Hey Brklyndave, I say screw them all. Every person on here who says otherwise is a TOOL.

Posted by: ando at April 25, 2009 3:02 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

ando, Brklyndave specifically asked about what the "etiquette" was and we answered him -- do you understand the definition of the word?. People in CG sit outside on their stoops and talk to their neighbors all the time, but they don't grill there. We're answering his question -- if he doesn't care about etiquette he can certainly go ahead and grill, but then why did he even bother to ask the question?

Posted by: CGfan at April 25, 2009 3:43 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

I don't live in CG but live in Bensonhurst. I was pretty pissed off last year when a few houses down from us decided to grill in their front porch. Worse of all, all of us have an awning in our porch. The smoke would travel sideway instead of up. By the time I realized the morons was grilling in the front, the smell of charcoal was got into my house already. They have a backyard, I don't understand why they didn't grill there instead.

Posted by: zuffy at April 25, 2009 5:40 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

Thanks all for your comments. As per my initial leaning we probably won't be grilling in our front yard. However as I type on this 80+ degree day I smell charcoal from two neighboring backyards -- is it annoying? Mildly. If anyone here wants to take a stab explaining the difference (real or perceived) between front and backyard laws and or etiquette regarding this issue, I'm all ears. The only difference I see is that backyard activities afford some privacy.

Posted by: bklyndave at April 25, 2009 10:23 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

zuffy: if you don't like the guys grilling in frontyard and if the guys look like would not listen to your asking them nicely. I would go with plan (b): call 311 and report a grill which is too close to the structure. Firemen will arrive and write them a ticket. firemen proly will not even get out of the truck: it is right there next to the road.

Posted by: bobjohn at April 26, 2009 1:33 AM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

I was maybe a little snarky yesterday. A little. Basically, there's privacy, yes, but there's also general tidiness. But also there is no accounting for some people.

My aunt lives in a subdivision that has rules against hanging laundry in your backyard, or in your garage if you leave the door open.
My roommate in college was always fixing cars on the lawn. The neighbors were not fans of this practice at all.

I can appreciate the neighbors who hated Steve's Cadillac dissembly, but do not understand the laundry thing at all. Aunt lives in the dessert, even. So you have to use a dryer even though your clothes will dry in seconds on the line. That is offensive to me.

Posted by: serpentor at April 26, 2009 10:24 AM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

This is hilarious. With the good weather, pretty much every family in Bushwick has been living on their stoop all weekend, grilling, the kids on scooters running back and forth in front of the house, and speakers blasting music out the window. This is the New York way. People do a lot of stoop sitting in Carroll Gardens too. Check President St. near the BQE if you want to see some grilling. The six families without back yards are more likely. It's nicer to do it in the front where it won't go in people's windows than in the back yard where it will anyway.

Posted by: mopar at April 27, 2009 12:03 AM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

why not just ask your next door neighbors if they mind?
i think as long as it's not going on all day all night and
your respectful about it. People in CG use their front
yards for socializing plenty.

Posted by: CGmodern at April 27, 2009 11:54 AM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

Why not just try it and see what reaction you get? If your neighbors are seemingly racist, certainly nimfys like jfss, then it should be quite a 'fun' experience.

Posted by: MAT at April 27, 2009 1:00 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

mopar, i was thinking the same thing! it's cute that the OP cares enough to ask, but can you imagine the looks on the faces of our neighbors if somebody said to them "did you ask your neighbors if it was okay to grill out here?" :D

it's way easier to ask forgiveness than seek permission right? life is too short to sit around and worry about theoretical worrywarts who are grimly sitting indoors on a nice day, looking for something to whine about (and yes, sometimes it annoys me too).

Posted by: Jimmy Legs at April 27, 2009 1:26 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette

I was in your shoes several years ago on Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights. Decided to go for it but used a small gas grill to limit the charcoal smell. It worked great when I grilled low fat meats like chicken, but when there were burgers on you could see the noxious smoke cloud all the way down the block. Nonetheless, never had a problem with the neighbors as I only did it about 1x/month and offered beers to any neighbors who popped by the check out what was going on. I say try it and gauge the reaction.

Posted by: bklyndoug at April 27, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Front yard grilling etiquette