Get to the chopper!
...and other fun memes
Did y’all enjoy that hot chocolate side quest from last week? I really enjoyed dragging Lorenzo around the city and forcing him to drink copious amounts of hot chocolate (and I think he also had a little fun, though he wished there was less walking). If there’s another type of side quest you’d like to have me undertake, let me know! I would be very happy to take a journey to find the best chocolate chip cookie in the city, the best matcha, the best french fry….I’ve already watched every Nic Cage movie and I should really empty my brain of that info one day soon…
Friendly reminder that BCLF will be taking a break the last week of December, which is only 2 freakin weeks away 😵 After that, I’ll be moving this to a paid subscription. Paid subs will get all of the usual sections and free subs will get a rotation of 2 sections + the event/link roundup at the end. And if I decide to go on the occasional side quest or post a special issue, that’ll be free for everyone! Some of you may have also gotten a little surprise in your inbox this morning - I sent out a few free subs to the folks who have liked/commented/read the most as a lil thanks 🤗
If you didn’t get a free sub, I still love ya. Smash that subscribe button to get 15% off your first year’s subscription - a special deal from now til the end of the year!
1. Noshing 😋
I’m very outspoken about my love for Alamo Drafthouse and I go to both their FiDi and Brooklyn locations often. However, I don’t love eating at the movie theater. I can’t pay attention to the movie while I’m eating, I can’t see what I’m eating, I’m just not able to enjoy the food or the movie. FiDi can be a tough area to grab food in because lots of businesses are only open M-F and they’re generally geared towards grabbing quick work lunches. But one of my favorite places to grab a bite to eat pre-movie is Suited, a very cute little cafe on John St. Their combo of quick service and very close proximity to the theater makes them a super clutch food option.
I’ve been lucky enough to always get a seat when I get there even though the space is pretty small (there’s some outdoor seating and a hidden counter in the back corner so make sure to check there). If you’re dining in, you order at the counter and take your little number card to your table. The baristas get the drinks out pretty quickly, despite taking lots of care in crafting some damn good bevvies. Lorenzo always gets an oat latte or flat white and the little sips I’ve tried have been very tasty - not to bitter, not too sweet. I switch between their matcha or chai. I’m very picky with my drinks since becoming a snob making my own during the pandemic and Suited always delivers. They add a little dusting of cinnamon on top of the chai which I appreciate and the matcha is never clumpy. Plus, the drinks are served in the most beautiful little ceramic cups that I fully want to steal.
Their food is pretty no frills, but always hits the spot. I love their pancakes, which are the perfect thickness. I prefer my pancakes on the thinner side (unless I’m specifically getting fluffy Japanese pancakes) and these ones are not too thin, but still retain that nice crispy exterior without too much interior fluff. Lorenzo usually goes savory and has gotten their fried chicken sandwich on multiple occasions. It comes with perfectly fried potatoes and I always steal one or two. Most recently, I got their chilaquiles. Now listen, these are not authentic chilaquiles for sure, but that doesn’t make them any less good. I was actually surprised at how spicy the salsa on them was and the chips were right in that sweet spot of still having a little bite to them and not being completely soggy. You really can’t go wrong with anything here so if you’re looking for a quick bite before a movie, Suited is the spot!
2. Watching🍿
I recently embarked on a journey to watch all of the Predator movies. I thought this was going to be a schlocky journey through 80s cinema, but I actually really enjoyed watching how the same-ish story was told differently through the decades. And because all of the movie titles sound so similar, I’m going to just refer to them as Predator 1, Predator 2, etc.
The plot is essentially the same across all of the films, so I won’t give a summary of each. Basically, a group of aliens (the Predators) come to Earth every so often to play some Most Dangerous Game shit and hunt humans. However, it’s important to note that they only hunt humans who are armed and have a chance at fighting back - they’re not just invading the planet. Each movie essentially revolves around the human protagonists figuring out ways to outsmart the Predators and defeat them, which isn’t easy because these motherfuckers come to Earth with some crazy tech, most notably their invisibility cloaks. This is the shit that made me mad because being invisible makes the game completely unfair, but then I realized this whole series is basically a commentary on hunting culture and how unfair it is for some dude with a big ass gun to go out and shoot an animal that just has claws to fight back with. In one of the later movies one of the characters even brings up how these aliens aren’t really predators because predators hunt because they need to - they’re fuckin hunters killing people for sport. Anyways, that’s the gist of all of the movies but like I said, each one tells the story in a way that is so distinct to the decade in which it was made and that is what made the series so interesting to me.
I began my journey with the classic Schwarzenegger movie: Predator 1 (1987). Imagine my delight when barely 5 minutes into the movie I learned where this delightful meme originates from!
Guys, the first Predator movie is fucking awesome. It is very 80s in the sense that it’s a group of manly men in the jungle shooting guns and shit, but the story still somehow manages to be pretty enjoyable and thought provoking. The first Predator movie might be the best one and it’s very reflective of all of the other manly action movies of the 80s (every Rambo movie, every Arnold movie).
Predator 2 (1990) on the other hand….just skip that shit. This movie takes us to the concrete jungle, ooh so original. It’s just a basic ass 90s cop movie that has Danny Glover chasing aliens around LA. The movie makes a big deal about there being a heat wave going on and then absolutely nothing comes of that plot point and that made me mad. I absolutely do not believe that Danny Glover was skilled enough to defeat a Predator, yet at the end a Predator shows him the ultimate sign of respect by giving him an artifact from one of his past battles - an old ass gun that’ll eventually be explained in a later movie. Do not watch this movie, it’s bad.
Predator 3 (2010) is a pretty good rehashing of Predator 1. Adrien Brody does a great job playing the manly man Arnold character and the rest of the cast is essentially a carbon copy of Arnold’s original crew. The 2010s saw a lot of updated reboots (21 Jump St, Planet of the Apes, Westworld) and this was one that was pretty well done. Again, the story is basically the same as Predator 1, but now we have the advantage of movie tech being a bit more advanced so everything looks a bit nicer. This is actually explained in story too, in that every time the Predators come to Earth they learn and update their own technology so that they can be more prepared next time. So in this movie we see that the Predator’s heat vision is enhanced and all of the little beep boop buttons on their armband record information better. Topher Grace is also peak whiny bitch in this movie, so it’s pretty satisfying when he dies.
Predator 4 (2018) is an interesting one. It’s part of the trend of irreverent Netflix era movies that have references up the wazoo and also don’t take themselves too seriously. Case in point - both Sterling K Brown and Keegan Michael Key provide a lot of comedic moments that aren’t really present in the previous installments. It’s not quite a comedy action movie, but it’s definitely got more of a jokey tone throughout and a plot that logistically makes no sense but is kinda fun nonetheless. Like, at the end the military employs an autistic child because he’s able to understand the Predator’s language….that’s fuckin weird. If you want a silly goofy action movie that’ll have you telling “WTF” at the screen, this is the one.
The most recent Predator 5 (aka Prey - 2022) was a good ass movie and is indicative of the “everything old is new again” mentality that I’m seeing a lot of. This movie is what happens when we go on a time traveling side quest to make something seem fresh again by going back to a time far before the story that we’re familiar with. This is your Premotheuses, your Rogue Ones, your Pearls. This movie follows Naru, a Comanche girl in the year 1719 and while the beginning is a bit slow, it picks the fuck up halfway through and is absolutely worth a watch. We also finally see that gun from Predator 2 mentioned again, though it’s still not as big a part of the story as I would have thought. Definitely watch this one!
3. Exploring 🛼
Last year while I was unemployed I did a lot of touristy activities because why the fuck not and one of my favorites was taking a tour of Rockefeller Center. Yes, I was crazy for going to literally the busiest area of the city around Christmastime, but it was 100% worth it and I’m going to tell you how to have yourself a little day.
There are a ton of different tour options for this area and you should do whichever one sounds like the most fun to you, but I did the $56 Rock Pass option. This allowed me to take an hour-ish walking tour around Rockefeller Center (it’s a collection of a few buildings) and then skip the line and go straight to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. When you checkout you’ll have to select tour + observation deck times, but just worry about the tour time because they’ll send you straight upstairs whenever you finish. They also have that new Beam attraction available as an add-on that honestly looks scary AF but like I said, you do you.
Rockefeller Center has some of the most beautiful Art Deco art and architecture in the city. If you’re imagining the Chrysler Building (featured in BCLF’s updated logo), World’s Fair posters, or even Batman’s Gotham City, you’re picturing Art Deco. The pieces around Rockefeller Center combine the Art Deco style with a lot of Classical and Neoclassical motifs - there’s the Prometheus statue overlooking the rink and Atlas holding up the globe, not to mention tons of murals and reliefs featuring big ol’ muscley Greek men.
Now while John D Rockefeller Jr was the guy who footed the bill for a lot of the construction, it was his wife Abby who had the good taste to choose the artists who would decorate the buildings. Johnny D recognized art as a public service, but he was very conservative and didn’t actually enjoy art much. He especially hated the nude reliefs above the 49th st entrance because he was a prude little bitch. I, however, found it very interesting to learn that there was a reason for all of the nude art - the human body is timeless and clothing would date the art! Poor Abby probably wasn’t getting any from her husband, but she did go on to be a founding member of the MoMA and donated a bunch of pieces to them when she passed!
A perk of taking this tour during Christmastime is that you also get to go right under the Rockefeller tree! My guide had a polaroid camera with him so I have a cute photo of myself with the tree, altar of our dark lord Santa.
Anyways like I said, after the art tour you get sent straight up to Top of the Rock. This isn’t the highest observatory in NYC, but you get a pretty nice view of the Empire State Building looking south. The view to the north is kinda meh because you have all of the buildings on Billionaire’s Row blocking what used to be a nice view of Central Park. I have a rant building up inside of me about these buildings….
4. Learning 🧠
Sure you’ve heard of Williamsburg and Bushwick and East Williamsburg (aka more Bushwick), but have you heard of the Brooklyn neighborhood called The Hole? The Hole is possibly one of NYC’s strangest neighborhoods and while I generally try to highlight the beauty of NYC, it’s important to note that there are many parts of the city that are simply failing on multiple levels.
I was reminded about this neighborhood when I was at the Seltzer Museum a couple weeks back because it’s pretty close by. The Hole is a 5ish block triangle of land that is about 30 feet lower than the surrounding areas. This area was always very marshy and while it’s tough to imagine now, Brooklyn was mostly farmland until the boroughs consolidated in 1898. The area was eventually built up a bit but it still suffers from it’s natural topographical features floods frequently. Residents say that many of the streets are regularly underwater and some even keep boats and kayaks on hand to navigate the area. Who would even live in an area like this, you ask? Some people enjoy the isolation, while others simply can’t afford to move. The average monthly rent in NYC right now is upwards of $3k/mo - for a fuckin studio!
The Hole also suffers from a lack of sufficient infrastructure. Because the land is so low, homes are not connected to the city’s sewer system. This means that residents have cesspools and septic tanks to get rid of their waste, but these tanks are so old that they’ve begun leaking into the soil. So not only are the streets flooded with rainwater, they’re also flooded with…doodoo water and contaminated soil. If that’s not bad enough, emergency vehicles and snow plows often don’t make their way down these streets either, which leaves residents (figuratively) high and dry during emergencies.
Because no one was really clamoring to visit The Hole, it became a dumping ground for Mafia murders in the 1980s. John Gotti disposed of quite a few bodies in the area - a group of kids found the severed hand of Bonanno crime family member Alphonse “Sonny Red” Indelicato in 1981. In 2004, the bodies of Philip “Philly Lucky” Giaccone and Dominick “Big Trin” Trinchera were dug up. Other bodies have been found in the area and it’s believed that there are surely more buried underneath this forgotten neighborhood.
I won’t end this on a total downer though! Something nice about The Hole is that it’s the home of the NYC Federation of Black Cowboys. Despite our Western films frequently starring the likes of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, African Americans made up about 25% of cowboys in the West. Our local NYC Federation of Black Cowboys organizes youth programs, rodeos, and school visits. They teach horsemanship to kids to reinforce life skills like patience, kindness, and tolerance. So while this neighborhood has sadly been forgotten by the city, it’s still home to residents who embody the “if you can make it here you can make it anywhere” spirit of NYC.
5. What’s Good 😎
Holiday markets are still popping up around the city - here’s some of the latest: Canal St Holiday Market will run from Dec 14-24, Cafe Botani is having a sidewalk sale on Sunday Dec 17, the International Center of Photography is having a pop up on Saturday Dec 16, Taiwanfest market is open from Dec 15-17, and finally Rule of Thirds is having a market/sake tasting on Sunday Dec 17.
One of my favorite little Bushwick cafes, Lazy Suzy, is having a pop up with Post Tea Service. They’ll be serving a selection of cute lil (alcoholic) bevvies! Fill out this form to RSVP.
In other local Bushwick news, I am so sad to hear that Le Garage is closing. I wrote about them way back in the Bushwick Summer newsletter and they’re one of my favorite little French restaurants in the area. Their last brunch service is this weekend and I recommend ordering the omelete, french toast, or pork cheek sandwich.
Here’s a little bad news/good news for ya: NYC Parks is facing severe budget cuts that’ll reduce staffing by 1,400 people and result in some parks being cleaned as little as once as week. And let’s be honest, we know that it’ll be the smaller parks in the neighborhoods that really need them that’ll suffer the most. The good news is that an anonymous donor saved the NYC Greenmarket composting program! This was also set to be cut based on the Mayor’s budget and will run until June 2024 when the city’s annual budget is due.
Last week I got the hot milo from The Boiis Co booth at Union Square Holiday Market and now they just started serving up some new items! I will definitely be stopping by again to try their mochi dip cup (and honestly the milo was good, Imma get some of that again).
This may be a very niche bit of news, but the tunnel from the L to the 1 train at 14th st is open again! Tik Tok served me up a very random but relevant post last night and I’m honestly so happy I don’t have to walk outside to make that transfer anymore like a fuckin loser.
Finally, one of my favorite accounts, Uncovermore, just shared that there’s an art exhibit named Eden open in Tribeca! It features a bunch of strange yet dainty sculptures and is free to visit thru Jan 6.
Catch ya next week for the final newsletter of the year!
