Bike date, anyone?

Just in time for the worst holiday of all time, the folks at L Magazine have compiled a list of 18 Brooklyn Dates: One For Every Conceivable Dating Scenario. Among these suggested evenings of passion are The Art Date (hit up some art galleries and toss back some PBRs), The Roof Date (WINE ON THA ROOF!), The Let’s Make Dinner Date, which honestly, this lady loves going on solo too, and, on that note, The Treat-Yourself Date for the Single Person, which includes a visit to my absolute favorite heart-break therapy spot, Buffalo Exchange.

What L Magazine refers to as “The Broke Date” is right up this Brokelynite’s alley and includes a free Saturday tour at the Brooklyn Brewery, cheap Mexican eats at Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos in Bushwick and finishes with a cozy beerfest (or winefest) on the couch. So no more excuses, dudes; who says Valentine’s Day has to be extravagant?

For the full list of 18 proposed dates, head over to L Magazine.

The post's author drinking with Ames. The boredom was worth it.

We’re still in mourning for Bored to Death after HBO announced it canceled the show yesterday. What better way to drown our sorrows than with a drink with the show’s creator, Jonathan Ames? Gothamist tells us Ames will be joined by BTD regular (and neighborhood fixture) John Hodgman at the Brooklyn Inn tonight around 10pm to celebrate three seasons of Brooklyn debauchery. Ames claims he’s buying a round for everyone, and we at Brokelyn have never been known to pass up a free drink. Just don’t punch Kevin Bacon in the mouth.

HBO announced today it is canceling its Brooklyn-based, Jonathan Ames-penned Bored To Death, and all I could think was, in the words of Ray, “My brain is attacking itself.” Let’s take a moment to pay homage to a show that for three seasons brought together some of finest in entertainment including Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifinakas, Ted Danson and often featured Brooklyn’s own John Hodgman. Ok, ok…so the characters these guys played and I don’t share mirrored lives, but a lot of the shenanigans rang true to a struggling Brokelynite. Amateur detective Jonathan Ames fought to master the world of freelance clients, scraping together pennies to feed his white-wine addiction and crashing swanky parties for the free booze and possible dates. And haven’t we all at one time or another taken an additional job, say teaching a writing class to disinterested night students, just to pay the bills? I loved Bored to Death not only for its fabulous talent and intricate, belly-laugh-inducing writing, but most of all because it all went down in my favorite city, in the little (huge) borough of Brooklyn. (more…)

Give someone many tattoos to choose from with a gift set.

Here’s something for your tattoo commitment-phobe aunt, cousin or hairless cat: just four and half months ago Brooklyn-based designer Tina Roth-Eisenberg, better known to design enthusiasts as Swiss Miss, launched Tattly, a provider of artistic, design-y temporary tattoos. How do they stand up to the hard Brooklyn life? An early design, “What to Focus On” (a personal favorite), stuck on for more than a week, including a camping trip to Colorado, and even then I had to scrub it off! Gift sets with themes like The Zoo, Grown Up and Hand Drawn include several different designs. The Dumbo-based Tattly says it best: “Who said forever is better?”

$25 for a gift set; Cog & Pearl and online.

Animals on your mind? Read before you eat.

Sure turkeys, geese and pigs get a lot of attention during the holidays, but sadly, they’re not “around” to appreciate it. Show them you care this season by reading up on the bigger impact your diet has on the world. Gather up your vegan cookbooks, how-to DVDs and other vegetarian/animal rights material and RSVPing to the totally free Vegan & Animal Rights Bookswap at LaunchPad on Dec. 10. Host Jamie J. Hagen welcomes all participants, from strict vegan to what she calls “veg-curious passerby.” While you’re swapping your well-loved Veganomicon for a new-to-you copy of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, you can win raffle prizes, and the dairy-free icing on the cake is that all proceeds go to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. (more…)

Meredith, Sarah and Eric. Photos by Sarah Bibi.

On Friday, some uber cool Brooklynites, fashionistas, and other fabulous folk stopped by Mission Dolores for the launch of BK’s most anticipated fall fashion item: the Brokelyn Freeshirt! Not only do these tees and tanks look great (thanks to our collaboration with designer Bob Bland of independent fashion label Brooklyn Royalty), they get you free things from some of our favorite places in Brooklyn (see the list below). Did you miss the bash? Don’t worry! Brokelyn Freeshirts will be available for sale here soon. And you can check out just how stylish they are with these pics from our makeshift (true Brokelyn style) photo booth at Mission Dolores. (more…)

Photos and collage by Sarah Gainer.

Fall is my favorite season; not only because of the perfect weather, but also because it means September issues, Fashion’s Night Out, and the one and only New York Fashion Week. Having recently joined the ranks of the not-so-steadily employed, I’m eager to keep up with the latest trends without spending a fortune. Armed with a trend checklist from People StyleWatch’s Lucy Moore and Bloomingdale’s web designer Nicole Kuchera Collins, I scouted my favorite two resale shops in Brooklyn (Beacon’s Closet in Park Slope and Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg) to prove that you don’t have to spend tons to keep up. Trends I chose to skip? Let’s just say the poncho craze didn’t make the cut. (more…)

Photo by Flickr's Erik Töyrä

How can you survive the Century 21 shopping experience? Simple! Go only on your cousin’s birthday, stand on one leg, close your eyes, and make sure your name is Edgar. Racked asked fashion writer Mark Ellwood for his expert discount shopping secrets and he came up with a 7-point attack strategy that would impress a Navy Seal. To start:

• Visit in February and August, the prime times for showroom overstock.

• Visit three times a week for two weeks in 15-minute targeted attacks.

• Arrive early (the store opens at 7:45 AM).

• Don’t go to the dressing room; buy mutiple sizes and try them on at home.

There’s more (three points to be exact) but we’re going to show some blogger etiquette and leave the rest to Racked. (Plus we’re behind on our Century 21 shopping by about six trips.) Got any Century 21 shopping tips and/or horror stories? Let us know in the comments.

$24 posters at Urban Outfitters, six times the price as a Slope store. Photos by Sarah Bibi.

The buzz about whether Urban Outfitters allegedly makes a habit of stealing artisans’ work has been roaring recently. I recently unearthed one more reason to look elsewhere for my eclectic goods: Cheap wall coverings available for $4 at local paper stores, which cost six times as much at Urban Outfitters!

A year ago, I discovered the huge money saver of buying vintage imagery gift wrap to use as wall art. Last May, I blogged about some of sheets I bought Scaredy Kat, a local Park Slope store, and at the chain Kate’s Paperie, mostly from a line called Cavallini. I found beautiful textbook and vintage anatomy prints for about $4 each. Add a $5 Ikea frame and you have a lovely piece of ready-to-hang art for less than $10. (more…)