This post is sponsored by Zaarly.

Zaarly is your online marketplace for local food, services and handmade goods.

Drinkers of Mombucha, the kombucha-style tea brewed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, will have even more to feel good about than their healthy beverage choices this April and May. Now until May 31, all Mombucha “storefront” sales on Zaarly.com will go directly to fundraising efforts for the AIDS Lifecycle Ride to End AIDS. Mombucha creator and master brewer Rich Awn will join friend and Lifecycle team leader Tim Lee for the 545 mile ride, which will span San Francisco to Los Angeles from June 2 to 8.

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This post is sponsored by 3rd Ward.

3rd Ward - Multi-disciplinary Workspace and Education Center!

The most important resolution for 2013 you can possibly make is to live up to the 100% of your potential. Where to even begin? Ask yourself what is the skill you have always wanted to acquire? Would you like to bring your photography to the next level? Would you like to own an online fashion boutique? Or do you simply want to be able to make your own cheese? 3rd Ward has a really wholesome selection of classes, and what’s particularly awesome is that they have a buy one, get one half off deal on all classes! This means you can acquire and further your skill by combining classes that nicely complement each other. Just use the code CLASSPAIR to redeem the deal. And most importantly hurry!! The buy one, get one-half off deal expires on December 30.

We prepared some class pairings ideas for you:

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This post is sponsored by Modern Spaces.

If you are looking to Buy, Rent or Sell stop by our offices in Williamsburg, LIC or Astoria.

It’s always a party in Williamsburg

It’s a Saturday or Sunday, and you wake up magically devoid of a hangover, having done all your laundry, grocery shopping, and other boring adult things for the week. (Ok, so the beginning of this article is hypothetical. But the rest isn’t!) Suddenly instilled with a desire to discover the best that Williamsburg has to offer, you decide to make a day – and night – of it.

Everyone will have their own opinion, some of them snarky, on what is worth doing if you only have twelve paltry hours to soak up the cultural deliciousness that is Williamsburg. However, I firmly believe everything below is a knock-out, guaranteed fantastic time. Unless you don’t like fun. In which case, I can’t help you. (more…)

This post is sponsored by Shops at The Loom.

An eclectic mix of local off-beat stores

It’s December 10, and if you’re like me, you are likely still frantically looking for the Perfect Holiday Gift. I understand very well how things are. Not only we are busy living the amazing Bushwick life, but also we are looking for certain attributes in a present. We want to give something original; thoughtful; preferably hand-made and we want to buy it locally to support a local business. This year you can easily buy all your presents in the neighborhood. In fact, you don’t even have to leave one building.  Go straight to The Loom! The Loom is a big loft building on 1087 Flushing Ave, groundfloor of which is a home to 20 lovely stores. We took a walk and hand-picked the nicest gift ideas for you.

#1 Hand-Made Leather Jewelry from Nouveau Vieux ($45-85)

All photos by Katarina Hybenova unless otherwise stated.

You will make every female in you life really happy if you start your Holiday shopping stroll at Nouveau Vieux. Nouuveau Vieux means New Old in French, and so is the collection of rare clothing and accessories in this cute little store. We picked this beautiful leather necklace specifically because the owner Shelby Lawson made this jewelry collection herself, and also because it’s wildly beautiful.

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This post is sponsored by Modern Spaces.

If you are looking to Buy, Rent or Sell stop by our offices in Williamsburg, LIC or Astoria.

Welcome to the third installment of LIC for Brooklynites. So far we’ve brought you neighborhood recommendations for places to eat - great restaurants and bars serving everything from comfort food, to Vietnamese pho, to classic cocktails; things to do - visit museums, take classes, and even go kayaking for free; and now we’re turning on sights on where to live in this beautiful area.While LIC is a ‘neighborhood,’ it’s actually comprised of a bunch of smaller neighborhoods, including Hunters Point, Queens Plaza, Court Square, and Dutch Kills.

Gantry Plaza State Park on the LIC waterfront

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Welcome to the second installment of our three-part series, LIC for Brooklynites! The first part was about where to eat, and now we’re moving on to what to do. Here is our list of worthwhile things to do in LIC, from museums, to parks, to recreation.

This post is sponsored by Modern Spaces.

If you are looking to Buy, Rent or Sell stop by of our offices in Brooklyn, LIC or Astoria.

Art and Museums

MOMA PS1

Image source: Jules Antonio on Flickr

This 19th century schoolhouse holds some of the most current art available in NYC; it is one of the oldest (and largest) nonprofit contemporary art institutions in the US, founded in 1971. Various kinds of new and experimental art in all media are displayed throughout the space, and MOMA PS1 considers itself more of an exhibition space, rather than a “collecting institution.” As indicated by its name, PS1 is affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art.

Each summer, PS1 launches their weekly “Warm Up,” a music (often DJs) and dance extravaganza held in the courtyard of the museum, surrounded by the winner of the “Young Architects Program,” usually in the form of a large scale art piece that consumes the place. Inside is the newly opened M. Wells Dinette, the creation of Sarah Obraitis and Hugue Dufour of M. Wells Diner fame, and probably the best place in the borough for sous vide prepared food and other culinary delights.

MOMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101; (718) 784-2084; momaps1.org (GMAP)
Hours: 12-6pm, Thursday through Monday (Closed Tuesday and Wednesday)
Admission: $10 adults; $5 students and senior citizens; free for MoMA members, MoMA Corporate Members, MoMA admission ticket holders, Long Island City Residents, NYC public school students, Members of the Press, and other Museum Staff with valid ID.  (more…)

That sleek VANMOOF look.

We know you love your bicycles, so we’ve got good news: we’re giving one away. No, we didn’t scrounge up a vintage Huffy with pegs and streamers (that’s so last year). We got our hands on a sweet new game-changing commuter bike from one of the coolest and most conscientious bike makers around: VANMOOF.

VANMOOF, headquartered in the Netherlands (yeah, the country that managed to essentially ban cars from one of its towns), is dedicated to bringing bicycles back to power. In this vein, it has produced the ultimate city bike: the VANMOOF 5. It’s made of light-weight aluminum, so you won’t get a sweaty back after riding over the Manhattan bridge; it’s got an integrated chain lock, so you’ll never lose it; and it’s outfitted with super-bright, pedal-powered Philips front and rear lights so you can see and be seen at night.

Did we mention this thing looks awesome? Don’t just take our word for it. VANMOOF has won serious design awards for its bikes, including the prestigious Red Dot award and the Dutch Design Award; and the VANMOOF 5 has received the EUROBIKE and BikeExpo awards, among many others.

One of you lucky readers is going to take this baby home. So what are you still doing here? Opt into the contest by giving VANMOOF your email below and earn extra entries by following them on facebook & twitter and sharing the contest with your friends.

The VANMOOF Giveaway!

This post is sponsored by Vanmoof.

Helping city dweller's move around town fast, confident and in style