Check out our earlier issues Message Board Madness. An illustrated peek into the rowdy world of your LES chatty neighbors. June, 2009 Baruch Gives Really Cheap Phone. Local entrepreneur Baruch Harzfeld is offering near-free long distance calling on your cellphone, anytime, anywhere. May, 2009 Mean Sidewalks. We turned to our favorite local Lhasa dog, whose name is Dog (simple enough), for some clues on the current poo crisis. He was surprisingly forthcoming and candid. April, 2009 The Nabe is Changing (again). Our illustrious (and illustrated) comic book reporter is trying to assess just how bad it is out there, finding businesses that open and close, and construction projects that mostly push on. March, 2009 The Long Distance Life. Our ongoing attempts to jazz up our magazine have led us, inevitably, to the path of the comic article. There’s more where this came from… February, 2009 Happy New Year! The weather outside is so frightful, on so many levels, it seems things could only get better… January, 2009 Hi 5. The Harry S. Truman Democratic Club celebrated on Election night at the new Donnybrook bar. There was much drinking and merriment. December, 2008 The New, Improved, Gouverneur. In the middle of so much bad economic news, our neighborhood has landed a dream project: $180 million (to start) for renovating and expanding our health center. This would be thrilling any time, but in these times it’s a miracle. November, 2008 Shameless Self-Promotion. "The Cabalist’s Daughter," a mystical, religious-Sci Fi novel, much of it taking place on the Lower East Side, is finally out, in time for the holidays. October, 2008 Best Block Party. This year’s 7th Precinct’s Take back the Night event was the most relaxed and the most racially mixed block party. September, 2008 Back to School. As we often do, we turned to Pat Arnow for a definitive image depicting an LES take on this popular topic. We think Dad with Tot and Tats (our title) hits the spot. August, 2008 Our Great LES Summer Lists. True to our reputation as your knowledgeable source on all things local, we asked a few of our regulars to put together their recommendations for an LES summer of fun. If, like us, you’re stuck in town July & August – check these out... July, 2008 THE MAN. In our interview with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver we congratulated him on twice defeating mayoral plans which many in the neighborhood had opposed, but we couldn’t help wondering if Silver’s district – that’s us – might not be the brunt of some mayoral retaliation. (Cover image by Pat Arnow). June, 2008 Consumer Alerts. Our Marketing Director, Nancy J. Kramer, has launched a new feature, detailing bargains and curiosities in neighborhood establishments. We will continue this feature (albeit in smaller format) as long as the LES continues to surprise us with bargains and innovative products and services. (Cover streetscape by Pat Arnow). May, 2008 We Hardly Recognized the Place. Our friend and scribe Rabbi Itzhak Reisman suggested we do a “then and now” feature, using his 1861 lithograph of the corner of Division and Canal Streets. The difference is dramatic, even though the only thing left of the old junction is its very general layout. The background satellite image is courtesy of Google Maps. April, 2008 The Adorable Year of the Rat. Celebrations of the Chinese New Year spilled into the streets last month, obscuring at least temporarily the boundary lines between the Lower East Side and Chinatown. With so many sweet kids brandishing their rat costumes, we took pride in the words, We’re Chinatowners… (Photo: Pat Arnow) March, 2008 Check Out the New Promenade. After nearly eight years without access to our riverfront, the Parks Dept. has completed and opened to the public roughly one sixth of the renovated promenade. We think it’s beautiful, although the project’s completion date has been pushed back to the summer of 2009. February, 2008 The State of the L.E.S. is GOOD. We’re running two different Articles this month on the economy of the neighborhood, and both are optimistic. Not a shabby trick in these times of housing market busts and recession fears elsewhere in the country. Photo: Pat Arnow. January, 2008 Mysteries of the Essex Street Market Revealed. Viva’s fruits and vegetables manager Sobeida Delacruz shows a bunch of appetizing cranberry beans. December, 2007 Group Picture on the Road to Morocco. Laurie Gwen Shapiro has met six girls and four boys from a Lower East Side high school, who are embarking on a transcontinental class trip. November, 2007 PICKLEFEST. We sent our local photojournalist Pat Arnow to cover the annual pickle festival, and she returned with a rich assortment of images and stories to accompany them. We’re a tiny magazine, so we used only a few of them – we should probably set them up as a gallery showing some day… October, 2007 Mayor and Speaker Locked in Combat Over Congestion Pricing to Stop Rush Hour 4. The idea for this imagined poster came from our friend, Jacob Goldman, who owns our daily blog, LoHo10002.com. The response to the original, online publication was stunning: Gothamist thought it was “brilliant,” the New York Observer called it “a masterpiece,” it was a warm and fuzzy time. September, 2007 The Pushcarts Are Back! Dan Jacobson, manning the Russ and Daughters pushcart at the Sunday Broome Street Festival (through mid-September), handing a genuine LES egg cream to Noelle Richards Frieson, the LESBID Director of Marketing & Public Relations. August, 2007 Antigone on the Steps Steven Sapp, Harriet Spitzer-Picker and Daniel Gallant during rehearsal of Antigone and The Tempest, coming this July and August on the steps of the Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center Amphitheater. It’s our chance to be part of a new LES tradition! July, 2007 Scooping the Lower East Side Orlando Dias, his daughter Lilia, Eli Kaelen and his mother Susan and baby Isabelle were enjoying scoops on a stoop outside the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory at 65 Bayard Street. Our food maven C. Menegakos went on a month-long pursuit of the best local ice cream and filed his notes. June, 2007 Operation Wedding Dress It’s springtime, when June brides are shopping for their dresses. Pat Arnow accompanied her soon-to-wed friend in search of the perfect gown. Pictured: Maureen Roberts, Co-Owner Of MoMo FaLana, 43 Avenue A. May, 2007 Wi-Fi with Everything It’s a fabulous resource our neighborhood offers generously and at a very low cost: Comfortable lounges for you and your laptop, complete with a nice cup of coffee and, possibly, pastry. We think it’s a mark of our civilized lives, and asked Rachel Fershleiser to check out the scene for us. April, 2007 Sweet Seals Splashing in Snow After the balmiest December and January, General Winter finally arrived with a vengeance mid February. Our Mr. Yanover braved the flu to catch the East River Park seals during the only part of the year when they don’t look pathetic, trying to dive into a sea of concrete. March, 2007 Restoring Eldridge’s Future As the Eldridge Street Synagogue Project is getting ready to celebrate the completion of its restoration work, the joy of those involved is mixed with some bitterness over who, exactly, gets to run the synagogue. February, 2007 Cycle City We find ourselves torn between our delight with the City’s willingness to encourage cycling in our main streets and the unilateral fashion in which bike lanes have been imposed on the Grand Street community. January, 2007 Operation Special Gift It’s December, the time for all the faithful to go shopping. Our own Rachel Fershleiser has several unusual spots for you to visit, for that truly hip gift. December, 2006 Gouverneur Gardens Sunrise Last month, before the change to Eastern Standard Time, better known as Winter Clock, it remained dark outside in the mornings well into drive time. We snapped this shot from our living room window. Gouverneur Gardens are the six hi-rise buildings along Cherry and Montgomery Streets whose east-facing windows offered this fall a sweet, lemony reflection of the sun as it was rising beyond the East River. November, 2006 Macy’s Parade on Montgomery Street Four Hundred volunteers from Macy’s and the 50-piece all-girl marching band of Cathedral High School in Manhattan marched from the corner of Henry and Montgomery north to Grand Street, then made a right and poured into the Abrons Center Harry De Jur Playhouse for speeches. It was part of their first ever “Give Back Day,” and some 3,000 Macy’s volunteers were doing nice stuff for folks all across the nation, in commemoration of the launch of the Macy’s name nationwide last month. October, 2006 PEACE Dr. Nurur M. Rahman, from the Assafa Islamic Center, and Rabbi Shmuel Speigel, from the 1st Roumanian American Congregation, shared the stage last month, at the 7th Precinct’s annual National Night Out. Dr. Rachman charmed the crowd with his resounding Allah bless America… September, 2006 The BID has done it! At last, farmers are setting up their booths on Orchard Street each Sunday (through November), sharing fresh produce and a friendly conversation with LES shoppers. August, 2006 Open Streets Bulldozer piling metal plates to cover new ditches at the corner of East Broadway and Montgomery. Con-Edison has been digging up the neighborhood, replacing old gas pipes with new. Watch your step… July, 2006 Pardon our Soviet style Men At Work cover, but we couldn’t help ourselves, seeing as this bunch of burly, muscular workers are restoring our East River Park promenade. June, 2006 Vintage! Evan Ross, of Frock, displaying a vintage dress that would take your breath away, along with about a month’s salary. Vintage shops are raging on the LES, and not just the pricey ones. May, 2006 Jets’ New Stadium on the Lower East Side Well, those parking lots just stand there, we reckoned we should at least try… April, 2006 Whole Foods, Bad Neighbors? The arrival of space age grocer Whole Foods Market on the LES has been marred by its turf battle with local wine boutiques and Community Board 3. Will the skirmish taint WF’s reputation? Stay tuned. March, 2006 Is the Empire Zone Another Name for SPURA? The Seward Park Urban Development Area is comprised of several City owned empty lots, the future of which has been in limbo for four decades. With last month’s announcement of our neighborhood’s inclusion in the new Empire Zone, we asked political leaders if they thought the latter would breathe life into the former. February, 2006 What If They Poisoned our Neighborhood and Nobody Told Us? New York Senator Hillary R. Clinton waving a photograph of the 9/11 WTC smoke plume, at a press conference last month. Clinton and Congressman Jerrold Nadler blasted the EPA’s decision to set unreasonable limits on its downtown cleanup effort. January, 2006 Frank’s Window Paradise Each holiday season, bike shop owner Frank Arroyo turns his front windows into a magical kingdom of kinetic playfulness. December, 2005 Huddled Masses, Now with Gift Shop Nadine Stewart, a former journalist, is one of the Tenement Museum’s educators, conducting public and group tours. She’s also a regular contributor to the museum’s Educator Newsletter. The museum has been rapidly growing in fame and size. November, 2005 Fashion Flipside on Orchard Street The BID treated us last month to an amazing show of the best and the brightest in New York’s fashion design south of Houston Street. October, 2005 Odd Year Election It’s been a political summer, leading up to the “real” vote for Democratic candidates for the Council and BP. September, 2005 Daycare With the school year just around the corner, Sara Spielman provides a thorough guide to daycare facilities in the neighborhood. Is it time to introduce your toddler to the big world out there? August, 2005 Candidates' Debate Our cover in July, 2005 was an invitation to everyone who got hold of that issue to come over to hear the great multi-candidate debate, Tuesday, July 12, at 7 PM. It may be too late to RSVP at this point... July, 2005 Squirrel Menace Squirrels roaming freely (photograph by Erik Tischler). Are squirrels just rats with bushy tails and good PR? At least one Lower East Side resident is prepared to challenge the sweet image of these rodents. June, 2005 Free At Last! In a neighborhood where the scaffold rules our cityscape, what a relief it was this spring, to rediscover the vaguely Mediterranean doorways of our Educational Alliance building, on East Broadway. This miraculous unveiling of lovely early 20th Century architecture revived our hope to some day expose to the sun the highrisers at 410 and 460 Grand Street, and maybe even the thoroughly Christoed Seward Park High School. In the words of the immortal Credence Clearwater Revival: “What comes up…” May, 2005 Dreaming of an East River Beach The City Planning Commission has been presenting a gorgeous and imaginative plan for the future of the East River waterfront. But do they have the political wherewithal to carry it out? April, 2005 Promenade Comeback In two years or so we’ll be back to riding our bikes, strolling and picnicking along our bank of the East River, from Jackson to 14th Streets. It’s an $80 million promise from City Hall. March, 2005 Make CB 3 work for you Susan Stetzer and David McWater are eager to make themselves useful to local residents. But to get things done in those very real aspects of our daily lives, from transportation to recreation and everything in between, we must keep them and our 50-member community board informed. Call and complain, or better yet, show up at committee meetings. Go in groups and get up and speak out. February , 2005 Manhattan Windmills Some day soon, our neighborhood may be inundated with rooftop wind turbines and solar collectors, and our electricity will be free and clean. These are not idle predictions, but plans, already in place in the city of Toronto and, possibly, in the new Freedom Tower, across this very island. January , 2005 Hazmat personnel on Grand Street City Council Member Alan J. Gerson shares with us this month his own findings that, yes, the air is back to normal, but the crisis is not over. December , 2004 Jumbled LES Street Signs Noah Wildman reports on foreign design students who took it upon themselves to change the Lower East Side. November , 2004 10002, The Vote It’s the month before the presidential election down here, and it’s all pretty much decided. Why, even our local September primary was cancelled for lack of interest... October , 2004 Taking Back the Streets Officer Rotanz of the NYPD Mounted Unit’s Troup A and a group of children from Baruch Houses took part in our Seventh Precinct’s "Taking Back the Streets" celebration. September , 2004 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Decent Housing Instead of adding new low-income housing, at the expense of economic prosperity for all of us, we should concentrate on preserving what’s already there. We hope that the spirit of wisdom and generosity will prevail in preserving the city’s most diverse and most peaceful community. August , 2004 Summer Works in East River East River's gardens received intensive attention: this year the work involved turning over the soil and re-seeding. July , 2004 Grand Street Doctors Paul M. Koslow, Marc J. Rosenblatt, Andrew Dube, Dr. Maria Cellario, J. Clayton Dye, and Edwin J. Rosenblatt June , 2004 Hunting Serial Killers in East River Apartment Author Harold Goldberg moved down here last fall. His new book (coauthored with Helen Morrison) will shake conventions regarding the causes of serial-murder May, 2004 Seward's Steel Magnolia The new manager of Seward Park Coop is a native of North Carolina who learned his trade in Washington DC and Florida. He seems unperturbed by the numerous thorns in his northern garden April , 2004 Chief He’s been running the Seventh Precinct for a year, and crime stats continues to go down March, 2004 To Borrow Or Not to Borrow The $100,000 Question February, 2004 And a Terrace to Kill For... Newcomers fell in love with their 11th floor touch of the outdoors January, 2004