|
DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
|
|
|
|
Volume 2, No. 38 April 27, 2015
|
Quote of the day:
"If you see a coyote, do not panic. Most coyotes are not dangerous to people."
- From a website published by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation entitled "Living with coyotes in New York City"
* No new funding in the city budget for aging New Yorkers
* Focus groups and town hall meetings scheduled to help develop age-friendly initiatives in NYC
* Dining at the Whitney Museum of American Art * Bits & Bytes: Coyote visits Battery Park City; Ellis Island updates immigration story
* Downtown Bulletin Board: Beach volleyball; BPC Parks Conservancy summer programming
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of April 27 * Calendar: Week of April 27
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, click here. DONATIONS FOR NEPAL: More than 3,800 people are known to have died in the earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday. The New York Times has published a list of organizations that are collecting money to help the victims. To see the list, click here. DOWNTOWN POST NYC KUDO: Downtown Post NYC is honored to have been one of eight Manhattan publications to be included on Brick Underground's list of the "24 Best NYC Neighborhood Blogs." To see the article, click here. BREAKING NEWS: Go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com for updates on breaking news.
All ads in Downtown Post NYC have clickable links. Click on an ad for more information. Tony Teta with the figurehead that he is carving to place on the South Street Seaport Museum's ship Wavertree. The carving was started by the late Sal Polisi. April 25, 2015.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NO NEW FUNDING IN THE CITY BUDGET FOR AGING NEW YORKERS
|
| A poetry reading at the Independence Plaza North Senior Center.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
On Monday morning, April 27, City Coucilmember Margaret Chin, chair of the Council's Committee on Aging, and Councilmember Paul Vallone, chair of the Council's Subcommittee on
|
| |
City Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Peter Vallone at City Hall on April 27 to ask Mayor Bill De Blasio to allocate more money from his executive budget for Fiscal Year 2016 to support services for New York City's aging population.
(Photo: Office of Councilmember Margaret Chin)
|
Senior Centers, stood on the steps of City Hall to take aim at a serious omission in Mayor Bill de Blasio's Fiscal Year 2016 executive budget, which is expected to be released on May 7.
There are currently 1.5 million New Yorkers who are 60 years old or older and the number is growing rapidly. Soon, one in five New Yorkers will be in this age group. Yet Mayor de Blasio did not include any new funding for senior services in his preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2016.
The Department for the Aging's (DFTA's) proposed budget for 2016 currently totals $257.3 million - a decrease of $23.4 million (or 8.4 percent) from the department's Adopted Budget of $280.7 million in Fiscal Year 2015. City Council allocated nearly $20 million to DFTA last year, most of which supported core services such as senior centers, elder abuse prevention and meals. Even if the Council were to fund DFTA at the same level this year, its budget would take a cut if the mayor does not include additional DFTA funding in his executive budget.
"We've said it before, and we'll say it again: An executive budget with no new funding for senior services would not be a responsible budget," said Chin. "If we're serious about making this city affordable and livable for all New Yorkers, the aging community must always be a part of that discussion."
"With a rapidly growing senior population, how can we as a City be expected to provide them with the best care and services while faced with stagnant funding that does not reflect that growth? The answer, quite simply, is that we cannot," said Vallone.
Chin and Vallone asked the mayor to allocate an additional $26.4 million for senior services in his executive budget. This money would be used for homecare for more than 500 low-income, frail seniors who are currently waitlisted ($4.25 million), for case-management services for nearly 2,000 homebound seniors who are waitlisted ($3 million), for DFTA services in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities with a high concentration of seniors ($3 million) and for 33 senior centers currently under New York City Housing Authority management ($11.88 million). These funding requests were developed in consultation with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Chin and Vallone were joined at City Hall by representatives of AARP New York, LiveOn NY (formerly known as the Council of Senior Centers and Services), JASA, the Clearview Selfhelp Senior Center (located in Bayside), and other senior center representatives, along with dozens of New York City's senior citizens. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer
|
FOCUS GROUPS AND TOWN HALL MEETINGS SCHEDULED TO HELP DEVELOP AGE-FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES IN NYC
| An elderly woman in the South Street Seaport. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
The New York Academy of Medicine, an independent organization founded in 1847 to address the world's urban health challenges, has been conducting focus groups in all five boroughs of New York City to learn about the concerns of aging New Yorkers on a neighborhood by neighborhood
|
| |
Ruth Ohman addressing the Board of the Battery Park City Authority prior to their vote in May 2009 on the proposed rental agreement between the BPCA and the LeFrak Organization. Ohman said that the seniors living in Gateway Plaza were on fixed incomes and needed rent protection in order to remain there.
|
basis. The goal is to implement changes in each community to help make the city's neighborhoods more responsive to the needs of older adults.
The pilot neighborhoods for the Age-friendly Neighborhood Initiative (formerly known as 'Aging Improvement Districts') were East Harlem, Bedford Stuyvesant and the Upper West Side. The pilot work started in 2010 in East Harlem (represented by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Vivierito). The Age-friendly Neighborhood Initiative was funded for the first time by City Council for fiscal year 2015, which runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. The Council's $400,000 allocation in FY15 enabled Age-friendly Neighborhood work to reach 10 additional neighborhoods across the five boroughs. In addition to running focus groups, the work includes assessing each neighborhood's age-friendly assets such as citybenches, accessible transportation, safe streets for seniors, senior centers, nursing homes, and libraries and other cultural institutions. After gathering this information, the next phase has been to meet with local business improvement districts and merchants to make businesses age friendly. Advisory committees and short- and long-term goals are established, promoted and publicized. On June 3, the New York Academy of Medicine will be conducting a focus group at the Battery Park City library, 175 North End Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon. The NYAM is looking for a maximum of 12 people aged 55 or older, to participate. Each participant will be paid $20. All information will be kept confidential. To sign up, call Anushka Gopilall at (212) 822-7237 or email agopilall@nyam.org. In addition to this focus group, City Councilmember Margaret Chin, who chairs City Council's Committee on Aging, is hosting town hall meetings on May 1 and June 5 to discuss issues affecting the elderly. The May 1 town hall is being co-sponsored by Community Boards 1, 2 and 3 and takes place at the City Hall Senior Center, 100 Gold St., from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The June 5 town hall will be held at the Educational Alliance, 197 E. Broadway from 10 a.m. to noon. To attend, send an email to Xiaomin Zhao at XZhao@council.nyc.gov. These town hall meetings in Councilmember Chin's district were funded by a $10,000 award from her discretionary account. "I encourage residents to join us," said Chin, "so they can talk about their experiences and the kinds of improvements they'd like to see in their neighborhood. That dialogue will play an important role as we work collaboratively to craft an age-friendly plan for Lower Manhattan."
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
|
|
DINING AT THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
|
| | The Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort St. has a restaurant on the first floor and a caf� with a terrace on the eighth floor. Both are part of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
When the Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort St. opens to the public on May 1, it will have two dining facilities, both part of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. On the ground floor will be a restaurant called Untitled with 72 indoor seats and an outdoor terrace
|
| |
The caf� on the eighth floor has dramatic views of the city and a large terrace for outdoor dining.
|
seating 52 people. A caf� on the eighth floor will have table seats for 66 people, an 11-seat bar and an outdoor terrace. Both will be under the direction of executive chef Michael Anthony, who oversaw the Gramercy Tavern for the last 10 years. Anthony will be bringing Suzanne Cupps from Gramercy Tavern to serve as Chef de Cuisine at Untitled. Untitled will have a seasonally changing menu. When the restaurant opens, it will be serving entr�es such as grilled monkfish with black garlic and lobster sauce ($25), ruby red shrimp ravioli with nettles and mushrooms ($23), roasted and fried chicken with tatsoi and dill ($24) and lamb chop with quinoa, asparagus and kale ($28). Appetizers will range in price from $7 for lightly cured vegetables to $12 for grilled lobster toast. Vegetables include charred carrots with chili and peanuts ($9), sugar snap peas, beets and herbed buttermilk ($11) and asparagus, turnips, guanciale and pecorino ($14). Cocktails, wine and beer will be served at both the restaurant and the caf�. The caf� will serve soup such as curried chicken, cauliflower and sugar snap peas ($8), salads ($12), toast with a variety of toppings ($12) and desserts ($8). These include strawberry pudding with graham crumble, pecan pie and a coconut and passion fruit layer cake. The caf� will be open during museum hours, with the last seating taking place one hour before closing. Beginning in June, Untitled will be open daily, with continuous service from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. In May, it will be best to consult the website ( www.untitledatthewhitney.com) for the hours, which will vary depending on what else is going on at the museum. Untitled will take reservations, but a spokesperson for the restaurant did not yet know the phone number. Although the museum opens on May 1, the next day - Saturday, May 2 - is the date for a celebratory party. There will be free admission from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a free block party on Gansevoort Street. It will feature booths designed by a diverse group of artists and community organizations with activities such as karaoke, map making and performance workshops. Large-scale acts on the main stage will include performances, puppetry, dance and music. The museum will be open six days a week (closed on Tuesdays). General admission is $22. Admission for seniors (65 and over) and full-time students is $18. Children and teens under 18 years old are free. Friday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. are also free for everyone. General admission tickets can be purchased online until midnight the night before a visit. For more information about ticketing and to buy tickets, click here. For photographs of the Whitney Museum's new building and of its opening exhibition, click here. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer
|
|
Bits & Bytes
COYOTE VISITS BATTERY PARK CITY; ELLIS ISLAND UPDATES IMMIGRATION STORY; EMPIRE STATE BUILDING LIGHT SHOW
|
| | At a lecture on Feb. 11, 2014 under the auspices of the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, National Park Ranger Dave Taft showed a photo of a coy-dog - a hybrid of a coyote and a dog - now to be found in New York City. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
It was clearly only a matter of time until a coyote found its way from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Battery Park City. And sure enough, on Saturday, April 25, a coyote showed up. Gothamist.com ran some videos of the coyote (" Coyote Pretty: Videos Show Coyote Prancing In Battery Park," 4/25/15) and The New York Times recorded the animal's arrival in BPC.
"Police Capture a Coyote in Manhattan's Battery Park City," New York Times, 4/25/15. "The calls started coming in before sunrise on Saturday: Coyote spotted in Battery Park City," The New York Times reports. "Already on alert after several days of coyote sightings, police officers from the First Precinct, backed by specially trained members of the Police Department's Emergency Services Unit, converged on a spot along the Hudson River near 1 World Trade Center just as the sun was rising, officials said. For the last week, dogs had been held on shortened leashes and small children kept closer at hand as a coyote, or perhaps several, roamed the west side of Manhattan. Just days earlier, officers carrying tranquilizer guns, aided by a helicopter, had chased one through Riverside Park for three hours, only to have the animal elude capture." For the complete article, click here. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has published information under the title "Living with Coyotes in New York City." "Coyotes are common throughout New York State, including urban areas," according to the Parks Department. "Recent sightings confirm that coyotes live in New York City and are active in the Bronx. Seeing a coyote for the first time can be an exhilarating or an alarming experience. If you see a coyote, do not panic. Most coyotes are not dangerous to people. Nationwide, only a handful of coyote bites are reported each year." The Parks Department website describes how to recognize a coyote, tips for co-existing with coyotes (Rule No. 1 is do not feed them), when to report a coyote sighting and coyote facts. To read about urban coyotes, click here. "Ellis Island Museum to Update the Story of Immigration in America," New York Times, 4/26/15. "Everywhere in America, immigration is an unending story. Everywhere, that is, except at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, where the story ends in 1954, when the immigrant processing and detention station there was closed," says The New York Times. "Next month, however, the museum will leap more than 60 years forward with the opening of two new galleries in what had once been the station's kitchen and laundry. They pick up the narrative where it was left off." The Times observes that, "Though the exhibition unabashedly celebrates the idea of arrival and naturalization, visitors expecting a sentimental view of the journey to the United States or a gauzy salute to American immigration policies will find some sharp rebukes." For the complete article, click here. "A Dozen Whitney Works to Be Displayed in Lights on the Empire State Building," New York Times, 4/26/15. "'King Kong' was so 20th century. All that climbing and heavy breathing - so low-tech. This is the 21st century. Marc Brickman can have his way with the Empire State Building from wherever he happens to be, which, on Friday, will probably be his usual hangout, somewhere in a hotel with an unobstructed view," says The New York Times. "Mr. Brickman, a lighting designer, has worked with Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and the Blue Man Group, and has created light shows for the Summer Olympics in 1992 and the Winter Olympics in 1998. On Friday [May 1], to take note of the Whitney Museum of American Art's move downtown, he will conjure representations of a dozen works of art onto the sides of the Empire State Building." For the complete article, click here. "21st Century Fox, News Corp Considering Move to World Trade Center," Wall Street Journal, 4/24/15. "The final tower planned at the World Trade Center redevelopment could be dramatically altered under a proposal being discussed by 21st Century Fox Inc. and News Corp, which are considering a move to the site," says the Wall Street Journal. "The media companies and developer Larry Silverstein have brought in avant-garde Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to redesign 2 World Trade Center in the event of a move. Mr. Ingels, co-designer of Google Inc.'s planned new headquarters expansion in Silicon Valley, would replace renowned British architect Norman Foster as lead designer for 2 World Trade Center." The Wall Street Journal adds that, "A deal is far from certain, as the companies are also considering a renewal of space at their Midtown headquarters, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, which was built in 1973 as an expansion of Rockefeller Center. They expect to make a decision in coming months." For the complete article, click here.
|
|
Downtown bulletin board
BEACH VOLLEYBALL; BPC PARKS CONSERVANCY SUMMER PROGRAMMING; SAILORS BALL; SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CHEFS; MALAYSIAN KITCHEN
|
|
The South Street Seaport Museum has two classes for its popular Mini Mates program - Thursdays through June 4 and Fridays though June 5. (Photo: Vinnie Amess�)
|
Beach volleyball at Pier 25: Kids in grades 6 through 12 can sign up for Beach Volleyball instruction and games at Pier 25 in Hudson River Park. The League runs from May 15 to July 17 on Friday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The program is free for Downtown Community Center members. The fee for non-members is $25. Sponsorships are needed. Email jim@manhattanyouth.org to become a sponsor. To register, click here. Battery Park City Parks Conservancy summer programming: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy organizes free art, gardening, science, yoga, tai chi and sports programs that run from early May through late October in BPC's parks. The programs are for children as young as three years old to adults. Some are drop-in programs. Others require advance registration. For more information, click here.
Malaysian Kitchen grand opening: The newest restaurant to open in Battery Park City,
|
| | Char Kueh Teow: Flat rice noodles with chives, bean sprouts, soy sauce and chili sauce, served with a choice of tofu, beef, chicken or shrimp. |
Malaysian Kitchen at 21 South End Ave., overlooking South Cove, held its grand opening on April 18. Malaysian cuisine reflects the historical influences of the English, the Portuguese and the Dutch, and the country's present connection to its Southeast Asian neighbors. Malaysian Kitchen is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It will deliver. The phone number is (212) 786-1888. For more information about Malaysian Kitchen, click here.
Sailors Ball: The 18th Annual Sailors Ball, a fundraiser for the NY Harbor Sailing Foundation, will take place on Friday, May 1 at the Downtown Association. The Foundation, a project of Michael Fortenbaugh's Manhattan Sailing Club, created the first junior sailing programs in New York Harbor. All proceeds from the black-tie Sailors Ball go toward scholarships for the junior and teen programs. Dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (tickets are $95 in advance and $120 at the door) follows a sit-down dinner ($250 a person for those who choose to attend the dinner). This year, the post-dinner festivities will also include a casino with black jack, craps and roulette tables. Place: 60 Pine St. For more information and tickets, click here.
Scholarships for chefs: The James Beard Foundation, named for the renowned cookbook author, has scholarships for people who want to become chefs and for chefs who want to improve their skills. This year, the JBF will award $700,000 in scholarships and grants. There are unrestricted cash awards, cash awards with specific restrictions or qualifications, and scholarships to specific schools that can be applied to tuition at those schools only. Among them are the Institute of Culinary Education, which will soon relocate from Chelsea to Brookfield Place in Battery Park City, and the International Culinary Center in Soho. Some of the other scholarships include the Alain Ducasse Education Scholarship of $20,000, which goes to a student seeking an education in the culinary, pastry, and bakery arts or in wine studies, the Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant, which enables a qualified professional to work with food producers at their source and to study varied specialized skills and the Rhone Rangers Professional Study/Travel Grant, designed for working chefs or sommeliers who wish to learn about American-Rh�ne varietal wines. All scholarship application materials must be postmarked by May 15, 2015. Professional grant applications must be postmarked by June 15, 2015. Scholarship winners will be notified in August. To learn more about the scholarship program, click here.
Mini Mates at the South Street Seaport Museum: The South Street Seaport Museum will now have two classes for its popular Mini Mates program - Thursdays, April 16 to June 4 and Fridays, April 17 to June 5. The Mini Mates program enables children ages 18 months to 4 years and their parents or caregivers to engage in fun and educational activities under the guidance of a museum educator. Classes will be offered on two different days in order to minimize class size while allowing more families to participate. Both Thursday and Friday sessions will offer the same program. A typical Mini Mates class includes unstructured play time, music-making, hands-on learning activities, art-making, reading and snack time.Themes include holidays, the changing seasons, nature, and the Seaport neighborhood. Place: 12 Fulton St. Time: 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Fee: $200. A deposit of $100 is required at registration. To reserve, email education@seany.org or call (212) 748-8753. Registration is now open. I Love My Park Day at Hudson River Park: Join the Friends of Hudson River Park on Saturday, May 2 for the fourth annual I Love My Park Day. Hudson River Park is one of many parks throughout the state that are participating in the program, which was created to improve and enhance New York's parks and historic sites and bring visibility to the entire park system and its needs. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will assist in general maintenance and park beautification, including cutting back grasses, planting, invasive species removal and mulching. Water and tools will be provided. All ages are welcome. Participants should bring a snack. Registration is required. For more information, click here. Downtown Little League opening day photo gallery: The Downtown Little League kicked off its 2015 season on April 18. This year, there will be just under 1,100 players on 81 teams. For photos of the opening day, click here. Whitney Museum of American Art photo gallery: The Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort St. opens to the public on May 1. On May 2, the museum will offer free admission and a block party on Gansevoort Street. For photographs of the Whitney Museum's new building and of its opening exhibition, click here.
|
|
|
|
COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETING: Week of April 27
|
| | West Street (aka Route 9A) is on the Planning Committee agenda for discussion at Community Board 1's full board meeting. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
April 28: CB 1 Monthly Meeting - 6 p.m. Location: Southbridge Towers, 90 Beekman St., Community Room Agenda: I. Public Session * Comments by members of the public (6 p.m. to 7 p.m.) (1 to 2 minutes per speaker) * Guest Speaker: Captain Mark Iocco, Commanding Officer, New York Police Department 1st Precinct II. Business Session * Adoption of March 2015 minutes * Chairperson's Report - C. McVay Hughes * District Manager's Report - N. Pfefferblit * Treasurer's Report - J. Kopel (Postponed until May 2015) III. Committee Reports A. Financial District Committee - R. Sheffe * South Street and Battery Park Underpass - Report * Placard Parking in Financial District - Report * 28 Liberty St. (formerly One Chase Manhattan Plaza) - Report * 8-12 Maiden Lane Hotel Project - Report * Need for more grocery stores in the Financial District - Report * 88 Fulton St., BSA application special permit for physical culture establishment - Resolution * Street activity permit for Dushahra festival on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, 12 p.m.-7 p.m. on Maiden Lane between Front Street and South Street - Resolution * Street activity permit for Oysterfest on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Stone Street between Hanover Square and Coenties Alley, Mill Lane between South William Street and Stone Street and Hanover Square between Pearl Street and South William Street - Resolution * Governors Island, application for a wine and beer license for El Paso Taquria 1643 Corp, d/b/a El Paso Restaurant Mexicano - Resolution B) Youth & Education Committee - T. Joyce * Manhattan Youth summer programs - Report * Project Pay It Forward - Report * Anti-Bullying Leadership Network - Report * Implications of the new education budget - Report * CB 2 Schools and Education Committee and Community Education Council District 2 meeting, 75 Morton Middle School: presenting plans for the new school; Monday, May 11, 2015 at 6:30 p.m., LGBT Center, Assembly Room, 208 W. 13th St. - Report * Teacher evaluations - Resolution C) Landmarks Committee - R. Byrom * Zoning for Quality and Affordability text amendment - Report * Guidelines for Applicant Presentation to Landmarks Committee - Report * Landmarks Preservation Commission Calendar Backlog Items - Resolution * 315 Broadway (1989) * 143 Chambers Street (1989) * Excelsior Power Company Building, 33-43 Gold Street (1977) * Landmarks Preservation Commission 50th Anniversary - Resolution D) Battery Park City Committee - N. Segarra * American Heart Association/NYC LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc., application for Battery Park City Authority permit for Thursday, May 28, 2015 - Report * Parking signage and enforcement - Report * BPC ballfields - Report * 250 Vesey St., application for liquor license for GRGNY1, LLC d/b/a Amada - Resolution * 325 South End Ave., application for liquor license for Chipotle Mexican Grill #1836 - Resolution * Maintenance of West Street median - Resolution E) Quality of Life Committee - P. Moore * Rodent issues in CB1 - Report * Construction update by NYC Department of Transportation - Report * Construction site safety during high winds - Report * Drone regulations - Report * Police and the public - Report * Update on World Trade Center Health Registry progress and accomplishments - Report * United States Postal Service - Report * Aging-Friendly Neighborhood Initiative in Lower Manhattan - Report * Organizing a construction forum - Report F) Seaport/Civic Center Committee - M. Pasanella * South Street Seaport Museum Opening Day on Pier 16 on Saturday, April 25, 2015 - Report * Hermione departure from France and arrival at Seaport - Report * City Hall Park Charrette - Report * Accident on Beekman Street between William Street and Nassau Street. - Resolution * Seaport/Civic Center Update and Priorities a. South Street Seaport Museum - Resolution b. East River Esplanade - Resolution * 111 Fulton St., BSA application special permit for physical culture establishment - Resolution * Street activity permit for River To River: Living Room on Sunday, June 28, 2015, 12pm-8pm on Front St. between Beekman St. and Peck Slip - Resolution * 24 Peck Slip, application for new sidewalk caf� license for Suteishi Japanese Restaurant - Resolution * 33 Peck Slip, application for hotel liquor license for an entity to be formed by Bob Ghassemieh - Resolution * 207A Front St., application for wine and beer license for LLC to be formed - Resolution * 89 South St., application for a wine and beer license for Pier 16 Holdings LLC - Resolution * South Street Seaport - Pier 15, request for one-time alteration of hours for Watermark - Resolution G) Planning Committee - J. Galloway * World Trade Center - Report * Silverstein Properties - Report * Route 9A - Report * Zoning for Quality and Affordability text amendment - Report * FY 2016 Manhattan Borough Board Budget Priorities Report - Resolution * Resiliency Implications of the Exxon Settlement for the Newark Bay Bi-state Estuary - Resolution * Public Hearing on Int. 0732-2015 to require dedicated urban planner for each of the City's 59 community boards, April 30, 2015 - Resolution H) Tribeca Committee - P. Braus and J. Ehrlich * I Love My Park Day at Hudson River Park, Saturday, May 2 - Report * 285 West Broadway, application for cabaret license for Haus - Resolution * Street activity permit for Church Street School, Sunday, May 17, 2015, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Warren Street between West Broadway and Greenwich - Resolution * Sidewalk Caf� Working Group - Report and resolution V. Old Business VI. New Business VII. Adjournment
|
|
|
CALENDAR: Week of April 27
|
| | On April 29, Open House New York is launching a yearlong series of tours and talks called "The Final Mile: Food Systems of New York" with "How Great Cities Are Fed," a talk with Robert LaValva, founder and president of the New Amsterdam Market, and Karen Karp, president of Karp Resources. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
April 29: Open House New York is launching a yearlong series of tours and talks called "The Final Mile: Food Systems of New York" with "How Great Cities Are Fed," a talk with Robert LaValva, founder and president of the New Amsterdam Market, and Karen Karp, president of Karp Resources. They will discuss the future of New York City's food system and lay out some of the key issues that OHNY will explore over the coming year. Place: School of Visual Arts, 209 E. 23rd St. Time: 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Tickets: $10; free (OHNY members, OHNY volunteers and students with a valid ID). Reservations required. To reserve, click here. April 30: A "Neighborhood Poetry Read-In at Poets House" celebrates Poem In Your Pocket Day. Participants can bring a poem of their own to share or find one in Poets House's 60,000 volume poetry library. The read-in will be MC'ed by poets Charles Waters, Dave Johnson, and Suzanne Highland. Place: 10 River Terrace. Time: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free. Also, throughout the day on April 30, Poets House volunteers will be handing out pocket-sized cards featuring poems, including selections from the children's poetry, at Poets House's Battery Park City home and around downtown. May 1: This will be the 14th year that the Sunset Singing Circle has been held on Friday evenings in Battery Park City, led by singer/guitarist Terre Roche. As the sun sets over the Hudson River, novice and experienced singers sit on the lawn and sing folk songs (with words provided in the Sunset Singing Circle Songbook). Players of acoustic instruments are encouraged to add their skills to the mix. Place: Wagner Park. Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. May 1: Save Our Seaport and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance will host walks throughout the historic South Street Seaport District both inland and along the waterfront as part of The Municipal Arts Society's Jane's Walk 2015 in New York City that celebrate the legacy of the great urban activist, Jane Jacobs. Save Our Seaport will conduct walks of the historic district, the museum, and the waterfront. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance will conduct a walk entitled, "Towering Masts to Towers: A Conversation about the Past, Present and Future of the Seaport. Walks will depart from the Titanic memorial lighthouse at Fulton and Water Streets. Save Our Seaport walks: Time: May 1, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Also, May 2, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Also, May 2, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. On May 3, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance's walk takes place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. May 2: After a tour of the Skyscraper Museum's exhibition "Ten Tops," young designers will create a wearable skyscraper top hat. Inspired by William Van Allen's costume design for the Beaux-Arts Ball of 1931, kids will make a funky top hat modeled after their favorite tower. Ages 6+. The museum hosts a rotating repertoire of Family Programs on Saturday mornings, in which children engage with an educator to explore the principles of urbanism, architecture, and engineering through hands-on activities. Registration is requested by Friday at 5 p.m. Email education@skyscraper.org or call (212) 945-6324. For more information about the Skyscraper Museum, click here. Place: 39 Battery Place. Tickets: $5 per child. Free to Battery Park City residents (presented in partnership with the Battery Park City Authority). May 3: Author Annette Libeskind Berkovits talks with her brother, architect Daniel Libeskind, about her new book, "In the Unlikeliest of Places: How Nachman Libeskind Survived the Nazis, Gulags and Soviet Communism." Nachman Libeskind, their father, was a Polish Jew who narrowly escaped two murderous totalitarian systems and made his way to Israel and ultimately, to New York City, where he built a new life as a Modernist painter. Place: Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place. Time: 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $15; $12 (museum members). To buy tickets, click here.
Through April 30: During the month of April, Lynda Caspe is showing her sculpture, sculptural reliefs and preparatory drawings in the gallery at the office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. A member of the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors, her work has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Westbeth Gallery, and the Synagogue of the Arts. Place: Manhattan Municipal Building, 1 Centre St., 19th floor South. Time: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. Through May 23: Poets House in Battery Park City presents Edward Sanders' "Seeking the Glyph." During the course of a long and diverse career as a poet, musician, historian, publisher, activist and pacifist, Sanders has invented a glyphic alphabet - a colorful script of hand-drawn characters, symbols, and graphemes. He says that, "A glyph is a drawing that is charged with literary, emotional, historical or mythic, and poetic intensity." This exhibition shows selected drawings and daybooks authored by Sanders between 1962 and the present. Place: 10 River Terrace. Time: Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. Ongoing: "Cer�mica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed" displays 155 ancient objects from the National Museum of the American Indian's rarely seen collections of Central American ceramics. The exhibition examines seven regions representing distinct Central American cultural areas that are today part of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, where Central America's first inhabitants lived. Dating back to 1000 B.C., the ceramics help tell the story of the innumerable achievements of these ancient civilizations, each with unique, sophisticated ways of life, value systems and arts. Through January 2017. Place: 1 Bowling Green. The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays, until 8 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Museum of Jewish Heritage presents "Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism," an exhibition that explores the cultural context in which many Jewish �migr� architects and designers created a distinctly modern American design that still has wide appeal today. Walk-up tours will be offered on Sundays in May (except May 24) at 12 p.m. with no reservations necessary. Through January 2016. Place: 36 Battery Place. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Artifacts & Memory: The Drawings of Nancy Patz" is at the Anne Frank Center USA through April 30. Nancy Patz is a Baltimore-born artist, teacher, lecturer, author, and illustrator. Inspired by a hat she saw on display at the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam, Patz began a larger exploration of the power of artifacts and memory. The result was "Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Hat," a book she published in 2003 of moving pencil drawings, displayed here for the first time in their entirety. Using subdued watercolors and old photographs, the drawings bring the reality of the Holocaust into sharp focus by trying to recreate the story of the woman - faceless, nameless - behind this hat. Place: 44 Park Place. Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $8; $5 (students and seniors, 65 and over); free (children, ages 8 and under). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Skyscraper Museum's new exhibition, "Ten Tops," surveys all buildings in the world today, completed or under construction, that are 100 stories and taller. Of these 24 towers, the exhibition focuses on 10 (plus a few more), zooming in on their uppermost floors to see how they were designed and constructed. Through September 2015. Place: 39 Battery Place. Hours: Noon to 6 p.m., Wednesdays to Sundays. Admission: $5; $2.50 (students and seniors). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: Every Tuesday through May 9, Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place presents a variety showcase of live music, games, story time, magic, puppetry and more followed by a movie for the whole family. Time: Shows at 11 a.m. and noon. Movies at 1 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Woolworth Building was designed by Cass Gilbert to house the offices of the F. W. Woolworth Company and was the tallest building in the world from 1913 until 1930. With its ornamental gothic-style exterior, it dominated the New York City skyline and served as an icon of American ingenuity with state of the art steel construction, fireproofing and high-speed elevators and it was dubbed "the Cathedral of Commerce." The building is still privately owned and operated, and has long been closed to the public. Tours of its magnificent landmarked lobby featuring marble, mosaics, and murals have only recently been made available and can be taken for 30-minutes, 60-minutes or 90-minutes. Custom and Private tours for groups of 10 - 35 can also be arranged. Place: 233 Broadway. Various times. Tickets: $20, $30 and $45, depending on the length of the tour. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Ongoing: "Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family" opened on Nov. 14 and continues through Jan. 10, 2016. The exhibit includes more than 300 examples of beautifully crafted jewelery, most of it made by the Yazzie family, with some from the National Museum of the American Indian's collection. Through a video, photographs and a handsome catalog, the exhibit shows how the jewelry expresses Navajo cultural values and way of life inspired by a majestic landscape of buttes, mesas and desert. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and on Thursdays until 8 p.m.; closed December 25. Admission is free.
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: "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.Ongoing: The lobby of the South Street Seaport Museum at 12 Fulton St. on Schermerhorn Row is open three days a week with interpretive displays and activities. Access to the museum's upstairs galleries is by appointment or for education programs only. For private tours of Schermerhorn Row and its old hotels, email info@seany.org. Lobby access: Fridays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Buy tickets now: On June 8 at 6 p.m., Poets House will once again embark on a poetic pilgrimage across the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping along the way to listen to NYC-inspired poetry and ending on the Brooklyn side of the bridge with dinner, wine and more poetry. This is the 20th anniversary of the fundraising event. All proceeds help make possible the hundreds of free and affordable public programs that Poets House presents each year. Tickets start at $250; ($225 for Poets House members). Reservations are required. To buy tickets online, click here. For details or to make reservations, contact Krista Manrique at (212) 431-7920, ext. 2830 or email krista@poetshouse.org
|
|
|
Downtown Post NYC is emailed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
� 2014
|
|
|
|
|
