DailyHeights

Photo: B65 new temporary bus stop by threecee

Brooklyn has slow food, slow wine, and now… slow nabes. And Prospect Heights may lead the way, though some people say it’s a “waste of time” and “band aid” that won’t impact the zoom zones in major thoroughfares like Classon and Vanderbilt, where drivers routinely blow through yellow lights.

Block associations and Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council want to turn Prospect Heights into a “Neighborhood Slow Zone.” The speed limit will drop to 20 mph (down from 30 mph), new speed bumps would be installed, and “slow zone” signs and striping would be painted at neighborhood boundaries.

“Once the Barclays Center opens in September, the influx of “cut-through” traffic from cars avoiding major roads will only make the situation worse,” Danae Oratowski wrote regarding the potential slow zone for Prospect Heights.

Sounds great… but the slow zone would NOT include Atlantic, Flatbush, Vanderbilt, or Washington Aves. “Another waste of time band aid,” one resident says. “The [Barclay’s] center is still under construction and blamed for something that is happening now.”

“Classon is just one of the raceways in the area … Drivers often take full advantage of the yellow light condition and speed thru rather than anticipate the upcoming red signal. Franklin, Bedford, Washington and Vanderbilt not much better. The police need to … Get some officers doing speed monitoring asap.”

If you support the Slow Zone, you can sign this online petition.

Via NY Daily News: “Brooklyn barbers work the hardest. Khalil Wright cuts hair till 1 am at The Experience Unisex Salon on Franklin Ave. in Crown Heights. Wright’s midnight styles go for about $20. If the shop is very busy, Wright stays till 5am.”

This place is quite a social hub, judging from their myspace page (yes, those still exist). Check out the multi photo albums:

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/love-borough-daily-news-brooklyn-team-shares-favorite-bridge-article-1.1004205#ixzz1j7WWpkoo

So it’s not as crazy as Soho, where prices per square foot are nearly triple ($6.23 vs $2.01 in Crown Heights). But Crown Heights just had an 18% jump in square foot prices during the last quarter. That rent rocket is on par with what we’re seeing right now in the most sought-after Manhattan neighborhoods, as the RentJuice graphic shows (above).

This comes from a report by RentJuice that provides an exhaustive amount of info on NYC rentals, organized by neighborhood. Are you are paying more than average to live in CH? Check out page 12 of the report and find out: http://static.rentjuice.com/rj_index/NYCIndex-4Q2011.pdf

Source: Curbed. Thanks to whynot31 for the tip.

If you’re looking for a decent cafe, space, or place to work in Prospect Heights away from your tiny kitchen table, you need to venture outside. But perhaps the biggest problem is avoiding loud music, baby/toddler, bustling lines of customers, and other distractions.

One of your first stops should be the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, which is open late and has wifi. Some find the main branch library at Grand Army Plaza to be too noisy; if that’s you, check out these other Brooklyn Library locations. The smaller neighborhood branches tend to be 1-2 rooms, but are pretty quiet as long as you aren’t there during “story time.” Try the branch at Franklin Ave, just off Fulton Street, or the Crown Heights library (St Marks and Nostrand).

Prospect Heights bars such as Sepia tend to be open but relatively deserted during the day. At Soda Bar during the day, ask the bartender (nicely) to turn down the music, and they usually will.

Coffee shops are usually favored by laptop campers, but in Prospect Heights, you should probably avoid Joyce, Sit and Wonder, Milk, and all the other coffee places: they tend crowded and noisy, with no outlets, lots of babies, and reportedly, customers who won’t share a table. The Glass Shop in Crown Heights is hip, but baristas play music loud enough to eradicate productivity from the most disciplined brain.

Dean Street at Dean and Underhill opens as early as 8 am. Scones, muffins, coffee, nice atmosphere and pleasant staff. I don’t remember that there’s any music.

And if you don’t mind a bit of a trip, check out Study Hall at Proteus Gowanus, a “place for quiet contemplation, study, and work” open every weekday (Monday through Friday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If quiet work space with WiFi was not enough, they also have fresh coffee, occasional snacks, and small cubbies you can use for supplies and notebooks. They want $50 for a month’s membership, but think of all the “guilt purchases” you’ll avoid by not working at a coffee shop or bar, where you could easily spend $20 per work session to keep the barista/bartender from shooting you surly looks.