On Tuesday, March 12, the Portfolio School (27 N. Moore) will host a free talk by the organization Girls Leadership on the challenges girls face today. The organization has given this talk across the nation, and it has gotten lots of press. The talk is one hour with a 30-minute Q&A and will address how to help girls practice assertive self-expression, emotional intelligence and healthy relationships, preschool through high school.
In sniffing around the Girls Leadership website, to make sure this seemed worth going to, I noticed local resident Leigh Fisher Savar is on the board. Her daughter was in kindergarten when Leigh read an article about 7-year-olds dieting. That woke her up. She then had Girls Leadership come to Packer to host a workshop and not long after she had joined the board. “It’s so compelling and scary when you start to understand the statistics…Every girl can benefit from this.”
Adults only. Register here.

ANOTHER GONE CASHLESS
B. reports that the Hungry Ghost, which opened last week in the old Sun in Bloom spot on Church, is cashless, joining the ones I know: Mulberry & Vine and Sweetgreen. She adds that Philly is making a move to ban cashless stores – or I guess, make them add a cash drawer – and a city councilman here is behind the same thing, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Most of the people who don’t have credit tend to be lower income, minority, immigrants. It just seemed to me, if not intentional, at least a form of discrimination,” a Philadelphia city councilman told the WSJ.

FIGHTING FOR FIELD SPACE + DESIGN CHARRETTE
Downtown United Soccer Club and Downtown Soccer League have launched a petition to advocate for a full-sized field at the Gansevoort Peninsula, the five-acre parcel in Hudson River Park at the end of, well, Gansevoort Street. Since that part of the park is in CB2, most meetings will take place there, but the Hudson River Park Trust will host a community design charrette on Tuesday, March 26, which will include a chance to walk out on the peninsula. More details TK.

CITY WINERY TRIBUTE TO VAN MORRISON
City Winery owner and local resident Michael Dorf is planning another tribute concert at Carnegie Hall, this one to celebrate the music of Van Morrison. Date is March 21. The line-up now features Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, Josh Ritter and another 15 performers.
This is Dorf’s 15th tribute; all the proceeds go to music organizations for youth and have over the years raised $1.5 million for groups such as Young Audiences New York and Church Street. These tributes have become major happenings, and, I will note, celebrations of famous downtown rockers. The one for the Talking Heads ended with David Byrne himself closing the show; the David Bowie event – by terrible coincidence – turned into a memorial that sold out immediately. Tickets range from $48 to $175 and are on the Carnegie Hall site here.

MONSTERS AT THE FLEA
B. writes to say that the show at The Flea theater – Not My Monster! — was *great* for kids over 5. It’s based on Russian folklore, and you get a box of cereal with your $15 ticket. Shows are Saturdays at 11 and 2 through March 30.

NEW BAR AT THE ARLO HOTEL
Arlo SoHo hotel launched a new lobby bar, now called A.L.B. The menu is modeled like a subway line, with specific stops, moments and iconic experiences of New York City reflected through 24 different cocktails. The space will have a pop-up street art gallery from Pop International Galleries. There will also be low and no ABV cocktails, a trend I noticed recently at Brooklyn Brewery, where they had 0.5 beer on tap.