Halloween on Washington!

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Friday, Oct. 27 is going to be super haunted up on Washington between Park and Flushing. In addition to their halloween costume gala, RePop will also be hosting artist Brigid Scruggs.

Next door, that interesting art space will also be open! Here's all the info we have from them: Please also join babyDia Gallery at 64 Washington Avenue for their first show of local and internationally known artists, including Jennifer Stockholder, Yoko Ono, Gorilla Girls and others.

Also, the neighbor across the street plans on broadcasting horror movies on the front of his garage. (Possibly some that he himself made?)

If you come to the party, look for me and say hello. I will be dressed as:

Haunted House 10/26

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100_2937.JPG Location: Waverly between Greene and Gates

Now that the neighboring houses on the right have been beautifully renovated, and the houses on the left are undergoing renovation, this skinny house is the only haunted one left on this strip! Check out the creepy curtains in the top windows. Wooo! Plus, I bet all the ghosts from the other four houses have now moved into this one.

What's Up on Waverly?

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Thanks to the reader who tipped me off to a new bar on Waverly between Fulton and Atlantic! (And to all readers who email and comment -- I like to think that I am magical and can be everywhere all the time, but I can't.) I checked it out this morning, and I'm not quite sure what's going on there.

First, I saw this, closer to Fulton: is this a new bar?

I peeked inside, and it looks bar-like.

BUT, I continued town towards the old site of the Training Academy, and it looks like there's a bar/restaurant in there called Cover Shot: new bar on waverly?

the old training academy

Could it be that TWO new establishments have opened on this block?

I almost joined the Training Academy when I moved to CH, but I was concerned about the safety of the block at night. It's really industrial there, and I didn't know if there'd be enough foot traffic to make me feel at ease. Anyone been to either of these places yet? Have the 411?

Looks though that the street is becoming a little less warehouse-y though. Check THIS out: ick

Ew. Also interesting is that it looks like Hasidic housing based on the second floor window cages. This could get interesting...

Pumpkin Carving @ Outpost: Thursday

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Thursday, October 26, 6pm Halloween comes to Outpost. Grab a sweater and watch the last Outdoor Movie of the year, A Nightmare Before Christmas. Bring Your Own Pumpkin (BYOP) to our back garden and enter into our first annual jack-o-lantern carving contest. The winner of the contest, judged by the Outpost Staff, will win a very special halloween treat.

Pumpkin carving starts at 6pm. Movie starts at 8pm.

Outpost Lounge 1014 Fulton Street (Grand + Classon Aves) Brooklyn, NY 11238 718 636 1260 www.outpostlounge.com

(crap. once again, i have class and can't go. lucky for all of you, since i carve a mean pumpkin.)

Broken Angel: My Opinion

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IMG_8896, originally uploaded by onebadapple.

Gosh, lots has happened since Clinton Hill Landmark Broken Angel caught fire two weeks ago. First, owner Arthur Wood was dragged away in handcuffs, and now authorities are threatening to tear the whole thing down!

It seems to have created quite a divide between residents -- those who think the building is an important artistic landmark, and those who are irritated that the Woods' were shoddy in their construction years ago and are rolling their eyes at the requests by the family for private donations.

I'm kind of torn on this. I'm not a huge fan of the monetary plea, because really, they did kind of do this to themselves. If you've seen Chapelle's Block Party, you've seen how precarious the insides of the building are.

However, I love the building, and I think it represents something unique in Clinton Hill. The Woods created something special in a downtrodden area years ago when not many would have taken a chance in the area, and the building and its owners have become real fixtures in the community. I don't think I'd send them any money -- hey, who has enough to go around these days! -- but I'd certainly provide my time, in the form of an afternoon here and there doing work inside. It could be a kind of "habitat for humanity" type project. I'm sure that comment will receive some flack, but Clinton Hill is all about being a neighborhood and I think it would be wonderful if area residents chipped in to help bring the building up to code. Think about it -- it could be a big BBQ/block party!

I think the authorities have gotten a bit out of hand about it, and should be helping to come up with a solution. I'd think some sort of organization, artistic or historic, might be able to come forward with a grant?

Anyway, that's my humble opinion. I can see Broken Angel from my window, and would be sad to see it go.

News on 67 Burger

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After a minor delay, the owner of 67 Burger plans on opening sometime this week for friends and family! Hopefully the official opening won't be far off. Jay and I met a friend of the owner at Mullanes last week, who gave us a heads up on some of the menu items.

Sounds like they're giving a real shout-out to the midwest, and will be serving soda pop like A&W Rootbeer and RC Cola.

(In case you missed it, 67 Burger is in the LaFu -- Lafayette and Fulton.)

Haunted House 10/23

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classon between greene and lexington Location: Classon between Greene and Lexington

This ghost is either super girly, or drinks a LOT of Pepto. There's something about the fact that someone took the time to paint the plywood here bright pink that makes me smile.

(Today I was going to write about my concern over the lack of decoration at 313 Clinton, but I see this morning that they've started. And it's gonna be good!)

WALLABOUT WEEK: NAVY YARD

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The northern end of Wallabout is where the Brooklyn Navy Yard lies. Doesn't the Navy Yard seem extremely mysterious? Steiner Studios is there now (and any time now, the amenities of the area will need to catch up to meet the needs of studio employees -- I'm sure the Hasidic-diner-in-a-trailor on Flushing won't be enough). The studios seem pretty cool, but aside from The Producers, has anything been filmed there? I wish there'd be more action there. The studio website details plans for a screening room and catering services. Wouldn't it be cool to have events open to the neighborhood there?

And speaking of open, it annoys me that a regular pedestrian can't just walk into the Navy Yard. It would be great if the area was open for small shops and such. There are artists working there, and they occasionally open their spaces during the annual SONYA stroll. It would be wonderful to revitalize the entire area.

A controversial aspect of the Navy Yard's future lies with Officer's Row, a collection of crumbling buildings that once housed high-ranking navy offcials and their families. There has been discussion of demolishing these homes to make room for a "big box" grocery store, and some have deemed the homes structurally unsound for revitalization/renovation.

Brooklyn bloggers and historians Corie Trancho-Robie and her husband, Alexis, have started their own Officer's Row project with the aim to document and preserve its history. Read about their project here, and some history of Officer's Row here.

The Fort Greene Association is also pushing for the preservation of the area. Read about their efforts here.

(I think we should do an entire week on the Navy Yard! Too much for one post.)

Tonight: Wine Tasting @ Olivino

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We know it's last minute, but we here at Olivino are hoping you can join ustomorrow, Thursday, from 6-8pm. Diego from Farmer Wines will be pouring 1 white and 3 red wines, all from Italy, all very interesting!

The white, Greco della Basilicata is a full, crisp, minerally and round white.

Also from Basilicata Diego will open Cabanico, a 50/50 blend of Cabernet and Aglianico.

Molise Rosso is a blend of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Tintilia, a grape variety that Diego assures is in this bottle only in the United States!

Finally we will have open a Rosso di Montefalco from Umbria. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino, and Merlot straight from the heart of Italia.

Join us after work! And, while you're here, enjoy the artwork of renowned neighborhood artist John Spinks. Perfect for Halloween, these skeletal characters decorate our wall as little windows into the activities of the afterlife. Boo.

Cheers, Olivino

905 Fulton Street (bet. Clinton and Vanderbilt) Tel. 718-857-7952

Haunted House 10/20

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100_2927.JPG Location: Washington between Lafayette and Greene

This haunted doozy really confuses me. It's right next to the library, and it looks pretty uninhabited to me. Look at that ivy growing over the front steps! Plus, there's a board in the front door and you can see a dead-ish plant in the window on the top floor. YET -- the front bushes look like they've been pruned! These ghosts selectively landscape.

Outside the Hill

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1. Macheads Rejoice!! Native Brooklynites have opened Brooklyn's first authorized Mac repair shop, Mac Support Store. Thank GOD.

They're in Park Slope, but hey, it's still closer than TekServ. Plus, Lesterhead endorses both Brooklyn businesses and Mac.

The Mac Support Store

561 Ninth Street

Ground Floor

Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-312-8341 Live help on ichat: macsupportstore

2. PLG ArtMart -- Sat, Oct 21, 10-5

This looks pretty cool, and I've heard good stuff about the PLG area. Plus, the event sounds really community-oriented. From Across the Park:

The ArtMart planners have 30 or so vendors signed up. Beer will be available for adults, costume design will be available for kids. Area restaurants will be offering lunch specials. The Door, a youth drop in center in Manhattan, is going to be doing outreach at the event as well.

WALLABOUT WEEK: MEETING TONIGHT

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A reminder to attend tonight's Historic Walllabout Association meeting, TONIGHT:The HWA's general meeting is from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Benjamin Banneker Academy, 71 Clinton Avenue.

PLEASE attend and report back!

ALSO TONIGHT:

Society for Clinton Hill

GENERAL MEETING

Thursday, October 19, 2006, 7:30 p.m. sharp

St. Luke's Church Sanctuary

Washington Avenue (between Dekalb/Willoughby)

(sorry- i have class tonight! please lend a helping hand!)

Mullane's Revisited

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The New York Mets are in a very tight series with the St. Louis Cardinals. With Hey Momma and Brooklyn Jay both being HUGE Mets fans we decided that we should meet up at Mullane's to watch the game there and give it another try.I, for one, am sure glad we did.Someone at Mullane's read my previous review and decided to make a few changes. They added REAL BUFFALO WINGS to the menu!
These wings ARE from Buffalo.
They also broadcasted the game in HD! And they even broadcasted the television audio rather than music - an extra nice touch for all the fans that were in attendance.
In HD! No gray bars!
We also tried a new appetizer, a Quesadilla, which was very well received.

Mmm....another good bar food.

I have to say that it was really nice watching a game at a bar in the Nabe. I really had a good time, the Mets winning helped of course, and I'm glad that minor issues I had with the menu selections were addressed.

(Still chick peas in the mussels though...why? Why? For pete's sake, why?)

And, of course, Mullane's has a very good selection of beers which definitely helped to calm my nerves.

I'm headed back tonight, and I think Hey Momma will be in attendance too, to watch the Mets close out the Series with the Cardinals and, hopefully, move on to the World Series.

If anyone wants to stop on by and cheer for the Mets I'll be there. Stop by and say hi. You can't miss me.

Haunted House 10/18

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h100_2928.JPG Location: Washington between Lafayette and Greene

People definitely live in here, but won't fix the peeling paint or rotting porch. I'm afraid if someone doesn't fix it up soon, it'll be at risk for being knocked down and replaced by a Fedder's eyesore. It's across from the library -- maybe inhabited by the ghosts of former librarians?

(note: I promise to diversify the locales next week -- I just need a weekend to catch up on neighborhood stuff)