All eyes on the #mermaidparade this Saturday

Riding over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn (photo taken from B train)

Brooklyn’s $3 billion tech boom getting boost with “Tech Triangle” balloon project

Brooklyn’s $3 billion tech boom getting boost with “Tech Triangle” balloon project - NYPOST.com

Brooklyn’s tech boom will get another boost with a slick “Tech Triangle” development project that includes a massive helium observation balloon overlooking it all.

The $3 billion ambitious plan — which covers the area from DUMBO, to the Downtown hub to and the Brooklyn Navy Yard — is slated to be unveiled today, officials said.

“Some things we will undertake immediately, and some, like the streetscapes and public spaces, will be longer-term,” said Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

Renderings for the project call for a network of green, parklike spaces and pedestrian and bike paths.

Plans also include a topiary arbor, a Cadman Plaza cafe and a curved footbridge leading to Borough Hall.

Along Water and Sand streets beneath the Manhattan Bridge, planners envision a seasonal pop-up structure fantasy land of mini-golf, performance stages, lounges and wading pools.

There are several initiatives to revitalize unused or abandoned spaces, including the city’s first vertical dog run — replete with slopes and ramps — in DUMBO, and planted terraces, picnic tables and ping pong tables on a dead end street near the Brooklyn Bridge. And floating 600 feet above it all, near Brooklyn Landing, is a proposed tethered helium observation balloon called Brooklyn Rising — symbolizing the area’s revitalization. Riders would have “unprecedented views” of the city and harbor, according to the plans.

Officials hope the changes will continue to lure tech firms to the borough, where tech revenue is estimated to hit nearly $6 billion by 2015.

“This is really a comprehensive plan to guide the area’s growth over the next decade,” said Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Some of the projects already have funding; other will require partnerships with city government and the private sector.

Also on the wish list is the reopening of the anchorage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been closed since the 9/11 attack, which could house a revenue-producing waterfront museum and event space.

Under the blueprint, an open, parklike Columbus Park and Cadman Plaza “could have “the elegance of a Parisian promenade,” planners predicted.

Map: NYC Has New Hurricane Evacuation Zones

Map: NYC Has New Hurricane Evacuation Zones: Gothamist
(NYC Mayor's Office)
       
NYC officials just unveiled an updated hurricane evacuation zones map. According to the city, "The new Zones, 1 through 6, which will replace Zones A, B and C, now include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones."
Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway said, "The new zones incorporate the best-available data and will help the City to more effectively communicate to those most at risk depending on the characteristics of a particular storm. New Yorkers should go to www.nyc.gov or call 311 to find out if their homes or businesses fall within the boundaries of a new city hurricane evacuation zone." You can map your address in the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder here—it's also interesting to map other addresses on your street; for instance, your office building might be in Zone 1 but a building two blocks from you (and up the hill) could be in Zone 5!
The mayor's office says that the new "zones are based on coastal flood risk resulting from storm surge - the 'dome' of ocean water propelled by the winds and low barometric pressure of a hurricane; the geography of the city’s low-lying neighborhoods; and the accessibility of these neighborhoods by bridge and roads." And the new zones "include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones. The increased number of zones will provide the City with more flexibility in targeting areas to evacuate in advance of a predicted storm." (You can see the old map here.)
The city estimated the evacuation population based on the 2010 Census: Zone 1—370,000; Zone 1+2—620,000; Zone 1+2+3—1,020,000; Zone 1+2+3+4—1,470,000; Zone 1+2+3+4+5—2,230,000l; and Zone 1+2+3+4+5+6—2,990,000. And Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Bruno urged, "Make an emergency plan with your family. Always have a Go Bag packed with essentials you may need in the event that you have to leave your house at a moment’s notice. Ensure you have several days of supplies, including water, non-perishable foods, a flashlight and a battery-operated radio at home. Emergencies are much easier to manage when you have a plan in place." Check out OEM's Ready guide.
Now, let's start building that Seaport City, right?

The new Coney Island Carousel is just exquisite

 The workmanship is exquisite. the sculpting of of each horse's action is astounding.  Each horse is more outstanding than the next.  Not just for kids anymore.  I was tempted to volunteer to stand by someone else's kid so I could stand and enjoy the ride. $3.00 each ride.  Do I really have to wait until I have grandchildren?

The B&B Carousell (historically spelled with two “Ls” likely due to the spelling used by the carousel’s original manufacturer) is the only historic carousel in Coney Island and represents a link between the amusement area’s past, present, and future.

Built in 1906, the carousel features fifty hand-carved wooden horses, including thirty-six jumpers (up-and-down movement), fourteen standers (stationary), as well as two chariots and the striking “Lincoln’s head” horse, covered in bold silver armor. The carousel also features the Gebruder Bruder “Elite Orchestra Apollo” band organ (likely constructed between 1913 and 1916), one of only three existing in the United States.

The carousel operated on Surf Avenue for seventy years until it was nearly sold in pieces at an auction in 2005. The City of New York instead purchased the carousel to preserve this important piece of Coney Island’s history and restore it to its former glory. A team of carousel restoration experts and art conservators – from Carousels & Carvings Inc. and Intermuseum Conservation Association – diligently restored the carousel to its original condition, including a new, custom-carved wheelchair-accessible chariot.

No riders. The workmanship is too delicate.  But something very honorable about a riderless horse.

The Thunderbolt Reborn at Luna Park in #Coney Island

Anticipated to be open Summer 2014. 125 feet tall, more than 2,000 feet in length and speeds over 65 miles per hour! 

Coney Island beach boutique finds its way back

Coney Island beach boutique finds its way back | Crain's New York Business

Seven months after Hurricane Sandy, the Lola Star Boutique in Coney Island is back in business, to the relief of owner Lola Star, and the delight of customers who helped rebuild the shop.
Part of the reason it took seven months to reopen is because the 134-square-foot shop is located inside the Stillwell Avenue subway station, which was inundated with mud and grime from the storm surge.
"It was like opening up Pandora's box," Ms. Star said. "Every problem and complication that could arise did."
Ms. Star rents the space from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Before opening her shop in 2010, she spent four years negotiating the details with the transportation authority, hiring an engineer to draw the precise plan of the shop and getting it approved. Rebuilding the shop, she had to make sure it would look exactly the same.
She admits that she didn't prepare for the storm well enough. Expecting Sandy to hit her 600-square-foot shop on the boardwalk, she moved the entire inventory to Stillwell Avenue, a block from the ocean. To her surprise, Sandy didn't touch her shop on the boardwalk. Her shop at the subway station, however, was flooded. Ms. Star lost everything.
It cost her $100,000 to reopen: $25,000 to rebuild the shop, the same sum to purchase new inventory. She lost $50,000 in sales from being closed for seven months.
Despite the expense, time and worry, Ms. Star says Sandy has made her a better businesswoman.
"I'm pretty shocked by how naïve I was before this happened, she said. "The lesson was tough, but it made me rethink my business model and reinvent my business."