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August 10th, 2009
The Hotel and Motel Trades Council and the UNITE HERE New York State August 10th, 2009
This month's Featured Artist is Christopher Frederick, who recently started a blog called Urban Love Daily. Christopher posts a photograph each day – an image from around the city representing "love." The result is a surprising array of heartfelt photos, emerging from the grit of New York City. He told The Lo-Down: The heart photos began one day when I was walking around the galleries of Chelsea and saw that someone drew a heart right on the crotch of a man in an underwear add on a bus stop shelter. It made me laugh so hard that I had to take a picture of it with my cell phone. I showed it to a friend who reminded me of a picture I took on the boardwalk of Coney Island years ago of a Popsicle that was melting into the shape of a heart. Suddenly I started seeing hearts everywhere I went. Finally I broke out my good camera and began to hunt them down. To my surprise, the more I looked the more I saw. I can't go more than three blocks anymore without seeing a heart in the city. I knew the heart imagery would be too sentimental for the gallery scene, but thought it could make a nice gift book, book of postcards, or even funny greeting cards. Then I realized how hard and expensive it is to get stuff published or printed, yet I really wanted people to see these images as they really struck a chord with me. A blog was the natural solution. I think what compels me to keep taking the images is that they are not typically saccharine. I search for hearts that feel smart or tough or raw. I am looking for something honest and deep within the common language of a heart and the word love, the confluence of what is personal and universal – or at least urban. It can be tough to find love in this city, despite (or maybe because of) how many awesome people are here. For me, this process is a reminder to keep the grit in balance with idealism. At the very least it's a reminder that love can be found in some of the most unexpected places.
Please visit our photo gallery for more about Christopher and to view some of our favorites. August 10th, 2009
Editor's note: Mitch Weinstein of Tasty Travails Back in the day (oh, say 1970), NYC's Chinatown was a fairly easily When Now of course, Chinatown For
Continue reading A Fuzhou Supermarket on the Lower East Side August 10th, 2009
The other day we mentioned that Streit's Matzo, a Lower East Side fixture since 1925, has decided to stay in the neighborhood for now. This morning, we spoke with Alan Adler, director of operations for Sreit's matzo. He said that after putting the Rivington Street manufacturing plant on the market several months ago, they received what he called "a good offer." But some members of the board wanted more – so Streit's decided to stay put for the time being. Adler, great grandson of company founder Aron Streit, explained some of the limitations of the LES plant. Packed into four converted tenament buildings, there's not enough space for the large matzo-making equipment they need to stay competitive. The buildings are only about 100 feet deep. Right now, the warehouse is in New Jersey. If they had chosen to move, all of Streit's operations would have been consolidated. Adler acknowledged that, given the company's deep roots on the LES, moving away would have been an emotional decision. While they're not ruling out the possibility in the future, Adler said the company is focusing on making the current baking facility work as well as possible. Earlier: Mitch Weinstein's tour of the Streit's baking facility. August 10th, 2009
This is the week we'll most likely find out if City Council member Alan Gerson gets back on the ballot. A State Supreme Court judge is expected to rule on Wednesday. Meantime, the Daily News looks at the United Jewish Council's role in several races, including the Gerson campaign. Ray Dowd, attorney for Gerson challenger Pete Gleason, first floated this angle in The Lo-Down on Friday. The UJC's role was revealed in court testimony by Renee Abramowitz, a UJC employee who collected signatures for several candidates. In today's News, Elizabeth Benjamin writes: Officials at a lower East Side nonprofit did political work for
powerful elected Dems – the same pols who fill the charity's coffers with millions of dollars of publicly funded pork… The campaign work for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, city Controller William Thompson and City Councilman Alan Gerson is a no-no that endangers the organization's tax-exempt status and raises questions about whether the nonprofit broke the law… Gerson has funneled $16,000 in Council discretionary funds to UJC - $8,000 this year and $8,000 last year. UJC also got nearly $150,000 in Council grants for seniors and $8,000 directed by Councilwoman Rosie Mendez. A spokesman for the Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty – with which the UJC is affiliated – said it will work "to ensure a mistake of this kind does not happen again." Silver, who is running to be a delegate to next month's Democratic judicial nominating convention to select state Supreme Court justice candidates, was also on the petition. Silver – who represents the lower East Side and has directed more than $2.3 million in member items to UJC since 2006 – said he had "never heard" of (Howard) Fried (Abramowitz's boss) and doesn't know Abramowitz. She and Silver both live on the 500 block of Grand St. The Post says City Council members "showered their staffs with tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses at the end of the last fiscal year." The world's largest matzo ball, 267 pounds, was unveiled last week at "Noah's Ark Deli." It was a publicity stunt for an upcoming charity basketball game. Pieces of the matzo ball were then donated to the senior center at the Henry Street Settlement. (Left) Norm Sokolow and (Right) Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli
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