Art In the Making!

So I checked out Brooklyn Flea this weekend in Williamsburg and met a potential vendor to sell with. I liked her, and she is interested in selling her own stuff with me! She thinks our art is complementary. And she is more experienced at selling in person (which is true of anyone who's sold their art/craft in person) and is going to make/procure a table/stand for us as well. I've only just applied to sell at Brooklyn Flea a few days ago, so we'll see. But I'm not losing any sleep over it. I may as well try selling on Bedford Ave, Union Square, Highline Park and/or Central Park for free first. Thank goodness for freedom of speech for allowing "expressive matter" vendors to sell license-free in New York!

Now I just have to go to the art store and find frames/covers to present my art, and to wait for prints and postcards of my art to arrive.  I've also been updating my Imagekind site lately and opened up a Cafepress store the other day. Here's to pursuing the dream in NYC!

I wrote an article yesterday, Williamsburg on the Cheap - I am trying to rekindle my love for the 'hood and all its wackiness. Free people-watching, music, art and more, it's true....

Here's to Summer 2012 in NYC.

Fun New York Christmas-Related Events

I want to go to both of these!!!! Who's in?

The House of Yes Christmas Spectacular in Williamsburg and The Hard Nut at BAM in Brooklyn!





December 16th, 17th and 18th

THE HOUSE OF YES CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: Xmas Around the World

House of Yes is at it again, with the second annual House of Yes
Christmas Spectacular! This year, producer duo Anya Sapozhnikova and
Kae Burke are bringing audiences “Xmas Around the World”, a
delightfully offensive celebration showcasing different cultures and
their customs of Christmas joy.

Featuring more talent than that other “Christmas Spectacular”,
this show will be overflowing with festive theatrics including racist
reindeer, Chinese elves, holiday aerialists, and international Santas!

Performers from the Lady Circus, Dead Bunny Burlesque, Spazz Hands,
Desert Sin, extra special guest Miss Rosewood and many more will be
bringing Christmas cheer to the stage this year guaranteeing that this
will really be the Most Wonderful Show of the Year.

Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm

$20-$40 sliding scale. Limited number of $15 tickets will be available
for the Thursday show, first come first served basis.

Tickets will only be available at the door, cash only please.

(PG13: strong language, drug references, nudity(full frontal, male and
female), sex, racial profiling, strobes.)

House of Yes Theatre

342 Maujer Street (near Morgan Ave)

Grand St. L train

All proceeds go to benefit House of Yes theatre improvements for 2011!

www.houseofyes.org/events

and ...

The Hard Nut

Part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival

Dec 10, 11 & 15—18, 2010, 7:30pm
Dec 12 & 19, 2010, 3pm

The Hard Nut is the annual Richard B. Fisher Next Wave Presentation, which receives special support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.

Presented by BAM and Mark Morris Dance Group

Featuring the MMDG Music Ensemble with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Conducted by Robert Cole
Choreography by Mark Morris

"Morris' choreography is formally dazzling, uproariously funny." —San Francisco Chronicle

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Mark Morris Dance Group reprises its irreverent and much loved The Hard Nut, a retro-modern take on the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Morris’ rendition—which has won Ovation TV’s Battle of the Nutcrackers contest for three years running—transplants the story from the decorous 1890s to the swinging 1970s, a freewheeling era realized with panache and wit. Inspired by the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous score, and the comic book art of Charles Burns, Morris captures the beauty and tenderness of this classic while infusing it with supreme musicality and raucous humor.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
120min with intermission
Tickets: $25, 45, 60, 70

Appropriate for ages 4 & up

Set design by Adrianne Lobel
Costume design by Martin Pakledinaz
Lighting design by James F. Ingalls
Based on the novel by ETA Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Christmas Cheer in Williamsburg!

So I missed the Santacon barcrawl/party this Saturday, but in honor of both having recovered from a cold and having an old friend in town, I went out this weekend and had my fair share of holiday cheer.

The weekend started off on Friday at Happy Ending, my favorite LES dance bar, which fully lived up to its reputation. And Saturday we kept it local, even though, as my friend remarked, as Brooklyn seems to be getting trendier, perhaps "Manhattan is the new Brooklyn" in terms of weekend parties.

But I ended up Saturday at Whiskey Town, which apparently started in the East Village but is now open right on Berry Street in Williamsburg. And we danced the night away with Santas.

'Tis the season!

Post T-Day Haze

Always nice to get away from NYC for a few days, and at the same time, returning makes me appreciate it all that much more. 

Post family-Thanksgiving fun, I am still in a bit of a food coma.

 I had my fair share of this turkey!

 Yet sometimes I just crave a good slice of pizza.

Thank you, Anna Maria's, the lovely pizza place right by the Bedford Ave. L stop.

I was even craving their pizza so badly one night that I made up a rhyme: "My name's Maria Rosaria, and all I really want is a slice of pizza from Anna Maria's pizzeria." If you haven't tried pizza from this place, I recommend it. The staff's humor is an added bonus.

City Reliquary's "Thurd THursday": Show and Tell Open Mic

I may have to check this out this Thursday:

For November’s Thurd THursday, the City Reliquary is returning to its roots – to the central reason it exists and the core of its mission – sharing stories behind collections! Due to the overwhelming success of Return of Collector’s Night at the Knitting Factory on October 11th, with over 200 people admiring the collections of a dozen avid New Yorkers, the City Reliquary Museum and Civic Organization is dedicating its November’s Thurd THursday to a Show and Tell Open Mic. Every object tells a story.

Hosted by minutiae-centric journalist Paul Lukas (whose past showing and telling at the City Reliquary has included an exhibition of his vintage recipe booklets with the word "Meat" in the title,) the Show and Tell Open Mic will be an evening dedicated to YOU and YOUR favorite item. Not a collector? That’s okay! We’re more interested in the Showing and Telling of stuff than the collections they come from. Bring your favorite thing and Show and Tell its stories at the CR on Thursday November 18th. Show us why its your favorite; Tell us where you obtained it and whether or not it comes from a larger collection of items just like it. Share the provenance of your item and how many stories are contained within it. Just share all this info in 3 minutes or less – there are other Show and Tellers who want to take the stage right behind you!

(City Reliquary, on Metropolian Ave., Williamsburg)

Show and Tell Open Mic Night at the City Reliquary
Thurd THursday, November 18th, 2010
Doors at 7, Open Mic begins at 8pm.
$5 suggested donation much appreciated. Delicious beers from Brooklyn Brewery available
370 Metropolitan Avenue at Havemeyer, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn.

Early November NYC Adventures

I would say my fun last week began on Wednesday, November 3, when I met up with my friend to eat dinner at DuMont in Williamsburg. With a heated backyard garden and a pan-seared scallops special, my dining experience at DuMont was truly exquisite.

(The heated backyard garden at DuMont, open and airy,
and even more romantic and alluring by night.)

Then on Thursday, November 4 was Yelle at Highline Ballroom. Although I understood only a handful of the words in Yelle's lyrics, the songs are truly infectious, with high-energy rhythms and the lilting sounds of Yelle's titillating French.



And on Friday, I had yet another lovely Williamsburg dining experience: at Dressler's, located in South Williamsburg incredibly close to me. Dressler's is easily the most upscale place I have yet dined at in Williamsburg, with its charmingly decorated interior accentuated with classy chandeliers. Although my date was unable to secure reservations (unless we wanted to eat close to 10 pm), we enjoyed dinner and drinks at the bar, accompanied by a seemingly unending stream of fresh rolls. And topped off with a fresh apple tart. I do have to warn, it's not the most vegetarian-friendly place for dinner. This just means I'll have to return soon to Dressler's to try their brunch...

(Dressler's, above)

Yum. It has been a delicious week.

And speaking of delicious, I also finally redeemed a LivingSocial special for a box of handcrafted chocolates at Bespoke Chocolates, a simple, elegant chocolaterie in the East Village. Bespoke's profile on their website reads:

"Bespoke Chocolates is an award-winning artisanal chocolaterie established in New York City in 2008. Bespoke Chocolates specializes in the production of luxury handcrafted chocolates created with the freshest ingredients. Our chocolates are of the finest quality on the market, marrying classic European techniques with modern flavor profiles. Our Bespoke Chocolate shop, located in New York City’s East Village, features an open kitchen, allowing our guests to watch and interact with our chocolatier. It also serves as a unique destination for experiencing chocolate through regular in-store classes, tastings open to the public, and private sessions with our chocolatier for groups or corporations."

With chocolate morsels such as pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels, Turkish coffee bonbons and orange-infused dark chocolate, Bespoke Chocolate's diverse array more than compensates for is small size. I may just have to find out when the next chocolate tasting is.

(Above, the Turkish coffee bonbon.
As described on BeSpoke Chocolate's website:
"Soft Caribbean dark chocolate ganache, delicately infused with cardamom and coffee.
Not exactly a trip to Istanbul, but close enough for a Tuesday afternoon.")

And last night I discovered an East Village staple, Heather's, a very inconspicuous "dive" bar on East 13th St. (Personally, I see this place as more lounge than dive bar; it is simple and clean without being pretentious.) It was so refreshingly free of 22-year-olds and loud frat-party types that I felt like I was back in Williamsburg, that is, before Williamsburg also became flooded with people from outside hoods and boroughs. Yelpers also rave about their happy hour and DJ's.

So many places to try and so many places to try again.

Dram: Cocktails in S. Williamsburg

Another swanky bar in my part of Brooklyn! Only a few blocks from me, Dram is a stunning mellow bar in Williamsburg featuring premium top-notch cocktails and an unobstructed view of the street.

The place is rustic chic, with the solid wood paneling of the bar, tables and bathroom nicely complemented by the exposed brick of the outer wall.









At 177 S. 4th St, the bar is almost hidden; well, it's visible, but with no name on announcing its identity on the outside, it's one of those places you don't really feel truly comfortable entering until you know about it. Consider yourself informed.

Week/end Re-Cap: Art & Music Galore

First things first. There is a reason why I don't generally like going to swanky, pretentious clubs like Marquee: with $15 drinks, an odd mixed crowd, and a lackluster vibe, I didn't stick around for long. Oh well, you can't blame a girl for occasionally falling prey to the initial appeal .... that all-too-quickly faded.

So I decided to call it an early night yesterday. But before that, I had the fantastic opportunity to see a truly strong music set at Bruar Falls in Williamsburg. As part of CMJ, there was a free, all-day show at Bruar Falls, all bands promoted by KXSC Radio, Los Angeles. The band I went to see at 6:00 pm, Free Moral Agents, had a really perfectly appealing blend of angst, funk, and psychedelic. Quite a sound. With keyboardist Isaiah "Ikey" Owens from The Mars Volta, the band very adeptly mingles hip-hop, r&b and experiemntal stylings to create an addictive, well, psychedelic sound.

After that, I went with my friend to Taco Chulo, a really hip little Tex-Mex restaurant on Grand St. in Williamsburg, where I enjoyed tortilla soup, along with a large helping of chips and guacamole. Yum. If only I hadn't left the neighborhood for Manhattan last night, the evening probably would have gained rather than lost momentum.

And, speaking of staying around Williamsburg, here are some snapshots of my figure drawing sketches from this past Wednesday at 3rd Ward's Drink n' Draw.

Dance Your Bass Off Tonight!

I am going to this event, Dance Your Bass Off, at Union Pool.

Union Pool is seriously one of my favorite neighborhood bars. It is literally the equivalent of at least 3 bars in one, with its front room (featuring a DJ booth, a photo booth, large booths for seating, and frenetic dancing when the time is right), a sprawling, enclosed outside area (with a taco truck!) and a second, swanky bar where bands play, entered via the back, outside area of the bar.

I am sure I have seen Hungry March Band at least once, though I believe it was years ago at Issue Project Room. Regardless, I expect nothing less than a spectacle tonight, with performance not only by Hungry March Band, but also with Stagger Back Brass Band, a Haitian dance troupe and a dance contest.

According to the Hungry March website,"The best rug-cutter receives free drinks, CD's, VIP UCB Assscat tickets, NY Aquarium tickets, candy, and more more more! All proceeds to benefit a friend with massive hospital bills."

EVENT STARTS AT 9p Sharp
!!!DO NOT BE LATE!!!
$12 minimum donation
facebook invite here

Happy TGIF!

Saturday Day Pick: $1 Shopping in the Name of Earth Day!

Buffalo Exchange is having a $1 day sale today, Saturday, April 24, in honor of Earth Day. This sale will be going on at both their Williamsburg and East Village locations, and the stores will be replenishing the $1 bins throughout the day.


Here are the details from their website:

SAVE WILDLIFE FROM TRASH! DOLLAR DAY SALE FOR EARTH DAY

All Locations
Apr 24, 2010

Save wildlife from discarded trash while shopping for hip used clothing at a bargain! In celebration of Earth Day, all proceeds from Buffalo Exchange’s Dollar Day Sale benefit The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection organization. All sale items offered for just $1 each at your local Buffalo Exchange on April 24 will go to the Don’t Trash Wildlife campaign of The HSUS, and three HSUS wildlife centers that rescue and rehabilitate wild animals. Earth Day benefits at Buffalo Exchange stores have raised over $274,000 for environmental causes since 1997.

Don’t Trash Wildlife. Thousands of wild animals are injured or killed every year because of carelessly discarded litter. Food containers become death traps when animals get their heads stuck inside, reaching for tasty residues at the bottom. Plastic floating on the water’s surface looks like food to sea turtles and other marine creatures. Shore birds and other animals become ensnared by fishing line and plastic six-pack rings. By safely disposing of containers, wrappings, and other trash, you can help prevent these tragedies. Three of the wildlife care centers operated by The HSUS often treat wild animals with life-threatening injuries caused by discarded trash. For more information, visit www.humanesociety.org/buffaloexchange or email wildlife@humanesociety.org.

 Stores are open today from 11 am - 8 pm! Vintage shopping for a good cause, I like the sound of it.

Zamaan: New Hookah Bar in S. Williamsburg!

So last night before going to the Passion for Fashion event, I stopped by Trophy Bar in Williamsburg and afterward discovered a NEW HOOKAH BAR right next door to it!

My friend and I were invited to see the new place, Zamaan's, which includes a patio, a swank bar area and a downstairs. The staff were all super-friendly and excited for the new place. They gave my friend and I several flyers for their opening party tonight, which features a free vodka bar from 11 pm - midnight. Oh, and did I mention, there's NO cover! My friend and I were so excited about this place that we literally handed out flyers to people on our walk to the L train as well as on the subway itself.

What is life without good friends who say "excuse me, ladies and gentlemen" on the train and actually get people who want to listen? We definitely spread the word! See below for more info.

Brooklyn Blogs

In honor of my resurrection as a blogger, I thought I would feature some other Brooklyn blogs, from Williamsburg and beyond.

Some notable Williamsburg blogs:

Cultural Reflections of a 20-Something in NYC (shameless self-promotion)

NewYorkShitty

FREEWilliamsburg

Greenpointers

Brooklyn 11211

BikeBlogNYC

BrooklynVegan

Lost and Found, Once Again

As I deleted and have seemingly indelibly lost my old blog (http://culturebyrachel.blogspot.com), to the past, it seems appropriate to start my new blog with an old post on precisely the subject of the lost and the found.

I am re-posting this entry from my old blog, which can still be seen on the Lost and Found NYC blog, below. Appropriately -- and coincidentally -- this post is from exactly a year ago. Thank you to The Lost and Found blog for finding my blog, which I managed to lose as well (go figure), and for re-posting this entry of mine!

From 2009:

I have to say it has been a strange, jarring past two weeks. A strange, jarring past two days, especially.

So last weekend, I had my camera and my phone in my bag; I was carrying my bike down the stairs from my apartment, and my bag fell out of my basket. The consequences, I found: my computer was and is completely intact, my camera screen was broken. What’s a blogger to do without a camera??

Well, I did have my phone camera… and then I was off to prepare to go to the Down & Derby rollerskating party at Studio B in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Of course, during my preparations, my bottle of water spilled over all the belongings in my phone. And, for the night, my phone screen was also broken.

Miraculously, my phone was fine the next day; and I also was able to find an upgrade version of my camera on sale for $100 plus tax (cheaper than the cost of repair or the price of my original camera). Everything was looking up…

Then I saw Lily Allen perform at Roseland Ballroom on Monday, 4/20, armed with my new camera, my phone, and happy as a clam.

Of course, I ended up losing my wallet… which must have fallen out of my bag… and I was freaked out and agonizing over my stupidity and losing all of my wallet’s contents. Another girl’s wallet turned up, which she gratefully retrieved, but the place cleared out – well before midnight – without a trace of my wallet. A staffer there gave me $10 for a cab ride, which I thankfully accepted (thank you!!).

And my cabbie, noticing I was upset, and wondering why my initial request to be driven to Williamsburg, Brooklyn changed to a request to be dropped off on 14th St, was similarly sympathetic: he offered me the extra ride back home free of charge. I returned home, exhausted and grateful for the kindness of strangers, only to find out that I had left my phone in the cab!

And then I found I had an e-mail from a girl who found my wallet, and who returned it to me, complete with all its contents — even the cash — the next day. The irony of losing a phone over a lost wallet, only to have the wallet returned. I swear I am not usually this ditzy.

But I have to say, it has been an interesting lesson/example in both the kindness of strangers and the maxim of “don’t trust anyone.” All in all, I guess I was pretty lucky: only my phone was lost, which I have insurance coverage for. The trials and tribulations of NYC life. I think it can be summed up pretty well by this poster I saw the other day, a rip-off of the “I heart NYC” t-shirt: “I can’t afford to heart NYC.”

Crooked Disco Tomorrow!

First, I have to say that the Anti-Pop Consortium show was excellent - quality "nerd-rap" music styling... my friend and I even had our pictures taken by band promoters with their stickers when we walked in. (Who knows where these pics will end up, if anywhere...)

Then Thursday night I enjoyed the free music at Zebulon in Williamsburg and discovered the funk-soul band, The Moisturizers. Good stuff.

And now, for an evening with friends tonight, and hopefully tomorrow, Crooked Disco at Public Assembly (yes, also in Williamsburg!) It will be a Freaktoberfest celebration. Hmm...

This Friday: Williamsburg Myopenbar Party!

The below information is being promoted by myopenbar and Calexico, and features free Colt 45 as well as FREE Mexican food for several hours.

Party Peeps...
It IS that time of the year...No, not the "Uh-Oh, Oh-no I gotta go back to school and haven't scooped up a brand spankin new trapper keeper with an airbrushed wizard riding a unicorn," and also not the "Oh-Snap I'm going to the tradeshows with my line sheets printed on black & white kinko paper, and haven't booked my flight yet"
...this time of year IS when we blast the summer out with ROCK OUT WITH YOUR GUAC OUT !!!

This Friday, August 28th, we're taking it to Hope Lounge, with all guns firing...
(10 Hope St. Williamsburg Brooklyn Btw Roebling & Havemeyer)

This Event is to celebrate Calexico's Restaurant Opening, ( all the info+writeups on them www.calexicocart.com )
and it's gonna be EPIC ... the event starts at 7pm sharp with
2 HOURS OPEN BAR COLT 45 from 7pm - 9pm
and then it's time to eat, and it's gonna be festivus style..
3 HOURS FREE CALEXICO CALI MEX FOOD from 9-12
chew on that..literally:)

but that's nearly not the half...

This event is completly FREE
and we're going on from 7pm to 4am strong...

Coming with the Jalepeno Hot Sauce on the Turntables, we got
DJ SYNAPSE
DJ DEMIZE
DJ MILKMONEY

... toss in some free $hit from Methods NYC, Laureluxe, & Red Tape ...
Tees for the guys, Jewelry for the girls, and rolling papers for all...
the backyard patio, and thier BBQ will be open as well all night,l
Raised Fist Propaganda on the video/photos.

Saturday - Sunday Afternoon: Outdoor Parties!

So yesterday I skipped out on the Webster Hall party, as well as an underground Danger party and instead spent my evening at Karaoke Cave, a basement karaoke bar in Shanghai Square. 

Karaoke Cave, located at 9 E. 13th St, is conveniently located in the Union Square area, and has recently undergone renovations and a name change. Somehow I passed a few hours in there without even realizing it! Definitely a place worth having a karaoke adventure at.

After that, I wandered around with new and old friends, the new friends (whose private party we crashed at the Karaoke Cave) leading the way to take us to a rooftop party in the vicinity. However, I ended up skipping out, biking to a pizzeria on Bleeker Street and then back home to Williamsburg. 

TODAY, however, there are THREE outdoor parties, all of which I would LOVE to check out. 

(and all of which are free!!)

These are: 

The Pool Party at East River Park, Williamsburg, featuring Girl Talk (free!)

East River Park is located between N. 8th and N. 9th Streets in Williamsburg. Doors

 at 2

.

The High on Life Rooftop Party at Highbar, 251 W. 48th St. at 8th Ave. This party is from 4-11 pm, free with GBH list.

AND:

3rd Ward's Bluegrass BBQ (RAIN OR SHINE), Sunday, August 23, 4 to 9 p, FREE Admission, FREE Colt 45 - 4 to 5 p, Cheap Eats & Drinks

3rd Ward is located at 195 Morgan Ave, Bushwick.

Hmm, it could be possible to at least mellowly enjoy 2 of the 3!!

My Current TOP 10 Favorite Free Things in NYC (SUMMER Edition!)

I have greatly depleted my funds in the past few months, as I work in education and have been traveling in Peru for most of the summer. So, I've been more money-conscious and looking out for the free/cheap way of life recently! Below is my current Top 10 List. Enjoy!

10) Using my neighbors' wi-fi networks. Free internet from the comfort of my home. All the better to read up on the latest cultural and news events, job hunt and update my blog! Alternatively, I enjoy hanging at the free wi-fi cafes in Williamsburg.

9) Myopenbar.com - free drinks, free events, free mingling, free people-watching! - There are seven open bars listed in NYC for tonight alone!

8) Museums. And galleries. Many are free or low-cost, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, which both offer a suggested donation. See a more comprehensive list here.

7) Art gallery openings, such as this one. (Leo Kesting) Free art and complimentary drinks, maybe even snacks too! Also good for people-watching.

6) PARKs - especially the free events, such as Hudson River Park's RiverFlicks and RiverRocks. Tonight they are screening Sex and the City, and tomorrow Yeasayer and Amazing Baby are playing. Both are at Pier 54 (located at the West Side Highway and 14th St). See here for the full Hudson River Park events calendar. They even have free yoga!! Also see New York Magazine's list of free and cheap movies. (Lots of parks offer free film screenings!)

5) Speaking of yoga, I really need to go back to Yoga to the People, which offers free yoga classes every day, throughout the day. (Classes are by donation, and mat rental is $10 if you need one.) They now not only are in the East Village but also offer classes at studios on 27th St. and 38 St. (See directions here.)

4) Even more convenient exercise, and an animal-bonding time, is volunteer dog walking with BARC (Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition) Shelter. They need volunteers from 9-12 pm and 5-8 pm every day. It's a great excuse to stroll around McCarren Park! You also get to meet and play with some lovely pooches in need and maybe some interesting doggie-lovers in the beighborhood as well! (See volunteer info here.) They also need volunteers for the cat loft!

3) The GBH and Shaw Promotion parties. I am still an addict for NYC nightlife. Many events are free or cheap with RSVP (or if you simply know the party promoters' names or get to know the doormen). A lot of large acts play and/or DJ at these parties, and they have fantastic indie dance parties at swank, and not-so-swank, venues around the city.

2) The beach. See the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for a list of beaches.

1) And, I must admit, my favorite free activity: riding my bike around NYC! Just too convenient -- it's a great form of exercise, active commuting and sightseeing. And check it out: NYC is having its fair share of bike share demos -- maybe bike share in the city will one day become widespread here! And downtown Manhattan is offering free bike rentals, through September: http://www.downtownny.com/bikearound.

So who said living in NYC has to be expensive? Or that you need lots of money to enjoy the city?

See also NY Mag's "78 Days of Fun: The best concerts, outdoor events, and culture happenings of summer 2009."

Chasing the Rainy Day Blues Away - Spelling Bee This Monday!

Ok - so, my plan is: Glasslands tomorrow, APW Fri-Sun, and.. Monday? SPELLING BEE! Pete's Candy Store, a bar in Williamsburg (off the Lorimer L stop, at 709 Lorimer St.) is hosting its twice-monthly spelling bee event this coming Monday!



So, for all those over-educated liberal arts grads like myself who at some point envisioned winning a spelling bee, or simply taking part in one, now is the chance! I have only been to a spelling bee at Pete's once before, years ago, but it was a riotously good time, and I made it through... two rounds? I anticipate some good competition!

Sign-up is at 7:00 pm and the bee starts at 7:30.

Also, as an added bonus, if it does not rain for a change, Pete's Candy Store has a lovely backyard!

This Thursday - Party at Glasslands

Hmm, if I go out late Thursday night, I may go to this -- the featured event of myopenbar:

Camp Wanatachi Dance Party

well vodka, $6 cover / 10pm-11pm

Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent Avenue,
at South 1st
Williamsburg

Ah, summer camp. Such sweet memories! Donkey Lips. Psycho killers in hockey masks. That handsy, handsome counselor who liked to visit after lights out...

In honor of all that goodness, GlassLands is throwing a serious summer camp-themed blowout. Crazy-in-the-best-way Unicornicopia invites you and all your nostalgically horny friends to a dance party of epic proportions with music by DJs Caroline Polachek (of Chairlift), Machinedrum, Ben Bromley (of Fischerspooner) and Sam (Z's).

Live performances of "We All Need Jesus in Our Lives" and "Let's Ride Bareback," songs from a new musical about two 13 year-old girls who fall in love at a Christian summer camp, will keep you and the Holy Spirit jazzed big time. Summer camp classics – s'mores, friendship bracelets and hair wraps –and a strictly camp dress code.