North Brooklyn may not have the vast green destination of Prospect Park, but there are several scattered parks that are perfect for picnics. We’ve put together a list of places that offer take away options to full-service picnic gear that can make a day laying in the grass so much more enjoyable. Whether you plan to lay out a blanket or just sit on your jacket, these bites are quick and easy for a meal in the park. Continue reading
McCarren Park Pool | 776 Lorimer Street
Pro tips: Now open through Labor Day. Get ready to mix and mingle with your neighbors of all backgrounds and ages. The semi-recently restored pool is perfect to take a dip on the hottest days of the year. It’s FREE, but there are rules. You need to bring your own lock, a towel, wear all white (if you plan to don a t-shirt or coverup) and should leave your cellphone at home. We recommend getting an ice cream bar from a park vendor post-plunge (there are no food vendors inside the pool). See what we said last year for the full lowdown on how best to prepare yo’self.
Metropolitan Swimming Pool | Bedford & Metropolitan Ave.
Pro tips: Annual membership costs $150 for adults, and $25 for seniors (ages 62 and older), $25 for young adults (ages 18-24). Membership is free for under-18’s. There are designated community swim hours.
Greenpoint YMCA | 99 Meserole Ave.
Pro tips: $175 for a Summer Fun Pass for pool access from now through August 31st. The fun pass also includes access to the gym and sauna/steam rooms. Seems like a good deal. Note, you should bring a bathing cap to swim.
Brooklyn Athletic Club | 8 Berry Street
Pro tips: This gym has private training pools, which you can book 30-minute sessions in even if you’re not a member. A pool package of 10 sessions is available for $239.
The McCarren Hotel | 160 N 12th Street
Pro tips: Leave your screaming mini-me’s at home: children are not allowed at the McCarren Hotel’s ground floor pool (unless you are a guest of the hotel). If you don’t book a room at the hotel, the lowest price access is $55 for an individual day pass (weekday per person price is $55; weekend is $65), up to $200 per person for VIP service for a group of 10 (weekend group price is $2000 for group of 10; weekday group price is $1750). FYI: “No topless tanning,” and you can only book up to 48 hours in advance, unless you’re booking a Day Bed ($150 per person weekday; $175 per person weekend; slightly cheaper if you book a daybed for 2) or package, in which case you have 2 weeks advance to book.
Pool @ The William Vale | 111 N 12th St
Pro tips: Book a room (currently listed at $259) for a staycation and unrestricted access to the pool, or book a day pass. Day passes include reserved seating in a pergola, daybed or cabana, but will run you at minimum $67 per person (weekday, with 6 people), up to $90 (weekend, with 2 people). The Vale pool is a “60-foot outdoor pool with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. Snacks, light fare, and cocktails are served poolside under the direction of award-winning Chef Andrew Carmellini.”
Honorable Mention—Playgrounds with kid-friendly water features:
McCarren Park (Manhattan between Driggs & Engert), McGolrick Park (Nassau & Russell), American Playground (Franklin between Milton & Noble), Greenpoint Playground (Franklin between Commercial & Dupont), Transmitter Park (Greenpoint Ave @ the water), Cooper Park (Maspeth & Morgan), Jamie Campiz Playground (Marcy & Metropolitan)
WHAT: 13th Annual FREE Summer Starz Movies
WHEN: Fridays, July 7th to August 11th, 8pm
WHERE: Transmitter Park, Greenpoint
COST: FREE!
School’s almost out and Town Square’s free family movie nights are back for the summer. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for these six Friday nights, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy coming up next week on July 7th. Bring a picnic blanket, your friends & family to Transmitter Park on the gorgeous Greenpoint waterfront.
Check out our roundup of summer outdoor movies here. This Friday June 30th there’s a French film screening at Transmitter, and next Wednesday Mean Girls will be at McCarren.
Are you the style queen or king of minimalism? Oak (55 Nassau Ave) has a pack of too-cool-for-school pieces that are perf for Greenpointers with a streamlined capsule wardrobe. With their simple-but-chic with rough around the edges aesthetic, it’s no wonder that this shop is a Greenpoint mainstay.
Browse some of our top picks for major swag and style.
It’s summer, y’all (temps almost broke 90 today so we can officially say that now), which means it’s time to get your butts out there and see some live music and DJs. North Brooklyn is awash with options this year, some of them free and some of them not so free, but all of them are awesome. We’ve got rooftop parties, music festival afterparties, soul and rap legends, indie bands, pizza and tacos galore. Also, booze. Check out our roundup of this season’s seriously massive music lineup.
GOVERNORS BALL AFTER DARK | Various venues around North Brooklyn & Manhattan
Governors Ball is back again this year on June 2-4, and the epic music fest is also serving up some awesome night shows too, and most of them happen to be right here in North Brooklyn. Some shows are already sold out, so either jump on some Craigslist tickets or try to snag some for the shows with tix still left!
Here’s the lineup of shows in our ‘hood:
Thursday June 1:
CHARLES BRADLEY @ BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Ave) // 8pm // Sold Out
Friday June 2:
RÜFÜS DU SOL (DJ SET) @ SCHIMANSKI (54 N 11th St) //10pm // Sold Out
MUNA @ BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Ave) // 1130pm // $20 tickets
ROOSEVELT @ BROOKLYN BAZAAR (150 Greenpoint Ave) // 11:59pm // $16 tickets
WELLES @ KNITTING FACTORY (361 Metropolitan Ave) // 1130pm // $12 tickets
MARK RONSON X KEVIN PARKER @ OUTPUT (74 Wythe Ave) // 10pm // $15-25 tickets
Saturday June 3:
THE AVALANCHES @ BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Ave) // 1130pm // Sold Out
PARQUET COURTS @ VILLAIN (307 Kent Ave) // 11pm // $20 tickets
ROYAL BLOOD @ WARSAW (261 Driggs Ave) // 11:59pm // Sold Out
YG, CHARLI XCX & ANIK KHAN @ SCHIMANSKI (54 N 11th St) // 10pm // $25-30 tickets
THE ORWELLS @ KNITTING FACTORY (361 Metropolitan Ave) // 11:59PM // $15 tickets
Monday June 5:
FRANZ FERDINAND @ WARSAW (261 Driggs Ave) // 8pm // Sold Out
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Ok, so we’ve been stuck in the weather purgatory that is Spring (it’s hot/it’s cold/it’s rainy/it sucks), but it’s already time to start planning out our summer outdoor activities—because before we know it we’ll be stuck in blizzard land. In North Brooklyn we’re lucky to have three awesome options for watching movies outdoors this summer! Because who doesn’t love a good excuse to sit amongst the fireflies and watch the sun set on a blanket next to their honey (or doggie) with a pre-hot-mess Lindsey Lohan snarling on the big screen? (See Mean Girls at SummerScreen in McCarren, Wednesday July 5th).
THE SUNSET SCREENINGS — ROOFTOP MOVIES AT DOBBIN STREET
A new free monthly rooftop film series, The Sunset Screenings, kicks off May 24th and runs through September. The free movies will screen at local event space Dobbin St (64 Dobbin Street) on their 3,000 sq ft rooftop terrace. Just as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline, the films will begin. To complement the view, the series is“city” themed, representing the world’s most iconic cities from New York to Tokyo with a carefully curated list of films. Here’s the schedule:
As co-founder Mohan Kumar tells it, OddFellows in Williamsburg has an origin as sweet as its ice cream.
“When Holiday was pregnant Sam [Mason] brought over ice cream, and she loved it. At the time I was looking to get out of what I was doing in real estate finance and do something more entrepreneurial, more creative,” Kumar shared. “A couple days later, she said, ‘Why don’t you talk to Sam about opening an ice cream shop?’ I said, ‘That’s a great idea.’ I approached Sam about that over a beer, I had half a business plan already written out, and that’s how it started.” Continue reading
Waking up at 4 AM this morning, I fumbled around on my iPhone for podcasts to kill time until dawn. Garrison Keillor’s show came up first.
Keillor always ends with a poem, and on this episode it was Route Six by Stanley Kunitz, that follows the poet’s summer road trip to Cape Cod with his wife.
To get everyone into the spirit of our own quickly approaching day trips to the beach, I match the mood of Kunitz’ poem by quoting it alongside this weekend’s best live music. Continue reading
In North Brooklyn we’re lucky to be surrounded with artistry—we have dozens of gallery spaces, hundreds of working artists, and street art on practically every corner. So if you live here and you’ve got kids, nurturing their creative side in this neighborhood should be a no-brainer. Of course summertime is a great time to do it, when they’re out of school and need to keep their busy minds and hands occupied. And lucky for neighborhood parents, there’s a truly unique opportunity to send the kids to Tumbleweeds Art Camp right here in Greenpoint.
