Checking out the checkins
Since location-based social media website Foursquare became available in here in November last year, iWellingtonians have taken to it with enthusiasm.
But, you may find yourself wondering, with all the checking-in going on, just where it is that all these iPhone-wielding hipster geeks are going?
Well, website Map.pr is able to calculate a list of the top 20 Wellington locations, based on highest numbers of Foursquare checkins:
Reviews in brief: the Recovery Room
If you’re looking for a fairly affordable dinner, let me recommend the Recovery Room in Newtown to you. We’ve only mentioned it before in a post that we archived due to infighting, so it’s time to talk about the food.
During the day the cabinets are stuffed with large fresh-looking sandwiches and luscious cakes for food on the go, but there’s also a menu offering standard cafe food. I stopped in for a quick dinner the other night, and was delighted with what I found. The Recovery Room is BYO seven days a week, but if you didn’t bring your own bottle, they have a blackboard wine list that we think is based on the specials on Vine Online, offering an interesting selection with all bottles at $32 and glasses for $8.
To eat, I had pork belly with celeriac slaw and crushed potatos. The pork was moist and fell apart beautifully, but it really needed a good grilling to get the crackling going properly. My mother had the fish of the day, which was warehou, cooked with lemon juice and capers. Both servings were generous and the flavours were excellent, good value for $23.50 each. We didn’t really need the grilled sour dough bread with balsamic and olive oil, but it was tasty nevertheless. The dessert menu featured white chocolate creme brulee and rhubarb crumble, but we were too full to indulge. Service was friendly, and the room was warm. The Recovery Room does all the things a neighbourhood cafe should do. Nothing’s too fussy or frilly, the simple flavours of the food stand for themselves.
Review: Te Radar’s Eating The Dog
Te Radar’s show Eating The Dog has the hypothesis that New Zealand’s history and national character have been shaped by all the crazy fools out there, having ill-fated adventures, making things that don’t quite work, and generally getting a bit carried away.
Eating The Dog is a slideshow at heart, but the selection of subjects and Te Radar’s enthusiastic delivery make it more than just a bunch of old photos. It’s like visiting a provincial museum and getting a guided tour from a fellow who shows you all the weird objects out the back and tells you all the good stories.
And I get the feeling that a show like this wouldn’t be possible without the excellent online collections available via the National Library. In fact, I’d love to see more interesting photos and stories from the archives presented in such an interesting way.
About halfway through the show, I was hit with a sudden realisation – there are no women in Te Radar’s stories. A few wives are mentioned, but all the main characters are men.
Te Radar did address this. He swears he looked for some interesting women’s stories to include in the show, but it turned out that all the people doing bloody stupid stuff in the olden days were men. Or, at least that’s how history records it.
But based on the wide range of bloody stupid contemporary handcrafts showcased on comedy website Regretsy, I suspect that looking back at the handcrafts of New Zealand’s pioneer women would reveal a comedy goldmine.
An Eighties Eye
We’re indebted to the Architectural Centre for pointing out this fascinating architectural time capsule at NZ On Screen. David Mitchell (the architect, not the poet, novelist or comedian) talks us through the debatable delights of Wellington’s 1984 streets in this episode of his series The Elegant Shed.
Marvel at the sparkling mirror-glass towers! Admire Ian Athfield’s funktastic interiors and dashing scarf! Wonder at Roger Walker’s round windows and even rounder bouffant! Delight in the crisp daring lines of Massey House and Futuna Chapel! Be astounded by the "urbanity and drive" of mid-Eighties Wellington, when even the Oaks Arcade looked fresh and enticing!
Knack Market is fun
Knack Craft market is Wellington’s boutique style market. It’s become so popular that it’s moved from its original home at beramphore school, to the much bigger South Wellington Intermediate School Hall, which you can find in Rintoul Street, (next to Wakefield Hospital), Newtown.
Knack is where many of Wellington’s up-and-coming crafters take their first steps in selling to the public. If you like new discoveries, Knack is definately your kind of market, but please rember to be gentle on the crafters. Hours of love, thought and passion go into each item you’ll find at Knack (and any handmade market) so things like bartering or asking for special deals is a little bit uncool.
At Knack you’ll also find tasty warm treats like hot soup, stuffed baked potatoes, samosas and Thai cuisine all perfectly made to keep you warm for winter or occupied while your small people hang out at the kids’ crafting table.
Knack is crammed for of lovely winter things for kids and adults, so if knitting or sewing is not your thing, stock up on warm winter woolies and clothes and some stylish acessories to match. Also if you see something you like but need it in another size, colour…. you can ask the crafter in person if they do custom orders. Most do and that’s the advantage of handmade. People make clothes, jewellery and acessories that work, and if you need extra tweeking it’s totally possible.
Minding your Manners
There was a bit of a ruckus on Victoria Street yesterday, when anti-Manners Street, pro-Manners Mall protester Benjamin Easton started smashing up the road with a sledgehammer.
The incident drew a large crowd, who watched as the police arrested him. One of the bystanders – a DomPost reporter – filmed the incident, and the video is available to view on Stuff.
Watch as policemen with shields and a policemanette with a Taser do their best to disarm the self-described "political busker".
The busification of Manners Mall is proving to be good entertainment value.
A fair weekend ahead
If you haven’t recovered from Craft2.0 last weekend, make sure you do by Saturday becuase it’s Fabric-a-brac time again.
The event is being held at St Anne’s Hall in Newtown on Saturday 19 June from 9am – 12noon. It’s all put together by the amazing Josie who who describes Fabric-a-brac as "bringing together fabric-lovers, who have too much fabric, with others looking for a unique bargain".
Fabric-a-brac is a dream wonderland of awesome for crafters, sewers, and makers. It’s full of fabric, buttons, notions, supplies and anything your crafty heart can dream of.
There are some exciting new stallholders at Fabric-a-brac, including:
- Stitchbird fabrics, who right now is running a marvelous auction to raise funds for Mary Potter Hospice over on her blog.
- Absolute Sewing are coming to the rescue of all crafters with blunt scissors, which is most of us. They are offering scissor sharpening, and since Fabric-a-brac is not NZ Customs, you can bring your scissors alsong to the fair for sharpening.
If that doesn’t bring joy to your life, next weekend is Knack Craft Fair. They’ve got a new venue as well, Wellington South Intermediate Hall. But more on all things Knack next week.
Ghost in the hall
Over the coming weekend, the town hall will echo with the sound of New Zealanders competing furiously against Australians and Americans to build a website for charity in 24 hours. There’s more information about how you can support your chosen team here, but if you’re not into competition, perhaps you’re into THE SUPERNATURAL?
At the same time as FullCode Press is happening, there’s also going to be a Full Code Ghost investigation going on at the Town Hall. It’s a grand old building (and also the subject of my first ever Wellingtonista post back in 2005!), so they’re bound to find something. Perhaps there might even be ghosts in the library next door…
King of the Kapital
King Kapisi was spotted around Welly town today with a laptop of new tracks. He is actually a Wellingtonian, who knew? Take that Auckland and Samoa, we will fight you for him if we have to.
Anyway here is a clip of Kapisi showing some local favour.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fSHTFXhGJ8]From the Terrace to Pompeii and back
Those of you with an interest in textiles, history and dressing up might be veeeeeeeeeerry interested in an upcoming lecture to be held at St. Andrew’s on the Terrace at 2.30pm on Saturday June 19.
Join the Dreamstress and the Wellington Historical Costume Society for a fundraising fashion history extravaganza: From the Streets of Pompeii to the Salons of Paris – The Classical influence on Western Fashion.
Textile and fashion historian Leimomi Oakes will present a entertaining and informative talk on the way Greek and Roman art and fashion have influenced Western fashion from the 18th century to the 20th. The talk will be illustrated by 10 models in historically accurate recreations of period attire – from a 1770s’ robe a la francaise to a 1920s’ flapper dress.
The talk will be fascinating, and the frocks will be fabulous – it should be an event to remember! Proceeds to benefit the Wellington Free Ambulance. Tickets are $15 waged, $10 unwaged. Tickets will be available at the door, or can be purchased in advance by emailing thedreamstress@yahoo.com.