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April 2010
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31 Bond Street – The Story of a New York Murder at Tenement Talks

Ellen Horan, author of 31 Bond Street: A Novel of Murder, Innocence and Power in New York City, will be at the Tenement Museum tomorrow night for their latest in the Tenement Talks series. The novel is based on the true story of a high profile dentist who was brutally murdered on Bond Street in 1857. The story consumed national interest and Horan scrutinized actual newspaper coverage as the historic case against the dentist’s supposed mistress (and housekeeper) unfolded – the way it would in the tabloids today. | 6:30pm | FREE | 108 Orchard St. |

Grand Street Fire Update

Workers inside the Grand Street buildings destroyed in last week's fire remove personal belongings from apartments to be inspected for evidence. In this photo, you can see clothes being thrown from windows, into a large bin on the street.

Here’s an update on the efforts to help the victims of the Grand Street fire:

Continue reading Grand Street Fire Update

LES Culture Clash, Pier 15 Plans, Commuter Van Debate

“When hipsters move in on Chinese: It’s ugly.” (Village Voice)

The proliferation of commuter vans – a big issue in Manhattan’s Chinatown and in Queens, too (Daily News).

The city seeks tenants for Pier 15 (Crain’s).

Continue reading LES Culture Clash, Pier 15 Plans, Commuter Van Debate

Good Morning!

SPURA

Photo by A. Jesse Jiryu Davis

We begin this morning with a view of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area — most of which has been used for parking in the past four decades. Last night, CB3 took a small but significant step forward in its ongoing efforts to coalesce around a redevelopment plan. We’ll have the story later today. This morning, we’ll be heading over to the firehouse on South Street, where they’ll be protesting FDNY budget cuts. And we’ll see what else comes our way. It’ll be 69 and mostly cloudy today.

Hester Street Fair - Four Days Away!

So what else is there to be said about the Hester Street Fair before its big grand opening this weekend? Plenty!  The organizers have been blessed with the kind of publicity money can’t buy. From Newsweek to the Twitterverse, the event was a media darling from the moment it hit the blogosphere last month.

Continue reading Hester Street Fair – Four Days Away!

Grand Street Tenants Ask Fire Officials Tough Questions

285 Grand Street - 7 Alarm Blaze

Photo by Leung Photography via Flickr.

Last night, city officials faced pointed questions from tenants about the Fire Department’s response to last Sunday night’s devastating blaze on Grand Street.  The residents had came to an informational meeting in Chinatown, which included briefings from several city agencies.

Officials addressed many of their concerns about short-term housing arrangements, retrieving their belongings from the destroyed buildings and applying for government assistance. But there was frustration that no one was able to answer questions about the events that took place the night of the blaze broke out in 283 Grand, and spread to three other buildings.

Continue reading Grand Street Tenants Ask Fire Officials Tough Questions

Jessica Delfino's Besties at The Slipper Room

Self-titled comedian-musician-writer-craftivist-spelling bee champ Jessica Delfino (featured in My LES here) is back at The Slipper Room this Thursday with “Besties.”  This monthly comedy show brings some of her best friends (performers, musicians and comedians) together for an evening of music and laughter. This month: Andrea Rosen, Diane O’Debra, Livia Scott, Frank Peffercorn, Ben Lerman and Juliet Jeske. Plus, house band PUSS & BOOBS (featuring Lauren Oppelt as “BOOBS” and Delfino as “PUSS”). Join the party as she celebrates her Besties in fun and strange ways. Bring  your own pals and make new ones.| $5 | 7pm | 167 Orchard St. |

CB3: "No" to Grilled Cheese, "Yes" to Meatballs

Earlier this morning, EV Grieve posted some of the highlights from last night’s SEVEN hour CB3/SLA meeting. Keith Masco’s restaurant/seafood market on Avenue A got the green light… Michael Huynh’s DOB on St. Mark’s Place was rejected… TPoutine was turned away (again)… and Neway (the Eldridge Street karaoke bar) was denied a renewal.

We arrived late and most likely slipped into a coma sometime around 11 o’clock. But in-between those lapses, there were a few items that caught our eye:

Continue reading CB3: “No” to Grilled Cheese, “Yes” to Meatballs

Vanishing City: Losing the Fun at Dixon Place Tonight

Tonight’s Vanishing City panel discussion, Losing the Fun, at Dixon Place will focus on the threat of redevelopment of the city’s historic entertainment venues. Author David Freeland (Automats, Taxi Dances, and Vaudeville: Excavating Manhattan’s Lost Places of Leisure) hosts a panel of historians, experts & urban planners to explore “what happens to the city when a neighborhood’s cultural soul is stripped away to make way for luxury housing and bland architecture.” Continue reading Vanishing City: Losing the Fun at Dixon Place Tonight

Rat Watch, CB3 Bar Battles, All About Zarin Fabrics

The war against rats at Baruch (DNA Info).

Bones found at Baruch (DNA Info).

The Maloney/Saujani Congressional race – “vying for the feminist mantle.” (Daily Beast).

CB3 wrap-up: yes to Avenue A seafood venture, no to Michael Huynh (EV Grieve).

An inside look at Zarin Fabrics (Casa Diseno).

East Fifth Bliss films on Rivington (Bowery Boogie).

Good Morning

Last night, city officials faced some tough questions from residents displaced by the Grand Street fire. We’ll have a report on that later this morning. We’ll also have some details from last night’s marathon CB3/liquor license melodrama. Also today – more information about this weekend’s debut of the Hester Street Fair. And our series leading up to the Taste of the LES continues with a look at Tre, the Italian restaurant on Ludlow Street. A nice day ahead — 70 degrees and sunny.

Followup: LES Hate Crimes

We have a followup on the arrests of several young people in connection with the assaults on four Asian women and one man on the Lower East Side earlier this month. On April 9th, police took three suspects into custody and were searching for several others. We now have some more details.

According to CB3′s Susan Stetzer, who was briefied by NYPD officials, 7 suspects (ranging in age from 9 to 15) were arrested. It had been widely reported that the attacks, which begin March 31st, all targeted Asian women. but apparently an Asian man was also targeted. Due to the fact that a single ethnic group had been singled out, the Hate Crimes Task Force was called in.

Continue reading Followup: LES Hate Crimes

Kimchi, Cheese and Beer at Jimmy's

Anne Saxelby still sounds a bit traumatized by her 7th grade science class in the suburbs of Chicago. A slightly “unconventional” biology teacher made her whip up a batch of kimchi, so hot it “burned the inside of (her) nostrils just by putting (her) nose to the jar.” Well it seems Saxelby, the Essex Street Market’s cheesemonger has come a long way since then. Along with Lauryn Chun (MILKimchi) she’s sponsoring an off-the wall-tasting at Jimmy’s no 43 tomorrow night. It’s a beer, cheese and kimchi tasting. As Anne puts it, “come on out and taste for yourself how stinky cheese and stinky cabbage get down!”  Click here for more info.

Grand Street Fire Update

Contractors are working quickly to take down the Grand Street buildings destroyed by fire one week ago. This was the scene yesterday afternoon — workers hovering above the wreckage, carefully removing the top floors of 283 and 285 Grand.

On Saturday, about 100 displaced tenants staying in Midtown hotels were relocated to different hotels in Harlem and Queens. The shift was upsetting to many of the residents, who at least for now, are far removed from their community. City officials tell the Daily News “We want to get them back close to their home community for schools and things like that.”

Continue reading Grand Street Fire Update

The Big Quiz Thing Comes to Crash Mansion Tonight

Noah Tarnow

Noah Tarnow’s Big Quiz Thing will be at Crash Mansion tonight. Bring your friends for what must be one of the city’s longest running “live trivia throwdown” events going. With plenty of breaks for drinks in between, it’s an “ultimate test of useless information, with the stupendous grand prize of $200, and stuff almost as good (like cookies) for other players.”  $7.  7:30pm.