As Boro Prez Marty Markowitz likes to say at this time of the year, "Foodies, the wait it over." You guessed it...Brooklyn's Restaurant Week: Dine-In Brooklyn.

Call any of the participating restaurants and make a reservation - Make sure to mention "Dine In Brooklyn."

Myrtle biz listing will be up this weekend, so watch this space!

There are three reasons why you absolutely need to stop by new Myrtle bar and restaurant, Sans Souci, this Tuesday, December 15th:
1. You've been waiting all month for the Holiday Window winners to be announced, and the suspense has been killing you! The polls are closed, the votes are being tabulated, and we'll make the official announcement at 7pm! Maybe you'll even have a chance to meet the artist who created your favorite window!
2. Sans Souci's Happy Hour can't be beat, and they're extending it to 7:30pm just for us! Specials include $5 drinks and $4 beers, which is just what the doctor ordered.
3. There's music too! Beginning at 7:30pm, Sans Souci will host our final Tuesday Live Music Night with some 'Funky Percussion'. It'll be sure to lift those holiday spirits.

Sans Souci is located at 330 Myrtle between Washington Park and Carlton. See you there!

Christmas tree and wreath sales are on the way, along with live music on Tuesdays between November 24th and December 15th. Check out the schedule and come on by Myrtle Avenue for your holiday cheer and gift-shopping needs.

UDPATE: The Myrtle Holiday Windows Contest is up and running as of today! Many neighborhood artists were hard at work, painting and decorating Myrtle storefronts this weekend. Take a stroll from Classon to Washington Park to view them all, and vote for your favorite via text message! The voting system only allows one vote per cell phone, so be sure to see them all before casting a vote. Instructions on how to cast your vote are posted in each of the participating windows:

Ray's Barber Shop (331 Myrtle)
Fort Greene SNAP (324 Myrtle)
Sans Souci (330 Myrtle)
Just Because (141 Carlton)
Gnarly Vines (350 Myrtle)
Cleopatra Spa (378 Myrtle)
Kiini Ibura (388 Myrtle)
The Bakery (154 Vanderbilt)
Kapella's (417 Myrtle)
Karen's Body Beautiful (436 Myrtle)
Joseph Tyler Salon (456 Myrtle)
Root Stock & Quade (471 Myrtle)
Zaytoons (472 Myrtle)
Miracles (473A Myrtle)
Optimum Care Rehab (474 Myrtle)
Sandbox (487 Myrtle)
Pillow Cafe (5050 Myrtle)
Green Pets (563 Myrtle)
Wally's Square Root Cafe (584 Myrtle)

If you haven't had a chance to check out the fourth exhibition in the Myrtle Windows Gallery, make sure you do so this weekend! We'll be saying goodbye to this show, curated by Kennis Baptiste of The Rising Arts Gallery, next week. Come out to Tamboril (between Steuben and Grand) on Sunday from 4pm-9pm to celebrate this fantastic show that featured the works of ten Brooklyn artists in our MWG storefronts, as well as inside Pillow Cafe and Tamboril.

So, what did you think of MWG's first year? How did art in storefront windows impact your experience walking down Myrtle? We want to hear from you, so please send us your feedback! You can post comments here, or send them to meredith@myrtleavenue.org. Oh, and while you're touring this exhibition, remember to thank your Myrtle merchants who have generously donated their storefronts for the cause of promoting public art!

The third annual Fort Greene Park Conservancy fundraiser will take place on Monday, October 5th from 6-10 at the Irondale Center (85 South Oxford).

Wines accompanied by a variety of appetizers, cheeses, charcuterie, hors d'oeuvres and fresh fruit and bread. A local DJ will provide musical ambiance, with special surprises.

Come out and support our historic Fort Greene Park.

For more details, click here.

Paintings by Victor Cesar Bota Opening Reception and Wine Tasting Wednesday, September 9, 6-9pm

French Wine Tasting 2007 Chateau Pethieres Beaujolais - Beaujolais, France - $12.50

Fresh, fruity Gamay. Red raspberry nose, juicy flavor with medium tannins and a hint of garden tomato. Light, fresh and easy-sipping! 2006 G. Vigouroux 'Gouleyant' Cahors - Southwest, France - $12 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot from the cradle of Malbec. Earthy, minerally flavors, tobacco leaves and red currant.

2006 Chateau Moncontour Vouvray Demi-Sec - Loire Valley, France - $18 100% Chenin Blanc is light, silky and smooth, with sweet peach and pear flavors, low acid, and a soft texture. Especially check this out if you like demi-sec Rieslings.

GNARLY VINES WINE & SPIRITS 350 Myrtle Avenue between Carlton & Adelphi 718-797-3183

www.gnarlyvines.com

Make sure you stop by Myrtle's fantastic temporary pedestrian space! Just three Sundays remain in September! Remember – it’s all free!

Roller Rink!
The NYC Parks Department is bringing out their Skate Mobile Unit this weekend from 11am-5pm. The unit contains tons of skates that visitors can use for free in the designated roller rink area! Or, bring your own skates and groove to the sounds from the nearby Brooklyn Urban Arts Market stage. (Myrtle between Emerson and Steuben)

Brooklyn Urban Arts Market
This is an annual open-air market anchored by live music, DIY fashion, and local creative culture, brought you by BAM, Rebel Music Management and MARP. Stage Life Youth DJs open it up at noon, followed by local favorite Tamar Kali at 3pm. Dance (or skate) to the old-school jams of DJs Soul Summit at 4pm. Get your trendy back-to-school shopping done too! (Myrtle between Emerson and Grand)

Green Transportation Fun with Livable Streets Education
Livable Streets Education will be leading family-friendly games and activities from 11am-2pm on Myrtle between Clinton and Waverly. Kids can investigate the reasons why pedestrians, cyclists, and mass transit riders help the environment. Families will be able to learn together about carbon footprint, alternative transportation, and innovative street design. They can also learn why Zozo, our big purple friend, loves when we travel "by feet, by train, by bike, by bus!" Activities include educational coloring pages, a large chalk street mural, and a fun 'redesign the street' felt board!

Free dance and yoga classes
Brought to you by local yoga and dance studio Move with Grace, free yoga, dance, and themed dance classes and performances return this week! (Myrtle between Washington and Hall)
Creative Movements(ages 4+up or 2.5-3 with caretaker) 11:30am
Ballet Fitness (adults) 1-2pm
Yoga (Basics) 2:30-3:30pm
Hip Hop/House Dance (tentative) 4-5pm

Hoops, ropes and sidewalk chalk
Every week, we’re setting out hula hoops, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk so that kids (both young and young at heart) can express themselves.(Myrtle between Ryerson and Steuben)

Mmmm…Cooking Demos and Free Tastings!
In front of Associated Supermarket (between Hall and Washington), we’re setting up a cooking station where healthy food will be prepared by local chefs of all ages! Teen Iron Chefs return (12pm-2pm) to host interactive cooking demonstrations with seasonal, locally grown produce donated by Greenmarket farmers. Taste the fare of soon-to-open Sans Souci, a new Caribbean restaurant on Myrtle between Washington Park and Carlton, from 2pm-4pm.

Define a healthy future with Asthma Free School Zone
Join us to make fortune-tellers and brainstorm ways in which we can all participate in cleaning up our communities and our environment! AFSZ is a non-profit organization that works to improve air quality in and around NYC schools in order to reduce asthma-related absenteeism and improve quality of life.

NY Transit Museum brings “Last Day on Myrtle” exhibit to Myrtle
In celebration of a new exhibit at the New York Transit Museum of Theresa King’s photographs, Last Day on the Myrtle, the Archivist from the Museum will have a table set up between Clinton and Waverly on September 13th with historic photographs from the archives of the elevated line in service and its demolition. The Myrtle Avenue elevated line began operation in April 1888. The elevated line from Broadway to Jay Street was discontinued at midnight on Saturday, October 4, 1969 and was demolished the following year. Please come by and share your stories and learn more about the history of the elevated line!

Myrtle Windows Gallery – Artist Guided Tours
Beginning at Pillow Café (505 Myrtle)at 4pm, join artists from the current MWG installation on a guided tour of installed works.

Composting demos with Brooklyn Compost Project
The Brooklyn Compost Project will disseminate information about composting and will also have a worm bin composting demonstration from 11:30am-6pm, between Hall and Ryerson. The Brooklyn Compost Project is funded by New York City Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling and hosted by Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG).

The BRANCH Project
The Citibank parking lot at Clinton and Myrtle will be transformed into a temporary library branch, free to everyone! Continuing their outreach which began last week, volunteer designers and librarians from Branch will work with local residents and visitors, kids and adults, to plan and design the space. Come out and tell us how the library should look and what kind of books and activities it should offer. Enjoy our Quiet Zone: relax on lawn chairs with copies of your favorite Sunday paper--and ear-plugs!

Merchant Specials + Promotions
-Enjoy free smoothie samples at Karrot (Myrtle between Clinton and Waverly)
-Come to Green in BKLYN to recycle your batteries and cell phones (Myrtle between Clinton and Waverly)
-Margaritas and Mojitos at La Stalla
-BBQ at Jive Turkey

Stay tuned for these programs at upcoming Move About Myrtle events....

...We’re giving away 200 trees courtesy of MillionTreesNY
...Participate in a community mural project with artists from SONYA
...Design Workshops for the upcoming Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza
...Parks Department’s Wii Fit Mobile Unit!
...A mobile farm in the back of a truck!
...Bike safety lessons for kids from Bike NY
...and much more!

Thanks to our sponsors: Pratt Institute, Associated Supermarket, and Society for Clinton Hill.

On a beautiful summer/fall afternoon last Sunday, local Clinton Hill and Fort Greeners turned out in droves to participate in Move About Myrtle. We danced, we hula hooped, we shopped, and we skated. We sampled healthy local foods. We imagined a new outdoor library space. We celebrated local artists. We cheered on cheese steak-eating champions. Here's the evidence.

Will you join us next weekend? Stay tuned for the 9/13 schedule!

The 4th Myrtle Windows Gallery installation arrives this Wednesday, courtesy of Kennis Baptiste of The Rising Arts Gallery, who curated the exhibition.

This collection includes paintings, photographs, printmaking, and mixed media artwork, providing a glimpse of the diverse range of creative style and visual presentation found in Brooklyn artists. Check out "Crossed Museum" by Noah McLaurine at Three Starts Laundromat (pictured here on the left) and “Silence” by Jake Messing at Joseph Tyler Salon (pictured on the right). Of course, there will be work displayed in eight additional storefronts, and additional works by all artists at Pillow Cafe, beginning September 6th through October 4th.

Celebrate the opening with the artists at Pillow (505 Myrtle between Emerson & Grand) on Sunday, September 6th from 4pm-8pm during the kick-off Move About Myrtle event! The reception is FREE, and light refreshments will be available for your enjoyment! Also, take advantage of these opportunities to hear about the works directly from their creators:

Artist Guided Tour: September 13th & 20th, 4pm (begins at Pillow)
Artist Talk: September 27th, 4pm – 7pm (at Pillow)
Closing Reception: October 4th, @ 6pm – 9pm (at Tamboril 527 Myrtle)

Party and shop locally through out September! The Brooklyn Urban Arts Market returns to Clinton Hill on all four Sundays this September, taking place on Myrtle Avenue between Emerson and Grand near the PrattStore. This is Brooklyn’s answer to those commonplace street fairs that take place in Manhattan – this open-air market will house 50 local artisans, vendors, and entrepreneurs hand-selected for their innovative creations, fresh urban perspective and DIY spirit.

The music is back too, and we’re happy to report that local favorites Soul Summit will spin the closing set at every event! We’re bringing back live music too, with a special treat for the kids – each event will kick off with a youth band, including the School of Rock All Stars! A full listing of the music line-up is at www.bam.org.

We’ve added a new dimension to this year’s event – we’re actually closing 7 blocks on Myrtle Avenue from Emerson to Clinton as part of DOT’s Weekend Walks Initiative. Move About Myrtle will take place at the same time as BUAM, and will transform the Clinton Hill portion of Myrtle into an active, pedestrian-friendly public space perfect for walking, cycling, dancing, and people-watching.

As if Move About Myrtle isn't enough, you can be sure that we'll be working to help our existing merchants take advantage of this flurry of foot traffic – we’ve got a number of plans in the works to get our visitors to travel the avenue, including the distribution of our new shopping guide and the Explore Myrtle Avenue shopping scavenger hunt (more on that soon).

Are you interested in vending at the Market? Click here to download an application. The deadline has been extended, but spaces are filling up quickly so apply now!

Major funding for the Brooklyn Urban Arts Market was generously provided by Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation.