So long, cheap friend. Photo by Kelly Murphy

The Minor Arcana, Prospect Heights’ eclectically-decorated neighborhood bar that prompted Yelp endorsements like, “The next time you want to black out, do it here,” and “A woman, a hot woman, came right up to Bill and started making out with him,” will close its doors this Saturday to make way for a desperately needed neighborhood sports bar. As the only establishment I feel comfortable wearing my $5 Urban Outfitters leopard-print Daisy Dukes to, my sense of loss cuts deep. (more…)

Branded Saloon
603 Vanderbilt Avenue
Prospect Heights
(718) 484-8704

What is it: Straight out of a spaghetti Western, this modern day saloon – complete with lassos, a player piano, and a mounted moose head on the wall – offers up a nearly endless array of beer and spirits, a rotating roster of live local bands, and basement air hockey and pool.

Why we love it: From carbaret to White Trash Bingo to seriously soulful open mic nights, there’s never a dull moment in the three rooms that make up this neighborhood bar. Literally — there are a range of events almost every night. Not quite a dive but certainly no stroll through the park, Branded manages to throw together a corn dog, a PBR and a Mountain Dew slushie and call it a special. (more…)

If you’re like me, you spent a good portion of 2012 rolling your eyes every time you heard someone say, “The Barclays Center will improve the local economy!” or “Finally, real sports in Brooklyn!” In September, we watched as Jay-Z ushered in a new era of peaceful coexistence between Hoboken bros with floor seats and Boerum Hill natives with eternal allegiance to their borough. A friend wearing Nets gear to Union Hall on a Saturday night returned from the bathroom saying she’d been stopped by two floppy-haired interested parties beguiled by her team spirit. I say if you can’t beat the BrooklyKnight, join him, especially since the Nets beat the Knicks last night. Give the gift of Brooklyn pride this season with a universally flattering black and white snapback flat brim. $23.99, available here.

via iVolunteer

While many of us in Brooklyn emerged from Sandy safe and sound, countless others are injured in the midst of depleted resources. The New York Blood Center is seeking able bodies to donate blood at one of their emergency drives this weekend. If you can make it to Bay Ridge by 6:30 or downtown Brooklyn by 7:30 this evening, facilities will be set up to take your blood and platelet donations. (more…)

We need you drivers, ASAP. via Yeshiva University

Do you have a car and want to help out? Are you heading to areas like Sheepshead Bay or Coney Island this weekend for hurricane relief efforts? Volunteers need you! If you’re willing to pile in the Bloomberg-mandated three passengers (or four) and bring a few extra helping hands, post your e-mail address and what neighborhood you’re coming from in the comments. With any luck, you’ll get some volunteers that want to hitch a ride to sites with limited and nonexistent subway access. If you know of any organized ride shares, please post those as well. (To prevent spam harvesters from running wild on the page and on you, post your emails as like this, for example: johnqpublic at gmail dot com)

School's out for summah on the Rockabus.

On Sunday, I took the aptly named Rockabus from Williamsburg to Rockaway Beach to spend my hangover baking in the sun. While the trip was free  as part of a launch promotion, the regular price for the new bus service is $10 one way and $18 round trip. Worth it?

This much I can say: Rockaway is definitely worth the day trip, or several, with its supply of seaside snacks and hang-ten amenities. While the Hipster Hamptons rep may be overstated, the demographic does skew pretty young, with a lot of twenty-something floppy hat wearers and even younger hardcore surfers. The average beachcomber was sporting at least one tattoo, and while ordinarily I would say the coast was pretty quiet and family friendly, two girls did get chewed out by Parks & Rec for having their Ts out, until they cited that law safeguarding topless women in New York. (more…)

Rock Rock, Rockaway Bus

How many summer mornings have you woken up thinking, Today’s the day I’ll learn to surf, or What a beautiful day to go to a beach lacking in buried syringes, then considered the schlep to Far Rockaway and curled back up on your mattress? Lame, you guys — commit! I’ve traveled to this gem of Queens real estate by train (F to the A from Park Slope), bus (B44 to Q35 from BedStuy), and car (nondescript sedan). And yes, each trip — even driving — took more than an hour. In my opinion, it’s totally worth the time investment (bring a book), but a new company called Rockabus is launching this weekend to make the commute to the coast a little less draining. The service, which runs between Rockaway and Williamsburg (pickup at Union and Meeker – we triple checked with the Rockabus people!), will cost $10 one way and $18 round trip. And to kick it off, you can ride it free all this weekend. (more…)

Bitchin' sombrero shot courtesy of Jack Woo on Flickr.

The time has come again to celebrate everyone’s favorite Pueblan holiday. Nope, not the feast of patron Saint Augustine–it’s Cinco de Mayo, which means bar and restaurant specials galore. As luck would have it, May 5 this year also marks the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby, bringing together the best in bluegrass and Benito Juárez. We’ve got you covered on cheap booze and grub, so all you have to worry about is combination costuming to cover your bases. Tulle-trimmed sombrero, anyone? (more…)

Can you attend without paying a princely sum?

I spent the summer of 1996 glued to my living room TV set mimicking Dominique Moceanu’s floor routines at the summer Olympics. The U.S. Women’s gymnastics team went on to win the gold medal on their home turf in Atlanta, and I told my mom that someday I, too, would go to the Olympics. Like most 8-year-olds, I didn’t realize that I would grow into an adult with neither flexibility nor disposable income. If you’re in the same boat, the torch-bearing dream isn’t totally dead. There are tons of £0 (that’s zero dollars, American) events at the Summer Games in London — if you can afford to get there. But unless you’ve developed a sudden talent for competitive canoe slalom, it’s going to cost you. (more…)

Wyatt seems pretty smug about Get It Out There

When you hear the word “experimental,” you probably recall the time you watched Godspeed You! Black Emperor loop projections throughout their entire set or the time you let psychologists film you for money. What you probably don’t think of is comedy. BAM and the IFC are determined to play around with the usual comedy formula (whatever that means) with their aptly named new live series, Get It Out There on April 25. As consenting guinea pigs for up-and-coming comedians to test out new work and push the boundaries of entertainment, the cost for you is free. Performers — or shall we say artistes? — on the first billing are no small beans: Wyatt Cenac (Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Mike Lawrence (TBS’ Conan), Damien Lemon (Comedy Central’s Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, MTV2’s Guy Code), Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Stripped Stories), and host Jared Logan (John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show). (more…)