The New York City Traveler

Not since a visit to the Grand Bazaar has shopping been this exciting!  Brooklyn Flea, Brooklyn’s largest outdoor flea market, has entered it’s third month and unique finds are at every corner.
Every Sunday, hundreds of vendors pack the Bishop Loughlin High School parking lot to sell their wares.  Everything from vintage clothing to new silk screened t-shirts, antique furniture to arts and crafts is for sale.  Come hungry and nosh at one of the food vendor’s stations.
The flea market was the creation of Brownstoner blogger Jonathan Butler.  Butler is also the brainchild behind Clinton Hill’s annual Salvage …read more

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Swedish style has landed on the shores of Brooklyn: IKEA, the Swedish furniture and home decor mega-store, opened its doors late last month.
Previously, those wanting to buy a six-pack wine of glasses for $2.99 and “assembly required” furniture had to hike out to the IKEA in Elizabeth, New Jersey or Long Island.  The Brooklyn store opened with much fanfare and included a “log-cutting” ceremony (perhaps a Swedish equivalent of a ribbon-cutting) as hundreds of eager shoppers waited to descend on the store.    
Ikea’s arrival hasn’t been without its share of controversy.  The once frighteningly isolated waterfront neighborhood fought the …read more

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It was a wild finish in last weekend’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.  In the end it was reigning champ Joey Chestnut in a tie with former champ Takeru Kobayashi forcing an eat-off.  Here’s video in case you missed it on ESPN!     

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If Water Taxi Beach simply isn’t cutting it any longer, try a getaway to one of the New York area’s finest beaches.  Some are close enough for a day-trip while others are best enjoyed by spending a weekend. 

Rockaway Beach, Queens   Watch the longboarders catch some of New York’s best waves at this surfers delight.  Close to the city, Rockaway Beach Park offers a quick get-away.  Free admission.  A to Broad Channel then S to Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St. 
Jones Beach State Park, NY   If you don’t want to wade in the surf of this 6.5 mile beach, try …read more

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The entrance to the New York Transit Museum may be easy to miss– it looks like the entrance to a functioning subway station.  Housed in a now-defunct 1930s Brooklyn Court Street subway station, this museum honors the birth and evolution of the the now 100-year-old New York City subway. 
Explore the history of the subway with vintage subway cars (complete with ads from the era), old subway maps, wooden turnstiles, and retro mosaics that were once in the station.  Interactive exhibits are fun for the whole family and even allow you to sit in the conductors compartment of a …read more

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If you head out to Coney Island this weekend you may think that Hollywood is recreating the classic Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah film Splash.  Alas, they are not.  The mermaids swimming ashore and marching down the street are part of the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
Celebrate the sand, the sea, and the mythological mermaid at this parade of artistic self-expression. There are no Grand Marshalls in this parade, this year’s parade is being led by King Neptune Reverend Billy and Queen Mermaid Savitri D.  For more information, check out the Coney Island Mermaid Parade website.
In true Coney …read more

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Man-made waterfalls will grace New York Harbor this summer as New York City embarks on the largest, and most ambitious, public art project that the city has seen in years. 
Artist Olafur Eliasson, in conjunction with Public Art Fund, has created four 90- to 120-foot man-made waterfalls at locations across New York: Governors Island, between Brooklyn Piers 4 and 5, Manhattan Pier 35, and Brooklyn Bridge.  Click here for a map of waterfall locations.
The waterfalls may be viewed from various locations across the city.  The Staten Island Ferry and Governors Island ferry will provide views of the Brooklyn falls …read more

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New York City’s Heritage of Pride celebrations aren’t scheduled to begin until June 22nd, but there are plenty of pride events going on this weekend to prepare you for the mother of them all… New York’s Gay Pride March.
“Live, Love, Be” is the theme of this year’s Brooklyn Pride event.  There is a full day of events on Saturday, June 14th with a festival in Prospect Park from 11am-6pm and a Night Parade from 6-8pm.  More information can be found on the Brooklyn Pride website. 
Washington DC’s Pride Fest finishes this weekend with a parade and festival.  To …read more

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Normally a series of summer concerts featuring lesser-known talent in a variety of venues across the five boroughs, the Metropolitan Opera’s summertime tradition is shifting gears this year and will feature a free one-night-only performance with two of opera’s biggest stars, Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.  
Operatic partners, as well as husband and wife, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna are frequent performers at the Met Opera and will perform popular arias and duets at the outdoor concert.
The concert will take place at Prospect Park in Brooklyn in the Long Meadow, which can accommodate up to 150,000 people, six …read more

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Shakespeare in the Park it is not.  For something a little more avant garde, try Shakespeare under the bridge… the Brooklyn Bridge, that is.   
Polish theater company TR Warszawa and director Grzegorz Jarzyna breathe new life into Shakespeare’s Macbeth with performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  This Shakespeare classic tragedy will be presented in an a two-story, open-air, column-free structure that was specially constructed for the event.  The production will be a true multi-media experience complete with video walls and English supertitles, as the play will be presented entirely in Polish.
For more information on Macbeth under the bridge, …read more

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