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Neighborhood
News
Union
Square Hosts Second Annual Snowboarding
Exhibition |
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On
Thursday, February 7th from 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM, NYC
Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC
Sports Commission and Jeep will host Union Square Street
Sessions. The event features 20 of the
world's top professional snowboarders including Olympic
silver medalist Danny Kass, defending champion Eddie
Wall, and many others, all of whom will be vying
for a $30,000 prize. Visit the action sports block
party for athletes' autographs, free giveaways and
more. |
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USP Welcomes Staples Copy and Print
Shop to the District |
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On January 16th, USP Executive Director Jennifer
Falk joined Small Business
Services Commissioner Rob Walsh at the official
opening of the new Staples Copy &
Print Shop (116 West 14th Street between 6th and 7th
Avenues, 212-255-4687). “Staples is
committed to serving New York City, and our new copy and
print shop format makes it exceptionally easy for
Manhattan businesses to get the essential products and
services they need to grow,” said Kevin
Downes, Regional VP of Sales and Operations for
Staples. |
| Neighborhood Favorites With
TheaterMania's Gretchen Shugart |
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Since 1999, TheaterMania has made theater
more accessible by featuring comprehensive
listings, news, reviews, interviews, video content and
online ticketing nationwide. USP caught up with TheaterMania Chief
Executive Officer Gretchen Shugart to ask her
about her favorite places in Union Square.
Entertaining
locales. The Vineyard
Theatre and Daryl
Roth/DR2 on East 15th Street always present
compelling plays and
musicals.
Fun
places to shop. I go to
Agnes B.
when I need a little Paris in my life and DSW for
shoes for my teenage
daughter.
Best place for a workout.
Equinox is
where trainer Andrea relentlessly kicks me into
shape!
Favorite place to grab a bite. Coffee Shop
is great for breakfast meetings, Union Square
Cafe for "me time," and Whole Foods
for sandwiches, salads and cookies for TheaterMania staff lunches
(delicious!). |
| Serving Up Good Stuff
Round the Clock |
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If you are looking for great
food and retro-inspired decor, visit Good Stuff
Diner (109 West 14th Street, 212-929-2555).
The old-time style diner is open 24-hours a
day and serves up burgers, salads, appetizers, cocktails
and more. |
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Have a Rosy Valentine's Day
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This Valentine's Day treat your special someone
to fresh roses from district florists at reasonable
prices. Sal Anthony, the City
Gardener (199 East 17th Street,
212-674-6677) offers beautiful roses and
friendly service. Ariston
Florist (110 West 17th Street between 6th and
7th Avenues, 212-929-4226) is
sure to delight with a wide selection of bouquets and
orchids. |
| Look What's Cooking at Washington
Irving |
The spring semester at Washington Irving High School
begins February 1st, and with it comes the addition of
four new clubs to the after-school program. Through a
partnership with the American Friends of James Joyce,
students will be able to join the James Joyce
Club, in which they will spend a semester analyzing
the works of the renowned author. To increase
performance arts opportunities for students, USP is now
offering Choir and Choreography Club
as extracurricular options. And the lastly, the widely
popular Culinary Club will return to teach
students basic kitchen skills, encourage healthy eating,
and prepare them for independent college life. A special
thanks to Union Square Hospitality Group who provides
the club with field trips that allow students hands-on
access to the restaurant world. If you or your
organization is interested in sponsoring or getting
involved with a club at WIHS, please contact Director of
Education Tanya
Navas. |
| Submit Your Stories
|
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If you would like to make a submission for next
month's e-newsletter, please email
info@unionsquarenyc.org.
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| Union Square
Partnership |
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The Union
Square Partnership is a community-based, nonprofit
organization working to foster the best possible
metropolitan neighborhood for its residents, businesses and visitors. We are
comprised of a local development corporation and New
York City's first business improvement district, two
organizations that have served as catalysts behind the
area's transformation. For more information, visit our
website at unionsquarenyc.org. |
| Links to Community
Websites |
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The City of New
York
Department of Parks
and Recreation
Department of Small
Business Services
Community Board
2
Community Board
3
Community Board
5
Community Board
6
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Fond Farewell to Neighborhood
Leader |
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Our thoughts are with the family of Charles F. Luce,
former Chairman and CEO of Con Edison, who passed away
on January 26th. Mr. Luce was one of the founders of
Sweet 14, the precursor to the Union Square Partnership
business improvement district. His vision served as the
foundation for our efforts and led to the ultimate
success of many of our initiatives throughout the area.
Mr. Luce leaves a legacy of altruism through his many
contributions to business and politics in the City and
his commitment to volunteerism and
philanthropy. |
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City Bakery Makes February
Hot! |
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During the entire month of February, warm up
at the 16th Annual City Bakery Hot Chocolate
Festival (3 West 18th Street
between 5th and 6th Avenues, 212-366-1414). The festival
has created a wave of hot chocolate popularity with
different flavors being offered everyday. Sample such
favorites as Banana Peel, Chili Pepper Hot, Arabian
Nights, By the Bay, Ginger, and Lemon-Licorice Hot
Chocolate. |
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CityRacks Makes Parking
Your Bike Easy |
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In response to
the growing number of cyclists and an increased desire
to promote cycling as a healthy,
environmentally-sustainable form of transportation, the
NYC Department of
Transportation has worked with Cemusa to install
new bicycle parking
structures around the City as part of the
CityRacks program. Each shelter will contain
stainless steel bike racks for eight bikes and closely
resembles the award-winning bus shelters. Stow your bike
at Union Square's north end and explore.
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| New York Sheds Excess
Baggage |
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On January 23rd,
Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill requiring many of the
City’s commercial retailers to establish an in-store
recycling program for unwanted plastic carry-out
bags. The Mayor states, “It is important to
take as many steps as we can to recycle plastic bags.
They are not biodegradable, but instead break down into
small pieces that pollute the water and soil." Any
retailer with over 5,000 square feet of retail
space, or five or more store locations within the City,
will be required to place an easily accessible recycling
bin in their stores. |
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Recycle Your
Textiles |
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In June 2007, Goodwill
Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey
joined the Council on the
Environment of New York City to initiate a
pilot program to collect used clothing, shoes, bedding,
linens, etc. In a seven month
period, over 1,000 people donated 31,000 pounds of
unwanted clothing and textiles for reuse and recycling,
preventing their disposal into the City waste
stream. Due to the huge success of the program,
collections will
continue to take place at the Union Square Greenmarket
on Mondays from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
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Technological Advances to Save
Businesses Time |
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In order to ease the
regulatory burden on small business owners in the City,
Mayor Bloomberg, the NYC Departments of Consumer Affairs
and Information Technology & Telecommunications
rolled out two new technological initiatives. "New York
businesses have every right to expect that we will use
technology to make it as easy and efficient as possible
to get what they need from the City," said DCA
Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. Businesses can now submit
license renewal forms online. In
addition, 311 has been expanded to make it
possible to check the status of a 311 service
request on the web. |
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Bestselling Author Brings Black
History Month to Life |
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On
February 6th at 7:00 PM, Barnes & Noble Booksellers - Union
Square (33 East 17th
Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South) welcomes
James McBride,
The New York Times-bestselling
author of The Color of Water, to sign his
newest book Song Yet
Sung in celebration of Black
History Month. For more information about this and other events,
click here.
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