Entering Gowanus Wine Merchants at 493 3rd Ave. feels almost like entering a home. There are many types of wines and spirits from various regions, and each bottle has a handwritten note on it providing details about the wine. There are also treats and bowls for dogs, and toys for children. Enrique Lopez opened the shop in 2012 with a […]

The woman behind one of Brooklyn’s hottest new speed dating events isn’t looking for love. “I don’t date. I hate dating,” Loretta Gendville told me over a glass of wine just before a speed dating night at her Smith Street coffeeshop, Planted Community Cafe. “I’m just not good at it. I get nervous. I don’t like small talk.” Plus, Loretta […]

The bathroom at Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier is unexpected, standing at the edge of the small park across from Hoek’s Pizza. The metal facility is about 12 feet long, with an overhang and a water bottle refill fountain on the side. A somewhat elaborate light system indicates whether the toilet is occupied, vacant, out of order, or cleaning. […]

For many years, the Star-Revue has included cartoons in our pages. This past year, we increased the comix by an order of magnitude. Each issue contains two full pages of comix, one curated by England’s Marc Jackson, the other by Brooklyn’s own Dean Haspiel. Each page includes at least six different pro artists. In addition, we are very proud to […]

The longer this paper hangs around, the older this publisher gets. This aging is interesting as it lets me see changes in society firsthand (normally you read about these things in history books). For the past 15 years I have been telling anyone listening my belief that a newspaper you could pick up was an important part of having a […]

For this month I decided to pay a visit to Red Hook West and ask what improvements they wanted to see inside and outside their homes in 2026. Not many of my interviewees knew about PACT program, which is likely to convert their public housing complex into a weird hybrid Section 8 development partially run by private companies (see story […]

December 19 was a special day at the Harbor Middle School/PS 676. A holiday hallway was set up leading to the auditorium, with performances followed by fun in the cafeteria. The program was titled Nutcracker 2.0: A Harbor Holiday Experience. The student council president and eighth grade advocate welcomed everyone and introduced each of the three acts of the showcase. […]

Fourth-generation Red Hook resident, Judith Dailey recently had to go to rehab after a problem with her leg. Unfortunately, it was not a good experience for her and she called us to complain about neglect, inadequate meals, and rude treatment from staff members. Dailey has been a prominent member of the Red Hook community her entire life, spending time on […]

Gowanus is a neighborhood in formation, and this is part one in a continuing series that will try and introduce some of the newcomers to our readers. “I’m not originally from New York City, but I lived in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, and then moved here about six months ago,” said Nick, a recent move-in at 335 Bond […]

It was late afternoon on New Year’s Eve and flurries were blowing in from Erie Basin, sweeping through the Food Bazaar parking lot and up Conover Street, pushing me into Sunny’s. Izzy poured me a generous Dewar’s and I hunkered down in the booth by the door to peck out my annual retrospective. Oh what a wretched year. Pancreatic cancer […]