5 famous and historic Brooklyn stoops – Truman Capote, Spike Lee and more
7 Arlington Place | via PropertyShark
No image of Brooklyn is more iconic than that of a family or a group of friends hanging out on their front stoop on a sunny day. (We don’t have garage sales here. We have stoop sales.) In a borough full of front stoops, here are five of the most historic.
7 Arlington Place, Bedford-Stuyvesant (GMAP)
7 Arlington Place is the famed Bed-Stuy townhouse where Spike Lee shot Crooklyn in 1994. The film takes place during the summer of 1974 and centers around a family interacting within the neighborhood. The theatrical release poster features the family all gathered on the brownstone stoop — Bed Stuy is actually well known for gorgeous homes and stately stoops like this. But the neighborhood has dramatically changed since Spike Lee lived here: this Bed-Stuy brownstone last sold for $1.7 million. (more…)
Enter for a chance to win $200 worth of TKTS gift certificates!
TKTS Discount Booths offer discount tickets to Broadway and Off Broadway at up to 50% off.
Created By BlankSlate
—CONTEST HAS ENDED—
Broke and looking for a fun date night? It’s your lucky day. Theatre Development Fund (TDF) wants to help you take a friend to that Broadway or Off Broadway show you’ve been itching to see. Enter here on Brokelyn for your chance to win $200 worth of TKTS gift certificates. (Forever alone? Take your mom!)
Whether or not you end up winning, you should know that you don’t have to fight your way through a zombie horde of people in Times Square to get discounted tickets. TKTS has a Downtown Brooklyn booth right by the Jay St-Metro Tech Station. As with other locations, TKTS Downtown Brooklyn sells discount tickets of up to 50% off full price to evening performances on the day of the show, but unlike TKTS Times Square, matinee tickets are sold only the day before the performance. The Downtown Brooklyn booth also sells tickets to performances at Brooklyn venues. For Brooklyn venues charging $30 or less, TKTS sells at full price to help those companies thrive.
For iPhone, Android, and Windows users, TKTS created a FREE app that shows you what’s available at the booth. Or, if you prefer, TKTS also lists all of that day’s deals live on their website. If you don’t think all of this is enough (really?!), they also offer an online ticketing service through TDF Membership. This membership gives eligible individuals access to even deeper discounts of up to 70% off full price. (There are specific eligibility requirements, though, so be sure to read through the full details.)
Have you entered to win yet? Did you download the app yet? Are you a TDF member yet? Is it that you hate live theater, or you just love paying full price?
Introducing Explore Brooklyn
The hottest borough in NYC finally has the website it deserves. Welcome to Explore Brooklyn!
On May 9, 2014, at the BKLYN Designs fair, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Brooklyn technology firm BlankSlate, officially launched Explore Brooklyn, Brooklyn’s first dedicated site for New Yorkers and visitors alike. ExploreBK.com brings together a dynamic, front-page directory of every business and attraction in Brooklyn, an events calendar, and a blog about don’t-miss destinations written by the area’s best local writers — all designed to serve as an invaluable resource for visitors and residents alike.
Now that you’re here, check out the post “What to do after you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge,” a question many of you may have answered for visiting friends, or tourists wandering around Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo. There’s lots more where that came from: keep looking to read about where to find great coffee, outstanding museums, and souvenirs that are actually cool.
“We don’t want all those tourists walking across the bridge to turn around and go back to Manhattan,” explained Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, Carlo Scissura. “We want them to stay a while and get to know the Brooklyn that we know and love.”
What to see and do at BKLYN DESIGNS, May 9-11
What is BKLYN DESIGNS?
BKLYN DESIGNS is an internationally renowned, juried exhibition featuring a dynamic collection of designs from 60 of the most innovative Brooklyn-based furnishing designers and manufacturers. Each year, BKLYN DESIGNS raises the bar for avant-garde, iconic Brooklyn designs, exceeding the expectations of both participants and viewers alike.
BKLYN DESIGNS is one of the biggest design shows in the country. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on DUMBO over the three-day show to take in this year’s collection of designs, including the latest contemporary furniture, lighting, carpet and flooring, wall coverings, tabletop/outdoor furniture, and accessories crafted in Brooklyn. (more…)
It’s a mix! THINK FABRICATE at BKLYN Designs this weekend
THINK FABRICATE blends the rigor of an architectural perspective with the eye for detail of a furniture designer; the appreciation of life in a 19th century brownstone with an awareness of the newest wall murals in Bushwick. Their commonality is reflected in finding the design solution that honors this diversity of perspective, yet reflects a shared appreciation of composition and exploration.
THINK FABRICATE came together through a discussion over a piece of furniture at BKLYN Designs in 2007. Their own design conversation and ultimately their business evolved from that setting, which has been so nurturing to the Brooklyn design community. THINK FABRICATE looks forward to returning to the show this weekend for their third exhibition, and welcomes you to visit and enjoy their mix!
A version of this post originally appeared on THINK FABRICATE.
How to get to Brooklyn from Manhattan by boat: New York Water Taxi, East River Ferry
Approaching Brooklyn from the water is an activity so time-honored that Walt Whitman immortalized it in his 1855 poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” Back in Whitman’s day, boats were the only way to get to Brooklyn from Manhattan; there were no bridges between the boroughs until the Brooklyn Bridge opened later in the 19th century. Today, we have plenty of transportation options—but considering that Kings County is surrounded by water on three sides, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of seafaring options.
4 of Brooklyn’s best coffee shops
Brooklyn has always been a coffee town. In the 1880s, long before artisanal java shops lined the streets of Williamsburg, two brothers named John and Charlie Arbuckle established one of the first coffee-roasting businesses in America right here in Dumbo.
A century and then some down the road, Kings County is a caffeine destination to be reckoned with. The borough is home to countless independent coffee shops, many of which roast their own beans, just like the Arbuckles did back in the day. (As of last year, there were 31 shops in Williamsburg alone.) Here are a few to check out while you’re in town.
Brooklyn Roasting Company (Dumbo, Brooklyn Navy Yard)
Though it opened in 2011, this eco-friendly Fair Trade roastery and coffee shop is built in one of the old Arbuckle buildings on the Dumbo waterfront. The company roasts its beans on-site, and the formerly industrial space is kitted out in almost entirely reclaimed material. Come here after a jaunt through nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park, or head to the outpost near the Navy Yard in Fort Greene.
7 of the best Brooklyn souvenir shops — this ain’t no Times Square
Brooklyn doesn’t have a Times Square of its own, which — as any local will tell you — is a feature, not a bug. If you’re looking for Statue of Liberty visors and I