Plans to revamp the old Domino Sugar Factory into shiny condos got a big stamp of approval yesterday when the City Planning Commision voted 13-0 in the developers' favor. Now, it's on to the city council. Curbed notes our local city councilmember (Levin, I'm guessing) "is no big fan of Domino, and has urged the developers to cut back on the project's density so as not to overwhelm the neighborhood."
A little over a week ago somebody posted a curious missed encounter on Craigslist, detailing a night making McCarren Park their bedroom. "Who got laid in McCarren Park?," we asked.
Monique, a 21-year old resident of the neighborhood, writes of that fateful sexxxy Tuesday night with an answer: it was her.
She writes:
Um well, It was totally random but so beautiful. We met just walking down the street, and we just knew something was going to happen. I was pretty intoxicated haha, as was he. But everything happened so naturally. We wanted to lay down for a bit in the park, it was around 4am. We were kissing, touching, and before you know it one thing led to another. We were so locked in passion, that we didn't realize the sun coming up. Or the joggers. Or bike riders. Or stragglers and lovers like ourselves who were enjoying the remnants of an epic Tuesday night. We parted ways after that, I didn't want his number, and didn't give him mine. The night was too perfect and simple to mar with sober akwardness. If we are meant to cross paths again, bless it be. My name is Monique, Im a 21 year old female living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A native actually. I write as well, and have a lot more stories than that, although it is my best to date. More sweet, and intense.
Emphasis added. The lesson here of course is that strangers can still, in this day and age, meet randomly on the street at 4am on a Tuesday and just go have sex in a public park.
Crest Fest, the opening day party for this year's Crest Hardware Art Show will be Saturday, June 19th with live musical performances by Deluka, Sundelles, Motel Motel, Oberhofer, Zongo Junction, Darlings, Wizardy and DJ performances by Nick Catchdubs, Faux Mex, Lucas Walters, Petey Complex, DJ Teenwolf, and many more.
They'll have food, drinks, and an "art & design market." Proceeds from this year's show will benefit the City Reliquary Museum. This year's Fest should be a blast, and I most definitely look forward to the crazy exhibits littered throughout the store for the weeks to come.
View the full flyer after the jump!
June 19th -- 558 Metropolitan -- 12pm - 11pm -- FREE
Having lost a number of recent battles to the Hasids, are hipsters refocusing their ire? Times, take us to the front lines!
For decades, the faithful who lived in the wood-frame houses along the route of an Italian enclave in North Williamsburg, Brooklyn, knew their duty during the area’s many religious processions. As the elaborately carved statues would approach, they darted out to the street to pay their respects or to join the procession. Today, another ritual has emerged: curious hipsters whipping out cellphones to take a snapshot.
Goddamn you hipsters with your Razr phones and your poor choice of quotes said to reporters at city-wide publications. Ten bucks says the reporter for the Times got the idea for the whole article upon hearing this quote: “There was one float and a horrible marching band. It was very ironic. The Latino parades are more festive.”
Come out to party at Public Assembly tonight!
Special guest Dj's Name You Can Trust plus our favorite Ohio Party Crew will be there drinking $4 Colt 45's with a shot of Whiskey 10-midnight. Come early and stay late! There will be FREEEE giveaways such as: 25 COPIES OF DAVE’S WHIP-ASS NEW MIXTAPE!
Photo taken by dennisandluba, posted under CreativeCommons
Brooklyn Vegan posted news that BKLYN Yard, the Gowanus space that's hosted a fantastic variety of outdoor events over the past few years, is closing, a victim of a landlord tearing up the lease.
In a letter to supporters, MeanRed Productions writes, "Our landlord of the past four years, who used to share our vision for BKLYN Yard, notified us on Tuesday May 1st, that they would no longer honor our lease which had been in place since early this year. They chose not to give us an opportunity to renegotiate, and requested that we take what we have built, and terminate all of our confirmed plans and schedule for BKLYN Yard this summer."
Blows. After the jump, read the whole thing.
Continue reading "BKLYN Yard Goes Belly-Up: Landlord Pulls the Plug" »
Bushwick artists open their doors this weekend for Bushwick Open Studios. The opening party is tonight at 10pm at Beauty Bar and tomorrow, take a few hours to trek around Bushwick. Here's a map and show directory. Go see one of the 313 shows in the neighborhood -- all of Bushwick is included, as are parts of Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, and Ridgewood, Queens.
"It was Sunday at McCarren Park. You and your friends were sitting near my friends and me (near the high school, close to Bedford). We had a Smurfs blanket and some Turkey's Nest margaritas. You had a sort of Southern Rock vibe--shoulder length blondish hair and tattoos, probably a black shirt and shades. I was definitely staring at you. Sorry if you noticed me being creepy, but you're *real* dreamy." - Craigslist
Just being servicey...
This weekend be sure to stop by one of our favorite yearly events- The 6th Annual Renegade Craft Fair which takes place on June 5 + 6 from 11am – 7pm in McCarren Park.
The fair is free to attend and features over 300 of today’s finest indie-craft talents from all over the nation, free workshops (including Etsy.com's Make + Take Projects), entertainment, food, + a free to use photobooth.
prince rama of ayodhya at automatic (chicago) october 3rd, 2009 from acid marshmallow on Vimeo.
Although yours truly is stationed across the pond, I have managed to grow fond attachments for "Sleepy" Doug Shaw's HIGHLIFE blend of african and pop melodies and the extra awesome psyched out prog of Prince Rama (of Ayodhya). Top this show off with Amen Dunes and the fact that it's a Showpaper Benefit, and you most likely have a recipe for one of the shows that sticks out of the blur that is Brooklyn's music scene.
Friday, June 4th @ MONSTER ISLAND BASEMENT
:: SHOWPAPER BENEFIT
:: Prince Rama
:::: HIGHLIFE —– http://myspace.com/highlifehighlife
:::::: Amen Dunes
:: special guest @ 8pm: W.H.I.T.E. — http://myspace.com/whitehorsesintechnicoloreverywhere
| MONSTER ISLAND BASEMENT |
128 River St @ Metropolitan Ave | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L-Bedford, G-Metropolitan, JM-Marcy | 8pm | all ages | $8
Everything else here.
The lost "Puppy" saga has come to a happy ending!
Andrea writes:
WE GOT HIM HOME!!everyone's worked combined got my puppy home. posting, searching, talking, flyers. . .
he was found by gates avenue, being walked by a lady. she had cleaned him and given him a new leash and collar. an angel who had taken one of my flyers saw this, pulled over, grabbed puppy and drove him home to me!!
thank you for your help and support, everyone.
cheers!!
Why doesn't Williamsburg have a movie theater? It's the one thing that's truly missing in the neighborhood and every time we have to fight with the crowds at the horrible, overpriced Regal theater in Union Square we are reminded of the question. Great news came yesterday when The Brooklyn Paper reported that "indieScreen-a small theater with only 12 rows, 93 seats and a 17-foot-by-8-foot screen is expected have its official opening as an independent film house in late June". In addition to the (small) theater which will be located on Kent and South 2nd Street, a bar and restaurant will also be available on site.
*Image c/o The Brooklyn Paper
Readers...somebody needs your help right now. Andrea's dog "Puppy" is missing. He is a corgi. He lives in Bushwick on Central Ave between Jefferson and Troutman, so start there. Call 847-636-8833 if you find him!
Here's one from Craigslist that needs some splainin': We made everyone's morning in Mccarren Park.
We met so randomly, and had such a great night. Me English girl, you tall sandy haired so sweet and cute. We made Mccarren Park our bedroom, and really didnt effing care. leave in a month as you kno, so please get in touch thanks love
PBR's been sold to a guy who once managed Vlasic Pickles. How appropriate! The deal went down for $250 million, though as Consumerist notes, "for only a dollar more they could have gotten a shot of Jameson to go along with it." Recession Special!
Neighbors of "The Woods" took over a recent Community Board 1 Public Safety Committee meeting to stomp out a plan that would expand their backyard garden by like, seven stools.
Bar owners Dave Rosen and Matt Relkin "wanted to add seven stools in an adjacent backyard and have the area serve as a meeting place for community groups and the pick-up spot for a neighborhood community-supported agriculture group to grab its vegetables this summer," but neighbors can't handle any more noise.
Eyebeam just announced a really interesting show called Re:Group, which aims to examine "models of participation and participation as a model in art and activism." It opens June 10th with a talk at 5pm and reception 6-8pm.
Re:Group features work by thirteen artists, designers, hackers, activists, and collectives exploring both the potential and limitations of participation, networked collaboration, and distributed labor. From the "crowdsourced" projects Ten Thousand Cents and White Glove Tracking to the tactical media art of The Yes Men and Ubermorgen, from the urban interventions of John Hawke and The Institute of Infinitely Small Things to the open platforms of Ushahidi and MakerBot - the exhibition represents a diverse range of critically and socially engaged work that rethinks the institutional practices within urban planning, civil engineering, transportation, industrial design and production, relief work, and the news media.
A subway hero descends then vanishes:
After a woman fainted onto the tracks Monday evening at the Union Square station, the man jumped onto the track bed to try to revive her, witnesses told the police. Seeing the lights of an Eighth Avenue-bound L train, and probably realizing he was out of time, he hastily positioned her body in the trench between the tracks, then hoisted himself out as the train roared in, the police said.
A 26-year-old woman fell into the tracks at Union Square yesterday evening, creating a flurry of police activity and concerned commuters. According to Gothamist, CBS & the New York Post, here's what happened: The woman fainted and fell onto the tracks after feeling "dizzy," and was run over by an 8th Avenue-bound L train.
CBS: "Emergency Medical Technicians who first reached her were shocked to find nothing more than a few cuts to her head."
Gothamist commenter: "I was there and saw the whole thing. The train DID NOT stop before hitting her, it went right over her. I don't know why they would say that it stopped, but hopefully the part about her being OK is true."
NYPOST: "Cops said the woman may have fainted and there was no criminality."
Reports differ as to whether or not the train stopped, but either way, she must've fallen into the middle portion between the tracks as she didn't suffer any serious injuries other than cuts on her head. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital. According to a witness who tweeted about the scene, "she may have lived cuz she was sort of lying down in the middle."
Our friends at QuietColor are throwing a "magic wedding" party tonight at Monster Island Basement. They're talking live bands, magicians, and an actual ordained minister performing an actual real-life wedding between Miss Katie Kristine Darling and David Randall Sherman! Bands include Project Jenny, Project Jan, Swimming In Speakers, Carnivores, and Sunglasses.
They write, "You may think you know the drill, you've been to weddings before, but we guarantee you'll never be a part of one as magical as this. Live bands and magicians will entrance and engage you while love and refreshments abound! Your attendance makes you a member of the wedding PARTY, as we go all-out to send away the happy couple in truly sensational and jovial fashion."
magic wedding from christopher mulligan on Vimeo.
Tonight @ Monster Island Basement (128 River St @ Metropolitan Ave) - 8PM | All Ages | $10 |
The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave) is throwing a block party this Saturday on Havemeyer b/t Grand and Hope St. for your bicycle! Bring 'em, show 'em off, win prizes, see music, party down.
Contests include: Best VINTAGE Bike, Best Shiny Bike, Best Family Bike, Best Mutant Bike, Best, BMX, Best WORST Bike, Best in Show and much more! Win great bike prizes donated by: Outlier Tailored Performance, Velo Brooklyn Bushwick Bike Shop, Affinity Cycles, including TWO FREE BIKES from TREK and NYCBikes!Performances by: Heels on Wheels, Lucky Chops Brass Band, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, plus DJ Stacher & Dirtyfinger on the turntables all afternoon!
Block party is noon - 6pm, after party at the Reliquary is 6pm - 10pm.
This Saturday at Enid's:
Books Through Bars moved, and we’re having a party to get us back on our feet! It features awesome librarians and excellent music, so you'd best be there.The Desk Set (a group of young librarians who throw dope parties to
raise money for organizations promoting literacy) are hosting a party
at Enid’s in Williamsburg to pay for the postage we need to get back
to sending books to people incarcerated all across America.After our old space was damaged by fire, Books Through Bars moved to
our new home in Freebird Bookstore, and we’ve built up a big backlog
of packages that need sending and letters that need replies. 100% of
contributions go to either postage or packing supplies, but we’re a
bit behind and need plenty of help.So, now you know what your Saturday holds: dancing, drinks and librarians.
Books Through Bars benefit with The Desk Set @ Enid’s, 560 Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg
10pm and on. Suggested Donation at the door.
Early on Saturday morning, near the corner of Roebling & N. 4th, a cyclist was struck by a black, 4-door Ford livery cab. According to the flyer (pdf), the driver is claiming Stefan, the cyclist, blew a red light. It's a charge Stefan can't dispute. He doesn't remember the event due to head trauma received from the crash.
Were you there? Did you see a cyclist get hit by a livery cab?
Stefan, who has five broken ribs, a broken shoulder, a broken back, and a broken foot, needs witnesses to help fill in the blanks.
Contact Mike at 410-409-9787 if you saw anything.
Update: 7:00pm - From the tweets of a Twitter user identifying him or herself as a sibling of the victim, this was originally a hit-and-run. Just two days ago, he/she tweeted, "searching for witnesses of a hit + run bike accident in williamsburg ny. our brother was hit; he blacked out. if you have info, pls write us." Then, yesterday, he/she added "they have identified the driver(s), so that's a really great thing."
OK, Tim, so I may have misread that Post story about a local musician hooking up with a stranger on the L train. See to me, a Gen-Y-ish college graduate who went to school at a snotty upstate private University, the phrase "hooking up" implies sloppy, regretful sex where nobody wins yet somehow nobody loses.
To the Post, and I imagine my parents, hooking up means "getting together." So, in this case, our friendly, pre-celibate musician was "feeling it" (and in this case, no, Posties I don't mean literally feeling "it" ((and no, I don't mean "it" as in "penis"))) and decided to go to a guy's house whom she had met literally minutes before on the L train platform, where she then regretfully experienced The Sex.
Case in point: By saying a woman hooked up on a train platform with somebody before she actually hooked up in a bed and then swore off sex all together, you are inviting provoking headlines like "Sex on L Train Platform Leads to Celibacy Pledge."
That is all. Pure motherfucking magic.
Katie Jean Arnold (pic right), a singer/songwriter/comedian, hooked up with some stranger on the L train platform so now she's telling the New York Post, "Never again!", as in, she's ratcheting up the celibacy belt for a few weeks.
Two weeks ago, Katie Jean Arnold had her celibacy wake-up call. After hooking up with a stranger on the L train platform and going back to his place, she woke up at his apartment and decided to leave. On her way out the door, he came up to her, naked, and said the words she’ll never forget: “What’s your name?”It was then that she made her Big Decision.
No. Mor
