Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

A popup pool opened Friday in Brooklyn Bridge Park with an exclusive capacity of sixty swimmers. The pool, with its view of the Manhattan skyline, opened preceding the weekend heatwave which was expected to surpass the 100 degree mark, though it only hit a recorded high of 95. Brooklyn Bridge Park pool will be open for at least five years and has a sandy beach, lounge chairs, picnic tables and a concession stand, reports WNYC. 

State Senator Daniel Squadron helped raise $400,000 from Albany to install the pool, which he hopes will become permanent, according to WNYC. For the time being, hopeful swimmers will have to arrive early or during off peak hours to get into the tiny pool, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pool is intentionally shallow with three lifeguards, designed with families in mind.

Community advocates have allegedly been pushing hard for some time for the pool’s installment. Head to Brooklyn Heights to beat the heat this summer without the frenetic madness of McCarren Park pool, but remember to get there early.

—Alissa Fleck

The Muppet version of Mayor Bloomberg. Photo courtesy of Flickr Commons.

The Muppets are taking Manhattan – and the rest of New York City as well.

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Gonzo showed up in Manhattan last week to announce that they and their fellow Muppets have signed on as the city’s official family ambassadors over the next 12 months.

“Having Kermit as a family ambassador for New York is pretty exciting, and I know it’s going to make other cities – listen carefully – just green with envy,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a quip-filled press conference to kick of the initiative.

The Muppets are partnering with NYC & Company, the city’s tourism agency, to encourage families to visit, offering tips on www.nyc.gov and publicizing places like the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Coney Island.

Last year families visiting the city spent about $14 billion, according to the mayor’s office, and accounted for some 30 percent of the city’s record-breaking 50.5 million visitors.

Signing on the Muppets is part of the city’s initiative to reach 55 million visitors annually by 2015, which Bloomberg said would continue to create jobs and boost the economy.

“It’s one of the reasons why we weathered the recession better than other cities, and it creates an enormous amount of jobs and gives people an understanding of just how great New York is, so they come here for education, for medical care, for vacations, to start businesses,” Bloomberg said.

The collaboration is a natural one. The Muppets starred in The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984, and Bloomberg also shared a scene with Miss Piggy in a holiday TV special, in which he admitted he “did ham it up a bit.”

“New York has been kind of home to the Muppets in one way or another since the 1960s when I first came here with a guy named Jim Henson to see if we could break into show business,” said Kermit, adding that he has a place in Central Park – not on Central Park. “New York is part of the Muppets. This city helped make us who we are today.”

Gonzo touted Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and his personal favorite, the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He added that he would be giving tips on the best places to water ski on the East River.

And Miss Piggy, who said she could usually be found having breakfast at Tiffany’s, raved about the city’s restaurants, shopping boutiques, department stores and flea markets.

To read the full article at City & State click here.