We've heard a lot about how ignoring tickets can lead to a less-than-ideal stay in a city cell, and the Gowanus Lounge has a story on one Brooklyn woman's recent encounter with "the system". A summons for not walking her dog with a leash and a "free" subway ride were her two violations that collided in a perfect storm, landing her at the Brooklyn Central Booking for 24+ hours. Her main gripe was with the conditions of the place (located on Schermerhorn Street between Smith and Boerum Place):

I was going to see a student in Manhattan. I went to the Nevins Street 4/5 station. The Metrocard machine did not take my ATM card and was not accepting bills! No one was in the booth...I decided to pass through turnstile. I heard someone on the platform below, a cop was there with the token booth worker! I wondered if this was a ticket quota trap. more ›

Yesterday we visited the New York Transit Museum’s new exhibit “Show Me the Money: From the Turnstile to the Bank" which details the fare cycle, from buying the fare instrument to the sorting of the money. If you haven’t been to the museum, it is located in a disused 1930s vintage IND subway station in Brooklyn Heights. more ›

What does the future of the Fulton Street Mall look like? If the Bloomberg administration and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership have their way, it'll look less gritty and more like Herald Square and Bryant Park in Manhattan. The Post has details on the city's $18 million investment to re-make the Fulton Street and Albee Square mall areas nicer. more ›

With all this talk about venues closing, opening, renaming and branding themselves...it's easy for the little venues that aren't so publicized to get lost in the shuffle. Perhaps that's good, because once you find a nice small (no drink minimum) jazz club, you don't want everyone to know about it. However, you want it to stay in business, too. Over In Brooklyn (the blog) has a list of jazz spots in the borough, and a story about Brooklynite/jazz musician/bass maker Carl Thompson: more ›

The New York Times has one of those stories today that exemplifies the friction that occurs in a transitioning neighborhood, but with a twist that involves a group of residents who would be there against their will. In this particular case, it's about how neighbors feel about the proposed re-opening of Brooklyn's House of Detention on Atlantic Ave. and Boerum Place. more ›

As summer conjures up visions of backyard gardens and long afternoons lounging outdoors, Boerum Hill's Pacifico, a Tex-Mex style self-labled "glorified taco stand" offers a double whammy: a front yard deck & a big backyard. Strung with colored Christmas lights year-round, umbrellas shelter diners on a large front-porch like dining ground while inside, dim lighting and candles accentuate tiled countertops and large, colorful murals. Gothamist recommends starting off with the Queso Fundido, a hot skillet of melted Monterey Jack, cortija, and carmelized onions that comes with a basket of tortilla chips, stiffer than fondue, but equally as addictive. For the cheese-phobic, try the chunky onion and tomato laden guacamole, which comes in ample servings with a heaping side of chips. more ›

The New York Times is reporting that the Brooklyn House of Detention is going to be turned into a novel mixed-use building: a jail-mall! That's right-- the mayor is pushing for a 24,000 square foot mall in the bottom stories of the colossally ugly building on the corner of Atlantic and Boerum Place: more ›

The New York Transit Museum has been a staple of Elementary school trips for as long as Gothamist can remember, but in conversation with friends we find it rarely gets the love it deserves from the average New Yorker. Absurd, we say, since where else can you see (and enter) a hundred year old train? Look at every kind of token ever used in New York (oh tokens, those were days)? Not to mention stare at old posters, turnstiles, trains and more? Obviously the answer is nowhere else. more ›

Who will rent apartments in the buliding remains to be seen, but the Department of Education sold its old downtown Brooklyn Board of Ed headquarters to developer David Walentas for $45 million. Walentas will then convert the building into condos in the $500,000-$1 million range. more ›