What: Sonic Youth rocks Brooklyn’s outdoor cement oasis
Where: MaCarren Park Pool, Romantic Downtown Greenpoint, Brooklyn
When: Saturday, August 30, Doors open at 4pm
Why: Indie-Rock Godparents, Sonic Youth, have been mainstays of all things experimental and cool for so long that even fashion designer Marc Jacobs has co-opted their album art to add further hip-ness to his t-shirts and tote bags. Beyond that, it’s a rare thing to see four original members still playing together in any band that’s lasted as long as Sonic Youth’s now 27-year career. What this means is that each show can be unexpected for a few reasons. You never know what songs they’ll pull out from their huge catalog. Also, the chemistry of four people who’ve played together this long is so key to the success of their sound, both recorded and live.
The nature of Sonic Youth’s music relies heavily on sound manipulation and instrumental interplay which can be one of the most thrilling things to witness when it truly comes in to focus in their live shows. Also, this will be the LAST show you will ever be able to see at this great venue. The city has decided to restore McCarren as a public pool for summer and have ice-skating in winter. Not a bad trade-off for the neighborhood, but one last evening of indie-rock, perogies, and plastic pints of beer is definitely in order to say a proper goodbye to this much-loved music venue.
Cost: $35 per ticket
How to get there: Take the G or L train to Metropolitan Avenue or Lorimer. Walk out of the station and cross Metropolitan on Union. Walk up Union under BQE overpass until you reach Roebling. Make a right, walk one block to Lorimer. (780 Lorimer St., Brooklyn, NY, mccarrenpark.com)
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram