Blog
Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, May 2, 2009
This weekend the Brooklyn Botanical Garden celebrates Sakura Matsuri, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The event is a mixture of enjoying the flowering trees, traditional Japanese culture, and modern Japanese pastimes such as manga, cosplay and J-Pop. While my interests lie more with the first two, the festival certainly has something for everyone.
The majority of the cherry trees are at their full bloom this weekend, and luckily the weather held up throughout the day Saturday, drawing large crowds. Standing under the canopy with petals slowly falling down around you is a magical experience, and everyone there was enjoying it. The Japanese Hill-and-Pond garden was another popular spot and had some great views. Live music, authentic food, workshops and performances were scattered throughout the property, encouraging guests to explore and venture beyond the cherry esplanade.
5/02/2009 10:46:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Grand Army Plaza in Spring
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Labels: photos
4/12/2009 02:06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Ugly Betty Shoot
Saturday, December 6, 2008
After being away on business all week, I came home this evening to find the Ugly Betty TV shoot in full force right in front of my apartment. While they had reserved space for trucks on 7th Ave, the shoot itself was on Lincoln between 7th and 8th Ave. They had a variety of lights along the street (mostly to illuminate the trees it seemed) and one huge setup on top of a crane at the corner of 7th and Lincoln. While I was out taking pictures I heard one man complain that the lights were shining right into his apartment, and since they can film through 6AM the light could cause some headaches for the neighbors.
From my apartment window I was able to get a good view of the action, but I couldn't tell what actors were present. One security guard confirmed for a fan that Vanessa Williams was not present.
The scene I saw shot involved a man getting out of a car and running down the sidewalk, followed a few seconds later by a woman getting out the same car and running across the street through an iron gate, and then seconds later the man running across to her, and then both of them getting back into the car again. Ya, I didn't get it either.
Labels: photos, television
12/06/2008 01:13:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ugly Betty coming to Lincoln
Saturday, November 29, 2008
This weekend, signs went up along Lincoln between 7th and 8th. They warn about changed parking regulations due to an NBC shoot for Ugly Betty. The shoot is scheduled for December 5th, so make sure you move your car before 7PM the day before or you'll be towed.
11/29/2008 08:51:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Shinju II Review
Saturday, November 8, 2008
As the Gowanus Lounge reported in October, the new sushi place Shinju II has opened in the space formerly occupied by Inaka sushi. Inaka was never my favorite place, but there all-you-can-eat sushi deal was a fun way to sample different types of sushi.
Shinju has completely renovated the interior, choosing a design style very similar to the new Oshima. The service was polite and speedy, although almost devoid of personality. My favorite feature was the non-disposable chopsticks included in the table setting, which I really enjoyed using.
Despite those positive features, the food was quite a let down. Each normal sushi roll consisted of only 6 pieces, which is a bit skimpy in my opinion. My Philadelphia roll contained only the slightest sliver of smoked salmon, and the fish covering the top of my rainbow roll was paper thin. The edamame was slightly overdone and the miso soup was a little bland.
As I was sitting down at the table, the couple next to us was finishing their meal. When asked if everything was ok by the waitress they commented that the tuna "didn't taste right," which is why they left some pieces behind. This was disconcerting, and although I didn't realize it right away the Spicy Tuna roll I had ordered came to my plate as a Spicy Salmon roll. Freshness of the fish is paramount for a sushi restaurant, so I hope this was a misunderstanding or a freak occurrence.
While probably an improvement over Inaka, I was not impressed by Shinju II. With so many other great sushi restaurants in the neighborhood I don't think they will get my business again.
Labels: businesses, opening, photos, restarant review
11/08/2008 11:31:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
A&S Pork Store Now M&S Prime Meats
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Brooklyn Paper reported in September that the A&S Pork Store, Park Slope's last butcher, wasn't closing but was instead moving to a new location on 5th between 2nd and 3rd St. Construction is under way there, and the new sign indicates a name change to M&S Prime Meats.
New sign, new name
Labels: businesses, construction, photos
11/04/2008 08:34:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Commerce Bank Now TD Bank
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I think it's been like this for a few weeks now, but the Commerce Bank on 5th between Garfield and 1st St has been fully re-branded as a TD Bank. Reuters published an article about how the Toronto-Dominion Bank purchased Commerce Bank's parent company in March, and all branches will be renamed as TD Bank. The Park Slope branch is ahead of the curve I guess. Â The article says that TD plans to retain some of the features of Commerce, including coin counting and being open seven days a week.
How are former Commerce customers handling the switch over? Â Is the takeover from a Canadian bank evidence of the tough economic times in the US?Â
Labels: businesses, news, photos
11/04/2008 07:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Voting at PS 321
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The lines weren't too long at around 11:00 AM today, and they moved quickly. I did hear other people comment that the lines were much longer than normal, but this being my first election here I can't compare. Rumors abounded that certain election districts could cut to the front of the line, which quickly lead to a state of chaos. Luckily an election official got everyone back in line quickly and put the rumors to bed.
Labels: brooklyn snapshot, photos, political
11/04/2008 12:17:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)