You can now set your avatar — that little picture next to your name in the comment area — to the photo of your choosing! Simply go to gravatar.com and follow the directions. It’s based on your email so make sure to always use the same one when posting.

I’m sure few of you read the Brooklyn Daily Eagle — the 170-year-old paper that covers a borough of 2.5 million has a little over twice the online readership of this two-year-old, neighborhood-specific non-print publication. But your attention is worth a few minutes for entertainment’s sake, just to take in the journalism trainwreck that is this piece by Rachel Geizhals on the coming firefighting shift closing in Bushwick.

more »

A local resident surveys fire damage on two cars near Troutman St. and Knickerbocker Ave. — Photo by Diego Cupolo

The burnt GMC Safari and Chrysler 300 still give off the smell of toasted plastics. Photo by Diego Cupolo. Click to enlarge.

A violent blaze of unknown origins scorched two cars parked near Troutman Street and Knickerbocker Avenue late Friday night. Though police are still investigating the incident, local residents believe the fire started beneath the Chrysler 300 and spread to the nearby GMC Safari.

The smell of charred plastic fills the air within a 20-foot radius of the scene as curious pedestrians stop to take pictures of the crispy carnage. Few parts, if any, seem to be missing from either vehicle.

more »

Happy New Year, Bushwick!

I just spent some time trying to find some happenings for y’all, but it seems like another relatively quiet weekend around the hood…with the exception of a lot of music to be heard. Silent Barn, Death by Audio and Vanishing Point are open for biz.

Tonight, catch Bushwick superstars Bonnie Baxter Band at Silent Barn along with Zona Mexicana, STATS, GDFX, and Neon Vomit. Death by Audio is hosting a big “last minute relocated” show with Extra Life, Sam Hilmer/John Dwyer duo, John Fell Ryan (Excepter), Skeletons and the Kings of all Cities.

more »

$3000 — 4br loft: I just had to do it. I actually think the price could be lower, I just took the bedroom price and quadrupled it. Okay, it’s partly because of the cool stuff the tenants have, but this place is completely amazing. What a gluttonously spacious paradise. And if you get sick of the wonderland of capitalism that is the Myrtle JM (no more Z) hub, with its tropical fruit stands and fried chicken and organic convenience store and donuts and tacos etc, etc, you can walk a few feet to the train and be in the city in 15 minutes.
Broadway and Myrtle | street view | Myrtle JM

$1200 — 2br: Apparently not a railroad — this is pretty cheap if so. Not much to go by photo-wise, but for the price it’s worth a look. Location is great, between trains and close to cool Bushwick businesses.
CATS OK | Jefferson St. and Central | street view | Myrtle JM/Morgan L

$1300 — 1br: Decent apartment in an adorable brick townhouse off Bushwick Avenue with all utilities included. Close to the train and Goodbye Blue Monday.
Greene and Bushwick | street view | Kosciuszko J

more »

And now for something completely bonkers: Pass Kontrol’s somewhat dada short film where Bushwick (and some Maspeth) is spliced into footage of Paris and is referred to as that city’s 21st arrondissement. Also, “sexy ladies” and “sexy musique.”

In the aftermath of the José Sucuzhañay murder, several characters and groups, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Hispanic civil rights group National Council of La Raza (NCLR), are advocating for passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, according to the Gotham Gazette’s Wonkster blog. The law would increase penalties for hate crimes and boost federal funding to investigate them.

more »

Happy Holidays, Bushwick! I’m phoning these in from the heartland this week and from I can glean from the slow internet connection at this cozy farmhouse, it seems like the neighborhood is taking a holiday break. I’ve done a (wee bit lazy) check of all of the usual suspects and come up a little short. So, home team: you tell me. What’s cooking in the Wick this weekend?

This is what I’ve got:

more »

True… — Photo by Diego Cupolo

Standing in the middle of a rumbling J train, my shoulders weighed down by the 30-pound bag on my back, I made sure to get one last look at the tar-glazed, graffiti-covered rooftops rolling by the window on my way to Grand Central.

To my right, a Hispanic couple sweet-talked into each other’s ears, giggling after every exchange. To my left, a young Polish woman smiled as she watched a mother entertain her restless newborn. Behind me, a Middle Eastern businessman exhaled in frustration as my overstuffed backpack repeatedly bumped into his arm.

Though the scenario was far from extraordinary, it was perfect. Every time I travel, even if only for a few days, I have these moments, these reflections of how much I truly enjoy living in the organized neuroticism that is New York City, the international sample platter that is Brooklyn and, most of all, the unpredictable sphere of Latin flavor and creative energy that is my neighborhood — our neighborhood.

I hadn’t even crossed the Williamsburg Bridge and I was already missing everything from my long-winded neighbors, to the super-cheap bars that always play the right music and those late night rehabilitation binges at La Isla Cuchifritos. While my time away would be limited and with good company, I began thinking about my return to the only place I’ve ever comfortably called home … Bushwick.

Enjoy the holidays everybody.

$1295 — 2br rr: Your basic, clean railroad apartment on a convenient corner walking distance to either train line.
PETS OK | Jefferson St and Evergreen | street view | Morgan L/Myrtle JM

$1250 — 2br rr: Cheesy, misspelled broker-talk clogged ad, but this is not a bad apartment. Some sloppy details here and there, but it’s okay for the price and is in a decent location.
PETS OK | Stockholm and Knickerbocker | street view | DeKalb L

$1250 — 3br rr: Even cheaper, from the same broker as above. Can’t see much from the photos but it looks okay for the price. Sort of a crud area but three long-blocks to new bar The Wick.
PETS OK | Madison and Central | street view | Gates J

$1150 — 1br: Rather inexpensive and nice inside, on a high floor — could use a paint job. On lovely Bushwick Avenue.
PETS OK | Bushwick and Bleecker | street view | Kosciuszko J

$1050 — 1br: Pretty dumpy, but close to train and groceries and very cheap.
Bushwick and Suydam | street view | Myrtle JM