Year: 2017

EYES TO THE SKY December 11 – 24, 2017

All the world would have us believe that electronic devices are indispensable for the stargazer, but I’m compelled to share with you my enduring enthusiasm for my paper star wheel, or planisphere, a stargazer’s basic field guide to the night sky. Especially now, during the season of gift giving, here’s a gift for all ages...

Affordable Housing, Open Space, or Both?

The clashing visions and competing priorities that were at the center of the recent race for the City Council seat representing Lower Manhattan have begun to crystallize into a bricks-and-mortar policy decision. The plan to use a City-owned lot to create permanently affordable housing for low-income seniors on the site of a public garden in...
A rendering of the proposed Haven Green affordable housing complex for seniors, which the City plans to erect on the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden.

December 7

43 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero is assassinated. 1703 – The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, makes landfall. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people die. 1732 – The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London. 1787 – Delaware becomes the...
Home Sweet Home. One of the most widely known photographs of Earth, this image was taken by the crew of the final Apollo mission as the crew made its way to the Moon.

Statute of Self-Determination

A proposed State law that would set aside two seats on the board of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) for residents of the community is now on the desk of Governor Andrew Cuomo, awaiting his signature or veto. (Editor’s Note: Readers who wish to contact Governor Cuomo to voice an opinion about this bill...
State Assembly member Deborah Glick: "This bill that will make certain that the voices of Battery Park City residents are heard by the Battery Park City Authority."

December 6

963 – Leo VIII elected Pope 1631 – First predicted transit of Venus (Kepler) is observed 1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia 1825 – Pres John Adams suggests establishment of a US observatory 1862 – Pres Lincoln orders hanging of 39 Santee Sioux indians 1877 – First sound recording...
V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays a U.S. Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger-a woman in a white dress-on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Times Square on August 14, 1945

Lower Manhattan’s Official Wish List

Community Board 1 (CB1) has completed its annual statement of District Needs and Budget Priorities, which is submitted every 12 months to the City government, to help set the agenda for policy and spending in the coming fiscal year. “Reacting to problems is important,” reflects Board chair Anthony Notaro, “but CB1 has a heritage of...