PLG in Time Out for Kids

The May 2008 issue of Time Out for Kids has a nice piece (by Alexander Basek) on PLG in its "Where to Buy Now" Real Estate Issue. PDF here. But since when do kids care about the real estate market?

Not-so-green streets

Now that one of the young trees at the triangle on Lincoln and Flatbush is dead and gone, the "green street" is now host to but one sad and lonely evergreen. Both trees there were hit by a car a few weeks ago.

When I first noticed the fallen trees and went to look at them, a passerby told me not to worry, that the Lefferts Manor Association maintains this space and would fix it. According to someone on the Lefferts email list, the Parks Department is responsible.

Whether any person or group does in fact maintain this space remains a mystery. Even before the trees were hit, the small garden resembled a scraggly brown patch. When I talked to someone at the Parks Department last summer, the rep told me that the Parks Department can only handle initial plantings and that it's up to community members to maintain street trees and green streets.

So what shall become of Lincoln's little green street? If the green space is effectively orphaned — as I suspect it is — it'll stay that way until someone volunteers to care for it.

Any takers?

Beauty Supply Without Demand

I noticed a few days ago that Cherry Beauty Supply is now closed, and the corner store at Flatbush and Westbury Court is now for rent. This ranks among one of the least surprising business closings in our neighborhood's history, and I say that with no knowledge whatsoever about the specifics of its wares.

Cherry Beauty Supply was at 676 Flatbush Avenue. Directly across the street, at 671 Flatbush Avenue?

And just across Westbury? At 686 Flatbush Avenue?

Staying between Westbury and Parkside at 696 Flatbush sits the shuttered storefront of Sweet Mother's Place African Market, formerly featuring "beauty supply." Across the street at 703?

And if you go all the way down to 712 Flatbush, there is this:

All of this is within two city blocks! I'm no economist, but I sense that this market is saturated.

Reprise: Step Too Cafe

First off, I apologize (once again) for the really awful photo, which you may remember from this post on Hawthorne Street a while back. I was caught sans camera today when I was happening by the new Step Too Cafe and was invited in for a sneak peek at this new dining establishment. Did someone say "dining"? Why yes, I think they did.

Let me just start by saying that this place is looking pretty darn good! The walls are painted in a warm butterscotch tone, the wood bar and accent areas have a pleasant cherry finish, and there's a welcoming glass paneled wood entrance door. They were working on the stain and finishes when I stopped in. Swank! It's looking like a great place to grab a snack and chill out.

Step Too plans to open in about six weeks, give or take. The menu will include tasty tidbits such as popcorn shrimp and chicken, among other items. When asked if they were leaning more towards bar or cafe, the answer was a definitive "cafe". My guess, based on the fact that they do have a built-in bar but answered in the negative when I asked about booze, is that they probably don't have a beer/wine or liquor license. But - full disclosure here - I'm just speculating on that. And who knows, things may change in the next six weeks.

Greening Things Up

The weather forecast for this weekend is looking promising, so I thought I might spend some time out of doors turning my back yard mud pit into something other than mud.

I took a stroll this week down to local Kings County Nurseries, on New York Ave at Fenimore, to check out the pickings. Things are looking pretty green over there, and we hear that by this weekend there should be a good selection of annuals to choose from. King's County also sells a bunch of veggies if you're inclined to do some gardening for eating (be sure to plant any edibles in safe soil, ie; not your untested back yard).

I like to go local, and the guys at Kings County are great. But for items beyond your basic "garden variety" plants, you may have to search farther afield. If you don't have access to a car, some other Brooklyn nurseries (Gowanus, etc.) may deliver for a fee, or you can turn to the internet.

If shopping on the internet, make sure you know what size pot (if any) the plants are shipped in. Be warned: there are a lot of inexpensive internet nurseries out there, but many plants are shipped bare root, which means you'll be waiting eons (or at least a few seasons) for your plants to look anything like what the photo shows. Garden Watchdog is a good place to start weeding through the mire of internet garden suppliers.

Happy gardening!

Introducing PLG Public Works

A few weeks ago, we told you about a public meeting we organized to discuss ways to improve PLG streets and make them safer and quieter. Thanks to Will Sherman at Transportation Alternatives, we've come up with a working paper that describes some of the improvements we'd like to see, including some handy maps and illustrations. We're calling ourselves PLG Public Works (at least for the time being) and are eagerly seeking other locals to help with the cause.

This paper is only the first draft, but I thought I'd post it here for all PLG'ers for comment: Traffic-Calming-Draft1.pdf

If you have any suggestions, either comment here or email me at brooklynite282 at gmail. Once we've got a final document, we plan on circulating a petition among local residents, soliciting endorsements, and submitting the proposal to various local officials and media.

99 Problems (But a Dish Ain't One)

I have, perhaps, an unhealthy obsession with poking fun at 99-cent stores. (See, for example, One Two Three) So it almost feels like karma that, as previously noted, another one is opening in PLG.

I had never thought I'd need a reason to shop there regularly, but that was before I found out about The 99-Cent Only Store Cookbook. According to Amazon, it features favorites such as Artichoke Spinach Bake on Homemade Pizza Bread, Green Beans Au Gratin, Chicken Tetrazinni and Pinot Noir Poached Pear Tart.

I almost feel like we don't need another restaurant anymore.

Maximillian Bell's

About that regular old neighborhood bar...

Yes indeed, it does exist.

Those of you who don't often venture past Rogers may not have noticed this local watering hole on Nostrand Avenue near the corner of Rutland Road (Google map here).

Bell's, which, according to one local customer, has been here "a very very long time", has a casual atmosphere, a juke box featuring island music as well as some classics such as Sinatra and Otis Redding, and even features karaoke on Saturday nights (no cover). There's a friendly regular crowd, and the weekend bartender Gloria (no relation to "Gloria's" next door) will treat you right with some buy backs and occasional "shots" of red wine. Similar to the now defunct Brooklyn & Slim, the front door to Bell's is often locked, but fear not, the proprietors couldn't be friendlier and a brief knock will have them welcoming you in.

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bell himself, who was sporting some kick ass amber-vision glasses. Seriously. Without a hint of sarcasm, Bell tells me his bar has been here several hundred years, and admittedly the bathroom sure does look it, but I am always happy to drop in for a beer or two.

Maple Street School in talks with Lincoln Tower

Brownstoner reports that the Maple Street School is talking to the developer of the glassy tower about possibly renting the second floor commercial space to expand the school. (Apparently, the school has a waiting list of 100 children.) More here.

Building a better bike rack

While strolling down Lincoln Road this weekend we couldn't help but notice that the city bike rack there has been uprooted. I called the DOT to ask them to replace it. The DOT rep said that this particular rack had been run over by a truck and that, as far as he knew, no bikes had been stolen. But it does make you wonder how secure these things really are. It's no secret that bikes have been stolen from broken city racks in other neighborhoods.

All the more reason to encourage any enterprising designers you know to participate in the NYC Department of Transportation's CityRacks Design Competition.

Related links:
Suggest a "CityRack" location
Request a repair for an existing CityRack