Election Parties in Brooklyn!

Here's a list of every election party we can find in Brooklyn. More are popping up every minute.

Got a party? Send it in!

- The Bell House’s Red + Blue Election Night celebration with Eugene Mirman, The Blue Album Group, the Red Hook Vendors, Brooklyn Based and Myopenbar.com. 49 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Ave., Gowanus, Nov. 4, 7pm-?, free. More at Brooklyn Based (Thanks to A Brooklyn Life)

- Abilene has a brand new flatscreen that will be tuned to election coverage, and a brand new menu. A Brooklyn Life

- Galapagos Art Space presents the Obama-Fabulous Election Night Party-- Results projected Live on a 14x12 Screen! ~ with ~The Yes We Can!-Can Girls; A Presidential kissing booth; Santa Claus will make an appearance; Free doctor's notes so you can go to work late the next morning!

- Pacific Standard has only 15 tickets left for election night party featuring state-related $2 off deals, e.g., "if Obama wins Virginia, Dogfish Head beer will be $2 off for the next 30 minutes."

- Union Hall -- party and watch the returns from 6 p.m. to midnight. (Thanks to Brooklyn.about)

- Election Night @ Southpaw on the Big Screen with DJ 's Mikey Palms & Little Shalimar
hosted by Alex Grashow.

- Join SuperVegan in Fort Greene for their election night party with discounted drink specials like Joe The Plumber Cocktails and munching on yummy vegan grub at Red Bamboo Brooklyn, from 8 p.m. on.

- Election night dance party in Williamsburg. Public Enemy

- Parties in Bushwich, Greenpoint, Williamsburg: The Brooklyn Ink

- 3rd Ward Election Hoedown in East Williamsburg.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

No Bull! Get Out and Vote (But Don't Wear Campaign Buttons)

Every single vote counts, and that's no bull! (Unlike the patriotic cow above, grazing outside Flipsters in Park Slope, Brooklyn.)

It will be crowded, so pay careful attention to voting rules so you don't get kicked out of line:
- Bring photo ID.
- Don't even think about wearing campaign buttons, hats or shirts near the polls.
- If you have any trouble, call 866-VOTE-NYC

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

The Civilians Are Looking for Stories About Brooklyn

We received this email from Michael Premo, project coordinator for The Civilians, a production company that develops "original projects based in the creative investigation of actual experience":

The Civilians want to hear from you. Brooklyn is changing fast. We are creating BROOKLYN AT EYE LEVEL a theater show inspired by interviews about the transformation of Brooklyn and the controversial Atlantic Yards Project. If you have something to say about the communities surrounding the proposed project (Downtown, Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights & Park Slope), we want to listen. We want to talk to long-term residents, recent arrivals, players in the Atlantic Yards story, as well as those who work or live in the area. Eager to hear from all perspectives. If you want to be interviewed send us an email with a little information about yourself to Michael Premo, Project Coordinator: Premo(at)thecivilians(dot)org. For more information: www.brooklynateyelevel.org . These interviews will be performed along with original music and dance by Urban Bush Women live at the Brooklyn Lyceum, December 4th – 7th.


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Dan Kaufman Pleads Guilty -- But Not Brooklyn's Ex-Busy Chef

UPDATE: We were all excited for a while to hear that Dan Kaufman -- the notorious restaurant manager who passed himself off as an owner of The Busy Chef eatery on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights -- pled guilty to some of the charges leveled against him.

But now it's time to eat crow -- a commenter pointed out that there might be two Dan Kaufmans -- and indeed that is the case! Dan Kaufman number 2 pled guilty to similar charges -- but on Staten Island, not Brooklyn.

Brooklyn's Kaufman, charged with identity theft, falsifying business records, grand larceny and attempted identity theft, will be seeing the judge on December 26.

Thanks commenter number 2, for setting the record straight.

And now it comes to our attention that there is still another Dan Kaufman, scheduled to come before a judge in Manhattan in April!

Background: Kaufman was arrested in July. His activities are credited with driving the Busy Chef -- along with its sister stores, Blue Pig ice cream shop, Wine Bar, Oven restaurant and Busy Chef Court Street -- out of business.

In addition to the $25,000 that Kaufman allegedly stole from customers, he also allegedly took much more from the business itself, falsifying the books to cover up the losses.

Previous posts on this topic here:
- Brooklyn Heights: Busy Chef Cover Up -- Stop Work Order
- 50 Ex- Busy Chef Restaurant Employees in Brooklyn, Ready to Work
- And Then There Were None: The Wine Bar, Last in Brooklyn's Busy Chef Empire, Closes
- 'Mired in Scandal,' It's All Over for Brooklyn's Busy Chef
- Why the Brooklyn Paper Didn't Write About the Crook at the Busy Chef and What This Means For America
- Arrested Busy Chef Partner Has a History in Boston
- A Busy Brooklyn Chef Now Under Arrest
- Downtown Brooklyn Busy Chef Pretty Busy
- Busy Chef Empire: Frozen Dinners or Homemade Cuisine?
- Busy Chef coming to Court Street

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

The Brooklyn Headhunter: Find a Job in Brooklyn

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

Note to job seekers: We've noticed a tightening of the job market in Brooklyn just in the past two weeks. So, breaking with tradition, we're also listing some part time/ temp jobs at the bottom of our job listings.

Listing of the week:

A Council Member who represents a Brooklyn district is seeking a Legislative Director. You would be responsible for all matters involving the development and research of legislation, tracking of introduced bills, consideration of legislative solutions to district and city-wide issues, following the progress of and researching other members' legislation, and other related tasks. Craigslist

Not into politics? Here are some more job openings:

- The Brooklyn Marriott is looking for an accountant, a guest services rep, a maintenance engineer, a housekeeper and a security guard. Marriott.

- Brinks (as in armored cars) needs an Operations Manager. NYT/Monster

- A family run Brooklyn manufacturing company seeks a staff accountant; the job pays up to $60,000 plus bonus. (Now don't you wish you got that accounting degree?) Career Builder

- Just your basic office job. Filing, etc. Craigslist

- A Brooklyn Staples needs a Sales Manager. SJobs

- The Brooklyn Museum is looking for "an extraordinary communicator/scholar" for the position of Curator of African Art. NewYorkJobsNetwork There are other job openings at the museum as well, including Assistant Graphic Designer. Heart of Brooklyn

- AIG needs a very good accountant. This is not a joke. NYT/Monster

- Be an animal caretaker at an army installation in Brooklyn. Pays about $10/hr. USAJobs

- Hall Street Books, an "up-and-coming internet bookseller" located by the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has several positions. Craigslist

- Pratt Institute needs an Assistant Chairperson. NYT/Monster

- A very busy Boerum Hill photographer needs someone to organize their life and their photos, and change the cats' litter pan. Craigslist

- The Little Gym is looking for a full or part time gym, dance and karate instructor for little kids. NYT/Monster

Part Time or Temp Positions:

- Century 21 is gearing up for the holidays and is looking to hire seasonal cashiers, sales people, guards and others. The Bay Ridge store is holding a job fair Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 5. Careerbuilder (H&M is also looking for part time sales help. Here.)

- Try out for a job as an Inventory Counter. Walk around with a little handheld computer and count stuff on shelves in stores. Career Builder

- The Prospect Park Alliance is seeking a Per Diem Educator to help present school and public programs at Lefferts Historic House. Heart of Brooklyn (click Employment Opportunities at bottom of page)

- The Brooklyn Children's Museum is searching for an Education Resource Center Library Assistant, part time. Apply by Monday, Nov. 3 (that may be a typo -- looks like the job was just posted). Idealist

Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Halloween 2008 on Garden Place, Brooklyn Heights

Pretty scary crowd on Garden Place this year!

But all in good fun. As usual, all of the little witches, vampires, grim reapers, beasts and fairies made their way to this Halloween Central in Brooklyn Heights.

Neighbors covered their houses with spider webs and lights and sat on their stoops, handing out goodies from large vats to the huge crowds of kids.

Garden Place is always blocked to cars on Halloween, and this year Joralemon Street was blocked off (at Henry) as well -- good thinking on someone's part.

It seemed to us the crowd started and ended earlier this year than usual. Several of the houses ran out of candy fairly early on -- was it because candy is sooo expensive and the economy is sooo bad?

Give us the head of George Bush!

Random strangers touched this girl's elaborate homemade gown.

Second-generation Luke Skywalker.

After the crowd ebbed, many local families (who have been celebrating Halloween with each other since their kids were little) headed inside for a quiet Halloween dinner together.

More Halloween hijinx:
- The Mystery of the Vanishing Pumpkin Brooklyn Heights Blog
- Barack o'Lanterns from everywhere Yes We Carve
- More on iReport

- Halloween 2007 on Garden Place in Brooklyn Heights


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

The Line Ourside the Brooklyn Heights' Ricky's, 4:30 p.m. Halloween

The line to get into the Montague Street Ricky's -- the "hottest, craziest Halloween costume superstore in New York City" -- extended down the block by 4:30 Friday (Halloween) afternoon. Someone on line told us it was the same deal the day before.

The line actually extended past the right hand side of this photo but we were in a hurry to find some blue hair dye so we just shot this on the run.

We really have to plan this thing better, next year . . .

- Ricky's Wishes You Were Here
- Ricky's Brooklyn Christmas
- Ricky's Does Halloween
- Wigs, Soap and Yep, Sex Toys Hit Brooklyn Heights
- Wigs, Soap -- and Sex Toys -- in Brooklyn Heights

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Dormitory Included in Plans for 388 Bridge Street, Downtown Brooklyn

It's been slow-going at 388 Bridge Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The plans for the 49-story residential tower have been disapproved by the Dept. of Buildings numerous times, most recently on October 14 -- but now we notice that Schedule A details a dormitory on floors 4 through 7, with a separate dormitory lobby on the first floor.

The plans also call for 142 parking spaces, 2 floors of retail, a physical fitness center with locker rooms, a meeting room, and two penthouse apartments.

The Brooklyn Eagle reported on this project last May, when developer Greg Wolpert did not return calls. Brownstoner followed up in July.

When it's finally completed, the plans call for 330 apartments plus 32 dorm rooms.

The sign posted at the site calls the project the "Willis Ave Bridge."


- Slow Going on 'Huge' Bridge Street Residential Project

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Evil Pumpkin Devours Small Child in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

This carved pumpkin, in a window on Smith Street near Pacific, gets our nomination in the Evil Brooklyn Pumpkin category.

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Haunted Brownstone, Cobble Hill

The crime scene tape adds just the right touch at this brownstone in Cobble Hill.

Sadly, we lost the exact address -- we think it's on Wyckoff, but if someone knows otherwise, let us know.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.