There is little one can add to this message on Berry Street in Williamsburg except to say that, well, Jimbo likes hugs. Don’t we all?

It’ll be so damned hot this weekend the city is opening cooling centers and the Office of Emergency Management is sending out press releases telling people how not to drop dead in the heat. (Should make for an extra-fun Siren Festival Tomorrow.) OEM and the Dept. of Health advise “that extremely hot weather is forecast through this weekend and urge New Yorkers to take steps to prevent serious illness that can result from the heat, especially among vulnerable individuals such as seniors and those with chronic medical conditions.”–OEM Press Release

[Photo courtesy of Rubys Host/GL Flickr Pool]

Here’s a cool Coney boardwalk scene from the camera of Rubys Host, who always is putting the coolest pics into our GL Flickr Pool.

Outside the Brooklyn Weather Observatory it looks nice, but we know better. It’s going to be very hot and humid today with a high of 94 that will feel like 101. Tonight will be partly cloudy, warm and humid with a low of 76. There is a heat advisory in effect from Noon today through 6PM tomorrow.–Accuweather

[Photo courtesy of nycrouge/flickr]

This is a gorgeous sunset as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park the other night. Given the gorgeousness of the scene, we’re really surprised there weren’t more people hanging out taking it all in.

This Peru Ana Ana Peru comes from N. 6 Street between Wythe and Kent Avenues in Williamsburg, which is one of the few spots left in Williamsburg west of the BQE that continues to consistently attract new street art.

[Photo courtesy of jet200nyc/flickr]

Williamsburg’s 121st Annual Giglio Feast at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Havemeyer Street runs through Sunday, when the three-ton, five-story statue with band and priest will “dance” again. Before the, there is the alluring Night Dance of the Giglio tonight at 8PM. Be there to catch this unique Brooklyn tradition in all its nighttime glory.

Is it bad news for development projects when the developer gets into a nasty dispute with the people providing the financing? Well, projects in Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay being developed by Stephen Jamal as part of the Brooklyn Riviera should provide some insight. $5.5 million is at issue.–GerritsenBeach.Net

Herewith a selection of concert events for today and tomorrow. The list this week is so long that we’ll be running the Saturday and Sunday events compiled by Dan Bennis tomorrow:

Thursday 7/17/08
BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at Metrotech: Phoebe Snow (Jazz/Blues)-Free!!, 12:00pm

Celebrate Brooklyn: Jerry Douglas, Holmes Brothers (Bluegrass, Blues)- Free!!, 7:30pm

McCarren Park Pool: Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow (Electronic/Hip-Hop)-$35, 6:30pm

Friday 7/18/08
Issue project Room: Byron Westbrook (Corridors), Duane Pitre, Ilya Monosov (Eclectic/ Avant-Garde/ Visualizations)
—Dan Bennis

It’s been a while since we took a look at the Soleil, whose working name had been the Finger of S. 1 Street before it got a marketing name. We passed by again recently and caught a look at the finished product, which we must say does cut quite a profile on the otherwise very different block. It’s a ten-story beauty with 20 apartments. Marketing verbiage described the building as “towering over Williamsburg South Side,” which is actually a very accurate description.

With people moving into the Novo Park Slope sometime before the end of the decade (well, actually, quite soon), it’s time to ask: will they be able to get a cab? This photo, which we shot recently, would seem to indicate that the answer is yes. On the other hand, they’re only cabs belonging to the taxi depot across the street and they were all sort of permanently parked there. It’s safe to say that residents on the Fourth Ave. side of the building will be able to look at cabs.

Here’s a fun vid that requires a little bit of patience to watch, but has some fascinating glimpes of Coney Island circa 1969. We found it thank to (of course) Kinetic Carnival.

This is the stars-and-stripes steer thing in front of the new (and, in our opinion, tragically named) Flipsters in Park Slope on Seventh Avenue. The restaurant is the replacement for the ill-fated (and somewhat reviled by some) Brooklyn Burger Bar. Whether Flipsters is more highly regarded remains to be seen. We have no idea what the local react to the Patriotic Cattle will be, but we suppose if one views it as street art rather than a Star Spangled Memorial to Future Burgers, it’ll be accepted. Or not.

The new bike routes through Greenpoint are not universally love, in part, because the part of the route on Manhattan Avenue strikes a bunch of people as being dangerous. “I’m not concerned with the current Project Route but rather the Future Planned Route. Those little red dots that appear to be heading down Manhattan Avenue in the direction of Nassau Ave. Are they out of their fucking minds?!”–Greenpointers

Well, Fourth Avenue will never be the new Park Avenue, but it is changing. This is a new eyeglass shop on the avenue between Carroll and President Streets and we have to say that it’s just a little jarring to see Versace and Jimmy Choo in a place where tire shops and the like used to be the rule. Hey, all those new condo and apartment dwellers need to get their glasses somewhere.

We’ve noted the goings on at the big former lot on Bedford Avenue between N. 11 and N. 12 Street multiple times. The land was most recently a parking lot, but at one point was a paint factory and has a variety of toxic issue associated with it necessitating some cleanup before development of a new Karl Fischer building can go ahead. What is interesting about the site is the way the excavation has been taking place. There have been expressions of concern from neighbors and we’ve found the soil and rubble being removed either uncovered or partly covered. The site itself is pretty tightly fenced and often guarded by security, making it hard to see inside, but glimpses are available. While the soil being excavated is partly covered, it not completely covered, certainly playing into the hands of neighbors concerned about possible exposure to unpleasant substances. Given that the entire site is going to have to be excavated before an eight-story Karl Fischer with 180 apartments can rise there, it could be a long process.

A couple of more photos of the semi-covered Bedford Ave. dirt.

Remember the Summer of Hope proclaimed back in May by Thor Equities as this summer’s Coney theme with rides occupying property on which the developer had demolished attractions in the winter of 2006-07? As it turns out, it would appear that “summer” is ending early. Regulars on the Coney Island Message Board have been reporting that some rides are being dismantled this week and saying that the amusement operator is reporting that all will be gone within a week or two, with some bound for a fair in Tennessee. Here’s a refresher on the “Summer of Hope,” which was much hyped:

“Nowhere in the world has a richer tradition of electrifying rides, mind-bending sideshows and fun-for-the-whole-family games than Coney Island,” said Joseph J. Sitt, President of Thor Equities. “Thor is fully committed to the amusement industry in Coney, and from the Ring of Fire to the world’s smallest woman, we’re sure the Summer of Hope will be a Summer to remember for the hundreds of thousands of thrill-seekers who will crowd into Coney Island from Memorial Day to Labor Day.”…Rides that will operate in “Dreamland” all summer include: Majestic Himalaya, Ring of Fire, Spin Out, Giant Gondola, Wacky Worm, Zipper, Mind Scrambler, Bumper Cars, Mini Himalaya, Mini Jet 6, and a Carousel. A petting zoo will also be located inside “Dreamland.” Sideshow attractions the will alternate throughout the summer include: The World’s Smallest Horse, the World’s Largest Alligator, the 100-lb. rat and the World’s Smallest Woman.

The sideshow attractions never showed and the petting zoo left in early June. Per Tricia on the CI Message Board:

Update from Thor’s disintegrating “amusement park”….Two additional rides are being torn down as I post this. The Giant Slide and a kiddie ride. The Himalaya is loaded on its trailer and just about ready to pull out. Goodbye, Joey Coney Island! Hello, Bedford County Fair in Tennessee! Geren’s guys [the amusement operator] say the rest of the rides will be leaving next Monday or the following week.

Summer of Hope, we hardly knew ye.

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images:

· Double Murder of Brooklyn Lawyers in Marine Park [NYDN]
· Post Follows Up on Curbed, GL & Brownstoner Ikea Water Taxi Story [NYP]
· Make Sure to Turn in Your Gun for $200 at These Brooklyn Churches [NYP]
· Why is This Atlantic Yards-Related FOIL Request Languishing? [AYR]
· Victims of Closed Gowanus All City Storage Invited on July 28 [NYDN]
· Check Out the July 16-20 Tip Sheet [Brooklyn Based]
· Wednesday Food & Drink Roundup [Brownstoner]
· Perhaps, a Book Crawl Sounds Like Fun? [ABL]
· The Shark Cakes Strikes Back [Best View in Brooklyn]
· Can Someone Fix Up the Koolman Garage? [Urbanite]
· Gallery Space on Atlantic [Clinton Hill Blog]
· Pics from the Afro Punk Block Party [Clinton Hill Chill]

[Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Streets]

We noted yesterday that an entrance to the Carroll Street Station in Carroll Gardens will soon be shut down to accommodate the construction of the 360 Smith Street development. Here’s a bit more detail from the MTA that went out yesterday:

This is to inform you that MTA NYC Transit will be closing the Carroll Street F station’s plaza entrance at 2nd Place and Smith Street on Monday, July 28, 2008 due to the construction development which is currently being performed by Oliver Developments at 360 Smith Street (a.k.a. 131 2nd Place). Because the safety of our customers is of utmost concern, this closure will be in effect on a 24-hour, 7 days per week basis for 6-8 months (subject to the progress of the construction project)…Customers will be asked to use the two other station entrances at 2nd Street and President Street. We have installed two additional high-wheel entrances/exits for customer usage at 2nd Street, and a station agent will be on duty at all times at the
2nd Street entrance.

Many residents have voiced concerns that the remaining station exits will be overcrowded. Brooklyn Streets also has a full report on the closure.

Do you take cool pics of Brooklyn and post them on Flickr? If so, we’d love for you to join our Gowanus Lounge Flickr Pool or tag your photos “gowanuslounge” so we can see them and post some of them.

[Photo courtesy of Trina356/GL Flickr Pool]

This may be one of the prettiest pictures of the Smith-9th Street station that we’ve ever seen. It comes to our GL Photo Pool courtesy of Trina356.

“I’ve seen several elderly gentlemen in williamsburg (including my former neighbor) tearing down fliers from lamposts, construction fencing, etc, like it was their job. I don’t know why they do it, but in my neighbor’s case i think he believed the telephone pole outside our building to be his personal property. The key is to post the flier low enough to read but too high for an old man with knobby, brittle knees to reach.”–Slope Stoop Sale Sign Ripper Continues His Work

[Photo courtesy of Rubys Host/GL Flickr Pool]

This is the BBQ at Beer island in Coney Island at dusk as presented to our Gowanus Lounge Flickr Pool by the excellent Rubys Host.

Outside the Brooklyn Weather Observatory, it still looks nice, but there’s some heat on its way over the next few days. Today’s forecast calls for it to be mostly sunny, hot and more humid with a high of 92. It’s going to feel like 100. It will be muggy tonight with a low of 75.–Accuweather

[Photo courtesy of Miss Heather]

This specimen comes from Box Street in Greenpoint. Miss Heather, who located and photographed it, calls it “Shabby Chic on Box Street.

Those who are looking forward to having a Bank of America branch on Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street in Park Slope as well as a Five Guys burger place should be elated: both are on the verge of opening, with the bank appearing a tad closer. Those who still miss the D’Agostino’s and the Gothic Cabinet Craft that died so that these two ventures could come to Seventh Avenue probably have different feelings. In any case, that’s the B of A above and the Five Guys below. Happy banking and burgering, Park Slope.