Justin Vivian Bond’s new show at Abrons Arts Center examines the darker side of the holidays, like losing your apartment above Mars Bar just in time for Christmas, because it’s being destroyed to build condos. (TheaterMania)
Candice Madey, of On Stellar Rays gallery on Orchard Street, is part of NYC’s “New Regime.” (BlackBook)
LES celeb spotting: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds double-date at Stanton Social. (NYDN)
Olek the crochet artist has been detained in the U.K. (ArtMachine)
Kossar’s Bialys’ and Streit’s Matzo’s places in the history of NYC bread noted. (NYMag)
Until early spring, Most Precious Blood Church on Mulberry Street is hosting an imposing guest: an original bronze cast of “Moses,” Michelangelo’s 16th Century masterpiece. Last week, Ralph Tramontana of the Little Italy Merchants Association (and Sambuca’s Cafe) arranged for a small press showing of the statue, which has been appraised at more than $8 million.
Chuck Huller, the art dealer who helped bring “Moses” to this country said he’d love to find a buyer who will be willing to keep the statue in New York permanently. The replica is the first bronze cast made of “Moses,” the world-famous work that is part of the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome.
Huller told us it’s fitting that the statue is on display at Most Precious Blood, not only because the church is celebrating its 125th anniversary, but because of the institution’s importance to Catholics in New York City. The church was built in 1888 because Italians were not permitted to attend Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 269 Mulberry Street.
The statue will be on display until April 1. Most Precious Blood is located at 109 Mulberry Street.
Before prohibition, people who wanted to drink beer at home just went to the corner watering hole and got a bucket of tap beer to go. Those days are long gone. Bottles and cans are now the norm for home beer consumption, but they’re not the only option.
Beer lovers here on the LES can enjoy “old being new again” by using a growler, a refillable half gallon glass bottle. They tend to cost about four bucks for the growler itself, with refills varying in price depending on what beer you choose and where you buy it. Continue reading JP’s Food Adventures: Where to Fill Your Growler
Have you finished all your holiday shopping in local LES stores yet? If not, tonight is a great opportunity to pick up some handmade goods by New York artists. Brooklynite Rashell Crume, who often sports her own jewelry designs behind the bar at Sorella, creates Native-American-inspired “traditional style beadwork with a modern, urban twist.” She’ll be joined by Cloudipi Design’s Claudia De Pace in hosting a trunk show at Sorella, 95 Allen St., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., offering necklaces, earrings, bracelets and watches, as well as accessories like purses and belts.
Burlesque and general wackiness will be back at the Slipper Room before long. It was back in the summer of 2010 that work began on a new home for the beloved Lower East Side club at 167 Orchard Street. In an email blast this morning, owner James Habacker shared a couple of photos of the raw space and provided a construction update.
This week, he said, the Slipper Room “took possession” of the space. “There’s still much work to be done to turn the raw space into our dream theatre, but we have the will, the skill, and the funds to get the job done,” Habacker wrote. “In just a few short months our stage will be filled each night with outrageous entertainments to delight and amaze.”
In the meantime, the antics continue this Thursday at Casa Mezcal, the Slipper Room’s home away from home.
As we all are very much aware by now, Luc Carl, Lady Gaga’s ex, likes to hang out with “sexy people” who “care how their hair looks.” So it probably goes without saying that he was unimpressed with Community Board 3 even before members of the liquor licensing committee read him the riot act last night.
Carl, cohort Georgie Seville and the team from “The Delancey” returned to CB3′s SLA Committee for a third time in their ill-fated quest to extend their liquor permit at the “Ludlow Manor,” the triple-decker nightlife complex they opened in October. The panel voted 3-2 to reject their bid for liquor permits on the second and third floors (they received permission for a ground floor license earlier this year). The problem: board members were rather displeased that the club had apparently been serving alcohol on the roof-top bar in spite of the fact that the State Liquor Authority has not yet acted on a permanent license.
Here’s your Monday afternoon Lower East Side food news:
Thursday evening, Clandestino will be launching a home-grown beer, “Easy Blonde,” from local start-up Alphabet City Brewing Company. See details here.
Sons of Essex rolls out their new brunch menu — plus three new sandwiches available in the deli. Choose from braised short rib, grilled chicken with Guss’ pickled tomato and apple slaw or homemade peanut butter with tempura battered bananas and grape jelly. Lunch special offered 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sandwich, chips and old school pop for $9.95.
Via Trubinali, the new Neopolitan pizza place at 122 Ludlow, announces they’ll be open for business January 5th.
Chanukah Wire: Friend of TLD Laurie Gwen Shapiro reports via Facebook: “They are down to nine bags of dark gelt at Economy Candy, FYI. Milk chocolate gelt, you shouldn’t worry.”
We just posted an update on the effort to find out the circumstances behind the death of Army Private Danny Chen in Afghanistan two months ago. Here’s a video that’s been produced to galvanize support in this community and beyond for a coordinated campaign to pressure the military for answers.
It’s an important week for loved ones and advocates fighting to find out the truth about the mysterious death of Army Private Danny Chen. The body of the 19-year old Lower East Side resident was found at a military base in Afghanistan October 3rd. Chen had been shot in the head. Army officials have admitted he was the victim of bullying, but many other details remain shrouded in secrecy. Continue reading Rally For Private Danny Chen on Thursday
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants the city to look into expanding East River Ferry service to the Lower East Side. Right now there’s only one Lower Manhattan stop — Pier 11 at Wall Street. In a letter to Deputy Mayor Robert Steele, Silver writes:
…Residents of the eastern end of Grand Street, as well as the thousands of residents of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes in this area, suffer from a serious lack of access to public transportation. Lower East Side residents, particularly students and seniors, have difficulty reaching the financial district, as well as other parts of Lower Manhattan, due to the distance they must travel to the closest subways stations on East Broadway and Delancey Street. Bus service is infrequent and often unreliable. The city has done an outstanding job of using our waterways in a creative and effective manner to expand our transportation network and I urge you to examine the feasibility of including the Lower East Side in your regional ferry plan.
The ferry service, operated by New York Waterway, debuted last summer and was a big success. The city subsidized the ferry to the tune of about $9 million over the course of a three year contract. The schedule was trimmed when the summer ended, due to limited funding. The city has said the main purpose of the ferry is to encourage economic development (new housing and business) along the Manhattan and Brooklyn waterfront.
Millionaire tax musings: “While the political winds blew (Governor) Cuomo away from his party and to the right, and then back to the left,” political reporter Jimmy Viekind writes, “Silver achieved his goals by staying dead still.” (Capital NY).
Preservationists move to protect 315 East 10th Street, the former Educational Alliance building that’s about to be renovated by developer Ben Shaoul (EV Grieve).
One critic thinks Reid Farrington’s “Christmas Carol” mash-up at the Abrons Arts Center misses the mark (NYT).
A reason to love New York: the St. Mark’s Bookshop was saved (NYM).
The Economic Development Corp. says the Lower East Side has more pizza joints, per capita, than any other neighborhood in New York. There are, however, more places (33) to get a slice in the East Village than anywhere else in the city (NYCEDC).
Another weekend, another teen shooting. Last night, residents gathered on East 9th Street for a candlelight vigil, part of a worldwide candle lighting service. Less than 48 hours earlier, bullets rang out once again at the Campos Plaza public housing development four blocks away. As The Local East Village and EV Grieve reported, police were swarming Friday night around the troubled complex, where a 19-year old man was shot in the leg. No suspects have been arrested.
The vigil took place outside the apartment of Aida Salgado, whose son Keith was shot and killed at Campos Plaza in October. Residents lamented the cycle of violence that has taken so many young lives and read the names of teen victims. Just last week, some of these same people were assembled in the gym at Campos Plaza, where elected officials and the Police Athletic League announced a new recreational program to get kids off the street. Continue reading Teen Shot Outside Campos Plaza Community Center
