11211 Love

Williamsburg, 2014

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

We are making chicken pot pie for friends, going to Axel's swimming lesson, and maybe out to dinner.

Good thing Brooklyn is the place to be, er, or something. Hearing Marty Markowitz say 'hotbed of style' is pretty unique.

Pigs + Wings

Williamsburg, 2014

So J. Crew opened its doors in Williamsburg today. I guess that's not especially strange, these days.

Meanwhile, I've been testing out matcha at Matchabar (hmmm....not a convert), and marveling at Axel's new vocabulary, which includes words like 'mural' and 'holiday' as well as sentences like 'Don't spit on Daddy's hand, Ozzy!'

11211 Love (and Lament)

Williamsburg, 2014

While we've been away, a number of Williamsburg institutions have been dropping like flies.

First came The Verb, then Kings Pharmacy, and now it's Brooklyn Ale House.

In their wake comes news of J. Crew's arrival, in a piece that describes the neighborhood as 'an upscale shopping and dining destination.' I suppose it is now. 

There's a shmancy new sushi place frequented by Scarlett Johansson (Cherry Izakaya), and The Chocolate House by Mast Brothers, serving cold brew chocolate, whatever that is. Diesel is coming and possibly a Shake Shack...and then there are little travel posts like this one, a near constant reminder that cool-seeking tourists are here.

Of course, I could wax nostalgic about the good old days of 2001, when North 11th Street was full of chop shops and broken glass and the waterfront was a wasteland, but as a regular shopper at Depanneur and owner of a ginormous double stroller, I should probably just be quiet. 

The Verb

Williamsburg, 2012

So The Verb is closing.

I've been going there nearly every day for a decade, so to say this is sad news is an understatement. 'Lifeblood of the neighborhood' would also not be an understatement.

Back in 2004, I met Will there to discuss a potential roommate situation. The rest...falling in love, getting married, having two babies...is history. We have had umpteen cups of coffee there, and umpteen conversations.

That place is full of history for me. From whiling away the hours there as a somewhat wide-eyed, brand new New Yorker, dreaming of making it as a writer, to becoming that writer, a wife, a mother, taking my boys there.

It made me feel like I really had deep roots in this city, and it felt like home. Whenever I'd come back from a long trip, or an adventure, I'd go there and feel grounded and at ease. It's truly everything I love about Williamsburg.

Gentrification? I get it. We're a part of it. We weren't here first. But I'll still mourn it's loss.

Space Ninety 8

Williamsburg, 2014

This morning, Oscar and I took a spin around the new Space Ninety 8 store on North 6th St. (translation: Urban Outfitters' Brooklyn concept store.) It was so trippy...where are we? When I moved to Williamsburg ten years ago, I knew it was changing, but I'm not quite sure I could have fathomed the extent of it.

Yesterday I was wandering around noticing how much the demographic has shifted. You see a lot of off-duty models sipping $12 cold pressed juices, dog walkers with their pack of 6 French bulldogs, European tourists Intagramming things, nannies with double strollers...

I still love it (maybe because I am now the proud owner of one of those double strollers), but it does make you feel nostalgic and a little bit off your game sometimes. Earlier today, at my local coffee shop, there was a group of British students on a school trip interviewing the owner about the neighborhood. "Why is it such a draw for artists?' they asked. He basically told them it hadn't been since the '90s...all the artists had moved to Bushwick.

Obviously, things are going to change even more when the Domino Sugar Factory is redeveloped. Which is why I loved checking out these gorgeous photos by Paul Raphaelson of it in its current state of ruin. I'll be interested to check it out on May 10th, when the artist Kara Walker's installation opens there. So there is still at least a bit of art around these parts, for now.