Author: schnepsrestagent

Ferdinando’s Focacceria closes abruptly after 121 years in Carroll Gardens

ferdinando's focacceria carroll gardens

Feb. 25, 2025 By Lauren Rapp The 121-year-old Carroll Gardens institution Ferdinando’s Focacceria abruptly closed last weekend, bringing an end to the oldest Sicilian restaurant in New York City and one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the state. The eatery announced on Instagram on Sunday that the family had made the decision to “permanently…

Saving history: Queens preservationist helps rescue vintage storefront signs

preservationist

Feb. 25, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A Queens preservationist has helped save dozens of signs from iconic businesses that have closed down across the borough by ensuring that they end up in the New York Sign Museum in Brooklyn. Michael Perlman, a historic preservationist based in Forest Hills who founded Rego-Forest Preservation Council, has…

Trailblazing Brooklyn pizzaiolo Patsy Grimaldi dies at age 93

patsy grimaldi next to juliana's pizzeria

Feb. 24, 2025 By Kirstyn Brendlen Patsy Grimaldi, founder of the beloved Brooklyn pizzerias Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s, died this month at the age of 93, after decades at the forefront of New York City’s pizza scene.  Though Grimaldi rose to fame in Brooklyn, he was born in the Bronx and learned the picks of…

Nurses at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn prepare to strike as contract negotiations continue

strike notice at nyu langone hospital-brooklyn

Feb. 24, 2025 By Kirstyn Brendlen About 1,000 union nurses at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn are prepared to go on strike on March 1 unless a deal can be struck before their contract expires at midnight on Feb. 28.   The Federation of Nurses/UFT, which represents the nurses, issued a ten-day strike notice last week in…

Lidl grocery store, apartments rise in Crown Heights

lidl and apartments in crown heights

Feb. 24, 2025 By Anna Bradley-Smith An attractive mixed-use complex with commercial space, a Lidl discount grocery store, and apartments is rising at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights. A recent visit showed a simple and modern-looking four-story white-brick veneer building at 1750 Bedford Ave. that will house the…

In Brooklyn, the Great Backyard Bird Count connects people with birds and contributes to science that protects them

brooklyn great backyard bird count

Feb. 21, 2025 By Alesandra Tejeda The timer started at 8:11 a.m last Saturday morning. Almost immediately, Laura Waterbury, an environmental educator with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the leader of the morning’s birdwatching walk, shouted: “Oh! In the water!”  Everyone turned to peer through their binoculars at the Double-crested Cormorant that had…

Affordable housing lotto opens for 251 units at The Riverie in Greenpoint

rendering of the riverie greenpoint affordable housing lotto

Feb. 21, 2025 By Anna Bradley-Smith An affordable housing lottery has launched for 251 apartments in a two-building complex in Greenpoint dubbed The Riverie. Located on the banks of the East River, right behind the Greenpoint Ferry Terminal, the development is the latest Greenpoint tower to replace low-slung industrial brick warehouses. Australian-based Lendlease, the…