Lucien Restaurant Clayton and Lucien remind me why I love the neighborhood so much

Yes, it is Clayton Patteron with his unique hat and fabulous beard. I had the blues and he and Lucien reminded me why I love this neighborhood so much and that we are truly a village, still. Lucien gave me delicous food, good wine and did "spiritual cpr" on me too! (Not on the menu!) Lucien made me want to stay here in NYC and here in our beloved neighborhood. I have lived my entire adult life here and I love the character and characters...the texture...the dynanism.

Clayton Patterson's powerful photos reflect the incrediable texture of the neighborhood past and present and characters that have made the neighborhood famous or infamous...and he just had an amazing exhibit in Chelsea with his photos. At the gallery, I watched a video he made during the riots and I really felt like Ridley Scott must have seen Clayton's work and video footage because "Blade Runner" reflects Clayton's photographs and videos and they are all real!!!!!!!!!!! Clayton Patterson also has the Outlaw Museum here in the neighborhood.

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7098591/

Lucien Restaurant
14 1st AveNew York, NY 10009Phone: (212) 260-6481

Lucien is mystical and magical and that food is great as well!!!!!!!! Another East Village treasure and I treasure lunch at Lucien today!!!!!!!!!!!!

The New York Times, Metro Section, article on NYU and of course I wrote them a letter

Let us see if The New York Times publishes my letter....
if not I will put it up on this blog next week. How ironic NYU reps. say verbatim what I have been heard saying at rallies, on the radio to the mayor which is archived and you can find the link under "comments" on my first blog entry for this site last year...but we don't believe NYU and of course it will be only actions that could make us believe and we are still waiting...we that are left...

Many also feel too little too late...just look around the neighborhood and include all neighbors here in NYC the empire of NYU "occupies".

+ go to link, Scroll down to Oct 19th ...pick the top option for "archived link" which gives you the stream without down loadmove the cursor to 29 minutes (almost the end!!!) Suzannah B. TroyOCTOBER 19, 2007 Live from City Hall with Mayor Mike and John Gambling

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.b270a4a1d51bb3017bce0ed101c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=/html/om/html/2007b/events_10.html

You can hear me confront him about NYU mega dorming the East Village to death and more...including my demand for community outreach resource centers in every mega dorm...

Jan. 31 just got this email from Andrew Berman www.gvshp.org

1) For the first time, NYU agreed to a a set of "planning principles" to guide the university's future development. The principles were negotiated by a task force led by Borough President Stringer which includes GVSHP, other community groups, elected officials, and community boards. The principles include the University prioritizing identifying locations OUTSIDE of our neighborhoods for possible future growth (see gvshp.org/documents/NYUPlanningPrinciples.pdf). This is a significant change in NYU's practices GVSHP has long called for (see http://gvshp.org/NYUexpansion.htm#2Feb06)
2) NYU's public 'Open House' presented a variety of possibilities the university is contemplating for its future growth (see www.nyu.edu/nyu.plans.2031/pdf/OpenHousePresentation.jan30.pdf)
Both events were covered extensively in the press, including in:
AM NY (http://gvshp.org/documents/AMNYPlanningPrinciplesNYU.pdf)
NY 1 News (www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=8&aid=77996)
The New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/nyregion/30nyu.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=karen+arenson+NYU&st=nyt&oref=slogin)
Metro NY(http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Village_skeptical_of_Godzilla_NYU_plan/11627.html).

GVSHP worked very hard to ensure that the planning principles emphasized the need for the university to look outside the neighborhood as much as possible when contemplating additional growth. We hope and expect that these principles will be a roadmap to further more specific and concrete agreements, and we intend to hold NYU to the letter and the spirit of this document.

However, clearly much work still needs to be done. NYU's plans still project the university adding 3 million or more square feet to our neighborhood over the next 25 years -- the equivalent of seventeen or more of their new 26-story mega-dorms on East 12th Street -- an amount we find completely unacceptable. Additionally, the University's plans reflect a great deal of thinking around the possibility of new developments in our neighborhood -- especially in and around the Washington Square Village and Silver Towers superblocks -- while plans for finding development sites outside our neighborhood remain vague and preliminary. GVSHP has long taken the position that NYU should remain within their existing footprint and envelope in our neighborhood -- rather than continuing to expand -- and that their first priority must be to find alternative sites for any new growth. While the university has taken some small concrete steps in the right direction -- such as agreeing to site a new graduate dorm in Downtown Brooklyn -- we are very concerned that the University does not appear to be moving as quickly or as resolutely on alternative locations for other new development as they are for local ones. Many members of the public who attended yesterday's Open House expressed similar reservations about the university moving ahead with ANY new development plans in our neighborhood until or unless they exhaust their options for satellite locations.

You can express your concerns directly to the university by going to their feedback page at http://www.nyu.edu/nyu.plans.2031/comments/.

GVSHP will continue to work hard through the Borough President's NYU Task Force and through our own efforts to prevent inappropriate development by the University in our neighborhood. We believe the planning principles agreed to by NYU give us increased leverage in this regard, providing a means to either steer the university away from such development, or to publicly call them on their failure to maintain written agreements they have made with GVSHP, elected officials, and a broad range of community groups.

Andrew Berman, Executive DirectorGreenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

George Bliss, Hub Station, 73 Morton Street, George recycles on many levels...

This is the original sign from George Bliss's multi-faceted bicycle one story garage place on 3rd Street where George Bliss was forced out for what is now the New York Law mega dorm with balconies.

This white tricycle is a custom creation to transport children. George and Hub Station can recycle and or create any kind of moveable eco-friendly transportation for you.

Gentle good Scout takes a nap. I met George Bliss in the late '80s when he lived across from my windows that face 12th Street and I would see his beloved dog Orvis who I later came to walk around the neighborhood. One of my great joys was running around with Orvis. George and his girlfriend would go out and search through trash finding items to sell way back when and he used his dynamism to create tricycles (dump toting tricycles) and unique bicycles that could haul recycled items and of course Orvis! I remember I use to talk to Ben, a homeless man that George was kind hearted enough to give shelter to. Ben and I both enjoyed walking Orvis.

George Bliss went from 12th Street to 4th and the Bowery which was Cooper Union property. At first Cooper Union was cool and supportive and George was an unpaid advisor for an engineering course that studied human powered vehicles . It had been a Gulf gas station and of course a bicycle hub of eco-action by George with his bicycles. Of course Cooper Union displaced George and also note George was an early activist fighting NYU's mega dorm-i-nation protesting the first mega dorm on 3rd Avenue yet NYU, Yale University, organic farms and recycling programs bought his "dump trickes" (his tricycles that he developed to haul garbage he would recycle) way back when. Note: George Bliss doesn't focus on protesting anymore. His eco-activism is to provide an alternative source in this case pedicabs that is better for people and the environment especially in urban cities like our beloved NYC! George is focused on the big picture in terms of his activism = the Planet!

Back to displacement, George's eco-activist bikes got booted out for Eric Goode to run the model celebrity hang out eatery (Eric Goode of the zone busting Bowery Hotel that looks like a prison just a block away) until Cooper Union decided it did not look good for a university to be the landlord...that is how I understand it from neighborhood sources so don't quote me....

George than moved to 3rd Street where he got displaced and the one story garage was torn down for a mega dorm NY Law dorm with balconies. From there he went to Soho, Broome and Thompson, yes, you guessed it, got forced out so know he is at 73 Morton Street.

And yes, Columbia University's velvet hammer has crushed George and the people of Manhattanville because George has a work studio that has become inconvenient (talk about incovenient truths--how about inconvenient existences...(for these universities and developers and their backers) that is how many of us feel city wide as gentrification reaches new heights and population push out for college kids and luxury hotels-condos which I renamed supersification.... )so he must move it.

I would love to create a map of George's displacement...his constant flux yet he endures and continues on with his noble endeavors and creations to help communities city wide in an pro-environment way.

George Bliss, Hub Station, 73 Morton Street,  hubstationsoho@yahoo.com

I urge you to visit Hub Station and rent a bike, buy accessories, hire George to make you a unique eco-friendly creation. We must support these unique gems so do an article on him, post the Hub Station on your blog, tell your friends!!!! Pedicabs are stored there and George is part of the magnificent New York mosaic of people that truly want a green New York to help the communities city wide and eco-wise -- the planet.

George Bliss is what I call an "Eco-Activist". He wants to save the Planet. If NYU or Cooper Union both hired him even I would say "good" because he can begin to recycle their toxic karma towards our community. That is my unique artist's opinion!

George's initial idea was a community space (and I witnessed this from my window on 12th Street way back when) but he can't afford real estate so he took his idea to the streets. The streets even here in NYC are free for now. George points out instead the mayor doing all this price congestion we could get these new "smart cars" out of Europe that are mini so it is like parking a shopping cart. He compared these cars to computers vs. typewriters and they would save all these tolls, price congestion, ticketing and help the environment.

Green transporting...urban city landscape...it can be done and George has so many ideas on this you should hear what he has to say first hand!

There is so much more I have to write. I took extensive notes and there is the lawsuit against Christine Quinn and city council which I need to read more about. I know The New York Daily News did a piece on this.

I have to run but I will write more because this is an exciting important topic...

Scarano's "finger" to the community zone buster and the NYU unmarked pink dorm on the Bowery

To the right of the tree is a pink building that is deceptively large NYU student housing "unmarked" and when I met with NYU's representatives they said the landlord would not let them put up their flag and NYU map. I also asked them to update their maps and I want them to accurately represent their true "campus". Scarano's message to the community is intrinsic in his design and NYU (the East Village's very own evil empire and all the developers and share Scarano's message. NYU is the no. 1 real estate magnate and occupies and displaces us waiting for buildings to empty so they can continue their unending need for expansion and
with the perk of not for profit status!

The Scarano "finger building" is the Bowery Hotel but looks more like a prison and makes me wonder if the architect takes anti-depressants or should. Visitors must not mind their lodgings are next to the *Salvation Army and a homeless shelter. The only buildings that line up with this zone buster is the NY Law mega dorm on 3rd Street, Dubai on the Bowery aka Cooper Square Hotel and all the NYU mega dorms and the Cooper Union mega dorm pictured on this blog in the archive.

* Note: I have stated my concern for quite a while now that my fear is the Salvation Army will sell off this space just like the evicted all those women that depended on them for affordable housing by Gramery Park....You see where I am going with "lining up"...you can interpret in many ways...

love the feeling

Transportation that tells a story...love the vibe...especially now when gentrification has become supersification...these unique statements become more important...

Hawk above the McSorley's crowd East Village

I don't have fancy cameras but you can see the hawk sitting on the roof. This was from a couple of days ago and there was a line outside of McSorley's bar.

scantily clad men on 2nd Avenue in frigid weather

This was the day before I posted and if you click on the top photo you can see he is healthy.

email from Andrew Berman re: Pier 40 & NYU's open house

Dear friend,

I want to encourage you to attend two very important upcoming events:

1) There will be a rally to show support for community-compatible park uses on Pier 40 this Sunday, January 27th, at noon, at the pier's courtyard fields (see flyer at www.pier40.org/Pier40Hearing.pdf -- Pier 40 is at Clarkson Street). A decision by the Hudson River Park Trust on the current development proposals for the Pier is expected on January 31, so it is CRITICAL that we show strong support for maintaining a pier which is compatible with our park and our neighborhood. You can also help by signing an on-line petition to the Trust at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/RallyForPier40/.

For more info, see www.gvshp.org/Pier40.htm.

2) NYU will be holding another Open House regarding its 25-year campus plan on Wednesday, January 30th from 4-7 pm at Hemmerdinger Hall, 100 Washington Square East (see www.gvshp.org/documents/NYUOpenHouse1-30-08.pdf). The event will provide information about the University's development plans as well as an opportunity for the public to provide feedback. We strongly urge you to attend -- to find out more, and to let the University know that their #1 priority MUST be to cap new development in our neighborhood and to seek alternative locations for its continued growth.

GVSHP is a member of the Borough President's Community Task Force on NYU Development, which has been helping to move the University towards agreements on appropriate approaches to, and limits on, development in our neighborhood. However, the University continues to assert that it must add an additional six million square feet of space over the next 25 years, and that half that amount must be in our neighborhood -- the equivalent of seventeen more of NYU's recently-built 26-story mega-dorms on East 12th Street. It is therefore CRITICAL that we continue to push for further limits on NYU's planned growth in our neighborhood.

See the front page article on this topic in today's AM New York at www.amny.com/news/local/am-collegetown0125,0,6122493.story and www.amny.com/media/acrobat/2008-01/23136028.pdf.

For more information, go to www.gvshp.org/NYUexpansion.htm.

Best,

Andrew Berman, Executive DirectorGreenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

Fire hydrants missing caps

AM New York St. Ann's mega death for NYU mega dorm front cover

Please pick up AM New York today and read the article about NYU and Columbia University crushing our communities.

Brian Leetch No. 2, 9-11 hockey helped me, my letter in the sports section for him 2004

Tomorrow I will put a picture up of my painted pucks and uniquely framed letter with other supporters that were riled by trading Leetch published in The New York Post Sport Section, March 7, 2004.

Post 9-11, I got fascinated with different things that were not my main staple pre-9-11. After this letter I bought his shirt but last year donated it to PAL. I was moved by his grace with his speech tonight as they retired his shirt. Post 9-11, I can count the experiences that were significant in a way that kept me going and one was hockey related. I painted these pucks with this and the Leetch letter in mind. I am giving one puck to a 9-11 friend who reappeared when I need a helping hand and an unconditional one...help without agendas.

ps I love the NYC skyline on the motorcyle custom seat they made for Brian Leetch and it is the skyline of "real" New York.

Beautiful birds return to nature or as close to "it" as this concrete supersized city allows

The bird watchers told me about a bird visiting here that has never been seen before but I can't remember the name..."something Oriole"...should have written it down but too tired. They told me this is a yellow belly sap sucker and it was happily dining.
Amazing as people are forced out of their beloved city as gentrification becomes supersification, the beautiful birds are returning...still so funny to see seagulls flying high above the city. I can see seagulls from my bedroom window. A park close by that is not Tompkins....

Cooper Union, Dubai on the Bowery so fast in contrast to Deutsche Bank's taken down so slow

This is a back view of Cooper Union's speed build and to the left is Dubai on the Bowery as named by New York Magazine...Cooper Square Hotel. Yes, I am very upset because I believe two very special firemen, amazing good souls, one who I am honored to say I knew, died down at Deutsche Bank and I just don't understand how St. Ann's got torn down and NYU got the newest hideous mega dorm built so fast and the same here in contrast to Deustche Bank.

Go New York Giants! Cheering East Village style...

Do to incredible stress I have focused on the NY Giants. I am wearing a kids blue NY Giants hat because Paragon was sold out and won't be stocked up until Saturday. My inner beauty switch is off and I prefer this "self portrait" because it is so East Village. NY Giants, win the Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!

Landmark NY Historical Society is under threat, sign the petition

"Transparency is needed for an honest society, with out it we lose democracy and mini-oligarchs do as they please serving greed." Suzannah B. Troy, I signed the petition and wrote this by my name. I urge you to sign the petition and read what other people wrote.
This email was sent to me by an activist...

The landmarked New York Historical Society is under threat. Please click on the link to sign your name to the online petition urging the Society to be upfront with the community, make its process transparent, and hold a public forum on its plans to develop its site on Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets. Please send the petition to your contacts, friends and neighbors.
PETITION:
http://www.petitiononline.com/nyhspe/

Just left The Strand Bookstore where I sold some of my Holocaust books but one just makes me cry. It is incredible heavy to carry and it is photos of the children swept up and turned over to the Nazi's from Paris, France. I love children and every child's face is on every page and the book is massive. I just won't have room for all these books so I have to let go...More on all this later. I also posted a piece on letters to me on myspace and my favorite letter on the Viet Nam Vet memorial (walls of glass with letters) downtown. I will post what I wrote on the comments for this posting and it includes 9-11 rescue workers.

Found Karl last night and 2 poems about Tompkin Square Park

I found Karl heading towards Tompkins Square Park last night and he was cold so I got him a hat. I hope he made it back downtown to Heuss House last night. I know his right leg was hurting him. He was sober so I bought him a cup of coffee. He doesn't "push a Cadillac" aka "shopping cart" so he wouldn't take a blanket. He travels lightly and with grace. He is one of the few New Yorkers that is anti-clutter and I hope to lose a lot of clutter; live clutter free finally. Karl is not a lost soul. He just needs a room of his own and a safe place. I understand. We understand about needing a home and needing a safe place to call home.

2 poems and a sketch of a tree in Tompkins Square Park in the pack of my date book...I don't have the tech skills yet to clean up the photo but I want to contrast the writing with the key board which is part of my art -- it is all my art...

Tompkins

Lost souls

sit in Tompkins Square Park

waiting as if some bus

will arrive

but it ain't ever going to arrive,

toothless, vicious cycles, broken dreams and needles,

empty bottles of cheap alcohol and drugs,

under the stunning green canopy Tompkins

Tompkins

light illuminates

magnificent trees

connecting living tapestry

shelter from chaotic city

swaying softly

beauty

living canvas

enduring stories

poetry alive at peace

I am at peace rich moments precious quietude

under the stunning green tapestry

*hard to read my quick notes but this is the jist of my poems...one rough real one too pretty.

Also on the page with the drawing and poems wrote this down...

"A Survivor once said to me when the desire to live becomes greater than the pain inflicted on you, you cease to be a victim and you become a survivor. "

Leslyn Stewart widow of Det. Dillion Stewart

Tompkins Square Park this afternoon people feeding people

It is a freezing cold day and as usual people are helping people. A group of people had hot food they were handing out and of course it is moving. I have gotten frustrated with Parks Dept. enforcement for such a small park and Tompkins should be a place to relax but it is a park of fences more than welcoming green which is sad. The goodness and generosity are like the canopy of beautiful trees than even in cold weather look like beautiful line drawings.

The other day I wrote a myspace piece which I accidentally deleted about a homeless man who is enigmatic and mystical. I handed him Maya Angelou "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" because I am *letting go of books and he told me he would re-read the book. I spoke to him about what was upsetting my soul and he was more generous than some altruistic billionaire listening and with his kind response. He also always mentions this one woman and I know he cares about her...very touching, his warmth and love for her, his kindness to me...very touching, the richness in people's soul even under dire circumstances.

*Books are like best friends and my interests are diverse. Of course like most New Yorkers my home looks like The Strand Bookstore . You hit these walls of realization and the aftermath, letting go and moving forward. What a luxury to have had them.

The physical world is always in a state of change; life and death cycle. I do hope the good energy, kind actions, generosity continue like beautiful energetic echos throughout the universe.

Avenue A, my friend Akko took me here a long time ago before she died

So tired to day...my brain feels fuzzy tired...think of Akko, miss her...she was a tolerant loving soul...a hit and run accident took her from us. We were both going to "Women in the Martial Arts Special Training, 1989 Healing Through Training, San Luis Obispo, California; just found the t-shirt. We travelled to the other side of the USA to accidentally meet and find out we lived so close to each other in the East Village. We became friends immediately. I remember Akko introduced me to this eatery. I like it because you can sit and look out at the park.

Akko built bridges...

www.amny.com/ video Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech

Bike Polo Chrystie Street and Broome

Sammy's still there Chrystie Street

I was vegetarian for a while but my Dad loves this kind of food...still there...

Rally today to save a hotel that should be protected...hope they got lots of press

http://www.savethehotel.org/

Neighborhood people honoring the memory

There is a very touching note typed up honoring this man's life along with a collage of photos and other loving gestures by people. This is the difference between the "village -- East and West" and NYU-Las Vegas-ville.

Eddie L. Graham, Mayor of 4th Street

East Village water main break leaves thousands without water May 27, 2007

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?&aid=69978&search_result=1&stid=8

May 22, 2007
This was one block from all the construction by Cooper Union.

You can see me on this video footage with a diverse group of community members.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/us/08sink.html
Gaping Reminders in Cities of Aging, Crumbling Pipes by William Yardley, Feb. 8, 2007
This was a piece that ran in the national section of The New York Times with a front page photo of a large infrastructure break in NYC and it ran a month after my letter last year.

From the article...
"Still, Mr. Allbee, the E.P.A. official, said age and neglect could prove as fatal to a system as a catastrophic natural event or a terrorist attack.
“You can lose that system all at once because of terrorism,” Mr. Allbee said but you can lose it over time by just not taking care of it.”"

Destroying 'old' New York, Jan. 11, 2007 AM New York

Thursday, January 11, 2007 (That is right last year before the horrifying infrastructure break mid-town but after Jodi Lane died here in the East Village.)

Destroying "old" New York

I continue to write the mayor about over the top development of this new hideous New York being built on the old infrastructure. Also, how the gas smell may be somehow related to this issue, which has been completely ignored by the Bloomberg administration. A powerful example is next door to me, St. Ann's Church from 1847, which was torn down. St. Ann's, where religious staff members resided and homeless people slept on the stairs, now will be replaced by another hideous NYU megadorm an the tallest building ever in the East Village, with 700 students. But New York City, NYU and Hudson Realty have never answered questions about infrastructure concerns like sewage removal, water, electricity, etc. Stop the exploitation and start protecting the people of New York City!
Suzannah B. Troy
Manhattan

* Since this letter was published we all witnessed the horrific infrastructure break that looked like a terrorist attack mid-town and one person died and others were terribly injured.

+NYU want to cram far more students in the building and I video taped the new pipes but my question is how does it affect the old pipes they connect to?

Taller buildings have been built but NYU weighs the heaviest on infrastructure in the East Village with the most mega dorms and their actions evoke all kinds of environmental concerns.

another notice under my door, cancelled the water shut down for NYU mega domination

You know how I feel coming home each day to the notes under my door so the latest one says the water shut down is cancelled...there is more but I will get back to you on the bigger "canvas".

www.rightrides.org Because getting home safely shouldn't be a luxury

www.RightRides.org
Because getting home safely should not be a luxury
dispatch No. 718-964-7781
I am posting this and every university that has pushed us out for their student housing and encourage the high density party atmosphere should support and even model this dynamic organization that deserves support.

Flower Power of the East Village Lata shines on Eyewitness News with Laura Glassberg

Lata Chettri Kennedy shines on ABC Eyewitness news with Laura Glassberg and anyone who has met Lata knows why I use the word "shines". She has such a beautiful heart, soul and incredible compassion for everyone. I have bought amazing books on herbs, trees and healing from her unique collection plus lavender oil, tinctures, teas and moisturizers. I love rose and have many rosey items from Flower Power as well. This store is one of the magical stores that still remains in a rapidly changing neighborhood. Check out this gem and experience some mother earth Flower Power East Village style...that means with a lot of heart!!!



http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=5895474#bodyText
Here is the link to read the article and see the video that was aired on ABC.

DEP gives us a little more notice this time(yes for NYU) & FYI city gov does get "thank you" notes from me

Another note under my door and you know if you read my blog how I feel about that. DEP will shutting down the water Saturday 8am-5:00pm.

I do want you to know that many "thank you" notes have gone out praising people from different divisions of city gov. including Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione for responding to my concerns re: safety for kids by Anna Silver School and Junior H.S. 25 because Alfredo from the http://www.kidsmagicgarden.net/ made me aware these concerns needed to get addressed. I felt DOT was responsive and the same with DEP when I contacted them about streets signs here including getting "No honking" signs and again they were responsive. The same for the parks dept. praising amazing dedicated staff at Tompkins Square Park and others divisions so I wanted to share the positive as well.

I do wish the people of New York could get the response, results and support that NYU does; the mega speed build on St. Ann's Church grave from 1847 demonstrates that NYU student housing is the city's priority. I know many people feel this way city wide as they struggle to remain in their neighborhoods and the lack of support also includes 9-11 issues as well.

David Kaufman and Suzannah B. Troy hold the annoucement from Virgin Books for his upcoming Doris Day biography!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the link for David Kaufman's book on "Doris Day, The untold story of the girl next door" is on the front page of www.virginbooksusa.com website! Click on the image of the book cover to read more and of course Liz Smith has a spectacular quote on the promo page.

Doris Day is an icon and her beauty, voice and incredible talent impacted American culture and that means the globe. It is easy to see many young actresses and singers are fashioning themselves after her!
I am a big "old school" New York Yankee fan so I can tell you there is a sizzling Mickey Mantle mention so run and buy the book...for fans, I am sure it will be a home run out of the ball park!

Visit to the Transit Museum and the old advertisements and other aspects evoked all kinds of feelings.

Jane Fonda in Barbarella ...way back when...

The old subway cars had the old advertisements -- times have changed....The Birds? How about Attack of the mega dorms?

In constrast to the sign in the photo above, w/development for the "new" hideous New York, businesses are displaced...long term community members and small businesses are no longer welcome; gentrification becomes supersification in away never before seen under the Bloomberg administration's tsunami of development .
I am always asking friends to visit the Morgan (Van Gogh letters stunningly moving), the Met so it was so wonderful to have a friend invite me to visit a museum...Thanks John!
Maybe that will be NYU's student population in a few years....?

It feels like the city has still not responded to concerns about safety and I am not talking about terrorism but the city can't seem to do enough to get these community crushing developments of mega dorms, expanded college campuses, luxury condos and hotels pushed through fast enough.....Yes, I am worried about infrastructure, DOB, construction concerns but even just getting caps on the fire hydrants that are missing and there are so many. I am talking about all kinds of concerns & city wide activists continue to ask for a slow down. Here is just one example of re: fire hydrants missing caps. Kids use them as garbage cans for soda cans...It feels like two New Yorks and for one -- the New Hideous New York, there is unlimited money for the development of mega dorms, university expansion and massive development. NYC lost too many firefighters and I don't want their dangerous job to be made anymore dangerous...always feel bad when I see so many fire hydrants like this.

Go to you tube and watch this!

Farbeon - Same Ol' Paradigm - Washington Square Park NYC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyMPHtxf-64

NYU's green buys them p.r. but they congest streets with empty buses & trolleys. NYU uses Lafeyette St. as bus depot. NYU not good green partner...

NYU is a not for profit org. with the deepest pockets and most powerful connections plus p.r. people. Here is the sign stating how wonderful they are going green but it hides the enormous pain and anger of communities which NYU stirs where ever they go until they either push us out or die, oops that is a bit harsh but it seems our very existence and our true feelings has become an "inconvenient truth". We have become an inconvenience and our voices, speaking up is part of the American tradition but how often do you read about how outraged the communities are city wide where they are fighting Columbia University, here NYU, in Brooklyn Ratner development and more...City wide people fighting community crushing development feel simpatico. It should be noted it feels like a death of "old New York" especially for me. I see the NYU Palladium mega dorms, The New School mega dorm...more concrete and I remember the parishioners crying and praying on the street after being turned out of St. Ann's. I see all hideous concrete and no green except for people profiting from making St. Ann's into a mega dorm. We continue to lose icons including community activists. A community member that attended Hilly's funeral told me she thought of me when the topic of NYU destroying the area came up. A true gentleman who sat with me at the City Council meeting on DOB is now in Heaven and of course NYU can't wait to push us out. They wait for buildings to empty to make in to student housing.

Why can't they get rid of most of these half empty buses and trolleys that congest our narrow streets and at least park them on NYU's private property by the massive housing NYU has on Houston Street, etc.

Sty Town was not meant to be student housing but affordable housing and some how graduates get to the head of the list and stay on there. Students say they can't afford public transportation. Than NYU should give these students major discounts so they can afford a city bus or supply bicycles.

NYU thinks green is taking over our green spaces like Washington Square Park and Union Square Park and they bring in thousands upon thousands of students so I suggest to NYU they build gardens on every building and even hold their graduation other than a public park. It is wrong to turn the people of this city out of our park for a private not for profit no. 1 real estate magnate that is not a good partner with the communities where they continue to expand their empire from Stuy Town down the tip of Manhattan. NYU has destroyed the East Village. John Sexton is our Ahab and I urge you to visit St. Ann's mega dorm 120 East 12th Street and see for yourself. NYU's logo should be the Palladium dorm with a dollar bill and not our historic Washington Square Arch because they tear down our historic buildings.

The only "green" NYU cares about is all the real estate they own and lease in NYC and all the money they save not having to pay taxes on it. I am told NYU has expanded it's empire abroad as well. NYU's people and good friends can say what they want but look at their actions. We can't even get them to update their maps to show us what their true real estate holding are here. Could you imagine maps on the sides of all the buildings including the Bowery and 2nd Street which has no NYU flag or map and showed what they really own, lease and it would be fascinating to include faculty, staff and even housing NYU has for parents. Most of all we want them to stop being a partner in the community and leave the village East and West alone.

DEP notifies next door neighbors at 5PM no water, read why and it is for NYU's newest Mega dorm on St. Ann's Church grave

How much money does a man make for making a building into a mega dorm? I met with NYU reps and asked them for community outreach resource facilities in every mega dorm where they used the term community facility to supersize and exclude the community. (See one of my 1rst posts on the historical NYPD building w/community facility, Dec. 19, 2007). I asked NYU reps to hire local artists like Chico and Jim Power Mosaic Man. NYU and David Kramer's people hired an artist who profusely thanks them in with a sign in front of the facade of St. Ann's from 1847. I believe they used her art as a way to stop activists from spraying painting "No more mega dorms!!!".

How much did these people make on this deal and how much did each developer make in the river of concrete--a river of denial aka mega dorms that runs through the East Village...how much do developers make on a mega dorm...and evictions continue to rise but at least college kids have housing and a place to party like in the movies and their favorite tv shows. Being next door to this mega build that was at times a 7 day a week mega build makes me furious for many reasons and I think of Firemen Bobby Beddia and Joseph Graffignino who should be alive today and would be if the Deustsche Bank building had been treated with even half the priority of importance that this hideous mega dorm build was by the powers that be.

A notice was placed under my door last night and of course I was very unhappy to read DEP notified the building at 5 PM yesterday that water would be turned off from 12:30 AM -4:30AM for...? You guessed it -- the no. 1 real estate magnate (and not for profit) NYU, the East Village's very own Evil Empire. We are still waiting for the USPS to notify the State of New York re: the air sale over a historic site as they were legally required to (check http://www.gvshp.org/ for documentation by Andrew Berman USPS air sale).

...DEP and every city agency "it seems" have bent over backward to make sure the most hideous sky piercing NYU mega dorm be built at Guinness world record speed because college kids student housing is the top priority in contrast to the rise in evictions of long term tenants and small businesses. Our billionaire mayor and city planner mega millionaire socialite city planner have done everything but provide trains, buses and NYU trolleys to move us because they want the East Village, Bowery and Lower East Side to be NYU-Las Vegas Ville. The sky piercing mega dorm, luxury condos and hotels reflect a history destroyed and city wide communities no longer welcome...You will have to come visit are recreation of our beloved neighborhoods in a museum or Las Vegas. Could you imagine if NYU had to pay real estate taxes? We could feed and house every homeless person in America. Unlike Columbia University, NYU does not even need to abuse eminent domain to achieve their goal.

http://www.nysun.com/article/44078 This is a letter published last year in The New York Sun!

Trump-Varick and Spring, street blocked as death toll continues to rise in this tsunami of commuity crushing development. Is safety a priority?

The streets are blocked off by the NYPD after another person dies and again we all say this never should have happened.

Another person has died...and it brings back the memory of what I call the "crane condo" (12th & 3rd) which I see from my window where miraculously no one died although people where injured.

July 7, 2007 New York Daily News

Body bag boom
Manhattan: Re "New law tightens screws on builders" (July 4): Too little, too late. How many construction workers and civilians have been injured or died in this tsunami of community-crushing development?Suzannah B. Troy http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/07/07/2007-07-07_voice_of_the_people.html

I also spoke about this, infrastructure concerns, the tsunami of community crushing development and have harmful it has been and of course St. Ann's and NYU's mega dorm destruction for the site at the City Council Task Force Meeting on DOB to a packed house that cheered me like I was Janis Joplin singing take another little piece of my heart. I think a lawyer representing construction workers...the legal ones was applauding me.

http://www.chelseanow.com/cn_12/builtupcomplaintssome.html

If you click on the link for Chelsea Now you can see a photo from the meeting where I spoke up in Dec. 2006 and I put a sticker from www.gvshp.org on my sleeve that was against the Trump development at Varick and Spring. We tried so hard as communities city wide did and continue to do so.

I am not anti-development but I am anti-over the top community crushing development. I remember a pregnant woman who spoke movingly about her concerns for her and her babies health because of being next door to the construction and the city supported the push of this tsunami development and turned a deaf ear city wide to our call to "SLOW DOWN!".

Broadway and Spring Street, Broadway "NOT" so broad way anymore despite the rise in mega buildings and population

Why would the City of New York make "BROADway" narrower with the Bloomberg tsunami of development, rise in population, traffic, more bicyclists, more pedestrians...? Did you ever get the feeling the people making decisions for us are taking helicopters to get around or private jets?