Dining: Even the organizer of next week’s Brooklyn vegetarian restaurant week admits that vegan and vegetarian cuisine is going the way of the dodo bird (which, apparently tasted good). Comments (17).

Wilco’s ‘Golden’ boy

By Andrew Seccombe

Music: Playing in a successful rock band can be a double-edged sword — just ask Mikael Jorgensen. The Fort Greene musician is the keyboardist for legendary Chicago group Wilco — but as he leads a band of his own and prepares to release the group’s solo album, he’s finding that notoriety is both a blessing and a burden. Comment.

Where to GO: Editors’ Picks

Soler shines

Saturday, October 18: Look, you may like the Emmys or the Oscars, but there is no more coveted award than the Vendys, which honor New York’s best street food vendor. This year, Brooklyn is represented by Rafael “Papusa Man” Soler, one of the Red Hook vendors whose tenure survived a challenge by the city this year. Cheer him on — and enjoy his and others’ street foods.

3–7 pm. Tobacco Warehouse (enter on Water Street at Dock Street in DUMBO). Tickets are $80 (it’s a fundraiser). For info, visit streetvendor.org/vendys.

Learned Lopate

Monday, October 20: WNYC legend Leonard Lopate continues his “Brooklyn on My Mind” series at Brooklyn College. Tonight, Lopate and his band of bards — this time, it’s Eric Alterman of The Nation and Robert George of the New York Post’s editorial page — take up the presidential race (and the role that race plays in it).

7 pm. Whitman Auditorium at Brooklyn College [2900 Bedford Ave., at Avenue H in Flatbush, (718) 951-4500]. $5.

Downtown Boo-klyn

Thursday, October 23: City Tech’s entertainment technology department has outdone itself again with its haunted hotel, the Gravesend Inn — a spooky (and definitely not for kids) Halloween lodge filled with skeletons, ghosts and ghouls, all played by City Tech actors. It’s the Bates Motel — as imagined by Tim Burton.

1–5 pm. Voorhees Theater at City Tech [186 Jay St., near Tillary Street in Downtown Brooklyn, (718) 260-5109]. $6.

Mask? Er, aid

Saturday, October 25: Face it: You want to show off the costume that’s going to win you first place at the Park Slope Halloween Parade, but you don’t want to wait until next Friday. What better chance than at tonight’s masquerade fundraiser for the Old Stone House? Our advice? Go as a Redcoat.

8 pm. Brooklyn Lyceum [227 Fourth Ave., at President Street in Park Slope, (718) 768-3195]. Tickets are $40 and can be bought at www.nycharities.org.

Make ‘War’

Sunday, October 26: Sci-fi fans, this is your Woodstock. Today, the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts presents a double-feature of “War of the Worlds” and “The Lost World.” The staging by John DeLancie (Q from “Star Trek”) updates and improves.

3 pm. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts [2900 Bedford Ave., at Avenue H in Flatbush, (718) 951-4600]. Tickets, $20–$30 (half-priced for kids under 18).

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Cuts for kids

By Sarah Portlock

Spa: During these tumultuous economic times, many adults try to pamper away their stress. But do kids need the same treatment? Comments (1).

Tea Lounge to become Viet sandwich joint

By Sarah Portlock

Dining: Park Slopers who are still bemoaning the loss of the Tea Lounge will be able to satisfy a different craving when the beloved Vietnamese sandwich shop Hanco’s opens in the Seventh Avenue space. Comment.

No meat, please

Dining: Just in time for Brooklyn’s vegetarian restaurant week, here’s our round-up of veggie and vegan eateries in the borough, culled from The Brooklyn Paper’s astounding dining pages. Comment.

Your Halloween calendar

By Evan Gardner

Event: The spookiest time of the year is upon us again, and before you know it the streets of Brooklyn will be crawling with little ghouls and goblins threatening tricks and demanding treats! If you’re looking for a fun alternative to the traditional house-to-house routine, here are loads of great activities, parades, festivals and concerts. With so much to do, this year’s Halloween could turn into a fortnight festival of fright — so here’s GO Brooklyn’s definitive clip-and-save calendar. Comment.

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008

This woman is cleaning up Hollywood

By Josh Spiro

The Brooklyn Paper / Kristen Joy Watts

Cinema: Film crews use Brooklyn as a backdrop for everything from detergent commercials to Hollywood blockbusters — but when the director calls “cut,” our borough is left holding the bag in the form of tons of needless waste. Comments (1).