Outdoor Movies in Brooklyn; Racoon Invaders; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- It turns out you can see a movie outdoors somewhere in Brooklyn almost every night, and in most cases for free. Brooklyn Eagle

- Aw, shucks: Bus driver who caught plunging Brooklyn child brushes off 'hero' talk. CNN

- Pier 1 Imports coming to Atlantic Avenue. BHB

- Racoons taking over the streets of Brooklyn. WLBZ2

- A scary-looking 60-year-old sex offender was arrested Monday for the 169th time for engaging in criminal sexual contact with two women on PATH trains. NJ.com

- First crop of New Jersey medicinal marijuana growing at huge 'undisclosed location.' WSJ via NY Magazine

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

How the July 4th Fireworks Looked From a Brooklyn Heights Skyscraper

Last year's Fourth of July fireworks were totally disappointing from the ground in DUMBO, so this year we were happy to get a viewing spot on the 30th floor of a Brooklyn Heights skyscraper. Here's what we saw on the higher shots.

The flag in the middle of the photo is planted at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We decided not to go to East River Park in Williamsburg this year because several newspapers picked up on how great the views were from there, and we hate crowds. Unfortunately, some posters reported that the state locked the park one minute before the display started this year! Can anyone confirm this?

UPDATE: The Brooklyn Eagle reports: "So many people were pouring into the park 'crowd control became an issue,' John Phillips, a park supervisor who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, told the Eagle. 'It just got to the point where we had to lock the doors.'” Whole story here.

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Fireworks Over NYC, Brooklyn and New Jersey Tonight -- Sunday, June 24, 2012

A fabulous fireworks display tonight -- at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, June 24, 2012 -- over New York City (and viewable from New Jersey and Brooklyn) celebrates Gay Pride Week, with events taking place on Manhattan's East side.

The fireworks will launch near Pier 54 in the Hudson River (near 14th Street).

Other Gay Pride events today include the famous march (led by Cyndi Lauper, Chris Salgardo, Phyllis Siegel and Connie Kopelova), a street fair, a dance on Pier 57 and more.

Sponsor: Heritage of Pride

Photo by Max Talbot-Minkin (maxintosh), Creative Commons license

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Fireworks Over NYC, Brooklyn, New Jersey Tonight -- June 23, 2012

Get ready for fireworks Saturday night (June 23) somewhere between 9:45 - 10:30 p.m. over New York Harbor, visible from New Jersey, New York City, Brooklyn and Staten Island. The display is being set off from Federal Anchorage at Ellis Island.

It's all part of the B.I.G. (Believe in Girls) Celebration honoring "100 years of herstory" with the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. The day included 100 activities and performances at Liberty State Park by celebs Rachel Crow, Goodbye Friday, Savvy, Stephanie Marie, Bloom Joe Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers), Sara Bareilles and more. (Top cookie sellers got to have their photos taken with the stars.) See all the other activities here.

The girls, ever service-minded, helped the National Wildlife Federation plant native flower beds in Liberty State Park.

Photo courtesy Girl Scouts of New Jersey

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Fireworks Over Brooklyn, Liberty Island, Friday, April 20

The Brooklyn Heights Association sends word that we can expect a fireworks display, sponsored by event-planning company AlliedPRA, near Liberty Island in New York Harbor on Friday, April 20 at 9:30 PM. (NYC.gov claims it will take place at 10:30 p.m.)

In Brooklyn, the display will be visible from waterfront areas from DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and south to parts of Red Hook. (The photo to the left shows an earlier Liberty Island fireworks display, taken in Brooklyn Heights.)

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

NYC Fireworks Disappoint Many in Brooklyn -- But Great from New Jersey

"When are they starting Mama?"
"They've started already, honey."

Thousands of Brooklynites gathered on the waterfront in parks and on rooftops last night for NYC's celebration of Independence Day. Many were left with the feeling that the 4th of July fireworks were a disappointment -- again -- in Brooklyn this year.

In the photo above, the two white dots to the right and left of the building across the river are fireworks, unmagnified. This was shot in DUMBO at the north end of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The larger and more colorful fireworks could be seen above the tall buildings, but the lack of sound or vibrations took away from the experience.

Here's our artsy shot. We zoomed the camera to take a magnified photo of one of the more dramatic explosions at the finale (that's the Manhattan Bridge overhead):

It didn't look this dramatic with the naked eye, however. (Here's a great shot taken with a long exposure and good zoom from a rooftop in Brooklyn.)

Better location -- East River State Park in Williamsburg. We're getting good reports of the views from the waterfront here.

Best location? Next year get yourself to Weehawken, New Jersey.

Here's a video of the New York City fireworks someone shot from their friend's yard in Weehawken:



Photos by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.