Ariadne and Doric Capsis are joined by their daughter Sophia and son Theodore for a 25th Anniversary photo.
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Who’s Coaching Your Kids?
By Paul Caccamo It’s a challenge to raise kids in the West Village, which is why we need to take a much closer look at some of the adults with the greatest influence on them. One group, in particular, is their coaches. I’ve lived in the West Village for 20 years and have focused my
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Using State and City Law to Fight Bad Landlords
By Joseph Turco, Esq. The battle between landlords and tenants is epic. It’s like a jungle, where the landlord predator can smell weakness from a mile away. In my April 2017 article in WestView News, “Landlords: From Best to Worst (and So Much in Between),” I wrote about a longtime West Village tenant, Lydia Martinez.
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Billionaire Landlord to Pay $500K to Berks
By Arthur Z. Schwartz After nearly 25 years of litigation, which included a 1996 judgment against the owners of 95 Christopher Street worth over $100,000, and 16 separate holdover and non-payment petitions, peace has finally come for 93-year-old Ruth Berk (for whom I serve as a court-appointed guardian) and her daughter Jessica. After a three-day
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It Takes a Village: Meet Amy Smith, Sexual Assault Care Champion (Extraordinaire)
By Nicole Ferris “I knew what was in store the day I married a super hero,” says Mr. Smith, while driving his wife into Manhattan at 3:00 a.m. to attend to a West Village patient who had just been sexually assaulted. His words are genuine and accurate. Amy Smith is an exceptional human being. She
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Rolling With the Derby
By Eduardo Cavalcanti Having recently moved from a city that offered little cultural diversity, I made a resolution to explore as much of New York as I could once I settled in. Before long, I had signed up for museum memberships in all five boroughs, newsletters, walking tours, and lectures on arcane topics. That’s how
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Royal Lineage in the West Village
This month, we revisit and expand upon the fascinating royal background of our WestView contributor, Antonia Maxwell. (See her piece, “Coffee with Antonia,” in the February 2017 issue of WestView.) Born in Argentina, Antonia descends from the Habsburg-Lothringen line on her mother’s side—one of the most influential royal families in Europe. Throughout history, European thrones
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CONTRIBUTORS’ MEETING INNOVATION
Filmmaker Annunziata Gianzero joins the WestView News April contributors’ meeting from California by Skype as the paper moves towards a revamped online edition.
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: Maine Character(s)
By Tom Lamia In the April issue of WestView, I spoke of a long-ago first visit to Maine. That visit was an introduction not only to the splendor and rigors of coastal Maine, but also to the rugged and resourceful character of its people. Moral strength, wisdom, mental and physical toughness, humility, taciturnity, and
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Jessica Berk Gets $500K
By Jessica Berk In what may be the longest landlord-tenant battle in the City, and certainly the most contentious, my mother, Ruth, and I obtained half a million dollars and 18 months to vacate our two-bedroom terrace apartment at 95 Christopher Street. However, in no way is the battle over, because I have retained the right
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My Favorite Handyman
Sooner or later, all of us need a handyman to repair a piece of furniture, adhere loose tiles, clean windows, replace a light switch, or assemble an IKEA chair. One of our readers suggested that we create a monthly section inviting readers to offer their “favorite handyman,” which may include carpenters, plumbers, electricians, computer technicians,
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An Interview with Tish, A Female Impersonator
By Silvia Sanza Anyone who’s been around the Village for a while knows Tish—colorful, compelling, and a good neighbor. Tish grew up in New England to French-Canadian parents. He was the “petit garcon” which, garbled through half-French, half-English, became his nickname, Ti-boy. Tish recalls running across the field from school, dressed in a suit and
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Of the Park: Joe Mangrum, Sandpainter
By Brian Pape and Joy Pape Among the many performers that frequent Washington Square Park on nice weekends, there are musicians, acrobats, athletes, and artists, all of whom make the Park a very special place. One of the most colorful and fascinating performers is the sand artist, Joe Mangrum, whose temporary spontaneous works at the
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The Invisible Writer Becomes Visible: A Film By Edith Stephen
By Jacqueline Taylor Basker A dramatic Valentine’s week presentation at Westbeth relayed the love story of two extraordinary talents in Greenwich Village. Edith Stephen, dancer-turned-moviemaker extraordinaire at 98, filmed a tribute to her late husband, the writer Alan Kapelner. Kapelner (1914-1990) was a significant but overlooked author, whose talent was discovered by Maxwell Perkins, editor
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CELEBRATING THE VILLAGE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS (VID) AWARDS
WestView Publisher George Capsis (second from left) is pictured at the festivities with New York City Public Advocate Letitia James; VID President Erik Coler; and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (left to right).
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Honoring a Valued 6th Precinct Officer
On March 30th, Community Affairs Officer Martin Baranski retired from the 6th Precinct after 31 years of service, six of which were served as Community Affairs Officer. He was honored with a walk-out celebration, which was only slightly dampened by the rain. The festivities consisted of an NYPD color guard and a line of officers on
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Sinclair Lewis in New York City
By Sally E. Parry Sinclair Lewis moved to New York City in the fall of 1910, after completing a Bachelor’s degree at Yale University. He had taken a break from his studies to work as a janitor at novelist Upton Sinclair’s utopian community of Helicon Hall in New Jersey, and had traveled some—twice to England,
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How an Oklahoma Boy Became a West Village Man
By Michael Drew Embrey In 1988, I tested positive for HIV. I had just turned 25 and was living in Dallas. Instinctually, I knew this virus would involve a fierce battle against death. The only FDA-approved medication at the time was AZT. One of the only doctors treating HIV-positive people in Dallas said that I
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Another Take on “Away”
By Diana Hottell When WestView Publisher George Capsis met my husband and me last year, while we were “awaying” on Thompson Street, he invited me to write a few articles from my slant. Now we’re back home, which is in a small town in the mountainous West. George gave me the okay to recap our
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: First Visit: South Bristol, Maine (1968)
By Tom Lamia My association with the State of Maine began as a chapter in a courtship that led to marriage. In early 1968, after two years of teaching law, first in Nigeria and then in Zambia, I visited Nairobi, Kenya, where I met a vivacious and seductive fellow-adventurer who would become my wife. I
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We Are All Indigenous
By Catherine Revland Some members of my family have traced my genealogy back to 17th century Norway. But ever since the Human Genome Project published its findings—that everyone alive today can trace their lineage back to a founding member who lived in Africa—curiosity about my ancestry has gone much deeper than a mere 400 years
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March Theatre Madness—News of the Month Past
By John Gilman It was big blizzard time in March at the Cherry Lane Theater in the Village and just about everywhere else. The Cherry Lane (pictured above) at 38 Commerce Street, founded by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and some of her writer pals, has been leased by Primary Stages, which, according to its
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Of the Park: Rasheed’s Jazz
By Joy Pape and Brian J. Pape As soon as we started visiting Washington Square Park (WSP), we were entertained by the many musicians. One outstanding performer was Rasheed and The Jazz Collective. A friend introduced us to Rasheed, and we continue to be fascinated by his special talents; we even bought his CDs. Rasheed
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Sophia Wins Platinum
On Sunday, March 19th, at Harborfields High School, a regional dance competition was hosted by Energy, a dance talent competition organization. Sophia Capsis competed in the Solo Senior Power Jazz category. She earned the Platinum Award and finished in first place amongst a field of over 10 dancers. The Power category is for the most
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Arthur’s Heart
This email exchange took place between community organizer Gil Horowitz and attorney/activist Arthur Z. Schwartz on February 9, 2017. Hi Arthur, In these dark days of challenge to American democracy, we need EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP to move the PROGRESSIVE ACTION AGENDA WITHIN OUR PARTY and at the COMMUNITY LEVEL. We need A NEW HOSPITAL. I am
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West Village Original: Edith Stephen
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is dancer and filmmaker Edith Stephen, who was born in Salamanca, New York, in 1919 and grew up in Brooklyn. For years, she toured the U.S., Europe, and China with her dance troupe until she took up filmmaking. One of the original tenants of Westbeth, Stephen’s
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One of the City’s Worst Landlords Targets Morton Street Senior
By Arthur Z. Schwartz This one may get me sued for libel, but here goes. Michael Sloan owns a number of buildings in the West Village, one of which is a multi-family building at 42 Morton Street. Sloan has made it onto Public Advocate Letitia James’ “Worst Landlords” list for many years running. (He is
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Notes and Perspectives From Away: New on Charles Street
By Tom Lamia Last month, I wrote of being “from away”—a Maine expression used for those “outside” of the local culture. In New York, the cultural divide comes up when “true” New Yorkers are recognized by their attitude and conduct, not in derogation of others, but as a tribute to an exceptional few. Several of
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Erwin H. Lerner Obituary
By Ede Rothaus Erwin Lerner, a well-known Greenwich Village playwright, died at his Morton Street home on February 8th at age 81. Born in the Bronx in 1935, Lerner enlisted in the Air Force at age 17 while still attending DeWitt Clinton High School. He served during the Korean War in Crete and Germany and
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Two Dollars A Pound: I Remember Murray
By George Capsis My son Doric recently corrected me: “You haven’t been living on Charles Street for 50 years; it’s more like 60.” As you get older, time collapses and events you thought occurred a year ago actually took place three or more years ago. So, when I read that Murray Greenburg of Murray’s Cheese
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Hands Off Humberto Gonzalez! Landlord Targets 86-Year-Old Resident on Horatio Street
By Arthur Z. Schwartz Humberto Gonzalez has lived in Apartment 1D, a small studio, since 1960. Yes, 1960. He lives peaceably and quietly in a rather bizarre building. It is a co-op/condominium with small apartments regularly being sold on the market. Recent sales of studio apartments have been as high as $500,000. It is hard
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Preserving Village History: Transcribing the Writings of Vincent Livelli
By Annie Basulto Vincent Livelli was excited to make his first appearance in public in a few years. On January 27th, we launched The Vincent Livelli Preservation Project at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. This project was designed to transcribe the vibrant manuscripts of Livelli, a 96-year-old Greenwich Village resident. Below, is
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A Choreographed Life
“This is Vija Vetra and I invite you to my 94th birthday party at the Greek restaurant Nisi.” Twenty or more fellow Latvians also honored what is certainly the oldest still performing dancer of Latvia, if not the world. Vija has choreographed her life and travels each year from Westbeth to Latvia for a performance.
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Facing Death –Thinking About Hospital Closings
By Arthur Z. Schwartz I woke up on the last Saturday in January feeling awful. As I have told WestView readers before, once you survive heart surgery, you develop a heightened awareness of what is going on in your heart. On January 28th, my heart said, “Code Red.” The first decision was where to go.
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Salvador Dali & Andy Warhol
On February 19th at 7:00pm, the public is invited to a new book launch, Salvador Dali & Andy Warhol, by Torsten Otte, at Howl!, the art gallery/performance space at 6 East lst Street (West Villagers can walk east on Bleecker to the Bowery and dogleg across to lst Street). A panel led by the
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West Village Original: David Plakke
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is photographer David Plakke, born in Michigan in 1951. A resident of Westbeth for 22 years, Plakke has photographed architecture, fine art, cultural events, musicians, artists, and the corporate world. He has had two books of photographs published, was the photographer and videographer for Diana Gregor’s
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Johannes Brahms: The Working Musician (Part One)
By Styra Avins The author’s original essay, edited herein, was published in the May 2014 issue of Allegro to commemorate the 181st birthday of Johannes Brahms. (Josef Eisinger provided all of the German-to-English translations.) A boy sits in a small room within a modest house in Hamburg practicing the cello, the distracting sounds of family
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Overwhelming Structure Headed For Jane Street: LPC Futzes Around With Window & Door Design
By Robert Widmann For decades, a very ugly Jane Street garage, blackened with urban soot, has sat cloaked in the unconscious acceptance of industrial buildings—that is—until the land became incredibly valuable. It was then sold to a developer in order to build as many elegant condos as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP)
