Murder-Suicide In Park Slope Hair Salon

Did anybody know the woman, killed today, who ran Dolores Beauty Salon (318 11th St.)? WABC says she was “immensely popular” with her clientele:

WABC reports: “A hair salon owner was gunned-down in Brooklyn Monday by a man believed to have been her boyfriend who then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. It happened at 11:45 a.m. at Dolores and Alex Hair Stylists on 11th Street in the Park Slope neighborhood.”

dolores beauty salon.jpg

“Witnesses say the gunman walked into the salon and confronted the woman in a back room, then shot her point blank in the head. He turned the gun on himself, and died on the scene … The woman, who has not yet been identified, was still alive in the moments after the shooting and was rushed to Methodist Hospital.”

“The gunman’s body remained in the salon, with a semi-automatic pistol lying in a pool of blood beside him …
The victim was immensely popular with her clients, many of whom crowded outside the crime scene in shock.”

Discuss: Murder-Suicide in Park Slope Hair Salon [Park Slope Message Boards]

Best Pizza in Park Slope?


Smiling Pizza

Originally uploaded by GuyBrighton.

daniel asks in the Park Slope Message Boards: “Where’s the best pizzeria in Park Slope? I don’t mean brick-oven fancy-ass pies like at Franny’s or La Villa, but a place where you can get a good slice and a drink for $3 or $4. So far, the only place I’ve liked has been Pizza on the Park, on 3rd St right by 5th Ave – they make great a Grandma’s pizza. Every other place I’ve tried has been atrocious – sugary sweet sauces, rubbery crusts, and greasy cheese. Is there any other place worthwhile?”

Park Slope Message Board regulars sound off, and recommend: Tomato & Basil on 4th; Smiling Pizza on 7th Ave and 9th St. (“pretty good for a standard slice. It isn’t the most consistent… When it’s off it’s still acceptable”); Joe’s of Bleecker Street on 7th Ave. near Carroll; a place on the corner of 3rd Avenue and President (“FWIW, that general area of the Gowanus used to be Brooklyn’s Little Italy”); the little hole-in-the-wall next to Olive Vine on Seventh Ave. just north of Lincoln Pl. (“Oscar, the owner, used to work at the pizzeria up near Union St. …”); and many more…

HATING on the 5th Ave. pizza places: “They all generally suck hard …” “… minus the new entrants such as Pizza on the Park, … They tend to use very cheap ingredients, the places are dingy, etc.”

MORE: Best Pizza in Park Slope [Park Slope Message Boards]

SCHNACK Coming to Brooklyn Lyceum

lyceum_by_drew_pisarra.jpg pitu wrote in the Park Slope Message Boards about Schnack coming to the Brooklyn Lyceum [CitySearch] on 4th Ave. and Union St. : “the waste of space is getting Schnacks?!” Meanwhile, Jack wonders who will climb two stories’ worth of stairs for that…

…and the answer is, daveb: “I’d climb more if i had to. A five decker cheeseburger from Schnack with bacon, mushrooms, onions, Schnack sauce and habanero sauce, coupled with fries and a huge Jever is my personal happy place that i retreat to in those dark moments. It’s the only burger I eat with a knife and fork. ”

Hmm… When’s lunch?

MORE: Schnack Opening in the Lyceum [Park Slope Message Boards]

German Parents in Park Slope?

austrian-flag.jpgElisabeth writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “I’m Austrian, and I have a son who is 6 months old. I would like to find a German mom’s group to meet other moms. Maybe anyone can help me?”

Answer: You came to the right neighborhood. There is a German parents’ group on Yahoo! Groups. Go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and search for BrooklynEltern. Many of those parents live around Park Slope/Prospect Heights. There are a number of parents with kids that age!

MORE: Looking for German Mom’s Group [Park Slope Message Boards]

“Healthy Back” Bags on 7th?

lirio writes in the Message Boards: Sometime last summer, my stepdad purchased a ‘Healthy Back Bag.’ I could swear we got it in a shoe store on 7th Ave., but the few that I’ve called don’t know what I’m talking about. If I remember correctly, it carried shoes like Timbs, Merrill, etc. I know that probably doesn’t narrow it down.”

“… Anybody know where I can pick up a bag like this in town or in Manhatttan? Tear-drop shaped backpack, one strap:”

http://www.ameribag.com/classiccollection.html

MORE: Shoe Store on 7th Ave. in Park Slope [Message Boards]

Mike Bloomberg Spammed Me

A RANDOM CITIZEN just got this annoying Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE, also known as SPAM) apparently-from the campaign of Mike Bloomberg, by way of mrcampaign.com. Way to alienate voters, Mike!

Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 14:13:38 -0600 (MDT)
From: Mayor Mike Bloomberg ([email protected])
Reply-To: Mayor Mike Bloomberg ([email protected])
To: RANDOM CITIZEN ([email protected])
Subject: Securing Our Future

” Dear RANDOM CITIZEN,”

“I have spent the last four years working hard to earn your support. Together, we have accomplished so much: good jobs, safe streets, affordable housing, and most importantly, better schools for our kids. In every neighborhood in the City and among every community, we are bringing a brighter future to all New Yorkers.”

“Yada… etc… I hope you will take the opportunity to read this e-mail and explore the issues that matter to you.”

“Sincerely,
Mike Bloomberg”

CLARIFICATION: This spam it did NOT come to the public Daily Heights e-mail address, which gets mail from nearly every politician covering the area, some solicited, some unsolicited (the unsolicited ones were at least consciously sent to “media” outlets). Mike’s spam came to the personal address of a random citizen that’s already overwhelmed with spam, so the headers go like this:

Subject: Penis Growth Extreme
Subject: They laughed when I said I make $1500 a day
Subject: What is Viagra Soft Tabs?
Subject: Mike Bloomberg Securing our Future
Subject: $B$”$$$K-K$Fv(B
Subject: Send 200K Advertisements for Pennies

POLL: Does Michael Bloomberg Suck? [Message Boards]

Key Foods: Roach/Rat Sanctuary CANNED

From Dope on the Slope: “Kudos to Key Food for replacing the aromatic array of garbage bags that made the south side of Carroll Street [and 7th] a fly, rat and roach sanctuary with a fresh flower market.”

“Key Foods is a regional grocer, with several stores in Brooklyn. Does this new line of business make them a ‘daisy chain?'”

Ouch.

LINK: Block Beautification Award [Dope on the Slope]

Discuss: Park Slope Message Boards

Stodgy Seventh Gives Way to Hip Fifth (FULL TEXT)

LISA SELIN DAVIS wrote in the New York Times: “Fonda Sara … opened Zuzu’s Petals, a flower shop and nursery, on Seventh Avenue near Berkeley Place in 1971… after a fire last summer wiped out her home of 30 years, she could not find an affordable storefront on Seventh Avenue …”

“… she moved to Fifth Avenue near Fifth Street, joining small shops like Under the Pig Antiques and Galaxy Comics in making the leap from Seventh Avenue to Fifth.”

“As chain stores continue to replace small businesses along Seventh Avenue, its hip, younger sibling, Fifth Avenue, is becoming what its older brother once was: a home for entrepreneurial adventurers, many of whom, forced out by rising rents, have set up shop two blocks east and a world away.”

“… rents on Fifth Avenue are roughly $30 to $40 per square foot, half the rate along Seventh Avenue, which, with Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, commands the highest commercial rents in the borough.”

FULL TEXT: As One Strip Goes Stodgy, Another Turns Hip [New York Times via Gotham Gazette]

Democratic primaries: today!

ballot

In case you missed all new signs up and the candidates leafletting at subway exits: the Democratic primaries are happening today, Tuesday, Sept 13. And round these parts, whoever wins the Democratic primary wins the race, which means that the real election happens not in November, but tomorrow.

If you voted in New York City last November and registered as a Democrat, you should be able to vote tomorrow between 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. Find your polling place here.

If you aren’t registered yet, you can still register for the next election. See How to register to vote – this page has information about the two ways to register: either in person at the Board of Elections offices near Boro Hall, or in the mail.

There’s particular excitement about the Brooklyn District Attorney race. Here are some editorials from the
Village Voice and Daily Kos that explain why.

LINK: Find your polling place [NYC Elections Board]

THANKS for the info: Drinking Liberally NYC

Bidding Wars on Rentals: Since When?

On calallillie.com:

“Alexis and I spent the better part of this weekend snooping around new neighborhoods …. We began the day visiting an open house in Park Slope– a beautiful 2BR brownstone floor through, nicely renovated with a great kitchen. The price was right, but when we got there, we realized that swarms of people had visited and that there would most likely be a rent bidding war. A bit crestfallen, we walked on, hitting South Slope/Greenwood Heights (is that really a neighborhood?) and Prospect Heights on Saturday, then the Gowanus area, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens on Sunday.”

“End Result: Nothing is really available over this Labor Day stretch. Furthermore, since when do bidding wars happen with RENTALS?”

LINK: Searching for a New ‘Hood [callalillie.com]

Comments: Daily Heights Message Boards

Monday Night Sex (on a Filthy Mattress the Neighbor Girl Threw Out)

Warning! This link is not safe for work. Or kids. Or anybody, really.

Via Gawker

“This is, to the best of our knowledge, for real, and it happened earlier this week in Prospect Heights Park Slope.

>>From: XXXX
>>Subject: For your “Only in New York” files. (Warning: nudity)
>>To: XXXX
>>
>> Hey all…
>>
>>OK, so it’s 2:30 a.m. on a Monday night, and right outside
>>my window, on the public street below, in front of God and
>>everybody are a man and a woman going to town on a dirty,
>>stained mattress the neighbor girl threw out earlier that
>>morning!!! Imagine!
>>
>> …
>>Now, the question begs: Who’s the bigger pervert, the couple
>>bumping uglies on a dirty mattress in the middle of a public
>>sidewalk, or me for taking pictures?

Click here to view the picture. And comment. And vote in the Daily Heights poll.

“Real” Rules for Picnics in Prospect Park


birthday girl

Originally uploaded by catpita.

Over on D103.com: “There are really two sets of rules for picnics in Prospect Park, the formal rules and the informal rules.”

“Formal rules say permits are required for parties of 25 or more, no alcohol is allowed, and tables are first come, first serve.”

“The informal rules say permits are only required if you’re a monstrous family reunion or church group, alcohol is fine as long as you pour it into plastic Solo cups, and ‘first come first serve’ means ‘get there by 7 a.m.'”

Link: Rules of picnics [D103.com]

Discuss this topic: (Comments)

Park Slope Food Co-op: “Please Don’t Paw the Persimmons”

From the New York Sun via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn: “The Park Slope Food Co-Op is thought by many to be a terrifying place, a netherworld of rules and suspensions and withering stares if you forget to bring your own biodegradable shopping bag. The one time I’d gone there, as somebody’s guest, when I reached out to pick up a persimmon only to be scolded by a dutiful member, who must have been following me through the aisles the whole time. “Excuse me,” she said. “Guests aren’t allowed to handle the produce.”

Richard, leader of a recent Sunday afternoon orientation session, was so determined to present the Co-Op’s gentler side that he had set up a table with organic treats such as carrots and humus and peach nectar for 30 prospective members. Before getting into anything as off-putting as regulations or free-range ethics, he started off the meeting by telling us how much the Co-Op has improved his life. “My ingestion has really changed,” he said. “I’m juicing now!” Read the full text of this article…

Comments [here]

APARTMENT FOR RENT: Park Slope, 1BR, Available Sept. 1

One bedroom (with smaller additional room for office, etc.) floor thru (3rd Fl.) in a really nice brownstone; 1st St. btw 5th and 6th
High ceilings, great closets, dishwasher; Very good condition
Rent: $1,625 / month; No fee, one month security

“Owner indicates that he prefers a single person or couple, as the layout generally does not work in a roommate type situation.” More info: Park Slope Message Boards

The Mighty Wind of Meat (El Carneviento) on Flatbush Avenue

el castillo de jagua-tn.jpgPeople of North Slope: What is it that unites us as a neighborhood? Our sense of community? Our desire for racial harmony and sensible development? Or the fact that we all, at one time or another, are subjected to the mighty, meaty wind emanating from El Castillo de Jagua outside of the Q station on Flatbush Avenue?

Public opinion is deeply divided on the merits of the meat vent. According to a recent poll, 32% of Prospect Heights residents find the greasy blast “disgusting” (sample quote: “I hate walking around that corner and getting a blast in the face of The Fried Wind….”). However, 27% “love it”, and another 27% “actually kind of like it.” Muk says: “Sometimes I stand directly in front of the meat fan for 10 minutes and then run around the neighborhood being chased by stray dogs… I am very lonely man.”

Muk also proposes that this meat wind should get its own proper noun: “As a nod to the cuisine and the people of El Gran Castillo, I think it should be called (drum roll)… El Carneviento – crudely translates to The Meatwind. Pronounced ‘Car-nay-bee-yen-toe’.”

USAGE: “I thought El Niño was bad until I moved to Prospect Heights and was blown down Flatbush Ave. by El Carneviento.

If you’ve never experienced it firsthand, the thick and greasy impact of El Carneviento may be hard to imagine. But since a picture is worth a thousand whiffs, you can click the thumbnail below for a gigantic image showing the congealed grease that has accumulated over years of continuous blowing.

MEAT VENT-tn.jpg

Carnivore comments: “That is truly a glorious sight… The combined essence of thousands of pork shoulders and chickens… It’s almost religious!”

[Click here] for a lengthy discussion of The mighty, meaty wind emanating from El Castillo de Jagua

Bombs on 5th Ave.?

B2 dropping bombs.gifchippenziedeutch wrote in the Park Slope message boards: “Did anyone else hear those two loud explosions last night (Friday) (around 9:00ish)? I was in a backyard and it seriously sounded like someone had done blowed something up. Anyone know what it was?”

Read more: Bombs on 5th Ave.? [Park Slope Message Boards]

NY Philharmonic and Fireworks in the Park Tonight

Thanks to daveb for the reminder.

“Conducted by Xian Zhang and featuring Karen Gomyo on violin, the concert will feature works by Wagner, Lalo, and Tchaikovsky.”

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman Overture
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

More info here.

No You DIDN’T: “Hispanic Shampoo” on Flatbush Ave.

beef and iron wine.jpgJose checks in with a follow-up on that mysterious “Hispanic Shampoo” section on Aisle 4 at the Flatbush Ave. Duane Reade: “Some of the products are made in Latin America (the DR, Honduras, Panama, Miami). However, other so-called Hispanic products are made in Germany and–get this–by special decree of Her Majesty, the Queen of England. The products range from cod liver oil capsules, gel, tonic, ‘Hongo Killer’ athlete’s foot powder, and, yes, shampoo. Or as my mom used to say, champu.

[“Hongo Killer”? qu’est-ce que c’est? Fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa fa fa fa…]

ALSO, we got this note from noisefootprint: “I was in there recently, and a couple of young [Latina] women got riled at that sign … they were in that aisle getting their hair-care products, and kept making loud remarks about how they were reduced to the ‘ethnic’ section. ‘The ETHNIC section! We have to shop in the ETHNIC section now’…”

Actually, the weird thing about the “Hispanic Shampoo” section is that it contains only ONE type of shampoo: Mirta de Perales (Lemon Fresh and Herbal Fresh varieties, along with Hair Conditioning Rinse and Oil Treatment).

Maybe de Perales lobbied Duane Reade to change their signage? After all, she is quite the entrepreneur… Somewhere out there, you can find a Miami Herald article from the early 1990s that profiles de Perales’s Algeresque rags-to-riches story. It begins like this:

“On July 15, 1987, President Reagan, speaking at the White House, pointed to Mirta de Perales at a special function honoring minorities and said: ‘That’s the American dream.’ … Perales, Miami’s undisputed exile cosmetics queen, smiled. Fifty years ago, she began her career in the beauty business charging a nickel for a haircut in her hometown. Today, she owns one of the 500 richest Hispanic businesses in the United States–her own line of beauty products.”

PICTURED: EKO VINO Beef and Iron Wine Nutritional Supplement, on the shelves NOW at the Flatbush Ave. Duane Reade