Winter, Release Your Grip

Snow covers the sidewalk on a Brooklyn block

As snow once again covers my commute to work, I can do nothing more than reminisce of the pleasures of warmer days and long for the embrace of above 50 degree weather in Spring that I know will soon come *crosses fingers*.

Wishing the frozen clouds over SoHo would "Love Me"

I am reminded of 5 years ago, when I first moved to Chicago in the debt of winter (disclaimer: I do enjoy winter and the cold and moderate amounts of snow to liven or enshrine the landscape, depending upon your view; however...), I was given a harsh greeting and I longed for the warmer months when the city comes out to play and invite you out for drinks, parties, etc.  I'm ready for that phase here in New York.  I arrived mid-Summer and managed to wander a bit through the city but I'm ready to really experience this city full cycle.

I've slipped on this corner of Crosby Street twice this season

Cold Winter

With that being said, Winter, please release your sleeper hold on us.

- Keilon

Getting snow is like winning a lottery. With snow storms, you have a windfall of amazing little flakes that once fallen create a wonderful clean blanket of newness and magic. Full of possibilities. But then you wake up at five in the morning to realize that this beautiful snow will be a hazard to your life on your journey to work. No Bueno. 

So here's to hoping spring weather is just a hop, skip and a jump away. (That's close right?) Anyway bring on the warmer, not hot, weather. Spring and Autum are my thriving seasons. These seasons are full of nature shifts that keep everyone on their toes and I need a change of pace. 

- Amanda

DIY: Artisanal Craft Day

My latest urban endeavor finds me in the house all day cooped up with a sewing machine and a dream, errr, or loosely formed idea of how to save $25 or more on a genuine leather camera strap for my new vintage Canon AT-1 film camera.  Also, the idea of handcrafting my own pieces makes the labor of love that much sweeter.

I've recently been working on a secret photography project that will very soon come to fruition (more details on that to come later).  However, since procuring this vintage camera, it was only right that the camera accessories have that same flair for eccentricity.

Enter: Vintage Black Leather Jacket

This jacket probably cost me about $10 while thrifting back in Chicago (I miss paying thrift store prices for secondhand items; it doesn't work that way here in NYc). Due to the broken zipper that I swore to have fixed before the first wear, this jacket was steal. Fast forward three years and this jacket has finally come full circle in its investment potential.

In an effort to preserve the numerous original panels from the jacket's designer construction made for some interesting fabric pulls.

Enter: Seam Ripper

Tedious process...

Having a functional sewing machine in your place is beautiful thing and great way to let your creative juices flow for a couple of hours. I've got access to 3 of these devices in my home. I've never had formal training in how to use these but that's never stopped me from doing anything in life. Learn as you go. My best sewing tips to share so far: steady your hands and move slow until you develop your technique.

Machine work:

Finished Product:

I'm looking forward to sharpening my sewing skills so that I can repurpose more of the remnants of my leather; stay tuned.

- Keilon

When will spring get here?

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NYC

even though I know winter won't last forever... I'm ready for spring to have it's turn... 

Urban Learning Day

I've been an official Brooklyn resident for just over 6 months now and I'm slowly but surely finally getting a chance to explore my city or more politically correct--borough.  I have to admit that for the first few months of my relocation The City (the landmass that is Manhattan Island; you know, the SoHos, the Times Squares, the Central Parks, etc.) was more so my life than the place that I laid my head every night.  I knew more about SoHo, the neighborhood in Manhattan where I work, than Crown Heights, here, in Brooklyn where I reside--that concerned me.

If you're looking at New York City as a whole entity, frankly, it's quite hard.  New York City is a vast conglomeration of 5 separate cities, officially known as boroughs--Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx.  For the most part, each of these boroughs alone would be one of the largest cities in America.  Despite their separate identities they all come together under one flag that is New York City and they are a damn proud people.  Nevertheless; where does one start in the process of becoming a "local?"

The answer to that question finds me in Prospect Heights taking a leisurely stroll through Grand Army Plaza to the Brooklyn Public Library on a Monday afternoon.  A library card is the skeleton key to a corridor of endless entryways (too dramatic?).  In all seriousness, your local and/or in this case regional library is a great resource for a transplant (incoming resident from another city) to begin to learn what their community has to offer.  Here at the Brooklyn Public Library, one can find community calendars, learn new languages, take creative writing classes, join a book discussion club, apply for a passport, take classes to learn valuable job readiness skills, relax in the café and make a new friend over  a warm drink (perfect central meet-up spot for the cold winter months), use the internet, or even read a book, maybe?

At the end of the day, when moving to a new community there's a plethora of new things to learn and explore and your local public library has a wealth of information and services to get you well on your way.  Happy exploration...

- Esoteric

"Here are enshrined the longing of great hearts and noble things that tower above the tide, the magic word that winged wonder starts, the garnered wisdom that never dies." (Roscoe C. Brown)

Selected Shots:

Fin.

Pause for Prose

2.11.2014: While crossing the Manhattan Bridge, a moment of poetry hit me:

I'm still writing to you.
This time, I'll address you as future.
Time yet spent, up against hours, days, months, years of wisdom playing in mental blocks upon repeat.
Upon request, failures remembered while abstracts of what to do again differently diffuse from situations rendered.
Upon request I fly to you on a whim; 
Future...
I see you; because I know that you're there. 
Because I know that you long for me too
My failures remind me of that.

- Esoteric

One Hour in The Brooklyn Museum

Today's adventure was a trip to The Brooklyn Museum. After months of delay, the time and opportunity was finally granted to check out the museum. First of all the museum is massive and one really needs an entire afternoon well into the evening to take most of it in.

With that being said, and by nothing short of luck, we were able to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit:  thanks in part to a really nice coworker, friend, and corresponding wrist sizes. I've wanted to visit this exhibit ever since I saw a poster for the Gaultier exhibit on the train. Before entering I imagined the exhibit would have a nice overview of the designer's career, a few key iconic designs, and lots and lots of photos. WRONG

Upon walking into the exhibit, there was a wall timeline of Gaultier's life covering important moments from his development all the way to Every Collection He Has Ever Created! Among the many amazing mannequins dressed in Gaultier classics there is even an interactive 3D styled video display on each of the mannequin faces that is quite "freaky" for a lack of a better word but a very nice touch nevertheless. There are projectors pointed as such to where it looks like the mannequins are singing and talking. There is even a mannequin for Jean Paul Gaultier himself that welcomes you to the exhibit in multiple languages.

The collections on display include The Modern Man collection of fall 96-97, the Mermaids collection of 2008, The Virgins collection of 2007, Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour of 1990 and one of my favorites; the Punk Cancan collection of 2011. Arriving towards the end of the day, we were a little rushed. However, I did learn a few new things and took lots of pictures and have plans to go back to fully experience this amazing exhibit as well as the rest of the museum.

Here are a few shots of the exhibit that we took. Enjoy and be sure to check out this exhibit if you are in the area. it's on display until February 23rd.

Life on the Rocks: Urban Exploration Day

Above the tide,

Yet weathered from erosion;

Beyond the waves,

But a slave to the surf.

Ones environment dictates much about their life and its inevitable experiences.  Human geography is a broadly vast experiment.  With that being said, I personally seek to suit up in my lab coat, glasses and gloves and blow shit up as often as possible.

Today's experiment took us into the field known as the Wiliamsburg neighborhood, with a quick romp into adjoining Greenpoint.  Often known as "Hipsterville," be it affectionately or otherwise, this section of northern Brooklyn offers a large array of diverse dining and shopping experiences as well parks and natural scenic grace (as natural as can be in a heavily built environment such as New York City) .  As diverse and the commercial real estate is also the housing offered in the area.  There's everything from high rise condominiums to walk-up apartments and, characteristic of Brooklyn, gorgeous brownstones.  With such a wealth of contrasts, it is quite amazing how well these neighborhoods operate in harmony; even with all the damn tourists.

- Keilon

“In wisdom gathered over time i have found that every experience is a form of exploration”

  -Ansel Adams

“...and i plan to experience a lot by the end of my time.”

-Amanda

with that being said, we ventured into a little place known as “hipsterville”, pardon, williamsburg is what this area is called. it’s a journey to get to depending on where you call home in new york city. we took three trains to get there; borough hopping from brooklyn to manhattan back to brooklyn. but once we got there and saw that the sun was still out i was happy i made the trip. it's a nice little area that reminds me of neighborhoods from home (Chicago). our reason for making this trek was to explore the Brooklyn Flea's winter market-Smorgasburg.

brooklyn flea is a very large market where one can procure vintage, modern, new, used and modified items as well as fill your belly with delicious grub. we decided to have a breakfast classic; a chocolate doughnut from Dough Brooklyn. and it was amazing! (had two actually) and browsed lots of sparkly jewelry and cool rustic home decor.

after the flea market we explored more of the area walking leisurely even though it was windy and chilly making sure to take everything in. getting brunch at Mable’s Smokehouse & Banquet Hall and traveling to the greenpoint waterfront to see the east river at sunset. overall this exploration experience was nice. williamsburg, we may be back soon…

-Amanda

Selected shots of the day:

From Brooklyn...

...to Manhattan

Public Transit in NYC can be a daunting and incoherent excursion.  Why must you travel from Brooklyn just to make it back to Brooklyn via grumbling train ride through lower Manhattan?

Street art and murals have come to define much of this portion of Brooklyn

Amanda surveys the scene on 5th & Berry

The scene in front of the Brooklyn Flea's Smorgasburg

....from clothing...

...to trinkets...

...and, of course, food!

There's a little bit a lot of everything to see and eat at these Brooklyn Flea sponsored events.  Be sure to visit www.brooklynflea.com for information and schedules on their various markets throughout the year.

Street Scenes:

thoughts on the wall

There's no shortage of street art in Williamsburg.  One can argue that at times, there's a bit of visual overstimulation but how can you not love art?  And by love art, how can you not appreciate the process of seeing and loving or seeing and loathing; be utterly intrigued or utterly disgusted; whatever your reaction may be you felt something and that's the central theme to revisit in life.  If this post leaves you with nothing else, take away  the desire to Feel Something.

photo-op time...
                                     The eyes are always watching
almost as effective as the yellow lines
                                                                             Chilly
Vivid
                                                      the pursuit of "Epic"

trying to find "that shot"
                                                             Behind the wallStreet art

Greenpoint Waterfront:

After the endless bombardment of industrial fortresses that crowd the Williamsburg portion of the East River it's nice to break into the somewhat more serene setting of the Greenpoint waterfront at WNYC Transmitter Park between Kent Street and Greenpoint Avenue.Taking it all in...

Nearing sunset......Manhattan across the East River

Amanda near sunset......Keilon's silhouette

testing lowtide...

...relinquishing camera duties

shutterbug......Greenpoint Avenue

Fin.