🌱 Foot Traffic Picks Up In DUMBO + Cat Café Gets $25K Surprise

Up and at 'em, Brooklyn Heights-DUMBO! Let's get this Thursday started. These are the most important things going on around town today.

First, today's weather:

Breezy with variable clouds. High: 63 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories today in Brooklyn Heights-DUMBO:

1. Klompching Gallery in DUMBO has a new show up called Curious Devices & Other Objects. It brings together the work of three photographers who experiment in their work with the themes of technology and aesthetics throughout history. The show is up through January 22nd. (The Eye of Photography)
2. Foot traffic is starting to pick up in the touristy parts of Brooklyn, including DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn, reaching about 39% below 2019 levels as of November. But that might all be challenged due to the rise in the Omicron COVID variant, which now makes up at least 13% of cases in New York and New Jersey. (Commercial Observer)
3. Once again another "best pizza" list puts local neighborhoods on the map — but this time the winner isn't any of the famous joints in DUMBO, but rather Norm's Pizza at 354 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn. (Gothamist)
4. Here's a rundown of fun after-school programs in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO. From weaving, to kickboxing, to fashion design, there's something for every child. (Brooklyn Bridge Parents)
5. Brooklyn Heights' local cat café got a surprise $25,000 donation from PetCo on Tuesday, after local resident Debbie Zhang, an essential hospital worker, shared her story about adopting her cat Hotaru. "She really helped pull me through a dark time during the COVID pandemic— so much so, I adopted another cat through Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition as well!" she said. (Brooklyn Heights Blog)

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Today in Brooklyn Heights-DUMBO:

• Open hours at the Brooklyn Bridge Park environmental center (3 p.m.)
• TAWCS (The Art of Words Community School) virtual open house (5 p.m.)
• Online Community Board 2 transportation committee meeting to discuss the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Vision proposal to pedestrianize large parts of Downtown Brooklyn (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon and State Senator Brian Kavanagh co-wrote an op-ed calling for Governor Hochul to sign legislation that would ban overweight trucks from driving on the BQE. That would be the first step "in getting the ball rolling" on fixing the highway, according to them. (Gotham Gazette)
• There's lots of festive holiday storefronts up and down Atlantic Avenue to check out. (Facebook)
• There's lot of "Holiday Happenings" taking place now at Brooklyn Commons at MetroTech, with lots of creative, artisanal vendors and a beautiful holiday tree. (Facebook)
• Two restaurants along Atlantic Avenue were featured in a New York Times article about reactions to the new indoor mask or vaccine mandate. (Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow morning for your next update.

— Dashiell Allen