Brooklyn’s most complete entertainment guide—including BAY RIDGE DINING—in GO Brooklyn INSIDE Including The Bensonhurst Paper Brewmaster tells all Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 26 Court St., Brooklyn, New York 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 AD fax 718-834-1713 • NEWS fax 718-834-9278 © 2003 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 20 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol.26, No. 29 BRG • July 21, 2003 • FREE TA keeps weekend X-buses until Feb. By Deborah Kolben The Brooklyn Papers / Scott Eells / Scott Eells Weekend express bus service from Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst to Manhattan will continue until construc- tion on the Manhattan Bridge is completed, a spokes- woman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Associated Press Associated Press said this week. The weekend service finally kicked off last September after years of residents — especially senior citizens — pleading for it. Wine in Prospect Park as mayor KOs beer on beach While the MTA only guaranteed the service for one year, spokes- In the wake of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s crackdown on the consumption of beer on the beach at Rockaway Park, concertgoers were allowed to drink wine without being cited woman Marisa Baldeo said it is scheduled to continue at least and despite the city’s open-container law, during the New York Philharmonic concert in Prospect Park last week. The mayor (photo left) stuck with water, while, in right photo, Brook- until February when, the Department of Transportation has pre- lynites Gayle Sanders, Charles Sinclair and Mike Ambrosio enjoyed wine. The disparity between those favoring wine and beer had some New Yorkers complaining of classism. dicted, the bridge renovations will be finished. But state Sen. Marty Golden, who secured funds from the sen- ate last year during his campaign, is looking to extend the service beyond the completion of the bridge. Golden has requested that $990,000 in the state budget go to- wards the weekend service. The funding would be effective for one year, starting in Octo- New fields of dreams at Dyker ber. Golden said the 30,000 seniors in the community, the largest concentration of seniors in the city or state, have needed the By Deborah Kolben “I’m putting my money where my mouth is,” weekend express service for years, since most of the subway sta- The Brooklyn Papers said Oddo, who represents 14,000 constituents on tions in the area have no elevator access. this side of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The X27 serves Bay Ridge and the X28 serves Coney Island, Say goodbye to those grass stains. Thursday’s ceremony marked the completion New artificial turf baseball and soccer fields Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and Sea Gate. Both run of the first phase of a $3.1 million renovation of to Lower Manhattan, TriBeCa, SoHo, Greenwhich Village and have replaced their grass and dirt forerunners at Dyker Beach Park that will include new baseball Dyker Beach Park. Midtown. fields, bleachers and landscaping. This week, Golden also released the results of a survey he dis- While the new $2.4 million turf may look and “This is a tremendous park and it’s a tremen- feel like real grass, local elected officials and tributed to more than 1,000 express bus riders. dous effort to build this kind of park,” said state “Transportation concerns have always been at the top of the Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe were singing Sen. Marty Golden, a Republican who served in list of concerns that my office has been contacted about, and I the high praise of this synthetic green at a ground- the council with Oddo. breaking ceremony on July 10. While Assemblywoman Adele Cohen praised felt that it was time that we hit the streets, speak to the passen- In addition to preventing kids from getting cov- the new fields, she took a gentle jab at the teams gers and seek to remedy their travel concerns,” Golden said. ered in mud, the new turf will save the city thou- for not having more girls on board. According to the survey, 70 percent of express bus riders use sands of dollars, said a Parks Department spokes- At the ceremony’s end, as a gentle rain began the weekend service. man, on upkeep of a typical grass field annually. to fall, the Brooklyn Celtics, a local children’s But according to the MTA, weekend ridership hovers around And unlike its organic counterpart, which takes soccer team, took to the field. just 200 people a day compared to almost 4,500 riders on week- up to two years to take seed, the artificial turf can The Celtics have been playing on the fields days. be easily replaced. since September and coach Patrick O’Sullivan Other riders who completed the survey requested later buses “We just haven’t figured out how to mow the said that because of the new turf the league never Mango / Greg returning to Brooklyn on the weekends. The last bus currently plastic grass,” joked Benepe, who was sporting a had to cancel games due to rain, although he did leaves Manhattan at 10:05 pm. tie with the cartoon character Sponge Bob on it. mention some advantages to real grass. Among concerns, respondants also listed parked cars in the The fields at 14th and Bath avenues have been “I grew up playing on grass,” said O’Sullivan, bus stops along the route. in the making for the past four years and were an Irish-born restaurant owner in Bay Ridge, who That fare costs $4 each way and the weekend service runs built with funds obtained by Councilman James played professional soccer. Papers The Brooklyn every half hour starting at 6 am on Saturday, and 7 am on Sun- Oddo, a Staten Island Republican who represents “Sliding on this could give you a rug burn,” he Agim Balidemaj, whose son plays on the Brooklyn Celtics Green Team, practices a days. a portion of Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights. said. few moves at the new turf field at Dyker Beach Park July 11. “We need this service,” Golden said. Beep treats boro civics The Brooklyn Papers inviting civic leaders to attend He may not be buying Brooklyn Cyclones baseball peanuts and Crackerjack, games. but Borough President Kicking off the effort Friday Marty Markowitz is taking night, community board mem- them out to the ballgame. bers and activists from Bay In an effort to unite local Ridge and Bensonhurst trekked community groups and show out to Keyspan Park in Coney his appreciation for the work Island to watch the single-A they perform, Markowitz is Mets affiliate notch a 7-0 win over the New Jersey Cardinals. In addition to down- INSIDE THE PAPER ing foot-long Nathan’s Classifieds . last 3 pages hot dogs, the assem- Mango / Greg Cyclones . page 9 bled crowd mingled, Ed Weintrob . page 5 talked local politics and Home Improvement . GO 7 and back page enjoyed the Friday night GO Brooklyn 8 pages. after page 6 fireworks spectacular Health, Mind & Body . page 6 over the boardwalk. Papers The Brooklyn Parent . page 4 “It was like our Police Blotter . page 2 Mango / Greg Real Estate . page 11 very own fireworks display, you could al- Circus on the boardwalk Pull-out and save: What to Recycle most reach out and Winn’s Thrills of the Universe circus came to Coney Island last weekend as part of Circus Day fes- 2-PAGE AD IN THE CENTERSPREAD touch them against the tivities to wow crowds with their high-wire motorcycle trapeze act (above). Closer to earth, Miss See BEEP on page 4 Saturn (right) twirled hula hoops. Papers The Brooklyn / Tom Callan / Tom The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn POT OF GOLD: The hazy weather last Friday, July 11, gave boats in New York Harbor a curious view, a rainbow over Red Hook. The phenomenon, captured here by Brooklyn Papers photographer Tom Callan, only lasted a few minutes. ©The Brooklyn Papers. Established 1978. Phone 718-834-9350. Celia Weintrob, Publisher (ext 104) • Neil Sloane, Editor (ext 119) • Lisa J. Curtis, GO Brooklyn Editor (ext 131) • Vince DiMiceli, Senior Editor (ext 125) • Ed Weintrob, President (ext 105) 2 BRZ THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM July 21, 2003 Lots of quarters lifted Maimonides Medical Center from 86th Street laundry By Deborah Kolben An employee stopped a sus- named one of the nation’s The Brooklyn Papers pect at the store, on Third Av- A laundry was taken to POLICE BLOTTER enue at 81st Street, when he no- ticed the suspect piling DVDs the cleaners this week by into a pink plastic bag that he thieves who made off with A 47-year-old man bit the The pair grabbed her purse had pulled out from his back “TOP 100 HEART HOSPITALS” seven keys to the washers right finger of his 37-year-old and fled with $200 in cash. pocket. and dryers and more than opponent. The younger masti- Mugger nixed The suspect said, “I need — Modern Healthcare and Solucient cator responded with a series of $2,000 in quarters. A 24-year-old deaf man re- these. They’re more important Almost $250 of those quar- chomps to his opponent’s left sisted an early morning subway than you are. So stay away.” ters had a red coloring to them, hand, causing lacerations. attacker and emerged un- He then fled eastbound along police said. Both men were arrested. Po- scathed. 82nd Street, police said. We thank and salute our The laundry, on Third Av- lice described the munching The victim exited the Fort While sleeping enue at 86th Street, was broken mates as intoxicated.