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A few weeks ago we told you about the latest imaginative project from the guys at "Grand Opening" on Norfolk Street. In the past, they've turned their storefront (at 139 Norfolk) into a drive-in movie theater complete with a sky blue 1965 convertible, a ping pong parlor and an art gallery. Starting July 10th, it will be a Vegas style wedding chapel. We stopped by the soon-to-be chapel recently to get the scoop from the "wedding planners."
 In a past life, "Grand Opening" was a drive-in movie theater.
 A ping pong parlor was the first "business" to open at "Grand Opening"
Ben Smyth and his brother moved their business to the Lower East Side a couple of years ago, opening the storefront as an offshoot of their design firm. Ben says they wanted to do something to engage the community, tapping into the diversity and artistic spirit the neighborhood is known for. The concept behind "Grand Opening" is to unveil a new "business" every few months. So far there have been about 10 projects, some more popular than others.
 The wedding chapel concept seems destined to be a big hit. One of their employees, Kevin Fey (pictured), has gone through an exhaustive (about one hour) correspondence course to become a minister in the Universal Life Church. You get to choose the cheesy backdrop: beach, forest, whatever you want. Ben says there's already been quite a lot of interest. Some people are having real weddings in the 250 square foot space – others are renewing their vows or having a commitment ceremony. You can even rent a bride or groom. There is room for around 20 guests. They'll stream a live feed of your big day on the internet.
"Grand Opening" is raising money for the project on Kickstarter. They only have one more day to reach their fundraising goal of $3,000. There's still about 500 bucks to go. You can see more information about the Wedding Chapel and watch a video here.
 
A State Supreme Court judge rules Senate Democrats and Republicans must meet together in the same room– just like actual adults.
The Civic Center Residents Coalition will endorse Bill Thompson for mayor today.
Summer in the city: an interesting night at Tompkins Square Park.
Another sign of gentrification on the Bowery: it looks like the Salvation Army's East Village Residence is about to become an upscale sushi restaurant/night club.
Tonight's Tenement Talks: behind the scenes. How did they put together their first exhibits… the story behind the restoration of 97 Orchard. 630pm at the Tenement Museum.
Today we have the third installment of our series of interviews with the candidates running for the 1st District City Council seat currently held by Alan Gerson. The District includes the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Soho, Wall Street
and Tribeca. We have already heard from Margaret Chin and Pete Gleason, two of the candidates hoping to deny Gerson a third term. Today, it's PJ's Kim's chance to talk about the issues impacting the District.
Kim was vice president of Single Stop USA, a company that helps low income families access government services such as food programs and health care. He also worked as Director of Income Policy for FoodChange, now part of the Food Bank of New York. Kim graduated from Princeton in 2001, and moved to New York to work for McKinsey, the management consulting firm. He served on Community Board 1 for two years.
In these interviews, we want the candidates to be able to lay out their
positions fully. For that reason, editing was kept to a minimum. We
removed extraneous comments that were repetitious or not directly
related to the question asked, and streamlined questions. For more
information on the campaign, including our interviews with Chin and Gleason, see below. The full interview with PJ Kim can be found after the jump.
TLD Interview: Margaret Chin
TLD Interview: Pete Gleason
PJ Kim's web site
Gotham Gazette's Profile of District 1
City Hall News primer on District 1 race
Continue reading TLD Interview: City Council Candidate PJ Kim
Community Board 3 is out with its agenda for next month's meetings, including the SLA (State Liquor Authority) Committee. Here's a look at the LES restaurants and bars that will be applying for or trying to upgrade liquor licenses:
- Mason Dixon, 133 Essex. Requesting a full liquor license/outdoor space. The committee will review complaint history.
- Sushi Hana, 111 Rivington. Requesting wine license. Restaurant is in the "resolution area," in which new licenses are severely restricted.
- Jehan LLC (Regate), 198B Orchard. Requesting a full liquor license – this is a transfer.
- Jama Restaurant Corp (Recoup), 210 Rivington. Application to transfer a full liquor license to new ownership.
- Allen & Delancey, 115 Allen Street. Request to extend hours, full liquor license.
- 169 Bar, 169 East Broadway. Application to add full liquor service in the backyard.
- Guapo Bodega LLC, 146 Essex. Request for a full liquor license.
- Koi NY Downtown LLC, 347 Bowery. Full liquor license.
- Delancey 66 Spirits LLC, 66 Delancey. Full liquor license.
The committee will meet July 20th, 630pm, at the JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street.
State politicians are warning that chaos will ensue in New York City's schools if the paralyzed Senate does not act to extend mayoral control by tomorrow night.
On Friday, police arrested two teens in connection with anti-Semitic acts on the Lower East Side.
Did Mayor Bloomberg suggest he supported the idea of reopening Park Row? Some Chinatown residents say he did, but the mayor's office denies it. The Downtown Express has the details.
This afternoon at 5pm, Norm Siegel, public advocate candidate, will be holding a campaign event in Columbus Park.
We reported it last week – now the Times has details of the lifeline being offered by the city to the cultural and community center, ABC No Rio.
Paparazzi/screaming girl alert: Rob Pattinson will allegedly be on Orchard Street near Grand today, shooting his new film, "Remember Me."
New York 1 reports police are investigating who's responsible for a swastika that was painted on an interior door at the Bialystoker Synagogue on East Broadway. According to the report, a smoke bomb was also set off. The story includes comments from State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who's attended the synagogue his entire life. Silver indicated surveillance cameras might have recorded the suspects. See the report here.
Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard in Humpday.
Rooftop Films is back on the LES this evening on the Open Road Rooftop with director Lynn Shelton's Humpday, a "bromantic" comedy taken to extremes when two college buddies decide to test a limits of an art project by sleeping with each other. "And there's nothing standing in their way – except Ben's wife
Anna, heterosexuality, and certain mechanical questions." More info and tickets here.
John Kelly's Paved Paradise: Redux is still thrilling audiences at Abrons Arts Center through tomorrow night. You can read the NYPost review here.
 Pride Goes East presents a full day of events on Saturday, including 30 Gay Plays in 60 Straight Minutes. B.Y.O.L.C.
(Bring Your Own Lawn Chair) for Pride East Village-style, an afternoon
of free performances, rainbow kite flying, outdoor dining, and tickets
deals. www.fabnyc.org
The Associated Press and the New York Times pick up the "Tru-Life" arrest story. The Times reports the Lower East Side rapper, whose real name is Roberto Rosado, faces second degree murder and gang assault charges in connection with the fatal stabbing of 20 year old Christopher Guerrero on June 15th. Another man Jason Gray was also stabbed – he was released from the hospital yesterday. Rosado's brother Marcus, was arrested yesterday, and the Times says he faces similar charges. Attorneys for the two brothers say they are not guilty. The dispute apparently began outside a nigh club on 46th Street, and ended in the lobby of an apartment building on 26th Street: Several
people drew knives, and in the violence that followed — part of which
was captured by a surveillance camera — Mr. Guerrero and Mr. Gray were
stabbed, the police said. Mr. Guerrero died from injuries to his
internal organs and blood loss, according to a complaint filed in
Manhattan Criminal Court.
As we mentioned a couple of days ago, City Councilman Alan Gerson has agreed to help fund the facelift of Luther Gulick Park. Earlier this month, LES resident Dave Bolotsky arranged a meeting with members of the community and a Department of Parks representative to discuss ideas for refurbishing Luther Gulick. The park, located at Delancey and Willett Streets. has suffered from years of neglect: tables and benches were removed in the 80′s to discourage raucus crowds from congregating near the Hillamn Co-op – diseased trees had to be cut down a decade ago.
At Tuesday night’s Community Board 3 meeting, Patricia Olan announced that her boss, Councilman Gerson, had found some money for Luther Gulick’s restoration. Yesterday, Bolotsky told The Lo-Down he’s organizing a second community meeting, probably to be held late next month, to solicit more feedback. He’s also working with the city to line up additional funding. Parks official Bob Redmond said at the June 4th gathering that the project would probably cost about $2 million.
We’ll have more details about the time and location of the meeting as soon as it is scheduled.
More on the arrest of Lower East Side rapper "Tru Life," which we mentioned in our news links this morning. The Daily News has posted a story online adding new details:
Roberto Guzman Rosado Jr.
- better known as the rapper Tru Life – was arrested three days ago for
the June 15 stabbings that left a second victim in critical condition.
The 33-year-old is jailed on Rikers Island on charges of murder, assault and weapons possession, police said. Rosado's brother, Marcus, also surrendered Wednesday night at his lawyer's office, sources said Thursday. Marcus Roasado is to be arraigned on murder charges. The
stabbings occurred around 9:30 a.m. as part of an ongoing dispute that
began earlier at Club Pasha on W. 46th St., police sources said. Rosado and his brother are accused of chasing Jason Gray, 30, and Christopher Guerrero,
20, into the lobby of a building on E. 26th St. Cops said the duo
pulled knives and stabbed Guerrero in the stomach and Gray in the
chest. Guerrero died of his wounds; Gray was critically injured. The original disagreement involved Black and Marcus Rosado brother, the sources said. Tru
Life was signed to a six-figure deal in 2005 by Jay-Z, who was won over
by Rosado's braggadocio in a face-to-face meeting. Rosado told the
hip-hop mogul that he was pronounced legally dead at Bellevue Hospital following a shooting, but survived.
The Seward Park Co-op held elections for its board of directors yesterday. Jodi Zagoory, Carol Anastasio and Michael Tuminia unseated three incumbents. The only current board member up for election who prevailed was Carlos Rosada. Fran Marino, Lee Slater and Michael Kansco were voted out of office. During the past year, shareholders have grown increasingly concerned about the Co-op's financial health, the management of retail space it owns along Grand Street and a controversial decision to raise sublet fees. There are about 1700 apartments in Seward Park's four towers, which stretch from Essex to Montgomery Streets. The top vote getter, Zagoory, received 533 votes.
The governor threatens to dock the pay of state senators and send state troopers after them if they don't show up in the chamber. The latest nonsense from Albany here.
An analysis by Gotham Gazette shows, in future years, New York City may very well pay the price for this year's reasonably rosy election-year budget.
Lower East Side rapper "Tru Life" has reportedly turned himself in to the NYPD to face alleged first degree murder charges. According to reports in the hip hop media, "Tru Life," whose real name is Roberto Guzman Rosado, Jr., was involved in the recent stabbings of two men. An 18 year old (unnamed) man died and a second victim, Jason Black, is hospitalized in critical condition. The reports suggest the stabbings were retaliation for the shooting of "Tru Life" associate Michael Slater.
Channel 2 reported on a summer job fair at the Henry Street Settlement.
Damaris Reyes, executive director of "Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)," is the recipient of the 2009 Jane Jacobs Medal. The award, given out by the Rockefeller Foundation, is presented to people whose work "creates new ways of seeing and understanding the city."
The Times takes note of last night's 2nd annual "Showdown in Chinatown," a celebrity soccer match featuring basketball and soccer stars in Roosevelt Park. An audition for the Knicks, they ask?
We've already reported some of the news from last night's Community Board 3 meeting (see below). Here's a recap of the other noteworthy items discussed:
- Dominic Pisciotta was re-elected as chairman of CB3. He held off a challenge from Barden Prisant, winning 29-12.
- Pisciotta announced that the community boards appear to have (mostly) dodged the Bloomberg administration's budget cuts. The reduction in next year's budget will be less than 2-percent, unless there's a need for mid-year reductions. Each board will receive about $198,000.
- CB3 has sent a letter to Councilman Alan Gerson's office expressing disappointment that it wasn't included in a recent meeting to discuss the potential rezoning of the Bowery.
- A committee vote will take place next month on a set of principles for the redevelopment of the Seward Park Urban renewal Area.
- Borough President Scott Stringer and Councilman Alan Gerson have provided funding for the rebuilding of the ABC No Rio art center.
We've already reported some of the news from last night's Community Board 3 meeting (see below). Here's a recap of the other noteworthy items discussed:
- Dominic Pisciotta was re-elected as chairman of CB3. He held off a challenge from Barden Prisant, winning 29-12.
- Pisciotta announced that the community boards appear to have (mostly) dodged the Bloomberg administration's budget cuts. The reduction in next year's budget will be less than 2-percent, unless there's a need for mid-year reductions. Each board will receive about $198,000.
- CB3 has sent a letter to Councilman Alan Gerson's office expressing disappointment that it wasn't included in a recent meeting to discuss the potential rezoning of the Bowery.
- A committee vote will take place next month on a set of principles for the redevelopment of the Seward Park Urban renewal Area.
- Borough President Scott Stringer and Councilman Alan Gerson have provided funding for the rebuilding of the ABC No Rio art center.
There was an interesting exchange at last night's Community Board 3 meeting concerning the elimination of the NYPD's specialized "quality of life teams." Sometimes referred to as "cabaret units," they focused on enforcement of laws at clubs, bars and restaurants. Late last year, the Police commissioner ordered some precincts to disband the teams, saying ""the reassignment of some of these specialized units has allowed more
police officers and supervisors to be deployed for patrol purposes and
has "allowed greater focus on quality-of-life issues." Last night, District Manager Susan Stetzer said she's hearing from club owners who believe disbanding the specialized groups was a mistake — that the officers now responding to problems at bars and clubs are less knowledegeable. CB3 member David Mcwater strongly objected to the notion that the cabaret units were helpful. He asserted that they abused their powers, calling their raids on various establishments "political torture in the neighborhood." McWater, former CB3 chairman and a current member of the committee that evaluates liquor licenses, owns several bars.
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