Brooklyn Chatter

It's hot outside, but don't let that stop you from cooling down with a nice refresher. And we aren't talking about rum and coke. We might be past past Spring, but it's never too late for the best summer cocktails of the season. Here's a list of the top 10 summer drinks you can order that will make you feel and look cool both on the inside and out. Liquid Marijuana: Feeling like getting refreshed and buzzed?

By Jon Davis If you've ever wandered through a Brooklyn TJ Maxx wondering whether an item is actually a bargain, you're not alone. For years, shoppers have treated the price tags like simple stickers showing the cost. Now a viral TikTok has many bargain hunters looking much more closely. The video claims the numbers on TJ Maxx price tags reveal hidden information about how long merchandise has been sitting on shelves and whether it may soon be marked down.

By Jon Davis When it comes to home security, technology is bringing new tools to keep tabs on your home. Smart locks are a new home security technology that allow you to lock and unlock your doors from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet. You don't need physical keys with smart lock technology, and you won't get locked out anymore. This technology can be especially helpful to landlords who want to let brokers or potential tenants inside to view the home.

Marie-Line Villers is a pretty, blonde 26-year-old single woman living in New York City. Her outgoing personality lures you in with each quirky expression. Even strangers can detect how much she loves people and yearns to take life to extremes. "I feel alive by doing lots of things, taking random classes, seeing as much as possible. I feel at home when I'm not at home," she says. "The world is such an amazing, interesting, and beautiful place.

You can't miss it, walking along Fifth Avenue. St. Patrick's Cathedral is a gothic site full of history and architecture that draws you in. With more than 3 million visitors each year, St. Patrick's has grown to be more than just the seat of the archdiocese of New York. It has evolved into a museum of New York tradition. The cathedral was originally constructed between 1858-1878.

When summer arrives in Brooklyn, everyone seems to ask the same question: "Where can I find a pool?" Unlike beach towns where swimming is everywhere, Brooklyn requires a little strategy. Some pools are free. Others are tucked inside luxury hotels. A few offer day passes with skyline views, while neighborhood public pools have become summer traditions for generations of New Yorkers.

Brooklyn changes constantly. Restaurants come and go. Neighborhoods evolve. Apartment buildings rise where warehouses once stood. Entire blocks can feel different from one decade to the next. Yet hidden in East Flatbush is a building that has witnessed nearly all of it. Long before the Brooklyn Bridge existed, before New York became America's largest city, and before the United States was even a country, a Dutch farmhouse stood on what was then farmland.

The World Cup only comes around once every four years, but in Brooklyn it feels like a month-long holiday. Walk through the borough during a major match and you'll find packed bars, crowded sidewalks, fans draped in national flags, and strangers suddenly acting like lifelong friends. Soccer has become deeply embedded in Brooklyn culture, thanks in part to the borough's diversity. On any given World Cup night, supporters from dozens of countries may find themselves cheering inside the same bar.

One of the first big East Coast rappers in the 90s was a Brooklynite named Christopher Wallace. You probably never heard of Wallace but I'm sure you've heard of Biggie Smalls. As a young rapper, Biggie spent most of his time on Quincy Street and Bedford Avenue, freestyle rapping on the corner. That was when he wasn't at George Westinghouse High School with future rap legends Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and DMX. Everyone could relate to Biggie's music, making him worldwide famous by the age of 17.

Brooklyn has a funny way of becoming part of your personality. Spend enough time here and you start identifying yourself by neighborhood. People don't simply say they live in Brooklyn. They say they're in Williamsburg. Or Park Slope. Or Bay Ridge. Or Greenpoint. Those neighborhoods carry identities of their own, and residents often lean into them whether they realize it or not. Of course, no neighborhood is limited to one type of person.