Already looking forward to the summer.
McCarren just became the first of the five Brooklyn park set to receive free wifi, thanks to tech ninjas who installed the routers quietly over the weekend. While Brooklynites all sat around, none the wiser, stealing wireless from the downstairs neighbor as usual, I donned my sturdiest flannel, braved the cold wind and set out to test drive the new signal before others discovered it and starting hogging my bandwidth. Sure, they installed it just in time for the part of the year when the parks won’t exactly be crowded all day, and the service is only free for a bit before you have to pay [Updated below]. But does it work well enough to make it worth lugging your laptop and travel coffee mug down to the park? Read the rest of this entry »
If Hipster Ariel has truly become too mainstream, or you didn’t find the time to haul to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade this year, you can still get your finned fix. The Glass Bandits Theater company has revamped the familiar story of the beautiful outsider from Triton’s realm, and is presnting “The Little Mermaid” for FREE in McCarren Park on August 25-28 and September 8-10 (all at 9pm), complete with puppets, and song, dance and the promise of a “dark twist.” The Bandits are a Brooklyn-based company interested “in making thrilling, accessible, unmannered theatrical events.” They ask: “can’t seeing a play be as exciting as watching a band play at the neighborhood dive?” In response, theater lovers of Brokelyn, say yes! Read the rest of this entry »
The Times today has a good news/bad news update on the plan to install free wifi in parks that got us so excited earlier this summer. Good news: After fits and starts, the city yesterday struck agreements with Cablevision and Time Warner requiring they provide the outdoor wifi within two years at 32 city parks including Prospect, Fort Greene and McCarren. Bad news: your lakefront Veronica Mars Netflix Instant marathon may have to wait, because the wifi will only be free for three 10-minute periods a month, then it’s 99 cents per day; only subscribers of Cablevision or Time Warner get free access all the time. Ten minutes is barely enough to complain tweet about the time limit! Still no word on when the first installation will occur either.
OK kids, it’s the last full month of summer, so seize the season! Missing out on some of these great free events — like Thursday’s showing of An American Tail at Brooklyn Bridge Park or Wednesday’s Clueless in McCarren Park — would be way harsh, Tai. If you’re feeling more indoorsy, grab your needles and thread for tonight’s Craft Night at Etsy Labs featuring The Long Thread, and then take your creation to the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair at Launchpad. Get in line early on Thursday and join the crush trying to get in to the House of Vans show to see headliners Man Man. You can feel like dying is fine with Ra Ra Riot at Prospect Park on Friday, take a trip to Bushwick for the not-to-be-missed summer garden debauchery that is Roberta’s Tiki Disco. And wrap up your week (safety first) with Babeland’s brunch workshop: Hand Job How-Tos, complete with free pastries! But wash your hands, please.
Our city’s mid-summer fever finally broke and dropped the temps down to a relatively frigid 80 degrees today: what a perfect week to reenergize yourself to take advantage of all the great free stuff going on in Brooklyn this summer! The list of choices this week is as impressive as it is varied: You’ve got movies — Top Gun tonight at Coney Island, Ferris Bueller in McCarren and Animal House at Square Root Cafe on Wednesday — and plenty of stellar comedy, including They Might Be Giants show at the Williamsburg Waterfront on Friday featuring Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Patton Oswalt and Todd Barry. That same day, you can head over to the House of Vans concert series to see Fucked Up and Screaming Females OR Dr. John at Prospect Park. And then on Saturday for the kids of all ages: Red Hook Pirate Fest! So much to do every day, and of course, it’s all free! Do you know of an event we should list? E-mail free[at]brokelyn[dot]com today!
Street artist Skewville's "Last Exit to Skewville," on display during Northside. Photo via Jaime Rojo.
It’s my favorite time of year again: Not only is summer bursting from every cracked hydrant and aromatic taco truck, but the L Magazine’s Northside Festival is here, which means I can stop hauling ass to Prospect Park and effortlessly lure all of my friends to Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick for a glorious four days of burgeoning culture. Badges for the fest would have run you $60-$200 (and are sold out anyway), and tickets to the bigger shows have their own big price tags. But there’s plenty to do that’s doesn’t involve opening your wallet. Check out Brokelyn’s guide to free Northside, plus some bonus tips to the festival’s associated deals and freebies to help you soak up loads of film, music, art and north Brooklyn pride, without breaking the bank. Read the rest of this entry »
When you can't get in, where should you stand? Andrew Bird picture by Flickr's Scott Lynch.
You’ve just seen Animal Collective at the Prospect Park Bandshell on a gorgeous summer night, your special lady with you as the warm air settles on you and thousands of other fans. When you get back home ready for amorous adventures, your cat attacks you because his food dish has been empty for a week, since you dropped 70 bucks for those Animal Collective tickets instead of buying cat food. Your cat has a point.
Any idiot could recommend that you hang around outside the fence during outdoor shows, but I’m an idiot with acoustic science, and acoustic science tells us there are plenty of other places to catch your favorite jams when even pocket lint seems like a luxury. I used a simple formula to pinpoint the best beyond-the-fence free listening spots in McCarren, Prospect and East River Parks — and it’s not always the closest spot that offers the best sound. Read the rest of this entry »
Turn on, log in, lay out. Prospect Park photo by Flickr's AnnieGreenSprings
Charge up your batteries, fiddle with your dimmer settings and get that iced coffee to go: First DUMBO brought free wifi to the streets, now the major parks in Brooklyn are slated to get free wifi by the end of the summer. WNYC reported yesterday that Prospect, McCarren, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Bridge and Herbert Von King parks will be hooked up with wifi thanks to AT&T by the end of summer. It’ll last at least five years, the length of AT&T’s agreement. It’s not clear when you’ll be able to log on — nor is it clear if the signal can handle 500 people trying to FoodSpot their margarita picnic brunches in McCarren — but the wifi has already been turned on in some Manhattan and Bronx parks. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh, my good iPod was in there.
Enough time has passed since Christmas that you can ditch all that crap you immediately broke with your clumsy, nog-drunk hands. As you well know by now, e-waste doesn’t go in with your regular trash, unless you love the tangy taste of chemicals in your water. Instead, take them to one of the e-waste recycling events in Brooklyn in this weekend: one is at McCarren Park (Bedford Ave. at North 12 St.) on Saturday and another at Prospect Park (Prospect Park West at 3rd St.) on Sunday, both from 10am-4pm. The list of accepted items is below, which includes most things (not your fridge). Read the rest of this entry »
Already looking forward to the summer.
McCarren just became the first of the five Brooklyn park set to receive free wifi, thanks to tech ninjas who installed the routers quietly over the weekend. While Brooklynites all sat around, none the wiser, stealing wireless from the downstairs neighbor as usual, I donned my sturdiest flannel, braved the cold wind and set out to test drive the new signal before others discovered it and starting hogging my bandwidth. Sure, they installed it just in time for the part of the year when the parks won’t exactly be crowded all day, and the service is only free for a bit before you have to pay [Updated below]. But does it work well enough to make it worth lugging your laptop and travel coffee mug down to the park? Read the rest of this entry »
If Hipster Ariel has truly become too mainstream, or you didn’t find the time to haul to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade this year, you can still get your finned fix. The Glass Bandits Theater company has revamped the familiar story of the beautiful outsider from Triton’s realm, and is presnting “The Little Mermaid” for FREE in McCarren Park on August 25-28 and September 8-10 (all at 9pm), complete with puppets, and song, dance and the promise of a “dark twist.” The Bandits are a Brooklyn-based company interested “in making thrilling, accessible, unmannered theatrical events.” They ask: “can’t seeing a play be as exciting as watching a band play at the neighborhood dive?” In response, theater lovers of Brokelyn, say yes! Read the rest of this entry »
The Times today has a good news/bad news update on the plan to install free wifi in parks that got us so excited earlier this summer. Good news: After fits and starts, the city yesterday struck agreements with Cablevision and Time Warner requiring they provide the outdoor wifi within two years at 32 city parks including Prospect, Fort Greene and McCarren. Bad news: your lakefront Veronica Mars Netflix Instant marathon may have to wait, because the wifi will only be free for three 10-minute periods a month, then it’s 99 cents per day; only subscribers of Cablevision or Time Warner get free access all the time. Ten minutes is barely enough to complain tweet about the time limit! Still no word on when the first installation will occur either.
OK kids, it’s the last full month of summer, so seize the season! Missing out on some of these great free events — like Thursday’s showing of An American Tail at Brooklyn Bridge Park or Wednesday’s Clueless in McCarren Park — would be way harsh, Tai. If you’re feeling more indoorsy, grab your needles and thread for tonight’s Craft Night at Etsy Labs featuring The Long Thread, and then take your creation to the Built in Brooklyn Craft Fair at Launchpad. Get in line early on Thursday and join the crush trying to get in to the House of Vans show to see headliners Man Man. You can feel like dying is fine with Ra Ra Riot at Prospect Park on Friday, take a trip to Bushwick for the not-to-be-missed summer garden debauchery that is Roberta’s Tiki Disco. And wrap up your week (safety first) with Babeland’s brunch workshop: Hand Job How-Tos, complete with free pastries! But wash your hands, please.
Our city’s mid-summer fever finally broke and dropped the temps down to a relatively frigid 80 degrees today: what a perfect week to reenergize yourself to take advantage of all the great free stuff going on in Brooklyn this summer! The list of choices this week is as impressive as it is varied: You’ve got movies — Top Gun tonight at Coney Island, Ferris Bueller in McCarren and Animal House at Square Root Cafe on Wednesday — and plenty of stellar comedy, including They Might Be Giants show at the Williamsburg Waterfront on Friday featuring Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Patton Oswalt and Todd Barry. That same day, you can head over to the House of Vans concert series to see Fucked Up and Screaming Females OR Dr. John at Prospect Park. And then on Saturday for the kids of all ages: Red Hook Pirate Fest! So much to do every day, and of course, it’s all free! Do you know of an event we should list? E-mail free[at]brokelyn[dot]com today!
Street artist Skewville's "Last Exit to Skewville," on display during Northside. Photo via Jaime Rojo.
It’s my favorite time of year again: Not only is summer bursting from every cracked hydrant and aromatic taco truck, but the L Magazine’s Northside Festival is here, which means I can stop hauling ass to Prospect Park and effortlessly lure all of my friends to Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick for a glorious four days of burgeoning culture. Badges for the fest would have run you $60-$200 (and are sold out anyway), and tickets to the bigger shows have their own big price tags. But there’s plenty to do that’s doesn’t involve opening your wallet. Check out Brokelyn’s guide to free Northside, plus some bonus tips to the festival’s associated deals and freebies to help you soak up loads of film, music, art and north Brooklyn pride, without breaking the bank. Read the rest of this entry »
When you can't get in, where should you stand? Andrew Bird picture by Flickr's Scott Lynch.
You’ve just seen Animal Collective at the Prospect Park Bandshell on a gorgeous summer night, your special lady with you as the warm air settles on you and thousands of other fans. When you get back home ready for amorous adventures, your cat attacks you because his food dish has been empty for a week, since you dropped 70 bucks for those Animal Collective tickets instead of buying cat food. Your cat has a point.
Any idiot could recommend that you hang around outside the fence during outdoor shows, but I’m an idiot with acoustic science, and acoustic science tells us there are plenty of other places to catch your favorite jams when even pocket lint seems like a luxury. I used a simple formula to pinpoint the best beyond-the-fence free listening spots in McCarren, Prospect and East River Parks — and it’s not always the closest spot that offers the best sound. Read the rest of this entry »
Turn on, log in, lay out. Prospect Park photo by Flickr's AnnieGreenSprings
Charge up your batteries, fiddle with your dimmer settings and get that iced coffee to go: First DUMBO brought free wifi to the streets, now the major parks in Brooklyn are slated to get free wifi by the end of the summer. WNYC reported yesterday that Prospect, McCarren, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Bridge and Herbert Von King parks will be hooked up with wifi thanks to AT&T by the end of summer. It’ll last at least five years, the length of AT&T’s agreement. It’s not clear when you’ll be able to log on — nor is it clear if the signal can handle 500 people trying to FoodSpot their margarita picnic brunches in McCarren — but the wifi has already been turned on in some Manhattan and Bronx parks. Read the rest of this entry »
