Uncategorized

The Bar at Dirty Precious
Bars, Gowanus, Uncategorized

Meet me in Gowanus

Question: “Where should we meet for drinks?” Answer: Gowanus Beat the heat and bask in the toxic fumes of Brooklyn’s best-kept secret. Gowanus exists right between the middle of nowhere and the middle of everything. The constant growl of the F/G train, low-to-the-ground buildings, and a general air of unfinished business has given the sprawling central Brooklyn neighborhood a bad […]

Theater, Uncategorized

Broadway’s ‘Hadestown’ and ‘Mean Girls’ cast members perform in Brooklyn

  Local Brooklyn residents didn’t have to travel to Manhattan on June 14 to see quality Broadway theatre performances; Broadway came to Bed-Stuy instead. Cast members from the hit shows Hadestown and Mean Girls sang four or more songs each to kick off this year’s Broadway in the Boros concert series. Broadway in the Boros, which is in its fourth […]

Sports, Uncategorized

Breakneck Ridge tried to warn you

I like hiking, but I’ve never been rock climbing. I’d estimate that Breakneck Ridge, a trail within Hudson Highlands State Park at the border of Putnam and Dutchess counties, occupies a rough halfway spot between the two activities. A weekends-only stop on the Hudson line of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, with a pair of small yellow platforms on either side […]

Red Hook News, Sports, Uncategorized

Formula E returns to Red Hook for the third time

The Formula E New York City E-Prix returns to Red Hook for its third year this July 13 and 14. Previous locations this year included Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chile, Mexico, China, Italy, France, Monaco, German and Switzerland. When Formula E comes to the Cruise Terminal in July this will be the end of their fifth season. Formula E is offering […]

Environment, Health, Uncategorized

Remediation process at manufactured gas plant site begins this month

It’s official – preparation is underway, beginning July 8, for remedial action that’ll address contamination related to the Citizens former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site under New York’s MGP Program. The site is six acres in size and is composed of two adjoining parcels owned by the City. The site formerly included a third parcel, located at 459 Smith Street, […]

Uncategorized

Cause for sainthood of a former Bed-Stuy priest goes to the Vatican

On June 18, the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, accepted the Cause for Canonization of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn. Msgr. Quinn, a champion for racial equality, established the first church for African American Catholics – St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church – in Bedford Stuyvesant in 1922. In 1928, Msgr. Quinn established the first orphanage for African American […]

Carroll Gardens, Uncategorized

A polyculture of Upstate beer in Carroll Gardens

For many beer enthusiasts, the greatest adventures are bucolic escapes to farmhouse breweries in Vermont’s remote Northeast Kingdom or the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, where, with monastic dedication, bearded bohemian hillbillies craft organic small-batch ales of such dignity and freshness that they seem almost healthful. But you need a car to get there. Fortunately, in February, Svendale […]

The band, Slack Mallard performs
Music, Uncategorized

Good Fortune & Bad Metal: 6 Weeks On The Road with A British Busking Band, by Adam Whittaker

Making a living as a musician is hard enough in the USA. What’s it like in the UK?  The Star got a report from anti-folk busking band Slack Mallard, who are from the region of Cornwall in southwestern England. The group consists of Aaron Barnes on Mandolin, Brian Dunbar on percussion, Ash on banjo, and Adam Whittaker on guitar. Together […]

Album cover of A Gaze Among Them
Music, Uncategorized

Album Review BIG|BRAVE & Helium Horse Fly by Kurt Gottschalk

BIG|BRAVE A Gaze Among Them (Southern Lord)   Helium Horse Fly Hollowed (Dipole Experimental Records) It’s little wonder that the bone-crushing Montreal trio BIG|BRAVE attracted the attention of the dirge merchants at Southern Lord. Founded 21 years ago by Sunn O))) guitarist Greg Anderson, the label has become an emblem for the droney, doomy, stoner side of experimental metal. After […]