Swords and silent films: 10 things to do in Brooklyn this weekend

February 13, 2020 Scott Enman

Image: Pexels

1. Pay your respects to a legend

Artist Efren Andaluz painted this mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Pacific Street after the two died in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

After Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, artist Efren Andaluz decided to paint a mural of the father-daughter pair on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Pacific Street near Barclays Center. Though Bryant spent his entire career in Los Angeles, Brooklyn has paid respects to the Black Mamba in myriad ways.

Coney Island’s Parachute Jump was lit up in Lakers colors, with Bryant’s uniform number displayed on it. Local elected officials and Brooklyn Nets players also expressed their condolences following the incident.

Anytime in Boerum Hill. Free.

2. Tour landmark-worthy Central Park Slope

Architecture firm Langston and Dahlander designed these Garfield Place residences. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Head down to Central Park Slope for Eye on Real Estate’s latest tour. She took 14 photos of beautiful brownstones that “stretch to infinity” on these picturesque blocks overflowing with limestone rowhouses and Queen Anne homes.

Anytime in Park Slope. Free.

3. Celebrate Valentine’s Day differently

The Museum of Food and Drink. Photo: MOFAD

Here’s a unique way of spending Valentine’s Day. Head down to the Museum of Food and Drink for “Love Gone Sour: A Vinegar Valentine’s Dinner.” The event is based off a tradition in the 1840s where those without valentines would anonymously send a “vinegar valentine” also known as “vulgar insult cards” to unlucky recipients.

To honor that tradition, the museum is hosting a three-course dinner featuring vinegar dishes like pork, squash, smashed potatoes, chicken soup and cider vinegar pie. To drink, there will be a vinegar cocktail and a sour beer.

Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Food and Drink.

4. Take a tour of a cemetery

A cherub sits serenely among flowering trees in Green-Wood Cemetery. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan — A cherub sits serenely among flowering trees in Green-Wood Cemetery. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Skip the flowers and chocolate this holiday, and instead take your loved ones on a tour of Brooklyn’s most famous cemetery. You’ll hear “lovesick and heartbroken” stories about those who are buried at Green-Wood. The two-hour tour will feature tidbits about Henry Ward Beecher’s affair with Elizabeth Tilton, as well as the story of the tragic Valentine’s Day death of Theodore Roosevelt’s wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt.

Saturday at noon at Green-Wood Cemetery. $25.

5. Dance the night away

Circoloco from Halloween 2017. Photo: @aLIVECoverage

The famed Ibiza party Circoloco is once again returning to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the end of New York Fashion Week. The star-studded lineup features Marco Carola, Tale Of Us and Mike Servito. The party goes until 6 a.m., but if it’s true Circoloco fashion, expect this one to go long after that.

Friday at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. From $50.

6. Attend an English Sword Dance Festival

The Park Slope Library. Eagle file photo

Sword dancing. Live music. Free. Need we say more?

Saturday at 1 p.m. at Park Slope Library. Free.

7. Dance some more

New buildings would be required to install soundproofing rubber around the doorframe of exits and entrances as part of Councilmember Espinal’s legislation. Photo by Tiffany Rexach — Dancing. Photo: Tiffany Rexach

Golden Record NYC is bringing out an English legend for its first event of the year. Steve O’Sullivan is making a rare U.S. performance with an extended live set. Magda will also be on the decks, so this one is not to be missed. Plus, Resident Advisor has already selected it as one of the top picks for Saturday night.

Saturday from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. at TBA. From $25.

8. Watch a silent film

Threes Brewing is showing a special screening of F.W. Murnau’s 1927 German Expressionist silent film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.” It will also be accompanied by a live score from Tenth Intervention, so be sure not to miss this.

Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Threes Brewing (Gowanus). $16.

9. Eat delicious food

A ramen burger from Smorgasburg. Photo: Scott Enman/Brooklyn Eagle

Dubbed “The Woodstock of Eating” by The New York Times, travel this weekend to Brooklyn’s iconic food market, Smorgasburg, to indulge in ramen burgers, ice cream, oysters and everything in between.

Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 25 Kent Ave.

10. Skate in the sky

Ice skate in Williamsburg with breathtaking views. Photo: The William Vale

Head down to Williamsburg to go skating on the 23rd floor of The William Vale’s outdoor rooftop. Work on your figure eight and take in the breathtaking views of the city. If you get cold, there’s a tent serving hot chocolate.

Wednesday through Sunday at various hours at The William Vale. $20 for adults and $12 for kids.

Follow reporter Scott Enman on Twitter.