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
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Ben Benson, Our Graffiti-Buster, Gets City Response
Dear Mr. Benson: I am writing in response to your e-mail dated July 26, 2017 regarding handbills posted in the vicinity of the West Village, Manhattan. On August 8th and August 10th various members of the Department of Sanitation’s Enforcement Division inspected the area outlined in your complaint and sighted a total of eighteen handbills
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A Phoenix Rises
This letter represents the overwhelmingly kind and supportive feedback Eileen Millan received following her July article in WestView, “Second Act.” Hi Eileen, Nice article. I had no idea what you went through. You have risen from the ashes, like a phoenix! Keep on creating. May you keep having success in your second career (or maybe
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14th Street Closing
Dear Editors: In order to see the draft concept plan released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), visit mta.info, scroll down to ‘L Canarsie Tunnel Reconstruction,’ and click on ‘View community presentation.’ The impact, not only on 14th Street, will be significant when the L
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Oh Wow, People Like the Paper!
One of my familiar laments was, “Nobody ever sends us a compliment.” That was the case until we tested our popularity by publishing a return coupon asking: “Should We End WestView?” Below is a sample of the comments we stirred. (It is not too late to add yours to the September issue.) —George Capsis Love
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Continuing the Fight Against Illegal Fliers
Dear Mr. Capsis: On Saturday, July 15th, while removing one of the numerous ads defacing lamp posts at the four corners of 8th Avenue and 28th Street, I was approached by an individual claiming that I had no business preventing someone from advertising. This individual took my picture on his phone “to put it on
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Clarifying Statements in June’s “In and Out”
Dear Caroline: I read your “In and Out” column with interest, as usual, in the latest WestView issue. I always welcome your news. But two things you wrote puzzle me. You ended the section by saying that, “Perhaps the West Village is just not a favorable location for vegan restaurants.” What vegan restaurant? Certainly not
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Diller Island Perspective
Dear Editors: I would like to respond to the article entitled “The Ego Fight for Diller Island,” published in the June issue of WestView News. The amendment to the Hudson River Park Act in June 2013 was not passed by Assemblymember Deborah Glick alone, but by the entire New York State Legislature by a vote
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America, The Same Country
Dear Editors: America killed Philando Castile, who had his seat belt on while his girlfriend and child were in the car, and while it was streamed live. It’s the same country that allowed racist Jeff Sessions to become the head national law enforcement officer. It’s the same country that allows a billionaire with zero experience,
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West 12th Street Water Pipe Construction…
Dear Mr. Capsis: Firstly, many, many thanks for WestView News. It is a lifeline for West Villagers. I have lived in the townhouse my father bought, since 1946. He was a doctor, who needed to be near St. Vincent’s. Currently, West 12th Street is being victimized by the City’s construction to replace water pipes. The
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Canceled Outdoor Art Exhibit
Dear Editors: Can you please tell me who to contact regarding the cancelation of the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit’s second weekend this month (one of its two days)—an 87-year-old show replaced by a sausage and tube sock street fair? This exhibit showcases fine artists and craft artisans from around the New York metropolitan area,
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Surviving Greed and Indifference
Dear Editors: I am a big fan of your paper. While reading the May issue, I felt happy for Jessica Berk regarding her victory over the heartless people who own the building she lives in. When my husband Bernard Pollack was no longer able to walk up the four flights to our apartment, I found
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WestView Delivers Relevant, Local News
Dear Editors: I must comment on something about which I feel most strongly: the quality and depth of WestView News’ coverage. In order to economically survive the impact that email, digital media, and video have had on their bottom lines, media outlets have been wallowing in trivia, desperately reaching out to a (perceived) newer audience.
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Praise for WestView
Dear Editors: Thanks so much for seeing merit in my “Seniorhood” piece for the May issue of WestView. It is beautifully laid out, giving it the feel of a true prose poem. I happen to have a large number of ‘oldster’ friends and most identified with the writing; they got a sort of serious chuckle
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Mobile Stroke Care Innovation
Dear Editors: Thank you for your continuing focus on health care issues in our community! A short time after attending the May 4th meeting announced by Arthur Z. Schwartz in WestView News, to discuss the crisis in our area’s health care, I went to Weill Cornell Medical Center on York Avenue to hear a talk,
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Many Thanks for My Ziedonis Article
Dear Editors: Thank you very much for my article on Ziedonis. Everything is fine, and the layout looks great. I have had quite a few compliments not only on the article, but on your paper as well, which was unfamiliar to most of my friends and acquaintances. —Bitite Vinklers P.S. Maybe you should have a
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A Generous Contribution
Dear George: I was moved by the news in your April 2017 piece “Shall We End WestView?” that Amelia Vinal donated 10 free subscriptions to those in need. I decided to offer the same and so I donated $240 through the website, and also purchased a subscription for myself. —Eduardo Cavalcanti
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Keep WestView in the Village
Please, George, keep WestView in the West Village. If I want to know what’s going on with Trump, there are 24/7 news channels. Stay focused on the people and businesses in OUR neighborhood. —Doug Douglass Doug, You have just echoed a phrase I use very often in production meetings: “Keep WestView focused on the West
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Thanking Mr. Diller
Dear Mr. Capsis: In my opinion, the words you are seeking for Mr. Diller are “Thank you very much for the generous gift to our community and the City as a whole.” We are West Village residents and 100% behind the Pier 55 project. We honestly do not understand the small (but vocal) minority opposed.
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Countering Trump Support
Dear George: You were saintly in your patient response to poor, lonely, lashing out Mr. Gianfalla. He writes that he “survived four years of a university” but obviously never learned research skills or he would know that his claim that “[h]alf of America disagrees” with your views regarding Trump is false; the latest poll shows
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The Freedom to Criticize
Dear Editors: I have been trying to avoid responding to every letter written by ignoramus Trump supporters, but the incredible stupidity and audacity of Mark Gianfalla, who wrote to WestView excoriating the paper for its opposition to the incompetent, lying, so-called President Trump, set my blood boiling. His bold assertion that Trump is the President
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Compliments for Tom Lamia
Dear Editors: I wanted to compliment you on the addition of Tom Lamia’s Notes and Perspectives From Away column. I enjoy his writing style and his message has resonated with me. There are many in the Village who have, or continue to, split their lives with small town/rural communities. Lamia’s column is valuable for those
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Fighting Community Blight
Dear Editors: I’m a regular reader of WestView and someone who hasn’t really participated in local politics. Your newspaper has made me more aware of meaningful ways to get involved in the community. Thank you for that. I am forwarding you a note (with slight edits) that I sent our council members a few weeks
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Opposing the PeopleWay
Dear Editors: Paul Steely White’s effort to defend his indefensible proposal for the deceptively named “PeopleWay” on 14th Street, published in the April issue of WestView, ignores the desires and needs of the large majority of people who would be most directly affected. First, it is incredibly short-sighted to think that “buses, biking and walking”
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PeopleWay Traffic Solution—Move
Some time ago, we published a photo of Charles Street taken in the 1930s where there was only one car parked—just one. Now, we have a fierce debate about banning private cars from 14th Street and reserving it for crosstown buses and bike lanes to replace the L Train. There is even talk about widening
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WestView Fan
Dear Editors: West Villagers (even some northerners and southerners) are burning up my phone lines to get a copy of the March 2017 issue of WestView. Your paper has ‘people power’ and packs a punch. I am pleased and honored to be a part of this ‘free’ (in all senses of the word) press. WestView
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Traumatized by Trump Trauma
Below, we feature an exchange between WestView reader Mark Gianfalla and Publisher George Capsis concerning the paper’s treatment of the Trump presidency. Dear Editors: I am writing as an active resident of the West Village and one (of the few) who reads WestView News when it is left in my building. I am often disturbed
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Joffrey Ballet
Ballet is Tradition Last month, with casual indifference, I forwarded to our Managing Editor a denunciation of the current Joffrey Ballet School management, which has followed the next generation of young dancers to Long Island City to conduct programs in what looks like an old factory. In doing so, we seem to have stumbled upon
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Graffiti: A Cry for Recognition
Have you ever seen a person spray graffiti on a wall? I have seen it only once and it involved three obviously rich private school boys around 12 years old who sprayed the concrete dividers on the West Side Highway to demonstrate that they were no longer kids. But few people ever see the graffiti
