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Dec 07 2019 0 Commentby artmusoadmin

12 Reasons Not To Vote For Boris Johnson

How is it possible for Boris Johnson to be so far ahead in the polls as we near the election day? What sections of society are left that he hasn’t offended or discriminated against?
Here’s a list of people that shouldn’t be anywhere near Boris Johnson and the conservatives, and why.

Christians

Boris Johnson and Tory policies are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus says: “If you have two coats and another man has none, then give him a coat.” Boris says: “If I have two coats and you have none, how much are you prepared to pay me for this spare one?”

Muslims

Boris is on record for comparing Muslims wearing the Burka to ‘letterboxes’ and the Conservative party has a recurring issue with Islamophobia.

Jews

The antisemitism in the Conservative party extends back throughout its history and would be well documented if it wasn’t for such a right-wing press. One recent example was of a Tory candidate having to step down for calling British Jews ‘brainwashed extremists’.

Ethnic minority communities

Boris doesn’t like black people. If he did, he wouldn’t call them ‘picaninnies’ or describe them as having ‘watermelon smiles’. He wrote in his own column that ‘seeing a “bunch of black kids” used to make him “turn a hair” and run away’. Boris is the embodiment of white privilege and a meritocratic society. Racist prick.

Women

While covering a Labour party conference as a journalist and commenting on the women in attendance, he wrote: “The ‘Tottymeter’ reading is higher than at any Labour Party conference in living memory,” and added: “Time and again the ‘Tottymeter’ has gone off as a young woman delegate mounts the rostrum.” While at the 2012 London Olympics as mayor, he wrote of the “magnificent” experience of watching “semi-naked women playing beach volleyball … glistening like wet otters.”

LGBTQ communities

Boris doesn’t like gays, or lesbians, or anyone in the LGBTQ community given his voting record on opposing equal gay rights and same sex marriage – he’s compared gay marriage to bestiality. He’s also referred to gay men as ‘bumboys’ just to make sure you were definitely offended.

People who use the NHS

Boris is going to screw over anyone stupid enough to not be able to afford private health insurance by selling out the NHS to the Americans. You ask American people what they think about the NHS and they’ll tell you they wish they had something similar. If the Conservatives get into power just make sure you don’t get sick.

Environmentalists

What’s the point of the Amazon rain forest if I can’t spend millions on a new yacht? Boris has voted 8 times AGAINST measures to prevent climate change.

Animal Lovers

Boris wants to kill foxes. That’s right, he wants to reverse the foxhunting ban. He’s a killer. He probably doesn’t even like kittens and puppies. Evil bastard.

Pacifists

Unlike Jeremy Corbyn (and any normal person) Boris likes bombing innocent people in faraway countries. He voted for the Iraq war four times and has voted to replace Trident with a new nuclear weapons system 5 times.

Low income households

Screw you guys. If you’re dumb enough to not go to Oxford and Cambridge or weren’t smart enough to get born into a super wealthy family, then you deserve everything you get – which will be nothing by the way.

Anyone with a moral compass

This is just a catchall for anyone that slipped through the gaps above, but who isn’t a complete arsehole. If you’re still thinking of destroying Britain by voting for Boris then there’s clearly no getting through to you. Enjoy the Armageddon.

Disclaimer:

We’re not saying ‘vote Labour’ we’re just saying vote for whoever you need to in order to keep the Tories out. They are destroying the country on the falsehood of the American dream. It will not end well.

Despite the hyperbole and right-wing propaganda, Jeremy Corbyn will not turn us all into communists. He’s also not a ‘terrorist sympathiser’ (when Corbyn had an open dialogue with the IRA the UK government were meeting them secretly). Corbyn believes in communication, not war. These myths are fabrications to stop us electing someone who will take the rich and powerful to task.

So look deep in your soul and think about whether you fall into one or more of the categories above. The only people that don’t are a handful of rich old white men – and who wants to be on their side anyway?

You can check out the voting records of Boris Johnson and of Jeremy Corbyn for yourself.

Read both and think about which person you’d rather have setting new policies in the UK.

Oct 17 2019 0 Commentby artmusoadmin

The Problem With Democracy

Posted in Social Conscience

The problem with democracy is that it returns the popular opinion, not the most sensible.

How can we let the popular opinion dictate our lives? We’re not responsible enough to vote responsibly. We’ve voted for a dog to win Britain’s Got Talent – twice. We were asked to name an important new scientific research boat and the popular opinion was ‘Boaty McBoatface’ – interestingly in this case a different name was eventually chosen (so much for democracy).

Families aren’t run as democracies, businesses certainly aren’t (I’m sure there are one or two examples out of millions that are the exception to the rule). In a family with two parents and three kids you don’t have a democratic vote on what’s for tea/dinner every day otherwise you’d be eating pizza and ice cream non-stop until you ended up on statins and insulin.

Instead you, as responsible parents, make the judgement call because you have more knowledge, experience, and information than the kids and you know what’s best for them. You have more balance of Id and Superego – borrowing Freud’s theory on the human psyche – to make the right decisions.

This is what we expect of our politicians. To do the right thing for the benefit of the majority of people.

It’s what we expect of business owners, our employers, to do the right things to keep us in a job. If you want a perfect example of how business and democracy don’t get on then look no further than the break-up of the trade unions by Thatcher in the 80s.

There are politicians who don’t act in the interests of the people. There are business owners who don’t care about their employees (Thomas Cook anyone?). There are (sadly) parents who don’t act in the best interests of their children. But this doesn’t mean that businesses and families should all start operating democratically – nothing would ever get done.

When you allow popular opinion to affect such significant events and actions through voting, the system is open to abuse. The influence on people’s thoughts and actions can be so imperceptible that people are outraged when you suggest they’re being influenced. But as any marketer, psychologist, or data analyst will tell you, it IS possible to make people think and do different things.

Nudge theory, behaviour change, big data, NLP (neuro linguistic programming, not natural language processing btw) – all used to make people do things and think things that they might not otherwise have done, or thought.

Now this might all be too much for some people to take. The outrage you might have that people have fought and died for the right to vote – the right to have a say. That’s an incredible sacrifice that I can’t possibly understand. But this right to vote should come with its own health warning.

Even our political system with general elections every 5 years creates problems. Five years is too short to implement real change in almost all areas of life. To make many things better, there usually needs to be a period of unsettling change and sometimes a little hardship. The benefits of real change may take 10-15 years or more to come to fruition. Not fast enough for a government working on a 5-year cycle to stay in power.

As we stand, several years after an event that might be one of the most defining moments in the history of the UK, there is a minority of politicians acting against the will of the majority to push for an exit from the EU, regardless of the impact on the general public.

This is a flagrant dereliction of duty by MPs – people tasked with acting in the national interest. There was, and still is, no obligation to leave the EU following the results of the ill-conceived and illegally-contested referendum. It was advisory. Taking the ‘temperature’ of the public at the time. A temperature that has cooled considerably since June 2016 now that the significance of the impact is finally being realised.

People were manipulated in the build-up to the referendum. Whether that was through targeted Facebook advertising, pressure from friends and family, or through decades of consuming propaganda from right-wing euro-bashing newspapers.

Do we really want to be controlled by popular opinion? Do we really trust ourselves to choose the right path? Do we have enough knowledge and information to actually make an informed decision, rather than one that comes from a learned culture and environment?

The solution may well be to abandon democracy once and for all. To find a genuinely lovely person and instate them as a benevolent dictator over all the world with a grandiose new title befitting of the level of responsibility they’d have.

Dicky McDictatorface perhaps?

Dec 01 2018 by artmusoadmin

Lauryn Hill Review Manchester Arena

Posted in Music

It is the 20^th anniversary of the miseducation – that’s alarming for two reasons. One, it makes you feel old, and two – who else has done what Lauryn did in those 20 years since?

It’s a shame Lauryn hasn’t blessed us with more music since then – she’s been otherwise engaged with having kids and going to prison – but this is her time to shine and show the world she’s still got it.

While she may well still have it, you had to look through squinted eyes (and probably rose-tinted specs) at the Manchester Arena on 29^th November to see it.

Around an hour late on stage – so much improved timekeeping from earlier dates in France and Scotland, maybe she upgraded her watch – it meant the last song was performed with the arena’s house lights on and in front of the half of the audience who weren’t relying on the last train home.

Lauryn would have sent the fans home ecstatic by simply turning up on time and playing the famous album all the way through. Instead we were ‘treated’ to rearranged tracks that were clumsy and difficult to engage with.

It’s not often (if at all) that a musical legend is born off one solo album (and one incredible Fugees offering of course) and still can tour that album 20 years later. It’s rare for an artist to be able to sing and rap to the level and ability of Lauryn Hill.

It was clear she still had the talent, the vocals and flow was still there. Although she seemed to struggle with the on stage monitors throughout and the sound quality in the arena was not great it has to be said.

But all that can (just about) be forgiven when you realise you are watching and listening to a legend, R&B royalty, and from one album two decades ago.

Lauryn Hill comes across as a diva, is that a lack of respect for the audience? Who knows, but who cares, she’s still got it and it was an honour to see it. Might be the last chance you get.

Aug 04 2018 0 Commentby artmusoadmin

Project Sumatra

Posted in Social Conscience

You may have heard about palm oil and the devastation it’s farming has caused to the natural environment. But we don’t often take into consideration those people who rely on farming the produce and the impact that banning or removal of this product might have on them.

For some Indonesian communities palm oil farming and production provides essential jobs and stability and is enabling them to achieve better economic status.

Project Sumatra believes there is another way and has been working alongside the Sumatran farming communities to bring back the natural balance of their beautiful environment.

Initially set up to create an educational documentary the non profit project aims to highlight the issues facing Orangutans and their natural environment in Sumatra.

In conjunction with the Orangutan information centre in Sumatra, the project focuses on the charismatic and well loved Orangutan as an umbrella species to represent the entire eco system. The project hopes to educate, promote conservation and empower local communities to promote change.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a recent fund raiser for the project which was held at Tampopo (who have been sponsoring the project since 2017) in Manchester’s Corn Exchange. Guests enjoyed an evening of food, drinks and fund raising activities, followed by a fantastic talk from the projects founder Jack Wootton – who was fresh back from Indonesia and bursting with passion and enthusiasm for the project’s next venture.

Jack’s vision for the documentary is that of a positive one, aimed primarily at educating the viewer but also at encouraging hope and a focus on how we can change things for the better through knowledge, understanding and active engagement.

The documentary is a completely non-profit project and when completed will be a free educational resource, available for download online. As a continuation of Project Sumatra’s work they will also be touring with the finished documentary on a filming and debate tour across universities and colleges.

This small but incredibly dedicated team really are an inspiration. They have been fundraising for over two years to make their last trip to Sumatra – so please give them a hand if you can. Donate, like, or share and help them to continue making a difference.

If you would like to know more about Project Sumatra or get involved contact them via their social media pages, (don’t forget to like and share) and look out for details of fundraisers and their next talk at Reaseheath College, Cheshire later this year.

Instagram Project Sumatra
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/projectsumatra
Twitter @ProjectSumatra

https://gofundme.com/project-sumatra

Jul 01 2018 by Sarah Gate

vegan word on wood background and vegetable

Meat Diets Are More Extreme Than Vegan

Posted in Food, Health, Social Conscience

5 Ways In Which Your Meat Based Diet Is More Extreme Than The Most Extreme Vegan

I’m vegan.

I know what you’re thinking. You only buy grass-fed, well-loved, free-range organic dead animals. And veganism is extreme. But I’m here to tell you that no matter how extreme the most extreme vegans are, our lifestyle choice makes us automatically less extreme than you are.

Here’s why.

1. You can live perfectly well without hurting animals, but you’re choosing not to

You can get everything that you need nutritionally from a vegan diet.

On average, we have a lower BMI than animal-eaters, we eat less saturated fat and we have a lower risk of heart disease.

If you’re paying for people to slice an animal’s neck open so that you can eat them, you’re not doing it for nutrition, you’re doing it because you like the taste.

Killing a living being is a pretty extreme thing to do if you don’t have to.

2. You probably pet your dog whilst you’re eating a bacon sandwich

The average pig is as smart as a three-year-old human child, so please don’t kid yourself that pigs don’t understand what is happening to them when they are forced into the slaughterhouse.

They see their friends die and they know that the slaughterhouse man is coming for them next. They cry and try to run away. They scream.

If slaughterhouses were really ‘humane’, then when your dog got old and needed putting to sleep, you’d send him or her to the kill floor. You would never do this. In fact, you probably pet your dog whilst you eat your bacon sandwich on a Sunday morning.

Vegans find this hypocrisy abhorrent. We genuinely cannot believe that people can sit and eat one animal, whilst loving another so steadfastly.

3. You’ll turn your tap off to save water, but you won’t just give up eating meat and dairy

It takes 1,799 gallons of water to make one pound of beef. If you’re concerned about the environment, you should be cutting your meat and dairy intake drastically.

We’re officially gorging to the point of over-indulgence on the bodies of animals, and it’s destroying the planet. An area 1.5 times the size of the European Union would be saved if people in the Western world lowered their meat consumption to eat only what their bodies actually need, instead of just eating whatever we want whenever we feel like it.

You’d save 219,000 gallons of water a year if you went vegan. Continuing to eat meat when you know it is destroying the only planet we have to live on is particularly extreme.

4. There are people dying of starvation, but we’re giving an unbelievable amount of grain to animals

If the USA gave the grain it feeds to livestock to humans instead, we could feed 800 million people. There are 795 million people in the world who don’t have enough to eat. We could effectively cure starvation if the USA went vegan.

We’re feeding grain that could be used to feed the starving to animals, so that ‘rich’ people like you and me can eat hamburgers. We’re letting people die when we could just stop growing animals and eat something else.

5. Meat causes cancer

The World Health Organisation classes red and processed meats as carcinogenic.

According to their research, red meat probably causes cancer, and processed meat most definitely does.

Hot dogs, ham, sausages and corned beef are of the same carcinogen classification as tobacco and asbestos, both known as substances to avoid if you don’t want to get cancer.

But you’re still eating meat, and that is extreme.

Jun 24 2018 by Sarah Gate

15 Foods You Might Not Realise Are Vegan Friendly

Posted in Food, Health

15 Foods You Might Not Know Are Plant Based

Vegans often get asked where we get our protein from, with the next most common question: “What do you actually eat?”

If you’re thinking of transitioning to a plant-based diet, you’ll be pleased to know that the following food items are all vegan – always double check the labels in case recipes and ingredients change over time.

Crisps generally

Lots of Walkers flavours, Salt and Vinegar McCoys, Skips and Pringles are all vegan. In fact, most of your favourite brands have vegan options. You can even eat most bacon, steak and BBQ flavours.

McDonalds chips, hash browns and apple pies

Absolute fast food, road-trip essentials – although we’ll leave it to you to decide on the ethical implications of supporting McDonalds.

Hobnobs

The best of all of the dipping biscuits. The plain and chocolate chip varieties of hobobs are both accidentally vegan.

Most pasta

Not the fresh, eggy kind, but the dry, semolina stuff you always make too much of? That stuff is usually vegan.

Most bread

For reasons most of us have never fathomed, some bread has milk in it. Other varieties have egg wash on the top to help with the sticking on of seeds, but you can get really great vegan bread from Warburtons, Hovis and Tescos.

Vegetable pasties from the West Cornwall Pasty Company

Delicious, nutritious and cruelty free!

Hummus

Packed full of protein and as delicious on bread as it is with carrot sticks, hummus is a staple part of most vegan diets.

Ketchup, brown sauce and mustard

Beware of anchovies in cheaper brands, but most condiments like these ones are vegan.

Jam, peanut butter and sandwich pickle

We love a good *something* on toast. You’ll be pleased to know that these popular *somethings* are vegan. You can also get vegan butters from Vitalife, Flora and Pure.

Skittles, Millions, Starbursts

Who doesn’t love a good sweetie? There are tonnes of accidentally vegan sweets. Some Haribo varieties are also vegan. Watch out for gelatine and beeswax, neither of which fit in with a plant-based diet.

Mr Kipling Treacle Tart

Vegans can also eat Mr Kipling apple and blackcurrant pies.

Co-op jam and custard doughnuts

Everybody loves a good doughnut!

Oreos originals

This is the one nobody seems to believe, but it’s true! Oreos original biscuits are vegan friendly.

Baked beans

Most of your favourite baked bean brands are vegan, though you should watch out for reduced sugar Heinz baked beans. It was recently revealed that there’s something in these that vegans can’t eat.

Instant noodles

Our favourites are Sainsbury’s Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles. Made with the only type of chicken flavour you need – the fake stuff!

Things you might think are vegan that aren’t…

Beer – Not all beers, lagers or ciders are vegan. Stay away from Kopparberg, Rekorderlig, Fosters, Carling and Stella.

Cereal – Lots of cereals are vegan, but some are not, and it might not be obvious from the ingredients. Kelloggs use a vitamin D3 derived from sheep wool in their cereal, which means that even the innocent looking cornflake is not vegan.

Tattoos – If you’re taking it really seriously, then you need to be careful who is inking your arms. Lots of tattooists use ink that is not vegan.

Orange juice – Sometimes they contain Omega-3 derived from fish oil or gelatin, whilst others contain vitamin D from sheep’s wool. Look for the 100% orange juice brands.

Protein powders – Often made with whey, you’ll no longer have your pick of the protein powders if you go plant-based, but luckily there are lots of delicious vegan flavoured shakes to choose from by Sun Warrior.

Jun 03 2018 0 Commentby artmusoadmin

Strawberry Celebration

Posted in Food

Strawberry Elderflower and Basil

This is a wonderful celebration of the great British summer with strong strawberry flavours complemented by the basil in a classic combination.

The lemon and elderflower jellies help to cut through the sweet strawberry and the shortbread adds a level of texture to the dish.

Almost all these elements can be prepared in advance – even a couple of days before they are needed so if you’re having a go for a dinner party or to impress the other half, make life easier by getting most of it done and in the fridge or freezer the day before.

The plating up and presentation we’ll leave up to your creativity but we’ve given you some ideas with the photos.

Finish off with some small basil leaves – or try a few mint leaves for an extra twist.

Vanilla Shortbread

100g unsalted butter
50g sugar
150g plain flour
1 vanilla pod (seeds only)

Cut up the butter into small pieces to make it easier to mix.
Add in the sugar and sift the flour into a mixing bowl
Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and add in
Mix everything together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs
Then squidge it all together into a dough
Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
Roll out to 1cm thick and cut into strips (pizza cutter is useful here)
Arrange on a silicone mat or sheet of baking paper and cook at 160C for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry and champagne sorbet

350 ml Champagne (Prosecco or English sparkling wine are good substitutes)
300 g strawberries pureed (we use a nutribullet)
200 ml of stock syrup
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime

Make the stock syrup by heating sugar with water and the champagne on the stove.
Allow to cool and then add the puree and the lime zest and juice
Mix well then transfer to a tin and pop in the freezer
Mix every 30 minutes for 3 hours to keep it smooth.

Elderflower jelly

375 ml water
50 ml elderflower liqueur (or substitute for cordial)
75 ml elderflower cordial
Agar agar/vegetarian gelatin as per instructions

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Skim off any impurities and simmer for 5 minutes
Leave to cool
Line a tin with cling film
Pour the slightly cooled mixture into the tin and chill in the fridge to set

Lemon gel

Juice of one lemon
One heaped teaspoon of sugar
Three parts water to one part lemon
Agar agar as per instructions

Basil caviar

Large handful of basil leaves
100 ml stock syrup
Agar agar
Chilled oil

Take the basil leaves and add to salted boiling water for 2 minutes
Remove and put in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process
Squeeze the water from the basil leaves and blend with the syrup
Pass through a fine sieve
Add to a saucepan with the agar agar and extra water if required and simmer for 5 minutes
Leave to cool then
Drop droplets of the liquid into the cold oil – this will turn them into spheres
Once finished, transfer the ‘caviar’ into cold water to rinse off.

Basil oil

Blanch basil leaves in salted boiling water for 2 minutes
Put in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process
Squeeze the water out then add to blender with olive oil
Season to taste

Strawberry meringue

12 medium strawberries pureed
2 large organic eggs (whites only)
55g caster sugar
55g icing sugar
Freeze dried strawberries

Beat the egg whites in a non-plastic mixing bowl with an electric whisk until you get stiff peaks (or can tip the bowl upside down without it falling out!)
Add the caster sugar in three batches beating for several seconds between each addition
Sift in the icing sugar in three batches and gently fold into the mixture
Fold in the strawberry puree careful not to overmix
Smooth out onto baking paper or a silicone mat, sprinkle with freeze dried strawberries and bake at 100c (fan assisted) for 45 mins to 1 hour or until the base of the meringue is firm.
Leave to cool and firm up and break apart into jagged pieces.

Balsamic and black pepper macerated strawberries

6 large strawberries
20 mls balsamic vinegar
One heaped tablespoon sugar
Cracked black pepper to taste

Chop the strawberries into large chunks
Mix in with the vinegar and sugar
Cover and leave to macerate for 15 minutes
Mix in the black pepper and leave for 10 more minutes
Serve

Basil ribbons

Handful of large basil leaves

Take several similar sized basil leaves and roll like a cigar
Cut finely across the rolled leaves (around 1-2 mm)
Sprinkle on the dish to serve

Apr 18 2018 by artmusoadmin

AKA Wall Street Review

Posted in Travel

This is a relatively new hotel conveniently located next to several key subway stations so you’re a short train ride to Times Square, Central Park, Brooklyn, and anywhere else you’d take a tourist trip.

It’s also only a few minutes walk to the World Trade Centre and new Freedom Tower (that if you stand below on the correct side, looks like it extends for infinity). Shopping malls at the World Trade Centre are within easy access (including the wallet busting Brookfield Place mall).

Head East from AKA Wall Street and you’re at the Southport seaport and Fulton Market area where the redevelopment is in full swing and a new retail complex recently opened. Shops and bars are in abundance with Abercrombie, Scotch & Soda, Superdry dotted amongst the numerous bars and restaurant options, spilling out onto the streets to create a great evening atmosphere.

The great thing about choosing a hotel such as this, is the studio apartment layout with full kitchen facilities – and much bigger than a typical Manhattan hotel room.

This means you can be much more comfortable in your room – rather than just treat it as a place to crash at the end of the day. Plus being able to go and get some groceries and make your own food not only saves you money but can provide a perfect home comfort if your late night partying days are behind you.

Visiting New York as a tourist is exhausting, to get the most for your money you will want to spend full days checking out the sights and not overindulging in the evenings. Nothing worse than hanging out with a hangover.

The room facilities here are excellent, two big screen TVs either side of a dividing unit that separates the bedroom area from the main living area.

A lovely corner sofa makes chilling out in front of a movie even more pleasant while the separate dining area is ideal for breakfasts and home made meals in the evening.

The kitchen contains all the modern essentials including a dishwasher (you’re on holiday after all) and the bathrooms are beautifully finished with a huge walk in shower.

Soundproofing between the rooms wasn’t brilliant but more of a minor annoyance than a dealbreaker.

There is a small gym and laundry facilities plus a rooftop area where you can take a drink or enjoy a complementary tea or coffee at certain times of the day. There are weekly movies shown on a big screen up on the roof as well. If there were a small bar up there, it would be pretty much perfect.

It’s not the cheapest option in Manhattan but you can get a bargain if you pick the right weekend. Also consider the offset cost of being able to prepare your own meals rather than always having to eat out – particularly useful for longer stays.

On that basis we think it’s good value and with a 9.2/10 rating on Booking.com and 4.7/5 on Google, it’s among the highest rated hotels in the area.

Visit their website here: AKA Wall Street

For transparency we did not receive any benefits or payment from AKA Wall Street for this review. (Maybe next time eh?)

Feb 19 2018 by artmusoadmin

5 Reasons Brooklyn ‘Trumps’ Manhattan

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized

Ok excuse the topical pun but we need to let you know that New York isn’t just all about Manhattan.

Sure, you have the famous landmarks, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Wall Street to name just a selection. But you also have a very tourist oriented version of the wonderful, diverse, sprawling urbanisation of New York.

Sticking to Manhattan means you won’t get to see the beautiful oasis that is Prospect Park – in our view a much more pleasant green space than Central Park. You’ll miss out on walking the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset and enjoying the delights of Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights, maybe taking in a pizza at the famous Juliana’s (you might need to queue up!).

So here’s our 5 top reasons for taking in Brooklyn over Manhattan.

1) Brooklyn Bridge

Ok, so it is possible to venture onto Brooklyn Bridge without actually going to Brooklyn, but it’s hard to beat a stroll across the wooden pedestrianised walkway as the sun sets behind the Manhattan skyline and then end up in Brooklyn Heights or Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) for a quick look round the shops before pizza at Juliana’s (he used to own Grimaldi’s and is the original Grimaldi, so don’t be fooled into going to the wrong place as they are almost next door to each other!).

Word of caution while crossing the bridge – there is a section for pedestrians and one for cyclists, don’t get run over trying to take a perfect picture because you’ve wandered onto the cycle path!

And once you’ve made it across, the views back to Manhattan from either Dumbo or Brooklyn Heights across the water are truly spectacular.

View from Dumbo at night

2) Prospect Park

Manhattan’s Central Park is ranked as the top thing to do in New York by TripAdvisor – but we believe that Prospect Park is superior for those looking for a retreat to nature in the midst of dense urbanisation. With over 240 bird species sighted in Prospect Park, alongside turtles, bullfrogs, bats and the impossibly cute chipmunks, it’s an urban nature lover’s paradise.

Prospect Park

Cute little chipmunk in Prospect Park

The design and flow of the Brooklyn park is perfectly designed with a wonderful mix of open grassland, water, and forest. Lose yourself among the twisty windy undulating forest trails surrounded by birdsong and the chirping of the chipmunks. Laze out in the sun on the mile long field and get some grounding on the lush grass, feeling the earth beneath your toes.

Prospect Park is smaller than Central Park, but more manageable to navigate. And the neighbourhoods to the north and east are some of the best in the city.

3) Local Neighbourhoods

Away from the tourist trails are the Brooklyn neighbourhoods that make up some of the best parts of New York.

Brooklyn Stoop Sale

You’ll feel more at home here than in any part of New York and the more relaxed atmosphere is the perfect antidote to a hectic day of sightseeing in Manhattan. Parts of Brooklyn are among the most desirable in the whole of New York (Park Slope being ranked as New York’s most desired neighbourhood) but it’s still not recommended to just go anywhere. Stick to the following locations and you’ll be doing fine:

Park Slope
Prospect Heights
Carroll Gardens
Brooklyn Heights
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
DUMBO

Although many other areas are delightful and bring their own flavour to this lovely part of New York.

4) Shopping/Dining

A day perusing the independent outlets dotted around Park Slope mixed in with a beer and a bite to eat in one of a number of fantastic bars and restaurants is a day well spent.

Brooklyn Industries Store

From Park Slope’s main 5th and 7th streets, you are only a few blocks east from Prospect park and the weekly farmers market at Grand Army Plaza, outside the Brooklyn Library.

North of Prospect Park is Prospect Heights, another expensive brownstone neighbourhood with less going on but still some great bars and shops. A trip to Cheryl’s Global Soul is an absolute must – try the pancakes with chantilly cream and berries, with lashings of maple syrup.

Further north and only a couple of stops from Manhattan on the L train, Williamsburg is a key location for the trendy artist and hipster. Lots of independent bars, stores and home to one of the biggest flea markets in the city, it is also home to the UK’s very own world-famous doodler Jon Burgerman.

If mixing with hipsters isn’t your thing then head down to Carroll Gardens – not completely dissimilar to Park Slope – but a little more affordable and with a distinctly Italian influence and plenty of leafy streets, cafes, and boutiques to enjoy.

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

5) Accommodation

It’s generally cheaper to stay in Brooklyn than in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn is under an extensive redevelopment with new hotels popping up all over the place. It’s perfectly situated for walking distance to Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and all the important and trendy areas.

You’re also not far from the Barclays Centre for major sporting events including basketball and ice hockey (depending on the time of year) check before you travel for listings and tickets.

One of the new hotel developments Even Hotels has health and fitness at its soul, with free gym and fitness equipment in every room, weird fitness videos on the TV every time you turn it on, and a lovely range of healthy eating options in the bar/cafe on the ground floor.

The hotel is just steps from easy access into Manhattan on the subway and you can be at Times Square in 30 minutes, Wall Street in just 12 minutes (3 stops).

Even better, you are a few minutes from the main shops including an H&M, Banana Republic, Macy’s, and a massive Century 21 (think TK Maxx for UK readers).

The Century 21 is located within a major new development that incorporates a cinema, shops and an incredible food hall named Dekalb Market Hall that contains all and every cuisine you can imagine and seems to be the go-to place to eat for locals.

Dekalb Food Hall

So, in case you missed them, the five reasons are:

Brooklyn Bridge
Prospect Park
Local Neighbourhoods
Shopping/dining
Accommodation

Stay in Brooklyn and you’ll be feeling like a local in no time.

Some helpful links below:

Even Hotel Downtown Brooklyn

Feb 08 2018 by artmusoadmin

Linder-The-Goddess-Who-Makes-All-Principles-Work2017

The Grand Tour

Posted in Arts

No, not the Amazon Prime version of TopGear with Jeremy ‘Marmite’ Clarkson and his gang. This Grand Tour is a cultural journey across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire at four of the UK’s most distinguished arts institutions.

Running March to June 2018, this series of landmark exhibitions includes major shows by photomontage artist, Linder Sterling, at Nottingham Contemporary and Chatsworth, a delicate range of lithophanes by Clare Twomey at The Harley Gallery, and a compelling show celebrating ‘The Art of Industry’ at Derby Museums.

The theme across the four exhibitions is the celebration of both the artistic process and the the impact of industrial creation.

Foundry Scene Derby Museums

The House of Fame at Nottingham Contemporary (24 March – 24 June 2018) is an ambitious exhibition convened by Linder, informed by her time at Chatsworth. At the heart of the presentation will be a retrospective of Linder’s work, spanning more than 40 years of photomontage, graphics, costume and performance.

Stretching from the early 17th century to today, The House of Fame will host 150 works – drawings, sculptures, furniture, jewellery, photographs, banners – by dozens of artists selected by Linder and will run across all 800 square metres of gallery at Nottingham Contemporary.

In Harley Gallery’s exhibition, Half in Shadow: Half in Light (24 March 2018 – 30 June 2018), British artist Clare Twomey explores life on the historic Welbeck Estate through a series of lithophanes.

Twomey reinvents the traditional technique of the lithophane through a series of portraits of people who live and work on the Welbeck Estate, representing the contemporary life on the grounds. The artist will shed light on the repurposed buildings on the estate such as the Poultry House, the Dairy and the Brewery, depicting people in their working environment and allowing new stories to be told.

Lisa Gee, Director of The Harley Gallery and Foundation says: “It’s incredibly exciting to be working with such an acclaimed artist as Clare Twomey, just months after her exhibition as lead artist at the Tate’s Exchange space opened.

Linder-Untitled,-2018-Courtesy-the-artist-and-Stuart-Shave_Modern-Art

Linder Untitled, 2018 Courtesy of the artist and Stuart Shave Modern Art

This Grand Tour, British artist Linder Sterling – best known for her photomontages and influential role in punk/post-punk aesthetics – has become the first-ever artist resident at Chatsworth. Linder draws inspiration from the house itself and its exceptional surroundings, using Chatsworth as a kind of ‘sensorium’.

Linder has immersed herself in the life of the stately home and its 500-year history, producing a series of works to be experienced through a variety of senses; creating incense from the aromatic plants on the estate, recording oral stories, and using the everyday sounds of the house for new musical compositions alongside new photomontages. A series of interventions created from her residency will be displayed at Chatsworth between 24 March – 21 October, as part of The Grand Tour programme.

Derby Museum and Art Gallery’s exhibition The Art of Industry: From Joseph Wright to the 21st Century (24 March – 17 June 2018) will look back at the region’s industrial history and manufacturing landscape through both historic artefacts and contemporary artistic interpretation.

The Art of Industry will show the evolving relationship that artists have had with the manufacturing heritage that helps define the Midlands as a hub of industry in the UK.

For more information visit:
www.thegrandtour.uk.com
www.chatsworth.org
www.nottinghamcontemporary.org
www.harleygallery.co.uk
www.derbymuseums.org