Last weekend there was loads of activity in this neighborhood, from trick-or-treaters to marathoners. The only unfortunate change last weekend was that the sun now sets around 5pm in Gowanus! That just might mean we all have to make the most of our daylight hours, though from the looks of this week’s Things to Do section, there’s plenty of laughs to be had at night.

Now Open / Coming Soon — Corto is days from opening, a dog daycare is headed for the esplanade, Anaïs has a guest supper club, and a Sackett Street yoga studio is built on attention.

The Big Story — A block party on the Nevins Landing esplanade on November 19.

Things to Do — Comedy festival week with Jay Jurden, Moshe Kasher and Dewayne Perkins, plus Trixie Whitley, Banda de Los Muertos and more.

The Local — Thirty years of Fish Tales on Court Street, with anniversary prices through Sunday.

Development Watch — More climbing and digging.

Quick Hits — Madewell moves into an old carriage factory, a Japanese climbing team brings a clinic to Butler Street, and Gowanus Current returns November 17.

Corto Is Nearly Ready
Corto
499 President Street
We’ve all seen the slow, steady progress on the corner of President and Nevins, where the second Corto cafe is taking the 1000-square-foot space. But the Corto team is now preparing for the opening. The Bed-Stuy original on Halsey Street does a lively morning service and serves focaccia sandwiches the rest of the day.

Dog Daycare Coming to the Esplanade
Pooch Play & Stay
Next to the Westmark, 395 Carroll Street
Thanks to one of our eagle-eyed readers, we can share this next tip. Pooch Play & Stay is coming to the canal esplanade next to the Westmark in winter 2027, adding a Gowanus location to its Crown Heights dog daycare. They will provide daycare, boarding, spa and grooming, walking and training, and possibly cage-free boarding.

A Wine Bar With a Guest Kitchen This Month
Anaïs
196 Bergen Street
Anaïs is a natural wine bar and all-day cafe on the corner of Bergen and Bond, named for Anaïs Nin, with books for sale on the shelves. This month it is also home to Osito Supper Club, a Brooklyn project that serves seasonal prix-fixe suppers. The residency runs Fridays and Saturdays through November 21, starting at 4:30pm, with a menu that changes weekly based on our greenmarkets. One night is already listed as sold out, so check out @ositosupperclub soon.

Heat Optional on Sackett Street
Brooklyn Yoga Project
185 Sackett Street
Brooklyn Yoga Project teaches heated and unheated vinyasa, yin and Iyengar-inspired classes in an intimate studio between Henry and Hicks. The owner says, “What exists at BYP is harder to market, because it’s rooted in something unglamorous and profoundly human: attention.” Teachers notice when you disappear for two weeks, and to us that sounds like a studio that cares.

The new public park at Nevins Landing celebrates its opening with a block party on Thursday, November 19, from 4 to 7pm. It was previously set for November 12, but the grand opening date has been pushed back. Gowanus Wharf says to expect local pop-ups, music, games, and public art. The bears have been there since August.

They are Jen Lewin’s The Ursas, a pair of sculptures that debuted at Burning Man in 2023 and were carried over the Union Street Bridge on August 1. Ursa Major stands 26 feet tall and is built partly from reclaimed ocean plastic. Ursa Minor is 13 feet of infinity mirrors and programmable light. Lewin says Gowanus felt like a natural home for them, given its long history of art, industry, and cleanup, and her studio says both are free to visit and glow along the canal at night. More art has been placed next to the esplanade, including a tiny house by Tom Fruin and more.

Field Operations, the landscape architects behind the High Line, designed the park, which has about 450 feet of canal frontage between the Carroll Street and Union Street bridges.

We are glad to see this stretch of the esplanade open. It sits beside Nevins Landing, the Charney Companies and Tavros Capital development, and it will be open to the public, with hours to be posted soon.

Mark November 19 on your calendars.

This week’s events listing is looong… Why? Because it’s New York Comedy Festival week, so there is a lot of comedy to choose from-even some shows in the afternoon. To help you choose, we included asterisks next to our picks.

*Jay Jurden at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Sat Nov 7 · 4pm
Jay Jurden is a stand-up from Mississippi whose debut Hulu special, Yes Ma’am, turns his Southern roots, family and identity into an hour of fast-paced jokes. He is a former writer on The Problem with Jon Stewart and has done stand-up on The Tonight Show. He also co-hosts Hot Guy Draft at Littlefield on Sunday.

Charlie Flynn: Live at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sat Nov 7 · 5pm
Charlie Flynn at Union Hall, Saturday afternoon. It starts early enough that you can still make dinner plans.

Transatlantik II at Public Records
233 Butler Street
Sat Nov 7 · 7pm
A live night in the Sound Room with the ReFash NYNY Band, Anaïs Maviel and friends, and DJ Tara. It starts at 7pm, so it makes a good opener.

Good Noticings Presents: Clash Talk, A Competitive Talk Show at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Sat Nov 7 · 7:30pm
Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, the comedians behind the Good Noticings pop culture podcast, host a live panel show where they interview, bond, and clash with special guests. The audience votes on the winner, so come ready to take sides.

Honey Pluton and Spike Einbinder Present Changes at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sat Nov 7 · 7:30pm
Honey Pluton and Spike Einbinder present Changes as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Easy to turn this into a long night at Union Hall with a midnight dance party capping it off.

Banda de Los Muertos at Barbès
376 9th Street
Sat Nov 7 · Show 10pm
Oscar Noriega and Jacob Garchik started this band to play banda, the brass band music of Sinaloa. Noriega grew up in Tucson playing ranchera and cumbia in a band with his four brothers, and Garchik, who arranges for the Kronos Quartet, got fixated on how intricate the horn arrangements are. It is a Saturday regular here, so a good one if you’ve never checked out Barbes.

Pretty Gay Live at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Sat Nov 7 · 10pm
Pretty Gay is the live version of the viral comedy dating show hosted by Catherine McCafferty, who goes on a date with a queer comedian onstage. Past editions have included segments called Red Flag/Green Flag and Do Me, plus an audience speed-dating round. It is the late show at the Bell House on Saturday, so be ready in case you get picked.

The Untitled Tessa and Freddie Project at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sat Nov 7 · 10pm
The Untitled Tessa and Freddie Project is the late show at Union Hall on Saturday. It’s going to be a full night of comedy!

Benji B, Cosmo, Louise Chen, Hidden Spheres, Francis Harris and Tal at Public Records
233 Butler Street
Sat Nov 7 · 11pm
Public Records opens three rooms for the night: the Sound Room, the Atrium, and Upstairs, with Benji B and Cosmo, Louise Chen and Hidden Spheres, and Francis Harris and Tal on the bill. It starts at 11pm, so plan your Saturday (and maybe Sunday) accordingly.

Young Adult Friction at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sat Nov 7 · 11:59pm
An indie and alt dance party that starts at 11:59pm, which is a fair way of saying the night is just getting started.

NY Comedy Festival Presents: Hot Guy Draft at Littlefield
635 Sackett Street
Sun Nov 8 · Doors 2pm, show 3pm · 21+
Four comedians draft fantasy teams of hot guys, pulling from celebrities, characters, historic figures, and cartoons (?!?), and the audience helps pick the winner. Kenice Mobley and Jay Jurden host. At 3pm on a Sunday, it is the most civilized way to argue about who is hot.

Josh Sharp: An Hour of Crowd Work in the Round at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Sun Nov 8 · 4pm
The title is the format. Josh Sharp spends an hour doing crowd work in the round, so the audience is part of the material. It is a 4pm Sunday show, which is a gentle way to be picked on.

Tarka 3-Year Anniversary at Public Records
233 Butler Street
Sun Nov 8 · 4pm
Tarka celebrates three years with a Sunday club night across the Atrium and Upstairs, with ZAINAB, Bianca Maieli, Chaia, Zara Dekho b2b Dynoman, Rohana and more. A 4pm start means you can dance and still be home for dinner-maybe.

Gag Reflex at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sun Nov 8 · 5pm
Amita Rao and Chelsea Matkins present Gag Reflex, a sketch show. A change of pace if you have been watching stand-up all weekend.

*Moshe Kasher: Coda/Switch at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Sun Nov 8 · 7:30pm
Moshe Kasher brings Coda/Switch to the Bell House for the New York Comedy Festival. He spent childhood summers in Sea Gate, so this one feels like a homecoming-sort of. It is a Sunday night show, so you can still pretend the weekend isn’t over.

Gabrielle Kennedy Presents Costume Party at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Sun Nov 8 · 7:30pm
Gabrielle Kennedy presents Costume Party with Luke Binkow, Amber Singletary, Tommy Armstrong and Emma Dalenberg. With a title like that, it is worth thinking about what you will wear.

NY Comedy Festival Presents: Demi Adejuyigbe Sells Out at Littlefield
635 Sackett Street
Mon Nov 9 · 7pm and 9:30pm (late show doors 9pm)
A new hour of original jokes, songs, and bits from Demi Adejuyigbe, a writer on The Good Place and the creator of the September 21st videos, in which he abandons all sense in a bid to get famous. If your comedy needs a chorus, this is your night.

*Dewayne Perkins: How Being Black & Gay Made Me Better Than You at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Mon Nov 9 · Doors 6:30pm, show 7:30pm
Dewayne Perkins, who stars in The Studio on Apple TV+ and co-wrote and starred in The Blackening, brings a one-man show about his journey to confidence. He calls the premise straightforward, and the title leaves little room to argue.

Critical Grace Theory at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Mon Nov 9 · Show 10pm
Grace Johnson brings an evening of comedy and ADHD tangents to Union Hall. She is a newer name for us, so 10pm on a Monday is a low-stakes way to see if you are a fan.

DURATIONS: Acid Horizon Presents Civilization Is Over at Public Records
233 Butler Street
Thu Nov 12 · Doors 7pm
Acid Horizon, a philosophy and theory podcast, hosts an evening on the history and philosophy of the apocalypse with Emma Stamm, Stuart Kendall and essentialsalts. It is part of the fifth DURATIONS festival, a week of music, talks and audiovisual work running November 9 to 15. Public Records is better known for dance nights, so this one is a change of pace.

NY Comedy Festival Presents: 2/3rds of a Threesome at Littlefield
635 Sackett Street
Thu Nov 12 · 8pm
A.J. Holmes, who played Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon on Broadway, on tour and in the West End, hosts this musical comedy variety night with Caitlin Cook. Littlefield’s listing promises a live band and says it doubles as the duo’s debut album release. Come if you secretly know the words to a cast album.

Sophie Duker: Hot Beef Injection at The Bell House
149 7th Street
Thu Nov 12 · Show 10pm
Taskmaster champion Sophie Duker brings her new stand-up hour to the Bell House, taking on hypermasculinity, heavy-handed handymen and the Man or Bear question. It starts at 10pm on a Thursday, so consider it a commitment.

*Extremely Loud and Incredibly Cute at Union Hall
702 Union Street
Thu Nov 12 · Show 10pm
Courtney O’Donnell is the comedian behind this summer’s Chanty Beluga videos, and Rachel Coster hosts Boy Room, the series that tours young men’s messy apartments. Zach Schiffman rounds out the bill, which the venue says is not for anyone who prefers soft-spoken observational comedy. If your Thursday needs volume, this is the room.

Fish Tales Gourmet Seafood Market
197 Court Street

The Manhattan fish chowder is the soup that put Fish Tales on Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and it is still the one to start with. The shop makes its own lobster bisque and Moroccan crab bisque too, and the smoked fish is worth a look. Po boys, poke bowls and lobster rolls round out the prepared side, and the crab cakes come ready to heat in your own oven.

Out front, the case is stocked with fresh-cut fillets, whole fish and shellfish, much of it hand-selected each day, and live lobsters wait in the tank. Behind the counter, they know their fish and are glad to talk you through what to buy. They will also clean your shrimp for a small fee, which saves you a tedious step at home. Fish Tales is open every day, 9am to 7pm on weekdays, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

To mark their 30th anniversary, the shop is running special prices through Sunday, November 8. They include PEI mussels at $3.50 a pound, Long Island Little Neck clams at $12 a dozen, Blue Point oysters at $18 a dozen, wild-caught large shrimp at $15 a pound, branzino at $12 a pound, organic sushi-grade salmon fillet at $22 a pound and a chef’s choice caviar blend at $30 an ounce.

Larry Tramontano opened Fish Tales on Court Street in November 1996. His cousin John Addis joined as a partner in 1998 and took over the business in 2001, and he has long made pre-dawn market runs to hand-pick the day’s catch. Along the way, the shop also appeared on several episodes of Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

The anniversary also marks a handoff. John is passing the business to his son Christopher, who has helped run it for the past 15 years, and Chris has his own plans for growing Fish Tales.

155 3rd Street Is Climbing Fast
The 22-story tower at 155 3rd Street is rising beside the canal at Bond Street, with about 300 apartments (a quarter of them affordable) and roughly 35,000 square feet of retail, artist and commercial space. Monadnock Development is the developer and Monadnock Construction is the builder, and the team closed on a $175 million construction loan last December. They are aiming to finish in late 2027.

601 Union Street Is Still Digging In
Excavation is underway at 601 Union Street, where Avdoo is building an eight-story rental designed by Morris Adjmi Architects on the east side of 3rd Avenue between Union and Sackett Streets. Below-grade work is expected to run through the end of the year, and the site signage points to summer 2027 for completion. Plans call for ground-floor retail with floor-to-ceiling glass along 3rd Avenue.

Japan’s B-Pump Team Is Coming to Butler Street, and Someone Nearby Is Thrilled
Movement Gowanus
242 Butler Street
Movement Gowanus is hosting four days of clinics this December with Tokyo’s B-Pump Ogikubo team, led by Katsuaki “Katsu” Miyazawa and Tsukuru Hori, who will teach something called the Katsu Method of routesetting and athlete training. We can't tell you what either involves, but we are fairly sure someone reading this can, and that they should fill out the application, due November 15.

Gowanus Current Is Back at Cobble Hill Cinemas
Cobble Hill Cinemas
265 Court Street
Gowanus Current, the documentary that spent ten years following the neighborhood’s transformation, returns to Cobble Hill Cinemas on Tuesday, November 17, at 7:30pm. The filmmakers, Jamie Courville and Chris Reynolds, will take questions after the film.

Madewell Opens in a Former Carriage Factory
Madewell
51 Bergen Street
Madewell opened its second Brooklyn store on Wednesday, in a Cobble Hill building that began as a carriage factory. This weekend’s opening celebration brings treats from Weirdough, live portraits by Georgia Carey and denim patching by Eva Joan.

We’ll leave the rest of your Saturday to you. Use it well.

If something's happening out there, we want to know about it. Email, photo, neighborhood gossip — we'll take it.
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Exploring Gowanus · Every Saturday