9st Laundrette Cleaners to close at end of the month

Another one bites the dust. 

After nearly 20 years in business, 9st Laundrette Cleaners (334 9th St, between 5th and 6th Ave) will have its last wash and dry on Monday, July 28. Its reason for closing is a common one: increased rent. In this case, an increase so high (more than double) that no laundromat (let alone small business) will ever be able to sustain itself in that area. 

If you've ever been, then you know just how sad this is. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are incredibly wonderful people. Polite, hard-working, positive, accommodating — they treat every one of their customers (myself included) with the utmost kindness and respect. The space itself isn't the most high-end or fancy, but dammit if Mr. and Mrs. Lee don't keep that place spotless. And whether you do your laundry there or drop off for wash/dry/fold service, Mr. and Mrs. Lee always make the über annoying process of "laundry" not seem like a chore. Of all the wash/dry spots in the area, 9st Laundrette Cleaners is by far the best. 

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OMG Will Someone Please Foster This Ah-mazing Dog?

Meet Stella. 

Stella is a 10-year-old, 40lb black rescue who’s lived her entire adult life on Park Slope’s own 11th Street. 

"Oh, 11th Street, as in Bill de Blockio," you ask? Yes, that same street. Though even Bill will tell you, Stella’s the most famous resident of 11th Street. 

That’s because Stella is the kindest, sweetest dog you’ll ever met. A lover of people, she’ll turn her belly up for a rub when you meet her almost immediately. She’s great with kids. Great with animals. A quiet, happy presence who’s hella low-maintainence. Stella's hiking days are far behind her, so while she loves being outside, she doesn’t require a long walk. And when she does go out, she’s an off-leash dog who would be just as happy to sit in your backyard or on your front stoop all day, watching the action go by. 

Basically, she’s the dog that everybody dreams of having one day. 

Like many, Stella’s filmmaker mom has been priced out of the neighborhood, and will now be living a bi-coastal life, commuting between LA and New York. (Apparently, she can't afford the $6,500 house that just became available on the block either). But Stella’s heart is in Brooklyn, and is not about to deal with that 405 traffic. So she’s looking for a foster home close-by where she can hang out between mom’s visits. Basically, Stella needs a long-term Airbnb. 

First floor apartments are optimal, because Stella is a tripod and isn’t about to deal with your fourth floor walk-up. But you’re welcome to pick her up and carry her. 

Are you Stella's foster parent? Send us an email at effedinparkslope at gmail dot com and let us know! Her future in Brooklyn is at your hands. 

Now here are more photos of her for you to gawk at. 

THAT FACE! THOSE EYES!  

I MEAN CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE THE CUTENESS?!?

The Great GoogaMooga is not coming back to Prospect Park. Where should it go?

Remember when you first heard about The Great GoogaMooga. And you were like, "Oh, wow, that sounds kinda awesome. And holy shit, it's going to be right in Prospect Park! How easy and convient for me. I must get tickets!" And then you tried to get tickets, but it was a total fucking shitshow. Until you finally got tickets and you went and it was even more of a clusterfuck. And ever after organizers gave all the ExtraMooga ticket holders refunds, you were still like, "meh." But somehow you didn't learn your lesson and you went back the next year and stood in-line waiting in the rain for almost an hour before they cancelled the event on you. And then on the walk back home you got all these emails and tweets from GoogaMooga on your phone saying "Things are still on and we have plenty of tickets ready! Come down to Prospect Park!" So you walked back and they were still like, "Oops sorry we're totally still cancelled even though we said rain or shine. Oh and ps we're not paying any of our vendors for all their lost food. Sucks to be them!" And then they left and the park was totally destroyed? And those who actually got to go said it sucked anyway. Remember all that?

Yeah. What a mess.

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Pork Slope has brunch now and OMFG

These pancakes aren't on the menu at Pork Slope, but you get the point.

I realize it's like, noon, and you probably haven't even decided what you're going to eat for lunch yet, yet alone what you'll be eating for brunch this weekend. But Pork Slope (247 5th Ave) is launching a brunch menu this weekend and holy shit you guys - I want to eat it all.  

At first I was like, 'It's kind of crazy that Pork Slope hasn't had brunch before, no?' And then I remembered that Pork Slope opened as sort of an upscale dive bar and upscale dive bars don't have brunch. So why the change? Dale Talde breaks down the reason behind the shift to FIPS: "We realized that what we wanted and what the neighborhood wanted were two different things," Talde said. "People don't want a down and dirty bar at noon. People want brunch. They want a place to watch the game and eat some good food and enjoy themselves. So that's what we're giving them." Owner David Massoni added, "We like to think of ourselves as the owners of our restuarants, but really, it's the neighborhood. The neighborhood pays our bills. So if they want brunch, we'll give them brunch!"

But just like their other restaurants, Dale Talde's not just giving us buttermilk pancakes and omelets at Pork Slope brunch. Just look at the menu:

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Who Gives A Shit: Does Anyone Go To Beauty Bar?

Beauty Bar when it first opened? Or on a Saturday night?

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday night, I was walking home from a gay bar in the East Village when I passed Beauty Bar on 14th Street. The bar was packed with people - so many so that they spilled outside. The atmosphere inside looked hoppin' - music blasting, people dancing, lots of attractive people mingling. I was like, "Damn, what a super fun bar!"

Then I took the train home to the Slope. And on the walk home, I swung by Beauty Bar on 5th Avenue. The atmosphere was a little... different. There were four people in the bar, and they were all watching some movie that was being projected on the big screen. It was 10:30 on a Saturday night. And no one was there. 

Surely this had to be some sort of fluke. It's the summertime - maybe a lot of people were away for the weekend?

So I started checking back periodically over the following weeks. And wouldn't you know it? No matter what night of the week it was - no matter what time of night - there never seemed to be anyone there.  No music blasting. No dance parties. Everything just seemed... dead. Like, the opposite of fun. 

What's the deal? Does anyone go to Beauty Bar? Is it always that dead? Or does it just get crazy busy like, minutes after I check it out?