It’s not a festival, but a “film challenge that brings communities closer together by inviting filmmakers of all levels to create short narrative or documentary videos of their block using only their block’s residents as cast and crew.”
November 28, 2012 Boroughing, Classic, New
As the temperature in Brooklyn inches closer and closer to 60 degrees and we begin to shed our layers of clothing once again, it’s time to emerge from our cold weather cocoons. Here’s to the rebirth of spring and the rituals that keep us sane: gardening, nurturing the mind and body and learning to live sustainably.
April 8, 2011 Boroughing, Culture, Food, Multi/Media, The People, Video
The New Brooklyn Cookbook, out last week from William Morrow, was written by Melissa and Brendan Vaughan, recipe developer and magazine editor, respectively, who are sensitive to the idea that “New Brooklyn” is both difficult to define and somewhat polarizing.
October 12, 2010 Classic, Food, Shared Content
Brooklynite Paul Dano loves to eat meat, but doesn’t want your milkshake. We caught up with the actor in advance of next week’s release of his new flick, The Extra Man, based on a novel by Jonathan Ames.
July 22, 2010 Classic, Film
Robin des Bois in Carroll Gardens is not for the dainty SATC crowd, which is what makes this rustic French brasserie the prime brunch spot. The eatery’s backyard takes you away from Brooklyn’s busy streets to a cozy wooded garden, perfect for enjoying a croque-monsieur.
July 16, 2010 Classic, RestaurantsAs the local political dust of 2009 settles, Brooklynites will begin to see their city council choices at work (or not) in the new year.
Former councilman Bill deBlasio ascended to the role of public advocate this month, and stood with some of the council’s newest members to announce his intentions of reform for the office. “You have to engage the grass roots, and my office will be the leading edge of that,” he told the New York Times, of his desire to train city residents as community organizers. Now, residents of our fine borough will see the representation of three new incumbents whose rise to local leader began in the very same place.
The new HBO series Bored To Death, based on the life of Brooklyn author Jonathan Ames, has a lot to offer in contrasts between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
October 5, 2009 Classic, Film, The Locals
In light of the increasing number of newly painted bike lanes, and the cars who like to defile them, we’ve created a list of new road rules for everyone to help prevent catastrophic crashes between bikes and cars.
September 15, 2009 Classic, Culture, Environment, The Locals, The People
‘Tis the season for city elections, so in advance of the September 15 primary, Brooklyn The Borough has compiled a list of incumbents and challengers in this year’s contested City Council elections for Brooklyn. There are many challengers this year, and open seats in the 33rd and 39th districts have made for heated races. Issues surrounding sustainable development have driven many candidates out of the woodwork. The pro-development Brooklyn political machine is still alive but questions remain about whether candidates supported by the county’s party boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, will sustain themselves despite criticism for their ties to a machine that makes the money flow from Brooklyn based business interests. The term limits extension has also sparked a renewed political engagement in the borough. Many candidates who had planned on running for seats that would have been open before term limits were extended have chosen to challenge incumbents that voted for the extension. We’ve compiled detailed information on each race as well as fundraising totals as the candidates head into the final weekend of the campaign.
September 10, 2009 City Politics, The Locals
In fiscal year 2009, 311 records indicate Brooklyn had 4,042 complaints of bed bugs and 1,729 violations. These numbers place Brooklyn first among all boroughs in number of complaints, with over 50% more complaints than the next closest borough, Manhattan. Dr. Louis Sorkin, a bed bug expert and entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, thinks the City should offer its residents more education on preventing the spread of these tiny terrors. Here’s the scoop on what to do if you find yourself with these unwanted house guests.
August 9, 2009 Boroughing, City Politics, Culture, Real Estate, The Locals, The PeopleAt the end of May, we learned that Mayor Bloomberg thought a reporter asking a question about term limit extensions was “a disgrace.” While it’s no surprise that the mayor’s campaign twitter account links to his press releases, a curious tweet popped up today, linking to the Cobble Hill Blog.
Bloomberg-subscribed tweeters, including Brooklyn The Borough were pointed by the campaign via twitter, to read about the mayor’s, and Borough President Marty Markowitz’s, efforts to revitalize the Brooklyn waterfront. What readers didn’t know is that the Cobble Hill Blog merely re-posted, word for word, a press release sent out by the borough president’s office.
July 21, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Real Estate, The Locals
At first sight it’s obvious that the Gowanus Canal is filthy. Yet, residents continue to congregate around it, canoe across it, build vessels to tour it, and wonder if its beauty will ever again surpass its usefulness as an industrial center. Efforts to revitalize expansive industrial lots in the area have advanced, with bars, restaurants and music venues opening along Second and Third Avenues. Artists work in nearby studios, and the BKLYN Yard, a venue alongside the canal, draws young people from all over the city to afternoon dance parties, barbecues and swap meets on summer weekends. However, over 150 years of heavy industrial activity combined with sewage and storm water run-off, and its proximity to factories and gas refineries have made the canal a site of controversy since the Environmental Protection Agency announced in April that the waterway is a candidate for the Superfund National Priorities List.
July 8, 2009 City Politics, Classic, Real Estate, State PoliticsIf the young hedonists of Brooklyn could have a cheerleader – one that works his mysticism in the form of a Marty Markowitz – it’s Mike Edison.
May 28, 2009 Brooklyn Beats, Classic, Music Profiles“The title of the show comes from [the movie] Juno,” said New York Magazine Photo Editor Jody Quon, standing in the middle of St. Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo on Wednesday night. The opening night of the New York Photo Festival was already underway.
“It’s that moment when [Ellen Page’s character] tells her father that she’s pregnant and he says, ‘I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when,’ and that’s when she says, ‘I don’t really know what type of girl I am.’ So that’s the whole loop.”
May 15, 2009 Art n' About, Classic, The Art
On Thursday, I caught up with author, NYU professor and Brooklynite Clay Shirky after a talk he gave at the M Project Gallery in Tribeca. Shirky spoke on the opportunities and challenges presented by the revolution in online communication and social media tools. Afterwards, we talked about how technology has influenced the shifting demographics of Brooklyn.
March 20, 2009 Classic, Read Features, Real EstateBoerum Hill resident and the city’s Commissioner of Housing, Preservation and Development Shaun Donovan, was confirmed late last night by the senate to fill the role of HUD Secretary under President Obama.
After the city struggled with slashed HUD resources under President Bush, let’s hope that Mr. Donovan can forge a healthier relationship between New York City and HUD, whose federal dollars keep roofs over the heads of many Brooklyn residents.
January 23, 2009 City Politics, Real Estate, The Locals
“WE ARE IN A RECESSION!” screamed the words from my in-box back on Nov. 16, and whether it was official yet or not, the wardrobes of Brooklyn’s 20-somethings were feeling it.
December 13, 2008 Boroughing, Culture, Fashion, The Original BTB
Recently, the door to the new and expanded Beacon’s Closet, a consignment shop now on the corner of Warren Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, opened. Along with a burst of cold air came not a customer but a stink bomb.
November 21, 2008 Boroughing, Classic, Fashion, Real Estate, The Original BTB, The People
There he was standing in front of me giggling, arms outstretched, and totally naked. He was bald and wrinkled, like the dancing old man from those Six Flags commercials, but he was just over a foot tall and, from his mostly toothless smile, drooled a bit. His mom scooped him up and got him dressed.
June 24, 2008 Bars, Boroughing, Culture, Night/Life, Restaurants, The Original BTB
What do Jasper Johns, Cindy Sherman, Annie Leibovitz and Keith Haring all have in common? Each artist has work up for sale at the 4th Annual Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM to us locals) Silent Auction.
April 10, 2008 Art n' About, Boroughing, The Art, The Original BTBOn a recent chilly night, I was bundled up and on my way to Boerum Hill to have dinner at a friend’s apartment. As I walked down Washington Avenue the B45 bus pulled up next to me, and I hesitated. “Which would be faster, the train or the bus?” I thought. Before I could make a decision, the bus doors had shuttered. Luckily, the light at Atlantic and Washington was still red and I approached the bus and knocked on the door. The driver, a middle-aged African-American man, refused to open the door, gesturing to the next stop, three street crossings away, even though his bus was still idling perfectly in front of a designated stop. It was 15 degrees outside and I’ll admit it, I felt like the driver was sticking it to me for being white.
January 24, 2008 Boroughing, Culture, Real Estate, The Locals, The People
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