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In the wake of another tragic bus accident, the neighborhood’s elected officials gathered in Chinatown today to renew their calls for stronger laws regulating interstate bus companies. More on their pleas in a moment.
First, there have been some other developments in Virginia, where the crash happened early this morning. The driver, Kin Ku Cheung of Flushing, was arrested and charged with reckless driving. He’s jailed in Hanover County, Virginia, on $3,000 bond. Cheung, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered minor injuries. Investigators are blaming the crash on driver fatigue. Continue reading Another Bus Crash, Another Call for Legislative Action
 
 Rebecca Chamberlain, "...Wouldn't it be sublime..." Installation view at DODGE Gallery As the spring gallery season winds down, we asked artist and teacher Audrey Hope to recommend some exhibits in the neighborhood. Here are her thoughts:
The Lower East Side is just choc-a-bloc with art exhibition spaces of all kinds. Some of my favorites are currently hosting a variety of imaginative exhibitions. The following shows offer a diverse range of entry points for anyone interested in checking out some art.
My favorite things in the neighborhood right now include Hilary Harnischfeger’s sculptures and wall-mounted pieces at Rachel Uffner Gallery (47 Orchard Street between Grand and Hester). Her work is on display until June 19th and deserves a careful viewing.
Continue reading Art Worth Seeing on the Lower East Side
It looks like 180 Ludlow, one of a handful of languishing hotel projects on the Lower East Side, is one step closer to being resuscitated. Financing woes, legal battles and problems with city permits idled the construction site more than two years ago. But at least one of developer Serge Hoyda’s obstacles in finishing the job has now been cleared.
In the past week, the Board of Standards and Appeals finally gave Hoyda the go-ahead to resume work on the 20-story hotel, which has plagued Ludlow Street businesses and residents for several years. Initially, the city only gave him two years to complete the project (which was approved before new height limits were imposed on this block). Now he has another two years to get the job done (May 2013 is the new deadline).
So far, no new permits are showing up in the Department of Buildings’ computer system. There’s been talk that Hoyda intends to sell the building site. As we reported a few weeks ago, Ira Yavarkovsky (who owned several parcels making up the development site), is suing Hoyda, alleging that Hoyda still owes him $12 million for the land.
Community Board 3 declined to support Hoyda’s application for an “extension of time,” in part, because he could not commit to hiring at least 20% local workers once the hotel opens for business.
 Photo: Virginia State Police Early this morning, a Chinatown-bound tour bus crashed on I-95 in Virginia, killing four passengers and injuring many others. A Virginia State Police spokesman said the Sky Express Inc. bus was on its way from Greensboro, North Carolina when it veered off the highway, hit an embankment and flipped over. 58 people were on board.
According to the Associated Press, driver fatigue is suspected as the cause of the crash. The AP adds:
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has 10 people in stable condition, but no details were released about the extent of their injuries. VCU spokeswoman Anne Buckley says the hospital expects more patients to be transferred there from other hospitals. Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg treated eight patients, whose injuries ranged from critical to minor. Spokeswoman Deborah Morris says one has been released. Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center officials said in a release that it treated eight people for minor injuries.
On March 12, a devastating casino bus crash took place in Connecticut, killing 15 people, many of them Chinatown residents. The crash focused new attention on the safety of so-called “Chinatown buses.”
 Gentleman Farmer. In Lower East Side food news today:
- Bowery Boogie reports Dherdan Burek is getting ready to open at 91 Clinton Street.
- Cha Chan Tang on Mott Street blends Western and Eastern flavors and preparations, says Our Chinatown.
 Photo by A. Jesse Jiryu Davis. On Rivington Street, may 22, 2011 : A. Jesse Jiryu Davis is back with another series of photographs shot on the streets of the Lower East Side.
The holiday weekend is over but our beautiful summer-like weather continues. Look for sunny skies and a high of 82 today. Continue reading Good Morning!
 The Lower East Side War Memorial, dedicated in 1953. Photo: thelodownny.com. It’s a rainy, cloudy start to our Memorial Day, but the forecast calls for clearing skies today and a high of 88. Thunderstorms likely after 4 p.m. Enjoy the holiday!
 We usually recognize most everyone who shows up at Community Board 3 meetings. This is especially true of the monthly Seward Park redevelopment confab, which until recently wasn’t exactly the hottest ticket in town. But as CB3 begins to develop concrete plans for the largest development site south of 96th Street, more people are starting to show their faces.
During the last couple of meetings, this mysterious guy has been hanging out in the audience, listening intently to the urban design discussion surrounding the mixed use-mixed income project committee members envision building.
Who is he? Turns out the mystery man is Jeff Mandel, a policy adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He reports to Robert Steel, deputy mayor for economic development. Mandel is #33 in this New York Magazine photo of Bloomberg Administration insiders. Continue reading Mayoral Aid Takes Interest in Seward Park Debate
Just in time for the Memorial Day Weekend edition of the Hester Street Fair, we have another vendor profile. Fresh Ginger Ginger Ale is the creation of Asian food expert and entrepreneur Bruce Cost. Earlier this month we posted some photos of the mural Bruce and partner Kavi Reddy commissioned at the corner of Canal and Ludlow. This week I stopped by their Lower East Side apartment to talk about the new venture.
Bruce, in partnership with Brooklyn-based TMI Trading, is bottling his fresh, unfiltered ginger ale for distribution to restaurants and stores nationwide. But he actually created the product many years ago – in 1989 – whipping up small batches for restaurants he owned in California, and later in Chicago. Continue reading Hester Street Fair Profile: Fresh Ginger Ginger Ale
 The Loisaida Festival 2010 on Avenue C There’s plenty of local fun to be had this Memorial Day weekend – bike and picnic friendly Governors Island opens today, NYC beaches open tomorrow, and there are street festivals and fairs in the neighborhood all weekend long. A round up:
Here are musician Ken Beasley’s top music picks on the Lower East Side for this weekend:
 Bob Dylan DYLAN FEST 2011!– Fri, May 27 | 8PM at the Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom presents 2 days of an all-star lineup paying tribute to the 70 years of Robert Zimmerman being on the planet. Guest performers include The Cabin Down Below Band, Norah Jones, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis of SNL, and more! $20// 6 Delancey St.
Continue reading Weekend Music Picks
From this week’s edition of the Villager:
Police were called to an armed push-in robbery on Friday morning May 20 on the 9th floor of 60 First Ave., in the Village View complex, according to co-op residents. “They shut the building down but the robber was gone,” a witness said. Nevertheless, police discovered a quantity of drugs and paraphernalia in the apartment and arrested the resident. Adam Silvera, the co-op’s president, said on Wednesday that he was arranging a meeting of residents with lawyers from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. and with police about drugs in the complex. In October 2010 police made a drug-related arrest in Village View Building 2, 430 E. Sixth St. The apartment’s tenant was reportedly supplying drugs to a ring of undergraduate dealers at Columbia University, who were also subsequently arrested.
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