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Our Musical Past

2/25/2017

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This Wednesday: A Talk about the History of the Bloomingdale School of Music

By Caitlin Hawke


It's time again for a look at our tuneful past by our friends at the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group.

Come on out to hear the story of the Bloomingdale School of Music this Wednesday.  There will even be a performance by the students.  These lectures are usually packed to the rafters -- proof that history enchants us and that what came before matters.

​Enjoy.
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Seen in the Neighborhood

2/22/2017

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Frederick Douglass on His Arrival in New York City


I have often been asked, how I felt when first I found myself on free soil. And my readers may share the same curiosity. There is scarcely anything in my experience about which I could not give a more satisfactory answer. A new world had opened upon me. If life is more than breath, and the 'quick round of blood,' I lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe. In a letter written to a friend soon after reaching New York, I said: 'I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions.' Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.

                                        ~Frederick Douglass, 1882
                                        From “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass”


By Caitlin Hawke

Bank Street Bookstore has a window that stopped me in my tracks the other day (below).  Their celebration of Black History month heralds: "Black History: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future."  And "Informing the Present," I would add.  It's a very beautiful display.

Besides being a wonderful haven of literacy and for childhood, Bank Street is a pillar of our local small business community.  They moved into the spot at the northeast corner of W. 107th Street and Broadway (near the ghost of Schrafft's past) replacing Academy Florist several years ago.  And god it's good to have them there.

They have lots of events, but the free daily storytime at 10:30 a.m. and the Sunday puppet shows by Fractured Fables are a toddler must.
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Seen in the Neighborhood

2/21/2017

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Blacklist Shooting This Friday

By Caitlin Hawke

Look out on Broadway for the green "No Parking" notices, brought to you by NBC's "The Blacklist."  Starting Thursday, February 23rd at 10 p.m. through all of Friday, no parking on the east side of Broadway at W. 100th Street near Cheesy Pizza.

I've never heard of the show, but it seems it's so good that it already has a spinoff: The Blacklist: The Redemption. But maybe you are a fan.  If so, send an email to blog@w102-103blockassn.org if you can identify our neighborhood after this episode airs.
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In case of tow, call Tom S.
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Street Fair Street Fare

2/20/2017

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The Season Begins

By Caitlin Hawke

Two days of nearly 60 degrees has my thoughts turning to spring! Perhaps too much, too soon? But a little harbinger of fair weather to come was welcome.

Of course, with fair weather comes the dreaded/beloved street fair.

I love a street fair that isn't "canned" -- one that has originality. There's nothing that beats our local Block Associations' Spring Bazaar or W. 104th Street Yard Sale. Those are real to the core.  And we feature those on the home page of the site and on this blog -- so you cannot miss them.
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Balloon Master Twister'z Ken
But the "imported" street fairs along our avenues are big business in NYC. Buried within them, you can find a little originality and grit.  For example, at the last street fair, I got a load of the fellow in the funny hat and was mesmerized.  His name is Twister'z Ken. Pied Piper of latex, he brings out the kids who bring out the pocketbook-toting folks.  Watching him twist and pop and bend and tie, I was amazed by the novelty and creativity he brings to his balloon sculptures. First, get a good look at his hat. Not nothing, right?

Now, take a look at the bespoke creation that delighted the kid below who was overheard to order "a brown-haired princess in a pink gown." Not blond, not purple. This kid was asking for her ownself as a balloon avatar.  And she got it. In three minutes flat.

It gives me hope there is a little hidden joy for everyone at these ubiquitous fairs.


Whether you like 'em or not, they're here to stay. So check out the list below and plan accordingly!

Street Fair Schedule for CB7: 2017

​4/23/17: Columbus Avenue, 66th to 72nd Street
4/30/17: Broadway, 96th to 106th Street
5/07/17: Broadway, 86th to 93rd Street  
5/14/17: Broadway, 60th to 65th Street  
5/21/17: Amsterdam Ave, 77th to 88th Street
5/28/17: Broadway, 72nd to 86th Street
6/4/17: Broadway, 65th to 72nd Street
6/10/17: Columbus Ave, 96th to 106th Street
6/11/17: Broadway, 73rd to 86th Street
8/13/17: Amsterdam Ave, 79th to 86th Street
9/17/17: Columbus Ave, 96th to 106th Street 
10/15/17: Broadway, 96th to 106th Street
10/22/17: Broadway, 86th to 96th Street


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A Training Organized by Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell

2/14/2017

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A Funny Valentine

By Caitlin Hawke


Dear Readers,
Here's my wish for Valentine's Day: more "Golden Rule" all around.  Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell is offering a special training a week from today on Tuesday, February 21st.  Have a look below.  Maybe I'll see you there?

What: Bystander Intervention Training
Who: You, me, everyone
Where: Bank Street, 610 West 112th Street
When: Tuesday, February 21, 6:30 p.m.

For information, call the O'Donnell office at (212) 866-3970.

And a "holla back" to our representative for stepping in to fill this important need.

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Throwback Thursday, Bloomingdale Edition

2/2/2017

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1994: 2713 Broadway at W. 103rd Street

By Caitlin Hawke
​
Remember last week's painting and all the Throwback stuff about the Broadway Barber Shop?  Well that suspended-in-time shop inspired cartoonists, painters and filmmakers as evidenced by yet another Bloomingdale gem below. It's an eight and a half minute film entitled "Broadway Barber."  The comings and goings on Broadway between W. 103rd and 104th Streets may be seen through the shop's windows.

In 1994, as an NYU film student, Rob Morton said the following about this old Greek-owned neighborhood time capsule: "Mr. Kay gave haircuts in his old-fashioned barber shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side for over fifty years. Watching Mr. Kay work is like stepping back in time. I directed this "day in the life" documentary short...while in film school at NYU. Hope you like it!"

Note: If you are reading this via email subscription to the blog, the embedded video below will not appear. To view this special film, please go directly to the blog post by clicking on the title of this post, "Throwback Thursday, Bloomingdale Edition."

For video, h/t to Wronksi's Wramblings.

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