We were a little surprised to hear that Brooklyn moms are choosing Manhattan hospitals for their deliveries. According to Gothamist, most of Brooklyn’s ritzy hospitals (Fort Greene, Park Slope, Cobble Hill) are seeing fewer patients than usual, while four in Manhattan have had almost a third more deliveries than usual.

On first glance, this news might seem outrageous, and further proof that those brownstone belt moms are really Manhattanites in Brooklyners’ clothing.

But maybe it’s not that bad. These Brooklyn moms aren’t choosing their doctors by borough alone. They’re looking at experience, reputation, etc. etc., and if those facts point to Manhattan, so be it.

It got us thinking, though — Which activities rightfully warrant a trip to Manhattan?

Shopping? For chain stores, definitely, though our borough can satisfy cravings for Brooklyn Outfitters (obviously) or economical Target expeditions.

Dining? Not at all necessary, but we don’t consider it a treachery to grab a bite on the other side of the bridge.

Finding a job? Either. For Brooklyn residents, staying in-borough might sound convenient, but it really depends on where. Many Brooklyners are closer to Wall St. than Bushwick.

Entertainment? There’s lots to do everywhere, thank god. Gotta love New York.

New York Magazine recently published a ranked list of the 50 most liveable neighborhoods in the city, and Brooklyn fared very well — not that we’re surprised. Of the top five neighborhoods, three were in Brooklyn: Park Slope (first place!), Cobble Hill & Boerum Hill, and Greenpoint (#5).

What makes a city liveable? NYMag relied on a complicated formula involving everything from cost of housing to the quality of public schools. Fortunately, they also created a Livability Calculator, allowing you to find the perfect neighborhood based on your own specific priorities — as well as certain handy presets for empty-nesters, childless couples, etc.

Photo via ms.flux on Flickr.

Brownstones in Park Slope

When you’re looking for an apartment in New York, a lot of questions come to mind. Is it affordable? Is the neighborhood safe? Can I get along with my roommate? (Not to mention concerns about proximity to work, the Subway, and/or the laundromat.)

But here’s one question you probably don’t ask yourself: Am I breaking the law? According to a recent article in The New York Times, breaking the law in group-living situations is easier than you think. That’s because, technically, it is illegal for four or more unrelated roommates to occupy a house or apartment in New York.

Who knew, right? Apparently, a law like this is not all that uncommon, as similar legislature exists in New Orleans, Boston, and Amherst, Mass.

Fortunately, the roommate policy is hardly ever enforced; The Times reports only three citations since last July. If it is enforced, it’s almost always following a noise complaint from a neighbor, or an infraction noticed by a maintenance team.

Plus, if the city does find out that you’re living with more than three other roommates, your landlord will be at fault — not you.

Image via Dede Le on Flickr.

Our beloved borough is more than just a place to live, work, and visit – it’s a place to film! Let’s take a look at three movies set and filmed prominently in Brooklyn.

Saturday Night Fever

In SNF, John Travolta’s character Tony wants nothing more than to transcend his home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for Manhattan (crazy). His costar Donna Pescow, a native to the borough, adapted to her role by retraining herself to speak in a Brooklyn accent. The Bay Ridge pizza shop, hardware store, and dance studio featured in the movie still exist today, although the disco club 2001 Odyssey, which was also located in Bay Ridge, has since been demolished.

Requiem for a Dream

This gritty film spends much of its time in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where Sara, a widow, lives alone in her apartment. Although rather depressing throughout much of the movie, Brooklyn is also the stuff of dreams – when Harry is dreaming of seeing his girlfriend Marion on an ethereal boardwalk, he’s picturing her on Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier!

The Squid and the Whale

Although the titular oceanic battle is depicted in an exhibit at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History, The Squid in the Whale is set predominately in Brooklyn. The main family home is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and when the Bernard (Jeff Daniels) leaves his wife Joan (Laura Linney), he moves to an apartment on the other side of Prospect Park.

Has anyone else noticed the fantastic weather lately? If you’re digging this climate as much as we are, you’ll probably love this photo of a blossoming Park Slope, via omphale44 on Flickr.

As with any other city or state, some neighborhoods in Brooklyn are safer than others. You have places like Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, and Fort Greene, which are considered very secure. At the same time, certain areas like Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Bushwick and known for being more dangerous.

Of course, not everyone can afford a $500,000 home in Park Slope or even a high-rent apartment. But crime isn’t just about location—it can happen anywhere.

I grew up in a wealthy area of Pittsburgh that was usually considered safe, but every so often we would hear about break-ins and other crimes. Thus, while it’s important to think about crime rate while looking for Brooklyn apartments, you also need to think about what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

Although there is some information online, I prefer to speak to actual people when researching a neighborhood. These include potential roommates and landlords, local businesspeople, and friends in the area. This way, I can learn everything about a given neighborhood: how late people are still on the street, which areas are the most and least safe, how many cops patrol the streets, etc. With this information, you should be able to find the perfect part of Brooklyn for you.

The following are scheduled service changes with significant impact on Brooklyn straphangers that are scheduled on the subway system this weekend.  Unless otherwise noted, all changes will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning until 5:00 a.m. Monday morning:

Passengers heading from Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan should be aware that transfers between the #2, #3, #4, #5, and (A) trains will not be available at the Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau Street station in Lower Manhattan due to Phase II construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center.  Passengers may transfer between the #2/#3 trains and the #4 train at Nevins Street, Boerum Hill; transfers between the #2/#3 and uptown (A) trains at Park Place/Chambers Street in Manhattan.

Travelers wishing to make a transfer between the uptown (A) and the downtown #4/#5 must ask the station agent for a transfer ticket, exit the station and reenter at Broadway…

Manhattan-bound (A) trains will operate local service from Euclid Avenue, East New York to Canal Street, Manhattan, express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle, local from 59th to 125th Streets, then express from 125th through 168th Streets for work on the Chambers Street signal modernization, 59th Street station rehab, and a track chip out at 163rd Street.

Brooklyn-bound (A) trains will run local between 168th Street and 4th Street, Manhattan, then over the (F) line between 4th Street and Jay Street, Brooklyn Heights, then resume local (A) service between Jay Street and Euclid Avenue due to the Chambers Street signal modernization.

Due to the modifications to the (A) train, (C) train service will not operate this weekend…

(D) train service will not operate between Pacific Avenue, Boerum Hill and 34th Street/Herald Square, due to construction of the free transfer passageway between the Broadway-Lafayette Street station on the (B), (D), (F), and (V) trains and the Bleeker Street station on the #6.  Alternate service is available via the (N) or shuttle buses in Manhattan.  Service adjustments will take effect tonight at 11:30 p.m. through 5:00 a.m. Monday…

(N) train service will be significantly modified due to various TA and NYCDOT projects.

Coney Island-bound (N) trains will operate via the (R) between Canal Street, Manhattan, and DeKalb Street, Fort Greene, then operate local service between Pacific Street, Park Slope, and 36th Street, Prospect Park, then express between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island.

Manhattan and Queens-bound (N) trains will operate local beween 59th Street, Sunset Park, and Pacific Street, then operate via the Manhattan Bridge between DeKalb Street and Canal Street, Manhattan.

The adjustments are due to NYCDOT repairs on the 65th Street Bridge, maintenance in the Montague Tunnel, and other maintenance projects…

Manhattan bound (Q) and (R) train service will operate via the Manhattan Bridge between 6:30 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday due to maintenance in the Montague Tunnel…

In addition, a shuttle bus on the (R) will operate between 36th Street and 95th Street, Bay Ridge between 11:30 p.m. tonight and 5:30 a.m. Monday due to NYCDOT construction on the 65th Street Bridge.

For additional information on service adjustments, contact the TA Information Center at (718) 330-1234 or visit www.mta.info.

PARK SLOPE - Police removed a dead body from the tracks from the Culver Line, causing delays for straphangers during the tail end of this morning’s rush hour.

Within the last hour, the NYPD responded to the 9th Street/7th Avenue station for a report of a person trapped under a train.  The victim was pronounced dead on scene by FDNY EMS personnel.

While the MTA web site does not indicate any delays on the (F) and (G) trains as of the time of this posting, the victim was removed from the station shortly before 9:00 a.m.

No further information is available as of this posting.

CROWN HEIGHTS - Manhattan-bound riders on the (C) Fulton Avenue Line local are experiencing delays due to signal problems at Utica Avenue.  (A) express service through Brooklyn is not reporting delays through the same corridor, nor is Brooklyn-bound (C) service to Euclid Avenue.

At his press conference last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that Brooklyn was one of his favorite areas for fine dining.

“It is amazing the change in Brooklyn in the last dozen years or thereabouts. I’m going to have dinner tonight in Brooklyn,” Bloomberg said at his Thursday City Hall press conference on the Coney Island land deal.

“Time and time again, when I say, ‘Where do you want to go to have dinner?’ Friends who’ve come from out of town pick restaurants in Brooklyn, and that is really different,” the mayor added.

Now, whether or not Bloomberg meant it or was just trying to score points with Brooklynites could be open for debate.  In any event, Bloomberg has been a fairly regular customer at the Stone Park Cafe, 324 Fifth Avenue near 3rd Street, Park Slope, according to the New York Post.

Of course, Bloomberg can afford to dine out at a place where a salad runs between $11.00 and $15.00, a burger $14.00, and entrees around the mid-$20 range and nobody is going to confuse Stone Park Cafe with Nathan’s at Coney Island.

As a related sidebar, the Post also pointed out five other restaurants that its readers should check out (though, as a service to our readers, Brooklyn News is not only including locations, but, where applicable, web sites).

Vinegar Hill House, 72 Hudson Avenue, between Front and Water Streets, DUMBO

The Post says: “This old-fashioned restaurant in the shadow of the Brooklyn Navy Yard features a giant wood-burning oven, where its delicacies, including a tart drizzled with creme fraiche, are concocted.”

One would certainly hope this oven makes that $8.00 mashed potato dish as tasty as a potato one would by from the local grocer.

Located between the Navy Yard and the Manhattan Bridge, Vinegar Hill House is a short walk from the York Street Station of the (F) train.

Marlow and Sons, 81 Broadway, between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg

The Post says: “This tiny eatery serves up fresh oysters and jalapeño-rum cocktails along with an oldschool atmosphere.”

And, there’s also the $9.50 roast beef sandwich on the lunch menu.  Other than the oysters, there isn’t a large menu selection, though the $22.00 brick chicken on the dinner menu certainly sounds tempting enough to try.

Marlow and Sons is located in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge; the nearest subway stop is the Marcy Avenue Station on the (J), (M), and (Z) trains five blocks to the east.

Tanorren, 7704 3rd Avenue, at 77th Street, Bay Ridge

The Post says: “A massive menu is among the highlights at this Middle Eastern restaurant, where garlic and spices aplenty adorn such dishes as ground lamb.”

The $15.00 chicken kabob appears reasonably priced, especially when served with rice and salad.  Half portions of these entrees are available between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Tanorren, which celebrates it’s 10th anniversary in Bay Ridge this year, is located one block away from the 77th Street/4th Avenue station on the (R) train.

Noodle Pudding, 38 Henry Street, between Cranberry Street and Middagh Street, Brooklyn Heights, (718) 625-3737 (no web site found; link to Menutopia’s listing)

The Post says: “It’s like a SoHo transplant with its trendy crowd and trendier wait time of up to 45 minutes, but the gnocchi and buffalo mozzarella are worth it.”

Bounded by the Brooklyn Bridge and the BQE, what is known about Noodle Pudding is that it’s an Italian restaurant.  Unless Menutopia is missing an item or two, the menu doesn’t seem as long as expected from a decent Italian restaurant.

Noodle Pudding is located across the street from Cadman Plaza Park and is accessible from the High Street Station of the (A) and (C) trains.

The General Greene, 229 DeKalb Avenue, between Adelphi Street and Clermont Avenue, Fort Greene

The Post says: “Check out the sangria and the candied bacon at this Southern tinged food hall, where the barstools are refurbished tractor seats.”

Seats in the dining room, however, appear to be only slightly more comfortable than a typical seat on the (L) train.  With that said, breakfast is served during the week between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., which seems a little odd, but if it works, more power to them.

The General Greene is located minutes from LIU-Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Fort Greene Park, and the Brooklyn Flea Market.  The nearest subway stops are Clinton-Washington Station on the (G) train and Lafayette Avenue Station on the (C) train.

There are hundreds of restaurants in Brooklyn, and these are just five that the Post seemed to think quite highly of.  Of course, your mileage may vary, as the old saying goes…

One of the NYPD’s most wanted fugitives – the man dubbed the “Red Sox Robber” accused of mugging straphangers in Brooklyn and other boroughs – was arrested last night in North Carolina.

Rasheem Williams, 37, and two other fugitives wanted by the NYPD were arrested over the weekend after a tip led investigators from the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Police Department and the U.S. Marshall’s Service to a residence on the 800 block of Sunset Avenue, Rocky Mount.

Williams had been accused of two June muggings at two Brooklyn subway stations among the 15 he had been accused of committing.  The incidents primarily occured in Manhattan and The Bronx, however at least one also occured in Queens.

The first incident occured on June 8 at around 7:25 p.m., when Williams allegedly approached a woman on a Manhattan-bound #3 train at the Bergen Street station, Park Slope.  In that incident, he brandished a knife and fled with an unknown amount of U.S. currency.

On June 23 at around 1:45 p.m., Williams allegedly approached a woman on a Brooklyn-bound #2 train at the Church Avenue station, Flatbush.  As was the case in the Park Slope mugging, Williams brandished a knife and demanded money from the woman.  He then fled with the victim’s property at the Beverly Road station.

Williams was tagged as the “Red Sox Bandit” by the tabloids after one photo during the search showed him wearing a Red Sox baseball cap.

Williams, who has 18 prior arrests and has also served eight years upstate for a prior robbery conviction, was taken into custody along with two other men – Jamal Williams, who was also identified as one of the NYPD’s most wanted, and Michael Lewis, who was wanted on parole violations.  No further information is known about the other two fugitives.

It’s also not known why Williams fled to North Carolina.  Anyone who has ever watched the A&E television series “Manhunters” – a show that profiles the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force – may recall an episode where a fugitive from the New York area was subsequently apprehended in North Carolina.  For some reason, the Carolinas would seem to be a very popular destination for fugitives fleeing the area (maybe it’s the lower taxes down there, who knows?).

In any event, it’s probably safe to say that this member of Red Sox Nation will have a new home in a matter of weeks, pending extradition back to New York – a nice little spot we like to call Rikers Island.