Ticket Trap on 67th Street / Lief Erickson Park

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There is a ticket trap on 67th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, on the north side of the street, by the Lief Erickson basketball courts .

( click on photo to enlarge. Photos taken early Thanksgiving morning ) My sister came in from out of state to visit. This past Monday, on or about 5pm, she parked on 67th Street, a few car lengths from Fifth Avenue. She made sure to double check the closest Parking Regs sign which is shown here. It says " No Parking " only for 8:30 - 10am Monday morning.


Imagine her surprise when she came back Tuesday to have a parking ticket that said she had violated a " No Parking Anytime " sign.

I walked up there last Tuesday night trying to figure out what had happened. One space down from the " No Parking Except for 830-10am " sign was a lightpole with brackets where a sign might be placed. But there was no sign. Maybe it fell out. Maybe there was never one there.

Only if you walk way, way down the block, past the light pole, past the fire hydrant, will you see this sign, which says " No Parking Any Time ".

It looks like there is one missing sign, leaving two signs in conflict. One says " OK to park at any time except Monday morning ". Another sign, quite far away says " No Parking Anytime "

On Thanksgiving morning, I saw that the 68th Precinct had given two additional tickets. People thought that they were parking legally, and their Thanksgiving present was to get bad faith parking tickets.

On tomorrow, I will call the 68th Precinct at 718-439-4211 to report this Parking Trap.

On Monday, I will call City Councilman Gentile's office at 718-748-5200. to see if they can help.

Please:
take a walk over to see this situation for yourself
call the Councilman and 68th Precinct to complain. There is power in numbers
Report any nearby Bay Ridge Parking Traps. I'm certain that they're out there.

Shanagolden

It has been found. Thank you, youtube.

I think it was from the early 1970s. My mother, like so many Irish, would listen to various Irish radio programs. They could be heard on college stations like Bronx based WFUV, whose FM signal was barely strong enough to push past the Manhattan skyscrapers into Bay Ridge. The Sunday night program was hosted by Adrian Flannery I think. If you positioned the radio just so, you could hear a song or two. Then the signal would shift again, and you'd get more static than song. You'd fiddle with the controls, move the radio around, and you'd have the signal again. Maybe.

It was from such a tenuous link that I recall the heard " Shanagolden ". For maybe two years in those old days, it was one of the most popular songs in the micro-universe of Irish-American radio. They'd play it every week.

It was written by one Sean McCarthy, a Kerry man who wrote his first song at the age of seven. Many of his songs dealt with sadness and death.

The protagonist of this song is a woman, whose husband died fighting " the Saxon stranger " in Limerick a long time ago. There are good versions by female singers, but to me the best is this one, by Brian Day.

The audio imperfections make this all the better to me. The words harken to a distant past, to long ago battles in Limerick, to long ago broadcasts from the Bronx.

Three Oak Trees Planted on 68th St

Three young English Oak trees have been planted in front of 374, 370, and 366 68th Street. These replace trees that were destroyed during the freak tornado that hit the block in 2007. ( Will post a photo of the trees soon )

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Our crack sources tell us that the new Bay Ridge Avenue Key Food will open on Sunday December 13. Some of the shelves have been stocked, things are finally rounding into shape there.

This morning, I went to visit the USS New York at Pier 88 with some friends.

The line to get on board was not long. The troops could not have been more friendly.

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Giving some marksmanship tips :)

Be safe, boys.

message in message in

USS New York Comes to Town

The USS New York is an amphibious transport dock ship.

It was built near New Orleans. It will be commissioned as a US Navy warship on November 7, after which it will be based in Norfolk, Virginia.

What makes this vessel very special is that it's bow was made with 7 1/2 tons of steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center. Ruined ploughshares turned into a righteous naval vessel.

This morning, the USS New York sailed under the Verrazzano Bridge into New York Harbor. I didn't see it enter the harbor, but I hope to see it later on this week.

The public can visit this important ship when she is docked at Pier 88 at 12th Avenue and West 48 Street., next to the Intrepid. The schedule is as follows:


Wednesday, November 4 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 5 - 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Monday, November 9 - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 10 - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 11 - 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.


Please note dates and times subject to change.

Members of the general public wishing to tour the ship should:
- Arrive early as lines my be long, especially on the Sunday, Nov. 8.
- Enter at West 46th Street and 12th Avenue (by the Intrepid).
- Bring a photo ID (adults).
- Wear comfortable shoes.

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Ships have websites these days. Visit the USS New York web site here.

Election Day Tuesday November 3

• Polls open from 6am - 9pm
  
• Alternate Side Parking Suspended
• No Trash Pick Up

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• They're moving, and probably ticketing, cars on Senator Street on both sides of Fifth Avenue. Movie shoot
• Bloomberg people put a yard sign in front of my house today, without my permission. Guess they figure they can do anything that they want. No way I am voting for this creep tomorrow.
  

Hold Your Nose and Vote for Mike Bloomberg?

Maybe I should hold my nose and vote for this Mike Bloomberg, but I don't know if I can.

He's a sneak, and I don't like him.

I oppose smoking and don't think that anyone should smoke, but I didn't respect the way that he imposed smoking bans without ever mentioning the possibility when he was running for mayor. He kept his opinions to himself like a sneak, and then rammed home the bans once he was in.

I oppose term limits and voted against them, but the people of NY City voted in term limits. But Bloomberg decided that he himself was indispensible. Instead of having the matter brought before the voters again, he snuck in a term limits exception for himself with the weaklings of our City Council. Don't you ever say that there were quid pro quos.

He's continued the good work initiated by Rudy Giuliani in policing, and has been a good actor as respects public schools

But still. He is supposed to be this hands on genius who gets everything done.

Yet every day I pass by a small public park ( Lief Erikson Park ) that has been marred with a " temporary " building necessitated by construction work at Bay Ridge High School. The major construction at Bay Ridge HS has been finished for well over two years, yet the ugly and abandoned building remains in the park, ruining it.

Everytime I see this mess, I think of Mike Bloomberg.

Bloomberg has a weak joke of an opponent in Bill Thompson, a guy who is not worthy of a keystroke. Yet I don't know if I can pull my nose and vote for the sneak and opponent of democracy that is Mike Bloomberg.