Name: Michelle Candela
Occupation: Writer / Artist
Location: Tompkins Square Park
Time: 2:30 on Friday, Oct. 7
Originally, I’m from Philadelphia, but my father’s side of the family are all from here. I moved to New York in 1985, then I left in 1995, and I came back in 2005.
I used to work in animation. I write. I’m trying to write a couple screenplays. I did act for awhile. I was a librarian. It was one of the best times of my life here. I lived on Avenue B between 4th and 5th.
As a matter of fact, I come down here every now and then to recharge my batteries. I came today to see some friends of mine down the street on Avenue A. I just like coming in and walking around.
Avenue B was nothing like it is now. There was garbage everywhere, which I didn’t mind. There were lots of bodegas and small little shops, which really weren’t much. There’s the Horseshoe bar, which is a great bar on B. On the corner of 7th and A was King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, then there was 7A Café, which is now Ms. Lily’s, and then across the way was Leshko’s. That was a Polish coffee shop, and it was the first time I ever had kielbasas and pierogies. Next door to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut was Sal’s Pizzeria, which was where I found my kitten, who I had for 18 years. She was a little black cat and she was so adorable. I named her Zia. So I got her right there and I fell in love with her.
New York, and especially down here… you never had to worry about who you were. It was unpretentious. It was just life. When you came over here you could just be yourself. It didn’t matter what walk of life you came from. It was where all the misfits congregated.
You can still see it now. There are a lot of really cool people here. The feel and the community was just awesome. It was down to earth. It was just life. People were cool. Whether they had a bad attitude or a good attitude, it didn’t matter, because it just fit into the neighborhood and you understood it. Everybody understood each other.
My philosophy is: Be who you are; have a great time; everybody is awesome.
In the 1990s, we loved E.A.B. and the people who worked there, especially the manager, John Ottino. Then at some point, Citibank bought out E.A.B., which upset us because everything became so corporate, but at least John and several other wonderful people who had worked for E.A.B. stayed on at the branch for a while, and at least we’ve been able to keep our original E.A.B. account numbers all these years. Because of constant employee turnover, this Citibank branch hasn’t provided a personal touch for many years, but it certainly has been convenient to bank there.
The suit ... alleges the city and Con Edison, along with the owners of the restaurant Sushi Park and contractor Neighborhood Construction Corp., failed “to observe significant and dangerous ‘red flags’ … failing to take any steps to protect the public and their property.”
The city and the others also failed to “properly test the gas lines” and relied “upon an illogical and antiquated system of enforcement, inspections and unreliable self-certification,” according to the suit.
In denying any fault, the city said the damages were caused by Con Edison, the building’s managers, and the five people busted for the illegal gas hookup blamed for the blast.
It will be known as Mount Sinai Downtown Beth Israel.
As part of a $500 million, the hospital will become a network of buildings, including a specialized care facility and with a new urgent care center, among other upgrades.
@evgrieve it's FREE! pic.twitter.com/Xk7wFt3eSg
— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) October 10, 2016
