Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

New Blog on the Block: Brokelyn

There's another new blog on the block! It's called Brokelyn (good name) and it's all about living large on small change. Stop by with the welcome wagon filled with low priced Costco snacks and take a look. The editor, Faye Penn, a columnist for InStyle Magazine and a contributing editor at WSJ. Magazine, was at Blogfest a few weeks back. She gave me her card and I've been waiting for the opening of the blog ever since.

Well, I'm glad to report that Brokelyn has finally opened its door and I was not disappointed. Brokelyn is a smart, well-designed, very professional-looking blog that has lots to offer including sections on food & drink, outings, sales & deals and more.  All on a budget!

A former features editor for New York Magazine and The New York Post, Penn lives in Ditmas Park and is calling Brokelyn a blog-o-mag "founded in celebration of a place we’re endlessly enthusiastic about, no matter how [synonym for crummy] the [synonym for economy] gets."

We’re not going to dwell on that part around here—we’ll be too busy finding new ideas for bargain obsessives, stoop-sale sartorialists and wallet-aware foodies. Or we’ll be calling 100 Brooklyn dentists for the cheapest teeth whitening (even though we’re not positive that the cheapest dentist is always the best one.) If you have ideas, tips, lavish praise, or fully conceived and photographed articles about budget-friendly Brooklyn, by all means, please send them our way.

New Blog on the Block: Amusing the Zillions

Get out the welcome wagon and bring some frozen margaritas, chips and salsa on over to the new blog on the block:  www.amusingthezillion.com, which went live over the weekend

Blogger Tricia Vita grew up in the amusement business and has a background in journalism. She works in Coney Island at the History Project and last year began photographing what was happening and sending info to Gowanus Lounge and Curbed. She writes:

"After Bob Guskind's death, I realized I had to launch my own Coney Island blog this season. I had really started blogging on my flickr. Apparently that's the way Guskind started too, I remember Jake Dobkin  of Gothamist mentioning it at Bob's memorial. I can't tell you how many times I think, when something crazy happens, like Thor Equities tents being the wrong tents and having to come off, oh, Bob is laughing at this up there in bloggers heaven.   I will do a post dedicating my blog to Bob in the near future.

 

In addition to redevelopment issues, I plan to post about fun things to do, beloved attractions, favorites, etc."

New Blog on the Block: All About Fifth

There's a new blog on the block. Get out the welcome wagon and bring over some deviled eggs or layer cake. It's a blog about Park Slope's Fifth Avenue and it's called, All About Fifth. Here is an excerpt from their Meet the Merchant series, which will also appear on OTBKB. The interview is by Rebeccah Welch. Have a read and wander over there and say hello. You'll be glad you did.

Here is the first in a regular series of interviews that will highlight local leaders in the business and nonprofit sector along the Avenue. This is an interview with Fonda Sara, owner of Zuzu's Petals.

Where are you from originally?

 I grew up by the ocean in Belle Harbor, New York. A year ago, I moved back to my childhood home full time.I spent the first half of my life running away from home and the second half finding my way back.

How long have you been on 5th Avenue and what made you chose the location?

Zuzu's Petals moved to 5th Avenue in November 2004 after a fire in the restaurant next door burned us out of our home of 33 years on 7th avenue. We chose this location because of the sunny outdoor space behind the shop, the proximity to our customer base, and the new residential development between 4th and 5th Avenues.

What, typically, is the most popular Mother's Day flower and has that changed over time?

Hands down it's lilac and peonies for Mother's Day...both are in season and tap into some universal nostalgia for the gardens of our childhood.

Some people say that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and nature. Do you agree?

There is no separation between human beings and nature. Some of us are more attuned to the changing of the seasons and growing things, but all of us are connected to nature.

Read the rest at All About Fifth

New Blog on the Block: Truth and Rocket Science

Here's a cool new blog straight out of Brooklyn. It's called Truth and Rocket Science and the blogger is a poetic and philosophical guy.  Today he has a music video up it's also on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sENgdnKLrgg&feature=channel_page) and it's worth taking a look at. And here is his description of  the blog:

truth and rocket science is a collection of thoughts about contradiction and the futility of thinking too much about anything.  Like the truth, it’s a lot more complicated and simple than all that.  Like rocket science, it seeks to explore what we can know about the world and what it means.  It’s quite serious in its playfulness, and it discovers its gravity in the weightlessness of surrendering to the unknowable nature of things.  It’s about letting go, and letting it be.  It’s about being a child in a grown-up mind and body, beating a tin drum about whatever has come to mind in a moment when I have the time to think about it and write something down.  The picture you see on the top of the blog is what I see from the window next to my desk.  I put it there because that’s what the truth and rocket science is about:  what I see when I look out my window.

New Blog on the Block: CasaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit

If you're interested in old houses—from Brooklyn to Philadephia, the Hudson Valley and elsewhere—you'll want to check out a new blog called CasaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit. Here's the note I got from Cara Greenberg, who runs the blog:

When you get a chance, please take a look at my two-week-old blog for people who love old houses. Its official name is: CasaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit. 

I am Brooklyn-based (live in Boerum Hill and own property in Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill) and a longtime professional journalist. The blog's orbit is from  Brooklyn to Philadelphia, the Hudson Valley and beyond -- but there will always be a large dose of Brooklyn content.

Some recent posts:

   * Brownstone myths & mysteries (rosettes in 1850s parlor ceilings, 'coffin niches,' finials on newel posts)    

   * 1820s clapboard beauty finally sells in Brooklyn Heights

   * Why I love Philadelphia, Part 1

   * End-of-year bargain$ in Columbia County

   * Prettiest block in Brooklyn?

   * 10 reasons old houses are a great investment in any market

   * Rent a modernist icon

   * ISO the perfect beach house

New Blog on the Block: Brooklynology

Just got this email from someone over at the Brooklyn Public Library about their new Blog. It's called Brooklynology.

I'd like to introduce you to a new blog on the block - Brooklynology.
Created by the Brooklyn Collection, the local history department of the
Brooklyn Public Library, this blog explores Brooklyn through
photographs, maps, manuscripts, ephemera and more.

http://brooklynology.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/

Please check us out and consider adding us to your blog roll, and we'll
return the favor!

Happy blogging,

NEW BLOG ON THE BLOCK: SPECIAL FOCUS BLOG

A Brooklyn novelist and mother is  finally bringing a long-dreamed-of project to light Please check out her new blog, SPECIAL FOCUS (www.specialfocusblog.blogspot.com).

ABOUT SPECIAL FOCUS:

Twelve-year-old "Sasha" is a gifted reader, writer and artist.  She's humorous, messy, and did I mention GORGEOUS? She's also diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD.

"Mo" is a darn cuddly and kibbitzy seven-year-old, always ready with a smile or, more likely, a joke and a "Yo dude, how's it goin'?!" Mo has central auditory processing difficulties and, like his sister, distraction & focus issues and, while I'm confessing, has difficulty sitting down for more than five seconds.

Sasha and Mo are keeping their parents, "Ozzie" and "Not Harriet" mighty sleep-deprived. But in that state, I tend to get philosophical about the intricacies of this, our Special Life.

Here's how the blogger describes her site:

"The site features my personal, philosophical essays on being a special needs parent. You’ll also find these special sections:

      *  SPECIAL SMARTS – Clever or amusing things my kids say and do.

      *  SPECIAL BOOKS – Book lists on parenting, psychology, special needs, Asperger’s Syndrome, and a special section for kids’ books. Book reviews too!

NEW BLOG ON THE BLOCK: URBAN SEASHELL

Check out my friends new blog, urbanseashell — a collection. Her blog features small businesses, artists and independents in addition to upcoming events from cityline to shoreline.

With access to an amazing pool of talent through professional contacts and friendships, urbanseashell — a collection was created by Lisa di Liberto, a Brooklyn-based designer. Looking for independent film makers, computer consultants or interior decorators? Then welcome to urbanseashell — a collection, your source. Subscribe safely and stay in touch.