A Visit to 620 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn: What Dwight Howard Saw Friday
by Net Income on Aug 14, 2011 11:27 AM EDT
in Brooklyn
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That's reportedly the new official address of The Barclays Center of Brooklyn, the new official name of the Nets new official arena. On Saturday, we were nearby and so took a walk around the site and neighboring blocks, unescorted. We wanted to get a sense of what's new ... and to see what Dwight Howard might have seen as he whizzed by on Friday evening.
It's our first visit since May and things have indeed changed.
Now that the roof is racing across the arena's 350-foot-long trusses, the impression from ground level is that how enormous it is. It is much larger and grander in scale than the brownstones to the south but for the most part it's in sync with the downtown feel of the area between the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush and the bridges to Manhattan.
The critics may not want you to call the area Downtown Brooklyn, but the market is taking care of that. Much of the area headed toward the bridges has the same architectural feel...modern, dynamic and very new. The ultra modern Toren Tower and 80 DeKalb signal what is likely an approaching march of newer, more iconic high rise buildings around and near the arena, some of which Bruce Ratner will build, some which others will be build. Ratner hopes that by Opening Night in September 2012, a 34-story apartment tower will be rising at the southeast corner of the arena... designed by the same architects as designed the arena facade.
Speaking of the facade, the "mega-panels" that will make up the arena's facade or "skin" are being installed slowly along Atlantic Avenue, mostly behind the construction barrier and out of public view. But in recent days, some have been installed along the roofline. Expect a public relations roll-out soon. Once the 921 panels start to encircle the arena, the look will change dramatically and no doubt surprise. If you go over to 752 Pacific, near where we parked, one of the panels is on display.
Already, the clubs that will serve the arena are going up, indicating other smaller-scale, arena-motivated commercial activity is starting to rise as well. Prime 6 and Machavelle have renovated their properties. A mattress store where the largest of the new clubs, Players GastroPub, will go is having a going-out-of-busines sale. Bark, an aptly named hot dog restaurant nearby, is doing well in anticipation of the opening. It's where the Nets often bring guests.
There didn't seem to be any outward opposition. No graffiti or protest signs on the construction fencing we saw. In fact, we spotted two other fans snapping pictures of the construction. Traffic even on a late Saturday afternoon was heavy and we had to skirt a fender bender at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush. We anticipate once the arena is open, that intersection is bound to get even messier for a variety of reasons, not all of them anticipated. The stop line for westbound Atlantic Avenue traffic at Fort Greene Place is just opposite the VIP Entrance and Practice Facility curbside viewing point. "Was that Kim Kardashian!?!" Rubber necking galore.
Down below street level, we walked the soon-to-be renamed Barclays Center station, linking the new LIRR Atlantic Terminal station with nine subway lines. Game days, it's going to be jammed down there on the concourse. It's somewhat of a rabbit's warren, but signage should be improved by Opening Night and the Transit Connection to the arena plaza will be open. To get from the LIRR to the subway side, you have to use your MetroCard, but with some cooperation between the Nets, the Barclays Center and MTA, the pass-through could be accommodated with the proposed NetroCard (or IslesCard): a combination ticket to the subways, other MTA lines and the game or other event.
Bottom line: this is a very urban place, very gritty, very dynamic and very Brooklyn.
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A very well written piece
Well informed, obviously, but very will written. I just want to wake up tomorrow and see September 2012 on my calendar.
Popeye Jones - scaring the children of New Jersey since 2010.
'The Crossover' - a Nets and Knicks podcast. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=268817312
How ironic...
*well written.
Popeye Jones - scaring the children of New Jersey since 2010.
'The Crossover' - a Nets and Knicks podcast. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=268817312
Do you have any other photos taken from around the corner, looking inside?
Here is a larger view of your photo:
.
.
Will Barclays take responsibility if a pedestrian is hit by a car trying to walk along Atlantic Avenue (in the street), because they don’t provide a path?
I think we are looking at the largest opening that they are keeping (for now) in order to get large equipment in and out of Barclays.
The concrete “driveway” goes right down into the arena. Maybe where the Scoreboard will be transported inside next year.
On the other side of the arena (past the yellow roof support) you can see the opening in the stands, where people will be able to look inside while passing by.
Looks like a Planetarium looking up.
Going to be the place to be for young people.
Do you have any more general photos. I would love to see more of the place from the outside. Thanks!
Nice view from Pacific Street looking towards the part of the arena that is being completed last.
Looks like significant progress towards completing the “bowl” since I was there on Sunday July 10.
Best sports site on the neth
Hands down.
Section 18, Row 7 at The Rock!
"Your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets - It Is What It Is"
Toren Tower looks incredible
It’s fascinating how Barclays is ushering in a new Brooklyn, one that is more modern, more urban, somewhere where someone would go out of their way to explore. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for the area.
by JerseysFinest. on Aug 14, 2011 12:52 PM EDT reply actions
Probably something like
Toren Tower and 80 DeKalb are poor financial investments in infrastructure, and the arena construction needs to be halted because Barclays is ruining Brooklyn and the state of NY.
by JerseysFinest. on Aug 14, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Doesn't meet the 300 word minimum for Tal.
I remember taking a class in High School speech communication about trying summarize one’s thoughts in as few words as possible to maintain interest.
Real funny.................NOT!
First off, I find that very insulting, and I expect an apology from you JerseysFinest. It’s easy to like the latest styles when you happen to be some bandwagoner. I have been on message boards where some just never saw an architect or developer they never liked even if the design was terrible. Either way, you have your taste in design, and I have mine, so live with it. If I have to sit and read what you have to say, then you have to do the same for me. Just because I think it’s bad, doesn’t mean that I am stopping anyone else from liking.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 14, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions
And why would JerseysFinest need to apologize?
I don’t see anything rude. I see a correct assessment.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 14, 2011 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
It is to me
There is a big difference between just disagreeing and making an insult, and I do call him for slander on that one as I do whenever you attack those who have actually done research on this compared to anyone here combined.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 14, 2011 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Are you calling me a bandwagoner?
First off, you know nothing about me to call me that. Secondly, if you are demanding an apology, I’d like an apology for you saying I need to “stop drinking the Kool-Aid” awhile back.
And what I said isn’t offensive at all. Anyone on here would agree with me that you generally have different views on things than the majority. Is that a bad thing? No. You have your own opinion, and we respect it. Don’t allow mere words to stir up emotions.
by JerseysFinest. on Aug 15, 2011 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Just to let you know
I have nothing against those who tend to disagree with me, because there are those who disagree with me all the time. However, I do have something against those who have attacked me or even ganged up on me for taking a different view, and this isn’t the first time. A term such as “Drinking the Kool Aid” means that you only try to hear what you want to hear and act selectively on that. Maybe I should use the non-PC version and call it “Riding the Myth” instead, because it’s another way to describe it. I can easily cite where you and others have attacked me long before claiming that I did an attack. Why do some of you go all out and rush to the defense just about everytime I give my take on it? Did this all of a sudden become a place like Streetsblog where only those who agree on something can talk while the rest get censored just for taking a differnt stance? If you don’t like what I am saying, then simply don’t read it, because it’s not like I am forcing you to do so.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 15, 2011 12:22 AM EDT up reply actions
The thing is
A lot of people on this site are optimistic about everything regarding the Nets, period. They see the light at the end of the tunnel, they see good things coming in the future. It’s not that no one welcomes your opinion or doesn’t want you to post, but the fact that every time you post it seems as if you shed negative light on everything. You can even admit that. I’m not saying your a bad person for having a different view on things, but thats generally why people say things whenever you post. I mean, once and awhile, could you say something positive about the team and where it’s headed?
by JerseysFinest. on Aug 15, 2011 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I am a realist
I look at things at a more realistic perspective. What some may call being pessimistic, I call it being realistic. I have been around that area a lot of times durring throughout the years, and many of the people there hated this project. If you consider that area to be blighted, then the chances are that you either have connections with Ratner or you have never been there to begin with. Moving to a new place doesn’t mean the team will do better. If they do start playing better, it will be because of the team, not where they play. This isn’t the movie Field of Dreams, this is real life here. I don’t know if Netsdaily is reading this, but I don’t have anything against anyone who disagrees with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if those who attacked me got nothing more than just a slap on the wrist whereas I was the one who got condemned. I only call some of the statements here aimed at the opposition as slander because most of the time, you guys show next to nothing in backing it, which is the definition of that word, not out of any personal bias here. I really don’t like the way some of slam some of those who have done actual research on this like Oder has, and his blog is higly credited for it, plus if you came over to the Get Smart event last Thursday, you could have asked him some questions you probably had for him. Just seeing the film would give a good summation of what actually happened, and this film has been getting a number of great reviews. Until proof is found, I will label such claims as slander. If they are wrong about what they say, then please show proof on that. Aren’t there rules here saying that you can’t make such claims on groups or individuals without any evidence proving so? For the record, I have given the proof for my claims, but I am still waiting for yours, so some of the questions are only repeated because they are never answered. Overall, like my native country Israel, we don’t launch first attacks, we only fight back when attacked first, and I do find some of the images here with cartoonish things to be very childish if you asked me. Meanwhile, some statements aimed at me are really hits below the belt here. The truth is that I can be nice and kind to so many people before anyone shows the same to me. As for Dwight Howard, as much as he may appreciate the new arena, it still doesn’t mean that he will end up with the Nets. Again, it’s what they have to offer him that will get him there, not where they play. The only reason they got DWill was because of a trade of giving them both DH and Favors to beat the trade deadline. Just like what I said about Lebron James and Carmello Anthony, if they were really comming to the Nets, it would be move or no move. Again, I am not being pessimistic, I am being realistic.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 15, 2011 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Here is a picture from the Barclays Center Website:
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax." - Columnist Mike Royko
"My office is at Yankee stadium. Yes, dreams do come true."
- Derek Jeter
"I may not have been the best Yankee to put on the pinstripes, but I am the proudest." - Billy Martin
Earn Your [Pin]Stripes
That is an older photograph from their so called Earthcam ....
but notice how one has to risk their own life to walk around the arena along Atlantic Avenue.
The construction people are using all the space for themselves, instead of providing a little walkway.
Notice the red G Trucking, Inc truck is the same one (moved about 100 feet) in the new photo below, that shows the “skin” going up.
Just cross the street and walk around
It’s a tad longer distance-wise and with the traffic, but not onerous at all. Problem solved.
This arena is going to be an amazing spectacle at night.
It has that old time Brooklyn sports arena feeling.
They should change the name of one of the roads that leads to the New arena to.........
Dwight Howard Boulevard………
Barclays surrounded by
Howard Ave
Williams Way
A bunch of other guys Blvd
Make it happen Proky
wow, some fan posted this on the Nets facebook page
shows the “skin”
by nets14 on Aug 14, 2011 1:34 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Congratulations on being first to post the first mega-panel going up.
How did NI miss that viewpoint yesterday?
Let me guess; The wife didn’t want to wait.
Is that highly polished Aluminum on the interior? I believe some of us had thought there would be “skylights” on the side of the building.
How will they keep it shiny for years?
And why does one panel appear to be missing? Is it some emergency fire exit?
The sample panel on display is much simpler:
Is that building in the background supposed to be taken down eventually, with Tal’s disapproval?
Now people can finally imagine how the Mega-Panels are going to look.
The installed panel appears to be located out of site on the left hand side of Barclays.
I noticed that too.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax." - Columnist Mike Royko
"My office is at Yankee stadium. Yes, dreams do come true."
- Derek Jeter
"I may not have been the best Yankee to put on the pinstripes, but I am the proudest." - Billy Martin
Earn Your [Pin]Stripes
by BrettGardnerLF on Aug 14, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank you very much.
Been waiting for that!
by BrooklynNets on Aug 14, 2011 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Net Income, did I read this correctly:
I’d have to swipe my MetroCard (pay 2.25) to go from the LIRR side of the terminal to the subway side?
Or you could simply walk upstairs and cross the street
The access couldn’t be more convenient
by nynjlawyer on Aug 14, 2011 4:57 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Howard probably still isn't comming
Just because a new arena is going up doesn’t mean that Dwight Howard will be comming to the Nets anytime soon. If he was really going to come over to the Nets, he would do it move or no move. In reality, it is the money that brings them over, not where they play. Also, he wouldn’t want to play on a team that isn’t that good. BTW, when the Nets got players like VC and JKidd, they didn’t move into a new arena to get them. Also, moving to a new arena will not make any of their existing players just get better just for playing there as it’s already proven that they are not magic bullets for a team. Keep in mind that Neil de Mause has proven numerous times that these are not even magic bullets for the areas that they are in either and rather hurt them than help them.
Have you ever seen/heard Monty Python's "Alway's Look On The Bright Side of Life"?
I highly suggest it.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 14, 2011 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions
On one condition
You have to see the film Battle for Brooklyn, and I heard tommorow at 7:15 PM at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema is your last chance.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 14, 2011 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Whaaa?
You have never even heard of it? Monty Python is a classic!
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 14, 2011 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions
And too bad I just left the city, if I had stayed a bit longer I actually think I might have given it a chance.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 14, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
if your group of friends really want us to see it...
then post it on the internet for free. No? oh your buddies want to earn some profit from all the hard work they put in. wait, your buddy just said, “oh heck with it” and purchased some property nearby? good job by him, that ‘ish will skyrocket soon. its going to be a moneymaking business? even better. Looks like a lot of people will be profiting from this soon. Good thing the Nets are coming to Brooklyn and finally come out of the Knicks shadow and run the city. But according to you, its not good? Listen, you should be following your buddies’ actions instead of listening to their bs. Cuz it seems like you’re the only guy in the room that doesn’t know what’s really going on here.
by SteViePoPzBK on Aug 14, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Michael Moore let it play at his film festival!!!11
Don’t you know what you’re missing!!!!11
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 15, 2011 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Timeout timeout. The Nets got J Kidd and VC, the same way they will potentially get Dwight, and that’s through a trade. And last I checked, he doesn’t possess a no trade clause. So the arena argument you are using in terms of bringing over players thus becomes invalid.
2) The arena might not make their current players better, but a full season with an elite pg will do so.
3) Neil’s points on the magic bullet are not all accurate either. He states that a franchise cannot be turned around in a year, and the Boston Celtics (Big 3) would laugh at him, because that franchise changed literally in one off-season. Plus its been proven, talent measuring aside, that teams have gotten better when the new stadium was put in.
4)Plus how can the Nets moving to a more populous area, with more fan attendance and more marketing opportunities…hurt them? There is no logic to that at all
Point number 2
Another team that comes to mind is ‘07-’08 Miami Heat (15-67), who the following year went 43–39, good enough for 5th seed.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 15, 2011 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh yeah, and uh, '00-'01 Nets were only two games better than the this past season's record.
The next year they went to the Finals with some dude named Jason Kidd.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Aug 15, 2011 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions
they also didnt have superfriends in miami providing a massive blockade
The realist keepin it real amongst the surrealists
R.I.P. Big Homey Nate Dogg: "Cuz Iiiiiiiiii have ne-evv-ver met a giiiiiiiiiirrrrrrllllllllllllllllllll tha-at I loved in the whole wide wooorrrlllllddddddd"
by starbury_to_s-jaxci2000 on Aug 15, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Here's where you are wrong
Sorry Jimmy, but I have to debunk you here.
1) Whether or not the Nets can get Dwight Howard, it won’t be because of a new arena, it will be because of they have to offer to get him, and I won’t be repeating myself, because I have already answered that on several comments here alone.
2) Again, a new arena does NOT guarantee getting elite players, and some teams have been known for being good without them. Keep in mind that it takes a team to win a championship, not having star players. Do you think Michael Jordan won championships all by himself or because he had a team?
3) Take a consideration that Neil de Mause is highly credited for his findings. In his book and on his blog, he has proven that not only are new sports facilities net money losers, but also do not help their surroudning areas. He also believes that sports owners shouldn’t be allowed any subsidies and should pay for everything out of their own wallets if they really believe in it rather than rob the taxpayers. I take it you never read his book, Field of Schemes, or even went to his blog, which has the same name. If you did, you will see why he came to such conclusions, and they were not done arbitrairly. The new places are really just a coincidence in the end, and the Celtics only got better because they played better. Just to let you know, that arena the Celtics play in was only recently renamed, because it was originally the Fleet Center when it opened in 1995, and the name was taken down when Bank of America bought them out. Seriously, when it comes to being a better fighter, is it really the weapon that makes you strong or the one who uses them, because all weapons are inanimate objects?
4) Don’t get me wrong for saying this, because I do root for the Nets despite saying it. If the team is still playing the way they are now, they will never get the high attendance no matter where they play. If you actually look at the teams that top that chart, you will notice that these are teams that have had a number of winning seasons, and that’s what brings in the fans. What is wrong with marketing the Nets as a NJ team since they are there right now? It’s not like the Devils ever tried to market themselves as a NY team, because they don’t need a place that already has Rangers fans. Quit acting as if NJ can’t have a team of their own and all of them have to either be NYC or Philly teams. It’s really sad that out of all the teams that play in that state only one or two actually use the state name rather than be transplanted from a different state.
by Tal Barzilai on Aug 15, 2011 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions
You're right
We should all concede that nothing good will happen to the nets, err, Brooklyn Slaves. Right?
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