By Paul Dalnoky Long before the guardianship of Ruth Berk and the canonization of her attorney, Arthur Schwartz, there was a newbie East Village lawyer named Paul Dalnoky who worked, mostly, out of his rent-stabilized apartment. Dalnoky long ago gave up on the practice of law and discovering intelligent life (save a precious few) on
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Then&Now: That Gay Street!
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP In the 17th Century Wouter van Twiller operated a brewery here before this tiny street was laid out in the early 19th Century. The first documented mention of Gay Street appeared in the Common Council minutes of April 23, 1827. Gay Street was widened in 1833. 1820s period houses
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Seniors in Our City Can Have Scary Choices to Make
By Arthur Z. Schwartz In mid-December I got a worried phone call from George Capsis. An older woman (who I will call Fran for purposes of this article) had found her way to George’s apartment, holding a clipping from WestView about another older woman who George had referred to me with a landlord problem. She
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Dress Code
There really is a distinct difference between West Village garb and that of the folks who live north of 14th Street. Recently, I went north to attend a birthday party for a dear friend and, on another night, for dinner at a fancy Upper East Side restaurant. That’s when it hit me—the dress code and
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
TO ALL MY FELLOW ‘CREATURES OF HABIT’: MAY YOU, AND ALL THE READERS OF WVN, HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR—maggie b All photos by Maggie Berkvist, with the exception of photo bottom right credit: Laurence Edelman.
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Paving the West Village: A Historical Primer
By Tom Lamia Something odd is happening in the West Village and other long-neglected areas of our city. New life is coming into throwback street paving and its importance to economic development. After decades of neglect for the old technologies, urban street paving is becoming a hot topic among politicians and urban planners. Historic New
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City Council Proposes 18 Tenant Protection Regulations
By Carol Yost At long last, with a new Democratic majority in Albany, chances are better than ever to break the stranglehold the greedy landlords have held on our city. By hook AND by crook, saying they’re only trying to make an honest buck, they’ve managed to get laws that allow them to eliminate rent-regulated
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Bird of the Year 2018
By Keith Michael As the National Audubon Society wraps up this Year of the Bird 2018—bringing international attention to the plight of countless bird species and the effects of climate change for us all—it is time, once again, here in the West Village, to celebrate our local ecosystem with the 13th Annual Bird of the
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IN AND OUT
Open Top Openings: Encore 1 Little West 12th Street (between Gansevoort Street and Ninth Avenue) When I spoke to Harold Moore a few months ago about his just-opened French spot Bistro Pierre Lapin, he explained that French food had fallen from favor in New York but that recently it was making a comeback, following the
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Somebody Just Shot My Neighbor!
By George Capsis I got a call from one of my readers who has now become a friend, to say a murder had just taken place on Bedford Street and I had met the man who had been murdered. I had been sitting out last summer at a small table near the kitchen of a
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Why Do Google and Hi-Tech Firms Expand in the Lower Westside?
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP For those who have lived or worked in our area, the answer is obvious; we love the charm, character, mish-mosh of building styles and sizes, and the crazy streets, like nowhere else in the city. But are we loving it to death? Landmarked properties and districts help some areas,
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Bicycle Enforcement Lacking
Thanks for WestView. I remember going to a meeting at your apartment about 20 years ago for PAPA, back when I parked at Pier 40. I’m glad you’re still on the front lines of local advocacy. I’m not writing you today about the destruction of our city caused by Uber, nor will I rant about one of my
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Curb Appeal
Yesterday afternoon (November 9) I had a really interesting conversation with George and Dusty concerning a deficient curb. Below I am submitting all the details. Dusty took some photos and suggested that I contact the paper. Nine years ago I took on the job of restoring McCarthy Square from a shambles to the “oasis” it
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Why Do I Still Do the Paper?
We were driving in an Uber to East Wiliston to my son’s house for Christmas dinner when we discovered that our 33 year-old driver used to work for Trader Joe’s and regretted quitting after he felt he had been downgraded when his job function was eliminated, but now he had a wife and tiny son
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9/11 Tiles for America Memorial Gets Gallery Bus
The 9/11 Tiles for America finally has a home. Now we need your help to secure a permanent parking permit so we can make it official. On 9/10/2018, a white Bluebird Library bus pulled into a legal metered space on 7th Ave and Greenwich to greet the Father Mykal Judge walk and celebrate the return
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Mt. Sinai Pulls Back Beth Israel Plans
Early last month Mt. Sinai Hospital informed the judge in the ongoing lawsuit to close Beth Israel (Progressive Action of Lower Manhattan v. Mt. Sinai Hospital) that Mt. Sinai was revising its plan to build a 70 bed new hospital at the corner of 14th Street and 2nd Avenue. That plan has already been revised
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City Planning Rolls Out Information Sites Called ZAP and POP
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Attending a training seminar in December at the relocated and remodeled Department of City Planning (DCP) offices at 120 Broadway, the infamous Equitable Insurance Building, one gets a sense of history and how the city has changed over the years. The DCP is the source for much information about
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Integral Yoga Natural Foods Closes Doors After 45 Years
By Sarah Dowson Recently hundreds of loyal natural-foods patrons were shocked and heartbroken to learn that Integral Yoga Natural Foods (“IYNF”), at 229 West 13th Street, had closed because of overwhelming competition in the changing retail landscape. IYNF sold organic fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, freshly juiced vegetables, as well as flour, grains, and spices
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Integral Yoga Natural Foods: Some Memories
Having finished my organic red kale the other day, I ambled over to Integral Yoga Natural Foods (“IYNF”) at 227 West 13th St. with the intention of buying another bunch to munch and maybe a few spices too. I felt devastated to see a sign on their door announced they were closing due to “overwhelming
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Robot Travel
By George Capsis Michael Usyk had a show of his artwork in Paris which he attended via Skype—his image displayed on a laptop on a table in the middle of the show. Visitors to the exhibit (if they spoke English) could chat with Michael about his work as he sat in his little apartment in the West Village. Well, this
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Remembrances of The Lost Village: Cornelia Street Café
By Roger Paradiso I remember the Fourth of July festival on Cornelia Street a few years back. Robin Hirsch of the Cornelia Street Café was throwing his annual birthday celebration for his landmark jazz/comedy/poetry club. (To this date as I write this in 2018, he is celebrating his 41st year in business. Number 42 would
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27 Christopher Street’s Private Makeover
By Ananth Sampathkumar, Partner NDNY Architecture + Design 27 Christopher Street has been home to some illustrious residents. The beautiful Neo-classical building was built in 1911. Designed by Joseph Duke Harrison for the Switzer Institute and Home, the structure was a Catholic school till the New York Foundling took it over and named it the
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A Manhattan Moment at the Post Office
Our neighborhood post office branch on Hudson Street is the focal point of community activity. It is the crossroads of our neighborhood, like the Village well in olden days. It is especially busy at Christmas time. I went in and approached the counter. The woman looked up and smiled and asked if she could help
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Celebrating Installation of New Jane Street Garden Fence
Officials joined the Jane Street Block Association (JSBA) and West Village Committee (WVC) to celebrate the installation of a new garden fence made possible by a grant from Speaker Johnson. From left: (in blue jacket) Bill Castro, Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner; Brad Hoylman; Debra Glick; Gale Brewer; Corey Johnson; Susan Sipos of the WVC; behind
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City Council Supports Single-Payer Health Act
By Penny Mintz The changes in store for Beth Israel are temporarily on hold. Mt. Sinai is deferring its application to the Department of Health for a certificate of need, which the state must approve before the changes can be made. According to Arthur Schwartz, who is pursuing a lawsuit against Mt. Sinai and the
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Gourmet Garage Dies as Rent Hits One Million
By George Capsis A couple of people called me to say Gourmet Garage was closing—wow! Sure, I, who grew up in the Depression, found the prices larcenous, but the breads were good and if you didn’t want to travel up to Trader Joe’s—that was about it… And bang—when you read this they will be closed.
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Doctors and Diagnosis—Short an Operating Room
By Siggy Raible What follows is one reader’s very accurate portrait of a typical emergency situation. What seems to be left out in talking about the logistics of getting a patient from 13th Street to Lenox Hill is the pain and anxiety of the patient. I know because I had an identical experience. I had
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A 70 Year Old Sock Dies
By George Capsis I have black socks in my top dresser drawer that have more holes than sock, no kidding. But let’s start at the beginning—70 years ago in high school—when, each lunchtime, I sat with a small group of quiet friends. One of our group, Steve, listened more than he spoke. But what I found
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How to Talk to the City
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP WestView News receives letters from readers who ask how they can get through to city agencies to try to correct problems. One example is from Abel Montez who wrote, “As I explained, what is outrageous is that now the NYC Parks Department is claiming jurisdiction over that area where
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ALERT—CB2 Hearing
Habitat for Humanity will present revised plans for senior housing and a garden on the Elizabeth Street public land designated for senior housing. December 5 at 6:30 pm • PS 130, 143 Baxter Street
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550 Washington May Get Googled
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP As we reported in last month’s issue, 550 Washington Street is quickly moving forward after years of trial and error. And a prediction by Dean Shapiro, Oxford’s vice president of real estate, appears to be coming true: Hudson Square (as the neighborhood is called) is attracting an “educated, technically
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Selling Christmas Trees in Manhattan
By Joey Fortune Like the tides, some things in life are predictable yet unstoppable. Days never cease, while seasons follow seasons with impeccable reliance. As humans, we’ve adapted to this and in our hubris, created our own events to show the universe that we are also in command. We have given birth to holidays. Yes,
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On Saving Our Hospitals
By Penny Mintz In September, I reported that State Senator Hoylman and State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein had met in August with members of the Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel (“CCSBI”). Hoylman and Epstein promised to take two affirmative actions to help make the process of review of hospital closures more transparent and responsive
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L Train Shutdown and Beth Israel Closure Litigation Proceeds
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Almost as though related by fate, two community-based lawsuits addressed to attacks on the fundamental livability of our community proceed in parallel through the Court system. Both cases involve a fundamental decision by government to largely ignore the needs of our community and proceed while giving “lip-service” to the concept of
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Marcus Welby is Dead
By Alec Pruchnicki, MD During the 1970s when Marcus Welby, M.D. was on TV, I seldom watched it. But, the image of Welby as the kindly, dedicated family doctor we were all familiar with, was well known. This image persists in our memories whether it’s a retired doctor or doctor’s daughter (see WestView September 2018
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“I Have What?” A Toxic Diagnosis
By A. I. Freeman At this year’s annual physical, the doctor entered the examination room with a grim expression. He said, “Tests confirm you have the onset of Trump Derangement Syndrome.” I was shaken. “My gosh, I have T.D.S.! How serious is it?” He replied, “Only Stage One. I’ll share a patient’s history: He was a retired Navy SEAL, a burly rugby prop with Stage Three T.D.S. After taping
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Don’t Just Sit There, Resist—Part VII: Elections Have Consequences
By Alec Pruchnicki The wheels of justice are slow to move, but when they do they grind exceedingly small. —popular axiom. The people of the country have done our part, for now, and produced a Democratic House of Representatives. Many of the congressional investigations of the Trump administration that have been undermined, if not completely
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IN AND OUT
Correction: in the October In & Out, we reported that Toosh, a shoe store at Bleecker Street (east of 7th Avenue South) was closing. We hear from the owner that it is not, and a further check reveals that it is very much open. We apologize for the error. High rents and real estate taxes
