The Downtown Brooklyn Thread

Ian - were you at Trader Joe's yesterday during the day?

still wondering

no! i am almost never in trader joe's, espesh the downtown one, since i don't live nearby anymore.

trivia movie at Sh4rlene's next Mon is AIRPLANE!

YES, speaking of which, is anyone talking about going to that tonight?? I am avail if there's enough interest for a team.

I can't (film I've put off reviewing), and I believe several other players will be at a show tnite?

just remember Ethel Merman plays Lieutenant Hurwitz.

I'm going to see RoxyMuzak's band at Lit tonight, but should be fine for next week!

Does anyone know anything about credit unions and/or local banks in downtown brooklyn? I'm so fucking sick of Chase right now.

No, but if you find out anything good, I would consider switching too. Downtown BK actually ISN'T convenient for me, but I would be happy to pull my account from xBig Bank.

Or even if anyone is relatively happy with their xBig Bank that would be ok too. I'm just sick of paying fees I was never told ($10 overdraft protection fee for a transfer from my linked savings to my checking - i.e. a transfer I could do myself for free) and getting .01% interest on my savings. I'm actually losing money by having it in a bank.

h8 chase but theyve got so many atms and they give me frequent flier miles

can you still smoke downstairs at lit?

That's not in Downtown Brooklyn. Next question, please.

ugh, can't remember where but I just read a list of local banks with excellent ratings. Not exactly just credit unions, but local banks. I wondered about it because they included some near me that are Korean which I always assumed to be, well, small here but probably some mega-corp somewhere else. Probably Korea.

I do remember them mentioning Ponce De Leon, which is/was on Smith St.

And you could never smoke downstairs at Lit. You just got away with it because nobody enforced it. People still smoke at all kinds of seedy bars and clubs.

laurel i mention it because ian went to see tenderhooks there on monday night

is there a difference between nobody enforcing a smoking ban and "being able" to smoke somewhere??

i realize my interest in this is possibly a minority position and even distasteful to others

I think so. Theoretically you can smoke anywhere in NY. Especially where there's a downstairs. I'd say you can smoke in any bar or clus with a downstairs that doesn't have lots of security.

City's Indoor Smoking Ban Grows Hazy Inside Some Clubs

ps that was not tenderh00ks on m0nday night

Does Lit have a lot of ATMs, and if not is there another downtown brooklyn bank where I can smoke?

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/03/fashion/03smoking3/articleInline.jpg

i didn't know roxy had another band!

as long as we're staying on topic i recall being shocked that hank's saloon observed the smoking ban rigorously - i still love that place though

I'll bet they didn't observe that ban when it was called the Wigwam.

Or am I thinking of the Teepee?

I think you're two tense.

too tense.

two tents.

I'm here all week.

Try the veal!

I've seen bartenders break out the ashtrays at 3am, back when my late weeknights were free.

^^^ on the two recent-ish visits i've made i saw that happen a few times

oh yeah, when I said I was "here all week", I didn't mean Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn is sooo 00s.

ANYWAY

remember when we were talking about community banks?

http://moveyourmoney.info/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/move-your-money-a-new-yea_b_406022.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/move-your-money-movement_n_415326.html

UPDATE -- Credit Unions: Some commenters have written us suggesting that we also include credit unions. Like the FDIC for banks and thrifts, the National Credit Union Administration insures the deposits of credit unions and is a good resource for financial data on specific institutions. Credit unions do not disclose financial data in the same way as FDIC-insured banks. As a result, credit unions are not presently included in the IRA ratings database, which covers over 8,000 federally insured banks and thrifts. IRA is developing a method to rate credit unions in a way that is comparable to the IRA bank stress ratings. We'll be updating users of "Move Your Money" on this issue early in 2010.

Apple Bank looks to have a decent enough number of locations. I'd have to be a little more disciplined about keeping cash I guess, not being able to depend on there being a Chase ATM every 2 blocks.

as long as we're staying on topic i recall being shocked that hank's saloon observed the smoking ban rigorously - i still love that place though

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, January 7, 2010

they are still pretty vigorous about it FYI - they're around the corner from my place, they really just have hoards of people standing outside every weekend, the corner gets overtaken some nights. freddy's has also become very strict about it! but there are some obvious reasons as to why they want to follow the letter of the law nowadays. it was just funny because a friend who had moved out of the neighb for a while moved back and immediately ran to freddy's, got drunk, and tried to light up (in the front room no less) and the bartender went ape shit on her about it. i actually stared at the group who were all suddenly lighting up in HORROR and i smoke.

It wasn't me! I promise!

if anyone finds out what the trivia movie at Sh4rlene's is next Mon, post. then show up.

No it was M03 who did it!

also freddy's is now honoring george will this weekend btw if anyone is bored
http://gawker.com/5443864/brooklyn-bar-endorses-george-will-column

Tracey: That George Will just get more and more conservative

(Tracy, sorry)

Hank's and Freddy's are ground level with windows. Lit has 2 levels of door people and a basement.

freddy's is also scheduled to be demolished and is fighting it - the ground level with windows wasn't an issue a couple years ago for them.

I need to flee Sh4rlene's like Cinderella once trivia is over tonight, w ehave a 9am training session tom'w. :p

Cinema scholar and Robert Ashley fan donna rouge may try to join us.

Well we're gonna need two teams then! What are we at so far?

I don't know. me, you, Ian sounds like a maybe, JRedd, Dave, donna. mook no.

lol 'cinema scholar'. is there typically a movie portion?

yes, one of six rounds (This Is Spinal Tap tonight).

well if there are six, we will just break into 2 teams of 3, which means I will not reveal my guesses on the likely Tap questions.

Ha, I was going to say they were going to ask about the works of someone whom Paul Schrader described as one of the "auteurs of today."

Morbius, in that case I think I'll be on the other team but please give me somebody who knows something about sports.