" Bag Search " at Bay Ridge Avenue

Four or five policemen at Bay Ridge Avenue R station this morning. I walked by them with a laptop bag. They only stop some of the passengers with bags. Even though I would have missed the next train if they had stopped me, I wish they had. This policy is just for show. Almost nobody gets searched.

74th Street

74th Street, below Colonial Road, sun about to set.

Key Food Supermarket

Loading up after some Sunday shopping at Key Food supermarket, 95th Street and Third Avenue, Bay Ridge. This is my favorite supermarket in the neighborhood.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

It has stood on the northeast corner of Ovington and Fourth Avenues for a long time. I went to a wedding there once.

A scene from an awful movie called The Guru , was filmed here. I saw the production trailers parked on 69th St.

Marisa Tomei was in the movie, Malachy McCourt played the role of a priest conducting the ceremony. This movie came and went so fast in 2003, I'm not sure anyone ever saw it.

Bethlehem Church has a website

bayridge.com is lame

I remember a number of years ago, seeing a bumper sticker for bayridge.com . I barely understood the internet's www at the time, and could not believe that our little neighborhood had its own internet site! How exciting!

Now, well over seven years have passed, and...there's not a lot to bayridge.com.

There's

• an event calendar that does have some school information on it.
• A Guestbook which seems to be populated by a lot of people who moved to Jersey years ago and who write in to say that they remember the Alpine Theater
• a This Day in History thing that tells me that Oklahoma became a state 47 years ago
• Click onto news, news, news, and you see...nothing
• There are ten old pictures of the neighborhood, which are ok.
  
  That's it? That's it.

Bayridge.com I believe is connected to the Home Reporter newspaper. This newspaper, though small, has some resources and should be able to put out a better website than this. Bay Ridge is a good neighborhood, and it deserves a better website than bayridge.com Even this stinking web site is better!!

Brooklyn Parrots, continued

My man John S drives a route in Brooklyn and advises that the parrots are " all over " his route in Bensonhurst. " If you're interested there's one spot on the corner of Bath Avenue and 15th Avenue. I think the other spot is a couple of blocks away. "

Might have to go on a reconaissance mission this weekend. John's comments are in sync with this map on the Brooklyn Parrots website

Full Moon

It's supposed to rain later tonight, but at 730 pm, it was gorgeous. There was a full moon over Bay Ridge. You don't notice the brightness so much when out on the street, but in the backyard, away from the streetlights, you still notice the beautiful white moonlight.

I read where in Rome, there are plans to lower the intensity of the streetlights so as to reduce light pollution. So that people can see the sky once more. Brava, Roma.

Moonrise over Fourth Avenue

Scruffy Murphy's - What's Going On?

Not too long ago, Scruffy Murphy's on Fourth Avenue, just off 69th Street, was a popular place, with live bands a couple of nights a week.

Over two years ago, it closed for renovations, and I think, so owner Sean could spend some time back in Ireland. It was supposed to reopen in 2004. Now, 2005 is nearly over and there is no sign of life in Scruffy's, nor in the two apartments above it.

We miss Scruffy Murphy's, who was a good neighbor. Bring it back!

Wild Parrots Of Bay Ridge

I've known for awhile that there are wild parrots in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, but was unaware that there was a monk parrot colony in Bay Ridge. They're up by the Dust Bowl.

I just found this tonight, from the amazing site brooklynparrots.com.

Vincent Gentile Re-elected to City Council

Vincent Gentile, Democrat, won re-election to the Bay Ridge City Council seat yesterday, beating Pat Russo, the Republican challenger. Not too long ago, Republicans always won here. Now, Bay Ridge is a swing area- can go Democrat or Republican.

The State Senator here is Marty Golden, a Republican.