Mermaid Parade

The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island is an annual event. I hadn't heard of it before this week, but it's a pretty big deal and a lot of fun. The theme is loosely aquatic-based, mixed with the burlesque and freak-show themes of Coney Island. My camera ran out of batteries (doh!) before I got to take some pictures of the beach area, where you could hardly see any sand because there were so many people.

These ladies had a nice dance routine going on. These grocery carts, which here I believe symbolize crab traps or something, are really common in the city. I actually own one, and use it to haul laundry and/or groceries to and fro.

I had to get a shot of the buttless chaps.

Ummm... outer space mermaids?

Burlesque Mermaid Woman and Fish-head Marching Band!

This swamp thing was just walking down the street. Not sure if he was "dressed-up" or not.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Team Zissou representing.

Here's me in front of the famous Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster. I still haven't ridden it yet. Maybe after the next Cyclones baseball game.

Pink cyclists? Check.

Another cool float that I have no idea what to make of. Is it a submarine? spaceship? rickshaw?

Celebrate Brooklyn Concert in Prospect Park

After the Mermaid Parade, we went to a free concert in Prospect Park, right around the corner from my house. It was a Canada Day tribute with a couple of my favorite Canadian bands, Stars and The New Pornographers.

Geography of New York City walking tour class

I took a Geography of NYC - Ground Proof class/walking tour last Thursday with Jack Eichenbaum, an urban geographer with vast knowledge of NYC history. The class was called Ground Proof and focused on areas in New York City where topographic, historic, demographic and economic change is greatest. This photo is from Long Island City, directly across the river from midtown Manhattan. This park has been redeveloped from vacated industrial brownfields, specifically where trains loaded cargo onto barges.

Newtown Creek (seperates Long Island City, Queens to the North and Greenpoint, Brooklyn to the South).

PS1 in LIC. This is one of the first public buildings in Long Island City, originally a public school, that was built by the City of New York after the 5 boroughs (Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) were consolidated in 1898. Today, this building houses art studios for international art students.

This is an example of the beautiful brownstones in Brooklyn. This is in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

An eclectic block in Bed-Stuy.

Brooklyn College campus in the Flatbush neighborhood.

Along with the theme of the class, this is a change in housing types after crossing an old train track in Brooklyn near Brooklyn College. I never knew Brooklyn had this type of housing.

This is the other side of the train track.

The hill in the distance is Park Slope, where I live.

Tenement buildings in the Lower East Side/East Village of Manhattan.

An example of the gentrification on the Lower East Side. There are many nice restaurants and bars on the Lower East Side and in the East Village that have sprouted up in the last ten years. This is probably my favorite part of the city to hang out in.

Directly across the street from the previous picture, this is what most of the Lower East Side and East Village looked like ten years ago.

Some urban art on Clinton Street (it was trash day).

More urban art.

A very tall sculpture in a private garden in the East Village. This place felt like you were in the 1960s.

Same garden.

This is the old meatpacking district. Most of the meat markets are now in The Bronx and Harlem, so this area is being quickly gentrified as well.

Fancy hotels and apartments in the meatpacking district.

We finished the class in the West Village at Corner Bistro for a beer and burger. This place has the best burgers in the city and probably the only place in Manhattan that you will find a $2 draft beer. I will be sure to take you here for a burger if you ever come out to NY. This was around 5:30 in the afternoon. If you came in the late evening (or very early morning), there would be a line out the door.

After the class, I walked around the Chelsea Market, which is a really neat little mini-mall type thing. Supposedly, it is a former Nabisco factory where the Oreo cookie was first produced. The offices upstairs are home to The Food Network, Major League Baseball and NY1 TV Station, among others.

Chelsea Market concourse.

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market lighting.

My New Neighbor...

OK, now I'm not a celebrity enthusiast or easily star-struck by any means, but I have now encountered my favorite actor of all time twice within a couple blocks of my house. That actor is none other than Mr. Steve Buscemi. This morning it was at the bagel shop, where he walked in and stood right there next to me near the counter. Since I ordered my bagel toasted, it took a little longer, and he got a head start out the door. As I was crossing the street to head home, I noticed him entering an apartment on 5th street. That's right, Steve Buscemi and I live on the same street!

Brooklyn Cyclones Opening Night

Katie's parents gave me two tickets to the Brooklyn Cyclones opening night game for my birthday. The stadium is very intimate and right on the boardwalk in Coney Island. A really neat place to watch a baseball game. The Cyclones beat their rivals the Staten Island Yankees 10-7. Also, Constantine from American Idol sang the Star Spangled Banner AND God Bless America. One thing that bugs me about the Mets and Cyclones fans: When singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, they sing "Root, Root, Root, for the HOME TEAM" instead of "Mets" or "Cyclones". Don't they know who the home team is? Oh well, I had a lot of fun rooting for my new home team!

Mookie Wilson is the Cyclones manager and third base coach. He also happens to be Katie's favorite baseball player of all time.

scoreboard! (photo by Katie)

reverse angle

Astroland Park, just down the boardwalk from the ballpark, is like the travelling carnival that comes to town once a year, except that it never leaves Coney Island.


Gotta love the Zipper!

Spooky!


Coney Island is also the end of the line for the F train. In case anyone was wondering who cleans the trains, it's this guy.

The Mets

Katie got some free tickets to the Mets game on June 12th. I got to see Pedro Martinez pitch against the Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels. It was a close game, but the Mets lost 4-3 with the Angels scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth.

Great seats!

After the game, Katie's parents took us out to dinner at Alma, a great Mexican (yes, good Mexican food!) restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn with a nice view of downtown Manhattan from the rooftop deck.

The Q Train

The view of downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge from the Q train, which goes over the Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

Here's me riding the Q. Photo by Katie.

Free Furniture

This is the bookcase that I found on the street. My roommate helped me carry it home and upstairs to our apartment. I actually had to take it apart to get it into my room. Now I've got my eyes out for a nice desk and chair.