–The mayor defends the awarding of a contract to a California-based firm for the new citywide ferry service. At a news conference yesterday, he said, “I am always entertained by critics who want to look at a good thing and turn it into a bad thing,” [Politico New York]
–Carmar Development is in the process of converting the old Lucky Cheng’s location on 1st Avenue. One of two spaces being created will likely become the “newest location of what is already an established restaurant group in New York.” [Real Estate Weekly]
— “Developers of 150 Rivington, site of the Lower East Side’s famed Streit’s Matzo Factory, held a blessing ceremony on Wednesday with architect and feng shui master R.D. Chin and Rabbi Mayer Kirshner, the factory’s longtime rabbi who oversaw its kosher operations.” [New York Post]
–Since 2003, photographer Thomas Holton has been documenting the lives of the Lam family on Ludlow Street. The project is being called the ‘Boyhood’ of Chinatown. [New York Times]
–Neighborhood Joint — paying tribute to Moishe’s Bakery on 2nd Avenue, where the customer profile has changed a lot in the past 25 years. “What hasn’t changed at all is the bakery itself, with its stopped-in-time storefront that is almost entirely free of adornment.” [New York Times]
—Happening Today: At 10 a.m., the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises meets to consider the mayor’s controversial zoning proposals. The Council will approve the measures, in spite of widespread opposition from local community boards. Advocacy organizations, including the Historic Districts Council, continue to fight the mayor’s scheme.
