Best Baba Ghanoush in Bay Ridge

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Sports Equipment Stores in Bay Ridge

Everyone loves to get equipment fo new sports they are learning.  We have a lot of sports stores in Bay Ridge

1) Legends Sporting Goods    8224-5th Avenue  (718) 680-8957  Baseball equipment (bats, mitts, gloves) uniforms, jerseys, hoodies, embroidery, darts

2) Panda Sports – 9213 5th Ave >(718) 238-4919    Golf equipment and Ski Equipment  – ski books and ski equipment, snowboards, ski jackets  11:00 AM – 7 PM   Facebook page 

3) Central Sports 407 86th St  (718) 491-0500  Amazing sneakers, bathing suits, 

3)) Modells – 531 – 86th Street.  There is also another Modell’s in Ceasar’s Bay Work out cloths, skates, sneakers, football, basketball hoops and balls, football, hockey, workout machines and equipment, weights 

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Donate a Turkey You don’t Need to a Family In Need

We were so impressed with the kindness and organization we saw at the Reaching Out Community Service place. People in need were picking up food and the people who worked there were very sweet towards them. Thank you Reaching Out Community Service!

You can also donate $20 and sponsor a family through their Operation Gobbler Giving

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Best Mac and Cheese in Bay Ridge

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Appliance Repair in Bay Ridge 11209 – Refrigerators & Dish Washers

We usually purchase the extended warranty with our devices and appliances like our washer and dryer. Our home came with a refrigerator and dishwasher when we purchased it. So when we needed appliance repairs, we looked in Bay Ridge first and then we called:

Len’s Appliance – recommended by our neighbor as everyone has used Len for 20+ years    8025 7th Ave   718-238-3200

I have heard good things about these places as well so I am putting them here for next time: 

Accurate Appliance Repair   7624 15th Avenue   (718) 236-7718

http://www.yelp.com/biz/father-and-son-appliance-repair-brooklyn

(718) 344-3362

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Cheap Eyeglasses in Bay Ridge – Cheap Frames

I don’t wear glasses, but almost everyone I love does. There are plenty of optometrists in Bay Ridge, but frames are expensive because they are designer and the rents are very high,  Where can someone find good, cheap or less expensive glasses?

1. Costco – A lot of people bring their prescription here.

2. Minzer’s Optical – Now I know this isn’t in the hood, but if you find this page you are probably in need of some less expensive frames and don’t mind going to:    907 48th St between 10th Ave & 9th Ave in Borough Park. The good reviews for this place on Yelp are fantastic.

3) Primary Eye Care Center –  4901 – 9th Avenue – This is around the corner from 902 – 49th Street, an office for an eye doctor (see pic below). If you go around the building on the Avenue, you can see the shop:

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Lee’s Friend

I didn’t write about our weekend here yet…but I will soon.

Lee was in the emergency room this weekend – all weekend (he’s doing okay now). His friend sent me a text tonight that said: “Thank you for taking such good care of my friend.”

Lee is the most amazing person I have ever met in my life. Taking care of him is my pleasure. He’s never been sick – even a little in all the time we have been together and he’s always taken care of me.

My friend said tonight, “you love Lee so well.”   Lee taught me how to love well by loving me so well.

*Family and friends thank you for staying so close this week. It’s all the little things you offered to do that matter so much (feed our pets, move the car, etc).  I am a very lucky person.*

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Dr. Paul Liswood – Great Bay Ridge Podiatrist

I took Lee to see Dr. Paul Liswood, a podiatrist on 72nd and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge. Dr. Liswood is everything you want a doctor to be. He’s professional, very neat, pleasant and a good listener. He’s been a podiatrist for twenty years and he confidently spoke about Lee’s treatment.  Dr. Liswood can be seen on a video here, but he’s actually a lot friendlier than the video implies.

His office staff was super pleasant and professional. You know when a doctor has a great reception/office staff that stinks it can be such a pain to go to the office. The three ladies that were working there were pleasant and awesome.

A patient that went before us was elderly and he walked well so I attribute that to his great podiatrist!

The only thing negative may be that the office is older – but in a good comfy way. It’s clean and pleasant.

I absolutely loved Dr. Liswood and of course I shared him here so you can enjoy him (just don’t take all of the appointments).

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John Anthony Sichenze or John Smythe Bay Ridge Facebook Page

The strangest thing just happened to me. I posted on the Bay Ridge forum some links to articles about Marty Golden so that Bay Ridge knows what he has been up to. John Smythe told me that my post would be deleted. I wrote him a private message and explained that Michael, the head of the forum said I could post it. I wrote on the forum to let John S,mythe know that I wrote him a private message. Then the strangest thing happened. John Anthony Sichenze responded under my message and told me that he didn’t receive my private message. I was confused at first and then I realized that one man has two accounts – who knows which who this guy is. So I googled his name with the words Bay Ridge and there are some posts saying he is 56 years old. John Anthony Sichenze first deleted his reply to me, then he de;eted my post, then he deleted me from the forum and hid the forum so I can’t see it. I don’t know any 56 year old man who would bother doing something so childlike. A 15 year old – yes, but not a man.

It’s probably a fake account because there are just facebook links and no one acts like that.

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James Kemmerer – Bay Ridge – Brooklyn – We Need Him!

I don’t know James Kemmerer personally. I have spoken to him on social media and I have followed his writing for two years. Kemmerer decided to run for office because he was tired of corruption and knows we are too! 

Like you, I wanted to know his background. I’ve snooped around the web to see what I could find about Kemmerer and here’s why he is right for Bay Ridge:

1.   I found this letter on the NYC.Gov site that Kemmerer wrote years ago to the NY Districting Committee about our Bay Ridge area being broken up for representation. 

2. Kemmerer loves politics and has been blogging about it for years. He reads all of the documents that most people don’t. WHY? Because he’s really passionate about politics. Kemmerer read the Moreland Report and wrote his views about it here

3. Kemmerer owns a web development company. In his spare time he has been a community activist running meetings to educate the public on Fair Elections  and attending meeting like the Moreland Commission public hearings and   – I LOVE THAT HE IS SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS!  Kemmerer has been working to get money out of politics for a long time. He doesn’t get paid to do this – as I said – he’s just passionate about this because he sees how it is affecting elections and decisions in Albany. Campaign finance reform is needed so that anyone who wants to run for office can, not just a few corporate backed people. 

4. Kemmerer and his wife took action when Hurricane Sandy happened. He and his wife cooked meals in their home and  he continued to do so – see article’s date April 2013    Check the article because Kemmerer is noted for saying:  “If New York’s the greatest city in the world, then we have to take care of our own.” He understands the needs of people in other areas he will represent like Gerritsen Beach, Sheepsheads Bay and Manhattan Beach who were hit by Hurricane Sandy. Not everyone received the assistance they needed to recover from the storm.

5 Kemmerer and his wife and son live in Bay Ridge. The sweetest picture can be found on his personal FB page (like I said I was snooping for info on him).  Kemmerer is the father to this cute two year old boy. So schools in our district will be a priority to him! I’m a teacher and I was impressed that Kemmerer mentioned that he wanted to reduce class size. If we want to see an improvement in education, we can’t cram 33 children into a classroom and expect that they will receive a top notch education.

6. Kemmerer is friends with people who are genuinely concerned about Bay Ridge – like Councilman Vincent Gentile &  Justin Brennan

7 Kemmerer owns a web development company called Geekpak.  Just the name of it should tell you we are good hands. Geeks are intelligent and kind people!  He doesn’t have a catering hall so he will need to use Bay Ridge or Brooklyn businesses for his functions which is a good thing because it will funnel money into local businesses.  As a small business owner, he will be able to understand the needs of our community with it’s Mom and Pop shops.

8. Kemmerer is backed by Teachout and Wu  and Teachout – these are people who want to reform our broken system. Teachout called out Golden: ““What he is doing here is, his company, his family business has received over half a million dollars from campaign funds and state funds. And you don’t need to be a genius to recognize there’s something wrong with that. That we have a system that allows a state senator to instead of serving the people of Bay Ridge to be serving his own business and his own interest.”

9. Kemmerer is 42 years old.  Marty Golden is 64 years old – (Golden was 48 when he became the Senator) 

10. Did you see this visual aide Kemmerer made about Golden?  I can see him educating the Senate in the same clear fashion.

11. Kemmer is educated and well spoken. He has a keen sense of humor that I have heard several times (a sign of an intelligent person).

Listen to the audience speak with Kemmerer – they didn’t pick up what Kemmerer immediately caught from what Golden said – (a sign that he’s a good listener too). Kemmerer’s response showed he’s sharp. 

12. Bay Ridge, Marty’s attention is diverted with wheeling and dealing in other parts of NYC and it’s James Kemmerer’s time! While Marty continues to supports fracking despite studies showing it isn’t safe, Kemmerer is against it.

13. We all know that the cost of the Verrazano Bridge is too high and the R train needs some serious upgrading.  Golden has been in office for 12 years and couldn’t do. Kemmer understands what we need!

 Jamie Kemmerer will work to (from his site here):

• decrease travel times and wait times by modernizing important transportation infrastructure such as Communications-based Train Control (CBTC)

• install subway elevators for easier access by seniors, parents and people with disabilities.

• install Subway Wait Clocks at 36th Street, 59th Street and New Utrecht / 62nd Street stations.

• increase bus service not just restore previously cancelled routes.

• expand WiFi and Cellular access to Brooklyn subway lines.

• reduce tolls on the Verrazano bridge for all NYC residents.

• Create a “Safe Route to Schools” program monitored by families and community groups to mark street routes that avoid truck routes and the most dangerous intersections. Where crossing heavily travelled streets is unavoidable, install special markings and electronic traffic signs to improve safety and warn traffic of street crossings.

• Require truck and bus “undercarriage protection,” so people can’t be dragged under these large, high vehicles, and to reduce injury if a car collides with a large truck or bus.

• Expand street based community events like the popular “Summer Stroll”

14. James Kemmerer understands the needs of the middle class.

 James Kemmerer wants to create a government for all people. He’s fighting under the main topic of corruption because it is a corrupt government which allows for tax breaks for billionaires. These breaks and the ‘pay to play’ politics is what stops progress and makes ALL OF US REGULAR PEOPLE PAY MORE TAXES!

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Twelve Reasons Why I Won’t Vote for Marty Golden for Senator of Bay Ridge…..

Photo by Gerritsen Beach.net  – CC License

I SMH every time I read something in the news about Marty Golden.  (SMH means shake my head for those who didn’t know the acronym).

I think Marty Golden must go home and laugh about all the things he does and yet still remains in office!

In 2012, I voted for Marty Golden in 2012 AND YES I AM SORRY I DID.   At the time, I believed Golden was going to help me with a problem our block had.  In actuality, Golden’s office representatives just wasted my time and gave me the run around for nine months.  I even called Albany to reach Golden and I got his Chief of Staff, Gerald Kassar. Kassar told me he would send me documents and didn’t send me anything. I never heard from Marty – AND I SHOULD HAVE. When Golden saw his representatives mishandled my problem, he should have acted because he is the elected representative.

I didn’t take Golden’s office reps not helping personally because Golden couldn’t help them either! When Golden’s staffer didn’t have his garbage picked up, he didn’t call Marty.  He went on twitter and ranted about it. The newspaper even covered his rant here, When my garbage doesn’t get picked up, I call the sanitation supervisor on his cell phone. I have owned a home in Bay Ridge for five years – Marty Golden has been in office for twelve years. He doesn’t have any connections in the Sanitation Department that his staffer could have called!

In February 2014, we realized Golden doesn’t know what his staff is doing when this appeared in the paper:

Here are 12 reasons I feel that Marty Golden is no longer working for the people of Bay Ridge:

1. Senator Golden introduced a bill to give huge tax breaks to a few developers in Manhattan. Why would our Bay Ridge Senator introduce a bill for a developer in Manhattan?  Liz Kruger is the Senator who represents the area where the tax breaks were given and she would have presented the bill. Instead, Liz Krugger called Golden’s bill “corporate welfare” and said, “This is a perfect example of what goes wrong with the wheeling and dealing in the backrooms of Albany.”    The city lost millions of dollars in tax revenue as a result of Marty Golden’s bill.  The developers contributed to many representatives funds. The Daily News reported the following:

    2. The recent news about $500,000+ going to the Bay Ridge Manor is disturbing (yes 500K+).    

Again, I shake my head at this because it’s just ridiculous. Money going to the Bay Ridge Manor has been in the news for years see here, see page 11 and here too.  

3. US Attorney, Preet Bharara is investigating Marty Golden.  A federal investigation!    Tweet from twitter:  (ICYMI – in case you missed it)

4. Pay to Play – Let’s follow the money – here     Here’s another one of Golden’s bills was noted for Pay to Play politics here and here. The New York Times said it best:

5. Marty Golden was endorsed by NFIB, an organization that the Koch Brothers fund. (If you don’t know who the Koch brothers are – google them)

6. The New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) put together a report  about our State Senators and Assembly Members (see page 13_ – here they listed Senators who missed over 100 votes in Albany. Look who made the list!

7. Golden supports charter schools.  Schools in our area are overcrowded, yet Golden voted in favor of charter schools.  Charter schools have enough private investors supporting them.  The first class of Harlem Success Academy graduated last year and not one of the students got into the specialized high schools, Stuyvesant or Bronx Science. I am a teacher in Brooklyn for over twenty years and our public middle schools have done WAY better than that!   In our area, Cavallaro Middle School was forced to share their school with a charter school. See here and here.

Even in Marine Park, parents don’t want charter schools in their existing schools.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Photo by:  GerritsenBeach.net CC License

 8. Golden has endorsed a lot of losing candidates that thankfully Brooklynites did not vote for including:

• Joe Lhota (lost to Mayor Deblasio who had 73%) 
• Charles Hynes (received only 25% of the vote) 
• John Quaglione (received only 35% of the vote and lost to Vincent Gentile)
• Anthony Testeverde lost to Maisel (Maisel had 80% of the vote)

 Photo by MTA CC license

BTW, Golden held a fundraiser for Grimm on on September 18, 2014 at the restaurant Mama Rao on 11th Avenue and 64th Street. Grimm is indicted on 20 counts.  

9,  Golden supports fracking. Golden is not an expert on fracking. The studies show fracking is unsafe (Safe fracking is also a mythical unicorn).  Look at what happened in PA with fracking – fracking happened near their home.   

10. Golden and Nicole Malliotakis spent money to put up a website to collect your information. You thought that you were signing a petition to stop the high priced Verrazano Toll.  Where did your information go?   Golden admitted failure in not getting the toll lowered.  Yet the website still remains up and Golden and Malliotakis are still collecting your info. To waste money and purchase the domain to put up a survey about the overpriced toll was ridiculous.    

11.  In June 2014, Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Assemblywoman got her bill to ban pet tattooing and piercing passed.   Nicole Malliotakis and Golden released press releases (Malliotakis’ is here and Golden’s here) so that the news and blogs would pick it up and people here in Bay Ridge and Staten Island would think it was the work of these officials.  Malliotakis  did not join Rosenthal’s bill until after it was introduced and Golden was never a supporter named on Rosenthal’s bill.  It’s one thing to try to offer “walk like a model.” classes to women in Bay Ridge, but to try to steal Assemblywoman Rosenthal’s success and waste time with duplicate bills in the Assembly/Senate is another.

12. Marty Golden has been in office twelve years and he has become someone whose focus has changed.  Even his actions at the Brooklyn Republican Convention are strange.  It’s time for us to have someone who is  only focused on Bay Ridge.   Golden’s opponent, James Kemmerer has one thing in mind – to fight corruption in Albany. And that means he is going to work on stopping the waste of money.   I don’t know Kemmerer personally, but I have spoken to him and he is a very intelligent man. He will be listened to in Albany because he is an excellent speaker. We can trust him because he’s not looking to do back room deals. 

 SO join me on November 4th and Let’s vote Marty out of office!

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Air Conditioner, Vacuum and Sewing Machine Repair in Bay Ridge

I usually buy the extended warranty for electronics from Best Buy. Like when we purchased our washer and dryer, we purchased the extended warranty, when it expired they asked us if we wanted to renew it and of course we did because it’s the little bit of insurance that is nice to have.

For items that we haven’t had a warranty or were just too old, there is a great local shop in Bay Ridge called Mr. Vacuum  that repairs sewing machines, vacuums and air conditioners. 

Mr. Vacuum 8705 – 5th Avenue  718-748-5288

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