How Many Times Can The Times Deem Williamsburg the “Next Big Thing”
From last week’s Times:
The dazzling hotel and night life complex, a staple of the Manhattan circuit, has finally washed up on Brooklyn’s hype-friendly shores, bringing with it the kind of crowds eager to finally explore the Next Big Thing. And what are they finding across the river? Communal tables, artisanal beer, saltwater pools and a cast of characters right out of the HBO series “Girls.”Since opening in May at a restored factory building, the Wythe has helped spiff up a once-desolate corner of Williamsburg — North 11th Street and Wythe Avenue — into an artisanal-food-and-drink playpen.
Bored of the hotel’s commanding view of Manhattan? Pop over to the Kinfolk Studios, an experimental emporium that houses a design studio, gallery, cafe, bar and a popular Scandinavian restaurant.
Craving live music with a side of smoked trout salad? Cross the street to Brooklyn Bowl, where Questlove spins music on Thursdays, Blue Ribbon serves cozy nibbles, and bowling is an ironic (or would that be unironic?) pastime for 20-somethings.
And that’s just the start. Turn the corner and find the Brooklyn Brewery, a fabled local beer manufacturer that, aside from offering tours, now opens its industrial red doors as a beer garden on the weekends. Or stumble a couple of blocks and find Berry Park, a two-level sports bar that plays house music and soccer games, a newly sanitized waterfront and another yet boutique hotel — this one with a South-Beach-in-Brooklyn poolside ambience.
Ugh. Really? Is this news to anyone? In fact, here they are in 1998 saying the same thing. At least they also have Greenpoint to talk about now.
The NYT is a New York newspaper. Why shouldn’t they publish stories about NY neighborhoods? The previous article was from 1998, so it seems perfectly reasonable to me that they would publish another article 14 years later. The neighborhood has changed a lot in that time and the article describes a new scene that has emerged with two hotels, Bklyn Bowl and Kinfolk. Like it or not, this is newsworthy for the Style section to report on.
How else are they going to peddle New York to out-of-towners? Make tourism where there is none. Not to say those arent happenin’ spots.