Tagged: Cobble Hill

Drench With Your Splendor Me! BKBGPK Opens, “Wets” Hopes

By David Bukszpan

The ribbon cutting for Pier 1, the first section of Brooklyn Bridge Park to open, took place in the rain on Monday, March 22.

Viva Variety! Artist J.T. Yost Spreads the Wealth

By Kat Irannejad

Brooklyn The Borough enjoyed a raucous chat with the Yost, where we found out more about his work, his move to Brooklyn, and why the mural he’s been working on for his soon-to-be born daughter features a pigeon and an everything bagel. Trust us, it will all come together.

In Brooklyn – And Bored To Death – Everyone Is A Kid

By Nicole Brydson

The new HBO series Bored To Death, based on the life of Brooklyn author Jonathan Ames, has a lot to offer in contrasts between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Can’t We All Just Get Along? Ten Rules for Road Safety

By Nicole Brydson

In light of the increasing number of newly painted bike lanes, and the cars who like to defile them, we’ve created a list of new road rules for everyone to help prevent catastrophic crashes between bikes and cars.

Brooklyn’s Guide to City Council Elections

By Nicole Brydson

‘Tis the season for city elections, so in advance of the September 15 primary, Brooklyn The Borough has compiled a list of incumbents and challengers in this year’s contested City Council elections for Brooklyn. There are many challengers this year, and open seats in the 33rd and 39th districts have made for heated races. Issues surrounding sustainable development have driven many candidates out of the woodwork. The pro-development Brooklyn political machine is still alive but questions remain about whether candidates supported by the county’s party boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, will sustain themselves despite criticism for their ties to a machine that makes the money flow from Brooklyn based business interests. The term limits extension has also sparked a renewed political engagement in the borough. Many candidates who had planned on running for seats that would have been open before term limits were extended have chosen to challenge incumbents that voted for the extension. We’ve compiled detailed information on each race as well as fundraising totals as the candidates head into the final weekend of the campaign.

Brooklynites Suffer Worst Bed Bug Infestation In City

By Chhunny Chhean

In fiscal year 2009, 311 records indicate Brooklyn had 4,042 complaints of bed bugs and 1,729 violations. These numbers place Brooklyn first among all boroughs in number of complaints, with over 50% more complaints than the next closest borough, Manhattan. Dr. Louis Sorkin, a bed bug expert and entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, thinks the City should offer its residents more education on preventing the spread of these tiny terrors. Here’s the scoop on what to do if you find yourself with these unwanted house guests.

Real Reporters Are Still Harshing Mayor Mike’s Mellow

By Nicole Brydson

At the end of May, we learned that Mayor Bloomberg thought a reporter asking a question about term limit extensions was “a disgrace.” While it’s no surprise that the mayor’s campaign twitter account links to his press releases, a curious tweet popped up today, linking to the Cobble Hill Blog.

Bloomberg-subscribed tweeters, including Brooklyn The Borough were pointed by the campaign via twitter, to read about the mayor’s, and Borough President Marty Markowitz’s, efforts to revitalize the Brooklyn waterfront. What readers didn’t know is that the Cobble Hill Blog merely re-posted, word for word, a press release sent out by the borough president’s office.

Super Fight Over Gowanus Superfund! Bloomberg Sides With Developer; Whole Foods Bows Out

By Nicole Brydson

At first sight it’s obvious that the Gowanus Canal is filthy. Yet, residents continue to congregate around it, canoe across it, build vessels to tour it, and wonder if its beauty will ever again surpass its usefulness as an industrial center. Efforts to revitalize expansive industrial lots in the area have advanced, with bars, restaurants and music venues opening along Second and Third Avenues. Artists work in nearby studios, and the BKLYN Yard, a venue alongside the canal, draws young people from all over the city to afternoon dance parties, barbecues and swap meets on summer weekends. However, over 150 years of heavy industrial activity combined with sewage and storm water run-off, and its proximity to factories and gas refineries have made the canal a site of controversy since the Environmental Protection Agency announced in April that the waterway is a candidate for the Superfund National Priorities List.

Go Have Fun With Mike Edison In Brooklyn

By Nicole Brydson

If the young hedonists of Brooklyn could have a cheerleader – one that works his mysticism in the form of a Marty Markowitz – it’s Mike Edison.

New York Magazine’s Jody Quon Opens Exhibit At Photo Fest

By Nicole Brydson

“The title of the show comes from [the movie] Juno,” said New York Magazine Photo Editor Jody Quon, standing in the middle of St. Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo on Wednesday night. The opening night of the New York Photo Festival was already underway.

“It’s that moment when [Ellen Page’s character] tells her father that she’s pregnant and he says, ‘I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when,’ and that’s when she says, ‘I don’t really know what type of girl I am.’ So that’s the whole loop.”

Clay Shirky on Crowdsourcing Brooklyn

By Nicole Brydson

On Thursday, I caught up with author, NYU professor and Brooklynite Clay Shirky after a talk he gave at the M Project Gallery in Tribeca. Shirky spoke on the opportunities and challenges presented by the revolution in online communication and social media tools. Afterwards, we talked about how technology has influenced the shifting demographics of Brooklyn.

Mr. Donovan Goes to Washington

By Nicole Brydson

Boerum Hill resident and the city’s Commissioner of Housing, Preservation and Development Shaun Donovan, was confirmed late last night by the senate to fill the role of HUD Secretary under President Obama.

After the city struggled with slashed HUD resources under President Bush, let’s hope that Mr. Donovan can forge a healthier relationship between New York City and HUD, whose federal dollars keep roofs over the heads of many Brooklyn residents.

Sartorial Swingers!

By Nicole Brydson

“WE ARE IN A RECESSION!” screamed the words from my in-box back on Nov. 16, and whether it was official yet or not, the wardrobes of Brooklyn’s 20-somethings were feeling it.

The Great Shop Chop of ’08

By Nicole Brydson

Recently, the door to the new and expanded Beacon’s Closet, a consignment shop now on the corner of Warren Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, opened. Along with a burst of cold air came not a customer but a stink bomb.

In Defense of Parenthood

By Nicole Brydson

There he was standing in front of me giggling, arms outstretched, and totally naked. He was bald and wrinkled, like the dancing old man from those Six Flags commercials, but he was just over a foot tall and, from his mostly toothless smile, drooled a bit. His mom scooped him up and got him dressed.

Destined to Be Gentrified and Gentrifying

By Nicole Brydson

On a recent chilly night, I was bundled up and on my way to Boerum Hill to have dinner at a friend’s apartment. As I walked down Washington Avenue the B45 bus pulled up next to me, and I hesitated. “Which would be faster, the train or the bus?” I thought. Before I could make a decision, the bus doors had shuttered. Luckily, the light at Atlantic and Washington was still red and I approached the bus and knocked on the door. The driver, a middle-aged African-American man, refused to open the door, gesturing to the next stop, three street crossings away, even though his bus was still idling perfectly in front of a designated stop. It was 15 degrees outside and I’ll admit it, I felt like the driver was sticking it to me for being white.