East Village Visitors' Center Moves to FAB Central 2/2

Starting February 2, 2010 the East Village Visitors' Center (EVVC) will move to FAB Central, located at 61 East 4th Street, from its previous home at the Bowery Poetry Club. Open Tuesday-Saturday from Noon-6PM, the EVVC will become the destination for information, recommendations, and directions on the best shops, restaurants, and entertainment in the East Village & Lower East Side. Two-for-one tickets to Off-Off Broadway, experimental film, and downtown dance will also be sold Thursday through Saturdays through FAB Tix. The EVVC will also be the meeting place for some of Lower East Side History Project's (LESHP) tours of the area, such as their popular Gangsters: Birth of Organized Crime tour.

Sponsored by the LESHP, Fourth Arts Block (FAB), and Cooper Square Committee (CSC), the new visitors center will serve to highlight and provide clear access to the East Village & Lower East Side to tourists and local resident's alike, and provide both groups cheaper access to all the neighborhood has to offer.

"It seemed natural to combine the East Village Visitors' Center and FAB Central. Where better to host a visitor center but in the heart of the only Cultural District in Manhattan? Everyone wins. We get an opportunity to stimulate the local economy by directing visitors to East Village businesses, and visitors looking for entertainment have access to FAB's incredible network of theater and arts groups." says Eric Ferrara, executive director of LESHP. "When Eric came to us and suggested moving the visitors' center in with our box office, we were really excited, because we can help even more people experience the best in East Village arts," comments Tamara Greenfield, executive director of FAB.

"This neighborhood has such a rich history of activism and arts. Having the visitors' center in our building only emphasizes the tie between the two," mentions Steve Herrick, executive director of Cooper Square Committee, one of the oldest tenants rights and advocacy organizations in New York City.

About Lower East Side History Project
Lower East Side History Project is a non-profit research organization operated by community historians, educators and preservationists dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the history, culture and community of the Lower East Side. LESHP develops state-wide educational programming for K-12 and university-level students and faculty, and provides public and private walking tours seven days a week, year round. http://leshp.org

About Fourth Arts Block
Fourth Arts Block (FAB), founded in 2001, works to improve and promote the East 4th Street Cultural District and surrounding artistic community, which has supported creative diversity and experimentation for more than 30 years. FAB provides a variety of services, including leading the development and conversion of 100,000 square feet of cultural space, marketing the East Village as an arts destination, and offering discount ticketing and other community events and programs. For more information, visit www.fabnyc.org.

About Cooper Square Committee
The Cooper Square Committee (CSC) is a 50-year old advocacy and tenant rights organization that works with area residents to contribute to the preservation and development of affordable, environmentally healthy housing and community/cultural spaces so that the Cooper Square area remains racially, economically, and culturally diverse. For more information, visit www.coopersquare.org.