Hey neighbors -
Happy Saturday! I’m writing this on Friday, it’s 9:20 AM, and I’m determined to finish post #50 (woot!) tonight and not early tomorrow morning. Self-imposed deadline are rough. Sigh.
(Update: it’s 8:30 AM, it’s Saturday and I missed my self-imposed Friday deadline. Grrr… )
I know it’s a holiday weekend, but please remember to read Ward 6 today. Perhaps, I should have taken this week off instead of last week?
I’m psyched to be in Brooklyn. I wrongly assumed that one benefit of sticking around on Labor Day would mean I could finally get a resy at Tavern Next Door. It’s not that I’m dying to go there, but I am curious, especially if I could get a last-minute resy. I’m more of a spontaneous, lets-go-here kind person than someone who makes a resy months in advance. Nope. Not going to Tavern Next Door. Holiday weekend or not, no available tables.
No resy needed to cheer on our hometown semi-pro soccer team, the Red Hook FC, who take on Latin Power FC today @2:15 PM at Red Hook Field #5! See you there?
Ward 6 is throwing a party! Come celebrate the first anniversary of Ward 6. Save the date: 9/24 from 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM.
If you or any of your friends want to donate something for the raffle, please let me know. Warby Parker is donating a free pair of glasses and the RHFC will probably be involved.
More details to follow, but pls email me if you want to join in the festivities! [email protected]
Post #50: Cool podcast job alert; two of your neighbors react to the death of Gloria Steinem; restaurant/bar/bakery openings; show me the money! how our councilmembers are helping our neighborhoods; what does our corner of BK have to do with Mamdani, El-Sayad and Platner? another possible bougie store comes to Carroll Gardens and what it means for the neighborhood; tree nerds!
JOB ALERT!
BFFs Monica Hanna of Carroll Gardens and Nataly Aukur, co-hosts of the podcast Please Continue, are looking for a part-time assistant editor. Full disclosure, Monica says the gig won’t make you rich, but it’s great for a college student or someone just looking for podcast experience.
They need an editor to review the 2nd or so cut of each weekly episode for possible trims (redundant or fat audio) and to cut a few social clips. Episodes are about 30-40 minutes and they use Premiere to edit. Email: [email protected]
Even if the job isn’t right for you, I recommend listening/watching Please Continue, as I did for “research” while jogging yesterday. Love their warm and funny BFF banter. When I finished, I watched a few minutes of them on YouTube just to get a visual. I kinda recommend watching over listening, TBH, as their facial expressions and body language made the experience even better.
Fun fact: Monica and Nataly’s friend group all go to the same therapist!
RIP GLORIA STEINEM
Here is how one Cobble Hill resident, Cindi Leive, co-founder of The Meteor, reflected on Gloria Steinem’s death. Cindi also includes links to some of her favorite Gloria writings.
@lilahrap in Red Hook recommends Studs Terkels 1982 interview with Gloria Steinem for the 10th anniversary of MS Magazine: “...to remember how bad it was 40 years ago and also how the same it was. She’s talking about masculinity the way people are talking about it now. We needed her.”
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD (and drinks)!
As I’ve mentioned before, this is the big week (TH) for the reopening of Sam’s Restaurant on Court St. Check out Robert Simonson’s second article about the iconic Cobble Hill establishment, possibly the oldest in the neighborhood.
And if you want to go deep: Eater’s 2010 article about Sam’s for historical context or if you missed Simonson’s first one back in April, or my short write-up, you can find it here.
Other openings:
421 Van Brunt
Finally, Andrea Strong of Carroll Gardens shares the news about Cafe Wands opening in the old Gus’s Chops location on Union St.
Fun Fact (or ?): Wand’s Coffee Director is a “trained neuroscientist and former med student who pivoted to devote his life to coffee.” It’s owner is a former opera singer turned restaurateur.
SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Before I started this newsletter, there was a good chance I didn’t know the name of my Councilmember, Shahana Hanif. Familiar, yes, but not 100% sure on the name, unless it was an election year.
Now I see her and Red Hook’s Councilmember, Alexis Aviles, or their staff at least once a month at community events and meetings. The same goes for our State Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Jo Ann Simon,, and AM Marcela Mitaynes (Red Hook). AM Simon (AM is the state’s version of the House of Rep.) is the only elected I knew by name and face before I launched Ward 6.
Assuming you might be like I was pre-Ward 6, I occasionally plan to share ways our electeds are helping our communities. What better way than to show you the money!
WHAT DOES MAMDANI, EL-SAYAD, AND PLATNER AND HAVE IN COMMON?
This week, New York Magazine profiles the work of the political consulting firm Fight Agency and its co-founder, Rebecca Katz, in “The Candidate Creator.” Katz lives in our corner of Brooklyn.
Fight Agency might not be a household name, but their clients are: Zohran Mamdani, Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, and Maine’s Graham Platner, among many others.
Rebecca and I met years ago through our kids, and we would occasionally exchange work-related texts when I was at 60 Minutes.
TBH, I didn’t know much about her professionally other than she worked on campaigns with seemingly underdog candidates ( Sen. John Fetterman-PA, AZ’s first Latino Senator, Ruben Gallego, among others).
Then I heard a podcast interview with her and a colleague, Morris Katz (no relation), talking about Fight’s social media campaign for Mamdani in the lead-up to the election. Yeah, that social media campaign.
The NY Mag. article is worth a read (even though Katz “hated” it and you might have to pay for it). Fight is playing a big role is the upcoming high-stakes midterms with client Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, among others.
Writer David Freedlander says: “Fight’s idea is not to support so-called regular people - regular people don’t run for office; it’s to support real people, those who have personality and are confident in who they are.”
“The leaders of our party don’t recognize their own toxicity and that there are many different stories to be told and many different kinds of candidates,” says Rebecca in the article.
FIRST WHOLE FOODS, NOW HAPPIER, WHAT?
Happier is far from how I felt when reading this week about the possibility of Happier Grocery, a ultra-high-end grocery store and lifestyle brand taking over the former Rite Aid near Carroll Park.
When I saw Pitch’s headline early in the week about SOHO’s Happier Grocery, I tried to ignore it. But as the week progressed, it was harder and harder not to engage as the news spread to CSJ, Brownstoner, and Curbed.
For the record, I have never been to Happier Grocery. I’ve only read a profile a few months ago about one of its owners, the real estate developer, Dawson Stellberger.
“ Dawson Stellberger spent the past two decades in real estate and is the founder of Bushwack Capital, a real estate development firm that owns commercial properties in Bushwick, Brooklyn.”
(Note: I just learned he is gut-renovating a house just off Smith St. formerly owned by a woman, who recently died of old-age, and used to tell incredible stories about growing up in what was then just called Red Hook).
Two things concern me. First, we already have 10 or so supermarkets (Key Foods (2), Union Market, TJ's, Dumbo Market, KY Produce, Mr. Beets, and on and on) within less than a mile of each other.
Second, I’m concerned about what one realtor called the “luxury-ification” of Brooklyn. With more stores/lifestyle brands (Happier makes clear it’s more about creating an “exclusive” community than its food) catering to wealthier people, how can this not have a ripple effect on rents, housing and who can afford to live in our corner of Brooklyn?
Don’t forget, the City wants to build thousands of luxury apartments as part of the controversial Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment plan on our waterfront. This is about so much more than a new grocery store.
The news about Happier Grocery could not have happened at a worse time. Did you see the headlines this week about a new income and wage inequality report from NYC Comptroller’s office?
How Much Richer can NYC’s Rich Get? (HellGate)
“Bottom 90% of New Yorkers' Incomes Stagnate as Very Richest See Huge Gains Since COVID” (The City Reporter).
TREE NERDS!
Some levity, please!
Now you can see which type of trees are in your neighborhood with this satellite map. You’ll also see how desperately NYC needs more trees. Don’t forget to read my story (post #5) about how our trees don’t always like dog pee with local tree guy and now CHA president, Louis Cox.
And for the nerdier tree nerds:
Tree Tour of Governor’s Island: Sept. 12th @ 11:30 and 1:00 PM
Tree Counts 2026: “a once-in-a-decade opportunity to help gather critical information on our city trees and having fun while doing it!” Sign up for parks around NYC (Red Hook on 9/15) or join PineappleRides.
HOUSEKEEPING…
I included this link in a recent post, but forgot to attach this petition demanding immediate mitigation measures.
“We are outraged that New York State agencies under your leadership have failed to safeguard the school community from documented toxic chemical threats in our indoor air for two and a half years, even though those same agencies determined that soil vapor intrusion mitigation was mandated.”
OTHER BK NEWS
Where did the Italians of Carroll Gardens Go? (Curbed). I have not read this yet, but it’s on my weekend reads.
NY Can Build More Housing without Shutting the Community Out- This opinion piece is not about the controversial Brooklyn Marine Terminal, but the argument mirrors what residents here have been making since the NYCEDC first introduced its proposed waterfront redevelopment plan.
“Planning cannot be something government does to communities instead of with them. Local residents carry valuable knowledge that can’t be matched by planners sitting in a central office. They know best which streets flood, which schools are overcrowded, and which institutions hold the community together. Government must do the hard work of engaging them rather than taking shortcuts to impose a vision of development on them. Efficiency cannot become uniformity. Good planning begins by understanding these differences, not pretending they don’t exist.”
From BK Heights Newsletter writer: Ikea’s New Art-Infused Konstrunda Collection Just Dropped.”
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Monday, Sept. 7th, 2:00 PM-10:00 PM | Labor Day Live at Time out Market. Reserve a spot. “Say goodbye to summer with an unforgettable day of music, dancing, cocktails, and breathtaking NYC skyline views at Time Out Market New York's Labor Day Dance Party Marathon!”
Monday, Sept. 7th @ 7:00 PM | Join the Sons of the American Revolution for “The 250th Commemoration and Wreath Laying Ceremony to honor the Turtle operation of the American Revolution.” If you were one of the 80 people who joined PortSide NewYork and Friends of Fort Defiance last weekend for its American Revolution events, you won’t want to miss this one at Valentino Park in Red Hook for another fascinating piece of forgotten history.
In 1776, the American Turtle was the first submarine used in war, not far from Red Hook. It was a one-person, human-powered craft designed to attach an underwater time bomb to an enemy vessel, according to RedHook Waterstories.
Tuesday, September 8th, 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Crescent Bakes is hosting a free bread tasting at Cobble Hill CSA / Christ Church, 326 Clinton St with samples of naturally fermented sourdough loaves, French baguettes,, and focaccia slices.
Wednesday, September 9th, 6:00 - 7:00 PM | Priya Parker, The Art of Fighting with America Ferrera. Waitlist only! $
“We say we want community. Successful teams. High-performing colleagues and workplaces. Dynamic friend groups. Yet many of us don’t understand the crucial element we need to forge long-lasting communities in our lives: healthy conflict.
In The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker explains that we can’t form and grow effective relationships without a fight.” (Books are Magic)
Thursday, September 10th - NYC schools start!
Thursday, September 10th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM | opening reception at Plant486 for Sybil Gallagher’s solo show. 486 Court St
Friday, September 11th - Mamdani’s recent EO for a moment of silence on this day
Saturday, September 19th, 1:00 - 4:00 PM | “In celebration of back-to-school season, join us on our Hoyt Open Street for an afternoon of fun. There will be crafts, coloring, and literacy games thanks to Read718, author and artist Melanie Hope Greenberg, and The Brooklyn Public Library. We will also have a free book giveaway courtesy of Brooklyn Book Bodega, come pick up your next favorite read. The Hands on Project joins us for a one-of-a-kind activity exploring the art and expression of textiles (register here). All of our events are free, for all ages, and open to the public.”
Thanks for reading! JLH