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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 2, No. 45 May 31, 2015
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Quote of the day:
"In the traditional sailing world, Pioneer is known around the country as a place where a lot of people have started and have ended up finding themselves getting career training."
-Richard Dorfman, captain of the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer, commenting on the ship's training program for volunteers
* South Street Seaport Museum's schooner, Pioneer, embarks on 2015 sailing season * Bits & Bytes: Staten Island ferry ticket con; Downtown Alliance service awards; The Battery
* Governors Island weekend
* Downtown Bulletin Board: Chorus auditions; Get Low Tuesdays; LMCC workshops
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of June 1
* Calendar: Weeks of May 25 and June 1
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, 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. IF YOU LIKE DOWNTOWN POST NYC - Downtown Post NYC is emailed free to subscribers, but if you like DPNYC and want to support it, you can do that in three ways. 1) Support Downtown Post's advertisers by clicking on their ads, and if you use their services, tell them that you read about them in DPNYC. 2) Consider advertising in DPNYC if you have a business, service or event that you want to promote. 3) Tell people about DPNYC and suggest that they subscribe. They can sign up at www.DowntownPostNYC.com. 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. MASTHEAD PHOTO: The bell on the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer.
May 22, 2015 (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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NEW YORK HARBOR'S OLDEST SAILBOAT, PIONEER, BACK FOR THE 2015 SEASON OF NEW YORK HARBOR AFTERNOON AND SUNSET SAILS
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| The South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer, sailing past the Central Railroad of New Jersey building during Op Sail on May 23, 2012.
(Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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Around 3 p.m. on May 22, the sky was overcast and a few drops of rain began to fall - not enough to bother a sailor, but maybe enough to keep a landlubber from thinking twice about venturing out in the harbor on an open sailboat. But the South Street Seaport Museum's schooner, Pioneer, went out anyway with around a dozen guests on board plus crew - the first public sail of the 2015 season.
Capt. Richard Dorfman steered the boat west, toward the Statue of Liberty, and then south toward patches of blue sky under the dark clouds. The rain became more intense and the air was decidedly cool, but no one said they wanted to turn back. Soon the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was lovely - the freshened air, the breeze. Despite being 130 years old - the oldest boat to regularly sail in New York harbor - Pioneer pranced along like a colt.
Pioneer was built in Marcus Hook, Pa. in 1885 to carry sand mined near the mouth of the Delaware Bay to an iron foundry in Chester, Pa. She was one of many small schooners that carried cargo between coastal communities, but Pioneer was different in one important respect. "Almost all American cargo sloops and schooners were wood," the South Street Seaport Museum's website explains, "but because she was built in what was then this country's center of iron shipbuilding, Pioneer had a wrought-iron hull. She was the first of only two cargo sloops built of iron in this country, and is the only iron-hulled American merchant sailing vessel still in existence." Pioneer arrived at the South Street Seaport Museum in August 1970, soon after the Wavertree, but unlike Wavertree, which had to be towed in, Pioneer arrived under sail. She has been a presence in the harbor ever since. Some of the people who crew on the Pioneer have been with her for decades. "We have captains and mates whose history with the boat goes back to the 1980's and in one case, to the 1970's," said Dorfman. But Pioneer always welcomes new people. "We base our program on working with volunteers and training volunteers as capable members of the crew," Dorfman said. "In the traditional sailing world, Pioneer is known around the country as a place where a lot of people have started and have ended up finding themselves getting career training." The training program for volunteers starts with weekly training sails on Saturday mornings. Once on the boat as part of the team that takes people out into the harbor, training continues. |
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Susie Ordway, mate on the Pioneer.
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"The mates, relief captains, deck hands and myself do the training," said Dorfman. "We introduce new skills to new people and reinforce existing skills that people who have been around for a while have mastered but especially in the wintertime, they get rusty. We're always trying to get people to learn more and exhibit more capability as they're here longer. We have a checklist of skills to assess somebody's progress. That checklist leads them from the most basic level of understanding and competence through various levels to our first level of part-time, paid crew member, which is a deckhand. Then they can become a mate. A relief captain is something that they can aspire to if they put in the time and they apply to the Coast Guard to test for a license." From a passenger's point of view, the teamwork needed to hoist the Pioneer's heavy sails and to keep her on course is interesting to observe. Muscle and experience are pitted against the harbor's stiff winds. In their book, "A Dream of Tall Ships," Peter and Norma Stanford record what happened shortly after Pioneer arrived at the South Street Seaport Museum. Through New York City's Youth Services Administration, teenage former addicts were sent to the Pioneer "for hard service aboard a ship that was a real handful to sail - literally, for she had no labor-saving devices aboard except the anchor winch and auxiliary engine. Sail-handling with the heavy gear had to be done with disciplined teamwork." The Stanfords went on to say that, "Mayor [John] Lindsay, at his farewell party held in South Street in 1973, said that of all the youth programs undertaken in his administration, the Pioneer Program was the most successful." Aboard the Pioneer, crew and passengers can revisit what her mariners experienced more than a century ago. "Those who sail in Pioneer today learn the loyalties, the natural order and rhythms and disciplines of life at sea," Peter Stanford commented. "They cannot help learning, too, something of themselves, their own place in the succeeding generations." This is the Pioneer's mission - not just to provide a pleasant few hours sailing New York harbor, which she does - but to educate. And this is the mission of the South Street Seaport Museum itself. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer To volunteer on the Pioneer, email the South Street Seaport Museum's volunteer coordinator, Diana Reyes at dreyes@seany.org.
For information about sailing on the Pioneer, including schedules and ticket prices, click here.
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Bits & Bytes
STATEN ISLAND FERRY CON; MINI-MUSEUM IN TRIBECA; DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE SERVICE AWARDS; BATTERY RENAMED; 1 WEST ST. SUICIDE
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On May 27, a con man on Pier 15 tricked two tourists out of $400 for a round-trip ride on the Staten Island ferry, which is actually free. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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"Tourists tricked into paying $200 for free Staten Island Ferry ride," New York Post, 5/30/15. "Dopey tourists are paying top dollar to bogus vendors for "'tickets' to the Staten Island Ferry - which has been free for 18 years," the New York Post reports. "One clueless pair shelled out $400 for a round-trip journey to the city's southernmost borough, sources said." According to the Post, the scam took place on Pier 15 near the South Street Seaport where "Career con Gregory Reddick, 54, hooked the big fish on Wednesday while wearing a snappy 'Authorized Ticket Agent' jacket." For the complete article, click here. "Mmuseumm 2 to Open in TriBeCa, All 20 Square Feet of It," New York Times, 5/28/15. "LOTS of New Yorkers faced with space-starved apartments and carefully assembled obsessions have joked about opening a museum of their stuff. Not many would actually go through with it," says The New York Times. "Not many are the Kalman family. With a few like-minded friends, Alex Kalman saw an undertrafficked city block used mostly as a creepy backdrop for 'Law & Order' and thought to make it a home for a tiny, annually changing array of objets culled from a global network of artists and aficionados. It's called Mmuseumm. Housed in a former freight elevator at 4 Cortlandt Alley, in TriBeCa, the three-year-old museum is an outpost of eccentric collections run by Mr. Kalman, an entrepreneur. Now, like so many museums in New York, Mmuseumm is expanding. On Saturday, it will unveil Mmuseumm 2, a storefront-window exhibition space, where the artist Maira Kalman - Alex's mother - has painstakingly re-created the closet of her mother, Sara Berman." For the complete article, click here.
Downtown Alliance service awards: Every year, the Downtown Alliance recognizes people who have gone out of their way to make Lower Manhattan a better place to live, work and visit. This
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On May 27, Jessica Lappin (center), president of the Downtown Alliance, presented awards for "Exceptional Service" to NYPD Captain Brendan Timoney, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Chief Steven Costas, Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection for the Department of Sanitation, and Warrie Price, founder and president of the Battery Conservancy.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Downtown Alliance)
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year, the honors went to New York State Senator Daniel Squadron, NYPD Captain Brendan Timoney, Warrie Price, founder and president of the Battery Conservancy, and Chief Steven Costas, Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection for the Department of Sanitation. Among his other accomplishments, Squadron, who represents New York State's 26th Senate District, played a pivotal role in securing nearly $15 million in state and city resiliency funds for Lower Manhattan. He has also repeatedly sought input from his constituents via community conventions and other forums and has tried to improve the way things work in Albany. As Executive Officer in the 9th Precinct, Captain Timoney was a valuable ally in the Alliance's efforts to make Lower Manhattan safer and more welcoming. He assisted the Alliance's public safety team with vendor enforcement, homeless outreach and made sure the Alliance was involved in addressing issues throughout the district. Warrie Price has helped to transform The Battery from a threadbare park into a showplace. Its perennial gardens, organic urban farming and robust storm water management have set a new standard for public landscape design and is a pivotal aspect of Lower Manhattan's bustling revitalization. Director Costas has helped to expand the Alliance's recycling program. The Alliance started with 16 recycling units. Now, with Costas' help, there are 174 units found throughout Lower Manhattan. "A Transformation at the Battery, 21 Years in the Making," New York Times, 5/27/15. "Mitchell J. Silver, the New York City parks commissioner, approved a proposal in February to shorten the name of Battery Park to the more historically concise Battery," says The New York Times. "The proposal began with Warrie Price, the president and founder of the private Battery Conservancy, which manages the park in partnership with the city. Directional signs installed around Peter Minuit Plaza, which abuts the south end of the park, already bear the shortened name." For the complete article, click here. "Man jumps to his death from downtown Manhattan luxury apartment building, is decapitated: witnesses," Daily News, 5/28/15. The Daily News reported that, "A man leaping from a luxury lower Manhattan apartment building met a grisly end Thursday when he was decapitated after crashing into a railing, horrified witnesses said. The unidentified man jumped from a West St. building at about 11 a.m., hitting the railing that borders Battery Place and the underpass that leads to FDR Drive. Flying body parts may have also hit or bounced off a Honda CRV that stopped short on the roadway and remained at the scene, witnesses said." For the complete article, click here. "One World Observatory Offers a Trio of Amusement Park Style Restaurants," Eater.com, 5/28/15. The One World Trade Observatory is now open along with "its trio of un-creatively named restaurants: One Cafe, One Mix, and One Dine," says Eater.com. "The trip to the top, complete with its lightening fast sky pod elevators and $32 entrance fee feels a bit like a downtown Manhattan amusement park and the restaurants seem to match that - only with truly spectacular views, particularly at sunset." For the complete article, click here.
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GOVERNORS ISLAND WEEKEND: May 30 and May 31
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| | Governors Island. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Governors Island is just 800 yards away from Manhattan, with historic forts, shady parkland, bicycle riding paths and cultural events. It open daily through Sept. 27.
May 30: Rite of Summer, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Nolan Park: Baritone John Brancy (First Prize Winner of the 2013 Marilyn Horne Song Competition) and pianist Peter Dugan present an afternoon of vocal music by Gershwin, Dvorak, Bernstein, Chopin and The Beatles.
Outdoorfest, Colonels Row. For more information, click here.
This summer The Dysfunctional Collective turns House 8B on Nolan Park in Governor's Island into a grab box of art, poetry, dance, theater and song. Each week new works will be offered, usually with a focus on Governors Island or New York City as a whole. Stop by weekends between 12 p.m.- 5 p.m. to explore the house and see photos and artwork from local artists. Have your picture snapped, hear a song, see a short play and explore the house with us. On May 30, "Parts & Labor Outfitters by Paul Montrone" & "Chairs by Shana Pederson." For more information, click here. Brooklyn ARTery: Brooklyn ARTery offers one-of-a kind, affordable and fine quality handmade merchandise from local artists and fair trade artisans worldwide. Brooklyn ARTery sells a variety of goods from handbags and jewelry to reclaimed merchandise, artisanal food, home decor, clocks, cards, housewares, health and beauty products, toys and games, and more. For more information, click here. Classes and tastings on Saturdays at Nolan Park Building 10B, 2 p.m-4 p.m. For the class schedule, click here.
Earth Matter Programs: Learn about composting and animal care. 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
May 31: Dysfunctional Theatre Performance: "Parts & Labor Outfitters by Paul Montrone" & "Chairs by Shana Pederson"; Nolan Park Building 8B, 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
NYU Student Film "Art Kibbutz": Building 6A, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. All weekend long:
Indoor Exhibits "The Gallery at Building 110"- LMCC: Building 110 upper level, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. "What's Happening on Governors Island": Building 110 upper level, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. "M�-Math: The Mobile Unit to Promote Mathematical Thinking": Building 11, 12 p.m.- 5 p.m. "2015 New York Electronic Art Festival" presented by Harvestworks: Building 5A & 5B, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Laws of Attraction" Sculptors Guild: Building 15, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. "Better Than Jam Handmade Gift Shop": Building 410A, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. "Brooklyn Artery": Building 10B, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. "Billion Oyster Project": Building 20A, 11 a.m.-5 p.m."The Art of Intuitive Photography" Building 16, 11 a.m.-6 p.m."The Holocenter's Summer Museum" The Center for Holographic Art: Building 19A, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.Admirals House open ActivitiesBike and Surrey Rentals: Blazing Saddles - Colonels Row, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free Art Island Outpost: Children's Museum of the Arts. Nolan Park Building 14, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Earth Matter Compost Learning Center, Enter at the Park Oval, 12 p.m.-4 p.m. GrowNYC's Teaching Garden, Enter at the Oval, 12 p.m.-4 p.m. National Park Service ActivitiesCastle Williams: Courtyard open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fort Jay: Courtyard Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.- "Explore Castle Williams"- Tours of Castle Williams, including a visit to the roof. Tours leave hourly on the bottom of the hour and last 30 minutes. 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - "An Island Star!" Every Hour; Tours are 30 minutes. 2:30 p.m. - "Hike through History" - Walking tour of the National Monument and Historic District. Meet at Soissons Landing. Tours last 90 minutes. Getting there: Ferries run from the Battery Maritime Terminal in Lower Manhattan all seven days and run from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 on Saturdays, Sundays, Memorial Day and Labor Day. There is a $2 round trip fare for adults and children over the age of 12. There is no fare on 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. ferries from Manhattan on Saturdays and Sundays. There is also no fare on the 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. ferry from Brooklyn on Saturdays and Sundays. These ferries are free to all. For more information, click here.
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Downtown bulletin board
CHORUS AUDITIONS; GET LOW TUESDAYS; JULY 4 FIREWORKS;
LMCC WORKSHOPS FOR ARTISTS; DOWNTOWN POST PORTFOLIO
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Last year's July 4 fireworks on the East River. This year, the Macy's fireworks show will again take place between Brooklyn Bridge and the Battery.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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Open auditions for Downtown Voices: Trinity Wall Street is looking for experienced volunteer singers to join Downtown Voices, a new choir bringing together the best professional and non-professional singers in the New York metro area. The choir will rehearse once a week and perform Benjamin Britten's St. Nicholas, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in the 2015-2016 season. Stephen Sands will direct. If you have choral experience and are interested in singing alongside members of the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, audition for Downtown Voices. Click here for more information on audition requirements.
Get Low Tuesdays: The Downtown Alliance has launched "#GETLOW Tuesdays," a new summer promotional campaign that will provide a 20 percent discount at nearly three dozen Lower Manhattan restaurants. In addition, participants who share the program using social media will be entered to win a four-day, three night trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Created by the Downtown Alliance, the program will be driven by social media. Participants can utilize 11 social media platforms to spread the word about the campaign, using the hashtag #GETLOW. Available platforms include: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Vine, Snapchat, Foursquare, Flickr, Pinterest and Tumblr. Participating restaurants are: 121 Fulton Street; Atrio Wine Bar | Restaurant; Barbalu Restaurant; Bavaria Bierhaus; Beckett's; Blackhound Bar; Church & Dey; Cowgirl SeaHorse; Da Claudio Ristorante & Salumeria; Dina Rata; The Dubliner; Felice 15 Gold Street; Financier Patisserie; Fresh Salt; GRK; Harry's Caf� and Steak; Industry Kitchen; Lonestar Empire; Lumpia Shack; Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina; Merchants River House; Nelson Blue; Pound & Pence; Ramen Burger; Red Hood Lobster Pound; St. George Tavern; Schnitz; Seaport Smorgasburg; Smorgas Chef; SouthwestNY Restaurant; Stone Street Tavern; and Watermark Bar & Lounge. The campaign is also receiving support from the Millennium Hilton and Hilton Amsterdam. To learn more, click here.
July 4 fireworks: This year's Fourth of July fireworks display, presented by Macy's, will again take place over the East River. The best places to see the show will be from Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and along the east side of Lower Manhattan. The light show starts at 9 p.m., but it would be best to arrive early. For more information, click here. LMCC's professional development workshops: Registration is now open for two of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's most popular professional development programs. Both the Artists Summer Institute and LMCC's Fundraising Fundamentals are designed to provide artists with expert advice, skills and knowledge on relevant topics that will enhance their practice. Fundraising Fundamentals consists of five free workshops in June and July during which participants learn the essentials of fundraising with a focus on arts funding sources, budgeting for proposals, grant writing, cultivating individual donors and more. Those who attend three or more workshops will be eligible for a free one-on-one grant writing consultation to start them off on the right foot to apply for grants. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The first workshop, The Funding Ecosystem is on Wednesday, June 3. For more information, and to register for the Fundraising Fundamentals series, click here. The Artists Summer Institute (ASI) in August offers a more comprehensive approach to managing an artistic practice and achieving long-term goals. ASI is a partnership program that brings together LMCC's Basic Finance for Artists (BFA) and Creative Capital's Professional Development Program (PDP) over five intensive days to help artists develop strategies for greater self-sufficiency and sustainability. ASI explores strategic planning and goal setting, verbal communications, marketing and promotion, financial management and business planning - and to a peer group of over 50 fellow artists working across disciplines, all in the bucolic setting of Governors Island. The demand for ASI is high and capacity is limited. Participants will be selected through a lottery process. To enter the lottery, register by clicking here. Registration closes on June 17.
Volunteer in Battery Park: Historic Battery Park is a 25-acre park at the southern end of Manhattan. It is under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and of the National Park Service because of the presence in the park of the Castle Clinton National Monument. The Battery Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization that works with the city, state and federal governments to enhance the park with a variety of architectural and horticultural projects. The Conservancy seeks volunteers to help maintain The Battery for the more than six million people who visit each year. They are needed to assist with gardening, greeting visitors, maintaining benches and surfaces and preparing for events. Volunteers usually work in the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March through October. For more information about how to volunteer, click here.
Focus groups and Town Hall meetings on aging: On June 3, the New York Academy of Medicine will be conducting a focus group on aging 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, hosted a town hall meeting on May 1 and is hosting one on June 5 to discuss issues affecting the elderly. The May 1 town hall was co-sponsored by Community Boards 1, 2 and 3 and took place at the City Hall Senior Center, 100 Gold St. 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. 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.
Downtown Post Portfolio: Downtown Post Portfolio is a regular feature in Downtown Post NYC, showcasing artists and photographers who live and/or work south of Canal Street or who create images (paintings, drawings, photographs) of Lower Manhattan. To have your work considered for publication in Downtown Post Portfolio, send up to seven high-resolution jpeg files attached to an email to editor@downtownpostnyc.com. (One of the photos should be a picture of you.) Several of these photos will be published in Downtown Post NYC, along with a short artist bio and a statement about the work submitted, including whether or not it is for sale and how to purchase it. Not all entries can be published. Copyright remains with the artist. Before publication, each contributor will be asked to sign a release stating that Downtown Post NYC has the right to publish the work in the emailed newsletter and in the Downtown Post archives, and that there is no payment.
Downtown Little League opening day photo gallery: The Downtown Little League kicked off its 2015 season on April 18. This year, there are 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. opened to the public on May 1. For photographs of the Whitney Museum's new building and of its opening exhibition, click here. South Street Seaport Museum Opening Day: The South Street Seaport Museum opened its 2015 season on April 25 with events on Pier 16 and activities for kids and their families in the lobby of the museum's 12 Fulton St. building. For photographs of the museum's opening day, click here. Downtown Post Portfolio: Jay Fine: Jay Fine is a New York City fine-art photographer and photojournalist, based in Lower Manhattan whose work was featured in Downtown Post Portfolio ( DPNYC, 5/6/15). To see some more of Fine's work on the Downtown Post NYC website, click here.
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COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of June 1
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A helicopter taking off from the Downtown Heliport. The helicopter problem is on Community Board 1's Financial District Committee agenda this week.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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All Community Board 1 meetings take place at 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709, starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Bring photo ID to enter the building.
June 2: Battery Park City Committee
* The New Agenda, application for BPCA permit for October (date to be determined) - Discussion
* 225 Liberty St., application for liquor license for WFC Bagel Ventures LLC (d/b/a Black Seed Bagels) - Resolution
* Battery Park City Authority Updates
* Maintenance of median areas
* Battery Park City Police Memorial
* Battery Park City Parks Conservancy
* Youth, Inc., application for BPCA permit for Saturday, October 17 - Discussion
* BPC Parks Enforcement Patrol - Update by Sergeant Phuchong Srisuro
* Bicycles and Pedestrians near the North Cove Marina - Resolution
* Street permit activity guidelines process - Discussion
The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits:
* 2 West Street, application for a renewal of liquor license for the Ritz Carlton Battery Park
June 3: Financial District Committee
* Use of Buildings 111, 112 and 114 on Governors Island by QC Terme Spa - Resolution
* 2 Rector St., application for waiver of rooftop recreation space required for residential conversion - Resolution
* Metropolitan College of New York's New Financial District Campus Coming in 2016 - Presentation by Vinton Thompson, President and Beth Dunphe, Chief Development Officer, MCNY
* Museum of American Finance - Presentation by David Cowen, President
* 180 Maiden Lane, application for liquor license for Maiden Lane Hospitality Group, LLC, d/b/a MLHG - Resolution
* 110 Wall St., application for liquor license for WW Service - Resolution
* 110 Wall St., application for liquor license for The Mailroom LLC - Resolution
* 101 Maiden Lane, application for beer license for 101 Maiden Tacos, LLC d/b/a Dos Toros - Resolution
* Helicopters - Resolution (NYC Economic Development Corporation invited)
The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits:
* 112 Liberty St., application for a renewal of wine and beer license for Survivors Inc. d/b/a Essex World Cafe
* 15 Stone St., application for a renewal liquor license for Mabb Inc. d/b/a Nebraska Steakhouse
* 7 Dey St., application for a renewal of wine and beer license for JY Food Corp. d/b/a Arome
* 85 West St., application for an alternation of liquor license for Marriott Hotel Services, Inc. and CCMH Fin Center LLC d/b/a New York Marriott Downtown
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POETS HOUSE'S ANNUAL FUNDRAISING WALK ACROSS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE ON JUNE 8 INCLUDES POETRY, INSPIRING VIEWS AND DINNER|
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The Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
On May 24, the Brooklyn Bridge turned 132 but this bridge is never old. It's a cathedral, a marvel of engineering, an affecting work of art. On June 8, hundreds of people will have a chance to see the bridge in the special light of sunset and to reflect on it through readings of poems inspired by the bridge when they join Poets House for its 20th Brooklyn Bridge poetry walk. |
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"The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme:1939" by Joseph Stella is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. For more about this painting, click here. |
The annual walk that benefits Poets House will be led by poet Richard Blanco, who read one of his poems at President Obama's inauguration in January 2013, and by actor Bill Murray. They and others will share city-centric poems at strategic points along the Bridgewalk. The bridge amble will be followed by a dinner (with more poetry readings) to be held at 26 Bridge, a historic foundry-turned-event space in DUMBO. This year's featured poets are Richard Blanco, Brooklyn Poet Laureate Tina Chang, Cornelius Eady, Edward Hirsch, Laura Kasischke, Thomas Lux, Ocean Vuong, and special guest Bill Murray.
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Galway Kinnell (1927-2014) reading Walt Whitman's
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry."
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As part of the dinner program, a short film in memory of poet Galway Kinnell (1927-2014) will honor his remarkable commitment to Poets House and the Bridgewalk over the many years that he contributed his unmistakable voice and boundless passion to this special event. The Poetry Walk is an annual benefit for Poets House, a 60,000-volume poetry library, national literary center and creative space at 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City. All proceeds support its programs and services, many of which are free to the public. Tickets for the Poetry Walk and dinner start at $250 ($225 for Poets House members). Reservations are required. For details or to make reservations, contact Krista Manrique at (212) 431-7920, ext. 2830 or krista@poetshouse.org.
Anyone interested in participating in the walk should sign in at 6 p.m. in the small park just outside of the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St. The walk will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Readings will take place in the park and on the Bridge and culminate with a sunset reading of Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by Richard Blanco beside Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn. The dinner following the walk will conclude around 9:30 p.m.
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CALENDAR: Weeks of May 25 and June 1
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| In April, lion dancers performed for the grand opening of Malaysian Kitchen, a restaurant at 21 South End Ave. in Battery Park City. On May 31, lion dancers will participate in a celebration of National Asian-Pacific Heritage Month at Ellis Island.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
May 31: To celebrate National Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, the Statue of Liberty National Monument is presenting three extraordinary performing companies representing the cultural heritage of China, India and Japan. The Chinese Lion Dance will be performed by the Chinese Freemason's Society of New York. A graceful and athletic display, the Lion Dance is a leading element of any Chinese New Year celebration and is held to be a blessing to anyone who sees it. Blending the traditions of classical Indian and folk dance with the world famous color and flash of Bollywood, The Ajna Performance Company highlights the cultural contributions that people of Indian descent have made to America. The final performance of the day will be from the Taikoza Drum and Dance Company. "Taikoza" translates to "big drums." In the Great Hall, where even a tiny drum can make a big sound, these drums and their drummers will create a show to remember. Place: Ellis Island. Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Get there via the Statue Cruises ferry. For more information on the ferry, click here.
June 5: The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra presents "Music at Melville" - a free concert of classical music in the South Street Seaport Museum's historic Melville Gallery. The program will include Divertimento, K. 136 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; selections from the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach; Ives at Sea, an arrangement of songs with a nautical theme by Charles Ives; and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. Place: 213 Water St. Time: 8 p.m. For more information, click here.
June 5: This is 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.
June 8: 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.
Ongoing: Celebrate summer with a sail aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's historic schooner, Pioneer, and get a new perspective on New York City. Bring a picnic lunch or dinner, snack, beverage or dessert. Pioneer was built in 1885 as an iron-hulled sloop to carry cargo along the Delaware River and is the oldest ship regularly sailing in New York Harbor. For more information or to buy tickets, stop by the museum's Visitor Service Center at 12 Fulton St. or ask the Museum's Associates on Pier 16. Afternoon Sails: Tuesday-Friday 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets: $38; $28 (museum members); $32 (students and seniors); $20 (children 2 to 11 years old); $5 (children uner 2 years old). Sunset Sails: Tuesday-Sunday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets: $45; $35 (museum members); $25 (children 2 to 11 years old); $10 (children under 2 years old). For more information or to buy tickets, click here. Ongoing: Governors Island is open daily through Labor Day. For a calendar of events, click here.
Ongoing: The historic lighthouse tender, Lilac, berthed at Pier 25 near North Moore Street in Hudson River Park, is hosting a three-month exhibition of artwork through Aug. 15. It focuses on three themes inspired by the ship's story - "Steam," "Work + Labor" and "Restoration/Reinvention." The exhibition features the work of more than 25 artists, with several site-specific installations. Performances, artist talks, film screenings, readings, community activities and educational events accompany the exhibition. For more information about the Lilac, click here. For a video about the Lilac, click here. For more about the art series, click here.
Ongoing: "America in Circulation: A History of US Currency Featuring the Collection of Mark R. Shenkman," an exhibition at the Museum of American Finance, showcases around 250 rare examples of American paper money accompanied by large, interactive touch screen displays. From Colonial times, American money has told a fascinating story of the country's struggles and successes. Often local and national currencies competed and coexisted with each other, while economic depression, war and counterfeiting drove constant advances in design. The exhibition spans the period from the Colonial era to the present day. Highlights include rare examples of currency bearing the signatures of signers of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence; a complete set of notes from the Educational Series of 1896, renowned for being the most beautiful paper money in American history; and rare examples of high denomination notes including $5,000 and $10,000 bills. Through March 2018. To see an online version of the exhibition, click here. Place: 48 Wall St. Museum is open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $8; $5 (students and seniors); free (museum members and kids 6 and under). 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: 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: 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.
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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
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