Brooklyn gets a Barre Class, and it doesn’t involve beer.

Image via wellandgoodnyc.comMove over baby yoga, there’s a new fitness trend hitting Brooklyn. If you feel like the Zumba classes included in your $89/month NYSC gym membership just aren’t cutting it, there’s a new workout craze hitting our borough that’s certain to tighten your waist…and your wallet.

Popular among the Soul Cycling-bun-wearing-SoHo-workout-elite, the Barre Method “integrates the fat burning format of interval training, the muscle shaping technique of isometrics, the elongating principles of dance conditioning, and the science of physical therapy to create a revolutionary new workout that quickly and safely reshapes your entire body.”  Basically, it's ballet meets Pilates meets P90X, minus the toe disfiguring point shoes.  And yes, the class is just as hardcore as the description.

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The Gowanus Canal may stink, but Gowanus Open Studio does not!

Hot on the heels of bad press by a marine animal, the Gowanus Canal is finally getting a makeover. Well, once we figure out the whole “how to have a government thing,” I’m sure it’s first on the agenda.

In the meantime, some local artists are doing their part to help restore the spot to its former Lavender Lake glory by bringing in a bit of culture with Gowanus Open Studio 2013. Because nothing scares away raw sewage like a supportive artist community.

Presented by non-profit organization Art Gowanus, the 17^th annual event will be the largest in its inception, featuring over 200 local artists. For this weekend long event, artists working in the former factories, warehouses and studio buildings in the Gowanus invite the public to visit their studios, see their work and talk about their process. Ever wanted to know what drugs were ingested in the making of those street murals you walk past on your way to the subway? This is your chance.

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VMAs may be coming to Brooklyn, but Brooklyn doesn't really give a shit.

Hold on to your Moonman, the VMAs are almost here. Slopers can prepare to get a glimpse of their favorite recording artists, teen moms, catfish couples and tweens at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards taking place this Sunday night at the Barclay’s Center.

To celebrate this event, Brooklyn has closed a bunch of streets, rolled out a super short red carpet.....and that’s about it. It seems that long gone are the days of drinking games involving Brittney losing a hair extension or rappers thanking Jesus.

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Ice Skating (falling on ice) Returns to Prospect Park this Winter!

People of Park Slope! Sharpen your skates and bring out your bejeweled leotards, ice skating in Prospect Park is back! Well, it’s August, but it will be back by the time you’re angry it’s so damn cold again. Just bookmark this page and pull it up in December. You’re welcome.

A mere year behind schedule and a cool $74 million spent, and the 26-acre Lakeside development in Prospect Park will be open for business by year's end.  It’s been a long time coming for space that previously housed the old Wollman Rink, as the project marks the first major renovation in the park in nearly 50 years.   With 30,000 square-feet of ice rinks and all sorts of amenities, the space will feature both an outdoor and a year-round indoor rink for all the Salchows and triple loops your heart desires.

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Police Nab (First Ever?) Prospect Park Ice Pick Bandit!

Fear no more, dog lover of Park Slope, your goldendoodles can run off-leash without fear in Prospect Park again. Police arrested 42-year-old Flatbush resident Donnell Barden earlier this week, on charges of aggravated animal cruelty, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. Barden’s weapon of choice? An ice pick.

The trouble started back in May when police received claims Barden stabbed a dog who was fighting with his dog in Prospect Park. For good measure, Barden then hit the dog’s owner and set out on a full-on ice pick assault, intimidating a slew of dogs with his frosty weapon. A few months and a bunch of homemade “WANTED” signs later, courtesy of a concerned/freaked out Park Slope resident who witnessed the bath-saltesque rampage, and police decided it was time to put an end to the Ice Pick Bandit. 

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