Archive for December, 2005
Posted by admin
December 30, 2005 at 4:13 pm · Filed under Restaurants
Oh my… Are these legitimately overenthusiastic customer comments? Or just shameless shilling by the ownership/staff of Beet Thai? It’s so hard to tell anymore… Please… turn on your “fake customer radar” and let us know what you see. (These comments originally appeared on the “Park Slope Restaurants That Suck” post.)
1. “I do not think Beet is suck. Food is quality. Fair Price. Nice presentation and nice waitstaff. I pass by everyday in the evening. Beet is always crowded.
Posted by: Kenneth | December 18, 2005 03:14 AM”
2. “I do not think Beet is suck, either. I have tried several thai restuarants in park slope, and I found that BEET THAI restaurant is the BEST. Their tasty food makes me hungry at all time. They have great services and friendly wait staff. I love the decor; it brings its’ brightness to the customers. BEET THAI is definitely a ROMANTIC restuarant to dine in w/ friends and family. FAIR PRICES!!!
Posted by: Tony | December 30, 2005 01:17 PM”
Posted by admin
December 30, 2005 at 9:01 am · Filed under Restaurants
mc writes in the Park Slope Message Boards:
“Any recommendations for gret Mexican restaurants in the area or beyond?
I love Santa Fe on 7th, but I’d like to expand my horizons - especially to a place with great mole.”
Posted by admin
December 30, 2005 at 8:57 am · Filed under Cars vs People
By david:
“White bikes are all around New York City, in memoriam of cyclists killed by cars.”
Here’s one in Park Slope.
Posted by admin
December 23, 2005 at 11:36 am · Filed under Restaurants
8thAndPrez writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “I was so disgusted by the whole affair I felt it was only right to post…”
“I was originially excited when Star of India opened at 5th/Prez. Disappointed the few times we ordered from them and went to eat there. We more recently decided to give them another chance and ordered delivery.”
“The food looked fine when it arrived, but the first taste revealed an overwhelming flavor of burnt plastic. Both of our meals had the same flavor - overwhelming melted plastic.”
“I called SoI to explain… they very reluctantly sent over a replacement order. I made the delivery guy stay at the door while we tasted and, again, plastic. The delivery guy even tasted the food and agreed. When I called SoI they refused to acknowledge the problem - insisted it was our problem, and refused a refund.”
“Mediocre Indian food and poor service to boot. Anyone else have similar experiences with SoI?” Read more…
PHOTO: Bollyfood: Star of India tones down the spice, amps up the flavor [GoBrooklyn.com]
Posted by admin
December 23, 2005 at 11:34 am · Filed under News and Current Events
Oiseau writes in the Message Boards: “…I ended up riding over the Brooklyn Bridge with the cars. It was the only way to ride over that bridge, other wise you had to walk it.”
“I yelled at Marty to get some bike lane police, and then turned around because my derailer cable broke and Bicycle Station was open real early and fixed it quickly, amazingly, because I was about to give up…”
“Then I found some abandoned pregnant cat and couldn’t take it to the animal shelter, not that that is a good thing, but at least it’s warm, but with the traffic and all, I just gave it some food.”
“And you?”
Check out the Message Boards
Posted by admin
December 21, 2005 at 10:58 pm · Filed under News and Current Events
And ponder the media…
The word “illegal” has been thrown around pretty loosely, and over and over again, at every opportunity, in the media.
And now, that sentiment is being echoed by the anti-strike crowd (by now, that crowd numbers approximately 99% of Brooklynites, MTA employees excluded).
One of the other “messages” that keeps surfacing in the local media is the claim that the international TWU had advised the NY branch NOT to strike. It would be nice to verify these claims, but like pretty much everybody else, we spent an extra 5 hours today negotiating traffic and logistic hassles brought on just in time for Christmas (at least UPS is still delivering).
Oh, hey… there are about 50,000 comments on this in the Prospect Heights and Park Slope message boards… let’s take a look:
IT’S ON - TWU STRIKES!! (Chaos ensues in more than 100 comments on the Prospect Heights Board)
WAR STORIES: How did you get there?? (Prospect Heights Board)
PRACTICAL! HELPFUL! Get a ride, offer a ride, right here on the message boards! (Prospect Heights Board)
I would TOTALLY start an illegal taxi service… if I had a car.
Will “Slugging” be the next NYC commuter trend? (PH Board)
Let’s discuss transit strike plans and then go completely off-topic into an argument about race and education (Park Slope Board)
Posted by admin
December 19, 2005 at 11:34 am · Filed under Cars vs People
Brooklyn Subway Refugees
Scenes from summer 2003, originally uploaded by CatsFive, who wrote: “During the 2003 blackout, the subways, which run on electricity, all stopped. Lots of riders had to exit the subway in some pretty unusual ways.”
OK, we got a temporary reprieve… last we heard, the latest deadline is tonight at 12:01 am. To get you in the mood, STACEY posted the following tidbit (about the strike from the early 1900s) in the Message Boards:
“Subway motormen on the BRT had gone out on strike on Nov. 1st, 1918. Dispatchers and supervisors were pressed into service as replacement workers. That day, dispatcher Antonio Luciano was assigned as motorman on the Brighton Line that ran at that time from Park Row over the Brooklyn Bridge (which had train traffic at the time) and Fulton Street to the current Franklin Shuttle. He had never before operated elevated trains in passenger service.“
“… Luciano had to navigate an S-shaped curve on what would later be called the Franklin Shuttle at Malbone Street. The speed limit at the location was posted as 6 MPH, but those on the scene later reported that he roared through at what must have been 50 MPH. The first car held the rails, suffering only minor damage, but the second and third cars derailed, the second being demolished and the third nearly so. About 100 passengers lost their lives, though Luciano was spared.”
Posted by admin
December 18, 2005 at 11:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
4th AVE. goes from “Wasteland to Tasteland,” according to the Daily News: “Even as the rest of Park Slope sprouts bistros, Brooklyn’s Fourth Ave. stays a bit, well, scruffy. Things may change thanks to Mule, a cool new coffee shop at 67 Fourth Ave. between Bergen St. and St. Marks Pl. Right now, Mule has Seattle’s Caffe Vita coffees, snacks from Two Little Red Hens and other bakeries, a wrought-iron bar and a 16-foot communal table in the backyard. In the future, look for a lunch menu and a wine bar in back. …
Posted by admin
December 18, 2005 at 9:17 am · Filed under Restaurants
Pitu writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “Yes, I’ve tried them both. And unless Cocoa has undergone some magic transformations in its young life . . . well, I just can’t imagine.”
“I have these friends, a new couple in a sort of cute-but-annoying way, who are constantly swooning and having chocolate dates . . . they’d want me to tell you The Chocolate Room is the place. I think they were comped a misordered plate of something delicious there, which is also nice. Chocolate has good attitude.”
Posted by admin
December 14, 2005 at 12:05 am · Filed under Uncategorized
On Slice NY: “…Anthony’s is turning out a great Neapolitan pie…”
“I went yesterday for a late lunch and opted for a margherita, a benchmark … With the exception of some tip sag, the pie was excellent. The remarkably light and airy crust exhibited a decent amount of charring and a very nice amount of oven spring, especially evident in the cornichone, the rim of the pizza…”
ANTHONY’S | 426A Seventh Ave. btw 14th + 15th. 718-369-8315
Posted by admin
December 14, 2005 at 12:00 am · Filed under Pets
On 7th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Posted by admin
December 13, 2005 at 11:57 pm · Filed under Random
Chicks Dig Santa.
Posted by admin
December 9, 2005 at 10:50 pm · Filed under News and Current Events
Guest writes: “A manhole cover blew on 5th ave. They started off ABC 6:00 news with this ‘breaking news’.”
Pitu adds: “Channel 7 is reporting … two buildings evacuated for carbon monoxide on Fifth Ave near Flatbush … “
Details: Check the message boards
Posted by admin
December 7, 2005 at 9:06 am · Filed under Real Estate
cat writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “I’ve been looking at apartments in Bay Ridge… I’ve heard that a lot of people from Park Slope have been moving there.”
“I know it’s *not* Park Slope (I actually have more favorite restaurants there than in PS tho’!) but any personal experiences or knowledge about it?”
Posted by admin
December 7, 2005 at 8:53 am · Filed under Pets
gak writes on Flickr: “Near the sidewalk Christmas tree front on 9th Street (with the vendors playing some impromptu ball hockey), the bunnies in the pet store display were living it up. I wanted the facelicker in the shot, but instead, we get this bloke, a few seconds after he pulled his head out from another rabbit.”
Posted by admin
December 6, 2005 at 2:08 am · Filed under Apartments for Rent
pitu writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “I was already enjoying (the Sunday New York Times Real Estate) section way more than usual, with the “wreck” apt they envisioned fixing up in the cover story . . . then . . . the charming feature about the Slope family renting for more than $7000 a month. Is this not totally beyond the pale??”
J0518 adds: “I’d just want someone to shoot me right in the head if i’m ever stuck in the type of financial purgatory where i can’t afford to buy but am willing to pay 7K for rent a month….”
Posted by admin
December 4, 2005 at 6:07 pm · Filed under Cars vs People
Elizabeth Hays writes in the Daily News: “It’s a jungle out there for frazzled city parents forced to push a stroller along bumpy, treacherous streets, a new (Transportation Alternatives) survey shows.”
“Grand Army Plaza was hands down the most notorious Brooklyn spot. The busy traffic circle is near stroller-heavy destinations, such as the Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park.”
QUOTES FROM PARENTS who answered the TA survey:
“The corner of Flatbush and Grand Army Plaza in front of the library is a KILLER. Please fix.”
“You feel you are risking your child’s life on a daily basis [at GAP].”
“My son flew out of stroller flat on his face (with a ‘thunk!’) when we hit a bump once.” (This one was actually regarding a treacherous situation in Park Slope proper, not GAP)
Daily News Photo (Bales): Cecilia Varas, of Prospect Heights, uses a pedestrian crossing to wheel 2-month-old son, Aedan, across Grand Army Plaza: “I pray and hold on to my stroller because I’m scared.”
BONUS:Is GAP really that much better?? KAY SARLIN of the Transportation Department claimed that Grand Army Plaza has already been improved, with longer crossing times (huh??), added sidewalk space (you mean the pedestrian island? that’s so far outside of any traffic path that it’s still as pristine as the day it was poured), ramps (about time), and pedestrian barriers (the bollards are a huge improvement, even if the vast majority of them protect that no-mans-land that Sarlin described as a “sidewalk”).
Posted by admin
December 4, 2005 at 1:57 pm · Filed under Random
kungfucat writes: “when I looked out my window this morning to admire my new view i found to my surprise a beautiful blanket of snow…”
Posted by admin
December 2, 2005 at 12:45 pm · Filed under Recycling/Garbage
Yikes! Laura B writes in the Park Slope Message Boards:
“Last night I saw more rats on one block than ever before. After getting off the D train at Pacific Street (it was only around 7:30), I began to head up Pacific from 4th avenue toward Flatbush.”
“One rat skittered across the sidewalk in front of me, then another, then another… Rats criss-crossed the sidewalk up the entire block! Big ones, little ones… it was like the movie Willard. I saw at least 2 dozen.”
Lots of garbage bags were out, so that was clearly a factor, but does anyone know what the deal is here?
Posted by admin
December 2, 2005 at 10:35 am · Filed under Random
… to Open for Gentrification, according to the New York Times:
“The Gowanus Canal often stinks and is almost always spotted with slicks of oil. The streets alongside it are practically deserted, the silence broken by the rumble of concrete mixers and oil tankers or the screech of buzz saws…”
“Yet many of the 14,500 people whose homes flank the canal love the neighborhood’s jagged, anarchic feel and do not want to see its industrial character nibbled away.”
Read more…
Posted by admin
December 1, 2005 at 10:05 am · Filed under Real Estate
Many thanks to reporter extraordinaire Hugh Son for highlighting the saga of the tenants at 598 6th Street (see “Mr. Livanos Peeping Through His Tenant’s Collapsed Ceiling”). Hugh writes in his Daily News article:
“Brown liquid poured into Marian Tortorella’s ground-floor apartment yesterday as workers did exterior cleaning… A 7-foot section of Tortorella’s ceiling collapsed in September, and pictures she took were posted recently on a Park Slope community Web site (www.dailyslope.com).”
“But Livanos said he wasn’t trying to force tenants out - he just wanted to make repairs. ‘Right now it’s a doghouse and we’re spending a lot of money to fix it up properly,’ said Livanos, who bought the building in March for $1.8 million, according to city records.”
Posted by admin
December 1, 2005 at 9:47 am · Filed under Apartments for Rent
Blackoyster writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “I moved to Park Slope about a year ago, and not a day goes by that I’m not happy to be here. This neighborhood is truly a melting pot. I have met every type of person on the street, and generally everyone has been pleasant to me. I would much rather live in the Slope than the Village…”
“Yes, there are families in the Slope. Imagine that! … My only beef is the price of rent. However … My wife and I both work in the city and we both find it very difficult to leave Brooklyn on our days off. The streets are clean, full of people (not so many tourists), loaded with great bars and restaurants, and any other type of shop you can imagine.”
J0518 adds: “I’ve lived in either Prospect Heights or Park Slope for almost 4 1/2 years now. I recently got married and, when my wife and I start talking about starting to save up for a house and no longer paying $1800 a month for rent, we always wind up at the same point: we’re happier paying the rent and staying here.”
“You have everything from the most beautiful park in NYC, a beautiful museum and botanical garden, an amazing selection of restaurants, and actual peace and quiet.”
“Yes, you will encounter your share of snobbery, but it never has to consume you. The runaway strollers, fake liberalism, and delusions that La Bagel Delight beats Bergen Bagels will have you cursing at times, but its more than worth it in the end. There’s no other place in NYC I’d rather live in, and I can’t imagine leaving anytime soon.”
