See You in September: Community Activities In & Around Chelsea

Here’s What’s Happening This September, In & Around Chelsea

Manhattan Community Board 4 Full Board Meeting / Vinyl Nights / High Line Open Studios / The 10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block Meeting & Community Council Meeting / London Terrace Street Fair /

Community Board 4’s area of coverage. | Image via CB4

The Full Board Meeting of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4): A Hybrid (Virtual and In-Person) Event at 6:30pm on Wednesday, September 6| After a funky July/August combo meeting, the full board is back to the steadfast schedule that sees them meet on the first Wednesday of the month. Unlike the laser-focused work of their committee meetings, a full board event is notable in that it gathers the complete membership of CB4 to hear from the public, elected officials and their reps, local law enforcement, and others with a stake in matters happening between 14th and 59th Streets—to the west of Eighth Ave. north of 26th Street, and to the west of Sixth Ave. south of 26th Street (aka Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen).

To register for the meeting and view it via Zoom, click here. To view the live stream via CB4’s YouTube channel, click here. Note: Zoom registration allows you to sign up for a slot in the Public Session, where you’re allowed to speak on topics of your choice (usually for 2 minutes). Those wanting to interact with the meeting in this manner cannot do so by simply live streaming; they must attend via Zoom or in person. The “real world” location will be the Fulton Senior Center (119 9th Ave. btw. W. 17th/18th Sts.). To attend by phone, dial the conference call number: 646-518-9805. When prompted, enter 986 0945 5541 as the Webinar ID.  Click here to view agenda items for the Sept. 6 meeting. Generated by the individual committees of CB4, the letters (each one assigned an agenda item number) articulate CB4’s position on a matter, and/or appeal to the recipient to take certain actions. Well-vetted by the time they reach the full board, committee letters are often voted on favorably. Sometimes, a letter will be approved pending the addition changes the board has just discussed; and in rare cases, letters will be sent back to committee for more work.

Expected to earn the full board’s approval is a letter to the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, coming out of an Aug. 24 Informational Presentation. Hosted by CB4, it was an opportunity for the Soodak family to provide details about how they’ll be running their licensed cannabis dispensary–expected to open at 158 W. 23rd St. (btw. 6th & 7th Aves.). The letter, penned by Jessee Greenwald (of CB4’s Cannabis Working Group) articulates support for the father and son business, partiularly since the family has owned NYC liquor stores for decades without ever facing a fine for improper operating procedures. For more info, click here to read Chelsea Community News’ coverage of the Aug. 24 event. For info about all things CB4, you’ll find it on their website, which can be reached by clicking here.

File photo by Christian Miles shows why Vinyl Nights is a guaranteed good time.

Vinyl Nights at Bella Abzug Park/Hudson Yards (Hudson Blvd. East btw. W. 34th & 35th Sts.): A Free, All-Ages Dance & Music Celebration, 6-9pm on Thursdays,  Sept 7, 21, 28 | Whether you were there when it all began or were born decades later, this outdoor dance and music celebration invites you to step up and boogie down to the hits that shaped NYC club culture in the 70s, 80s, and 90s—when the DJs played strictly vinyl. Each new installment promises a plethora of Disco, Funk, Soul, House, Boogie, and Latin music that has stood the test of time. This vibrant, joyful, inclusive all-ages dance party (a spinoff from Operator EMZ’s legendary Mobile Mondays! all 45s night) makes its own contribution to the legacy of the hot wax hits it spins by having on hand living legends such as Operator Emz, DJ Misbehaviour, DJ Woof, and MoneyMike & Friends. Rebecca Lynn produces this joyful celebration, presented in partnership with the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance Business Improvement District (HYHK). For more info about Vinyl Nights, click here. To visit their website, click here. For their Instagram, click here. To see our photo essay based on a visit to the July 6 installment, click here.

It takes all kinds: Chances are there’s a work of art waiting for you at the High Line Open Studios event. | Image courtesy of Open Studios

High Line Open Studios: A Self-Guided Tour in the Heart of the West Chelsea Gallery District / 12pm-6pm on Saturday/Sunday, September 9/10 | In an annual tradition timed to run in conjunction with the Armory Show at the Javits Center (Sept. 8-10), West Chelsea artists will open their private studios/work spaces to the public. Your self-guided tour begins when you pick up a Tour Map in the lobby areas of the West Chelsea Art Building (508-526 West 26th Street). This rare opportunity for art lovers, collectors, dealers, and tourists allows for discussion with the artists about their creative process. It also allows for the purchase of art, absent the markup you get by shopping at a gallery. Artworks will be available in a wide range of media including—but not limited to—painting, sculpture, photography, mixed-media, textiles, prints, collage, and street art. For more information, visit High Line Open Studios online by clicking here.

10th Precinct Community Council President Larry O’Neill (blue long sleeved shirt) presided over the Sept. 28, 2022 Community Council meeting–and he’ll be back to do more of the same when the Council returns from summer hiatus on Sept. 27. | File photo by Pamela Wolff

The 10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block Meeting: Thursday, September 14, 5pm at Manhattan Plaza (400 W. 43rd St.) AND The 10th Precinct Community Council: Wednesday, September 27, 7pm, Location TBA| As May 31’s Community Council meeting drew to a close, it was noted that during the Council’s July through August summer hiatus, local residents, business owners, and stakeholders could still access the latest crime statistics and voice their concerns by attending Build the Block meetings, one of which—for Sector C—happens on September 14. (The 10th Precinct is divided into three Sectors: A, B, and C.) Sector C covers West 29th Street to West 43rd Street, from Ninth Ave. to the Hudson.

Two NCOs, or Neighborhood Coordination Officers, are assigned to a sector for the duration of their tour as 10th Precinct Police Officers. Tasked with establishing new relationships with members of the community and maintaining existing ones, NCOs “are given the time and flexibility to make strong bonds with the community they serve,” notes the NYPD. These quarterly public Build the Block meetings are your chance to interact with your Sector NCOs, pose questions, and get answers.

“All meeting times, dates, and locations are subject to change,” further notes the NYPD, adding, “Please call your local precinct and speak to a Neighborhood Coordination Officer to verify correct meeting information.” To find your Build the Block Sector and meeting info, click here. Search results for the 10th Precinct’s Sectors A and B suggest checking back later in June for info on their third quarter meeting dates and locations. Meantime—and for that matter, any time—contact your Sector C NCOs via email: PO Marian Bencea at MARIAN.BENCEA@nypd.org and PO Daniel Sendrowski at DANIEL.SENDROWSKI@nypd.org.

Looking toward the end of the month, the 10th Precinct Community Council (under the leadership of Larry O’Neill) will return from its summer hiatus on Wed., Sept. 27, 7pm at a location to be announced. Community Council meetings provide an O’Neill-moderate Q&A session where the person providing the answers is usually the dependably frank Commanding Officer of the 10th—Captain Robert Gault. In terms of planning ahead, the Council’s Facebook presence is a reliable source of when/where information, usually posted a week or two in advance of the meeting (held on the last Wednesday of the month). To visit and follow that page, click here. 

If you lived here, you’d be smiling too: Friendly faces greet you at the London Terrace Street Fair. | File photo via LTTA

The 31st Annual London Terrace Street Fair: Saturday, September 23, 10am-5pm on West 24th Street (btw. 9th & 10th Aves.) | The best little street fair in Manhattan is back, bearing many surprises. There will be vendors of fine art, jewelry, clothing, furniture, vintage collectibles, physical media (records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc.), light food and drink, and inexpensive trinkets. It’s the perfect place to find an affordable gifts for the holidays—or a practical item for your kitchen, a new rug, a pillow, possibly a spread for your sofa in the living room, a new piece of jewelry or clothing, or your favorite LP record from your high school days. It’s also the place where one walk down a crosstown block can mean running into an old friend, being greeted by an elected official, and learning about a community organization you’ve always heard about. It’s also the place where treasure long-buried in the back of your closet can find a new home, while providing a nice profit for your own home! To reserve your Vendor Tables space, click here (and do it quickly; available slots are going fast!). For more information about this annual event brought to you by the London Terrace Tenants Association, click here.

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