THE VILLAGER, JAN. 2, 2014 by Schneps Media

The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933

January 2, 2014 • $1.00 Volume 83 • Number 31

Meatpacking mayhem: Thefts and assaults surged in club zone BY SAM SPOKONY

PHOTO BY SAM SPOKONY

‘I do solemnly swear…’ In a small City Hall ceremony on Dec. 27, Corey Johnson, far left, was sworn in — albeit with a smile — as the new city councilmember for District 3. Two of his top aides, from left, Louis Cholden-Brown and R.J. Jordan, joined him as he took the oath of office.

Conservancy to give update BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

ecent revelations of e-mail correspondence between the Washington Square Park Conservancy and the Parks Department on a range of hot-button issues — including, notably, hot dogs — have brought concerns about the new private fundraising group to a boil. Seeking to lower the heat, after

news of the so-called Washington Square “WikiLeaks” e-mails were made public, David Gruber, chairperson of Community Board 2, had a conversation with Sarah Neilson, the conservancy’s executive director — who is also the park’s administrator — who assured him that everything was kosher regarding Parks’ decision to kick two hot dog vendors out of the park.

Gruber said Neilson told him that the reason the hot dog carts were being booted was partly because their five-year contracts had simply expired. “She explained the situation to me and I’m satisfied with it,” Gruber told The Villager a few weeks ago. “She told me there were complaints about WASHINGTON SQUARE, continued on p. 12

hile citywide crime has fallen to record lows, felony crimes in the Village actually rose over all in 2013, owing mainly to a sizable increase in theft and assault. As of Dec. 22, the Sixth Precinct — which covers

the area from 14th St. to Houston St. west of Broadway — reported an 11.3 percent rise in grand larceny, with a total of 1,226 incidents, plus a 14.6 percent rise in felony assault, with a total of 133 incidents, according to New York Police Department data released online. Petty larceny — CRIME, continued on p. 4

Lamenting the loss of a community vibe; Savoring the vestiges BY HEATHER DUBIN

earing orange low-top Converse sneakers with red socks, jeans and a cream-colored shirt, Daniel Lerner leaned back in his chair, and reflected on his neighborhood. An East Village resident since 1985, the sales representa-

tive for Michael Skurnik Wines has witnessed many changes over the years in what feels like a little town to him. When Lerner first moved to New York in 1983, he lived below Houston St. at Rivington and Essex Sts. During that time, the drugriddled streets of the Lower CHANGES, continued on p. 23

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January 2, 2014

he crowded Apple Store, at the busy intersection of Prince and Greene Sts. in Soho, was cleared for about an hour on Fri., Dec. 27, due to a bomb threat. According to Detective Marc Nell, a New York Police Department spokesperson, police received a 911 call from the Apple Store at 1:32 p.m. reporting that it had received a telephoned bomb threat. Police put out a radio call, and an officer who actually happened to be in the store right then using the bathroom got the message, and was told to go to the store’s office. The officer quickly did so and, in fact, was able to speak to the man making the threat, who was still on the line. Nell said police didn’t have more details to divulge about the contents or length of the phone call. However, after a search of the store, police determined that it was a hoax. After receiving the threat, the popular Apple outlet — jam-packed with postChristmas shoppers — based on the decision of its staff, was quickly cleared of customers. Paul Schindler, editor of Gay City News, a sister paper of The Villager, was in the place getting a free one-hour tutorial that came with his recent purchase of a new computer. Schindler said that, around 1:40 p.m., he noticed some commotion and everyone starting to head toward the door, and he asked a red-shirted Apple Store staffer what was going on. The employee calmly told him he had to exit the location right away. Schindler noticed other staffers telling people to leave immediately.

Dozens of police arrived at the scene and, according to Schindler, were extremely intent on making sure the sidewalk was cleared directly in front of the Apple Store, which has large glass doors and windows on Prince St. But, he noted, police didn’t seem concerned that people were standing on the sidewalk outside the building on Greene St., which does have windows, but which are blocked off with displays. Officers cordoned off the area in front of the store with yellow police tape about 2:10 p.m. Shortly before that, westbound traffic on Prince St. was blocked off at Mercer St., though Greene St. was left open. Eventually, police cleared the sidewalk opposite the store on the south side of Prince St., as well. Police at the scene didn’t specify what the security threat may have been. One officer, when asked what was going on by a Villager reporter, responded, “I don’t need to tell you. You know what’s happening.” Reached for comment at around 2:30 p.m., a Police Department spokesperson said he didn’t have any information right then to report on the Apple Store incident. Reached at 5 p.m. for an update, a different spokesperson, Detective Nell, confirmed there had been a phony bomb threat. He said employees re-entered the store at 2:50 p.m., and that shoppers likely re-entered shortly after then. Five days earlier there was a bomb threat called in to an Apple Store in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. A bomb squad responded and investigated, found nothing, and the store reopened in 35 minutes. Asked if there was any connection between the Boston and Soho Apple Store incidents, Nell said he couldn’t say at this point.

TheVillager.com

Mario Batali.

DIETHER’S BEEF WITH BATALI: In one corner: Mario Batali, superstar restaurateur. In the other: Doris Diether, veteran Community Board 2 member and, more recently, a major new Ricky Syers marionette — “Little Doris” — in Washington Square Park. Batali frequently refers to Diether, 85, on his TV cooking show as a pain in the neck who lives across from his toprated restaurant Babbo, at 110 Waverly Place, and is constantly complaining about him. It’s indeed true that 10 years ago, when Batali was seeking a variance to use the entire four-story building for Babbo, Diether challenged his application on the grounds that the previous eatery at the location, the Coach House, had been closed for some years, meaning the commercial use at the location shouldn’t have been grandfathered in for Batali. The uber-chef tried to argue that the Coach House was still operating when he took over the place, but the zoning maven testified otherwise. In the end, the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals granted Batali a 10-year variance allowing him to operate at the location, but that waiver expired on Dec. 12 and a temporary extension was issued. Now, Batali’s going for a renewal of the variance. Meanwhile, a few years ago, Diether discovered something else — that Batali was utilizing the residentially zoned building’s top two floors, plus the basement, for commercial office uses connected to the restaurant. She sussed this one out with some basic gumshoe work — the building’s buzzers for those floors had names for Babbo entities, not residential tenants. Also in Diether’s corner is another neighbor, Nuri Akgul, who lives on the fourth floor at 108 Waverly Place, right next to Batali’s restaurant. Akgul has his own beefs with the top chef, saying Batali’s HVAC units and fans are driving him batty with their noise and vibrations, and were

supposed to have been relocated by now, but haven’t been. In fact, noise and nuisance violations, plus a stop-work order, have been issued against Batali at the Babbo location over the past nine months, and many still remain open. In March, The New York Times reported, “Mr. Akgul, 57, has compiled a list of offenses that would score well on any 311 bingo card. It includes idling limousines; an increase of noisy commercial-grade air conditioners to eight from the Coach House’s two; the moving of a loud vent to right beside Mr. Akgul’s property after neighbors behind the restaurant complained; a smelly chemical that sprays onto Mr. Akgul’s property when Babbo’s vents are hosed down to dislodge grease; Babbo’s noise-exacerbating failure to break up empty wine bottles before throwing them out; and a breach in the wall of his 1826 home that he attributes to a beam Babbo installed to hold up all those air conditioners. ‘For starters,’ quipped Mr. Akgul.” In April, C.B. 2, after reviewing the status of the variance and the required corrections, passed a resolution recommending that Batali’s waiver not be renewed. Akgul says he doesn’t want to put Babbo out of business, but just wants the ongoing noise and safety issues corrected. For her part, Diether tells us she doesn’t really care one way or the other if Babbo stays or goes. But, she stressed, “I don’t like people doing things illegally… . The restaurant was for the first two floors only. He’s using the whole building, plus the basement.” Asked about Batali’s bashing her on his show, she laughed, “Oh, really! I didn’t know I was that notorious. … I don’t listen to his radio show.” Umm…it’s actually a TV show. “I don’t hear that either,” she said. As for Batali, in response to DNAino’s question back in April, “How would you characterize the situation at Babbo?” he tweeted in response, “In progress toward peaceful resolution.” The B.S.A. will convene again on Batali’s variance-renewal request on Jan. 14.

COREY CONNECTS WITH CHIARA ON RECOVERY:

Chiara de Blasio, daughter of incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio, re-

entered the spotlight last week when her father’s team released a video in which the 19-year-old explained her past struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. The video was, in itself, heartfelt and serious, but many in the media focused primarily on the political background that may have led to its creation — chiefly, the fact that journalists had been asking about Chiara’s substance abuse issues throughout her father’s recent campaign, and that the de Blasios likely wanted to tell her story on their own terms, rather than on, say, those of the New York Post or Daily News. Several days after the video’s Christmas Eve release, we had a chance — standing outside City Hall — to discuss the matter with incoming Councilmember Corey Johnson, who hasn’t been afraid to talk about his own recovery from alcohol abuse. Johnson, 31, has been sober since summer 2009, and now considers sobriety to be the “bedrock and cornerstone” of his life. The new District 3 representative told us that even though he hasn’t met Chiara de Blasio personally, he felt an immediate connection with her upon watching the video. “I thought she was being incredibly brave, to be able to speak openly about her own struggle and journey,” Johnson said. “It’s amazing that at 19 years old she has the maturity, as well as the support of her family, to do that. And she should be commended for her willingness to share her experiences in the hopes of helping other people who might be struggling.” When asked for his views on all the media coverage of the video, Johnson said he thinks nobody should even be talking politics when it comes to such stuff. “This is completely separate from politics,” the new councilmember said. “Sure, she happens to be the child of a very prominent political figure, but this is about life. This is about family. This is about someone’s journey. So this shouldn’t be looked at through a political lens.”

VINTAGE SPITZER: After reading in one of the dailies that “Luv Gov” Eliot Spitzer had been spotted in a Soho liquor store near where he has been wining and dining new main squeeze, Lis Smith, 31, of Thompson St., on Christmas Eve we checked in at Spring Street Wine Shop around the corner. Sure enough, Spitzer has been there, an employee admitted, as he busily rang up customers making last-minute gift purchases. He said Spitzer had bought “a bottle…a while ago,” but didn’t divulge more, wanting to protect the former pol’s privacy. But Jenny Lee, the store’s owner, tried her best to squeeze the upstanding employee for some more info, to no avail. Meanwhile, Lee is hoping Spitzer at least will start springing for a bit more vino than a bottle here or there. “A bottle?” she said incredulously. “How about a crate?” As for business on Christmas Eve, traditionally one of the store’s biggest sales days of the year, it was actually a bit slow this year, Lee observed, citing the economy. “And everyone was buying with credit cards,” she noted. CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an article in last week’s issue on the New York City Housing Authority’s land-lease plan, “ ‘Kill infill, Bill,’ many are urging de Blasio on NYCHA scheme,” inverted the percentages of affordable versus market-rate housing in the plan. It should have said that under the proposed “80/20” development scheme, the new towers would contain a total of 720 affordable units, or 20 percent, of 3,600 total units.

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January 2, 2014

The ups and downs of crime, east to west, in 2013 percent decrease in rape, with a total of eight incidents; an 8.6 percent thefts in which the stolen property is worth decrease in burglary, with a total under $1,000 — also went up by 7.1 percent, of 127 incidents; and a 6.8 percent with a total of 1,522 incidents. decrease in robbery, with a total of Statistical increases for all three of those 136 incidents. crimes within the precinct are even more The Sixth Precinct’s lone shootpronounced when viewed in the context of ing incident for the year, in May, the past two years of data. This year’s grand was a highly publicized one, inlarceny total was up 25 percent compared to volving the death of Mark Carson, 2011, while petty larceny was up 15.8 percent a 32-year-old gay man, near the and felony assault was up 19.8 percent ver- corner of W. Eighth St. and Sixth sus two years ago. Ave. The department’s recently launched inPolice quickly arrested Elliot teractive crime map, which is also available Morales, 33, accusing him of the online, shows that the majority of the Sixth allegedly homophobia-laced, fatal Precinct’s grand larcenies this year were lo- shooting. Morales, after pleadcalized to three areas: around the New York ing not guilty, is still on trial for University campus, just below Washington second-degree murder as a hate Square Park; around the Sheridan Square crime, among other charges. intersection, near the No. 1 subway train enOver in the East Village, the trance and around Christopher St. and Sev- Ninth Precinct this year reported The Police Department’s interactive map shows a high volume of crime in the Meatpacking District this enth Ave. South; and nightclubs in the Meat- overall felony crime totals that year, represented by the larger circles in the image’s upper left corner. The largest circles signify 24 packing District. were, as of Dec. 22, almost identito 34 crimes, while the smallest ones show locations of only one to three crimes. In particular, trendy Meatpacking District cal to those of 2012. clubs such as Cielo, at 18 Little W. 12th St., The precinct saw similarly sizand Tenjune, at 26 Little W. 12th St., featured able increases in both grand larceny, which enue D, while most of the rest were spread side by E. Houston St. and on the west side prominently in this newspaper’s weekly Po- was up 10 percent (with a total of 874 inci- throughout Alphabet City, with only a few of by Allen St. In that area there was still a slight increase lice Blotter in 2013, played host to numerous dents), and petty larceny, which was up 9.2 these taking place west of First Ave., accordin theft — grand larceny rose by 3.5 percent, ing to N.Y.P.D. data. purse, wallet and cell phone thefts. percent (with a total of 1,570 incidents). Numbers for other major crimes in that and petty larceny rose by 3.1 percent — but That area around the Meatpacking clubs Those grand larcenies were relatively most other crimes were down. Rape dewas also a relative hot spot for assault, along spread out within the precinct’s coverage area were way down. As of Dec. 22, the precinct reported a 20 creased by 67 percent, burglary decreased by with similar establishments in the South Vil- area — between Houston and 14th Sts., east lage, according to the N.Y.P.D. crime map. of Broadway — but N.Y.P.D. data show that percent decrease in robbery, a 13.8 percent 26.4 percent, felony assault decreased by 11.2 Perhaps the most memorable Meatpack- a large chunk of them took place either along decrease in burglary, and a 13.4 percent de- percent and robbery decreased by 2.1 pering assault took place in November, when Astor Place, or on the several blocks north of crease in felony assault compared to stats cent, according to police statistics. However, 2013 was bookended by two fafamed jewelry designer James de Givenchy it. The area around E. Fourth St. and Bowery from the previous year. tal shootings within public housing developIn addition, the precinct reported five was arrested following his alleged attack on was also somewhat of a hot spot for theft, a police officer on W. 13th St. Cops were tow- according to the data. And perhaps surpris- shooting incidents over the past year, but ments in the precinct. In January, 16-year-old Raphael Ward was ing de Givenchy’s Mercedes-Benz when he ingly, Tompkins Square Park averaged only only one murder, in July, which also took reportedly went out of control and punched several thefts per month, even during the place along Avenue D, between E. Eighth and gunned down near the corner of Rivington and Columbia Sts., steps away from his Ninth Sts., according to online police data. an officer in the face — after a taser had no summer months. In Little Italy and Chinatown, the Fifth home in Baruch Houses, reportedly after a effect on the jeweler — forcing other officers The Ninth Precinct also saw a slight into mace de Givenchy several times in order crease in rape (17 total incidents, compared Precinct reported a slight decrease in overall dispute over a winter jacket. Although they still haven’t caught the alto subdue him. to 15 in 2012), and misdemeanor sex crimes felony crimes, although there was once again leged shooter in that incident, police shortly an upward trend in thefts. But totals for other major crimes in the (24 incidents, compared to 22 in 2012). SevThe Fifth Precinct saw a 10 percent rise in afterward arrested Timothy Montalvo, 16, Village have gone down this year, with the eral of those rapes took place within the nuSixth Precinct reporting, as of Dec. 22, a 43 merous public housing buildings along Av- grand larceny compared to 2012, with a to- who later admitted to supplying the gun tal of 584 incidents, and a 3.7 percent rise in used in the shooting. Montalvo, who is still petty larceny, with a total of 1,260 incidents as on trial, was subsequently charged with murof Dec. 22, according to police statistics. Mis- der and criminal possession of a weapon. And in November, George Taliferro, 30, demeanor sex crimes were also up by 27.6 died after being shot three times on a St. James percent, with a total of 37 incidents. We Want You But, as with the surrounding precincts, Place walkway at Smith Houses. As this To See Clearly Now! most felony crimes fell, with rape decreasing newspaper reported in the weeks following NEW OGY serving the community since 1958 L by 58.3 percent, burglary decreasing by 33 that incident, it raised concerns among some O N S TECH ING AID percent and robbery decreasing by 16 percent. of the development’s residents over whether R E A L PLEASE CALL E B H ILA AVA Shooting incidents also decreased in Little or not the murder of Taliferro — who was FOR APPOINTMENT! Italy and Chinatown, with only two inci- raised in Smith Houses but at that point lived Wednesdays from 11 - 6 pm dents occurring in the precinct as of Dec. 22, in a Brooklyn development — was related to Includes full comprehensive eye exam compared to four in 2012. There were three a turf war between certain Manhattan and SEN & fittings for contact lenses murders reported, equaling the total for the Brooklyn public housing residents. DISC IOR Taliferro’s alleged shooter, Christopher previous year. OUN AVA T 212-243-4884 Over all, felony crimes dropped most Delrosario, 19, a Smith Houses resident, was ILAB S LE www.visionandhearing.net www w.visionandhearing.net w.visionandhearing.net significantly this past year within the Sev- arrested several days after the incident and enth Precinct, which covers the corner of the was charged with second-degree murder 223 West 14th (between 7th and 8th Aves.) New York, NY 10011 Lower East Side that is bounded on the north and criminal possession of a weapon. CRIME, continued from p. 1

ECONOMY BEST VISION & HEARING

January 2, 2014

TheVillager.com

Christmas trees’ second coming: Mulch

POLICE BLOTTER Teen mugging team

Police arrested Rasheen Johnson, 26, and two teenage boys on Dec. 25 after they allegedly attacked a woman near the W. Fourth St. subway station and tried to steal her purse. The woman, 50, said she was walking on Waverly Place toward the station, around 9:40 p.m., when four people grabbed her, pulled her head down and punched and kicked her in the face. After attempting to rip her bag away, the perpetrators reportedly fled north on Sixth Ave., after which the woman reported the incident and received medical attention at the scene for swelling to her face and cuts to her knees. Cops canvassed the area, and hours later were able to identify and apprehend Johnson and the two boys, ages 14 and 15 — but the fourth suspect remains at large. Johnson and the two teens were charged with attempted robbery.

Drunk driving and bribing

Nader Ibrahim, 27, was arrested early on Sun., Dec. 29, after driving drunk on W. Houston St., police said. Cops pulled over Ibrahim, who was behind the wheel of a 2004 BMW, near the street’s intersection with Washington St., around 1:20 a.m., and said they quickly noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Although he told the officers he had only had “a few beers” that night, Ibrahim was shown to have a .10 blood alcohol percentage after taking a breathalyzer test at the scene — and he later blew a .12 after being taken back to the precinct, police said. Once he was in custody, Ibrahim dug himself another hole by attempting to pay off three officers with $1,000 each in exchange for his release, according to police. So, in addition to DWI, he was charged with bribing a public servant.

No dancing in transit! Police arrested Shamik Watson, 20, and Andrew Washington, 18, on Fri., Dec. 27, after they began breakdancing on a crowded subway train. A plainclothes officer was riding the northbound A train as it pulled into the

TheVillager.com

BY HEATHER DUBIN

W. Fourth St. station around 12:30 p.m., when Watson and Washington got on. The two men then started playing loud music through a boom box and proceeded to dance and somersault across the train, after which the cop shut down their performance due to safety concerns, according to the police report. Watson and Washington were charged with reckless endangerment.

An ‘L’ of a beating Anthony Doddo, 20, was arrested early on Dec. 28 after he allegedly attacked a man on a subway platform near the Meatpacking District. The victim, 35, told cops he was waiting for an L train at the W. 14th St. and Eighth Ave. station, around 2:15 a.m. when, following a dispute with Doddo, he was suddenly pummeled. Doddo reportedly pulled the man to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked him, until officers responded to reports of the incident and apprehended the aggressor. The injured man was treated at the scene by medics for bruising and swelling to his head and legs, police said. Doddo was charged with assault and harassment.

Car prowler busted Police arrested Martin Garcia, 36, on Dec. 28 after he allegedly tried to break into a car on West St. Witnesses told police they first spotted Garcia around 3:30 p.m., as he was looking into various vehicles along the street, and said he eventually stopped at one parked between Perry and W. 11th Sts. Garcia then reportedly tried to gain entry to the car by forcing an unknown object into one of its windows, but fled the scene after the attempt was unsuccessful. Responding to witnesses’ reports, cops quickly canvassed the area and caught Garcia minutes later. He was charged with attempted auto stripping.

Sam Spokony

he holiday season has come to a close, but your increasingly brittle Christmas tree can still serve a useful purpose, provided you remove it from your apartment. This past Monday, the Department of Sanitation began its annual curbside pickup of Christmas trees, which continues through Jan. 15. After you have taken all the trimmings, lights and ornaments off your tree, leave it unbagged on the curb for collection. Trees will be transported by Sanitation to its facility on Staten Island to be chipped and turned into compost. According to Kathy Dawkins, an agency spokesperson, the compost is available next spring, and will be spread on parks, ball fields and community gardens citywide. Last year’s post-holiday haul was about 147,000 tan-

nenbaums, equal to about 1,200 tons of trees. Another option is to bring your ornament-free tree to a local park on Jan. 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for MulchFest 2014, sponsored by the Parks Department. Chippers will be set up at this annual event to process trees into wood chips and mulch. You can even take home your own bag of mulch for your window box or rooftop garden, or create a winter bed for a street tree on a New York City sidewalk. Trained Parks employees will monitor each site in the five boroughs. Local spots include Tompkins Square, Washington Square and Union Square parks and Stuyvesant Town. This “treecyle!” opportunity mulched over 26,000 trees last year. Phil Abramson, a Parks Department spokesman, said the city hopes to top that number this year. For more information visit milliontreesnyc.org.

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January 2, 2014

Al Goldstein, 77, porn pioneer, free-speech advocate OBITUARIES BY ALBERT AMATEAU

l Goldstein, who pioneered the commercialization of pornography with Screw magazine, which he co-founded in 1968, died Dec. 19 in a Brooklyn nursing home where he spent the last several months of his life. Goldstein was 77. By the time Screw folded in 2003, pornography was a $10 billion mainstream industry, but Goldstein was virtually homeless and the fortune he had made was gone. Along the way, he was arrested for obscenity, lost and won First Amendment cases and more recently was convicted of harassing one of his ex-wives. Goldstein had started several other magazines, but all failed. Some of the titles included Death, Smut, Cigar and Mobster Times, according to a Page One obituary in The New York Times by Andy Newman. Goldstein also ran “Midnight Blue,” a cable TV show, but it too folded. In September 2004, considerably slimmed down from his top weight of 350 pounds after some hard times, Goldstein began what he hoped would be the beginning of a new career when he landed a job as the host of the 2nd Ave. Deli, at its former longtime location on E. 10th St. In an article at the time by Mary Reinholz in The Villager, he commented on his new job, saying, “I love it because I’ve always preferred food to sex. It doesn’t tell me I’m not big enough. It doesn’t take my house and it doesn’t take a testicle. So for

Al Goldstein.

me, as I walk by windows of food, it’s better than being in a topless bar.” Jack Lebewohl, owner of the restaurant since the unsolved 1966 murder of his older brother Abe, who had been an old pal of Goldstein’s from Brooklyn, told Reinholz how he came to give Al the job. Goldstein was living in a Manhattan homeless shelter after losing his palatial home in Florida, and was accompanied by a film crew recording his misadventures, when they walked into the deli near E. 10th St. Goldstein asked Lebewohl for a job. “I cried and said my life was over and Jack said, ‘What would my brother do?’ And he hired me on the spot,” Goldstein told Reinholz. “Ninety-five percent of your friends abandon you. Jack is one of the 3 percent of the people who stayed with me,” Goldstein said.

Lebewohl told Reinholz that he first met Goldstein in the 1970s when his brother Abe catered a gigantic party at Plato’s Retreat, a swingers club on the Upper West Side where patrons were encouraged to get stark naked. The affair was Goldstein’s celebration of an acquittal on an obscenity charge. In 2002 Goldstein was convicted in Brooklyn Criminal Court of harassing a former secretary with telephone threats. The conviction was later overturned. But Goldstein later pleaded guilty to harassing his fourth wife by publishing her phone number in Screw and urging readers to call her, alleging that she turned his son, a Harvard Law School graduate, against him. Goldstein by that time had married for the fifth time and was living in Queens, but a few years later the couple became estranged. Lebewohl told Reinholz that Goldstein was “an excellent host” with a future in food service and catering. But in November 2004, the honeymoon was over. Goldstein lost his job at 2nd Ave. Deli over a difference of opinion. Nevertheless, Lebewohl said, “We parted friends.” Alvin Goldstein was born Jan. 10, 1936, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to Sam and Gertrude Goldstein. His father was a newspaper photographer. Al served in the Army, went to Pace College where he headed the debate team, and for a while was a photographer like his father. According to the Times obituary, Al Goldstein photographed Jacqueline Kennedy on a 1962 state visit to Pakistan and took unauthorized photos of Raul Castro, for which he spent several days in a Cuban jail. In his 2006 autobiography, “I, Goldstein, My Screwed Life,” he blamed a meek father and an adulterous mother for his

Helen Libutti, 91, ‘Zeppole Lady’

psychological complexes, according to the Times obituary. Before he found pornography, his pursuits included running a dime-pitch game at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, selling carpets and driving a cab, according to a book by Gay Talese quoted in Newman’s Times obituary. At one time, Goldstein got a job spying on a labor union that he had infiltrated. The experience outraged him and inspired him to write an exposé for the New York Free Press. He became friends with Jim Buckley, one of the Press’s editors and persuaded him to join him in a magazine covering the underground sex scene. The first issue of the new Screw in November 1968 was 12 pages of reviews of blue movies and porno bookstores, nude photos and Goldstein’s personal tests of an artificial vagina. Goldstein claimed the circulation hit 100,000 but it was never audited. He visited the city’s so-called “massage parlors” and reported on their services in the early 1970s. A 1973 issue with what purported to be a frontally nude photo of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sold a reported 500,000 copies. Over the decades, Goldstein was the target of obscenity charges. His defense lawyers argued that Screw’s relentless articles against censorship made the magazine sufficiently political to be protected by the First Amendment. One suit was overturned and another ended in a hung jury. However, as pornography became more mainstream following Screw’s lead, the magazine’s dominance in sex advertising declined. In Reinholz’s 2004 article in The Villager, Goldstein said Screw folded “…because the Internet will give you all the porn you want.”

Worker falls, and work stalled at God’s Love We Deliver site BY LINCOLN ANDERSON

BY ALBERT AMATEAU

elen Libutti, known for years as “The Zeppole Lady” because she sold the delicacy at the San Gennaro and St. Anthony festivals in Greenwich Village, died Nov. 22 at the age of 91. Born and raised in the Village, she was for the last four months of her life in a Long Island nursing home, where she died, according to her daughter Jacqueline Malki. “My mother was very lively and stylish. She was a Miss Subways in the 1940s, but her real claim to fame was ‘The Zeppole Lady,’ ” her daughter said. “She even had a couple of scenes in the Dom DeLuise movie ‘Fatso’ selling zeppole.” Born to Jack and Susan Comora, Helen attended elementary school at St. Peter’s School on Barclay St. The family was living on Spring St. “Her father was a dockworker and her mother was a cleaning lady. Her brother was a dockworker, too,” Malki said. “She was married in St. Peter’s twice, the first time to Fortunato Scordino, who died in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1957. I was 2 years old. Later, my mother got married to Donato Libutti, a friend of my father’s.

January 2, 2014

They both had been in the Army,” Malki said. She added, “The story goes that my father heard while he was in the Army that my mother was dating a dentist, so [Libutti] went AWOL to marry her.” Donato Libutti, known as Frankie, died in 2009. “My mother was a waitress but she didn’t work much, except for the zeppole,” Malki added. “But she took care of my son, Adam, and never missed a day.” Helen Libutti. Perazzo Funeral Home, 199 Bleecker St., was in charge of arrangements. The funeral was at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, at Carmine and Bleecker Sts. Her burial was in Calverton National Cemetery, Long Island, next to her husband.

n Thurs., Dec. 26, a Fire Department Emergency Medical Service ambulance responded to 166 Avenue of the Americas, at Spring St., the God’s Love We Deliver headquarters building, after it was reported that a person had fallen at the scene, where the G.L.W.D. building is being expanded vertically. A Fire Department spokesperson said that one person was transported to Bellevue Hospital. Harry Pincus, a neighbor who lives across the street, reported on Dec. 26, “At about 1 p.m. this afternoon, there was an accident at the God’s Love We Deliver site, and a worker was removed on a stretcher. I don’t know if there is a stop-work order, but there ought to be. The Spring St. subway entrance is completely exposed to heavy demolition work on the roof of God’s Love We Deliver, which includes jackhammering of brick walls.” In fact — in response to a complaint received on Dec. 27 — a partial stop-work order for the address is listed on the Department of Buildings Web site, with the description: “SECTION OF S/W SHED IS MISSING RIGHT ABOVE SUBWAY ENTRANCE. WORK DOES NOT CONFORM TO APPROVED PLANS.”

TheVillager.com

Rogue trucks running rampant on W. 15th St., residents charge BY SAM SPOKONY

brief bump in police enforcement earlier this year hasn’t gotten the job done when it comes to stopping illegal truck traffic on W. 15th St., residents say. Now, they’re calling for a much more thorough effort to tackle the problem. “My understanding at this point, based on the way police have responded, is that enforcement against the trucks actually happens on only one or two days of the year,” said Stanley Bulbach, president of the W. 15th St. 100 and 200 Block Association. “But the trucks aren’t being deterred, so I really think it needs more sustained enforcement.” Chelsea’s 10th Precinct has been directing its highway safety officers to “pay more attention” to the rogue truckers, who often use W. 15th St., between Sixth and Eighth Aves., as a shortcut to bypass congestion on the legal route of 14th St. The precinct’s decision was prompted by complaints from block residents who were being woken up late at night by the rumbling trucks, and who were also worried about the overweight vehicles damaging a high-pressure gas main and an asbestos-covered steam pipe under the street. The 10th Precinct responded by ticketing 21 trucks for use of illegal routes in the month of October — throughout Chelsea, not just on W. 15th St. But, as Bulbach noted, that seems to have been the only real spike in enforcement for the entire year. Between the end of October and Dec. 25, the precinct wrote only six more illegal trucking tickets throughout all of Chelsea — with a total of 79 tickets for the whole year up to Christmas, according to police statistics. That’s an average of less than seven tickets per month across the precinct’s roughly 25 miles of roadway, which includes other frequently used truck shortcuts like W. 19th and W. 22nd Sts. And the 13th Precinct — which borders the 10th Precinct at the corner of W. 15th St. and Seventh Ave., and so splits coverage of the 100 and 200 blocks — wrote only 50 illegal truck tickets for the whole year, up to Dec. 25, according to police. That’s an average of just slightly more than four tickets per month throughout that entire precinct, which also covers the Flatiron District, Kips Bay and Stuyvesant Town. When W. 15th St. resident Janet Charleston heard those statistics, she expressed the same frustrations felt by Bulbach and many other neighbors. “The problem is still getting worse and worse, and that number of tickets definitely isn’t enough,” said Charleston. The total of 129 illegal truck tickets between

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the two precincts “could’ve been given out on 15th St. alone,” she said. She explained that, among other incidents, she has been woken up between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. by several trucks — sometimes five or more — barreling down the small street, which is made even narrower by a bike lane. Charleston raised the issue at a Community Board 4 Transportation Committee meeting on Dec. 18, after which the committee drafted a letter calling on both the 10th and 13th Precincts to step up enforcement. That letter — which still needs to be approved at the C.B. 4 full board meeting on Jan. 6 — cites strong collaborative work that took place between police, the board and block residents in 2007 and 2008, leading to a sharp decrease in illegal truck traffic. Another problem with enforcement may stem from the city’s Department of Transportation, which allegedly lets many ticketed truckers off the hook. Bulbach said he was recently told by Captain David Miller, 10th Precinct commanding officer, that many tickets his officers had written were being dismissed by the courts, because of “waivers” granted by D.O.T. to any vehicles related to nearby construction. “That could be another reason why the truck drivers aren’t concerned about being stopped,” said Bulbach, who noted the numerous recent construction projects along his street. A D.O.T. spokesperson denied granting exceptions for trucks in that manner, though he said the agency does, in fact, issue waivers for “exceptional cases,” such as Hurricane Sandy reconstruction projects. Meanwhile, at press time, it was still unclear whom Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will choose to replace current D.O.T. Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Khan has been criticized by some — alongside outgoing Mayor Bloomberg — for the agency’s having a poor relationship with local communities in recent years. De Blasio has, in fact, asked some current commissioners to stay on for a while after he takes office Jan. 1, according to the Daily News. However, de Blasio’s team didn’t specify which commissioners would be asked to continue, and which would soon be replaced. But the transition team has told at least some city agencies that a decision on new leadership is not imminent, the News reported. In November, it was reported that Margaret Forgione, D.O.T.’s Manhattan borough commissioner, was a top candidate being considered for D.O.T. chief, along with First Deputy Commissioner Lori Ardito. Last week, one high-level political insider told this newspaper Forgione is still rumored to be the frontrunner.

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January 2, 2014

Named best weekly newspaper in New York State in 2001, 2004 and 2005 by New York Press Association PUBLISHER JENNIFER GOODSTEIN

EDITOR IN CHIEF LINCOLN ANDERSON

ARTS EDITOR

SCOTT STIFFLER

REPORTERS

HEATHER DUBIN SAM SPOKONY

CONTRIBUTORS IRA BLUTREICH TERESE LOEB KREUZER JEFFERSON SIEGEL JERRY TALLMER

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SENIOR DESIGNER PHOTO BY MILO HESS

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SCENE

On Monday morning Dec. 23, looking across from Tribeca toward Jersey City, it was so foggy on the Hudson River that the waterway wasn’t visible — while a tugboat looked like some sort of phantom vessel, with only its top showing.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ALLISON GREAKER MIKE O’BRIEN ANDREW REGIER REBECCA ROSENTHAL JULIO TUMBACO

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Member of the New York Press Association

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Gruber a BID off… To The Editor: Re “Meatpacking BID is cooking” (news article, Dec. 26): David Gruber misstates BID rules, as business improvement districts can tax residential properties, but normally at a lower rate than commercial properties. Douglas Durst

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January 2, 2014

In addition to effective enforcement, the League of Women Voters of New York State urges lower contribution limits, elimination of loopholes, robust disclosure and a small-donor match public financing system of elections, all of which are recommended by the Moreland Commission.

Our current campaign finance system negatively affects democratic engagement. It is up to the governor to make reform of Albany’s ways a top priority during the upcoming session. Mary L. Jenkins Arthur Schiff

Rosemary Shields Jenkins is co-president, New York City League of Women Voters; Schiff and Shields are the league’s campaign finance reform co-chairpersons

LETTERS, continued on p. 20

EVAN FORSCH

Campaign oversight To The Editor: Governor Cuomo must lead the charge toward accomplishing the reforms advanced by his Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. A critical step is to get rid of the State Board of Elections’ woeful oversight of the campaign financing system. New Yorkers deserve an independent and nonpartisan watchdog.

TheVillager.com

Oh, I give up: Let’s just surrender to monarch mania TALKING POINT BY ALPHIE MCCOURT

Surely, we can find a royal cousin willing to take the job.

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petual war, “over there,” our no-fault insurance against ever having to bear responsibility for the bottomless chasm at home. We can bow our heads in tribute to the Founding Fathers and still ensure that privilege takes precedence. But it’s all so dull and temptation is great. We’re human, after all, and, as Oscar Wilde said, the best way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. So why not kill two stones with one bird, keep our simulacrum of democracy — and get us a monarch to top it off? You can lease a car, a jet or rent an escort. Why not a king or a queen? Our monarch should be English. An English-speaking king or queen will cement “the special relationship.” As a rental, the monarch’s status will not violate the Constitution and, since he or she is only a temp, we will not have to pay retirement or other benefits. Surely, we can find a royal cousin willing to take the job. (Harry would be terrific — but a royal, wearing two crowns, would raise constitutional issues). The monarch’s term of office would run for no more than eight years, in accordance with the term limits imposed on the president. Lend-lease worked well during the war. Rent-ARoyal should work equally well. We gain a cornerstone for our new and im-

PHOTO BY SAM SPOKONY

rince Harry toured the States last May: He came, he saw, he conquered. Men admire him. Women love him. His mother Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris in 1998. In our friends’ house, in Pennsylvania, we learned that she had been badly injured and, later, that she was dead. I was sad. My wife was deeply disturbed. She continued to watch the television coverage of the tragedy. I went on up to bed. When I came down in the morning she was already transfixed by the news footage. Diana was stylish and glamorous, her good works praiseworthy. I was deeply saddened, especially because of her youth and beauty, but I felt no connection. I tried to articulate all this but my brain was still sleeping. “Oh, is she still dead?” was what came out of my mouth. In an awkward moment I had uttered a stupid and seemingly callous remark. It was not what I meant to say. Some months later, I asked Lynn why women feel so strongly about Diana. “Women have few heroes,” she said. “Diana was a superstar, superhero and — an English princess.” Let’s face it: We have “a thing” for the English. We admire them and condescend to them in equal measure. We are also intimidated by them. Public television depends heavily on British programming. During the 1970s, the long-running series “Upstairs, Downstairs” fed our fascination with the English upper classes and their servants. “Downton Abbey” is our latest craze. Set on a large estate, it has an English lord and his American wife as central characters. The English are forever fascinated by the First World War. And with good reason. “Downton” begins before the outbreak of that war, continues on through and chronicles the changes that took place in English society after the war. We are no less fascinated. The English yearn for the days when everyone in England was English, when people knew their place, when honor — and order — prevailed. Who would begrudge our own yearning for a dash of nobility and honor, of style, even? Blue and red, absolutists all, we are stuck between lockstep liberals and fevered fundamentalists. Is it any wonder that we look to the “Downton Ab-

bey” of another time for order, stability and clarity? Good old-fashioned openness in government has given way to something called transparency. Our leaders travel in bulletproof vehicles with tinted windows — all in the interest of security, we are assured. There is no access to our leaders. “Money makes women horny,” Willie Nelson once said, a quote he attributed to Ray Price. It takes a king’s ransom to run for office, and payback is a you-knowwhat. And so, money also buys access. What can we do? Well, we could burnish the illusion that ours is a fair system with liberty and justice for all. But why bother, when we have a de facto aristocracy already in place and the poor are relearning their proper place, while the shrinking middle class juggles the mortgage for all. And we are blessed with a virtual guarantee of per-

SCENE

The sound of Jim Hall still reverberates through the Village. Hall, the legendary jazz guitarist who died earlier this month at 83, was given a very personal tribute last Thursday night at a concert by the guitarist Peter Bernstein, above, who was once Hall’s student at The New School. The gig was at Smalls, on W. 10th St. Bernstein was leading a quartet — featuring vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Billy Drummond — when he decided to play an old jazz standard, “My Ideal.” “It’s a tune that Jim taught me,” Bernstein told the crowd. Hall, he said, was “a towering figure, who stood for all the good things in life and music.” Before he began, Bernstein noted that Smalls is just a few blocks from the W. 12th St. building where Hall lived for around four decades until his death on Dec. 10. And as he swung through the tune, Bernstein seemed to channel the melodic spirit of his old teacher, providing a comforting sense that the master guitarist’s memory truly will remain embedded, forever, within the storied neighborhood’s fabric.

proved democracy: Britain saves a ton of money on the upkeep of one royal. To distinguish ours from the British monarch, HRH, Her Royal Highness, our King/Queen will be dubbed His/ Her Royal Rented Highness — HRRH. HRRH will spend two-thirds of the year in the royal castles in Disney World and Disneyland. The remaining few months will be spent traveling to Minnesota, for the ice fishing or to New York, for the shopping, as the case may be. The Department of Royal Maintenance will administer the royal affairs. HRRH will never appear in Congress, though he or she may ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, upon request. Monarch and consort will dress in ceremonial attire a few times a year. Politicians, power brokers and their consorts will join them and dress accordingly. Once a year, HRRH will dine at the White House. Horse and carriage will be the mode of transportation on these occasions. Soon the leaders of the blue and red parties will forswear their divisive ways and readily appropriate a ton of money to maintain the royal establishments. The rich will grow richer, the privileged more privileged and the poor even more impoverished. Our stars will be perfectly aligned. And what of the citizen? The citizen will keep his head down. Days, nights

and weekends he will toil, multitasking, doing three jobs, thankful to be paid for one. Distracted by foreign wars and royal spectacle at home, he will appear not to notice his enslavement to ever-longer working hours. And the disappearance of his children’s opportunities into the maw of the 21st century. The monarch, meanwhile, will attend the Super Bowl, with retinue in tow. Or imagine HRRH at the Kentucky Derby, knee deep in old money and fawned upon by the chosen. The Yeas and Nays of democracy will soon be drowned out by the Oohs and Aahs of our royalist fantasies. HRRH will captivate the men and wow the women. In our indifference to the corruption of our democratic tradition, we will be united. Political discourse will die and dissent become but a distant memory. What now of the citizen? The citizen has been silent, yes, but he is never indifferent. Weary, now, of frippery and sick and tired of war, he will soon rise up at the ballot box. Vote N.O.T.A. — NONE OF THE ABOVE (or throw the bums out) — will be his battle cry. Then, with regret (for the monarch is a good guy and a Yankees fan), he will fire the royal (with a year ’s notice, a good reference and, of course, a decent severance package). And we will start afresh. January 2, 2014

Making a stand for an embattled vendor’s newsstand

Another rally in support of Jerry Delakas was held on Saturday outside his recently shuttered Astor Place newsstand. Delakas ran the newsstand for more than 25 years. But the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs padlocked it last month — in the waning days of the Bloomberg administration — charging that Delakas does not hold a proper license to operate the stand. Speaking before last Saturday’s rally, Delakas said he appreciates the community coming to his aid. “The support is very strong,” he said. “It’s a great example of Americans holding hands and opening their arms and hearts for the needy.” A week earlier, more than 100 supporters, including Reverend Billy, gathered to show their support. There is even a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/savejerrysnewsstand. It remains to be seen if the longtime vendor will be given a reprieve and allowed to stay on under the administration of new Mayor Bill de Blasio.

PHOTOS BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL

Jerry Delakas, above, and top center, at Saturday’s rally outside his closed Astor Place newsstand.

January 2, 2014

TheVillager.com

What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2014? Interviews at Christopher and Hudson Sts.

PHOTOS BY SAM SPOKONY

Melissa Zollo:

Tom Ruff (with his dog, Tank):

Andrea Christensen:

“To embrace inspiration, live joyfully and use my imagination constructively.”

“No resolution, but I just want to support peace on Earth.”

“To work on more creative projects outside of my job [at the Spike TV network], and maybe to start a blog.”

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January 2, 2014

Conservancy to give update to C.B. 2 Parks Committee WASHINGTON SQUARE, continued from p. 1

‘It’s not their job to be the vehicle for public complaints.’ David Gruber

the full board of C.B. 2 to vote on, but will instead give a “progress report.” At this recent sit-down, held at the C.B. 2 office, Gruber asked the conservancy members about whether they would conform to a stipulation in C.B. 2’s advisory resolution from last June in which the board approved the conservancy — namely, that the conservancy include in its bylaws

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

the hot dog vendors before the conservancy.” Gruber added that the Dosa Man’s contract was up, as well, and he had to go through a competitive bidding process just to get a renewal to keep serving his Indian-style potato pancakes on the park’s southern edge. As for Melt, the upscale ice cream sandwich that is now slated to get a vending spot in the park, Gruber said his understanding is that Melt has a concession on the High Line and “has been a good vendor.” That vendor-centric conversation was followed up by a more-extensive sit-down between Gruber and the respective chairperson and vice chairperson of the C.B. 2 Parks Committee, Rich Caccappolo and Susanna Aaron, with the members of the conservancy’s steering committee. Before the meeting, without getting into specifics, Gruber told The Villager, “They have to answer to us on the record on a few things that we’re not happy about.” The upshot is that the conservancy members will come to the C.B. 2 Parks Committee meeting on Wed., Feb. 5, to address the concerns. According to Aaron, at the meeting, the conservancy will give an “update” on its activities. For its part, the Parks Committee won’t issue a resolution for

Although the Washington Square Park Christmas tree is probably a bit too large to be put through a portable mulcher, New Yorkers can take their smaller versions to select city parks on Sat., Jan. 11, and Sun., Jan. 12, for mulching, which helps ease the pickup load on the city’s Department of Sanitation.

that it will “appear periodically (or at the request of either W.S.P.C. or C.B. 2) before the community board to apprise the community of its plans and activities… .” However, Gruber two weeks ago told The Villager that he now understands that this stipulation is, in fact, really more of a “policy” matter than something that would be inserted in the nonprofit group’s bylaws. Betsey Ely, the conservancy’s chairperson, told The Villager in an e-mail, “Yes, W.S.P.C. will appear from time to time before C.B. 2 and has already discussed returning in the near term.” Asked if the conservancy would appear before the board “periodically,” as the board suggested, such as, say, every couple of months, Ely said, “We have no set schedule and will appear as needed — if the conservancy has something to communicate, or [if] requested by C.B. 2.” In addition, the conservancy recently agreed to post its bylaws on its Web site. (The Villager posted the conservancy’s bylaws on its own Web site, thevillager.com, early last month.) That the conservancy should post its bylaws online was another stipulation of C.B. 2’s June resolution giving its O.K. to the fledgling fundraising vehicle. Various e-mail correspondence between the conservancy and Parks was obtained by Cathryn Swan — who maintains the Washington Square Park Blog — through a Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL, request. Gruber, however, said he’s not ready “to connect the

CUBBYHOLE HAPPY NEW YEAR!

dots” the way Swan does, in terms of what may be inferred from some of the online exchanges. Speaking at the Dec. 19 C.B. 2 full board meeting, Gruber said he told the conservancy members at the sit-down that he does not want them taking people’s complaints — about supposedly “unsightly” hot dog vendors, for example — and forwarding them to the Parks Department. Veronica Bulgari, the conservancy’s president, has been quoted saying the conservancy was told by some locals that the hot dog vendors were an “unsightly” presence near the park’s iconic, much-photographed arch. The conservancy’s Ely specifically cited George Vellonakis, who designed the park’s recent renovation, as someone who did not relish the frankfurter carts’ appearance. But Bulgari has said the conservancy simply suggested shifting the dirty-water dogs to another part of the square. “It was not in their agreement that they would be a conduit for complaints — which they readily agreed to,” Gruber pointed out. “It wasn’t part of what C.B. 2 O.K.’d.” Speaking after the Dec. 19 full board meeting, Gruber reiterated regarding the conservancy, “It’s not their job to be the vehicle for public complaints. It should be C.B. 2 or Parks [that fields such complaints].” There remains the still-simmering question of whether wieners are, in fact, “banned” from Washington Square Park. Phil Abramson, a Parks spokesperson, said that’s not the case at all. “There is certainly no ban,” he told The Villager. “We’re currently looking at everything and haven’t yet decided how many more vendors there may be in addition to the three specialty carts.” The three specialty carts include the Dosa Man, Melt and Mario Batali’s gelato cart. Batali was recently appointed to the conservancy’s board. “We will be assessing the public’s desires for what foods they would like to see in Washington Square as we determine what mobile foods — including hot dogs — may be offered, and where in the park they will be located, moving forward,” Abramson explained. “The contracts for [the park’s two] hot dog carts expire on Dec. 31, 2013,” Abramson said. “When pushcart contracts expire, we don’t automatically renew — we instead issue a request for bids where any vendor can submit a bid to sell on a spot, and the highest bid gets it. The specialty food carts (like Dosa Man) are selected through a separate R.F.P. (request for proposals), where we seek out other specialty food items.” Asked when and how the community would be involved in helping select new food vendors for the park, Abramson said, “If we do decide to issue a new request for bids next year that includes Washington Square Park locations, then we’ll notify and seek feedback from the community board.” In a lengthy e-mail, Aaron, the C.B. 2 Parks Committee vice chairperson, offered her take on the conservancy flap. “My sense of the Washington Square Park Conservancy is that their purposes are well-intentioned,” Aaron said. WASHINGTON SQUARE, continued on p. 21

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Silver Screen Gold Medals From blockbusters to auteurs, 2013 delivered tantly, the Coens enlisted T. Bone Burnett (music supervisor for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) to provide the soul of the film by recreating the sounds of the New York Folk scene of the 60s. As much an examination of a complicated, prickly protagonist as it is a meditation on grief and the power of performance, “Inside Llewyn Davis” makes an excellent addition to the Coens’ stellar filmography.

BY SEAN EGAN

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

From a smattering of quality indie pictures to some big-budget spectacles to new work from celebrated auteurs and prestige pictures that actually delivered, there was something for everyone in 2013. The films were of generally high quality this year, making “best of” picks more a matter of personal preference than usual. With that disclaimer, I present, in descending order, my top twenty films of 2013.

HER

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS TheVillager.com

Joaquin Phoenix stars in “Her,” a love story about a man and his computer.

CBS FILMS

Spike Jonze’s fourth feature film is ostensibly a romantic comedy. But as with everything the director’s done, nothing’s ever quite that simple. Set in the near future, Joaqiun Phoenix (delivering a performance as good as any in his distinguished career) stars as Theodore Twombly — a man who falls in love with Samantha, a highly sophisticated operating system with rapidly developing artificial intelligence (voiced by never-better Scarlett Johansson). It’s a concept that sounds crazy, if not too far-fetched — and Jonze treats his story, his characters and their emotions seriously. This being a Jonze film, it’s also wildly inventive visually, artfully shot and has an abundance of wicked bold ideas. What is most surprising, however, is how unabashedly, nakedly emotional it is. Certainly Jonze’s most immediate and affecting film to date, “Her” aims squarely at your emotional core, and hits both the belly laughs and the gut punches with impressive force. In every way, “Her” is thoroughly beautiful and, yes, human — and the year’s best.

Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake and Adam Driver jam out in the Coens’ “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

The tale of the titular down on his luck folk singer plays out as a kind of amalgamation of aspects of many different Coen films. It’s got the somber atmosphere and dark comedy of “A Serious Man,” the icy

wintertime cinematography of “Fargo” and the episodic shaggy dog structure of “The Big Lebowski” (and Walter Sobchack himself, John Goodman, in a standout supporting role). Most impor-

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

This tense, raw, unfiltered look at how love progresses is the best entry in writer/director Richard Linklater’s “Before” series. The previous two (highly romantic) films chronicled the development of the relationship between Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, also co-writers) over the course of the decade — while “Midnight” finds them nine years later, together and with kids. The draw of the film, as always, is the long, sparkling dialogues and the chemistry between Hawke and Delpy. Unlike the previous films, this one is dark — exploring the shifting dynamics of a long-term relationship in intimate, honest detail. Nowhere is this more apparent than during the back half, where the couple has an epic fight, hurting each other in the way that only those who love each other can. It’s a remarkable capper to Linklater’s modern-classic trilogy.

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Director Steve McQueen gives audiences a brutal, unflinching, painfully realistic look at the horrors of slavery in the United States. In doing so, he has started serious dialogues about race, history and representation in media. Based FILMS, continued on p. 14

January 2, 2014

Films of greed, romance and daydreamers and confident as ever. Simon Pegg delivers the best performance of his career as Gary King, the confident but vulnerable burnout leading his old pals on a bar crawl. The sum of its parts would have more than qualified “World’s End” as a success — that it manages to synthesize itself into something greater than them justifies its inclusion on this list.

FILMS, continued from p. 13

on Solomon Northup’s memoirs, McQueen’s adaptation is unafraid to dig deeper into this dark period of history — where other prestige pictures would be content to just look at the surface. Chitwetel Ejiofor anchors the film with a brilliant, nuanced performance, which provides the film with its aching, resilient heart — even as the psychological damage and bloodshed adds up to become near unbearable.

GRAVITY

AMERICAN HUSTLE

FOCUS FEATURES

David O. Russell’s crime movie proves that pulling off old tricks well can be just as bracing and exciting as playing the role of innovator. Set in the impressively recreated 1970s, it’s in the Scorsese-vein — but filtered through the modern-day screwball dialogue and character-based humor that has become the director’s calling card. Although the whole cast is stellar, Amy Adams’ seductive con artist deserves award nods. Bradley Cooper is hilarious as a neurotic FBI agent, in a role that should finally wash away the brotastic scent of the “Hangover” sequels for good. Clever plotting, witty banter and stylish direction make “Hustle” fun from start to finish, and arguably the best film of O. Russell’s career.

A nostalgic pub crawl turns into “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” in Edgar Wright’s “The World’s End.”

PACIFIC RIM

COMPUTER CHESS

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Sandra Bullock drifts into space — in Alfonso Cuaron’s technical marvel, “Gravity.”

WARNER BROS. PICTURES/LEGENDARY PICTURES

In an indie scene increasingly dominated by manufactured quirk and the plight of listless twentysomethings, Andrew Bujalski’s earnestly weird and refreshingly original mockumentary is low-key, funny, smart and thought-provoking. Shot on vintage video cameras with a mostly non-professional cast, the whole movie plays out like a foundfootage documentary of a 1980s computer chess tournament — that is, until it doesn’t. As the movie progresses, Bujalski mixes in liberal doses of Lynchian, existential dread and the surreal with the established deadpan style. The result is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

THE WORLD’S END

The final entry in director Edgar Wright’s so-called “Cornetto Trilogy” is a surprisingly emotional and bittersweet look at the effect of time on relationships the bonds of friendship. It’s also a sci-fi genre sendup that is seriously, seriously funny. Layering quick-witted banter, visual gags, physical comedy and perfectly timed callbacks — while also pulling back enough for emotional character beats — Wright’s direction is as stylized

January 2, 2014

Set in outer space, Alfonso Cuaron’s visually compelling marvel makes the case that the artistic potential of 3D can be stunningly realized, when its tools are placed in the hands of a visionary filmmaker. The setting allows Cuaron’s camera to roam totally freely, and lends itself to his signature absurdly long takes — such as the masterful, nearly 13-minutelong opening shot. At its core though, the film works as a highly entertaining, tightly wound action-adventure (which, at 90 minutes, never overstays its welcome).

Monster movie destruction never looked better than in the eye-popping 3D of “Pacific Rim.”

I’d be lying if I said “Pacific Rim” wasn’t the most fun I had at the movies in 2013 (and also if I said I saw it less than five times in theaters). In the midst of a grim blockbuster season, Guillermo Del Toro delivered the kind of spectacle people crave during the summer. This modern twist on the Japanese monster movie utilizes eye-popping 3D to enhance its super-sized robots-versus-monster fights. Sure, it might be easy to criticize the dialogue (admittedly dumber than a sack of rocks at times) and archetypical characters — but in doing so, you’d be missing the joys the film has to offer, and quite possibly the point. The expansive world building and the epic scale of its action sequences are what matter here, and the film more than delivers in that regard. Just try to watch its wildly inventive, frenetic, neon-colored Hong Kong fight sequence without a huge, goofy grin.

SPRING BREAKERS

Response has been sharply divided — but love it or hate it, this film is definitely not what audiences showed up expecting to get. Though the shrewd advertising campaign played up the “Disney Girls Gone Wild” angle, writer/director Harmony Korine has a history producing another kind of exploitation flick — the kind that plays at art houses and thumbs its nose at conventional filmmaking (see “Trash Humpers”). It’s no surprise, then, FILMS, continued on p. 15

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Hipsters, cannibals and Disneyland round out year-end list with a distinct visual flair (just check out the gorgeous cinematography and incredible shots of Iceland and Greenland). It’s very sweet and charming — an exceedingly well-made, unabashed feelgood movie that rises above other Hollywood releases that have little to offer beyond their bland attempts to be “dark” and “gritty.”

FILMS, continued from p. 14

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

A24 FILMS

that “Breakers” turned out to be a beautifully shot dark comedy/morality play satirizing how hedonistic and desensitized the current generation is. Or maybe it’s just a dumb movie where James Franco, playing a hilariously over-the-top gangster, shouts about his collection of shorts and plays Britney Spears songs on an outdoor piano while the sun sets. No matter. This is one of the craziest, most unforgettable films of 2013. Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers” uses guns, girls and Britney Spears in unexpected ways.

For his most recent crime epic, Martin Scorsese looks towards stockbrokers rather than gangsters, to create a hilarious dark comedy that doubles as a potent inditement of the financial world, past and present. With “Wolf,” he’s made an excessive film about excess, dialing up all of his stylistic tics to 10 for the threehour running time, in an impressive feat of sustained directorial virtuosity. Equally impressive is the cast, headed by a hysterical Jonah Hill, and, most importantly, Leonardo DiCaprio — who plays real-life broker/criminal Jordan Belfort as a charismatic, Id-driven monster. It’s a vibrant, funny, shocking film that should not be missed.

It’s easy to forget that writer/director David Gordon Green was once more “Criterion Collection” than “Apatown” — but this sweet, small-scale dramedy brings together both sides of the filmmaker. Following two mismatched construction workers as they repair roads after a giant forest fire, “Avalanche” fea-

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20TH CENTURY FOX

PRINCE AVALANCHE

While the film rambles a bit (as all Woody Allen films do to an extent), the main draw of this modern-day “A Streetcar Named Desire” is Cate Blanchett, as Jasmine — and Allen, who excels in his exploration of territory far more dramatic than that of the director’s recent output. As the film’s Blanche DuBois figure, Blanchett delivers the best performance of the year — portraying a prickly, deeply damaged individual in an emotional, powerhouse display of acting.

THE CONJURING

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR

The most surprising thing here isn’t the film’s controversial, graphic, depiction of a lesbian relationship — but how it dares to push the coming-of-age drama to new places. The three-hour movie chronicles the life of Adéle, from high school student to young professional, and her relationship with Emma, an artist. The expansive running time allows viewers to connect deeply with the characters, and show in detail the joy and excitement of first love — then, the profound heartbreak and pain that comes after it begins to wane and crumble.

BLUE JASMINE

Ben Stiller plays the iconic daydreamer, Walter Mitty, in his adaptation of the classic short story.

Savvy, informed and extremely capable director James Wan has collected a bunch of seemingly worn-out clichés, and assembled them into the best, most exciting horror film of the year. Set in the ‘70s and based on the files of a real-life paranormal investigative couple, “The Conjuring” uses its old-school plot devices to craft a love letter to multiple genre tropes (possession! witchcraft! creepy dolls!). Wan keeps things fresh with a game cast, inventive camerawork and — most importantly — the knowledge that the power of suggestion can be more chilling than any amount of CGI.

FILMS, continued on p. 16

tures the disarmingly pretty photography, camerawork and bittersweet vibes of the Green of old, alongside a more nuanced version of the “bromantic” relationships and banter found in his recent movies (delivered here by Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch). It’s a welcome return to form.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

In this uncynical, globetrotting remake of the 1947 Danny Kaye film (based on a James Thurber short story of the same name), star and director Ben Stiller infuses his tale of an average daydreamer January 2, 2014

Film: It was a very good year FILMS, continued from p. 15

FRANCES HA

Director/co-writer Noah Baumbach and star/co-writer Greta Gerwig have created a layered portrait of a young woman — and in doing so, have provided the sort of glimpse into the life of modern New York twentysomethings that HBO’s “Girls” only wishes it could. Shot in stylish black and white, it’s a low-key comedy of manners, surviving the city and the significance of friendships.

Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary follows around the perpetrators of the 1965-66 Indonesian massacres, where hundreds of thousands of Communists were interrogated and killed by paramilitary leaders. In a unique twist, Oppenheimer allows these murderers to recreate the executions they carried out (as well as their thoughts/nightmares concerning them) for the camera, in the style of their favorite movie genres (gangster, western, musical, etc.). It’s visceral and disturbing — an insightful look into the effects of violence and evil on the collective and individual psyches.

With much of its buzz centers around the controversial method of production, this film is more than worth watching on the merits of its content. A psychosexual dark comedy thriller of sorts “Escape” was shot less than legally, guerrilla-style, in Disney World. Concerning a father’s descent into madness while on vacation, there is only the vaguest outline of a narrative here, as increasingly unsettling, surreal vignettes are presented against the suitably eerie backdrop of the theme park (shot in distinctive black and white). While its totally bizarre nature and slow pace may not be for everyone, it’s hypnotizing for those on the same wavelength — a definite midnight cult film waiting to happen.

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

THE ACT OF KILLING

ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW

Cate Blanchett delivers the performance of the year, in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.”

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

PRODUCERS DISTRIBUTION AGENCY

A moody, contemplative, horror film for adults, this tale of cannibalism and fundamentalism plays like a heady psychological drama for most of its running time — until the final section’s gory, bloody, disgusting spectacle. It’s far more disturbing than anything found in a mainstream horror film this year, and made all the more thematically satisfying by the character work preceding it. Disneyland becomes a hallucinogenic nightmare, in “Escape From Tomorrow.”

January 2, 2014

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Just Do Art: Special COIL Edition TYSON vs. ALI

Like comic book fans geeking out to “what if” conflicts involving equally powerful superheroes, it doesn’t take much to get well-informed boxing fans into an argument about whose arm would be raised at the end of a fight between two greats of disparate eras. Eventually, they all fall down — but as made-in-heaven matchups go, it’s difficult to imagine a more dynamic pairing than “Iron” Mike Tyson and Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali. Co-presented by PS122 and 3-Legged Dog, this sensory overload entry in the COIL contemporary performance festival takes the audience on a tight, wellconditioned, nine-round ride — during which the vastly different public personas and fighting styles of Tyson and Ali are examined alongside the emotional life and physical experiences of the aspiring boxers who play them. Dennis Allen, Femi Olagoke, Jon Swain (veteran of four pro boxing fights), Roger Casey and Dave Shelley alternate in the roles, each tasked with playing both legendary fighters and various points. Along the way, there are plenty of ringside shout-outs to the audience, forced separations from the ref and reconstructed moments from numerous Tyson and Ali bouts. Jabbing, weaving, punching and pivoting their way around the ring while classic fight footage is played, the ath-

lete/actors bring sweaty, aggressive life to the “greatest heavyweight boxing match that never happened.” Laura K. Nicoll’s kinetic choreography, combined with new media artist and theater director Reid Farrington’s use of large hanging screens and opaque scrims moved by the ref, provides the audience with more action to absorb than a comparatively static stand-alone boxing match. But the evening’s greatest impact comes (literally) from the live action: note-fornote recreations of devastating blows that are delivered with no sparring gear, and all of the wince-inducing, glove-toflesh intensity you get from a real night at the fights. Jan. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 17-19 at 7:30pm, Jan. 10, 16 at 10pm and Jan. 13 at 1pm. At 3LD Art & Technology Center (80 Greenwich St., at Rector St.). For tickets ($20, $15 for students/seniors), call 212-352-3101 or visit ps122.org. Also visit 3ldnyc.org.

PHOTO BY CECILY JOHNSON

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

AN EVENING WITH WILLIAM SHATNER ASTERISK

Preserved in 1960s TV amber — and speaking to you from a monitor that prowls the stage with the help of human assistance — it’s easy to believe young, fit, USS Enterprise Captain James T. Kirk when he asserts, “I know you want to know how to make art with science, and maybe even science with art. I will tell you. You are in good hands.” Never mind that everything coming out of his mouth was never actually uttered — at least not in this

Wisdom of future past: Kirk does the mash, in “An Evening with William Shatner Asterisk.”

PHOTO BY JOHN HURLEY

L-R: Femi Olagoke and Dennis A. Allen II, in “Tyson vs. Ali.”

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precise order or context. Transmitting from a future stardate, the steely, authoritative Kirk has credibility to burn. Maybe that’s why Phil Soltanoff passed on lesser beings (Gandhi? The current Pope, maybe?) when he was looking for the perfect “dynamic video oracle.” Soltanoff, whose “An Evening with William Shatner Asterisk” makes its New York debut as part of PS122’s COIL contemporary performance festival, meticulously catalogued and remixed everything William Shatner ever said on the original “Star Trek” series. Armed with that collective wisdom, he set out to “expand our universe on contemporary arts and science as only Captain Kirk can.” While one can appreciate the show’s desire to explore a strange, new world of “post-human theater” in which the “principle player is technological and acts in symbiosis with a human performer,” the preview clips we were given left us appreciative of the technical achievement, but skep-

tical about its application. Lost in the vocal mix was any sense of Shatner ’s hammy charisma — largely responsible for the mass appeal, and longevity, of “classic Trek.” Instead, Kirk’s mashup pontifications are delivered with a distant, choppy, Stephen Hawking-like style reminiscent of the tone employed by the God-like overseers who toyed with the good captain and his crew on more than one occasion. It was difficult to tell if that’s a miscalculation, or a savvy employment of Soltanoff’s desire to “employ new technologies in surprising and human ways.” Either way, investing one night of your time — to potentially learn and grow from one of the greats — beats the commitment of signing up for a five-year mission. Jan. 9, 10 at 9pm, Jan. 10 at 7pm, Jan. 11 at 3 & 7pm and Jan. 12 at 2pm. At the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher St., btw. between Greenwich & Washington Sts.). For tickets ($20, $15 for students, seniors), call 212-352-3101 or visit ps122.org.

January 2, 2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that license #1275390 has been applied by the undersigned to sell beer at retail in an eating place under the alcoholic beverage control law at 22 E 49th Street, New York, NY 10017 for onpremises consumption. 22 E 49TH ST FOOD CORP d/b/a LIBERTY DELI AND PIZZA Vil: 01/02 - 01/09/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF AMERICAN BLUE COLLAR, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/04/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o RG Apparel Group Corp., 1400 Broadway, 31st Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF UES WINDSOR RESTAURANT, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF YASHIMA USA LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Tennessee (TN) on 01/09/12. Princ. office of LLC: 69 Tiemann Pl. #25, NY, NY 10027. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Ai Hayatsu at the princ. office of the LLC. TN addr. of LLC: 14203 Crowne Brook Circle, Franklin, TN 37067. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, 312 Eighth Ave. North, 6th Fl., William R. Snodgrass Tower, Nashville, TN 37243. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF DW EMPLOYEE FUND, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/16/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/13/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SKMTDOT, LLC AMENDED TO SKMTDOC, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/12/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., New York, NY 10011, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF KEHE DISTRIBUTORS, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State: 11/25/13. NYS fict. name: Kehe Distributors of Delaware, LLC. Office loc.: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 12740 Gran Bay Pkwy W #2200, Jacksonville, FL 32258. LLC formed in DE: 1/29/10. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 01/02 - 02/06/2014 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that license #1275106 has been applied by the undersigned to sell beer at retail in an eating place under the alcoholic beverage control law at 458 7thAvenue, New York, NY 10001 for on-premises consumption. MNY 7TH CORP. d/b/a AL’S DELI. Vil: 12/26 - 01/02/2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Hotel Liquor license, #TBA has been applied for by 237 West 54th LLC & Hersha Hospitality Management LP as MGR & RJJ Restaurant LLC as MGR d/b/a Hilton Garden Inn New York Central Park South to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in a Hotel. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 237 West 54th St. New York NY 10001. Vil: 12/26 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a restaurant wine license, #TBA has been applied for by STJ 8th Street LLC d/b/a Soho Tiffin Junction to sell beer and wine at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 42 East 8th Street New York NY 10003. Vil: 12/26 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF VALECHA ENTERPRISE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/02/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ASSUREDPARTNERS OF MISSOURI, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/20/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Missouri (MO) on 08/26/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. MO addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 221 Bolivar St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Arts. of Org. filed with MO Secy. of State, 600 W. Main St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF COURTNEYGRAF. COM LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/30/2013 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: COURTNEYGRAF.COM LLC, 353 LEXINGTON AVENUE #600, NEW YORK, NY 10016. Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BOP MW RESIDENTIAL LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/16/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 250 Vesey St., 15th Fl., New York, NY 10281. LLC formed in DE on 12/10/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Corporation Service Company, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 737 PARK UNIT 1C LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/12/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: c/o 737 Park Unit 1C LLC, 737 Park Ave., NY, NY 10021. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014 MONTY FOUR EAST 86TH STREET ASSOCIATES LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/22/13. Office location: NY Co. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/15/13 SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ABBOTT CAPITAL PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTORS 2014, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/10/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1290 Ave. of the Americas, 9th Fl., NY, NY 10104. LP formed in DE on 12/9/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/26 - 01/30/2014

whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 90 State ST Ste 700 Office 40 Albany, NY 12207. DE address of LLC: 16192 Coastal Hwy Lewes, DE 19958. Arts. Of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF TOTEM POINT (GP), LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 5/31/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 5/29/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Darren Dinneen, 900 Third Ave., Ste. 200, NY, NY 10022. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808.

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Dept. of consumer affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday January 15th, 2014, at 2:00pm at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on the petition from Noho Star Inc. to continue, maintain and operate an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 330 Lafayette St., in the borough of Manhattan, for a term of two years. Requests for copies of the proposed Revocable Consent Agreement may be addressed to: Department of Consumer Affairs, 42 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, Attention Foil Officer. Vil: 01/02 - 01/09/2014

January 2, 2014

Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF TOTEM POINT PARTNERS, LP Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 5/31/13. Office loc.: NY County. LP org. in DE 5/29/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Darren Dinneen, 900 Third Ave., Ste. 200, NY, NY 10022. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Name/addr. of each gen. ptr. avail. at SSNY. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF SOMA SPECIALTY MANAGEMENT LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/17/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 7/19/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Gen. Counsel, 390 Park Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10022. DE off. addr.: CTC, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF WATCHTOWER LEASING LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 10/1/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 9/12/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to 666 Fifth Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10103. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SHE + LO, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/11/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Kane Kessler, P.C., 1350 Avenue of the Americas, 26th Fl., New York, NY 10019, Attn: Darren S. Berger, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION

NOTICE OF QUALIFICA-

OF 530 PARK RESIDEN-

TION OF POST CAPITAL

TIAL MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy.

EQUITY PARTNERS III LP Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/3/13. Office

of State of NY (SSNY) on

location: NY County. Princ.

10/4/13. Office location: NY

bus. addr.: 805 3rd Ave., 8th

County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom

Fl., NY, NY 10022. LP formed in DE on 10/9/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent

process against it may be

of LP upon whom process

served. SSNY shall mail pro-

against it may be served and

cess to: c/o RFR Holding, LLC, 390 Park Avenue, 3rd Fl., New

shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd.

York, NY 10022. Purpose: any

agent upon whom process

lawful activity.

may be served. DE addr. of

Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

LP:The CorporationTrust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of

NOTICE OF FORMATION

genl. ptr. available from NY

OF 530 PARK RESIDEN-

Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed

TIAL HOLDINGS LLC

with DE Sec. of State, 401

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy.

Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

of State of NY (SSNY) on

Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

10/4/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF POST CAPITAL GENERAL PARTNER III LP Authority filed with NY Dept.

served. SSNY shall mail pro-

of State on 12/3/13. Office

cess to: c/o RFR Holding, LLC,

location: NY County. Princ.

390 Park Avenue, 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

bus. addr.: 805 3rd Ave., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10022. LP formed in DE on 10/9/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and

NOTICE OF QUALIFICA-

shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th

TION OF HERITAGE

Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd.

HOME GROUP LLC

agent upon whom process

Authority filed with NY Dept.

may be served. DE addr. of

of State on 11/21/13. Office

LP:The CorporationTrust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilming-

location: NY County. Princ.

ton, DE 19801. Name/addr. of

bus. addr.: 1 N. Brentwood

genl. ptr. available from NY

Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105.

Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed

LLC formed in DE on 9/30/13. NY Sec. of State designated

with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

agent of LLC upon whom

Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corpora-

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ESE ENTERTAINMENT NY LLC

tion System, 111 8th Ave.,

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy.

NY, NY 10011, regd. agent

of State of NY (SSNY) on

upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC:

11/27/13. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated

as agent of LLC upon whom

1209 Orange St., Wilmington,

process against it may be

DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed

served. SSNY shall mail pro-

with DE Sec. of State, 401

cess to Corporation Service

Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/19 - 01/23/2014

Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014

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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF FEIL WHITESTONE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/04/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 618, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF THE KAMAGE GALLERY, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/05/2013. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: the Kamage Gallery, 248 Sherman Ave. Apt 3 NY, NY 10034. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 EXCELSIOR CONSULTANTS HOLDINGS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 10/2/13. Office location: NewYork County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process toThe LLC, 431 W. 37th St., 7G, NY, NY 10018. General Purpose. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 22 E 14 LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 11/12/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to C/O Sutton, 41 E. 57th St., 28th Fl., NY, NY 10021. General Purpose. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF INNOVA IMPORTS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/24/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1370 Broadway, Suite 540, New York, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014

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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SULLIVAN RUVOLDT PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/3/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: practice the profession of law. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MULBERRY STREET MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/3/13. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o EVO Real Estate Group, 462 Seventh Ave., Fl. 12A, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MULBERRY STREET COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/3/13. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o EVO Real Estate Group, 462 Seventh Ave., Fl. 12A, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MGG UK, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/2/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Marian Goodman Gallery, Inc., 24 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019, Attn: Marian Goodman Elaine Budin. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CHAMPION PARKING MIDTOWN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/12/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 655 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014

BEDFORD-WEBSTER COMMERCIAL LLC a domestic LLC, filed with the SSNY on 11/25/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, 40 Fulton St., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10038. General Purpose. Vil: 12/12 - 01/16/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF UNIVET OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES NORTH AMERICA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/15/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1745 Broadway, 17th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o BCRA CO., Attn: Shelley Clifford, 161 N. Clark St., Ste. 4300, Chicago, IL 60603. Purpose: Distribution of dental devices. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BGCH ALEMBIC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/21/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Alembic Community Development, 11 Hanover Square, #701, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BGCH APARTMENTS MM LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/21/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Alembic Community Development, 11

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF TWO TWO FOUR WEST 18, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Fitapelli Kurta, 475 Park Ave. South, 12th Fl., NY, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014

Hanover Square, #701, New

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 22 BEAVER ST LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/19/2013. Office location: 22 Beaver St, NY, NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: 22 Beaver St LLC, 3430 208th Street, Bayside, NY 11361. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014

whom process against it may

York, NY 10005. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014 PAULSON RECOVERY

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CHELSEA COLLABORATIVE MEDICAL CARE, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/13/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 455 W. 37th St., Apt. 2207, New York, NY 10018. Purpose: practice the profession of medicine. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF CINEREACH FELLOWSHIPS PSC, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/23/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 10/23/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business addr.: c/o The Manhattan Family Office, 405 Lexington Ave., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10174. DE addr. of LLC: c/o National Corporate Research, Ltd. 615 S. Dupont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NEPU LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/24/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 8/22/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF WATERMAN 400 PARK JV LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/21/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 10/18/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC:The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF TECH OPPORTUNITIES LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/8/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 11/4/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 777 Third Ave., 30th Fl., NY, NY 10017, principal business address. DE address of LLC: 615 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DOORBROOK LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/22/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 410 E. 57th St., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10022. Purpose: investments. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CAHOKIA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Wolf Family Management Company, LLC, 700 Louisiana, Ste. 1100, Houston, TX 77002. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GGR MADISON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/20/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o BCRA CO., Attn: Shelley Clifford, 161 N. Clark St., Ste. 4300, Chicago, IL 60603. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WORLD FOODS AND FLAVORS USA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/22/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Gleason & Koatz, LLP, 122 E. 42nd St., Ste. 518, New York, NY 10168. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

FUND II LP Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/13. Office location: NY Co. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/25/13. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LP 1251 Ave of the Americas New York, NY 10020. DE address of LP: 1209 Orange ST Wilmington, DE 19801. Arts. Of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CO3 FINE ARTS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on

LIBERTY ENDO, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/22/2013. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 535 Fifth Ave. 4th Fl, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Vil: 12/05 - 01/09/2014

9/23/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Cahill Partners LLP, 70 W. 40th St., New York, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/28 - 01/02/2014

January 2, 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from p. 8

Food is better now To The Editor: Re “Famous Ray’s (a.k.a. Roio’s) slings its final slice” (news article, Dec. 19): Ray’s was still good in 1979, when I wrote the Daily News article you so kindly quoted. But the general quality of pizza, like most food here, has improved vastly since then. Wood-fired ovens, better dough, better technique, much better ingredients — these have all played a role. So has the incessant demand from the foodie culture for truly memorable flavors. When I reviewed restaurants in New York City 35 years ago, a trip abroad still stunned with its unique and superior culinary quality. Not anymore. The general level of our artisan food — I’m not talking about industrial and fast food — is the equal of any in the world. What passed for good in 1979 no longer even passes for

acceptable. So while Famous Ray’s may be gone, we can comfort ourselves in knowing that far better pizza is to be had at a dozen places in town or more. Climate change, rising prices and shrinking supplies may end it, but for now at least, we are living in The Golden Age of Food. Eat up and enjoy. I’m pretty sure it won’t last. Dick Brass

Thanks for the tribute To The Editor: Re “James Gallagher, 61, Downtown actor turned therapist” (obituary, Dec. 5): Thank you for publishing such a beautiful tribute to Jamie, my cousin Jackie Curtis’s close friend and also our good friend of the family. He was a wonderful human being, so well loved and respected. I was quite unaware of and disturbed to hear of the circumstances surrounding his

death, but I’m glad things worked out in the end. If I may, I just would like to point out that my grandmother’s bar, Slugger Ann’s, was located on E. 12th St. and Second Ave., and not on E. Third St. and Avenue C as written. Jackie, my cousin, lived in an apartment behind the bar, not above it. I know these things could come across as petty corrections for some, but I like to heighten the awareness when it comes to the details of my family and our East Village history. Just a stickler for those things, I guess. Most of all, thank you for publishing such a warm tribute to our friend. He will be forever in our hearts.

votes to expand historic district” (news article, Dec. 19): Landmarking the South Village benefits both residents who live here and tourists who visit New York to experience Greenwich Village’s unique character and history. Congratulations to Andrew Berman, G.V.S.H.P. and the community for this miraculous achievement, and to our local politicians Quinn, Glick and Hoylman, who strongly supported the landmarking, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission for its visionary vote. A.S. Evans E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal St., Suite 1C, NY, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. The Villager does not publish anonymous letters.

Joe Preston

Landmark achievement To The Editor: Re “Positively South Village: L.P.C.

Sofa so good: Techies’ new idea — talking face to face No, they weren’t evicted from an apartment. A concept called Freeconvo set up a living-room atmosphere on Astor Place on Saturday afternoon. The idea, hatched by two tech investors, is to create an atmosphere where passersby can sit and have face-to-face encounters, just like in olden days. On Saturday, as several college-age people leaned forward in conversation, a group of men standing by one couch discussed who was behind the 9/11 attacks and the Kennedy assassination. For more information, visit their Facebook page and Freeconvo.com. PHOTO BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL

January 2, 2014

TheVillager.com

Conservancy to give update to C.B. 2 Parks Committee

PHOTO BY LORI BENSON

WASHINGTON SQUARE, continued from p. 12

Buddy’s view from the bench.

The Bensons’ Buddy (and also the upstairs neighbors’ Buddy) PET SET BY HEATHER DUBIN

ecently on a street in Tribeca, a Cockapoo, a cocker spaniel and poodle mix, suddenly appeared, unleashed, and seemingly unattended. But his owner, Lori Benson, was nearby, and watching Buddy from behind her apartment building’s front door. “This is how a lazy person walks their dog,” she joked. After a quick introduction, Benson invited this reporter inside her warm and cozy apartment to learn more about Buddy. On the stairwell, Benson admitted to being embarrassed that she was caught in the act of “walking” the dog — though, really, only the dog had been doing any walking. This responsibility was supposed to belong to Talula, her 12-year-old daughter, as part of the negotiations agreed upon to get Buddy, who is now five years old. “That didn’t happen,” Benson said of the dog-walking deal. Buddy has a dog walker during the day, and when Benson, a former documentary filmmaker who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work for family therapy, is home, she tends to rely on her method to let Buddy out to do his thing. Buddy’s addition to the family was Talula’s doing. She decided she wanted a dog, and created an effective campaign to win her mother over. “She made a book, and every time she saw a dog that she liked, she put it in the book,” Benson said. Talula was thorough — she researched breeds, found photos, and wrote a summary of positive attributes for each.

TheVillager.com

Benson started looking for a small dog to make Talula’s dream come true for her seventh birthday, until her own mother tracked down some Cockapoo puppies on Long Island. The three of them then headed out on the train to see the four that were still available. When they arrived, the runt of the litter, which Talula described as having sad eyes, was all that was left. “I didn’t know you take a dog that day. I didn’t know how it works,” Benson said. And then she was off to the bank to withdraw $750. Benson shared a video of Talula on the train returning home with Buddy. “I love her little voice, it’s so different now,” the proud mother said of her daughter. Luckily for the Bensons, their neighbors upstairs also have an affinity for Buddy. The recently married couple take Buddy for walks, buy him toys and, essentially, borrow him as their own. “We say we live in a duplex,” Benson explained. “Buddy comes and goes between the floors, and spends half of his time between the two apartments.” This modern arrangement involves key exchanges and swapped photos of the Cockapoo. “They love Buddy as much as we do,” she said. People are more appealing to Buddy than other dogs. When he sees a particular dog in the neighborhood, they bark at each other from two blocks away. And at the dog run on North Moore St., Buddy is ready to bolt the minute another dog enters the park. Perhaps he prefers his “indoor playground,” playing catch in the stairwell at home. “He owns the joint,” Benson said.

“The tricky part is how to demonstrate that to a community that is, in some cases, fearful that the conservancy could have too much control over the park — and, in some cases, cynically sure that that’s what they plan to do. “The conservancy didn’t initially post their bylaws, and that was problematic because C.B. 2 had specifically requested that as a basis for supporting their type of organization,” Aaron noted. “Their initial hesitation made sense for all the reasons they cited to us — they had had a hard time finding bylaws of other organizations on the Web, and so deemed it not to be common practice — but that made no sense at all in the context of the wariness the community has expressed about them. “David [Gruber] arranged a meeting with them and we all talked at length about how to bridge their need for best practices of internal governance with the communi-

ty’s needs to keep tabs on them, especially in this early stage of their organization. “It is my understanding that ‘Hotdoggate’ had nothing to do with them,” Aaron added. “That vendors contract, it is my understanding, long pre-dated the formation of the conservancy and was always set to expire at the end of 2013. “What they told us is that many members of the community turn to them and ask them to intervene on some park issue — noise is a common complaint, I understand — and they redirect people to the Parks Department and the community board. “In short,” Aaron said, “I think they have been responsive. They are a new organization, still figuring stuff out, it would seem. But [at the recent sit-down meeting] they gave us confidence — at this stage — that the intentions they have expressed publicly are sincere.” On the other hand, Aaron noted, “Some accusations I’ve read seem quite far-fetched — they really imply a conspiracy.”

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Vibe gone, savoring the vestiges CHANGES, continued from p. 1

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PHOTO BY HEATHER DUBIN

East Side were a hot spot for crime, and fear was rampant. “I used to run home from the subway,” he recalled. Two years later, Lerner found a two-bedroom apartment in a less rat-populated location on Second Ave. and Second St., where he currently lives with his wife, Kristin Bebelaar. Initially attracted to the East Village for its thriving art scene and affordable rents, Lerner, a Chicago native, quickly took to the area’s lively and communal vibe. “All of a sudden my horizons were radically expanded socioculturally,” he said. “I was getting exposed to all sorts of great stuff that I hadn’t seen before.” Lerner spent time wandering around the neighborhood with friends, and going to restaurants and clubs. A favorite was 103 Second Ave., which he described as a 24hour “snazzy diner,” now Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque. “We would go and have these incredibly long meals, start at breakfast, stay through lunch and yack endlessly,” he said. Lerner also loved to go to The World, a nightclub on Second St., and local flea markets. After they had saved up some cash, Lerner and his friends would hit Hawaii FiveO, a restaurant that used to be on First Ave. Elizabeth Murray, a painter, was a part owner, along with some other artists. “It was a bizarre conceptual thing,” he said. “The chairs had wheels, there was a diving board in a corner and the walls were painted blue. It was like being inside a pool.” Lerner, 56, has a half-dozen friends who have been in the East Village as long as him, and they still get together. Some may remember Bernard’s, on Avenue C and Ninth St., whose French chef rode his bike to the farmer’s market to buy produce. “That was at least 20 years ago before anyone was doing that,” Lerner said. The edge and diversity that once defined the East Village are gone, in Lerner’s view, and he laments the loss. The neighborhood has become cost-prohibitive to struggling artists and political activists, who are the type of people who founded it, he noted. “When I moved here, it was an expansive demographic group,” he recalled. “It was very warm and welcoming, and also scary and very grubby, which didn’t particularly bother me. But there was a sense of — we all decided to come here and invent ourselves, and we’re fellow travelers. And now, it’s so profoundly unsympathetic.” A real turning point for Lerner was when Alistair and Catherine Economakis, upon the threat of eviction, bought out their 15 rentstabilized tenants at 47 E. Third St., between First and Second Aves., in order to convert the entire 11,500-square-foot tenement into their single-family residence. In 2007, the Economakises won a protracted court battle, allowing them to occupy the entire five-story

Daniel Lerner in the East Village.

building with their three children. “They built a mansion for themselves,” Lerner said. “That event was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me in the neighborhood.” Lerner would have liked to have seen more affordable housing and protections for working people and middle-class families to remain in the neighborhood. “The homogeneity of the enormous influx of wealth into the neighborhood makes me feel like I live in a luxury housing development,” he said. “Every move is programmed for maximum profit and profitability. The neighborhood used to be for creative people and outcasts, but now apartments on Bond St. sell for $23 million.” If he could think of anywhere else to go, Lerner would leave the neighborhood. In the meantime, he supports the local economy, and has frequented the same laundromat and shoe repair shop for about a quarter century. There is a familiarity and energy to the East Village that Lerner loves. “There are people I smile to on the sidewalk, and I have seen them for 30 years,” he said. “I don’t know who they are, but I’ve been walking by them for 30 years, and now I recognize their kids, too.” Lerner described the pulse of the neighborhood as a “collective unconscious” that is close to the surface. While his wife is ready to bolt, for now, the two of them have a deal. “When the umpteenth bank comes through or the umpteenth storefront, we’ll leave, because the neighborhood won’t exist anymore,” he said. “But as long as some vestige is left in the neighborhood, we’re staying. “I’ve been walking out the same apartment door for 30 years,” Lerner said, “I never know who I’m going to see, or who I’m going to run into. There’s always that possibility, and it’s a nice feeling.”

Free electronics recycling! Events Are 10am to 4pm Rain or Shine January 5th North Plaza, Union Square January 11th Bowling Green, Financial District January 18th Tekserve, Chelsea Bring your old electronics to recycle, and you could win a MacBook Air! For additional locations and details, visit tekserve.com/recycling A Lower East Side Ecology Center program sponsored by

119 W 23rd St • 212.929.3645 • tekserve.com January 2, 2014

Home for the Holidays! Chips and Salsa Platter

Party Platters

Cocktail Sandwich or Wrap Platter

An elegant selection of bite size gourmet sandwich or wraps, freshly prepared with an array of cold cuts and assorted cheese from around the world on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. (served with mayonnaise, mustard and honey mustard on the side)

Sm $50.00 (35 pcs) Md $65.00 (45 pcs) Lg $80.00 (65 pcs)

Large Shrimp Cocktail Platter

The perfect platter for any occasion. Choose one of the following homemade fresh salsas: mild, medium or hot, plus complimentary guacamole.

Sm $30.00 (6-8p) Md $45.00 (10-12p) Lg $55.00 (15-18p)

Crudité Platter

A wide variety of crispy fresh vegetables. Complimentary with the platter is a choice of two dips.

Sushi

Finger Food

20 pcs rolls- California Rolls

(Chicken or beef) $8.99 p/p

California Roll Platter $35.00

Amish Sushi Platter

70 pcs rolls- Tuna, salmon, ebi, eel, yellowtail, avocado and cucumber

$85.00

Sushi Delight Platter

Poached large shrimp beautifully arranged and garnished with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.

Sm $50.00 (8-10p) Md $65.00 (12-14p) Lg $85.00 (16-18p)

35 pcs rolls- Tuna, salmon, eel, avocado, cucumber. 10 pcs nigiri- Tuna, salmon yellowtail, shrimp, octopus, squid.

Sm $70.00 (6-8p) Md $90.00 (10-12p) Lg $130.00 (15-20p)

Heroes By Foot

$65.00

Fresh Mozzarella Platter

The perfect appetizer: homemade mozzarella cheese, sliced Holland stem tomato, sun dried tomato, fresh basil with olive oil and balsamic vinegar elegantly designed in a floral display.

Pick from these delicious options; Amish Style, American, Vegetarian and Italian (served with mayonnaise, mustard and honey mustard on the side). Chicken Cutlets, grilled or fried (served with roasted vegetables and fresh mozzarella).

Sm $45.00 (8-10p) Md $55.00 (10-12p) Lg $70.00 (14-18p)

2 foot $45.00 (6-8p) 4 foot $90.00 (12-14p) 6 foot $130.00 (18-20p)

Assorted Cheese Platter

Royal Sandwich or Wrap Platter

A unique selection of imported and domestic cheeses garnished with fresh fruits or a gourmet selection of olives with assorted crackers or sliced bread on the side.

X-Sm $40.00 (4-6p) Sm $60.00 (8-10p) Md $80.00 (12-14p) Lg $100.00 (16-18p)

Oven Baked Hors D’oeuvres

A delightful selection of bite size, handmade hors d’oeuvres, including potato puffs, spinach turnover, mini meatballs, mushroom crowns and pigs in a blanket.

Md $55.00 (50 pcs, 8-10p) Lg $110.00 (100 pcs, 16-20p)

An endless array of fresh cold cuts and wraps, all made with assorted cheeses served on a variety of artisan breads and wraps with lettuce and tomato. (served with mayonnaise, mustard and honey mustard on the side)

$8.49 (p/p)

Dessert Platter

A delicious assortment of brownies, cookies, and chocolate garnished with fresh berries.

Salmon Platter

Served chilled or poached with dill sauce, or grilled with teriyaki glaze.

Sm $60 (6-8p) Lg $100 (10-15p)

Meat Entrees

Mini Kebab

Chicken fingers

with special house sauce $8.99 p/p

Mini shrimp kebab $11.99 p/p Stuffed chicken breast

with spinach and feta cheese $8.99 p/p

Mini meatballs $8.99 p/p Buffalo chicken wings with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing $7.99 p/p

Eggplant rollatini $7.99 p/p

Hot Pasta Trays

Marinara, Ala Vodka, Alfredo Siciliana, Milanese Suggested with penne

Baked Ziti

Ziti Baked with Ricotta, Mozzarella, Romano Cheese, Spices with Red Sauce

Half Tray $40.00 (8-10p) Full Tray $80.00 (20-30p)

Stuffed Turkey or Chicken Breast with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Chicken Parmigiana Chicken Franchese in Lemon Sauce Chicken Marsala Swedish Meatballs Italian Meatballs

For all meat entrees please choose one side dish: mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, white or yellow rice.

Half Tray $55.00 (8-10p) Full Tray $100.00 (18-20p)

Meat Lasagna

Half Tray $50.00 (8-12p) Full Tray $100.00 (18-25p)

Salads

Arugula Salad

Mushroom, Cherry Tomato, Parmesan Cheese

Mediterranean Salad

Romaine, Onion, Olives, Cucumber, Tomato, Feta

X-Sm $35.00 (4-6p) Sm $50.00 (8-10p) Md $65.00 (12-14p) Lg $85.00 (16-18p)

Fancy Mesclun Salad Cucumber, Tomato, Mixed Bell Peppers.

Md $40.00 (10-12p) Lg $50.00 (15-18p)

Please check out our full Holiday Menu at www.amishintribeca.com. Amish Market Tribeca 53 Park Place, New York, NY 10007 T: (212) 608-3863 • F: (212) 608-3864 • amishcatering@gmail.com

January 2, 2014

TheVillager.com