The View From Argyle Heights:

Attack of the Bed & Breakfasts

byHomeowner Harry (Another in a series ofobservations about life in West Midwood as it is lived today…or maybe not)

There are now 11 Bed &Breakfasts in Victorian Flatbush and eight of them are in West Midwood (seelist). I like to think that’s due to the refreshing winds that blow aloft uphere in Argyle Heights, since we are a staggering 38 feet above sea level. Butit might also have to do with how delightful it is in our neck of the woods,and the entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens. After all, West Midwoodians aredescended from a hearty stock, many of whom wandered down the passes ofProspect Park looking for a better life and detached garages.

ButB&B’s are a fairly recent phenomenon in our Flatbush environs. They startedto spring up almost at the same time that hotels spread from Downtown intoBrownstone Brooklyn and now there are at least seven chain hotels stretchingfrom the Brooklyn Bridge to the South Slope. However, for the traveler on a budget,or those visiting family nearby, or those who prefer the peace and quiet andwarmth of a friendly host, the B&Bs fill an important gap. For instance, mybrother-in-law visits his daughter and three grandchildren on Argyle Road quiteoften and to avoid being underfoot, especially when it’s time to wash thedishes, or to grab some extra sleep after a long drive, what could be moreconvenient than renting a room for two nights around the corner?

Wellenough about my theories. Let’s hear what the innkeepers have to say. I askedeach of them to share with us their experiences but as usual I waited until thelast second to reach out and just when I thought I’d identified the absolutelast B&B out there, another entity would rise up from some far flung cornerof the Web as if to mock my crumby due diligence. Still I managed to convince amajority of these gallant souls to trust that I would not turn this articleinto a reminiscence about my favorite breakfasts over the years, although to behonest, that was basically my first draft, which Laura Givner gently rejectedwith the suggestion: “More people, less biscuits.”

Let’sstart with Susan Lehrer, who opened her Dekoven Suites back in 2002 to staveoff the financial doom of two steep college tuitions. Many of her colleaguesupon first contemplating taking the leap themselves (prompted by empty nests orcrushing mortgages), cited Susan’s enthusiasm, innovation, and willingness tohelp as a major factor in following her into B&B Land.

Openinga B&B takes a lot of effort. There is a ton of insurance required, a steep14.75% tax and other fees are collected by THE MAN, and the work is ceaseless,since those continental breakfasts and fresh sheets just don’t appear magicallyeach morning. By the way, just to work in one breakfast tidbit, Jorin andAlexandra Reddish, who just opened The Isabella on Rugby Road, pointed out tome why continental breakfasts (combos of cereal/pastry/fruit/bread/coffee/juices) are the staple of B&Bs: the insurance will not permit cooking meals for guests. So thatexplains why you’ll never find any omelet addicts wandering our streets.

Andas for the legality of turning one’s house into a B&B, THE MAN appears tohave taken a very sensible stance: as long as it’s not a multiple dwelling, coopor condo, and the establishment does not create a nuisance (e.g., by bookingmembers of the Tea Party and the Socialist Workers’ Party in adjoining rooms),maintains proper insurance and ponies up the taxes and fees, then there is noissue. Susan cited Carolyn Greer with the Brooklyn Tourism office at BoroughHall as a big supporter – she even brings a group of European tour operatorsthrough our neighborhoods each year under the theory that seeing is believing.Indeed, looking at the houses that serve as B&Bs in these parts, it wouldbe hard to find better maintained properties – picture post-cards, one and all.Add to that the wonderful hospitality and warm personalities of the hosts, andfrankly, considering the far-flung ports of call for the visitors they serve,these B&Bs probably do more to promote Brooklyn tourism than any MadisonAvenue campaign ever could (although Don Draper in his prime might have nailedit).

WesternEurope appears to contribute the most foreign bookings -- UK, Scotland, TheIsle of Man, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway,and Holland were all mentioned (by the way, Bibi and HarryKisoensing of Bibi’s Garden speak Dutch) -- but visitors from China,Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Israel andYemen were also cited as contributing to our local economy, as many innkeepersmentioned the boost local businesses receive from their guests, particularlythe many new eateries along our commercial strips.

Andas for why all these out-of-towners are here gobbling croissants each morning,Rob Seidel of The Loralei estimates about a third of his guests are visitingfamily members, and Trudy Steinfeld at The Blue Porchpoints out that those relatives reside not only in West Midwood, Ditmas Park,Beverly Square West, Fiske Terrace, and Kensington, but in areas farther north,like Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Fort Green. Others are here on business thatcan range from promoting a book, as one recent guest from Nashville told Sue Fishkin and Michael Hurwitz at RugbyGardens, to researching a novel set in 1970’s Brooklyn after checking in toDonna Zaengle’s Emilia’s Retreat. While the rich and famous apparently stillprefer the Hamptons and the Waldorf Astoria, Victorian Flatbush attracts moreof the creative crowd. Rob Seidel hosted the editor of a leading rock musicInternet zine; Susan Lehrer welcomed the first trombonist with the MelbournePhilharmonic; Jorin Reddish recently had a record producer from Germany; andTrudy and Paul Steinfeld have booked journalists, computer scientists, medicalprofessionals, and even one rocket scientist.

Someof the odder reasons for overnight stays included a Manhattanite who told SueFishkin he was going to interview for an important job the next day andabsolutely, positively had to have a quiet place for the night to settle hisnerves! The most improbable guests were three sailors from Amsterdam whoplanned to pilot their flat bottom boat around New York Harbor in June 2009 tocommemorate Henry Hudson’s discovery 400 years earlier. Arriving at JFK withoutreservations, they piled into a cab and asked the driver to take them to ahotel, whereupon they found themselves staring at some dump in the Bronx. Tothe rescue came a little thing called the Internet, where the sailors foundEmilia’s Retreat. Susan Lehrer organized an effort by the local B&Bs a fewyears back to get themselves listed in one place and www.victorianbb.net was the result. Theycan also be found, along with other newcomers on www.bedandbreakfast.com. Perusingthese sites and the individual web pages each of the B&Bs have created orsimply Googling their names brings up links to a lot of fantastic reviews onTripAdvisor.com and other travel boards.

Anyway,when their craft was late in arriving from Holland, the sailors stayed an extratwo weeks thanks to Dekoven Suites squeezing them in, demonstrating anotherimportant feature of these businesses: they are able to cross-refer to othernearby B&Bs when they are booked up. The guests from Holland, led by anintrepid gal named Ingrid, were so grateful for West Midwood’s hospitality thatthey took their hosts on what Donna calls “the most amazing sunset sail aroundthe harbor”. Ingrid has since returned to Dekoven Court, sans boat, with familyin tow and photos of subsequent journeys by the Dutch adventurers show upregularly in the mailbox of Emilia’s Retreat.

Askedto recount favorite memories, it was apparent these entrepreneurs are allwell-matched to be in a people business. Susan Lehrer recalled how theChristmas Blizzard of 2010 enthralled a French family who had never seen snowbefore. Susan outfitted the kids with snow gear and lo and behold, they all returnedin the Spring for a second vacation in West Midwood. What Rob Seidel and LanceTukell cited as most rewarding was “being part of people's important events andexperiences – from weddings to funerals to births.” Sue Fishkin and MichaelHurwitz put it this way: “Our guests all leave an imprint of one kind oranother and you have to open your arms and embrace all of them.”

TheConey Island Cyclones (both the roller coaster and baseball variety),Shakespeare in the Park, Fashion Week, 4th of July Fireworks in the BrooklynBridge Park – these are among the many New York experiences to which ourinnkeepers have introduced their

out-of-towners.But to really crystallize the difference between a stay at the BrooklynMarriott and a Victorian B&B, consider that when guests from England wantedto know what a typical American Thanksgiving Dinner was like, they werewelcomed by three generations of Zaengles, 30 strong, for their 39^th consecutive observance.And finally, Donna recently took a 9 year old German girl trick or treating forthe first time in her life down Glenwood Road. Nothing like starting at thepinnacle of the Halloween experience – the West Midwood Parade.

West Midwood Bed & Breakfasts:

TheLoralei B & B
667 Argyle Road, Brooklyn NY 11230

Hosts: Robert Seidel and Lance Tukell

http://www.loraleinyc.com/

Emilia's Retreat 31 DeKoven Court, Brooklyn NY 11230 Host: Donna Zaengle http://www.emiliasretreat.com/
Dekoven Suites 30 Dekoven Court, Brooklyn NY 11230
Host: Susan Lehrer