Spaghetti and Mama’s Meatballs. Photo by Molly Tavoletti.
Echoes of the Cozy Royale catering hall can still be heard in the warm dining room in the back of the bar at Humboldt & Jackson (434 Humboldt Street). The Royale’s former owner, Joanne Perrotta, had turned down many other offers when she was looking to retire. For years, families and neighbors gathered for dinners there, and Perrotta wished to pass on that sense of community along with the space. Perrotta cared more about who was going to take the place over rather than what it was going to be.
The first time I set foot in Humboldt & Jackson was the very day it opened. I followed the renovation of the Cozy Royale into this place, a newly-titled “American Tasting Room,” step-by-step on my daily walk to the Graham Avenue L train and was thrilled to have a prospective place to call my own—my Cheers, if you will. I would cement my status by getting in right at the beginning. Over the three years since their opening I realized that the feeling of ownership and comfort that I felt is exactly what Bill Reed, the bar’s charismatic owner, wants for all his guests.Continue reading →
Despite the news of each new piece of horrendous legislation, it’s been helping me to remember that reading and writing are a form of social justice. April is National Poetry Month, and as celebrated poet Mary Oliver wrote in her new book of essays, Upstream, “…The poem was made not just to exist, but to speak—to be company.”
This spring, let your community be your company. Greenpoint is brimming with writers and artists who are using their voices to build spaces where you can share, listen, learn, and make a plan for moving forward; keep reading for three places you can join in the conversation.
New Women Space (188 Woodpoint Road, 1A) is an amazing new event space in Williamsburg created for women to connect with other women and build community. Founded by two women intrigued by collaboration and community—Melissa Wong of Up Speak, and Sandra Hong of Girl Party—New Women Space currently has a variety of offerings, and will be evolving to include even more.
“New Women Space is a response to the idea that women are asking for things. Women are amplifying their voices in the workplace and at their dinner tables,” says co-founder Melissa. Continue reading →
Pumpkin Day 2016 | Saturday, October 1, 12-3 PM Brooklyn Expo Center (72 Noble Street) Tickets: $15 per child, $20 at the patch. Comes with 2 complimentary Schoolfest tickets.
Town Square’s 9th Annual Pumpkin Day is this Saturday, October 1st at the Brooklyn Expo Center (in past years it was held at McCarren Park). Each year, hundreds of kids and parents come to pick pumpkins and have fun with Fall! There’s a pick-your-pumpkin patch, arts & crafts, face painting, concessions, activities presented by local businesses and organizations, and live music and dance performances. Continue reading →
The first of House of Vans Summer Concert Series featured Jon Hopkins, The Black Madonna, The Field with Fixed NYC
On a crisp, first-glimpse-of-summer night, with nigh a sk8rboi in sight, Jon Hopkins and electro company kicked off the annual free concert series at House of Vans (25 Franklin St) in Greenpoint.
Exceedingly referential with sponsored “street” artandalight “installation” that referenced a once-flickering warehouse marquee, Vans’ branded millennial pandering was never a distraction from evening’s chilled-out vibes, free orange-vanilla seltzer, nor the gaunt and smiley Hopkins’ superb set. Hopkins music, often slow to build, develops meditatively through repetition. You could even hear someone scream, “where’s the drop?”
Outdoor music, while often exchanging sound quality for experiential novelty, has the unique quality of gathering diverse groups of people together, especially when free.
Frankie Cosmos is playing Sat (6/11) at Rough Trade
A festival that harkens to Austin’s over-saturated SXSW festival without the tasteless inundation of branding in the name of culture (yet), Northside Festival returns to North Brooklyn from June 6 – 12 and is still a great opportunity to catch bands you know alongside local groups you may have only heard mention of. As you skip around venues old and new, these are some of the acts that would be a shame to miss. Continue reading →
Greenpointers is seeking writers, photographers, illustrators, videographers, content makers. If you love Greenpoint and create content in the areas of local news, art, music, food, fashion, wellness, environment, politics, history, events—then you should contribute for us!
Meet with our editorial team along with old and new contributors Wednesday, May 11 2016, 7pm at No. 7 North at 931 Manhattan Ave (at Kent St.). We’ll have a fun time exchanging ideas, drinkin’ beer and meeting other mega-talented Greenpointers.
Greenpoint Open Studios (GOS) kicks off tonight and goes all weekend (April 29-May 1), celebrating Greenpoint’s rich pool of artistic talent. From paintings to sculptures, video to photography, weaving and textiles to ceramics and more, there are seasoned artists to honor and emerging artists to be discovered among more than 350 who will open up their studio spaces to the public.
It’s an uncurated free event that allows visitors to get a glimpse of the process and space where artwork is created while engaging directly with its creators. Brooklyn has a long-standing reputation for being a hotbed of creativity and GOS is going to represent its northernmost tip in true Greenpoint fashion—by keepin’ it real—providing an open platform for showcasing the various expressions of our creative community’s imagination and skills.
Need something to do this weekend? We’ve got a couple of shows at a few galleries this weekend for you to check out to celebrate the first weekend of April. From Owen James Gallery to Secret Project Robot, be sure to mark your calendars for some of their special receptions the next couple of nights!
1. The Village Art Installation Secret Project Robot
Opening Reception Friday, April 1st 7-10pm
3. Paola Citterio, “Men at Work”
Picture Farm Gallery
Friday, April 8th at 6-9pm
4. Charles Bukowski & Walter Robinson Owen James Gallery
Friday, April 8th to Saturday (opening reception 6-8pm), May 14th5. Amy Hill, “Young and Innocent” Front Room Gallery
Friday, April 15th (opening reception 7-9pm) to Sunday, May 22nd
Made Real Vodka proclaims that it’s for the “the makers, the moonlighters, and the hustlers.” If their events are any barometer, Made Real gets that life — the life of the freelancer, the wanderluster, the foodie, the free-spirited fashionista.
The vodka company’s recent events include a superfun cheesemaking class with the chef of Humboldt & Jackson, a cocktail-making class with talented mixologist Rachel Kim of the NoMad, and an upcoming Thursday, March 24th Made Real Connections open bar, shopping event and fashion panel with Hannah Dilworth, the owner of Williamsburg store Concrete + Water.
We got to attend a Made Real event and taste-test the vodka, which is warm, spicy and a touch sweet from its honey distillation, rather than cool and aloof like some vodkas (we’re not naming any names here). It was smooth and didn’t bite when consumed neat, and fun and easy to mix with. After the event, we got to chat with Nicole Williams, Made Real’s Head of Brand (and formerly a marketing girlboss at big names like Nastygal and NYLON), to get the scoop on what’s behind this beautiful bottle.
