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box karaoke field trip - details on http://www.brooklynian.com

Cheers!

I know it’s been slow recently, what with the holidays and all, but we wanted to send out a thanks to our readers and a best wishes for 2009. There’s a lot to look forward to in this coming year and we hope you will keep reading, commenting and contributing to the amazing Brooklynian community. It’s really cold, snowy, and windy out there so stay warm and Happy New Year!!

-Mamacita

We have on an update on Barrette Bar’s First Sunday’s party on December 7th. The theme is festive, “Homo for the Holidays!” From Ms. Bloody Belle herself:

What’s that you say? You want another Sunday Night Mass to ward off that incoming chill? To provide the kinda heat that doesn’t bang out of a radiator, but will keep you up at night all the same?

Then come on by to the next Sunday Night Mass at Barrette on December 7th for Homo for the Holidays: an all-inclusive holiday bash for the homosexual, the bisexual, the transgender, the fuck-your-labels-kid, the been-there-done-that, the straight-but-not-narrow, and all other manner of queer-friendly folks looking for a little skin, a lot of dancing, and drink specials all night long.

Where: Barrette, 601 Vanderbilt at Bergen
When: Dec 7, 8-1AM
No Cover. Lots of go-go by Bloody Belle. Holiday funk and soul brought to you by DJ Tanner.

Spread the word! And friend us on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sundaynightmass. Or sign up for our email list by sending a request to sundaynightluv@gmail.com!

Baby it might be cold outside, but Barrette is just heating up.

The giving season is upon us and, with the economy crashing around our ears, giving now is more important than ever. Old Time Brooklyn stopped by the discussion boards to ask for options beyond ye olde Salvation Army:

Not so sure I want to give to the Salvation Army anymore based on their ideology and practices so….what other local options do people use?

EasternPkwyQ suggested Housing Works. Other suggestions included the Women’s Prison Association and Dress for Success.

Plug your own favorite charity or share your charity-giving experiences on the boards: Prospect Heights Message Board - Donating clothes :: Brooklynian.com.

I tried all morning to come up with a clever way to analogize the developer’s most recent scam, but it never came, so I’ll just say that this is shameless — even for Bruce Ratner.

Fans For Fair Play, a group fighting the Atlantic Yards project, reports that Ratner wants to give free Nets tickets to people without jobs. Scott Turner writes on the Web site that 1500 tickets are being offered over the next two months, or the next 18 games. If you do the math, that boils down to only 83 tickets a game. Says Scott:

“Offering Nets tickets as an inducement is a lot like paying someone with Monopoly money. The team, gutted of star players in a desperate bid to land LeBron James two years from now, is mediocre at best. Pre-season prognosticators don’t have New Jersey even making the playoffs.”

There has been little to no coverage of the ticket scheme. A Google News search today turned up only one item, a USA Today blog post applauding the effort.

Add your two cents at Brooklynian.com: http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=46186

Nightclubs, churches, amateur rapping and 4th grade basketball games, without commentary or score reporting are all part of the complex web that is Brooklyn Community Access Television.    It seems everyone has a favorite oddity on Brooklyn’s own channel.  BCAT is a window into the lives of our neighbors from the devout to the depraved and everything in between.  A fellow by the name of billtron stopped by to ask what BCAT shows he should Tivo now that he has Tivo.  Some responses:

Hatemail: “American Friends! Best show on Public Access. “

Jack Krohn: “Some of the religious programs are entertaining. It’s sort of inspiring to see people so passionate about their beliefs. Plus, every so often you see some cute women. ”

Trainsmoke DeLeon : “every so often I catch a show that appears to be entirely comprised of a girl with a microphone giving shout outs. love it.”

What BCAT shows are you Tivoing? Prospect Heights Message Board - What should I tivo on BCAT? :: Brooklynian.com

A topic that has generated a lot of discussion at Brooklynian.com, the Atlantic Yards development project, was mentioned today in an article in Pro Basketball News:

“While current developments suggest that the $3.5 billion Atlantic Yards arena project is in doubt, the mere prospect of a LeBron [James] defection to Brooklyn should ensure that it remains on course for completion.”

The article is somewhat misleading because the arena is only one small part of the $4 billion project at Atlantic Yards. The cost to build the arena – which would serve as a new home for the New Jersey, er, Brooklyn Nets – has been estimated at $960 million.

The future of the building is still up in the air, no matter what our old friend, developer Bruce Ratner, says. It’s no secret that he still needs to find investors to back those tax-free bonds the federal government recently cleared for him. And we don’t think NBA superstar LeBron James will be enough to convince weary investors to help move the floundering New Jersey Nets to a new home in Brooklyn.

The story, however, shows just how many people are following the progress (or lack thereof) at Atlantic Yards.

Mark Griffith, a community activist in Brooklyn, is monitoring the project. Griffith laments in an interview today with the Brooklyn Rail:

“What I don’t like about Atlantic Yards is that it didn’t start with a conversation. No one said, ‘We’ve got this land here that’s been underutilized, how do we fulfill its greatest potential? How do we build on it and develop it in a way that’s going to build the surrounding community, that is going to be respectful of the surrounding community, and is going to be healthy environmentally, physically, economically, and that’s going to include a lot of different people in the revitalization of this area?’”

Griffith warns that if the project falls by the wayside, Atlantic Yards will no doubt slip further into blight. That’s a frightening but very real scenario because, as I say above, the future of the arena is uncertain. Moreover, Ratner told the Times (in March!) that construction of the residential complex, the meat of the project, will be on hold “for years.”

Our solution? One word: park. If you want a third term, Mr. Bloomberg, take it back and turn it into a public park.

Discussion about the Atlantic Yards project continues on Brooklynian.com.

I recall a few years back when recycling in my Brooklyn neighborhood was suspended. A travesty of waste. But, recycling is back as Brooklyn residents do their part to recycle bottles, cans and paper and in turn help our immediate environment.

Are we in…France? Canvas shopping bags, the bain of the European market troller, are now seen slung on the arms of the most savvy Brooklyn shoppers at Fairway, Trader Joe’s or the neighborhood farmer’s market. Being eco-concious is not just for the gourmand: Humble Key Food has plastic bag recycling canisiters in front of every store, now, due in large part to Mayor Bloomberg signing the NYC plastic bag recycling bill. Canvas sacks are sold inside. Saahadi’s on Atalantic was quick to follow suit with the eco-fine bags, then D’Amicos Coffee on Court Street.

Health food stores like NY Naturals in Prospect Heights carry a variety of eco-friendly products and most of the other uber markets like Union Market have aisles dedicated to eco friendly product like Ecover and Seventh Generation. One of my personal favorites is the tiny 3r LIVING on 5th Avenue near Garfield Place that sells farm made natural soaps as well recycled onion sack cell phone cases and doormats made of recycled flip flops just to name a bit of their eco goodness.

Remodeling that ugly bathroom? Why not skip the Home Depot madness and re-use contractor cast-offs from Build It Green (as recently discussed on Brooklynian), or The Green Depot. Inside the Build It Green facility is Film Biz Recycling, the premier source for cast-offs from TV and film shoots produced in Brooklyn and New York City. Sinks, chairs, cabinets, bath tubs. Build It Green, Green Depot and Film Biz Recycling can can get you on your way to an eco friendly lifestyle all while saving a buck or two.

With all these options, it’s a shame more people don’t take advantage of them. Or even care what happens to their plastic bottle of POM. I am constantly sorting my neighbors trash and the offenders on my block alone are plenty! I’m from Northern California and recycling has always been part of my lexicon. I don’t see it as something hard to do. Should be second nature and calling 311 to report garbage complaints doesn’t always solve the problems.

For more information on recycling glass, paper, Christmas trees and leaves in your neighborhood see the New York City Dept of Sanitation website.

“Did anyone hear about the Bloods’ initiation that’s supposed to take place today? They are supposed to kill 31 women. Is it real or a hoax?”

This question was posted at Brooklynian.com on Halloween. The consensus was that the story was a hoax, and not surprisingly, that turned out to be the case. Many of those that commented on the site all seemed to have heard a version of it when they were kids.

Nevertheless, the fake story inspired real fear. A couple teachers wrote in to say that there were very few girls in their classes on Halloween. That says a lot about the power of urban myth, but it also raises an important question: What should we be afraid of? This, after all, is Brooklyn, and while it’s not Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, there are very real dangers here.

Take, for example, the Trinitarios gang. According to an article in the Nov. 2 edition of the Times, this Dominican gang has been terrorizing south Williamsburg since last summer. The Trinitarios are responsible for four machete attacks in less than two months, and in late October a young man was spotted with one during a shootout in which a 5-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet.

An incident that for most of our readers occurred closer to home was a robbery at gunpoint in which the victom was accosted in the lobby of his own building, reports The Brooklyn paper. In Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, the police department reports that robberies have spiked from 7.6 percent last year to 18.6 so far in 2008, also in the paper.

Most shockingly, a cardboard box of bloody human remains was found in Washington Park last month. One man told the paper that the discovery reminded him of Brooklyn in the 1970s, when one morning he walked out his front door to find a dead body hanging from a nearby lamppost.

That last one actually sounds a bit like a hoax.

To partcipate in the discussion, visit Brooklynian.com.

Now that the post election euphoria is beginning to subside it’s time to start facing real life issues.  Sometimes you order a burger and it’s not as done as you had hoped.  You send it back.  Do you expect the same burger to be put back on the grill and then returned to you, or do you expect an entire do-over, new burger and all?  There seem to be two distinct camps on this hot-button topic, though the majority appears to be of the former view.

putz: “went to soda tonight to treat myself to one of their big burgers. i like ‘em medium rare, but it arrived severely undercooked. the barmaid was very cool about sending it back, but then i was shocked when they redelivered the same burger! am i out of line, or is it reasonable to expect a new burger?? i had taken several bites and mangled it pretty good to discover how raw it was, so curious how they managed to reconstruct it…open to being told i am wrong”

It may be too early to call for an official propostition, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cast your vote.  New burger or same burger…which side are you on? Prospect Heights Message Board - another soda absurdity? :: Brooklynian.com

One important piece of news lost in the din of election coverage was the federal government’s decision to free up millions of dollars in tax-exempt bonds for the Forest City Ratner (our old friend Bruce) development project at Atlantic Yards.

The ruling gives Ratner access to $800 million in tax-free money to proceed with the construction of a new arena for the New Jersey Nets. The arena is only one part of a controversial $4 billion boondoggle that seeks to transform the yards into a sprawling commercial and residential complex.

But the joke may be on him — not to mention city and state officials that have blown taxpayer money fighting for him — because Ratner still needs to find investors willing to back the bonds. Jay-Z or no Jay-Z, the Nets were a hard sell before the market took a nose dive. With the economy writhing on the table right now, it’s going to be even more difficult to convince people to invest money in a basketball team that went 34-48 last year.

This story, however, has less to with a mediocre NBA team than it does a disreputable Bloomberg administration that snapped up Atlantic Yards by way of eminent domain, then handed it over to a private developer. We think the project has a lot to do with the mayor’s yearning for a third term. This is his legacy, and he wants to ensure its future is secure before he leaves office.

The Atlantic Yards saga will be an important story in the coming year, and Daily Heights will be keeping close tabs on it.

For now, visit Brooklynian.com to participate in the discussion.

There was plenty of revelry to be had in the neighborhood if your candidate was the big winner last night, and chances are he was given the numbers that came out of Brooklyn.  A number of people logged on to share the joy they were feeling amidst the impromptu parties in the streets.

Whatchuwant: “People everywhere! Cars honking! People shouting, singing, dancing in the streets! Gunshots fired into the air!! (good ‘ole Crown Heights!) So happy that everyone is so happy!”

Perhaps the first posting on the Crown Heights board where the gunshots were positive.

aleesha: “last night was truly incredible.. complete strangers giving high-fives and hugging each other, cheering and honking horns and every one of them with a huge smile on their face (even the cops and cab drivers going by couldn’t help but smile and honk).. i have never seen anything like this where everyone was just so HAPPY. and relieved!”  

And nearby in Prospect Heights:

raulism: “The crowds in front of Soda were cheering everything, from police cars, to delivery trucks, to garbage trucks.”

And he’s got the YouTube links to prove it.  Stop by Prospect Heights Message Board - police helicopters and sirens :: Brooklynian.com to check them out and share your story.

Perhaps it has come to your attention that there is a sort of big deal election taking place today.  Well you aren’t the only one who noticed, as a quick look at any Brooklynian board will prove.  Locals have been checking in all day, sharing their experiences:

Old Time Brooklyn: “The line is halfway down Bergen Street right now.“

asking questions pertaining to their local polling site:

eterpay: “If anyone has a midday report on the lines at PS9, I’d love to hear it.”

and giving tips on how to vote best:

pitu: “There was a line around the block at my polling station this morning, but alot of people were waiting to find out which table to go to. If you don’t have your card or that thing the Board of Elections sent you in the mail two months ago, confirm your info at this state link BEFORE YOU GO VOTE!
Knowing your district could save you an hour today… ”

So stop by, share your stories and ask your questions at Prospect Heights Message Board - help!! where do i vote? :: Brooklynian.com

Newcomer to Prospect Heights, chandaleer, stopped by the boards this week to inquire about what good things there are to do nearby for a couple with a baby.  Only a few posts later, a good list has begun to grow.

From chandaleer: “We are new to the neighborhood and are looking for any and all recommendations, especially for kid-friendly stuff. Our daughter is 15 months old. Anyone else have kids around that age and potentially interested in playdates? I’m a stay at home mom so my schedule is flexible. Also looking for a cool bar or two. We found Sepia and liked it a lot. Thanks!”

Some recommendations:

doctorj: “Hang out at Underhill Playground for a bit (cnr Prospect); won’t take long to meet like-situationed people. I believe they’re having a function tomorrow morning (Saturday 25th).
Also, PHeightsParents@yahoogroups.com   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PHeightsParents/“

stacey: “There is also Music for Ardvarks at Soda”

ntfool: “There’s also a relatively new ice cream shop nearby on Underhill that has a sizable playroom in the back. And the Brooklyn Library at Grand Army Plaza has storybook time with a wide variety of ages three mornings a week (my wife is a stay-at-home as well).”

And more will surely follow.  Another victory for crowdsourcing on Brooklynian.com!  Read the whole thread here: Prospect Heights Message Board - new to the area looking for stuff to do! :: Brooklynian.com

As Prospect Heights’ hipness quotient has risen in the last few years, realtors have done what they do and attempted to expand its borders.  madman recently started a thread called “Border Wars” citing a “NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission that seems to implicate Flatbush and Washington Aves as the Western and Eastern borders of Prospect Heights.”  There hasn’t been too much dispute about those being the borders in the discussion that followed.

Carnivore pointed out: “I think the mods are all in agreement that Washington is the border, as are most people who don’t have a vested interest.“

What are borders good for anyways?  Does the character of the neighborhood really change just past Washington?  A few posters list some of the harmful effects of fudging borders in the thread.  I suggest you stop by and read them before deciding to check out a great apt. deal on Franklin Ave. in the heart of Prospect Heights.  Prospect Heights Message Board - Border Wars :: Brooklynian.com

The former “As_oc_i_ted” at St. Johns and Underhill has now been transformed into a shiny new cornerstore called St. Johns Market.  In the words of supreme_ian “let the reviews begin ….”  Here are some excerpts from early critiques:

jarvis: “The place looks great and the selection is a lot bigger.. I also heard Sam say that they only have about 50% of the inventory in at this point. For the kinds of things I buy (veggie stuff, a lot of Amy’s and soy products, organic pasta etc..) it’s great. As for prices, it seems more expensive on certain items, and less on others.. hard to tell at this point. Definitely psyched!”

Underhill_MT: “Prices are good for most things (a box if macaroni is the same as the grocery store, same goes for canned beans), steep for others (our biodegradable dish detergent is $5 there, but $3.5 at Met). Store is great looking, can’t wait to go back when they’re fully stocked.” 

So what’s the verdict?  Sure it may no longer smell like cat piss, but is it everything you want your corner store to be? 

1,2,3 Review! Prospect Heights Message Board - St Johns Market = Finally Open :: Brooklynian.com

Every so often it is necessary to take the temperature of the pizza situation in your neighborhood. You’ve got to put out the feelers and see who’s enjoying which slices.  BKCK made the call: “Who makes the best pizza in Prospect Hgts? I dig Amorina for going out, but I’m looking for the best regular pie delivery place. Suggestions?”

And suggestions flow forth.  alafairnadia contributed a 700 word comprehensive guide to area pizza.  Others voted for their faves, though very few recommendations were entirely heartfelt.  The general feeling is that although there are some better than average pies in the ‘hood, few will change your life.  Read all the ratings, add your own and then open up that pizza pie shop of our collective dreams with a perfect crust, with cheese and toppings that meet the edge and a sauce so savory it’ll make you cry.  Start your research here: Prospect Heights Message Board - Best Pizza in the hood? :: Brooklynian.com

Few New Yorkers have never had a run in with a mouse in their apt.  There are a variety of traps on the market ranging from humane to vindictive but sometimes nothing seems to work.  A couple Crown Heights residents crowd sourced the forum for solutions to their rodent woes:

katherine08: “I just saw a mouse scamper across my apartment, I tried to get it but it somehow fit itself underneath the small crack between the door and the floor and snuck into my room. How do I get ride of it? I don’t want to kill it. Can I lure it out somehow? Any tips to help this not happen again?” 

BellaK: “I must have Mighty Mouse in my apartment, he’s been here 3 weeks already and refuses to die. At first I wanted a quick death for him, so I suggested regular snap traps to my boyfriend…After 4 days, nothing. So I said, “fine, get the glue traps as long as I don’t have to see or hear it.”…nothing…Then, the gutsy little thing started climbing on to the coffee table one evening while my boyfriend was sitting there eating his Crown Fried chicken. So we figured he liked the chicken enough, put some in the traps. ……..nothing…”

No strangers to this problem themselves, the people of the forum gladly put forth the wisdom they’d accrued on the topic while living in NYC.

See their solutions or offer your own at Crown Heights Message Board - getting rid of mice? :: Brooklynian.com

Some differing ideas regarding what to do about the increase in homeless people in the neighborhood were brought to light this week.  Minet broached the topic:

“hi, anyone else upset by the rise in homeless people in the neighborhood and the fact that one guy seems to be taking his mattress with him.
There was a guy with his mattress on Prospect last week- we called 311 and got directed to homeless services -who never came. In the am, he had a guest. Calling the station house from now on. “

Others agreed that calling the authorities is the way to go, so case workers can come and help the person find shelter.  Another approach is to just let them be, as per Daver:

“Honestly, if the guy isn’t causing any trouble, I’m inclined to let him be. It will most likely take care of itself in some fashion as it gets colder. As long as he _can_ stay out, good for him. The shelters are fucking disasters and nightmares. And not someplace that you wanna be. Much safer on an old mattress on Prospect.”

sneakyonstmarks relates a story, the moral of which is that we should do more than just tolerate them or see that they get to a shelter, but we should be nice to them as an insurance policy should we ever become homeless ourselves. The story begins with him being locked out of his apt.

“i had no option but to go and hang out with the homeless guys who basically had a living room on the sidewalk. They let me stay there till i could get in touch of my landlord. I went back the next day and bought them all lunch. Some people on this board have no fucking compassion, remember today its them homeless tomorrow it might be you. One never knows!!“

Read more at: Prospect Heights Message Board - sleeping man on vanderbilt last night :: Brooklynian.com

Maybe it was inevitable, but with at least 4 open threads on the front page of the Crown Heights forum about gun shots and several others about muggings, some locals are saying enough already.  Not with the gun shots themselves, but enough with the posts about them.

“I’ve been seeing gunshot posts on this board for the past few years, and frankly I dont find them interesting nor informative! Maybe it’s just me, but hearing gunshots in Crown Heights or for that matter Brooklyn North, is not all that uncommon. If theres something unusual about the gunshots, IE: gunshots coupled with someone getting shot or some other strange incident please feel free to post, otherwise lets just chalk it up to fireworks.”

This was posted by King without a crown along with a poll asking users “Do you find Gunshot posts informative?” King without a crown, it should be noted, has a reputation for exaggerating the level of danger in the neighborhood.  If you see the expression on the boards “to KWAC”  you should know it has the following definition as laid out by Watchuwant in a previous thread:

“KWAK- the act of making a block and/or neighborhood sound or seem worse by giving statistics that may or may not be completely correct and anecdotes that scare potential residents.”

As of now, the poll is fairly split between locals who care to hear about gunshots, and locals who find that it needlessly creates paranoia.  Cast your vote and state your case at  Crown Heights Message Board - Sick of Gunshot Posts! :: Brooklynian.com

Fjord seems to have touched a nerve with a recent post outlining why a particular stretch of Prospect Place deserves to be called out for it’s griminess:

“The north side of Prospect Place between Washington and Underhill (for a huge stretch) is just plain disgusting, riddled with litter, and a black eye for the folks that live on the block.

1. Walking from the east, you now have—in the last week—a construction plywood fence that extends nearly to the street. With the weeds, etc, it’s a literal maze. Nearly unpassable with strollers or grocery/laundry carts.
2. Right next to this is run-down and boarded-up stone front bldg, sidewalk overgrown with a glut of weeds (and little pest trees as well).
3. Continuing down the block, Prospect Place is stuck with the ass-end of the warehouse that has its entry on St. Marks. From Prospect, it looks abandoned.
4. A few more steps, and there’s the stillbirth bldg, one of the many in Brooklyn frozen in mid-construction we can thank Scarano architecture firm for…”

A litany of similar complaints about the block follows by folks that live on it or nearby.  Excerpts:

PHrez: “Lots of litter and dog shit around here. The supers of these buildings don’t seem to care either. No pride in the neighborhood.”

ProspectPlaceGirl: “seems like the whole part of that block is in a giant violation. “

alafairnadia:  ”I don’t walk that block. too many blind spots/side “alleys”. terrifying to a single woman.”

Nor’easter: “I too will go out of my way not to walk that block - sigh…”

Lo Kee: “What a toilet.” 

And there’s plenty more negativity about what seems to be the unofficial crappiest block in Prospect Heights. Some were more positive however:

doctorj: “Worst block in a great neighborhood = best block to buy into for the long term. One day it’ll be fixed.”

and the lone admirer:
bobbybrummel: “I HAPPEN TO THINK OUR BLOCK IS A VERY NICE BLOCK.” 

Any ideas on how to salvage this suffering block?  Save the day at Prospect Heights Message Board -Prospect Place btw. Underhill and Washington :: Brooklynian.com

Several people logged on to the Crown Heights board Saturday night to see if anyone had the inside scoop on a low flying, loud and lingering helicopter near Franklin and Eastern.  With the recent spate of gun shot threads on the board, one might assume that an uptick in violence may have brought out the whirlybirds. Or that cops were trying to disperse crowds from the day’s Panamanian Parade.  There was speculating, then our own cccc delivered the inside scoop:

“The police officer was hit by an object thrown off one of the rooftops. They are using helicopters to search the roofs. The PO had a serious laceration and was taken to Kings County Hospital.  I know for fact this is what happened”

cccc keeps his sources to himself, but the story is soon verified in the local news.  This one had a happy ending which you can read about at  Crown Heights Message Board: helicopter circling over my block–what’s the deal :: Brooklynian.com | Brooklyn Blog and Message Boards

We’re still waiting for conclusions in the gun shot threads…

bill c:

“in today’s ny times.com, a photo spread of that hip new brooklyn neighborhood. “

sje:

“Prospect Heights is in the NY Times Travel section today, with 2 pictures of my shop! The photographer came a few weeks ago, and I totally forgot about it:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/travel/1…..surfacing.html?ref=travel
Nice!”

Indeed, Prospect Heights was featured as “Brooklyn’s New Hipster Outpost” in the NYTimes.com Travel section.  There is a slideshow of a handful of shops on Vanderbilt in addition to the article. While local shop owners were pleased with the shout-out, others found the location of the article amusing, if not insulting.
Nor’easter:

“It’s pretty cold that the NYT put this in the TRAVEL section.”

Prospect Heights (and local businesses) in the NYT :: Brooklynian.com | Brooklyn Blog and Message Boards

Neighborhood newcomer ams recently stopped by the PH boards to ask about safety near her new apartment by the PH/CH border.

“I just moved to the area, from the very different California. I love my apartment, but I haven’t been comfortable walking, especially by myself or at night. I know live at the edge of Prospect Heights (st marks & grand), but I just wanted to know how comfortable the people here felt in the area - especially females. Do you feel safe taking the subways/shuttle and walking home?”

People who live around there left varying responses about how safe they feel, and their street wise advice on how to avoid getting mugged.  But meanwhile on the Crown Heights board sillybilly was posting an account of a mugging that happened just up the street from ams’s new place.

“Just A Public Service Announcement: Friend & neighbor in my building was mugged last night (10/6/2008) around 10:30 pm on Prospect Place (btwn. Grand & Classon). Friend was coming home approaching our building and was accosted by a young fellow in hoodie asking for directions. The assailant wouldn’t let my friend pass and all of a sudden he was surrounded by 4 to 5 other “yutes” wearing hoodies and holding something metal to his neck, while rifling through his pockets & bag. Lost cell, wallet, etc. Punks demanded pin numbers but friend provided fake ones. The crew tried to withdraw cash (got nada) but were successful in charging several metrocards to the credit cards.

Friend called cops (the ol’ 77 pct.) who were serious and helpful. They all drove around for 30 mins. looking for the punks - to no avail.”

So to answer the original question, muggings do happen and it’s best to use some street smarts when walking home alone at night.  Stop by the thread to hear about how Slappy McBluelips suggests you use a decoy to minimize the risk when getting mugged.  And share your own street wise knowledge at Crown Heights Message Board - Mugging on Prospect Place (btwn. Grand & Classon) :: Brooklynian.com

The neighborhood’s greatest and only bike shop is leaving Vanderbilt Ave.  The news came courtesy of bill c who wrote “sad to hear they are relocating as the owners were great people and super knowledgable about bikes. but i hope they get some more space in their
new shop as this location was a bit submarine-like.”  Guvna shares in the sadness: “I saw the ’store for rent’ sign yesterday and cried inside.”

The closest places to get a bike fix or to put some air in your tires are now R&A Cycles on 5th or Dixon’s on Union.  The new location of Bicycle Station will be 171 Park Ave. @ Adelphi.

Share in the grieving at Prospect Heights Message Board: bike station moving from vanderbilt (Brooklynian.com)