Brooklyn Bridge turns 125 - Buy some gum!

This Memorial Day Weekend, New York is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge. Congratulations, Bridge!

Our contribution to the big celebration is to let everyone know that the iconic Brooklyn Chewing Gum (ubiquitous in the tabacchi of Italy) can be purchased in Brooklyn, and at a great shop - Stinky Bklyn. This wonderful cheese store on Smith Street not only carries the gum for $1.50 a pack, but an impressive variety of Italian cheeses (brescianelle stagionata anyone?). You'll find both the common and rare at Stinky Bklyn, as well as a lot of advice on cheeses and wines to drink them with.

Check out Stinky Bklyn:
261 Smith Street @ DeGraw
www.stinkybklyn.com

Play Bocce in Brooklyn!

Interested in learning how to play bocce ball? Try Floyd New York, a new-ish bar on Atlantic Avenue. This neighborhood spot on the edge Brooklyn Heights is decorated with old portraits, has worn furniture, and a decent jukebox (plenty of indie rock). Not much of a menu, but there's cheap beer and bourbon. Also, you can bring your own food in case you want to spend an afternoon celebrating a birthday have a get together work friends.

So OK, not very Italian, but there aren't many other places in town where you can play bocce on an indoor clay court. Bocce is one of the oldest games on earth. Similar to lawn bowling or shuffleboard, it is played on a long court and can be played with 2 or 3 teams. Floyd, NY has a 40-ft. indoor court made of packed red clay and they host the city's only year-round bocce tournament along with Union Hall. Go to http://floydny.com/index.htm for their tournament schedule and more information.

Directions: Floyd, NY is 131 Atlantic Avenue between Henry and Clinton Streets, on the border of Brooklyn Heights and Carroll Garden. F, G Trains: Get off at Bergen Street and walk to Atlantic Avenue. Make a left and walk several blocks. 2, 3, 4, 5 Trains: Get off at Borough Hall. Walk down Court Street, make a right on Atlantic Avenue and walk 2 blocks. R Train: Get off at Court Street. Walk down Court Street, make a right on Atlantic Avenue and walk 2 blocks.

Pope took reminder of Brooklyn back to Rome

When Pope Benedict XVI left JFK Airport on April 20 on “Shepherd One,” he took with him a replica of the stained glass window of the Immaculate Conception that adorns St. James Cathedral Basilica in Brooklyn. Created by the Franz Meyer Company of Munich, the window was placed in the downtown Brooklyn church in 1904 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation by Pope Pius IX of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Benedict accepted the glass replica, as well as a bouquet of white and yellow flowers, from four elementary school-age children who presented the gifts at the conclusion of the departure ceremony that took in an airport hangar. Vice President Cheney joined the Pope at the closing ceremony, along with 4,000 others. The Pope delivered brief remarks after the Fort Hamilton Army Band played the Vatican and National Anthems. A program of sacred music and recitation of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary in various languages also took place. Charles Mallia, director of music for the Diocese, led a series of performances by the Diocesan Vicariate Choir, the Diocesan High School Choir and the Diocesan Youth Choir. The St. Francis Prep String Ensemble and the St. James Cathedral Brass also performed. Thanks for visiting, Pope Benedict!