Archive | January, 2009

Bleed Black & Gold at Cody’s Ale House

According to The Brooklyn Paper, Cody’s Ale House on Court Street is the place to watch the Super Bowl for Steelers fans.

Brooklynites who bleed black and gold won’t have to go far to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, because the Brownstone belt boasts some of the liveliest Pittsburgh Steelers bars around.

Cody’s Ale House in Cobble Hill has been a haven for Steelers fans ever since a Pittsburgh ex-pat got a job as a waitress at the Court Street tavern.

“All the Steelers fans come in here with their ‘Terrible Towels,’” boasted manager Ann Gaffney, whose bar will offer beer specials during the Big Game.

Enjoy the game, and don’t forget to pick up some 3D glasses at Target or Fairway.

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WNYC takes a walk down Smith Street

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WNYC’s Main Street NYC is a new project intended to track the changes on five streets in the five boroughs over the next year. In order to do this, they’ll be “talking to business owners, landlords, retailers, new restaurants, and old neighborhood fixtures.” Main Street NYC’s first stop is Smith Street, where the reporter took a walk to find out how those who work and live along the block are starting out the new year. Among the people the reporter speaks with is Lisa Bolton, owner of Saul, who confirms that the former Boerum Hill Food Company space (which she and her husband also owned) will, in fact, become an Atomic Wings.

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Did anyone lose their electricity last night?

I had some family and friends all around Brooklyn lose their electricity for a large chunk of last night, leaving them cold and Lost-less. According to ConEd’s power outage map I was browsing last night, there were some outages around the nabe. Just wondering, did anyone lose power last night?

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LICH selling off property in Cobble Hill

The Brooklyn Paper reports that Long Island College Hopspital “is selling a chunk of its real-estate portfolio to stave off its ongoing financial meltdown, reviving the controversy that nearly tore the hospital apart in 2008.”

Critics say that the hospital’s management company, Continuum Health Partners, is breaking a recent promise that no more property would be sold. They characterized the bid to vend multiple brownstone houses, apartment buildings and an undeveloped lot around the core campus in Cobble Hill as a get-rich-quick scheme before an expected rupture between the hospital and Continuum.

“They’re trying to get while the getting’s good,” said Tom Sorra, a doctor and outspoken opponent of Continuum’s control of LICH since the two joined in 1998.

“This is despite assurances that there would be absolutely no more real-estate sales.”

A hospital spokeswoman countered that the properties, previously used as residences and office space, are not vital for the medical services offered at Long Island College Hospital and should be sold to negate the burden of debt obligations and yawning budget deficits, which ran close to $40 million in 2008.

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Margaret Palca Bakes no more

After announcing a month ago that she was closing up shop at her Court Street location, Gothamist reports that Palca’s shop closed for good at 2pm today. Thanks to everyone who called out Palca for her negative words about Court Street and lousy store, we got a little mention in the piece:

The closure is viewed by some in completely unsentimental terms, especially after it was first announced in the Brooklyn Paper a month ago. “I had such a wrong impression [about Court Street],” Palca reportedly told the paper. “It’s just such a ‘has-been’ kind of street.” The comment was seized-upon by some Cobble Hill residents, who formed an ad hoc angry blogmob on the Cobble Hill Blog. “I’ve lived directly across from it since it opened and have gone in exactly one time,” one commentor wrote. “Uninviting with an identity complex. What the hell is it?! Good riddance.”

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Senator Squadron announces opening of Brooklyn District Office

CHB Photo by Diana Rosenthal

CHB Photo by Diana Rosenthal

This afternoon, Senator Daniel Squadron announced that he is opening a Brooklyn District Office that, thanks to the generosity of Borough President Marty Markowitz, will temporarily be in Borough Hall. Squadron also announced the appointment of Ellen Whelan-Wuest as his Brooklyn Office Director, whose first task will be to find space for a permanent office in the heart of the district. Though not a native of Brooklyn, Whelan-Wuest now resides in Carroll Gardens (as does Squadron), and was urged by both Squadron and Markowitz to eat at Junior’s as soon as she gets a chance.

By opening his office in Brooklyn, Squadron said he is “making good on [his] promise to represent every part” of the 25th Senate District – from downtown Brooklyn to lower Manhattan.

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Lost City covers Cobble Hill

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Just a couple of weeks ago, Lost City covered Carroll Gardens, and now they’re onto neighboring Cobble Hill.

To many, the realtor-hatched neighborhood names of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens mean little. “What’s the difference? It’s all South Brooklyn in the end.” Indeed, the nabes are so small and so close together, they might as well be categorized under one name. Still, over the years, I’ve discerned enough differences between the two areas that I think they deserve separate handles. Cobble Hill is tonier, its average street more architecturally beautiful; Carroll Gardens a bit more scruffy, closer to the highways and the docks. CG retains a stronger ethnic, Italian-American edge, while CH is more blandly heterogeneous. And CG, in my opinion, has more mercantile personality than CG, which just has, you know, a lot of nice shops. 

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Daily News reviews Buttermilk Channel

Photo from New York Daily News.

Photo from New York Daily News.

Daily News’ Restaurant Girl reviews Buttermilk Channel in her latest column, calling it “hip, but still in the comfort zone.” I was actually dining at the restaurant the evening that the photographer from the Daily News was there, and I had a very pleasant first visit. Restaurant Girl didn’t give the two seafood dishes very good reviews, which isn’t surprising since the restaurant is definitely all about the meat. As someone who doesn’t eat meat myself, I found plenty of options on the vegetarian menu. But by far, the best part of the meal was dessert: Doug’s pecan pie sundae was like something dreamed up by a dessert god: chunks of pecan pie broken up among layers of butter pecan ice cream and whipped cream. In all honesty, I’d skip the meal and go right for the dessert next time I’m there.

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Diesel Stench in Boerum Hill

Gowanus Lounge reports that a mysterious diesel fuel smell in the area around Pacific Street and Fourth Avenue has been bothering Boerum Hill residents late at night. Has anyone noticed the stench? I noticed it a few times late last December during the day, and it certainly was pervasive.

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Big Movies for Little Kids

Cobble Hill Cinemas announces the rest of its Big Movies for Little Kids lineup through June. I’ll be on the hunt for a kid to take with me so I can get in to see Curly Top

Monday, February 9th, 4pm: The General with Buster Keaton
Monday, February 23rd, 4pm: 
Gulliver’s Travels
Monday, March 9th, 4pm: 
Tom and Jerry cartoons
Monday, March 23rd: 
Curly Top with Shirley Temple
Monday, April 6th, 4pm: 
Sound of Music
Monday, April 20th, 4pm: 
Rikki Tikki Tavi
Monday, May 4th, 4pm: 
Pippi in the South Seas
Monday, May 18th, 4pm: 
Unusual Short Films Program
Monday, June 1st, 4pm: 
Babe
Monday, June 15th, 4pm: 
Surprise Season Finale!

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