The fences will be down around the arena periphery, the flagpole (that may or may not have been at Ebbets Field) will be up at the far end of the entrance plaza. The subways will be running underneath and news choppers will be hovering above. Finally, Barclays Center will be open. It's not Opening Night, but the official opening and first look inside.
Already, in anticipation of the ribbon-cutting, there's stories about the food at the concession stands and the first art to be shown inside the oculus. By Friday morning at 9:30 a.m., the invitation-only event will hear speeches by dignitaries --including Bruce Ratner and Mikhail Prokhorov-- and then not long after the last accolade, the media will be allowed inside the first billion dollar arena in the NBA...and it's all ours.
Barclays Opens New Sports Center (Video) - Brian Schactman - CNBC
Decades after losing Dodgers, Brooklyn finally has a pro team again in NBA's Nets - AP
Barclays Center, the new jewel in New York's crown, opens its doors - New York Daily News
With snip of a ribbon, $1 billion Barclays Center will officially be open for business on Friday - Joanne Wasserman & Corky Siemaszko - New York Daily News
Business owners in Brooklyn are eager to reap the benefits of 'Barclays Effect' - Reuven Blau - New York Daily News
If Only the Nets Live Up to the Arena Food - Sophie Brickman - New York Times
New Art for Brooklyn - Patricia Cohen - New York Times
Many crises later, Barclays Center to open - Teresa Agovino - Crain's New York Business
Ribbon cutting for new Nets' home set for Friday - John Brennan - The Record
Brooklyn Nets, 2003-2012: What a long, strange trip it’s been - John Brennan - The Record
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