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Battery Park City related news, events and items for the residents and community of Battery Park City, BPC, Batteryparkcity.com, BatteryParkCity

Battery Park City Fourth of July Fireworks

July Fourth: Best Picks for Battery Park City

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Battery Park City Fourth of July Fireworks
Battery Park City is a great place this year for Macy's Fireworks viewing!

Depending on the year, we either have the best views of the famed Macy’s fireworks in Battery Park City — or we’ve got nada.

Lucky for us… this year is a phenomenal year for the Macy’s Fireworks!!

The fireworks are set to begin at 9:20 p.m. and will have six barges along the Hudson River. The theme of the show this year is “American Harmony” which will feature music that emphasizes the glory of American history.

The New York Pops Orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform, and there will be unique versions of classic patriotic tunes performed by Straight No Chaser, Broadway Inspirational Voices, U.S. Army Soldier’s Chorus, and United We Sing. The music will be performed in sync with the fireworks and can be heard on 1010 WINS. For those who prefer an HD and air-conditioned view of the show, NBC will broadcast the fireworks live beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

For those who are interested in being closer to the action uptown, be mindful of the following street closings:

Fireworks will be launched from six barges in the Hudson River. 12th Avenue will be closed below 59th beginning at 4 p.m. for viewing. Pedestrians can access the 12th Avenue from 11th Avenue at 24th, 26th-30th, 34th, 40th-44th, 47th-52nd and 54th-57th streets. The West Side Highway will be closed to vehicular traffic from 22nd-59th Street starting at 4 p.m.

However, the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks are viewable from anywhere you have an unobstructed view of the sky above the Hudson River.

Some other events worth noting this weekend are:

Rosanne Cash Concert at Governors Island:
An outdoor concert with Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash — bring a picnic and discover Governors Island!Free ferry service starting at 10am from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street between Whitehall and Broad Streets, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry.

The Battery 4th of July Concert and Family Festival – Dan Zanes Jam & Jubilee: Enjoy a free performance by Dan Zanes Jam & Jubilee in Battery Park at 2 p.m. Details and directions available on their website. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Revolutionary War Walking Tour:
Big Onion Walking tours will have a 1 p.m.  walking tour of sites related to the Revolutionary War in Lower Manhattan. Fraunces Tavern, the graves of Alexander Hamilton and General Richard Montgomery, and Federal Hall are among the sites featured on the tour. Admission: Adults $15, Seniors & Students $12. Meet at the intersection of Broadway and Murray Street, at gated entrance to City Hall Park.

Spirit of New Jersey July 4th Dinner Cruise:
See the fireworks while you enjoy dinner, open bar, and live music on Spirit of New Jersey’s cruise from 6 – 11 p.m. (5 p.m. boarding) for $263.90 per person departing from Chelsea Piers. (Price does not include taxes, fees & required gratuities, which add about $80 per ticket.) Consult their website for details and reservations.

Circle Line Downtown’s Zephyr Cruise:
The Zephyr boards at South Street Seaport Pier 16 at 6 p.m., sailing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Tickets are $165 and $120 for children, and include live DJ and buffet dinner with a cash bar available.

Opponents of the Park51 mosque are found nationwide.

Ground Zero Watch: New Yorkers Oppose Mosque Plans

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Mosque Protest
A Quinnipiac University poll finds most New Yorkers are opposed to Cordoba House.Â

Protests were inevitable, once plans for The Cordoba House Initiative were made public. The building of a mosque near the World Trade Center site was bound to cause public outcry and controversy.

That being said, who could have predicted that more than 73% of all Staten Islanders would be opposed?! Better yet, more than half of all New York voters polled in a recent Quinnipiac University poll were found to be opposed to the building of the Cordoba House in Lower Manhattan.

Plans for the Cordoba House Mosque
Plans for the Cordoba House Mosque

The Cordoba House Initiative includes plans to build a 13-floor Muslim institute which will include a mosque and community center only 600 feet from Ground Zero.

Politicians better listen up to these findings considering that the anniversary of September 11th will always precede Election Day. It would be smart to heed the concerns of over half of New York City voters.

Currently, the only thing standing in the way of the greenlight for the Cordoba house is passing approval from The Landmarks Preservation Commission who are scheduled to vote on the project later this month.

According to other information gleaned from this poll:

-55% of New Yorkers polled said “mainstream Islam” is a “peaceful religion” compared to 22% who found that Islamic beliefs “encourage violence against non-muslims.”

-73% of Staten Islanders polled opposed the building, versus 14% in support of the Mosque.

-46% of Manhattan voters were in support of the bulding, versus the 36% opposed.

-1,183 registered voters were polled between June 21 to June 28

-The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

How do you feel about the Cordoba House initiative?

Battery Park City Greenmarket Thursdays at 225 Liberty Street

Battery Park City’s Greenmarket is Here! (Well.. Until November)

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Battery Park City Greenmarket Thursdays at 225 Liberty Street
Our Greenmarket is Here! Hooray!

Our neighborhood has just been served… with a side of swiss chard, organically pasteurized eggs with pies for dessert!

Battery Park City now has a Greenmarket to call its own.

After being Greenmarket connoisseurs without a country — Battery Park City’s Greenmarket is here to stay until November 24th.

Starting today and every Thursday from 8AM until 6PM, greenmarket vendors will be set up in the ring road right outside 225 Liberty Street at South End Avenue.

If this morning is any indication — a key piece of advice is to get to the stands before you head out to work. The fresh veggies, fruits and baked goods will certainly be snatched up by our business neighbors by lunchtime. Case in point: while perusing the stalls at 9:30am, some of the best looking produce had already been procured leaving many visibly empty spaces within the lush terrain of fresh produce. Also, while heading to the greenmarket — there were several people heading back to their apartments with bags of produce leaving in the opposite direction all before 9am.

We can’t blame them. The Greenmarket is very exciting for the southern portion of our neighborhood. Before today, the best excuse the South End part of the neighborhood had for fresh produce has been the fruit cart flanked at Albany Street and South End Avenue. The North End of the neighborhood has been blessed with easy access to the Tribeca Greenmarket as well as the Whole Foods. The location of Battery Park City’s greenmarket is smartly placed in the center of the neighborhood — easy enough for everyone to get to. Not to mention it’s also an excellent use of a ring road that seems hardly used post 9/11.

While speaking with the Greenmarket representatives, we asked if there was a possibility for the vendors to stay throughout the winter and brave blistery winds for fresh winter produce. They had informed us that as long as the Greenmarket is proven successful, an extension for the Greenmarket to stay year round is definitely a possibility. As far as the wind was concerned, the Greenmarket people claimed that this location is apparently not the windiest in the city. (Obviously the Greenmarket grasshopper has much to learn!)

The vendors who will be in our neighborhood every Thursday are:

Migliorelli Farm – Vegetables and fruit
Meredith’s Bakery -Bread and baked goods
Red Jacket Orchard – Fruit, juices and assorted bottled goods such as apple butter.
Binder Farm – Plants and flowers
MK Orchards – Orchids and hydrangeas
Valley Shepherd – Sheep, cow and goat cheese, pasta, butter, yogurt and gelato
Lavender by the Bay – Fresh lavender and assorted lavender products.
Beth’s Family Farm – Jams and preserves
NY Wine & Grape Association – NY state local wines
Holten Farms – Vegetables, fruit, maple syrup, honey, eggs, baked goods, and meat including, beef, turkey, pork, chicken and lamb.

Yum! Welcome Greenmarket! May you help all of us eat healthier meals.
Check out some of the photos we took from our first visit to the Battery Park City Greenmarket!

What happens with the Deutsche Bank building?

What Does LMDC’s Demise Mean for Battery Park City?

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What happens with the Deutsche Bank building?
What happens with the Deutsche Bank building? (Flickr/tacker)

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. After siphoning Battery Park City surplus revenue in an effort to close the State’s budget deficit, Governor Paterson has decided to dissolve the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) citing years of ineptitude in running the disbursement of funds allocated to the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

One could easily agree that little has been seen from the LMDC– but might also argue that the dissolution of the organization might be a heavy handed option for a community still reeling from the after effects of 9/11 nearly a decade later. Although the LMDC will not be completely shut down, the Governor is proposing cutting the organization by 85% from 35 fulltime staffers to 5.

This is cause for some concern for residents of Lower Manhattan but especially Battery Park City being that the LMDC is the owner and responsible agent for the dismantling of the former Deutsche Bank building, a behemoth skeleton of a visual reminder of how much work is left.

From its inception in 2001 from government and by then Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the intent of the LMDC was to “work closely with the private sector to determine a proper market-driven response to the economic and infrastructure needs of Lower Manhattan, as well as with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to identify the appropriate redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.”

According to the LMDC’s website, some of its core responsibilities include city operations, communications, community relations, construction mitigation, environmental compliance, fraud prevention, small business development and marketing. Dissolution of the LMDC could affect our community in the following ways:

1. Safety and infrastructural hazards
As if it’s not dangerous or confusing enough to cross the West Side Highway to reach the subway, how will a 5-person team be optimized to make sure that our safety is maintained during the construction at Ground Zero? The implementation of crossing guards in our area, although fiscally insufficient, was still a step in the right direction. With all the confusing bridge detours being built and constantly changed — who will notify us of these changes? High winds during the winter also pose a serious safety risk during construction, if the falling glass panes from Goldman Sachs’ construction site can be used as an example.

2. Dismantling of the Deutsche Bank Building
The history of the former Deutsche Bank building post 9/11 has been riddled with corruption and safety concerns. From the issues surrounding the decontamination of the building to the safety of the workers dismantling the building, who will be accountable if something goes wrong? According to the LMDC, concerned residents can call a hotline to report incidents at the site as to avoid what happened on August 18, 2007 when a fire spread through the site killing 2 firefighters.

3. Environmental Compliance
The progress reports that are issued by the LMDC are important for our community as the demolition affects the health of the air we breathe during its decontamination. Although most of us probably haven’t even seen one of these reports — it’s important that they be maintained in order for us to be aware of the hazards that might exist during the demolition.

4. Small Business Development
The lack of business real estate means the lack of foot traffic of businessmen and women, which translates into the decimation of small businesses in our area. As we roll into our 9th year of waiting for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site — who will help the small businesses that residents rely on in this underserved area? Although disbursements of small business grants have been slow from the LMDC — there is still almost $800 Million dollars of yet to be disbursed funds. These funds were meant for the development of Lower Manhattan distributed through the LMDC. When the governor dissolves the LMDC, what will happen to that funding?

These are four compelling reasons as to reconsider dissolving the LMDC. If the organization needs less ineptitude and better people to run it — why restructure and re-organize the LMDC instead? There must be a better option for the betterment of a still embattled Lower Manhattan.

Where’s The Best Sushi for Battery Park City?

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A map looking for the best sushi in Battery Park City
Where is the best sushi in our neighborhood? (Courtesy: A Small Array)

Where is the best sushi in Battery Park City? This has been a conundrum for residents and visitors of the Downtown Manhattan area.

What is more confusing is that according to a map released by the site Very Small Array, we in Battery Park City primarily eat Japanese, Italian and French food. Say wha…Huh?!

Off the tops of our heads we can only think of a handful of sushi places in our area. Including Yushi and Kaijou — the latter gets honorable mention for being here the longest and having the best views from the restaurant… but a claim to best sushi in the neighborhood is arguable.

So it’s even more boggling that apparently to the rest of the people outside of our area — we are now known for this cuisine. Don’t we have more American/Irish Pubby type of food down here? We digress and must focus on finding the answer to our original question.

In order for us to put this sushi question to rest and we’re present an informal and unscientific poll to help vote on where the best sushi is. We’ve added a handful of the closest restaurants to our neighborhood as choices– but welcome write-in nominations in the comments area! Quite frankly, if we knew more sushi restaurants we wouldn’t be putting out a call to action such as this one !

So vote on and may the best sushi place prevail!

[poll id=”2″]

Battery Park City's own Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts for Battery Park City

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Battery Park City's own Dunkin' Donuts
Battery Park City's own Dunkin' Donuts

As of this past Saturday, Battery Park City residents now have a chance to “run on Dunkin'” on their way to catching their subway on Rector Street.

Although there has been a smaller express version of Dunkin’ Donuts on Cortlandt Street — this shop is a full service store well positioned right off the Rector Street bridge located within the 88 Greenwich Street building.

A visiting California resident, touring through the area — was so enamored by the store he himself took a picture of the new shop. He exclaimed that there did not exist any Dunkin’ Donuts in California. (Well, we’ll trade you an In and Out burger any day buddy.)

Our inaugural donut purchase at this location was the “Stars and Stripes” donut — a sugar glazed, chocolate frosted and patriotic sprinkle colored donut — just in time for July 4th weekend.

Do you think this was a good addition to the neighborhood?

California tourist enamored with our Dunkin' Donuts
California tourist enamored with our Dunkin' Donuts
Batteryparkcity.com's Inaugural Dunkin Donut
Batteryparkcity.com's Inaugural Dunkin Donut: Stars and Stripes Donut
Dunkin Donuts at 88 Greenwich
Don't forget to turn in for Dunkin' Donuts!
Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.

Is Battery Park City Ready for the Tour Bus Invasion?

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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)

Think the traffic in Lower Manhattan sucks now? Well, chances are it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

When the 9/11 Memorial & Musem opens at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2011, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks, even more tourist-filled buses than usual will be descending upon our beloved Battery Park City. We say “even more” because a recent survey shows that Lower Manhattan already gets about 80 tour buses daily, and that does not count the bevy of MTA buses running their daily routes.

The 9/11 Memorial is expected to attract 2 million additional tourists per year, and as many as 7 million in its first year. And guess what? The camera-toting, finger-pointing masses are going to need a way to get down to Ground Zero. Translation: Prepare for the tour bus invasion.

But wait, you say, plans for this memorial have been in the works since 2002, so the Port Authority must have devised some kind of plan for dealing with the increased traffic from tour buses. Actually, they haven’t — at least, not yet.

According to AM New York, Community Board 1 official Michael Levine told the city council on Monday that, “It’s a major concern for us that we have not seen a plan for the buses.” He continued: “We have too many tour buses out there. We are concerned about the health, safety and security issues.”

While a Port Authority spokesman claims that the agency is working to formulate “an appropriate plan to accommodate tour buses,” he declined to say when that plan would be released.

Meanwhile, Battery Park City residents appear to be split on the issue. Some believe that BPC and the Ground Zero area are already too crowded and that the influx of more tourists will be a burden to the families currently living in the area. But others, business owners mostly, are salivating at the prospect of these bonus consumers.

Either way, one thing is certain: Beginning next year, you’re going to want to be extra careful to look for buses when crossing the BPC streets.

Bus and Subway changes are in effect for Battery Park City

MTA Changes in Effect for Battery Park City

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Bus and Subway changes are in effect for Battery Park City
Bus and Subway changes are in effect for Battery Park City

Your commute to and from work has forever changed today. After months of forewarning, the transit changes for buses and subways in our area have been solidified.
Here’s what the changes mean for us in the neighborhood

Trains by Station:
1/9 – The 1 line will continue to have interrupted service on the weekends to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.
W- Completely eliminated.
R-  The R will replace the stops serviced by the defunct W line.
4/5/6- Unaffected. Service as usual to Fulton St., Wall St., Whitehall and Bowling Green stops.
A/C/E-  The A/E will continue to have interrupted service on Sundays to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.
J/M/Z- Reduced train frequencies on the weekends to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.
Bus Routes:
The bus changes will affect our area greatly as stipulated below:

Manhattan Bus Route Changes
: M1, M6, M8, M10, M11, M16, M18, M20, M21, M22, M27, M30, M42, M50, M66, M98, M100, M104, M116, B39, B51
•    M18, M27, M30, B39 and B51: all service will be discontinued.
•    M8, M21 and M50: weekend service will be discontinued.
•    M1, M8, M16, M22, M50 and M66: overnight service will be discontinued.
•    M11, M20, M21, M22, M98, M100 and M116: late night service will end earlier and/or early morning service will begin later.
•    M6 service will be discontinued with alternate service provided partially by the rerouted M5.
•    M10 service south of Columbus Circle will be discontinued.
•    M42 service will no longer operate to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
•    M98 service south of 65 St will be discontinued; service will no longer stop inside the George Washington Bridge bus station.
•    M104 service on 42 St will be discontinued.
Manhattan Bus Route Restructuring
: M1 M3 M5 M6
•    M5 service will be extended south to South Ferry via 5 Av/Broadway southbound and Church St/6 Av northbound to replace
discontinued M6 and M1 service south of 8 St.
•    M3 service will be rerouted from 9 St and University Place to 4 Av between 9 St and 14 St.
•    M1 service will be rerouted on weekdays to follow the M2 in both directions north of 8 St (5th/Madison/Park Avs)
•    M1 service will be discontinued on weekends south of 106 St.
M9 M15 M20 M21
•    M9 service will be rerouted from Avenue B to Avenue C to replace M21 and will terminate at the VA Hospital at East 23 St (Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town).
•    M9 service will be discontinued along Water St and in Battery Park City and will be extended along Park Row to City Hall replacing the M15.
•    M15 service to City Hall via Park Row will be discontinued replaced by the M9.
•    M21 service will be discontinued north of Houston St (along Avenue C) and extended along Houston St and the FDR Drive to Grand St (M21 service will not run on the weekends).
•    M20 service will be extended to South Ferry replacing a portion of the M9.

MTA Maps for bus changes in Lower Manhattan
MTA Maps for bus changes in Lower Manhattan (Courtesy MTA)

Do the transit changes affect your commute?

Ground Zero performing arts center

Ground Zero Arts Center Gets $44M Boost

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Ground Zero performing arts center
City finally gets the ball rolling on new WTC performing arts center.

A long-delayed project to erect a performing arts center at Ground Zero is finally picking up steam. New York City has stepped up to the plate with $44 million to help build the center’s below-ground foundation, according to the Associated Press.

The board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a deal last week that will have the city repay the Authority for the work at the World Trade Center site.

Continue reading Ground Zero Arts Center Gets $44M Boost →

WTC Transit Hall

Sorbara Construction Scores $86 Million WTC Contract

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WTC Transit Hall
New WTC Transit Hall is one step closer to reality.

Good news for anyone eagerly anticipating the new World Trade Center PATH and subway hub designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava: Earlier this week, the Port Authority awarded an $86 million contract to Long Island-based Sorbara Construction Corp. to get the ball rolling on the project.

According to NJ.com, the firm will provide the concrete floor slabs, beams and walls that will comprise the sculpted components of Calatrava’s epic Transit Hall — which, along with the 9/11 Memorial and the 1,776-foot-tall WTC 1 (aka the Freedom Tower), is already being hailed by officials as another aesthetically pleasing, architecturally significant addition to the World Trade Center site.

Continue reading Sorbara Construction Scores $86 Million WTC Contract →