The description of the Bed-Stuy house says "the beautiful Tompkins Park...in close proximity." This house is just about as far from Tompkins Park as you can be in Bed-Stuy. Other parks are a lot closer!

Posted by: rf at November 20, 2009 8:15 PM in response to Open House Picks

The dryers will work much, much, MUCH better when they are vented.

Posted by: rf at November 20, 2009 8:05 PM in response to Dryer Venting Help

This area is in District 13, which includes several well-thought-of elementary schools. Two years ago we lived in a block zoned for PS56 and my daughter had friends that attended the school. From what I saw of what they were doing in school, I didn't recommend it then. We had friends on our block who sent their son to PS3 (Franklin and Jefferson) and they were very happy with it.

It's still possible to get a variance to attend other District 13 schools such as PS11 (Greene and Waverly) or PS9 (Prospect Heights) even if you are not in their zone. We have friends who live in Crown Heights, not in District 13, who were offered a seat in both schools for their Kindergarten-age son last year.

We looked at IS113 three years ago for my daughter and decided against it--she went to a Manhattan elementary school and had other options. She would have been literally the only (or one of 2 or 3) East Asian kid and that made her uncomfortable. But there's a new middle school opening next year in Ft. Greene that looks very promising.

Posted by: rf at November 17, 2009 11:25 AM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

Rf- Thanks for the info. I've still been trying to find the darn things.

Did they ask for proof of residence? Jersey isn't even trying to act like they're getting them. NY seems to be making an effort at least.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at November 16, 2009 12:15 PM

THL,

You can make up an address. They checked NOTHING. My daughter's race is different from mine and there was no problem. They give you a very basic form to fill out. On the back there are a few (10?) very basic medical history questions. You can download the form and fill it out at home. Here's a link for the download and weekend clinic locations:
http://nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/html/schools/vaccination.shtml

They have the single-dose, non-Thimerisol vaccine for pregnant women. These clinics are 9-6 Saturday and 9-5 Sunday, at various schools in all 5 boroughs. I haven't heard anything about lines at any of them. You just show up, fill out the forms, get your shot (or inhaled dose but not for a pregnant woman), wait 15 mins just in case you have a reaction, and go. I have asthma so fit the criteria but I've heard that they are taking healthy adults as well (someone i know went via car service and the car service driver stayed to get the shot), and one woman I know about got the shot despite the fact that she is over 64 so not within the target group.

Posted by: rf at November 16, 2009 12:29 PM in response to Open Thread

rf, can you, someone, ANYone explain to me why they have to be over the age of 4?? I have a 2 year old who remains unvaccinated. Falls into some weird crack in the system. The pediatrician doesn't have it for him as he isn't considered high priority, and I can't get him vaxed at the City sites because he's not yet 4! I don't like it.

Posted by: Nokilissa at November 16, 2009 9:56 AM

I heard that it's because they don't have the dosage for babies and toddlers, which is different than for kids 4 and up.

These clinics were originally intended for middle- and high school kids--elementary school kids were given the shot (if their parents consented, and less than half did) in their schools. But the mission, so to speak, was expanded.

I've heard you can get them for babies in various city clinics. I just found this via nyc.gov:
http://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/FluPublic/searchByBoro.do
If you click on the individual sites, some take babies.

Good luck!

Posted by: rf at November 16, 2009 12:12 PM in response to Open Thread

My 13.5-y.0. and I got our h1n1 shots at the city's weekend clinic at a public school in Bushwick. Quick, easy, free! Filled out a brief form for each of us. No waiting, no hassle, everyone was very mellow. They are giving the shots to:

Pregnant women

Anyone 4 years through 24 years of age

People 25 through 64 who have underlying health conditions that increase risk of severe illness or complications. These underlying conditions include asthma, diabetes, chronic heart and lung conditions, kidney failure or a weakened immune system.

Anyone who lives with or cares for children less than 6 months old

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/html/home/home.shtml

They will suggest a weekend site according to your zip code but you don't have to go to that one. (The one recommended for our zip, 11216, is the one at Wingate H.S. in a couple of weeks, but the Bushwick one was easier for us and ran last weekend.)

Posted by: rf at November 16, 2009 9:53 AM in response to Open Thread

Or the B69

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 4:56 PM in response to Open Thread

Washington D.C. has the strictest gun laws in the country, some of which have been found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Washington D.C ALSO has one of the highest murder rates in the country and is commonly known as the "murder capital of the U.S."

Posted by: the Magnificent Arturo Bandini at November 11, 2009 3:36 PM

OK, I was going to google, but do it yourself. I wouldn't want to confuse you with the facts.

Washington D.C.'s gun law was very new, a first attempt. Wash. D.C. didn't even have home rule until recently.

From the Post article:
Following New York in the lower crime rates for big cities were San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

I believe that Detroit is the murder capital.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 4:11 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

quote:
Rob - There's a Chuckie Cheese in Atlantic Ctr. Wanna go?

only if i get to dive into the big vat of balls!!!

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at November 11, 2009 10:35 AM

Rob,

The original ball pit is at Ikea. But you need someone posing as your mom to sign you in.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 3:39 PM in response to 'Nationally Known' Restaurants May Land in 345 Adams

If the store-owners and responsible adults were allowed to carry guns punk kids would think twice before pulling a gun out in a crowd. Notice how in places gun laws are the strictest there are the most shootings, it's always easier to shoot unarmed people.

Posted by: the Magnificent Arturo Bandini at November 11, 2009 2:58 PM

This is so not true. NYC has far less violent crime than other big cities.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/ny_safest_of_all_big_cities_KwpQPtSU9ivJn69UinZMWM

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

As for target in brooklyn, it's their highest grossing store per square foot in the nation. There is no reason to hire good people or fill the shelves.

Posted by: DeLepp at November 11, 2009 2:23 PM

Except that of course they could sell a lot more stuff if the shelves were stocked (and if they had enough cashiers to take money!). Then they'd be even higher grossing and presumably they would make more money. What's the sense of having the stuff if you can't sell it?

Thanks, Snappy, for the stock tag trick. It's a shame that most of the scanners are broken.

I agree with Biff. I like the one at the Junction a lot better. Just a bus ride in a different direction from Bed-Stuy. And it's in an equally disgusting and un-shopper-friendly mall, but with fewer other shopping options. And the one in Queens on the way to the Whitestone Bridge (20th Ave. exit on the Whitestone Expressway) is even better.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 2:38 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

RF, the way i hear it they keep the shelves less stocked in that Target to control inventory. Not creating demand but being able to track what is stolen vs bought. We have all heard that Target is #1 in sales per SF, but i have also heard its #1 in employee and outside theft.

Posted by: douche31 at November 11, 2009 1:33 PM

I'd be interested in knowing where you heard this, and with what degree of credibility.

Seems pretty stupid not to have the inventory so they can't sell it. Why bother to have a store?

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 1:36 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Every New Year's eve hundreds of thousands of people, including teens gather in Times Square. There has been very little trouble over the years. So crowd size really isn't what caused the problem. It's a combination of things, like a perfect storm. But if I were Bw3, I would can the .40 wing night.And the mall should be paying for upping the security. NYPD shouldn't have to police a mob of kids for a chicken wing promotion for a private business. What's Bw3's responsibility in all this?

Posted by: bxgrl at November 11, 2009 1:16 PM

Well, yeah, there are thousands of cops getting double-time-and-a-half overtime, and they search them all, throw away all the bottles and other forms of alcohol or weapons, and put them in little corrals just like cattle in the slaughterhouse, starting at 6 p.m. I don't think that works for a spontaneous gathering of teens on a balmy November night in Ft. Greene/Atlantic Mall.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 1:33 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Sure, it plays a role, but I don't see how it can be prevented.

Were you ever a teenager? Teenagers like to congregate!

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 1:05 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Minard, the police have already said that this was a group of teen agers from all over the borough and none of the shooters was from the area. This has very little to do with FG and alot to do with the Atlantic Center Mall and the lack of security that apparently prevailed there.

Posted by: wasder at November 11, 2009 12:43 PM

But wasder, not that I'm a big fan of Atlantic Mall (NOT!), but what are they to do? If they refuse to admit teens, the teens will spill out to the street.

It's like the Target problem: it's always out of stock of many items because it sells so much stuff that they can't keep enough of it around.

It's very inconvenient that all the entrances to Atlantic Mall on the weekend are on the Flatbush-Atlantic side, but I am sure the people who live between Hanson Place and Fulton St. are glad.

There's no way to prevent teens from wanting to congregate. And it's unrealistic to think that they won't congregate in a public place from 6-8 on a balmy November night when there's no school the next day. I'm sure the new bookstore will not like it if the teens pick their place as the next meet-and-greet stop!

I confess to letting my 13.5-yr-old meet friends around there. (the Guitar Center! Quelle horreur!) We'll have to have a talk about marauding bands of teens.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 12:52 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Over the weekend, there were thousands of scary teenagers, many black, roaming FG. I guess they weren't randomly roaming, they were actually in the hood to take the specialized high school test at Tech.

A question for ya. How do you differentiate the weekend test taking crowd from Tuesdays crowd? 13-15.. mostly black... packs of males... similarly attired...

Posted by: Colonel Steve Austin at November 11, 2009 12:24 PM

LOL, Colonel Steve Austin.

My daughter took the test at Stuy because she goes to middle school in Manhattan. I could say the same about roaming gangs of Chinese teens! And you should have seen how many were surging across West St. to the Warren St. Barnes & Noble afterward [waiting for their parents].

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 12:29 PM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

It was a half-day for elementary school. The half-day for middle school is next Tuesday and the half day for high school was on October 30 (day before Halloween!).

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:57 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

quote:
True, and, in reality, only the innocent people trying to get to work are the ones being inconvenienced. A terrorist with bombs would be just as happy to go to another station or wait it out until the cops leave. That is why the searches are so assinine!

not really because if the terrorist refuses a bag search and goes to another station, i can guarantee you that most likely that suspected terrorist is going to be followed and tracked wherever he/she is going next.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at November 11, 2009 11:49 AM

Rob,

I think you are watching too much TV and drawing too many conclusions about what the police actually do. We live in NYC, not CSI-NY or Law and Order.

If I were planning to carry a bomb onto a subway train and I approached the door of a subway station and saw police officers sitting at a folding table examining backpacks, I would not enter the station. Duh!

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:55 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Report from the precinct:

http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/nypd-shooting-injuries-not-life-threatening/

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:44 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

A terrorist with bombs would be just as happy to go to another station or wait it out until the cops leave. That is why the searches are so assinine!

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 11, 2009 11:33 AM

How many bombs are prevented by the cops in cars at the entrance to every bridge and in a little booth at the entrance/exit of every subway tunnel that goes through the river?

Lots and lots of overtime there. Our tax dollars at work.

Yeah, that'll stop em!

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:36 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

From other accounts, including people who i was talking to on the street, this was a BIG planned event that had different groups roaming the mall and the area for a while waiting for someone to make the first move.

http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/shooting-on-fulton/

Posted by: turophile at November 11, 2009 11:20 AM

Didn't any of you ever see West Side Story???

There's gonna be a rumble...tonight!

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:31 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

47th street is probably the safest street in all of NYC.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 11, 2009 10:52 AM

Perhaps because it has no interest whatsoever to teens looking for a good time!

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 11:00 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

stop and searches? What gives the police the right to stop and search somebody? What conditions would allow an officer to do that?

Posted by: bitter_bubble_buyer at November 11, 2009 9:27 AM

http://www.nyclu.org/node/1598

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 10:34 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

That is all I am saying and if you are a parent that really isn't concerned about the where your kids are,then you shouldn't have become a parent. Period

Posted by: mysideofstuy at November 11, 2009 10:20 AM

Well, it's a little late for that if they are teens.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 10:22 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

It was not a school night. There's no school today (Veteran's Day). The weather was balmy, maybe for the last time before winter. No school tomorrow. The wings place is a restaurant, not just a bar. 700 subway lines and bus lines converge within 2 blocks of the scene of the crime. Student metrocards work until 8:30 p.m.; if you got on the subway at 8:25, you have until 10:25 to get on the bus (or vice versa).

If you were growing up in the burbs where mommy or daddy had to pick you up in the car and take you home, they had a lot more control over your comings and goings. I got into plenty of trouble in the burbs and I always called to tell Mom and Dad where I was; had an afterschool job; I always did my homework too.

Posted by: rf at November 11, 2009 10:16 AM in response to Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene

Snappy, Ikea's the place:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/15929/

Posted by: rf at November 10, 2009 11:20 AM in response to Open Thread

Sav-on-5th is not as cheap as it used to be! But they certainly have a great selection, logically priced.

Ikea might work. I really love their frying pans, lots of kitchen stuff for excellent prices, excellent quality. Never bought a cookie sheet there though.

Also, at Target the $1.00/$2.50 racks sometimes have good cooking and baking stuff. I just scored 2 silocone scrapers with wood handles for $2.50--so what if one of them has snowmen imprinted on it?

I was in a Key Food in Bed-Stuy yesterday and spotted a sale sign for 100 paper plates (the cheapo scallopped kind) for $1.69. I grabbed the package underneath the sign and it scanned at $2.99. The manager said that's because this one has 150 plates, and brought a 100-plate package that scanned for $3.99. He finally found the right one--they are 100 MICROWAVE-SAFE paper plates for the right price. Oh those sales!

Posted by: rf at November 10, 2009 11:03 AM in response to Open Thread

My daugher was 25 lbs. (23 months) when I adopted her--no papoose carrier for me! And too young to be trusted on foot, especially if one wanted to go anywhere. And she took naps--much easier in the stroller than carrying or dragging.

A lot of parents use back carriers at that age but I always worried that I'd drop her trying to get her in and out.

The whole baby equipment world has changed (and has gotten MUCH more expensive) than 11 years ago when I became a parent.

Newborns need their own set of equipment, all of which becomes obsolete within a year or so.

I think NJ strollers are cleaner than Brooklyn strollers because they are used less, just for a stroll in the mall rather than many hours on the street! Mine was definitely disgusting.

Posted by: rf at November 9, 2009 5:10 PM in response to Open Thread

What about the one with the Tribeca loft and divorce?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/garden/05divorce.html

Posted by: rf at November 9, 2009 2:39 PM in response to Open Thread

THL, I loved my Maclaren (at least once I learned how to fold it, lol!). But I was starting with a 25-lb. 23-month-old (adopted). I waited a month or so to replace the $7 toys-r-us stroller I took to China; by then I knew what I needed.

Of course my father almost had a heart attack when I told him I spent $175 on a stroller! But the new $1g models are really too much.

I don't know how much schlepping you do in NJ; the Maclaren was great for the kind of subway stuff I did in Brooklyn. But with a newborn, she'll outgrow it before she's a year old and then you'll get what you need.

I really don't understand this recall. They said something about an amputation risk for children--I know A LOT of people who used Maclarens and never heard of any such amputation.

The other day my daughter (13.5) told me that she had a lot of trouble folding the stroller when she was babysitting this past summer. I told her that every mom I know has a crisis the first time they try to take the bus and the driver tells them they have to fold the stroller before they can come aboard. It certainly happened to me!

Posted by: rf at November 9, 2009 2:36 PM in response to Open Thread

I usually take the bus or train to downtown Brooklyn or Ft. Greene except at night when I drive.

I am fearful of bike riding; sorry but I just don't want to go splat. I'm a single mom. My daughter wants to bike-ride but I am inclined to say no. (She's 13.5.)

I travel against the rush hour traffic so it's pretty easy with very few traffic jams. If we are running late, I drive my daughter to middle school (20 min vs. 35 min. on the train and on foot: A train from Nostrand to Borough Hall; F train to East Broadway; walk 5 blocks south on Madison to Catherie, 2 blocks east on Catherine) on the Lower East Side then to Delancey to the Williamsburg Bridge, then to the BQE, etc. When we lived in Clinton Hill and she went to school in central Chinatown it took 15 mins in the car and 40 mins on the train.

After many failed experiments, I can now get off the highway and make my way through the streets from any exit but it usually takes longer that way. Coming home I get off at Metropolitan Ave. and go down Union Ave. to Harrison to Tompkins to Hancock to Marcy. But it took a long time before I could find my way through Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Posted by: rf at November 7, 2009 11:44 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

RF -- Did you even touch a highway to go between Bed-Stuy and Jackson Heights? Sounds like you're creating a beautiful red herring here....

Posted by: tybur6 at November 6, 2009 11:10 PM

Marcy Ave. to Monroe St. to Classon Ave. to BQE (past Williamsburg Bridge merge then over Kosciusko Bridge, past LIE interchange) to Broadway/37th Ave. exit; 37th Ave. to 85th St. to 34th Ave. to 86th St.

I can take Marcy to Madison St. to Bushwick Ave. to the Jackie Robinson Parkway to Grand Central Parkway to Northern Blvd. to 86th St., but it takes longer.

Posted by: rf at November 7, 2009 6:09 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

OK, Epiphany, if you agree to wake my daughter up and make sure she leaves for school on time, and then come home and make her dinner, I would love to have 140 minutes to read on the subway and bus, vs. less than an hour in the car.

I do miss my subway reading time. And yes, I read a lot of NY Times, novels, and I even did plenty of Sudoku waiting for the G train.

Posted by: rf at November 6, 2009 9:55 PM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

I used to take the bus and train between Bed Stuy and Jackson Heights to and from work. It took about 70 mins. 20-25 mins in the car.

Posted by: rf at November 6, 2009 5:07 PM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

It is not just a bridge over a creek; it also includes the interchange between the Long Island Expressway just east of the Midtown Tunnel and the BQE just north of the Williamsburg Bridge. Do any of you ever drive to Queens???

Most of the backups on the current bridge are related to the interchange and related merges.

If there were no bridge, gigantic trucks would be driving through many Brooklyn neighborhoods at street level.

Posted by: rf at November 6, 2009 11:03 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

That is lovely and if we manage to see it completed before I'm retired I'll assume Guliani became Gov and managed to clean up albany.

Posted by: DeLepp at November 6, 2009 9:14 AM

Will that be before or after Kerik gets out of jail?

Posted by: rf at November 6, 2009 9:21 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

I was once at the corner of Baxter and Hester (1 block north of Canal St.; between Broadway and Bowery). Got into a cab and asked the driver to take me to Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge and he had absolutely no idea where the bridge was.

Posted by: rf at November 5, 2009 6:28 PM in response to Mrs. B Side-Swiped In The Heights

They don't turn on the siren until they leave the block.

Posted by: rf at November 3, 2009 8:31 PM in response to 11th Street Firehouses

the rental market is awful

Posted by: bitter_bubble_buyer at November 3, 2009 4:50 PM

That means you're charging too much!

Posted by: rf at November 3, 2009 8:29 PM in response to Rental Renovations

Get off the FDR at the exit before, for the Manhattan Bridge. Proceed on the service road past Pathmark, past the housing projects (past my daughter's school on Catherine St.), and just past the last project, until you see the bridge above. Make a right. Go to the light, make a left, and a right onto the bridge.

Get home 10 mins earlier.

Posted by: rf at November 3, 2009 10:35 AM in response to Squadron Helps Drivers Get Off (The FDR)

the best marathon party ever. Every single year.

http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/dancing-and-running-in-the-streets/#more-24373

Look at the second video.

Posted by: rf at November 2, 2009 4:39 PM in response to Open Thread

fron the website:

Bedford Corners Historic District Phase I

Arlington Place - Macon to Halsey; Halsey Street - Bedford to Marcy; Hancock Street - Bedford to Tompkins; Jefferson Avenue - Nostrand to Tompkins

Posted by: rf at November 2, 2009 3:54 PM in response to Landmarking Efforts In Bed-Stuy

In Clinton Hill, you walk through the subway station--either Clinton Washington or Classon Ave. on the G line.

Posted by: rf at November 2, 2009 11:31 AM in response to Open Thread

The Bed-Stuy (Clinton Hill) house is on a very nice block. But the price does look kind of steep. It's pretty close to Fulton St. which is finally moving toward gentrification.

Union St. is the dividing line between District 13/PS282 and District 15/PS321).

Posted by: rf at October 30, 2009 5:04 PM in response to Open House Picks

Take expired metrocard to a token (Metrocard) booth and they will trade it in for a new one.

Posted by: rf at October 30, 2009 12:31 PM in response to Open Thread

How much to add to your metrocard to make an even number of rides:
http://www.metrocardbonuscalculator.com/

Posted by: rf at October 30, 2009 12:20 PM in response to Open Thread

It's not fair to compare suburban (some suburban; white suburban) test scores with urban Brooklyn test scores. If you control for parents' education, city kids do fine.

And Rob, it's totally bogus to think that PS middle school and high school kids get beat up every day when they leave the neighborhood. My daughter goes to a Lower East Side middle school where half the kids live in the projects. No danger whatsoever.

Reminds me of the people that told me in 1989 that they wouldn't take the C train to Clinton Washington; they'd get killed for sure. I did it for years and here I am. My daughter takes the A train Nostrand Ave. every day and she's fine too. She even walks from the train to home when it's dark outside.

(knock wood of course)

Posted by: rf at October 21, 2009 8:10 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 153 Lincoln Place, #3C

So Dittoburg, if someone gets killed over a parking spot, it's not a tragedy???

Posted by: rf at October 20, 2009 8:27 PM in response to Closing Bell: Another Curbside Memorial

they are going to fit 48 apartments in THAT? is it bigger in person than it looks in the picture? the projects comment is stupid, almost anywhere in the city youre a stone's throw away from some project or another. and people in the project have feet you know!

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at October 19, 2009 12:09 PM

The permit says:
>

I think the key is "ENLARGEMENT".

Posted by: rf at October 19, 2009 12:31 PM in response to Church Conversion Underway on Bedford Avenue

And/or you can pray with the Satmar Hasidim right up the block.

Posted by: rf at October 19, 2009 12:03 PM in response to Church Conversion Underway on Bedford Avenue

Can't speak for the schools, but I own a house on Classon near the corner of Fulton, lived there for 4 years, and never had a problem. Since I moved 2 years ago my tenants haven't had any problems. I know some people on Franklin near Monroe and as far as I know they've never had a problem either.

CrownHeightLady has a point about the police presence on Fulton, but b/c of the Pleasant Stay *Hotel* (ahem), there is usually a character or two hanging around the corner at Classon/Fulton, esp late at night. Doesn't necessarily make it unsafe or even especially scary but if you're not used to a little "grit" the area might not be right for you, so check it out thoroughly before signing a lease or buying anything!

On a positive note the YMCA is right there on Bedford @ Monroe which is excellent and, just judging from the squealing in the locker room, has lots of fun programs for kids.

Posted by: herkimermaid at November 17, 2009 11:41 AM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

Well according to the NYC report card PS 3 is doing better then PS 56. My son went to 56 and at the time (3 years ago) PS 56 was doing much better then PS and had been for several years.

Posted by: A CrownHeightsLady at November 17, 2009 11:54 AM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

I live near Monroe and Franklin and use the C train. I haven't had a problem. One of my tenants was mugged by teenagers in front of our building at night last year however. The immediate area does seem to be improving, but I think when coming home late at night that taking a car is prudent.

Posted by: kutterkan at November 17, 2009 1:37 PM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

Well I can say that Satellite East is a great JHS. My daughter attended the school. The school requires the students to wear uniforms. She loved the school. Another good school is PS 44 an elementary school located on Throop Avenue between Madison and Monroe.

Posted by: Shalacha at November 17, 2009 1:43 PM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

There's a small article today in the NYPost about Bedford Academy being an A school with an over 95% graduation rate. It's actually the #2 brooklyn high school, right behind Brooklyn Tech. That's impressive.

Posted by: BedStuyGal at November 17, 2009 6:58 PM in response to Monroe Street Safety & Schools

"ventless" vent into the apartment. Its makes them more more humid and dirtier....

Posted by: smeyer418 at November 20, 2009 8:16 PM in response to Dryer Venting Help

We have a ventless LG washer/dryer that I love like a family member, but for some reason they've stopped making them, I think. Anyways, the ventless machines take longer, and leave clothing a bit wrinkled, but I think the all-in-one combo machines make up for that a bit in being all-in-one. It taking 3 hours to do a load of laundry is somewhat offset if you don't have to move the load from one machine to the other...

We live in a building with no dryer vents and most of our neighbors actually have opted for the bucket venting system. From what little research I did, it didn't sound safe or good. Sometimes I wonder about this.

Posted by: Heather at November 20, 2009 8:53 PM in response to Dryer Venting Help