Brooklyn is rad.
I’ve been to New York City 3 or 4 times in my life. The trips were fun but they were all centered in Manhattan and I never felt that comfortable surrounded by so many skyscrapers and people in black who only seemed to survive in their own little bubble.
This time around I’m on the other side of the river in Brooklyn and it’s a whole another story.
On Monday I loaded up Bessie with a bunch of cream and dry ice for the fourth and for Club Motherfcker which was going down that night in Manhattan. Somehow I didn’t get lost getting there and found a parking spot right outside Eugene, the massive space where the party was going down. They only throw the parties four times a year, all coinciding with the day before a major holiday. As people strolled by in their fabulous garb, they didn’t seem to interested in ice cream. Some seemed too cool, others had just eatin’, and a few were probably a bit loopy and anxious to get in before whatever they were on kicked in full strength.
Briana showed up after a bit and we hung out and talked about all the pretty people. It was one of the best people watching parades I’ve seen in a long while. We gave away a few ice creams and as soon as the security guards all realized it was free, things started picking up. After a few hours of looking at near naked girls, drag queens, and other costumed revelers, we called it a night. Dropped off Briana at the subway (which ended up being locked(?) due to it officially being a holiday past midnight) then got lost in the lower east side as I tried to find Delancey which would get me back across the Williamsburg bridge.
The upside of not having somewhere to plug in freezers is that you don’t have a choice but to give away all the ice cream on board before the dry ice sublimates (my new favorite word). It was Independence Day and I had an ice cream truck with a few hundred treats on board and no plan as to how to give them away. First I rolled down Bedford, the main drag in Williamsburg, on the way to McCarren Park. Slang a few to some folks then started circling the park asking if anyone wanted free ice cream. It was slow going until I made my way back up Driggs.
There was a large family throwing a Birthday Party and all the kids quickly rushed to the truck. I’m usually pretty good at keeping my cool but all of a sudden there were a couple dozen people around the truck and everyone kept asking for more ice cream (oh…i need one for my dad….my uncle….my sister…..brother….friend….you name it, they got a line). I needed to give it away so I wasn’t too strict about just slinging one at a time, which is a good rule to have. If you’re too lazy to walk over to the ice cream truck for free ice cream, do you deserve it? Once there was a break I walked around the truck to pick up any wrappers and trash only to find a couple ice creams with one bite out of them that had been discarded behind the truck. That didn’t make me so happy.
I went to start up Bessie but she wasn’t having it. I tried again but no luck. Sure enough, I had waited long enough so that the kids had finished their treats and were returning for seconds and thirds. Then, a whole new crop showed up and the rush was on again. I had to set the kids straight for a bit and tell them I didn’t appreciate the hording and the wasted ice creams I found on the ground. I told them that I would give them more ice cream but they had to make sure all the wrappers were put into trash cans and none were wasted. Bessie eventually fired up and I got outta there as quick as I could.
I was heading to a rooftop party on the other side of Brooklyn and….surprise…got lost. Ended up deep in Queens where I hooked up some folks at a bus stop with some cream before making my way back to what appeared to be the Puerto Rican side of town. I swear nothing really changes. The fire hydrants were spraying kids and cars, people were hanging out in the park, domino and card tables were a plenty, and family’s were all hanging out on the front stairs of their buildings. It could’ve been 1950 or 2006, just change some cars and clothes around and you prolly couldn’t tell the difference. There was one guy with a gold capped tooth standing in the middle of the street and I asked him if he wanted any free ice cream. He was super nice and appreciative and ended up rounding up all his friends, family, and neighbors to come out to the truck. Next I found one more family and pulled out a few boxes of treats for everyone. Right before I took off I asked if I could get a group shot of everyone and their ice creams on the stairs. They were all super happy to oblige and, once I got that picture, I knew that was going to be the highlight of my day, which is was.
Headed up to the roof top party in Brooklyn to have a drink, check out some fireworks, sling a few creams, and enjoy the holiday. Finger on the Pulse was handling the tunes and everyone was having a great time. Big thanks to whoever made an abundance of veggie kabobs. After the fireworks show I was getting ready to head back to the other side of town. There was another loft/rooftop party in Williamsburg and I offered a ride for anyone who wanted to jump in the truck. The loft space was awesome and the party on the roof was just winding down as we arrived. We picked up a few more folks and headed out for some late night Thai food. I had been wanting a Yuengling all day and, after dinner, Mike disappeared for a few minutes only to come back with a six pack for me. What a great treat.
We’re throwing a huge party with JellyNYC and Stereogum on Sunday, July 9th at the McCarren Pool (www.thepoolparties.com). It’s a FREE show with Les Savy Fav, Beans, Holy Fck, Dragons of Zynth, and Proton Proton. Finger on the Pulse will also be spinning tunes in between sets. The Festivities start at 2 and run till 8. Hope to see ya there.
