Dumbo NYC

With few weekends of fall weather left, there are many events for families happening in and around Dumbo this weekend:

1) Harvest Festival

What: Harvest Festival, Presented by Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, DUMBO Parents Organization, Galapagos Art Space
When: Saturday, Oct 25, 2008, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Main Street section
Come down to Brooklyn Bridge Park for Fall planting, arts and crafts, and a Halloween party for the kids! (weather permitting)

• 12-2pm - Celebrate It’s My Park! Day planting bulbs with the Conservancy
• 2-3pm – Recycle your plastic grocery bags and crochet them into something useful
• 2-5pm – Pumpkin decorating, chalk art and kite decorating and flying
• 4-5pm – Kids, wear your Halloween costumes for a party in the park

More info: www.brooklynbridgepark.org

2) Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World

What: Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World
When: Saturday, October 25th, 3:00 pm
Where: Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY
Join Rachel Trachtenburg as she presents her new show, Rachel’s Homemade World. With a flowery set made by her Mom, Rachel will share some of her favorite activities such as audience sing alongs, puppet shows, interactive arts and crafts, environmental messages, and cooking segments complete with snack time! Arts and Crafts Goodies Supplied! So be ready to Get Creative! The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players have been touring the world with their colorful songs based on old slide shows found at yard sales and thrift shops. This family that plays together offers an exciting and homespun experience. Buy tickets here.

[Correction: The filming is for Law and Order, CI.]

Filming for Law & Order: Criminal Intent today in Dumbo until 11pm. No parking on the following streets: Front between York and Adams Streets, Water between Main and Adams Streets.

(Photos by Paul Raphaelson)

There is a photo exhibit at the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library by artist Paul Raphaelson. He lived and photographed in Dumbo from 1995 through 2004 before being evicted from the artist loft building on Plymouth Street. (The most famous of the evictions in Dumbo was the 247 Water Street building which we referenced in a previous post.) Raphaelson’s photos are a reminder of what the community of Dumbo Brooklyn used to be and how much it has changed in just 5 years. “While walking the streets of DUMBO with a camera, I was vaguely aware that these pictures might be of historical interest someday. And that day came sooner than I ever expected. The changes have been so swift and indelible that the old neighborhood already seems gone forever.” We asked him about Dumbo past and present:

When did you live in Dumbo? Why did you leave and where are you now?

I lived in Dumbo from 1995 to 2004. I left when my landlord, who is probably the best known of the artist slumlords east of the Brooklyn Bridge, decided to clear out the building. I had it easy… he gave me plenty of notice. In previous years he tried to empty buildings by flooding people out, orchestrating raids by the Department of Buildings, and even arson. In my case it seemed his plan was to empty the whole block, get it rezoned, and convert the buildings to luxury lofts. But zoning attempts were thwarted by the state, and most of those buildings, including mine, are still empty.

I moved to an old brewery in Bushwick. It’s a very different neighborhood. It lacks DUMBO’s grandeur. It also has a thriving local population. In DUMBO the artists were pioneers; in Bushwick we’re guests.

Why did you first move to Dumbo and how would you describe the area when you first moved there?

My friend Anne McDonald lived there. I met her at the opening of a group show that we both participated in, and she persuaded me to visit. I had been living in Providence and considering a move to the city, so the timing was perfect. After walking down Jay street and Water street and setting foot in her space, I knew I had to live there. I gave notice at my job and started packing immediately.

Back then the neighborhood felt huge and empty. You could walk blocks without seeing a soul. There was something powerful in the quietness and austerity of the landscape. That quality is still there, but it’s been heavily diluted by the crowds and development. Today it feels a bit more like a film set than the real thing.

You titled your exhibition, Wilderness, which is what Dumbo was in the 90s. What are your thoughts on what Dumbo has become?

Upper West Side South!
Which you might be able to say about most of Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and Queens…

Very true. There will no doubt be many more changes to Dumbo in the next 5 years, and it’s not easy to live in Dumbo affordably, but we hope the artists here today will continue to be a part of the community.

—

October through December 2008
Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Heights branch (1st floor)
280 Cadman Plaza West at Tillary St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201

If you would like to be considered for an interview, please contact us at dumbonyc@gmail.com.
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If you ever walked by the Dumbo Muffins sign at 205 Plymouth Street (above), you’d think that the old sign is just a remnant of pre-gentrification Dumbo. But there’s a thriving baking operation inside the two story former factory building (Joshua Guttman owned). You may have walked by while they’re baking, and the wonderful aroma tempts you to go in and ask for a sample. This is what we did and had the fortune of meeting the Dumbo Muffins owner, Gregory. We discussed his business, showed us around the kitchen of Dumbo Muffins, and even gave me a dozen muffin samples.

Dumbo Muffins (dumbomuffins.com) is a wholesale business that makes and distributes gourmet muffins and baked goods to cafes, hotels, and markets in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They’ve been in Dumbo for 25 years and are committed to the area. They’re not about churning out mass produced, dry muffins. They hand make each muffin daily, using high quality, fresh ingredients. They have 17 flavors of their fat free/cholesterol free, 10 flavors of traditional yogurt, and 5 flavors of the sugar free/low carb, and consider customer suggestions for new flavors (no trans-fat, 97% fat/cholesterol free). We asked Gregory what the most popular flavors are. “Our yogurt flavors are very popular as is our chocolate chip and almond poppy. But each customer has their favorite flavor. We take pride in baking our muffins everyday and delivering them to the customer.”

So how did they taste? This is a snapshot of a few of their flavors:

The muffins are generous in proportions, and the texture is fluffy and light on the inside with a slightly golden crust on the top, just like it should be. The berry muffins are packed with fresh juicy blueberries or tangy cherries. Speaking as an amateur baker, I have to say that they were really tasty and fresh; I wanted to try them all. But don’t take my word for it. You should try yourself. While they are wholesale, they accept orders for small businesses and residents of as little as a dozen to hundreds (contact info below). If you’re throwing a brunch party at your Dumbo apartment for 12 or catering for 60 for your business, it’s a great way to support this local gourmet muffin factory. If you happen to stop by and smell the baking, tell them you saw Dumbo Muffins on DumboNYC, and they may give you a sample.

Dumbo Muffins
205 Plymouth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718-260-9785 or 732-690-0064
Email: DUMBOMUFFINS1@aol.com
dumbomuffins.com

A new for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) website for a 30 Main Street condo is online at dumbo-condo.com. The owner has raised the bar for FSBO websites. The last FSBO we posted in August also had a website with plenty of photos (and sold in only 6 weeks). In addition to the photos, this FSBO site has comprehensive information on Dumbo and its culture, shops, restaurants, schools, and building history. The 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom condo at Sweeney Building is asking $1,585,000 ($938/sq.ft., maintenance $884 and real estate tax $88). The corner unit 1,689 sq.ft. condo has lot of light and priced lower than other current sales in the building according to streeteasy.com. Other listings are listed at $1,153 per sq.ft. What do you think? Floorplan after the jump.

{dumbo-condo.com}

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Come out to Superfine tonight, October 20 for great live music, cool vibes, and great social networking…not to mention Superfine’s amazing regular menu.

The Lounge caters to artists, activists and social entrepreneurs. And the builders, cornerstones and catalysts of change in search of social networking opportunities in a relaxing after work environment. Lounge organizers present Conjunto Guantanamo, DJ Amir, Jemini and Backline on Monday night. And promote art for liberation in many forms. Please check out blog.emorydouglas.org/?p=155 for information.

For more information, contact superfinelounge@gmail.com.

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

• M.I.A. Appearance in Brooklyn, 13Oct08, Jaunted
• Diesel XXX Party, 13Oct08, limewire
• Theater Review of Black Watch, 13Oct08, amNY
• Lindsay Blatt at Rabbithole Gallery, 14Oct08, artcal
• An October Afternoon in DUMBO, 15Oct08, mobilemanhattanite
• Falafel Cart on the Red Carpet, 17Oct08, Columbia Spectator
• Superfine Restaurant’s Green Mission, 13Oct08, Brooklyn Eagle
• Black Watch Review, 14Oct08, NY Times
• Chocolaterie In Brooklyn, 12Oct08, arteeoficios
• Street Cleaning Schedules to Change, 15Oct08, Brooklyn Paper
• New Concerns about Brooklyn Bridge Park, 14Oct08, Brownstoner
• Condo of the Day: J Condo PH, 13Oct08, Brownstoner

The Vendy Awards will be coming to Dumbo tomorrow (Oct 18) at the Tobacco Warehouse to compete for the prize of the best street vendor. Serious Eats New York has been profiling and following the street vendors. Tickets are $80 in advance, and $100 at the door. It is a fundraiser to support the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a voice for the thousands of people who sell food and merchandise on the streets of our city. As attendees, you’ll get all the free food you can eat from the city’s best street chefs and an open bar of wine, beer, and soda. Music and performances are also provided. At the end of the judging, one vendor will receive the Silver Vendy Cup.

If anyone can make it, please let us know your winners.

FX Drama Rescue Me is filming in Dumbo again on Monday along Front and York Streets on Monday, October 20 between 5am and 11pm. Gleason’s Gym is also being used as a location for the filming on Monday and will be closed for the filming. They will reopen on Tuesday.

Previously: {More ‘Rescue Me’ Filming in Dumbo, 27Jun2008}

(Photo by carrotcreative, a media marketing agency located in Dumbo. Check them out at carrotcreative.com)

A Child Grows in Brooklyn, the blog about parenting in Brooklyn, has posted their list of Halloween events in and around Brooklyn. Included in the list is an event that will take place in Dumbo on Saturday, October 25, 3pm at Galapagos (16 Main Street), called Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World. Tina and Jason Trachtenburg, along with their thirteen year old daughter Rachel, put on a show complete with slideshows and organic cooking lessons. This should be an interesting one (in a good way) for families:

Join Rachel as she presents her new show, Rachel’s Homemade World. With a flowery set made by her Mom, Rachel will share some of her favorite activities such as audience sing alongs, puppet shows, interactive arts and crafts, environmental messages, and cooking segments complete with snack time! Arts and Crafts Goodies Supplied!! So be ready to Get Creative!!

To purchase tickets, click here. For more, go to galapagosartspace.com or A Child Grows in Brooklyn.