NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: LOTUS BLUE
Now open in the space that was Nam: Lotus Blue, serving food inspired by China’s Yunnan Province. “It borders Vietnam, Laos, and Burma,” says co-founder Jeffrey Lim, “and the cuisine is infused by many cultures, with Southeast Asian ingredients like cilantro, banana leaf, and ginger.”

IN THE NEWS
••• 2/6: Street closures. Plus: Kutsher’s review; expansion at the New York City Rescue Mission; hospital-themed pop-up shop inside Patron of the New.
••• 2/7: Parade report. Plus: 52-54 Lispenard objections; pizzeria in a shaky situation; Super Bowl for singles.
••• 2/8: Soho Rep. Plus: World Trade Center audit; anonymous doorman; Kutsher’s review; Trinity Church and Hudson Square; Dominique Strauss-Kahn movie; new Aáron Sánchez restaurant; American Icon expands.

CONDO, HOTEL, OR SCHOOL?
It’s time for another round of everyone’s favorite game: Condo, Hotel, or School? The Bloomberg administration wants to sell 49-51 Chambers. Local politicians are screaming bloody murder. What’s at stake?

SEEN & HEARD
••• 2/8: Affordable housing. Plus: Aamanns/Copenhagen update (sort of); Reade Street sidewalk; Facebook plea.

NOSY NEIGHBOR
“With the opening of Fiterman Hall, will the classroom trailers along West Street finally go away? They were brought in as a temporary measure after 9/11 and have been there for over ten years.” —C.

CONDO, HOTEL, OR SCHOOL?
Last month, Mayor Bloomberg announced his intention to sell three city buildings. Local politicians, however, want them turned them into schools or affordable housing. It’s hard to know what to think without going inside, so that’s what I did yesterday at 346 Broadway.

REAL ESTATE REPORT
Five sales have been reported in the past week, including one involving a celebrity.

BEST OF TRIBECA: DELI SANDWICH?
When I did that survey, someone suggested that I canvass readers to find out the best of a given category: cup of coffee, chocolate-chip cookie, etc. So: What’s the best “deli sandwich” in Tribeca? A few votes are already in.

IN THE NEWS
••• 2/2: Pizza. Plus: Stephanie Madoff Mack; Yankees GM accuser; Pick A Bagel; cemetery wi-fi.
••• 2/3: American Express Carriage House. Plus: Food truck clusterfudge; Illuminate Lower Manhattan; a fascinating look at the history of 121 Hudson.
••• 2/5: Details on the Giants’ parade. Plus: Louis and Terrie Latilla; Liberty Luxe penthouse; Kaffe 1668 expansion; New York Downtown Hospital..

TALL, THIN, AND FUTURISTIC
Construction will start soon on a 21-story condo tower. The design is, um, remarkable.

SEEN & HEARD
••• 2/2: Battery Place Market. (Love that floor!) Plus: 93 Worth to grow taller; Harry’s Italian; Jem Café closed temporarily; TriBeCa auto-correct override.
••• 2/3: Aroma Espresso Bar. Plus: Lotus Blue soft opening; 37 Warren gets a name; naughty behavior at Barnes & Noble (NSFW!); 250 W. Broadway.
••• Congratulations to Jim “Eagle Eye” Smithers for winning last week’s Where in Tribeca…? We’ll play again Friday at 8 a.m.

COMING UP
Betty, Wyclef Jean, Krappy Kamerawork, three writers, work by three Hollywood directors, jazz by Randy Weston, art aplenty and possibly Peaches.

PHOTO SAFARI
It’s funny because it’s not true. Plus all sorts of other photographic fun!

NOSY NEIGHBOR: WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT 20-24 VARICK?
“The word ‘condo’ came out at 8 a.m. yesterday, when jackhammers were doing some work for a project to come….” —A. Indeed: a big new building is going up there.

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/30: Ancient Baths is opening soon. Plus: 9/11 Memorial compensation brouhaha; 1WTC gets even more expensive; Stuyvesant construction noise; liquor-license map; underrated restaurants.
••• 1/31: View diligence. Plus: The new Super Linda opening date; a visit with artist James Rosenquist; Irish Hunger Memorial; train enthusiasts; 155 Franklin penthouse; Big Apple Greeter.
••• 2/1: Varick rendering. Plus: Is Mike’s Papaya closed?; Pier A rot even worse that thought; alleged fraudster.

ON THE CB1 AGENDAS FOR FEBRUARY
This garage appears doomed; someone new taking over Vinovino; the restaurant replacing Barzinho on W. Broadway; much-needed Hubert storefront renovation; liquor on the Municipal Building plaza; a gazillion street fairs—all this and more will be discussed by CB1 this month.

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/30: Hugh Jackman will not be attending the opening of a new store. Plus: Industria Argentina update; Potbelly’s; Ludlow Suit Shop opening date; Twin Café now cooking breakfast elsewhere.
••• 2/1: Stoplight construction. Plus: Aroma Espresso Bar to open this week; a Bubby’s on the West Coast?; rental advice; school auction.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: ART PROJECTS INTERNATIONAL
The gallery, founded in Soho 18 years ago, has opened on Greenwich Street. “We were one of the first platforms for artists from Asia,” says founder Jung Lee Sanders, although now API represents artists from all over.

MOM2B’S SERVICES ARE HALF OFF THIS MONTH
If you’re a new mother or a mom-to-be, Kimberly Whitfill-Kay is at your service. She’s a Certified Nurse Midwife, childbirth educator, and personal trainer who has been leading classes of all kinds—and offering all kinds of personal assistance—in Tribeca for 15 years. And this month, all of her services are 50% off. For more information, call her at 646-262-3231 or email her at nycmidwife@mac.com.

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DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE AT EUPHORIA SPA
Couples who play together, stay together: With Euphora Spa‘s Kneading Each Other treatment, you can learn how to massage each other and have fun while doing it! Purchase it before Valentine’s Day (90 minutes, $260) and you’ll receive a $100 gift certificate to use another time on Euphoria products and services. It’s an exclusive offer for Tribeca Citizen readers. 18 Harrison St., 212-925-5925, euphoriaspanyc.com.

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SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER AT SARABETH’S TRIBECA

Sarabeth’s Tribeca is at 339 Greenwich St.; call 212-966-0421 for reservations. We will be serving this menu, in addition to our full regular menu, on February 14 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

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GIVE A BAG OF GOODIES TO YOUR VALENTINE

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WORK UP A SWEAT WITH MIND OVER MATTER HEALTH & FITNESS
Who said fitness isn’t as romantic as a fancy dinner and a heart-shaped box of chocolates? Mind Over Matter Health & Fitness can help you get in shape and stay there. You can even sign up for a 2-for-1 in-home session with your significant other, working with one of Mind Over Matter‘s finest! Contact us at 212-865-9290 or info@mindovermatternyc.com for details.

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Thank you to all the sponsors! If you’re interested in advertising in the newsletter, email tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: ANNELORE
“One of my favorite things is to come out and see how a design fits, to see the customer’s reaction,” says Annelore designer Juliana Cho, who just opened a boutique/atelier on Jay. “It makes me a better designer.”

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/26: Deli closing. Plus: Two new nail salons (one in the north, one in the south); Ed Burns; Wichcraft menu changes; making progress at 482 Greenwich.
••• 1/27: Saluggi’s and Sea World. Plus: 22 Desbrosses; Industria Argentina closed for renovation; Battery Park carousel update; Five Franklin Place.
••• 1/28: Store moving to the Upper East Side. Plus: Restaurant appears to be closing; Battery Place Market open on Goldman Alley; the James Nares show.
••• Congratulations to Woodrow’s, which correctly identified last week’s Where in Tribeca…? We’ll play again on Friday at 8 a.m.

HARD-HAT TOUR: CONRAD NEW YORK
The hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Patrick Roy, took me on a hard-hat tour this week….

COMING UP
Mary Stuart Masterson, Adam Gopnik, David Lynch, a Valentine’s Day soda fountain, Humphrey Bogart, “Daily Show” writers, Graham Parker, and a lot of art.

MOOMAH IS CLOSING
But the brand will live on as a non-profit organization and website.

WOULD YOU CARE TO DANCE?
Congratulations to Downtown Dance Factory students on their performances in the recent demo classes! Now we can start preparing for the big June recitals. Want to join the fun? There’s room: DDF has nearly 10,000 square feet of space in heart of Tribeca, including two brand-new studios. But there isn’t much time: The new semester begins February 3. What are you waiting for? Sponsored by Downtown Dance Factory.

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN TRIBECA
Five sales have been reported in the past week.

THE RESTAURANT THAT CAN’T STAND STILL
Stuzzicheria is switching things up yet again—and this time, the name is changing, too.

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/26: Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber bought in Tribeca. Plus: An artist’s home/studio; no parade for 9/11 first responders; Macao Trading Co.’s dumplings; Seaport Museum reopens today; “Margin Call” director/writer J.C. Chandor; P.S. 234 lottery.
••• 1/27: J. Crew’s new men’s store has a name. Plus: LMDC grants; more on a celeb apartment purchase; Moss shuts down; law firm moving into 1WTC; James Nares’s pendulum.
••• 1/29: Pier 40 (and other Hudson River Park troubles). Plus: I.S. 89 principal Ellen Foote; parsing a real-estate sale on Duane; the Seaport bar where Greg Kelly and his accuser drank.

LOFT PEEPING: DIETZ LANTERN BUILDING
Look what popped up on Remodelista: a black-and-white Tribeca loft by local designers SchappacherWhite.

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/24: About that stoplight (no, not that stoplight). Plus: Bethenny Frankel; new Italian deli in BPC; city won’t prop up 3WTC; gallery review; 60 Hudson capacity expansion; explaining things to Jerry Nadler.
••• 1/25: Super Linda profile. Plus: The bathrooms at Tribeca Tavern; BPC hangout; modeling agent Stephen Lee.

TCQ&A: DANA MASS
“I got an amazing desk off of Craigslist from someone who lives on Warren,” says the founder of MaVaVoom, a new website for moms and moms-to-be. “It was $50 but looks like it cost a pretty penny!” Read the full Q&A.

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/24: Mark those calendars for Taste of Tribeca! Plus: Woodrow’s update; North End Grill dinner menu; store closed on Warren.
••• 1/25: Annelore is now open. Plus: Hudson Market revamp; Bubby’s gets an A; Kutsher’s Tribeca starts serving brunch; 137 Franklin.

12 TWEETS OF TRIBECA
Welcome to TweeBeCa, Land of Fornication (or at least Fertilization…).

JEFFREY SHAGAWAT’S “NEW BRAIN”
When Tribeca-based photographer Jeffrey Shagawat learned he had brain cancer, he took even more pictures. Now he’s planning a gallery exhibit: “It’s not all doctor- and cancer-related. There are shoots with friends and models, nightlife pics, and some just of the world passing by. It was my personal therapy.”

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN TRIBECA
Seven sales have been reported in the past week, none under $2 million.

SEEN & HEARD
••• Sea World closes—and rumors of who’s taking over the space. Plus: North End Grill liquor license; J&R Junior. (P.S. Comment of the week comes from Thurston Underhill: “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a Tribeca Citizen reader who has actually has tried the fried delicacies at Sea World?”)
••• Congratulations to Pesky for correctly IDing last week’s Where in Tribeca…? We’ll play again Friday at 8 a.m.

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/20: “Bond Girl.” Plus: Artist James Nares; restaurateur climbs Everest; pot-hoarding photographer gets off easy.
••• 1/22: 71 Laight is back in play. Plus: 101 Warren penthouse listed three weeks after it sold; Bubby’s is selling “Fuckin Fresh” T-shirts; Paul Bettany’s favorite restaurant.

COMING UP
Kevin Costner, Seaport Museum, Edie Brickell, Tribeca Meet & Greet, Harlem Comedy Renaissance, two lead singers, Joe Henry, and art aplenty. “Me, I’m a part of your circle of friends….”

PHOTO SAFARI
A double rainbow and a lot of signage (including this winner from Milo Hess).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: NORTH END GRILL
That the latest Danny Meyer/Floyd Cardoz collaboration is serving the best food in Battery Park City is a foregone conclusion. But is it worth crossing the highway for?

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/17: The rumor is that a Tribeca building is coming down. Plus: Bus-bulb extraction; Freakin Wings; Plein Sud.
••• 1/18: My Belly’s Playlist. (It’s a new sandwich “shop.”) Plus: Thierry Despont exhibit extended; celeb at the Palm; Tribeca Meet & Greet.

EXCLUSIVE FOR TRIBECA CITIZEN READERS
XOOS French Shirts is extending its once-a-year sale through Feb. 15 exclusively for Tribeca Citizen readers. Everything is 10% off, and some shirts are 15% off; moreover, with every four shirts you buy, you’ll get a free silk tie. (Shirts are normally around $85.) You can also shop online at the relaunched french-shirts.com; use code XS12TC at checkout. XOOS is at 7 Lispenard, at W. Broadway; 646-429-9835. Sponsored by XOOS French Shirts.

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/17: NYPD violated the law. Plus: Chef Aarón Sanchez’s new book; director M. Night Shyamalan sells his apartment; P.S. 234 kindergarten update; where to dump your girlfriend (and get fries).
••• 1/18: Clocktower Gallery. Plus: Battery Park carousel and playground update; setback on Lispenard; Dominique Strauss-Kahn townhouse price reduced; Trump Soho auction; Condé Nast takes more of 1WTC.

LOFT PEEPING: 101 WARREN
Shelter website Houzz featured an apartment in 101 Warren designed by Boston-based Stephanie Sabbe: It has groovy wallpaper, a Murphy bed, and art co-created by the client’s boyfriend.

COMING UP
Mario the Magician, Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Moth, Richard Thompson, Anoushka Shankar, Howie Day, and a bunch of art.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION
Two bills currently before Congress would affect sites like this one. Google has a painless petition you can sign to oppose this legislation.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: VINTRY FINE WINES
Vintry Fine Wines has just opened in Goldman Alley. It looks like an alien spaceship has landed—and they brought wine!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: BLUE SMOKE
The barbecue restaurant has opened its second outpost—serving only dinner for now—in the Conrad hotel building. How do you feel about Toll House Pie?

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/12: The colorful house of Kutsher’s Tribeca co-founder Alan Wilzig. Plus: Baby boom below Canal; Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz.
••• 1/14: City building sell-off? (Can’t one become a school?) Plus: Big addition on Washington Street; elevator fixed; Biddy Early’s bids adieu; Brooklyn Bridge noise annoys Gehry building tenants.

CREWCUTS SURPRISE
The J. Crew offshoot on Hudson is saying goodbye to kids’ clothes and hello to….

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/13: Potbelly sandwich chain is coming to Tribeca. Plus: Kutsher’s to start serving lunch; Matt Bernson store.
••• 1/15: Worth Kitchen. Plus: Kutsher’s lunch menu; 87 Leonard going condo; Tribeca Performing Arts Center grant; Mysterious Bookshop.
••• Congratulations to citypixie for correctly IDing last week’s Where in Tribeca…? We’ll play again on Friday at 8 a.m.

CB1 TRIBECA COMMITTEE: THE UNOFFICIAL MINUTES
Now we know what’s coming to the northwest corner of Duane and W. Broadway (formerly home to a series of Bouley establishments). Also discussed: Sidewalk seating for Plein Sud and Dr. Michel Cohen’s new restaurant, the basement at MaryAnn’s.

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN TRIBECA
Fourteen sales have been reported in the past two weeks, including four at 471 Washington.

PROGRESS REPORT: SOUTHWEST TRIBECA
What’s coming to the neighborhood below Franklin and west of W. Broadway. Plus: Battery Park City, where something new seems to open every week.

SEEN & HEARD
••• 1/11: Tattoo you? Plus: Lower Manhattan love story contest; Tribeca Clayworks open house; the OTB on Murray is in play.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: DAMON LISS DESIGN/LISS REAL ESTATE GROUP
Tribeca residents Damon and Lisa Liss have headquartered their two businesses—Damon Liss Design and the Liss Real Estate Group—in a storefront on Hudson.

ANYONE WANT TO BUY 172 DUANE?
It’s on the market (update: or at least it briefly was). And if the prominent Duane Park building—formerly Damon Dash’s headquarters—isn’t big enough, you can build on it.

NOSY NEIGHBOR: WHAT’S HAPPENING TO MY PARKING LOT?
“My fiancé and I used to park our car in the lot at Watts and West, but a few weeks ago we were told the lot had been sold to someone who plans to build a ‘big building,’ so we needed to vacate by the end of the month.” —S. (Brace yourself for disappointing news, fans of old Tribeca.)

IN THE NEWS
••• 1/9: $17 million penthouse (on Canal!). Plus: Theater shut down because it was too cold; diner reopens; Marc Forgione’s big new restaurant; a Tribeca company that makes music for commercials; a Walker’s server’s new company.
••• 1/10: Fuckin with Bubby’s. Plus: Jennifer Connelly listed her Tribeca apartment; likely murderer calls 911 from Tribeca; a new novel titled Triburbia; building foreclosure; 150 Nassau; Jungsik’s wine list.
••• 1/11: André Balasz is out at Temple Court. Plus: Who paid $17 million for that penthouse; foraging with a new Tribeca chef; Super Linda partners; Occupy Wall Street; Demi Monde details; temporary bus problem.