As violence escalated on the Lower East Side this summer, there was a lot of talk about a lack of programs aimed at keeping teens and young adults off the streets and out of trouble. Aaron Daly knows a thing or two about that. He was a neighborhood kid – floundering in school – until he got a lifeline. A prep school, far away from the city, gave Aaron a chance to excel at both sports and academics. He took that chance and ran with it.
Now, he's started a non-profit organization, Prep Step, to help other kids do the same thing. The idea, according to Prep Step's web site, is to "provide opportunities to student athletes, placing them in competitive and productive environments, both athletically and academically." The organization has established an office on the LES. Recently we caught up with Aaron at an art auction and fundraiser held in the city. In the following clip, you'll hear Aaron, followed by Prep Step's CFO, Doug Rubenstein, explaining what they're trying to accomplish:
Coming up on Wednesday evening, author Joyce Mendelsohn will be celebrating the release of the new and expanded edition of her invaluable book, "The Lower East Side Remembered & Revisited." A book party sponsored by the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, the Tenement Museum and the Angel Orensanz Cultural Foundation will be held at 6:45pm at the Orenssanz Center. Here's how the publisher, Columbia University Press, describes, the revised edition:
The Lower East Side has been home to some of the city's most iconic
restaurants, shopping venues, and architecture. The neighborhood has
also welcomed generations of immigrants, from newly arrived Italians
and Jews to today's Latino and Asian newcomers. This history has become
somewhat obscured, however, as the Lower East Side can appear more hip
than historic, with wealth and gentrification changing the character of
the neighborhood.Chronicling these developments, along with the hidden gems that still
speak of a vibrant immigrant identity, Joyce Mendelsohn provides a
complete guide to the Lower East Side of then and now. After an
extensive history that stretches back to Manhattan's first settlers,
Mendelsohn offers 5 self-guided walking tours, including a new passage
through the Bowery, that take the reader to more than 150 sites and
highlight the dynamics of a community of contrasts: aged tenements
nestled among luxury apartment towers abut historic churches and
synagogues. With updated and revised maps, historical data, and an
entirely new community to explore, Mendelsohn writes a brand-new
chapter in an old New York story.
There's a Q & A with Joyce on the publisher's web site. The public is welcome to attend the book party. The Orenssanz Center is at 172 Norfolk (just below Houston).
WHO: Victor Papa, President of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council; Justin Yu, President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; Ralph Tramontata, President of the Little Italy Merchants Association; and Sherman Eng, Chairman of the Continental Garment Manufacturers Association of Greater New York, Inc. will join with local merchants of Little Italy, to announce the designation of Chinatown and Little Italy as a State Register Historic District: Chinatown Little Italy Historic District.
WHAT: Please join us for a press conference that will discuss the addition of these two historical immigrant communities to the list of State Register of Historic Places. Speakers will explain the significance of this historic district, announce an event which will be held in the near future to celebrate this designation, and discuss future plans to promote the economies and tourism of Chinatown and Little Italy on the Lower East Side. The boundaries of the district will also be identified at the conference.
WHERE: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 62 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013
WHEN: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 2:00PM
WHY: The press conference is intended to explain how the designation of Chinatown and Little Italy as a historic district will help preserve both communities. Conserving the area, especially the architecture which reflects the periods designed in, contributes to the culture on the Lower East Side. In addition, Two Bridges is planning to sponsor an event in October to celebrate the proclamation of the historic district.
In the latest Marist poll, Bill Thompson has not gained any ground on Mike Bloomberg. He still trails 59-39%
Joyce Purnick of the NYT is out with the definitive bio on Bloomberg. The Village Voice says the book should be required reading for Thompson: "In keeping with the Thompson theme that Bloomberg is out of touch with
ordinary folks, Purnick reports that during one interview, 'suddenly,
with no explanation or context, he advised me: 'You should have your
own plane by the way, it's a great luxury.''
City Hall News looks at Bloomberg's loss of support in Chinatown.
EV Grieve reports on a homicide that happened late Thursday night on Avenue C.
You can catch Grand Street News editor and performer Yori Yanover along with radio host and comic Sam Greenfield tonight for the firs in a series called "Town Hall Schmooze" at the EastVille Comedy Club (85 E.4th St. between 2nd ave. & Bowery). The show promises to mix "humor and politics, and free-flowing banter with audience participation".
An update on efforts to save the Pitt Station Post Office on Clinton Street. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney met recently with Lorraine Castellano, NYC postmaster, to discuss the threatened closure. The Pitt Station is one of 700 retail locations the USPS is studying, as it evaluates which post offices can be shut down to close a budget shortfall. Michael Tumminia, the president of the Seward Park Co-op, the landlord of the Clinton Street postal office, also attended the meeting.
Silver presented Castellano with 14-hundred signatures from LES residents who want the Pitt Station to stay open. He and Maloney are drafting a letter to the USPS, asking for financial details about the location. They believe closing the bustling office, serving many senior citizens who live along Grand Street, would actually cost more than keeping it open. Tumminia says the co-op has made every effort to keep the rent at the Pitt Station low — specifically because the residents of Seward Park benefit from having a post office within walking distance of their apartments.
Knickerbocker Station on East Broadway
Stairs inside the Knickerbocker Station
Elevator on the ground floor of Knickerbocker Station
During a recent community board meeting, USPS officials emphasized that a larger post office, the Knickerbocker Station, is only .3 miles from the Pitt Station. Community board members pointed out that, unlike the Pitt Station, the Knickerbocker Station is not fully accessible to the disabled. Customers must walk up a flight of stairs to reach the office. An antiquated elevator is frequently broken. Asked whether they would address the accessibility issues, the officials said they could not make any promises, but they'd take it under advisement.
Silver and Maloney are asking postal officials to make a site visit to the Pitt Station. Initial recommendations about which locations should be closed will be forwarded to Washington at the end of this month. It will be up to Maloney to continue pressing the matter with officials there.
The Do-It-Yourself Greening workshop will give you ideas about how to green
your business without spending much cash. The workshop will teach you
how to make your own cleaners from scratch, start your own compost bin,
replace your bulbs, clean your filters, and get creative while saving
money and reducing your pollution! This workshop will give you the
opportunity to take your first steps towards becoming a more
sustainable business.
September 22, 2009 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Lower East Side People's Mutual Housing Association
228 East 3rd Street, 7th fl.
A panel chaired by Daniel Squadron, our state senator, heard testimony from business owners and other witnesses Friday about the ailing retail industry in New York. Saying there clearly is a problem, Squadron pointed to the increasing number of shuttered shops, spiraling commercial rents and the proliferation of large chain stores. He said the ultimate goal is to identify how the state can help – and to draft legislation to deal with the most critical problems.
Among the witnesses was David Zarin of Zarin Fabrics, the large discount design store on Grand Street — a fixture on the Lower East Side for 70 years. He told the panel the costs of running his business are high and that he is being "nickeled and dimed to death" by a bewildering patchwork of local and state fees. Zarin said it's unfair that big corporations get generous tax incentives and another accommodations to open in the city – while small businesses are penalized and fined. He suggested the state find a way to redirect more tax breaks to local, family-owned businesses.
Susan Stetzer, representing Community Board 3, testified about the lack of retail diversity on the Lower East Side. She lamented the displacement of longtime businesses by bars, clubs and high end restaurants. Stetzer said business owners have repeatedly complained about rents that have doubled or tripled in recent years. While some business owners have suggested that landlords are greedily pushing rents higher – another explanation was offered up at Friday's hearing.
A huge crowd came to Pier 36 on Montgomery Street yesterday to play ball, listen to live music from Kerri Hilson, check out the live gaming kiosks, get free haircuts and, of course, to meet Lebron James. It was all a promotion for Nike and a documentary about James' road to super-stardom in Ohio.
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