Dig the loft bed in the corner!

Jetsetter, the luxe hotel discount site that makes us weep for Machu Picchu hideaways and beachfront huts in Bali, features its first Brooklyn property this week, and it’s the NU Hotel at Smith and Atlantic. For four more days, you can book NU Hotel rooms on Jetsetter for $116 (normally $179 and up elsewhere). We haven’t stayed there, cause we live here, but at these prices (and solid NU Hotel reviews on TripAdvisor), we’ll suggest it to our parents / cousins / friends. Those Jetsetters love this 93-room gem because, and we quote:

• This rate includes continental breakfast
• Located at the intersection of four Brooklyn neighborhoods: Downtown, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens
• Sunny, eco-friendly rooms that feel spacious
• Sonos satellite radio pumped through in-room ceiling speakers
• Writing love notes and anecdotes on the bathroom chalkboard
• The lobby bar happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m., for half-priced beer and wine
• Using the basement fitness center at any hour of the day
• Being only a 20-minute subway ride away from Manhattan; hotel is in walking distance to the A, C, F, G, N and R trains

Some suites have hammocks, which could either be sexy or silly, depending on your skills. These rooms at $116 sound like a deal to us, as long as your guests don’t mind that prisoners are moving back into the Brooklyn House of Detention around the way. (Great people-watching!) And don’t forget to check out our Best Brooklyn B&Bs for under $150.

Photo via Flickr's William Self

Dear Cobble Hill Cinemas: We could go on and on about how we’d much rather hand over our $10 to your smiling, independently owned faces instead of shelling out $13 and some dignity at the bigger UA bully down the street; or how your concessions are priced lower so we don’t feel like we’re shopping at the last snack bar on the international space station; or how your crowds are pleasant and respectful and actually bought up all the tickets to Bridesmaids one Saturday night three weeks after its release while the newly released, far dumber Hangover 2 still had plenty of seats available. But there’s something bigger that cements our crush: it’s that old-generation, Saturday-morning-movie-with-Dad kind of charm the theater captures so well. You are located in one of the most Brooklyn stretches of Brooklyn down Court Street, with enough cozy bars, tasty food and enticing chocolatiers to justify missing the first showing. Climbing the winding staircase past movie scenes painted on the wall, it’s easy to imagine being there when all the movies were black and white and everyone wore fedoras. But mostly, we love that that the one time a bag of Trader Joe’s chocolate covered pretzels fell out of our bag as you were taking our ticket, you just smiled, laughed, and waved us through.

So, dear reader, you should buy this $15 Groupon for two tickets, popcorns and sodas today and go see for yourself. And even if you miss the Groupon, love up on some of their bargain nights: $7 seats all day Tuesdays and Thursdays and up to 5pm from Monday-Friday.

Photo by Flickr's Robert Alamo

THE ATLANTIC CHIP SHOP
129 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn Heights

What it is: Classic Brit, from Spotted Dick to Old Speckled Hen to Beatles/Bowie posters to the propaganda slapped on the tables and walls.

Why we love it: Something about gloomy Brits and their greasy, caloric, hoppy habits make us very happy. The beers are heavy and the room can get rowdy when a good match is on.

Who to bring: Football (re: soccer) fans, especially those of Arsenal, the house team. Friends who want to share fried macaroni,a full English breakfast, deep fried pizza (!) fish n’ chips and a fried snickers with you, leaving all guilt aside.

What to order: Some of the 16 beers on tap rotate weekly, so ask the bartender if there’s something new and special. Otherwise?: A pint of Harp, fish n’ chips and a fried Twinkie.

ChipShop fun fact: The deep-fried Hostess Cherry Pie was banned from the menu because the actual pie has trans fats, but it is said that you can bring in whatever you want, and they will fry it for you.

Photo via Strong Place FB

STRONG PLACE
270 Court St., between Butler and Douglass streets, Cobble Hill

What It Is: Cobble Hill’s newest soccer/gastro pub and microbrew bar with 24 taps that change daily, a shaded backyard and a menu built to epicurean proportions at less-than gastronomical prices.

Why We Love It: The spot functions both as a corner bar — with soccer games playing on the front’s flat screens — and cozy date destination. The back houses warmly lit booths suitable for intimate dinners, while the backyard’s charred farm tables encourage a communal dining feel that might remind you of cafeteria days, if your cafeteria just happened to serve gourmet plates of duck breast alongside towering pints of specialty beers.

Who To Bring: The friend who thinks they know everything about beer, the date who thinks they don’t like beer, your Midwestern ma or pa who could appreciate a Peruvian twist take on steak and potatoes. Menu items run $5 for most draft beers, $12-17 for most dinner plates.

What to Order: The candlelit raw bar casts a mouth-watering net for seafood lovers, including six types of East Coast oysters, gill-packed lobster tacos and fennel-crusted tuna with a passion-fruit glace; but the grill gives it a run for its money with offerings such as spiced pork that drips from the bone over black eyed peas and bok choy. Start with a custom beer flight to find your new favorite: the black IPA from Allagash and Sixpoint’s hibiscus tinged Mad Scientist both bring unexpected flavors.

Strong Place Fun Fact: Weekday happy hour specials from 4-7pm offer $1 oysters and buy-one, get-one deals on (typically) Brooklyn tap beers. Brunch starts at 11 on the weekends, which means you can get started on your microbrew “research” extra early.

Follow Karina: @karinabthatsme.

Consider us told. Photo via alibrady12

This picture is too perfect not to post: Announcing the seasonal opening of Gowanus Yacht Club, home to cheap pitchers, cheaper mysterious “Duff” beer, veggie dogs, good tunes, and the sun-soaked seating area that, for this reporter, most symbolizes a cool oasis adorning another gorgeous summer in Brooklyn. The small beer garden at the corner of Smith and President streets opened its gate on Friday, according to its Facebook page. Expect to see your friends at Brokelyn there en masse (or sometimes just with a good book). Thanks to @alibrady12 for doing her duty and sending us the pic! Ah summer!

Open those doors and let the sun shine in

BAR GREAT HARRY

280 Smith St. between Sackett & Degraw, Carroll Gardens

What it is: Hops heaven that stands out from the preponderance of watering holes on Smith Street.

Why we love it: Knowledgeable staff helps you choose from 20 rotating drafts and 70+ bottles; two pinball machines keep your hands busy; a welcoming atmosphere for your pooch.

Who to bring: Beer snobs who know a Sly Fox from a Flying Dog, your after-work drinking buddies.

What to order: The draft list changes almost daily, but our favorites right now include the Ten Fidy from Colorado’s Oskar Blues (which packs a punch at 10.5 percent). But the beer bench is deep enough here that you should ask the bartenders to find something that accommodates your tastes.

Bar Great Harry fun fact: Trivia nights are held every Monday; brewery nights are held every other Tuesday.

A random Meister piano

Today on the free list: one big-ticket item that’s a steal if you’re ready to take it on. An upright Meister piano is available in Carroll Gardens. The Craigslist poster says the turn-of-the-(20th)century instrument is “very striking in a charming, antique/vintage style. It’s really lovely to look at, although it needs some work.” Yep, some work would be expected of a 100-year-old free piano. Its listed needs include random key-replacement, hing-replacement and some aesthetic surface repair. But the poster says it “could clean up nicely.” Seriously, though, if you’re in the market for a piano and willing to put in the work, the price can’t be beat. Also, be prepared for a heavy-duty moving operation. Full ad here.

Photo from BoCoCaLand

Deep discounts and sales are all well and good, but to really lure the shoppers in? Freebies, dear store-owners. Freebies. (And they best be good—not those calendars from the local real estate office). Case in point: the free manicures Shen Beauty is offering to its holiday shoppers this Thursday, Dec. 2. The Court St. beauty shop, writes BoCoCaLand, is offering manicures and “light fare” between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. to keep you presentable and energized while you’re perusing the shelves. There’s also a sale going on and some other holiday-themed stuff… which we’ll let you read all about here. Shen Beauty, 315 Court St. between Sackett and Degraw Sts., Carroll Gardens.

via BoCoCaLand

From Nov. 13 to 20, NutRoaster Studios and Invisible Dog Art Center will be home to Zero’s array of self-financed independent films from around the world. So says the festival website: “In the age where the majority of festivals are Hollywood marketing campaigns, and even “indie” and “underground” festivals screen financed films, we exist to offer something different.” We can’t really say how different, but opening night boasts two sets of shorts, starting with Veiled Shadows presented by Cinebeasts, followed soon by A Headless Nun on a Swingset that is on Fire, then eventually The Birds Upstairs. And then there are six more days.

Check out the Zero Film Festival site for the details of the whole week, and of the closing night fiesta, which should match its predecessor. Tickets to each night are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. For now, let this doozy of a film from last year whet your appetite.

The Zero Film Festival: Saturday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. to Saturday night, Nov. 20. NutRoaster Studios, 120 Ingraham St. at Porter Ave., Bushwick; The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen St. between Court and Smith Sts., Cobble Hill.

via BoCoCaLand