First Martha Stewart at the Brooklyn Flea, now our borough’s most socially ambitious reality-TV couple—you’d think we were, like, perezhilton or something. Or maybe Brooklyn just is that fabulous these days. That’s clearly the opinion of Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” who, despite their portrayal on the show as Manhattan-society wannabes, were reppin’ BK harder than a Jay-Z/Memphis Bleek collabo when we spoke to them at Friday’s “Take Your Man to The Doctor” event at Borough Hall.
They even hinted that the borough may play a starring role in “Housewives” season three, which premieres early next year. “We never know what’s going to make the final cut on the episodes,” Alex told us, “but we’ve done lots of great filming in Brooklyn.”
Officially, SiLex were there to join Borough President Marty Markowitz in his annual campaign for prostate screenings and other vitally important health tests, but they also let us in on a few of their Brooklyn haunts. Fulton Ferry Landing is their go-to family-fun destination, even when they have to weave through “all the Asian honeymooners taking pictures,” said Simon. The place is free and, according to their kids, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is off the hook. Though Alex’s “model” figure and Simon’s Speedo-wearing tendencies would suggest otherwise, the Family McCord Van Kempen also frequent Sal’s Pizzeria at 305 Court St. (Can you imagine the countess there?), and recently celebrated Alex’s birthday at Lucali, a low-key Italian place at 575 Henry St. in Carroll Gardens. Then there’s Bar Tabac at 128 Smith St. (Though Simon himself has been tobacco-free for three months.)
Markowitz, who described Simon and Alex as the show’s “most sane and balanced couple,” claims to be an off-camera friend of the couple, even if he’d rather be an on-camera one—he was filmed giving a speech at a housewarming party at their Boerum Hill brownstone last season, but the footage was cut, likely in favor of a much bitchier exchange between any given combo of “Housewives.”
On Friday, Markowitz also wrangled Nicole Brewer and Damien Gurganious from “The Biggest Loser: Couples.” The newlyweds, who met during water aerobics at the Bed Stuy YMCA, have lost a combined 264 pounds, despite their occasional calories-are-no-object dates at Chimu, a Peruvian steak house at 482 Union Ave. in Williamsburg. The trick? Biking home afterwards.
View Comments (5)
I ride the train with Simon all the time. The dude is a MFing giant.
An actual physical giant, or a giant as in a man of giant character and wisdom?
jonathan lethem read this article and then had to sit in ice cubes, as his blood was boiling.
Joepozz; Do you have it on good information that Jonathan Lethem reads Brokelyn?
These are celebrities?