Dumbo based West Elm published city guides to four areas of Brooklyn recently, including one of Dumbo:

• Brooklyn Heights
• Dumbo
• Fort Greene
• Williamsburg

The city guide is divided into three sections: Eat, Shop, Discover. Here’s what they listed:
Eat:

• Dumbo General Store
• Vinegar Hill House
• Superfine
• Rice
• Pedro’s Restaurant
• River Cafe
• Almondine Bakery
• Choice Kitchens
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Shop:

• P.S. Bookshop
• Jacqes Torres Chocolate
• powerHouse Arena
• Blueberi
• Pomme
• Blanc & Rouge
• Dewey’s Candy
• Stewart | Stand
• Foragers Market
• ZOE

Discover:

• St. Ann’s Warehouse
• 1st Thursday Gallery Walk
• Bargemusic
• Empire Fulton Ferry State Park
• Dumbo Arts Center
• Dumbo Arts Festival

Go to the West Elm City Guides for more details on the other Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Dumbo City Guide (PDF)

If you are looking to relax and escape into a true Brooklyn oasis, Archway Cafe is the spot to retreat to. This coffee bar/art space/ eatery is extremely inviting with it’s airy feel, high ceilings, and general good vibes with exotic tunes in the background to fully absorb this unique sensual experience. The organic, free trade coffee is from local Brooklyn roasters. Archway Cafe is currently serving breakfast and lunch but will start serving dinner (sit down and deliveries) as well as brunch very soon. All the artwork displayed will be rotated on a monthly basis with an opening each month, to welcome the new artist at the cafe.

Archway Cafe
57 B Pearl Street (between Water and Front Sts.)
718-522-3455
Open daily from 7am-7pm

(Reporting by Sabrina Ravindranath)

The 160,000 cars passing Dumbo on the BQE each day will see a new sign on top of 45 Main Street. The Dumbo sign was swapped for a new one this morning. There’s some history behind that sign area. The ad space in 1938 said: “Realty Corp. Lofts to-let” (as posted about previously).

Then the now old Dumbo sign stated “Live. Work. Play. DUMBO. Dumbo-NewYork.com”

And now: “NYC’s Creative Capital – DUMBO. TwoTreesNY.com” Always been real estate owned, but went from manufacturing to the creative ‘industry’.

According to the Bargemusic website, the Barge is temporarily dry-docked and concerts will resume on October 22. See bargemusic.org for the concert calendar.

(Photo by Josh Derr)

Violet & Daisy, starring Danny Trejo, Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan, and James Gandolfini is being filmed in Dumbo today around Jay Street and Plymouth Street, and surrounding streets. According to the IMDB synopsis, the film is about “Two teenage assassins [who] accept what they think will be a quick-and-easy job, until an unexpected target throws them off their plan.”

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

• Dumbo leader Kate Kerrigan to step down, 04Oct10, Crain’s
• Taylor Momsen/Gossip Girl Filming in Dumbo, 08Oct10, celebrity-gossip
• Heidi Kole at Dumbo Arts Fest, 03Oct10, thesubwaydiaries
• Archway Cafe Opens in Dumbo, 01Oct10, BecomingBKLYN
• DUMBO Underwater, 05Oct10, cunysustainablecities
• The New Brooklyn Cookbook, 04Oct10, NYP
• Burger Bash 2010 Pics, 09Oct10, Eater
• Something Happening at 20 Henry, 06Oct10, Brownstoner
• Regina Myer’s art attack in BK Bridge Park, 06Oct10, BK Paper
• Kate Kerrigan to Leave DUMBO BID , 06Oct10, BK Eagle
• Condo of the Day: 30 Main Street, #11FG, 06Oct10, Brownstoner
• Travel Journal to Dumbo, 08Oct10, Traveling Bastards
• Shake Shack Wins at Burger Bash, 09Oct10, Gothamist
• Paint Removal on Brooklyn Bridge, 07Oct10, Brownstoner
• Squibb Park Open for Skaters, PS 8 Kids, 06Oct10, Brownstoner

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses could answer the prayers of locals fighting to keep more high-rise condos out of Brooklyn Bridge Park,” according to a NY Post article. “During a closed-door session at Borough Hall yesterday, some civic leaders and elected officials discussed having the city revise the waterfront park’s project plan to include dozens of DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights properties that the religious group has put up for sale.” The Witnesses buildings, including the one pictured above borders Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 and other buildings could substitute for constructing high rise condos at John Street in Dumbo and at Pier 1 and 6. The Witnesses buildings, if converted could be lucrative for the city, given the prime waterfront locations, and can off-set the park’s anticipated $16.1 million annual maintenance costs. That’s of course if, they decide to sell and move out of Brooklyn, as previously reported.

Previously:
{Jehovah’s Witnesses Buildings As “Magic Bullets”, 07Oct2010, Gothamist}
{Watchtower Plans on Moving Out of Brooklyn, 24Feb2010}
{The Watchtower Moving Some Operations from Brooklyn, 26Mar2009}
{‘Mysterious’ 85 Jay Street Activity?, 30Jan2008}
{Where’s the Tennis Court in Dumbo?, 10May2007}
{Glimpse Inside Jehovah’s Witness Headquarters, 16Nov2006}

When: Thursday, October 7, 7pm-12am
Where: The DUMBO Loft, 155 Water St, Brooklyn NY

On Thursday, October 7 from 7pm-12am, join PBR Brooklyn at The DUMBO Loft for Pabst Blue Pop Up Shop (FREE, 21+). The event will feature Do-It-Yourself custom PBR swag, interactive live screenprinting, a Pabst-inspired fashionshow and boutique, Blue Carpet Photobooth, and a live performance by localcelebrity rap-stars Ninjasonik (“we go to Bars. drinkPBRs..”) Plus the whole shebang will culminate in 1 big party with DJ Jenncity and DJ Roofeo spinnin the tunes. Plus it’s for a good cause: allproceeds will benefit Keep-a-Breast Foundation, in timing with October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. For more info check out pabstbluepopupshop.com

All donations benefit Keep-a-Breast Foundation. *free t-shirts to the first 50 people thru the door!

First Thursday today, Thursday, October 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A chance to visit many quality galleries at night in the Dumbo Historic District – galleries showing works from artists of many disciplines, especially photography, while hosting receptions, producing live music performances and curator/artist talks among other highlights.

Let’s not forget the incredible views you can enjoy as you walk from one gallery to the next and the local drink specials afterward. Most of the art is for sale. Printed maps and 1st Thursday cards are available on-site.

Participating galleries may vary each month. For more information contact Zannah Mass at zannah@twotrees-dumbo.com or 718-222-2500 x38.

This month’s highlights include: Giacobetti Paul Gallery’s Choreographies, an exhibition of Lawson Jaramillo’s photographic images, layered lightboxes, and video installation that investigates how urban public space is formed; the exhibition A New Kind of Beauty at Klompching Gallery, which features Phillip Toledano’s portraits of people who’ve undergone extensive plastic surgery; a performance by Larry Krone as part of Smack Mellon’s Press Play Concert Series; and, at Amos Eno Gallery, Times Square Reflections V, an exhibition of Jane McClintock’s paintings that depict the reflections captured by the glass and steel buildings of New York City.

Check gallery websites for updates.
A.I.R. Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 228
Amos Eno Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 202
Bose Pacia, 163 Plymouth St.
Brooklyn Arts Council, 111 Front St., Suite 218
Caption Gallery, 55 Washington St., Suite 802
Cave Canem, 20 Jay St.
Central Booking, 111 Front St., Suite 214
Collective Consciousness NYC, 10 Jay St.
DUMBO Arts Center, 30 Washington St.
Farmani Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Giacobetti Paul Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 220
Henry Gregg Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 226
Klompching Gallery, 111 Front St.
Kris Graves Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 224
Magasin Totale, 10 Jay St., Suite 724
Melville House, 145 Plymouth St.
Mighty Tanaka Gallery, 68 Jay St., Suite 416
NY Studio Residency Program, 20 Jay St.
One Arm Red, 10 Jay St.
Powerhouse Books & Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St.
Pratt Institute Photo Seniors, 20 Jay St.
Rabbithole Studio, 33 Washington St.
Randall Scott Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 204
Smack Mellon, 93 Plymouth St. @ Washington Street
Spring, 126a Front St.
Umbrage Gallery, 111 Front St.
VII Photo, 28 Jay St.

Gossip Girl will be filming in Dumbo on Friday, October 8, 2010 between 8am-1am on the following streets:

• Front Street between York and Adams Streets
• Water Street between Main and New Dock Streets
• York Street between Washington and Front Streets

If you are parked on any of these streets, reminder to move your car. If anyone gets any photos, please email us.

Previously:
{Gossip Girl Filming 06Oct2008}
{Gossip Girl Filming 01Mar2010}
{Gossip Girl Filming Pics, 10Oct2008}