A Cobble Hill novelist makes the NYT "hot novel" of the summer list.

** I had massive tech problems when I pressed publish on Saturday, and it’s taken until late today to sort it out with Beehiiv. Grrr… Here is Saturday’s post! Sorry to all the people who asked me to include their weekend events.

Hey Neighbors -

Happy Saturday. I lost a day flying back from Los Angeles this week, and never quite caught up. 

Before I forget, I tried the smoked trout sandwich with pickled onions, radishes, and aioli from Sea and Soil on Atlantic Ave, and it was divine.  Run, don’t walk.

Friendly reminder: if you read Ward 6 every Saturday, as I know you do, it’s time to pony up and commit to $6.00 a month! I love writing it, and I want to continue providing you with essential local news.  And while you’re at it, please sign up a friend or 10. Thanks!

Post #37: BK Workspaces; Ryder Cup Redux? Cobble Hill demolition; The Au Pair named “hot” summer novel; World Cup come to Brooklyn and maybe a Whole Foods to Smith Street; Atlantic Ave mayhem; what happened to Alternative Side Parking? Mark Your Calendar.

This week’s BK Workspaces belongs to Jill Gould, a 20-year resident of Cobble Hill, founder of JillGo Productions and co-creator and director of The Soundcheck Diaries: Touring Tales, Truths & Teachings with Nitebob and Rich Nesin, tqo veteran tour managers and sound engineers who’ve spent the last half century on the road with legendary bands Steely Dan, KISS, REM, and Aerosmith, among many.

What Is The Soundtrack Diaries? We make these into micro-music documentaries that tell the stories of past artists and how they influenced the next generations. Nitebob and Rich Nesin have amazing stories and knowledge about the live music industry that they are now imparting to the world. We premiered in September 2025, and we continue to grow. 

What is your favorite band/musician? Gosh. There are so many bands and musicians who I love. But Prince is one of my all time favorite artists. 

You can find Soundtrack Diaries on YouTube, IG and TikTok you want to learn more about roadies: NYT. 

For those of us who suffered through the Ryder Cup helicopter invasion last summer, I’m sorry to report that from Thursday, June 18th, through Sunday, June 21st, Blade Aviation will be shuttling people willing to pay as much as $1400 to travel from Manhattan to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open Golf Championships. 

If you can get out of town, go.

Already for the last two months, helicopter trips from the West 30th heliport, where the Hampton and Golf Championship trips originate, have increased since last year. In May, there were more than 700 flights compared to the same month last year (source: STCNJNY).

To complain: Call 311 (FAA) or CM Hanif and AM Simon.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Teddy Wayne and Kate Greathead, two Cobble Hill partners and novelists. Wayne’s new book, The Au Pair, available this month, was named a New York Times “hot novel” for the summer. 

Hear Wayne read from his new book, June 30th, hosted by Books are Magic, 7-8:00 PM.

Oh, Liz’s Book Bar is hiring a bookseller/bartender/barista. [email protected] to apply.

Things are happening under the Brooklyn Bridge, where our borough’s Fan Zone is located, and scheduled to open next Saturday.

It’s hard to imagine it will look like this in a week!

Yes, the Knicks! Clearly, my allegiance is to soccer, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement. Love all of the street watch-parties I’ve seen on social media. 

I fondly remember when I got my first journalism job in NYC, my boss at the time had season Knicks’ tickets, and because they sucked at the time, I often got his tickets. I didn’t care that the team sucked because the seats were amazing, and there’s nothing like live basketball. 

Watch party ideas from Brooklyn Bridge Parents. I’d add Luana’s on Court St. to the list.

Back to soccer. Our home team, the Red Hook FC, beat AFC Academy 1-0 last weekend. According to the team's founder, Sacha Weiss, RHFC is now ranked 13th in the country out of 140 teams in its league and third out of 66 East Coast teams. 

Join Ward 6 on Saturday, June 20th, for the next home game and playoff match in Red Hook.

Hmm…I will be honest with you. I’m a bit irked by this news. Dumbo Market is up the street, and Mr. Beets is 50 feet away, give or take. Then there is Union Market, KY Fruits and Veggies, and two Key Foods.  Why do we need a Whole Foods? 

There was a mixed response to the news on Reddit.

What do you think? [email protected]

The new owner of the “H” building on Henry St., between Amity and Pacific, and the former Emergency Room building on Hicks, will begin demolition this summer. They’ll start with the interior and move to the exterior of the building. The developer’s PR representative said there are no plans to close the playgrounds. However, I’m not sure how that works with demolitions going on.

At a recent Brooklyn real estate forum, the president of Rockrose developers, the new owner of the Cobble Hill site, Justin Elghanayan, said Manhattan’s trust funders are crossing the river to Brooklyn. He described this trend in the Commercial Observer “as “the luxury-ification of cool,” is giving Brooklyn a gravitational pull. “ Hmm…

The good news is that, as part of its community obligation with Cobble Hill, the developer is cleaning up both playgrounds (Source: Cobble Hill Association).

Update from last week: The information I provided about the developer of Hicks/Atlantic using parts of the dog park as a staging area might change. They told the Cobble Hill Association last week that the plan is to close off 40 feet beyond the construction wall, but this is in flux until the developer gets the necessary permits.   

Not in Ward 6’s coverage area, but I wanted to mention Crain’s is reporting that the Dinosaur BBQ on Union near 4th will be a 100-unit building. Crazy to watch the stretch of Union St. from the Gowanus Canal to 4th change so much.

Unfortunately, most of the new buildings are luxury, and what we need most are deeply affordable. 

Maybe six months ago, a friend in Carroll Gardens mentioned that very few people move their cars for street cleaning because the ticket is only $60.00. This wasn’t the case in my neighborhood until about a month ago, when, seemingly overnight, it was hard to tell the street-cleaning days apart from the regular days.

On Tuesday, maybe 25% of people moved their cars. But the weird thing is, I saw people sitting in their cars, and instead of moving as the street cleaner approached, they just sat there and let them pass. Why not drive around the block? 

I asked a man doing work on his laptop in his Mini Cooper what the deal was. He immediately did the math out loud for me: “$25 a week times four is $250, which is cheaper than paying for parking. And there is a 50-50 chance of getting a ticket.”  When I asked when this started, he said, “During COVID.” 

I saw a post from the Department of Sanitation begging people to move their cars. And the Cobble Hill Association told folks at its Spring meeting that garbage flows into the sewer drains when it rains, causing flooding. Move you car!

I heard the craziest thing earlier in the week. Just when I thought the intersection of Hicks and Atlantic Ave could not get any worse, I learned there have been three instances recently in which cars have attempted to use the north-side sidewalk on Atlantic to bypass traffic on Atlantic Ave heading toward the BQE on-ramp!  Here is a picture to prove it.

Sheer madness! 

A day after Congressman Dan Goldman’s contentious debate with Brad Lander (recap here), he met with 20 or so residents on Tuesday as part of the Columbia Street Waterfront Association's candidate community forum. Goldman’s opponent, Brad Lander, spoke with residents a few weeks ago. 

As with Lander, not much news, but I’m always thankful when politicians agree to join residents in an intimate setting. Goldman, though, is not popular in our corner of Brooklyn.

As chair of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force, Goldman angered residents by dismissing public sentiment about the project. And when it became clear the controversial “vision plan” lacked the necessary support, he canceled the vote five different times rather than reworking the plan with more input from the community.

In his opening statement, Goldman said how he is uniquely qualified for the job because he was lead counsel for President Trump’s first impeachment inquiry and therefore in a better position to fight the administration than Lander; if elected, he’s in line to chair a judiciary subcommittee; he introduced legislation with bipartisan support to tax billionaires (Robinhood Act) that will go towards funding childcare, affordable housing, etc…

On immigration:

Goldman said he’s committed a majority of his time to this issue. In addition to legislation he’s introduced to rein in ICE, his downtown office now serves as a triage center for immigrants. They’ve served 100 families and helped free 40 people, he said.

On the BQE:

If Goldman had his way, he said, he would cap the trench and close the Atlantic Ave BQE entrance. He helped secure $5.6 million to reconnect communities north and south of the cantilever that Robert Moses destroyed. 

On why the Columbia St. Waterfront neighborhood had no representation on the BMT Task Force:

This is when the meeting got contentious. My apologies, but I need to get in the weeds here. 

The Columbia Street Waterfront neighborhood, directly across from the BMT, was not represented on the BMT Task Force like every other neighborhood (Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens). The Task Force told them it was because they did not have a neighborhood association, which, in response, residents began to form almost immediately. 

In the meantime, the community selected someone to serve on the Task Force, hoping Goldman, as the Chair, would agree with the residents that the CSW should have a seat at the table given its proximity to the BMT. Goldman said NO.  

Goldman repeated his reasons at the Forum - no community association, no seat at the table. To say this angered many residents, is an understatement.

Goldman said, regardless, there was a lot of community engagement. “All of the Task Force leadership were advocates for the community.”  

Someone brought up that the neighborhood associations (Red Hook and Carroll Gardens) voted NO for the “vision plan,” not against developing the waterfront. Even the Cobble Hill Association’s BMT Task Force advised against the CHA supporting the plan, yet the CHA voted YES.

“What do we get out of this plan?” Someone asked? “28 acres of green space, renovated cruise terminal, lots of industrial and commercial space,” said Goldman. 

On Brad Lander:

As Goldman did in the debate, he accused his opponent, Brad Lander, of flip-flopping his position on the BMT. Lander is not against the “vision plan,” rather he is now questioning whether it’s the best location for the density of housing that has been proposed. Goldman said he has text messages to prove it. Hmm…

As with Lander, I need to fact-check a few things Goldman said.

Early voting starts June 13th!

Today! 2:00 PM - 4:oo PM | ZenChella: Fundraiser for the Brooklyn Zen Center at Christ Church with music and an art auction.

Today! Open Garden Day on Columbia St. Waterfront. Visit all seven community gardens. Plus, the Columbia St. Waterfront Assoc. Book swap at Urban Meadow Garden, along with a garden learning activity, arts and crafts, and food. 39 President St. 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM.  

Today! June 6th, @ 5:00 PM | Jazz in the Garden, fundraiser to benefit the Summit St. Community Garden. Columbia and Summit St.

Today (ongoing) Greg Dubin’s Magic at the Clock Shop: An Evening of Close-up Magic in a Hidden Magic Parlour. Precision Clock and Watch. 449 Court St.

June 10th, Wednesday 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM |Ask a Literary Agent Anything @ Liz’s Books and Bar.

Saturday, June 13th, 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM daily, World Cup Fan Zone opens under the Brooklyn Bridge—more info here (tix required).

Thanks for reading! Jlh