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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC 
 
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
 
 
Volume 1, No. 80  June 18, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE

Quote of the day:
"Summer evenings are for fun, food, friends and festivity." - Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance, on the Alliance's Night Market on Water Street.

* Downtown awash in outdoor food markets
* Bits & Bytes: Pier A delayed again; FiDi tenant wins Airbnb ruling; Time Inc.'s sweet deal
* Gateway Plaza tenants' association honors Ray Kelly
* Letter to the editor: Blighted South Street Seaport
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of June 16
* Calendar

For breaking news, go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com

Rosa Trumpeter, growing in Battery Park City's "hot garden." June 18, 2014.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)


 

Outdoor food markets
IN THE NEXT WEEK, DOWNTOWN WILL BE AWASH IN FOOD MARKETS

The New Amsterdam Market returns to South Street on Saturday, June 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Beginning on Thursday evening, June 19, there will be a parade of outdoor food markets on Water Street and on South Street. First out of the gate is a Night Market sponsored by the Alliance for Downtown New York and GrowNYC to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 19 at Coenties Slip (on Water Street between Broad Street and Old Slip). This market will be a sort of family festival, with some grocery shopping opportunities, and pizza, sandwiches, beer, wine and hard cider for sale accompanied by live music from The Jazz Foundation.

Six Greenmarket farmers will be there: Migliorelli Farm, with vegetables and fruit from Dutchess County, N.Y.; Toigo Farm, with fruit from Cumberland County, Pa.; honey and bee products from the Apple State Hilltop Family Farm in Sullivan County, N.Y.; hard cider from Bad Seed Hard Cider in Ulster County, N.Y.; wine from Cayuga County's King Ferry Winery; and baked goods and breads from Francesca's Bakery in Middlesex County, N.J.

The prepared food will come from Ulysses and Adrienne's Pizza Bar, two of the restaurants on nearby Stone Street.

The Downtown Alliance is co-sponsoring this market as a way to enliven Water Street. "Summer evenings are for fun, food, friends and festivity," said Jessica Lappin, Downtown Alliance president. "We're so excited to be partnering with GrowNYC to bring excitement, music and locally sourced food and drink to Water Street."

Two days later, on Saturday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the New Amsterdam Market will bring around 60 vendors to South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip. There will be wild-gathered foods from the woodlands and open spaces of Vermont, sustainably caught wild fish from eastern Long Island, organic produce and fruit from Lancaster, Pa. and from Vermont, produce, syrup, honey, and preserves from the Catskills, regional specialty and heirloom grains, die-cut pasta made from organic flour, cheeses from Vermont and from the Hudson Valley, traditional Lebanese-style strained yogurt, small-batch charcuterie using sustainable, regional meats, pasture-raised pork and beef, olive oil, coffee, tea, nuts, sweets and more.

On May 31, at the first New Amsterdam Market of the season, around 5,000 people showed up. Some vendors had sold out by 3 p.m., so get there early!

The Andaz Wall Street Farmers' Market.
On Thursday, June 26, there will be two markets. The Andaz Wall Street Farmers' Market will open for the season on the hotel's plaza near Wall and Water Streets. It will be open every Thursday through mid-November from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., supplying both the general public and the hotel's restaurants.

For the 2014 season, the hotel's principle farmer will be David Zaback from Z Food Farm in Lawrence Township, N.J. Community supported agriculture (CSA) shares will be available. Members will pay a fee upfront to receive a weekly credit toward their purchases or a weekly allotment of seasonal food. Walk-up customers will also be accommodated.

On the evening of June 26, the New Amsterdam Market will stage its own Night Market as a fundraiser. The celebration will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a focus on local fisheries and with more than a dozen acclaimed chefs and purveyors serving small plates of seafood-inspired dishes. Chef April Bloomfield will lead the field. Anyone who tasted her oyster pan roast at the New Amsterdam Market a few years ago knows how skilled she is and how memorable her creations. Craft beers will be served as will chef-made sodas from P&H Soda.

To kick off the evening, author Paul Greenberg will introduce his new book, American Catch, which discusses the potential for reviving New York's local fisheries.

The New Amsterdam Market's fisheries Night Market will be held in the covered forecourt of the Old Fulton Market Tin Building, which was constructed in 1907. For guests between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., tickets are $125 in advance (the price includes a signed copy of American Catch) or $150 at the door. At 8 p.m., a second wave of admissions begins with tickets priced at $75 or $100 at the door.

For more information about these markets:
June 19: Night Market on Water Street at Coenties Slip, click here.
June 21: New Amsterdam Market on South Street, click here.
June 26: Andaz Wall Street Farmers' Market, click here.
June 26: New Amsterdam Market fisheries, American Catch, and fundraiser, click here.

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Produce from Migliorelli Farm. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)



 The Paris Cafe | 119 South Street | 212.240.9797 | thepariscafeNYC.com | @theparisnyc

Bits & Bytes
PIER A OPENING DELAYED AGAIN; FiDi TENANT WINS AIRBNB RULING; TIME INC'S SWEET DEAL; HUDSON EATS BOOKS NORTHERN TIGER

Hudson Eats. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Pier A opening delayed again: Pier A with its restaurants, bars and visitors center will not open until late July or early August, according to Elizabeth Janis, a spokesperson for the partners who are developing the pier under a 20-year-lease from the Battery Park City Authority. Janis said when the pier does open, only the first floor will be ready initially.

Janis attributed the delay to "construction."

The partners in Pier A are the Poulakakos restaurant and development group, HPH; The Dermot Company; Danny McDonald and Michael Jewell.

They are installing a "Long Room" on the first floor, where they will sell oysters and other seafood, craft beers and coffee. On the second floor, there will be a sit-down restaurant with six dining rooms and two bars. The third floor will be used for exhibits, musical events and special events such as weddings.

The partners took possession of the pier in early September 2013. Originally, they had hoped to open by Memorial Day. Then July 4 was the target.

Pier A, at the junction of Battery Park City and historic Battery Park, is the last surviving 19th-century pier in Manhattan, with approximately 28,000 square feet of space inside. It was completed in 1886 for the Department of Docks and Harbor Police. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer

"Manhattan judge gives Airbnb good news,"
New York Business Journal, 6/18/14. "On Monday, a New York judge sided with a resident who used the popular travel rentals website [Airbnb] to rent her Financial District apartment in explicit violation of her lease, and in the process advanced an Airbnb-friendly interpretation of a disputed state law," says the New York Business Journal. "According to the New York Post, Manhattan Housing Court Justice Jack Stoller ruled that 2010's Multiple Dwelling Law preventing short-term sublets is 'generally aimed at the conduct of owners of property, not tenants.' As a result, former Airbnb host Kimberly Freeman can stay in her apartment at 33 Gold Street in the Financial District." For the complete article, click here.

"Time Inc. gets sweet deal downtown," Crain's New York Business, 6/18/14. "Brookfield Office Properties got a huge boost at Brookfield Place, the five-building office complex it owns in lower Manhattan, when Time Inc. it signed a lease last month to take 700,000 square feet there," says Crain's New York Business. "But it turns out Time Inc. drove a very hard bargain to make the move. According to the terms of the lease, which have begun to circulate among the city's brokerage community, Time Inc. will put off paying any rent for its new home for three years, when its current lease at 1271 Sixth Ave. in midtown expires. When Time finally does start writing rent checks, it will initially pay only $50 per square foot. That is well below the level where Brookfield is now aiming to do deals, which is in the $60s per square foot and above." For the complete article, click here.

"Lower Manhattan diners, get ready!" Crain's New York Business, 6/18/14. "A new restaurant called Northern Tiger is the last foodie tenant in the door at the newly revamped dining hall downtown at Brookfield Place.," says Crain's New York Business. "With the signing of the eatery's lease for a 690-square-foot kiosk, landlord Brookfield Office Properties has now entirely filled its new food court. Northern Tiger, with cuisine inspired by China's Yunnan Province, becomes the last of 14 eateries to  take space in the 600-seat food court, which Brookfield calls Hudson Eats. Others include Blue Ribbon Sushi, Umami Burger, the Cambodian sandwich maker Num Pang, Skinny Pizza and the cupcake maker Sprinkles." For the complete article, click here.
 





GATEWAY PLAZA TENANTS ASSOCIATION HONORS RAY KELLY
 
Richard Falkenrath and then-NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly in 2008 at a Community Board 1 presentation about security issues in Lower Manhattan.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

On June 26, the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association will present a lifetime achievement award to former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. The presentation will take place on the sailboat Arabella in North Cove Marina, followed by a reception with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

"Nobody has done more to protect New York City than Ray Kelly," said GPTA President Glenn Plaskin. "When our neighborhood was decimated after 9/11, Mr. Kelly, having already served once as Police Commissioner, stepped up once again and served us for 12 years, making him the longest-serving Police Commissioner in New York City history. He revamped the NYPD into a world-class counter-terrorism operation, creating a post-9/11 initiative that averted 16 potential attacks on New York."

In addition to Commissioner and Mrs. Kelly, other invited guests include New York State Senator Daniel Squadron, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Councilmember Margaret Chin, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Battery Park City Authority CEO and Chairman Dennis Mehiel, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Community Board 1 Chair Catherine McVay Hughes, and other elected officials and dignitaries.

The cocktail reception and award will take place between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. followed by a community discussion and election at the nearby St. Joseph's Church.

The reception is open to all Gateway Plaza residents, who must RSVP to attend by June 23. Email [email protected]


 

 
Letter to the Editor
BLIGHTED SOUTH STREET SEAPORT

A food truck parked next to the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse on Water Street in the South Street Seaport. (Photo: Barbara Mensch)

To the editor:
(Re: "Come to the South Street Seaport for lawn chairs, food truck dining, souvenirs and free movies," DPNYC, 6/16/14.) Thank you for exposing all the disgraceful ways the Howard Hughes Corporation has blighted the landmark South Street Seaport...not to mention the ways their mindless greed has damaged local businesses. Your words and photos tell the story eloquently.

As a long-time neighborhood resident, I am sad to see the Seaport revert to a ghastly tourist trap, sacrificing all that we are trying to preserve.  We need to put some muscle behind civic efforts to restore access to the historic treasure we cherish.

Keep up the good work!

Jared Brown

From the editor:
We welcome letters to the editor. Email them to [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit them for clarity and length.


COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of June 16

Tour buses are flooding Lower Manhattan.  (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Community Board 1 meetings are held at 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709, starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Bring photo ID to enter the building. All are welcome. 

June 19: Quality of Life Committee
            Location: Charlotte's Place, 107 Greenwich St. at 6 p.m.
* Tour bus management at the World Trade Center - Update by Luis Sanchez, Lower Manhattan Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation
* Impact of 9/11 Memorial Plaza opening on pedestrian and vehicular flow - Discussion with government agencies and community members


CALENDAR: Week of June 16
The annual Swedish Midsummer Festival takes place on June 20 in Battery Park City's Wagner Park. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
June 19: The River to River Festival starts with a "block party" in Goldman Sachs Alley (between Vesey and Murray Streets in Battery Park City). It will include discounts at area restaurants and retailers, performances by the dance troupe/rock band People Get Ready and family activities. It is co-sponsored by Conrad New York, Goldman Sachs, and area restaurants and retailers. Time: 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

June 19:
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the American Civil War had ended. General Order #3 proclaimed, "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."  Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, will be the special guest at the African Burial Ground for the 2014 Juneteenth Celebration. This special presentation honors the Civil Rights Movement. Shabazz will also be available after the question-and-answer session of the presentation for a book signing of her children's book, "Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X." Place: 290 Broadway, 1st floor. Time: Noon. Free. For more information about the African Burial Ground, click here.

June 20
: The Swedish Midsummer Festival takes place in Battery Park City's Wagner Park from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and it is not to be missed. It features a beautifully decorated midsummer pole, folk dancing, garland-making and Swedish food. Paul Dahlin and fiddlers from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis provide the music. The festival is co-presented by the Consulate General of Sweden and the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. The food is for sale. Everything else is free.

June 20: The Trisha Brown Dance Company will perform at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Arts Center on Governors Island between June 20 and June 29. Times: Monday-Friday 12 p.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 12 p.m.-5 p.m. The performances will examine the artist's early work, collaborative practice and relationship to New York City, showing how she affected audiences, and her significant influence on a new generation of artists.

June 20: The dancer, Eiko, presents a duet with Japanese dancer Tomoe Aihara in a piece called "Two Women" at LMCC's Arts Center on Governors Island as part of the River to River Festival. The experimental performance focuses on their age difference and explores how two bodies sometimes mirror each other in parts or collide into one. The New York Times described Eiko as "the extraordinary Japanese dancer revered for her haunting collaborations with Koma, her usual male counterpart," and said that she would be shaking up her creative process by collaborating with Tomoe Aihara. Also, June 22. Time: 2 p.m. Free.

June 22: The annual Bang on a Can Marathon returns to Brookfield Place's Winter Garden with eight hours of contemporary music. Time: 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free.  

June 22: Tour the Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City with art historian Dorothea Basile. Meet at the west side of the memorial. Time: 2 p.m. Free.

June 22: New American Youth Ballet presents "Magical Moments of Ballet" with a live orchestra. Excerpts from "Les Sylphides," "Paquita," "Carnival of the Animals," "Let It Go," and "The Helen Keller Ballet."  Stuyvesant High School Theater, 345 Chambers St. Time: 3 p.m. Advance tickets, $28 (adults); $20 (children and seniors). Tickets at the door: $35. Call 212-945-2926 for reservations or email [email protected]. For more information, click here.

Ongoing: "From Drills to Drums: Civil War Life on Governors Island." A program for kids, who will see first hand the lives of soldiers, civilians and prisoners on the island in the 19th century. No tickets or reservations required, but large school or day camp groups should call (212) 825-3045. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Place: Governors Island. Time: 10:20 a.m. Also at 11:20 a.m. Free.

Ongoing: Hike Through History. The most comprehensive tour of Governors Island National Monument takes in nearly every highlight in the historic district. No tickets or reservations required. Visitors should be prepared to stand for a full 90 minutes and walk a distance of about 1.5 miles. Wednesdays to Sundays. Place: Governors Island. Meet at Soissons Dock. Time: 2 p.m. For more information, click here.
 
Ongoing: "A Town Known as Auschwitz" is an exhibit of photographs at the Museum of Jewish Heritage tracing the history of a town called "Oswiecim" in what is now Poland, where Jews and non-Jews lived side by side for centuries. When German forces occupied the town in September 1939, they renamed it "Auschwitz" and established a concentration and death camp there. More than 1 million people died at Auschwitz, including 90 percent of the town's Jews. The museum is at 36 Battery Place. For information the exhibit, click here. For information on the museum's hours and admission fees, click here.
 
Ongoing: Poets House in Battery Park City presents "A Painter and His Poets," the first major retrospective show of George Schneeman's collaborative paintings, collages, prints, and books, with portraits of his poet friends, spanning 40 years. "A sort of utopia in the visual field filled with pleasure, quickness and wit" is how Schneeman himself described his collaborative work with poets. Exhibition on view through Saturday, Sept. 20, during regular Poets House hours. Place: 10 River Terrace. Free. For information about Poets House, click here.

Ongoing: The South Street Seaport Museum's lightship Ambrose and its barque Peking welcome visitors Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Pier 16 (on the East River at Fulton Street). The Ambrose, launched in 1908,  once guided large ships through the Ambrose Channel into New York harbor. Peking was launched in Hamburg, Germany in 1911, one of the last commercial sailing ships ever built. She was used to carry goods from Europe to South America and to return to Europe with nitrate. The museum's Visitors Services associates explain all of the fascinating details of the ships and their relevance to the history of New York as a port city. Cost: $12 (adults); $8 (students, 12-24 and seniors); $5 (children 2-11); under 2, free. To buy tickets, click here.

Ongoing: "Defining Lines: Maps from the 1700s and early 1800s" at the Fraunces Tavern
Museum. Twenty-seven maps provide a perspective on the evolving nation's place in history. A map from 1804, never before exhibited, shows the U.S. postal routes. Place: 54 Pearl St. Time: Noon to 5 p.m., daily. Admission fees: $7; $4 (seniors, students with ID, children, 6 to 8 years old. Children, 5 and under, free. Active military with ID, free. 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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Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer

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