Not every city hall is worthy of a great atmosphere. Stories, rhetoric and of course the daily business required by cities to flourish goes on. One would hardly believe that a film festival could inject urban renewal to a higher level. The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, now in it’s ninth year, revitalized an area destroyed by the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City. The restaurants, bars and yes local judicial buildings all suffered.
In their rebirth, tributes to the city’s history came to the forefront. One such establishment is City Hall – the Restaurant. While the “law and order” types dine during the day and drink after hours, the Auteurs – including Robert De niro – wind through the cross streets to share great stories paired with salmon, steak and oysters. Above, as they dine, history unfolds with enlarged images by social documentary photographers important to New York City (Bernice Abbot and Walter Rosenblum come to mind) sharing with each dining experience.
Of course the food is real and the photographs can be too. One featured at gallerym.com is Chick’s Candy Store by Walter Rosenblum. A simple Grey Goose properly chilled make the festival and friends recount volumes.
