Kensington, Brooklyn

Collapsed wall on Expressway!

2009-10-09T13:32:00.004-04:00

So this is basically a picture from outside my window last night. Yes, now you all know where one of us lives, sort of. It sounded like thunder when it happened, and I looked out the window to see if it was an accident, but couldn't really make out what happened until it got dark. Emergency crews, news crews, and rubberneckers galore were milling around the overpass and Ocean Parkway service roads for hours until they got it cleaned up, but I wasn't able to gather any information on how it happened: whether it just collapsed or if someone hit it. The only news story I found online was The Yeshiva World News which, if nothing else, provided a much cooler picture:

Sweet, Sweet mayhem!

WTF??

2009-09-29T09:53:00.002-04:00

What're These Fliers??

These are ALL OVER the neighborhood. Any ideas?

Tire thefts/car vandalism on the rise?

2009-09-21T09:30:00.002-04:00

The local mailing lists for Kensington/Windsor Terrace is crawling with folks complaining that their tires are being stolen. Currently, the problem seems to be the worst right on the gray area between the two neighborhoods.

Another Car Break-in
September 17 in the mid afternoon! Location: East 5th between Vanderbilt and Greenwood (yes, next to the expressway.) Our Honda was pried into via front engine and window - we don't know what was taken - all the knobs to our heating and air conditioning are missing - we're not sure if some internal parts are missing. Waiting for police after calling 911. Whatever is decided about trying to stop these thefts, we're in.

Car Broken into on the corner of E4th & Caton
A Lexus was broken into on the corner of East 4th and Caton (Windsor Terrace side of the intersection) sometime last night. We live right there and heard nothing. No alarm, nothing. It's already been reported to the police and the owner knows.

Tires stolen in Windsor Terrace last night
Last night, around 3am, I saw two guys steal two tires off a handicap equipped minivan on E. 4th St. (near Greenwood). I was unable to tell if they were changing their own tire or up to no good. They had pulled up next to the minivan and were working in between their own car and the minivan. I was in the house in front of the cars (but on the minivan side). As soon as I realized they were in fact stealing, I yelled "Hey!" and called the police. They got two tires and drove away. The cops came by a little later. They took the info I had and said the owner would need to file a report when they woke up and found their car in the morning.

This is just a sample of some of the messages that have flown back and forth over the past three weeks. While there's plenty of blame to go around here (many folks seem ready to blame practically non-existent police presence) the question is, what can be done to curb or stop this?
The 66th precinct will have a representative at the next ANA meeting, THIS thursday, according to folks on the group:

I URGE, URGE, URGE concerned Kensington residents to come to the next ANA meeting to discuss crime with a representative from the 66th precinct.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR, THIS THURSDAY September 24th at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting is just ONE HOUR LONG and is right here in the neighborhood in the basement of the Flatbush & Shaare Torah Jewish Center (the synagogue on the corner of East 5th Street and Church Avenue). Just go down the ramp and you'll find friendly neighbors AND refreshments!

Whether or not you own a car, an increase in this type of crime does absolutely nothing for anyone. If this concerns you, and it should, please make your concerns known this thursday.

Come show your stuff at a Kensington talent show.

2009-09-15T15:13:00.003-04:00

The always busy folks at the WKAG are back with a plan celebrate the new green space in Kensington for which they were instrumental in having created.

COME CELEBRATE OUR NEW GREEN TRIANGLE!!!!

Hello, everyone! After a long, hot, very busy summer, it would be great to get together and have some fun. We are looking for local talent to perform at our first annual Green Triangle Talent Show!

Do you Sing? Dance? Juggle? Play the Accordion? Guitar? Banshi?

We know our neighborhood is full of talent. Come show us yours! Please limit performances to 10 minutes or less. We encourage people of all ages (kids welcome!) to perform. Please contact us at:

WestKensingtonActionGroup@gmail.com

very soon to get on the sign-up list. This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and have some fun!

WHEN: Saturday, September 26th, 2-4 p.m.

WHERE: the GREEN TRIANGLE at Church Avenue and 35th Street
(35th street will be closed off to all traffic)

WHY: To have some fun, get to know your neighbors, and show us your stuff!

Sounds like a wonderful idea to us. Come on, Kensington, we know you're talented. I just wish we had some of those Tuvan throat singers living in the area. Now that's talent.

Skaller and Zuckerman

2009-09-14T11:03:00.008-04:00

Ogden C. Kellogg
Political Correspondent

Seems as if there's only two candidates left to tell you about before tomorrow's big primary... We do hope we've been helpful in the process. As I said before, politics ain't exactly our thing. I was only promoted to Political Correspondent early last week. Prior to that I was mainly in charge of mindin' the Pot Still and doin for the fellas a bit of cleaning up.

Firstly, Josh Skaller, someone we've all seen in the neighborhood lately:

A word about Mr. Skaller: Of all the candidates, Josh is the only one we've met personally outside the context of a rushed pitch and literature transfer outside of the subway. He was kind enough, last year, to attend Festivus and introduce himself to the folks of Kensington in a more personable setting. We don't know much about Mr. Skaller's politics, so if you're looking for that sort of endorsement, try the Brooklyn Downtown Star or Howard Dean. But we do know that Josh Skaller is a regular guy who you can sit down with and have a beer... and how many politicians not named Teddy Roosevelt can you say that about?

The final candidate is one Mr. Bob Zuckerman.

Mr. Zuckerman is somewhat of a mystery. His NBC video is non-embeddable, so you'll have to click that link to see it. Secondly, he is the only candidate on this NY Times page for whom there is no fundraising information. Thirdly, we suspect Bob might be an alter-ego of Joey Slotnick.

Update: We've been contacted by the Zuckerman campaign with a link to his site, his financials, and this highly amusing video:

Lander and Reilly

2009-09-14T09:08:00.010-04:00

Ogden C. Kellogg
Political Correspondent

Hello again, friends. The return of gridiron this Sunday last found me, as they say, soured on beer and given to claims. It also found me in a state not quite capable of continuing the flow of information on the impendin' city council race. Now we find ourselves only one day away from the donkey primary and a whoppin' four candidates left to tell about. So we'll do two now and two later and then tomorrow, the Democrats among you can all use the wits the Lord gave you to make the best choice for you and your family.

First, Meet Brad Lander and his Big Book of Ideas:

Next up, Gary Reilly:

Later today: Josh Skaller and Bob Zuckerman.

Another big idea from the West Kensington Action Group

2009-09-09T17:00:00.000-04:00

Maggie and the other kind folks at the WKAG (you may remember them from this recent victory) have come up with another grass-inspired caper to expand greenery in the 'hood:

WKAG writes:

COME ONE. COME ALL!!! CREATE YOUR OWN PARK!!!

Do you think Kensington needs more green space? Now is your opportunity to make our needs known! National (PARK)ing Day is around the corner! Friday, September 18th, join in the fun and set up your own temporary park at any metered parking spot. All you need are a few quarters for the meter and a little sod (astroturf will work in a pinch) to transform your Park(ing) spot into a Park! Then sit back and relax, have a picnic, read a book, fly a kite, whatever you want to do in your port-a-park! Just don't forget to plug the meter! Look for West Kensington Action Group's Park somewhere along Church Avenue, west of McDonald of course! For more info. contact WestKensingtonActionGroup@gmail.com

For pictures of past parks and guidelines, click here.

You're reading that right. On September 18th, WKAG wants you to find a metered spot, feed the meter, and turn it into a park. This plan involves having sod on hand, but you could also build a sandbox, fill it with rose petals to provide walking space for visiting dignitaries, or just set up a hammock and nap. We at the blog plan to steal 10 consecutive spots and turn them into a bowling alley. Good luck, WKAG!

On the race for City Council

2009-09-09T07:00:00.009-04:00

Ogden C. Kellogg
Political Correspondent

We're not much for politickin' at the Kensington Blog. We're simple folk, with simple ideals and simple values. Our simpleness... why, it simply seethes selfless salt-of-the-earthiness. But we hear tell that the coming election is of particular interest to those of us who have grown soft and complacent durin' the long reign of Bill de Blasio. Truth is, such times have been known to usher in madmen while the less fortunate are busy livin' and the rich dine on fine cakes and city-wine. Before we were consigned to a life of aimless bloggin', we sold cornbread along the whistle-stop campaign trails of days past, so we know a thing or two about the business of people. Between now and ballot day, we're going to do our part to help spread the word about the who's who's and the what's what, on account of it bein' our civic duty and all. So without further pomp or preamble allow me the pleasure of introducin' to you the very first candidate (alphabetically speakin', that is) on the ballot: one Mr. John L. Heyer, the second of his name, of Brooklyn.

Seems this Mr. Heyer has some big ideas for our little section of the city. Do you agree with what he's got to say? Here at the Kensington Blog, everyone has a voice. If you think Mr. Heyer is a sterling candidate for the job, well go on and let us know. If you think he's a bum for this, that, and t'other reason, well you stand right up and say so. This is your hour.

The Village Voice keeps eating in Kensington

2009-09-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Some of us were a bit disappointed to see Ambrosia on Church Avenue close a couple months back, as it was one of the few places within the borders to get a half-decent veal parm. I took it so personally that I boycotted its successor, Bangladeshi joint Zaffran, out of pure spite. Luckily the Village Voice was there to take up the slack and tell us all about the place.

Hidden under the fluffy, oiled rice, this biryani was replete with chunks of bone-in lamb (suck out the marrow!), long-cooked onions, prunes, and small green chiles. A faint slick of neon yellow on the bottom of the plate gave away the presence of mustard oil. With the deluxe addition of a boiled egg, this is truly a feasting dish. (read more)

That sounds almost good enough to take them off my blacklist. I'm also rather fond of their No Politics policy, as evidenced above. Has anyone gotten around to eating here? Tell us about it in the comments.

66 Square Feet profiles Kensington

2009-09-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

The folks (folk?) at 66 Square Feet, a Brooklyn blog about "gardening in tight spaces", took a trip out to Kensington the other day, a neighborhood they had previously never heard of (shocking, I know.)

66SF snapped a few shots of the local flora and had a lot of nice things to say about what she saw during her excursion.

On the cement sidewalks of Kensington were old Ukrainian ladies in sandals and knee high natural stockings, ladies in saris, in burkas, men in kurtas; yarmulkes, kufis, Hasidic hats.

I liked it.

Even before I saw the people, I knew from my recent BBG judging experience that the mosaicly bright gardens in front of the houses signified an "ethnic" population. The adjective amuses me. Am I ethnic? And why is an Indian family ethnic? Anyway, folks were growing things. Food. (read more)

We're glad you made it out! If you ever get tired of the rent in Cobble Hill, We'll find at least 66 more square feet for you here.

Catching up - Bloomberg wants F Express

2009-09-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

One of the items we missed from early in August was this piece from the Brooklyn Paper about the oft-discussed F Express. This time around, Bloomberg is voicing support for the F Express as part of a larger plan to ease commutes that would include expanding service to underserved neighborhoods like Red Hook and Greenpoint.

Express trains could stop at currently an unused platform at Bergen Street beneath the existing one, but they would skip Carroll Street, Smith-Ninth Streets and Fourth Avenue before stopping again at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. From there, they would bypass the Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway stations en route to Church Avenue in Kensington. (read more)

As a former user of the Church Ave stop but recent emigrant to the Fort Hamilton stop, I vehemently oppose this move for reasons that are in no way selfish.

Craigslist Round-up

2009-09-04T11:52:00.004-04:00

Multi Family Garage Sale on September 6th!

If sitting still once a week for a year is your kind of thing, contact this photographer.

Customer service job available in Kensington. Lord knows we need more of it.

Unpaid 'Green' internship available for the idealistic and independantly wealthy

If your ear has been talked off about the city council race in an elevator recently, this man would like to speak with you.

El Gavilan rumor round up

2009-09-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

During the hiatus we received a several emails about the bizarre developments at El Gavilan through July and August.

Mark writes:
Fresh scoop for you... About to enter El Gavilan restaurant on E5th and Church to take out food at about 8pm tonight. Police car pulls up. Officers go to kitchen door and front entrance. Three or four more officers crossing Church and enter restaurant, and then even more follow. I tell the cop waiting outside that I was about to go in and order dinner. He says to me "Not tonight." They finally were going in to shut them down after numerous complaints regarding music. He said they play loud music at four and five in the morning and they certainly don't have a cabaret license either.

Wow, I'm sorry for everyone who is affected by this, but that sounds awesome, Mark. Did you ask if you could mess with their taser?

Jessica writes:
It would be worth writing a post about El Gavilan. At one time it was a nice neighborhood restaurant. In the past couple of months, it has become a problematic nightclub complete with a knife fight out front, alleged prostitution vans coming and going all night, defecation on a local's front lawn and general loud, unruly behavior which winds down around 6am. Needless to say, it has the east 5th street block all worked up. It is currently closed due to 'unlicensed bouncers' until 9/11 when the owners will have their next court date.

The first two times I read this email I sort of glossed over "defecation on a local's front lawn", but this time it's sticking out a bit. Did some poor homeowner watch this actually taking place? Truly terrible. Multiple news sources confirm that they are closed for at least 30 days and are under probe from the NYPD and Liquor board. According to the signage on the restaurant itself, a judge heard the case on August 28th, but we haven't heard anything further.

NYC Icy NOT closing!

2009-09-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

I spoke with someone at NYC Icy the other day and asked if there was any truth to the rumors that they'd be closing for the season and possibly/probably not opening again. She informed me that they wouldn't be closing at all! Lemon Basil Ice in December!

This is wonderful news for a great local business that has struggled a bit since arriving in (well, near) Kensington. If you still haven't made the trek, you really are missing out. It's some of the best water ice I've ever had, and for $5 they make a pretty mean shake too.

NYC Icy is located near the corner of Church and Coney Island Avenues.

Heroes of Popular Wars - Church and McDonald

2009-09-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

We're having trouble figuring out if this band is actually FROM Kensington or if they're just big fans of the intersection, but the band Heroes of Popular Wars released an album called Church and McDonald in August, with some awfully familiar cover art.

Quasi-legendary music website Fingertips features a free, legal cut from the album. The track is called A Bus Called Further. Take a listen and tell us what you think!

If you like what you heard, check out more tracks from Heroes of Popular Wars right here, and if you really like what you heard, give them money here to support this kind of pay-what-you-like model.

Three reasons we hibernated this summer

2009-09-02T09:20:00.008-04:00

It wasn't a good summer for the Kensington Blog, was it? We had a whopping 13 posts for June, July, and August, and let's be honest, none of them are going to shortlist us for a Pulitzer (well, maybe this one). During that time we have received many comments and emails that ranged from smug (Hey, Rosesman!) to accusatory (We're looking at you, Muhammed), to downright distressed. We've even gotten a couple emails from people giving us stuff to post! We'll use one email in particular to sum them all up:

FROM: LERAN ****** 330 WEST to KENSINGTONBLOG
DATE: Aug 29 (3 days ago)
SUBJ: WHERE THE UPDATES TO THIS BLOG?????

last update is july 29th...did you guys give up on the blog?

Nope! But allow ourselves to explain...ourselves. Between June 1st and August 31st,

1. One of us got burgled
2. One of us got married
3. One of us moved

Of all of these, the one most directly impactful on the blog was #1. It was a serious burglary, it happened while my wife (fiance at the time) was actually home, and a lot of stuff was taken. No one was hurt, thankfully, but confidence in the building and the neighborhood at large was temporarily shaken. So event #1 affected everything, including planning for event #2, and ultimately led to event #3.

As of September 1, we are in a newer, nicer, off-the-first-floorier, and altogether better place on Ocean Parkway (whose opulence is evidenced by what appears to be a solid gold front door). The wedding went off without a hitch. The trauma of home invasion is in the rear view mirror. The United States doesn't seem to be collapsing like we all thought it was going to 9 months ago. Things are far from perfect, but I think most experts will take this blog coming back in force as a positive indicator of economic recovery.

We missed a couple interesting stories (El Gavilan shut down?) but for the most part it was a pretty quiet summer in the 'hood. We'll try and post anything important-sounding that we missed as we dig for new stuff to post.

I won't over-impress this point, as I've made it many times before, but please, please send anything in, however mundane. I know at least three of you have sent stuff in over the last 4 months and not all of it got posted, but we weren't exactly posting anything ourselves at the time. But alone, there's only so much content we can squeeze out of google and our own four eyes. The more you send, the better the blog can be.

And now, for the few of you who haven't fallen asleep before getting this far, I'd better stop typing.

amNY: A Food Lover's Guide to Kensington

2009-07-29T12:24:00.003-04:00

Reblog: see amNY.com

This stretch of Church Avenue may be low-key and scruffy, but wedged between dental clinics, discount stores and beauty parlors are restaurants and shops representing a dozen nationalities, including Polish, Albanian, Thai and Bangladeshi.

Take the F or G train to Church Avenue. Start at McDonald Avenue and walk toward Coney Island Avenue.

Follow this link for the rest...

Fatal hit and run accident on Ocean Parkway

2009-07-16T18:54:00.000-04:00

Sadly a local man was killed late last night in a hit-and-run accident.

From ABC's 7online.com:

Police say 67-year-old Juan Sifuentes was struck by a dark-colored car while trying to cross Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital following the accident.

If you have any information that may help the NYPD investigation, please contact the proper authorities. If you have nothing but conjecture and wild speculation, please post in the comments area below.

I can haz new home in Kensington?

2009-07-13T16:35:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we don't encourage encouraging the strays, but these homeless pets were just too furry to ignore. If you're interested in adopting a kitty or three, checkout the info below.

Jonathan writes:

I recently came across a litter of 3 kittens and took them in. The problem is no, no kill shelters are accepting and I already have 3 cats of my own.

They're about one month old. They haven't been checked out but we're willing to get that done if anyone is interested. The one in the first picture (view here) is a little stand-offish (he was on the street about a week or 2 longer than the other two kittens) He just needs some love forced on him to get him used to human contact, I don't believe he's beyond saving, there is hope with him. He's gotten better since we found him but he's not quite there yet.

The other 2 seen together in the pictures are male (the dark grey) and female (the light grey). They are inseparable and sleep on each other. They are very sweet and if anyone is interested in one of the greys they must take both.. The light grey female is definitely the sweetest one of the bunch and will make a great pet.

Hit the comments section if you're interested in contacting the keeper of the kittens.

Hipsters vandalize statue; local coffee shop gets famous

2009-07-10T00:19:00.000-04:00

We've been hearing an awful lot about the shameful theft and apparent destruction of the mini Statue of Liberty from Vox Pop over on the other side of Coney Island Ave. In our opinion the video looks more like 'art' of the most tasteless, not to mention illegal, variety. I can't imagine terrorists would pay so much attention to lighting. That said, hopefully whoever is responsible gets pinched and has to pay for a new Lady Liberty. Speaking of attention, whoever the perps might be, Vox Pop now has an article on the front page of CNN.com. If anyone has info on this most heinous of crimes against iconic plaster, please contact the proper authorities.

Thanks to everyone who has been nagging us about this. We kid, we kid.

NONE SHALL PASS!

2009-07-04T13:46:00.002-04:00

While such things have been rumored for years, starting tomorrow those pesky G trains will no longer pass us by on their way to hipper places. Click the image for the details, if you haven't seen these posted already.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Even more thanks to those of you who notice when we end sentences in prepositions, but don't bother to complain about it.

Heee Hee Hee!

2009-06-29T15:12:00.001-04:00

For the sake of possibly saying something that will undoubtedly offend someone for either making too much fun or too little fun out of recent news, I'm simply going to say this. There's an event tomorrow evening in Prospect Park that looks like it will be at least quite a spectacle. Here are the details:

One-Gloved Run: A Run/Walk Tribute to Michael Jackson this Tuesday

Please join us this Tuesday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m., for a loop around Prospect Park to celebrate the music of Michael Jackson. Glittery costumes and/or wigs and makeup are encouraged (some of us will be going with the simple white t-shirt/black pants/black fedora combo), boomboxes playing the greatest hits will be carried, and when we reach the end of the loop we will organize a mass Thriller dance. Let's do right by MJ and make a spectacle!Don't worry if you're not a runner; we'll take it slow.

We'll meet at Prospect Park West & 9th Street, the same entrance you'd use for the band shell.

We'll go for drinks afterward, of course, where we'll dance... on the floor... in the round.

Thanks, Melody!

Now is the winter of our discontent

2009-06-26T07:17:00.002-04:00

Made glorious summer by these San Marzano Plum Tomatoes. With the KWT Winter CSA you can get your fruit on alllll winter long. Sure, it seems like it's a bit early for this info, but farmer Evan (I have no idea if Evan is a farmer) needs to know how much green stuff you require to make it through those long, cold nights. See his letter below.

I know it's way too early to think about winter, BUT the time has come, not yet
to sign up, but just to drop me a line if you are interested in being part of
the KWT Winter CSA. There were 32 shares for us last year and they need an idea
of how many to put aside this year.
Visit the website for details: www.wintersunfarms.com, click on "what's in a
share".
This is a wonderful mini-csa to carry you over through the cold months
(dec-march) with blanched/frozen local delicious veggies, berries, etc. You can
also order cheese, eggs, and other farm products. Pickup is just once a month at
the Oak and the Iris cafe, 4 times total. Cost is $128. It was a big success
last year, and the company that does it is expanding like crazy. The frozen
stewed heirloom tomatos are absolutely incredible on pizza or pasta - so much
better than any from a can.
Sign up and collection of payment will be in July.
Please let me know if you're interested, and spread the word.

So email Evan at mevan11@gmail.com to discuss all things Bok Choy and, most of all, your Winter share.

Kids art free -- Thursdays 'til 1:40.

2009-06-23T07:08:00.004-04:00

Mmm... free art.

Free art classes on Thursdays for children ages 4-14 starting July 2. These will take place right in Greenwood Playground and run every Thursday for the month of July. Classes start at 10:00 a.m. and run for approximately 40 minutes each with a limit of 10 children per session (sign up Thursday mornings in the playground). Last class is at 1:00. Children must be 4 to participate.

Printmaking, watercolor, clay construction and self portraits are some of the areas to be explored.

This program was funded by Partnership for Parks and from generous local donors Brooklyn Real and Cynthia King Dance Studio (and of course The Friends of Greenwood Playground—your local parents who donate time to their playground).

Click here to view the official flyer in all its PDF goodness. Thanks, Clarice!

Brunch: Now we're talkin'

2009-06-19T17:16:00.005-04:00

So Visions just sent us an email letting us know about their new brunch special. UNLIMITED bloody marys, mimosas and bellinis! Finally I don't have to go to Park Slope or downtown to get soused early on the weekends.

From Visions:

Visions restaurant & bar invites you to join us every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am till 4pm unlimited mimosa, bloody mary or bellini with any of your choices from our brunch menu.
Visions restaurant & bar 752 Coney island ave @ Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11226 718-282-3388

I've heard the brunch food is good too, but hadn't tried it myself because of the [previously] expensive cocktails. Has anyone had brunch there yet?