offManhattan

Peck away at blackberry. Listen to music (a little too loudly). Sleep. All things we see people doing on the morning commute. But the number one subway pastime? Reading: The Times, a magazine, a book, an e-reader. . .Wednesday, September 8, add literary magazine to that list. From 7:30-9:00am that morning, at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, One Story (the brilliant Brooklyn-based mag on a mission to return the short story to its rightful place of glory) and the Brooklyn Book Festival will brighten the morning commute by handing out issues of One Story, along with invitations to a reading during the festival on Sunday, September 12 (12pm). It that doesn’t beat staring off into space, we can’t help you (we’ll be busy reading).

For the past month, a new, free public kayaking program has been operating out of Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

It’s May, on a bright, breezy afternoon, Charlie O’Donnell is giving the founders of offManhattan.com a tour of the developing site where two blue shipping containers and 16 one and two-person kayaks will be docked. On the sloping lawn, kids are running around picnic blankets while other locals lie supine in the grass next to their bikes. We’re walking the perimeter with O’Donnell, a triathlete and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at First Round Capital, and it’s hard not to stop and marvel at the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

Although we helmet heads are grateful for the 600 miles of designated bike lanes in NYC, let’s face facts: to most New Yorkers, biking in the city conjures up harrowing images of way-too-close encounters with agitated motorists and cabbies.

As an alternative, we recommend these three refreshingly bike-friendly, multi-level rides, which involve free beer, pizza and routes that weave throughout farms, vineyards, and the sea—all near NYC and accessible without, you guessed it, a car.

It’s likely there will always be women who worry about the cost of their human labor, while others, the comfort of their evening gowns. This dichotomy can be explored in Jean Kwok’s new “Girl in Translation” novel and in the “American in High Style” exhibit on display at the Brooklyn Museum until August 1. For those with any interest in fashion, literature, or history, this is a doubly enjoyable summer experience not to be missed. 

What: Second Annual Northside Music, Art and Film Festival

When: Thursday, June 24th  – Sunday, June 27th

Where: 25+ venues in various locations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint

Why: Since L Magazine’s first announcement of the return of last year’s instant-indie hit—The Northside Festival—we’ve stayed poised for its four-day lineup jam-packed with bands, art walks, and film screenings. Thanks to the new Northside Radio stream at Radio23.org, we were able to sample some of the 300 and counting bands to present our highlights for the best authentic sounds to look out for at the fest this year. Grab your badges and come join us.  

What: Jell-O Mold Design Competition

When: Saturday, June 26, 6-10 p.m.

Where: The Gowanus Studio Space, Brooklyn, NY

Why: Last summer, Nadia Siddiqui and Michelle Zatta were the inaugural wiggle behind Brooklyn’s first Jell-O Mold Design Competition. It was a venue for design types to explore their creativity in an economical way despite the economy. This year their eternal love for the dessert coupled with the European revival of a 1939 British poster slogan serves as inspiration for the themed design competition—Keep Calm and Wobble On.

I know it’s hot, but there is no excuse for missing some of the finest musicians in the business at the 2010 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at Metrotech in downtown Brooklyn. Every Thursday through August 5 there will be a free outdoor concert just a few steps away from nearly every subway line in the city of New York.

The clock on summer’s unofficial countdown will end tonight when the 32nd season of Celebrate Brooklyn! opens the gates for its annual performing arts festival. Their 30 days of programming—organized by BRIC Arts Media—will take festival goers on an international journey from the circumference of its local stage.