooklyn neighborhood is a shifting and sometimes surreal projection of its inhabitants, a place of invention, reinvention, decay and renewal. I'm struck by the irrelevance of history in some ways; new shops, people, buildings and ideas get embraced quickly and then come to define a place that even yesterday meant something else. Certain ethnicities or immigrant groups might define an area for awhile - maybe even a long while, even as forces at play might work to undermine the stability of the enclave. Economically and developmentally, protest groups crop up to try to stem the tide of "progress," but generally speaking money follows money and trends follow trends and there's not much the average Jose can do to contend with change. Twas a time that renters could count on help from the City, but even Section 8 and rent regulation are disappearing, and unfettered capitalism is really the creed these days. Some decry Ratner or Markowitz as development dictators, but ultimately it's the talk of jobs, construction, arts and commerce that wins out every time - even when such promise is just mirage. That's on the macro level, but on the micro, most people do some awkward version of the real estate shuffle til they find a comfortable home somewhere and then once comfortable turn inward, focusing on the stuff of life, emerging only for bagels and to remark on the transformation of their streets and shops. Who has time to get "involved" locally? And many are "involved" in other less local ways, so it's certainly no stain on one's rep to avoid civic entanglements. Some DO get involved though, and clearly, some are quite good at it.
______

Walking down wide and sane-seeming Rogers Avenue the other day, we could finally see what a lovely opportunity awaits business owners. Sure the "foot traffic" is less, but so are the rents, and a good "destination" business could do very well here. About it's grittier cousin Flatbush, one could say "it is what it is." I was shocked to learn from a reliable source that Envy Nails pays $6K a month for that not very large space on the Bush near Clarkson, so don't be deceived; landlords are doing just fine with the current state of affairs here, and have little incentive to change their business models or go "upscale." Curiously though, with such dangerous and spastic traffic and active street action, one doesn't so much stroll Flatbush as endure it. (thus "Enduro?"). The Flabenue is essentially what happens when NO ONE takes an active interest; when NO ONE has a plan or vision; when the City and authorities take little notice; and when the good people of a neighborhood throw up their hands and say "ain't MY Main Street!" I've never known anyone, ANYONE, who is completely happy with the state of the Flabenue, and yet no one, no entity, no official has taken on the role of agent for change. The good news is that forces from without aren't trying to foist their vision of PLG onto us; the sad news is that so few seem interested in helping Flatbush be calmer, safer and more business friendly. I'm planning on walking the street with the fellows from the re-emerging FEPMA merchant's association - Mr. Delroy Wright and Mr. Wilfrid Compere, and perhaps this will help illuminate to me the State of the Flabenue. Till then, some food for thought...

Anyone who's followed my rants and raves knows that I sincerely love the Flabenue for all its kookiness and do not wish it to go the way of other Brownstoner neighborhoods. It's the sheer DETERMINATION of Flatbush Avenue to remain insane that strikes me, and now, as yet another poorly-conceived clothing store and a rarely-patronized wig store and a non-coffee serving internet cafe go out of business on my Sneaker King/Cupid's Corner/Globe Electronics/Jamaican Pride slice of the Ave...I started to get downright curious not just about how it works here, but how it's worked elsewhere in the borough.

I used to live just off Smith Street in the 90s. Back then, Smith was not without charm, but it certainly wasn't drawing the crowds of night-crawlers that flocked there just a few years on. Was it magic? Of course not. While many business owners and civic groups played a part, the story of Smith street is largely the story of one woman's determination to improve the commercial heart of Carrol Gardens. Bette Stoltz is her name, and her decades of business and community involvement should earn her a statue at some point. And if you're saying to yourself "yeah but it was that restaurant Patois that got the whole thing going" check the bit about how she made that joint happen through grit and determination. Her story, and that of Smith Street, is well told here: Bette Stoltz

Perhaps you've wondered how Franklin Avenue north of Eastern Parkway become the hip new strip? Again, a plan, an organization, a lot of sweat equity...and no it wasn't the boostering blog I Love Franklin Ave that made it happen (alone anyway - it did help - a lot). It was the methodical and proactive Crow Hill Community Association and its Franklin Avenue Commercial Revitalization Project. Yes, sometimes meetings, agendas and volunteer boards actually accomplish things.

Ditmas Park? Friends of Cortelyou and Flatbush Development Corporation

Myrtle Avenue? Check out the work of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (MARP) and the groundwork laid by the Pratt Area Community Council.

How about Vanderbilt Avenue, another of my long left homestreets? Besides having an active and progressive merchant's organization - and of course a sea change in demographics - Vanderbilt Avenue (GAP to Atlantic) underwent a major traffic transformation because of the work of a neighborhood group called Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, an organization with similar goals to PLGNA but with a very active board and heady agenda. You can read the story of the improved Vanderbilt Ave traffic flow here. That kind of infrastructure upgrade seems to be a consistent story when it comes to commercial revitalization, and is a part of the narrative in every one of the above examples.

There's tons more where that came from. But there is no such civic commitment happening in PLG. PLGNA remains in incubation stage, though in able hands. The Flatbush BID is doing a lot of work, but that starts at Parkside on down. You can see the difference - cleaner streets, the holiday lights and music. Flatbush avenue is still a traffic mess down there, but there are at least committed leaders meeting and agitating to address concerns. Perhaps that's in the card if Wright/Compere get their org up and running.

If you still think that having an active civic group or leader doesn't make much difference, I'll leave you with one small but meaningful example of how it works. A certain beloved local business startup was recently approached by people from the Myrtle Avenue group. Our intrepid entrepreneur is not actively considering a move, but you can bet it felt good to be wanted! Here's what the email said:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: YYYYY
Date: Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Subject: XXXX on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill or Fort Greene?
To: XXXX

Hi, just wondering if you might be looking to expand. I work with the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership. We would love to have a store like XXXX here on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill. Let me know if you might be interested, and I’d love to take you on the tour of the area and/or send you info about vacant commercial spaces.

Thank you!

YYYY

Know what I mean?

Just Sew Stores*

2012-01-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

The other day the wife said "you know, I really think we need a sewing kit." Sewing kit? What's next, a butter churn? But with four in the fambly now, the number of buttons missing has reached a citical mass. And there are clothes that could use a darning or two.

It's Caledonian Flatbush, so the chances of finding ANYTHING you need within three or four blocks is pretty darn high. And I'd always wanted an excuse to go into Save a Thon Fabrics, and here was the perfect chance. Don't say you haven't noticed it at least. The sign is frickin' gorgeous and the boarded up building is a stunner too.

It's everything you hoped for from a store that has scores of sewing machines in the well-lit and carefully designed window display. A big guy sat at a table fixing an old, but mercifully not TOO old, machine. The fabrics of the world were on display. There were lots of cute gifts and crafts stuff, you know like beads and ribbons and crap that I tend to drop or mangle in my fat fingers. It was actually kind of crowded at 6PM on a Wednesday...I won't lie it seemed to be mostly older ladies, the sort that might actually sew on a daily basis, but I don't want to sound too certain that young people aren't deserting their Macs for Singers. Could happen. Anything can happen in Brooklyn's weird artisanal zeitgeist.

I'm particularly fond of the basket of big balls of yarn:

They give lessons, fix any make or model, and generally seem to have their sh*t together in an olde thyme way. I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this curious but essential slice of Flatbush history. The comment box is open!

* Listen, if you got that pun then I'm proud of us both.

Hello Blue Roost

2012-01-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Northern PLG got its groove back this weekend when Blue Roost finally opened its doors to a desperate croissant and coffee public.

Little has changed to the decor that would scare away old K-Dog veterans, with a homey feel best exemplified by the cute table seating arrangement and "put a bird on it" artwork. Here, a happy Sterling Street family drinks in the breakfast ambiance:

The reviews will best be written by Yelp.com regulars, but from this here Bustello-quaffing caffeine addict, the coffee seems just fine, the croissant fluffy, and the other baked goods looked fresh. By mid-week, they'll be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here's to a great run, Blue Roost. By now it should be clear to all that the demand for a joint like yours is frothy indeed.

Chastity Belt Removed From 205

2012-01-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

The scaffolding came down. Much of the interior renovation seems to have been completed. Psychologically, Parkside Avenue feels free. I asked Vince, the disturbed but sweet bearded guy who always hangs out sitting on a milk carton under the protection of the scaffold, what he thought. He said it was good. Unless it started raining.

This Could Be Huge: Open House Monday

2012-01-05T23:48:00.001-05:00

Did I use the word huge? I meant HUGE. HUGE.

An opportunity of epic proportions is brewing for our community - for local youth, families, non-profit groups. Heck, for the future of this part of the borough, I can think of nothing bigger.

I'm talking about the Armory. Not the Park Avenue Armory. Or the Park Slope Armory. Or even the Bedford Atlantic Armory. I'm talking about OUR Armory, which happens to also have a Bedford Avenue address (ours is at Union Street, rather than the more infamous homeless shelter cum maybe something else at Bedford and Atlantic). They're calling it the Bedford Union Armory in some quarters, like that there Facebook page. But we're just at the beginning point of figuring out what this thing will mean to us, so please, take advantage of the following amazing opportunity to get in on the ground floor. And in this case, the ground floor is absofrigginlutely enormous:

Marty and Medgar (Markowitz and Evers) are inviting us all to come and look at the armory's insides this Monday the 9th from 8 to 5, then join in a town hall meeting at the college to discuss its future. Here's the flyer:

You might be one of those that doesn't think of Crown Heights South as part of your neighborhood, but that's a shame, since half of us "Q at Parksiders" are part of the same precinct (the 71st) and Community Board (the 9th) and school district (the 17th) as the Armory. And the massive structure is really close by bus, train, walking, biking etc. Empire Blvd has some mystifying psychological effect on people. We, south of Empire, share elected officials with the area north of Empire (and south of Eastern Parkway), so frankly, our future is way more tied to CHS than newcomers from points west might want to admit. (Want to know why I'm so obsessed with idea of neighborhood boundaries? That's why! It's friggin complicated! And in many ways, invented.)

Here's what the Armory looked like more than 120 years ago:

And today:

The history of these armories in this country is a fascinating post-in-offing unto itself. I grew up near one, with very similar architecture, way out in God's country, my hometown of Ames, Iowa. The country is full of 'em, and retrofitting them has become a big question, and big business, all over the place. Some municipalities tear them down. The short version of the armory saga is that these were (and in many cases still are) the homes of various National Guard units, or state militias, often known for their response to natural disasters, but also known for getting "called up" for wars like the one on "terror," or for beating down rebellions and insurrections (or conversely, once "federalized," Alabama National Guard troops helped make sure that black students could enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, showing George Wallace who REALLY had the power, thank you JFK). The framers were understandably wary of large standing armies, so these "people's militias" were supposed to be a more democratic alternative. (Not sure I understand the mechanism here, except that there seems to be an extra step of "federalizing" the Guard that could keep a despotic Army general from being the only one with troops. And if the President got maniacal, maybe the governor could keep his Guard from going to the dark side? Am I understanding this right? Seems fascinating all of a sudden, where I never really cared before.)

In any regard, the City is taking control of OUR armory soon, and what we do with it will go a long way towards defining who we are, and what are our priorities. Community spaces, sports, arts...what say ye?

Mike & Tony's - Pizza With Pizazz

2012-01-03T22:53:00.001-05:00

Tired of the same old slices from Family, Mike's, Gino's, and that godawful place on Parkside? Dudes, gentlemen and ladies, you are SO gonna like the new joint on Flatbush at Rutland called Mike & Tony's. Now I know another pizzeria is not the fine eatery some would have hoped...but c'mon now, it's Flatbush, and we do informal very, very well.

Mike & Tony are actually the guys running the joint (in the background of picture). They're full blooded Italian-Americans with a wise-cracking sidekick (Nicky, from the old country, who at first I thought was Russian but that's because I'm a boob - he's a real Italian pizza maker), and they're here to sell you a really nice slice of pizza. The plain slice is where you learn everything you need to know - great proportions, tangy sauce, crispy crust. Even a crappy slice in NYC pizzerias is usually satisfying, so it's easy to forget how extraordinary a plain slice of NY pizza can be. It CAN be the Taj Mahal of tomatoey cheesy flatbreads.

Even better, they're serving a "Gramma Pie" too, and I tried a slice of that and it was pure heaven. Whole tomatoes, chunks of real mozzarella, leaves of basil, on a very homey crust. You gotta try it - costs a bit more but totally worth it.

So between doubles and jerk, treat yourself or your family to the Gramma pie and write me a comment if you think my rave should be a pan. C'mon! I dare you!

Cupid's Crafty Corner

2012-01-01T23:14:00.000-05:00

I've loved this little start-up, based in the cubby next to the nail salon (which one, you might ask?) near the Sneaker King. I actually got to know the proprietor Ianthe Cupid (that's her name, y'all) when she was working out of the Caton Market and I bought a bunch of helium balloons for my daughter's birthday. (She offered free delivery, though I couldn't pass up the opportunity to walk home with two dozen multi-hued balloons rising from my hand, allowing me for a moment to savor my vestigial clown dream).

I started talking to Ianthe this morning and she happened to mention the accident 7 years ago that took her leg, and how she had to reinvent herself at that point from her dream of being an EMT, which was well on its way to fulfillment at the time of the horrible crash. Turns out her whole story was featured in the NY Times Neediest Cases, and you can read it all here from an actual journalist's keyboard. You'll note the excellent grammar, proofreading andfact-checking, which I consider terribly passé
as, if, you, hasn't, noticed..

Ianthe went on to tell me she had lived at Lenox and Bedford from the time she was 8; that she had three kids and that her husband is co-conspirator of the party shop; that she witnessed the crazy stabbing of a dollar van operator a couple weeks back ( wacked out story I'll relate later). She was born in St. Vincent (the island, not the hospital, and not the indie heartthrob), and she's 100% Brooklyn, with the kind of immigrant pluck that keeps this the most exciting place in the world. Hell, if Brooklyn was ALL liberal arts grad macbook 'n' baby bjorners this would be one sad, sorry and predictable town. Actually...it'd be Portland.

Please, if you're having a party and you want some of that circus charm -- go see Ianthe and contribute to what I'm sure will be a very successful enterprise for her and her sweet-as-could-be family. Kick It, Cupid!

Meals For Moms Delivers. Literally.

2011-12-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

With my mouth full, let me relate some thoughts on the Meals For Moms program, started by Parkside Avenue's Nicole Fabri,

pictured here in the shot that came up on a Google Images search, since I really don't get out much to take pictures these days since child #2 arrived. Truth be told, it was a homebirth, so the baby didn't so much arrive as burst forth. (FYI, I'm happy to engage in lighthearted banter about what I witnessed that day, but let me assure you that the nearly 2ft 11lb butterball did not come into the world easy, and I highly recommend, fellas and SigOths, that you eat your Wheaties too on that blessed day, since you may be required to provide ballast to your woman, who may very well be 10 times stronger, fiercer and more determined than you have ever seen her before, and that includes your wedding day AND the first time you said anything sideways about her mother.)

We, or rather Mrs. FlatBed, joined Meals for Moms around month 6, when it still seemed unlikely that we would ever be truly in need of twice weekly feedings at the hands of our neighbors. Turns out this chain-letter for stomachs, chronicled here by the Hawthorne Street blog, is unbelievably helpful, and if you have a bun in the oven I can't recommend the Ponzi-like rewards of MforMs highly enough. We've had six INCREDIBLE homecooked meals delivered to our door so far, and every single friggin' time it's been on a day when we simply couldn't imagine how we were going to pull off another mealtime without accidentally eating one of our wee ones (by mistake!) from the exhaustion. Talk about a life saver!

Basically we've been eating like royalty at least twice a week, and I gotta say it's good to be the King. Heck, I'm not even a mom! Come to think of it...I didn't ASK whether dad could eat it too, but the portions have suggested it was not verboten (German for hey, I know the German word for "forbidden.") It's been amazing dish after amazing dish; tonight we got the ultimate in comfort food - a killer meat loaf with just-right mashed potatoes, "comfort food" being a term I believe that suggests you don't have to chew too hard. This picture might look more like a plate of brains due to my substandard photo skills, but I assure you this is the best damn meatloaf I've ever had, and I've downed a few flesh loaves in my day. Outstanding.

It would probably sully the simple humility of the program if I listed all the epicurean lady-heroes here by name. A big thanks to everyone - turns out our 2 1/2 year-old DOES like food after all...just not ours. And y'all out there, if you'd like to be part of the small-town it-takes-a-village vibe, just send an email to nicole.fabri@clearenergybrokerage.com. Tell her a fat and happy Q sent you.

What 12 Million Bucks Can Buy You On The Flabenue

2011-12-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

This view of 757-767 Flatbush - roughly Mango Seed to that giant Beauty Supply store - looks like the Main Street of some Western town, probably due to that pickup being the only vehicle in the shot. It's an unusual stretch for Flatbush Avenue for having no height - i.e. no apartment rentals. But it's not unusual for our neck of the Flabenue to have such remarkably diverse, and even downright wacky, mercantilean offerings. Mango Seed is awesome, btw soaking up the killer Yelp reviews (please go - don't tell me there's nowhere to eat out if you haven't given the Seed a shot). Then there's the Christian knick-knack shoppe Lilly of the Valley, that Chinese run Tex Mex Fresco joint, a shoe place, the oddly named Aroma nail salon, and that over-lit wig etc. superstore with the wooden decky seating thing out front. Actually, you're not meant to walk on it or sit on it, but the owner does squat and smoke on it. So maybe it's a "smoke deck" or a "squat 'n' smoker," neither item actually existing in the Pier I catalog, though both ought to, and I'm happy to share my patent if they come a courtin'. Speaking of Pier I, I absolutely love the old film Wicker Man, and if you haven't seen it, I guarantee a good night's viewing.

The whole strip of these stores can't bring in more than 15K a month. And yet they've hit the market for $12 million for the lot of them. Here's the NY Times ad. They call it an "8 Store Taxpayer," and for the life of me I can't fathom what that means. Taxpayer? Well I'd bloody well hope so! It's bad enough we've got corporations paying $0 in income tax...now Chinese Mexican joints too? Is there no justice? Occupy Flatbush!!!!

It's just more zaniness to add to our special stew called home sweet home. And yet, you can't help wondering whether some enterprising slob might come along, buy the whole bunch and build one of those new fangled "luxury" apartment buildings. The prices around here are finally getting to the point where developers might take the plunge.

Still...$12 million? Is that a typo?

A Very Caledonian Christmas

2011-12-25T23:47:00.000-05:00

The FlatBed family hasn't been in the neighborhood on Christmas Day before. For nearly a decade, we've been doing a strange Xmas-New Years dance between Birmingham, AL and Tallahassee, FL - usually involving a very strange but illuminating drive through rural Alabam. Stopping off at a Chick-Fil-A along the way is de rigeur, and often it's a culinary highlight of the trip - and that's saying something, cuz we get fed well everywhere we go. The Chick-Fil-A secret? Definitely the pickles. A chicken sandwich with pickles is a treat not to be missed, the pickle being a much misunderstood sandwich accessory, often mistaken for a condiment. Apparently there's a Chick-Fil-A at NYU, and many a Southern ex-pat can be seen there, often coupled, proving that chicken and pickles, known collectively as chickles, are in fact confirmed aphrodesiacs.

With two little ones at home, and my folks in town, we did the holiday with all the trimmings. We had the tree, augmented by bling from the Gem. I cued up the seasonal favorites, though the Mrs. called a moratorium on Vince Guaraldi this year. Burl Ives seemed a better bet, and it payed off handsomely.

The "snowman" himself has the most lovely tenor, and we've been playing lots of Burl around the house anyway since Little Miss Clarkson Flatbed Jr. was born, Little White Duck and all. If you're looking for a good name to name your next child, I suggest Burl if it's a boy, and Ives if it's a girl. Or the other way around. The whole name thing is so topsy-turvy anyway. I fully expect our generation to be laughed at heartily for its reliance on olde fashioned names, so why not ride the trend while the poker's hot? (metaphor lovingly botched)

Anywhere else in the country but here, if you step out on Christmas morning you're greeted by the eerie silence of commerce interuptus, traffic is nearly non-existent, and one tends to feel a bit anxious that no, if one needed to, one couldn't just go out and purchase, say, a frisbee, or a bottle of bourbon. The country basically shuts down for baby Jesus's birthday, bookended of course by the mad rush to buy last second food and gifts on the Eve, then the mad rush to make up for a day of not buying stuff on Boxing Day. But C-mas itself always stands in stark contrast to business as usual, if but for a few hours. Not so along the Flatbush Corridor, and this year I found that fact to be oddly relaxing and reassuring. Bargainland, Gem, Duane Reade, Closeout Heaven, the pawn shop, the knick-knacks and patty wax sellers...bustling like it was no thang. And best of all, in a pinch, like the one I found myself this Christmas Day, Suzie Farm was open as always, selling every manner of thing you could possibly need to support the celebration of the birth of the King of the Jews. (not my term, btw. It's in the bible. The latter part. Look it up.)

Suzie Farm doesn't get the props it deserves for a) being open 24/7 with no time off for holidays or Acts of God and b) carrying PG Tips. They've got half-gallons of organic milk, "real" Mexican and Jamaican sodas like, say, Coke made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn sweetener in those cute 12 oz bottles; some delicious crazy-ass butter from New Zealand; cookies from Italy and Sri Lanka; vats of stuff I'm too much of a weenie to try; halfway decent fruits and veggies from Hunts Point (buy local!); an eye-popping array of Chinese and Korean remedies; and even some half-decent extra-virgin olive oil, which is what I needed on this particular Noël. By day, two really pretty ladies work the registers with a frenzied precision that will surely astound you. Both have excellent posture. By night, the duties are handled by a couple of cranky-looking dudes who won't respond to even my most charismatic or quirky entreaties. There are no days off in Suzie-land, and I've noted that the Suzie-work is often done in bitter, bitter cold. Today I asked whether any of the Suzie employees owned the joint; they responded with a chortle and a most definite nuh-uh. Also, none of the workers there are related. So if you had some kind of romantic notion of Suzie as a family operated biz with a few Mexican immigrant laborers, you'd be right only about the last half of that sentence. The Mexican guys often get to play their Ranchera music outside in front, but the soundtrack of indoor Suzie is 100% soft rock. I've often caught the ladies singing along with Hall or Oates, and sometimes both, though I'm not convinced that Oates did much singing, and I suspect he was more of a songwriting force than presence on the vocal tracks. I could be wrong, or I could Wikipedia that, but I'm throwing caution to the wind and leading with my gut, which these days is necessarily how I lead anywhere I go, unless I'm crawling on all fours.

The bottom line is: I hope you had a good Christmas Day regardless of your celebratory preferences, and I think we could all agree that for the most part, it was just another day on the Avenue, the 'Bush, or as I've lately come to call it - the Flabenue.

Lefferts Ave Crime Scene

2011-12-22T22:50:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed a "Crime Scene" lab van parked outside of 25 Lefferts Ave this afternoon. Turns out it wasn't parked their "off-duty." Neighbor Melvin Vargas was found stabbed to death inside his apartment, possibly falling victim to the crazed hands of a known assailant. More from NY's WCBS.

I don't think I'd ever noticed how conspicuous those vans are...when I saw it my gut sank to my shoes. I don't even know why I feel compelled to tell you about it...I don't know, perhaps you were wondering...anyhow, condolences all around, on this most tragic day for many.

Erasmus Hall Head Stabber Nabbed

2011-12-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

It should shock no one that violence has once again erupted at a local high school. Given the portrayal of inner city schools in the Hollymediawood, I'm surprised we don't hear these stories all the time. And yet, every so often, a story captures one's attention, if only because it's so damn bizarre.

Local legend Erasmus Hall played host to a bizarre scene on Tuesday, when a b-ball game turned real ugly:

According to The Daily News, “Chevoy Nelson, 16, was mad because victim Alfredo Allen stole the ball from him during a lunchtime pickup game at the Prospect Park South school.” The News wrote:
The two teens were playing basketball in the third floor gym during lunch when Allen took the ball and wouldn’t give it to the increasingly angry Nelson. The furious teen punched Allen in the face then ran out to look for a weapon, witnesses said.

“He goes running around, asking everyone for a weapon,” said a police source. “He goes into a classroom and asks a teacher for acid. She obviously says no, but then she get distracted he grabs a pair of scissors and runs back to the gym. He chases (Allen) around, stabbing him.”

Wayne Morgan, an 18-year-old senior, said, “He stabbed the guy in the head like seven times. The teacher was there, but it’s not like he let it happen — the whole thing happened in like 5 seconds.”

Then this, the chilling clincher:

Police said after the attack Nelson went to a school office and sat quietly, his hands covered in blood.

NY DAILY NEWS STORY.

So I'm thinking, in my armchair psychologist sorta way, that whatever lizard-brained urge this kid had to destroy his nemesis was calmed by his actions. In other words, according to his teenager DNA, he totally did the right thing.

I remember high school. Some days were definitely like that...

Glad to the victim is recovering well.

Say It Ain't True, Q!

2011-12-20T18:08:00.002-05:00

This is devastating news, and I really don't want to talk about it right now:

Shuttle buses will replace all Q subway service between Pacific Street and Prospect Park during the weekends of Jan. 7-9, Jan. 14-16, Jan. 21-23, Jan. 28-30, Feb. 11-13, Feb. 18-20 and Feb. 25-27.
Southbound Q trains operate express between Kings Highway and Brighton Beach during the weekend of March 17-19.

Caledonian Construction Commences Cacophonically

2011-12-20T17:52:00.000-05:00

Caledonian Hospital may yet have its second act. Riding by today I was struck by the sheer mess involved in turning real estate lead into gold. Joe Chetrit and company have a lot a lot a lot of work to do to turn this shell of a commercial building - the yet-to-be-niftily-named 100 Parkside Ave - into the luxury condos of their vision. Pictures like these below show that the multi-year sitting-on-your-investment stage is officially over...cranes and trucks are carnivorously tearing at the old hospital's flesh.

This afternoon there were many decibels to be detected, and I'm feeling sorry for my neighbors - many hundreds of neighbors - who will be inconvenienced for god-knows how long. Let's hope the dilly dallying and lollygagging are kept to a bare minimum.

You know, it's frankly a bit hard to imagine the changes that will come to Caledonian Flatbush when quite suddenly dozens of market-rate apartments go for sale all at once along the forgotten southern border of Brooklyn's Shangri-la. I can almost see the tag lines to the adverts: "steps to Tennis! a soccer moms dream! ancient Greek architecture views! ducks, geese and swans a-plenty!"

But you gotta wonder...where are those folks gonna drop their bourgie duckets?

Delroy's - Panini w/ Panache

2011-12-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

Not to be outdone by Yelp or Urbanspoon, the Q gets to the 'Net first with a local omnivore's well-written and heartfelt review of the new sit-down joint next to the wine store at 65 Fenimore. The cafe is called Delroy's, and though the Q himself is in no position to luxuriate with such European-length meals, I'm glad to present the below review from a trusted source. This from the field:

Well, we had a very sweet evening at Delroy's, and we heartily recommend that everyone in the neighborhood who has a date to take immediately take their date to panini.

The lady had the (tomatoey!) tomato soup and salad panini; I had the chicken soup and (scruncheous) grilled cheese panini: total tab, twenty-five bucks. And Ashanti, the impressario or impressaria behind the panini press is about the friendliest woman in the world. She's formerly of Lincoln Tavern, and she makes a delicious meal. On the way out, we told her, "Brunch, coffee, waffles, crepes, further hot pressed foods!" But, frankly, even as is, Delroy's is something the neighbord has needed for a long, long time. A place with a simple soundtrack, simple decor, a simple menu ... you leave your apartment, and an hour and a half later you're back home, never having left the neighborhood, well fed, happily socialized, and feeling like the world is spinning properly on its axis.

Then some pics to seal the deal:

So don't be a weanie; try the panini, and let us know what you think in the comments below! Babs? I'm waiting Babs!

Shocker: Dollar Van & Bus Collide on Flatbush

2011-12-16T21:20:00.001-05:00

Update (12/17) No less an authority than the Old Red Rat (to the Times' Old Gray Lady) a/k/a The New York Post confirmed the crash involved three teens trying to rob the Dollar Van at knife point. Apparently 10 people were injured; four seriously.

Who'da thunk? A dollar van and B41 crashed in front of the Dunkin' Donuts on Flatbush near Parkside late this aft. The below picture is from some completely random unreliable source is purportedly of the bus 'n' van post crash. I'm shocked that the daily game of chicken played between MTA and DV Nation could ever end badly. Not sure about injuries, but some were taken to hospital. There's a crazy rumor going around the Twitter about the van driver getting stabbed, or stabbing somebody, but let's not trust the T-verse without corroboration.

Brooklyn Finest Replaces Gran Bwa

2011-12-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

If you've been to the Gem for a tree skirt, or Flatbush Fashion for a skirt skirt, you've undoubtedly seen the well-lit new boutique known as Brooklyn Finest. It crazily quickly replaced longtime fixture Gran Bwa, the Haitian knick-knacks joint. I still miss the Vodou drumming and incense burning in the abandoned phone booth that made a passage along west Flatbush such a mind-twist. The above picture shows the Grand Opening, where Brooklyn Finest had the brilliant scheme of GIVING AWAY a limited number of shirts 'n' hats 'n' stuff to draw attention to their wares. Never underestimate the power of "free."

Breaking News: Busted on Bedford

2011-12-14T19:50:00.000-05:00

A tipster informs the Q that major police action shuttered the bodega on Bedford 'tween Parkside and Winthrop. Anybody got more info? According to the source, a few folks were cuffed and hauled off at the joint known to insiders, and to anyone who can read the sign, as "Puerto Plata."

I've been by it a couple hundred times, stopped in occasionally, and I never noticed any shenanigans. Always seemed pretty mellow actually. What's your take?

A picture of a plantains, not unlike the ones frequently available at Puerto Plata, must suffice in lieu of actual photo-journalism. I'll see if the 71st has anything to say about it; the bust, not the picture.

Kash for Kalashnikovs

2011-12-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

Following up on the recent study by the Brookings Institution showing that 78% of blog readers own or traffic in illegal guns, the Q implores you all to take advantage of the upcoming cash for guns program. Now's the perfect time, especially heading into the holiday season, when bloggers and egg-noggers typically butt heads, leading to an alarming rise in drunken crimes of passion. Last year, half of all Brownstoner commenters ate or served lead.

In all seriousness, these things really do work, according to the NYPD, which keeps on doing them.

Playground Should Be Ready By Dead o' Winter

2011-12-13T23:26:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been down Winthrop tween Bed & Rog you've missed a remarkable transformation taking place almost daily. The new playground looks to be lovely - landscaping, lots of seating, tons of chess tables (maybe the guys on Woodruff will shift locations?) The Q is super happy about this one. PS 92 gets much needed recreation space, teens get nice basketball courts, and parents have another option besides trekking all the way to the park, which might not seem like a long way to the childless, but trust me, every block can be an adventure with a wee one. Nice.

Ramagi on Rogers

2011-12-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Check out this here fancy-schmancy sign for a brick-oven pizza joint soon to open on Rogers near Hawthorne:

Now, I gotta say. Just cuz you use bricks doesn't make it good. Nor does the current fad for $20 personal pan pizzas seem to me to have legs beyond the artisanal cheese crowd. BUT...if Ramagi's is a proper sit-down joint, my guess is they're going to do very well, regardless of the quality of their bricks.

BP Stands For Beware Pedestrians

2011-12-10T16:10:00.001-05:00

The recent attention paid to troubled corner Parkside/Ocean has stirred up a mighty sandstorm of sentiment. I recall early in the discussion about that corner people were saying "hey, if you deal with that crossing you better deal with Parkside/Flatbush too." True enough that corner has stratospheric accident numbers too, and then came the recent pedestrain death to nail home what we all know well...traffic's a bitch around here, whether you're walking, biking, driving, swimming...but I do feel the need to point out a major difference between the two - Parkside/Flatbush suffers primarily from intense scofflawism. Speeding, running red lights, not waiting your turn to turn, crazy lane shifting...add to this (and this might not make me very popular) some really boneheaded pedestrian jaywalking, and you've got a hot mess. BUT...the intersection itself is pretty typical four-corner stoplight stuff. Parkside/Ocean suffers from serious problems of design as well - a huge unmarked space and five roads - though I'm sure improvements could be made at P/F too. The fact is, speed kills when you're in a wreck. The motorcycle accident touches a nerve, I think, because all of us suspend a bit of disbelief every time we venture out near our beloved main street. Another case in point...

A reader sent me some pictures yesterday (below) that show what we all know to be yet another local traffic cat-and-mouse game. The triangular BP station just below Lefferts has struck many of us [sic] as insanity-with-three-sides. There are "driveways" everywhere, parked cars at every-which-angle, and motorists speeding in and out all willy-nilly. Upon hearing that I was going to write about it, my good law-abiding friend informed me that he too on occasion "created" his own egress after gorging on gas. A scary fact is, and the below pictures prove, that the curb cuts intended for wheelchair access are used more often than the actual driveways when drivers exit certain "corners." Hey, it can save a few seconds, especially if the traffic light is not in your favor! Chaos, thy name is spelt BP.

So...what can be done? One, never walk, bike or drive in the neighborhood. And if number one does not seem reasonable, then bring your concerns before the Community Board. The transportation committee chair is Ed Fanning. Ed's a great guy and super-knowledgeable about all things City. But he and the other chairs of committees need residents to bring their concerns before the Board so that City agencies hear about our complaints through "official" channels. It's either that, or we can get elected officials to get involved, who will or won't respond depending on any number of factors. What I'm going to say next may sound antithetical given our recent success in getting Mathieu Eugene on board for the traffic calming study...it's fine to tell electeds about your issues, but it's not always gonna work, especially if your issue doesn't coincide with their electoral objectives (i.e. getting another four years in office). I absolutely think that we should use the CB committees to get the ball rolling...once something leaves committee, it goes straight to the appropriate agency with an official looking letter coming from the District Manager. Believe it or not, it GETS RESULTS. That's not to say you shouldn't call Yvette Clarke, or Tish James, or Eric Adams or Barak Obama or Dr. Eugene...it's just that there is a legitimate community-led forum for concerns (the CB) and it has been massively underutilized in this neighborhood. I'm on a crusade to get people to realize that STUFF DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN to make things better - PEOPLE make things better by getting involved. I do hope you'll send me an email with your transportation concerns, and I'll forward it to Ed directly. Then again, if everything is hunky dory, don't bother squawking...the CB won't come knockin'

And Mathieu - please DO add the BP cruster-fruck to the growing number of complaints I send your way! I'm making a list, checkin' it twice, and gonna find out...

Pedestrian Struck at Flatbush and Parkside - Looks Serious

2011-12-08T09:58:00.003-05:00

We're trying to get more info on a pedestrian who was struck at the infamous corner Flatbush/Parkside (next up D.O.T.!) during this morning's commute...this is just too sad, and the timing too weird for words. It looks serious, and the walker was apparently unconscious on the scene. Anyone have more info? Prayers welcome. UPDATE: The woman was hit by a motorcycle and has since died.

Flatbush is a four-lane menace. Between buses and dollar vans, double-parkers and extreme motorcyclists, plus livery cabs and the run of the mill idiot NY drivers, it's a disaster. Rogers Ave is also in our district, and recently won the distinction of most sped. Want to test your skills of agility? Try walking across Ocean at Woodruff. Have working ears? Try ignoring the constant honking along Clarkson. The whole sector is a bloody disaster, if you ask the Q. Exciting, but deadly. Wasn't it just a couple months ago a lady was killed on Flatbush at Lincoln?

For those who want to see the plan to change the intersection down the block, the plan is at the DOT website. A key point from the presentation is that this intersection ranks in the top 2% of most dangerous intersections city-wide, as does Parkside/Flatbush. Further proof of that is not needed. Here's a couple pics I just scanned for the click-o-phobic, but I suggest looking at the nicer pdf copies with all the bells and whistles:

the Q's Art Gone From Plaza - New Day Rising?

2011-12-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

It's gone y'all. They said they were gonna take it down, and they did. And the timing was auspicious, since last night the DOT unveiled its big plan to change the name of the intersection from Death Corner to Half-As-Many-Deaths Corner. This must be the Bureaucracy Gods way of telling us it's time to think about how we want this ginormous unused public space to look - now and into the future. It's ours. Let's make it the envy of the City.

Ideas? I know the Community Board's Parks Committee is open...we just need to unite behind a plan and stay focused til it happens. I really hope that momentum is on our side, because what with the park's massive new Lakeside project, and the closing of this corner's entrance for traffic...we have a real opportunity to say something positive about our home through the magic of public design. Again...don't leave it to me. My latest idea is a giant human chess game taking place 24-7, giving employment to out-of-work actors and out-of-work costume makers. Then every Saturday you do sort of a Renaissance Fair, with jousting and wenches and lots of artisanal mead. Like I said, don't let me have anything to do with but cheer leading.

And by the way, last night was awesome. Take a peek at all of your neighbors who trudged through the rain to check out the plan to improve safety at Parkside and Ocean:

The presentation was strong, the ideas were good, and our questions were both passionate and astute. I mean...what's going on here? It was practically...dare I say it...productive. Great input from Ed Fanning of CB9's Transportation Committee, crucial input from Annie Williams of the Woodruff Block Association (I'm with you Annie - Woodruff traffic's a mess, and I blame my own Clarkson Avenue for feeding you the cars!). Celeste Lacy Davis from the Ocean on the Park Historic District made good points about the need for traffic calming along Ocean. All the high profile cats and dogs were in attendance, from the Democratic District Leader to Lefferts Manor Association prez to reps from the two most affected community boards (14 and 9), both precinct community councils (70th and 71st), a guy whose name I missed who said he was the head of the East 21st Block Association (Woodruff to Church), and lots of concerned citizens from 353 Ocean Avenue, a/k/a Prospect Park East. Plus Carrie from Hawthorne Street who got the whole ball rolling with her video nigh on three years ago, and her plan created in conjunction with Transportation Alternatives. And of course, the lady who got us all there, Maddie Fix-Hansen, who spoke eloquently of the need for drivers to get ticketed up the wazoo. All in all, a nice bunch of neighbors, and I felt proud of us all.

It's a good plan. With minor tweaks, let's make it happen, and show that when we put our minds and hearts to something, we can make shite happen. We may not be Pork Slip, and we don't wanna be, but the Man better be on notice - there's some fire in the Caledonian belly! (Or is that post-jerk indigestion?)

The plan itself? I'll post a diagram as soon as I get a good copy. In the meantime, here's my layman's description:

In addition to closing the park to vehicle entrance, they will extend the curb into the intersection, making the entire box smaller. The crosswalks will be tighter too - for instance, you'll go from the current corner in front of the Q station ON A DIAGONAL to the Park corner. Visibility will be improved greatly, for both pedestrians and drivers. Buses will no longer be allowed to idle on Ocean - this change will be affected by removing parking meters on the McDonalds side of Parkside and having the buses wait there. New, better markings will reduce driver confusion. And in all likelihood they will add some sort of enhanced traffic signal, like a left-turn only and head-starts for pedestrians.

Date w Destiny - Tuesday

2011-12-05T17:31:00.000-05:00

Not six months since we all made a big stink, the DOT plans an unveiling of its new traffic design for Parkside at Ocean. Please come tomorrow night at 6:30 to the Calvary Pentecostal Church on Woodruff tween Flat and Ocean, to express your opinion. Note: I've been warned that a pro-car crowd might be out to shout down any proposed changes, even though from what I've seen of the plan it should make life easier on automobiles - right now it's total chaos, buses parking willy-nilly creating visibility hazards, and drivers not knowing where or when to turn. Kudos to Maddie Fix-Hansen for staying on top of the issue.

See you there! (poster pic above taken by our western correspondent).

Stray Cats and Old Man Winter

2011-12-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

Mrs. FlatBed and I have managed to help keep our feral (i.e. wild) cats warm for winter nigh on 8 years. After spaying and neutering a baker's dozen of cats through the Trap Neuter & Return program, we found ourselves caring for the felines too wild to be adopted (we found homes for four). Cats are hardy, and can handle almost any weather thrown at them...but the extreme cold can be deadly. And although they're incredibly cunning at finding crevices into basements and sponging heat coming up from grates, every winter we've lost at least one during the frostiest weeks. If you want to read more about our experience with this ever-so-ingenius method of dealing with out-of-control cat populations, you can read this old Q post here.

Reader Eagle Eye M.S. sent me this link that gives some options for how to build or buy a simple but effective shelter to keep your lovelies warm on the worst nights. He's a cat fancier as well, and I applaud his efforts and those of countless protectors of street cats all over our fair city. By the way if you're interested in becoming a colony's guardian angel, that there link takes you to the site of Neighborhood Cats, an org started in 1999 that can walk you through the procedure of securing the safe future for your clan. It's incredibly rewarding, and the cat's - and your neighbors - will thank you for it.

205 Parkside Gets Ready For Its Closeup

2011-12-03T17:05:00.077-05:00

Those of you who commute by walking down Parkside to the Q already know the remarkable transformation that has taken place to 205, the Moses Fried owned building that has been the bane of the block for more than two decades. Here you can see that new windows, removed graffiti and new glass to the lobby have done wonders, though the scaffolding continues to thwart passers-by:

Just one year ago, it looked like this:

People have said I'm obsessed with the progress, but the look of the building is not my primary issue with Fried and his grandson David Tepper's development project. It's the "use" of the building, which is described as a long-stay hotel. The Community Board refused is other plan to change the Certificate of Occupancy, so he changed the plan to conform with a well-worn business model of his. Other Prince Hotel projects have yielded hooker/drug joints - no way to candy coat it. They've become hourly places "under the table."

I worked for the Doe Fund, a creative program for homeless men that involved the Ready, Willing and Able work and sobriety program, and I know well that there's a need for single-occupancy room (SRO) housing, especially given the state of homeless shelters in 2011. So the fact that Fried took a perfectly nice apartment building and turned it into a shelter-esque joint is not my beef. It's that as a landlord and developer, Fried has shown little interest in people beyond profit. Though in fairness, he leased a building of his to a pretty decent non-profit on Woodruff serving a deserving population of homeless women and kids. Let's be clear though - the price was right; Fried's no do-gooder. Given two such rather large buildings on Woodruff, another huge shelter-building at across Ocean on Woodruff, a real big one at 60 Clarkson, and it would be fair to say we've got a high percentage of "transient" folks in a fairly tight radius. I don't want to speculate about what that means for the neighborhood...though I've certainly heard plenty of opinions through the years. A building in northern PLG cause a major brouhaha over just this sort of business plan (read about Providence House here). I found the argument a bit overwrought, given that we live in a way more heavily "social-serviced" neighborhood down here, largely without too much trouble. Though I'm not impressed with how most landlord's assume their responsibility in maintaining these buildings, and in particular, the comings and goings of non-residents. Ambulances and police cars are frequent visitors to the four buildings I mentioned, and some of the stories I've heard of goings-on give me pause. And yet, this is part of the grand experiment of NYC, rich and poor, privileged and troubled, that hopefully still exists as an ideal in the hearts of many. The reality on the ground? Often less than ideal. Just ask the tenants.

More to come on 205 Parkside. I hope for the best, though the fact that squatters have been living there throughout the demo and construction makes me think Fried has little true caring for the people he claims to want to serve. One "resident" whom I queried says he's been paying rent for years. Wow. In an abandoned building without utilities. That's bold. "I'm a deeply religious man" is Fried's favorite refrain. I hope he lives up to the words of his faith.

Cortelyou Road? Not so surprising, considering...

2011-12-01T21:47:00.001-05:00

In the spirited discussion that followed my recent post about past efforts to attract new bourgie businesses to Flatbush Avenue, I jumped into the fray and suggested that if people are serious about changing the tenor of the ave, they should organize along the lines of the star-crossed Prospect Lefferts United for Services (PLUS). And someone, I think it was Alexis, brought up Cortelyou Road. Well...funny thing. That was one of the things I was researching as a sidebar to the story, and I came across a somewhat illuminating article by Idil Abshir in The Brooklyn Ink that described exactly the kind of scenario that Mark Dicus et al were trying to make happen here. Though etiquette suggests you click the link above, some just can't be bothered to click, so I excerpt a bit here, hopefully with the author's indulgence:

Jan Rosenberg, who has lived here [ditmas park] since 1986, says that the neighborhood was drastically different when she moved in. “The houses were more deteriorated and in need of repairs,” she said. “The main difference was that it was much more dangerous.” Rosenberg was a sociology professor at Long Island University in downtown Brooklyn before she ventured in to the real estate business. She is currently a partner at Brooklyn Hearth Realty. In 2001, Rosenberg founded Friends of Cortelyou- a group that sought to attract business to Cortelyou Road. [theQ's ed. note - the acronym would therefore have been FoC, with a hard consonant "c," but somehow it never became common parlance in polite company. ]

There were no new businesses drawn to the area. Friends of Cortelyou tried to attract merchants, convinced that this could redefine the neighborhood. “Our commercial strip is so short. I strongly felt, after looking at other neighborhoods, that three or four new businesses would make an impact, ” said Rosenberg. “We had nice houses and nice apartments but no businesses.” Rosenberg clarified that while useful stores existed, like the delis and dollar stores, nothing was in place that neighborhood residents were drawn to. Rosenberg went on to say that her work developing Cortelyou Road, and her current job as a realtor was never a far departure from sociology. “I got into real estate as a function of what I was doing with Friends of Cortelyou- trying to change Cortelyou Road,” Rosenberg said. “It was kind of applied sociology.”

So yes, an economic development group is often a catalyst to get folks thinking about attraction, and it leads to things that lead to things that lead to things. Then, there's further, and ultimately odd, chunk of the story:

Susan Siegel, the creator of the farmer’s market at Cortelyou, and later the executive director of the Flatbush Development Corporation said the changes to Cortelyou Road were absolutely necessary, because the area was experiencing ‘economic leakage.’ Nobody was investing or spending in the neighborhood. “We liked that it’s not Park Slope, but at the same time there was so much missing. We spent more money outside the neighborhood than in it,” Siegel said. “If I needed to cook something with broccoli or arugula I had to leave the neighborhood.” [emphasis theQ's]

Siegel says that the farmer’s market is at the core of the neighborhood. “The farmer’s market is like the town square,” Siegel said. “It was a way that all diverse neighbors could come together for the first time ever. It was a real community builder.”

The challenges Siegel faced involved getting people to come to the market, and proving to existing businesses that the market wasn’t going to take away their business: something that was easily achieved since the market provided goods that resident had to leave Flatbush to find. Business owners faced different challenges. One of the current owners of Picket Fence, one of the first restaurants to open during Cortelyou Road’s renaissance, said that it was a huge risk for the original owner of the place. “He took the gamble and didn’t know if there would be a payoff,” said Roma Agarwal a joint owner since 2007. “But he saw the incentive, he saw the market here.”

So Siegel took the "friends of" group one step further to become a "corporation," which by all accounts is a major player down there. But here's the irony to the foodie bit...there was always good raw food in the neighborhood - the Flatbush Food Coop has been around on Cortelyou since 1985, albeit in a smaller storefront than the minor behemoth of today. Heck I remember wandering into that Coop in the early 90's, a bit grunged-around-the-collar, and laughing at the ridiculously named vegetables, fresh herbs and hippie leaning brands. I find it odd that the Coop isn't even mentioned by Siegel, who claims she had to leave the neighborhood for coop staples as arugula or broccoli. And by the way, you don't have to WORK at this Coop to enjoy the food...though it can be a bit pricey by Park Slope Food Coop standards. Curious. Personally, I think the farmer's market is cute, but there ain't much to it, and I can't imagine it trumped the bourgie places like Picket Fence and Farm on Adderly as catalysts. Still, some enterprising fool could start a farmer's market at the mall of the Q at Parkside, and I suspect it'd be a sleeper hit. There was talk recently of a group coming in to do an "artisan" market as well. Me, I'm still thinking fountain, but I just so love a good water feature!

So to the question at hand I pose this: yes, it takes the neighborhood cleaning up its act. Yes it helps to have a couple of strong civic groups pushing the agenda, even a B.I.D., or at the very least an actually functioning merchant's association. And most importantly it takes even just one or two intrepid entrepreneurs (Play Kids?) to start a landslide.

But here's the real difference: Cortelyou was a no man's land, hurting even for foot traffic. Flatbush is a thriving, if salon-heavy, avenue with tons and tons and tons of traffic, foot and otherwise. What we have here is no Franklin, or Cortelyou, or even Dekalb or Smith. We have the tri-state epicenter for wigs, styling, braiding and weaves and nails, with a massive contingent of West Indian cuisine and curios. (editor's note: I changed the next sentence to better reflect what I wanted to say, since I got wacked for my last sentence!) This is why so many come from all over to spend money here, and we should work WITH that powerful starting place rather than clean slate approach elsewhere. I favor a cleanup approach - drugs, gangs, garbage - that needless hold back the positive existing businesses and keep others from starting. Each block could and should deliver services to a wide range of folks, and then our main street could become the envy of diversity and local ingenuity.

I'm still annoyed by that arugula and broccoli quote though.

Latest FlatBed Demands More "Amenities" on Flatbush

2011-12-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

A hearty welcome to Little Miss Clarkson FlatBed Jr. the II, who joined Caledonian society today at 11AM, weighing in at a bruising 10 lbs 13 ounces and just shy of 2 feet. Her first words were "maybe a modest sit-down middle eastern place on parkside avenue? i dunno. just sayin'. wah-wah-wah-wah"

A Cautionary Tale That Bears Rehashing - Part I 1/2 of What's Really Going On

2011-11-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

I've met a lot of great folks in my year-and-a-half of blogging. I've gotten to know my hometown a lot better. I've watched and listened to people, old and new, with big ideas and enormous passion for civic issues. There's tons of energy 'round here, and no shortage of brains either. But something happened a few years back that I just got to share, because in researching the "story" I found myself wondering if there is some sort of strange curse pulsing through the sewers of northeastern Flatbush, that ensures that the kind of pollyanna chutzpah affecting other parts of Brooklyn will never happen here. Maybe it SHOULDN'T happen here, and that's what the good Lord's trying to tell us! So relax, and let me tell you the tale of an effort towards economic development some years ago that went horribly awry.

I recently sat down with Mark Dicus, whose name was once almost synonymous with post-millenial "change" in PLG. Half a dozen years ago Mark, w/his budding family in tow, took a look around the 'hood and wondered why it seemed stuck in time - as in the late '80s early '90s time - and so few "amenities" were taking hold like in other parts of the borough. theQ's memory of the time was that NYC was regaining that pre-9/11 swagger, and new businesses were sprouting up, along with a renewed vigor in the real estate market all over town. People were buying and flipping houses again, and banks were lending with quite a bit of, how did Alan Greenspan put it? Froth. (Yes, the stodgy Chairman of the Federal Reserve used the word "froth." Turns out, froth fairly understated the circumstances, but the fall of Lehman was a couple years off, so the nation's expert money guy could be forgiven for missing the meaning of a few leading indicators. Like froth.)

So our neighbor Mark says hey, other neighborhoods are creating environments favorable to business, and its working, so why not here? They're cleaning up their streets, making them safer, strengthening retail corridors, changing the ethos for business and hoping that all boats rise. He founded PLUS (Prospect Lefferts United for Services), a name he almost instantly regretted, but it's so hard changing a name after it sticks, and to my ear PLUS sounds pretty good, even if the phrase behind the acronym is pretty odd. PLUS quickly distinguished itself by cleaning up around Lincoln Road, encouraging places like K-Dog and Enduro to open up, finding some money to help businesses put up new gates and awnings (ever wondered why Papa & Sons and that deli on Lincoln near Ocean look so relatively upscale? Thank PLUS!), helping get the ArtMart thing off the ground w/PLG Arts...PLUS was cooking with gas and seemed headed for greater things. It had a seven-or-so member Board, and in researching this true story, the Q poured over the public listserve of PLUS (it's still up there on the Yahoo), and I must say there is ample evidence of a lively and upbeat and diverse group, meeting regularly, getting pumped and doing some pretty great work, especially for a bunch of volunteers receiving no remuneration. So...what happened?

The downfall started when Dicus found a grant opportunity too good to pass up...and so PLUS wrote what I can only imagine was a great proposal to a City economic development group for money to create a "real" organization, with a "real" budget, and a chance to make a more deliberate and sustained difference in the neighborhood. Given Mark's effective leadership of the group to that point, it made sense to him (and to anyone with an ounce of common sense) that he would be the person to lead the group once the money became available. Given that a "real" organization needs full-time administration and accountability, a salary would be involved. And in fact, the grant in question pretty much necessitated it. Someone would have to be held responsible for administering the money, and accountable to the Board for his/her actions. All of this should have been pretty easy to sort out. At the very least, the Board could have given the guy the gig and re-assessed when the grant money ran out.

I've worked in non-profits for years, in fundraising in fact, and what happened next is really quite shocking. Rather than the Board asking Dicus to step down as board chair to take the Executive Director position, with modest compensation to come from the grant - which they won HURRAY! - the board completely imploded and couldn't even get it together enough to accept the first trickle of money from a six-figure multi-year grant. That's right...after months and years of fantastic well-oiled work, and with some real money now finally available...one after another of the board members quit til there was nothing left.

Back then there was a lively blogging community that predates yours truly, Hawthorne Street, PLOG and the like. Son of PLG and Across the Park both wondered aloud what-the-hell-happened, and the many people counting on PLUS to forge ahead were left confused and angry. I've talked to various people involved in PLUS's demise, but the general consensus is that it's well past time to move on, even if there's still a bit of disappointment and even bitterness lingering. The only pivot point that is incontestable is this: just after the big grant application went in, Dicus wrote a note on the listserve intended for the Board only that went to the general readership. I'm not quite sure what the mechanics of that were, but regardless many people unfamiliar with the board's plans to expand suddenly were given access to that information, and a lot of unsophisticated rumors began to circulate about how the money was going to destroy, rather than help, the cause. Some people wondered in public whether Dicus should even be considered for the gig - this after basically proving himself over two years of unpaid volunteer work. Once Dicus himself left the board in disgust, the great irony is that he was subsequently hired by the Church Avenue B.I.D. to do basically the SAME job, but for the folks immediately to the south of us.

And so ends our cautionary tale. What lessons are learned? First, be very careful about who you put on the board of your budding non-profit. It may all seem like fun and all-for-one and one-for-all until things get serious, and then people's true colors come through. Make sure your agenda is clear to your board AND to the general public at all times. Make sure not to press "send" on the listserve til you're sure you know who you're sending to. Don't assume that everyone sees eye to eye with you on how best to move the neighborhood forward.

Between the resurgent PLGNA, Parkside Prize, PLG Civic, LinRoFORMA, PLG Arts and more...there's definitely plenty of catalysts to spark change. Let's hope they're more successful in navigating the waters of growth. (waters of growth - is that a lame metaphor or what? I gotta go to work now...)

Cobu Post Struck a Nerve

2011-11-27T09:42:00.001-05:00

The internet, with its many tentacles, managed to draw a number of comments to theQ's post on the Church of Bible Understanding's domicile on Woodruff. The original post on COBU yielded many comments from ex-cult-members who probably found the post through a link I made to an ex-member's fascinating blog. Normally I wouldn't rehash an old post, but I found the comments attached to my original post terribly enlightening, particularly the most recent that accuses COBU (also known by its commercial enterprise - Olde Good Things) of misrepresenting donations made to Haitians, where COBU has a presence in the form of a "mission" to young people. And by misrepresenting I mean, of course, stealing.

Just the other day while biking by, I saw a very sad and lonely looking dude walking out of the building. Thinking back to the emancipated commenters, I almost wanted to throw my arms around the guy and say "you can always start again, out here in the free world." But I chickened out, and probably would have scared him. Maybe ex-members will stop by and do some reverse evangelizing?

Trouble's A-Brewin' Over Medgar Evers Greenspace Project

2011-11-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

Many of you may never venture north of Empire Blvd. Brooklyn's funny that way, particular if you don't bike or own a car. If you live in Flatbush though, it's worth a journey to the north and east of the Botanic Garden. Technically, this is Crown Heights. It's home to some truly beautiful blocks, some hideously scarred post-industrial wasteland blocks, some beautifully scarred post-industrial blocks (check out the "Spice Factory" on Franklin) and a few humble retail corridors. The area is also home to Medgar Evers College, a community-based extension of the CUNY system that has grown quite a bit over the last decade. In recent year's, it built a new state-of-the-art Health and Science building which is quite striking, rising as it does above Bedford Avenue at Crown Street. Not long ago, this important bedrock institution of the neighborhood announced a nearly $20 million plan to create an actual campus where none existed. The plan involves closing Crown Street to traffic, and making a hangout-able landscaped greenspace that looks something like this:

Pretty cool, right? This 4-year college serves predominantly low-income "minority" students, is geared towards providing a leg-up to those wishing to reverse misfortune, was created without precedent BY community groups and leaders during the tumultuous '60s, and has thrived through the many crazy years since. The new space is intended to provide a campus-feel to its thousands of students for generations to come. No brainer! Win-Win! Hurray for our team!!!

But wait, there's more...and it ain't pretty.

Thursday night I had the good fortune to attend the latest meeting of Community Board 9, which for those who don't know covers much of the area east of Prospect Park and north from Clarkson. The way these meetings work: various issues come before the CB as agenda items, placed by the various committees of the Board. Sometimes, as was the case this night, public opinion is requested on a proposal that was made to the City's land use, or ULURP, division of the department of planning. Folks sign up to speak to the agenda. I had been told to brace for a fire-storm on the Crown Street closing idea, and sure enough the place became electric with anger in fairly short order.

It strikes this blogger that something MORE than just the proposed closing of Crown street is at play, judging from the near unanimous vitriol blasted at the project, mostly from longtime residents of Crown street one block to the east. If you haven't been down that block, you really should treat yourself! It's gorgeous, amazing terraced landscaping, beautifully maintained historic houses, olde fashioned lightposts, the whole nine. One would think, and one would be wrong, that residents of this street and other beauties near it, would welcome the addition of well-maintained public greenspace just to their west. One would also think that by closing down that street to traffic, fewer cars from outside would use Crown as a thoroughfare. If you look at a map, or if you drive or bike it yourself, you can see that residents might be inconvenienced by the closing, since they'll now have to take a right or left on Bedford to continue their trip from their homes, where before they could drive all the way through to Washington. However, residents don't see this as a mere inconvenience, and they apparently near-unanimously hate the plan. Most of the speakers said the street closure would cause severe hardship, even suggesting that the intense street-clogging would create toxic conditions for area youth. Although one might assume that street parking would be a concern to these nearby neighbors, one speaker made a point of saying that parking was not the issue at all, and that she and many neighbors had garages or driveways rendering street parking irrelevant. Others refuted the notion that the area needs "greenspace" at all, given the proximity to the Park and Garden. Though I don't think I need to point out that the Garden is not free, so that one's kinda apples to oranges.

What gives? Apparently, various local block associations came together over the summer for a forum to discuss the plan. It wasn't organized by the Community Board or the City or DOT or Medgar Evers - it was put together by some really smart, caring, and apparently pissed-off homeowners who wanted a place to vent their frustration over the plan. Elected officials were invited to witness the furor, and some - like Councilperson Tish James - vowed to block the plan at every opportunity, seemingly in the spirit of her valiant star-crossed vendetta against the Nets Arena. Many of the speakers at the CB meeting cited this earlier community meeting that was held at a local church, where there were (anecdotally) a couple hundred people, as proof that nobody wants a $17 million project that closes the street, and even mentioned that President Pollard of the College said that maybe he'd have to go back and revisit the idea of closing the street. Attendees felt they had scored a victory at that meeting, and were outraged that the Community Board would even be talking about it.

You know, they might be right about the traffic snarls; it could be Carmageddon in Crown Heights if they close that street, and it would be good to know that DOT has a plan to combat it. BUT...there was absolutely nothing wrong with talking about it, and the way these various civic leaders lashed out at District Manager Pearl Miles and the committee chair (who gave the report that led to the discussion), was incredibly disrespectful and unnecessarily angry. I can appreciate that people experience NIMBY outrage - god knows I have a time or two! But really...we're your neighbors, guys. We want to hear your opinion, not your shouting and vein-bulging. Save it for people who ACTUALLY want to do you harm, rather than people who are there to listen.

Tish James had a good procedural point though...apparently Medgar Evers withdrew this plan in order to conduct a more thorough study of the project's effect on traffic. So this whole conversation at the CB level was premature. However, if a Community Board is to have any role to play in advising matters of City planning, it must have informational discussion sessions like the one last Tuesday. All of the rhetoric about how "this conversation shouldn't even be happening" was ludicrous. How else are we going to find out how people feel? And I'm sorry, but people can meet and jabber in churches all they want, but that doesn't supplant actually convened meetings of the community board, which supposedly is representative of more than just a couple of blocks.

In my limited dealings with CB9's committees however, I agree with Jesse Hamilton, the Democratic District Leader, when he complains of poor organization. It's a problem generally, and I'm pretty sure had the committee meetings been better run and articulated, we wouldn't have had such a wild scene from the pulpit. All that said, democracy was generally well-served by all the venting, and free speech flowed freely. All for the good I think.

Please comment, for or against, or provide more info, in the comments. I'm trying to remain neutral, though I'll admit I find most of the car-centric concerns to be self-serving, ignoring the longterm benefits to students and the neighborhood at large. I live on a congested block myself, though, and I would hope that a good survey of the plan's effect on traffic will be properly used when the REAL decisions get made.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.

Parkside Prize - Your Submission Please

2011-11-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

It's time. You've considered every manner of idea to revamp Caledonia's humble main street. Now it's time to commit your vision to paper and send in your submissions. I'm sure you're tired of hearing me trumpet the awesomely optimistic Parkside Prize, $1,000 just for envisioning a new look for a tired block. As usual, Rudy says it best, so I'll leave it to him:

"Don't forget: There is just one week left to register for the contest to redesign Parkside Avenue.

We all know how shabby that block can be at its worst ... how maddening it is to see all that concrete after a walk through Prospect Park, how sad it is to see all that crumbling plaster and peeling paint after arriving home on the Q. We all know how much better it could be, if the traffic were milder, if the sidewalks were cleaner, if the city cared for our block the way its cares for Columbus Circle, or Grand Army Plaza, or the Brooklyn waterfront. This is your chance to remake your neighborhood.

The deadline to register is December 1. The deadline to send in your design is December 15. The grand prize is $1000. All of the information you need is right here: www.theparksideprize.org

So! All you designers, all you architects. All you hackers and artists and freelancers. All you who ride the subway and think of old Walt Whitman. All you who, in your most private ambitions, see a city more open than Olmsted's, more modern than Moses's, more surreal than Julius Knipl's ...! Yes, you ...! All of you ...! This is your hour ...! Do not delay ...! One thousand dollars ...! Register today ...!" - Rudy on W

What's REALLY Going On, In Our Little Bit of Brooklyn, NYC, USA: Part I

2011-11-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

An opinionated man, on caffeine, having just read two books on a single subject - now there's a dangerous combination. Throw in the fact that theQ has also logged dozens of hours this year at community meetings and interviews and civic blah-blah-blahs, and you've got a recipe for some big honking pronouncements. As in...here's the State of the 'Hood from one blogger's perspective. Get your comment fingers ready!

So much of what gets said and thunk about our neighborhood centers on real estate, economic development, race and gentrification - that I felt it was time I collected my own thoughts, lest I become just another mindless jokester and civic-booster, forgetting my original reason to blog, which was basically to make "sense" of my home of these many years (and presumably for many years to come). My experience with ACTUAL people on my block and environs lies in stark contrast to the usual "us against them" nonsense perpetuated by people who seem to have nothing better to write about Flatbush than conflict and outrage. Most people are just living their life, within their means, and are much too busy living, loving, birthing and dying to care much for these esoteric arguments anyway. But I'm a fan of dialectic, and frankly sometimes people say stuff that really heats up my bullshit meter, so maybe that meter is as good a place to start as any.

First, I don't buy that our area - NE Flatbush Q at Parkside PLG Caledonian Prospect Park E - is a neighborhood "in transition." Saying that a NYC neighborhood is going through change is like saying that butter melts on a skillet...it's only a matter of how fast due to how hot the heat. The book "The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn," by Park Slope native Suleiman Osman, shows just how long is this story of change - certainly the modern "brownstoning" or "back to the City" movement in Brooklyn goes back to the early years of the Baby Boom (early '50s) as Brooklyn Heights saw a resurgence in its home values and an uptick in private single-family ownership, notably, even then, by head-strong white professionals. Such de-densifying of real estate is always a big cause of concern to housing advocates, though for many years it was slightly offset by the building of City housing and private, reasonably priced new buildings.

I could use my own house-story as example, with variation of course, of something playing out dozens of times each year on our side of the park. When my wife and I bought our place nearly a decade ago, 6-10 people were living here in various degrees of squalor. There was no heat, a backed-up sewer flooded the basement, electricity was being pulled "pro bono" off the street, and mounds of trash filled the backyard. No one living here was particularly fond of the house...they were probably fond only of the $100/wk rent. At the time of purchase, ours was basically a run-of-the-mill shithole boarding house - unsafe, unsavory and as a result, relatively cheap to buy, even for the era. Cheap is always relative of course - it cost WAY more than we'd ever imagined spending in one fell swoop, but we could make it work with "creative" financing (you could do that back then), a familial loan, and our middle-classy salaries. The transaction was so dull that were race or class not involved, the story of a couple buying a house formerly illegally diced into multiple fire-trap apartments by a greedy and dishonest slumlord would not provoke any interest or concern. In fact, our next door neighbors on either side were pretty relieved, and we were ecstatic to have found an actual townhouse that we could afford. A whole house. In the greatest city in the country. Wow. Dream? You bet. So in the actual on-the-ground world of man-needs-house, man-searches-for-house, man-buys-house...not much is going on. EXCEPT, and this is a big except...this man is a white man, moving into a neighborhood predominantly not-white, and he doesn't seem to think that's any big deal. In fact, he quite likes not being part of the oppressive sickly-precious majority for once, and so yes, in a certain sense, he DID choose to live in a non-white neighborhood, certainly over areas full of people afraid of true diversity. Maybe he's a little smug, but mostly he likes living close to the park, the train, having exciting neighbors from all over the place, and cheap shopping a-plenty, plus having a basement man-cave to play the loud rock 'n' roll music in, replete with drum kit.

Gentrifier? Who, me? No Way! I've lived all over this town, I'm not a richy-rich, and hell, I've always had to move because the rents started to rise around me and...wait. Wait a second. I was DISPLACED!!! That's IT!! Now I get it...I too have been gentrified, and no, it didn't always feel very good. Plus, I was probably part of the chain that led to the really big money moving in to my ex-hoods - Williamsburg, Prospect Heights, Gowanus, South Slope. Oh, it's so sinister! And yet, completely obvious and practically dictated by a free market. In fast-moving big-money cities like New York, it's buy or get out, so I'd heard, and then one day we finally had the down payment and the nerve, and we took the plunge. I don't recall hearing a complaint or protest at the time of the closing...though maybe that's because we live on a bus route. It's really noisy on Clarkson sometimes.

And speaking of displacement, I've recently been having conversations with renters who are feeling the heat as values rise...and the kicker here is that some of these priced-outers are people of the very sorts most closely identified with gentrification. It's a process, in other words, and it pretty much all comes back to people living where they can afford to live. Sometimes people suggest that this was not always so...but there's no evidence that it was ever any different. For a little while, it seemed that the political winds were blowing socialist, and NY really started to think progressively about how to keep people in neighborhoods even after rents shot up. But then the City and State went broke, and lots of the promises fell short, leaving rent controlled apartments in the hands of a lucky few, sometimes to millionaires. I know that huge swaths of our neighborhood are still rent stabilized, but even some of those buildings are either going coop or pulling out entirely, or unit by unit shooting up in rent as people get pushed out, brought in, then those new folks pushed out...it's all pretty obscene really. Same as it ever was. When didn't a landlord with the upper hand take advantage? Almost never, of course.

Everything comes down to price after all.

Most people "gentrify" a neighborhood not as "pioneers" (offensive word, that) or urban idealists, but as realists. They do the math. They make lists of desirable and undesirable characteristics. They make lists of their fears and prejudices. They make lists and lists and lists. And their reasons for moving vary too - but the most-cited that I hear are "needed more space" and "got priced out." In other words, unless you're so well-off you can literally choose your house-size and neighborhood, you must do what so many of us do - you must compromise. Hopefully you end up somewhere cool, but few New Yorkers searching for a home are so lucky as to end up exactly where they wanted in exactly the kind of domicile they hoped for. But most, thankfully, learn to love and respect wherever they end up. That's why many neighborhoods become ever-more desirable, I suppose. People put down roots, become involved, and actively care for and about their neighbors. Word gets out, through mainstream outlets, and voila: Brooklyn Heights! Park Slope! Williamsburg! Ft. Greene! Old story, but when it comes right down to it, the previous generation saw the creation of dangerous and deeply impoverished urban ghettos, and that had an awful lot to do with the fact that the old guard simply up-and-moved, PDQ, often due to ignorance and racism of course, leaving behind a civic vacuum and lack of investment. Throw in redlining by banks and a few drug epidemics, and you could probably literally here the sound of civility getting sucked out of whole swaths of the City. All obvious enough, I suppose, but some people are blithely ignorant of our borough's history. Myself included, though I'm working on it.

The most recent part of Kings County history poses an unforeseen wrinkle: whiter and wealthier people moving back to the neighborhoods once left for blighted. (A lot of areas, like over in the Manor, never really suffered as much as outsiders believed, but the damage to central Brooklyn's reputation reached the status of conventional wisdom by, say, 1980). If you want to blame one factor above all for the flight back to the ghetto, I'd say it was the failure of the suburbs to live up to their promise. Whole generations of suburban kids grew up with a bad taste of cut sod in their noses. Add a dash of counter-cultural zeitgeist, and the whole brownstoning phenomenon makes perfect sense. As a good be-bopper, beatnick or hippie, you had two choices: head for the hills, or head for the hood. A surprising number chose the latter, and the process picked up steam, gradually at first, but eventually the tea water boiled. Herbal tea, certainly.

Inside the gentrifier there is often an idealistic streak, but for the purposes of this essay (not a blog post! an ESSAY!!) I would say it boils down to this: "the best I can afford." That's right. That's often the real, hideous truth. People in PLG, or Caton Park, or on Cortelyou, or Bed-Stuy or East New York or right here on good ol' Clarkson Avenue - they buy or rent the best they can afford. And they've ALWAYS done that. And ALWAYS will. The one thing that could possibly stand in the way of that axiom is legislated price controls - like rent stabilization, or subsidies or public housing or vouchers. Otherwise, houses and apartments are like any other currency - floating with the whims of the market. And by the way, I, like many others, checked out the whole stabilized/subsidy thing and found that I really didn't qualify and had no "leads" on a rent control pad. Such fickle policy is what happens when entitlements don't get dealt fairly, but don't get me started...at least SOME people benefit from progressive policies, and I suppose that's something. (Though plenty of smart people think that letting the market float fully would actually create more affordable houses and prices. I'm a skeptic on that one, but who really knows? We may find out soon enough if Republicans and Landlords get their way in Albany.)

When house prices recently reached over $1.5 million on Midwood Street in Lefferts Manor, some mused that the idle rich had finally arrived in our neck of Flatbush. (Isn't it funny that people complain about both the idle rich AND the idle poor?) Sort of, without the "idle." There's still a great likelihood that our newest neighbors also made their lists of wants and needs and "settled" on a neighborhood that had a mixture of pluses and minuses. It's hard for some to imagine, but if you DO happen to have $1.5 million in cash or financing, that might not be because your income is massive - you may simply have been super fortunate to have bought years ago in an up-and-coming neighborhood elsewhere, and now you're simply trading "up in size" but not necessarily laying out oodles of annual cash, via income. It's not unusual for someone to be land-rich but cash-poor. If you really want to know whether your neighbor is "rich" by the way, a more interesting number than how much a house cost is how large was the mortgage. That's a better indicator of a family's income, but then, it's really none of my or your goddam business anyway! I still have my doubts that seriously wealthy people - one-percenter or even five-percenter types of any ethnicity - would choose to live on this side of the park, even now, but hey, some people are quirky that way.

Now I'm blabbering. I'm not cut out for this essay nonsense. But I'm not finished. yet Next post, after some public service announcements, I think I'll dig into the whole issue of what it means when a neighborhood changes it's racial mix. I still suspect it's a red herring though, masking the more marked change in the "class" makeup. Much to my pleasant surprise, many newcomers here are youngish couples or families, and many of them would get called "mixed race" by the census. Anecdotally, many brown/pink couples seem more comfortable in our hood than in whiter areas like Windsor Terrace, even when they could have afforded that side of the park. Actually, the terrace is scarily white for Brooklyn, likely the result of its never being hospitable to black folks EVER. Even when I moved near there in 1989 you rarely saw a dark hued person. I guess that may be some evidence for the class-trumps-race aspect of gentrification, because that neighborhood has gone through wholesale change in "culture" while retaining its solidly white demographic. Curiouser and curiouser!

Oh, and the other book? Great stuff from Lance Freeman called "There Goes the 'Hood," that concentrates more on what longtime residents think and say about gentrification. I love the stuff he reveals about black gentry and their role in the process. On the community board, I get to hang out and kibbitz with real gentry, not just the new kind, the old timers that held this community together through every manner of plague. And that, my friends, is something that I will sorely miss if the heat on the skillet shoots up too high, too fast.

New Boutique Florist Hits Scene

2011-11-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

Laying rest to that old cliche "real estate agents know nuthin' bout bouquets," Bette Cunningham, intrepid real estate broker at Brown Harris Stevens and booster of PLG that she's been, has started a new home-based floral design company matching her passion for plants with her brains for business. It's called Yellow Jessamine, and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Bette's going all out with the customer service, and she uses a highly decorative font. Seriously though, to many a homebuyer or seller, she has been a godsend - her reputation is stellar, and she always writes great descriptive prose in her listings - a talent in its own right. In her newest venture, she hopes to capitalize on her years of experience, in particular her skills honed through "staging" houses for sale. In fact, I remember when she was representin' a house a few doors down from me. We knew the sellers pretty well, and they said Bette was absolutely meticulous about how she wanted things to look when potential buyers arrived. And guess what? That house sold for CONSIDERABLY more than a near identical house mere doors down. That's a skill you bank on.

I sat down with Bette to chat about the new shingle she's hanging at her lovely Manor townhouse. (Technically, yes, I did sit down with her, assuming she also was sitting when she typed the email responses to me, though in all honesty not at the same time, so it's a bit of a stretch to pretend that we had an actual conversation in the seated position. I was most certainly sitting, probably in bed, never quite able to prop the laptop up in a way that makes typing feel natural or even recommendable, so if my questions sounded a little uncomfortable, you know the reason. Sorry, too, Bette, for any and all typos, and for the fact that I didn't believe that "floristry" was a real word, which it is, and it refers to all things concerning the commerce of flowers. - sincerely, theQ)

I noted that her home has some of the nicest landscaping around - not that I'm an expert or anything, but it sure looks purty. Bette says that "about 90% of the landscaping at our home was done by my sister, and me. We both love to garden...together we make a great team."

Hows about opening a store on the 'Bush? Bette says she definitely can see herself opening a cute little boutique, maybe even a "go-to place for flowers and much more." [I'm thinking a flowers 'n' flounder place, but then I'd better leave it to Bette, because my last joint "Wieners 'n' Waistcoats" was a total bust so I'm in no position to judge what kinds of retail go well together. Though I'm still hopeful that my "Ottomans Anytime" idea for a 24-hour furniture store with drive-thru window - as in why is it so hard to find a suitable end table at 3AM, am I right? For more info, email me offline. I've got a half-a-dozen other sure-fire winners, including a store specializing in decorative and cutting edge nunswear called "Bad Habits."

In the end, what's nice about this new business is that Bette's a local gal, and as she herself said "I'm a person that is very much a part of the community, one I love and one I'm proud to call home."

Best of luck!

This Monday Night - Safety Meeting at the Clubhouse

2011-11-19T22:05:00.001-05:00

Cameras...and the C.O.P. program (Civilian Observation Patrol). Those items are on the agenda Monday night at 6:30 at Eric Adams' office. For those serious about increasing safety and creating better relations w/cops and between neighbors, this meeting is more specific, and to my mind more useful, than many in the past couple months, since now we're at the point where we're talking about actually useful tactics. Cameras, civilian involvement and police presence are highly cited by locals seeking action. Lighting, another frequently mentioned strategy, is not on this particular agenda, but studies show smartly done lighting schemes can play a huge role in sending career criminals towards other, presumably poorly lit, parts of the borough, or maybe even as far as Staten Island or Ronkonkoma. The abstract blue circle designed poster below:

Q-nalysis: In my conversations with various neighbors, a single theme emerges - many people's sense of safety is deeply personal and psychological...actually, I'd say most people's. I mean, unless you've actually been robbed at gunpoint, or worse, or been, say, caught in the middle of a shootout, your fear of crime probably is aroused by a "sense" of menace on the street, which can be either real or imagined. Certainly a group of late-teens early-twenties rkids hanging-out can look menacing, but whether or not you're actually party to a risky scene is quite a different story. Unless you know the kids or their activities truthfully and/or personally, or they've threatened you verbally, you may just be viewing a scene that's unfamiliar, not unsafe. That said, it's the guys hanging-out that seems to vex people the most. Lighting, cameras, beat cops -- all of these seem designed specifically to keep people from hanging out in menacing groups, right? I say this because there are, after all, laws on the books to punish actual criminal activity (hey, if you see someone selling drugs, phone it in. someone getting beat up, phone it in. someone tagging a wall...phone it in!) On some level, the whole loitering around public spaces and in front of buildings is merely an annoyance, until something ACTUALLY goes down. And...that's why I personally got concerned when shootings, felony assaults, and rapes started to rise year-over-year. That's not fear; that's statistics. There was an actual something to be concerned about, rather than a lot of uncomfortable people complaining about uncomfortable street grooves. The fact is, hard as it is to admit, these two factors - loitering and violence - might be 100% totally unrelated. However, I did get pretty concerned when two separate longtime black residents told me they didn't recognize any of the serious hanger-outers in front of some commonly-cited bodegas. They were "outsiders," which worried them, because there was no intel about them. I wonder if that's how the cops feel too? And the cops were telling me they've identified a rise in gang-related activity, whatever the hell that means. That too gave me pause, so I started looking under the hood a bit, and yes I do believe there's a lot more that concerned, capable citizens should do to help their environment be safer, cleaner and more amenable to all. And by all, I really sincerely mean all. Except Joe Handgun Crackman, who we really want to feel incredibly uncomfortable every time he sees us coming.

Anyhow, the summer's general freakout led to a series of reasonably smart, considered responses from quite a few of your neighbors - notably PLGNA, Senator Adams, Nostrand Ave Merchant's Association, block associations etc. A lot of people have been through all of this before of course -- during much worse periods in the borough's history. At first, I felt like only recent entries into the PLG sweepstakes were up in arms. Come to find out, the "sense that we've lost the upper hand" is quite pervasive, and runs deep in many sectors and demographics. By no means could anyone draw the conclusion that crime is "Camden, NJ bad" around here, of course. I mean, you're safer living in our borough, even precinct, than in just about any urban setting in the country - yes, even along Flatbush Avenue.

But how do you "feel?" That's the subtext involved in any discussion of civilian-led efforts to get the thuggy looking loiterers to move along, which is really what a lot of this boils down to. Because we're not undercover narcotics officers, and we don't have the know-how or fire-power to take on ACTUAL bad guys. So when it comes to the meetings like tomorrow's, its about actions sure, but it's also about you showing up and being counted and heard and being public and getting to know people. Because, by taking control of the way we interact with the police, each other and even the thugs, we empower ourselves. That's the theory anyway. Oh, and I forgot to mention this most important part - when you show concern, the cops take notice. They've told me so, and there's been an actual increase in the number of patrols in our sector (sector C), and busts, as a direct result. That's a fact that can only be attributed to people showing up at meetings like this, and expressing their concerns.

I've also noted that not enough people resort to the obvious - calling 311 or 911 - when things go down. People are more likely to inquire online about a shooting than call it in - the 71st is needlessly hampered by a reluctance on the part of locals to talk. If you want advice on when to call which three-digit number, I say this: if you're annoyed, call 311. If you're afraid, call 911. Nice simple rule, eh? See you Monday...

Parkside/Ocean Meeting Set w/DOT

2011-11-18T14:43:00.000-05:00

Just got the call from Councilman Eugene's office - they're finally going to unveil the plan to redesign the corner of Parkside and Ocean to make it friendlier to pedestrians and bicycles, and frankly, to cars too. The intersection is a mess, and locals have been up in arms (or in a couple of cases up in the air with flailing arms after being hit by a car). So, mark your calendars:

Tuesday, Dec 6, 6:30 PM
Calvary Pentecostal Church
151 Woodruff Avenue

I've seen a copy of the plan, but it's been revised a bit after comment by the community board transportation committees. This meeting will be your chance to weigh in. Honestly y'all, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to watch my neighbors stand up for something and squeak til they get the wrong righted. To everyone who stuck their neck out on this one, especially Maddie...thank you. I can almost see the promised land!

As Red Foxx used to say..."Elizabeth, I'm coming to join you!!!" Not sure that fits, but I've been wanting to quote Sanford for some time now.

Our Latest (Com) Post - and the Q ain't running right this weekend!

2011-11-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

If you happen to have jurisdiction over a pile of leaves, please do the right thing and turn them into compost. Here's a flyer that tells you where and when to take them (this Saturday!). It's a nifty "urban farm" project, right here in the neighborhood, over at the campus of the High School for Public Service:

This is a very cool program that many locals volunteer for, and we'll be bringing them to the better attention of the Community Board to see if maybe we can help get them more resources, land, whatnot...

And don't forget that our beloved Q train is NOT running to Manhattan from the Parkside station this weekend. You have to get on it at Church or Prospect Park as it's only running express from Kings Highway to P-Park, city-bound.

First Downs Lead to Touchdowns

2011-11-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

A couple of good news stories to report. Squeaky wheels squoke loudly in the last few months, and proud to say that we've actually gotten a couple of things done around here. First up, I've been nagging Pearl Miles at the Community Board about the trees on Parkside near Flatbush that died during last year's drought. She came through big time, and I'm thrilled to share this pic of the new Popeye's lovin' trees, leafless of course at this time of year, that have replaced the Lorax lumps:

Rudy of the Parkside Prize will attest to how happy I must be, and I am, because for some reason those stumps got me madder than a wet hen driving the BQE. I know it's pretty silly to care so much about street trees, but I really do think Parkside is need of more fresh oxygen, among other things.

Second, there's a new bus shelter going up on Flatbush at Midwood. Mindy on Rutland kept the fire burning on that one...all I did was amplify the squeak a bit. I'll keep lobbying for more - now I know it can be done - especially at Caton, Parkside. Credit for squeaking early goes to Hawthorne Street, who indelicately asked for bus shelters many moons ago.

My hat is off to Pearl, our district manager, for putting up with all the whining from us OCD-types and coming through big time. She knows everybody in City government, and she can make shite happen. Thank Pearl!

There's a bunch of other NE Flatbush pet peeve stuff in various stages of adjustment, from traffic to trees to trash to safety to dem krazy green sheet metal treez at Flatbush/Empire (more on that soon). But I'm feeling good, so let me open the floor - if you can change one thing for the better near where you live, what would it be? Don't be shy. Maybe it can't be done, or maybe all your neighbors disagree with you. But lay it on me. Suggestion box now officially open.

Last Week's Big Town Hall Meeting at St. Gabriel's

2011-11-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

theQ made such a big deal about y'all going over to St. Gabriel's church last Wednesday that he really owes it to you to provide a recap of what happened there. Turns out that neighborhood nifty and nice guy Matthew Wojtkowiak of the PLGNA Safety Committee took much better notes than this cub reporter could ever manage, and he was swell enough to provide the following in-depth synopsis, which I share with you now with only minor edits. Here's Matthew:

Below is a summary of the meeting which was held at St. Gabriel's on Hawthorne Street. The meeting was led by Ms. Lindiwe Kamau (of the Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association), who did an excellent job keeping the audience's attention and moving the meeting along. Senator Eric Adams and Council Member Mathieu Eugene attended, in a public show of coordination of effort. During the meeting Ms. Kamau was able to nail down Council Member Mathieu Eugene to promise a NYPD security camera for the Nostrand/Fenimore area, which is no small achievement.

Before the meeting, sign up sheets were available, and people were asked to provide contact information. I believe that Ms. Kamau is the keeper of these lists. Roughly 40 to 50 people attended the meeting, and there was an active discussion among the people who attended. There was no heated debate, however. It is probably fair to say that the main unifying concern at the meeting was reducing violent crime by all reasonable means.

The meeting began with a brief presentation by a detective from the 71st precinct who circulated some photos of young men who were engaged in a recent shooting on Nostrand Avenue. The photo was taken from a private video camera feed which was provided to the NYPD. The meeting then moved to introductions of the neighborhood organizations, which were well represented: Martin Ruiz (PLGNA), Delroy Wright (FECMA) and Ben Edwards (LMA). Martin and Delroy introduced their organizations and discussed the groups' ongoing efforts to reduce crime. Ben spoke later in the evening (see below).

Senator Adams took the bulk of the meeting's time, and made good use of it. He presented Take Back Our Community (TBOC) which is available at this link to the Senator's website. TBOC is a comprehensive issue identification, data collection, and communication plan which uses an administrative team, block leaders and task forces like ours to address neighborhood safety and quality of life issues.

One of TBOC's tactics is to link neighboring blocks together so that they are in close contact, and then to link the block network together so that there is a centralized place to collect information on issues and then report to residents on affected blocks, and so that an action plan can be implemented. As far as complexity goes, TBOC is a fully loaded Cadillac of a plan and Senator Adams encouraged the group to use the parts that we like, to modify it as needed, and to get people involved in implementing it. We may not need all of TBOC but there are elements which I believe could be very useful in our efforts.

After presenting TBOC, Senator Adams fielded a lot of questions about the need for such a plan, as well as the benefits. Specifically, Senator Adams was asked why we need to collect crime data when the NYPD already has it. This is a fair question, and Senator Adams answered the questions by saying that we need to be able to back up our demands for city resources with data. Additionally, we may need to be able to back up our claims of problem issues (crime or other issues i.e. sanitation) with data, especially if the NYPD or other NYC agencies don't have the same data on file. I should note that one reason why the NYPD or other NYC agencies might not have the same data is that residents might not make the required reports, although they may tell certain neighbors about certain issues.

In the end, Senator Adams agreed that we ought to be able to get crime data concerning our neighborhood sectors from the NYPD. If this is the case, then we should do so when we are ready to make a comprehensive map of the various issues that we want to address.

The other major benefits that I see coming from TBOC or any version of it that we implement, is that we build on the community organizing work of Skei, Carmen, Sheila, who are doing neighborhood cleanups, PLGNA, which is organizing a neighborhood show, and plenty of other hard working groups, and harness it for our purposes: linking this community in ways that have not yet been done, and using these new links to better address crime and other issues.

Senator Adams implored the attendees over and over to sign up and get involved. He did not say the words but his manner was relatively clear -- the city cannot fix all of our problems for us. We all need to get involved.

Council Member Mathieu Eugene spoke next, and he kept his comments brief. He spoke of the need for additional youth programming and he promised to bring crime reduction ideas to the neighborhood in the near future. He did not specifically identify any initiatives, but he said that he would do so. Again, Ms. Kamau took Council Member Eugene to task concerning shootings and demanded a camera. Council Member Eugene explained that all discretionary funds have been allocated and promised already, but Ms. Kamau would not let him go -- he caved and promised a camera for Nostrand Avenue when the next city budget comes in (roughly June 2012).

Finally, Ben Edwards presented last, discussing the C.O.P. program and asked people to take sign-up sheets. Ben did a good job but his words were largely ignored, due to the noise and dispersion of attendees. However, there were a few new recruits who filled out the forms. Training will happen in the next couple of weeks, so all interested parties should fill out the form and send it in to Ben or me. The time commitment is four hours per month. - MW

If you made it this far, I will reward with you with two VERY COOL and POTENTIALLY LIFE CHANGING PICTURES for YOU! The first is the Civilian Observation Patrol car that you and I will be riding around in when you sign up for the training and program. It's a minimal time commitment (4 hours a month) and it could be huge to gathering data and providing a stronger presence on our blocks. Heck, the Lubavitchers do it with their Shomrim, which is basically the same thing. Feeling like it's too conspicuous or risky? So what you're saying is...you're not as courageous as the Orthodox? They're tougher than you? You kidding me? :) (that's a joke folks...some of my best rabbis are Jewish).

Ladies and Dudes, let me reiterate...they HAVE A CAR READY AND WAITING FOR US. And that jacket I keep drooling over? Look at it here onFEPMA executive director Delroy Wright! Hot!

Contact LMA president Ben Edwards at c21eddie@aol.com or email me for more info. Do it, baby!

It's a Bedford Avenue Miracle

2011-11-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

With the above visual proof (thanks for the pic, Babs), it's safe to say that the rehab at 1860 Bedford, the resiliently derelict mansion at the corner of Midwood, has begun in earnest. New permits have been posted, and a longtime down-the-block neighbor confirms that the owner's intention is for a full restoration. Currently, I've noticed that the corner acts as a gathering ground for neighborhood parents awaiting the return of their shorties from school, as a City school bus stops at this corner. Here's hoping the owner's financing holds out...this beauty deserves its second act.

Barbershop 2: Starring Martin Lawrence and Simon Bolivar

2011-11-12T21:23:00.003-05:00

About a year ago, the Q ignored what he thought was some pretty suspect advice, and walked into a Flatbush Avenue salon (male of course) and asked for a haircut. I wrote about it here, and I guess it struck a nerve, because I received a lot of emails and questions about my experience from people who I normally wouldn't expect to be so queasy about something as straightforward as a regular old hair trimming. But this being Brooklyn, and barbershops holding their unique double role as both service centers and cultural gathering places, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

A few months after that first colorful experience, I decided to try another joint, this time over in the giant colorfully painted toolshed known at the Flatbush Caton Market. I was going to write about it here, and it was certainly a memorable 30 minutes, but the bottom line is that it was the worst haircut I've ever gotten, and that includes the drunken ones by ex-girlfriends. (actually, they weren't ex-girlfriends at the time, so the hatchet jobs weren't intentional. though now I'm thinking it could be cool to start a website where you can digitally give a haircut to an ex, rendering them unspeakably hideous). Basically, Orlando, in booth 28, was an incredibly entertaining, mid-50s-ish Colombian man with super-left political sympathies. Our conversation left me wondering if he'd had to leave South America because he had been barbering to the FARC. In fact, a little research unearthed this disturbingly similar haircut to mine on the scalp of notorious FARC security kingpin Alfonso Canos:

So this time around, and in desperate need of a respectable sheering for a work event that night, I went around the corner to Nelson's Barbershop on Parkside. I've been meaning to go for a long time, and Duane Joseph on Woodruff recommended it, but being a middle-aged white guy I still couldn't escape the fear that I'd be horribly unwelcome in there. Desperation being the mother of courage, I walked through Nelson's doors last Saturday afternoon, and the results were encouragingly similar to that of my first Flatbush cut.

Proprietor Nelson Urraca warmly greeted me, and I sat down and surveyed the scene. I recognized a young kid - Yusef - from my block, one of the youngsters from of an extended family of Yemenis. Even though the shop is way dude, Yusef's sister was there. An old episode of "Martin" starring the inimitable Martin Lawrence was emanating from three audio-visual devices simultaneously, and I guess I'd never really known how talented "MAHHHTENNN" really is, cause we were all laughing our tushes off. The ensemble cast is terrific, and I found myself really respecting the work of Tisha Campbell-Martin in the role of Martin's put-upon girlfriend. But I digress...

There were three guys cutting locks, but I waited specifically for Nelson, and after about 20 minutes of yucks a la Martin he summoned me to his chair with a big smile and a "whaddya doin' today?" and I instantly felt comfortable in his firm but gentle hands. I noticed the diploma from the New York, or American, or U.S., or something like that Barber Institute, and we dug into all manner of conversation about the neighborhood and "back in the day" stuff and I began to feel really silly for ever having gone all the way to Park Slope Barbers for so many years, especially because I could never tell those two brothers apart and one of them was halfway decent and the other sucked but I never knew what I'd walk out with. Come to think of it, they charged $20 and $15 respectively, so I guess I could've just asked how much the haircut was going to be and I would've known which cut to expect, though it would be weird, after sitting down and asking for the price, to say basically "nope! not expensive enough!" and walk out.

Turns out that the Dominican surnamed Nelson Urraca used to be my neighbor when I lived in crack-ridden Prospect Heights in the early '90s. We got a good laugh out of the massive price change in real estate over there...he told me some real sad stories about people he know in high school who were perfectly great and got sucked into "the life" never to return. I often wonder what will be the next killer drug to come along...meth, crack, heroin...they're still around, of course. But they're not new, and new always has a killer allure.

All that to say that I don't think I'll be picking up any lice for a couple months at least...evidence below:

And speaking of crack, the above dude's hair used to reach nearly to it, so we're talking ravages of time here, my friends. Here are two pics from my musical past...one 20 years ago (w pal Rose Thomson of our Babe the blue Ox), the other from yesterdays kids show. And yes that's Oscar (Asa's dad) and Eddie (Tony & Hollis's dad).

*
above photo by Eggs

Sing-Along at Play Kids Featuring Yours Truly, Friday Nov 11

2011-11-10T11:25:00.000-05:00

If you've got your young 'un with you tomorrow (Friday), swing by Play Kids at 10AM and yours truly, theQatParkside, Mr. Clarkson FlatBush, a/k/a Tim Mature, will lead a sing-along of your favorites. I'm filling in for an actual professional called Lloyd Miller of Deedledees, so I can't hope to compare to a real kidz-star like that. But it should be good clean fun, even if the trash canz and tree pitz on the 'Bush are filthy as ever.

I'm expecting a special guest or two to sit in - neither Oates, nor Garfunkel, but sort of a cross between, plus Snoop Dogg thrown in for good measure. Bring your vocal chordz and an aspirin! It's $5 a family, split between the musicians and the store. I'm thinking of donating my share to the Peppa's Choice Awards, which helps find foster homes for orphaned chickens.

Sunrise, Sunset...

2011-11-09T22:44:00.001-05:00

Quite enjoyed the annual PLGNA meeting, hosted ably by president Martin Ruiz. Journalist Milford Prewitt gave a nice talk about changing demographics in the neighborhood, the Youth Committee is kickin' it into high gear, yours truly gave a rambling report about the Safety task force, and longtime resident and shop owner Delroy Wright of the trying-to-be-resurgent Flatbush to Parkside Merchant's Association (FEPMA) gave a dynamite performance encouraging engagement of youth and the need to put cops on the streets - thisdespite the oft mentioned fear of harassment and profiling. Here's a picture to prove I was actually there...more on the gist later.

What I really wanted to post about was all the construction, destruction, and non-deconstruction that's been taking place, mostly on the fringes of what I usually think of as theQatParkside's neighborhood. Though what I REALLY want to talk about is the new plan to change the traffic and pedestrian nightmare at Ocean and Parkside. The DOT actually came up with plans, which I happened to get a peek at last week. Yes, folks, the effort led by local Maddie Fix-Hansen, seems to be moving forward, and you'll be hearing more about that as soon as a public hearing is scheduled by the Councilman. All I can say is that the plan is a heck of a lot better than the free-for-all that currently happens, and it's not just a change in the traffic lights, but a more substantial shift in how cars and buses and people will experience the various turns and signals. I'm sworn to secrecy or I'd draw you a picture...actually I can't draw to save my life, so scratch that.

First up on my radar, the Garden. Lots going on there. Like the massive new entrance on Washington with what looks like a garden on top of the new visitor's center, which will be quite nice I'm sure, but sheesh I'm beginning to think that BBG is more interested in its entrances than in the actual plants. I also attended an unveiling of the plan to redo the cafe. Basically it'll be in the same general footprint of the current cafe, but with a new "hut" and better "flow." The word "flow" is apparently used by actual architects, while the word "hut" is something I came up with to describe what I saw in the rendering, which was very pretty, but didn't include bringing back the Chunky Chicken Salad Sandwich, which was my favorite reason to eat at the garden for many, many, many moons. In fact, I've been chowing there regularly for 22 years since I worked at The Brooklyn Museum right outa college, and I must say the excellent catering company deserves a new "hut," and the shift in orientation will actually create a garden view while one dines al fresco.

They're also going to start working soon on OUR entrance, where they'll be adding a new outbuilding that looks like the below.

Looks like a souped up "shed" to me, and you better hope they don't take any square footage from the children's garden, though it pretty much looks like it does. There'll be bathrooms and a small visitor's center so you don't have to trek deep into the garden to take care of your "business," transactional or otherwise.

Over in Caledonia, there's a phoenix rising on Crooke, a new low-income housing facility built by CAMBA. It's actually almost ready for tenants, and you've probably seen it in person, so who has use for this rendering?
You can read more about it at: 97 Crooke

And of all the places to build a luxury building, the first tenants have arrived on Nostrand at Sullivan. You may be one of those "only south of Empire" snobs, but you should really take a peak at this one, the first real stab at upscaling southern Crown Heights:

Here's a big juicy one! Medgar Evers College seems to finally be moving forward on getting the City to close down Crown Street between Bedford and Franklin for a campus "quad." They actually want to de-map the street, tear up the concrete, plant a garden, put in lots of benches, and have some outdoor theater space, and here's the kicker...LOTS of nearby residents are actually AGAINST it. Because they're worried about a little trickle of extra traffic or the inability to park there. I mean talk about selfish. Sorry guys, I'm not buying it. We're talking PUBLIC GREEN SPACE and a proper campus for an important neighborhood stepping-stone institution of higher learning. I know that Crown is gorgeous between Bedford and Rogers...but this will only make it MORE so. Sometimes you just got to give in a tiny bit to the greater good...and yes I know I'm not being very polite about expressing my opinion, but that's kind of what having a blog is all about. The $17 million project isn't a done deal yet, so there's plenty of time to persuade me otherwise. In the meantime, I urge you to stroll down Crown between Bedford and Franklin, and tell me that the below would not be a VAST improvement:

One last project to note is the potential closing of a cute little historic, crooked little street called Clove Road, just north of Empire between Nostrand and New York. You can read more about the archaeological significance in this fascinating Hawthorne Street post. Here's where it is on the map. The scuttlebutt on this one is that the Community Board is thinking of de-mapping this one as well for a pedestrian plaza, and locals are similarly up in arms about losing on-street parking. Even MORE interesting to me, is that little sliver of an alley that joins New York Ave to Clove Road, known as Malbone Street...which was once the name of Empire Boulevard, but changed after the giant and tragic Malbone Street subway train wreck of 1918, that took place on the Brighton Line, now known as our dearly beloved Q.

Sunrise, sunset, indeed.

TBOC - If You Attend Just One Community Mtg This Fall...Head East TONIGHT!!!!

2011-11-08T09:43:00.001-05:00

Tonight. Hawthorne tween Nostrand and New York. St Gabriel's Church. 6:30. Safety. Eric Adams. "Take Back Our Community." Neighbors. What more needs be said?

There's been a lot of blah blah in the 'hood about crime and safety...some based on fact, some based on fear, and some based on good ol' rumor or misinformation. As I've tried to get a handle on where people are coming from on the issue, from newcomers to oldtimers to cops to elected officials to poorer and richer, I've come to the conclusion that the biggest obstacle to getting things done is a lack of unity - speaking with one voice, and asking the cops and City to respond to our requests.

Case in point - the dual meetings on crime that happened a mere two avenues from each other last July. One, organized by PLGNA, led to the formation of a Safety Task Force and new vigor from the Youth Committee. The folks at Nostrand Avenue Merchant's Association organized an effort of their own, and from Senator Eric Adams' own mouth came these words: "Tim, the meeting on Nostrand (at St. Gabriel's) did not reflect the true diversity of this neighborhood." Translation: as in, all the recent gentrifiers went to the PLGNA meeting and either didn't know about or didn't care to partake in the other.

I've got a whole lot to say on the race/class thing, though I've been warned to keep my mouth shut. Actually, that's all the more reason to share openly, but I'm not going to get into it right now because I need to focus on work for a few days before having a second kid, and I needlessly get worked up about offhand comments made on this silly little blog. Suffice to say, I encourage you all to pack your bags and head ALL THE WAY OVER to Hawthorne near Nostrand, for a second and hopefully more "action oriented" meeting with the theme "Stand Together."

I'm not naive enough to think that meetings and plans are going to solve the many problems about which neighbors are concerned. Although I must say these community meetings, held at bedrock neighborhood churches, are great places to hear from people who are perhaps not coming from exactly the same perspective as your closest friends and confidantes. I don't say that to suggest I know any better than you do, learned blog reader that you are...but in a short while I've just learned so much, and continue to feel more jazzed about our neighborhood, the more I get to know where people are coming from. And hey, there's usually a cookie or two on hand, and one thing I've learned in my years on this mortal coil:

Everybody, black-white-brown-rich-poor-PhD-GED-student-bluecollar-pinkcollar-artist-musician-bricklayer-fatman-skinnyman-thief...they ALL like a good cookie.

A Cleaner Neighborhood, One Soiled Napkin At a Time

2011-11-06T01:09:00.000-04:00

The Mad Mommas of Flatbush, a/k/a PLG Civic, were in fine form yesterday, shepherding nearly 40 volunteers to the task of cleaning up neighborhood streets from Empire on down to Lenox, from Ocean to New York. Barbara/Carmen/Skei/Sheila, pictured below, deserve a round of applause for keeping their eyes on the prize.

Nicely done, ladies!

Skei tells the Q "it wasn't so bad out there" this time around. Maybe the blitz of signs announcing the cleanup day helped put people on notice. I tooled around on my bike and the streets were lookin' real nice, though we all know it never lasts. But that's not the point - awareness, public shaming, and most of all coming together to do something that shows the love for our home turf - that's really where the MM's are coming from. Another part of the campaign is letting businesses know their responsibilities, and letting YOU know that calling 311 about repeat offenders is a big part of the strategy too. I've said it before, but if you have a building address that's particularly egregious, send it my way or leave a comment below and I'll add it to the Google Garbage map we're working on. Apparently Nostrand has been heavy hit lately with the litter stick, and this despite vigilance on the part of the Nostrand Merchant's Association. Could it be PLG has a Serial Litterer on its hands? An unSanitary Son of Sam?

Hey, hey, PLGNA holds their annual meeting Monday night at Grace Church, Bedford at Lincoln/Lefferts, 7PM. If you want to hear more about what's going down round yar, y'all better attend. Another crime forum's happening Wednesday over on Nostrand...stay tuned for deets.

And now batting cleanup, PLG CIVIC, THIS SATURDAY!!

2011-11-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

After the enormously successful PLG Cleanup day last spring, it's nice to see that the Mad Momma's at PLG CIVIC are planning another for this Saturday. This time, they've chosen a more centrally located meeting point (the Montessori School on Rogers near Fennimore), though Senator Adams' office on Flatbush will be open too for refreshments and, er, freshening up. Skei Saulnier, a primary catalyst for the event, says:

We are also trying to get wood chips deposited on the park side of 125 Ocean Ave, so if people want to grab some mulch to take care of a tree pit that will hopefully be available to them. We'd love for people to email me at plgcivic@yahoo.com if they plan on volunteering, just so we can have a contact info for those who helped.

They're focusing on Avenues and some seriously chronic trouble spots, so in solidarity with Occupy Trash Can, I'd like to share a couple photos I shot yesterday to show that the 1% are still greedily tossing their trash with no regard for the rest of us:

And for making it this far down in the post, a bonus pictue, of a lonely high heeled shoe left at the curb. I can only imagine what circumstance led to some poor lady or dragqueen leaving it there after, say, exiting a gypsy van?

Au Revoir, Gran Bwa

2011-11-02T16:42:00.001-04:00

Don't know about you, but I was pretty sad to see the owners of Flabush's Gran Bwa packing the last of their goods into boxes, going-out-of-business. This place has been an obvious club house for some in the Haitian community. I bought a number of trinkets there over the years, and being a big fan of African drumming, I was always blown away by the amazing Vodou drum 'n' chant coming from the proprietor's speakers. If you ever walked the western side of Flatbush between Woodruff and Parkside you were surely privy to the strong scent of incense burning from the abandoned phone booth pictured below:

Now, I'll admit I took quit a beating for suggesting that nearby Peppa's was inflaming the neighborhood's nostrils with nightly mountains of smoke. But I never felt that way about the incense, cuz it stayed pretty local. By the time you hit the Duane Reade the scent was but a sensual memory.

Speaking of smells...there's a state arts agency. It shall remain nameless, but it's acronym rhymes with PISCA. If you visit "PISCA's" offices, you might want to consider bathing prior, and leaving off the after-douche sprays and parfums. This statement is prominently displayed on signs and on its website:

Please note: NYSCA strives to be a fragrance-free workplace. Please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes, or other strong scents when visiting the NYSCA offices. Thank you.

Oops. Accidentally gave away it's name! I really should be more careful...

Last Chance To Win Big at Maple Street School Raffle

2011-11-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

Big Benefit Show happening Thursday night...Cap'n Kurt from the Roots is making merry, and ?uestlove is spinning records, so come on out. Info here.

Then there's the fantabulous raffle, which has prizes so rich even Occupy Wall Street protesters are lined up against them. BUT, you NEED to be IN IT to WIN IT - according to the Q's calculations you have a better than 1 in 100 chance of winning a grand prize. As I've said before, I will personally drop off your raffle tickets - anytime you like (if you live in B'klyn of course). Here's the info again:

$5 each, 5 for $20.

The prizes:
1 Week international resort stay (lotsa choices)
Birthday party at BounceU
Amazon Kindle Fire tablet
4 tix to late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Gift bag from Giggle.com

Email me at Tim Thomas, tell me how many you want, and I'll set up a time to make the dropoff.

Do it for the kids. Do it for the booty. Do it because you know, deep down in your heart, that this is your lucky post.

Sunday in the 'Bush with George

2011-10-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

A Sunday afternoon stroll down the Avenue produced more than the usual "hmmm"s and "oh my"s and "what have we here"s. First stop, the new shop "Play Kids" at the corner of Westbury, which is opening on Tuesday. We spent some time putzing around and kibbitzing with Shelley and Carl and their adorable wee ones Elle and Will.

They seem remarkably at ease about their big retail close-up, and lil' Mrs. Clarkson Flatbed Jr. and I wished them well. Seems that this Friday will be the first sing-along session in the morning. so come on by ready to tra-la-la.

Just a couple doors up my new fave shoppe Dork Klub opened its doors yesterday, but due to the storm today was the Grand Opening. I'll admit I have absolutely no idea how you make a buck as a boutique, but I love mom and daughter team Artyste and Laura's world view. They wear the same dork glasses, are eloquent preachers for the Gospel of Dork, and the bags and clothes are handpicked to create a seriously offbeat aesthetic. What started as the name for a group of off-beat teens at Artyste's high school (remember Breakfast Club?) has become a reality store, and we wished them luck as well, then headed up to the old Mike's International for some neighborhood art love.

The scene was hoppin', the music was an intriguing blend of guitar and steel pans, the art was all over the place from landscapes and still-lifes to comic-booky to photos to kids paintings from the Caton School (PS 139). The place was full of just the sorts of people you've come to love in the North Eastern Flatbush region, and a poorly directed video of the scene looked like this:

There is something in the air here, can't quite describe it, since it's not just about any one person or a grand movement. There's an elemental Flatbushian essence to our neighborhood that defies description and bucks the usual Brooklyn trend towards bourgie blandness. So many smiles on faces today...perhaps a sign of relief that winter had not in fact invited itself over before the agreed to three month sublet from mid-December to mid-March, during which time darkness and cold become grudgingly tolerated, and we all linger indoors a bit longer and cry more often, but usually for the joy of close proximity to the ones we love.

And besides, snow is always an excuse to blow off schedules and lists.

Pranic Breathing: The Wacky Doctor's Game?

2011-10-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

On a bizarre weather day like today, it's time to reflect on something of a more spiritual and timeless nature...

While leafing through a colleagues book on Yoga - "Yoga Mind & Body" credited to Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, I came across this picture:

To those of you of a certain age, born perhaps in the '60s...does that Chakra chart not remind you of something? As I recall, it was the funny bone that was most difficult to remove...or the rubber band one.

Dork Klub Grand Opening Tomorrow (Saturday)

2011-10-28T21:04:00.000-04:00

The Long Wait is over! The enigmatic intrigue becomes full-blown retail reality tomorrow, Saturday, October 29th, when 664 Flatbush goes from dark to Dork. Check it out. I know there'll be designer t-shirts, but that's about all I know. Come show the love for a local girl's boutique.

Picture above courtesy of a local eagle-eye I call Mr. M.S.

Prince of Plumbers, Sultan of Sewers

2011-10-27T14:34:00.001-04:00

Mark. That's his name. Here's his number: 917-662-8794 cel, 718-251-7425.

I've been using him for years now, and he's never done me wrong. He's unlike anyone you know, real Brooklyn guy, plus funny, honest, a bit tough on his sidekicks, and always willing to tell you the real poop. (sic). As with most plumbers, he does boilers too, so call him if you're worried about turning on your heat for the winter.

Recently I lost his number. And he's a lone wolf, no website or nothin', so I was thrilled when a neighbor had some "Mark the Plumber" contact info, and I assumed it was the same guy. But Mark #2 had more of a laid back demeanor, which doesn't mean he can't plumb of course, but...we were in for an unpleasant surprise. This fella's full given name is Mark Sherman, and the guy was a real bummer, nearly scared Mrs. FlatBed to death by freaking her out about how much work would be involved getting our pipes in order. Enter Mark the REAL Plumber, who set us up for a couple hundred bucks. This other dude was asking us to rip up the cement in our basement to find a leak. Turns out we just needed to snake the line, and cap an old pipe that was spilling raw sewage (ewww) that couldn't make it to the street Bcuz of the clog. End of story.

Here's the man himself, shot from below to give him an added aura. Godspeed, Mark the Plumber. Mark the REAL Plumber. You may not have the "license," but you've definitely got the goods.

Halloween In the Hood - Why Go Anywhere Else?

2011-10-27T13:23:00.001-04:00

Just got this from the 71st, and other informed citizens - everyone's getting pumped for pumpkin day. This is a really good place to celebrate Halloween - not chaotic and overrun like other neighborhoods. Just good, clean fun.

Please try to get the word out on the street, too. Not everyone has a computer, and we want all the kids in the neighborhood to know that they're welcome to participate. So if you think of it, say hi to folks you haven't before, and tell them about the Safe Walk. See you there!

Stock Up on Halloween Candy If You Live on the Safewalk!

2011-10-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

The 71st Precinct will be doing it's safe-walk again for trick or treating this coming Monday night. This year, Halloween falls on the 31st of October, as it did last year and the year before. We'll let you know what night it falls on next year as soon as we get our 2012 calendar from Peppa's.

This is the route:

Start at Rutland & Flatbush.
Walk Rutland Rd. to Rogers Ave.
Left on Rogers, Walk to Midwood St.
Left on Midwood, Walk to Bedford Ave.
Right on Bedford, Walk to Maple St.
Right on Maple, Walk to New York Ave.
Left on New York, Walk to Empire Blvd.
End at New York & Empire @ the 71st Precinct.

Here's an awesome picture of the Pres and Mrs. Pres doing trick-or-treating at the White House. She's dressed as Cat Woman, and I'm not sure what Barack is doing...maybe dressing as a high school teacher? I wonder what Michelle's passing out for candy, given her anti-obesity campaign. Rice cakes, maybe?

Finally, for those planning on hitting Clarkson, you can rest assured that the whole FlatBed family will be waiting for you with our special homemade grape leaves. Grape Leaves are healthy and delicious, kids love 'em, and when placed in your halloween buckets, help to keep your candy fresh and moist:

mi csa es su csa

2011-10-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

CSA. Community Supported Agriculture. Getting a box of goodies once a week direct from the farm. Trying to figure out what to do with all those cukes and leeks. Taking bus rides out to the farm with your fellow CSA-ers, sleeping well at night knowing you're helping family farmers make a go of it in a cold, industrial food universe.

If that all sounds like a ball and a half, then you really must join one of our two local CSA's. PLG has one, but for those south of the Q at Parkside, you might want to consider the nearly 200 cooperaters at the Flatbush Farm Share. They do both a summer and winter program, and distribution is on the grounds of the old Flatbush Church at Flatbush and, er, Church.

Here's what you coulda got at one of the summer pickups:

- 1 lbs. beefsteak tomatoes
- 1 bunch arugula
- .5 lb. salad mix
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 lb. zucchini/squash
- 1 bunch leeks
- .5 lb. beans
-. 5 lb. kirby cukes
- 2 peppers

In the cold months, you get a hefty assortment of frozen and wintry foods, and can augment it with shares of yogurt, tempeh, cheese. It all sounds quite yummy to this Park Slope Coop member, who's unlikely to join (the coop is enough of a commitment thank you) but happy to spread the word. You'll need to sign up ASAP for the winter season - Nov. 2nd's the cutoff.

Winter Share

Feeling Lucky? Your Odds for This Raffle Are Pretty Darn Good

2011-10-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Q is selling raffle tickets. And I WANT YOU, neighbor, to win. It's to benefit Little Miss Flatbed's school - Maple Street - so they can keep down tuition and provide scholarships. The prizes are spectacular, and your chances are in the 1 in 100 range that you'll win something for every ticket you buy. $5 each, 5 for $20.

The prizes:

1 Week international resort stay (lotsa choices)

Birthday party at BounceU

Amazon Kindle Fire tablet

4 tix to late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Gift bag from Giggle.com

To sweeten the deal, I will personally come to you wherever and deliver your tickets (Brooklyn residents only please!). Email me at Tim Thomas, tell me how many you want, and I'll set up a time to make the dropoff.

Do it for the kids. Do it for the booty. Do it because you know, deep down in your heart, that this is your lucky post. The ticket itself looks remarkably like the below:

Peppa's Fiery Fowls Run Afoul Of Neighborhood Noses

2011-10-22T21:36:00.032-04:00

Ever wondered why most weekend nights the air around Woodruff and Flatbush is thicker with smoke than the Oscar-nominated action scenes from "Backdraft?" Folks within a couple blocks have complained loudly and wheezingly that the foul air is making it hard to sleep. Even the Q has been waking up with sore throats that he assumes must be from smoke inhalation. I'm generally not a complainer - but it's gotten really bad, my friends. Time to take a closer look at what's going on.

It's not hard to find the culprit. Just behind local legend Peppa's Jerk Chicken is a concrete alleyway backyard that becomes a massive outdoor barbecue during peak hours - mostly weekend afternoons and evenings, often well into the night and early morning.

I snapped the below picture through a half-opened gate leading to the alley. The barbecuers often enter and exit at this entrance on Woodruff, often looking around as if knowing they're doing something sneaky.

Were it one day a month, or just during J'ouvert, I'd turn the other nostril. But it's become so commonplace, that you'll often walk down Flatbush through a haze as thick as 1970's L.A. So I'm actively seeking your help in calling 311 to get the madness to stop. I'm not against any local business trying to make a buck, maybe even bending the rules a bit to do so. And I love Peppa's chicken and curry goat w/rice and peas (could do without the Ackee fish though) and want them to continue to thrive. But what they're doing is massively illegal, against DEP and NYFD regs, and just plain assaultive to those with any sensitivity to the stuff at all, from asthma to COPDs, to basically anyone who doesn't want to breathe in toxic air all night long and wake up with a burning throat.

Please comment here if you've also found the air unbreathable, or conversely if you want to come to Peppa's defense. Unless I hear a good case to the contrary, I'm planning on making a big stink about this big stink, first with DEP then further up if need be.

New Kidz Store Opening at Top of November -- Celebrate with Courvoisier On Bedford

2011-10-22T21:13:00.000-04:00

The Q stopped by the soon-to-be-opened children's and baby's stuff store at the NW corner of Flatbush and Westbury Court. Local couple Carl and Shelley are shooting for a November 1st or so grand opening, and by the looks of things they're just about there. Carl's done a fine job on the interior, learning as he goes about design, and by the look of things he's got the knack. I still haven't spoken to Shelley in person, but since she's originally from out in God's Country (Iowa) like yours truly, I can only bet she's good people, a Midwestern phrase that always struck me as odd even as I learned to know exactly what was meant went Mr. Homer next door used to say it.

A peak inside revealed plenty of space for inventory - sing alongs and classes are in the biz plan as well, and Carl says it'll be heavy on toys and gear but light on clothes, and all the inventory will all be new, which makes it an ideal companion to neighborhood consignment powerhouse Monk's Trunk. In fact, if you ask this bargaineer, Carrie McLaren's shop on Hawthorne'll keep 'em honest. Was just there today and man her prices are smokin'! Plus, she's got great taste, and keeps her small store-within-her-house stocked mouldings to hardwood with killer stuff.

Of course, if you haven't a wee one, you're probably rolling your eyes and bemoaning how even PLG Flatbush has become a stroller rink, and so right now you're heading out to one of the local liquor stores for some hooch to drown your sorrows over the sad state of retail on our major thoroughfares. But guess what...if you live on or east of Bedford, you'll soon have a brand new rotgut-hut to patronize. The weeks of speculation are over, and concerns that yet another hair concern was in the offing turned out to be unfounded. It's a package store, or packy, as they like to say back East.

That THING Near The Lake

2011-10-21T22:08:00.000-04:00

Most of you have undoubtedly looked longingly at the construction site known as the Lakeside project, the massive re-do of the skating rink, which is ultimately a visionary reclaiming of park space from that big bummer of a parking lot that used to was, yet another misstep we can easily blame on Robert Moses et al. Lakeside is an ambitious project worth watching closely, and it will undoubtedly transform the experience of living on our side of the pentagonal Park. If you've been over to the lake recently, you've undoubtedly seen the tall plywood fence that's been put up in front of the chain link. It's being "wrapped" with clever colorful advertisements, telling us what to expect of the coming attraction. "Lakeside is for hockey," or "Lakeside is for rollerskating" or "Lakeside is for lovers" or "Lakeside is for all-night domino games" or "Lakeside is for sleeping off a drunk in the gazebo" or "Lakeside is for not feeding the ducks because it's now incredibly un-p.c. to feed the ducks anything but oats or halved grapes which the ducks don't really care for and the oats fly everywhere and the grapes sink so it's no fun at all and one of the great pastimes of yore is now off-limits and nosy people will come right up to you and say don't feed the ducks even though it's clearly giving you great pleasure and it's really just between you and the ducks now isn't it?"

And then there's this:

Many people have guessed what this structure is, and I'm happy to report they're all wrong except for the ones who guessed that this is actually something that is intended to be taken down. That's right. It's not part of the project at all, but rather "practice" at building the final product. Apparently, according to officials at the Prospect Park Alliance, this is quite common with big construction projects. The various tradespeople involved in the project get together and build a bit of the structure to practice working together and get a chance to work out kinks in the process and materials. Crazy, right? If you knew that fact already I suspect you're in the biz somehow, so stop feeling so smug. Wipe that smug off your mug right now.

These are the sorts of things you learn when you go the Prospect Park Alliance Community Committee meeting, as yours truly did on Wednesday night. Anyone can go, provided they represent a local "group" of some kind. So the Fabulous Fanning Brothers were there (actually they're father and son, but they've got a brotherly vibe about them) representing CB9 and PLGNA respectively. A dude from Park Slope Partners was there, a rep from Lefferts Manor Association, and a smattering of others, but something like 80 different groups have shown their face from time to time. The meeting happens at the ancient Litchfield Villa mansion along Prospect Park West, and if you haven't been inside DO come and check it out...you can almost see the grandeur of yesteryear, though between you and me they've pretty much trashed the place. For a group that's spending tens of millions on Lakeside, you'd think they could take better care of their headquarters. Am I being harsh? Go look for yourself...

One last thing I learned at the meeting. Did you know that the Park can pull the plug out of the lake at will? On some level it's just common sense, since it's a man-made lake and all, but the Park looks at the forecast, and if they see a ton of rain in the making, they let the water out of lake, or add during drought, so that the water level stays fairly constant. Sometimes they get it wrong, as they did during one of those interminable weeklong blub-blubs from this past summer, when the water flooded through the marshes. It's basically a giant bathtub, with real rather than rubber duckies.

Remarkable the things you can learn just by showing up somewheres. And 15 minutes late, too!

Returned Sign Hopes For Refund

2011-10-20T23:46:00.000-04:00

At 9PM, this was the scene in front of Parkside Cleaners - both this sign and the one for Parkside Donut were lying on their sides, blocking the sidewalk, while a flatbed with a cherry picker parked perpendicular to the storefronts. It made for one Krazy Tableau.

No doubt, Parkside Avenue has some of the fugliest signs and awnings in town. But perhaps the most egregious is (was?) the giant Jackson Hewitt tax preparation awning. Awnings are tough things to get right, and some people assume that the bigger the sign the bigger the profits. AS to Jackson Hewitt, once the 2nd place rival to H&R Block, well...I hate these companies with a passion. Masquerading as expert accountants, they're basically glorified loan sharks, offering pennies on the dollar to give you your refund up front. Oh, sure, they probably help the occasional old lady who just needs someone to fill out the forms. But 90% of the people going to these places are best off filing the 1040A or even the EZ - hardly tougher than applying for a driver's license. Folks low on income certainly don't need to be paying for crappy, often crooked, advice anyway. And Jackson Hewitt was one of the worst of the biggies - it's recent bankruptcy coming on the heels of a massive Federal crackdown on its nationwide practices.

More to the point, however, I love Parkside Donut, home to the best Pupusa's this side of Ocean Parkway. Maybe now's the time for a facelift for their sad awning? We can only hope. The font is terrible with a capital comic sans T.

Oh, and if you didn't read the Wall Street Journal today (I only read it when it's sitting on top of the garbage in a trash can), here's a chance to read their take on the pop up store at Mike's International! Scrappy PLG Arts - got give 'em a massive ovation for daring to think big and ornery. Love it.

Maple Street School Benefit -w/ Cap'n Kirk of The Roots

2011-10-18T11:01:00.000-04:00

Since I know most o' y'all are going to the Kiddie Disco benefit for the Lefferts Gardens Montessori school this weekend, it stands to reason you'd want to put another nursery school benefit show in your calendar. This one's for Maple Street School, the adorable little larnin' joint just next to the Q/B at Prospect Park. And it's a doozy, featuring music from Maple Street parent Cap'n'Kirk of The Roots. Here's the sexy promo poster:

If you're a Roots fan you're all over this like white on rice. You should also note that none other than ?uestlove, the thump of the band, will be spinning records after the Cap'n' lays down his groovy noodles. Mr. ?uestlove was voted 8th best drummer OF ALL TIME by Rolling Stone. Which is really remarkable when you think about it. Not that Questlove is a great drummer - he is, but that Rolling Stone actually still exists. (Neal Peart is on the list too, and Buddy Rich. Is Bonham number 1? But of course! But Buddy Rich over Max Roach or Elvin Jones or Tito Puente?) DJ Spinna opens, and the whole show is over by 11, so don't tell me it's too late for your creaky self. Me and the Mrs. will be there, provided Little Miss Clarkson Jr., II doesn't arrive early.

This show is happening in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, by the way. Not Colonial Williamsburg, as was initially reported.

A Haunted Hawthorne Halloween

2011-10-17T21:05:00.001-04:00

Need a pumpkin tout de suite? Head on down to Kings County Nurseries, where I found this mountain of kitsch:

If you haven't been to KCN, they're just down the road a piece, on New York Avenue at Rutland.

And when the heck are we gonna hear about the Halloween Trick-or-Treat safe walk? Anybody know anything? We got the adorable peacock outfit and everything! I'm going as a middle-aged blogger dad...

One word of advice if you have a wee one...don't ever, ever, EVER go to Park Slope on Halloween eve. It's a nightmare, literally.

Change A-brewin' at Chaotic Corner

2011-10-17T13:40:00.000-04:00

It's been a long summer since Maddie's May meeting. At that time, folks from DOT assured a restive audience of locals that a plan was in the works to create calm amongst the chaos of the Ocean/Parkside interesection. This is the latest word from Councilman Eugene:

Dear Resident,
I want to inform you that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has concluded its study pertaining to the implementation of traffic calming measures at the intersection of Parkside and Ocean Avenues. I am eager to have a follow-up meeting to the traffic calming forum that was held at the Calvary Pentecostal Church on 151 Woodruff Avenue last May. I have asked both Community Boards 9 and 14 to review DOT’s plan in preparation for the long anticipated follow-up meeting with the community, which I intend to have take place within the next three weeks.
It is critical that the community boards, residents in the area and my office all be in agreement concerning the traffic calming plan before DOT goes forward with plans to implement it. We all need to be assured that the community will be safer once the traffic calming measures have been fully implemented.
Thank you again for your interest and concern regarding this very important matter. My office will be reaching out to you again as soon as we have a date, time and location in place for the traffic calming forum. I wish everyone a very healthy and productive week.

Yours truly,

Council Member Mathieu Eugene

Thanks Maddie (Fix-Hansen) for keeping the pressure on. I look forward to the next meeting re: proposed changes. Stay tuned for more info...if you're unfamiliar with the story, here's a post from May or this one with the absurd video of Mathieu nearly getting run over. Priceless.

Latest Dump a Doozy

2011-10-16T21:01:00.000-04:00

At least it was put out on the proper trash collection day...

New Pavement In Front of Q/B at Caton

2011-10-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

In Caledonia, we take the time to thank the Lord for small miracles. Take the plaza in front of the Q/B at the Caton entrance. Is this a bizarre Southwestern map motif I see? Or just a plain vanilla patch? Either way, you're that much less likely to trip and sue. Thanks MTA, for even the slight gestures of support. And speaking of Pavement, yes, one-fifth of the indie-legend is now your neighbor. So, no, that wasn't a mid-90s CMJ hallucination you had whilst scarfing a slice at Gino's.

Unqualified Success for Pop-up Show at on Flatbush - Don't Miss It

2011-10-15T22:45:00.001-04:00

The artist, and the ragtag group known as PLG Arts, are clearly ecstatic at the full-throated support they've received for the pop-up gallery at the old Mike's International. After nearly 250 neighbors and more showed up for the opening on Thursday, a steady stream has continued through the weekend. Brian Fernandes-Halloran, the artist, and Dynishal Gross of PLGNA are shown here decompressing after another long day:

The show, which runs for another week, includes paintings and interactive pieces designed to create dialogue between neighbors, and with the pieces themselves. In one crafty piece, a map of the neighborhood elicits written stories from neighbors, who are asked to place their stories in envelopes and mount them in the appropriate spot on the map. Better yet, we're asked to read these missives at leisure, placing them back like ornaments on an xmas tree. Another map highlights the reality of stop and frisk profiling. A commercial security gate becomes a canvas for visitors to paint whatever the heck they like. And a looping video plays edited pieces of visitors sitting and talking about anything they're moved to share. It's all very meta, but not at all pretentious or haughty, and it works great as a way to bring every kind of PLG-Flatbush-Pigtown resident together. Fernandes-Halloran seemed particularly pleased with the warmth and openness of the folks who have taken the time to get to know his work, and their neighborhood, a little better. The whole show had an air of antidote for the usual growing pains of gentrification, and for that and the overall quality of the effort, I'm happy to give the show a solid T for terrific. (this being my first ever art show critique, i've decided to use the following system: T for terrific, B for banal, S for sycophantic, D for Desperate, C for College and/or Collage, and G for Give It Up Now and Give Your Supportive Parents a Financial Break They're Retiring In a Few Years).

Lots of people were involved, so a big shout out to anyone who made it all happen over at PLG Arts and PLGNA and Eric Adams' team. Dynishal was quick to give credit to Reuven Lipkind in Senator Adams' office for hammering at the landlord for the use of the space. It's a nice chunk of real estate y'all; entrepreneurs, take notice.

C.O.P. docs

2011-10-14T14:12:00.000-04:00

Many people have asked me what is required to become part of the soon-to-be-formed 71st Precinct C.O.P. (Civilian Observation Patrol) program. The below four pages need to be filled out. It's really not such a big deal, and the photo and fingerprints happen at the station house. Basically, they want to know you're not a convicted felon. Some of us laughed about whether to "cop" to illicit drug use at any point in the past, but the way I figure it, a little deviousness from your salad daze only makes you a better noticer of stuff. No need to lie, though if you stuffed someone in your trunk once or twice maybe it's best you sit this one out.

I've also been asked what kind of a commitment is involved, and whether it's dangerous. I think that's up to you...there haven't been problems with this program elsewhere in the City, and of course you can only do what you can do timewise. You will not be carrying weapons, and you'll be strictly observing - no intervening. But I'll tell you this much...if all people do is complain about loitering, drugs and gang-related activity but don't do anything about it, we all might as well just leave it up to the 71st and the borough patrol and keep our mouths shut. Which is a viable option, of course. If keeping tabs on neighborhood hot spots isn't your cup of tea, you could always join efforts to get better lighting, talk to landlords and owners, shame businesses that allow thugs to take over their stores, lobby for cameras, aid efforts to beautify blocks and clean up trash. Me, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm in it for the jacket, and by gum I'm gonna get my jacket.

Shelley Linen becomes...

2011-10-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

The secret is nearly out, so I'm going to tell you half of what I know. A new sign is about to go up on the west side of Flatbush at Westbury Ct. Four things:

1) The couple that's opening it lives on Parkside
2) It's gonna be baby stuff.. toys etc
3) The inside is lookin' pretty sharp
4) The woman of the dynamic duo is named...Shelley. What are the chances? Must be a sign from God, or perhaps more appropriate to Flatbush, Gran Bwa,

Keep an eye out. The Mrs and wee one spoke with them this morning, and they seem gung-ho to make a go of it on the "Bush. Good luck!

Abraham Lincoln Rolling Over in Grave Over Namesake Block

2011-10-14T10:06:00.002-04:00

In front of the Q/B at Prospect Park lies a mouldering pile of rubbish left there for nearly a week, complete with rotting flesh on bone (okay, okay, cooked chicken. but still). Who's responsibility is this? MTA? If I had my trusty gloves and construction bags, I would have bagged it and presented it to the station agent, fait accomplit, with a note to his superiors.

Woman Killed On Flatbush by Drunk Driver

2011-10-13T23:26:00.000-04:00

Police Blotter is not my usual cup of joe, but there was a lot of static on the listserves about an incident that happened this morning. A van (apparently NOT a Dollar Van) hit a woman as she was walking across Flatbush at Lincoln Road. No name released, but she was apparently walking with a shopping cart, so one could assume she was a local. She was alive but unconscious when paramedics arrived, but died later in the day.

The 71st Precinct confirmed that the driver of the van was arrested for DWI. It's a mad, mad world out there on Flatbush, and this is clearly another sign that traffic reform needs to be part of the neighborhood's strategic vision. R.I.P., neighbor.

Go East Young Foodie!

2011-10-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

As the kibitzing about getting a Farmer's Market at the Q at Parkside remains but chatty static, a non-profit called Seeds in the Middle did the dirty deed due east of here in Crown Heights...Lefferts Ave at Albany to be exact. The Market's open every Thursday afternoon, and the wee one and I caught it a couple weeks back. It's happening TODAY from 1:30 if you feel like some fresh corn and apples. I think I also noticed some garlic scapes, but I actually don't know what those are, so you should probably just ignore this entire sentence.

Maybe Albany Ave seems too far away, but it's waaay not...if you're a bicyclist it's a super swift ride down the Maple/Lincoln bike lines down and back. Or jump on that B12 bus you're always wondering about. It heads down Clarkson, but then conveniently hooks a left at Albany and takes you RIGHT THERE.

Here's a TV news story about it from NY1. The market's small but good and it's exhilarating to get to know this part of Pigtown better. It's right next to a popular playground too, where young black and Lubavitcher kids make a mighty joyful racket together. This is so powerful to see, given that when I first was living in Brooklyn there was talk of an all out race war not far from this corner, which was sparked by the accidental death of young Gavin Cato. If you're too new or young to remember the Crown Heights Riots, do yourself a favor and read at least the wikipedia entry. Even though it's been a tough summer for shootings, it's a far cry from the events of the late '80s early '90s. I lived on Lincoln Place just above Eastern Parkway for a couple years back then. So naturally I just assumed crack smoking was legal, as long as you kept it to the stairwells.

There's also one called Urban Oasis ON Clarkson at Troy on Wednesdays...haven't been yet. Anyone?

Blue Roost Replaces K-Dog

2011-10-12T10:35:00.000-04:00

Translation: Blue Roost announces, on the reflective window of the old K-Dog, that they will be moving from Flatbush to Lincoln Road. They mention that they will be serving Catskill Mountain Bagels, a fixture on Cortelyou Road. I've had them many times - they totally stack up. So for those Lamenting about the Loss of Latte on Lincoln...good news and a brand new day.

Montessori Disco

2011-10-11T14:42:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Lefferts Gardens has Montessori school for the wee ones? Then I'm larnin' you. It's one of the super options for toddler to pre-K in the neighborhood. Little Miss Clarkson FlatBed goes to the Maple Street School, but the way parents talk about both LGM and Almond Tree (a daycare on Ocean along the park) makes me think we would have been just fine had the Q Jr. not gotten into popular MSS (over by the "other" train station). And while it may seem a little bit "Penny Saver" for me to do this, I'd like to formally urge you to support LGM by taking your family to what's sure to be a great time - Kiddie Disco, Flatbush style.

To my mind, the best part about it will be checking out Crystal's Bar and Lounge, which looks from pictures to have a lock on the Electric Slide TM (choreographed by Ric Silver). If you've got little ones in your charge that day, why not support the school and celebrate the true diversity of the 'Bush?

Feed the Birds - Tuppence a Bag - Or Just Dumpence Your Bag Any Old Place

2011-10-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Not too many days ago, two of the neighborhoods more confounding problems - illegal dumping and the homeliness of Parkside Avenue - converged. In front of the Q at Parkside station, a van drives up (pictured) and dumps an enormous bag of edible refuse. Perhaps it is in the eyes of the beholder, but that looks like dumping to my peepers.

Thanks to Rudy on Winthrop for the pics taken, ironically, while handing out flyers WITH Senator Eric Adams asking neighbors to help beautify the block.

The Mrs. and I noticed numerous corners today with bags upon bags full of construction trash, obviously dumped, because hey...we don't mind! NE Flatbush is like the Statue of Liberty for dumpers - “Give us your tires, your poured cement, your bundled masses yearning to get picked up for free.”

FYI, if you don't get the reference in this post's catastrophically ill-conceived headline, go see Mary Poppins for the first time in years. It's as supercalifradge as you remember it.

Mister Softee Song Has Lyrics - Proof Herein

2011-10-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

This is likely the last weekend Mr. Softee and its many knock-offs makes the rounds...only a few are still hanging in at this point. The recent trend towards organic grassfed artisanal cultured gelatos etc has not lessened the simple pleasures of this ridiculously catchy jingle and the alarmingly soft cool, but not cold, confection plopping from the sugary spigot. There is nothing pretty about a Mr. Softee, and yet there is nothing more beautiful. See you next summer.

Mike's Arternational

2011-10-07T22:19:00.037-04:00

When time's get tough, the tough make art. The "pop up" store of PLG Arts at the old Mike's International follows up an individual show of Brian Fernandes-Halloran with the group show that has Billyburg shakin' in its Vans. As in the shoes, not as in "if the van is rockin', don't come knockin'" And Conversely (not the shoe), if the van is knockin', it might be time to check the fuel/air ratio. I know, I know, give me a break. Long week.

Here's the purty poster:

The Skei's the Limit When It Comes To Curbing Trash

2011-10-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

From the folks who brought you the Spring cleanup comes more good clean trashy fun. PLG Civic is asking "broader" PLG residents to pick up a broom, a bag, and put on some gloves. The FlatBed family did it last time and it was really fun to see so many residents taking part. It's also a chance to drop some flyers on Flatbush area businesses that didn't seem to get the memo that THEY are responsible keeping the sidewalk clean to 18 inches from the curb...regardless of who's doing the littering or dumping.

C.O.P. Program Taking Off In Other Neighborhoods

2011-10-07T10:10:00.000-04:00

This from the Daily News about our brothers/sisters to the east and south - the 67th Precinct, otherwise known as East Flatbush: Daily News.

They got 15 volunteers so far. We have five that I know of (not that it's a competition). Give Ben Edwards, Lefferts Manor Association pres, a call...training starts next week. Ben is at c21eddie@aol.com, or email me and I'll give you his phone #. I'm not endorsing the program since I haven't seen it in action, but it's certainly worth a look.

Join the Effort to Rehab Those Crazy Metal Flatbush Trees!

2011-10-06T14:54:00.001-04:00

The Q lucked on an idea so simple, so elegant, it took even HIS breath away. You know those damn green cement and sheet metal trees that welcome the world to Flatbush? At Empire/Ocean/Flatbush? For years I've been saying, and hearing, SOMETHING should be done. Here's my solution, and I just got approval to do it. But I need your help...

Paint 'em. Knock out the dings (there are a few) and paint 'em. Our lovely district manager Pearl Miles just said "go for it, I took care of it," which means she's got the necessary approval. It don't matter who originally did them or that it's on MTA or City property. All we got to do is go out there and do it. If the original street team that did it wants to surface and say they'll take care of it, then fine. But frankly you're a little late to the task! No one I know has been able to find a record of who originally made the things, so we'll just take a little artistic-conservation license to the task.

Now I'm not going out there all Banksy style in the cover of night and splash some $2 a gallon spritzer on them. It would need to be good paint, a good replacement green, and we'd have to have someone skilled to do the stenciling part. We need someone with some experience in these matters to take the helm - maybe PLG Arts wants to do it? I'd prefer not to get all bureaucratic about it, but if there's a real will out there to do it then I'm happy to help in the background or cede entirely. If you're into it, comment here and/or shoot me an email. We'll have ONE meeting about it (so many meetings these days), we'll set a date (maybe a Sunday in November?) and we'll paint the damn things.

Who's in?

Calling All C.O.P.'s

2011-10-05T22:44:00.000-04:00

If you're interested in being part of a Civilian Observation Patrol in the 71st Precinct, Ben Edwards is rounding up a posse to take the training and saddle up. It's hard to find hard facts about what this entails, but I know there's a really sweet jacket that you get, and a walkie-talkie figures prominently. After coming up clean in the NYPD database, and producing a driver's license, and passing the fitness test (able to run from the Dunkin' Donuts on Flatbush to the Dunkin' Donuts on Empire in less than 20 minutes), then it won't be long til you're sitting pretty behind the wheel of a hybrid cop car, maybe hanging with your C.O.P. partner and engaging in delightful antics like Hollywood police buddy movies.

Please email me if you're interested and I'll see that you get the sign-up sheet. We need a few more to "trigger" the program in earnest.

In all seriousness this is not some sort of vigilante justice thang. It's a simple eyes-on-the-street group that helps keep the precinct aware of problems through the perspective of concerned neighbors. It's not Shomrim; it's much more low key and there's no reason to think you'll be in harms way. Typical longterm time commitments for volunteers are like 3 hours a month...same as a Park Slope Food Coop shift. (but remember, I haven't taken the training yet so I'm pretty much relying on stuff I've heard or read). C.O.P. programs are sprouting up (again) all over the City. You owe it to yourself to at least find out what it's all about.

You Owe It To Yourself To Watch This Awesome Fluff Piece

2011-10-04T22:18:00.001-04:00

That rascal Rudy! He's at it again, and this time he and band of merry men 'n' gals got themselves onto the boob tube! It's so awesome to see the Parkside Prize getting the attention it deserves. And even if you haven't the time or enough crayons to submit an entry, you should feel free to comment here on things you'd like to see happen to and for our neglected corner of the park. I'm particularly smitten with Mike Cetera's idea for rooftop seating atop a remodeled McCafe!

Here's the Channel 12 story. And don't forget to submit your entry by December 1. Big Hugs-not-Drugs to Quest, Duane, Babs, Noel, Jillian and the dozens of people who've helped usher this project along.

Huge Lot at Lincoln Road/Flatbush Officially Sold - Plans Up in the Air?

2011-10-04T11:21:00.000-04:00

This from Brownstoner. (Thanks Jeremy!) As always, the mighty Babs is there with clarifying comments.

Plans are up in the air...it's HOW HIGH up in the air that remains a mystery. Know anything?