South Side Parking

Well, the "No Parking" signs have been hung along Fifth Avenue, from 12th to 18th Street in preparation for the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID's South Slope Summer Strolls event. The stretch will be off limits to cars and buses from 4-10 pm, Friday night. We don't anticipate any serious traffic or parking problems, as summer Fridays are generally pretty quiet.

However, it looks like things will be a little more complicated by the filming of a television show on 9th Street between 4th and 6th Avenues and Fifth Avenue between 8th and 9th Streets. Cars need to be moved by 10 pm tonight, so maybe the filming will be done during the day on Friday and the spaces will be open before Summer Strolls begins.

Fingers crossed (we had no idea this was going to happen)!

Summer Series at Hiho Batik

Yesterday, our friends at Park Slope Stoop reported on a 5-week Stories and Crafts series coming to Hiho Batik (184 Fifth Avenue). We thought we would repeat the information to help spread the word about this great Fifth Avenue Business, especially since the series starts tomorrow:

July 18: A Day at the Beach: Decorate beach-themed picture frames using watercolor paint, glue, and sand. 

July 25: Squishy Turtle and Friends: Make turtles out of paper bowls, using paint and stamps for the shells. 

August 1: I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur: Make and paint dinosaur fossils using salt dough, finger paint, and plastic dinosaurs. 

August 8: Color Zoo: Use paper bags to create an animal hand puppet by gluing different shapes together. 

August 15: In The Garden: Decorate flower pots using watercolor paint and stamps, and then make coffee filter flowers to plant in them.

Interested? More information here. 

What to Expect

Just a few more days left until South Slope Summer Strolls takes place on Fifth (this Friday from 12th to 18th Street, 5-9 pm).

We've had a lot of people ask us this week whether this is a street fair. The answer is no. South Slope Summer Strolls is actually part of the NYC Department of Transportation's Weekend Walks program:

Local merchants' associations, community groups, and business improvement districts host Weekend Walks as a fun way to highlight local businesses and cultural institutions. The Walks are temporary pedestrian streets that create great opportunities for New Yorkers to gather, see their neighborhoods in a new way, and relax on summer weekends.

In other words, more like this:





And less like this:




So expect a little music, some fun kids activities, outdoor seating, food and drink from local bars and restaurants and lots of public space to enjoy. Do NOT expect Italian Sausage or tube sock vendors.

See you there!

This Friday: South Slope Summer Strolls

This Friday, July 19th and next Friday, 26th from 5 - 9 pm, Fifth Avenue will be closed to cars between 12th and 18th Streets.  Yup, the streets will be closed, the buses will be rerouted and merchants will have the opportunity to provide outdoor seating, food, drinks and merchandise to browse, right out to the curb. In the streets, there will be music and and some free activities for the whole family. 

For this Friday, grab a beer or some food outdoors while the kids enjoy face painting, a bouncy house, a basketball hoop, vintage cars, music from Rolie Polie Guacamole and Bangstrum, free hot dogs and more!

The event gets bigger and better on the 26th, with a rock climbing wall from Brooklyn Boulders, salsa dancing in the street with Sonido Costeno and some amazing juggling by Jen Slaw!

Small Wonder Gallery Exhibit

The Ground Floor Gallery, although just a few months old, has already made waves in the neighborhood with amazing shows filled with locally-made and affordable art.

Tonight, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, they are having a reception celebrating the art of "small." The show, "Small Wonder", features pieces that are no larger than 8 1/2" x 11" and no more expensive than $200. Yes, you have room for this art in your tiny apartment and you can afford it!

Drop by, check out the art, meet some artists and see what the Ground Floor Gallery has to offer!

This Saturday: Park Slope Eye Celebrates 5

This Saturday, July 13th, join Dr. Justin Bazan and his staff for a night of celebration. From 10 PM to 2 AM, drop by their Union Street store for a night of music, free booze and fun.

This party is a little past our bedtime so we'll just say "congratulations" to Park Slope Eye for five years of great service in the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID. Here's to five more!

Scaredy Kat: Final Day July 23

Scaredy Kat's last day is Tuesday, July 23rd. Drop by one last time and get 25% off of everything in the store before it's too late!