237 79th Street (via Facebook).
It looks like the notorious 79th Street raccoon house, built in a simpler time before air conditioner sleeves became architectural ornamentation, will soon be no more. Continue reading »
May 022013
Mar 212013
On Friday, March 22nd at 6:00 pm the Christ Church After School and Creative Youth Center will host their annual Multicultural Festival at Christ Church Bay Ridge [7301 Ridge Blvd] (enter on 73rd street). Children ages five through ten will be performing musical and dance pieces from ten different countries.
After the performance, festival goers will enjoy a variety of food prepared by the young participants’ parents. Each family is asked to bring in a dish from their country of origin.
Director Victoria Hofmo explained in a press release, “It’s a great event and way to share the wonderful cultural richness of our After School family and our hometown Bay Ridge.”
For further information, please contact Christ Church’s youth center at (718) 745-1551. Click Here For Map
Feb 212013
Grotesque inset of a burglar on facade of the Williamsburgh Savings Tower at 1 Hanson Place in Fort Greene (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).
It looks like burglars are still finding plenty of homes to score jewelry, cash and electronics from in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.
While none of the incidents reported by Will Bredderman in yesterday’s Brooklyn Paper police blotter occurred on 70th Street, they all happened within blocks of previously pilfered apartments:
- The occupant of a ground floor apartment on 73rd Street between 13th Avenue and 14th Avenue left at around 2 p.m. on February 11. She returned at 5:15 p.m. to find her glass sliding door shattered and a host of expensive items – including three gold rings, one onyx ring, a diamond bracelet, a diamond necklace, an elk ivory watch, a pair of elk ivory cufflinks, $5,000 in bills, and a Nikon camera gone.
- The next day another victim, who had left her 76th Street flat at around 5:30 p.m., had trouble gaining entry after returning four hours later. Realizing the entrance was blocked with the door to an adjacent closet, she pushed her way into the apartment – which is located between 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. Seeing the place had been ransacked, she also noticed the shade on her fire escape window drawn open. Stolen items reported to police included two iPads, a checkbook, a gold chain, two gold necklaces, two gold watches, two gold bracelets, a silver necklace, a pair of gold earrings, and two gold pendants.
- During that same day, a resident of Ridge Blvd between 75th Street and 76th Street was burglarized by some apparently numismatic crooks. He left for the day at 7 a.m. and came back at 11:30 p.m. to discover his MacBook, tablet computer, Canon camera, watch, and $400 in Chinese currency missing.
Dec 112012
In this truly heartwarming story by BKIndependentTV, Bay Ridge Cares cooks nourishing meals for residents of areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.
The video shows how with their volunteer-staffed kitchen at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church [81st Street and Ridge Blvd], Bay Ridge Cares provides hot meals and desserts for the Occupy Sandy supply network – which also includes a larger kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church [9818 Fort Hamilton Pkwy].
City Councilman Vincent Gentile’s Communications Director and Bay Ridge Cares co-creator Justin Brannan makes an appearance to discuss how he, local chef Allison Robicelli, Karen Tadross, and Father Michael Ellias collaborated to make the kitchen a reality.
According to Tadross, the Bay Ridge Cares kitchen at St. Mary’s – which began operations in mid November and prepares 800 meals a day six days a week, will be helping victims of Hurricane Sandy until at least December 15.
For more info about donations or volunteer opportunities at Bay Ridge Cares, please check out their Facebook page.
Oct 292012
Downed tree on Bay Ridge Parkway. (Photo: Katie Wong / Office of Senator Marty Golden)
The Daily News just reported that as of 11:44 a.m. a large tree is down on 75th Street between 4th Ave and 5th Ave.
Wind hazards like downed trees and power lines are why, although most of Bay Ridge is not in an evacuation zone, our readers should remain indoors as Sandy approaches the east coast.
[UPDATE] 12:38 p.m. Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis just tweeted that another tree is down at 78th Street and Colonial Road.
[UPDATE] 7:10 p.m. State Senator Marty Golden tweeted about an hour ago that a fallen tree is blocking 91st Street between Colonial Road and Ridge Blvd.
Aug 162012
Every time someone neglects an older home, “This Old House” host Kevin O’Connor quietly weeps.
Homeowners living on either side of a neglected 83rd Street property fear their Victorian-era wood frame neighbor could be in danger of an imminent Ovington Avenue-style collapse, and are asking the city for help, as reported by Will Bredderman for the Brooklyn Paper.
After dealing with insects, animals and trespassing teens for years, residents Danielle Basso and Siu Leung say that enough is enough, as it looks like the historic home might have to be brought down before it falls under its own weight.
“I’m scared,” Basso, a mother of three, told Brooklyn Paper. “It’s unfortunate, because it’s a beautiful structure, but it should be torn down.”
Basso said she and her husband have paid to have the bee and termite-infested house fumigated in order to prevent the pests from crossing over the property line to their home. Continue reading »
Aug 132012
For over four decades the Brooklyn Arts Council [BAC] has lent services and support to artists of “all disciplines,” from performance art to film and visual media, according to BAC President Ella Weiss – who is featured in the above video.
As BAC’s website states, each year the organization “distributes over $350,000 in grants to help fund hundreds of projects by Brooklyn artists and organizations.” During the summer months, they also hold seminars throughout the borough in order to assist creative locals – many of whom might not be familiar with the application process required to score some much-needed funding.
The annual seminar series will be coming to the Bay Ridge Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library [7223 Ridge Blvd] tomorrow, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The discussion will include:
- An overview of the 2013 grant opportunities offered by BAC.
- An explanation of the application process.
- Tips on writing a successful grant.
- A Q&A session, and an opportunity to meet BAC staff, as well as other applicants.
The video covers the seminar beginning at the three minute mark. Click here to RSVP.
Jun 252012
On an unseasonably cool Sunday afternoon earlier this month, the Union Church of Bay Ridge’s congregation ceremoniously handed over the keys of their beloved 80-year-old parish house [8101 Ridge Blvd] to Dr. Charlie Fasano – the headmaster of another neighborhood institution, the Bay Ridge Preparatory School.
The ceremony itself – ostensibly meant to celebrate the 81st year since two smaller congregations had merged to form the church – was bittersweet, according to an account written by Denise Romano for the Home Reporter. Continue reading »
May 182012
Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan
On the morning of Monday, May 14, Bryan Dilberian, a triple amputee military veteran and Fort Hamilton High School alumnus, met with students and faculty at Visitation Academy [8902 Ridge Blvd].
This past February, on Valentine’s – a day normally reserved for sweethearts – the Catholic all-girls prep school’s students held a bake sale in order to raise funds for Dilberian to one day build his dream home – one that will make daily life easier for the Afghanistan vet.
The price tag for the so-called “smart home” – which comes complete with an elevator and a custom-built, handicapped-accessible kitchen – is around $1 million, writes Heather J. Chin for the Home Reporter.
Visitation Academy’s students have raised around $4,000 so far. A humble beginning to a noble goal.
“He risked his life for this country and came back to thank us for something small that we did,” said Kristen, one of the students present.
“It’s very inspiring and exciting to meet him. He’s a hero,” called out Samantha, an eighth grader.
Dilberian, age 26, told Home Reporter that, despite his wounds, he doesn’t regret his choice to enlist.
He does make sure to mention his best friend James Waters, who was killed in action in Afghanistan’s Arghandab Valley – a name that may at first seem exotic in its unfamiliarity yet – depending on how it’s pronounced, can also sound very plain and domestic. Less fluid-sounding than the name James Waters, but perhaps more fitting for such an arid place.
Bryan Dilberian will always remember those two names – words that will share an oddly intertwined connection in the minds of friends, family, and after last Monday – the students of Visitation Academy.
May 162012
Source: 401K via Flickr
As college tuition continues to climb while student loan debt exceeds one trillion dollars, one local bank has some advice for the parents of small children: Better start saving now.
To further communicate the necessity of squirreling away some salary for your little one’s schooling, Flushing Bank [7102 3rd Ave] held a seminar for parents of the future college-bound at the Bay Ridge Library [7223 Ridge Blvd] on May 11, according to Denise Romano with the Home Reporter. Continue reading »