Brooklyn’s Predictions for 2012

by Mary Frost

BROOKLYN — As we bid adieu to 2011, we turn to the future and ask: What could possibly happen next? Will the stock market skyrocket? Will the Nets win their first Brooklyn season? Will the city sell the naming rights to the Promenade? Will the Euro fail?

We asked some of Brooklyn’s most prescient movers and shakers to look in their crystal balls and share their revelations about the upcoming year — and we expect, as usual, that these predictions will be 100 percent accurate.

If you want to know what 2012 will bring, here are some predictions from Brooklyn’s most prescient prognosticators:

Brooklyn Heights in the News

The Brooklyn Paper reports several new restaurants to open in the New Year, The NY Times profiles Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management, and the Observer notes actress Amy Ryan is moving to the Heights.

For Pete’s Sake! Fulton Ferry Restaurant Closes

Pete’s Downtown Helped Revitalize Historic Area

Pete’s Downtown, at the corner of Water and Old Fulton streets, with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. Eagle file photo.

By Raanan Geberer

FULTON FERRY — Regular visitors to, and residents of, the Fulton Ferry area were surprised that Pete’s Downtown restaurant at 2 Water Street, a fixture in the neighborhood since the 1980s, was not only closed but empty.

An employee of this newspaper yesterday called owner Pete Thristino, who said he wasn’t able to renew his lease with the building owner. According to Property Shark, the building, also known as 1 Old Fulton St., is owned by “Danube LLC” at 45 Main St., Suite 602.

Taking In New Year’s Eve Fireworks In Brooklyn

BROOKLYN — Fireworks over Prospect Park are a New Year’s Eve tradition, and Brooklynites will once again be able to ring in the new year with a choice of two fireworks displays — the glorious display at Grand Army Plaza and a more distant midnight show over the Statue of Liberty.

Grand Army Plaza’s celebration kicks off around 11 p.m. with entertainment and hot refreshments; fireworks go up from midnight to 12:15 a.m. at the Long Meadow. The best viewing locations are within Grand Army Plaza, along West Drive in Prospect Park, and along Prospect Park West between Grand Army Plaza and Ninth Street.

Borough President Marty Markowitz is sponsoring the celebration.

The Statue of Liberty midnight fireworks, orchestrated by the Grucci family, can be seen from any location along the Brooklyn waterfront with a view of the sky over the statue, including parts of Red Hook, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway.

If the location seems particularly well suited for a party cruise, there are several — including one by the firework’s sponsor, Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts.

 

 

* * *

A Movie With a Happy Ending

Photo by Mary Frost

Looks like the stars of the third movie listed on the marquee of the Brooklyn Heights Cinema will live happily ever after. Staff at the cinema told the Brooklyn Eagle that a man asked the theater to put his marriage proposal up in lights, then popped the question to his surprised lady-love on the sidewalk in front of the sign. Renee, a patron of the cinema, gave him the answer he had been hoping for. (Cue romantic music; soft fade . . . )

 

* * *

Unemployment’s High, But Not in the High-Tech Area!

By Dennis Holt

DUMBO — For far too long, there has been a chorus of “Where are all the jobs?” But another question is being asked in DUMBO: “Where are all the workers?”

Reports have been intensifying that DUMBO is becoming a major new tech center. The Wall Street Journal last week ran a major story with this lead:

“Tech startups and digital advertising companies have flocked to DUMBO throughout the past decade, drawn to the neighborhood’s industrial lofts that eschew Midtown’s buttoned-down culture. Now DUMBO’s tech scene is about to get bigger.”

But there is a damper on the good news — too many chairs remain empty. Jerry Hultin, president of New York University-Polytechnic Institute, has said, “If there is one common hurdle putting a damper on growth for many DUMBO startups, it is finding qualified programmers and engineers.”