McBrooklyn's on Vacation Till 2009

McBrooklyn's heading to a warm, green place, and will return on or about January 4, 2009. Have a great New Year!

Dunk Island photo by Melalouise, Creative Commons license

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Obama Inauguration Viewing at New York City Hall

From the City Council: "Recognizing that during these difficult financial times many New Yorkers may be unable to make the trip to Washington DC for President Obama's inauguration, The City Council has decided to open up its side of City Hall to the public for the occasion."

Specifically, the City Council will set up big screen televisions in City Council Chambers, The Committee Room, and The Rotunda. The doors for the event will open at 10:30am and the event will continue throughout the day until President-Elect Obama’s speech has concluded.

New Yorkers who are interested in coming to City Hall on inauguration day should RSVP by January 16, 2009 to (212) 442-1649 or
email to events@council.nyc.gov

UPDATE: To see where to watch the inauguration and celebrate the occasion in Brooklyn, see here.

Photo by BohPhoto, Creative Commons license

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'Stop the Brooklyn House of Detention' Rally

A member of the Boerum Hill Association sent us an email about a rally against the expansion and reopening of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. It reads in part:

"Sen. Eric Adams, Council Member Letitia James and Downtown Brooklyn’s largest NYCHA tenant groups have joined the lawsuit to stop the illegal expansion and re-opening of the Brooklyn House of Detention, as a growing coalition of elected officials, community groups and advocates for more responsible government prepares for a rally and their day in court next month."

The coalition will hold a rally at 9 a.m., Tuesday, January 6th outside the State Supreme Court building in Cadman Plaza Park. Visit the coalition’s web site at www.stopbhod.org to sign up for updates.

Photo by MK Metz

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'Christmas in Brooklyn' : Video

A correspondent sent us this sweet video entitled "Christmas in Brooklyn."

"Christmas in Brooklyn" features photos of the borough, with original music by Bill Bartlett and his talented family. Bartlett is founder and director of the non-profit Imagine Project, which nutures kids' creativity through the performing arts.

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Last Minute Holiday Shopping on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue

We know you haven't been able to get out there and finish your shopping. Number one, you're working. Number two, it's been sleeting, then raining, then snowing.

As a public service, McBrooklyn took a walk up and down Atlantic Avenue to do some window shopping. At any store that had something that looked like a possible present in the window, we took a photo. There were plenty of stores that didn't present good photo ops (if the gate was down, for instance), but this should give you some idea of what's out there. Click on the photos to see details.

We're thinking that if you start somewhere around Sahadi's (I got a big bag of pistachios once for Christmas and it was great) and work your way east along Atlantic towards 4th Avenue, you can get it all done on one street.

Take a look and see if anything here matches someone on your list:


Cool preteen-wear at Trixie and Tilda, 407 Atlantic





Batik clothing for little kids at Melting Pot, 492 Atlantic





Gingerbread house at Betty Bakery, 448 Atlantic







Artistic ties at Artez'n, 444 Atlantic. (Check out the ties for bikers.)





Not a bad bag for $4.99 at the Salvation Army Family Store, 436 Atlantic





Hand-made scarves, sweaters and hats at Knit-A-Way of Brooklyn, 398 Atlantic






Jewelry and vases at Trudy Miller, 394 Atlantic




Small contemporary paintings at Metaphor Contemporary Art Gallery, 382 Atlantic.







124 piece service for 12 at Circa, 374 Atlantic






Sweet unmentionables, at Iris Lingerie in Kimera, 366 Atlantic Ave.




A few stores, like Gumbo (493 Atlantic), didn't have a window full of merchandise at the time but check them out if you have a chance. There were also a couple of antique shops with wonderful items in the window, but the gates were pulled down so we couldn't get a decent shot.

Here's the list of Boerum Hill stores participating in the Shop Brooklyn program -- make sure to ask for your discount.

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The Chanuka Car on Atlantic Avenue

Seen driving past the Brooklyn House of Detention, the silver Chanuka car has a full menorah mounted on the roof.

Photo by MK Metz

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Shopping Cart Thieves at IKEA, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Don't be lulled by all that Scandanavian good cheer -- there are shopping cart thieves in Brooklyn's IKEA. News Views and Analysis

- Community Board 2’s land-use committee rejected developer Walentas’s request for a zoning change for a controversial 18-story rental building with retail and school on Dock Street in Dumbo. Brooklyn Paper

- South Street Seaport is up for sale. Curbed

- A tiny accounting firm was listed by Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff as the main auditor of his multi-billion dollar operation. Investigators for the DA’s office went to the firm’s office, but no one answered. Hello? Crain's NY

- The shoe hurled at President Bush has sent sales soaring at the Turkish shoe maker as orders pour in from Iraq, the U.S. and Iran. Huffington Post

- Hippie sighting on Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights. Brooklyn Eagle

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Suspended Hand, Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

This large hand sculpture hangs suspended over Kea Carpets, at 477 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.

Photo by MK Metz

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Power Still Out Across Parts of Brooklyn Dec. 21, 2008

Con-Ed reports that hundreds of customers in Brooklyn were still without power at 6 p.m. Sunday. Each cluster of triangles represents multiple outages.

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Snow Scene, Downtown Brooklyn

It was pretty nice before it turned into sleet and ice pellets.

Photo by MK Metz

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