The owner of Prints Charming wants everybody to know that she is
closing up shop on July 31st. She is still accepting new business and
is selling out all of her merchandise. Please pick up any items you
may have left with her.Prints Charming
150 Sterling Place
between Flatbush + 7th Ave.Most days 12-7
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Sundays 11-5
Just noticed today: The pizza shop between Lincoln and St. John’s on Seventh Avenue is OUT of business and something called The Park Slope Grill is IN. The store was dark but they have a nice display in the window and there was a counter. It made me think of Bonnie’s Grill (wishful thinking?). Curious what it’s gonna be like. Anyone know.
Now there’s Olive Vine Cafe, Park Slope Grill and Mango. A little restaurant row.
The Brooklyn Museum presents Graffiti from
June 30 to September 3, 2006, an exhibition of
twenty large-scale works from such influential
artists as Michael Tracy (“Tracy 168”), Melvin
Samuels, Jr. (“NOC 167”), Sandra Fabara (“Lady
Pink”), Chris Ellis (“Daze”), and John Matos
(“Crash”). Graffiti explores how a genre that
began as a form of subversive public communication
has become legitimate—moving away from the street
and into private collections and
Yahoo says Yamanner worm is no longer a threat but for Yahoo Mail users to stay alert.
Following a security investigation made by the world’s largest anti-virus company Symantec, it appears that the most popular email service on the Web, Yahoo Mail, has been affected by a silent and devious attacker, an Internet worm named Yamanner. According to Symantec this is a type of worm with a highly dangerous potential, since in order to infect a machine the users only need to open the rogue message, not the usual attachement.
Symantec added that JS.Yamanner@m is a JavaScript worm and its potential victims are only those who have an e-mail address ending in @yahoo.com or @yahoogroups.com. Users of Yahoo! Mail Beta are not to be concerned with the worm. The spreading of the worm is very efficient: JS.Yamanner takes control by exploiting a vulnerability which enables scripts embedded in HTML e-mails to be run by the user’s browser. It then sends the e-mail addresses he finds to a remote server on the Internet.
At the time of the announcement made by Symantec, there were potentially 100 million victims, all of them users of Yahoo Mail portal. Yahoo! Mail Beta users were not affected because for security reasons Yahoo! Mail blocks malicious scripts. This is the reason for which Symantec included the JavaScript worm JS.Yamanner in a category of threats of Level 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most severe).
Additionally, if users mistakenly open an infected e-mail, they will also see that their browser window is re-directed to display the Web page associated with the URL: http://www.av3.net/index.htm. According to Symantec, the worm, containing JavaScript, has the words "New Graphic Site" in the subject field of the e-mail.
Following Symantec’s warning, Yahoo announced on Tuesday that "a very small fraction" of its more than 200 million e-mail accounts were infected Monday when the problem was first signaled. "We have taken steps to resolve the issue and protect our users from further attacks of this worm," Yahoo spokeswoman Kelley Podboy said. "The solution has been automatically distributed to all Yahoo Mail customers, and requires no additional action on the part of the user."
Nevertheless, Yahoo is urging its e-mail clients to stay alert and keep their anti-virus and firewall active and up-to-date.
Brooklyn’s own Capathia Jenkins and Louis Rosen, who last graced the stage of the Old Stone House and wowed their Park Slope audience with vocal artistry and compositional pizazz will be performing again. But this time they’re appearing at The Great Hall of Cooper Union in Manhattan. And as it says in this week’s New Yorker Magazine (listed somewhat misleadingly under Jazz and Standards) but hey that’s alright, it’s in the New Yorker:
The vocalist and actress Capathia Jenkins is joined by the Broadway veteran Darius de Hass. Jenkin’s collaborator, the composer, Louis Rosen, has written new new songs for the evening, based on the works of Langston Hughes.
The Great Hall at Cooper Union. Third Avenue at 7th Street (212) 279-4200. Tickets are $30 ($15 for students with ID) and can be purchased in
advance by contacting Ticket Central at 212 279 4200 from Noon to 8 pm
daily.
|
If you can’t make it to Symphony Space on 95th Street and Broadway in Manhattan on Friday at noon (or anytime during the day, you can listen to it live on WBAI (on radio or Internet.
Starting at 10:00 pm, FIONNULA FLANAGAN reads the Full Molly; the complete, uncut, Penelope episode Bloomsday on Broadway XXV: Passion! Politics! Plus Samuel Beckett Centennial Celebration! This Bloomsday on Broadway XXV can also be heard live on WBAI 99.5 FM or www.wbai.org Bloomsday on Broadway XXV – RUNDOWN 12 Noon – Telemachus – The Complete Text 1 pm – The Christmas Dinner Scene, from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1:30 pm – Stephen’s Defiance, from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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I’ve been a fan of Steve’s Key Lime Pies since forever. He used to sell them out of his cool 1930’s truck on Seventh Avenue. You never knew when you might find him. I had the feeling he was delivering pies to neighborhood restaurants and would sell them if he had some extras. He always gave customers a key lime – to prove that there’s real lime in there, I guess.
You can get the pies at the Food Coop (one of the truly great reasons to be a member) and I assume you can now get them at the Red Hook Fairway and at Steve’s Key Lime Pie in Red Hook. But Brooklyn Record and the Gothamist bring news of a new Steve’s creation and I am just floored and so excited. Hello Steve’s Piesicals.
The streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn are practically bustling these days. The massive new Fairway Supermarket has opened its doors, traffic can seen bumping along the once desolate cobblestones, and yellow cabs (including mine) cruise the streets with increasing frequency.
So if the smell of salt water and the breeze off New York harbor isn’t reason enough for a journey under the Gowanus Expressway to Red Hook, maybe a piesicle is. Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies can be found in a civil war era warehouse on the waterfront just beyond a sign that reads “Pies Here.” Their specialty is, naturally, fresh made key lime pies.
But they don’t sell pie by the slice, so during the sticky summer days to come, the thing to order is the chocolate-dipped piesicle. This unique delicacy is served out of the freezer as a whole miniature pie, complete with a round crust of Graham crumbs and smooth key lime filling. And it isn’t rock hard like that Frozefruit bar the vendors sell in the park. On a hot day, this tasty, tart treat coated in a crunchy frozen chocolate shell could be more refreshing than a snow cone or an Italian ice
Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie, Pier 41 Red Hook Brooklyn 888-450-5463
For all you OTBKB readers who are also American Idol and Katherine McPhee fans (I KNOW WHO YOU ARE), this should come as good news. A new cruise ship. Yet another reason to visit Red Hook. The National Anthem sung by our girl, the American Idol runner up. This from New York 1.
A new cruise ship is set to make its maiden voyage out of Brooklyn.
The Crown Princess luxury liner will set sail for the Caribbean from its new home in Red Hook on Wednesday.
The floating hotel is the length of three football fields and can hold 3,000 passengers.
Among the tons of food on board is a meal known as the Brooklyn
Balcony Nosh, which consists of Junior’s cheesecake, Nathan’s hot dogs,
and Brooklyn Lager to wash it all down."Princess being famous for our balconies, we wanted to take
advantage of the beautiful Manhattan skyline with Lady Liberty in the
background, so we put together a little package to honor the Brooklyn
traditions," Jonathon Wilson of Princess’ culinary operations said
Tuesday.During the inauguration ceremony, Martha Stewart will christen the
ship, and “American Idol” runner up Katherine McPhee will sing the
national anthem.
Here’s this week’s column from the Brooklyn Papers. Check out the big Smartmom (It’s red, white, and blue) on the top, right-hand side of OTBKB. That’ll get you to an archive of my column at the Brooklyn Papers.
Smartmom bought her first pair of Jimmy Choo’s on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. She doesn’t know what got into her. She doesn’t even remember exactly how it happened. It’s all sort of a blur.
She found the teal patent-leather sandals, reduced from $600 to $150, in a fancy mall near the Radisson Hotel where she and her extended family were staying for her rich cousin’s eldest daughter’s wedding.
Alone and dangerous, she was in a strange mood when she tried on those three-inch stiletto heels. She felt like Cinderella after her fairy godmother turned her rags into something a bit more suitable for a ball.
Smartmom knew those Jimmy Choo’s would look great with the black dress she bought. They might even make the outfit. And she knew that she would fit right in with that wealthy Baltimore crowd accustomed to spending $600 on sandals.
What was Smartmom doing? She had packed a brand new pair of budget gold dress shoes from Aerosoles on Seventh Avenue. And she’d already spent a month’s earnings for gas, food, lodging, the gift, tux rentals and new dresses for this wedding. But before she could stop herself, her MasterCard was on the counter and her Jimmy Choo’s were being bagged.
Blame it on Baltimore, where Smartmom was exposed to a level of opulence and wealth completely out of proportion to the way she and her family live in their apartment on Third Street.
In one of the homes they visited, there was a closet the size of Smartmom’s living room, dining room and kitchen combined. Hepcat said it was the first closet he’d ever been in with an island. That house made Jennifer Connolly’s limestone mansion on Prospect Park West look like a tool shed.
Back in her hotel room, Smartmom slipped on her Jimmy Choo’s and kvelled over the sexy way they made her feet look. But she also found herself feeling anxious, even skittish, about what she’d just done.
What would she tell Hepcat when he saw how much she had spent on those shoes? After all, they were just getting back on their feet after three years of self-employment (or was it unemployment?).
And who was she kidding? Owning a pair of Jimmy Choo’s wouldn’t make Smartmom a part of this upscale crowd any more than a Brooklyn Industries hoodie would make these Baltimoreans fit into Park Slope. They’d look pretty out of place loading organic lacinato kale at the Food Coop.
At the garden wedding the next day, a string quartet played The Pachelbel Canon, as the bridesmaids walked, with difficulty in the grass, in gold stilettos.
With endless champagne and delicious sushi and caviar, the reception was decidedly “Sex & the City,” with twentysomethings, in gorgeous dresses and, you guessed it, Jimmy Choo’s. (Youth ain’t wasted on these pretty young things.)
It was a breathtaking affair. The voluptuous white rose arrangements at every table cost more than what Smartmom spent on her high-heel sandals.
Despite the cash register sound in her ears most of the day, Smartmom felt that joy she always feels at weddings as she watched the radiant bride, in her Vera Wang strapless gown, dancing like Isadora Duncan and felt an openhearted wish for the couple’s happiness.
She knew that no amount of money could protect them from the sometimes rocky first years of marriage. While an abundant checking account might limit those late-night money worries, it wouldn’t make the marriage any more loving or stable.
Five of the 10 people seated at Smartmom’s table were divorced. Some had remarried, some had not. When the conversation turned to divorce statistics, Smartmom’s aunt said smiling, “They shouldn’t let divorced people into weddings.”
Smartmom wore her Jimmy Choo’s all night. She didn’t even take them off when she danced an ecstatic hora and helped to lift the bride, a lawyer, and the groom, a young doctor, up in chairs. She even wore them when the lead singer, a Tina Turner sound-alike, invited all the women onto the stage to dance to “Proud Mary.”
At 11 pm, Teen Spirit, looking mighty dapper in his Men’s Warehouse special, started canvassing for a return to the hotel. “It was fun if you like 1980s funk music,” he said dismissively. The Oh So Feisty One, who danced the night away, was exhausted. And Hepcat, who spent most of the evening photographing the festivities, was also ready to vamoose.
In the room, Smartmom finally took off those sandals and noticed some grass, mud and a tiny nick on the stiletto heel. Somehow that seemed appropriate. Jimmy Choo’s are not an amulet against the reality that life dishes out, even if they do offer a momentary respite from it all. She washed the dirt off the expensive patent-leather and put them back in the box.
Sleepily, Smartmom surveyed their hotel room: Teen Spirit’s tux was in a heap on the carpet; OSFO was already asleep in her pretty pink dress; and Hepcat, after tee many martoonis, was a little loopier than usual.
But Smartmom realized she had everything she wanted. And it doesn’t come in teal patent leather.
THE FIRST ANNUAL BROOKLYN BLOGFEST is on June 22 at 8 p.m.
For blog readers, bloggers, newbies, those who don’t even know what a blog is but want to find out…
A celebration of blogging Brooklyn-style, come see all your faves: Brownstoner, Design*Sponge, A Brooklyn Life, Joe’s NYC, Travis Ruse, Develop Don’t Destroy, Callalillie, Lex’s Folly, Daily Heights, Dope from the Slope, Lost and Frowned, Zeebahtronic, Norm Oser, OTBKB…
The Old Stone House. Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Contact: 718-288-4290. The event is free and open to all.
Brooklyn Film Works: Movies Al Fresco in JJ Byrne Park presents
Coney Island
Directed by Ric Burns
JULY 7 at 8:30 p.m.
An ‘Electric Eden’ — ‘fabulous beyond conceiving’ — ‘ineffably beautiful’ — ‘Sodom by the Sea.’ To the millions who poured into the mesmerizing seaside amusement empire as the twentieth century dawned, Coney Island was all this and more. The birthplace of the hot dog and the roller coaster – an the most dazzling laboratory of mass culture the world has ever seen – Coney Island and its three extraordinary amusement parks, Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland, delighted visitors with the largest herd of show elephants in the world, a spectacular trip to the moon, an infant incubator, and Lilliputina, a miniature town inhabited by 300 midgets. This elegant and absorbing documentary film chronicles the greatest amusement empire the world has ever seen from its emergence in the mid-1800’s through its demise after World War II.
Released 1991; 68 min
(Produced by Steeplechase Films; presented by American Experience)
Brooklyn Film Works: Movies Al Fresco in JJ Byrne Park
Curated by Louise Crawford
Concession by Stone Park Cafe
This series is made possible thanks to the generous support of Scharff Weissberg, Showman Fabricators, and Methodist Hospital
Washington Post |
Brooklyn up front while dad defends Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom – Brooklyn Beckham played happily in a park yesterday, oblivious to rude comments made about him and his family in a German newspaper. … David Beckham Responds To Geman Newspaper Attack On his family… Beckham’s family under German fire Fury of England’s Becks |
| Wrong Man May Be In Custody For Brooklyn Warehouse Fire WNBC, NY – NEW YORK — Police may have the wrong man in connection with the warehouse fire in Brooklyn last month. A contractor from Sullivan … |
| Beckham ‘will not accept’ newspaper attack on his family Irish Examiner, Ireland – … The article attacked his sister Joanna for being "fat", joked that his sons Romeo and Brooklyn were "dwarves" and described his mother Sandra as having the … |
 Gothamist |
2 top schools cheat students on AP test fees New York Daily News, NY – Two of the city’s most elite high schools – Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech – cheated their poorest students out of thousands of dollars by wrongly charging them … Poor Students Were Charged for Free Tests, Inquiry Finds Magnet High Schools Screwed Poor Students Report: HS students due thousands in refunds |
| Dumbo in New York International Herald Tribune, France – NEW YORK As they say in Brooklyn, David Walentas walks around the neighborhood like he owns the place. That’s because he does. "The … FEATURE-Brooklyn developer is the duke of Dumbo Brooklyn developer is duke of Dumbo |
 NY1 |
Crown Princess Cruise Ship To Make Maiden Voyage From Brooklyn NY1, NY – … Among the tons of food on board is a meal known as the Brooklyn Balcony Nosh, which consists of Junior’s cheesecake, Nathan’s hot dogs, and Brooklyn Lager to … |
| Courage? Follow the Yellow Brick Road New York Times, United States – DIANA SENECHAL is a first-year teacher of immigrant students at IS 223, a middle school in Brooklyn, and maybe, if she’d been more experienced, she would have … |
| NAACP slams dearth of blacks New York Daily News, NY – … 2 morning news co-anchor Kate Sullivan emcees the Brooklyn Council of the Boy Scouts of America Awards Breakfast today at the Applebee’s restaurant in the … The Soul of a Streetscape |
| Brooklyn Punks Out for Block Party, Movie Screening Back Stage, NY – Punk rocks in Brooklyn this Saturday at a free block party and sneak preview screening of the new punk and skateboarding movie from the director of Kids. … |
 Curbed |
Storefronting: Banks, Brooklyn & Beer Curbed, NY – 1) Harlem: According to blogger Joe Schumacher, 117th and Malcolm X is the banking capital of Harlem: "The Carver Bank has been there about four years but the |
We’re all on tenter hooks waiting to hear what’s in store for Coney Island. Brooklyn Record ran this from the Post-Gazette an Ohio newspaper (hello?) about a $1 billion renovation in store. Beautiful Smile (our babysitterandsomuchmore) is all for it. She and family have been waiting years for Coney to be on the up and up. They love their boardwalk and amusement park but they’re happy for the improvements big time.
A three-block-long section along Coney Island’s boardwalk is
awaiting a $1 billion renovation. Residents express concern about
losing some local color in the process, but the man behind the project
is Brooklyn native Joe Sitt, who hopes to preserve the neighborhood’s
character while turning Coney Island into a year-round attraction."The developer hopes for a final plan by July 1, with a variety of
projects including a high-end hotel (perhaps shaped like a roller
coaster), a water park, retail outlets and residential property,"
writes Larry McShane of The Associated Press. "Some things will remain
untouched. The Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel and what’s left of the
Parachute Jump are all designated landmarks."
Read more at Brooklyn Record.
Found this story on the Brooklyn Record, too. And it hits hard. Mr. Souvlaki was our favorite place when Hepcat and I lived on Montague Street back in the 1980’s. That was before Teen Spirit and the Oh So Feisty One. It was me, Hepcat, and all his computer equipment squeezed into my cozy studio apartment. That was back in the day. It was all completely romantic and fun and we loved eating at Mr. Souvlaki. In fact, at the time it was the only place on Montague we liked other than the diner that was on the corner of Hicks.
Hepcat and his mother grabbed a bite at Mr. Souvlaki a few weeks ago – I forget what they were doing over there. And I’ve been back, too. Our pediatrician is located a couple of blocks away so it’s been a fun lunch stop after doctor appointments. Oh, Mr. Souvlaki, we will miss your lamb roasting on the skewer, your falafel, your gyros, your babaganoush. Good bye and happy sailing.
After 33 years of serving moussakas, spinach pies, and gyros, wwners
Harry and Anna Kilimitzoglou have closed Mr. Souvlakitearful goodbyes to their many loyal customers. The couple
plans to spend their retirement relaxing on their boat and traveling to
Greece.
Famed Greek Restaurant Closes Doors [NY Daily News]
Nice pix of the V-Spot’s patio out back on Gowanus Lounge, another great, new Brooklyn blog Sounds like he liked the food a lot, too.
…checked out the V-Spot, a five-week old vegan dining spot on Fifth Avenue
between Douglass and Degraw, for brunch on Sunday. We are happy to
report that our limited food sampling yielded good results and that we
were content at V-Spot. Best of all, it’s a welcome addition for the
vegetarian- and vegan-minded. GL had the Breakfast Wrap–which is tofu
scramble, cheese and sausage–with a side of tostones. GL’s sidekick
has the tofu scramble. We both liked the tofu scramble, although I
found the tostones too dry. The deserts are superb. (In fact, we took a
slice of Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shortcake and one of Chocolate
Chocolate Cake to go…Read more at Gowanus Lounge
‘Brooklyn‘ is a Broadway musical with street cred
Pioneer Press, MN –
… "Brooklyn"
bears a score full of pop and R&B that sounds like glittery top-40
fare, but its setting and story are decidedly grittier. …
Houston Run of Brooklyn—The Musical to Be Free of Charge
‘Brooklyn‘ singers carry the show
| Brooklyn developer is duke of Dumbo Reuters – By Daniel Trotta. NEW YORK (Reuters) – As they say in Brooklyn, David Walentas walks around the neighborhood like he owns the place. That’s because he does. … FEATURE-Brooklyn developer is the duke of Dumbo |
| Rudy, Cubs and a bridge you can buy in Brooklyn Chicago Tribune, United States – NEW YORK — I woke up Sunday morning in Manhattan and was dumbfounded by the photo I saw on Page 1 of the New York Post. I have … |
| Race Question Dominates House Seat Fight New York Times, United States – Some of Brooklyn’s most prominent black officials said yesterday that they wanted to enlist party leaders at the national level to prevent a white politician … Black Leaders Fear Loss of Brooklyn House Seat Black Officials Press Democrats To Oppose Yassky |
 IFCtv.com |
FESTIVAL: This year, Brooklyn’s All An "Enigma" IFCtv.com, NY – … But those with a little luck, pluck and funding have managed to stick around — and the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) is one of them. … |
Looks like Brownstoner is EXPANDING. Today they launched: Brooklyn Record, a more comprehensive Brooklyn site covering arts, restaurants, events, politics, and more. Looks like OTBKB may have to do a little revamping, too. Good luck to Mr. B.
As Brownstoner has grown in size and scope, we’ve come to realize that
there’s a need for a blog that covers a broader range of Brooklyn
topics and that incorporates a broader range of voices. So we’ve put
together a new site called the Brooklyn Record
that will cover Arts, Restaurants, Events, Politics, etc. while
Brownstoner stays focused on Real Estate, Renovation and Architecture.
(We’ve got two new reno blogs coming down the pipe.) Brooklyn Record
also has a Drudge-like section of links to daily hard news in the
borough. We’ve got a group of seven or eight writers and bloggers who
will be contributing the lion’s share of posts, but we hope the site
will evolve to incorporate even more voices over time. We’ve been
publishing in stealth mode for a couple of weeks so there’s a backlog
of items to check out in addition to today’s fresh daily content. Like
Brownstoner, the Brooklyn Record will be exponentially more fun and
useful if readers contribute ideas and tips. We look forward to your
suggestions and feedback as the site and its writers get their sea
legs. Enjoy.
Brownstoner
Homepage [Brooklyn Record]
The V-Spot
156 5th ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Love the name. Has anyone tried the new vegan place on Fifth Avenue below Union. The menu looks good: they call it Italian, South American and American. Looked to me like mock meat dishes. For brunch, try their tofu scramble eggs. Attractive place. Dying to hear from anyone who has eaten there. I have a hunch it’s good: if you like tempeh and I DO.
This story from the Daily News about soccer fans watching the big game at Los Pollitos on Fifth Avenue on Sunday. I was in there after the game on Sunday and fans were still screaming and clapping.
There were chickens to roast, salsa to make and customers to serve inside Los Pollitos restaurant on Fifth Ave. in Brooklyn.But for Miguel Tufino, the most important thing was the Mexican soccer team playing its opening game of the World Cup against Iran.
"I was working, but I was watching, too, of course," said Tufino, 23.
Cheers echoed in taquerias and Mexican restaurants across the city as Mexico shook off a slow start to beat Iran 3-1.
"I hope they keep it going," said Tufino, an immigrant from Puebla, Mexico. "We are all behind them."
For Mexicans, the day was just about soccer, pure and simple.
Things were a bit more complicated for Iranians in the city, several dozen of whom gathered in Manhattan to munch on kebabs and watch the game.
They despise the authoritarian Islamic regime in Tehran, but they insist they still support their underdog team 100%.
"Politics don’t matter in soccer," said Reza Khalili. "I’m an Iranian, these guys on the team are Iranian, so I support them."
Iran has made headlines for its nuclear program, its president’s anti-Israel rants and strict Islamic laws that bar women from even watching soccer games with men.
But controversies and politics were set aside for the day as Iranian expatriates concentrated on the basics – enjoying each other and rooting for their team.
"I miss the feeling of being among all my family and other Iranians,"
Brownstoner’s new blog, Brooklyn Record, had this to report about the concert series this summer at McCarren Park in Williamsburg. If I were gonna be here on August 24th I would be so there for the Neko Case and Martha Wainwright show. But we’ll be off in California. July 30th is Of Montreal – that should be a winner, too. And of course two Yeah Yeah Yeah shows with Sonic Young. Awe-some.
The concert schedule for Greenpoint’s McCarren Pool has been announced, and it’s a solid lineup of crowd-pleasing indie rock:
7/29 – Bloc Party, Secret Machines, Mew
7/30 – Of Montreal
8/11 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, Blood on the Wall
8/12 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, Awesome Color
8/13 – Deerhoof
8/17 – Iron & Wine
8/24 – Neko Case, Joanna Newsom, Martha Wainwright
The Of Montreal and Deerhoof shows are both free. Paying $32.50 for the Iron & Wine show
seems excessive, but then again, these are Clear Channel events.
There’s been a fair bit of controversy surrounding the future of
McCarren Pool, and these concerts in particular.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens after this summer; the
concerts’ success, or failure, will undoubtedly have a lot to do with
it.
Today and tomorrow at BAM — one of the great movies about swinging London in the 1960’s made in the 1960’s. You won’t want to miss: Vanessa Redgrave, Veruschka, Jane Birkin and MORE. at BAM…
Blow-Up (1966) 110min
Mon, June 12 & Tue, June 13 at 4:30, 9:15pm
With David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Veruschka, Jane Birkin, and Sarah Miles
"The key movie of the 1960s" (Time Out New York), Blow-Up caused a
sensation with its nudity and portrayal of Swinging London. A modish
photographer discovers what may or may not be a murder in one of his
photographs and tries to solve the mystery himself. Though Blow-Up is a
raucous time capsule of 1960s British culture, its examination of
subjectivity and the power of perception seems even more relevant and
complex now than when it was first released. Presented in a new print
(courtesy of Warner Brothers) for its 40th anniversary! In English.
“Blow-Up is the movie of the year. It is to Antonioni what Lola Montès
was to Ophuls, Ugetsu to Mizoguchi, Contempt to Godard, French Cancan
to Renoir, Limelight to Chaplin, Rear Window to Hitchcock, 8 ½ to
Fellini—a statement of the artist, not on life but on art itself as the
consuming passion of an artist’s life.”—Andrew Sarris
It’s been a festive few weeks — one celebration after another. June is always busy for: Hepcat. Manhattan Granny, Teen Spirit birthdays all in a row.
But this year with my 30th high school reunion, the Baltimore wedding (pictured left) and my mother’s important birthday we’ve been drinking an awful lot of champagne.
I think I’m partied out. Which isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed each and every party to the fullest (see picture left).
Because I did. Thoroughly. Yes, I feel blessed to have so much to celebrate: great family, great high school memories, the marriage of a beautiful cousin.
celebration = good
But still, I am looking forward to a few boring weeks.
one: party in Prospect Park
two: party at the Third Street Playground
three: party at home
four: Puppetworks party
five: party at the Prospect Park Carousel
six: Wonder Camp on 23rd Street
seven: Beatles party at home.
eight: Harry Potter party at home
nine: Who Wants to be a Millionaire? party at home
ten: Videomaking party at home
eleven: Lazer Park
twelve: The Matrix Reloaded at the Pavillion
thirteen: a virtual bar mitzvah
fourten: Museum of Comic Book Art and Cartooning Arts Festival in the Puck Building
fifteen:
Birthday week will be over tomorrow. That is, the week of June 6-June 12 is birthday week in our family because we’re always busy, busy, busy with the brithdays of Hepcat, Manhattan Granny, and Teen Spirit.
Hepcat’s birthday was an impromptu dinner at Black Pearl on Union Street thrown together on Tuesday afternoon. To all those we didn’t contact: trust me, it was really thrown together.
The Black Pearl was unbelievably accomodating when we walked in needing a table for 15. They created a long banquet table in the back and treated our party very, very well (a Tuesday night bonanza for the waiters, as well).
The menu, a mix of Italian seafood, pizza, and other specialties is beautifully presented and delicious. The seafood risotto and the grilled tuna, are especially good.
Next up was Manhattan Granny’s big birthday luncheon for 16 family members, at the Gramercy Park Tavern. Without revealing the number, suffice it to say, it was an important one and she was feted in an appropriate and quite extravagant way: a party worthy of its guest of honor.
Teen Spirit’s birthday is Monday June 12th and, well, it’s a surprise. After Manhattan Granny’s party, Hepcat and I went down to the West Village to shop for his gift. Can’t say now, but he should like it a great deal.
Here is the poem I read at my mother’s luncheon (her maiden name was Edna Mae Wander and childhood friends would tease: Edna may wander but not very far…). Other family members also spoke beautifully about my mom.
Edna Mae wander
and sometimes quite far
wherever she went
she followed her star
She knew what she wanted
It was always the best
her discriminating eye,
her passion, her zest
First she wandered to camp
where she danced and much more
she made lifelong friends ,
it was called Camp Lenore
Then to New London she traveled
that small Coast Guard city
she studied, she read
she always looked pretty
Next stop Greenwich Village
conventional she was not
she ate hot chocolate pudding
right out of the pot
In Nantucket she found him
He was smart, fun and wordy
they wed at the Savoy
she was just over thirty
Then they crossed the great ocean
bought a small English car
they traveled through Europe
they wandered quite far
Then her stomach got big
she always felt full
she gave birth to girl twins
in the French Hospital
She wandered some more
to the Upper West Side
where she found 8 beautiful rooms
on Riverside Drive
Her wanderings continued
on the Queen Mary, the France
The family traveled to Europe
in ocean liner elegance
As her daughters grew older
she faced the big "D"
she reinvented herself
at the great I.C.P
Edna still wanders
to San Francisco, Italy
She goes to Park Slope
on the old IRT.
To visit her children
and grandchildren, too
she always brings Zabars
for Henry, Alice and Hugh
And Sonya, the baby,
is Edna’s new muse
for whom she buys Petit Matin
and Elaphaten shoes
Edna still wanders
she takes classes and learns
at Columbia, at Barnard
the passion still burns
So at the Gramercy we gather
for our mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend
Our best wishes are yours
and love without end
I had the pleasure of attending a double husband/wife birthday party on Saturday night at the Old Stone House. The house was decorated beautifully by Christine Murphy Fine Art Decorating with colorful saris, tiny Christmas lights, and handmade chandeliers. There were pictures of the birthday couple as children and through the ages. Votive candles lit the room
She was turning 50, he 60. They moved to the Slope, with their now 8-year old son, five years ago from San Francisco and the crowd was a mix of new friends and old. A large number of friends and family traveled from California, Texas, and elsewhere to celebrate with them.
An hour or so into the party, a young man called everyone to attention. "I’m not sure if you’ve been told but you’re about to have a SWING DANCE LESSON!"
A moment of panic ensued about this dancin’ surprise. But most in the crowd obediently assembled into couples and this young man began teaching the crowd to swing dance. Hepcat shoulder kept him from dancing so I partnered up with a woman whose husband seemed to mysteriously disappear (he has a knee injury).
Within a half hour we were really flying, twirling, twisting, and doing the swing thing. It was great, great fun. A fabulous idea for a party.
The music aged upwards as the evening progressed and by 11 p.m. Madonna, Abba, and other 1980’s faves were blaring from the speakers. The West Coast visitors were the most uninhibited dancers of all — soloing within a circle of friends.
If 40 is the new 30, the 50 is the new 40 and 60 is surely the new 50.
The party was a melange of many ages – all conversing, connecting, twisting and turning: a group of revellers who are re-define "aging" in a most inventive and inspiring way.
