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Anne-Katrin Titze writes:  “Not a healthy lakeside environment – The danger of becoming entangled in snagged fishing lines and barbed hooks has increased ten-fold for all wildlife, including egrets, herons, hawks, gulls, waterfowl, turtles, and other creatures large and small that inhabit the lake.”

“This is harming the wildlife habitat and clearly shows the lack of commitment of resources for years. The ongoing erosion and disrepair of the stone bank at many locations around the watercourse has weakened the trees.”

More of a write-up via Wood chucked — into lake! City turns Prospect Park waterway a lumber dumpster • The Brooklyn Paper:

“The city axed more than half a dozen tree houses in Prospect Park in an attempt to save a delicate lakeside ecosystem — but then tossed the lumber into the water, creating a whole new environmental no-no…”

Streetsblog New York City highlights a The Brooklyn Paper’s “trademark neighbor-vs.-neighbor” story on the public workshop talking about the potential 20 mph zone in Park Slope. The y quoted “Greenwood Heights activists”  who apparently fear the Park Slope slow zone would dump unsafe traffic on Greenwood Heights. In fact, when London adopted 20 mph slow zones, traffic-related casualties went down, both in slow zones and immediately adjacent to the zones, adn there was no increase in casualties outside the slow zones (that is to say, no “casualty migration” that activists might fear).

-via Slow Zones Will Save Your Life, and Will NOT Dump Traffic in Your NIMBY Backyard » Brooklynian.

How quickly things change. Earlier this week, Reno Provisions was going to be Park Slope’s first full-fledged barbecue joint. Now, Eater NY reports that the New York chain Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is moving in on the same block as Reno Provisions.

Dinosaur, which you may have seen on Food Network or Travel Channel already, won #1 BBQ on Good Morning America, and they even have their own cookbook: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse.

Remember when there was little reason to go out on 5th Ave., unless it was to go to Aunt Suzie’s? Well, now Aunt Suzie’s is closed, and there are dozens clamoring to take its place. WSJ reports that a 31-block span of Fifth Avenue has about 150 restaurants and bars commanding rents up to $60 a square foot.

Today 5th Avenue is “restaurant row” subject to a high amount of business “churn” – consider that Uncle Moe’s burrito shop, Perch Cafe, and Sette Enoteca e Cucina, have also shut down recently. Yet as quick as restaurants close, “spaces are being snapped up by new establishments betting a fresh approach can succeed where predecessors flagged,” according to WSJ.

Examples include Kaffe Roasting House, and the planned Dizzy’s Diner going in where Comida Mercado Fresco used to be.

Park Slope’s only full-fledged barbecue restaurant, Fort Reno Provisions, could open as soon as this coming weekend, reports suggest. Pictured is a test run of Fort Reno’s new smoke pit.

Partners in the restaurant are Anthony Laudato, Lia Forman, and Jacques Gautier of Palo Santo. “Anything Gautier touches turns to edible gold,” one fan said in a recommendation on the Fort Reno Provisions Facebook page.

Check out their wall photos for another visually delectable test run: Pork spare ribs, bourbon bbq sauce, slow cooked collards, and buttermilk biscuits. And they plan to do cocktails in a big way; check them out at Edible Brooklyn’s upcoming cocktail event.

Fort Reno Provisions is located at 669 Union St [map], and their website is: http://fort-reno.us.

Following all the buzz around Prospect Heights potentially becoming one of Brooklyn’s first “Slow Zones,” Park Slope may now trying to get in on the action, too.

Is 20 (mph) Plenty for Park Slope? That’s the question the Park Slope Civic Council is going to debate on Saturday, Jan. 21, 11:45 a.m at Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place (at Eighth Avenue).

The New York City Department of Transportation is accepting applications to establish reduced speed zones (i.e., cut it from 30 mph to 20 mph and add some special safety measures such as striping, speed bumps, and gateway signs announcing the presence of a Slow Zone).

Problem is, this is a self-enforcing, reduced-speed area, so some people in Prospect Heights are skeptical that a “slow zone” is little more than a band-aid that cops and speeders will ignore. Moreover, changing velocity on such a grand scale might not be “wasteful” and hard on suspensions and chassis, and decrease the mean time between failures of these and associated components. The truly flagrant violators will likely sail over speed bumps as if they did not exist.

Are there other, better traffic calming solutions, such as zig-zags, chicanes, and speed cameras? Or is a slow zone the perfect thing for Park Slope? Come to the meeting Saturday and let your voice be heard.

The Daily Mail just posted 12 huge and stunningly horrific photos of the 1960 Park Slope airline collision. It’s hard to imagine this post-apocalyptic carnage is on the corner of 7th Avenue and Sterling Place:

The collision took place on December 16, 1960, about 2 weeks before Christmas, and involved 2 passenger planes (United Airlines Flight 826 and Trans World Airlines Flight 266) as they were descending toward Idlewild and LaGuardia Airport.

The crash set more than 200 homes on fire. About 2,500 firefighters and policemen came to fight the flames and sort out the chaos.

The Douglas DC-8 had 84 people on board and overshot its holding point by some 12 miles and hit the TWA plane, which had 44 people on board. Snow was a factor in the crash, investigators said.

“Residents were horrified to see a passenger jet’s plane wing careening down a narrow street,” writes Beth Stebner. “There was an explosion, as the plane crashed to the neighborhood, demolishing the Pillar of Fire church as well as several houses. The explosion as well as flying debris blew out many nearby windows.”

The DC-8’s pilot tried desperately to make a landing at LaGuardia, but crashed on Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place in the heart of Park Slope. “What was moments ago an idyllic Christmas scene had turned into carnage – twisted metal, burned plane pieces, and charred corpses littered the streets,” Stebner writes.

The sole survivor was Stephen Baltz, 11, who was flying alone. He died 27 hours later, but not before telling doctors he looked out the window of the plane and saw snow falling on the city:

“It looked like a picture out of a fairy book,” he said. “It was a beautiful sight.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086028/Photos-1960-Brooklyn-airline-crash-sparked-new-era-black-boxes.html#ixzz1jZCYrork

Grub Street reports that Barrio restaurateur Spencer Rothschild, who had planned to relaunch as Barrio Plates, made a last-minute decision to call his new place Mix. The idea is that the menu MIXes different flavors and cuisines (get it?) and you can mix it up with a light bite by yourself, or bring a large group and sample the full menu. Rothschild replaced Barrio’murals with orange-and-ochre colors and chef Martell Fonville (al di la) is still doing contemporary American with a tinge of Latin and Asian.

Go to Grub Street to check out the menu and a full slideshow of the new space.

If you’re done with Hunan Delight or Mr. Wonton, gear up for Park Slope’s newly authentic Chinese restaurants, of which there are at least two good options. Brooklyn Vegetarian writes: “For years we have been content with the same old menus … (but) actual authentic Chinese restaurants have been getting more popular” as evidenced by places like Tofu on 7th, which have brought in actual chefs from China. Here’s BV’s take on Szechuan Garden:

… I was intrigued by the description on the menu that mentioned that they actually use Szechuan peppercorns in their dishes.

When I mentioned I was a vegetarian … they directed me towards the sauteed dry tofu with string beans, which they said has the same sauce and condiments as the meat-heavy items but was completely vegetarian. The tofu was in large, dense chunks and the string beans were cooked perfectly. The sauce was a great blend of different kinds of chiles — dried, pickled, and fresh — which made the dish super spicy (which I love).

F’ed in Park Slope posted a reader review of Tofu on 7th Avenue, which also recently added some spicy Sichuan dishes to the menu: The waitress … went on and on about how the restaurant decided to spend a lot of money to hire a new chef, who specialized in Sichuan dishes … We’re huge fans of Grand Sichuan on 9th Ave and Chelsea, but … it’s nice to have something similar right up the street (though, admittedly, Tofu on 7th isn’t quite as good). I’d recommend trying the Dry Pot Style Chicken, Chong Qing Chicken, and Three Pepper Chicken.

You can also read multiple first-hand reviews of both Tofu on 7th and Szechuan Garden on Brooklynian. Triebensee writes: “Tofu on 7th (226 7th Ave) now offers Szechuan style dishes, in addition to more run-of-the mill chinese food, and they’re quite delicious. I’d say they’re now the best chinese food in Park Slope.”

But wait – rockingood counters with a vote for Szechuan Garden on 7th Ave and 16th: “Got delivery the other night and was quite pleased. Was it the best Dan Dan noodles I’ve ever had? No. Was it Dan Dan noodles delivered to my door in park slope and quite tasty at that? YES! This is my new go-to Chinese.”

Gothamist just posted a series of great photos of The Montauk Club courtesy of New York Public Library’s old image archive. Park Slope’s private social club founded in 1889 by Charles Pratt, Richard Schermerhorn, and Edwin C. Litchfield. In its heyday, it hosted prominent politicians including John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Today, it’s come back to life as a low-key and relatively non-exclusive club (I can attest, since they actually let me into the place for an actual function once).

Today, it’s focused on recruiting unmarried and “good looking” thirtysomethings, according to its website: “But our older members are holding their own and the mix of ages and the diversity of points of view make for engaging conversation.” Membership is only $350 a year.

Who’s a member of Montauk? Will there be a Super Bowl party, and is it too late to get in the betting pool?

Via Daily Heights: Emily was in Joyce Bakeshop and found this flyer of Bubu, the cat of murder victim Deloris Gillespie who was burned to death in an elevator in December. Who can help this cat find an adoptive family?

Until now, oxycontin (oxycodone) abuse has been a phenomenon associated with states like Tennessee and West Virginia. But now, a new report shows that prescriptions for oxycontin, a highly addictive and frequently abused narcotic painkiller, are up by 82% in New York state. State attorney general Eric Schneiderman released the report to support his idea of establishing a statewide drug-tracking system.

In the area, oxycodone has been a big problem in Long Island, where there were 6 people killed last year in 2 different robberies (that’s a trend too – people are robbing for pills, not money). Inpatient oxycodone treatment programs continue to be in high demand, and a number of centers in Long Island (and elsewhere) have seen quite a few individuals come in for services.

According to the New York Times, there’s also been a sharp increase in hydrocodone (Vicodin) prescriptions, up 16.7% from 2007 to 2010.

If the state attorney general gets his way, there would be a new Internet-based tracking system that pharmacists would have to use to report sales of controlled substances. And Doctors would have to check a patient’s prescription history on the tracking system.

Pharmacists are outraged about the large and “ridiculous” fines they (and doctors) would face for ignoring the requirements: $500 for their first offense, $1,000 for a second offense, and $5,000 thereafter.

“Pharmacists don’t need further distractions.”, Craig Burridge, the executive director of a pharmacists society, told the New York Times. “Have they been behind the counter of a pharmacy?”

So Brooklyn hipsters are an easy target, and hating on them may be passe. But you have to admit–this xtranormal video is inspired, relevant, occasionally humorous … and a bit eerily familiar. Here’s an approximate and partial transcript of some highlights, below. Troll alert: some of the dialogue is deliberately inflammatory (duh).

Emily: Hey, Ethan. Funny running into you here on 7th Avenue in the middle of a weekday afternoon. Having chance encounters on the street with other hipster yuppie suburban rejects identical to myself is one of the main reasons I moved here to Park Slope. As for you, you must have already taken care of your 3 hours of freelance creative consulting this week, no?

Ethan: Yeah, you know how it is in the Slope, Emily. Just another day in the nabe, trying to make ends meet. But you know how it is, Emily. I mean, you’re from Brooklyn and all.

Emily: Oh yeah. I hear you, Ethan. Say Ethan, how are you planning to kill your gratuitious amounts of free time today? any suggestions on how to spend as much of my infinite leisure time and my parents’ 401k money as possible today in the nabe? I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Ethan: Actually, why don’t you head on over to Union Market. I hear they’ve just jacked up their prices yet again. You can stock up on some organic olives, rat-nibbled baguettes and goat cheese. That should easily run you a few hundred dollars, at least.

Emily: Sweet. That’s a great idea, Ethan. Now I remember why all we yups get along so well. We’re so much smarter than those Brooklyn natives …

Via the Brooklyn Paper’s PROSPECT HEIGHTS crime blotter:

Pool sharked: “A crook jacked a fancy cellphone from a bar-goer on Vanderbilt Avenue … The 29-year-old victim told cops that he set his iPhone on a table at Branded Saloon near Bergen Street at 1 am, then headed to the pool table. He came back an hour later and discovered the $750 phone gone.”

In what universe does an iPhone cost $750? That is “fancy” indeed. Or is this one of those cracked, hacked, unlocked iPhones from eBay?

See more hijinks and shenanigans at BrooklynPaper.com.

Some criminals are dumber than others. A woman was mugged in the middle of the day while getting her keys out to go into her home. The guy approached her with a knife, took her belongings and sped off in a van. The woman had the presence of mind to take down the thief’s license plate and vehicle description. Shortly after, a delivery guy walked by and the woman was able to use his phone to call the police. They caught they guy about 20 minutes later! A Brooklynian.com member reported the “cops said those kinds of robberies usually came in spurts.” A good way to protect yourself financially is  to carry only what you need that day. This way if you are mugged you won’t lose everything.

Photo Source: Coffices II (Brooklyn Based)

Sick of laptopping it off your kitchen table? Check out this new rough guide to sussing out libraries, cafes, and bars in Prospect Heights, Park Slope, and Gowanus for (relatively) distraction-free work:

How to Get Work Done: the Best Quiet Cafes, Spaces, and Places (Daily Heights)

In New York Magazine (via Brooklyn Based), a server from Per Se server discusses the letter grades on restaurants, bars and cafés:

With the recent Department of Health crackdowns, those letter grades are bought—by that, I mean every restaurant that has an A has either an in-house specialist or a specialist they’ve hired. Before the DOH inspections, every high-end restaurant has four or five in-house inspections, and then everyone has their own set of fire drills—you put on hats and gloves when the inspector comes, you hide things away.

In related news, it turns out that other restaurants avoid DOH grades by claiming they’re supermarkets.

Yuck:

On Brooklynian, 8thandprez (no longer at 8th and Prez) reports discolored/yellow tap water in South Slope for the past week or so (cold water only): “It’s happening to all of the units in our apt building.”

There are a couple of possibilities here:

• A pipe that is corroded and needs to be replaced. Since it’s only the cold water, the the problem could be somewhere in the supply line.
• Work on a main sewer line is leading to the discoloration.
• Someone is peeing in the water.

Other reports of yellow/discolored water are coming in from Sheepshead and another Brooklynian at the corner of South Slope/Windsor Terrace; and yet another at a condo in North Slope. 8thandprez has called DEP and hasn’t received any response yet. Anybody have a more detailed knowledge of this subject? If so, drop some science here: Discolored/yellow tap water – South Slope? (Brooklynian)

Photo Source: Gothamist

The ownership at the Key Food on 5^th Avenue reportedly does not allow their employees to shop at the store. It is normal for employees not to be allowed to shop during store hours, but in this case employees are restricted from shopping at the store all together. F’ed in Park Slope reported, “According to a cashier at Key Food on 5^th Avenue, the employees are not allowed to shop in the store, like, not ever. The report continued by saying, “Apparently this has been the store’s policy for several generation of ownership.”

While neighborhood opinions of the store differ from person to person, this practice isn’t completely unusual. Jon commented on F’ed in Park Slope, “If my buddy in the meat dept. gives me 3 pounds of prime beef and labels it 2lbs of chicken, that might seem trivial but it adds up.” There are arguments on both sides of this issue. Make up your own mind and choose where you shop based on those decisions. That is what makes free enterprise so great.

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Park Slope Patch has dug deep into Bill de Blasio’s annual 2011 Worst Landlord Watch List and found Park Slope’s four key offenders, according to the Public Advocate’s office. Check out Patch for more details: http://parkslope.patch.com/articles/worst-landlords-in-park-slope-named-in-annual-list

Source: Brooklyn Daily

This is the work of Laurie Russell, a 58-year-old painter who hung up at least 4 tree sweaters so far this season to encourage passersby to “rethink their environment,” according to Brooklyn Daily. Russell says: “It’s a gesture of compassion for the tree — even though I know it doesn’t actually do anything … It brightens things up in the most bleak months.”

Russell will leave the sweaters up until March, when the “naked” trees start to get their leaves again.

This has been going on for several years now, at least, as this discussion reveals.

Source: An Inexpensive iPhone Theft Detector (Gizmodo)

According to the New York Post, “snatch-and-run” thefts of iPhones and designer accoutrements like purses are on the rise in “trendy” Brooklyn neighborhoods including Park Slope. The 78th Precinct, which serves Park Slope, has reported a 32% uptick in this type of robberies. May be time to be vigilant and break out the black Sharpie.

Other neighborhoods: 76th Precinct, which includes Carroll Gardens and Red Hook, among other areas reported 124 robberies in 2011 vs. 100 in 2010. Victims include nightclubbers and restaurant patrons on Smith Street, straphangers at Carroll Street station, and Trader Joes/Fairway customers (and at least one Fairway employee).

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/thieves_getting_hip_to_trendy_brooklyn_4IgFUbkUKp2nG0SZZ2mqMI#ixzz1izJigtIR

Photo Source: SchoolGuides.com

Brooklyn has grown to be a cultural and (to a lesser extent) academic hotspot. Students who attend Brooklyn College tend to live in Brooklyn while attending school, since Brooklyn provides most everything a college student needs — from mass transportation that easily gets students from their apartment to school, to neighborhood bars and restaurants to blow off steam. The only problem is the difficulty in finding living arrangements that won’t drain your wallet.

A college student reported on CollegeProwler that the off campus housing at Brooklyn College “is very expensive … I wish they had some sort of student discount or financial aid.” Some 23% of Brooklyn College students reported that high prices and/or limited choices kept them on campus. Other students have found that living a little further off campus provides more choices at lower costs; the neighborhoods may not be as safe, but the rent is cheap, and mass transportation brings them right to school. Whether a student chooses to live off campus in a student run building or a little farther off campus, having apartment insurance may protecting their personal property from theft, fire or other catastrophe. For example, replacing a stolen laptop out of pocket isn’t in every college student’s means, which is where an apartment insurance policy comes in handy. The average policy in Brooklyn i $17 a month.

Photo By: Tom Rupolo

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ records show The Fresh Emporium Supermarket was caught reselling expired Costco pumpkin pies. The agency is responsible for fostering “agricultural environmental stewardship, and safeguard our food supply.” While laws against reselling food products are non-existent in New York, it is against the law to sell expired food products.

The Fresh Emporium was reported reselling pies purchased from Costco for two dollars more than the original retail price. DosLives.com reports a man identified as the store manager “made a mistake by removing the expiration date, but it was not intentional.” DosLives.com also reports previous complaints against the store, “the state agency revealed two complaints – one in 2008 about expired candy apples and another in 2009 that reported the store was adding chunks of fat to chicken to increase its weight.” A store manager named Jose said the store will not remove expiration dates from pies moving forward. If you have had any issues with this grocer, please share your experiences.

It’s been more than a decade since the “Dyke Slope” moniker made sense. The Cattyshack is now shuttered. And despite sheer numbers, New York is definitely not the gayest city, relatively speaking (see linked infographic, left column). Nevertheless, Park Slope is still considered the leading edge of the Outer Boroughs gay community (along with Cobble Hill). So there are plenty of nightlife and other social options in Park Slope for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered folks.

Two of the top options include Ginger’s Bar, which has been praised for its reasonable prices, a good jukebox, video games, and pool table, along with monthly drink specials (not to mention a Sunday Bingo night with Luscious Lola); and Excelsior, a gay and lesbian cocktail bar that has an outdoor garden and porch. It’s a New York Magazine Critic’s Pick and has been praised as being a lot more “neighborhoody” than some other options, allowing gays, lesbians and their straight friends a comfortable spot without pumping music or “seedy” trappings of some more well-known bars. Likewise, the bartenders are known to reward courtesy and respect with excellent customer service (and possibly buybacks).

If bars are not your scene, check out the Park Slope LGBT 20-30’s ‘Non-Scene’ Meetup which is designed for “cool young LGBT folks in Park Slope” who otherwise generally have to commute to Williamsburg or Manhattan to meet each other: “Central brooklyn – Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Flatbush – has its own vibe, and some really great places to hang out, and Park Slope is the center of it all. So, why not hang out with each other here?”