Thursday, March 1, 2007

bikes and trikes and old abandoned warehouses

i've been taking serious advantage of my free time this week.

Etsy Labs [located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn] : an amazing place for artists and crafters to connect and meet people.
every wednesday they host a Tea Party, giving a tour of the space, drinking tea and coffee, eating cookies, making envelopes from old science books and just chatting.

i decided that, instead of taking the subway, which i knew would take me at least an hour [taking at least 3 train changes], i would ride my bicycle. she was a bit dusty, having been cooped up in storage for the past 3 months. but i put some air in her tires and she was good to go!

it's definitely at least 4 miles down to this place from my apartment. at least. but what a ride! it was absolutely amazing. i saw areas of the world i never would have seen from a subway train.

the Polaski Bridge connects Queens to Brooklyn, more importantly, Long Island City to Greenpoint. most definitely the best view of Manhattan. most definitely.

cars speeding by as i peddle up the bridge. you can see the Citibank building, the only real skyscraper in Queens [besides all the lovely high-rise apartments going up by the river].


i came home, incredibly inspired to make make make! so i posted these in my shoppe on Etsy.

cowboy earrings. i seriously love them. please visit my Etsy shoppe, here!

10 comments:

Belle said...

Oh my GOSH you are so creative in all forms! I see that picture and I'm thinking, "Did Lesley take that??" And then I scroll down and see your earrings.... OH MY GOSH! I love them! They are great...and I may just have to get holes in my ears so I can wear them. Good job.
Don't forget to make me a hat! and...big sweater...and and..why not a scarf....and...ummm...a purse...and mittens...and..uhhh...what else.. Hmmm.
Hehe..Just kidding.. but I love all that you do. :) Miss you mucho.

Ruth said...

So how long do you think the bike ride took? It's fantastic to me that you rode your bike, in February, to Brooklyn. That's one thing I love about you. You will try anything.

So is Fort Greene one of the newly gentrified areas of Brooklyn? That first photo is just beautiful!! Seriously, I really love it. And so is the second of course, with the most adorable cowboy earring on an adorable girl. Are they both the same? Have you worn them yet? I know you wore button ones yesterday.

:D

Ginnie Hart said...

Clever clever clever!!! What a woman you are, Lesley. I love your bike ride (something I would do even now at my age). Good for you. I hope you know how to be safe as you ride. EVERYONE rides bikes here in Hannover in our neighborhood. It's especially adorable when you see 80-year-old grannies on them, going to the grocery store. :)

Unknown said...

machelle! i will make you clip ons so you can wear them without holes in your ears!! thank you girl, you're the bestest. i miss you so. i will make you tons and tons of things and send them your way immediately!

i've dyed the yarn for your eggplant hats! oh how i love you so. :)

Unknown said...

mammas! i decided to comment back now. :) yes, the bike ride was at least an hour both ways. i made a few stops on the way home, as one of my friends lives in Brooklyn. it's been so warm! but, knowing the weather, it will get cold again. a girl can always hope that winter is over....

Fort Greene...i know so little about Brooklyn. It's the area known as DUMBO, Directly Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. there are some tall buildings, tall residences and busy roads. a very nice park...but yes thank you! i'll have to drag you and papa [and other visitors] over the Polaski bridge, just so you can see the view of Manhattan! it's fantastic.

the cowboy earrings! no they're different! if you look at my etsy site, you can see them side by side. they're the same color, but different stances. it's funny, i haven't worn them yet. i've felt a bit weird wearing men with guns on my body. it feels strange to me. even tho i love them. it's like, i know they're just toys, but i can't get past the fact that they're carrying guns. weird.

Unknown said...

i love it aunt boots! i love seeing women on bicycles in general. it seems to be such a masculine culture. i usually ride on the sidewalk. the street scares me to death. and i try not to ride at night. maybe when you and Donica come we can rent some bicycles! it's such a fascinating way to see the city.

Ruth said...

Oh, so that's the same as DUMBO. And I never knew that stood for something! Thanks for the explanation.

Oh yeah, I remember you saying something about not wanting to wear those earrings because of the guns. I get that. You know we watched "Babel" last night. Dad and Peter didn't like it at all. I barely did. But what I really like is the message of what a gun can do. It was pretty hard to sit through, but I think I'm glad I saw it.

Ginnie Hart said...

Ruth, what I LOVED about Babel was the title. When you think of it that way, the movie was so powerful. People not understanding somone different from themselves! So very sad what happens when we don't put ourselves in other people's shoes!

Ruth said...

Ginnie, I love the concept and what I think is the intent of the film. It was just so difficult to live in that intensity for the duration. It was worth it to me, I've decided.

Unknown said...

that was a very difficult film to watch. indeed. i will not disagree with you there. but it was so powerful. i'm glad that you decided that it was worth sitting through, mama. and yes, such an interesting way to think about the movie, aunt boots! i think one of the few movies that the title is not included in the dialogue.