Free New Books for Kids in Brooklyn!

RIF is at the McKinley Park Library! RIF stands for Reading is Fundamental. It’s a program designed to give new books to children to encourage them to read. (Everyone loves new books and free just makes this amazing!)

How does this work?   Children earn a free book every third time that they borrow or return library books to the McKinley Library. RIF check in days are Wednesdays between 3 and 5pm.

Children get to pick a free book on their first visit and also on their birthday.

All your child needs is a library card. 

McKinley Park Library  6802 Fort Hamilton Pkwy Brooklyn 11219   (718) 748-8001

This is for children and teens too!

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6K Run for the Fallen – September 12th – Bay Ridge

Register online for the 6K Run for the Fallen on September 12, 2015 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Proceeds go to the Survivor Outreach Services at Fort Hamilton

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Scuba Lessons for Children in Brooklyn

Some people suggest teens should be 17+ because this can be a dangerous sport. Here is a video of nine high school students from the Urban Assembly NY Harbor School who are certified to swim in Coney Island (so cool). 

1) Scuba New York – 2672 Gerritsen Avenue Brooklyn 11229  (718) 769 0099.  Children ages 8-14 can learn the basics. 

2) My friends (adults) took Scuba lessons nearby with Ocean Horizons Scuba Shop located at 886 – 71st Street Brooklyn 11228. 718-833-0366  Pictures online show some young teens, but I don’t know the age cutoff for this place.

Other Sports and Activities for Children in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

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Weird House

If I saw this house in Brooklyn, I would think it was just a normal, middle class home.  This house is in Toronto and the inside is strange – go take a look.

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We’re Celebrating 6 Years in Bay Ridge Today

Six years ago, Lee and I purchased our home in Bay Ridge. It was the best decision we ever made and we never had any regrets over it.

Since I was a teen, I loved Bay Ridge and always dreamed of living here. Owning a home is everything that I dreamed and more. It makes me happy to see how much Lee loves living here. Our neighbors all know Lee!

Each year that we have been here, we buy the house a present. This year the house got a new sidewalk and we got closet organizers installed in our closets. When we were shopping for a home, one of the homes we saw was too small for us, but it had amazing closets. I wanted closet organizers for years and I have been celebrating since we got them installed because I love opening my neat closets!

Cheers Bay Ridge!

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Real Estate Office Leaves a Dirty Envelope on My Door

Recently, we came home to find this dirty envelope on our door. We thought it must be one of our neighbors giving us a message until we got closer and saw it was from Halstead Property – a real estate office downtown. It was addressed: “Hello Neighbor.”

Couldn’t Halstead real estate agents use a stamp and send their  soliciting letter by mail like the dozens of real estate offices in our area? No one wants to come home to a letter on their door and I am pretty sure it isn’t legal either, especially when we have a sign asking people not to leave notices/solicit.  Keep your dirty envelopes to yourself Halstead!

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Cars 2 Go – I See Your Cars in Parking Spaces all over Bay Ridge

Hey have you seen one of those cute Smart cars parked in Bay Ridge? Yeah I bet you have and I bet you thought. “Wow that car can fit in any tiny spot around here!” Have you also wondered why you don’t have a parking spark on alternate side day? Or why you can’t find a spot in Bay Ridge to go to dinner on the Avenue?

Lately, I have been seeing A LOT more of the little cars – several on a block. And I thought to myself…..could several people on the block have purchased the same car or is there a business leaving their cars all over our neighborhood and filling up parking space. When I walked up to a Car2Go cutey, I saw the sticker for the company. I went to their website and people can rent a car for about $15 an hour. You have to apply for membership and get a card to put in the car, but it looked pretty easy.

I went and downloaded their Car2Go app to tell me how many of these Cars were sitting on the streets in Bay Ridge. It’s Tuesday, August 26th and there’s about 40-50 Cars 2 Go in our neighborhood (depending on where you determine the neighborhood to end).    How is this business using our neighborhood as his parking lot? Why hasn’t any politician discussed this?   Here’s the Brooklyn Eagle’s article discussing it like it’s a new business on Third – LOL way to go Eagle – no mention of the parking situation.

Next: Why is the Bay Ridge Eagle censoring us on news about Assemblywoman Malliotakis?

Topics: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn | 1 Comment »

The Brooklyn Eagle is More of a Chicken – Malliotakis Article Censored?!

Dear Brooklyn Eagle,

The Brooklyn Eagle  has provided the news to Brooklyn residents for many years. Over the past two years, I have been reading regularly and I feel the political news we have been receiving is censored.  When there’s good news, the Brooklyn Eagle writers print it; when it’s bad news, the story is left out. I’m glad I am not the only one who has noticed this (see the comments at the bottom of  this article as well). I think we can handle the truth Brooklyn Eagle. When I pick up papers in other neighborhoods, their news is a lot more straightforward. If our leaders aren’t doing what they are paid to do, let us know so we can decide if we need someone else. You can write the truth politely. Yesterday the Brooklyn Eagle had an article about Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis. The article presented no new information and failed to give the full story about some of the assemblywoman’s work. Why is Bay Ridge being censored from the whole story?

1. The Brooklyn Eagle Reporter, Paula Katinas wrote  that Nicole Malliotakis introduced the  paper reduction bill. That’s true, Assemblywoman Malliotakis brought the bill up three times and each time she failed to get it to passed (more info). In November 2014, we, the public voted on the ballot for a proposal called the New York Electronics Bill Amendment. which reduced the paper in Albany. This article referring to it as Proposal 2 stated there was little opposition to it on the ballot, so I am not sure why Malliotakis had such a hard time pushing it through herself.  I’m not sure why Paula Katinas didn’t mention that this was a public ballot referendum after Malliotakis was unsuccessful in working with her colleagues to get this passed. At times, politicians will be unsuccessful and Ms. Katinas can tell us that.

2. Katinas discussed Malliotakis’ role in restoring the B37 bus. A lot of other politicians were involved in working to get the bus restored. Yes, the story is about this Assemblywoman, but there was no reason not to mention that this was an effort by many pols particularly because Paula Katinas wrote many articles on the topic of the B37 – here,  here, here  and here.  I’m not sure why Ms. Katinas discussed a bill from  year ago. What bills did the Assemblywoman Malliotakis initiate and pass this year? I believe there was  one that she and Senator Lanza passed for some Staten Island Residents, what’s that important enough to mention?  Malliotakis’ record for initiating and passing bills isn’t strong, although she has been a co-sponsor on some bills that have been successful.

3. For two years, Malliotakis has told Brooklynites that she was working on lowering the Verrazano Bridge toll into Staten Island. Since February 2014, Staten Island residents have paid $5.50, while Brooklyn residents pay $16 to go on the same bridge. In March 2014, Katinas reported that Golden and Malliotakis were presenting a petition for Brooklyn residents to sign in order to get a lower toll rate on the Verrazano. People spread the word, filled out the petition and the politicians did not get the bill passed.  In January, 2015, Katinas reported that Malliotakis and Golden were pushing the same online petition AGAIN. Didn’t the Brooklyn Eagle find it strange that they were pushing the same petition again? We did.  At some point in today’s article, Paula Katinas could have mentioned the whole story – everyone knows the bill didn’t pass because we still pay the high toll.

4. The Brooklyn Eagle article stated that Malliotakis’ priority is public education, yet Nicole Malliotakis was a supporter of the Education Tax Credits bill that Marty Golden initiated. The bill allowed rich people to donate money to private schools in exchange for huge tax breaks – 90% (see here for more info). The organization called Invest In Ed had a website with no contact name or number, but they were active on social media and spent quite a bit on television commercials (Couldn’t that money have been used for private schools?)

The New York State Constitution provides the rules for taxation and education. We have this so money is dispersed equally and fairly. Unless the Constitution is changed, our politicians should be supporting it. Cathy Nolan, another Assemblywoman had to tow the line and not allow the vote on this bill. Nolan even presented another bill where the private schools could still benefit, but the rich donors tax breaks were minimal. Nicole Malliotakis didn’t speak out and support Nolan. The Education Tax Credit was finally modified and then put into the “Big Ugly” which the Assembly passed.  Most Bay Ridge residents love the public schools because their children do well. Years ago, parents paid for Catholic schools because they were good schools and they were safe – schools in Bay Ridge are safe because the parents here are very active in the schools. *If you are a parent and you want a choice for education, you purchase that for you child. My parents paid for my three brothers and I and Lee’s mother,  who was a widow paid for Catholic education for three children as well. Anyone who signs their child up for parochial school knows they have to pay for it. If they don’t want to pay, they are welcome to send their child to public school.

Paula Katinas asserted that  Assemblywoman Malliotakis believed that having a MBA helped her as an assemblywoman.  Even a person without a degree can figure out that if Golden’s education bill passed as it was originally written, New York would be out quite a bit of money.  Malliotakis’ degree didn’t help her when Golden’s other famous bill came up for a vote. Golden’s bill  gave tax breaks to developers for building that were already built.  Nicole Malliotakis voted in favor of tax breaks for developers in Manhattan even though she represents Bay Ridge and Staten Island. Malliotakis  never spoke about Golden’s bill on social media, even though she maintains an active twitter and facebook accounts. Katinas quoted Malliotakis as saying: “I spend a lot of my time pushing back at bad pieces of legislation.”  I didn’t see Malliotakis push back at all, so she must have thought this was good legislation. Malliotakis remained silent about this and The Brooklyn Eagle did not run a story on this bill. Yet, the tax breaks cost NYC  65 million dollars.   Paula Katinas states that Nicole Malliotakis in influenced by her immigrant roots. She may be in some areas, but in leadership, I disagree.  Malliotakis’ mother lived in a time when people were forced to be silent under Castro. There is no reason for Nicole Malliotakis to have STAY SILENT   when other politicians have made poor decisions for NYC. 

In 2014, Nicole Malliotakis was on the Education Committee in the NY Assembly. She presented the Apple Plan  and I read it right away. The plan was “too little – too late” and I let her know.   Thankfully, Nicole’s colleagues in the Assembly didn’t vote for it. In 2015, Malliotakis was not on the Education Committee any longer.

Malliotakis stood up for Graduate School TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) as a way to contradict the Dream Act. I don’t know anyone who had their graduate school tuition paid for. Anyone who seeks a higher degree knows they have to pay for it and shouldn’t be relying on the government to pay for their degree. If you are applying for graduate school, then you have a bachelor’s degree and you can work. My parents didn’t pay for my graduate school tuition. I paid it myself and so can anyone else. Malliotakis’ wants you to sign her petition in favor of TAP. Do you see where this is going?  By now hasn’t Nicole Malliotakis seen petitions don’t get the work done. There was the petition for the Verrazano toll and the petition to end Common Core (and here too) and neither changed anything.

If Paula Katinas wanted to retell Malliotakis’ political career to us this summer, why did she leave out how Malliotakis didn’t have support for Michael Grimm’s empty seat. The news was pretty brutal on this topic  this Winter. Katinas wrote that Golden and Malliotakis were allies. When Michael Grimm’s job became open, Golden backed Donovan.  Katinas wrote quite a bit about Assemblywoman Malliotakis’ parents and their immigrant roots (we all have that – either by first, second or third generation) so I don’t know why we need to keep hearing about her parents. Nicole Malliotakis is not an immigrant. I found it ironic that Katinas wrote about Malliotakis speaking out against America working with Communist Cuba, but Katinas failed to mention that Nicole Malliotakis had no trouble accepting a trip to  China (also December 2014 – Katina’s article).  Malliotakis thinks it is okay for US businesses to go to China, but not to Cuba?! The topic of NY politicians accepting trips outside of the country is a great topic for a political article. (Malliotakis July 2015  trip to Greece ). I can’t help but wonder if there work is delayed here in Brooklyn when they are out of the country (there was a sink hole in the beginning of August, weeks later Malliotakis wrote a letter – reported August 25th) . The problem of sinkholes is not new for Bay Ridge. (August 2012,   November 2014). I don’t think a letter for a problem this large was helpful, in fact I am pretty sure it would be filed in the garbage can. 

Brooklyn Eagle Editor, I am writing because we need writers who aren’t afraid to give us the truth.  There’s no reason to write a political profile and leave out most of the story. If a politician is running yoga classes, talk about that. If they presented a bill and weren’t able to carry it through, state that. A newspaper isn’t a bulletin board where a politician can throw up a press release and no one questions it. The newspaper writer should be the first person questioning it.  We don’t need to hear about a politician’s mother, father, sibling or spouse – we need to hear about the politician and what that elected official is doing for Bay Ridge. Raise your wings and spread the truth, Brooklyn Eagle.

Topics: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Nicole Malliotakis, Politics | 2 Comments »

Audition September 1st and 2nd – Bay Ridge Narrow Community Theater

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Shooting at the 18th Avenue Feast in Brooklyn August 23, 2015

When the news first came out. we heard there was a shooting at the 18th Avenue Feast.  Lee went to the feast with his friend and didn’t hear anything or see any commotion in the area.

The shooting didn’t happen at the Feast. Don’t blame the Feast – the Feast is the best it has been in years and people keep coming back. When you hear people complaining about the feast, it’s because they don’t want it in their neighborhood because they can’t park.

The cops were called to 1915 – 73rd Street around 8 pm last night because a man was shot. The man told the police he was shot on 19th Avenue, but the police have linked him to a shooting in Queens.  He is alive and in the hospital. Bensonhurst Bean has the story.

Yup, there waws no shooting at the 18th Avenue Feast.

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Mussels from Compania in Bay Ridge

The other night, we ordered from Compania because the Hey Ridge Blog recommended them. We ordered what Hey Ridge ordered plus an order of mussels. And for $15, this huge tray of mussels was delivered to our home. And it was delicious! I always go to Randazzo’s at 2017 Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay Or Mussels and More in Bay Ridge. But Compania’s mussels were delicious. We received only one that didn’t open so that’s a good sign too. I would order from them again of course, but next time I’d ask them for some bread because their sauce was delicious. (I love mussels – I ate them since I was a child in Hampton Bays, Long Island and they were so fresh!)

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Plaster Galaxy – Brooklyn

 We stopped into Plaster Galaxy (2756 Coney Island Ave  Brooklyn  718-769-8500). If you decide to go, print their coupon here.

this week for a little fun! The place is awesome (reviews on Yelp are good too). There are two rooms to sit and pick the plaster item you select. The place was relaxing because the guy who manages it was excellent. The kids had a great time and it was a relaxing day for us!  Parking was easy too.

First room when you enter:

Back Room:

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