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The Transportation Committee of Community Board 3 has a full agenda tonight. Among the issues they'll address:
- A request from residents and the Seward Park Co-op Board to put up signs on East Broadway limiting truck traffic to local deliveries.
- A request for a crosswalk in the middle of the block on Clinton, between Grand and East Broadway.
- The controversial redesign of Chatham Square. In recent days, there have been reports that the project has been put on hold, but no confirmation from the city so far.
- Extending a loading zone in front of the Bowery Hotel.
- A request from New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets to ban horse-drawn carriages on city streets.
The meeting will be held at 630pm at University Settlement, Speyer Hall. The address is 184 Eldridge Street, between Rivington and Delancey.
 
 Housing rights advocates fought for a stronger stance in support of affordable housing Monday night, as a committee of Community Board 3 came close to completing a "statement of principles" for the redevelopment of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA). Chairman David McWater, vowing to have a plan by the end of the year, nudged the economic development, planning and zoning committee towards a consensus.
SPURA consists of 10 sites near Delancey and Essex Streets that have sat under-utilized for 40 years as community groups feuded bitterly about how they should be developed. Specifically, supporters of affordable housing and Grand Street Co-op residents have never been able to agree on the mix of low income, middle income and market rate housing to be built.
There now seems to be general agreement, within the committee at least, that the redevelopment plan should include an equal mix of all three types of housing. But the devil is in the details. Both groups are determined to make sure the statement that's drafted reflects their own priorities.
Moving forward was difficult Monday, since none of the most vocal representatives of the Grand Street residents were present. McWater and CB3 Chairman Dominic Pisciotta were hesitant about making changes to the document with a key constituency absent – the very same group that derailed the last attempt to develop SPURA six years ago.
Continue reading McWater Wants SPURA Plan By December
It just keeps getting weirder and weirder in Albany. The deposed Democrats lock the door to the Senate chamber so the new GOP majority can't get in. The Republicans, for their part, plan to hold court in a park (not a great day for a picnic, unfortunately). And the story behind the coup: the upstate billionaire who just can't stand people who use blackberrys during meetings! Meanwhile, nothing that actually matters to the people of New York is getting done.
Tenant Planet.org says the 1st District City Council race is getting more interesting all the time.
More than 300 supporters of New York's community boards rallied at City Hall, protesting the mayor's budget cuts.
The Tenement Museum staff picks the tastiest treats in the neighborhood.
Amiri Baraka prepares his words at a Vision Fest sound check this afternoon.
The 14th year of Arts for Art's Vision Festival begins tonight at 7:30p and will run for seven action packed evenings, including full days of art, music and dance over the weekend. Performances this evening include Brass Bang, Douglas R. Ewart and Inventions "Dawn" (featuring poetry from poet icon and revolutionary political activist Amiri Baraka), video by Luciano Rossetti, and Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris Conducts A Chorus of Poets and String Ensemble. Tomorrow night honors saxophonist Marshall Allen. Go here for the full schedule. We'll be posting updates and interviews from the festival throughout the week.
I rushed over to Russ & Daughters today to sample the delicious new catch Holland herring. The famed appetizing store's co-owner, Niki Russ Federman, says it's a bit like cherry blossom season – and just about as fleeting. Every year at about this time, herring in the North Sea reach their optimal condition. The event is a national holiday in Holland. The queen takes the first ceremonial taste. Russ & Daughters actually contacts the Dutch embassy to find out when these silvery beauties will be arriving. You can try them at the counter starting today for about the next four weeks.
The new catch Holland herring taste a lot more like sushi than any herring I've ever tried. They're creamy and mild, and have just a hint of salt. Niki showed me how they're eaten. First you roll the herring in chopped onion, then grab it by the tail and lower it into your mouth. Some people eat the whole thing (they're about six inches long) at once.
Niki says they've been importing these delicacies for about 10 years. They become a little more popular every year. Next Wednesday, Russ & Daughters will be hosting a herring and aquavit festival, featuring all sorts of herring, in the newly renovated penthouse at the Roger Smith Hotel. You can find out more information on R&D's web site.
The new catch holland herring cost $4.49 each or $39.95 for a full try. You can buy them in the store or have them shipped.
Political insiders are doing their best to assess the ramifications of yesterday's bizarre coup in Allbany that resulted in Republicans regaining control of the Senate. Late yesterday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was not giving up hope that Democrats could retain control. The chaos in the capitol means that issues like gay marriage, mayoral control of NYC's schools, tenant rights and drug law reform are all now in limbo. The developments are bad news for Senator Daniel Squadron, who represents the LES. It looks like he'll lose his chairmanship of the Cities Committee.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants to require developers, in some neighborhoods, to address the need for food markets. But the Lower East Side is not one of those neighborhoods.
The Vision Festival kicks off today. We'll have a series of post's starting this afternoon. Until then, have a look at the Village Voice's write up on saxophonist Marshall Allen, one of the highlights of this year's festival.
Metromix gives us a look at The Suffolk, the new "beachy" bar behind the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center.
Our favorite cheese lady, Anne Saxelby, now has her own radio show!
Political insiders are doing their best to assess the ramifications of yesterday's bizarre coup in Allbany that resulted in Republicans regaining control of the Senate. Late yesterday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was not giving up hope that Democrats could retain control. The chaos in the capitol means that issues like gay marriage, mayoral control of NYC's schools, tenant rights and drug law reform are all now in limbo. The developments are bad news for Senator Daniel Squadron, who represents the LES. It looks like he'll lose his chairmanship of the Cities Committee.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants to require developers, in some neighborhoods, to address the need for food markets. But the Lower East Side is not one of those neighborhoods.
The Vision Festival kicks off today. We'll have a series of post's starting this afternoon. Until then, have a look at the Village Voice's write up on saxophonist Marshall Allen, one of the highlights of this year's festival.
Metromix gives us a look at The Suffolk, the new "beachy" bar behind the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center.
Our favorite cheese lady, Anne Saxelby, now has her own radio show!
The LES installation/event space "Grand Opening" on Norfolk Street has a proposal to make. Next month, they'll become a quickie wedding chapel, Vegas style. You'll be able to get married by a Universal Life Church minister, with 20 or so of your closest friends looking on. The whole thing is explained in this video on Kickstarter.
 We stopped by the opening of LostLES, Michael Brown's debut art installation, at Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop on Rivington Street Friday night. He teamed up with longtime friend, Tiny's owner Kevin Gregor, to create a panoramic mural inspired by the camera obscura photography of Abelardo Morell. That's Kevin and Michael above- Michael is showing us a "tiny" example's of Morell's work on his IPhone.
The shop, which has two plate glass windows looking out on one of the neighborhood's more lively corners, seemed like the perfect venue for, as Michael puts it a celebration of the "vivid character of the Lower East Side through its distinct architectural heritage." Michael projected an image of a tenament building on Orchard Street on the wall and ceiling of the shop — a guide for the scenic artists who actually painted the mural. As he told EV Grieve, "The resulting effect will appear as a cast silhouette, or reflection,
of the old architecture that has redefined the sculptural space of the
restaurant."
You can see the installation at least through September at Tiny's Giant Sanwich Shop, 129 Rivington Street.
 It was a beautiful day for New York's most creatively named block party. Lots of people came out to experience the Museum at Eldridge Street's "Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival" yesterday. There were arts & crafts tables for the kids, mahjongg, special performances and, of course, lots off egg rolls and egg creams. The festival celebrates the two cultures, Eastern European Jews and Chinese, who have called Eldridge Street home for more than a century.
Teens did the mambo… seniors danced to Lady Gaga at the Educational Alliance Friday afternoon. It was an intergenerational dance performance in the Mazer Theater. The event brought together teens from the Edgies Teen Center with adults from the Optimal Life and Health Club for a spirited, energetic event.
A reminder: Wednesday afternoon at 4pm, a coalition led by the Educational Alliance will rally at City Hall to press Mayor Bloomberg to reverse his decision to eliminate 88 community-based after school programs. To sign a petition in support of the campaign to save the programs or for more information check out the Educational Alliance's web site. And read more about what's at stake if the Edgies Teen Center loses its city funding here.
A New York Post analysis shows some encouraging early signs from a controversial program that pays students who improve their performance on standardized tests. The Post story mentions P.S. 188 on Houston Street, where: "76 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded state benchmarks in
English — 39.6 percentage points higher than last year, when the kids
were in third grade."
The Gotham Gazette has an in-depth piece on the future of community boards in New York, exploring whether how they will fare in Mayor Bloomberg's assessment of city government.
An Choi on Orchard Street debuts its backyard and adds items to the menu.
The Post profiles "The Dressing Room," on Orchard Street, declaring it's part of a "fusion bar" trend — combining shopping and drinking.
 DBGB, Daniel Boulud's much blogged about new restaurant on the Bowery, opens officially Monday night. But they swung the doors open to the public last night — so we stopped by to check it out. The place was bustling. It was not a particularly glamorous, "see and be seen" crowd. Most of the people in the bar seemed to be curious foodies who just couldn't stand the suspense any longer, like the two West Village restaurant owners sitting next to us. Despite the fact that DBGB has been in "friends and family" preview mode for awhile, it was clear there are still some kinks to be worked out. To be fair, that's what "soft openings" are for: let the staff get in a rhythm, spot the early problems, make adjustments.
The bartenders are, as you'd expect, real pros. They were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. It's a good thing, because the kitchen was obviously having some problems. We ordered the artisinal dry sausages ($7), the DBGB dog ($7) and the burger with grilled pork belly ($17). Not so complicated. After about an hour the bartender noticed we had not been served. A short time later all three dishes emerged. The sausages were fine, if a bit underwhelming. The burger was also okay, but the pork belly really didn't seem to add any additional flavor. The hot dog was cold and not fully cooked. The bun it came on was also cold and somewhat dried out. We consoled ourselves with dessert, which was delicious: Kriek beer cherry icecream with cherries, an anglaise sauce and cream. So it wasn't a perfect meal, but it was far from a disaster. We'll be patient. Daniel doesn't do failure.
DBGB, Daniel Boulud's much blogged about new restaurant on the Bowery, opens officially Monday night. But they swung the doors open to the public last night — so we stopped by to check it out. The place was bustling. It was not a particularly glamorous, "see and be seen" crowd. Most of the people in the bar seemed to be curious foodies who just couldn't stand the suspense any longer, like the two West Village restaurant owners sitting next to us. Despite the fact that DBGB has been in "friends and family" preview mode for awhile, it was clear there are still some kinks to be worked out. To be fair, that's what "soft openings" are for: let the staff get in a rhythm, spot the early problems, make adjustments.
The bartenders are, as you'd expect, real pros. They were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. It's a good thing, because the kitchen was obviously having some problems. We ordered the artisinal dry sausages ($7), the DBGB dog ($7) and the burger with grilled pork belly ($17). Not so complicated. After about an hour the bartender noticed we had not been served. A short time later all three dishes emerged. The sausages were fine, if a bit underwhelming. The burger was also okay, but the pork belly really didn't seem to add any additional flavor. The hot dog was cold and not fully cooked. The bun it came on was also cold and somewhat dried out. We consoled ourselves with dessert, which was delicious: Kriek beer cherry icecream with cherries, an anglaise sauce and cream. So it wasn't a perfect meal, but it was far from a disaster. We'll be patient. Daniel doesn't do failure.
From New York City's Department of Transportation:
The Williamsburg Bridge will have two lanes eastbound and four lanes
westbound open to traffic on Saturday from 5:00 am to 3:00 pm. From
3:00 pm Saturday to 8:00 pm on Sunday three lanes eastbound and four
lanes westbound will be open to traffic.
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