We’re sending today’s newsletter out a little earlier than usual to make sure people have enough time to cancel all their plans, make a costume, and head directly to the NYC Parks Medieval Festival. Held in Bay Ridge’s John Paul Jones Park, the festival features an archery clinic, a Cinderella puppet show for the kids, and a melée by the Gladiators NYC (whose Central Park fights we’ve featured here before). You can even strap on some armor and pick up a sword yourself. There’s probably a long waiver to be signed for that, but still, sounds fun. The festival is today from 12 to 4 PM. -DW |
|
I love this pick. Not because it’s particularly useful, but because it reminds me of a more free and fun era of the internet that has largely slipped away in recent years. The conceit behind Bop Spotter is rather simple: Riley Walz, one the people responsible for the fake Mehran’s Steak House, installed a phone high up on a pole in San Francisco’s Mission District and has it set to Shazam whatever music it hears, 24/7. A play on the controversial—at best—ShotSpotter technology that surveils neighborhoods around the country, Bop Spotter is instead all “about catching vibes.” It’s a clever use of simple technology to gain some insight into the interests of everyday people without then using that data to sell them stuff. More of this, please. -DW |
|
I cracked this book last Wednesday, the night before a flight to Seattle, followed by a drive to Anacortes and a ferry to Lopez Island. I had picked up a copy of Bear without knowing really anything about it, and based purely on how much I loved author Julia Phillips’ previous novel, Disappearing Earth. So it felt both fitting and extremely serendipitous to see a map of Washington State’s San Juan Islands in its opening pages. Bear, as a story, is similarly magical: a blue-collar fairy tale set in the Pacific Northwest. It follows the experience of two sisters raised on San Juan Island whose lives are uprooted by the appearance of a grizzly bear on their doorstep. I finished it over the course of the weekend, and probably annoyed everyone around me with my repeated entreaties for them all to read it. -VvP |
|
It’s October, so you know what that means: spooky bongs! If you buy this converted skeleton piece from Wasted Water Pipes, just make sure you have extra candy lying around for the trick-or-treaters. And if skeletons aren’t your thing, this horrifying clown bong from Clouded Antiques might be more your speed. -DW |
|
Some of you noticed that our Nesting Set was sold out on Food52 this week. While they are now restocked, we want to note that we also have some milky mint sets still available—as well as ashtrays, pipes, and one-hitters sold individually. You can’t bundle it with a wrapped water pitcher or fruit storage bowl on our site, but you can pick up some extra goodies that will be just delightful. -DW |
|
|
|
|
