Thursday, December 17, 2009
Christmas Caroling in Sunset Park December 21
It appears the art of Christmas Caroling is not lost in Sunset Park. According to the Daily News;
Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be caroling on Monday, Dec.21, at 7:30 p.m. around Sunset Park. Carolers will meet at the rectory, 526 59th St., for a night of singing traditional Christmas carols. All are welcome to join. For details, call (718) 492-9200.
To see where Caroling is taking place in other parts of Brooklyn click here.
[where:11220]
[where:11232]
Bush Terminal gets rated best post office by the Daily News
In an assessment of the best post offices in New York City our Bush Terminal Post office was rated at the top of the list By the New York Daily News.
According to the News;
THE Brooklyn News found these were some of Brooklyn's better post offices:
# Bush Terminal, 900 Third Ave., Sunset Park
When a reporter visited this remote branch on Thursday morning, there was no wait. "It's quiet here," said Katie Ward, a fit model from Sunset Park who came to mail a package. "No lines."
[where: 11232]
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
New Green-Wood Cemetery blog!
Brownstoner informs us that our beloved Green-Wood cemetery has a blog hosted by it's historian. I am looking forward to reading, not just because the cemetery is practically my neighbor. My parents and my aunt and Uncle are buried there at the Hillside Mausoleum. I am a frequent visitor to the cemetery. Battle Hill is one of my favorite spots. It is here after all one could say this country was born at the Battle of Brooklyn. Had Washington been captured there, well, history would certainly have been different..
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Because it's Christmas time, that's why !!
I have an affinity for this piano piece of Christmas music. If you're not familiar with George Winston. Well, all I can say is that I am glad to introduce him to you. Enjoy!
[where: 11231]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Christmas makes a comeback?
I don't know if I am the only one who has noticed that there is a greater abundance of Christmas lights on the houses this year than in previous recent times. Especially in our adjoining neighborhoods of Bay Ridge and Dyke Heights. It just seems that more people have decided to decorate their houses. It's almost as if they are giving the finger to the secular humanist movement that would like to eradicate all these pesky non-muslim holidays. I suspect the secularists will not be derailed. I wonder when the city council will pass legislation making the display of Christmas lights and anything related to it as a form of hate speech expression and we will be fined if we violate it. What the heck, you get fined for everything else in this town. What the Feds don't take , the sanitation police and traffic agents will have..
[where: 11231]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
New Billiards Hall has Opened
100 fun KTV the Karaoke Bar located on 60th street between 10th Avenue and Fort Hamilton took over the old billiard hall next door and built a new poolhall from scratch. The Grand Opening took place in late November. The place boats a large cavernous hall with a large number of tables. For more info you can go here. Goes to show you that even in a rather questionable economy new places are opening all over the neighborhood. It should be interesting if the clientele at the Pool Hall turns out to be other than Chinese.
[where: 11231]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Polish Deli closes
As I was walking along 8th avenue I came across the for rent sign in one of the oldest stores that has been around as long as I remember. The Polish Deli on the corner of 47th and 8th Ave. probably signifies and symbolizes the difficulty of staying in business with changing demographics and and a diminishing Polish population in the neighborhood whose members have been slowly either returning to Poland or moving out of state. It will be sorely
missed and we will now have to depend on only one other delicatessen on 8th Avenue for Polish products. You have to wonder if being the only survivor left of a once vibrant but almost invisible Polish community in the nabe is any solace to having your last competitor close..
The only Polish Deli and Meat market left in the neighborhood on the corner of 48th and 8th..[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
Finally we're back in business
In our last post we had planned to make a return to blogging, but alas things did not work out that way. First my laptops were stolen right out of my truck and I had to since postpone my plans. It wasn't just the my laptops were stolen it's that all my backups software etc. were stolen with them. Needless to say the whole episode has become a learning experience and an expensive one at that. We have mostly replaced the stuff and have begun to get back into the swing of things. We have also gotten a new mobile camera to carry around and use to snap shots of the nabe. Hopefully the lessons of the stolen laptop episode will be taken to heart and we will be able to once more post some stuff of interest..
Monday, August 31, 2009
Time to get back to blogging
Time to get back to blogging about the nabe. I had anticipated returning a while back, but in early June my laptop was stolen and it delayed my return a bit. I had to change all my passwords and replace the laptop.
The economic situation is something we should be watching. There have been many changes in our neighborhood. In particular many businesses have closed and many of the ones that are left standing appear to be suffering. Yesterday I was having a conversation with the owner of a local furniture store who informed me that he had an 80% drop in sales as compared to last year. More than a few restaurants have closed their doors and the rest are struggling. One of the regional FED directors exclaimed that the real unemployment rate is closer to 16% since we no longer count people who have given up looking for a job. So what does that portend for our neighborhood and the nation? We will have to see how things develop. It is clear that the stimulus package passed last year only benefited the Big Banks. Will the small banks in our neighborhood survive? The bailout of the car companies did not do much for government owned GM and Ford. The biggest gainers were the Japanese car makers via the cash for clunkers program. Are we going to see 3 and half more years of misguided policies? We will have to stay tuned and see what happens. In the meantime we will have to clip out coupons save money, spend less and hope for the best.
The economic situation is something we should be watching. There have been many changes in our neighborhood. In particular many businesses have closed and many of the ones that are left standing appear to be suffering. Yesterday I was having a conversation with the owner of a local furniture store who informed me that he had an 80% drop in sales as compared to last year. More than a few restaurants have closed their doors and the rest are struggling. One of the regional FED directors exclaimed that the real unemployment rate is closer to 16% since we no longer count people who have given up looking for a job. So what does that portend for our neighborhood and the nation? We will have to see how things develop. It is clear that the stimulus package passed last year only benefited the Big Banks. Will the small banks in our neighborhood survive? The bailout of the car companies did not do much for government owned GM and Ford. The biggest gainers were the Japanese car makers via the cash for clunkers program. Are we going to see 3 and half more years of misguided policies? We will have to stay tuned and see what happens. In the meantime we will have to clip out coupons save money, spend less and hope for the best.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
George Weber 1961-2009 Fellow blogger, fellow Brooklynite RIP
.
Not too long ago in a former life I had occasion to be the webmaster for Steve Malzberg when he was a radio host at WABC AM Radio. I had occasion to meet George when I occasionally visited WABC radio studios to speak to Steve. I only knew him by sight as he did me. I was an avid listener and would remember his voice. In person like all the rest of the crew there, everyone was personable and friendly. George also lived in Brooklyn since moving here from Denver to work at WABC and became like many transplants a true New Yorker dedicated to the neighborhood in which he lived. His tragic death at the hands of a murderer is even more poignant to a life cut short. His Blog made for some good reading on the local goings on in his neighborhood. He will be dearly missed, he had a particular voice that one does not easily forget. He got to love his nabe and was well involved in it. I can only hope they catch the mutant who killed him. The blogging community has lost another great blogger and human being. Condolences to his family and close friends.
UPDATE 3-25-09: An arrest was made on the murder of George Weber. It appears that the private life of mr. Weber was rather strange and dangerous to say the least. I would rather remember his public life and the good works he did. However, it is impossible now to avoid the fact that his image has been tarnished quite a bit and must add considerably to the sadness his colleagues and those who knew him well must feel. That is why one must live one's life as if people are always watching, that way you don't disappoint your loved one's even in death.
[where: 11231]
Not too long ago in a former life I had occasion to be the webmaster for Steve Malzberg when he was a radio host at WABC AM Radio. I had occasion to meet George when I occasionally visited WABC radio studios to speak to Steve. I only knew him by sight as he did me. I was an avid listener and would remember his voice. In person like all the rest of the crew there, everyone was personable and friendly. George also lived in Brooklyn since moving here from Denver to work at WABC and became like many transplants a true New Yorker dedicated to the neighborhood in which he lived. His tragic death at the hands of a murderer is even more poignant to a life cut short. His Blog made for some good reading on the local goings on in his neighborhood. He will be dearly missed, he had a particular voice that one does not easily forget. He got to love his nabe and was well involved in it. I can only hope they catch the mutant who killed him. The blogging community has lost another great blogger and human being. Condolences to his family and close friends.
UPDATE 3-25-09: An arrest was made on the murder of George Weber. It appears that the private life of mr. Weber was rather strange and dangerous to say the least. I would rather remember his public life and the good works he did. However, it is impossible now to avoid the fact that his image has been tarnished quite a bit and must add considerably to the sadness his colleagues and those who knew him well must feel. That is why one must live one's life as if people are always watching, that way you don't disappoint your loved one's even in death.
[where: 11231]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunset Park t-shirts, a bit different than usual shameless plug
.
One of the things that has always bothered me about this nabe is that getting a t-shirt to show proud in the nabe has always been difficult. The only shirts that seemed to be available were simple lettered shirts that weren't in any way stand outs. I finally decided to design my own and since cafepress has the ability to turn design into product I took advantage of it. This is the first of a series in what I hope are shirts and logo designs that are unique to our nabe. I may end up using the same theme to make t shirts and stuff for our neighboring nabes as well. I got the idea while at the subway station while looking at the map with that arrow indicating where I was, as if I didn't know. So, all my fellow sunset parkers and ex-parkers are welcome to partake if you wish a unique shirt and products with a one of a kind exclusive Sunset Park design. Enjoy !! Oh, you can find them Here.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
One of the things that has always bothered me about this nabe is that getting a t-shirt to show proud in the nabe has always been difficult. The only shirts that seemed to be available were simple lettered shirts that weren't in any way stand outs. I finally decided to design my own and since cafepress has the ability to turn design into product I took advantage of it. This is the first of a series in what I hope are shirts and logo designs that are unique to our nabe. I may end up using the same theme to make t shirts and stuff for our neighboring nabes as well. I got the idea while at the subway station while looking at the map with that arrow indicating where I was, as if I didn't know. So, all my fellow sunset parkers and ex-parkers are welcome to partake if you wish a unique shirt and products with a one of a kind exclusive Sunset Park design. Enjoy !! Oh, you can find them Here.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Happenings: Free Pre GED program for 17-24 year olds
.
The Brooklyn Public Library is offering free pre-GED classes for dropouts and other youth who are out of school and want to get their equivalency diplomas. Registration will be held on two days, March 16th and April 7th.
When: 10 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: Sunset Park Library
5108 Fourth Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11220
Tel. 718-567-2806
Update for September 2010 Click Here
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
The Brooklyn Public Library is offering free pre-GED classes for dropouts and other youth who are out of school and want to get their equivalency diplomas. Registration will be held on two days, March 16th and April 7th.
When: 10 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: Sunset Park Library
5108 Fourth Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11220
Tel. 718-567-2806
Update for September 2010 Click Here
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
Shop Amazon Through Us and Help Support This Blog
Shop Amazon Through Us and Help Support This Blog
Rupert Murdoch buys Brooklyn Paper
.
Over at the Gothamist they are reporting the acquisition of the Brooklyn Paper by the News Corp. owned by Rupert Murdoch. I have been an admirer of the Brooklyn Paper for some time. It's distribution has been lacking in our neighborhood. The paper distributed for free and printed in full color format has done a relatively decent job of covering the borough. As a recipient of their daily e-mail called updates I kind of hoped that it would survive in these rough economic times. The economics of running a print newspaper however, makes one wonder how much longer print newspapers can last with competition from the Internet. Murdoch has a tendency to restructure his properties and perhaps change their editorial policy as well. With the steep decline in advertising and advertisers looking for greater efficiencies and more bang for their buck you have to wonder if purchasing the Brooklyn paper was a savvy move. Of course only time will tell. I certainly hope that this means we will have the resources of the News Corp. behind it. So does that mean we will see more copies distributed here in Sunset Park? After the demise of the Sunset News we need some kind of replacement. Time will tell if the paper survives the coming depression.
[Where: 11232]
[Where: 11220]
Over at the Gothamist they are reporting the acquisition of the Brooklyn Paper by the News Corp. owned by Rupert Murdoch. I have been an admirer of the Brooklyn Paper for some time. It's distribution has been lacking in our neighborhood. The paper distributed for free and printed in full color format has done a relatively decent job of covering the borough. As a recipient of their daily e-mail called updates I kind of hoped that it would survive in these rough economic times. The economics of running a print newspaper however, makes one wonder how much longer print newspapers can last with competition from the Internet. Murdoch has a tendency to restructure his properties and perhaps change their editorial policy as well. With the steep decline in advertising and advertisers looking for greater efficiencies and more bang for their buck you have to wonder if purchasing the Brooklyn paper was a savvy move. Of course only time will tell. I certainly hope that this means we will have the resources of the News Corp. behind it. So does that mean we will see more copies distributed here in Sunset Park? After the demise of the Sunset News we need some kind of replacement. Time will tell if the paper survives the coming depression.
[Where: 11232]
[Where: 11220]
Kings Hotel of Brooklyn is Ready for Prime Time
.
Without much fanfare and by stealth of night Kings Hotel opened it's doors to the public last week and is already doing a brisk business. I was invited by the people running it to come on over and take a look as they wanted me to include their hotel on the mall I run on the Sunset Park website. I have to say that I was impressed. This is not a slapped together building reminiscent of most motels, rather it reminded me of one of the top notch Hotels I stayed at while I was in Hong Kong. Lots of marble can be seen everywhere. The quality is more in keeping for a hotel in Manhattan. But one thing I learned about the Sunset Park Chinese is that they like to do things with flair and class. The lobby is pleasing and inviting and though not grandiose in size is rather comfortable.
The hotel is designed to be a basic place to stay without frills. It does offer wifi on every floor and HDTV in every room making it a comparatively inexpensive place to stay that just happens to be 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan due to it's proximity (1/2 block) to the 9th Avenue D train station. It is also ideally located to nearby Maimonides Hospital and the Lutheran Medical Center. So if you are visiting patients there from out of town, it's the place to stay. It's also four blocks from the exits on the Gowanus Expressway. All in all if I were going to pick a spot for a hotel in Sunset Park this would be it. It's proximity to Brooklyn's Chinatown with it's abundance of restaurants specializing in asian cuisine makes that an added bonus. It's also three blocks from the Sunset Diner and fifth avenue which rates an abundance of Mexican and other hispanic restaurants. The Sunset Park area has an bundance of restaurants of every culinary taste.
The rooms are standard sized hotel rooms. Being that everything in the place is brand new it gives a very fresh look and appearance. The hotel has a total of 50 rooms with the usual mix of singles and doubles. The bathrooms are brand new and standard fare.
What surprised me were the hallways. Most hotels and motels are usually very carpeted and spartan in appearance, not Kings. The hallways have marble floors and mahogany doors and trimmings and a classic looking green wallpaper.
There is also the Karaoke lounge on the ground floor. Like many karaoke places it has a nightclub spacey look with lot's of neon at the bar. This should do well for visitors from China as that is a popular pastime among the Chinese. It was after all, built to serve the Chinese community of Sunset Park.
All in all we are hopeful that it's a resounding success. If it's marketed right, it can get some tourists and people who need a place to stay within easy reach of midtown Manhattan. If you just need a place to put your head on a pillow at night and want to see a different part of New York City besides Manhattan but want to get to the theaters in short order this place is it. In times when we have to watch our spare change the economy of staying in Brooklyn only a short jump from midtown then this is a good deal. All in all it looks like the Kings Hotel is off to a good start.
You can check out their rates at Expedia, calhotels.us, Hotels.com
Got relatives and friends coming to visit you here in Sunset Park? Tell them to stay at the Kings.
[where: 820 39th street, Brooklyn, NY 11232]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Without much fanfare and by stealth of night Kings Hotel opened it's doors to the public last week and is already doing a brisk business. I was invited by the people running it to come on over and take a look as they wanted me to include their hotel on the mall I run on the Sunset Park website. I have to say that I was impressed. This is not a slapped together building reminiscent of most motels, rather it reminded me of one of the top notch Hotels I stayed at while I was in Hong Kong. Lots of marble can be seen everywhere. The quality is more in keeping for a hotel in Manhattan. But one thing I learned about the Sunset Park Chinese is that they like to do things with flair and class. The lobby is pleasing and inviting and though not grandiose in size is rather comfortable.
The hotel is designed to be a basic place to stay without frills. It does offer wifi on every floor and HDTV in every room making it a comparatively inexpensive place to stay that just happens to be 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan due to it's proximity (1/2 block) to the 9th Avenue D train station. It is also ideally located to nearby Maimonides Hospital and the Lutheran Medical Center. So if you are visiting patients there from out of town, it's the place to stay. It's also four blocks from the exits on the Gowanus Expressway. All in all if I were going to pick a spot for a hotel in Sunset Park this would be it. It's proximity to Brooklyn's Chinatown with it's abundance of restaurants specializing in asian cuisine makes that an added bonus. It's also three blocks from the Sunset Diner and fifth avenue which rates an abundance of Mexican and other hispanic restaurants. The Sunset Park area has an bundance of restaurants of every culinary taste.
The rooms are standard sized hotel rooms. Being that everything in the place is brand new it gives a very fresh look and appearance. The hotel has a total of 50 rooms with the usual mix of singles and doubles. The bathrooms are brand new and standard fare.
What surprised me were the hallways. Most hotels and motels are usually very carpeted and spartan in appearance, not Kings. The hallways have marble floors and mahogany doors and trimmings and a classic looking green wallpaper.
There is also the Karaoke lounge on the ground floor. Like many karaoke places it has a nightclub spacey look with lot's of neon at the bar. This should do well for visitors from China as that is a popular pastime among the Chinese. It was after all, built to serve the Chinese community of Sunset Park.
All in all we are hopeful that it's a resounding success. If it's marketed right, it can get some tourists and people who need a place to stay within easy reach of midtown Manhattan. If you just need a place to put your head on a pillow at night and want to see a different part of New York City besides Manhattan but want to get to the theaters in short order this place is it. In times when we have to watch our spare change the economy of staying in Brooklyn only a short jump from midtown then this is a good deal. All in all it looks like the Kings Hotel is off to a good start.
You can check out their rates at Expedia, calhotels.us, Hotels.com
Got relatives and friends coming to visit you here in Sunset Park? Tell them to stay at the Kings.
[where: 820 39th street, Brooklyn, NY 11232]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Shop Amazon Through Us and Help Support This Blog
Friday, March 6, 2009
Robert Guskind of Gowanus Lounge RIP 1958-2009
.
Just happened to be scouring the web and while at Outside.in learned of the passing away of Robert Guskind whose blog the Gowanus Lounge was a favorite of mine. He was a diligent blogger, posting not just every day, but several times a day. Indeed, it was his blog that inspired me to start this one for Sunset Park. I never met him, but I was always grateful when he would link to something I wrote on this blog and felt deeply honored at that. I can say that I will miss his posts. It merely shows that life is fleeting and as we get older the fragility of life becomes even more apparent. It particularly hits home since he was six years younger than me. I would like to think that I have many years yet to go. But it's moments like this that remind us that we can't take anything for granted and we must live every day as if it's our last one. Accomplish what you can now and try to leave nothing unfinished.
Brownstoner, OTBKB and New York Shitty pay tributes to him and have a picture, so now I know what he looked like. RIP Robert and hope you're still blogging on the other side.
Addendum 3-9-09 Flatbush Gardener Has a tribute thread with links to all the tributes that he located on the web including this one.
Just happened to be scouring the web and while at Outside.in learned of the passing away of Robert Guskind whose blog the Gowanus Lounge was a favorite of mine. He was a diligent blogger, posting not just every day, but several times a day. Indeed, it was his blog that inspired me to start this one for Sunset Park. I never met him, but I was always grateful when he would link to something I wrote on this blog and felt deeply honored at that. I can say that I will miss his posts. It merely shows that life is fleeting and as we get older the fragility of life becomes even more apparent. It particularly hits home since he was six years younger than me. I would like to think that I have many years yet to go. But it's moments like this that remind us that we can't take anything for granted and we must live every day as if it's our last one. Accomplish what you can now and try to leave nothing unfinished.
Brownstoner, OTBKB and New York Shitty pay tributes to him and have a picture, so now I know what he looked like. RIP Robert and hope you're still blogging on the other side.
Addendum 3-9-09 Flatbush Gardener Has a tribute thread with links to all the tributes that he located on the web including this one.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
More Gloomy news for Brooklyn Hotels
The DailyNews has a story on Brooklyn's Hotel's that mentions the Days Inn here in Sunset Park. It's interesting that this should be the second story in as many weeks giving a gloomy outlook to the Brooklyn Hotel business. The Kings Hotel which was slated to open last month has finally opened it's doors a bit late. According to the DailyNews story;
Prices have plummeted as vacancies have spiked, experts and hotel managers said.
In Sunset Park, a hotel room now can be had for the bargain price of $50 a night, or $1,500 a month — cheaper than many rents.
“The owners, they are crying,” said an employee at Days Inn, where rooms fetched up to $199 a night just last summer. “Prices are down a lot. It’s crazy.”
Let's hope that with our messianic president in charge things will get better. On the other hand we could market the cheap rooms to tourists who would otherwise use Manhattan hotels to stay in. If handled right it could create a mini boom. Just imagine, the Manhattan hotels would have to stay competitive. Imagine renting a room for $50 at the Waldorf or at the Grand Hyatt. Now that would be something to see.
[where: 820 39th street, Brooklyn, NY 11232]
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Monday, February 23, 2009
Gloomy forecasts of Sunset Park at Brooklyn Ink, Hotels and Restaurants
/
Over at Brooklynink.com there are two stories concerning Sunset Park with a rather negative spin on the local economy. One is a post regarding restaurants and focused largely on the eateries of our borough. The other one regards Hotels, which as some of you may know have recently made a splash in our nabe.
I generally don't share in the doom and gloom. We are nowhere near a depression nor are we anywhere near the steep economic straights that we were during the Carter era. All the statistics and data bear that out. Even during the depths of the depression unemployment never got above 25% and we haven't even hit 8% yet. Our GDP has shrunk by a mere 1% and people are still going about their business of making a living. The problem however, has to do with perception. In economics as in politics perception is reality. When enough people do nothing else bu spread doom and gloom as a result of their own agendas it becomes catchy and can create panic. It becomes what economist Alfred Khan used to call "the tyranny of small decisions". When you have the president of this country talking down the economy and everyone in the mainstream press parroting the same line it can create a self fulfilling prophecy. If only people would just ignore the bad news and go about our business as usual, we would in effect create our own good news, regardless what the idiots in Washington think. Unfortunately, life is not so simple and we become the unwitting victims of the morons that rule us because chaos and instability is to their advantage so they can fleece us.
Over at Brooklynink.com there are two stories concerning Sunset Park with a rather negative spin on the local economy. One is a post regarding restaurants and focused largely on the eateries of our borough. The other one regards Hotels, which as some of you may know have recently made a splash in our nabe.
I generally don't share in the doom and gloom. We are nowhere near a depression nor are we anywhere near the steep economic straights that we were during the Carter era. All the statistics and data bear that out. Even during the depths of the depression unemployment never got above 25% and we haven't even hit 8% yet. Our GDP has shrunk by a mere 1% and people are still going about their business of making a living. The problem however, has to do with perception. In economics as in politics perception is reality. When enough people do nothing else bu spread doom and gloom as a result of their own agendas it becomes catchy and can create panic. It becomes what economist Alfred Khan used to call "the tyranny of small decisions". When you have the president of this country talking down the economy and everyone in the mainstream press parroting the same line it can create a self fulfilling prophecy. If only people would just ignore the bad news and go about our business as usual, we would in effect create our own good news, regardless what the idiots in Washington think. Unfortunately, life is not so simple and we become the unwitting victims of the morons that rule us because chaos and instability is to their advantage so they can fleece us.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
NY Post Calls Sunset Park Crappy neighborhood (Gone to the dogs)
/
The New York Post had an article on doggy poo in the city. Apparently the fact that tickets for not picking up the sh*t of your significant other have spurred an article in the Post on the various nabes in the city. They don't appear to have more important stories to go after. According to the Post;
|"Brooklyn pet owners, who live in the second-worst borough for doggy doo, have been slapped with 224 fines in 2008, up 47 percent from the year before. Sunset Park, Park Slope and Brownsville are the three top Fido-fouled areas."
I would have to instinctively disagree, unless a lot of dog aficionados have moved into the nabe we have always had a low per capita ownership of dogs here. Hispanics by and large are not big dog owners, neither are the chinese, the Vietnamese think they're food. It is expensive to keep a dog, you gotta feed them and house them and care for them when they get sick. Park Slope I could understand since those folks have higher incomes, but Sunset Park? Besides having all the porn shops dumped here by the city is it possible we are also being targeted by the poop police? I frequent Bay Ridge quite a bit and I can bet my last dollar they probably have way more dogs per capita than we do. One would assume their ticket rates would be higher than ours, but maybe the poop police doesn't want to scope out the Ridge on account they have more political muscle than we do. Have these guys ever walked along Shore Road? Otherwise I would think they would make the list. I suspect something really smells and it isn't doggy poop.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
The New York Post had an article on doggy poo in the city. Apparently the fact that tickets for not picking up the sh*t of your significant other have spurred an article in the Post on the various nabes in the city. They don't appear to have more important stories to go after. According to the Post;
|"Brooklyn pet owners, who live in the second-worst borough for doggy doo, have been slapped with 224 fines in 2008, up 47 percent from the year before. Sunset Park, Park Slope and Brownsville are the three top Fido-fouled areas."
I would have to instinctively disagree, unless a lot of dog aficionados have moved into the nabe we have always had a low per capita ownership of dogs here. Hispanics by and large are not big dog owners, neither are the chinese, the Vietnamese think they're food. It is expensive to keep a dog, you gotta feed them and house them and care for them when they get sick. Park Slope I could understand since those folks have higher incomes, but Sunset Park? Besides having all the porn shops dumped here by the city is it possible we are also being targeted by the poop police? I frequent Bay Ridge quite a bit and I can bet my last dollar they probably have way more dogs per capita than we do. One would assume their ticket rates would be higher than ours, but maybe the poop police doesn't want to scope out the Ridge on account they have more political muscle than we do. Have these guys ever walked along Shore Road? Otherwise I would think they would make the list. I suspect something really smells and it isn't doggy poop.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Relay for Life Cancer event May 30, 2009
/
2009 Relay For Life of Sunset Park
May 30, 2009 at I.S. 220 Pershing School
Join us for the 4th Annual
Relay For Life of Sunset Park
Kick Off Celebration
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
60th Street - btwn 5th & 6th Avenues
(look for the Purple Balloons!)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
May 30, 2009 at I.S. 220 Pershing School
Join us for the 4th Annual
Relay For Life of Sunset Park
Kick Off Celebration
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
60th Street - btwn 5th & 6th Avenues
(look for the Purple Balloons!)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
Or contact Jen Silvester
718-622-2492 ext. 5124
Bay Ridge has it's own event as well on June 13, check out the event website HERE.
/
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
The demise of the Sunset News paper?
/
I don't know how many people in the neighborhood noticed, but the free Sunset News newspaper which for many years was a source of local news and coverage seems to have disappeared. Or at least the title seems to have been incorporated into a strictly advertising rag by the same publisher tilted the Bay Ridge Home Reporter and Sunset News. The new free format and manifestation has no reporting of any kind whatsoever. There is of course, a paid paper The Home Reporter that covers most of southern Brooklyn, but not Sunset Park exclusively. In it's heyday the Sunset News with the small staff of reporters provided locals with pertinent news about local politicians and issues vital to the community. The weekly publication also afforded local businesses a venue for advertising to their local community. It had a print run of 30,000 copies, though it's hard to guess how many were actually read. I suppose the economics of publishing a print newspaper in this age of the Internet was no longer feasible. I assume there was also an issue as to whether the advertising was effective considering the expense. If my memory serves me a one page ad for a one week run was well over $300. There are much cheaper and more effective alternatives these days than that. Falling advertising revenues and rising costs of publishing may have had a hand in it's imminent demise. Competition also may have played a role as there are other free publications covering news like the Brooklyn Courier. The problem is of course, that they do not cover the nabe exclusively as the Sunset News did and in addition have poor circulation in this area.
We are sorry to see the paper dissappear, I assume that the reporting staff has been laid off and is unlikely to be replaced. I would hope that the creation of this vacuum will be filled by some alternative and we will once again have news coverage of local events. In the meantime it appears that we bloggers in the area will have to act as citizen reporters and hold our local politicians feet to the fire by making sure that our neighbors are well informed of activities pertaining to our local area.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
I don't know how many people in the neighborhood noticed, but the free Sunset News newspaper which for many years was a source of local news and coverage seems to have disappeared. Or at least the title seems to have been incorporated into a strictly advertising rag by the same publisher tilted the Bay Ridge Home Reporter and Sunset News. The new free format and manifestation has no reporting of any kind whatsoever. There is of course, a paid paper The Home Reporter that covers most of southern Brooklyn, but not Sunset Park exclusively. In it's heyday the Sunset News with the small staff of reporters provided locals with pertinent news about local politicians and issues vital to the community. The weekly publication also afforded local businesses a venue for advertising to their local community. It had a print run of 30,000 copies, though it's hard to guess how many were actually read. I suppose the economics of publishing a print newspaper in this age of the Internet was no longer feasible. I assume there was also an issue as to whether the advertising was effective considering the expense. If my memory serves me a one page ad for a one week run was well over $300. There are much cheaper and more effective alternatives these days than that. Falling advertising revenues and rising costs of publishing may have had a hand in it's imminent demise. Competition also may have played a role as there are other free publications covering news like the Brooklyn Courier. The problem is of course, that they do not cover the nabe exclusively as the Sunset News did and in addition have poor circulation in this area.
We are sorry to see the paper dissappear, I assume that the reporting staff has been laid off and is unlikely to be replaced. I would hope that the creation of this vacuum will be filled by some alternative and we will once again have news coverage of local events. In the meantime it appears that we bloggers in the area will have to act as citizen reporters and hold our local politicians feet to the fire by making sure that our neighbors are well informed of activities pertaining to our local area.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Friday, February 6, 2009
Kings Hotel already on Expedia, other sites
Kings Hotel is already listed on Expedia and it's not even open yet. It also has a listing at calhotels.us with a starting book date of February 27, so we must assume that is the opening date when it will be expected to be in business. The listing at Hotels.com has a rate function as well, but does not work, I suppose because it's not open yet. So far we don't know the rates. At least we do know the following so far. It has 5 floors and 50 rooms available. It has Karaoke which it touts on the websites. I suppose that we will have to wait till it actually opens to find out the rates. It also advertises internet connections. I would hope so, this is after all the 21st century.
[where: 820 39th street, Brooklyn, NY 11232]
[where: 11232]
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Happenings: Fastelavn (Danish Mardi Gras)
Celebrate Danish Mardi Gras
Dress in Costume,hit the barrel, eat delicious Danish Food, cream buns for dessert.
All inclusive price. $25 for adults, $15 ages 7-17, $10 under 7
Sponsored by the Scandinavian East Coast Museum.
WHERE: Danish Athletic Club
735- 65th street
WHEN: Sunday February 22, 2009 From 3 to 7 PM
For more information call: Victoria 718.748.5950
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Dress in Costume,hit the barrel, eat delicious Danish Food, cream buns for dessert.
All inclusive price. $25 for adults, $15 ages 7-17, $10 under 7
Sponsored by the Scandinavian East Coast Museum.
WHERE: Danish Athletic Club
735- 65th street
WHEN: Sunday February 22, 2009 From 3 to 7 PM
For more information call: Victoria 718.748.5950
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Chinese New Year Celebrations Pulled off Without a Hitch
The Year of the Ox Celebrations got pulled off without a hitch. Paul Mak who runs BCAA always the gracious host allowed me behind the barricades as he does every year to get a great vantage point to shoot pictures. This year the number of dignitaries who showed up made a who's who list of local politicians and their cronies. Our own Sarah Gonzales was there, as well as newly elected Congress critter McMahon. Congress critter Anthony Weiner was there as was state senator Marty Golden, Councilmen Vincent Gentile and Reccia. Our Borough President Marty Markowitz was there as well, always aspiring to be a comedian. I forgot whether it was McMahon or Gentile who mentioned every neighborhood except ours in his speech. Someone else out there who was there will have to remind me. The biggest guest to show up of course, was our Mayor, term unlimited Bloomberg. I managed to shoot probably some 400 shots and got some ten minutes of video (my camera doubles as a video camera). Time permitting I will post that at a future date. In the meantime, I have extracted a sampling of the photographically orgasmic scene that this turns out every year, enjoy. When time permits I will try to upload some of the bounty to my Flicker account so other can view them.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Prelude to tomorrow's year of the Ox Celebrations
In a prelude ot tomorrow's festivities I was rambling along 8th Avenue earlier today and stumbled on these Lion Dancers from some martial arts school doing the rounds of all the stores along the avenue. Tradition dictates that they will do a dance inside the store to ward off evil spirits for the coming year, in return of course, for some monetary renumeration. It's a way for these schools to raise some money. I suspect there will be other Lion Dancers doing the rounds up the avenue for the rst of the day. It would be neat if they extend the tradition to fifth avenue as well.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Friday, January 30, 2009
Kings Hotel Ready to Open in February
The new Hotel I had written about last year located on 39th street between 9th and 8th avenues and which has been under construction almost forever will soon be ready to open it's doors. The hotel will feature a Karaoke bar among other things. They have recently been testing out all the neon lights that will light up the place making it look like a scene from Star Trek. The owner told me that what delayed the expected opening was the issuance of a certificate of occupancy from the city. All of that has been done and all is set to go.
The Karaoke bar features a really cool neon lit bar table as well as eerie green lighting of the liquor in the back. I assume they will cater to a mainly Chinese clientèle as the HDTV screens on all the walls displayed Chinese videos with Chinese subtitles. We will know much more once the operation begins. I expect that the clientèle for the hotel will be Chinese as well. But, give the swankiness of the place compared to the other hotel/motel on 39th street the Days Inn it will likely attract other kinds of guests.
Does Sunset Park need another hotel? Well, believe it or not, based on the traffic to the main website, Sunset Park has become a sort of tourist attraction. Not as crowded as Chinatown and with an abundance of restaurants. WE do get inquiries from Europeans and Asians. It's proximity to the D train station on 9th avenue and 39th street also makes it ideal as the D runs express into Manhattan after 36th street and makes it into Manhattan on a good day in 30 minutes. No word on rates and all those details yet. As to the argument that it's really in Borough Park (Boro Park) because it's on the other side of 8th avenue. I would say not, simply because Sunset Parks borders were designated to coincide with the zip code 11232 which runs to 9th Avenue. However, that side of 8th Avenue is covered by the 66th precinct which covers mainly Boro Park. This side of 8th Avenue is covered by the 72 which covers all of Sunset Park. But why quibble, I will bet that most of the customers will be Chinese or others with a fair share of people who will be using it to stay while they visit relatives at Lutheran Hospital. It is however even closer to Maimonides in Boro Park. I wonder if the owner took all of this into consideration when he planned it.
On another note, I miss Culver auto body works which used to be located on that spot. I had a number of cars done there over the years. A Buick Skylark, a Beemer and my GMC Jimmy. Everytime I look at the hotel, I will be thinking of the accidents that caused my cars to be at that location. Wonder if the Karaoke place will serve food? Will they have wifi?
Readers may also be interested in the following thread in a recent blog regarding hotel construction in Sunset Park and at Brownstoner there is this.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
Chinese New Year celebrations this Sunday!!
The Brooklyn Chinese American Association holds it's annual Chinese New Year celebration this Sunday at 50ths street and 8th Avenue. It is certainly one of the largest. There will be a parade up along 8th avenue. Lots of dignitaries visiting. If you have seen past celebrations It's a site to behold. Bring you cameras, it's one of the most photogenic events. Bring your kids, they will remember this for years to come. The pictures below are from the celebration that I shot in 2007, enjoy!
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
We're Baaack!!
After a year in which some health problems interfered with life we have returned to the blogging sphere. Might as well, the main website at sunset-park.com was down for two weeks after disaster struck while moving it to a new server. In any case, we now know we are mortal and like a car the body needs occasional tuneups and visits to the mechanic. It can be distressing. But, what a year it has been. Our economy is in the toilet, we have a new president and our houses are worth less yet the city insists that real estate values went up so they can charge you more taxes. Has anyone one gotten their house valuations from the city? Do these people live on an alternate universe? There is less money to go around, and yet they insist we ought to send THEM more money.
[where: 11232]
[where: 11220]
[where: 11215]
[where: 11218]
[where: 11219]
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