♦ SummerScreen: Donnie Darko @ McCarren Park, 6pm, FREE, 16th anniversary celebration of Donnie Darko. Gates open at 6pm, grunge-infused rockers Sharkmuffin plays the TIDAL Rising Stage at 7:30pm, and the film starts at sundown, More info # Banned Countries Dinner Series: Sudan Edition @ Franklin Guesthouse (214 Franklin St), 6:30pm, $125, Celebrate Sudanese food and culture by enjoying a family-style feast inspired by Omer Eltigani, author of the forthcoming cookbook The Sudanese Kitchen. Multiple courses, unlimited house wine and vegetarian options are available, Buy tix ♫ WHAT NOW? Sessions: The Sifer, Sakinah Iman, Paco G Train Bandit @ Terra Firma (119 Ingraham St), 8pm, $5, Fusion of the Hip Hop cypher and the Jazz jam session. Emcees bring your bars. Singers bring your melodies. Musicians bring your instruments. Everyone bring your vibe and let’s rock out, RSVP * Microdosing Workshop: Sacred Plants to Enhance Mind-Body-Spirit @ Narayana Integrative Center (191 Nassau Ave), 8:15pm, $20, Learn how you can feel better, increase energy, improve focus, inspire creativity, balance mood, relax, sleep well, and expand awareness with sacred plant microdosing, More info
THURSDAY 7/20
# American Food and Immigration Policy @ MOFAD (62 Bayard St), 6:30pm, $20, An evening of thought-provoking discussion, followed by an informal reception featuring light refreshments from Brooklyn Brewery and Sonia Perez, a street cart vendor and member of Street Vendor Project’s Leadership Council, More info
♦ Superhero Figure Drawing @ Brooklyn Art Library (28 Frost St), 7pm, $10, Practice your cape drawing skills, with everything from pen to graphite — but leave your kryptonite at home, Buy tix * 3D VHS Festival @ The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave), 7pm, $10, In the garden, the Museum of Interesting Things takes us back to a future that the past never saw coming! See excerpts from movies–not just on VHS, but 3D VHS, More info ♦ Jonathas de Andrade Presents Bodanzky and Senna’s Iracema @ Light Industry (155 Freeman St), 7:30pm, $8, Inspired by neorealism as well as the films of John Cassavetes and Jean Rouch, the directors constructed Iracema by enacting a road-movie scenario inside everyday settings, combining artifice and documentary to yield a richly atmospheric parable whose lessons still maintain a grim relevance, More info ♫ DJ Questlove Presents: Bowl Train @ Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave), 11:30pm, $10, Buy tix Continue reading →
Join Brooklyn art blogazine Hyperallergic and UK’s unoffical speakeasy of the lecture world The Lost Lectures for the second installment of Lost Lectures NY on JUNE 5TH!
A secret venue in Brooklyn will be taken over for an immersive night of never-before-seen talks and performances. The evening includes:
Blonde Redhead‘s Kazu Makino will be surprising the crowd with never before seen material (it’s even a secret to us)
one of the world’s leading gonzo journalists Jon Ronson, who is best known for his investigation into public shaming, will be unveiling his new project
indie filmmaker Josephine Decker will be doing a top secret performance
NYC busker-turned-activist Andrew Kalleen will be bringing a troupe of street musicians for a show-stopping performance
internationally renowned visual artist Diana Al-Hadid will discuss her work and its visual influences
poet, novelist, and artist Tao Lin, who has just published a new book, Selected Tweets, with poet Mira Gonzalez, will surely generate discussion, and
urban explorer Steve Duncan will share the secrets of the city’s underground.
WEDNESDAY 12/03 ♥ Transportation Alternatives Activist Holiday Party @ Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th St) 7pm, FREE, Brews, snacks, remarks from New York’s new class of elected officials, and more, RSVP
* Right to Winwood@ Sunview Luncheonette (221 Nassau Ave) 8pm, FREE, 596 Acres & the Interference Archive present a film and conversation on art outside and the right to shape our neighborhoods, RSVP
* Invisible Reveille Release Party @ Wendy’s Subway (722 Metropolitan Ave) 8pm, FREE, Performances by Clara Lipfert, Niina Pollari, and Carina Finn; hosted by Amy Lawless, RSVP
Tonight at 10:30p.m. three G train stops will go out of service for 5 weeks–Greenpoint Ave, 21st Street and Court Square. One thing on everyone’s mind is how the hell are we going to get around in this mess? Continue reading →
Yesterday I saw (but first heard) an NYPD van with a loudspeaker, driving up and down Grand Street near Leonard with a public service announcement about Vision Zero. Hearing a strange disembodied voice from a van on the street is highly jarring and I quickly felt that I was in some kind of police state/ demilitarized zone and had to evacuate with only one ragged suitcase before all hell broke loose.
The male voice on the speaker was saying something like “ATTENTION: MAYOR DI BLASIO IS GOING MAKE OUR STEETS SAFER [REPEATS THIS MESSAGE IN SPANISH]”. Apparently in Crown Heights this was done in Yiddish.
I fully support Vision Zero and what it represents but this felt like some kind of drive by scare tactic. Or maybe I’ve watched too many post-apocolyptic movies based on Soviet takeovers…
Anyway, I thought to myself, “there must be a better way.” And as if my prayers were answered by the high holy one of urban transit, today, a friend of mine got an email from Transportation Alternative with some useful information. Apparently, tonight there will be a super special street safety forum on implementing Vision Zero in Greenpoint (that’s here, for those of you who just woke up). Continue reading →
For a while now, we’ve been talking about the danger zone of speeding vehicles that is McGuinness Blvd, where some truly tragic incidents have happened over the last year, most notably the death of 32-year-old Nicole Detweiler, who was crossing the street in December when she was fatally hit by two vehicles.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. In 2010, a 28-year-old was the victim of a hit-and-run and later taken off life support after days of being unresponsive due to serious brain injuries. In 2009, a 33-year-old British woman was struck and killed by a flatbed truck where Nassau meets McGuiness. And the list goes on. Continue reading →
(sponsored) One Day in NYC Meet Up @ The Made in NY Media Center by IFP (30 John St) Wednesday 4/16, 7pm, FREE, Grab some drinks, charge your batteries, and brainstorm ideas with fellow creatives, filmmakers, and inspired people for the largest filming event in NYC! Plus: new Uber users get $25 off one trip to or from the meet up with code OneDayinNYC25, RSVP
WEDNESDAY 4/16 * Speak Up for Vision Zero @ Hope Gardens Multi-Service Center (195 Linden St) 6pm, FREE, Join Transportation Alternatives and Bushwick community groups to identify the neighborhood’s most dangerous streets and prioritize concrete safety improvements, More info * Wines of Argentina Presents Cambalache @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar (165 Banker St) 6pm, $80 (includes all food & drink), This unique event showcases the wine, food, art, and music of Argentina, More info * Quiz-Off @ Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer St) 7:30, FREE, Six rounds of twenty questions, first prize is a $75 bar tab, More info
THURSDAY 4/17
♦ Resonance: The Thoughts Before Thought @ Headscapes (26-19 Jackson Ave) 6pm, FREE, In this artist-run group show, the most common objects have deeper meanings, darker pasts, and, most importantly, shared meanings, RSVP
* NYC Basic Tips & Etiquette @ Word (126 Franklin St) 7pm, FREE, Author Nathan Pyle answers questions like how much to tip your tattoo artist and how long you should honk your horn, RSVP * The Triangle Project @ TBA Brooklyn (395 Wythe Ave) 6pm, FREE, A collaborative art, music, activist, and cultural exchange project bringing people together across new boarders and states of mind, RSVP ♫ DRAGnet Two-Year Anniversary @ The Metropolitan (559 Lorimer St) 11pm, FREE, A dozen drag performers including Untitled Queen, Horrorchata, and Merrie Cherry, RSVP Continue reading →
"meeker&frost turned into a beautiful space for remembrance RIP Christopher Meyer" Photo by @nycstreetmem
Last week we talked about speed cameras being voted out of the city budget, which could be a major road block for Vision Zero, de Blasio’s ambitious campaign to end all traffic deaths in NYC. But what’s been most fascinating about the conflict, is seeing the ways in which New Yorkers have responded.
Tomorrow (4/9) Right of Way, a “direct action street justice group,” is taking their protest to the streets, staging a demonstration that will involve stenciling the outlines of 40 bodies on Grand St (Between Columbia and Lewis in the LES), the number of lives they believe will be lost as a result of the speed camera bill. The protest will point fingers directly at lawmakers in Albany, whom they hold ultimately accountable, using #killedbyalbany as a slogan, transposed over a logo of a bloody handprint.
On the other end of the spectrum, a group of about two dozen bikers visited the sites where fellow NYC cyclists were killed, holding make shift memorial services over white ghost bikes, lovingly adorned with flowers and photos. Continue reading →
Our new mayor vowed to find the killer of local landlord, Menachem Stark. Police are following a lead from a cell phone that they found strapped to the bottom of his car, possibly a tracking device.
This isn’t a joke. Crossing McGuinness Blvd. can often be a near death experience and for some deadly. A speed survey confirmed that speeding cars are out of control with over 66% of cars going over the speed limit with accidents averaging at over one per month involving mostly cars and pedestrians. According to the DOT report:
From 2005 to 2009 there were 57 crashes on McGuinness involving pedestrians or bicyclists … Of those, 44 crashes involved pedestrians, with one resulting in death. The remaining 13 crashes, involving cyclists, resulted in three fatalities.
Still, McGuinness is a very anti-pedestrian street. The very location of the roadway, flanked by the LIE and BQE, leaves drivers in highway speed mentality and the lights don’t give pedestrians much time to cross.
Even though safety measures are being created, as pedestrians we need to look out for ourselves and carefully cross the street.
I hung out on McGuinness Blvd at Driggs Ave with a stop watch at about 10am on a Friday morning, when there is a decent amount of foot and car traffic, then went again at 10pm the same night.
How much time do you really have to safely cross McGuinness Blvd?
GREEN LIGHT: During the day, cars on McGuinness have about 1 min. 5 sec. to pass before it turns red, and about 1 min at night.
Meanwhile…
RED HAND: Pedestrians, wait over 1 minute.
I know it’s obvious, but we are all guilty of running against the light. Don’t be an idiot! It’s better to be late than dead. When you see that red hand, don’t risk it – even if there is no traffic.
TOTAL TIME TO CROSS FOR PEDESTRIANS= *45 sec. in am, 55 sec. in pm *includes white hand signal plus countdown
WHITE HAND: Lasts 20 sec. before countdown signal begins in am, 30 sec. in pm
25 SECOND WARNING: At a normal pace, you can make it safely across the two lanes without having to wait on the dangerous divider.
17 SECOND WARNING: At a fast paced walk, you can make it safely across.
9 SECOND WARNING: At a fast jog you can make it across, but don’t risk it.
What if you trip?
RED HAND BLINKING: 3 sec. DO NOT CROSS
The most appalling moment I ever witnessed in Greenpoint was a man who ran to make the light while pushing a stroller in front of him.
DON’T WAIT ON DIVIDER
If a car skips the curb you are dead meat. Don’t risk it.
WAIT ON THE SIDEWALK, NOT IN THE STREET
Impatiently standing on the street is just as dangerous as waiting on the divider. Stay on the sidewalk as far from the edge of the curb as possible. In the event of a crash be as far away from McGuinnes Blvd. as possible.
This article was created with pedestrian safety in mind, but I hope drivers who read this realize that they pedestrians, too. As drivers, if we keep that in mind, and as pedestrians if we safely follow street crossing guidelines, McGuinness Blvd. can be a much safer place for everyone.
How about we rip up the pavement and replace it with sod and turn McGuinness Blvd. into a pedestrian walking mall, with a lane for bikes and emergency vehicles?
WEDNESDAY 7/19
THURSDAY 7/20
