1110 – Syrian harbor city Saida (Sidon) surrenders to Crusaders 1154 – Pope Hadrian IV elected Pope. The only Englishman to become pontiff, Nicholas Breakspear was a member of the family which until recent years brewed beer in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. 1534 – Turkish sultan Suleiman occupies Baghdad 1783 – General Washington bids officers farewell at […]
Archives for 2017
Whose Roof Is It, Anyway?
Community Board 1 (CB1) will host a Town Hall meeting tonight (Monday, December 4) to discuss the impact of plans to create an event and performance venue capable of hosting more than 4,000 people on the roof of Pier 17, in the South Street Seaport. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be […]
Leaving of a Jet Plane
To the editor: Here’s a cheaper way to get from Lower Manhattan to Newark Airport using mass transit. * Take the PATH from WTC to Newark Penn Station. 15 minutes between PATH trains, 25 minutes travel. * Then take Bus #62 from Newark Penn Station bus depot directly to EWR. 15 minutes between buses, 18 […]
Spinal Tap
On Thursday, for only the fourth time in its century-long existence, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) — an independent, not-for-profit confederation of urban visionaries — issued a call to action for guiding development over the next two decades in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The Fourth Regional Plan contains dozens of recommendations about sustainability, […]
In Memoriam: ‘The James Joyce of Jive’
Jon Hendricks, the legendary jazz lyricist and singer and one of the earliest residents of Battery Park City, died on November 24. He was 96. Acknowleged as one of the originators of “vocalese,” which adds lyrics to instrumental tunes and replaces instruments with voices, he was also praised as one of the most accomplished practitioners […]
Looking for a Few Good Santas
Stockings with Care, the charity based in Battery Park City that makes the holidays brighter for families in need throughout the five boroughs, is asking for your help. This year, the organization will be buying, wrapping, and delivering gifts for more than 1,700 needy kids. You can assist by signing up as a Santa, which […]
November 29
800 – Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Pope Leo III. 1783 – A 5.3 magnitude earthquake strikes New Jersey. 1864 – American Indian Wars: Sand Creek massacre – Colorado volunteers led by Colonel John Chivington massacre at least 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho noncombatants inside Colorado Territory. 1929 – U.S. Admiral […]
Lower Manhattan’s Version of the Second Avenue Subway
What the long-promised proposed T train (which is slated someday to run from 125th Street, down Second Avenue, to Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan) is for the rest of New York, the similarly ambitious and wistful notion of a direct rail connection between the World Trade Center and Newark Airport is for Downtown residents. The […]
November 28
1582 – In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a £40 bond for their marriage license. They were married in 1582, when he was 18 and she was 25 years old. She outlived her husband by seven years. 1660 – At Gresham College, twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir […]
POPS Pap
The City Council recently enacted a new law that strengthens enforcement over “privately owned public spaces” (POPS), in response to an April report from City Comptroller Scott Stringer, which found that of 51 POPS located in Lower Manhattan, only eight were meeting legally required standards for public access, hours, or the availability of amenities such […]
November 27
1095 – Pope Urban II preaches first Crusade 1703 – The first Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed in the Great Storm of 1703. 1817 – US soldiers attack Florida Indian village, beginning Seminole War 1826 – John Walker invents friction match in England. Then pours himself a drink 1868 – Battle at Washita River, Oklahoma. General […]
EYES TO THE SKY November 27 – December 10, 2017
Our Sun sets in the southwest at around 4:20 in the afternoon. When twilight gathers, golden Capella, the fourth brightest star in northern skies, commands our attention above the northeastern horizon. Capella, from the Latin for ‘she-goat’, is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga The Charioteer. At nightfall four lesser stars appear, shaping a […]
Evacuation Day
Evacuation Day is New York City’s most famous celebration you’ve never heard of. While November 25, 1783, marks a significant moment in American history, Evacuation Day never reached national prominence. And while New York embraced it with great enthusiasm-parades, flotillas, fireworks-for more than seventy years, that’s not surprising since it was New York that was […]
Taking Down the Ritz
The company that owns the hotel portion of the Ritz-Carlton building in southern Battery Park City has apparently decided to strip the luxury brand name from its hostelry, as part of its ongoing campaign to shut down the lodging facility and convert it to condominium apartments. The 38-story Ritz-Carlton building at the foot of Battery […]
November 22
845 – 845 : The first King of all Brittany, Nominoe defeats the Frankish king Charles the Bald at the Battle of Ballon near Redon. 1492 – Pinta under Martín Alonso Pinzón separates from Columbus’s fleet 1794 – Strasbourg Alsace-Lorraine, prohibits circumcision and wearing of beards 1809 – Peregrine Williamson of Baltimore patents a steel […]
Reflections on the Day
Circa 1975, a elderly piano teacher on Long Island was trying to guide a not-very-talented pupil, on the cusp of adolescence, through the Largo of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The teacher, who had been a displaced person and refugee during World War Two, had seen and endured unspeakable things before coming to America. Although she […]
November 21
1272 – Following Henry III of England’s death on November 16, his son Prince Edward becomes King of England. 1620 – Pilgrims reach America: Provincetown Harbor 1620 – Mayflower Compact signed by Pilgrims in Cape Cod, (A modern version of the Mayflower Compact.The ‘dread sovereign’ referred to in the document uses the archaic definition of […]
“Endangered Sanctuary-Only House of Worship in Battery Park City Slated to Close in January”
To the editor: Re the recent article “Endangered Sanctuary-Only House of Worship in Battery Park City Slated to Close in January” (BroadsheetDAILY November 17) In response to the detailed and informative article by Mathew Fenton it seems to me that despite the best efforts and intentions of the Parishioners, other Battery Park City residents, CB1, […]
Bubble? What Bubble?
The latest metrics about the cost of housing in Lower Manhattan contain some good news and some bad news — depending on whether you rent or own your apartment, and whether you live here now, or are hoping to move here. A summary of third-quarter activity compiled by PropertyShark, a real estate web site and […]
November 20
1194 – Palermo is conquered by Emperor Henry VI. 1272 – Edward I proclaimed King of England 1407 – A truce between John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans is agreed under the auspices of John, Duke of Berry. Orléans would be assassinated three days later by Burgundy. 1789 […]