Turn on, log in, lay out. Prospect Park photo by Flickr's AnnieGreenSprings

Charge up your batteries, fiddle with your dimmer settings and get that iced coffee to go: First DUMBO brought free wifi to the streets, now the major parks in Brooklyn are slated to get free wifi by the end of the summer. WNYC reported yesterday that Prospect, McCarren, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Bridge and Herbert Von King parks will be hooked up with wifi thanks to AT&T by the end of summer. It’ll last at least five years, the length of AT&T’s agreement. It’s not clear when you’ll be able to log on — nor is it clear if the signal can handle 500 people trying to FoodSpot their margarita picnic brunches in McCarren — but the wifi has already been turned on in some Manhattan and Bronx parks. (more…)

McCarren: more than just Margaritaville. Via Flickr's Jessi Pervola.

Lookup McCarren Park in Wikipedia and you won’t find much more than 1) it was named in 1909 after Irish immigrant Patrick Henry McCarren who worked in the Williamsburg sugar refineries and became a state senator and 2) it now caters to the “punk and indie communities.” We know you’ll be spending lots of time in the parks this summer (perhaps with a jumbogarita in hand?), but wouldn’t it be nice to actually know something about them, like the engaged community member you aspire to be?  (more…)

This... is Nia

Human@Ease, the Greenpoint fitness and wellness center that puts your mind and body… at ease, is offering a last chance to bend and stretch outside before the cold completely takes over. This Saturday, Oct. 23, at McCarren Park, Human@Ease is holding its free Community Class Day. Head over to the NW field for free classes in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, the always fun Zumba, Nia (“a sensory based movement lifestyle,” not the National Institute on Aging), kid’s Nia and prenatal belly-dancing. There’ll also be some massage tables set up, a few other special promotions and a raffle for deals on massage, strength training, reiki, sauna and other classes at the center.

Human@Ease Community Class Day, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1 to 4 p.m., McCarren Park on the NW field along Bedford and Lorimer Sts., Williamsburg

Photo by Dmitry Gudkov

Yes, there’s some organized kite-flying on the schedule, but that’s just the highest-flying part of what looks like a chock-full free day at McCarren Park this Saturday. May 15 is It’s My Park Day in NYC, and the Greenpoint park is playing its part with four celebratory events: a kite festival, W’Burg Greenmarket cooking demo, free photo booth (for you and your kite) and the McCarren launch of some extremely eco-friendly coffee. (more…)

NYC Public Ultimate League

The warm weather seems here to stay, and we’re itching to cure one serious case of spring fever. A winter in the gym gets the heart pumping and all, but there’s nothing like getting out there, letting loose and playing some good-old, adrenaline-filled, sweat-flying-off-your-brow sports. Luckily, Brooklyn’s pretty well set-up for this sort of thing, with great parks and spaces, and plenty of amateur leagues to bring everyone together. So whether you’re one for some pick-up hoops, or if organized cricket’s more your cup of tea, here’s how to get out and play. (more…)

We don’t totally understand this Groupon thing, but we just got a blast from the new coupon site that they have a deal today on a hardcore workout called Bootcamp Republic, where torture specialists including this guy (yes sir!) abuse you in Prospect Park or McCarren Park. The Groupon deal gets you three classes for $30. Normally, six classes of bootcamp cost $250, and if you want to stay for all six weeks you have to cover the second half. Anyway, it sounds sorta promising: Bootcamp Republic has a perfect five-star rating on Yelp (even though reviewers might be too indimidated to indicate otherwise.) Here’s a link to the Groupon deal and the Brooklyn class schedule.

We must be in the mood to shop today. Maybe that’s because this weekend is The Renegade Craft Fair—Art Basel for the Etsy crowd—where you could fill a whole Airstream with the DIY cloth purses, agro onesies and vintage-print aprons that will be filling the 250-plus foldup tables at McCarren Park. But what’s the really good stuff? We asked our design-editor friend Mary Kate for a highly opinionated preview. (more…)

Here’s Brooklyn Vegan’s handy list of free summer movies at McCarren Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer, along with flicks showing in another borough slightly to the west. P.S. Why do blog commenters love the word Meh?