[Photo courtesy of lornagrl/flickr]

Another gorgeous shot of the Brighton Beach/Coney Island waterfront scene from one of our faves, Lornagrl.

[Via CNN.com; click to enlarge]

This is the final Electoral Vote project map on what is likely to be the most historic day in American political history that any of us will visit in our lifetimes. Go out to vote.

Yeah. Yeah. It’s not a street couch, but there’s still something very compelling, if not timely, about this street seating: please note the presence of the jobs circular on the chair. For added ha-ha’s, we found it on the corner outside a bank.

We meant to get to this earlier today, but the time change has caused our little Word Press platform to have a bit of scheduling glitch. (Like trying to put up scheduled posts on London time.) Anyway, here are some of the signs we caught at the Marathon yesterday.

Here’s an interesting question about someone that many people familiar with Bedford Avenue may have encountered from time to time. It comes from Brooklynian, where our friend is described as “crazy” but “articulate”: “This guy’s hard to miss. He’s tall and has crazy hair, and he preaches about God and sin and so on. He’s usually testifying just ouside the Bedford L-stop, but I also saw him admonish this dude once in McCarren Park for taking his shirt off with women around. Does anyone know anything more about him? Have any stories about the madman of Williamsburg?”

Oh, the joy of a Robert Scarano building. This is the big one on Fourth Avenue (right next to the big KFC for the expensive condo fried chicken lovers out there) and it’s definitely more and more on view. Brownstoner had checked it last week when there was just a little peeky-boo showing. We had it on Curbed on Friday. This is the way it look from Fifth Avenue in the Slope. It’s formally known as Park Slope Court at 110 Fourth Avenue. Also looks nice with fall foliage.

And, now, a selection of musical events between now and Wednesday:

Monday 11/3/08
Jalopy: Country Blues Jam: Bring you fiddle, accordion, banjo, washtub, mandolin, guitar, or maybe even spoons and participate in an open jam session. Free!! 9:30pm

Tuesday 11/4/08
Vote: Despite many great concerts and election parties happening throughout Brooklyn and all the five boroughs on this day, I want to remind you to vote.

Wednesday 11/5/08
Southpaw: Keren Ann featuring Avisha Cohen on trumpet (Parisian Singer-Songwriter) $15, 9:00pm

Union Pool: The High Dials, The Octagon, Hilotrons (Indie Rock) $8, 8:00pm
—Dan Bennis

“Couple storefronts south of Union Market on 6th avenue…” The exact location or ID of the business in question is unknown but the news is definitely worth passing along.–Brooklynian

Here’s a short vid that we put together quickly to give some of the flavor of the 2008 Marathon as it traveled Fourth Avenue through Park Slope.

Desserts by Michael Allen, which has been around a long time, has a new “showroom” in Clinton Hill. It’s at 1015 Fulton Street and had its “pre-opening” on Saturday. Per their website:

After constant demand from those who have had desserts by Michael , we now offer dessert and catering in the Clinton Hill Brooklyn area. Look for our Pre-Opening Saturday November 1st @ 1015 Fulton street, Brooklyn New York. Whether you need Wedding cakes, Anniversary, shower cakes, or cakes with company logo for your office parties. Michael Allen Desserts can provide you with all your needs.

Another place to go check out sweet stuff, friends.

There are probably a lot of weird videos like this one around after Halloween. This one came to our attention via the Cobble Hill Blog, which assumed the Sasquatch in question was a Cobble Hill resident. Neighborhood pride!

No, the borough’s not for sale (well, except to certain developers), but there are hundreds of locally owned and operated business that provide just about any and every kind of service and product you can think to want or need. The BEDC, the Brooklyn Chamber, and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office are currently designing a borough-wide buy-local campaign to encourage people do their holiday shopping in Brooklyn. This being said, they’re looking for professional photographers to (voluntarily) submit images for the posters and postcards promoting Buy Brooklyn.

Nothing like planning ahead, the deadline’s today. Details ahead.

Yes, we are well aware that New York City is one with a sad amount of “people neglect” that is both officially sanctioned and unofficial. Yet stories about neglect of animals always particularly depress us. Here’s one that comes to the community’s attention via our friends at Park Slope Parents. It concerns a dog on 11th Street in the Slope. Here’s the original email:

I am a big dog lover and noticed a dog living in the backyard of an abandoned house here in Park Slope on 11th Street …The dog seemed very friendly and thin. I could not get through to touch the dog as the fence is very high and the house is locked and abandoned.

I called ASPCA and they went over to look and called to tell me that they investigated the case and the dog does have owners but they do not live there, and just come by to supposedly feed him (the backyard is very neglected, no sign of shelter, food or water). They did say that are requiring them to build him a kennel/ shelter and will follow up in a week or so to see that has been done. They also said that there is no law saying the dog can not live outdoors, but this dog is living alone in the cold�! I am deeply saddened by this situation and find it hard to know that it is down the street from me. I think this dog will not survive the winter living in the cold outdoors. Does anyone know of anything that can be done besides what I have done?

A followup response, ahead.

Goodbye, Ward Bakery [AY Webcam/No Land Grab]
Bklyn Chess Master Now in Poker World Series [NYT]
Capsized Guayana Boat Safe, Sound in Crown Hts [NYDN]
Overdevelopment, Zoning, and AY [AY Report]
Falling Back in the Park [A Year in the Park]
Kane Street’s Pumpkin Patch [Lost City]
Dusk on the Greenpoint Waterfront [NY Shitty]
Public Place Site Open to Public [PMFA]
Racist Incident at Union Pool? [Free W’Burg]

This post will probably be everywhere as the people looking for individuals to interview have probably hit up every blog in Brooklyn with their mailing list. Neverthess, even if we’re the tenth blog to run the item (whether we’re the first or the last), it’s worth noting:

The Civilians want to hear from you. Brooklyn is changing fast. We are creating BROOKLYN AT EYE LEVEL a theater show inspired by interviews about the transformation of Brooklyn and the controversial Atlantic Yards Project. If you have something to say about the communities surrounding the proposed project (Downtown, Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights & Park Slope), we want to listen. We want to talk to long-term residents, recent arrivals, players in the Atlantic Yards story, as well as those who work or live in the area. Eager to hear from all perspectives. If you want to be interviewed send us an email with a little information about yourself to Michael Premo, Project Coordinator: Premo(at)thecivilians(dot)org. For more information: www.brooklynateyelevel.org . These interviews will be performed along with original music and dance by Urban Bush Women live at the Brooklyn Lyceum, December 4th – 7th.

Check out the website here. (And, yes, it appears they did email every blog in the city…)

Here’s a tiny selection of the ton of pics we shot during the Marathon yesterday as it traveled down Fourth Avenue through Park Slope.

There was a meeting last week about the future and plans for the horrendously polluted Public Place in Gowanus that is the future location of the planned Gowanus Green development. One of the headlines is that a big warehouse that currently occupies part of the site is being demolished this month. The site was once home to a Manufactured Gas Plant that left toxic coal tar as deep as 130 feet. The pollution is so bad that a total clean up would take a decade and be prohibitively expensive. Per the Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s summary:

Coal tar is a toxic, foul-smelling substance with the consistency of motor oil which was a by-product of the production of gas for home use. The Dept. of Environmental Contamination (DEC) will be spraying the coal tar-contaminated soil that is removed from the site with an odor-controlling foam to eliminate the smell. One good thing about the strong odor is that it is unlikely anyone would inhale it without knowing it (but as was said, this is highly unlikely due to the precautions being taken). Clean up of the site, including the DEC’s oversight of the project, is being led and paid for by National Grid. Gardiner Cross of the DEC reported that in addition to the coal tar in the soil under Public Place, the substance also seeps into the canal. Currently, they are doing core borings on the site to determine how the retaining walls, built during the Revolutionary War, were constructed; subsequently, the DEC will be designing a barrier wall between the land and the canal to keep further coal tar from traveling into the canal.

Remediation is slated to start in Spring 2010. In the meantime, National Grid, which is the successor to KeySpan and is responsible for the cleanup when plans are finally approved, has set up a website for tracking the plans.

[Photo for GL courtesy of Charles Andrisano]

We have to say, it’s one of the coolest pics of our beloved Coney Island Parachute Jump we’ve ever seen.

[Photo courtesy of Nifty Pete/GL Flickr Pool]

Oh, it’s just our Pathmark and Lowes shopping area as seen from across the Big G.

[Map courtesy of CNN;click to enlarge]

One notes that Sen. Obama’s presumed Electoral count stands at 291 with states that are sold and leaning. Sen. McCain’s count has gone down a bit. Also note that his own Arizona is now simply noted as “leaning” McCain rather than being solid. Most of the tossup states are too close to call.

Here is Gomes dos Santos, who came from behind to win the NYC Marathon today, as he ran down Fourth Avenue in Park Slope in the leading pack. More marathon coverage, with a photo slideshow and vids tomorrow.

Here’s female Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe running down Fourth Avenue in the North Slope this morning at 11:00AM.

Theses is the lead pack of NYC Marathon runners on Fourth Avenue at Dean Street this morning at they passed by about 11:25. That is winner Gomes dos Santos on the left, in the black cap, at the back of the group.

From our friends at Park Slope Parents comes an email about a mugging on St. Johns Place between Seventh and Eighth Avenue. Of course, it’s the sort of thing that happens everywhere in Brooklyn, but sometimes Park Slope events get posted and remind everyone the bucolic Slope is perhaps less so than thought:

A neighbor on my block (St Johns between 7th and 8th Aves) has
reported a mugging at gunpoint last night (after dark). My neighbor apparently was walking up St Johns from 7th Ave, turned to enter a house, then while fumbling for keys was approached by two men, who then forced the neighbor into the house vestibule. My neighbor was then threatened with a gun and robbed. These details were posted up and down our block this morning. There does seem to be an increase in this kind of crime lately in our neighborhood.

I intend to replace some of the light bulbs in my house lanterns (improve the lighting), and warn my older, teen-age children to watch out for the possibility of being followed, especially after dark. Starting next week it will be dark at around 4 PM every day, which means my older sons will be arriving home from school after dark. This of course makes me worry even more.

Does anyone have any good, additional suggestions concerning how we might keep ourselves and our families safer during times of possibly increased street crime? I intend to teach my kids (of course) not to resist anyone who has a weapon, but what else should I tell them? Does anyone know if neighborhood watch organizations are of any help? Maybe it is time to organize some of those on our blocks here in Park Slope.

Always unnerving stuff.