by Tibi Z. Singer
“Last time I reported on the alleged, rumored, whispered imminent closure of Gertel’s, the classic Lower East Side kosher bakery,” writes Brooks of Sheffield, “the word was they would remain open until Passover in order to make good holiday orders. Since Passover begins this coming Monday night, I naturally assumed that today might be one of my last chances to visit the place, so I gave Gertel’s a jingle. The owner Abe Stern answered, told me he was open until 2 PM today and then rather grouchily denied that the shop would not reopen after Passover.”

Everybody knows they sold the building a year ago. Is everybody also getting the feeling we’re being led by the nose here? Just wondering…

by Rob Hollander
In a last minute surprise, the Department of City Planning informed Community Board 3 that it could not commit in writing to including the CB’s seven points in the Environmental Impact Study, the study of the impact of the rezoning on the neighborhood which indicates which aspects of the plan are feasible. In response, the CB’s resolution to support DCP’s moving forward with the EIS provided that the seven points were included in writing was removed from the table by the chair of the community board. The resolution was returned to committee.

[ April 24, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Community Board 3 Meeting
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 6:30pm
PS 20 - 166 Essex Street, (E. Houston & Stanton Streets)

[ April 19, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Executive Committee
Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 6:30pm

Community Board 3 Office, 59 East 4th Street

[ April 30, 2007; 7:00 pm; ] Con Edison Environmental Settlement Fund Subcommittee

Monday, April 30th - 7:00pm — University Settlement at Houston Street Center, Room 3 - 273 Bowery

1.             Next steps, Greening Lower Manhattan East initiatives
2.             RFP process and alternative uses to fuel switching of settlement fund
3.             Update, Greening A Block, Asthma Free School Zone, Con Ed response

[ April 23, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Ethics, Bylaws & Procedures Committee
Monday, April 23 - 6:30pm — Community Board 3 Office - 59 East 4th Street
 

§               Bylaw review concerning open meeting issues

[ April 18, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Task Force on Religious Institutions and Land Use
Wednesday, April 18 - 6:30pm — University Settlement at Houston Street Center, Room 3 - 273 Bowery
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§               Future of Mary Help of Christians Church property

[ April 18, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] 200 Allen Street Hotel Task Force

Wednesday, April 18 - 6:30pm — Community Board 3 Office - 59 East 4th Street

§               Labor Issues at 200 Allen Street

[ April 17, 2007; 7:00 pm; ] Human Services, Health, Disability, & Seniors / Youth & Education Committees
Tuesday, April 17 - 7:00pm — Rutgers Community Center - 200 Madison Street (btwn Rutgers & Pike Streets)

Human Services
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§               Review of Dept of Health’s Lower East Side/Chinatown Community Health Profile
Youth
§               Henry Street Day Care Center #3, 712-714 E 9th St closing of center serving low-moderate […]

[ April 17, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Housing, Land Disposition, Zoning, & NYC Housing Authority Committee
Tuesday, April 17 - 6:30pm — Project Renewal, Kenton Hall - 333 Bowery (btwn 2nd & 3rd Streets) 

1.             Discussion of possible use for now vacant section of Essex Street Market
2.             BSA 60-07-BZ, 150 Delancey St - proposed zoning resolution to increase lot coverage from permitted 65% to […]

[ April 16, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] 197 Plan Task Force
Monday, April 16 - 6:30pm — University Settlement - 184 Eldridge Street (btwn Rivington & Delancy Streets)
 §               Continued discussion of zoning plan for 13th St to Houston/Delancey–Ave D to Bowery/3rd Ave

[ April 16, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] SLA & Economic Development Committee

Monday, April 16 - 6:30pm — JASA/Green Residence - 200 East 5th Street (btwn Bowery & 2nd Avenue)

1.             Extension of Resolution Area on Orchard St, south of Rivington St to prohibit additional liquor licenses
Renewals with Complaint History
2.             B-Side, 204 Ave B (op)
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3.             King Size, 21 Essex St (op)
4.             Buenos Aires Restaurant, […]

[ April 12, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Parks, Recreation, Cultural Affairs, Landmarks, & Waterfront Committee

Thursday, April 12 - 6:30pm — Village View, Community Room - 175 East 4th Street (btwn 1st Avenue & Avenue A)

1.             ULURP 070349PSM: East River Waterfront
2.             Hester Street Collaborative request to extend the Avenue of the Immigrants art installation until construction begins on the malls
Street Fair & Block […]

[ April 11, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Public Safety & Sanitation / Transportation Committees
Joint meeting with Con Edison Environmental Settlement Fund Subcommittee

Wednesday, April 11 - 6:30pm — University Settlement at Houston Street Center, Room 2 - 273 Bowery

Public Safety/Sanitation
1.             Availability of recycling containers in NYC streets and parks
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2.             To authorize Ed Lloyd, Columbia Law School, to petition the NY Public Safety Commission […]

[ April 10, 2007; ] Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended on April 9-10 for Holiday Observance

Alternate side parking regulations will be suspended on Tuesday through Friday, April 3-6, and Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10 for holiday observance. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

[ April 9, 2007; ] Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended on April 9-10 for Holiday Observance

Alternate side parking regulations will be suspended on Tuesday through Friday, April 3-6, and Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10 for holiday observance. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

[ April 6, 2007; ] Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended on April 3-6 and April 9-10 for Holiday Observance Alternate side parking regulations will be suspended on Tuesday through Friday, April 3-6, and Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10 for holiday observance. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

[ April 4, 2007; ] Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended on April 3-6 and April 9-10 for Holiday Observance Alternate side parking regulations will be suspended on Tuesday through Friday, April 3-6, and Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10 for holiday observance. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

[ April 3, 2007; ] Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended on April 3-6 and April 9-10 for Holiday Observance Alternate side parking regulations will be suspended on Tuesday through Friday, April 3-6, and Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10 for holiday observance. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

by Jacob Goldman
We have 3 open houses this Sunday, from 1-3pm, featuring renovated apartments in the Hillman and East River cooperatives. As always, if Sunday is not convenient for you, please give us a call to schedule a private appointment. You can reach us as 212-388-1115 (x100 or x101).

by Tibi Z. Singer
As the 2008 presidential campaign heats up, Manhattan Mini Storage has launched a new set of anti-Republican ads. On billboards, phone booths, and in subway cars, the ads pillory the current administration. One reads: “Your closet’s scarier than Bush’s agenda.” Another, which features a large man wearing an “I Heart Halliburton” pin, states: “Your closet’s so narrow it makes Cheney look liberal.” A third makes reference to the 2006 congressional election: “The Democrats cleaned house, why don’t you?”
Some think the new ads have gone too far. In recent weeks, the Republican blogosphere has been awash with disapproving posts…

by Don Cruise
The NYPD is seeking the public’s help in identifying and locating a man wanted in connection with a series of robberies in Manhattan and the Bronx.
The suspect, a Hispanic male in his 20s, is said to enter the commercial locations, produce a silver handgun or black knife, demand money and then flee in a silver Dodge Charger with Massachusetts plates. He is pictured above in a photo provided by the NYPD. Photo is best quality available.
At right is a picture of a Dodge Charger. The incidents under investigation are:
• March 5, 2:45 a.m., Unitex Deli and Grocery at 221 East Broadway in Manhattan (Lower East Side).
• March 16, 2:00 a.m., Howard Johnson Hotel at 1922 Boston Road in the Bronx (West Farms section).
• March 19, 4:40 a.m., Unitex Deli and Grocery, at 221 East Broadway in Manhattan (Lower East Side).
• March 20, 4:08 a.m., a bodega at 130 Eldridge Street in Manhattan (Chinatown).
• March 20, 5:10 a.m., a gas station at 523 Grand Street in Manhattan (Lower East Side).

Anyone with information on this case or any of the incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1800-577-TIPS or 1800-577-8477.

by Maibe Fuentes
On Saturday, March 31 at 12:30 p.m., hundreds of immigrants will get the legal help they need to become U.S. Citizens at Immigration Assistance Day, a project of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, and the CUNY Citizenship and Immigration Project. The YMCA of Greater New York is proud to partner with the Borough President, CUNY, the Chinatown Manpower Project, and MetroPlus on this initiative at which dozens of volunteers will be on-hand to help these new New Yorkers get on the road to citizenship.

by Pat Arnow
Whole Foods opened its latest Manhattan branch today on the Lower East Side at Houston and Chrystie, right at the 2nd Ave. F and V stop. With some local food and decorative touches, it aims for a neighborly feel. It’s too big and sleek to feel Lower East Side-ish at present. With 71,000 square feet, and 600 employees, you can find some of the things you can buy at your bodega, though plumper, prettier, organic and more expensive. Or maybe not.

by Jacob Goldman
LoHo Realty got inspired by iTunes. Every Tuesday, Apple’s iTunes sends out an e-mail to its subscribers listing the new music available to download from its service. Now on Tuesdays, LoHo Realty sends out to its e-mail subscribers its new apartments for sale and sublease. In case you missed it this week, we featured two great new listings:
One is a fantastic 1 bedroom in Hilllman for $479K.
The other is a really nice 2 bedroom with balcony in East River for $650K.
Click on the links to check out these two great apartments and our other listings – and stay tuned many new homes are coming up. To sign up, Join Our Mailing List.

Martin Creed

by Tibi Z. Singer
Public Art Fund presents British artist and Turner Prize recipient Martin Creed and his band in the U.S. debut of his Variety Show, a performance combining theater, artist lecture, dance and music. Best known as a visual artist, Martin Creed brings his inimitable blend of pop, absurdity and deadpan humor to the stage. The show’s format is fluid, offering this inventive and multifaceted artist a way, as he says it, “to try to put everything in it.” And it’s for one night only.

by Tibi Z. Singer
After ailing for years, the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater has breathed its last, reports Mark Blankenship in Variety. Reps have announced that the company has disbanded and vacated the Bouwerie Lane Theater, its East Village home since 1974. Founded in 1971 by the late Eve Adamson, Jean Cocteau Rep thrived for decades as an enclave for hip, ensemble-focused legit. In 2004 five longtime members of the acting com-pany split to form Phoenix Theater Ensemble. And so it went.

[ March 29, 2007; 6:30 pm; ] Event: ‘Rosie Mendez Quality Of Life Forum’

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Date: Thursday, March 29, 2007 At 06:30

Contact Info:
Community Board #3, 59 E.4th St, Phone: 212.533.5300 - Fax: 212.533.3659
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URL: http://www.cb3manhattan.org
Councilmember Rosie Mendez’s Quality of Life Forum Co-sponsored by
Community Boards 3, 5, & 6
Thursday, March 29 - 6:30pm — Manhattan Night and Day High School - 240
Second Avenue (at 15th Street)

by Shiang Liu
Noting the often-contradictory parking street signs in all five boroughs, John Liu, chairman of the transportation Committee, has asked a rather smart question: Why not use the technology at hand to better inform the public on parking regulations? The Queens councilman has introduced legislation that - if passed - would require the city Department of Transportation to post all parking regulations on its Web site, broken down by block. There’s absolutely no reason why this can’t be done. Indeed, it’s surprising that such a system isn’t already in place, given the obvious benefits: For one thing, the process of posting the information on the site would give DOT a chance to clean up contradictory signs.

by Tibi Z. Singer
The circus is coming to town and animal rights activists are gearing up for a fight. For groups backing City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez’s proposed ban on exotic animal performers, this week’s annual elephant walk by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey outfit was the first salvo. On Saturday — timed to the start of the show — they plan to fire back at a rally outside Madison Square Garden.

“Bears don’t naturally wear tutus or ride bicycles,” said John Phillips, executive director of the city’s League of Humane Voters. “Tigers don’t naturally jump through flame hoops.”

by Yori Yanover
Here’s my first attempt at the rooftop panorama thing. As I reported earlier, three of us went up and took many shots of the city and the river and whatnot from the East River Housing rooftop. I sat for a while and pieced together this first yield. Just keep scrolling rightward…

Kodi and Raam, half of Hypernova

by Tibi Z. Singer
Performing Monday night at Fat Baby bar on the Lower East Side, the four members of Hypernova almost made it through their set before distinguishing themselves from the many other hip and hungry young talents who come to New York seeking musical recognition. “We have no idea how good or bad we are — we’ve just been playing in Iran,” blurted out Raam, the group’s 25-year-old songwriter and frontman, to howls of encouragement from an audience of about 30 people stacked with Iranian-American friends and supporters. Nonchalance is a hard act to master.

Each Time I Kill, Fri. 8:45

by Tibi Z. Singer
Anthology Film Archives will be screening 15 full-length films and more than 100 shorts during its 14th New York Underground Film Festival. The festival runs Wednesday, March 28 to Tuesday, April 3. Closing Night is Sunday, April 1st and the two final days are repeat screenings for those of you who just can’t get enough. All screenings are at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. at Second St. “We play hard to get,” they write, “so we don’t list our Nightly Parties, so check in at the theater if you want to make a night of it.” I’ll be there, hope to see you, too.

by Yori Yanover
Yesterday, we got permission from the East River Housing management for three photographers to go up on the rooftops and take shots of the city. We’re planning a major presentation of the effort (it was 75 degrees, wonderful sun blazing, don’t ask). Meanwhile, here’s Pat Arnow’s sunset, taken a few years back.

by Yori Yanover
Couldn’t help admiring the image of a giant lady looking down at the Lilliputian painters working on her midriff. You can just hear her saying, “Watch where you’re going, buster…” Corner of Houston and Lafayette, I think, somewhere around there.

by Tibi Z. Singer
“As a business owner, I feel good coming to work every day,” says Sara Kubersky, 32. She and her sister, Erica, 27, co-own Mooshoes on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Started in 2001, the company sells shoes and accessories that she refers to as “vegan.” But their office is also entirely green. Kubersky says this fosters a sense of solidarity and loyalty in her staff. “They actually care,” she notes.

It must be working. Generating more than $1 million in sales a year, the company has twice had to move to larger offices. She points out that this growth is due, in part, to the loyal customer base built and retained by the company’s green approach. “We could tell that other companies are getting in on the trend,” she says.

by Tibi Z. Singer
In our tireless search for web notes about the neighborhood we’ve run into this one. “In honor of the impending Passover holiday, I decided to take a tour of my Jewish roots and make a trip down to the Lower East Side to enjoy the delicacies that my grandparents enjoyed so long ago,” writes blogger Noah. He continues: “So, I made two stops on the corner of Essex and Grand Streets that really reminded me of how great SOME Jewish food can be…”

The funny thing is that his first stop before Passover is a bagel shop… “First up was Kosar’s Bialys. My father is convinced that I must’ve had bialys before, but I honestly have no recollection.” Hopefully, he’ll have enough time this week to clean up the bialy crumbs…

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

by Tibi Z. Singer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is something of a gastropodionado. A glass snail figurine dangles from a string around his neck. Two plaster sculptures of snails and a snail lithograph repose in his Lower East Side apartment. And the showpiece of his Web site, www.HitRecord.org, is “Escargots,” a surreal short subject he animated, narrated and performed in. It’s based on a poem by Jacques Prevert.

His acting career has proceeded at anything but a snail’s pace. He rocketed to fame in 1996 as the boy alien on the sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun, and stayed aloft for a half-dozen prime-time seasons. Six years after abandoning television to attend college (and three years after abandoning college to pursue a movie career), this slender San Fernando Valley native with the softly hooded eyes is one of the hottest young stars in the indie firmament.