HE’S FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES, luring a stream of delighted youngsters of all ages in Washington Square Park to try their luck at catching the ‘pretty bubbles in the air.’ Photo and text by Maggie Berkvist.
-
-
Epidemiology— We are the Canary
By Mark Green (sceincefromaway.com) Hoosick Falls is a lovely town in upstate New York near the Vermont border and famous as the home of a remarkable painter: Grandma Moses. Recently, it became famous again, for the discovery that a chemical associated with the production of non-stick cookware, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is at a dangerously high
-
IN AND OUT
This month saw many openings and a few closings. Jeans Unlimited (492 Avenue of the Americas) is NOT closing after all and there is still no sign of Brooklyn Fare (The Archive, 666 Greenwich Street), which was originally supposed to open in March or April and then according to the Villager, had a firm opening
-
Are You Mocking Me?
By Keith Michael “Are corgis naturally fat?” Millie and I squint into the late-afternoon September sun at our inquisitor—nonplussed. Well, Millie is actually sitting and looking up with a smile as though the question was: “Would you like a treat?” There you have it. Corgis seem to inspire repartee on the street, and, quite frankly,
-
Groups Find a New Way to Leave a Mark in Greenwich Village
By Joe Salas For generations, people have been flocking to Greenwich Village’s winding Federalist streets to leave their own mark on the storied neighborhood. Today, the Village is bursting at the edges with landmarks, big and small, young and old, from obscure oddities like Hess’s Triangle, to bars and clubs that started social movements and
-
Caruso’s Quips —By Charles Caruso
Everyone knows but no one cares. A sneer is a sign of a broken heart. Getting to work on time makes the day so long. The penalty for disloyalty is loneliness. Balloons make people happy but no one knows why. Summertime and the living is queasy. If a man and a woman are smiling and
-
Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls at the Jefferson Market Library
By Matt Whitman By September 1966, the U.S. involvement in Vietnam had escalated to over 200,000 soldiers. Bob Dylan had “gone electric” at Newport more than a year earlier and was nowhere to be found in Greenwich Village. “Acid” had not yet been made illegal and had gained popularity a few thousand miles away on
-
Night Shift
By Keith Michael The stratospheric twittering of Chimney Swifts scribbles through the air, several octaves above the clicks, whirrs, and drones of summer air conditioners working full throttle. Sticking out like porcupine quills, tufts of Millie’s fur occasionally waft off, tumble-weeding behind her down the sidewalk—she is in full summer corgi-shedding mode. And she HATES
-
Seniors Feeling Great!
By Joy Pape There’s been a lot of talk about seniors in WestView News. This is great news! In preparing for this column, I asked myself, who are seniors? Today, many people say age is just a number. Having been a health care provider for m-a-n-y years, I agree…to a point. I’ll go with the
-
The Diversity of Contemporary Ceramics is Celebrated at Greenwich House Pottery’s Ceramics Now
By Nikki Shaner-Bradford Long before gaining its contemporary status as a medium for art and personal expression, pottery was considered an artisanal skill. This is how the legacy of Greenwich House Pottery (Pottery), an ancillary of Greenwich House, was founded. In 1909, the Settlement House expanded its immigrant assistance programs with the addition of pottery
-
Performance Treadmill (Part Three)
By Christina Winholt Raccuia What are you putting off till you have a better body, or a better job? What beliefs have you constructed around having a better body? How can you begin to challenge those? Shame about who we are or how we look, creates the false self to hide behind that helps protect our
-
Science From Away: What are scientists doing?
By Mark M. Green (sciencefromaway.com) There are scientific journals and there are scientific journals. The latter are really only two, Science and Nature that are widely read; publishing in such a journal gives the scientist enormous prestige among his or her fellows, which can translate to coveted benefits. This happened to me once in my
-
REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter
Jim Fouratt’s AUGUST 2016 Ah, August! Time to take a break either in the city or at home—relax, catch up, see a movie or two, and read THAT book. Well, I am all involved in running in the Democratic Primary for State Assembly (vote Sept. 13th!). But we have some very strong movies we would
-
30 Ways to Decrease Gun Deaths in America
By Emil William Chynn, MD, MBA Let me start by establishing my credibility to both sides of the debate. As a teenager, I was a Junior Member of the NRA. This was an extension of my positive introduction to guns in the Boy Scouts, where I earned the Rifle Merit Badge on my way to
-
Science from Away: Some Interesting Stuff
By Mark M Green (sciencefromaway.com) The Kepler Space Telescope has added a new planet with life supporting temperatures to the two thousand three hundred and twenty-five planets already known. The new one is 2.4 times the size of earth and only 600 light years away from earth. Not likely a neighbor we’ll be in touch
-
IN AND OUT
This month saw more upscale shops with French names coming to the Bleecker Street area. On 8th Street, an opening and closing cancel each other out. Asian restaurants in the neighborhood are on the upswing, and the beloved Gansevoort Market has returned. Photos by Maggie Berkvist. Recently Opened Il Conte, 310 West 14th Street: Replacing
-
Corrupting the City at Jefferson Market Library
By Matt Whitman Although the arguments exist, we find it difficult not to acknowledge an inextricable link—a continuum of mutual influence—between our self and our environment. Living in a city like New York, is no less one such example of this inevitable almost dialectic opposition of forces that exist between who we are as individuals
-
Performance Treadmill (Part Two)
By Christina Winholt Raccuia It takes courage to face our fears and ourselves. But you have to notice what you are telling yourself that drives you to the default of hiding. Many of us have painful memories that have caused us to want to numb out or withdraw. Maybe someone told you that you were
-
The Common Touch
By Keith Michael If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch… From If, Rudyard Kipling Probably my favorite story to tell about birds in New York (and there are so many to choose from) is about a 19th century Bronx pharmacist, Eugene Schieffelin, then chairman
-
Caruso’s Quips
By Charles Caruso You have your run and then you’re done. j We only recognize our happiest years when they’re past. j You’re old when the delivery man gets to your place before you do. j The elections are free but the politicians are expensive. j A girl who is chased a lot doesn’t stay
-
A Chef’s Restaurant—Günter Seeger
By David Porat Günter Seeger is new on Hudson Street with a very distinguished and somewhat mysterious façade. Its storefront piqued my curiosity on my way to High Street on Hudson, one of my current favorite places in the neighborhood. I entered the restaurant at about 6 pm on a Saturday before any guests arrived,
-
Greenwich Village’s LGBT History Around Every Corner
By Joe Salas It is no wonder why the Stonewall Inn was the location for a memorial vigil for those massacred at Pulse in Orlando. While discussions continue in what could be up to a three-year process to determine the extent of the proposed Stonewall Inn National Monument, the location has already been deemed worthy
-
Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter
Jim Fouratt’s JULY 2016 It’s impossible to not speak of how popular culture, and in particular the role film and television play in building consciousness, pushes a candidate like Donald Trump forward. Making a television personality popular based on his ability to say “You’re Fired” into a person who may hold the future of the
-
Science from Away: Transgender, the Facts
By Mark M. Green (sciencefromaway.com) Very few of us are free from some degree of discomfort in the presence of those who occupy the world in a manner different from ourselves. It’s not unreasonable to see that understanding the “other” is a path to greater acceptance and alleviation of that discomfort. Lately there has
-
Me, Me, Me
By Keith Michael “The song is called ‘Ways and Means’ but that’s only what it’s called, you know!” “Well, what is the song, then?” said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered. “I was coming to that,” the Knight said. —Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll “Do, Re, ME ME ME, Fa, So, La,
-
IN AND OUT
This month saw a larger than usual spate of openings, with a sizeable contingent of healthy, local ingredient spots popping up across the Village. Chain store closings on Bleecker Street continue with Coach decamping overnight and taking with them their benches. Photos by Maggie Berkvist. Recently Opened The Butcher’s Daughter (581 Hudson St.): The second
-
Charmed at Tapestry
By David Porat Suvir Saran owned a restaurant in New York called Devi on West 18th Street, not too far from where the Union Square Cafe used to be. I have fond memories of many meals there that were somewhat traditional Indian food but done in a very inspired way within a very ornate “ethnic”
-
Some Lost Jazz Clubs of the Village
By Clive I. Morrick Nightclubs, piano bars, cabarets, jazz clubs—call them what you will. The Village, east and west, has known many over the years. I highlight six, beginning with Café Society (2 Sheridan Square, 1938-1950). Barney Josephson opened this basement room and billed it as “The wrong place for the right people” because both
-
The Inaugural Production of the Jefferson Market Playhouse
By Trevor Davis-Darden Court is once again in session at Jefferson Market! This time, however, actors will be on trial, and the defendant has already been found guilty. Jefferson Market Library is thrilled to present Jefferson Market Playhouse, the first New York Public Library community theater. JMP will be staging Gross Indecency: The Three Trials
-
As the Tonys Celebrate Their 70th Anniversary: Memories of Award Namesake Antoinette Perry
By Ellis Nassour The Tony Award is Broadway’s most coveted prize. But who’s this Tony? The awards, presented by the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League, got their moniker by honoring an indefatigable actress who segued to top producer and director—Antoinette Perry. In 1900, the Denver socialite and beauty, nicknamed Toni, captured Broadway as an
-
Made at the Library: Fashion!
By Corinne Neary What do you think of when you think of libraries? Probably books, computers, maybe even classes and programs. At Jefferson Market Library, we’re trying to expand the role of libraries in the community, opening up to things we’ve never done before. This June, we’re bringing art, design, competition, and creativity
-
Greenwich Village’s Artistic Legacy Finds a New Generation, Five Floors Up
By Joe Salas Hanging in the lobby of Greenwich House, at 27 Barrow Street, is one of the Village’s best-kept secrets—a portrait of the organization’s founder, Mary K. Simkhovitch, painted by Leopold Seyffert, the renowned American portrait artist. However, what might actually be the Village’s best-kept secret is located five floors above at the Greenwich
-
Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies that Matter
JUNE 2016 June is the busiest month for major film festivals in New York City. Each one deserves your attention. I highlight them because in many cases the only time you will be able to see a film of merit is at these festivals. They are the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Open Roads: New
-
West Village Original: SuZen
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is photographer SuZen, born in Beth Israel Hospital and raised in Brooklyn. Her artwork has grown from traditional black-and-white print images shown in galleries, to large-scale performances in public spaces. Retired from teaching photography, on May 1st, her 50th anniversary retrospective will open at the Westbeth
-
The Legacy of Lisa Steinberg:
The Children’s Safety Project at Greenwich House Hosts Benefit Luncheon for New York City Children Who Are Victims of Abuse By Joe Salas A Fist Killed Lisa Steinberg. Terror on 10th Street. Lisa Steinberg Thrown Witness Says. Village Horror Not Forgotten. In 1987, New York City was in shock. Six-year-old Village girl Lisa Steinberg was found murdered—the
-
In and Out
Recently Opened Asian kitchen MIGHTY bowl, 120 MacDougal Street: This newly opened, reasonably priced spot, already has a number of extremely positive Yelp reviews for its rice (or quinoa or lettuce) bowls topped with a variety of meats and vegetables and finished with a choice of interesting Asian-inspired sauces. ………. CVS, 475 Avenue of the Americas: Opened
-
Science from Away: Carbon—The Source of Climate Change
By Mark M Green (sciencefromaway.com) Carbon is a great element. It loves to bond with itself leading to all that fat around our midsections. Carbon also bonds with nitrogen and oxygen giving us, for just three examples of many, our skin, and hair, and muscles, and those incalculably useful enzymes that catalyze all the chemical
-
Performance Treadmill (Part One)
By Christina Winholt Raccuia Every day, we are bombarded with images, which send a clear message that “Thin is in,” and that looks matter. With such emphasis placed on appearance in our culture, both men and women in the U.S. have be-come obsessed with their body image and perfection. Body image refers to a person’s
