Gawker
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shut up, brooklyn
Williamsburg Is Hardcore Again
The ill-concealed dream of every flyover state art school grad and casual hip hop fan to move to Brooklyn has finally come true: Williamsburg is officially the city's worst urban hell of rusting empty buildings. Just like a real ghetto!
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Comment by gawkimo: If I'm going to live in a urban shithole, there better be palm trees growing in the empty lots and... 10 Responses | Other threads
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pic of the day
We Don't Need No Water, Let The Wood Tanks Burn
[July 4th fire last night on the corner of Wythe and North 9th at the Rosenwach Wood Tank Company in the middle of Williamsburg proper. There's no evidence to support hipsters (or hipster-exploiting developers) started it. Photo via everyplace's photostream] More »
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By Foster KamerComment by lobstr: all those wallet-chains do emit quite a spark.. 2 Responses | Other threads
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wizardry
This Saturday: Hipster Quidditch game at McCarren Park in Williamsburg. Be there with brooms on.
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wingnuts
Moronic Conservative Visits Williamsburg, Loses His Mind
Have you heard of Jay Mundy? He's a conservative radio host who sounds like the result of a mating between a snapping turtle and a head of lettuce, which means he'll be a big GOP star! And he hates Williamsburg! More »
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Comment by pious1001: yeah, and CNN's Campbell Brown is another great example of journo integrity and balanced reporting...flush them all, and while you're... 15 Responses | Other threads
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tragedies
Financial Crisis Forcing Hipsters To Be Weaned Off the Parental Teat
The global economic downturn is forcing parents of Williamsburg hipsters to drastically scale back their monthly allowances, forcing many of them to turn to drastic measures to pay for their PBR and Edensoy, drastic measures like actually getting jobs.
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Comment by pimentomori: Haughney's story read like someone trying to find the fabled trust fund Williamsburg hipsters, failing, and throwing a bunch of... 6 Responses | Other threads
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Muppets!
Sesame Street Taking On Williamsburg Hipsters, Live!
An exclusive citizen's report from the main drag of Hipster Brooklyn - Bedford Avenue - gives us photographic evidence of a twee takeover of NYC's most gentrified 'hood earlier today: Sesame Street was filming in Williamsburg.
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By Foster KamerComment by TroisFilles: That's Murray! He opens each episode this season with "The Word of the Day." And there's a great song about... 2 Responses | Other threads
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live like a crazy
Hipster's Purple-Truck Home Hijacked
Here's a sad update the story of Angel Hess, the hipster/hippie whose raggedy truck "Purple 53" once haunted Williamsburg: He's stuck in Colorado, where he says he's been scammed by a childhood friend who "hijacked" his truck. More »
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By Ryan TateComment by Pope John Peeps II: "If I give them the vehicle title they will let me have my stuff back". Does anyone see any elements of... 7 Responses | Other threads
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pic of the night
New Williamsburg
Photo of Williamsburg, Brooklyn's McCarren Park taken by Gawker Artist Tamara Porras.
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Comment by ChillbearLatrigue: So that's Williamsburg? I went there on a field trip once. I just remember a lot of people in costume... 3 Responses | Other threads
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The Assimilator
In Which We Discuss the Hipster Reality Show Casting Call
This week we shine the light on recent casting call for a real/fake Hipster Reality Show! Our guests: Hipster guru Robert Lanham, author/playwright Rachel Shukert, and harpy blogger Becky Sharper. Go hipster or go home! More »
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By T.A.N.Comment by cdmunch: All this writing about hipsters really makes me want to go to Williamsburg for the first time in years and... 3 Responses | Other threads
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q&a
The Self-Loathing Creator of 'Look At This Fucking Hipster' Speaks
Look At This Fucking Hipster is a very popular website. The site's writer is a good friend of mine, and though he'd rather stay anonymous, he agreed to answer some questions.
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Comment by JeannieGrrl: I'm actually incredibly upset with this man. He has a photo posted which he stole from the private photos that... 8 Responses | Other threads
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field trip
The Williamsburg Hipster Grifter Scavenger Hunt
Yesterday I went to Williamsburg in search of The Hipster Grifter. We may have spotted her! Also, we randomly ran into people from the previous pictures and coverage. During the work day! She's amazing! More »
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By T.A.N.Comment by morninggloria: Last night, I asked this guy to put his bratwurst in my foyer, but it lacked the magic of "hotdog... 16 Responses | Other threads
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bravery
Ivy League Manhattanite Travels to Brooklyn, Somehow Survives
Kate Ahlborn—Harvard '07, Upper East Sider, Vanity Fair writer—ventured into Brooklyn, where dirty people live, for a weird Brooklyny art show, and wrote about it. May she never fucking return.
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Comment by Richard Lawson: I hope she wrote a daring piece for the Crimson called "My Journey to Jamaica Plain" or something. 26 Responses | Other threads
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it girls
Why Did the Peaches-at-Home Photoshoot Disappear?
Wonders a tipster, "I know that Gawker posted about The Selby covering [Williamsburg Brit-It girl] Peaches Geldof's apartment... but did you guys notice how it's no longer there? Think it has anything to do with lovely husband Max [Drummey] not being anywhere in the photos/any trace of him in the apartment? Or is it just due to the fact that no bone can stand Peaches?" Hmm! (Come visit our rabbit warren, Mr. Selby—we promise we'll have plenty of boy-toys on hand.)
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By SheilaComment by get the buttah: I'll take "Who Cares?" for the win, Alex! 3 Responses | Other threads
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shut up, brooklyn
Peaches Geldof's Stupid Williamsburg Apartment
Maybe our ire at Brooklyn's new Brit-It Girl, sybarite Peaches Geldof, is misdirected. After all, anyone's allowed to move to Brooklyn. If they happen to have a nice apartment, then so be it. More » -
shut up, brooklyn
Williamsburg Hipsters Had It Coming in Clash with Cops
We were so close to making it through a whole day believing that the pure joy of Obama's win had redeemed hipsters. That spontaneous post-election street celebration amongst Williamsburg's creative-class was both bad-ass and beautiful. Until the cops inevitably showed up. After all, the streets were completely blocked with people. In places like Harlem, Union Square and the East Village, clearing intersections seems to have gone pretty peacefully. But we've been getting shocked reports all day — police brutality against white kids! — and Brooklyn Vegan posted a comprehensive photo gallery of the festivities, including the copster-on-hipster clashes. More »
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By SheilaComment by American Dreamer: I actually spend a lot of time in Bed Stuy because the bar and club scene is 100x better than... 35 Responses | Other threads
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urban anthropology
'Bummy' Williamsburg Hipsters Proven to Have $400,000 in Accounts
One-man gentrification-play performer Danny Hoch, profiled in the Observer today, has lived in the neighborhood for twenty years. He's fascinated by the collision of the formerly downtrodden area's old and new residents. One such person: his neighbor, an "old school Puerto Rican cat," who watches the ATM machine on Grand Street and retrieves the receipts that hipsters leave behind, just to see how much money they have in their bank accounts. More »
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By SheilaComment by Niaiserie: I cop to confusion. I am a privileged fucker. White, Jewish, the 9 yards. Ivy League bachelor's. Millionaires in the... 11 Responses | Other threads
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creative underclass
Nobody Lost Their Virginity at Hipster Kickball Prom
Things end. People move on. The Brooklyn hipster kickball league has entertained us with their exploits all summer—fights, getting arrested in Macy's, letters to dive bars demanding a laminated free drinking pass. Now the season is over. Last Friday, they gathered in Greenpoint one last time for the Kickball Prom. We were there to create the memories that would last us the rest of our lives. More »
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By SheilaComment by Private Hangnail: I hope Mr. and Mrs. Sweat are proud of their son Calvin. He seems like a stand-up fellow whose character... 2 Responses | Other threads
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shut up, brooklyn
Hipster Kickball Tension as Season Winds Down
Many a trend piece has begun in and around Williamsburg's hip, multi-culti McCarren Park: the Times has been loving to point out what it means for the Way We Live Now, as well as fetishized its summer of rock shows in an empty pool. (Kids with dreads and tattoos!) But nothing has expressed the leisure activities and lifestyle choices of the creative slacker underclass as well as the rag-tag group of young creatives, hipsters, and drunks that make up the Brooklyn Kickball League. We've entertained you with their exploits all summer. And now, as fall approaches, the season is almost over. Yet what would the end of yet another kickball season be without one last fight? More »
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By SheilaComment by Multiphasic: I miss the days when there was some actual recognition that everyone was engaged in a fundamentally retarded enterprise. ... 4 Responses | Other threads
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nightlife
Cops, Panda Hipsters Battle in Williamsburg Streets
Last night, a mob of dangerously dancing hipsters armed with boom boxes and dressed as terrifying pandas marched from Union Square to Williamsburg, where the NYPD met them in force. Apparently, dancing and loud music on a hot August evening can lead to any end of mischief, so our boys and girls in blue twisted arms, threw people down, and destroyed at least one portable stereo. More »
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Comment by Kakapo: Pandæmonium, in "Paradise Lost" the name of the palace built in the middle of Hell, "the high capital of Satan... more » | Other threads
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urban anthropology
We Will Be at the Williamsburg Pageant with Bells On
Everyone loves to hate on hipsters and their neighborhood of Williamsburg, but the just-announced "Mr. and Ms. Williamsburg Pageant" sounds like it's going to be a little slice of awesome. Why? The sheer honesty of pageantry! Everyone parades down Bedford Avenue in their outfits, silently judging each other anyway—doing it with rules and a prize is so much better. (It's actually a relief to accept that yes, people are superficially judging you—nothing personal!) The contest is allegedly part of Misha Calvert's (pictured) community service—she was arrested for stealing some 40-ouncers and thought "why not put together something about a subject a lot of us are most passionate about: ourselves". Read on for the details—obviously we need to sponsor a contestant. More »
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By SheilaComment by Schadenfrau: I'm late to the game, but Misha Calvert has no criminal record in New York state. She probably works in... more » | Other threads
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the way we live now
Williamsburg's Hipster Doctor Resurfaces, Treats Julia Allison
Last year, we brought you the news of Williamsburg's hipster doctor, Jay Parkinson of Hello Health, who will diagnose you via the IM if necessary. Well, not really, that's just how you contact him—"by phone, e-mail, text, IM, or video chat." We're so glad we were able to be servicey: our favorite dating columnist/punching bag Julia Allison, who still hasn't applied for insurance yet, got an eye infection and ran straight to McDreamy: More »
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By SheilaComment by Josef S. Klus: Aw, give the guy a break. On the other end of the spectrum, I'd give the doc an 8.5... more » | Other threads
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trends
How Williamsburg Is Not Like The Middle East (For Once)
Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has banned Saudi pet stores from selling dogs and cats. Not because they wash up on shores looking like decayed hellspawn but because men are using them to pick up women. (Apparently they walk cats in the Wahhabi kingdom.) Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday that Hamas captured a Fatah agent, Nafez al-Namnam, and rather than torture him the old fashioned way, decided to humiliate him by shaving off his bushy, steer horn-shaped mustache. No canine cruise accessories, no wild facial hair — to think of all the liberties Brooklynites take for granted. [Yahoo, Israel Today]
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Comment by XerxesQados: I don't need to use a dog to get laid. I already am one. Because I'm a furry! Get it?... more » | Other threads
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williamsburg
We hear that Williamsboard is some people's entire lives
Writes a tipster about the hipster neighborhood's messageboard, today's thread starts out with "whining about being poor, then it turns into outing your 'best friend's' abortion on the Internet." [Williamsboard]
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By SheilaComment by Solomon Grundy: God, how bad are your reading comprehension skills? Almost everybody in that thread is making fun of her/themselves. It's called... more » | Other threads
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gentrification
Crime & Gentrification in Brooklyn
They're building tons of new condos and high-rise apartments in and around Williamsburg, the hipster neighborhood that has been mostly gentrified but still has some rough edges. Like last night: a "machete-wielding mob," as the the Daily News called it, stabbed two teens on S. 3rd St. in what's thought to be a gang-related beef. An hour and a half before that, a man was shot near Roebling and S. 9th St. [via Curbed] More »
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By SheilaComment by Paddington: @jrhys: It bums me out, too. All I am saying is that there are very real limits to what the government... more » | Other threads
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the internets
The Way We Tattoo Now: "Free WiFi"
Yesterday, we posted a Craigslist "Missed Connection" about a boy seeking a girl he saw on the L train, who he was pretty sure had a "free WiFi" tattoo. A reader sent us a link to this LiveJournal post, and, well... at least someone out there definitely does have a "Free WiFi" knuckle tattoo. (Somebody should tell the people behind this book—No Regrets, the encyclopedia of the craziest tattoos of all time.) Click for a close-up! We're hoping to get an interview with this tattoo's owner, so please include any questions you'd like to ask.
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By SheilaComment by Knina Strikheartz: oh I will finally admit. my hands. good job everyone. more » | Other threads
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missed connections
Free Wifi Tattoo?
"Did your tattoo say 'free wifi'?" asks a 21-year-old Craigslister of a girl he saw on the L train, adding that he "would really like to know." -
shut up, brooklyn
When a Hipster Bar Becomes a Prison
Seriously, how wasted do you have to be to get locked in a Williamsburg bar? Pretty wasted! "Really wasted but super nice," one of the Trophy Bar's bartenders More »
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By SheilaComment by bathysphere: oh, how could I forget: too many graduates of KU move to Brooklyn- but, really there's no need: ... more » | Other threads
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In Brief
The Family Of Man
How do you get 761 responses from the denizens of hipster messageboard Williamsboard.com? By asking them to "post the most recent picture you have of yourself." Interestingly, every single picture is totally unique. [Williamsboard] -
shut up, brooklyn
Williamsburg Activity Guide Leaves Off 'Hating Everyone'
At least three staff members of the New York Observer live in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood where every description was already a cliché like, ten years ago, dude. And they're determined to parlay their job at a somewhat relevant media outlet into some easy hipster sex this summer. So today they put together a long and infuriating package about living the post-college high life in "Williamsburg College." The two theses of the story are "Williamsburg does not blow!" and "it's not that different from college anyway." Only one of which is true. More » -
urban anthropology
Hipster Kickball Splittists Form Their Own Teams
From one of our kickball moles: "bklyn kickball was fun [last night]. i actually overheard a rumor that someone from Gawker must be on one of the teams, how else could they always know so much. maybe there will be a witch hunt! everyone was talking about the macy's pirate arrestee, again. no fights in my games, just some good old fashioned arguing and yelling at the umps. the styro-beers from Turkey's Nest were delicious as always... now, it seems there's some people left out, and they're turning to other leagues (gasp!) and forming their own teams... i guess what's great about it is that these kids are turning to their own resources outside of this exclusive Brooklyn league. they're almost like dissidents. if this was Singapore, they'd be jailed." [Photo: Greg Straight Edge]
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By SheilaComment by Banjo-Sea Kitten: I like the word Splittists. Thank you. more » | Other threads
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craigslist
Hipster Kickballer Distracted by Missed Connection Cutie
Aww! The weekly hipster kickball saga in Williamsburg is bringing people together, sort of. A sad Craigslist poster implores a certain cute with bangs to stop showing up on game days: "you're far too distracting." (Click to enlarge.) -
shut up, brooklyn
Hipster Kickballer Arrested for Brandishing a Sword in Macy's
In case you're not familiar, hundreds of hipsters gather every Sunday in Williamsburg to innocently have fun playing sports with their friends, drink beer, and act the fool. Butsometimesoften, fights break out—the Brooklyn Kickball league is infamous for penning overlong, entertaining letters. The Post informs us (since when are they on the kickball beat?) that last weekend, en route to his kickball game, yet another rogue hipster kickballer got in trouble. He was arrested! More »
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By SheilaComment by DorothyMantooth: What is it about weirdos in Macy's?!I was in the Macy's on Fulton Street in Brooklyn once when a dude... more » | Other threads
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nick walker
Banksy Doppelganger Strikes Hipster Tea House
British stencil artist Nick Walker—whose name was recently floated by a leading website as a plausible answer to the question "Who is anonymous international superstar street artist Banksy, really?"—has been a busy man. Not only was he spotted painting a piece on the side of Thunder Jacksons in the West Village—which sparked all this Banksy speculation in the first place—he also did quite a nice giraffe-themed work on the side of Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg. We're still trying to pin down the true nature of the Banksy-Walker connection, so if you happen to have spotted Walker at work, email us. After the jump, two larger pictures [via Williamsburg is Dead] of the towering ruminant. More »
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Comment by iamdrexel: @nowset - you do realize that Boundless and the Roebling Tea Room share that wall, right? That piece is... more » | Other threads
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shut up, brooklyn
The "End of Williamsburg"?
New Williamsburg transplant and former Gawker Joshy Stein (he lets me call him that) witnessed the mauling of the Bedford Avenue street sign and a traffic light by a dump truck last night. And then what happened? "Finally, I called 3-1-1. They said they couldn't help me but transferred me to 9-1-1..." More »
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By SheilaComment by Pope John Peeps II: I thought he was in London, England? Did he get duuuuumped? more » | Other threads
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bloglash
Cornell's Famous "West Bushwick" Writer Moves to San Francisco; Your Fault
Remember the famous "West Bushwick" item from last year? It started as a post by Doree Shafrir in response to a story Cornell student Erin Geld wrote for the Daily Sun, the littlest Ivy college's student paper. Geld stayed with friends in a nonexistant neighborhood she referred to as "West Bushwick" for the weekend and was overwhelmed and intimidated by her perceived coolness of it all. She marveled at the big lofts, the "spooky lots and the occasional shady passerby," and the fashion parade of Bedford Avenue. She came to the conclusion that she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle living in such a crazy place after graduation! Well, guess what: now you've gone and done it. In Newsweek, the same writer blogs that because of the response to the "rather neutral" item on this website, her column was "TORN apart" in our commenting section, a "New York hipster club." This "hipster attack" from commenters "managed to chase me to California."
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By SheilaComment by themediatrix: @metoometoo: hey, you nailed it. People here think I'm a bitch. It's called being "direct." There's a lot to... more » | Other threads
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trend update
Animal Sacrifices Popular Among Young Urbanites
For centuries, animals that humans captured or killed have been preserved as prizes—testaments to hale manliness and self-sufficiency, both of which are traits that today's young urban hipster lacks. Yet, young people have always found meaning in authenticity, and what's more real than the lifeless body of a dead animal? Well, the stuffed, taxidermied body of a dead animal. Or slaughtering that animal yourself. Or picking dead animals out of the trash in Chinatown. All of which are (still) ever-evolving trends for New Yorkers, yet eerily familiar to hicks and Midwesterners. We thought the taxidermy mini-trend was dying down, but it's not! More »
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By SheilaComment by Mr. Kim Gordons Panties: Hey I know the Grocery Guy! He cures meats and makes moonshine in his apartment (both of excellent quality), and... more » | Other threads
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the second generation
A Rogue Williamsburg Kickballer Explains It All
The bad seed of Brooklyn's hipster kickball league speaks! Even though it was reported so on their website, the team known as "Prison" isn't kicked out of Williamsburg's kickball league after all. "Just me," former kickballer Robert L. confirms. "I told [38-year-old Brooklyn Kickball commissioner] Kevin Dailey he was a fat fuck and to go sniff coke. Then pushed 2 people who surrounded me and threatened another guy. I can only apologize that jocks picked on people in high school!" There's more to the story: just like every punk show in high school, this one was broken up by... you guessed it, violence from a straight-edger!
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shut up, brooklyn
"There Was Some Sort of Scuffle": Kicked Out of Brooklyn's Hipster Kickball League
Walking home past McCarren Park in Brooklyn last Sunday evening, I witnessed something that I felt must be important, some sort of cultural shift or at least an indication of the Way We Live Now. The park was swarming with people, young people, milling around, shrieking, and blasting music. They were drinking beers outside, which is illegal (for non-whites.) Some were chasing their artfully scruffy dogs. Most were dressed up in crazy little outfits with components from American Apparel, headbands and shiny leggings. The men mostly had beards and were skinnier than the girls, somehow. Suddenly, a ball flew through the air, very close to my head. Oh my God: this was it. This was the famed Brooklyn hipster kickball league, in action. Now a kickball league member informs us: "There was some sort of scuffle last night..."
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blind items
Who Is the Clumsy "Indie Rock Dreamboat" Heartbreaker From This Week's Modern Love?
This week's Modern Love, the column in the NYT's Sunday Style section, bucked a trend. It's supposed to be about modern love, duh, but it's usually about adopting babies and cancer. This week, it actually was about modern (text-messaging) luv, with an essay by a young woman about her awkward flirtation with a frustratingly immature but totally cute indie-rocker boy in Brooklyn. Title of essay: "Was I On a Date or Baby Sitting?" HEY OH! "I asked my musician friends what they knew about him. Joanna, a singer, summed him up: 'He's an indie rock dreamboat. His voice is transcendent and he writes lovely lyrics. He has a nice face, he has a kid and he tours a lot. He's a star in his world.'" Oh, perfect: the conveniently unavailable guy who "goes on tour" a lot. Of course, we'd all love to know who the dude is and what band he is in. Thanks to a tipster, now we know!
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hair
Williamsburg Mullet Guy Seeks Love
You may remember Chris, the Williamsburg gentleman with the controversial haircut pictured at left, who was just this past February spotted in the wild by our own intrepid Hamilton Nolan. And you may also be a woman aged 21-35, within 10 miles of Brooklyn, and optionally an assertive, sarcastic "braniac" with piercings. If so, perhaps Chris, aka LowRezChris on Match.com, could show you why they say he puts the "party" in the phrase "party in the back?!" More »
williamsburg
New York, 11:46 AM
Fri Jul 10
45 posts in the last 24 hours
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