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Posts by Rachel Thornbee
Once disdained as a go-to place in Brooklyn, Gowanus, found between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, has been making a (positive) name for itself. Once known for its stinky canal and plethora of car repair shops, the area has been remaking itself into a fun place to visit, and maybe even live. Here are a few new fixtures in the constantly changing landscape of Gowanus, Brooklyn: Twig Terrariums: This must be a real rarity, if not unique. It is certainly brilliant. This shop offers easy-to-care-for terrariums; either custom-made or DIY with a kit. This partnership between two friends, Katy Maslow and Michelle Inciarrano, gets their greenery from local nurseries, and their fabulous glass bowls from boutique glass blowers across the country. Some of the glass globes are hand-blown. For those of us that enjoy being surrounded with greenery, but just don’t have the time to care for plants, a terrarium is a wonderful compromise between the joy of growing something and the care it requires. 287 Third Avenue, 718-488-8944, twigterrariums.com The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club: Mimicking the great shuffleboard clubs of Miami Beachand the great cruise lines, this club will even let people under 55 years old play this fascinating game, made all the more interesting by the incredible drinks available from the bar. Playing shuffleboard brings out the “cruise-desire” in all of us, which is can be readily satisfied with the tropics-inspired cocktails the in-house mixologists concoct. All that drinking and shuffling can make a body hungry, but do not fear just because the establishment does not actually serve any food. Every day a new food-truck pulls up to the premises, making a visit to the Royal Palms even more of an incredible adventure. You can find Indian food one day, lobster rolls the next, and on and on. 514 Union Street, 347-223-4410, royalpalmsshuffle.com Pig Beach: What does a Brooklynite do in the middle of the winter when he is craving some good old barbecue? He heads on over to Pig Beach and...
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A recent study conducted by “ShareBetter” entitled “Short Changing New York City,” investigated the effect Airbnb rentals have on the housing market in New York City. The report, which was commissioned by affordable housing advocates, longtime critics of Airbnb, found that 55 percent of the approximately 51,000 Airbnb listings in New York are in violation of a state law designed to promote affordable housing. The law states that it is forbidden to rent out an apartment in a building with three or more units for less than 30 days if the permanent resident of the apartment is not there. The report also states that more than one-third of New York’s Airbnb listings are considered commercial. That means that the properties main function is as a source of income through short-term rentals rather than as a dwelling place for the owner or host. Furthermore, according to the report, Airbnb is directly impeding Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to create and/or preserve about 20,000 affordable housing units each year for the next ten years. The study found that in neighborhoods where Airbnb is the most popular rents have risen the fastest. Airbnb, according to the report, has hit Bedford-Stuyvesant, an historically African-American neighborhood, especially hard. The report states that Airbnb is speeding the process of gentrification in the neighborhoods where it is popular, contributing to the scarcity of affordable housing. The study pointed out that hosts in New York City generated about $1 billion in 2015. Airbnb receives a percentage of that revenue. Affordable housing advocates praised the report as further proof that Airbnb was making difficult problems in New York worse. Airbnb criticized the report, saying it is further evidence that entrenched hotel groups, astigmatic politicians and other special interest groups are squashing the positive effects the short-term rental service has on the city. They cited the facts that more customers are brought into minority neighborhood businesses, and that income is generated for people who need the...
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After a few accusations and finger pointing, the two left-standing Democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, have agreed on a date for their face-off debate. The two presidential wannabes both have deep roots in the Empire State: Hillary is a former New York senator, and Bernie is a homie who left to the greener pastures of Vermont, where he presently serves as a senator. The great debate date is inscribed to take place on April 14, in Brooklyn, and will be hosted by CNN in partnership with Time Warner Cable’s NY 1, a channel which is focused on New York news stories. Coming into the debate Clinton is ahead of Sanders by quite a bit delegate-wise. Sanders’ Wisconsin win last Tuesday gives him a nice boost and builds momentum. He has succeeded in the last five out of six primaries last held, helping Sanders campaign and giving Clinton a run for her money. The New York primary will be held on Tuesday, April 19, only five days after the...
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The Nets are finally completely wedded to their home court in Brooklyn, no longer having to travel back to New Jersey for practice. “At last this day has come. The Nets are 100 percent in Brooklyn,” said Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center. “That’s presumably why we are celebrating this event with fresh-pressed juices and quinoa. In my country we would have a shot of vodka and a potato.” The umbilical cord was finally severed with the completion of the brand new 70,000-square-foot Hospital For Special Surgery Training Center in Industry City, just one subway stop away from Barclays. The center comes complete with two full basketball courts, a weight room, locker room, and amazing views of Manhattan. Brook Lopez, who is the Nets center, explained that the state-of-the-art facility will make it easier for the Nets to attract free-agents during the off-season, while also being an incredible tool for Nets players. “We have everything top of the line here, all the amenities in the world,” said Lopez. “We’re finally situated in one spot here in Brooklyn. Who doesn’t want to be in Brooklyn?” The new center is also an employment opportunity for Brooklynites. There will be at least 40 new full-time jobs available at the training center. Add that to the 200 temporary construction jobs it took to build the site, and it is clear this endeavor was welcomed by many in...
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Janice Blackman, age 55, and a senior clerk in the Brooklyn Criminal Court, filed a lawsuit claiming that the police forced their way into her apartment after breaking down the door, made a mess of her apartment in a vain attempt to find drugs, forced her to lie on the floor in handcuffs, and left empty-handed. They left, embarrassed, when they found her badge and ID in her purse. The lawsuit, which was filed last Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court, says that last February Blackman was cooking in her kitchen with only her bra and underpants on when police forced their way into her apartment on Nassau Street. The police then made her lie face-down on the floor of her apartment, even though the floor was covered in broken glass. Despite their best efforts, the police did not find anything of an illegal nature. As soon as they discovered Blackman’s ID and badge in her purse, “they immediately removed the handcuffs…and quickly exited from her apartment, offering only scant apologies and little by way of remorse other than a change in their...
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