Weekend One-Liners 7/25-7/26

Saturday July 25th

Grand Ave Btw Lafayette Av and Clifton Place (Clinton Hill)
Still Hip's 2nd Birthday Block Party! (Lots of free stuff, specials and goodiebags)

Fort Greene Flea

Sunday July 26th

Central Park Summerstage Feat. Joe, Ginuwine & Chico DeBarge from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Fort Greene Soul Summit (House Music, Fort Greene Park)

Red Hook Lobster Pound call for appointment!

There's more but I gotta run!

Photo Wed: 7/22/09 : Full Gallop

Maybe I need to get off the horse. (Photo taken in Red Hook)

Summer's getting away from me. I know it is. I've been hard at work on multiple fronts, and I'm mostly confident my efforts are creating great works, but I can't even really see. It's like I'm tied to the nose of a great vehicle, plowing through the atmosphere, the air ahead rushing into my face, blinding and suffocating me. I turn my head away just to breathe and gather myself. that works, I can breathe. But all I see is a blur rushing past.

I think that rainy day yesterday unleashed a floodgate somewheres.

In other news the Times reported the City Council is considering a bill to reduce the number of incomplete building construction sites that have become eyesores around the city. With the article was a map which I was happy to see included the rusting shell I encountered and wrote about last month.

However according to what I understood of the article, the Council's suggestions seems to be more of an amnesty program for developers who already got in too deep than an actual step to prevent having derelict skeletons left to rot because they didn't secure funding in advanced. The latter would be my preference.

Ikea Explored!

View from the new Ikea in Brooklyn as sun sets, Sweden's most recent American beachhead set's sail.
Is it a new day for Red Hook?

Explored?

Well, if you call exploring the new Ikea over at Red Hook:

Sampling the various Ikea funded means of transport, shuttle bus
(no air conditioning?!? Hot!)

and Water Taxi (common refrain: does anybody know where this boat is going?)

and walking the waterside promenade newly built by the hands of tiny Swedes (I like to pretend)

then yeh, I explored the new Ikea at Red Hook on it's opening weekend.

I have to say, and there are no pictures to support this, it tickles me near to death to watch everybody board their buses and water taxies, with their giant proportioned blue bags in tow, cause it totally makes me think all us kids are leaving the field trip to the dentist (or something) with our oversized bags of educational giveaways (dental floss, pink tooth tabs!?)

Silliness mostly aside, I have to say as industrial renewal and repurposing goes, I don't feel affronted by what Ikea has wrought. Granted of the many Brooklyn neighborhoods I have lived in Red Hook is not one of them, but my feeling overall was Ikea took a sow's ear and made a non offensive purse. Plus so far no Hopen in the waters.

Below are more pictures taken and now also presented in a positive light:





New Brooklyn promenade built by Ikea, no screwdriver required, but for some, suggested

Ikea and photo wednesday cometh together!

Ah today's the day, ikea comes to the city proper, specifically to Red Hook Brooklyn.

I gotta be honest, I am of the fickle set of likes and dislikes that drives me to protest a Wal-Mart but welcome an Ikea. Which I guess means I like swedish meatballs more than corn.

Anyway, today wednesday june 18th is opening day so couch hungry brooklynites; run out and get yo'self some, cause they're giving them all away. Okay they're giving like, one away, but it's one more than anybody else, and after you scarf down those cinnamon buns you'll need somewhere to rest your buns, right?

Today's Photo Wednesday
I call this one: "The shimmering clash of human industry and nature."

Which is why today's photo in keeping with the Red Hook theme, comes from the Gowanus Canal which flows around Red Hook and on into Brooklyn's Gowanus / Carroll Gardens neighborhoods.

This pic is also an attempt to spread the wealth of photo wednesdays further around this great city of Brooklyn and to remind us of Red Hook/Gowanus's recent past of industrial abuse. Now that the Ikea's here, let's hope we don't find any "Hopen" floating in the canal.

RedHook Arts Fest this Weekend in B'klyn & Photo Wednesday(on Friday)

Just got this email and passing it on to you:
It's the 15th Anniversary Red Hood Water Front Arts Festival

It's a packed event and it's free happening tomorrow June 7th and sunday June 8th.
Just another reason to checkout pre-Ikea Red Hook (for those who care of such things)

Also here's Wednesday's Photoday today a little cresent moon rising appropriately over Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn