Park Slope Selected One of the 10 Best Neighborhoods in America
Joining neighborhoods in cities like San Francisco, San Diego, Washington DC, and Pittsburgh, Brooklyn’s brownstone wonderland was named one of the 10 best neighborhoods in the entire nation by the American Planning Association, which said about Park Slope: “[It] is a neighborhood that embodies urban vitality, with its rich history, unparalleled brownstone blocks, great cultural institutions, shops and restaurants, and vibrant civic and street life.” There was no mention of the Food Co-op’s lively debates about hummus, but you have to read between the lines, you know?
June 24
The New York Times Discovers that Williamsburg Is Where “All the Crafts Babes and DIY Dudes Are”
Best lede ever? “For the past few years, facial hair has been all the rage in young bohemia. ‘I think mustaches in general are totally hilarious,’ said Brendan Farley, 30. ‘Unfortunately, I look too hilarious in them.’” Yeah, best lede ever.
July 31
A Man Riding the Cyclone
Suffers Crushed Vertebrae from the Ride, Dies in the Hospital Four Days Later
Ok, then: We’ll stick to the Wonder Wheel.
August 8
TWISTER!!!
So this was weird! A fierce summer storm dumped inches of rain on the city, and also caused several tornadoes to touch down in parts of Brooklyn ranging from Kensington to Sunset Park to Bay Ridge. Massive trees were uprooted, roofs were ripped from rowhouses, and cars were flipped on their sides. And even though there were no reports of serious injury, it was still a pretty traumatic event; as one woman told the Times: “I’m heartbroken, my roof landed three doors away.”
November 10
Norman Mailer Dies
The famously combative author who grew up in Crown Heights and later settled in Brooklyn Heights died at the age of 84.
The End Is Near?
The final months of 2007 brought about the beginnings of what would soon be called the Great Recession, a huge, devastating confluence of economic catastrophes (we’re talking a real estate bust, rampant subprime lending, and something about a shadow banking system that we still don’t understand) which brought about the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The after-effects of this world-shaking event are still being felt in the sense that job recovery is still an ongoing process, but what’s particularly notable where Brooklyn is concerned is that our rapidly rising real estate prices didn’t so much as skip a beat. Go Brooklyn?
Openings
• Black Mountain Wine House, Carroll Gardens
• The Gutter, Williamsburg
• Word Bookstore, Greenpoint
• Radegast Hall, Williamsburg
• Death by Audio, Williamsburg
Albums
• All Hour Symbols by Yeasayer,
• Let’s Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav,
• The Flying Club Cup by Beirut
• Rise Above by Dirty Projectors
• The National Boxer
• Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
Books
• Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
• Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat
• Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Real Estate Notes
Average sale price for a home/condo
• Williamsburg, $631K
• Park Slope, $719K
• Brooklyn Heights, $615K
• DUMBO, $913K