Month: January 2012

Photo By: Tom Rupolo

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ records show The Fresh Emporium Supermarket was caught reselling expired Costco pumpkin pies. The agency is responsible for fostering “agricultural environmental stewardship, and safeguard our food supply.” While laws against reselling food products are non-existent in New York, it is against the law to sell expired food products.

The Fresh Emporium was reported reselling pies purchased from Costco for two dollars more than the original retail price. DosLives.com reports a man identified as the store manager “made a mistake by removing the expiration date, but it was not intentional.” DosLives.com also reports previous complaints against the store, “the state agency revealed two complaints – one in 2008 about expired candy apples and another in 2009 that reported the store was adding chunks of fat to chicken to increase its weight.” A store manager named Jose said the store will not remove expiration dates from pies moving forward. If you have had any issues with this grocer, please share your experiences.

It’s been more than a decade since the “Dyke Slope” moniker made sense. The Cattyshack is now shuttered. And despite sheer numbers, New York is definitely not the gayest city, relatively speaking (see linked infographic, left column). Nevertheless, Park Slope is still considered the leading edge of the Outer Boroughs gay community (along with Cobble Hill). So there are plenty of nightlife and other social options in Park Slope for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered folks.

Two of the top options include Ginger’s Bar, which has been praised for its reasonable prices, a good jukebox, video games, and pool table, along with monthly drink specials (not to mention a Sunday Bingo night with Luscious Lola); and Excelsior, a gay and lesbian cocktail bar that has an outdoor garden and porch. It’s a New York Magazine Critic’s Pick and has been praised as being a lot more “neighborhoody” than some other options, allowing gays, lesbians and their straight friends a comfortable spot without pumping music or “seedy” trappings of some more well-known bars. Likewise, the bartenders are known to reward courtesy and respect with excellent customer service (and possibly buybacks).

If bars are not your scene, check out the Park Slope LGBT 20-30’s ‘Non-Scene’ Meetup which is designed for “cool young LGBT folks in Park Slope” who otherwise generally have to commute to Williamsburg or Manhattan to meet each other: “Central brooklyn – Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Flatbush – has its own vibe, and some really great places to hang out, and Park Slope is the center of it all. So, why not hang out with each other here?”

A Brooklyn-based photographer named Harlan Erskine was sent on assignment by Brooklyn Magazine to capture the essence of Brooklyn brownstone interiors from a voyeur’s point of view. The assignment was intended to pay “homage to the voyeuristic artwork of Shizuka Yokomizo” reports Henry Stewart of Brooklyn Magazine. Harlan went around Park Slope leaving a note that read:

“I am a Brooklyn-based photographer and would love to photograph the exterior of your home for a photo story referencing the work of Shizuka Yokomizo. In the acknowledgement to Shizuka’s ‘Distance’ piece, the essay places the same amount of emphasis on the design of the home as it does as the participation of the resident. Therefore, I would like to call on you in hopes that you might participate in this feature, to leave your lower level lights on from the hours of 10pm-11pm TONIGHT and arrange the apartment as you would like it to be seen. I would also encourage you to engage in the space or in front of the window if you too would like to be photographed.”

The images that were captured definitely embrace the essence of Yokomizo’s work. Visit Yokomizo’s website to learn more about her work.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn Hospital on December 20, 1960, and lived in Park Slope. In his teenage years, he attained notoriety as a graffiti artist; his work, signed SAMO, was humorous and poetic. And though some modern-day Park Slope graffiti writers say Basquiat Lives, and some blogs refer to him as a “Park Slope native,” the artist actually had very little connection to Park Slope, it turns out.

A lot has been made about Basquiat running away from Park Slope at age 15 (not 17), but apparently, that was a very short stint of sleeping on park benches in Washington Square Park; after being arrested, Basquiat was returned to his father in about a week. By another account, after he ran away from home, he stayed a few hours at a local radio station until the employees called his father. Moreover, it’s not really clear whether he ran away from Park Slope, since this timeline says the family actually moved to East Flatbush (East 35th Street) in 1966, at which time, Jean-Michel would have been only 6 years old, max.

In 10th grade, Basquiat dropped out of Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood. His father kicked him out and he stayed with friends elsewhere in Brooklyn.

In the picture, you see his father, Gerard Basquiat, who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His mother, Matilde Andradas, was born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents. And this mod-looking photo shows the Basquiats at home at 553 Pacific St., which according to the NYPL Digital Gallery, is Park Slope:

Source NYPL Digital Gallery

So that’s between 3rd and 4th Aves, right around the corner from Target – whether that counts as Park Slope may be open to discussion.

Jean-Michel Basquiat died on Friday, August 12, 1988 in his loft on Great Jones Street. He was 27 and his autopsy report listed cause of death as “acute mixed drug intoxication (opiates – cocaine).” But after all that, it turns out that his body rests much closer to Park Slope — Basquiat is buried in Greenwood Cemetery:

Photo: Brooklyn Daily

Image source: Here’s Park Slope

Park Slope’s favorite little soup shop that serves new renditions on old favorites is open again this year. The Soup Bowl is located at 321 Seventh Avenue between 8^th and 9^th Streets. Don’t count on getting a table as seating is very limited but most people grab a cup and go. During the summer months the location is an ice cream parlor, but come November the space is transitioned into a soup shop. A Brooklynian.com community member comments about the Soup Bowl’s soup in the winter months, “This stuff is so good and a perfect day for soup. The man is definitely a soup craftsman.”

The Soup Bowl menu constantly changes. You can go to The Soup Bowl website for their daily soup menu. Today’s menu is below.

Lobster Butternut Squash Bisque

Serious Split Pea

Turkey Chili

Chicken Pot Pie with Corn Bread Crust

Northern Bean Tomato

Smoked Ham and Diced Vegetables

Green Vegetables

Butternut Squash Potato

Porcini Shiitake

Sausage Chick Pea

Market Vegetable

Chicken Vegetable

New England Clam Chowder

Photo: Megan the Librarian

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of selling a car in NYC, there are a few things you might want to do aside from posting that beautiful black and orange ‘FOR SALE’ sign in the window.

Pretty much any attempt to sell your own car is a royal pain. One obvious approach is to post it on Craigslist, but it’s debatable whether it’s worth the time/hassle of dealing with potential scammers and time-wasters. There are some specific websites where you can post your car (sellmycar.com, nothingbutcars.com) but be prepared to get calls from dealers hoping to sell you a replacement vehicle. You can try the classic “flyers with rip-off contact info” approach and post it at coffee shops and neighborhood stores; you’ll get responses, but it’s the whole process of dealing with people that is annoying. People will say they are coming but never show up… Some will subject you to endless negotiations … Some will bounce checks … the list goes on.

Before you attempt any of the above, get your car detailed; that will insulate you against aggressive negotiators, who will have fewer complaints and problems to haggle over. You will get more clicks on Craigslist or autotrader.com. Even if it costs a few hundred dollars for a thorough detail, you can fold that in to your asking price.

If you put a FOR SALE sign in the window, make sure you park your car in high traffic areas at high traffic times so you get the most eyeballs – think Seventh Ave on a Saturday. One caveat – apparently there’s a rule against posting a ‘for sale’ sign in your window while the vehicle is parked on the street, and you may get fined $45. We haven’t confirmed any fines doled out, but if it can happen anywhere, it will happen in Park Slope.

Finally, do some comparative shopping to find out how much your car is worth. Search Craigslist for cars exactly like yours, and find out how much they are asking. Price yours competitively compared to theirs. Make it the best deal on the block.

Get more advice from Brooklynian.