The Muslims at Market Hotel, by Trevor Geoffrey

I figured I’d share with you some of the weirder/more interesting search terms people use to get to the site.

“lazy rent controlled tenants who do not work or go to school“: Brings up my critique of the Bushwick Initiative. Looks like someone’s having neighbor problems — maybe a panty bomber?

“muslims + bushwick,ny“: Weird. The only thing I can think of that this person may have been searching for is the community of Nation of Islam types who populated the area around Bushwick Avenue just south of Myrtle in the 80s and 90s. They stood guard outside their homes and on street corners, brandishing baseball bats. It apparently was a big hole in Bushwick’s crime layer, until they moved on in the mid-90s or so. Er, I now realize The Muslims are a band who recently played in Bushwick. Well, we still had fun.

“pastelon“: I don’t think when we decided to make a pastelón with whatever ingredients we felt like putting in that it might end up being influential — it is result #3 in a google search (#4 if you put an accent on the o)!

A several-week redesign is finally finished, and today we’re launching the new look for the site. But it’s not just a pretty face — it’s also more functional.

Only the latest post is displayed on the main page, surrounded by other bits of content. The “latest posts” area shows you the five latest blog posts, and the last comment on any post. Below that are our feature sections, among them real estate, the cooking column (soon to be expanded), Bushwick Culture, and the Food and Drink section. The most recently updated sections will display above the others. Don’t worry, you can still view the blog in the traditional linear way by clicking “blog” in the navbar.

Everything else is hopefully intuitive and obvious — and attractive! Please feel free to post suggestions for improvement, and please let me know of any glitches.

Local businesses should consider joining new advertiser Weichert Realtors Property Works, a local Bushwick real estate agency, for exposure on our pages.

If you like the new site, you have Randall Randall of Randall Squared to thank. I came up with the design and layout and did the graphics, but he actually did all the coding and hacking of WordPress, and did a beautiful job of it. If you require web services, make sure to check him out.

Enjoy!

I’m still on the look out for steady co-bloggers, as the ones who join seem to write a couple of posts and then drop off the face of the earth or move away without notice. I am looking for someone who lives in the neighborhood and is a good writer to ruminate on all kinds of local stuff. The style would ideally be NON-journalistic — nobody wants to be put to sleep.

BushwickBK.com gets over 600 unique visitors daily, and over 7000 uniques monthly, and all of those people are looking for information on Bushwick (and sometimes, Ridgewood). If you’d like to come on board, please send me a sample of your writing, preferably about Bushwick.

YOU MUST WRITE WELL. I’d rather run nothing than crap.

It’s a contentious anniversary. We moved to Bushwick on February 28, 2007. I’ll never forget the date, because the closing on the house had been postponed so many times I didn’t think it was going to happen — it was also the very last day on our lease. The stress of that day was compounded by the fact that we had to live with the old owner downstairs for five more days, as per an agreement allegedly faxed to our lawyer that, though not signed, was forced on us under threat of yet another postponement of our move-in date. Too bad Luis had taken three days off of work so we could paint and clean the downstairs apartment to get it ready to rent out ASAP. When she finally did get the hell out, she left a putrid apartment full of mouse droppings, bags of old welfare beans, and carpets so full of dust I had a three-day-long allergy attack after I removed it with a mask on. We are still getting mail from their bank.

As we did work on the house over the last year, so the rest of the neighborhood improved. Buildings are being refurbished; trash and crackheads are ever-so-slowly disappearing; new stores are opening and old ones are adapting to the new reality of Bushwick. So much seems to be happening right now that seemed unlikely just six months ago.

As goes the neighborhood, so goes this site. I have experienced many things I never expected when I made my first few posts just around a year ago.

more »

I’m seeking someone who is interested in and participates in various cultural happenings around Bushwick, be it music, art, dance, whatever. I’ll need you to write actual articles about events you have attended or heard about (hopefully attended) at least once a week. In addition, I’ll need you to compile and post weekly arts happenings in the neighborhood. It’s a minimum of 8 posts a month, and I am very willing to talk about a small amount of money.

Above all you MUST be a decent writer. Please email me for more info. jeremy .at. redfit .dot. com.

The old header was bleak and depressing. I’m tired of everything that represents Bushwick online being photos of warehouses and graffiti and barbed wire and trash. Let’s show off some of our truly stunning architectural specimens, and on a flawless day in the neighborhood!

BushwickBK.com is your online resource for everything about Bushwick, some Ridgewood, and maybe a slice of East Williamsburg. From art to real estate and architecture to economics, you’ll find commentary, listings, and photos right here. We’re always looking to expand — if you have any ideas, or would like to contribute in some capacity, let me know!

If you appreciate freewheeling commentary and have an open mind, you should enjoy this place. In addition to the blog, the forum is full of conversation. Don’t miss the BushwickBK Business Map, which lists vetted neighborhood businesses and links to reviews. Our Bushwick Culture calendar tells you all about events going on in the hood. If you’re looking for an apartment, check out the latest apartment roundup, where I present five available rentals (usually from Craigslist) that I like for whatever reason.

Welcome!