Hot Coffee, Best in Town: GREENPOINT TREK

Trekked to Greenpoint Brooklyn on a hot weekend in June to an open-house of a new gallery, DUSK, for a show of works on paper—a favorite medium. Trek might be an odd choice of words considering it's only a short subway ride (albeit via Queens) to the location, but it could have been the end of the world considering I've only visited Brooklyn sporadically since I lived there, in Park Slope, I won't say how many years ago. Greenpoint, like other parts of Brooklyn, has been, or is in the process of becoming, gentrified. It doesn't show all that much here, yet. There is still a preponderance of Polish shops, and old outer-boro homes that have seen better days, but there are trendier shops, restaurants, coffee bars and the like, and the art and handcraft scene that have newly claimed their turf. And, of course, it is young.

Dusk is located in a small space, in an old industrial warehouse. It was started, in January of this year by Ky Anderson, an artist as well. The gallery is dedicated to prints and works on paper. You can read more about the gallery, the artists and their work, at http://duskeditions.com/about. All the art in this show struck me as unique to each artist, in a certain contemporary fashion that is shared by younger artists of the LES, Bushwick and Williamsburg. I'll add, what little I've seen of it, and again refrain from playing critic. I liked what I saw.

There is nothing that makes me happier than combining my favorite things in life, art for one, flowers and gardening, and, of course, a café with good coffee (or tea). Around the corner from Dusk, quite by accident I found 'homecoming' (aka cominghome) a charming, somewhat 'rustic' (the look du jour) wood and light-filled café, retail shop and flower market. You can have a coffee, buy the beans, and 'smell the roses' all under one roof. Visit homecoming at: http://www.homecominghome.com/ Pleasant space, pleasant staff, and a nice cold, caffeine free, iced Hibiscus tea, made my day.

I walked to the Greenpoint ferry dock hoping to take it home to the Eastside of Manhattan, close to where I live, and continue my 'adventure.' Unfortunately the dock is shut down for repair, and as a local told me, it has been for some time. So my trek to Brooklyn ended where it began, with a subway ride. Next time.