Pumpkin and Apple picking at the Y tomorrow.

Here's another Fall activity to add the the list.  The Dodge YMCA on Atlantic Avenue is having a pumpkin patch and apple picking celebration tomorrow, Saturday, October 27th 12pm-3pm.  No it's not a field trip, they'll be doing it in their gymnasium (pictured above).  It's $7 per child and they'll have tons of activities, such as bouncy house, musical games, face painting, cotton candy, balloon animals, and arts and crafts.  Each child can also pick out one pumpkin and four apples.  There is always a nice turnout for these YMCA events.  Should be fun.

Three South Brooklyn Halloween Parades.

This weekend will mark the start of Halloween celebrations!  As you already know, unless you're new to this area, we really do it up for Halloween in our hood.  There are so many activities for kids starting this Saturday.  And three parades! You could probably hit them all if you wanted.  Carroll Park will have one on Saturday at 11:30am, Mother Cabrini Park's (above and below) will be on Sunday the 27th starting at 10am and the annual Halloween Parade that's actually on Halloween is at Cobble Hill Park and starts promptly at 4pm.

Good Indian Food coming soon to Carroll Gardens.

In a recent blog about a Columbia Waterfront District Beer Garden coming soon, we joked about how the neighborhood could also use a great Indian restaurant.  A friend reminded us that their will be a great Indian restaurant in the hood, and sooner than we thought.  316 Court Street (above) will be the new home to Dosa Royale said to be opening around the end of the month.  You may have already sampled their food at Smorgasburg so you may know what to expect, although we haven't seen an actual menu for the new place. It is expected that they will serve Southern Indian cuisine and, of course, dosas.  Check out updates of their progress on their facebook page.

SB Children's Garden Pics.

The South Brooklyn Children's Garden, on the corner of Sackett and Columbia Streets, has come a long way.  They had a bake sale last weekend and the turn out was really great!  We took a pic of their spread of baked goods as well as hot foods at the table in the background and took this opportunity to take some more pictures of the garden's recent improvements as well.  They've decorated for fall, putting out bails of hay to sit on.  The picture at the very bottom shows the gardening tool area with freshly decorated pumpkins drying. 

Taste of Red Hook is Tomorrow.

This benefit for Red Hook Initiative is happening tomorrow from 6-9pm at Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer, and tickets are still on sale.  There will be drinks and food from dozens of the best local establishments.  Too many to name here but you can go to this site to view the list.  There will also be a silent auction. 

Black 47 at Rocky Sullivan's next week!

Irish Rock band, Black 47, will disband by the end of this year, it's last gig ever is set for New Year's Eve in Manhattan.  To see them in the hood for the last time you'll have to head over to Rocky Sullivan's next Saturday October 26th after 8pm.  $20 for seeing this awesome band in a perfectly intimate space...not bad.

Gowanus Open Studio 2013.

We've blogged about the Brooklyn Studio Tours, which was based in the Red Hook and Carroll Gardens area back in June.  Now Gowanus is having a an open studio tour as well.  It is what it sounds like.  Artists open their studios to the public.  The dates are October 18th-20th.  Studios will be open over the weekend from noon-6pm.  Click here for more info.

Film Shooting Today in Carroll Gardens.

You may see Liam Neeson in the neighborhood today or one of the other co-stars of the Feature Film Run All Night (Vincent D'Onofrio, Ed Harris, Common), which is shooting today in Carroll Gardens.  We saw this sign on Henry near 2nd place.  You may be able to tell from the title and that it's starring Liam Neeson that this is a drama/thriller.  "An aging hitman is forced to take on his brutal former boss to protect his estranged son and his family."  Maybe we'll see some stunts!

The Princess Bride Screening!

Here are a couple events going on this weekend at Carroll Park.  The first is very exciting.  A screening of the film The Princess Bride this Friday at 7:30pm in front of Robert Acito Park House.  This movie is a classic loved by kids and adults alike.  The next night, October 19th, from 6-9pm is "Scary-oke".  They'll have hot cider and snacks and a 10,000 song library for you to choose from.  Suggested donation of $1/per song.

Hometown BBQ Review.

This review has been a long time coming.  The place has been open for about a month now and as you can see it gets pretty packed.  The line was nearly out the door when we arrived (see below).  How it works, much like most BBQ joints, is that you stand in line to order your food then grab a seat.  The bar is separate so you can get a beer for the line.  really great beer selection! It wasn't too long a wait though (maybe 20 or 30 minutes) and once we had our food a table was no problem.  Our food was amazing! The ribs were lean yet tender so so flavorful.  The beans were smokey, mac and cheese was creamy but not too greasy, and the collards were also really really flavorful.  The BBQ sauce is sweet with a little spice at the end.  We didn't get to see any live music.  I think we were there a little on the early side but we saw the stage area and the atmosphere was a perfect Honky Tonk vibe. Overall impressive! 

New Salon on Clinton and Atlantic.

Salons are popping up a lot throughout the area.  It seems like every corner we turn there is a new one.  We recently blogged about Fox and Jane on Court Street, which took over the old Nectar spot.  Here's one we spotted on Clinton Street right near Atlantic Ave.  It's a cute little place called Color Haven, painted the lovely color lilac on the outside.  It's simple and clean on the inside.  The sign below says "complimentary blow dry with any color service".  Not sure if that applies all the time but it's probably a good bet.

Chili Cook-off this Sunday!

This Sunday, October 13th, is the annual Gowanus Yacht Club Chili Cook Off.  This is for amateurs as well as pros, as they have two divisions.  This is a pretty big event (it's been going on for 12 years now!) and should be a lot of fun.  If you'd like to hang out and watch stop by around 3pm but if you think you may have the best chili in town then bring 2 quarts of it by 2pm to the bar, located on the corner of Smith and President.

Beer Garden!

What does this neighborhood need?  Really good Chinese food? Yes. A delicious Indian restaurant? Sure.  Well, while we're waiting for those two wishes to come true how about a beer garden? Yes, please!  This beer garden and restaurant (pictured above in the early stages) is coming to Summit and Columbia Street.  We'll share more info as it comes our way.

Our New Neighbors.

Right next door to our Columbia Street office, at 221 Columbia, a new space is now open to the public and has been for a little over a week now.  As you can see from the outside "Juice, Yoga, Art", this is a multifunctional space.  The restaurant that used to inhabit the space, Fultummy's, has been gone for a while, it's nice to see the spot up and running again.

412 Court getting liquor license.

Vinzee's Magic Fountain has been closed for a while now at 412 Court Street in Carroll Gardens.  It wasn't too surprising as it was rarely busy with patrons.  The space is really big and they have an outdoor area as well (not sure if that can be used as Vinzee's never had tables out there) so it really seems like a prime spot for a restaurant.  We noticed this sign above for a liquor license for J and W Restaurant LLC.  We have not been able to find out about what type of place this will be but we'll have updates as we hear them.

PumpkinFest Tomorrow.

Mazzone Hardware presents the 9th annual PumpkinFest tomorrow, October 5th from 10am-4pm.  It will take place right outside of their store on 4th Place between Court and Clinton.  Admission is free and, as you can imagine, they'll have tons of kids activities.  Music, face painting and pony rides to name a few.  There will also be...well...pumpkins of course.  Thousands to choose from and design. 

Smorgasburg is here!

Smorgasburg, which as you may be able to tell from the name originated in Williamsburg, has been slowly making it's way towards us.  They had expanded to DUMBO and starting this weekend, October 6th, they'll be at Pier 5!  You'll have about a month and a half to take advantage of this deliciousness every Sunday between 11am and 6pm.  The great part about this location, something  that the others lacked, is a lot of seating.  They have dozens of long benches at Pier 5, as you can see below, with shade and beautiful views!

Oktoberfest Dinner.

Just because summer's over and the Atlantic Antic has come and gone doesn't mean that festival's are also a thing of the past.  October is here which means Oktoberfest! There will, no doubt, be many Oktoberfest celebrations throughout Brooklyn.  Here's just one sign we saw.  This seems like a tame dinner celebration as opposed to a drunken brouhaha.  The Zion German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Heights hosts this event.  It advertises dinner, dancing and raffles.  To learn more check out their website.

La Bottega on Columbia.

We are so sad to see Caselnova go.  They were our neighbors at 215 Columbia and the food was delicious.  The new sign up says a place called La Bottega will be opening in this spot.  This Italian Restaurant, which serves mainly paninis, has several locations throughout New York.  Good news for those of you who are gluten free, they have entire menu dedicated to you. 

New Tenant at Old Five Guys.

Now, this is irony.  The space at 266 Court Street in Cobble Hill that used to be a Five Guys Burgers and Fries will soon become a fitness studio.  We saw this sign recently.  It's called Pure Barre and according their website it "is a total body workout that lifts your seat, tones your thighs and burns fat in record-breaking time. Utilizing the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements set to fantastic music".  The Five Guys tiles are still up so it may be a little while before the transformation but this sign is a start.

Sandy Survivor Get Together.

This Sunday residents, friends and other local businesses are welcome to join us at 351 Van Brunt for the third monthly Sandy Survivor Get Together.  More info is below.  Also you can look at the flyer here.

Have some Sandy issues you want to discuss? Want to talk to people who will understand what it’s like to deal with Sandy, still?

- recovery info & moral support
- storm preparedness info
- strengthen neighborhood bonds

- Learn about the new NY State resiliency planning process for Red Hook “NY Rising CRP.” Share your vision for Red Hook.

Free cookies & coffee. Please pass the word!

To help or RSVP sandy6mo@gmail.com

Arranged by PortSide NewYork & Realty Collective

The Total Gowanus Immersion.

Check out this event that we're sponsoring! The Total Red Hook Immersion was so much fun we're psyched to meet people out to have the same awesome time in Gowanus.  This neighborhood has so many great bars, shops, restaurants and venues.  If you haven't explored this hood now is your time.  It isn't until October 5th so mark it on your calendar.  You can find out all the info you'll need on BrooklynBased. 

Us and Them Filming.

We saw this sign on Clinton Street just south of Pacific.  They'll be shooting Us & Them, a new FOX series starring Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel along with an amazing co-starring cast, tomorrow in that area.  You can check out more about who you may expect to see if you're around that neighborhood on IMDB. The show looks pretty good.  Part comedy and part drama.  You can see a preview here.

New Restaurants.

There are so many places opening up or "coming soon" in and around the neighborhood, it's almost hard to keep up.  Here are some pics we've snapped in the last week alone.  The place above is in Red Hook on Seabring and Columbia.  Camila's Cafe.  From the looks of their facebook page it will be a coffee shop of sorts.  The place below on Smith Street right next to Flight 001, is Hanco's.  They started out in that very small space at 85 Bergen and look to be expanding.  And lastly, the one below that, Taperia, is tapas on Montague. 

Bergen Hill Menu.

We haven't tried Bergen Hill yet but walked by and saw the menu, above, and it looks wonderful.  They've only been open a few weeks now.  We're definitely going to try it soon and will let everyone know if the menu is as good as it looks.  In the meantime, has anyone been there and would like to share?  We'd love to hear what you thought!  Also, if you'd like to see a pdf of the menu click here.  So many delicious sounding places opening up in the area (such as Hometown BBQ which opened less than two weeks ago), so little time!

Columbia Waterfront Fall Fest Pics!

The kids were happy, which means our table at the Columbia Street Fall Festival last week was a success! Columbia waterfront resident, Sharon, had balloon animals, face painting and glitter tattoos.  We had a great time.  Thanks to Sharon and everyone who came out!  Enjoy the pics.

Free Small Business Workshop Tonight!

There will be a free workshop tonight on the Affordable Care Act and it's impact on business.  It's presented by the SBA and the Carroll Gardens Association.  It starts at 6pm at 201 Columbia Street and runs until about 7:30pm.  Refreshments will be served as well.  To see this flyer up close and read about the upcoming workshops, as this one tonight is just one of many coming throughout the fall, click here.

New Salon on Court.

Replacing Nectar, which moved out of this space at 198 Court Street not that long ago, is a salon and "finishing bar" called Fox and Jane.  Apparently you can sip on some complimentary wine or beer while getting your hair done according to an article in TimeOut.  It's a nice intimate space.  Nectar is still serving out of Strong Place at 270 Court for the time being, although last we heard they were still looking for a new spot of their own.

Film Shoot on Warren.

There will be a film shoot on Warren Street, near Clinton, today and tomorrow.  It's something called "The Affair" and the only thing we could find with that title that's in pre-production is a TV Movie.  The storyline is below for those curious.  Add this to the long list of films shot in our scenic hood!

Centers on Noah, a married father of four, who becomes involved with Allison, a married woman mourning the loss of her child, after a chance meeting at the beach.

Fornino Pics.

Last time we blogged about Fornino in Brooklyn Bridge Park they weren't quite open yet.  They have a window that serves ice cream, ice and popsicles that's been open for a while.  They now have a lunch menu and have been pretty crowded for the last part of the summer.  Here are some pics above and below.  It's great space, as you can see, with indoor and outdoor seating.  This is location number three in Brooklyn, the first two being in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.  If you haven't tried this place you really should while it's still relatively warm out!

New Pizza coming to Atlantic.

A new pizza Napoletana-style restaurant is opening at 145 Atlantic Avenue pretty soon. Can't tell what's going on behind the brown paper but the new awning is up that says Luzzo's Brooklyn so it'll be any time now.  There is a Luzzo's in the east village that gets great feedback.  You can tell it's yummy from the pizza pic from their facebook (below). We'll try this!