|
DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
|
|
|
|
Volume 2, No. 78 Dec. 16, 2015
|
* Calendar: Week of Dec. 14
All ads in Downtown Post NYC have clickable links. Click on an ad for more information. MASTHEAD PHOTO: A holiday light show designed by David Rockwell, in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Dec. 3, 2015. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
DOWNTOWN POST NYC'S SECOND ANNIVERSARY
Today, Dec. 16, is Downtown Post NYC's second anniversary. The first issue appeared on Dec.
|
| |
Terese Loeb Kreuzer, editor
|
16, 2013. Since then, I have published 230 issues of Downtown Post NYC.
Many people have told me how much they like this publication, and for this I am very grateful. I am also grateful to Downtown Post NYC's advertisers and to several people who have made donations to Downtown Post NYC because they liked it.
Up until now, I have researched, written and produced Downtown Post NYC by myself. I hope in the next year to have enough income to hire some staff and to go a web-based publication instead of relying on email.
If you would like to contribute to this effort, either by placing ads or by making a donation, please contact editor@downtownpostnyc.com.
In the meantime, I thank everyone who is part of the Downtown Post NYC community - and that means everyone who is reading this. I treasure all of you and am happy to have the opportunity to be of service to our wonderful and fascinating neighborhood.
Terese Loeb Kreuzer Editor
|
 BATTERY PARK CITY AUTHORITY TO HOLD COMMUNITY MEETING ON DEC. 16 AT WHICH SECURITY AND OTHER MATTERS WILL BE DISCUSSED |
| | Residents of Battery Park City packed a meeting room on Nov. 2 when Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee discussed the Battery Park City Authority's surprise move to replace most of the community's Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers with AlliedBarton, a private security firm. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
On Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m., the senior management of the Battery Park City Authority will finally make itself available to Battery Park City residents at a Town Hall meeting to answer questions about its vision for the 92-acre community that it governs. This will be the first time in almost four years that such a meeting has been held.
It will take place at 6 River Terrace (across from the Irish Hunger Memorial). The room is large, but may not be large enough. Many residents of Battery Park City are distressed and even hopping mad that the BPCA has made decisions affecting quality of life, security and amenities without community input. And many members of the community have not liked the BPCA's decisions including the dismissal without explanation of Tessa Huxley as head of the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy and the decision to replace Michael Fortenbaugh as manager of North Cove Marina in favor of Brookfield Properties, which had no previous experience in marina management. The most recent firestorm took place on Oct. 27 when it was revealed at a BPCA board of directors meeting that the BPCA planned to cut the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) staff to the bone and replace it with AlliedBarton, a private security firm. PEP officers are sworn law enforcement personnel who have the legal authority to detain and question suspects, issue summons and make arrests when needed. Though otherwise unarmed, they are equipped with handcuffs, batons and pepper spray. The AlliedBarton personnel would have no enforcement powers or physical deterrents. If a crime or other serious situation were in progress, the best these "ambassadors," as the the BPCA has termed them, would be able to do would be to call for law enforcement help. When word of this change came to the attention of Battery Park City residents, they packed Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee meeting on Nov. 2 to ask questions about why this was happening and to protest the lack of community input. At this meeting, New York State Sen. Daniel Squadron repeated his previously proposed idea that it is time for the Battery Park City Authority - a New York State agency - to disappear and for Battery Park City to be integrated into the rest of New York City. The BPCA is supposed to have seven people on its board of directors, although currently there
|
| |
Martha Gallo, a member of the Battery Park City Authority board of directors and a resident of Battery Park City, announcing at a Community Board 1 Battery Park City Committee meeting on Nov. 2 that there would be a Town Hall meeting on Dec. 16 at which BPC residents could ask questions of the Authority.
|
is a vacancy. Of these directors, only one, Martha Gallo, lives in Battery Park City. The others have consistently indicated by their comments that they know little or nothing about the community that they govern. Appointed by the governor - at this time, Andrew Cuomo - their focus and interest has been to deliver as much revenue into the State and City coffers as possible, regardless of the wishes of Battery Park City residents, or their needs. Squadron and other elected officials have made repeated requests to the governor to have more Battery Park City residents on the BPCA board of directors, but these requests have been ignored. The New York State Senate has to approve the governor's nominations to the BPCA board. Squadron has voted against several of these nominees, who were otherwise well regarded, simply because they didn't live in Battery Park City. At the Nov. 2 CB1 meeting, Martha Gallo was present and announced that there would be a Town Hall meeting on Dec. 16 at which residents could ask questions. Dennis Mehiel, chairman of the Battery Park City Authority, will be at the meeting as will BPCA's senior management team. "We have received many questions in advance of the meeting, but we expect to take additional questions, as time allows," said Robin Forst, spokesperson for the BPCA. "BPCA's planned security program will be discussed at the meeting including the fact that the PEP contract is still in effect," she said. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer
|
ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH AND COMPENSATION ACT UPDATE: Dec. 16
|
| | At a rally on Capitol Hill on Dec. 3, seriously ill first responders pleaded for passage of the Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
The fight in Congress to negotiate passage of the Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act appears to be over except for the voting. Late on Tuesday, Dec. 15, it was announced that Zadroga is part of the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending package that Congressional leaders have approved.
It would include what amounts to permanent medical coverage for those whose health was damaged by the attack on Sept. 11, 2001 and a five-year extension of the Victim Compensation Fund that helps support people who can no longer work because of their 9/11 service, and the families of the deceased.
The fate of the Zadroga bill has been a cliffhanger. As of Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 15, though supporters were optimistic, there was no deal even though there were more than enough votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass the bill. But several times in recent weeks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan have impeded passage.
"We were told that it was in the transportation bill. It literally was in the transportation bill," Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney told CBSNewYork on Dec. 9. "Someone took it out."
|
| |
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer speaking at a Capitol Hill rally in support of the Zadroga Act.
|
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has made it clear that that "someone" was McConnell, who wouldn't let the Zadroga bill come up for a vote unless he traded Zadroga for an affirmative vote on selling U.S. crude oil overseas.
Republicans had also suggested that money to pay for Zadroga come out of Medicare and Medicaid financin
g - a proposition that the Democrats had rejected as unacceptable.
The hours ticked by with rumors of a deal but nothing definite. But as of Dec. 16, Maloney was quoted by Newsday as saying, "It's in writing. The deal is done. Now Congress needs to vote."
That may happen on Thursday before Congress leaves Washington, D.C. for its holiday recess.
Both Democrats and Republicans had to make concessions to get to this point. According to Newsday, "Last-stage negotiations focused on horse-trading around Democratic demands in exchange for lifting the 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil, a Republican goal. Democrats were aiming to kill GOP attempts to roll back Obama's environmental regulations and also sought five-year extensions of wind and solar tax credits. The final package was expected to ignore conservative demands for language clamping down on Syrian refugees entering the United States. ("Zadroga Act: Lawmakers include $8.1B measure to renew program," Newsday, 12/16/15). |
| |
First responder, John Feal, at a rally on Nov. 2, 2015 in support of the Zadroga Act.
|
The total cost of the proposed Zadroga bill would be around $8 billion, with $3.5 billion allocated for medical care and $4.5 billion for the Victim Compensation Fund.
Could something still happen to block the bill? Theoretically, yes.
A few days ago, John Feal, a first responder who was seriously injured at the World Trade Center site and who has helped lead the fight to get Zadroga passed, remarked, "Every time we get to the one-yard line, they extend the goal line, and they're not playing fair."
The celebration will start when the votes are in.
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bits & Bytes
'THE BIG SHORT;' PORT AUTHORITY SUBSIDIZING MURDOCH'S RENT; TISHMAN CONSTRUCTION FINED FOR OVERBILLING; ROBUCHON OUT
|
| Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in "The Big Short," a movie about Wall Street profiteering that caused the housing market to collapse. Many scenes were shot in Lower Manhattan. (Photo: � 2015 Paramount Pictures)
|
"Review: In 'The Big Short,' Economic Collapse for Fun and Profit," New York Times, 12/10/15. Replete with scenes that will be recognizable to Lower Manhattan residents and workers, "A true crime story and a madcap comedy, a heist movie and a scalding polemic, 'The Big Short' will affirm your deepest cynicism about Wall Street while simultaneously restoring your faith in Hollywood," says The New York Times. "Written by Adam McKay ('Anchorman,' 'Anchorman 2') and Charles Randolph, and directed by Mr. McKay and released in the midst of 'Star Wars' advent season, the film sets itself a very tall order. It wants not only to explain the financial crisis of 2008 - following the outline of Michael Lewis's best-selling nonfiction book - but also to make the dry, complex abstractions of high finance exciting and fun. Celebrity cameos (from Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez, among others) are turned into miniseminars on the finer points of credit-default swaps and collateralized debt obligations. The story swerves and swings from executive suites and conference rooms to hectic Manhattan streets and desolate Florida subdivisions. The performances, the script and the camera itself seem to be running on a cocktail of Red Bull, Adderall and mescaline." For the complete article, click here. "Port Authority to Pay Part of Murdoch Companies' Rent to Lure Them Downtown," New York Times, 12/10/15. "What's good for Rupert Murdoch and his companies could be even better for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey," says The New York Times. "The commissioners of the Port Authority agreed on Thursday to a deal that would reduce the proposed rent that two Murdoch corporations would pay at the World Trade Center by $155 million. The leaders of the Port Authority said they would provide part of that rent subsidy, breaking a pledge that its board made in 2010. The authority's executive director, Patrick J. Foye, said the financial benefits that the agency would receive from the deal would far outweigh the cost of the subsidy. It is intended to entice 21st Century Fox and News Corporation, of which Mr. Murdoch is executive co-chairman and executive chairman respectively, to move their headquarters from Midtown Manhattan to a tower planned for the east side of the World Trade Center site." For the complete article, click here. "Tishman Construction to pay $20M over massive overbilling," The Real Deal, 12/11/15. "Tishman Construction, one of the nation's leading contractors, admitted to overbilling clients over a decade and will to pay $20 million in penalties and restitution," says The Real Deal. "The firm - the developer for One World Trade Center, the Plaza Hotel renovation and the expansion of the Javits Convention Center - charged more than $5 million in fees for hours its Local 79 labor foremen never worked, and at rates exceeding those agreed in the contract." For the complete article, click here. "Saks in, Chef Robuchon out in downtown stunner," New York Post, 12/11/15. "In a bad news/good news Brookfield Place bombshell, Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a lease to open a Saks Men's Store at 250 Vesey St.," says the New York Post. "The bad news? The menswear mecca replaces a restaurant and gourmet market which the great French chef Jo�l Robuchon had planned for the same second-floor space at the former 4 World Financial Center, sources said. The 16,750 square-foot men's emporium will be the third Saks retail venue at Brookfield's downtown towers." For the complete article, click here. "Chef Rubuchon bailed on Brookfield Place because it's 'too old'," New York Post, 12/13/15. "Real estate insiders expressed awe over the ease with which Brookfield Property Group signed a new Saks Fifth Avenue store to replace a planned Jo�l Rubuchon restaurant at 250 Vesey St.," says the New York Post. According to the Post, "Robuchon walked away from a lease signed more than a year earlier. The tenant switch was a disappointment to advocates for downtown's emerging dining scene. Robuchon boasts 25 Michelin stars, more than any other chef, for eateries around the world. But the quick hand-over demonstrated Brookfield Place's resiliency." For the complete article, click here. "Gemini auctions Jade, Best Western Seaport hotels for $116M," The Real Deal, 12/3/15. "Gemini Real Estate Advisors auctioned two of the four buildings it decided to sell back in September, at the same time as a legal rumble broke out among its owners," says The Real Deal. "The company sold the Jade Hotel at 52 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village for Bridgeton Holdings for $78 million and the Best Western Seaport at 33 Peck Slip in Two Bridges to Howard Hughes Corp. for $38.3 million." For the complete article, click here.
|
|
Downtown bulletin board
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE WHITNEY; GOVERNORS ISLAND PERMITS FOR 2016 SEASON; FREE ICE SKATING AT BROOKFIELD PLACE; COAT DRIVE
|
| | On Dec. 13, Nicolette and Mia Sinatra visited Santa at the Vince Smith Hair Experience, 300 Rector Place, to have their picture taken to benefit Save The Children. The photo op with Santa is over, but the Vince Smith Hair Experience is still gratefully accepting donations (tax deductible), which will go to help refugee children. Call (212) 945-1590 for more information. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Permits for Governors Island's 2016 public season: The Trust for Governors Island has started accepting OpenHouseGI permit applications for Governors Island's 2016 public access season. OpenHouseGI offers 150,000 square feet of indoor space in historic houses and 25 acres of outdoor space free of charge to any organization that creates programming that is free and open to the public during the Island's public season. In 2016, Governors Island will be open daily from May 28 through Sept. 25. The Island will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. In 2015, more than 65 organizations produced art exhibits, festivals, workshops, theatre and dance performances and recreational and sports programs which were enjoyed by 450,000 visitors. OpenHouseGI offers more than two dozen former officers' homes in Nolan Park and Colonels Row for groups to use. The 2016 season will be divided into two sessions for these indoor spaces. Session I runs from May 28 to July 25 and Session II runs from July 26 to Sept. 25. Groups wishing to use indoor spaces apply for only one of the two sessions. Groups using indoor spaces for the first half of the season may have the opportunity to extend through the second session, if space is available. OpenHouseGI also offers 25 acres of outdoor space for programs. Historic District green spaces include the Colonels Row Festival Grounds, Parade Ground, Nolan Park and the South Battery. The Play Lawn and other areas in the Island's new park, open to the public since 2014, are also available for programming. When applying to OpenHouseGI, organizations can propose programming for a day, multiple days, a week or multiple weeks. Organizations can also propose season-long installations and programs. The Island typically welcomes 8,000 visitors each weekend day and last year welcomed 450,000 visitors over the course of the season. More than 75 percent of visitors to the Island are from New York City. The permit process is open and transparent for all. Organizations are responsible for their own budgets, staffing and other program-specific responsibilities and expenses. Permits are issued for a single season and all organizations, including those that have participated previously in OpenHouseGI, must complete a permit application for 2016. Once groups submit their permit application, Trust for Governors Island staff will contact applicants within two weeks. The permit application, as well as information needed by organizations to apply for the 2016 season, is available by clicking here. As noted on the website, for programs that are free and open to the public, no site fees are required. The Trust will open additional permit processes for Governors Island on Jan. 15. On this date, the process for food vendors will open, as well as the permit process for the Island's two natural turf ball fields. Jan. 15 is the date that permits open for ball fields used in the spring season elsewhere in the City of New York. As with other public ball fields in New York City parks, preference will be given to youth groups, schools and leagues from across the City. The fields will be open for use during daylight hours from May 28 to Sept. 25. Friday nights at the Whitney: From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, admission to the Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort St. is now "pay what you wish." The reduced admission charge has been made possible by a gift from The Donald and Barbara Zucker Family Foundation. Tickets usually cost $22 for adults and $18 for seniors. They are free to members and to visitors under 18. Current exhibitions include a Frank Stella retrospective and a show of the paintings of Archibald John Motley Jr. (1891-1981), who first came to prominence in the 1920s during the early days of the Harlem Renaissance. The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875−1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the 20th and 21st centuries. For more information, click here.
BPC Ball Fields: The Battery Park City ball fields will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. through Feb. 29 for soccer, flag-football, hockey, and more, organized by Battery Park City staff or play on your own. Equipment provided. For ages 7 and older. For more information, click here.
Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: An Interagency Security Committee Policy and Best Practices Guide. The guide, initially released in July of 2015 for use by departments and agencies and considered For Official Use Only (FOUO), has been revised for public release so the materials in the document can be used by a wider audience. Active shooter incidents can be unpredictable and evolve quickly. A number of guidance documents are available to help people prepare for, and respond to, an active shooter incident. While this document was created as a resource for federal agencies and departments to enhance preparedness in federal facilities, the ISC Active Shooter Working Group responded to multiple requests to modify the document for wider use and believes it will be useful for non-federal facilities as they enhance their preparedness. For more information, go to the DHS active shooter preparedness webpage. New York Cares Coat Drive: The Downtown Alliance's LMHQ at 150 Broadway, 20th floor, is one of 300 drop-off locations for The New York Cares Coat Drive. Through Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015 donations of gently used, freshly laundered coats can be left at LMHQ (by the front desk) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The New York Cares Coat Drive, in its 27th year, is an annual citywide tradition that has collected more than 1.7 million winter coats for men, women, and children in need throughout the city. For more information and a map of other drop-off locations, click here. Open auditions for Downtown Voices: Are you interested in singing alongside members of the Grammy�-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street? Trinity is looking for experienced volunteer singers to join Downtown Voices, a newly formed choir bringing together the finest professional and non-professional singers in the New York metro area. The choir rehearses once a week and is directed by Stephen Sands. Spring performances include works by Beethoven, Alberto Ginastera, and James MacMillan. Audition date: Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Place: Trinity Church choir room (Broadway at Wall Street). Time: Slots open starting at 11 a.m. For more information including audition requirements, click here. Battery Park City open community meeting: The Battery Park City Authority is hosting a community meeting on Dec. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 6 River Terrace. Future meetings will take place on April 13, 2016; July 20 and Nov. 16. Community Board applications open: The Manhattan Borough President's office is currently accepting applications for Community Board membership. Community Boards represent their neighborhoods on crucial issues including real estate development and land use, historic preservation and even liquor licenses. There are 12 Community Boards in Manhattan and 59 citywide. "Right now Manhattan's Community Boards are in the center of a debate over the most ambitious rezoning proposals in a generation," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "Community Boards may be New York City's most grassroots level of government, but they are deeply involved in some of our city's biggest policy questions. If you want to make a difference on anything from investment in our parks and public spaces, to determining the future of our city's skyline and streetscape, Community Boards are the place to start." Community Board members are appointed to staggered two-year terms by the Manhattan Borough President, with half selected solely by the Borough President and half nominated by the City Council members representing each Community Board district. Since taking office, Brewer has enhanced the selection process by introducing online applications and a robust review process that includes group interviews with discussion and problem-solving components. Community Board selections for 2016 will be announced in late March. Although each Community Board has a small, paid administrative staff, Community Board members are volunteers. If you would like to join your Community Board, fill out the online application by Jan. 29, 2016 at 5 p.m. After submission, you will be contacted regarding the next steps in the screening and interview process. For more information about Manhattan's 12 Community Boards, go to Manhattan Borough President Brewer's website or email Paola Liriano. For the online application, click here. For Manhattan Borough President Brewer's website, click here. Emerging Poets Fellowship at Poets House: The Emerging Poets Fellowship is an annual opportunity for poets to receive guidance and instruction from a distinguished and diverse faculty and enter the next stage of their professional and artistic practice. Funded by a grant from the Jerome Foundation, this fellowship immerses poets in a 12-week program consisting of workshops and meetings that are reinforced by the inspiring environment here at Poets House, including our poetry library and unique archives as well as a diverse offering of readings and conversations by leading poets and scholars. The program includes weekly writing workshops, mentoring sessions, meetings with guest speakers, free access to Poets House's events and archival resources and culminates in a final group reading. Each participant will receive a $500 honorarium for their participation and a stipend of $100 to cover travel expenses. There may also be some funding to help participants pay childcare expenses. The application process is competitive; tuition is free to those accepted into the program. For more information about the program and required application materials, click here. The application deadline has been extended to Dec. 18, 2015.
The rink at Brookfield Place: The ice skating rink at Brookfield Place is offering free weekday skating to Battery Park City residents through Dec. 22. This is available with proof of address in the following zip codes: 10282, 10280, 10004 and 10281. Not available on holidays. In addition, there will be free skating classes on Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. Register for a one-time free class at http://www.gpice.com.Public skating hours are weekdays, 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 10:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The rates are $15 (single session of 90 minutes); $5, skate rental; $200, individual season pass; $500, family of three season pass. Group rates, classes, private rentals and private lessons available. For more information, email info@eduskating.com, call (917) 391-8982 or click here.
Apr�s ice skating: The Chalet on Le District patio across from the ice skating rink at Brookfield Place serves hot chocolate, cider, homemade beignets and more. Those who would like to enjoy their treats outside can borrow blankets and sit under heat lamps for extra warmth. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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.
South Street Seaport Museum on Schermerhorn Row: To see photographs of some of the 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. Gracie Mansion: Artifacts and Tours: Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City's mayors at 88th Street and East End Avenue, was built in 1799 as a country retreat for financier Archibald Gracie and his family. At the time, the gracious, Federal-style house was five miles outside the city limits - and at that time, the city limits would have meant what we now call "Lower Manhattan." A recently installed exhibit of paintings, sculptures and documents called "Windows on the City: Looking Out at Gracie's New York" sheds light on what our neighborhood was like at the turn
|
| | The dining room at Gracie Mansion with historic wallpaper manufactured in the 1830s. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
of the 19th century. Slavery was still legal, and there was a slave market at the foot of Wall Street. Clipper ships plied the harbor, taking cargo in some cases to and from Asia - a recently opened market. The streets were noisy with the raucous calls of vendors selling oysters, ice, charcoal, milk and many other goods and services. Immigrants began to arrive in greater numbers, many of them living in crowded tenements and working at monotonous, low-paying jobs. The city, already diverse from the time of the Dutch settlers in the early 17th century, became even more so. For more about Gracie Mansion and to see photographs, click here. Free tours are available on Jan. 5, 12 and 19. To register for a tour, click here. SeaGlass Carousel: After 10 years of design and fundraising and a setback named "Sandy," the SeaGlass Carousel in The Battery opened on Aug. 19 to universal critical acclaim and rapturous crowds. Downtown Post NYC was there for the opening. Read about the carousel and see photos by clicking here. SeaGlass Carousel is currently open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. "Crowds are still coming, but wait time is typically minimal," according to a spokesperson for the Battery Conservancy. "The line is rarely longer than 15 minutes." Due to popular demand, the Battery Conservancy has extended operating hours for SeaGlass Carousel. From Monday, Dec. 21, through Saturday, Jan. 2, SeaGlass will be open 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. In January and February, SeaGlass will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., weather permitting. SeaGlass will also be open on Monday, Jan. 18 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), and Presidents' Week, Feb. 15-19. For updates on changes to operating hours, follow The Battery Conservancy on Twitter and Facebook. Admission to SeaGlass Carousel is $5 per ride. Access to The Battery is free and open to the public. Wavertree video: The South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 sailing ship, Wavertree, is currently at Caddell Drydock on Staten Island, where the ship is undergoing a $10.6 million refurbishment. The museum has created a video to show the progress of the overhaul. To see the video, click here.
|
|
|
Letters to the editor
STRIKING PHOTOS (FOR SALE); SHIP TRIAGE AT THE SEAPORT
|
| | Lightning striking 1 World Trade Center. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
To the editor:
(Re: Calendar: Week of Dec. 7, DPNYC, 12/11/15.) Your photos are always wonderful, but I found the picture of the lightning strike on the World Trade Center as one that was particularly stunning (or "striking" as the case may be)!
Esther Regelson
From the editor:Thank you! If you, or anyone else, would like to buy prints of a photograph that has appeared in Downtown Post NYC, email editor@downtownpostnyc.com with your request for more information about sizes and prices.
To the editor:
(RE: " After 40 years at the South Street Seaport, the Museum's barque, Peking, will leave for Hamburg, Germany this spring," DPNYC, 11/20/15. A beautiful story on Peking. Thanks. Wavertree actually visited New York City, whereas Peking never did, making Wavertree a more logical choice in a really tough decision.
Beth Childs
From the editor:
Yes. I'm sure it was a tough decision. Peking is a majestic ship whose voyages around Cape
|
| |
Peking in the South Street Seaport.
|
Horn at the southern end of South America pushed human strength, endurance and maritime skills to their limits. Three oceans meet at Cape Horn: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Antarctic. Many mariners have been lost there. I have been to Cape Horn aboard an expedition ship called the Mare Australis and wrote about the trip in an article that appeared in the travel pages of several large newspapers. This, in part, is what I said:
"Continuing southward, the Mare Australis pulls into the Murray Channel, which opened to commercial navigation just a few years ago. As the sun sets, the ship crosses Nassau Bay, heading for an early-morning rendezvous with Cape Horn. "The ship pitches and rolls. It's 2:30 a.m. The forward lounge on the third deck is deserted. Huge waves break across the prow of the ship as it presses forward. "A ghostly white shape appears in the darkness on the port side of the ship. It comes nearer, the ship's lights reflecting off its huge, white wings. It banks and circles, its wings the length of the prow. It turns again, then flies in front of the ship, as though it were leading it toward Cape Horn. It circles again and then disappears in the darkness. It is a wandering albatross. "In the morning, the ship's captain, Fernando Carvajal Martinez, who has been sailing these waters for 45 years, said, "Wandering albatrosses are the souls of dead sailors." "There are many who have lost their lives exploring this region, battling their way through the gale-force winds and 65-foot seas that can surround Cape Horn. As the Mare Australis approaches, the rock is wreathed in rainbows. Rickety wooden steps lead to the top. "
If you want to read the complete article, click here.
I will miss the Peking. |
| |
Cape Horn has several memorials to fallen sailors and testimonials left by those who have sailed through its treacherous waters. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
| |
The cross outside the Cape Horn chapel is tethered to keep it from blowing down in the strong winds. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETINGS: Week of Dec. 14
|
| | In January 2014, Catch & Release, a temporary exhibit space under the FDR Drive at John Street, gave South Street Seaport residents and workers a place to express their thanks to people who had helped them overcome the damage wrought by Superstorm Sandy. The exhibit was organized by the New York chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA), which made a presentation to CB1's Seaport/Civic Center Committee on Dec. 15. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
All Community Board 1 meetings are held in the Municipal Building, 1 Centre St., in CB1's Conference Room, Room 2202A-North, starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. The public is welcome to attend and to comment. Bring photo ID to enter the building.
Dec. 17: CB 1 Monthly Meeting - 6 p.m.
Location: South Street Seaport Museum, Melville Gallery - 213 Water St.
Dec. 25: Office Closed - Christmas
|
CALENDAR: Week of Dec. 14
|
| | Julian Wachner, conductor of the Choir of Trinity Church and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, acknowledging applause after a performance of Handel's Messiah on Dec. 17, 2014. Tickets are still available for this year's Dec. 17 Messiah performance at Alice Tully Hall. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Dec. 16: The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene brings "The Golden Bride" / "Di Goldene Kale" to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. An operetta about Goldele, a poor girl from the shtetl, who inherits a fortune from her estranged father and embarks on a mission to find both her long-lost mother and her husband-to-be, "The Golden Bride" was first staged in the 1920s. Joseph Rumshinsky's original score is performed by a full orchestra in this lavish production. Through Jan. 3, 2016. Forty-five minutes before each program, there will be a 15-minute lesson in "Instant Yiddish," free to "Di Goldene Kale" ticket holders. Place: 36 Battery Place. Time: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Fridays, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, 12 p.m. (NO 7:30 p.m. performance on Dec. 31). Tickets: $40; $30 (Museum of Jewish Heritage and National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene members). To buy tickets, call (866) 811-4111 or click here. Dec. 17: Trinity Wall Street's Concerts at One continues with an entertaining afternoon of virtuosic playing by the Canadian Brass. Place: Trinity Church (Broadway at Wall Street). Time: 1 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. Dec. 17: At Alice Tully Hall, Julian Wachner will conduct George Frideric Handel's Messiah performed by the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Trinity presented one of the first performances of the work in North America in 1770, and the GRAMMY�-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra are still widely regarded as peerless interpreters of the work. Place: Lincoln Center. Time: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $55, $75 and $95. To buy tickets, call (212) 721-6500, go to the Lincoln Center box office at Broadway and 65th Street, or click here. Dec. 18: The Christine Spero group brings a heartfelt tribute and celebration of the music of Laura Nyro, one of the greatest pop songwriters of the 20th century, to the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame member Laura Nyro's groundbreaking music crossed the genres of folk, rock, and jazz. She became one of the most covered artists in the 1960's and 1970's with songs such as "Eli's Coming "and "Wedding Bell Blues," among others. Place: 199 Chambers St. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $15; $10 (students). For more information and to buy tickets, click here. Dec. 19: The International Bengali Poetry Festival comes to Poets House celebrating a new Bengali-English poetry book by Hassanal Abdullah, "Under the Thin Layers of Light." There will be readings in Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, Chinese, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Sicilian, Spanish and Yiddish. Place: 10 River Terrace. Time: Noon to 5 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "City Lives," an exhibit of painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, film, video and ceramics, runs at the Borough of Manhattan Community College's Shirley Fiterman Art Center through Jan. 16. 2016. The art is available for sale with proceeds benefiting the BMCC Foundation Scholarship Fund. Place: 81 Barclay St. Open Tues.-Sat., noon to 6 p.m. For more information, 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: "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. Through Jan. 17, 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 December 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 info@seany.org.Make your holiday plans:
Dec. 25: The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering exhibitions, tours, and a matin�e performance of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's production of The Golden Bride / Di Goldene Kale (separate admission required for the show). Visitors can see the core exhibition and two special exhibitions. The core exhibition presents Jewish history and heritage before, during, and after the Holocaust. The two special exhibitions are Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism and Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945. Adult and family-friendly tours of the core exhibition will be offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and are free with Museum admission. Place: 36 Battery Place. Museum admission: $12 (adults); $10 (seniors); $7 (students); free (members and children 12 and younger).
A matin�e show of The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's production of The Golden Bride / Di Goldene Kale will be performed at a 12 p.m. in the Museum's Edmond J Safra Hall. Separate admission is required and advance purchase is recommended. In this operetta - first seen on stage in the Roaring 20s - Goldele, a poor girl from the shtetl, inherits a fortune from her estranged father and embarks on a mission to find both her long-lost mother and her husband-to-be. Joseph Rumshinsky's original score is performed by a full orchestra in this lavish production. Tickets: $40; $30 (Museum of Jewish Heritage and National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene members). To buy tickets, call (866) 811-4111 or click here. Dec. 26: Celebrate Kwanzaa at the African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration based on traditional African culture and values observed from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. The holiday celebrates family, community responsibility, commerce and self-improvement. Activities on Dec. 26 will include music, dance and spoken word performances; a lecture on regenerating African spirituality; a crafts workshop; a libation ceremony, and; the lighting of the kinara (candleholder). The African Burial Ground National Monument is part of an original 6.6-acre site containing the remains of approximately 15,000 people, buried in the 17th and 18th centuries, making it the largest African cemetery excavated in North America. The cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 and as a National Monument on Feb. 27, 2006. The Kwanzaa celebration is free. Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call (212) 637-2019 or click here.
|
|
|
Downtown Post NYC is emailed to subscribers twice a week.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
� 2015
|
|
|
|
|
