By Karen Rempel Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems… Do you recognize this geometric structure? I am sure every West Villager does—it is instantly recognizable! It is of course the New York City AIDS Memorial at Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street. Unveiled for World
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Catch and Release: Chapter 4 | The Christmas Date Part 1
Fleeing the Scene of the Crime. Photo by Philip Maier. By Karen Rempel George called me the other morning and said he had thought about me when he woke up. “You’re like a steel cube. You only do what you want to do.” I quite liked this image. “I think you should marry a rich
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Two Plays and a Journal by Julian Beck
By Robert Heide In the summer of 1957 the founders of the Living Theatre Julian Beck and his wife Judith Malina went to jail with members of the Catholic Worker including Dorothy Day. They were protesting civil defense drills in New York City that they believed were held as a preparation for (nuclear) war that
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Edith Stephen: From Sound into Silence
By J. Taylor Basker We lost our Westbeth icon, the dancer/choreographer/filmmaker Edith Stephen, on March 18th at 6:55 p.m. Her friend and neighbor, jazz guitarist Steve Berger, was holding her hand; there were six of us with her. My dog put his head and body flat, across from her—he knew she was gone. She was
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Catching Up With Our Oldest Oscar Winner
By Richard Eric Weigle In July of 2020, film legend, EVA MARIE SAINT, became our oldest living Academy Award winner and our earliest winner for 1954’s On The Waterfront, after the death of Olivia de Havilland in Paris. She also happens to be our oldest living Hitchcock Blonde having portrayed the mysterious Eve Kendal in
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Crystal Visions
By Dana Jean Costantino Oh, how I love crystals! It seems I’ve always got a few in my pocket, in bowls around my apartment, I meditate with them and I love walking into a crystal shop and seeing and feeling the energy they provide. Crystals have become so much more a part of the conversation
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The Village Jazz Scene
By Tim Ferguson Jazz is still alive in Greenwich Village. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly challenging for presenters and musicians, we may be starting to see some hope as we begin to emerge from our collective nightmare. While many jazz musicians have lost all or most of their incomes this year, and jazz
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Transgender, The Facts
Abstracted from “A Scientist’s View of Almost Everything” by Mark M Green In the Science and Technology section of The Economist, February 20, 2021 issue, is an article, which talks about gender dysphoria, described as “the miserable feeling of being at odds with one’s sex.” A statistic follows: America had one pediatric gender clinic in
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Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
“ONE YEAR LATER…Almost like the good old days?!” All photos by Maggie Berkvist.
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New York Mets 2021 Season Preview
By Anthony Paradiso On March 19th New York’s governor announced that Mets and Yankees fans will be allowed to attend games at 20 percent capacity by opening day of the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. This is music to the ears of baseball fans everywhere who appreciate the sights and sounds of the game
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Refugees Fleeing Terror Face Prejudice in America
By Kieran Loughney Scenes of missile attacks, reports of girls denied an education, stories of people fleeing violence or being trained to engage in combat. Gleaned from news reports, this was all I knew of the life of citizens in Afghanistan. Then I met Fatima. As a child welfare worker, I had first encountered Fatima’s
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CB2 Nabs Community Rehearsal Space
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP The Community Board Two of Manhattan (CB2) has announced the creation of an Arts Advisory Panel Task Force to organize new community rehearsal space. Recognizing the pressing need for these spaces for theater, dance, music, and other arts groups, CB2 has negotiated very low-cost, nearly free, rehearsal space at
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No Greater Challenge
By Tom Lamia How is this impasse among us to be resolved? When and by what means can we expect to resume civility in our politics and in our daily lives? Will it come through policy persuasion? Or, from an erosion of cultural differences effected through birth rates, immigration rates, and education rates? Putting it
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Looking for Love?
Lifetalk with Roberta Russell I live in the shadow of COVID-19, devoid of touching, or kisses, or any kind of physical intimacy. Living is useless without loving. The vitality and constant presence of Lexie, my unmasked, honed-in, snugly, white fluffy standard poodle, helps to remind me there is love. Not surprisingly, there is now an
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The Fruitman Returns!
By Harry Almendar I have worked the corner of 7th Avenue and 12th Street with my amazing fruit cart for over 20 years. The last few have been quite rocky, but on March 23rd, after a 16-month absence, I returned to my space in front of the AIDS Memorial Park! Until 2018 I’d worked that
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IN AND OUT
Just over a year ago New York City shut down. All non-essential businesses were required to close, and restaurants were limited to take-out and delivery. Given how difficult the last year has been for most businesses, it is not surprising that many restaurants and shops have shuttered permanently. One theme we’ve heard over and over
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A View from the Kitchen
By Isa Covo Six weeks fully vaccinated. It is a relief, but there is little change in the game: I am still wearing masks in the street, I keep social distance with some unvaccinated acquaintances, but now I can visit my healthy family and be able to hug my grandchildren. I even had lunch outdoors
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Pill Bottle Recycling
By Ede Rothaus Want to contribute to reducing New York City’s carbon footprint? Improve medical care in developing countries while caring for the environment? Recycling your pill bottles is one small step in the right direction. Cincinnati -based Matthew:25 Ministries, accepts donations of empty plastic pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies and
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New Delivery Service Empowers Small Businesses
By Anthony Valencia With many businesses closed down or recovering from the devastating effects of the global pandemic, a new service aims to empower small businesses and encourage consumers to shop locally. Pyazza was started in the West Village by a group of neighbors who decided to take action late last year after seeing many
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Smiling is Contagious
By Stanly Wlodyka Jiménez This past year, there’s been no shortage of reasons to feel glum, but common wisdom tells us that we ought to accentuate the positive, look at the glass half full, and smile though our hearts are breaking. Common wisdom also tells us that “it takes 43 muscles to frown and only
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Cuteness Squared
By Keith Michael It’s Millie’s Birthday! She’s twelve. Of course, Millie’s resting up for later festivities in the day with corgi-shaped candles in a cream cheese cake studded with kibble amid celebratory clinking of flutes poured to the brim with Corgi gin. (I’m kidding.) It’s a normal day and she’s napping. Normally. But I AM
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Village Vintner Salutes the Real Women of Booze
By Karen Rempel As you walk past Village Vintner on Sixth Avenue between West 10th and West 11th, you might do a double-take. An eye-catching display proclaims “The Real Women of Booze,” with a magnetic layout of women and bottles of alcohol on pedestals—two of our favorite things! To celebrate Women’s History Month in March,
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Greece’s Best Kept Secret
By Effie Panagopoulos It all started in 2008, when I was working as National Brand Ambassador for Metaxa, the old school Greek brandy that you’ll find in many a Greek liquor cabinet. A work trip to Greece turned into a mini vacation, and I found myself in Mykonos, at a beach bar. Like clockwork at
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Off the Meter
By Jeff Hodges In 1971, when I took the New York City taxi driver test, I didn’t know whether Fifth Avenue traffic ran uptown or downtown. But I knew where the Empire State Building was, and that got me my hack license. I attended college during the day and drove at night. My teenage years
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Big Trouble for New York Daily News
By Carol Yost The parent company for the New York Daily News and the Chicago Tribune has agreed to be acquired by Alden Global Capital, its largest shareholder—a hedge fund. Tribune Publishing, formerly publicly traded, will now be private; the deal is valued at $630 million in a transaction that is expected to close in
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GREENWICH VILLAGE LEGENDS—James Baldwin, la Vie de la Village
By Bruce Poli James Baldwin, writer, philosopher, gay African American activist (new acronym GAAA) from Paris to Harlem, is one of the most celebrated creative figures of the 20th century. He was born in Harlem Hospital and lived in Harlem during his childhood, however his frequent home and visitations later were in Greenwich Village. It
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Fauci’s Division at NIH Accepts Grant Applications to Cure HIV/AIDS
By Kambiz Shekdar, Ph.D. Fifty percent of people living with HIV/AIDS have HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Today’s powerful anti-HIV drugs do not eliminate HIV-associated mental decline, even in individuals who achieve undetectable viral levels in their blood. On October 20, 2020, the NIH issued a call soliciting proposals to develop methods to cure HIV infection,
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Mount Sinai on Beth Israel: Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead
By Penny Mintz According to Mount Sinai’s Brad Korn, Mount Sinai has been “taking a pause” in its plan to close Beth Israel Hospital. “The pandemic has changed the world,” Korn acknowledged last month at a Community Board 3 Health Committee meeting. But the pandemic, which is unquestionably a world-altering cataclysm, has not ultimately altered
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SoHo-NoHo Rezoning Could Be Applied to The West Village
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Who will benefit from the Envision SoHo/NoHo Neighborhood Plan’s rezoning and housing proposals? The Department of City Planning (DCP), as a sponsor of the project, made a commitment to the community when it started the process on Feb. 11, 2019. More than 250 people attended the meeting held at
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Free Virtual Event Takes You Inside the World of Integral Yoga
By Chandra/Jo Sgammato On Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday, April 11 at 12 noon, you are invited to explore the meaning of one of Greenwich Village’s most beloved and longest standing institutions. Whether you have attended yoga classes and programs inside the beautiful building at 227 West 13th Street or
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Housing that Heals
By Kathryn Garcia Over the last year, COVID-19 has exposed deep vulnerabilities and worsened a crisis that has long plagued our city: affordable housing. Even before COVID-19, more than half of New Yorkers were “rent-burdened.” During the last eight years, our current mayor has stood by and allowed homelessness to increase by an unconscionable 23
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Observing Pascha: The Traditions and History of Greek Orthodox Easter
By Anastasia Kaliabakos Easter is arguably the most important holiday in the Christian tradition, no matter what denomination you belong to. The Western world uses the Gregorian calendar to mark the dates of many festivities each year, including Easter. In 2021, the holiday is taking place on April 4th for most Christians; however, for those
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Big Win! Lawsuit Brings Elevators to 14th Street Subway Stops! Schumer Demands Funding
On Saturday, March 27, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer paid a visit to the West Village. Standing with Arthur Schwartz, candidate for City Council, Borough President Gale Brewer, and disability rights advocates, he demanded full funding not only for elevators the MTA has agreed to at 6th and 7th Avenue at 14th Street, but for
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City Council Candidate Finds New Way to Shop Local
By Leslie Boghosian Murphy Local businesses have long been the economic heartbeat of our neighborhoods in New York City. How many of us have been saved by a 24-hour deli when we suddenly discovered we’d run out of milk, diapers or ice cream? Or experienced the joy of finding a perfect anniversary card for that
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The Day the Village Stood Still: The COVID Relief Bill 2021
By Roger Paradiso President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act passed in the Senate 51-50. No Republicans voted for the bill in the House or the Senate. So much for the bipartisan support that the president was hoping to get. But what we Americans will get is much-needed COVID relief. “The American Rescue Plan provides $1,400
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The Fight to Restore All Subway Service and Reduce the Fares
By Arthur Schwartz I am going to start by using numbers, not rhetoric. Forty percent of all commutes to work are done by subway or bus. Another 40% are done by walking (yes, walking). Two percent are accomplished by bicycle. Walking and taking the subway and bus (if it is an electric bus) are sustainable
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An Interview With Mayoral Candidate Ray McGuire
By Frank Quinn and Bob Cooley Ray McGuire and his two brothers didn’t have much growing up. “I never knew my father. He never acknowledged me, a sorrow I share with far too many.” His mother worked as a social worker, his grandfather in a factory during the week and as a janitor on weekends.
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As Vaccines are Administered at Rapid Pace, Hope Blooms in the Spring
By Bob Cooley It was precisely 13 months ago (on March 1, 2020) from this publishing date when the first official case of COVID-19 was reported in Manhattan. Just over a year later, the toll has been horrendous: 29.8M cases and 542,000 deaths in the US, with 794,027 cases and 30,564 deaths in NYC. The
