Volume 20 Issue 11 | July 27 – Aug. 3, 2007
On July 16, the Downtown Express family got a little bigger. At 2:34 p.m. Mexico City time, former Express reporter Ronda Kaysen, above, gave birth to a son, Theo Brinkerhoff.
After years of covering the Downtown scene, Kaysen moved to Mexico last fall with her husband, David Brinkerhoff. In addition to their new jobs as parents, the two journalists have been working as freelancers, perfecting their Spanish language skills and exploring the countryside.
Theo, it seems, was born with journalism in his blood. Like any good cub reporter, he delivered ahead of deadline — 10 hours before his July 17 due date. According to Kaysen, the new family is now home and “doing great.”
Tiffany’s cleans up
After raising some eyebrows with their somewhat suggestive “Close The Deal” slogan, Tiffany & Co. has opted to change the ad line on the giant blue advertising box surrounding the new Tiffany’s location at 37 Wall St.
Now the ad on the store reads, “Making hearts beat faster since 1837.” The new location, which will occupy a restored historic banking hall, is expected to open this fall.
Perm squirm
Speaking of things that raise eyebrows, the ever-edgy world of beauty has come up with yet another hair-raising treatment possibility.
For those ladies tired of curling their own eyelashes (a somewhat scary process to begin with), Takamichi salon on the Lower East Side offers an alternative. For $80, patrons can have their eyelashes permed into a semi-permanent curl. After undergoing the Japanese process, the curl is said to last for several weeks. For the less adventurous, Takamichi also offers inventive manicures and pedicures using ingredients like mint, honey and sake.
Air alerts
It’s summer in the city and let’s face it, the air can get nasty out there. But sometimes the city atmosphere goes beyond hot, sticky, smelly or just plain gross. For the very young, the very old, and those with sensitive lungs or skin, summer air in the city can be downright dangerous.
Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency is now offering the public an easy-to-use e-mail alerts service. Users can sign up at https://enviroflash.epa.gov to receive daily, customized notifications about the city’s air quality and UV index.
Call to the bullpen
After spending two weeks across the river in Brooklyn, Mayor Bloomberg and his staffers returned Monday to the “bullpen” — the nerve center of the mayor’s operations in City Hall.
The temporary move was prompted by a need to fix up the bullpen’s floors, networking systems and air conditioning — although the mayor used the time in Brooklyn to test out the city’s Emergency Management Operations Center.
The showcase of the renovations was a 103-inch, high-definition plasma TV, donated by Panasonic. Sadly the super-high-tech gadget will not be used to give the mayor’s staff a crystal-clear view of HD movies or New York sporting events. The plasma TV will be put to work showing 311 call statistics and live video feeds from the city’s many traffic cameras.
More amenities
Downtown’s luxury condo buildings continue to compete to offer the type of built-in amenities that buyers never knew they needed.
At 45 John St., an office building under conversion at the corner of Dutch St., the new units will offer built-in wine cellars and pre-wired sound systems with iPod docks. If the wine and the custom playlists aren’t enough to inspire a good dinner party, then residents will be able to show off the open roof deck, complete with cabana.
For locals not looking to relocate, the building’s Web site, 45john.com, offers one of the best neighborhood maps we’ve ever seen on a real estate site.
