Alexys and Vincent, two friends in the eleventh grade, pass each other in the hallway. Vincent stops in his tracks as Alexys approaches. He scrunches his face in a look of disgust. “Why are you wearing that?” he asks, sizing her up. “You don’t have the body for that!” Alexys looks down, embarrassed. Awkward silence… “That was good!” Seventh grader […]
Month: June 2017
Fairway shut temporarily due to local power outage, by George Fiala
Latest Update: They reopened Tuesday morning at 10 am. You can go shopping now! Tuesday Update: Fairway tells us they are hoping to open by noon today (Tuesday). They are restocking some of the sections that had spoiled food, including dairy and the deli. UPDATE: The generator has arrived. Power was turned on around 8 pm Monday night. Fairway is […]
OP-ED: The Coming Williamsburgization of Red Hook, by George Fiala
There are two plans we know of that will shape the future of our waterfront. The first is the status quo. Zoning laws in place ensure old fashioned neighborhood living – a diverse mixture of old-timers, public housing residents, young families and modern workers – living in a mixed-use community where one can see a warehouse next to a crab […]
Commentary: Sunny’s, City Council and BQX, by George Fiala
Sunny’s raises $65,000 and is still looking for more According to their website, and a story that aired on WPIX-TV, Sunny’s much publicized campaign to raise $65,000 to help the bar purchase the building from Sunny’s family has succeeded. Tone Johannsen, who married to bar owner Sunny Balzano, has raised money from a number of events including an art auction. The […]
Red Hook still waiting for next stop light, by Sarah Matusek
Some pedestrians who cross Van Brunt Street at Pioneer Street are likely to hold their breath. Locally known as a dangerous crossing, the busy three-way intersection has already inspired community efforts to install a traffic signal. As Red Hook gains a ferry landing this month and the neighborhood absorbs more traffic, efforts for increased street safety remain in planning stages. […]
Balloon Pete, the Glass Man, by Emily Kluver
The return of summer weather brings children back onto soccer field and playgrounds. In the sunshine, the children at Carroll Park wait excitedly for Peter Waldman, known to many as Balloon Pete. Pete spends time in the park most afternoons, creating colorful latex animals and toys for the children that play there. In fact, he’s become “pretty darn famous with […]
Mike Drop: A petition to normalcy, by Michael Racioppo
For those few of you who aren’t keeping track, the year 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of one of the two notable (and corrupting) things about our 29th President Warren Harding’s 1920 campaign: to wit, the slogan “a return to normalcy” (normalcy being the new normality). While Harding was looking to return to the country to a pre-World War 1 mindset […]
Walt Whitman at Barge Museum, by Noah Phillips
Katherine Lanpher leans against the pier’s railing in front of the Waterfront Barge Museum. The Statue of Liberty is behind her in the distance. It is a beautiful Saturday evening, but slightly chilly. She takes a deep breath and reads from the paper before her: I believe in those wing’d purposes, And acknowledge red, yellow, white, playing within me, And […]
Est4te Four unloads most of their Red Hook properties, by Sarah Matusek
By the mid-19th century, the opening of the Atlantic Basin transformed Red Hook into one of the country’s busiest ports. In 2017, a new development mere blocks from the basin might earn Red Hook back its shipping hub status. But this time, the goods will be purchased with the click of a mouse. Italian developer Est4te Four sold five of […]
Possible Bar Brawl on Beard, by Sarah Matusek
UPDATE June 6, 2017: The liquor license applicant’s 500 foot rule hearing has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 29 at 11 am. The public hearing will be held on the fourth floor of 317 Lenox Avenue in Manhattan. The stretch of Beard Street that runs between Van Brunt and Conover is home to multiple families with children. Since Sandy, new […]