Picture Of The Day: Reflection

Early evening in Gowanus.
I loved how the buildings, trees and water tower reflected on the surface of the Gowanus Canal.

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Another Fun-Filled Season Begins At Carroll Park

Friends of Carroll Park, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the park for everyone, is kicking off another season of fun with great concerts, movie screenings, a spring flea market and clean-ups.
Since 1975, this group of dedicated neighborhood volunteers has donates time and effort to make our park and neighborhood a better place.
Please join them and make a difference right here in everyone's favorite park.

The monthly meetings of Friends of Carroll Park resume this Thursday, so please feel free to join us at 7:30 on March 1 in the Robert Acito Park House to learn more about our upcoming plans and ways that you actively participate in your community this season! We'll be nominating our next slate of officers for the group, so all active members of Friends of Carroll Park should do their best to attend! 

Beyond our monthly meeting, we have a lot of great stuff lined up this year! Here's a tentative, partial list of activities we're hoping to squeeze in before the leaves fall again. We'll need volunteer assistance for all events, so we hope you'll lend a hand!

COMING TO CARROLL PARK IN 2012

Thurs., 3/1, 7:30 p.m. 

FRIENDS OF CARROLL PARK monthly mtg 

Sat., 4/14 

VOLUNTEER RECEPTION (old + new welcome!) 

Sat., 5/19 (daytime) 

IT'S MY PARK DAY volunteer event 

Sat., 5/19 (evening) 

SPRING SING karaoke party 

Thurs., 5/24 

"MEN IN BLACK II" screening 

Mon., 5/28 

MEMORIAL DAY observance ceremony 

Sat., 6/2 

Carroll Park FLEA MARKET 

Early June 

Smith Street Stage presents SHAKESPEARE 

Mid June 

KIDS' CONCERT SERIES kickoff 

Late July 

KIDS' CONCERT SERIES 

Mid August 

KIDS' CONCERT SERIES 

Late September 

KIDS' CONCERT SERIES finale 

Sat., 10/20 

IT'S MY PARK DAY volunteer event 

Sun., 10/28 

HALLOWEEN KIDS' Parade 

Wed., 10/31 

HALLOWEEN BALL (ball games TBA) 

Sun., 11/11 

VETERANS DAY observance ceremony

(All events are subject to change and permit approvals)

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After 34 Years On Court Street, Belanthi Gallery Closes

Another longtime Court Street fixture just closed its doors. Belanthi, a gallery that exhibited art in all styles and media, first opened its doors at 142 Court Street, corner of Pacific Street, back in 1978. It's owner, Paulette Hios, gave piano, voice and music theory classes out of the space for just as long.

The space, which is on the same block as Trader Joe's, is now for rent by Schuckman Realty, "a strategic planner of retail stores and shopping centers" that has "has been responsible for millions of square feet of leasing and development; and has been hired by numerous national retail chains to facilitate market penetration."
No doubt, that means that the next tenant will be a chain store.

Meanwhile, the storefront at 140 Court Street just next door, has been sitting empty for a very long time.



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Best Comment Of The Day: Talking Out Of Both Sides Of Their Mouths

Anonymous has left the following comment on the post "Final BSA Vote On Whole Foods Took 9 Seconds":

Ironic that this news follows your interview with J&M and the need for areas like Gowanus that are zoned for industry. Whole Foods is not being put there to service the industries, but for residential visions. People who say they like Gowanus and want Whole Foods are talking out of both sides of their mouths.

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Final BSA Vote On Whole Foods Took 9 Seconds

In the end, it only took 9 seconds...
This afternoon, NYC Board Of Standards And Appeals cast a unanimous 'yes' vote to grant Whole Foods a variance of the New York City's Zoning Resolution to build a 56,000 s.f. food store in an M2-1 zoning district.

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A Conversation With Greg Meeh, Special Effects Designer In Gowanus

J&M Special Effects has to be one of the most fascinating businesses on the shores of the Gowanus Canal.  Housed in a 11,000 square foot industrial building at 524 Sackett Street, the fully-licensed company designs and creates special effects for theatre, opera and dance companies, television and film productions, still photography, as well as large scale special events.

Be it explosions, flames, wind, fog, rain, snow, bubbles, or even fake blood, chances are, you've seen some of the illusions created by J&M in print, at the movies and on the stage.
Some of their notable special effect credits include Cirque Du Soleil's 'Wintuk' and 'Ka' , Broadway's Les Miserables, Phantom Of The Opera, Miss Saigon and Angels in America.
J&M even supplied cryojets (fog machines) and confetti for three consecutive 'Time Square Rockin' New Years Celebrations'.

Recently, Gregory Meeh, J&M's President and Head Designer , graciously took the time to talk to me about his unique business and about the path that led him to this line of work. He obviously loves what he does and still finds the work challenging.

Meeh first became fascinated with theater and special effects as a child. He began working in technical theatre while in college. He started his professional career as a lighting designer at a small theater in Boston, but it was while he worked at the Opera Company of Boston under Sarah Caldwell, its famed artistic director, that he started to design special effects on a larger scale.  His first major pyrotechnic feat was to 'burn' Moscow for the Opera's  production of Prokofiev's War And Peace.

Meeh moved to New York and co-founded J&M in the early 1980's.  The company's first home was a basement in Soho, Manhattan. Soon after, J&M  re-located to Bridge Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn,  During the twenty years that the company spent in Dumbo, the neighborhood changed dramatically, from a desolate area to one of the City's most desirable.  Seven years ago, the company moved to its present location in Gowanus.

To find a suitable location for such a highly regulated business as his is not easy here in New York City, Meeh explains. There are certain limitations. The business needs to be in a self contained, free standing space, with high ceilings and lots of ventilation. It also needs to be close to the performing arts community it serves.
"Proximity to the city and space like this is crucial to our existence," Meeh tells me.
"What if the Gowanus Canal area is rezoned and becomes more residential, forcing businesses like yours out?" I ask him.
"I would have to relocate further out of the city and rely on a satellite office in the city." But clearly, that would create a real hardship. "If there is a problem during a Broadway performance, we need to be able to be close by to provide assistance or to replace parts.  Also, we often fill last minute requests from the film industry."
According to the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, production is currently at record levels throughout New York City, with 188 films and more than 140 TV shows having been filmed here in 2011 alone, contributing approximately $5 billion to the City’s economy each year. (Theaters and other performing arts institutions contribute more to the coffers and attract tourism.) Yet, ironically, businesses that support the arts have had an ever harder time staying in the City.

"If those businesses can't be in the city, it will make productions more expensive," Meeh explains.

Of all of Meeh's many accomplishments, he seems to be especially proud of the fact that his business is training a new generation of special effects specialists. Currently, his creative team includes 8 to 10 full-time employees and a number of freelancers.

It certainly seems like challenging and exciting work that requires inventive thinking, expertise and stringent safety guidelines.  But most importantly, as Meeh points out with a big smile, "we are licensed to blow things up."

How cool is that?

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Today, Screening Of Buster Keaton Shorts At Cobble Hill Cinema

Before there was "The Artist", there was Keaton.   Big Movies For Little Kids presents an afternoon of fun with Buster Keaton Shorts

 SHORT FILMS OF BUSTER KEATON

at Cobble Hill Cinemas

Monday, February 27th at 4pm

Ages: 2 and up (all ages welcome)

265 Court Street @ Butler Street, Brooklyn

Cost: $7.00 per person (as per theater policy, all walkers need a ticket)

Join us for a newly-restored selection of Keaton’s early short films, which showcase his genius for comedy in its purest essence: brief, energetic, recklessly creative, and loaded with laughs and breath-taking stunts. One Week and The Boat are among the selection. (1920-23; USA; not-rated; black and white; silent with intertitles; approximately 65 minutes.)

For more info, click here:  www.bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com

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Best Comment Of The Day: Relax And Enjoy The Neighborhood

Anonymous has left the following comment on the post "The Smell Of Roasting Coffee Just Part Of Carroll Gardens' Charm":

"To those posters here who have lived in CG for 40 years, you're not newbies anymore, so don't worry, we're not talking about you. It's nice to have you here. From what I've observed recently (and at the risk of making a generalization for which I will probably be bashed), some (not all) of the newbies who complain about everything appear to belong to the Gen-X and Gen-Y generations who feel they are "special." It's a mindset that's been written about extensively in recent years. Let's face it..they were brought up differently from the rest of us. If they don't like something, they feel they compelled to complain -- which is OK -- free country. The difference is that they feel they are entitled to a solution to their satisfaction. I am not talking about major issues like crime which merit all of our complaints and attention; I'm talking about matters like church bells, burnt coffee smells, and the like that we're discussing here. Forget about everyone else, I want what I want and I want it now. I'm sorry, kids. CG is a diverse neighborhood. You are here to live in a strong, vibrant, established community and to learn to live with people who may be different from you. It is not all about YOU. So relax, enjoy our neighborhood, contribute your talents, and above all, be a good neighbor."

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Red Carpet...Brooklyn Style

 The Red Carpet stoop.

Oscar evening at my house.

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A Moment In Time: Play

Besties playing in Carroll Park

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The Smell Of Roasting Coffee Just Part Of Carroll Gardens' Charm

D'Amico Foods has been part of the Carroll Gardens Community since 1948, and for most of the last 64 years,  three generations of the D'Amico family have been roasting coffee beans right in their store at 309 Court Street.  Their signature dark Italian espresso roast, together with their famous house blends, are not only enjoyed by many throughout the community, but shipped to coffee lovers all over the country.
Walk down Court Street between 11 AM and 3 PM, and you will smell the roasting coffee from blocks away. It's as integral to the neighborhood as the aroma of  freshly baked bread and the scent of fresh tomato sauce.
But for some, it would appear, the smell of d'Amico's roasted coffee wafting from the business is a problem.
After someone complained, Joan and Frank D'Amico Jr. taped a note on their window, reminding people that their business has been there for a very long time .
The note reads:

To all our neighbors:For those of you who are new to the neighborhood, D'Amico's has been in business since 1948. We have been roasting coffee almost as long.  We understand that not all people like the smell of roasting coffee. This is our business.  If you have concerns with our roasting schedule, please, we invite you to come and talk to us.  We hope we can work together to solve this issue.  Thank you.

Let's hope this neighborhood institution will continue roasting coffee on Court Street for another 60 years.
D'Amico's is part of the reason Carroll Gardens is special and why so many love living here.

Without the smell or roasted coffee, it just wouldn't be the same, would it?

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Hopeland: New Atlantic Avenue Eatery Is Homage To Two Italian Matriarchs

Pietro Costa on the left and Roy Marino, right.

"Carta Dei Prodotti Alimentari"1856

The story behind HOPELAND, a new restaurant at 320 Atlantic Avenue, is as much about food as it is about the friendship of owners Pietro Costa and Roy Marino.  More importantly, it is a tribute to their respective mothers, who instilled in them a love of their shared heritage.
Seeing Costa and Marino standing at the restaurant's mahogany bar, speaking in the Italian dialect of their native Cilento in Southern Italy, one would presume that they have known each other for decades, but theirs is a rather recent camaraderie.
A few months ago, Pietro Costa, an artist and owner of Vespa Properties, was in the process of renovating the space after it was vacated by another eatery.  A prospective new tenant was chef and restaurateur Roy Marino, who most recently opened Broken English, a Roman style restaurant on Bergen Street for Italian investors. During the discussions with Marino, a friendship developed.

Not only did Costa and Marino live just blocks away from each other here in Brooklyn, they knew many of the same people. They also both came from the Cilento Coast, a portion of the Campania region of Southern Italy. Costa's family originated from Sant’Arsenio, a small 13th century town. Marino's family still lives in Sicignano Degli Alburni.  These two places are so close to each other that "it's almost like from here to Park Slope," Costa points out.
The two men quickly found that they shared a common love for the local cuisine of the Cilento region.   Sitting at one of the tables in the cosy restaurant, Costa tells me: "We started talking about our favorite meals,  going out to places that made our favorite Italian dishes, tasting them, taking notes, and talking about how we could make them better and why they would be better."

Both men had high food standards instilled by their mothers. "My mother is 81 years old and still picks olives.  My family still makes olive oil." Costa, who grew up on a farm, explains.

Marino's own culinary curiosity started in his mother's kitchen.  "My dream was to be able to cook the same dishes that my mother cooked for me when I was growing up.  Even when I was left by myself when I was a teenager, I never wanted to eat sandwiches.  I always liked to eat... always had that curiosity." At 16, he began working as a restaurant dishwasher during the summertime.  He worked his way up to bartender and waiter; "all the standard steps."  By 22, he opened his own restaurant with a friend in Italy.   {As a funny aside, he appeared in Stella Artois commercials for two years.}  About ten years ago, he found his way to New York via Spain. "Technically, I don't consider myself a chef because I don't have a culinary education.  It's more a culinary state of mind. I just remember things. That's why the dishes on our menu are called 'memories'.  We just recreate what is in our memory," Marino explains.

Those 'memories' include Baccala with potatoes, plump tomatoes and black olives,  Braized Rabbit, Frittelle, Fried Calamari and Oven Roasted Sardines.

"The overlaps [in our friendship] started to become very dense, almost like the Italian pastry, Sfogliatelle, which is made of many layers. And as you take the layers off, you discover depth both in likeness of character and vision. We were raised in the same culture, and we just clicked."  That's when the two decided to jointly open a restaurant.  Two-and-a half months ago, they shook hands on it and Hopeland was born.  Costa designed and built the interior, Marino was responsible for the kitchen and the menu, checking in with each other on a regular basis.

Hopeland's menu will change to increasingly include less known dishes like terrine. "Many people know what 'terrine' is, but we will make it the way it was done when we were growing up."
Luckily, both men paid attention when their mothers' cooked.  There are no recipes to refer back to.
"We have been trying to get our respective mothers to write down their recipes for us so we can use them," Costa smiles, "On my side, it's totally failed."  Marino chuckles, "On my side, it's failed too."  Costa continues, "I will ask my mother: 'How do you make this?'  and she will just tell me: 'Sit down and you will see.'" "It's literally a pinch of this, and a pinch of that."  With affection, Costa adds:
"This place is really about the tradition of our matriarchs, the women we grew up with and the tradition of growing and picking your own ingredients."

Make sure to check out Hopeland.  The restaurant seats 74 and is fully handicapped accessible.  There is a large table for families as well as an alcove area that can be reserved for larger groups.  A back garden
will be open in the spring.
Hopeland's wine list includes not only wines from Cilento, but also from France and Lebanon.  The owners are hoping to have a house wine available soon.
The eatery is open for dinner Monday through Sunday and for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hopeland

320 Atlantic Avenue,

Boerum Hill

718-467-3526

www.hopelandbrooklyn.com

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