(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings July 19–25, 2019
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
This book wants to get you high!
A new travel guide takes readers
on a visual journey across the
city’s rooftops, hopping from the highest
hotspots to little-known locales in
Brooklyn. “111 Rooftops in New York
That You Must Not Miss,” explores the
borough’s most interesting top floors
and provides a new angle on the city,
according to the book’s author.
“Rooftops give you a whole new
perspective on the city. You’re above
it all. It’s quieter, and you get this
amazing view,” said Leslie Adatto.
“It’s not just bars. There are things
on rooftops as diverse as museums,
or soccer fields, or spas.”
Adatto lists some of the most famous
landmarks in the city — such
as the Empire State Building — but
the book also tips off readers to rooftops
that feel, ironically, like underground
venues.
“The mission when I started was to
include rooftops that are off the beaten
path for people who live in New York,”
she said. “Sometimes, they’re kind of
hidden in plain sight.”
Adatto — along with the book’s photographer
Clay Williams — offers an
insider’s look at spots like the Russian
bath house atop Brooklyn Banya in
Kensington or the hipster music venue
Elsewhere in Williamsburg.
“Elsewhere easily accommodates
500 people with its state-of-the-art
sound system and outdoor bar offering
the requisite rooftop frozen drink
options,” writes Adatto. “Late-night
noise restrictions are not a factor, so
Clay Williams
the party, even on the outdoor rooftop,
can continue without annoying
the sleep-seeking neighbors.”
Among the book’s 32 spots listed
for Kings County is the roof of the Old
American Can Factory in Gowanus,
which sometimes hosts films and theatrical
performances. For those looking
to explore the city’s greenery above
the ground, Addatto lists the iconic
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which has
a living meadow atop its Visitor’s Center,
along with Brooklyn Grange at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard and Kingsland
Wildflowers on top of an old oil refinery
in Greenpoint.
Addatto — who moved to New York
from the high-rise-deficient southern
California — said she had been gathering
a running list of city rooftops since
arriving in her adopted home.
“Like a lot of tourists, I spent a lot
of time looking up, but I wondered
what it would be like to look down,”
she said. “There’s all these places you
might not even know are there, so this
is a great way to explore New York in
a way that you might not have thought
of before.”
“111 Rooftops in New York That
You Must Not Miss” by Leslie Adatto.
www.111places.com. In bookstores
now. $19.99.
Playing Dumbo
Let the games begin!
Dumbo will become a giant playground this
weekend, when street games take over the Archway
under the Manhattan Bridge and surrounding
areas on July 20.
The “Come Out and Play” festival, in Dumbo
for its third year, will recruit passersby to face off
in brief, free competitions that use cell phones,
virtual reality goggles, and other props. The
event encourages people to connect with the
public space and to work together, said one of
the festival’s co-hosts.
“It is kind of a community event,” said Nicholas
Fortugno, the co-founder of a game company
Playmatics. “Games encourage strangers
to interact with each other.”
The day-long festival, co-sponsored by the
Dumbo Business Improvement District, Playmatics,
and Gigantic Mechanic game studio, will feature
games for children during the event’s “Family
Day,” from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; players age 18 and
older will face off in more cutthroat competitions
from 6 p.m.–10 p.m. Previous events have drawn
up to 3,000 people throughout the day.
“Come Out and Play” at Dumbo Archway
Water Street between Pearl and Adams streets
in Dumbo, (646) 807–8131, www.comeoutandplay.
org. July 20 from 1–10 p.m. Free.
— Rose Adams
GAMES
BOOKS
Step right up folks, and see the artwork!
An expert on the history of sideshow banners
will discuss the colorful cloth advertisements
that showcased the freaks, oddities, and eccentric
acts of the midway. The author of “Painters
of the Peculiar,” who will read from his book
at the Coney Island Museum
on July 27, said that
the over-the-top banners
were designed to draw
people in, and rarely reflected
the reality of the
sideshow.
“With sideshow banner
art, they typically
never depicted a real
person, instead just depicting
a generic sword
swallower or fire breather
or whatever. You really
have no idea who these banners are depicting
unless they are named, which is rare,” said Michael
Papa. “They weren’t depicting whatever
you were going to see — it was all a lie.”
Papa wrote his book with Johnny Meah, a respected
sideshow banner painter whose work is
showcased at the Smithsonian and the Barnum
museums. The book discusses the history of the
art form, and it provides biographies of some of
the most prolific banner painters.
“Painters of the Peculiar” at the Coney Island
Museum (1208 Surf Ave. at W. 12th Street, second
floor, in Coney Island, www.coneyisland.
com). July 27 at 5 p.m. $5 ($3 seniors and kids).
— Chandler Kidd
By Elizabeth Winn
for Brooklyn Paper
Brooklyn’s outdoor film season is in full
swing! Open spaces all over the borough
are filled with film screenings, so
grab a picnic blanket, popcorn, and maybe
some bug spray to watch your favorite movie
stars while under the stars.
SummerStarz
This kid-friendly film series brings a different
animated film, superhero movie, or
musical to a Greenpoint Park each Friday.
At Transmitter Park (Greenpoint Avenue
at the East River in Greenpoint, www.
townsquarebk.org). Fridays at 8 p.m. Free.
July 19: “Aquaman”
July 26: “Coco”
Aug. 2: “Mamma Mia!”
Aug. 9: “How to Train Your Dragon 3”
Aug. 16: “Captain Marvel”
Rooftop Films
This outdoor movie series focuses on independent
films, offering New York premieres
of Sundance favorites and a first look
at upcoming Netflix films. Both free and
paid screenings happen all over the borough.
Bands play before each screening, and afterparties
often follow the paid events.
At Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th
St. at Fifth Avenue in Greenwood Heights,
(718) 210–3080, www.green-wood.com.
Music at 8:30 p.m. Film at 9 p.m. $16.
July 19: “The Pine Barrens”
August 2: “Cemetery Shorts”
August 23: “Rooftop Shots: Closing
Night 2019”
At Brooklyn Army Terminal (140 58th St.
at First Avenue in Sunset Park, www.rooftopfilms.
com). Music at 7:30 p.m. Film at
8 p.m. Free.
July 20: “Ash is Purest White”
At the William Vale (111 N. 12th St. at
Wythe Avenue, 23rd floor, in Williamsburg,
www.thewilliamvale.com). Music at
7:45 p.m. Film at 8:30 p.m. $16.
July 23: “Love is Short (Films)”
July 31: “Yes, God, Yes”
August 21: “Greener Grass”
At Fort Greene Park (Washington Park
at Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene, www.
rooftopfilms.com). Music at 8 p.m. Film at
8:30 p.m. Free.
July 25: “Well Groomed”
At Murmrr Theatre (17 Eastern Pkwy.
between Grand Army Plaza and Underhill
Avenue, www.murmrr.co m). No music.
Film at 8 p.m. $25 ($20 in advance).
August 17: “Sonic Youth: NYC and Beyond”
Flicks on the Beach
The Coney Island Alliance presents its
seventh annual movie series, presented on
an inflatable screen on the beach. There
are only three feature films this summer,
but they are all blockbusters! Bring a beach
towel or a blanket and find your plot on
the sand.
On the Coney Island Beach (at West
12th Street between the Boardwalk and
the water in Coney Island, www.coneyislandfunguide.
com). Every other Monday
at sundown (about 8:30 p.m.). Free.
July 22: “The Incredibles 2”
August 5: “A Star is Born”
August 26: “Avengers: End Game”
Red Hook Flicks
The annual film series at the end of Red
Hook is going back to the 1980s, with a
lineup of classic flicks from the Reagan
Era. Shows start at 8:30 p.m., but you should
come out a little early and claim your spot
on the pier, which also offers a great view
of the sunset and Lady Liberty.
At Valentino Pier (enter at Coffey and
Ferris streets in Red Hook, www.redhookflicks.
com). Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Free.
July 23: “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
July 30: “The Terminator”
August 6: “Real Genius”
August 13: “The Dark Crystal”
August 20: “Boys N the Hood”
August 27: “Red Dawn”
Narrows Botanical Gardens
This Bay Ridge garden space offers allages
animated flicks and action movies every
other Friday night this summer. Note to
visitors to Bay Ridge: the New York City
Freak art!
BUOYANCY
Jump for joy
This party is blowing up!
An enormous inflatable playground is bounding
into Brooklyn! “Big Bounce America” will
bring its record-breaking bounciness to Floyd
Bennett Field on July 26, giving both children
and adults a chance to shed their shoes and have
some inflatable fun, according to the company’s
founder.
“It’s the biggest bounce house in the world —
that’s according to the Guinness Book of World
Records. That’s the focal point of the event,” said
Cammy Craig. “We also have a giant inflatable
obstacle course, and another section that’s full
of different space-inspired inflatables for people
to play on.”
That bounce house, a giant monument to jumping
joy that is larger than a baseball diamond,
features a ball pit, climbing towers, basketball
hoops, and a dee-jay station to keep the party
hopping, said Craig.
“That’s really where the party is,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot going on in there, from limbo
competitions, dance competitions, dodgeball.
It’s really interactive and fun.”
During the bounce house’s 10-day stint in
Brooklyn, time slots are cordoned off for various
age groups: toddlers, little kids age 4–7; big
kids age 8–14; and adults. Each age group will
have its own three-hour session; and those who
are simply young at heart are the largest growing
segment of the bouncy community.
“We’ve always had adult sessions, but this
year we’ve got one every night — and the demand
for it has been crazy,” said Craig. “We
usually sell about 6,000 to 8,000 tickets, and a
lot of that is adults.”
Big Bounce America at Aviator Sports and
Events Center 3159 Flatbush Ave. at Floyd Bennett
Field in Marine Park, (833) 428–0889; www.
thebigbounceamerica.com. July 26–Aug. 4.
Times vary. $30 ($25 kids, $17 toddlers).
— Aidan Graham
Green screens Your guide to al fresco cinema across Brooklyn this summer
Furball film: The 1982 all-puppet fantasy film “The Dark Crystal” will get a
sequel soon on Netflix, and you can prepare by watching the original on a
Red Hook pier on Aug. 13.
Up, up, and away
Book tours Bklyn’s best rooftops
Nowhere else: The book “111 Rooftops in New York That You Must
Not Miss” includes Elsewhere, a rooftop music venue in Bushwick
(left) and the rooftop pool of the Williamsburg Hotel (right).
Big Bounce America Michael Papa Come Out and Play
See OUTDOOR FILMS on page 8
Etienne Frossard
/www.coneyis-landfunguide.com
/www.comeoutand-play.org
/www.comeoutand-play.org
/www.comeoutand-play.org
/www.coneyisland
/www.townsquarebk.org
/www.townsquarebk.org
/www.green-wood.com
/www.roof-topfilms.com
/www.roof-topfilms.com
/www.roof-topfilms.com
/www.thewilliamvale.com
/www.rooftopfilms.com
/www.rooftopfilms.com
/www.murmrr.co
/www.111places.com
/www.coneyis-landfunguide.com
/www.coneyis-landfunguide.com
/www.redhook-flicks.com
/www.redhook-flicks.com
/www.redhook-flicks.com
/www.thebigbounceamerica.com
/www.thebigbounceamerica.com
/www.111places.com
/www.coneyisland
/townsquarebk.org
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/www.thewilliamvale.com)
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