By George Capsis Oh wow! In the 15 years I have been producing WestView, we have never received such heartfelt support for an idea we proposed as we have for converting the now locked St. Veronica’s Church into a concert hall for classical music—including a plea from a locked-out parishioner. We sent an elaborate proposal
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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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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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Temporary Closing of Gourmet Garage
Gourmet Garage, located at 117 7th Avenue South (between West 10th and Christopher Streets), has announced a mid-August temporary closing. The building owner needs to install columns to reinforce the building in order to add additional floors for new residential apartments. (The accompanying rendering illustrates the design proposal by Cruzen Samton Architects.) The New York
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The Alumni of Caffe Cino
Every year on April 2nd, a group of people known as the ‘Cino Alumni’ gather at the Cornelia Street Café. The original Caffe Cino—the birthplace of ‘Off-Off-Broadway’—was located at 31 Cornelia Street from 1958 to 1968 (it later became Po Restaurant, which also recently closed). The Cino Alumni gather to commemorate the passing of founder
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Arthur Z. Schwartz Re-Elected as District Leader
With petitioning completed on July 13th, only one candidate filed for Male Democratic District Leader for Greenwich Village: Arthur Z. Schwartz, longtime WestView contributor, civil rights lawyer, and anti-establishment Democratic Party activist. Schwartz was first elected in 1995, and also served on the New York State Democratic Committee from 2006 to 2013. — WestView News
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A Stroll Around the Neighborhood: Construction and Development Sites
By Brian J. Pape, AIA You know that you are in a popular neighborhood when there seems to be construction on every block. This stroll covers one small area of the West Village. Let’s start along West Street, just south of the condo at 1 Morton Square. Ian Schrager and his development partners tapped Herzog+de
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Bleecker Street in the 1950s
By Naomi Sager You didn’t have to speak Italian but it helped. The open-cart Italian vendors had their fruits and vegetables (very fresh, picked early that morning, or the day before) on display in wooden crates stacked on pallets tilted toward the sidewalk. It was okay to just point, pack the produce in your bag,
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Stop the Closure of Beth Israel by August 11th OR WE WILL SUE
By Arthur Z. Schwartz The following is a copy of a letter sent to Howard Zucker, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, threatening suit over the closure of Beth Israel Hospital. (Note: The content of the letter has been slightly edited.) _________ Howard Zucker Commissioner New York State Department of Health Corning
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District 1 Council Contenders Wrangle on Development
By Nan Victoria Munger If politics is “war without bloodshed,” then the race for District 1 City Council is pure politics. Eight-year incumbent Margaret Chin is opposed in the Democratic primary by Aaron Foldenauer, Christopher Marte, and Dashia Imperiale, who suggest that she is too pro-development. (According to a Common Cause New York report, the
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Air Bird & Birth
By Mary Alice Kellogg The cooing of Mourning Doves was the sound of my childhood, spent in the desert Southwest. I called them ‘Morning Doves,’ as their sound was not mournful to me, but sweet music. Moving to New York four decades ago, I missed that. But, as I adjusted to the City symphony, I
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IN AND OUT
Summer is always a slow time for openings, with only three this month. A number of places closed or will close temporarily (or so we’ve been informed) and one scandalous closing has been in the news. Fortunately, a couple of ice cream pop-ups have opened for the summer, joining the growing list of established spots
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Why Destroy the Elizabeth Street Garden When a Vacant Lot Will Provide More Housing?
By Jeannine Kiely The City wants to destroy a park used by thousands of downtown residents and visitors in order to build a small number of affordable housing units. The Elizabeth Street Garden, which hosts hundreds of free community events, including movie nights, yoga, children’s crafts and story time, and an annual Harvest Festival, is
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Kill the Zombie Park Already Part III: The Hidden Problem
By Alec Pruchnicki When I started writing about the Elizabeth Street Garden last year, I made about a dozen trips there and to the surrounding parks, playgrounds, and gardens and became aware of an aspect of this controversy that has been unmentioned: race. This year, to confirm or refute my suspicions, I completed a very
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Vermeer Senior Chess Club: Promoting Health, Community, and Plenty of Fun
By Nina Leto Mayleas If it’s Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., the Vermeer Senior Chess Club is about to meet. Chessboards are lined up, and members take their seats for an interactive chess lecture and demonstration, followed by their own competitive games. Chess, the game of kings, is inspirational, fun, and a bright highlight of the
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Jim Fouratt’s HAVE YOU HEARD?
August 2017 Good news: Once again, the Village, like in old times, is ground zero in the NYC battle against the Trump administration and its attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Rise and Resist (RAR), a grassroots, direct action political group, meets every Tuesday night at The Church of the Village (201 West 13th
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The Closure of Beth Israel Will Be Stopped
By Arthur Z. Schwartz June 11th marked a really sad day for those of us who live downtown. On that date, Beth Israel Hospital closed its Center for Labor and Birth. Life is funny. The Catheterization Lab doctors at Beth Israel saved my life in January, when I got wheeled in with a heart attack.
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The Times Reads WestView
By George Capsis Oh wow! The day after WestView’s June issue came out with the front-page article (“The Ego Fight for Diller Island”) about the now years-long ego clash between Wall Street tough guy Steve Novogratz and staid developer Douglas Durst to control and shape the Hudson River Park, Charles Bagli of the Times released
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Musical Resurrection of St. Veronica’s Church
By George Capsis On June 25th, the New York Catholic Archdiocese changed the locks and closed the 115-year-old St. Veronica’s Church on Christopher Street (just opposite the Archive Building) to the very few who still tried to attend the continually diminishing religious services. Another church has been lost to the ever- waning call of traditional
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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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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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The Jane Jacobs School?
Dear Mr. Capsis: It was very nice to speak with you. We are excited about the new school at 75 Morton Street, and understand from the principal, Jacqui Getz, that it may not be named The Jane Jacobs School. No reason was given. The decision was not 100% confirmed but it didn’t sound hopeful. Do
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Mount Sinai Continuing to Axe Medical Services
On June 11, 2017 at 7:00 a.m., the Mount Sinai/Beth Israel Medical Center closed its Center for Labor and Birth (L&B), and they did not have New York State’s permission to do so. To avoid having ambulances bring women in labor to the hospital, the hospital’s administrative staff must call the Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
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Helping Children Locally
By Peter Alson In these mean times, it can be painful to think of the world into which we have brought our children. But it can also be inspiring to see how our children respond to hardships and what they do, together, to make the world a better place. This spring, a small group of
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The Healthcare Conundrum
By Nan Victoria Munger Consuming 17% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), “medical costs are the tapeworm of American economic competitiveness,” says billionaire Warren Buffett. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country. However, a 2014 report by The Commonwealth Fund compared the health care performance of the U.S. to that
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Fresh Food for Seniors
By Andreea Ioana Pantor On Tuesday, June 27th, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer announced the return of the Fresh Food for Seniors Program. This initiative began in 2012 when Brewer partnered with GrowNYC (an organization which utilizes environmental programs to improve quality of life), the NYC Department for the Aging, and over a dozen
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“What, No Hellman’s?”
By George Capsis Even I, the Publisher of WestView, am sometimes surprised by how good our contributors’ articles are. One of the best was Russell Neuman’s price comparison of Hellman’s Mayonnaise, which dramatizes the insane differences in food cost. If you still have the June issue, I suggest you re-read the article. Russell discovered a
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A Village Bird on the Wire
By Jim Fouratt There are secrets Greenwich Village holds that are whispered into ears about who and what is going on here. We want to share with you the topics being discussed locally. Lulu Bank Street spotted me sitting in the unnamed park that was to have been the AIDS Memorial Park. Lulu came over,
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Justified Outrage Against Verizon
By Ellis Nassour I recently came across a Verizon internet ad, which states: Ready for your free HBO NOW trial? One month FREE trial. All you need is your internet. But, I am not ready—because you’ve taken my internet. The headline from a 2016 New York Post story reads: “Verizon Is Supposedly Screwing Its Landline
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Amidst Bleecker Street Closures, a Survivor and a Reviver
By Nan Victoria Munger In 1979, Afghan millionaire Abdul Nusraty fled the communist government of Afghanistan, leaving behind his four cars and a 180-worker jewel factory to become a West Village storeowner. Since moving to New York and opening Nusraty Afghan Imports, Nusraty has twice been forced to relocate, not by Communists, but by landlords.
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IT WAS A NICE PARTY
WestView contributors enjoyed the garden at 69 Charles Street, which was once the home of Sinclair Lewis. Seated on the couch, near the roses, is Janet Capron (top-left, black top) whose new book, Blue Money, was recently selected as the #1 Pick of Week by the National Book Review.
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IN AND OUT
June seems to be a popular time for openings. Last year, we counted 12 new spots, this year seven. We were happy to see a small, independent antique store open on 7th Avenue. Two big name restaurants started service this month as well. High rents were cited again as a reason for restaurant
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Civility Amidst PRIDE Celebration
On PRIDE Sunday, June 25th, amidst the very popular Annual PRIDE Block Party—which extends from Abingdon Park to 14th Street—a fire broke out. The weather was perfection and the festive, rainbow-attired crowd was in a great mood. The streets were jammed with revelers—a few obviously inebriated. Suddenly, a whiff of smoke blew by as sirens
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Reflections on The Bitter End
By Anthony Paradiso The Bitter End club at 147 Bleecker Street, in the heart of the Village, has survived the test of time. Many stars, like Joan Rivers, Richie Havens, and even a guy named Bob Dylan, have come out of the club since its 1961 opening. There is no doubt that the Village scene
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World Refugee Day Finds New Meaning
On a recent June afternoon, the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, located on 5th Avenue, between West 11th and West 12th Streets, invited passersby onto its shaded lawn for a celebration of World Refugee Day. With live world music and free food from Eat Offbeat, the event commemorated the contributions and
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Digital Literacy Sessions at Jefferson Market Library
By Nancy Aravecz In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, one buzzy phrase has been seemingly everywhere: fake news. The proliferation of online news content, social media, and a relentless news cycle is making it more and more difficult for consumers to stay on top of what’s truth and what’s fiction. As the online
