N.Y.U. is so aggressive
To The Editor:
Re “Villagers pack town hall, hoping to stop N.Y.U. plan” (news article, Jan. 11):
N.Y.U. expansion plans are very aggressive. The plan asks that we rezone the Village to build oversized high-rises, that the residents of Greenwich Village live within a massive construction site for 20 years and that a private university be allowed to take public lands that are now used as parks. We want N.Y.U. to be a part of the Village — we don’t want N.Y.U. to change the Village. Build farther downtown where you are welcomed.
Sara Jones
The people have spoken
To The Editor:
Re “Notes from a heckler: The Angry Buddhist returns” (talking point, by Carl Rosenstein, Jan. 18):
Councilmember Chin, there were 500 of your constituents at the Jan. 9 Community Board 2 Land Use and Business Development Committee meeting on the New York University expansion plan. Not a single one supports the plan; all were there to oppose it. Please assure your constituents that you stand with us on this issue. Be unequivocal; do not hesitate. Say no to N.Y.U.
Georgette Fleischer
Fleischer is founder, Friends of Petrosino Square
My first meeting with Mead
To The Editor:
Re “My times with Taylor Mead” (Clayton, Jan. 18):
Taylor Mead is a great poet. We read together in Baltimore, of all places, one time when Herbert Huncke found the best hamburger and fries in town.
But I’d like to add my “first meet” sketch, if I may. I think it was 1962 in Venice when Taylor used to hang at Big Eric Nord’s. Taylor’s scene was minimal(ist). He secured a grocery cart for his belongings and pickings and had a transistor radio attached to it with his antenna up — all he needed to camp anywhere.
Charles Plymell
Clayton’s keeping it real
To The Editor:
Re “My times with Taylor Mead” (Clayton, Jan. 18):
As usual, Clayton Patterson strives to preserve and promote the real history of art in Downtown New York at a time when art is king but completely ruled by the marketplace.
Great piece, Clayton!
Penny Arcade
Ground Zero agendas
To The Editor:
Re “9/11 Museum squabble must end” (editorial, Jan. 4):
For years, 9/11 families called for a plaza-level museum. Instead, an elite handful, including Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris, dictated that in order to bury all evidence of the attacks out of sight, the museum would go underground — thus adding wildly exorbitant costs. All to be borne by you, the taxpayer, in one fashion or other.
Had Lower Manhattan Development Corporation officials listened to the families, the museum would already be open and generating revenue. Private agendas, however, have been prioritized above common sense, what makes economic sense and our duty by 9/11.
Michael Burke
Letters policy: Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to 511 Canal St., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.
