Brooklyn Half Marathon Saturday May 17th

Today, Saturday, is the Brooklyn Half Marathon #BrooklynHalf and I've got a number of friends on Facebook chatting away with excitement about the upcoming run.

I barely knew of it last year, and I'm surprised there isn't more news about it around today. I'm guessing present day realities and fears of violence are part of the reason, there are several textual course maps online but a few searches haven't turned up one image of the relatively simple basic course.

That said by Friday morning Eastern Parkway was being lined with port-a-potties in a way reminiscent of an art installation, with the starting point being The Brooklyn Museum.

Because of the thousands of runners who will be amassing at the museum, subway service will be adjusted and the Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum station will be closed during the race.

Specifically:

All 2 trains will skip the Brooklyn Museum stop from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on race day. 

The 4 train from Manhattan will terminate at Atlantic Avenue; runners can switch at Atlantic to the 2 or Q.

The race kicks off at From the museum the race will wind through Prospect Park and then go into a long stretch ending at Coney Island.

If my stubborn sinus infection will abate I'll be out there and have photos. Either way, good luck runners.

For more coverage check the Brooklyn Eagle.

And course details are at the RoadRunners club website.

UPDATE
I did manage to get out there and capture some pictures like this one below of the front runners exiting Prospect Park for the last time on their way toward the long stretch of Ocean Parkway ending in Coney Island.

Early on Runners entering the Park off Parkside Avenue.

Brooklyn, Free your Summer with music and movies

BRIC (Brooklyn's own producer of contemporary art, performing arts and community media programs) and Summerstage have released their summer schedules and while I would love to write each out for you complete with some handy pdf you could keep as your own, they've already done just that.

For your list of what's happening often free, from live music with renown artists, to movies projected in Brooklyn's new parks, out under the starts, check these links.

Prospect Park Bandshell: http://bricartsmedia.org/performing-arts/celebrate-brooklyn/celebrate-brooklyn-prospect-park-bandshell

Brooklyn Bridge Park: http://bricartsmedia.org/performing-arts/celebrate-brooklyn/celebrate-brooklyn-dance-parties-at-brooklyn-bridge-park

Summerstage (listings for all 5 borough city parks): http://summerstage.donyc.com/

I plan to take in Cibo Matto, whom I've never scene perform together at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park and I've got more in store.

Cheers
-BklynBorn

NYC and the living ain't easy (as it once was)

This article: http://www.wnyc.org/story/brooklyn-left-me-broke-and-tired/ caught my eye.

It's the story of a resident who after many years in NYC and a literal neighbor to our Mayor DeBlasio is being priced out. She details her history in NYC and what has gone down (not prices) since moving here.

I have classic New Yorker mixed feelings. In my mind I am aware the economic disparities are sharper than they've been in the city in a long time. I'm aware of the manipulation of prices that are like a hammer blow to people who's incomes are not poor, but not wealthy. But I'm also aware that the New York City several generations, mine included, had the pleasure of experiencing from the late 60's to the mid 90's was economically depressed in some key areas, and that has been in the process of ending, giving way to owner's capitalistic whims, for nearly twenty years.

Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights from 2009-2012 changed crazily in terms of new business and up-pricing of housing. So did the East Village from 1997-2000. So did Fort Greene from 1995-2000. There's a reason the phrase for this sudden change is called a tipping point. But it's a long climb up, and while I have sympathy for many, and concern for myself as I wonder what the condo being built next door to me foretells of my future, I can't help but think for myself and everyone, we need to prepare for the shock or be shocked. Yes there are some who can't change their finances, and yeh it sucks that affordable living in New York City's inner radius isn't the broader concern of business and government (especially government) but I also feel no one after the shifts of the the mid 90's to mid 00's should be without a plan to stay, or a plan to leave.

It's the comments below the article on that page, that are my reason for talking about whether or not we have a plan to stay in New York in general, Brooklyn in particular. If you don't live in a rent stabilized or controlled situation, if you neighbor has historically been devalued, if you don't have the means to afford the shifts in NYC rental pricing, if you don't own, you have to have a plan in this city.

The affordably nooks are, have been and unfortunately will continue to shrink.