On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every Sunday, we like to take a look back at a few comments left on GL during the previous seven days. Here's a random sampling from this week:

PM Update: Boerum Hill "Asian Garbage Bag Thief". "This happens all over the city. What makes you feel like your trash is any better than anyone else?" [Anonymous]

PM Update: Boerum Hill "Asian Garbage Bag Thief". "As you said that you are not heartless, there are several levels of actions you could take on.
Of the highest, you would show up at her arrival, speak to her regardless of her understanding English. Offer her what she needs next to your trash bag and basically convey in your imaginative ways to her that you want to help, but with your household, she needs not to open the trash bag.
Remember, even though her browsing is pesky and bordering unlawful, your generosity is beyond the legal or cultural realm. Put it this way, she is still a human being in desperate needs, but not a raccoon in the burb. Give her a break and continue to leave her needs next to your bag if you can't seem to confront her with your generosity." [Jason]

Bolt of Enlightenment: Gowanus Bunker is "Satori"!!! "Satori is phonetically identical to "Satory" , a military compound in France.
I understand now why this building looks like a bunker." [Jacques Clouseau]

Brooklyn Nibbles, Special: Five Guys Burgers Coming to Slope. "You thought D'Agostino's stunk of bad food and rotten produce? Wait until you get a whiff of this greasy spoon. Too slow for NY.
And if you have a coronary ... there's Methodist across the street ... on second thought ..." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we take a look at comments left by our readers during the previous seven days. Here's a selection from this week:

Carroll Gardens Rumor Mill: "Pro-Development" Petition? "I respectfully disagree with your choice of words calling Buddy Scotto an 'activist' unless you mean by that he is active in encouraging large-scale, greedy developers to make a killing in CG where he and a few others stand to make a personal fortune as well. None of the current grassroots 'activists' (in the true sense) groups (there are many) is 'anti-development either'; they are merely pro-"responsible and contextual" development which the current development of course is NOT!"

Carroll Gardens Rumor Mill: "Pro-Development" Petition? "So many people who hide behind the 'contextual development' label are in fact anti-any-development. They are NIMBYS, since it's OK to develop elsewhere, but not in CG-BH. It was development that helped make CG the attractive and hip place it is today but now that you and your strollers are clogging the sidewalks its 'hey...stop it.. this is MY neighborhood!' Buddy Scotto was a champion of neighborhood revitilization twenty five years ago, when CG was little more than a sleepy Italian neighborhood and Smith St was nothing but ancient mon 'n pops and bodegas, and a good fifteen years before all of these gentrifiers moved in and set the stage you see today. He has more neighborhood bona-fides in his pinky than any of you can ever aspire to." [Anonymous]

If Attacked in Park Slope, Don't Fall Into a Flower Bed. "This story is so 'one sided'... the person who landed in the woman's flowers was drunk... If he/she were sober enough to explain the situation to the woman she might have had a different reaction." [Anonymous]

Slope's Cafe Eleven Space to Be Wine Bar, Neighbors Concerned. "whino, the mature and sophisticated banter being parried to and fro through the evening hours in this most cultured nabe will be so welcome indeed! anyone who lives hear knows it doesn't take a bar full of drunken skin-heads to cause enough of an annoyance- just a mere bar full of drunken sophisticates with senstive palates who are in denial in homage to their fixations." [Anonymous]

Slope's Cafe Eleven Space to Be Wine Bar, Neighbors Concerned. "I think the real question of importance here is: Will they allow strollers?" [Richard Nickel Jr.]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we highlight a few random comments left during the previous week by GL readers. Here are this week's choices:

Boerum Hill School Changes Parking Regulations on Its Own. "DOT will be replacing the sign." [Anonymous]

Vituperative Grand Street Rezoning Fight in Flier Form. "Can we define terms? Who is a developer? A resident of 10, 25, or 40 years who is building something to live in? The people hurt by the downzoning are not big developers. They are people with small lots who have lost 15% - 40% of their net worth. There are people in the community who have dramatically misinformed the public about the true nature of the rezone. The rezone was rushed through in 92 days with no notice to land owners, no notice in Spanish. When I read the hate comments, I wonder why the writers don't get that they are only hurting their neighbors." [Anonymous]

"Private Meetings" & Public Shrinkage at 360 Smith. "A lower building would have made the neighborhood happy and Stein is a thief and is stealing what is not his in the plaza. The building is a monstrous size for a tiny street and anyone who thinks it is the best thing that ever happened to Carroll Gardens needs his head examined. Cars will not even be able to enter the driveway on Second Place of the new building without us losing the parking spots on the other side of Second Place. That's how narrow the street is. Is it any wonder the neighborhood has revolted? Good for them! It was a monstrosity from the beginning and still is. Ditto 340 Court St. Can CG "take" this height? Hell no! What a shame it is to ruin such a nice neighborhood. Someone sold out CG. A reasonably-sized building would have been embraced by the neighborhood." [Anonymous]

Strollers In, Computers Out on Weekends at 'Snice. "By the second weekend, it was a horror show in 'sNice. The no laptop rule has made a difference." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Commments

Every week, we offer a fairly random selection of comments that GL readers have left during the previous seven days. Here are this week's choices:

Ratner Post-Gala: Did Marty's Wife "Hoarde" Murakami Swag? "Actually, a great story... reflects perfectly the current zeitgeist in Brooklyn. Grab as much as you can as fast as you can, and screw your neighbors." [Anonymous]

Available on Hope Street in Williamsburg. "What is unappealing about the sign, however, is how it blatantly disrespects the artwork beneath it. The sign should read 'Help drive the final nails in the culture that once thrived in Williamsburg.'" [MikeM]

F Train Weekend Cluster...Complex Series of Service Changes. "It should read 'Best way to get to Manhattan: Cab' People were gawking at this sign in the Carroll Street station. I took one look at it and it made my brain hurt." [Z.Madison]

Will Obscure Charter Provision be Used in Gowanus? "In the past century, there has only been one City Council vote that passed by less than three-fourths of the Council: Congestion pricing. Good luck!" [Anonymous]

Gowanus Rezoning Memory Refresh-O-Matic: Tall. "Just because the City says that the rezoning will occur in a specified way does not mean that there will be building in those area. The enviromental aspects to the Toll brother land are widely present throughout the to be rezoned area. If enough light can be shown on that, and on the impact of all these new people on the already overworked infrastructure, then the City will be forced to do what it should do: clean the enviroment, make plans for the newcomers, and then do some type of building. BTW, Toll Brothers' bonds have been placed on a "watch" list - a precurser, often, to downgrading." [Mike]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we like to look at some of the comments left by readers during the previous seven days. Here are a few random selections from this week's batch:

Toll Brothers Team Talks Up the Gowanus Project. "It was all a bit scary, that group, parading in single file with their renderings and statistics. They were like a team from Walt Disney with visions of the future complete with a shrinking machine and flying cars. I had a mini fantasy of myself: soaking up rays along a processed canal of filtered water, waving to my husband on the Water Taxi to my own private dock, racing with the 8 hour shadow being cast from my glass box. I also saw that maufactured forest of transplanted trees, swaying in an artificial breeze downwind from the unfiltered part of the canal while slipping on my wellies to wade through the flood plane to my above ground parking garage. Sigh...it's just too big, too ambitious..too much what we want, but, not enough of what we need in a realistic context."

Brooklyn's Ugliest Karl Fischer Looking Great. "I love the 2 faux balconies over the entry. Class-o-rama, and such grand vistas of the BQE. The sole good omen for this project, is that it is where Sugar The Cockatoo 'flew the coop' to this past october. It confirms his tastes...Glad there was a bland bright spot to fly to. Thank you, Karl Fischer!!"

Pampered Burg Rock Star Dogs, Part II: Plush Toy Edition. "This Dog Addiction place says in their manifesto that they "encourage pack behavior". I see this as a huge problem. And do dogs really need and want rock music 24/7? With their hearing? This place sounds like trouble."

With Public Place Work Underway, Safety Questions Remain. "NIMBYs? Do you live in the neighborhood? Are your windows constantly covered with white dust from the concrete factories? Do you smell the stench from the canal? Those of us with children are concerned about heavy metals and other contaminants getting into the air in high concentrations - to toxic conditions directly below the surface are well documented - and if I lived next to or down wind of this site, I'd be very concerned."

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we select a few random comments from our readers. Here are this week's choices:

Atlantic Yards: Miss Brooklyn & Housing to Die as Arena Lives? "Let's see...1 Billion to Ratner for a basketball court. 800 million to Stienbrener for a baseball Field
300 million to the mats for another baseball Field. 200 million to the Dolans for a Hockey rink."--My2Sense

"Um, everyone complains when the buildings are going to be built b/c the development was too large. Now that its shrinking b/c the time to act has passed, and everyone complains again. Where do I sign up for season tickets?"--Chris

Gowanus Attack Dog Follow Up: Settle It 'Between Neighbors'. "A 'neighbor/neighbor' issue sounds like two residents having to deal with the problem. This is a business and a resident (civilian?). Somehow, it doesn't seem correct for the CB to treat it the same way. At the very least, a letter to both the guard dog company and the contractor is in order."--KDW

Bedford Ave. Report: Dunkin Donuts Coming? "I live in the Burg and would *LOVE* a Dunkin' Donuts to open up! I'm sick of all the pretentious coffee shops in Williamsburg jammed with hipsters. (Or are they the homeless? The line is quite blurry.) And those little oven toasted hash browns. Mmmmmm mmmmm... bring it on!"

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we highlight a few random comments left by GL readers during the previous week. Here are some from the past seven days:

Toll Brothers Gowanus Development Gets Scoped. "People are raising the toilet problem. Unfortunately, City Planning could care less about that since it doesn't fall within that agencies purview. The people who should be protesting the loudest are Toll since raw sewage is not exactly a selling point." [Anonymous]

Atlantic Yards Opponents: "Dear Governor Paterson". "No Brooklynite I have ever ever met anyhwere has anything but WRATH for Ratner and is ill-conceived MEGA-BOMB project. Let's pray Paterson will save us from this disaster we will all live to regret in its current format. Let's GET A ULURP NOW for AY!! That was one of countless unnecessary, human, greedy errors with this over-sized monster from the start..." [Anonymous]

Atlantic Yards Opponents: "Dear Governor Paterson". "I think the new Gov will have truly important things to deal with and stopping this exciting project should not be one of them. I've lived in the AY part of BK for close to 20 years and I am looking forward to this innovative and architecturally stunning renaissance of what has been an ugly hole in the middle of Brooklyn for way too long." [Annika S.]

More Fun with the Carroll Gardens Hell Building. "It's a monstrosity. This developer has a 'history' with doing this sort of thing. I'm not against development—as long as it's in keeping with the neighborhood and the neighborhood can sustain the change. But I live a 1/2 block away from this and it's having an 8+ story high-rise in the middle of brownstone Brooklyn." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every Sunday we highlight a random selection of comments left by our GL readers during the previous seven day's. Here are a few from this week:

Plans for Controversial Carroll Gardens Building Coming in April. "it will be interseting to see what the lower rung of rogers marvel have planned for this spot. with all the fantasy monster buildings in the public space and the governors island win, little 340 court street could be designed by temps...All this sharing with the nabe just isn't helping. I think what they all do is design one monster thing, show it to the neighborhood and everyone freaks, then, they go back to their offices and get the not so monster drawings, wait a week, and show again. Just to make it look like they want to work with us. It'll be a glass nightmare, people." [Anonymous]

New Look Prospect Park: PLG Getting a Big Glass Tower. "Paging all archi-geeks: Somebody whip up a rendering of what this alien vessel is going to do to the view of the treeline from within Prospect Park! And, um, aside from the benighted Ebbets Field project, isn't this thing going to be grossly out-of-scale and fingerlike? It looks like two suburban office buildings stacked clumsily atop one another. However, it was considerate of them to include a "park" on the roof; that will spare the residents the inconvenience of having exit into PLG and walk a block or two to the magnificent, historic REAL park that their monstrosity will overshadow. Maybe they can name their building the 'Stratos'; only Trekkies will get the joke (see "the Cloud Minders")." [Brenda from Flatbush]

The Unhappy Life of 333 Carroll Continues. "Hopefully, the new firm will have blow torches to cut that thing down and concentrate on the actual brick shell. The neighborhood has had enough of this." [Anonymous]

Gowanus Meeting on Toll Brothers Project Draws a Big Crowd. "...Some people want the block remain "as is" which is unlikely. If residential isn't allowed, then expect some major retail store to just build under the existing zoning." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we like to take a totally random sampling of a handful of comments left by GL readers during the previous seven days. There is always far more to highlight than we can choose for one post:

More Public Place: Hudson Companies "Gowanus Green" in Detail. "Well that all looks pretty fascinating in a Planet of the Apes futuristic sort of way. Love the photographer with the long lens and camera bag. What could be of interest? Toxic waves? Bloated dead fish floating in the canal? I love the woman strolling with the shopping bag. Where is she going? To Joe's Superette on Smith for some rice balls??? Why isn't there a rendering of the dirty, filthy packed F train platforms? Or the, probably, finished by then, Smith & Ninth station? This all looks promising enough and it could be much more hideous." [Anonymous]

Canadian Picked to Run Huge Ikea in Red Hook. "Local organizations, especially Red Hook Rise, are confidant that IKEA will offer lots of jobs to locals. Fairway set a good precedent. Most of the employees there are local, and the service is excellent. To be sure, it's not Madison Avenue, but the will is there, at least for customers willing to take their assistance with a bit of funk." [Matthews]

Things Get Crappy at the Bergen St. 2/3 Station. "That will teach you to use the trashcan. Drop your trash at your feet as soon as you are done with it. Don't think about it, merely let the useless cup, wrapper, paper fall from your hands when it is no longer needed. No need to walk the extra distance to the trashcan and look what it got you." [Anonymous]

"Terrible Service" at the Park Slope Library? "If you've not already done so, get registered on the Brooklyn Public Libary web site and figure out how to search for and reserve books throughout the Brooklyn system. If you know what you want, you can ask them to get it for you. They will deliver it to the branch you select, and send you an e-mail when it arrives. [Nicola]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we like to take a look at comments left during the previous seven days and highlight a few. Here are this week's selections:

Carroll Gardens News: Monteleone's Up for Sale. "The true Monteleone's died back in 2006 when they shuttered it for renovation. That place was a gem, and the people who worked there were great. When it reopened all the charm was gone, from the place and the people. The service was surly and terrible, and the clientele, who seemed to drive in from Goombaland, used to stare at the local residents like they had two heads." [Anonymous]

Carroll Gardens News: Monteleone's Up for Sale. "Yes Carroll Gardens is most certainly dead. It will soon look very very very bland. I heard even Carroll Park is up for sale too. They want to put like 2000 new units on it linked to the Toll Brothers development on Bond Street with a skyway. This would give CG a kind of Minneapolis feel and keep all those thousands of new residents off the street where they won't fit anyhow. Nobody will need the subway." [Anonymous]

Another Building Going Up on N. 10 Street. "What are the japanese tourists going to do not being able to take pictures of those hearts?" [Anonymous]

The Great Park Slope Hating Debate, Part 134. "People hate on Park Slope because that's what people do. Hate on stuff. Where's the fun in espousing the positive of something or of some place? Hating makes for good reading. Just look at Joyce or Bukowski. It's not just Park Slope either. People hate on every single neighborhood in this city. People hate no matter what city they are in. This is not news. You have to admit that reading all the hate is just as much fun if not more than reading the police blotter." [Bryan]

New "Movement" Developing in Gowanus & Carroll Gardens? "Once again, NIMBY central on The Gowanus Lounge. Out of curiosity, has there *ever* been a new development profiled on this site with anything other than outright horror? God forbid anyone builds any additional housing in this city - good thing there isn't, you know, a housing shortage." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we take a look at a few comments left during the previous seven days by GL readers. Here are a couple from the last week for this President's Day:

Bklink: Terrorist Photographers. "It's fun to imagine witty replies to such coercive tactics, such as "Is this a police state" "Are you a fascist?" "Aren't you supposed to be protecting my rights?" but there's no point as cops do not engage in any kind of repertoire. In fact, most cops do not think and I don't mean that as an insult. They're paid to do as they're told. They are told to man a wasteful and expensive toy bought by the city, that's what they do. The current policy by the commissioner is to intimidate and harass peaceful protestors and photographers - and that's what they do. If tomorrow they got orders telling them to stand in front of the skywatch and smile for pictures... then that's what they would do. So the next time you're engaged by someone like that, just have a laugh because "are you a terrorist?" is the equivalent of "do you want fries with that?" for NYPD. [Jamie]

Carroll Gardens 340 Court St. Building Gets Death Fence. "Stunning. I can't wait for it to be covered with posters like the corner of Smith and Douglass has been for the past 2 years. Please let there be some useful retail as part of the plan and not another drug store." [Ginger the Dog's Dad]

The Starting Bell: Toll Brothers Reveal Gowanus Plans. "This is what my Psychic on 5th Ave. tells me: "Let's see. 2011... that's um... two years after the economic crash that will bankrupt new york city (once more)... which means they'll be building the shells of buildings for the junkies and drug dealers who troll Bond Street at night. Public Housing, at long last!" Not my two cents - my five dollar psychic's!" [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we like to highlight a few comments left by GL readers during the previous seven days. Here's this week's somewhat random selection:

No Spike in Park Slope Muggings (and a Map). "These statistics really aren't helpful, because many, many, people who have been mugged have concluded that reporting the crime is more trouble than it's worth. (I don't agree, by the way, but I've heard this often enough to not trust the NYPD's numbers)." [Anonymous]

Coney Island #3: Grimshaw to Design "Coney Island Center". "This man is an awful architect. Especially his newsstands, how can people accept this trash? It's like our Mayor is pushing a "new" new york on all of us! Stop it! Protest! Fight Back! Resist corporate takeover and the destruction of our communities!" [Anonymous]

Bklink: Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! "Before it was Schnack, it was a small grocery store run by a nice couple. Manny worked at fish markets when he was younger and every morning he drove to Fulton and picked the freshest best local fish that was available and arranged it lovingly in a small ice counter just inside the door. He'd sell it at a fair price to folks in the nabe, cleaned and filleted for free. I'd rather have Manny back than 100 Schnack type sh** shacks." [Anonymous]

MTA Harasses Photographer at Atlantic Yards. "Yes, photographs are allowed of just about anything from a public sidewalk. Many property and store owners don't know this (even some police don't know this) and will give you trouble. It's a good idea to be as polite as possible, but emphasize your rights and carry a copy of the Photographer's Rights (a free downloadable PDF) and the phone number of the local precinct. Kindly offer to call the police if anyone hassles you. And she was right, they never, ever, ever have the right to confiscate your camera or film. You can successfully sue anyone who does so, including the police." [Dalton]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we like to a highlight a few of comments left behind by GL readers during the previous seven days. Here's a selection from this week:

More Renderings of the Domino Glass Box. "Surely with all those giant massive towers filled with apartments, does this really need a glass topped whatever? Hell, it could be a heliport cuz I doubt anyone rich enough to buy into this are gonna want to take the L train. Oh, no, right, these people will all have cars and will be jammin' the bridges every rush hour..." [Anonymous]

Red Hook #3: Removed Beard Street Paving Stones Reappear. "I love Ikea and they did a great job reincorporating them. You assholes will never be happy. Always looking for something to complain about." [Anonymous]

Gowanus Update: Slow Going at the Bunker on Bond. "Design by Scarano. Facade by IKEA! It's awful . . . not as awful as I thought it would be, but still Stasi approved." [Gary]

No Day of Rest at 340 Court, as Application is Filed. "Ok Rogers Marvel, are you a licensed architect? How do you feel about non union labor? Please, show us what you have up your sleeves. A glass and cement richard meire fake? A brentwood cluster? a paramus strip mall? Please, we are all very interested..." [Anonymous]

2nd Street Cafe Closing Followup: Seventh Ave. Retail Bummer? "BTW, it is not just 7th Avenue. Take a walk down 5th and you'll see more boarded up store fronts with landlords waiting for some chain or bank to move in. Rumor has it that a certain french restaurant on 5th Ave and 4th is about to go under, and several others are teetering on the edge of solvency." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we highlight a few comments left by GL readers during the previous sevent days. Here are this week's selections (with a thank you to the GL reader that suggested a tweak to our logo):

Weeks Later, 340 Court Posts an Asbestos Sign. "So far Clarett is off to a shoddy job. The community really wants to work with them to make this development fit the site and community...Developers can work with the community toward a good result. That is what the Carroll Gardens community wants." [Anonymous]

PM Update: Days of Some Carroll Gardens "Wide Streets" May End. "the width of the street will effect the bulk of the building if the developer ops to use the quality housing program. If he uses height factor zoning, the building height will remain governed by the sky exposure plane, (the neighborhood is zoned R6). to help the neighborhood, it sould be eather be rezoned R6B or made into a special LH (limited height) district like Brooklyn Heights." [Anonymous]

Mommies & Toddlers Eighty Sixed from Slope's Union Hall? "OK, so Park Slope is overrun by mommies and babies and dogs and strollers and general upper middle class white horribleness... no surprise there. So why do all these complainers move there? It's PARK SLOPE, what do you expect?!" [Anonymous]

Dispatches from the Frigid Mass Eviction at 475 Kent in South Williamsburg. "anybody wholesale labelling the residents of 475 as 'hipsters' clearly doesn't know what they are talking about. people in this building lived there when NO ONE wanted to live in williamsburg. they came over for affordable space. they took risks, but so did the people who moved into commercial spaces that predated the loft law. when i heard that 475 was targeted, my first thought was, 'they're going after them all now'. 475 was the granddaddy of these buildings in williamsburg. these were not spoiled rich brats living in here, even now. that said i could give FDNY a list of buildings they should have gone after before this one. i agree on the retaliation point, but there had to be some basis in fact or they wouldn't have charged in on one of the coldest nights of the year." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every week, we like to pick a few comments that GL readers have left during the previous seven days and highlight a few of them. Here are this week's somewhat random selections:

340 Court Street #2: Collateral Damage Edition. "You don't think anything can shake these brownstones until a backhoe starts banging away in the next lot, then it does seem like London in the Blitz. We live about 100 yards due west of this house and our block shook like this when they were sinking a new elevator shaft for the library's new handicapped entrance. We had some interior wall crack; we also had to fix water damage to our side wall foundation walls when their excavation exposed it to the elements."

J.J. Byrne Park: Slow Going in Boymelgreen Section. "The building's nowhere near finished. The building owner's caught in the money crunch, like many other developers of his type. His other building on Atlantic Ave. across the street from the jail is having the same problems - exterior looks mostly finished but there's a lot inside that needs work."

A Beautiful Carroll Gardens Recollection. "I feel that Carroll Gardens is not alone in what this person is saying. I live in a building where a woman lived and so did half of her family. She moved nextdoor and raised 5 children in one or two apartments. Back in the day when If someone moved out, you could claim that space and move right in. She has stories of the delis and movie theatres that lined court street. The old bars along the Waterfront. I think there is comraderie among some of the new guard, but, not all. I have been watching the generational ebb and flow for almost 20 years. I am hurt, now, when I walk into a store on Smith Street and am followed, as if I am a shoplifter. Even more saddened when I am percieved as a cold hearted "Liberal". The days of stoop chats are waning, especially in CG. Soon our beloved row houses, which I had taken for granted all these years, will all wear caps of glass and steel and no one will care, years from now, what came before...downsize, now. Preserve what is unique for future generations."

Citypoint Tower: 65 Stories on Flatbush. "For me the problem's not height, per se, and it's not a matter of NIMBY-ism. The problem with Downtown Brooklyn is that within five years it will be a Rich People Only, zone and have only a tiny smattering of non-white faces. That's boring and ugly."

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we like to feature a few comments left during the previous seven days by GL readers. Here are a few of them:

GL Reader Question: Why So Many Cash Only Restaurants?:
"It used to be more of a thing in Manhattan than it is now. I think in Manhattan they realized they had no choice, but there are still holdouts. I am only truly annoyed by it if the restaurant does not clearly indicate that the establishment is cash only, and/or if the server and other staff cannot immediately tell me where the closest ATM is. It is a detriment to the restaurant and they understand this but they also clearly need positive cash flow at all times. That outweighs any desire they have to get that extra $20 out of you. What irks me these days is 'no credit cards for delivery'. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I worked until 8:30. I should have gotten money on the way home but I thought there was still X in the fridge. I call and suddenly it's 'no credit cards for delivery'? Talk about losing business. [Jukebox Graduate]

"It's tax evasion. No credit card receipts, no record of how much they actually did in sales that night. Sure they don't have to pay fees, but they also can evade getting caught paying taxes. It's the restaurant industry, folks!" [Anonymous]

The Ugliest Karl Fischer: Now on Full View. "Just think of "inner" williamsburg as Rego Park for middle class hipsters. Sorry you can't afford the really nice stuff." [Anonymous]

Smith Street's No. 1 Laundry is Victim of Massive Rent Increase. "What and who will pay the rent? A gullible restaauranteur with lots of capital. Its a corner spot on Smith. Some fool will put a French bisto up in no time. Or the 11th Thai restaurant." [Anonymous]

Meet the Nightmare on Pacific Street. "This reminds me of the horrific buildings on the outskirts of Sarajevo." [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we take a look at some comments left by GL readers during the previous seven days. This week, a post relating a local professor's experience at Central Booking in Brooklyn generated a huge number of comments.

Brooklyn Jail Nightmare: One Woman's Story:

"Brooklyn Central Booking is manned and maintained by the NYPD. Their are no "guards" involved in the process. The"guards" who work as Correction Officers in the NY DOC man Queens and Manhattan Central Booking. Ask anyone who has had the misfortune to have been through either of those facilites that in all honesty those facilities are kept as clean as possible. I'll tell you why. I recently retired from one of those places and I refused to work in filthy conditions. I was locked in with the pre-arraignment prisoners for 8 to 16 hours. Yes people got sick. Yes we gave out bologna sandwiches that I would not eat. When people got sick we called the NYPD so that they could come and get their prisoner and take them to get medical care. If they didn't show up in a timely fashion we bucked it up to our supervisors who would them get on the phone with the NYPD supervisors. Only in an extreme emergency would we be allowed (due to NYPD-NYDOC policy) to take a prisoner to get medical care. I could not give out food that I did not have but I would check the sandwiches to make sure that they were not stale or moldy before I gave them to anyone. The bread does get hard quickly because its made on Rikers and doesn't contain preservatives. The Department rarely gave us cheese sandwiches. I can't say that I enjoyed my job but I did meet hundreds of young men and women who I hope my talking with them as I processed them made a difference for them. It didn't matter to me if they were accused of raping a baby or jumping the turnstile everyone had my ear for the five minutes or so that it took to process them. I know that Brooklyn Central Booking is the pits and I can't apologize for the filth because there is no excuse but unlike the Correction Officers who see Central Booking as a preferred command, the NYPD see it as punishment. Many of the cops assigned their work the "rubber gun squad" meaning they are pending Departmental charges and may end losing their jobs anyway. I don't have the answer except that it takes money to staff it with people who want to be there like CO's who would otherwise be on Rikers. Most people of course would vote for more school or hospital funding rather than funding to improve conditions for people who they perceive to be low lifes." [COnoMO]

"it's not about the cops, but about the conditions. In my case, I let someone walk through the turnstile with me (her Metrocard said 'just used', as in she paid the fare but the turnstile didn't work). Just inside, an undercover cop stopped is. She got a ticket but I -- as I still had an out -of-state drivers license -- was cuffed, walked on a daisy chain THROUGH A SUBWAY STATION AT RUSH HOUR and taken to central booking. It was all very much as described (except there were no sanitary pads for the men). Even still, we had the same sandwiches scattered all over the floor, especially around the toilet. After about 9 hours of people urinating all over them, another batch of people were brought into the cell. One of them immediately got down on all floors and started eating the piss-soaked bread like there was no tomorrow." [Anonymous]

"That sounds similar to my experience, except I also had the fun of having the police lose my fingerprints for two days and a woman die in our holding cell. We were left alone the night she died for more than twelve hours with no water, food or guards. She was screaming for help for about half that time. None came. In the morning she was dead. We were all questioned, but I think they ruled it a drug overdose. I'm not sure, because at that point they let me go. Kudos to you for writing about this, after my experience I was too shaken up to do so." [Anonymous]

Petition to Stop Eviction of Court Street Tailor/Cleaner. "That dry cleaners is as old as dirt. And I'm amazed the sign has lasted. It's the same one I remember from 1970. In the 1950s, that location was a grocery/sandwich shop called Sullivan's. A lot of their business was selling hero sandwiches to the students from St. Francis College, which was on Baltic St. till 1960." [Ex-Warren Street Denizen]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Every Sunday, we like to take a look at a few comments that GL readers have left during the previous week. Here's a selection from the last seven days:

Burg's Giant Fart Cloud Demolition is a Scary Mess. "A similar situation is going down on bedford ave. near reel life, on the same side of the street. these old NYC buildings were not meant to be pried apart after a century of being stuck together. especially when authorities don't give a shit about the normal people being affected by it." [Kate]

End of the Notary District: Russo Realty Falling. "Where's all the outrage? Isn't this a precious part of precious Brooklyn history? Anyone? Underground railroad? Irish migration? Italian-American history? The Notary Public Museum?" [Anonymous]

Another Look at Fifth Ave.'s Closing Donuts Coffee Shop. "I hate everyone. This story has tugged at my heartstrings for weeks. Park Slope should be sent packing to West 81st street where it belongs...Is nothing sacred?" [Anonymous]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we highlight a few comments left by GL readers during the previous week. Here's this week's selection:

GL Analysis: What is a Fair Price for History?:
"It always amazes me how short-sighted and uncreatively efficient these developers are. Why is "Old" always frowned upon? And why is there no character or trace of history in the design of new building projects, both aesthetically and programmatically? I would love to see a truly creative problem solver with the resources to take on a project like this - or not take it on at all in its defense." [Preserve!]

"So ironic to hear you put your faith in the feds to save admirals row. The Feds are the ones who have ignored admirals row for the last 30 years and allowed them to get to this point. On the other hand, the resot of the Navy Yard, which has been owned by the City for the past 40 years, has seen alot of money infused into it and is generally good shape and it being put to good economic use housing over 200 businesses. Why all of sudden do you think the Feds are the good guys?" [Anonymous]

Another Cool Old Brooklyn Sign: Clinton Cafe. "I remember a long time ago, that building used to be Key Food, Met Food, Fine Fare and other stores. I missed all these stores. It brings back memories. I wonder if they should put a flea market." [Chris from Brooklyn]

Revere Sugar A Year Later: Thor's Work is Almost Done. "A bit misleading, considering it is a HUGE brown field site. May be in 5 years we'll be looking at a BSA variance appeal and development. Till then, don't see it happening." [ccgh]

On the Sofa: GL Reader Comments

Once a week, we light to highlight a few comments left by GL readers during the past seven days. Here are some of this week's choices:

An Important Meeting for Admirals Row. "I work at Steiner Studios occasionally and there is nothing as thrilling as riding my bike past the guard and zooming past the giant boat sheds and seeing Admirals Row through the chain link. The presidio, in San Francisco was a ghost town for years before it was saved and the buildings reused for housing and LucasFilm. The pet cemetary is even still there. Look, when the war ended, who was gonna fix up Admiral's Row when the vets needed cute little ranch houses and medical care? What I am saying is, yes, it is a travisty, but NYC don't know what they got 'til it's gone... If there is a will there is a way." [Anonymous]

Do You Have Any "Thank You For Shoveling Cards"? "I have to wonder if we really need to thank people for following the law. Maybe tickets for those who don't shovel would be a more appropriate way to get the point across." [Ben K.]

A Lot of Digging & Shaking at 340 Court in Carroll Gardens. "If a Bu...EXCAVATOR showed up near your property and your house began to shake wouldn't you call to report it? I figure the more press this project gets the more Clarett will keep the building under control. I live near this corner. And if that is developer propaganda, glad you are reading the voices of the people who will have to deal with the construction for the next 3 years.(in the summer we will have to keep our windows shut) All I can truely say is: design it appropriatly, get permits, give the old timers some of that court yard, say, a bench or two. Why not be the developer that people like! And a heads up on borings to the neighbors would have been a step in the right direction!" [Anonymous]

Old & New: Friends or Frenemies on Union Street? "Yes, Yes. It's a Town House. and with the Miami ref, they must mean NEW Miami, not Art Deco Miami. This new building on union has adonized aluminum railings. like on the deck of a yacht. Many buildings in Florida have that nautical thing going on. It could be "Bavarian" but I trust you mean Functionalist or perhaps De Stijl, for there are no turrets or carved bears or heraldic motifs most associated with Bavaria on this building. After walking inside the place one day, I can tell that the designer had a faux Asian/Zen idea in mind. All that quasi mid-century modern/subzero fridge crap that attract yuppies. ya know? If there were decent window frames and the green paint brought down a few shades, it would disappear..." [Anonymous]