Author: Cornershop

c. Elizabeth Keegin Colley

Top Sledding Spots in Prospect Park

January 22, 2016

Both through nature and by design, Prospect Park’s landscape is dotted with rolling hills, which makes it prime territory for winter sledding. Here are just a few of the top sledding destinations in Brooklyn’s Backyard, recommended by Christian Zimmerman, Prospect Park Alliance’s Chief Landscape Architect.

Long Meadow 

The Long Meadow is the longest stretch of uninterrupted meadow in any urban park in the nation, and was designed by Park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux with a number of rolling hills. Add in the long incline sloping down from Tennis House (enter at 9th Street then cross West Drive), and you’ve got the perfect recipe for long-run sledding.

Lookout Hill

Lookout Hill is the highest point in the Park. A grassy, treeless swatch on the hill’s southwest side is steep enough to satisfy any sledder’s need for speed. From the Vanderbilt Street entrance head northeast toward Wellhouse Drive.

Drummer’s Grove

On snowy days there tends to be fewer drummers in the aptly named Drummer’s Grove (near the Parkside and Ocean entrance), but the sounds of sledding on the small hill across the East Drive near the LeFrak Center at Lakeside fill the sonic void.

Endale Arch

Enter the Park at Grand Army Plaza and head toward the Long Meadow via Endale Arch, then look to your left to scope out the short steep slope from the Park Drive to the meadow, a perfect place for first-time sledders.

 

First 2016 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concerts Announced

January 20, 2016

This summer, BRIC, in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, will be bringing Brooklyn’s beloved performing arts event, the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, back to the Bandshell for its 38th season. BRIC has just announced its first benefit concerts of the season, Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala, with opening act Dungen, and indie-rock darlings Beirut.

Playing on back-to-back nights, Dungen and Grammy-nominated Tame Impala will take to the Bandshell on June 14 and 15. Tickets for this Grammy-nominated band’s performances are on sale now. 

On August 2, Celebrate Brooklyn! will welcomes Beirut. Presale tickets for this show become available at noon on January 20, while tickets go on sale to the general public on January 22.

The partnership between BRIC and the Alliance has flourished for decades, with the Park providing the ideal outdoor concert venue for the city’s premier performing arts festival. Since its inception in 1979, the annual event has evolved from a small showcase of Brooklyn-based artists to a city-wide attraction, drawing crowds of more than 250,000 to enjoy acts hailing from all over the globe.

The 2016 season of Celebrate Brooklyn! will feature performances across many mediums, including music, film, dance and more. Years past have been highlighted by acts like Willie Nelson & Family, Janelle Monae, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Modest Mouse. More details surrounding this summer’s lineup will be made available in the spring.

Parks Without Borders: Flatbush Improvements

Mayor de Blasio and the Parks Department’s Parks Without Borders initiative will fund $50 million in improvements to city parks to make them more open, accessible and inviting to their surrounding communities. $10 million has already been allocated, but the remaining $40 million of funding is still available, and will be awarded to projects based on community input.

The Prospect Park Alliance has proposed to create a major new major entrance along Flatbush Avenue, and a second, smaller entrance just north of the Prospect Park Zoo. In addition, the existing Park entrance on Flatbush near Empire Boulevard would be reconstructed, ensuring a better Park experience for those visiting the Children’s Corner, which includes Lefferts Historic House, the Prospect Park Zoo and the Carousel.

These entrances would be important enhancements to currently planned improvements to Flatbush Avenue, which will broaden the sidewalk and add new street trees, benches and lighting,  

To make these added improvements a reality, we need your help! To voice your support, follow these steps:

  • Visit the Parks Without Borders website and click “Get Started” on the map.
  • Zoom in on the map to Prospect Park and click anywhere on the Flatbush Avenue border (the Park’s northeast border).
  • Select improvements including, “add new entrance,” “improve accessibility” and “repair paving.”
  • Describe what you would like to see in this area.
    • Sample text: “I support the Prospect Park Alliance’s proposal to create two new entrances, and reconstruct a third entrance on the Flatbush Avenue perimeter of Prospect Park. Prospect Park serves 10 million visitors each year and that number is likely to increase as Brooklyn and the neighborhoods surrounding the Park continue to grow. This important project will not only help beautify an area of the Park that is in desperate need of attention, but more importantly will open up a vital perimeter of the Park that has historically been difficult to access for residents and neighbors in communities bordering the Park.”
  • Click submit.

Thank you for taking an active stance in improving the health of Prospect Park and those it welcomes every day! Voting closes at the end of February, so make your voice heard now.

2015 Prospect Park Tennis Center Championship Showcases Brooklyn’s Best

Across all categories, this year’s tournament held at the Prospect Park Tennis Center was the strongest and most competitive yet. With a total of 208 players in the tournament, the turnout equalled the quality of play. 64 players were entered in the Mens B draw, which is half the size of the world famous U.S. Open’s draw. Also of note, were the several family pairings participating in doubles play, including teams of Boraks, Bradfords, Campbells, Greenes and Weissmans.

View the image gallery of our champions.

In Womens Singles, Julie Lilien, a champion from years past, defeated Lucy Herrera 6-0, 6-2. Julie is fierce competitor and has won the Womens Singles several times, always against great competition from players like Lucy, who teaches at the Tennis Center.

This year’s Mens A Singles final between Tim Crawmer and Eduardo Gil was an amazing match. Tim was a former champion for Navy. On set point, he hit a big serve and came to the net behind it, but Eduardo, who teaches at the Tennis Center, masterfully sliced a crosscourt backhand return to save a match point. The momentum shifted from there, and Eduardo proceeded to turn the match around and win the tournament 3-6,7-5,6-1.

In Mens B Singles, Vlad Safovich defeated Josh Rabinovitz 6-0, 6-4 in the finals. Both Vlad and Josh did well the previous year and were eager to play each other for the title this time around. 

Alison Hernon and Alyson Walder edged out Sarah Gerstenzang and Karen Johnson in an exciting second set  6-2, 7-5 to walk away victorious in Womens Doubles.  

Mens Doubles saw the family team of Adam Borak and Mikolaj Borak defeat Nigel Liverpool and Eduardo Gil 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Both Mikolaj and his younger brother Adam came up through the Tennis Center junior development program and have developed into high-level tournament players. Nigel and Eduardo are experienced and talented pros that teach at the center.

In the Mixed Doubles, home court pros Nadia Lysak and Nigel Liverpool defeated Avernelle Holder and Zachary Campbell 6-2, 6-1. The mixed double field was by far the strongest we have had to date.  

Hidden Winter Gems

Winter is a magical time in Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s Backyard. While thousands like to flock to the Park for sled riding and snowball fights, we encourage you to tap into the Park’s natural beauty and explore a path less traveled. Below, Prospect Park Alliance staff share how they would spend their perfect winter day in the Park. For best results, mix with lots of hot chocolate.

The Rose Garden:  Though no longer home to many roses, this picturesque landscape in the northeast corner of the Park is one of its less frequented areas. “After a snowfall, odds are yours can be the first set of footprints,” said Alliance Arborist Ryan Gellis. While exploring the area, keep an eye and ear out for songbirds perched in the snow-covered evergreen yews.

Lookout Hill: Aptly named for its spectacular vistas of Brooklyn and beyond, it is well worth the short hike to the summit, the Park’s highest point. “In the winter when all of the leaves are off the trees, you can see all the way to Coney Island,” notes Maria Carrasco, Vice President of Public Programs. “You can even make out the historic Parachute Jump.”

The Lullwater: This landscape takes its name from the calm branch of the Prospect Park Lake it encompasses. Tucked away amidst woodlands, and buffered from outside noise, a walk across its spectacular bridge “is about as peaceful and quiet as it gets,” recommends Jessica Jamhoury, Director of the Volunteer Program.

The Long Meadow: Director of Individual Giving Kate Davis loves “the experience of walking or running through untouched snow.” As one of the Park’s most popular destinations, the Long Meadow is hardly a secret; but start your morning with the sunrise following a snowstorm, and you might just leave the first footprints on this longest stretch of unbroken meadow in any urban park.

Boulder Bridge: A favorite spot of John Jordan, Director of Landscape Management, Boulder Bridge spans the bridle path, and offers great views of the surrounding woodlands. Tucked between the Ravine and Midwood, the bridge itself is also beautiful, especially following snowfall, when the boulders that make up the bridge become encased in snow.

Brooklyn Historical Society

From the Archives: Skating through History

After an unseasonably warm finale to 2015, winter has finally come to Prospect Park. However, the warmer weather didn’t stopped countless Brooklynites from enjoying the classic cold weather pastime of ice skating. At the LeFrak Center at Lakeside’s state-of-the-art rinks, skaters can glide on the ice all season long, regardless of Mother Nature’s plans.

This wasn’t always the case. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, eager skaters were forced to wait for a complete freeze of the Lake before taking to the ice. Because of fluctuations in temperature, Prospect Park visitors were notified of the Lake’s ability to accommodate skaters through creative means: a red flag hung at Grand Army Plaza, as well as signs on the fronts of the trolleys that used to traverse Flatbush Avenue and Prospect Park West.

An article from the Brooklyn Eagle on December 18, 1882, describes the scene on the first day of skating that year: “Boys who were on their way to school suddenly began to feel sad and wondered if their father’s [sic] physicians would not order fresh air and exercise instead of the usual intellectual cramming.”

In those years, the first day of four-inch-thick ice was cause for celebration borough-wide, and led to peak crowds of as many as 20,000 skaters. With so many folks flocking to the ice, and with periodic warm spells midwinter, the scene at the Lake was understandably chaotic and unpredictable. Collisions between skaters and slips through thin patches of ice were not uncommon; all the while, “keepers,” uniformed in blue, tried often fruitlessly to instill a sense of order on the ice amidst the commotion.

Fortunately for Brooklyn skaters, crashing through the ice or being trampled by a renegade toboggan are concerns of the past. In 1960, under the guidance of controversial master planner Robert Moses, work began on the Park’s first skating rink, Wollman Rink, on the site of today’s LeFrak Center. Gone were the days of watching trolleys to figure out the afternoon’s plans. Park-goers could skate at any time during the season on the Park’s first skating rink.

And of course, things only got better in 2013 with the opening of the LeFrak Center, the Prospect Park Alliance’s contribution to Brooklyn skating. Its two modern rinks provide even more space to glide and an improved experience for skaters. If you haven’t paid the LeFrak Center a visit yet this year, be sure to stop by and check out the variety of ice-based programming this season – no need to look for a red flag in Grand Army Plaza! 

c. Tom Stephenson

The Painted Bunting: Flocking to the Park

December 15, 2015

This month, you may have noticed the influx of binocular-wielding, camera-toting bird lovers in the vicinity of the LeFrak Center at Lakeside searching for a rare and magnificent bird called the painted bunting, otherwise known as the bird that broke the Internet. This migratory member of the cardinal family is the first of his kind to be seen in Brooklyn in years, and has generated a significant amount of buzz thanks to his polychromatic plumage.

But the beloved painted bunting is hardly the first exciting species to temporarily call Prospect Park’s abundant lush woodlands, home. John Jordan, Director of Landscape Management for the Prospect Park Alliance, rattles off a list of impressive avian visitors, most recently some nesting great horned owls. “We regularly have red-tailed hawks and each year we get a great number of migrating – and sometimes nesting – songbirds coming through the Park,” he adds.

The Park’s woodland habitats do not exist by happenstance, but are the result of years of hard work by the Prospect Park Alliance’s Landscape Management and Design and Construction teams. In the late 1980s, when the Alliance was first founded, the Park’s natural areas were in a dire state. Decades of erosion and neglect had left the Park’s woodlands and waterways a poor habitat for wildlife. Over the past two decades, the Alliance has invested millions of dollars to revitalize the Park, planting hundreds of thousands of trees, plants and shrubs.

The LeFrak Center at Lakeside is an ideal example of this work. The project reclaimed three acres of wildlife habitat, including the site where the painted bunting was spotted – formerly a 300-space parking lot. Much of this restoration work is led by the Alliance’s Natural Resources Crew, which gives careful consideration to habitat value when deciding on plants to introduce to the landscape. “In addition to the aesthetic benefit, we think about how it adds to the health of the landscape and what creatures might utilize a plant for food, shelter or nesting,” said Jordan.

Prospect Park is designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. Thanks in part to its prime location along the Atlantic flyway, Prospect Park’s acres of forest attract migrating birds every year, drawn in by an abundance of food, and a variety of habitats. “Each of these bird species is drawn to different things,” explains Jordan. “The owls come for winter roosts in the tall evergreens; the woodland songbirds each occupy a different niche.” The woodlands provide especially varied and rich habitats for birds. “Some species hunt in the tree tops for insects, some scour the understory for berries, fruit, and seeds, and others forage along the forest floor.”

Love the painted bunting? Join Alliance naturalists at the Prospect Park Audubon Center for bird watching and other nature programs on weekends and during the Winter Recess. The Brooklyn Bird Club also leads early morning bird walks and monthly explorations of the Park. Learn about upcoming bird watching events, and check out our Visit the Park section for more information about birding in Prospect Park.

c. Andrew Gardner

Holiday Fun in Prospect Park

Prospect Park is the place to be this holiday season.

Join the Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for our annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks extravaganza. Viewing locations abound along the Park’s west side, but spectators at Grand Army Plaza will enjoy free hot chocolate and live music!

Between December 26 and January 1, take advantage of a number of fun, free family programming. The Park’s Winter Recess Holiday Program includes nature education activities at the Audubon Center, such as the Christmas Bird Count, historic arts and crafts at the Lefferts Historic House and more.

And it’s also the most wonderful time of the year for indoor tennis. Special holiday drills and match play is available at the Prospect Park Tennis Center from December 28 through 30 from 1 to 4 pm. Sign up for the Winter Recess Tennis Program now to work on your game this winter.

Visit our events calendar for the full slate of programs.

c. Jimmy Sawh

PPA Profiles: Shanley Pascal, Lakeside Recreation Manager

If you’ve spent any time at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside this season, you’ve undoubtedly seen the usual crowds of ice skaters gliding rhythmically around the rink, as well as the fast-paced frenzy of a hockey game. You’ve probably also noticed the emergence of a few winter activities less commonly seen in the City, like broomball and curling. Whether you’re a wintertime classicist or have learned the ins-and-outs of more untraditional sports, Lakeside Recreation Manager Shanley Pascal has likely played a role behind the scenes.

Ice skating has always been a major part of Shanley’s life. She grew up figure skating in the warmer climate of her native South Florida, and began her involvement in the skating community in New York City after matriculating at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2005. While still a student, she taught skating at several local rinks, and after graduating with a BFA in Theatre, she became the Skating Director at City Ice Pavilion. She was additionally elected to be Assistant District Representative of the Ice Skating Institute’s Metropolitan Area.

No stranger to the rest of the city’s rinks, Shanley first became a regular fixture on the ice at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in 2013. While working for a local film distribution company located along Prospect Park West, she made sure to hit the ice at Lakeside weekly during lunch breaks. “I would ride a funny green and pink folding bike gifted to me solely so I could get there to skate,” she recalls. “I’ve been connected to this rink since long before I started working here!” Her transition to heading up programming at the Skate School was only natural.

New York City’s skating scene has broadened the figure-skating Floridian’s horizons on the ice. “While I taught skating at World Ice, I continued figure skating, but also tried out hockey and speed skating.” She’s been able to knock off two more winter sports from her bucket list since joining the team at Lakeside. “I always joked that curling was the only ice sport I hadn’t tried, and broomball wasn’t even on my radar yet,” she explains. Fortunately for Shanley as well as countless Brooklynites, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside offers both. “That’s one of the best things the LeFrak Center, the idea that anyone can participate—from learning to skate to figure skating, hockey, curling, and broomball.”

In addition to sharing her wealth of figure skating knowledge, Shanley is passionate about getting people involved in these off-the-beaten-path winter activities. Since its launch in November of 2014 curling at Lakeside has been a hit. “It’s a fun game to play, especially as we provide beer after,” which is a time-honored curling tradition known as “broomstacking.” Those well versed in curling and its accompanying social antics can opt for league play. Beginners are encouraged to partake in a five- to six-week long clinic, after which they will be prepared to participate in the action and revelry.

Learn more about the LeFrak Center at Lakeside. 

Neighborhood Play: Stroud Playground

The Prospect Park Alliance contributed its design expertise to revitalize Stroud Playground in neighboring Crown Heights, which is an important community amenity as well as outdoor space for two public schools, PS 316 and MS 383. The $5.1 million project is part of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative, a citywide plan orchestrated by NYC Parks to renovate parks in communities with the greatest need through capital funding, programming and strategic partnerships, and also received funding from Council Member Laurie Cumbo.

“The Alliance brings decades of expertise in designing award-winning playgrounds in Prospect Park to this project,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “It is important to share this knowledge with surrounding communities to strengthen and revitalize New York’s diverse green spaces.”

Stroud marks the Alliance’s first major design project outside Prospect Park. In order to further this partnership, the Alliance has also committed to providing pro-bono design services to transform two additional CPI projects in 2016 and 2017. Cumulatively, these three projects will represent a total commitment valued at $700,000 of in-kind support.

The Alliance developed a new design that fits many amenities into a compact, one-acre space. In a public forum held last December, the community voiced a strong desire for basketball courts, play spaces, ample lighting, and areas for parties and picnics. These elements are incorporated into the design, along with new play equipment and water features, shaded seating areas and picnic tables, handball courts, a jogging track, a turf field with misting spray and a quiet garden that can serve as an outdoor classroom.

“One of the most important parts of the renovation is how we are opening up the playground to the surrounding neighborhood,” said Justine Heilner, Alliance Senior Landscape Architect. “The design removed chain-link fencing to create a more accessible and engaging space, and new trees will be planted along the perimeter to create a green and inviting entranceway.”

Environmental sustainability and cost efficiency also played a major role in the redesign. The project will reuse some of the existing materials for benches and paving. Energy efficient lighting will be installed, and nearly 30 new trees will be planted. The Alliance and NYC Parks are also working closely with the Department of Environmental Protection on storm water management strategies. Rain gardens, porous paving and underground detention tanks will absorb storm water runoff not only from the playground itself but also the surrounding streets.

Stroud Playground construction begins in September 2017 and expected to take approximately one year to complete.