Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
Hey Brooklyn Photographers, think you can capture the essence of Brooklyn? If so, there’s a juried exhibit called Capture Brooklyn accepting submissions through August 29th. Eighty photographs will be exhibited at the Power House Arena during the Dumbo Arts Festival.
Yours truly just signed up. It’s been a looonnnggg looonnnggg time since I shot anything for art’s sake. Gotta light that fire under my butt!
Ansel Adams Find @ Garage Sale. CNN
Floating Plastic Dining Room. Treehugger
Bed Stuy Soda Fountain Opens! Bed Stuy Blog
Mold Sniffing Dog. Bob Vila
The Atlantic Avenue tunnel tour has been going on for a few years now and I never even noticed people climbing down a manhole in the middle of the Atlantic/Court intersection. Well, I finally figured it out and had a look for myself yesterday.
The Brooklyn Historic Railway Association runs the tours. Just go to their website and call to reserve. It’s well worth the 15 bucks and the next tour is August 8th. Bob Diamond, who rediscovered the hidden tunnel in the early 80’s, is the guy giving the tour. He’s a hoot! As if the history isn’t interesting enough, he’s quite the character himself.
You’ll have to wait on line for a bit as it takes awhile for each individual to get down the ladder. Wear comfortable shoes because Bob likes to talk and you’ll be standing for a couple of hours on uneven ground. There’s more standing and listening than walking.
So, about this tunnel.
It was built in 1844, making it older than the London Tube. The “oldest subway” thing is a bit of a stretch since this was not part of the NY subway system, but rather the Long Island Railroad. It’s still an underground rail system even if it’s only 1/2 mile long.
Diamond shares the folklore surrounding the tunnel. There are tales of heads buried in the wall, bootleggers, greedy politicians, pirates and even a John Wilkes Booth connection. His own story is as interesting as any of these. He first learned of the existence of the hidden tunnel when he was a Pratt student. For years, experts were denying it was there, claiming it would be too dangerous to explore anyway because of gases, water and 5 foot man eating rats.
There’s a deal in the works with National Geographic. Supposedly there’s still a steam engine buried behind a wall! They’re looking to unearth it later this year.
I could share more, but you know what? You should go yourself. Trust me. Just do it.
I don’t care what anybody says. I like that soy fake meat stuff. Yeah, I try to eat whole foods as much as possible, but beans all the time? You know what they say….good for your heart, but….
Anyway, if you’re a vegetarian New Yorker, chances are you’ve tried all the mock meat dishes at House of Vegetarian, Vegetarian Dim Sum House , Vegetarian Paradise and Zen Palate. Well, this is the place that sells to those restaurants. Ok, maybe. I just made that up.
Tian Yuan Veg is located at 6016 7th Avenue in Brooklyn’s Chinatown, Sunset Park. Can you get this stuff in Manhattan’s Chinatown? Yes. Can I buy it around the corner from my Bed Stuy house at Tony’s Country Life? Yes. But I felt the need to schlepp to Sunset Park to check it out.
So, was it worth the trip? Well, my freezer is fully stocked now. Plus, here’s the thing I love about Chinatown….the groceries are so inexpensive! I bought 2 FULL bags of vegetables for $7. Do you know what that would cost at Fairway? (I love you anyway, Fairway.)
Problem is, now I have to (get my husband to) cook all this shit.
Brooklyn Eagle’s Rooftop Farm. Inhabitat
City Heat. City Room
BP and the Photoshop Problem. Tree Hugger
Where to Buy Cute Stuff. Nesting Place
Move over, Groupon. There’s a new kid in town. Lifestyler
I bought a Groupon for Pure Power Boot Camp a few weeks ago and I had been dreading my first day. That was yesterday and I’m still alive to talk about it.
The “tour of duty” is an hour per day either 3 times per week for eight weeks or four times per week for six weeks. That costs about $1000. For 80 bucks, I’m getting 6 classes over 2 weeks. That should just about do it for me. Worth it to look for the Groupon, which they sometimes run, just in case you give up midway. Hey, then you’re only losing $40.
When I first walked in I had to drop down and give them 5 push ups. This is what I was nervous about beforehand because I lack upper body strength. But girlie push ups with knees on the ground are fine. Thank God!
Ok, first thing I noticed was the lack of air conditioning. Shit. I hate the heat! And they don’t mess around. I tried to take a drink of water during the laps (that almost killed me) and was told to keep going.
The second thing I noticed was that everyone was half my age and in better shape than me.
So, let’s cut to the chase. Is it tough? Well, ye-ah. Like any work out, it is what you make of it. There are things that I could hardly do and then are were things I do better than others. The push ups are timed not counted, so I can just go r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w. Same with the running laps.
The best part is the obstacle course. I mean, let’s face it….without that, it’s just like any other boot camp gym class. Only not air conditioned. This is like a jungle gym for adults. It tests your stamina, agility and strength. I managed to get through all of them with the help of the instructor. Hey, all of the chicks and some of the guys needed his help! I have the special disadvantage of being a friggin dwarf, so I needed a boost from time to time.
There are walls and tires and logs and hurdles and rope things. Fun! And yet, it’s a work out. Only you don’t realize that part is so bad because it’s a new experience.
Read the whiny reviews on Yelp. Sounded like Private Benjamin. Just keep in mind that this isn’t for pampered sorts. You change in a tent and there are no private lockers. I believe there’s only one shower and you need to bring your own towel. No vending machines, so don’t forget your water that you can only drink when they allow you to. You sweat like mad, as does everyone and they probably don’t clean the mats or obstacle course between classes. And I mentioned the A/C.
The two locations are Chelsea, NYC and Jericho, LI.
Check back with me at the end of the two weeks to see what I have to say about Pure Power Boot Camp. For now, it’s a thumbs up after one class.
Computer Monitor by AlpineButterfly. $200
Suitcase by LoveNostalgicWhimsy. $65
Soda Crate by Sleepurrz. $55
It’s so nice to walk the trails in Prospect Park and not have to worry about ticks and scary wildlife. So what the trail is like 2 feet long and there may be a rapist or murderer around the bend? It’s the best of both worlds!
Speaking of the park, did you hear that they gassed the geese?? What a fuckin’ outrage! It’s the talk of the doggy circles and people are NOT happy.
Isn’t George Steinbrenner a fictional Seinfeld character? I don’t follow baseball so I don’t really know this Steinbrenner dude. I do know that Larry David did a much better Steinbrenner than Steinbrenner himself. Check out this clip that either ended up on the cutting room floor or didn’t air too often. I don’t remember it, anyway. It’s Steinbrenner doing Steinbrenner! And he kind of sucks.
See, this is why I shouldn’t leave the house. I go out looking for some restoration materials and I come back with a light fixture that I don’t need.
Roy Vaccaro has lots of iron work and other goodies at his outdoor spot near Gowanus Lowe’s. I went looking for some marble for my window sills (Eddie Hibbert, if you’re reading this, you never called me back!) and ended up falling in love.
Check out that baby below! It’s big and heavy and has griffins and lions. How could I not buy it? The husband says it may be too heavy for our ceiling and I said “You make it work.” Cue whip sound.
Roy had many cute lights, but I had to close my eyes and keep moving.
So, what do you think I paid for it? Huh? Huh? It’s about 2 feet tall and is missing one dangly piece. Of course it needs rewiring.
“But what if I want my white vinyl windows?!” Cranky old guy just couldn’t let it go. Saturday’s meeting to address the landmarking of Bedford Corners was informative and interesting, but it was Cranky Old Guy who stole the show….at least for me.
Before we arrived, I wondered who the hell would hold a meeting on a Saturday in the middle of the summer. I thought nobody would show, but it was standing room only. May I add that my block, which is about 3 feet long, was well represented.
I scribbled some notes, but mostly I just distracted Brownstoner’s Montrose Morris, whom was trying to pay attention like a professional blogger. Hey, I’m sure she’ll have a much more informative post later this morning.
So, here are some fun facts about historic landmarking:
* There are about 100 landmarked districts in all 5 boroughs. Most of them are in Manhattan, followed by Brooklyn.
* Brooklyn Heights was the first landmarked district in the County of Kings.
* Guess which boro is the most resistant to landmarking? Come on, you know.
* Less than 3% of all properties in NYC are landmarked.
* In 1965, it was Mayor Wagner whom started landmarking districts. (Interesting. I was like “Mayor Who?” I can only remember as far back as Lindsay and I guess I don’t remember my history lessons.)
But back to Cranky Old Guy. During the Q&A, he asked if Landmarks was going to tell him what he can and can’t do to his house. The response was that Landmarks does indeed oversee replacement doors and windows on historic homes in the district. There was back and forth for a bit.
“But it’s MY home. What if I don’t want to put in expensive wood windows?”
“Sir, Landmarks doesn’t make you install wood. They will approve wood or aluminum windows. Not vinyl.”
“But what if I want white vinyl? It’s MY home. How can they tell me what to do with MY home!”
“You can do aluminum. Not vinyl. The cost is only a bit more and they will last you longer.”
And on and on it went until someone said “It isn’t really YOUR home because you pay property taxes.”
If you live in the designated area, you really should get involved. The neighborhood needs to get behind these issues. It’s not like a couple of volunteers take care of it. Strength in numbers gets it done.
Please go to the website to learn more.
Punk Jews-Work in Progress from Evan Kleinman on Vimeo.
Who knew there were punk Jews? I’m kvelling for the anarchists in my tribe! I’m not talking about my kind of lapsed Jew since birth….the Jon Stewart type. These Heebpunks are like really, really religious. Or at least they were brought up orthodox.
There’s a punk band featured in the film called “Moshiach Oi!” How clever is that? If you don’t get the reference, you’re either too young, too old or you were listening to Air Supply back in the 70’s.
I caught the Jew story on Cool Hunting (actually, from a Facebook link). The docjewmentary is a work in progress by Brooklyn based filmmaker Jesse Zook Mann. You can be a backer of the movie by going to Kickstarter and pledging as little as a buck.
It almost makes me sad I’m not a real Jew.
Almost.
Remember the Thursday night Coney Island Seaside Concerts I posted? Well, it turns out that there are Tuesday night concerts in the same venue and they aren’t listed on the website! WTF? A reader found that the Tuesday event calendar is only listed on Council Member Domenic Recchia Jr.’s site.
A couple of interesting shows at Coney….
Boilermaker Jazz Band on July 20th
Shout! The Mod Musical on July 27th (I dare you to click the link and not sing along. Go on. I dare you!)
Those are just two of the shows that look good to me. There are performances every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30pm.
Also, let’s not forget that Marty hosts the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series at Wingate Field. There are some pretty awesome shows lined up for this summer, started with…
Hel-lo! George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic with The Ohio Players! July 12th.
Toni Braxton. July 19th.
Salt n Pepa with Naughty by Nature and Rick Slick. Aug 2nd
And Aretha will be playing August 9th at Wingate as well as the 12th at Coney.
Be sure to check out the Coney Island Fun Guide. This Saturday, Planet of the Apes! Freak shows, movie nights, baseball games and fireworks. Coney kicks ass!
Looks like this Bedford Corners Historic District thing is moving along. I received the following email as well as a flyer posted on the door of my house on a block not mentioned. This is Phase I. Maybe my block is Phase II? 🙁 It’s all good. Gives us a chance to install new front door and windows without landmarks breathing down our back.
And now to the old cut and paste……
An open forum community meeting regarding the creation of the Bedford Corners Landmark District will be held on July 10th, 2010 at 2:00 PM at the Bedford Branch Public Library. The library is located at 495 Franklin Avenue at Hancock Street.
A presentation by members of the Historic Districts Council will address the conditions and benefits of achieving historic landmark status. After the presentation residents of the neighborhood will be able to ask questions about the process and what it means to the community.
Bedford Corners comprises the blocks of Macon St., Halsey St, Hancock St, Arlington Place, and Jefferson Avenue from Bedford and Nostrand Avenues and extending east to Tompkins Avenue.
Bedford Corners will be only the second new historic district named in Bedford-Stuyvesant since 1971, when the Stuyvesant Heights district was formed. Growing support for the formation of Bedford Corners has been shown with a postcard mailing campaign to the Landmarks Preservation Commision earlier this year. This district has also garnered the support of Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Councilmember Al Vann.
This district has filed a Request for Evaluation with the LPC and is awaiting surveying and calendaring procedures. Currently the Bedford District Block Associations (BDBA), a coalition of local block associations, is collecting signatures to a petition in support of this designation.