As Told To FIPS: Citibank Stole My Daughter’s Birthday Money

Via Google street viewLast week, I ended my 14-year relationship with Citibank on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. When we moved to Park Slope in 1997, my husband and I opened up a joint checking account, savings account and line of credit. In 2008, when I started my business, I opened a business checking account, savings account and line of credit. In 2011, I opened a custodial savings account for each of my two children. I was given two new Citibank coffee mugs in appreciation of my loyalty.

Each year, I deposited their birthday money into these accounts. But I did not keep close tabs on the balances because, well, the whole point of a kids’ savings account is to put the money in and forget it. 

At one of my annual deposits along the way, I noticed that my daughter’s account was shrinking. I looked at the past few transactions and noticed that she was being charged a $15 service fee. I looked at my son’s account balance and he was not being charged, so I assumed that there was a minimum balance (unusual for this type of account) and simply added money from my checking account so she had as much money as my son. 

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Do You Know The (CT) Muffin Man?

Photo credit: Toby Gingold

Always a hospitable place, the center Slope branch of Connecticut Muffin on the corner of 7th Ave. and 1st St. has a lot of us wondering about the dapper man in the skull cap who is there almost every afternoon, obsessively making some kind of structures out of the straws, cups, lids and napkins that they graciously provide.

Some days he takes up two tables in this tiny place and they leave him alone. It started in the summer when he positioned himself outside, drumming very intensely on benches and tables, then he moved inside and began his "hobby," as they call it. His name Is Robert; they don't know anything else about him but have no problem with him unless he does his drumming inside or the café is full, i.e., during the early morning 321 rush. He's silent, absorbed.

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What's Going On With The Key Food on 11th & 5th?

If you know me (which you don't) you know that I am fundamentally opposed to Jo, Brian & Joseph's Key Food on the corner of 11th and 5th.

The employees are categorically surly, I hate that little alcove with the creepy steps where they keep the beer and I find that the shelves are too high for me to do most of my shopping (I can't reach about 80% of the things I would actually want to purchase). I also don't know who Jo, Brian OR Joseph is, but I can tell you that if I were them, I would be embarrassed as heck to have a grocery store named after me. And a tiny shitty one that smells of something terrible yet indistinguishable at that.

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[Guest Post] Why Did You Slash My Tire?

Longtime FIPS reader, Jon, wrote in to tell us of something that happened to him this weekend: 

I live near the Barclays Center. I don’t write that in a bad or negative way. As a matter of fact, when folks ask me my opinion I universally say “I like it.” While I was nervous about it prior to and when it first opened up, in the end, it hasn’t been a hassle and it’s led to what I consider to be a general brightening up (dare I say “improvement”) of the neighborhood. Parking hasn’t even proven to be a big problem unless I tend to time thing pretty poorly on event nights but I’ve only gotten 2 tickets in 2 years and feel pretty fortunate about it.

Until Saturday… 

I was getting back to my place at about 7:45 pm Saturday night. The sun was starting to go down and a “Best of the 90s Salsa Concert” was getting ready to kick off at 8. There was no parking in sight. This was exacerbated by a block party that had the block adjacent to mine — Park Place between 6th & 7th Ave — closed to traffic and parking for the day.

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Free comic books! Free salvation! Meh Dry Cleaning!

Picking up my dc (not darling child, I'm talking dry cleaning), I was given the opportunity to have my soul saved. Soul saving comes complimentary in the form of proselytizing mini comic books at the register of Park Slope's Grace Cleaners. I know what you're thinking, 'Why do you go to Grace Cleaners when they are expensive and lose clothing items?!' Well, I feel bad because they had to rebuild after the devil burned down their business in March '09.  Also, my apt is right down the street and I'm a lazy mother-Sloper. So, all you slope heathen motherfuckers, has Grace Cleaners saved your soul or lost your pants? Do tell.

Guest post by Felicia, PS Breeder