Again, Warden Margaret Chin has proven to be a large disappointment in pulling out her support on this issue for the community. It seems that the only thing that Warden Chin is passionate about and willing to fight for is her jail. Oh yes, I forgot about her fight to take away the Elizabeth Street Garden from everyone in Soho. Anyone who voted for Warden Chin should be ashamed. We deserve better. — Lucie on Big hearing for Pier 40 tomorrow night

Gators have broad, rounded snouts. Crocks have tapered, thinner snouts. (Grew up near the Everglades, saw gators frequently.) — Jane on Where in (not quite) Tribeca?

Oh man! I was too late . . ;) — Citimouse on Where in (not quite) Tribeca?

regarding 1 white street5. what if they want to stay open 24 hours. what is wrong with that. these people have a lot to lose if they fail. the neighborhood needs life at night. — perryro on Lennon’s Nutopian Embassy reborn at 1 White

I'm not crazy about the concept of turning the building into a concert venue, but I disagree with the neighborhood comparison to MSG. The Garden sits on top of Penn Station, where each day 650,000 people use it to come and go, many thousands using the street entrances. Depending on the event, the Garden capacity ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 people. Plus sandwiched in between the Garden and Penn Station is the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden with a concert capacity of 5,600. I have arrived at the Garden for a concert on a Friday night, while there was a smaller concert at the Hulu, plus the Friday crush of people going home through Penn Station. Not fun and I don't even have agoraphobia. Plus you have the hotel across the street, and all the stores along 7th & 8th Avenues and 34th Street, plus all of the bars and restaurants. The proposed venue would have a capacity of only 3,000 people which would disperse easily compared to the neighborhood around MSG. — PeterD on Giant concert venue coming to 123 Greenwich

Yay! I finally got one! According to the AIA Guide, they’re alligators (the snouts are different than those of crocodiles). — Hudson River on Where in (not quite) Tribeca?

Tight location and not enough infrastructure to support it...unless they open the street grid at WTC and that's a pipedream...will ruin the neighborhood for people living within 5 to 10 blocks like MSG... — TK on Giant concert venue coming to 123 Greenwich

Well done, Hudson River!! — Pam Frederick on Where in (not quite) Tribeca?

Yes, the moving of courts idea was just off-the-cuff, although depending where the jail/prison/courts complex is moved, it could end up less expensive than the current plan. Bail reform sounds promising indeed, but I know little about that. As for light, space, etc., again that can be achieved at Rikers itself or a different location altogether through renovation or new construction. Does anyone know: How do other large cities deal with these issues? Surely there are other cities with large prison and jail populations, whereas again the courts are in the center of the city, and the jails and prisons are at a remove from the populated centers.  I would hope that the task group considering this problem has studied other cities' solutions (and failures), both in the USA and in other countries. As with most civic/cultural/sociological/design issues, it's a fine balance and compromise between competing goals and demands. — Marcus on Community Board says no to the White Street jail proposal

55 Liberty Street (Liberty Tower) at Nassau — Hudson River on Where in (not quite) Tribeca?

Thank you Yvonne! We look forward to seeing you in BK! You can also check online and email or call us and we can ship to you. — CAROL FABER ADAMS on More bad news: Torly Kid will close mid-summer

Thank you Jenny for being a valued customer! Hope to see you in the Brooklyn shop this summer. — CAROL FABER ADAMS on More bad news: Torly Kid will close mid-summer

Thank you Pamela! It's been a great 15 years for sure! — CAROL FABER ADAMS on More bad news: Torly Kid will close mid-summer

Thank you for the kind words! We will miss the neighborhood. So many great memories. Visit us in our Brooklyn shop this summer! — Carol on More bad news: Torly Kid will close mid-summer

Buy after August. — Pam Frederick on Construction update part one: Warren Street

Wow! I flew to NYC to look at apartments in TriBeCa and this information which you are sharing is amazing. Especially since one of the units we were looking is on Warren Street. Thank you all!!!! — Alaska Kimble on Construction update part one: Warren Street

Interesting idea -- moving the courts too. But I think that would mean even more construction. So yes, to point 1, they are trying to get defendants closer to the court, and the Manhattan courts happen to be here with us. I am kind of with you on 2 -- that the culture will have to change more than the physical space. The Peters quote nails that. But advocates argue that changing the habitat -- adding light, more space, more flexibility -- changes the tone and culture too. This is of course a discussion with school buildings as well, but I long ago got over that. I have known amazing schools in sucky physical plants, and vice versa. I think the main way they are reducing the population of the jail (note jail, not prison, so pre-sentencing) is by bail reform. And I don't think there are many arguments to be made against that. — Pam Frederick on Community Board says no to the White Street jail proposal

Thank you for the thoughtful comment. Regarding point 1, that seems reasonable, although a less remote location does not necessarily entail putting it in the middle of this particular community. It could be a less populated area. Another consideration would be that, wherever the jail is located, at least some of the courts are moved close to there as well. Not sure if that idea is possible; has it been considered? Maybe it's important for the courts to be close to other city offices, which would make that untenable. As for point 2: It's unfortunately still debatable what effects the move will have on jail reform. Some argue that the corruption and violence problems will just be moved, not mitigated. For example, "Mark Peters, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, which has been investigating conditions at Rikers Island, is concerned that relocating inmates and jail personnel to smaller facilities across the city could simply spread the problems around instead of solving them." https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-city/closing-rikers-won’t-solve-underlying-problems,-doi-commissioner-says.html I (and surely others) are also concerned about how the goal of reducing jail and prison populations, and therefore supposedly reduction in crime, will be achieved. If those are real reductions in bad behavior -- i.e. people are actually behaving better towards one another -- along with real justice system reform, then this is wonderful and laudable. If instead it's just a game of selective reporting and spinning of statistics, choosing not to enforce certain laws, etc., then there is a concern that crime (from quality of life issues all the way to serious violent crimes) will actually increase, despite the "numbers" saying otherwise (lies, damn lies, statistics). I, for one, am not nostalgic for a return to that kind of "gritty" "authentic" NYC. I grew up in that kind of environment, and have no desire to re-live it. — Marcus on Community Board says no to the White Street jail proposal

Northeast corner of Thomas Street and West Broadway, 1928 https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-5f08-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 — James on Seen & Heard: Before it was the Odeon….

Prior to 1940, showing the dismantling of the 6th Avenue El down West Broadway: http://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A14727 http://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A14722 http://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A14726 — James on Seen & Heard: Before it was the Odeon….

as a troll, i give you a C-minus, as a human, you get a big red F.. — deb on Baked Tribeca is closing

1940 tax photos: http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=NYCMA~5~5~245018~545119 http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=NYCMA~5~5~245019~545116 http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=NYCMA~5~5~245020~545113 — james on Seen & Heard: Before it was the Odeon….

Oops. Haha, thanks. — Komanoff on Lennon’s Nutopian Embassy reborn at 1 White

I live across the street. They want to be open until 2am on the weekends. I'm not too charmed. — Heide Fasnacht on Lennon’s Nutopian Embassy reborn at 1 White

Look at the Odeon, everything's the same except the cars and the cobblestone streets — AJ on Seen & Heard: Before it was the Odeon….