Brooklyn, I'm Trying

Brooklyn, I'm Trying

an urban lifestyle + travel blog by liz norment.

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The Weekend Guide | 15-18 June 2017

we all have this desire to go off the grid, hoping it will get us back in tune, that it will help calm our minds and permanently change our perpetually connected existence. however, the essence of a city lies between a 4×4 plan, a system of blocks, of perpendicular streets. as if these sectioned squares could contain our wonderment, could contain the souls within, could make sense of our curiousity, our exploration, our energy, our tenacity, our lives. so i ask you, brooklkyn, to get on the grid. recognize that this was all laid out for you, built up to get you higher. the doors of bars opened, the licenses earned, the beers poured, the events planned, the city, living and breathing and begging for your attention.

our lives cannot be contained here between these lines our along this grid, but they can, perhaps, begin. and that’s why we came here anyway, right?

get on the grid, get into it. be there and be square. in all of its fascinating dimensions.

 

 

THURSDAYready set grow workshop argitecture

Ready, Set, Grow Urban Gardening Workshop at Blue Planet, East Williamsburg.
if you haven’t already seen my review and revelry for everything the lovely collab between our name is farm and agritecture are doing this summer, then well…. you owe it to yourself to read it, and to experience this amazing partnership and what is growing between them. join them tonight for an engaging and collaborative event that will teach you how to grow your own microgreens, produce crops from kitchen scraps (how’s that for sustainable), plant your own little project to take home and they will feed you dinner. yeah. it’s everything you’ve ever wanted, in the wonderfully fresh and inspirational space at blue plant consulting. tickets, $60 available here. the event goes 630-830, 40 bushwick ave. 

 

International Pop-Up Dinner at the Diamond featuring Loving Bite, Greenpoint.
if you didn’t know already, i work at the diamond. and does that make this a conflict of interest? absolutely not. why? because i loved the diamond way before they allowed me behind the bar as master beer slinger and top brew recommender (very official titles there) (i am also good with the cheese plates) (ask for one on a saturday night and prepare to die). thursday nights they feature a different international food pop-up, and this week brings us the loving bite, whose culinary creations completely embody the name. filled with love and inspired by the cuisines of spain, north africa, and the mediterranean, they’ll be preparing a lemongrass chicken and roast white yam summer rolls with house made thai peanut sauce that will feel just like a loving bite… impassioned and intimate and leaving you immensely satisfied while dangerously desirous for more. it starts at 7pm. oh and expect the very best lineup of drafts in the hood to complement these bites. all info here, 43 franklin st. 

 

 

FRIDAYtaste of spain at brooklyn kitchen

Taste of Spain Cooking Class at Brooklyn Kitchen, Williamsburg. 

reasons to go to this class – 1. brooklyn kitchen is leaving us and relocating south, to industry city. 2. their classes always sell out weeks ahead of time, and this one has 5 spots left. that is unheard of. 3. it’s fucking tapas man. there really isn’t too much more for me to say, other than this is one of the best ways you can spend your friday night, and a great way to kickoff the summertime dinner party season. impress your friends. learn to make tapas. get more booty, probably some of it foreign. 630-830pm. $95 rsvp right here. 100 frost st. 

 

taxidermy rat class brooklyn

Taxidermy Rat Class by Smar Department, Bushwick. 
well, this is it folks. this is fucking it. i feel like i’m constantly featuring fancy events that are somehow made acccessible, or so many things happening in brooklyn that we don’t exactly deserve on our budget. special access, underground djs, michelin-star restaurant pop-ups. but what about bringing the dirty-ass grungy shit into the limelight? it’s hear all around us, after all. well here’s your chance to embrace it. AND to help even out that frightening 3:1 rat to human ration in this town (no joke.) it’s a rat taxidermy class! yep. it’s a rat taxidermy class. full disclosure, i haven’t read all of the information because i simply couldn’t. and also the cat was reading it over my shoulder and was about to click the “yes sign me up” button. it’s $200, you leave with a real life rat statuette. and one thing i did see – if you want to add another rat head, please bring an extra $50. you sick fuck. all info here  noon-630pm, at smart department 350 meserole, unit c. pizza rat would be… well, scared. and maybe apologetic, i don’t know.

 

 New York Philharmonic in Prospect ParkNew York Philharmonic in Prospect Park.
oh ok fancy. feel like trading in that deep house beat for something a bit more uplifting, a bit more involved than a laptop and a dude from berlin, in an atmoshere a bit more natural than a dingy warehouse? you gone soft on me or something? just kidding, this sounds like a really lovely thing to do. and i might even do it too. the New York Philharmonic plays at prospect park, just bring a mexican blanket and a bota full of rioja, and a lover. or leave your name and number in the comments section here. my bota is always full and my blanket is always… folded? the concert will be followed by fireworks, if you play your cards right 😉 and even if you don’t. there will be fireworks. all info here, event is free. 8-10pm in prospect park. 

 

loftopera
LoftOpera presents Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, at Lightspace Studios in Bushwick.
high rents and demand lead us all to live grandiose lives in bite sized spaces. let’s celebrate it, eh? loftopera takes the opera out of the opera house and into our spaces. found and rudimentary. listen to the acoustics reverberating off of exposed ceilings and unfinished walks and let the passion pour out sanctimoniously just as the drunken fights or love you make with your lover often do. we’ve been waiting since their epic performance of Othello left us breathless, so come see Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, performed in brooklyn’s permier circus school (naturally) and featuring the costume designs of christian joy, whose portfolio boasts the adornments of karen O and childish gambino, just to name a few. be a part of it at the muse in bushwick for an intimate affair of truly heartbreaking and earth-shattering proportions in the only way an opera this intimate can be. tickets $30 (which is an insane steal for this talent), available here. opening night is tonight but the show runs through july 8th. 350 moffat st. bet you’ll like it better than pirates of penzance.

 

SATURDAYmermaid parade coney island

The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.

all of your amphibious and underwater childhood desires come true with this raucous, imaginative, and multi-scensory celebration of the soul in coney island. let’s be honest, coney island on any day is one of the most colorful and curious places in the borough. add to it thousands of boundlessly imaginative participants in every interpretation of mermaidry in an annual event 33 years in the making, and you have yourself a damn festive celebration. do not miss this. the parade starts at 10am and the celebration lasts all day. come in costume. let it all hang out baby. this is for you, and you, and you, and all of us. all info here, festivities begin at west 21st st and surf ave.

 

toro y moi at the well

Toro y Moi DJ Set and All Day Party (with friends!) at The Well, Bushwick. 

i gotta be honest, i walked out of work tonight and found this magical little flier waiting in my bike basket. how did they know i love toro y moi? how did they get the feeling i have been itching for a dope day party since the weather finally got warm? and how did they know that i curate an exclusive weekend guide that features dynamic events just like this? well, kismet, of course, is the only answer. the well throws the absolute best day parties around, and, well, toro y moi pull together all of the sounds and magic to create your best saturday ever. trust me, i know. that’s why i’m here. $15 tickets and info here, 2-10pm. 272 meserole st.

brew you yoga
Brew You Yoga at the Bronx Brewery, in the Bronx.
i like stay balanced by countering all of my good decisions with a heavy peppering of mischief, and this event makes it a hell of a lot easier. yoga and beer at the bronx brewery (not to be confused with yogi bear at the bronx brewery… which actually just the prospect of that makes me realize this event shadows in comparison…) one hour flow plus a flight of 4 brews, captured at the source. feel centered, get tipsy, whatever man. it all happens from noon-130pm, $25 tickets and info here, 856 E 136 st. 

 

 

north brooklyn boat club summer solstice

North Brooklyn Boat Club Summer Solstice Party, Greenpoint.

to the boat club in NoGreePo that has turned the second biggest oil spill in north america into… well, into something else. that we can paddle through, together, safely. because when life hands you unnatural disasters, you build a boat club upon them and you offer it to the community to use. and you throw big seasonal parties with bands playing atop metal containers and the proceeds go towards doing more good. year after year. go to this. and help your local boat club stay afloat. it’s music and beers and friends and food and a creek too to celebrate the blessing that is the summer solstice. 6pm-whenever $5 before 8pm, $10 after, all proceeds will benefit community programming on the waterways of New York City. all info here. 437 mcguinness blvd.

 

rinsed brooklyn
Rinsed One-Eyed Jack’s Party, in a secret location. which will be in bushwick.
rinsed. the party group that i’ve followed into old sheds and (unintentionally) through a roof in bushwick, on boat parties that ended with passengers taking some dips in the east river and through blizzards that required burrowing through snowy tunnels until i saw that gleaming beacon of the neon umbrella light. and now, they have a home. which i hope is some rowdy and un-inspected combination of all of the above. they host their first party of the summertime season saturday night with the best djs and the best immersive party design to have you transcending at least until noon on sunday, open bar the first hour. tickets start at $10 can be found here along with everything else. if you’ve ever been to one of their parties, you should already know what tricks to have up your sleeve. location announced before the event because they are dope like that. just don’t forget- you have to get dirty before you can be fully rinsed.

 

 

SUNDAY

mister_sunday
nah baby that ain’t the moon comin’ up, that’s you gettin’ down.

 Mister Sunday at Nowadays, Queens.

 a summertime Brooklyn institution. this isn’t what non-brooklynites indulgently refer to as “sunday funday”. no no no. this is not for the weak-at-hearts who boast about their residual rosé headaches around the Keurig machine on monday morning, proudly bouncing slightly on the low pile grey office carpet in their smart ballet flats. this is for you, brave heart. mister sunday would like to tip his hat slightly and extend his hand to shake yours and then never ever let go. dig? rick wilhite will be spinning from 3-9pm and Nowadays stays open until midnight, monday be damned! tickets, here. 56-06 cooper ave. lets make bad decisions and call them sunday.
me and dad being spaniards in madrid.
Father’s Day, errrywhere.
yep folks, it’s father’s day. and if you haven’t yet done anything for yours, there’s still time! spend the day doing all the things he digs. and then tell him about it. in detail. in honor of mine, who I can’t chill with today because I’m in Brooklyn and he’s in Virgnia, I will go kayaking at north brooklyn boat club, have oysters at greenpoint fish co and have a rooftop vodka tonic at northern territory. so have a dad day today, even if you’re without him. (and tell me about it in the comments section) (which is located directly below this post. just like all those other blogs you don’t hesitate to leave comments on.)

 

lantern hall bushwick
2-for-1 Pints for Pops at Lantern Hall, Bushwick.
and if you are lucky enough to be spending the day with dear old dad, head over to lantern hall in bushwick for two for one beers. and if this epic draft list is any evidence of all of the wonderment that there is waiting for you there, plan on staying for 4-for-2 pints. or 6-for-3. or 12-for-6. or until everyone starts kind of looking like dad and every beer turns into shots and fathers day is every day. 52 harrison place  at lantern hall, they’ll leave the light on for you.™

 

egg rolls egg creams empanadas festival

Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 
your #reasontocrosstheriverthisweekend is a most unlikely combination for a food fest. however, shouldn’t we be combining our food festivals into one big beautiful cultural mix instead of sequestering them? this egg rolls, egg creams, and empanadas festival celebrates Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican tastes, traditions, sights and sounds in the cultural epicenter of it all, the lower east side. come and embrace the beautiful truth that there’s more that unites us than divides us, especially when it comes to eggs. or, like, short “e” sounds at the beginning of the names of foods. just go man, it’s free to attend, all info here, noon-4pm at the museum at eldridge st, 12 eldridge st.
yoga on the roof at northern territory
Rooftop Yoga at Northern Territory, Greenpoint. 
send your sun salutations across the borough on greenpoints favorite rooftop. because the best way to sweat out those sins and send them floating off into the ether is on a rooftop, and the best way to summon them back is on a rooftop that serves spicy palomas. class is $25 and goes from 930-1030am. i will be waiting down below to give you a pat on the back then join you for brunch. all info here, 12 franklin st.

 

 

<3L.

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