Prospect Park Walking Tour

 

If you can’t get there in person, enjoy a virtual walking tour of the glorious Prospect Park.

Getting Engaged in Brooklyn: Mozes Victor Konig on the Perfect Spot

 

Having been involved in the photography world and then developed an interest in diamonds, Mozes Victor Konig is probably quite a good resource for someone familiar in engagement photoshoots.  Today, he gives tips from his personal experience on best places in and around Brooklyn to show off that sparkly rock.

“Given that New York is way too often regarded as a cold, concrete jungle, it’s quite shocking just how many amazing, beautiful, green and relaxing recreational areas there are,” begins Mozes Victor Konig.  “When I first got to New York I really thought I would have to just deal with the coldness of the place, but it’s a reputation that it has earned that I don’t believe it deserves,” he added.

Konig isn’t the only one who feels this way.  Prospect Park gets rave reviews on and – on entering the oasis – it’s not surprising to see why.  Imagine how wonderful it would be to tell your girlfriend that you want to go for a stroll in Prospect Park, ride a bike or enjoy a picnic and then you bring out a beautiful diamond engagement ring!

After that you can set up a selfie stick or hire a photographer to take pictures of the glow that you will hopefully both feel.  A diamond in a setting as perfect as that really cannot get any more idyllic!

Local Festivals

 

Given the last 18 months have been very lacking in any kind of celebratory events, it’s perhaps even more exciting to see that festivals are returning.  Here, we take a look at what is going on locally.

The Brooklyn BagelFest – perhaps the only one of its kind (I mean, who else has ever heard of a bagel festival?) – begins next Saturday at City Point, BKLYN Studios. Planned for the daylong event – that takes place from 9:30am-3:30pm – is bagel-themed games, a musical performance (bagel-themed of course!) as well as a Who’s Who? Of bagel stores, beer and coffee.

Then there is the  BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, a free event for New Yorkers to celebrate Brooklyn and New York. Every night the festival celebrates a different genre or culture.  The festival – which has been going on for over four decades – is a way for all New Yorkers to appreciate music icons from around the world, with a specific emphasis on jazz artists, indie bands, dance troupes, and more.  In addition, a virtual reality performance is staged. And, because of COVID concerns, a virtual multi-platform destination so that the spirit of the festival can be brought to people’s homes. The festival started in 1979 as a way of bringing Brooklyn together.  What better time to do this than now, after more than a year of people being stuck in and not celebrating much at all.  While indeed it is virtual, it is still a way to connect people. Around 25,000 people come from around the New York area.

Get out there.  Or stay home online.  But either way, meet people, connect, and try to have fun even in these crazy times!

Great Summer Reading

 

After your kids have splashed around in a pool, gone on hikes and finished with camps they may just want to chill at home with a great book.  Check out Kensington Library’s Grab & Go Kit program.  Every Monday throughout the summer the library has been distributing books to those who want.  All you need to do is come by on Tuesday and get one of the Grab & Go Projects.

The projects include STEM activities, craft activities for all ages and more.

For those who would rather not go into an actual library but like the idea of reading programs there is something else incredibly cool. It’s called an outside “whispering library.” Launched by the Brooklyn Public Library, this purely audio experience is being initiated at 10 branches throughout the borough.  Outside the library there will be hidden speakers which will play poetry, music, tell history stories, excerpts from podcasts, literature and more, up to five times a day.  Vice President of Arts and Culture, László Jakab Orsós explained the reasoning behind this:

"A library is more than just a building, it is the repository of our accumulated knowledge and memory. Imagine walking by one of our branches before the building opens for service and you hear a poem or a segment of a historical speech—we hope that a whispering library will make you smile and inspire you."

As Mason said last year, “Reading gives us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are.”

Summer Fun in Brooklyn!

 

Summer is meant to be fun.  Last year we didn’t quite have that because of the coronavirus pandemic.  While the virus is definitely far from over, somehow we have found a way to deal with it and let people get back to leisure activities in a safe way.

Roosevelt Island has opened its outdoor pool.  Getting outdoors and cooling down is always a great idea in the summer.  But this ‘Pop-Up Pool Party’ in Manhattan Park offers so much more.  It is framed by the spectacular skyline, is in a 8.5 acre waterfront area. The project was created in conjunction with K&Co. and Pliskin Architecture designers and Corcoran New Development, alongside Melissa Dadourian a local artist who created the mural for this year, creating a geometric pattern, completely changing the feel of the pool deck, intensifying the color.

According to an announcement from the  Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy more than 500 events are planned this year, that started mid-April and will continue until September 25. 

For those who want to be a bit more active there is an 18-hole mini golf course in North Williamsburg riverfront.  But it comes with some education as well.  Players will get to learn about climate change, types of infrastructure, animal housing, energy and emissions.  This is because every hole has a different theme including: Down the drain, Whale Fall Feast, Big Oyster and more.

C’mon what are you waiting for?  Get out there and have fun!!! It’s summer and it won’t be here forever.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Well, not quite the wild side, but for sure the beautiful side.  How we’ve missed the fun and activities of a Brooklyn summer.  Take a virtual walk here at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, a virtual one through the video if you can’t get there in person.

Tying the Knot: From Church to Cheap and Cheerful

Weddings have become so exorbitantly expensive. In a study by The Knot in 2017, it was found that the average Manhattan wedding left little change from $77,000.  In COVID times this decreased to $19,000.

While one may hope that coronavirus has been a lesson in the unnecessary expenditure, predictions for 2021 are

a)      There will be a hike in the number of weddings taking place

b)      It will be “the year of the after party” (for those who had to have a corona wedding)

c)       More people will turn to wedding planners as they won’t want to deal with the stress

d)      Contact-free and bartender-free mixology: cocktails will now be in a bottle for each person

e)      More outdoor weddings

For those who want a wonderful wedding but still want to keep the price down, there are some venues that could hit the mark. Take for example, the Sweet Hearts chapel – a new wedding space – based on Vegas-style wedding but right in New York, like an A-Z wedding.  Developed for “efficiency” during COVID-19, the couple just needs to fork out $650.  With that they will receive: one hour in the chapel (which has its own dressing area and bathroom), a ceremony, the ceremony leader – ordained ULC Ms. Guinta (they can choose to bring their own wedding officiant), chairs for up to 10 guests (think intimate) and a honeymoon bag which includes: eatery recommendations, T-shirts and Ring Pops.  If they want to pay another $500 they can hire photographer Edward Winter.

Even before coronavirus though, people were going small on their weddings without skimping on quality.  For example, on September 4, 2016 the wedding ceremony of Julie Williams and Mathieu Zarbatany took place. They invited 95 guests to a Brooklyn cocktail bar/event hall at Kinfolk 19. Close to their house, Julie and her mom walked down to the DJ playing ‘That’s How Strong My Love is.’