November 2008

Landmarks Commission Sour on Seaport Plans
 

UPDATED NOVEMBER 21, 2008: Already teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, shopping mall developer General Growth Properties could scarcely afford the bad news handed down Nov. 18 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The commissioners panned key elements of the company’s proposal to redevelop the South Street Seaport, including the relocation of the 101-year-old Tin Building and the construction of a 120-foot boutique hotel.

Architect's Mission For Food Market At Seaport
Robert LaValva wants General Growth Properties to not only spare the historic Tin and New Market buildings, but to reopen them as the New Amsterdam food market.
     
 

I.S. 89 Eighth Graders Take On Real World Issues 
POSTED NOVEMBER 25, 2008: Eighth graders from I.S. 89 took part in a political "mocktail" party, where they sipped on fizzy drinks and pressed each other on hot-button social and economic topics.
Click here for video of the I.S. 89 Political "Mocktail" Party

     
  DOT Says City Hall Bike Path Safe for Walkers, Riders
POSTED NOVEMBER 24, 2008: The city's Department of Transportation says a month-long study of the bike path it installed in City Hall Park this past summer proves that it is safe for cyclists and pedestrians, but some opponents of the controversial bike path remain unconvinced.
     
  Guitarmaker's Descendent Dedicates Plaque in Tribeca
POSTED NOVEMBER 13, 2008: It was 175 years ago this month that Christian Frederick Martin opened the C.F. Martin & Co. guitar factory at 196 Hudson. On November 7, his great-great-great grandson returned to the site to honor his ancestor and the company he left behind. Click Here for Video
     
     
  A Push to Rid WTC Site of Illegal Vendors
Local leaders are hoping to end the ceaseless game of cat and mouse between illegal vendors and police at the site of the former World Trade Center.
     
  Cancer Survivor Grateful for the Drive to Save Her Life
Eight months ago, doctors sent Lisa Gershowitz Flynn home to die, having been diagnosed with leukemia. Last month, she stood in front of a room filled with Downtown residents and thanked them for helping save her life.
 
School Space Search Yields Promising Results, Parents Say
Where the city’s Department of Education failed to find overcrowding relief for two local schools next fall, parents say they have found success. A group of them toured the vacant properties late last month. They expect to present their findings to a School Construction Authority official on Nov. 13.
 
Ratner Says Beekman Tower on Schedule Residents, CB1 Oppose Event Space
  Even as the economy spiraled downward last month, developers of what will be New York’s tallest residential tower continued to set their eyes on the sky.     More than a dozen residents living near the Tribeca Rooftop came out to oppose a liquor license for Sunshine Terraces, a proposed open-air event space next to the Rooftop.
New Megu Lounge Irks Neighbors Hunger Action Center Open in BPC
  A Duane Street family says they have had enough of the new nightclub underneath their bedroom.     Mercy Corps, a non-profit organization hoping to end world hunger, has a new outpost in Battery Park City.
     
  Maritime Building Cleared for City Land Use Approval
A Community Board 1 committee unanimously voted its support for plans for a hotel atop the historic 102-year-old Battery Maritime Building, and a 10,000 square foot event space inside, as developers begin a seven-month city review process.
     
 

Lots to Shout About as Cheerleading Grows Downtown
Now in its third year and sporting six Downtown Giants teams of 6-15-year-olds, tackle football has taken hold. And a growing number of girls are cheering the boys on.
Click Here for an Audio Slideshow of the Downtown Giants Cheerleaders

     
  Fishing the Hudson with the Shadow Anglers
When darkness falls on the Hudson, and the tide is high and calm waters gently slap the banks of the esplanade, from Battery Park on up, that’s when the city’s shadow anglers cast in.  “This is probably the best place in New York City you can fish,” said Lewis Ortega, 31, of East Harlem.
     
  One-Man Mission to Rename the City Jail
Wallace Cheatham is rounding up support from senators, City Council members and dozens of other public officials for renaming the Manhattan Detention Center after Benjamin Ward, the city’s police commissioner from 1984 to 1989 and the first African-American to serve in that post.
     
 

‘Whirlwind’ of Activities Take Off at 92YTribeca
92YTribeca is now in full swing, with a dizzying variety of screenings, concerts and classes, day and night, and much more in the pipeline. "We are a whirlwind," says its executive director, Naomi Lopin.
     
  For Mushroom Group, Fungi and Fun Go Together
Members of the N.Y. Mycological Society meet each Monday at the Downtown Community Center, bringing with them magnifying glasses, reference books and several small brown paper bags filled with the weekend’s haul—fungi of all shapes, sizes and colors.
     
  In This Election, Kids Take Their (Lemonade) Stand
In a single weekend last month, 8-year-olds Luca Scopetta-Stern and Asa Levite helped a small, online-based group raised more than $4,100 nationally for the Barack Obama campaign—nearly doubling their goal—selling lemonade.
 
Police Beat: Vendor Robbed at Gunpoint Trying to Buy License
A Brooklyn man told police someone he knew robbed him at gunpoint near the South Street Seaport last month.
     
  Tribalism Is Theme of Masked Performance
Roland Gebhardt is taking his fascination with masks to the 3 Legged Dog theater with the premiere of “The Only Tribe,” a whirl of three-foot masks, curling bodies, pulsing beats and video clips that illuminate the human battle for community and belonging.
     
  Wild Ride Ends in Cop Car Smash-Up
A Brooklyn teen’s unlicensed ride behind the wheel came to an abrupt end Monday afternoon when he planted the nose of his cousin’s car into a parked police car on Broadway.

 

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