The Hipsters let McCarren Pool Close

Located in the Hipster haven of Williamsburg/Greenpoint area in Brooklyn, NY, the McCarren Pool Parties ran for 3 seasons featuring free outdoor concerts of various indie rock bands. McCarren pool was built during the Great Depression in 1936, closed in 1984, and remerged in 2005 as a concert venue. Large crowds average 6,000 per week and 45,000 for the season, yet when it came to attending community board meetings to decide the fate of the pool, the hipsters just didn’t show up.

Luckily, according to the NY Metro, JellyNYC (the company behind the concert series) are looking to Inlet Park in Bushwick area of Brooklyn to continue the concert series. However, next time, I hope next time they won’t rely on the hipsters to get politically involved. I know the hipsters as indie rockers from my college radio days at Album 88, Georgia State University’s student radio station (WRAS, 88.5FM). It’s all about the music for them. And that music is normally indie rock so bad it’ll never become commercial (indie rockers are those fans who turn their backs on the artist if the artist achieve mainstream success or become “too commercial”. From my experiences at Album, indie rockers can be (and at times are) cliquish & elitist in being anti-mainstream – which I also see in the hipsters in Brooklyn.
The Manhattanites are accused of being elitist, yet the Brooklyn hipsters in Williamsburg are just on the opposite end of the spectrum (whereas the former is said to be materialistic).

McCarren Pool is being closed down for a renovation due to be completed in 2011 and will accommodate between 1,400 and 1,700 swimmers. So in 2011, the hipsters will have to share McCarren Pool with all those commercial people.

Out of the Pool
http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Out_of_the_pool/13431.html

McCarren Pool Closes
http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=11124

Rafiq Jennings

In giving thanks and gratitude

Giving thanks & gratitude has been challenging for me, as I know my life can be much better and that the limitations do NOT have to be. But today, I want to give thanks to this couple on the #3 train for their very frank and thought provoking conversation on people and on life. I was feeling down due to the NYC Writers Circle mess (which led to the organizer removing me from the group… I attempted to correct what I thought the error is as you see on my previous post and that's all I can do) and life in general (NYC Writers Circle was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back). While trying to pull myself together in route to my friend’s house, this couple was conversing with a young lady on train and the conversation was hilarious, on point, and real.

Coincidentally, we all got off the same stop and I said to the wife, "I was feeling down and your conversation cheered me and thank you for that" She gave me a hug saying that she hoped that I feel better. So, much thanks and gratitude goes out her, her husband, and the young lady they were conversing with for being in the moment when I needed it.

In gratitude,

Rafiq

First Post from Rafiq Jennings

After the persitence of my friend, I have finally established this blog. The purpose of this blog is to post topics and music of interest to me. And issues will vary as I am Galactic.

So stay tune as more is to come soon.

Rafiq