Hey Brooklyn. It’s the third weekend of August. Let’s check in here. How much rose have you consumed? How many hours have been happily spent slurping down oysters? How tan is your skin? How much sand is in your bed, and how many new lovers have noticed it?

There isn’t much summer left. Now is the time to bask in all of its magic. I’ll show you how to, in your weekend guide. Get to it.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Thursday

Grand Street Restaurant Week 2019

Competing for a table in Manhattan during restaurant week only to experience a few unenthusiastic plates from a less thrilled server is something we all learn not to do after our first year here in the city. (Take that, Flex Mussels!) But diving into this micro-neighborhood’s bi-annual dinner celebration is something you must learn to do. It’s Grand Street Restaurant Week, and it’s where you will be eating all of your meals this weekend. Make a reservation through one of these fine establishments, and see you there. 

Chicken Parm Night at Archestratus in Greenpoint

There’s no denying that Greenpoint is the epicenter of all of the good things happening in the food scene in the city right now. And that means fighting for reservations at very Instagrammable venues with pricey tasting menus and “too cool” bartenders (hahahaha that one is about me and I’m really fucking proud of it.) Or, it means eating in a cafe hidden in the back of a cookbookstore and savoring a recipe passed down from the owner’s Nonna and realizing that this is the true epicenter of everything that should be happening in the food scene in this town. It’s chicken parm dinner night at Archestratus and you want to be there. Get tickets here and then go get saucy. 160 Huron St.

Books and Brews at Threes Brewing in Greenpoint

If your idea of a book swap is digging through a box marked “Free!” on someone’s stoop and then, a few years later, putting that same book into your own box marked “Free.”, then kick things into high gear at Threes Brewing, this Thursday night. In anticipation of the reopening of our beloved community library that you never went to (it’s ok, we’ll go now!), they’re inviting you to exchange books and beers and conversation with your neighbors. So start reading something now so you seem interesting. Also, don’t bring a book no one wants. You’ll be leaving with it, and your shame. Be there, 6-9pm. Info here. 113 Franklin St.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Friday

The Diamond’s 12th Anniversary Party in Greenpoint

It’s the Diamond’s 12th anniversary! You know, everyone’s favorite little yellow-doored bar on Franklin st! 12 years ago Diamond Dave opened and painted that door and the hearts of Greenpointers forever. Plus, he added that charming little gondola in the back that has helped speed up our first dates into the place where we get answers more quickly. Thank you, Dave! Go and celebrate something that has staying power in a town that is defined by change. Also, Not Rod will be there. And Not Rod is a Raunchy Rod Stewart impersonator who you want to party with. Trust me. Go, drink beers, play shuffleboard, get handsy in the gondola. Info here. 112 Franklin St. 

Zero Space in Midtown Manhattan, and also another dimension

I just have a feeling this is a secret door that will lead you to the Rose Mansion. Or, Greyhound is finally coming up with a better marketing campaign. “A portal to another dimension has appeared in New York City, near Port Authority Bus Terminal. Are you brave enough to see what’s on the other side?” Shame on you, Zero Space, if it’s the former, and way to go Greyhound if it’s the latter. All I know is that this seems trippy and not just built for Instagram, and it is by far your best #reasontocrosstheriver this weekend. Tickets available here. Go anytime, and stay forever, apparently, if you want. (One quick note: from my research, it does not appear to end in a ball pit. So. Be prepared not to be in a ball pit in the end.)

House of Love: Animal Nature at House of Yes in Bushwick

Are you having trouble trying to tell your friends you’re fur-curious? Worried they’ll be… furious? Or just maybe you’ll all return to your own animal instincts and you’ll do it at the best place in Brooklyn to get down and dirty and downright frisky? Regardless of your reasononing, get your beasty little butt to the House of Love: Animal Nature party this Friday. Costumes required, get creative. But don’t just put your cat on your head. That’s a bad idea, even for Bushwick. Tickets and info here. 10pm-4am, 2 Wyckoff Ave.

Fundraising Party for the Bushwick Food Co-Op at the Muse in Bushwick

You know you’re going to be eating and drinking and dancing this Friday night. So do all of those things for a good cause. Our beloved, small but mighty Bushwick Food Co-Op suffered a fire on the 3rd of July and has been closed since the burn. Go support their reopening so they can once again support our community with food and love. There will be a DJ and aerialists and food and prizes and sweaty summertime fun. Get your tickets here now. 6-11pm at The Muse, 350 Moffat St.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Saturday

Bonobo presents Outlier at the Brooklyn Mirage in Bushwick

What came first, the pants brand or the artist? Does it really matter? Nope, it doesn’t. Go dance your pants off at the Mirage this Saturday to Bonobo. He’ll be spinning tunes all night while you dance under the stars and among the lights and magical sounds held within this multi-level outdoor Mecca of a party venue. He’ll be sharing the stage with Tourist, J-E-T-S, Quantic, and Catching Flies, and also sharing all of the love you have in that summertime heart of yours. get tickets here now. 140 Stewart Ave. 

Bae Watch Pool Party at House of Yes in Bushwick

If you haven’t taken my NYC public pool guide seriously, there is still time. Still intimidated? Then go get in an unregulated inflateable pool of sweaty, horny Brooklynites at House of Yes this Sunday. I’m serious, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this and yes there will be chlorine. They’re filling the courtyard with a huge inflatable pool so blow up your end of summer party scene Saturday night. DJs, dancing, select nudity. Free with RSVP AND COSTUME before 11pm. Reserve a spot here NOW. This party will fill up, just like the pool and your overflowing heart, you sexy dreamer you. 10pm-4am, 2 Wyckoff Ave.

Beck, Spoon and Cage the Elephant at Forest Hills Stadium

Get outside and see live music, it’s summertime and that’s what you were made to do. Go do it this Saturday. I don’t have anything more to say – just don’t be a loser, baby. Tickets still available here. See you there.

Archestratus Summer Sale in Greenpoint

Your favorite cookbookstore is having a summer sale, and you need to be there. Because it’s happening this weekend but if you go Saturday, you’ll also get to win a free arancini ball with the purchase of your beer or wine. Go. Sip. Win. Eat. Buy. Info here, 160 Huron St.

Backyard BBQ at Nowadays in Ridgewood

Because all of those friends you have with backyards and grills and promises of cookouts “every day this summer!” suddenly become scarce once summer hits, Nowadays says fuck those friends. You deserve to have your hotdogs and beers and music and open-air without them. Come to their backyard BBQ this Saturday for bocce ball and ping pong, cold drinks, groovy tunes, Italian hot dogs (??) and rotating BBQ fare (???) and Republic of Booza ice cream (!!!!). It starts at noon and goes, if you want, until Mister Sunday greets you the next day. Info here. 56-06 Cooper Ave.

PS1 Summer Warm-Up, Long Island City

This LIC summertime party institution also has a permanent residency on my weekend guide, from now through labor day; meaning there are onlye THREE WARM-UP’S LEFT! So I recommend checking the schedule and either choosing based on the tunes or your own availability (this is not a “oh I have a few hours, I’ll check it out” kind of affair. it will take all of your saturday and at least 3/4 of the mental space of your Sunday. And it will all be worth it.) tickets here. I’m already heatin’ up.Oh and don’t forget to check out the tent of secrets, located in the back of the arboretum in the sculpture garden.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Sunday

The 9th Annual Kimchipalooza at Arrogant Swine in Bushwick

There will be a lot of bad things put into your body this weekend. I mean, I’m just assuming here and drawing from past experiences, last weekend. Help to fight off those toxins and eat away your sins with something wholesome and funky and fermented, too. It’s Kimchipalooza at Arrogant Swine, which means you will be eating free kimchi while you watch people suffer through as much of Mama O’s super spicy kimchi as they can consume in 3 minutes. Wash it all down with some authentic Carolina barbecue and beers (for purchase!) and also there will be art, and djs, because this is Brooklyn. Info here, 1-8pm. 173 Morgan Ave. 

The Macauley Culkin Show at the Bell House in Gowanus

If you build it, they will come. And if you name it after a former child actor, he will show up to say, hey, joke’s on you bud. Yep, Kevin Macallister will be making an unlikely appearance at his namesake comedy show at the Bell House this Sunday. This annual summer comedy festival, “The Macauley Culkin Show” just got a hell of a lot funnier as Macauley Culkin will basically be turning this into a roast. I think you should get tickets, and quickly, right here.  Doors at 7:30pm, show starts at 8. 149 7th St.

Yep, Brooklyn, that’s about to be your summer. Smashed to bits and left for dead somewhere in McCarren Park, wishing that just moments before it was all over, someone embraced it and used it for their own enjoyment, as it was intended.

Now is that moment. Don’t let your summer die for no reason. Let it live, let it pour juice all down your mouth and make your hands sticky and give you a reason to have spitting contests with your friends. I’ll show you all the best ways how, just below, in your weekend guide.

Come on now, let’s go.

Stargazing in Transmitter Park in Greenpoint

It’s easy to get distracted by the shining, shimmering skyline as you let nightfall upon you in Transmitter Park. Let’s not soon forget that there’s a whole solar system of stars and planets and likely some inhabitants that don’t assume the body of common Manhattan douchebags… instead of gingham shirts and smart chinos and a smirk, they all wear that skin-tight glittery latex number that zips up the back and all decided collectively to stop smiling way back before our time. At least, that’s how I picture them. See for yourself and look into the great beyond this Thursday night by stargazing in Transmitter Park. The Friends of Transmitter Park will be there to provide telescopes and all of your answers about the Great Beyond*. Info here, arrive at sundown/8pm-ish. 2 Greenpoint Ave.

*this does not include any answers as to why Murray Hill is devoid of any human life at all, yet many bodies. 

Jaws Sighting in Long Island City

Not sure if you’ve heard, but a great white fucking shark has been sighted off the shores of Montauk, heading West. I’m not kidding. And they’re saying this is good news, because our water clean-up efforts are finally working, and now the predators have returned! The waters are so clean, we have to stay out of them! If you didn’t click on the link I inserted and you still aren’t scared, let Steven Spielberg reinstate your fear tonight off the just-clean-enough shores of the East River, in Long Island City. They’ll be playing Jaws on the big screen, with an encore performance of Dave Matthews telling you to not drink or go into the water, in so many words. The film is free, so are most of our beaches. Info here. Film starts at sundown, 52-10 Center Blvd.

Do Things My Dad Likes Because It’s His Birthday

Today is my dad’s birthday, and while he doesn’t live here and thus we can’t hang, I always like to do things he likes to do on this day. Which means kayaking, eating oysters, drinking wine, and telling stories while sitting outside and sipping on something. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy too, partake. And wish him a happy birthday while you do it. And if not, do things that your dad likes. And let me know what they are, in the comments section below. 

Things to do in Brooklyn on Friday

Cruel Summer at the Bell House in Gowanus

The only thing cruel about summer is when it leaves us. So don’t let it leave us. Go and revel in everything it’s about, 80s style- so make sure you don a summer outfit. It’s being brought to you by the shiny happy people at The Skint. $10 at the door, $5 in advance with promo code “summertime” exclusively for BiT readers. Get your tickets here then be there, with bells on, at the bell house. 149 7th st. at the Bell House, I’ll be there with bells on (and almost nothing else)

Hong-Kong Tapas and Art in Carroll Gardens

Maybe you’re sick of me always talking about and inviting you to join me at El Born but you aren’t yet sick of tapas. Well then maybe this event is for you. It’s the last installment of the inventive, enticing, and all-around artistically inspiring tapas and mural event, in Carroll Gardens! There’s a mural, there are Hong-Kong-style tapas, there are seasonal drinks, there will be you and all those other people who refuse to join me at El Born, and it will be damn delicious. Seating is limited, so reserve yours here. Be there at the time you chose. 371 Court St.

Flying High at House of Yes in Bushwick

Sometimes, I just let House of Yes say it best: Lift your spirits, elevate your life. Take off, blast off and get high in the friendly skies with Yes Air and Big Imagination! Aerial aviation of the highest altitudes, soaring spectacles beyond the stratosphere and beautiful beats to keep you flying and floating through the solar system & dance floor all night long. Come dressed as a flight attendant. Renew your membership to the Mile High Club. Do bad things with good intentions. Your plane is boarding, and you just got bumped up to first class… or, at least, you feel like you just did. Tickets, here. 10pm-4am, 2 Wyckoff Ave. Also, if your curious if this is a fundraising event for that airplane art car at Burning Man, yes. Yes it is.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Governor’s Island

(Meet me in Montauk) oh, I mean… (meet me on Governor’s Island) yeah, pay attention to that second delicate whisper. If you didn’t know, our favorite brewery has an outpost on Governor’s Island. Yeah, Governor’s Island- you know, that place that is suddenly blowing up that is the last place you’d expect to blow up, since Industry City. So go be part of the action and drink all of the amazing beers Threes is brewing while watching one of the best films ever, al fresco. It’s free and it’s summertime and you should be on an island somewhere. Info here.

Boy Band Sing-Along at Union Hall in Park Slope

It’s annoying enough already when you accidentally lock eyes with that guy at any wedding and he decides to dramatically lip-synch “but I want it thaaaat way!” complete with whatever motions he decisively makes his arms do. Avoid this event, where that guy at any wedding is every person inside Union Hall. Unless, of course, you are that guy or you like that guy. Then, go. It’s a “judgement free” boy band sing-along and you won’t find me there. I’m not that girl. Info here, 9:30-midnight, 702 Union St.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Saturday

Beers With(out) Beards at the Well in Bushwick

We are living in an age of breaking boundaries, shattering glass ceilings, blurring lines and bashing stereotypes. Women like beers. Women brew beers. Women also sometimes burp when having beers. And we’re still fucking sexy as hell. Come and celebrate all of those things at the Beers Without Beards Craft Beer Festival, at the Well. Drink beers brewed by women, with women and men and everything in between. 23 breweries, 4 hours, unlimited beers. And yes, there will be some beards there. This is fucking Brooklyn. Tickets, $50 available here. Noon-4pm, 272 Meserole St at The Well. Be like Timmy, Fall in the Well.

Yaki Tiki Weekend Barbecue at A/D/O in Greenpoint

We’re all a little sad that the Norman left us earlier this summer… drink away your sadness and do your best to forget all about it at the Yaki Tiki barbecue, in the same space (and the backyard too!). The amazing team behind Okonomi and Yuji Ramen have moved into the space and brought with them a Polynesian party that you’re invited to, every weekend. So go. Drink. Eat things on sticks, with multiple sauce options. Don’t bring up the Norman and make people sad. That’s a rude thing to do at Barbecues. Info here, starts at noon. 172 Banker St.

Backyard BBQ at Nowadays in Ridgewood

Because all of those friends you have with backyards and grills and promises of cookouts “every day this summer!” suddenly become scarce once summer hits, Nowadays says fuck those friends. You deserve to have your hotdogs and beers and music and open-air without them. Come to their backyard BBQ this Saturday for bocce ball and ping pong, cold drinks, groovy tunes, Italian hot dogs (??) and rotating BBQ fare (???) and Republic of Booza ice cream (!!!!). It starts at noon and goes, if you want, until Mister Sunday greets you the next day. Info here. 56-06 Cooper Ave.

Bomba Estereo in Prospect Park

Summer is ending folks. So stop not going to see live music outside. Seriously, stop. Start stopping Saturday night at the wondrous Prospect Park bandshell with Bomba Estereo, the hottest cumbia superstars of our time. They play a FREE shot with fiery Colombian expat outfit Delsonido, so get there early and find an inventive way to sneak in some wine. Let me know what you come up with. I’ll be the one drinking out of a leather Spanish wine sack in the back. Gates at 6:30, show at 7:30 but it’s free so just leave now. Info here.

PS1 Summer Warm-Up, Long Island City

This LIC summertime party institution also has a permanent residency on my weekend guide, from now through labor day. So I recommend checking the schedule and either choosing based on the tunes or your own availability (this is not a “oh I have a few hours, I’ll check it out” kind of affair. it will take all of your Saturday and at least 3/4 of the mental space of your Sunday. And it will all be worth it.) tickets here. I’m already heatin’ up.

Young Adult Friction Indie-Alt Dance Party at the Brooklyn Bazaar in Greenpoint

Your favorite weekend rub down, for those of us who are looking for the anti-rave. Young Adult Friction, the indie-alt dance party that gets you to dance yrself clean and then dirty again in Brooklyn and will be heating up the dancefloor at the Brooklyn Bazaar Saturday night. Leave the hypnotic trance-dance warehouse scene behind in exchange for all of your favorite indie pop, alt rock, post punk, dance punk, and oldies, all night. Tickets and love are free. Dance all night and leave with a new lover. Info here, 11-3am, 150 Greenpoint Ave.

Would You Rather Live at Friends and Lovers in Crown Heights

Hey, so, the debates! The goddamn the debates. What a mess we’ve made, huh? If they’ve left you feeling like you don’t want to participate in seeing all of these very pressing questions being answered with basically a WWF-style of entertainment, just with added suits and podiums, then come on down to Friends and Lovers Saturday night. They’ll be answering the more important questions, if not more politely, at least in a way that we can all laugh about together, instead of with Bill Maher later. It’s Would You Rather, Live! A comedy show that will have you wondering what you would really do if you really had to choose between never dreaming again, or having to watch all of your dreams on TV every morning with your entire family watching along. Yeah. Think about it. Then head to 641 Classon Ave. Info here.

Petite League (Album Release!) at the Sultan Room in Bushwick

If you haven’t yet heard of the Turk’s Inn, then make sure you tell everyone you heard it here first. (I mean it, tell them.) The Turk’s Inn was a kitschy supper club in Northern Wisconsin for 80 years and when it shuddered its doors in 2014 after the owner died, best friends Varun Kataria and Tyler Erickson bought as much of the decor and ephemera as they could at an estate sale and have been working for 3 years to reopen it, in Bushwick. This kitschy, dreamy, and not at all authentic Arabic adventure will transport you, if not anywhere, to the magic of the 1960s midwest. Best of all? They have a music venue on the top floor and Saturday night they invite Petite League (for their album release!) along with DJ Bailey Leiter and Jonathan Something to the disco-fabulous stage. Tickets available here. Go early, have dinner. Stay late, get a Kebab. 234 Starr St.

(Untitled) Green-Wood by Pioneer Works, in Green-Wood Cemetery in Sunset Park

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for different ways to interact with cemetery spaces. Let the creative geniuses behind everyone’s favorite gallery and free-form mixed-use space in Red Hook show you a new way to be living among the interred. Pioneer Works brings us the inaugural performance of their partnership with Green-Wood cemetery this Saturday night with Untitled (Green-Wood), an immersive performance that will allow you to follow and watch as performers build and collapse mobile structures. Let their lithe movements blur the lines between art and OH FUCK I THINK THAT’S ACTUALLY A GHOST. Put yourself in there. You never know. Tickets are $25 and available here. 7-9pm, 500 25th St. 

Things to do in Brooklyn on Sunday

Bikini Sundae Pool Party at House of Yes in Bushwick

This is the pool party you want to be at. House of Yes invites you to strip down and dive into their pop-up pool, their rooftop jacuzzi, and all over their indoor and outdoor dance floors this Sunday, with ice cream and booze too. Come, dance, splash in your speedo. Arrive early and #revelwithacause as you party down the sidewalks of Bushwick, helping LitterRally keep the streets clean. All info here. The party is free, just like you and me. 2 Wyckoff Ave.

Hey Brooklyn. These sweet summer days aren’t getting any longer and as we fearlessly dive into the last weekend of July, the fleetingness of this beautiful season is palpable. Let me help you stretch out these days, these weekends, these moments that we must embrace to get us through the painful, dreary winter months. It’s all waiting for you (but not for long) in your Weekend Guide. Get in there.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Thursday

Heatonist Presents: Backyard Badasses, the World’s Hottest Sausage Team Challenge at the Hoxton in Williamsburg

The hottest sausage party in town is happening this weekend. Our lovely friends at Heatonist are teaming up with the Meat Hook to create some of the spiciest (and most delicious) and inviting you and your masochistic pals to challenge their team to see who can finish 5 of these dangerous little sausages first. Challenger tickets are $30 and include 2 Brooklyn beers, ice cream from Van Leeuwen, and the chance to fully regenerate your taste buds. Spectators are welcome, and the first 50 to RSVP get a free beer! Do so here now and be there, at the Hoxton, from 6-8pm. 97 Wythe Ave.

Live at the Archway presents Caique Vidal and Batuque in DUMBO

Start off your weekend on the right foot (even if it’s not the right steps) at this explosion of Brazilian beats, music, and culture under the iconic archway of the Manhattan Bridge. Their weekly Live at the Archway series welcomes Caique Vidal and Batuque who will fill one of NYC’s only covered public outdoor spaces with infectious energy and riveting dance grooves, as part of Brasil Summerfest. Go. Dance. Feel alive. Act Brazilian. It’s free and starts at 5:30pm. Info here.

Sicilian Vegan Dinner at Archestratus in Greenpoint

Think Sicily isn’t normally a place where you find Vegan delicacies? (after all, stigghiola is a thing… and it’s damn delicious fyi) Well also maybe North Brooklyn isn’t where you’d expect to find a specialty cookbook store/cafe that specializes in community dinners, celebrity author/chef demonstrations, and free arancini with the purchase of a beer on weekends. So forget what you thought. Come to this Vegan Sicilian dinner tonight at Archestratus in Greenpoint. Tickets, $30 (available right here) include a 3-course meal, plus beer and wine available for purchase. Two seatings. 160 Huron St.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Friday

House of Love: Summer Seduction at House of Yes in Bushwick

Summertime means shedding ones clothes along with ones inhibitions, making hot, dangerous, and desperate decisions with new lovers, dancing in the moonlight until dawn and regretting nothing while sweating often. If you feel like your summer has been lacking in this seductive, mystical magic, (or even if you’ve had a relative abundance lately) head to the Summer of Love party this Friday night at House of Yes. Leo + the Munk Machine will be spinning all night to get you in the mood, along with plenty of aphrodisiac edibles, pleasure performances, bondage and blindfolds, installations and secret rooms and all of your old friends and new lovers ready to seduce you. Costumes required. Tickets and all info here. 10pm-4am, 2 Wyckoff Ave.

Jackson Pollock Paint Party at Beyond Studios in Bushwick

Wine and paint parties are a thing… and usually leave you unintentionally overly drunk and with some interpretation of an owl that you will never, ever put on your wall. Come to this much cooler iteration of a wine/paint night where you’ll get inside the head of profound genius Jackson Pollock and understand the reason and inspiration behind his famous abstract paintings, and then have a chance to create your own masterpiece, or at least a beautiful mess. Open bar of beer & wine provided, along with covers for your clothing and shoes. Bring an open mind and enthusiastic spirit and inevitably, a functioning liver. Tickets are $65 and available here. 272 Seigel St.

Coco in Transmitter Park in Greenpoint

If you haven’t seen this amazing Pixar film, see it tonight for free in Transmitter Park, overlooking the most iconic skyline in the city and feeling your heart warmed as the sun sets yet offers us really no relief from the heat (suck it up, summer is fleeting). And if you have seen it, then I know you’re already preparing your blanket and wine bota because this is one that you can see a hundred times and still laugh and cry and shamelessly sing along. Bring your family, bring a date, bring wine. Just be there. Film starts at 8pm, arrive earlier, get a drink at the Barge. Info here. 1 Greenpoint Ave. 

Things to do in Brooklyn on Saturday

Tour de Gastro of NYC by Gastro Obscura, Citywide

Smorgasburg, or NYC’s favorite fusion of influencer imitation stations and local food favorites sweating in tents, is still happening every Saturday in Williamsburg and Sundays in Prospect Park. And it’s still great. But if you want more of an adventurous, hidden, and truly emblematic to the real NYC food experience, embark on this gastronomical adventure from Atlas Obscura. Some of New York City’s most extraordinary dishes can be found lurking inside billiards halls, beside laundromats, and behind unassuming exteriors, and Gastro Obscura has set up this 12-stop food scavenger hunt for you to find and experience some of the city’s true culinary gems. Tag your findings with #TourdeGastro and you could win a prize. Regardless, you’ll be winning an experience you can’t find under a sea of tents in Williamsburg. All info here.

PS1 Summer Warm-Up, Long Island City

This LIC summertime party institution also has a permanent residency on my weekend guide, from now through labor day. So I recommend checking the schedule and either choosing based on the tunes or your own availability (this is not a “oh I have a few hours, I’ll check it out” kind of affair. it will take all of your saturday and at least 3/4 of the mental space of your Sunday. And it will all be worth it.) tickets here. I’m already heatin’ up.

Backyard BBQ at Nowadays in Ridgewood

Because all of those friends you have with backyards and grills and promises of cookouts “every day this summer!” suddenly become scarce once summer hits, Nowadays says fuck those friends. You deserve to have your hotdogs and beers and music and open-air without them. Come to their backyard BBQ this Saturday for bocce ball and ping pong, cold drinks, groovy tunes, Italian hot dogs (??) and rotating BBQ fare (???) and Republic of Booza ice cream (!!!!). It starts at noon and goes, if you want, until Mister Sunday greets you the next day. Info here. 56-06 Cooper Ave.

The 9th Annual NYC Poetry Festival on Governor’s Island

Spend your Sunday on a (nearly) untouched island, biking and exploring and drinking Threes Brewing beers and soaking in the beauty of spoken (and written!) word this Saturday and Sunday. It’s the NYC Poetry Fest, featuring over 250 poets with 5 stages over 2 days and countless performances, activities, and readings that will leave you breathless, speechless, hopeful. It’s in its 9th year and bigger than ever, and guaranteed to be the most profound thing you fill your time with this weekend. All info is here. Be there.

Music for the Masses New Wave Night at St. Vitus in Greenpoint

This is the best dance party in Brooklyn right now. Why? Because it’s not the same techno-disco-mashup that mashes you against way too many post-college bodies in a sweaty “underground” scene that you had to pay $30 to get into after being screened by some snooty ex-model with an earpiece and an attitude (are you reading this, Hotel Chantelle?) It’s a grungey, synthy dance party in a heavy metal music venue and as much as it’s “for the masses”, it’s not for the weak at heart. It’s for you, you edgy Brooklynite looking for mischief and mayhem and somewhere you can actually dance all night to Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, Joy Division, and your other favorites. It’s free until midnight, but get in line early(ish). Info here. 1120 Manhattan Ave.

Things to do in Brooklyn on Sunday

24-Hour Party with Mister Sunday at Nowadays in Bushwick

Come party with some zombies this Sunday at Nowadays and come to the last part of their 24-hour rager. Yeah. 24hours. It starts on Saturday and ends Sunday and I say, buy your ticket to the last 6-hour session where you’re guaranteed to be the best looking and the best dancer there. Put some bacon in your pocket and you’ll also be the most popular. Tickets, $20 available here.

Sunday Soul Scream at Our Wicked Lady in Bushwick

Forget about Monday and make the most of your Sunday on the roof of Our Wicked Lady. Let your soul scream and your body dance and your spirit soak in the magic of summer on this, the last day of the last weekend of July. It’s their weekly rooftop dance party and it’s where you want to be so you don’t wake up in December and say, “wait, did Summer even happen?” This is how it happens. Be there. Info here. 8pm-4am, 153 Morgan Ave.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Takedown at Lot45 in Bushwick

Or (ice)scream your heart out at the Icecream Takedown, the borough’s most important ice cream competition where your local favorites will fight to win your affection and to be the catalyst of your brain freezes and to keep you cool this Sunday, and all summer long. Head to Lot 45 to be a part of the action and make your weekend, and summer, a little cooler and a lot sweeter. Tickets, $25 available here. 2-4pm at 411 Troutman St.

Casting long shadows

upon sidewalks, into hearts

the fading of Summer.

Elevate Your Drinking at Rooftop Reds at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Heat Up Your ‘Netflix and Chill’ with an Outdoor Film

Be a Drama Queen at Shakespeare in the Park

Cool Off at an NYC Public Pool

Spend the Day at a City Beach

Paddle Around in the East River

Explore Brooklyn by Bike

Day Party at MoMA PS1 Summer Warm Up

Night Party at Brooklyn Mirage

Spend a Day at the Museum

Hit up a Mets Game and do a dumpling tour in the other Chinatown

See you out there, Brooklyn.

things that we’ll hang on tightly to even as the temperature drops – that slight bronze on our skin, the ocean water in our hair, and the music that made us feel alive this summer. here’s a playlist meant to make the transition a little bit easier. complete with more than a peppering of clapping, some shamelessly-smokey harmonies, bold backbeats that hit every fucking time, guitar riffs that were definitely first recorded on a beach, and beck, speaking nonsense, with a reggaeton-esque verse seamlessly mixed in.

you need this in your ears to go with the sun on your skin and the love in your hearts and the sweaty palm connected to your sweaty palm.

<3L.

there’s nothing better for summer than a romper. your one-piece solution to all of summer’s social requirements.

let’s face it- summer means that beer consumption increases, inhibitions decrease, often bathroom accommodations deteriorate if not disappear completely (the alleyway seems much more approachable when not risking frostbite). overall, the desire and speed at which you would like to remove clothing is heightened as the temperature rises. this does not mean that you should shy away from the pure joy of romping the day away. what it does mean is you need to find one with an easy escape route. see below for my helpful search tips for how to select a fashionable- and reliable- pick this season.

1. demand a defined waist- this is important obviously so you don’t look like you’re wearing a potato sack, but also because if it doesn’t have a sufficiently defined waist, you may be tempted to add a belt. this is bad. adding another piece to a one piece equals exactly too many pieces to juggle while you’re hovering over a toilet in a port-a-potty at a music festival. elastic is great, drawstrings are better, or that perfectly tailored suit with a side zip will do. here are my favorites-

cinched waist, plus pull-on pull-off style makes this romp a walk in the park.

business in the front, party in the back. and party in the bottom. and on the top too. and now we made the front-business party-business too so- act accordingly.

2. search for removable or otherwise shruggable straps- perhaps the easiest way to get in and out of a romper built accordingly- simply be slightly dismissive, or appear that way- and with a slight shrug, you’re ready for your escape, baby.

two-toned draped jumpsuit- great for outdoor events or nights in the city. the halter-style neck ties and low-cut arms makes this jumpsuit just daring enough.

added lace makes this one extra fancy, and the clasp in the back means you won’t get too antsy and pee your pantsies.

3. the side swipe- ONLY to be used with shorts rompers.(don’t act like you don’t know what i mean- you do know what i mean. if you don’t, click the links below and imagine how you would go about using the restroom in a desperate situation while wearing one of these)

you will need an extra pair of hands here to assist you in the unzipping process. and not that they will be hard to find, just plan accordingly. if it is an emergency… well… see option number 3.

this style is not for the weak at heart- but then, i know you better than that. sure it has a low back but it also boasts a few buttons and a zipper. there’s no getting out of this puppy easily but damn i like your style.

4. give up and just go- simply plan to not drink any liquids all day and only take off your romp when you’ve committed to nudity for a worthy romp. these may make removal difficult, but they’re worth it. and you are worth it. baby.

i love that this looks like a handkerchief. i love the bold-yet-flattering hem. i love that it would be way too hard to remove properly but oh-so-tempting to onlookers. instruction manual: not included.

don’t drink liquids for two main reasons here- the unbelievably sexy silhouette, and obviously this has absolutely no easy escape route. but once you’re out- just stay that way.

romp. on.