Well, Hurricane Kyle is going to crash the wedding, so come prepared for rain.  We have indoor options for both the ceremony and reception.

Well, the Badger faithful among our wedding guests have staked out the spot to watch the old alma mater stomp Michigan:  Dram Shop, a fine little sports bar with lots of TV’s, shuffleboard, darts, a pool table, board games a plenty, tasty Tex-Mex victuals and some burgers that are out of this world.  Dram Shop is located in Park Slope at 339 Ninth Street, up the hill from 5th Avenue, click here to see a map.  Nearby subways are:  F, M, R at Fourth Ave.-9th St.  KICKOFF IS AT 3:30 PM ON SATURDAY, AND BEST TO ARRIVE EARLY TO STAKE OUT A LUXURIOUS BOOTH – OR TWO.  NOTE:  THIS IS NOT A FORMAL WEDDING FUNCTION, JUST A FUN WAY TO EAT, DRINK, AND STAY DRY SINCE THE WEATHER PUT THE KAIBOSH ON OUR PICNIC PLANS.  ALL ARE WELCOME, BUT BADGER LOYALTY IS REQUIRED – EVEN OF NON-ALUMNI.

THE BUS TO THE WEDDING:

THE BUS BACK FROM THE WEDDING:

After the reception at the Queens Farm, the Magic Bus will transport revelers back to Flatbush Farm bar and restaurant, for a nightcap and more good times.  Flatbush Farm is located at the corner of St. Mark’s Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, marked by the red “A” pinpoint on the map below.  From there, weary travelers can either taxi or subway back home to sleep all the excitement off.

REMINDER:  MAGIC BUS FARE IS $10 EACH WAY.  PLEASE TRY TO HAVE EXACT CHANGE ON HAND TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR JOHN WINTER TO COLLECT FUNDS.  IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ROUNDTRIP, YOU CAN SIMPLY PAY $20 UP FRONT AND BE SET FOR THE NIGHT.

THANK YOU, AND SAFE TRAVELS!  CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!

Rain, rain, go away!!!  Well, having consulted just about every weather forecast we could find, it seems likely that rain will dampen at least portions of the weekend’s festivities.  New York 1 News’ forecast is the most optimistic, and so we must all believe in it.  Sunday shows signs of clearing, but rain seems unanimously predicted for Saturday and, as a result, we are sad to announce that THE SATURDAY PICNIC IS CANCELLED!!!  But have no fear, we have plenty of suggested self-directed activities to stave off the rainy day blues. Here are a few:

CATCH A FLICK!

What better place to hide from a soggy day than in a movie theater.  There are a few local options UA Court Street Stadium 12 (big multiplex), Cobble Hill Cinemas (an old neighborhood theater), and of course, the Ft. Greene favorite Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) theater.

HIT THE MUSEUMS

This is an art capitol, and the museums in Manhattan are always worth a look.  There’s the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum, The Whitney, and a personal favorite, the breathtakingly redesigned MOMA. There’s also the Brooklyn Museum if you want to keep it local.

EXPLORE COURT STREET AND SMITH STREET!

Both are worth a stroll if you you’re hungry or just feel like boutique window shopping.  There are lots of great spots to eat, but a favorite spot to grab a glass of wine and a little nibble on a rainy day is Sherwood Cafe (AKA Robin du Bois) on Smith Street.

GO TO DUMBO…

• Savor one of Brooklyn’s most popular pizza joints Patsy Grimaldi’s (so popular that lines form around the block, so bring an umbrella).  If you are really feeling adventurous, you can voyage to deepest Brooklyn and try the single best pizza you will ever eat in your entire life at Di Fara’s Pizza.  Lines at Di Fara’s are notoriously long, but it’s well worth the wait.

• Fulton Ferry Landing for views of, and Water Taxi service to, Manhattan and South Street Seaport.  A delicious ice cream parlor, The River Cafe, and a few other dining choices are right there.  For kids, there’s also a great indoor carousel, and then there’s Jacques Torres Chocolates at 66 Water Street for the kid in all of us.

STROLL THE BROOKLYN HEIGHTS PROMENADE…

This is the most beautiful corner of Brooklyn and a perch with legendary views of Manahattan.

CHEER ON THE BADGERS!!!

The Badgers take on the Wolverine’s at Ann Arbor on Saturday at 3:30PM EST.  It’s a big game for the Badger faithful, and thankfully it’s a nationally televised game on ABC!  There was some talk about taking over a local Ft. Greene sports bar called Mullane’s Bar and Grill, but that location has not been finalized. Since the picnic is off and there’s no need to stay near Ft. Greene Park, perhaps people want to convene at the Kettle of Fish in the city, the best Wisconsin Bar this side of the Mississippi.   Perhaps folks interested in watching the game can leave comments on this post so others can keep track of the crowd and stick together.

BOWLING?

There are two worthwhile spots to bowl in Brooklyn.  Melody Lanes in Sunset Park and Gutter in Williamsburg.  Both are far flung locations and would probably require a car, taxi or car service if you don’t know your way around the subways.

CAR SERVICE NUMBERS

You can try to hail a taxi in Brooklyn, but it’s not an easy thing to do (especially on a rainy day).  Thankfully, Brooklyn has a host of car services that you can call to pick you up and take you anywhere in the five boroughs.  Here are a few numbers to keep handy.

Arecibo Car Service:  (718) 783-6465 (the most reliable car service)

Eastern Car Service:  (866) 499-7177

Myrtle Car Service:  (718) 230-0997

Evelyn Car Service:  (718) 230-7800

We will try to keep you posted about any other changes in the wedding weekend schedule, and we will be posting details about where and when to catch the bus in a day or two, so stay tuned!

So, the plan for the evening of Saturday, September 27th has come together perfectly!  We will enjoy a cozy rehearsal dinner with our families at Frankie’s 457 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn), from 6-9PM, right after which we cordially invite everyone else to descend on the conjoined establishments of P.J. Hanley’s Tavern and South Brooklyn Pizza.  P.J. Hanley’s holds the distinction of being the oldest bar in Brooklyn, and while South Brooklyn Pizza is a brand new addition, it has already caught New York Magazine’s fancy. There will be three bars to choose from.  One in the pub, one outdoors on a sprawling patio (see below), and one in the pizza parlor where we will have exclusive access and folks can order pies until 10:30PM…so no excuse for drinking on an empty stomach!

Directions to Frankie’s 457 and P.J. Hanley’s/South Brooklyn Pizza (both on same block):  Take the F or G train to the Carroll Street stop and exit near intersection of Smith St and 2nd Place.  Walk one block west to Court Street from Smith and proceed south (left) on Court 4 blocks; or by car, take the Brooklyn Bridge to the Cadman Plaza exit and head left at the exit and proceed south on Court street 2 miles (both spots are on Court Street between 4th Place and Luquer Street).

After months spent wandering in a manic daze, pointing scan guns at inanimate objects while Clear Channel playlists ate wormholes into our brains, we are stunned to announce that we have actually completed our wedding registry!  In fact, to keep things interesting, we actually have four separate registries at Crate & Barrel, Bloomingdale’s, Barneys, and REI.  All four registries can be accessed at The Wedding Channel by clicking here.  If you have any problems accessing or understanding our registries, feel free to email us at tomaudia2008@gmail.com.  If, for some reason, there are no more items left in our registries, don’t panic!  You can just go to our Crate and Barrel and get us a gift card, which will be most welcome we assure you.  Thanks so much for supporting the cause, and happy hunting!

STOP THE PRESSES!  We’ve just learned that there is a new hotel, actually named the “Nu Hotel”, right here in Brooklyn that seems to have better rates than the Marriott.  You can click here to read a local blog’s fairly favorable review of the hotel, or you can click here to go right to their website (www.nuhotelbrooklyn.com). It’s a smaller hotel and may fill up faster, so if you’re interested, probably best to book it soon.  If anyone has any luck or trouble finding deals at either hotel, please feel free to comment on this post to help others out with their lodging search.  Thanks!

While we’re at it, this just in from the same reliable source who brought us news of the Nu Hotel:

Just a practical note encouraging our guests to leave two things behind when they come to our wedding:

1)  KIDS.  Newborns can get a pass to stay with Mommy, but if your kid is bigger than a bread basket, and bipedal, it’s probably best to find a sitter (preferably an all-night sitter).  For one, we won’t have enough food for kiddies.  As well, their bedtimes will likely come right in the middle of all the fun and shuttling them home and returning to the Queens Farm will be an unthinkable odyssey.  We just don’t want parents to have to leave early and run the risk of not making it back.

2)  HIGH HEELS.  The wedding location is a working farm, need I say more?  The barn and tent will have actual “floors”, but everywhere else, it’s pastureland.  Wedges may be your best bet.

Thanks for understanding!

Hopefully you’ve received your invitation to the wedding by now.  If you have yet to drop your RSVP card in the mail, please take a second to consider checking the box(es) to reserve a seat(s) on the charter bus to/from the Queens Farm Museum, or both.  The bus is there to make your journey fun and easy, and to eliminate the risk of drunk driving.  You can depart from the Queens Farm by personal car, car service, or LIRR train, but the bus keeps it oh so simple and the bride and groom will be on board!  The outgoing bus will leave from a location in Brooklyn (TBD, but nearby the Atlantic Avenue subway station at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues) and will return to Flatbush Farm, where you can join us for a little nightcap or head home by taxi or subway.  If you reserve a seat, it will cost $10 one way ($20/roundtrip), payable in cash when you get on the bus.  We need to get a head count so that we can figure out how many souls we need to transport, and whether we may need to charter an extra bus.  If, for any reason, you have already RSVP’ed without checking either bus box, and want to change your mind, just email us at tomaudia2008@gmail.com before August 1st, and we’ll get you on the list.

For those of you making the trip to our wedding, we sincerely want to make the trip as easy on you and your wallets as possible.  That said, finding local friends with guest rooms or comfortable couches will obviously be the most affordable option.  If such bargain accommodations can’t be found, here are the best, most inexpensive, lodging options we have found after exhaustive research.

HOTELS:  First, hotels in New York aren’t cheap.  And, second, Brooklyn hotels are few and far between.  The best bet we’ve found so far is the Nu Hotel on Smith Street, which is cheap and in a great location.  If the Nu Hotel is booked up for any reason, there’s always The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge if you are desperate.

VRBO’s:  One cheap way to stay, especially for groups, seems to be through the Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) website (www.vrbo.com) that shows some promising apartment rentals in Brooklyn.  Note that the most convenient neighborhoods in Brooklyn are going to be Ft. Greene, Park Slope, and Prospect Heights, and then Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Brooklyn Heights are also fairly manageable.

For Manhattan lodging, which is certainly doable, you are on your own and in for longer commutes.  If you do choose to stay in Manhattan, best to stay towards downtown and close to trains to Brooklyn. You can see an NYC subway map by clicking here, or you can look at a little Google map I’ve worked up that shows some of the wedding weekend locations.

If you have any problems finding lodging, or if you find some particularly good lodging possibility that we’ve missed, please email us at tomaudia2008@gmail.com.  Thanks and good hunting!