Brooklyn, NY

It's going to be a wonderful weekend in Brooklyn!

Friday Night

• Coney Island: Burlesque at the Beach

Saturday, May 19, 2012

• Brooklyn Half Marathon
• Free, all ages: Strongman Extravaganza at Coney Island
• 4 Coolest Places to Go for It's My Park Day in Brooklyn
• Mermaid Parade on Wheels; Bike Month Parade in Rockaways
• Googa Mooga (ticketed event) food festival in Prospect Park
• Red Hook BWAC Art Fest
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden New Visitor Center: Green Installation
• Brooklyn Museum: Question Bridge: Black Males  Roundtable at 1 P.M.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

• BAYFEST: Free! Brooklyn's Largest Waterfront Festival in Sheepshead Bay (noon-6)
• 5th Avenue Festival from St. John to 12th Street
  Flatbush Avenue Bid Street Fair from Flatbush Avenue - Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou Road
• Red Hook BWAC Art Fest
• Historic House Tour in Park Slope
• Googa Mooga (ticketed event) food festival in Prospect Park
• Bike Month: NY Cycle Club Social Ride "From Fairway to Fairway"
• ShredFest: Free shredding of your personal tax, credit card documents, thanks to NYC

Headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this weekend to see the new Visitors Center? It's wonderful. Here are 10 Great Places Near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that are worth a visit.

The contest's almost over. So cast your vote today!

Nine interesting Brooklyn landmark institutions, including historic churches and synagogues, a historic school and Weeksville, a site important in NYC African American history, not to mention Coney Island, are competing in an online voting contest to win some of $3 million in historic preservation funds. It's called Partners in Preservation, a project of American Express in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Check out the contestants, and vote every day for your favorite one, now through May 21.

Read more.

Here's my list of the Top 25 Things to Do in Brooklyn.
What's on yours?

Green magic is what they're promising. So go see the new, improved Visitors Center at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, on May 16th.

Wednesday, May 16: The Visitor Center opens with a series of special events, beginning with a  ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Bloomberg and other New York City and State officials.

Saturday, June 2: Free admission, music, and special urban gardening activities.

Learn more about the Visitors Center

Looking for an apartment, coop, condo or house in Brooklyn? Learn about

Realtors in Brooklyn.

May 12, Red Hook, Brooklyn....

Happy Birthday, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition!

Brooklynites are invited to join in a  20th birthday celebration with music and food --and ART galore, about a thousand pieces of art, in fact-- at the annual BWAC spring show. See our calendar listing for more info.

THINGS TO DO & PLACES TO GO for MOTHERS DAY

• 6 Fun Mothers Day Events from Zumba Class to Concerts, in Bklyn
• 9 Cool Places to Take Mom in Bklyn for Mother's Day
• 9 More Bklyn Mom Day Ideas that Aren't Brunch

MOTHERS DAY GIFTS

• 21 Cheap Gift Ideas for Mom, for Teens & Adult Kids at Home
• 7 Great Brooklyn Florists
• Atlantic Center malls
• Shop vintage: Brooklyn Flea, flea markets, DeKalb Market,  vintage
  

IN A PANIC?

• Promise her tix to Barbara Streisand at Barclays Center
• Sign Her Up for Irish Step Dancing Classes

EATING OUT ON MOTHERS DAY

• 12 Affordable Bklyn Restaurants for Mom's Day
• 4 Fab  Sit-Down Pizzerias & Where You Can Go Before or After
• The Big Beautiful World of Brunch in Bklyn
• Top 10 Brunch Spots in DUMBO
• Top 10 Brunch Spots in Williamsburg

In short, Everything You Need to Know About Mother's Day

Another Barclays brouhaha:

The NY State Liquor Authority has yet to give final approval on the Barclay Center's license. A local activist group Brooklyn Speaks want Barclays booze sales to stop by 10 PM. Here's what they say:

"Barclays Center ...  has applied for a license that would allow it to keep serving alcohol up to the 4AM State limit in an 18,000-seat arena."

They're calling it an open bar for 18,000 till 4 AM, though that's worst case.

Still, the booze will be flowing.

And locals are expecting the worst: raucous fans, drunk driving, vomit on the streets.

Personally, though I'm looking forward to going to a few concerts, games, and maybe Disney on Ice at the Barclays Center (see the schedule), I'm def in favor of limiting the license -- and I've told the Governor so. (Here's how.)

Weigh in on the controversy: Should there be limits on how late alcohol can be sold at Barclay's Center? Sound off here.

Whoa! Streisand, Leonard Cohen, Disney on Ice and much more is coming sooon... If you're people who love people and a lot of big events, then check here for who's playing when, and how to get tix: Barclays Center 2012 Event schedule.

In general, the Barclays Center event calendar will include:

• Family Entertainment
• Concerts
• NBA Basketball
• College Basketball
• NHL Hockey
• Professional Tennis
• Boxing

Check it out: Barclays Center Event schedule