Brooklyn Christmas

Remember to click on pictures to enlarge them!

Well, we got lucky, a big snow storm. How fun. Brooklyn is transformed during a snow storm. When I woke up on Sunday, getting to church was a mile walk away. It was about 8am and there was still a cold wind pressing against my face. I decided to walk in the street facing traffic. This made the walk a little easier. With nearly a foot on the ground, walking on the sidewalk was difficult. As I walked, I watched for the B82 which would drop me right in front of the church. The problem was whether I should risk waiting or walk to the next stop. I continued walking just in case the bus did not show up. After walking half way to the church the bus came. The driver let me off in a show drift next to the church. The church was shoveled out but very few people showed up for the early service. After church I headed to the boardwalk. Upon approaching the Grill House I saw a bunch of people gathered at the end of Stillwell. It turns out that a charity had set up a tables for poor people to come and get gifts for their children. It was still snowing and very windy. People were waiting in line in hopes of getting something for their children.

The boardwalk was mostly covered with snow. Very few people had been on the boardwalk so it was still very pristine. I walked up and down the boardwalk taking pictures. It was so beautiful. The waves from the ocean were still large and the wind was blowing the water all over the place. The fishing peer was completely covered with snow. They put up fences to stop the drifting sand, but this did not do much for the snow.

As the day progressed my godson and his family decided to go light looking around our neighborhood. The decorations were amazing. The snow added to the beauty of the decorations.

We are now headed towards Christmas day.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Barre.

Brooklyn's B16

The B16 is a bus that goes throughout a small area of Brooklyn. It starts at the Verrazano Bridge and winds its way through Bay Ridge then onto Sunset Park. It then goes through the middle of Boro Park and finally to Flatbush. The ride is about 1 hour from end to end. If you start from the beginning and go to the end you will be surrounded by some of New York’s most interesting characters. Generally people riding the bus in Bay Ridge are people who work there. Since the beginning of this line is in a very wealthy area most of the people living there do not take the bus. So you see a lot of home attendants, and general labor workers on this bus going to other neighborhoods that are more affordable to live. When the bus moves into the commercial district you begin to pick up people of all nationalities. There are many Asians who go to Sunset Park, Orthodox Jews who go to Boro Park and Island Black who end up in Flatbush.

It is very interesting to be on a bus with so many different kinds of people. Buses tend to be far more interactive than the subway. I think it is because they are smaller and have far less noise. People are often very helpful to people with children and packages, knowing that the arrival at their destination depends on the joint effort of everyone. The bus also provides for a captive audience. Street preachers often find this venue welcoming. People riding the bus will engage them as well. I think riders also like the excitement of having people entertaining them. Buses also have many homeless and mentally disabled people riding. This can be a challenge for riders as well as the bus driver who will have to eject them from the bus at the end of the line.

People in NYC depend on transportation to get to work. On average people travel one hour to and from work on the trains, buses and in cars. If one sat down with a calculator that would be about 3 months of 40 hour weeks each year spent traveling. If a person works from the time they are 18 until they are 65, they would spend nearly 11.75 years traveling to and from work. For many people that is lost time. Now a monthly pass is around 80 dollars. That would be almost $1000 dollars. If you drive and you have to cross a toll bridge or if you take the train from Long Island or New Jersey the cost for your commute is much higher. The funny thing about all of this is that no one ever thinks about what impact the “commute” has on us and our family.

As I walk along the water front under the Verrazano Bridge, I note that over 200,000 cars pass over the bridge each day. They fly by me on the belt parkway, hundreds of cars, as I walk. Many people are in a hurry, going to who knows where and for what purpose. We all have an agenda that seems so important to us. Yet in the end we only get one life. We have created a world where we spend so much time and energy and money doing stuff that we are left with little time to enjoy the people that are so important to us. Most of this revolves around getting more things that is to eventually make us happier, which we know never does.

Is there a way to live a simple life where we concentrate on the people we love. We concentrate on taking time for them, just being together. In a blink people can be taken from us. Our lives are so short and to give into the insanity that “The American Dream” equals a prosperous life is absurd. I know that most us just cannot stop and get off, but you can seriously re-evaluate your life and your aspirations, and put priorities back into order.

Have a blessed Christmas .... (Picture of Harlow)

Barre

Walk by Ocean in Coney Island

Today is Sunday, October 4th. It is a bright, sunny, beautiful day. After Church this morning I went to the boardwalk to exercise, which is to take a nice walk for about 3 miles. When I reached the end I decided to walk along the waters edge on the return trip. The ocean was gentle and had a salty smell. As I walked I could feel the cold water surrounding my feet and then recede. My feet were pleasantly surprised each time the water returned in a refreshing movement. The beautiful weather brought out many people.

As I walked the fog began to close in because of the temperature differences. As the fog gathered density I began to feel very alone as I walked.

Today is the day to recognized St Francis of Assisi. He was a man who saw the creation of God as an amazing blessing for which he could only give himself back to God in response. Here is his famous prayer.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

On the 25th of September at the back door of Queensboro Correctional Facility, my friend Keith was released after serving 14 years behind bars. As he got into the car he cried. Getting him settled has been a daunting task. First he needed a cell phone. He looked at mine and had no clue what to do with it. There were no buttons only a screen. I laughed at how much our world had changed. He had never seen Walmart, Costco, BJ’s or Target and it was a shock to see and deal with all the technology. He saved his pay for 3 years and came out with $1400 to start his life anew. We decided that my home was not a good place for him to stay since I already had Valentyn and Harlow. I began 3 months prior to his release looking for apartments. As the day neared I had a couple of good leads. During the first day, all of those leads fell through. So we went back to an Irish lady who I had come across who at first was very interested in housing Keith but later said no. When she saw him she welcomed him with open arms. She had a bed in her basement where he could park until he found better living space. This week after looking at several rooms, he found one that was close to his family and did not cost much. We moved him in yesterday. God gave us furniture. Valentyn’s mom moved and left a bedroom set and lots of other stuff for Valentyn. So I took her furniture from her room and gave it to Keith. While we were moving that, he spotted a brand new couch on the sidewalk with a sign on it saying “Free”. He has prospects for employment and will need to work soon to cover his rent. It is very hard to be released from prison.

Thursday while I was taking a walk as Keith was at the DMV to get an ID card, I went by the Grill House. As I got there one of the workers pulled me aside and told me that one of our good friends, Gary, had died. Gary was nearing 40. He had been laid off from a good job and for nearly 2 years had been unable to find work. He was discovered by his wife after he failed to pick up their nine year old for school. She frantically called one of his friends to ask him how she was going to tell her daughter. Steve the owner of the Grill House was really shaken up by this as they are the same age.

To his honor, Gary was a quiet and reserved man who appeared on the boardwalk each morning with a cup of coffee and several cans of cat food. Over the two years he began to take care of the Boardwalk Cats and kittens. They would wait at the same spot every day for Gary. Often Gary would bring his daughter with him to the boardwalk. Unlike other social gatherings like the office or on the train or other places where you are up against or with people, on the boardwalk there is a deep sense of community where people afford themselves lots of time to talk and integrate. Gary was deeply integrated into the lives of many people on the boardwalk. His daily presence will be deeply missed. Each year around this time people disappear for the winter months. In the late spring when people begin to convene again, there is always a sobering feeling that some never made it through the winter.

God reminds us early and often to enjoy those around us. Tomorrow things may change.

Be Blessed, Barre.

Brooklyn's Summer End

The summer is over… Wow was that fast. At the end of every summer for three weeks until Labor Day we have the 18th Avenue Feast. Unlike many street fairs where the vendors are on tour all summer, this fair has mostly local vendors, serving their finest dishes. Since this is the heart of the Italian neighborhood, the food is amazing. One of the first people I encountered was the man who hand dipped chocolate creations and candy apples right in front of you. Your mouth watered as he stirred the chocolate in a huge vat. When we arrived it was still day time but within minutes the sun set. As soon it became, dark crowds of people appeared. I really wanted a sausage and pepper sandwich. On every block there were vendors selling these. We finally found a local vendor who made the most amazing sandwich. Although it cost a fortune, it was so fresh and sweet. After that Little Eric decided he wanted to go down a huge slide. Only catch was he did not want to go alone. So he got his dad to climb the narrow stairs and sit on a patch of material and down the slide they went, three times. Then it was time to win a live fish. (without a bowl or food) After this I managed to find a Spanish guy who was cooking steak on this huge kettle fire. The steaks were huge and he flipped them like pancakes. Before we left some two hours later, I had to have some zeppoli. Now zeppoli have to be hot and fresh straight out of the pot. They were great.

In the midst of this fair was the Shrine that was the now hidden motive for this feast. For years the church was the center of the community and it was a joyous church celebration (and money maker) that was clearly the point of the feast. It has been rumored that the wise guys collected great sums of money from the store owners (about 10% of the gross yearly income) to give to the church. That practice has faded and now each vendor pays around $2000 for a slot in the fair. This neighborhood has changed and there is a large Asian population which was also felt at this fair. The Mexicans also showed up with their sweet corn pancakes.

Earlier this week I stopped by the gardener’s house that was mentioned some time ago. He is a year older and his garden is as beautiful as ever. However, this year he was very tired and found it difficult getting around except with the use of a cane.

Coney Island is now standing ready to reinvent itself. How long or how that will happen is unknown. All the rain and hurricanes made business slow this summer. The City closed the beaches for nearly a week while storms passed by. None the less, people still appeared on the boardwalk. One person caught my eye. He would frequent Coney Island during the summer months and loved to dress for the occasion. With his colorful dog and bird he sat enjoying the remaining hours of sunlight. Donna Summer was in concert here last week and she blew people away singing all the songs she had become famous for. So that is the news from Brooklyn.

Have a wonderful Labor Day.

August in Brooklyn, Summers End

It is finally August and summer has taken it’s grip on Brooklyn. This morning (7.30am) it was close to 90 degrees with no breeze and lots of humidity. The summer locusts are making their noises.

Coney Island Philly was out early this morning. He is nearing 85 and has been a fixture of Coney Island for half a century. Philly loves to video tape the people on the boardwalk (especially pretty girls). He is almost blind now. Even with that he manages to get himself up nearly every day early and travel 40 blocks to the beach. Steve the owner of the Grill House takes special care of Philly. He helps him with all his doctors appointments and banking needs.

Religion plays a big part of summer events in Brooklyn. Often the boardwalk is filled with people sharing Christ in one form or another. Churches from around the country visit NYC bringing choirs and kids who sing or share Christ. Sometimes the Choirs are amazing. One year we had a choir come from somewhere and they were great. My memory of that was of Jeannine who stood for nearly two hours quietly enjoying the music with her foot tapping. Her face was so peaceful.

This week the Russian churches who often send people to the Brighton area of the boardwalk to share Christ, put on a special play with kids as actors. They drew quite a crowd. Since it was all in Russian I had no clue what they were talking about as they sang and chanted about the story of the cross.

Down further from this play was the Boardwalk Disco near Gregory and Paul’s. People love to dance and the huge speakers and music always draw a crowd.

The Street Feasts that surround the Catholic Churches are another powerful religious symbol in Brooklyn during the summer months. Most of them bring an array of great Italian Specialties. On my block is one of the few remaining Italian Social Clubs. Each summer they hold a feast to dedicate the Saint that watches over the club. They clean up the place weeks before the feast and then close the block so that the feast can happen uninterrupted by cars. Saturday night the priest comes from the local Catholic Church to bless the club and the statue of the patron saint. It is a full communion service in the middle of the street. The next day is the party and then they march the Saint back to church for safe keeping until next year. This is one of the few times when the wives are allowed inside of the club.

Down the block from the club is a small corner church. Yesterday I noticed two hearses outside the church. There were a steady flow of people coming in and out. This morning they were back. So I stopped and asked what had happened. A family from the church was returning from a Florida vacation and was involved in a crash which killed the wife and 4 year old child instantly. The father and son were left behind and the grandmother was in critical condition. There was an instant shock when I heard this. Memories of life passed so quickly. Christianity takes on a new meaning at that point

Life is unpredictable and short. Never let a moment go by without making the most of it.

Have a wonderful summer. Barre.

Coney Island Or Not

Today is the day the city council votes on what the future of Coney Island will look like. I am writing this because Coney is a national symbol.

For 3 or more years Mayor Bloomberg's team has been preparing a renewal plan for Coney Island. This plan has included many public meetings as well as meetings with industry specialists. As with anything the mayor of any city would present, this plan has it's critics.

Currently Thor Equities owns most of the property under consideration. Deno's wonder wheel park is still owned by the original family. There are about 6 or 7 other owners who would play minor rolls in this process. The city wants to make most of the current amusement area City Park Land which would retain it forever for New Yorkers and not for developers. You can imagine what Thor (Joe Sitt) thinks about this. The city offered him a generous offer for his land, but he wants nearly double what he paid for it which is nearly triple what it is worth with the current zoning. (Joe and his sidekick Sam Sabin will not come onto the boardwalk without body guards. How funny.) In the power struggle against the city, Joe has rendered many once viable entertainment areas, empty or in one case he built a giant flee market. (The city got back at him for this and made him rebuild the structures because it did not meet severe hurricane regulations.).

Several weeks ago when a public meeting on this subject was held at the city council, the presentation from the Mayor's team was seemingly trashed by the city council members. Unions and Acorn also gave their opinions which became hard to imagine since the unions and the poor people would get tons of jobs. After that meeting (9am to 6pm with no breaks for anything) I was sure that Coney would be empty lots for about the next 10 years or more. The CIDC (the mayors team) pulled it together meeting most of the objections. The committee for this project from the City Council approved this plan with a few changes. Now today the plan will go before the entire city council.

If the plan is approved the Grill House where I work will eventually come down. Empty lots and old structures will disappear and Coney Island will become a spectacular place. I can only imagine what that would mean to me being only 5 minutes from Coney by bicycle.

I remember when Lockport got it's urban renewal. That was the end of a wonderful small upstate town. It has never been the same place. I watched as corporations came to Lockport and exercised their better ideas. To that end, big stores and malls came and went leaving the town in dismal shape. Lately (from 1965 to 2009) Downtown is looking better. The Library is beautiful, old churches are renewed and there are some businesses starting to come back.

Times Square changed dramatically and boosted the cities revenue. Coney Island renewal could be a welcomed addition to the city. Regardless of what they do, people still flock the beaches and amusements. Tourists have discovered this area and love it. More news when it becomes available.

Update: 7-30-09 The City Council voted for the CICD Renewal Program - Coney Here We Come!

Barre

A Sad Day

Now it has been a little over a week since our community experienced a real tragedy. This is text from the daily news who says it better than I can:

As hundreds of mourners bid farewell Tuesday to a Brooklyn teen who died mysteriously after a brawl, police arrested four people - including a 42-year-old father and his sons - for their role in the scuffle.
Friends and relatives packed a Cobble Hill funeral home to pay their respects to 17-year-old Sharif Abdallah, who collapsed and died after defending his friend against bullies in Prospect Park.
"People loved my son and were touched by this tragedy," the teen's grieving father, Tony, 48, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority general superintendent of support operations, said Tuesday night.
"I raised him for 17 years, wanted to mold him, shape him into a man," he said. "All of that took 17 years, and in all of two minutes they took him away. That's the most tragic thing."

It was a Saturday evening. Eric was driving the 68 bus in Brooklyn which ends at prospect park. I was riding the bus with him. When we got to the park he noticed a group of people gathered and flowers all over the place. I was given the task to see what was going on.

There at the entrance of the park was a makeshift memorial made in memory of this young person. He was only 17 years old. As a person with little children under my care, it really struck me how brutal this life can be. To Eric's surprise, I returned to the bus in tears. Not everyday in Brooklyn is wonderful. There are days when life is very harsh.

The next day I went back to take a closer look at what was there. There were photos of his life cut short, candles, packs of Newports and a board with thoughts of people who visited this memorial. Next to the flowers was his skate board.

To be the parents of this child has to be very hard. The years of giving your life to your child in hopes that someday they will do well and add good things to the world that we live in freezes at that moment. Dreams are shattered. Love is paralyzed. One becomes numb with sadness and emptiness.

Many of the notes were from friends who will be changed forever by this event. Although for them it might become someday a distant memory, it will always hang in the back of ones mind releasing itself from time to time like an electric shock.

Like a flower that will eventually wither, so life eventually ends. These events need to warn us not to become so involved with life's demands that we forget to spend time with those that we love and Cherish. In a moments notice all can change and there is no retreat from death.

Coney Island Polar Bears New Years 2009

On January 1, 2009 Coney Island was the site of the annual Polar Bear Club Swim. They do this every week during the winter months on Sunday at 1pm. That is every week, regardless of weather, like in the rain, snow, and sometimes freezing cold. One New Years Day, the rest of the nuts from NYC and surrounding areas come to Coney Island. This year there were nearly 2000 participants and on lookers. The famous Grill House was open for that one day. Needless to say, we sold tons of hot dogs and hot coffee. It was about 22 degrees, sunny and windy on the beach. This was good and bad. Good because the colder it is outside the warmer the water feels. The sun was a bright idea, adding slightly to the comfort of the individuals swimming. However, while you were waiting for the release to go into the water, you were freezing and when you got out your body was numb and the wind was blowing the sand like needles into your skin.

I think everyone had a wonderful time. However, there was a reminder for all, that things were changing in Coney Island. Thor Equities, who owns the land where all the amusement parks are has decided to play hard ball with the city of New York. They posted huge signs on all the buildings that these stores are up for rent. This was done without the knowledge of people who own the actual structures. He has also made it known that the rents for these facilities will be more than double the previous year. That means whoever rents the stores will have no chance in making a reasonable profit. And if there are any bad weekends during the summer, then there would be a loss.

When Thor Equities bought this property, their President believed that even with top prices paid for the properties, he would be able to build high rise apartments and do away with the Amusement Parks. However, the city will not budge on the zoning of these properties and now threatens to seize the property under emanate domain.

Coney Island is where millions of people come in the summer months to relax and enjoy the beach. They have for decades enjoyed the amusements that bordered the beach. Coney Island has been a destination of people all over the world. Today it is in need of renovation. It has the potential of being a world renowned recreation area. Two days ago Astroland removed the famous Rocket Ship from the top of Gregory and Paul’s food stand. Paul, who has owned this establishment for 58 years, had tears in his eyes when they lifted the Ship off his building.

There seems to be a tension in America today. Our pastor in his sermon two weeks ago boldly proclaimed that America has fallen prey to greed. Coney Island has become a new symbol of the tension between greed and good sense. Making (or stealing) money has become more important than the well being of the people in our country.

We have sent our best assets overseas in hopes that the share holders of our Corporations can see amazingly high profits. Our government has taken steps to bail out people who have become wealthy stealing from others.

On 911 when my son and I stood looking at the World Trade Center drop to its knees, I knew that this was going to bankrupt us. “God Bless America” was our slogan on all the highway signs. Some ministers were bold enough to call this a warning sign. Maybe we should have made the signs “Give your hearts back to God”. We also think that God Bless American means that we are entitled to the world’s resources. It may be possible that God may have to break our pride and bring us to our knees in order to pour out his blessing on us. We shall see.

Many Blessings for this New Year.

Barre.