[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.]
Brooklyn Bridge
Summer Streets, the annual event where 7 miles of New York City’s streets will be closed to auto traffic and opened up for everyone to play, run, walk and bike in three consecutive Saturdays. The first Saturday will be tomorrow, August 4, 2012. August 11 and 18, 2012 will be the other two Saturdays for Summer Streets. Starting at the Brooklyn Bridge, along Park Avenue in Manhattan to Central Park, you’ll be able to bike or walk the street without cars, with activities along the route.
To get there from Dumbo, walk/bike over the Brooklyn Bridge. The East River Ferry will also be providing transportation to the Summer Streets NYC from Dumbo, waiving the $1 bicycle fee, all day, on the three consecutive Saturdays: August 4, 11, and 18, 2012. Cyclists can cross the river via East River Ferry from Long Island City (Queens), and Greenpoint, North and South Williamsburg, and Dumbo (Brooklyn) to get to Summer Streets NYC.
Summer Streets runs from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Looks like the viral marketing group at thinkmodo have done it again. They’ve created a marketing campaign for a new movie, Chronicle that’s gone viral. Three human shaped RC planes were launched around Dumbo Brooklyn to make it look like real people were flying.
According to Techcrunch, Michael Krivicka from Thinkmodo explains “Since the three main characters of the movie have the ability to fly, we came up with the idea of staging a few “flying people” sightings around NYC. We achieved that illusion by having 3 custom-made aircraft (which were shaped like human beings) fly above designated areas in NYC and NJ.”
Thanks to the many people who have sent this video to us.
Occupy the Brooklyn Bridge
6PM: I’m sitting in my office working hard to meet a deadline. I was already distracted during the day writing for the occupy movement I support of freelancers who aren’t represented in the labor market, so I was working late. As I’m singing to myself, I begin to hear screaming at one moment, then cheering. At first I figured my partner’s music was just loud, but the cheering continued. I then thought it was coming from a boxing match down at Gleason’s gym right under me but, they are ususlly louder that the cheering I was hearing.
Chanting
7:30PM: The screaming and cheering turns to chanting. With so much time haing passed and the noise becoming organized I realized I wasn’t hearing things and ran to the window. Sure enough right outside on the Brooklyn Bridge hoards or people were marching chanting "Outrage Outrage Outrage!" They bore flags and held up their cellphones as lighters singing "Change when do we want it, Now!"
Bridge Takeover
As the earthquake that rocked us here in Dumbo over the summer I go on Twitter (the people’s news network) to verify the march on Brooklyn Bridge. #OccupyBrooklynBridge. It was offical! I tweeted "#NYC is a big place filled with parks we’ll find another spot to #occupy."
After trying to record from the office window I realized that it wasn’t enough; I can’t tell my children I stood in a building snapping images. As an artist it is my duty to be in the mix and as a citizien my duty to participate in democracy. I ran out the office with my iPhone ready to join the movement.
Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn Occupy Dumbo
As I made it up Washington Street to join the march, the police shouted at those who weren’t on the Bridge to get away, get back & stay off the block. It seemed like Dumbo wasn’t allowed to join from the bridge walk exit. But, that didn’t stop us. Dumbo gathered on the other side of the street still under the bridge, shouting "Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn FINALLY." "Occupy Dumbo!"
It was a sight to see. Helicopters flew as low as the tenth floors near the Dumbo, Washington Street apartment buildings. News 12 plotted their plan of attack for coverage on the Brooklyn side. A man shared the view with a friend via Skype. Urban sound stage’s camera man tried to keep his camera steady and children from Dumbo waved at marchers offering them a warm welcome. Dumbo’s citizens weren’t going anywhere and the police left us alone as were cheered and chanted "Occupy".
Occupy Spirit
Some might think that Dumbo is hardly a neighborhood that needs an occupy spirit but the reality is Dumbo does need it. We have it all, in Dumbo we have small businesses about to be evicted, large global businesses taking over floors but not hiring freelance and job applicants, we have the ghetto, working class, middle class and the F’n lap of luxury all in 5-7 blocks.
Dumbo is a picture frame of NYC. We see what the occupy movement is about every single day. It is great that occupy has visited our door steps. Are we going to unite in support, Dumbo?
Post written by Danii Oliver, Interactive designer and developer. CDO of DAMN Digital Studio, an Interactive Agency in Dumbo Brooklyn.
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The high resolution photo, courtesy of Shorpy, from 1903 of Brooklyn Bridge is full of rich detail. The view of Brooklyn from the Manhattan side shows the Brooklyn shore between Navy Yards to Brooklyn Heights. Above is a detailed portion of the photo of what’s now Dumbo. You’ll see some Gair Buildings (one on Washington Street that says “Robert Gair: If it’s made of paper we have it”), the 167 Sands Street building, which was completed in 1902, the Tobacco Warehouse, and the two and three story wood frame buildings where 1 Main Street now sits (built in 1916). Not pictured in the above detail, but is shown in the original photo is the Eagle Warehouse building, Old Fulton Street, and the original Fulton El Terminal (which was demolished, and now is Cadman Plaza) with trolleys crossing the bridge.
For the original full res photo, go to shorpy.com/Brooklyn_Bridge_1903?size=_original. What else do you recognize?
(via @joshderr)
{Dumbo Then and Now, series, DumboNYC}
Starting on October 1, the city is required to keep data on bicycle accidents. According to the latest data betweeen 1996 and 2005, there were 11 pedestrian deaths as a result of crashes with cyclists. From 1996 to 2003, there were 12,412 non-fatal accidents between bikers and pedestrians. “Pedestrian Traffic Managers” have been stationed on the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge until 7pm daily, hired by the city to keep bridge walkers safe (for $38/hr per the Brooklyn Independent Television clip above).
Will bicyclists and pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge and other East River crossings get along better?
(via BRIC Arts Media)