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Post tags: 58 Joralemon Street, brooklyn architecture, fake brownstone, fake townhouse, hidden subway, mta brownstone, mta house, Mysterious Brooklyn Heights Brownstone, ny architecture, secret brooklyn, secret house, secret nyc, secret subway, subway architecture

Read the rest of 6 Perfect Picnic Spots to Visit in NYC testing

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Post tags: alley pond park, central park, green spaces nyc, greenbelt moses mountain, nyc, nyc best parks, nyc parks, nyc picnic, nyc picnic spots, pelham park, prospect park

Looking for something fun to do this summer in NYC? How about a free ferry ride that also supports a neighborhood that was knocked off its feet after Hurricane Sandy? Mayor Bloomberg joined other city officials this week to announce the launch of a free Red Hook Summer Ferry that will operate on weekends throughout the summer season. The newly expanded service spells good news for Red Hook businesses hoping to see an increase in foot traffic, and it provides a way for them to continue recovering after last October’s superstorm. The ferry will kick off Memorial Day weekend at Pier 11 in Manhattan and will give people another reason (besides just going to IKEA) to visit Red Hook.

Read the rest of Expanded Free Ferry Service to Red Hook Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend! testing

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Post tags: east river, East River Ferry, ferry service nyc, Hurricane Sandy, ikea, ikea brooklyn, labor day, mayor bloomberg, memorial day, nyc ferry, pier 11, Red Hook, van brunt street

Throw your suit in a messenger bag and strap on your helmet because today is Bike to Work Day! Thousands of New Yorkers will be trading in their car, bus or subway commutes for a zero-energy alternative that is also a blast – and it’s not too late to join in on the fun! Bikers still have until 10 am to take advantage of one of several fueling stations greeting bicyclists this morning. So pick up a coffee, a coconut water or a snack and ride into the sunset (or into the office, since they’re probably expecting you). Click through to find out where you can score a bit of grub and reflective decals on your way to work (and perhaps even get an invite to a super cool after-work bike party).

Read the rest of Today is Bike to Work Day in New York! testing

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Post tags: bike share, bike to work day, bike to work week, brooklyn bridge, Brooklyn roasting company, citi bank bike share, citi bike, Hudson river greenway, joyce kilmer park, league of American bicyclists, Manhattan Bridge, nyc bicyclists, nyc bike paths, nyc bike share program, Queensboro bridge, staten island ferry, Transportation Alternatives, vita coco

Image via Shutterstock

It’s not the sounds of the city or early morning trash removal that forces some Greenpoint, Brooklyn residents out of bed in the morning. Instead, a neighborhood rooster has become a local town favorite by bringing a bit of the countryside to the Kingsborough. Though it may be rather odd for a rooster to be lurking about, most residents don’t seem to be bothered by its crows. We’re curious to know, would you want to trade in your alarm clock for a daily cockle-doodle-doo?

Read the rest of Greenpoint, Brooklyn Residents Surprisingly Don’t Hate Mysterious Crowing Rooster testing

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Post tags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn chicken coops, Brooklyn chicken farms, Brooklyn farms, Greenpoint, New York Restoration Project, nyc chicken coops, nyc chickens, NYC farming, Schenectady Avenue Community Garden, urban agriculture, urban farming

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Post tags: bed stuy vegan restaurant, nyc vegan, nyc vegetarian restaurants, salad wheel, salad wheel brooklyn, saladwheel, vegan bed stuy, vegan restaurant bedford stuyvesant, vegan restaurants brooklyn, vegan restaurants nyc, vegetarian bed stuy, vegetarian bedford stuyvesant, vegetarian restaurant bushwick

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Bower Debuts Fun & Flexible Magnetic Polaris Light at BKLYN Designs testing

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Post tags: Bower, bower brooklyn, Bower NYC, brooklyn design events, brooklyn designers, brooklyn events, Dumbo events, eco design, furniture made with recycled materials, green Brooklyn designers, green designers, magnetic lighting series, reclaimed materials, sustainable design

We’ve been wanting to see Lamacek‘s new Phelt “clusters” in person ever since we found out about them, and we finally got our chance this weekend at BKLYN Designs. The fun series takes eco-felt made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and turns it into spirally groupings that can be used as wall art, seat cushions, coasters and pretty much whatever else you can think of (Lamacek takes custom orders as well). We got a chance to ask Connie Lam, who founded Lamacek with partner Michael Sedlacek, about PHELT. Read on to see what we learned.

Read the rest of Lamacek Shows Off Fun Phelt Wall Clusters at BKLYN Designs 2013 testing

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Post tags: bklyn designs, Brooklyn, connie lam, deer head lamp, eco design, eco-felt, green design, green furnishings, Lamacek, Michael Sedlacek, nyc, recycled materials, recycled plastic bottles, sustainable design, sustainable furnishings

Read the rest of Analog Modern Draws Upon Traditional Craft to Create Their Contemporary Furniture Collection testing

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Post tags: Amanda Coen, Analog Modern, bklyn designs, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, brooklyn designs, eco design, furniture design, green design, home goods, house ware, industrial design, Inhabitat, Inhabitat NYC, new york city, Peter Buley, reclaimed wood, recycled aluminium, recycled materials, salvaged materials, salvaged wood, sustainable design, West Elm

We’ve been in love with Adam Frank’s LUMEN nightlights for all the years that this veteran designer has been bringing them to BKLYN Designs, but we are absolutely thrilled with his new LED version. Frank’s delicate little Lumen lamps are made of stainless steel sheets cut into shapes found in nature (like pine trees), and they cast gentle shadows on the wall. But now each one is even more efficient, long-lasting, and earth-friendly than ever before.

Read the rest of Adam Frank’s LUMEN LED is a Delightful Little Nightlight with Big Energy Savings testing

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Post tags: adam frank, brooklyn designers, eco lighting, efficient night lights, green design, green designers from Brooklyn, green lighting, LED battery life, led lights, Lumen LED, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

Read the rest of Pickett Furniture Uses Sustainable Wood and Vintage Textiles to Create Playful Handcrafted Pieces testing

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Post tags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, brooklyn designs, eco design, furniture design, green design, home goods, house ware, industrial design, Inhabitat, Inhabitat NYC, Jeremy Pickett, new york city, pickett, Pickett Furniture Company, reclaimed wood, recycled aluminium, recycled materials, salvaged materials, salvaged wood, sustainable design, West Elm

BKLYN Designs came and went far too quickly, but it was fantastic to catch up with Brooklyn’s best and greenest designers – including Bien Hecho. Translated to mean “well made” in Spanish, this local studio offers a playful range of interior furnishings that are all made with salvaged materials. From lamps to chairs and tables to a brand new mini water cooler made out of timber harvested from large water towers, each piece is uniquely and unquestionably sustainable.

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Bien Hecho Shows Off Their Reclaimed and Well Made Home Furnishings testing

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Post tags: Bien Hecho, bklyn designs, brooklyn design events, brooklyn designers, eco design, furniture made with reclaimed materials, green design, green designers, NYC designers, NYC water towers, salvaged Coney Island boardwalk wood, sustainable design

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Post tags: adam frank, Bien Hecho, bklyn designs, bklyndesigns, Bower NYC, brooklyn design events, brooklyn designers, brooklyn designs, brooklyn events, Caleb Zipperer, CASA Kids, connie lam, Dog Tag Designs, Dumbo events, eco design, eco furniture, editors choice awards, furniture made with recycled materials, green Brooklyn designers, green designers, hooker and co, Jeremy pickette, john randall, Lamacek, magnetic lighting series, mark Jupiter, Noble Goods, Palo Samko, pickett, reclaimed materials, Roberto Gil, sustainable design, Urban Chandy, vaishali patel

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Post tags: adam frank, Aellon, Bien Hecho, Bower, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, brooklyn designs, Caleb Zipperer, CASA Kids, Dog Tag Designs, eco design, From the Source, furniture design, Garrison Architects, green design, home goods, hooker and co, house ware, industrial design, Inhabitat, Inhabitat NYC, Lamacek, mark Jupiter, new york city, Noble Goods, Palo Samko, pickett, reclaimed wood, recycled aluminium, recycled materials, salvaged materials, salvaged wood, sustainable design, Urban Chandy, West Elm

If you’ve ever seen a painfully chained or otherwise constrained tree on the street, you might have wished you could free it – but how? One Brooklynite has taken the matter into his own hands with his “Treedom Project“, which aims to find chained or otherwise abused NYC trees (the shackles don’t just look oppressive – they can actually cause trees to weaken and die) and liberate them. With the help of a network of “informants” and a pair of city distributed clippers, Rob Birdsong is planning to set each and every wrongly chained tree free. Read on to see how you can help!

Read the rest of Brooklyn Vigilante Frees Chained and Choked Trees with the Treedom Project testing

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Post tags: chained trees nyc, million tree project, new york city tree planting, new york city trees, nyc trees, rob birdsong, treedom, treedom project, urban arborist

We just caught up with Adam Frank at BKLYN Designs, and we’re very excited to share his newest and arguably coolest design yet – the LUCID Mirror. This awesome mirror functions just like any reflective sheet of glass, except it also has a 3D image of illuminated clouds floating at the top!

Read the rest of Adam Frank Unveils Mesmerizing 3D LED LUCID Mirror at BKLYN Designs 2013 testing

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Post tags: 3D LED Cloud mirror, adam frank, BKLYN Designs 2013, brooklyn designers, Dumbo designers, eco design, green design, green designers, green lighting, illuminated mirror, LED lighting, light artist, LUCID Mirror, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

Hello Brooklyn! We’re reporting live today from BKLYN Designs, a celebration and showcase of home furnishings designed and made in the Kingsborough. We’ve only been here for an hour or so but it’s already plain to see that the show is a feast for the eyes, with lots of sustainable furniture, lighting and other decorative wares to choose from. Stay tuned as we keep you updated on all of our finds from the show and don’t forget to vote up your favorite Brooklyn designs here! We’ll be tallying up your votes on Sunday and awarding the winners our coveted Inhabitat Green Design Awards on Sunday.

Vote here! >

+ BKLYN Designs

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Post tags: adam frank, Bien Hecho, bklyn designs, bklyndesigns, Bower NYC, brooklyn design events, brooklyn designers, brooklyn designs, brooklyn events, Caleb Zipperer, CASA Kids, connie lam, Dog Tag Designs, Dumbo events, eco design, eco furniture, editors choice awards, furniture made with recycled materials, green Brooklyn designers, green designers, hooker and co, Jeremy pickette, john randall, Lamacek, magnetic lighting series, mark Jupiter, Noble Goods, Palo Samko, pickett, reclaimed materials, Roberto Gil, sustainable design, Urban Chandy, vaishali patel

And now for the news we’ve all been waiting for! The Citi Bike NYC bike share program announced today that its official launch date will be May 27th. According to the NYC Mayors Office Twitter stream, the first Citi Bike stations will open in Manhattan below 59th St and in Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy. There’s one catch though – the official launch date is for annual members only, so if you want to be one of the first people to hop on a Citi Bike, read on to see what steps you need to take.

Read the rest of Citi Bike Announces Official May Launch Date for New York City Bike Share testing

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Post tags: bike smart, bike stations, citi bike, citi bike launch date, citi bike official launch date, citi bike share, citi bike share program, Citibank bike share program, citibike, city bike share programs, department of transportation nyc, gramercy park, Hurricane Sandy, new york bike share program, new york bike share stations, new york bike tours, nyc bike share program, nyc bike tours, nyc transportation, shelly mossey, Transportation Alternatives, urban mobility project, when does citi bike launch

You might have known him as MCA of the Beastie Boys, but before he was a rapper Adam Yauch was just a happy Brooklyn kid playing at his favorite park. The late musician was honored last week when Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn Heights was renamed Adam Yauch Park in celebration of his popularity and influence as a rapper, filmmaker and activist. Yauch grew up hanging out at the Columbia Street playground, in the neighborhood that inspired one of the group’s most famous songs, “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.”

Read the rest of Adam Yauch Park Opens in Brooklyn Heights, Honoring Late Beastie Boys Member testing

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Post tags: Adam Yauch Park, Beastie Boys, beastie boys park, brooklyn Heights Park, brooklyn parks, eco design, green design, green parks nyc, MCA, nyc parks, parks nyc, sustainable design

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Post tags: Bower NYC, brooklyn design events, brooklyn designers, brooklyn events, Dumbo events, eco design, furniture made with recycled materials, green Brooklyn designers, green designers, magnetic lighting series, reclaimed materials, sustainable design

After the debut of her Live Screen hydroponic garden during NY Design Week 2012, Brooklyn-based designer Danielle Trofe is returning this year with a new series of off-the-grid LED lighting fixtures that are illuminated using the power of falling sand. Based on the shape of the hourglass, the new lamps need to be flipped to continue working and require the user’s involvement to stimulate awareness of the finite nature of lighting energy sources.


Read the rest of Danielle Trofe’s LED Hourglass Lamps Are Powered by Falling Sand testing

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Post tags: Danielle Trofe Design, green design, green lighting, hourglass, hourglass lamps, kinetic energy, kinetic energy design, lamp design, LED lamps, Live Screen hydroponic garden, ny design week, NY Design Week 2013, solar energy, vertical garden

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Post tags: BKLYN Designs 2013, brooklyn designers, Dumbo, furniture made with reclaimed materials, green designers in Brooklyn, Green designers in New York, green events, green interiors, Hooker & Co, reclaimed materials, sustainable furniture

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Post tags: bamboo furniture, bklyn designs, custom audio electronics, Dumbo designers, eco design, furniture made with salvaged materials, green design, green designers in Brooklyn, new york designers, reclaimed materials, sustainable design

Rendering via Howard Hughes Corp.

Popular tourist destination South Street Seaport will be recovering from the damage it suffered during Hurricane Sandy with exciting new summer programming and shipping container shops. Developer Howard Hughes Corp. and NYC partnered together to bring visitors back to the area beginning Memorial Day weekend with a new season of fun attractions called See/Change. The plan includes a summer full of concerts, artisanal foods and happy hour evenings inside two-story shipping containers.

Read the rest of New Shipping Container Shops Coming to South Street Seaport This Summer testing

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Post tags: brooklyn brewery, brooklyn flea, Howard Hughes Corp, Hurricane Sandy, jonathan butler, nyc summer concerts, Pier 17, sea change south street seaport, seaport museum, shipping container mall, shipping container restaurant, shipping container retail boutique, South Street SEaport

They’re baaaack! A giant swarm of bees was spotted recently in the Boerum Hill area of Brooklyn, causing some alarm among residents. Luckily, New York City beekeeper Ross Bennett Brown explains that the docile bees aren’t looking to harm humans – they’re simply scouting out a new home. Though that may be true, we’re not completely assuaged considering that last summer, 15,000 bees attacked tourists at South Street Seaport after their contained hive was dropped. Whether you find it scary or not, read on to see a video of the Boerum Hill bees performing their “waggle dance” in a tree on Baltic Street.


Read the rest of Massive Bee Swarm Spotted in Brooklyn testing

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Post tags: bee swarms, bee waggle dance, beekeeping nyc, bees in nyc, bees nyc, Department of Health and Mental hygiene, honey bees, honeybee swarms, new york city beekeepers, New york city beekeepers association, NYC bees, ross bennet brown, South Street SEaport, south street seaport bees, urban beekeeping