New York Magazine has anointed the Y at Atlantic and Court the best gym in Brooklyn — right around the corner from 110. The Y, which was built as part of Two Trees’ Court House project, surpassed even the new Brooklyn Heights Equinox. The blurb raves:
this nearly brand-new family-friendly facility is more than a place to do cardio and weights. There are community-centric programs for teens and toddlers, infant swim classes in the six-lane pool, and pickup basketball games in the gigantic gym. The fitness center has cardio and strength-training machines plus 96 adult classes a week, from spinning to belly dancing.
Thanks Two Trees! Also check out The Little Gym next door, for kids and parents, with a “parents’ survival night” providing child care on a weekend.
Well, turns out we’re not alone in looking for answers on delays in traffic calming and street improvements — the Boerum Hill Association (BHA) is pointing its finger at DOT for delaying improvements to Third Avenue after four years of promises. BHA is blaming DOT for a very sad incident — a young boy and his aunt were struck by a Hummer making a turn on Third, and the boy died of his injuries.
According to BHA, the planned traffic calming measures, had they been in place, may have saved his life. Some insight into the reasons for delay:
this type of improvement is considered a capital improvement, which is on a different and obviously slower track for implementation.
BHA also notes that DOT is planning construction of more than 100 curb extensions (or “neck-downs” in traffic-speak) over coming months and years in Downtown Brooklyn. For more information on the overall downtown plans see the Transportation Alternatives site below.
Some of our favorite real estate and neighborhood sites have given 110Livingston.net and a couple of our features some attention — thanks to each of them:
The plans for improving the streetscape in DUMBO and along Flatbush have gotten a lot of attention recently, but there has been no apparent progress on the promised improvements along the Boerum Place corridor (also known as Brooklyn Bridge Boulevard, right), the street which welcomes visitors crossing the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn.
City DOT has plans for excellent improvements: green plantings in the median (à la Park Ave.), bike lanes, safer pedestrian crossings, wider sidewalks, and better turning lanes. All of these would no doubt improve the area’s safety and appearance. In fact, City Planning has said that a “poor streetscape experience” (code for crappy-looking streets) is a major obstacle to Downtown Brooklyn’s growth.
City DOT said back in July that the project “plans to break ground in Summer or Fall 2006.” So where are the improvements? We’ll be calling the City Economic Development Corporation this week to find out.
See below for more pictures.
