Looks like the Brooklyn Irish American Parade is on. The police escort just passed the corner of 7th Ave. and First St.
MONEY: PLEASE STOP MAKING US UNHAPPY
Today on Eastern Parkway: 12-year-old Erin Gershman of Prospect Heights protests the vague sense of emptiness that is the fallout of our rampantly consumerist society: “End the global currency system now!”
Sunday: Brooklyn Irish-American Parade and "Festivities" Near Farrell's in Park Slope
The Brooklyn Irish American Parade is tomorrow (Sun., March 20) at 1 PM, starting at Prospect Park West and Bartel-Pritchard Square (Map) (the traffic circle next to 15th St.); the reviewing stand is at Prospect Park West & 9th. Street. According to this site, the Grand Marshall Is NYPD Deputy Chief Joe Fox, and “dignitaries from the Irish Gov.’t” will be attending. There will be street vendors selling “Irish goods” and after the parade ends, festivities continue near Farrell’s Bar On Prospect Ave.
LEPRECHAUN TRAPPED IN SNOWDOME: redtail365 says he is selling this snowdome to help pay for his daughter’s funeral bill.
What to Do if Your Car Gets Towed in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Locate your car. If the towing occurred in Prospect Heights, Park Slope or anywhere thereabouts, they probably took it to the Brooklyn Navy Yard (unless it was towed for unpaid parking tickets, in which case it may be at a lot in Red Hook). You can use this Find Towed Vehicle Search on the official New York City website (third link in the first pull-down menu) but they will tell you to confirm anyway by calling the tow pound. The number for the Brooklyn Navy Yard is 718-694-0696.
Gather your documents. Bring your drivers license and registration (and title, just to be safe). Bring a printout of the Vehicle Search results (above). Bring a checkbook, credit card or cash to pay the fine of $185. Be prepared to see one or more parking tickets on your windshield, which could make your total fine more than $400 (but you don’t have to pay the parking tickets until later).
Get to the Navy Yard. It’s open from 8 AM – 9 PM Mon-Fri; 8 AM – 4 PM Sat; and 12 PM – 8 PM Sun. A cab from Flatbush to Brooklyn will cost about $8, or you can take the 2 train from Grand Army Plaza to Hoyt St., get out and walk 2 blocks to the A, and take the A to the High St. station, and walk dow Sands St. toward the Navy Yard. It’s not as complicated as it sounds–go to HopStop to get a route plan (this is an amazing site: how could you have missed it?). The entrance to the Navy Yards is at the corner of Sands St. and Navy St.
Stand in line. Line up behind the T. Don’t get uptight if people appear to waltz right in and cut in front of you. They were probably told to go get documents out of their car and bring them back to the counter. Just be patient.
If everything is in order, the ladies at the counter will take your money, give you a green Redemption Fee Receipt (stamped “CLOSED” or “REDEEMED”). Finally, you have to be “escorted,” which means you have to get in the blue police van and be driven 200 feet to your car.
The Manhattan tow pound (212-971-0771 or 212-971-0772) is at Pier 76 at West 38th Street & 12th Avenue. The Bronx pound is at 745 East 141st Street between Bruckner Expressway & East River, and the Queens pound is under the Kosciusko Bridge. Check this site for opening and closing times.
[CAR SERVICE] Listings and Opinions
ProHo car service reviews and war stories are taking place in this discussion thread.
The list so far:
EVELYN CAR SERVICE; 718-230-7800. 587 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
INTERNATIONAL CAR SERVICE; 718-230-0808. 623 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
MONACO LIMO & CAR SERVICES; 718-731-2222. 742 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
UNITED EXP C/L SERVICE; 718-452-4000. 1025 Atlantic Ave., 1st Fl., Brooklyn, NY 11238
BROWNSTONE; 718-789-1536. 849 Union St., Brooklyn, NY 11215
SEVENTH AVE CAR SERVICE; 718-965-1616. 307A 7th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11215.
More information…
IF YOUR IRISH
Last night at Amorina: Ruth shows a blatant disregard for grammar while ladling red sauce. In addition to being St. Patrick’s Day, it was also her birthday. Happy Birthday! [Photo: LQ]
Amorina (Cucina Rustica) | 624 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
Virtual House Tours Peer into Private Lives of ProHo
Here’s the virtual tour for the open house that takes place this weekend on Underhill Ave. (as noted by Stacey yesterday in ProHo Discuss).
The tour should give you a nice glimpse into the lives of the people who live there now: comfy black leather couches, wedding photo on the wall (newlyweds?), American bald eagle figurines, and a decent amount of computer equipment–including what appears to be some sort of undergarment draped across a computer monitor. What are they trying to hide? Were they browsing the Corcoran website when the Foxtons photographer showed up?
This 2 1/2 room cubbyhole is listed at $265,000 and is exceedingly cozy at 478 square feet. Please double-check this with the condo calculation expert, but that looks like it’s coming out to $554.39 per square foot. According to Quig, it’s between St. Marks Ave. and Bergen St., a couple of doors down from his beloved #69, an abandoned building that’s showing no signs of life.
[Photo] Subway at Grand Army Plaza (??) Station
(oops. that’s not GAP, is it? Union Square?)
This subway shot is by Frederick Nielsen, a photographer with a keen eye for Prospect Heights: I am presently in the midst of an exercise; I must produce 25 images per day.”
He appears to do a lot of his work with a Sony DSC-V1, a point-and-shoot 5-megapixel digital camera introduced in 2003 that apparently you can pick up now for as little as $279.97, if the Internet is to be believed.
Check out the rest of Frederick’s Prospect Heights photo gallery.
Paul Requests End to Eminent Domain Abuse, Please
Paul Sheridan just uploaded this image to the Community Gazette for NYC District 35.
Check out the entire list of District 35 photos or upload your own.
“What we want in Prospect Heights–an End to Eminent Domain Abuse!” Paul exclaims.
Van Helsing's 42nd Smash Week at Flatbush Pavilion; Next Act: Swimming Pool
How embarrassing to end it all with an albatross like this on your marquee… So much for going out in a blaze of glory.
The Flatbush Pavilion movie theater on Flatbush Ave. closed apparently due to lack of patronage on May 22, 2004, just weeks after the release of Van Helsing, which made #2 in Newsweek’s 20 Most Disappointing Movies of 2004: “Get the stake! This overstuffed, overamped Monster jamboree is a perfect demonstration that more can be so much less. You never want to see another special effect after director Stephen Sommers is done abusing them.”
If you missed the Van Helsing debacle, here are some choice quotes from IMDB:“Some of the actors apparently phoned in their performances… the real star of the film is the (you guessed it) special effects … The dialogue … is absurd and sometimes unintentionally, howlingly funny … everyone–vampires, villagers, heroes, even horses and cattle–go airborne sometime during the film … the gossamer plot is as deep as a kiddie’s backyard swimming pool …”
Oh yes. There is actually news. The rumors are true: Park Slope Sports Club (330 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238; 718-783-5152) has bought the theater, and plans build a swimming pool in the space. For those of you seeking a gym (gymn?) with a pool, this project won’t be completed until sometime in 2006 at earliest.
BONUS: Check out the amazing history lesson here: Built by silent film comedian John Bunny and opened in 1912 as the Bunny Theatre; Served as an indoor mini-golf course and an XXX theater called the Plaza; Revived as a first-run house called the Plaza; sold to Pavillion Theater owner; at the time of its closing, was believed to be the oldest operating movie theater in the city.