Waterfront History Tour Wednesday Evening, and Smorgasburg Lives on Pier 5 Uplands

By on June 29, 2015 11:42 pm in brooklyn bridge park, Brooklyn History, Events, Food, Maritime, Streets

The week before last, while writing my Last Minute Weekend Suggestions, I noticed that Smorgasburg had disappeared from the listing of events on the Brooklyn Bridge Park Website. This, and my having seen a news item about Smorgasburg starting up at Coney Island, made me assume (a word that Capt. Noland, my gunnery instructor in Field Artillery School, loved to remind us, “makes an ass of you and me both”) that the Park had been abandoned for the land of the Cyclone (and the Cyclones, who are off to a good start), hot dogs, and mermaids. Not so, as I found out during my stroll yesterday (see photo). I know this may come as a disappointment to some residents of Joralemon Street, who might prefer a reduction in pedestrian traffic to the availability of “Jersey style” (with heads) fried anchovies from Bon Chovie, washed down with maple flavored lemonade from some stand with Vermont in the name. Anyway, Smorgasburg is still there, despite its absence from the Park’s website, and presumably (there I go again) will remain on Sundays until its usual November closing.

On this Wednesday evening, July 1, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy presents a walking tour, “Brooklyn’s Waterfront History”, starting at 6:30 at the entrance to Pier 1, near the foot of Old Fulton Street. Tickets are $10, or $5 for Conservancy members; you may purchase tickets here.

The Waterfront History tour is part of a series of “dynamic and interactive walking tours” held by the Conservancy on Wednesdays through October 21. Here’s a schedule.

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  • Bill

    Wouldn’t be surprised if smorgasburg actually does ditch/get booted before the end of the season. Construction probably will have to start eventually on the real pier 5 uplands, maybe after pier 6 is done? Which is looking better every week it seems.

  • Heightser

    As a Heights resident on Hicks and Joralemon, I have to say that I would give my right arm (and perhaps also my left) if they would cancel Smorgasburg. I dread every Sunday and the constant stream of people (and piles of garbage) it creates. Anyone else thinking about moving away to avoid the onslaught every weekend?

  • Jorale-man

    I welcomed Smorgasburg when it first arrived but now I’ll thrilled when it finally leaves. You hit the nail on the head about the crowds and trash that they generate. I hope Bill (above) is right, that the uplands construction will proceed soon.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com ClaudeScales

    The Pier 5 uplands have of necessity been a temporary space for Smorgasburg, since they will be developed as parkland (with another sound attenuating berm) soon. My understanding, which may be wrong, is that Smorgasburg will eventually occupy the space under the Brooklyn Bridge just north of the River Cafe, not far from its former space in the shell of the Tobacco Warehouse, once the renovation work on the Bridge is complete.

  • Banet

    Indeed, they’ll be gone before the season is out, or at the latest, by the fall. They allegedly are trying to work something out in the pier 2 uplands or on the perimeter of a pier as the space under the bridge won’t be released by the DOT for some time. And even when it’s released the hope is to properly “parking” the space… although there’s no funding for that last bit of construction.

  • Willow Street Watch

    It’s amazing, all of what you said was predicted and protested a dozen years ago or more by the more thoughtful Heights residents. At the time when protests erupted at several public meetings the BHA/casino crowd did everything to slap down anyone who questioned what was planned. I remember Deidra Carson, reacting to protests from some then Joralemon
    residents, saying “We in the Heights welcome people from everywhere”
    This was met applause of the strongly liberal audience….

  • Still Here

    This is its last year on Pier Five, The Pier Two space is too small, as is the usable space under the Bridge. The latest rumor is that it shall be moved to the inside corner of Prospect, BB, and York/BQE – on what was once a parking lot and is currently a staging area for work on BB – which shall be completed this year. It’s more accessible but less intrusive (invasive?) to DUMBO and the Park. But I wish it would just go away.

  • Andrew Porter

    I guess in your mind the “BHA/casino crowd” is the equivalent of the Boogie Man. I don’t think either exists.