It Still Takes a Village

How could I not begin with an account of the seventh annual 9/11 memorial service, held around a memorial tree opposite 530 E. 84th St.? Thankfully arranged since 2002 by former East 84th Street Block Association president Judith Cutler, more than a dozen people reverently gathered there one windy, rainy morning.

Assembly Member Micah Kellner was so grateful to see a printed notice on his way to work that morning so he could join us and remember especially, but not only, his friend Hubbell, who perished on that most tragic and horrific of days. Neighbors of a woman not present this year recalled how she not only lost her son on 9/11, but soon after her husband died—“It was believed from a broken heart.” Read more

SO LONG, SPEEDIE

It is a memorial unlike most, decorated with the standard flowers and photography, as well as reflectors and spare parts. Chained to the tree barrier outside Malachy’s pub on West 72nd Street near Columbus Avenue, the memorial dedicates the spot where “Speedie,” a Free Spirit-brand bicycle, was stolen on July 27.
Bike owner Betsy Johnson, herself a free spirit (though not the clothing designer), is among the many who Read more