Archive for: brooklyn
Broke but in love? Bowling at the Gutter in Williamsburg might be your best cheap date move for Valentine’s Day. At least Time Out NY thinks so:
Early (love) birds have a better chance of scoring thanks to the retro rates at Williamsburg’s first bowling alley in nearly half a century, The Gutter (200 North 14th St between Berry St and Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-387-3585, thegutterbrooklyn.com). Before 8pm, don rented lace-ups ($4 for two pairs) and hone your stance at one of eight ’70s-style lanes ($6 per game)—snapped up from a Midwestern factory—all while swigging $5 Genesee Cream Ales. Treat the night’s winner to a pizza party at Fornino (187 Bedford Ave between North 6th and 7th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-6004), seven streets away. Nosh on a large bianca pie ($19), draped in ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and chug Peroni beers ($10 for two) before gamely asking for a rematch.
You’d think a recession and housing crash this deep would wipe the chutzpah off most developers’ faces, especially in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a nabe which first enjoyed the biggest real estate buzz and now shoulders the most “stalled projects” of any in New York City. Yet chutzpah is the only way to describe a proposed $1.5 billion dollar, 2,200 unit, 11-acre, residential complex centered around an old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg’s south side. Of course, the developer, Michael Lappin didn’t forget to bear gifts as the public review begins. First he throws in a very generous 30% affordable housing mix. That would mean 660 units set aside for low to moderate income residents.
Comparable development projects along the Riviera de Williamsburg have previously offered 20% affordable housing, along with a few bells and whistles like a public esplanade. Then again, the New Domino Sugar project is even more ambitious than Schaefer Landing, Northside Piers and the Edge put together. The tallest of the buildings would be as tall as 40 stories and according to Brooklyn11211, the biggest news is the addition of 100,000 square feet of proposed office space along the Grand Ave end. We predict this might in fact be the most controversial element. Is South Williamsburg a future destination for morning reverse commuters to head to work? Which industries do they have in mind to lure? Does this portend a train stop a little closer to the water than the JMZ’s Marcy Ave? Oh well, there’s still time to negotiate everything since completion wouldn’t happen until sometime around 2021 — yes, 9 years after the apocalypse. By the way, if you’re not familiar with the area, the Domino Sugar factory sits on a beautiful waterfront view that hasn’t been open to the public in 150 years, (save for one special Sunday last October).
While there’s general concern about the mammoth nature of the project, we, as residents of Williamsburg’s South Side, can’t help but long for sustainable development to take advantage of the many wonderful waterfront views and a particularly convenient location at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. We’re also digging that whole Tate Modern look. Here’s hoping the community activists lobby for invigorating, publicly accessible community space we can all enjoy, both outdoors on the waterfront and inside the complex itself. We wouldn’t mind a movie theater either.
Happy New Year’s New Yorkers. If you’re still looking for a New Year’s Eve party and like big crowds and lots of DJs but can’t afford a Benjamin, may we recommend taking the L to the Morgan stop, which is a small oasis of hipster youth rebellion in East Williamsburg, and hit up the 3rd Ward New Year’s Eve party, featuring count ‘em, 13 DJs. Cover is $29.
from the 3rd ward:
..An end-of-the-decade party awaits like you’ve never experienced. Brooklyn locals and outer-borough bashers will pop champagne and shake away the last hours of 2009 with the help of 13 DJ’s and more than a dozen artists. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. . .
First up, the finer side of New York with the City of Grit room. Enjoy live art, cheap drinks, and Afro-beat rhythms by Dundee. Bring your inner glam to the lush City of Glamour loft sounding off depression-era techno à la John Margulies. Head to the terrace for heated conversations next to a wood-burning stove, then cool things off in the City of Ice room. Finish your glass of bubbly and wind your way down to the Winter Wonderland room for a snowy layout and spiked cider, courtesy of The Modern Dance Awareness Society. And lastly, you will find the wild spirit of NYC is alive and well in the room dubbed City of Fire. Expect stripper poles and pianos and brass brands like Stumblebum and Raya Brass. As the clock strikes ’10, kiss a friend, chase a glass of champagne, and dance the night away.
(Psst, those with feather masks will get free champagne and gifts.)
Cost: $29
How to get there: Take the F train to 14th street and transfer to the L train. Take the L from 6th Avenue going to Brooklyn. Get off at Morgan Avenue, exiting near Harrison Place and Morgan Ave. Head North on Morgan towards Ingraham Street. For further directions visit the website. (3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Avenue, Williamsburg, 718.715.4961, 3rdward.com)
Savalas, is like it’s namesake, sexy in an ugly kind of way. Trashy with an old school Epson projector showing weird 70s movies and subprime Bedford Ave location, it’s popular with yet-to-be indoctrinated hipster youth who like to dance, and according to Kristina Marino’s The Downtown Diaries, a new party blog we’re digging, it threw a rager the week before Xmas thanks to DJ MSB. Yes, there’s always some drunken dancing and flirting happening at Savalas, but according to TDD:
“the bartender jumped up on the bar, grabbed the whiskey bottle and started pouring shots down into the crowd. People were on the bar dancing, this one guy took his shirt off… shit like this does not happen in Williamsburg. This was the first time I’ve seen people straight up rage in this part of town.”
DJs with dead crowds take note, “electrohouse/dubstep/mashups” instead of the usual hip hop/90’s might just do the trick.
photo via The Downtown Diaries
The New York Herald is seeking a multi-media savvy editor with a sharp eye for finding a good story ahead of the pack. We are moving towards an editorial focus on art, culture, dining, media, trends, with bread and butter reporting of bars and restaurants, real estate development, and personal interviews and profiles of the many interesting, rising stars that make up this fine city. We are seeking a reliable and imaginative editor who can not only spin a witty line but also engage in deeper investigation when the opportunity arises.
We are looking to find someone with multi-media interest, e.g. combining video with the story and connecting with audiences through social media. Please contact us in confidence and if possible provide examples of any current work (blog, videos, etc) along with salary requirements. Thanks!
Williamsburg Moonshine has a nice ring to it, we always thought there’s always been a bit of Appalachian DIYness about these here neck of the woods. Now two fellas see gold in that sweet, sweet water. No it won’t be Maker’s Mark, so sayeth Grub Street, but it won’t cost as much either. Under the banner of Kings County Distillery David Haskell and Kentucky native Colin Spoelman will be selling to Williamsburg, than the rest of the world, double-destilled whiskey, bourbon and apparently straight up moonshine. Their studio space is at 35 Meadow Street (off Grand/Morgan) in case you can’t wait for the Liquor Authority’s approval.
McCarren Pool, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With an official groundbreaking featuring Mayor Bloomberg and Brooklyn borough chief Marty Markowitz, it appears the ambitious future $50 million McCarren Pool really is happening. The original pool opened in 1936 and closed down in 1984. Here are some pics via architects Rogers Marvel PLLC of how the renovation will transform the old pool. Unfortunately we’re looking at a Spring, 2012 opening. Does it really take that long to build a swimming pool?
It’s a sad state of affairs when “stalled projects” and “abandoned Brooklyn” become new buzzwords, at least among those who trade in real estate news gossip in our fine city. Yet, it’s hard to deny all of these construction pits that have been lingering for far too long – even with new City incentives to finish what they started, there’s just not enough financing and demand around to get these things up.
Williamsburg along with the rest of the City is suffering from a huge economic and real estate meltdown and the growing number of stalled projects is becoming a bad joke for Williamsburg haters. Yet, we doubt this will deter everyone from the 11211, which prior to its yuppification was home to those more comfortable with the apocalypse then baby strollers. There’s always a good side and a bad side to this reversal of fortune, and for those who longed for Williamsburg’s yesteryear, now is the time to jump on abandoned mattresses and reclaim the neighborhood.
photo: “stalled” project across Miss Favela (which is still partying like its 1999) in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
credit: Brooke Moreland
The Brooklyn Paper is calling it a “huge bust at a hipster drug den” as news emerged of a drug investigation and arrest yielding 18 keys and $800,000 in cash money held by three middle aged suspects. Investigators say the former Laila Lounge was used as a hub for delivery all over town. The three suspects had apparently been under surveillance for months before the bust. Part of their suspicious activity may have included generating alot of trash outside their apartments and not fitting into the younger demographic. “They looked like rock world hipsters, but older,” reports a neighbor. The street value of the supply is north of a million.
Prior to this however, Laila Lounge once held court as a casual late night go-to spot featuring a pool table, an outdoor patio and often a DJ. The bar with the club atmosphere was well-regarded for consistently staying up past their bedtime. The place also enjoyed a terrific location right on North 7th and Berry, but it’s low-key vibe made it hard for tourists to spot and attracted a specific, in-the-know following that allowed the place to keep it’s composure even on a Friday or Saturday night.
A review from NYMag while it was open was unimpressed:
“It’s remarkable how little effort apparently went into Laila, which offers reasonably-priced mixed drinks like vodka and sodas or gin and tonics at $5 each, but not much else.”
Map
We love Vietnamese food, but in all honesty, if the setting isn’t high end, it often looks like just another Chinese restaurant, with Pho being the only real point of difference. When we saw a new Vietnamese restaurant putting itself together first as a quick Ban Mi sandwich shop on Bedford and N. 7th in Williamsburg, we were heartened by the interior design – dark wood, a chandelier! Now the restaurant version, An Nhau, has opened and has surprised many with its well appointed garden (heat lamps, cabanas) and excellent service. PlateoftheDay.com approves, calling the bowl of pho “just the right thing for chilly winter”
photo: An Nhau’s garden, by PlateoftheDay.com
