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The Last Roller Skating Rink in New York City

By Paul Hiebert on

The last roller rink in New York City isn’t as much a roller rink as it is a gymnasium in the Salvation Army building located along Kosciuszko Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Every Wednesday night since 2008, the Crazy Legs Skate Club has opened its doors at 8:00pm for all those 18 and over wanting to get down. Admission is $10.00, because the charitable organization doesn’t rent out its gym for free.

One Wednesday night in February, I visited Crazy Legs. The painted lines on the gym’s wooden floor were faded, the basketball rims up above were bent, and the northern wall was lined with a row of metal folding chairs. A scant assortment of Christmas lights festooned about provided the otherwise dark room with a muted glow, while a great mass of bodies on wheels moved in a counter-clockwise formation. Some experienced skaters occupied the center, where they swirled and twirled to the music in a manner that left no limb looking anything less than fabulous. Around 120 people were there, total. … Read More

New York

Flavorpill Guide to the Week’s Top 10 New York Events

By Leah Taylor on

For our (unconscionably high) rent money, the best thing about living in New York City is its endless supply of fun, odd, and inspired cultural events. But with so many options, it can be hard to know where to even begin planning your week. To help you make sense of it all, Flavorpill has launched a new social discovery engine where users can create and share events with friends, as well as follow Flavorpill editors’ and plugged-in local curators’ picks. Below, you’ll find the very best of what’s on offer this week, recommended by Flavorpill NYC’s top contributing editor, Mindy Bond. It’s just a taste of what you can find on the new Flavorpill, so if you like what you see, be sure to sign up. … Read More

Art

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s Provocative Anti-Street Harassment Posters

By Julia Pugachevsky on

If great art is universal, then Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s anti-street harassment posters are bound to become classic. After all, what woman — regardless of age, race, clothing choice, or location — hasn’t experienced the slimy phenomenon of catcalling? In a recent interview with Clutch magazine, the artist talks about her daily experience of being told to “smile” and the stream of other disgusting phrases tossed at her as she walks down the street of her Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn neighborhood. … Read More

Photography

Eerily Beautiful Photos of New York’s Polluted Gowanus Canal

By Alison Nastasi on

The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is one of the country’s most contaminated waterways, laden with toxic chemicals dating back to 19th-century New York’s industrial areas. When Nietzsche talked about gazing into the abyss, he was really talking about the Gowanus. Brooklyn photographer Bill Miller wanted to capture the flecks of life floating throughout the tar, feces, and heavy metals. The results are part documentation, part poignant snapshots of cosmic sludge. Miller told website Co.Design he sees the images as “strangely beautiful horrors” that reflect the “industrial crimes that took place there over 150 years.” Get lost in Miller’s shimmering void in our gallery. … Read More

New York

Photo Essay: Unknown Brooklyn

By Dave Mandl on

Brooklyn is so well known, and so well traveled, that you might think it has no secrets left to be uncovered. But it has plenty; it’s just a matter of knowing where to look, or having the time for the long walk or bus ride required to get there. There’s also the fact that some of these sites are in places your unconscious self-defense mechanisms might warn you to stay away from. Some are in locations that are so inaccessible you’d never just find yourself there — they’re not on the way to anywhere most people would ever go. Some are in places that only a small, privileged group are allowed into. And, to be completely honest, some are spots that no sane person would be drawn to. But, of course, all this just makes them that much more enticing, at least to people who are intrigued by a good urban adventure. Anyone can find something breathtaking and new in the Grand Canyon, but at the edge of Canarsie? Here’s a handful of pictures that were taken at ten of these locations. … Read More