Bastille Day block party this Sunday 7/12!!!!!!!!

Image from our coverage last year

Between living in a half-American, half-French household, and having a birthday that falls in between the 2 national holidays - the 10 days from July 4th to July 14th can get pretty crazy.

Luckily, part of that craziness is a huge street party each year to celebrate Bastille Day! This year is no exception, as sand and Petanque will once again take over Smith st., along with great drinks, music, and food for the non-petanque playing bystanders.

Check out Brooklyn Paper's coverage of the event here for more information, or take a look at our coverage from last year to get an idea of what to expect.

Fort Defiance gets its liquor license!

Earlier this week, we posted about the recently opened Fort Defiance and the owner's desire to have it become the place you go to for coffee on your way to work, and for a drink on your back.

Well that desire has become a reality rather quickly, with Time Out NY reporting that the restaurant has its liquor license and will be extending its hours to serve drinks starting on Friday, 7/17!

PUBLIC HEARING on Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning Plan

Councilmember Bill de Blasio's office sent out an email this week announcing a public hearing about our local rezoning initiative. The email is below. You can read up more on this issue here or over at the COWNA site.

UPDATE: I found a map of the proposed zoning from the Dept. of City planning, via Pardon Me for Asking:

Dear Neighbors,

The next public hearing on the down-zoning of Carroll Gardens is coming up. The process of down-zoning of Carroll Gardens has been a long one, but will hopefully soon come to fruition. The next step in that process is a public hearing by the Brooklyn Borough President's Office:

July 14 Borough President's Office Meeting 4:30pm

PUBLIC HEARING on Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning Plan

In the matter of applications submitted by the Department of City Planning, pursuant to Sections 197-c and 201 of the New York City Charter seeking an amendment of the zoning map to facilitate the rezoning of 86 blocks in the Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street areas of Community District 6. A copy of the full description is available for review at the Borough President's Office. Contact (718) 802-3856 for further information.

Court Room, Second Floor

Brooklyn Borough Hall

209 Joralemon Street

Brooklyn, New York 11201

I hope you will all turn out to support the down-zoning plan. If you cannot attend, you can still email your comments to Tom Gray at tagray1 ((( at ))) gmail.com. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact my office at 917-854-9791.

Sincerely,

Bill de Blasio

Update on EDC's plans for the waterfront / Brookln Bridge Park

We weren't able to make it COWNA's meeting last week, which featured presentations by the EDC on the updated plans for Piers 7 and 11, as well as presentation by a representative from Daniel Squadron's office about his plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Luckily, another blogger in the neighborhood was able to make it and wrote an extensive report on what went down. Check out the post on "A View From the Hook" here.

We've written about these issues several times in the past, and so has Mr. Armstrong of " A View From the Hook," but we'd like to hear what readers have to say as well. Feel free to leave your comments - especially if you were at the meeting!

Red Hook featured on NBC

Red Hook favorites Sunny's, Defonte's, Botanica, Home/Made, Red Hook Yacht Club, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Steve's Key Lime Pie, and local bloggers Brooklyn Based, were all featured in a video that appeared on NBC over this past 4th of July Weekend.

Free Yoga returns at the Meadow

We are very proud to announce the return of our Yoga in the Meadow series:

It starts this Thursday, July 9th, at 7pm,
with Katrina (last year's teacher) leading a Vinyasa Yoga class
and will be a weekly event throughout the summer.

And continues with Jolene (trained in Ishta and Hatha Yoga),
next Tuesday, July 14, at 7pm,
who will lead an open, stretch and restorative class right after a busy day in the warm sun. Great for all levels, even expecting moms!
It will also be a weekly event starting July 28th.

FREE
So bring your mat and bug repellent, and enjoy the peace of a sunset over the cranes!

Spread the word!

The Urban Meadow is located on President, at the corner of Van Brunt street. For info about becoming a member email at urbanmeadow@gnail.com, and keep checking the blog for events!

Follow Trevor Babb's Disaster Kit

SPACE 414 AND WORK COLLABORATE TO BRING YOU

DISASTER KIT

"A Wagonful of Provisions for the Post-Apocalypse Homestead."

OPENING RECEPTION JULY 10TH

Disaster Kit is a conceptual project of California-based artist Trevor Babb, who builds custom crates, carts, boxes and complex luggage out of salvaged wood, metal, leather and rope to hold his ever-growing collection of useful old-world objects. Babb's casework, curios and sculptures tell a story about provisioning for basic needs like water, food, heat, light, shelter, defense, transport and communication in the event of disaster. Taking materials, objects and cues from the 19th and early-20th century, Babb conjures a past life with the tools for starting a new one. First presented in June 2009 as an installation at WORK, an experimental art gallery adjacent to the Red Hook shipyards in Brooklyn, Disaster Kit will be re-imagined at Space 414, an old storefront turned gallery further down Van Brunt Street, Red Hook's main artery. An open-house reception, with demonstrations by the artist, refreshments and kits for sale, begins at 7:00 pm on Friday 10 July.

Trevor Babb was raised in Manila during the political upheavals of 1980s Philippines. As a teen, he acquired survival skills traveling through the Amazon, Indochina, the Andes and the backwoods of California. During the 1999 Serbian invasion of Kosovo, he helped build a refugee camp for ethnic-Albanians in Macedonia. His contributions were to map the camp's site and plan expansions, contract fresh food deliveries, drive the ambulance and outfit a tent for expecting and nursing mothers. During the Bush years, he did strategy and communications for political campaigns in San Francisco and helped start a biotechnology company that is developing new science for fighting disease. He now works in a 100 year-old barn at a guest ranch above the vineyards of northern Sonoma County.

To RSVP for opening or for more information email: thespaceat414@gmail.com

Fort Defiance in Red Hook

My three-year old and I recently had the chance to stop by Fort Defiance for breakfast at 365 Van Brunt street. Already the place was busy with locals getting their morning Counter Culture coffee fix. Brewed in a somewhat unusual way, the coffee is poured into an individual filter above and drips to the cup below:


The place has a definite South American feel to it, with a little something extra. We enjoyed a chocolate croissant from Park Slope's Colson Patisserie, while chatting with owner St John Frizell. A Red Hook resident himself, St John has traveled extensively and clearly knows the business.


Still waiting for a liquor license, St John told us he hoped Fort Defiance would become the place you go to for coffee on your way to work, and for a drink on your back.

The menu is still being worked out, but already a staple will be the Muffuleta sandwich, just the way they make it in New Orleans, from the lesser known Sicilian influence of the city.

Fort Defiance, named in honor of the Red Hook fort built for the Battle of Long Island in 1776, during which Washington defended New York City from the British, is already off to a good start and can only get better. We hope it will be as steadfast as it's historical namesake.

Brooklyn Town Hall Meeting Regarding Ferry Service

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) have begun a six-month Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Study. This study aims to further expand ferry service around New York City and identify areas in each borough that are suitable for new ferry landing sites.

Some of the identified sites are within walking distance of our neighborhood, so this could be a great alternative mode of transportation. Check out the meeting and provide your input!

When: Wednesday, July 22nd at 7 p.m.
Where: Kingsborough Community College, Room U219/220, 2001 Oriental Blvd.
Host: Council Member Michael Nelson
About: New Ferry Service in Brooklyn

The Battle for the Gowanus Canal - The Video!

A new documentary has been released about the battle over the Gowanus Canal's superfund nomination. Check it out below and then go leave your personal comments at the website



If you have trouble with the embedded video, the Youtube link is here