Photo: The scene on Grand Street on a recent weekend afternoon.
Lower East Side news from the past week:
–Three years after the pandemic begun, there has been some recovery in Chinatown, but the long ordeal showed that many of the institutions and small businesses that make the neighborhood special are very precarious. [Eater]
–A new commercial needs assessment was recently released, providing new information about the challenges facing small businesses and the community at large. [NYC.gov]
–A staffer in City Council member Christopher Marte’s office will stay on the job after he left profanity-laced voicemails for one of the Chinese language media’s best known reporters. [Politico]
UPDATE Sunday evening the Daily News reported that the aide, Steven Wong, has resigned.
–City Council member Carlina Rivera released a statement about efforts to address various needs at Tompkins Square Park. [EV Grieve]
–An exit interview with Ariel Palitz, the former Lower East Side club owner who went on to become NYC’s first “nightlife mayor.” [The New York Times]
–Veselka has big expansion plans, with new outposts planned in Williamsburg and at Grand Central Station. [New York Post]
–From The New York Times, a video profile of Fong On, New York City’s oldest family-run tofu shop. [YouTube]
