As New York's mayoral election draws near, there's been a fair amount of speculation about how Michael Bloomberg will do downtown, especially in Chinatown. Yesterday, I attended two events that offered two very different perspectives on the mayor's popularity in the neighborhood.
Chatham Square was the setting for a protest organized by several groups, including the
Civic
Center Residents Coalition, the Chinese Small Business Alliance, the Lin Ze Xu
Foundation and the Chinese Staff & Workers' Association. They held up a huge "report card," Bloomberg's "failing grades" in every category (safety, education, etc) but one. The groups gave Bloomberg an "A" for lying. Speakers listed a litany of complaints, including the continued closing of Park Row, inattention to dangerous conditions near the Manhattan Bridge, placard abuse, the failure to include Chinatown in the LES rezoning plan, etc.
On Sunday, Governor David Paterson is coming downtown to read a proclamation, formally declaring Little Italy and Chinatown a single historic district. It will be the kickoff of Marco Polo Day, an event celebrating the declaration. Also planned, musical performances by both Italian and Chinese artists and, of course, lots of good food.
Last month, we reported the New York State office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation had decided to approve the historic designation in recognition of the unique contributions made by Italian and Chinese
immigrants.
At a news conference today at Da Nico Restaurant on Mulberry Street, Victor Papa, president of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, discussed the importance of the designation. He said, Chinatown and Little Italy, co-existing side by side for generations, form the "most harmonious community that has ever existed in New York." Also at today's news conference, Yustin Yu, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. Going forward, Pappa and Yu agreed the two communities would work closely to plan and promote neighborhood-wide events. Acknowledging that businesses in Chinatown and Little Italy are struggling, they vowed to lobby city officials for help in promoting the new historic district and helping businesses thrive.
Marco Polo Day festivities will begin at 130pm, on Grand Street, between Mulberry and Mott. If it's raining, the event will move inside to the SPQR Restaurant, 133 Mulberry Street.
Tomorrow morning, a coalition of community organizations will release a report called, "A People's Plan for the East River Waterfront." A news conference will be held at 11am, in the Two Bridges Community Room, 82 Rutgers Slip, 2nd floor.
According to a press release, the coalition seeks to influence the city's plan for the redevelopment of the waterfront. "While many of the features were welcomed by residents," the release says, "there was a fear that the development would accelerate the gentrification of Chinatown and the Lower East Side and concerns that current residents would not be able to access the new waterfront."
Protesters are holding a news conference in Chinatown right now- saying Mayor Bkoomberg has earned failing grades on the issues most important to Chinatown.
The LA-based experimental pop duo, No Age, will perform their original score for Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 1989 film The Bear tonight at 7:00pm at The New Museum. The museum writes,
"Annaud’s nearly wordless tale of an orphaned bear cub provides an
emotional, spacious playground for a careening, punk-rooted
experimentation that relies on the film’s storyline as much as it
enhances the experience. Premiered at The 2009 Seattle International Film Festival, No Age’s performance of The Bear makes its New York debut at the New Museum."
This is the last weekend to catch the rock-musical Lizzy Borden,a retelling of "the bloody legend of America's first
and favorite axe-wielding double-murderess and Victorian hometown girl", at The Living Theatre.
For an evening that looks to be full of uncomfortable laughs, catch Elon James White (Vh1, Huffington Post, This Week In Blackness) hosting How To Be "Post-Racial" at The Bowery Poetry Club tomorrow night at 8:00pm. The show will feature special guest comedienne Margaret Cho (see a hilarious stand-up clip, above) along with comedians Hassan Madry (Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus Tour), Adrienne Iapulluci (New York Comedy Festival), Sara J. Benincasa (Sirius Satellite Radio) and Lizz Winstead (Co-Creator of "The Daily Show").
This morning interest groups across the state are evaluating what Governor Paterson's deficit reduction package would mean to them. The cash-strapped MTA would have its budget cut $113 million. New York City would lose $223 million in school aid. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver praised the governor for addressing the problem head-on and vowed to move quickly on the budget crisis.
On a cold and rainy evening, the Lower East Side's key political leaders and representatives from many of the neighborhood's non-profit organizations descended on a meeting room at the Seward Park Co-op last night for a neighborhood information fair.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Margaret Chin, the Democratic nominee for City Council, all made appearances at the event, sponsored by the Seward Park Co-op, but open to the public.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver just released a statement, responding to Governor Paterson's plan, announced earlier today, to cut $3 billion from this fiscal year's budget. It said, in part:
…In this challenging
economic climate I commend (the Governor)… for
addressing the state’s serious budget shortfall… Although
the current deficit presents serious challenges to us, the Assembly
worked successfully with the Governor and Senate in August 2008, in
February 2009 and again in April when we closed an historic $17 billion
budget gap. The
Assembly Majority is committed to making the necessary decisions to put
the state on secure financial footing. We look forward to working with
the Governor and with the Senate to address this very serious issue.
Tonight at the Abrons Arts Center, it's the AUM Fidelity Artist Showcase. The event celebrates the release of alto saxophonist Darius Jones‘ debut recording as a bandleader. It will also be saxophonist David S. Ware’s return to the stage after undergoing a kidney transplant a few months ago. And it will be the first performance of bassist William Parker’s Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra in more than four years. The show begins at 8pm. Tickets are available here.
At the New Museum, the premiere of choreographer and performance artist Jack Ferver's, "A Movie Star Needs a Movie." The show will feature film and photography elements by dance artist Jason Akira Somma. Performed by Mr. Ferver and Liz
Santoro, the work (says the NYT) "looks to continue his
fierce, disturbing interrogation into America’s enduring preoccupation
with fame." It's an 8pm show. Check out the New Museum's web site for more info.
The Bowery Mission's Anniversary Art Series continues tonight at 7 with a screening of the 1957 documentary, "On the Bowery." It will be presented by the son of writer-director Lionel Rogosin. More info here.
We just got confirmation that State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senator Daniel Squadron will both be attending the first annual Seward Park Info Fair this evening. Earlier this week, we posted about the event – which is bringing together elected officials, social service organizations and consumer advocates. It's free and open to the public.
The fair is a rare opportunity to talk with the neighborhood's key leaders, all in the same place. It's a good time to make sure your opinion about a major issue is heard (transportation, development, education, etc) But our elected representatives will also have community outreach staff on hand tonight. It's something a lot of people don't fully recognize, but their main purpose is to help constituents solve problems. For example, if you're having trouble cutting through the red tape at a city or state agency, a call from Shelly Silver's office can make a big difference.
In addition to Silver and Squadron, we're told Margaret Chin (CD1's Democratic nominee), representatives from Gourverneur Hospital, the United Jewish Council and a number of other organizations will be on hand.
The Info Fair will be held in the Seward Park Community Room, 383 Grand Street (between Essex and Clinton), 530pm.
It's sponsored by the Seward Park Housing Corporation.
The Tenement Museum has posted a slide show on its blog and on flickr showing the inside of 103 Orchard, which will soon become their new visitor center. The photographic tour begins on the ground floor of the building, which is on the corner of Orchard and Delancey. Earlier this year, they began "selective demolition." Before long, new ceiling tiles and drywall will go up. The photos were taken by Keiko Niwa.
Northbound FDR Drive Full Closure of Lanes Between E. Houston and E. 20th Streets Saturday and Sunday
All three northbound lanes of the FDR Drive will be closed to traffic
from East Houston Street to East 20th Street beginning at 12:01 am
Saturday, October 17th until 8:00 am Sunday, October 18th to facilitate
roadway repair work between East 14th and East 20th Streets. The
southbound lanes of the FDR Drive will remain open throughout this
period.
In addition, two entrances to the northbound FDR Drive will be closed,
as well as one southbound exit: the northbound entrances to the FDR
Drive at South Street/Montgomery Street and at Pearl Street (two
ramps), and the southbound exit from the FDR Drive at East Houston
Street.
The following news release popped up on State Senator Daniel Squadron's web site today:
"Senator Squadron Brings SLA Chair Rosen and CEO Mead to 25th Senate District for Nightlife Discussion with Community"
It went on to explain he invited the new chairman of the State Liquor Authority (SLA), Dennis Rosen, and other SLA officials to meet yesterday with a group of political and community leaders. They included City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, Margaret Chin (CD1 Democratic nominee), members of several community boards and representatives of neighborhood advocacy groups.
According to the release, "the discussion, proposed by Senator Squadron this summer during the
State Senate's confirmation process, provided a forum for community
leaders to speak directly with SLA leadership about community concerns
regarding nightlife, including overcrowding of bars, high noise levels,
and other quality of life issues."
We've barely had a chance to recover from the International Pickle Festival. Now it's time for another food festival, "Apples on Orchard." Here's the release from the LES Business Improvement District:
Ever
wonder how Orchard Street got it's name? Well, for much of New York
City's early history, Orchard Street was just that, a path into a
lovely apple orchard, owned by a family named Delancey. This Sunday, October 18th, you can go apple picking again right where it all started. From 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Lower East Side Business Improvement District and Mark Miller Gallery will host our second annual Apples on Orchard: New York City Apple Day.
