COOL OR NOT COOL: THE BARCLAYS CENTER?

OK all people who weren't lazy and/or paying attention when Jay-Z tix went on sale: HOW THE HELL WAS IT!??

We want to know everything and anything about the numero uno opening weekend of the Barclays Center:

• Were there any Blue Ivy Carter sightings? 
• Did you get a parking spot?
• Did you want a parking spot?
• Were there 17 million metal detectors?
• Did you see anyone find anything scary after getting metal detected?
• Did anyone get punched?
• How were the bathrooms?
• What were the snacks like? 
• Do you secretly love the place even though it's politically incorrect for a Park Sloper to say so?

SPILL.

IT. 

Cool or Not Cool:Tricked-Out Strollers for Your Babes?

Fresh off of last week's kiddie curfew at Greenwood Park post, I thought it would only be apropos to follow up with something as amazing as a man who will pimp out your baby's ride for $250. Let's be honest, I'm surprised it took this long for this kind of service to come along.  

According to the Brooklyn Paper, a Canarsie-based inventor by the name of Funk Master Flex Bruce Fraizer will outfit your stroller with such dire necessities as an alarm system, GPS, LED flashing head lights and an iPod docking station. If you want a baby jaccuzzi and bottle mini bar, that will cost extra as part of the premium package add-ons (I made that up... I think).

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Cool or Not Cool: Greenwood Park Kicking Babies out at 4PM?

photo by Pearl Gabel via The Daily News

South Slope beer hall Greenwood Park had barely opened its pelleted gates for the first time before bad press in the form of local complaints started rolling in. Residents of the neighborhood accused disorderly bar patrons of pissing in the streets, screwing in cars and leaving the immediate area littered with the post-coital remains. Yet no indiscretion was as heinous as the influx of chillins descending on the place (just check out these Yelp reviews!) The drama even prompted the Gray Lady herself to sound off about the kid friendliness of bars and outdoor drinking spaces. 

I have become a regular at Greenwood Park, but because I have never rolled up to the joint before 8PM, the kids-hanging-out-all-over-the-place-thing has never been a problem in my world view. That being said, when I arrived at the bar last Thursday night, I was not surprised upon seeing  a printed sign on the gate that said "NEW FALL CURFEW. NO CHILDREN ALLOWED ON PREMISES AFTER 4PM." Greenwood Park had drawn their little line in the sandbox (also, the bouncer totally snickered at me when I got my ID out at the door -- dick.)

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COOL OR NOT COOL: THE NYPD SHUTTING DOWN A STOOP SALE?

Photo via www.mattmarksmusic.com

This past weekend, police in Park Slope put the kibosh on a seemingly innocent New York City institution: the stoop sale. That's right -- the police took time out of their day to SHUT DOWN A COUPLE SELLING A FEW ITEMS ON THE SIDEWALK. When the cruiser first pulled up, the sellers believed that police were looking to cop some nearby doughnuts from a bodega (or perhaps they hoped the two cops would excitedly rummage through their vast collection of ‘Wham’ cassettes, Spring Break ’99 tees, and IKEA couture). The sordid tale was recently recounted on Brooklynian's forum:

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Cool Or Not Cool: Treating A Coffee Shop Like YOur Living Room?

Photo sent in by a FiPS tipster

OK, let's get right down to it.

Shoes off, feet up on a chair, belongings strewn about. Lately I've seen a lot of people treating coffee shops like their own apartments. Recently, my friend was sitting on a couch at a Park Slope coffee shop and a man sat beside her, took his shoes and socks off -- it was 90 degrees out this day, mind you -- and put his dirty feet up on the couch inches away from her hands, which were holding a chocolate chip scone. She couldn't finish the scone then, nor has she been able to eat one since. Yes, she's absolutely being a bit overdramatic, but still, it begs the question: how much luxury does one deserve along with the purchase of a cup of coffee or muffin?

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