Check out these mouth watering Baby Back Ribs from Humo Smokehouse made with a dry rub, mix of ( cherry, mesquite and oak) wood, from local farms. Summer is the perfect time to eat outdoors so swing by and enjoy these in their peaceful backyard for only$8 (price for 1/4 rack). And by the way, yes that is pork belly in the back.
Humo Smokehouse, 336 Myrtle Avenue between Carlton & Washington Park.
With its quiet opening a week and a half ago, Optical Gallery is now gearing up for a more grand celebrations next month. Expect deep savings, raffles and prizes during the festive opening event. Leonard and Boris, the owners have more than 50 years of combined experience in eye care. They offer complete comprehensive optical and medical exams at their office, eyeglass fittings and repairs, LASIK consultations, dry eye treatment and more. They accept “all insurances” and offer a wide variety of frames, including Gucci, Christian Dior, Bvlgari, Burberry, Tiffany, Versace, Persal, Maui Jim, Oliver Peoples, Paul Smith, Georgio and Imporio Armani, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Dolce Gabbana, Polo, Ralph Lauren and many more.
Stop in to say hi. 10% off discounts for seniors everyday and grand opening discounts for the rest of the month.
The Optical Gallery , 446 Myrtle Avenue between Waverly & Washington Avenues
(718) 246-2020
Look for our pic of the week with summer tips to help you get thru the hot season in New York. These adorable leather sandals are made by the sandal maker that makes Jill Lindsey’s sandals and leather goods in Nicaragua. Made for young children ages 1-3 they come in 4 styles. Some are unisex and some are for girls, all made for young children age 1-3.
Jill Lindsey, 370 Myrtle Avenue between Adelphi & Clermont.
This Saturday, 7/26/2014, will be our third Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Corner and so far it has been a great success! MARP’s Outreach Coordinator, Shaquana Boykin, has taken 40 people on a Fort Greene Park Greenmarket tour! Participants are new customers and have shared that either they “didn’t know the Greenmarket was there” or are simply more open to going with the assistance of a tour guide.
One senior citizen who Shaquana approached at Bravo Supermarket was looking for turnip greens but she wanted the turnip tops and bottom which the supermarket did not have. Shaquana told her that the Greenmarket certainly has what she is looking for and that she would be happy to give her a tour. The response was “I did not know that the Greenmarket was up the block! Let me pay for my items and can you walk me to the market?” She expressed that the Greenmarket is so far down and not visible from Myrtle Avenue that she never knew it was up the block from her. She plans to return each Saturday for fresh greens! It is stories like this that we are aiming to hear so that we can inform the community of this existing fresh food outlet and assist the Fort Greene Greenmarket in increasing their visibility to all Fort Greene residents.
Stop by and visit us every Saturday, now – October, 10am-3pm, and learn more about what the Greenmarket has to offer and enjoy community programming on select dates. A calendar of upcoming events can be found here, on our website. See you on the corner!
This week we wanted to feature a photo of one of our best summer deals. These strawberries from Mr. Coco, the 24-hour fruit market and convenience store, are only $1.00. Swing by and you too will see that Mr. Coco’s prices are unbeatable.
Mr. Coco, 414 Myrtle Avenue between Vanderbilt & Clinton Avenues
There are so many benefits to appropriate eyewear, from vision correction to offering protection from UV rays to helping to emphasize the shape of one’s face. It’s good to know that we have professionals like Dr. Cheng at dc optics to help us choose the perfect pair
Did we mention that they can make you look pretty cool too? Stop in and check out the wide range of eyewear, including sunglasses, available at dc optics.
dc optics provides the most comprehensive eye examinations, stylish eyewear and latest innovations in contact lenses in a relaxed and friendly environment. They also looks to provide community outreach in the form of school screenings and exams for children in need. At dc optics, proceeds from every eyewear purchase goes toward helping children in the local area who need glasses but cannot afford them.
DC Optics, 390 Myrtle Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt
(347) 504-1121
Move with Grace Yoga, Dance, Pilates & Juice Bar’s offers high quality and affordable classes. Have you checked out current special, only $45 for two weeks of unlimited classes. And while you are at, treat yourself to any number of delicious and healthy fresh juices and smoothies from the juice bar.
Move with Grace Studio offers a wide variety of classes, including yoga (Vinyasa, Hatha and Iyengar and a late night candlelight flow), Pilates and Zumba. Children as well as adult classes are available. Group and private lessons are available.
Click here for the Move with Grace weekly schedule.
Move with Grace Yoga, Dance, Pilates & Juice Bar is located at 469 Myrtle Avenue between Washington Avenue and Hall Street.
(718) 230-0013
Photo Credit: Move with Grace Yoga, Dance & Fitness Studio
Cool down this summer with fresh lemonade from John’s Donut & Coffee Shop. This refreshing drink is made with real lemons and plenty of sugar. It is a must on Myrtle Avenue for anyone with a serious sweet tooth.
John’s Donut & Coffee Shop, 481 Myrtle Avenue between Washington Avenue & Hall Street
This week kicks off with the Chocolate Day so we decided that our pic of the day would be the extra chocolate-y Mocha Pillow Shake from Pillow Cafe-Lounge. This delightful smoothie is made with mocha, bananas and milk.
Pillow Cafe, 505 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson & Grand Avenues
It’s hard to track THE most popular dish at Wray’s Caribbean and Seafood Cuisine, owned by brothers, Alvin and Jelani Wray, because there are quite a few favorites. The mac and cheese balls are said to be melt-in-your mouth delicious. The codfish fritters and lump crab meat rolls are very fresh and delicious.
These siblings, though a different level of dining, get their food preparation gene from their dad, who was the first African-American head chef at the Waldorf Astoria in the 1960s. Having gone through a bit of a branding change since the restaurant’s earlier life at Dee & Ricky’s Restaurant, the eatery still has maintained some of the favorites on the menu, but has expanded to include a lot of more seafood and Caribbean options.
Wray’s is located at 503 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson and Grand and can be contacted at 347.619.6930.
You won’t want to miss this year’s AFROPUNK Fest here in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The2014 lineup includes D’Angelo, Lianne La Havas, Body Count, Trash Talk, Meshell Ndegeocello, Straight Line Stitch, Shabazz Palaces, SZA, The Internet, Fishbone, Valerie June, Alice Smith, Cold Specks, Unlocking The Truth, Cakes Da Killa, Denitia and Sene, Gordon Voidwell, The Tontons, Clipping, BLXPLTN, Cipher, HO9909 as well as DJ Sets by DJ SLiiNK, MikeQ, Uniique, Jasmine Solano + Melo-X, Mista Selecta + Mane Squeeze A Tribe Called Red, Theesatisfaction, Oscan Nñand Adam R. This year’s festival will feature dance music from local scenes such as Jersey Club, Baltimore Club, NYC Ballroom, as well as underground DJ sounds from Washington D.C. and Seattle. More artists will be announced soon. Visit afropunkfest.com for more information.
AFROPUNK Fest is a celebration of the all of the diverse communities populating the modern DIY landscape. Along with the 4 stages of music including the more traditional heavy punk Black Stage music, attendees will be in the presence of pop-up shops, a Speaker’s corner where the politically minded can speak theirs, a slew of Food Trucks making a variety of cuisine, the Spin Thrift Market with it’s 100 vendors selling various goods and crafts, and the ever present Art Wall where selected visual artists produce original works of art within the park grounds. There will also be skaters, food trucks, performance artists and future runway models all accelerating/shifting culture and style right before your very eyes, in one unique setting. A look around AFROPUNK FEST will give credence as to why the New York Times described it as “the most multicultural festival in the US”.
Attendees can skip the line while supporting the AFROPUNK community by making a small donation that will go towards furthering AFROPUNK’s efforts and culture. As a thank you, your advanced donation will guarantee your entry and fast track you through the check in process at the festival. Click HERE to make a donation and get the fast check-in.
The festival takes place at Commodore Barry Park on Saturday, August 23rd and Sunday, August 24th.
Traveling this summer? If so, check out our pic this week, Leisure Life‘s Box Bag. This olive and black bag is made from military issued canvas and calfskin leather. It has large interior space with a small interior zip pocket and is hand made in NYC.
Leisure Life, 559 Myrtle Avenue between Emerson & Classon Avenues
Yesterday afternoon, elected officials, community members, our staff, and local merchants were joined by Pratt Institute President Dr. Thomas Schutte to dedicate one of Myrtle Avenue’s custom tree benches to current Public Advocate and former Council Member Letitia “Tish” James.
New York State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Current 35th District Council Member Laurie Cumbo, New York State Assemblymember Walter T. Mosely, Acting Executive Director Meredith Phillips Almeida, and Pratt Institute President Dr. Thomas Schutte spoke about Tish’s dedication to the neighborhood and Myrtle Avenue.
The dedicated bench is located at 482 Myrtle Avenue, on the corner of Hall Street. Before and after the speeches, attendees enjoyed fresh slices from Liberty Pizza.
For tree bench sponsorship opportunities, please contact Dan at (718) 230-1689.
Liberty Pizza is located at 482 Myrtle Avenue, on the corner of Hall Street
ConEdison generously sponsored two tree benches along Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Pictured above is the tree bench in front of the Ingersoll Garden, on Myrtle Avenue between Fleet and Navy. Below is the tree bench in front of Humo Smokehouse, 336 Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Carlton. ConEdison’s support will help the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership care for the Avenue’s trees and custom tree guards.
Would you like to sponsor a tree bench along Myrtle Avenue? Would you like to dedicate a Myrtle Avenue tree bench to a loved one? Please call Dan at (718) 230-1689 for details.
Do you have a Fort Greene based food access, open space or physical activity project that needs funding? We can help!
The Healthy Communities Initiative, a program of the Brooklyn Community Foundation is connecting innovative efforts around food, open space, and fitness in 3 neighborhoods – Red Hook, Fort Greene, and Brownsville – to share resources and empower residents to enrich their environments and strengthen their communities, while developing new ways for nonprofits and city agencies to work together to improve public health.
Five residents, along with MARP, have formed the Fort Greene Community Grants Committee. We are seeking local projects to recommend to the Foundation for funding – $10k is available and up to 5 Fort Greene projects that meet the qualifications and are selected through a competitive application process by the Brooklyn Community Foundation will be awarded! Application deadline is June 30th, apply today!
To learn more and download the application visit here. You can send the application to Kassy Nystrom, Director, Healthy Communities, fax (718) 230-3674 or drop off at the MARP office.
We encourage you to join us for an in-person Q&A session on Tuesday, June 24th at the MARP office, 472 Myrtle Avenue, 2nd floor above Zaytoon’s restaurant at 6:30PM. You will have the chance to ask questions and we can help get your application completed.
Optical Gallery is opening on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The 900 square foot store at 446B Myrtle Avenue, which has been vacant for half a decade, is reopening later this month as a state of the art vision and eye care center. Staffed by both licensed and certified opticians and optometrists, the new store will offer a colorful, playful and exciting selection of designer eyewear. Services for children and adults will be offered, including laser vision correction surgery, care for eye emergencies, comprehensive vision exams and treatment for a range of conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, cataracts and macular degeneration. Most major insurances accepted. Optical Gallery, 446B Myrtle Avenue between Waverly & Washington Avenues. (718) 246-2020
If you are on the search for a Myrtle Avenue venue to check out the World Cup games, many are offering viewing opps, drink specials and more, here’s a bit of a round up (stay tuned for possible additions).
Putnam’s Pub & Cooker All World Cup games will be shown here. Two large TVs plus a brand new projector. Most games will take place during happy hour, so expect beer and cocktail specials galore.
Putnam’s Pub & Cooker, 419 Myrtle Avenue between Vanderbilt and Clinton
(347) 799-2382
Five Spot Soul Food & Supper Club Stop in for early bird drink specials before catching the games. Flat screen TV plus happy hour specials.
Five Spot, 459 Myrtle Avenue at the corner of Washington Avenue
(718) 852-0202
The Emerson will opening at noon in order to show all games. Their bringing out the big roll down screen (8 foot High Def.) and a new flat screen. All spots at the bar will have a good view. And some viewing opps in the backyard too! Stop in for the viewing and drink specials.
The Emerson, 561 Myrtle Avenue between Emerson and Classon
(347) 763-1310
Wray’s Caribbean & Seafood Cuisine 92-inch projector plus two large screen TVs are at the ready to catch all the World Cup action. Drink specials and food specials from it’s new space, complete with remodel and revamped menu.
Wray’s Caribbean & Seafood Cuisine, 503 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson & Grand
(718) 789-1111
Also, don’t forget to check out our dining guide for a full range of delicious Myrtle Avenue options.
As a grantee of the Partnership for a Healthier NYC we are launching our first Physical Activity program, Let’s Move, Fort Greene: Bike with Us! in May. New Physical Activity programming complements our existing Food & Health initiatives that aim to bring awareness to local food & health issues facing many residents of Fort Greene, especially those with low-incomes.
In partnership with Bike New York, Citi Bike and the NYC Department of Transportation residents will have the opportunity to participate in free bike programming, utilizing a Citi Bike.
New to riding a bike? These workshops are especially for you! Sign-up today – registration is required and space is limited.
Bike New York Bicycling Basics REGISTER HEREA 3-hour class for adults and teens who recently learned how to ride a bike or who want to improve their cycling skills.
WHEN: Saturday May 31, 10am – 1pm
WHERE: Citibike Station, Nassau and Navy Sts
Bike Helmet Fitting & Giveaway NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED
NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) will fit you for a FREE bike helmet. All recipients must sign a waiver. All ages; children must be accompanied by an adult. Available while supplies last.
WHEN: Sat June 7, 11am-3pm
WHERE: Fort Greene Park, corner of Washington Park & Myrtle
Bike New York Street Skills Class REGISTER HERELearn how to handle city cycling scenarios at this indoor class, so you can enjoy pleasant, stress-free rides. Follow up with a Street Skills Ride on June 14.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 6:30 – 8:30pm
WHERE: 177 Myrtle Avenue, Ingersoll Community Center
Bike New York Street Skills Ride REGISTER HEREThis 3-hour on-bike class is designed for adults and teens who want to increase their comfort and confidence when cycling on urban streets. Bike New York Street Skills Class is strongly recommended.
WHEN: Saturday, June 14, 10am – 1pm
WHERE: Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1 Clermont Avenue
Do you shop, live and/or visit Myrtle Avenue? If so, we need your help! Every few years, we conduct a survey to help us evaluate our work, and to understand your priorities and perceptions of Myrtle Avenue. The information you provide will help us improve our programs, refine our marketing efforts, and bring new businesses that will continue to serve residents and visitors. Our survey close date is Friday, June 13, 2014
As a thank you for providing this important feedback, we will select four lucky respondents to each receive a $100 gift card for the Myrtle Avenue business of their choice! The survey takes only ten minutes to complete online:
SURVEY (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MyrtleAveBklynSURVEY)
Paper copies are also available. To request please call us at (718)230-1689.
Ingersoll Garden of Eden Gardeners circa 2009
We had the pleasure of meeting Urban Planning Graduate student Beatriz Pineda Revilla from the Netherlands last season as she worked closely with the Ingersoll Garden of Eden gardeners to learn their story and partnerships with New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Garden & Greening program and MARP to inform her graduate project about urban gardening and community organizing in New York City. Revilla’s work is now available for all to read in The Guardian, “New York success story: growing the Garden of Eden in Brooklyn” and via a preview of the soon to be published book “We Own the City” .
Congratulations to Ms. Revilla and the Ingersoll Garden of Eden gardeners – it is wonderful to see the hard work and dedication of this project shared and celebrated, bravo!
To learn more about the Ingersoll Garden of Eden, the Walt Whitman Victory Garden and MARP’s partnership with both visit our Community Gardens page.
Photo Credit: GrowNYC.org
We have partnered with GrowNYC to expand the Fort Greene Park Greenmarket further north on Washington Park and closer to Myrtle Avenue to increase visibility and access for residents north of the park and decrease shopper congestion at market. In addition to the expansion, we will host a community education station on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park with food and health programming for all ages and regular tours of the Greenmarket to inform the community about the products available and the fact that food benefits are accepted.
We hope the proposed changes will:
To date, we have received over 300 support signatures at market, support from multiple Elected Officials including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and Assemblyman Walter Mosley and numerous Resident Associations, local businesses, and Community Based Organizations.
Thank you to all for your support to improve access to fresh, affordable food for all local residents!
Please sign the petition here and join us at the Community Board 2 Transportation & Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 20th at 6PM .
Meeting details:
WHAT: Community Board 2 Transportation & Safety Committee
WHEN: Tuesday, May 20th 2014
WHERE: First Floor Board Room of St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street (between Clinton and Court streets)
TIME: 6PM
Do you know of any community food and health initiatives that need funding? If so, apply to join the Brooklyn Community Foundation’s Healthy Communities initiative Community Grants Committee to help select and provide funding to your neighbors. Healthy Communities unites innovative efforts around food, open space, and fitness happening in Red Hook, Fort Greene, and Brownsville.
Healthy Communities is a partnership of four nonprofits – Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, Added Value, Brownsville Partnership, and Brooklyn Food Coalition – and the New York City Housing Authority and Brooklyn District Public Health Office, working together to foster healthier lifestyles through activities led by community members.
As a core component of Healthy Communities, a Community Grants Program will launch late May 2014 to provide small grants for new and existing healthy eating and active living activities in the three partner neighborhoods. The volunteer Community Grants Committee in each neighborhood will be responsible for:
The four partner nonprofit organizations will organize the committees, which will consist of three to six members who will serve through December 2014.
We invite you to join the volunteer Fort Greene Community Grants Committee. We hope that residents will bring their extensive neighborhood knowledge, experience, and commitment to Healthy Communities and help build the movement for healthier lifestyles across Brooklyn.
For a description of the initiative and grants program and a formal application please contact Kassy Nystrom, Director, Food & Health Programs. The deadline to apply is May 23, 2014 and members will be chosen by May 28.
Please note that if you serve as a member of the Community Grants Committee, any organization that you have a formal affiliation with cannot apply for a grant.
If you are a teen who lives and/or attends school in Fort Greene or Clinton Hill, will be a high school sophomore, junior, senior or college freshman in September 2014, interested in learning about entrepreneurship and looking for summer employment, please consider applying for the summer apprentice program. The deadline is May 30th (applications received after this date will be placed on a waiting list for possible consideration).
Check the job board for more information on how to apply.
It’s Week Two of our spring planting season, and it’s very busy in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
Last week our landscape contractors aerated 115 tree beds along Myrtle Avenue and added mulch to over 200 tree beds. This week we’ve added perennial plants and flowering annuals to approximately two dozen tree beds that are protected by our custom tree guards. In what has become an annual tradition, a group of students from Greene Hill School helped plant annuals in four tree beds between Adelphi and Clermont. Planting will continue next week.
Mulch was provided by the New York City Parks Department. Tree bed aeration and mulching was supported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
