2014 NYC Marathon in Sunset Park, A Photo Album

With local landmark St. Michael's Church runners run along 4th Avenue.

Every year they hold the Marathon I try to do a photo album shoot as it passes through Sunset Park from 65th street to the Prospect Expressway and the border with Park Slope. Today the weather was extremely cold in the morning and warmed up as the day went on. I shot over 100 pics. I tried picking the better ones for this post. Hope all you local residents can pick out the landmarks...

 

 

Th five mile marker and clock..

 

A watering station handing out Gatorade to the runners..

 

 

 

The Bay Ridge Towers loom in the distance at the Bay Ridge Border.

The first of many musicians and bands we encountered en route. This guy was at the Irish Haven Bar..

Another guy playing solo along the route..

Another block, another band.

The Mug Cafe, good friends of mine and time to pick up a buttered bagle..

Another watering station for the runners..

 

Another band, another block.

Runing towards Park Slope.

Two man guitar team..

Another band..

I think these guys were doing rap music with a Caribbean  flavor..

Once upon a time Sunset Park was a large Norwegian and Finnish enclave. There are still some around..

This band consisted of of older guys. The guy seems to be ready for Christmas..

These guys had the best setup, a stage and their own canopy..

We're two thirds of the way towards Park Slope..

 

These guys were really, really young..

This band was really, really good. Named the BROVERDOSE. They have a website.

Passing by the 72 Precinct House.

Passing by Kentucky Fried Chicken. I don't think anybody stopped in for a snack..

Another Gatorade station as we inch closer to Park Slope.

Time to stop in at the Tin Cup Cafe for a quick cup.

The owner of Tin Cup Cafe was kind enough to give me a free cup..

The six mile marker and clock.

This band was named Giant Flying Turtles. Who comes up with these names?

The ten kilometer mark for them foreigners who don't know what a mile is..

There were few runners left as I got to the Park Slope border at the Prospect Expressway  Overpass in the Greenwood Heights section of Sunset Park..

 

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New Hotel Coming to 4th Avenue?

 

Rumor from the locals has it that the properties on the corner of 52nd street and 4th Avenue have been acquired by a Chinese developer and are slated to be torn down to build a hotel. Sunset Park already has the highest concentration of hotels in the borough. The PASUBA (Parkslope, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge) corridor along 4th Avenue has easy access to the R and N lines and easy access to Manhattan so it makes sense as the subway station is right there. With mainland Chinese money being invested in the area hotels make economic sens as well since there is no need to rezone the properties to get one built. All the hotels in the neighborhood charge a fraction of what a hotel room in Manhattan costs and with easy access to the city are more profitable than residential rentals. Time will tell if the rumor turns out to be true, but based on past experience they are usually right. The stores on this corner have been emptying for the last couple of months and it appears the new owners are not interested in renting them out. A clue that the buildings are on the way to be demolished since there are no for rent signs up. 

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Video of Motorbike Ride up 4th Avenue in Sunset Park

Somebody just posted this video of a motorbike ride going North on Fourth Avenue on YouTube. Many residents of the neighborhood will know exactly where they are and recognize the buildings on the sides. Kudos to the rider for videoing it. Aren't you glad I track these things on the web? :-)

Store of the Day: The Mug Cafe, it's not Starbucks, it's better..

For a long time I have complained about the fact there is no Starbucks in Sunset Park. One was going to come here five years ago or so and then Starbucks went into a recession mode and scrapped it's plans to open one here. Enter The Mug Cafe located on 4th Avenue between 58th and 59th streets. The place offers free internet and is open from 6AM to 10PM Monday through Saturday and Sundays until 4PM. The hours are equivalent to the Starbucks in Bay ridge on 75th street. For a road warrior like me who needs to do stuff on my laptop and access to wifi it fits the bill rather nicely. The price also happens to be right, $1 for a cup of Colombian coffee and reasonably priced pastries to go along with it. AND they also serve pizza. This is no hole in the wall either. The place is nicely laid out and spacious with plenty of tables and outlets to plug your laptop in so you can keep your battery charged while working, just like that "other place". So, if you're looking for an alternative to that "other" place that won't break your wallet and even serves pizza besides the traditional fare, this is the place to go. If we don't patronize our local businesses they won't last. So if you're in the neighborhood I urge you all to try it out. Oh, and did I also mention they make deli sandwiches as well. How cool is that? Try getting a deli sandwich at that "other" place. They also have  joined the cybermall on our website. If you want to check out their menu, by all means drop in and check it out. If you drop in on the place and patronize it, please tell them you saw it here and I sent you..

 

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Closings: Papa's Pizza & Grill

Papa's Pizza and Grill on 4th Avenue and 44th street fell victim to changing demographics and changes in food tastes in the neighborhood. The pizzeria had been struggling for sometime and it was only a matter of time before it closed. The increasing Mexican population around it is more in tune with their own ethnic food and don't frequent pizzerias as often. With more Mexican places and Delis opening all around offering more fast food choices the pickings were slim. It remains to be seen what will replace it. 4th Avenue is a difficult location to start an eatery. It doesn't get anywhere near the foot traffic that 5th Avenue does. 

Weekend: Farmer's Market in Sunset Park Last Day Next Week

Every neighborhood has a Farmers Market. Ours occurs on weekends on the corner of 60th street and 4th Avenue. It has been on for several years and it seems to still be going strong. Next Saturday November, 16  is the last day for this season that it will be open. The market is open from June until mid November every year. You can get more information at their website Here.

 

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Art in the Hood: Rite Aid Mural on 4th Becomes New Local Landmark

The mural on the Rite Aid store at 63rd street and 4th Avenue is well on it's way to becoming a new local landmark. The completed mural depicts scenes of Brooklyn but none of the neighborhood. The manager had told me that they were discussing doing a mural  on the Rite Aid on 5th and hopefully that will include scenes of the neighborhood such as the gate at Greenwood Cemetery or Battle Hill where an important engagement of the Battle of Brooklyn took place. Whatever turns out the mural on 4th is a nice piece of  mural art which has evolved from graffiti.  As time goes on and more people in the neighborhood become aware of it the more it will become known. Below are links to our previous postings on the mural since it's inception. Of note is also the fact that this Rite Aid becomes one of the few pharmacies in Brooklyn that is now open 24 hours..

Related Link: Art in The Hood: Rite Aid on 4th gets a new paint job

Related Link: Changes on the wall...

More photos below..