Next Sunday: Encore Performances of City of Hamburgers at Maple Street

If you have a young kid and need something to do next Sunday, Alphabet Arts has you covered. City of Hamburgers, the hit puppet play of the 2009 Hawthorne Street block party, is coming back to the neighborhood.

The Maple Street School will be host to the shows this time, with four performances on Sunday, December 12. The first two shows are fundraisers for the school; the last two are fundraisers are to benefit Alphabet Arts.

Four performances on Sunday, 12/12/10
at Maple Street School (21 Lincoln Road - between Ocean & Flatbush)
Showtimes: 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm
$5 tickets sold at the door
For more information see www.alphabetarts.org
or email info-at-alphabetarts-dot-org

Hawthorne Street unreservedly recommends this show and the whole crew at Alphabet Arts. Sidney can't walk past the house where they perform for the block parties without obviously hoping that a puppet show will break out.

Providence House Gets Land Use Approval From Mayor's Office

Congratulations are in order for Providence House, which received approval from the Mayor's Office for the construction of transitional housing at 329 Lincoln Road. The approval follows a modification of the original proposal to accomodate the objections raised by Borough President Marty Markowitz's office and others in the commuity.

Sister Janet Kinney told me that the plan has added two 2BR units, lowering the total number of apartments in the building from 26 to 22. The final layout will include 18 studios for program participants, including the super's apartment, and four units for the community, including both 2BR units. Ground breaking remains several months away as there is still plenty of administrative work to be done.

Sister janet also said that she "will keep the community posted, and certainly want[s] to mend bridges with those who are not in favor" of the project.

Thanks, Dynishal.

Happy Thanksgiving From Hawthorne Street

Whether your Thanksgiving table looks like this

or this

we hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving and another year with plenty to be thankful for.

Gobble Gobble.

Chanukah Party in PLG, Sunday 12/5

On December 5, Chabad is holding a Chanukah Party at the Maple Street School. "Light Up the Night" is a menorah lighting and all-around fun fest on the 5th night of the holiday that will include a moon bounce, games and, of course, hot latkes. You can find out more from the event flyer or by contacting Rochie at plgrsvp - at - gmail.com.

"Light Up the Night"
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Maple Street School (21 Lincoln Rd., next to the Prospect Park train entrance)
Festivities start at 3:30, Menorah lighting at 4:30 sharp

Former Bar Now a Cafe with Wireless

We walked by the bar formerly known as Lime last week (653 Flatbush) to find the new joint, Rhythm Splash, now serving cafe fare: bagels, fresh fruit, and muffins with free wireless. The place was empty but the new owner promised great things to come. They have outdoor seating in back, but we haven't had the pleasure...

Help Stock CAMBA's Food Pantry

CAMBA, an excellent, non-profit social services agency based here in Flatbush, is in the middle of its Annual Holiday Food Drive. Even if you are not a religious person (and we are not religious people) it is always good to have one's mind refocused by the holiday season to think about those in need ... and to honor them by giving generously. Here's what the group is collecting:

Rice
Beans
Fruit
Vegetables
Pasta
Canned Tuna/Salmon
Canned chicken
Canned or dried milk
Cereal
Peanut butter
100% fruit juice

More info here. You can drop off things any time at CAMBA's office in PLG, at 19 Winthrop Street, near Flatbush Avenue. Also, for those of you who are members of the Park Slope Food Coop, CAMBA will be at the Coop on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Taste of Hawthorne Shut Down

We've just received word that Taste of Hawthorne, the home-based restaurant on Hawthorne Street, was shut down by the Department of Health shortly after the restauranat was the subject of a profile in the New York Times.

I can't say that I'm that surprised by the bad news. Before we blogged about ToH we made sure to ask if the proprietors even wanted us, with our extremely limited readership, to raise their profile beyond whoever they could flyer. A New York Times article that essentially admitted to operating without a license and made them easy to find probably forced the DOH's hand.

New York City Map: "Here Be Roaches"

It isn't as comprehensive as the bedbug registry but you can find out which neighborhoods are getting hit hardest by roaches by taking a look at Roach Map, a composite analysis of New York City data created by the folks who attended the The Great Urban Hack NYC, itself a collaboration of Hacks/Hackers NYC and Eyebeam.

The good news about the map: we are right near a place that appears to be totally free of roach complaints. The bad news? That place is Prospect Park. The neighboring sector, us, is blood-red, indicating that roach sightings are very common.

In the end, though, I don't know how useful this is. It provides just enough information to be truly creepy but not enough to allow you to do anything since it doesn't identify blocks, much less individual addresses, to avoid. I guess you should just... keep washing your surfaces and don't leave your cereal boxes open? And hope that the local restaurateurs are doing the same?

To find out more about the project's methodology, data sourcing, hackers and what you can do to prevent an infestation, head over here.

Will a Pop-Up Cafe Come to PLG?

The Department of Transportation is seeking applicants for a pilot program to add more pop-up cafes next spring. Pop-up cafe permits can go to restaurants that aren't otherwise eligible for sidewalk cafe permits and the cafe itself would be set up in the curb lane of the street.

The DOT is only accepting applications through December 3, so if anyone wants to tap, say, the owner of Scoops, on the shoulder to let him know about the program that would be aces. You can read more about the application criteria and process here.

Will a pop-up cafe come to PLG? I don't know. I have no idea if any restaurateurs have any interest and the Lincoln Road restaurants appear to be ineligible anyway because the street is one long bus lane... but I wouldn't mind seeing a few tables outside of Blue Roost or Mango Seed next spring. Then again, I'm not sure how relaxed I'd be sipping coffee on Flatbush Avenue as a dollar van comes hurtling by.

Classic Arcade Games at Lincoln Park Tavern

Because we are the parents of a toddler we rarely get to go to bars anymore (sigh) but, ironically, because of that same toddler we end up in Lincoln Park Tavern whenever we eat at Enduro. He loves the taxidermy on the walls and watching people play pool so as soon as he is done eating he starts begging us to take him into the bar.* It was on our last foray into the bar that I spotted a reason to sneak out of the house: a tabletop arcade game that has an assortment of classics.

I didn't memorize the entire catalog of games but, off the top of my head, you can play Space Invaders, Galaxian, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Frogger, Dig Dug, Mr. Do and one of my favorites growing up, Pengo. And best of all it is 25¢ a play.

I'll be the only one in my family in Brooklyn tonight so I'll be by with a fistful of quarters.