Bedford Obama Party 1, originally uploaded by Phil Langer.

We believe there was also happiness on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg last night.

[Photo courtesy of domiundbini/flickr]

There are many photos this morning of Brookynites going wild after Barack Obama won the election. It was a celebration not unlike the Mets winning the World Series. This is Fifth Avenue and Union Street in Park Slope. Think there were some happy people out there?

[Photo courtesy of domiundbini/flickr]

[Photo courtesy of FlySi/Flickr]

There’s a full set of FlySi’s Flatbush photos here. For all the pics posted to flickr so far this morning, click here.

Too funny.

November 4, 2008 Election (Extended Version) from Mr. Thirty on Vimeo.

This is what is it was like to vote at PS 321, the Nirvana of New York Public Schools in Park Slope yesterday. Enjoy.

[Photo courtesy Tracy Collins/GL Flickr Pool]

And this is the way it was done all over the land. This vote was cast in Prospect Heights.

[Photo courtesy of Karyn Bosnak/Gl Flickr Pool]

It’s all in how one pulls the lever, isn’t it?

Our long, long national nightmare–which began with a stolen election in 2000–is finally over. Godspeed President-Elect Obama. Live up to your God-given potential for leadership and you will be one of the great leaders of the 21st Century. We are simply grateful to have been in this world to see you ascend to the nation’s highest office at a time when we are dire need of genuine leadership. And, your victory speech was one of the most eloquent we have ever heard.

This comes to us via valued correspondent Vaduz Uvunt from Craiglist about voting for the first time today in Brooklyn:

My First Vote (Brooklyn)

In 1992, I had turned 18 and was to have my first time voting be the Presidential Elections. Bush (Sr.) v. Clinton. I was quite excited and studied up on both candidates. I was in Louisiana, a state that always voted Red. I grew up in a family full of die hard Reagan fans. (After Reagan died, my brother actually flew out to California to pay his last respects.) They were also, die hard anti-welfare, anti-“anyone who’s not white” and anti-Democrats. The Republicans were right… correct. I was not of like mind. I didn’t have any problem with someone because of their race or lifestyle… only if they were good or bad people. And seeing as these people were judging others for things that, quite frankly, were probably out of their control – that led me to believe I wasn’t related to all that great of people. Anyway… the day of election came. I rode to the polls with my mother. Prepared to cast my vote for this country bumpkin Clinton guy. So, there I am, standing in line, patiently waiting to give my name and go into the booth. As my time arrived, my mother seeing my excitement grabbed my arm, dug her nails deep into my inner bicep and said to me:

“You just remember – when you go in there, you vote for BUSH!”

Long story short – I went into my booth, closed the curtain, clicked on Clinton, completed my voting session and, as I walked out of the booth, yelled out “Go Clinton!” My mother didn’t speak to me for the rest of the day, and ever since had the rule that we were not allowed to discuss politics anymore.

Today, I voted again for Obama. This time even more educated than ever before. My mother voted earlier last week for John McCain (although she’s more excited about Sarah Palin.) For the past 24-hours, for the first time since 1992, we have gone back and forth – her trying to tell me that we’re all going to have to “share the wealth” and me trying to clarify how misled she has been by McCain and Palin. But… I have since given up. She’ll just have to wait and see what kind of positive changes the Obama Administration will bring to this fucked up country.

And, now, we wait for the official results.

Our correspondent reports: “No line outside, short waits for most districts at ps 282 on 6th ave. 3 pm.” There was a little problem, however, that we have heard over and over and over today about our correspondent’s name not being found in vote registration books, of surly poll workers and of having to fill out paper ballot that many people believe will never be counted. This seems to be an horrendously widespread problem in Brooklyn and all of NYC today. Such incompetence, whether deliberate or due to run-of-the-mill deadwood bureaucratic ineptitude could lead to the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of New Yorkers today. We cringe thinking about place where voter rolls are kept a mess in order to deliberately deny what we’ll call–targeted demographic groups–of their right to vote by simply not being to find their names. Mindboggling.

Ohhhhh boy! We can’t express the excitement and craving that we now have knowing that finally Brooklyn has its very own Atomic Wings. We’ve envied Manhattanites for the longest time… hell, even Jersey City had one! But now, we can saunter down onto 9th St between 5th and 6th Avenues and get ourselves a bucket of Nuclear wings, lock ourselves away with a case of beer and just… ok, maybe just one order of wings to start. But now we can go Atomic and not even have to leave our beloved borough!
–Vaduzuvunt

From Brooklynian comes this tale of voting woe in Prospect Heights:

So I just got back from voting with my husband. We waited in line for 45 min. Once inside the school, you had to wait in one for your voter card, then another line to get to the voting booth. My husband was inside the booth and I was next in line. This woman (another voter) comes up and asks what number is on my voting card. Her number was lower, so she was going to go in front of me. Well, then we realize that the numbers on our cards weren’t going to match the number on the voting machine. So, for example, my husband’s card had 300 on it but the machine was on 295. So, the votes weren’t matching the voters. When my husband came out, one of the overseers just tells me to go in and vote. And I told her no way… I wanted the machine to match my card. So the guy taking the cards had to go up the counter on the booth. Then, the woman told the guy to make sure the card matches the machine. I’m not really sure what to do about this. I wonder what will happen at the end of the day… do they compare the card count against the machine count? And if they don’t match, will there be a problem with the votes not ‘counting’ or something?

The YouTube vid above is something that we just found posted about the line at PS9 and is independent of the post about PS9, but seem to work well together. Been an interesting day so far.

[Photo courtesy Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

[Photo courtesy Threecee/GL Flickr Pool]

A GL reader sent us this shot taken last night in Boerum Hill, writing “I took these pictures of a shop window on Atlantic Ave — a lovely and thoughtful display. I hope…that it’s a portent of things to come tomorrow!” Hate to go out on a limb, but yes, we think it is.

Per the person that posted this video: “Long lines and poll workers who lacked training caused havoc today as polls opened in Bushwick, Brooklyn. People left in disgust as district 48 and 46 voting machines were not working. Paper Ballots were handed out but angry voters refused to vote in that way.”

There have been reports of massive lines in some places in Brooklyn to vote. This is hot off the Park Slope Parents listserve:

Voting lines were okay at 10ish am for me–less than half an hour.
Definitely helps to know your district if you can breeze past longer lines for other districts (can check online for info). In my case the district was divided into tables for A-L and N-Z, with lines to first
get your white card and a second line for the voting booth. But not as bad as I expected at the mid-morning time. Not that anyone asked my opinion about kids, but just to say–I think it’s fine for kids to join if parents need them to, but not necessary to put young kids through the hassle of lining up and waiting just to experience democracy! There are other ways. . .

It is unclear from which polling place the report comes. Be prepared to invest some time in making history today.

[Photo courtesy of nycblondieandbrownie]

Windsor Terrace Wines on Prospect Park West (the shop with the cool old windows that have been preserved) is now open. Full details at the blog, Blondie and Brownie.

On N. 6 Street in Williamsburg near Kent Avenue.

Here on this history-making day is another scene from Carroll Gardens, early this morning where polling places were very busy very early but things seemed to be going smoothly.

Photo courtesy of w4yward/Flickr

· Some Tell Bloomberg, ‘To Hell With Your Agenda’ [NYT]
· Bklyn a Sea of Blue With a Few Streaks of Red [NYDN]
· Here Come the Voting Machines [Lost City]
· Greenpoint on Election Day [NY Shitty]
· Bay Ridgers Weigh in on the Election [Bay Ridge Rover]
· Sunset Park’s Vote Truck [Best View in Brooklyn]
· A look At MAS’s Workshop for Coney [AY Report]
· WNYC Cover Ft. Greene Crime [The Real Ft. Greene]
· Bklyn Brewery Backs Down From Trademark Battle [City Room]
· More New Building DOB Permits in ’08 Than ’07 [Brownstoner]
· Bloggers Pan New Smith St. Boutique [Racked]
· Grocery Wars on Court St. [ABL]

We figure that it is best to run this list of spots where one can experience the election returns tomorrow night. The list was compiled by E.C. Stephens. Do be a dear and link to it rather than copying it and pasting her hard work into your blog:

Southpaw
125 5th ave., 718-230-0236
Election Night @ Southpaw on the Big Screen
with DJ Mikey Palms & Friends and hosted by Alex Grashaw
Brooklyn’s Own Six Point Brewery “Hop Obama” on draft all night and $4 Rum’O’ Bama Slamma’s as well
Cost: $5
Doors open at 7 pm

Public Assembly
70 N. 6th street, 718-384-4586
Obama Party
8 – 9 pm FREE fried chicken & waffles!
9 – 10 pm Olde English Open Bar!
DJ’s in front room: Complex, Jedi, Chad Dubbz
Starts at 8 pm
Cost: $5 but free w/ rsvp to: events@straight-ups.com

The Bell House
149 7th st.,
The Bell House’s Red + Blue ELECTION NIGHT celebration with Eugene Mirman, The Blue Album Group (playing Weezer’s Blue Album beginning to end!), and the Red Hook Vendors, co-hosted with Brooklyn Based and Myopenbar.com. Music / cocktails / tacos / change — and two big screens tuned to CNN! Rusty Nails (for that old school flavor) and a Hendrick’s GIN-eration Tonic (Drink for a change) . Both drinks will be $4 all night long, and free from 9:30 to 10pm.

Union Hall
ELECTION NIGHT 2008: come watch the returns and celebrate with us!
Cost: FREE
6 pm-midnight

There’s a lot more. Just click here.

Correspondent JP Pagán was out early this morning in Carroll Gardens to do his civic duty and take part in this day on which history is likely to be made. Here is his report:

This was the scene about 6:45 this morning at PS 58. A poll worker said they got started at 5:30 and he’d be working straight through ’til 9. The whole thing took about 15 minutes and overall it seems things went smoothly, though I did hear another poll worker asking someone about a problem with a lever. There were also a few of us who tried to enter on the Carroll side, only to walk into a mostly empty school. There were no signs on that side of the school though someone I spoke to said they were working on it. FYI, the booth entrance is on 1st Place. Bonus: there’s a bake sale! Organic brownies, “Red, White and Blue” muffins, lots of cookies—even tea and coffee. Most items are a buck. Donations are most definitely welcomed.

So, very early on, a smooth South Broooklyn experience, but long lines are being reported everywhere. Brownstoner has a vid from flickr.

–JP Pagán

UPDATE: “Went back at about 10am. Lines are a little longer, but not terrible. District 71 line seems to be the longest Still food & coffee left at the bake sale.”