(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings June 28–July 4, 2019
PARTY
‘Right’ of way
It’s time to do the right thing — and party!
Filmmaker Spike Lee will celebrate the 30th
anniversary of his seminal movie “Do the Right
Thing” with a block party in Bedford-Stuyvesant
on June 30.
The Oscar-winning
director will
throw his bash
on the stretch of
Stuyvesant Avenue
where he
filmed the iconic
1989 flick, between
Quincy Street and
Lexington Avenue
— a block that was
co-named to honor
the movie in 2015.
The party will last
from noon to 7 p.m.
and will be free and
open to the public
— much like his last
celebration for the
movie’s 25th anniversary
, his annual
Michael Jackson celebration, and a 2017 party
to honor the late Prince.
The director will host the street event with
some as-yet-unnamed guest stars, while DJ
Spinna provides the tunes, according to Lee’s
Instagram.
Former Brooklynite Lee, who now lives on the
distant isle of Manhattan , starred as the film’s
protagonist Mookie, a pizza deliveryman, alongside
actors Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, and
John Turturro, among others.
The movie highlights racial tensions on the
Brooklyn block, which boil over when a white
police officer chokes a young black man to death.
The scene bears prescient resemblance to the
killing of Staten Island man Eric Garner at the
hands of police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who
placed him in a fatal chokehold in 2014.
The film also touches on gentrification,
when the character Buggin Out (played by
Giancarlo Esposito) confronts a white resident
of the street who scuffed his Air Jordans
with his bike.
The movie’s themes remain relevant today,
the director told the Daily News recently.
“We had the crystal ball,” he said. “There
was global warming, gentrification. The film,
you could say, is ripped from the headlines presently.”
Those who want to see the film again on the
big screen should head to the Brooklyn Academy
of Music, which will screen it several times a
day from Jun. 28–July 4, using a newly-restored
digital version and a new 35 mm print.
“Do the Right Thing Block Party” on Stuyvesant
Avenue, between Quincy Street and Lexington
Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. June 30,
noon–7 p.m. Free.
“Do the Right Thing” at BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave., between St. Felix Street and
Ashland Place in Fort Greene, (718) 636–4100,
www.bam.org. Jun. 28–Jul. 4, various showtimes.
35 mm showings after 6 p.m. $15.
— Kevin Duggan
BOOKS The big bangs
The best places to watch the Fourth of July fi reworks
By Bill Roundy
Brooklyn Paper
It will be a blast!
The skies of Brooklyn will be ablaze
next week when the Macy’s Fourth of
July Fireworks extravaganza explodes with
patriotic pride over the East River. Thousands
of shells will launch from the Brooklyn
Bridge and from four barges parked in
the River south of the span, while a “waterfall”
of fireworks will cascade from the
sides of the 136-year-old Bridge.
Technically, any place with a clear view
of the sky should be fine to see the fireworks
— but with all the towers that have gone
up in Downtown recently, a clear view has
been harder to come by. So we have compiled
a list some of the best places to watch
the action on Independence Day.
Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks (www.
macys.com/social/fireworks). July 4 at 9:20
p.m. Free.
Park place
The best views in town are going to be
from inside Brooklyn Bridge Park — all of
the barges will anchor between Piers One
and Five, so the green space will be in high
demand, said the park’s president.
“Obviously the park is going to be a prime
viewing location,” said Eric Landau. “There
will be amazing views of the fireworks, and
the other landmarks — the statue of Liberty,
and the Manhattan skyline.”
But he also noted that space in the park
is not unlimited.
“Based on past experience, we had a
lot more people trying to get into the park
than we can handle,” he said. “We don’t
have the capacity for hundreds of thousands
of people.”
The ferry will stop running on the East
River at 2 p.m., and access to the Park will
be limited to four entry points, where police
will check bags to ensure safety. When
the park reaches capacity, the entry points
will close — which is likely to happen by
late afternoon.
Entry points will be located at:
New Dock Street and Water Street in
Dumbo (at Empire Fulton Ferry Park)
Furman Street and Old Fulton Street in
Dumbo (at Pier One)
Furman Street and Joralemon Street in
Brooklyn Heights (at Pier Five)
Atlantic Avenue and Bridge Park Drive
in Brooklyn Heights (at Pier Six).
The two smaller parks flanking the Manhattan
Bridge (Main Street Park and John
Street Park) will be closed, as will portions
of Pier Five, which are covered in artificial
turf not designed for standing crowds.
If you want to watch from the park, you
need to plan ahead, and show up early.
Bag checks at each entrance will slow
things down, so if you travel in a group,
have one person carry the things you need,
and they can catch up when the rest of you
have staked out a spot.
Concessions in the park will close at
2 p.m., so bring the food and drinks you
need to last until the fireworks start at 9:20
p.m. Coolers are strongly discouraged, and
there is no alcohol allowed in the park, so
try to be discreet.
Get more details at www.brooklynbridgepark.
org.
Prominent citizens
The Brooklyn Promenade, which runs
above the Park and the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway, will also have amazing views,
and will have similar issues with crowding.
Police will also check bags at the entrances
to the Promenade, and you should show up
hours early if you want to get a spot.
Cashing out
There are several restaurants and hotels
along the water’s edge where you can get
a seat for the fireworks — if you can afford
it! Here are few options for you and
Uncle Moneybags — but for the spots inside
the Park, remember that you need to
arrive before the park hits capacity, which
means before 6 p.m.
Ship shape
The oyster bar Pilot is on board a ship
floating off the edge of Pier Six, and it
will have spectacular views and sky-high
prices! The ship offers an open bar, unlimited
oysters, lobster rolls, caviar, and
more, but tickets start at $375 for a seat at
the bar ($445.78 with tax and tip), and go
up to $10,000 for a 12-person Captain’s
Table. Because the ship is docked well inside
Brooklyn Bridge Park, you should be
sure to show up before the Park hits capacity
— and you had better carry a copy
of your ticket, which might help you get
past security.
Pilot at Pier Six (enter at Atlantic Avenue
and Bridge Park Drive in Brooklyn
Heights, www.pilotbrooklyn.com). 6 p.m.
$375–$450.
Pie in the sky
At the base of the Pier Six is the twostory
Fornino Pizza, which will have its
own party with fantastic views. You can
indulge in an inclusive meal of anti-pasta,
salad, pizza, chicken parm, and meatballs,
and visit the cash bar. The party does not
start until 7 p.m., but you should probably
show up by 5 p.m. to make sure.
Fornino on Pier Six (enter at Atlantic
Avenue and Bridge Park Drive in Brooklyn
Heights, www.fornino.com). 7–10:30 p.m.
$250.
One-up
The One Hotel, at the base of Brooklyn
Bridge Park’s Pier One, has three different
spots where you can watch the action.
The rooftop will host Harriet’s Rooftop
Viewing Party which is likely to have
the best views. General admission tickets
are $100; you can add an open bar and
food for $250, but if you actually want to
sit down, it will cost $1,000 for a table for
two people, though it does include “premium
bottle service” and canapes.
One floor down, in the enclosed Harriet’s
Lounge, a $100 ticket also includes an
open bar, but a table reservation will still
run $1,000 for two.
And on the ground floor, the Osprey
restaurant will offer an al fresco prix-fixe
meal and open bar, with reservations starting
at $800 for a table for two.
1 Hotel (60 Furman St. at Doughty Street
in Dumbo, (347) 696–2505, www.1hotels.
com/brooklyn-bridge). Rooftop and
Lounge, 4 p.m.–midnight. The Osprey; 5
p.m.–midnight.
Imperial options
The Empire Stores complex on Water
Street in Dumbo has several restaurants that
will host Independence Day parties.
On the ground f loor are two restaurants
with patios: Sugarcane and Cecconi’s
. Both spots will hold parties that
night with open bars, food included, and
dancing, though Cecconi’s also adds a
live band.
The rooftop also has a tiny outdoor patio
for the new Time Out Market , and a large
inside area with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Admission will cost you $200, and that includes
$100 credit to spend at the bar or
the fifth-floor food vendors.
Empire Stores (55 Water St. between
Main and Old Dock streets in Dumbo,
www.empirestoresdumbo.com). Cecconi’s,
7:30–11 p.m., $200; Sugarcane, 7–11
p.m., $175 (kids $95); Time Out Market,
6–10 p.m., $200.
The Hook up
Red Hook should have decent view of
the sky, but there are very few spots along
its industrial waterfront where you can settle
down.
Try the Valentino Pier (Ferris Street between
Coffey and Van Dyke Streets in Red
Hook). Free.
Rooftop rave
The many hotel rooftops that have cropped
up in Williamsburg will have their own parties,
although the fireworks will be far away.
The Babel Indepen-Dance party at the William
Vale will have the focus on dancing,
but its height — on the 22nd floor Westlight
restaurant and the 23rd floor Turf Club —
probably gives you the best chance of spotting
the bombs bursting in air.
Fourth of July at the Westlight 111 N.
12th St. at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg,
(718) 307–7100, www.westlightnyc.com/
events. 5 p.m.–midnight. $95–$125.
Coney calling
There is another fireworks display on the
other side of the Brooklyn! The People’s
Playground will launch its own pyrotechnic
pageant at 9:50 p.m. on Independence
Day, which you can view from anywhere
along the Boardwalk, or from the rooftop
bars of Tom’s Diner (Boardwalk at Stillwell
Avenue) or Kitchen 21 (Boardwalk at
W. 21st. Street).
The Alliance for Coney Island has honed
its expertise by firing off rockets every Friday
night during the summer, from June
21 to Aug. 25, but the Fourth of July will
be especially dramatic!
Steeplechase Spectacular Fireworks
Show on the Boadwalk (between W. 10th
and W. 21st streets in Coney Island, www.
coneyislandfunguide.com). Free.
Weekend Reads
Word’s picks: “Run
River,” by Joan Didion
This novel is Joan Didion’s
first, a dishy exposure
of the bleak marriage of two
wealthy scions of California
land-owning families. Falling
somewhere between “The
Great Gatsby,” in its nostalgic
depiction of troubled, striving
privilege, and “The Grapes of Wrath,” as a
crucial entry in the mythology of California. As
an almost 60-year-old novel, alongside Didion’s
better known works like “Play It As It Lays,”
“Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” and “The Year
of Magical Thinking,” it can stand outside the
shadow of the author’s reputation as a truly gorgeous
novel.
— Jeff Waxman, Word 126 Franklin St. at
Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096,
www.wordbookstores.com .
Community
Bookstore’s pick: “The
Organs of Sense,” by
Adam Ehrlich Sachs
A strange satire of historical
fiction that is also a
compelling riff on the limits
of science and the dubious
power of doubt. Sachs spins
his yarn around a meeting
between the philosopher Leibniz and an unnamed,
eccentric, and blind astronomer who
enlists his help in making calculations of an
upcoming eclipse. What follows is something
like “The Name Of The Rose” meets “Waiting
For Godot.” It is delightful.
— Samuel Partal, Community Bookstore 43
Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield
Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.
commu nityb ookst ore.net .
Greenlight Bookstore’s
pick: “Travelers,” by
Helon Habila
Set mostly in Germany, but
also all around Europe, the
main character in this novel
is a Nigerian man who accompanies
his American wife on
an extended trip to Berlin for
her artist’s residency. While
there he loses traction and drifts, meandering
through the book and crossing paths with refugees
across all stages of migrant life. This book
is a quiet and thoughtful meditation on migration,
refugees, identity, home, a lack of home,
and what it means to be from a place.
— Rebecca Fitting, Greenlight Bookstore
686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S.
Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–
0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com .
Blast-off: Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show will launch from the Brooklyn Bridge and from barges nearby for the first time since 2014.
Julienne Schaer
File photo by Stefano Giovannini
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