The 61 Franklin St Garden is open! Ryan Watson, of GWAAP and Brooklyn Seed Company giddily unlocked the gate to show me the beautiful (and mugwort-filled) space this morning. Before the garden parties can begin, help is needed to pull up an entire lot overgrown with weeds. It’s super easy – just grab and pull, grab and pull.
If you’re looking for a productive morning in the great outdoors of Greenpoint, grab your gardening gloves and show up at the 61 Franklin St garden tomorrow – Saturday May 18 at 9:30am – and get to work!
Due to rain last weekend, the Electronic Waste Recycling Event was rescheduled to tomorrow,Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 11am-5pm.
Don’t just chuck your old cell phone and laptop into the trash. Help divert New York City’s electronic waste from landfills! Our own local Green Chip Recycling companyrecycles your old electronics so they never end up in landfill.
Drop off your broken and unwanted electronics for recycling to the Go Green! Festival at McCarren Park this Saturday. Spread the word about electronic recycling and help make every day Earth day!
All electronic waste will be recycled locally in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Green Chip Recycling is an R2/ISO14001 company with a zero landfill policy.
Any questions can be sent to info@greenchiprecycling.com
Greenpoint, you are so spoiled! Now it will be even more difficult to figure out where to go for dinner or a cocktail because there has been an explosion of new places! Can’t keep up? Here is a brief rundown of all the open and soon to be open bars, restaurants and coffee shops in the hood. It’s kind of insane, right?! Let us know in the comments if you have tried any of the new places and what you think. Stay tuned for in depth reviews!
Officially Open in Greenpoint:
Achilles Heel (180 West St) We saw it finally opened on Instagram via @mfade. Tarlow considered the history of the Greenpoint waterfront when he designed the menu and space. According to Grub Street, Achilles Heel is “a café and bar meant to evoke the always-open grocery and drinking spot that once sustained Greenpoint dockworkers at its West Street address between 1900 and 1960.” Grab a coffee and a fresh snack sourced from Marlow & Daughters on your way to the Ferry and enjoy an afternoon Hemingway Daiquiri or a glass of wine near the piano after a long day at the office. Coming soon… a New England Style Clam Chowdah!
Torst (615 Manhattan Ave) A fancy beer bar for beer nerds. This spot was great for an after work beer and a delicious cheese plate. The beer list is extensive and the tapping system is state of the art. As described on Gothamist: “Tørst offers a selection of 21 draft and 200 bottled beers, including rare, international brews not seen before now in the States … the guys installed a custom-built draught system called the Flux Capacitor, which allows individual draft lines to be temperature and pressure customized for specific beers, plus a system that allows for four different temperature controls.” Like I said, it’s for beer nerds.
Jimmy’s Diner (92 Calyer St) Formerly Calyer, Jimmy’s Diner #2 has opened up literally overnight! This photo sent to me by Paulie Gee. The menu will be similar to the Union Ave location. Get ready for mac n’ cheese, fried chicken and perhaps some key lime pie?!
Spina (107 Franklin St) It’s a flower shop slash coffee shop and get this -the coffee is BLUE BOTTLE! Spina’s main business is social event planning, but after a visit to Italy and San Francisco, owner Paul Tsang and his partner Vanessa Chinga-Haven decided to start serving coffee in the new Franklin St space because, “coffee is aromatic and flowers are aromatic,” Paul told Greenpointers. How lovely.
Broken Land (105 Franklin St) I have been spying on the shutdown Veronica People’s space and late one night last weekend we ran into the owner in front who said they were going to open that night for a few hours, even though they are still waiting on a few things like artwork and a huge terrarium to flank the door. Seems like it will be a chill bar with nice cocktails, beer and wine. Look out for a future terrarium class there!
Alameda (195 Franklin St) According to contributor Kerry it’s a “killer” cocktail bar by the Haslegrave Brothers, with a drink called The Roberto Burns she described as like “sex below deck,” and a pleasing edibles menu, with a $9 burger and roasted fruit and goat cheese baguette.
Propeller Coffee (984 Manhattan Ave) Open in the former Beata Delicatessen, reader @lizful sent us this photo and said, “The space is beautifully large and light-filled and the cappuccino was perfect.” We love that they preserved a little bit of Greenpoint history by keeping the old Beata sign intact. Really excited to sample an espresso! Can Greenpoint have too many coffee shops?
River Styx (21 Greenpoint Ave) – We snagged this menu sneak peek from @TheMeatHook on Instagram. The website says “See You Soon!,” but that’s not what the NY Times says… “from the team behind Brooklyn’s Roebling Tea Room, which opened last night on a quiet, riverside street in Greenpoint — is not: another neighborhood eatery that takes itself too seriously” The menu that features burgers, lamb wrapped in grape leaves, chicken liver tortillas and ramp raviolo, plus some really interesting cocktails.
The Bounty (131 Greenpoint Ave) A new seafood restaurant that according to the website is serving classic cocktails, small plates and a raw bar with a full menu coming soon. Back in April, The Bounty told Eater they’d be ”serving seafood from the North Atlantic region, made with a hint of Southern charm … like crab cakes, whole grilled fish, a raw bar (oysters, clams, etc), a burger, and eventually, when blue crabs are in season in the Chesapeake, Maryland-style steamed crabs.”
Coming Soon:
Little Dokebi (85 Driggs) Greenpointers on “the other side” of McGuinness are excited for this. A sign on the door reads: “Little Dokebi, Korean Street Food, June!”
Fornino (847 Manhattan Ave) Look out for this second location to open either this Monday or next Monday!
I have been working on my hummus game for years and it has taken me quite some time to perfect my recipe. I’m ready to share it with you. My personal hummus recipe is a hybrid derived from traditional middle eastern recipes blended with my own flavor preferences. It can be categorized as smooth and nutty with a tangy kick.
☺ Funny Story @ Brooklyn Brewery (79 N.11th St) 8pm, $10, an evening of beers, laughs and weird times featuring, Amy Sohn (Park Slope chronicler), Ed Gavagan (NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour), Maude Sernas (line cook, farmer, tattoo artist and lurker) and Anton Shuford (comic), More Info ♫ No Joy / Weekend / Grand Resort @ Glasslands Gallery 8:30pm, $10, RSVP ♫ DJ HemingYeh and Cormac McBootay @ Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave) 11pm, FREE, Brooklyn’s favorite/only literary DJ duo returns spin a mix of Northern soul, post-punk, ’70s/’80s, old school rap and hip hop RSVP
FRIDAY 5/17
♦ Elliott Sharp: Foliage @ Reverse Space (28 Frost St) 5/17-5/26, 7-9pm, Musicians perform Sharp’s Foliage: a long-form graphic music score that offers abstract instructions allowing for infinite possible interpretations, RSVP ♥ Broke City: Body Language / BFG / Sleepyhead / Figgy @Bizarre (12 Jefferson St, Bushwick) 10pm, FREE, RSVP
SATURDAY 5/18
• Go Green! Greenpoint Festival @ McCarren Park, 11-5pm, FREE, Recycle your electronic waste, eco-friendly and educational displays, health & wellness tips & demos, arts & crafts, children’s activities, live music, More Info • Spoons, Toons & Booze @ Nitehawk Cinema (136 Metropolitan Ave) 11:30, $15, an afternoon of animated childhood favorites such as DuckTales, The Smurfs, Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo plus choice of sugary cereal, regular brunch menu; and a full bar, More Info * North Brooklyn Takes the Cake @ The Brooklyn Kitchen (100 Frost St) 6-9pm, $15, Cupcake bake off to benefit NAG! Come to compete or just to eat and drink, prizes, RSVP ♫ Love as Laughter / Starlight Girls / Birthdays / The Feverbreakers / Honduras @ Shea Stadium (20 Meadow St) 8pm, More Info
SUNDAY 5/19
• The Punk Rope Games @Newton Barge Playground (Commerical & Dupont Streets) 10am-1pm, $80 per team, suggested, feature teams of 4 in costume competing in 9 events, After Party @ Diamond Bar 1:30-4pm, More Info • Circuit Building and Bending Workshop & BBQ @ The Living Gallery (1087 Flushing Ave) Noon-5pm, FREE, Learn how to build and bend your own instruments, materials will be available and bring grillables, RSVP ♦ Language Objects: Letters in Space, 1970 – 2013 @Southfirst (60 N6th St) Opening 4-6pm, FREE, a retrospective exhibition tracking the evolution from early typewriter-generated forms to more recent four-color drawing poems in the work of American poet Robert Grenier, More Info ♦ Arts in Bushwick Benefit @ Grace Exhibition Space (840 Broadway, 2nd fl) 6-9pm, FREE, 50 BOS participating artists will be showing in this years Benefit preview and art sale, More info ♫ Shark? / The Woolen Men / Lame Drivers / Hippy @ Shea Stadium (20 Meadow St) 8pm, $8 RSVP
MONDAY 5/20
♥ Mac & Movie @ Miles (101 Wilson Ave) 6-11pm, FREE, Free mac and cheese (6-8pm) plus watch the Beastie Boy’s film Awesome; I… Shot That!More Info
Due to rain last weekend, the Electronic Waste Recycling Event was rescheduled to this Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 11am-5pm.
Help divert New York City’s electronic waste from landfills!
So many phones, laptops and televisions end up on the curb when they can instead be recycled. Our own local Green Chip Recycling companyhelps prevent your old electronic junk from ever being sent to a landfill.
Drop off your broken and unwanted electronics for recycling to the Go Green! Festival at McCarren Park this Saturday. Spread the word about electronic recycling and help make every day Earth day!
All electronic waste will be recycled locally in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Green Chip Recycling is an R2/ISO14001 company with a zero landfill policy.
Any questions can be sent to info@greenchiprecycling.com
Get awesome clothes for virtually no money: who could argue with that?
Are you broke, but yearning to spruce up your summer wardrobe? Lady, it’s your lucky day. Dusty Rose Vintage is Greenpoint’s largest vintage clothing warehouse, and will host their first annual “This For That” clothing swap on Thursday May 30th.
Here’s how it works:
…just rock up with a bag of spring/summer garments and accessories you’re done wearing but want to find another loving home.
$3 gets you in the door, then swap to your heart’s content. With a packed crowd of other Greenpoint fashion addicts, you’re bound to make awesome trades.
Plus it’s a perfect opportunity to spring-clean your closet, and go shopping without a shred of guilt. Can’t put a bag together? Just pay a little more: $5 at the door.
Dusty Rose will lay out free punch for to quench your thrifty thirst, and if you can’t make the swap but still want to donate, you’re welcome to drop clothes off at the warehouse in the week before the event.
If you’re a true vintage fan, this is a great chance to get a sneak-peak at Dusty Rose Vintage BEFORE they officially throw their doors open to the public in June. Trust us: this place is going to be a goldmine of affordable vintage, unlike anything in New York City. It has to be seen to be believed.
What: THIS FOR THAT Spring Clothing Swap
When: Thursday, May 30th, 7 – 10 ((we won’t kick you out if you want to hang later))
Where: Dusty Rose Vintage Wholesale Warehouse, 233 Norman Avenue, Greenpoint
As if we need another reason to complain about reckless bicyclists on the streets of Brooklyn – not only do they put their own lives at risk in order to make the city a less polluted and traffic congested place, but they kill trees!
Not by crashing into them – this is a slower more painful death. Apparently trees, those things with green leaves, are mistaken for bike racks. And blame it on forgetfulness or rust or stolen parts, whatever the reason, many bikes are abandoned attached to trees.
As the trees continues to grow they literally get choked by the chains that becomes tighter and tighter around the trunks, a fatal process called girdling.
One Brooklyn man is sick and tired of seeing these soon to be suffocated trees and began the Treedom Project to save them. He needs your help!
If you see an old rusty clunker chained to a tree, report it. On Sunday May 26th, Rob and his team of DIY tree heros will be cutting the locks off reported bikes.
I met up with tree vigilante Rob Birdsong and his big hound dog Bo on the corner of Moultre St and Norman Ave in Greenpoint to take a look at a reported tree. A rusty bike with flattened tires, unrideable after a rough winter, was left chained to the tree. It’s clear this cyclist doesn’t care about his bike – or the tree. And right around the corner we found another tree choking bike.
Recently, I took an amazing Public Speaking Workshop with a fantastic teacher named Andrew Linderman and got so much out of the experience that I want to offer the class to Greenpointers readers.
If you want to communicate more confidently and convincingly, perhaps to make a presentation at work or to tell a great story in an effective way, then take this class! I promise that you will leave this workshop a better public speaker and you will learn a lot about yourself and maybe make some new friends. It was really a lot of fun, too!
Details:
Class: Public Speaking Workshop Date: Monday, June 6th 2013 Time: 7-10pm Location:Dobbin Project Space (50-52 Dobbin St, Greenpoint, BK, 11222) Price:$45
Course Description:
Need to feel confident speaking in front of group of strangers? Come across as more genuine and less robotic? Want to finally overcome your fear of public speaking?!?
In this 3-hour workshop, participants will get expert coaching and feedback on ways to strengthen their presentation skills, from techniques to calm frayed nerves to exercises designed to build confidence and improve focus. The class is limited to 16 people, so participants are guaranteed lots of time to practice and plenty of instructor feedback. Everyone will leave this workshop with experience speaking in front of a group and valuable insight into how to be a powerful communicator.
Preparation: If you have something short (1-2 mins) that you’d like to work on, bring it in! Otherwise we can generate some content in class.
Teacher Bio:
Andrew Linderman has a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley. Andrew currently teaches storytelling with the Brooklyn Brainery and The Moth, and is the executive producer of Local Stories, a monthly storytelling series featuring writers, comedians and performers from all over New York City. Prior to his work as a storyteller, Andrew trained as an actor and improvisor at the Upright Citizens Brigadeand the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. Andrew has also worked as a city planner, a radio DJ and an economist and has lots of stories to tell.
We’ve all heard of the Sequester, the terribly and amazingly large amount of money the U.S. government is currently slashing from the budget, what President Obama has referred to as taking a “meat-cleaver approach.” This slashing of public spending, with some war/defense spending, was heralded as an only solution and coded under many names, including the Grand Bargain and the Fiscal Cliff.
How will the Sequester affect Greenpoint?
To answer, I reached out to many of Greenpoint’s elected representatives. Of those who responded, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli‘s office was most helpful.
DiNapoli’s office responded that “details about how sequestration will affect the State as a whole are still pretty vague” but that the total cut for local NY State governments would be around $140 million – and that’s only through September, 2013, citing this report.
DiNapoli’s own report from December 2012 warned “the State would lose more than $210 million in federal funding for education, well over $100 million for health and human services and a similar amount for housing programs.” Continue reading →
The 61 Franklin St Garden is open! Ryan Watson, of GWAAP and Brooklyn Seed Company giddily unlocked the gate to show me the beautiful (and mugwort-filled) space this morning. Before the garden parties can begin, help is needed to pull up an entire lot overgrown with weeds. It’s super easy – just grab and pull, grab and pull.
I have been working on my hummus game for years and it has taken me quite some time to perfect my recipe. I’m ready to share it with you. My personal hummus recipe is a hybrid derived from traditional middle eastern recipes blended with my own flavor preferences. It can be categorized as smooth and nutty with a tangy kick.
