Took this while on the wonder wheel.
January 24, 2010
January 21, 2010
It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Association
In a small storefront in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, a tiny television is tuned to ‘Judge Judy.’ The no-nonsense judge yells at the plaintiff from behind her desk in typical stern fashion, “She has to get a job! She’s LAZY!”
Behind a similarly large wooden desk—with the addition of a “herd” of decorative elephant figurines—sits Pat Singer, the founder and director of the Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association.
“She’s my idol,” Singer said of Judge Judy. “I like how she’s tough. I hate the court shows where they’re talking back to the judges.”
Pat Singer is an equally tough woman in a velour tracksuit, with short, fiery orange hair and shocking blue eye shadow. She started the BNA in 1977, when the neighborhood was, as she puts it, “going down the tubes.”
“There were problems with drugs, problems with prostitution,” Singer explained. So, after the twelfth mugging on her block, she gathered hundreds of residents to march in protest. “We circled, like covered wagons, and held traffic for four hours,” she said. “And being a drama queen, I played ‘Exodus’ over the loudspeakers.”
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe on Coney Island
My dad got her book today. He’s gonna send it to me next week. I love everything about it.
January 17, 2010
January 6, 2010
I snapped this last July while watching Broken Social Scene at Coney Island. This is one of my favorite pictures, even though I don’t have a definite reason why.
January 3, 2010
January 2, 2010
Jonathan Ames, author and performer (4) - By Jonathan Ames - Slate Magazine
Last night on Bored to Death, the action revolves around a russian supper club on Brighton Beach. The girl and I checked it out when we were down there this summer, but Ames actually went there and wrote about it for Slate. This is that story.
January 1, 2010
we arrived early
trying to look warm
representin'
liquid courage
after
I took the plunge into the Atlantic ocean with my friends Matt and Andy. Obviously it was cold, but it was also extremely exhilarating. I’m sure I burned a good deal of calories trying to stay warm ;-)
Welcome to 2010!
