New York Today: Old-Fashioned Shoe Leather

Alyssa Loorya/Chrysalis Archaeology If baby needs an old pair of shoes, look no further.

The excavation of this city churns up endless fragments of the past, from pipe stems and pottery shards to bits of stone wall and oyster shell.

Recently, on the site of a utility upgrade near South Street Seaport, archaeologists chanced upon a pair of late-18th-century leather toddler’s slippers.

“They’re in excellent condition given that they were in waterlogged soil for over 200 years,” said Alyssa Loorya of Chrysalis Archaeology, who is leading the investigation at the site.

The water kept the moisture in, she said, while the soil “provided the ideal setting for these artifacts â€" not too acidic, not too corrosive.”

One shoe has only the sole remaining. But the other, with a soft, paper-thin upper, is completely intact.

“Probably if it’s properly restored it would fit a kid’s foot,” Ms. Loorya said.

The dig has also yielded buttons from British regiments that fought the Battle of Brooklyn, liquor bottles and a musket ball.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” Ms. Loorya said.

Here’s what you need to know for Friday and the weekend.

WEATHER

Two more lovely days. Sunny and cool today with a high of 74. Sunny and 78 Saturday. Then clouding over with a chance of showers on Sunday.

TRANSIT & TRAFFIC

- Mass Transit Fifteen-minute delays on PATH trains from Journal Square to 33rd Street. Subways are fine. Click for latest M.T.A. status.

- Roads O.K. so far. Click for traffic map or radio report on the 1s.

Alternate-side parking is suspended for Rosh Hashana. Meter rules remain in effect.

COMING UP TODAY

- On the campaign trail, William C. Thompson Jr. visits transit workers and hosts a block party in the Bronx with the salsa great Willie Colón.

- Christine C. Quinn is on “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC at 10 a.m., campaigns in Washington Heights with the Dominican Women’s Coalition and hosts a get-out-the-vote rally at the Stonewall Inn.

- John A. Catsimatidis visits a Port Authority police softball game on Staten Island. Joseph J. Lhota is on NY1’s “Road to City Hall” at 7 p.m.

- Names of 12 firefighters who died of 9/11-related illnesses are placed on the Memorial Wall at Fire Department headquarters in Brooklyn.

- A musical adaptation of “The Tempest” with a cast of 200 begins its weekend-long run at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. 8 p.m. [Free, see ticket info]

- The Bronx Museum of the Arts has an evening of video screenings and performances. 6 p.m. [Free]

- “The Wackness” screens at Morgan Avenue Underground in Williamsburg, followed by a dance party. 8 p.m. [Pay what you want]

- A two-weekend-long Greek festival kicks off at Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Church on Staten Island at 6 p.m.

IN THE NEWS

- About 60,000 more people were arrested for minor offenses in the city last year than in 2002, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s first year in office. [DNA Info]

- A man died in a freak accident at a Brooklyn park after a remote-controlled model helicopter struck him in the head. [New York Times]

- The Irish bookmaking site Paddy Power is offering 4-5 odds on Bill de Blasio winning the mayor’s race (not just the primary). [Daily News]

- Nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy, teams of Mennonite volunteers are still rebuilding homes on Staten Island and in the Rockaways and are planning to stay for years. [New York Times]

- A city survey found 95 percent of parents satisfied with their public schools. [Daily News]

- Not content to have created the cronut, Dominique Ansel has unveiled a portable soufflé. [Gothamist]

- Andy Murray will not repeat as United States Open champion.

- Yankees fall to Red Sox 9-8 in 10. Mets beat Braves 5-2.

THE WEEKEND

Saturday

- A whole day of live rock and acoustic music at the Astoria Music Now festival at Astoria Park in Queens. [Free]

- The Brooklyn Bike Jumble, a bicycle flea market, at J.J. Byrne Park in Park Slope. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. [Free]

- Catch-and-release fishing at the Harlem Meer in Central Park. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. [Free]

- “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” screens on the beach at Beach 86th Street in the Rockaways at dusk. [Free]

Sunday

- The Autumn Moon Festival and children’s lantern parade in Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown. 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. [Free]

- An afternoon of yoga, tai chi and African dance in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with snacks, courtesy of the listings site Flavorpill. 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. [Free, R.S.V.P. required]

Weekend Street Closings

Click for the complete list. The site Socialeyesnyc has a listing of street fairs.

Nicole Higgins DeSmet contributed reporting.

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