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A little flower with a flower Isabel Modell-Kowalski ate a flower cookie from the Lower Eastside Girls’ Club bakery last Friday at a ceremony for the new F.D.R. Children’s Garden on Avenue D. [more] Villager photo by Talisman Brolin Candidates’ forum shows artists really aren’t so different after all By Lincoln Anderson A City Council candidates forum intended to focus on the future of arts and artists on the Lower East Side last Thursday, in fact, focused on the same core issues raised at previous candidates’ forums — proliferation of bars, development and gentrification — showing that these issues, as much as any others, are the ones on artists’ minds.		NEWS West Chelsea zoning, High Line park roll past approval By Albert Amateau Affordable-housing advocates in Chelsea won a victory on Monday when a City Council subcommittee was able to get the Bloomberg administration to guarantee that 27 percent of new housing in the proposed West Chelsea Special District would be affordable. Another one Moses didn’t win: Canal Park is reborn By Josh Rogers Maybe good things do come to those who wait — if you have 85 years or so. Located at the west end of Canal St., Canal Park, a rebuilt and almost-forgotten space, will open within a few weeks. A tree grows on Avenue D, thanks to Eleanor and P.S. 34 pre-K class By Cathy Jedruczek Students in pre-K 105 at P.S. 34, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt School, hosted a garden party last Friday to rededicate a tree that Eleanor Roosevelt planted in 1956. Wendy Roosevelt, the great-great-granddaughter of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, attended the ceremony. She had not previously known of the tree and why her great-great-grandmother, who lived in Manhattan after her husband died, planted it, but she was “thrilled and honored” to be part of the celebration.

Inside Bicyclists mourn fallen riders, demand safe streets By Jefferson Siegel Last Thursday, a somber procession of bicyclists pedaled from Park Slope in Brooklyn to City Hall. The memorial ride of more than 100 cyclists was born of a combination of anger, frustration and activism. Tenant leader says L.M.D.C. cash may not be enough By Josh Rogers A $50 million fund to build and preserve affordable housing in Lower Manhattan may not do as much as promised for Knickerbocker Village. Bob Wilson, co-chairperson of the middle-income housing complex’s tenants association, said if they lose a pending court case with the landlord, the $5 million promised from the housing fund will provide little help. The alliance strikes back: Says Times article was full of errors By Ed Gold A top officer of the Village Alliance charged last Thursday that The New York Times had printed a story about the business improvement district that was “not up to high school newspaper standards.”		Chelsea adult video store is closed after prostitution bust By Jefferson Siegel Last Friday, police made an arrest for prostitution inside The Blue Store, an adult video store on Eighth Ave. between 20th and 21st Sts., then padlocked the store. Early Friday evening around 7 p.m., a plainclothes Vice Squad police officer entered the store and within a few minutes was solicited by a male prostitute. The suspect was taken outside, handcuffed and arrested. Kerrey talks on New School’s future, N.Y.U., squares By Ed Gold Speaking at the Village Alliance’s annual meeting, President Bob Kerrey of New School University assured the Greenwich Village community that his institution’s expansion program will not lead to “acquiring land or tearing down buildings.” Jack killed the FM radio star; Cuz goes into orbit By Jerry Tallmer If you were a songwriter, you might put it this way: Look for the silver lining …. Bruce Morrow — rock-’n’-roll radio’s Cousin Brucie — puts it more biblically, sort of. “God closes the door and opens a gate,” Morrow says as he fastens you in the eye with his own baby blues. Serenading just isn’t Ferrer’s cup of tea, er, coffee By Jefferson Siegel Caring Community, a 32-year-old organization whose goals are to assist, empower and enrich the lives of Village seniors, held its Annual Senior Day lunch last Thursday. Three candidates whose goal is to be the city’s next mayor came to speak to the seniors — and afterwards, for a finale, they were asked to show off their pipes. Two obliged, but one seemed put off by the seniors’ request and it went downhill from there.

Gay Pride
A special Villager supplement

From the Pines to Chelsea, confident maturity is in
By Tim Gay
In this final season of “Queer as Folk” a 20-something shows interest in Ted’s “maturity.” While in bed, the younger man finds stray gray hairs and adores Ted’s love handles. Ted responds in subsequent scenes by bleaching his hair and checking in at Pittsburgh’s leading plastic surgery hospital.

Alcohol and politics do mix for new Democratic group
By Ronda Kaysen
“I have to be careful who I hit on here!” said Blandon Belushin, a boisterous 48-year-old photographer with spiky silver hair, clutching a mixed drink in one hand. “That guy, for instance, he’s definitely not gay.” He nodded in the general direction of a young, panicky man cowering in the corner of the crowded Chelsea gay bar XES. “I didn’t realize at first — everyone under 30 looks gay to me — I think I scared him off. Usually, I come here at 2 a.m. and —” he trailed off. “But it’s not the same crowd tonight. Not the same at all.”

All not wedded to marriage, but most like ring of it
By Johanna Petersson
On the front page of last week’s New York Times Sunday magazine, in a black-and-white photo, two middle-aged women are kissing, holding champagne flutes. Over the photo a large red bar is drawn, with the headline, “What’s their real problem with gay marriage? (It’s the gay part.)” But for some radical gay activists and feminists the problem is marriage — in their opinion an obsolete conservative institution — and that the gay community should aim higher; aim for liberation. On the other hand, for the majority of gays and lesbians, marriage is a matter of civil liberty that should be awarded to everyone.

‘Avenue Q’ creator goes back to roots to give back
By Johanna Petersson
Bobby Lopez is a self-proclaimed Village kid. He spent his high school afternoons at Café Reggio and Café Dante on MacDougal St. For his recent success with the Tony Award-winning “Avenue Q” musical he praises the neighborhood institution Greenwich House Music School, where he studied piano for more than 15 years. The tremendous reception of the musical seems never ending, as it is opening in both Las Vegas and London shortly. But before conquering the rest of the world, Lopez decided to give something back to the place where it all started, Greenwich House Music School.

Party crowd on the pier was hardly garden variety
Interviews By Cathy Jedruczek
Photos by Elisabeth Robert
There was a lot of pride in the air at this year’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center’s Garden Party on Pier 54 in the Hudson River Park.

Group tries to put the pride back in Christopher St.
By Lincoln Anderson
It’s known as probably the “gayest street in America,” but as Gay Pride month has rolled around once again, some are saying it’s time to bring a dose of much-needed pride back to Christopher St.

Thousands of coming-out stories in the naked city
Interviews and photos by Cathy Jedruczek
They’re out and they’re happy. They’re gay and they’re proud. But how did they come out? They all have stories, but they’re not always willing to talk about them — maybe because some are too painful to retell. Most, however, have colorful, interesting and shocking tales to share: They were at a breaking point in their lives, and then — there was relief, and, finally, a secret no more. Last week, The Villager headed out to “The Strip,” Eighth Ave., to hear about some coming-out experiences in people’s own words.

A monumental sprucing-up job

WWorking it on Fifth Ave. and the pier to networking

Arts and Entertainment

Cinematic retrospective of Louis Malle By Jerry Tallmer Louis Armstrong said: “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.” He wasn’t talking about that new squirt on the block, Miles Davis, he was talking about the whole thing called jazz. Comedic reinterpretation of a Chekhov masterpiece BY Scott Harrah In recent years, there has been an ongoing argument in academic and intellectual circles about the true intent of Anton Chekhov’s final play, “The Cherry Orchard.” Most theatergoers consider the four-act drama to be one of the greatest tragedies ever written for the stage.		Koch On Film By Ed Koch “Kings and Queen” (+) This two-and-one-half hour film is often inexplicable. Sometimes I could not understand what the characters were talking about, the dream scenes were difficult to follow, and the subtitles were not clearly inscribed on the screen. Although I looked at my watch several times during the movie, I knew that I would not leave until it was over because in its entirety, I think it is a work of genius. “Caterina in the Big City” (+) This Italian film set in Rome is a delight. It is not a great movie, but it is an interesting one and worth seeing.