The Williamsburg Nerd

Would you like that with some attitude sir?

According to CNN Brooklyn is now tourist worthy:

Yo! Brooklyn is the place to be

"Ten years ago, tourists visiting Brooklyn saw it as nothing more than a side trip from Manhattan. Maybe they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge or took the subway out to Coney Island, but few had dinner here or stayed the night. These days, however, Brooklyn is a destination unto itself."

...of course they include Williamsburg in their coverage:

"WILLIAMSBURG: The L train to Bedford Avenue lands you in the epicenter of hipster Williamsburg, with cafes, galleries and boutiques. At the Bagel Store (247 Bedford, 718-218-7244), have a classic bagel, cream cheese and lox, or a uniquely amazing French toast bagel with syrup. Nearby, Pema New York (225 Bedford, 718-388-8814) sells ecologically correct clothes, woven in Nepal from hemp, $25-55. And Real Form Girdle (218 Bedford) houses not an undergarment factory but a mini-mall with a bookstore, Internet cafe and the Hello Beautiful hair salon. For nightlife, Galapagos has bands, DJs and other performers _ 70 N. Sixth St., 718-782-5188 -- while Monkey Town shows videos while serving dinner -- 58 N. Third St., 718-384-1369. Also in Williamsburg: Peter Luger Steak House, the granddaddy of Brooklyn fine dining, 178 Broadway, 718-387-7400."

I was just taking the J train home after a long day of work, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted this guy playing with this rather odd bit of technology. He had his headphone plugged in - but unlike most iPod folks he would keep playing with this somewhat oversized box. It wasn't unil we hit Marcy that he put his gear away when I spotted the make of this cool device:

It's called a Streetboxx SB-246 and it's a portable Hip-Hop beat generator of sorts. It comes stocked with a number of pre-done beats including old school and kangish.

I just found this interesting article in the New York Times:

Yale Students Imagine the Future of Red Hook

A new show in the coalition’s gritty exhibition site tries to reimagine the future of Red Hook, taking account of the area’s waterfront location, on Upper New York Bay, and of trends in urban planning and architectural design. It is on view on weekends through Aug. 20 as part of the coalition’s summer show, “Food for ... a Feast for the Eyes.” The Red Hook exhibition arose from a spring-semester studio class at the Yale School of Architecture that was organized around the theme of urbanism, but unlike other academic exercises, it focused on more than the merely theoretical.

At first glance it sounds like a good idea, but looking at the two drawings made me have second thoughts. There was something very cold and science fiction like about the drawings shown in the article. To me that doesn't capture the warm human quality of Brooklyn. But then I think this touches a larger problem - the Yale architecture students don't like in Brooklyn, of course they don't understand the community. In fact what's odd is that there are plenty of art schools in New York City that might be better suited for the project. I'd love to see what students at Pratt which is located in Brooklyn would come up with as opposed to those stark drawings from Yale.

Of course this speaks to a larger issue, the fact that even the best of plans for Brooklyn are science fiction unless there is real money at work. The sad reality that I see in Williamsburg is that developers get a small plot of land and in trying to generate the greatest return put up the tallest and most ugly of buildings. What's sad is that while there are many laws governing real estate, good taste or what might fit into the community never seem to fit into the picture.

The McCarren Pool concert series is well under way - in fact I just missed the Deerhoof show this weekend! What's funny is that I'm even seeing posters for it at the Lorimer L train stop too. The only thing I dislike about the series is that they charge - but not everthing in life (or Williamsburg) is free. But on the bright side there are a few shows that will be playing over the next few weekends:

thepoolparties.com

Here's a video of of Montreal playing the pool on July 30th:

It looks like that giant warehouse on Hope Street near the BQE is going to be yet another luxury condo building. This sort of confirms my theory that Havemeyer Street will be the next Bedford, and that within a year or two the L train will need people pushers just like the subway trains in Tokyo:

Industrial Building to be Converted Into Condominiums

"In a transaction valued at $26 million, Kalmon Dolgin Affiliates, a real estate firm, has arranged for the sale of a 113,000 sq.-ft. industrial building in Brooklyn to Hope Street Ventures LLC, which is planning to convert the property into residential condominiums. Neil Dolgin, president of Kalmon Dolgin Affiliates, and Howard Darsi, the company’s associate broker, represented the buyer and private seller in the transaction. The renovations are expected to begin at the end of the year and commence in spring 2007, Darsi told MHN.

The building, located at 59-65 Hope Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, will be mostly comprised of two-bedroom units, Darsi said. Many local residents have expressed interest in the property because of the industrial building’s high ceilings. The building is near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Williamsburg Bridge. The property is also easily accessible by car, subway and bus and it will be near the Metropolitan Avenue Ferry. "

Some local folks at the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg just won a very worthwhile victory:

Payback Time For Looting of ‘Hungarian Gold Train’

"When the United States Army interceded a train carrying loot stolen from Hungarian Jews near the end of World War II, the liberators became villains. That was because $200 million of personal property carried by Nazis in the “Hungarian Gold Train” was never returned to the rightful owners. Now following a class action lawsuit, the U.S. government has agreed to a $25 million settlement, distributing funds to the Hungarian Holocaust victims."

The latest issue of Time Out NY has a cover story on "New Dork City". It's nice to see that nerds are making a come back in a post dot.com era (it took long enough):

"Consider, as examples, the following: a reading series in which people share junior-high-school journal entries with kindred spirits; pitched lightsaber battles between organized teams; a weekend outing during which participants take over the Staten Island Ferry dressed as pirates. This is avant-nerdism: a new sensibility, an updated hip-to-be-square attitude—even a new rumbling of the collective consciousness.

The movement knowingly embraces all things geeky in a marriage of the cutting edge and the socially retarded. Fashionwise, its manifestations have been noticeable for years on the streets of Nolita, Williamsburg and the Lower East Side. “People are nerdier-looking than they were in the past,” says Jen Miller, a.k.a. Saint Reverend Jen, the elfin host of the Anti-Slam open-mike night at Cake Shop on Ludlow Street. “Everyone’s dressing like they’re on my seventh-grade cross-country team.” She herself sports pointy, Spock-like ears as “a fashion accessory".”

...the article also covers the Williamsburg Spelling Bee!

I just read a review of Capone's at 221 North 9th Street, this place sounds good:

Free Pizza Renders Leaving Bar Pointless

"It never hurts to have a gimmick, and that's especially true when you're running a joint on the bar-infested streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. One place to have confronted this problem head-on is Capone's, which hands out free 10-inch or so cheese pizzas the way most places serve bar napkins -- one per drink. Made fresh and with a good, chewy crust, the pies easily surpass many of the often plasticky slices sold for $1.75 in this fair city. (If you want a topping, they'll charge you $2 for the first one, and $1 after that.)"

Here is the official website:

http://www.caponesbar.com

It looks very hipster friendly too:

In the 60s Pop Art was all the rage, now in Williamsburg we have the "Poop Art" movement:

Suri Cruise’s Baby Poop Bronzed for Charity

"Bronzed baby shoes are out, and bronzed baby poop is in, for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as they celebrate baby’s “first poop”. The commemoration of baby Suri Cruise’s first poop strives to be the evidence of her existence for a public yet to see photos of the superstar couple’s four month old infant. Suri Cruise’s commissioned bronzed baby poop goes on display August 30th at Capla Kesting Fine Art in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg gallery district and will be offered on eBay with the proceeds to benefit the March Of Dimes."

Show Dates - August 30 -September 9
Reception with the artist: Friday, September 8th 6-9pm
Capla Kesting Fine Art is located at:
121 Roebling St, 7-8 - Brooklyn, NY 11211
phone: 917-650-3760
Bedford Ave L Train at the corner of North 5th and Roebling.
Gallery Hours: Thursday - Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm or by appointment.

...I just checked their eBay auction, there are already two bids and the starting price is $10.