Brooklyn Heights Blog » Maritime http://brooklynheightsblog.com Dispatches from America's first suburb Thu, 25 Apr 2024 02:57:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2 Mega Yacht at Marina is a Movie Starhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/93602 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/93602#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:54:10 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=93602

If you’ve been to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade or Brooklyn Bridge Park lately you’ve almost certainly noticed a very large – 240 feet long, in fact – yacht docked at the ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, near the foot of Joralemon Street. The photo, taken by your correspondent from the Promenade, shows its mast towering to the Promenade’s height. The Eagle’s Mary Frost has the story.

If this vessel looks familiar, it’s because it is the Planet Nine, featured in Christopher Nolan’s action film Tenet. In the film, Planet Nine served as the floating lair of supervillain Andrei Sator (played by Kenneth Branagh).

A friend has advised us that Planet Nine is available for charters starting at $600K for a week. So far, it seems, no one has bit.

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New Staten Island Ferry Named for Dorothy Day, Brooklyn Heights Nativehttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/92547 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/92547#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2021 02:47:06 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=92547

The newest Staten Island Ferry boat is named for Dorothy Day. Ms. Day was born in Brooklyn Heights in 1897, but her father, a journalist, took a job in San Francisco in 1903. The family later moved to Chicago, where she reached adulthood. As a young woman, she returned to New York and lived a Bohemian life, espousing radical causes. In her early thirties she became a convert to Roman Catholicism, but combined her faith with a continued advocacy of social justice. She lived much of her later life on Staten Island. Along with Peter Maurin she founded the Catholic Worker Movement, which advocates nonviolence, works of mercy, the dignity of manual labor, and “voluntary poverty,” meaning

by casting our lot freely with those whose impoverishment is not a choice, we would ask for the grace to abandon ourselves to the love of God. It would put us on the path to incarnate the Church’s “preferential option for the poor.”

Photo: New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Public Programs and Exhibit at Center for Brooklyn History, formerly Brooklyn Historical Societyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/92023 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/92023#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2020 02:33:34 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=92023

Yes, the Brooklyn Historical Society is now the Center for Brooklyn History, part of the Brooklyn Public Library system. While the Center’s building remains closed to the public during the pandemic, it presents on line events and exhibitions, all free of charge.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 10) starting at 6:00 p.m. the Center, in honor of Veteran’s Day, will present a webinar, “Listening to WW II: Voices from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.” There’s more information and register here.

On Wednesday of next week (November 18), the center will present on line “From Pizzagate to the Presidency: QAnon’s Infiltration of our Democracy.” There’s more information and register here.

The Center also has four exhibitions available for viewing on line: “The Packer Collegiate Institute: A Story of Education in Brooklyn”; “Brooklyn Abolitionists/In Pursuit of Freedom”; “Brooklyn Waterfront History”; and “An American Family Grows in Brooklyn: The Lefferts Family Papers at Brooklyn Historical Society”.

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Mystery Sailboat at ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina Houses Healthcare Workershttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/90826 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/90826#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2020 00:56:25 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=90826

Those of you who, like me, have taken solitary, or with spouse/partner, exercise on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade may have noticed a single white hulled sailboat docked at the ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, located between piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This New York Magazine “Intelligencer” Article by Laura Van Straaten explains how it came and what it’s doing there. The boat, named Turning Point, belongs to Rachel Hartley, an ICU nurse from Virginia, and her husband, Taylor Hartley. When Ms. Hartley learned there was a critical shortage of ICU nurses in New York, she left her job in Virginia to come here, sailing north with Mr. Hartley. She now works in the ICU at NYU Langone in Sunset Park. Ms. Hartley invited two friends, a nurse and paramedic from Cleveland, Ohio, and another paramedic from Virginia, to join them and live on the boat. The Marina is giving them free dockage for two months, and they are receiving meals from Estuary, the restaurant in One Brooklyn Bridge Park that is also providing meals to frontline workers in Brooklyn hospitals.

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Tall Ship Coming To Brooklyn Bridge Park This Weekendhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/88308 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/88308#comments Wed, 01 May 2019 01:49:47 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=88308

The brigantine Corwith Cramer (photo) will dock at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park this Thursday, May 2 and will remain until Sunday, May 12. The ship will be open for tours this Friday, May 3 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 5 from 9:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m.; Friday, May 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 11 from noon to 2:30 p.m. There’s more information here.

Photo courtesy of Sea Education Association | SEA Semester ® | http://www.sea.edu.

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“Glassbarge” and Schooner Lois McClure at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/86336 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/86336#comments Sat, 19 May 2018 16:22:20 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=86336

The “Glassbarge” and the canal schooner Lois McClure (photo) are docked at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park through Memorial Day, May 28. They will be open for tours every day from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Tours of the Glassbarge, which is owned by the Corning Museum of Glass, and that include lectures and glassblowing demonstrations, are free, but require reservations, which you may make here. Tours of the Lois McClure are self guided, and require no reservations.

Brooklyn is the vessels’ first stop on a summer long tour celebrating the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal. From here they will sail up the Hudson to Albany, then across the Erie Canal to Buffalo, stopping at towns along the way. Returning from Buffalo, they will take a side trip southward through Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, to Watkins Glen. From there, a ceremonial land journey will end with the tour’s conclusion in Corning.

Lois McClure is a replica of a schooner built in Burlington, Vermont in 1862 for the trade between there and other ports along Lake Champlain as well as southward through the canal connecting to the Hudson and westward on the New York State canal system. It’s possible the original McClure visited Brooklyn, perhaps carrying grain taken on in Buffalo for transshipment to oceangoing vessels at the Erie Basin. She was able to navigate the canals, with their low bridges, because her masts and spars could be folded down. This meant she needed an external source of power. On this trip, that will be supplied by the South Street Seaport Museum’s historic tug W.O. Decker. South Street is a co-sponsor of the tour, along with the Corning Museum of Glass and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont, which owns the Lois McClure.

A theme of the Lois McClure’s participation is the effect of the construction of the canals, and the commerce they fostered, on the forests of New York State and New England. The schooner will be carrying a cargo of white oak and white pine seedlings to be planted in locations along the tour’s route.

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Greenpeace Ship Visiting Pier Six, Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/84962 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/84962#comments Sat, 14 Oct 2017 22:18:40 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=84962

Update: Arctic Sunrise departed this (Tuesday) morning on a voyage to deliver supplies to Puerto Rico.

On an afternoon walk through Brooklyn Bridge park, your correspondent was surprised to find Greenpeace’s ship Arctic Sunrise docked at Pier Six, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue. I joined the line for a free tour, and with a group of about ten others, was led aboard for an interesting and educational experience. As we looked out over the bow, Catherine, a deckhand, told us about the ship’s ice-breaking capabilities and about her vulnerability to severe pitching and rolling in heavy seas because of her lack of a keel. Moving up to the bridge, we saw her up-to-date navigational and steering equipment. Paloma, who sometimes steers the ship, described how it all works. Moving down to the hold, where we found the crew’s bicycles hanging above, we were shown a very short film on Greenpeace’s mission. Proceeding to the rear deck, we were told about the ship’s present mission, which is to collect evidence of the pollution of the seas and adjacent waters by discarded “single use” plastic, and its effects on marine and bird life. Two crew members were panning water from the East River, finding many small bits of plastic debris. The tour took about twenty minutes.

Arctic Sunrise will be at Pier Six through tomorrow (Sunday, October 15) and will be open for free public tours from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

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Fleet Week This Coming Weekendhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/83904 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/83904#comments Tue, 23 May 2017 03:05:30 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=83904

This coming Memorial Day Weekend will feature the customary visit of U.S. Navy ships to Brooklyn. The Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers Monterey (CG 61; photo) and San Jacinto (CG 56) will be docked at the Red Hook Cruise Ship Terminal and will be open for tours this Thursday, May 25 through Monday, May 29. Our friends at PortSide New York have kindly given us details on what hours the ships will be open for tours, what you should or shouldn’t wear (e.g. no high heels), what you can’t bring on board (e.g. knives), and, most importantly, how to get there. It’s all here.

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Floating Restaurant on Sailing Vessel Coming to Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/83470 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/83470#comments Sat, 08 Apr 2017 15:06:04 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=83470

The Brooklyn Paper reports that restaurateur Alex Pincus plans to open an upscale, seafood oriented restaurant on an historic sailing vessel that will be moored to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier Six, locared near the Park’s Atlantic Avenue entrance. The identity of the vessel hasn’t been revealed, but Pincus already has a restaurant, Grand Banks, operating on Manhattan’s shore aboard a Grand Banks style fishing schooner, the Sherman Zwicker (see photo).

According to the Brooklyn Paper story, the floating restaurant will be operating by this summer.

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Nantucket Lightship Hosts Marine Art Program Tomorrowhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/81462 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/81462#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:54:26 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=81462

Tomorrow (Wednesday, September 14) evening at 6:00, the lightship Nantucket, docked at the north side of Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park, will be host to artist Christina Sun, New York Harbor Artist in Residence, Art Instructor at the New York City Harbor School, and author of the blog Bowsprite. Ms. Sun will speak about “The Historic Ships of New York Harbor: An Artist’s Perspective”. The event is free; there’s more information here.

There will be more events on Nantucket later this month, all free. The schedule is here.

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Coming Events at Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/81031 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/81031#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2016 22:08:00 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=81031

Tomorrow (Saturday, August 20) from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. there will be a free Pier 5 Family Field Day, with potato, sack, and Hula Hoop races, parachute games, soccer skills lessons, and scrimmage games. More information here.

On Sunday afternoon, August 21 from 2:00 to 5:00 the Nantucket lightship (photo), docked at Pier 6, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue, will be open for free public tours. More information here. At 4:00 p.m. there will be a special treat for kids, as Brian Floca, author of Lightship, reads from and discusses his book. More information here.

Monday, August 22 is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and there will be a day and evening long celebration at Pier 1, with guests from Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey on hand to provide fun, games, and entertainment. The kid-friendly band Ramblin’ Dan will provide music, and there will be a free ice cream social during the afternoon hosted by Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. During the evening, Bill Nye the Science Guy will host an interactive game in which participants can control lights on the One World Trade Center’s spire, while DJ Questlove will provide ambient music. More information here.

Saturday, August 27 is the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn, and as part of the Battle Week observances, the Park’s weekly Wednesday Night Tour, this time led by Robert Furman, author of Brooklyn Heights: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of America’s First Suburb, will focus on the role of the East River in the early stages of the American Revolution. Tickets are $10, or free for Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy members; more information and purchase or reserve tickets here.

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Coming at Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/80977 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/80977#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2016 04:27:27 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=80977

Tomorrow (Monday, August 15) evening at 7:00, at the Granite Prospect on Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, in partnership with BookCourt will present Eowyn Ivey reading from her latest novel, To the Bright Edge of the World. The event is free; books will be available for purchase and signing. Perhaps this Alaskan writer can bring some cool northern breezes with her. More information here.

On Tuesday evening, August 16 at 6:00 on the Nantucket lightship ( since moved from Pier 5 to the north side of Pier 6), your correspondent’s friend Will Van Dorp, whose blog Tugster is a delight, and Gary Kane will present a free screening of Gary’s film The Graves of Arthur Kill, followed by discussion. More information here.

On Wednesday evening, August 17, from 6:30 to 7:30, starting at the park entrance near the foot of Old Fulton Street, the latest in the series of Wednesday Night Tours will explore “Over and Back: How Ferries Built South Brooklyn.” Admission is $10, or free for Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy members. More information and purchase tickets here.

For more information about upcoming events at Brooklyn Bridge Park, see here.

Photo: BookCourt.

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Fleet Week Begins Tomorrow, Continues Through Memorial Day Weekendhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79770 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79770#comments Wed, 25 May 2016 03:36:28 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=79770

Fleet Week begins tomorrow, Wednesday, May 25, with a parade of ships that, starting at 11:30 a.m., will proceed from the Narrows up through New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park, up to the George Washington Bridge. The ships will then head back to their assigned docks: some at the Cruise Ship Terminal on the West Side of Manhattan; some to Staten Island; and some to the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal in Red Hook. Ships at the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal will be open for public tours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday, May 26 through Monday, May 30. More information here. There will also be a Navy Band concert on Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, on Saturday afternoon, May 28, from 2:00 to 3:00.

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Nantucket Lightship Arrives At Brooklyn Bridge Parkhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79391 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79391#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2016 03:55:29 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=79391

If you went onto the Promenade today, you likely noticed the lightship Nantucket, which formerly warned mariners away from the shoals south of Nantucket Island, docked at the northwest corner of Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park. She’s just inside the new marina, scheduled to open soon.

We’re advised Nantucket will remain at BBP “through the season.” As soon as we have more details, such as if and when she’ll be open for public tours, we’ll let you know. Addendum: We have this word from “Canonchet” (comment below):

Will be berthed at the new park marina this summer, available for rental: parties, charter cruises etc – original exterior, de luxe megayacht interior.

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Paella Bake-Off in Red Hook Sunday Evening, April 17http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79218 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/79218#comments Sun, 10 Apr 2016 03:56:24 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=79218

This coming Sunday, April 17, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. there will be a Paella Bake-Off in Red Hook, and you are invited to be one of the judges. The contestants are Kevin’s Restaurant, 277 Van Brunt Street, and the galley of the preserved coastal tanker Mary A. Whalen, docked at the south side of Pier 11 in Atlantic Basin, also in Red Hook. If you attend this event, you may spend cooking time moving between Kevin’s kitchen and Mary A. Whelan’s galley, get a tour of the ship, and enjoy tapas and sangria. The dinner, judging, and party after are at Kevin’s.

Tickets are $100 each ($106.49 with service fee), and may be purchased here. Proceeds benefit Red Hook WaterStories, which seeks to tell and preserve the history of Red Hook and its waterfront, and by extension New York’s waterfront, as well as to contribute to the community’s resiliency by helping to prepare for future floods such as that created by Sandy.

Photo: Alex Borland, PublicDomainPictures.net.

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Goodbye, Bay Landerhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/78760 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/78760#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2016 02:43:58 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=78760

For the past year and a half the small former U.S. Navy ship Bay Lander has been moored to Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park. We reported her arrival here. For a year or so she was moored to the north side of the pier, but when pieces of the marina to be assembled there began to arrive, she was moved to the south side, where she was moored when your correspondent shot this photo Tuesday.

IMG_4171This morning, as I walked along the outer side of Pier 6, I saw a small tug idling near Pier 5. As I reached the north side of Pier 6, the tug approached Bay Lander.

IMG_4175When I got to Pier 5, the tug, which proved to be Vulcan III with Perth Amboy as its home port. was beginning to tow Bay Lander away from the pier.

IMG_4178Here’s another view, looking over Vulcan III’s stern to Bay Lander’s bow.

IMG_4185Shortly after the above photo was taken, the bow line was cast off, and the tug went around to Bay Lander’s stern.

IMG_4186A line was made fast from Vulcan III’s bow to Bay Lander’s stern.

IMG_4187With a push from Vulcan III, Bay Lander headed out and northward into the East River.

We’re not sure if Bay Lander’s departure is temporary or permanent.

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Could the Missing Anchor Return to Brooklyn Heights?http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/77400 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/77400#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2015 04:37:37 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=77400

Could the historic anchor that once graced the sidewalk in front of 76 Montague, but was removed last spring and put in storage at a Staten Island shipyard, be returned to Brooklyn Heights? This Brooklyn Paper story suggests it may happen. It quotes Taylor Morbito co-owner of Friend of a Farmer, which recently opened its new location at 76 Montague, and Wolf Spille, owner of the anchor, who say the anchor will be placed on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade later this month. This will require the cooperation of the City’s Parks Department, and Brooklyn Paper was unable to get any confirmation from them.

Let’s hope this happens! Have a look at our Facebook page.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75986 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75986#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2015 03:35:54 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=75986

Bargemusic has a full schedule of concerts this weekend. Friday evening, August 7 at 8:00 brings Russian romanticism as pianist Vassily Primakov (photo) plays works of Tchaikovsky. On Saturday evening at 8:00 the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet will perform works by Mahler, Mozart, and Brahms. On Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pianists Alexander Peskanov and Edith Kraft will present the world premiere of Mr. Peskanov’s “Sinfonieta (Tribute to Tchaikovsky)” and works by Schubert, Debussy, Reger, Hindemith, and Kreisler. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert, co-sponsored by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated. Looking ahead to Wednesday evening, August 12 at 8:00, there will be a “Here and Now” concert, “Complex Stories, Simple Sounds,” featuring clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and pianist Dinuk Wijeratne. There’s more information and buy tickets here.

On Saturday, August 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Brooklyn Bridge Park will celebrate the opening of the new John Street portion of the Park, in DUMBO, with music by the Hungry March Band, food trucks, and face painting and other activities for kids. Admission and activities are free. There’s more information here. On Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon Pier Kids will present the Dirty Sock Funtime Band. Following that, from noon to 1:00 p.m., there will be art activities; again all for free. Smorgasburg will be back on the Pier 5 uplands on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and you may take a free guided park tour by going to the Pier 1 entrance near the foot of Old Fulton Street at 11:00 a.m. Sunday. For other Park activities this weekend, see their calendar.

It’s a bit of a walk, or a bus ride, to where the historic harbor tanker Mary A. Whalen is docked at Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, but her owners PortSide NewYork have planned a full weekend of festivities, starting with a “jazz flamenco” concert Friday evening, a folk music sing along Saturday evening, a potluck supper Sunday, and tours of the ship Saturday and Sunday afternoons. More information and directions here.

If you know of any other events in or near Brooklyn Heights this weekend that should be mentioned, please let us know in a comment.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75821 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75821#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2015 02:26:51 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=75821

The U.S. Coast Guard’s tall square rigged training ship Eagle (photo) will arrive at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park this Friday, July 31. She will be open for free tours on Friday from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, August 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, August 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Other Park events this weekend include a Hindu Lamp Ceremony at the Pebble Beach near the Main Street entrance in DUMBO on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon Pier Kids, in conjunction with Volunteers for Wildlife will present Birds of Prey. Following that, from noon to 1:00 p.m., there will be art activities. All of the above events are free. We presume Smorgasburg will be back on the Pier 5 uplands on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; we know that you may take a free guided park tour by going to the Pier 1 entrance near the foot of Old Fulton Street at 11:00 a.m. Sunday. For other Park activities this weekend, see their calendar.

At Bargemusic on Friday evening at 8:00 pianist Olga Vinokur will play works in honor of the centennial anniversary of Alexander Scriabin’s death. On Saturday evening at 8:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00 the Manhattan Symphonie, under the direction of Gregory Singer and featuring Mark Peskanov on violin and Alexander Mishkaevski on viola, will present works by Vivaldi and Mozart. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert, co-sponsored by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

If you know of any other events in or near Brooklyn Heights this weekend that should be mentioned, please let us know in a comment.

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Events at Brooklyn Bridge Park This Coming Weekhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75685 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75685#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:22:56 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=75685

Monday evening’s (July 27) event in the “Books Under the Bridge” series, at the Granite Prospect on Pier 1 starting at 7:00, will be “a celebration of Harper Lee” in which Brenda Bowen, Caroline Zancan, and Ezra Goldstein will read and discuss selections from Ms. Lee’s much loved classic To Kill a Mockingbird and its controversial “sequel” (though written earlier but just recently published) Go Set a Watchman. The event has been arranged, in cooperation with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, by the Community Bookstore in Park Slope. Its sister store, under separate ownership, in Cobble Hill is closing. The event is free, and no RSVP is necessary. More information here.

On Tuesday morning, July 28, starting at 10:30, a children’s librarian from Brooklyn Public Library will read stories as part of a “Summer Reading Storytime” series. This will be held on the other Granite Prospect, the one upland from Pier 3. It’s also free, with no RSVP needed. More information here.

Learn about the history and the present state of New York City’s ferries, which played a crucial role in the creation of Brooklyn Heights as “America’s first suburb,” at the next Wednesday Night Tour, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on July 29 at the entrance to Pier 1 near the foot of Old Fulton Street. The tour will be led by Andrew Gustafson of Turnstile Tours. Tickets are $10; there’s more information and buy tickets here.

On Thursday, July 30 starting at 6:00 p.m. at Pier 1’s Harbor View Lawn is this week’s Syfy Movies With a View free presentation: Clue. More details here. Following the movie, also on the Harbor View Lawn, from 8:30 to 10:30 members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will set up telescopes for free public viewing of celestial sights. More information here.

Other Park activities this coming week are listed on the Park’s events calendar.

Image: USA Today; photo by Rob Carr, AP.

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A Tour of the Historic Brooklyn Waterfronthttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75568 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75568#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2015 03:54:51 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=75568

A photologue of a tour of historic sites along the Brooklyn waterfront, from Newtown Creek to Bay Ridge, provided by the Working Harbor Committee. For the complete photologue and text, see here.

]]> http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75568/feed 0 Waterfront History Tour Wednesday Evening, and Smorgasburg Lives on Pier 5 Uplandshttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75313 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/75313#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2015 03:42:06 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=75313

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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Why No Weekday Ferry Service Brooklyn to Governors Island?http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/74097 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/74097#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2015 02:26:59 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=74097

There’s ferry service from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 (foot of Atlantic Avenue) to Governors Island on Saturdays and Sundays after the Island re-opens to the public on Saturday, May 23, but there will be no way for Brooklynites to get there on weekdays, other than to take a train to lower Manhattan, walk to the Battery Maritime Building (just east of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal) and take a ferry from there. mai Armstrong of Working Harbor Committee has protested this, as have several local elected officials, who have written to Mayor de Blasio suggesting an extension of the weekday East River Ferry service to Governors Island.

Photo: Your correspondent for BHB.

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Morning Walk Photos in Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Bridge Park: Birds, Boats, and Dogshttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/73545 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/73545#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:34:22 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=73545

As I left for my morning walk yesterday, I saw a very well-fed looking robin (photo above) foraging in front of my building. Robins are supposed to be a harbinger of spring; does this one know something I, and the weather forecasters, don’t?

IMG_8984_1Spring seemed far away when I got to Pier 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and saw two ducks swimming past ice floes in the embayment between Piers 5 and 6.

IMG_8988_1As I reached the end of Pier 5, HMS Justice was heading south, out of Buttermilk Channel. “HMS” does not mean “Her Majesty’s Ship” but rather “Harley Marine Services,” her owner.

IMG_8991_1Here’s another view of HMS Justice heading up the East River toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

IMG_8993_1Here’s a view from the north side of Pier 5, looking toward the park and the BQE.

IMG_8996_1Two chilly looking ducks in the channel between Pier 3 and the shore.

IMG_8997_1Seagull chillin’ on a floe between Piers 2 and 3.

IMG_8998_1More ducks on the kayak launching platform at Pier 2.

IMG_9002_1From the south side of Pier 1, I saw old friend Dorothy J. towing a barge “on the hip,” i.e. “The tug ties up alongside the tow, typically aft of the midpoint of the tow.” (Thanks to Working Harbor Committee and the late Capt. John Doswell.) An NYFD fireboat is in the background.

IMG_9005_1Looking across to Manhattan and the South Street Seaport Museum, I saw the Gloucester fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard tied abeam of the lightship Ambrose. Lettie was covered with a protective tarpaulin which was in turn covered in snow. Aft of Ambrose was a New York Water Taxi ferry.

IMG_9007_1As I sat on a bench on Pier 1 taking a break to check my phone, I saw the pretty Coastline Baystar.

IMG_9012_1These two romped in the snow at Hillside Dog Park.

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Anchor Away at 76 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heightshttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/72821 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/72821#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:01:54 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=72821

The news I had feared and knew inevitable came with this Eagle story confirming that the owner of Friend of a Farmer, the restaurant that is moving into the space at 76 Montague formerly occupied by Design Within Reach, will remove the antique anchor (photo) that has been displayed in front of the building since the days when it was occupied by a ship brokerage, to make way for outdoor seating. Four crossings of the Atlantic by sea in my childhood made me a lover of all things maritime, and that anchor has been my friend since I moved to the Heights in 1983. Living as I do at the foot of Montague, I’ve walked past it almost every day that I’ve been here.

I would love to see it remain in the Heights rather than sent off to some distant spot like the Navy Yard. My notion of an ideal place is at the center of the circle at the south end of the Promenade, near the foot of Remsen Street. It would then “anchor” the south end, just as the armillary globe anchors the north end. This would require the cooperation of the City’s Parks Department, but perhaps with the assistance of the Brooklyn Heights Association and other community voices, we could make it happen.

Publisher’s Note: To support Claude’s proposal, “like” this page on Facebook now!

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71977 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71977#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2014 04:50:31 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=71977

On Friday evening, November 21, starting at 6:30, the Brooklyn Historical Society will present “The Impressionist in the Boathouse: How Artist Mary Rogers Williams Vanished From Art History Until 2014,” a lecture and discussion by Eve Kahn, antiques columnist for The New York Times, who “will explain how she stumbled upon the painter’s work and archive in a Connecticut outbuilding.” The image is of Ms. Williams’ San Domenico and Duomo (1907), from the blog of the Smith College Museum of Art. There’s more information here. The event is free, but you must get a ticket here.

Also on Friday evening, starting at 8:00, Bargemusic will present solo piano works of Rachmaninoff, played by Adam Neiman. On Saturday evening at 8:00 cellist Ben Capps and pianist Vassily Primakov will play works of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. On Sunday afternoon at 4:00 Messrs Capps and Primakov will be joined by Mark Peskanov on viiolin, to perform works by Beethoven. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

Events in Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend include Baylander tours at Pier 5 Saturday and Sunday, Smorgasburg (last chance this year!), which will be on the Pier 5 uplands Sunday, and Docent Tours on Pier 1 Sunday.

This weekend is your last chance to see the Heights Players production of Rodgers’ and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse, which will be showing Friday and Saturday evenings, November 21 and 22, starting at 8:00, and Sunday, November 23 starting at 2:00.

Saturday is also your last chance this year to take Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour, which goes from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. After the tour, you’ll probably be ready for some hot dogs and glogg at the Danish Christmas Fair.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71875 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71875#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2014 03:53:49 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=71875

There’s a story that, at the premiere performance of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica, about halfway through the first movement someone in the audience yelled, “I’ll pay another Kreutzer to make the damned thing stop!” To be fair, it was the final piece in a very long program, and Eroica is a work today beloved by many, your correspondent included. On Friday evening, November 14, starting at 8:00, Bargemusic will present “The Kreutzer Affair—works by Beethoven, Janacek, and Dvorak, with excerpts from Tolstoy’s novella, ‘The Kreutzer Sonata’.” Eroica will not be on the program; it would be hard to fit a symphony orchestra on the barge, but the chamber music will be played by the Enso String Quartet, with guest violinist Mark Peskanov and pianist David Kaplan. The Tolstoy will be read by actor Aaron Gaines.

On Saturday evening at 8:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00, Bargemusic will present the Suprima Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of the very young Jonathan Okseniuk. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

The Heights Players continue their production of Rodgers’ and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse, which will be showing Friday and Saturday evenings, November 14 and 15, starting at 8:00, and Sunday, November 16 starting at 2:00. The play’s run will continue on the same schedule through the following weekend. More information here.

Events in Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend include Baylander tours at Pier 5 Saturday and Sunday, Smorgasburg, which will be on the Pier 5 uplands Sunday, and Docent Tours on Pier 1 Sunday.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71765 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71765#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2014 18:20:59 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=71765

The Heights Players continue their season with Rodgers and Hart’s The Boys From Syracuse, which will be showing Friday and Saturday evenings, November 7 and 8, starting at 8:00, and Sunday, November 9 starting at 2:00. The play’s run will continue on the same schedule through the following two weekends. More information here.

Silhouette artist Andrea Peitsch will be at the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange tomorrow (Friday, November 7) and Saturday, where she can make silhouettes of you, your kids, and your pets. More details here.

Tonight (Thursday, November 6) at 8:00 Bargemusic will present the Brooklyn Art Song Society singing works of Darius Milhaud. On Friday evening at 8:00 pianist Alexander Peskanov will play works by Bach, Schumann, and Prokofiev. On Saturday evening at 8:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00 violinist Giora Schmidt, cellist Amanda Forsyth, and pianist Philip Edward Fisher will perform works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

Events in Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend include Baylander tours at Pier 5 Saturday and Sunday, Smorgasburg, which will be on the Pier 5 uplands Sunday, and Docent Tours on Pier 1 Sunday.

Don’t forget the Yankee Fair at Plymouth Church this Saturday.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71639 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71639#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2014 02:38:12 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=71639

This Sunday, November 2 is New York City Marathon day. The closest the runners will come to Brooklyn Heights is the intersection of Flatbush and Lafayette avenues (see course map here). Keep in mind that many streets and bridges, including the Verazzano Narrows and Queensboro/Ed Koch, will be closed during the day (see list of closures here).

Also on Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. the Underground Thrift Store at Plymouth Church will hold its Fall Clearance Sale. Selected items will be reduced by 50% in price. The Store is located at 65 Hicks Street, between Orange and Cranberry.

Meanwhile, in case you haven’t noticed, tomorrow is Friday, October 31, also known as Halloween. Bargemusic will celebrate,starting at 8:00 p.m., with a special program of music and storytelling, with David Kaplan on piano and actor Sherman Howard (Lethal Weapon 2, Day of the Dead) to tell the spooky tales. On Saturday evening at 8:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00 the Amphion String Quartet, along with violinist Mark Peskanov, will perform works by Wolf, Verdi, and Schubert. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

Curious about those copper sculptures you see on the prospect near the northeast corner of Pier 3 in Brooklyn Bridge Park? They’re the work of sculptor Danh Vo, whose We the People is a re–creation of portions of the Statue of Liberty. On Saturday afternoon at 3:00 you can join the exhibition’s curator, Andria Hickey, at the site of the sculptures by Pier 3, for a tour and discussion. It’s free, and no RSVP is necessary. More information here. Other events in Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend include Baylander tours at Pier 5 Saturday and Sunday, Smorgasburg, which will be on the Pier 2 uplands Sunday, and Docent Tours on Pier 1 Sunday.

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Last Minute Weekend Suggestions: Brooklyn Heights and Nearbyhttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71544 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/71544#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2014 04:52:29 +0000 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=71544

Brooklyn Bridge Park will have its annual Harvest Festival this Saturday, October 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on the Pier 6 lawn, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue. There will be musical performances and lots of activities for adults and kids. More details here. Other events in Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend include Baylander tours at Pier 5 Saturday and Sunday, Smorgasburg, which will be on the Pier 2 uplands Sunday, and Docent Tours on Pier 1 Sunday.

The Pierrepont Playground’s annual Halloween Parade for kids will take place Saturday morning (10/25) at 10AM.

This weekend is your last chance to see the Heights Players production of Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot, or, Holmes for the Holidays, which will be showing Friday and Saturday evenings, October 24 and 25, starting at 8:00, and Sunday, October 26 starting at 2:00. More information here.

It’s a big weekend for the great Ludwig Van at Bargemusic. On Friday evening, October 24, at 8:00 p.m. violinists Mark Peskanov and Laura Goldberg, violist Ah Ling Neu, cellist David Bakamjian, soprano Ann Crumb, and pianist Marcantonio Barone will perform works by Beethoven and by Ms. Crumb’s father, the composer George Crumb. The four string players ((Peskanov, Goldberg, Neu, and Bakamjian) will play more Beethoven on Saturday evening at 8:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00. There’s more information and buy tickets here. Saturday afternoon at 4:00 there will be a free, family oriented “Music in Motion” concert. Doors open at 3:45; first come, first seated.

Don’t forget the Muttsquerade Parade on the Promenade Sunday afternoon.

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