Bullish Sentiment at CB1
Riddle: What Weighs 7,000 Pounds, But Needs to Be Protected by Barriers That Blow Over in a Strong Wind?
The Financial District committee of Community Board 1 (CB1) unanimously passed a resolution last week calling for the barricades that surround Charging Bull -- the bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that guards the foot of Broadway, near Bowling Green Park -- to be removed. But the stanchions, which were placed there during the height of the Occupy Wall Street movement, remain.
The committee was motivated in part by concerns about public safety. "It's just an inherently dangerous situation," said Ro Sheffe, who chairs the panel. "It's an accident waiting to happen." He noted that the statue is located in the middle of a crowded intersection (where Broadway and Whitehall Street diverge), and the barricades prevent local pedestrians and tourists from stepping up onto the sidewalk. Arthur Piccolo, a local resident and chairman of the Bowling Green Association, agreed, saying, "The police have created a dangerous situation daily." Other members of CB1's Fidi committee noted that Charging Bull seems to need no protection, since it bears no visible evidence of vandalism.
Because of the confined space, tourists lining up to see the
Charging Bull overflow into the street
This issue arose against the backdrop of a larger, months-long push by CB1 to persuade the Police Department to remove barricades -- many hundreds of linear yards of which severely constricted movement throughout the Financial District last fall and winter -- from the neighborhood. This effort has been largely successful, with only a few, isolated pockets (such as the statue) remaining blocked. Asked to speculate why the barricades around Charging Bull remain in place, Mr. Sheffe responded, "Well, that's something only Ray Kelly can answer."
The Police Department's Public Information office did not respond to the Broadsheet's request for a comment. But this issue will be raised again later this month, when the Financial District committee's resolution is debated at the full, monthly meeting of CB1, on June 26.
Jack Pickering
photo by Robert Simko
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Isaac and Ishmael
Diverging Branches from the Same Roots Find Common Ground
(left to right): Noor Alshamam of the Al Ihsan Academy with a dress made by her grandmother in Yemen andEva Haimowitz of the Kinneret Day School with her
great-grandmother's ice skates from Holland
What better way to teach tolerance than to bring together children of disparate faiths in an entertaining and enlightening context. The Interfaith Living Museum, a new initiative at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, recently arranged for Muslim and Jewish students from schools around the city to get together over a period of five months to learn about each other's cultures.
After visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic art galleries, a mosque, a synagogue, and each other's schools,
the students brought artifacts from home to show one another, and then organized their objects into galleries based on theme.
An enthusiastic audience of family and friends attended the resulting exhibition at the Museum on June 11.
photo by Melanie Einzig
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Expressions of Graditude
Lower Manhattan's Class of 2012 Become Alums
Katie Reynolds at her graduation with her three sisters
Kelly, Colleen and Ciara Reynolds
Katie Reynolds (Kathleen Marie Reynolds) was born in Battery Park City on August 10, 1990. She attended the Joy McCormack Nursery (Battery Park City Day Nursery) and Marymount School of New York (1st Grade through High School).
Katie graduated on May 14, 2012 from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting. She is now back living in New York, the city she adores, and plans to pursue a career in teaching early childhood education and continue her love of painting.
Attention Proud Parents of The Class of 2012:
Please send us a photo and a few words about your newly minted graduates, so we can showcase their achievement. Submissions of all age groups welcome at: editor@ebroadsheet.com
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Letters
The following letter was written in response to the article in yesterday's BroadsheetDaily, "Present at the Creation -- Past Leaders of the BPCA Outline Possible Visions for Its Future:"
To the editor,
Fill in South Cove? I think NOT! When I first moved back to NYC from my seaside home in California ten years ago, I knew I had to find a place with sky and water and open air. My first search was here in BPC, and I looked no further. My first morning stroll after moving in was along south cove. I was absolutely charmed by the curved, flower-lined path weaving around the upper tier of the cove heading over to Battery Park. One could imagine being on a country lane -- at least until looking back and seeing those lovely silvery twin towers.
Since then, yes, there have been changes along that path. New buildings rose and blocked the sun -- but I've gotten used to those over time, and the cove still holds onto its charm for me. I can't begin to imagine filling in that beauty, replacing the gardens and grasses and seagulls and the quiet sounds of lapping water with looming monoliths. Oh the joys of ongoing construction dirt and noise that building them will bring upon us! The idyllic nature of life in BPC continues to be eaten away by "progress." The very beauty and nature that surrounds us is what makes life down here in the "nether regions" of the city worthwhile.
As for building acres more of landfill heading north -- eating up still more of our sparkling river and crowding out the "denizens of the deep" who dwell in it -- Oh, no! It hurts to even think about it.
Beverly Hegmann
photo by Robert Simko
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Landmarks Committee Meeting Tonight
Storefronts and Rooftops
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1.Centre Street, application to install rooftop HVAC unit - Resolution
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2.125 Watts Street, application for rooftop pavilion and glass railing - Resolution
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3.104, 105, 106 South Street, application for façade alteration, new storefronts and rooftop addition - Resolution
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4.225 West Broadway, application for storefront renovation - Resolution
Time: 6pm
Place: Community Board 1 Office, 49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709
photo by Robert Simko
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Today's Calendar
Thursday, June 14
Today at the Battery Park City Library
175 North End Ave. nypl.org
Peter Pan
The treasured tale of an adventurous boy who never grows up! Fly away with the Darling children to Neverland where Peter battles with a band of pirates and his archenemy, the villainous Captain Hook. Peter is a daring, courageous and mischievous boy - an incurable prankster with a valiant heart. Presented by the Traveling Lantern Theatre Company. For ages 4 and older. Free. 3:30pm.
Baby Story Time at the Battery Park City Library
Babies from birth to 18 months and their parents/caregivers can enjoy great books, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. 11:30am. 175 North end Ave. nypl.org
Today at the New Amsterdam Library
9 Murray Street. nypl.org
Baby Story Time
For infants up to 18 months old. 9 Murray Street. Free. 10:30am.
Presley and Melody
An interactive musical concert for preschoolers ages 3 to 5 years old. Free. 10:30am
Today at the Museum of the American Indian
1 Bowling Green. americanindian.si.edu
Make a Cornhusk Doll
Make a cornhusk doll. Every Thursday. Free. 2pm-3:30pm.
Beaded Octopus Bag-Making Demonstration
This is not a workshop. Every Thursday. Free. 5pm-7pm.
Arctic Summer Showcase
First part of a two day event that continues on Saturday, June 16. Celebrate the work of Native filmmakers and their creative reflections on Inuit traditions with a two-day showcase of outstanding films from Nunavut in Arctic Canada. Discussion with the director will follow the screening. Free. 6-8pm.
Bill Ahearn on "The Brown Bess Musket in Alexander Hamilton's America"
at the Museum of American Finance
Bill Ahearn has been a collector of American colonial era long arms for more than 40 years and has published more than a dozen essays describing those items. He is the author of Muskets of the Revolution and the French & Indian Wars (Mowbray Publishing, 2005) and will give a visual presentation on "The Brown Bess Musket in Alexander Hamilton's America." $5. 12:30pm. moaf.org
Today on Governors Island: National Historic Landmark District Tour
Join a National Park Ranger and an array of guests from the past as you explore the island's historic landmark district, which features structures dating back to 1790. As you visit the many important landmarks, you will meet the people who lived and worked in them in their heyday! The tour is approximately 1.5 miles walking with little time for breaks. There is no food, water, or restroom access during these tours, so please plan accordingly. Free. 10am. Also at 2:15pm. Visitors will catch the ferry departing at 10am or 2:15pm, meet their guide, and depart on the 12pm or 4pm ferries, respectively. Every Thursday. nps.gov/gois
National Monument Tour
Get an in-depth look at the two historic forts that compose the Governors Island National Monument. These tours will take you through all the historic nooks and crannies of Fort Jay and Castle Williams. As part of this tour, visitors will be escorted into the interior and to the roof of Castle Williams, which has never before been open to the public. The tour is approximately 2/3 of a mile walking, and there is no food, water, or restroom access available. Please plan accordingly. Free. Visitors will catch the 12:15pm ferry and depart the island on the 2pm ferry. Every Thursday. nps.gov/gois
Ben Rubin: Gallery Talk at the South Street Seaport Museum
Media artist Ben Rubin's piece Terminal 8 at the South Street Seaport Museum juxtaposes the current port of New York--JFK Airport--in the historic rooms of the old port: the Seaport. Filming the comings and goings at JFK Airport in January 2011, Terminal 8 gives a window into our present day concept of what it means to be "at port." Rubin's other public works include Moveable Type (2007) and Listening Post (2002) and he is currently working on a new site-specific piece for the Public Theater called Shakespeare Machine. Join him as he discusses his inspirations, tools and challenges in presenting abstract concepts in film, sound, and installation format. $12, $8, $6. 6:30pm. seany.org
photo by Robert Simko
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RiverWatch
Arrivals & Departures
A classic barque
Friday, June 15
Carnival Miracle
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; to Nassau
Disney Magic
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; Cruise to nowhere
Saturday, June 16
Norwegian Gem
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; to Nassau
Explorer of the Seas
Inbound 8:00 am (Bayonne); outbound 5:00 pm; to Kings Wharf
Sunday, June 17
Veendam
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 5:15 pm; to Hamilton
Norwegian Star
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; to King's Wharf
Disney Magic
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; to Saint John, New Brunswick
Celebrity Summit
Inbound 7:00 am (Bayonne); outbound 4:00 pm; to King's Wharf
Queen Mary 2
Inbound 6:00 am (Brooklyn); outbound 5:00 pm; to Southampton
photo by Robert Simko
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Downtown in the News
"A blue man 'dupe': Parent panic at 32G 'progressive' school," June 13,
NY Post: "The Blue School is one big play date in desperate need of adult supervision. Parents are yanking their kids out of the 'progressive,' $32,000 per-year private school founded by the Blue Man Group - which has no books and no tests - because their kids are barely learning to read, The Post has learned. One mother, who is yanking her son at the end of the school year, complained that the school is 'unstructured.'" Read more.
photo by Robert Simko
The BroadsheetDAILY
is Lower Manhattan's daily newspaper covering Downtown news, people, places
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which is published every two weeks and distributed throughout Battery Park City,
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