53 Boerum

There are some creative juices flowing at 53BP!

One of our fellow residents, *Mikhaela B. Reid,* is a political cartoonist, illustrator and information graphics artist. She cartoons regularly for the Boston Phoenix and Bay Windows. Her work has appeared in an impressive list of publications like the Los Angeles Times, Metro Times Detroit, In These Times, Ms. and The Funny Times. She is also featured as “cartooning’s angry young woman” in the anthology Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists, edited by Ted Rall. …But Mikhaela’s talents don’t stop there — she also graduated from Harvard with a degree in Social Anthropology.

Check out her politically-charged (and really entertaining!) cartoons at Mikhaela.net. If you like what you read, you can score some tees, totes and posters of her work at CafePress.

Many of us will be travelling to see family this Thanksgiving, but some folks might be spending the holiday here at home. Of course, no day-of-thanks is complete without the famous Macy’s Parade, which traverses down Broadway from 77th Street to Herald Square. There are several Brooklyn restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner, including Mancora on Smith Street. After downing all that tryptophan, get your (early) shop on at the Atlantic Center Target on Black Friday - they’ll even give you a 6:00 AM wake-up call from one of 5 “celebrities,” including Kermit the Frog and, um, a Mariachi band?

Wishing all our friends and 53BP neighbors a safe and wonderful holiday!
-Lori & Matthew

I’m always fascinated by what visitors think about New York City. Two Canadian friends of mine, who are huge fans of Manhattan, were in town visiting for the weekend. Hubby and I took them on a grand tour of the nabe here in Brooklyn, including stopping for some pizza at Grimaldi’s, sipping some spicy hot chocolate at Jacques Torres, taking a leisurely stroll along the promenade, and a quick tour of 53BP. Our Canadians were pretty pleased with their first trip ever to Brooklyn, and told us that they had a very different impression in their minds of what Brooklyn might be like. The word they used was “rough.” This was quite funny to us…

What are some myths you’ve had to dispel about Brooklyn?

Today’s New York Post boasts an article (see second item) about the fancy-shmancy Brooklyn Law School dorm across the street from 53BP. The article states, “Feil Hall is a 22-story student residence designed by Robert A.M. Stern *that could be mistaken for a Ritz-Carlton,* with handsome furniture and finishes in 239 units housing 360 students.”

The article goes on to mention all the new buildings going up in the immediate area around Feil Hall, “where residential developers seem to be building on every square inch of land.” Specific mentions include the Court House Apartments, 199 State Street, and the YMCA. Michael Burke, executive director of the Downtown Brooklyn Council, says “…the new projects are turning downtown from a 9-5 business center into a 24/7 community. There are new residents, new life, and it’s all much more vibrant.”

I had a lovely dinner this weekend with a friend of mine who is expecting. I then realized that we’ve got a good number of small fries living here at 53BP, and it’s about time they got some blog time.

As the colder, not-so-playground-friendly weather starts creeping in, parents have to get creative and come up with a whole new set of ways to entertain the little ones. For some help, check out GOCityKids, a guide to events around the borough and city - many of which are free, and some right across the street at the New York Transit Museum! You can’t ever go wrong with the programs hosted by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and they have a really cool website with an animated parrot! UrbanBaby NYC is a great resource for parents on where to shop for the hottest kidstuff, set up play groups on the message boards, and get info on all things (urban) parenting. Time Out New York Kids will keep you up-to-the-minute on the latest happenings — but be warned, to view most content you’ll need to be a subscriber.

Not forgetting that sometimes mom and dad need a drink, many local bars are now offering kid-friendly environments — including The Lighthouse Tavern on 5th Avenue and Carroll St. — who hosts both Baby AND Toddler Happy Hours! I’ve heard from some hipster parents in the ‘Burg that bars over there are also catering to kiddos. Anybody know of a place closer to 53BP that offers something similar?

This week we’ve finally been hearing news about the “mystery projects” that have been going on in the area. One spot that has been particularly puzzling is the big hole in the ground on Atlantic and Smith. We’ve heard it will become everything from a supermarket, to a boutique hotel, to a residential condo. It seems there is finally an answer! Today, Set Speed via Brownstoner reveals the slick website of the condo officially known as The Smith. There is still some speculation as to whether or not this project will include hotel rooms. Check it out: 75 Smith

Looking for an antique accent to complement your living room? Searching the racks for a darling vintage coat? To find such treasures, you don’t have to travel all the way to Hell’s Kitchen anymore. The folks from The Annex are opening an outpost in Brooklyn!

According to Brooklynnow.com, The Annex Smith Street, at the corner of Smith and Union, opens this Saturday November 12 from 12-6, and will be open every weekend thereafter. They say, “a mix of old and new amidst a brimful of fashionable boutiques, salons, restaurants and bars, 30 tableaux of vendors and 5 kiosks mark the birth of a new Brooklynite destination. Reverberating from the cabinet of curiosities that bred within it’s Manhattan siblings, this flea is a tent of wonders, offbeat souvenirs, antiquities extraordinaire, home decorations, jewelry, art, & collectibles.”

Check it out!

Finally some news as to what is going on at the site adjacent to Feil Hall — The Lookout Condos. From The Real Deal:

“199 State Street Alchemy Properties’ new 11-story, 46-unit building will open for sales this month, with an October 2006 move-in date. Studios measuring 677 square feet start at $470,000, while a 1,629-squarefoot three-bedroom penthouse starts at $995,000. Some of the units will have private patios, and the four penthouses will have rooftop terraces. The building will sell at about $665 a square foot, inclusive of the penthouses, the New York Post reported. That is 5 percent lower than market value, according to Alchemy Properties president Kenneth Horn.”

Cheering for the athletes and ordinary folk who run the New York City Marathon is one of my favorite things to do every year. Positive energy runs, literally, through the streets of all five boroughs! This Sunday, November 6, walk (or run) on over to 4th Avenue and give a round of applause to the thousands of runners who will pass by as they continue north through Brooklyn to Queens.

It’s a great day for Brooklyn eateries! According to this article in the Daily News, Restaurant Saul on Smith Street earned a coveted Michelin star. Michelin’s red-covered guides, with their ratings of one to three stars for top restaurants, have long been the ultimate arbiter of posh noshing in Europe. With the earning of this award, Saul is considered on par with hard-to-get-into Babbo, Nobu, and Gramercy Tavern. The Four Seasons and Union Square Cafe did not get a star.

I guess we should hurry and make our reservations now…