I’m currently job hunting, and while writing resumes that no one will read is really exciting, I’ve decided to also take this (hopefully brief) time to do the things I wouldn’t normally have time to do if I had a job. I don’t have a particular agenda, just wherever the mood takes me. Perhaps you and I both will benefit from this. (Just don’t bet the house on it.)

So here’s my first quest, inspired by a conversation I had with my friend, Liz—learn about the Native American trails that once served as the major arteries through Brooklyn. (I knew Broadway had first existed this way, but didn’t know about any in Brooklyn.) I went to the Brooklyn Historical Society, where a helpful librarian located this map, “Indian Villages, Paths, Ponds and Places in Kings County,” published in 1946 by then-Brooklyn Borough Historian James A. Kelly.

Since this is the Brooklyn Heights Blog, I wanted to concentrate on this neighborhood; however, I couldn’t help but notice the label “Indian burial ground” next to the tepee located in Boerum Hill. It raised a few interesting questions in my mind:

• Does the tepee cover the exact place where the Indian burial ground exists? (If so, it is directly over Wyckoff Gardens.)

• Do all the tepees represent Indian burial grounds, or just the one that’s labeled? (This map has no key; the librarian thought all the tepees were also burial grounds. I, however, think they just represent the settlements.)

• If all the tepees are burial grounds, then that means there is one beneath my building in Brooklyn Heights. This would perhaps explain the plumbing issues.

Interesting to see some of the trails that exist today as major thoroughfares, like Fulton Street, Flatbush Avenue and part of Atlantic Avenue. I have yet to uncover any information on the Ihretonga, which is the tribe listed as living in Brooklyn Heights. I did, however, learn that the Werpos village of the Indian burial ground had a twin village located around today’s City Hall.

One other site I noticed was a park extending from Columbia Street to Smith Street, and from Atlantic Avenue to Kane Street (and labeled as “Sassians” on the map). I guessed it was park of today’s Van Voorhees park, and indeed nycgovparks.org has more information.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Since I’m Not Working: Native American Edition, where I travel one of the Native American trails, and also try and get answers to the above questions. And now I’m off to the 8-4 for the police blotter. See you there.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/72961

We recently went on a trip back in time at some of the restaurants in the North Heights. Now it’s time to start doing the same down on Montague Street. What was there before today’s eateries? What do the owners want you to order if you stop by? Let’s find out!

Our first stop will be Teresa’s Restaurant (80 Montague Street – Yelp! profile).

Teresa’s Restaurant. Photo by Evan Bindelglass

According to owner Teresa Brzozowska (yes, there is a Teresa!), it was a dry cleaners before she opened the restaurant in 1989.

80 Montague Street, 1967. Photo courtesy NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Brzozowska is originally from Gdansk, Poland. She came to America in 1980 and settled in Williamsburg, where she has lived ever since. She had what she described as “life experience in the food business.” She worked in delis (German, Jewish, Polish, French, and American) and, in 1985, she opened Teresa’s in the East Village (on 1^st Avenue between 6^th and 7^th). She had some customers and friends who lived in Brooklyn Heights and she found Montague to be a “nice street” and opened the second location. The original bit the dust in 2007, but the second incarnation is still going strong 25 years on. Brzozowska loves the support of the public and said being a “neighborhood place makes business very stable.”

What The Owner Says To Order:
Appetizer: Chicken soup
Entrée: Cheese and blueberry blintzes

ARCHIVE DOCUMENTS: 1988 Certificate of Occupancy | 2000 Certificate of Occupancy (PDFs)

Up next, we don’t have to go far. It’s on to Heights Café (84 Montague Street – website).

Heights Cafe. Photo by Evan Bindelglass

Buildings Department records from 1930 list the first floor as simply “stores.” As of 1940, the second floor was being used as a school. A 1976 document called the “Montague Street Revitalization” listed a York School, as well as an antique store. As of 1967m it was the Plymouth Pharmacy. For the 27 years prior to 1995, the first floor was the Promenade Restaurant, a staple of the area. It even had its own postcards!

84 Montague Street, 1967. Photo courtesy NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Eventually it closed and the space became available. That caught the eye of Greg Markman, who opened Caffe Buon Gusto up the block in 1992 (he sold his interest in it over a decade ago). Markman teamed up with Joe Secondino, who was an accountant at ABC and with whom he’s been friends with since they were seventh graders at JHS 281 (now IS 281) in Bensonhurst, and, on May 15, 1995, opened Heights Café on the corner of Montague and Hicks.
Joe Secondino and Greg Markman. Photo by Evan Bindelglass

While they run the day-to-day, Markman’s father Martin and brother Glenn (the real estate brains) are also partners in the restaurant. Greg Markman always loved the corner and said it needed “something special.” Since then (with the exception of a closure from this January to April for a remodeling and menu sprucing up), they’ve been serving “something for everyone.” “We love our customers,” he said. “[Some of them see the restaurant as] an extension of their living room.” Secondino called them “friends.”

They have had some celebrity customers. Paul Giamatti stops in sometimes, as do Jennifer Connelly and her husband, Paul Bettany. Also spotted have been Leonardo DiCaprio, Anne Hathaway, Willem Dafoe, and Susan Sarandon. Markman even got a photo with “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” star and Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Greg Markman with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Photo courtesy Greg Markman.

What The Owners Say To Order:
Fried Chicken at Heights Cafe. Photo by Evan Bindelglass

The Southern Boneless Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and coleslaw. If you are worried about boneless chicken being dry, stop. It isn’t dry and it is full of flavor, as are the mashed potatoes. It is so easy to go wrong with coleslaw, but this was very well-balanced. If you want a little extra creaminess, it’s on the bottom. The  gravy is wonderful, but everything else is so great already that you might forget to make use of it. Try to remember.

Markman and Secondino also own Dellarocco’s Pizza around the corner (214 Hicks Street – website). They opened that in 2012. In 1976, it was listed as a hair stylist and from 1981 to 2011 it was home to the gift shop Overtures.

Dellarocco’s Pizza. Photo by Evan Bindelglass

ARCHIVE DOCUMENTS: 1930 Certificate of Occupancy | 1940 Certificate of Occupancy | 1972 Certificate of Occupancy (PDFs)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/70104

The ninth annual Brooklyn Book Festival will be on Sunday, September 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m at Borough Hall and Columbus Park (immediately north of Borough Hall). There will be readings by and discussions with writers, readings and activities for children, and books for sale. There’s more information here.

During the coming week and the Monday following the Festival there will be “Bookend” events held in various venues around the Borough. Among these venues are Book Court, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Historical Society, DUMBO Sky, the Powerhouse Arena, Smack Mellon Gallery, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, St. Ann’s School, and Vineapple. A full schedule is here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/70198

Jo Anne Simon won the Democratic nomination in the 52nd Assembly District Tuesday with opponents Pete Sikora coming in second and dark horse candidate/Brooklyn Heights resident Doug Biviano third. Simon was the winner of our Readers’Endorsement poll.

The Brooklyn Paper and the Brooklyn Eagle have different spins on Simon’s victory:

B’Paper’s headline: Dem machine holds strong in B’Heights Assembly race
Brooklyn Eagle’s headline: Complete Brooklyn primary results: Vindication for Simon; Hamilton over Dorancy; Barron is back

Simon will face GOP nominee John Jasilli who made headlines last year when he faced NYC Councilmember Steve Levin:

Metro: Councilman Stephen Levin, currently running on the Democratic ticket for re-election in the 33rd district, had just had dinner with a friend at Fornino’s at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. They were strolling through the neighborhood and happened to pass Montero’s, a little bar on Atlantic Avenue.

“I heard blues coming out of the bar and I thought that it was the juke box playing because it sounded like real, authentic, professional blues,” Levin recalled.

He had heard that his opponent, Conservative candidate John Jasilli, plays guitar there, he said.

“So I peeked my head in and there was a guy, he was playing kinda down-home blues with a slide guitar and he had a couple friends with him and it was excellent,” Levin enthused.

He and his friend decided to go in and take a seat. Levin still wasn’t sure that the star musician was his opponent, until a mutual friend of both him and Jasilli came in and said, “You know, that’s your opponent playing.”

“So they invited me up to jam with Jasilli!” Levin exclaimed.

We officially extend an offer to Simon and Jasilli to faceoff in a debate sponsored by BHB before the election in November.

Besides the 52nd Assembly District contest, Andrew Cuomo, the man who by some measures is responsible for closing Long Island College Hospital, defeated upstart challenger Zephyr Teachout.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/70038

All politics is local – but how connected are politicians to “the locals?” Most everyone we know has watched The Simpsons, is either addicted to or hates Buzzfeed and they’ve definitely binge watched something on Netflix (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black etc).

BHB Candidate Interviews: Jo Anne Simon | Pete Sikora | Doug Biviano

So during BHB’s 52nd AD debate on Tuesday, your humble publisher thought it would be a good idea to ask the candidates about those topics. Heck, it’s what you’re talking about with “Bob” from accounting at the office Keurig machine… right? Behold our video of their responses, which might surprise you.

Vote in the BHB 52nd AD Reader’s Endorsement Poll Now

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/69880

Novelist and Brooklyn Heights resident Elizabeth Gaffney was at the Brooklyn Historical Society yesterday evening to read from her second novel, When the World Was Young, on the date of its publication by Random House. She read two segments of the novel. The first told how a physician forced to give up her career because of injuries, both physical and emotional, suffered because of an auto accident in which her fiance, another physician, was killed, was courted by and married an old friend from her childhood and youth. Ms. Gaffney concluded this segment by saying, “So began a very bad marriage.” The second was from the 1950s youth of that couple’s daughter, Wally Baker, the novel’s protagonist, and told of her going to the St. George Hotel pool with a friend, Ham, who was black, and of the cicerone who guarded the pool entrance directing Ham to the “colored changing area.”

Following the readings, Ms. Gaffney was joined by Marcia Ely, BHS’s Vice President for External Affairs and Programs (on left in photo) for a discussion. Ms. Gaffney did extensive research for her novel at BHS, using its library and archives. Asked what were the most interesting materials she came across in her research, the author said she found maps of Brooklyn Heights and nearby neighborhoods in which each block was coded according to the number of black people who lived there. These maps were to facilitate banks’ practice of “redlining”; that is, to deny mortgages in places where there was a majority of black residents, and to increase rates in others that were seen to be likely to become majority black.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/69173

Who is the biggest asshole in the Heights? There’s tough competition, but today’s nominee is the guy behind the counter at night at the Haagen Dazs on Montague St. Here are his credentials:

Many customers complain that he weighs the scoops to ensure, heaven forbid, that he not dole out too much of that already overpriced ice cream. But what happened to me on Monday night was so egregious that he should be run out of town on a rail (from the grubby Clark St. station, no less!).

I called the shop at 10:45 to inquire when it closed and was told by a lady that it was open until 11 p.m. I rushed to the shop, getting there at 10:53 (verifiable!) only to find all the ice creams covered. But I’m a friendly, personable guy, so I said to the man who would later become the object of my eternal wrath, “You can’t be closed! It’s only 10:53. Isn’t it great that I got here before you closed.” He said, “We’re closed.” I said, “I’ll have a chocolate peanut butter in a sugar cone.” He decided against his better judgment to serve me.

Now, here’s where it gets truly assaholic. I have never in my entire 49 years of eating ice cream — from parlors all over the world in every season and at every time of day — been served a portion so measly as the one served by this paragon of parsimony. The ball of ice cream barely broke the plane of the cone itself! Three bites and I was done.

Oh, and it was $4! Four dollars! I could have gotten a pint of premium ice cream at a store. I remain enraged and will never darken that man’s door again.

Theater 2020, Brooklyn Heights’ own professional stage company, will present Shakespeare’s King Lear starting next weekend (video after the jump). There will be performances on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24 starting at 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday, May 25 starting at 3:00 p.m. The play will run through the following two weekends (May 30-June 1 and June 6-8) with performances at the same times on the corresponding days. The venue is St. Charles Borromeo Church, 19 Sidney Place. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased in advance by credit card here or with cash at the door (for reservations call 718-624-3614 or e-mail theater2020@gmail.com). From Theater 2020:

You have never seen KING LEAR quite like this. Join us in the amazing interior of the Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Brooklyn Heights for a modern gothic take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedies. You will be at the center of the action as we explore both the humor (Yes! Humor!) and poignancy of the challenges of the aging body and mind in this timeless story of family greed and failure to communicate. Well known New York Indie Theater actor [and Heights resident] David Fuller stars as King Lear, and Kim Sullivan (Classical Theatre of Harlem) is Gloucester in this 15 member diverse and top notch cast.

Following the play’s run at St. Charles Borromeo, on the weekend of June 13-15, there will be three free outdoor performances, each starting at 7:00 p.m., on Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park. No reservations are required.

See our review of Theater 2020′s production of Candide in February of this year.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/67340

While the Pier 4 beach (photo) and Pier 2, with its athletic facilities (see photo after the jump) have been accessible to the public for several days now, they will both be officially opened this Thursday (May 22) afternoon.

From Brooklyn Bridge Park:

Our program will kick off promptly at 3:30pm with a celebratory ribbon-cutting, followed by clinics and programs on our bocce, shuffleboard, handball and basketball courts.

Pier 2 is the Park’s second active recreation pier, and features five acres of active recreation courts for basketball, handball, shuffleboard and bocce, as well as a full size roller skating rink, swings, picnic tables, restrooms and fitness equipment. Pier 4 Beach is a unique sandy shoreline that allows park visitors to access the East River for non-motorized boating and educational programs.

The ribbon-cutting will take place at the entrance to Pier 2. All are invited to this free event.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/67374

Brooklyn Bridge Park may be getting even more popular this summer — there’s a robust schedule of free events.

Here’s a handy list of all of them via the BBP Conservancy:

A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – ALL FREE – FOLLOWS
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK 2014 SEASON SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ARTS & CULTURE

Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties presented by BRIC
Sponsored by Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
Thursdays, 7:00 pm, Pier 1
Sweeping views, great lawn, dance lessons, beer gardens, bike valet… and it’s free! Three spring evenings feature some of the coolest dance bands on the planet, the funkiest DJs under the stars, and the greatest view in the world on Pier 1!
May 15 Electro-Jamz Dance Party: Cibo Matto I Javelin | JD Samson
May 22 – African Dance Party: Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars I DJ Chief Boima

Syfy Movies With A View
Thursdays, with music at 6:00 pm and movies at sunset, Pier 1
Join us as we celebrate 15 Season of our movie series on Thursdays this summer! Shorts curated by BAMcinematek, DJs from Brooklyn Radio kick off the evening, and bike valet is provided by Transportation Alternatives.

July 10 – Duck Soup (G)
July 17 – Sharknado
July 24 – Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG)
July 31 – Beetlejuice (PG)
August 7 – Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (PG)
August 14 – Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai (R)
August 21 – The Birds (PG)
August 28 – Public Vote!

Books Beneath the Bridge
Mondays, July 8 – August 12, 7:00 pm, Granite Prospect
Second annual outdoor literature series curated by six local, independent bookstores.
July 7 – Freebird
July 14 – Greenlight Bookstore
July 21 – Powerhouse Arena
July 28 – Community Bookstore Park Slope
August 4 – Word Bookstore
August 11 – Bookcourt

Danh Vo: We The People
Opening Saturday, May 17
Pier 3 Uplands
Presented by The Public Art Fund
A major new dual-site exhibition inspired by the Statue of Liberty, “We the People” is a full-scale copper replica of the statue in 250 individual parts fabricated over the course of four years using the original techniques and materials. Visitors to the Pier 3 Greenway Terrace will encounter a never-before-exhibited section of the statue: the draped sleeve of the statue’s right arm, which holds the golden torch. This colossal, 13-piece section will be assembled into three forms and presented alongside the ear of the statue. The exhibition continues at Manhattan’s City Hall Park.

John Street Pasture
Coming Spring 2014
John Street Pasture is a temporary living earthwork that celebrates green space, agriculture, and the transitional nature of urban land. This cover crop of crimson clover will bloom into a lush field of reds and greens all while creating a nutrient rich resource of nitrogenized soil for the now under-construction John Street section of Brooklyn Bridge Park. John Street Pasture is a collaboration of Andrea Reynosa, Alloy and Brooklyn Grange.

Pier Kids
Sundays, June 1 – August 3, 11:00 am
Pier 6
Sing, act, dance, and draw! Please join us on Pier 6 for a weekly family celebration of the arts. Engaging activities will vary each week and be accompanied by an outdoor pop-up reading room from the Uni Project. Each program is followed by art projects from Private Picassos and Project Art.

Walt Whitman’s Song Of Myself
Sunday, June 8, 4:00 pm
Granite Prospect
Annual marathon reading of Walt Whitman’s most critically acclaimed poem.

Shakespeare At Sunset
June 13-15 (King Lear) and July 18-20 (Taming of the Shrew), 7:00 pm
Granite Prospect
Free performances of King Lear by Theater 2020 and Taming of the Shrew by Random Access Theater.

BAMcinemafest Outdoor Screening
Thursday, June 19, Pier 1
Join BAMcinemaFest for an outdoor festival featuring live music, curated food and a special film screening! The films start at sunset.

Barolosolo Cirkus Company
June 21-22, 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Pier 1
A kiosk in a village square. What could be more ordinary? Join France’s Barolosolo Cirkus Company for an anything but ordinary New York premier of íle O, and watch as this intrepid team creates a delightful mash-up of modern physical theater around their kiosk-pool moving from comic to absurd in a universe filled with aquatic poetry and music. Presented in association with SummerStage. Kids presented by Disney.

Make Music NY
Saturday, June 21, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Pier 3 Greenway Terrace
The 8th Annual Make Music New York festival returns June 21 with more than 1,000 free concerts in public spaces across NYC. More details at makemusicny.org.

Met Opera
Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 pm
Pier 1
This summer recital features three rising Met stars: soprano Amber Wagner, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, and tenor Russell Thomas, joined by pianist Dan Saunders.

Hindu Lamp Ceremony
Saturday, August 2, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Main Street
Help Aeilushi Mistry bring peace and harmony to our shoreline as she performs the traditional Hindu Aarti ceremony at the park! Presented with Brooklyn Arts Council.

Jazzmobile: Arturo O’Farrill
Monday, August 18, 7:00 pm
Pier 1
Join us for a performance by Latin Jazz artist, Arturo O’Farrill who brings swinging rhythms to the park!

Battle Of Brooklyn Reenactment
Saturday, August 23, 12:00 pm
Main Street
Join reenactors from Glover’s Marblehead Regiment to learn how sailors saved George Washington’s army during the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776.

Kite Festival
Saturday, September 13, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Pier 1
Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline! Kites will be available for purchase or you can bring your own.

Photoville
September 18 – 21 & 25 – 28
Pier 5 Uplands
PHOTOVILLE will be a feisty mix of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on workshops, nighttime projections, photo dog run, and a summer beer-garden that will create a photographic destination like no other at the Pier 5 Uplands. In addition —and in collaboration with Photo District News—THE FENCE, Brooklyn’s premiere outdoor photographic exhibition will present the work of 40 talented photographers from around world. THE FENCE at the park measures 1000 ft in length and stretches along the Greenway. Presented by United Photo Industries.

Dumbo Arts Festival
September 21 – 28
Various locations
Brooklyn Bridge Park is participating in DUMBO Arts Festival again this fall! This three-day celebration of art and culture will feature a variety of scenic locations within the park hosting several of this year’s innovative art installations.

RECREATION

Get Active on the Brand New Pier 2 Courts!
5 acres dedicated to active recreation, Enjoy basketball, bocce, shuffleboard and handball courts, a roller/inline skating rink, swings, fitness equipment, picnic tables and half an acre of play turf. Restrooms, skate and equipment rentals, lockers, water fountains and bike racks are also available on site. Take part in fitness classes, leagues, and free play.

Free Skate
Mondays & Fridays, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sundays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Pier 2 (Opening late May. Dates TBD)
Cruise around the new Pier 2 roller/inline skating rink with Free Skate (kid approved) sessions during select hours each week.

Kayaking
June 7 – August 30
Saturdays, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Thursdays, 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm
Pier 2 Dock
Glide along the water while kayaking with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse at the Pier 2 floating dock! Children under 18 must have an adult guardian present.

Family Field Days
July 26 and August 23, 10:00 am – 1:00pm
Various locations
Come play games of all shapes and sizes from volleyball, basketball, and soccer clinics to potato sack and relay races with celebrations on each of the park’s active piers.

Pop-Up Pool
Daily, Late June through Labor Day
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Pier 2 Uplands
Take in the sunshine and cool waters at the Pier 2 Pop-Up Pool! The 30’x50’ pool includes a sandy beach and play area with refreshing food and drinks from Lizzmonade. Swim lessons are available.

Pier 5 Fields
Check website for dates
Three turf fields invite soccer, flag football, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, and ultimate frisbee players alike to play games looking out at the skyline. Check the website for open play time.
Conservancy Soccer Leagues: Get in the game. Coed and men’s adult soccer leagues play Wednesdays in spring, summer, and fall. Saturday morning youth leagues in spring and fall. Sign up for leagues at brooklynbridgepark.org.

Pier 6 Volleyball
Check website for dates
Walk-up Play: Bring your own volleyball.
League Play: Join a team for organized play on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and join in weekend tournaments.
Reserved Play: A limited number of courts can be reserved for an hour by individuals online at brooklynbridgepark.org.
Public Clinics: Brush up your game with free instruction for children, teens, and adults.

Bike NY Pedal Stops
Select Sundays, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Pier 1
Stop by the free rider assistance and information station where you can get a drink of water and healthy snack, then pick up safety instructions, bike maps, and route suggestions.

FITNESS

All Classes Are One Hour.
Senior Fitness with Dodge YMCA
Mondays, May 5 – June 30, 10:00 am
Pier 6

Outdoor Strength wth Brooklyn Strength
Mondays, June 9 – August 25, 7:00 pm
Pier 6

Sunset Pilates with Body In Balance
Wednesdays, June 18 – September 24, 7:00 pm
Pier 5

Pilates with The Fitness Guru
Tuesdays, June 24 – September 9, 7:00 pm
Empire Fulton Ferry

Early Morning Yoga With Dodge YMCA
Mondays, June 30 – August 18, 7:30 am
Pier 6

Zumba with Dodge YMCA
Sundays, July 6 – August 17, 4:00 pm
Pier 2

Hip Hop Aerobics with Dodge YMCA
Fridays, July 11 – August 22, 7:00 pm
Pier 2

Crossfit with Dumbo Crossfit
Sundays, July 13 – August 3, 2:30 pm
Pier 2

EDUCATION & ENVIRONMENT

Wednesday Night Tours
Wednesdays, May 7 – Oct 8, 6:30pm
Pier 1 Entrance
Take an evening’s stroll with New York’s finest scholars and learn about the extraordinary history, ecology, and design of Brooklyn Bridge Park!

The Brooklyn Bridge
May 7
Discover the epic story of this engineering marvel and New York icon as well as the men and women who built it.
David Frieder, The Roebling Museum

The Billion Oyster Project
May 14
Take a look at the park’s oyster gardens and discover the power of these ecosystem engineers.
Sam Janis, New York Harbor School

Natives & Newcomers
May 21
Explore the complex relationships between the Dutch and local Lenape clans as cultures collide.
Emma Nordin, New-York Historical Society

Bringing the Park to Life
May 28
Hear the story of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s creation and innovative approach to revitalizing urban space.
Regina Myer, BBP President

War on the Waterfront
June 4
From Ft. Hamilton to the Navy Yard, Brooklyn’s waterfront played a key role for America in WWII.
Andrew Gustafson, Turnstile Tours

Interactive Photography Tour
June 11
Explore the fundamentals of basic photography while capturing the beauty of the park. Topics covered: composition, lighting, and depth of field.
Alexa Hoyer, BBP Photographer

A Park with a View
June 18
Look across the water in an architectural tour of the historic and modern skyscrapers on the Manhattan skyline.
Kyle Johnson, AIA Architect

Native Plants In Designed Landscapes
June 25
Come on a tour of the park highlighting the use of native species and cultivars in a designed space.
Ulrich Lorimer, Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Abolition On The Water
July 2
Superstar minister Henry Ward Beecher gave voice to freedom and home to the Underground Railroad in 1850s Brooklyn.
Regina McIlvain, Plymouth Church Historian

Building A Sustainable Park
July 9
Gain an in-depth knowledge of BBP’s sustainable features from building materials to storm management.
Leigh Trucks, BBP Director of Capital Projects

The Atlantic Dock Co.
July 16
Learn about the men who built and ruled the docks spanning the waterfront from DUMBO to Red Hook.
Inna Guzenfeld, Historian

Coastal Wetlands
July 23
Where the land meets the sea, the marshlands along the park offer a unique habitat for a variety of wildlife.
Emily Maxwell, The Nature Conservancy

Infrastructure Intersections
July 30
Unravel the tangled histories and structures of all the bridges, tunnels, and highways that keep NY moving.
John Kriskiewicz, Historian

Whales In The Harbor
August 6
Discover a new era when whales, dolphins, and seals have returned to NY Harbor in surprising numbers.
Paul Sieswerda, Gotham Whales

The Golden Age Of Brooklyn Distilleries
August 13
Amble through the historic rise of Brooklyn distilleries of the 1800′s until the death knell of the Volstead Act in 1920.
Jill Paradiso, Culinary Historian

Designing Brooklyn Bridge Park
August 20
Hear directly from one of the innovative minds behind Brooklyn Bridge Park’s award winning design.
Matt Urbanski, Principal, MVVA, Inc.

A Key to the Continent
August 27
The waters of the East River acted as a strategic hub in the American Revolution and the Civil War.
Barnet Schecter, Historian

Blooms and Bugs
September 3
Learn about Pier 1’s native plant gardens including the freshwater pools, woodlands, prairie, and salt marsh.
Matthew Wills, Naturalist

What Was Where
September 10
A journey from colonial times to present day, particularly focused on the industrial dockyards.
Matt Postal, Architectural Historian

My Hand in Yours, Walt
September 17
A literary walk through the legacy of the Brooklyn Bridge in works by Whitman, Crane, Bishop, and Moore.
Adam Fitzgerald, Poet

Interactive Photography Tour: Fall
September 24
Explore the fundamentals of street photography while capturing everyday moments of life in the park.
Alexa Hoyer, BBP Photographer

The Billion Oyster Project: Fall
October 1
See how the park’s oyster gardens have grown and learn the power of these tiny ecosystem engineers.
Sam Janis, New York Harbor School

Docent Tours
Sundays, 12:00 pm
Pier 1
Engage with our docents on a tour about the history of the Brooklyn waterfront, BBP’s sustainable design, and how the park came to life!

Seining
Multiple Dates
Empire Fulton Ferry
Learn about the remarkable creatures of the East River as our scientists use a seining net to humanely catch and release these unique critters.

Wildflower Walk
Tuesday, May 13, 5:00 pm
Pier 1
Explore the parks spring blooms and the many buzzing pollinators that bring the park to life.
Rebecca McMackin, BBP Director of Horticulture

World Science Festival: From The Earth To The Stars
Saturday, May 31, 8:00 pm
Pier 1
It’s an outdoor party beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and the twinkling canvas of the night sky, and a night to explore and discover the vast wonders of the cosmos! Bring your telescope if you have one, or use one of the dozens we’ll have on hand.

Checkmate 101
Wednesdays, June 11 – August 30
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Pier 1
Come learn how to take your chess game to the next level! Best for beginners; limited boards available.

Journey To The Stars
Thursday Evenings, June 19 – Sept 18
Pier 1
The Amateur Astronomers will guide your eyes across the sky as you discover the wonders of the universe.

City Of Water Day
Thursday, July 12
Location and times to be determined
Join us for a celebration of the waterfront, with our free kayaking and seining programs!

VOLUNTEER EVENTS

Green Team
Saturdays, 10:00 am
Pier 1
Join this dedicated corps of volunteers who keep Brooklyn Bridge Park beautiful! The Green Team meets every Saturday to provide essential horticultural care to the park. The Green Team is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy nature and make the park look its best. Children are welcome to volunteer with a parent or guardian.

Coastal Clean Up Day
Saturday, September 20, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pier 1
Team up with thousands of volunteers worldwide to combat pollution in our waterways and along our coastlines. Volunteers will care for our unique coastal environment by cleaning up the park’s beaches, shorelines, and salt marsh. It promises to be a remarkable stewardship experience.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/67225

A lot went on at Thursday night’s Brooklyn Heights Association Annual Meeting, much of which is touched on in our “Tale of the Tweets” coverage. I have a few points about the business side of the meeting to expand on. In addition to the awards for “best diner” to Clark Restaurant and to Patricia and John Duffy for their renovation of 265 Hicks Street, there was one to the extended Alperin/Lowe/Sullivan family for their various ventures, including Marissa Alperin Studio on State Street between Columbia Place and Willow Place (a frequent stop for your correspondent when shopping for presents for his wife), clothing store and art gallery Goose Barnacle, kids’ clothing shop Junior Lowe, both on Atlantic Avenue, and the re-opening of the Long Island Bar and Restaurant, also on Atlantic.

A new honor was the Martha Atwater Award, named for the Heights resident, TV producer, wife, and mother tragically killed just over a year ago when an out of control truck hit her on the sidewalk on Clinton Street. The first Martha Atwater honoree was Mary Frost, of the Eagle, who received the award in recognition of her coverage of the battle to keep Long Island College Hospital open. Finally, a “Best New Addition to the Neighborhood” award was given to Ted Zoli, with Brooklyn Bridge Park President Regina Myer accepting on his behalf, for his design of the Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge.

Clay Shirky (photo above), who holds joint appointments as a professor in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and as Distinguished Writer in Residence in NYU’s Arthur. L. Carter Journalism Institute, was evidently prepared (he is a former resident of the area) for an audience heavily salted with geezers, like your correspondent. Hence he saw his mission as dispelling any notion that the internet is leading to the End of Civilization as We Know It. But what is it destroying? There are some distinctions that it is seriously eroding, if not ending.

Shirky said he was sure we were all familiar with the Iliad, the classic account of men at arms and warfare, while a photo of the cast of Hogan’s Heroes was projected above him. Similarly, he said, we knew the Odyssey, the prototypical tale of adventure at sea and on unknown islands; this was accompanied by a photo of the Gilligan’s Island cast. He then showed a typical example of internet trivia: someone’s tweet of their fast food breakfast. Next he showed a page of a blog, NeverSeconds, started by a nine year old Scottish schoolgirl, Martha Payne, who would photograph her school “dinners” (lunches to us) and rate them for taste, healthiness, presence or absence of hairs, and other qualities. Her blog went along for some time, and gained fairly wide readership, with no reaction from school officials until it got mentioned in a newspaper. This caused her to be taken out of class and told she could no longer photograph her school meals. Her “Goodbye” post went, as they say, viral, and generated so much protest that the county council reversed its decision, and Martha’s blog, complete with photos, continues. Shirky said this illustrates one of the cultural changes the internet is effecting: an erasing of the professional/amateur distinction. Once, to reach a wide audience quickly, you had to be a professional journalist. Now, thanks to the internet, even an amateur can.

Another distinction being lost is that between public and private – as Shirky discussed in this chat a few years ago with “Switched”:

Shirky noted that tweeting on Twitter is often used as a means of chatting with friends, as oppeosed to e-mail or text messaging, but that it isn’t private, as e-mail or texting is.

As to whether the internet is oblivious to, or drowning out, “serious culture” (like the Iliad or Odyssey), Shirky noted that the printing press was invented in 1450, that the first erotic novel was printed in 1495, but that serious philosophical papers weren’t printed until the 1600s. So, just be patient. (Actiually, the first thing reported to have been printed by Johannes Gutenberg was “a German poem”; after that he produced the first printed Bible. He also printed papal encyclicals, church indulgences, and Latin grammars.)

Since I’ve used Wikipedia as a reference, it’s worth noting an interesting statistic that Shirky used in his presentation. The total person-hours used to produce and edit the entire content of Wikipedia up to a fairly recent date is approximately 100 million, but the total time spent watching TV over the same period of time (I don’t recall if he said, but I’m assuming this is worlwide) is estimated at 200 billion person hours. So, the time used by amateurs to produce an encyclopedia is, in shirky’s words, a “rounding error” compared to couch potato (or stationary bike/treadmill) time.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/65931

On Friday, Mark Morales of the Daily News reported that St. Francis Brooklyn men’s basketball player Anthony White was arrested recently by the New York Police Department in response to domestic violence charges. White, 19, a sophomore guard for the small college located in Brooklyn Heights, was alleged on February 3 to have choked his 20-year old girlfriend and to have destroyed her personal property after accusing the woman of infidelity. According to the Daily News article, the victim further alleged that she had been the victim of a sexual assault in December 2012 by three St. Francis players.

One of the three players was identified as Terrier freshman Wayne Martin, who was accused of unwanted sexual advances. The charges against Martin, who played at South Shore High School and was not enrolled at St. Francis in 2012, were subsequently dropped.

According to George Arzt of George Arzt Communications, a spokesman designated by St. Francis to respond to media inquiries, the college will have no statement on this matter beyond Tuesday’s announcement from President Brendan J. Dugan, in which he acknowledged the suspension of five students “for allegedly violating the St. Francis College Code of Conduct.”

In a telephone interview on Friday, Arzt stated that because the charges against Martin were dropped, he will be available to play on Sunday, when St. Francis plays LIU Brooklyn in the annual Battle of Brooklyn contest that will be held at Barclays Center.

Arzt stated that White, who has been charged with assault and criminal mischief, will not be available for Sunday’s game. Furthermore, Arzt admitted that he was not certain of the status of suspended players Brent Jones and P.J. Santavenere, both juniors. It is possible that a decision regarding their availability will be made prior to tip-off.

According to Arzt, the fifth St. Francis student who was suspended was also on the Terriers’ squad, meaning that the rash of suspensions impacted more than one-third of the program’s players. That student, whose name has not be released, was suspended for five days but has apparently been reinstated.

For a small Catholic school that prides itself on adhering to precepts handed down from St. Francis of Assisi, accusations regarding arrests and sexual misconduct are both entirely out of character and a devastating distraction to what promised to be one of the more successful campaigns in recent memory.

“While the investigation is still going on, I’m not able to comment,” said Terrier Athletic Director Irma Garcia, who has been in charge of St. Francis Athletics since 2007. “I can’t say anything that could affect the investigation. The administration at St. Francis is committed to protect the rights and privacy of all the people involved.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/65649

Theater 2020, Brooklyn Heights’ own professional theater company, will present a fortieth anniversary revival of the Hal Prince version of Leonard Bernstein’s (photo) musical comedy Candide, based on the novel by the same title by Voltaire. The show will run for four successive weekends: February 14, 15, and 16; 21, 22, and 23; 28, March 1, and 2; and 7, 8, and 9.. Friday and Saturday performances will start at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday’s performances will begin at 3:00 p.m. The venue is St. Charles Borromeo Church, 19 Sidney Place. From Theater 2020′s press release:

The 18th Century author Voltaire wrote a fanciful story about a young man, Candide, whose journey of improbable misadventures leads him ultimately to love, manhood and the meaning of Life. War, natural disasters, unnatural assignations, torture, pirates and disease are among the many obstacles Candide overcomes, in a paradoxically comedic satire, with the help of his mentor Dr. Pangloss, his love Cunegonde and the omnipotent presence of Voltaire himself. Leonard Bernstein’s musical adaptation, with a book by Lillian Hellman, and lyrics by Richard Wilbur, John LaTouche and Dorothy Parker, first appeared on Broadway in 1956. In 1973, Hal Prince got Hugh Wheeler to write a new book and this pared down version, with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was presented in Brooklyn at the Chelsea Theatre Center (now BAM). Theater 2020 is delighted to bring this version back to Brooklyn, in a site-specific production at St. Charles Borromeo Church. Relying heavily on its outstanding ensemble, the costume design of New York Innovative Theater Award Nominee Viviane Galloway and the piano virtuosity of Music Director Ming Aldrich-Gan, this production brings a classically contemporary take to the musical, in which extreme optimism is lampooned in favor of a more pragmatic approach to life. The characters are archetypes, the tale is episodic and picaresque, the style is guerilla theater meets morality play — and the music is glorious! Hal Prince wrote of his 1973 production: “Candide owes its origins to medieval theater, to the Globe, to commedia dell’arte. It is street theater. It is not about film. It is about live actors and a live audience.” When a 21st century audience meets skilled singer-story tellers, it’s “The Best of All Possible Worlds.”

Your correspondent is amused that among the contributors to the original version of the musical Candide were Lillian Hellman and Dorothy Parker, whose mutual loathing is perhaps best summed up in this anecdote:

Hellman (holding door open as Parker approaches): “Age before beauty.”
Parker (swooping by): “Pearls before swine.”

Admission to Candide is $18.00. You can make reservations and buy tickets here or at the Theater 2020 website, or you may reserve seats by e-mailing theater2020@gmail.com and pay cash (no cards or checks) at the door.

Leonard Bernstein photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/65292

The Impressions were the headline act for Saturday night’s “Free the Slaves” concert at Plymouth Church. Before the music began, The Rev. Al Bunis, Plymouth’s Interim Senior Minister, introduced Maurice I. Middleberg, Executive Director of Free the Slaves, an organization devoted to ending slavery in the contemporary world.

The Inspirational Voices of Abyssinian began the concert, opening with a spirited rendition of “Freedom’s Way,” and finishing their set with a rousing South African song that had the audeince clapping, shouting, and singing along.

Next up were Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens. They opened with the classic “One More River to Cross,” followed it with Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” and finished with an intense “What have You Done?” Ms. Shelton’s vocal dynamics were enthralling.

Before the Impressions took the stage, there was a lively instrumental interlude performed by Daptone records’ The Dap-Kings, featuring Binky Griptite on guitar. The Dap-Kings remained on stage to serve as the Impressions’ becking band, with the addition of Fred Cash’s son on bass.

The Impressions started their set with “We’re a Winner,” a 1967 hit that was an inspiration to me during my first year of law school. Next came the 1963 classic “It’s All Right”, followed by “Keep On Pushing,” then by what is their signature song, the soul anthem “People Get Ready.” Just before the song’s conclusion, after the words “You don’t need a ticket,” Reggie Torrian stopped the music and delivered a brief sermon that would have done The Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts proud, ending with the song’s final words, “Thank the Lord.”

Their next song, “Choice of Color”, waa released in 1969, a time when racial tensions were high. They were slated to appear on a late night talk show, The Joey Bishop Show, but before they went on they were told that ABC management had decided they should not do this song. They told Mr. Bishop, who said they should go ahead and sing it. “Choice of Color” was followed by a rousing “This Is My Country”.

After “My Country,” the Impressions left the stage, and Binky Griptite summoned Naomi Shelton back up for another song. The Impressions then returned and sang “Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)”. The concluding song of their set, “Move On Up”, brought the audience to its feet:

Called back for an encore, they closed the show with the romantic ballad “I’m So Proud”, which showcased Mr. Torrian’s soaring tenor.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/65048

Plymouth Church is known for its pre-eminent role, under the leadership of Henry Ward Beecher, in the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War. While the Emancipation Proclamation declared the slaves free, and the Thirteenth Amendment abolished the “peculiar institution,” slavery still exists in the United States, and, on a larger scale, elsewhere in the world. Human trafficking for the sex trade is the best known aspect, but there is also slavery of the sort common in the antebellum South–men and women forced to do field or factory or domestic labor without pay and while held in bondage–in almost all parts of the world. Indeed, it is estimated that today there are more people held in slavery than ever in history.

The Brooklyn Historical society, Plymouth Church, and Free the Slaves, an organization that is combating slavery of all kinds throughout the world, are presenting two events, a roundtable discussion at BHS on Friday, january 10, and a concert at Plymouth on Saturday, January 11, featuring the Impressions (video above), the Inspirational Voices of Abyssinian Baptist Church, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, and members of the Dap-Kings. The roundtable discussion begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday, but the BHS doors will open at 6:00 to allow you a sneak peek at the new exhibit “Brooklyn Abolitionists in Pursuit of Freedom.” Admission to this event is free, but you must reserve tickets here. The concert, which is a benefit for Free the Slaves, starts at 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $25 or, for VIP seating, $150, and may be purchased here.

There is more information here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/64685

Brooklyn Heights has never felt so fresh.

Just in time for the holidays, the bustling Brooklyn Heights intersection of Clark and Henry is about to smell a whole lot better, thanks to local soap makers Ross Caudill and his fiancé Joanna Maltese. Named after the famed intersection, Clark & Henry recently opened as an online shop with aspirations of retail success selling soap and household objects in Brooklyn Heights.

Their work is collaborative and the soap is a product of love. Both have a background in and passion for creation, Joanna is knowledgable in design and Ross is a multi-discipline artist. Yet at the onset of their soap-making project, neither really understood soap as a product. After months of research, reading, seminars, and experiments, they have honed the process of soap creation and are now packaging soap by hand in their Henry Street apartment.

Over email, Ross detailed the fascinating process:

A solution of sodium hydroxide is prepared separately. At the precise point when this is the same temperature as the oils they must be quickly mixed together to begin the chemical reaction which creates soap. After much blending, the exfoliants and essential oils are added. Finally the batch is cast into the molds. All of the components in the recipe are purposeful and curated for the attributes they bring to the final product. The fragrance is derived from the essential oils. The scrubbiness from the natural exfoliants has to be just right. The soap’s lather must be bubbly and creamy and cleansing, but also leave the skin feeling conditioned.

Joanna peels and prepares local cucumbers as Ross carefully tweaks the chemistry. Together they grind the exfoliant and prepare the casts. The result is a product and a business that avoids the potential pitfalls of artisnal pretense, yet remains charming and sincerely local.

Clark & Henry as an enterprise was in no small part inspired by the couple’s fondness of the neighborhood. Joanna smiles as she recalls returning to Brooklyn Heights after a brief stint in Park Slope, and how the couple’s product is created by hand with a ‘neighbors first’ attitude. “We wanted to make something to make our neighbors smile,” she told me over coffee at Vineapple.

Already considering creating a line of chairs, if the soap is successful the two would like to expand their product offering to include useful household items.

“We always feel a sense of accomplishment when we finish casting a batch of soap,” said Ross, explaining why they chose to start a business in Brooklyn Heights. Regardless of the success of Clark & Henry as a business, Ross and Joanna will continue to craft creative products in Brooklyn Heights for years to come.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/64254

According to the Eagle, “[a] real-life Willie Wonka is moving to Montague Street.” The Chocolate Works will be taking the space previously occupied by Radio Shack at 110 Montague Street, between Henry and Hicks. The store will sell a variety of chocolate specialties, along with other candies, and will be available for “kids’ parties and bachelorette bashes.” The Eagle story quotes owner Joe Whaley as saying he hopes to have the store open by Valentine’s Day.

The Eagle story also reports that Montague Jewelers, a fixture at 212 Montague, between Clinton and Court, since 1988 is going out of business. An owner, Alan Cabasso, said increases in the cost of gold have been a major problem for the business. Being hidden under a sidewalk bridge for some time can’t have helped, either. There is as of yet no new tenant for the space.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63724

Thomas Wolfe once wrote “Only the dead know Brooklyn.” I don’t know if he meant that in the literal sense, but given the large number of cemeteries here it’s fitting nonetheless.

However, most of us who head to Borough Hall every day, or run across Cadman Plaza to catch the bus, or head home on Hicks Street don’t realize just how dead Brooklyn is—we’re often stepping on long paved-over graves the date back to when the borough was covered with windmills. And these are just the ones historians know about.

RELATED: Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour – Get Tickets Now!

Many were family plots that were often forgotten about after the families moved away—or deliberately forgotten about. After all, moving is tough enough without having to figure out who’s taking great-grandpa’s femur. Others were a consequence of gentrification, a buzzword that’s popular today, though gentrification has been taking place as long as the city’s been around. I could cite a few instances where this occurred outside of Brooklyn: Washington Square Park began as potter’s field (a cemetery for the indigent) until the wealthy began to move uptown, then the bodies were disinterred (though not all, just whatever they could grab) and moved to what became Madison Square Park, until the wealthy moved there, and so those bodies were disinterred and moved to Bryant Park … and so on. Don’t believe me? Ask a ConEd employee, the dead have a way of showing up during utility digs.

At any rate, this being the Brooklyn Heights Blog, I’ll highlight some the local sites.

Clover Hill Burial Ground – Hicks and Orange Streets
Clover Hill was the original name of Brooklyn Heights, and this burial spot, which began roughly at Hicks and Orange was used by the British while they occupied Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War. After the Hicks family took possession of the land at the end of the war, they leveled the graveyard, though kept the bodies where they lay. Now it’s next to Plymouth Church.

Sands Street Churchyard – Sands and Adams Streets
The Sands Street Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1794 and was the first Methodist Church in Brooklyn. Its churchyard was used by all Methodists until 1806, when dwindling real estate meant only active church members were allowed. The Church was sold to developers in 1888, and some but not all of the 300+ bodies were moved to the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Bushwick.

St James Churchyard – Jay and Chapel Streets
In 1822, St James Cathedral became the first Catholic Church in Brooklyn, and its surrounding grounds therefore became the first Catholic Cemetery. Roughly 7,000 people were said to have been buried there until 1849, when burials in that part of Brooklyn were outlawed. A decline in groundskeeping meant that by 1914 all of the markers and many of the headstones were gone; many graves remain in the the churchyard though cut off from the rest of Brooklyn by a giant wall. (Also, my great-great grandparents, Antonio Faggiani and Mary Fagan were married here in 1880. Though they’re buried in Staten Island.)

Brooklyn Village Cemetery – Boerum and Livingston Streets
This community cemetery was on land bought by the Schenck family. During construction in the mid 19th century, workers unearthed a gravestone marked “Peter Tyler 183-.” The Brooklyn Historical Society has the transcript of inscriptions from the burial ground here.

First Reformed Dutch Churchyard of Brooklyn
And last but not least: This Gap sits on the site of one of the first graveyards attached to a church—before this, most people were buried on their farms. Because I have to get this in before Halloween ends, I will quote largely from this October 1875 article out of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, chronicling “Brooklyn’s early history”:

One of these old burial grounds stood where the lecture room of the First Presbyterian
Church now stands near the beginning of Clinton street. In many cases the occupants of these
scattered graves were removed by those who afterward used the ground for building purposes,
but it is probable that in some cases the original use of the ground was forgotten and the
occupants of the neglected graves still sleep under our very streets or houses. There have
been instances of human remains being found in digging for the foundations of houses.

Of the cemeteries that have been formerly located within our city limits, the oldest one
was that which formerly belonged to the First Reformed Dutch Church. This was located on the
south side of Fulton street, east of Gallatin place, and was 120 by 200 feet in size. It was
then said to be on the Brooklyn and Jamaica Turnpike road, and directly in front of it, in the
middle of the road, stood the original building of the Reformed Dutch Church.

In 1666 the church building referred to as standing in the middle of the road was erected.
It stood just a hundred years, and was torn down and another was built on the same site. This
stood until 1807 when the church moved to their present site on Joralemon street in the rear of
the city hall. The old burial ground was, however, still retained, and the records of the church
show that from time to time interments were made there, and appropriations were made and
committees were appointed to keep it in order. It was used for a burial ground until April 23,
1849, when a city ordinance was passed prohibiting further burials within the city limits and in
accordance with this ordinance the interments in this cemetery, as in the others in the city,
ceased perforce.

So this concludes the Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn tour of cemeteries that are no longer. Stay tuned for others, and watch your step.

The St James Cathedral image and much of the research came from the New York Cemetery Project and also the book Graveyard Shift.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63533

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a crack down on businesses hiring firms to provide fake rave Yelp reviews recently, fining some as much at $100,000. The practice is called “astroturfing” and black hat marketing firms offer the service of “sock puppet” reviewers to restaurants to boost their overall Yelp ratings.

As any casual user of the service knows, there always seem to be 5 star reviews for establishments of questionable quality. The Guardian has a great piece on how to spot fakes. Hyperbole, naturally, is one factor. We’ve added another – a cluster of reviewers claiming to be from another state. How about several reviews from another state?

Take the case of recent posts regarding Montague Street’s Taperia, which just opened this month. Three reviewers claiming to be from Florida have raved about the place. One account was created in the last two weeks.

RELATED: KARL JUNKERSFELD HAS FUN AT TAPERIA [VIDEO]

Sure, it’s totally plausible that these folks are real and truly love Taperia and that the owners of the establishment have no involvement whatsoever with their online activity. As a matter of fact, it would be great for the neighborhood if those reviewers were really that jazzed about the place.

You decide if this one from “Michelle V.” feels legit:

A wonderful place for tapas in the city. The new Chef Hector Diaz did an amazing job with the new look and menu. Gotta say its worth a night out, every night! Yummy!

Or how about “Esteban O.”, another Floridian:

Driving thru and needed a “tapas fix”. The scallops and foie gras were EXCELLENT! The roasted figs were perfectly done. We washed it down with Cornessa 2008 and Rias Baixas. Looking forward to my next time here at ‘Taperia”. This chef really knows what he’s doing!

Reviewer “Undercover A” seems legit to us, mostly because their other neighborhood reviews ring true:

Meatballs are good, filled with manchego cheese, maybe a bit chewy. Chorizo is OK too. Solid wine selection ($8/9 by the glass). Flights at the bar would be a great idea. Very friendly environment and plenty of energy. Shout out to Cassie … We need this place desperately in the Heights! Welcome!

Then there’s “Matthew P.” who we not only know in real life, but is an occasional contributor to BHB:

Atrociously bad food. Imagine if a diner served tapas and you’d have a good idea of the quality and flavor. Nothing was good. Nothing. Not a single thing. Really. I kid you not.

Worst sangria I’ve ever had and ever will have. You know you’re in trouble when it comes out in a pint glass. With each sip I marveled how it not only tasted nothing resembling sangria, but was so plain.

Oh, and the prices are quite high for such small plates. Montague Street’s curse of bad restaurants continues. We must have been very bad in a past life.

Don’t say you weren’t warned. And it also appears some of these 5 star ratings from first-time reviewers are bogus.

Also, Yelp has filtered at least 3 reviews of the eatery so far.

Recently, a Harvard Business School study claims that 20% of Yelp reviews are fake.

While it’s unclear who is behind the hyperbolic raves for this and many other restaurants on Yelp, this story wouldn’t be complete without shedding light on what restaurateurs think about the service who solicit ad dollars from them. In a word – extortion. Yelp, of course, denies this.

WFSB 3 Connecticut

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63282

This evening there was a book launch party at Plymouth Church for Brooklyn’s Plymouth Church in the Civil War Era: a Ministry of Freedom, (History Press, Charleston, SC, 2013) a new book by church member Frank Decker, assisted by Lois Rosebrooks, Plymouth’s Director of History Ministry Services. The book tells the story of Plymouth’s role in the antislavery movement in the years leading up to the war, led by its dynamic abolitionist minister Henry Ward Beecher; its participation in the “Underground Railroad” for escaping slaves; and its efforts in support of the Union cause during the war. You can read more about the book and order it here.

Your correspondent’s wife attended the book launch and took this photo of Mr. Decker and Ms. Rosebrooks.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63256

The BHB/Brooklyn Bugle gang pulled out their dusty tent and held court at the Montague Street Summer Space on Sunday. We met many regular readers for the first time as well as catching up with some of our all time favorites.

But what did we do all day? Well for starters, BHB’s Heather Quinlan handed out DVDs of her FANTASTIC documentary ‘If These Knishes Could Talk‘ to anyone we thought had a good Brooklyn accent.

Things got really nutty when Homer decided to have passersby taste the new “CrumbNut” from Crumbs Bake Shop. Find out what they thought of the new treats as well as how many actually know who Vito Lopez is in the videos above. [Watch on YouTube here]

Montague Street Summer Space continues this Sunday (9/22) starting at noon. Our tent won’t be pitched but we may be holding court somewhere along Montague Street.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/62509

Ramsay de Give for The Wall Street Journal

Jacques Cousteau was as much a part of my childhood as Marlin Perkins and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. So I was heartened to hear Cousteau’s grandson, Fabien, is carrying on the family’s oceanographic tradition. Namely, he will try and beat his grandfather’s record of living underwater for several consecutive days—with part of his training regimen taking place walking the streets of Brooklyn Heights and inside his State St apartment.

Just living in this city is the best preparation to exist in a very small space with strangers for a long period of time,” said Mr. Cousteau, 45 years old. “It gives you a sense of spatial awareness. It gives you a sense of constant danger. If I was living in a suburb or the country right now, the idea of living in an enclosed space would freak me out.

Aside from just living cheek-by-jowl with other Brooklynites, Cousteau also holds his breath for several minutes underwater in his bathtub (the Local Hero training) and swims laps in the YMCA pool on Atlantic.

The actual underwater stunt will not take place in the East River, but instead eight miles off the Florida Keys, about 50-60 feet underwater. According to the article in the WSJ, “The younger Mr. Cousteau’s team will consist of six aquanauts who will explore the effects of underwater living, as well as the impact of climate change in the Atlantic Ocean.”

The underwater living starts November 12th.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61887

Long time BHB readers may recall that we predicted here in 2007 that the North Heights was poised to become a culinary hot spot. So, with the the debut of Gabriele Corcos at Bevacco Friday night and with the opening of Sociale two blocks down Henry Street planned for Monday (7/29) it’s hard not to be amped up about that “vision” becoming reality.

Despite our unbridled enthusiasm about his arrival, our experience at Bevacco Friday night for Corcos’ debut as Executive Chef was less than spectacular. The food and new menu (which didn’t feel that new or different) is unremarkable comparatively speaking to, say, fellow TV chef Elizabeth Falkner’s run at Atlantic Avenue’s Krescendo. We’ll give Corcos a mulligan on that one considering he’s relatively new to the restaurant business.

Also of note is the revised drinks menu which shows much promise. That said, even a casual fan of Extra Virgin, the Cooking Channel show Corcos hosts with actress wife Debi Mazar, can feel that his creativity was a bit restrained on Night 1.

Yes, it was Corcos’ first night and a new beginning for the eatery housed at the perpetually cursed “Corner of Cranberry” but the long standing issue of slow, aloof and unorganized service that has plagued Bevacco since its opening continues to be its Achilles heel. While we found our meal to be competent – like dinner at foodie friend’s house – whatever satisfaction the food and drink provided was undermined by the usual crazy quilt of service at the eatery. And it wasn’t just us, the table next to us received a bottle of hot white wine. When they mentioned this to their server the reply was essentially, “we don’t usually serve cold bottles of wine.”

The high profile Corcos did pop out of the kitchen to greet diners but from our perspective he appeared to ignore those he didn’t seem to know or to think were important. Most restaurants soft open for “Friends and Family” before opening to the general public but if you’re allowing regular punters (like us!) to dine on Opening Night then everyone should be treated like “Friends and Family.”

For example when our final drink order hadn’t arrived for over 20 minutes and our check was dropped and charging for those still undelivered drinks, Corcos bounded towards us with two limoncellos (the order we’d place and were still waiting for) in hand. That’s enough for us and most folks – famous chef or not – to salve even the worst episode of bad service. That is, unless the chef actually drops those drinks at another table he’d been hobnobbing with all night. That made us wonder if our food had been contaminated with some sort of Tuscan invisibility potion. (File under: Yes, Pete Wells has a point.) To be fair, the warm white wine table did get a selfie with Mazar – but it’s unclear whether they’re friends IRL.

Dinner w/ @LavazzaUSA at @Bevacco #BrooklynHeights & met @debimazar @TheTuscanGun & their daughter Giulia #Gratitude pic.twitter.com/6D0xsHZw8v

— William Joseph Jolly (@WilliamJJolly) July 27, 2013

All this aside, a celebrity chef holding court every night on Henry Street should and can be a great thing for Brooklyn Heights. And while our first experience under this new regime totally bummed us out, we’re holding out hope that Bevacco will rise above these issues.

It’s times like these we wonder – What Would Gordon Ramsay Say?

1) Fix The Problems, Find A Leader.

As Ramsay told the owners of “Grasshopper Also“, “This restaurant will not succeed unless you make the necessary staff changes.” In his monologue, Ramsay adds the the eatery had everything it needed to succeed except a “leader.”

2) Get Out Of Denial. Ramsay tells Allan Love, the recalcitrant owner of Ruby Tates Loves Fish that the “quicker you get out of denial, the quicker we can work together.” Remember folks, it takes team work to make the dream work.

3) Communication Is Key. Transparency, respect and honesty may not always be a joy ride but it’ll make for a more productive restaurant. At Seascape, the owner and chef didn’t speak to each other.

4) Overpriced And Underwhelming Is No Way To Run A Restaurant. At Rococo, Ramsay railed against its pretentious food and “f*&^ing ridiculous prices”. After we dropped a double C-note for our experience at Bevacco this is particularly relevant.

5) Super-Serve The Locals. “When running a restaurant in Spain, don’t piss off the locals,” Ramsay says in the episode featuring La Parra. After a disastrous catering event for a local charity, the restaurant had a hard time convincing area residents to dine there. They never recovered from that mistake. The Brooklyn Heights restaurants that do well in the area know this and all have strong list of regulars – Noodle Pudding, Henry’s End, Jack the Horse, Armando’s, River Deli, Colonie and a few others are great examples. Put simply, showbiz friends, unless they live in the area, will not carry the business beyond relaunch.

BONUS TIP: Whatever You Do, Don’t Act Like Amy’s Baking Company.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61340

Update: The Times reports that Judge Johnny Lee Baynes, who earlier issued a temporary restraining order against SUNY’s attempt to close LICH, today, in response to complaints that SUNY was denying LICH essential medical staff, ordered that SUNY “should maintain staffing on par with what it was before SUNY Downstate Medical Center, which operates it, first moved to close it earlier this year.” The Times article indicates that the LICH staff had been told that the ER could no longer accept patients brought by ambulance because the ER wasn’t sufficiently staffed to handle any other than walk in patients. The Times quotes Eliza Bates, a spokeswoman for the nurses’ association, as saying “the judge’s order should prevent that.”

Michelle Green of the NYS Nurses Association tells BHB:

Long Island College Hospital is open for care, and nurses, caregivers, and doctors continue to provide the very best care to Brooklyn patients. But SUNY appears intent on closing this vital Brooklyn hospital. We’re glad that Judge Baynes is taking SUNY’s actions—and the impact these actions could have on Brooklyn patients—very seriously. We will continue to do whatever it takes to keep LICH and all Brooklyn hospitals open for care.

BHB has obtained an email sent out by Dr. Tom Sorra, leader of the LICH Concerned Physicians group about the current situation:

I’m sending out a very brief update on the rapidly-developing situation at LICH –
a press release with more details will be forthcoming tomorrow, which I will send to all.

The attorneys for Concerned Physicians, NYSNA and 1199 were in court today and made a persuasive argument about SUNY/DMD’s violations of the previous TRO (restraining order) issued.
The court set a hearing for contempt and obliged SUNY/DMC to maintain staffing levels as they were in February 2013.

SUNY/DMC ignored the court order, and several hours later sent the following email to all LICH MD’s, which is clearly in violation of the court order – claiming that they are doing this because of “an unsafe situation with MD’s and staff leaving”.

This is a blatant lie!
There is no unsafe situation, and SUNY/DMC officials lies need to be exposed!

Concerned Physicians and other members of the LICH Coalition have been in meetings and on conference calls this evening to discuss this situation and will keep you all advised of developments as they occur.

Please call your elected officials, press and other contacts to spread the word –

the criminal actions of SUNY/DMC against LICH need to be stopped!

Toomas M. Sorra, MD
Concerned Physicians of LICH

Dear Medical Staff,
University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center continues to make good faith efforts to staff the Long Island College Hospital and maintain its patient services. Attempts to replace medical, nursing, and management staff have been on-going. However, we have not successfully recruited personnel for key vacancies, either through locum tenems or permanent recruitment. Due to the departure of critical staff that cannot be replaced in a timely manner, we are taking steps to ensure patient health, safety, and welfare. We cannot allow the public to have an expectation of services that are not possible for us to provide.

We request that you discuss other options for inpatient care and emergency services with your patients. The Central Brooklyn campus of University Hospital of Brooklyn will facilitate patient transfers should you choose to do so.

Emergency Services

To that end, the emergency room will not accept ambulance patients effective June 20, 2013 at 6:00 A.M. FDNY – EMS has been notified that the UHB Long Island College Hospital campus of SUNY Downstate will be on ambulance diversion for emergency room services. Walk in patients will receive medical screening and stabilizing treatment. If further care is needed, patients will be transferred to another area hospital. Patients using the EMS ambulance services will be taken to the nearest hospital with appropriate resources. Hospitals in Brooklyn have been notified of the diversion.

Please be assured that all efforts will be made to assist you in the transfer of patients to University Hospital or to the facility of the patients’ choice. Current inpatients will also be notified in writing and medical leadership will be available for further discussion. For further information and assistance, please call Mr. George Caralis at (718) 270-4293, Mr. Michael Miller at (718) 780-4651 or Dr. Michael Lucchesi at (347) 424-9084.

This dispatch in from a BHB reader:

As of tonight ambulances are not allowed to bring patients to LICH – the hospital is on permanent diversion. Is it closing?

While there’s no word on whether LICH is closing, sources confirm to BHB that SUNY has instructed EMT to not send patients to the hospital as of 6 AM tomorrow (6/20) morning.

DEVELOPING…

Tweets about “#savelich”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60242

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59862

Transportation alternative maven blog Brooklyn Spoke tweeted a photo of “Werner, in his 70s, lives in Brooklyn Heights, hasn’t been on a bike in 15 years” earlier today. The kicker? He’s a Citi Bike Share customer. (Note: Werner technically lives in Cobble Hill.)

RELATED: Werner Gets His Close-Up

But…wait…there’s more. It appears that the “Werner” in question could very possibly be our favorite BQE watcher Werner Cohn, who spend a few years documenting crashes on the highway on his blog. And according to his son’s twitter reply is in his 80s.

Werner, in his 70s, lives in Brooklyn Heights, hasn’t been on a bike in 15 years. He’s a @citibikenyc member. twitter.com/BrooklynSpoke/…

— Brooklyn Spoke (@BrooklynSpoke) June 1, 2013

@brooklynspoke Hey! That’s my dad! And he’s well into his 80′s! @lilacohn

— Jonathan Cohn (@JJCohn) June 2, 2013

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59679

BHB reader/Instagram user “condimented” sends us this dispatch and photo regarding Adam Yauch Park:

[Someone stole stuff] from the Adam Yauch memorial in the playground. weirdly, they took the photo and the candle glass, but left the frame and the wax.

The memorial was added the weekend of the park’s dedication to the Beastie Boy, who grew up in Brooklyn Heights. He died of cancer in 2012. The shrine included a 1995 photo of Yauch, a devout Buddhist, and the Dalai Lama taken in Boston:

The memorial as it was (photo via KRRB)

Yauch’s fellow Beastie Boy, Adam “Ad-Roc” Horovitz, recently auctioned off limited edition Beastie Boys watches to benefit the park. They’ve since sold out but donations for the park’s upkeep can be made here.

And while Adam Yauch Park is still a great place for kids to play, it is also becoming, like Jim Morrison’s grave at Pére-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, a destination for Beastie’s fans from around to world to pay their respects as these social media posts attest:

Some wanker at Adam Yauch Park #MCA twitter.com/Chris_Quartly/…

— Chris Quartly (@Chris_Quartly) May 28, 2013

Made it to Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn. #beastieboys #mca #adamyauchpark #adamyauch #adrock #miked… instagram.com/p/ZyhZNfLh_J/

— Corduroy Paco (@CorduroyPaco) May 26, 2013

Paying respect at Adam Yauch Park. instagram.com/p/Zs9pvwLIsW/

— Marc Weidenbaum (@disquiet) May 24, 2013

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59588

Juno with Kate, Paddington, Winnie,and Ballo

When Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition took in a pregnant cat who appeared  after Hurricane Sandy, the organization had no idea that she would become a TV star.

Juno gave birth to three of her own kittens, and then the magnanimous mom also adopted an orphan kitten, nursing her along with her own babies, who are now all of adoptable age and who will be featured at this Sunday’s Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days free adoption event in Union Square.

Also attending the event will be an Animal Planet television crew, filming the final episode of a Too Cute series that will feature Juno and her babies, focusing on the day that they get adopted and get to go to their forever home.

“She was just an amazing mother to her own kittens,” BBAWC’s Anne Levin said of Juno. “She’s incredibly sweet and good-natured.”

“In February we got a call from Animal Care and Control—not everyone will take orphan bottle babies, and these were particularly sad cases, and Juno was just so sweet and affectionate towards them.”

Juno has been fostered in Brooklyn Heights since she was taken in last fall, and she and the four kittens—three of her own and one she “adopted”–have been filmed every couple of weeks since they were born.

Levin doesn’t know exactly when the Juno episodes will air. Animal Planet airs in Brooklyn Heights on TWC channels 86 and 786 and FiOS 130/1565.

Click here for more photos of Juno and her babies here, and here to see other cats and kittens available for adoption from BBAWC.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59554

I confess, it’s been awhile between dances. I had my film premiere on the 16th and a lot of hoo-hah before and after. (BTW – the next showing is June 21st, have I mentioned?) But I’m back to the daily grind. To wit: I was wearing my headphones on the way to the 84 this morning, and it looked like some man was trying to get my attention. Was it because of Knishes? My blotter? Had I achieved my dream of getting recognized in Downtown Brooklyn? Alas: “I really want to know—how’s life as a redhead?” he asked. It’s terrific. And now for the perps.

Two women got into fisticuffs inside the Ocean View Diner last Wednesday after some late-night dining.

Two other women got into an altercation the next morning outside 209 Joralemon St. A 45-year-old woman reported that her gal pal threw a cup of coffee at her and her baby after an argument. The accused is still at large.

A few hours before, a camera caught three people breaking into 209 Joralemon St—aka Marty Markowitz’s office. It’s not known if proclamations or anything else was stolen. According to the cameras, the trio hung out on the first floor for half an hour before going upstairs and then leaving, making this one of the dullest break-ins ever.

Last Tuesday in my dream building, a 21-year-old woman gave permission for workers to fix the entryway in her apartment while she was out. When she returned, her $2,500 wedding ring and $550 camera were gone.

While playing basketball at McLaughlin Park last Monday, a 33-year-old (who does not read the blotter) was robbed of two iPhones and $320.

The next day, a laptop was stolen from Amplify’s office on Washington St. The report lists the laptop as a Mac worth $28,500—I’m not sure if the police added an extra zero or there were a heck of a lot of apps.

Finally, a 48-year-old woman was nabbed at Macy’s after trying to grab $76 in men’s drawers, $70 in panties, $234 in “active wear,” and $44 in Epic Threads. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59446

United Photo Industries, Photo District News, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Flash Forward Festival have announced the selected Photographers for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Fence, which will be unveiled Thursday June 13, and will be up throughout the summer, leading up to Photoville in the Fall.

Thousands of photos were submitted for the contest, with winners on the Photoville site, in the following categories: people, play, creatures, streets and home.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59479