2010 June 30 | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side

Ken’s Music Pick: Anna Haas at Mercury Lounge

Moyna Flannigan, Femme (Scarlet) at Dodge Gallery

Gallery Goer: What to See This Week

Luther Gulick Park. Photo credit: Friends of Gulick Park.

“It’s My Park Day” on Sunday at Luther Gulick Park

Zelig Blumenthal Closes Shop on Essex Street

13 Essex, the former home of Zelig Blumenthal.

Yesterday we received an email tip from Kevin Walter, asking: “Did anyone notice that Zelig Blumenthal’s store at 13 Essex Street has vanished without a trace? Signs are gone? Interior is completely empty. Another bit of the old, Jewish Lower East Side gone.” Today we dialed the phone number for the Judaica store, a fixture on the Lower East Side for close to 60 years. The man who answered said they’d moved to Brooklyn.

Continue reading Zelig Blumenthal Closes Shop on Essex Street

This Week’s Music Picks

Here are musician Ken Beasley’s top music picks on the Lower East Side this week:

The Morning Pages - photo by Ginny Maxwell

THE MORNING PAGES – Friday, July 2 at 9pm

Equal parts The Band, Credence, and Graham Parsons, The Morning Pages not only blur the line between ‘now’ and ‘then’ but go a step further by making it non-existent. Continue reading This Week’s Music Picks

Artist Paul Chan in Conversation at Abrons Tomorrow Night

Renowned video and installation artist (and social activist), Paul Chan, will be speaking with Artforum editor Tim Griffin, at Abrons Arts Center, tomorrow night in a discussion about his 2007 project, Waiting for Godot in New Orleans. The project involved 5 site-specific performances of Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot, in the demolished neighborhood of New Orleans’ 9th Ward. An installation of his Waiting for Godot work is included in the MoMA’s exhibition, Contemporary Art from the Collection, which opens today.

Continue reading Artist Paul Chan in Conversation at Abrons Tomorrow Night

No “Criminality” in Bus/Pedestrian Accidents; Information Scarce

May 31st accident on Essex Street

Earlier this month – in two separate incidents – pedestrians were sent to the hospital after being hit by those so-called “Chinatown buses.” We’ve been trying to gather more information about what occurred, but details are scarce. While the NYPD says there was “no criminality” in either accident, many questions remain unanswered.

In the past few days, City Councilmember Maraget Chin’s office has begun looking into the cases, which have raised new concerns about the large number of charter, tour and commuter buses roaming the streets in Lower Manhattan. One Lo-Down commenter wrote recently, “These buses need more regulation!! How many more people need to be hit? My heart goes out to the two pedestrians who were injured, and hopefully survived.”

Continue reading No “Criminality” in Bus/Pedestrian Accidents; Information Scarce

The Mob on Avenue B, Council Pork, Price on “Lush Life” Show

A “mafia life lesson” on the Lower East Side (Village Voice).

City Council approves Bloomberg budget (NYT).

Which City Council members are the kings and queens of pork? (Gotham Gazette).

Continue reading The Mob on Avenue B, Council Pork, Price on “Lush Life” Show

Good Morning!

Some relief from the heat today. Sunny with a high of 80. Today we’ll have an update on what’s being done to regulate those big “Chinatown buses” that have become so ubiquitous in the neighborhood. We’ll also have a tribute to Zelig Blumenthal, the Essex Street Judaica shop that closed recently.

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