My Life In Brooklyn

There is no secret to the fact — and this is probably universal for large cities — that good weather is what is often referred to as the “noisy season.” In other places, such as the suburbs, no one usually notices because of the difference in population density. But here in Brooklyn, well, how can you not notice.

During the past five summers I have lived here, I would say three of those summers were made utterly miserable by a stand-alone basketball hoop that was the center of activity for pretty much the whole street. Now in theory, one might applaud the fact a hoop involves outdoors, human interaction and exercise. However it also involves (for those of us who live directly across the street) screams, yelling, constant thumping of balls, arguments, loud musical accessories and the like – and these noisemakers go on day and night usually until 1 a.m. in the morning and often much later. And it’s not just the kids drawn to the hoop.

So Sunday, as I sat gazing out my bay window on a serene morning, cup of tea at hand, you can imagine the terror that struck as I watched three young men struggle down the street with a stand-alone basketball hoop in hand. As I watched, I realized they were planning to set it up on the street in front of the house next door. My hope for a calmer summer was feeling a bit dashed.

Heading out the door, I had a chat with the fellows. A nice enough bunch that live at the other end of the street. Young teens, they had been thoughtful enough (or so-ordered by adults) to not set up the hoop near their homes ( “It takes up a parking space,” one kid told me.)

We had a pleasant exchange, and not long after they headed back up the street. I think there are probably fire hydrants in that area too (non-parking area on the street for them to set up the hoop).

I actually felt bad for them on a certain level; it has to be difficult to be a kid here some times. On the other hand, I really don’t want the street basketball hoop in front of my house for year four. The Flatbush end of Fenimore has completed community service in that regard, its time for the other end of the street to have a turn.

In December I mentioned 653 Flatbush Avenue, a retail space, was an available rental.

Managing my own expectations, I was resigned to the thought of  (yet another) beauty related business. Please don’t criticize me, I do enjoy seeing and documenting them, however I have been eager to see different types of businesses move into the area.

So, imagine my surprise to see the space not only rented, but with new signage.  Admittedly, it isn’t on my short list of retail high-hopes, but hey — it isn’t a beauty salon.  So I welcome Stones Casual Wear and wish them the very best!

My husband was on the roof a couple of days ago and found a bullet.  He measured it (using a knitting tool I have that determines diameter of knitting needles) and sure enough, it seems to be a 9mm.

This was likely a “shooting into the air” incident — yet again proving “what goes up must come down.”  The tricky part is, of course, avoiding the area where the landing zone is.  This is our first rooftop bullet in the five years we have been here and I am not pleased about it.

84 Fenimore Street in PLG is up for sale, no idea how long this has been on the market, but a new sign appeared in front of the property today.  This building is across the street from the historic district.  No idea what the inside is like, but the price is very reasonable and has a lot of 126 x 20, which is very nice.  I’ll add a photo later today.  Meanwhile, here is the listing info:

http://www.communityhomesales.com/ListNow/Property.aspx?PropertyID=1436712

Originally I wanted a snappier title for this post. 

Last year, along the north side of Empire, near Bedford Ave was a row of one-story buildings. Actually now that I think about it, it could have been one building only with a row of storefront spaces.  Most were covered with a combination of graffiti and art on the security gates and walls and I had never seen them occupied.  See here and here for some examples.  There had been signs indicating the building was destined to become a storage area, and sometime, when I was in Italy perhaps, or just not paying attention, everything was demolished.

Now, I don’t particularly object to these buildings going, though perhaps something could have been done with them.  It really wasn’t the best use of that space, though I am not pleased with seeing the industrial side of Empire being exclusively nurtured either.  It seems a real shame to waste such a large space on a storage business, especially a space so close to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But that is another post.

Today, when I was walking by, the plywood gate was wide open and I watched the construction crew working on the site.  It is clearly going to be a large building.

On the wall of the building next door were some old painted ads on the brick.  I hadn’t ever seen this before, mostly likely because building blocked it.  Considering the age (there is a four-digit phone number in the ad) it is in remarkably good condition. 

And so for now, a building goes, a new one is about to be constructed, and an artifact from the past is momentarily visible.  In a relatively short time it will be rendered invisible once more.

Oh, I would have liked it to be a more interesting ad to be sure.  But the image shows what is there; indicative of strong car culture from days past.  You can see a high res version of this pic (and a couple more) on my flickr account.