NYC The Blog

Paul Richard - SE Corner of Spring and Mulberry

2009-11-06T09:55:00.001-05:00

Previously:
Paul Richard - Spring and Broadway

Community Board 4’s Business Licenses and Permits Committee Denies Permit For New "Pizza" Take-Out

2009-10-30T10:30:00.014-04:00

Community Board 4’s Business Licenses and Permits Committee clearly wanted to avoid any new establishment that would exacerbate the noise [In the area around 17th St. near 10th Ave]. So when the proposal for an outpost of the popular East Village pizzeria Artichoke included requests for a full liquor license and 4 a.m. closing hours, the committee came down hard on the applicant.

[...]

The restaurateurs agreed to post a security guard outside from midnight until the 4 a.m. closing time to aid in crowd control; to provide and service receptacles for trash outside the restaurant; and to install acoustic panels in the ceiling, "even though we’re not going to be playing loud music," Tepperberg said. He added that the restaurant would have a DJ "no more than 10 or 15 times a year" until midnight for birthday or holiday parties.

Corey Johnson, Board 4’s vice chairperson was dubious: "I just don’t know of any pizza places that have security guards and that have an on-premise license. What it sounds like to me...is that this is a bar."

Resident of 17th Street, LeCee Johnson, stunned the committee when she spoke out in favor of the application. Johnson, Chelsea Now reminded, has been an outspoken critic of 10ak and a leader for neighbors in their fight against the bar. So why the sudden change of heart? It's possible being a recent $2 million defamation lawsuit by 1Oak’s owners against her and others might have encouraged her to see things another way. She told the NYPost last week on being named in the suit: "I'm scared, now I understand how they get away with this."

Unfortunately for Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss, partners in the new Artichoke, and owners of 1Oak, they have yet to persuade the Community Board.

Tompkins Square Dog Halloween Parade 2009

2009-10-28T12:23:00.006-04:00

The 19th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade took place this past Sunday.

Michael Jackson (Check out the glove!) :

A Pirate Giving Us an "Aye Matey!":

A Fairy:

See more photos at Flickr, and read one bloggers full accounting of the event.

Seen in East Village: Wanted: Vegan Drummer

2009-10-28T08:10:00.002-04:00

The flyer reads: "Must like sad music. Imagination and personality valued more than technical skill."

Graduate of Hampshire College a plus?

Those interested are invited to email vegandrummer99@gmail.com, where a request for information has not yet been returned.

PAC vs NPA: Taking Over Illegal Ads with Illegal Art

2009-10-27T07:40:00.009-04:00

Jordan Seiler's Public Ad Campaign hit the streets of New York City on Sunday to reclaim alleged illegal advertisements placed by the NPA advertising company. Reporters at the New York Times and ANIMAL New York were both tagging along and have more on the story.

At 3:30 pm, NYC The Blog happened upon two artists, Philip Lumbang and Shai Dahan, (seen in the video above) who just finished adding some art to whitewashed ads on Broome and Chrystie Streets. They explained that approximately 120 signs were targeted on Sunday, signs that Public Ad Campaign maintain are illegal and erected without proper permits or permissions. The Times reports:

A spokeswoman for the City Department of Buildings, Ryan Fitzgibbon, said on Sunday that it was difficult to immediately address Mr. Seiler’s claims. “If outdoor advertisement is allowed, a permit from D.O.B. must be obtained in order to post an advertisement or a sign,” she said. “Advertisements are not allowed on construction fences.”

It is no secret, however, that such advertisements abound, and on Sunday morning Mr. Seiler pointed to a construction fence near his studio that was covered with dozens of pasted posters.

It is this advertising, illegal in nature and often encouraging you to "Buy this, do this, eat that," Lumbang told NYCTB, that is particularly offensive.

Shai Dahan explained: "We can be out here for 45 minutes and have cops roll up on us and be like, 'Hey, you're not supposed to do that' but at the same time, [NPA] puts this stuff up on a weekly basis...and when was the last time you saw any of those guys in handcuffs?"

Representatives for NPA did not return phone calls or emails requesting comment.

NYPD Deploys Skywatch On Canal Street; Counterfeiters Don't Seem to Give a Sh*t

2009-10-26T08:07:00.004-04:00

Quietly peeking above the hectic crowds of Canal Street this Sunday afternoon was a Skywatch unit from the NYPD (seen in the background above). From a distance it blends in with the surroundings, but becomes more ominous as you get closer. Sitting near Church St looking east down Canal, the tactical tower was supplemented by two officers near by on ground duty.

It has been reported that the towers get dispatched to areas that have seen a spike in crime. NYC The Blog couldn't help wonder if they might be keeping an eye on the street vendors in the area selling Gucci sneakers on the cheap. The vendors in the immediate area did not seem concerned, and continued with their business in usual fashion.

Rockwell could not be reached for comment. For more on Skywatch, check out ANIMAL New York.

Where Are Thou? Metal Sculptures Once Existing On The High Line Go Missing

2009-10-21T09:24:00.008-04:00

Individual photos of sculptures can be seen here
Prior to the redevelopment of the High Line railway into a park, it lay abandoned and unused for decades. But not completely abandoned. Determined artists used the area not only as a canvas for graffiti, but as a sculpture garden. At least one anonymous artist welded metal sculptures, seen in the photos above, and left them bolted onto concrete walls in the Chelsea Market tunnel. Some enterprising residents who lived directly adjacent to the park planted gardens in the rail bed outside their window, providing electricity and water for the plantings, and a welcome sign for any who happened by.

Friends of The High line have since restored a large portion of the railway to a bountiful and lush garden, a public park now open to all. The Chelsea Market tunnel now seems bare in comparison, but does have a coffee cart. Any vestiges of urban grit that used to inhabit the High Line has been removed, including most of the graffiti. This has been an ongoing concern for some. Just yesterday, the New York Times reported on these issues, noting what graffiti was up there "has been almost completely erased."

Left unmentioned in these reports is any talk of the metal sculptures. In 2005, New York City took ownership of the High Line from CSX Transportation, Inc from Gansevoort Street to 30th Street. In 2006 when the photos here were taken, the sculptures were still there; by default public property. The sculptures were left anonymously, an anonymous gift from an artist to residents of NYC. It's possible they were created by REVS, a well know graffiti artist whose work is visible from the High Line. During the beginning of this decade, he started leaving metal sculptures around the city, though the pieces on the High Line have never been identified as such by street art afficanodos.

Curious about what happened to these sculptures, NYC The Blog sent Friends of The High Line an email on Sep 16 of this year. Initially concerned about a REVS sculpture that may or may not have existed, the query expanded to include questions about all the sculptures, and other public property left on the High Line, including a number of old subway turnstiles.

Salmaan Khan at Friends of The High Lline told NYC The Blog via email that they didn't know about any REVS sculptures:

...but the sculptures that were attached to the High Line in the Chelsea Market tunnel have since been lost. They were stored for a time at 820 Washington Street, at the Southern terminus of the High Line, but the building they were being stored in has since been demolished, presumably along with the sculptures. We were never able to find out the name of the artist, so they were never contacted. That art piece led an interesting life!

In a follow up email, FOTH explained they lost track of the sculptures after the construction company moved them, "at some point in between all the construction, demolition and movement of everything on the High Line." It was left unclear who stored them at 820 Washington and under what pretense (presumably to keep them safe.)

Did the sculptures get destroyed? Maybe an enterprising volunteer with an eye for art or history is keeping them safe in their apartment? Whatever happened to them, it seems clear that we won't be seeing them in any of the public art displays FOTH have been hosting since opening the park.

It seems unfortunate to say the least. Friends of The Highline have touted the effort that went into The park to replicate the original flora, reuse original materials and incorporate public input. The railroad tracks for example were returned to their original locations and integrated into the planting beds. And the plantings were inspired by the landscape that developed on the tracks during the decades after the trains stopped running. So it seems puzzling and shortsighted that seemingly by design, FOHL excluded from these homages any reference to the High Line's last twenty years as a place for unsactioned public art.

But hey, check out those billboards.

All photos via Paolo Mastrangelo on Flickr.

Most Precious Blood Church

2009-10-13T09:41:00.001-04:00

The Church of the Most Precious Blood had its humble beginnings in 1888 when, by Vatican decree, a National Parish should be established in this area for the sole purpose of serving the rapidly growing number of Italian immigrants who, incidentally, were not welcomed into any of the other are churches, but were always relegated to worship and receive sacraments of the Church in the basements of other Parishes, such as Transfiguration, and St. Patrick's Cathedral located at that time on Mott Street.

Most Precious Blood Church

Sneak Peek at Newly Opened Petrosino Square Park

2009-10-13T07:14:00.013-04:00

What are these two smiling about? By happenstance, Dan Barasch (in glasses) and his friend Willie were the first two citizens to experience the renovated Petrosino Square Park last night after workers began to remove the fence. These two are not the only ones pleased to see the new park though. When the park reconstruction was announced in June, Streetsblog reported:

Interestingly, the loudest round of applause from the crowd of local residents, many elderly Italian citizens, appeared to come during [Council Member] Alan Gerson's remarks regarding freeing up useless road space on Lafayette St. for community use.

It was 9pm last night when people were busy watering the greenery, sweeping the borders, and putting the finishing touches on the park while the fence came down, in preparation for it's ribbon cutting ceremony this morning at 11am. Eight bike racks were installed along the NE corner of the park on Cleveland Pl.

A life long resident of the neighborhood who was born on the NW corner of Spring and Cleveland PL tells me that Petrosino Sq used to be a Milk House, (like this one at Tompkins Sq) "a little house where my mother would send me to buy milk for two cents."

More photos on the Flick, and info on Petrosino Sq at NYC.Gov.

New MTA Bus: DesignLine EcoSaver IV (2009)

2009-10-12T12:47:00.001-04:00

DesignLine EcoSaver IV (2009) Idling on Houston

Last year, DesignLine USA announced "a test and evaluation contract" with the MTA for the ECO Saver IV, a hybrid electric 42-foot bus that is far quieter than others in the fleet and has lower emissions than other buses.

This contract will allow the initial delivery of 30 new DesignLine EcoSaver IV Hybrid Electric heavy duty transit buses to the agency with an option of an additional 60 buses. NYCT is expecting to deploy these new buses on multiple routes.

The unique propriety hybrid propulsion system used in DesignLine’s EcoSaver IV bus
sets itself above all of the current competition in the worldwide heavy duty vehicle marketplace. This system is quieter than other hybrid propulsion systems in operation and lowers harmful emissions.

When the bus photographed at top was idling on Houston St, the noise was so minimal as to be pleasant. Watch and listen to it roll by in the video posted by Caitsith810.

Check Scruffy Reflection, Adjust

2009-10-12T09:36:00.002-04:00

Seen on NE Coner of 14th and Irving Pl. Who knows what this means and/or is referencing?

Fresh Directly Blocking Bike Lanes

2009-10-06T22:13:00.023-04:00

Cycling in New York City can be a stressful experience, not to mention deadly. The bike lane on Prince St, seen above, seems a relatively safe ride, and is often occupied by women—which some argue is a good barometer of how serious a city is about getting people out of their cars and onto their bikes.

When a delivery truck is in your way, that could spell trouble. Though it is a common occurrence, it still seems just slightly brazen. After spotting Fresh Direct in the bike lane on Prince, in a neighborhood not designed for the kind of vehicular traffic it sees today, NYC The Blog rang Fresh Direct on the phone.

We were curious about their policies. Do they explicitly allow their drivers to ignore traffic rules for parking and unloading, being that if they didn't, they might have to incur major costs parking in a lot, garage, or half a mile away?

The supervisor assured NYC The Blog in no uncertain terms that all the drivers "...must obey all traffic rules, absolutely, and should not be parking in bike lanes anywhere." Pressed for more information about any instructions drivers might receive when making deliveries in neighborhoods that often can not legally accommodate their vehicles, she referred my contact info to their transportation division, which never did get back.

Diane Stein, Director of Constituent Affairs at District 1 Council Member Alan J. Gerson's office was empathetic to concerns, and suggested that police enforcement must be maintained, and tickets handed out to scofflaws. She told us over the phone: "Once they start getting tickets, they will stop parking illegally." She agreed it was a conundrum though, and that they don't really have anywhere else to park though. "If you have any ideas or suggestion or other options" she invited, "we would encourage you to talk with us about it."

Ultimately, unless the tickets came fast and hard—which logically would just get passed on to the consumer anyways, delivery trucks will continue to park in bike lanes or other illegal parking spots.
Bucky Turco, resident of Bushwick and avid cyclist here and in Manhattan, offered what might be the best advice considering all else:

Some [bike lanes] aren't suited for unloading, others clearly have the buffer and parking zone. If they're flagrantly parking in bikes lanes and not using the buffer area created, well then, may they go straight to hell. Otherwise, it's part of the game and better make sure you look behind you before you swerve to avoid them.

Which is exactly what the cyclists (photographed below) opted to do upon seeing the Fresh Direct truck in their bike lane.

Past Sell By Date: Abandoned Interior of 197-199 Mott Street

2009-09-29T09:03:00.004-04:00

If you peer through the broken glass at 197-199 Mott Street, you see the remnants of a grocery store. This is what it looks like:

Lieutenant Petrosino Square Nearing Completion

2009-09-28T12:40:00.008-04:00

In a triangle of land between Kenmare, Lafayette, and Cleveland Place, NYC Parks Department has been expanding and reconstructing the area into a new park. Lots of progress has been made as of late, and the park looks to be near completion.

This small park is at a crossroads of several dynamic New York neighborhoods: Little Italy and the Bowery to the east, Chinatown to the south, and SoHo to the west and north. The site/area became parkland as a result of the City Charter of 1938, which turned over all public places and squares to the Department of Parks.

The site was formerly known as Kenmare Square, for the street that runs east to Delancey.

More here.

Street Signs: Smile At All Times

2009-08-03T09:21:00.003-04:00

Seen on 26th Street between 7th and 6th Avenue.

Whole Foods Becomes Latest Salvo in Quest for Equal Rights and Justice for All

2009-07-26T09:10:00.012-04:00

"This Neighborhood wants a GROCERY STORE. Even better, a Whole Foods! Neighbors, you can email Whole Foods to get them in here or call 311 or the Mayor's Office... I'm sick of eating out! We need to take action!"

The sign above was seen affixed to the window of an empty storefront sandwiched between Best Buy and Staples on Lexington Ave, between 86th and 87th Street. As you can see, the poster—"a group of concerned citizens"—has strongly suggested the neighborhood needs a grocery store, preferably a Whole Foods. BTW, there is a Key Food around the corner. Does that count as a grocery store? For what it's worth, the staff at the deli are awesome.

Considering the other stores in the neighborhood now, including the new Barnes and Noble super store recently opened that UES Informer just filed a report on, a Whole Foods would not be surprising. A call to Whole Foods was not immediately returned.

Oh how far we have come in the battle for Civil Rights.

Long Island City Resident Threatens To Leave Neighborhood If Over-Priced, Nouveau, Insecure, Overcompensating Bars and Eateries Do Not Stay Open

2009-07-20T09:02:00.017-04:00

Lounge 47 in Long Island City, Queens, has long been a thorn in residents' sides.

Queens Chronicle, reporting from another contentious community board meeting, notes that the current owner is looking to sell the place. Swimming upstream in his quest to bring "Manhattan Style" to the backwater citizens of LIC have apparently taken it's toll, and he is ready to call it a day.

However, reports are that one resident, Brett Banchek, has drawn a line in the sand and has made an ultimatum. If this place closes, his family is leaving! Because if Manhattan gets to have shitty overpriced bars with obnoxious, inconsiderate patrons and their friends from Boston, well goddamn it LIC residents should have the same rights. Equal rights for all now!

Banchek, according the paper, moved into one of the new L.I.C. highrises about a year ago and decried the general community feeling that there are too many bars on Vernon Boulevard.

"If these restaurants move out, my family is going to move out," he said, adding that he thinks additional bars would be a boost to the neighborhood’s economy and would make the area more vibrant and welcoming.

Other community members pounced on Banchek, and the meeting turned into a shouting match, with everyone talking over each other. Community members berated Bancheck...

[No resolution on Lounge 47]

Filed under Community Board Meetings is where all the good stuff happens.

UPDATE: Curbed.com and Gothamist pick up the story.

Peter Vallone, Council Members Walk Out of City Council Meeting During Moment of Silence for Michael Jackson

2009-06-30T20:50:00.005-04:00

Azi Paybarah, journalist and blogger at at Politiker NY took video today in City Council chambers during a moment of silence for Michael Jackson. According to Azi, "Republicans Jimmy Oddo, Eric Ulrich, [and Vinny Ignizio] along with Democrats Peter Vallone Jr. and Lew Fidler, all left the Council chambers just before" the moment of silence was recognized.

Peter Vallone, a conservative democrat who hates minorities, forward thinking, dogs, and most everyone else, was reported by Azi to have said "he left the room for the same reason Republican State Senator Frank Padavan accidentally wandered through the Senate chambers in Albany—that is, in search of a cup of coffee.

'That’s what I was doing, wink,' said Vallone."

[City Council Honors Michael Jackson; Several Members Walk Out - PolitikerNY]

UPDATED With Live Stream: Fans Gather Inside Apollo Theater to Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson

2009-06-30T15:16:00.010-04:00

Live stream inside the Apollo Theater memorial for Michael Jackson.

(Photo via)

This site claims to have a live feed of the event

Apollo Theater Holding Public Memorial for Michael Jackson Today at 2pm

2009-06-30T08:49:00.005-04:00

The Apollo Theater will hold a public memorial service today, Tuesday, June 30 at 2pm until 8pm, with a moment of silence at 5:26pm, the time of Jackson's death. 600 mourners at a time to will be allowed to enter in 45-minute intervals and leave flowers and memorabilia at the foot of the stage, according to Nina Flowers, spokeswoman for the Apollo Theater Foundation. A DJ will play Jackson's songs.

Video tributes will be played of Jackson's life and career, and Al Sharpton, the President of the Apollo Theater, and others will eulogize Jackson under the marquee.

MP3: Michael Jackson - Ben

Celebrating Michael Jackson at the Apollo Theater

2009-06-28T00:05:00.004-04:00

via: newmodcity

This is another good one, but embedding has been disabled.

TimeOut NY to NYU Students: "get out and stay out."

2009-06-14T11:54:00.008-04:00

This strongly worded email arrived over the transom a few days ago from TimeOut NY. It was in promotion of a poll on their site asking "Do you belong in NYC?"

The email went on to answer the question for a certain group of individuals. NYU students they said, "should get out and stay out."

[TimeOut NY Poll: Do You Belong in NYC?]

Fresh Kills Park Update: Billboards from Skynet!

2009-06-03T00:01:00.006-04:00

Fresk Kills Digger gets a new life as a billboard, image courtesy of New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
NYC The Blog went to a symposium on parks last week sponsored by the Municipal Art Society. While there NYCTB Twittered little snippets of interesting information. Such as learning that the city earns 12 million dollars a year selling the methane gas from Freshkills to Con Edison. Or hearing the Bronx River is New York City's only fresh water river, that volunteers took ten thousand tires off site during cleanup of Concrete Plant Park, or learning that Peter "Rail Trails" Harnik, Director of Trust for Public Land, doesn't mince words when it comes to Tampa, Florida. "Tampa," Peter said dryly, is "not a very innovative place".

NYCTB found the most interesting piece of information gleaned that night was spoken by Eloise Hirsh, administrator for Freshkills Park, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. During her slideshow, (video highlights here) Eloise explained that the Department of Sanitation gave the park a digger, which is a huge machine they used to take the garbage from the barges and place it on the top of the trash mountain. Freshkills Park is going to use the Digger as a billboard. "I don't like to say the word billboard at the Municipal Arts Society, " she confided to the attendees. "So it's just gonna be a really large identification sign."

To the right, another photo included in Eloise's slideshow. An image showing that Fresh Kills Park, if placed in Manhattan, would run from the southern tip of Manhattan to 26th St. Not included in the video online was the slideshow on 100 organizations holding the most influence over Fresh Kills future. Along with the majority of city, state, and federal gov't and non-profit orgs, the Staten Island Advance was listed in the "influential player" category.

Relatedly, Thirteen NY has just posted a video on Fresh Kills for their City Concealed series.

When is a Facade Really Just a Facade?

2009-05-20T22:40:00.007-04:00

By AARON HOWELL
Published: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Tenants living in rent-regulated apartments on W. 14th Street lost their homes two weeks ago when New York City deemed their building’s structure unsafe from a collapsing façade.

Unfortunately for the tenants – who have been in homeless shelters, staying at friends and given shelter by the Red Cross – the city ordered the front facade completely removed and won’t let the tenants move back in until Stanley Wasserman, the owner of 152 W. 14th Street, replaces the façade. (more photos at Curbed. According to DOB records, 150 W. 14th, also well known for violations and disrepair, is not owned by Stanley Wasserman. Both buildings have been ordered evacuated.)

“There is a lack of maintenance that [Stanley] is known for but ours is structurally damaged,” Viktor Luna said last Thursday in housing court as he and other tenants try to force a resolution to the loss of their homes. “We are also human beings that pay rent and doing this to us is inhumane.”

The DOB complaint log on 150 West 14th Street is online here. Among others, you can see in 2007 a violation was issued for: "VIOLATION FILED FOR FAILURE TO MAINTAIN FRONT FACADE BULGING AND BUCKLING AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGTOUT" [sic]

The Department of Buildings, a city regulatory agency that looks for code violations, issued the order to Mr. Wasserman, but according to the tenants’ lawyer Shafaq Islam, the department cannot force violators to fix a building’s problems. Only a judge in housing court can force a landlord, and in the case of the tenants only Honorable Judge David B. Cohen can force Mr. Wasserman to fix the façade.

So far the tenants have received a rent reduction from the city applied to their apartments, they currently only have to pay one dollar a month for a place they can’t live in, preventing Mr. Wasserman from evicting them for not paying rent. A few of the tenants who have brought the lawsuit against Mr. Wasserman have been offered housing in another SRO building down the street (Mr. Wasserman owns three SRO buildings on 14th Street) after having preliminary hearings in front of the judge, who recommended that Wasserman find the tenants housing.

For tenants to get placed in the new building however, they must agree to certain terms that Mr. Wasserman set. Terms that one tenant, who prefers to remain anonymous, feels he cannot accept. These include permanently giving up any claims to his previous apartment, and dropping the lawsuit against Mr. Wasserman.

“If we do accept new tenancy here in the other building, we are afraid that we will end up in the same situation of being forced to vacate down the road,” said the tenant. “Inside the place they want us to move is in very bad condition, the stairways and such are in very bad condition.”

Susanna Blankley, a tenant organizer for the West Side SRO Law Project that helps protect tenants from predatory landlords, said that for a wealthy landlord, a violation means very little and only helps him remove tenants from his buildings due to poor living conditions.

Mr. Wasserman, who in 2003 owned 70 or so multi-family dwellings in Manhattan and the Bronx, with most if not all of his income coming from his other properties, effectively evicted all of his tenants in the case of the collapsing façade. Ms. Blankley speculates that if Mr. Wasserman gets the building cited as structurally unsound, he can demolish the building and replace the rent-regulated, single-room occupancy (SRO) units with high-end, luxury rentals.

In a downtown Manhattan area like 14th Street, Mr .Wasserman could make a significantly larger profit with luxury rentals, over what he currently makes owning an SRO building. SRO buildings often act as housing of last resort to keep people off the street. Rents rarely exceed $400 a month, and the city sets a percentage limit that the landlord may raise the rent each year through rent regulation. With 24 units currently in the building with the removed facade, half of them held vacant by Mr. Wasserman, he makes little if no profit.

Mr. Wasserman, nor his lawyers have been available for comment. Last Thursday in court Mr. Wasserman’s lawyer Martin Meltzer said he felt it inappropriate to comment since the case currently rests in litigation.

However, with the problem of the façade starting in 2007 when he received a violation but refused to take action, and then in 2009 when the city vacated just the front of the building and he still refused to take action to fix the problem, Mr. Wasserman continually ignored the city until they insisted on May 7th, 2009, that he remove the façade at the price of $140,000, and displaced the entire building.

Currently Mr. Wasserman won’t replace the front façade until he gets the building inspected, making sure that it is structurally sound. The Department of Buildings did a visual inspection and they believe the building to be fine, but still Mr. Wasserman wants his own inspection that he believes could take up to two months. During that time the tenants have no home.

David Arthur-Simon lives in yet another SRO building of Wasserman, and worries that the same fate of losing his home looms in his future. His building recently received a citation from the city for cracks in its façade, a similar violation to the original one in 2007 that displaced the tenants in 150 W. 14th Street. He worries that Mr. Wasserman plans to let the façade go without fixing the violation.

“They don’t come here at all to deal with this stuff,” said Mr. Arthur-Simon, who remembers one Christmas not having heat for a week. “People call up for repairs all the time and the never get help.”

(Photo at top by Jeremy Holmes. All links added by Paolo Mastrangelo.)

Q-Tip and ?uestlove make new music live on stage at 92YTribeca

2009-04-21T11:02:00.004-04:00

As someone in the audience said at about 2:51..."woah, what the fuck?!"

I'm not a big q-tip and ?uestlove fan, but when two artists get on stage for an impromptu jam session on the drums, creating a new and original musical composition right on the spot, live on camera, yah. Woah, what the fuck.

Much more information, photos, and video on the 92Y blog.