Summer may not officially start until June 20, but theres plenty to get excited about between now and then.

Sad news for Park Slope–the venerable, 38-year-old Record & Tape Center evicted. [BP]

photo: my flickr

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Fifteen notable nightlife openings.

On my brief visit to Greenpoint, I was delighted to stumble upon the Peter Pan Donut Shop. Readers have been telling me to go there and I just never did. Now I walked through the sea-foam green entryway and took a seat at the back end of the snaking counter, where I ordered a chocolate egg cream and a toasted coconut.

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On the new book Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior, by Geoffrey Miller: “The grand edifice of brand-name consumerism rests on the narcissistic fantasy that everyone else cares about what we buy.” [NYT]

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ExGinger Man manager Trevor Budd opened this shack last spring.

Jake Mooney revisits the lost Mooney’s Pub of Flatbush Ave and finds a new bar–with a decent mix of old and new. [NYT]

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Saturday was the 3rd annual Dance Parade. Many asked me the reason for the parade - they seemed perplexed. I answered “to celebrate dance.” I’m not sure a parade needs more of a reason - perhaps so many are estranged from celebration and unmitigated fun that something of this nature grates against their being.
The parade started at 28th and Broadway and headed south, finishing in Tompkins Square park for the Dancefest from 3-7pm with continuous performances on stage. The other participants did plenty of milling and strutting along with numerous spontaneous performances.
Every imaginable type of dance was represented with broad ethnic diversity. There was Samba, belly dancing, swing, Korean traditional dance, Polynesian, Indian, Nepalese, Afro Latino, Mexican Folkloric, modern, tap, jazz, disco, ballet, plenty of hoop dancers and other creative works. Dance lessons were offered and after parties were thrown around the neighborhood.
The parade itself had many participants who were not really dancers but, true to New York City style, no one was policing or jurying marchers. Only the desire to be involved was required.
I thought one of the most striking ensembles was Shir Dance - see their website here. Four women did two living statue movement pieces - the colors and images were quite striking. You can see more images of them and others in my gallery of parade photos here … Read the rest of this entry »