A century-old Flatbush building, which once housed a movie palace, is looking for a new tenant to bring a renewed lease on life to the joint. The building, 1085 Flatbush Ave., now houses the Cortelyou Road Church of God, which owns the building and wants to rent out most of the 15,000-square-foot space and keep a sliver for itself. For more than half a century, the building was home to the Rialto Theatre, from 1916 to 1976. Since then, it has been the location of various houses of worship. The building …
What it’s like going back to the movies at 3 beloved Brooklyn cinemas
Going to the movies is like visual Xanax for me; I love the experience almost as much as I love the movies themselves—phone off, world off, sipping a Diet Coke the size of my head, air-conditioning at goosebump levels, in front of a giant screen. There was a lot of heartbreak in 2020, a lot of things more tragic than not being about to pay $15 to view a blockbuster. But I just missed having movie theaters as a place to escape it. Now that cinemas are back open again, however, it’s important to recognize that not all of them are open in the same way. With movie theaters as with people, each one is at a different stage in …
Elected officials pitch additional fed funds for NYCHA
Elected officials toured NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses on Thursday to highlight the deteriorating conditions inside the apartments, and to demand more federal funding for the city’s public housing system. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nydia Velázquez, along with state Sen. Jabari Brisport and Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, demanded a greater financial allocation from President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan — saying the currently-proposed $40 billion toward public housing is the US would need to be at least doubled. “For far too …
What to do this weekend: Fourth of July edition
After one of the hottest stretches in memory, we are heading into a holiday weekend that looks, well, a little iffy weather-wise. If you were regretting not planning a nearby getaway before all the Airbnbs booked up, take solace in the fact that tomorrow looks like a washout, and you’re probably better off saving your cash and sticking around here anyway. And, as anyone who has lived here for a while can tell you, a holiday weekend…
14 alleged members of violent Flatbush street gang arrested in takedown
Fourteen Flatbush gang members are behind bars, as Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the arrests of several members of the so-called “Babiiez” crime syndicate, who are allegedly responsible for at least 11 shootings. None of the arrested individuals are older than 21, but prosecutors hit them with an 81 count indictment, including charges for conspiracy to commit murder and possess weapons. “It is disturbing that young people in our communities are engaged in the type of brazen and senseless gun violence described in this indictment,” Gonzalez said in a statement. …
What to do this week(end): June 11–17
Greetings on this Friday following my first official, in-person work event in 15 months. It happened last night and involved staying out way too late after allowing a coworker who was born when I was in college to buy not one, but two rounds of ill-advised shots. Should I have left earlier? Sure, but this is pretty on brand for my pandemic reemergence so far—everything still feels a little rusty. While it is wonderful to have options and the ability to travel and connect with people, so far the whole thing feels less “hot vax summer,” and more “I need to…
City to invest $39 million to redesign deadly McGuinness Blvd
The city is pledging $39 million to “fully redesign” McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, where a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a public school teacher last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday. “Vision Zero has made New York City safer and more livable — but its work isn’t finished until corridors like McGuinness Boulevard are improved for everyone who uses them,” the mayor said in a statement. “We can change this city’s streets for the better and forge a better Greenpoint for generations of Brooklynites to come.” Matthew Jensen, an educator at Greenpoint’s PS 110, was crossing McGuinness on May 18 when he was fatally struck by…
What to do this week(end): June 4–10
Cheers, on this first Friday in June, and wowie zowie, a lot has changed around here since my last dispatch! The BB inbox is positively flooded with emails from concert venues, comedy clubs, restaurants, bars, and PR folks promoting all kinds of events. And it really looks like it’s shaping up to be the banner summer that we’ve all been so cautiously keeping our fingers and toes so tightly crossed for. Honestly, it feels great, so great even that I’ll ignore for a minute the fact…
Where to score sweet deals in Brooklyn on National Donut Day
Sweet! It’s National Donut Day, and Brooklynites with a sweet tooth are in luck. Many of the borough’s beloved bake shops are offering deals on select donuts to mark the occasion, held each year on the first Friday of June. The annual celebration dates back to 1938, when The Salvation Army in Chicago hosted a “National Donut Day” event to honor those of their members who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. Now, with an estimated 25,000 donut shops across the country making over 10 billion donuts …
What to do this week(end): May 14–20
Hey hey hey on this glorious Friday, when I’m finding it impossible to focus on anything other than the perfect weather and the fact that the CDC says I can 86 the mask! Sorry, work meetings, but today I’ve got better things to do, like fantasizing about air travel and bars and yoga classes and pedicures and music festivals! I talk a big game but of course this is all counterbalanced against some intense mental health fallout from the …
‘Everybody knew Loki’: Chatty Midwood parrot missing since March
A talkative Midwood parrot has been missing since mid-March, and his devastated human is offering a large cash reward for information or his safe return. Loki, a 3.5-year-old African Grey parrot, was the resident avian at Coldwell Banker-LaBarca Real Estate on Avenue M. He belongs to real estate agent Barbara LaBarca, who’s had him since he was only 8 weeks old, and is beloved by her colleagues at the office and by community residents. “He was like the mascot of my office and the neighborhood,” LaBarca said. “Everybody knew Loki.” LaBarca told Brooklyn Paper that Loki, who loves to fly around and rarely spent time in his cage except to …
What to do this week(end): May 7–13
Three cheers for Friday! Sure, sure, the weekend looks like a bit of a washout, but let’s focus on the positive: 48 hours of Zoom-less leisure await, now with rapidly decreasing positivity rates and improved outdoor seating options! I just booked a dinner reservation for tonight at Victor, which I’ve been keen to check out since Kara Zuaro reviewed it for us. And all I’ll say is that I am over-ready for some celebratory drinks and the opportunity to show off the first professional haircut I’ve had in 2020 or 2021. Unfortunately I’m still processing the proclamation that side parts and skinny jeans are for old …
Bay Ridge apartment dwellers demand discounted rent for months with no gas
Residents of a Bay Ridge apartment building are demanding their landlord discount their rent for the nearly half a year they lived without cooking gas — but the landlord is insisting the tenants pay up. “All we ask, we want an abatement, we want you to hear us,” said a resident named Jasmine. “We want you to know it wasn’t easy for us to go on without gas and other problems that have been going on with the building. “ A handful of tenants protested outside of 303 99th St. on April 30 calling for a 30 percent discount for the five months they lived without cooking gas — an inconvenience which forced many of the residents to rack up bills ordering takeout and live off of unhealthy …
In the pink at Victor, a candy-colored Mediterranean spot that just opened in Gowanus
If you were awarded a trophy for surviving the last year, what would it look like? Instead of a golden athletic figurine, might it be adorned with a golden sofa, a mischievous cat, a loaf of homemade bread, or a thriving houseplant? For me, the prize I’ve been awaiting after a year of soggy takeout isn’t a medal or trophy, but a ceramic bowl overflowing with French fries–pomme frites, if you’re fancy–shimmering with the perfect dusting …
Inferno injures one and leaves over a dozen homeless in Brownsville
A blaze tore through a Brownsville home on Thursday morning, leaving one a man injured and several more people temporarily homeless, according to the FDNY. Over 100 firefighters rushed to the scene of the fire at 325 Crescent St. at around 5:30 am, where the inferno — exacerbated by the the structure’s wood frames — send black plumes of smoke wafting into the day’s first light as it tore through the building. One man was injured.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell A family was evacuated from the premises, while one man was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center after suffering smoke inhalation. Residents could do nothing but watch as their home smoldered. “My family is sitting on the sidewalk right now, they are upset …
Celebrate your soon-to-be-vaccinated self with a Key West getaway
Celebrate your soon-to-be-vaccinated self! Enter to win four nights in Key West, redeemable throughout 2021. We’re giving away a getaway that includes a resort stay, $100 toward food and drink, and $750 to apply to air travel or whatever will make your trip a breeze. You’ll be right on the Key West harbor, tucked away in the only luxury hotel in Old Town, with three pools for maximum lounging. Pass it on to your travel partner! Enter to Win
Watch Justin Krebs: Candidate for NYC Council District 39
SOURCE: Brooklyn Paper – Read entire story here.
Letter from Vermont: Let’s not blow it now
Over the past year I’ve had the very weird experience of living in a place that has handled the pandemic pretty well. Here in Vermont, our governor, Phil Scott, holds press conferences three times a week. They play on the radio and television, and he and the state’s leaders in health care, education, and economics answer questions from journalists. Scott is not a beloved politician by any means, but there’s a near universal grudging sense of respect …
Opinion: Empathetic screens savers
Since October, I’ve been fortunate to have this space to express myself as I please. I use it to opine for and against various policies drawing a link from macro to the local. Still, nothing draws that line more powerfully than a virus that stopped life as we know it for more than a year and is likely to create new norms for many years to come. Unfortunately, when we get back to whatever the post-pandemic world, specifically post-pandemic Brooklyn, is, far too many things we took for granted will be gone. Many small businesses were and will be forced to close their doors forever while billionaires getting richer by the minute will…
What to do this week(end): March 12-18
We all deserve some alpacas. Balmy, beautiful weather! Gaining an extra hour of sunlight! An announcement that everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one starting May 1! I’m so excited about all of it I can hardly stand it, and fantasy vacation planning is taking up way too much of my time this week. It’s an odd juxtaposition of giddy anticipation set against the grim anniversary of the day shit suddenly got really scary last March. For me…
‘It’s going to be very different’: Mayor lays out 64 NYPD reforms
SOURCE: Brooklyn Paper – Read entire story here.
March culture calendar: Hang in there!
As we creep into spring with three viable vaccines and appointments increasingly available, it seems clear that we are teetering on the precipice of the world opening up again in relatively short order. Movie theaters are back at reduced capacity as of today, with the promise of more entertainment venues to come and even outdoor concerts on the horizon! It feels like there really is a chance that things might start to look like pre-pandemic life in the city around here a lot sooner than some of us may have thought a few weeks ago, and that is reason enough to feel hopeful for the future—even as it probably dredges up a variety of other emotions. As a person who writes a…
What to do this week(end): Feb. 26-March 4
Happy Friday friends, and congrats on being able to go outside in reasonable comfort again! For that reason alone, and even in spite of rainy forecasts for the weekend and unsettling news about the new virus variants spreading in the city, things feel a little more upbeat around here these days, don’t you think? I think I’ve read thousands of articles about people cleaning out their closets or upgrading their apartments during this extended period at home with a mix of annoyance, jealousy, and awe, but last weekend I finally tackled mine (only took a year!) and it does feel freer to be living in marginally less clutter. That said…
Bedford Union Armory renamed for longtime Brooklyn Rep. Major Owens
The Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights will be renamed in honor of Congressmember Major Owens — a longtime staple of New York politics who served central Brooklyn in the US House of Representatives for 24 years. “Major Owens left Brooklyn better than he found it, and New York City is proud to honor his legacy with this facility,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Generations of New Yorkers will learn, grow, and play at this community center, and they will have a role model of strength and fairness…
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