By Tom Lamia From early January to mid-April of this year, I was in New York having a knee repaired. My surgery was on January 20th, the day that politics and governance took a new direction. Every day since has brought something new for discussion, with no one sure where it is all headed. Your
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IN AND OUT
This month, we saw a large number of store closings of all sorts. The closing of Pó was widely reported, and with the previous closing of Home, and the news that Cornelia Street Café is struggling, the outlook for the Cornelia Street restaurant scene is not rosy. On the positive side, two interesting openings and
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Nest. Egg.
By Keith Michael This little wren went to market, This little wren stayed home, This little wren had, well, caterpillars, This little wren had none. And this little wren went, “Wee wee wee” all the way back to the nest. —Anonymous Let’s face it: Birds are baffling. They have feathers. They can fly. They either
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Caruso’s Quips
By Charles Caruso Cityscape: No curtains, ladder against a wall. Someone’s gone, someone new is coming. ___ Everyone rewrites his life into a form he can live with. ___ Immigrant’s progress: from blue collar to white collar to no collar. ___ Spring is a promise summer doesn’t keep. ___ Where Hamlet got his furs: Rosencrantz
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Favorite Restaurants, Continued
Piccolo Angolo (621 Hudson Street, at Jane Street): In more than 20 years, I’ve never had a bad meal at this family-run establishment. I’ve found it a little expensive but always high quality. Its large portions and diverse menu make it well worth the price. One caveat is that it can feel small and crowded,
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Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter JUNE 2017
It’s June: Festivals and Pride are in the air. In this era of “fake news,” 90-second sound bites, fast food documentaries, and the constant “breaking news,” we welcome the 28th edition of The 2017 Human Rights Watch Film Festival (HRWFF), which is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC) and IFC Center (June
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What’s In a Name?
By Keith Michael “My name is Alice, but—” “It’s a stupid name enough!” Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently. “What does it mean?” “Must a name mean something?” Alice asked doubtfully. —Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll “Milton! Sitting down to scratch your head in the middle of the crosswalk is not a good idea!” Countdown: Ten,
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: Maine Character(s)
By Tom Lamia In the April issue of WestView, I spoke of a long-ago first visit to Maine. That visit was an introduction not only to the splendor and rigors of coastal Maine, but also to the rugged and resourceful character of its people. Moral strength, wisdom, mental and physical toughness, humility, taciturnity, and
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My Favorite Handyman
Sooner or later, all of us need a handyman to repair a piece of furniture, adhere loose tiles, clean windows, replace a light switch, or assemble an IKEA chair. One of our readers suggested that we create a monthly section inviting readers to offer their “favorite handyman,” which may include carpenters, plumbers, electricians, computer technicians,
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IN AND OUT
by Caroline Benvieste The big news this month is the re-opening of the Quad Cinema which was purchased by lawyer, film buff, and real estate developer Charles S. Cohen back in 2015 and has been under construction ever since. Many famous people came to the opening on April 13th, including Harvey Keitel, Julian Schnabel, and
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Of the Park: Joe Mangrum, Sandpainter
By Brian Pape and Joy Pape Among the many performers that frequent Washington Square Park on nice weekends, there are musicians, acrobats, athletes, and artists, all of whom make the Park a very special place. One of the most colorful and fascinating performers is the sand artist, Joe Mangrum, whose temporary spontaneous works at the
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New Location Brings New Programs at the Children’s Safety Project
By Joe Salas By May 1st, the Children’s Safety Project at Greenwich House will have left its home of 30 years, behind an arched window on a classic Greenwich Village street, for a larger space on the Lower East Side. However, partnerships will continue to make it a distinctly Greenwich Village program. The Children’s Safety
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Caruso’s Quips
By Charles Caruso Everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die. ___ Sunrise doesn’t start the day. Coffee does. ___ Dogs are nicer than people—better dispositions, more loyal. ___ Mourn the victim but pity the shooter. Imagine the hell the poor devil went through before he cracked. ___ In a season
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Be HIP, Not Hyped
By Joy Pape, FNP-C CDE CILC Keeping up with the latest health care advice can be confusing. What I’ve learned in the many years I’ve been a health care provider is to help people learn or continue to be content and happy. That’s what many centenarians claim is their secret to a long life. It’s
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Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter MAY 2017
As I sit to write about the last three weeks of attending the Tribeca Film Festival press/public screenings, I’m glad to finally be sitting in a room full of light. Readers know I am a big champion of going to film festivals. You get to see films of merit. At festival screenings the audience gets
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: First Visit: South Bristol, Maine (1968)
By Tom Lamia My association with the State of Maine began as a chapter in a courtship that led to marriage. In early 1968, after two years of teaching law, first in Nigeria and then in Zambia, I visited Nairobi, Kenya, where I met a vivacious and seductive fellow-adventurer who would become my wife. I
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? It turned out to be a month when those observing the world around them became as interesting as the objects of their scrutiny-whether it was Jefferson excited by the falling snow (#1), attendees at the Whitney (#2) and Westbeth (#3) art exhibitions, or the little girl fascinated by the
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In and Out
This month saw fewer closings than February. Plus, two long-awaited restaurants finally opened—Greenwich Steakhouse and Hot N Juicy Crawfish. One Italian restaurant opened and an Italian sandwich shop/grocery store is coming soon. Is this a trend? Is the Village returning to its Italian roots? Open 1. Tfor (14 Bedford Street, near Downing Street): This Italian/Mediterranean
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Inside Out
By Keith Michael With a glass of wine in my hand and Millie’s corgi nose slumbering across my foot, the late afternoon sun draws shadows down the walls. Well, that’s not quite accurate: The glass of wine sits beguilingly blocking my monitor as I type, and Millie is flattened far across the floor in her
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Of the Park: Rasheed’s Jazz
By Joy Pape and Brian J. Pape As soon as we started visiting Washington Square Park (WSP), we were entertained by the many musicians. One outstanding performer was Rasheed and The Jazz Collective. A friend introduced us to Rasheed, and we continue to be fascinated by his special talents; we even bought his CDs. Rasheed
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What Is Your Favorite Restaurant?
For those of you who regularly dine out, you have your absolute number one favorite spot where you love the food and maybe the modest prices, the décor, and perhaps the nice owner as well. Will you share your favorite West Village restaurant with the readers of WestView? Email them to westviewarticles@gmail.com. Please limit each
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Caruso’s Quips
By Charles Caruso Sex is like fire. It can keep the house warm—or burn it down. ___ A woman’s touch is always a signal. ___ Deep in March snow, shop windows have an April glow. ___ Small pooch, small poops, less to scoop. ___ Without women, all the men would have killed each other a
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“Ohhh…My Aching Feet!”
By Joy Pape, FNP-C CDE CILC Have you ever said or felt this? If so, you are not alone. Spring is here—time to get out and about—but your feet hurt. What can you do? Being the wife of an architect, I appreciate the need for strength and durability in the foundation of a building. Our
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Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter
APRIL 2017 April is here and that means Cannes on the Hudson hits Lower Manhattan. The Tribeca Film Festival is back and it’s bigger and better than ever. Due to the paper’s deadline, I will share with you what I know and what I intend to attend and see. You know that I go to
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West Village Original: Edith Stephen
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is dancer and filmmaker Edith Stephen, who was born in Salamanca, New York, in 1919 and grew up in Brooklyn. For years, she toured the U.S., Europe, and China with her dance troupe until she took up filmmaking. One of the original tenants of Westbeth, Stephen’s
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: New on Charles Street
By Tom Lamia Last month, I wrote of being “from away”—a Maine expression used for those “outside” of the local culture. In New York, the cultural divide comes up when “true” New Yorkers are recognized by their attitude and conduct, not in derogation of others, but as a tribute to an exceptional few. Several of
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Love is in the Air
By Keith Michael Kek kek kek kek kek drops like aural sleet from somewhere above the rooflines. Dragging me to the curb, Millie scavenges for an augmentation to her (obviously, according to her) inadequate continental breakfast fare. Corgi foraging leads her nose into the deepest footprints in the single leftover bank of February snow on
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
NOT EXACTLY YOUR RUN-OF-THE-MILL FEBRUARY: To refresh your memory, after a warm start and a record breaking 60-plus degrees on the 8th, on the 9th the temperature dropped to more typical teens, and nine inches of snow fell in Central Park, which meant—whoopee!—City schools were closed! But by the 19th—whoopee! again—it felt like spring at the
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IN AND OUT
By Caroline Benveniste All photos by Maggie Berkvist. It was a fairly quiet month for openings and closings in the West Village, but there were a number of widely-reported events, such as the opening of Do¯, Milk Bar, and the purchase of Murray’s Cheese by Kroger. Gansevoort Market/Chelsea Market Update As usual, much happened in
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Trump Trauma
A New Monthly Feature in WestView News Nothing in recent history has shattered the traditional acceptance that our national government, right or left, would somehow sustain a safe middle road between the financial and political perils of a planet now totally connected by smartphones. That is, until Trump. A psychotherapist called me to offer, with
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Trumphobia
By Christina Raccuia After Trump was elected, and even during his campaign, teachers noticed an uptick in bullying and distress in classrooms, as their students were, and continue to be, exposed to a president who regularly attacks his opponents in bombastic, even threatening terms. Trump’s crude boasts in 2005 about being able to kiss and
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Potters’ Protest
By Miriam Patterson Since January 20th, we have all witnessed the President’s need to assert his newfound power in a rapid-fire barrage of sweeping executive orders. With each passing day, we are confounded, and presented with a new conundrum. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are
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Scattered Rage Forms a Collective Fist
By Benjamin Yee The ascension of Donald Trump changed America in a political instant, upending everything we knew about politics and elections, and ushering in new societal norms that overtook the American psyche. Anyone outside of Trump’s vision of a “Great” America stood demoralized, paralyzed, and anxious for what lay ahead. I’ve been a grassroots
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Caruso’s Quips
By Charles Caruso You can’t pray for yourself if you don’t believe in God. But you can pray for others. God will understand. Get mad, not sad. Anger is better than depression. When you’re sick, everything stops. The tiger-striped dawn. Did Frank Sinatra sing in the shower? In a big city, if you’re ever alone, you’re
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Not Me. Yes, You!
By Joy Pape, FNP-C CDE CILC I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We never think it will happen to us, but it will! I started in the health care field when I was in my early twenties and I remember talking with patients who were in their forties. I taught them that
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Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter – March 2017
March 2017 Ah, too many quality films, too little print space. Please catch up with me on the WestView website: westviewnews.org. Let’s Go to the Movies… I went to the Athena Film Festival (which shows films by and about bold and creative women) at Barnard College. Among the terrific films I saw were these opening
