At the arena plaza, a McCartney announcement, a persistent rat, and a hint of the coming "Brooklyn Skybox"

Yesterday was a big day for arena hype, notably a public announcement that Paul McCartney will bring his 2013 "Out There" tour to the Barclays Center on June 8 and 10.

AM New York provided a photo of the promotion led by Borough President Marty Markowitz and arena CEO Brett Yormark, complete with a Union Jack and faux Royal Guards.

According to Markowitz:

"It's been a 'Long and Winding Road' and never 'In My Life' would I have guessed that my favorite knight would be leaving the Queen to come to the glorious county of Kings -- so let's all 'Come Together' and celebrate."

Funny, every time Madison Square Garden signs a tour, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer doesn't feel compelled to promote it.

And even though the Daily News labeled it a "publicity stunt," the newspaper--a sponsor of the arena plaza--posted an article with several photographs.

Below, the message in the oculus.

At left, a photo circulated by Markowitz's office via Twitter.

In the oculus

The wider view

See below for the concert banner at left under the oculus and, in the distance, the union rat put up as part of a union protest.

Brooklyn SkyBox coming

In the photo above, note the "Coming Soon" sign for, as here's Park Slope reported, "Brooklyn SkyBox" Coming to Barclays Area:

A new billboard has gone up on top of the building that will next be home to Shake Shack, on the south side of Flatbush Avenue directly across the street from the Barclays Center, advertising Brooklyn SkyBox, "The ultimate sports viewing experience," coming soon.
There's a Twitter handle set up, and the concept already seems to be pretty fleshed out. Looks like it'll be a "stadium inspired restaurant that features sports viewing, roof top lounge, fine dining, food concessions, event rentals, arcades and games," according to the description, and apparently they've already worked out a partnership with Pepsi. It also appears as if it's owned by Drummond & Drummond LLC, a management and holding company.

Where exactly is it located? Brownstoner reported:

We hear that the exact location is 604 Pacific Street, right off Flatbush Avenue, where it will open by the end of this year. The owner, Michael Drummond, plans to set up a restaurant, rooftop dining, big-screen TV and arcade. He’s also in touch with the North Flatbush Avenue BID with the assurance that the venue is community friendly and will be a good neighbor.

The location? The former furniture store once supposed to house a gastropub. Note that the Twitter location above is "Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn, NY."