Fall is coming, 3rd Ave Festival, Gentile Office Opens

Halloween is coming!

Halloween is almost here!  [442 86th St.] How do we know?  Check out the store that's readying for the special holiday... They're setting up and hiring at the moment but we'll bring you more when they're set to open.

Why does it look familiar? It's the former GNC (relocated to 432 86th St. a few doors over]

3rd Ave Festival Nears

The Merchants of Third Ave would like you to drop in Sept 28 (Sun) 12-6pm for the 41st Annual 3rd Ave Festival. We'll keep you appraised about how it'll affect you but one thing's for sure, it'll be difficult to drive around.  For more on this, check out their page on [Facebook]

Vincent J. Gentile's Office Grand Opening

The Councilman's office [8018 5th Ave] officially opened Sept 20 (Sat). Tons of supporters and local residents streamed in to say Hi.

48th Annual Ragamuffin Parade on 3rd Ave

Credit: Raggamuffin Parade

A Bay Ridge tradition since 1967, the Ragamuffin Parade to be held on Sept. 27 is the only parade focused primarily on children marching in costume.

Little Caesars, Specialized Eye Care Open

Little Caesars [8620 4th Ave], the pizza chain (bearing the familiar toga-wearing Roman) had a soft opening late Tuesday evening with little fanfare but officially opened Wednesday to a bustling lunch crowd with a majority of their menu ready to go. We're curious to know what you think of their $5 Hot-N-Ready lunch combos and pepperoni pizzas. Pizza! Pizza!

 Specialized Eye Care [8723 3rd Ave] optical store opened earlier today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. They took over the former space of Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator which moved to 9733 4th Ave).

Victoria's Secret Coming to 86th St

Credit: Google Maps

This is one secret Victoria wasn't meant to keep. The largest American retailer of lingerie, Victoria's Secret [447 86th St.] has plans to occupy the storefront of the former HSBC Bank branch that closed in June 29, 2012.

Little Caesars Coming to 4th Ave

Little Caesars Storefront (Night)

Little Caesars [8620 4th Ave], the iconic pizza chain is making it's very bright orange mark on Tuesday (9/9/14) according to the owners.

Planet Wings Swoops Into 5th Ave

Planet Wings [8612 5th Ave.], the Hudson Valley based wings franchise, surprised us by opening their doors on Sat, Aug 30th next to Pizza Wagon.

New Italian Restaurant Coming to Restaurant Row

New restaurant at [8901 3rd Ave] is taking over for former Huckleberry's N.Y., in what appears to be an Italian bistro named Grotto Italian Table.

New Indian Cuisine Coming to Restaurant Row

Nouvelle Shutters, Indian Restaurant Coming

Remember Nouvelle, the French-Asian fusion restaurant at [8716 3rd Ave.]? There's going to be a new Indian restaurant opening in it's place.  It will be the first Indian fare to appear this far south on restaurant row below 80th (there are two over by 74th).  One of the owners has confirmed an approximate opening date of 9/17, which is subject to change, and no official name has been announced as of yet but we'll keep tabs on it for you.

August Recap

August was pretty huge as far as events go, despite being the biggest vacation month.

Summer Stroll [Courtesy of Summer Stroll on 3rd]

8/8/14, 8/15/14

3rd Ave played host to Summer Stroll [80th-90th St.], attracting thousands to come out to enjoy the live music, sidewalk cafes and local eateries.

8/12, 8/19, 8/26

Senator Marty Golden's Concert in the Park Series [79th & Shore] came to a conclusion with the last remaining concert dates this season.

8/4/14

Panera Bread [531 86th St.] opened it's doors on Monday at 6:30am to bleary eyed commuters but did a fantastic job opening their eyes by giving away a free tumbler and coffee for a month!

8/5/14

What a Taco [8612 4th Ave.] is closed. Efforts to reach the owner have gone unanswered but unconfirmed sources say the landlord is considering their options. The sign posted by Dept. of Health however does not give us the sense they're slinging tacos anytime soon.
Edit: They've reopened, after a short hiatus.

8/19/14

Pasticceria Rocco [9402 4th Ave.] Rocco Generoso, Sr. began his eponymous bakery in the heart of West Village some 40 years ago bringing fantastic cannolis and pastries to hungry New Yorkers, and now the Rocco family's homecoming is finally realized.

(Read blogger Real Noo Yawkas Eat hot off the press review here)

8/30/14

Chipotle Mexican Grill [463 86th St.] the oft-heralded grand opening happened just before lunchtime on Saturday, to scores of hungry shoppers and residents. As can be expected, sources on the ground said there's a line straight out the door.

Stay Tuned, there's more!

Lai Yuen Chinese Restaurant Shutters

Lai Yuen Chinese Restaurant (Courtesy of Google)

Lai Yuen [10033 4th Ave], the Chinese fine-dining option near the southern tip of Bay Ridge shuttered Monday morning on Aug 31st, apparently unable to come to terms renegotiating their lease, bringing it's 15 year run to an end.

Facebook Message thanking customers

Management took to Facebook to express their heartfelt thanks to customers for their support.

Go Gold Bay Ridge

#GoGold for childhood cancer awareness month!

We're already seeing businesses doing their part in supporting research funding by either donating time or proceeds this month to further the cause.  Check with your local store to see if they are participating.  You'll soon notice volunteers wrapping gold ribbons and lighting throughout the neighborhood starting Sunday, 9/7/14. For more information and/or to pitch in to help, email bayridgecares@gmail.com

Welcome To the Beat

Introduction/Introduzióne
By now, you're either aware through your friends, neighbors, or Twitter that you wake up to something wholly new (besides that shiny new Chipotle that opened up that you've been hearing about through second-hand knowledge).

BAY RIDGE BEAT will simply be a blog we can proudly call our own, Bay Ridge, and we're going to start by saying the following: Our success largely depends on tips submitted by people like you, and reported on for the people of our neighborhood.

Here are some things you ought to know:
What is our purpose?
To aggregate & highlight local activities within our community, whether it's a store opening, closing, street fair/closures, a MTA re-route of buses & trains. To be fair, we won't report on everything, nor supplant any other organization. Your local newspapers and TV news broadcasts are vital!  We also wont be yet another Brooklyn-based blog, to be all thing to all people.

Why now?
We provide a perspective that ought to be heard, that's unheard presently. These are some of the same questions you ask when your local grocery store closes inexplicably... or that store you've always frequented being boarded up for some sort of construction.

Change is happening everyday, and you have a right to know about it.