The Ugliest Woman in the World

Performed entirely in the dark, Shaun Prendergast’s haunting play tells the entirely true story of sideshow freak Julia Pastrana, often billed as “The Ugliest Woman in the World.”

A Seasick Mama Heads for the Turnstiles

Though she’s one of the latest musicians to rise out of the Brooklyn indie pop scene, Seasick Mama has already made her catchy tunes stick to our heads with her debut EP Dead Like Money.

How to Help Victims of Oklahoma Tornado

“Looking for a way to help respond to the tornados in OKC? Along with holding all the folks there in prayer, I’m making a donation to the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, which operates the LGBT center in OKC.” -Ann Kansfield, Greenpoint Reformed Church

Limits of Desire—Small Black and an artsy release party

I sat down for some small talk with Small Black’s front man Josh Kolenik and keyboard/guitar player Ryan Heyner about raccoons, exploding vans, and how visual arts connects with their music.

Domino’s Greek Tragedy

One cannot shame or embarrass powerful real-estate developers. Even negative publicity is a minor irritant because they shroud themselves in Teflon tailored by public relations firms.

Better Know a Blogger: Steven P. Harrington of Brooklyn Street Art

“Graffiti writers and bombers succeeded at democratizing our ideas about who gets to make art. Once that genie was out of the bottle, the next generation took it as their birthright to bring all the art out onto the streets, not just aerosol.”

There’s Looking Good, and There’s Looking Better—Men Tailoring it Up a Notch

What is driving the rash of men-centric retail environments in this area, such as barber shops/shaving parlors and higher-end apparel boutiques like Barber & Supply, HW Carter & Sons, Cadet, Robinson Brooklyn, Genuine Motorworks and By Robert James? Could it have something to do with the “recovering” economy?

Community Right to Know—Demand Safe Removal of Asbestos at Domino

“Too often community rights are usurped. I see Williamsburg empowering its residents with knowledge and community organizing to protect public health and their environment.”

NY Image Salon’s Tonia Bashan—Colors & Styles Redux

Unlike other chop-shops, New York Image Salon doesn’t subscribe to gender pricing. Many women sport short mops, while some men prefer to grow long locks, so all consultations are based on hair length, thickness, and time needed to style.

4 Films to See Before We All Drown—Gut Renovation; The Domino Effect; Chasing Ice; Gringo Trails

What does the overdevelopment of Williamsburg-Greenpoint have in common with melting glaciers? Fossil fuel, that’s what; one’s using it, the other’s choking on it. Well, we’re all choking on it.

Who knew low-income wage earners are subsidizing the developers?

As I predicted, CPC Resources, the original developer for the Domino Sugar Refinery, flipped the property to a new developer, Two Trees Management, for a huge $120 million profit. So there’s a new plan afoot for the refinery, one the new developer has made even larger than CPC Resources’ massive plan…

The Lowdown on an Upright Citizen: Comedian Anthony Apruzzese

Since Apruzzese moved to Williamsburg a little over a year ago, I decided it was time to reconnect with my old white-collar cell mate and have a chat. We met a few Sundays ago at Spike Hill, on Bedford Avenue, to talk about Showtime.

Zizi Limona—Middle Eastern Cuisine—Beyond Falafel

“We wanted to take Middle Eastern food to another level. We want to serve food that reflects modern Israeli life…”

Goodbye La Villita Bakery

The familiar sight of the styrofoam cakes, and the bright orange building at the corner of Grand Street and Bedford Avenue was a reliable landmark in the neighborhood. It was a place one could still buy a cup of coffee and an egg sandwich for $2.50. One could, without worry, request a hot coffee with “leche caliente”—hot milk.

New Yorkers Want a Statewide Ban on Fracking and are Building a Movement

Horizontal high volume hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is an extreme drilling technique used to extract natural gas. The studies that have been done show that fracking is a nightmare, because of water and air pollution, toxic spills, and ruined landscapes. The evidence is clear that fracking is extremely dangerous.

“Machine Man” Manufacturing Superhero in Greenpoint

Eric Mingrino has designed and built a mind-boggling array of devices for clients who came to him with the spark of an idea; some may have even touched your life in some way

Peep Show @ Le Grand Strip, a vintage boutique

You didn’t stand outside in the freezing cold watching this window display peep show at Le Grand Strip, last month. But we did. And Victoria Stillwell bravely took many photos of a bunch of pretty girls in vintage summer wear. Here they are.

A New Charter HS in Bushwick

“The key thing is that you need to go in not saying you want to do this ‘for’ the community, but saying that you want to do this ‘with’ the community,” said Vanessa Leung, the secretary of the Citywide Council on English Language Learners.

Helado Negro brings smooth electronic sounds to (the stage of) Glasslands Gallery, Mar 24

Helado Negro, meaning Black Ice in Spanish, is the musical creation of Roberto Lange. Born and raised in South Florida and a descendant of Ecuador, his music is an experimental mix of electronic…

Culinary Lockdown Merely a Drop in the Bucket

What’s next? Banning stores from selling clothes that exceed XXL? Limiting calorie count per meal in restos? Banning sprinkles on ice cream cones?

B. Conte Boutique

Regular trunk shows introduce cocktail-sipping customers to an influx of fresh accessories, both antique and new.

Williamsburg’s New Cinema District

When Harvey Elgart first started looking around the Williamsburg-Greenpoint area for places to open a movie theater, he saw a wide open opportunity in a neighborhood devoid of commercial movie options. “It was under-screened,” recalls Elgart, who at the time already operated the Cobble Hill and Kew Gardens Cinemas.

Join WG News + Arts for Boogie & Booze / Saturday, March 2nd @ Modca

There’s no ballroom dance craze in North Brooklyn to speak of—no clubs and a dearth of classes (even in the schools)—and Henry Cross noticed. For the 26-year-old instructor and former competitive ballroom dancer, purveyor of boogie and swing, he sees opportunity.

CHASING ICE—gorgeous, see this film. It’s playing @ IndieScreen 2/18 & 2/19

“I never imagined that you could see glaciers this big disappear in such a short time. There’s a powerful piece of history unfolding in these pictures….”

Aelfie Collects and Sells Textiles that Tell a Story

When Aelfie Oudghiri was 17 years old, she sat in a Turkish rug shop and negotiated with the dealer for six hours. She bartered so long her brother fell asleep, and the store closed while they haggled….

What’s 3 Minutes of Your Time? Myk Henry Performance Art

We wanted to encourage the artists to come out of their studios and make work that the audience could dive into, to interact with each other and explore their own creativity. We were weaving in and out of dumpsters making art out of trash. You’d see really exciting trends—you really felt you were on the cutting edge.

Break Their Corporate Hearts—Anti-Valentine’s Day

Love and respect cost nothing, so why should you spend money on a particular day, just because big business and the media tell you to prove it?

Contemporary Brooklyn Art Has No Institution It Can Call Home

When was the last time you went to the Brooklyn Museum and saw a show of work by contemporary Brooklyn artists that really blew you away, or at least taught you something new?

Transgression from the 80’s: A Festival of Films by Nick Zedd

Glasshouse Gallery is currently screening the films of Nick Zedd, and many other films from the transgressive film movement, including works by Amber Dawn, Nicholas Abrahams, Mary Jordan, and Casandra Stark. The features, originally filmed with 8 and 16 mm cameras, are being projected digitally, from Jan 15 – 19.

Fortune Telling at Pete’s

Fortune Telling by Winston Ludlow / Wednesday, January 16th / 10pm – Midnight @ Pete’s Candy Store / 709 Lorimer, Brooklyn, NY

We’re All Hipsters

It’s almost as if today’s college educated youth can’t do anything right. If they pursue an MBA or JD they’re accused of becoming greedy materialists. If they pursue work in a community arts center they are labeled unambitious and a drain on society.

my experience of letting the public look through my phone.

Nick Hugh Schmidt When first proposing the idea of having my phone on display, I felt a sense of excitement. I thought about others looking through my phone and wondering if they would…

Smooches

The Berry Street store, which opened in 2009, is bright, modern and tasteful “with an urban edge & a rock n’ roll sensibility,” says Stipanovich. “Mostly well-priced American brands and very few imports.” And a brilliantly placed, kid-tuned TV makes it a lot easier to shop.

Great Young Designers Flock to Brooklyn—Ferris

This circular process of preserving the old and giving the new an antique patina lies at the core of Ferris’ philosophy. “Fashion can keep going around, unbroken, just like a Ferris wheel,” says Livingston.

Life is Messy—LifeGunk.com—A New Social Network, Straightens It Out

“When you’re on Facebook, you’re mostly bored and just passively reading status updates. You’re not really doing anything productive. With LifeGunk, you log on to be productive, to share your progress, to see how your friends and family are progressing and help them to be productive. It’s meant to help you connect with others and get involved in each others’ lives on a deeper level.”

Zip Gun, a Nostalgia Toy from the 1950s

I became one of the boys, but a boy who didn’t have to carry a knife, a car antenna, a baseball bat or any other object that might be useful when you ran into rival gangs. I had status.

Havana Nights at Cubana Social

Cubana Social introduced its new chef to diners by throwing a cocktail and tasting party. Guests got to sample Chef Andrew D’Ambrosi’s Cuban inspired menu of crispy avocado with habanero marmalade, braised kale, Sea Bass ceviche, octopus a la plancha, and more…

Breathing New Life into Vintage

If every piece in the vintage shop, Brooklyn Reclamation, has a story, Emil knows them all.

There are No Bad Dogs, Just Bad Dog Owners

Some of you may be considering a new pet this year, and a pup or a kitten is certainly a wonderful addition to your family, but there are some things to consider before taking the plunge.

Holiday Food/Wine Pairing with Joseph Grillo

Christmas, and the holidays in general, is a tricky time to start pairing wines when meals are smorgasbords of food jumping all over the map—from turkey to ham, to yams to carrots—that one yearns for a simple and balanced wine with just a hint of acidity….

Allegria, Pure Joy to the Burg

There are many unique children’s boutiques in the area, but Allegria takes the cake. In fact, their new store window on North 3rd Street is filled with impressive crochet-cakes handmade from wool sweaters; they’re soft, strange, and artfully crafted—a perfect preview of what’s inside.

“My Brooklyn” Is Lost to Real Estate Lust and Political Chicanery

The 82-minute independent documentary My Brooklyn, directed by Kelly Anderson, presents a comprehensive historical overview of the transformation of the Fulton Mall, the last “stubborn holdout” against gentrification. Anderson, a self-described gentrifier ….

HOWL-A-Ween Dog Costume Contest pics

Harriet and Myrtle, two elderly Basset Hounds (one of whom is blind), were dressed as WWI Dog Fighter Planes at Dog-E-Dog’s first Howl-A-Ween Costume Party held in McCarren Park, in late October. Photographer Will Star captured the uber-cuteness. Click on the image to see.

BREAKING: The L Train Is Running In And Out Of Manhattan Again!

Full story at Gothamist.com.  

CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA!

OBAMA FOUR MORE YEARS!!

Scene at Board of Election, One Day Before Election Day

Sent to us by Meryl Salzinger who was at the Board of Election in Brooklyn: “Just showing how many people have questions about where and how to vote after [Hurricane] Sandy. My concern is to show that so many people will be disenfranchised by having to wait for hours in line to have their questions answered.”
LATE BREAKING: Cuomo Oks displaced NYers can vote at any polling station.

Where to Volunteer this Weekend

It’s been four days since Hurricane Sandy blew through, and Brooklyn is starting to mobilize again. Restaurants are re-opening, the marathon is [CANCELLED] and the MTA is hobbling along, with full (though slow) bus…

Legacy of Bruce Lee Lives On @ NY Martial Arts Academy

“Everything he said was always about don’t get locked into a style,” Bravo said. “Don’t be a slave to a style. Dissect it, look into every style. And taking what’s good and adding it to your game. To have no style is a style.”

Olechowski Beats Restler by 19 Votes—Apathy Alive and Well in Williamsburg

In what had to be one of the most bizarre races in recent memory, Chris Olechowski defeated Lincoln Restler in their contentious race for the 50th Assembly District Leader post.

Community Markets, a Growing Trend

This year, Community Farmers Markets, has opened two new green markets in the nabe, one on the south side of picturesque McGolrick Park (Russell St.) in Greenpoint and another at the spunky Cooper Park (Maspeth Ave.) in East Williamsburg. There, you’ll find an array of farm produce along with enough artisanal food to make your weekend just that much more yummy.

Trent’s Top Gallery Picks

Jack Early gets super-duper hippie-dippy in these two stupendous shows. Pop psychedelia from the late 1960s and early 70s permeates everything—and even gets inside our ears. (Southfirst, 60 N. 6th St.; McCaffrey Fine Art, 23 E. 67th St., through 10/27)

A Tale of Two Brownfields (reprinted from City Limits)

Even as a city program for cleaning up contaminated sites shows promise, two tainted areas in Brooklyn reflect different challenges that remediation can face – like pricetags and politics.

Leave the Theory at the Door! Ethan Pettit Contemporary

This group show, called ‘Wackadoodle,’ thumbs its nose at highbrow irony and aesthetics…

Vote Early, Vote Often—a political déjà vu looms over the national political landscape

During Giuliani’s two terms, he utilized and took credit for all of Dinkins’ efforts for NYC’s resurgence to global preeminence. Thus began an 8-year period of quasi-fascist repression, exclusivity, secrecy, favoritism and overall nastiness unheard of for a liberal big city.

Who Knew Anyone Reads? Bookstores: 0 Before, 2 Now. Where? Bushwick

From zero bookstores in the past decade or longer, Bushwick now has two of them opening within a week of each other.

Three Cuts Above Revisited! Barbershop Salons

As a man looking for a haircut in Brooklyn, one faces a quandary: barber or salon? Barbers have been the go-to choice for men’s haircuts since Ancient Rome, and in the Middle Ages, barbers performed major surgeries. Today, they’re dependable for a quick shave and a haircut, often without an appointment, and are cheaper than a salon. WG NEWS + ARTS’ WRITER JON REISS GOES UNDER THE RAZOR at STEPPING RAZOR, TOMCAT’S, & MANETAMED

“iPhone 6” Debuts in Brooklyn

“One day, we will live in a world where our smartphones are smarter than us,” says artist Leon Reid IV, “and we will be the devices for our smartphones.”

Yoga and the Pelvic Floor

There are a bunch of muscles [in the pelvic floor] and some have big complicated names, but there are a few simple images that open many doors to understanding.

Taste-Maker Mark Mangan on the Relaunch of Flavorpill

This was 1999, the end of an era, and, as Mark put it, “the nuclear winter of the first .com meltdown. We couldn’t raise any more money, we were a couple months behind rent, just looking down the abyss… I just grabbed anyone who was left, pulled them into a corner and asked them if we were to reinvent, what would we reinvent as?”

Shopping Bags Filled with Receipts? No Prob for Greenpoint Accountants

“Don’t’ be dumb,” said Ted Wozniak as he leaned forward and went on to explain that owning a business or being incorporated is not something you should treat as your personal bank. He used disgraced former Tyco head, and poster child for piggish corporate behavior Dennis Koslowski, as the perfect examples.

Brooklyn Political Cartoon

F-O-O-D!!! T-R-A-S-H!!! Volunteer Opportunities

There are some amazing upcoming volunteer opportunities in North Brooklyn, and each involves a fundraiser for a worthy cause in our community. Check them out.

OP/ED: Blade Runner Williamsburg

One of Mayor Bloomberg’s last political salvos before he leaves office next year is the design competition for micro-units.

Best Way to Chill: Ice cream, frozen yogurt, alcohol (a marriage made in Brooklyn)

On the weekends, ice cream and frozen yogurt trucks are everywhere in Williamsburg. There is the mellow-yellow Van Leeuwen truck on Bedford Avenue, the Cool Haus Truck ($10 double-decked ice cream sandwiches from L.A.!) parked on Metropolitan or Bedford avenues, and a Yogo truck can be seen roaming around like a lost child…

The Rules of Grace—Performance art thrives at 840 Broadway 

Grace Exhibition Space is one of the few performance art galleries in New York City, ridding itself of a stage and focusing on the immersion of artist and audience …. providing several hours of performance by both local and international artists.

Interactive Movie about Boys Bullying Boys: WG supports Indiegogo project

As Michael Kimmel, Pulitzer Prize nominated author of Manhood in America writes, “while bullying has certainly exploded on the national agenda; most of the conversation has revolved around empathy for those who have been targeted by bullies….

Op/Ed Architectural Apartheid

Have you ever felt that you were being watched? Do you have that eerie, creepy sensation that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, that even gives you a sense of foreboding? You’re not paranoid, because it’s them. It’s those waterfront glass Frankentowers—Northside Piers and The Edge…

Deep Listening Happens at The Control Voltage Faire, Participant, Sharenyc

A lot has happened since we weighed in with the ‘Synth Geek’ just a couple weeks ago. Tons of geeks converged on The Control Voltage Faire at the South Street Seaport (as we…

Synth Geeks Call Williamsburg Home; Newbies Welcome

In the past synthesizers were at times monstrously large units, with all their capabilities hardwired into one mainframe (think keyboard with lots of knobs on a stand). Now, with modular synth, you customize your experience with a synthesizer, breaking it out into separate more controllable units (think of sections in a modular couch, or toy blocks in a tower) that allow you to get the sort of sound you want.

Spin Baby Spin—DJs Throw Down in WLSBRG

You grew up. Your appreciation for music evolved to less Pop and more Funk. More Rock and Punk. You want to hear more grooves of old school hip-hop, disco, and house. The MP3 is getting full of eclectic sounds of music that won’t be played out there in the island of Manhattan.
Now you come to Williamsburg.

Ten Years of Music 2002-2012: A Williamsburg Oral History

We all want to be a part of something important. We all want to inspire others and leave our mark in some way. And perhaps it hasn’t been long enough to be able to fully understand our influence. Only time can confirm or deny that.

Classes at Toby’s Estate

Starting June 16, the coffee shop, Toby’s Estate, on North 6th Street, will run a free Espro Press class on Saturdays at 1:30pm. The 45-minute class teaches you to brew the best cup of coffee using the Espro Press ($99).

Trip the Music Eclectic at The Firehouse Space

From song to dance to spoken word to cinematic electronic synthesis; from straight-on classical music to improvisational jazz, something remarkable happens every night at The Firehouse Space.

Big Things Writ Small

Scale is a blade that cuts in two directions: Big often signifies importance, especially in an environment where space is at a premium. Conversely, we all know that “Good Things Come in Small Packages.”

“Sculpture Garden” at Onderdonk House

Co-curators Leslie Heller and Deborah Brown have organized this year’s sculpture exhibit on the grounds of the historic Onderdonk House in Ridgewood/Bushwick.

“All The Pretty Things”

At b. conte, Luisa Caldwell’s fruit sticker “mosaics” and exploding florals are displayed on rescued materials, and lined up like an architectural frieze above a rack of summer dresses that I could not help rifling through. At b. conte boutique through May 23 (167 North 9th St., Williamsburg).

Nitehawk Features Live Scores to Accompany Classic Movies

A screeching violin can warn us that our favorite actress is in danger; a tapping drum can mimic the hoof beats of a trotting horse, and a sliding horn can tell us when to laugh when Buster Keaton braves death again. On Sunday, May 13, the Nitehawk cinema carried on a musical tradition, screening the F. W. Murnau’s 1927 film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” and featured Morricone Youth live, accompanying film.

Brooklyn Shows Off Its Bands at BAM’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” Festival

If there ever will be a distinct Brooklyn sound, it just played last weekend in one big blast. From May 3rd through May 5th the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) hosted over 35 local bands in its first-ever music festival titled Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.

The Considerate Cyclist: The current state of cycling in NYC

Please be safe and cautious on your bicycle. While the city and the NYPD may not be eager to help you, there are bicycle advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives (TransAlt.org), BikeBlogNYC.com, BikeNewYork.com, and BikeSafeNYC.com that can be excellent resources for New York City cyclists.

Tourist-burg-point-wick. Yes, It Is Happening—Tourism and Williamsburg Converge

Even after The Deluge, they kept coming. Tourism in New York City has never been more robust after 9/11. Back in 2002, while some tourists canceled their visits, there were more than enough curiosity seekers to take their place.

OP/ED Property Rich and Under-Served

By Albert Goldson Our favorite 21st-century bad guys—banks and hedge funds—are aggressively entering the real-estate market nationwide, buying pools of foreclosed properties from Fannie Mae and selling them to developers at a profit,…

Kyoung eun Kang’s “Steps” at HERE Arts Center

Installation artist Kyoung eun Kang explores the changing nature of the self in a world of blurred boundaries and cultural contradictions and makes this the subject of her multimedia installation “Steps” at HERE.

Cinema of the Soul—Interview with Tod Wizon

Tod Wizon has shown extensively with well-regarded galleries like Bruno Bischofberger (Zurich), Annina Nosei, Jack Tilton, and Phyllis Kind; and he’s been reviewed in Art in America, ArtForum, and ARTNews. But more importantly, after 30-plus years of being “in” or “out” of the spotlight, he’s thoroughly entrenched in his craft.

Lauren Olitski Poster, Susan Roth, Ann Walsh, “Color & Edge”

At the heart of this raucously colored, bumptiously optical show there’s a longtime (more than 30 years) friendship between the three women artists participating. Add to that equation the decade-long association of Sideshow gallery director Rich Timperio with one of the artists, and you know you’re in for lots of solid experience. But do the works get along?

Toll Bros. sues contractors at One Northside Piers for $10 million

WG News + Arts reporter/columnist Phil DePaolo broke this story for WG in March 2011. We’re proud of Phil because of the significant accomplishment it served for residents of our community.

“Hollywood Boulevard” excerpt from debut novel

“Hollywood Boulevard” a brand new debut novel by Williamsburg resident Janyce Stefan-Cole, in the noire tradition.
Available at WORD Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
wordbrooklyn.com

Hoppy Hour—Craft Beer Explodes onto the Scene

The baby boomers had their revolution—civil rights, women’s rights, anti-war, anti-poverty—and now their children are having their own: the craft beer revolution….

Domino Sugar Factory Plans Falling Down

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:
Domino Falls Down….

After Many Years McCarren Pool Opens this Summer!

The mighty McCarren Park Pool – shuttered for almost thirty years – is set to reopen on June 28th, city officials confirmed.
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 11:00am that day. The city hopes to have a “soft opening” of at least one section of the recreation center by Memorial Day according to several city sources. (This story is sourced from A Walk in the Park NYC)

Grape and Cacao—wine and chocolate pairings at BOE

It used to be a simpler world for chocolate and wine, a world made up mostly of port and a lot less top-tier dark chocolate. As the chocolate industry shifted toward more artisanal producers that feature single-origin bars and unique infusions, the options for pairing table wines greatly increased.

Alex Melamid, Artist Healer-in-Residence

Melamid split from Komar in 2004. At 66 years old, his work leans so far to the edge of irony that it makes Duchamp look conservative. These days, Melamid is concerned with reaching a greater public beyond the walls of museums…

Trent’s Top Gallery Picks—March 2012

What makes these works most magical is Altas’s power to turn six boring numerals into things of grace and near limitless capacity. If Luhring Augustine keeps mounting exhibitions as good as this one, we should hope they stick around Bushwick for a long time

Is there A Doctor in the House? Yes, Quite a Few

Following the tsunami of new galleries, restaurants, bars, developments, and people, like clockwork the next step in the growth of the neighborhood is that professional services—doctors in private practice and hospital satellites—follow.

The Margabucha (a kombucha mixed drink)

I wanted to create a drink with the pleasures of a tall, cool, fruity, salty margarita, and just the right kickstart to a 5 o’clock Friday night out—sans the calories.
—One Stop Beer Shop tapster Pamela Rossi

Massive Attendance at Fountain Art Fair

This year’s Fountain attracted over ten thousand visitors in three days, including a packed opening night. “There was a line around the block to get in, and we did get Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith at our booth!” said artist Patricia Fabricant…

“Where Were You Then?”—A New CD by Shelley Hirsch

What keeps Shelley Hirsch’s music coherent is her unique extended vocal style combined with her expressive narrative powers. Every song, no matter how abstract or literal, tells a story infused with emotion and personal truth.

OP-ED What Charter Schools Were Meant to Be

COLUMN: PHIL ON FIRE
At a recent hearing, hundreds of local residents came out to oppose the opening of the Success Academy charter school. It’s been documented that Moskowitz bussed in hundreds of Harlem residents to give the appearance of community support.

Recipe—Landhaus Bacon

Once the bacon is roasted it can be browned and used anywhere you would like thick delicious chunks of tender bacon: sandwiches, scrambled eggs, clam chowder, on macaroni and cheese—the sky is the limit.

Co-Op 87 Putting a Good Spin on Vinyl

The sidewalk outside the entrance to Co-Op 87, covered with crates and boxes of $1 records, feels like your old college buddy’s apartment: stockpiles of stuff that live where it lands. But inside there’s a sense of cozy calm, like a warm library. That is, if libraries played loud post-punk albums.

The Making of Maison Premiere

From the minute it opened, Maison Premiere made a big splash with food critics. “The New York Times” says it’s better than what it tries to imitate—an old seafood bar in New Orleans.

Hipsters & Hassids

How one woman’s sketchbook started a movement.

Ground Control to Linda Griggs: long flight back from “cyberspace”

Is there such a thing as an altruistic person in our narcissistic art world? And, if there were a truly generous artist out there—a real artist, who still managed to promote his or her career while helping others—where or how would such acts of kindness take place?

43 Magazine Launches—Interview with Allen Ying

Allen Ying, admired in skateboarder circles for his gravity-defying shots of skaters flying through the air, celebrated the results of a Kickstarter fundraising campaign this past August, earning more than the goal of $20,000. This means a green light for his brainchild 43 magazine…

A Chocolatier in Our Midst

If anyone can sell luxury chocolate in a recession, it’s Maribel of MarieBelle Chocolates, with her deep-dimpled smile, her effervescent charm, and the inspiring story of a young woman who came to New York from Honduras to study fashion design, but ended up owning one of the most stylish chocolate companies in the big city.

Ai Weiwei Recognized by an American Scholar 25 Years Ago

… it was Gould who’d given the now infamously incarcerated Chinese artist Ai Weiwei his first-ever U.S. group show. To my reporter’s mind, interviewing him while sitting somewhere between the bronze rooster and bronze dog’s head of Ai Weiwei’s newest public sculpture …

Beauty and The Tattoo

This phenomenon now decorates a much wider slice of the population, including lawyers, bankers, doctors, and cops.

Local Ecard Business Promises No Cheeseball

“Switching to paperless online greeting cards is easy. It’s a time-saving, and a money-saving way for people to cut down on paper waste.