Hey Neighbors -
Happy Saturday. Last weekend a n’orester, this weekend a high of 70. What the heck Mother Nature?
I’m still looking for more of my loyal readers to upgrade to $6 a month, or even better, $6 a week! I finally redesigned my upgrade page (it still needs some work) to be more user friendly, so you should definitely check it out!
Post #54: Seen and Heard this week: Octavia Coffee/Dolce; BK Workspaces: Gossip Girl XOXO; What are you Reading? Mr. Mayor, please get our dirty trucks off our roads, Mark your Calendar.
Lots to discuss. Happy reading!
SEEN AND HEARD THIS WEEK
Dolce on Union St; Octavia Coffee and Clinton/Atlantic
Sad news to hear Dolce will serve its last scoops today after 10 years on Union St. Check out @dolcebrooklyn for where you can still buy its gelato. Phew.
Last Saturday, a slab of concrete collapsed into what’s called a sidewalk fault, underground space located beneath the public sidewalk, in front of the entrance to Octavia Coffee on Court St. According to the Department of Buildings, “a wooden support for metal angle irons has rotted.”
A friend walking by at the time, along with a regular customer I spoke with, said two people were involved in the collapse.
“I walked in about 15 seconds before the woman and girl fell in,” said a person on Reddit. “They were both fine, just very shaken up.”
On Thursday, the DOB posted a “Vacate” sign in the cafe’s window, “These conditions have rendered this area as dangerous to enter or occupy.” The realtor next door to Octavia also has a similar sign.
On Wednesday, a gas leak forced the evacuation of an apartment building on the southeast corner of Clinton/Atlantic. A reliable source told me someone assumed either the gas line was either dead or the valve was off, and cut the line in half. Neither was true. A resident, who ran upstairs to his apartment to get his two cats after coming home from the gym to his evacuated building, said his stove had stopped working the night before and wondered if the two were connected.
BK WORKSPACES: GOSSIP GIRL XOXO
Cecily von Ziegesar writes at her daughter’s desk/office in the CSW n’hood; some of GG book series and GG Psycho Killer (who knew?!)
In the early 2000s, Gossip Girl provided a delicious escape from my network news job. Every week I was transported into a never-never land that couldn't have been further from my high school experience and honestly didn't resemble much/anything of my life at the time. The over-the-top fashionable ensembles, the clever, conspiring characters, the filthy wealth, just about all of it.
Of course, Dan Humphrey, the hip Brooklyn character who never quite meshed with his UES classmates, was my favorite. Humphrey reminded me of a real Brooklyn boy, a college crush of mine who was way cooler than everyone else, attended private school (St. Anne’s), and became an artist (Humphrey’s dad’s character was an artist in the show).
So imagine learning that Cecily von Ziegesar, the creator of the Gossip Girl universe, lived in my Brooklyn neighborhood with our kids attending the same school.
“Usually people are like, 'Wait, there are books?” Most people only know about the show,” said Cecily when I asked her what people typically say when they learn she’s the author of the Gossip Girl book series. Count me as one of those people - I knew nothing about the books, only the show based on her books.
It took me years to work up the nerve to ask her about any of this. I’m not sure why, to be honest, since I liked the show, but I wasn't obsessed or an aficionado; I’m not even sure I watched the last few seasons.
I guess I assumed everyone wanted to talk to Cecily about Gossip Girl, and I didn’t want to be that person. And who knew, maybe deep down she was more like Blair or Serena than she appeared, even though I already knew this wasn’t true.
“I’m so unglamorous!” she told me when I gave her a taste of how I was framing my story about her. Even so, “I knew the world, as it was then,” she said.
That world is the Upper East Side and her elite, all-girls prep school that she went to starting in first grade. She even had a friend named Blair (the only similarities are their names).
To set a teenage drama in NYC was unheard of at the time. Most YA books, she told me, were set in quaint but unremarkable imaginary suburbs, which Cecily knew nothing about.
When I heard Cecily was writing a new Gossip Girl book, it had been years since we talked about the series (we have talked about her other books). Though at some point I found myself texting Cecily pictures of whichever Gossip Girl book my daughter was devouring that week to make sure it was age-appropriate.
We had some ground rules: Cecily could tell me only three things about the new book. The title, Blair, her age (40), and the year it takes place (2026). “That’s all I can say.”
Though none of the characters are based on Cecily herself, she does have a fondness for Blair. “There’s a lot of me in Blair. A vivid imagination, mostly. I’ve always maintained I’m Gossip Girl, a little snarky, whimsical, and like expounding on random things.”
Why do we need another Gossip Girl book 20 years later? I think people really miss it! They are nostalgic for it. It was a really good show with satirical, edgy humor. It was very New York. I’m not sure there’s been anything like it, especially shot in NYC.
Note: Just check out the r/Gossipgirl to get a taste of the potential market for another book/show.
Whose idea was the book? Last year, Alloy Entertainment (formerly 17th Street Productions, where Cecily worked as an editor and developed the Gossip Girl books) approached me to do the book. They didn’t have a concept. I wanted to do a book about Blair, and they allowed me to go nuts.
Why Blair? She is the best character from the books. So much fun to write about.
Draft of “Blair” on Cecily’s computer; a gift from her agent
How did you prepare to write Blair’s character again? I re-read all (11) of the original books. A weird undertaking, but it was also so much fun. I laughed out loud at my own writing and stayed up late to finish my own books, which is a little insane.
Who did you have in mind when writing Blair, the show or book fans? I didn’t want people to read this book and say, ‘this didn’t happen!’ It’s a weird amalgamation of the books and the show. I don’t think people will be dissatisfied.
Should we expect a new Blair show or film? No TV or film deal yet but it would be very fun if it was a limited TV series with Leighton Meester and some of the other original cast members. Here’s hoping.
Pub. date: summer 2027.
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
September best-sellers from Liz’s Book Bar on Smith St.
Single? Love books? Looking to date? Check out Liz’s Book Crush event below.
HEY MR. MAYOR, HELP US GET DIRTY TRUCKS OFF OUR ROADS
mural on Atlantic/Columbia featuring our working waterfront
I’ve been straight with you since I first launched Ward 6: I want NYC to stop and rethink its “vision plan” to redevelop the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which is just blocks from where most of us live. This is not about housing/no housing, port/no port, parks/no parks - though I have my personal opinions.
This is about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design/construct a Brooklyn-worthy waterfront for us and future generations. And this “plan” is not that, but it could be.
Even though creating a modern port is the City’s #1 goal for this project, we hear little about its plans for it other than rehabilitating its dilapidated piers and buying a new electric crane. For a mayor who’s a master at creating viral videos to sell his agenda, these are not great selling points to get the public excited about it’s #1 goal.
And then there is this — instead of enlarging the port, the city has proposed shrinking it and building 30 luxury apartment towers, among many things. Ask anyone who works at a working waterfront; luxury housing and a 24/7 noisy port do not make good neighbors.
If you live in Cobble Hill or Carroll Gardens, as I do, you probably haven’t had much opportunity to learn about our working waterfront just south of Brooklyn Bridge Park. I only started to learn about it when the BMT project was announced.
This is why community groups and our elected officials brought together three maritime SMEs (Jim Tampakis/Marine Spares Int’l, Phaedra Thomas/BK Industrial Expert/former ED SBIDC, Geoff Uttmark/TransTech/ShipShares ) this week to talk about what is possible at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and why it’s critical to prioritize a working Brooklyn waterfront and then talk about parks, housing, hotels, and everything else.
“We should not start with a predetermined real estate plan and then try to fit a working port around it. We should start by asking what it will take to build a modern competitive marine terminal, move more freight by water, create good union jobs, and reduce the burden of truck traffic and pollution on our community (Cong. Nydia Velazquez).”
Given that NYC is the world’s economic epicenter and the amount of goods passing through our city is expected to almost double, the panel all agreed that the only responsible decision for NYC is to move more freight onto the 520 miles of waterfront that surrounds our city.
“We have a historic opportunity to move more freight by water instead of continuing to funnel nearly everything onto trucks, bridges, tunnels, and our already congested streets.”
WHY TALK ABOUT A WORKING WATERFRONT:
The Brooklyn Marine Terminal is the last working waterfront in New York City.
2 ½ million packages are delivered daily in NYC; 90% are delivered by, on average, 16-year-old trucks spewing dirty particulate matter.
In the next 30 years, NYC is expected to spend $27 billion to upgrade our roads and highways.
Unless the city invests in the BMT, goods bound for NYC, including our homes in BK, will continue being shipped to NJ by barge from Red Hook and then delivered by trucks back to the five boroughs!
We have 438 million tons of goods and freight coming into what's called the Northeast region, in which NYC is in the middle. By 2055, that number will grow by almost 50%.
Check out this cool animation illustrating how to move goods by water.
“The current vision raises serious questions about whether the port is being cut down to make room for primarily market-rate houses and whether dense residential development alongside a 24-hour working terminal could ultimately undermine the maritime activity we claim we want to preserve.”
OTHER BK NEWS
Red Hook Star-Review: The Cobble Hill Tree Fund is helping Grow Brooklyns Urban Forest
More reporting on Mamdani’s BQE proposed plan. The question is whether he can broker his proposal, which includes ideas that stakeholders under other mayoral administrations have rejected in the past (Streetblogs).
You’ll never guess how much money the World Cup delivered to NYC.
More Than a Cafe: Refugees Launch Careers at Emma’s Torch from Carroll Gardens Times.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Today and tomorrow, 10-7:00 PM/ 6:00 PM | sample sale at The Delta with Indi + Ash, Nymane, M. Patmos, Sayaka Davis. 210 Court St.
Today, 12:00 –3:00 PM - Free Store filled with donated, lightly used housewares and clothing. 110 W 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
“The Free Store is built on the belief that we all have needs and we all have something to contribute. When only those in need attend, it can reinforce divisions between “givers” and “receivers.” When everyone participates, we create a space rooted in dignity and collective care. The goal is not charity, but solidarity: recognizing that our well-being is connected and that we are stronger when we support one another. The Free Store belongs to all of us, and its success depends on all of us.”
Sunday, October 4th, 3:00 to 7:00 pm |The first-ever Cobble Hill Community Potluck to bring neighbors together to share a meal at a communal table on Verandah Place. Sit with family, friends, or perfect strangers – come solo or organize a group. Everyone is welcome. Bring food and drinks. Please RSVP here to help us have a sense of numbers.
Tuesday, October 6th, 5:30 - 8:30 PM | Support American Tributaries, a nonprofit founded by Col. St. Waterfront resident dedicated to reducing political polarization by organizing and funding trips for high school students to the south. $$ Community Wine and Spirits, 140 10th Ave.
Tuesday, October 6, 7–8 PM | Confused about Mayor Mamdani’s BQE announcement? The Department of Transportation is hosting two virtual Q&A sessions:
“Where members of the public can learn more about the proposed rehabilitation, the environmental review process, and upcoming opportunities to provide input. We invite you to review the Project Materials.”
Registration: bit.ly/bqecentral-oct6. A second session will take place later this month.
And DOT will also be available at the A Atlantic Antic between Clinton and Henry.
More info: Streetblogs; Ward6: traffic conundrum of the BMT/BQE ;
Wednesday, October 7th, 10 AM - another inconveniently timed BMT meeting for community members to observe, not talk, BMT Advisory Task Force meeting.
Thursday, October 8th, 7:30 - 10:00PM | Book Crush: Singles Social at Liz’s Book Bar. For ages 20-40.
Friday, October 9th, 7:00 to 9:00pm |As part of Red Hook Open Studios: Come see Rusty Zimmerman’s Free Portrait Project: Red Hook paintings on opening night @ Strong Rope Brewery, 185 Van Dyke St - enter via Barnell Street alley. Food trucks and a DJ!
Strong Rope will show all 50 portraits and recorded oral history excerpts throughout the month of October. If you miss the exhibit, the portraits and interviews will live on in PortSide’s virtual museum www.redhookwaterstories.org. Come meet participants.
Thursday, October 15th - 18th |6:00 - 8:00 PM, The Living Botanical Gallery with floral artist Melissa Adams , including her large installations and seasonal flower ideas in person on Th, Sat- Sunday (12-6:00 pm). Tarot and astrology friends will also be giving insight on the fall season. “I love creating arrangements that transition from fresh to dried, incorporating branches and botanicals that last beyond a single moment,” Adams @electricladyflorals.
Thanks for reading! JLH
