The Sphere once graced the middle of Austin Tobin Plaza, nestled between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. On September 11th, as the Twin Towers fell in thunderous collapses, the Sphere emerged from the black dust and ashes, not intact but not destroyed. After being in Battery Park for many years, the Sphere, […]
Archives for August 2017
August 21
1680 – Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from the Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt. 1831 – Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which will claim the lives of 55 to 65 whites. 1888 – The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by […]
Today, August 21, 2017, The Great American Eclipse
At about 1:15pm, go outdoors to check for clear skies and to take a deep breath in recognition that today, Monday the 21st of August 2017, is a rare day under the Sun. We will see an unusual meeting of celestial bodies, which promises to feel like the “music of the spheres.” With eyes shielded […]
EYES TO THE SKY August 14 – 20, 2017
Daybreak comes late enough these days to avail ourselves of the beauty of planet Venus as the shining Morning Star. This week, by 5:20am, look to the east about 20 degrees above the horizon, still rather high. The goddess planet is visible until about 5:45am if you know where to look. Be aware that sunrise […]
Daniel Out of the Lions’ Den
State Senator Daniel Squadron, who has represented Lower Manhattan in Albany since being elected in 2008, suddenly and unexpectedly announced his resignation from the upper house of the State legislature on Wednesday, and stepped down two days later. In an email sent to constituents on the morning of August 9, Mr. Squadron said, “for years, […]
Operation Finale
A new exhibition premiering at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City reveals the secret history behind the capture, extradition, and trial of one of the world’s most notorious war criminals: Adolf Eichmann. Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann, featuring recently declassified artifacts […]
‘For the Mighty Wind Arises, Roaring Seaward, and I Go.’
Best we can tell, Samuel Taylor Coleridge never visited Lower Manhattan. But if he had experienced this community — surrounded by rivers, but seemingly bereft of opportunities to come in contact with them — he might have recast his most famous lines as, “water, water, everywhere, but none on which to sail.” He would have […]
To: Congressman Nadler cc: The Broadsheet Congressman Nadler, I must compliment you on your latest congressional legal initiatives crucial to the safety, well-being of the people proposing among others that Pres.Trump be investigated (prosecuted) for brazen violations of the constitution and civil laws. Our country’s role in supporting and financing the well-being of its citizen’s […]
Comparing Tipping Points
An analysis by the online real estate database company StreetEasy finds notable disparities among Lower Manhattan neighborhoods in the lengths of time that rental tenants would need to own the same apartment before breaking even. The report, by Grant Long, StreetEasy’s senior economist, defines this “tipping point” as, “the point in time in which the […]
That’s Entrée-Tainment
Lower Manhattan’s tally of food halls has swollen by two in recent weeks, as the City Acres market opened at 70 Pine Street (near the corner of Pearl Street), in the Financial District, and Canal Street Market (at 256 Canal Street, between Lafayette Street and Cortland Alley) expanded from retail into prepared foods. Both outposts […]