April 3
Police Shut Down the Market Hotel
And right in the middle of a Smith Westerns show! Rude.
April 10
Gorilla Coffee Workers Stage a Walk-Out
Here’s the story: Baristas walk out. Management sues baristas AND the New York Times for printing a letter by baristas about their grievances. Baristas hire civil rights lawyer who represented Nelson Mandela. In short: Park Slope has the Park Slope-iest workers’ strike of all time.
July
Prospect Park West Debuts Two-Way Protected Bike Lane
What could be less controversial than a bike lane? Ha ha. You’ve clearly never been to Park Slope before. This bike lane caused no small amount of drama as area residents hated the way the bike lane looked and bitched and bitched and bitched about it. But, whatever, because this bike lane is great and is an excellent example of why all bike lanes should be protected from car traffic, because it is safer for everyone involved and because everyone should ride bikes anyway. The end.
July
The Great Prospect Park Goose Genocide
So, like, ONE plane has to make an emergency crash landing in the Hudson River (no fatalities or injuries) and suddenly it’s war on New York’s avian wildlife. That’s right: After people started getting all freaked out that birds were out to destroy civilization, hundreds of geese in Prospect Park (almost seven miles from the nearest airport) were rounded up and gassed, leaving local parents with a lot of explaining to do to all the area children who loved feeding the geese by the lake.
September
Newtown Creek Is Declared a Superfund Site
This ultra-polluted waterway which runs between Greenpoint and Long Island City was put on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List, joining the Gowanus Canal as another of the borough’s most toxic destinations in close proximity to very desirable real estate.
November
Coney Island Gets a Makeover
RIP Shoot the Freak. The end of the most hipster-friendly boardwalk attraction ever proves nothing is safe. Also gone in 2010? The Siren Festival.
Openings
• Fatty ‘Cue, Williamsburg
• Tanoreen (relaunch), Bay Ridge
• Dram, Williamsburg
Albums
• Contra by Vampire Weekend
• Treats by Sleigh Bells
• At Echo Lake by Woods
Books
• Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz
• A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever by Justin Taylor
Real Estate Notes
Average sale price for a home/condo
• Williamsburg, $587K
• Park Slope, $686K
• Brooklyn Heights,$702K
• DUMBO, $1.180M