STRIPTEASE ON FRANKLIN
Thanks to S. for sending this very cool picture of 100 Franklin shedding its construction skin, and for T. to sending the next layer down. And A. sends the detail and writes: “Did they want birds to nest in their facade?” More soon on that!

THALASSA TOUR
The folks at Thalassa, the Greek restaurant on Franklin, hosted 25 first graders from the Spruce Street School last week, treating them to a white-tablecloth lunch of spanakopita, pita pizza and chicken cutlets and emphasizing the principles of healthy eating. They also gave them a tour, with an up-close look at the fresh fish display, and walked them through the restaurant’s theme and origins.

SHRED AT DUANE PARK
Duane Park will host a shred-a-thon this Saturday, April 13, in honor of Earth Day. Bring your top-secret papers to the park between 10 and 2.

CHINA INSTITUTE GO CLASSES FOR KIDS
The China Institute (100 Washington at Rector) is holding a series of Saturday classes for kids on the 4,000-year-old game of GO this spring. The game has simple rules but endless potential for strategy and analysis. Classes are Saturdays from 10:30a-12:30p and the five-week session costs $475. (I wouldn’t usually list a class that is that pricey, but this is just so interesting…)

BIKE LANE FOR LAFAYETTE TO BROOKLYN BRIDGE??
S. reports that community affairs officers from Precinct 5 (they have a small slice of the CB1 area) came to the transportation committee with the suggestion of dedicated bike lane on Lafayette ending at the Brooklyn Bridge (right now the bike lane ends at Reade). There was a discussion of how it could improve vehicle/bike safety. This sounds like a great idea to me – I love riding down Lafayette — but the CB had no immediate resolution to support it.

MINIATURE SYNAGOGUE IN MINIATURE
Local artist Jane Freeman unearthed this diorama she did of the Mill Street Synagogue ages ago – capturing it as the perfect model for Papageno’s birdhouse for her Magic Flute series. Here it is, as well as the drawing she based it on, spotted at a long-ago exhibit of 18th-century New York City at St. Paul’s Chapel. The synagogue was recently memorialized with a street renaming this week.