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The Very First Guide To Community Tourism in NYC

Tourists and New Yorkers alike want to know the "real New York." These tours take visitors into areas not on the typical tourist map and connect them to local music, immigrant history, parks, waterways, architecture, cuisine, artists, murals, and one-of-a-kind stores.

By Sheryl Lee and Nicole Edwards, with
technical assistance by Delphine Veaudor.


about us

DowntownNYC! was formed on November 8, 2001 at the Cherry Lane Theater as a broad-based volunteer coalition of theater companies, performing artists, galleries, museums, restaurants, businesses, and pre-existing organizations & associations. It was established to generate goodwill, to boost business, and to rally the spirits of all who work and live downtown.

Downtown NYC!, Inc. is a fiscally sponsored organization of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. (http://www.lmcc.net)

TO CONTACT US

To reach DowntownNYC!, to offer opinions, or to volunteer time or services, email Jonathan Slaff at: [email protected] or telephone (212) 924-0496.

TO BECOME A DONOR

Individual gifts and in-kind donations to DowntownNYC! are gratefully accepted. Donations are tax-deductable to the full extent permitted by law.

To make a financial donation by credit card, please click here:

To make a financial donation by mail, please make checks payable to Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, indicate "for DowntownNYC!" in the memo line, and mail to:

DowntownNYC!
c/o Jonathan Slaff, Chairman
55 Perry St., #1M
New York, NY 10014


For more information about this site, contact Carolyn Sevos.

Tickets to Downtown events are regularly available through:

Ticket Web
Ticket Master
Theater Mania
Smart Tix
Tele-Charge
Tickets.com

RECOMMENDED READING:

Gotham Gazette

The Villager/Downtown Express

Lower Manhattan.info

Special thanks to our Gov't Outreach Committee, JMTC Theatre, Theater for the New City, Citizen's Committee for NYC and all the dedicated volunteers on this project - Designer: Jana Soroczak and Photographer:Liséa Lyons.


"To Tunnel or not To Tunnel?": Debates Around The Route 9A Project

On November 19, 2003, the New York State of Transportation organized a public hearing to allow the members of the Downtown community to give their opinions on the different alternatives considered for the reconstruction of Route 9A in its World Trade Center portion. The final publication of the project should be issued in Fall 2004.

By Delphine Veaudor

Route 9A Project: View North at Morris Street and Wesr Street.


 

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Supporting Cultural Tourism with ArtsVan

To support the Downtown creative economy and promote local development and community revitalization, DowntownNYC! is now preparing "ArtsVan," a mobile hospitality center and ticketing truck.

Artist's rendition by Marilynn Hawkridge.
Logo by Jane Schiowitz.


An ArtsVan in Jerusalem

Israeli planners see a new dynamic for promoting the arts in Israel.

DowntownNYC!'s ArtsVan initiative has come to the attention of The Jerusalem Foundation, which is now planning to launch a similar operation in the Holy City and make it the centerpiece of a collective arts marketing effort there. The goal is to revitalize the city's arts organizations by having a truck running through different neigborhoods of the City to sell tickets and give free information on arts events of all kinds.


Arts Activists honored at benefit for DowntownNYC! ArtsVan

Cabaret performers, honorees and members of the Downtown community gathered at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, on the evening of May 30 to raise money for Downtown NYC's ArtsVan.

L-R: Jonathan Slaff, Chairman of DowntownNYC!; Richard Skipper (as Carol Channing) and honorees: Theodore S. Berger, Executive Director, New York Foundation for the Arts; Norma P. Munn Chairperson, NYC Arts Alliance. (Victor Nelson photo). City Councilman Alan Gerson and arts activist Amy Schwartzman Brightbill were also honored. (For more photos, see article.)


news

The Importance of the Arts to New York City’s Economy

In NYC, the Arts are a larger industry than Advertising and a major engine of the economy. NYC's funding to the non-profit cultural sector ripples through the economy and generates a tax return that far outweighs the subsidies.
by: Rosemary Scanlon, Statement of Rosemary Scanlon, Associate Professor, Real Estate Institute, New York University SCPS, to New York City Council Committee.

Niche Business "Frames Up" an Impressive Recovery

Many private businesses in Lower Manhattan are still on shaky ground, and a lack of aid combined with the limitations of their local customer base have caused them to flounder. The brave ones left are holding in. L & O Frame on Duane Street is one of many private niche businesses that, once greatly successful, is a case in point. By Kevin J. Wong.

Lawrence Levinson, proprietor of L & O Frame. Photo: Kevin Wong.

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Promoting Downtown Arts in Clearview Festival Productions' street fairs

Our "cultural concierge" kiosk will drum up audiences for arts institutions in a series of neighborhood-based promotions, using space in Downtown street fairs donated by Clearview Festival Productions. See this article for schedule info and more.

PRESS CLIPPINGS:
"Pay attention when strolling around downtown street fairs. A roaming "Cultural Concierge" is about to change how arts organizations south of 14th Street do business." (Backstage)



OUR 2004 ARTISTS' WRITE-IN:

The ongoing effect of 9/11 upon artists of all disciplines in NYC

Testimonies point to continued weakness in the cultural sector, which has caused many established artists to resort to non-artistic work and others to leave the city to avoid economic hardship.

By Jonathan Slaff and Delphine Veaudor, in consultation with Carolyn Sévos.

PRESS CLIPPINGS:
"Survey Finds Post-9/11 Times Harder for City's Artists" (New York Times)

"New York City is Giving Artists the Brush-Off: Unaffordable; Other Cities Happy to Oblige"
(Crain's New York Business)

"City Seeming A Bit Artless
" (NY Daily News)


What happened to New York's artists after 9/11?
Silent victims of the tragedy

The attacks of September 11 significantly impacted the arts and entertainment sector, causing far-reaching effects on the livelihoods of individual artists, both those self-employed and those employed by others.

by: Jonathan Slaff and Carolyn Sévos, with consulting editor Robert Cashill; additional analysis by Amy Schwartzman Brightbill, NY Foundation for the Arts, Consortium for Worker Education and DowntownNYC!

PRESS CLIPPINGS:
"Survey Finds Artists Since 9/11 Have Less Work and More Debt" (New York Times)


How bad was 9/11 to New York's Downtown theaters?

Assessing the damage
by: Leonard Jacobs, Backstage


news

Printers Set an Optimistic Example

Admiral Communications, a family-run printing company in Lower Manhattan, was directly affected by September 11th. Today, this small business exemplifies the spirit of resiliency that characterizes the neighborhood of Ground Zero.
By Lauren Hare

Admiral employees are once again filling the cubicles. Photo: Lauren Hare.


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