Ruthie Bird

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Category Archives: Brooklyn

We are Films: The Welcome Wagon, Would you Come and See Me in New York

09 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Art, Brooklyn, Music, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Aaron Craig, Alex Craig, Brooklyn, college, Film, Graduation, Music Video, New York City, The Welcome Wagon, Vito Aiuto, We Are Films, Williamsburg, Would you Come and See Me in New York

My friends Aaron and Alex Craig from We Are Films have done it again! This time they’ve created a music video for Brooklyn-based band, The Welcome Wagon, led by frontman and pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian, Vito Aiuto.

I will be sending this song to my extended family in a last-ditch attempt to force them to come out to NYC for my college graduation ceremony on May 5th.

Enjoy!

Stumptown Coffee, it’s everywhere!

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Coffee, NYC

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Tags

63Bites, Balthazar Bakery, Brooklyn, Cafe Pedlar, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Coffee, Crespella, Manhattan, NYC, Park Slope, Stand & Deliver, Stumptown, The Roots Cafe, Upper West Side, Williamsburg

Stumptown coffee (Ace Hotel, brewed in Red Hook BK) has overtaken Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. As rumors run wild of a new Stumptown coffee shop opening in Manhattan, be sure to check out the links below to find the cafe offering Stumptown nearest to you so you too can know what the fuss is all about.

Cafe Pedilar-210 Court Street, (Cobble Hill) Brooklyn, NY

Good for: work, study, rest, coffee with friends, meetings.

Balthazar Bakery, 80 Spring St. (SoHo), NYC

Good for: grab n’ go (and you can buy the Stumptown Balthazar blend with your credit card and not just cash like you do at the Ace Hotel).

63Bites-5 W. 63rd St (UWS), NYC

Good for: grab n’ go

Crespella-321 7th Ave (Park Slope) BK

Good for: grab a crape and coffee, sit for a few minutes, then go.

Roots Cafe– 639A 5th Ave (Park Slope) BK

Good for: kicking your feet up and reading/hanging out for a while, it’s a good spot to work, meet up friends, and relax.

Stand & Deliver cart-70 N. 7th St. (Williamsburg), BK

Good for: grab n’ go

El Beit, Brooklyn

15 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Coffee, Food, NYC

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Tags

Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, Coffee, El Beit, espresso, latte, New York City, skyline, view, Williamsburg

El Beit was the first place I ever drank my coffee black. That was three years ago, and my love for coffee has not wained. It was the first time I ever tasted bold coffee from a clover press.

I’m a creature of habit. Every time I go into to Williamsburg (which isn’t all that often), I always visit El Beit (and the Bagel Smith). I read for a while, make a new friend of the guy sitting across from me, work on a project or two, and enjoy an incredible cup of coffee. Then, I love to walk out west-over to the park on water for my favorite view of the NYC skyline:

Food? Yep. Pastries, a limited selection of lunch specials, cookies, and even vegan fare!

Try? Chai latte, a pot of tea, the french press. Pick up a bag of their ethopian blend coffee beans while you’re at it. The M&M cookies are really good too.

Prices? Average. $2.5 for a cup of coffee, $3-5 for a latte or cappuccino. Keep in mind, credit cards have a $5 minimum.

WiFi? Yep. Just ask the barista for the password. This is one of those places where laptops/iPad’s are allowed at any hour of the day and you’re encouraged to sit down and stay as long as you’d like.

Don’t miss out! The back patio is large and is a great place to hang out-especially during warmer weather.

Where? On Bedford Ave between 8th and 9th Street. Take the L East to Bedford Ave, just one stop into Brooklyn.

Roots Cafe, Park Slope

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Coffee, Food, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Brooklyn, Coffee, latte, Life Music, Park Slope, Roots Cafe

Roots Cafe: 19th street and 5th Ave just east of Prospect Park.

Before I got a big-girl job at SMG, I worked retail in every girl’s heaven: Anthropologie. Even though I didn’t take home much of my paycheck, I loved the job and got to know my HR manager, Randi, fairly well. Randi and her husband Jamey are passionate about community, coffee, food, music, and Brooklyn. The fruit of their love produced Roots Cafe, a venue for all of the above.   Super community cafe feel, more of something you might find in a smaller town. When you step into Roots, you feel like you’ve stepped out of NYC. Gluten free and vegan options. Roots is a really cutesy place with mismatched furniture and artwork, memorabilia, and random objects are placed all over the walls, turning them into a giant collage.

How do I get there? Take the R to Prospect Ave and walk two blocks south.

What I love: You can grab a colorful mug from the rack on the left wall and have the barista make your drink in it!

Price: Bring some cash (or a card for purchases over $5) and you’ll pay $4 for a latte, $2.5 for a cup of coffee, or $7 for a sandwich, so pretty much the usual.

Wi-Fi? Yes! You van stay here as long as you’d like: it’s a cozy place to write, draw, read a book, meet up with friends, have an informal meeting, or just relax.

Live music and BYOB every Wednesday @7p and Friday @8p.

Shake Shack, NYC

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Food, NYC

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Burger, Concrete, Concrete Jungle, Gluten Free, long line, Madison Square Conservancy, Madison Square Park, milkshake, NYC, shake, Shake Shack, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, vegetarian

If you stroll down 5th Avenue towards Union Square from Midtown, you’re bound to walk past a building surrounded by green park tables and chairs, and dangling lights hanging under the the trees Madison Square Park, and a whole lot of people standing in line. New Yorkers are not well-behaved enough to stand patiently in this 1/4 mile line without reason. Beware the gut: Shake Shack is infamous for having incredible burgers, perfectly crispy zig-zaggy french fries, and thick concretes (custard blended with a glut of of mix-in’s) and shakes that are to DIE for (hellooooo strawberry!). Oh, there are vegetarian and gluten-free options too!

When I moved to NYC, there were only three locations: the original spot launched by the Madison Sq Conservancy in 2003 (of course, it’s in Madison Square Park), one on the Upper West Side (behind the Museum of Natural History), and one at the Mets Stadium.  But last year, Shake Shack expanded its operations to the Upper East Side, Midtown West, and Battery Park. Now anyone the whole city can have a “Concrete Jungle” any time they want. You have to trust me, this place is inexpensive ($10-$15 for your meal) and gooooooooood.

Almondine, Park Slope

16 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Coffee, Food, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

7th Ave, Almond Croissant, Almondine, Brooklyn, Cafe, Coffee, espresso, Fresh Bread, La Bergamote, latte, Macaroon, Park Slope, wifi

What is it? A quaint bakery on 9th street between 6th and 7th avenues (closer to 7th Ave) in Park Slope, Brooklyn. When my parents came to town over Thanksgiving we spent a Saturday in Prospect Park, then explored the brownstones on Carroll Street and strolled until we found our way to Almondine for an afternoon conversation over pastries and coffee.

How do I get there? Take the F or G to 7th Ave (Brooklyn).

What to order? These Macaroon’s are 4x the size of the ones at Laudree on the Upper East Side and I think they taste 10x better! Lattes are delicious, but sort of expensive ($4), all breads are exceptional and made fresh daily. The almond croissants at Almondine give the ones at La Bergamote a run for their money!

WiFi: Yes! Just open your laptop/iPad/iPhone and you’re good to go.

Sit down and stay awhile, there’s a fireplace, comfy couches, and several tables inside and outside to enjoy. Ambience: it’s quiet and not crowded inside. The walls are brick and crisp white, floors are a dark chestnut. The background is the biggest drawback to the place: the soundtrack is usually a top-40’s stream. The place would be better suited for Jazz or Easy Listening.

Joe: the Art of Coffee, NYC

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Coffee, Food, NYC

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Art of Coffee, Brooklyn, Chai Latte, Chelsea, Coffee, Columbia University, Grand Central, Joe, Joe the Art of Coffee, Mud Coffee, NYC, Stumptown Coffee, Union Square, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Warby Parker, West Village

If you’ve lived in NYC for any decent length of time chances are you’ve stumbled upon Joe’s the Art of Coffee. For good reason, it has eight locations all over the city! I love Joe’s because:

1.  I’m incredibly sentimental and have great college memories of mornings-turned-evenings spent with my nose in a book, sipping chai lattes, debating politics and philosophy with the hipsters in thick framed Warby Parker glasses sitting next to me.

2. The Chai Lattes are perfect..they aren’t too spicy, the froth is perfect–light, thick, and smooth–and they aren’t made from a powder mix (like the ones from Mud coffee).

3. It’s a super-chill place with awesome artwork displayed all over the walls (find out about it on Joe’s blog).

Tip: Basically, this is the place for a latte. Delicious! The coffee is mild and a perfectafternoon pick-me-up (mind you, it’s from a filtered coffee maker. None of that fancy French press or pour-over business).

Grab n’ go? Yes. If you’d like. There is free wi-fi, so if you want to work, have coffee with a friend, or a small meeting, this is your place. It’s not where you want to be if you have a large group (go to Stumptown in the Ace Hotel if you want a meeting over coffee).

Prices? Average. A medium drink and a biscotti are about $4.

Food? Pastries, you know, the usual: croissants, cookies, sweet breads, etc.

Remember: this place is CASH ONLY, and the Brooklyn location (on Flatbush Ave) is closed until April 1, so if you live in BK and want a cup of joe from Joe’s you’ll have to come to the island.

Shout it OUT!

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Art, Brooklyn, Coffee, Decor, Fashion, Food, Friday Favors, Home, Music, NYC, Technology

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We are Films, Brooklyn

02 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Art, Brooklyn, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Aaron Craig, Alex Craig, Brooklyn, Ditmas, IndieScreen, LOLO Mag, Music Video, My Brightest Diamond, NYC, The Welcome Wagon, Vensaire, We Are Films

Brothers Aaron and Alex Craig of We Are Films have been shooting films as long as they can remember. “When we were little kids we’d film with our cousins when they came into town for Christmas break.We’d get our parent’s VHS recorder and take it out to the train tracks behind our house and film war movies, comedies about door-to-door-door salesmen, time travel movies…anything.”

Now, Alex and Aaron hav an abundance of real film credits under their belts: 3 music videos for My Brightest Diamond’s newest album release, plus a two part documentary on her move from NYC to Detroit and the creation of her newest album, a short music documentary on a Brooklyn based band called Vensaire (premiering Feb 2nd at IndieScreen in Williamsburg), The Welcome Wagon’s music video for their upcoming album, a promo video for the rock band Anberlin with a new organization called Downtime, NYC Fashion Week shoots for various online magazines like Lolomag.com, The Northern music video for their upcoming album, and a ton of other stuff that they’ve worked on individually. Keep an eye on these guys, they’ve got some increible shoots on the horizon, and are traveling to Iceland, Ireland, and Spain in March and April to film a short documentary.

Aaron continues, “As funny as it sounds, last year we made some new years film making resolutions and we basically accomplished them all. So we actually had a long conversation this year about our new years film making resolutions. Among others, starting pre-production for a full-length film is one of our top film making resolutions for the year. We have a few scripts we’re deciding between right now. So it’s just a matter of dedicating the next year to pursuing a particular script. It would be our directorial debut with a feature, so we’re trying to make sure whatever we decide to do is something we truly believe in.”It’s only natural the pair of twenty-somethings now pursue their favorite medium of art and expression as a career.  “It’s pretty cool.” Says Aaron, “We each have our unique strengths and weaknesses. So if one of us lacks in one area, the other can most likely fill the gap. Alex primarily focuses on cinematography and I mainly focus on video editing and business related stuff. We both also usually direct together.  Normally, it would be tough to have two different people directing, but I think it somehow works with people who are related because of some sort of strange connection.”

The Craig boys live in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. They’ve lived in the city for six years and are exactly what you’d imagine New Yorkers to be, dedicated, ambitious, and tenacious. “I just love how dedicated everyone is to pursuing their dreams here.” Says Aaron, “New York is a unique place where people don’t give up. But it’s also a double-edged sword, because a lot of the time I wish people would just chill out and not stress out so much. My other favorite thing about NYC, and I’m pretty sure Alex would agree with this, is that there are an abundance of coffee shops. My favorite thing to do on any given day is just to sit down in one of my favorite coffee shops and relax.”

Though Ditmas is a quaint, quiet area full of Victorian homes and trees that arch over the streets, there are plenty of things to do. Aaron’ favorite coffee shop Qathra is here and the amazing flower shop/bar called Sycamore is here too. “A lot of musicians call [Ditmas] home. The National has a home/recording studio here and Sufjan Steven lives down the street,” says Aaron. Talk about that for inspiration. “It’s really a blessing to work with some of our favorite musical artists, and more than just making videos for them, I feel that we’ve truly made some great friends in the process, which ultimately means much more than the videos.”

Watch We Are Films on Vimeo or visit the We Are Films website.

Music Monday: NoiseTrade

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Brooklyn, Music, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Barton Hollow, Beautiful Girl, free downloads, free legal music, Madi Diaz, Marketa Irglova, Music, NoiseTrade, Rosie Thomas, The Civil Wars, The Lighthouse and the Whaler, The Swell Season, William Fitzsimmons

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about this before, well, it’s not a new discovery of mine-as Drew, the girl I used to nanny for would say, “That’s soooooo years ago, Sarah Ruth!” Even though this is not be the newest way to share and discover music, it’s still brilliant. Welcome to NoiseTrade, a completely free and legal way to enjoy music.

Wait, I can download hundreds of albums, EP’s, and samplers for free….legally? Indeed!

Artists put their music online for free, or if you’re feeling generous, for a tip. This sounds pretty good to me. If you’re a skeptic like me, when you think about free, legal music downloads,  there’s a good chance you’ll think it’s for an ancient album from some terrible, hardcore band. This is not the case with NoiseTrade. Currently, NoiseTrade is a home for hosts of artists like The Civil Wars (remember that album Barton Hollow??) William Fitzsimmons (his new song Beautiful Girl is incredible), The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Rosie Thomas, Madi Diaz, and Marketa Irglova (from the Swell Season), just to name a few.

What are you waiting for? Check it out!

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Ruthie Bird

Ruthie Bird

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Sarah Ruth (Ruthie Bird) is a Fellow at the John Jay Institute. She graduated from The King's College in NYC and subsequently studied at Oxford University. SR loves adventure and has moved 17 times in the past 5 years. She is in search of the best cup of coffee the world has to offer, loves Brooklyn, GK Chesterton, and desires to pursue all things Good, True, and Beautiful.

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