Category: Uncategorized

New York City’s most popular baby names in 2017 were Emma and Liam.

According to the city’s Health Department, there were 571 Emmas and 734 Liams born in 2017.

Liam was also the top name for boys in 2016, and Emma rose from third to first. Olivia, 2016’s top name for girls, fell to second.

Here are the top 10 names for girls in 2017:

1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Mia
4. Sophia
5. Isabella
6. Ava
7. Leah
8. Emily
9. Sarah
10. Abigail

And here are the top 10 names for boys in 2017:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Jacob
4. Ethan
5. David
6. Lucas
7. Matthew
8. Jayden
9. Aiden
10. Daniel

Other fun facts:

• The number of NYC births fell 2.8 percent from 2016 to 2017.
• The most births took place in Manhattan, followed by Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.
• Among the top celebrity names in 2017 were: Penelope, Daisy and Margot, as well as Ryan, Chris, Luke and Harrison.
• Some favorite geographic names include: Austin, Hudson and Kingston for boys, and Charlotte, Savannah and Catalina for girls.
• Rare names, defined as 10 or fewer children with those names, were Artemis, Tzippy, Reizy, Azriel, Zeus and Thaddeus.

The Prospect-Lefferts Gardens House of the Week is a special gem.

Situated on a corner 30′ by 100′ lot, this 25′ x 50′ limestone townhouse faces all four directions for amazing light no matter the time of day. The home was originally built in 1901 and features a number of beautiful details.

Located at the corner of Bedford Ave and Maple St. it is two blocks from Prospect Park and minutes to B & Q trains and the Flatbush Avenue commercial strip, hosts to numerous cafes, restaurants and shops.

The home features 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is listed by Halstead for $3.5 million.

One of our readers, Jay Hirsch, sent us this great photo of the Salerno Service Station on Lorimer Street in Williamsburg.

He informs us that the station has been around since 1959. Every year, they do a holiday display for the neighborhood.

It’s the little things like this that make a neighborhood great. The lights bring holiday cheer to the community.

We salute the Salerno Service Station for their great work!

The Greenpoint House of the Week is an investment opportunity on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg border just beyond McCarren Park.

The three-family home has eight bedrooms and four bathrooms.

If you’re interested, the property could be converted into a single family property if desired or could be kept as a multi-family for rental income if preferred.

There is an additional 427 square feet of build-able sq. ft. for an extension.

The property is listed by Capri Jet Realty for $1,900,000.

Three north Brooklyn massage studios are collecting winter coats for their first annual holiday coat drive.

Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg and Massage Outpost in DUMBO are taking donations of jackets until Friday, December 28.

Each studio, with addresses located below, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Massage Greenpoint: 37 Greenpoint Avenue, Suite 217 (347-844-9177)
• Massage Williamsburg: 169 Wythe Avenue, Suite 202 (Buzz 202 for entry)
• Massage Outpost: 68 Jay Street, Suite 609 (646-470-0513)

All donations will be delivered to local New York Cares warehouses. They will then be distributed to homeless shelters, community groups and other organizations assisting the needy.

If you donate a coat, you will receive $20 off your first massage session at any of the three studios. New clients only.

This holiday season, take time to give back to those less fortunate in our community.

To that end, the Grand Street BID is hosting the second annual” Grand Street Gives Back” holiday food drive this month.

Until December 31, 17 small businesses on Grand Street are collecting unexpired, un-dented and non-perishable food items at their stores.

The list of participating businesses can be seen below.

All of the food will be donated to St. John The Evangelist Church’s food pantry programs. St. John’s provides hot meals and groceries to over 150 families a week in the area.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

G train riders at Greenpoint Av got some great news and some bad news.

The MTA announced last week that the station will install three new elevators and other accessibility features in the coming weeks.

That will be a boon to everyone who uses a wheelchairs, parents with strollers or anyone carrying anything heavy.

But the construction will come with some closures and one-way direction changes, which may cause some headaches along the way.

From 9:45 p.m. on Friday, November 30 to 5 a.m. on Monday, December 31, only northbound G trains will stop at Greenpoint Av.

The station will also be closed in both directions on weeknights between 9:45 p.m. and 5 a.m., and on weekends at all hours from December 3 to December 24.

For alternatives, check out the MTA’s service changes here:

November 30 – December 3

•  operates between Nassau Av and Church Av
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Nassau Av

December 3-7

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 7-10

•  operates between Nassau Av and Church Av
• Free shuttle buses operate between Nassau Av and Court Sq

December 10-14

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 14-17

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 17-21

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 21-24

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

January 4-7

•  operates between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Jay St

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, after a weekend of spending on commercial goods, take some time (and dollars) to support your favorite nonprofit organization.

On this #GivingTuesday, we encourage you to support Town Square Inc., a North Brooklyn group that works to improve the quality of life for the community.

You may know the organization from fun and informative events like the Go Green! Brooklyn Festival, Schoolfest, Spring egg hunts and Halloween parades.

They also help out the chess program at IS 318 and support Boy Scouts Pack 7 and Troop 26.

A donation goes a long way to help Town Square continue their wonderful work in the community. Please consider donating on this day of giving!

Support Town Square by donating here.

The Brooklyn Contemporary Chorus and Aaron Williams, Artistic Director presents “Handel’s Messiah” on Saturday, December 1st at 5:30pm.

Handel’s Messiah Part 1 will be performed in it’s entirety along with excerpts from Parts II and III.  A live orchestra will back up the Chorus.  The performance will be held at the Historic Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, Lafayette Avenue and South Oxford Street in Fort Greene.

Admission is free – but a $25 donation would be appreciated.

For tickets and information, please go to our website www.brooklyncomtemporarychorus.org or call 718-625-0305.