January 11
The New York Times Advises:
“Go Ahead, Brooklyn: Be Smug” Don’t mind if we do! But also, why? Oh, because we have really great restaurants like al di la? Ok. Cool.
February 12
The Blizzard of ‘06 DumpsOver Two Feet of Snow on the City
It’s the most snow to fall on the city since 1869, when this kind of thing started being recorded! But still, New York City public schools stayed open, because native New Yorkers are tougher than anyone. (Also because Bloomberg just doesn’t care.)
A Cold War-Era Bunker Is Found in the Brooklyn Bridge
The bunker had been forgotten about for decades, and was built into the bridge’s masonry. Once uncovered, things like emergency supplies in case of a nuclear attack by the USSR were uncovered.
May 1
3rd Ward Opens in Bushwick
Conceived as a kind of utopian work space and collective for artists and other creatives, 3rd Ward soon began to be known as much for the events and classes it hosted as for its artistic community. Co-founders Jason Goodman and Jeremy Levitt soon found themselves successful beyond their initial plans (a feat made all the more possible due to the fact that they had no concrete business plan at launch-time), and before long, 3rd Ward had spawned imitators who sought to replicate this very “Brooklyn” business. Goodman bought out Levitt’s stake in the company in 2010, and seemed to continue to be on a path to great success. All was not well behind the scenes however, and 3rd Ward abruptly closed in 2013, leaving dozens of students, investors, and artists in the lurch.
Brooklyn-Queens Day Bites the Dust
When it comes to esoteric school holidays, Brooklyn-Queens Day had to have been one of the most unique. Every June in New York City, from the late 19th century through to 2005, public school kids in the counties of Kings and Queens would have the day off school, while their counterparts in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx would not. That all ended this year, and Brooklyn and Queens kids lost the exclusivity and privilege that had once been their borough-birthright, and just became normal. Like everyone else.
The McCarren Pool Fills Up, Just Not with Water:
This summer marked the start of lots of events in the emptied out pool, including the launch of our parent company’s free movie series, SummerScreen, as well as Jelly NYC’s pool parties and concerts put on by AEG, featuring acts like Neko Case
and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Openings
• Dressler, Williamsburg
• The Good Fork, Red Hook
• Farm on Adderley, Ditmas Park
• Fairway, Red Hook
Albums
• 45:33 by LCD Soundsystem,
• Yellow House by Grizzly Bear
• Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio
Books
• Angle of Yaw by Ben Lerner
• Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead
• The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger;
• The Keep byJennifer Egan
Real Estate Notes
Average sale price for a home/condo
• Williamsburg, $560K
• Park Slope, $650K
• Brooklyn Heights, $556K
• DUMBO, $1.008M