May 21, 2021
It isn’t every day that a new public park opens on Manhattan island and when one does it’s usually a pretty standard design. The newest one, Little Island, that just opened on the Hudson downtown is pretty unusual. It’s literally on the Hudson River, for one thing. And it’s an actual (although man-made) island. The idea had been kicking around for years in the minds of Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and lots of time and energy into their dream project and then gifted it to New York City. For all of that, the Gazette thanks them and all those who helped bring this project to life.
von Furstenberg’s nearby storefront.
“I hope Little Island will serve as a whimsical oasis for everyone who visits, a place to wander around and be happily surprised at every turn, to lounge and graze the landscape,and to be entertained,educated and stimulated by our programming” said Barry Diller.
Beginning in June, Little Island will host a season of programming to foster and support New York City-based artists, including four Artists-in-Residence:
•Tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel
•Playwright and award-winning director Tina Landau
•Actor,singer, andmusic director Michael McElroy
•Acting, musical, and storytelling group, PigPen Theatre Co.
They will perform, curate,and direct a range of work over their three-year residency in collaboration with a team of producers,led by Producer Julia Kraus.
The majority of events will be free, and ticketed events will be primarily free or low-cost. There will be performances and educational programming six days a week, with offerings from music, dance, circus, spoken word, and more. Programming ranges from surprise performances with local performers to special events with renowned New York City arts organizations.
Some of this season’s signature events will include:
•A concert with the award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices
•A Pride weekend celebration with Tina Landau and her many Broadway Friends
•The New York City live-performance return of American Ballet Theatre
•A revival of a Little Orchestra Society’s fan favorite program Things That Go Bang!
•A weekend of music from the islands curated by the World Music Institute
The full slate of summer programming can be viewed at www.LittleIsland.org.
Full details will be announced at a later date.
Little Island
***
In yet more signs that reports of our City’s death were greatly exaggerated, free timed admission to Little Island Park is booked solid for several weeks. Tons of people were seen strolling overhead on the nearby High Line park. Hundreds of joggers and cyclists sped past Little Island on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon this week. Restaurants and galleries in the adjacent Meatpacking District were busy again. Every table was taken at Dos Caminos on Hudson.
Dos Caminos on Hudson Street
Waiting for a light to change at 13th Street and the West Side Highway, we looked up and saw a familiar face. Yes, even the Mayor was out and about on this absolutely lovely New York City afternoon.
Mayor de Blasio walking around downtown on Thursday.
It was startning to feel like the olden days, before COVID-19 knocked us all for a loop. If there’s anything that says NYC it’s lots of people, and that’s what we’ve been longing to see since last year. Now they’re back, it seems. The A train from 14th to 59th was crowded, and standing felt pretty good after all those months of nearly empty subway cars and buses. The sidewalk in front of Time Warner was busy like it used to always be, with beautiful people walking every which way while taxis picked up and dropped off fares. This was NYC as it is meant to be.
Columbus Circle activity.
Inside Time Warner, it was as though the pandemic cloud had (mostly) blown away. You’re still required to wear a mask, but at least there were people walking around, riding escalators down to Whole Foods or up to the various eateries and bars. The rest rooms still have every other sink blocked off for social distance. Wash those dirty hands, y’all!
The Gents’ at Time Warner
A little farther uptown a moderate sized throng was lolling on the fake grass they’ve planted at Lincoln Center. Even though it’s not real, the astroturf feels pretty authentic underfoot, and couples and families downing picnic chow were settled in across the plaza.
Keep on the grass.
The sight of a city bus on Broadway heading to “Evacuation Ctr” was a little disturbing. We checked the Citizen app to see what the heck was going on and learned that there was a melee in the Diamond District, possibly related to a protest of fighting in the Middle East.
Magic Bus
Imagining it might be a good photo op, we headed back downtown. But by 57th Street a huge group of NYPD was streaming past the bus we were on (the M104 not the Evacuation Ctr one). They were massing right in front of Carnegie Hall. Hoping to find something good to shoot there, we got off the bus and checked it out. Unfortunately, it was just a staging area and there wasn’t a single protester anywhere in sight. A cop told the Gazette they’d been dispersed already.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
We got down to Times Square just in time to catch the remnants of a Free Palestine mobilization there. Several dozen people chanted and waved flags while hundreds of cops stood by, watching them and looking bored. One counter-protester with a Trump 2024 cap on her head tried to stir the pot but the demonstrators either ignored her or just laughed. There were no skirmishes with the police or anything dramatic like that to photograph, really. After an hour or so the protesters just picked up and left, heading down Broadway toward Macy’s.
“From the River to the Sea…
“…Palestine will be free.”
All in all, we probably saw, or passed nearby, several thousand people in just a couple of hours on a weekday afternoon…and it felt great. The City’s not back to 100% yet but going by what we saw today it will be very soon, thank goodness. On the way uptown, a maskless young couple in the Times Square station even approached a total stranger and requested their photo be taken. It felt just like back in the day somehow.
NYC is for lovers