By Hannah Reimann 9/11 Memorial Concert September 11, 2019 Schiller Institute NYC Chorus St. Veronica Creative Cultural Center The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus, its leaders and community strive to elevate the culture of the United States “by engaging the population in the performance of great Classical music.” They do this by including both professional and
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Piano Lessons: The Life and Art of German Diez
By Hannah Reimann A Documentary A Benefit Night at Steinway Hall September 12, 2019 German Diez is perhaps the most memorable late piano maestro of The Greenwich House Music School. Teacher to innumerable students there since 1950, from children to famous virtuosos, he is beloved and revered. Diez taught at Bard College, SUNY Purchase, The
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
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
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Survivors of the Lost Village
By Roger Paradiso Cinema Village is a jewel of a theater in Greenwich Village that takes you back to the golden age of cinema, dating back to 1963. With the recent closing of the Paris Theater in midtown, the CV is the longest running art house in Manhattan. As you walk east on 12th Street
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A Colonial American Romance
The True Saga of an American Beauty Who Captured a Baron’s Heart A destitute young lady is swept off her feet by a swashbuckling Baron…the stuff that fairytales and Hollywood movies are made of. But this timeless tale of Lady Frankland (Agnes Surriage) and Sir Harry Frankland is made up of more than fairydust and
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Father Graeme Napier: A Life Ordained by Culture and Spirit
By Hannah Reimann “You ought to be written up by the Times,” suggested publisher George Capsis to Graeme Napier, the Rector of St. John’s Anglican Church on Waverly Place and West 11th Street, after he experienced one of many concerts Father Graeme produces in his church. In the Spring of 2018, Joe Turco, an American
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Halloween in the Village. Oh Boy.
By Gordon Hughes It’s October and you begin to see a remarkable change in the West Village. It’s not just the weather. Yes, the trees begin to change color and hardy mums replace begonias on the stoops of the brownstones. But in addition, an amazing transformation begins around the third week of October; co-ops, brownstones,
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Salmagundi Club & Village Preservation Exhibit Announcement: October 7-25, 2019
WestView on Display. Photographs from two of WestView’s regular contributors, Karen Rempel and Dusty Berke, have been selected for display at an exhibit starting October 7 at the prestigious Salmagundi Club. The exhibit of artwork celebrates the diverse, unique character of Greenwich Village, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Exhibition Dates:
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Bleecker Street Newcomer Mademoiselle Mirabelle Negotiates Lower Rent
By Karen Rempel Mademoiselle Mirabelle might be a new kid on the block, but owner Nicole Nicholson is a veteran New York business operator. Six months after opening her Bleecker Street location, Nicole was having trouble making ends meet. Her Madison Avenue location has been a success for 30 years, but it takes time to
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Karen’s Quirky Style
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor Fall is in the air—my favorite time of year. What a great opportunity to wear this delicious jewel-toned dress by Andrea Thurlow of Engineered by Andrea T. You may recall the story about the “Dominion Day” dress in the July issue of WestView. Andrea made this dress using extra
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Style on the Street: Sunday Best
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor This month, as we recover from the heady whirl of New York Fashion Week, let’s take a look at people who dress in their Sunday Best to be seen on the streets in The Village (whether it’s Sunday or not!). 1. Classic style: Jean Boudreaux of New Roads, Louisiana,
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The Normalization of Gay
From Oppression to Legalization By Robert Heide In New York the “World Pride” month of June, 2019, was given over to celebrate gay life worldwide and the concept of freedom to be who we are—gay, straight, bisexual, and the trans categories of transvestite, transsexual, and transgender; and queer. Each day in June, walking out of
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Health, Beauty & Wellness
By Hannah Reimann Harvest Home, Saturday, October 26th—12 to 3 pm at St. John’s in the Village’s, St. Benedict’s Courtyard, featuring samples of Farm to People’s excellent produce and other delicious food that can be included in their delivered boxes to you. There will be music, pumpkin carving for the kids and other surprises for
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Structural Report on World Trade Center 7 Released University Study Suggests Fire Did Not Bring Down WTC7 on 9/11
By Brian J. Pape, AIA As we recently passed the 18th anniversary of one of America’s greatest tragedies on September 11, 2001, the University of Alaska Fairbanks released a report on the destruction of the 47-story World Trade Center Building 7, which collapsed into its footprint, falling more than 100 feet at the rate of
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Planes or Bombs? 9/11 Revisited
By Barry Benepe In May 2018, the New York Times published a report by Elizabeth Williamson in which she told readers how Alex Jones, “an online conspiracy theorist,” claimed that the Sandy Hook gun massacre of 20 first graders and six adults never happened but was a “hoax” invented by “government gun-grabbers.” As a founder
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Books by Young People, at the Jefferson Market Library
By Grace Yamada Youth-lead movements are on the rise globally, and non-fiction publishing is trying to meet the swell of teenagers who are passionate about advocating for themselves and their peers. When I visit schools or hold programs in the library, teens are always interested in materials that can educate and inform them about the
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New Eats: Ariccia at 14 Bedford Street
A piadina, originating in 1371, is a thin Italian flatbread typically prepared in the historic Romagna region of Italy. It is usually made with white flour, lard or olive oil, a little milk, salt, and water. The dough was traditionally cooked on a terracotta dish but is often cooked on a griddle today. Ariccia (646-630-8314),
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Finest Hour
By Catherine Revland The first article of a four-part series, You Must Remember This, about World War II and its relevance to our times “The rape of Poland by both Hitler and Stalin meant that the two greatest totalitarian states in the world were in partnership against us. And what were we? A group of
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Save Our Street
Why We Started the West Washington Place Block Association and Recap of the WWPBA Kickoff Meeting By Nancy Wyden & Rosalind Resnick When we first met on the 39 5th Avenue coop board almost 20 years ago we had no idea that one day, long after we had sold our apartments, we would find ourselves neighbors
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The West 13th Street Alliance’s Fall Community Programming Offerings
This past summer, the West 13th Street Alliance held several events to bring neighborhood residents together, including Bird Bingo and a series of historical and cultural lectures. The Alliance’s Community Programming initiative is dedicated to creating opportunities for the kind of connection and community that are essential to health and wellbeing. One new offering for
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A Community Invitation from West Village Wellness
West Village Wellness October aims to educate the neighborhood on how to avoid and what to do about tick-borne illnesses. On October 13th, at 2:00 pm, West Village Wellness will have our monthly event at the WestBeth Community Room, entrance on Bank Street between Washington Street and West Street (the Westside Highway), free of charge
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A View from the Kitchen: Orange Walnut Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
By Isa Covo When we moved to the Village over thirty years ago there were several bookstores in the area, some small and intimate, a few large. There was a largish bookstore just around the corner from where I live, where I bought my first book by Kazuo Ishiguro, (which was his first book also),
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IN AND OUT
This month saw a continued proliferation of vegan and Mediterranean spots, particularly in the Bleecker/Carmine/MacDougal corridor. Some popular bars/restaurants are opening new locations in the West Village, and some places that had been limping along for a while have finally closed. Open Top Openings Llama San 359 6th Avenue near Washington Place Villagers may
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How Can You Borrow Money on a West Village Brownstone Co-op?
By Robert Kroll How tough could it be to refinance an old high-interest $500,000 loan on a nice, well-maintained brownstone building in the West Village? Damn hard, it turns out! With interest rates on residential properties at 3-4% nowadays, I was tempted to refinance a 5-year ARM loan presently set at 6.8%. Every interest point
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Notes From Away: Crossed Paths in a Small World
By Tom Lamia A friend in California occasionally sends me books. One that arrived six months ago became fallback reading recently. My eyes were opened by its connections to several hallmarks in my life thus far, including where I now live (Maine), where I was born (Santa Monica, California), and my ten-year residence at 54
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Vintage Greenwich Village
Suzanne Poli’s timeless black-and-white “Snowscene” on Christopher Street looking towards McNulty‘s (Rare Teas and Coffees since 1895) in winter snow depicts a time almost gone…etched in memory…Greenwich Village is “Where America Begins” and is the great architect of the American mind and culture. Aren’t we fortunate to live here…
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Racism and Anti-Semitism are Existential Threats
We need to start having more awkward conversations before it gets worse By Arthur Schwartz Pittsburgh in 2018; another attack that year in Los Angeles; six months after Pittsburgh, a shooting in California. These are the latest acts of hate perpetrated against the Jewish community. They came only months before a shooting at an El
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Bringin’ It Home
By Keith Michael Millie is lying a few feet away while I’m editing photos—still catching up on my summer “takes.” Because I haven’t clicked on an image looking remotely like a bowl of kibble, Millie’s corgi gaze is equivocal. The combination of scrolling past an August shot of an Osprey from the Salt Marsh Nature
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HRPT Will Build a Full-Size Field on Gansevoort Park!
By Brian J Pape, AIA Cautious optimism filled the air as residents reconvened for the last Gansevoort Peninsula “concept phase” joint meeting of the Community Board 2 (CB2) Parks & Waterfront Committee and the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) at the 75 Morton middle school cafeteria on September 10th. James Corner Field Operations (JCFO), the
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My 9/11 Come From Away Experience Taught Me Compassion for Refugees
By Kevin Tuerff On September 11, 2001, I saw actions that restored my faith in humanity. It all happened on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, in a foreign country. I never expected that my story of being a 9/11 refugee in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), and the stories of many others who had
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Want Single Payer Healthcare in New York? Speak Up!
By Alec Pruchnicki, MD This isn’t a theoretical question. There is actually a bill in the New York State legislature sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Senator Gustavo Rivera called the New York Health Act. It would provide extensive universal medical coverage for all residents of New York State, eliminate almost all private medical insurance
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Then&Now: Washington & Christopher High Line
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, Architecture Editor Then: This 1940 Municipal Tax photo of 634-648 Washington Street views its intersection with Christopher Street, looking southwest. The New York Central Railroad built the St. John freight terminal and this viaduct from 1930-34, succumbing to pressure condemning the numerous pedestrian accidents while the 13-mile surface track, built in
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Villager Fires Lincoln Anderson!!
Community Newspaper Eviscerated By Arthur Schwartz For all the intrusion of the internet into how we get our news, and the availability of 24 hour per day updates, community newspapers retain a special importance. Local residents rely on community newspapers to get current information of local stories—whether it be the fight over a park, plans
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Companions for Elders Hold Organizational Meeting
By Hannah Reimann In response and follow up to the Senior Shares for the Village article in the September issue of WestView News, I met with several women ages 25-60 who responded via email to us. They are interested in possibly becoming live-in companions, paying reduced rent and providing selected services for an elder who
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Let’s Get Real About Aging
By Gail Evans Some of us are 80 but feel 50. Our health is good, our income comfortable. We have family and friends, we’re active and optimistic. We are “aging well.” But even exemplars of healthy aging are not exempt from its cruelties. Growing old brings needs that cannot be ignored. Perhaps the realization that
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UNA Honorees Working to Stop Human Trafficking
By Karen Rempel The work of the United Nations (UN) is near and dear to us at WestView News. Maggie Capsis started the Guides program at the UN Secretariat Building and was Head of the Guides there. Anyone who knows publisher George Capsis has heard the wonderful story of how they met at the UN.
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Conquering AIDS in the LGBT Presidential Town Hall: Top 10 Questions Regarding Curing AIDS
By Kambiz Shekdar, Ph.D. The upcoming town hall among U.S. presidential candidates on October 10th will focus on LGBT issues. The choice to address AIDS in this debate could surprise and disrupt the current HIV/AIDS landscape. It’s remarkable that during the last presidential election, a coalition of AIDS activists adopted the following (invalid) consensus position:
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Pier 40 Construction Report
By Brian J. Pape, AIA The on-going construction and locked gates to the surrounding walkways at Pier 40 have prompted readers’ questions about what is going on. We’ve reported previously that this work is primarily for the repair and reinforcing of the hundreds of pilings that support the Pier 40 platform. Sometimes the contractor has
