Open 232 Bleecker 232 Bleecker Street at Carmine Street The Dig Food Group, the parent company of fast casual chain Dig Inn has opened 232 Bleecker, its first full-service restaurant in the space that used to house Trattoria Spaghetto. The chef, Suzanne Cupps, was previously at Untitled at the Whitney, and before that at beloved
By Caroline Benveniste There is a new stand in Chelsea Market called Mini Melanie and when you find it you will be astounded at the elaborate display of intricate mini sweets. There are cakes and truffles and cookie cakes and mini cupcakes and cake pops. The offerings are colorful, fun, and delicious. Mini Melanie is
As part of WestView News’ ongoing efforts to improve the lives of seniors in the West Village and to create community for all ages in our neighborhood, I interviewed Wendi Burkhardt, CEO of Silvernest, a national online home sharing service, and Thomas Kamber who created the celebrated Senior Planet and OATS (Older Adults Technology Services).
Saturday, January 18, 2020 7:00 pm WestView News Concerts presents The Strathmere Ensemble “Vivaldi meets Telemann in the Village” St. John’s in the Village 218 West 11th St., New York, NY 10014 Telemann String Quartet Vivaldi Violin Concerto from “The Four Seasons” (Spring) Vivaldi Violin Concerto from “The Four Seasons” (Autumn) Telemann Don Quixote suite
CAP Beauty, NEW YORK FLAGSHIP + SPA 238 West 10 Street, New York, NY 10014 (212) 227-1088 A facial at CAP Beauty is a full-sensory experience leaving one feeling extremely relaxed, nurtured and looking great. Esthetician/healer Crystal Greene provided me with a deep facial massage and treatments from CAP Beauty’s select arsenal of all-natural and
By Barry Benepe “A city should be built to the convenience and satisfaction of those that live in it and to the great surprise of strangers,” so said a sixteenth century architect. “We have to improve the experience of all who walk around our city,” echoed City Council President Corey Johnson who initiated and shepherded
By Stanley Wlodyka Last month marked the 30th anniversary of an unprecedented event, one that saw worlds collide. Organized by AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), approximately 4,500 people gathered outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue one Sunday in December of 1989. They were there to protest the Catholic Church’s response to the
By Arthur Schwartz An eight-story (or higher) office tower on Pier 40? A million-square-foot Google hub across the street? In case you blinked, that’s what the West Village is in for at the western border of West Houston Street. And what are our elected leaders doing about it? NOTHING? First, some background. Back in 1996
Nina and Rob Kaufelt Host a Downtown Celeb-Studded Bash in their Historic Gold Coast Brownstone Philanthropist storytelling host Nina Kaufelt and singer-songwriter Hannah Reimann in their sparkly holiday finery. Photo provided by Hannah Reimann. By Karen Rempel Celebrants roamed the Village in dazzling clusters on New Year’s Eve, attending parties in bars, restaurants, and residences. The
By Karen Rempel Friends, colleagues, students, and family of Sally Sommer gathered at Casa La Femme on Charles Street yesterday to celebrate West Village resident Sally Sommer’s retirement from Florida State University’s Arts in NYC program. Casa La Femme’s Egyptian décor and delicious passed hors d’oeuvres created the perfect ambience for a celebration with professional
By Emily Roemer What is privilege as it pertains to a village, you may ask? Let me explain. By definition, “vil·lage priv·i·lege” is a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to inhabitants of a particular set of streets in lower Manhattan. Sure, a glass of wine might be double (or triple) the
By Alexis Lloyd Frenchmen in New York, and Frenchwomen for that matter, usually avoid the company of other French people in New York. We want to become New Yorkers. This often leads to romance with Americans, which leads to the birth of New Yorker babies carrying two passports (or more). But every year, the
By Roger Paradiso James Drougas always loved books. “When I was 12 years old, I used to visit a small book shop on Main Street in Patchogue, Long Island and decided early I wanted to make a career of it.” “I am trying to be a space that offers unknown treasures at irresistible prices that
By George Capsis Every once in a while I get a young voice on the phone that wants to know if I want to buy a building or sell mine. I sympathetically offer them from my own youthful experience that there is nothing worse than doing a “cold call.” But recently I got a call
By Barry Benepe Two additional encounters with the 14th Street SBS bus are also worth recounting followed by some reflections on DOT transportation policy or lack thereof. First, to understand terms, SBS refers to the equipment, not to the routes. The former buses, which loaded at the front with a metro card, have been taken
Limerick by Randee Mia Berma Is this a democracy? 14th Street is now auto free. They’re forbidding all cars. Are we on Mars? I need a cup of tea. City roads are getting chaotic. The honking is far from hypnotic. Lyft Uber & Via Are no panacea For New Yorkers becoming neurotic. The bike lanes
Having trouble getting in the spirit this holiday season? I hope that Karen’s Kinky Christmas outfit, complete with Grinch-green wig, will put you in the mood for some holiday hijinks. Come on, tell Karen, have you been naughty or nice? I have a holiday gift for you if you can guess what I am holding
By Karen Rempel I first saw Johnathan Blake at the Village Vanguard in October 2015, where he was playing drums with Ravi Coltrane’s quartet. I was completely blown away by the intensity of his performance, and by the unique percussion elements he added. His dominance as a drummer was evident even to the neophyte I
IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD Be prepared to expect the unexpected. All photos by Maggie Berkvist. From still lifes To street scenes— be they mysterious… enterprising… incongruous… or reminiscent of a Hopper painting.
By Penny Mintz Few people have any leverage over the large political goings on in Washington or Albany. But when it comes to quality of life issues here in our community, there is a chance, right now, to have an impact. Mount Sinai/Beth Israel (MSBI) has plans for Beth Israel Hospital and the medical services
By The West 13th Street Alliance The West 13th Street Alliance is pleased to announce its November/December Community Events schedule that aims to bring together the community in a fun way with events/classes/lectures like, Exploring the Original West Village, Intro to Zumba, Holiday Card-Making, Chair Yoga and Tea and Conversation. All of these events are
Dusty Berke received an award for her arresting photograph Playing Statues on Bleecker on October 16th at the prestigious Salmagundi Club. The photograph of West Village model and photojournalist Karen Rempel originally appeared in the “Karen’s Quirky Style” column in the May 2019 issue of WestView News. A combination of elements contribute to the photo’s
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor With apple-picking season flying by and Thanksgiving fast approaching, I brought out my cowboy boots for this month’s adventure on Bleecker Street. The weather was still so warm on the day of the shoot that I decided to pair the boots with flared black shorts and fishnet stockings (think
By Dusty Berke There is nothing like a sunny Sunday afternoon in The Village. So nice to see everyone out and enjoying the last days of sunshine. All photos by Dusty Berke.
By Brian J Pape, AIA THEN: The Greek Revival townhouse at 18 West 11th Street was originally built in 1845, one of four houses on the block built by Henry Brevoort Jr. for his children. It was later (in the 1920s) the home of Charles Merrill (of Merrill Lynch), whose son, the poet James Merrill,
By Brian J. Pape, AIA Today’s residents of the West Village owe a lot to the activists who lived here before us. They say “Hindsight is 20/20,” but we still speculate on “what might have been.” Google the still active committee, WestVillageCommittee.html, and you’ll find a little history and their current activities, but you have
By Gordon Hughes I sit on an outside bench at Cafe Panino Mucho Gusto in a heavy shirt, and there’s a chill in the air. As I enjoy my coffee on these fall mornings, I contemplate the things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving. Being able to live here in the West Village tops my list.
Harvest Home in October at St. John’s in the Village featuring Farm to People. Here, Anina provides delicious produce, cheese, bread and cider samples for this wonderful new service that delivers weekly from farm to apartment and doorman buildings starting at $25. Full report coming in December! farmtopeople.com
We had some good news this month: a beloved chocolate shop did not close, a new jazz club opened, and Bleecker Street continues its metamorphosis with a couple of new shops. We also noted two spots that are either owned by women or feature products made by women. Open Top Openings Café Bohemia—15 Barrow Street
By Caroline Benveniste In the December 2016 issue of WestView News we ran an article entitled “The Best of Food Shopping in the West Village” in which we listed our favorite food stores. Somehow, we neglected to include a chocolate category and our readers quickly alerted us to this oversight. And, of course, the winner
By Alec Pruchnicki, MD On Sunday, October 6th, residents of Greenwich Village and much of lower Manhattan had a chance to speak out on the possibility and advisability of bringing a single payer healthcare system to New York State (my article in WestView News last month was, “Want Single Payer in New York? Speak Up!”).
Hi, Mr. G. Capsis: This is Lily. I am in third grade at PS340. Today, I met a photographer from your newspaper who wanted a photo of me and my new puppy, George. She told us that her boss was also named George. We named him George because he first lived in the country, so
By Arthur Schwartz Late last year, as The Villager passed from one chain of community newspapers to another, Schneps Publications, one had to wonder about its future and that of its sister papers, Downtown Express, Manhattan Express, and Chelsea Now. All four papers started to look alike other than their mastheads. They carried the same
By John Kaliabakos Hundreds of community pharmacists held rallies across New York State on October 23 to stand with Governor Cuomo and support legislation containing the nation’s toughest protections from prescription drug middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Village Apothecary was proud to stand alongside other independent pharmacies in the quest for fairness in
By Arthur Schwartz Polly Trottenberg, New York City’s most arrogant Department of Transportation Commissioner since Robert Moses, stood on 14th Street on the morning of October 4th and declared the Busway a total success. The Busway, which has turned 14th Street into an urban oddity, sees buses come through once every 10 minutes during rush
By Brian J Pape, AIA New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the city’s biggest landlord, and if any of the city’s other landlords had the track record of broken heating and plumbing, mold, lead poisoning, cockroach infestations, and rodent attacks on sleeping infants, they would deserve to be jailed. But this city no longer
By George Capsis Below is an excellent history of U.S. public housing by our gifted Architecture Editor, Brian Pape. The article was prompted by the now year-long discussion here in New York to take government out of the building and maintaining of housing for the permanently poor and to invite developers via a competitive Request
INSPIRED BY FRANK BRUNI of the New York Times’ recent column “Dogs Will Fix Our Broken Democracy” (boy, do we need that!), this month I’m featuring some of the many lovable best friends on parade daily in our dog crazy Village neighborhood. As Mr. Bruni says: “…when I’m out and about with Regan, there’s mutual
