My View of the Village

By Roger Paradiso

Glinda the Good Witch on a Halloween Dress Rehearsal

I was walking around and I saw this crazy bus with people dancing on the roof. I followed the bus until it stopped at Washington Square. People were dressed as Glinda the Good Witch from the Broadway musical, Wicked.

I asked the bus driver for information and she pointed to the side of the bus. The sign asks you to “Gather your closest companions and embark on this bewitching adventure with Glinda where every moment is a celebration and every mile is a memory in the making.”

It looked like fun for those of you who want to dress up as Glinda and tour the Village and other places.

Kips Bay Residents Urge NYU Langone to Save Local Movie Theater

By Paige Tang, Deputy News Editor
Here are excerpts from Washington Square News, September 11, 2026

New Yorkers and local officials rallied for their local AMC theater, slated to close by 2027, after learning that NYU Langone Health purchased the site to expand its medical center campus. About 100 residents joined the Community Board 6 meeting to express their concerns. All 47 written testimonials condemned the closure, about two weeks after news spread that NYU Langone has control of the site.

Assemblymember Keith Powers noted that NYU Langone representatives aim to expand outpatient and ambulatory care in the space, but that their plans are not finalized.

Kips Bay resident Theo van der Meer said, “We chose to live in a neighborhood and not a sprawling medical complex, which is slowly what the neighborhood is becoming.”

NYU Langone representatives were not present at the Community Board 6 meeting, and the medical center did not respond to WSN’s request for comment.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Holyman-Sigal said that NYU Langone would have to seek approval from the community board to change how the lot with the theater will be zoned.

“This is not just a theater — it’s a community asset,” he told WSN. “I will be advocating that a theater remains in this location.”

Read the entire article “Kips Bay residents urge NYU Langone to save local movie theater” – Washington Square News – https://nyunews.com/

Provincetown Playhouse

If NYU still owns this historic playhouse, you would think they would put a plaque outside to remind people that Eugene O’Neill, arguably one of our best playwrights, would get some mention of his role in making Provincetown the place to go for riveting theater back in the early part of the 20th century. O’Neill’s most acclaimed plays include Emperor Jones, his first smash hit at Provincetown in the Village. A Long Day’s Journey Into Night won the Tony Award for best play on Broadway as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

Gates and Fences Around Washington Square Park?

I asked a police officer about a rumor that NYU or the city will be fencing in and gating Washington Square Park soon. The officer said it could happen. Several violent crimes surrounding the park may be one reason they are thinking of closing it at night. Wow this is big news. Keep a look out for this at community board meetings.