red, white and brooklyn!

Here’s hoping that everyone had a beautiful holiday weekend, whether you spent it at a barbeque, at Coney Island for the hot dog eating contest watching Kobayashi get arrested, or holed up for some quality time with your AC and a frosty glass of lemonade! I’ll confess that I headed into Manhattan for the beautiful fireworks on the Hudson — they were great!

Have a fantastic week and stay cool!

on the fire escape: tomatoes & herbs

Earlier this week, I posted a shot of my ever-expanding fire escape garden, which is in full swing as we storm into July. I got several sweet comments and a few questions about how to sustain a small urban garden, and I’m happy to say that it’s not too hard — at least in my experience with this small collection of herbs and tomatoes. And the cats are totes spoiled by having fresh nip at their beck and call. If you’re interested in learning more, check out this great list of urban gardening blogs over at Apartment Therapy!

My little garden is now punctuated by beautiful cherry tomatoes (at right), which are starting to ripen and making me hungry every time I throw open the window screen to water them. (Oh, how I love the smell of tomato plants in the summer!)

The light was so lovely last night at sunset that I had break out my trusty vintage 55mm macro lens. Check out the shots below in celebration of the simple pleasures!

The very first tomato of the season – yum!

Oregano and Catnip.

A sprig of rosemary stretches for the sun.

Globe basil, and spicy thai basil!

what are your plans for july 4th?

So, with the holiday coming up just around the corner, we want to know: what are you doing for Independence Day this year? Since Brooklyn’s getting dissed for the second year in a row by the Macy’s fireworks show, are you still checking them out? Or maybe you’ll be too exhausted from the 95th annual hot dog eating contest out at Coney Island. Or maybe the Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays? Even if it’s more your style to BBQ all day or get out of the city, we still want to know. Tell us in the comments!

To help get you in the mood, check out these great fireworks photographs by Barry Yanowitz from last Saturday night’s display along the East River in celebration of the Children’s Day at the South Street Seaport!

afro-punk festival 2010

I rode my bike to Commodore Barry Park early Sunday afternoon to take photos for NYMag.com of the
Afro-Punk Festival. To put it very simply, afro-punk music is alternative/punk music that is created by musicians of African descent. Much like traditional punk, afro-punk is not just a genre, but also a community. To quote from afropunk.com:

Afro-Punk became a touchstone of a cultural movement strongly reminiscent of the early days of Hip-Hop. Alternative urban kids across the nation (and across the globe) who felt like outsiders discovered they were actually the core of a boldly innovative, fast-growing community.

With the temperature in the 90′s and little-to-no breeze, I was surprised to see the festival already buzzing along. The BMX “Battle For The Streets” had gathered a crowd on the street course — complete with stair-set, rails, and grind boxes. The contest ended on a high note with one overachiever doing a backflip off of the ramp and out of the course.

The local vendors were out in flux. There were bikers and skaters riding around, and graffiti artists tagging a wall that had been built for the event. It was a really great day in Brooklyn. Though I don’t identify myself as an afro-punk or even a punk for that matter, I did not feel ostracized by the scene (as can often be the case in scenes). The music was great, and as diverse as the crowd, from hip hop to punk, pop to hardcore, soul to funk-infused metal.

Martin Luther (left) 24-7 Spyz (right)

J* Davey (left) K-OS (right)

Cool Kids

Mos Def, headlining the festival (above and below)

jack and frank’s barber shop

Yesterday, I spotted three wonderful photos from Peter Puleo, but what really caught my attention was the story he’d written which profiles one local Canarsie-based barber. I’m excited to share with you, in Peter’s words, the story of the man behind Jack and Frank’s Barber Shop.

Born during the depression and reign of Mussolini in Castelvetrano, Sicily; Jack immigrated with his brother Frank to America just after World War II and settled in Bushwick, Brooklyn working as a dishwasher in a Knickerbocker Avenue Italian eatery. A decade later, Jack and his brother Frank settled in Canarsie and opened a barber shop on Avenue L. Although Frank passed away in the mid-1990′s, the shop continues to carry both their names.

This little shop continues to thrive as Jack works alone in a much changed neighborhood. Where his customers were once mainly Italian and German Americans, he now has customers of Hispanic, Arab, Chinese, Filipino and Caribbean backgrounds, to name but a few, as well as the small but persistent local white population and those who moved away but come back for a cut and hot shave. Jack is a jovial and very chatty individual with a million and one stories – a true Brooklynite.

For even more photos, stroll on over to Jack and Frank’s Facebook page!

a garden grows in brooklyn

If it’s one thing I think most Brooklynites can agree on, it’s this: the heat and humidity the last few weeks have been oppressive. A couple of weeks ago, we were trying to slow down, take a deep breath, and relax. But now — forget the park. Every time I return home to my apartment, sweat dripping down my nose, the only relaxation I can do is in front of the A/C!

I’m not alone, either. Frank over at New York City Garden begs for rain, Kitty at New York Portraits heads to the dog beach at Prospect Park to cool off, and Marie at 66 Square Feet opines, “Make it stop!”

But my fire escape plants? They’re undeterred. This morning I discovered a single lovely yellow globe on my sun gold tomato plant and the other clusters are well on their way. My four types of basil are all going bonkers and the rosemary is stretching taller and taller each day. The gardens and parks in my South Slope neighborhood are looking lovely, and it seems that lilies are sprouting up everywhere I look!

While I heft the umpteenth gallon of water from my faucet to the fire escape, check out the photos below!

Sweet basil seeks ripe tomato, preferably of heirloom varietal, for match made in heaven. Willing to discuss open relationship with ricotta or mozzarella.

There have been lots of additions to this growing fire escape garden since I last photographed it — nasturtiums, sage, oregano, thyme, and even my succulents are out and enjoying the heat!

On 6th Avenue at 15th Street, the community garden is in full swing. Stop by on the weekends for a stroll through the beautiful flowers!

Even this little park off the Prospect Expressway gets some love. It’s so green right now, it’s an oasis!

Despite the baking heat from the sidewalk, these resilient lilies enjoy direct southern sun along 19th Street.

in the shadow of the williamsburg bridge

Earlier in the spring when I trekked to the Williamsburg waterfront for the Domino Sugar Factory open house, my route back to the subway meandered under the Williamsburg Bridge overpass and through a sea of reflections. I recently returned to the photos I’d taken that day and realized how important a part the bridge plays in the geography and identity of the area; intuitive, perhaps but I have never really explored this idea through my photography.

Certainly I’m no expert on how the bridge’s divisive nature plays out in the identities of the various cultures that occupy the vicinity; could you point me in the direction of other photographers or artists who are? What books or articles do you recommend?

In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of life under the Williamsburg Bridge…

MTA? we hardly knew V!

Yeah yeah… It’s not Brooklyn. We know. However, the venerable (V) Train made its final trip this past Friday night into early Saturday morning, and Newmindspace had the awesome idea of throwing a party on the train to celebrate its last ride.  The last train left the 2nd Ave station in Manhattan at 11:33pm and arrived at its final destination of Forest Hills in Queens at 12:34am.  

In between, it was all party.  

Throngs of people all dressed in orange and in high spirits filled the back three cars.  There were people playing bongos, people giving stump speeches, shouting, singing, and even a vuvuzela concerto, with the musical pieces including, “V will Rock You” and “V didn’t Start the Fire,” among others.  The NYPD must have been alerted to the party beforehand because there were about 20 officers chaperoning the trip, but they were in great spirits as well and were smiling and enjoying themselves when their high-up boss (who was also on the train) wasn’t looking.  So with all of this, there was no way that For the Love of Brooklyn could have missed this!

Waiting for the final train to arrive on the Lower East Side; the final empty train about to be filled with revelers!

The Motorman for the Last (V) Train Ever reflects and poses for the camera.

Vuvuzuelas? On a train?! Loud!!

It’s not a party unless you’re hanging from the ceiling! Getting crazy as we approach the final countdown…

MTA SAFARI. Mission: Find the last known (V) train in existence.

How cool is that MTA costume?

Smiles abound as the train approaches the end of its journey.

We’ve arrived at Forest Hills!!!

the mermaid parade, volume 3

And we’re back with the third round of photos from this year’s Mermaid Parade at Coney Island! Though yesterday’s round-up of photos was monochromatic, today’s edition features loads of fun super-saturated shots which really capture the joyful mood of the parade.

Make sure to check out the latest in the Flickr pool, or check back in with us here for more later this week!

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Javier11238 and “Electric Blue,” by SpecialKRB:

“Strolling Down the Avenue,” by Harris Graber:

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Alec McClure:

“The Mermaid Parade,” by pixelateit:

an evening stroll: windsor terrace

After a long day of work, one of my favorite ways to relax is to ride the subway a few extra stops and get off in Windsor Terrace to stroll through its quiet side streets, many of which are only a block long. The lovely gardens and stately townhouses are calm and orderly — soothing and rational after a stressful day. And more often than not, families are out enjoying the park, couples are doing their grocery shopping, kids playing ball on the streets.

Camera or not, I wholeheartedly recommend this way to de-stress. Walking and meditating on the small beauties that make this borough unique? That’s definitely one of the things I love most about Brooklyn.