Spring Gala @ BBG. The Secret to 7th Avenue success. Uber tries to swing Park Slope's election. Handwriting the Constitution. Repair Cafe.
Plus: Alvin Ailey. Kate Berlant. The opera @ BAM. Battle Of Brooklyn Walking Tour. Josh Gondelman .
Welcome to the Sunday AM edition of the Park Slope Walk. We want to give you some reading you can lean back with, and we want to help you make some plans for the week.
Get Involved
🌼🌸Support Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ Its Spring Gala 2025 on Tuesday: “Join us for an enchanted evening in the Garden as we celebrate our shared connection to nature and BBG’s long history of environmental education and leadership. Proceeds from the Spring Gala provide essential support for the Garden—sustaining the care of BBG’s collections, programs, and community. Tickets range from $750 to $5,000; tables for ten start at $15,000. Each course will feature fresh, seasonal ingredients that were sustainably grown and harvested.” (5:30 PM, Brooklyn Botanic Gaeden, $750+)
🌼🌸After Party 2025 @ Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Tuesday: “As the Spring Gala winds down, join us for the After Party—a high-energy celebration, complete with great music and peak spring vibes. Dance the night away surrounded by blooms and fellow garden lovers at Brooklyn’s most vibrant celebration of the season. Tickets include special access and two hours of open bar with signature cocktails, beer, wine, desserts, photo opportunities, activities, and more. Proceeds from the After Party provide essential support for the Garden’s programs and plant collections.” (9:00 PM, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $100)
🗳Community Town Hall @ MS 51 this Saturday: Join Park Slope Council Member Shahana Hanif and NY Senator Gounardes (whose district extends west of 6th Ave) and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (whose district extends north of 2nd street) “to learn about the impacts of federal policies and cuts on the state and city budget.” (11:00 AM, MS 51 Auditorium)
News and Links
Uber spends six figures to swing Park Slope’s City Council seat: “Rideshare drivers, delivery workers, labor activists and local Democrats rallied May 28 in Kensington with City Council Member Shahana Hanif, who accused Uber of interfering in the June 24 Democratic primary. Campaign filings released May 28 show Uber has spent more than $129,000 on mail and digital ads backing Hanif’s opponent, local activist and NYU Brennan Center senior research fellow Maya Kornberg … Uber also launched a website supporting Kornberg — a move not seen for any other city candidate this cycle.” (The Brooklyn Paper)
Last call for That Bar on 5th Ave: “We were proud to be a woman-owned, minority-owned bar — and even prouder to be your bar. Your pre-concert plans, your post-work breather, your NY Liberty watch party, your Brooklyn Nets celebration, your birthday spot, wedding venue, dads or the perfect mocktail prego meetup date. Your fundraiser venue, your “we just need a drink” place. That.” (That Bar IG)
Lean Back Reading
There are author readings all week. Browse a few excerpts.
Excerpt from ‘Race After Technology,’ ahead of Ruha Benjamin’s BPL Presents event @ Central Library on Wednesday: “Robot judges were programmed to assess contestants on the basis of wrinkles, face symmetry, skin color, gender, age group, ethnicity, and “many other parameters.” Over 6,000 submissions from approximately 100 countries poured in. What could possibly go wrong?” (Institute of Advanced Studies)
Excerpt from ‘Left Of Forever, A Novel’ ahead of Tarah Dewitt’s event @ The Ripped Bodice on Wednesday: “I have no idea how long I agonized over how to
address this letter, but To Whom It May Concern felt too stiff, and Dear Firefighter felt too silly.” (St. Martin’s Press)
Excerpt from ‘The Containment: Detroit, The Supreme Court, And The Battle For Racial Justice In The North’ ahead of Michelle Adams event @ Community Bookstore on Thursday. “The president didn’t mention Marshall’s race. He didn’t need to. The importance of the nomination was plain. Marshall had already broken the race barrier two years earlier when Johnson asked him to become the nation’s first black solicitor general.” (Deadline Detroit)