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Brooklyn Heights

MTA’s ‘Fastrack’ Service Changes Return Monday

June 11, 2012

This week, another “Fastrack” service outage is planned for the Lexington Avenue line through the Heights and Downtown Brooklyn. Beginning at 10 p.m. each night through Thursday, all 4/5 and 6 train service is suspended between 42 St-Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center until 5 a.m. the following morning. Customers can use the 2/3 (extended to New Lots Avenue), N/R trains as substitute service. Details are available at the MTA website.

 
 

No trains between Grand Central-42 St and Utica/New Lots Avs
Service ends early in Manhattan
No trains between Grand Central-42 St and Brooklyn Bridge		Fastrack


Late Nights, 10 PM to 5 AM, Mon to Fri, Jun 11 – 15Click here to plan your trip around this service change with TripPlanner+

Service operates between the Bronx and Grand Central-42 St, making local stops
along Lexington Av.

Service operates between Dyre Av and E 180 St.
• The last Manhattan-bound train departs E 180 St at approximately 9:30 PM.
• The last Bronx-bound train departs Grand Central-42 St at approximately 10:24 PM.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42223

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Real Estate

Quote Of The Day: ‘Brooklyn Rents Are Officially As Crazy As Manhattan’s’

June 11, 2012

A New York Post story on Sunday titled “The Rentals Are Rising” takes a look at 10 new upscale residential buildings that have recently begun leasing. The properties: Manhattan’s 100 John St., 116 John St., 290 Mulberry St., 247 E. 28th St. and 666 West End Ave.; Long Island City’s 4615 & 4540 Center Blvd.; and in Brooklyn, Williamsburg’s 365 Union St., Vinegar Hill’s 109 Gold St., Crown Heights’ 542 St. Mark’s Ave…. and Brooklyn Height’s own 75 Clinton Street.

The piece says of the latter: “Since it came on the market this spring, Brooklyn Heights’ 75 Clinton leased 50% of its 74 units. But what caught our attention was a 3-bedroom on the ninth floor [that] rented for a whopping $10,000 per month. The rest of the rents aren’t nearly so high (studios start at $2,800; studios with home offices are $3,210; 1 BR go for $3,660; 2 BR go for $5,000; and 3 BR are $7,630). But we’ll also say: Brooklyn rents are officially as crazy as Manhattan’s.”

The NYP also notes, “Vacancy rates are at historic lows and rents are at historic highs. And the number of new rental units coming to the Manhattan market in 2012 is relatively small: 2,596 apartments, according to Citi Habitats, the smallest figure in seven years.” That certainly offers one reason for the outer boroughs influx.

Read the full Post piece and see property photos here.

(Photo: NYP)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42158

From the Web

Food

Celeb Chef Anthony Bourdain Tours Brooklyn, Including Stop At Chef’s Table

June 10, 2012

Celebrity chef and TV foodie Anthony Bourdain chomped his way through Brooklyn this month, stopping by eight restaurants, including the buzzy Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, the three Michelin-starred restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. His triptych was featured in The New York Daily News Sunday, where Bourdain called Brooklyn “the nexus of world cuisine.”

The New Jersey native told The News that his Brooklyn excursion was prompted by cooks he’s met from across the globe raving about its eating scene: “Brooklyn is the nexus where everything is going on right now. Brooklyn is a melting pot. There are traditional Jewish delis. Caribbeans are a huge part of the culture.”

Among his other stops: Jay & Lloyds Kosher Delicatessen on Avenue U and Randazzo’s Clam Bar on Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay; and Gloria’s West Indian Restaurant on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights.

Regarding Chef’s Table, Bourdain said that the restaurant’s serving syle is being copied in fine dining restaurants in Paris and Australia: “It is do-it-yourself. There is little overhead.” He called his Chef’s Table meal the “best that I’ve had in New York in a long time.”

His week-long borough excursion will be featured this fall on Bourdain’s Travel Channel series “No Reservations.”

Read the full NY Daily News story here.

(Photo: New York Daily News)


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7335

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Bitch Fight: Brooklyn Dog Experts Weigh In On Taming Fido

June 10, 2012

While Heights’ residents have rightfully bitched about stepping in, jogging past or catching a waft of an irresponsible dog owner’s pooch’s poop on sidewalks and streets, the Sunday New York Post offers advice about dogs that become aggressive when they come bum to butt with other hounds. Two local Brooklyn experts are among those that weigh in.

John Squires, owner of Wag Club, a doggie day-care and grooming facility in the Heights, recommends that if your bitch gets bitchy, carefully “grab hold of the aggressor from behind, by the hips or back legs, and pull up so he’s on his front two paws. It will put him off-balance and make him look back to find out what’s going on.”

Cobble Hill’s Dr. Brett Levitzke, medical director at the Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group, adds to use caution: “Remember the natural instinct of the dog attacking is to follow, so you’re just bringing them close to you.” He also notes that “the biggest mistake people make is to reach in and try and grab their dog, but they can be bitten by the other dog or even their own dog in the heat of the fight.”

There’s more advice in the article from other Brooklyn experts, including Fort Greene’s Shannon Le Brun, founder of Waggy Walkers Pet Services.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42132

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Heights History: Meet 1912 Brooklyn Historical Society Staffer Mary Ingalls

June 10, 2012

Pleased to meet you, Miss Mary E. Ingalls, an attendant at the Gallery Desk of what was known in 1912 as the Long Island Historical Society, which is, now, of course, the Brooklyn Historical Society on Pierrepont Street at Clinton. While the dress code of the BHS—founded in 1863—may be more casual today, the oak-laden Othmer Library within the National Historic Landmarked building has changed little since Ingalls walked the stacks 100 years ago, where BHS offers the most comprehensive collection of Brooklyn-related materials in existence.

Recently, your BHB scribe was allowed to take pictures inside the majestic Othmer Library. Photos are below. If you’ve never seen it for yourself, this is truly a site to behold. BHS hours are as follows: Wednesday-Friday 12-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m.; closed Monday/Tuesday. The library is open Wednesday through Friday 1-5 p.m.

BHS members free, adults $6, seniors 62 & over $4, teachers and students 12 & over $4, children -12 are free.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor/Ingalls pic courtesy of the BHS Blog)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42034

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Events, Food

Downtown’s Dekalb Market Is One Ingenious Destination

June 9, 2012

Last weekend, your BHB scribe at last took in the curiosity that is the Dekalb Market in Downtown Brooklyn. Situated over an entire square block, the emporium of boutique shops and foodies is constructed from salvaged shipping containers converted into 60+ venues that frame a space for outdoor events and programs.

Within easy walking distance of Brooklyn Heights, at 138 Willoughby Street and the Flatbush Avenue Extension, sure enough, there was a cornucopia of art, music and food, “The Dekalb Farm” and dozens of outdoor weekend vendors, all “set against the gritty-cool urban backdrop of downtown Brooklyn.” (See pics below.)

Not to be missed: Waffle n’ Go, offering authentic liege waffles and a variety of delish toppings; Gourmet Sorbet, with all fresh ingredients; Open Oyster, featuring raw & steamed Fisher’s Island Oysters; and Mighty Balls, a tiny tucked-away food shop with delicacies lightly fried.

The regular Dekalb Market Hours are seven days a week, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. This weekend, June 9-10, the special feature is underground busk artists playing from 12-6 p.m., with a “Busk-Off” at 5 p.m. Saturday. The space was voted Best New York Architecture in 2011 by the New York Observer.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41974

From the Web

Image Of The Day: Rooftop Retreat

June 9, 2012

While the world at large shares in the historic vistas of Brooklyn Heights from ground level, there’s an entire different viewpoint from the rooftops of our neighborhood residential buildings… offering a far-reaching panorama across the borough and beyond that is ours alone. This pic looks down upon the modest but still heavenly roof at 1 Montague Terrace (where poet W.H. Auden lived in 1939-1940).

(Top photo: Chuck Taylor/Bottom: lumierefl via Flickr)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42009

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Food

Custom House On Montague Opens Saturday 6/9: First Look Inside

June 9, 2012

The spanking new Custom House Irish pub and restaurant at 139 Montague Street, in the former La Traviata Italian restaurant space between Henry and Clinton, is opening its doors Saturday June 9. The locale invited friends & family for a pre-opening Friday evening, allowing BHB to take a first glance at the shiny new space. (See photos below.)

We were pleased to discover among Custom House’s staffers is Jimmy, arguably the most pleasant guy on Montague Street, who previously worked at Grand Canyon diner next door. (Jimmy’s the one who resembles [the first] Darrin Stevens from “Bewitched.”)

Italian eatery La Traviata shuttered in November 2011 after 30 years in the space.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41946

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Events

‘Friends Of Brooklyn Heights Library’ Reignites: But There’s More To Be Done

June 8, 2012

Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library—which hosted a meeting June 5 to reinvigorate the non-profit organization—reports that the gathering fostered a new slate of Trustees, along with more than two dozen new interested attendees. “We are revitalizing,” reports an enthusiastic Deborah Hallen, who helped organize the FBHBL gathering with President Diana Prizeman.

The Friends will hold its next meeting Tuesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library in the Heights at 280 Cadman Plaza West & Tillary Street, on the second floor youth room. All are invited to join, as it continues to ramp efforts for its community-focused mission: raising money to purchase books, furniture, audiobooks and computers (as well as their ongoing maintenance); sponsorship of author visits & events; Friday book sales; and bringing crucial library issues to the attention of the community and elected officials.

FBHBL is still in the process of launching its website, Facebook page and a dedicated newsletter. For more information on the group and its upcoming meeting, reach out to Deborah Hallen at dmhallen@gmail.com.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41935

From the Web

Downtown Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn Sting Operation: 20,000 Bees Swarm Hoyt & Schermerhorn

June 8, 2012

Downtown Brooklyn had one honey of a sting operation last week. Some 20,000 honeybees swarmed a tree on the southwest corner of Hoyt and Schermerhorn streets at the entrance to the A/C/F subway line—a mere three blocks from Brooklyn Heights.

Officer Anthony Planakis, the NYPD’s special beekeeper—known as “Tony Bees”—says that the horde, which gathered around 3 p.m. last Friday, is among the largest he has ever seen. There were so many bees that he couldn’t hold them in one pail, and had to call for backup. The phenomenon was first reported by DNAInfo.com here.

New York City’s board of health lifted a ban on beekeeping in March 2010, legalizing the avocation for many who had flouted the law and tended bees for years, according to the WSJ. That move, however, requires local beekeepers to register with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and follow practices of controlling bee swarms and making sure hives don’t bother neighbors.

Remarkably, no one was injured during the Downtown sting operation.

(Photo: Fox News)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41927

From the Web