It was my first time in Brooklyn. Francey said watch out for the slashers and watch out for the cutters, so we stuck together. In the night the masked kids on bike wield machetes and slash people, but if you see them you can run. The cutter walks slowly, quietly. The cutter has a box cutter, and will catch you off guard

Tom and I decided to check out Williamsburg’s sneakers (I have a problem), Thai and vintage. Happily straying, we stumbled on a handwritten sign: estate sale.

Welcome to Arcadia. Three floors above us, a loft space that will never be repeated. Vaulted ceilings in stone, stone walls, stone floors, wonderful artworks, and a charming man in his sunday casuals. I began to ask about the vintage music gear, the antique recording studio. Tom asked about the artworks, the studio. Little did we realize where we were and what Arcadia was.

Our host was William Basinski, an artist who makes some of the world’s most beautiful experimental music. The Arcadia loft is famous for being the setting of Jeff Buckley’s first album cover, for being home to the launch of Antony in america. I strongly recommend the Arcadia Estate Sale’s website for a good look at the things we saw. And yes, WB fans, above is pictured the tape machine that created The Disintegration Loops series.

When you know the best tour guides in town and you’ve got two days to hit everything, you can make Williamsburg your bitch. My love for Manhattan will never die, but it was really great to see something new.