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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC 
 
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
 
 
Volume 5, No. 14   Sept. 13, 2018  
IN THIS ISSUE

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
 
"My favorite memories come from working with Jack Putnam aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's tug W.O. Decker. Jack could handle the docklines, but his real talent came out when Decker navigated into the harbor backwaters where tours usually don't go - the post-industrial and working waterfront. We saw the ghosts of the port's last century, and waterfront facilities otherwise hidden from the public eye, and Jack was the man you wanted as your guide!
      -  Capt. Maggie Flanagan, remembering Jack Putnam, who died on Sept. 9 at the age of 82

* Calendar: September - 'Spy Week' at the Fraunces Tavern Museum

WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, click here.
 
Go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com for breaking news and for updated  Downtown Post NYC bulletin board and calendar information.

MASTHEAD PHOTO: The site of what is now the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in Orange County, N.Y. was known as Fort Arnold during the American Revolution until its commander, Benedict Arnold, tried to sell the fort to the British. Arnold was aided in this endeavor by John André, who was caught and hung as a spy. Arnold escaped to England. After he betrayed the patriot cause, the Army changed the name of the fortifications to Fort Clinton. Sept. 6, 2018 (©Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2018)  


editorLETTER FROM THE EDITOR: NEW YORK STATE PRIMARY ON SEPT. 13       
 
Terese Loeb Kreuzer, editor
Vote! Primary election on Sept. 13

Today is Thursday, Sept. 13. The polls are open today from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

New York State Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced that her office's Election Day Hotline is available to help troubleshoot and resolve issues encountered by voters at the polls. The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the office's hotline at (800) 771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday. The hotline is staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General's Civil Right's Bureau.

Voters registered in New York City can click here to find their poll site.

Attorney General Underwood reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.

Who's on the ballot: In the Democratic primary, incumbent Andrew Cuomo is running for a third term as New York State governor. Cynthia Nixon, former "Sex and the City" star and an ally of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, is Cuomo's major challenger. 

Also in the Democratic primary, Jumaane Williams is running for lieutenant governor against incumbent Kathy C. Hochul. Williams currently serves on New York City Council, representing the 45th district, which includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park and Midwood in Brooklyn.

The Republican candidate for New York State governor, Marcus Molinaro, was unanimously nominated at the Republican state convention in May. Since he has no challengers for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, there will be no Republican primary election.

For a complete list of all candidates whose names appear on the ballot in today's September 13 primary election, click here.

HOW TO SUPPORT DOWNTOWN POST NYC - Downtown Post NYC is emailed free to subscribers, but if you like DPNYC and want to support it, you can do that in four ways. 1) Make a contribution to Downtown Post NYC.  Email editor@downtownpostnyc.com for more information. 2) Support Downtown Post's advertisers by clicking on their ads, and if you use their services, tell them that you read about them in DPNYC. 3) Consider advertising in DPNYC if you have a business, service or event that you want to promote. 4) Tell people about DPNYC and suggest that they subscribe. They can sign up at www.DowntownPostNYC.com.

Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Editor
 
The emailed Downtown Post NYC newsletter is appearing less frequently than formerly, however, Downtown Post NYC's website (www.DowntownPostNYC.com) is updated daily. That's the place to check  for urgent messages, breaking news and reminders of interesting events in and around Lower Manhattan. When heavy rain and thunderstorms caused cancellations for scheduled performances at the Battery Dance Festival this past week, this information was immediately posted on the Downtown Post NYC website along with news of other canceled events in Lower Manhattan. So be sure to look at the website every day, especially if you want to know about breaking news.



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Benefiting the South Street Seaport Museum,
help celebrate New York's connection to the water - past, present and future at
Pier 16 aboard the museum's 1885 sailing ship Wavertree
89 South Street
Tickets include full bar, hors d'oeuvres and food stations.
For more information, click here.


RenoirAT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE, A RENOIR PAINTING STOLEN DURING WORLD WAR II IS RETURNED TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER  

In 1941, this painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir called "Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin" (Two Women in a Garden) was among work by Renoir and Delacroix that the Nazis stole from Jewish art collector Alfred Weinberger. For decades, the whereabouts of the painting was unknown. On Sept. 12, 2018 at a ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, the painting was returned to its rightful owner. (Photo: © John Halpern)

Aided by Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mme Sylvie Sulitzer, owner of a delicatessen in southern France, carefully removed a paper covering from an oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and looked at it for the first time in her life. It was now hers. In fact, it had always been hers but it was stolen and then dropped from view for decades. At a restitution ceremony on Sept. 12 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, the painting was returned.

In 1941, Mme Sulitzer's grandfather, Jewish art collector Alfred Weinberger, who was living in Paris, fled from the Nazis. He placed his collection of paintings by Renoir and Delacroix in a Parisian bank vault only to have them confiscated by the Nazis.

The Renoir, "Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin" (Two Women in a Garden) didn't turn  up again until 1975 when Sotheby's sold it in Johannesburg. In 1977, Sotheby's resold it in London. It next surfaced in 1999 when it was sold in Zurich. Apparently no one realized that this might be a stolen painting, or if they did realize, they said nothing.

Then, to quote a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, "Ultimately, the Renoir found its way to Christie's Gallery in New York, where it was put up for auction by a private collector in 2013. It was then that Mme Sulitzer learned of the pending sale and made a claim to the work as part of her grandfather's collection. Christie's alerted the FBI, and ultimately the purported owner of the work voluntarily agreed to relinquish its claim. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI are now returning the painting to Mme Sulitzer."

At the press conference on Sept. 12, Mme Sulitzer held back tears as she said that "I'm very thankful to show my beloved family, wherever they are, that there is justice." She also said that she didn't value the painting so much for itself as because it brought back her childhood for her, when her family was still together. "It's more the symbol of the life I had with them, and a symbol of the justice everybody did to make this day possible," she said.

Her grandfather had filed claims for the painting and other missing artwork after the war, first with the French government and then with the German government, but his claims went nowhere. He died in 1977, a month short of his 90th birthday. Mme Sulitzer said that she wished it was he who was standing there, getting his painting back. "I would have loved him to be here instead of me," she said. She also said that she will probably have to sell the painting because she can't afford to keep it.

The painting dates from 1919, the last year of Renoir's life. His two eldest sons, Pierre and Jean, had been seriously wounded during World War I. In 1915, his wife, Aline, to whom he had been married for 35 years, had died suddenly at the age of 56, and he himself was in a wheelchair, crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, he continued to paint and to depict sensuous women amid the beauty of nature.

When "Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin" last sold, it went for $390,000. It will be on exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, through Sunday, Sept. 16. (The museum is closed on Saturdays.) Admission to the museum will be free during the time that the painting is on display. For more information about visiting the museum, click here.

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Mme Sylvie Sulitzer at the Museum of Jewish Heritage with the Renoir painting that the Nazis stole from her grandfather, art collector, Alfred Weinberger. Next to her are William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who helped get the painting back to Mme Sulitzer, her grandfather's only living heir. (Photo: © John Halpern)




PutnamJACK PUTNAM, BELOVED HISTORIAN OF THE SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM AND DEFENDER OF THE SEAPORT, IS DEAD AT 82 YEARS OLD

Jack Putnam in Trinity Church at the memorial service for Peter Stanford on April 16, 2016. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

The word went out on the morning of Sept. 10 among lovers of the historic South Street Seaport. Jack Putnam, its unofficial historian and keeper of its stories, had died on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 at the age of 82.

The official version of his life and death and plans for a memorial service have not yet been made available as of this writing, but people who knew Jack Putnam shared their memories, and they all converged. They described a man who loved the Seaport, who loved the maritime life in all its guises, and who loved history.

This is what some of his friends and associates recalled about him:

Capt. Maggie Flanagan:
I worked alongside Jack Putnam for over a decade, later in his life. Long before I knew him as a shipmate and historian, he was in service as a mariner. Though I never asked for the details, you could just tell he was authentic. His frequent and fond references to submarines as the only real boats in service still spurs my imagination of him in uniform at an early point in his career, but I can't say for sure. That does reveal one of Jack's most endearing qualities though - his ability to take the professional or technical lingo of the sea and have fun with it! (In Navy lingo, ships are ships, but submarines are boats.) Jack's eyes would twinkle, his voice would lilt, and you knew you were in for a treat of a sea story or an entertaining tidbit of maritime trivia.

Jack didn't just resemble Herman Melville in appearance, he read and enacted Melville with a deep understanding of the sea and sailors that turned any literary quote or program into a magical, personal experience. As a ship artist and model maker, Jack applied that same personal attention to the details of rendering his favorite subjects to share through art. He was also a ship keeper, shop keeper, librarian and tour guide, continually finding creative ways to share his love and knowledge of the maritime world with others. Jack equally loved his family, and his wife, children, and grandchildren were frequently remembered during conversation as we all stood by waiting for a program or a sail. And no wonder, because Jack was both a gentleman and a mariner.

My favorite memories come from working with Jack Putnam aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's tug W.O. Decker. Jack could handle the docklines, but his real talent came out when Decker navigated into the harbor backwaters where tours usually don't go, the post-industrial and working waterfront. We saw the ghosts of the port's last century, and waterfront facilities otherwise hidden from the public eye, and Jack was the man you wanted as your guide! His commentary wove together history, culture, and current events in ways that kept us all entertained for hours, and enlightened our minds and hearts. Decker made her first public appearance after years in hiatus for maintenance at the Working Harbor Committee Tubgboat Race on Sept. 9, the same day Jack passed.  As Decker is now able to do again, keeping maritime heritage alive in authentic and interactive ways will be a most fitting tribute to Jack Putnam. It really affected me to remember Jack on the Decker.

Capt. Jonathan Boulware (President and CEO of the South Street Seaport Museum):
The South Street Seaport Museum family today mourns the death of longtime Museum historian, educator, Melville scholar, and friend Jack Putnam. In the words of Saul Austerlitz in the New York Times, Jack was the official historian and unofficial conscience of the museum.

Over a span of decades, Jack was a champion of the Museum and its efforts. He put his shoulder to the wheel in myriad ways but in all respects was stalwart in support of the mission. Many will remember him best as Herman Melville himself, reciting "Chapter One: Loomings" from memory. I have had the privilege to hear Jack recite this opening passage, most recently with my young son. It is this passage that moves me most, particularly in Jack's voice:

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off-then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."

Jack spent his time at sea, and was as romantic about it as a fellow can get. But he also had a clear-eyed view of maritime New York and the critical importance of the port. He saw [Robert Greenhalgh] Albion's "The Rise of New York Port" as regular required reading for all of us here.

In 2013, after Hurricane Sandy and when the Museum was closed to the public, Jack regularly attended our weekly staff meetings, despite having no official role at the Museum. The effort to bring back the museum he loved was what mattered to him, so he showed up. And he paid us the complement of praising our work. We were all buoyed by him, and his cheerful disposition will be sorely missed here.

We join with Jack's many friends, colleagues, and shipmates in celebrating his life. We're grateful that he spent so much of it with us.

David Sheldon:
There was nothing in the Seaport, its ships and its history, nothing having anything to do with the Seaport, that Jack Putnam couldn't tell you something about.

Michael Kramer:
Jack Putnam was the official SSSM Historian, the institutional memory for a museum that was started 51 years ago. He was a great storyteller, a fixture at book readings, a shipkeeper, a "jack of all trades" staffer and emblematic of the "people's museum."

Naima Rauam:
I knew him for 35 years. We had common interests including the fish market and flying airplanes. He was, and I still am, a licensed pilot.

Charlie Deroko:
I met Mr. Jack Putnam perhaps 35 or so years ago.  My first impression was a lasting impression, for here was a scholarly, eloquent and kindhearted individual. We were both Navy veterans and enjoyed swapping slightly embellished sea stories.

Throughout the years, Jack was extensively involved in Museum programs, including Elderhostel, and was on-board historian for the museum's tug, W. O. Decker, during her harbor history tours. His style was both educational and entertaining, and seasoned with local folklore. The passengers loved it, and so did I. 

Jack did walking-tours of the historic neighborhood and fashioned himself into the character of Herman Melville very well; it was his signature piece. It is perhaps a sentimental reflection, but I think he would have done old Herman proud. Jack has now himself passed into history and is firmly anchored in the South Street folklore he so loved.

A final word about Jack Putnam, at least for the moment: On July 13, 2008, The New York Times published an article by Saul Austerlitz called "Up in the Old Hotel." He described Jack Putnam as the "official historian and unofficial conscience of the South Street Seaport Museum."

On the day that he and Jack ventured into the upper stories of what Joseph Mitchell had called "the old hotel" in Schermerhorn Row, Austerlitz described Putnam as being "resplendent" in "green slacks, a striped button-down shirt and red socks."

In the article, Austerlitz recalled something that Jack Putnam had said to him about the old hotel around the time the South Street Seaport Museum took possession of it in the late 1980s when "the space had again become an archaeological site, with lottery tickets from 1981 piled atop waitresses' order books from the 1940s" (in Austerlitz's words.)

"I tried not to disturb the ghosts when I used to go up there," Jack Putnam recalled.

Now Jack has joined the ghosts who preceded him and we who remain may perhaps still find him there in a place that he loved.

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
 




Renuka Pinto, an Australian trained physical therapist with over 18 years experience, is now offering "quality care at an affordable price" at her new location, 915 Broadway, Suite 1106. She is a sports and spine specialist using technology, intensive hands-on therapy and custom-based exercise to help patients meet their needs.
A mother of three, she offers specialized services to pregnant and post-partum women to help them achieve their individual goals.


 Bits & Bytes 
Levine MICHAEL LEVINE RETIRES FROM CB1; CORTLANDT STREET SUBWAY STATION REOPENS; 10 CORSO COMO OPENS IN THE SOUTH ST. SEAPORT 
 
Michael Levine (in the foreground) retired effective Aug. 31, 2018 from Community Board 1. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer 2016)

Michael Levine retires from Community Board 1: Michael Levine, land use consultant to Community Board 1, has retired several times in the course of his life, but this time, it looks as though it's for real. Now 75 years old, Levine retired at the end of August when his contract with CB1 ended. He has been replaced as a consultant by BetaNYC, a not-for-profit civic tech organization whose mission is to improve CB1's "discretionary approvals" process, a portfolio that differs substantially from the previous Land Use Consultant contracts. CB1 will now be joined by Nazija Akter and Ramesh Beharry, who are seasoned Civic Innovation Fellows that trained with BetaNYC in technology and open data.
   
After spending 30 years with the City Planning Commission and eight years with the American Planning Association, Levine joined Community Board 1 in 2006 as Director of Land Use and Planning. He retired from that full-time position in 2013 but continued to work with CB1 as a consultant.  
 
Levine will be honored for his work at Community Board 1 on Sept. 25 at the full board meeting, which will be held at The Peck Slip School, 1 Peck Slip, starting at 6 p.m.  
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer 
 
"A Subway Station Damaged on Sept. 11 Reopens 17 Years Later," New York Times, 9/8/18. "When the twin towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, they came crashing down on the Cortlandt Street subway stop on the No. 1 line. The station was buried under debris, its sturdy beams bent like paper clips," says The New York Times. "For nearly 17 years, the station has sat unused - achingly missing from the New York City subway map - even as a new sprawling World Trade Center complex has sprouted aboveground. At long last, the station will reopen on Saturday. The unveiling is a pivotal moment for New York - the last major piece in the city's quest to rebuild what was lost, just before the anniversary of the attack. But the fact that it took so long is a glaring reminder of the dysfunction among the region's transit agencies." For the complete article, click here.

"Danny Meyer's Sky-High Manhatta Has a Hospitality Problem, Critic Says," eater.com, 9/7/18. As reported in Eater.com, "New Yorker's critic Hannah Goldfield visited Danny Meyer's latest sky-high restaurant Manhatta for this week's Tables for Two, but although Meyer is supposed to be known for hospitality, a variety of things about the experience didn't 'strike me as all that hospitable,' Goldfield writes. There were questionable rules at the first-come, first-serve bar area, and reservations weren't available within 28 days." For the complete article, click here.
 
"The Chicest Store in Milan Comes to New York," New York Times, 9/5/18. "There were pedestrians ambling and drinkers drinking alfresco on the warm June day that Carla Sozzani stood outside what would shortly become 10 Corso Como New York, the American outpost of her pioneering Italian concept shop. That descriptor, now common for boutiques that stock not only fashion, but also art, furniture, books and whatever else tickles their proprietors, could well have been coined for hers. (According to her, it was.) 'It has the feel of an Italian piazza, no?' Ms. Sozzani said on a site visit to New York, looking out toward the water. 'I hope it stays like this.' But we were at the South Street Seaport - cobblestoned, yes, but not often imagined as Italianate - a New York landmark that has had many lives: bustling port, scrubby artists' community, hurricane victim, tourist trap. Ms. Sozzani's store is part of its continuing transformation. 10 Corso Como is to be one of the tent poles of the new new Seaport, which its developer, the Howard Hughes Corporation, hopes to coax into a hub of culture and commerce in New York City." For the complete article, click here.

"Staten Island's New York Wheel won't get city funding," Curbed.com, 9/7/18. Though it has been planned for Staten Island, residents and workers in Lower Manhattan do have a vested interest in the New York Wheel. Were it to be built, they would be looking at it. But, says Curbed.com, "Things aren't looking good for Staten Island's New York Wheel. In May, there was hope that the stalled project would be resuscitated, after developer New York Wheel LLC and the former contractor, Mammoet-Starneth, came to an agreement following months of litigation. However, a recent decision made by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation could seal the fate for the beleaguered project. Developers were hoping to receive a $140 million cash infusion from the city to get the 630-foot observation wheel back on track, however, the city has announced that public funds will not be used to advance the project." For the complete article, click here.









Downtown bulletin board
wetlabNYC FERRY FALL SCHEDULE; FREE PARENT AND BABY YOGA CLASSES; RIVER PROJECT FUNDRAISING FOR FREE SCHOOL TRIPS TO WETLAB 
     
Krishna, a volunteer at the River Project's Wetlab on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park, tells a young visitor about a Hudson River inhabitant called the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) that uses its strong jaws and teeth to crack open oyster shells. The River Project is currently raising money to offer free and discounted school field trips to the Wetlab.
(Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer) 
     

NYC Ferry fall schedule: The NYC Ferry fall schedule goes into effect on Monday, Sept. 17. The new schedule includes changes to midday and weekend frequency for the Rockaway, East River, Astoria, and South Brooklyn routes. There were slight adjustments to the Lower East Side PM weekday schedule, but frequency for the LES and Soundview routes will remain the same until the winter schedule takes effect. For details on the scheduling changes,  click here.

River Project fundraising for school trips to its Pier 40 Wetlab: The River Project on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park offers free or discounted trips so that students can visit its Wetlab, which currently houses 149 fish of 12 different species. More than half of the school field trips to the Wetlab are discounted. The Wetlab also provides free after-school programming twice a week. The River Project is trying to raise $5,000 before Sept. 17 to keep these programs going. For more information or to contribute, click here.

Parent and Baby Yoga classes are now free: The Parent and Baby Yoga classes offered by the Battery Park City Authority are now free. They teach postures and exercises specifically suited for new parents and babies from newborns through crawling. The classes take place on Monday afternoons at 6 River Terrace. Session 1 is from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Session 2 is from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Registration is required. To register for Session 1, click here. To register for Session 2, click here.
 
New Lower East Side ferry service: On Aug. 29, NYC Ferry added a Lower East Side route to its roster of ferries connecting New York City neighborhoods previously underserved by transit. The Lower East Side Route runs from Wall Street/Pier 11, to Corlears Hook, to Stuyvesant Cove, East 34th Street, and ends at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens. The trip takes about 32 minutes from start to finish and costs $2.75 for a one-way ticket. This is the sixth NYC Ferry route. For more information, click here.

City Charter Revision: A Charter Revision Commission resulting from a local law co-sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Public Advocate Letitia James is now holding hearings asking for public input. The plan is to spend a full year examining all aspects of the City Charter and then to propose changes on the 2019 ballot.

Brewer stated that the logic in proposing a fresh look at the city's main governing document was that a full-scale review hadn't been conducted since 1989 (except for minor tweaks).     

The 2019 Charter Commission is kicking off its inclusive process with a series of public hearings this month in each of the five boroughs. The hearing in Manhattan will take place on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at City Hall in Manhattan.

'It's critically important that New Yorkers attend these hearings and let commissioners know what areas of city government can be improved upon," Brewer said. For updated information on these hearings, click here.

 
Culture Pass: Culture Pass is a new service for holders of a New York Public Library card that enables free admission to dozens of museums and cultural institutions around the city. Participating institutions include the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Frick Collection, the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, the Museum of the City of New York, Wave Hill, the Whitney Museum of American Art and many more. You must be at least 13 years old to reserve a pass. To get a Culture Pass, go to www.Culturepass.nyc and follow the prompts. You can obtain passes for dates up to three months in advance and can have two pending reservations at any time. Each pass is good for two to four people.  
 


Most of the Downtown Post NYC bulletin board listings are now on the Downtown Post NYC website. To see the bulletin board listings, click here.




calendar CALENDAR: September 2018  
Spotlight: 'Spy Week' at the Fraunces Tavern Museum  


A statue of Nathan Hale stands in City Hall Park, directly across from City Hall. Nathan Hale was commissioned
by George Washington to infiltrate the British ranks to gather intelligence. He was discovered on Sept. 22, 1776 and hanged for treason, without trial, the next morning. On Friday, Sept. 21 the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York will commemorate Hale at the Nathan Hale statue with a color guard, a mayoral proclamation, wreath laying and more. The Nathan Hale Day Commemoration starts at noon and is free.
(Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)


Sept. 15-Sept. 22: It's "Spy Week" at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. Start "Spy Week" on Sept. 16 with a walking tour entitled "Sympathetic Spies: George Washington's Eyes and Ears in Lower Manhattan." The British Revolutionary War Spymaster Major George Beckwith claimed that, "Washington didn't really outfight the British, he simply out-spied us."  Led by Lucie Levine, a licensed New York City tour guide, you can retrace the steps of General Washington's master spies, taking in the Battery and Wall Street. Levine will talk about who first peddled fake news, introduce the tailor who saved George Washington's life not once but twice, and explain what Eagles, Turtles, and Vultures have to do with turncoats and saboteurs. Time: 11 a.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance. You will receive a confirmation email with the starting location of the tour within 24 business hours. Tickets: $25; $20 (museum members). To buy tickets, click here
 
Ticket purchase includes complimentary admission to the Fraunces Tavern Museum at 54 Pearl St. where an exhibition called "Fear & Force: New York City's Sons of Liberty," is currently on display. As many of the colonists prepared for what would be the American Revolution, there was an organized group that opposed the government through violent resistance. The exhibition includes objects preserved from pivotal moments relating to the New York Sons of Liberty, such as the tearing down of the King George statue in Bowling Green Park, and throwing chests of tea into the New York Harbor.   
 
During Spy Week, 45-minute-long guided tours about Revolutionary Spies take place daily. Among other spies, the docents who lead the tours talk about Nathan Hale, Benjamin Tallmadge and Lydia Darrah. Visitors can learn about the tools of the trade as a spymaster, the creation of America's very first spy ring, and catch a glimpse of the last known letter from Nathan Hale, which hasn't been on display in over decade. Free with regular Museum admission. No reservations required. Times: Saturday, Sept. 15: 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; Monday to Friday, Sept. 17 to Sept. 21: 2 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 22: 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
  
For more information about Spy Week and about the Fraunces Tavern Museum, click here.  
    
Fall in Battery Park City: The Battery Park City Authority has released its Fall 2018 Parks Programming Calendar with more than 450 public programs and events between September and December. The full calendar of mostly free programs includes movie nights, concerts, tours, tournaments and games, art and nature events, fitness and exercise classes, and much more.  
 
For the complete calendar of Battery Park City events between September and December, click here.


 
For more calendar listings, go to the Downtown Post NYC website. Click here.



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