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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 1, No. 25 Feb. 10, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE
Quote of the day:
"What's next? I don't know. That's the life of an artist - no gold watch after 25 years." - Photographer Sally Davies, whose show of Lower East Side photos just opened at the Bernaducci Meisel Gallery on W. 57th Street. (2/9/14)
* Ice fell from 1 World Trade Center
* Sally Davies: Lens on the Lower East Side
* Restaurant Week dining in lower Manhattan
* Bits & Bytes: Barbalu opens its back room; Governors Island ball fields; Explorer of the Seas
* Seeing red: ideas for Valentine's Day
* Calendar
Masthead photo: Sunrise over the frozen Hudson River, Feb. 9, 2014.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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ICE FELL FROM 1 WORLD TRADE CENTER: SOME? A LITTLE? A LOT?
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Some ice fell off of 1 World Trade Center on the morning of Feb. 7.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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Ice fell off 1 World Trade Center on Friday morning, Feb. 7. The Port Authority admits that, but nothing else. According to the Port Authority, any additional ice that might have been seen (and videotaped) falling from the building was a planned de-icing of the external construction hoist, which took place on Sunday.
"Since Friday morning, The Port Authority has been taking every precaution to ensure public safety with regard to ice accumulation on buildings at the World Trade Center," said Anthony Hayes, a spokesman for the Port Authority.
On Friday morning, Port Authority Police redirected rush hour commuters at the World Trade Center PATH station away from the falling ice. Pedestrian walkways near the building were closed. A crush of people thronged the station for around half an hour as train after train emptied.
Although the New York Daily News said that ice had fallen off 1 World Trade Center on four successive days, the Port Authority said that didn't happen. The Port knows of only one unplanned ice shower. It also denies that the raining ice shards are due to a defect in the building design, as some experts consulted by the Daily News intimated.
Ice accumulation is common on tall buildings in Manhattan, the Port Authority maintains.
"In order to combat ice accumulation, Tishman crews have been working all day to remove ice primarily from the external construction hoist and Vesey Street has been closed and monitored by Port Authority Police during that work," said Hayes.
"We're obviously going to monitor the situation closely as we always do in the winter months," he said. "We anticipate that once the building is sealed and heat is running through the building, it will minimize the ice accumulation. However, once that's complete, if we find out that that's not the case, we'll do whatever is necessary to ensure public safety."
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
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SALLY DAVIES: LENS ON THE EAST VILLAGE
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Sally Davies at the opening of her show, "Photographs of the Lower East Side" at the Bernarducci Meisel Gallery. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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In 1983, when Sally Davies moved from Toronto, Canada to the East Village to study painting, she found a 350-square-foot apartment to call home. It was a fourth-floor walk-up with a distinguished history. Allen Ginsberg had once lived there. The rent was $420 a month. But there were some drawbacks, other than the size. "In the summer it was so hot in there we used to go to Toronto for three months because we thought we would die up there," she recalled. "And there was no front door on the street, so anyone could just walk in to buy drugs." And they did.  Davies eventually left that apartment but she never left the East Village. Through March 1, her Lower East Side photographs are on exhibit at the Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, 37 W. 57th St. They depict the tattered buildings and the fire escapes, the people sitting on stoops and lingering in doorways, and walking briskly past the bodegas and tattoo parlors, the liquor stores and candy shops. Many of the pictures were taken at night, with a lone figure illuminated by a pool of light. The daytime pictures are saturated with color. "It's hard to say if I still love the East Village," she remarked recently. "I've lived here longer now than I ever lived anywhere. I guess for the time being, it still offers up the facade of Bohemia - but it's only a facade. The changes were inevitable. It could not have survived much longer as it was when I found it - burning cars in the streets, people living in buildings with no electricity or heat, drugs taking over everything. Steely-eyed real estate investors were circling the dead like vultures even back in the early '80s." She said that her photograph of the Yonah Shimmel knish bakery "has been the runaway hit [of the show] so far. It's one of the last standing original places down here. It hasn't changed much since the early 1900s." The show came about because Davies and Frank Bernarducci share a passion for photography. "He is a very good photographer in his own right," Davies said. "We started following each others' photos on Facebook and he bought a couple for his own collection. One day he offered me a show. The idea for the show, photographs of the Lower East Side, was his." What's next? Davies doesn't know. "That's the life of an artist," she said. "No gold watch after 25 years." - Terese Loeb Kreuzer
For more information about the show, call (212) 593-3757. To see the photographs in the show, click here.
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Yonah Shimmel Knish Bakery. (Photo: Sally Davies)
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Downtown Food
'RESTAURANT WEEK' DINING IN LOWER MANHATTAN
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'Restaurant week' offers discounted dining in some top New York City restaurants. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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During New York City's upcoming "Restaurant Week" (actually two weeks from February 17 to March 1), participating restaurants are offering three-course lunches for $25 and three-course dinners for $38, plus beverages, tax and tip. Reservations can be made starting today (Feb. 10) by clicking here. Twenty-three restaurants in lower Manhattan are offering Restaurant Week discounts. Battery Park City
2 West at The Ritz-Carlton, 2 West St.; cuisine: New American; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 344-0800. Atrio Wine Bar|Restaurant at the Conrad New York, 102 North End Ave.; cuisine: Mediterranean; meal: Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (646) 769-4250 Blue Smoke, 255 Vesey St.; cuisine: Barbecue/Southern; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 889-2005 Financial District
Bobby Van's Steakhouse & Grill, 25 Broad St.; cuisine: Steakhouse; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 344-8463 The Capital Grille Wall Street, 120 Broadway; cuisine: Steakhouse; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 374-1811 Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall St.; cuisine: Italian; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 699-4099 Delmonico's, 56 Beaver St.; cuisine: Steakhouse; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 509-1144 Fino Ristorante Italiano, 82 Beaver St.; cuisine: Italian; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 825-1924 Les Halles Downtown, 15 John St.; cuisine: French; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 285-8585 MarkJoseph Steakhouse, 261 Water St.; cuisine: Steakhouse; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 277-0020 Morton's The Steakhouse World Trade Center, 136 Washington St.; Steakhouse; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 608-0171 Tribeca
Cercle Rouge, 241 W. Broadway; cuisine: French; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., lunch; Phone: (212) 226-6252 City Hall Restaurant, 131 Duane St.; cuisine: American Traditional; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 227-7777 The Harrison, 355 Greenwich St.; cuisine: New American; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 274-9310 Kutsher's Tribeca, 186 Franklin St.; cuisine: New American; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 431-0606 Megu New York, 62 Thomas St.; cuisine: Japanese; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 964-7777 Mr. Chow New York - Tribeca, 121 Hudson St.; cuisine: Chinese; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 965-9500 Nobu New York, 105 Hudson St.; cuisine: Japanese; Mon.-Fri., lunch; Phone: (212) 219-0500 Nobu Next Door, 105 Hudson St.; cuisine: Japanese: Mon.-Fri., dinner; Sun., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 334-4445 Saz�n, 105 Reade St.; cuisine: Pan-Latin; Mon.-Fri., lunch and dinner; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 406-1900 Tamarind Tribeca, 99 Hudson St.; cuisine: Indian; Mon.-Fri., lunch; Sun., lunch; Phone: (212) 775-9000 Thalassa Restaurant, 179 Franklin St.; cuisine: Greek; Mon.-Fri., lunch; Sun., dinner; Phone: (212) 941-7661 Tribeca Grill, 375 Greenwich St.; cuisine: New American; Mon.-Fri., lunch; Sun., lunch and dinner; Phone: (212) 941-3900 |
Bits & Bytes
BARBALU REOPENS ITS BACK ROOM; GOVERNORS ISLAND BALL FIELDS;
EXPLORER OF THE SEAS HERE FOR DISINFECTING; TRIBECA SALT SHED
 Adriana Luque in Barbalu's back room, which reopened on Feb. 8 at 225-227 Front St. The South Street Seaport restaurant was completely destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. (Below): Explorer of the Seas in Bayonne, N.J. on Feb. 8. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
Barbalu reopens its main dining room and back room
On the afternoon of Feb. 8, a man was carefully placing packages of pasta and olive oil on shelves in Barbalu's main dining room and owner Stefano Barbagallo was out running errands, when his wife and co-owner of Barbalu, Adriana Luque, pushed aside a few boxes to show off the skylit back room. The place was almost ready for diners - 469 days after Superstorm Sandy struck, and as Luque said, destroyed everything. The brick walls were intact, the space, still charming. But unlike pre-Sandy, there will be few groceries for sale. Now, the emphasis will be on dining. "The menu includes salads, pastas, and entrees like veal scaloppine and potato-crusted salmon, and so far the early word is very good," said Eater.com, reporting on the reopening. (" Barbalu Opens its Large Dining Room Tonight," Eater.com, 2/8/14).
Governors Island ball fields Two natural turf ball fields will be available by permit on Governors Island this summer from May 24 when the island opens for the season until Sept. 28. The ball fields are configured to be used for Little League baseball or for adult softball, soccer and other field sports. Each field has a clay infield with full backstops and bleacher seating for 84. Fields will be available for morning games beginning at 10 a.m. and for afternoon games beginning at 2 p.m. Permit applications will be accepted through March 1 with a non-refundable $26 application fee required. Preference will be given to youth groups, schools and to leagues across the city. For more information or to apply, click here.
 Explorer of the Seas holes up in Bayonne for disinfectingRoyal Caribbean's cruise ship, Explorer of the Seas, often steams in and out of Bayonne, N.J. but last week's trip was special. The ship returned to port part way through a 10-day cruise after almost 700 people on board became violently ill from a new strain of norovirus that originated in Sydney, Australia. "The discovery - made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - means the incident was one the largest norovirus outbreaks on a cruise ship in the past 20 years," said the Daily Mail ("New strain of norovirus blamed for making 700 passengers and crew sick on Royal Caribbean cruise ship," 2/7/14). "The highly-contagious stomach bug, once known as Norwalk virus, can be picked up from an infected person, contaminated food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces," the article said. Passengers received a 50 percent refund of their cruise fare plus a 50 percent credit toward a future cruise. For the complete article, with photos, click here. "Crazy Salt Shed to Rise Soon in Tribeca," Tribeca Citizen, 2/6/14. A controversial salt shed will soon be built on Spring Street, says Tribeca Citizen. The shed will resemble a giant salt crystal with a moat around it. Not quite sure what that would look like? The article has pictures. See them here.
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SEEING RED
 Some of the valentines made at Bowne Printers' Valentine Block Party on Feb. 8, at which participants carved their valentines onto linoleum blocks that Ali Osborn, who runs the print shop with Gideon Finck, printed on the shop's Vandercook press.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
"Liking" has taken on a whole new meaning since the advent of Facebook, but loving still means what it always did - a stew of rapture, affection, hope, regret and acceptance, or something like that. If you're thinking of observing Valentine's Day, here are some possibilities. Go on a harbor cruise: Classic Harbor Line is offering "Champagne & Aphrodisiac" cruises on Feb. 13, 14 and 15 aboard its elegant yacht, Manhattan. The menu consists of caviar blini, oysters, seared filet crostini, and chocolate fondue served with fresh fruit skewers and whipped cream. Each cruise can accommodate 13 couples. Cost: $76 a person. Cruises last one and a half hours and leave from Chelsea Piers. For tickets or more information, click here. Hornblower Cruises & Events has a Valentine's Day dinner cruise, leaving from Pier 40 at 7 p.m. on both Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15. You get a three-hour cruise, a four-course dinner, a Champagne toast, a red rose on your table, and an on-board DJ for $141.50 a person. The deluxe, VIP package on Feb. 14 includes a box of Jacques Torres chocolates, a bottle of Champagne, and access to the captain's lounge. That costs $219.70 a person. There's also an apr�s-Valentine's Day brunch on Feb. 15 leaving from Pier 40 at 2 p.m. for $60 a person. For tickets or more information, click here.
Send flowers: Emily Thompson doesn't make run-of-the-mill bouquets. She and her staff make absolutely fabulous arrangements. Formerly in DUMBO, she is opening a shop at 142 Beekman St. just in time for Valentine's Day. Her hand-tied bouquets range in price from $78 to $235. Her arrangements start at $180. To sweeten the gift, the first 15 orders placed by Wednesday, Feb. 12 will also include a beautifully wrapped bar of dark chocolate and a message written by a calligrapher. For more information, call (347) 529-5145 or email [email protected]. Starting Feb. 14, the shop hours are Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
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CALENDAR: Week of Feb. 10
 | | Artisans from the Okamoto Studio will demonstrate ice carving on Feb. 13 and 14 on the Brookfield Place plaza. This photo was taken at last year's ice carving demonstration. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Feb. 10: "My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer," a play by Brian Watkins, is at The Flea Theater. It's about two estranged sisters, their needy mother and a sheep. Through Feb. 15. The Flea, 41 White St. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets, $15 to $35. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Feb. 10: "Bikeman: The 9/11 Theatrical Experience" is a new play by journalist Thomas F. Flynn based on his book describing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Flynn, an award-winning writer and producer for The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, was outside his Greenwich Village home when the first plane flew directly over his head. He immediately called into the news desk to tell them he was headed downtown. He jumped on his bicycle and began his ride to the towers. His harrowing story recounts his transition from reporter to participant. Now in preview at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St. Opening night is Feb. 18. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets: $39-$79. For more information and tickets, click here.
Feb. 11: "Urban Wilds: Random Sightings and Thoughts about Plants and Animals of New York City," a talk by Gateway National Recreation Area Ranger David Taft on New York City as "the unheralded home of interesting cacti, ferns, coyotes and owls." Place: 6 River Terrace. Time: 1 p.m. Free.
Feb. 11: Jeff Tuohy Band at Front Row/Stage in the South Street Seaport. Ages, 21+. Time: 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.. Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here. Feb. 12: Live Band Karaoke with Bunnie England and The New Originals at Front Row/Stage in the South Street Seaport. Ages, 21+. Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here. Feb. 12: George Cables (piano) and Steve Turre (trombone) play a lunchtime jazz concert as part of "Voices of Freedom," a series honoring Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March. Each performance in February will showcase a pianist paired with celebrated musicians from New York City's jazz scene. Place: Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, 220 Vesey St. Time: 12:30 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. Feb. 12: "The Big Picture" at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place. Joined by other musicians, master clarinetist David Krakauer explores the intersection of music and Jewish identity in iconic movies of the last 50 years. They will play songs from films ranging from "Funny Girl" and "Fiddler on the Roof" to "Sophie's Choice" and "The Pianist." This is the fifth in a series of eight concerts on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. Time: 2 p.m. Tickets: $35; $30 (students/seniors); $25 (members). For tickets and more information, click here. Feb. 13: The Love Show brings internationally acclaimed singer and WNYC/WQXR/Q2 radio host Helga Davis, video artist S. Katy Tucker and a collection of powerful and soulful New York vocalists to the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, where they will reinterpret classic love songs from Cole Porter to Marvin Gaye to Bill Withers. Place: 220 Vesey St. Time: 7:30 p.m. Free. Feb. 13: Artisans from the Okamoto Studio demonstrate ice carving on the Brookfield Place plaza in Battery Park City. Ice carving, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Exhibition hours, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also, Friday, Feb. 14. Exhibition hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ice carving: noon to 1 p.m. Over the two-day exhibition, guests can enter a giveaway for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Hudson Eats, the new collection of eateries at Brookfield Place opening this spring. To enter, take a picture with the "Angel Wings" or "Picture Frame" ice sculptures, and post it to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the tag#ArtsBrookfield. For more information, click here. Feb. 13: Upright Citizens Brigade presents 'Shuffle' at Front Row/Stage in the South Street Seaport. Ages, 21+. Time: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here. Feb. 14: Open Studios under the auspices of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Artists Faye Driscoll and luciana achugar open their studios in Building 110 on Governors Island. Free ferries from the Battery Maritime Building at Whitehall and South Streets depart promptly at 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. with returning ferries at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Driscoll's studio will be open from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and achugar's from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. An RSVP is required. For more information, click here. Feb. 14: Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra at Front Row/Stage, The Howard Hughes Corporation's heated music tent on Fulton Street. Ages 21+. Time: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets: Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here. Feb. 15: The Night the Music Lived at Front Row/Stage in the South Street Seaport. Ages 21+. Time: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets: Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, click here. Feb. 16: The New York Audubon Society in partnership with New York Water Taxi offers a cruise of New York harbor to see birds and seals that are only here in the winter. The two-hour cruise, "Winter Seals and Waterbirds of New York Harbor," takes place on Sundays through March 9, leaving from Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport. Time: Noon to 2 p.m. Tickets: $35, adults; $25, children, 3 to 12 years old. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Through March 28: Exhibit of artwork done in classes sponsored by the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. 75 Battery Place, weekdays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Ongoing: "Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage," is at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City. The exhibit details the dramatic recovery of historic materials relating to the Jewish community of Iraq in a flooded basement in Saddam Hussein's intelligence headquarters, and the National Archives' ongoing work in support of U.S. government efforts to preserve these materials. Through May 18, 2014. Place: 36 Battery Place. Varying hours. Museum admission fees: $12 (adults); $10 (seniors) and $7 (students). Members and children 12 and under, free. Free admission on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission. It offers free films, docent-led tours of its exhibitions and tours of its premises, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, designed by Cass Gilbert. The building, which was completed in 1907, is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One Bowling Green. Phone: (212) 514-3700. For the museum's calendar, click here.
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Downtown Post NYC is emailed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
We welcome comments, questions and letters to the editor. Send them to [email protected]
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
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� 2014
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