If you’re a music fan in North Brooklyn, you’ve probably heard of The HUM, a kickass all-female music fest. In past years, it was held at the now shuttered neighborhood fave Manhattan Inn, and this year Good Room (98 Meserole Ave) is playing host. Last week, Erika Spring from Au Revoir Simone took the stage with several other megatalented megababes. Tonight’s show (which we will be covering) features Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz plus a solid lineup of additional female powerhouses. Tickets ($15) will be available at the box office tonight, and you can get $12 tickets online for the upcoming shows. Rock out with your frock out! Continue reading →
Local lawmaker Peter J. McGuinness began his first term as alderman at the end of World War I when female behavior was rapidly changing, outraging conceptions of proper female behavior. Young women called flappers defied traditional ladylike behavioral expectations by cutting their hair short, wearing pants instead of skirts, and—most shocking for McGuinness—even smoking in public. These rule-breaking new women, like Greenpoint’s Mae West, flouted conventions, shocking traditionalists like McGuinness. Smoking was not just considered unladylike; it was for many a black mark on a woman’s character. A Washington Post editorial in 1914 declared, “A man may take out a woman who smokes for a good time, but he won’t marry her, and if he does, he won’t stay married.”
In 1921, McGuinness, determined to protect public morality, proposed a notorious ordinance in the Board of Aldermen banning women from smoking in public places in New York City. The bill, though was misfiled as a law, although it was never enforced., which only added to the firestorm or controversy around it. McGuinness, asked to explain the smoking ban, answered:
“Young fellows go into our restaurants to find women folks sucking cigarettes. What happens? The young fellows lose all respect for the women, and the next thing you know the young fellows, vampired by these smoking women, desert their homes, their wives and children, rob their employers and even commit murder so that they can get money to lavish on these smoking women.”Continue reading →
(sponsored) Can you believe it has been one year since Brooklyn Groove (102B Nassau Ave) opened in Greenpoint? It’s been said that retail stores are disappearing and soon everything will be delivered by drones. This might is true for computer parts, but not for beauty products. Brooklyn Groove’s customers want to touch, smell, sample and talk about their skincare products with the added benefit of making friends at the store’s fun events. (Last time I checked drones are not BFF material.)
Brooklyn Groove sells the best quality beauty products because it searches for hard to find, organic, natural cosmetics. They knows your health is important to you, which is why they offer the most pure and unprocessed skin care products you can find anywhere. The selection is growing and now they carry the best organic lines on market such as: RMS Beauty, Vapour Organic Beauty, Dr. Hauschka, REN Skincare, CV Skinlabs, Sopwalla, 100 % Pure, S.W. Basic, Griffin Remedy, Ecobrow, Angel Face Botanicals, Meow Meow Tweet, Badger, Acure. And next week they will be receiving Intelligent Nutrients.
Celebrate Brooklyn Groove’s 1 Year Birthday this Saturday, November 15th. They will offer FREE mini facials with Dr. Hauscha products from 12-3pm. (Please book in advance.) Special guest Rachel Winard, the founder of Soapwalla, will be in the store talking about her inspiration for her organic skincare line after quitting her corporate job to start her own business. If you haven’t tried it, her natural deodorant is a bestseller!
And don’t forget the complimentary wine, free makeup consultations and real people.
It’s you’re every Fridayafter work happy hour at Broken Land and that hit-the-spot Pina Colada (yes, Tiki drinks are in) is mixing with that it’s the weekend feeling. The last of your crew arrives and the plan is to grab a slice at Franklin Pizza then head to 67 West to check out a few openings.
As you sprinkle the garlic power onto your slice (too much garlic powder) and begin to set it down on the counter, you instead put it into the hands of a stranger – a smoking hot stranger. You lock eyes for a moment. You both seem to understand each other’s mutual love for late night garlic breath make out sessions. (There aren’t many of you.) You think I may have met “the one.” You get tunnel vision and can see the entire universe expanding before your eyes. Then someone grabs your arm abruptly and drags you onto Franklin St.
Reconnecting Isn't Easy With Happn
“Eat and walk. Eat and walk,” your friend says.
“But…” you say as you look back at “the one” while shoving the slice into your mouth.
“Did that Pina Colada go to your head?” your friend says, “Back to reality.”
At the Fowler opening, the show statement for “Life of the Party” seems to have a message in it specifically for you. “Everyone wants to be the life of the party, but most of us also grapple with the need to be apart from the group, either in search of solitude or for the purpose of breaking new ground …”
You look around and realize you know every single person in the room – dated a few of them, even. This is reality. This is why you aren’t meeting new people. It isn’t your garlic breath that is holding you back, it’s that you travel with the same circle of friends to the same places. They are great people, but you long for new connections. You came to NYC to meet new people, but where is everybody? It seems like everyone is running around as busy as you and even when those magical moments happen, you are torn away.
Garlic dream lover wasn’t a random subway creep or an online fling but a real person and you want to reconnect – but how? Of course, there is an app for that.
Happn, a new app created in Paris, helps you meet people you’ve chanced upon in real life, be it at Transmitter Park while admiring the skyline, digging through vinyl at Record Grouch or eating a Donut Ice Cream Sandwich at Peter Pan (yes, heaven).
It uses your smartphone’s GPS to locate potential matches, real people who may be into the same things you are. Whenever you crosses someone’s path who also uses the app, his or her profile is added to the top of your feed.
If you’re interested you tap on the profile and start interacting with a simple “like” or a self-assured “charm.” If there is a mutual match in “likes,” you can start chatting. The interactions are based on reciprocity, and you will not receive messages from someone you’re not interested in.
Happn is safe and confidential. Your location is not saved and remains completely invisible to other members (only the position of where two people have passed each other is registered). Happn will never post anything on your Facebook feed, and if a profile no longer interests you, you can decide to never cross paths again. If only it was that simple in real life! You can report any unwanted behavior or block a profile by flagging it.
The app is already really popular in Europe, and you can use it when you travel! It is works on iPhones and Androids. Open it everyday to see a world of potential matches in Greenpoint or beyond. Reconnecting was hard to do, but not anymore with Happn.
“A woman is not a potted plant
her roots bound
to the confines
of her house…”
“A Woman Is Not A Potted Plant” by Alice Walker
We all have stories. What does it mean to be a woman? Sometimes it’s beautiful, engaging, and wondrous. Sometimes it’s violent, traumatic, and oppressive. Hobby Lobby wants to rule out birth control. A young woman was stabbed for eschewing a prom date because she already had a boyfriend. #yestoallwomen surges through social media after a tragedy where women — and men, too — were brutally murdered because of oppressive thoughts brought down on women. Heather Marie Scholl conjures a poignant and powerful commentary on what it means to be a woman by sharing stories.
Dear readers – we’re excited to announce the launch of our new Greenpoint matchmaking series, Love Bites! Inspired by similar efforts by The Boston Globe Magazine and The Guardian, we’re partnering with some of your favorite neighborhood restaurants and bars to set up complimentary dates for Greenpointers who want to meet someone new. Here’s how it’ll work:
1) Submit your information to us via the form below – include a photo to help us get to know you. Continue reading →
Fuzzy psych-pop trio Video Daughters summoned this week’s commute-friendly playlist. Catch Video Daughters Saturday, June 7 in the backyard of 94 Evergreen in Bushwick with Alien Trilogy. Come stroll with us after the jump.
Before we reveal the final interview in our Women’s History Month series (yes, a roll-over from March ,but worth the wait!), we want to shine a spotlight on the excellent reader nominations we received but weren’t able to connect with in person for interviews. These are some Greenpoint women we should all know about:
Jennifer Fiore & Nina Lalli, MONDAYS Projects
Nominated by their friend Nicole, Jennifer and Nina originally met in a Monday night ceramics class and now share a studio in Greenpoint where they make beautiful pieces by hand. MONDAYS ceramics can be found at Joinery, Warm, Spina, Mrs. Robertson/Gabriela de la Vega, and at BRIKA. Jennifer and Nina have also crafted custom plates and cups for the dining room at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
Erin (left) and Agatha (right) - courtesy of Ovenly
Nominated by an adoring stranger, who shared: “I’d like to nominate Agatha Kulaga & Erin Patinkin from Ovenly. It’s one of my favorite places in the neighborhood, and I’m happy to support local businesses. I actually don’t know them, so this is not a very personal nomination…but I enjoyed reading about their business and love visiting their little bakery.” Note to that reader: they were honored to hear of your nod to them! Continue reading →
We have another awesome Greenpoint woman’s tale to tell today. Sogoal Zolghadri’s talents as an artist and baker came to our attention through her roommate Nina’s glowing nomination:
Sogoal Zolghadri is not only a fantastic Greenpoint-based cookie decorator (and baker), but also an incredible watercolourist. Her cookies have been featured by Vogue, Martha Stewart, Free People, Nasty Gal, and countless blogs. She makes Greenpoint awesome by headquartering her incredible Sogi’s Honey Bakeshop here. Continue reading →
Free yourself from the toxic chemicals you put on your skin everyday at a Beauty Liberation Party this Saturday from noon-8pm at Brooklyn Groove (102B Nassau Ave). Spring cleaning beings with your body, so throw away those harmful synthetic cosmetics and come to this non-toxic skin care party with lots of freebies!
Try natural beauty products, score a complimentary (that means FREE!) makeup consultation and check out a presentation of flawless long lasting airbrush makeup at 7pm. All brides-to-be (and your entourages) are welcome! Wait, there is more…
Enjoy a free mini facial and take your chance in a raffle to win prizes like cosmetics sets or brunch for two at Raizes, Greenpoint’s new Portuguese restaurant.
Not to mention there will be complimentary wine carefully selected by Vine Box and get grooved away with music by DJ DLP! Healthy make-up was NEVER this fun before.
If you’re a music fan in North Brooklyn, you’ve probably heard of The HUM, a kickass all-female music fest. In past years, it was held at the now shuttered neighborhood fave Manhattan Inn, and this year Good Room (98 Meserole Ave) is playing host. Last week, Erika Spring from Au Revoir Simone took the stage with several other megatalented megababes. Tonight’s show (which we will be covering) features Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz plus a solid lineup of additional female powerhouses. Tickets ($15) will be available at the box office tonight, and you can get $12 tickets online for the upcoming shows. Rock out with your frock out! Continue reading 
