We at Bushwick Daily are total romantics and proudly celebrate Valentine’s Day. In the name of love, we put together a very special Valentine’s Day article featuring 10 of our favorite Bushwick power couples. Nominated by our editors, and based on your suggestions, we crafted this list with lots of love and are completely blissed out to share the stories of ten local couples doing great things.
♥ Scary Ben + Darlinda Just Darlinda of Bushwick Burlesque
This couple proves the appropriated proverb, “The couple that does drag together stays together.” Scary Ben and Darlinda Just Darlinda are not only Brooklyn’s favorite burlesque duo, performing together at Bizarre, they are also freshly engaged! Congrats!
Where did you meet: The short version is: After an ill-fated online introduction, the stars aligned at Shaken and Stirred (a weekly Burlesque Dance Party) where Ben won a cartwheel contest and his prize was what turned out to be a very akward lap dance from Darlinda!
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: There is no absolute favorite thing we like to do together, but since we are both frequently working odd schedules and weird hours, we like to take the opportunity to turn off our phones and just spend time together for a nice change of pace!
Favorite Bushwick Date: Brunch at Bizarre, bike rides around Bushwick and thrift store shopping on Knickerbocker, capped off with a nice Alejandro Jodorowsky film!
♥ Danny Romero + Travis Dubeuil of MILES
Dan Romero and Travis Dubeuil are the co-owners of one of the Bushwick’s most beloved bars, Miles. The duo have recently tied the knot (congrats!!), and keep on creating a lovely atmosphere, great food and awesome drinks at Miles!
Where did you meet: We met online on a dating website and then in person over beer and pizza at Alligator Lounge in Williamsburg.
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: Our absolute favorite thing to do together is to camp upstate where we spend time cooking on a campfire, drinking bourbon, and wandering the woods.
Favorite Bushwick Date: There are so many new and exciting places to go in the neighborhood that our favorite Bushwick date constantly changes. But, a definite go-to is always brunch at Cafe Ghia!
♥ Sarah Feldman + Neil Meyers of Ridgewood Market
You may know these two, the king and queen of Ridgewood, who run the spectacular Ridgewood Market just over the border in Queens. The couple is also involved in Ridgewood Social, which organizes popular Ridgewood Beer Crawl and many like-minded community events. It makes a whole lotta sense they met at an artisan market!
Where did we meet: An artisan market in Manhattan where [we both] were vending. [Sarah] asked him out to Toy Story 3 “as a friend,” and the rest is history.
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: We like going on what we call “adventures” and finding things to do together. We like to walk aimlessly around New York City. Sometimes we stumble upon some seriously cool surprises.
Favorite Bushwick Date: Every few Sundays a month, we set some time out for ourselves to go and have brunch at Tutu’s. We also like hanging out at the Pine Box Rock Shop.
♥ Adam Frezza + Terri Chiao of A Cabin in a Loft
Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao are interdisciplinary artists, most known for building A Cabin in a Loft, which is literally what it sounds like. Their work was recently exhibited at Wave Hill and has been written about in New York Magazine and Blaze Diaries.
What drew you to each other: = “the twinkle in his eye”, “the sparkle in her smile”
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: = sitting next to each other
Favorite Bushwick Date: = morning coffee and a pastry outside Ange Noir
♥ Deborah Brown + Eric Ploumis of Storefront Ten Eyck & Yo Braces!
Wonderful community activist Deborah Brown is not only a local Bushwick artist, she is also the owner of a premier Bushwick gallery, Storefront Ten Eyck, and an unofficial leader of the Bushwick gallery community. Her husband is the amazing Eric Ploumis, who doubles as an orthodontist and attorney in the neighborhood. They are one of the most generous and supportive couples you will ever meet! Bushwick wouldn’t be the same without them.
Where did you meet: Larchmont Yacht Club
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: Jogging together with our dogs Zeus and Trout and walking on the beach at our house in Guilford, CT.
Favorite Bushwick Date: Hosting openings at Storefront Ten Eyck with special invitees downstairs in the Man Cave. Last Friday it was a “Sicilian Smoker” with local celebs Charlie Verde and Sal Buttaro while the artists partied upstairs.
♥ Mary Meyer + Jose Aybar of Mary Meyer & Wild Yaks and Las Rosas
This duo is deep in the Bushwick creative scene – Jose is a guitarist and singer in our favorite bands Wild Yaks and Las Rosas (who we were stoked to have at our own Holy Smokes Festival), and fashion designer Mary Meyer, well, she runs a mini fashion empire. You may have seen her warehouse on Bogart street or heard of her nonprofit, Step Right Up, an afterschool program that provides free arts workshops in New York City’s public schools. Speaking of Valentine’s, stop buy Mary Meyer’s for a special floral pop up shop thru the 16th.
Where did you meet: We met at a Wild Yaks show. Jose had just joined the band and Mary had been a long time fan.
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: Taking a romantic trip to Montauk. It was our first trip we took together and every summer we go back.
Favorite Bushwick Date: It depends on what time it is! We’d say – either brunch at Tandem or dinner at Bunker.
♥ Becca McCharen + Christine Tran, of Chromat and WITCHES of Bushwick
Becca is the CEO of incredibly sexy clothing and lingerie company, Chromat. Christine is a co-founder of Witches in Bushwick, a collaborative “coven” of Brooklyn creatives bridging gaps and delivering art. Their events fusing music, performance, and crafts for sale mostly call Tandem home, hosting a banging party there on a Tuesday night each month. Their coven has been featured in many notable publications, most recently in The New York Times yesterday– Congrats, ladies! One thing is for sure- they are one hot ticket.
Where did you meet: Tandem
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: Evening bike adventures through the city
Favorite Bushwick date: Sharing bombs at Momo Sushi Shack + grinding on the dance floor at Bossa Nova
♥ Lisa Levy + Phil Buehler, artists
You may see this couple buzzing around the art scene, drink in hand. Lisa is known not only for being Bushwick Daily’s resident self-proclaimed therapist and advice columnist, but also as an artist around the neighborhood (check out her awesome show at Auxiliary Projects). Her husband Phil is a notable photographer (his book about Woody Guthrie’s Wardy Forty was just published) and a brand planning director in advertising.
Where did you meet: Phil fired (laid off – truthfully, not his choice) my close friend, Kim. We met at Kim’s going away party. I went up to him and said: “What are you doing here?? – You fired my friend!”
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: Gallery Hopping. All the time.
Favorite Bushwick Date: Pine Box with our dog Astro. We love our family time and Pine Box loves our family (dog included).
♥ Samantha Katz + Peter Rynsky of Arts in Bushwick & Darlings
This couple occupies Bushwick in a major way! Samantha Katz is a co-lead organizer of Arts In Bushwick, who run the annual Bushwick Open Studios, and Peter Rynsky is the lead singer of local rockers and buzzband Darlings, who we featured in a Listening Party.
Where did you meet: At a party on Manhattan Ave, but our friends were secretly trying to get us together for a while before then. They’re not as stealthy as they think they are so when it actually happened I think we both knew it was a set-up, but tried to play it totally cool.
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: We’re into trying new restaurants. Right now our favorite is on the cusp of Bushwick and East Williamsburg, (cleverly) called Eastwick.
Favorite Bushwick Date: We like to go to Swallow Cafe on Sundays, drink coffee and work on our laptops. It’s a good way to hang out together and still be productive with our own creative projects.
♥ Gina Leone + Ben Warren of Bodega Wine Bar & Heavy Woods
These two culinary trendsetters own two fine establishments in the Jefftown area – The Bodega (famous with us for its Soju Bloody Mary) and Heavy Woods, which has a stunning selection of beers (our brewista Erin confirms) and also serves Cajun food from Tchoup Shop. Plus, they share a hilarious sense of humor – just read their 3rd answer below.
How did you meet: We met at the Limelight back when it was a club/rock venue. Ben was playing in a band with my best friends brother and we’d go and see them play shows. Now it’s a mall or something. But we didn’t really start dating until 9/11/01…I was flying into the U.S. from overseas on that day of all days and we started nervously emailing.
Your absolute favorite thing to do together: We love to eat and drink and lie on the couch. We are extremely good at this. We cut up a bunch of salami, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and whatnot and lie on the couch and eat it with some bread and watch TV and drink a bottle of wine.
Favorite Bushwick Date: We usually meet up in one of the walk-in coolers. What do they say…cold hands, warm heart? Gina throws an empty keg out to me and I roll a new one in and tap it. Sometimes she gives me an “I like the way you tap it” wink and then I’ll know we’re going out. We get dressed up in our skinny jeans and hit NEK, or Fritzl’s, or Momo’s and, you guessed it, eat and drink some more. Shit, that’s all we really do! Then it’s off to sexytime…In our lovemaking we usually assume the Tantra position Alpha and…whoah…better save that for the Bushwick Power Couples Reveal Sexiest Lovemaking Secrets issue!
Well, Gina and Ben, that’s a great suggestion. We’ll have to follow up for that article next year…. until then, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, and share it with someone you love, whether it’s a man or woman, friend or family, or just your fluffy ‘lil kitty. Oh, and if you’re bored, look no further than this comprehensive list of all your options this weekend.
Graphics by Maria Gotay for Bushwick Daily