Free Housing Going Fast at 100 Henry Street, Brooklyn

The big sign saying "We're Giving Away Free Housing" certainly caught our eye, and the eye of others passing by 100 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. The sign is in the window of the Educational Housing Service dormitories in the St. George. EHS, which operates seven different buildings throughout New York, has been giving away dorm rooms this summer (including free telephone, Internet, cable and gym) as a promotion.

They'll be giving away the last one tomorrow, May 29, so enter today if this is your kind of thing. Winners must be college students or interns. (Knew there was a catch.)

Photo by MK Metz

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Tour Buses Clog Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn

Fulton Ferry Landing -- near Barge Music, the Ice Cream Factory and the Future Home of Brooklyn Bridge Park -- is rife with tour buses nowadays.

Watch your step walking to the waterfront. The buses swing left at the end of Old Fulton Street, where they park along Furman Street for a while before wending their way onward.

A hot dog vendor plopped down in a formerly deserted spot to the left of Olga's barge knows what he's doing. A steady stream of tourists line up to buy real Brooklyn hot dogs.

There must be certain days when they are not so thick, but we haven't figured it out yet.

Photos by MK Metz

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Grand Opening Specials Already Posted at Downtown Brooklyn's Checkers

A "Big Buford" -- that's a Grand Opening special advertised in the window at Downtown Brooklyn's soon-to-open Checkers on Court Street (ex-home of the notorious Busy Chef).

The store's interior features a food counter and kitchen at the rear, booths to the left and a high counter with chairs running along the wall to the right. Everything's still wrapped in plastic.

The Checkers website defines a Big Buford as "two juicy, all-beef patties and two slices of American cheese on a toasted bun. It’s loaded with mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, onions, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and mustard." It's got 570 calories and 1090 mg of sodium. Yum.

Checkers will no doubt avoid the theft problem that brought down the Busy Chef. Each Checkers restaurant is outfitted with a minimum of 9 (up to 16) video cameras. The cameras are connected to a digital video recorder encased in a metal box in each store and the company’s computer network.

Managers and other authorized personnel can dial in from any computer to access the password-protected network and monitor the stores in real time or download a recording.

- Busy Chef Conversion to Brooklyn Checkers in Progress

Photo (top) by MK Metz
Photo of Big Buford courtesy of Checkers.

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And So the Mighty Rat Falls in Brooklyn

The famous inflated rat, symbol of the scorn that unions heap upon contractors using nonunion workers, was being deflated this morning in front of the Brooklyn Marriott.

The rat stood in front of the Marriott last week while Muss Development was doing asbestos removal work in a nearby Downtown Brooklyn property.

Photo by MK Metz

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Got the Flu? Stay the Heck Out of Our Office!

This sign hangs in front of a doctor's office on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights.

"To all patients: If you have the following symptoms:
fever; coughing; headache; body aches; sneezing; sore throat --
Please wait in the vestibule and wait to receive a mask."

(We might add: Just DON'T COME IN!)

Photo by MK Metz

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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.

Here's the latest batch:

- Lots of work in politics this week: Someone is putting together "a dynamic team to run an aggressive grassroots/ netroots campaign in NYC’s biggest race." They're hiring a Communications Director, Press Staff, Scheduler, a Social Media and Computer Guru, a Field Director, and organizers. Craigslist

- More politics: A Democrat in Park Slope is looking for part time campaign field workers. Min. $200/week. Craigslist

- Still more politics: Work for the Working Families Party, earn about $400/week after a training period. Craigslist

- Into horticulture? Brooklyn Botanic Garden's GreenBridge needs a program manager. BBG

- G4S (they do insurance claims) seeks "flexible, energetic, and creative applicants" for a part time Field Investigator position in Brooklyn. Career Builder

- Dyker Beach Golf Course is hiring for the following positions: Restaurant Server; Banquet Server; and Banquet Captain. Career Builder

- The Brooklyn Hospital Center needs someone to do graphic design, web development and marketing communications. Oodle

- The New York League for Early Learning is looking for substitute teacher assistants for children with disabilities on a Per Diem basis. Career Builder

- A public interest group needs a paralegal. Lawcrossing

- Dance Theatre Etcetera in Red Hook seeks a part time general manager skilled in both accounting and the arts. Craigslist -- In a similar vein, Spoke the Hub Dancing needs a part time office manager with good organizational skills. Craigslist

- Rapid Reality is looking for people to be rental agents (to show apartments) in Brooklyn. Oodle

- The Brooklyn Children's Museum is searching for a party host -- live animal handling experience a plus. Other jobs are also available in the gift shop and at various desks and stations. BCM

- A small design/tech company in Gowanus/Slope needs an all round studio manager with graphic design and internet skills. $15/hr. Craigslist

- Green Cleaner is offering a part time job as an upscale house cleaner providing natural cleaning services with aromatherapy. $15/hr. Craigslist


Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

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Brooklyn Memorial Day Events

Staying in Brooklyn on Memorial Day? We are, too. We're thinking picnic, maybe at Green-Wood. (See the event listed below.)

There's lots of other relaxing Memorial Day happenings here in Brooklyn -- here's a few we dug up:

Memorial Day Events in Brooklyn

142nd Memorial Day Parade: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Parade kicks off at 11am on Third Ave. & 87th St. Route along Third to Marine Ave. to 4th Ave. and over to 101st Street at John Paul Jones Park. Ceremony immediately following the parade. Third Avenue & 8th Street, Brooklyn. 917-873-1508

Canarsie Memorial Day Parade: 11:30 am- 5:00 pm. 92nd Street & Conklin Avenue, Brooklyn

Green-Wood Memorial Day Concert: 2 p.m. Green-Wood Historic Fund presents the ISO Symphonic Band under the direction of its founder Brian Worsdale. The concert will feature works by Green-wood residents Leonard Bernstein, Louis Gottschalk and fred Ebb, as well as a tribute to the history of Green-Wood Cemetery. Bring a folding chair, a blanket and a picnic lunch. Cookout food, snacks and drinks, as well as Historic Fund books and apparel will be for sale. Free.

DanceAfrica 2009 at BAM: May 24 & 25 at 3pm
A Memorial Day weekend tradition, DanceAfrica is packed with dance, music, art, and film events—plus the DanceAfrica outdoor Bazaar.

DanceAfrica Bazaar: Mon, May 25, 12noon—7pm
Lafayette Ave and Ashland Place. Over 250 vendors from around the world converge on the streets surrounding BAM, transforming the neighborhood into a global marketplace offering Africa, Caribbean, and African-American food, crafts, and fashion.

Human Powered Amusement Park and Funhouse: 6 p.m. Cyclone runs on human muscle and clever tricks. Soar to death-defying heights, spin, splash, and float over a sea of smiling faces. Join the 'carnies' and help make rides possible for everyone. Sideshows galore! 632 Grand Street in Williamsburg.

Street Fair: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. East 21 St. between Foster Ave. and Farragut Rd.

Cyclone Coasters West 10th Street Festival: 10:00 am- 11:00 pm. West 10th STreet between Surf Avenue and Boardwalk.

Graham Ave, BID Sidewalk Sale: 10:00 am- 7:00 pm. Graham Ave. between Broadway and Boerum Street.

5th Ave. Sidewalk Sale: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fifth Ave. between 38 and 64 St.

Tour Victorian Brooklyn Heights, with Friendly Native New Yorker Tours. 12:45 p.m. Meets in front of Borough Hall. 2 spots left — RSVP deadline: May 25, 2009 11:00 a.m.


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Teen Hit By Motorcycle On Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn

A teenager was struck by a motorcycle this morning on Adams Street while trying to cross the street just north of Joralemon.

This is just one of dozens of tragic accidents, many fatal, on this highway that runs right down the middle of one of the busiest section of Downtown Brooklyn. Eight schools lie within three blocks of this intersection.

A witness told the Brooklyn Eagle that the teen’s leg was broken “in about 10 places . . . both the tibia and the fibula. If it wasn’t for the flesh and bones, it’d be gone.”

The motorcycle rider (photo below, left), though slightly injured, jumped off his damaged bike and tried to help the youth.

Why isn't the city taking this carnage seriously? According to statistics compiled by Transportation Alternatives (CrashStat), there were more than 46 crashes with injuries or death at this intersection between 1995 and 2005 and 11 at the adjoining intersection of Adams and Willoughby streets.

Motor vehicles struck 39 people during that period a block north of here, at Adams and Livingston, where little Alexander Toulouse was run down by a mail truck in September.

A Brooklyn Heights' woman was killed in April, about 15 feet away from today's accident. This is less than a block away from where Judge Bookson was struck and killed, and two blocks away from another deadly intersection, Adams and Tillary Streets. Teacher Ron Mortensen was killed at this intersection in April 2007.

Community Board 2 District Manager Robert Perris told the Eagle that speed bumps were not being considered. “We have asked for ‘countdown’ crossing signals. But those are in a pilot study, and we were not able to secure one for Adams Street,” he said.

Another Pedestrian Hit On 'Treacherous' Adams Street Brooklyn Eagle


Past posts on this topic:

- Another Accident On Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn

- Tillary Street Redesign Meeting: DOT Gets Input

-Traffic Changes Saturday at Dangerous Downtown Brooklyn Intersection

- Remembering the Dead at a Dangerous Brooklyn Intersection -- Tillary and Adams Street

- Another Accident at Tillary and Adams Streets

- DOT traffic cam at the intersection of Adams and Tillary streets.

- Intersection Where Boy Died in Downtown Brooklyn One of City's Most Dangerous

- Another Death on Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn

- A Name on a Lamppost

- Another Tragic Death on Brooklyn Streets


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Car With Boot, Downtown Brooklyn

This is the first time we've actually seen a car here in Brooklyn getting booted. Technically called a Denver Boot, these wheel clamps are usually installed on cars belonging to ticket scofflaws. This car, parked on Cadman Plaza East just north of Cadman Plaza Park, had Connecticut plates.

Some people get really upset -- while others get awfully creative -- when their car gets the boot.

Photo by MK Metz

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Manhattan Bridge, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park

It was so deliciously sunny yesterday we decided to walk down to Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Dumbo. It's always beautiful down there but it really outdid itself these past few days.

Wonder if the Dock Street project -- if approved today -- will throw the park into shadow?

Photo by MK Metz

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