mcbrooklyn

Dumbo's Art Under the Bridge Festival revealed itself in many layers this weekend.

It was a mix of the obvious

(Dondi, the painting elephant, for example) and the subtle (a chalk line revealing the high-water line of climate change, by Eve Mosher).

Juozas Cernius' neon "God is Great"

and "God Was Great"

was one of those sleeper attention-grabbers;
everyone blogged about the Tub Project; the Solar Pavilion was a favorite.

The Stuffed Cabbage Project got people thinking about Hungary as a force in the art world.

The festival was a total success in terms of the depth and variety of artwork work. A question: Is Dumbo itself still a valid Art Venue, or an exhibition constructed by agents of real estate?

More at PsychoPedia; Arts Under the Bridge; Dondi, the Elephant (Daily News).

Great photos at Gowanus Lounge.

"Quaint" is the word to describe the Cranberry Street Festival in Brooklyn Heights. This neighbors-only happening has been going on for 29 years. There was absolutely nothing commercial here, just locals cooking up burgers, selling books, "treasures" and odds and ends, running games for the kids, painting faces, etc. There were belly dancers and a pet parade.

A Tarot card reader told fortunes, people walked around in cranberry-colored shirts, there was a face painter and a tattoo lady, and local businesses -- like Cranberries-- gave away gifts, coffee and food. All the proceeds go to keeping up the plantings and flowers on the street.

Fabulous dance lessons were given right on the street. See the video below.

(Sometimes called Cranberry Street Festival)

Video copyright MK Metz.

Filming for "Canterbury's Law," a new courtroom drama about "a rebellious female defense attorney who's willing to bend the law in order to protect the wrongfully accused," has taken over Brooklyn's Borough Hall (and nearby venues like Boerum Place) this past week.

Julianna Margulies, from "ER," (top photo) plays Elizabeth Canterbury, described as "a force of nature"on the Internet Movie Database: "An attorney on the rise, she puts her career on the line to take on risky and unpopular cases... "

Canterbury's Law will appear on Fox5 this January.

Photos by MK Metz

Park in Downtown Brooklyn or Brooklyn Heights? Forgedaboutit!

Blocks of Atlantic Avenue near the jail along with Boerum Place are blocked off for the filming of both 'Law and Order,' and 'Canterbury's Law,' a new courthouse show coming out in January.

Both sides of Cadman Plaza West,

from Tillary north to the A train stop are either blocked off or taken up by dozens of heavy equipment trucks associated with the filming of the George Clooney/Brad Pitt movie 'Burn After Reading.' The filming is taking place inside a house on Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights.

An area of at least one solid block on Hicks Street is filled with heavy equipment, food trucks and security. (Security assured us that George's injured rib was "okay.") Parking on Clark Street is also coned off.

Think subway. Think bus. Don't think about parking.

Photos by MK Metz

When U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates went to Capital Hill to request another $190 billion in war funds, Sen. Robert Byrd dramatically put his foot down: “If granted, we will have spent more than 600 billion! — billion! billion! — dollars” on the “nefarious and infernal war in Iraq,” he said. (See the video, above.)

What would Brooklyn's share of $600 billion buy?

Brooklyn's share equals $1,875,000,000.* What can you get for $1.9 billion?

- More than six years of funding for all of New York City's Parks, at this year's rate of roughly $300 million a year. New York Times

- New schools for 24,000 students. NYC.gov

- The operation and maintenance of 50 animal shelters for 12 years. NY Daily News

- Defence against bird flu: more than 30 countries in 2006 pledged a total of $1.9 billion to fight a possible pandemic. New York Times

- The 9/11 Heroes Health Improvement Act of 2007, which will provide more than $1.9 billion for those affected by the 9/11 attacks. Courier-Life

- Six years of paratransit services for all disabled New Yorkers. NYC.gov

- Government subsidies for Atlantic Yards -- estimated by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn to be $1.9 billion. The Manhattan Institute

*If every state shared equally, New York would get $12 billion. But to be fair, New York state deserves more than Rhode Island, so let's up it to, say, $15 billion. The population of New York State is roughly 20 million. According to Wikipedia, the population of Brooklyn in 2006 was "nearly" 2.5 million, so we'll make it an even 2.5 in 2007. So Brooklyn's share equals one eighth of New York State's share, or $1,875,000,000 (one billion, eight hundred and seventy-five million).

View of the pedestrian walkway between Adams and Jay Streets from the enclosed bridge connecting the Marriott Hotel on Adams Street (seen left) to its new 23-story annex (right). The ground floor of the annex will feature retail.

Just south of the annex is 345 Adams. We think this would be an excellent spot for the proposed Apple Store, though other suggestions include Montague Street and the lobby of the Williamsburg Bank.

mcbrooklyn: Apple Store in Brooklyn -- A Recommendation
mcbrooklyn: Where to Buy an iPhone in Brooklyn: The List
mcbrooklyn: iPhone Mania -- Hey, That's Brooklyn!

Photo by MK Metz

So McBrooklyn had two over easy this morning at the "New" St. Clair Restaurant, the old-time diner at the corner of Smith and Atlantic, near the jail -- and massive amounts of Brooklyn redevelopment. Sunday is the New St. Clair's last day. Mr. Costa, the owner, told McBrooklyn he's sold the building and is moving back to Greece. "After 40 years," he said.

Locals remember meeting at the New St. Clair (presumably dubbed "new" in '67, when the Costa family took over) to plan protest marches during the heady 60s. Now many of the same folks -- hair gray but still with fire in the belly -- drop by for reasonably priced, decent diner fare.

McBrooklyn overheard two women discussing the "Arrest Bush" march they participated in Tuesday morning. Another woman came in and sat at a nearby table. "Hey, I know you," one of the marchers said. "We both carried the same coffin over the bridge yesterday!"

Breakfast -- juice, coffee, two eggs, home fries and toast -- cost about five bucks. The service was spectacular. The home fries were that excellent sort of somewhat greasy diner accomplishment. (Don't try this at home.) The decor was perfectly tacky.

The Brooklyn Paper says that Spiro Katehis, owner of the Carroll Gardens Classic Diner, has bought the New St. Clair and will effect a "trendy makeover" over the next few months.

Photo by MK Metz

Photos by MK Metz

The old Albee Square Mall at the eastern end of Fulton Street -- sold for $125 million last February -- is all but deserted. The planned Albee Center, replacing Albee Square Mall and its parking garage, will contain large mixed-use projects (according to the Brooklyn Eagle) for new offices, a new retail complex and a large residential complex.

According to Plan NYC, 20 percent of the new units would be for

tenants of moderate income. Underneath this giant apartment complex, which will become one of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn, will sit three stories of office space and four stories of new retail. Opponents are "fearful that a 'big-box chain' such as Wal-Mart might enter the retail section of the development."

Albee Square Mall Clears Out Brooklyn Eagle

Photos by MK Metz

I kept looking to see if it was the couple I know.

Last October the Daily News reported that the city would finally begin to remove the fences, dig up the asphalt and reseed Walt Whitman Park, off Cadman Plaza East next to the OEM Building in Downtown Brooklyn.

Now, almost a year later, the asphalt and fences have come down.

The city gave the long-neglected park to the feds for use as a parking lot while the new federal courthouse was being built. In return, federal officials gave the city $3.9 million to fix the park up once they were done with it.

Before the fenced in parking lot was built, volunteers planted bulbs of daffodils and grape hyacinth around the trees and throughout the park. (Pre-OEM, when the building belonged to the Red Cross.) Now huge cement planters -- aimed at protecting the OEM building from terrorists? -- cut the park in half.

Let's see what our $3.9 million buys.

Photo by MK Metz

This R2-D2 mailbox stands in front of Brooklyn's LIU (Long Island University) campus on Flatbush. (You can almost hear its high-pitched whirring.) In March, the Post Office installed batches of these little robots across the country and issued a commemorative stamp as part of the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars movie saga.

The web site listed on the robot -- www.uspsjedimaster.com -- leads you to the home page of the United States Postal Service.

Photo by MK Metz

- Thinking Dumbo this weekend? Then think Art Under the Bridge Festival. Sixty new art works will be scattered throughout the neighborhood, while 158 private studios will open to the public. Dumbo Arts Center

- Grannies wearing black T-shirts reading "Arrest Bush" hold cell-phone-a-thon in Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn Eagle

- The Atlantic Antic is this Sunday! About.com

- So three and a half years ago a Park Slope woman gets a call from the identical twin sister she never knew she had. Which naturally led to the co-written memoir. Brooklyn Paper

- Bowling is back! We could hardly wait. Curbed

- No more quiet libraries in Brooklyn? Oh no! New York Daily News via BrklynStories

Recommended Brooklyn blog: Pardon Me for Asking

Blogmaster Katia Kelly's daughter reported back to her from the Columbia campus while the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech was going on. Her comment: "What a dumbass."

But she said that the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, gave an incredible speech. More here.

McBrooklyn sighted this black squirrel in Cobble Hill this past Sunday. The grapevine says that they've traveled south from Canada -- a few years ago they were sighted in Westchester, then the Bronx, now Brooklyn.

A Cobble Hill resident said don't believe what anybody says, there are plenty of black squirrels in the neighborhood.

Even more rare than the black squirrel is the white squirrel, said to be 1 in 100,000. A correspondent to Curbed says that there is one in Prospect Park. Any sightings?

(In 1972, Marysville, Kansas passed legislation protecting the black squirrel and making it the Official Town Mascot. It has the freedom to trespass on all City property, immunity from traffic regulations and the first pick of all black walnuts growing within the city. The fine for harming one is $25.)

Photos by MK Metz

I suppose the same caution should be taken with any public photo posting Web site.

(BTW, any comments on this news clipping Web site? There is a brief ad or public service announcement before the news bit, but so far it doesn't seem too obnoxious. -- MK)

Brooklyn Community Access Television (BCAT) will be featuring the neighborhoods of BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens) in two different Neighborhood Beat broadcasts Thursday, September 27.

The 12:30 p.m. show visits four favorite BoCoCa restaurants: Porchetts, Alma, Marco Polo and Petite Crevette.

At 8:30 p.m., BCAT interviews the founder of the Big Sky Brooklyn blog, Adam Eisenstat; meets local photographer Danny Goldfield; and travels to Giardini's Pizza with owner Jimmy Finazzo.

More information here.

Why do we find this oddly disturbing? The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Olympics of Brooklyn food tasting -- Brooklyn Eats -- won’t be staged this fall. Organizers say it will return next spring — but in a leaner form.

In years past, 40 or so Brooklyn restaurants prepared delectable representations of their best morsels for paying guests (at the Marriott) to sample in a one night splurge.

“Brooklyn Eats is being reformatted,” said Maggie Beaute-Lucien, the director of special events for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “We’re going to do Brooklyn Eats, but it won’t be the same. It will be smaller and more segmented.”

According to the Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn Eats "will no longer be centralized under one fancy roof on one blowout night."

Brooklyn Paper article: here.
Photos of last year's Brooklyn Eats event: here.

The folks at Brooklyn Goes Veg! sent us a note saying that October is "World Vegetarian Month," and Brooklyn is joining the festivities by throwing its first annual Vegetarian Restaurant Week.

Vegetarians, non-vegetarians and the curious are invited to "tune-up their eating habits" and discover new ways of "thinking, eating and becoming vegetarian." The kick-off reception at the V-Spot Cafe in Park Slope includes food, giveaways and a raffle.

Vegetarian Restaurant Week takes place October 21-27. See here for full details.

Photo by Jackol, Creative Commons License

Morgan Stanley employees were engaging in a little after hours bonding (ties optional) while playing a game called "cornholing" in Cadman Plaza Park Thursday. While the name of this game has serious problems, apparently it is quite popular in states like Ohio. (See the PlayCornhole web site.)

According to the Cornhole Portal (!), a Bavarian cabinet maker named Matthias Kuepermann invented the game in 1325. At that time, corn was tied into small burlap bags and used as a unit of measure equal to roughly a pound. To this day serious cornholers use pound bags filled with corn (others just use bean bags). A slanted box across the way has a six-inch hole that you have to try to throw the bag through. It's harder than it looks, from the way the Morgan Stanley guys were playing.

I don't know if this is a joke (UPDATE: I'm pretty sure it's a joke...), but according to the Cornhole Portal, owing to cornholing's wood requirements, the unbridled popularity of the game resulted in the deforesting of much of middle Europe in the 14th century.

Photos by MK Metz

So it will cost $200 million to repair the decrepit Coney Island boardwalk. The Parks Department can't afford this amount, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, so it's looking for funds from the city, state and federal government and even private sources. "Accidents are a nearly daily occurrence along the 2.7-mile wooden boardwalk," according to the Eagle.

$200 million sounds like a lot of money to lay pieces of wood down next to each other, even for almost three miles. McBrooklyn wondered what else you could buy with $200 million, just to put it in perspective. Here's a couple of projects we've uncovered:

- A coalition of national governments, the World Bank, UNICEF and other organizations will pay $200 million to help poor countries protect children against pneumococcus and rotavirus. The effort could save some four million children through 2025. International Herald Tribune

- Motorola said on Tuesday that it plans to acquire broadband equipment maker Netopia in a deal worth more than $200 million. News.com

- Oceanex Income Fund, owner of a fleet of East Coast container ships, seeks an investment in two new container ships which could cost in excess of $200 million "for the future of the company." Canadian Press

- The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to a settlement that would pay nearly $200 million to 144 people who have said they were sexually abused by clergy members. New York Times

- BlackRock Inc., the largest publicly traded asset manager in the U.S., plans to raise as much as $200 million for an agricultural commodities hedge fund. Bloomberg

- The U.S. Senate has approved $200-million in aid on September 12 for nonprofit organizations to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. AP

- Snowboard equipment sales among all retailers nationwide accounted for $181 million in sales. (Add in some ChapStick to get to $200 million.) Sun Times

- At the going rate of $500,000 per minute, six and a half hours fighting the war in Iraq costs roughly $200 million. American Friends Service Committee

- Take a look at the architect’s rendering of the planned pedestrian tunnel linking the MTA’s Jay Street and Lawrence Street stations in Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn Eagle

- Watch out for these phony water inspectors. SI Live

- Thursday's Neighborhood Beat on BCAT takes us on a tour of Permanent Records in Greenpoint; then to the Outside NY Urban Garden; The Treehouse; and other Williamsburg stops.

- The developer of the much reviled 360 Smith Street said he was “scared to death” that the current mortgage crisis might hurt the ability of prospective buyers to purchase one of his proposed condos. Courier-Life

- Myrtle Avenue -- restaurant row? Brooklyn Paper

- The Brooklyn Heights Blog says that signs posted on Hicks Street near Clark suggest that the George Clooney/Brad Pitt movie Burn After Reading will be filming in the area on Thursday.

Nature has overtaken the sidewalk on Pacific Street next to the Atlantic Yard tracks. You actually have to bushwhack your way along, as this man is doing here. Our knowledge of city nature is limited,

but we saw some kind of wild daisies, Queen Ann's Lace, red basil, burrs of some sort, and a variety of wild flowers. Perhaps some endangered species as well.

UPDATE: No Land Grab has posted information about the Pacific Street "We Still Live Here! Clean Up Day!" Since the government won't keep up the area (besides the overgrown sidewalks, garbage is strewn all over the place), Pacific Street residents and neighbors will roll up their sleeves Sunday, September 23 from noon to 5 p.m. Bring your gloves, your gardening tools and your garbage bags.

UPDATE2: See the "after clean up" photos at Atlantic Yards Report.

Photo by MK Metz

DOT is beginning a number of improvements to the Boerum Place corridor, including extending the planted median along Boerum Place to Atlantic Avenue (see the 110 Livingston blog). In addition, the city is installing a network of water catchment basins to prevent overflowing after heavy rains. The crew today was digging up Boerum Place near Livingston Street.

Photo by MK Metz

The results of yesterday's primary (such as it was, with such low voter turnout) are in:

Brooklyn Surrogate: Diana Johnson
Brooklyn Civil Court Judge - District 5: Noach Dear
Brooklyn Civil Court Judge - District 6: Katherine A Levine

The Politicker called it a "split decision" for Brooklyn Democratic County Leader Vito Lopez, who backed one winning judicial candidate (Noach Dear) and one losing judicial candidate (Shawndya Simpson). Someone calling him/herself "Kilgore Trout" emailed the Politicker to say, “I think that this proves that Brooklyn is completely up for grabs by the non institutional players. Neither the Times nor the party hold enough sway to be deciding factors these days.”

Don't miss the fabulously understated article in the Brooklyn Eagle, which includes gems such as: "This time, party leaders favored ShawnDya Simpson to win. But Simpson, who sits in Manhattan criminal court and has been on the bench for three years, became embroiled in a legal contest over residency. Simpson ultimately convinced the court that she lives in a Brooklyn condo and frequently visits her husband, baby and two young children in New Jersey..."

(See citywide results at Gotham Gazette.)

See Looking Like Poor Turnout at Brooklyn Primary

Photo by MK Metz

Wearing the remnants of yesterday's high fashion, this fine lady of Brooklyn Heights poses in the window of the Housing Works Thrift Shop on Montage Street.

Photo by MK Metz

Better make sure you have an iron-clad will , people. If the turnout in usually engaged Brooklyn Heights is any indication, Tuesday’s Democratic primary for a judgeship on the Surrogate Court (between Diana Johnson and ShawnDya Simpson) suffered from a low voter turnout. In District 114, set up on Clark Street, only 115 voters had turned out by 8 p.m., one hour before poll closing time.

The Surrogate’s Courts handle wills, adoptions and estates, long considered fair game for Brooklyn attorneys and court-appointed overseers.

As the New York Times points out, the "prize" is one of the least-known elected positions in Brooklyn.

By the way, as the Brooklyn Eagle points out, "This may be the last year you can vote for a judge. A case scheduled for review by the U.S. Supreme Court could change forever the way state court judges are chosen."

Photo by MK Metz

- Today is Primary Day in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Eagle provides a rundown of the three judicial races with details about each candidate here. More links at The Albany Project.

- How vulnerable is your neighborhood? New York magazine sees bad news ahead, real estate-wise, for Bed-Stuy and Bushwick (subprime lending ground zero) and even "Hipster Brooklyn" Williamsburg and Greenpoint (due to over-construction). New York Magazine Neighborhood Watch via Brownstoner.

- City Council members lost it after state Department of Transportation officials couldn't say how long the Brooklyn Bridge had been tagged with a poor safety rating. AMNY

- $10 for three tomatoes and a dozen eggs at the Carroll Garden farmers market. Is it worth it? Pardon Me for Asking

- Nanny spotted chewing tobacco (and spitting into the bushes) in Pierrepont playground. Is this okay? I Saw Your Nanny

- An analyst at RBC Capital Markets downgrades Forest City Enterprises (ticker: FCE.A) from "outperform" to "sector perform," while reducing his estimates for the company. The target price has been reduced from $80 to $54. NewRatings.com via No Land Grab

We recently received a reminder to purchase advance tickets ($25 each) to the Gowanus Dredgers' BacChANAL Party on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 5-9 p.m. (Visit their website.)

BacChANAL is a kid friendly event where families arrive early for entertainment by Billy Bones the Pirate, canoe rides and a barbecue. It is a bit more rocking later in the evening, when the music starts at sunset (and forecasts call for a beautiful evening).

Funds raised support their otherwise FREE programming.

Oh those crazy Germans! In a celebration of beer and the fall harvest, Adam Quirk (of http://wreckandsalvage.com) and friends are throwing an Oktoberfest party in Clinton Hill on Saturday, September 29, 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. Adam emails us: "We're transforming our loft, studio space, and rooftop into a legitimate German beer tent." He's offering "Great German beer, great German food, great German and non-German music."

They're selling 100 tickets at http://www.55lex.com/oktoberfest ($15 each, sounds reasonable to me) and will be offering unlimited beer and pretzels, a home cooked German supper (grilled sausage, sauerkraut, German potato salad, hot mulled cider), and live music all night long.

Music: The Polka Brothers - (three guys who play German polka); Melina (she played at the official Oktoberfest in Munich last year); the Wasted Talent and Melonhand.

Adam and associates will be wearing hot German gear like lederhosen and dirndls. Tickets are going fast.

Photo courtesy of Kiwisonya, Creative Commons license

The weather was great and literally thousands of book lovers milled about

Borough Hall and other nearby venues for the second annual Brooklyn Book Festival. A large list of world-famous authors -- Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Safran Foer, Phillip Lopate, Pete Hamill,

Bernice McFadden, Dave Eggers, Paula Fox, Ken Siegelman, and many more -- gave readings and spoke on panels in various Borough Hall locations. Brooklyn literary legend Paul Auster was the guest of honor at the Book Festival Gala VIP event Saturday night.

The crowd was ultra enthusiastic, people lined up for autographs, and there was a lot going on. BP Marty Markowitz gave talks and TV interviews, somebody from Develop Don't Destroy held up a sign showing how Atlantic Yards would forever dwarf everything else in Brooklyn, Japanese people

reveled in the Target dog (Bullseye), crowds pushed good-naturedly from one table to the next, and serious literary discussions were breaking out right and left.

Last-minute attendees literally ran to get tickets for various speakers from the festival info booth -- and everything was FREE! Great day!

Photos by MK Metz

About 70 enthusiasts filled the steps of Borough Hall for the kick off of the Brooklyn Book Festival Saturday evening with a free screening of Paul Auster's film Smoke.

Sunday, booksellers and books will fill Borough Hall Plaza and Columbus Park. There will be a variety of literary events for readers of all ages. See here for more.

Photo by MK Metz

From time to time, McBrooklyn puts on its Headhunting gear and scouts out a handful of Brooklyn employment opportunities.

Here are today's listings:

- A "renowned educational non-profit" headquartered in Park Slope seeks a CFO. $85,000 - $100,000. CareerBuilder.com

- Hale & Hearty Soups on W. 16th Street in Brooklyn needs all kinds of staff: shift supervisors, servers, cashiers, counter help and delivery people. EmploymentGuide.com

- The Working Families Party needs a communications director (Downtown Brooklyn). Craigslist

- The Brooklyn Public Library is looking for a web programmer. CareerBuilder.com

- Sovereign Bank in Dumbo needs a personal banking representative. Job.com

- Domani Studios seeks an interactive producer. Craigslist

- Housing Works thrift shop on Montague Street is looking for an assistant manager. Craigslist

- The Department of Parks and Recreation needs full-time Urban Park Rangers. $30K+ EmploymentGuide.com

- Countrywide Financial (which recently announced thousands of job cuts) needs a "Team HLC" who will function as a Junior Originator to the Senior Loan Officer. Job.com

- Brooklyn hospitals will pay good money for physician assistants. $40 - $50/hr. CareerBuilder.com

- Paint-your-own pottery studios in Carroll Gardens and Bay Ridge needs wheel instructor and other staff for children's classes. Craigslist

- The Holiday Inn Express on Union Street needs a security guard. Craigslist

- Park Slope family of four seeks personal chef. Craigslist

- Allstate needs a claim trainee in Brooklyn. Job.com

- Textbook editor wanted in Park Slope. Craigslist

- The Brooklyn Botanic Garden seeks a Human Resources Generalist. CareerBuilder.com

- A Video game programmer is needed in Williamsburg. Craigslist

Previous employment opportunities here.

Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

Essential information about the Brooklyn Book Festival posted on pillar at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Click to enlarge.

Photo by MK Metz

Pages

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Friday, September 28, 2007

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Monday, September 24, 2007

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Friday, September 21, 2007

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Monday, September 17, 2007

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Friday, September 14, 2007