Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Raffle: Two More Weeks

Just a reminder that the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID's Spending Spree Raffle is still going on along the avenue. You can earn raffle tickets by spending $14 or more at more than 60 locations from Dean to 18th Streets.

For details and a list of participants, go to parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/raffle. You can also see a mobile-optimized list of participants when you go to parkslopefifthavenuebid.com on your iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile or Palm device.

News Round-Up

Fifth Avenue and Carroll Street, Brooklyn, 4 P.M. [NY Times]

Our cartoonist likes Union Hall [Brooklyn Paper]

Best Park Slope Restaurants in Brooklyn [Restaurants in NYC]

FIPS CARES: La Bagel Delight, A Final Plea [FIPS]

Of Course: Park Slope Gets Solar Powered, Texting Trash Cans [Gothamist]

Closed for Business: Hog Mountain, 192 Fifth Avenue [Here's Park Slope]

Egg and Cheese on a Bagel: The Quest for the Best [NY Times]

Attempted Bank Robbery on Fifth Ave. [Park Slope Patch]

Another Snow Day

In case you missed it, New York City Public Schools and non-essential city offices are closed because of last night's storm. The R train appears to be running fine but when we last checked, bus service was canceled throughout the city and some of the trains that go outdoors were partially suspended. For up-to-date train and bus info, you might want to try mta.info.

Sounds like a nice day to stay home and warm in the morning, followed by a hot meal, a drink and a little shopping along Fifth Avenue in afternoon or evening (if the merchants can make it in).

Photo by Erika Clark

Recent Changes Along Fifth

We usually do our "Recent Changes Along Fifth" feature once a month. However, we had been hearing about a lot negative changes taking place along the avenue this week and we just had to get out and take a closer look.

In

Well, actually, we didn't see a lot of new places opening, although a new discount home and decor store called The Bargain Stop 2 has moved in at 458 Fifth Avenue. Also, the new Tattoo and Beauty Salon has finally opened at 467 Fifth Avenue (Yelp calls it Rachel's Tattoo and Beauty Salon.)

We did notice some sort of changes taking place at 517 Fifth Avenue (at 13th Street). This newer building has had a vacant commercial space since it opened but finally, the windows are papered over and some sort of activity is taking place inside. Anyone know what's going on?

Also, there is a lot of action on both sides of the former Long Tan space (194 Fifth Avenue). It will be interesting to see what opens there.

By the way, the new coffee place at 186 Fifth Avenue still has no name. We'll keep checking back. Perhaps we should propose a naming contest?

Out

Well, we know the economy is tough and the weather has not been helpful, but the losses that we found yesterday along the avenue were particularly depressing. We hope that the President's new focus on jobs makes a difference in 2011.

We were sad to see a "closed" sign on the gate of Little Buddy Biscuit Company. We really love their cookies and cakes and hope that they find a way to sell their goods without a storefront. You can follow them on Facebook and at littlebuddybiscuitcompany.com/.

Somehow, after just a few months on Fifth Avenue, Platinum Couture is gone.

We had heard about the closing of Willie's Dawgs but we were shocked to see a "Going out of Business" sign in the window at Under the Pig. That is a big loss for Fifth Avenue.

Finally, Gemini Treasury (169 Fifth Avenue) closed and was being emptied yesterday.

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Photo above: a great recession special at the Chip Shop

Two Upcoming Restaurant Events

We just learned about these two cool Fifth Avenue restaurant events:

India Republic Day @ Baluchi's Park Slope: India Republic Day "commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force... To mark the importance of the occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi." Yeah, we looked that up on Wikipedia. Anyway, here in Park Slope, the occassion will be celebrated at Baluchi's Park Slope (310 Fifth Avenue near 2nd Street) on Friday, January 28th. There will be live music (DJ DRAC), Hors d'oeuvres, hookah's, raffles, giveaways and more! Plus, $5 beer & wine and $6 cocktail specials from Baluchi's new bar. To RSVP, email Arthur at 310baluchis@gmail.com.


Wine Tasting and Tapas: Fifth Avenue's Picada y Vino is teaming up with Palo Santo along with Regal Wine Distributors to host their second annual Wine Tasting and Tapas Night!

Help yourself to tapas while you taste and re-taste 8 wines.
The event will take place at Palo Santo (652 Union Street between 4th & 5th Avenues) on Sunday, January 30th from 5-9 PM.

The cost $45 per person - please R.S.V.P by phone (718) 636-6311

Winter Restaurant Week

According to the nygo.com website, today is the start of "Love NYC Restaurant Week", running through February 6th. Participating restaurants will be offering $24.07 lunch and $35.00 dinner specials. Unfortunately, most of the participants appear to be in Manhattan and we would never suggest that you go out to eat there.

Good news, though, Benchmark Restaurant (339A 2nd Street @ Fifth Avenue, behind Loki) is participating and if you haven't tried them before, this might be a good opportunity.

In case you are inclined to leave Fifth, though, the full list is available here.

News Round-Up

Fried Pickles from Corner Burger, Park Slope [Blondie and Brownie]

Closed For Business: Willie's Dawgs, 351 5th Avenue [Here's Park SLope]

Get Ready, NY Bike Jumble is Back [Bike Blog NYC]

Park Slope's La Taqueria, Little Bird, Naidre's and More Donski [NY Eater]

Short and Sweet: 8 Quick Chocolate Getaways Near Manhattan [Off Manhattan]

Freddy's Bar to Reopen February 4th [No Land Grab]

Friday Foodporn: Bogota [Here's Park Slope]

Tonight: Billi Shakes Fifth

Interesting night on Fifth Avenue, tonight. SouthPaw is hosting Billi Shakes, a "unique blend of 1920’s Hip-Hop, Libertine Punk and Electro-Pop" with lots of dance and choreography (see her in action here).

To celebrate, Fifth Avenue's own vintage fashion shop Odd Twin will be hosting a Pre-Show and Happy Hour (164 5th Ave @ Degraw St). Drop by Odd Twin from 6-8 for a drink and some discounted shopping and then head over to the Billi Shakes show.

This is the kind of stuff that makes Park Slope's Fifth Avenue so great!

Freddy's Opening Soon

Well, we did notice some progress at the new Freddy's Bar location (621 Fifth Avenue in the former Ellis Bar space) while walking along the avenue the other day, so we knew this news was coming sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, Brownstoner reported that Freddy's was scheduled to open on February 4th. Wish we could be there on opening day. That'll certainly be an event!

Anyway, more details are available via Brownstoner.

More Tuesday Weather Trouble

Ok, seriously, this is actually getting a bit silly. It seems like every week at this time we have some unsettling winter weather to write about. Frankly, given the choice between white fluffy snow and ice and sleet, we'll take the snow. This is going to be messy.

Here is what the National Weather Service is saying:

Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
3:47 pm EST, Mon., Jan. 17, 2011

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 1 PM EST TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 1 PM EST TUESDAY.

* LOCATIONS... PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST CONNECTICUT... NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... .NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND.

* HAZARDS... SNOW... SLEET... AND FREEZING RAIN.

* ACCUMULATIONS... AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW AND SLEET INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING... THEN A TRACE TO UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ON TOP OF THE SNOW AND SLEET.

* TEMPERATURES... TEMPERATURES AT THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION TONIGHT WILL BE IN THE MID 20S... THEN RISE TOWARDS THE FREEZING MARK EARLY TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE FREEZING AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES.

* TIMING... SNOW SHOULD DEVELOP MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT... THEN MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN TUESDAY MORNING. FREEZING RAIN WILL THEN QUICKLY CHANGE TO PLAIN RAIN.

* IMPACTS... TRAVEL COULD BECOME HAZARDOUS BY THE RUSH HOUR TUESDAY MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW... SLEET... OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES... AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

MLK Day

Yes, we could talk about today as a day-off for millions of Americans. I'm sure we could also find a few MLK Day sales going on along the avenue. But instead, we'll just take this opportunity to remind you that today means a little bit more.

News Round-Up

WHASSUP: A Coupla Things Worth Mentioning [Fips]

Apple Hoping to Open Brooklyn Store in Atlantic Yards Development [TUAW]

Massive Men's Sale in Park Slope; 7-Eleven's Expansion Plans [Racked]

Hog Mountain to Shutter January 19th [Here's Park Slope]

More Places to Get Raffle Tickets

We checked back and it appears that there are now 65 stores, bars and restaurants participating in the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID's 5th Avenue Spending Spree Raffle. More places to shop local, receive a raffle ticket and have a chance to win a prize in February. Go to parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/raffle for details.

Snow Day? Snow Way!

Well, the overnight snow storm was not nearly as bad as the previous blizzard. In fact, New York City Public Schools are open and the streets are in relatively decent shape!

We're thankful that conditions aren't dangerous today but there is something a bit disappointing about missing out on a snow day off. Oh well, there is still plenty of Winter left.

Brooklyn Tweet-Up

Are you a Twitter user? Do you Tweet about Brooklyn events and/or small businesses? Do you want to meet that #FF friend who RTs all your great links and whom you've never met in person (only Twitter users will understand that question)? Join us!

All About Fifth (@AllAboutFifth on Twitter) is joining local Tweeters like @DenisHurley, @BecomingBklyn, @BrooklynFitChik and more for a little social networking...in person! This will be an informal event: no presentations, just an opportunity to enjoy some beer, wine, coffee, whatever, and get to know your digital neighbors. Interested?

Where: Linger Cafe (533 Atlantic Avenue)
When: Wednesday, January 12, 7 pm

Let us know you are coming by registering here.

Okay, yeah, it's supposed to snow a lot but barring a shut-down of the transit system (a definite possibility) we will be there!

Raising Funds for Street Pianos

If you check back at All About Fifth regularly, you know that we are big fans of outdoor music. For example, Make Music NY really made a nice impact on Fifth Avenue back in June. So, when we learned about this show taking place on Wednesday (January 12th), 8 pm, at Southpaw, we were more than happy to spread the word.

Brooklyn-based duo Greene Girl is hosting a piano-themed benefit show, featuring Anni Rossi, Emily Wells (video above), Georgiana and more. Proceeds go directly to the non-profit Sing For Hope, which organized last summer's Street Pianos, in which 60 pianos were placed in parks and public spaces throughout the city for people to enjoy. This event will help bring the pianos back in 2011 and for that, we applaud the organizers and say "Bring a piano to Fifth Avenue!"

Tickets are $10 at the door

News Round-Up

Park Slope Adderall Ring Busted [Huffington Post]

Park Slope: Celebrity Relationship Killer? [Gothamist]

The Day: Wal-Mart, Park Slope Pushers [NY Times]

A Bike Outta Crime [NY Post]

Get Fresh Table & Market Is Now Juventino [FIPS]

Added Bonus

Today the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID is launching its Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Raffle.

As an added bonus on kickoff day, we hear that the participating businesses will be giving away gifts, food samples, treats and more. So, if you can get to one of the participating stores, bars or restaurants today, you'll get a raffle ticket for every $14 you spend and a little something extra!

Sounds like a good day to check things out.

Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Details

As promised on Monday, the list of merchants that are participating in the Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Raffle has been posted. Rather than posting it here, where it will get out-of-date as merchants are added, we will link to parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/raffle, where the full list has been posted. The event starts on Thursday, January 6th.

Recent Changes Along Fifth

Yesterday we took our monthly walk along Park Slope's Fifth Avenue, from Dean to 18th Streets. We found a lot of changes since November:

In
A mysterious coffee place popped up at 186 Fifth Avenue. They have great refreshments, space, Wifi but...no name. Yet. The owner said he would have one within a couple of weeks. Puzzling. There is also a coffee shop being built in the former Serene Rose space. Fifth Avenue now appears to be the place to shop for vintage clothes and a good cup of coffee.

We also saw some action in the old Fifth Avenue Pizzeria (203 Fifth Avenue) space but we couldn't figure out what was going on. Anyone have any tips?

Finally, Hakone Sushi (201 Fifth Avenue) is now called Dao Palate. This appears to be a second location for the restaurant, which is also on Flatbush Avenue.

Out
We were sad to see a number of shops closing on the Avenue. Tower electronics and Hog Mountain had "Going Out of Business" sale signs on their doors. Of course, Toy's "R" Us's "Pop-up Shop" was being prepared to shut down, now that the holiday season is over. In addition, Extraordinary was cleaning out its shop as we were walking by and Dogs Den Daycare appeared to have been shut down.

As we like to say, the only thing certain in this world is CHANGE.

Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Raffle

This Thursday, January 6th, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID will be launching its "Fifth Avenue Spending Spree Raffle."

Between January 6th and February 14th, for every $14.00 spent at participating merchants, you will receive a raffle ticket which could entitle you to one of three great prizes from the BID: 

• 3rd Prize: $300 Fifth Avenue Shopping Spree


• 2nd Prize: $500 Fifth Avenue Shopping Spree


• 1st Prize: $1000 Fifth Avenue Shopping Spree

It sounds like a good incentive to go out and get some some post-holiday shopping done along the avenue. Stay tuned here and parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/raffle for the list of participating merchants!

Happy New Year!

-from the gang at All About Fifth and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID!

Photo by dkcholo [Flickr]