Slope Survey

Slope Survey: John Tucker

November 25, 2016 By Mirielle Clifford Filed Under: Slope Survey Tagged With: Brooklyn, Park Slope, Rose Water

Restaurateur, devotee of local, seasonal food, and one of Edible Manhattan’s “Dads We’re Loving,” John Tucker was the perfect fit for the Slope Survey’s third installment. Here, the owner of Rose Water muses on a changing Park Slope, getting away, and the surprising qualities that make a hero.

What brought you to Park Slope?

I’m as Slopian as they come: my wife and I came over the bridge in 1999 with a two-year-old in tow, looking for square footage, green space, good school, and a community of like-minded tree-huggers. We checked every box, and within months many unexpected benefits appeared, like the Food Coop, and the notion that the neighborhood might support a restaurant like the one I opened in 2000.

What is your most memorable Park Slope moment?

Rose Water’s opening day was big, but not specifically a Slopey moment. My most memorable moments are about coming together as community – happy times in the park at Celebrate Brooklyn and the PopUp dinners, or Halloween and baseball parades. Even sad gatherings, such as grieving together at Beth Elohim over the tragic loss of a wonderful boy. Handing out food at Green and Healthy Night at PS 321, and watching kids perform at MS 51 with Mr. McEneny’s drama department. There’ve been many, many memorable moments for me in my village.

A good day for you is…

I own and operate a long-running Park Slope business that I’m proud of, and I help run a Brooklyn non-profit youth soccer program. A good day includes both, and also watching my sons play soccer. But, in the summer when the kids are away, my best days are spent upstate, swimming in the Plattekill Creek with my wife and our dog.

Describe your community superpower.

I’m very fortunate to have had the time and energy to be a volunteer youth sports coach, referee, and administrator for many years. And I’m proud to be considered an asset to my community as a small business owner that supports local schools, charities, and nonprofits.

If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be?

Diversity. When I moved to Park Slope in 1999 there was more racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, which was a big draw for me. New York City is still a vibrant and wondrous place, but less interesting than when I arrived from Detroit in 1986. Particularly in this contentious election season, I’d love to be in charge of a magic wand that promotes tolerance, inclusion, and understanding.

What do you think Park Slope will look like in 10 years? in 20 years?

Wet? Hopefully it’ll be many decades before the Gowanus Canal stretches from Fourth Avenue to Hoyt Street. Meanwhile, I worry the neighborhood will continue to lose interesting mom-and-pop shops in favor of chains, and become more pricey and even less diverse. I hope I’m wrong, because I want to keep living here.

What were your childhood nicknames?

Johnny.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I raid the Rose Water wine cellar fairly frequently and drink well above my life station. Or, perhaps it’s my “country house,” which is a travel trailer that never travels—it sits on a campsite near Saugerties, New York.

If you couldn’t live in Park Slope or in Brooklyn, where would you go?

Besides Provence? A barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Florida that has no bridge, no cars, no roads, no commerce, and a beautiful, mostly unpeopled beach where I like to look for shark’s teeth. I also love the Catskills, and I could see myself in all those places, but I refuse to imagine not having a home in Brooklyn, too.

Who is your hero, real or fictional?

My dog. We never disappoint each other, he’s never told a lie, and he’s always reliably and irrationally pleased to see me. Mostly, I feel like people are too human to be heroes. That said, I think ALL educators are the bomb!

Check out the last Slope Survey: http://www.psreader.com/issue/issue-57/slope-survey/slope-survey-elise-long/

Check out our website: http://www.psreader.com

Slope Survey: Elise Long

September 13, 2016 By Mirielle Clifford Filed Under: Slope Survey Tagged With: community, dancing, neighborhood, Park Slope, q&a, resident, Spoke the Hub

For our second Slope Survey—inspired by Marcel Proust and his eponymous questionnaire—we turned to longtime Park Slope resident and Founder/Director of Spoke the Hub Dancing, Elise Long.

What brought you to Park Slope? I was living on the Lower East Side in the late 70s. My fiancé felt it was too unsafe and refused to join me there; maybe it was, but it was all I could afford. We then received a brunch invitation from friends renting a brownstone floor-through on Prospect Park West. It felt like a mansion, with stained glass windows and beautiful woodworking. It wasn’t much more expensive than my tiny, roach–infested hovel off Avenue A with the bathtub in the kitchen and toilet in the hall. Also, considering the amenities of Prospect Park, the library, Botanic Gardens, BAM, the Brooklyn Museum, and relatively cheap rents (yes!), our decision to cross the river was a no-brainer, a decision I’ve never regretted. What is your most memorable Park Slope moment? My most memorable moment in recent times, which happened to be in Park Slope, was that gorgeous blue-skyed morning of 9/11: first hearing the sirens, then watching the smoke and towers tumble from my roof, searching for lost friends, lining up (and being turned away) at Methodist Hospital where I tried to offer my rare O negative blood, and the following unsettling days and weeks. I was—and still am—grateful for my steadfast Park Slope community of friends and neighbors. A good day for you is … Minimal time on the computer! Describe your community superpower. I think I’m pretty successful at bringing diverse communities together and persuading reluctant bodies of all ages onto dance floors to do the Brooklyn boogaloo. If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be? Less real estate offices and nail salons, please. That’s two things, but you get my drift. What do you think Park Slope will look like in 10 years? in 20 years? How I’d like the neighborhood to look is different than how I think it will actually look. 4th Avenue will probably be like Park or Madison Avenue, flanked by a Grand Canyon of giant building complexes. But hopefully there’ll be more green spaces and mature trees to balance those concrete citadels. What were your childhood nicknames? I have always had to put up with “Carrot Top/Gingy/or Hey Red!” from strangers. My mom still calls me Leela, don’t ask me why. What is your greatest extravagance? Orchestra seats at BAM every now and then. Or traveling around the world. I’m saving up for Bhutan. If you couldn’t live in Park Slope or in Brooklyn, where would you go? I can’t imagine NOT living in Park Slope, but I spend a lot of time in Philly. I do love all the rivers, parks, history, and public art works gracing that fair city. I also feel like I could be the love child of Isaiah Zagar, the manic mosaic creator of the Magic Gardens, so maybe I have legitimate Philly DNA. Who is your hero, real or fictional? As a kid, Abe Lincoln was my imaginary “friend” and most-admired hero. We must’ve been studying the Civil War in school and he caught my imagination. I used to take him on imaginary tours around our house in California to show him modern day conveniences. I’d show him our kitchen faucets—wasn’t it amazing that we had hot running water on demand? I told him if you put a letter in the mailbox, it’d end up at Grandma’s house across the country in a few days. I demonstrated the use of zippers, telephones, washers and dryers, radios, and TV’s. He was very impressed, and I was pleased to impress him with all these modern day inventions and quality of life “things” we as a people had produced post-Reconstruction. After reading Team of Rivals as an adult, he became my hero all over again, but I no longer give him house tours.

SLOPE SURVEY

June 21, 2016 By Mirielle Clifford Filed Under: Slope Survey Tagged With: bicycles, Brooklyn, Dixon’s Bicycle Shop, Dr. D’s Lounge, interview, Marcel Proust, neighborhood, Park Slope, Survey, Union Street

DAVE DIXON

For our first Slope Survey—inspired by Marcel Proust and his eponymous questionnaire—we reached out to Dave Dixon, co-owner of Dixon’s Bicycle Shop and D’s Lounge. Dixon’s, which has graced Union Street for 50 years, is Park Slope’s oldest family-owned bike store. It seemed only fitting that Dixon help us kick off the Survey.

What brought you to Park Slope? I was born in Brooklyn, and my parents bought a brownstone in Park Slope. What is your most memorable Park Slope moment? My most memorable moment in Park Slope would be running home from my Dad’s shop, while a gang fight was getting ready to start in the middle of the street. This was in the mid ‘70s. A good day for you is… A good day for me is being able to fix bikes. Describe your community superpower. Just keeping busy, making sure that everyone is pleased with my service and that everyone can get to their next destination. If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be? I would set up more fun things for kids and grownups to do. What do you think Park Slope will look like in 10 years? in 20 years? In 10 to 20 years, I think the Slope will look a lot more crowded, with all the new buildings going up. What were your childhood nicknames? One of my childhood nicknames was the Butcher because of my big appetite. What is your greatest extravagance? Probably my bicycle collection. If you couldn’t live in Park Slope or in Brooklyn, where would you go? If I couldn’t live in Brooklyn or the Slope, I would love to live in Jamaica or Miami or South Beach. Who is your hero, real or fictional? I would have to say my Dad. I have so much respect for him, and my mom for what they have done for the family.