Ocean views and Nordic food: 10 things to do in Brooklyn this weekend

September 12, 2019 Scott Enman

Image via Pexels

1. Happy hour in a museum

Art History Happy Hour at the Brooklyn Museum. Photo by Kolin Mendez

Drink wine and beer and learn about feminist art history at the Brooklyn Museum in honor of its recently opened exhibition “Half the Picture: A Feminist Look at the Collection.”

Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Brooklyn Museum. Free. More info here.

2. Binge on junk food

Is there a better way to celebrate the end of the workweek than a pizza party, complete with Sixpoint beer, ice cream and balloon animals? Nope.

Munch on slices from Front Street Pizza, Ignazio’s and Groundling Pizza, and then indulge in ice cream from OddFellows, Shake Shack and Ample Hills Creamery.

When you’re done eating, work it all off at a dance party underneath the Manhattan Bridge.

Friday at 5 p.m. at the Archway. $2 slices and scoops. More info here.

3. Visit Brooklyn’s own photography village

Brooklyn’s free pop-up photography village, Photoville, is back in Brooklyn Bridge Park with an impressive lineup of 85 exhibitions featuring more than 600 artists. On Friday, New York Times photographers and editors will share highlights from their coverage over the past year, as well as showcase photos of the DUMBO waterfront from their archives.

Friday at 7 p.m. at Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. Free. More info here.

4. See some live music

The performers. Photo courtesy of National Sawdust

Pianist Lara Downes along with Bridget Kibbey, Magos Herrera and Simone Dinnerstein will be performing at National Sawdust in Williamsburg for “Holes in the Sky,” a concert inspired by a Georgia O’Keeffe quote and the idea that “dreams and ambitions of women and girls can make holes in the sky.”

Friday at 7 p.m. at National Sawdust. From $25. More info here.

5. Explore a waterfront neighborhood

The Red Hook waterfront. Photo by Paul Frangipane

The cobblestone streets of Red Hook are scattered with dive bars, art galleries and restaurants. With the faint salty breeze whisking off the harbor, visitors might momentarily forget they are in a city.

Head over to the neighborhood this weekend to eat crabs and key lime pie, and then watch the sun set behind the Statue of Liberty.

6. Travel to Iceland (without, you know, traveling to Iceland)

Go on vacation without even leaving Brooklyn at Taste of Iceland, a five-day festival with music, cuisine and art from the Nordic country. Throughout the weekend there will be an Icelandic tasting menu at Brooklyn Cider House where you can enjoy dishes like cured Atlantic halibut, arctic char and fillet of lamb.

Multiple locations and times all weekend long. More info here.

7. Watch films by the beach

Coney Island Beach. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

The Coney Island Film Festival returns this weekend, and director Barry Strugatz may have summed up the magic of the three-day event when he said: “The beach, the boardwalk, great stars, great movies, great filmmakers … the Coney Island Film Festival has everything that Cannes has, plus Nathan’s hotdogs!”

Enough said.

Friday through Sunday at multiple times at 1208 Surf Ave. Prices vary. More info here.

8. Eat way too much

TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint. Photo by Farrah Chamseddine

Entering its 10th year, Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint showcases the best offerings from north Brooklyn’s culinary scene, including restaurants, bars and wineries. Eat pierogies and sip Brooklyn Brewery beer all for a good cause. Proceeds go toward renovating The Firehouse: North Brooklyn Community Center.

Sunday at 1 p.m. at East River State Park. From $50. More info here.

9. Brunch at a longtime staple

Teresa’s Restaurant, at 80 Montague St. in Brooklyn Heights. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

Eat brunch for the last time at longtime Brooklyn Heights staple Teresa’s, which is closing soon after 30 years. Enjoy Polish-style blintzes, borscht, stuffed cabbage and eggs Benedict at the spot where famous writers like Norman Mailer and Brooklyn’s poet laureate Norman Rosten ate.

10. Have some art with your local news

Tomashi Jackson (1980-), Sideways / Side Eye (Peach Shape), 2018. Silkscreen, oil, and acrylic, on gauze, canvas, and paper, 39 x 32 in. (99.1 x 81.3 cm). Schwartz Art Collection, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA. Image courtesy the artist and Tilton Gallery, New York. Photograph by Adam Reich

Artist Tomashi Jackson, who has work currently on display at the Whitney Biennale, is hosting a conversation on the history of displacement and gentrification in New York City. She’ll be drawing comparisons between the destruction of Seneca Village and the Third Party Transfer Program.

Plus, Brooklyn Eagle reporter Kelly Mena, who has reported extensively on the TPT program, will be on the panel.

Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Free. More info here.

Follow reporter Scott Enman on Twitter.