A Better Look

The pedestrian bridge, one step closer to completion:

Brooklyn Bridge Park Will Not Be Deterred

Yesterday, Pier 5 of Brooklyn Bridge Park officially opened to the public. Today, an enormous crane suggested that the pedestrian bridge connecting Squibb Park to Pier 1 is ready for assembly. As the New York Times notes, once this occurs, the massive park will be almost halfway complete. Brooklyn, rejoice.

DIY: Coffee Sleeve Ceiling Shade (or "Once You Kept Me Warm; Now You Light Up My Life")

As many of you know, Maura and I recently moved into a tiny place of our own in Brooklyn. Although we renovated the bathroom before moving in, it might be awhile before we can make any wholesale changes to the apartment. In the meantime, we're taking on a number of small projects to make our space more enjoyable, while keeping the budget as minimal as possible.

To that end--although I didn't know it when I began--I've been collecting the cardboard sleeves that accompany my morning coffee on the way to work. This hare-brained idea hatched a couple of years ago as I began stashing them in a file cabinet, but didn't take shape until long after we moved this past February. We grew tired of looking up at the bedroom ceiling and seeing the traditional, white, square glass ceiling light cover.

Then I remembered my stockpile of these...

...and drawing some inspiration from this, I got to work. Initially, it seemed like a good idea to connect the coffee sleeves with juut twine, in the hope that its color would allow it to blend in.

When I had finished combining the sleeves, I suspended them with paper clips and cup hooks, screwed into the ceiling.

Once it was in place, however, the shade looked somewhat... messy. Every knot stood out in stark relief against the bright light above. This in no small part contributed to Maura dubbing this "the trash light." So down it came. At her suggestion, I replaced the juut with bobby pins. It should go without saying that adding the bobby pins was much, much faster than tying the individual loops of twine.

I also added several more sleeves to give the shade a looser edge. This time, instead of paper clips, I used white thread to hang the sleeves from the cup hooks.

And finally, a Before/After comparison of the ceiling light:

Materials: 62 coffee sleeves, bobby pins, thread, cup hooks

Bright Lights, Big City

Abstract impressions of Manhattan from Brooklyn.

As an aside, for those still looking for gift ideas: I've recently posted a selection of my photography, including the shots above, on Society 6, which produces gallery-quality art prints and stretched canvases of original artwork. Through Sunday, Society 6 is offering free shipping on unframed prints, as well as a variety of other products. To take advantage of this offer, please visit my shop, boxed out. After Sunday, you can still find my Society6 shop by clicking the link on the sidebar to the right.

A Microclimate in Brooklyn

I've seen how the sausage gets made, and it's with white tarp and a truckload of ice. Winter's Tale--adapted from the novel and eventually starring Will Smith, Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Connelly--has been filming a ways down the street. It's December, and there's fake snow in New York, where the temperature is currently hovering around freezing. There's also at least one Model T hanging out in the neighborhood. Watch your step, Brooklyn. It's slippery outside.

The slushy scene on Hicks Street last night

Just so you know, your barn door's open.

A-ha!

If you look closely, you can see the white tarp covering the sidewalk in the background.

In case you were wondering what Brooklyn Heights looks like without street lights

During a break in the action... earlier in the night, the building across the street was fully illuminated.

Photo of the Day: Bridges to Nowhere

This morning's view from Brooklyn Bridge Park:

Yvette Mattern's "Global Rainbow" Tribute over NYC

For a couple of nights this past week, the sky over New York was illuminated by a spectacular laser light tribute to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. The New York- and Berlin-based artist, Yvette Mattern, projected the colors of the rainbow from the roof of the Standard Hotel out across the boroughs, supposedly reaching all the way to the Rockaways, one of the hardest-hit areas of the city.

A few looks at the view from DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights: