By Tom Lamia It has been a strange summer in Maine. No stranger, perhaps, than yours in the West Village, but maybe a different kind of strange. I have spoken in this column before about the dependence of Maine’s economy on summer visitors. It is a well-known characteristic of life in Maine, whether for “Mainers”
By Sandra DiPasqua This is a story about the creative writing program for senior citizens that I have been organizing for the past three years, and some of the ways that it has made a difference in these seniors’ lives. We come together around a rectangular table each week to share stories and memories. Our
Richaud is a an actor and producer who became a baker during the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. His delicious baguettes are now being baked in increasing numbers in the West Village. Recently featured on Good Morning America and in Forbes magazine, the word is getting out that there is an authentic and native French
By Joseph Mintz, Co-Founder, Siponey Growing up in Greenwich Village, I remember the independent stores of Bleecker Street, the 24-hour bodegas, the numerous Chinese restaurants, and the seemingly endless variety of people and high level of energy on the streets.Today, after COVID-19 has sickened, killed, and economically ruined many people of our community and our
By Adrianna Bojrab As a Midwestern transplant typically located in the Lower West Side of New York City (just barely West Village, per city neighborhood boundaries, but cross the street and you’re in the East Village), I often hear of NYC referenced as a tough place. As it goes, the city gives you thick skin
By Michael Duane Johnson Throughout the entire shutdown of our City, The Church of the Village United Methodist Church located on the corner of 13th Street and 7th Avenue continued their ministry of hospitality by providing pantry and emotional support to thousands of New Yorkers seeking food for nourishment and human contact for others needing
Dear Readers of WestView News, I received three letters from our treasured readers regarding the poem “Code Blue.” I apologize to our community for offending and frightening some of you by publishing this poem. I am sorry to say that the poem slipped through the cracks three times, and was placed in the paper because
By Russell Saray Our doorman opened our plywood-covered front door at 299 West 12th Street. The car service idled at 5:00 am. Low flying helicopters drowned out the chirping birds in Abingdon Square across from the building. The curfew prevented us from leaving any earlier. I worried we wouldn’t make the 6:45 am ferry to
By Ariel Kates Each year, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. On June 17th, 2020 we celebrated Village Apothecary as one of our outstanding awardees. In 1983, Michael Konnon—pharmacist, businessman, activist, and community
By Birgitte Philippides-Delaney and Chandra/Jo Sgammato The West 13th Street Alliance is grateful to continue serving our neighborhood and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic with Virtual Community Events in the month of July. Local residents, whether at home in New York, or far away, have enthusiastically participated in our events over Zoom during these past
By John F. Early Many out-of-town visitors to the West Village, as well as locals, have seen the young man who usually sits on the sidewalk in front of the CVS on Sheridan Square. Tanned from homelessness rather than, sadly, the Hamptons, John is personable and charming nevertheless. He and I have been chatting for months. In
By Keith Michael It’s the afternoon of the longest day of the year: Saturday, June 20th, the summer solstice. With me safely typing at my computer, Millie has declared that she is off-duty: corgi-flat to the floor, eyes closed, ears back, nose to the corner. This is distinctly different than her various seemingly feng shui-inspired
THERE’VE BEEN SOME CHANGES MADE: SOME SAD – like the many, many West Villagers we’re losing SOME HAPPY – like the re-opening of the playground AND SOME … a mixed blessing perhaps?? All photos by Maggie Berkvist.
By Karen Rempel One of the things I have missed the most during the NYC Pause is going to the Village Vanguard to hear live jazz. After a time of retreat and adjustment, the Vanguard shook off its muffling slumber and resurged on June 13 with a most welcome performance by the Billy Hart Quartet.
By Shelly Place All of us are spending a lot more time at home lately, giving us more reason to love and appreciate how incredibly important our homes are to us. It’s no wonder that in-person apartment showings have been the activity that the rest of the home-buying process has typically revolved around. A home
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP You may have heard that Steve Croman, the notoriously abusive slumlord owner of many Village apartments, is back at work as an ex-convict. He seems to be joined by another landlord organization of questionable reputation, the Charles Kushner family. According to Wikipedia: Kushner Companies LLC is an American real estate developer in
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Bob and Cortney Novogratz are back in Greenwich Village working on a truly preservationist project at 114 Waverly Place (ca. 1826) just west of Washington Square Park. After a few years of living in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles where they had an ongoing renovation project, they are
By J. Taylor Basker On June 22, 1920, Salvador Pius Thomas, aka Tomas, was born in the county of Harrison in Mississippi. On June 22nd he will turn 100 years old. Peter, as we know him in the Westbeth artists community, is a delightful and talented gentleman with a wicked sense of humor that is
By Donna Schaper Larry Kornfeld, Founder and Director of the Poet’s Theater, long at Judson Memorial Church, turns 90 on May 21. He lives in California with his wife, Margaret and his daughter Sarah. Sarah has written a very fine book about growing up with nudity in plays in a church. Front row seat, age
By Robert Kroll The fate of local community newspapers is, ultimately, in the hands of the reading public. When the public supports its local paper it thrives and the community benefits (and by support, I’m talking about subscribing). WestView News is a paper that is valuable to our part of New York: interesting, well written,
By Emmett Findley, Director of Communications, God’s Love We Deliver God’s Love We Deliver was founded in 1985 at the height of a health crisis. The AIDS pandemic was forever changing the fabric of NYC, and many of our clients—homebound individuals living with HIV/AIDS—were living alone facing stigma, illness, and hunger. In those early years,
By Carol F. Yost On May 12, 2020, an op-ed appeared in the Daily News with the title, “Why I Slept on the Subways: They Were a Safer Refuge for the Homeless the Public Holds in Contempt.” It was written by Denis Dugan, who identifies himself as a homeless man. One paragraph reads: “With too
By Penny Mintz There is a primary election coming up on June 23rd. For a while, it looked like the presidential primary was off—canceled by a decision of the New York State Board of Elections. But things changed when Andrew Yang, joined by more than a dozen intervening Bernie delegates and members of the New
WestView Triumph Dear George and WestView, The May 1st issue is a wonderful gift from you George, and your writers, to our West Village community. I have always loved reading WestView, but this was something more—a healing balm knowing our community will go on, and a testimony to all you and WestView provide for our
I received an early call on Tuesday, May 18th, from an obviously alarmed elderly women who said a neighbor at 45 Christopher Street had committed suicide by jumping out of a rear window of the tall apartment house. The women who called lived near #45 and was alerted by the very early-morning appearance of police and an emergency vehicle.
By Karen Rempel Two days ago, on Monday, March 16, Notify NYC announced that “Starting tonight at 8 PM all movie theaters, small theaters, nightclubs, and commercial gyms will close until further notice. All restaurants, bars and cafes will be limited to takeout or delivery services only.” Sign up for this free NYC service which provides to-the-minute alerts on
Introducing Cali’s Corner Hello, my name is Cali and I’m a Shiba Inu—one of the oldest known breeds on the planet. Although I was born in the South, I’ve lived my whole life in the city and am a New Yorker through and through. I practically grew up in an art gallery and have gone
I have written to you in the past about PHHPC, the state board that advises the Department of Health on plans to enlarge or diminish hospitals. Well, the state board is meeting this Thursday, January 23rd, to consider Mount Sinai’s plans for closing the current Beth Israel and replacing it with a much smaller, new
As WestView was about to go to press on December 31, Governor Cuomo vetoed the legislation which would have allowed an 8 story plus office building to be built on Pier 40. In his veto message he highlighted the need for green space in Manhattan. My threat to sue over the structure was carried broadly
You might not recognize me this month with my new hair color. Even though the color has changed with each month of this column, this time it is a real surprise. Brunette! When she first saw it, my friend Rhonda at LifeThyme said, “Karen, what happened, your hair is normal!” She was shocked. The brunette was inspired
Last January the Quick Clicks layout sent special greetings to “My Fellow Creatures of Habit”, including these stalwarts who are still going strong, bless them: And still i get to enjoy my cozy cocktail hour—thanks to the wonderful people who spoil me rotten at Left Bank, who gave me a permanent reservation on my
By Gordon Hughes Immigration is such a hot topic today. I guess this is an issue that has always faced us as a nation going back to the Know Nothings of the 1830’s, 40’s and 50’s. There have been those that see immigrants as a threat to our country, and those that see them as
By the West 13th Street Alliance The West 13th Street Alliance is pleased to announce its initial 2020 Community Events offerings. On Thursday, January 30th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Lenox Health GV (200 West 13th Street) we are proud to invite the New York Aquarium’s Director of Communications John K. Delaney for a lecture called
By Dusty Berke New Yorkers carry the cold in stride, and with holiday festivities to get to, you can be sure to see plenty of color and style on the street. Here are a host of Villagers keeping the winter bright. Left to right: White Chocolate: Jeanne is rockin’ her winter white pumps and jeans
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP THEN: Once the most fashionable high-end residential neighborhood in the rapidly expanding metropolis, lower Fifth Avenue was home to wealthy and influential residents who fought to improve the military parade grounds built over the potter’s field burial grounds. On the far left of this archival panoramic photo from the
By Brian J. Pape, AIA Patient visits doctor and asks, “How am I doing?” Doc: “I have good news and bad news.” Patient: “What’s the good news?” Doc: “Your knee surgery went very well.” Patient: “Yeah. What’s the bad news?” Doc: “You have lung cancer.” We have good news and bad news about the new
By Anthony Paradiso In 1969, the twin-rink ice arena called Sky Rink opened its doors to the public at Pier 61. It is one of the three major facilities at Chelsea Piers that has an entire pier to itself. It was renovated in 1995 and is the only indoor ice arena in Chelsea, and the
By Keith Michael We are standing under the canopy of a cloudy winter sky on the corner where the 14th traditional presentation of the Annual West Village Bird of the Year Awards, “The Millies,” is held. This tourist-confounding intersection of West 4th and West 12th Streets is where a rosy-hued House Finch was heard and
