The following letter was published in response to the Crain’s New York Business article “Traffic Congestion Costs Metro Economy $20 Billion a Year: Study,” dated January 18, 2018. The letter has been edited by WestView News. I enjoyed your article on congestion in New York City. What a crisis, but unfortunately, it is deliberately created.
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Reflecting on American Ideals
Dear Editors, While I have to agree with Anne Olshansky that most New Yorkers still extend a welcome to immigrants, after reading her article “Emma Lazarus’ ‘The New Colossus’: A Timely Reminder of American Ideals” in the February 2018 issue of WestView, I looked back at a letter I had written to the New York
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Go For It, God
Senior share housing is a great idea, George! I hope you can get the wheels in motion, especially in that excellent location! I had to chuckle, too…finding our minds running on the same track. In my case, I was wondering whether—if and when one of them became available—I could possibly afford to pay the rent
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I’ll Tell You What’s Wrong With Your Paper
Mr. Capsis, I respectfully submit the letter below for your “Correspondence, Commentary, and Corrections” section. In “Do We Really Need Newspapers?” from the February 2018 issue of WestView News, George Capsis deplores how “people are simply not looking at a newspaper any longer, and certainly not a community paper.” According to Mr. Capsis, the iPhone
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High Marks for WestView
Dear George, I can’t believe my poem and I got so lucky. It’s an honor to be published by you. You’re beyond professional. I continually marvel at how you alert the public to so much information which startles/teaches us monthly. I’m sure it’s a massive group effort, but you’ve got it sewn up. Regarding the
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The Truth About Rent Control
Dear WestView News, Your February 2018 article “The Rent is Due—$127.61 Please” is one of the most misleading articles I have ever read on rent control, and probably a plant by a landlord association. Professor Neuman obviously doesn’t know how rent control works, or has ulterior motives. It is different from rent stabilization and is
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Verizon Outage
Dear George: I assume you’re aware of the outage caused by a contractor’s cutting of an exchange cable at 17th Street and 7th Avenue. This has left much of the West Village which uses a copper-wire landline without Verizon telephone service since January 29th. That includes Greenwich House on Barrow Street, which is home to
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More Insight on Coffee Joints
Dear Mr. Capsis: First, I am sorry to learn of the loss of John Capsis. My condolences to you and your family. My reason for writing is this: Gordon T. Hughes, Jr., in his January 2018 WestView article “West Village Coffee Joints,” missed an exquisite newcomer to the neighborhood. Ad Hoc Collective Coffee + Shoppe—part
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An Email Brings Snowmen to James J. Walker Park
Hi George, What do you think about the fact that the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) has kept the James J. Walker Park (at Hudson and Leroy Streets) locked up for a week or more after the last snow storm? I noticed while walking by that the snow was completely untouched in
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High-Priced Condos Drive Up the Cost of Everything
Dear Mr. Capsis, I met you at the November 23rd inaugural concert at St. Veronica’s Church. I was truly sorry to read in WestView News of your loss. It sounds like you and your cousin John had much in common. I write to you concerning two articles that appeared in the December 2017 issue of
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Grateful to WestView and Northwell
Dear George Capsis, Warmest wishes to you for a bright and successful 2018! With the New Year, the Village will have a Caregiver Support Program at Northwell Health. This is thanks to you! I wrote to you before the holidays about needing a community meeting place for our Caregivers to the Elderly Support Group. You
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I’ve Seen the Light and It Ain’t Pretty
Dear Editors: My apartment faces the towering buildings across the river in Jersey City. While I can mostly see only their higher floors and not the river itself, the views of the open sky and sunsets are important to us West Siders. I was shocked, stunned, and appalled a few months ago to look out
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“Bird of the Year” Brings Back Fond Memories, and More
Dear Mr. Capsis, While reading the January 2018 issue of WestView, with smiles and frowns, I committed to sending the edition to my 92-year-old father in Florida, who was brought up on the Lower East Side and the Bronx, and a best friend, over on 7th Avenue and 13th Street. Then I had to stop
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Supporting Music at St. Veronica
Dear Editors: The initiation of Music at St. Veronica is a glorious idea, and a critically needed series. There was a time when our musical superstars included the likes of Horowitz, Toscanini, Heifetz, or Menuhin—names that have long since faded. Some, such as Bernstein, still resonate with an ever-diminishing circle of admirers. The great composers
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A Transcontinental Legacy
Dear Editors: John Capsis’ obituary, which was published in the December 2017 issue of WestView, provided a reminder of a life well lived, the way John served his community and country. Joy and I happened to travel to Greece just after John Capsis’ passing, so as we met people there, we mentioned Mr. Capsis’ relation
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Against the Destruction of West Village Houses
Dear Editors: As long-term residents of the West Village Houses, we are appalled at how the Board is trying to destroy this low-rise community, which was championed by Jane Jacobs. They want to tear our buildings down and turn us into luxury housing. The community needs to rise up to stop this. —Alice Moore &
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Victimized by the Sixth Precinct
Dear Editors: Now I’ve seen it all. After being falsely arrested, threatened, cursed, and spat upon, I was finally ‘EDP’d’ to Bellevue. This is particularly interesting because, as a diehard community activist, I’m frequently told by cops that the crazy, homeless folks cannot be moved without their permission. Explain how that doesn’t scream, “Please help
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Praise for Music at St. Veronica’s
Dear George, I am writing to let you know that Addie and I attended the concert at St. Veronica’s this past Saturday, November 25th, and it was marvelous. The orchestra and the diva were superb. Your efforts on behalf of us, who are residents of the Village, is certainly laudable. You have repurposed the use
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Identifying an Unusual Bird
Dear Editors: I write to you as an avid reader and fan of WestView News, even though I moved to nearby Chelsea a few years ago. This morning (November 4th), while walking to the market, I came across an interesting little bird sitting in the middle of the sidewalk on West 22nd Street. It didn’t
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A Word from George Capsis of Australia
Dear Mr. Capsis: Would WestView News please inform its writers and associated people that private emails concerning your newspaper are finding their way into my inbox in Australia? My name is also George Capsis and I reside and work in Australia. I am in no way associated with George Capsis from the U.S. newspaper. I
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Will You Write for the West View News?
Greetings! We are starting a new monthly column, “BLOCK NEWS,” in which you can talk to the residents on your block and the rest of the West Village about your block. Sure, talk about the issues that only concern your block but also air concerns that affect the whole Village, from graffiti to traffic. Let
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Don’t Let the Constitutional Convention Distract You
Dear Editors: I am very much against the Constitutional Convention, which Arthur Z. Schwartz discusses in the October 2017 issue of WestView (“Why Vote ‘Yes’ for a Constitutional Convention?”), for four reasons. There are changes we need to make but the way to do that is to defeat the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). We have
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Schwartz’s Response to Berger
I disagree with Keen Berger. I see little chance of the Constitutional Convention taking away people’s rights. It will be dominated by Democrats even if the vote for delegates splits, as per the existing Senate breakdown. A majority of the districts are Democratic, plus 15 are elected statewide. Plus, whatever they do requires a majority
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Not Only in Our Backyard
Dear Editors: Due to the intense development pressure many New York neighborhoods are facing, residents are beginning to understand the importance of working together across neighborhood lines. At a recent City Council hearing on proposed plans for the development of East Harlem, residents made many eloquent comments, including the formidable Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough President
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#NOTME
I know it’s trendy to use social media to jump on the bandwagon when famous folks promote the next cause célèbre. Please forgive me if I don’t mindlessly join in but there’s a good reason that I can’t type #METOO. It’s not because numerous men (and some gals) haven’t tried, or because I haven’t lost
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Dismay for Weiwei: A Letter Regarding Public Art
Dear Editors: While I respect Ai Weiwei for his artistic creativity and discipline, it is still disheartening to see the complicity involved in vandalizing one of New York’s most iconic public sculptures, the Washington Square Arch by Stanford White. Due to the secrecy involved in the public art process, we weren’t told how this act
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St. Veronica’s for Healing
Hi George, St. Veronica’s is a spectacular space with healing qualities. Apart from using it for concerts, I feel that it could be a great space to use for AA meetings, PTSD healing groups, etc. Something to explore. — Christina Winholt Raccuia
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Offensive Language
Dear Mr. Capsis, I was greatly taken aback and offended to read the copy accompanying Maggie Berkvist’s photo on page 29 of the September issue. The caption includes incorrect information (there is no bamboo pole evident) and the offensive wording “Alien Skills” is a stunning example of racism. There is no basis to identify the
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Diller Island: The City Club Perspective
Dear George, As President of the City Club of New York, one of the three plaintiffs in the Pier 55 (a.k.a. Diller Island) litigation, I’ve followed the history and collapse of this project very closely over the past two and a half years. The fantasy style of the island seems to have inspired a parallel
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A Common Perspective on Diller Island
Dear James, I wanted to thank you for the commentary you provided in your advertisement in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times on Wednesday, September 27th. Having lived on the west end of Bank Street for many decades, I hated the idea of Diller Island, not only for allowing Barry Diller’s blatant ego
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How Yoga Helps During Grieving
By Christina Winholt Raccuia 2016 was a trauma-filled year for me, as I experienced multiple losses. I lost my mother, a pregnancy, a relationship, and my home. When we experience such loss, we also lose all of the hopes, dreams, and expectations connected with those people or places. Grieving is unique to each individual and
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Readers Support St. Veronica’s Revival
Dear Mr. Capsis: Thank you so much for all you are doing to try to reopen St. Veronica’s Church. I attended Sunday mass on June 25th and the final reunion mass on July 23rd. Both times, I could barely hold back the tears. I had lived around the corner from the church from 1982 to
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Elizabeth Street Garden Debate Continues
Dear Editors: I want to respond to Alec Pruchnicki’s “analysis” of the demographics of those who use the Elizabeth Street Garden. I visited the garden on Saturday, August 5th, a gorgeous day full of sunshine, which made everything look magnificent. I didn’t see any zombies there. What I did see were families, children playing, international
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Tracking Changes in the Village
Dear Editors: I just looked at the August issue of WestView and noted that the recent passing of Paul Bellardo was not mentioned. I assume that was because you had already gone to press when he died. I remember well his shop on Christopher Street. I also noticed that, in “In and Out,” you say
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Tearing Down Statues
Dear Editors: If we must tear down statues, then let’s tear down the one of General Philip Sheridan in Sheridan Square. My suggestion for a replacement is either Benjamin Lay, 18th-century Quaker dwarf and abolitionist, or the great Lakota Sioux warrior, Crazy Horse. John Early West Village resident
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Illegal Postings: Making an Impact
WestView reader and contributor Ben Benson, along with other concerned residents, tirelessly protects the Village landscape from the onslaught of illegal postings. Benson consistently informs the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) of the fliers he observes and even works to remove them himself. Below is the message he received from the DSNY’s Director of Enforcement,
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Everybody’s Doctor
Dear George, My name is Kelly Ferguson, and I am the granddaughter of Matt Ferguson and the daughter of Andy Ferguson. Matt, and his kids Matt, Andy, Terry, Timmy, Michael, and Mary Kate, said that they grew up with you and your family in the West Village. I had been living with my grandfather in
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Saving Beth Israel
To All: I am delighted by the vigor of your collective efforts to save Beth Israel. It is what we should have done when they were closing St. Vincent’s Hospital. The pages of WestView are open to you. — George Capsis Dear George: I am insulted by your statement, “…what we should have done when
