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 photo by David Flaherty Thanks to Lo-Down reader David Flaherty for sending us this incredible shot from his balcony. Apparently, The Amazing Spider-Man was shooting some final scenes across the bridge last night. The film, directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer), is the fourth in the most recent series of Spider-Man movies. It features Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field, to name a few. We hear it is being shot entirely in 3D, with a release date set for July 3, 2012.
 
 April 2010; South Street Seaport. From the archives: here’s the scene outside FDNY Engine Company 4, near the South Street Seaport, last spring. Elected officials, firefighters and Lower Manhattan residents rallied to save the firehouse, a frequent target of Mayor Bloomberg’s budget axe. Fast forward to the spring of 2011: once again the city has announced plans to close 20 fire companies, but has refused to tell the City Council which ones.
So just as they did a year ago, Chin and fellow Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley plan another rally in front of Engine Comapny 4. It will take place tomorrow at noon. The firehouse is located at 42 South Street, near Old Slip. “As we approach 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City remains the number one terrorist target in the world and closing even one fire company will severely jeopardize public safety,” a news advisory warns.
Continuing our series of street portraits from A. Jesse Jiryu Davis.
An update on a story we reported yesterday — the continuing controversy surrounding the videotaped takedown and arrest of a 64 year old man in Columbus Park earlier this month. City Councilmember Margaret Chin had been scheduled to meet with the leadership of the 5th Precinct today to discuss the incident. We received word last night that the meeting has been cancelled. No explanation was given for the cancellation.
Police officers did attend a meeting at State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office last week, which also included Wu Yizuo (the man who was arrested), Parks Department officials and representatives of Community Board 3. But the conversation was focused solely on procedures for obtaining Parks Department permits for musical events. The questions surrounding police conduct during the may 8th confrontation were not discussed.
The NYPD has had virtually nothing to say publicly about the ordeal, which has been the talk of Chinatown for more than a week. Presumably, the issue will have to be dealt with one way or another during the 5th Precinct’s Community Council meeting a week from Wednesday.
 Photo by Joel Raskin. It’s going to be another rainy day in the city. Sorry to say, there won’t be much sunshine to speak of through the rest of the week. Look for a high of 64 today, with periods of heavy rain and wind gusts up to 20 m.p.h. Continue reading Good Morning!
City Councilmember Margaret Chin’s office let us know about the following event being held in Chinatown tomorrow:
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) will join with other local elected officials to host a Small Business Capital Access Workshop in Chinatown on Tuesday, May 17th at 4 p.m. The event will feature a panel discussion with small business financing experts discussing how to navigate the lending process, what programs are available for entrepreneurs seeking credit and where to turn for help.
The event will be held at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 62 Mott Street.
Our friends at Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center have sent a reminder about the Arts Education Forum that will take place tomorrow night at the Rutger Community Center. They write:
COMMUNITY BOARD 3 INVITES YOU TO
THE LOWER EAST SIDE ARTS EDUCATION FORUM
TUESDAY MAY 17, 2011 6 – 8:30 PM
AT THE RUTGERS HOUSES COMMUNITY CENTER 200 MADISON STREET
(One block below Canal Street, at Rutgers Street. Rutgers is the continuation of Essex Street.)
Continue reading CB3 Hosts Arts Education Forum Tomorrow Night
 Tommy Ho  This popular feature spotlights a wide variety of people who live and work on the Lower East Side. If you know someone you would like to suggest be featured in “My LES,” please email us here.
What do you do?
I’m an actor and an aquatic director. I am the founder of Seahorse Swim Club in Masaryk Towers. I was working at a pool in Chinatown before that. Once I found the pool at Masaryk (which hadn’t been open to the public in over 30 years) I had to wait and wait and kept bothering them to let me use it (and start teaching classes there). I had to keep waiting to talk to the super, I had to get permission from the Board Director, he had to get permission from everyone else (this was about seven years ago) but finally I got permission. And now, it’s doing great. I teach the Chinese community, all the parents on Grand Street send there kids here, I teach the Jews from Williamsburg, everyone. And now I’m hoping to find a second location.
Continue reading My LES – Tommy Ho
 Just opened: Taqueria LES, 198 Orchard Street Today’s Lower East Side food news:
- After a two-week delay, Taqueria LES is now open at 198 Orchard Street. The Manhattan offshoot of the popular New Jersey-based restaurant serves authentic tacos ($2.50 each), tortas ($6.25), enchiladas ($7.95) and burritas ($7.95). They’re open noon-midnight Monday-Friday; 11-midnight on weekends.
- EV Grieve reports: Ray’s Candy Store was shut down by the Department of Health.
- Landbrot Bakery, 185 Orchard, may be having a tough time getting its liquor license; but their web site has gone live and they’re hiring. Opening anticipated for “late summer.”
 Photo by A. Jesse Jiryu Davis. We begin the week with the first in another series of street portraits from A. Jesse Jiryu Davis.
Still image from YouTube video. An incident that occurred in Columbus Park on Mother’s Day is continuing to stir strong emotions in Chinatown. This week, City Councilmember Margaret Chin will be talking with top cops in the 5th Precinct about the ordeal, which was videotaped and (as of this morning) has been viewed nearly 60,000 times on YouTube.
The conflict arose after officers, responding to a 311 complaint, told members of the Street Musical Club they could not use a microphone, since they had no Parks Department permit. An argument between a Chinese speaking officer and 64-year old Wu Yizuo (a club organizer) led to the spectacle depicted in the video; several officers pinned the man to the ground and arrested him, as onlookers reacted angrily .
Continue reading Elected Officials Address Columbus Park Controversy
 Still from Zachary Raines "Freeloader" We are pleased to introduce our newest contributor, Tobi Elkin. She checked out the second night of the Rooftop Films Summer Series 2011 and sent us this dispatch:
We hit the roof on Saturday night for Rooftop Films’ opening weekend at 350 Grand St. at the “Open Road Rooftop” otherwise known as the old Seward Park High School. We were greeted by enthusiastic organizers on a rooftop filled with people despite the chilly night and threat of rain. We found seats in a mid-section of the roof – mostly all views are great.
Rooftop screenings are always preceded by live music—last night’s artist, Emily Reo, sings and plays a sort of other-worldly electronica, a nice warm-up to the main event. The featured film, the world premiere of Zachary Raines’ “Freeloader,” was billed as a black comedy about a down-on-his-luck 30-something dude. Frank is unemployed and lives with his girlfriend who has been supporting him. Their relationship breaks up and he proceeds to sponge off his endearing friend and a quirky banker who’s trying to find the confidence to be a stand-up comedian.
Continue reading Notes From the Rooftop: Zachary Raines’ “Freeloader”
From this morning’s Police Blotter in the Post:
A man was arrested after he allegedly hustled seven people out of some serious loot with the promise of deeply discounted iPads and iPhones on the Lower East Side. The scam began April 7 when one victim met… James Smith, 48, on Chrystie Street near East Houston and gave him $400 for two iPhones and an iPad, according to court papers. Smith allegedly told the man to wait right there and he would return with the goods — but vanished. He later pulled the same scheme on six other unsuspecting people, pocketing a total of $2,800, the court papers say. Smith was arrested May 4 and charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud, said a spokeswoman for DA Cyrus Vance Jr.
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