This Week In & Around Chelsea: November 27-December 3, 2023

Here’s What’s Happening In & Around Chelsea

Flatiron/NoMad’s Winter Glow /  West Chelsea Festival of Art / 10th Precinct Build the Block Meetings / Pet Adoption / Tree Lighting & Menorah Lighting in Clement Clarke Moore Park / Community Cleanups /   

Control No Control: On View November 30 to January 1 at Flatiron North Plaza (Broadway, Fifth Ave. & 23rd St.) | Luminous, large, intriguing, inviting: This interactive installation is central to the Flatiron NoMad Partnership slate of holiday programming known collectively as Winter Glow. Presented in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program (NYC DOT Art) and created by Canadian digital art studio Iregular, the LED cube’s touch-sensitive tech generates patterns and sounds unique to its experience with each participant. “The experience is extremely intuitive, leading to quick audience engagement and prolonged interactions,” notes the press material, calling it a “sort of socio-digital experiment’ that “explores the relationship between participants and interactive installations”—making Control No Control, perhaps, a reference to the give-and-take that takes place during collaborations. And as collaborative events, you gotta love a parade—and you’ll get one on Thursday, November 30 at 4:30p, as the giant cube’s debut and the start of Winter Glow are celebrated by a procession led by Bond Street Theatre, in which all are welcome to participate by marching in their most “glowy” outfits. The full Winter Glow schedule of family-friendly activities is available at flatironnomad.nyc.

West Chelsea Festival of Art: Through Friday, December 1 at the West Chelsea Building (508-526 W. 26th St. btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) | This community-based arts festival celebrates the creativity and culture of the West Chelsea arts district throughout the month of November. The festival will highlight and showcase a curated selection of events and programs from over 100 participating artists presenting artworks in the form of visual art, film, fashion, music, dance, spoken word, and performance (among other mediums). Featured works will address the public issues at the forefront of current creative discourse: Supporting intersectional feminism, LGBTQ+ rights and representation, anti-violence, and anti-racism. Through artist talks, presentations, and demonstrations, attendees will glimpse behind the scenes of working studios and galleries, getting a personal peek at the inner workings of artists’ process and production. For more information, click here to visit the festival’s website.

BUILD THE BLOCK MEETINGS | NYPD Build the Block meetings, held quarterly, provide an opportunity to interact with the two-person NCO (Neighborhood Coordination Officer) team responsible for their assigned sector. NCOs have dedicated hours every week during which they walk their sectors in order to create new contacts and strengthen existing relationships (and form new ones) with residents, business owners, and others. Click here to find your Build the Block meeting. It’s a good idea to check in on the day of the scheduled meeting, as plans do sometimes change on short notice (in which case the 10th Precinct’s Twitter account, @NYPD10Pct, is a reliable source for last-minute info). The next 10th Precinct Sector B Build the Block meeting is Thursday, November 30, 5pm at Penn South (339 West 24th Street) / Sector B’s area of coverage is the north side of W. 21st St. to south side of W. 29th St., from Seventh Ave. to the Hudson. Your Sector B Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) are PO Dylan Darnaud (Dylan.Darnaud@nypd.org) and PO Daniel Bavuso (Daniel.Bavuso@nypd.org). The next 10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block meeting is Thursday, December 21, 5pm at 1 River Place / Sector C’s area of coverage is W. 29th St. to W. 43rd St., Ninth Ave. to the Hudson. Your Sector C Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) are PO Marian Bencea (Marian.Bencea@nypd.org ) & PO Daniel Sendrowski (Daniel.Sendrowski@nypd.org).

Photo courtesy of 3Eleven

Pet Adoption: Saturday, December 2, 11am-2pm at Douglaston’s 3Eleven (311 11th Ave.) | This pet adoption event—in partnership with BideaweeDouglaston DevelopmentThrow Me a Bone, and Pure Paws Veterinary Care—will have cats and dogs available to the public for adoption onsite as well as a table full of treats, bandanas, and information on their organization. (These adoption events are becoming a “thing” at 3Eleven. A new luxury multifamily development adjacent to Hudson Yards, its amenities include event co-presenter Throw Me a Bone, a full-service pet grooming, walking, veterinary, and boarding purveyor.)

Image courtesy of the West 400 Block Association.

Tree Lighting: Sunday, December 3, 4:30pm AND Menorah Lighting, 4:30pm, Thursday, December 7 in Clement Clarke Moore Park (W. 22nd St. & 10 Ave.) | The West 400 Block Association’s annual tree lighting event is a sure, reassuring sign that the holiday season is in full force. As always, there will be candy canes for one and all. As for the star of the show, the W400 BA wants you to know this is the 30th year neighbors Joanne and Jean have chosen “the perfect tree for CCM Park… with the help of Santa’s Shack on the corner of 22nd & 9th.” And in another equally delicious tradition, there will be a reading of the classic poem ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, written by the person the park you’ll be sitting in was named for! That’s not the only claim to fame in play here: Booked to do the Night Before reading is the incredibly credible television news correspondent and celebrated author (and area resident!) Martha Teichner. The winner of 15 Emmys, Teichner as narrator is a masterful matchmaker of topic and tone–one whose voice will melt you like a candy cane dipped a few times too many in a mug of piping hot chocolate. And when that’s all done, stick around… actually, come back a few days later for another Clement Clarke Moore Park tradition–the Menorah lighting ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah (Thursday, December 7 at 4:30pm). Expect the story of Hanukkah, prayers, chocolate gelt, and more. All are welcome at both events.

Community Cleanups in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen & the West Village: Sunday, December 3 | NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher’s  partnership with the Sanitation Foundation and the people of Council District 3—in which folks fan out across their neighborhoods to show litter the business end of a garbage bag—closes its fall calendar on Dec. 3. Gloves, bags, and tools will be provided. Here’s where to meet at 11am: In Chelsea, at the northwest corner of 23rd St. & Eighth Ave. In Hell’s Kitchen, at the northeast corner of 47th St. & Ninth Ave. In the West Village, at Abingdon Square (Eighth Ave. & Hudson St.). Gloves, bags, and litter collection equipment will be provided.  To sign up, click here.

Listings Compiled by Scott Stiffler

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