Photo by Janel Bladow
BY JANEL BLADOW
Can’t believe yet another year is rolling to a close. It’s been an eventful one around our ’hood. It’s amazing how such a compact community can generate so much great (and some debatable) news.
The Seaport Christmas tree in exile, by the docks in front the festively lit Pier 17 building.
GOODNESS, GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF LIGHT… Great night out last Tuesday (Dec. 5) when thousands descended on Fulton Street to kick off the Seaport Christmas season. Howard Hughes Corp. threw a grand party with music, DJs, and massive disks of colored lights twisting down the cobblestones. The lozenge-shaped structures, a couple as big as nine-feet high, are internally lit with warm light and react to sound. People stood alongside, creating life-size silhouettes. It was a festive and wonderful night, despite the drizzle. I spent the rest of the week walking around the streets and Pier 17 to see if the holiday cheer continued. A couple of the structures were unlit a few nights. Some people lingered and took photos. Out on the dock, the 30-foot Christmas tree looked majestic and glowing — if a bit lonesome. The lights on the ships Ambrose and Wavertree were luminous. But at dusk, in the windy cold, few people wandered around. I posted my photos on Facebook, and a photographer friend wrote “It looks lonely” about the tree. It did feel that way. My definitely unscientific survey of people hanging around concluded that most people, visitors and locals alike, want the tree back by the Titanic Lighthouse near Water Street where it stood for 30 Christmases as a beacon of holiday cheer and spirit. (Let me know what you think.)
HOLIDAY EATS AND PARTIES… If you plan to celebrate the holiday season or go out New Year’s Eve, why not keep the party happening in the neighborhood? There are plenty of nice restaurants for an elegant or casual dinner — think Acqua, Suteishi Sushi, The Paris Cafe, and up the hill on Ann Street, DaClaudio. For a fun night of crazy, check out Cowgirl Seahorse, Jeremy’s Ale House, Fish Market, or Clinton Hall. Or for a mix of the two? How about Kiwi Cuba (formerly Nelson Blue), Salt, V Bar or Il Brigante? Perhaps a hush-hush intimate night out? Then quietly pop into The Tuck Room or Mr. Cannon.
FLICKS PICKS… Winter is a great time to go to a movie. Get out of the chill. Have a few laughs. Share some romance. Scare yourself silly. Whatever your genre of choice. I decided it was time to check out the iPic Theater on Fulton Street again. I haven’t been in several months. I really enjoy the place, even if it is pricey ($16 a ticket) and if you go for the pod seats, snacks and drinks, fuggetaboutit. A few times I’ve looked for films I wanted to see and tickets were sold out. But it looks like Wednesday is a good night to find a seat. I went through their listings for this week with Wednesday as my starting point, and the prime time screening. At press time, five people were going to the 8 pm showing of “A Bad Moms Christmas” and 10 were ticketed for the 7 pm “Coco” show. Seven folks are seeing “Wonder,” four people for ‘Murder on the Orient Express,” and one lonely patron seeing “Daddy’s Home 2.” No one was going to “Ragnarok.” To be fair, I went ahead, checking the rest of the week. Thursday through Monday (as far as their web page goes) iPic is showing only one film in all of its theaters: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” And many of the showings those five nights, at $20 a pop, are already nearly sold out. So if you want to see a flick this weekend, it better be “Star Wars,” or you’ll have to head west or uptown.
WONDERFUL WEDDING WISHES… This is the beginning of the fairytale story of a couple who met one night in the Seaport and fell in love. When they traveled halfway around the world to be married, about a dozen neighborhood friends hopped planes, trains, boats and Ubers to share their happiness. Divya Aswani and Shawn Ware were in Fish Market on South Street one night when the pub’s owner Jeff Lim wisely thought to introduce them. The rest is, as they say, history. Congrats to Divya and Shawn. Hopefully we’ll have photos and details for the January Report.
Enjoy your holidays and Happy New Year!
