When I saw "Books and Books" written in several places on the drywall in the southwest corner of the Conrad building, I was convinced that the beloved Miami bookseller was coming to Battery Park City. The owner swears it's not happening, though....

Another winner from Milo Hess.

We're going to need more than that. Or is this a scorecard of what's already been drunk?

It's possible I've been watching too much "Downton Abbey," but Chamber Sports sounds like an Edwardian euphemism.

In L.A. that might mean something. Besides, what about us walkers? Building a bike involves a carbon footprint, you know.

A double rainbow at the 9/11 Memorial, taken by Mitch Howell (click to see it in all its glory)

Previous Progress Reports:
••• Northeast Tribeca
••• Northwest Tribeca
••• Southwest Tribeca

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56 LEONARD
After a period of being stalled, the love-it-or-loathe-it 57-story “Jenga Building” by Herzog & de Meuron is a go once again, at least according to news reports in November. (Click that link to see a rendering.) If it happens, it’ll dramatically change that stretch of Church Street.

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ATERA
After missing its scheduled fall opening and then saying they were “hoping” to open this winter, the Compose reboot appears to be making progress. For one thing, there’s a website (just a placeholder, but still); for another, I hear the kitchen is done and chef Matthew Lightner and his team are cooking.

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THE FLEA
The theater, currently based on White Street, is in the fund-raising phase of moving to 20 Thomas. They’ve bought he building; they just need to do construction inside.

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BOULEY STUDIO
When Bouley Studio closed “for vacation” in August, signage said it would reopen in the fall, and (but?) Nicole Bouley said the focus would be on private events. It was unclear whether Bouley Studio as we knew it would return; substantial demolition muddied the waters. The Bouley website, meanwhile, no longer mentions the space at all. In response to a recent inquiry, I was told that the focus would remain on catering. UPDATE: See this post for more (scroll down to till you see the same photo as above).

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CITIBANK
In November, I discovered that the old Bouley Market space would become a Citibank branch; a staffer at the one on Broadway said it would be open by December, but work appears to have come to a halt…?

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142 DUANE
This one is a mystery: The lights are often on, the windows were recently papered. If you know anything, email me at tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

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SUPER LINDA
The latest in Matt Abramcyk’s string of Tribeca restaurants—after Smith & Mills, Warren 77, and Tiny’s—is said to be opening this month. The food is South American, and there will be a separate takeout counter accessed from W. Broadway.

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LOTUS BLUE
“Renovations are going smoothly and we are still targeting to open by the week of Chinese New Year, which is January 23, but don’t have an exact date yet,” says Jeffrey Lim, general manager of Lotus Blue, the Yunnan restaurant coming to where Nam used to be.

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COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL ANNEX
The Cosmopolitan Hotel’s plans to tear down the old MaryAnn’s building and replace it with an annex to the hotel (along with a restaurant on the ground floor) appear to have stalled. Could this be why?

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280 BROADWAY
Another mystery: What’s coming to the old Chase space on Broadway between Reade and Chambers? I asked at Radio Shack, and the singularly unhelpful clerk said she thought it was a restaurant. (What is it about Radio Shack? It’s worse than Staples.) I could see it becoming a Café Metro or something, with seating upstairs.

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37 WARREN
According to the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, the conversion of 37 Warren to condos—with four new floors on top and retail on the ground floor—will be done by July.

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AFFINA NAILS SPA & NYC LASER CENTER
Another nail salon is coming to Church between Warren and Murray. They’ve been working on it—polishing the space?—for a while now. Maybe it’s close: Here’s the menu of services.

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DOWNTOWN FLORIST
Downtown Florist, around the corner on Church, was to take over the empty space next to Takahachi Bakery, but it’s unclear if that’s moving forward. When I just called, I was told, “We don’t know yet.” Doesn’t sound promising, does it?

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JEAN
Dr. Michel Cohen of Tribeca Pediatrics has rented the old Bangal Curry space at 65 W. Broadway. As of August, he was planning to open the at the end of October; the restaurant would be “based on great, high-quality lunch food both for take-out and sit-in. At night the place will turn into a cafe/wine bar. The place is designed by Matt Maddy who also designed Weather Up on Duane.” And a liquor-license application set to go before CB1 in November said the name would be Jean, but then it got dropped from the agenda. Cohen has yet to respond to an email.

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AROMA ESPRESSO BAR
The popular chain is opening an outpost in 100 Church (at Barclay) “in just a few weeks.”

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WOODROW’S
In November, Erin Garmont went before CB1 to explain how she planned to change Biddy Early’s (43 Murray) into a “great value” steakhouse called Woodrow’s. Biddy Early’s is still Biddy Early’s, though.

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DEMI MONDE
This isn’t remotely Tribeca, but it’s arguably the first truly cool thing to happen in FiDi in a long time: The folks behind Death & Co. in the East Village are launching a café-by-day-bar-by-night called Demi Monde at 90 Broad. Here’s what Page Six magazine had to say recently: “Demi Monde, a 120-seat restaurant at the former China Chalet in the Financial District, which opens this winter. It will serve cocktails and a New American menu including small plates, entrées and sharable snacks like bacon-wrapped dates, white anchovy bruschetta and eggplant caviar flatbreads. Unlike the diminutive East Village haunt, whose gold-flecked wallpaper catches light from chandeliers and candles, the Financial District spot, which boasts a ground-floor coffee bar (they’re working with the ‘top guys’ from Intelligentsia bean house), will have standing room and plenty of seats to spare. Classic cocktails are still the inspiration, but the pair will also experiment with cutting-edge techniques like making watermelon flash-infused vermouth using a whipped-cream canister.” The current word is it’ll open in February.

JANUARY 5–FEBRUARY 18
“Steven Katzman: Human Abstract” is at Masters & Pelavin: “This will be the artist’s first exhibition at the gallery and in NYC. Steven Katzman is a self-taught photographer who has combined, over the years, his long-time interest in political science with his professional photographic journey. His work combines the conceptual ‘straight’ photographic style of Andres Serrano; the grotesque, yet, beautiful ‘staged’ photographic style of Joel-Peter Witken and the intimate ‘street’ photographic style of Diane Arbus.” That’s his photo above.

JANUARY 10
“At the Pen Parentis Literary Salon’s Robert Burns Celebration, join poets Marie Howe, Evan and Joanna Smith Rakoff, Martin MacKinnon, and Tina Chang at the Libertine at Gild Hall (a Thompson Hotel at 15 Gold Street) as they read some of Burns’ poems and some of their own and discuss the means of balancing a literary life with an active family. We hear there may be whiskey in addition to the usual wine bar. [...] Admission is free. 7pm start. [...] Only 21+ please.”

JANUARY 19–FEBRUARY 12
These Seven Sicknesses is at the Flea: “In These Seven Sicknesses, Sophocles’ seven surviving plays—Oedipus, In Trachis, Philoktetes, In Colonus, Ajax, Elektra & Antigone—combine to create a stunning portrait of the human condition, where the intermingling of chance & fate yields disquieting results. Standout Tribeca dining destination Macao Trading Co. will provide a complimentary Asian fusion feast at all performances”

FEBRUARY 18–MARCH 25
Adapted from the book by Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical is at Manhattan Children’s Theatre: “Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind…. This hilariously brilliant and moving musical tells a true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy’s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.”

MARCH 29–30
Mason Jennings plays City Winery.

MARCH 31–APRIL 28
The Lonely Phone Booth, adapted from the book by Peter Ackerman, has its world premiere at Manhattan Children’s Theatre: “The story of one of the last remaining phone booths in New York City, on the corner of West End Avenue and 100th Street. Everyone used it from ballerinas and Girl Scouts, zookeepers and birthday clowns, to cellists and even secret agents! The Phone Booth was so beloved that people would sometimes wait in line to use it—until the day a businessman strode by talking into a shiny silver object.”

••• I also saw that something called Wilderness of Wish has set up shop—or at least a pop-up presence—inside Bowne & Co. stationers. From its Facebook page: “We stock things of use and delight. Sparklers. Hand tooled wooden spatulas. Paring knives. Ladles. Leather satchels & coin pouches. Snaps & safety pins. Confections. Crisps. Spices. Old-loom Coverlets. Umbrellas. Reading material and writing supplies. Music. Marionettes. You get the idea.” I tweeted them to find out what the sign in Bowne & Co. was all about (their website says they’re only at Bowne on Fridays and Saturdays), but I haven’t heard back. I also want to know if the owl in the window is for sale.

••• I saw somewhere on Twitter that P.S. 150′s principal, Maggie Siena, is going to be principal at the Peck Slip School, but I can’t remember who tweeted it. Anyway, a parent just emailed about it “to provide ample warning to the families in the Financial District in case they want to get an early start on a petition to fight the decision.”

••• Looking at Christmas, a romantic comedy by Steven Banks that played (debuted?) at the Flea last year, was filmed during the run, and Channel 13 will air it on Dec. 21 at 10 p.m., Dec. 23 at 3:30 a.m., and December 25 at 11 p.m.

DECEMBER 17–19
Kathleen Supové and the Electric Sheep play the Flea: “One of America’s most acclaimed interpreters of contemporary music for piano and keyboard, Kathleen Supové brings listeners four engagingly futuristic pieces by emerging composers in this evening of cutting-edge new music.”

JANUARY 1
Joseph Arthur and Tift Merritt play City Winery. No offense to Arthur, but I want Merritt alone!

JANUARY 25
The Museum of Jewish Heritage hosts the New York premiere of The Chosen, adapted by Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok from the novel by Chaim Potok; the staged reading is directed by Jonathan Solari. “Set in 1940s Brooklyn, The Chosen tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two young Jewish men—one, the son of an influential Hasidic spiritual leader, the other, the son of a renowned Zionist professor.”

FEBRUARY 15
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage: “Sway Machinery plays traditional Jewish music funky enough for a nightclub that combines soulful Yiddish and Hebrew melodies with  rock n’ roll and rowdy brass lines into what the Village Voice calls a ‘joyful synthesis.’ In their latest album, the super group combines neo-cantorial vocals with the mystical traditions of Mali. The band is joined by the experimental trio Piano Music and Song.”

FEBRUARY 25
Ben Lee plays City Winery.

FEBRUARY 26
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage: “The Mama Doni Band is back for a pre-Purim concert featuring brand-new songs and a costume parade. Families will receive free CDs and giveaways. The day’s events are geared for children ages 3 to 10.”

FEBRUARY 26–27
Todd Rundgren plays City Winery.

MARCH 11
Paula Cole plays City Winery.

MARCH 23–24
Tim Finn (Split Enz, Crowded House, the Finn Brothers) plays City Winery.

A previous Pen Parentis event

NOVEMBER 8
“You are warmly invited to meet Elissa Schappell and Greg Olear [at] The Pen Parentis Literary Salon at Gild Hall. Their beautiful upstairs Libertine Library on the second floor is transformed into a place where people like you and me go to talk books and meet with authors who have kids. Books vended by Bluestockings for signings. Readings. Conversation. Wine.”

NOVEMBER 8
“The Mysterious Bookshop and Akashic Books will celebrate the release of New Jersey Noir. Editor Joyce Carol Oates will be here along with contributors including Bradford Morrow, S.J. Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Edmund White, Sheila Kohler, Gerald Stern, Michael Carroll, S.A. Solomon, C.K. Williams, Hirsh Sawney, Jeffrey Ford, and Lou Manfredo. Joyce will also sign copies of her new anthology, The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares.”

NOVEMBER 9–DECEMBER 22
At Apexart: “‘The Walls That Divide Us’ addresses the proliferation of state and city separation barriers across the globe as symbols of dissent in contemporary politics. Featured works explore phenomena including imperialistic enterprises, contested territories, security policies, border control, revolutionary movement, and mass protest.”

NOVEMBER 11
“Maslow 6 is pleased to welcome Donna Ferrato! Join us for a special event: Tribeca’s own Donna Ferrato will be signing copies of her new book: Tribeca 9/11/01-9/11/11.”

NOVEMBER 12–19
At Art in General: “I’ll Raise You One…” by Zefrey Throwell. “Each day for a week, from 10:30 a.m–6 p.m., seven players will gather around a white table in the storefront Project Space of Art In General to gamble away what most consider so dear, their clothes. At the end of each round, the players will get dressed and begin again, creating a meditative repetitious action that continues over the course of a workday.”

NOVEMBER 14
From BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center: “Please join us for our monthly get-together celebrating Tribeca, its businesses, the neighborhood and its friends. Everyone is welcome at the Flea Theater on Monday November 14, any time between 6:30 and 9 p.m. This is a free event—anyone with an interest in Lower Manhattan is welcome to attend. The food and drinks are free as well. Frankly Wines will provide libations while Da Mikele will bring pizza and MaxDelivery will be donating wonderful nibblybits.”

NOVEMBER 17–DECEMBER 3
“Surrounded” at One Art Space: “The poignant influence of New York City on the lives and artwork of four powerful, emerging Latin American artists: Ramiro Gamboa (Mexico), Renzo Ortega (Peru), Luciana Toyos (Argentina), and Juan Gabriel Zorrilla (Colombia).”

NOVEMBER 18
John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders at City Winery: “The house band for that special show will be The King Charles Trio featuring Peter Buck (REM), John Wesley Harding (Appearing as Himself), Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five), Jenny Conlee-Drizos, Chris Funk, John Moen, Nate Query (members of The Decemberists).”

DECEMBER 15
Holiday caroling and the Trinity Youth Chorus’ rendition of Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” at St. Paul’s Chapel. It’s free.

DECEMBER 18
“Theater at Trinity presents its annual [free] reading of Israel Horovitz’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, a multi-generational event with audience participation at St. Paul’s Chapel.”

JANUARY 7
Toad the Wet Sprocket, Ari Hest, and Willy Porter play City Winery. I love Ari Hest! Although I wish I hadn’t learned that this song was about the month of June.

FEBRUARY 15–16
Richard Thompson plays all-request shows (“Superbass”!) at City Winery.

FEBRUARY 20
Marcia Ball and BeauSoleil play City Winery.

OCTOBER 11
At Playing Mantis: “Getting Real About Child-Rearing, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Q&A with Nanny to the Stars”—I bet some of them could use a good spanking—”Marva Soogrim and The Luxury Spot.com founder Bryce Gruber. Learn how to bring calm to the chaos of parenting—from expanding food palates to countering meltdowns and traveling with ease. Free gift bags to the first 25 arrivals and 15% in-store discount until 1:30 p.m.”

OCTOBER 13–NOVEMBER 3
One Art Gallery has an exhibit by Thomas Dang Vu, who lives in Battery Park City: “Born Dang Vu Thuan in Saigon in 1970, he and his family found themselves threatened when Ho Chi Minh’s forces took control of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The Communists entered their compound, ransacked the home, and—in full view of the family—wrongly took his father away to prison. During his father’s absence, and facing severe hunger because of government restrictions, young Thomas began to roam the streets of Saigon stealing food and helping his mother sneak meat from the black market into the compound. On these outings, he would encounter things on the streets he has never forgotten. Eventually, the Dang Vu family was reunited. They made their way to the U.S., where Thomas graduated summa cum laude from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has been a New York City resident ever since, and has firmly established himself in photography, design, music, and art. A full account of Mr. Dang Vu’s painful childhood experiences and his subsequent residence in the United States could fill several volumes, but the poetic and deeply introspective work of this Vietnamese-American artist transcends the story and allows the viewer to enter the artist’s heart. The paintings echo with ritual, tradition, and a courageous honesty. Visual remnants of the war, along with horrific and mundane daily experiences, lurk symbolically in this collection.”

OCTOBER 13–NOVEMBER 26
“Graffiti Error,” an exhibition by Brazilian artist Antonio Bokel, at FB Gallery: “In his first U.S. exhibition, Brazilian artist Antonio Bokel presents an eclectic mix of recent works. His bold, cryptic, expressive mixed media paintings evoke the idea of weathered graffiti walls typically found in the urban landscape. But upon closer assessment his work is an unabashed cacophony of images culled from both familiar and unlikely sources.”

THROUGH OCTOBER 16
At the Flea: “Based on Melville’s novel, Benito Cereno is set in 1770 and depicts the mysterious events that occur when an American merchant vessel comes upon a battered Spanish ship with its nearly all-black crew and a white captain.”

OCTOBER 18
Locanda Verde chef Andrew Carmellini promotes his new cookbook, American Flavor, at Barnes & Noble.

OPENING OCTOBER 26
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage: “Known for more than a century as the author of the lines “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…,” the poet Emma Lazarus gave voice to the Statue of Liberty and generations of newcomers to America. However, few people know her fascinating story, her Sephardic background, her American roots, and her work for Jewish causes and a Jewish homeland.”

OPENING OCTOBER 27
Photographer Evan Joseph has a show at Tachi Gallery: “The exhibit, inspired by his recently published book, New York City At Night, will include dramatically lit skyscrapers, twinkling bridges, neon lights, and yellow cabs streaking down Broadway. The huge prints feature never before seen perspectives of the most famous landmarks in the city.”

OCTOBER 29
“Please join us at M1-5 for Nightmare on Walker Street V where you will succumb to the sinister beats of DJ Lazor.”

OCTOBER 30
Get ready for the biggest day of the year around these parts: “The Friends of Washington Market Park Annual Halloween Costume Parade and Party is 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. Join our line-up for parade at 12:45 p.m. at CitiGroup Plaza (Greenwich at N. Moore). The parade will travel down Greenwich to the park. Inside the park, Friends volunteers run a dozen events, from Penny in a Haystack to a Bone Dig in the sandbox to a Hay Maze on the lawn. Teachers from Church Street School of Music and Art run a crafts table, and Princess Katie and Racer Steve entertain the crowd from the gazebo with their fun blend of kids rock. (Strollers will not be permitted in the park during the event, but a stroller-check will be available at Duane and Greenwich streets.)” P.S. They’re looking for volunteers. Email halloweenWMP@gmail.com for info.

NOVEMBER 4–DECEMBER 23
She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen at the Flea: “When Agnes stumbles upon her deceased sister Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she discovers her inner badass (& geek) in this high-octane comedy fraught with hostile fairies, randy ogres and ‘90s pop culture.”

OPENING NOVEMBER 5
From Canal Park Playhouse: “Less than a month until Jen Slaw Juggling and Michael Karas Juggling grace us with ‘Perfect Catch: A Throwmantic Comedy.’ It’s gonna be great show.”

••• A press release from the National September 11 Memorial: “Paul Jr. of ‘American Chopper’ unveils custom-made motorcycle commemorating the 9/11 Memorial and rebuilding of the World Trade Center Site. A Motorcycle with a Design Inspired by the Rebuilding will be Raffled to Benefit the Memorial.”

••• The Hideaway‘s Gael Delehanty emailed to point out that they’re now open for brunch; the menu is at left (click to enlarge). “I am personally especially fond of the French toast, spiced lentils, and the Hideaway Breakfast…. I’d also like to mention that we have a phenomenal Bloody Mary, as well as our house specialty—The Chesapeake Mary. Also, our Mimosas are made with hand-squeezed OJ. Damn. Aren’t we fancy?”

••• From the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center: “Our next Tribeca Meet & Greet will be at the fabulous Flea Theater on November 14.”

••• Artist Judith S. Miller, a Tribeca resident, is having a show at Blank Space in Chelsea from Oct. 13 to Nov. 11. Love the painting at right of Times Square slush and snow.

••• The Occupy Zuccotti Park Wall Street/unions protest this afternoon will start in Foley Square and go to Wall Street. (Thanks again to Milo Hess for the Occupy Wall Street photos!) —DNAinfo

••• “Upset over a Department of Education plan that would cut Tribeca in half, parents who live in north Tribeca said the proposal would separate them from their community and be unsafe.” —Tribeca Trib

••• Colson Whitehead’s new novel, Zone One, is about post-plague Manhattan, where zombies roam. The non-zombies “reclaimed the island up to Canal Street, where they have built a wall.” A wall? Why hadn’t I thought of that? P.S. I’m not that interested in the whole zombvie trend, but I think of them every time I get behind someone who’s walking and texting. They move like I imagine zombies would. —New York Observer

••• “The Manhattan loft #4C at 137 Duane Street that just sold for $949,000 was marketed with a floor plan that was billed as “approximately 825 square feet” (bless that babbled modifier!), but when it was sold by the sponsor just after The Peak at $743,322 that floor plan was only “725 sq ft”. It is obvious from the two floor plans that the loft is, in fact, now larger than when it was sold by the developer, with the addition of that walk-in closet space (said to be 8’7” x 8’0”). I don’t think I have ever seen a Manhattan loft grow like that before, except when two lofts have been combined and some (formerly) common hallway space has been annexed.” —Manhattan Loft Guy

••• The New York Times reviews “Benito Cereno” at the Flea.

••• Thom Browne is launching eyewear with the L.A. brand Dita and he plans on opening more stores. —The Australian

••• “Chambers St. has reopened to two-way traffic between Greenwich and West St. (was one-way westbound).” Which only means the construction is drifting east…. (Gridlock Sam)

••• Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz are looking at “massive Tribeca lofts in the $8 million to $15 million range,” says the Post. “And they’ve been spotted apartment-hunting on both Greenwich and Walker streets. [...] Last year, he paid around $1.9 million in cash for a penthouse duplex at 53 Warren St. Back then, the unit was supposedly for Craig and his then long-term girlfriend, film producer Satsuki Mitchell.”

••• The New York Times reviews Patron of the New.

Courtesy Rafael Cennamo

••• “Raphael [sic] Cennamo’s studio on White Street was busy on Wednesday, as the up-and-coming designer prepared for his first presentation in New York’s Fashion Week.” (DNAinfo)

••• “The Museum of the City of New York will take over the beleaguered Seaport Museum New York using a $2 million grant from the corporation in charge of developing Lower Manhattan, according to state, city and museum officials who made the deal public on Wednesday.” (NYT)

••• Among the groups also receiving LMDC grants: Pace University (for its dance space), the Flea (new theater on Thomas), River to River Festival, Tribeca Film Festival (for free screenings at the WFC), City Hall Park art exhibits, Battery Dance Company, Washington Market Park, Manhattan Youth, and New Amsterdam Market. (DNAinfo)

••• “Silverstein Properties makes Lower Manhattan look like Inception in this meticulously produced, dramatically scored video of construction around the World Trade Center site. Projecting the built future, the mix of CGI renderings and real footage features a good bit of Tower 3 action, which Silverstein is developing for 2014 completion (no thanks to Port Authority funds).” (Curbed)

••• “Theater [Bar] owner Albert Trummer has partnered with Tolani’s chef Luis Ulloa to launch Tolani TriBeCa at Theater Bar—a pop-up restaurant of sorts that will operate in the space for a three-month run. Reps for the restaurant say that the space will be changed around to allow for “unique private dining experiences,” and Ulloa’s menu will include dishes like fish tacos, lamb sliders and Malaysian goat curry. Tolani is only the first restaurant to take up residence in the lounge—Trummer promises that other chefs will sign on for three month runs after this gig is up. The concept launches on September 20 and food will be served Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4:30-midnight through December 31.” (Zagat)