A little rain didn’t rain on the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Mermaids and Mermen love the water. Don Wiss, a photographer who lives in Park Slope, sent me a link to his pictures. I think the parade must be getting bigger and bigger every year. Check them out and experience the parade – vicariously.

I’ve just put my pictures from the weekend’s parade at:http://donwiss.com/pictures/Mermaid-2006/

I hope you can announce this page in your blog.

Thanks, Don.

Yes, says me, they’re our kind of celebs. Smart, interesting, in good movies, a little bit indie a little bit Hollywood. Edgy. They’ll fit right into the celeb community in Park Slope. They’ll be very comfortable here. No one will bother them. We’re very protective of our celebs.

According to Brooklyn Record, Maggie Gyllenhaal and fiance Peter Sarsgaard are looking to move to Park Slope. They’ve even got the address AND the listing. Leave it to Mr. Brownstoner.

It’s a typical morning after a wedding around here. Hepcat is going through his pictures from last night and I’m blogging about the event.

This one was special. Not only did the bride and groom pull off a seemingly effortless, stylish, heartfelt event, but they did something else, too:

They brought together three intersecting families, who danced, drank, and celebrated. Together.

As a child of divorce myself, I was impresssed that the bride, the bride’s daughter, the groom, the groom’s two daughter, the bride’s ex-husband and wife, the groom’s ex-wife and husband were all there celebrating the coming together of this wonderful couple.

There was something very graceful about it. As graceful as an impromptu hora at a non-Jewish wedding, two dozen dancers moving from one room to another without coming apart (see above).

A lesson that divorce can be graceful and amicable. Eventually.

I was moved to be at this hopeful event – to see the three sisters together (two are his, one is hers). They are all one now. To see the radiant bride in her Narcisco Rodriguez dress (there’s a story but not for here), and the groom, whose utterly cool restaurant we were in (Painters in Bellport), looking happy and full of love.

This wasn’t one of those discreet second weddings at City Hall with the bride wearing a wool suit. NO, the bride was unspeakably sexy in her tight fitting white dress (see above). This wedding was a true CELEBRATION of the unexpected journeys we take in life.

It was a storybook wedding in the real sense of the word. The Story, the book of love, life, family, and marriage in all of its many permutations.

The real story. And I loved it.  Congrats to the happy couple and their families.

Here’s an interesting new book for all those interested in NYC (and specifically Brookyn) history, Learn lots of neat facts that’ll impress your friends. Reminds me of a book my father wrote but never published called; Who Was Major Deegan? also about how streets, parks and bridges got their names. It’s the kind of thing you wonder about every now and again. Usually you take the names for granted. Don’t think twice about them. But then you do and you wanna know. This book sounds like a must have for Brooklyn afficianados.

We wanted to share with Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn the fact that our
new book is out. Entitled Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods,
Streets, Parks, Bridges and More Got Their Names, and with nearly 600
entries, it is the first compendium of its kind. Hope you (and your
readers) might enjoy. Thanks much and best, Leonard Benardo and
Jennifer Weiss

There will be a book celebration on July 13 from 6-8 p.m.   at the beautiful:
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
at the corner of Clinton
in Brooklyn Heights

Dope on the Slope and I exchanged emails over the last couple of days. Dope is putting together a directory of Brookyn Bloggers so if you were at the Brooklyn BlogFest but didn’t speak please leave a comment here so you can be included in the directory. He wants this to be a comprehensive list of Brooklyn bloggers so tell him about blogs he doesn’t know about, too.

I am also wondering if we should set up some kind of informal Brooklyn Blog
Association that would
–provide a directory of Brooklyn Bloggers
–spread the word about Brooklyn blogging
–provide info useful to bloggers about technology and other matters
–Help people set up blogs
–Provide outreach
–increase readership

I will definitely do another Brookyn Blogfest next year. I think we’ll do it in May – June may be too
steamy. I may also do a couple of smaller events before then. If anyone thinks this association is a good idea let me know. Dope on the Slope had this to say.   

We probably should start some sort of unstructured association designed
to promote blogging in general and connect people with each other. I’ve
heard a lot of talk about the relative homogeneity of the group from an
education, economic and ethnic standpoint. This is easily explained by
the fact that bloggers are a self-selecting audience – you have to like
reading and writing, you have to have internet access, and you must
have rudimentary computer skills. I was really inspired by Hugh’s
upbeat idea of connecting neighborhoods, but it may be awhile before we
see a demographic breakdown in the blogosphere that matches that of the
street. On the other hand, from a gender standpoint there seemed to be
a pretty good balance. I think the goal for next year’s event would be
to make sure we extended the reach…

Dope had a lot more to say and I’m sure he’s gonna be writing about it on his blog so stay tuned.

More news on that guy from Baltimore who wanted to know what street Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing was shot.  He writes:

By the way, if you’re interested, my band, Private Eleanor, is playing at Pete’s Candy Store at
709 Lorimer in Williamsburg tonight.  We’re an indie rock/folk band, similar to Wilco and Neil Young.

So that’s why he was going to be in Brooklyn tonight. If anyone goes, say hi from OTBKB.

Our friend on Third Street is getting married today. For the second time. They sent out a wonderful invitation that included photo booth pictures of the couple’s teenage daughters. It said:

Have you heard? A certain mom… and a certain dad…(you know who we mean.) are getting married!

We couldn’t be happier for our friend who has been divorced a long time now. We’ve known her through the pain of her divorce; watched her rise to new heights in her career; seen her beautiful daughter evolve from pre-school to tweendom; rejoiced when she met the man she will marry (and we’ve gotten to know him and like him a lot).

Now this. They announced their engagement a few months ago. They planned the wedding quickly but certainly with great taste and pizazz. Did I mention that she is the chic-est woman in Park Slope, a woman of great style and joie de vivre. We wouldn’t miss this event for the world.

It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding but judging by the flood warnings and the weather I am seeing outside the window, it will be in the restaurant owned by the groom on Long Island.

They don’t want gifts. "We’ve got everything we need," she told me. But they do want people to donate to their honeymoon fund. All of the photographers who have been invited, and there are many, have been asked to give a photograph of the wedding as a gift.

The pressure’s on. The bride is a connoisseur of photography. Hepcat will want to make one great picture for our friends on their wedding day.

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade begins today at 2 p.m. If you want to be in it, you must register at 10 a.m. Here’s the info from the organizers:

The Mermaid Parade is a completely original creation that is that nation’s largest art parade and one of New York City’s greatest summer events.

Founded in 1983 by Coney Island USA, the not-for-profit arts organization that also produces the Coney island Circus Sideshow, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island’s forgotten Mardi Gras which lasted from 1903 to 1954, and draws from a host of other sources resulting in a wonderful and wacky event that is unique to Coney Island.

Mermaid ParadeThe Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed.

Each year, a different celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid rule over the proceedings, riding in the Parade and assisting in the opening of the Ocean for the summer swimming season by marching down the Beach from the Boardwalk, cutting through Ribbons representing the seasons, and tossing fruit into the Atlantic to appease the Sea Gods. In the past, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Ron Kuby, Curtis Sliwa, Moby, and David Johansen have graced our shores, presiding over the assembled masses.

The Parade is followed by the Mermaid Parade Ball, a post-parade gathering where costumed parade participants can get together with each other and parade spectators to listen to live music, purchase raffle tickets, and watch burlesque and sideshow acts performed by some of New York City’s hottest burlesque stars. Buy your tickets NOW!

Come on out and join us on one of Coney Island’s best days of the summer! We can’t wait to see you there!

There was a serious collision between a walker and a biker in Prospect Park yesterday.

A woman walking to an event at the Picnic House in Prospect Park was hit by a biker yesterday near 3rd Street on the drive in Prospect Park. A group of PS 321 third graders, teachers and parents were walking by just after it happened. One of the mothers told me that the walker was unconscious for quite a wahile and there was a great deal of blood on the scene. I later heard that the victim, who is recovering in a Brooklyn hospital, is an employee of the Department of Education and a member of an organization which helps educate teenage mothers.

Does anyone have more information about this accident? Know how the walker is doing? How’s the biker?

Last night’s blogging extravaganza was quite a success. I certainly didn’t expect so many people to show up. I’d say there were 75 people there and the room was packed.

I liked the geekiness of it. There was a video projector, a slide projector, numerous lap tops, a microphone, amps, speakers. Bloggers brought PowerPoint applications to show photographs and speech support. There was even Live blogging demonstrated by Daily Heights.

No Words Daily Pix (pictured left) was the AV guy: y’know the guy who plugs things in, adjusts, fixes, figures stuff out…

He did a fantastic job. Thank YOU!

Just before the show, he even figured out how to get the Old Stone House’s wireless working. "I used to work for Cisco, you know."

Everyone wore name tags: Hello My Name Is_____. That helped. Non-bloggers wrote things like reader, wanna be blogger, etc.

In addition to those who spoke, there other bloggers, too: the Gothamist, Sunset Parker, 431 Smith Street, Weird Nylon, Callalillie, Lex’s Folly. The editor of the Brooklynyte was there, as was a reporter from the New York Sun.

After the formal presentation, a party like atmosphere prevailed. Bloggers and others stayed around until almost 11 p.m.

Here is a list of those who spoke and a brief blurb about what they said:

A Brooklyn Life started her blog as an excuse to write. Her husband is the webmaster, her sister writes the Subway Reading column and a friend makes the music podcasts.

Atlantic Yards Report (Norman Oder) talked about the need for an alternative to the paltry coverage of Brooklyn in the mainstream media. His web site offers in-depth, comprehensive coverage of the Atlantic Yards Project.

Brownstoner, in disguise, talked about his new blog Brooklyn Record and the beginnings of Brownstoner, a real estate blog which is read by thousands every day.

Brooklyn Views showed PowerPoint views of the Atlantic Yards project.

Creative Time’s Eleanor Taubman said the song that summed up her blog is "Funkytown." "My passion lies in revealing the creative brilliance of people everywhere and in connecting those people to one another," she writes on her blog.

Daily Heights revealed that he is actually moving to, of all places, Philadelphia. He is hoping that his great community blog will continue.

Dope on the Slope delivered a hilarious history of blogging complete with a PowerPoint speaker support.

Design Sponge charmingly discussed her blog, which has caused quite a stir in the design world. It all started because she was always telling her boyfriend about this nice chair, this nice pillow and that table. Finally he said, "Why don’t you start a blog?" The rest is history. In addition to blogging, she writes a column for House and Garden and has a book coming out.

Gowanus Lounge is a longtime journalist and the Brooklyn corespondent for Curbed. He started a blog to showcase the gorgeous photographs he takes on weekends. His writing is good, too.

Joe’s NYC presented a stunning slide show of his photographs, which, he said, depict places that will soon be gone.

Lost and Frowned projected slides found on the street and told a hilarious story to go with them "Gabor Cooking School." Her blog is also quirky and fun.

No Land Grab spoke passionately of the importance of blogging about the Ratner project.

OTBKB read an excerpt from the Thomas Wolfe story, "Only the Dead Know Brooklyn."

No Words Daily Pix spoke!  It was wonderful to hear him talk about his amazing photos that grace the pages of OTBKB every day.

Travis Ruse projected many of the photographs he takes every day on his subway commute. He said he started this project as a way to show people around the world the way New Yorkers really live.

Not Only Brooklyn talked about his weekly e-mail newsletter which features listings of the best music, theater, film, literature, and art in Brooklyn and elsewhere.

I got this email from someone in Baltimore. If you know the answer to his question please post it in the comments section. Thanks.

I
was wondering if you knew on which street in Bed-Stuy that "Do the
Right Thing" was filmed?  I will be visiting Brooklyn on Sunday, and I
wanted to (respectfully) walk around the neighborhood, as DTRT is one
of my favorite movies ever.

 

I do not wish to go walking around Bed-Stuy asking the locals a
question they’ve probably heard a billion times. :-)  Exhaustive
Googling has produced nothing.

 

Any advice you can provide is appreciated.

Wendy Zarganis is About New York’s Brooklyn "guide." She called me up today to talk about the Brooklyn Blogfest. We had a nice chat. I may get to meet her next week at opening night of Brooklyn Film Works. She wrote the following about tonight’s Blogfest. She thinks my name is Judith. Oh well.

Tonight at 8pm: Some of Brooklyn’s best bloggers (and loyal/curious readers) will be attending the First Annual Brooklyn Blogfest.  Spearheaded by Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, a.k.a., Judith Crawford, Blogfest looks to be a celebration of Brooklyn bloggers and their love for our favorite borough.

"People
nationwide are interested in Brooklyn," Crawford said, "Brooklyn is in
the zeitgeist. It’s a place, but it’s also a state of mind. So much is
going on politically and culturally, it’s a passionate place."

The
Blogfest will be the first time many of these bloggers will meet
face-to-face, so Crawford has arranged the evening in two parts: from
8pm-9ish there will be a formal presentation with 20 or so key Brooklyn
bloggers speaking on a blog-related topic of their choice for 2-4
minutes. Then afterwards for a more social setting and to give
participants time to swap blogging successes and woes, Crawford has
arranged tables to be set up for each blog, trade show-style. Bloggers
will have handouts, souvenirs and other items related to their blog to
give away.

Participating bloggers include Crawford’s Only
The Blog Knows Brooklyn, Brownstoner, Brooklyn Record, Design*Sponge,
Daily Heights, Dope on the Slope, A Brooklyn Life, Calla Lillie, Lex’s
Folly, Joe’s NYC, Travis Ruse, Develop Don’t Destroy, No Land Grab,
Atlantic Yards Report, Lost and Frowned, Gowanus Lounge, No Words Daily
Pix, Left Behind, Creative Times, and Smith Street

Crawford comments, "The whole Brooklyn blog movement has really progressed.  We didn’t know what it was, until it was."

According Technorati,
there are about 75,000 new blogs a day and there are about 1.2 million
posts daily, or about 50,000 blog updates an hour. And on NYC Bloggers,
there are 1,885 local bloggers listed with more being added constantly.
While Crawford, who also writes the Smartmom column for the Brooklyn
Papers, is impressed how much press and popular attention local blogs
have received, for tonight, she is focused on more practical matters.
"I’m interested to hear what they [the bloggers] have to say on a
practical level," says Crawford, "like how are you getting ten thousand
readers!"

The First Annual Blogfest, The Old Stone House.
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. 8 pm. Free. Drinks and snacks
provided. For more info: Call Louise Crawford 718-288-4290.

Continue reading ABOUT NEW YORK: BLOGFEST TONIGHT →

Thursday, June 29, 6:30 p.m.
TWILIGHT TOUR OF GRAND ARMY PLAZA
The turn-of-the-20th-century City Beautiful movement sought to bring classical grandeur to all the neighborhoods of the city. Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn may be New York’s fullest realization of City Beautiful ideals. Henry Hope Reed said of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch that it was “the second greatest triumphal arch of modern times, after the Arc de Triomphe.” Its sculpture, by Brooklyn native Frederick MacMonnies, ranks with the best ever produced by an American artist. We will look closely at the arch, at the other superb statuary and design elements of the plaza, at the part of Prospect Park that the plaza is a gateway to, and at the Park Slope “Gold Coast” that the plaza is the climax of. We will be joined by Brooklyn-based artist Bridget Regan, whose photographic exhibition, Grand Army Plaza: Soldiers, Gods and Angels, is on view at the Urban Center through July 31. Leader: Francis Morrone, architectural historian. Meet at the corner of Eighth Ave. and St. John’s Pl. (Transit: #2, 3 trains to Grand Army Plaza; B, Q trains to 7th Ave.)