[michael p. ventura]

writer / editor / web producer: NYC
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30th Anniversary of The Brooklyn Paper

For the 30th anniversary edition of The Brooklyn Paper, I was asked to write up how 10 neighborhoods and five projects had developed over the past three decades. For the neighborhoods, there’s Bay Ridge, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Red Hook, Fort Greene, Greenpoint/Williamsburg, DUMBO, Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn and Coney Island. For the projects, there’s the Gowanus Canal (my favorite), MetroTech, the McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn Bridge Park and, of course, Atlantic Yards. Fifteen blurbs, 6,000 words, 100 articles researched, 11 interviews all add up to several pages in the paper and one very tired reporter! But reporting these stories was a lot of fun and I’m glad to be able to contribute to this paper. You can click on this link to see the whole package of stories on the BP’s Web site, or read them individually at the links below. Enjoy! - MPV
Coney Island: At Coney, is the past prologue? - The Brooklyn Paper

Photo by Allyse Pulliam / Brooklyn Paper
Bay Ridge: The new ethnic mix - The Brooklyn Paper

Prior to reporting this story, I thought Bay Ridge was strictly an Italian neighborhood. Wasn’t aware of its strong Scandinavian, particularly Norwegian, ties. - MPV
Carroll Gardens: An enclave holds on - The Brooklyn Paper

Had a fascinating chat with Buddy Scotto for this piece.