Hawthorne Street : Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn

Neat Stuff at Prospect Park Next Week

2010-07-29T15:59:18-04:00

There are a couple of events at Prospect Park next week that we think are worth checking out. First up, on Wednesday, August 4, there's a free screening of The Olmsted Legacy: America’s Urban Parks at the Celebrate Brooklyn Bandshell (enter the Park at 9th Street and Prospect Park West), at 8 pm.

This one hour documentary, which features Prospect Park, examines the formation of America’s first great city parks and the visionary role of Frederick Law Olmsted, the urban planner and landscape architect responsible for so much of the great work done in the late 19th century.

Then, on Sunday, August 8, Elizabeth Mitchell is performing at 4 pm, also at the bandshell. Mitchell bears the distinction of being the only artist performing children's music whose records I have bought more than once. She plays mostly traditional folk songs, with a few rock and other modern ditties thrown in for good measure, but even the new stuff has a classic, no-frills Smithsonian Folkways kind-of-sound. (You can hear samples of my favorite LP here from Amazon.)

We played her records over and over for my son when he was an infant and he responded by calming down even when his tuneless mother sang them.

New Pet Store Opening on Flatbush in September

2010-07-28T13:07:37-04:00

Rumors of a pet store opening in the neighborhood have been floating around for quite some time, but now it's actually going to happen: Robert Salmieri, a Rutland Road resident, will be setting up shop at 575 Flatbush (between Maple and Midwood) in September. The store will be named Trixie's. Both Salmieri and his business partner, Richard Esposito, have dogs named Trixie. They discovered the coincidence while walking their pups in Prospect Park, and an alliance was fated.

The store will carry pet food and "the essentials," as well as accessories, some of which, Salmieri reports, will be made by artisans in the neighborhood. We'll let you know when the opening date is scheduled.

Now if only we could find out what's happening with the Farmer's Diner...

(Photo: Cherrypatter)

New Issue of "Echo" Out Now

2010-07-27T09:32:53-04:00

A new issue of the Lefferts Manor Echo is out now. You can pick it up at K-Dog or save paper copies by downloading it here (pdf file). Features in this issue include the local response to Haiti, an article on the Lefferts Montesorri School earning "green" certification, and profiles of local residents Stephen Hall (science writer) and Deborah Mutnick (documentarian).

NY Times on Rutland Road's Book Club

2010-07-27T09:15:06-04:00

The Times has been showing the love for PLG lately: today we've got the second feel-good article on our neighborhood in a week. "The Rutland Road Readers" focuses on a group of women, all on the same block, who formed a book club.

Among the 16 women members are a special education teacher, an administrator for visiting nurse services, a television producer, a costume designer, a lawyer, stay-at-home moms, widows, newlyweds and grandmothers. At 63, Sheryl Foster is the oldest member; she has lived on the block since 1984. Emma Straub, 30, is the youngest.

“When I describe the book club to other people, they look at me like I’m from Mars,” said Ms. Straub, a writer. “I grew up on the Upper West Side and didn’t know more than a handful of people. After a month on the block, I know everybody.”

You can read the rest here.

The New York Times Discovers PLG (Again)

2010-07-23T22:25:16-04:00

I don't know if this appeared in today's paper or if it will appear in the Real Estate section over the weekend, but the New York Times feature on PLG is already online - and includes a quote from my coblogger/wife, Carrie.

It is a pretty straightforward promo piece about a gentrifying neighborhood. Nice people, proximity to nice things (Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens), good housing stock, and wait a second... a scoop!

One project now going up is in a busy section. A company called Park Tower secured permits in June to build a 24-story, 88-unit building next to the Prospect Park subway stop at 510 Flatbush Avenue.

The old Lincoln Road tower is back again! The last I had heard, the project was essentially dead due to the general economic malaise in the city. In part this may be because the address for the L-shaped lot is not "27 Lincoln Road," as we'd always assumed because that was the building that got torn down, but rather "510 Flatbush Avenue." It may not be a real scoop, however. I don't see any permits filed after 2008 for either address on the Department of Buildings website - though it is possible that the filings haven't yet made their way online.

The real estate prices cited in the article seem a bit high to me. A local who works for Corcoran is quoted estimating that "... single-family houses range widely, from around $700,000 up to $1.3 million. Two-family houses ... cost around $900,000 — more if they are in the historic district, and less if they are smaller or need more work..." This seems high in July 2010 despite knowing that there have, in fact, been sales in that price range because of the limited sales going on in the neighborhood in general.

In any event, the article shines a nice light on our little hamlet and quotes people I know and like. I'll stop picking nits now.

Image via Benjamin Norman for The New York Times

Multi-family Tag Sale at 125/135 Hawthorne This Saturday, July 24

2010-07-22T13:22:42-04:00

Residents of 125/135 Hawthorne, a coop apartment building between Bedford and Rogers (closer to Bedford) is holding a tag sale this Saturday. Clothes, books, DVDs, kitchen stuff, and the usual stoop sale fare will be purchaseable from 10 am to 8 pm -- though I'm guessing that whoever voted to have the tag sale run until 8 pm has never done a summer tag sale before (after 2 hours selling knick-knacks in the heat, you want to kill yourself).

Come on down!

A Matter of Etiquette

2010-07-21T16:15:12-04:00

Walking up Flatbush toward Empire, you spot a woman naked from the waist down, sitting on a park bench and lifting one of her buttocks as she wipes off excess urine. Do you:

a) Avoid making eye contact, steering clear of the wet sidewalk surrounding her, and continue onward
b) Stare at her, mouth agape, in disbelief
c) Offer her toilet tissue in an effort to teach your toddler son good manners
d) Do nothing, but blog about it later.

New Method Discovered For Winterizing Window Air Conditioner

2010-07-21T13:27:44-04:00

Courtesy of 115 Ocean Avenue.

Free Carousel Rides Every Thursday in August

2010-07-20T17:10:19-04:00

That's right: kids under 12 ride (and, in the case of my son, scream bloody murder) for free at the Prospect Park Carousel, throughout August. You've got Astoria Federal Savings to thank for this one.

UPDATED: Caregiver Needed for Empire/Flatbush Planting

2010-07-20T09:25:40-04:00

We've just heard from the Department of Transportation that in order for the DOT to put a planting bed in as part of the traffic calming project at Empire/Ocean/Flatbush, they need to find a group (or a dedicated, responsible individual) willing to take care of the plants. If no one steps forward, the DOT will have to put concrete in instead.

THIS JUST IN: The freshly formed Washington Avenue Greening Committee (WAG), headed up by Alex Exley, has stepped up to the plate to oversee the planting. Major thanks these fine residents!

Kings County Nurseries in the NY Times

2010-07-16T11:03:31-04:00

The best thing about having locals who work in the media is that the media notices your neighborhood. So it is today as the New York Times has a feature on Kings County Nurseries written by new Hawthorne Street resident Sam Dolnick.

A stalwart in the neighborhood, Kings County Nurseries has been at 625 New York Avenue between Fenimore and Rutland (gmap) for 55 years. The article tracks the changes in what the Merola family has sold as the neighborhood has changed around it, from Italian to Caribbean to the current wave of gentrification. (I know it is tempting to say that I am using a euphemism for white but I don't know how my Asian friends would feel about this honorary whiteness.)

Earlier this Spring, Kings County generously sold discounted barrels for the Hawthorne Street block beautification project. And while we're talking about discounts, if you go to their website you can print out a coupon for 10% off of purchases over $20.

Now get outside and plant something. (You should wait until Fall - unless you want what you plant to die. -- Ed.)

Hawthorne Block Association Meeting Thursday, July 15 at 7 pm

2010-07-12T12:48:59-04:00

If you're on the block of Hawthorne between Flatbush and Bedford, you are cordially invited to the next block association meeting, this Thursday, 7 pm, at the Church of the Evangel (on Bedford, between Hawthorne and Fenimore). We're going to be planning the September block party. Come one, come all!

Feral Caturday: Update on Spike

2010-07-11T10:13:32-04:00

BROOKLYN, NY - A cat that had been rumored missing or worse has shown up on the deck of Hawthorne Street once again. Spike, one of the founding members of the Feral Crew, has returned to his gang after a lengthy disappearance.

The strange disappearance of Spike had been causing the residents of Hawthorne Street Central and the surrounding buildings much agita, owing mostly to the presence of Cow, a large confrontational newcomer. [Photo not available] Cow had long been suspected in Spike's disappearance but never formally charged.

Spike returned this morning hungry, gaunt, and slightly wary of his old friends, Blackie and Tanner. Former Feral Crew member and current HSC resident Ethel welcomed him back more warmly. Cow showed up and began harassing Ethel, however, so we still have our eye on him. (Or her; we've never gotten close enough to find out.)

We'll provide an update when Spike calms down and gives a full report on his whereabouts.

(Yes, I know it is Sunday, but Feral Caturday is a day that exists independently of your mere human calendar. Also, this post wouldn't have been possible yesterday.)

Meals For Moms Offers Support for Parents of Newborns

2010-07-07T13:07:28-04:00

Shortly after moving into her new home on Parkside Avenue in the fall of 2008, Nicole Fabri decided to organize local moms to cook for neighbors with newborns. Her project, Meals for Moms, took off in February 2009, when a neighbor of hers gave birth.

The idea was something Fabri experienced first hand back when she gave birth to her son Marius three years ago in Michigan: a local moms group brought her family meals and offered emotional support and guidance. Fabri wanted to do the same thing in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, partly to get to know more local families, and partly for karmic reasons: to help moms through what can often be a very difficult time.

"I remember one time when I hadn't slept in weeks," Fabri told me. "I was still in my pajamas, wearing the top halfway over my head, and looked like an insane person, when this other mom showed up." Despite the awkwardness, the other mom's help was a real boon. "She was really sweet, and it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to create a bond between mothers."

Photos: (TOP) Karen Oh, shown with her newborn son, Cherokee (born 6/17), is one of the beneficiaries of Meals for Moms. (BELOW) Nicole Fabri, founder of Meals For Moms, and her son, Marius.

Since Meals For Moms' launch, the group has grown to 20 cooks and is now serving its eighth mom, Karen Oh.

"It has gotten so big that in the last month that we've reorganized to minimize stress on the cooks," said Fabri. She has divided the group into two smaller groups, and each team serves one mother. On average, each cook makes a meal about once every 3-4 months, and each new mom gets about 10 meals.

Meals For Moms is always looking for volunteers. If you'd like to get involved; or if you're pregnant, live in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and would appreciate the free service, please contact Nicole at nicole.fabri (at) clearenergybrokerage.com.

Public Meeting This Thursday To Discuss Provident House

2010-07-06T18:09:57-04:00

Want to sound off on the proposed development 329 Lincoln? Here's your chance, courtesy of the Lefferts list:

UNIFORM LAND USE REVIEW PROCEDURE PUBLIC HEARING
The Borough President will hold a public hearing in the
President's Court Room, Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn,
Commencing at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, July 8th. 2010

Calendar Item 2
Providence House 1
329 Lincoln Road
UDAAP Designation – Land Disposition
Special Permit
Community District 9
100325 ZSK – 100326 HAK

P-Funk and Ohio Players Playing Free Show in Wingate

2010-07-06T17:40:52-04:00

If you have plans for next Monday night, July 12, now is the time to break them -- unless, of course, your plans are to go to the George Clinton/Parliament Funkadelic and Ohio Players show at Wingate Field.

If Wingate Field rings a bell, that's where Curtis Mayfield was electrocuted back in the 1980s. It's the venue just east of our fair neighborhood, on Brooklyn Avenue between Rutland and Winthrop (gmap).

The show is free and starts at 7:30, but lines tend to be slow and gruesome, so get there early. You may also want to bring folding chairs.

The show is part the of the Martin Luther King Jr. Free Concert Series. Also slated to perform: Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, and Slick Rick on August 2, and Aretha Franklin on August 9. Take that, Celebrate Brooklyn!

New Restauant Alert: JJ's Jamaican Restaurant

2010-07-05T11:43:02-04:00

There is nothing like a Google Alert to remind a post you've been meaning to write remains unwritten. Today's alert was a new Yelp review for JJ's Jamaican restaurant in the remodeled space formerly occupied by Gordon's Jamaican Bakery at 711 Flatbush, just north of Parkside (gmap).

I haven't been inside but it's an attractive place, particularly for a primarily take-out restaurant. The renovation moved the counter to the back and opened up the front space for seating. When I get a chance to actually eat there I'll have more to say about the food... but the guy on Yelp liked it.

Image via Jason S. on Yelp.