We've seen bald eagles around the city before, and two even moved into the the Bronx Zoo earlier this year, and now one of Stephen Colbert's favorite birds has showed up in Brooklyn. more ›

Last year we looked back at the in-air plane crash that sent the wreckage of a United Airlines flight onto the streets of Park Slope, and a TWA aircraft onto Staten Island. This December 16th will mark the 50th anniversary of the crash, and the Brooklyn Paper revisits it today, noting that there isn't much of a memorial in the neighborhood, but still some locals left who witnessed the tragedy. more ›

Angels & Accordions, the site-specific performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, will take a final bow on October 9th. The dance piece will be performed twice during Open House NY, but You Nabe reports that it'll be killed off after that, despite going six years strong now. The event involves dancers dressed in white interacting with tombs, trees and catacombs, with accordions that also serve a practical purpose; choreographer Martha Bowers says, “People do get lost, which is why we have the accordions to mark the route. It’s crazy to be in the middle of Brooklyn and have no idea which way is out.” more ›

It was strange, it was messy, and it was the first battle of the American Revolution following the Declaration of Independence. Most people also call it the Battle of Long Island. To a group of re-enactors and enthusiasts, as well as other proud Brooklynites, however, it's called the Battle of Brooklyn, thank you very much, and on Sunday, the yearly re-enactors' event that celebrates its place in history came around once again in Green-Wood Cemetery. It was a beautiful (if hot) day, and, if nothing else, this is way more interesting than the ol' back-and-forth between Hasids and hipsters. Check out those uniforms! more ›

Every year the Battle of Brooklyn is recreated at Green-Wood Cemetery, and this year that's happening this Sunday! (If you spot any re-enactors, send us your photos!) Here's our recap of what exactly went down back in 1776; it was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War. more ›

This Saturday, as part of Open House NY, the Green-Wood Historic Fund and Dance Theatre Etcetera will bring Angels & Accordions to the cemetery. "A site-specific, live music and dance performance that guides audience members through historic Green-Wood Cemetery’s rolling hills, highlighting its unparalleled collection of sculpture and monuments." Looks like the 30 dancers involved have been doing some practicing! To check it out in real life, head over there tomorrow at noon or 3:30 p.m. more ›

Thirteen's continuing series, The City Concealed, heads to Brooklyn to take a look inside Green-Wood Cemetery for their second installment. The video tour visits the tombs and catacombs, and includes a little history lesson as well. Established in 1838, the cemetery has plenty of living roaming the grounds for the art and architecture alone--but as historian Jeff Richman notes in the video, some "fear the spirits" and refuse to visit. more ›

Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery has been carving out quite a niche for itself by investing in its collection of art once created by some of the 220 artists who are buried there. In a feature in today's Times, the cemetery's historian Jeffrey Richman says that it is because “none of the nation’s other historic cemeteries have substantial systematic collections of deceased artists.” They also note nice touches like the cemetery's discovery and acquisition of a painting of DeWitt Clinton by George Catlin (both buried there). Green-Wood has invested more than $250,000 into its collection and has been abetted by a rough stretch for the art market. Its president Richard Moylan said, “The economic downturn is horrible, but it has made a lot of art more affordable.” And if the economy starts getting really really bad, maybe Green-Wood will even be able to afford paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Samuel Morse, both buried there but whose works are out of its budget. more ›

The Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island) was the "largest of the American Revolution" and was fought after the Declaration of Independence on August 27, 1776. For the 232th anniversary, the battle was re-created at Green-Wood Cemetery (the Minerva Statue is on Battle HIll). WNBC reported, "Re-enactors in period costume demonstrated the use of Revolutionary War muskets and other weapons in Green-Wood's Meadow and the surrounding area near the main entrance." more ›

A couple of years ago parrot poachers were the latest thing keeping bird watcher's eyes opened, as Brooklyn's feral parrots were disappearing. The unfeathered friends at BrooklynParrots.com still have plenty of beaked ones to observe, however, and their next "Parrot Safari" is coming up this June. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, a high-angle rescue on West 18th St., in Manhattan, and a multi-vehicle accident on Farmers Blvd. and the South Conduit in Queens.
• Hoboken mayor David Roberts was apparently prescient to ask how many stops his SWAT team made on the trip back north--fearing more embarrassing photos of his police force as they returned from relief efforts after hurricane Katrina. Additional pictures of misbehavior have surfaced, this time featuring the town's police chief cavorting in Louisiana.
• Brooklyn native and former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson was sentenced in an Arizona court to 24 hours in jail and three years probation for drug possession and DUI.
• The 2nd Ave. subway got a boost from $1.7 billion in federal funding earmarked for the project over the next seven years.
• New Yorkers aren't just cooler and better looking than the rest of the country, they make a lot more money. The average Manhattanite made more than $2,800 a week in the first quarter of this year.
• Former mayor Rudy Giuliani recommended securing the U.S.-Mexico border via a "virtual" system that would alert authorities of crossings.
• The Washington Post has a guide on how to get to NYC that includes more than "practice, practice, practice." It could be valuable for people wanting to get back to NYC.
• A very helpful guide to long- and short-distance runs in Brooklyn from the Brooklyn Road Runners Club.

Though it’s only been open for a little more than a week, Thai Tony’s on Fort Hamilton Parkway at the edge of Kensington, Brooklyn, is already building a strong neighborhood following. During repeat visits, Gothamist watched the owners and staff bustle around the dining room of the self-described “home-style bistro,” greeting returning customers by name. That’s right, they already know most of their customers by name. Thai Tony’s first came to our attention via our friends over at the Kensington blog, who followed its development from the construction phase, to last week’s grand opening. more ›

- Finally, a good tour of Greenwood Cemetery from Forgotten-NY. more ›

Reverend Billy, Street Preacher, The Church of Stop Shopping more ›