This is a RSS file. Copy the URL into your aggregator of choice. If you don't know what this means and want to learn more, please see: http://platial.typepad.com/news/2006/04/really_simple_t.html for more info. http://www.platial.com Places tagged brooklyn on Platial.com http://www.platial.com/post/2091474 Tags: brooklyn, steak, williamsburg, porterhouse

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.710015 -74.009773 platialUser:ramaaysola 2007-09-20 23:11:36.826346+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049429
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.66462 -73.97688 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:40.050109+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562344 DUMBO Tour, Location 7 While you often see mice and rats in the subway, how often can you smell them? Well, they can smell you. If they are stressed, rats will give off a special odor, perhaps the smell of fear. Other rats around them will smell the odor and their brains will give them a dose of pain relief, preparing them for the worst. Rats even know where you are by a few whiffs alone, because they can smell in stereo, and figure out which direction an odor is coming from. They have a Dolby experience of all the smells of your body, all these different bodies and underground musts and street sweeping from all over the city coming together into one, nebulous macrocosmic odor. Do you think there is a mathematical quotient of all of our individual body scents put together, or do you think there is a half life of unique odor that eventually degrades into a common human odor? Gawker.com has compiled a map of subway smells. It is no surprise that many of these are vomit, mold and feces. The macrocosmic odor of the bowels of the city—literally—flood the subway tracks on a fairly regular basis. Most of the city’s sewage is routed underground to the Newtown Creek sewage treatment plant in Queens, and the pipes busted a leak that flooded the G tracks with raw sewage. But even though sewage goes all the way to Newtown Creek from all over the city, 2.7 million gallons of it are dumped into the creek every year. It smells particularly bad in the heat.
Tags: brooklyn, subway, smell, rats, underground, art, new york, stinky, odor, smelling committee, dumbo, earthy, rskk

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.701521 -73.986747 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 21:25:35.16262+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/80354
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.719941 -73.948116 platialUser:justinyc 2006-05-09 07:48:27.869291+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/10
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.678501 -73.963898 platialUser:janedoe 2006-01-27 23:06:38.568401+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2289 Tags: user, interface, brooklyn, autumn.leaves, nice.bathroom.tile, old.oak.trees, red.acer.maple, retro.kitchen, design, portland, platial, graphic design, user interface, insite web publishing, consulting

Map this on Platial
]]> 45.495914 -122.649217 platialUser:kbeadle 2006-01-26 16:09:11.959324+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2812 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703157 -73.991692 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 16:44:12+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2827 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703157 -73.991692 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 16:45:16+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2828 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.727532 -74.007157 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 16:45:18+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2871 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.727532 -74.007157 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 16:54:21+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/3136 Tags: brooklyn, kids, hot.cocoa, cocoa, hot.chocolate, ice., rink, skating

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.655964 -73.963223 platialUser:deisnor 2005-12-19 15:30:00.114742+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/7138 Tags: community garden, children, vegetables, brooklyn, flowers

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.705272 -73.94331 platialUser:cenyc 2006-01-02 18:04:34.053434+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/7139 Tags: community garden, brooklyn, flowers

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.684552 -73.986622 platialUser:cenyc 2006-01-02 17:58:43.466225+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/481 Tags: facade, topless, construction, brooklyn, brick, ruins

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.683399 -74.004501 platialUser:jason 2005-07-22 03:45:47+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/692 Tags: abandoned, landmark, wpa, empty, birthday, brooklyn, n=williamsburg, pool, fire, sneak.in, old, streetart, graffiti, ruins

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.7192 -73.949501 platialUser:jason 2005-09-23 12:43:32+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/4085920 Tags: brooklyn, victory, obama, dancing in the streets, ft.greene

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.679015 -73.964387 platialUser:danceparty 2008-11-05 06:24:38.58544+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1576 Tags: alt.art, brooklyn, ragers, n=williamsburg, ur11211, skatespot, skateboard, shop

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.720848 -73.957901 platialUser:jason 2005-09-23 10:48:59+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2609 Tags: icy, brooklyn, traffic, gnarly, cold, bridge, huge, view, danger, bike, bikes, nyc, bike lane, critical mass, bumps, momories, pollution, gentrification, loud, dangerous bumps, fumes, car exhaust, green around the gills, old sugar factory, what would you do without it, hipsterville

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.712394 -73.968458 platialUser:deisnor 2006-02-03 09:22:50.186923+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2624 Tags: summer, sidewalk, brooklyn, ruins, sad, fire hydrant, fallen, court street

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.68853 -73.99262 platialUser:jason 2005-12-13 02:52:08+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2625 Tags: brooklyn, dog, offspring, rollingbrunar

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.727161 -73.95215 platialUser:jason 2006-01-28 11:49:11.846785+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2682 Tags: bowl, brooklyn, fast, pool, concrete, park, skatepark, free, street, fun, hill, family, skate, kids, skateboarding, sledding, snow, winter, winter adventure, exciting, skate park, old school, outdooor, helmet, beltway

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.640433 -74.031801 platialUser:tracy_the_astonishing 2006-02-13 00:24:07.922564+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/44592 Tags: brooklyn, williamsburg, kat, ian, filmlab, bunkerfilms

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.711191 -73.962789 platialUser:jesseg 2006-03-24 03:39:13.552742+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2813 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.727532 -74.007157 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 16:44:14+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2870 Tags: lines, homemade, handmade, brooklyn, smooth, fresh, best, decadent, chocolate, delicious, natural, luscious, scrumptious, creamy, satiny

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703157 -73.991692 platialUser:system 2005-12-14 22:13:06+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/50481 Tags: brooklyn, bookstore, zines, williamsburg

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.716153 -73.959343 platialUser:edshepp 2006-03-29 08:37:27.702011+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/50791 Tags: brooklyn, subway, ed shepp, f train

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.707433 -73.985775 platialUser:edshepp 2006-03-30 07:01:29.631106+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/56160
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.717322 -73.958212 platialUser:aphrodjac 2006-04-09 09:59:14.694496+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92133 Tags: brooklyn, bars, new york, williamsburg, new york city

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.71739 -73.956057 platialUser:h3athrow 2006-06-14 13:09:42.641877+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/89547 Tags: summer, brooklyn, pizza, fun, drinking, madness, going out, toga

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.665796 -73.965025 platialUser:doublezy 2006-06-14 15:22:37.809513+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/89971 Tags: street art, horses, brooklyn, horse, fun, sellwood, pony, performance art, keep portland weird, toy, ponies, whimsy, what makes portland great, horse rings, wild wild west, horsing around, art installation, aladin, brooklyn park, milwaukie

Map this on Platial
]]> 45.500931 -122.653755 platialUser:oskifan 2006-06-07 11:56:07.861593+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92139 Tags: brooklyn, restaurants, new york, new york city, greenpoint

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.723635 -73.950709 platialUser:h3athrow 2006-06-14 13:15:23.349403+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/7127 Tags: community garden, children, vegetables, brooklyn, flowers, trees, cenyc, plantalot, shrubs

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.66513 -73.91431 platialUser:cenyc 2006-01-02 18:04:59.00468+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/7134 Tags: community garden, brooklyn, fruit trees

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.674716 -73.884754 platialUser:cenyc 2006-01-02 18:06:00.221295+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/286839
Map this on Platial
]]> 37.86167 -107.71389 platialUser:baobot 2006-09-28 14:46:21.505171+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/34093 Tags: brooklyn, park, bicycling

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.661369 -73.970604 platialUser:cbrayton 2006-02-03 09:16:18.587073+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/34094 Tags: brooklyn, library, park, memorial, art, arch, historic, civil war, traffic circle, prospect park, atlantic, flatbush, subway.2.3

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.672827 -73.969231 platialUser:cbrayton 2006-02-04 09:13:10.772007+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/34095 Tags: brooklyn, blog, blogger, blogalization

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.672013 -73.955712 platialUser:cbrayton 2006-02-03 09:21:44.113669+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/35112 Tags: hanson, art institute, bird watching, dauphin, real estate, fashion, tony, anne, vancouver, detroit, people, brooklyn, pier, cinema, berlin, beaches, world, athens, madrid, pizza, mall, location, hometown, family, me, kids, toronto, milford, gay, san diego, snow, new york, paris, mexico, hong kong, social, yosemite, new york city, wrigley field, reading, records, boston, mountain biking, seattle, israel, golf courses, san francisco, reputation, vinyl, japan, concord, africa, argentina, south africa, mcdonalds, arlington, estonia, minneapolis, web design, salt lake city, bristol, tehran, web 2.0, mississippi, trust, charleston, new orleans, atlanta, north america, united states, las vegas, lakewood, denver, romania, chile, fresno, wine bar, sydney, philadelphia, united kingdom, garden state, milwaukee, quilting, brasil, north carolina, ohio, electronics, montreal, majorca, sacramento, coffe, salem, sidney, jacksonville, grand canyon, greece, omg, birding, montana, baltimore, tibet, barcelona, winter park, little rock, home town, british columbia, pennsylvania, nottingham, philly, va, yokohama, been there, el paso, savannah, hamilton, portugal, sol, lynn, honduras, columbus, bulgaria, livingston, allentown, orlando, melissa, central point, philippines, new delhi, naples, hungary, lima, sid, carolyn, new haven, greenville, new castle, orleans, tulsa, worcester, marquette, des moines, shawnee, valencia, susan, cork, title or search term, milano, harold, corpus christi, nederland, dubai, fort, portsmouth, brooklyn ny, copenhagen, carlisle, jersey city, stock exchange, cooper, karen, pill, lone, mj, walnut, split, listen, easton, what, ebb, belfast, pontiac, marilyn, leavenworth, omaha, stoughton, nero, longmeadow, bev, new port richey, north philly, the northern red sea, plainville, detroit mi, detroit mi, st augustine, amherst, janet, regent hotel, janette, place name, union city, park ave , the maple room, acadia national park, coffe shops, atlanta ga, walt disney world, rome italy, eastern shore, big bear, monterrey, london england, southern exposure, hollywood ca, valley village, villa park, the hub, south boston, mysore, great scott, telluride, north little rock, pompano beach, maryland science center, westbury, value village, smoke shop, vineland, fort lewis, nasdaq, world bank, mountain laurel, cape verde, worcester college oxford, dina, merced ca , soul of the sea, longview washington, villa park , columbus georgia, carter lisa, washington state university library, your my favorite actress, long island city ny, philadelphia pa, hackettstown nj, wine bar inc, gulf breeze fl, chris powers, hartley kent, fox park, port st lucie, north chicago, wildcat st, the pill, i 29, art and design high school, home spain, void, north bergen, virgina beach virgina, glenn abbey, malaga spain, kens place, evansville in, malaga spain, san juan capistrano ca, ll, river run village, hillview, mana foods, brooklyn park mn, c block, os, gospel hill, white mountain national , lincoln nebraska, pensacola florida, the kimballs , bowling green ky, arlington draft house, camden yards, capital federal, body shop, sherry williamson, st mary s lake, handy market, new harbour, broken spoke, california lutheran university, debbie, appalachian trail, stars complex, april and cats, water street books, st stephens green, grand central, east side gallery, budget host inn, massapequa ny, niland ca, marion s, woodside map, vancouver bc, going for a walk, 1 world avenue, uae, bay village, national theatre, museum of contemporary, what up, love s seafood steaks, missouri home, parish church, all over, kb, stock market, christopher page, pd, salt house, boston store, the three kings, warner robins ga, south bank , matthew west, david s books, christ fellowship, morning star church, jim cook, manteca california, indianapolis in, lenexa, grass valley ca, grass valley ca, chester county

Map this on Platial
]]> 0 0 platialUser:ikarma 2006-02-10 21:06:44.75699+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/35939 Tags: brooklyn, tennis, art, fun, nyc, drinking, olympix

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.715525 -73.93618 platialUser:jason 2006-02-19 00:35:46.695202+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/36028 Tags: golf, waterfront, brooklyn, sport, olympics, fire, art, danger, fun, williamsburg, olympix

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.716412 -73.966731 platialUser:jason 2006-02-20 16:59:03.074619+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/36065 Tags: brooklyn, chess, fun, party, williamsburg, contest, drugs, olympix

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.714053 -73.951383 platialUser:hive 2006-02-21 11:02:20.573809+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/38191 Videos: Like a Summer Rain (Quicktime / stream) Echoes (Quicktime / stream) The indie pop unit Ladybug Transistor was led by vocalist/guitarist Gary Olson, a onetime string stretcher and key inspector at his family's piano factory; the group debuted in 1996 with the LP Marlborough Farms, titled after Olson's Brooklyn-area home recording studio. After a line-up change which left only Olson and drummer Edward Powers remaining from Ladybug Transistor's original roster, Saturnine guitarist Jennifer Baron and her bassist brother Jeff were recruited prior to recording 1997's Beverly Atonale, issued on Merge. After completing the LP, Powers exited, and was replaced by Individual Fruit Pie drummer San Fadyl. The group's wonderful third album, The Albemarle Sound, followed in 1999. Argyle Heir, with its indie kitsch stylings, was released in spring 2001. - allmusic.com
Tags: brooklyn, music, new york, the ladybug transistor, gary olson, jeff baron, jennifer baron, mp3

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.65 -73.95 platialUser:baostar 2006-05-06 03:20:33.347596+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049425 Tags: brooklyn, events, reviews, 200 fifthbrooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.676677 -73.980311 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:38.859186+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049428
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.72349 -73.95165 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:39.639105+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/41440 Tags: brooklyn, crowded, climbing, night, lake, bar, dark, art, fun, memories, williamsburg, jake hartman, pre 911, reflection pool, carrie dashow

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.719131 -73.961564 platialUser:jason 2006-03-17 21:55:18.445895+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/66555 Tags: brooklyn, thrift

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.721359 -73.957748 platialUser:dvd 2006-04-23 17:30:59.100309+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/50482 Tags: closed, brooklyn, blog, coffeeshop

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703233 -73.987496 platialUser:edshepp 2006-03-29 08:55:36.338982+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/75401 Tags: brooklyn, bar, gay

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.670855 -73.984902 platialUser:edshepp 2006-04-28 10:48:21.878785+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/66751 Tags: brooklyn, thrift

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.676105 -73.98079 platialUser:dvd 2006-04-23 17:26:43.863133+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/35656 Tags: brooklyn, cocktails, pratt, leg warmers, old school brooklyn, fedoras

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.686667 -73.975731 platialUser:deisnor 2006-02-15 16:19:37.66849+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/98517 Tags: brooklyn, apartment, home, safe, park slope

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.672558 -73.981041 platialUser:gtrefry 2006-07-09 14:31:01.059994+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/85349 Tags: drink, brooklyn, beer, party, tour, microbrew

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.733774 -73.685052 platialUser:tracy_the_astonishing 2006-05-23 11:50:03.212343+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/86954 Tags: brooklyn, art, culture, brooklyn museum

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.67115 -73.964167 platialUser:deisnor 2006-05-27 21:31:04.833866+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92126 Tags: brooklyn, music, new york, williamsburg, new york city, record stores

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.720049 -73.955348 platialUser:h3athrow 2006-06-14 12:51:52.122996+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92136 Tags: brooklyn, pizza, restaurants, new york, new york city, greenpoint

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.723807 -73.95068 platialUser:h3athrow 2006-06-14 13:13:22.620461+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92141 Tags: brooklyn, bars, new york, new york city, greenpoint

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.725604 -73.944615 platialUser:h3athrow 2006-06-14 13:17:54.246805+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/92970 fake one way street in sf
Tags: brooklyn, traffic, surprise, one way, anomolies, feeling crazy, lincoln place

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.673266 -73.965132 platialUser:jason 2006-06-16 14:53:36.228352+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/99528 Tags: door buzzer, push to exit, art space, 11211, trapped, brooklyn, williamsburg, sketchy

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.719388 -73.961914 platialUser:jason 2006-07-11 17:20:39.849315+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/102312 Tags: full house, brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 37.784628 -122.433191 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/223300 Tags: piers, best place to, burned out cars, brooklyn, cars, burn

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.721356 -73.963351 platialUser:jason 2006-08-31 06:42:14.586164+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/226559 Tags: brooklyn, snacks, kimchee, drinks, beer, food, late night, williamsburg, hot dog, panasian, grand st, sake

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.714404 -73.96067 platialUser:jason 2006-09-05 20:32:35.859764+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/229844
Tags: sloyan, ferry, brooklyn, memorial, art, nyc, 911, twin towers, world trade center, 5 years, fulton

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.7034238013 -73.9952373505 platialUser:jason 2006-09-11 10:48:29.951817+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/230551 Tags: ice cream, summer, ferry, brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703252998 -73.994794786 platialUser:jason 2006-09-12 01:15:37.151989+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1751492 Tags: brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 38.576634 -121.481194 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1751625 Tags: brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 37.957907 -122.508428 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1751613 Tags: brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 37.785833 -122.2475 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1751636 Tags: brooklyn, san francisco ca

Map this on Platial
]]> 37.775652 -122.419525 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1776645 Tags: brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.72988 -73.99072 platialUser:system 1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/368906
Map this on Platial
]]> 39.51639 -119.91889 platialUser:system 2006-10-14 06:04:11.395664+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2591141
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.718534 -73.954821 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-24 07:52:23.602579+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/436925
Map this on Platial
]]> 41.37194 -106.24944 platialUser:system 2006-10-16 14:06:14.297486+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/4416544 Tags: tacos, brooklyn

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.7172167565 -73.9585447311 platialUser:tacosporvida 2009-02-17 20:45:49.524397+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562124 DUMBO Tour, Location 8 The first Smelling Committee was in search of unseen maladies. People in the 19th and early 20th centuries used to have to close their windows all summer due to the foul industrial stenches. John D. Rockefeller chose Newtown Creek as the site for his Standard Oil company in 1870. What was once a playground of wealthy mansions quickly transformed into a hotbed shuttling industry goods to and from the ocean along the railroad. There were oil refineries, sewage treatment plants and factories like the Cooper Glue Company (founder of the Cooper Union art and design school), which boiled the refuse of tanneries and slaughterhouses into glue and gelatin. Soon all kinds of industrial wastes were filling the creek, including a mixture of glue and putrefying bovines that formed what was known as Dead Animal Wharf. In the early 1900’s, the 3 ½ mile creek did almost as much business as the Mississippi River in pure tonnage. The Mississippi is 3,900 miles long. The oil refineries have had a long-lasting effect on Brooklyn, Queens and the East River. Even as the waterfront is developed into lofts and condos, a glossy rainbow of oil slick and black goo is slowly expanding into the East River, underground and along the shoreline of Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Queens, stretching towards Manhattan and deeper into Brooklyn. Residents can smell gas in their pipes especially when it rains and the water molecules make the odor more apparent. The Newtown Creek is so toxic that fireman who swallowed some of the creek water while saving someone from drowning, died two days later. One of the world’s largest oil spills occurred in the 1940s and 50s due to underground leaks. ExxonMobil is primarily held responsible for the17 million gallon oil spill, which encompasses 55 acres and growing. The spill was discovered about 30 years later in 1978. Although the spill is larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska and it’s in an urban area, clean-up only began in 1995 and has been painfully slow. Merely 8.5 million gallons of the toxic sludge have been removed. There is a very active group of advocates and residents called Riverkeeper that monitors the creek, and recently won a lawsuit to have the State Attorney General prosecute the case, as well as have the EPA perform a study of the toxicity and effects of the spill. As a prime example of the entrepreneurial spirit and tradition of DIY Williamsburg, a fellow who learned about the spill and began drilling for oil. But he only got about 20 feet down before neighbors began complaining about the stench.
Tags: recycling, brooklyn, smell, art, new york, industry, stinky, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703802 -73.987924 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 19:21:16.211006+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2591227
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.719711 -73.953318 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-24 07:58:47.324631+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/5012890 Tags: brooklyn, bridge, nyc, williamsburg, dyerohmeb

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.713175131 -73.9700889587 platialUser:dyerohmeb 2009-08-01 20:11:58.789287+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049426 - Time Out New York
Tags: brooklyn, events, reviews, black betty

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.713963 -73.955774 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:39.088585+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049431
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.722476 -73.947696 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:40.632419+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/36066 Tags: brooklyn, fun, party, dancing, drinking, williamsburg, contest, olympix, erotic

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.714053 -73.951383 platialUser:hive 2006-02-21 11:06:36.383303+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/36624 Tags: boxing, waterfront, brooklyn, movie, history, shipping, docks, marlon brando

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703806 -73.992662 platialUser:hive 2006-02-23 22:24:33.1042+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/41714 Tags: brooklyn, turntable, trains, roundhouse

Map this on Platial
]]> 45.491141 -122.645745 platialUser:tinzeroes 2006-03-20 12:12:46.39719+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/66957 Tags: brooklyn, cute, coffeetea

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.671279 -73.984384 platialUser:dvd 2006-04-23 17:36:17.236791+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/5167842 Tags: brooklyn, bird, trees, park, Ft. Greene

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.6925484496 -73.9760327339 platialUser:aews175 2009-09-20 11:52:19.123156+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/820697
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.713907 -73.948476 platialUser:dsel 2006-11-08 08:00:05.437946+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/832852 Tags: brooklyn, coffee, nyc, williamsburg, *****

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.714794 -73.956733 platialUser:dsel 2006-11-16 07:40:16.339628+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049427 Tags: brooklyn, events, reviews, club europa

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.711731 -73.923581 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:39.365122+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049430 Tags: brooklyn, events, reviews, thomas jefferson high school

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.667546 -73.894785 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:40.347509+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049432
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.717062 -73.963067 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:31:40.857907+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/1049664 Tags: green business, brooklyn, events, new york, reviews, urban spring, green biz

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.707725 -73.915743 platialUser:baobot 2007-03-07 20:32:47.86648+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562321 DUMBO Tour, Location 5 What does fitness smell like? We excrete more than just sweat, salt and bodily toxins. In addition to our unique genetic scent, our apocrine glands give off pheromones— odorants tied to sexuality— that we detect with our vomeronasal system, which is thought to operate more or less independently of the olfactory system. It is contested whether the vomeronasal system is an organ that developed entirely separately of the olfactory epithelium, but it most definitely bypasses the cognitive centers of the brain and goes straight to survival behaviors and emotions in the limbic system. In the infamous book Perfume by Patrick Süskind, the main character Grenouille has an extraordinary sense of smell, but gives off no odor himself. He determines that he can rule the world by developing a perfume from the harvested scent of pubescent virgins. Clever fellow! While much research is being performed on isolating pheromones, no one has yet been successful in synthesizing these mysterious aphrodisiacs. The International Flavors and Fragrances company conducted what must have been a tremendously extensive study, as they concluded that women who are exposed to a heavy dosage of male musk on a regular basis develop shorter menstrual cycles, ovulate more frequently, and conceive more easily. Using odor in conception is nothing new. The sixth century Greek obstetrician Aetios of Amida wrote, “To test whether or not a woman will conceive, they resort to these means: burn resin under the lower garments so that vapor enters the genital passage. If the odor passes through the body and reaches the mouth and nostrils, she will conceive. Otherwise, she is sterile.” Pheromones can become embedded in clothing, linens and furniture. Researchers conducted a study in which a single woman sported t-shirts throughout the month, sinking her pheromones into their cotton fibers. A couple of these t-shirts were then given to male test subjects to sniff, who were asked a trick question about whether they thought the woman wearing t-shirt “A” was more attractive than the woman wearing t-shirt “B.” Although it was the same woman, the men consistently reported that one t-shirt had a more beautiful wearer, and this t-shirt was the one the woman wore while ovulating. Think about how the next time you deposit your clothes at a thrift store, you are also donating your pheromones. Perhaps you have experienced this if you bought something at a vintage shop or borrowed a friend’s shirt. It smelled clean enough when you pulled it off the rack, but once you warmed it up against your skin you found yourself giving off someone else’s distinctive odor that did not belong to you.
Tags: gym, brooklyn, smell, art, new york, stinky, sweat, odor, smelling committee, dumbo, pheromone

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.702537 -73.990473 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 21:14:37.593557+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562350 DUMBO Tour, Location 9 There are always some days of Collective Smelling Experiences in New York. Perhaps you were around in the fall of 2005 to be part of the Collective Maple Syrup Mystery? A sweet, permeating goodness deposited its odorants into the nostrils of people throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. It smelled like maple syrup, or a buttery caramelized sugary sweetness. The Gothamist dubbed it “Eggoterrorism.” And no one could figure out what it was. The Department of Environmental Protection was out sniffing with no results. But beyond testing the air for certain volatile organic compounds, they had no better analytical tool than their own set of professional schnauzes. The scent of Aunt Jemima could only be mapped and analyzed the old-fashioned way: with the body. Or perhaps you were among those who Collectively Flipped Out this January during the Smell of Fear incident, when a sulfuric smell like leaking gas permeated Manhattan, parts of Staten Island and New Jersey. The incident rekindled intensely emotional 9/11 panic among thousands of people, while the mayor tried to quell fear of a terrorist attack and ConEdison scrambled to find the source of a gas leak. When no leak was found, some suggested it was a spill of one of the many varieties of mercaptan, a stinky, harmless compound used to scent otherwise odorless natural gas. When the hunt for overflowing mercaptan proved fruitless, New York-New Jersey antagonism invigorated the desperate search for a source. The industrialized marshlands of Manhattan’s neighbor were soon blamed for the nauseating stench, to the Collective Infuration of New Jersey’s residents and officials. While the Hindustan Times would probably never write an article about the distinctly acrid, foul smell of hot bog juice, torched outhouse and stinging Everclear released by the infected green and yellow mucous clouds of a routine Los Angeles smog alert, this New York miasma made news across the world and provided fresh comic material for celebrities. But once the odor had dissipated, the hunt was over and the paranoia dwindled. For most anyway. But scientists at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory continued to investigate, only to uncover evidence of the very realistic threat of pollution in New York’s waters. What the Eggoterrorism and Smell of Fear incidents both had in common were meteorological episodes called “inversion layers,” where a bubble of cold air drenched in stinky pollutants gets trapped beneath a layer of warm air, hovering and spreading low to the ground. The inversion layer combined with southern winds sweeping into Manhattan across particularly low tides at large marshlands like Jamaica Bay and Kill Van Kull. The rank breath of the waters is a result of excessive nutrient loading from sewage, fertilizers, chemical run-off and other pollutants that cannot be processed from the low oxygen levels of sparse plants and fish in a degraded and unsafe marine habitat. The Smell of Fear incident was thus yet another alert to our bodies of the threat of ourselves.
Tags: brooklyn, smell, park, art, water, new york, fresh air, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703902 -73.990651 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 21:29:17.597959+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2591107
Map this on Platial
]]> 40.718174 -73.955283 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-24 07:39:13.70891+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/4251387 Tags: tacos, ny, brooklyn, food, mexican restaurant

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.693622 -73.964429 platialUser:tacosporvida 2008-12-30 13:31:42.588398+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/5121837 Tags: texture, brooklyn, house, family, pool table, multi level

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.693104 -73.936103 platialUser:rzthrun 2009-09-05 17:14:43.151282+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2544470
Tags: brooklyn, island, park, bikes, nyc, bike lanes

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.6737055689 -73.9701747894 platialUser:jason 2008-01-02 13:15:51.452133+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562138 DUMBO Tour, Location 1 Thank you for joining the Smelling Committee today, over 100 years after the Committee’s first olfactory expedition, to map out some of the odors that are here in this neighborhood of New York City. For a touch of history, I will bring you back to 1891 when, “Irritated by the foul stenches that wafted through their northeast Brooklyn neighborhood, members of the Fifteenth Ward Smelling Committee embarked on a boat trip up Newtown Creek in September… in search of the responsible parties. They reached a point across from the oil refineries where ‘the stenches began asserting themselves with all the vigor of fully developed stenches.’ What the Smelling Committee quickly discovered was that an unusually heavy concentration of industrial activity… had transformed the area around Newtown Creek into an ecological wasteland.” The Committee deemed the Creek the most polluted body of water in the State of New York, and it remains one of the most polluted rivers in the country. We will not be venturing all the way to Newtown Creek today, but we’re going to investigate what else is smelling in the city. As you are sniffing, it might be useful to think about how the olfactory system works. Your olfactory regions are moist, fatty and richly yellow. The deeper yellow your olfactory region, the more perceptive your sense of smell. Inside your nose are about 1,000 odor receptors, of which only about 347 are functional. Each receptor contains thousands of sensory neurons, totaling about 5 million. Dogs, however, possess approximately 220 million olfactory neurons. Unlike neurons in the brain or other organs which are gone forever once destroyed, these neurons in your nose are replaced about once a month and protrude like coral branches. On the neurons are tiny cilia branches to which odorant molecules attach when they are captured in a sniff. These odorant molecules are thought to have different shapes that fit like a lock and key into spaces on the neurons. Musks are like discs and airy odors are often rod-shaped. When the cilia capture the odorants, the neurons send an electric signal to the brain’s olfactory bulb, which is just a few centimeters behind your nose. Although it is presently under intense research, it is theorized that a complex spatial mapping of the different triggered receptors permits the brain to identify and remember a scent. Like popcorn, with real or artificial butter. And about 10,000 other odors. There is a unique gene that encodes each of the 1,000 odor receptors, making the olfactory system the largest known gene family in the human body. That says a lot about the complexity of odor. By comparison, just three receptors on the retina allow us to distinguish among several hundred color hues. It does help to shut off those three receptors in your retina when trying to smell things, so take time sniffing with your eyes closed.
Tags: brooklyn, smell, art, new york, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.70353 -73.98956 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 19:38:59.928111+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562156 DUMBO Tour, Location 2 Taste is actually composed of over 80% odor passing across our nasal passages at the soft palette in our mouths. People suffering from a loss of smell, or anosmia, almost entirely lose all sense of taste as well. The smell of such things as baked butterfat, almond paste, honeyed lime, fresh eggs in lemon curd and warmed cocoa are all reduced to textures and such broad categories as sweet, salty, bitter and sour. The unique combinations of scent are what render food delectable and unforgettable. One of the most famous odor and flavor-induced memories comes from Marcel Proust’s novel Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time. Most of our odor memories take us back to the first 10 years of life. Common folklore surrounding the link between odor and memory prompted neuroscientists to coin the term the “Proust Phenomenon,” after the smell and taste of the author’s legendary limeflower tea-logged madelaine cookie that sent him on a multi-tomed trek into visions of past memories. But recent research has shown that while odor may not be a stronger trigger of memory than verbal or visual stimuli, it arouses a more emotional response and is connected to older memories. Smell is unique in its ability to directly access the amygdala, an emotional center of the brain that is part of the limbic system governing survival behaviors like emotion, appetite, fear, reproduction, the storage of memories and their relation to physical sensation. While a fear-inducing experience may only need a single association with an odor to set your adrenaline going the next time you catch a whiff of the same substance, positive correlations with odors take a much longer time to develop. More emotionally-arousing information increases amygdalar activity, and that activity correlates with retention. Odor is also one of our most important sources of information about the external world, familiarizing us with what our home smells like and alerting us to whether something is wrong if it smells different. We form strong associations with odor through repetition. Although you may be smelling a bakery right now, it may not remind you of food at all. The grandmother of one Smelling Committee member, for example, used to wear vanilla as perfume. Whenever she made cookies, her husband would get an erection. The repeated associations of the vanilla smell with his wife’s body and sexuality led to a strong physiological and emotional response to the smell of vanilla in any context.
Tags: bakery, brooklyn, tasty, smell, art, new york, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703263 -73.991146 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 19:47:42.732883+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562170 DUMBO Tour, Location 3 Neighborhoods have their own unique smells, usually formed by who lives and works there. In many New York neighborhoods, there is a sharp disjuncture between the combined cultural smells of a neighborhood’s residents and the lingering industrial warehouses or the growing commercial markets. Their co-existence makes for distinct olfactory blends. What could be the smell of the co-existence of yuppie immigrants, shoe rubber, new condominium cement, shelters, steel restaurant appliances and vintage furniture in this neighborhood? What else can you find? The South Street Seaport Fishmarket that was until recently located in Lower Manhattan, was steeped in tradition and the strong smell of fish guts. When it moved to its new, modern facility in the Bronx with efficient ventilation, the smell of fish was gone and with it the sense of tradition for many of the fish mongerers. One Smelling Committee member described the odor of his Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn as a pungent co-mingling of mangoes and piss. In the mornings, Canal Street and Broadway smells like furry wet metal coated in cold fish oil and hot bacon grease. Over a hundred years ago, Canal St. still smelled fishy and marshy. When New York was the oyster-producing capital of the world, you could buy all-you-can-eat oysters raw or fried, for 6 cents there. Canal Street was converted from a Canal to a street in 1811. It channeled water from a fresh water lake called Collect Pond, just west of what is now Chinatown. When the lake festered and stank with disease and too many pollutants from tanneries, breweries and other industries, it was filled with dirt and turned into a landfill, on the edge of which was built the notorious Five Points slum. Canal Street was also filled and harbored the fishy smells of oyster saloons and brothels for years to come. Does your neighborhood have a distinct cultural or ethnic identity? Does it make it smell a particular way? What does your water smell like? What does the odor of your neighborhood say about the way you live?
Tags: brooklyn, neighborhood, smell, chocolate, art, new york, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.703311 -73.992577 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 19:51:26.126509+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562315 DUMBO Tour, Location 4 We may think of odor as an unconsidered by-product of some needlessly aromatic activity. Body odor as a by-product of physical exertion, or hot dog stands as just the way meat smells when it’s cooked. But many of the odors of food and everyday products are the result of crafted additives. Smells are a huge cash crop in the Metro area. New Jersey has several smell factories, and the International Flavors and Fragrances company has its headquarters in Manhattan. The IFF crafts the perfumes of many top designers including Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent and Estée Lauder, as well as MacDonald’s, Samsung, pop celebrities, laundry soap and fake Christmas trees. And everything is top secret. Odors rely on fatty oils and absorption by water molecules to be observed by our noses. Which is why it’s so hard to smell anything in the dead of winter, things are more smelly in the rain, and also why our own bodies are excellent launching pads for odors of all kinds. We are moist and oily. Our aromatic paranoia of smelling too human makes for a lucrative and complex perfume industry. The replication of worldly odors is a multifarious artform less involved in the distillation of essences than the bizarre combination of chemical compounds and synthetic molecules. What Smelling Committee members may wish to note as well is the careful attention to odor association that some businesses are testing in their stores in a pervasive attempt at olfactory branding. Samsung’s flagship store on the Upper West Side smells faintly tropical, sweet and melony with its new odor identity, also developed by the IFF. Sony also has a unique scent in its stores, which it sends home in sachets in its shopping bags, and is considering impregnating in its plastic packaging. Not only electronics corporations but hotel chains, diamond retailers, amusement parks, golf companies, automobile manufacturers and cell phone stores have also taken advantage of environmental smell technologies. Verizon spent a year developing the chocolate fragrance that accompanied the displays of its LG Chocolate phones, and tested its multinational appeal on noses across the globe. Careful attention has been paid to gendering products, as market research has shown that buyers are twice as likely to stick around and purchase clothing if the ambient odor is feminine for women’s clothing, and masculine for men’s clothing. If women’s clothing is scented with a masculine odor, women are less likely to stick around and buy, and vise versa for men. Olfactory branding is rather hit or miss, as there are few odors with mass appeal and odors are not drugs. But the idea is to directly tap into the limbic system of consumers by establishing an emotional memory that connects olfactory recognition with a brand identity. Smelling Committee members know that it takes longer for a positive olfactory association to be developed than a negative one. Nonetheless, initial studies have shown that, at the very least, pleasant odors tailored to consumers increase receptiveness to a product, the number of times they examine a product, how long they linger over an item, and sometimes that they are willing to pay higher prices. Only more reason to bring one’s consciousness into a daily awareness of olfactory experience.
Tags: brooklyn, shopping, smell, coffee, art, new york, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.702538 -73.990563 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 21:09:07.614754+00:00 http://www.platial.com/post/2562336 DUMBO Tour, Location 6 To whet the olfactory epithelium, we must perform the Smelling Committee Training Procedure. Allow your vision to release its grip on your attention, enabling you to cancel out undesired sensory information as you focus solely on what is flowing through your nostrils. This expedition is not for the timid at heart— there are odors offensive at every turn and scents that can be a struggle to sniff out. We will not be shying away from any of the nitty gritty. Gently mingle with the bodies in the street, making sure you are always within the crowd, touching elbows and toes with others. Broadway is an excellent place to trace intimate, fleeting encounters with human and commercial odors. Draw your attention to your nose, deliberately—but not forcefully—taking in the air around you. An effective way to increase the potency of an odor is to pinch your nose for a while and then suddenly open your nostrils wide, allowing the shock of no smell to sudden bombardment of smell amplify the strength of the sensation. Each one of us is born with a unique genetic scent, which we modify with perfumes, foods and our surrounding environs. Most of what comprises our “body odor” is secreted from our apocrine glands, located at the base of pubic hairs in the armpits, crotch, anus, chest and face, and mix with whatever bacteria and dirt we have hanging out there. While we are often very familiar with our loved ones, it is only those infrequent occasions on a crowded subway car or cramming into an elevator that we get close enough to detect the odor of most strangers. To do so can be an uncomfortably intimate experience—even if the stranger doesn’t smell bad. Odor artist Sissel Tolaas, who works for the Berlin outpost of the perfume giant International Flavors and Fragrances, recently exhibited at M.I.T. a series of “rub and sniff” wall paints embedded with the unique body sweats of several men and animals. Tolaas conducts her own social experiments with the odors, applying a leathery, oniony man sweat to her own body on outings to fancy parties, resulting in the utter confusion and disturbance of those around her. Try to smell the microcosm of these other bodies around you. Can you identify brands of shampoo? Clothing fibers? The ingredients of a restricted diet on someone’s skin?
Tags: brooklyn, smell, art, new york, body, odor, smelling committee, dumbo

Map this on Platial
]]> 40.702523 -73.989623 platialUser:smellcommittee 2008-01-10 21:21:24.333107+00:00