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com 1
LO-DOWN T
H
E
www.thelodownny.com
NOVEMBER
2012
News from the Lower East Side
DESTINATION: LES
Bracing For a
Hotel Building
Boom
2 www.thelodownny.com
EAST
BROADWAY

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between
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646.756.4448
eastbroadwaypizza.com
Altagracia Salon
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245 East Broadway, New York, NY
Haiicurs Coloi Higlliglrs Lxrenrions
Keiarin 1iearmenr Relaxeis Peims
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Blow-dries start at $20
LO-DOWN T
H
E
November 2012
letter from the Editor:
How many hotels does the Lower East Side
need? Its a question many of us have asked in
recent years, as developers converged on the
neighborhood, snapping up properties at a
dizzying pace. Given the number of stalled
construction projects, many of them hotels,
scattered throughout the LES, its hard for many
locals to believe theres really pent-up demand
for all of those new rooms. So this month, we
decided it was high time to take a closer look
at the issue. Our cover story offers a compre-
hensive survey of the neighborhoods existing
and planned hotel projects, and explores why
developers are so bullish on the LES. Its a
revealing report which, we believe, highlights
just how profoundly the unprecedented hotel
building boom will transform the Lower East
Side in the years to come. Also this month, we
talk alternative art with LES native and gallerist
James Fuentes and JP Bowersock heads to the
market in search of the best holiday turkey op-
tions. We hope you enjoy this months maga-
zine. Were already hard at work on our nal
issue for 2012 our special Lower East Side
holiday guide. Happy Thanksgiving from The
Lo-Down!

in this issue
Cover Story
Inside the LES hotel construction boom
New Arrival s
Pig & Khao, William Holman Gallery,
Buerre & Sel
Neighborhood News
Pathmark closing, City Council approves
SPURA, barber shop murder
Arts Watch
Gallerist James Fuentes is at home on
the LES
The New Museum on the Old Bowery
Calendar/Feat ured Events
Waterfront Community Day, Taylor 2
at Abrons Arts Center, Arto Lindsay at
New Museum
J Ps Food Advent ures
Where to buy your Thanksgiving turkey
My LES
Up and coming musician Ludwig Persik
Cartoon
Lower East Sideways
4
11
16
17
12
14
20
18
15
LO-DOWN T
H
E
Ed Litvak
Editor-in-Chief
Traven Rice
General Manager/Arts Editor
Jennifer Strom
Associate Editor
Tobi Elkin
Copy Editor/Contributing Writer
Robin Schatell
Associate Arts Editor
Kim Sillen Gledhill
Art Director
JP Bowersock
Contributing Writer
Cynthia Lamb
Contributing Photographer
Evan Forsch
Cartoonist
Advertising inquiries:
ads@thelodownny.com
Story tips: tips@thelodownny.com
Contact us: 646-861-1805
Cover illustration by Evan Forsch.
See more of his work at evan4sh.com.
*
Ed Litvak
The Lo-Down is a publication of Lo-Down Productions LLC, 2012.
4 www.thelodownny.com
too f loodedor both. But industry statistics
like occupancy, average daily room rates
and supply and demand say otherwise, and
the projects keep coming.
The absolute numbers that New York
City is producing are unprecedented, said
Jan Freitag, a senior vice president with
Smith Travel Research (STR), which tracks
hospitality trends and provides market data
to hotel developers worldwide. Manhattan
is an outlier; everyone wants to be there.
Manhattan is hot.
The neighborhoods hotel building
boom is part of a larger trend playing out all
over the city, mostly in Manhattan but also
expanding into the other boroughs, as New
York Citys tourism continues to climb to an
all-time high and demand for lodging regu-
larly outstrips supply, even as supply con-
tinues to grow.
New York City hosted more than 50 mil-
lion visitors in 2011, driven in part by the
mayors heavy emphasis on tourism. By the
end of 2014, the city will have more than
100,000 hotel rooms, with 40 percent of them
being built since 2006, according to the citys
tourism agency, NYC and Company.
A Smith Travel Research report shows
that the number of hotels in downtown
Manhattan (all neighborhoods south of 23rd
A
long upper Orchard Street one spar-
kling fall afternoon last month,
young shoppers strolled in stilettos, popping
in and out of the tiny, trendy boutiques that
seem to multiply overnight lately. The per-
fume of fresh-cut f lowers banked along a
new corner bodega wafted down the block,
overlaid with the pungent smell of roasted
garlic from one of the pizza joints. Shopkeep-
ers hawked leather goods on the sidewalk
while workers hammered away inside Mi
Casa Es Su Casa, yet another new restaurant
opening soon. A woman with a suitcase
asked directions to The Hotel on Rivington.
A few blocks south, a group of tourists set
out from the Tenement Museum for a walk-
ing tour of the way things used to be.
This eclectic mixof the fashionable
and the old-fashioned, the outgoing and the
up-and-comingforms a large part of the
Lower East Sides charm and draw. Com-
bined with cheaper real estate prices than
most of the rest of Manhattan and easy pub-
lic transit access to more tourist-centric parts
of the city, the neighborhoods character
helps paint a portrait of a place that develop-
ers could envision new hotels succeeding.
And so, envision they have: if and when
13 new hotels now in the pipeline come on-
line, the Lower East Sides nearly 1,000 hotel
Street) grew by q8 percent in the nve-yeur
period ending in August 2012, compared
with only 28 percent growth Manhattan-
wide in the same period.
Overall, the number-crunching shows
accelerating activity in less traditionally
tourist neighborhoods in Manhattan, in-
cluding the Lower East Side, as well as in the
other four boroughs, which accounted for 40
percent of all new hotels between 2006 and
2011, according to NYC and Company.
People looking to site new hotels look
at the places where hotels are not, Freitag
said. In a market like New York, all the plac-
es you would naturally put a hotel are
taken, so you look for other opportunities.
New hotels in emerging markets like
the LES offer travelers unique experiences
and a range of attractive options, Freitag said.
Prices will be lower. The feel of the ho-
tels will be different, which is a factor for a
lot of leisure travelers, in particular. A lot of
people who have come to Manhattan before
dont necessarily want a big brand box.
The LESs current hotels offer a combina-
tion of small independent boutique-style
properties, such as Orchard Streets Blue
Moon Hotel; small luxury chains, like Allen
Streets Thompson LES; and franchises of
larger national economy chains, such as
rooms will nearly triple over the next couple
of years.
Four new properties are scheduled to
open their doors any day now, boosting the
existing inventory by about 30 percent. Six
projects in various stages of construction
four of them in a two-block radius along
upper Orchard Streetwill add another 900
or so rooms, likely by the end of 2014. Three
more-recent proposals await regulatory ap-
proval: a 130-room boutique hotel in the
landmarked Jarmulowsky Bank building on
Canal Street, a hotel/condo combination
building on Chrystie Street estimated at 376
rooms, and a Broome Street project whose
room count is not yet determined.
This is a sign that the world outside the
neighborhood is interested in what the
Lower East Side has to offer, said Jonathan
Miller of Miller Samuel Inc., a prominent
Manhattan real estate appraisal and con-
sulting nrm. "And the muth works becuuse
hotel occupancy rates are at an all-time
high.
Since some highly visible local hotel
projects stalled for years in the wake of the
real estate crisis, and so many new proposals
have made recent headlines, it may seem a
mystery that any entrepreneur would gam-
ble on u murket thut uppeurs too difncult or
4 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 5
By Jennifer Strom
a tourist tidal wave targets the l.e.s.
6 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 7
Bowery
House
Off SoHo
Suites Hotel
Hotel 91
Howard Johnson
Faireld Inn
18
19
20
22
World Hotel
14
11
25
26
3
9
Wyndham Garden
Chinatown
27
Proposed (3)
Under
Construction (6)
Opening
Soon (4)
Existing (14)
HOTEL KEY
Comfort Inn
Manhattan Bridge
6
21
13
Unnamed
17
Best Western
Bowery
Hanbee

10
Sohotel
Unnamed
16
The L.E.S. Hotel Boom
The Jarmulowsky
15
Holiday Inn 24
Hotel on
Rivington
12
Comfort Inn
Lower East
Side
4
Hotel East
Houston 7
Mayor Hotel
8
5
Thompson LES
Gem Hotel
Blue Moon
Hotel
2
UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
18
22
23
19
20
21
Unnamed
163 Orchard St.
Unnamed
139 Orchard St.
Unnamed
180 Ludlow St.
Unnamed
154 Madison St
CitizenM Hotel
185-191 Bowery
Hotel Indigo
180 Orchard St.
1
23
Proposed
THE PROJECTS: There are 13 hotel projects
in the pipeline for the Lower East Side, in varying
stages of completion. Heres the rundown.
Holiday Inn (24): 132 rooms, eight stories, 150
Delancey St. near the entrance to the Williams-
burg Bridge. Scheduled to open: December.
Howard Johnson (25): 43 rooms, 5 Allen St. be-
tween Canal and Division streets. Scheduled to
open: imminently.
Faireld Inn (26): seven stories, 95 Henry St. be-
tween East Broadway and Henry Street. Sched-
uled to open: by the end of the year.
Wyndham Garden Chinatown (27): 106 rooms, 19
stories, 93 Bowery. Scheduled to open: imminently.
139 Orchard St. (18): partially complete but
stalled, slated to house 98 rooms in a 16-story
tower. For sale as part of a $28 million package
deal that also includes an adjoining ve-story resi-
dential building and a vacant lot.
163 Orchard St. (19): proceeding, with 33 suites
planned on 10 stories.
180 Ludlow St. (20): proceeding, with 170 rooms
on 20 stories planned.
180 Orchard St. (21): the site is quiet, but owner
Brack Capital is still projecting a 2014 opening of
a Hotel Indigo with 250 rooms on 26 stories.
154 Madison St. (22): proceeding, with a ground-
breaking earlier this fall. Eight stories are planned
on a sliver of land under the Manhattan Bridge
overpass.
185-191 Bowery (23): proceeding, with a 315-room
CitizenM Hotel planned. Demolition is complete;
construction is expected to begin early next year.

The Jarmulowsky (15): a landmarked 1912 bank
building at 54 Canal St., approvals are pending for
conversion to a 12-story, 130-room boutique hotel.
263 Broome St. (16): 10 stories, with demolition
permits for a tenement building and a low-rise
commercial building on the site just approved. Also
for sale at $7.5 million. Work has not yet begun.
215 Chrystie St. (17): 376 rooms on 17 stories,
plus eight more oors of condos, for a total of 25
stories. Currently under consideration by the citys
Board of Standards and Appeals.
Under Construction
Opening Soon
8 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 9
While construction lumbers forward at
varying paces in the Orchard/Ludlow corri-
dor, the western end of the LES hosts three
of the four nearly complete hotels expected
to launch between now and years end: the
Wyndham Garden, a Howard Johnson at 5
Allen St. und u Fuirneld Inn ut p Henry St.
(The fourth is the Holiday Inn at 150 Delan-
cey St.)
At the glass-and-marble Wyndham
Garden, which sits on the LESs border with
Little Italy and Chinatown, sales director
Shequan Smith talked enthusiastically
about his new property one day last month,
while workers scrubbed the slate entryway
and executives eyed a parade of f iref ighters
in full gear tromping across the shiny lobby,
conducting a f inal f ire inspection.
Were ready to rock n roll, Smith
said.
Hotel ofnciuls huve put the clush with
neighbors behind them, Smith said, assert-
ing that the residents beef was not with the
hotel itself but with its landlord. Smith
noted that the expansive covered outdoor
plaza area will be furnished with chairs and
tables and free Wi-Fi for public use, and that
his employer made an effort to hire its staff
locally, hosting a job fair that drew 500 ap-
plicants.
We have really focused on getting in-
volved in the community and providing
support to the community, Smith said.
The Wyndhams 106 rooms, banquet
and meeting spaces and rooftop deck with
citywide views are being marketed to three
target audiences, Smith said: corporate trav-
elers and members of the fashion and en-
tertuinment industries. While nrst-time vis-
itors may choose midtown, the Wyndham
is banking on booking customers who come
to the city frequently and who want a less-
touristy experience in an authentic neigh-
borhood.
Lower Manhattanthe Lower East
Side, SoHo, Chinatownthese are the new
hot spots, he said. This is the new, trendy,
sexy part of the New York.
Comfort Inn, which has two local proper-
ties, one near the Manhattan Bridge and
another on Ludlow Street. National hote-
liers entering emerging markets gamble
that brand loyalty will persuade their built-
in customer base to try new locales when
traveling. All four of the new hotels open-
ing in the next few months are chains:
Wyndham Garden, Holiday Inn, Howard
1ohnson und Fuirneld Inn.
Familiarity was the deciding factor for
tourist Jill Christensen, who came from
Utah for a week in October. She and her
husband planned to see Barbra Streisand
uptown and had a list of other sights to hit,
including the Lower East Sides Tenement
Museum. After search-
ing online, the couple
decided to stay just across
the Williamsburg Bridge
in Brooklyn because they
found a good rate at a
Holiday Inn Express,
which they knew from
back home.
Where we live, people
are kind of afraid of getting
around in New York City,
Christensen said. But its
really easy to get around,
and it was less expensive to
stay in Brooklyn.
Considering that most
of the Lower East Sides 14 current hotels have
appeared gradually over the last decade, the
recent building rush represents u signincunt
change in the landscape, just as a massive re-
development project gets under way. The
Seward Park redevelopment plan, approved
by the City Council on Oct. 11, will remake 1.7
million square feet into 1,000 new apartments
and a large swath of new commercial, retail
and public spaces, possibly including yet an-
other hotel.
The hotel numbers say a lot about the
Lower East Side as a destination, said Mill-
er. You address a niche thats eclectic, with
an eclectic group of sights in the neighbor-
hood. Thats the charm, and thats a sought-
after thing.
Because visiting diners, shoppers and
gallery-goers support existing businesses,
the neighborhood us u whole benents eco-
nomically, Miller said.
Basically, youre bringing more wallets
into the market, and it helps everybody
when you shower the market with dollars,
he said.
That prognosis resonated with Bob Zuck-
erman, the executive director of the Lower
East Side Business Improvement District.
The hotels we have certainly add to our
foot trufnc, und we ulwuys wunt to udd more
foot trufnc, becuuse our smull businesses
need it, Zuckerman said,
noting that the LES lacks
the pedestrian draws
that many other neigh-
borhoods enjoy, such as
universities, hospitals
und lurge ofnce build-
ings.
The Lower East Side
has really grown into a
legitimate tourist des-
tination, Zuckerman
said, citing attractions
such as the Tenement
Museum, the New Mu-
seum, a growing collec-
tion of art galleries and
destination dining spots, as well as iconic
establishments like Katzs and Russ and
Daughters.
While hes not worried that the prolif-
eration of hotels will turn the LES into a
Times-Square-like tourist zone, Zuckerman
notes it will mean big change for the neigh-
borhood. Hes advocating for a counterbal-
ance of other types of commercial develop-
ment, such us ofnce buildings.
We will at some point reach a satura-
tion point with hotels, he said.
In the long run, the presence of hotels and
their accompanying tourism dollars not only
supports current businesses but also encourag-
es a wider variety of new retail businesses. In
turn, that lays the groundwork to attract high-
er-end residential development, Miller said.
In many ways, this is a shortcut to
drawing in new residential services, he said.
Its the cycle of life for a neighborhood; you
certainly dont want the opposite.
In a general way, that cycle ultimately
leuds, or course, to gentrincution, bringing
higher housing costs that price lower-in-
come residents out of the neighborhood.
There are plenty of other drawbacks
sprouting from new hotels, some of which
are already playing out here.
Rooftop parties and other late-night
noise have tormented residents in low-rise
tenements surrounding the Thompson LES
and the Hotel on Rivington since they
opened in 2008 and 2005, respectively.
More recently, the new Wyndham Gar-
den at Bowery and Hester Street was at the
center of a legal dispute between the owner
of the land and a group of tenants who were
displaced from their apartment building
next door due to structural problems the
tenants alleged stemmed from work at the
hotel site.
And along upper Orchard and Ludlow
Streets, where four large hotel projects
began rising into the skyline only to be ar-
rested by the commercial real estate disas-
ters of nve yeurs ugo, neighboring residents
and business owners quickly tired of living
in the shadows of enormous concrete hulks.
Aesthetics aside, the more serious effect of
the stull-out wus nnunciul hurdship for
some business owners who had banked on
a consumer pool that never materialized.
The projects in the zone dubbed by some
critics as Hell Square139, 163 and 180
Orchard St., and 180 Ludlow St.are slated
to eventually add a total of 550 rooms to the
LES inventory. Though each site has its own
particular real estate drama, two are clearly
progressing and it seems more likely than
ever that the other two are poised to follow
suit. (See map on pages 7 and 8 for details on
individual projects.)
existing hotels:
existing hotel rooms:
new hotels:
new hotel rooms:
14
952
13
1650
at least
10 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 11
PIG & KHAO (68 Clinton
St., pigandkhao.com) is a new
venture from former Top
Chef star Leah Cohen and the
team behind the Fatty Crab
restaurants. Located in the
former Falai space near Riving-
ton Street, Pig & Khao offers
new twists on Southeast Asian
cuisine, mostly Thai and Fili-
pino. As you might expect, the
menu is pork-centric, including
such items as grilled pork jowl
with watermelon. The space,
retaining Falais open kitchen,
has been largely redesigned,
and accentuates warm colors
and homey touches. Open
Tuesday-Saturday 5 p.m.-
midnight. Reservations are not
accepted.
POPPINGTON GALLERY (60 Orchard St.) is the latest
project from hip-hop producer Damon Dash. After closing the DD172
art and event space in Tribeca in 2011, the Rock-a-Fella Records
co-founder has relocated to a gallery-rich stretch of Orchard Street
below Grand. The inaugural exhibition featured street artists Jim Joe,
Katsu and Beau. The gallery is a showcase for Dashs media collec-
tive that supports the distribution of works by artists, musicians,
athletes, writers and lmmakers.
new arrivals
BEURRE & SEL (120 Essex St., beurreandsel.com) was opened
in the Essex Street Market by award-winning cookbook author Dorie
Greenspan, her son Josh and business partner Daniel Seehoff. Beurre
& Sel (butter and salt) offers a small selection of Greenspans
famous shortbread cookies -- some sweet, others savory. Given
Greenspans notoriety, the 50-square-foot stall on the north end of
the market is already drawing tourists.
EAST BROADWAY PIZZA (181 East Broadway, eastbroadwaypizza.com) opened across the
street from Seward Park last month. The small restaurant is mostly a takeout and delivery operation,
offering a classic New York slice plus a few hero sandwiches. Open until 2 a.m. weekdays, and until 4
a.m. weekends.
LEFTFIELD (87 Ludlow St., lefteldbar.com) is a new bar in the
former UC Lounge space, located just below Delancey Street. Theres
a full bar, a good selection of craft beers on tap and nightly specials.
The venue also features live music in the back room, and a downstairs
lounge.
HAIR OF THE DOG
(168 Orchard St., nycbestbar.
com) is the successor to long-
time LES restaurant Cafe Char-
bon. The team behind nightlife
hot spots Down the Hatch and
the 13th Step have reimagined
the former local favorite with 25
at-screen TVs, three projectors,
expanded bar space, a large
selection of beers and daily
happy hour specials. Open daily
11 a.m.-4 a.m.
Hair of the Dog
ZIPCARD
AMAZING DEALS
& REWARDS
FOR BUYING LOCAL
& STAYING LOCAL
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10002
Erin Rodriguez
erodriguez@fenwickkeats.com
Real Estate Salesperson, REALTOR
419 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.FenwickKeats.com
We know
the
neighborhood
William Holman Gallery
WILLIAM HOLMAN GALLERY (65 Ludlow St.,
wholmangallery.com) is a new exhibition space opened by Chip
Holman last month focused on American and international
contemporary artists. The debut show featured the paintings,
sculpture, drawings and a conceptual installation from nine
artists. One of those artists, John Cunningham, will have a
solo show Nov. 1-25. The gallery, located between Grand and
Broome streets, is open Tuesday-Sunday 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.;
Sunday 1-5 p.m.
12 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 13
Last month, local residents were on the verge
of winning approval for an interim garden at
181 Stanton St. and an adjoining parcel at
137 Attorney St. The lots are owned by the citys
Department of Housing Preservation and Develop-
ment. Earlier this year, the agency weighed a proposal
from a developer to purchase the site and to combine
it with a privately owned parcel, 139 Attorney St., for
a small residential building. But since that deal has not
yet been solidied, the city is willing to allow the resi-
dents to use the space in the meantime. The group
had applied with GreenThumb, a division of the Parks
Department, to license the site for an interim commu-
nity garden. During the summer, the residents spruced
up the lots, removing debris and giving the area some
much-needed TLC.
transportation
neighborhood news
real estate
On Oct. 11, the New York City Council made history,
nally approving a land use plan for the Seward
Park redevelopment site. After nearly half a century
of sitting dormant, this piece of real estatesome of
the most valuable underdeveloped land anywherewill
nally be transformed, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg
in a statement shortly after the 48-0 vote. The proposal
calls for creating 1,000 apartments (half of them aord-
able), hundreds of thousands of square feet of commer-
cial space, a new Essex Street Market and community fa-
cilities on a 1.65 million square feet near the Williamsburg
Bridge. In the days leading up to the vote, City Council
member Margaret Chin negotiated a number of con-
cessions from the city, including 100 additional housing
units, space for a new public school and a commitment
to pay the moving expenses of Essex Street Market ven-
dors. The city plans to release a request for proposals
from developers in January. City planners will work with
a community task force to craft the document and to
evaluate proposals once they are received.
Speaker SheldonSilver at Oct. 10rally.
The Lo-Down broke the story online
Sept. 28 that the Pathmark store
at 227 Cherry St. would close by
the end of this year. A spokesperson
said the companys long-term lease had
been sold to a third party who planned
a large-scale residential development
project. The supermarket chain, which
just emerged from Chapter 11 bank-
ruptcy, is reserving the right to operate
a grocery in the new complex, once it
is built. Local residents, who have de-
pended for decades on the store in the
shadow of the Manhattan Bridge, came
out in force to protest the closure at an
Oct. 10 rally. Local politicians, including
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State
Sen. Daniel Squadron and City Council
member Margaret Chin attended, urg-
ing Pathmark to keep the store open
beyond December and to help nd a
long-term solution. We are here today
to make our voices loud and clear, Sil-
ver said. We will not stand by and allow
our seniors and families to lose access
to a local aordable supermarket. The
store was lured to the Lower East Side in
the early 1980s and agreed to operate
in the Two Bridges Urban Renewal Area
for 25 years, a commitment that has
now ended. The Two Bridges Neighbor-
hood Council has been organizing resi-
dents, and attempting to reach out to
the developer. The group believes that
the developer is Gary Barnett of Extell
Development, who proposed building
one or two 50-story towers on the Path-
mark site several years ago. Barnetts
public relations rm declined to com-
ment when contacted by The Lo-Down.
Meanwhile, Two Bridges is seeking a re-
placement for the Pathmark pharmacy,
which is located in a separate adjacent
building it owns. The pharmacy closed
last month.
shopping
Community Board 3 narrowly rejected a liquor
license application for a Latin-themed restau-
rant and bar at 106 Rivington St., in a tene-
ment across from the Hotel on Rivington. The
co-owner, Jose Rodriguez, was born and raised
on the LES, and operates a chain of bodegas in
the neighborhood. The concept was opposed by
some local residents, who formed a new block as-
sociation called LES Dwellers. The restaurants de-
tractors argued it would add to an already chaotic
nightlife scene on this particular block of Rivington
Street. Supporters and
at least two members
of CB3s liquor licensing
committee said, how-
ever, it would be wrong
to deny a local appli-
cant with deep commu-
nity roots when so many
other proposals from op-
erators with no neighbor-
hood ties are routinely
approved. Its now up to
the State Liquor Author-
ity to approve or deny
the license.
nightlife
real estate
For daily news updates visit The Lo-Down
online at: thelodownny.com.
Twenty-nine-year-old Charles Fernandez was shot and killed during an argument outside the Jose Beauty Salon
and Barber Shop at 101 Forsyth St. Oct. 6. Ten days later, police arrested Joshua Nunez, a 21-year-old Brooklyn
man with a lengthy police record. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Family
members say the two men were engaged in an ongoing feud involving two neighborhood groups. A confron-
tation began inside the barber shop and spilled out onto the street, where Fernandez was shot in the chest.
Friends rushed him to Bellevue Hospital but doctors could not save him. He lived on Mott Street and left behind
three young children.
Police responded to the fatal shooting at 101 Forsyth Street.
crime
real estate
On Nov. 14, Greyhound will go before Community
Board 3, seeking support for a new bus stop on Pike
Street for the companys YO! Bus service, which
plans to begin routes to and from Philadelphia. On
Sept. 25, the Department of Transportation rescinded a
permit granted on Essex Street, in front of Seward Park,
at the urging of local elected ocials. As we reported in
our October cover story, residents came out in force to
a CB3 meeting, arguing that the location, adjacent to a
playground, was inappropriate. Now the board will con-
sider a spot near 2 Pike St., between East Broadway and
Division, alongside a small median. CB3s transporta-
tion committee meets at 6:30 p.m., at LaMama Theatre,
47 Great Jones St.
14 www.thelodownny.com
arts watch
By Tobi Elkin
Its all in the neighborhood for James Fuentes,
whose past, present and future are colliding on the
Lower East Side. Fuentes eponymous gallery, at 55
Delancey St., isnt far from where he grew up on
Madison and Jackson Streets. He now lives in the
East River Co-op with his young family.
It feels very much like a homecoming, he
says of moving to Grand Street in May 2010 and
opening the gallery in September of the same year.
Before that, Fuentes lived in Chinatown at
Canal and Allen streets and ran a gallery for more
than three years at 35 St. James Place. Hes been
part of the gallery world for more than a decade,
opening a gallery at Broome and Varick straight
out of college. He went on to curate an exhibition
at Gavin Brown, became a director at Lombard-
Freid and then a director at Deitch Projects.
At his current gallery, Fuentes focuses mainly
on new and emerging artists, though there are ex-
ceptions for established but under-appreciated art-
ists: A show of Jonas Mekas photographs of life in a
postwar displaced persons camp in Germany was
on view lust month. It wus the nrst time Mekus, u
co-founder of the Anthology Film Archives, has
exhibited the photographs.
www.thelodownny.com 15
Fuentes shows have consistently caught
the eye of The New York Times art critic Roberta
Smith, garnering his artists critical recognition. He
holds 10 solo shows a year and represents nearly a
dozen artists. I believe the work speaks for itself.
Its more what the artist is doing than what Im
doingIm providing an umbrella for that.
Fuentes credits Miguel Abreu Gallery, which
set up shop at 36 Orchard St. in 2006, with creating
an art community that he wanted to join.
At the time, the New Museum was about
to relocate on Bowery, so once that happened, I
knew the neighborhood would become a destina-
tion and it would really solidify the gallery scene,
Fuentes says.
I had studied the trajectory of gallery districts
in New York over the last 40 years. The East Village
in the 80s was full of artist-run spaces whereas
here, the upstart gallerists are really professional-
ized before they open. Theres still a DIY feel but
theres also some experience to back it up.
Aside from Miguel Abreu, Fuentes favorite
LES galleries for discovering innovative artists are
47 Canal, Feature, Ramiken Crucible and Reena
Local Gallerist James Fuentes
Stays True to His Roots
(continued on Page 19)
On a recent trip to the New Museum to see its
Come Closer: Art Around the Bowery, 1969-1989
exhibition, I was reminded of the Bowery of my
youth. There were certainly no art museums dot-
ting its landscape (or star-chef restaurants or lux-
ury boutique hotels for that matter) but there was
plenty of art. Only I didnt know it. What I do re-
member is how rundown it seemed-tired-looking
buildings, garbage strewn about, off-putting res-
taurant supply stores (a few of which are still hold-
ing on) and, except for a few colorful characters
who were hanging around the ophouses, empty
streets. It all seemed so desolate. Of course, these
images came from inside the safety of my moms
car, as we drove on the Bowery on our way to or
from Chinatown or someplace else. Little did I
know that inside those buildings I was staring at
was a different story completelya thriving and
lively artist community.
Given the nature of the neighborhood in the
70s and 80sthe Bowery had been in the slide
for years before I encountered itrents were
cheap and space plentiful, so naturally, in moved
the artists. Painters, photographers, performance
artists, musicians and lmmakers began working
together, exchanging ideas and drawing inspira-
tion from each other and their relationships to the
Bowery and its surroundings.
The Old Bowery at the New Museum
By Robin Schatell
Much of what is on display in Come Closer
is ephemera and performance documentation:
Harvey Wangs photos of Adam Purples long-
gone The Garden of Eden (1975-86); Marc H.
Millers Assorted photos/announcements from 98
Bowery, Keith Harings Door from 325 Broome St.
But it is all a fascinating glimpse into the lives of
artists who were producing art that was changing
the landscape of this famed thoroughfare.
Several of these artists still live and work on or
near the Bowery, including Barbara Ess, Arleen
Schloss and Curte Hoppe, to name a few.
When I think about the Bowery of my child-
hood now, especially every time Im walking on it,
which is quite often these days to travel back and
forth between the LES and West Side, to visit the
New Museum, or eat at Pulinos I have to smile.
The street certainly looks and feels different, and
I welcome those changes. But I also dont want to
forget its past as shady as I remember it; thanks
to the New Museums ongoing Bowery Artist
Tribute series, I now have some new images to
hold onto.
Art Around the Bowery touches on just a
small piece of New Yorks downtown art his-
tory. I wish the museum had lled up all ve of its
oors with artwork from that explosive time, but I
will gladly take what I can get.
.
Come Closer: Art Around the Bowery, 1969-1989 runs through Jan. 6.
Photo credit: Tobi Elkin
Adam Purple photo by Harvey Wang
16 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 17
The NOD with Tony Drazan at the Nuy-
orican Poets Cafe: Writer Tony Drazan
sifts through and picks up the pieces of his
on-again/off-again Hollywood career and
love life in this hilariously painful solo show.
Through Dec. 16, 7 p.m. 236 E. Third St., $23
($18 for students and seniors), nuyorican.org.
Arto Lindsay at the New Museum:
The downtown experimental musician
and producer who co-founded the No
Wave band DNA, and has worked with the
likes of The Lounge Lizards, John Zorn, Jao
Gilberto, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne,
Laurie Anderson, Cibo Matto and Animal
Collective, to name a few, performs selections
from his four-decade career. 7 p.m., 235 Bow-
ery, $15, newmuseum.org.
Thanksgiving is a uniquely Anglo-American holi-
day. We celebrate the early English colonists accu-
mulation of enough food to make it through a Yan-
kee winter by gathering the family and overeating,
often while watching our homespun bastardization
of rugby on television. Mythology surrounding the
day even suggests a chummy relationship between
the heathen savages and the witch-burning funda-
mentalists bringing civilization to them. Rule, Britan-
nia! Of course the specics of what were eating
while counting our blessings are pure New World:
cranberries, yams, winter squash and of course, tur-
keythe bird Ben Franklin unsuccessfully proposed
for our national symbol.
Franklin would hardly recognize the birds that
end up on our Thanksgiving tables. They bear little
resemblance to their gunmetal-blue cousins run-
ning around our Northeast woods. Nearly all the
turkeys in the supermarket are one breed: the Broad
Breasted White. This creation of modern science
cannot even mate on its own; farmers reproduce
them via articial insemination. Their accelerated
life cycle makes them perfect for fully automated,
high-density indoor farming. They can cheaply feed
a group, and still leave leftovers. They can be bland,
though. Cooks in the know employ all manner of
tricks to improve them: brining, deep frying, butter
under the skin, marinades.
As New Yorkers we have options beyond the
supermarketthough each step away from modern
industrial farming carries a substantial increase in price.
Probably the Cadillac of turkeydom can be
found at Heritage Meats in the Essex Street Market.
There I met Emilie Frohlich, a former turkey farmer
who explained these turkeys to me. Heritage breeds
Talking Turkey
by JP Bowersock
jps food adventures
calendar what to do in NOVEMBER
Waterfront Community Day at
Pier 42: Neighborhood organizations
and residents gather to start creating
a new vision for a park on the old pier.
12-4 p.m., on the waterfront across from
Corlears Hook Park (southern tip of East
River Park), free, hesterstreet.org.
Lost and Found Music Series at the
Museum at Eldridge Street: : David
Chevans Afro-Semitic Experience and
Cantor Jack Mendelson team up for
a spiritual tribal jam, merging ancient
cantorial melodies with rhythmic jazz
accompaniment that celebrates both
traditions. 7 p.m., 12 Eldridge St.,
$20 ($15 for students and seniors),
eldridgestreet.org.
Your Day is My Night at The Perfor-
mance Project: A group of Chinese
immigrants presents a dynamic live
lm performance that offers an inside
look at the hidden world of New Yorks
shift-bed residents. Through Nov. 3, at
7:30 p.m., 184 Eldridge St., $15 ($10 for
students, seniors and artists), university-
settlement.org.
Sat.
10
Visit our CALENDAR online at
www.thelodownny.com/calendar
for more details and to add
your own events.
Sat.
3
11
Sun.
Taylor 2 at Abrons Arts Center: Paul Taylors
world-class touring company returns home for a
free concert featuring its classics Airs and Company
B. 3 p.m., 466 Grand St., free, abronsartscenter.org.
Tues.
27
Tenement Talks: In Search of Sacco
and Vanzetti: Author Susan Tejada
and documentary lmmaker Peter
Miller offer their expert takes on the
infamous and controversial 1927 mur-
der trial and execution of two Italian
immigrants. This case serves as a window
into the turbulent background of immigration reform, radical-
ism, labor activism, war and domestic terrorism. 6:30
p.m., 103 Orchard St., free, tenement.org.
such as Narragansett, Spanish Black and Bourbon
Red were bred for taste, and must be raised the
old-fashioned way, outdoors in ocks, where they
take twice as long to mature as supermarket birds.
Frohlich said there was no comparison between
the avor of these birds and those found at the su-
permarket, because theyre entirely different ani-
mals. Heritage is taking turkey orders now.
If youre looking to avoid factory-farmed turkeys
but Heritage is out of your price range, take a short
eld trip to the greenmarkets in Union Square or
Tompkins Square Park, which offer access to a va-
riety of turkeys raised locally in upstate New York,
including both Broad Breasted Whites and several
heritage breeds. Farms such as Quattros Game
Farm and Norwich Meadows Farm take orders ei-
ther online or at the markets, and will bring your
bird to the city the week before the holiday. Take
note: place your order soon.
As a nal option, while I dont nd labels like
organic, free range or humanely raised ter-
ribly meaningful when applied on a corporate scale,
those who do can nd plenty of choices at Whole
Foods. Of course the more labels your bird displays,
the more expensive its likely to be.
This Thanksgiving, Ill be at my parents, eating
a formerly frozen supermarket turkey likely a bird
from last year that didnt sell. But itll easily feed 15.
And well be thankful for it.
JP Bowersock is a professional musician and music
producer who has toured the world, eating at top
restaurants and hole-in-the-wall joints. He is also
a wine consultant and a serious home cook who
scours the Lower East Side for frugal food nds in
his free time.
Thurs.
8
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood
Concert: Magos Herrera: The
Mexican jazz singer brings her sultry
voice and captivating lyrics to Abrons
Arts Center for an enticing afternoon of jazz. Part of
Carnegie Halls Voices from Latin America series. 3
p.m., 466 Grand St., free, abronsartscenter.org.
Sun.
18
Fri.
30
Thurs.
1
Photo credit: Cynthia Lamb
18 www.thelodownny.com www.thelodownny.com 19 18 www.thelodownny.com
cials at Two Boots and the Halloween Parade! And
even though I dont hang there so much anymore,
it has remained xed in my mind as such. My most
immediate favorite block/area is East Broadway as
it crosses Jefferson. Oliver Street (down by
Chatham Square) is also pretty cool. My girlfriend
and I fantasize about some of the buildings on that
block.
Favorite date spot in the hood?
Cafe Petisco on East Broadway and Jefferson. The
staff there is lovely, the avocado-and-bacon burg-
ers are wicked and the haloumi salad is absolutely
delicious.
Favorite coee in the hood?
Keeping it strictly within a two-block radius, Cafe
Grumpy on Essex Street. Their coffee is inspiring.
Favorite cheap eats in the neighborhood?
Lan Cafe on Sixth Street and First Avenue is the
best! This is a real contender for my favorite date
spot in the hood. The freshest, quietest, most de-
What do you do?
I play music! In 2010, I was swooped up on a world
tour singing and playing guitar for Jamie Lidell,
promoting his 2010 album, Compass. It was an ab-
solute dream come true. This year I nished re-
cording my debut album in Nashville, Tenn., which
was produced by the very same Mr. Lidell! Currently,
Im playing shows in NYC promoting the EP.
How long have you lived on the LES?
I grew up on Avenue B, and went to the Neighbor-
hood School for elementary school, and NEST+m
for middle and high school. So, my answer: forever.
Favorite block in the hood?
Third and A used to be the center of the universe
for me while I was growing up: After-school spe-
licious and reasonably priced vegetarian Vietnam-
ese restaurant in town. Ace!
Where do you take your visitors when
theyre here?
I try not to take them anywhere. Evil, I know, but I
feel that sowing seeds of geographic interest is
more effective. That way, they feel they have discov-
ered the city for themselves. St. Marks! Avenue A!
Chinatown! East River Park! I nd that the places I
love most are places that visitors might feel are
cool, but lacking in the bustle they were in search
of. I never go to Times Square and Ive never been
to the Statue of Liberty. Weird.
Favorite dive bar (or hangout) in the neigh-
borhood?
Last year I went to Lit Lounge every Wednesday to
dance myself clean, but the one place that is still
strong in my repertoire is St. Dymphnas on St.
Marks Place. They have burgers (mmmm), chicken
ngers and a delicious tap.
How has the neighborhood changed in
the last few years?
Well, ever since I migrated from Avenue B to East
Broadway, Ive lost touch with the saturation of new
businesses and bar life in the East Village. Im afraid
of that movement coming to the area near Seward
Park. East Broadway is like a cousin to Park Slope.
There is something more down-tempo over here; I
like it. Its nice not to be stacked on top of some tiki
bar that has heavy metal nights on Tuesdays. Dont
ever change!
Favorite LES memory?
My favorite LES memory isnt one particular moment,
but more of an expression of many instances. I lived
a few blocks from my high school, so every summer,
on Fridays, my friends and I would parade to a bo-
dega (which has long since shuttered, maybe for ob-
vious reasons), purchase illicit booze, and then wed
spend the rest of the afternoon on my roof, grilling
burgers (the origin of my love affair with burgers) and
singing songs. At one point, the pile of empty bottles
grew so massive, it was dubbed the mecca. The
name had no religious connotation; it only described
its immensity. It was tragically dismantled by the land-
lordthe end of an era. RIP.
Read the latest installments of My LES online
each week.
Ludwig
Persik
For our regular feature spotlighting the
people who live and work on the Lower East
Side, we talked recently with neighborhood
native and musician Ludwig Persik.
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Spaulings Fine Art.
They consistently present things that are
out of the ordinary even by their standards. Its
not necessarily that what theyre doing is out
there all the time, but its thoughtful, rigorous
and I feel like they each have very distinct voic-
es, says Fuentes.
Fuentes says hes happy to be a part of the
LES gallery scene but, he notes, Within the pa-
rameters of the gallery, what were trying to do
is to create something that can function any-
wherewe could just as easily be on 57th Street.
Its pretty high rent here now.
Overall, Its really an ideal time for people
who are interested in learning about contem-
porary art to discover it through these start-
ups that are really dynamic and accessible.
How will the LES gallery scene evolve?
Whats happening down here is an alter-
native. he says, however: If past experience is
any indicator of whats to come, people will be
looking for unother neighborhood in nve yeurs.
I think we should enjoy it while it lasts.
arts watch
(continued from p.14)
Fuentes isnt certain which neighborhood
is next for art: Theres nowhere to go. Williams-
burg almost had a viable gallery district until
2003, but it couldnt generate enough people to
visit, he says, adding, Its probably easier to get
someone to go to Berlin to see a show than go to
Brooklyn.
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the neighborhood:
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