Brick Underground Gives FiPS Well Deserved* Props

Brick Underground (“the insider’s guide to NYC real estate”) named FiPS one of its 22 Essential New York City blogs. Calling us the “grumpy elder statesman” of Park Slope blogs (because we’re old), Brick Underground highlights our Craigslist blotter and still enjoys it when we call people out on their nonsense.

While they didn’t explicitly say we were very good looking, extremely witty, well-read, sharper satirists than The Onion and cooler than Bill Murray himself, I think we can all agree it was written between lines. Especially the “good looking” part.

Thank you, Brick Underground. We’ll treasure this well-deserved addition to our ever-expanding FiPS trophy room.

Cool or Not Cool: Driving A Golf Cart Through The Streets of Park Slope

Photos by Bruno J. NavarroEveryone loves driving golf carts but that doesn’t mean golf carts should be driven everywhere. For instance, they probably should not be driven on 6th Ave. But FiPS reader Bruno sent along some pictures showing a genius couple doing just that.

They drove along 6th Ave, ultimately making a right onto 9th Street. The cart puttered along the avenue, the woman in the passenger’s seat on the phone, seemingly giving directions. Apparently those directions didn’t include “stay out of the bike lane,” which they proceeded to drive along... in the wrong direction.

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Couple That Lost Wedding Savings to reBar Talks with FiPS

image via Sarah Bibi Gainer

Park Slope couple Katie Jarvis and Ranjan Mukhopadhyay walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and through the park in DUMBO, on their first date. They did the same thing the day he proposed to her in September 2012. So reBar’s location was perfect for their upcoming wedding on July 26th. Owner Jason Stevens offered an all inclusive wedding package that took a lot of the pressure off their shoulders. The food was great and the aesthetics suited their style. They wanted to throw a “party with our friends,” said Ranjan, and reBar was the right place for it.

They booked the restaurant and paid the $20,000-plus bill over the next few months. Then last Friday Katie heard from a friend in the bridal party that Gothamist was reporting reBar had closed. The couple went to a local bar directly from work, shell shocked. “I know there are so many bigger problems in the world,” Ranjan said, “but I’ve never cried so much. I’ve never seen my fiancée cry so much.”

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41 Years Later, Coffee Shop Pioneer Leaf & Bean Closes

Photo credit: NATALIE MUSUMECI/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSWhen Leaf & Bean says that it was into fresh coffee beans and loose tea leaves before it was cool, it’s true. The OH (that’s “Original Hipster”) opened its doors on Seventh Ave 41 years ago, long before anyone even knew there was more than one kind of coffee. But competition from both corporate and indie coffee shops has been too much, forcing partners Vikki Cook and Karen Hue to shut down the old school joint.

Founder Allan Mehlberg ran Leaf & Bean until he retired in 2003, handing the reins over to Cook and Hue. The two had worked with Mehlberg at the shop and at another of his cafes. “Karen and I love Leaf & Bean and that’s why we struggled these past few years to keep it open,” Cook told the New York Daily News.

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NYC Basics For n00bs (with Drawings)

Remember when you first moved to New York and, as you got off the train, you saw the most beautiful person in the world get into the express as the doors closed? You probably went home that night to your cold, lonely bed, blaming yourself for not acting quicker. After the 214th time, though, you finally learned it was never your fault, that's just what NYC does to everyone.

How long did it take you to learn how to know what pants to wear to a restaurant? When did you finally realize the angry looks every time you walked into a restaurant during the winter where actually directed at you for holding the damn door open? Have you even realized the way parking meters affect the flow of pedestrians creates a perfect area for you to stop and chill? 

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