All posts by Seth Werkheiser

River to River Festival

River to River 2011 Festival Line Up

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River to River Festival
River to River Festival in Battery Park City

Since 2002, The River To River Festival has been bring music, film, dance, art, theatre and play to downtown Manhattan, and at a very attractice price; free! All the festivities are hosted at venues ranging from the Seaport to Battery Park to Governors Island. And with so many events, you’re bound to find something that’s worth putting on your calander a few weeks in advance!

 

On June 25th watch American Ballroom Theater, where local 5th and 8th grade students will compete in Rumba, Swing and Tango. Punk icon Patti Smith will be performing Castle Clinton on July 14th. The lovely Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond will be playing on July 7th, as well.

Scroll through the the full River to River 2011 listing below for all the events!

June 19: No One Is an Island, Bang on a Can Marathon, The Commons, Sundays at St Paul’s

June 20: No One Is an Island, Bang on a Can Marathon, After Sol LeWitt, Desperately Seeking Susan

June 21: No One Is an Island, Ivan & Alyosha (Acoustic), GROUP, Hoketus

June 22: No One Is an Island, Rebecca Jordan, New York on my Mind

June 23: No One Is an Island, The Poetry of Food: Elaine Equi, Ivan & Alyosha, Vijay Iyer Sextet

June 24: No One Is an Island, The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger

June 25: No One Is an Island, American Ballroom Theater: Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbow Team Match, Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbow Team Match, Cowgirl Cowhunt, Future Quest & Fula Flute

June 26: No One Is an Island, Sound Bites Series with My Teenage Stride, Sundays at St. Paul’s – Harvestworks NYEAF

June 27: No One Is an Island, The Godfather Part II

June 28: No One Is an Island, Emmet Cohen Trio, The New York Gypsy All-Stars, New York City Opera: Rufus Wainwright Goes To The Opera!

June 29: No One Is an Island, Eric Walton: Esoterica, Chrisette Michele

June 30: No One Is an Island, Emmet Cohen Trio, Laurie Anderson and Bill Laswell

July 1: No One Is an Island, Lower Dens/Dirty Beaches

July 2: No One Is an Island, El Encierro de Acciones, TriBattery Pops: Independence Day Weekend Celebration

July 3: No One Is an Island, Sound Bites Series with The Hairs, Sundays at St. Paul’s – Harvestworks NYEAF

July 4: No One Is an Island

July 5: Sarlin Levine Ganz, The Holmes Brothers, Terry Riley with George Brooks and Ronu Majumdar

July 6: Michael Pemberton, Poets House Annual Celebration featuring Musical Guests Jose James and Bobbi Humphrey, Henry V

July 7: Henry V, Elio Villafranca: Cuban Roots Cuban Soul, My Brightest Diamond with yMusic

July 8: Henry V, The Wake with Weekend

July 9: Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Shadowplay, HOUNDED

July 10: Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Sound Bites Series with Pow Wow!, Extraordinary Moves: Express Your Inner Feiffer Dancer, Sundays at St. Paul’s – New Music Now

July 11: Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Brother from Another Planet

July 12:   Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Extraordinary Moves: Third Rail Projects, Looking Glass, Brooklyn Rider and Kojiro Umezaki

July 13:  Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Extraordinary Moves: Third Rail Projects, Looking Glass, All in Good Time: A Celebration for Jonathan Schwartz Hosted by and starring John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey

July 14: Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Extraordinary Moves: Third Rail Projects, Looking Glass, Extraordinary Moves: Michael Moschen Triangle, Extraordinary Moves:STREB Human Fountain, Extraordinary Moves: Australia’s Strange Fruit The Three Belles, Patti Smith and Her Band

July 15: Henry V, Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Extraordinary Moves: Michael Moschen Triangle, Extraordinary Moves:STREB Human Fountain, Extraordinary Moves: Australia’s Strange Fruit The Three Belles, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House, The Radio Dept. with Asobi Seksu

July 16: Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, Extraordinary Moves:STREB Human Fountain, Extraordinary Moves: Michael Moschen Triangle, Extraordinary Moves: Australia’s Strange Fruit The Three Belles, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House, Open Studio Weekend, Come Out & Play Field Day, MP3 Experiment

July 17:  Extraordinary Moves:THE DANCER FILMS Directed by Judy Dennis, Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House, Open Studio Weekend, Sound Bites Series with Hospitality

July 18: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 19: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 20: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 21: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 22: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 23: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 24: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 25: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 26: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 27: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 28: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 29: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

July 30: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 1: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 2: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 3: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 4: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 5: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 6: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 7: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 8: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 9: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 10: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 11: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 12: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 13: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

August 14: Extraordinary Moves: A Dance to Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer, The Investigation, Constitution, and Formation of Flock House

River to River Festival Gets Started on June 19th

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June 19th kicks off the annual River to River Festival. This is Lower Manhattan’s summer festival loaded with music, art, theater and dance – all for free! Bringing all of these events together is what makes the River to River Festival so great, year in and year our.

This week there’s indie-pop, art exhibits, a mass man-hunt game and more!

Sunday, June 19

On Governors Island, the ‘No One is an Island‘ exhibition kicks off, running through July 4th. This is a group exhibit, “that considers the various ways we currently use the word “nature.”

At the World Financial Center Winter Garden, starting at 11am, the ‘Bang on a Can Marathon‘ kicks off. With over 150 musicians and composers from all over the world, this is a 12 hour medley of music, culture and sound.

In Foley Square at 1pm is The Commons, a real-world game meant to help the city in a fun and game-like adventure.

At St Paul’s Chapel, at 8pm, will be the weekly ‘Sundays at St Pauls.’ The Trinity Choir will be performing, led by Trinity’s Director of Music and the Arts, Julian Wachner.

Monday, June 20

Enjoy After Sol LeWitt; an evening of poetry and music led by Ann Lauterbach and a performance by youth ensemble Face The Music.

The 1985 flick ‘Desperately Seeking Susan‘ will be screened at the The Elevated Acre at 55 Water Street. Free tickets will be available online and at the gate.

Tuesday, June 21

Take in an acoustic performance by Seattle-based Ivan & Alyosha, as they play their “soulful folk tunes” at One New York Plaza.

Download the Group app from the Apple App Store and meet at the corner of Broad St. and Wall St. in front of Federal Hall at 12:30pm for the Group “collective sound work,” led by Aaron Siegel and Larry Legend.

Soon after, at 1pm, experience Hoketus, which is a 25 minute performance of two groups of musicians. They’re spaced apart, and never play at the same time, “but creating melodies through the interactions between them.”

Wednesday, June 22

Soak up the dreamy piano-driven tunes of Rebecca Jordan in Zuccotti Park at 12:30pm.

At 7pm in Rockefeller Park, enjoy New York on my Mind, hosted by Meg Griffin and presented by The Bottom Line. The evening will feature Rosanne Cash, Marshall Crenshaw, The GrooveBarbers, Garland Jeffreys, Willie Nile and more.

Thursday, June 23

At the World Financial Center at 12:30pm, check out The Poetry of Food as Poet Elaine Equi reads food-inspired works amidst delicious food from WFC Greenmarket.

If you saw them earlier in the week, come back and check out Ivan & Alyosha, as they’ll be performing at the World Financial Center at 5:30pm.

At the Castle Clinton, enjoy the jazz stylings of the Vijay Iyer Sextet at 7pm. There’s limited seating, so get your tickets online and get their early!

Friday, June 23rd

At the Seaport, at 7pm, catch the NY debut of The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, featuring Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl.

Saturday, June 24th

The American Ballroom Theater: Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbow Team Match comes to the World Financial Center Winter Garden at 1pm. Watch as 8th and 5th graders dance the Rumba, Swing and Tango in a spirited competition!

Take part in ‘Cowgirl Cowhunt,’ A man-hunt inspired game will take place at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal at 1pm.

Take in Future Quest & Fula Flute as they “perform ‘re-imaginings’ of Meredith Monk’s music.” Free tickets to this event at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at 7:30pm will be available at the gate and online.

Sunday, June 26th

Sound Bites Series with My Teenage Stride, a staple fo the New York City indie pop circuit, will be performing at The Seaport at 2pm.

As part of Sundays at St. Paul’s, Satoshi Takeishi performs ‘Whirlpools’ and Bora Yoon performs ‘The Body Electric’ at the St. Paul’s Chapel at 8pm.

Are you planning on attending any of these events?

Battery Park City Getting Popular with Developers, Families

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Battery Park City Esplanade (Credit: saitowitz/Flickr)

It looks like the “best kept secret” of Battery Park City is becoming less of a secret each day. Judging by this story in the NYPost about the recent real estate activity, it looks like the area if about to get even hotter.

According to the article, One Rector Park has started closings, Liberty Green and Liberty Luxe are renting out units and Centurion Real Estate Partners have “sold about 75 percent of the remaining 76 units.” Popular eatery Shake Shack has already moved into the area, and more restaurants are moving into the area throughout the summer and into the fall.

The vibe of the area, as well as a resurgence in the visits to lower Manhattan, seem to be major factors in the resurgence. Zak Pelaccio, the owner of popular Fatty Crab and Fatty ’Cue food stops, is expanding into the area with three locations. Says Pelaccio, “The parks are so nice, and you have the water.” Harvanit Gahunia and her husband, Rohit Kumar discovered the area on their bikes. “We came down in the evenings,” said Gahunia, “There would be families on the lawns and people biking and walking. I didn’t even realize that there was a part of New York like this.”

Are you seeing signs of growth in your part of Battery Park City?

park 51 rendering

Park 51 Continues to Make Progress

Politics, , ,
park 51 rendering
Architectural rendering of Park51's planned futuristic design

NPR via The Real Deal reports that Park 51, the planned Islamic Cultural Center that has aroused intense ire from many Lower Manhattanites due to its planned proximity to Ground Zero, continues to make quiet progress.

Developer Sharif El-Gamal, CEO of Soho Properties, spoke to NPR about the project’s progress, which has remained out of the headlines in recent weeks. Gamal, who has invested several million into the project, said that the staff has compiled a presentation for potential investors and even applied for tax-exemption status last November.

Ground has yet to be broken but classes and prayer services are currently behind held in the existing structure. Gamal said that leaders of the project will now refrain from announcing possible imams or names of those involved in order to quell the public uproar; frequent announcements last Fall were often met with opposition from locals. Gamal did say that a new building for the center is still a good five years away from becoming a reality.

Additionally, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam first associated with the center, is not involved any longer.

Park51’s plans are rather extensive, as it looks to include a museum, a memorial for September 11th, a meeting place for people of all faiths, a library, an auditorium, a pool, wellness, fitness and sports centers, a culinary school, child care facilities and a restaurant above a ground-floor mosque.

What is your opinion of Park51 at this point?

The Anne Frank Center USA Relocates to Lower Manhattan

Real Estate, ,
100 Church Street, future home of the Anne Frank Center USA (Photo Winick Realty, winick.us)

According to an official press release, The Anne Frank Center USA, a partner organization of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, has signed a lease for a 2,500 square foot ground floor space at 100 Church Street with SL Green Realty Corp.

The not-for-profit Anne Frank Center was founded in 1977 by Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, and promotes the universal message of tolerance by developing and disseminating an array of educational programs including exhibitions, workshops, and special events. Lower Manhattan is a convergence of diverse cultures, so it makes complete and total sense that the Anne Frank Center USA would take up residence in the region!

The Anne Frank Center will reopen in September 2011 and the new space will allow the Center to display its existing Anne Frank exhibit that includes a representation of the Dutch teenager’s bedroom, host student groups and the general public for lectures by Holocaust survivors and other public programs that will serve to educate.

The new location is also part of the growing cultural hub in Lower Manhattan, and only a short walk from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which will be the recipient of a tree sapling grown in Anne Frank’s backyard in Amsterdam. Both museums share a common mission—to educate the public about the continuing danger of intolerance and hate while underscoring the need for remembrance. How lovely that a sapling from Frank’s own backyard will be received by the September 11th memorial.

“The Anne Frank Center USA’s new home presents an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our mission and offer innovative educational programs in Lower Manhattan, thus adding another destination in an area with significant tourism,” said Yvonne Simons, Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center USA, in a statement. “The move to an area rich with like-minded cultural and educational institutions will better enable the Anne Frank Center to promote its message of tolerance and inclusion to a larger and more diverse audience.”

Will you visit the Anne Frank Center USA when it opens in its new location downtown?

President Obama Speaks to Members of Fire Engine 54, Battalion Nine

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President Barack Obama talks with firefighters during an unscheduled stop at the Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 Firehouse, known as the “Pride of Midtown," in New York, N.Y., May 5, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Barack Obama met with members of Fire Engine 54, Battalion Nine on Thursday when he was in town to lay a wreath at Ground Zero. The wreath was laid at the foot of the Survivor Tree, which was badly damaged during the terror attacks but was found beneath a pile of rubble and subsequently replanted and serves as a symbol of the nation’s resiliency. The President did not make a speech and spoke in measured words.

CNN reports that Obama said, “I wanted to just come up here to thank you,” Obama said in prepared remarks, after eating lunch with firefighters and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “This is a symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago.”

The president also visited with members of Fire Engine 54, Battalion Nine, which lost 15 men during the attacks. “Obviously we can’t bring back your friends that were lost,” the president said. “I know that each and every one of you not only grieve for them, but have also over the last 10 years dealt with their family.”

What do you think of the Presidents words?

Barack Obama Visits Ground Zero

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President Barack Obama pauses after placing a wreath at the foot of the Survivor Tree on Memorial Plaza, May 5, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Hot on the heels of the killing of Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the World Trade Center attacks nearly a decade ago, President Barack Obama will be visiting Ground Zero today specifically for a wreath-laying ceremony. AM NY reports that Obama will not speak publicly, but will spend his time meeting with selected families of victims of the tragedy in private.

Obama’s NYC  itinerary is as follows: He will fly into JFK via Air Force on at 10:40 AM, meet with the NYPD and FDNY, as well as Port Authority Police. He will take part in the wreath-laying ceremony at 1:25 PM and have a private meeting at the September 11 Memorial Museum with 50 9/11 victims’ families selected by the White House. He is slated to leave the city at 3:10 PM.

Security will be on high alert throughout the city during his visit. Additional measures include  plainclothes officers positioned amongst uniformed cops; sharpshooters stationed on rooftops;  manholes welded shut; and mailboxes and garbage cans removed along the president’s travel route to prevent attacks from hidden bombs.

PATH train service to the WTC station will be suspended while Obama is there. Street closings in Lower Manhattan are also expected.

What do you think of Barack Obama’s visit to NYC today?

 

Crowds Flock to Ground Zero After News of Bin Laden's Death

Crowds Flock to Ground Zero in Wake of News of Bin Laden’s Death

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Crowds Flock to Ground Zero After News of Bin Laden's Death
Crowds Flock to Ground Zero After News of Bin Laden's Death (Credit: Seth Yassky)

Crowds flocked to Ground Zero on Sunday night as news of the death of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden at the hands of Navy SEALS via a covert, Barrack Obama-sanctioned operation broke and began to spread.  A good chunk of the people that ventured downtown to the former site of the Twin Towers were the surviving family members of those lost in the September 11th attacks of 2001. The news that Bin Laden was taken out brought a lot of still unhealed memories to the surface, but there was an overwhelming sense of vindication at the news and the reality it represented.

NY1 reports that Dianna Massaroli, widow of Cantor Fitzgerald employee Michael Massaroli, couldn’t stay away. “I had to come. Wide awake, beaming, we had to come,” said Massaroli.

Ricky Rubenfeld returned to the site to honor her cousin who perished in the attacks; his remains were not found until a full two weeks later. “We’re here not only to commemorate his death but to celebrate this amazing victory,” she said. “It’s a sense of relief and a sense of justice that [this] brought for our family. For all of the pain and the suffering that my cousin and his wife and his daughters and my father and the rest of the family endured.”

Katie McAvoy’s firefighter father John lost his life trying to save the lives of others on that fateful day. McAvoy was just  a teen when she lost her dad, but she has a very adult view and perspective regarding the matter.  “Justice has been served,” she said. “I think he would hopefully feel satisfied.”

Where were you when you heard the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed?

Rufus Wainwright Free Concert

Rufus Wainwright to Perform Free Show at World Financial Center

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Rufus Wainwright Free Concert
Rufus Wainwright Plays Free NYC Concert at Winter Garder

Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright will be performing a free show at the World Financial Center Winter Garden on June 28th at 7 PM ET. According to Billboard, Wainwright will perform with the New York City Opera and with pianist Kevin Murphy.

As if the fact that the show is free wasn’t enough reason to attend, Wainwright will premiere excerpts from ‘Prima Donna,’ his original opera. He will also perform some of his favorite operas.

‘Prima Donna’ is scheduled to performed in its entirety by the New York City Opera in the Spring of 2012.

Are you planning to attend Rufus Wainwright’s free show? Are you interested in his opera?

Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.

Tour Buses to Pay Meters in Lower Manhattan

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Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.
Do we need more tour bus congestion in Battery Park City? (Courtesy: quiteallright.blogspot.com)

NY1 reports that tour buses will now be expected to pay parking meters in Lower Manhattan, since the September 11th memorial is expected to attract around five million visitors annually. The influx of visitors will be brought downtown by charter buses, which lead to air pollution, noise pollution from idling vehicles and loads of traffic congestion! While tourists and visitors are encouraged to take mass transit to the region, there will still be lots and lots of buses converging on the area.

“The real issue with the tour buses is one of pollution, it’s one of traffic congestion, it’s one affecting the residents and the small businesses down here,” said Julie Menin, chairwoman of Community Board 1.

Buses will be allowed to drop passengers off and pick them up at Trinity Place and Church Street bus stops during off-peak hours. The buses can wait at already existing bus layover zones or at newly created ones. Drivers will be expected to feed muni meters, which might cause bus fare to rise, as well. The price buses will have to pay has yet to be determined.

To minimize traffic overflow, 1,500 visitors will be allowed into the memorial per hour.

Do you think this parking meter plan will work?