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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Noorman’s Kill photo by Marie L. via Yelp

      There are a great many things to love about the winter months. Chief among them? Sipping on some good whiskey. Here are a few places in Williamsburg and Greenpoint where you can get your fill of quality liquor to warm your bones during the season.

      Noorman’s Kil (Williamsburg)
      This hip hangout knocks it out of the park with a unique pairing of premium whiskey and grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, you can basically reconnect with your inner seven-year old while quaffing any of the 400 brands of whiskey the bar has on their menu. The space is elegant without being too pretentious, right down to the sleek mahogany of the bar top.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Then She Fell via Facebook

      There are Broadway shows and Off-Broadway shows, standard music venues and time-honored dance theaters, and then there are places that champion a type of creativity that deviates from the norm and leaves conventions behind.

      Brooklyn is a magnet for those emerging artists and risk-taking producers, a hub of cutting-edge artistic expression of all kinds. Below are some of the borough’s most unusual, outlandish, and progressive performing arts spaces.

      Then She Fell (Williamsburg)
      Then She Fell is an elaborately crafted adventure inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. The production is an immersive experience located in a centuries-old hospital ward, designed for just 15 audience members who are beckoned to explore hidden corners, unlock concealed secrets, and taste mysterious elixirs. Then She Fell is put on by Third Rail Productions and has won several awards and received acclaim from both The New York Times and Vogue.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Sit-down restaurants without liquor licenses are rare in New York, but they can be a fun adventure. Bringing your own booze will almost certainly save you money, plus it allows you to bring your favorite beer or wine. Navigating the Brooklyn BYOB scene can be tricky without a little planning. Luckily, we did the legwork for you. Here are a few fan favorites.

      Petite Crevette (Carroll Gardens)
      Take your time sampling specialty menu items like the fried oysters, red snapper, and the five star rated cioppino. This casual yet intimate eatery is perfect for a first date—a great place to stay for a meal but also close to other bars (both in Red Hook and Carroll gardens) should you want to keep the fun going.
      Cork fee: $5. Cash only.

      Petite Crevette photo by Facebook.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Life in Brooklyn can be stressful, even for kids. Academic pressures, peers, busy schedules, electronic overload: all can lead to health problems, depression, sleep disorders, and more. That’s why a growing number of parents are turning to the same remedy for their children that they use for their own well-being: yoga.

      Not only can yoga help kids find relief and get centered, but recent studies show the discipline can even benefit kids with attention deficits and autism spectrum disorders. Below are some kids yoga classes we found in Brooklyn.

      Bend & Bloom Yoga (Park Slope) is dedicated to using play and imagination to introduce Yoga to children in the hope of giving them a lifelong experience with the discipline. Kids classes happen concurrent with classes for parents and/or caregivers, so no one feels left out. There are also post-natal parent-baby classes, classes for tots and families, and many more options. Click here for a full rundown of classes.

      Bend & Bloom Yoga photo by Amy Q. via Yelp.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      The origins of the s’more (a contraction of “some more,” as in “Please give me some more of those”) are obscure, but we do know that they were already a popular campfire treat for American Boy and Girl Scouts in the 1920s. Kids everywhere have grown to love the gooey marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker treats. Fortunately for those of us who haven’t outgrown our sweet tooths, these six Brooklyn hot spots have s’mores on the menu.

      Camp (Cobble Hill)
      Camp is a little bit of country in the big city. A mounted deer head, working fireplace, and log cabin interior bring a cozy vibe to the bar. Board games, a weekend DJ, and a tray of s’mores fixings paired with a fun and flirty girl scout martini are just a few things that make a visit here feel like an adult camping trip.

      Camp photo by Emiliya P. via Yelp.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      For many, doo-wop music was and is the soundtrack of the city. Born in the African-American neighborhoods of mostly northeastern cities in the 40s and 50s, doo-wop features close harmonies with soaring lead vocals, often sung a capella or accompanied by a low-key rhythm section. Doo-wop songs are usually about love, whether it’s gained, lost, or dreamed about. The moon is a favorite subject, along with the occasional sleeping lion.

      As a popular music form, doo-wop peaked in the early 60s, just before the British invasion. Brooklyn, along with its sister borough The Bronx, competed with Philadelphia as the home turf of this song style. Below are some notable Brooklyn doo-wop bands, along with the neighborhoods that helped shape their sounds, with a big assist from examiner.com oldies writer Bill Herald.

      The Tokens are best known for their huge 1961 hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” They were first called the Linc-Tones during their days at Coney Island’s Abraham Lincoln High School, where they met in the mid-50s. The group originally included Neal Sedaka, although he left by the time “The Lion” was recorded. The group also recorded the songs “Tonight I Fell in Love,” “I Hear Trumpets Blow,” and “Portrait of My Love,” as well as producing other groups’ records.

      The Tokens courtesy of Warner Bros. Records via Wikipedia.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      After Black Friday and with Cyber Monday coming up, you might want a more leisurely, local shopping experience where you can still get a deal. Thrift store shopping can be a lot of fun in Brooklyn, and it’s a great way to find unique, affordable gifts while supporting local businesses. These well-curated thrift shops feature an interesting mix of items and are well worth the patience required of a seasoned thrift store shopper.

      Beacon’s Closet 
      With four locations around the city — Greenpoint, Park Slope, Bushwick, and Manhattan — you really can’t talk about thrift store shopping in Brooklyn without talking about Beacon’s Closet. You can get anything and everything here, including work clothes at low prices.

      Photo by Beacon’s Closet.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Including streams and lakes, Brooklyn has 26 square miles of water area, while the surrounding New York Harbor allows direct access to the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. From catch-and-release fishing at Prospect Park to salt water fishing at any of its beaches or piers, Brooklyn is an angler’s paradise.

      While commercial deep-sea fishing operations usually take care of licensing requirements for guests, everyone over the age of 15 must acquire a fishing license to ply the city’s freshwater lakes and rivers. Find out more about fishing licenses here.

      Brooklyn VI Fishing (Sheepshead Bay) welcomes newcomers and experts alike onto its 110-foot long, 26-foot wide super cruiser for deep sea fishing excursions. The boat gets high marks from reviewers for the fishing, the captain and crew, the snack bar, and even the DJ. You can bring your own line and tackle or rent from the crew; up to 15 blue fish can be kept or released for each guest. For the late fall and winter months, Brooklyn VI Fishing focuses on blues, striped bass, and mackerel.

      Brooklyn VI Fishing photo via Facebook.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      What’s in a name? Brooklyn’s most famous newspaper franchise was known under a host of different mastheads during its long and illustrious history. It started life in 1841 as The Brooklyn Eagle, and Kings County Democrat, was renamed The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Kings County Democrat in 1846, and shortened to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1849. In 1938, the name was further shortened to Brooklyn Eagle, which remained its name until it went under after a lengthy newspaper strike in 1955.

      The Brooklyn Eagle grew to be one of the most respected newspapers in the country, and in fact was the most popular afternoon daily newspaper in the United States at one point. Its editors included such notables as Thomas Kinsella, St. Clair McKelway, Cleveland Rogers, Frank D. Schroth, and Charles Montgomery Skinner. And, of course, Brooklyn’s great poet, Walt Whitman.

      Photo of Brooklyn Daily Eagle office via Wikipedia.

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      This post courtesy of Explore Brooklyn, an all-inclusive guide to the businesses, neighborhoods, and attractions that make Brooklyn great.

      Although the epicenter of the 1960s folk revival was Greenwich Village, a tour through the history of folk music in America has to include a journey through Brooklyn. The trail of American roots music winds from Coney Island to Flatbush, from Bed-Stuy to Montague Street. Below are some of the performers who touched Brooklyn and the neighborhoods they called home.

      Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (Midwood)
      Born Elliot Charles Adnopoz to a surgeon’s family in 1931, the boy who would become Ramblin’ Jack Elliott became enthralled with the rodeos he had witnessed in Madison Square Garden and ran away at the age of 15 age to join Col. Jim Eskew’s Rodeo. Three months later, he was back home, but his new passion was finger-picking the guitar, singing, and busking.

      Graduating from Midwood High School in 1949, he eventually came under the influence of Woody Guthrie, who became his mentor and friend. Elliott paid that tutelage forward later by channeling Guthrie’s performance style for Guthrie’s son Arlo, as well as a young folk singer named Bob Dylan.

      Since then, Elliott has recorded forty albums and wrote one of the very first trucking songs, “Cup of Coffee.” He continues to perform to this day. In August, he headlined the 10th Brooklyn Country Music Festival at the Bell House.

      What to do in the neighborhood
      Have a slice at Di Fara’s, one of Brooklyn’s best loved pizzerias. Stroll through the campus of Brooklyn College. Or pick up some fashionable new clothes at Junee.

      Ramblin’ Jack Elliott photo via Wikipedia.