Weekend: Notable Upcoming Activities

Without many specific, concrete plans this weekend, and knowing that there is a plethora of exciting activity going on, I thought, why not blog about it? So, to promote these events and remind myself/keep track of what is going on, here goes my little compilation:

Thursday - Myopenbar.com, Drambuie Presents: Cinema 16
-- GBH presents Cheeky Bastard, LA Riots and more
Friday - Opening Reception, Week-Long Exhibit at Leo Kesting Gallery.
Saturday - Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival
Sunday - LAST FREE McCarren Pool Party, Featuring Yo La Tengo, sponsored by Jelly NYC.
-- FREE Brooklyn Urban Arts Market, curated/sponsored by B.A.M.

Thursday features a free screening of short films by Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer, sponsored by Drambuie and Myopenbar, at Starr Space (108 Starr Street at Knickerbocker, Bushwick)

Thursday also is the regular party at Hiro Ballroom, this week featuring LA Riots, Dave Nada, Streetlab and Wallpaper.

Friday marks the opening reception at Leo Kesting Gallery. Below is a snippet from their e-mail:

As August wraps up the summer season Leo Kesting presents the Estonia Performance Group NON GRATA from the Grace Exhibition Space gallery in East williamsburg, Bushwick. The Performance and exhibition of NON GRATA's photographs and catalogs will be presented at our Meat Packing District gallery on August 21st until the end of the month. A live performance from the group will be presented on the opening night Friday August 22 at 8:00pm

Leo Kesting Gallery is located at 812 Washington St at the corner of Gansevoort in Manhattan's Meat Packing District. A, C, E, or L train to 8th Ave and 14th Street or 1,2,3 train to 14th Street. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 11am until 7pm.

And a flyer for the event:

Saturday boasts a free literary festival in Fort Greene Park (DeKalb Ave & S Portland Ave), beginning at 3 pm, featuring Amiri Baraka. I found this event on Flavorpill.

Sunday marks the last free McCarren Pool Party. Doors are at 2. The headliner is Yo La Tengo, and the openers are as follows: DJ Syd B(Les Savy Fav), DJ David Cross(not in Les Savy Fav), Titus Andronicus, and Ebony Bones.

Sunday also features the BAM Brooklyn Urban Arts Market. Here is the info from the website: Aug 24, 12—8pm
Myrtle Avenue between Grand and Emerson
Music by Soul Summit Music

This summer, party and shop at the Brooklyn Urban Arts Market, a fusion of the dynamic energy of Afro-Punk and BAM with Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project's Community initiatives. The market will feature live music, visual art performances, food from Myrtle Avenue restaurants, and 50 local, DIY vendors selling fashion, art, and accessories.

DJ collective Soul Summit Music, known for their extremely popular neighborhood performances in Fort Greene Park, will be spinning all day long, providing the soundtrack to the market’s dynamism.

Directions
2 blocks from Clinton/Washington and Classon Ave G trains (along Lafayette Ave) and 5 blocks from Clinton/Washington C train stop (along Washington Ave)

Hope you/I go out and experience/enjoy some, if not all, of these events, and all the many others going on!

Williamsburg Festival: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Yes, yesterday I attended not one but two street festivals. Such, I guess, is the nature of NYC in the summertime. The same day I attended the Bastille Day block party in Manhattan, I also wandered through the Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival in Williamsburg. For a full background on the festival, see the description given by NY1: http://www.ny1news.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=9&aid=83605. This festival, though attached to the church, felt much more like a block party than the Manhattan festival I'd earlier attended. Each had their own charms. The charm of this festival is not all the cute cultural booths but rather the rides, the scene, and the festive, even romantic, illuminated appearance that these streets take on.

This Williamsburg Festival, reminiscent of the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy (San Gennaro), spans a few blocks in different directions and features several rides and games as well as countless booths with zeppoles and other Italian festival food. Open for another week, it is worth a stroll through. You can ride a ferris wheel, play to win goldfish, watch the evening's perfomance, and people-watch the mostly Italian and Puerto Rican crowd interspersed with the occasional hipster.

Manhattan Bastille Day Festival

So, the Bastille Day Festival in Manhattan yesterday, July 13th, was both very cutesy French chic and kind of a run-of-the-mill street fair at the same time. The "block party" spanned 60th Street from Lexington St. to Fifth Ave. and featured a disparate mix of French-language booths, from cuisine to spa products to informational cultural booths. However, intertwined with these booths were also the generic, omnipresent street fair vendors with their freshly-made juice smoothies and such.

Of the many crepe booths at the festival, several were the kinds you see at any street fair, and one had to question the authenticity and quality of these more street-oriented vendors. I arrived at the fair with my friend at around 3:00 pm, exactly mid-way through the festival, and it was in full-swing. Navigating our way through the crowds and the heat, we eventually decided to purchase food: I had my eye set on a crepe while she had hers set on a Belgian waffle. After arming ourselves with orange-flavored French Volvic water, we scouted for the best options, bypassing several of the more "authentic"-looking crepe vendors because of the long lines and high prices (a savory crepe here was priced at $9). I settled on, yes, you guessed it, a street-oriented "creperie," where I purchased a $6 mushroom-and-cheese crepe after being informed that they were out of spinach. Already setting myself up for disappointment after not having my first option available, having to wait to order as the chef chose exactly that moment to begin preparations for the following five crepes, and seeing the very scantily filled crepe, I somewhat skeptically began nibbling on my freshly-made crepe as I waited for my friend to purchase her own meal. Ok, I decided, swiss and mushroom was a winning flavor combination, if not as nutritious or complete of a meal as I had fantasized about for my crepe.

I held off on eating my food as my friend, waffle purchase in hand, and I went in search for some warm, savory food for her. She eagerly headed towards Le Souk, a restaurant and club featuring Northern African cuisine. Very shortly afterwards, with purchase in hand -- a heaping plate of rice, vegetables, chicken and spices -- we went to sit with other festival-goers on a sidewalk curb to enjoy our meals. Her meal, the same cost as mine, presented the opposite predicament for her: it was entirely too much food. So our problems were both easily solved as she scooped some of her food onto my plate and we settled into our meals. Having been to Le Souk several times for dancing and drinks (and even once sharing a group's hookah with them), but never for a meal, I have always been impressed by it as a very posh, chi-chi sort of place that even occasionally features live drummers and/or belly dancers as part of the evening's entertainment. Now, having tried a very well-priced sample of their cuisine, I am even more enthusiastic about this place. Visit it sometime, for a meal, a drink, a night of dancing, or just to pop your head in. Le Souk is located on Ave. B between 3rd and 4th Streets: www.lesoukny.com. Now, stuffed but refreshed by the food and the water, we continued our browsing.

My friend and I probably stayed here no longer than an hour. The highlights of the festival, besides my friend's delicious food, included such sights as the delectable French pastries, the accordion player, a booth devoted to the French Metro system, and the general sense of cheer and cultural pride. I succumbed slightly to the dessert offerings, though I was continuously tempted to buy other fancy pastries. My purchase was two chocolate bouchons, a steal at only $1 each, which were as delicious as they were enticing (see above picture). There was also also a stage with performances, though we missed seeing anything, as well as a $5 wine and cheese tasting at the French Institute (originally advertised on the website as $12 for non-members and $10 for members). All in all, I think this Bastille Day "block party" was worth it as an experience, and at its best had hints of something truly special.