For Immediate Release
Contact: Liana Hawes
718-855-9854
or
212-530-7542

New Zagat Brooklyn Guide Assigns Atlantic Avenue Top Listings
Check Them Out Via "Walk the Windows: Atlantic To Zagat"
Special Shopping Promotion June 21-22, 2003;
Master Plan for Brooklyn's New "Boulevard" to be Released


June 6, 2003, Brooklyn, NY-Organizers of the popular Atlantic Antic festival in Brooklyn have teamed up with the Zagat Survey on a two day special shopping promotion, "Walk The Windows - Atlantic to Zagat," for June 21 and 22. Borough President Marty Markowitz will join the promotion which will include the many highly-rated Atlantic Avenue shops, restaurants and nightspots from the new Zagat Brooklyn Guide.

The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation (AALDC) will present the event on Atlantic Avenue from Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights to Fourth Avenue in Boreum Hill. Shoppers can expect raffles, discounts, complimentary tastings, live music, demos, sidewalk sales and freebies at shops, restaurants and nightspots along historic Atlantic Avenue. Street performers will entertain up and down the Avenue. A Saturday night dance party will feature the Big Band sounds of Art Lillard's orchestra.

When "where to go" is the question, the Zagat Survey has the answer and its new Brooklyn Guide is stocked with spots on Atlantic Avenue. "Atlantic Avenue can satisfy the eclectic tastes of New York's most discriminating shoppers," said Tim Zagat. "This strip has some of city's best finds when it comes to distinctive retail, restaurants and nightlife, all covered in our new guidebook." Nina Zagat added, "Merchants here still offer friendly personalized service at reasonable prices." Copies of the new Zagat Brooklyn Guide will be widely available at Atlantic Avenue merchants for $9.95.

Zagat Survey voting online will be encouraged. Sign-ups for free site membership will be hosted by Office Mavens at 423 Atlantic Avenue on both days. The newly reorganized Zagat Guide is cross-listed by neighborhood, cuisine and a host of special features, allowing convenient searches. The site offers the same on-target, pithy, numerical reviews as the print guide.

The future of Atlantic Avenue will also be on the weekend's agenda. A Town Hall Meeting focusing on the Master Plan for Atlantic Avenue will be discussed with Borough President Marty Markowitz on Saturday, June 21, at 11:30 am at the YWCA (30 3rd Avenue at Atlantic Ave). Attendance and community feedback is highly encouraged by Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Councilman David Yassky, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and the almost 50 community groups and businesses that have been working on the Plan. The Town Hall is an opportunity for the community to provide input and learn about a draft Plan from the team that has been working over six months to redesign intersections, create a parking management system, identify new development opportunities, and design a more friendly streetscape.

Saturday June 21
11:30 am
Town Hall community meeting with Master Planners to discuss the "Building The Boulevard" Master Plan and shared visions for the Atlantic Avenue community. With Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Location: YWCA, 30 3rd Ave, corner of Atlantic Ave.

6:00 pm
Big Band Dance Party with Art Lillard's Orchestra. Open to the public. Suggested donation $4.00. Location: Enterprise Parking Lot, corner of Nevins Street and Atlantic Ave. Sat & Sun June 21-22

12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Atlantic Avenue Merchants between Hicks Street & 4th Ave Dining specials, store discounts; custom sofa sale; designer lighting; rugs; bikes; health & wellness; vintage fashion modeling; batik alligators & zebras; War Rugs and Prayer Rugs of Afghanistan; free doormats; Vietnamese Folk Art; High Tea; Martial Arts classes; sidewalk sales; West Coast Beer Fest; live jazz; exhibits; street performers, gumbo, pitza, olive oil, pastries, Turkish Delights and more. The public is invited to all events.

About Zagat
Zagat Survey is the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based leisure guides, with over 200,000 surveyors. Covering restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, golf, shopping and a range of other entertainment resources, Zagat content is available in books, at www.zagat.com, on the Palm and Pocket PC operating systems, on mobile phones and on TV and radio.

Atlantic Avenue spans three historic districts in Brooklyn, as well as Downtown. It is a retail hub for contemporary home furnishings, antiques, middle-eastern markets, and eclectic dining. A host of new specialty shops now line Atlantic Avenue.

About The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation is a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization committed to the economic development of the Atlantic Avenue area from Fourth Avenue to the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to the Atlantic Antic, the organization's activities include implementation of streetscape improvements, historic storefront preservation, and advocacy on issues of importance to the retail and residential community. For more information, please call AALDC at 718.875.8993 or visit www.atlanticave.org.

Directions:
Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn

Subways:
A/C to Hoyt/Schermerhorn Street 2/3 to Nevins Street
F/G to Bergen 2/3/4/J/M/Z/N/R to Borough Hall/Court Street
M/Q/R/W/2/3/4/5 to Atlantic/Pacific M/N/Q/R/W to Dekalb Avenue
Buses: B61 B63 B65 B25 B26 B45 B69 LIRR to Atlantic Avenue Terminal

 

---------------------//--------------------

Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band to Perform on Atlantic Avenue
Open Air Dance Party Celebrates New Zagat Brooklyn Guide And Changes Afoot On Historic Retail Strip

June 9, 2003, Brooklyn, NY- The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation will present Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band in concert June 21 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM on Atlantic Avenue at Nevins Street in Brooklyn. It will highlight a 2-day event called Atlantic to Zagat to launch the new Zagat Brooklyn Guide and celebrate a long-awaited Master Plan for Atlantic Avenue that will be unveiled on June 21 by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Mary Foster Conklin, a popular cabaret singer, will be the featured vocalist for this 16-piece jazz big band led by Art Lillard. The band will perform original songs varying from swing to bebop to jazz ballads, and bossa nova. The line-up will include flutes, saxophones, brass and percussion. Many numbers will feature lyrics that display Ms. Conklin's vocal talents. Arrangements will showcase the soloing abilities of the instrumentalists who are known to be amongst New York's finest. The performance will be staged in an open lot with plenty of room for dancing and dance instruction for those who need some brushing up. Only rarely does this top contender in the "live Brooklyn jazz" stakes orchestrate an outdoor party and when the occasion occurs, dancers, toe tappers and music lovers of all stripes take note for an ultimate big band experience. Expect the music to be accessible, engaging and swinging.

About Art Lillard and the Heavenly Big Band: Drummer, composer, and bandleader, Art Lillard has been leading the Heavenly Band since 1987, playing in many New York area nightclubs and concert spaces. The band's repertoire consists entirely of original compositions and arrangements with styles including bebop, Latin jazz, blues, and numbers which defy category altogether. Lillard has performed at venues around the world, has composed numerous pieces and played professionally with many jazz notables including Junior Cook, Jaki Bayard, Paul Horn and Ira Sullivan.

Saturday June 21
, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Big Band Dance Party with Art Lillard's Heavenly Band
Open to the public.
Suggested donation $4.00
Location: Enterprise, Atlantic Avenue @ Nevins Street, Boreum Hill Brooklyn
Info: 718-855-9854
A/C train to Hoyt; 2/3 to Nevins; M/Q/R/W/2/3/4/5 to Atlantic/Pacific