Happening This Week, in “This Week In & Around Chelsea”

Two Public Participation Opportuities re: MSG & Penn Station /  Community Board 4 Full Board Meeting / The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival / Free Classes at Pier 57 / Spring Fling Festival in Bella Abzug Park / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea / CSA Food Share / Community Cleanups

Wednesday, June 7: Two Public Participation Opportunities Regarding the Future of Madison Square Garden and the Penn Station Area | At 10am on Wed., June 7 New York City’s Civic Planning Commission (CPC) will hold a hearing regarding a request by ownership of Madison Square Garden (MSG) to obtain a special permit that would allow it to continue doing business as a large-scale venue. MSG, previously granted such permits for 50 and then 10 years, seeks this new one in perpetuity. That in and of itself was enough to raise the hackles of some, who saw it as the latest, possibly greatest, granting of privilege for the venue, which has never paid state or federal taxes—and whose presence atop Penn Station prevents construction of street level entrance for the transit hub (itself the topic of controversy, given an increasingly unpopular plan pushed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, in which longtime residents and businesses would be forced out of their homes). The hearing is held at 120 Broadway. Those who wish to testify in person should arrive 1 hour in advance. Details on how to testify by video conference will be posted on nyc.gov/engage one hour in advance of the meeting. If you do not wish to testify but would like to watch the meeting via livestream, click here. The hearing sets the stage for CPC to weigh in, with Manhattan Community Board 5 and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine already having issued public statements. After the CPC has its say, all eyes are on NYC Council District 3 Council Member Erik Bottcher (whose area of coverage includes MSG), as the matter goes before the City Council, whose members will consider all previous opinions but will ultimately be the entity (pending a rarely invoked Mayoral override) that has the final say on the matter.

Later on the day of June 7, at 6:30pm, City Club is sponsoring a forum moderated by its new leader, Layla Law-Gisiko, to consider the matter of MSG and its intersectionality with the future of Penn Station. The paneliss are transit policy guru Liam Blank, ReThinkPenn Chair Sam Turvey, and Alex Washburn (architect, the Grand Penn Community Alliance). A Q&A session will follow. Click here to register for this event.

UPDATED 3:40pm, June 7, 2023: Considering the poor air quality in Manhattan, CB4 announced earlier this afternoon that the in-person aspect of their June 7 meeting has been cancelled. The meeting will take place online only.

Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Full Board Meeting: Wednesday, June 7, 6:30pm Online via Zoom and In-Person at Fulton Center Auditorium (119 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 17th & 18th Sts.) | As the headline in bold blue dutifull notes, this meeting of CB4’s full board allows attendance in-person and in the virtual online realm. To view via Zoom, click here to register. To view via livestream on th CB4 YouTube channel, click here. Signing up to speak during the Public Session (you get 2 uninterrupted minutes to speak on the topic(s) of your choosing) and the Public Hearing (you address a specific topic listed on the agenda) can now be found via the Zoom Registration Link, which can be found by clicking here. Elsewhere on the agenda, you’ll hear reports from elected officials or their reps, and the full membership of CB4 will vote on whether or not to approve letters generated by its various committees, in the meeting prior to this full board gathering. For the June 7 Agenda and applicable background materials, click here.

The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival: Wednesday, June 7 through Sunday, June 18 and Online, June 19-July 2 | Opening Night, Centerpiece, Closing Gala, and Beacon Theater music events aside, the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) remains, at its core, a collection of feature-length and short films (250 of them this time around). There are 40 entries in the Tribeca Talks/Tribeca Talk Industry series featuring, respectively, conversations with filmmakers and an exploration of the business side of entertainment. Highlights (objectively chosen) include June 16’s Creating Compelling Indian Content for a Global Audience, June 11’s Drag Story Hour, and June 13’s Sports Explains the World: A Q&A with John Skipper and Smriti Keshari, hosted by Peter Kafka. Back again this year, a slate of Games and Immersive programming. Sadly, the demise of W. 23rd Street’s Cinépolis Chelsea means that stalwart TFF screening venue is no longer in play–but Chelsea remains well-represented by the 2023 participation of the SVA Theatre. For those not able or willing to seek out all TFF has to offer in the brick and mortar world, Tribeca at Home brings the festival, well, home from June 19 to July 2 with offerings available on platforms including Roku, firetv, and Apple TV.

Free Classes at Pier 57  | “Ever give someone a birthday card, graduation card, or condolence card and wished you had made it yourself, and that something could spring to life upon opening said card? Well sometimes wishes do come true.” Talk about a narrative hook! If this class is as tongue-in-cheek fun to take as its descriptive text is to read—and we’ve every reason to believe that’s the case—then Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful lifelong practice of people making cards that spring to life upon opening. What’s more, the class (which its creator whimsically insists is actually an “Academy) is free of charge and no advance sign-up is necessary. Chelsea’s own Gustavo is your instructor, and those instructions “pop” out at you Wednesdays, 6pm, in Pier 57’s Seahorse Classroom. For more info, click here.

Elsewhere on the schedule of free weekly instructional events, Gustavo is your guide once again, when school’s in for the Finger Puppet class—Tuesdays, 4-5pm at Pier 57’s ROOM. Puppetry enthusiasts and absolute beginners alike can learn how to craft an original creation from the raw material of poster board cylinders, air drying clay, and pure imagination. It’s appropriate for, the instructor tells us, “ages 4 to 104.” Sorry 1-,2-, and 3-year-olds—go find your fun some other place! Okay, sorry. Quit crying. You guys are babies! Speaking of which, instructor Rachel has something special for babies and toddlers: Her Musikgarten classes (ages 0 to 3 years) happen Tuesdays at 10:15am and 11:15am, offering “a chance for families to learn to connect with children in a musical setting.” Finally, on Thursdays at 6pm, Rachel’s Ukulele class is just for adults—ironic, because by the end of this one-hour class, you’ll feel like a kid again. Designed for any level of experience but with distinct notes of instruction for first-timers, Rachel makes sure that by hour’s end, everybody will be able to contribute good-sounding stuff to the group jam session. Best of all, no uke required! There will be some on hand for those who have yet to make the plunge and purchase one of the quirky little instruments. All of these classes run through July and are the brainchildren of Smartworks, an instructional business founded and staffed by married couple Gustavo and Rachel. For more info on all sorts of Pier 57 classes, click here. For all things Smarworks, click here.