Dearest Family and Friends, It’s that time of the year again. Are you doing your Christmas cards, yet? Well, if you’re not, you really should be, because it’s December 10th. Even if you do not celebrate Christmas, you are still unfortunately obligated to get those holiday cards in the mail or everyone you know will think you are a total schmuck.… Read more →
I have often seen the joggers on Saturday mornings getting their caffeine fix at local coffee shops before what I imagine must be an epic jog, through parks, over bridges and surely, in and out of multiple boroughs. I always wondered if I could ever join the god-like ranks of “Joggers.” I am soon to be 40 years old. If, like… Read more →
Yesterday the Department of Sanitation began to roll out organics recycling bins across Community Board 6. That’s Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, and Park Slope (although Park Slopers have already participated in the pilot program for awhile now). If you’re like me, you are late to the whole composting game. You knew they were coming but didn’t put much thought into… Read more →
My husband and I moved in together in 1997. I was 21 and we were both in college. We had a 1 bedroom, 5th floor walk-up on Amity St. for $1,000/month that we split. I bought my first pasta pot at Winn Home & Beauty. I was just starting to cook. A few years later, when I forgot about… Read more →
(Video compatible with Safari and Chrome) My block, the one between 2nd and 3rd Streets and Hoyt and Bond Streets, is infested with raccoons, possibly 3 families. The problem has been developing over the last few years, coinciding with the Lightstone Group’s construction of 365 Bond, on the Gowanus Canal, a block away. Some believe the raccoons originally resided on the… Read more →
In July, a renegade stalk erupted from a crack in the sidewalk in Brooklyn. Some neighbors thought the stalk resembled corn at first. As the flower and seeds began to form it became clear that it wasn’t corn. My curiosity about this rebel plant brought to mind the book, My Amazing Poo Plant by Moya Simons. In this book, a girl waters bird droppings in an empty… Read more →
Have you had your knives sharpened at the Whole Foods on 3rd and 3rd yet? ‘Cause it’s serious! I had been putting off getting my knives sharpened for far too long. I finally made the effort to wrap up my Globals and bring them on the weekly pilgrimage to Whole Foods. When I arrived at the knife station, a wisp… Read more →
Last week I had the pleasure of seeing Belle and Sebastian at Radio City Music Hall. The audience at Radio City was a pretty typical group of twenty-something hipsters, or so I thought. As I suspected we all road the F train home together to Brooklyn. I ran into another couple on the train from the neighborhood. We had a lovely… Read more →
The espresso machine wasn’t the only thing steaming this week at Van Leeuwen, the artisanal ice cream company based in Greenpoint. The flash point – it’s new raw denim aprons. One barista is slightly irritated. The aprons were expertly crafted in Williamsburg by Loren, who specializes in small-batch handmade jeans. When complimented on the stunning aprons, an employee, grappling with a crisis of individuality, exclaimed, “One of the reasons I like… Read more →