More From Surfside Beach

You see the platforms out there in the ocean?
About a mile out?
They are pumping sand from the ocean floor back to shore.
Through thick, rusted pipes, joined together in one straight line,
sand and sea shells are deposited on the beach.
What a series of storms has taken away, man is putting back.
This replenishing project will restore 25 miles of beach along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. I thought you may want to see, dear Brooklyn reader.
It is all very interesting and exciting.
And very expensive...


How is the weather back home?
Here it is just lovely.

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Blogging From Down South!

Sometimes, it happens that I leave Brooklyn.
Imagine!
This week, I am at Surfside Beach, South Carolina.
And it is beautiful.
The ocean, the sand, the sky,
The freedom to walk barefoot.
How delightful.
Brooklyn seems far away.
Very far.
360 Smith
340 Court
Toll Brothers Gowanus Project
So very, very far away.
Till Monday,
When it all becomes reality again.

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Carroll Park Bocce Guys Do Some Decorating!

There, see them through the chain link fence? Framed prints! The Carroll Gardens bocce guys, fixtures of the neighborhood, have been decorating their court. Fetching, very fetching, don't you think?
Who would have though that the elderly gentlemen have such an eye...for, well, hmmm, art!
Though they have not played much bocce since fall, they still gather regularly on a group of benches on the President Street side, near Court. There in the pale rays of winter, they converse loudly in Italian.
A few more weeks, and they will be back playing their favorite game, bickering at each other.


Related Reading:
Where Have The Bocce Boys Of Summer Gone?

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Make An Elderly Lady's Day On Carroll Street

Carroll Street Between Clinton And Court

Now wouldn't it just be splendid to make an elderly lady's day? Want to know how? All you have to do is to walk down Carroll Street and look up.
Below is an email from a Carroll Gardens reader who does just that and gets a wonderful smile in return...

"If you happen to walk on Carroll Street between Clinton and Court and pass by 220 Carroll, look up and check out if you see an elderly lady in her 90's sitting by the window. If you do, give her a wave and blow her a kiss...it would make her day brighter and it may even make you feel that you have done a good deed for the day...."

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Buster Keaton Coming To Cobble Hill

What fun! Buster Keaton, on screen at least, is coming to the Cobble Hill Movie Cinema. Check it out with your kids. Below is the complete schedule for the Big Movies For Little People Series. Included are some wonderful flicks.

Big Movies For Little Kids Presents:

BUSTER KEATON

This special selection of Buster Keaton's short films include: One Week (1921), The Goat (1923) and The Scarecrow (1920). In One Week, Buster and his bride try to build a do it yourself house. Disaster ensues. This film is considered by many to be the perfect short comedy. In The Goat, Buster is mistaken for an escaped convict, launching a chase with more gags than you can shake a stick at. In The Scarecrow, Buster lives in a house rigged with mechanical gadgets, loses his clothes in a harvesting machine and gets married on a speeding motorcycle. (Black & White, Silent Shorts, trt: 65 mins)

Winter/Spring 2008 Schedule:

2/25 Buster Keaton Shorts

3/10 Thumbelina

3/24 Pingu on Thin Ice

4/7 Where the Wild Things Are, Whistle for Willie, and more!

4/21 Pippi on the Run

5/5 Animated Romanian shorts - including Scurta Istorie (Short History) -

winner of the 1956 Palme 'or at Cannes.

5/19 Hoppity Goes to Town

6/2 Muppets in Space

6/16 The Wizard of Oz

BIG Movies for Little Kids - Every Other Monday is Movie Day!

Time: 4pm (every other Monday, following the public school calendar)

Ages: 2-7 (all kids welcome) Laughing out loud is strongly encouraged!

Location: Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street @ Butler

Subway: F train to Bergen St.

Cost: $6.50/pp (for all walking humans who take a seat)

Big Movies for Little Kids is the innovative, only-of-its-kind classic film series for children. Created by three Brooklyn Moms, this unique series is a gentle introduction to the wonderful world of cinema. Films are carefully screened to include top-quality childhood favorites, diverse vintage animation, international gems and kid-friendly timeless selections. Attention is paid to small details that make a big difference for your comfort and enjoyment. This is a unique communal experience that parents and kids can share together. Come join the fun and discover the magic of the movies, in a real theatre, on the BIG silver screen.

For more info: http://bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com

*NEW: Don't wait in line, or out in the cold! You can now buy tickets in advance on-line, via www.movietickets.com, www.moviefone.com, or www.cobblehilltheatre.com

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Carroll Gardens Fighting Crap!

Perhaps as a response to New York City's "Curb Your Dog" signs becoming a bit illegible, Carroll Gardeners have resorted to posting their own.
It turns out that the inhabitants of this little neighborhood are rather creative.

The first approach is the : "Please Curb Your Face Dog" sign.
Particularly effective in protecting city trees.

Then there is the more polite reminder, with the "Please" and the two pleading exclamation marks. If that doesn't do the trick, the American flag might convince some more patriotic dog walkers.

Another approach is a more graphic one in stylish black and white.
The sign is put behind iron bars, maybe suggesting
that the violator may face a similar fate.

And this one, just in case you are walking multiple pets.

And last but not least, the official looking sign,
the one issued by the Dept. of NYC.
The one that says, "cut the crap."

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Toll Brothers' Gowanus Gozilla Project: Pardon Me For Asking, but...

(picture courtesy of Gowanus Lounge)

Pardon me for asking, but does anybody agree with me that the Toll Brothers rezoning from industrial to "special" mixed-use along their stretch of the Gowanus Canal will happen before the down-zoning of Carroll Gardens?
What do you think, dear reader? Should we take bets?
And of course that is not even the most important issue. Building along the Gowanus without first cleaning up the entire area is nothing but criminal.
If the city allows it, it will only reinforce what many believe: The developers have been given the run of our city.


From The Gowanus Lounge:
Starting Bell: Toll Brothers Reveal Gowanus Plan

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