Brokelyn

Starbucks ubiquity loses its usefulness [NY Post]
Gimme more of that Gimme! Coffee [Here's Williamsburg]
Creative solutions for tent-less Zuccotti [McBrooklyn]
Finally, something indie to do in Williamsburg [WillFilm]
Cameras in a tree? Oh snap! [WNYC]
Fall in the Gowanus, get super powers [NY Post]
Manhattan’s street grid goes global [BoingBoing]

It ain’t sailing off Montauk, but there are surely worse ways to explore Brooklyn. Through September, the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club is offering free self-guided canoe tours of the canal, Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m., the Park Slope Patch reports today. The boats launch from 2nd Street near Bond; see the Dredgers’ site for more info. Also, the Red Hook Boaters are offering free “walk-up” kayaking on Sundays from 1 to 5, from the end of Coffey Street in Red Hook. See their site for more info.

Sunday Best dance party, 2009. Photo via Dana Deskiewicz.

BKLYN Yard, the beleagured event space along the banks of the Gowanus Canal that was forced to close last year, is reopening next month under a new name: Gowanus Grove. The tree-lined, funky space was home to many of our favorite summer events — from swap meets to food truck festivals and movie nights — but was shuttered just as its season was getting underway due to dispute between the landlord and the group that rented the space. So far, the only event lined up for the new Gowanus Grove is the return of the Sunday Best dance party, now called Mister Sunday, which is already scheduled weekly through late June (more information about the planned food, drinks and entertainment below). Does that mean other great events will return to the canal-side site? Stay tuned. Read the rest of this entry »

10 NYC alternatives to America’s chain restaurants [Eater]
Gowanus neighbors dream of treasures in canal cleanup [NYT]
Censored Smithsonian exhibit could be Brooklyn Museum bound [Arts Beat]
Why is your grocery bill getting higher? [LearnVest]
BK Bridge park getting solar-powered charging stations for cars [Marketwire]
Kickballers could be kicked off McCarren Park this year [BK Paper]
Now serving on Atlantic Ave.: beer chocolate [NY1]

Long Island Community Hospital’s days are numbered [NYT]
Eat and wear locally raised cows in Williamsburg [NY Post]
Cyclones to offer Christina Aguilera a second chance [Cyclones]
Dodgers to wear throwback Brooklyn jerseys [LA Dodgers]
BK Museum giving thousands of pre-Columbian artifacts to Costa Rica [AP]
Would you rather have a Walmart or ShopRite in Brooklyn? [NY Mag]
Work It Brooklyn speed networking event returns Feb. 23 [Greenpointers]
Sunken 18th-century vessel found in Gowanus Canal [Brooklyn Paper]

Fred Flare photo by Stefan Tonio

For the Brooklyn teen in search of ways to stretch that ever-waning allowance dollar, five ways to work it out:

GREENPOINT
What happens when you gather all the cutest merchandise one could possibly find and put it in one store for sale? You get Fred Flare (left) The brand with the ultimate cute factor has been an online shop for over 10 years, with affordable and stylish findings: clothing, accessories, home goods, etc.  But they just recently opened a physical location in Greenpoint. With nice employees and a cheerful design, this little store could be the happiest place in Brooklyn. Fred Flare, 131 Meserole Ave, 718-349-1257, www.fredflare.com. Read the rest of this entry »