You can expect some interesting changes and a bit of a makeover for the Municipal Building in Downtown Brooklyn. Mayor Bloomberg recently announced a $10 million deal to turn the first floor space into a “hip” restaurant and shops. The building currently houses the Department of Finance but I guess that’s a little boring and of little use to most Brooklynites. The first floor was sold to a developer and is part of a master plan to return the neighborhood to a retail and dining destination.

Who bought the 49,000 square-foot space? Al Laboz, chairman of the Fulton Mall Association, not to mention he’s sort of a big deal in Downtown Brooklyn’s real estate biz. Laboz states, “The goal is a cool, hip restaurant with a mid-level price range.” But this plan isn’t just about giving the hipsters more cool places to dine. It’s part of Bloomberg’s plan to cut costs by reducing the amount of city-owned property. Major retailers have been popping up all over the area, like Aeropostale and H&M. The area is a large business district, but probably won’t be for very long.

But this project also means job creations –64 construction jobs and 114 permanent jobs. No word yet on what stores will be built, but it’s highly doubtful it will be an Apple store. Hipsters cry…construction begins 2012.

I was biking down Grattan St. in Bushwick this morning and to my delight, my suspicions that a new joint was opening up were correct. It’s a ramen place called Shinobi, or something like that. They put up their sign the other day, which means they’ll be serving delicious treats pretty soon, probably by September, if my innate food sense is correct.

And the best thing is, I know it’s going to be delicious. Because one, hipsters won’t stand for sub-par ramen. And two, because there’s a reputation Bushwick has to maintain as emerging food center.

It started with Roberta’s. Then came Momo and The Morgan and Arancini Bros. and pretty soon, this new ramen place, which will probably be better than Momofuku, or if not, at least more local.

Oh and by the way, I’m blowing up Cain’s Tavern‘s spot, too. It’s a new bar on Wilson and George St. It’s cute and hip. What else would you expect?

My mom’s moving back to New York soon. She probably wouldn’t be able to afford (or want to live in) one of the dumpy Manhattan studios in her price range. So all of the above are reasons why she should just buy a loft in Bushwick.

Brooklyn Borough Hall is a highlight location for environmentally conscience New Yorkers. It’s one of many GrowNYC Greenmarket locations.  Here you can find programs and produce aimed at improving New York City’s quality of life. Back in March they began a compost. Every Saturday from 8AM to 5PM there is a food scraps collection for citizens. It will be transported to a facility to be used as amendments for fertile soil. This initiative will continue through to December so you have plenty of time to get involved.

Summer costs are already rising because of energy consumption. The compost can actually reduce costs in other areas of city life. Food can sum up to around 17% of New York City’s waste. To send it to a landfill actually increases the disposal costs. Not only that but it contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases that pollute city air. The compost can be used for planting trees and other plants in NYC parks, sidewalks, and gardens.

If you want to help out you can drop off scraps of the following foods: vegetables, fruit, non-greasy rice, pasta and cereal, coffee grinds and filters, tea bags, egg shells, and more. Place these scraps in some sort of plastic container, milk carton, or compost pails. It’s an easy summer activity to do that gives back to the community. While you’re there you can check out other things at the Greenmarket like fresh food and educational events.

It’s been a tradition for me and my friends to go to the free summer movies throughout NewYork City. One of my favorite locations, though is right by the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy teams up with the SyFy channel to bring Hollywood favorites to Pier 1, Harbor View Lawn. The movies are sight enough, but the fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline behind the screen is beyond words.

It kicked off last month but it’s continuing until September 1st. The remaining films include An American Tail (Aug 4), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Aug 11), Crooklyn (Aug 18), Rosemary’s Baby (Aug 25), and the public vote on September 1st. The place gets crowded pretty quick. The most popular films are the hardest to find space for so be sure to get there early! The event opens around 6PM and the movies will start a little before sundown. There will be snacks, beverages, and music available to you but I highly recommend you bring your own. Also be sure you have some sort of towel or blanket to sit on and sunglasses because the sunset gets kind of intense.

It’s all about good times and summer fun. Enjoy a nice breeze off the water, relax for the movie, and go to Grimaldi’s Pizza not too far out of your way afterward for a slice or two.

The Union Bar, which is appropriately located on Union Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is my new favorite spot.  I recently went to hear my friends’ band, The Big Takeover, play a gig there, and we all had the most marvelous time.

Both the upstairs and downstairs of the bar are refreshingly spacious. A very sizeable crowd came out to dance a few hours away as they played, and the experience was shockingly not claustrophobic. The bar serves food and drinks; I haven’t eaten there yet, but I would certainly recommend its beer on tap.  On Fridays, after the live music ends, there is a karaoke competition.

The crowning glory of the Union Bar is, without a doubt, the full size indoor Bocce court. We did not have a chance to play (waiting list was way too long), but it is yet another reason to return to the bar. The official bocce season recently ended, but you can still go to the bar and form your own unofficial team for the evening. During the season, the bar hosts league tournaments!

The Union Bar literally offers something for everyone; from the types of music it hosts and plays to the activities it offers. For more information on The Union Bar, visit www.UnionHallNY.com.

Sure Rockaway and Coney Island are great places to visit this July 4th weekend. But since they’re kind of far away, you may think to yourself, well Brooklyn NY News, where can I catch some cool-down that doesn’t involve a train ride? The answer, dear friend, is at your local pool.

That’s right, with summer here it’s nice to be able to hop into your local Brooklyn pool and cool down. The top ranked pool on Yelp is in Bed-Stuy, at least when it comes to lap swimming. The Kosciusko Pool is large and relatively clean. It is a short walk from the G train, which may or may not be convenient for you. In any case, rejoice–we can swim again!

Crif Dogs has finally made it east – to Brooklyn. Continue Reading

There is going to be a new big time music venue in North Brooklyn, and it’s not going to be in Williamsburg. The Wick will be in the quondam Hittleman Brewery on Meserole St. in Bushwick and when open, hopefully by summer, will be able to hold crowds of up to 700 people.

The venue will play all kinds of music, whatever music people in the neighborhood want to see – from indie, to Latin, to electronic, and likely more. The Wick’s biggest competition, Brooklyn Bowl and the Music Hall of Williamsburg, already do a good job of servicing the area, but promoters aren’t concerned. As long as the shows are marketed properly, they say, they will be able to attract more than enough people to fill the venue.

There will be one bar type area, and another room in the Brewery with a stage. Although the Wick doesn’t plan to have live music every night yet, they aspire to it eventually. I’m excited both for the music on Fridays and Saturdays and for another bar option in the ‘hood.

In any case, it should be a cool new spot in East Williamsburg/Bushwick that will further contribute to the growth and development of the coolest place ever.

Coney Island had its best summer in 46 years, so they say. The rezoning of the beachfront has spurred plans for greater future amusement, and the opening of Luna Park was a success. And although Lynn Kelly, vice prez of the Economic Development Corp. has left one island for another (Staten), there shouldn’t be too many wet cheeks over it. The rivalry between private and public development has reached mediation, and next summer should be even better than this one. But still, why is Coney Island so sad?

Part of it has to do with the off-season and the high rents. If the rides were open during the winter, the way they used to be, maybe all the crowds wouldn’t stay away, and we’d still be able to retain a sense of nostalgia while looking at empty wind-swept boardwalks. Although now many of the famed establishments – Shoot the Freak, Ruby’s, Gregory & Paul’s – are gone after leaving yesterday, in their place will be a couple of new restaurants and a sports bar. While the L Magazine laments this situation, is it really that bad? I mean sure Coney Island is about nostalgia and all – right now – but just down the boardwalk, Brighton Beach bustles with excitement, and people, largely due to the ethnic nature of the surrounding community.

Maybe a little bit of newness is exactly what Coney Island needs to bring the crowds back, not just to the boardwalk, but to the neighborhood. Let’s call it re-gentrification.

The Archive, rest in peace, has finally been replaced. Swallow, don’t get any dirty thoughts, is a bit better suited to Morgantown 2011. Industrial lightbulbs provide arch light, the saggy cushions have been replaced by movie theatre style seating in the back and cutesy European style granite tabletopped tables, and the baristas actually know how to make a macchiato. The gorgeous red Marzocco esperesso machine glowed and bubbled, the music was recognizable without pretension, and in general, it is friendlier and less of a hey-please-watch-out-for-my-mac-book-pro-charger-cord kind of place.

For the scenesters in Bushwick, Cafe Orwell still gets it done, but for the main strip, Morgantown needed a more hostpitable cafe, one where you can actually meet someone for a date, or even better, talk about life and literature, without getting the hairy eyeball from the people sitting next to you.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Archive. And the way I’m describing it makes it out to be the kind of cafe where everyone regards you with a sneer. In fact, people were generally friendly there, but it was the vibe that made the difference. The Archive had been in place for years, and so had the people working there. That said, I’m thankful that there’s a clean coffee slate in my new neighborhood.