Montague Street Parking Meters Get All Cozy

We have to jump on the bandwagon and post a couple of photos of the Montague Street parking meters lovingly covered with hand-knitted cozies.

Volunteers have covered 69 of the shopping street's meter posts with these colorful "socks," in a project led by artist Magda Sayeg.

Some of them don't all get the respect they deserve.

Photos by MK Metz

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Waiting for Master At Pierrepont Playground

This dog can't come in, but he keeps his eye on his young master at Pierrepont Playground in Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by MK Metz

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Gregory Hotel in Brooklyn Should Probably Lose a Star At Least

What is it with the The Best Western Gregory Hotel in Bay Ridge?

It seems decent enough. The rooms come with cable satellite television with HBO and pay per view movies, daily complimentary continental breakfasts and complimentary newspapers.

So why do bodies keep turning up?

A woman named Pamela Hanson was convicted of murder this week for killing a guy at the Gregory after he spit on her. From today's Brooklyn Eagle:

"At the death-plagued Gregory Hotel, an enraged stripper was spit on by a customer and then stabbed the man in the neck — paralyzing him — before sticking the knife down his throat."

Not for nothin', but that was the third death at the hotel in a six month period. What is it about that place?

Oddly, the guests commenting about the Gregory on Expedia think it's pretty OK -- while the guests commenting on Trip Advisor think it's pretty dreadful. No one mentions the bodies,

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It's Sea Monster Time Again In Long Island

It's sea monster time again -- specifically, it's that time of year when the bloated, corroded corpse of a "Montauk Monster" comes washing up on shore somewhere in Long Island and we bloggers have a field day speculating on what top secret government lab is producing these creatures from hell.

This season's Montauk Monster (let's call it Monty 2) was recently brought to our attention by Montauk-Monster.com ("The Official Montauk Monster Web Site"). They said that the smelly old thing was found by a local couple in Southold, on the island's North Fork. They also provide a video, taken in the dead of night, of the group examining the item.

Remember last summer's Montauk Monster?
And the Dumbo Sea Creature?

They're baaaack.

- And Now, a Monster at Montauk
- Yet Another Creature Crawls From the Sea -- This Time in Dumbo

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Crystals, Tarot at 395 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn

This new Crystal Gallery has popped up at 395 Atlantic Avenue near Bond Street in Boerum Hill. According to the signs, you can get your cards read, your aura charted, your chakras unplugged or your crystals tuned at the shop. There's a "special reading" for $5.

A while back there was an antique shop here; years ago, The Phoenix newspaper (a Downtown Brooklyn weekly now owned by the Brooklyn Eagle) was headquartered at this site.

Photo by MK Metz

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Circus Amok's Miller Tells the Madoff Tale In 'CRACKED ICE'

CRACKED ICE, a new show by Circus Amok’s founder and director, Jennifer Miller, riffs off the damage caused by Ponzi artist Bernie Madoff. A review in the Brooklyn Eagle describes it as "a vaudeville telling of this tragic, classic tale."

But, as people familiar with the bearded Miller might expect, “Bernie” is the "mustachioed villain, and the ending is happy, with lots of intrigue, masquerading and gender-switching characters in the middle."

For those unfamiliar with Ms. Miller, here's a clip from the 2006 Circus Amok Parks Tour.



Dance Brooklyn: Riffing On the Madoff Scandal Brooklyn Eagle

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Concord Market, Downtown Brooklyn, Hoping For June Opening

The new Concord Market in Downtown Brooklyn (on Tillary Street at Jay in Concord Village) sounds like it's going to be a huge improvement over the Associated supermarket that used to occupy the space. (The photo to the left is the old Associated, still hanging around on Google Maps but no longer with us.)

The owner, Victor Vora, is a resident of Concord Village himself and knows what the neighborhood needs, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. He's been totally rehabbing the place, and plans to offer residents free delivery, “even for single grocery items.” The way things stand this week, he's hoping for a June opening.

Now if he could only do something about the nearby Celeste Diner.

New Supermarket for Downtown to Open Next Month Brooklyn Eagle

Photo from Google Maps

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Brooklyn Industries Hangs Tough

It's a tougher, meaner look for a tougher, meaner world.

Brooklyn Industries had plans to open 40 more stores by 2011. Now, according to an interview with co-founders Lexy Funk and Vahap Avsar (by Lisa Chow on WNYC radio), as Brooklyn Industries watches some of its neighbors on Smith Street go out of business, the priority has shifted from growing to scaling back.

The two-part interview is here and here.

Photo by MK Metz

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Cancel Your Cancun Vacation and Party in Brooklyn, and More Briefs

- Car drives into Gowanus Canal, does not immediately dissolve. Photos on the Pardon Me For Asking blog.

- Just one more legal glitch in the way of Ratner's Atlantic Yards project. Brooklyn Eagle

- People are canceling Memorial Day flights to Cancun to party hardy right here in Brooklyn. High-heeled shoes seem to be involved. Minority Report

- The Park Slope Civic Council is aiming to triple in size Brooklyn’s largest historic district. Brooklyn Paper

- There’s Brooklyn's Chili Takedown, Tofu Takedown, Bacon Throwdown, Chili Cook-off, Emily Farris’ Casserole Contest . . . and Monday's 3rd annual Brooklyn Kitchen Cupcake Bake-off. The Brooklyn Kitchen

- Several thousand dwarfs and family members will be descending on Brooklyn this summer. Your Nabe

- Dumbo company makes Tyvek wallets, goes viral on YouTube. The rest is history. GreenBeat Brooklyn

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The Dumbo Sideshow -- What Was Happening Outside of Bklyn Designs

While crowds thronged to Bklyn Designs this past weekend, what passes for normal in Dumbo continued outside the boundaries of St. Ann's Warehouse.

The night before the exhibit, someone decided it would be nice to "replant nature into the urban facade" by adding birds, trees and other natural shapes to the scaffolding on Water Street (above). The artist called it the "De-fence Project." Lovely, but officials decided they had better pick the low-hanging fruit (er, birds), before someone conked themselves on the head and sued somebody.

Around the corner closer to Front Street, people against the Two Trees Dock Street project ("a super-size development situated too close to the Brooklyn Bridge") engaged in a postcard writing campaign. The final step in the ULURP process for Dock Street DUMBO is upcoming this month with hearings at City Council May 21st, 10 a.m., at City Hall.

The Brooklyn Flea was packed. We never found the hidden three-panel cowhide and leather satchel, which we really wanted, but we did get some great fried bananas at the Red Hook Vendors stand.

These bible guys had a table parked down near the entrance to the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park. Their sign asked the question: "Who really rules the world?" The only answers allowed were: A. God; B. Jesus; C. Satan; D. Man.

The young men sitting behind the posters kept their eyes glued to their bibles. Why? It might have had something to do with the beautiful but scantily-clad beauty not ten feet away, practicing for her upcoming role in the West Indian American Day Parade.


Related topics:
- Great Weekend At Bklyn Designs
- Brooklyn's West Indian American Day Parade Wrap Up
- Dumbo Dock Street Public Hearing Tonight
- Feral Art in Dumbo
- Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival -- Neither Wind Nor Rain

Photos by MK Metz

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