I'll rest my eyes to the rivers in the sea

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Friday night we finally got to see The National. I don't know why I was so resistant to listen to this band, but when I finally did, High Violet hit me like a load of bricks (a sad, beautiful load of bricks). I listened to it constantly last summer and slowly made my way back through the older albums. I briefly considered driving to Boston or Philly to see them, when they didn't have any shows scheduled in New York for the longest time, but they finally they set a six-night run at Beacon Theatre and by the luck (which is usually unluck) of ticketmaster, I got tickets in the third row, front and center, for the fifth night.You can see the setlist and more pics here. I was particularly pleased that they played "Think You Can Wait." I sort of felt like I was at a "rock show," especially in comparison to the opener, My Brightest Diamond, but I didn't really care at all. So good.

valentine's date staycation

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Elliott and I weren't together on Valentine's Day (I was holed up in New Jersey). And to be honest, we've just had a pretty hectic past six weeks. Not complaining, but between the stomach flu, Luke staying with us, the week in New Jersey, and Elliott working long hours on an [extra] project, we needed a little break.

So Saturday, we headed into the city and had dinner at The Standard Grill and stayed the night at the Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district. The hotel (and the whole neighborhood) is pretty trendy, not really our scene, but it was fun to shake things up. The person who checked us in at the hotel said he had seen more locals checking in that night than out-of-towners, so I guess we were in good company. The food was honestly just okay. We've had some delicious meals in New York for birthdays and holidays (and every time we eat at Roebling, obvs) and this was just okay. But we still had a good time, and, honestly you could do a lot worse than eating mediocre eggs benedict in bed. On Sunday we walked up and down the High Line in the sunshine before heading back home.

thesis forum + graduation

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We've been celebrating pretty much non-stop for the past month. Celebrating basically equals eating lots of good dinners and always having an excuse for sparkling wine. 
Elliott's parents came in to town in April for Elliott's graduate school Thesis Forum, where he gave a 10-minute presentation on Day Job Magazine (PS: the kickstarter was funded!). 
SVA graduation was at Radio City Music Hall this year. It was a lot of fun to see Elliott walk across that big stage to receive his diploma. So proud of him.   

Brooklyn Half Marathon

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[picture via Julie J.]

This past Saturday, I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon (13.1 miles!). I have been "training" for the past 3 months (if I'm being honest, I was not the most disciplined). I managed to finish the race, with a pace of about 10 1/2 minutes per mile.  My posted time was a bit slower than that, as I took a bathroom break near the beginning of the race and ended up waiting way too long in line (probably 7 minutes! I was panicking.). Next time I will know to not drink much water the morning of the race. There was plenty of water along the way.

I keep saying next time as if I'm going to do this again? Maybe I will. I realized while training that the longer runs felt a lot better than I thought they would. You sort of reach a point, a couple of miles in, when you are on auto pilot. I couldn't believe it the first time I ran 8 miles in training, but it just sort of happens. My only physical complaint during and after the race was my knees. Super sore knees.

The best part of this race is that it ends on the Coney Island boardwalk. Dipping my toes in the freezing cold ocean after running 13 miles was pretty much perfect.

Post: 'Slumlord' Buys Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn Heights

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The NY Post calls developer David Bistricer a "slumlord" and reports that he’s bought the landmark Hotel Bossert on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses). Bistricer says that he plans to have it running as a hotel again by 2014, pending city approvals.

As owner of the 59-building Flatbush Gardens complex, Bistricer had more than 8,100 open violations in 2010 and ranked among the city’s biggest slumlords that year, the Post reports. Read more.

UPDATE:  According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Bistricer plans a 302-room hotel "with a decent size restaurant on the first floor where one of the meeting rooms could be used to handle the restaurant’s overflow."

His spokesperson also defended his ownership at Flatbush Gardens, saying that when Bistricer bought the property it was "distressed."

- Watchtower Denies Brooklyn Heights' Bossert Sold, But Levine Pays a Little Visit
- Brooklyn's Bossert Hotel Reported Sold (2008)
- Watchtower's Hotel Bossert -- Brooklyn's 'Waldorf Astoria' -- Up For Sale
- Watchtower Continues to Sell Its Heights Property

Photo by MK Metz

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SAT Scores at Packer Invalidated; P.S. 58 On Bed Bug Alert; and More Brooklyn Briefs

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- Cops stopped and questioned nearly one-third of Brownsville’s residents last year. NY Daily News

- Nearly 200 students who took the SAT at Packer in Brooklyn Heights had their scores invalidated, apparently because some students were seated too closely together. New York Times

- Two Hasidim were arrested outside a fundraiser for accused pedophile Rabbi Nechemya Weberman in Williamsburg. Failed Messiah

- Porno was to blame for the stabbing at the normally sedate Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Brooklyn Eagle

- Carroll Garden's P.S. 58 is on bed bug alert. Carroll Gardens Patch

- A SUNY Downstate official is the latest exec to defy a state panel that recommended mergers and closings at cash-strapped Brooklyn hospitals. NY Daily News

- The Defense Department is considering removing an elite anti-terrorism unit from the Fort Hamilton Army Base. Brooklyn Eagle

- Williamsburg residents fear liver-destroying nightclub. NY Magazine

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New York Photo Festival Opens Today (May 17) in DUMBO

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Jen DeNike
Yamini Nayar

The New York Photo Festival 2012 will be held May 16 through May 20 in DUMBO, Brooklyn. A site locator of the area’s exhibition sites and amenities can be found here.

The festival opens to the public Thursday, May 17, 11:00 am; tickets are not required to view exhibitions, but will be required for presentations and receptions. (Special events schedule here.)

Featured exhibitions include: "What Do You Believe In" at 56 Water Street and 37 Main Street; "The Curse and the Gift" at Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main Street; "On the Razor's Edge: Between Documentary and Fine Art Photography," also at Powerhouse; and "Sinfonia Antarctica (The Book of Ice)" by DK Spooky -- a special outdoor exhibition which will be presented as iceberg floes throughout the streets of DUMBO in special BackPack Galleries.

Satellite exhibitions are also taking place at Powerhouse and 111 Front Street. Details here.

- 2011 Photo Festival
- 2010 Photo Festival

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