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There is only one always-acceptable excuse for lateness: "I live off the G." And you're about to hear (or say) it a lot, thanks to the MTA's decision to shut down service between the Nassau Avenue station in Greenpoint and Court Square in Long Island City from now until September 2nd. (They're repairing tunnels that were flooded by Superstorm Sandy.)
So, if you're one of the 100,000 or so people who will be sorta-stranded for the next five weeks, we've rounded up ten things to do that don't require a subway trip. You can figure out your new shuttle-to-the-East-River-Ferry routine later.
Photo via Word
1. Discover your new summer read at Word. Chat up the super-knowledgeable staff at Greenpoint's Word for book recommendations. (They recently directed us to Red or Dead, about Liverpool Football Club coach Bill Shankly, and A Private Venus, the first in a noir series.)
Photo by Driely S. for Racked
2. Up your caftan game at People of 2Morrow. If you're going to be stuck at home, you may as well pad around in the most glamorous of things-you-don't-need-to-wear-a-bra-with: the embellished caftan. Franklin Street's People of 2Morrow stocks gorgeous $208 hand-embroidered versions from Afghanistan.
Photo via LIC Flea
3. Practice your picking at LIC Flea. Court-Square-dwellers, now that your weekend getaway plans have been thwarted you may as well stick around for some top-notch thrifting.
Photo via Bellocq
4. Kick your $3-to-go-iced-tea habit at Bellocq. This isn't just a tea shop, it's a "tea atelier." Brew the perfect pitcher of iced tea from one of Bellocq's fragrant blends, and casually leave the yellow canister on your counter like, "Lipton? What is that, even?"
Photo via In God We Trust
5. Redefine the BFF necklace at In God We Trust. You could buy matching BFF necklaces for you and your best friend, but why would you when you can pick up matching "Bad Bitch" pendants at In God We Trust's Greenpoint outpost instead?
Photo via Fox and Fawn's Instagram
6. Beat Fox and Fawn's Instagram-stalkers. This Manhattan Avenue buy-sell-trade shop has a rabid Instagram following—items sell seconds after the owners post them to the store's account. The only way to nab that vintage Yanni world tour tee before the double-tappers is to hit up Fox and Fawn in person.
Photo by Driely S. for Racked
7. Pimp your coffee table at ARTBOOK. Is there anything more wallet-draining than a beautiful art book? MoMA PS1's new bookstore is stocked with titles on everything from postwar Japanese photography to Fire Island architecture.
Photo by Driely S. for Racked
8. Revamp your kitchen at Home of the Brave. Spend five minutes in Wolves Within's minimalist-rustic home goods offshoot, Home of the Brave, and you'll want to throw away all of your Ikea kitchenware and replace it with, like, two beautiful stoneware mugs and four hand-fired plates edged in gold leaf.
Photo via NYMag
9. Shop while you caffeinate at Budin and Homecoming. Greenpoint is home to two coffee-shops-that-are-also-other-things. Browse Scandinavian home goods like pendant lamps and wool throws while sipping on $10 licorice lattes at Greenpoint Avenue's Budin, or pick up a cold brew and a custom bouquet at Franklin Street coffee-shop-florist-hyrid Homecoming.
Photo via Brooklyn Night Bazaar
10. Hit up the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. You might run into a pantsless Lindsay Lohan, shopping for pants.
· Perfect Saturday: Long Island City [Racked NY]
· What's In Store at People of 2Morrow [Racked NY]