Monday, November 12, 2007

Artist Studio?

We've thought for awhile now that the office building down by Pergament would be a great place for artist studios but are unsure how to get in touch w the owners. Anyone have suggestion's for a local artist looking for a space locally? (Please post any advice in comments).

Since I now live in Kensington, I thought it might make sense for me to have a studio close to home. Do you happen to know of anything? I don't need any windows - just a securely locked door, a dry environment, preferably vermin free. I now have a space that's about 250 sq. ft. Ideally I'm hoping to rent a similarly sized space for under $500. Please feel free to pass along my email address to anyone that might be able to help.

Local Author Honored

Local Kensington res and author Anya Ulinich got honored tonight by the National Book Foundation as one of the "5 Under 35". Related we got an email from a neighbor who took our suggestion to read her book "Petropolis" and loved it. Check out Anya's book !

New Store on Church Ave?

Anyone got the scoop on 61A Church Ave? We heard there was a little movement on the inside over the weekend....

Happy Veterans Day

To all the Veterans in Kensington (and of course beyond) we celebrate you and your commitment.

Anyone know of any local events? Please let us know so we can post them.

Keep Our Block Clean


Sunday, November 11, 2007

No More Anon Comments

We're trying it to see how it goes since we're sick of everyone telling us we should do it and well, someone linked to a sex site today that put us in a crappy enough mood to wonder if we should just shut the stupid thing down... We think we'll start posting a little less frequently since honestly, when people start questioning our integrity and motives when a lot more important things in our lives are happening it makes it easy to know where our motivation and energy should go.

This does not mean we are any less excited about being in Kensington. We hope to still be an informational site and community gathering place so feel free to send us any important info.

NYC Bike Parking Survey

If you're an avid biker like us take it and request some parking here in Kensington. We'd also like a more planned out and thoughtful route (highlighted w lime green paint) from Ocean Pkwy to Prospect Park...
http://www.nycbikerackstudy.com/

Praise and Comments!

Dear Kensington Blog,

I have been a great fan and participant since your first posting. I love the sense of community it has offered me and my immediate neighbors- a virtual coffee shop of sorts. You have helped us define who we are and what we hope to be. It has been a great blog and I admire and appreciate all of your hard work. It saddens me that a handful of folks have managed to hijack this forum and temporarily destroy the good will and generous spirit which are the true heart of Kensington. So many community building relationships have emerged from this blog that serve as proof positive that with time and patience the emergence of a new, vibrant, and welcoming Kensington is inevitable.

Thanks again for all of your hard work!
M on Chester

Thanks M from Chester. This blog is a labor of love and much more work then people imagine. We also can't make everyone happy which is why we really want contributions and help, email us please! Anyway, the comments section is something we struggle with.... What is the deal w all the snarky comments? We constantly get emails to have a log in and we hesitate on that b/c we don't necessarily want to be mediator or regulator. Plus the open forum has allowed for some real positive interactions that we think would cease with that extra step of logging in. We'll do our best to delete the more absurd and rude but sometimes life takes over and we don't even look at the blog for a full day while at work. That being said follow the rules of kindergarten and play nice!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Ft. Ham Condo's For Sale

The Fort Hamilton Condo's we've been watching go up for some time now are being listed by Corcoran. $560k for a 2 bed 2 bath seems a little pricey to us but probably going rate. We also aren't into the layout (check out the floor plan at Corcoran) and feel there are some corrections to be made in the listing. Other than that.... Here's the blurb from the NY Times and the listing:

"Introducing The Residence at Windsor Terrace, a distinctive new boutique condominium combining elegance, affordability and style. Each of the residences is designed with luminous white marble countertops, wide-plank floors, stainless steel GE appliances and beautiful Italian cabinetry. Attention to detail is evident every where -- from the crown molding throughout to the Jacuzzis and temperature controlled showers. Seven foot windows let the sunshine in all day. Best of all, every unit INCLUDES parking, private outdoor space, w/d hook-ups and a 20 sq. foot private storage unit. The Residence is an elevator building conveniently located 1 1/2 blocks to the F train, across the street from the elementary school and 5 blocks to beautiful Prospect park. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from the sponsor, File Number CD06-0854."
Fort Hamilton Pkwy Cross st: East 2nd Street / East 3rd Str

Friday, November 9, 2007

Kensington Bar Crawl - Tonight

From the inbox w an open invitation:
I'd like to send an open invitation to Kensington residents. Tomorrow, my wife has book club starting at 8. For me this means I have to leave, hit the bars, a night on the town. I'll be starting at Denny's a little after 8 and end up at Shenanigins. I dont know if there are any other spots to hit in between. If anyone is interested, see you at Dennys, Ill be wearing my Coney Island Polar Bear Club t-shirt.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Kensington Stories

Good news and bad news. Ron created a spin off blog and the won't be profiling his stories here any longer. We'll be updating you w his updates and he's got a new one up right now.
Kensington Stories (by Ron Lopez)

Here's a little bit of the new one.... Some Bad Habits
As I sat in my third grade classroom in PS 179 I could hear them roaring towards us. From my desk I could look out the window and see their long yellow roofs. They parked in front of the school entrance way on Avenue C. With their diesel engines just clattering away, I knew it was my time to go. On every Wednesday at 2 o’clock my stomach would start to hurt. It was time for the public school Christians to leave our sanctuary of bliss and head North up East 3rd street to The Immaculate Heart of Mary school.

Bagels and Donuts?

Do we have a new bodega or diner? A new awning on McDonald (south of Church) reads "Bagels and Donuts" with the windows still covered in brown paper. Anyone out there got the scoop on the opening and owners?

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Friends of Church Ave

The Friends of Church Ave group met tonight w a number of prospective business owners as well as some locals w established businesses. There were 20 people who attended and the meeting though maybe lacking a clear focus got a lot of good people together. We were also treated to some great info that one of the members compiled with local spaces for rent as well as an analysis of commercial rent costs. We were surprised to hear Church Ave rents were in line w more southern spots of 5th Ave. Actually rents on Church Ave it seems are 1/2 to 1/3rd less then prime 5th and 7th Ave. The advantage to a location on Church and Fort Hamilton or even Ditmas Ave no competition....

Kensington Aerobics & Fitness

We haven't been able to get over and take a pic of the new facade but Kensington Aerobics and Fitness got a new color and sign. (Picture here is before the new sign). Same deal of $39.99 a month.

san.drine's new single

Local artist, san.drine has just debutted her new single LA NEIGE. It's exclusively at http://www.san-drine.com/

This year, san.drine's songs have been featured on the following TV series :- LAW & ORDER - Criminal Intent (NBC)- DIRT (FX)- WHAT ABOUT BRIAN (DVD-release)

Dog's World offers Grooming

It's a Dog's World on Coney Island Ave near Beverly just announced dog and cat grooming will be offered in the store, starting Saturday, November 17th. Please call Marion at 718-684-5568 to make an appointment.

CPU Info Session

DE BLASIO TO SPONSOR CLICK–AND-SHIP AND CPU PRESENTATION FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

Kensington, Brooklyn— Due to the increase in the number of businesses using the Kensington Post Office, Council Member Bill de Blasio, the United States Post Office (USPS) and Congresswomen Yvette Clarke will sponsor a Click-AND-Ship and Contract Postal Units (CPU) presentation this Friday to help enhance service at Kensington Station. The USPS will present business owners alternate options via its Click-and-Ship program, an Internet based service that allows one to purchase shipping labels from their personal computer. They will also give businesses an opportunity to help provide postal services from their stores via a CPU, which would bring USPS service into private businesses and retail stores offering an alternative to the Kensington Station.

Who: Council Member Bill de Blasio, Representative Yvette C. Clarke, and Assemblyman James Brennan.
When: 6:00 P.M, Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Where: P.S. 230 Upper School Auditorium, 425 McDonald Avenue in Kensington, Brooklyn

Monday, November 5, 2007

OASIS

Our friend at Flatbush Gardner sent along this great resource for finding who owns lots within NYC. The OASIS system (http://www.oasisnyc.net/) seems to have a ton of info though we can't seem to figure it out. Give it a try and see if you can figure out our local empty lots at Church Ave b/w Chester and Story, corner of Caton and E5th, Caton b/w E7th and E8th and McDonald & Ft. Hamilton.
UPDATE! FG posted a how to on using OASIS!
The OASIS Mapping Service (Flatbush Gardner)
The Kensington (Brooklyn) blog notes that it "seems to have a ton of info though we can't seem to figure it out." They mention a couple of empty lots, including one on Caton Avenue which caught my eye when I passed it on my way to visit their East 4th Street Community Garden this past Saturday. I'll use that empty lot as an example. What follows is a step by step tutorial on how to use the OASIS Mapping Service to get information about your neighborhood, and get details about a particular piece of property.
1. Select a Theme
2. Choose your Layers
3. Redraw the map
4. Refine your Layers
5. Zoom in
6. Identify

Estelle

Local Agnes is putting the finishing touches on her new neighborhood store Estelle located on Ft. Hamilton near Thai Tonys. We got a sneak peek at Estelle today and so far are very impressed w her stock and eye. We plan to do some holiday shopping there once she opens and believe it'll bring some interest to the area.

On a side note we also saw Scott of Donje' Photography at Estelle helping Agnes w few misc. issues. He let us know they are planning on hosting one of the "Calling all Artist" events at Estelle soon. Good stuff!

Bike Parking