194 Withers Street, #1, Guest Written by Jim:

Last Sunday (Father’s Day) Van and I attended our very first swim class. Along with two other dads and their respective infants, we hopped into the heated pool of a luxury Williamsburg condominium for our first AquaBeba session.

With the focus on allowing children to become comfortable in the water (as opposed to the rather dire sink-or-swim methodology so many of us experienced growing up), the 5-week program is run by Danilo Krvavac, an affable Serbian (and Olympic swimmer) who lives in Williamsburg with his wife and young daughter.

Extremely patient and full of useful techniques to make the experience as easy as possible for children (maintaining parent-to-baby eye contact throughout the class, walking backwards in the pool so your child always feels like they’re moving forward, saying your child’s name to maintain focus while you ‘condition’ them to become more comfortable with water flowing over their head, offering toys to distract and swim to… the list goes on and on), the class provides a tranquil, supportive place for children to develop swimming skills.

Fleeting recollections of swimming lessons I endured years and years ago at a Southern Connecticut YMCA conjure up unpleasant images of aggressive swim coaches dunking my head underwater–the exact kind of trauma Danilo seeks to avoid. In fact, poor Van (who had been having a hard time teething all week) just wasn’t in the mood for the final submersion exercises, something that would have only irked the swimming instructors of my youth and driven them to more aggressive tactics–but Danilo was totally cool, instantly recognizing that my poor baby was stressed enough and that the last thing he needed was to go under water. Maybe next week.

If you live in the area and are thinking about teaching your child to swim one day please take my advice and consider enrolling in this class. In fact, Aqua Beba offers pre-natal classes for pregnant ladies to just float around in so you don’t even have to have a baby (yet) to sign up.

One of the most compelling reasons to do so is safety: the sooner your child is comfortable in the water, the better; but another good reason to start your child early is that very young babies still have breath-holding reflexes from their days in the womb and Danilo can leverage this innate ability in such a way that children have a much, much easier time learning how hold their breath under water.

And besides, it’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable Sunday morning than one spent in a heated pool with your splashy baby.

See more: Spend a Couple Hours Children’s Classes Williamsburg

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Posted on June 22, 2011

I love stripes for summer, it’s a logical choice and this Thakoon Addition look perfectly encapsulates the current Summer mood with just the right amout of them along with bleached denim, florals, and youth.

John Patrick also shows off a perfectly balanced and very simple outfit that makes one wish for more rain and an excuse to wear galoshes.

Mulberry goes less traditional with the stripes in a Bert and Ernie golden navy combo and makes a chic school girl charm that isn’t cheap or too young. Again, bleached denim- how do you suddenly look so fresh and cool?

Back to the French tradition with navy and white and red and white stripes with Sonia Rykiel, who has made a name doing stripes right. This resort season is no different as you can tell from these cheerful, slightly quirky ensembles that would be ideal for a walk along the Seine, and if that’s not possible, how about a walk to the new East River Ferry?

Yay Stripes!

Another trend was the bold, busy printed dress in unexpected silhouettes. My favorite coming from Preen who gave a moody, languid collection that was fashionable Japanese lady marooned by a lover in Southeast Asia. I love the sexy, tightly belted waist juxtaposed with the proper buttoned up neckline.

Suno, ever having fun with prints, offered this adorable Hawaiian printed mini that also manages to be short and fun for Summer but respectfully covered up up top. I’d love to go flea market shopping in something like this. They also featured some looks of plaid and floral mixed together, something I’ve been super into for Falls past, but loved seeing in a warm weather way.

Marc by Marc is of course on target with this flattering mini dress in just the sunniest, cutest of prints. The black piping is key. This row of dresses is really making me itch for my vacation, what about you?

And if that vacation were to Polynesia (it isn’t) I’d love to bring along this flower Peter Som dress so I would just fade into my beautiful surroundings.

Long, floor dusting gowns were tops for evening and none were as awesome as this animal print atop animal print Giambattista Valli number. Love the prints and the belted yet unstructured silhouette.

Erdem offered more of their artistic prints and they looked the most stunning in this cap sleeve maxi. Wear this if you want to look like a captivating painting.

Givenchy’s wild mirrored prints are likely to get into the editorial pages, but I was really taken by this strangely beautiful origami black on black.

Yellow was huge, tons of people featured the sunshine color in their collections, but this Jenni Kayne gown stuck out to me with its simple and unique sophistication.

Lots of Resort to review, so more favorites coming soon!!

See more: Style Icons: Female,Style Icons: Male Designers Style

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Posted on June 20, 2011

643 Manhattan Ave,and a Million Other Locations

Father’s Day afternoon: Van is sacked out in my arms, so (best daddy ever) Jim has to go down to the land of I-forgot-to-get-a-cake, the Baskin Robbins attanched to the Dunkin Donuts for his own Father’s Day Cake.

As someone familiar with Carvel and Hersheys cakes in the past, I expected that strange sugary plastic icing and ultra sweetness. To my surprise, Baskin does things a little classier. The icing is more like whipped cream and doesn’t even coat your mouth with oddness.

It does, of course, still end up looking like some crazy clown nightmare by the time you’re nearly done though (see photo), as all ice cream cakes should.

See more: Desserts Cakes Chain Restaurants Greenpoint Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

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Posted on June 19, 2011

at the Saturday Smorgasburg, East River Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Even though it seems all sorts of wrong, and despite middle of the night wakings, I tend to be the first person up in our household.

This morning I woke up daydreaming of the King’s Crumb biscuit I was going to have with jam and fresh cream.

It’s been the only time I’ve actually wanted Van to get an early start, but with limited patience, it all worked out and by noon I was stuffing my face with the delectable treat.

The biscuit is big enough to share, the jam is delicious, the fresh cream adds a sweetness, and for lack of a better culinary word – a softness to it all.

As far as I can tell, they are only available at the Saturday Smorgasburg at the East River Park (lucky us!) and those not in the mood for sweet will be pleased with fried chicken and sausage egg biscuit options.

The sweet tea with some sort of fancy bitters is also pretty killer, especially when made into a fantastic Arnold Palmer.

And, as the cherry on top of a great eating experience, the staff is incredibly friendly.

I was so narrowly focused on getting my jam biscuit that I forgot to take my own photo, so the one to the left is from their facebook page.

See more: Restaurants Breakfast British Carts/Trucks Food Trucks Williamsburg

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Posted on June 18, 2011

by Patricia Highsmith (1957)

Patricia Highsmith‘s Deep Water is a slow simmering thriller. It’s a claustrophobic look inside the very strange and cruel marriage between Vic and Melinda. Living in separate quarters, theirs is a loveless but weirdly co-dependent relationship based on the odd, not quite unspoken arrangement that Melinda can take as many lovers as she pleases.

Teetering between loathing and dedication to his wife, whose affairs are viciously paraded in front of him (often in his own living room), Vic loses himself in his unusual interests, like book printing, poetry, entomology… and eventually murder!

Not since George and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has there been a fictional couple so messed up yet willfully entangled in their daily chaos.

Though it’s not written first person, the book is definitely from the point of view of Vic, which makes the reader feel like, if not a cheerleader for him, then at least a confident. It’s not hard to be on the side of Vic, despite his crimes, as his wife is so outwardly awful.

By the end, you feel that uncomfortable queasiness you get when you’ve seen far too much of someones personal life and find it repulsive… but at the same time, you can’t resist hearing more and more details.

I have been meaning to read a book by Patricia Highsmith of Talented Mr. Ripley fame for some time and this certainly won’t be the last.

See more: Books 1950s Noir Thrillers

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Posted on June 16, 2011