GREETINGS FROM 1993
Robert Ripps and H. caught these shots on Duane Street, bringing the neighborhood back to the 1990s — think Liz Phair, Versace, Rick Springfield. H. said they were also filming on Jay and Staple.

QUICK ETERNITY AT THE SEAPORT
B. wrote to say that a new restaurant has opened in the former Hideaway space at the Seaport — Quick Eternity. I always liked that spot; will head over soonish to check it out. In the meantime, find them here. B. also noted that Hercules Mulligan, the distillers, opened last fall — not sure I ever noted that one.

ROSA CHANG HONORED FOR GOTHAM PARK
Catching up on this press release from the spring: CB1 member Rosa Chang, who founded Gotham Park, the new space under the Brooklyn Bridge, received a Community Advocate Award from the organization Open Plans at its Third Annual Public Space Awards. “At the newly opened Gotham Park, Rosa has envisioned a cultural beacon and neighborhood resource that revitalizes a long-dormant space. Crucially, she sees the park as first and foremost a driving force for positive change in the neighboring communities of Chinatown and downtown. Her bold imagination and determination is an inspiring example of where the city is headed, and her work will impact generations to come who flock to this space to skate, socialize, exercise, and connect with nature and their neighbors.”

JACK WHITTEN AT MOMA & THE TRIBECA CONNECTION
Charlie Komanoff wrote this spring to be sure to catch the Jack Whitten show at MoMA (up till August 2) because it’s amazing and because there is a Tribeca connection. The painter, who died in 2018, lived initially on the Lower East Side, but then on Crosby, Broome and Lispenard streets. He was living on Lispenard on 9/11 and was deeply affected by it — personally and artistically. From the show’s displays: “Whitten spent 40 years living and working in downtown Manhattan, having moved there in 1962. He watched the construction of the World Trade Center towers—and he was standing outside his studio when they came down, during the attacks of September 11, 2001. After that date, Whitten stopped making art for several years — except for this large-scale painting, composed of thousands of tiles of acrylic paint, to which he devoted five years of study and experimentation. Incorporating materials such as ash and dust, the work stands as one of the most powerful monuments of our time. ‘What I saw will haunt me forever,’ he said. ‘The painting is a promise to all those people.'”