Results tagged “dumbo”

One of the most memorable plays we saw last year was The Walworth Farce, a pitch-black comedy by Irish playwright Enda Walsh. The story concerned a menacing father who every day forces his two sons to join him in performing a farcical play he wrote about a phony brain surgeon's attempt to cheat his estranged brother out of his inheritance. In that frenzied, hysterical production, the family's shabby apartment doubled as their stage, and all nine parts were played by the housebound men, as a sort of elaborate domestic ritual for an audience of none.

If you spend enough time riding a bike around New York, you learn to steer clear of those insane Access-A-Ride drivers, who are employed by NYC Transit to provide transportation for people with disabilities who can't take the subway or bus. In our experience, Access-A-Ride drivers are maniacs, and in recent years, the drivers have been in some high-profile accidents, including a fatality and a hit-and-run.

This past Wednesday the Community Board 2 committee voted against a dance club at the corner of Front and Old Fulton streets in DUMBO. The cabaret license request was made by the owners of One Front restaurant, who want to add dancing to the 2nd floor of their establishment, which includes a restaurant on the ground floor and mezzanine.

The 66th Street/Lincoln Center stop is currently located in this garage in DUMBO! Unless this is some sort of portal, it seems like Hollywood magic will be trying to transform the quiet cobblestone-laden Brooklyn neighborhood into a more bustling Manhattan.

Workers at the DUMBO grocery store Foragers spent about a week installing what was supposed to be a vastly improved salad bar at the Front Street location. It finally debuted last Friday, but it looks like they've decided not to install the customary plastic shield that protects consumers from strangers' unhygienic snot spray. The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene directed our questions to the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets, so here's Section 271-8.2 about salad bars from the state's regulations for retail food stores:

Continue reading "Gross Trend? Salad Bar Without Sneeze Guard!"

       

On the first non-rainy night in what seemed like centuries, DUMBO Fight Night made its outdoor debut under the recently-reopened Manhattan Bridge Archway. Fighters from DUMBO’s Gleason’s Gym and other corners of the Tri-State area hopped into the red, white, and blue ring for 16 bouts of amateur boxing to raise money for the DUMBO Improvement District.

This is absurd. A DUMBO shopowner recently ditched the old sign for his storefront (which read "Cafe/Bar") and replaced it with one stating the name of the establishment: DUMBO General Store (with the word "Cafe" underneath). A good business plan, no? But now the Brooklyn Paper reports that the regulars are in an uproar, preferring the older and more anonymous sign. One man even told the paper, "It used to be like a speakeasy."

Jacques Torres Ice Cream: Unbroken by Hershey's cease and desist order, chocolate maker Jacques Torres has expanded his ice cream operation, making it even harder for some of us to squeeze into that Speedo. His new DUMBO ice cream shop (just blocks from Gothamist's offices—thanks a lot Jacques) is located next to the original Jacques Torres Chocolate he opened nine years ago. The shop sells an assortment of 12 to 15 ice cream flavors, three to four sorbet flavors and a frozen yogurt. We're told that each flavor is made with all natural ingredients custom blended with Torres's own unique proprietary starter mixes, "never a prefabricated starter as is common among most ice cream makers." You can get it in a cone, a pint, a cup, or made-to-order sandwiches. There's also cotton candy, milkshakes, cupcakes and other assorted treats, and some ice cream varieties are now being sold at the two Manhattan Jacques Torres Chocolate locations. 62 Water Street, Brooklyn

     

If you don't know who Cynthia Hopkins is yet, you will sooner or later—the multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-dancer-actor-playwright (I'm sure I'm missing something) with the distinctively sly voice ought to be headlining Webster Hall, not just opening for David Byrne. (Not that headlining St. Ann's Warehouse is anything to sneeze at, either.) Nevertheless, even if you think you know Cynthia Hopkins, you'll probably still be surprised by the deeply personal way she reveals herself in the unsparing second half of The Success of Failure (or, The Failure of Success), which concludes her convoluted and captivating Accidental Trilogy. But more on that later.

reBar: This spacious bar/restaurant isn't new, but the chef and the menu are, so it's worth a mention for those making dinner plans in somewhat dining-deprived DUMBO. Self-described hippie owner Jason Stevens, who quit his job trading mortgage-backed securities at Merrill Lynch just before the crash, opened reBar in December 2006 in an old tea warehouse dating back the later 19th century. With an elegantly weathered, post-industrial design by the same guy who did the Zipper Factory Theater (RIP), the place has become a favorite watering hole for the locals. ($2 pints from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.!)

The De-Fence Project that recently added some flavor to the drab scaffolding lining Water Street in DUMBO has been taken down by state officials. It hadn't even been up for one week, and now the Brooklyn Paper reports that the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation removed the artwork on Monday. John Jeffreys, who funded the project through Exhibitology Inc., told the paper, “I can’t say I’m surprised. We didn’t really get permission to do it. Their reaction is one they have to take, but a bit of an over-reaction, I think.” He also claims to have not asked permission because there wasn't enough time in order to get it up to coincide with the BKLYN Designs event in the neighborhood last weekend. Without permission, the wooden cutouts were viewed as vandalism. Rachel Gordon, regional director of state Parks, said, “Nobody ever called. We have lots and lots of art events, but you just have to ask for permission." And while locals may have loved the piece, Gordon also states that, "it was so unsafe."

This crafty plywood piece was spotted yesterday on Water Street in DUMBO, and it seems to have just been put up by the people at the De-Fence Project. It's on the west side of the street, placed on the scaffolding and going from Water and Main streets all the way to the Tobacco Warehouse (albeit not on every panel). Let's just hope it doesn't come loose and stab anyone!

As the Dock Street Development gets closer to City Council approval, opponents are raising their voices. Yesterday they met on the steps of City Hall to rally against the proposed structure that would ultimately block the historic view of the Brooklyn Bridge. As lines are drawn in the cobblestone, the Brooklyn Eagle brings us current, noting that so far "It has been approved by the City Planning Commission (which reduced the height from 184 to 170 feet), the Borough President’s Office (with other modifications) and CB 2."

It's been a little while since we checked in on the Dock Street development in DUMBO. To recap: Two Trees (David and Jed Walentas's) proposed an 18-story "green" residential building (featuring 65 below-market-rate rentals and a public middle school) near the Brooklyn Bridge that would block views of the historic span. Community board subcommittees were formed, debates were had, and now the City Planning Commission has voted in favor of the tower, though they plan to bring the 18-story plan down to 17, and the 10-story section down to 7 or 8, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Opponents of the project say that the modifications are "marginal" and criticize Planning Commission Chairwoman Amanda Burden for not trimming the building more.

       

As previously mentioned, the Spacebuster has been making the rounds and is currently being inflated in the Manhattan Bridge archway. We infiltrated during the process, and found out that the bubble has a limited lifespan, usually lasting for around ten uses (sometimes more). Tonight it will house an Iron Designer event that's open to the public, and this Saturday it will be blown up under the BQE for a public meeting. Don't get too attached to the movable space, however, it goes back to Germany on April 26th.

Some more exciting news from the recently reopened Manhattan Bridge archway. While there have been murmurings of tag sales, performances and other ways the space may be utilized, no specific details have been made public until now. The Architect's Newspaper reports that on top of various public programming, the DUMBO Improvement District might be bringing in a marketplace (Robert LaValva's New Amsterdam Market) this summer, with organizers envisioning a showcase of purveyors offering a wide variety of goods, similar to the Borough Market in London. But before you start making a grocery list, nothing is final just yet. They report: "Much of the new programming, including the market, has yet to be formally announced pending city approvals, according to the district, which emphasizes that discussions with public officials are ongoing." If this all happens, expect an opening day around June 28th. It's hard to believe such a beautiful space has been used for DoT storage for so long. Tonight the spacebuster bubble will be set up inside the archway for an event that's open to the public.

Last September the Manhattan Bridge Archway in DUMBO reopened after 17 years, only to be promptly closed again with further renovations for the $500K project. Yesterday the gates were finally taken down for an unofficial unveiling. The safety orange adornments that lined the walls upon last glance are now down (phew), and there's likely some more work to be done, but now locals won't have to pass through Stabber Alley anymore. Upon completion the archway is accessible 24 hours a day, will house some special events and is "for public, non-vehicular use" (ahem).

  

In a 1996 article about the ultra-rich, the NY Times points out that Billy Cosby's Manhattan sidewalk is heated and therefore "remains opulently snow-free," which also leaves him lawsuit-free. The ultra-non-rich use the archaic shovel, but the job still gets done, and you may even receive a thank you for your hard work. Not everyone does their duty of de-icing, however.

In mid-December, the Times reported on a DUMBO company with 65 employees working around the clock to fill a very special order: one million gold-and-black engraved invitations for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20th. Yesterday the Staten Island Advance revealed that Brooklyn isn't the only NYC borough with a role to play in getting the invitations out; workers for Prompt Mailers Inc. on Staten Island are now scrambling to get the precious invites in the mail. Every hour, four machines individually collate, insert and seal 3,100 to 3,500 envelopes each. Floor manager Carlos Oliveras, a U.S. Marine veteran, is particularly excited: "I was a junkie for all things Obama. I couldn't be happier to be a part of this history—indirectly." The company is working overtime to make a January 7th deadline, so if you haven't gotten your invite in the mail yet, you know which borough to blame.

Much chatter followed Two Trees (David and Jed Walentas's) proposal for an 18-story residential building near the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO. The building would include a public middle school and "dozens of units of below-market-rate housing," but the Brooklyn Paper reports that neighborhood folk don't want to "block some views of the historic span."

The Brooklyn Flea isn't taking the chilly season off, but they are moving things indoors. Co-founder Jonathan Butler (pictured to the right of Eric Demby) told us that the space will be smaller than the outdoor Flea in Fort Greene, with about 30 vendors housed inside. The winter months will be held in a usually empty space at 76 Front Street in DUMBO, which we went over to check out for ourselves.

        

When Sam Buffa, co-owner of the Freemans Sporting Club Barber Shops, went on his first impromptu date with his bride-to-be Jean Adamson, who was then head chef at Freemans, their night ended in Vinegar Hill, the quaint little neighborhood bordering DUMBO. So it's kind of sweet that their new labor of love is opening in a 19th century carriage house right where they started, and now reside. They've spent the last four and a half months turning a former apartment into this 41 seat restaurant--with additional dining in a back garden once spring comes. Called Vinegar Hill House, it opened last night.

The Manhattan Bridge archway reopened in September to the applause of many local pedestrians (and those who interpreted it as a parking lot!). However, for the past couple of weeks the space has been closed off. We sent an inquiry to the DUMBO Improvement District, and they told us, "To ensure public safety, the Archway is closed temporarily while its historic Belgian block roadbed is restored. This work is...part of our plan to return the Archway to the public as a pedestrian plaza." So sit tight DUMBO-ites, the archway will be back up and running (hopefully by next year)...until then, you'll just have to make do with stabber alley.

John McCain is really pulling all the stops as Election Day draws nigh. With Obama (and even Ralph Nader) getting so much love from street artists over the past year, someone finally threw the republicans some wheatpaste. The above was seen in DUMBO this morning, just look at that lil' guy dance!

Ah DUMBO, the little neighborhood that could. The NY Post takes its turn at looking at "the priciest Brooklyn neighborhood," and the pioneers who purchased real estate there before anyone else. In 1998, before the average price per sq-ft was $917, Craig Burd bought a place when there was "no grocery store, no drugstore, no dry cleaners, nothing" (now there's like one of each of those things!). First Burd spent $260,000 on a 1,260-sq-ft abode at 1 Main Street, only to sell it for $895,000 a mere five years later. What's the area's appeal? The stellar view of the Manhattan skyline (if you can ignore that Verizon sign), a slew of festivals that add to the small town vibe, "industrial aesthetic and low-key lifestyle." David Walentas of Two Trees Management, mostly responsible for the success story and a major investor in the area since the 70s, says South Street Seaport, Governors Island and Red Hook will soon "link up." He noted, "Eventually all these little pockets of waterfront prosperity will begin to interact together." So while Brooklyn condo sales drop, maybe it's time to buy in Red Hook!

Artist Kylin O'Brien is painting giant monsters around town for the NYC public school kids in a collaborative effort titled The Monster Project. "Still in its early stages, the monster project is launching its first huge public creatures at the 12th Annual Art Under the Bridge Festival" this weekend. Two of the monsters in the DUMBO area are pictured above, and before you start grading--keep in mind that the creatures are, at heart, creations of kids.

These creatures are elements of children's imaginations and reflections of what they find both powerful and frightening. As neighborhood murals, they are transformed into local guardians. Kylin's work is to refine the children's drawings while being true to their vision and energy. The kids' work is already fine and poignant.

Well, that didn't take long. Just hours after the grand reopening of the Manhattan Bridge archway, a "non-vehicular" zone, someone has found a pretty sweet parking spot. Tip: Just move the planter guarding either entrance!

       

The Manhattan Bridge Archway in DUMBO has reopened today, giving the neighborhood more public space. The DUMBO Improvement District, who is helping to secure funding for the $500K project, noted that the historic, 46-foot-wide archway below the Manhattan Bridge will be "for public, non-vehicular use, granting access to a spacious but long-inaccessible public space and connecting two parts of DUMBO that had been separated for 17 years."

Last month the massive amounts of smashed car window glass on Water Street in DUMBO got some attention online, and a blog of its own. Across the cobblestone street from some of the victimized cars a sign appeared on a wall saying the culprit was likely Darren Stone, aka Squarehead. Now the The NY Post reports that the 43-year-old Stone has been arrested for felony criminal mischief after cops used DNA evidence from one break-in where he cut himself.

You’ll recall the big stink surrounding the city’s demolition (pictured) of the 1930s-era Art Deco Purchase building by the base of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO – preservationists fought to save it, then the city tore it down to make way for the oft-delayed Brooklyn Bridge Park. The land the building occupied was supposed to be turned into a beautiful Euro-style piazza and skating rink by fall 2009, according to estimates by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Unsurprisingly, that’s not going to happen for at least five years because the DOT, which still owns the property, needs it to do repairs on the bridge. City Councilman David Yassky, whose district includes the park, tells the Post:

We all know how the bureaucracy works – a few years will become five years, and then 10 years, and then you can kiss that section of the park goodbye. This land was promised for parkland, and it should stay that way. Surely DOT can store its equipment somewhere else nearby.