Be patient—and tough.
a New York teaching.
Read more in a well-articulated post by Sarah Hopela on what she learned in NYC.
Who's Trying To Erase East Williamsburg's "Avenue Of Puerto Rico?"
Interesting piece of Brooklyn naming drama with cultural significance researched by my friend Lauren.
I went to an incredible risotto and wine dinner party last month prepared by chef Michelle Lawton of joyful plate. The dinner was an auction item at the West Side Campaign Against Hunger’s 2012 benefit dinner that new friend Marianne won and graciously invited me to share in. You should read more and look at the photos, especially if you’re hungry for some risotto!
Away down town, where the atmosphere is hazy
From the smoke of the factories ascending to the sky
The smells, Oh! so horrid, would almost set you crazy.
But I’m told in that neighborhood the people seldom die.
‘Way up on the Slope all the people are complaining;
From the foul scented odors their health is quickly waning
And the smoke from the soft coal their linen it is staining
When the wind blows that way from Gowanus Canal.When the wind blows east, when the wind blows west,
Or when it’s from the north or south, you never get a rest.
In summer or in winter, in the spring or in the fall,
You breathe the same old odors from Gowanus Canal.
from The Gowanus Canal Song, by Michael J. Shay, 1898
Let’s hope the pending Superfund cleanup can stop dolphins from dying, the cancerous agents from thriving in the cesspool, and the smells from invading the general neighborhood.
Bike Corrals Expanding Access to Businesses
Clear, simply-put argument for the benefit of bike parking rather than car parking. But, that’s because I’m a cyclist. If you’re a car owner in a city of already-limited places to park, I can see where this is frustrating and continues to separate, rather than unite, a community (in this article’s case, my community). It’s a growing pain of transportation reform in this decade, I think, but the sourness and fights will get even worse before folks both car-owning and not can agree on this blown-out debate.
Continued Learning at Next-to-No Cost? No Brainer!
Check out my latest contribution to Huffington Post’s Impact section about the Brooklyn Brainery, a model for community-driven learning.
If you like it, please leave comments, like it on facebook, and share! Also, if you have ideas for stories of impact (particularly with the millennial generation), shoot me an email.
Philanthropic Bartenders Making Waves in Communities
My latest article on Huffington Post highlights an amazing group of bartenders making a huge impact in their local communities. It was a privilege for me to hear their stories and be able to write this piece.
Pacific St., Brooklyn
50 ways to make friends in NYC (via Time Out NY)
Features a ton of my favorite places and things! Oh, and I’m quoted in one of the sub-articles, so that’s fun. See if you can find it!
He just introduced himself, told us about his family, and got one of our pigs.
Jessica Vanderberg, 32, director of Foxy & Winston’s print shop and design studio in Red Hook, about Mayor Michael Bloomberg going into her store.
Bloomberg had coffee with small business owners in Red Hook and folks who have been instrumental in rebuilding the community post-Sandy. I think he’s doing a great job with recovery and rebuilding efforts by listening first, planning with his team second, and only then taking action.
Meet Dabbler. Brilliant idea. It’s a no brainer to sign up for this latest Brooklyn Brainery venture; for only $2/month, you get a new hobby every month without leaving your home. I have no doubt that each month will have just the right amount of digestible and awesome information, which will consist of “several billion notes, book recommendations, background, how-to’s, a million and one links for further study, and anything else we think you’d find half-useful.”
Yea, this will be a winner. You can participate from anywhere in the world if you have an email account. Subscribe today. Share it today. Start Dabbling in 3 weeks and counting.
Between 1888 and 1940, Brooklyn’s fleet of trolleys connected the growing residential community to the commercial hub in Downtown Brooklyn. The Fulton Street, Coney Island, Dekalb Avenue, and Flatbush Avenue lines navigated the borough to bring workers and residents to the area. This extensive transportation network helped Brooklyn establish itself as an influential American city, a distinction we have never lost.
On Saturdays this holiday season, take a ride on the Downtown Brooklyn Holiday Trolley, enjoy the holiday lights and shopping, and let our experienced guides share with you our borough’s history along the way.
I can’t wait to do this. The route and timetable are here; care to join me?
Thanks a Lot!
I’m really looking forward to being in this month’s Local Stories storytelling show themed Thanks a Lot! at Local 61 next Monday night at 8pm. It’s a really stellar crew (I feel like such a novice by comparison!), and promises to be a very fun evening. Did I mention it’s free?
Official Time Lapse of Barclays Center
This is 6 blocks from my apartment; I can see it from my roof. So far, only impact I notice is a ton of traffic and increased speeding vehicles. Only time will tell what it does to local businesses, development, crime, economy, trash, and demographics.
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Posts to keep you entertained, thinking, sharing, and discussing. I blog across subject areas because there's a lot of interesting stuff out there; why limit our conversation?
