You Can Haz Party too, at Hope Lounge in Williamsburg

On my nights out, I usually go to the same places and see the same friends. Why? Cheap/free booze, friends!

But this weekend, I found myself at bars and parties that I rarely attend. And what do you know? My friend Nicky Digital, urban culture photographer extraordinaire, was at those places too! It reminded me how fun parties in New York can be.

Last night I moseyed over to Hope Lounge, which was having its grand Can Haz Party party – something Nicky Digital plays a big role in.

The party celebrates summer because of Hope Lounge's open Williamsburg patio – equipped with a grill (hence the name of the party, of I can has cheezburger fame). The bar, located at 10 Hope St. near Roebling, has musical guests like Kids With Snakes and The Bad Decision DJs, while bartenders make the liquor flow.

There's a bar at the patio outside, where you can order up your favourite grill item (whether its a cheeseburger or hotdog or whatever), with a side of chips. A table has all the condiments you need, but beware: the pickles aren't that great.

The event is perfect for a warm summer's night. Yes, you can haz party – and you can have a cheeseburger at the same time.


Keep in touch with this and other great parties by following Nicky Digital on his Web site, Myspace and Facebook. Follow his Twitter to know where to be and when for some of New York's best nightlife.

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Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position

Second Stop should be your first stop / Meet Craig Kafton

When you go to the bathroom at Second Stop café in Williamsburg, the owner is watching you. This may sound creepy, and you may be alarmed when you first notice it, but it’s just a photograph of Owner Craig Kafton, looking particularly enthused, on the door facing the toilet. I laughed.

He is quite a character, too. He’s unmistakable in his Buddy Holly-ish glasses, with a gray ponytail hiding coyly behind his head. He busies himself with making coffee and working the register at the café, located on Lorimer and Ainslie streets, which he opened two years ago.

Kafton working behind the register at Second Stop.

Kafton is from Howard Beach in Queens, but he hasn’t always lived in New York. He lived in Holland, Berlin before the Wall came down, and he still has a house in France. But he settled down in Williamsburg, and he lives directly above the café. When he and his partner, who owned the building, finally got a rid of a bad tenant, they decided to open up a café.

“Boy, this neighborhood needs a café,” Kafton had thought.

Forming the café was the main project. “I think we saw it more as an art project, building it,” Kafton said. This is because the inspiration for the building’s restoration came from the original photos of the building at the turn of the century to the 1940s. The façade of the building, which was a grocery store owned by Kafton’s partner’s grandfather, is rebuilt from a 1929 tax photo.

“There’s a bit of every period represented in there,” Kafton said. They got that old-timey effect because the two owners are collectors of stuff. There’s a wooden carving of Abraham Lincoln (wearing an Obama pin) in the front window, many different dangling lamps, a white rusty chandelier, old wooden box speakers and a ceiling fan.

Then, during the building, Kafton became a sort of coffee aficionado, without any other café experience. Now, Second Stop features Stumptown Coffee and in-house baking. They have assorted muffins, from plain to blueberry glaze to the "donut muffin," all of which are delicious because of their home-baked goodness. The café also serves special bagel sandwiches, in which you can get avocado, turkey, cheese, and other great fillings. These items don't come cheap, as a simple iced coffee can cost you over three bucks, but the quality justifies the prices.

Kafton loves the neighborhood, and in between his busy shifts, he manages to say hello to prominent locals, like the woman who owns Hotel Delmano and Union Pool, two notable Williamsburg establishments and popular bars.


As welcoming as he is, he knows who his good customers are.

“Are you a regular?” he asked me. When I said that I’m not, he replied, “Right, I didn’t think I recognized you.”

Kafton imbues the cafe with a warmth that a lot of cafés lack. And the customers are like a community, leaving bags at tables knowing that others wouldn’t steal, and would watch out for them. And even if the customers don’t watch out, Kafton will. He’s always got his eyes out for his customers – even in the bathroom.

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Hanne Hukkelberg – Cheater's Armoury

Bushwick Country Club and Photobooths

If you're into old-fashioned black and white photobooth photos, you should check out Bushwick Country Club at 618 Grand Street in Williamsburg. They have one in back that produces gems such as these:

This is me with one of the bartenders, Thomas.

We invited The Teenagers (famous for the song "Homecoming") to the bar. They liked it so much, that they skipped out on a Vampire Weekend party to come back to BCC. This is the resulting photobooth.

P.S. It is commonly referred to as BCC.

P.P.S. Be sure to get your hands on a basket of cheese puffs. They're like the peanuts that an ordinary bar would serve to guests as finger food, but this isn't an ordinary bar. That's part of the reason The Teenagers loved it so. Dorian from the band had never tried cheese puffs, and he became addicted.

But the best photobooths I have ever done (by far) are the ones we got in Japan. Take a look:

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Vulture Realty – The Joke

DJ Hardcore Makeout and DJ Skinny Naked Baby: Every Other Friday at Sweet Ups

“Spinning” tracks as a DJ has taken on a new meaning – as long as you can handle spinning the wheel on your iPod. For two New York University students, that’s just the way to do it. Williamsburg bar Sweet Ups allows these two fledgling DJs to showcase their music collections without making them dust off the old vinyl in the attic.

DJ Hardcore Makeout, otherwise known as Kristen Mukai, performs with her partner, DJ Skinny Naked Baby, every other Friday night at the Williamsburg staple. Sweet Ups, located at 277 Graham Ave., is well known throughout the ‘Burg of the borough. The two DJs have made it a home for their bi-monthly gigs.

“My friend and I made up our names one night as a joke, but then we actually became DJs,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “And we have shorter versions too. I’m DJ Homo and she’s DJ Snob.”

The two girls play everything and almost anything. You might hear some Joy Division, maybe a Beyonce song, some old punk or blues, indie-rock, classic rock, a French chanteuse, some random Italian pop song, or whatever they happen to be into that night. One thing is for sure: they always play Mariah Carey.

“Oh, we love Mariah,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We generally play her ‘Fantasy’ remix with [Ol' Dirty Bastard] because that’s a crowd pleaser. There are some artists we play every time, like Metronomy or Late of the Pier. And Snob loves Aaliyah.”

Is there anything they won’t play?

“MGMT,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We will never play MGMT.”

Why not? DJ gig regular Anita Stahl clarifies: “You can hear MGMT at any club in Manhattan. People love it, but everyone plays it. DJs Snob and Homo like to play stuff that you haven't heard, or something you may have forgotten about. But they always play music that is sure to get the crowd moving.”

According to DJ Hardcore Makeout, the two girls got the gig one night when the bar was empty. DJ Skinny Naked Baby took out her iPod and requested that the bartender play it for them and their friends – the sole customers. Turns out the bartender was really into their music and offered them a trial performance. Since then, they have established their every-other-Friday set and have become part of the Sweet Ups family.

“It really is a family here,” Stahl said. “People come from Manhattan to Sweet Ups, just to revel in the culture that this tiny place has established. DJs Snob and Homo pull a lot of normal Manhattanites out here. It’s a great place to be.”

And on those Friday night gigs, DJs Skinny Naked Baby and Hardcore Makeout sit at the end of the bar with their mixer and their iPods, bobbing their heads and shouting when a personal favorite comes on next.

“We know what people like here, but we don’t cater to anybody in particular,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We just play what will sound good next, or what will keep the bar pumping. It just so happens that people love what we do.”

The bar itself is a gem, too.

The wallpaper is dimly lit, and a red-wine colored pattern that looks half-Victorian and half-grandpa’s den brings out a deep maroon glow to the entire scene. Employees scatter candles across the bar to extend the glowy effect. Maybe it’s the lighting, or the liquor serving as a social lubricant, but everyone seems to get along here.

“It’s our music,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said, half-joking. “Our music puts everyone in a good mood. I hope! I mean, beats. We got ‘em. You want ‘em!”

The wallpaper under dim lighting at Sweet Ups
Photo from www.jaunted.com

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Solid Gold – Who You Gonna Run To?

Self-Guided Graffiti Tour in the Burg

Who doesn't love vandalism? Last month, I took a self-guided tour of graffiti in the Burg.

The great thing about graffiti in Williamsburg is that it adds so much to the environment. Banksy-esque stencils of giraffes and old radio sets, little and big, can be found emerging in between cafés and vintage stores. Bedford's bricks are decoratively painted, but the most interesting pieces are beyond that main street.

Far from Bedford, there is a clump of works by a group called Mötug (Monsters of the Undaground). This area is a bit less welcoming, probably because it has less life to its streets and a few huge warehouses. One warehouse, on the corner of Keap and Hope streets, is full to the brim with graffiti. The colors are brilliant and blended so artistically – blue splattered on a red base with a yellow band across the top.

And imperfections are not bad. With posters, excess glue comes out of the sides. Painted graffiti sometimes has chips in the paint revealing an under layer of slightly faded, older graffiti. Pictures of geishas, subway trains, angels, break-dancers and more cover the walls in an artistic way. It's much different than when a kid with a can of spray paint just scribbles his name.

It's not so much a feeling of vandalism; it's more about art and community. Graffiti in Williamsburg lies interspersed with local gems – restaurants, bars, shops and cafes – and adds flavor rather than "vandalism" to the area.

Posters splattered with paint. (A secondary thought?)

My friend Anita in front of the Keap/Hope warehouse.


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Appaloosa – The Day (We Fell In Love)

Review: Tapes 'n Tapes at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Tapes 'n Tapes played to a full and energetic crowd at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Feb. 26. I was lucky enough to be there to photograph the show.

See my review on the Washington Square News blog here. (Right now, there is a grammatical error that wasn't my fault. I emailed my editor, so he should fix it soon.)

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Love Is All – Last Choice

Preview: Tapes 'n Tapes at MHW

Tapes 'n Tapes will be playing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Feb. 26. Check out my article in The Brooklyn Paper previewing the concert, and get your hands on some tickets for it. It is sure to be a good time, what with the band playing (as singer Josh Grier told me) an even mix of stuff from "The Loon" and their most recent album, "Walk It Off" (2008).

(Photo credit: Cameron Wittig)

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Julie London – Warm December