Archives for December 2011

Book Boys, Book Boys … Whatcha Gonna Do

December 6, 2011 By Jon Reiss Leave a Comment

The second-hand bookshop run by former street booksellers maintains a counterculture vibe. Photo by Eric Ryan Anderson

The Book Thugs of North 3rd Street

Corey Eastwood tells the story of how Book Thug Nation got its name. He talks about a guy named Alan who sounds like the patron saint of book thug ilk: “This guy Alan is kind of the Don of the street booksellers. He’s one of the first guys who started out on West 4th Street — a great old character. He had a store in Park Slope called Last Exit Books. I’ve never been there but I bet it was a great store because he really knows his stuff.”

Days of Blueberry Wine & Lobster Rolls

December 6, 2011 By Mary W. Yeung Leave a Comment

Classic New England style lobster, crab, mussel and clam rolls. Photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

How do you recapture a summer’s day? Try lobster rolls and blueberry wine. They’ll bring it all back—the brilliant sunset, the salty air, the sea, and the sand.

And that’s what owner Tommy Chabrowski wanted when he opened the Lobster Joint in Greenpoint over the summer—to be reminded of the sea. An avid surfer, he loves the water. When he was 14, he bought a used surfboard and went surfing in Far Rockaway, and later in Montauk and Costa Rica. By the mid 90’s, he was living a surfer’s life in Puerto Rico, tending bar by the ocean. One day, he noticed an unused kitchen behind the bar. He asked the boss if he could do something with it and soon found himself flipping burgers, grilling chicken, and owning a piece of the action. When he had his fill of Island life, he came back to Greenpoint and opened the Mark Bar, and later, The Lunch Box.

Photos — Early Signs of the Season by Jim Prez

December 4, 2011 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

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World Aids Day: Could we have stopped AIDS?

December 1, 2011 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

of love and loss and aids suzanne loebl
By Suzanne Loebl

December First became “World AIDS Day” also called “A Day With(Out) Art,” in 1988. It was started by a New York art gallery owner, who wanted to honor members of the artistic community. AIDS was particularly prevalent in this population; the disease first targeted gay men in urban cultural centers, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the beginning, museums closed their doors, or mounted AIDS-related art shows. The familiar red ribbons, standing for charity, unity, compassion, and determination, made their debut. From its inception, Worlds AIDS day has created an annual theme, 2011’s being “Getting to Zero” (new infections).

We are far from attaining this goal. In 1985, 12,000 Americans had AIDS, and 7,000 died that year. By 2009, 3.3 million were infected worldwide and 25 million had died. Today, in Brooklyn alone, 25,000 people are HIV+. With adequate treatment, many will survive, but AIDS drugs are very costly, and have many serious side effects.