Thanks again to everyone who has posted a comment lately! They’ve been fun to read, even when they’re taking the site to task. Here are a few especially notable ones (which isn’t to say I necessarily agree with them).

Photograph by Malgorzata Saniewska

On Tribeca Goes Gaga: “I was there for the performance and wow she can sing!! We were sitting just to the left of the stage. She was very gracious and even gave me a hug afterwards. Truly a wonderful, unexpected suprise :)” —Stephanie

On Tiny Streets: Part 2: “The photos are great—I believe the spur off Harrison is a tiny remmant of what was Washington Street, although everything there is relatively new.” —David Cleaver

On Tumbling Down Memory Lane: “Thank you for your wonderful profile on Suellen Epstein—a real neighborhood treasure. Suellen was at one time one of the only youth providers downtown. And the quality of her work gets better every year. What is more is whenever there is an important community issue, there’s Suellen leading the way. Most recently, at the other end of Suellen’s targeted audience, she has researched and written the first chapter of CB1’s upcoming Senior Guide that deals with housing, senior centers, and NORCs (naturally occuring retirement communities) in our area. She and her stiltwalkers are also present whenever our volunteer community band the TriBattery Pops perform—as they will be on Pier 66 to Macy’s fireworks this July 4th. Tribeca would not be the same without her.” —Tom Goodkind [this was actually a letter to the editor but it still counts as a comment]

On Suggestion Box: Whole Foods’ Team Leader Responds: “How could you possibly have 130 cashiers when no more than 5 of the 28 express checkout registers are staffed at any given time, even during evening rush hour? You don’t need hi-tech iPhone solutions. Just staff the registers you have. If not, why did you build them?” —Noah

“It is great to get the response but Noah is spot on. Having 170 people trained to work the registers would be relevant if they actually staffed the checkout lines. I think at most I have seen about 10% of these people working at anytime (between the West Street and Warren Street registers). But more often than not, it is less than 6%. I went at 8 p.m. last night for some milk for my daughter. The lines were terrible (each line was backed up to the food behind the lines), and there were no more than five express registers open. I wound up having to come back at 10:30 p.m. That is not very convenient. During lunch and post-work hours, they should open a lot more registers. Or then should monitor the situation, and flood folks in when the lines get too backed up. P.S.: I do note that all of the cashiers I have come across are friendly and professional.” —Todd

On “This Mess” at Pelavin Gallery: “Nice to see a dialogue between the curator and reviewer to be better able to access the thought process that generated the exhibition. 
It would be interesting, given this format, to have artist statements about their series to enable the viewer to receive even more of a conceptual understanding of the images presented. Art audiences want to feel engaged beyond the role of spectator.” —Bruce Richards

On Update: Upstairs Is Not Closing: “If Upstairs is not going to be open 7 days a week with it’s usual service/menu, then to me it is closing….Bouley can call it a ‘change’ but I don’t need a place to get a take away burger. If I want to eat in my apartment, I will get delivery. I liked having a spot that I always had a good meal in and enjoyed sitting upstairs watching the chefs cook (though it hasn’t been the same for me since the chef with the ponytail left). The whole point was to be able to GO to Upstairs and eat (and not just on a Wed or Thurs).” —Melinda

On James Franco, Artist: “I love the comment ‘It’s not art.’ OF COURSE it’s art. ANY expression by an individual in any medium is art. That’s the very definition of art-a creative expression of an individual. The only question is whether that expression fits into another individual’s preconceived notions and/or limited experiences. Value judgements never determine whether something is art, they only determine if you appreciate that expression or not. That being said, I’ve spent pretty much my entire life giving everything I’ve got and then some to my art, and I’ll never even get a foot in the door of a New York gallery because I have no name, no star power, no influence. now that being said, I don’t make my art to gain fame so I guess it doesn’t really matter. It would be nice to be able to pay my bills and not be in debt all the time, but whatever. James Franco is an incredible human being from everything I’ve read, so I can’t possibly begrudge him the opportunities he’s made for himself. More Art, Less Judgment, that’s my motto. Peace to you JF!” —Casey Shain

“@DTrent [who said Franco is work is not art]. Your comment just made it art. Congratulations.” —Brandon

On Filling in the Blanks: “What about a magazine shop? And more cool, yet affordable restaurants like Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village or Rice in Nolita. So many of the restaurants are too high end, which is fine, but not all the time. I also agree about a decent men’s shop. I love Tribeca, put it needs to be filled in a lot more and while it has it’s own distinct charm which I love, it wouldn’t hurt if it took some cues from some other hoods. It’s too sparse and needs a bit more density like the West Village, Soho or Nolita, but without all the craziness. Look at Locanda Verde. If you build a decent place, people will come. And pizza? We need a place to get a decent slice.” —David

“I dreamed of opening a gourmet take-out/cheese/entertaining type shop years ago, but, sadly, the full-scale food business in NYC is tough, particularly if you can’t sell/serve booze. Also, much of the commercial real estate in Tribeca won’t allow food businesses, because of landmark or residential issues. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, though…. If anyone does open one, I’ll be first in line for cheese!” —Rachel T

On Foto Friday: “I love the image ‘drawn’ by the bird. It is quite a self portrait. Sp it is not just elephants and chimps who paint. Downtown EVERYONE is an artist. Why not?” —Wickham Boyle

On Protesting the Protests: “I’m totally with you. We lost half an hour sitting in traffic to go around the block get to our garage after picking up our dog at the vet, and then were hassled to get from Church to Murray where we live. The people behind me were trying to get to the public library and the cops wouldn’t let them, and there was no option to choose another route. Well done teachers! All the business were just out of luck. Didn’t the teachers have a protest here just a couple weeks ago? (My wife’s a math teacher, but I still think these are silly.)” —Ed

“This op-ed made me laugh. There are so many inconveniences living in a city like NY. We all share the streets which are used for pedestrian movement, street fairs, the Taste of Tribeca (had to get that in), outdoor restaurant seating, hawkers (many of whom sell fake goods), protests, parades, charity runs and walks etc. It is an aggravation, but it is part of the way NY functions. I have resolved to treat this inconvenience in the same way as I treat slow moving tourists—stop allowing myself to generate copious amounts of negative energy that would in the end do nothing but contribute to my growing intolerance and impatience. I will let my children do that for me.” —Neeta Vallab