The Sunset Park BID will hold it's annual street fair this coming Sunday September 12. It will be from 44th street to 59th street on 5th Avenue. There will be the usual things you see in every street fair in Brooklyn year after year. Tools salesmen, Italian sausage trucks, russian binocular salesmen, sunglasses galore, che guevara t-shirts etc.. I suppose it's worth a visit for about 15 minutes just to see if anything different appears. If you're new to the area you might as well go. I really can't get enthusiastic about it. I would like to see more ethnic foods, more local merchants selling stuff. More entertainment and fewer politicians.
Our local library branch here in Sunset Park is offering pre-GED classes for 17 to 24 year olds. You can find more information at their website GED page. If you want to start earlier some other branches begin by Sept. 11, you can download a PDF format schedule here. The next round of GED classes won't start until January 2011. Our Sunset Park Branch is located on the corner of 51st street and 8th Avenue., Read the instructions at the page and plan to devote at least three hours of your time. Incidentally all library branches offer free wifi.
So here I am, minding my own business after having made a deposit at the Chase bank on 55 and 8 and I see a crowd gathering a few stores down. Turns out that the poor woman had gone into a cellphone store and was pursued by the above public servants and apprehended. Her crime? She had just posted a handwritten notice on the corner lamppost. Probably a notice looking for a job or looking for a room to rent or something like that. They are all over the place on 8th Avenue and the people in the community use them like a bulletin board. If you are going along the avenue it's part of the ambiance of the neighborhood. The avenue would look naked without all those notices. In other places I suppose it would look out of place and be a nuisance but not on 8th. You could tell the old woman was scared shitless. She spoke no English and had no clue was was going to happen to her. Having come from a dictatorship myself where cops are given godlike abusive authority like in China I can imagine what was racing through the poor woman's head. I suppose some high up somewhere in city government has decided that it's time to crack down on little old ladies posting notices on 8th avenue. I frankly think their energies would be better spent elsewhere like going after the commercial pasters who put stuff on cars and end up on the floor. Common sense should play a role on what these idiots do, but apparently there is no common sense class in any of these bureaucracies. I am curious to see how these undercover sanitation crime fighters will do when the electioneering comes around and they start putting posters on lampposts and flooding the area with those crappy brochures that end up on the floor. When was the last time that you heard of a campaign being cited for that? Practically never,. unless it happens to be a politician on the outs or some minor party candidate.
So, what have these two civil servants achieved? Probably a bad name for the sanitation police and a well deserved bad reputation as human beings. This is what is making the city unlivable when these people have but one function, raise revenue for the city and harass citizens to death. No wonder people are abandoning New York as soon as they can.
Accross the street from Hong Kong Supermarket it appears that King Star Restaurant has closed it's doors. It appears that the building will undergo some major renovations according to the permits pasted on the wood boards. What made the place distinctive besides it's sea food and dim sung cuisine was the two Chinese style lions at the entrance. It has undergone a number of changes and ownership over the years. For quite some time it was called Jade Plaza and then eventually changed
to the short lived Diamond on 8th and finally King Star Restaurant. In all of it's different resurrections it got fairly decent reviews. Time will tell if the restaurant name will remain the same or whether it has changed owners yet again. It's difficult in this economy for restaurants as people cut back and more frequently find eating at home a lot cheaper. Hopefully the economy will improve even if all signs seem to indicate otherwise.
When Hong Kong Supermarket first opened I think about ten years ago on the corner of 61 street and 8th Avenue it was the only one on the East Coast for the young and expanding Hong Kong supermarket chain based in Los Angeles, California. Now there are four other locations in New York City and the supermarket chain still keeps on growing at a fast pace. The sign on this location are a bit faded, some of the letters don't light up at night. I expect at some point they will either fix it or renovate it. I remember the first time I went inside and the novelty of the fact that very few goods it carried were American. It is still a kind of cultural experience going in there and I still occasionally go n there and try out some new product once I find out what is in the box. It's a great place to get ginseng, green tea or royal jelly at a discount. The amazing thing for us non Chinese is that sometimes we feel like tourists in our own neighborhood. But that's OK. Drop them a visit if you haven't been inside.
The Brooklyn Eagle reports that the Municipal Art Society is doing a walking tour of the two Chinatown's outside of Manhattan. Here in Sunset Park and in Flushing this Sunday August 29. From the article.
Chinatown Tour Requires Reservation
Compiled by Linda Collins Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Municipal Art Society (MAS) plans the following two walking tours that will feature Brooklyn neighborhoods: .
• Sunday, Aug. 29, “Three Chinatowns,” 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (includes
Sunset Park in the all-day event).
Since the 1965 change in the immigration laws, the Chinatown in Brooklyn
(Sunset Park) and the one in Queens (Flushing) have developed in
different ways and with different demographics than Manhattan’s.
Tour leaders Joe Svehlak and Jack Eichenbaum, natives of Sunset Park and
Flushing, respectively, will lead walks focused on the transformation
of these neighborhoods. Wellington Chen, executive director of the
Chinatown Partnership, will lead a walk in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Participants will begin the day with an optional dim sum meal in Flushing at 9:30 a.m. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m.
The cost is $49 for MAS members, $59 for non-members, including
transportation from Flushing to Manhattan to Sunset Park by Chinatown
van. The Dim sum meal is not included. Reservations are required.
To reserve a space, please call (212) 935-2075 by Thursday, Aug.26. The meeting place will be provided after reservation.
Buffet style food is not my idea of fast food. Red Apple Fast Food has a sign that sticks out in the middle of the block. I suppose it's the red and dayglow green sign that they hoisted. It does catch the eye. I didn't get a chance to step inside as I was on my way somewhere. Maybe a reader can post a review of the place and let us know if there is anything edible by western standards besides chicken feet and other unmentionables that one finds in some of these places that cater to a strictly chinese crowd. They're located on 8th between 48 and 49th streets.
With the success of Good Mall it stood to reason others would follow. Among them is Wah Fung Mall. When they firs opened two years ago most of the spaces were empty and unrented. Today it sports more than forty booth size stalls selling a variety of products and services. Many of the booths sell woman's apparel and costume jewelry as well as handbags etc.. Some booths sell expensive jade jewelry and there is a table where you can purchase health plans. It is a regular hive of activity in there. These malls are quite popular and numerous in places like Hong Kong and make maximum effective use of limited space. It is the total opposite of American mega malls that are cities in themselves. It will be interesting to see how many more of these will be sprouting in the neighborhood. Once someone sees they're making money you can bet your bottom dollar there will be more of them.
The 8th Avenue strip is soon running out of space for stores and some of the activity is spilling over to 7th Avenue. In time it too will be full of stores. If you haven't been to Hong Kong and can't afford the plane trip drop by Sunset Park and you'll get a general idea what Hong Kong is like..
Good Mall was the first mall on 8th Avenue having multiple stores and businesses inside subletting. It's located off the corner on 8th and 60th street. Profitable for the lease owner and utilizing space efficiently. I first encountered such malls in Hong Kong where space is at a premium and capital for budding entrepreneurs was scarce. I also saw similar malls in Tokyo. Besides Chinatown I don't know anywhere else the concept has taken off. It seems particularly a Chinese innovation in New York City. The shops inside offer an eclectic collection of woman's apparel, computer repair and the usual cellphone peddlers. They do make it an interesting place to visit. An even larger mall with more than 50 micro stores has been operating between 55th and 56th streets. But more on that tomorrow.
Nestled on the corner of 48th street and 8th Avenue. They were twice the size till a year ago they subdivided with the beauty parlor next door. The original T BAAR with the faded awning it doesn't look as inviting as it did when they first opened and the green paint was fresh and fluorescent. I am not a great fan of Taiwanese style bubble tea (the bubbles are tapioca marbles) but some people are and it's a big thing here in Sunset Park.
This is a new second location on the corner of 60th street and 8th Avenue. Much brighter and the paint has probably not dried yet. It looks a hell of a lot more inviting. Maybe I'll give bubble tea one more go.
This new bakery has replaced an ice cream parlor that used to be on this corner on 44th street and 8th Avenue. They have a brand new awning though they have been at the location for over a year since they acquired it from the ice cream parlor. It won't be long before the pigeons and the elements attack the awning, so enjoy it while it lasts. BTW they serve tea too and I believe including bubble tea and the usual chinese baked goodies.
Over at a blog called New York Shitty they came a visiting and took some shots with expensive cameras. They put together a rather interesting slide show of some rather esoteric abstract like perspectives of stuff around here. it is rather colorful as well as interesting and well worth the look. Who knows? maybe you'll recognize some of your stuff.
Pet Delight located on the corner of 25th street and 3rd Avenue is one of the largest pet supply stores in Brooklyn. That is if you consider the warehouse next to the small cramped storefront. They also have another location on Kings Highway but this is their gem. With a clientele that spans all five boroughs and beyond the place is full of people with a constant traffic of people coming in and out and purchasing bulk supplies for their pets. If you haven't ventured to the "other side" of the Gowanus divide and happen to be a pet owner purchasing overpriced and over rated dog food and stuff, then you definitely need to pay Pet Delight a visit. They've been in the hood long before it became fashionable. let's keep them here by patronizing their business. Go in say hello and tell them you saw them on the blog.
I had always suspected this was going to be a hotel. Now after speaking to one of the workers at the site I can confirm that 517 39th street will be a hotel. According to the person I spoke to completion is expected in about six months or as soon as the city issues a Certificate of Occupancy.Another building (below) diagonally across the street at 536 39th street will also be a hotel though the building is far far smaller. I am not familiar with it buit suspect it will open before the location at 571.
With all this hotel activity in the neighborhood perhaps we should be looking into as a community of some ways to get some of the traveler and tourist dollars that these locations will generate. We can be looking forward to some changes in the neighborhood the economy permitting.
This building is between 39th street and 38th on 4th Avenue. I wondered who in his right mind would paint their house pink and white. I had noticed it before but only now have I realized that it was actually a business. In this particular case it's a day care center. In any case, this is neither an endorsement or promotion. I have no clue about them. I just thought the building stood out and I snapped it.
Recently someone inquired as to where one could find 24 hour laundries in Sunset Park and vicinity. I am including two here today and will post a separate post later for the Clean Rite laundries in the nabe. The one above, Best Wash Laundry is actually located out of the neighborhood by one block, most of it's customers however, are all from Sunset Park. It also happens to be the laundry I use when I have a need to do laundry at 3 AM. It is located at 39th street and New Utrecht Avenue right on the corner. It is a fairly large laundry with a lot of machines. There are change machines for quarters and multiple folding tables for your stuff. It also has parking for four cars up front and there is plenty of parking on the street as well at that time.
This location is one on 46th street and 7th Avenue. It's half he size of the one above and only recently as far as I know has decided to remain open 24 hours. Take your pick. These are two near where Live that I am aware of. If any of yo know f any others in the area, by all means drop us a note and we will include hem. We will be updating this particular thread as new information comes in.
The Comfort Inn on 38th street is open for business. Located by the 38th street exit ramp of the Gowanus and only two blocks from the 36th street subway station it is in an ideal location to service out of towners and provide cheap inexpensive hotel rooms. Via the D train from 36th street it is a mere 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan. The well carpeted establishment has a good feel of a prime time Hotel. It also features a breakfast area on the second floor that could easily double as a small restaurant and dinning area should they decide to go that route. I was allowed to take a peek at the place. Perhaps in a week or two I will be able to shoot the rooms so people can take a peek and see the place and get an idea of the accommodations. Let's welcome them to the neighborhood and hope they bring more visitors to the neighborhood and help the local economy continue to survive. The Hotel is owned by the same folks who also own the two Sleep Inns in the area. The Sleep in on 22nd street and 3rd Avenue opened only two months ago and is already doing a bustling business accommodating both tourists and locals who need reasonably priced accommodations when compared to Manhattan hotel prices.
The small breakfast area on the second floor..
Management feverishly working to get the place ready to take in customers.
Arnold's has been a fixture in the neighborhood as long as I remember. It was a totally different neighborhood when he started out. This is the second location he moved into many years ago. He has fixed a lot of my bikes over the years. I still cycle 20 miles a day and when I need something that breaks on them I usually go to Arnold's if I am close by. Arnold likes to put the bikes together and fix them and he has gained a kind of reputation far and wide. He may not have the fanciest bike shop around, but he doesn't charge you the prices those other guys do either. I recently needed break pads and a shop in Bay Ridge wanted $13 to replace them. Arnold put them on for $4.75. he is reasonably priced on most things and I think he does it for the love of bikes more than anything else. He is near retirement age and when he does something will be missing from the neighborhood. If you haven't stopped by yet, then you should. He's on 8th Ave. between 42 and 43rd streets. Drop in and say hello and tell him you saw his shop on the blog. He's open mondays to saturdays till about 6.
As some of you may know the Battle of Brooklyn otherwise known in other circles as the Battle of Long Island (some people forget Brooklyn is part of Long Island), or at least some important parts of it took place nearby in what is now Greenwood Cemetery. Although the Brits won that engagement the holding actions of our patriots in those early days of the revolution allowed our General George Washington to escape and survive to continue on the fight. Had he been captured we would instead be celebrating the holidays our British masters would have imposed on us.
You can catch all the details at the Green-wood Cemetery website: they are reproduced below in case their site goes down.
Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration Ceremonies
In memory of the brave patriots who fought
for our country’s independence in this first battle after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence. Part of Brooklyn Battle Week
. FREE EVENTS:
12:30 PM - Revolutionary War Re-Enactors will relive
a portion of the Battle of Brooklyn in Green-Wood’s Meadow and the
surrounding area near Green- Wood’s main entrance. 1:30 PM - The Green-Wood Historic Fund and United
States Merchant Marine Academy sponsor the Annual Battle of Brooklyn
Parade. Meet at the main gate for a parade to Battle Hill led by George
M. Cohan’s own, The Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine
Academy. 2:00 PM - Battle of Brooklyn Commemorative Ceremony
honoring the Patriots who fought the first battle of our new nation on
this sacred ground 234 years ago.
This is a FREE event. Reservations are not necessary.
Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Location: The Green-Wood Cemetery
Eating is getting to be a real adventure in Sunset Park with new eateries opening all over the place. Every day a new cuisine arrives in the nabe. Milan's is different. It's been on the same spot for well over twenty years. It's the usual story of an immigrants dream to open his own restaurant. I have written about Milan's before. It is a real homey spot to eat traditional slavic East European fare. And while many of his customers are emigre Czechs and Slovaks he gets a fair amount of the rest of us. Like all local businesses he is struggling to survive these economic times. So, if you're in the mood for goulash, by all means give him a visit. Let's keep our local economy going. They are located on 5th avenue and 22nd street. Don't leave your money in Manhattan, spend it here in Brooklyn..
To contrast with our posting of Popeye's we present La Cuarta, they make Peruvian style rotisserie chicken as part of their menu. Peruvians are to chicken what Argentinians are to steak. If you're tired of the KFC, Kennedy's, Popeye's greasy fried chicken then it's time to give roasted chicken done right a try. The reviews it received at Yelp and Urban Spoon are a bit mixed. In things that are a matter of taste you can only find out by trying. They are located on 4th Avenue between 26th and 27th streets.
It's been open about a year and appears to do a bristling business. Located on the corner of of 64th street and 8th avenue right at the border of Dyker Heights. It's part of the Popeye's restaurant chain offering the standard chicken fare. It's too far from either KFC or Kennedy's to give them any competition and it appears that their target demographics is the Chinese community. At least now you know where there is a Popeye Chicken place in Sunset Park. Yes, they do speak English at the counter.
Located off the avenue on 59th street and 8th this is a rather eclectic small shop of Chinese Bric-a-Brac and other curios. It more reasonably priced than similar stores. Chinese vases, dragons, ancient coins etc. Just what mom ordered to decorate your office with Chinese themed oddities. Drop in and say hello to them.
Cafe Barakah has been around for well over a year. It provides Wi Fi for it's customers and allows you to sit in comfort while you cruise the web and sip your coffee. It is open every day and caters to everyone in our community. It is located on 4th avenue and 21st street.They have an open mike night on Saturdays though I am not sure if it is all weekends. To be more unusual the place is run by two Arab women entrepreneurs who are trying to make a go at it. The place really deserves a bit more attention and we all know we need more Wi-Fi spots in the neighborhood, we are certainly lacking in that area compared to our adjoining neighborhoods. So, give them a visit, if you like the spot maybe you can make it a new hangout while you are cruising the net. They are always running promotions and other things like grls night or open mike night etc. You'll have to drop by there and inquire what they have planned next.
Typical chinese internet cafe. No Wifi, but if you don't have your own computer it doesn't matter. It caters to a gaming crowd but you can rent a computer by the hour. Non members pay $2 an hour, members pay $1.50 an hour. Membership is a measly $5 so it's a no brainer if you intend to use the computers there a lot. It's Located on 58th street right off of 8th avenue..I will be posting about other internet cafes in the area as well.
I finally got around to trying out the dumpling place on 53rd street off 8th avenue..It's much smaller inside than the other places in my last two reviews. When I was there I was thee only customer so I got a seat by the window and had my lunch. The dumplings are slightly larger than elsewhere. I found them to be just as good as the others. The sauce they serve at the table is of the vinaigrette type, so if you want just regular soy sauce you will have to ask for it. The place caters to the mostly Chinese residents of the area and none of the people there speak English. Next time you're in the area try them out...
As this building nears completion it peaks our curiosity. The new building located on the corner of 26th street and 4th Avenue appears to have the architectural making of either an office building or a hotel. Hoteliers in the neighborhood to whom I have shown the picture are of the opinion that it is probably a hotel. The postings at the site give no indication what type of certificate of occupancy has been issued if any. We can only speculate for the time being and will have to wait until completion to see what it turns out to be.
There is a rather interesting story behind this store. When Costco first opened and before they took over the extra parking lot on 2nd Avenue the guy who is now at this location used to sell high end sneakers on weekends off of a van. He gathered a following by word of mouth who came over on weekends to see his wares. One day he disappeared and a number of weekends went by when a sign appeared announcing his new location. That was a few years back and he has been at the corner of 58 and 2nd avenue ever since.
On the corner of 58th street on 2nd Avenue. Near Lutheran medical Center. They have been there for well over one year and appear to be surviving. Most of their customers get there by word of mouth.
This Subway is relatively new and located @ 54th street and 2nd Avenue. The location may seem illogical but it's located near Lutheran Hospital and it's probably intended to cater to the 24 hour cycle there. You hear that? 24 hours!! Now I know where to go when I get the munchies at 3 AM..
Located on the corner of 64th street and 4th Avenue is a new pharmacy that will be opening any day now.I must admit that the out of the way location is an odd place to put a pharmacy as you would have to cross 4th avenue to get there from the rest of the neighborhood. If my memory serves me correctly the spot was once held by a plumbing supply store that had been there for many years. On the side is a dead end street and the timing may jot be auspicious since they will soon begin construction of an HOV ramp there to augment the present ramp going into the Gowanus. I suspect the plans are to serve a niche population, perhaps Russians (notice the Russian Cyrillic word AIITEKA for Apothecary on the awning). This begs the next question, do these people know something we don't? Are Russians moving into the nabe as our Polish population is declining? Who knows? The place is rather large for a Pharmacy, at least larger than most family Pharmacies. They also have some hefty competition with a large Rite Aid located on 62 and 4th. Ave.. Well, we wish them luck and will be making a visit to the place when they open. They do have one thing in their favor worth crossing the Avenue for, they do copies on their copy machine for 5¢, now that's a good thing.
The newspaper AM New York did a writeup on Sunset Park yesterday. You can find the entire paper in PDF format here and the article starts on page 18. Only one problem with the article is that the reporter didn't research the borders of Sunset Park. Sunset Park goes North to the Prospect Expressway and the Eastern border goes to 9th Avenue not 8th. The borders were meant to coincide with the zip codes and 11232, for example goes to 9th Avenue. Other than that, it makes for interesting reading..
Chic and Cheap on 61st street right off of 5th Avenue is one of those places you have to know is there. Unfortunately the owner will be relocating to Carol Gardens when her l;ease is up in less than a year. But for the mean time it will still be here selling both used and overstock clothing to the public. The eclectic store stocks items for both male and female and if you haven't been there maybe it's time to drop them a visit and say hello. Who knows? Maybe she'll change her mind about renewing her lease come next July and decide to stay if more Sunset Parkers know she's there.
The owner had a love of ice cream and decided to open an ice cream parlor. It's as close as you're going to get to an Italian Gelateria in this neighborhood. They're located at the southern edge of the neighborhood at 8th Avenue between 64 and 65th streets. Go check them out and tell us what you think...
Located at the extreme northern edge of the neighborhood @ 18th and 5th Ave. This place caters mostly to people from Park Slope. I suspect some people to the south might know it's there. They serve coffee and, of course, free wi fi. Starbuck's it ain't and it's not a large place so seating is limited. But hey, it's better than nothing.
It's sad to see another store close. Never went in there. They sold women's clothing and articles. Part of the cycle of life. Currently located @ 50th and 5th Avenue. We can hope that it will soon be replaced by something new. Even in this economy we have new stores opening up.
Finally it appears that Sunset Park will have a Chinese Buffet place. This new place is close to opening with no definite date set yet. Located near the corner of 58th street and 5th Avenue it's set to cater to a growing population of Chinese that are moving westward from 8th Avenue. I suspect we will be seeing more than just Chinese there. :Let's welcome these folks to the neighborhood and wish them success.
Located on 4th Avenue between 32nd and 33rd streets and sporting Wi Fi is the Tiki Bar. Open from 2 PM till 4 am they currently don't serve coffee, but the owner has told me he is amenable to the idea if people came in and requested it. The place is very pleasant and also serves as a sport's bar which they don't advertise as such but they should. It's decor is designed to bring images of the south pacific into your mind. If you haven't been there they are definitely worth a visit.
