WHITE NATURE ER Park Report After the First Real Snow of the Season by Yori Yanover Last night the East River Park became winter wonderland – it’s amazing how far this park can stretch one inch of snow… After shul I took my bike down to the track at 10th Street and was gratified to discover only a handful of nuts with parklust similar to mine... See more...

LOW-HO? What Are They Selling? by Tibi Z. Singer It used to be an Orthodox synagogue, on Allen Street near East Broadway. Now it's a temple, not sure if Buddhist. Also not sure what is it, exactly, that they're selling for 99 cents? See more...

RESTORATIONS 1/14/07 A Peek Inside the Old Eldridge by Yori Yanover Took the tour at the Eldridge Street Synagogue this morning. For $5 we got an incredible view of a hundred and twenty years of history of a congregation begun 1n 1886. The architects, Herter Brothers, used a combination (Okay, mish-mash) of Gothic, Romanesque, and Moorish styles, complete with bizarre minaret towers. The sum total is, nevertheless, graceful... See more...

GLOBAL WHAT? 1/09/07 Springtime on the Lower East Side by Pat Arnow The rainy front passes through, leaving a confusion and profusion of colorful clouds over the bridges on the East River. Meanwhile, the daffodils and crocus bulbs aren't waiting for April... See more...

GRANTS 1/05/07 Stringer Awards Giant Check to UJC by Tibi Z. Singer At a recent ceremony, the Borough president's office presented the United Jewish Council of the East Side with a $10,000 grant... Full picture...

DOWNTOWNERS UP IN ALBANY 1/04/07 State of the State of the State by Yori Yanover Governor Spitzer spoke for about half an hour - a huge improvement over his predecessor, Pataki, who took hours to say nothing. Spitzer managed to say nothing in much less time. Basically he promised to improve a lot of stuff without raising taxes. OK... Read and see more...

AFTERSCHOOL 1/03/07 Bloomberg Welcomes 350 Kids to The Pond by Daniel Symon Mayor Bloomberg welcomed more than 350 participants in New York City’s Out-of-School Time (OST) initiative to The Pond at Bryant Park for Skate Day... More...

LOCAL PIC 12/29/06 Lower East Side Produce Man by Pat Arnow David weighs vegetables at the market on Grand St. by Clinton. It's a great place to pick up inexpensive fruit and vegetables and some compliments from the gentlemen behind the counter... See more...

HO HO HO 12/27/06 Santa visits Gouverneur Healthcare by Maritza Cales Viewed by all who walk down Madison Street, Gouvernuer’s lobby and windows celebrate the holidays as well as provide pertinent health information. Patients were treated to a special visit by Santa last Wednesday... Read more...

SAFE HOUSING 12/22/06 Soviet Grandeur by Yori Yanover The four co-op buildings at the tail end of Grand Street are not particularly pretty. They stand like heavy, intrusive blocks of bricks and cement in a neighborhood where, over the centuries, a great deal of effort had been invested in creating lovely facades and fancy entryways... Read more...

BEACHFRONT 12/21/06 Will the LES Measure Up to Globalwarming Tides? by Jeffrey Wengrofsky As the City is currently renovating the retaining wall of East River Park I wonder if its planners have taken rising sea levels and worsening storm seasons into account... Read more...

DOG 12/20/06 Dog by Yori Yanover My neighbor Felix’s chunky little fluffy dog is named Dog, which makes remembering it kind of easy. Dog is the smartest dog I’ve ever encountered, smarter than many humans. He won’t pander to anyone... Read more...

POWER MINYAN 12/20/06 Joyous Sound Gets Doubly Stronger by Yori Yanover It seems that, since I’ve started telling the neighborhood about the pleasures, especially about our last Sunday morning service which was accompanied with musical instruments, a wave of curiosity and interest has washed through the community... Read more...

MOBILE TRADITION 12/18/06 Christian Mitzvah Tank by Nancy J. Kramer The huge pop top van was decorated with large lit up neon crosses on the back and on either side and murals of religious symbols, icons and writings covering every square inch - then I turned off at 61st street and the Christian Mitzvah tank disappeared up the Drive... See more...

CHRISTMAS BIZ 12/18/06 Bill Frazer Really Taking Up Essex Street by Nancy J. Kramer Bill Frazer, owner of Flowers Cafe and Flowers on Essex has opened up a Holiday Store for the month. It's right next door to the Flower Shop @ 39 Essex Street... See more...

ELECTRIC PRAISE 12/18/06 Hallel with Electric Guitar and Pushka by Yori Yanover Because most of the opportunities for Hallel fall on holidays on which it is forbidden to use musical instruments, electric and acoustic alike, it’s a rare thing to have your rabbi pull out his electric guitar (mercifully pre-tuned!) and leap into a melodious and sweeping strumming of some exciting Hallel tunes... See more...

VISUAL DRAMA 12/16/06 Shoot into the Sun by Yori Yanover On a cool afternoon last week (way warmer than befits a late-December day, but still pretty cold), I was playing with pointing my digital camera in the direction of sun and seeing what happens... See more...

THE SEASON THING 12/16/06 Frank’s Windows Are Lit Again by Yori Yanover As the Rockefeller Center tree goes up - marking the official start of the December holidays for many New Yorkers - Lower East Siders turn to Frank Arroyo’s Bike Shop's dazzling, brightly lit wonder, right here on Grand Street... See more...

GUARDED CROSSING 12/15/06 Mother and Daughter by Yori Yanover Then I saw the dignity and the complete self containment of these two persons, unhurriedly, quietly pacing across the intersection, entirely together, entirely at piece with one another... See more...

SAY CHEESE 12/07/06 In Praise of Essex Beauty by Pat Arnow Among the venders and shoppers the NY Times reporter interviewed for yesterday's piece on the Essex Street market was Anne Saxelby, who has opened an artisanal American cheese shop... See more...

COFFEE POLITICS 11/27/06 Candy Store Blues by Yori Yanover The candy store at the corner of Grand and Madison has been there ever since I first arrived in this neighborhood, when dinosaurs still roamed the planet and a primeval forest covered most of the area between the FDR Drive and Essex Street... Read more...

BRRRR 11/16/06 Naked Trees by Yori Yanover This was the last week of disrobing for local trees. The sidewalks are covered in a carpet of yellow and red leaves, no longer majestic and colorful, more like your rug at four in the morning, after the big party... Read more...

STREET SCENES 11/14/06 The Reluctant Clown by Yori Yanover I needed illustration shots for an item on the new zoning laws, so I'm standing on the sidewalk south of Delancey, at Ludlow, and this clown walks by, handing out leaflets for something. I took a picture of him and he reacted like I exposed him to kryptonite... Read more...

SHUL SONG 11/13/06 Spiritual Warriors by Yori Yanover Each morning I enlist in a spiritual squad of grownup Jews whose mission is to make the world a slightly better place by gathering at one place, donning the garments and tools of our craft and engaging in a succession of study segments, meditations, liturgical praise to the Divine, group confession and supplications... Read more...

FOGGY TOPS 11/12/06 Williamsburg Bridge Reaching Upward... by Yori Yanover Riding home from shul this morning I spotted the towers of the Williamsburg Bridge, partially obscured by the fog. The fog rode heavily over the city and the street below was nearly deprived of color... See the full image...

EARLY & OFTEN 11/07/06 Already Voted, Now It's Fingernail Biting and Beer by Yori Yanover Yesterday I spotted the voting machines truck parked outside 573-7 Grand Street. It was a relief to see that we're still using those old iron horses, instead of the Venezuelan robots. I dread the day those cheat-me screens invade my voting station... More voting images...

WHAT'S IN A NAME 11/02/06 Meet You on Sheriff Street by Don Cruise Sheriff Street used to stretch from Grand Street at East Broadway north to East Houston Street. Now its path is blocked by Amalgamated Housing in the south and Masaryk Towers in the north. So it’s basically an underpath below the Williamsburg Bridge... Read more...

CONTEMPORARY MONSTERS 11/01/06 Halloween on the Edge by Pat Arnow From Marie Antoinette to Borat to a personification of Mott and Grand, everybody was making the rounds. I went out to do some gawking, but first got all bloodied up... Read more...

MASKED 10/31/06 Rabbit on a Break by Pat Arnow Not too many goblins or goons were out and about early today, but a hare spent some time outside the Flowers Cafe at Grand St. and Essex... See the full image...

CANINE NEWS 10/30/06 Dog Day Autumn Afternoon by Michael Thaler Hundreds of masquerading dogs participated in yesterday's Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. The tradition began in the East Village in the 1980s and has spawned similar pageants across the city. The Tompkins Square parade remains the largest non-competitive gathering of dog owners in the country. All proceeds went to the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, for the $150,000 restoration of the Tompkins Square Dog Run... View images...

DE-DEBRIS 10/29/06 East River Housing Fallen Tree Removed by Yori Yanover So there they were this morning, the emergency fallen tree removal team of the Parks Dept., a mere eight hours after the collapse of the giant tree in front of 573-7 Grand Street, with their cherry picker, chopping the branches and feeding them into the amazing tree chomper... View images...

WINDSTRUCK 10/29/06 A Tree Falls in East River Housing by Yori Yanover An old tree was ripped out by the gale Saturday night in front of East River Housing, at 573-75 Grand Street. The neighbors reported hearing a loud creaking sound followed by a thump. Police quickly surrounded the area with yellow tape... View 8 images...

DEPT. OF GREASE PAINT 10/27/06 Clowning with the Sick by Yori Yanover The waiting room door opened and a pair of clowns walked in, boy and girl clowns, from the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit and made us laugh. Really laugh... Read more...

GRIM BROS. TODAY 10/25/06 Real Estate Fairy Tale: Landlord Monster Grabbing Magic Garden by Yori Yanover Last night at the Community Board 3 grand assembly several passionate representatives of an outfit called The Children's Magical Garden, at the corner of Stanton and Norfolk Streets, pleaded with the community to protect them against their landlord... Read More...

TRANSPLANTS 10/25/06 Who Flew These Homes In from Jersey? by Yori Yanover They look like a transplant from suburbia, including the fact that they’re such a clean-cut vision in the middle of bar city, at Stanton and Suffolk Streets (130-148 Suffolk). I’d been eyeing this unusual structure – unusual only down here, of course – for a few days, and this morning took out the Treo and started a-shootin’... Read more...

MODEST PROPOSALS 10/24/06 The Other Side of Blue by Yori Yanover If you look at the nearly-complete Blue building from its Suffolk Street side, you start realizing the multitude of problems its new millionaire tenants will be facing practically on day one. If I were a Blue residing millionaire, I’d be demanding exceptionally burley doormen, preferably armed... Read More...

RENOVATION 10/24/06 Two Boots A-Workin’ by Yori Yanover It looks like they’ve arrived. The space at the corner of 384 Grand Street and Suffolk is in the process of serious renovation. The building at 384 Grand won some sort of architectural prize in the 1950’s. My wife and I used to live there, from 1976 to 1980, on the fifth floor... Read More...

NEW MOON 10/22/06 New Month At Stanton Street by Yori Yanover While Muslims around the globe are concluding their Ramadan fast today, another nation which also determines much of its calendar by the cycles of the moon held celebrations today (and will repeat them tomorrow), marking the new Jewish month... Read More...

SHOOT 10/20/06 Young Local Photographer Snapping by Tibi Z. Singer Lower East Side artist Yarden Yanover is a gifted photographer with an eye for the quirky and unusual way our cityscapes behave sometimes... Read more...

SAFE ATTIRE 10/17/06 Cops Get Vests Under the Bridge by Yori Yanover It was a scene you won’t see on, say, Law and Order. This week, some 7000 of New York’s finest are being fitted for new bulletproof vests, and the action takes place under the Williamsburg Bridge, outside our Seventh Precinct... Read More...

SECURITY 10/16/06 New, Lighter Gates at ER, But Whatever For? by Yori Yanover As promised, if a bit late, the East River Housing parks have received their new, lightweight gates which, though as imposing as before, are no match even to a senior citizen yearning to pound the pavement. This is a huge improvement over the previous gates which could easily stand up to a battering ram... Read More...

MEGA-PURCHASE 10/16/06 Tatiana Can Pinch our Little Multicultural Cheeks by Pat Arnow Unhipness added to the allure when Princess (literally) Tatiana von Furstenberg, daughter of dress designer Diane von Furstenberg, bought a townhouse at 279 East Broadway (corner of Montgomery) for $2.45 million... Read More...

BOOTH MUSIC 10/13/06 Sukkot Across America At Seward Park by Pat Arnow The Bialistoker Synagogue invited the neighborhood to “enjoy delightful desserts and live music,” as part of the celebration of the National Sukkot Across America evening last Thursday. "The Cooperators" - so called because they all live in the co-ops around Grand Street - raised the roof... Read More...

CYCLES 10/13/06 Shake Your Lulav Vigorously by Yori Yanover And when you really shake them, the myrtle and Etrog start spreading a mesmerizing fragrance that becomes stronger and stronger, spreading through the synagogue as if it were an orchard in bloom... Read More...

ART 10/12/06 Animal Vegetable Mineral by Pat Arnow In the playground at Seward Park, a metallic camel sculpture and the trunk of a London plane tree have similar textures... See the full picture...

GRAFFITI 10/12/06 Yes, It's Art, But Who Is Judith Supine? by Pat Arnow Walls decorated—or defaced—around Rivington Street. Signed by Judith Supine. Judith Supine is hard to track down. If you know anything about her (if it is her), let us know, we're freaking curious... Read More...

MEMORIAL 10/11/06 Bagpipes on Grand Street by Pat Arnow This morning, the department honored Lt. Howard J. Carpluk, Jr. and firefighter Michael C. Reilly, both of the Bronx who died in the same fire. Afterwards, downtown firefighters gathered on Grand Street near Jackson... Read More...

MOBILE RITUALS 10/11/06 Rabbi Stone's Traveling Sukkah by Yori Yanover Coming down East Broadway was a pickup SUV with a Sukkah in the back, with table and chair and rolled up kosher roofing. It was driven by our local Lubavitcher, Rabbi Israel Stone, who was playing pleasant Jewish music, accompanied by a taped explanation on what a Sukkah is... Read More...

INTRODUCTION 10/11/06 Welcome Aboard, Mr. Singh by Yori Yanover Stopping by the house this morning I saw this green spot against the drab cloudy-day colors and rushed over with my Trieo camera. Mr. Sing, our new mailman, was a bit suspicious at once, but then relaxed and we shook hands... Read More...

SUNSET 10/10/06 Downtown Afternoon by Pat Arnow It's the good sunset time of year in New York. Night falls earlier and earlier but more spectacularly in the fall and early winter. The crane in the center is part of the operation dismantling the Deutcshe Bank that was damaged during 9.11... Read More...

HIGH SHOPPER 10/6/06 Comparing Spirits by Yori Yanover This morning I went into the new location of Astor Wines, at 399 Lafayette between 4th and 5th Streets. It is magnificent, spacious, attractive, well lit, gorgeous. But over the past years I’ve gotten used to amazingly low prices at the Warehouse... Read More...

STREET RIDES 10/6/06 Pitt Street Luna Park by Yarden Yanover My Mom and I stumbled on this mini amusement park which will start operating Friday night on Pitt Street, between Rivington and Stanton. In the middle of the night on Thursday it looked eerie, ghost-like, without the lights and the laughter of children... Read More...

HOLY FRUIT 10/5/06 New Origin of the Species by Yori Yanover Nowadays, most local folks do their business with Rabbi Berel Feinstein, who offers his lovely merchandise in a synagogue on Henry Street, between Allen and Clinton. I got mine there last night... Read More...

BLESSED MORNINGS 10/4/06 A View from the Bridge by Yori Yanover The pedestrian bridge over the FDR Drive at Delancey Street offers a superb view of East River Housing and the highway, especially on a sunny morning. Lemony stretches of sunlight intertwine with shadows of trees and buildings... Read More...

WATCHER 10/4/06 East River Park Update: Sunny But Grim by Yori Yanover What a difference a sunny morning makes. In my mood, not so much in the state of the renovations in East River Park (Visit Our Promenade – Condemned Since July 4, 2000). So, let’s see… A deserted bulldozer was standing at about the halfway point between Delancey and Houston, next to the waterfront. It was almost 9:00 AM... Read More...

CARE 10/4/06 Cat People of Montgomery Street by Yori Yanover Walking down Montgomery Street this morning I spotted this nice lady feeding cats behind the benches. She was cautious about giving me her name, even her first name, because, apparently, not everyone on the block is a cat lover... Read More...

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE 10/2/06 Yom Kippur Candelabra Fire in Hillman by Pat Arnow A smoky fire in a first floor apartment at 550 Grand (at Lewis) last night brought out some seven fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Apparently no one was home. Firemen knocked out the windows and sprayed water out. They also threw possessions out the window... Read More...

IMAGES 9/29/06 Grand Entertainment by Pat Arnow Could it be, yes it is, a man riding a tricked-out bike while carrying another bike over his shoulder. Impressive. That's the second-most-impressive carrying feat I've seen on a bike... Read More...

SLEUTH 9/28/06 Municipal Parking Lot Mystery Solved by Yori Yanover For a few weeks now, a minor debate has been raging over the future of the municipal parking lot at the corner of Delancey and Essex Streets. Some readers have even predicted yet a new highriser, just across the street from the speedily rising Blue. But this afternoon we passed by the lot... Read More...

BURDENS 9/27/06 Two Women on Madison Street by Yori Yanover An elderly lady from East River Housing and her Asian attendant. The attendant was carrying a large package of adult diapers on her head, and appeared exceptionally adept at balancing it... Read More...

PLEASANT SURPRISES 9/27/06 Full City Takes to the Sidewalk by Yori Yanover Yes, Full City has made good on their word and expanded onto the sidewalk, just in time for Indian Summer. It’s a cute sidewalk café, boys et girls, first of its kind in many blocks, and we expect a serious rise in business as a result... Read More...

CIVIL ACTION 9/27/06 Images from the Board by Yori Yanover At last night’s CB3 full-board meeting, several celebrities were on hand to usher in the new season and to touch base with board members and constituents. Thankfully, the board has decided to change its protocol regarding presentations from the public, opting to schedule those first, rather than forcing the citizenry to stay through the lingering debates before they get a chance to speak... Read More...

SCHOOL PRIDE 9/24/06 Adorned Doors by Yori Yanover All the teachers who were there, preparing for the new school year, insisted I shoot their amazing door decorations. It turns out the PS 110 students have not left a single classroom door without some artistic definition... See More...

PASTORALIA 9/22/06 This Morning by the Williamsburg Bridge by Pat Arnow Roses are still blooming and dogs still playing (a little scarily—you probably do not want to piss off dogs that go for a log with such alacrity) on the first day of fall in East River Park... See More...

HAIR TODAY 9/21/06 Styling with a Soundtrack by Ma Yafit Proprietor Eleanor Berardis is very proud of her eclectic choice—From the 3 Tenors to Country, Soft Rock to Sinatra. Read More...

LEVELED HOPES 9/20/06 Empty Lot Tea Leaves by Yori Yanover People are starting to notice that the municipal parking lot south of Delancey, between Essex and Ludlow, has been completely ripped off the face of the planet, possibly by beings from a faraway galaxy with urgent parking concerns... Read More...

TOP PORCH 9/20/06 High Above the Earth in Seward by Yori Yanover I just stood there, mesmerized by the immensity and bulk of this particular angle. Every shot revealed a new arrangement, new possibilities. The mix of the Co-op Village Soviet style, angular structures, with the Op-Art-like quality of the Bialystoker old age home building at the center of the group was breathtaking to me. Read More...

SAINTS AHOY! 9/19/06 Put on Your Tourist Shoes for San Gennaro by Pat Arnow New Yorkers could learn something from the tourists at the San Gennaro Festival on this uncrowded, drizzly Tuesday afternoon. No one I talked to was from New York... Read More...

SANCTUARY 9/18/06 Isolated Beauty by Yori Yanover None of the usual accounts prepare you for the calm majesty of the Amalgamated courtyard. It’s a scene out of old fairy tales, as Viennese as the Bambi dreams of the Austrian workers who first erected this very structure thousands of miles from here... Read More...

SOUR NOTE 9/17/06 Pickle Festival Has Them Standing in Line by Yori Yanover The Pickle Festival was a roaring success. Nothing brings out the curious locals like the promise of an authentic LoHo Area pickle! Read More...

SCROLL PARADE 9/17/06 Young Israel Celebrates New Torah in the Street by Pat Arnow and Yori Yanover The complete scroll was carried in a wild and raucous procession, with amazingly loud live music, on a march down Grand Street and then up East Broadway to the synagogue... Read More...

RAINY PARADE 9/16/06 Marching Girls and Blowup Stars by Yori Yanover The 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... Read More...

FREEDOM 9/16/06 Seward Sun by Pat Arnow Saturday, kids like this one came out to Seward Park, released from the week of school and rain, ready to play... Read More...

GREEN LUNG 9/08/06 Sidewalk Agriculture Coming Back by Yori Yanover Our friend Liz MacAvery has brought to our attention the cornstalk growing on the sidewalk in front of Noah’s Ark, on Grand Street. She has no idea how it got there, but I suspect some undigested popcorn was probably instrumental... Read More...

LOCATION LOCATION 9/08/06 Art in Odd Places by Pat Arnow If you walk around the neighborhood, look for the toy animals climbing up street signs on East 12th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, or large prints of city icons plastered to the side of a building on Ludlow between Rivington and Stanton... Read More...

DANGER ZONE 8/29/06 No Harm Done by Yori Yanover I was sure there was some kind of DUI involved, otherwise, how to you explain going so fast on Broome, heading east, that you’d knock a slow moving car, full of people, in such a vicious way? Read More...

DAILY PIC 8/24/06 Woman Harvesting Periwinkles by Pat Arnow This woman busily flipped over rocks along the East River just below the Brooklyn Bridge... Read More...

DAILY GRIPE 8/22/06 Get Out of My Bike Lane! by Yori Yanover So I’m riding my bike up Allen Street, and I almost run up against this pair of car service vehicles, which are sitting window to window, their drivers shooting the breeze. Read More...

DAILY PIC 8/17/06 Sanitation Law Enforcement by Yori Yanover They work in teams: A Sanitation Police car moving slowly down the street, followed by the cleanup truck with the rotating brooms. Read More...