Brooklyn Archives
Red Hook taco vendors
We've not tried any of the food from the Red Hook taco vendors, but if it's sold around a soccer field we're confident that it is worth trying. Thanks for the tip Ed!
Ikea Hack: Free Ferry and Bus Service Will Give Easy Access to Red Hook Ball Field Vendors," Ed Levine's New York Eats, May 16, 2008
Peter Luger Steak House
Peter Luger's Steak House in Dumbo, Brooklyn, was established about a century ago in the style of a Bavarian beer hall with grumpy male waiters. You will eat very good juicy, medium-rare, greasy and tasty porterhouse steaks, creamy spinach (an acquired taste), fresh tomatoes and fried potatoes. I would drink a bottle of red wine to lower my cholesterols! A shrimp cocktail with horse-radish sauce is optional. No other choices are necessary.
The bad thing is that you will have to wait at least an hour or more for a table. Beware cash only for the very big tab. Steak-lovers go there very religiously.
Inside tip: I prefer to eat there for lunch ... no wait for tables and they offer a delicious juicy hamburger, French fries and a tall glass of beer. A bargain, too.
Afterwards, you can walk across the East River via the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan. What a sight.
Peter Luger Steak House, web site, 178 Broadway Street, between 6th Street and Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-387-7400 [Yelp | openlist | NY Mag | MenuPages | Gayot]
Off the Broiler reviews Di Fara Pizza
Jason Perlow has an excellent review, with many pics, of the square pie at Di Fara Pizza ... and pics of other great looking dishes ...
"NYC Dining: DiFara Redux -- Its Hip to be Square," Off the Broiler, September 21, 2006
DiFara, 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, 718-258-1367 [slice | A Year in Food | NY Mag | NYT | in praise of sardines | eating for brooklyn]
FREE First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum - Brasil Carnival
First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, Brasil Carnival will be lots of fun for the whole family ...
At the Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5–11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m.
March 4, 2006
(these are just some of the events on March 4 - see web site for more)
6 p.m.–8 p.m.: World Music
Hall of the Americas, 1st Floor
Jeff Newell's New-Trad Octet of Brooklyn plays New Orleans Mardi Gras music with a twist.
6:30 p.m.: Performance
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Drama of Works and 2 Punks Puppet Theatre combine overhead projection and traditional shadow puppetry to tell a Cajun fairytale in which the hero goes in search of that one special ingredient for a Mardi Gras gumbo. Free tickets available at the Visitor Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.
8 p.m.: Free Dance Lessons
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Get ready to move those dancing feet to the rhythms of samba music led by Stepping Out Dance Studio instructors.
9 p.m.–11 p.m.: Dance Party
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Twice voted the best Brazilian band in the U.S. by the Brazilian International Press Association, Grupo Saveiro will perform high-energy Brazilian music—just like at Carnival in Rio!
Brooklyn Museum, web site, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000
previous post: "Brooklyn Museum of Art - free first Saturdays," February 14, 2006
Brooklyn Museum of Art - free first Saturdays
the Brooklyn Museum of Art on the first Saturday of the month is free and provides so much entertainment for the whole community with films, musical concerts, DJ"s playing dance music, and art history lectures.
A rainbow of the whole world can be seen on that evening ... the museum has succeeded to bring into their halls the whole community of Brooklynites with all their children in tow ... what a wonderful sight. A free, safe and peaceful enviroment for everyone to enjoy the evening.
The last time I was there I concentrated on the archeological artifacts of the Egyptians during 3,000 B.C. - 1,000 B.C. ... the Brooklyn Museum has one of the finest collections of Egyptian art in the world ...
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000 (directions)
Brooklyn Jazz Series - FREE kickoff Sunday, September 18, 2005
The Brooklyn Jazz Series kicks off a ten-week run this weekend ... with a FREE session on Sunday, September 18th, 2005 ...
- 12:00 noon: The Brooklyn Jazz Series kickoff
- 1:00 pm: Marcus Strickland Quartet
- 2:45 pm: Rudresh Mahanthappa Quartet
- 4:30 pm: Mark Turner Trio
- 5:45 pm: All three musicians will partake in a jam session
After that, every Wednesday, September 21st through November 23rd, 2005, 8 to 11 pm ...
from the great folks at Water Street Restaurant & Lounge ... site of the Tiger Beer Singapore Chili Crab Festival (Third Annual coming next August!) ... DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, 66 Water Street, between Dock and Main Streets, 718-625-9352 [Citysearch]
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Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop
Artists Aid Orleans, Sept. 13th
Artists Aid Orleans is a benefit art sale raising money for the charities Habitat for Humanity and America's Second Harvest ... Tuesday September 13th, 6 to 9 pm ... NYC Stories has details ...
Coney Island - Classic Wooden Coaster & Circus Sideshow
Coney Island ... the birthplace of the hot dog ... has many attractions ... classic wooden coaster ... great minor league baseball ... the last 10-in-1 circus sideshow in America ... aquarium ... 150-foot tall Ferris wheel ...
Coaster
The Cyclone, at Astroland - THE classic wooden coaster ...Aquarium
New York Aquarium at Coney Island10-in-1 circus sideshow
Sideshows by the Seashore ... "the last place in the USA where you can experience the thrill of a traditional ten-in-one circus sideshow. They're here, they're real and they're alive!"Baseball
The Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets affiliate, play in KeySpan Park ... fireworks at Friday night games ...Ferris Wheel
The Wonder Wheel at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park ... has both swinging and stationary cars
1000 Surf Ave. (Corner of West 10th St), Brooklyn, NY
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: D, Q, F train to Stillwell Avenue (last stop)
See Manhattan by Water - $20 for 2 days!
Want to see Manhattan and Brooklyn by water? ... Want an easy way to avoid the subway and traffic while doing so? Then take the water taxi!
New York Water Taxi offers a 2-day unlimited pass that is only $20 ... see New York from the East and Hudson Rivers ...
They have an excellent web site ... interactive map with links to nearby tourist sites, restaurants, NextBus ... and suggested walking tours ... printable schedule (pdf)
Unlimited hop-on hop-off stops
- Hunters Point, Long Island City Water Taxi Beach
- East 34th
- Fulton Ferry Landing (DUMBO in Brooklyn) Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage | St. Ann's Warehouse | d.u.m.b.o. arts center
- South Street Seaport
- Wall Street (Pier 11)
- Battery Park (Slip 6) Battery Park | Statute of Liberty | Staten Island Ferry
- World Financial Center (North End Avenue at Murray Street) Ground Zero
- Greenwich Village (Pier 45)
- West 23rd Street (Pier 63, Chelsea Piers) Christopher Street
- West 44th Street (Pier 84) Intrepid Sea and Space Museum | Times Square and Broadway | Jacob Javits Convention Center
NYWT offers other tours, but we recommend the $20 2-day pass or the two-hour $20 Sunset Cocktail Cruise.
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop
AGINY Good Value
Brooklyn - Williamsburgh Bank photos
Thanks to The Tin Man for a link to a "Beautiful panoramic view from the top of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building, the tallest building in Brooklyn." ... 1 Hanson Place, Brooklyn
Here are some more photos of the Bank and the neighborhood around the bank from Satan's Laundromat: Williamsburgh Savings Bank 1 (with links to more photos from other sites), and Williamsburgh Savings Bank 2. He advises
the cathedral-like 63-foot-ceilinged banking hall on the ground floor, which is perhaps New York's greatest interior and certainly Brooklyn's, will be converted into a restaurant. (See it now, while you still can: the HSBC bank closes September 30th.)
forgotten ny has a story with photos
nyc-architecture.com has more photos and some architectural info
Old News - Conversion to Condos
the Wired New York Forum has a thread discussing the conversion of the building into condos.Crain's New York reported in May that
Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building has been bought by Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, an investment concern started by “Magic” Johnson, and the Dermot Co., which plan to renovate the landmarked, 35-story tower into condominiums and ground-floor retail space.
Two short articles: the Daily News and Curbed.
Horseback Riding in NYC
Taxi, subway, foot, bus ... and horseback ... yes, you can ride horses in NYC ... although we've not tried it, experienced riders say it's a lot of fun ...
Links
- NYPD's Mounted Unit
- Horseback Ridng in NYC - from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- "Urban Cowboy: NYC Horseback Riding: On Horseback in the Big Town," by Elzy Kolb, GORP (article cached on Google)
"I found that the horses in city stables live up to New York's high-energy vibe. In the Bronx and Queens, my horses were enthusiastic and ready to run for most of an hour's ride; I got occasional canters out of my stately Manhattan and Staten Island steeds; and my Brooklyn mount gave me a hard, fast trot."
- Kensington Stables - Brooklyn
- New York City Horses - photos of drinking troughs and stables from New York City Walk
forgotten NY - web site - highly recommended
If you love New York, then you must visit, and bookmark, forgotten NY. Run by Kevin Walsh, forgotten NY includes text and photographs of all parts of the City, new and old ... he also conducts walking tours ... upcoming tours are announced on the home page ...
Some of our favorite pages include
- Journey Through the Past (a subway tour on IRT Low Voltage cars)
- Jamican Red (original red brick pavement in Jamica)
- A Walk on 53rd Street (from the Hudson to the East River)
- Who Are those Guys and Gals and Dogs (The Statues of Central Park)
- Where Brooklyn Began - Fulton Street at the waterfront
An incredibly rich site, forgotten NY will keep you occupied for hours ... I bet most of you don't make it to this sentence ...
For more about Kevin Walsh, see the gothamist interview. Thank you, Kevin Walsh, for a wonderful web site.
AGINY Highly Recommended and Top 10
2nd Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival
The 2nd Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival, Sunday, August 7th, 2005, DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, 66 Water Street (between Dock and Main Streets), 12 - 6pm. (rain or shine) ... a sensational experience for all ages in DUMBO's summery outdoors ...
enjoy Singapore chili crabs and other specialities prepared by The Global Culinary Society of the Culinary Institute of America ... free admission (you pay for food and beverages) ...
limited free transportation from South Street Seaport by NY Water Taxi ... or take a leisurely stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge ... the walkway feeds into Washington Street, then walk north toward the East River on Washington Street to the Festival ... www.tigerbeer.us/newyork or www.waterstreetrestaurant.com
From Tiger Beer
In addition to chili crabs, other Southeast Asian flavors including Beef Rendang, deep fried Beef Wontons, and Singapore Satay (bite-sized skewered meat) will be available. Entertainment will include live band performances, souvenir vendors, children's street entertainment and petting zoo, caricaturists, face painters, massage therapy, traditional lion dancers, East-West horoscope readings by Madame Tiger and kickboxers from Gleason’s Gym.
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: A train to High Street, F train to York Street, 1 or 2 train to Clark Street
New York City Dept. of Parks - web site
The New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation has a web site that is very useful for finding out about many free events that take place throughout NYC.
You can start on the Things to Do page, but our favorite is the upcoming Concerts, Performances, and Films page.
Want to learn how to play petanque? ("A close relative of bocce and a distant cousin of horseshoes.")
How about a two-hour boat ride along the Hudson featuring an on-board lecture by Joyce Gold about the history of the waterfront neighborhoods .. with dinner .. for $20?
Or maybe you'd prefer to "sample regional cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnic on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers and, as the sky darkens, see exceptional international films on a large format screen - all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Manhattan skyline."?
These are only 3 among hundreds and hundreds of events listed.
AGINY Recommended.
