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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC 
 
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
 
 
Volume 2, No. 69  Oct. 9, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE

Quote of the day: 
"'We will have no choice but to negotiate the sale of the ship to a responsible recycler.'"
     - A statement from the S.S.United States Conservancy about its last-ditch efforts to save the iconic ship - the fastest ocean liner ever built. It was designed by William Gibbs, whose office was at 21 West St. in Lower Manhattan.          

* Assault and attempted robbery in Battery Park City
* Howard Hughes to return to Landmarks Preservation Commission on Oct. 20 
* Bits & Bytes: South Street Seaport bookstore; S.S. United States near the scrap heap
* Downtown Bulletin Board: Basketball League; Pier 26; Urban gardening symposium
* Letter to the editor: Help get the Zadroga Act renewed - Contact Congress!
* Community Board 1: No�l Jefferson retires from CB1 after 10 years of service
* Community Board 1 meetings: Week of Oct. 12
* Calendar: Weeks of Oct. 5 and Oct. 12
 
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MASTHEAD PHOTO: Autumn garden: Japanese anemone and oak leaf hydrangea blooming on Kowsky Plaza in Battery Park City. Oct. 4, 2015 (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) 



ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED ROBBERY IN BATTERY PARK CITY      
The dog run on North End Avenue.  (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

On Oct. 7 around 7:40 p.m., a 15-year-old Battery Park City resident who was walking his family's dogs on North End Avenue was assaulted by two boys who pepper sprayed him and tried to steal his cellphone.

The young man reported that as he was on his way to the dog run, he noticed the two boys, who were on Citi Bikes, watching him from across the street. They rode toward him and asked him for the time. He pulled out his cellphone and told them. One of the boys then asked if he could use the phone to call his mother. When the young man said no, the other boy pepper sprayed him in the face and tried to grab the phone. An adult who lives in the community - a neighbor - noticed what was happening and came immediately to help the boy. The First Precinct police department and paramedics were called and responded.

The two assailants rode away down Warren Street and were not apprehended. The boy who was assaulted said that he did not recognize them as being Battery Park City residents. Fortunately, he was uninjured.

The NYPD has stated that what happened - asking for the time and then trying to steal a cellphone - is among the scams in use throughout the city to facilitate robberies.

In Battery Park City, the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEPs) polices the parks and the First Precinct is in charge of policing everything else. The two work in conjunction with each other. To report a problem to the First Precinct,  call (212) 334-0611. The local PEPS police number is (212) 417-3100. The Battery Park City Authority also wants to be notified of security issues or any other concerns. The contact person is Robin Forst, vice president of external relations. She can be reached at (212) 417-2276| or by email at [email protected]



HOWARD HUGHES TO RETURN TO LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION WITH REVISED PIER 17 PLANS ON OCT. 20  
On Aug. 4, 2015, Gregg Pasquerelli, a principal in SHoP architects, Christopher Curry, senior executive vice president of The Howard Hughes Corporation and other members of the HHC team listened to testimony at the Landmarks Preservation Commission opposing HHC's proposals for Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport. A few of those who testified supported HHC's proposals. Most opposed them. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

For years, The Howard Hughes Corporation, a Dallas-based developer with long-term leases on parts of the South Street Seaport, has been cagey about its plans and proposals for the area, and that continues. Pressed repeatedly by Community Board 1 and others for a master plan describing what it wanted to do in the Seaport, HHC executives repeatedly denied that there was a master plan and has rolled out its proposals piecemeal.

HHC is currently constructing a new shopping mall on Pier 17. This, it will discuss but has avoided providing any detailed information about other parts of the Seaport where it has leaseholds or options. Reluctantly, it had to admit that it had its sights set on the New Market Building, which dates from 1939, and which it said it would like to demolish in order to erect a 495-foot-tall luxury apartment tower. This did not sit well with many members of the South Street Seaport community, with landmarks preservation groups and with some elected officials, most notably Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilmember Margaret Chin.  

The latest is that Paul Hovitz, a resident of Southbridge Towers and a member of Community Board 1, said that he had run into Chris Curry, senior executive vice president of The Howard Hughes Corporation, on Fulton Street on Oct. 5, and that Curry had told him that "the tower is off the table. They will not even be building 20 stories high."

However, Curry would not confirm that. An email to him on Oct. 7 from Downtown Post NYC asking for confirmation elicited a response from a spokesperson at BerlinRosen, the public relations firm that represents Howard Hughes, saying there was "no news."

Meanwhile, the Pier 17 saga continues to unfold. On Aug. 4, 2015, HHC appeared before the Landmarks Preservation Commission to discuss the latest iteration of its plans for Pier 17, which have been altered several times since they were first introduced and approved by LPC and others in the approval chain for modifications to city-owned property.

Peter Davies at the Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on changes proposed by The Howard Hughes Corporation to Pier 17. Davies is holding up a rendering of the Pier 17 roof as a concert venue. The image was taken from a filing that The Howard Hughes Corporation made with the SEC.
On Aug. 4, the HHC team said that it wanted to place a canopy over the roof of Pier 17 to provide protection for the roof and facilitate year-round use. HHC also asked permission to demolish the Link Building and Head House on Pier 17 and to create a glass facade for all four sides of the shopping mall.

The canopy proved to be the most contentious issue. Brewer and Chin issued a joint statement opposing it. Among their concerns was that the canopy would lead to more private use of the rooftop space and less accessibility for the public. Assemblymember Sheldon Silver also went on record opposing the canopy, saying that the community he represented did not want to see the rooftop of Pier 17 turned into a private entertainment venue.

Now, The Howard Hughes Corporation is about to return to the Landmarks Preservation Commission with a revised proposal for Pier 17. The canopy has been discarded. The next hearing will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the Municipal Building, 1 Centre St., 9th floor, at a time that has not yet been announced. 

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Commissioners Frederick Bland, Meenakshi Srinivasan (chair of the Landmarks Preservation Committee) and Wellington Chen listening to testimony on Aug. 4, 2015 regarding The Howard Hughes Corporation's proposed changes to Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport.




Bits & Bytes
SEAPORT BOOKSTORE; HUDSON RIVER BRIDGE PROPOSAL; LAST DITCH FIGHT TO SAVE THE S.S. UNITED STATES FROM BEING SCRAPPED   
The S.S. United States was designed by William Gibbs, whose office was at 21 West St. in Lower Manhattan. It remains the fastest ocean liner ever built.
(Photo courtesy of the SS United States Conservancy)

"Howard Hughes Corp. snags bookstore for Seaport,"
TheRealDeal.com, 10/7/15. "A Soho-based bookstore will soon join the South Street Seaport, and it might even be bringing a speakeasy," says The Real Deal. "McNally Jackson Books inked a lease with the Howard Hughes Corporation to open a bookstore and caf� on Schermerhorn Row. The bookstore, which first arrived on Prince Street in 2004, is poised to open its new location in 2017." For the complete article, click here.

"Could a Pedestrian Bridge Connect Jersey to Lower Manhattan?" Curbed.com, 10/7/15. "New Jersey can sometimes feel like it's a world away from New York City, but in reality, it's only a few miles from Jersey City to Manhattan-the Hudson River crossing itself is only about a mile. And one Jersey City resident wants to breach that divide in a unique way: with a pedestrian bridge," says Curbed.com. "Kevin Shane, who came up with the idea, worked with Jersey-based Jeff Jordan Architects to conceptualize plans for a Hudson River crossing called the Liberty Bridge that would begin in JC, cross the Hudson River, and end in Battery Park City." For the complete article, with renderings, click here.

"Friends of the S.S. United States Send Out a Last S.O.S.," New York Times, 10/7/15. For several reasons, the fate of the S.S. United States - still acclaimed as the fastest ocean liner in the world - is a Lower Manhattan story. Its designer, the brilliant naval architect William Gibbs, had an office at 21 West St. Gibbs so loved the S.S. United States that whenever she was in New York, he would go the pier to watch her arrive and depart. The S.S. United States was not only the fastest ocean liner that has ever been built, it was built to fireproofing standards that even exceeded what are now in force today. Says The New York Times of this superb vessel,  it was "A Titanic-sized supership that once ferried presidents, Hollywood royalty, actual royalty and even the Mona Lisa" but now its owners are "racing to avoid having the ship, the S.S. United States, relegated to the junk heap. A preservationist group, the S.S. United States Conservancy, saved the vessel from being scrapped a few years ago. Its members are working with a developer to give the mothballed vessel a new life as a stationary waterfront real-estate development in New York City, the ship's home port in her heyday. Their big dreams, however, now face a financial crisis: Short of money, the conservancy in recent days formally authorized a ship broker to explore the potential sale to a recycler. In other words, the preservationists might have to scrap their vessel...The conservancy continues to seek out donors, investors or a buyer to preserve the ship and press forward with development. But unless something happens by Oct. 31, the group said in a statement, 'We will have no choice but to negotiate the sale of the ship to a responsible recycler.'" For the complete article, click here.

"Big Reveal: $875,000 for a FiDi Studio With 16-Foot Ceilings," Curbed.com, 10/8/15. Curbed.com created a guessing game - showing photos of a FiDi studio and asking readers how much they thought it was worth. "Curbed commenters know their way around the Financial District real estate market," was the verdict. "This lofty studio, located at 88 Greenwich Street, is listed for $875,000, and several Pricespotter guesses were very close to that, while one was right on the money. No one was particularly enthused by the space, though a couple people thought it was worth much less." For the complete article with photographs, click here




Downtown bulletin board
DOWNTOWN BASKETBALL LEAGUE; THE FUTURE OF PIER 26; TRIBECA MEET & GREET; URBAN GARDENING SYMPOSIUM; PUPPY PARADE
 Catherine McVay Hughes, chair of Community Board 1, in a kayak at the Downtown Boathouse on the first day of the 2015 season. The kayaking season ends this coming weekend. Weather permitting, the Downtown Boathouse on Pier 26 will be open for free kayaking on Oct. 10, 11 and 12. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Downtown Basketball League: The Manhattan Youth Downtown Basketball League is offering weekend clinics and Downtown Basketball League tournaments starting in November. Boys and girls of all ages and skill levels learn to dribble, pass and use teamwork in the weekend clinics. (This year, the weekend clinics are being expanded to include the new Peck Slip School in the South Street Seaport.) The league begins with two months of practice so that players can hone their jump shot and dribbling skills. After that, in January, teams are formed and the games begin. Registration is now open, but space is limited. Children registered for both league play and weekend clinics save $95. Downtown Community Center members save $100. Find out more about registration for the league and clinics by clicking here

The future of Pier 26:
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park near North Moore Street already houses the Downtown Boathouse, which offers free kayaking, and it has a restaurant for which City Winery has been awarded a contract. But the pier is still unfinished. It is supposed to house an estuarium to be run by Clarkson University - and it needs landscaping. The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) previously received a $70 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation  to finish the Tribeca section of the park, but that proved insufficient. Now HRPT is going back to LMDC to request another $10 million, which would supplement $20 million that the HRPT already has in hand for the build out. In the meantime, on Oct. 19, HRPT and Community Board 1 are sponsoring a discussion about the future of Pier 26. Place: 120 Warren St. (the Downtown Community Center). Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tribeca Meet & Greet:
Tribeca Meet & Greet provides an opportunity to meet informally with neighbors to exchange ideas, do some networking and have a drink. Around once a month, these meetings take place at a different Tribeca restaurant or business. Some people show up for the full evening, some just drop by to say hello. Frankly Wines at 66 West Broadway provides some beverages and MaxDelivery brings nibblybits.

The next Tribeca Meet & Greet will take place at the Drama League in the historic AT&T Long Distance Building at 32 Ave of the Americas on Monday, Oct. 19 from 6:30 p.m.  to 9 p.m. This is your opportunity to experience the amazing lobby of this building as well as to learn about The Drama League. Everybody's welcome. This is a free event.

The Drama League is a not-for-profit theater organization dedicated to creating transformative interactions between artists and audiences, above and beyond the performances they experience. Their offices have a small space for readings and discussions.

Tribeca Meet and Greet is organized by BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center.

Music workshop series at Trinity Wall Street:
On Thursdays from Oct. 8 to Nov. 19, Trinity's music staff is offering a new series of classes focusing on vocal skills, sight-reading, musicology, hymnology and more. The first session was on Oct. 8 to introduce the 2015-2016 season with a Q & A with Julian Wachner, Trinity's director of music and the arts. Future sessions are as follows: Oct. 15: Intro to sight-singing and music theory: Part I - led by Melissa Attebury; Oct. 22: Intro to sight-singing and music theory: Part II - led by Thomas McCargar; Oct. 29: Handel's Messiah - led by Avi Stein; Nov. 5: Freedom songs - led by Melissa Baker; Nov. 12: Sacred works of J.S. Bach - led by Julian Wachner; Nov. 19: Healthy hymn singing: Vocal technique for the congregation - led by Thomas McCargar. Place: Trinity Church. Time: 6:15 p.m. Free.

Urban gardening symposium: The first-ever Grow: Urban Gardening Symposium will be held on Oct. 14 at the American Museum of Natural History. It will feature an array of experts, who will discuss how to start your own garden or take your current garden to the next level. The event is being sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Cornell University Cooperative Extension and the Randall's Island Park Alliance. To RSVP, click here. For more information, contact David Dodge in Gale Brewer's office. His phone number is (212) 669-3872; his email is [email protected]. Place: Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Columbus Avenue, Powerhouse Room. Time: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free.

Halloween Puppy Parade in Battery Park City: The 14th Annual BPC Dogs Halloween Puppy Parade will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31, starting at noon on the BPC esplanade at the South Cove arbor. The parade will proceed from South Cove to the plaza near the North Cove Marina (where the volleyball courts are usually set up) where dogs (and people who have dressed up for Halloween) will be judged on their costumes. Prizes will be awarded for Best Costume Large Breed; Best Costume Small Breed; Best Owner and Dog Combo; Best Dog Team Costume. A Tail-Wagging Contest for Small and Large Dogs will be held again this year. There will also be a raffle with exciting, new prizes. All dog owners and their dogs in costume should meet promptly at 11:50 a.m. on the esplanade at the South Cove arbor. The rain date is Sunday, Nov. 1, same time and place. Check www.bpcdogs.org if the weather looks bad Saturday morning or call Le Pet Spa at (212) 786-9070 for up-to-the-minute weather updates.

LMCC programs for artists:
There's still some room in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's free workshop series, Art & Resilience, designed to help NYC-based artists develop knowledge, build best practices, meet experts, and explore strategies to strengthen their practices today as well as their resilience for the future. The final workshop in the series is on Oct. 14: Rights and Relationships with Sergio Munoz Sarmiento. Click here to learn more about the program and to RSVP. For other information, email [email protected].

Battery Park underpass closures: Beginning on Oct. 6, early-morning full closures of the south tube (West Street to FDR Drive) of the Battery Park underpass will be in effect at least through October 10 for installation of temporary lighting and sump pumps as part of the restoration of the electrical and mechanical systems damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The schedule for the closures is Tuesday to Friday mornings, 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., and Saturday mornings, 1 a.m. to 8 a.m.  Only one tube will be closed at a time. 
 
More free Wi-Fi in Lower Manhattan
: The Alliance for Downtown New York recently announced that more than one million square feet have been added to its free Wi-Fi network, bringing plans to provide access for the entire Lower Broadway corridor halfway to completion. In total, the Alliance now provides more than 3.7 million square feet of coverage throughout the district. The most recent addition to the network provides uninterrupted service on Broadway from the Battery to Trinity Church. The Downtown Alliance's network is free. For more information about the network, click here.

Downtown Boathouse:
Weekday evening kayaking at the Downtown Boathouse, Pier 26 in Hudson River Park (near North Moore Street), is over for the season but Saturday, Sunday and holiday kayaking continues. It runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last weekend will be Oct. 10, 11 and 12 (Columbus Day) weather permitting. For more information about the Downtown Boathouse, which is run by volunteers, click here.
 
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 [email protected]. (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
"A Fisherman's Dream" by Mario Sanchez, born in Key West in 1908, was in one of the last exhibitions at the South Street Seaport Museum before it was forced to close its 12 Fulton St. galleries following damage from Superstorm Sandy. Sanchez was a self-taught artist who depicted the Key West of his childhood in colorful bas-relief carvings. This picture depicts the old man who Ernest Hemingway wrote about in "The Old Man and the Sea." Spencer Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the old fisherman, once owned this picture and gave it to Katharine Hepburn. (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.



Letter to the editor
HELP GET THE ZADROGA ACT RENEWED - CONTACT CONGRESS

People who had come to Washington, D.C. on Sept. 29, 2010 to support the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was then up for a vote in the House of Representatives, lined up to enter the Capitol Building. Getting the Zadroga Act passed in 2010 required trip after trip to Washington, D.C. and dogged, in-your-face lobbying of the Senators who resisted voting for the bill. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

To the editor:
An important deadline has just passed to reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It has helped thousands of people whose health was affected by toxins from the collapse of the World Trade Center. Although there is enough money left in what was previously authorized to carry the programs for another year, it is imperative that Congress act soon before this much-needed program ceases to exist. Your readers and their out-of-state relatives can help. Please tell them to go to http://www.renew911health.org for information about how to contact their Congressional representatives. And please tell them to remember how much they owe to those whose health is suffering from 9/11.

Thank you.

Esther Regelson
Lower Manhattan resident

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

NOEL JEFFERSON RETIRES FROM COMMUNITY BOARD 1 TO DEDICATE HER TIME TO HELPING REFUGEES FROM THE WAR IN SYRIA

No�l Jefferson at her final Community Board 1 meeting on Sept. 30, was honored for her 10 years of service. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Tribeca resident No�l Jefferson had served on Community Board 1 since 2004, but CB1's meeting on Sept. 30 was her last.

She was honored with a certificate for her service and with a hug from CB1 chair, Catherine McVay Hughes. A photographer and filmmaker, and host of a cable television show called "Make No Little Plans," Jefferson served on CB1's Landmarks and Tribeca Committees.

Asked why she had decided to leave CB1, she replied in an email that she wanted to help people who "have not been as fortunate as I. Therefore, I have resigned my position to concentrate on the refugee crisis. The Syrian immigrants were victims of a war they did not create and are in need of our assistance," she wrote.  She said that she was particularly interested in helping the women and children who have been victimized by the war.

"As our ancestors, immigrants came to America and were accepted as we built America to the great nation that it is now!" she said in her email. "Therefore, why are we shutting our doors on these desperate people? We should keep our doors open and influence other countries to open their doors as well. I am studying several organizations to determine which one(s) I'd like to align myself and will go from there."  


COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of Oct. 12

The Excelsior Power Co. on Gold Street in the Financial District was an early and short-lived electric supply company. However, its building survived and was coverted to apartments. An early electric street lamp also survived. The building is among those in the Landmarks Preservation Commission's backlog that it is considering addressing by dismissing all applications that have lingered for years.  (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Community Board 1 meetings take place in the Municipal Building, 1 Centre St., 2202-A North, CB1 Conference Room, unless otherwise indicated. Meeting start at 6 p.m.  All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building.

Oct. 12: Office closed for Columbus Day

Oct. 13: Youth & Education Committee
* Church St. School Proposal for LMDC Settlement Funds - Presentation and possible  resolution
* 75 Morton Street Alliance Envisioning Meeting for new Morton Street Middle School, November 2 (time and location TBD) - Announcement
* Street Crossing Guards - Follow-up discussion - First Precinct (invited)

Oct. 14: Tribeca Committee
* HRPT and CB1 Pier 26 Forum on Monday, Oct. 19 - Announcement
* 86 Chambers St., application for HJBNYC LLC dba Hank's Juicy Beef - Resolution
* Reconstruction of Vestry Street from Hudson Street to Varick Street - Presentation by Corenzo Wilkerson, Project Engineer and Lindsey Berkhahn, Engineer in Charge, NYC Department of Design and Construction
* 50 Hudson Street a/k/a 88 Thomas Street, application for alteration of liquor license to permit later closing hours and to expand into basement for Emporio 50 LLC d/b/a Bar Cyrk NYC - Resolution
* Hudson River Park Trust Advisory Council - Update by Bob Townley
* 376 Broadway plaza - Update by Michael Levine, CB1 Land Use Consultant

The following notices have been received for renewal, upgrade, or transfer of wine and beer or liquor licenses or sidewalk cafe permits:
* 165 Duane St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for Scalini Fedeli Ristorante
* 185 Duane St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for the Hideaway
* 363 Greenwich St., application for renewal of liquor license for Tribeca TapHouse
* 377 Greenwich St., application for a renewal of a liquor license for Locanda Verde
* 16 North Moore St., application for renewal of liquor license for Walker's
* 179 West Broadway, application for a renewal of a liquor license for the Landmarc
* 241 West Broadway, application for a renewal of a sidewalk caf� license for Cercle Rouge
* 249 West Broadway, application for renewal of unenclosed sidewalk caf� license for Anotheroom Inc.
* 59 Murray Street, application for alteration of a liquor license to convert patrons' bar to service bar for New York Dolls

Oct. 15:  Quality of Life Committee

* NYC Department of Transportation construction update
* 200 Water Street, application for proposed bus stop location - Presentation by Dan Rogoski, President/Chief Revenue Officer, Experience The Ride NY, LLC
* Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence - Initiatives and services offered - Presentation by Hannah Pennington, Executive Director of the Manhattan Family Justice Center
* NYC Parks Street Tree Planting Program - Update by Laura Hernandez, Manhattan Senior Forester, and Owen Williamson, Forester, NYC Parks Department
* City Council Sanitation Committee Hearing for Int. 377 - Cleaning garbage liquid after collection - Follow-up report by Councilmember Margaret Chin's legislative staff
* NYC Smoke-Free - Presentation by Ayo Alli, Youth Coordinator




CALENDAR: Weeks of Oct. 5 and Oct. 12

The National Circus and Acrobats of China will be at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St., on Oct. 14. For a video of this troupe, click here.
  
Oct. 10: The fireboat John J. Harvey embarks on her last trips of the season, leaving from Pier 66 Maritime at West 26th Street. Trips are free, but a $20 refundable deposit is required to reserve a place. Time: 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.  Click here to reserve for a Hudson River trip on Oct. 10. On Friday, Oct. 16, there will be a trip from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. to Oyster Bay, Long Island with LIRR connections available for the return to New York City. For more information about these trips and about the John J. Harvey, click here.

Oct. 14: The National Circus & Acrobats of China come to the Tribeca Performing Arts Center with "Peking Dreams."  Among the acts are The Group Contortion, Straw Hats Juggling, and Girls' Balance with Bowls. The Company has won over 20 gold and silver medals and various other awards at international circus festivals. Place: Tribeca PAC, 199 Chambers St. Time: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25. Special $12 tickets with a 10Club membership ($120 for ten tickets). Although the membership is for Tribeca Family Theater events only, this special event for all ages has been included.  Call (212) 220 - 1460 for more information. To buy tickets, click here.

Oct. 15: New York-based sculptor Arlene Shechet will discuss her work with Catherine Morris, curator for the Brooklyn Museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.
Helene Zucker Seeman
Shechet has been critically acclaimed for her work, which is part of many distinguished public and private collections. The lecture is in honor and in memory of art historian and Battery Park City resident Helene Zucker Seeman, who was killed by a drunk driver on June 27, 2010. The Helene Zucker Seeman Memorial Exhibition Fund supports this event in addition to a variety of other exhibitions by recognized or emerging women artists presented by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art. Place: Brooklyn Museum, Iris an B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 200 Eastern Parkway. Time: 7 p.m. Advance tickets: $16 plus ticketing fee (includes Museum admission). Tickets are also available at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Oct. 15: Learn the "Hidden History of the Brooklyn Bridge" on a one-hour walking tour conducted by the South Street Seaport Museum in association with Archtober, Architecture and Design Month New York City, October 2015. The iconic landmark, the virtual symbol of New York in the 19th century, has secrets hidden deep within its granite towers, as well as within its 140-year history. Secret vaults, underground rooms filled with priceless drawings, a fortified (and amply provided) bomb shelter, undisclosed passages as well as some quirky and mostly forgotten construction techniques give the story of this structure a much richer and more interesting flavor then any other structure in the city. The walking tour will reveal some of these long hidden spaces and tell the stories behind the remarkable people who created this massive, wonderful, but enigmatic structure. Meeting place: South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St. Time: 12:15 p.m.  Registration required. Limited availability. Tickets: $10 (adults); $8 (museum members); $5 (children). For tickets, click here.

Buy now: Taste of the Seaport returns to Front Street in the South Street Seaport on Oct. 17 with musical entertainment, children's activities and treats from more than 40 food and beverage purveyors. Proceeds from the event benefit arts and enrichment programs at two local elementary schools, PS 343 Peck Slip School and PS 397 Spruce Street School. Place: Front Street between Fulton Street and Peck Slip. Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Early bird tickets now on sale: Five tastes, $35 plus $2.74 handling fee; Family pack of 20 tastes, $125 plus $7.24 fee. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
 
Ongoing: Work by Trevor Winkfield showcases his visionary contributions to the overall aesthetic of poetry publishing. Place: Poets House, 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City.  Exhibition will be on view through Jan. 10, 2016 during regular hours for Poets House. 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 Oct. 25. 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: "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 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 October 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: Fraunces Tavern Museum's exhibition, "Lafayette," opened in May to complement the docking of the Marquis de Lafayette's replica ship, L'Hermione at the South Street Seaport over the July 4th weekend. It includes 20 items from the museum's collection such as Lafayette's calling card and the his sash, splashed with his blood from a wound sustained at the Battle of Brandywine. Through December 2016. 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 [email protected].



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Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer

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