Flatbush Pigeon

"Celebrate Brooklyn" Listing Teasers Beginning to Leak.

2009-04-03T10:51:00.011-04:00

Included in this year's lineup:

MGMT
Wednesday July 1st, 2009 5:30 PM

JACKSON BROWNE
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 7:30 PM

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Friday August 14, 2009 5:30 PM

I Know I am the Slackiest Blogger in Brooklyn but...

2009-04-01T12:47:00.002-04:00

THE FLATBUSH PIGEON BLOG IS ONE YEAR OLD TODAY!

Dead Fish (and the people who love them)Of Flatbush

2009-03-17T12:26:00.012-04:00

In Memoriam: Benazir Bhutto

2008-12-26T22:09:00.006-05:00

A woman of courage and honor.

Benazir Bhutto

June 21, 1953 - December 27, 2007

This Sunday - smART: Brooklyn Gallery Hop! Hop On, Hop Off Bus Service Included!

2008-12-12T16:12:00.010-05:00

View the full itinerary here:

http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/pdf/smART_V4.pdf

Sunday, December 14, from 1pm to 6pm, 64 participating Brooklyn art galleries will offer exhibitions and refreshments, as well as a chance for visitors to learn more about Brooklyn's expanding art scene.

The free smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop features buses that run through four different gallery districts, allowing participants to hop on and off the bus within each line's loop.Buses will be staffed with art docents offering smART tip sheets about collecting and buying art. BP Markowitz says, "With all the artists living and working here, I like to say Brooklyn is the "Creative Capital of New York City." In addition to our wonderful museums, we've got scores of hip galleries—many showcasing the work of emerging Brooklyn artists. So I invite all art lovers of every stripe to get out and enjoy Brooklyn's vibrant, lively art scene. There's no better way to do it than the smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop. Just hop on a shuttle, browse, socialize, raise your 'Art I.Q.,' and maybe even purchase a work by the next Jeff Koons or Jean-Michel Basquiat—just in time for holiday gift giving!"

Four smART Brooklyn Gallery "districts" will be included in bus routes. Participants can visit galleries in the Gold Loop: DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and Red Hook; the Red Loop: Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant; the Green Loop: Crown Heights, Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, and Flatbush; and the Blue Loop: Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

The smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop is a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors working to advance local economic development and increase awareness and support of the arts. To reserve a seat on the bus, you must register by phone at 718-802-3530 or email smart@visitbrooklyn.org

PLEASE HELP ELIZABETH!

2008-12-12T15:36:00.007-05:00

ELIZABETH TAYLOR KULIKOWSKI
is 2 1/2 years old. In September 2007 she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain stem tumor ( diffused pontine glioma).. She was treated at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and received the most aggressive and progressive form of treatment currently available. The treatment she received was a new combination of radiation and radioactive chemotherapy, she showed great progress, and passed the 1 YEAR mark with a great outlook. In October 2008 her regular MRI showed the tumor was still stable!!! Unfortunately, a mere 3 weeks later in November, an MRI showed that the tumor had rapidly re-grown. Needless to say Elizabeth’s family and doctors at Dana Farber were very discouraged, as the treatment she received was the best availableHer doctors at Dana Farber gave Elizabeth 3 months to live.

Through aggressive research Elizabeth’s family found the Burzynski Clinic in Houston, TX (for more info www.burzynskiclinic.com) Dr. S. Burzynski has been using low-toxic gene therapy to treat cancer for the past 30 years.. The Burzynksi clinic has had SUCCESS against tumors just like Elizabeth’s!!! Unfortunately, since the treatment is still undergoing FDA trials Elizabeth’s treatment is NOT COVERED by insurance. Elizabeth and her family have relocated to Houston to begin treatment; the initial cost to begin treatment is $18,000! To maintain her treatments for a year it will cost her family $7,600 a month!!!

Donations will assist with the cost of Elizabeth’s treatments as well as temporary accommodations in Houston for Elizabeth and her family. An account has been set up at Sovereign Bank in Randolph, MA, assistance of any kind is GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Donations can be made payable to:

Elizabeth Kulikowski
SEND TO: SOVEREIGN BANK
c/o ELIZABETH KULIKOWSKI FUND
301 NORTH MAIN ST.
RANDOLPH, MA 02368 MA1-CBO-0890

Finishing Touches Being Added to the Triangle Junction Mall Applebees.

2008-11-25T12:22:00.015-05:00

I fanageled my way into a pre-opening visit of the new Applebees in the Triangle Junction Mall this morning. The development of the Triangle Junction was reported throughout the past year by the Brookyn Junction Blog. As you can see from the images, the construction is nearing completion as workman put the finishing touches on the monster chain restaurant.

Now Brooklyn can enjoy the same American standards as such high-brow cities as Deluth, Dayton, Tulsa and Hartford! And you know how us Brooklynites aspire to be just like everyone else!

Navigating the Fiscal Crisis in New York City:A Forum for Non-Profits 12.17.08

2008-11-24T14:51:00.004-05:00

We Are All Brooklyn
And
Project CARE

Invite you to attend

Navigating the Fiscal Crisis in New York City:

A Forum for Non-Profits

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Office of the Brooklyn Borough President

209 Joralemon Street – Courtroom

RSVP: Contact Hoi Chan at 212-983-4800 x136

ChanH@jcrcny.org

www.waab.org

In cooperation with:
CAUSE-NY/JCRC – COPO – Crown Heights Community Mediation Center – Flatbush Development Corporation – Greater Brooklyn Health Coalition – Sovereign Bank – Independence Community Foundation

This forum is generously underwritten by Sovereign Bank.

We Are All Brooklyn and Project CARE receive technical and coalition consultation from CAUSE-NY, the intergroup relations division of the Jewish Community Relations Council-NY. The JCRC is a beneficiary of UJA-Federation of NY.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HELP CAMBA BY BUYING AT AMAZON.COM. WHEN YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH HTTP://WWW.CAMBA.ORG, AMAZON.COM WILL DONATE UP TO 15% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE TO CAMBA. SO PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE, CLICK ON THE AMAZON ICON AND START SHOPPING. THANK YOU!

CAMBA is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTD/TTY equipment via the New York State relay number 1-800-662-1220.

Gloria Steinem to Speak at the Chilsolm Exhibit at the Brooklyn College Library

2008-11-17T10:08:00.007-05:00

Brooklyn College Library announces the opening of the exhibit:

Shirley Chisholm

"A Catalyst for Change"

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

5:00 pm

Woody Tanger Auditorium

Keynote Speak

Gloria Steinem

"It is important right now to pay tribute to shirley and what she pioneered."

Brooklyn College Library

2900 Bedford Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11210

2008-11-14T23:42:00.003-05:00

WAYNE HODGE

JOANNA MALINOWSKA

JESSICA ANN PEAVY

November 22, 2008 - January 4, 2009

Artists' Reception: Saturday, November 22, 5-8 pm

Smack Mellon is pleased to announce solo exhibitions for three exciting and innovative artists working in performance and video.

Wayne Hodge

The Original Comedy

Joanna Malinowska

Les aventures dans le code § 120.45

Jessica Ann Peavy

Rituals of Consumption: Leviticus rowed the boat ashore

This exhibition is made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Greenwall Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Eve Sussman and Smack Mellon's Members.

Smack Mellon also receives generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Council Member David Yassky and the New York City Council, Bloomberg, Brooklyn Arts Council JPMorgan Chase Regrant Program, Fifth Floor Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, The Greenwich Collection Ltd., Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, Independence Community Foundation, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., Judith and Donald Rechler Foundation Inc., Lily Auchincloss Foundation Inc., Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Inc., The New York Community Trust, The Pinkerton Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Inc., The Starry Night Fund of Tides Foundation, The Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation, Inc., and William Talbott Hillman Foundation.

Space for Smack Mellon's programs is generously provided by the Walentas Family and Two Trees Management.

Featured Brooklynites of the Week!

2008-11-14T22:08:00.004-05:00

After a long hiatus, I've been inspired to resurrect the old "Featured Brooklynite of the Week" series by what would be the 108th birthday of one of Brooklyn's most undeniable greats; Aaron Copeland.

Image courtesy of www.mansfieldisd.org

November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990

A city kid with a western heart,

From Buckaroo Holiday to Hoe-down

Your tempos evince you as

a true "Urban Cowboy"

r.i.p.

Another Issue of "Now Don't Go Telling Your Manhattan Friends": They say you pay for a view but...

2008-11-13T21:22:00.012-05:00

Their view:

Image from the Brooklyn Paper

Our view:

Image from the Brooklyn Paper

Ha Suckas!

Brooklyn TKTS Now Open Saturday!

2008-11-12T16:59:00.005-05:00

Image by McBrooklyn

Visit the McBrooklyn blog for more info:

McBrooklyn Reports Brooklyn TKTS Booth Now Open Saturdays, Closed Mondays

Meet your favorite Brooklyn authors and illustrators at the Brooklyn Museum 11/15, 1-5.

2008-11-12T14:33:00.005-05:00

Meet your favorite Brooklyn authors and illustrators.

Children's Book Fair
Saturday, November 15, 1-5 p.m.
The Rubin Pavilion of the Brooklyn Museum

Autographed books available as holiday gifts for family and friends. Hands-on art activities. Light refreshments available.

Readings

1:30 p.m.:

Phil Bildner

Author of Turkey Bowl

2:30 p.m.

Selina Alko

Author and illustrator of Greetings from the 50 States

3:30 p.m.

Mike Herrod

Author and illustrator of Comics to Go!

Other Participating authors and illustrators:
Selina Alko, Gail Ablow and Kathy Osborn, Phil Bildner, Sophie Blackall, Jim Burke, R.Gregory Christie, Miriam Cohen, John Michael Cummings, Philip Dray, Keith DuQuette, Buket Erdogan, Melanie Hope Greenberg, Dennis Hasely, Mike Herrod, Paul Hoppe, John and Wendy with Nancy Krulik, Yukiko Kido, Laura Ljungkvist, Kam Mak, Meghan McCarthy, Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash, Sean Qualls, Sergio Ruzzier, Mari Takabayashi, Lauren Thompson, and more.

The Brooklyn Musuem

200 Eastern Parkway

Brooklyn, NY - 11238

2 or 3 to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum

Tango Fire & Chava Alberstein Grace the Stage of The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts This Weekend!

2008-11-12T12:57:00.006-05:00

Tango Fire

Tango Fire features ten torrid dancers in a seductive journey through the history of tango, from its origins in the red light district of Buenos Aires to the dazzling world of contemporary ballroom. Accompanied live by the fiery Quatrotango, the ensemble sets the stage ablaze with its passion and precision.

Date: November 15, 2008
Time: 8 PM

TICKET INFO
Gold: $75*
Single Ticket: $45, $30
Multibuy Price: $40, $26

For Tickets go to:
http://www.brooklyncenteronline.org/

*Gold seating constitutes the first ten rows of the center
orchestra - Multibuy and other dicounts do not apply.

Chava Alberstein

With over 50 recordings since the late 1960s, many of them now gold or platinum, Chava Alberstein is undoubtedly one of Israel’s greatest singers. She brings her warm, soulful sound to Brooklyn Center in a program of Yiddish, Hebrew, and English songs ranging from traditional Jewish melodies to her own poignant originals.

TICKET INFO:
Date: November 16, 2008
Time: 2 PM
Single Ticket: $25
Multibuy Price: $22

For Tickets go to:
http://www.brooklyncenteronline.org/

This Weekend at BC: Support Student Artists!

2008-11-11T23:19:00.006-05:00

BC Art Department MFA Open Studios

11.14.08 6:00 - 10:00 pm

11.15.08 2:00 - 8:00 pm

5th Floor Boylan Hall

2900 Bedford Ave

11210

Urban Sportsman and the Ingenious Mobile Billboard

2008-11-11T09:57:00.012-05:00

Image shamelessly lifted from Copyranter

Drats! I forgot my camera!

As usual, after dropping my youngin' off at school this morning I got stuck behind a truck just like the one displayed above. I was so emamoured by its brilliance that nothing at that moment nothing could have moved me to my usual state of chagrin.

Sure, all of us NYers have come across clever messages scrawled into the street grime that collects on our once-white commercial vehicles. But this cost-free form of broadcast for this kind of organically-grown urban pastime reinforces my hope that the masses can in fact change the world..one dirty little truck at a time!

The result of this experience, FP has had an epiphany. Flatbush Pigeon is now waging a dirty truck inscription campaign for the promotion of her blog. Any reader who sends in an image of flatbushpigeon.blogspot.com scrawled on a dirty truck along with another of their soiled fingers to prove they produced it, shall be promoted as a honorable guerilla campaigner on my blog in the upcoming weeks.

* Rules of entry; FP loyalist, good handwriting skills. The use of gloves

is strongly prohibited as they are they instruments of sissies!

Btw, visit them!

Heart of Brooklyn Introduces Free Shuttle to Cultural Destination

2008-11-10T16:03:00.004-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 10, 2008
CONTACT:

Ellen Salpeter esalpeter@heartofbrooklyn.org
Amy Atticks aatticks@heartofbrooklyn.org
(718) 638-7700

New FREE Cultural Connection to Brooklyn: Heart of Brooklyn Introduces Free Shuttle to Cultural Destination

Brooklyn, NY--Heart of Brooklyn is pleased to introduce The HOB Connection, a new FREE shuttle bringing cultural enthusiasts to central Brooklyn's world-renowned institutions: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo.
The HOB Connection includes three programs: Target First Saturdays Shuttle, Saturday Scene, and Museum Mile to Brooklyn Style. All programs are FREE hop-on, hop-off rides featuring tour guides, coupon books offering discounts and special values at Brooklyn restaurants and shops, and maps and brochures from Brooklyn cultural attractions.
Museum Mile to Brooklyn Style picks up passengers each Sunday outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art (at 10am, 1pm and 3:45pm), and on 42nd Street at Bryant Park (at 10:15am, 1:15pm, and 4pm). It then makes its way to central Brooklyn’s cultural destination, stopping at the main entrances of each of Heart of Brooklyn's member institutions.
Saturday Scene provides free transportation to the cultural destination from select neighborhoods in Brooklyn on Saturdays, running continuous loops between 10am-6pm from Bay Ridge (second Saturdays), Red Hook (third Saturdays), and Williamsburg (fourth Saturdays).
Target First Saturdays Shuttle carries riders on the first Saturday of each month from 5-10pm between FREE Target First Saturdays at Brooklyn Museum and places to eat, drink and shop in surrounding neighborhoods.
For more information on these programs, and for an up-to-date list of routes and times, visit The HOB Connection webpage or call (718) 638-7700, x22.

Heart of Brooklyn (HOB) is a partnership of the leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park, and Prospect Park Zoo. Heart of Brooklyn encourages tourism and learning by making its world-class collections and historic treasures more visible and accessible. As an integral part of Brooklyn’s renaissance, Heart of Brooklyn is committed to strengthening the future of its neighborhoods.

The HOB Connection is a new initiative funded by the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, The Arts & Business Council of New York, New York State Council on the Arts, and New York City Department of Small Business Services to serve Brooklyn residents, merchants, tourists and visitors and to showcase some of the borough’s unique, authentic neighborhoods and cultural treasures.

This in from Sustainable Flatbush: Flatbush FreeMeet - 11/22/08 PS 217 Playground.

2008-11-10T13:45:00.007-05:00

Flatbush FreeMeet, November 22 2008!
By anne • November 10, 2008
sponsored ny Sustainable Flatbush

REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE
at the FLATBUSH FREEMEET!

sponsored by
Sustainable Flatbush
and Freecycle™ New York City

Saturday, November 22, 2008
12 noon - 3pm
P.S. 217 Playground
(1100 Newkirk Avenue at Coney Island Avenue)
Flatbush, Brooklyn

Directions: Q train to Newkirk Ave or F to 18th Ave, or B68 bus to Coney Island Avenue and Newkirk. You will find the FreeMeet underneath the scaffolding next to the playground.

WHY:
New Yorkers discard some 12,000 tons of waste each day that is exported to landfills and incinerators in other states! Here’s your chance to help NYC reduce waste and keep our environment clean by finding new homes for your old stuff, and getting some things you can use in the process. Leftovers will be donated or recycled to every extent possible.

WHAT TO BRING:
Bring unwanted clothing, housewares and other reusable items to share* or simply bring a tote bag to fill. Bring friends and family too!

Electronics Recycling!
Bring electronics to be reused, recycled and redistributed through Rattech, who will accept old computers, electronic equipment, printers, monitors, CD’s, toner / ink cartridges, etc.

Got wire hangers?
Bring ‘em to the FreeMeet so we can hang clothes and recycle the hangers afterwards.

Bring used BRITA FILTERS to donate to the Take Back the Filter campaign

MORE INFO:
www.RecycleThisNYC.org/freemeet

*please bring portable items only and log on to www.Freecycle.org to give away furniture and other heavy stuff.

The Images of a Phenomenal Week in American History!

2008-11-08T22:57:00.005-05:00

Image from the NY Times Cityroom

NY Times Cityroom shows us what it looked like out there during this week in history! (The image at the Apollo Theater is amazing.) See the slideshow here.

The Annual Beyond Hunger Emergency Food Drive

2008-11-08T19:48:00.005-05:00

The Annual Beyond Hunger Emergency Food Drive

October 8th to November 14th

After 20 years of serving hungry individuals and families in Flatbush, CAMBA’s Food Pantry has become a Choice or Supermarket style pantry. Since that time, we have seen our utilization increase by over 300% ata time that our funding has been cut!

Please go through your cupboards and remember us when grocery shopping over the next month. We are in need of non-perishable canned and packaged foods to keep the pantry doors open. In particular, we’re looking for the following:

Items Needed:

Rice • Beans • Fruit • Vegetables • Pasta

Canned Tuna/Salmon • Canned chicken • Canned or dried milk

100% Fruit juice • Cereal • Peanut butter

Holiday items including: stuffing mix, cornbread mix, yams, etc

Drop off locations:

1720 Church Avenue, 2nd Floor

885 Flatbush Avenue, Room 202

19 Winthrop Street

2103 Kenmore Terrace

Park Slope Shelter – 1402 8th Avenue

Please contact Janet Miller @ 718-287-0010 x224 for further information

The Flatbush Daffodil Project Continues...

2008-11-06T21:26:00.003-05:00

Flatbush Daffodil Project

Plant flowers on your street!

We have 1650 daffodil bulbs and they are going in the ground! Come do some real community gardening with your neighbors, plant daffodil bulbs in tree pits and along the streetscape.

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2008
Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: meet in front of P.S. 217, Newkirk Ave btw Stratford and Coney Island Ave
Street: Newkirk Avenue
Contact Info: info@sustainableflatbush.org

Here's the complete schedule:
11/1 - Beverley Road
11/2 - Cortelyou Road
11/8 - Newkirk Avenue
11/9 - PS 139 and PS 217

Late Notice: Smack Mellon Presents First Thursdays

2008-11-06T16:33:00.005-05:00

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5, 6-8:30pm

First Thursdays at Smack Mellon
Live Music, Beer & Art

Smack Mellon presents great new sounds by local musicians every first Thursday of the month. Come and enjoy the great view and beer tasting, courtesy of Kelso of Brooklyn.

This month's featured musicians:

Kevin Congelton TrioPerformance starts at 7pm.

Smack Mellon

92 Plymouth Street,

Dumbo, Bklyn

718.834.8761

http://www.smackmellon.org/

Vendors needed for the Newkirk Holiday Vendor Market

2008-11-06T10:55:00.006-05:00

For sponsor or vendor opportunities contact Mannix Gordan at 718.859.3800 or mgordan@fdconline.org

Salute Salud!

2008-11-04T17:30:00.019-05:00

A great little culinary addition to the neighborhood has opened its doors this week.

Salud

1308 Avenue H

Brooklyn, New York 11230

347.295.1191

Touting itself as "A Latin Take on organic goodness" Salud offers fresh juices, signature smoothies, homemade soups and sandwiches. As a neighborhood family owned business, the owners and all the staff are friendly people and invite FP readers to come on down and give them a try.

Salud wall mural

See menu below (and FP recommends the Mexican Hot Chocolate!)

Flatbush Pigeon is Now On Facebook

2008-11-04T10:18:00.004-05:00

Her virtual self-esteem has now risen exponentially as she now has 8 friends...She even met 3 of them once!

Freaks Invade Flatbush!

2008-10-31T22:28:00.009-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YOU FREAKS!

Groovy Stuff To Be Found In The Streets Of Brooklyn

2008-10-31T16:20:00.012-04:00

Midwood High School After the Upgrade

2008-10-31T15:54:00.009-04:00

Despite all my squawking about the inaccessible park, the Midwood High School Science Annex project proves to be a nice improvement.

The Crowd Awaits the opening "Fright Night" @ P.S. 139 - 11/30/08

2008-10-31T15:50:00.002-04:00

"Fringe" Invades Ditmas Park -11/30/08

2008-10-31T15:31:00.012-04:00

Scenes from Rugby Road filming 11/30/08

NYC Opera Presents "Looking Forward" At Brooklyn College the Sunday, 11/2/08, 4:00 pm.

2008-10-30T10:38:00.015-04:00

I have no idea that this event was not more widely promoted but I think this event would be of interest to many FP readers.

From the NYC Opera Website:

City Opera Music Director George Manahan and the City Opera Orchestra, Chorus and soloists present Looking Forward, a concert program focusing on 20th-century classical music by such pioneering geniuses as Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varèse, and Lukas Foss. Between each piece, Maestro Manahan will comment on how this vibrant music reveals some of the key artistic developments of the 20th century, including minimalism, electronic music, jazz, and neo-classicism. City Opera will perform this concert in each of the city’s five boroughs, beginning with Staten Island’s historic St. George Theatre and culminating in Manhattan’s newly-renovated Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. The broad geographic span of these concerts and other events heralds one of new General Manager Gerard Mortier’s key initiative: to extend City Opera’s reach to diverse areas and populations across the city.

NEW YORK CITY OPERA PRESENTS "LOOKING FORWARD"

City Opera Music Director George Manahan and the City Opera Orchestra, Chorus and soloists present Looking Forward, a concert program focusing on 20th-century classical music by such pioneering geniuses as Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varèse, and Lukas Foss. Between each piece, Maestro Manahan will comment on how this vibrant music reveals some of the key artistic developments of the 20th century, including minimalism, electronic music, jazz, and neo-classicism. City Opera will perform this concert in each of the city’s five boroughs, beginning with Staten Island’s historic St. George Theatre and culminating in Manhattan’s newly-renovated Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. The broad geographic span of these concerts and other events heralds one of new General Manager Gerard Mortier’s key initiative: to extend City Opera’s reach to diverse areas and populations across the city.
Whitman Theater at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Brooklyn College Campus
2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
Tickets: $25
On Sale Now

In fall 2008, New York City Opera begins an exciting year of transition as the company’s home at Lincoln Center, the New York State Theater, undergoes major renovations in preparation for the arrival of our new General Manager and Artistic Director, world-renowned opera visionary Gerard Mortier. During the renovations, City Opera will take to the road, bringing live music and provocative cultural conversation to more than fourteen different venues in all five boroughs of New York City. Through concerts, showcases, multi-media presentations, talks, panels, and film screenings, City Opera will celebrate opera’s surprisingly central role in contemporary culture, and will provide a preview of future seasons. Click on any of the above icons to learn more about the diverse programs City Opera is offering during the 2008-2009 season.

Beautiful Views of Flatbush

2008-10-28T02:12:00.016-04:00

The view from the prayer vestibule:

Image by FlatbushPigeon

Our Lady of Refuge R.C. Church

2020 Foster Avenue,

Brooklyn, NY 11210

This Weekend: Third Root Community Health Center Grand Opening Celebration.

2008-10-27T22:04:00.005-04:00

This just in from the folks at Third Root Community Health Center:

THIRD ROOT GRAND OPENING PARTY!

Third Root has now been open for 2 months, and it's time to celebrate! We are committed to accessible, collaborative, and empowering healthcare, providing massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga, herbal medicine, and community health workshops. Please join us for an afternoon of free services and herbal teas, and then a celebration at 5pm!

Sunday, November 2, 12-7pm
Third Root Community Health Center
380 Marlboro Road (Q to Cortelyou)

Note that all classes for the day will be cancelled.

Schedule for the day (all free of charge!):
Open Yoga Class 12-1pm
Community Acupuncture 1-3pm
Open Yoga Class 3.30-4.30pm

Music, Slideshow, and Treats 5-7pm
With Dance Alisa Dance, Mark Lee, and all of the Third Root providers! Please come and share in our Grand Opening! Mark it in your calendars, make your travel plans if you live outside of New York, and invite friends!

For more info call 718.940.9343 or email info@thirdroot.org

So Why Is This Much-Anticipated Park Off-Limits to the Community?

2008-10-25T09:17:00.028-04:00

I don't know. To me, the above image depicts a bustling open-air community center where young kids play on the jungle gym while their parents compare notes with those of their playmates, teenagers practice their skateboard stunts, college students read over their notes before class & other local residents simply enjoy the day.

There had been much local blog press about the Midwood High School Park over the lengthy course of its construction. Both Brooklyn Junction and yours truly kept our Flatbush neighbors updated at nearly every phase. See here & here.

Why, oh why then does the park look like this everyday since its opening in early September?

The short answer is depicted below:

Midwood HS park remains off-limits to the community two months after its completion

My guess as to the long answer to the question of why the open-space starved Flatbush community is being denied access to the new park has something to do with park maintenance or - lack thereof. If this is the case, I (for one) have a few suggestions; Why not open the dilemma up to community? Perhaps there are residents, residents & more residents who wouldn't mind volunteering their time for clean up. Maybe there is a Brooklyn College Student Organization that would want to help. Or, maybe the Flatbush Development Corp., CAMBA or the Flatbush-Junction BID might offer some kind of solution.

At this point, the only people using the area are the students of PS 152 &/or PS 315 during their recess time. While I'm very happy that the park is available to them for a short period of time during the school day, I can't see why these same neighborhood kids can't use the park after-school or on the weekends with their other friends and families.

FP would love to hear from the Flatbush community about the new park and our lack of access to it. Please leave a comment, explanation or suggestion if you are so moved.

LIVE 3rd Party Debate Tonight On C-Span. 9:00 pm.

2008-10-23T14:44:00.005-04:00

Image from freeandequal.org

LIVE 3rd Party Debate Tonight, Ralph Nader (I) & Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party) meet in a 3rd Party debate, hosted by Free and Equal. This is Mr. Nader's fourth presidential campaign. Mr. Baldwin is a radio talk show host and Baptist Minister.

Image from C-Span.org

http://www.cspan.org/

This Weekend at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College

2008-10-23T12:55:00.004-04:00

Re-live the Golden Age of Radio when music, sound effects, and great voices were used to create unforgettable theatrical dramas, as America's foremost radio theater company performs a double bill of science fiction classics. First, experience a live performance of Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, which terrified Americans with its harrowing account of a Martian invasion. Then journey back to a land that time forgot with Professor Challenger and his team of explorers in a new adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's prehistoric adventure, The Lost World.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, adapted by Howard Koch; The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by John de Lancie and Nat Segaloff; Directed by John de Lancie .

For tickets to this and other Brooklyn Center performances visit:

http://www.brooklyncenteronline.org/

Gearing Up for the 2010 Census. Workers Needed.

2008-10-23T11:52:00.004-04:00

I received this flyer in pdf form in my email this morning. Sorry that it's not really readable in this format. Visit the US Census website if your interested in working for them or know someone else who might be. Apply between 10/27/08 and 11/15/08. $18-$20/hr.

http://www.census.gov/2010censusjobs/index.php

Brooklyn Nostalgia: Ruby the Knish Man.

2008-10-17T10:02:00.006-04:00

This in from life-long Brooklyn resident, Roy Becker:

Ruby serves a Canarsie local a hot knish outside Tilden H.S. in 1967

Roy gives a little history on the Knish Man:

"Ruby the Knish man was a street vendor who sold his mom's homemade knishes outside the schoolyards of Canarsie throughout the 60s & 70s. Ruby served anyone who could up the quarter. For those who couldn't pay up, Ruby would salt your hand for free! At least broke kids got to enjoy a little taste of something during recess."

Rumor has it that - unlike Roy Becker - Ruby became a very rich man off his schoolyard enterprise and retired to Florida. Becker is still working his butt off and adheres to a habit of salting his hand and licking it off several times each day.

The Pigeon welcomes comments from any of Ruby's former patrons.

Another Issue of Now Don't Go Telling Your Manhattan Friends: The Banya Wars heat up on the Kensington/Ditmas Park Border!

2008-10-16T16:36:00.056-04:00

Coney Island Banya

602 Coney Island Avnue

Brooklyn, NY 11218

718.853.2525

Open 7 days a week . M - F 9:00 - Midnight . Sat - Sun 8:00 - Midnight

Touche Royal Baths...Take that Sandoony! Flatbush once again has a cozy little Banya of it's own and the Pigeon was lucky enough to be one of the newly renovated bath house's first customers under its new management. The establishment known as the "Coney Island Banya" is clean, affordable, welcoming and just what's in order for those of us barraged by the stresses of life in NYC. To top it off, the Banya also houses the excellent (and also very affordable) "Restaurant Hotspot" - which serves an array of international cuisine.

If you've been up on any of the neighborhood buzz, you know this banya has been the subject of some intrigue (and more intrigue) as it sat unused for a number of years. And if you're also up on your Pigeon trivia, you're well-aware that the Pigeon is no slouch when it comes to hedonism...So, of course I visited the banya four days after it re-opened. I have to say, the new owners were extremely welcoming to unknown patrons. (So much so that I even scored a free sample ventik/platza session from owner Stanley!)

Venik for sale displayed at the front counter

Now for the particulars:

Coney Island Banya offers both scorching wet and dry saunas, a fantastic eucalyptus-infused turkish bath, a comfortable jacuzzi and a small tile pool that is manually-fed chopped ice as needed. (Think you don't need an ice pool - ho, ho - then you certainly haven't experienced the heat of the dry sauna yet!) Massage and platza sessions available for an extra fee. As mentioned earlier, there is an excellent restaurant and juice bar on site.

The entrance fee to the banya is $25 for adults and $15 dollars for kids. Monday is women only day and is offered at a discounted price of $20. So what are you waiting for? Grab your bathing suit and get down there!

New to the banya scene and don't know what to expect? Click here for more about the experience!

Happy bathing.

~The Pige

Imagine Democracy

2008-10-14T09:22:00.001-04:00

CAMBA’s New Program for Prenatal and Perinatal Mothers, SPICE

2008-09-20T09:50:00.003-04:00

This Just in from the Church Avenue Merchants Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAMBA’s New Program for Prenatal and Perinatal Mothers, SPICE

September 18, 2008- Today CAMBA launched their new S.P.I.C.E. (Supportive Pre-conceptional Individuals through Cultural Cooking and Coping Essentials) program sponsored by the March of Dimes. The program provides nutrition counseling, exercise and relaxation techniques for 50 women of childbearing age living in Brooklyn.

S.P.I.C.E. is a five session course starting September 18, 2008 based in Flatbush Brooklyn. The course targets women of child bearing age who are thinking of having children, are prenatal or perinatal within the Brooklyn community while being conscious of cultural and language needs. It consists of instruction, mutual support and hands-on activities in three areas: nutrition, fitness and planning that including aerobics, relaxation techniques, healthy food choices, cooking and a support group.

According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Flatbush remains the fourth highest community in New York City in terms of pregnancy risk indicators as follows:

10.8% of births considered low-birthrate
10.2% of mothers receiving late or no prenatal care
An infant mortality rate of 12.3% per 1,000 live births
A birth rate for teenagers, age 15 through 19 of 45.6% per 1,000 births; and
A pregnancy rate of 126.2 per 1,000 pregnancies for this same age group.

CAMBA is an organization with a long track record of success in empowering underserved communities. With funding from the March of Dimes, and local partnerships, we will fill this gap of services by creating opportunity and learning for populations that have no other venue or access point.

Our goal is to reduce birth disparities for low income women and women of color who fail to obtain timely prenatal care, resulting in high-risk, pre-term deliveries of lowbirth babies.

ABOUT CAMBA
1720 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226 ▪ TEL (718) 287-2600 ▪ FAX (718) 287-0857 ▪ www.camba.org

Founded in 1977, CAMBA is one of Brooklyn’s largest community-based social service organizations, with an annual budget of approximately $65 million and a diverse staff of more than 1,200 employees. CAMBA annually provides services to 35,000 individuals and families in six core areas: Economic Development, Education and Youth Development, Family Support Services, Housing Services and Development, HIV/AIDS Services and Legal Services.

Contact: Pierette Imbriano
Director
Marketing & Communications
1720 Church Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Phone: 718-287-2600 x292
PieretteI@camba.org

******** ******** ******** ******** ********
HELP CAMBA BY BUYING AT AMAZON.COM. WHEN YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH HTTP://WWW.CAMBA.ORG, AMAZON.COM WILL DONATE UP TO 15% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE TO CAMBA. SO PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE, CLICK ON THE AMAZON ICON AND START SHOPPING. THANK YOU!

CAMBA is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTD/TTY equipment via the New York State relay number 1-800-662-1220.

******** ******** ******** ******** ********

A Plug for "My" People...

2008-09-19T21:32:00.005-04:00

Image courtesy of http://www.gifnyc.com

Okay. They're not really "my" people, but that's only because I don't believe anybody owns anybody else even if there is a shared heritage. But, my ancestors did originate from Limerick on one side and County Mayo on the other, so I may have a little something in common with these folks. Maybe you do too? But then again, who cares if you do or not. Just know there's a big party down Coney Island this weekend with lots of beer and cute redheads. What more do you need to know? Just check it out!

September 20-21, 2008
Keyspan Ballpark, Coney Island, New York
$10 per person / $5 for children under 12

http://www.gifnyc.com/

This Is Really It for Astroland: Owner Objects to Media Coverage of the Slaughter of a Beloved Landmark

2008-09-05T09:54:00.009-04:00

Image courtesy of the NY Post

CAROL HILL ALBERT, Co-proprietor of Astroland Amusement Park sets the record straight about the reasons for the closing in the comments section of NY Post website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Don't believe everything you read in the NY Post, especially an article with statements by Thor pr tool

STATEMENT BY CAROL HILL ALBERT,
CO-OWNER OF ASTROLAND AMUSEMENT PARK

I am making this statement today to set the record straight. I have not “given up on Coney Island” as Thor Equities has stated. I have given up on trying to get Thor to negotiate which I have attempted to do every month since June, and numerous times in August.

Each time their response was, “We have no answer.” The safety of our customers and our commitment to employees means our time has run out. Ride parts must be ordered a minimum of eight to 10 months in advance. My employees cannot live in a state of limbo any longer. It takes six months to pack up a three-acre amusement park that has been in operation for 46 years, so a January 31st deadline means start packing yesterday. We are out of time.

Today I notified Astroland’s employees that the amusement park will cease operations permanently at the end of the day on Sunday, September 7th. Many in the community had hoped along with us that Astroland could remain open to keep the lights on in Coney Island until the rezoning issue had been resolved, because carnival rides, as the “Summer of Hope” sadly proved, are no substitute for a permanent amusement park. However, when even our good friend, Councilman Domenic Recchia could do nothing to persuade Thor to negotiate, it became clear we had no choice but to close the business permanently on Sunday night, September 7th.

Coney Island's future as a tourism and amusement destination is clearly in peril. Thor equities, which now owns most of Coney Island, came onto the development scene showing beautiful renderings of this great 21st century amusement park they were promising to build. All indications however, are that their real priority is retail and high end housing.
There is a real question as to whether Coney Island will ever have amusements, other than the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel in its future. Instead it appears to be that a series of shopping malls and condos will replace amusement parks as the centerpiece of the Coney Island that has been here for over 100 years. This is a tragic loss for the City of New York and visitors around the world.

Astroland Kiddie Park and the Cyclone Roller Coaster will open for the last weekend on Friday, Sept 5 at 12:00 noon. Major thrill rides will open at 4 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, all attractions will open at 12:00 noon.
We invite all New Yorkers to come to Astroland this weekend to bid farewell to this historic icon.
And we look forward to seeing many of our loyal patrons on opening day for the Cyclone roller coaster, Sunday April 5, 2009.

More on Pomegranate Supermarket

2008-08-25T22:25:00.005-04:00

This info just came in from a FP reader:

Until now there was no sign of the Pomegranate Supermarket on the web. The good word is that a website is under way and can be found here:

www.thepompeople.com

NOW PLAYING: "PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE" AT NYC'S FILM FORUM

2008-08-07T01:56:00.006-04:00

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be on vacation. But I checked my email and just got this in from Patti. Being that I am both a huge Patti fan, I had to post this. See what happens when an obsessive blogger checks their email while on vacay?

Check it out my you fusty old punks and Hazbin wannabees!:

www.filmforum.org

From the Patti Smith Newsletter:

"Patti Smith: Dream of Life" opens today at New York City's Film Forum for a limited two-week engagement.

Permit us to discard our usual dispassionate voice and urge those interested in Patti Smith and her work to see this film. Steven Sebring's movie, filmed over twelve years, is both entertaining and deeply moving, one of the most intimate portraits of an artist we have ever seen. If you are interested in Patti and her work, you will love "Patti Smith: Dream of Life".

Just today we learned that the film won the Best Documentary prize at the 29th Durban International Film Festival, with this citation:

"exquisitely and sensitively filmed, this documentary goes to the heart of its subject. It captures the passion, calm, poetry and venom of an incredible human being. The film weaves us through historically charged footage right through to the present and allows us glimpses at an uncompromising and consistent energy that has always believed in the empowerment of all."

Here is a message which director Steven Sebring sent yesterday:

Greetings,

It's twelve years since this project began and we really appreciate your interest and would like to thank you for your support with this update on the film Patti Smith: Dream of life.

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January where it received the award for best cinematography in a documentary. It is currently scheduled to screen or has been shown at the following film
festivals:

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, PARK CITY UTAH, USA BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL, GERMANY BOLOGNA, ITALY PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL, PENN. USA THESSALONKI FILM FESTIVAL, GREECE FULL FRAME DOCU. FESTIVAL CHAPEL HILL, USA NYON FILM FESTIVAL, SWITZERLAND BUENOS AIRES FILM FESTIVAL, BRAZIL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL, TURKEY MADRID FILM FESTIVAL, SPAIN BANJALUKA FILM FESTIVAL, BOSNIA SEOUL FILM FESTIVAL, CHINA CLUJ TANSILVANIA, ROMANIA NOVISAD FILM FESTIVAL, SERBIA WASHINGTON DC FILM FESTIVAL, USA EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL, SCOTLAND ATHENS FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL, GA. USA MUNICH DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL, GERMANY SEATTLE FILM FESTIVAL, WA. USA JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL, ISREAL ERA NEW HORIZONS, POLAND DURBAN FILM FESTIVAL, SOUTH AFRICA PROVINCETOWN, MA. USA MILAN 2008 (SEPT 12 TO 21) VLADIVOSTOK 2008 (SEPT 13 TO 19) RIO DE JANEIRO (SEPT 25 TO OCT 9) MELBOURNE 2008 (OCT 9 TO 25) VIENNALE, AUSTRIA, 2008 (OCT 17 TO 29)

More are being added every day.

Please keep an eye on the film's website for reviews, locations and details as they are confirmed.

The International theatrical release dates will vary from country to country and city to city.

The first theatrical release was April 5th 2008 at the historical theatre LE CINEMA DU PANTHEON in Paris where it's scheduled to continue playing every Saturday for the next year. The French release of the film coincided with an enormous retrospective of Patti Smith's art, photography, and vision at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporian.

Dream of Life's American premiere was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York followed by a small performance in their garden.

The official theatrical release begins August 6th at

Film Forum
209 West Houston Street
New York NY.10014
Tel:(212) 627-2035
www.filmforum.org

and will continue to open nationwide.
The DVD will be available starting in 2009.

For those who would like info on Patti Smith events, appearances, tour dates, or to read a souvenance or coffee break, please feel free to do so at pattismith.net and Patti's MySpace page.

Be sure to check out the film's my space page www.myspace.com/dreamoflifethemovie.

Thanks again for all your support!

Steven Sebring

Gone Fishin'

2008-08-04T11:15:00.007-04:00

Marty Markowitz as Sally Bowles sings "Maybe This Time"

at a rehearsal of the 1966 production of Cabaret.

The Pigeon has decided to take herself and her youngin' off for a little r&r for a week or so. Hold down the fort Brooklynites! And don't forget to go see Liza at the C.I. bandshell Thursday evening. Let's just hope Marty doesn't try to steal the show from Minelli. It is rumored that Marty will be showing up in his Cabaret attire.

Few people know that Liza and Marty competed for the role of Sally Bowles in the the film version of Cabaret. Since Marty served as the understudy to Judy Dench in the role in the 1966 Broadway production, he thought he was a shoe-in for the part. However, Minelli's Hollywood ties gave her the edge and Marty's Hollywood dreams would never be realized. There is deep lingering resentment to this day.

Although Marty never even made it to the stage in the '66 production (due to Judy Dench's perfect health) he put on one hell of a show at rehearsals and what legs!

The Pigeon has now:

Pomegranate Super Market Grand Opening - August 12.

2008-08-03T23:44:00.008-04:00

This just in from a FP reader: The grand opening of the much

anticipated Pomegranate supermarket will be August 12.

Great now I can stock up on my Sabra Humus!

Pomegranate is located at

1507 Coney Island Ave (near Ave L)

Brooklyn, NY

Three Charlie Chaplin Shorts Set to Live Music Tonight at Celebrate Brooklyn!

2008-08-01T14:37:00.016-04:00

We've come upon another great perennial summer event in Brooklyn; Celebrate Brooklyn's silent "Movies & Music" night up at the bandshell. This is great stuff and the kids love it too. So bring the youngins! 7:30 p.m.

Here's how the Celebrate Brooklyn website spins it:

Three of Chaplin’s greatest shorts—The Rink (1916), The Immigrant (1916), and The Adventurer (1917)—will come alive as never before with new scores by the highly sought after UK based composer CARL DAVIS (London Philharmonic Orchestra), performed live by the dashing 16-piece pickup NY chamber orchestra THE KNIGHTS. Brooklyn born Davis returns home to conduct. With the charming local violinist and singer CHRISTINA COURTIN, whose fearless delivery recalls “performers as diverse as Janis Joplin and Antony.” (Time Out)

ATTENTION ALL HAZBINS, ATTENTION ALL HAZBINS!

2008-07-31T15:54:00.007-04:00

Please report to the Coney Island bandshell where Ocean Parkway meets Surf Ave on the Brighton Beach border (for those of you prone to drawing lines in the sand) at 19:00 hours. You shall be expected to report in full Hazbin body gear.

Suggested attire: Cut-off Levis, Earth shoes, Toe socks, Mood rings. "DISCO SUCKS" tee-shirts optional. Disco attire strongly prohibited! (I.e. Those wearing the likes of Chams LeBaron shirts, Vidal Sasoon, Bonjour or Sergio Valente jeans will be forcably removed from the area.)

See ya there!

Cheers,

The Pigeon

BTW, the Cornbread Diner is...

2008-07-31T15:43:00.003-04:00

718.484.2424

A peek inside:

The Junction Spruce's Up Thanks to The Flatbush Junction BID!

2008-07-31T14:34:00.008-04:00

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Lori Raphael from the Flatbush Junction Business Inprovement district has done a good job of keeping members of the community updated on new developments in the area and the FJBID is doing a wonderful job doing what they do - improving existing FJ businesses and attracting new ones. For more info on the FJBID click here.

Here's Lori's description of the FJBID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program:

The Storefront Improvement Grant program provides up to a $5,000 matching grant to property owners and merchants within the Junction BID's catchment area. Eligible improvements are to the exterior only and include the replacementof solid security gates with open grid gates, glass, signs, awnings and paint. Financing and design services are available. For more information about this program, contact:flatbushjunctionbid@yahoo.comor call: (718) 951-5000, ext 1449

I took a for pictures of these new projects to give readers a few visual examples of just what has been accomplished recently through the FJBID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program:

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Regarding this most recent storefront project Lori Raphael writes:

Congratulations to Phil Miller of 6A Hardware, 1453 Flatbush Avenue for taking advantage of the Flatbush Junction BID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program. Phil has a beautiful new sign and 5 feet of open grid added to his security gate. Come by to take a look and shop at this true neighborhood hardware store and locksmith, characterized by warm personal service and a full selection of items to improve and maintain your home. For more information about the program, call the BID office at (718) 951-5000, ext 1449.

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Regarding the recent improvement to the Derby Liquors storefront, Lori writes:

Derby Liquors at 2123 Nostrand Avenue (btn Glenwood and Flatbush) has completed its storefront renovation with the assistance of the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID. Derby replaced its glass/door, sign, awning and security gate under the BID's Storefront improvement Grant Program. Drop by and check out Derby's new look- and pick up a bottle of wine or some cocktail supplies for the weekend!

Ingenious Young Entrepreneurs Hard at Work in Ditmas Park!

2008-07-31T11:22:00.009-04:00

I came across these two entrepreneurial prodigies on E. 18th Street selling their newly invented "Blackjack Juice" - a well-tested mix of orange & cranberry juices with a splash of seltzer water!

Forget the gourmet coffee at Conn. Muffin. or the champagne at Pomme de Terre. The real thirst-quencher is found at the youngster’s local stand.

The News - Brooklyn Garage

2008-07-30T23:07:00.004-04:00

by flatbushpigeon.

The scene on 3rd Avenue and Douglass Street. July 2008, Brooklyn, NY.

70th Precinct Night Out Against Crime 8/5 at the Parade Grounds

2008-07-30T21:18:00.005-04:00

This just in from Flatbush Junction BID:

The 70th Precinct & 70th Precinct Community Council
invites you to a its night out against crime located at the Parade Ground(Caton Avenue & Argyle Road)

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Join us for an evening of fun and festivities, such as:
FREE BBQ
Rides
Face Painting
Games
Blood Pressure Screening
Giveaways
Bike, Cellphone and iPod Etching
For more information, contact the 70th Precinct's Community Affairs
Office at 718-851-5557.

Historic Brick Colonial Offered at $599K in the Brooklyn College Area

2008-07-30T19:45:00.030-04:00

STEAL THIS HOUSE!

Flatbush Junction Bid alerted some of us about the availablity of this house a few days ago and I completely forgot about it until...I was lucky enough to just be walking past this open house tonight. So, of course, I snooped! It offers some really sexy details and great space! Great price...it ought be stolen immediately! BTW, this is really a four bedroom converted to a three.

HOUSE Web #136

July 30th Open House

WED 6-8

OFFERED AT: $599K

2 Story + Bsmt, 1 Family

Bldg: 18x54 Lot 18x100

COLONIAL BRICK 1 FAMILY

Front Porch & Garden

Spacious LR, Bay Window

Separate Formal Dining Room

Eat-In-Kitchen, Mud Room, W/D

High Ceiling Bsmt Could Be Finished

1 Full Bathroom, Plus Powder Room

3 Bedrooms, Large Master

Great Closets & Storage

Sunny Private Garden

LOVELY BLOCK

Attention all Urban Parrot fans! Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari: Saturday, 8/2 at 12 Noon

2008-07-29T15:10:00.004-04:00

This just in from the Flatbush Junction BID:

Attention all Urban Parrot fans: the next Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari will happen on Saturday, August 2, 2008, at 12 Noon. All interested wild parrot fans should meet at Brooklyn College's Hillel Gate, which is at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road. Our tour runs in two sections. You can attend either section, or both, depending on how many wild parrots you'd like to see!

Please e-mail Steve Baldwin, Webmaster, BrooklynParrots.com steve@brooklynparrots.com 646-361-2879 (phone)if you want to attend.

Note: the rain date for this trip is Sunday, August 3rd, same monk time, same monk location.

Wild Parrot Safari -- First Section (Brooklyn College): 12:00 Noon to 1:45PMAt noon, we'll inspect the Brooklyn Parrots' "Ellis Island." Their large nests around the soccer field represents the first major colony in Brooklyn. The site is easy to get to via public transportation. Just take the Number 2 train (Seventh Avenue IRT) to the end of the line, walk one block Southwest on Hillel Street past the new Starbucks, and look for the main Brooklyn College date. The tour begins at the entrance at Noon sharp. Allow some extra time, given that the MTA is doing lots of construction/train re-routing on weekends. Driving instructions are available at Brooklyn College's main Web site. Parking is fairly easy to come by in the neighborhood. If you're late, just call me: I'll give you directions so that you can meet up with us if the tour is already in progress.

Wild Parrot Safari -- Second Section (Green-Wood Cemetery): 2:30PM-5PM. Due to popular demand, our monthly tour will run an optional "second section." After getting our share of the raucous antics of the Brooklyn College Parrots, at approximately 1:45 PM, our group will walk to the Q Train (BMT) station at Avenue H and journey to Green-Wood Cemetery, where we will observe the late-afternoon antics of the parrots residing there. If you just want to see the Green-Wood parrots, show up at 2:30 PM and we'll be there. To get to Green-Wood, take the R Train to 25th Street and walk one block East to 25th and 5th Avenue.
What to Bring/What to WearPlease bring a photo ID (this is required by Brooklyn College Security). Bring binoculars and a camera if you'd like to immortalize your wild parrot-watching experience. The weather will be warm if not hot, and we'll be exposed to the wind and possibly strong sun, so bring a hat/sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. I ordinarily do not cancel the tour unless the forecast is for sustained rain in which birds will not fly.
Please feel free to wear anything except bright orange (Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange: in fact orange tags are one of the best ways to convince Monk Parrots to build away from electrical infrastructure). Wear green, blue, white, but orange will drive away the birds. This Tour is Free, But the Parrots Are Hungry!The Wild Parrot Safari is free - if you wish to help your hungry urban feathered friends, bring some bird seed: trust me, the parrots won't soon forget the gesture. Wild monk parrots also appreciate "real parrot food," especially unshelled peanuts, sliced apples, and raw sunflower seeds. Finch food or millet are always welcomed by our hungry urban "peeps."
See you in wild, exotic Brooklyn!

The Canarsie Special

2008-07-28T12:04:00.003-04:00

A reader sent in the above image to let us all know; In hard times there are deals to be had in Canarsie! The recession special: 1.00 beef patties.

Who Dares Question My Hazbin Status???

2008-07-26T00:00:00.009-04:00

Pigeon enjoys a smoke at one of last year's Seaside Concerts

Apparently, I struck a nerve with one of my fellow aging readers when I joyfully welcomed Peter Frampton to the "Hazbin Hall of Fame" in an last week's entry.

Clearly, this reader is unaware that only a "Hazbin HoF" member can bestow such honors and I am gravely insulted! Please read the exchange below.

___________________________________________________

Pigeon said...

>>>"Welcome to the Hazbin Hall of Fame, Pete!"<<<

Anonymous said...

Pigeon, you're gonna be 50 yourself someday, you know.

____________________________________________________

Pigeon's response:

Since that magic number is not very far off for me at all, I am well aware of that and have absolutely no shame nor fear about that. In fact, I feel the same about being a Hazbin. (Hazbin demigoddess here, btw. Inducted 6/1993) I've welcomed many a Hazbin to the Hall at the annual induction galas known as Seaside, Wingate and formerly the Midwood field concerts.

Now back in the day when acts like "Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge" and the like were headliners at those shows - sure, I perceived the term "Hazbin" as pejorative. But as over the years my grays multiplied and the bands moved from Do-whoop local acts to the likes of Jefferson Starship, KC and the Sunshine band, Rev. Al Green, the B52s and now Frampton! it's pretty damn clear to me that their - and my - "hazbinism" is something to be aspired too.

Of course, one person's Frampton is another person's Johnny Maestro...but I'm not one of those people! I'm a hazbin now! I've worked long and hard for this status! And, I have a little ditty to express my pride in this. So, Anonymous poster, if as I suspect you're a hazbin too, I invite you to meet me out at the Frampton concert this week where you can join me in leading the crowd in singing the "Hazbin Anthem." Now if you're truly a hazbin I can simply give you the words. I'm sure you'll know the melody. So practice up this week so we get it right at the show, 'K?

The Hazbin Anthem

I'm a hazbin, he's a hazbin,

she's a hazbin, we're a hazbin,

Wouldn't you like to be a hazbin, too?

Today is THE DAY!

2008-07-25T08:36:00.006-04:00

If you haven't been outside today, finish your coffee, surf a few blog waves and get out of the house! If you went to work; fake a migraine now and leave the office. Today is THE DAY. You know the one... The perfect summer day that will emboss your memory with its shape. The heat and humidity have been escorted out to sea by our gracious visitor Dolly. The Flatbush parrots are providing an a cappella performance free of charge. Your neighbor's gardens are in full bloom. It's gorgeous! This day will provide you with the memory that will carry you through those horrible, gray, lightless, leafless, lifeless winter days giving you a reason to endure until spring.

The"Carpe Diem" philosophy had to have been formulated on a day just like this one. Enjoy!

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Event

2008-07-24T09:18:00.006-04:00

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce invites you to our 2008 July Business After Hours Event
Thursday, 7/31/2008
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Brooklyn College
Conference Center
East 27th Street and Campus Road
Brooklyn, NY 11210

Chamber Members: FREE
Non-members: $300 (includes a 1-year Entrepreneur level membership)
RSVP: (718) 875-1000
What's Happening:
Join us for an evening of fun, food, drinks and great networking!
Member Highlight:Prior to the evening's door prize drawing, four Members will be randomly selected via a business card drawing to pitch their business in 15 seconds or less.

The Brooklyn College Conference Center is a newly refurbished state- of-the-art meeting complex available for rent for your next social or business gathering. They cater to conferences, meetings, wedding receptions, parties and other special events. The Center offers multipurpose rooms that can accommodate 150 to 200 persons and smaller rooms for breakout sessions. Additionally, the 1,600-square foot terrace offers views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn College campus.

Marty Markowitz announces that Frampton Comes Alive (Again) In Coney Island!

2008-07-24T07:32:00.007-04:00

Our Beloved Brooklyn Leader, Marty Markowitz, has just announced that the July 31st, 2008 "Mystery Guest" at the Seaside Concert series in Coney Island will be Peter Frampton.

Welcome to the Hazbin Hall of Fame, Pete! And, I suggest that when Marty completes his service as Borough Prez, we simply appoint him as Brooklyn Master of Ceremonies. **Afterthought to the Emcee nomination: Nomination should be contigent on his keeping intros to under three minutes. Oy, Marty! Let's hear the band already!

Sharing the Love in Flatbush. ( Aka...More on the Cornbread Diner.)

2008-07-23T23:07:00.004-04:00

1436 Flatbush Avenue. Site of the soon to open Cornbread Diner.

So, I decided to take a stroll over to the new site of the The Cornbread Diner to see how things are coming along. Don't ya know, I had the honor of being greeted by the owner, Bettina Harris who spotted me casing out the joint.

I told her how excited I was to hear she was opening in the neighborhood and I asked her what ever happened to her old place, The Cornbread Cafe, in the Slope. Like many before her (small business and residential tenants alike) Bettina had been displaced from the increasingly boo-zhe 'hood by greedy landlords who jacked up the rent and sent her searching for a new home and a new market. I can just imagine her thought process during this time;

"Hmmm...now where can I find an affordable place to open another nice, southern-style restaurant? Where in this great borough is the population most suffering from a lack of comfort food? Where do they not have so much as one non-fast food kitchen that allows it's patrons to sit and enjoy their food? Who most needs THE LOVE?"

...And, then appears the lightbulb.

"Flatbush? Could it be Flatbush?..Let me do some research...Let's see, the word on the street is that in Flatbush there are huge hords of comfort-deprived folks who must eat their food standing-up!..Hmmm, are commercial rents reasonable? Check!...What's this? The biggest culinary promise east of the Q-train is, is!..APPLEBEE'S??? Oh no, I have to get down there to rent a place. This is an emergency! The residents of Flatbush NEED ME! Comfort food to the rescue!"

Here's the kicker, Bettina. In Flatbush, we tend to love ya back! Welcome to the Neighborhood Cornbread & Co.!

As I informed my readers yesterday, The Cornbread Diner opens at 1436 Flatbush Avenue on August 4th. Plans for some type of grand-opening event are in the works for shortly after the official opening. Stay tuned to the Pigeon Channel for more information.

Community Health Fair at Brooklyn College

2008-07-23T16:34:00.007-04:00

Community Health Fair at the Brooklyn College Student Center

Sunday August 3, 2008, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Get info on:
Heart health
Free or low cost health insurance
Acupuncture
HIV Rapid Testing Health Screenings available

Vendors on-site
Activities and Entertainment for the Kids
Donate Blood
Get your Blood Pressure & Glucose level checked!
Music, fun and much more!
Refreshments Available.

Hope to see you there! For more information please call 718.951.5528

Sponsored by Brooklyn College Student Center in collaboration with New York Presbyterian Hospital, Health Programs, Division of Student Affairs.

Tree Care Workshop This Friday at the PS 217 playground

2008-07-23T10:05:00.004-04:00

Keeping our neighborhood's trees looking great is an important part of beautifying our community. Come learn how:

Tree Care Workshop
Date: Friday, July 25, 2008
Time: 10:30 am
Place: PS 217 playground (Newkirk and Coney Island Avenues)
Hosted by Flatbush Development Corp., PS 217 and Trust for Public Land

Hey this is Big Flatbush News! The Cornbread Cafe Folks (from 7th Ave) are Opening a New Joint on Flatbush Ave!

2008-07-22T15:48:00.012-04:00

This just in from the Flatbush Junction BID:

The Cornbread Diner (formerly Park Slope's Cornbread Cafe) is opening at 1436 Flatbush Avenue (btwn Farragut and Glenwood)on Monday August 4. Cornbread will be open for three meals a day serving Chef/Owner Bettina Harris's signature southern style diner food. Cornbread will feature seasonal garden dining and delivery service, in addition to table service in its dining room. Stay tuned for more details.

Three cheers to Bettina Harris for gracing one of Brooklyn's most
"epicuriously challenged" strips with some comfort food. We need it out here!

Kids Ride the Prospect Park Carousel for FREE Every Thursday in August!

2008-07-22T15:18:00.013-04:00

This just in from Prospect Park Alliance!

___________________________________________

Kids Ride the Prospect Park Carousel for FREE Every Thursday in August
Thanks to Astoria Federal Savings

Brooklyn, NY – The best family fun ride in the heart of Brooklyn just got better: Prospect Park's 1912 Carousel is free for kids under the age of 12 every Thursday in August, courtesy of Astoria Federal Savings.

“Enjoying the cool breezes and joyous music while riding the Prospect Park Carousel is a perfect family outing,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Tupper Thomas. “It’s wonderful that Astoria Federal Savings is making it possible for even more people to experience this great treasure of the Park.” Restored in 1990 by the Prospect Park Alliance, the Carousel has 51 hand carved horses, as well as a giraffe, lion, deer and two dragon-pulled chariots. The Carousel’s melodic Wurlitzer organ with 141 pipes and 16 bells is dedicated in honor of philanthropists Peter and Isabel Malkin.

The Carousel is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 12 – 6 p.m. (5 p.m. after Labor Day). Rides cost only $1.50. Books of 6 tickets are available for $8. Children under 3-years-old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Carousel is wheelchair accessible. Join the Prospect Park Alliance at the $100 level and your family (up to 4 people) will receive unlimited rides on the Carousel for a full year. The Carousel is also a popular place to hold birthday parties, complete with food and party favors in a scenic, kid-friendly setting. Please call the Rental & Event Planning Office at (718) 287-6215 for more information.

Newly reprinted is the lovely Prospect Park Carousel Coloring Book! This 16 page book featuring outlines of many of the Carousel’s charming and whimsical features, is available for purchase at the Carousel for $3.50 The Carousel is located in the Park’s Children's Corner, just inside the Willink entrance to the Park, at Ocean and Flatbush Avenues and Empire Boulevard. The nearest subways are the Q, S, or B Train to Prospect Park station.

For more information on Astoria Federal Savings, visit http://www.astoriafederal.com/.

For more information on Prospect Park events, programs, membership, and volunteering, call the Park Hotline at (718) 965-8999 or visit www.prospectpark.org.
Dial 311 for all Parks & Recreation information

In partnership with the City of New York and the community, the Prospect Park Alliance restores, develops, and operates Prospect Park for the enjoyment of all by caring for the natural environment, preserving historic design, and serving the public through facilities and programs. Prospect Park’s 585 acres of meadows, waterfalls, forest, lakes, and athletic facilities comprise a masterwork of urban green space.

Photo Credit: Prospect Park Alliance

Priceless Envy, Absolutely Free: Classical Music and Fleeting Social Stratification

2008-07-21T20:48:00.012-04:00

Yeah, I know. The Pigeon is guilty of full-fledged blog-neglect as of late. But that’s only because I am busy investigating all of Brooklyn’s great summer activities. Don't worry. I’ll report back to you about them sometime in September so that you can begin getting ready for next summer. In the meantime, I thought I’d give you some info about attending the free NY Philharmonic concert in Prospect Park. You know, just so you know for next July.
____________________________________________

Well, I'm not usually one of those people who suffers from an excessive degree of real estate envy. But there is a one day a year exception to that assertion. Each summer, on the evening of the NY Philharmonic's Prospect Park performance, I usually find myself in the throws of the deepest, most heinous resentment of fellow concert goers who intentionally taunt me with their gourmet spreads, fine wines and, most importantly, their prime Longmeadow real estate.

Sure, they arrive much earlier and are much more prepared for the need for land, food, refreshments, insect protection and light. I bet they even keep an Excel spreadsheet towards this end. Still their organizational skill shouldn't afford them this shameless consumption of land and sustenance products. But it's clear that on this one night of the year Brooklynites can be transformed into these odd, backbiting, (however bucolic) homesteaders. A rookie might be surprised to learn that attending a free park concert can be an extremely competitive endeavor.

The first thing one needs to be clear on is that the most competitive aspect of these event is that of securing the most desirous plot of the Longmeadow – and doing so without guilt. Next, you must evoke the envy of your park neighbors by laying out the most enticing gourmet spread. Finally, your picnic is going to need a little pizzazz. So, you’ll have to pick up a few stylish citronella candles and a swanky, ridiculously quixotic picnic basket from Pottery Barn. In addition, you’ll probably have to take the day off from work to prepare all this stuff and to arrange to have all of your friends know exactly where to locate your precious parcel of coveted land. A single red balloon usually helps with this challenge. Of course, there will be forty-five other red-balloons displayed throughout the crowd but your friends will figure it out. They will show up two minutes before the show starts and will not have gone through the sweaty dash to the park at 4:30 to get a great plot. Why wouldn’t they? They’re invited guests of some of the Longmeadow’s landed gentry.

Perhaps, you're getting my drift; I’m not one of these people. In fact, I hate them and I enjoy hating them. Each year, I leave the park determined that I will be they envy of ALL next year. I contemplate:

I'll take the day -- maybe even several days -- off work next year to prepare for the picnic-to-end-all-picnics. I will invite only my most attractive friends. Everyone will desire to be invited to my blanket. They'll want to exchange numbers with me so that I can share some tips on how to prepare for summer concerts. I will reject them and I TOO SHALL BE HATED!

But each year, I take note of the NY Phil performance schedule several weeks before with some semblance of that determination but it fizzles out to a mere iota when the time rolls around. I usually end up getting to the park 10 minutes into the show with something like a bottle of tap water and a half bag of Fritos that's been sitting on top of my fridge for the past week.
I guess I’m just not cut out to be a hyper-camper. What’s worse is that neither are any of my friends.

Occasionally, though, our lack of preparation has some benefit. Sometimes the privileged few throw us disadvantaged patrons a few scraps...a cracker here, a grape there. (It's all apropos in my case. After all, I am a pigeon. I’ll eat anybody’s scrap.) Regardless, I do always try to bring something to the performance just to thwart my envy. However lowbrow, however non-nutritious, I must bring something even questionably fit for human consumption so that I can nervously gnaw at it while I disapprovingly glare at anyone who has the audacity to bring wine glasses and fill them with Cabernet. So, for me, watermelon is always a good choice because spitting the pits in the direction of my brie-eating neighbor affords me at least some malicious satisfaction.

There was however one occasion in my free Philharmonic concert history that should have wiped out all potential for all future resentment (It didn’t only because my revelry in hatred of humans is so enjoyable to me.) It was some 15 or so years ago when a few friends and I showed up with a greasy bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and, I don’t know, maybe some Gatorade. We unknowingly plopped ourselves right next to a crowd of Pinot Grigio-sipping, citronella-burning, caviar-consuming, havarti-sampling BASTARDS! We all looked at each other, rolled our eyes and attempted to enjoy the show…But that was too much for me. How could I focus on the show when there were such hate-worthy creatures right next to me? I loathed them from the deepest reaches of my psyche. I was distracted throughout the performance;

How did they pull all of these goods together on a week night? When did they have time? Didn’t they have jobs? Did stay up the night before preparing all of this just so that I could hate them? Did they adhere to the conviction to be loathed by the other audience members that they had when they left the park last year?

I was engulfed in the ugliness. I refused to even look in the direction of that attention-seeking party! They were dead to me!

It was probably around intermission when one of them had the nerve to tap me on the shoulder. My peripheral vision had confirmed that it was one of THEM! – One of the epicurean elitists had touched me! I was convinced…this meant WAR! I expected that this person would antagonize us by asking that we cover the fast food because everyone on their blanket was getting sick from our second-hand-fried-chicken-fumes –or something ridiculous like that. I was aware of the real objection. Fried-chicken eaters in a caviar neighborhood deflated property values. I suspected that they would stop at no length to have unfashionable KFC patrons removed from their presence. But they weren’t going to torment me! So, I summoned my best scowl and turn toward the bastard to hear his request.

To my astonishment, “the bastard” appeared to be a meek, somewhat bumbling young guy who delivered on behalf of his party the most outlandish request. To this day, my prejudices have never been so challenged.

“Hey,..uhmmm…we were wondering, uh, would you consider trading some of your fried chicken for some caviar?”

You know, of course, I wasn’t going to let these people off so easily. They had to be chided! I mean, I did just sit through half the concert preoccupied with their ability to evoke my envy. Really, I did my best not to laugh but I wasn’t going to make this a piece of cake for him either.

“Yeah, you’re frickin’ hungry over there, right? See what you get for trying to be a big shot?”

I summoned the compassion to plop a few pieces on to a plate and told him;

“Keep the caviar. Our palates were too saturated with chicken fat to enjoy it anyway.”

Besides, this “settling of scores” left my party fully satisfied anyway!

A FREE WORKSHOP: Understanding Commercial Leases

2008-07-21T10:52:00.002-04:00

NYC College of Technology Small Business Development Center Brooklyn Economic Development CorporationNeighborhood Entrepreneur Law ProjectCapital One Bank
Present

A FREE WORKSHOP FOR NEW SMALL BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS
UNDERSTANDING COMMERCIAL LEASING
As a small business owner it is imperative that you understand how
leases work before you sign on the dotted line. This workshop will
help you avoid some of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs and
small business owners make when negotiating office and retail leases.

Topics include:
What can be negotiated in a lease?
Understanding the tenant vs. the owners responsibilities
What happens if I break my lease?
What are the differences between leasing office and retail space?
What is a transferable lease?
Commercial lease real estate property tax

DATE: Thursday, August 14, 2008
TIME: 6:00PM-8:00PM
PLACE: Capital One Bank
33-45 Fulton Street • Brooklyn , NY 11208

Train: "J" to Crescent Street
Bus: "B13" to Crescent and Fulton Streets

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AS SEATING IS LIMITED
CONTACT: 718.797.0187 or E-mail: RAstorga@CityTech.Cuny.Edu

2008-07-19T23:13:00.012-04:00

The 61th Annual Macy’s Fishing Contest at Prospect Park

NYC Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, helped by a crowd of eager young anglers, released a largemouth bass dubbed R.H. Macy into Prospect Park’s watercourse on Wednesday, July 16, to start the annual fishing contest. Whoever catches R.H. Macy will win a great fishing trip for the whole family on a boat ride from Sheepshead Bay! Prizes will also be awarded daily to those who haul in the most fish and largest fish. Before casting their lines, all participants attend a free, fun and educational workshop led by Prospect Park Audubon Center educators and the Urban Park Rangers.

The contest runs from July 16 – July 20 and is sponsored by Macy’s Foundation.

For more information on Prospect Park events, programs, membership and volunteering at the Park, call the Park Hotline at (718) 965-8999 or visit www.prospectpark.org

Dial 311 for all Parks & Recreation information

Take a Tip from these Slope Kids.

2008-07-19T01:11:00.005-04:00

Do whatever you have to do to stay cool this weekend. The dog days are here!

A Message from My French Counterpart: "Paris Pigeon"

2008-07-14T15:39:00.001-04:00

Bonjour Mes Révolutionnaires Fidèles!

Je souhaite vous tout un Jour Bastille magnifique. Vive la révolution!

Acclamations,

Pigeon de Paris

Don't Forget. NY Philharmonic Concert in Prospect Park Tonight!

2008-07-14T12:41:00.006-04:00

New York Philharmonic Concert in the Park - Prospect Park, Brooklyn

**Firework show to follow!

Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer
8:00 pm, on the Long Meadow

Program
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Sibelius: Finlandia

Featured Artists: Alan Gilbert, Conductor · Sheryl Staples, Violin · Michelle Kim, Violin

For weather updates, call the Parks Hotline: (212) 875-5709.

Check out the NYPhil website for info on photo contest!

Wild Parrots of Flatbush

2008-07-14T11:01:00.003-04:00

The wild Monk parrots of Brooklyn

ejoy their Glenwood Road real estate

on Sunday morning.

A New Flatbush Business: Ditmas Workspace

2008-07-12T11:28:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure I totally understand the concept of this new business being opened by Liena of the Ditmas Park blog but it seems interesting. While I think access to: "a desk, chair, wireless Internet, printer/scanner /copier/ fax, tea and coffee" is readily available to most residents of the area already, the second aspect of this description "a community of writers, editors, telecommuters, bloggers, graphic designers and other professionals" is very intriguing (...especially to a lonesome, isolated blogger like me.) And the possiblity of having the space available for meetings, classes, and other gatherings peaks my interest further.

I will post more about this once I learn more about the Ditmas Workspace.

_________________________________________

Ditmas Workspace (http://www.ditmasworkspace.com) occupies a beautiful professional office space on the corner of Ditmas Avenue and East 17th Street, a short walk for Ditmas Park residents and just two blocks from the Newkirk Avenue B and Q stop, and three blocks from the Cortelyou Road stop.

Full-time and part-time members have access to all the amenities of an office: a desk, chair, wireless Internet, printer/scanner/copier/fax, tea and coffee, a quiet space to work, and a community of writers, editors, telecommuters, bloggers, graphic designers, and other professionals.

We're also considering making the space available in the evenings for meetings, classes, and other gatherings.

For tours, rates, and other membership information, please contact Liena by emailing LZS@ditmasworkspace.com

Ditmas Workspace LLC, 535 E 17th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11226

Fatal Stabbing Flatbush

2008-07-06T22:14:00.004-04:00

According to the "Save Brooklyn Now" blog a neighbor who resided on E. 22nd Street near Cortelyou Road met her end allegedly at the hands of another Flatbush resident:

Fatal Stabbing, E. 22nd Street (70th Precinct)

AT APPROX 0650 HRS ON 07-06-08 AT 330 E.22 ST. IN THE CONFINES OF THE 70 PCT. POLICE RESPONDED TO A F/B/30 WHO HAD SUFFERED MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS. THE VICTIM WAS TRANSPORTED TO KCH IN CRITICAL CONDITION WHERE SHE WAS PRONOUNCED DOA. ID PENDING FAMILY NOTIFICATION.

A F/B/30 WAS ARRESTED AT THE SCENE:
HABIKA HICKMAN, F/B/30
330 E.22 ST. APT.3A
BROOKLYN

CHARGES: PENDING

Happy 4th Everybody!

2008-07-04T11:25:00.007-04:00

Images from last night's Coney Island Fireworks show! Coney Island features fireworks shows on the beach every Friday night at 9:30ish throughout the summer!

*Ps: No fireworks show on 7/4 as allows the Macy's show the spotlight.

Can Someone Please Explain this to Me?

2008-07-02T23:10:00.007-04:00

Why in the world is it impossible to find anything other than a super-duper, double padded bra anywhere in this city? I have gone through isle upon isle in the department stores and undergarment specialty shops and what have I found? Brassieres with the titties already in them! Really what's going on with this? Whose fetish are we trying to satisfy here? And what's the problem with a little nipple action people? Why should women look like mannequins? And, most importantly, when will this terror end?

Now Doesn't This Break Your Heart?

2008-07-02T15:30:00.017-04:00

Apparently, the owners of 1314 Cortelyou Road - right next door to the Picket Fence - see no aesthetic value to keeping the old tin ceiling that had graced the store for a good part of a century. This was ripped out of the store last week and was hauled off by someone with better taste...Pigeon just stood next to the dumpster and cried.

On another note, I asked the owners who or what will occupy the store and they told me that they are hoping to attract another restaurant to the area. Great news! (I wonder if they new tenants would have liked a tin ceiling?)

PLG Arts Presents: "Daydream" -A Fun Kiddie Version of Shakespeare in the Park!

2008-06-30T15:52:00.038-04:00

Looking to have a little fun with the kiddies? PLG Arts (Prospect Lefferts Gardens Arts) has just the thing! Attending the group's annual FREE production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream entitled Daydream is a really enjoyable way to spend a summer afternoon! I was fortunate enough to attend the opening performance this past Saturday expecting only to catch a little puppet performance. I was pleasantly surprised by perrformance as well as the post-performance activities. The kids were engaged from the first line of the script until the end of the post-performance activities.

The cast graciously posed for a pigeon photo session

Remaining Performance Dates: 7/5, 7/6, 7/12, 7/13, 7/19, 7/20
Time: Saturdays at 11 a.m. & Sundays at 3 p.m.
Location: Imagination Playground (Q or S train to Prospect Park, exit to Lincoln Road. Enter the park from Ocean Avenue between Lincoln Road & Parkside Avenue)
Admission: Free! Including post-show activities for children, no reservation required, seating is on the ground.

Cast Members: Amy Chang, Laura Frenzer, Sean Kenin*, Lynda Kennedy*, T. Scott Lilly*,Siobhan O'Neill, Orlando Powers (*Actors appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.)

Daydream 2008 funded in part with a grant from the office of State Senator Eric Adams. Post-show children's activity funded with a New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods award from the Citizens Committee for New York City.

Here's a sample of the post-performance fun including puppet making and bubble extravaganza.

Future post-performance activities are scheduled as follows:

Sat. 7/5 11:00 PUPPET-making

Sun.7/6 3:00 DANCE/FACE PAINTING

Sat. 7/12 11:00 DRUMMING

Sun 7/13 3:00 SCULPTURE (with special quest Otto Neals, sculptor of the Peter and Willie Statue)

Sat 7/19 - 11:00 DRUMMING (with Leslie Ward)

Sun. 7/20 - 3:00 MAGICAL FLOWER DRAWING (with special guest Lydia Romero, set designer for the show)

A great day in the park!

Flatbush Comedy Shows!

2008-06-24T09:44:00.005-04:00

Crystal's Bar and Lounge 1458 Flatbush Avenue (btwn Glenwood and Farragut) is hosting a comedy show with the hottest comics around every Wednesday night. Doors open at 6PM, dinner is available, showtime is 9 PM. Crystal's back yard garden is open every night for drinks, dinner and socializing with friends.

For more info call: (718) 859-2141

http://www.crystalsbar.com

Old Stone House Outdoor Summer Events

2008-06-21T09:43:00.006-04:00

Old Stone House Outdoor Events!
Join us in July for FREE Outdoor Programming in JJ Byrne Park: Music! Film! Theatre! Dance!

Old Stone House of Brooklyn
www.theoldstonehouse.org
336 3rd St
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Sunday, June 22
Zeemeeuwsic III

Eclectic Concerts Upstairs at OSH
Robert Secrist/Classical Guitar
Jane Byaela/Poetry & Music for voice and guitar
2 pm. $10. Drinks and Erica's Rugelach!

**Ok. So, this one is indoors.

Summer Concerts Outdoors OSH!
Tuesdays in July!
Opening Night : Opera on Tap
Sponsored by The Gate
Tuesday, July 1
6 pm. OOT Jr. 8 pm. OOT
www.operaontap.com

Brooklyn Film Works
Wednesdays in July!
Opening Night: 1776
Wednesday, July 2
Sponsored by Greg's Express
8:30 pm.

Summer Concerts Outdoors OSH!
Tuesday, July 8
In Partnership with Park Slope Parents
Astrograss
6 pm.
www.astrograssmusic.com

Brooklyn Film Works
Wednesday, July 9
Reelworks Film Festival
8:30 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Thursday, July 10
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Friday, July 11
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Saturday, July 12
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Opera on Tap
Sponsored by The Gate

Tuesday, July 15
6 pm. OOT Jr. 8 pm. OOT
www.operaontap.com

Brooklyn Film Works
Wednesday, July 16
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
8:30 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Thursday, July 17
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Friday, July 18
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Piper Theatre at OSH
Saturday, July 19
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join us for our fantastic Coney-Island-themed Equity Showcase
8 pm.

Silver Brown Dance Company
Sunday, July 20
4 pm.

Summer Concerts Outdoors OSH!
In Partnership with Park Slope Parents
Tuesday, July 22
Buzz Universe
6 pm.
www.buzzuniverse.com

Brooklyn Film Works
Wednesday, July 23
The Mouse that Roared
8:30 pm.

Piper Theatre Workshop Apprentice Productions
Thursday, July 24
6 pm: Alice in Wonderland
8 pm: Lord of the Flies

Piper Theatre Workshop Apprentice Productions
Friday, July 25
6 pm: The Witches
8 pm: Dracula

Piper Theatre Workshop Apprentice Extravaganza!
Saturday, July 26
2 pm: Alice in Wonderland
4 pm: The Witches
6 pm: Dracula
8 pm: Lord of the Flies

Brooklyn Film Works
Wednesday, July 30
The Candidate

with Robert Redford
8:30 pm.

Battle Week!
August 15-24, 2008
Stay tuned for programming specifics

The 30th Annual Seaside and Martin Luther King Summer Concert Series Announced Today

2008-06-20T19:49:00.009-04:00

The Summer Concert Series lovingly known to locals as the "Hazbin" shows have been announced!

PARTY ON, Brooklynites!

SEASIDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/seaside.html

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
CONCERT SERIES
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/mlk.html

You ain't nuttin' until you're a hazbin!

A Little (Very Little) More Progress on the Brooklyn College Dorm Construction

2008-06-17T15:41:00.006-04:00

We haven't gotten a look at the new Brooklyn College dorm construction site for about 2 months when Brooklyn Junction gave us this update. I happened to be walking by there today and since the sites enclosure door was open, I snapped the following: (Looks like we have a long ways to go before the completion of this project.)

Things We Don't See Enough of in Brooklyn Anymore

2008-06-17T15:26:00.003-04:00

Milk Crate Basketball Hoops!

A by-product of urban youth ingenuity.

Don't Forget: The Newkirk Avenue Block Party This Saturday. June 21st!

2008-06-17T11:59:00.005-04:00

As announced by Sustainable Flatbush several weeks ago:

Newkirk Avenue Block Party, a Livable Streets celebration co-sponsored by Flatbush Development Corporation, New York City Streets Renaissance, and Make Music New York, with participation of Solar One, Brooklyn Compost Project, Council on the Environment of NYC, Transportation Alternatives, Alive Structures, Midwood Martial Arts, and Newkirk Area merchants. Join us for:

Food Vendors!
Live Music and DJ’s all day!

Traditional NYC Street Games: Handball, Skully, Hopscotch, Double Dutch, Jacks, and more!
Environmental Info and Activities: Solar Power, Composting, Green Roof/Garden Design, Cell Phone Recycling, etc., plus Recycling Games and Art Projects just for kids!

WHEN: Saturday, June 21st, 11am - 6pm, Rain or Shine!
WHERE: Newkirk Avenue between East 16th and East 17th Streets

More Info on the New Ditmas Park Health Spa - Another Neighborhood Cooperative!

2008-06-15T10:57:00.010-04:00

I came across some info on the Flatbush Family Network Yahoo group about the new health spa clinic that I reported to my readers last week.

Apparently, the coop group is calling the clinic "Taproot Community Health Clinic" but is has not settled on that name. According to the responder on FFN;

"We were calling ourselves taproot community health clinic, but we are currently in the process of changing the name (any ideas?) in an effort to reach out to the community for feedback regarding healthcare, we are holding several community health forums, more about that to come if you are interested."

Here's some info from their website. For more info visit their website directly at: http://www.taprootclinic.org

________________________________

Taproot Community Health Clinic

is a worker-owned cooperative opening in Brooklyn, New York in June 2008.

As an answer to the vociferous call for health justice, a group of eight yoga teachers, herbalists, acupuncturists, and community organizers have joined together to develop a socially-just and forward-thinking health clinic. Taproot Community Health Clinic will be a place for acute or chronic health concerns, preventive care and resources for informed choices in healthcare. The clinic will be accessible and inclusive regardless of race, gender, sexuality, class status, immigration status or age.

Taproot will be offering:
Yoga Classes
Chinese Medicine
Western Herbal Medicine
Additional Workshops and Classes

380 Marlborough Road,

Brooklyn, New York 11226

www.taprootclinic.org

Contact: Jacoby 646-539-8128

info@taprootclinic.org

So When You Think About Brooklyn...

2008-06-13T15:32:00.006-04:00

Is this the image that comes to mind?

Maybe it's me but I just don't get it. Why, oh why would someone choose to plant this enormous, garish structure in the middle Gravesend, Brooklyn? Really, who comes up with these ideas? (Note: if look at this image long enough you will see Nero fiddling on one of the balconies. Really, Brooklyn's Burning!)

And, I guess if you're already in the business of building an oversized and inappropriate structure in a small scale working-class neighborhood you might as well go completely off the hook and name it "The Venetian."

Yes. That's right. Classical Living right on Ave P.

Shot of The almost complete "luxury condominiums."

Completely out of scale with the rest of the

neighborhood of mostly modest single-family homes.

Go figure!

New Health Spa Coming to Ditmas Park?

2008-06-13T13:59:00.008-04:00

There has been some work going on at 380 Marlborough Road just off Cortelyou Road, the former home of Butterfly Learning Center. It is rumored that the site is being transformed into a health spa according to neighbors. The center will be offering massage, yoga classes and other "spa-ish" specialties.

Midwood High School Seniors Saying their Good-Byes.

2008-06-13T13:29:00.005-04:00

Midwood High School seniors sign each others yearbooks on the school's front steps on Friday. The last day of school for Midwood is Monday. Best of luck, grads.

There's Always the Alternative...

2008-06-10T20:54:00.009-04:00

Fun in Flatbush

Kids in Ditmas Park carry on the tradition of opening

and capping a hydrant to cool off during the heat wave.

National Pigeon Day: June 13, 2008!

2008-06-10T10:38:00.007-04:00

Just in case you're living under a rock and are therefore not up on the latest events, you should be aware that this Friday, June 13, 2008 is:

NATIONAL PIGEON DAY

No, I'm not joking! This is for reals! Apparently, the Flatbush Pigeon has made such an impression the country is compelled to give her a national holiday. ;-)

http://www.nationalpigeonday.blogspot.com/

BTW, I am registered at Sammy's Pigeon Feed and Supply House as well as with Jose the Pigeon Trainer. (I have to keep up with my flying lessons. As a street scavenger, I never really got the flying thing down all that much.)

Look, we even have an anthem!

National Pigeon Day Anthem

"Cher Ami"lyrics and music by Scott Massarsky (C2008)www.myspace.com/scottmassarskyandthemakeshiftorchestra

I’m coming home

I’m coming home today

I’m on my own

With a message to relay

And though it’s cold

I will make my way

To you

My wings spread out

As I take to flightcause

I was taught

To fly through the night

My secret lies within my feet

And All that’s left of my Cher Ami

Is a note

A note

No do not cry

No not for me

The Shrapnel flies

I would die for my country

Look to the sky

It’s where I’ll always be

You always be

My Cher Ami

So come home

Come home

So come home

Come home

An act of love

An act of chivalry

Where are you now

Oh now my Cher Ami

Please come home