Dumbo NYC

What: Seining Workshop for Kids
When: Saturday, Oct 11, 11:30pm - 1:00pm
Where: Beach in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo

Find out what lives in the waters under the Manhattan Bridge! Join experts from the Coastal Marine Resource Center and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy as we use a 30-foot seining net to catch fish and other remarkable East River creatures. Families and kids can take a good look at the fish before we release them back to their homes and keep a tally of our catch. We provide field guides, identification keys, and plenty of fun to go around. Space is available for 30 kids plus their parents/guardians. To reserve a place, e-mail Kara Gilmour, Education and Stewardship Coordinator.

For more info, go to www.brooklynbridgepark.org.

[UPDATE: Due to the weather forecast, tonight's benefit party at Pier 1 will be held at One Brooklyn Bridge Park (corner of Furman and Joralemon Streets). Please join us from 6pm-9pm for great food, music, and company in a beautiful -- indoor -- waterfront setting. Your contribution will help us bring more projects like Pier 1 to the park next summer. We hope to see you there.]

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy is having a benefit party on Pier 1 tonight (Sept 25), to raise funding for future programming and parks (like the interim park they created at Pier 1). They’ve made a lot of progress this year with the temporary Pier 1 park and the demolition of the old piers along the river. In 2007, they brought the floating pool and continue to organize educational programming for kids, Movies with a View, and art exhibitions…all free for the public. Support the Conservancy by attending the benefit party or make a donation online.

When: Thursday, September 25, 6:00-9:00 pm
Where: at Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park One Brooklyn Bridge Park (corner of Furman and Joralemon Streets)

for a benefit party to say goodbye to SUMMER ‘08 @ PIER 1 and help us get started on Summer ‘09.

Enjoy:

• Fancy Food and Drink
• Live music from Matt Munisteri (”Bands like this are why you move to New York” – The Village Voice)
• A remarkable view of the harbor, the Manhattan skyline and all four NYC Waterfalls
• Brooklyn’s largest sandbox

TICKETS

Adults: $50 in advance/$60 at the door
Children: $20 in advance/$25 at the door
More details: brooklynbridgepark.org
Questions: Richard Loyd, 718-802-0603 x13

The Real Deal’s September 2008 issue looks at the most expensive condos in the outer boroughs of NYC. Brooklyn’s top condos start at $7 million plus for the One Main Street penthouse on the 14th floor in Dumbo as reported in May. David Walentas is renovating the 16th floor penthouse and into a three-story penthouse with roughly 6,000 square feet, and a private rooftop “observation deck.” The unique features are the four 15-foot-high clocks on each wall and dramatic views of the city. The plans have not been disclosed, but when all is done, the rumors are that the condo will sell for $30 million+, which easily tops the most expensive condo in Brooklyn.

The Real Deal’s Top 10 most expensive Brooklyn condos:

1. One Main Street, Dumbo, $7 million-plus*, full-floor, 3,200 square feet, no terrace, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths.
2. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $6.96 million, four lower penthouse units combined, 6,145 square feet interior and 826 square feet exterior, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms.
3. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $6.19 million, two townhouses combined, 4,949 square feet interior and 839 square feet exterior, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms.
4. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $6.05 million, two lower penthouse units combined, 3,442 square feet interior and 1,900 square feet exterior, one bedroom, library, office, 4.5 bathrooms.
5. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $5.35 million, lower penthouse, 2,687 square feet interior and 2,029 square feet exterior, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms.
6. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $5.15 million, two lower penthouses, 3,456 square feet interior and 1,903 square feet exterior, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms.
7. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $4.998 million, two apartments, 3,946 square feet interior (no additional information provided).
8. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $4.575 million, lower penthouse, 2,191 square feet interior and 1,696 square feet exterior, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms.
9. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, $4.45 million, lower penthouse, 2,452 square feet interior and 1,814 square feet exterior, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms.
10. On Prospect Park, Prospect Heights, $4.4 million, 2,608 square feet, 72 square feet exterior, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths.

Brooklyn Based, a great resource for Brooklyn food, culture, shops, and people, visits the best picnic locations around Brooklyn and suggests heading to Brooklyn Bridge Park on Plymouth St. (at Washington or Main) in Dumbo. Both the Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the adjoining Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park are great locations to set down blankets for a picnic. For food, Brooklyn Based suggests picking up gourmet food from Foragers Market (lunch menu), desserts from Jacques Torres, or panini sandwiches or salads from Dumbo General Store. They also suggest picking up a bottle of wine at Blanc & Rouge.

Other recommendations we would include are Almondine Bakery for pastries and sandwiches, ReBar for tapas and sandwiches, or a pizza from Grimaldi’s.

Food and Wine mentions (all in Dumbo Brooklyn, NY 11201):

• Foragers Market, 56 Adams Street
• Jacques Torres, 66 Water Street
• Dumbo General Store, 111 Front Street
• Blanc & Rouge, 81 Washington Street
• Almondine Bakery, 85 Water Street
• ReBar, 147 Front Street
• Grimaldi’s Pizza, 19 Old Fulton Street

{Meals on a Blanket, Brooklyn Based}

In case you missed the CBS News Sunday Morning last week that highlighted Jane’s Carousel in Dumbo, below is the YouTube video clip. Based on the piece, carousels are making a comeback. At the peak of their popularity there were about 1,500 carousels in this country. Today, there are only about 150. But they are, as Charles says. “coming back in favor.” The Walentas family intends to donate the carousel to the city to go somewhere in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

{CBS News Sunday Morning, 13July2008}
{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}

We saw this ‘tent’ this morning in the Brooklyn Bridge Park and thought someone was sleeping under the bridge.

But a peek inside didn’t reveal a camper.:

Those are solar lights. Looks like the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) is making preparations for their Annual Outdoor Sculpture Show. In its 26th year in the Brooklyn Bridge Park and Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, the exhibition runs between Sunday, Jul 20, 2008 - Sunday, Sep 7, 2008. Opening reception in the park on Sunday, July 20, noon - 6pm. Music by Little Red Hen. For more info, visit bwac.org.

The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Featuring KRS-ONE and Primo on July 12th @ Powerhouse Arena, Dumbo and Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park

Date: 7/11/08-7/12/08
Admission: Free - July 11th
Admission: $10 - July 12th

Friday, July 11, 6:00-9:00 pm
Highwater Music Presents…brooklyn Keeps On Taking It
Live performances by Fresh Daily, Sputnik Brown, P.Casso + More! Plus DJ Sucio Smash

Admission: Free - No Tickets Required.
Complimentary drinks from Brooklyn Brewery

powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn

Saturday, July 12, 12:00-3:00 pm
Brooklyn Bodega & F.O.K.U.S. Present Brooklyn Family Day

Family, Fun, Community, Beats & Rhymes for all ages! Families and kids of all ages are invited for free giveaways, diabetes and asthma screenings, music, food, activities, demonstrations and more. Their mission this year is to use Hip Hop music and culture to bring attention to the issue of childhood obesity and associated diseases including diabetes and asthma. Please make a donation for tickets here.

Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park
12-3pm , Corner of Plymouth & Main Streets, Dumbo, Brooklyn

Saturday, July 12, 4:00-8:00 pm
Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Main Performance Day
Live Performances From: KRS ONE (7pm), Buckshot (6:30pm), DJ Premier (6:10pm), J.Period (5:45pm), Blu & Exile (5:30pm), Mickey Factz (5:15pm), 88-Keys (4:45pm), Fresh Daily (4:30pm), Zaki Ibrahim (4:10pm), Homeboy Sandman (4:00pm), Jared Evans aka Freelance (Our Spit 16 Contest Winner) (3:50), DJ Kevin Sakoda (3:00pm), DJ MissBehavior (12pm) and Special Guests! Hosted by Uncle Ralph McDaniels

Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park, 4-8pm
Corner of Plymouth & Main Streets, Dumbo, Brooklyn

Schedule of Events

Subject: July 4 Celebrations in Dumbo?
I was wondering if you would be so kind as to put up a post on places to watch the fireworks on Friday in and around DUMBO (including how early you need to stake your claim to get a spot, any food/drink restrictions in the parks, how crowded it gets, etc.)

Fireworks start at approximately 9pm. The Brooklyn Bridge Park, Fulton Ferry Landing, and Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park are perfect locations to view the East River fireworks. Since traffic will be busy, take the subway to the parks if possible since parking will be very limited. As was last year, the following streets will be closed from 8 pm to 10:30 pm:

• Hicks Street between Atlantic Avenue and Old Fulton Street.
• Furman Street between Old Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue.
• Old Fulton between Prospect Street and Furman Street.
• Columbia Heights between Montague Street and Old Fulton Street.

If you live in or have friends who live in buildings in Dumbo, their rooftops are also a great place to watch the fireworks.

If you would like to share photos of your July 4 celebrations or fireworks, email photos to dumbonyc@gmail.com or add them to the DumboNYC Flickr Photo pool. Go to Macys.com for full fireworks details.

East River waterfall from Brooklyn

Model shoot in Dumbo with the East River waterfall

Olafur Eliasson’s Waterfalls project started this morning at 7am. Seems like every NYC news channel and blogs are covering this. From what we’ve seen, there is an increase in number of foot traffic in the area. As we previously mentioned, the installation will create at least $55 million in extra tourism revenue for the city and a lot more people coming over the Brooklyn Bridge to check out the falls.

Also open now is the Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1. Pier 1 offers a cafe run by Dumbo’s RICE along with picnic tables, benches, landscaping with trees and grass, and a sand play area. Pier 1 will be open June 26 - Labor Day, seven days a week, from 10:00am - 10:00pm and located on the East River at the base of Old Fulton Street and Furman Street.

The rendering from a Daily News article shows what the Brooklyn Bridge Park will eventually look like:

The waterfalls will operate from 7am to 10pm every day until October 13th, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they’ll be turned on at 9am. Check out some initial photos from rsguskind of The Gowanus Lounge. (Above image from rsguskind).

{Pop-Up Park Pops in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brownstoner}
{The Waterfalls Start Falling, Brownstoner}
{The Waterfalls are Here!, Gothamist}
{Where To See The Waterfalls, Gothamist}
{The Freakin’ Waterfalls Are On: The Press Conference, Curbed}
{The Freakin’ Waterfalls Are On: Brooklyn Bridge Edition, Curbed}
{And, Now, the Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall, Gowanus Lounge}