Allie and Andrew want to adopt a baby (and you can help).

Thus far this block association has concerned itself with matters that don’t quite approach critical importance such as what smoothie you should get at the fancy bodega on 28th and 10th (PB & Blues), unhelpful advice you can give to your friends after spacing out during a heart-to-heart (it is what it is), the sartorial choices of a bilingual Dalmatian (a lot of light coats), and whether Batman lives at 529 West 29th Street (the investigation continues).

This post is a little different. Last weekend I met Allie and Andrew, who live up on 30th Street. Allie and Andrew want to adopt a baby. They have a website about it here: https://andrewallieadopt.com/.

Allie is a middle school math teacher; Andrew is an infectious disease doctor. Allie is from the West Coast; Andrew is from the heartland. They met at some type of dance club in Seattle where people like Andrew eschew dating apps and work up the courage to ask people like Allie to dance. Allie says yes. To botch a Walt Whitman quote: they were together; I forget the rest.

Allie strikes me as the type of person who would move heaven and earth for her kid. She is the mom who would hang on your every word, thought, or emotion; talk to every one of your doctors, coaches, or teachers; drive you to every game, practice, or recital; and stay up with you all night because you’ve blown something completely out of proportion and there is only one person in the world who is going to make you feel better about it.

Andrew strikes me as the type of person who quietly re-balances the earth on its axis. He is the dad who spends hours teaching you how to golf or ski or throw a baseball; builds a tree fort because you climbed a tree and fell out of it three months ago; and reteaches himself calculus because you’re really struggling with the homework right now.

If those examples strike you as a little too real, what I’m trying to say is that Allie and Andrew remind me just enough of my own parents for me put whatever weight this block association has into getting their story out.

That is where you come in. There are as many as 36 families looking to adopt for every infant placed for adoption. So the word really needs to spread as far and wide as possible to increase their chances, particularly to doctors, social workers, church leaders, community organizers, and really anyone else you can think of who may be connected to parents looking to place their baby for adoption.

You can help now just by clicking on their website and sharing it among your networks and on social media. You can also meet them if you don’t want to take my word on any of the above—they live right next door.

Posts you missed this week:

• Does Dr. Dre circa 1999 live at Avalon West Chelsea? Circumstantial evidence that Dr. Dre circa 1999 lives at Avalon West Chelsea. — High Line 28 Block Association

• A great local newsletter from Chelsea resident Eric Marcus: Check out this weekly newsletter from Chelsea resident Eric Marcus. — High Line 28 Block Association

Check out this weekly newsletter from Chelsea resident Eric Marcus.

My friends, one thing I have learned since starting this block association two months ago is that there is an entire local community out there that can all be yours for the low low price of a little bit of effort. Allow me to be an intermediary between you and that community today by introducing you to Eric Marcus, a Chelsea resident who started a very informative local newsletter in March 2020. His latest newsletter, which was distributed last Tuesday, is pasted in full below. You can subscribe to it by emailing him: eric@ericmarcus.com.

Unbeknownst to me before I started subscribing to Eric’s newsletter, the NY Daily News reported on it last year: Chelsea man's newsletter connects neighbors amid coronavirus - New York Daily News (nydailynews.com). Pretty cool. Eric also has a Wikipedia, which is how you know he’s made it: Eric Marcus - Wikipedia.

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Neighborhood News

— March 23, 2021, Vol. 2, #2 —

300 West 20th Street Block Association

Chairs bloom at the Whitney

• Con Ed Steel Plates Cause Noise Nuisance

— Richard, who lives at the corner of 20th Street and 9th Avenue, just wrote to let me know that "noisier steel plates are in place at our intersection.” He didn’t need to tell me because the noise is driving me NUTS! Richard has filed a 311 complaint. You can file a complaint, too. If you do, here’s the case number that you should reference: 311-05760458

• Worthwild Restaurant Reopens!

— After hibernating for the past several months, Worthwild, one of my favorite local restaurants, reopens tomorrow, Wednesday, March 24. Congratulations to Ray (standing in photo below from last September), his partners, and his crew. Welcome back!

• Filthy Neighbor Award Goes To…

— On the 300 block of West 20th Street one house is often a mess with overflowing garbage cans and refuse that spills out onto the street. And we have the owners of 335 West 20th Street (and the building’s occupants) to thank for that. So this week’s “Filthy Neighbor” award goes to the owners and occupants of 335 West 20th Street. Congratulations! (Their sidewalk, which is a trip hazard, needs to be fixed, too, but that’s for another day’s complaints.

• New High Line 28 Block Association

— Brian, from way uptown on 28th Street (Northwest Chelsea?), wrote to let us know about a new block association: "I live on 28th Street & 10th Avenue, and I recently started a block association for residents of 28th & 29th Streets between 10th & 11th Avenues. It is called High Line 28 Block Association, and our website is here: High Line 28 Block Association. I also put a newsletter out periodically—you can see our latest one here: Proposal to turn the property at 29th Street & 10th Avenue into a community garden or dog park."

• On Grafitti Patrol

— Several neighbors have asked how much of a time commitment it is to adopt one of the green USPS relay mailboxes, most of which are covered with graffiti. Here’s what you can expect: 60-90 minutes to scrape and paint the first time—usually two coats required. After that, touch-ups every month or two take 15 minutes or less, including cleanup. I look after three mailboxes on the 300 block of West 20th Street and only two required touch-ups this past Sunday morning. I’ve included before and after photos below of one mailbox and my equipment. Total elapsed time: 15 minutes. I’ve also been asked if it’s legal. I haven’t been arrested yet!

• Ever Been to 13th Avenue?

— There’s a new plaque on the railing in Hudson River Park just south of the new Little Island Park, which shows the history of our waterfront. Have a close look at the image below to see the original shoreline (midway between 9th and 10th Avenues) and 19th century landfill (later removed) that added a 13th Avenue that ran from West 11th Street to West 23rd Street. Who knew?

• Spring On the High Line

— The purple crocuses have joined the white snow drops to announce that spring has arrived on the High Line.

• Appetite Killer?

— There’s a new pizza place on the northeast corner of 14th Street and 9th Avenue called Death By Pizza I don’t usually associate pizza with death, but perhaps it’s pizza to die for (I haven’t tried it yet).

• Vaccine Day at Hudson Guild

— Here’s the story behind the recent vaccination events at the Hudson Guild as reported in the Chelsea Community News.

-Walgreens staff with NY State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried (at far right) who sponsored the events
-Photo credit: Matthew Tighe

• For Only $25 Million…

— For only $25 million, you can live on the 300 block of West 20th Street in a fully renovated landmark townhouse. Really nice house (really nice!), although the price seems a little aspirational. But there’s a lot of crazy money around, so who knows? Click here for the listing. Click here for an article about the house in The Real Deal. If you decide to buy it, perhaps you can host a meeting of the Block Association?

• Troubled Rooftop Intruder

— Last week I heard from a neighbor on the block who encountered an intruder on the roof of her building (see photos below). Here’s what she reported about a man who entered the building next door (buzzed in or broke in): “He got on their roof, got locked out, and then somehow managed to climb onto our adjacent roof and was trapped there for several hours until a construction worker from the school knocked on our door to tell us someone was up there. I didn’t believe him because I thought that only we could access our roof. He apparently called for help and that’s when the construction worker came to our door.

"Thank goodness my sons and dog accompanied me to check. The man said he was visiting next door and got locked out. I wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t want the situation to escalate, so I escorted him through our house and out the front door. He was wearing a blanket that he had taken from our roof, but returned it later—draped it over our gate with an AMC gift card. I probably should have called the police, but he was polite so I didn’t.”

Since the intrusion, the man in the gold-colored sneakers has been spotted hanging out on the corner of 8th Avenue and 20th Street.

• Village Preservation is Hiring

Village Preservation (formerly the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation) is hiring an East Village and Special Projects Director. For a complete description of the job and the required experience, click here.

• New Mini-Grocery Opens on 24th Street

— The R&L Grocery, a postage-stamp-size convenience store has opened on 24th Street in London Terrace just west of 9th Avenue. In the photo below, notice the campaign poster in the window for Erik Bottcher, my favorite candidate for City Council.

• Corner From Hell

— At long last the Department of Transportation (or perhaps it was Department of Environmental Protection?) re-set the drain cover on the northeast corner of 9th Avenue and 18th Street. The old drain cover had sunk so far into the ground that it threatened to swallow up (or at least trip) anyone who had the misfortune to step off the curb and into oblivion. But why (why!) didn’t anyone think to bring a steam roller or other device to compress the blacktop so it didn’t replace one trip hazard for another? And then there’s the garbage in the street next to the overflowing trash can, which has become a fixture on this corner. Does anyone hold the Department of Sanitation to account for this filthy corner and so many others? Is anyone home at City Hall? And, you might ask, why do I ask stupid questions?

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© Eric Marcus 2021

Circumstantial evidence that Dr. Dre circa 1999 lives at Avalon West Chelsea.

Spotted outside Avalon West Chelsea: Rolls Royce from the 1990s (I’m pretty sure this is called a Rolls Royce Silver Spur). This looks like the type of car Dr. Dre would bounce in a music video you’d watch on Total Request Live back when Carson Daly was a thing. Here’s the video for Still D.R.E. if you don’t remember what I’m talking about—the cars bounce at 16 seconds in and the beat drops at 21 seconds in: Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg - Still D.R.E. (Official Video) - YouTube.

I take the semi-regular presence of this sweet city ride on our block as circumstantial evidence that Dr. Dre lives at Avalon West Chelsea. On that note, I’ve talked to a few people from Avalon West Chelsea in connection with this block association, and one repeat point of conversation is the drag racers racing around on 11th Avenue or the West Side Highway—apparently the noise is enough to shake your windows. To the drag racers I present a separate dated rap song: Drive Slow - YouTube.

Dog of the day: Jackson the Portuguese Water Dog.

Spotted in the bodega on 30th and 11th: Jackson the Portuguese Water Dog. At least I think he’s a Portuguese Water Dog—I forgot to ask his owners, Becca and Zach, exactly what he is. Let me know in the comments if I’m wrong.

Jackson was marginally better at picture day than our last dog of the day (Dog of the day: Bosco the Mini Australian Shepherd. — High Line 28 Block Association), which makes me think he is already well-acquainted with paparazzi. Indeed I was the second random person to approach him in the space of about 30 seconds.

The bodega has a strict mask-wearing requirement, and I gather that Jackson is doing his best to abide by it by carrying things around in his mouth. Stay strong, Jackson—I have faith that we are at the beginning of the end of this whole affair.

Store opening in Chelsea: Diaman Discounts on the northeast side of 24th Street & 7th Avenue.

A tree grows in Brooklyn. A store opens in Chelsea in the middle of a pandemic. Diaman Discounts opened on 24th and 7th last Saturday. It is what I’d call a “dollar store plus,” meaning that most things are a dollar, but it also has some other items that go for slightly more than a dollar. For example, I somehow walked out with a pack of socks and white t-shirts for less than $10.

The image shows the owner, Mamadou Diaman, along with a guy running for City Council in District 3, Arthur Schwartz. Mamadou, thank you for taking the initiative and executing on an idea while we’re still muddling through this whole ridiculous COVID affair. It is what makes New York great.

Also, I had a thought-provoking conversation with Arthur Schwartz in Mamadou’s store (Arthur helped Mamadou open the store from the legal side). You can read more about Arthur’s views here: Getting to Know You: City Council District 3 Candidate Arthur Schwartz – Chelsea Community News.

Arthur has a particular interest in police accountability, and I asked just for my own curiosity how he would increase accountability. He informed me that, currently, civilian complaints about police officers are reviewed by the “NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board.” That board can conduct investigations and make findings about police misconduct, but those findings are then just submitted to the NYC Police Commissioner, and the Commissioner makes his own determination about whether any discipline is necessary. Arthur suggested that the law should be changed so that the board has its own disciplinary power, separate and independent from the Commissioner. Interesting.

Dog of the day: Bosco the Mini Australian Shepherd.

WARNING: This ferocious beast will at first pretend to sit nicely to have his picture taken and then viciously lunge at you in the middle of the photo shoot!

I’m just playing—this little guy is adorable and if you bend down to try to take a picture of him, you get the added benefit of him wholly disregarding the relevant hand signals and hilariously trying to hop on you. Not seen or heard in the pictures above is me cracking up and hoping Bosco never changes.

Owner’s name is Heitor, and as you can see, he is quite stylish at least from the knee down. Heitor and other Bosco enthusiasts—check out our budding dog park initiative: Important update on the dog park idea. — High Line 28 Block Association. I will post another update on it this weekend.

Article about the rise and fall of a famous fertility doctor in NYC, Dr. Niels Lauersen.

Photo from 1988 of Dr. Niels Lauersen with the author of the piece, Eileen Stukane.

My mother sent me an article recently that was published in Chelsea Community News which I thought was exceptional. It tells the story of Dr. Niels Lauersen, a well-known fertility doctor in NYC in the 1980s and 1990s who was convicted in 2001 of health insurance fraud. Niels died in July 2020. Here is the link to the article: Fame and the Final Chapter: My Co-Author, Myself – Chelsea Community News.

The article had an effect on me because it gave a nuanced portrait of a person who did something wrong, leading with his positive acts and traits. I liked this passage in particular, where the author, Eileen Stukane, is telling her friend to get a second opinion from Niels regarding why the friend was having trouble conceiving:

I suggested a second opinion from Niels and one night close to midnight, the only time Niels had a free moment, she came to his office. He examined her and announced that no, she did not have fibroids and there was no reason she could not conceive. She held up the ultrasound image, which had clearly marked arrows pointing to the so-called fibroids, and said, “But what about this? What about the arrows?” Niels said, “Anyone can draw arrows. You like arrows?” He pulled out his own patients’ X-rays from a drawer, drew arrows on them and said, “See, here are more arrows. You don’t have fibroids. Go home and get pregnant,” and she did.

What an illustrative anecdote about a person. Also, being a sucker for quotes, I reflected a bit on the quote at the beginning of the article:

I am staring at the headline and recalling the quote: “The facts are always less than what really happened.”

I take this to mean that humans like to apply clean, narrative structure to a world that doesn’t lend itself to cleanliness or narration. So either the facts are less or more than what really happened—I’m still not sure which is more correct—but regardless, a person is never as simple as a story.

Film shoots on our block: Raising Kanan currently on 28th St. b/t 10th & 11th Ave., and Law & Order SVU previously on 27th St. b/t 10th & 11th Ave.

A cool thing about NYC has always been that you might just stumble across a movie or TV set while out looking for a “Dog of the Day” to post on your website.

That happened to me about two weeks ago, when I saw what seemed like 50 police cars on 27th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, along with a couple people with clipboards nonchalantly mulling around making clear that this was all just a TV set. I’m now basically positive that the TV set was Law & Order SVU (Tuesday, Feb. 23 Filming Locations - On Location Vacations).

Currently being filmed on 28th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues is a TV show called “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.” I remember seeing a flyer for it a few days ago that I forgot to take a picture of but which looked like the image I found on the internet and posted here.

The show is a prequel to the “Power” franchise. It is set in the 1990s and essentially looks at the early years of 50 Cent’s character in Power, “Kanan Stark.” Here’s a teaser for it: Official Tease | Power Book III: Raising Kanan | STARZ - YouTube.

Sweet city ride.

Spotted outside 529 West 29th Street: matte black Tesla SUV. This seems like the type of car Batman would take to his office job after settling down, getting married, having kids, and moving to Northern California. Just enough to remind him of the good old days while minimizing his carbon footprint in the process.

Dog of the day: Macchia the Dalmatian.

Today’s featured dog is Macchia the Dalmation. He is 1 year old. Skills include sitting, laying down, hand-shaking, active listening, negotiation, and nonverbal communication. Interests include eating random things on the street. Never wears the same thing twice. Instagram is https://www.instagram.com/mr.spotsalot/?hl=en. Fluent in English and Italian, just like his mother Alice (not pronounced like the American “AL-ISS” but in Italian so that it sounds like “ceviche” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScZEb_0ROKg). I met both of them last weekend at Il Piccolo.

Alice has some art and COVID-related posts that you’ll see on the front page soon. Also, she floated the idea of making a dog park out of the vacant lot on 29th and 10th. I’m sort of taken with the idea and am looking into it.