PlanetEye

Local Expert: Steve Mirsky

Outside of my well worn daily routine, I consider every place I visit to be a travel experience. Whether it's hunting down the best Turkish coffee a few subway stops away or taking you inside the shimmering Skyscaper Museum next to Battery Park, I...

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Latest posts from our New York expert:

July 05, 2008
Attraction

The Brooklyn Lyceum

It's one of those things that I just stumbled upon...it was right under my nose but it took a guy handing out flyers and his utterance of the word "free" to command my attention.  Steep stone steps led me to The Brooklyn Lyceum on 4th Ave. in Park Slope, once known as Public Bath #7.  This solid wide arched Beaux Arts gem still retains traces of its past life with "MEN" and "WOMEN" etched above the two entrances and terra-cotta mosaics up near the roofline depict water scenes. Largely abandoned since the 1970s, computer consultant turned arts patron Eric Richmond reopened it as a multipurpose arts venue in 2002. Today the main space, a 3,600-square-foot brick-lined theater with cavernous ceilings and folding chairs on risers not only gives musicians and artists a venue to perform but also gives the rest of Brooklyn some space to hang out. Beyond the indie film festivals, cabaret shows, and free live music, it's common for the stripped down bare brick interior to be converted to a half court for pickup basketball or batting cages for some indoor grand slams. Creativity reigns anew when open mic sessions and drum circles take over in the evening.  A small on-site café, El Cafetin, sells coffee, beer, scones, and other light fare during performances, but also opens early on weekday mornings catching commuters rushing to the Union St. subway station just outside.
Insider's Rating:
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Ave.

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