Real Estate Tools for Finding a Home in the Nabe

If you're looking to buy a place in the neighborhood and are relying on Craigslist, the Times classifieds, or a real estate broker, there are a couple of internet tools you might want to try instead: namely, Google Maps' Real Estate and Trulia.  The two have slight differences. Trulia shows a few extra properties, such as foreclosures and homes in contract.  Trulia shows, for instance, that 136 Hawthorne Street, which we blogged about a while back, is currently in contract, whereas Google has already removed the offering. But both sites make it easy to scan current offerings quickly (if that's the sort of thing you're into).

Should the PLG Food Coop Allow Paid Memberships?

I was talking with a couple of neighbors involved in the Lefferts Farm Food Cooperative, a food coop planned for PLG and nearby Crown Heights and Flatbush. Apparently, one of the big debates in planning the coop is whether to require all members to work, or to allow members to opt out by paying a fee.

At the Park Slope Food Coop, where Charles and I are members, members work about 2.75 hours per month. This allows the store to have far fewer paid staff members than other grocers, which keeps prices much cheaper than places like Whole Foods or Fairway. We're happy with that arrangement and it suits us just fine.

Still, if it were up to me (it's not), I'd vote for allowing people to buy memberships to Lefferts Farm, at least for the first couple of years. The money would help the coop establish itself initially, and the planners could always revisit the question once the startup chaos settles.

The main arguments against this is that it creates two classes of members, workers verses the moneyed. Everyone should have to work, goes the thinking, because it's only fair. I think there's something to this, which is why I'd recommend accepting paid memberships on a trial basis. But as far as I'm concerned the practical reasons for having paid members trump the theoretical.

• The coop will live or die based on whether it's convenient and affordable for shoppers. If it only offers a small selection of organic and natural foods, it's not going to be all that much different than the CSA and grocers that we already have in the neighborhood. (What makes the Park Slope Food Coop great is that it carries a LOT of stuff, at reasonable prices.) If it's located farther than easy walking distance, it's not going to be any improvement over shopping in Park Slope. Paying for these conveniences will take serious capital.

Happy Winter!

New Wine Shop, 65 Fen, Open For Business

On Saturday, as the snow started to fall, 65 Fen (65 Fenimore, near Flatbush) opened for business with a day of wine tasting.

We got there at around 6 and, despite the awful weather, found ourselves in a bustling shop with a lot of samples on offer. Off the top of my head I recall an Argentinian malbec, an Oregon red zinfandel, wines from Washington State, Sonoma, the Finger Lakes, New Zealand and, of course, France. I believe everything is priced in the $10 - $20 range. We left with the $12 Malbec. (Our favorite, the red zin, was too pricey for us, at $17.)

Since the owner, Michael Campbell, has solicited input from the community, here's our two cents:

(1) Focus on quality wines in the $8 - $12 range. The selection on 5th Avenue's Red, White and Bubbly is amazingly well-curated and should be an example for all wine retailers. The way they see it, ten dollars is about the right price for a bottle grabbed on the way home from the train to have with dinner. (We catered the wine for our wedding off of the RW&B value selections.) Wines priced between $15 and $20 rarely seem worth the extra few bucks when there is so much quality available for $10.

(2) Make sure that whoever is in the store KNOWS the wine. I admire that the selection is both small and varied. It is a perfect combination for appealing to a broad range of tastes without losing familiarity with the stock. I felt the person leading the tasting, while nice enough, didn't seem to know much more than that he liked the wines he was pouring. I don't need an expert on pairing with food, but if a particular wine is recommended, a reason why (acidity, fruitiness, etc.) would be helpful.

To end on an up note, I liked what I saw and look forward to returning many times. King of Tandoor is still BYOB (or W), and now there's a good place to pick something up.

Gino's To Expand with Sit-Down Italian Restaurant

Gino's, the pizza joint at 548 Flatbush Ave (bet. Lincoln and Beekman), has expanded into the space next door. The takeout pizza place has been moved into the new space; the old place has been gutted and will be turned into a sit-down Italian eatery. Good news, no?

For the pizza side, Gino's has bought a new brick oven. Charles and I tried it over the weekend and thought it was good. The crust was great, if you're a thin-crust type (which I am). I also liked that the slice wasn't greasy, which meant it didn't have a load of cheese; I'm more of a sauce person, myself. That said, we both still favor Family Pizza on Flatbush, just north of Parkside, largely for the sauce. Family doesn't deliver, though, and Gino's does.

We're not sure when Gino's full restaurant will be open; rumor has it that they're looking for a chef. (If you know anyone who'd fit the bill, have them stop by.) We'll let you know when we know more.

Christmas Caroling, Tonight and Tomorrow Night

For the next two nights, PLG Arts is leading a band of carolers in PLG.

The carolers first mission is tonight (Monday), when they will be caroling on Sterling Street between Bedford and Rogers Avenues. The group will meet at 138 Sterling Street at 6:30 PM, led by Lee Coker Holmes.

Then, tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6:30, the carolers will meet on the northeast corner of Maple and Bedford under the guidance of Ainsley Binder. The group will walk down Maple, around the corner up Rogers, and then head back along Lincoln to Bedford Avenue.

PLG Arts will provide caroling books but asks that you provide your own flashlight and caroling attire*. Dress warmly and bring lozenges.

Thanks, Siobhan.

*Santa hat

Bike Lane Compliance in PLG

Earlier today, Gothamist lauded the residents of Maple Street for their respect for the bike lane during alternate side hours.

It is a great thing to see, and I am glad that Maple Street has learned to coexist with the bike lane in their midst. I'm surprised, however, that nobody has jumped into the Gothamist comment section to remind them that the compliance is likely due in no small part to the 71st Precinct's policy of ticketing cars parked in the bike lane during alternate-side hours, as kicked off by the notorious September 2007 Ticket Blitz.

Image via Sholom Brody

Kids Pay for MTA Shortfall, in More Ways Than One

I can't read about the MTA budget crisis (no more free students passes, service cuts, etc.) without feeling violently ill, but Daily News writer Michael Daly managed to say what I would have liked to say without turning blue or shouting obscenities.

Daly points out how Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver has screwed over school kids and other transit riders by letting congestion pricing die last year.

Welcome to Shelly World, where school kids pay full fare on the subway, but motorists pay nothing to cross bridges and even park for free if they want to shop in his 'hood....The income from placing tolls on the East River crossings would have covered much if not all of the MTA's $383 million budget shortfall. Just the three untolled bridges serving Silver's Lower Manhattan district would have generated more than enough to keep school kids riding the subway for free as they have since 1948.

Subway fares aren't the only toll on kids. The New York City Health Department has just published an air quality study that shows how traffic congestion is poisoning the air. Area of the city that have higher levels of traffic have "higher levels of particulates (27 percent greater), elemental carbon (45 percent greater), and nitrogen dioxide (37 percent greater) than those in areas with less traffic." [Streetsblog]

Eliminating the free fares for students (particularly when coupled with the service cutbacks) could even make the air quality problem worse: anything that makes public transit more expensive and less safe and convenient is likely to encourage more driving.

Farmers Diner Getting Serious About PLG

Good news: the word on the street is that things are looking very good for getting a Farmers Diner in PLG. The owners of the Vermont-based restaurant are scouting out commercial properties in the neighborhood. Nothing is official, but things look good enough that we will not hesitate to start patting ourselves on the back. Whatever happens, we should remember to never underestimate the power of collaborative begging.

One of the commercial spaces under consideration is the site formerly known as Mike's International. The space is large enough to make an ample diner but, at $7,000 per month, isn't exactly a bargain. Personally, I'm no fan of the space; the tiny windows covered with bars give it a jail-like feel.

If I were the Farmers Diner owners, I would contact Jim Mamary and get a name from him for an interior designer. Though the food quality at Mamary's restaurants has varied radically, his places always looked good -- unpretentious, homey, comfortable, yet clearly constructed on a budget. Say what you will of Fly Fish -- the kitchen's ability to screw up mac & cheese was legion -- but the place looked great.

(Photos: Paulo C)

CAMBA Offering Loans to Small Businesses

We just received the following as a comment on a previous article but I'm posting it here instead:

I use to live at 45 Hawthorne Street and now work at CAMBA in the Small Business Services Division. If you are looking for Free Small Business Counseling, Entrepreneurial Training, or need a loan to start or grow a business, CAMBA has capital to lend and other resources for entrepreneurs located in Central Brooklyn. CAMBA recently received a grant from the Federal Government to provide loans to small business owners and entrepreneurs that find difficulty in accessing loans from banks. CAMBA Small Business Services is located on the corner of Flatbush and Church Avenue. Counseling and training for entrepreneurs is free.