Mayor Bloomberg and architect David Rockwell joined local officials and a crowd of more than 50 summer campers from around New York City to open Imagination Park at Burling Slip in Lower Manhattan today.

The park is less structured than traditional playgrounds and gives children the opportunity to decide how they want to use the playground. There are large foam “loose parts” building blocks, water spouts that can be channeled and dammed in myriad ways and a set of lifts and pulleys.

“For the 55,000 people who live in Lower Manhattan, it doesn’t get better than this: a new kind of playground in a new kind of residential district,” said 28-year Lower Manhattan resident Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “Our research shows more families are moving Downtown—and staying. So thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway, LMDC Chairman Avi Schick and President David Emil and, of course, David Rockwell for this much-needed, kid-friendly amenity.”

The playground is also uniquely located in the shadow of historic South Street Seaport, and features a wooden bow-like east end, sloped boardwalks, and ship masts. An iron sea serpent guards the entrance.

Imagination Playground was made possible by a $4.5 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, along with $3 million from the City’s Department of Environmental Protection. You can view the city’s full release on the project here, and more pictures from the event on the Downtown Alliance’s Flickr page.

Members of the Museum staff play Mah Jongg.

This blog is by Melissa Martens, Senior Curator for Exhibitions at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. We invite you, our downtown neighbors, to stop by the Museum to see Project Mah Jongg and to play the game with us or to learn how to play.

When the Museum of Jewish Heritage first decided to create an exhibition on the topic of mah jongg, we realized we would need to actually learn the game that has so long been a part in Jewish-American life. How hard could it be, right?

A couple of months into the project’s development, about 20 Museum staff members started convening regularly over lunch to decipher the “game of a thousand wonders.” For us, the game posed at least a thousand wonders—the naming of the tiles (is that tile called “red” or “dragon” or “red dragon”?) , the Charleston exchange (“are we on the second left yet?”), and the reading of the score card (“how does one possibly acquire five of the same tile?”).

Despite our intimidation and frustration, we persevered. Under the tutelage of Deputy Director, Ivy Barsky, we learned to make our way through a full round of a mah jongg in under an hour (and sometimes we didn’t even play the consecutive hand). Along the way we asked a lot of questions, we called the National Mah Jongg League hotline when we were stumped, we made fun of each other, and we laughed. A lot. New sides of our personalities came out for the first time: shyness, cleverness, shrewdness, down-right competitiveness! Some of our less “lucky” players threatened to abandon the game altogether; to their credit, they stuck with it.

By the fourth month something strange began to take hold: the game that had been so elusive was now starting to occupy our minds at frequent intervals. We whispered to each other in the hallways about the timing of the next game, we dreamt of getting our own mah jongg sets of various vintages, we talked about our favorite hands at the water cooler. Some of us even painted our nails. This was getting serious.

It was at this point we knew we were ready for the next level: playing on evenings, on Sundays, in our own neighborhoods! We couldn’t get enough. Where did everybody live? How many boroughs did we need to cover? Babysitters were obtained, husbands and boyfriends placated, and favorite cafes (with square tables) identified. The Museum’s next generation of mah jongg enthusiasts was going public.

So around Brooklyn, we convene every few weeks to play. And all of the old traditions get recreated through the social alchemy of the game: the gossip, the clacking, the victories, the defeats, and the snacks (our own favorites like sparkling rose, tartines, and low-cal soft serve). Our circle keeps expanding to include friends, neighbors, colleagues and those who are just excited to learn. Maybe someday we’ll have a seaside venue for our game, as in this recent New York Times story.

Personally, I imagine I’ll be playing mah jongg for many years to come—ok, forever. When I see a staff member walk into our Project Mah Jongg exhibition gallery to spontaneously play a game with visitors, I know that we are living a tradition we once only read about as “Jewish history.”

Lower Manhattan has $30 billion of construction under way—but the effects of the temporary inconveniances that come with it can be mitigated. What if, say, construction fences were adorned with thoughtful, whimsical, art instead of dated movie posters? That was the Downtown Alliance’s idea when it began its Re:Construction project three years ago, thanks to funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

“Think of Re:Construction as an intervention to create a cheerful and welcoming environment in the midst of an urban renewal,” said our President, Elizabeth H. Berger.

There have now been 15 works installed below Canal Street, seven of which are up for viewing. And the latest went up just last week. It’s called Water Movements, and it runs along Titanic Park, which will re-open in September following a $1 million renovation.

A vibrant flurry of blues, reds and lime green, the piece creates an imaginary terrain using cartography patterns. Artist Lordy Rodriguez, who has an affinity for re-arranging maps, uses this piece to explore a body of water’s ever-changing relationship to its environment. Because there are no familiar map symbols, it’s up to viewers to interpret the abstract arrangement of rivers, mountains and valleys.

“Sometimes water is still and quiet like a frozen pond, and other times it’s so ferocious whole towns can be swept away,” Rodriguez said. “Water is as influential to its environment as it is influenced by it.”

Installing a Re:Construction piece involves a groundbreaking collaboration between private building and property owners, artists, art consultants and, in the case of the Titanic park site, public entities (the Parks Department). First, the Downtown Alliance works with a handful of art consultants to pick several options for a new piece. Then, we present our picks to property owners. Once a project is chosen, the consultant arranges for installation. In this case, our consultant is independent curator Abby Messitte.

When fall arrives, a state-of-the-art park will open at Pearl and Fulton streets at the entrance to South Street Seaport. But for now, rather than a familiar drab construction fence, Water Movements will brighten the pedestrian experience.

Check out our Re:Construction page for more information on all the projects.

Canyon of Heroes commemoration of Queen’s 1957 parade

The Queen of England is set to make a first visit to view the World Trade Center site since the attacks of nearly nine years ago on September 11, 2001, and after meeting with first responders there, Her Majesty is expected to attend the official opening of The British Garden at Hanover Square and later deliver remarks before the United Nations General Assembly.

“Lower Manhattan is fit for a Queen,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Downtown Alliance, the city’s largest Business Improvement District. “We are honored that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is coming to New York for the first time in nearly three and a half decades and will visit Lower Manhattan, so we have come up with an itinerary that will showcase the growth, vitality and diversity of one of our city’s fastest-growing communities.”

This is Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to New York since the 1976 Bicentennial. Her Majesty will be accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip. (Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles visited the World Trade Center site in 2005; Prince Harry visited the site last year and laid a wreath there.)

And to mark this occasion, the Downtown Alliance has developed the ideal itinerary –- a Top 10 to-do list — so that Anglophiles everywhere can get a British taste of Lower Manhattan:

1. Canyon of Heroes. Mosey down the Canyon of Heroes, stopping along the way on Broadway to marvel at the granite strips commemorating the 204 ticker tape parades that have taken place there. Pause just north of Liberty Street (on the east side of Broadway) at strip No. 136, which memorialized the Queen’s earlier visit on October 21, 1957 with Prince Philip. (And, there were quite a few parades heralding British heroes, such as Adm. Lord David Beatty, Commander of the British and Allied fleets during World War I (No. 10); David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War I (No. 13); and, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II (No. 58). (En route, there’s Trinity Church, which was designed by British-born American architect Richard Upjohn.)

2. Stone Street dining. After a visit to The British Garden at Hanover Square, we recommend a stroll south along Stone Street, a narrow, cobblestone lane first developed by Dutch colonists in the 1600s. With its two neat rows of picturesque, (mostly) low-rise brick buildings dotted by zigzagging fire escapes and old-fashioned black lighting fixtures, Stone Street is a centuries-old pathway that recalls the ambience of 19th century New York. The Dutch West India Company first sold what’s now called the Stone Street Historic District to European property owners in the 1640s. It was originally called Hoogh Straet, but the name changed to Duke Street under British control to honor the Duke of York. In 1794, the name was changed to Stone Street.

If the temperature is still rising, one should pop into the Stone Street Tavern (85 Pearl Street) and take a sip of a Boddingtons Cream Ale. If hunger sets in, perhaps there’s time for some of the tavern’s fish and chips, chicken pot pie or shepherd’s pie.

3. Fraunces Tavern Museum. A brief, brisk walk away is Fraunces Tavern Museum, Manhattan’s only Museum of the American Revolution (54 Pearl Street). The tavern – built in 1719 – played a significant role in pre-Revolutionary War activities and later housed early U.S. government offices of the departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs (today’s State Department). It’s best known as the site where Gen. George Washington bade farewell to officers of the Continental Army on December 4, 1783.

In 1904, the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York purchased the tavern, saving it from the wrecking ball. A restored Fraunces Tavern was opened to the public 113 years ago as a Museum and Restaurant. Fraunces Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. (The tavern is undergoing renovations now, but the museum – with eight galleries of exhibits on two floors –remains open.)

4. Castle Clinton. Then it’s off to Battery Park, where a stroll down the promenade will lead to Castle Clinton, which was originally built to stop a British invasion in 1812. It is now a national monument, and the place where the Downtown Alliance is hosting concerts throughout the summer as part of the River To River Festival. Catch a Statue Cruises ferry to Liberty Island to the Statue of Liberty.

5. Free Ride Around Downtown. So many things, so little time. Take advantage of the Downtown Connection, the Downtown Alliance’s free (and air conditioned!) bus service with 37 stops all over Lower Manhattan.

6. Luxury Shopping on Wall Street. Exiting the Downtown Connection at Wall Street, one should head west, stopping by Tiffany’s (37 Wall Street), one of the premier retailers in Lower Manhattan. Nearby is Thomas Pink (63 Wall Street), a clothing business launched in 1984 and named after an 18th century London tailor known for fashioning red (“pink”) hunting jackets. (If in a frugal mood, though, there’s always J&R or Century 21 just blocks away.)

7. High Tea in the Financial District. Just a few steps away (and yes, it’s a French establishment!), one can partake in an afternoon tea at La Maison du Chocolat (63 Wall Street). The boutique shop serves Earl Grey tea paired with a complimentary rocher noir (a praline enrobed with almonds and roasted hazelnuts covered in dark chocolate). And, if in a mood for a favorite English pastry – scones – well, Crumbs (87 Beaver Street) is just around the corner.

8. The South Street Seaport. At the South Street Seaport, drop by the vessel Wavertree, built in Southhampton, England in 1885 and one of the last large sailing ships built of wrought iron (and acquired by the South Street Seaport Museum in 1968).

9. Ale and Supper. Why not finish the day with a visit to an English-flavored pub, perhaps the Pound & Pence restaurant (55 Liberty Street) where it’s easy to imagine you’ve crossed the Pond? The menu – which marries the best of English traditional pub fare and contemporary American-influenced cuisine – includes shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, Guinness-battered shrimp and 10 brews on tap. The upstairs is modeled after an English club, with a fireplace, snooker table and leather club chairs. Or try Gild Hall’s Libertine (15 Gold Street), which has fish and chips and is modeled after a modern English tavern. New York Magazine said: “The leather-and-mahogany-bedecked Libertine is designed to evoke a swinging seventies-era London clubhouse.”

10. Corgi Care. Her Majesty’s beloved Corgis are well known but there’s something for dogs everywhere in Lower Manhattan. There’s Ciao Bow Wow (16 Beaver Street), The Salty Paw (38 Peck Slip), spot (21 Murray Street), and Petropolis (91 Washington Street).

And, if anyone should wander off the beaten path, there’s no need to worry. The Downtown Alliance has three visitor kiosks in Lower Manhattan, all loaded with information on what to do, where to go, and how to have fun. You can find them all at http://www.downtownny.com/discover/visitorservices/