|
DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
|
|
|
|
Volume 2, No. 63 Aug. 29, 2015
|
Quote of the day:
"The volunteers are what keeps this boat going and also fulfills our mission as a teaching boat - making sure that the dying art of tall ship sailing doesn't die and gets passed on to the next generation."
- Kirsten Johnsrud, master of the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer, the oldest ship regularly to sail in New York Harbor.
* City commits $100 million to Lower Manhattan storm protection
* Kirsten Johnsrud, master of the Pioneer * Bits & Bytes: Trinity real estate; EDC staffing; AP moving to Battery Park City
* Downtown Bulletin Board: 9/11 commemoration at Manhattan Youth; Get Low Tuesdays
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of Aug. 31
* Calendar: Week of August 24
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, 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: Vanesse Thomas singing at the Blues BBQ in Hudson River Park.
Aug. 22, 2015. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CITY COMMITS $100M TO LOWER MANHATTAN STORM PROTECTION
|
| The entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel during Superstorm Sandy. (Photo: Jay Fine)
|
The ravages of Superstorm Sandy are still evident in Lower Manhattan, almost three years later. On Aug. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio along with Lower Manhattan elected officials and community leaders announced a new City capital commitment of $100 million to help protect Lower Manhattan from flooding. The money will be used to create integrated flood protection from Montgomery Street in the Two
|
| |
Mayor de Blasio announcing the City's $100 million allocation to protect Lower Manhattan from flooding. (Photo: Mayor's Office)
|
Bridges neighborhood to the northern end of Battery Park City, rounding the southern tip of Lower Manhattan. But that $100 million is only a part of what Lower Manhattan and the rest of the city need to ensure protection from sea level rise and future storms. The City is applying for additional funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's National Disaster Resilience Competition. This summer, New York City was selected to join Phase 2 of the competition, which was designed to improve resiliency in eligible communities across the country. If the City's application is successful, it could be eligible for up to $500 million in additional funding. "In Lower Manhattan and across the five boroughs, climate risks are only growing.," said de Blasio. "Every family and every neighborhood must be prepared - from ensuring New Yorkers have an emergency plan and 'go bags' at the ready, to working with our partners across government to move forward our comprehensive resiliency plan." This new City investment is in addition to the nearly $15 million for Lower Manhattan resiliency that the City announced in March 2015, which included $6.75 million from the City and State for preliminary design and environmental review and another $8 million in City capital funds for first-phase flood protection design and implementation in Battery Park. The flood protection and resiliency measures build on a commitment made earlier this year that will include coastal protection, storm water management, housing resiliency, and community co-benefits - including a focus on New York City Housing Authority developments and other multifamily buildings. The City will release a Request for Proposals in September and undertake an extensive community engagement process to shape the final design. The new flood protection system will complement the City's comprehensive $20 billion resiliency plan already under way around the five boroughs. The City, in collaboration with partners such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has already implemented a number of short-term resiliency measures, such as additional sand and dunes on the City's beaches and repairs and improvements to City facilities, boardwalks, and other infrastructure. "Lower Manhattan was one of the areas hit hardest by Sandy, as whole neighborhoods from the Seaport to Battery Park City found themselves underwater," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "These neighborhoods are the historic, civic, and economic heart of our city, which is why comprehensive resiliency investments here are so critical." "We have made great strides, but the fight to fully restore and protect our neighborhoods from the next big storm is far from over," said City Councilmember Margaret Chin, who represents District 1. |
| |
South Ferry subway station after Superstorm Sandy. (Photo: Courtesy of the MTA)
|
Many subway lines converge in Lower Manhattan, and the financial district is here. "We learned from Sandy that when Lower Manhattan is inundated, all of New York and the entire tri-state area feel the pain," said Catherine McVay Hughes, chair of Community Board 1. "Work places are closed, transit shuts down, and the economic engine of our prosperity shuts down. This $100 million is the first real step on a road to keeping that engine running." Jessica Lappin, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York, remembered that after Sandy, "The New Yorkers who power our economy couldn't get to work." She said, "We need, and are grateful for, this substantial long-term investment in our future." But, she warned, "There are no quick fixes or easy solutions." U.S. Senator Charles Schumer vowed to "continue to fight for every penny of federal funding to make Lower Manhattan stronger and better prepared for the next storm." - Terese Loeb Kreuzer|
| |
Fulton Street in the South Street Seaport on Feb. 27, 2013. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
|
|
KIRSTEN JOHNSRUD, MASTER OF THE PIONEER
|
| | Kirsten Johnsrud, the master of the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
The South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer, was Kirsten Johnsrud's "first love." It was on this boat 18 years ago that she first went sailing and decided that she wanted to become a sailor instead of working at "a horrible job on Wall Street." So that's what she did. She learned the basics as a volunteer on the Pioneer, and three years after that first momentous encounter with sailing, got her first (of many) captain's licenses. Today, she is back on her beloved ship - this time as its master. She was appointed Master on July 1. Her contract will carry her through the end of this season - sometime in late September or early October - and then, she said, "we'll negotiate." |
| |
Pioneer on the Hudson River during Op Sail in 2012.
|
Johnsrud is the sixth female captain of the Pioneer. The first one was Dianne Glennon in the 1980's. "She was one of the very early female captains," said Johnsrud. She explains her love of sailing by saying that it's "very interesting and challenging to wrap your head around the puzzle of how to make a boat go somewhere just using the wind when the wind is incredibly fluky and hard to follow. I just think it's a fascinating thing to do. I also love the people who sail on the old boats. I think they're very interesting, quirky - big characters."
Johnsrud, 48, a fourth generation Greenwich Villager, graduated from Stuyvesant High School and from Oberlin College, where she double majored in biology and neuroscience. Her life as a sailor has carried her far from those origins. She has sailed in the Caribbean, in New England, from Mexico to Hawaii to California, and in the Mediterranean.
The Pioneer generally ventures no further than New York harbor but its mission as a teaching vessel carries it backward and forward in time, if not in place. In addition to a small paid crew, Pioneer is manned by volunteers such as Johnrud was when she first came aboard.
"The volunteers are what keeps this boat going," she said, "and also fulfills our mission as a teaching boat - making sure that the dying art of tall ship sailing doesn't die and gets passed on to the next generation so that this boat has people sailing her a hundred years from now. If we don't teach it, people won't know how to do it."
As she speaks, she watches one of the volunteers coil a long rope, carefully piling the loops on top of each other so that they will unfurl without snarling when needed.
That's the way it's done. That's the way it's always been done and will be done as long as there are tall ships and people who want to sail them.
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer For information about sailing on Pioneer or to buy tickets, click here.
|
| |
Volunteers and crew on a sunset sail aboard Pioneer.
|
|
Bits & Bytes
TRINITY REAL ESTATE; BMCC STUDENT GETS SECOND CHANCE; EDC STAFFING; AP MOVING TO BATTERY PARK CITY; SOUTHBRIDGE TOWERS
|
| | Capt. Aaron Singh and a New York Harbor School student aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's 1893 schooner, Lettie G. Howard. Harbor School students will now be studying New York City history at the Seaport Museum thanks to a newly funded after-school program. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
"What is Trinity Real Estate selling?" TheRealDeal.com, 8/21/15. "In 1705, England's Queen Anne donated 215 acres of prime Manhattan farmland to Trinity Church," says The Real Deal. "In the years since, Trinity sold off a large chunk of those holdings, but still owns a sizable portfolio of prime commercial real estate concentrated in Hudson Square. And it's now in play. Earlier this month, Trinity took bids for a 5 million-square-foot, 11-building portfolio in Hudson Square. Suitors include some of the city's biggest real estate players such as SL Green Realty and Vornado Realty Trust. Sources familiar with the offering told The Real Deal that Trinity offered a 49 percent stake on 75-year leaseholds for the properties, and said the stake could go for about $3 billion." The Real Deal profiles exactly what's in play. For the complete article, click here. "Young Man's Felony Plea Tossed in Interest of Justice," New York Law Journal, 8/26/15. "A state judge has dismissed a felony conviction against a young man with severe mental health and drug problems who stood a good chance of going to prison," says the New York Law Journal. "Manhattan Acting Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber said he found 'compelling' reasons in People v. Brian M., Ind. No. 1597/13, to circumvent the strict letter of the law in the interests of justice. Thus, he took the unusual step of granting a Clayton motion pursuant to CPL �240.10." The young man has "completed therapeutic programs, has enrolled in college, is employed full-time, remains drug free and 'has a handle' on his mental health and substance abuse issues," says the New York Law Journal. "In September 2014, he enrolled full-time in the Borough of Manhattan Community College, re-established his relationship with his family and maintained his sobriety." BMCC is at 199 Chambers St. in Lower Manhattan. For the complete article, click here. "De Blasio's new economic-development czar appoints senior staff," Crain's New York Business, 8/26/15. "The newly anointed head of the city's Economic Development Corp. is staffing up-and is filling a new real estate post with the senior adviser of a key deputy mayor," says Crain's New York Business. "Maria Torres-Springer, who was plucked in June from her post leading the city's Department of Small Business Services to helm the EDC, announced three new members of her senior staff Wednesday." According to Crain's, "Carolee Fink will oversee the corporation's real estate activity in the newly created role of chief development officer. The EDC is tasked with a variety of development-related functions such as the dispensing of city property, planning new developments and vetting companies to take on large-scale projects such as the Hunters Point South development in Long Island City, Queens-the final phase of which is still in the works." The other appointments are "Euan Robertson, who most recently served as first deputy commissioner at the Department of Small Business Services, was named the EDC's chief operating officer" and "James Katz, who had been EDC's director of policy and planning since January 2014," and who "will now serve as Ms. Springer's chief of staff." For the complete article, click here. "The Associated Press will move to a smaller HQ across from 1 WTC," Crain's New York Business, 8/26/15. Crain's reports that, "The Associated Press plans to move its global headquarters from Manhattan's far West Side to a smaller space across the street from the World Trade Center site, the news cooperative's president said Wednesday. The move, planned for early 2017, would bring the AP to 200 Liberty St., which is across the street from the Sept. 11 memorial. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, the building was known as One World Financial Center." For the complete article, click here. "Maman's Tribeca Location Will Offer Tapas and Cocktails," GrubStreet.com, 8/28/15. "The rumors are true: Maman - the French caf� that got its start on Centre Street, and has already expanded to Toronto - is opening a third location at 211 West Broadway," says Grub Street. "The 2,000-square-foot, 50-seat space will extend beyond the snacks-and-baked-goods offerings that have made Maman a hit. Like the Two Hands expansion, this will be Maman 2.0, with expanded dining areas, a full bar, an 'Ap�ro � la Francaise' tapas-style dinner menu, and weekend brunch service." For the complete article, click here. Southbridge Towers privatization battle is over: The long fight over the Mitchell-Lama subsidized Southbridge Towers co-op is over. The shareholders who want to take the apartment complex out of the Mitchell-Lama program, enabling the apartments to be sold at market rates, have won. Those who opposed this move have concluded that a legal appeal "is not advisable." The Attorney General's office has notified all interested parties that it will accept the SBT Board of Directors Effectiveness Amendment for filing. The nine-building complex just west of the South Street Seaport has 1,651 apartments. Under the Mitchell-Lama subsidies that had been in effect since the buildings opened in 1970, some of these apartments had been purchased for as little as $5,000 and cost their owners less than $1,000 a month in fees . The apartments are expected to sell for a half million dollars and up on the open market.- Terese Loeb KreuzerSouth Street Seaport Museum expands educational programming: Via an after-school program called "Discover Your City's History," students at the New York Harbor School on Governors Island will be learning more about New York City history thanks to a $20,000 grant from Cultural After School Arts (CASA) to the South Street Seaport Museum, which will teach the students. The Discover Your City's History (DYCH) After School Program - a CASA initiative - consists of two components, music and visual arts, and a one year, 32-week, after-school residency. The New York Harbor School, which focuses on marine science and technology, serves a diverse group of 435 students from neighborhoods across the city. All current students at Harbor School enroll in traditional New York State Regents-based academic courses and one of six career and technical education (CTE) programs of study. As they prepare for college and train for industry, students cultivate an ethic of environmental stewardship and learn about and work toward protecting, conserving, and restoring the environment. The South Street Seaport Museum's school programs serve K-12 students throughout the New York City Metro Area. A special effort is made to offer programming to schools within Council District 1, as well as to students from New York City's under-resourced public schools. Education programs at the Seaport Museum focus on telling the story of the Seaport - the people who lived and worked there, the ships that called there, and the trades practiced there, both now and in centuries past. While making personal connections between their own life stories and the narrative of the Seaport, participants also learn how the waterfront continues today to serve as a vital natural resource, an economic engine, and an inspiration to artists and maritime professionals.
|
Downtown bulletin board
9/11 COMMEMORATION AT MANHATTAN YOUTH; SEPT. 10 COMMEMORATION AT 9/11 MUSEUM; TRIBECA MEET & GREET
|
| The exuberant gable of one of the 17th-century houses that line the canals and streets of old Amsterdam. Win a four-day trip to Amsterdam via the Downtown Alliance's "Get Low Tuesdays" promotion. Tuesday, Sept. 1, is the last day to participate.
(Photo credit: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
Get Low Tuesdays: The Downtown Alliance's "#GETLOW Tuesdays" ends on Sept. 1. The summer promotional campaign has provided a 20 percent discount at nearly three dozen Lower Manhattan restaurants. In addition, participants who share the program using social media could win a four-day, three night trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Created by the Downtown Alliance, the program is 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 Hook 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.9/11 Commemoration at Manhattan Youth: On Sept. 11, Manhattan Youth will hold what has become an annual event to commemorate 9/11. "Join with your neighbors as we share memories, music by the Tribeca Chamber Players and refreshments by Chef David Bouley," says the announcement. "This year, we again wish to honor the memory of Rev. William Grant, who worked hand in hand with Manhattan Youth for many years to organize these events, and who did so much to help our community heal." At 7 p.m., there will be music followed by conversation and refreshments at 7:30 p.m. and more music at 8:15 p.m. To attend the event, a $5 donation to the 9/11 Memorial Museum is requested. Place: Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St. To make a donation and reserve a ticket, click here. For more information, call (212) 766-1104 and dial O. The 14th annual Battery Park City block party is scheduled this year for Sept. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the plaza next to North Cove Marina. If you want a table at the block party to promote your business or organization, contact Ava Garrett at avagarrett@hotmail.com. Tables cost $25 for businesses and are free to not-for-profit organizations and public schools. Battery Park City businesses and members of the Battery Park City Chamber get first preference. Battery Park underpass closure: Due to planned maintenance, the south tube of the Battery Park underpass, from West Street to the FDR Drive, will be closed during the early morning hours from Tues., Aug. 25 through Sat., Sept. 12, except Labor Day weekend. Closures will be from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday - Friday and 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday. Consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time. For more information, click here. Sept. 10 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum: On the evening of Sept. 10, the 9/11 Memorial Museum invites 9/11 and 1993 family members, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, active duty first responders, 9/11 survivors, and lower Manhattan residents and business owners to come to the museum between 5 p.m. to closing for a special gathering of remembrance for the 9/11 community. The Museum will be reserved exclusively for this group. If you are a member of one of these groups, you can reserve your free ticket(s) to visit the Museum by going to 911memorial.org/September10 or by calling (212) 266-5211. Due to limited availability, advance reservations are strongly advised. OHNY seeks volunteers for October Open House Weekend: Open House New York is assembling a team of more than 1,000 volunteers for OHNY Weekend, Oct. 17 and 18. Each year, OHNY Weekend opens up hundreds of buildings and sites throughout the five boroughs for two days of tours and talks with architects, urban designers, historians, city officials, and others. One of the country's largest architecture and design festivals, OHNY Weekend is a celebration of New York's built environment and an unparalleled opportunity to experience the city. OHNY Weekend volunteers help at one of the several hundred participating sites and tours to welcome visitors from across New York and around the world and to assist with check-in and manage lines. Volunteer for one shift (average length of four hours) and receive a Volunteer Passport - which gives you and a friend front-of-the-line access to all sites that do not require advance reservations during OHNY Weekend - as well as a limited-edition 2015 OHNY Weekend t-shirt. For more information go to www.ohny.org or email volunteer@ohny.org. To sign up, click here.
Tribeca Meet & Greet: Tribeca Meet & Greet resumes on Tuesday, Sept. 1 with an informal get-together at Chambers Pottery, 153 Chambers St., between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. (Take the elevator to the second floor.) Tribeca Meet & Greet meets in a different Tribeca restaurant or business about once a month to exchange ideas, do some networking and have a drink with the neighbors. Some people show up for the full evening, some just drop by to say hello. Frankly Wines at 66 West Broadway provides beverages and MaxDelivery brings nibblybits. At this get-together, representatives from the office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will be giving out information about an upcoming a Lower Manhattan Small Business Roundtable and would appreciate feedback. "Please feel free to bring business cards, menus, flyers and other information about you and your business," said David Cleaver of the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, organizer of the event. "Everybody's welcome and this is a free event." "Chambers Pottery is a lovely space to create your own works of art," Cleaver said of the venue for this meeting. "They teach beginners and more experienced craftspeople, with special classes for children, birthday parties and corporate team-building events." For more information, or to make a contribution call Cleaver at (212) 220-1459.
South Street Seaport Museum's Mini Mates program expands: The South Street Seaport Museum begins a new fall session of the Mini Mates program with an expanded schedule. Sessions will be held on Thursdays and Fridays from Sept. 10 to Nov. 20. The expanded schedule will allow more families to participate while keeping class size to no more than 12 students per class. Families can sign up for Thursdays and/or Fridays, as both days will offer the same program. This program, aimed at children ages 18 months to 4 years and their parents or caregivers, is designed to encourage adults to engage in fun and educational activities with their children under the guidance of a museum educator. Themes include holidays, the changing seasons, nature, and the Seaport neighborhood. Time: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cost for one class per week, $275; $550 (for two classes per week). Drop-in Open Play, open to Mini Mates participants only, will be held on Wednesdays, Sept. 9-Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a $100 additional optional fee for access to space during Open Play time. All Museum Family Members will receive a 10% discount. To reserve space in Mini Mates, email education@seany.org or call (212) 748-8753. Registration is now open.
Downtown Boathouse: Through the end of August, the Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park (near North Moore Street) offers free kayaking on weekday evenings from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday kayaking runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through mid-October, weather permitting. In addition, the Downtown Boathouse offers free kayaking classes on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Sept. 2 the topic will be local conditions. For more information about the Downtown Boathouse, which is run by volunteers, click here.
Affordable housing in District 1: The Related Company will soon be marketing 22 affordable housing units at 456 Washington St. There will be five studio apartments, six one-bedroom apartments and 11 two-bedroom apartments, all designed to be affordable to households at 60 percent of the area median income. Current residents of the area represented by Community Board 1 will get preference for half of the units. An additional 5 percent of the apartments will be set aside for municipal employees. Five percent will go to applicants with mobility impairments and 2 percent will be for applicants with visual or hearing impairments. The program will be advertised as Bridge Land West LLC, with marketing slated to begin at the beginning of August. Applicants will be able to apply online at www.nyc.gov/housingconnect.
Tom Goodkind, a member of Community Board 1 who once headed its now defunct Housing Committee, writes, "To be eligible for this affordable housing, your annual household income must be below 60 percent of the area median income. That means that your income can be no more than $51,780 (family of four); $46,620 (family of three); $41,460 (family of two); $36,300 (individual)."
Downtown Post Portfolio: Downtown Post Portfolio is a 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.
Independence Day in Lower Manhattan photo gallery: The Independence Day celebration in Lower Manhattan started on July 1 with the arrival of the Hermione at Pier 15 in the South Street Seaport. Hermione is a replica of the 18th-century frigate that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to the U.S. colonies in March/April of 1780. Also at Pier 15, El Gale�n, hosted parties and tours. It is a replica of a 16th-century Spanish ship such as Ponce de L�on would have sailed when he landed on the east coast of Florida 500 years ago. On July 4, there were fireworks over the East River. For photos of some of the Independence Day celebrations, click here.
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.
South Street Seaport Museum on Schermerhorn Row: To see photographs of some of the
|
| An exhibit at the South Street Seaport Museum in 2012 included some of the equipment that fishmongers would have used in and around South Street: scales for weighing fish, hand trucks, a crude sled and grappling hooks.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
artifacts inside the South Street Seaport Museum's premises on Schermerhorn Row and photos of past exhibitions, 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.
|
|
|
COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of Aug. 31
|
| | Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee will get an update on the Ritz-Carlton hotel. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Community Board 1's meetings take place in the Municipal Building, Conference Room 1, Centre Street, Room 2202A-North starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building. Sept. 1: Battery Park City Committee * US Postal Service - Update by Wanda Santos, New York District Manager, Marketing * 225 Liberty St., application for liquor license for WFC Bagel Ventures LLC (d/b/a Black Seed Bagels) - Resolution * BPC Parks Enforcement Patrol - Update by Sergeant Phuchong Srisuro * BPC Parks Conservancy - Update on update on median and eastern border maintenance and planting * Battery Park City Authority - Update on rat problems * Ritz-Carlton Hotel Status - Residents report by Sol Reischer * New Business The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits: * 225 Liberty St., 18-20th floors, application for removal of restaurant liquor license for Aramark Corporation (corporate catering) * 250 Vesey St., 3rd Floor, application for catering liquor license for Restaurant Associates, LLC * 4 World Financial Center, application for a renewal of a restaurant liquor license for PJ Clarke's on the Hudson LLC Sept. 2: Financial District Committee * Broadway Reconstruction - Update by Eirik Rundhovde, Resident Engineer and Liz Baptiste, Community Construction Liaison * Elizabeth Berger Plaza renovation - Presentation by George Vellonakis, Landscape Architect, NYC Parks Department * Governors Island Alliance Activities - Update by Connie Fishman, Executive Director * Proposed Expansion of No Vending Zone - Presentation by Captain Leighton Myrie, Executive Officer of the World Trade Center Command - Resolution * Earth Matter - Presentation by Marisa DeDominicis, Co-founder, President and Director & Wylie Goodman, Advisory Board, Development * Street Co-Naming application, submitted by Bowling Green Association, to co-name Bowling Green Plaza as Evacuation Day Plaza - Possible resolution * NEC Barclay St. and West Broadway, application for a newsstand - Resolution * 85 Broad St., application for a liquor license for LPQ 85 Broad INC, d/b/a Le Pain Quotidien - Resolution * 17 Trinity Place, application for a beer license for 18 Pizza LLC, d/b/a Bravo kosher - Resolution * 130 Water St., application for a wine and beer license for New Water Caf�, Inc - Resolution * 108 Greenwich St., application for a liquor license for Suspenders and Belt LLC, d/b/a Suspenders Restaurant - Resolution * 388 Greenwich St., application for removal of catering license for the sale of beer, wine and liquor from 399 Park Avenue to 388 Greenwich Street for Aramark - Resolution * 1 Battery Park Plaza, application for a wine and beer license for Coffee House Holdings, Inc, d/b/a Starbucks Coffee #7244 - Resolution * 55 Broad St., application for a wine and beer license for Coffee House Holdings, Inc, d/b/a Starbucks Coffee #7416 - Resolution The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits * 54 Pearl St., renewal for an unenclosed sidewalk caf� for The Porter House at Frances Tavern * Castle Clinton, Battery Park, renewal application for a liquor license for Statue Cruises LLC d/b/a Miss Getaway * 17 John St., renewal application for a liquor license for The Irish America * 85 West St., renewal application for a liquor license for Marriott Hotel Services, INC & CCMH FIN Center, LLC * 55 Stone St., renewal application for a liquor license for 55 Stone Street * 79 Pearl St., renewal application for a liquor license for RET Ventures LTD, d/b/a Route 66 American BBQ * 114 Liberty St., renewal application for a wine and beer license for Dronto Pizza * 10 Murray St., renewal application for a wine and beer license for Empire Asian Cuisine * 3 Hanover Sq., Store 2 & 3, renewal application for a wine and beer license for Taste of Tokyo Inc. * 87-89 Greenwich St., renewal application for a wine and beer license for Rector Street Food Enterprises LTD, d/b/a Georges * 72 Nassau St., renewal application for a wine and beer license for Zaitzeff Corp
|
|
|
CALENDAR: Week of Aug. 24
|
| |
Fishing from Pier 25 in Hudson River Park. Sunday, Aug. 30, is the last day for this year's free catch-and-release fishing program. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
Aug. 30: Hudson River Park's Big City Fishing program is for anglers as young as five who learn both how to fish and about the Hudson River environment. HRP provides the rods, reels, bait and instruction for catch-and-release fishing. Beyond teaching fishing, the program also provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to learn about river ecology and the many fish species that can be found in the river. Place: Pier 25 at North Moore Street. Time: 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Spirits of the Passage: Stories of the Transatlantic Slave Trade" on the museum ship Lilac at Hudson River Park's Pier 25 discusses aspects of the maritime trade in African slaves combined with profiles of slaves, former slaves, abolitionists and others whose lives were touched by this global traffic. The exhibit was created by the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum ( www.melfisher.org) in Key West, Fla. Lilac received key funding from the Sandy Hook Pilots' Association ( www.sandyhookpilots.com) to bring this exhibit to New York. Through Sept. 27. The ship is open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and
Sundays. Lilac is the last steam-powered lighthouse tender in America and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Launched on May 26, 1933, she carried supplies to lighthouses and maintained buoys for the U.S. Lighthouse Service and then the U.S. Coast Guard until she was decommissioned in 1972. For more information about Lilac, click here.
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 Governors Island events and activities, 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. Lobby access: Fridays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For private tours of Schermerhorn Row and its old hotels, email info@seany.org.Buy tickets now: Open House New York is hosting boat tours of 3.8-mile Newtown Creek on Sept. 3. In the years leading up to World War II, Newtown Creek was one of the busiest commercial waterways in the United States, second only to the Mississippi River in tonnage. As the dividing line between Brooklyn and Queens, Newtown Creek is now at the center of some of the most rapidly changing neighborhoods in the city. The tour will cover the history of Newtown Creek, the bridges that cross it, the thriving industrial districts that line its banks, and prospects for its future. Frank Loncar of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection will discuss Greenpoint's iconic Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant - the largest of 14 in the city - followed by a discussion of the area's industrial legacy with Newtown Creek Alliance Historian Mitch Waxman and Program Manager Will Elkins. The tours will be aboard New York Water Taxi, leaving from the East 35th Street ferry terminal. Time: tours at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets: $40 (general admission); $30 (OHNY members); $75 (special combo of one general admission and one OHNY Friend membership). To buy tickets, click here.
Buy tickets now: The 23rd annual Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition takes place on Sunday, Sept. 6 (Labor Day Weekend). Tugboats and their crews race down the Hudson River and then engage in nose-to-nose stand-offs (a test of power), a line toss, and other events such as competitions for the best tattoo and best mascot. A Circle Line spectator boat accompanies the race, with partisans for each tugboat cheering lustily. The Circle Line Sightseeing Boat leaves from Pier 83 (at West 42nd Street and the Hudson River) at 9:30 a.m. Boarding begins at 9 a.m. Tickets: $25 (adults); $20 (seniors, 64+); $12 (children); free (2 and under). To buy tickets, click here Brooklyn: Aug. 30: The Battle of Brooklyn (sometimes called the Battle of Long Island) in August 1776 was the largest single battle of the American Revolution. The 239th anniversary of the battle on Aug. 27, 1776, will be commemorated throughout the week and on Aug. 30 at Green-Wood Cemetery, where part of the battle was fought. For more information, click here. The first major conflict after the United States declared independence on July 4, 1776, the Battle of Brooklyn took place around six weeks later. British forces had landed at Gravesend Bay in August, and on Aug. 27, they attacked General George Washington and his Continental Army. Weakened by casualties and outnumbered, the Americans retreated to Brooklyn Heights. On the evening of Aug. 29, General George Washington engineered a famous, daring escape, ferrying the entire Continental army of 9,000 men across the East River to safety in Manhattan without a single casualty.
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
