Gayle Horwitz, President of the Battery Park City Authority

Gayle Horwitz serves as President of the Battery Park City Authority. The Downtown Alliance recently sat down with Gayle to ask about her first year at the Authority.

You’ve been President of BPCA for 7 months now.  What’s the experience been like?

I have been at BPCA since last June and was named President at the end of October.  It is an exciting time for Battery Park City as we are nearing completion of our Master Plan.  We have several major construction projects underway that will further enhance life here in Downtown Manhattan.  In the North Neighborhood, we are completing the construction of a Community Center which will be operated by Asphalt Green and this summer we will be converting our Ballfields to a green synthetic turf which allow field use year round.  Down in the South neighborhood, we are busy restoring the Pier A site for future occupancy by the Poulakakos‘s new Atlantic Garden.  These projects bring us to the final stages of our Master Plan.  A great community has been built here and our task in the next chapter of our history is to move from being a real estate developer to a real estate owner and manager.  I look forward to the next chapter and working with the great community that has flourished on our 92 acres.

What did you learn about Battery Park City that you didn’t know before?

I did not know that our parks were completely sustainable.  We have an incredible composting operation which allows us to take care of our parks without having to buy additional soil, etc.

I understand you were actively engaged during this winter’s bad snowstorms. What did you do?

I spent part of my childhood in upstate New York so shoveling snow is in my DNA.  When I woke up on the morning of the blizzard, I got dressed like I was going skiing and my husband asked where I was going.  I replied, “to shovel snow, of course!”   I had heard about snow duty and wanted to help out and experience it first-hand.  The staff didn’t know what to make of it but quickly gave me an assignment salting and sanding.  It was a great day and I send a big shout out to all of the Parks staff for their incredible, hard work this winter.

What’s an undiscovered treasure in Battery Park?

I think everybody who has spent time here has a favorite spot or a favorite nook and cranny.  Mine so far is the community garden right off of Albany Street.  I missed it all winter.  When you come down the ramp of the Rector Street Bridge you can’t but help to stop and “smell the roses”   The gardens are amazing and so eclectic.  Who would have thought that there by Route 9A such incredible plants, flowers, and vegetables can flourish?  You have to check it out.

You brought one of your sons to the Downtown Little League season opening ceremony. Are you a Mets or Yankees family?

Ours is a Mets household.

What was your first job?

My first job in government was in Washington as a Lyndon B. Johnson Congressional Intern for a Congressman from upstate New York.  The experience working for the Congressman set me in motion toward a career in government.

My first paying job was as a camp counselor.  I also worked the night shift at a photo processing lab during part of the summer and during vacations while I was in college.

What’s on the horizon for Battery Park?

Everyone is very excited about the opening of the long awaited community center and Pier A.   Additionally, we have some exciting projects on the horizon.  We are looking to start a community composting program, as well as selecting a vendor to operate an ice skating rink.

How excited are you about Danny Meyer opening new establishments in your neighborhood?

I am very excited about all of the new dining options in Battery Park City as I know the community is as well.  It will be hard to have Shake Shack so close and resist the temptation for milk shakes every day.

You’ve worked in government for 25 years. Why did you first enter the field, and what do you like about it?

I know it may be corny, but I like knowing that what I do matters.  I like to help people and to make a difference.  The other great thing about working in government for me has been that no two days are exactly the same.  There is always some new challenge to sort through and that is exciting to me.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Unfortunately, I have a sweet tooth and chocolate is one of my favorite things.

Sam Miller was appointed President of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council last September. A devoted advocate for the arts, he was previously President of Leveraging Investments in Creativity, Executive Director of the New England Foundation for the Arts, and President and Executive Director of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious dance festival.

The Downtown Alliance sat down with the 58-year-old Rhode Island native –- and recent transplant to Lower Manhattan — to ask about his new role and LMCC’s acquisition of the River To River Festival:

LMCC has been the leading voice of arts and culture in Lower Manhattan for 38 years. How do you keep that voice strong?

By having a clear vision for the role LMCC has, and will continue to play, through an emphasis on strategic partnerships with the key players in Lower Manhattan, beginning with the Downtown Alliance.

You played a lead role in transforming Jacob’s Pillow from a summer dance festival and school to a year-round dance center. What type of transformation do you have in mind for LMCC?

First of all, our plan for the future is built on our core, signature programs, which are so important to artists in New York City. We are now looking to develop new initiatives that allow us to work with the artists we support and connect to audiences more deeply and broadly in Lower Manhattan.

What are some of LMCC’s hidden gems?

I am struck by how essential our artist support programs are to artists in New York, and how distinctive and critical our residency programs are.  Governors Island, for example, isn’t a hidden gem but it makes visible the value of our residency programs.

LMCC also just became the lead partner of the River To River Festival. What has the Festival meant to New York City and to Lower Manhattan?

Historically, River To River has exemplified the spirit of recovery and renewal in Lower Manhattan. Its growth over the past 10 years has also revealed the range of cultural opportunities that are available for residents, workers and visitors in Lower Manhattan.

How will LMCC’s involvement reshape the Festival?

We have an opportunity, working with the current and new partners, to think not just about what the content of the Festival should be, but the form. We are asking: What shape should the Festival take over the next 10 years? This is an opportunity for us to develop with our partners a template for a sustainable, diverse, dense program that will be both distinct from and complementary to the year-round cultural programming in Lower Manhattan and the other key festivals in New York City beyond Lower Manhattan.

What would you like to see as part of the Festival’s 10^th anniversary season this summer?

The Festival is a celebration of a range of venues and voices in Lower Manhattan that will give people a rewarding experience during the summer and encourage them to take advantage of the restaurants, retail, historic and cultural attractions available in Lower Manhattan throughout the year.

What’s your favorite part of Lower Manhattan?

Every day I walk to work from West Street to my office on Maiden Lane, so my favorite thing is walking from the Hudson River to the East River.

When you were growing up, what did you want to be?

Secretary of State.

What was your first job?

My first job was playing Tiny Tim in the Trinity Repertory Company’s A Christmas Carol production in Providence, RI. The thing I remember was I had to sing Silent Night a cappella every night during the holidays for three years.

How much did you earn?

Probably about 10 dollars.

Today’s guest post is by Grace A. Capobianco, Publisher and Founder of DOWNTOWN Magazine. A Lower Manahttan resident, Grace has worked in magazine publishing for several decades. The spring issue of DOWNTOWN came out this week and includes an interview with Downtown Alliance President Elizabeth H. Berger. Check out the issue here.

How long have you lived in Lower Manhattan?
Since November 2001.

Why did you move here?
The water and peace this area brings to me. I remember how relaxing, clean and free the air felt during a previous visit. The beauty of Lower Manhattan stayed with me for quite some time. I decided this area suited me well because I had always lived on the water.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Lower Manhattan?
I love to ride my bike on the esplanade. I also enjoy walking around the neighborhood and experiencing something new every day.

What led you to start a magazine focused on Downtown?
The idea for DOWNTOWN was hatched in 2002. I explored every angle of bringing this magazine to life then. But it was too soon; not enough time had passed after September 11th for the healing and the rebuilding to begin to close our wounds sufficiently.

In other areas, most people have to pay large sums of money for what we have right here in our own backyard. I was tired of people coming to this area to visit Ground Zero, shop at Century 21 and then leave. Or the 60,000 workers who commute to work everyday from the tri-state area and only leave their offices to either grab lunch or go home. We’ve come through the ashes with great success; this area has quadrupled in residents, new businesses are opening everyday and large companies are choosing Lower Manhattan as a new home…we have something to brag about! Someone had to take a chance.

What’s your experience in publishing?
I started my first company when I was 27, and quickly realized this was my passion. I helped launch many successful titles, such as South Florida Business Journal, Alternative Medicine and NewBeauty.

Who is your role model?
My father, an Italian immigrant who became a successful businessman.

Who are your readers?
Residents, employees and tourists. Even though the magazine covers a niche area, our readership is diverse. We tap into young singles, growing families and seasoned professionals who work and live here, plus those just visiting.

What’s a hidden secret about Lower Manhattan?
It’s no secret that Downtown is rich in history–after all it’s the Battery! What’s less known is how passionate Lower Manhattanites are about the community in which they live; they love it. It’s a whole bustling world separate from the rest of Manhattan.

What’s the biggest misperception about Lower Manhattan?
The biggest misconception is that the area shuts down come 6 PM and the streets roll up. On the contrary, the area becomes alive after hours. People hit the streets and flood the restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. Be it winter/holiday time or summer in the city, Lower Manhattan is “the” place to be.

Your issues will be thematic–so what’s the next issue going to be about?
The summer issue focuses on going green. Being eco-conscious is a must, and what better time to celebrate our environment than during the summertime when everyone is out and about enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. Between our newly re-launched website and print magazine, we are going to cover companies with sustainable initiatives in a variety of industries including fashion and beauty, restaurants and real estate. One of our feature stories we are working on is about super moms in the Lower Manhattan area–below Canal Street–celebrity Mom’s likeTracy Stewart (wife of Jon Stewart), Christy Turnlington and several other accomplished women.

In each issue we also do a “Downtown On” section where we focus on a specific area. We are working to cover each of the Downtown neighborhoods and then branch out beyond our borders. This upcoming issue we spotlight Battery Park and Battery Park City. We urge readers to explore New York during the summer, take advantage of the Lower Manhattan parks and live it up Downtown!

Peter and Harry Poulakakos

The Lower Manhattan dining scene has dramatically changed over the past several decades. What was once strictly a nine-to-five district with few options outside steakhouses is now brimming with a diverse menu of options.

To learn more about how the neighborhood has changed and about the family’s future plans (they include a bar for dogs and their owners!), the Downtown Alliance recently sat down for a conversation with Peter.

How has the Lower Manhattan dining scene changed since your family entered the restaurant business?

When my dad started down here in the 1950s, it was strictly a corporate neighborhood, and it really remained that way up until the late ‘90s. Things started to get on track before 9/11, but we took a hit right after. Today, I’m amazed when I look at how much of a 24/7 community Lower Manhattan has become—there’s so much going on down here on the weekends and the evenings. The Downtown Alliance was a huge part in helping us transform Stone Street. It’s so much different than it was when I was kid. My wife and I often bring my son down to Stone Street, where on the weekends it’s a stroller parking lot!

Your family now runs seven establishments in the district with three more on the way. What’s your approach when you think about planning a new venture?

I try to think of what we can offer the residents and workers down here as a new amenity. We try to find people and partners who have had success in other areas of the city and bring them Downtown with a concept we think would be important to Lower Manhattan residents. We did this with my partner and our pizza Chef, Nick Angelis, with Adrienne’s, as well as with Chef Eric Bedoucha, my partner and the Executive Pastry Chef of our string of pastry shops, Financier Patisserie.

What was the impetus for the forthcoming dog-themed bar on Stone Street?

I have to give my partner from Ulysses, Danny McDonald, credit for that one! Danny has a concept for Growler Bites & Brews that’s really great, and he’s extremely passionate about it. We’re going to focus on craft beers as well as gourmet variations of hot dogs and sandwiches. I’m actually allergic to dogs, so I haven’t really figured out how I’m to get within 15 feet of the place.

Do you think that bar will change the feel of Stone Street?

I think it’s going to add another highlight for Stone Street, a concept we haven’t done over here yet.

What will you serve the dogs?

We’ve had a lot of suggestions from the community board, to be honest! We have the Executive Chef at Harry’s working on some entrees, but I can’t seem to convince Chef Eric of Financier to offer a dessert. You may want to give him a call.

Your plans for a formal restaurant, beer garden and oyster bar at Pier A were recently announced. What can future patrons expect to see?

We’ve got a plan to bring the pier to life with an awesome public space, and we’re working with various groups to utilize the water facilities for the public as well. We’re hoping with the Freedom Tower opening up in the coming years and even more attention on Lower Manhattan that we can make the pier into a hub for all the cultural exhibits and museums we have in Lower Manhattan. We want this to be a landmark for tourists and residents alike.

In addition to the indoor and outdoor public space, we also have a beer garden planned and an oyster bar on the ground level. The history of beer gardens and oysters in Downtown is absolutely fascinating, and it will be great to pay homage to what came before us in the area. My dad has been in love with Pier A since he came to this country. I’m excited to make this happen in his honor, and to change the landscape of Lower Manhattan in a positive fashion.

Do you use many local ingredients in your restaurants?

We try our best to use as many local ingredients as possible in all of our restaurants. Growing up in New York and cultivating our businesses here for so many years, it’s extremely important to us to support local growers and producers.

Is the baking for Financier done on the premises?

For the first five or so years we did all the baking on the 5th floor of the building where Stone Street Financier is located. It was amazing to smell the cakes and pastries all day, but it wasn’t really sustainable. As we started growing, we realized Chef Eric would need more space to maintain the quality with the volume, so we built a facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. We went from 1,500 square feet of kitchen to 15,000. When we started with Stone Street Financier we had nine employees. Today, we have over 200 for Financier alone.

Do you want Financier to compete with Starbucks?

First off, I think coffee originated in New York, not Seattle. And, we have better éclairs.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to start their own restaurant business?

That’s actually the theme of our upcoming reality show, are you interested? It’s titled “Give up sleep and drink more coffee”.

What’s next for you?

Well obviously, we’ve got a lot of exciting projects coming up. We’re excited to start construction on Pier A in 2012, and we’ve got five or so Financiers coming along just this year. We launched our retail coffee line in Financier this year which was really exciting for us, and we have a few Harry’s Italians up our sleeves, as well as opening Growler on Stone Street.

And, there may be more. My dad, Harry, noticed that I took last Friday afternoon off so now he’s looking for our next project, since I have so much time on my hands.

What’s your guilty (food) pleasure?

Ulysses’ nachos, or the round marguerita pie from Harry’s Italian.

A rendering of the new Pier A in Battery Park City.

Today, the Battery Park City Authority made it official: Pier A is the latest Lower Manhattan space lucky enough to get the Poulakakos treatment.

The father-son duo, Harry and Peter, runs seven bars and restaurants in the district and their new venture will include an oyster bar, restaurant, event venue and visitor center.

“Pier A has stood vacant for nearly 20 years but the good news today is that the Battery Park City Authority, led by Bill Thompson and Gayle Horwitz, has given this jewel of New York Harbor back to the people,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “Harry and Peter Poulakakos, whose patisseries, cafés and restaurants have helped transform the Lower Manhattan dining scene, are a terrific choice to bring Pier A back to life.”

The plan calls for a casual restaurant, oyster bar with outdoor seating, coffee shop and visitor center on the first floor of the pier, an upscale restaurant and event venue on the second floor, and a smaller event and entertainment venue on the partial third floor. There will be public seating on the plaza and promenade adjacent to the pier.

Oysters on the Hudson with a Statue of Liberty sunset view? It doesn’t get much better than that.

Today’s guest post features a Q&A with Maximo Lopez May, executive chef at Wall & Water restaurant at the Andaz Wall Street. Besides running the full-service restaurant, he oversees the city’s only hotel-run farmers market during the summer, and integrates goods from that market into his monthly cooking classes. Through it all, Lopez May is changing the way people think about the Lower Manhattan dining scene.

How did you end up as a chef?

Food was so important in my childhood home in Argentina. I really realized my passion for food at 14, when I discovered the art of cooking while working as a delivery boy. Between orders, I used to visit the kitchens of each restaurant and help out because I was bored! I was attracted to the heat, stress and energy of kitchens. I started to realize that kitchens are fun, exciting places. It all fell into place naturally from there. My first professional experience was at the Restaurant Llers in Argentina. I worked under well-known chef Fernando Trocca.

My career has taken me across South America, the UK and Australia to develop the art of preparing sophisticated, high-end cuisine. Upon returning to Argentina, I opened numerous prestigious restaurants including Las Cañitas, Posadas, and La Corte, which was named the “Best Restaurant of 2004″ by El Gourmet magazine. In 2005 I joined the staff of Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Buenos Aires and assumed the responsibility of Executive Chef at the Gioia Restaurante & Terraces. I was named “Best New Chef 2005” by Cuisine Magazine and was honored as “Chef of the Year” by El Gourmet Magazine in 2006.

My lifelong passion for food has provided me with the opportunity to host numerous popular Latin American television shows. I have hosted the popular “Rescate Gourmet, 4 Chefs,” “4 Ingredientes,” “Comando Gourmet,” “Maximo Clasico,” “Parilla al Maximo,” “New York Gourmet,” and “Con Maximo.”

Following my success in Latin America, I launched my career in NYC at Azul Bistro on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. I then launched the exclusive Soho House New York as Senior Sous Chef. In addition to my work at Wall & Water, I have been participating in top food festivals and have been featured on LXTV and the Martha Stewart Living Radio show.

What’s the basic philosophy behind Wall and Water?

We offer market-to-table comfort food, sourced from local Hudson Valley farms and markets in a modest and elegant setting. Our seasonal menus emphasize traditional cooking methods, simple presentation and exceptional flavors. We don’t use heavy sauces or creams on anything, so our dishes are naturally robust and flavorful. I also appreciate the value of traditional cooking methods. I like to use cast iron pots and pans, a mortar and pestle, and hand slicers. I don’t need the latest gadgets and trends to prepare my dishes.

With your already busy schedule, how did you decide to take on the classes?

I enjoy sharing my passion for food with others! I take my students outside to our Andaz Farmers Market and together we hand-pick our ingredients. I then demonstrate various cooking techniques that we use in the restaurant so guests can create fresh gourmet meals at home. I encourage my guests to be creative and we always end up having a great time creating new dishes together!

Cooking class participants dine at the Chef's Tasting Table at Wall & Water.

Who usually attends the classes?

We get a nice variety at our classes. Each class has a different theme and we highlight a seasonal ingredient or cooking technique. For example, this year we are offering “Mommy and Me,” “Smoke,” and “Thanksgiving Prep” classes, which will appeal to a variety of tastes and preferences!

What are some of the dishes you’ve featured in classes?

Pumpkin was one of our featured seasonal ingredients last fall, so we offered a pumpkin soup with barley, rosemary, chili, guanciale and crème fraiche. Last winter we created a beautiful gingerbread home. We have also offered a tomato class! We poached and juiced tomatoes to create five different dishes.

What dishes are on the horizon at the classes?

In addition to the classes listed above, we are offering “Dairy” and “Flowers” themed menus, with some pretty creative dishes. You will be surprised how many entrees you can create from flowers. For example, we are making a zucchini flower risotto with pear, pancetta and clams and we are creating a salad with blossoms, sprouts, herbs, and parmesan. You will have to sign up for a theme that interests you!

In 2007 I was awarded a permanent public art commission by the MTA’s Arts for Transit. A large-scale project, it took almost two years to complete, and through the process I learned that I love the collaborative nature of successful public art. The opportunity to work on another public art project again, this time in Lower Manhattan with ARTEA Projects for the Downtown Alliance/Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Re:Construction public art program, was of course exciting. The location itself was a challenge as it is such a busy and already visually stimulating section of SoHo. Additionally, the sheer size of the project required a completely new approach from my side, both in terms of visual execution and material knowledge.

Because the lot at Grand and Lafayette Streets where Downtown Dogs is now installed is such a bustling corner, I knew the work had to be bold enough to visually stand out. In my proposal, a response to the “Playland” theme, I gave myself the freedom to change the animals in the game Pass the Pigs to dogs. Making use of the large scale of the project, I playfully arranged the colorful dog silhouettes, varying the sizes from a few inches to several feet. My goal: to create a work of art that would be a colorful and conceptual surprise for those who happen upon it, whether from a distance or by walking right next to it.

A multi-disciplinary artist, I get particularly jazzed about the opportunity to take my artistic practice outside the studio where I’m faced with new challenges. Any site-specific commission comes with its own set of considerations. For this particular location I wanted to create a piece that visually would bring together aspects of commercial art, graphic design, and underground street art: disciplines that already exist in this environment. But I also recognize the responsibilities that come with public art and I ultimately want the work itself to hold up over time and continue to positively charge the area—even for those who will see it on a daily basis.

Planning the perfect Valentine’s Day isn’t easy. Either because the pressure is on to make it a special day for your sweetie or because you don’t have a sweetie to plan it for!

Either way, this upcoming Valentine’s Day will be easy to plan if you’re celebrating—or not celebrating—in Lower Manhattan.

My perfect Valentine’s Day would start with opening a beautiful, hand-made, vintage-themed card from Bowne & Company Stationer, then diving into the ganaches from a haute couture coffret from La Maison du Chocolate.

At lunchtime, I’d pick up a custom-made monogrammed silk shirt I ordered as a gift from Carmine & Arthur Clothiers (and no, I’m not telling you whom the recipient would be!).

After work, I would stroll over to Battery Gardens for a delicious, three-course dinner that includes Chilean sea bass and filet mignon (well, I do have an appetite!). The all-white room is beautiful and the view of Lady Liberty is spectacular. At the end of the meal, I hope to be presented with the trademark blue box from Tiffany, and inside a pair of stunning, platinum, diamond earrings.

After dinner, I would lace up and partake in the W New York – Downtown’s new “Skating in the Sky” outdoor rink. Finally, the evening would be capped off by enjoying some tango performed by the Hector Del Curto Tango Orchestra at the Winter Garden.

But the night wouldn’t end there. Too tired to go home to the far reaches of Brooklyn, I’d book a deluxe terrace room at the Best Western Seaport Inn. The easy walking distance from the office ensures I’ll get to work on time the next day. (What, you think I don’t want a raise?!)

On the other hand, I admit, if the wintry weather has put me in a foul mood, and I’m not in the mood to celebrate anything—let alone Valentine’s Day—I have an option right around the corner from my office.

I would march right over to Mad Dog & Beans for its “Anti-Valentine’s Day” celebration, hoisting quite a few of its $6 drink specials with my new anti-holiday comrades. And really, who’s going to stop me from gorging on their half-price appetizers?

After several rounds, I’d still wind up at the Best Western to collapse and make it to work on time the next day (Yes, even when grumpy I still want that raise).

So, if you’re like me, you’re pondering either scenario for February 14th. But there are even more options in Lower Manhattan so you can craft your perfect plan. I’ve created a special page on our website that lists all the Valentine’s Day specials in Lower Manhattan.

As for how I plan to spend my Valentine’s Day, you’ll just have to look around the neighborhood for me that day to find out.

Lower Manhattan visitors wondering what those granite strips along lower Broadway signify will now have a convenient answer. Yesterday, we unveiled a Canyon of Heroes podcast, a ten-minute audio guide to the history and legacy of the famed parade route from Battery Park to City Hall. The podcast is available on CultureNOW’s website, itunes and a free iphone app, CultureNOW: A Guidebook for the Museum Without Walls, Lower Manhattan.

The 10-minute podcast is narrated by our President, Elizabeth H. Berger, and was recorded and edited by our AVP of Technology and Online Communcation–and newly renowned Lower Manhattan meanderer–Jeremy Schneider.

What can you learn when you listen?

Well, for nearly a century and a quarter, some of history’s most notable individuals and sports teams have been honored with ticker-tape parades along the route, starting the with Statue of Liberty dedication in 1886. The Downtown Alliance launched Lower Manhattan’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003 to commemorate the Canyon of Heroes’ parades with a series of black granite strips set into the sidewalks of the route.

There are more than 200 markers, identifying pioneers of air and space travel, soldiers, sailors and sea captains, heads of state, politicians, firefighters, journalists, athletes and even a virtuoso pianist.

So take a listen! And then take a walk (albeit when the weather is better) up Broadway to discover these gems for yourself.