LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A writer thanks locals for their support

To the Editor:

On September 12, I opened a small opera about my family’s personal involvement during and after 9/11. The music, written by Doug Geers, is expansive and amazing, and as The New Yorker says, “harkens back to ‘Our Town’ in its communitarian ethos.” That says it just fine for me.

And so in praise of that spirit of community, I want to thank my neighborhood, Tribeca. I couldn’t have done it without you all.

Bouley generously donated gourmet delights. The folks at Bubby’s fed pie to the entire cast at dress rehearsal. The pie was washed down by cider from the Greenwich Street Greenmarket. I am grateful especially to Pat and Stan and their farm stand as they sold my book on which the opera is based, and continue to stuff postcards about the performance into bags of green beans or tomatoes.

Everywhere I went I saw support for “Calling: An Opera of Forgiveness.”

Myoptics handed out postcards. One of our best chorus members works in Design Within Reach and the owner of Tribbles loaned us their daughter to be the stage manager. 

The Church Street School helped with audiences and child singers. They sent us to the Trinity Church Choir, who rehearsed some kids. Businesses all over downtown tacked up posters, including Blaustein Plumbing who also gave a donation to “help pay singers.” 

The folks at Mail Boxes Etc. copied all our fliers, and mailed out postcards so folks across the country could have real snail mail to stick onto bulletin boards or fridges. The Blue Bench was the first store to jump in with both feet, so a huge nod to them.

To Barnes & Noble for giving us a venue; to Ladder 8 for loaning us a turnout coat, to the Downtown papers, the Broadsheet and Trib who covered us generously, to Cheryl Hazen Gallery, all the guys at Tribeca Wine Merchants, the staff at Walker’s and Bubby’s, the brokers at Douglas Elliman, who gave out postcards; and for every neighbor who asked how it was going and who bought tickets and clapped.

For all these and more an enormous thank you for showing that community spirit is more than alive and well, it is thriving in Tribeca.

Wicki Boyle

Readers speak out about Whole Foods coming to Downtown

To the Editor:

Whole Foods is the store this neighborhood needed. I find it ridiculous that anyone would feel bad for the Food Emporium losing business as they have long overcharged on their food.

Tribeca’s insular nature has not lent itself particularly well to competition, and until Whole Foods opened, our options were quality food at exorbitant prices or low-quality food for mere pennies less.

Let us also not pretend that Food Emporium is some sort of mom and pop operation with service you can’t get elsewhere. Since the opening of Whole Foods, I have heard nothing from my neighbors but effusive praise for the store and relief that they no longer have to deal with the long lines of The Food Emporium.

I certainly hope that the independent food merchants of Tribeca are able to survive the coming of Whole Foods. My family has lived in Tribeca for 25 years and will continue to give our business to stores that have served us well in the past.

Rita Calvo

To the Editor:

Call me cold-hearted, but I welcome Whole Foods in our neighborhood.

Whole Foods is challenging our “neighborhood businesses” and as capitalism goes, it is just biting them back, giving them a run for their money. Whole Foods won’t hurt greenmarkets, as rightly pointed out by Pam Clark, because they have a niche in the freshly picked produce, and most people are willing to support small and hard-working farmers.

I applaud the fact that Whole Foods composts all their biodegradable products, recycles heavily, supports a much-needed green industry, raising people’s consciousness in eating and living right.

Whiners, rise to the challenge!

Gisele Tombett

To the Editor:

I read with great interest your article about local food merchants that have been hit hard due to the arrival of Whole Foods in Tribeca.

Coincidentally, I was going to send a letter to The Trib offering my opinion that it is a welcome and much-appreciated addition to our neighborhood.

I agree with one of the people you interviewed who said that The Food Emporium, a mainstream, admittedly well-stocked supermarket has been charging gourmet shop prices on many of their packaged goods.

In some cases, their prices are higher than other markets that charge a premium but are open 24/7.

Whole Foods fills a void by offering a wide range of food and household products at reasonable prices that I have not seen in our neighborhood in the eight years I’ve lived in Tribeca.

Richard Kurtz

Violence by teens

To the Editor:

There seems to be an increase in violence by teens “hanging out” on the corner of Duane and Greenwich.

Last month, at night, there was a small gang fight with one of the local teens being chased into The Food Emporium and getting beaten up. When police arrived 15 minutes later the victim walked off and the police were too late to find any of the offenders.

The issue is not new, but in a community with an increasing number of young families there needs to be a solution.

An obvious solution is for the local precinct to post officers full time to the area. If the parents of these teens cannot supervise them, the police should take the responsibility.

Rebecca Bar-Tur

We need your voice

To the Editor:

We want to send out another call for male singers! If you sing in the shower, sang in high school or college, or wail out at Karaoke Bars, the Down Town Glee Club wants you! 

You don’t have to be a sight reader, you just need to carry a tune. We rehearse every Tuesday night Downtown from about 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

We sing pop songs, Broadway tunes, jazz, spirituals, you name it!  We have two concerts a year, winter and spring, with volunteer opportunities to sing for those who need a little music in their lives. Interested? Email Jonathan or write to Down Town Glee Club PO Box 1494, Bowling Green Station, NY, NY 10274 or DowntownSing05@aol.com.

Gerald Osterberg

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