Greetings, snow babies, and happy almost-weekend to you all! This one is a long weekend for many of us, with Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year thrown in for good measure, so hopefully there will be enough going on to shake us all out of this twin state of pandemic exhaustion and winter blues that feels palpable everywhere these days.
That special brand of stir crazy finally led me and my sister to get off our bums and head out to Bushwick to try the much-lauded burger from Robertas’ offshoot Burgie’s, which we devoured in the car and declared 1000% worth the trip before spending the remainder of the evening traipsing around Bushwick in the snow and stopping for a cocktail at Queen. We were also impressed by the looks of the sidewalk screening setup at Syndicated, and I’d love to go back some night this week to catch one of the Hitchcock movies on the slate.
Indoor dining is back in NYC, and while I’m personally not yet comfortable participating, I am on a mission to support as many of my favorite restaurants and cafes as I can through vigorous take-out ordering and other safer alternatives. On a recent walk through Red Hook, I noted that Red Hook Tavern has a lovely heated dining area and is taking reservations if you feel like treating yourself this week. Or you can ring in the Year of the Ox, which has GOT to be better, by participating in Send Chinatown Love’s month-long Lunar New Year Crawl, which highlights dozens of Asian-owned restaurants in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
If you’re feeling Valentine’s Day this year, Littlefield is hosting a Valentine’s Market Saturday and Sunday afternoon, where you can shop for presents from local vendors and enjoy treats and tunes in a setting other than your apartment. If you’re in a relationship, sister venue Parklife is hosting a Best Couple in Brooklyn competition, which includes a prix fixe dinner and actually sounds like a kind of fun way to laugh through the insanity that you’ve managed to survive with your significant other over the past year.
Not interested in acknowledging V Day? No prob. Why don’t you watch Framing Britney, the new Britney Spears doc that everyone seems transfixed by, or Minari, a Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner that comes out today and follows a Korean-American family that moves to the Ozarks? Writer, rapper, and activist Talib Kweli is promoting his new book, Vibrate Higher, at a streaming launch hosted by Murmrr on Tuesday, an event that we previewed along with others in last week’s February Culture Calendar. Maybe it’s time to get out and enjoy the snow, and this roundup of Prospect Park’s best sledding areas could be just the thing to boost your mood. If that doesn’t cheer you up, surely this live cam feed of a hummingbird’s nest in California will trigger some good vibes. Perhaps you’ve been struggling to scratch a creative itch, in which case you might want to sign up for Pamella’s Studio Paint & Sip Virtual Art Party hosted by Brooklyn-based artist Pamella Allen and DJ Belinda Becker. The event is not taking place until next Saturday, but you’ll need to order the Art Box containing all necessary supplies today in order to ensure it arrives in time.
Whatever you end up doing to pass the time this week, even if it’s just Babyfoot and the Great British Baking Show (ahem, I see nothing wrong with the sum total of my past three days), please take the time to be kind to yourself. We’ve all been through a lot this year, and know that if you aren’t feeling great you are absolutely not alone. To increased vaccinations and happier times ahead!
