Some Bay Ridge pedestrians (Image by Violette 79 via Flickr).
A car struck yet another person in Bay Ridge on April 1, this time near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 86th Street – two thoroughfares that have recently proved treacherous for pedestrians – as elected officials and the general public debate over which measures will best mitigate danger and improve safety on our streets. Continue reading »
If city transit officials in 1906 had their way, the 95th Street station might never have existed. Instead, R-trains would have turned east at 86th Street to Coney Island. Another 1912 plan extended the line to Staten Island (Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey).
Speaking of good ideas that have yet to reach fruition – Did you know that city officials voted over a century ago to extend the R-train all the way to Coney?
According to the Brooklyn Eagle, on March 22, 1906 “the city’s Rapid Transit Commission had approved an extension of what was known as the “Fort Hamilton Line” (today’s R train) to Coney Island.”
Trains would have turned east at 86th Street and Fourth Avenue, where they would presumably continue along the West End Line [now the D-train] to Stillwell Avenue.
Instead, when money for the project dried up – along with a similarly ambitious 1912 plan to extend the R to Staten Island – the West End Line and the Sea Beach Line [now the N-train] “were rebuilt and connected to the Fourth Avenue trunk line at 36th Street and 59th Street, respectively.”
Wikipedia notes that “The service that later became the R was the BMT 2. When it entered service on January 15, 1916, it ran between Chambers Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line and 86th Street, using the Manhattan Bridge to cross the East River.”
An older 19th Century elevated line, known as the 5th Ave Bay Ridge El, that ran down 3rd Avenue to 65th Street [via 38th Street and 5th Ave] would remain in operation until 1940.
[UPDATED] 2:08 p.m. Based on a tweet we received from the author of the original news report, the victim has been deemed unlikely to survive.
In what’s beginning to feel like a case of déjà vu, the combination of speeding and reckless driving has once again caused serious injury to a pedestrian on the streets of Bay Ridge.
A 34-year-old woman was struck by a speeding motorist at the corner of 86th Street and Third Avenue on March 13, writes Will Bredderman for Brooklyn Paper.
The car collided with the woman as she made her way across 86th Street at approximately 7:30 p.m. One witness described hearing a screech followed by a thud in the moments leading up to the gruesome and bloody scene. Continue reading »
Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr.
It looks like Hinsch’s [8518 5th Ave] has nine lives after all.
Thanks to a deal partners Roger Desmond, Gerard Bell and Bill Gardell recently made with Staten Island diner mogul Mike Moudatsos, the endangered eatery, which first opened in 1915 as Reichert’s ice cream parlor and still makes its own ice cream, will live on as “Mike’s Hinsch’s,” writes Helen Klein for Home Reporter.
Desmond, along with Bell – who is also co-owner of Skinflints [7902 5th Ave], and Gardell had taken over the space a little over a year before, when longtime owner John Logue retired.
“When we take over, we keep the name and add Mike’s to it,” Moudatsos’ son Lee, who will run the establishment’s day-to-day operations, told Klein – He also assured the public that the egg creams, homemade ice cream and chocolates that made Hinsch’s famous would continue to satisfy the neighborhood’s sweet tooth after his family took the helm on Monday, March 4.
“All that stuff is going to stay,” Lee Moudatsos said. “We are just going to add to it.”
“I feel the weight of the world is off my shoulders,” Desmond told Home Reporter. “It’s really been some roller coaster. I lost a lot of money but I don’t have any regrets.”
Just over a month ago, after a deal with a national fast food chain fell through Desmond, die hard restaurateur that he is, resolved to reinvent Hinsch’s as a late night date destination.
Image courtesy of the office of Councilman Vincent Gentile.
Tired of trying to navigate intersections with the little ones in tow while dodging aggressive drivers?
According to the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile, crossing one Bay Ridge street should soon be a whole lot safer.
Gentile says that after working on the issue with DOT officials, they have given the go ahead for a so-called “Slow Zone” on Ridge Boulevard between 86th Street and 91st Street.
“I just spoke with the Dept. of Transportation’s School Safety Unit and they have agreed to install new beacon lights and safety signs in this area very soon,” Councilman Gentile said. “While there is more to be done, this is a step in the right direction towards making our streets a place where we can all coexist safely.”
Image source: xkcd.com
The Newscorp-owned Community Newspaper Group, or CNG, recently took some time off from the burning issue of hipster bars to speak with one local elected official about another fake controversy contentious dispute that has a handful of people mildly irritated threatens to tear the very fabric of our neighborhood apart. [Cue dramatic music]. Continue reading »
Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr
Say it ain’t so.
After a reprieve that lasted well over one year, Bay Ridge’s idolized 1950s ice cream parlor, soda fountain and lunch counter will soon be serving its last egg cream.
According to CNG’s Will Bredderman, “the neon-signed confectionery, which started serving egg creams and sundaes on Fifth Avenue near 86th Street in 1948, will close permanently on March 1 and will be replaced with a new store…”
From Brooklyn Daily:
Co-owner Roger Desmond, — who temporarily saved the small piece of history in November, 2011 after a brief closure, said the high cost of doing business on Fifth Avenue and changing tastes in the area made it to difficult to makes ends meet.
“The area no longer supports this kind of establishment,” Desmond told Brooklyn Daily. “Bay Ridge is more of a fast food kind of place now. Hinsch’s is passé, I guess.”
Landlord Anna Tesoriero reportedly has a new tenant lined up for the prime space – located on one of the neighborhood’s busiest intersections, although Desmond told Bredderman he didn’t know what type of business would be renting his former storefront.
Something tells me it won’t be a Jahn’s.
Salvatore Perrone in 2001 (Image source: Franconia Township Police Department).
The suspect in the killing of Bay Ridge clothier Mohamed Gebeli, as well as two other Brooklyn shopkeepers, was indicted yesterday on first degree murder charges, as reported by CBS.
Salvatore Perrone, age 64, of Staten Island was arrested and charged by police just before Thanksgiving last week. Continue reading »
Faisal Shafi (Image source: NYPD via NBC).
Police are searching for the man shown in the above photo. He is believed to be responsible for two violent home invasions in Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge.
The first forced entry took place in broad daylight on September 27, when at around 3:15 p.m. the robber pushed in the door of an apartment on Bay Parkway and 86th Street while its occupant was at home, police sources told NBC 4.
The 47-year-old victim was assaulted and robbed of electronics and an undisclosed amount of cash.
More recently on Monday, October 1, at approximately 9:30 a.m. he reportedly forced his way into “7267 7th Avenue,” assaulted a 41-year-old woman who was there, and once again stole cash from the victim.
Both injured parties were treated at a hospital before being released.
The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Faisal Shafi, who police say lives on Stillwell Avenue. He is about 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about these crimes should contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS [8477] or text “TIP577″ [plus your message] to “CRIMES” [274637]. Your identity will be kept confidential.
9510 3rd Avenue (Image source: Googlemaps).
After enjoying the pleasantly un-ironic, small-town vibe at the Ragamuffin Parade, followed by lunch at Skinflints, my fiance and I made our way down Fifth Avenue for a brief fight with the Saturday shopping crowds at Century 21. Like some anonymous Irish adage, the wind seemed to be at our backs and the sun warmed our faces as we strolled past dozens of storefronts selling everything from Greek specialties to Real Estate.
It was then, as we approached 86th Street, that we noticed a sign posted to the facade of enshrined neighborhood dive the Wicked Monk. It read something to the effect of “Last Day On Fifth Avenue.”
The Monk was moving. But where? Continue reading »