Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society...

I call this newsletter the Tale of Crafting in the Dark

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but this newsletter is sooooo very close to having 200 subscribers! I literally don’t even know 200 people in real life, so I’m actually floored that all of you have managed to find me. Actually, I have managed to meet a lot of you IRL which is very neat! If you like what you’re reading and think someone else might enjoy it, I’d love for you to forward BCLF to a friend. And if you really really like what you’re reading, it would be very cool of you to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Anyways, I hope you can tell by this week’s title that I have been deep in an Are You Afraid of the Dark binge. I was finally able to move on after watching all of House MD despite absolutely hating it upon rewatch (spoiler, but he actually fakes his death in the last episode, which is completely out of character and also just stupid). I found episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark randomly while scrolling YouTube, along with a bunch of channels that play old Saturday morning cartoons, complete with the commercials. Tell me why I can remember so many slogans from toy commercials? Why does my brain latch onto such things?

I haven’t just stayed home watching old tv, though. I also had a really enjoyable hang at yet another art cafe! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I could be the happiest little bean if I was just left alone to create shit all day. Will someone please hire me to drink tea and make crafts?

Last week I had a fabulous girls’ hang with

Tara Giancaspro

and new friend Susanna at NYC Drawing Room. I’d been here once before for a clothing swap, but this was my first time taking advantage of their vast art library and wow, I was impressed! You know I’ve been to many an art cafe (Happy Medium BK and NYC, Brooklyn Renaissance) and I think I’ve finally found my favorite in Drawing Room.

I love that Drawing Room operates as a true Third Place. A Day Pass to the space costs $20 and gives you access to unlimited tea (they have a great selection), coffee, wifi, crayons, office supplies, and paper. They have some snacks available to purchase, but they also allow you to bring in your own food, which is so fucking clutch. This makes it an excellent coworking space, or just a great spot to meet with a friend and get some shit done. There are a variety of seating setups to accommodate however you like to work; comfy couches, floor cushions, and craft tables are all nestled around a room filled with tchotchkes and art (lots of it created by Drawing Room visitors). They have a bunch of plants and fun light fixtures, as well as little portable lamps in case you need some more light while you work. It truly feels like a cool friend’s living room, since you’re also required to remove your shoes at the door (they have socks available for $1).

I drank my lemon ginger tea on a couch next to an old typewriter while I waited for my friends to arrive

The space itself is charming AF, but their art library really sets them apart from some of the other art cafes I’ve visited. You can add on art library access for just $15 and their selection is fucking vast! They have your classic paints, pastels, and charcoals, as well as knitting supplies, stamp carving blocks, sewing kits, and ceramic clay (not air dry clay!). If you make stamps, they have tote bags or tea towels you can purchase to decorate. If you choose clay, you can either paint designs with underglaze or choose a full glaze dip. A warning for those with decision paralysis because they truly have every art supply you could imagine and the shelves are so organized - this Virgo approves ✅

If you’re not sure which direction to go, they have beautifully illustrated booklets on each table detailing what you can do with each medium (and of course they also double as coloring books)

Tara and I went the clay route while Susanna opted for watercolors. The staff at Drawing Room was so helpful; they answered all of our questions and checked in on us every so often to see if we needed help with anything. They even remembered me from the clothing swap (although I think I just have one of those faces because people are always asking if they’ve met me before?) We ended up staying until they closed at 11pm and the person closing was super patient with us while we cleaned up and paid our final tab. Since Tara and I made ceramics, we’ll have to come back in a few weeks to pick them up after they’re fired and I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

I'll let you guess which one is mine 😹

When we were checking out, I noticed a little box near the entrance that contained ceramic pieces that were left behind 😭 The person working there said they have tourists come in every so often who just never pick up their stuff, so they sell them for $5 each. Some of them were so good! When I pick up my finished ceramic I plan on taking a look in the box and grabbing a couple of the left behind pieces. I also made sure to get my first stamp in my Drawing Room Passport; after you get a few stamps you get discounts and ya girl wants to save that $$ because I’ll definitely be back.

In addition to operating as a third place and an art cafe, Drawing Room also hosts tons of events (like the clothing swap I went to). On Saturdays they have Game Nights (you can also play their games when you book with a Day Pass) and they frequently have folks teach classes on how to create with all of their available mediums.

Despite being located in the armpit of NYC (right under Penn Station), Drawing Room manages to be an absolute oasis in an otherwise blegh area. Go there to work, go there to make art, have your birthday party there - I can’t stress enough how wonderful of a place Drawing Room is!

While scrolling through YouTube I recently came across some episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark, so naturally I’ve been watching every single fucking one of them. I loved this show when I was younger and I think it really holds up. Of course that’s partly nostalgia talking, but even the show’s creator, DJ MacHale, would agree that Are You Afraid (and even old Nickelodeon) did something unique on television that isn’t really being done anymore. Granted I don’t watch a lot of kids’ tv these days, but everything kind of just looks like iCarly to me; it’s all goofy comedies with a similar cast of characters and some heartwarming lessons thrown in here and there. When I was a kid we had fucking variety - All That (SNL for kids), KaBlam (Robot Chicken for Kids), Ren and Stimpy (probably shouldn’t have been for kids), and Are You Afraid of the Dark (Twilight Zone for kids).

Are You Afraid of the Dark (and IMO lots of 90s Nick) was unique in that it was a show that didn’t speak down to kids - it was quite literally made for them. While the premise of the show (and the original name) was “scary tales,” what made Are You Afraid great was that it featured a variety of kids in familiar situations, with a scary element thrown in. There were kids being bullied in school, spending the summer at their boring aunt’s house, and fighting with their siblings - these were all situations that real kids could relate to and they formed the backbone of each episode. They often existed in their own world, separate but alongside the adult world.

“I want a story about a couple of kids that have something going on in their lives that is real and has a real kind of conflict that we would be interested in watching even if we didn’t find the haunted car…It’s more interesting storytelling…It’s something that sticks with you a bit more and has a little more of a voice. Something beyond ‘Whoa, the boogie man is scary!’ I don’t want to do stuff just for the sake of ‘the explosion.’ I want to do something that sticks with you a bit.” - DJ MacHale

I also think a crucial part of the show’s success was the Midnight Society - the group of kids who were actually telling the stories. Each one had a unique brand of story that they would usually tell; I always liked Gary’s stories about magic gone wrong (often with the recurring character Sardo) or Betty Ann’s stories that often didn’t have a happy ending (they were very Twilight Zone coded).

Dr Vink (with a V-V-V) was another great recurring character! 10/10, would try his dangerous soup.

But this gang of kids was also meant to be our proxy into the scary stories. The Midnight Society represented the base desire to have agency and be the main characters in a world that was built for adults. Imagine if we could sneak out every night and hang out around a camp fire with our friends? We never see the kids in their normal day to day lives (ok maybe just once), so they exist in a permanent fantasy setting. It was pure wish fulfillment, at least for me!

The stories that the kids told were also really fucking good and sometimes featured some big future stars (hello Ryan Gosling and Jay Baruchel). Some of my favorites:

The Tale of the Dollmaker - A girl discovers that her friend who was thought missing, was actually trapped in a dollhouse in her attic and had slowly been turning into a doll. I don’t know why this one hit such a nerve for me, but for some reason it felt kinda possible?

The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float - This one is so scary that half the images Google turned up were fucking censored. A school builds a pool over an old graveyard (classic) and one of the spirits causes multiple drownings. Lorenzo said “why does this scare you, you don’t even swim?” Reader, this is why I don’t swim.

The Tale of the Super Specs - A story that’s very They Live coded, which is a favorite movie of mine. When a girl puts on magic glasses, she sees into another dimension and apparently there’s only enough room in this town for one dimension.

The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor - I think I partially liked this because of the colorful set design. A girl has to complete a series of games/tests to find out that she’s actually an alien that was left behind on earth.

The series ran for 5 seasons before being revived 2 years later for another two seasons. I mostly remember that original 5 season run, though I watched episodes from the revival here and there. Recently, Nick rebooted the show for what was essentially 3 mini-series. The reboot was fine, but I do feel like it lacked some of what made the OG run iconic. They just don’t make this shit like they used to!

Did you watch Are You Afraid of the Dark as a kid? Were there any episodes that stuck with you? I would love to hear about it!

• Archtober, a celebration of all things architecture, is coming up next month and I’ve already bookmarked a ton of events I want to attend! As much as I love flitting around the city on my own, I would love to attend an event with a friend. Are you interested in any of these? Let’s go!

  • Greenwood Architecture Walking Tour - Oct 6 - 2-3:30pm

  • The New Bronx Walking Tour - Oct 12 - 11am-1pm

  • Self Reflection through Aura Photography Workshop - Oct 12 - 12-1:30pm

  • Greenwood Secrets in Stone Walking Tour - Oct 13 - 12-1:30pm

  • Prospect Park Waterways Tour - Oct 13 - 2-4pm

  • George Washington’s NY Walking Tour - Oct 19 - 11am-1:15pm

  • Brooklyn Heights to DUMBO Walking Tour - Oct 19 - 11am-1pm

  • Monuments and Sculptures of Mad Sq Park and Flatiron - Oct 20 - 11am-1pm

  • Spirited Stroll through Greenwood - Oct 26 - 11am-1pm

  • History and Architecture of Downtown Brooklyn - Oct 26 - 11am-1pm

  • William Tubby’s Clinton Hill Tour - Oct 26 - 2-4pm

  • SoHo Cast Iron Historic District Tour - Oct 27 - 11am-1pm

• Climate Week NYC is also coming up (Sep 22-29) so there’s a bunch of eco-minded events happening!

  • I’ll be attending this Climate Week Clothing Swap + Natural Dye Workshop on Sep 26. There are only a few spots left, so RSVP now if you’re interested! And please bring lots of black clothing in size medium-ish for me to swap, thanks.

  • Maison Jar in Greenpoint is also hosting a clothing swap on Sep 28. Additionally, on Sep 26 they’ll have a Climate Week Happy Hour - all bulk refills from 4-6pm will be 20% off!

• Remember when I raved about how much I love Drawing Room? Here are two upcoming events they’ll be having:

  • BYODinner Party on Sept 25. Bring your own food and hang out while enjoying some drawing games and good company. They’ll have some optional drawing prompts to help get you going! This event costs anywhere from $20-30 on a sliding scale and includes the option to add on a 50% off Day Pass to Drawing Room prior to the dinner.

  • Color in Flow: a multi-media watercolor workshop on Oct 5. This workshop is totally beginner friendly and you’ll get to learn a bunch of watercolor fundamentals. Early bird tickets cost $80 and include all watercolor supplies.

• I had a really good time playing board games at Hex & Co so I was super disappointed to learn that they are not treating their workers well. Table Top Workers United are currently trying to unionize and are facing lots of pushback from the owners of Hex & Co (who also own The Brooklyn Strategist and The Uncommons). They’re not calling for a strike just yet, but when/if they do there are a bunch of other great game shops around the city; I love Last Place on Earth and Sip & Play.

• I really enjoyed visiting Mercer Labs and just read that they’re updating their space. On select evenings from October 4 to 30, you can visit their Dark Matter exhibit, which is apparently very creepy and just in time for Halloween.

• The Village Halloween Parade never disappoints and I absolutely love their theme for this year: Meow. It is absolutely a play on JD Vance’s cat lady comments and I am here for it.

I just know you remember this cold motherfucker