Happy New Year’s Eve Dumbo BK!

December 31st, 2009


 [+] New Year’s Eve morning snow storm!! (Photo by Amazin’ Jane)

Thank you for reading and emailing me throughout the year. We had the best year of traffic thanks to you all. We had a total of 500,000+ unique visits and 1.2 million page views. For a site about Dumbo Brooklyn, it’s amazing to us that people would be so interested in this little area of Brooklyn.

Also, visit our small businesses in the neighborhood by reading about them in our archive: dumbonyc.com/category/dumbo-retail/. Thank you to the following for their advertising support on the site:

(After operating fees, I make anonymous donations to Dumbo-based non profit organizations with the remaining. Thus thank you for your support by reading this!) If you have any tips or news about Dumbo, please email us at dumbonyc@gmail.com. Happy Holidays Dumbo and see you in 2010!

Fireworks at Grand Army Plaza

December 31st, 2009

This is not in Dumbo, but thought it would be of interest: On Thursday, December 31, Brooklyn will usher in 2010 with a bang at the 28th annual New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular at Grand Army Plaza (Google map). The free celebration, sponsored by the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office and held in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, starts around 11 p.m. with musical entertainment and hot refreshments.

Best locations for viewing the midnight fireworks include anywhere in Grand Army Plaza, inside the Park on the West Drive, and along Prospect Park West between Grand Army Plaza and 9th Street.

Procrastinators New Years Eve

December 31st, 2009

Aside from our list of New Year’s Eve events around Dumbo, there’s one more you can choose from. Like last year’s, Water Street Restaurant & the Underwater Lounge is hosting their 4th Annual NYE Procrastinators Party. No plans? No worries. And no cover, no minimums, and champagne toast.

They are still accepting table reservations for dinner and the kitchen is open until 2:30am and the bar is open until 4am. Live DJ, and watch live Times Square feed on their giant screens.

Water Street Restaurant (waterstreetrestaurant.com)
66 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY

New Year’s Eve in Dumbo 2009

December 29th, 2009

For those planning a New Year’s Eve celebration in (and around) Dumbo, here are a few events to celebrate the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Happy Holidays from DumboNYC!

1) Drag king Murray Hill hosts at Galapagos Art Space


 [+] click for larger

Drag king Murray Hill hosts this annual spectacle, which includes a burlesque performance by Dirty Martini, lewd singing from Bridget Everett and Kenny Mellman, aerial acrobatics and, as always, plenty of crass jokes. At midnight, glasses of champagne will descend from the ceiling (watch for spillage!) and Murray will assume the role of Baby New Year. Stick around for an after-party with the cast, when you can bust out your running man to hits spun by DJ Mel Huckabee.
When: 10:30pm, $25–$100
Where: Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St at Water St., Brooklyn

2) Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos at Bargemusic

The floating New Year’s Eve celebration is made even sweeter with an evening of Bach featuring some of the composer’s greatest interpreters including arresting violinist Mark Peskanov, Silk Road violist Max Mandel, superb cellist Edward Arron and International Contemporary Ensemble’s Gareth Flowers.
When: 7:30pm, $150
Where: Bargemusic, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn (718-624-2083)

3) Casino Royale: A Fashionable Alternative to a Typical New Year’s Eve


 [+] click for larger

For ChristmaHanuKwanzaakkah, we gave our fake boyfriend a stick-figure drawing of him playing The Beatles Rock Band, and our mom a book of recipes we found on the Internet, so to say we’re strapped for cash is an unsettling understatement. Fortuitously, Kings County goes pseudo–Sin City at Casino Royale, hosted by style collective the Block Association. The venue is a former bank, so James and Vesper would approve: Strut down a red carpet (jeans and sneakers wouldn’t translate well for the faux-paparazzi photo ops), shake it to hip-hop on three deejayed floors, down a midnight toast served by Vegas showgirls and go all in at the recession-appropriate blackjack tables—you’ll play for fashion swag and drinks instead of your savings. 1 Front St at Water St, Dumbo, Brooklyn (going.com/casinoroyale09) 9pm–5am, $30–$50
When: 9pm–5am, $30–$50
Where: 1 Front St at Water St., Brooklyn

4) Brooklyn Bridge Walk

Join the annual Brooklyn Bridge Walk for a glimpse of various fireworks displays throughout the city. Sponsored by New York Talks and Walks, this tour starts between 10:15pm and 11:15pm in downtown Manhattan, at the Popeye’s located at 143 Fulton St, and ends on the Brooklyn Bridge, where you should be able to catch a glimpse of fireworks in Staten Island, Prospect Park, Central Park, and New Jersey. $60 ($50 advance tickets). Call (888) 699-2550 for more information.
When: starts between 10:15pm and 11:15pm, $60
Where: Start downtown Manhattan, at the Popeye’s located at 143 Fulton St, and ends on the Brooklyn Bridge

Filed in Dumbo Events at 10:56 am
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Img: Dumbo Christmas Tree

December 24th, 2009

Down Under the Manhattan Bridge

Photo by spencerdallen in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool.

[DumboNYC.com is taking a vacation. In the meantime, take a look at some photos of Dumbo (in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool) or submit a story or event about Dumbo. We'll be back in a few days.]

Img: Snow in Dumbo

December 23rd, 2009

post snow Dec 19, 2009
First snow – winter season December 20, 2009

[DumboNYC.com is taking a vacation. In the meantime, take a look at some photos of Dumbo (in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool) or submit a story or event about Dumbo. We'll be back in a few days.]

Img: Snow in Brooklyn Bridge Park

December 22nd, 2009

snoooow!

Photo by poppycock in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool.

New Store on Old Fulton St

December 21st, 2009

17 Old Fulton St

17 Old Fulton St

A new retail store, selling clothing, woodwork, and beaded jewelry opened last week on 17 Old Fulton Street (next to Grimaldi’s Pizza) in Fulton Ferry Landing. We stopped by and snapped a few pics and chatted with the owner. He told us that 90% of the store is from Peru, South America. They are waiting for the Landmark Preservation Commission approval for their sign, so they don’t have a sign (or business cards) yet. The name of the store is Julians and Julius (sp?). Welcome to the neighborhood!

17 Old Fulton St

Julians and Julius
17 Old Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Dumbo Links Week of 13Dec09

December 19th, 2009

mopostal

The following are selected links from this past week on blogs and websites with discussion about Dumbo (and its neighboring areas):

Brooklyn Bridge
(Brooklyn Bridge Park – The plan is to have Jane’s Carousel be on western shore of the park’s cove in front of the Tobacco Warehouse.)

According to officials at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation and an article in the NY Post today, Jane’s Carousel will officially be part of the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront development. NY Post states:

“The directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation approved David and Jane Walentases’ gift of the so-called “Jane’s Carousel” and $3.45 million to landscape and operate it past the park’s closing time — and agreed to house it in a pavilion designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.”

Officials note that in addition to the restored 1922 carousel, the Walentases are also donating $3.45 million for improvements to the $350 million park, which include lighting and landscaping so that the carousel hours can be extended past the park’s closing time. If the park will have some food concessions, maybe the Shake Shack empire should open a location here.

The design of the carousel pavilion has not yet been revealed, but Jane’s vision is for a glass one; perhaps similar to the Greenport Village one pictured below.

[UPDATE: 12/21/2009: We emailed Jane for a statement about the carousel, and this is what she stated:

The Carousel is to be located near the "point" of the existing boardwalk. It is the exact site that was originally proposed in the early site plan by Ben Thompson Assoc. & Beyer Blinder Belle in 1984.

I know and have visited the building in Greenport. The Pavilion that Jean Nouvel is designing bears absolutely no resemblance to that building. It is an extraordinarily simple & elegant design that has received only raves from those who have seen it. I imagine the design will be released fairly soon.

Thanks Jane for the update.]

Greenport Carousel

{YouTube: Jane Walentas’ Carousel, 21July2008}
{Jane’s Carousel Open For Season, 22May2007}
{The Carousel News and Trader Talks About Jane’s Carousel, 19Jan2007}
{To the Children of Dumbo: Experience Jane’s Carousel 12/8, 8Dec2006}
{A Chat With Jane At The Carousel Opening, 16Oct2006}

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