January 29, 2014 Chelsea Now

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 9 JANUARY 29, 2014

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL'S KITCHEN

Bayview’s Future Not Locked Down, but it Won’t go Condo

BY WINNIE McCROY On January 17, the first perspective buyers of 550 West 20th Street, the former site of the Bayview Correctional Facility, took advantage of the city’s invite for a walkthrough of the site. By mid-February, all proposals must be filed for the newest incarnation of the beloved institution. One thing is already certain: the facility will keep its historical façade and the community amenities for which it has long been known.

“I’m very happy that the Bayview site won't be converted into another luxury condominium development,” State Senator Brad Hoylman told Chelsea Now. “I’m grateful to the Governor and his team at Empire State Development for bringing the local community to the table and responding positively to our ideas for the future of the prison building.”

When Hurricane Sandy blew through the New York Metro area in October 2012, the 153 female inmates of the medium-security prison were evacuated to three upstate facilities as fl ood waters washed through the prison.

But the die was already cast on Bayview’s future.

In his 2013–14 Fiscal Year Budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo determined that the prison was

too costly to run, with a total staff cost per inmate of $74,385, as compared to the state’s benchmark of about $34,000. Cuomo projected that the prison closure would save the state $18.7 million in 2013–14 and $62 million in 2014–15, if Bayview Correctional Facility was closed and sold.

The New York State Urban Development Corporation, the state’s chief economic development agency, doing business as the Empire State Development Corporation, took over Bayview, and is now accepting request for proposals (RFPs) for its purchase and adaptive re-use. The area is zoned for a mix of development, including offi ces, hotels, retail, entertainment and residential apartments.

According to Community Board 4 (CB4) Co-Chair of the Housing, Health and Human Services Committee, Joe Restuccia, 22 perspective applicants toured the site on January 17, including Steinway & Sons, who recently sold their historical building on West 57th Street for $46M. But no matter whose proposal wins the bid, one thing is certain: Bayview will not be torn down and replaced by luxury condominiums.

Continued on page 7

TALKING POINT, LETTERS PAGE 8

CULTUREMART PAGE 14

Photo by Scott Stiffler

End of the Rainbows: After two decades on Eighth Ave., Rainbows & Triangles will soon sell its last “Chelsea 10011” refrigerator magnet.

Parting Ways with the Neighborhood They Helped Define

BY SCOTT STIFFLER Lost leases, rent increases, a shifting residential dynamic and the influx of tourist and tech dollars are all playing their part in recasting the role of Eighth Avenue, between 14th and 23rd Streets.

Of the 115 ground level properties along that nine-block strip, nearly a third are chain stores or franchises. Starbucks has three locations. Subway, GNC and Chase appear twice — with single locations of Banana Republic, American Apparel, CVS, Rite Aid and Duane Reade occupying considerably more square footage than the narrow delis, salons, framing stores, florists and shoe repair shops.

This past weekend’s shuttering of the men’s clothing store Camouflage (at 17th), along with the imminent departure of gay lifestyle mecca Rainbows & Triangles (between 19th & 20th), are telling indicators that this patch of Chelsea has lost much of its magnetic pull. These days, new arrivals on the boulevard (be they foot traffic or businesses) are more likely to sport corporate logos than Pride stickers.

While 2013 saw the opening of juice joints Liquiteria (corner of 15th) and Organic Avenue (at 21st) along with the frozen yogurt shop 16 Handles (at 19th), it also marked the departure of Paradise Cafe (20

5 15 CANAL ST., U N IT 1C • MAN H ATTAN , N Y 10 013 • COPYRIG HT © 2014 N YC COM M U N ITY M ED IA , LLC

years) and the Rawhide bar (34) as well as Ruben’s Empanadas, Donatella and the Thai restaurant Room Service (now confined to a singular Hell’s Kitchen location). Longtime remaining eateries include Flight 151 (24 years), Intermezzo (23), Rocking Horse Cafe (25), New Venus Restaurant (10) and The Dish (34).

In August, it was one last shower-drenched dance for the iconic go-go boys of Splash.

When the bar/club/lounge arrived on West 17th Street in 1991, it sparked a great, gay migration and gave rise to dozens of nearby establishments

Continued on page 5

2

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Time Warner Will Move HQ to Hudson Yards

Courtesy of Related Companies

Time Warner: Coming to the tall tower on the left.

BY SAM SPOKONY Calling it a move to “New York’s next great neighborhood,” media giant Time Warner announced on Jan. 16 that it will relocate its corporate headquarters to Hudson Yards.

In a news release that day, the company said it will acquire more than one million square feet of space at 30 Hudson Yards, a planned 80-story tower that will be located at the southwest corner of West 33rd Street and 10th Avenue.

Approximately 5,000 employees from three Time Warner businesses — HBO, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros.

— are expected to occupy the new office space by 2018.

The move comes on the heels of Time Warner’s $1.3 billion sale of its current 1.1 million square feet of space at the Time Warner Center, in Columbus Circle.

That space was purchased by a jointly controlled entity that includes Related Companies — the development group which is itself a joint owner of the Hudson Yards development.

Time Warner will now become the anchor tenant at 30 Hudson Yards, the first office tenant to be officially offered space within the planned 1,227-foot-tower.

“By consolidating our space to Hudson Yards, New York’s next great neighborhood, we will be able to reallocate substantial sav-

ings to our primary business of creating and sharing great storytelling in television, film and journalism with audiences around the world,” said Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes, in a statement released with the announcement.

And in another statement, Related Companies Chairman Stephen Ross expressed optimism about the impact this major move will have on the future of Hudson Yards, which passed its first year

of construction in December.

“Time Warner is again showcasing its innovative and pioneering spirit in anchoring 30 Hudson Yards,” said Ross.

“Hudson Yards will be home to some of the most iconic brands in business and we are thrilled at the prospect of once again working with Time Warner to not only build a best-in-class headquarters site but also a community.”

Twitter Takes Two, on 17th A little birdie called @CrainsNewYork let the cat out of the bag: @Twitter is taking over 140k square foot of space at 245 & 249 W. 17th St. For Chelsea news, 140 characters at a time: @ChelseaNowNYC

Photo by Scott Stiffler

s

n io at . c w i t l No pp en a llm g in ro pt en ce for c a

Proven Method.

Two Campuses.

How Can I Lower My Co-Pay? Come in & ask Aleks, your neighborhood pharmacist!

Refill Online Free Rx Pickup & Delivery

State–of–the–art facility ~ Children ages 2–5 Morning and full day programs Early drop off and extended day options For information, please contact admissions@themontessori.org Aleksandr Abdurakhmanov Pharm.D., R.Ph. Your Neighborhood Pharmacist

154 9th Ave. (between W. 19th & 20th Sts.), New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-255-8000 // Fax: 212-255-8002

www.chelsearoyalcarepharmacy.com

Tel. 212 633 0600 • www.themontessorischools.org Flatiron – 5 West 22nd Street SoHo (Opening Fall 2014) – 75 Sullivan Street (between Spring and Broome)

MAF+MIS_GPM Ad_4.85x5.63.indd 1

11/4/13 10:58 AM

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Neighbors Say Outdoor Shows Make Them a Captive Audience

BY SAM SPOKONY When it comes to the noise emanating from a theatre’s outdoor performances, doth neighbors protest too much?

Some residents who live directly behind the cell theatre (a West 23 Street space, between Eight and Ninth Avenues) will tell you that their protests are well warranted. Now, they’re speaking out against what they claim are obnoxiously loud Shakespeare performances and jazz concerts that take place just feet away from their back windows and terraces each summer.

“It’s inconsiderate, and I feel like they’re just not being respectful to the neighborhood,” said Huck Hirsch, a writer who owns a fifth floor apartment at 333 West 22nd Street, which opens out onto the cell’s backyard space. “I want to support the arts, and I don’t want to bring down their organization, but the fact is that it’s really shifted the quality of life here.”

He claims that the trouble began in the summer of 2011, after the cell opened up at 338 West 23rd Street — a building owned by the theatre’s founding artistic director, Nancy Manocherian — and began rehearsing the Bard’s plays. As actors called “Fie! Fie!” for hours during the day and into the evening, Hirsch said the noise greatly disrupted his working life, as well as that of other block residents who work from home.

Another resident of Hirsch’s building, who asked to remain anonymous, said that she was also dismayed that first summer by the cell’s outdoor concerts, which she alleged went on until 10pm, or even later — forcing her to keep her windows closed at all times in partially successful attempts to block the sound.

“And those concerts were happening again this past summer, and there were times when I just wanted to pull my hair out,” the resident said. “I just wish I could be able to open my windows in the summer.”

She also claimed that, during each summer since 2011, dozens of her neighbors on the block have also expressed complaints, specifically adding that residents of 341 West 22nd Street — whose terraces also directly face the theatre’s backyard space — have expressed many concerns to her about the noise.

But staff at the cell, on the other hand, say they’ve been sensitive to community concerns, and claim that Hirsch is the only resident who’s still actually complaining.

“Initially, we got three different emailed complaints in 2011, so we responded by scaling back the outdoor aspect of the Shakespeare series,” said Kira Simring, the theatre’s artistic

director. “Instead of doing full rehearsals and performances outside, we moved basically everything indoors, with just one scene rehearsed and performed outside.”

Simring further stated that those changes apparently succeeded in taking care of two of the complaints — but not those of Hirsch, who she said continued over the following years with emails to the cell that were filled with “insulting language” and “unreasonable arguments.”

This past summer, Simring actually sent Hirsch an advance schedule of what Shakespeare-related activities would include use of the backyard — nine daytime rehearsals in late August, and seven performances in early-September.

But Hirsch wasn’t satisfied.

“While the gesture of this notice feels totally considerate, it also feels totally inconsiderate of the cell to book a show with this much rehearsal and performance time outside,” he wrote to Simring, according to email communications that were forwarded to this newspaper.

And at this point, Simring seems just as fed up as Hirsch.

“It seems like no matter what I do, nothing’s going to make him happy unless we just stop everything out there,” she said. “We have a wonderful relationship with the community and local businesses, and we’ve done successful productions, but we have this one guy who’s just never going to be happy.”

Before the next summer rolls around, she may in fact be able to find out whether Hirsch really is a lone wolf, or if — like he and his anonymous neighbor claim — there are several dozen West 22nd Street residents who have a bone to pick with the cell.

Hirsch, after contacting the Council of Chelsea Block Associations, said he’s now in the process of trying to bring his complaints to Community Board 4 (CB4) — specifically, the board’s Quality of Life committee.

There had been some talk of representatives of the cell being asked to attend the committee’s next meeting on February 10, but that’s still unclear at this point. As Chelsea Now went to press, theatre staff said they hadn’t yet been contacted about attending the meeting, and CB4’s office said nothing focused on this issue had yet been placed on the agenda.

If the cell is eventually asked to explain themselves at a CB4 meeting, Simring said she’d be more than happy to do so.

“I’d look forward to meeting with them, since we have nothing to hide, and it would be great to keep improving our relationship with the community,” she said.

MEET ThE FacES OF ThE EXPO celebRate 21 yeaRs with ameRica’s most RecoGnizeD Glbt event in the heaRt of new yoRk city.

Proudly serving the gay, Lesbian, bisexual & transgender community for over 2 Decades

21ST Jacob Javits convention centeR, nyc

March 22-23, 2014 2 Days of Nightlife awaRD winninG PeRfoRmeRs in non-stoP enteRtainment. main stage produced by 7th annual viDeo lounGe, meet actors, writers, Directors of the best in Gay film NETwOrk wiTh ThOuSaNdS FrOM ThE GLBT cOMMuNiTy aNd viSiT OvEr 400 vENdOrS.

RaNkeD by cRaiN’s busiNess as oNe of Nyc’s laRgest eveNts!

Our Sponsors

find us on

Scan for more information on the GLBT EXPO

For inFormation on exhibiting and at tending: RDP GRouP 800-243-9774 • info@RDPGRouP.com oRiGinalGlbtexPo.com Photos by Johnson sarkissian

3

4

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Midwife’s Memoir a Labor of Love

BY HEATHER DUBIN Ellen Cohen refused to play up the achievement of helping to bring over 1,400 babies into the world — but with a little encouragement, she did manage to deliver a memoir.

“It’s not a big number for an urban midwife really,” said Cohen of her career total, “but it’s good enough.”

In “Laboring: Stories of a New York City Hospital Midwife,” she details the steps she took to become a midwife. For over two decades, the longtime Penn South resident returned home from her workday to share stories with her husband and sister — who both told her, “Oh, you have to write this, Ellen.”

In a recent interview at Pushcart Coffee (West 25th Street, at Ninth Avenue), Cohen recalled various events leading to the writing of her memoir — noting that she was also encouraged by articles and books, which featured experiences and situations similar to her own. Inspiration was also provided by her former patients in New York City hospitals, who were primarily immigrants and on Medicaid. According to Cohen, 40 percent of hospital births are paid for by Medicaid.

“I didn’t write before, but once I made up my mind to do it, the writing was fun,” Cohen said. The book took a year and a half to complete, and she self-published it last December.

Photo by Heather Dubin

Ellen Cohen reads from her memoir on March 3, at Bluestockings (172 Allen St.).

Cohen previously worked as a computer programmer for nine years, and prior to that she raised a family. The birth of her two children, both born in the 60s, and the women’s movement, served as catalysts for her entry to midwifery.

Cohen explained in the 60s, childbirth

GET ON TRACK TO A GREAT NEW JOB. What kind of work would you like to do?

Do you have the skills you need to find and keep a job?

from Queens Library.

It’s free.

Go to jobmap.queenslibrary.org to get started or phone 718-990-8625.

education was “just barely starting in this country,” and most women were knocked out, tied down and medicated. Also, they were not allowed to see their new babies until hours later.

Cohen’s friend gave her a childbirth book to read, which helped to better prepare her, and she refused anesthesia. “I had a very supportive nurse, I was very lucky. And when they put a mask over my face, the nurse said, ‘No, she doesn’t need it,’ ” Cohen said, “That was a very empowering experience. In those days, you didn’t question the doctor about anything. It was unheard of.”

Women were also instructed to gain no more than 15 pounds or maintain a salt free diet, neither of which were based on scientific studies, and are long gone practices.

Cohen wanted other women to have control over their own bodies during childbirth, and began her midwifery path, which landed her at Bellevue, Lincoln Hospital, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, New York Presbyterian, Allen Pavilion and The Center for Mother and Baby Care, an HIV clinic.

“95 percent of midwife births occur at hospitals, homebirths are all the publicity,” Cohen said. At the hospitals where she worked, midwives were not supervised by doctors, but if there was a problem, they consulted with them, and if necessary, turned the patients over to them. “In my whole career, only one person said to me, “I want to see a doctor,’” she said.

“Midwifery has been shown to improve birth outcomes, but it’s kind of a sad commentary on obstetrics in the United States that something like that is needed, and isn’t an integral part of the care,” Cohen said.

Women who use a midwife have outcomes as safe as under a doctor, and will be subject to fewer interventions, such

as a cesarean section. Cohen pointed out that 80 percent of women are healthy, and have the baby in the right position, which contradicts a rising cesarean section rate, which has only plateued in the past two years.

“Many women feel coerced to have cesarean sections and other interventions, rather than other way around,” she said.

Cohen also claimed infant mortality rates are increasing in the states, in tandem with the soaring number of cesarean sections.

Cohen worked with pregnant teenagers in the 80s at her first job at Lincoln Hospital. “Each of the girls had their own midwife throughout the pregnancy. Most places where I worked, it was the same, in terms of individualized care,” she said. Cohen’s patients came from all over the world and were different ages and religions.

“Some are very interesting stories, most are happy, but some of them are very tragic,” she said. Cohen opens the book with a favorite story of hers about a mentally ill patient who gave birth on the floor of the hallway in a hospital. The attending resident, who was also seven months pregnant, did not know how to handle the case, and Cohen ended up taking charge to deliver a healthy baby.

Cohen also was involved in a research study preventing mother-to-baby HIV transmission at a clinic, where she worked for two and a half years. The findings were groundbreaking in the early 90s, and proved that AZT, a drug used to delay the development of AIDS, effectively prevented HIV infection. The standard practice to combat the virus then became AZT, which led to more advanced “drug cocktails” in later years.

Cohen, who retired in 2005, admits to missing being a midwife. “I felt I was providing a very important service to women who wouldn’t have had that kind of care.

It was very gratifying,” she said.

However, she is content with her current role, and is very involved in midwifery activism. Cohen speaks at high schools on career days and at health fairs to promote the profession. She also works with the Manhattan chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Cohen’s book is part of the curriculum for a midwife course at Columbia University, and a medical anthropology course at Hunter College. She is making a concerted effort to reach beyond the typical midwife readership, but Cohen certainly appreciates her cohort’s feedback.

“I’ve been so pleased with what midwives have said: ‘This is my story, I’m so glad you did this,’ ” she said.

At 7pm on Monday, March 3, Ellen Cohen will be reading from “Laboring: Stories of a New York City Hospital Midwife” at Bluestockings (172 Allen St., btw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.). A Q&A session follows the reading. More information can be found on the book’s Facebook page: tinyurl.com/pmhkfky.

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

5

‘Rainbows’ Over, and so is an Era on Eighth Continued from page 1 catering to the “Chelsea Boy” lifestyle.

Today, remaining boom year businesses on Eighth Avenue include three porn emporiums (Rainbow Station, The Blue DVD, The Blue Store) and a handful of menswear shops (The Starting Line and EFOR). Once thriving and now gone: The Service Station spa and The Big Cup coffee shop, as well as Food Bar and Viceroy restaurants. Rawhide and View are no more, making Gym the Avenue’s only gay bar. But it was last August’s unexpected closing of Splash that may have dealt a fatal blow to the area’s reputation as a shop, schmooze and cruise destination (and its affordability as a place of residence has long been on the wane).

RAINBOWS & TRIANGLES

“In terms of loss,” says Rainbows & Triangles co-owner Steven Spiro, “Splash was more of a psychological departure. It represented a big anchor for the neighborhood. Now there’s less foot traffic, in general,” he notes, observing that the current atmosphere has been a decade in the making. “The whole dynamic has changed, all the way from Sixth Avenue to the West Side Highway.” People are older, he says of his regulars (sixty percent of them from the neighborhood), “and their spending habits are different.”

The decision to close stems from the new building owner’s refusal to offer a new lease. Spiro says he and his business partner, Fernan Royo, won’t retreat into cyberspace or look for another brick and mortar location. “I have no regrets,” says the soon-to-turn-50 Spiro, “but I’m not sure the small business model works in today’s environment.”

After 20 years at the register, Spiro says he’s looking forward to a break from the daily grind of pop shop responsibilities (like salting the sidewalk, as he was this weekend when we approached him). But he’s proud to claim a few notable markers in the cultural ebb and flow of Chelsea. “We sold dance way before Virgin was in the U.S.,” he says, recalling when the store’s music collection made it “a gay destination, along with Splash and Roxy.”

Spiro and Royo also established a loyal customer base with their unapologetic stocking of poppers, leather and lube (first in the U.S. to carry Eros!) alongside Pride merchandise, refrigerator magnets, greeting cards and coffee table books. Customer Jimmy Lam, 50, who overheard our conversation, chimed in: “This is my favorite store, since I arrived in the states 23 years ago [from the Dominican Republic]. It’s the place where I come to buy my gay identity paraphernalia.”

“This was one of the first gay businesses that felt comfortable with selling adult video,” says Spiro. “We always gave our customers honest answers.”

Although the store has no official closing date, it will likely remain open for another month or two, at the most.

“We’re running a Closing Sale. There will be a point where so much merchandise is gone that it won’t be worth it to open the door. That’s when we’ll be done. But we had a great run,” says Spiro, “with fantastic customers, friends and stories. We went through the worst years of the AIDS crisis to the years of crystal addiction, to seeing people enter into recovery. We made it through 9/11 and Sandy. No matter what happened, we just tried to make a nice, affordable neighborhood shop, which I think we did.”

Affordability weighs heavily on Spiro’s mind, having shaped the Avenue’s new dynamic just as much as changing demands and tastes. “I see lots of empty places,” he says of casualties that couldn’t make the two- or threefold rent increase — and although he acknowledges that access to free adult video online and changes in the music business have added to his margin pressures, Spiro says the deciding factor for many small businesses is the combined burden of real estate taxes, rent and insurance. “At the end of the day,” he notes, “you’re working for the landlord and the city.”

ARCADIA SPA & HOME

With an expected closing date of March 25, owner Jay Gurewitsch (a 20-year resident of Chelsea) says that Arcadia has “suffered in the same way as Camouflage and Rainbows & Triangles, from the one/two punch of the Great Recession and the changes that have hit Chelsea over the last ten years.”

In 2011, Gurewitsch moved his store to 249 West 23rd Street, after six years on West 19th and five years in the former home of The Big Cup (located between 21st and 22nd, it’s now NY Lovely Nails & Spa). That expansion into to the Big Cup space was intended, says Gurewitsch, “to serve a community that disappeared during the recession.

But they never came back.”

During his years on Eighth Avenue, Gurewitsch learned firsthand “the real reason why independent retailers close up all the time, either once their lease is up or abruptly in the middle of their lease.” His real estate bill (included in the rent the first year) went from $16,000 in the second year “to an insane $72,000 the year we moved out. As the tenant, we are not legally the taxpayer — the landlord is. So we cannot appeal NYC assessments, but of

Continued on page 17

Photo by Scott Stiffler

Rainbows & Triangles co-owner Steven Spiro: “We just tried to make a nice, affordable neighborhood shop.” For the past 20 years, they did.

T o find the T o f ind the right doctor, right doctor, you need you need the right referral. the right referral.

888.7.NYU.MED 888.7.NYU.MED ( 888.769.8633 ) ( 888.769.8633 )

Having the right doctor is essential. When you call our Physician Referral a registered nursecall or aour referral Having the right doctorService, is essential.

When you specialistReferral will help you connect with the best doctor Physician Service, a registered nurse to ormeet a referral your healthcare needs.

They can also give you information specialist will help you connect with the best doctor to meet our doctors’ education, specialties, office languages yourabout healthcare needs.

They can also give youhours, information spoken and insurance participation. about our doctors’ education, specialties, office hours, languages spoken and insurance participation.

Be sure to ask about elective surgeries offered on weekends.

Be and sureprocedures to ask about elective surgeries and procedures offered on weekends.

6

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

At Beespace, a Hive of Budding Nonprofits

BY SAM SPOKONY The energetic Chelsea vibe has famously sparked growth among the arts and other creative industries. Now, a forward-thinking group is well on its way to making the neighborhood — or, at least, its cozy office below Penn Station — a hotbed for nonprofit organizations.

Beespace, which launched in November at 242 West 30th Street, is an incubator that provides early-stage nonprofits with valuable physical space, resources and collaborative opportunities, placing the young groups on solid footing as they seek to promote social good both at home and abroad.

“It’s amazing to watch how they grow,” said Founder and President Marissa Sackler, 33, who has followed in the footsteps of her late, multi-millionaire father, Mortimer Sackler, by blazing a philanthropic trail that includes work with organizations like Invisible Children and charity: water.

Sackler explained that, along with its “coworking” space that allows for plenty of interaction between each group, Beespace supplies the new nonprofits with up to $500,000 worth of in-kind support by offering manpower and tools for branding design, engineering, communications and fundraising strategies.

Sackler is also focused on helping the groups connect to mentors within the diverse communities of both non- and for-profit organizations, and pointed to that as a reason for making Chelsea the Beespace headquarters.

Photo by Sam Spokony

Marissa Sackler, founder of Beespace.

“It was important to us to be in a neighborhood where there’s this great mix of culture, arts and technology,” she said. “Elements of the arts community in Chelsea are a huge part of what we teach our groups about creative branding, storytelling and how to really connect with an audience.

And Sackler, who once lived on West 19th

DARK HORSE YO U R D OW N T OW N H E A D Q UA RT E R S F O R

∙ THE BIG GAME ∙ DE N V E R V S . S E AT T L E • F E BRUA RY 2 , 2 0 1 4 COMPLIMENTARY HALTIME BUFFET DRINK SPECIALS DURING THE GAME TWO FLOORS 20 FLAT-SCREEN TVS CALL TO RESERVE YOUR TABLE OR BOOTH

DARK HORSE NYC EAT ∙ DRINK ∙ SPORT

17 MURRAY STREET ∙ (212) 608-3900 DARKHORSENY.COM

Street, and now resides in the West Village, is no stranger to the local scene. In addition to her other work, she now sits on the board of trustees for the Dia Art Foundation, a 40-year-old nonprofit that still maintains a strong Chelsea presence with installations and performances on West 22nd Street.

The Beespace office can hold up to six start-ups at a time, and currently aids three diverse groups — The Malala Fund, which internationally promotes education for girls on behalf of the now-famous Pakistani teen; The Adventure Project, which creates job opportunities in the developing world; and Practice Makes Perfect, which works to narrow the educational gap in America’s low-income communities by pairing struggling inner-city students with college-aged mentors.

“Like any other nonprofit, we were definitely bootstrapped early on, but our goals have certainly become more lofty ever since we came to this space,” said New York-born Brandon Espinosa, 24, C.O.O. of Practice Makes Perfect. “And along with the resources, it’s been great for us because they’ve created a space that’s really open to collaboration and idea sharing, which is really a

breath of fresh air.”

He added that weekly meetings led by Sackler and the Beespace staff have been a vital part of keeping his and the other nonprofits on target, by tracking successes and failures and planning for next steps.

Those meetings are also important in terms of keeping the young groups on track for a timely transition into new offices, since Beespace incubations can last up to two years, or until the organization is ready to hire its seventh full-time employee.

“It’s an interesting balance,” said Sackler of her relationship with the start-ups, “because we want them to be able to try audacious new ideas, and not worry about being kicked out the door if they fail, but this isn’t Starbucks, or just some place to drop your bag and have some coffee. And it’s important that they’re not here forever, because we want to give them the skills to stand on their own two feet — we don’t want to make them so comfortable that they become limited.”

Beespace is currently in the process of taking on a fourth incubatee, but, since it’s still unofficial, Sackler said she doesn’t expect to announce who that group is for another several weeks.

Meanwhile, Beespace is also actively recruiting for two more nonprofits, and startup founders are encouraged to apply through the organization’s website, beespacenyc.org.

Sackler explained that applicants must already have either 501c3 nonprofit status or an accredited fiscal sponsor, as well as an earlystage track record that amounts to more than a simple business plan — but aside from that, she’s open to anything.

“I’m really just looking for groups that are pushing the envelope,” she said.

And for all those inquiring minds who don’t run a cutting-edge nonprofit, there’s also a Beespace offering that will serve the general public. Sackler is curating a twice-monthly lecture series within the West 30th Street office, starting on February 4 with a talk by Azita Ardakani, founder of Lovesocial, an elite social media agency. The next lecture, on February 18, will feature Paul van Zyl, co-founder of the International Center for Transitional Justice.

Visit beespacenyc.org for info on future talks.

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

7

City Accepting RFPs for Bayview Correctional Facility measures that would avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse impacts or effects to historic resources as guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for rehabilitation.

Continued from page 1

NO CONDOS OR CO-OPS IN BAYVIEW’S FUTURE

Thanks to the hard work of Sen. Hoylman and CB4 on July 24, 2013, Empire State Development came to the table with local residents to discuss the future of the site, and they agreed to preserve the integrity of the original design, as well as its long history of community use. Later that day, CB4 voted to send a letter to ESD outlining the preliminary recommendations for reuse of the site.

CB4 was pleased to see that when the ESD released the Bayview RFP on December 23, 2013, they noted in the introduction that, “Proposals for residential uses will not be considered,” adding that, “any Proposal featuring the full demolition of the Site will not be considered, and all Proposals should include some community facility component.”

“We’ve achieved an important goal by the state including that in the RFP,” said Restuccia. “Although the devil is in the details, the response makes it clear that the state also wants this building preserved.”

As part of an effort to beat those devils, Restuccia said that his committee was putting together a tightly worded letter to ESD asking the new owner to keep the historically accurate windows and doors, and make provisions for the murals and stained glass to be used somewhere in the building’s new design.

An ESD spokesperson confirmed that residential uses are prohibited in the RFP, but noted that there were no prohibitions on the type of organizations that can bid for the property, including non-profits.

“The RFP incorporates a number of the community board’s priorities, including a community facility component and preservation of the historic structure through adaptive reuse of the building,” said Sen. Hoylman.

“While I’d liked to have seen affordable housing in the mix, I appreciate that the RFP seeks to identify uses that create local jobs, rather than more luxury condos.”

Sen. Hoylman noted that the possibility still remained that the “community use” in the RFP could incorporate part of the historic mission of the Bayview facility, which was to rehabilitate incarcerated women. Many Chelsea residents were vocal in their support of the facility, which allowed its population of women to leave every morning for their jobs, and return in the evening, to serve their time.

LANDMARK STATUS SOUGHT

Back in 1931, the building was constructed by the notable firm of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon (architects of the Empire State Building) as the Seaman’s YMCA, complete with athletic equipment, a pool and numerous tiny rooms for visiting sailors. The building has Art Deco massing, a distinctive corner entrance and many polychrome terra cotta medallions, window surrounds and string courses featuring nautical themes.

To the end of keeping this history alive, CB4 members submitted a “request for evaluation” to the Landmarks Preservation Commission last summer urging that the site be designated as a New York City Landmark as soon as possible. A CB4 board member confirmed that Benfatto had inquired multiple times throughout the summer as to the status of the request, only to be told that it remained in the active pile.

According to CB4 District Manager Robert Benfatto, the request is still under “active review.” Benfatto said that the option to Landmark the building would “not be off the table, but harder to achieve” once the building was sold to a private owner.

And during a January 22 meeting of three CB4 subcommittees, Restuccia gave an impromptu update on the

PUSHES FOR A POOL, AS PART OF ‘COMMUNITY FACILITY’ ELEMENT

Photo by Scott Stiffler

With an RFP deadline of Feb. 12, Bayview’s future is one step closer to being defined.

Although community members were pleased that Bayview’s historic façade would be preserved, several voiced the hope that the “community facility” element would come in the form of the Seaman’s YMCA pool, with its tilework murals of aquatic events and leaping dolphins, being refurbished and opened to the community.

The ESD made no promises as to what the “community facility” would entail, but promised that they would take into consideration this component in context of the overall proposal’s ability to meet the development goals and evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP, with a spokesperson adding that, once selected, the developer would be required to honor the terms of their proposal.

“The community benefit is what the community thinks is a benefit,” said Restuccia. “From the Community Board end, we are focusing on the pool and gym as being the community facility. Our district is 57 of 59 lowest in terms of recreation space, so anything they do would be helpful. There are a large number of teens and young people at Fulton Houses, and these are the kids that need this kind of rec space most. It is impossible in terms of the city budget to think of building gyms and pools, but the fact that it’s there and can be restored and reused makes this a possibility. Then we can work with the city to get funding for upkeep.”

This process seems perfectly in line with the ideal outcome for Bayview that CB4 hammered out with ESD last summer. With any luck, Chelsea will soon have another good neighbor in that location.

“CB4 is delighted that Senator Brad Hoylman obtained the preservation of the building itself and the inclusion of a community facility in the final redevelopment,” said CB4 Chair Christine Berthet. “Historically, this facility has been tightly woven in the human fabric of Chelsea. This redevelopment with jobs, history and a community facility will make sure it remains that way for years to come.”

The deadline for proposals for the purchase and adaptive re-use of Bayview Correctional Facility is February 12. Once the proposals have been submitted, the ESD will spend time reviewing each proposal and ultimately score the proposals based on the evaluation criteria articulated in the RFP.

status of the request, reportedly saying that there “wasn’t a chance in hell” that the building would get Landmarked before it was sold.

“When I said that, I meant it in terms of practicality,” said Restuccia. The Landmarks process takes a long time, and in addition it’s a state building. I can’t imagine the state not objecting to this in the middle of a real estate deal.”

Restuccia said that because the state is not subject to the city’s laws, Landmark status would depend on how the deal is made, and whether the state is selling, leasing or For more information, visit retaining a nominal ownership for tax benefits. If the new esd.ny.gov/CorporateInformation/RFPs.html. owners view the building’s history as an asset, that may be an incentive to get it Landmarked.

The ESD confirmed that the site has been determined as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. They also noted that any substantial changes to the building would require SUPER BOWL SUNDAY - FEB 2ND consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation Will it rain on Denver or be a mile high for Seattle? and Historic Preservation Serving Fine Food & Drinks For Four Generations in accordance with the New York State Historic 152 Seventh Avenue (at 19th Street) Preservation Act of 1980 in 212- 929-9691 order to explore potential

Peter McManus Cafe Bar & Grill THE BIG GAME

FEBRUARY 2nd

8

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Homophobes Unites, But Queers...?

TALKING POINT

BY KELLEY JEAN COGSWELL I’m thrilled to know Vladimir Putin has gay acquaintances, but it doesn’t do much to change my opinion of his bigoted, tyrannical regime. In fact, I doubt anybody buys the nice friendly gloss he’s trying to give Russia before the place is inundated with Olympic ice skaters and skiers –– and vodka-guzzling, T-shirt buying crowds.

In Nigeria, meanwhile, anti-gay hate is right out in the open. Hundreds of gay men have been reportedly arrested since President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act last week, stripping LGBT Nigerians of most of their last remaining rights. Banning not just marriage, the legislation prohibits homo-shows of affection, membership in gay groups or associations, and basically any language or activity that even hints LGBT people are human.

Ugandan queers are also under fresh attack. While President Yoweri Museveni declined to sign the similar AntiHomosexuality Bill, likewise punishing lesbian and gay people with life in prison and jailing advocates, he gave anti-gay bigots encouragement, declaring us “sick” and “abnormal.”

This is just the tip of the anti-gay iceberg in Africa, where in about 30 sub-Saharan countries, we face a range of punishments from prison to death, though the populations don’t always wait for the state to pass sentence and punish us themselves, with a beating here, a murder there. They often make our lives so horrible and hopeless, we do the fatal job ourselves.

Our own hemisphere is barely better. At a holiday party, I talked to a gay Jamaican couple who had recently fled to New York with just the clothes on their backs because somebody had found out that they’d gotten gay married on a trip to the US. And when that little detail spread, credible death threats followed.

In the United States, too, every advance is followed by a backlash on the streets and in the courts. Our homegrown homophobes draw their poison from the same well as everybody else, defending their anti-gay laws and violence with identical blather about upholding religious and cultural values. No surprise, then, that the money of fundamentalist American Christians fuels anti-gay campaigns worldwide, from Senegal to France.

The disturbing thing is that while anti-gay bigots are united in their hatred for us, sharing strategies and money, we queers aren’t allowed to do the same. We fight each enemy as if it were different,

not one horrible beast with a gazillion different heads.

We identify different strains of homophobia, make allowances, sometimes shy away from a full assault on bigots because it is said that they inherited their homophobia, like their antisodomy laws, from colonial rulers. As if, unlike humans elsewhere in the world, no African person had ever felt hatred of the other. As if African politicians would never have thought of using queers as scapegoats to distract populations weary of dictatorships and failed economies.

And as if they didn’t make bad colonial laws worse.

Too many of us even nod sagely at stories like one in the Global Post announcing, “Western-style activism may be hurting gay rights in Africa.” This essentially blames African queers for their own oppression and characterizes their most basic efforts to resist as somehow foreign. Because apparently those stupid African homos would never have thought to aspire to full human status, let alone hold a demo, write an op-ed, or file a lawsuit without Western influence or aid. Worse, it implies justice would have progressed merrily along its arc if only they had sat quietly with their hands in their laps.

It’s weird, really, this rewriting of history, this assigning of strategies to one coun-

try or one movement, when all militants share them. Martin Luther King looked toward Gandhi. And Gandhi himself was apparently influenced by the American Thoreau, who got some of his own ideas from Indian philosophy and religion.

American queers digested it all, inspired also by the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The LGBT movement in Latin America looked to the student revolution in ‘68 France, as well as New York’s Stonewall. Nobody owns a thing.

This insistence on putting LGBT activists in another category because of their geography or race is just another kind of racism. Ironically, it may have its roots in American multiculturalism. In an attempt to grapple with race and make clear the value of difference, we came to suspect any assertion of sameness, especially between the East and West, the global North and global South, as a racist, colonial effort to erase. And it really is sometimes.

But now, if we’re going to support LGBT activists risking their lives all over the world, it’s urgent to remember we’re the same species after all, near cousin to the earthworm, and closer to the ape than the angel. And in the matter of homophobia, we’re dealing with human nature at its best and worse. The universal hatred of difference. And the equally global desire to resist in every form.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Afraid of elevating a bad element?

To The Editor: Re “High Line Elevator Damaged by Sandy Should be Fixed by Spring” (news, Jan. 15): This elevator and others on the High Line were out of order long BEFORE Sandy. While Sandy may certainly have further damaged the idle elevators, the High Line has no commitment to making this park accessible to those in wheelchairs or those who cannot take the stairs. The fixing of the elevators should have been a priority, but I guess they figure it brings the wrong kind of people up to the High Line. There is no other explanation.

Andy Humm

All’s well that ends well To The Editor: I was surprised when Corey Johnson introduced Jeffrey Le Francois at our Community Board 4 general meeting last Monday because I too assumed R.J. Jordan was already settled in as chief of staff (“Johnson Taps Ex-Gottfried Aide as his Chief of Staff,” by Lincoln Anderson, Jan. 15). It looks as though everyone is happy with the change and, therefore, so am I. R.J. did a really great job and I will miss him.

Mike Noble

The New & Improved

OK ACWE.NBEO F SPAPER N W O US /CHELSEA.NO ADbD m ook.co face

US FOLLOW NowNYC ea @Chels

P SIGN U LAowS.cTom E-eB R U e O ls R tt at scott@ch an FO ail Sco Em

Check out our new website! www.ChelseaNow.com

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Community Contacts To be listed, email scott@chelseanow.com.

info

to

COMMUNITY BOARD 4 (CB4) CB4 serves Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. Its boundaries are 14th St. on the south, 59/60th St. on the north, the Hudson River on the west, 6th Ave. on the east (south of 26th St.) and 8th Ave. on the east (north of 26th St.). The board meeting, open to the public, is normally the first Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is Wed., Feb. 5, 6:30pm, at Fulton Auditorium (119 Ninth Ave., btw. 17th & 18th Sts.). Call 212-736-4536, visit nyc. gov/mcb4 or email them at info@ manhattancb4.org.

COMMUNITY BOARD 5 (CB5) CB5 represents the central business district of New York City. It includes midtown Manhattan, the Fashion, Flower, Flatiron and Diamond districts, as well as Bryant Park and Union Square Park. The district is at the center of New York’s tourism industry. The Theatre District, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, the Empire State Building and two of the region’s transportation hubs (Grand Central Station and Penn Station) fall within CB5. The board meeting, open to the public, happens on the second Thursday of the month. The next meeting is Thurs., Feb. 11th, 6pm, at Xavier High School (30 W. 16th St., btw.

5th & 6th Aves., 2nd fl.). Call 212465-0907, visit cb5.org or email them at office@cb5.org.

THE 300 WEST 23RD, 22ND & 21ST STREETS BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at 300wba@gmail. com.

THE WEST 400 BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at w400ba@gmail.com.

CHELSEA GARDEN CLUB Chelsea Garden Club cares for the bike lane tree pits in Chelsea. If you want to adopt a tree pit or join the group, please contact them at cgc.nyc@gmail.com or like them on Facebook. Also visit chelseagardenclub.blogspot.com.

LOWER CHELSEA ALLIANCE (LoCal) This group is committed to protecting the residential blocks of Chelsea from overscale development. Contact them at LowerChelseaAlliance@gmail.com.

THE GREENWICH VILLAGE-CHELSEA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Call 212-337-5912 or visit villagechelsea.com.

THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT INITIATIVE Visit meatpacking-district.com or call 212-633-0185.

PENN SOUTH The Penn South Program for Seniors provides recreation, education and social services — and welcomes volunteers. For info, call 212-2433670 or visit pennsouthlive.com.

THE BOWERY RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE: HOMELESS HELPLINE If you know of anyone who is in need of their services, call the Homeless Helpline at 212-533-5151, and the BRC will send someone to make contact. This number is staffed by outreach team leaders 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous. For more info, visit brc.org.

THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER At 208 W. 13th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Visit gaycenter.org or call 212620-7310.

GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS (GMHC) At 446 W. 33rd St. btw. 9th & 10th Aves.

Visit gmhc.org. Call 212-367-1000.

Member of the New York Press Association

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Published by NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM

K

C

Y

M

1

14–20 FEB 2003

YOUR FREE � MARRIAGE PUSH WEEKLY NY advocates step NEWSPAPER up pressure P.4

� LOU HARRISON DIES AT 85

� SUNDANCE PIX

Contemporary composer, Eastern music pioneer

Queer flicks worth waiting for

Gay City P.5

P. 21

NEWS

� CATEGORY

head head head

TM

515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 229-1890 • Fax: (212) 229-2790 On-line: www.chelseanow.com E-mail: scott@chelseanow.com head

BY DUNCAN OSBORNE

BY PAUL SCHINDLER

T

T

he 2004 federal budget proposed by the Bush administration on February 3 is drawing both praise and criticism from gay and AIDS groups.

“Generally, we have a mixed reaction to it,” said Winnie Stachelberg, political director at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), even as some leading AIDS groups, including the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), were more critical.

The proposal includes a $100 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a $5 million dollar increase in the Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS

P. 10

� BOOKSHOP SHUFFLE Oscar Wilde up, Bluestockings down

�3

——————————————

� SIGNORILE There’s a place for us

� 13

——————————————

� THEATER Jews and Muslims work together � 32 ——————————————

CREDIT

� BOOKS Gay spaghetti western

� 42 CAPTION

headMedia, LLC © 2012 NYC Community ——————————————

ARTHUR30AVILES

more head more head more head

ext go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here Text go here

© GAY CITY NEWS 2003 • COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

P. 6 K

C

Y

M

Member of the National Newspaper Association Chelsea Now is published biweekly by NYC Community Media LLC, 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, NY 10013.

(212) 229-1890. Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $75. Single copy price at office and newsstands is 50 cents. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2010 NYC Community Media LLC, Postmaster: Send address changes to Chelsea Now, 145 Sixth Ave., First Fl., New York, N.Y. 10013.

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR

The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

HUDSON GUILD Founded in 1895, Hudson Guild is a multi-service, multi-generational community serving approximately 14,000 people annually with daycare, hot meals for senior citizens, low-cost professional counseling, community arts programs and recreational programming for teens. Visit them at hudsonguild.org. Email them at info@ hudsonguild.org. For the John Lovejoy Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St.), call 212-760-9800. For the Children’s Center (459 W. 26th St.), call 212-7609830. For the Education Center (447 W. 25th St.), call 212-760-9843. For the Fulton Center for Adult Services (119 9th Ave.), call 212-924-6710.

THE CARTER BURDEN CENTER FOR THE AGING This organization promotes the wellbeing of individuals 60 and older through direct social services and volunteer programs oriented to individual, family and community needs. Call 212-879-7400 or visit burdencenter.org.

FULTON YOUTH OF THE FUTURE Email them at fultonyouth@gmail. com or contact Miguel Acevedo, 646-671-0310.

WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE Visit westsidenyc.org or call 212956-2573. Email them at wsna@ hcc-nyc.org.

CHELSEA COALITION ON HOUSING Tenant assistance every Thursday night at 7pm, at Hudson Guild (119 9th Ave.). Email them at chelseacoalition.cch@gmail.com.

FRIENDS OF HUDSON RIVER PARK Visit fohrp.org or call 212-757-0981.

HUDSON RIVER PARK TRUST Visit hudsonriverpark.org or call 212627-2020.

SAVE CHELSEA Contact them at savechelseanyc@ gmail.com.

PUBLISHER Jennifer Goodstein EDITOR Scott Stiffler REPORTERS Lincoln Anderson Sam Spokony EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Sean Egan Maeve Gately

PUBLISHER EMERITUS John W. Sutter

SR. V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING Francesco Regini RETAIL AD MANAGER Colin Gregory ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Allison Greaker Michael O'Brien Andrew Regier Rebecca Rosenthal Julio Tumbaco

9

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCILMEMBER COREY JOHNSON Call 212-564-7757 or visit council.nyc. gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml.

STATE SENATOR BRAD HOYLMAN Call 212-633-8052 or visit bradhoylman.com.

CHELSEA REFORM DEMOCRATIC CLUB The CRDC (the home club of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried) meets monthly to exchange political ideas on protecting the rights and improving the lives of those residing in Chelsea. Visit crdcnyc.org or email them at info@crdcnyc.org.

THE SAGE CENTER New York City’s first LGBT senior center offers hot meals, counseling and a cyber-center — as well as programs on arts and culture, fitness, nutrition, health and wellness. At 305 Seventh Ave. (15th floor, btw. 27th & 28th Sts.). Call 646-576-8669 or visit sageusa.org/ thesagecenter for menus and a calendar of programs.

At 147 W. 24th St. (btw. 6th & 7th Aves.)

THE SYLVIA RIVERA LAW PROJECT works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression without facing harassment, discrimination or violence. Visit srlp.org.

FIERCE (Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment) builds the leadership and power of bisexual, transgender and queer youth of color in NYC. Visit fiercenyc.org.

THE AUDRE LORDE PROJECT is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans and gender non-conforming people of color center for community organizing. Visit alp.org.

ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Troy Masters SENIOR DESIGNER Michael Shirey GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrew Goos Chris Ortiz CIRCULATION SALES MNGR. Marvin Rock

CONTRIBUTORS Jim Caruso Martin Denton Heather Dubin Sean Egan Ophira Eisenberg Roger Miller Paul Schindler Trav S.D. Eileen Stukane

DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION Cheryl Williamson

VIDEO SEGMENT PRODUCER Don Mathisen

10

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

POLICE BLOTTER

An image, provided by police, of the suspect in a gunpoint robbery of a Starbucks.

Starbucks armed robbery Police are searching for a man who robbed a Starbucks near Union Square at gunpoint on Thurs., Jan. 16.

The suspect, pictured above, reportedly walked into the coffeeshop, near the corner of E. 15th St. and Third Ave., around 9:30pm, and immediately displayed the firearm, police said. He then demanded money from two employees — a woman, 21, and a man, 22 — after which he forced them to lie down on the floor and tied up their hands with zip ties.

The unknown perpetrator then snatched around $3,000 in cash from the register and fled the scene, police said. The victimized employees were not injured.

Chased, tackled and robbed

DONATE YOUR CAR Wheels For Wishes benefiting

Tax % 100 tible uc Ded

Metro New York and Western New York *Free Vehicle/Boat Pickup ANYWHERE *We Accept All Vehicles Running or Not

WheelsForWishes.org

Call: (917) 336-1254

Outer Banks, NC Vacation Homes!

Over 500 Vacation Homes, from Duck to Corolla, rindley Oceanfront to Soundfront, each Private Pools, Hot Tubs, VACATIONS & SALES

A 21-year-old Staten Island man suffered bruises and swelling, following an attack that happened shortly after 4am on Sun., Jan. 19. That’s when he left the “Good Life Saturdays” dance event, held weekly at the High Line Ballroom (431 W. 16th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). While walking east on 18th St., the victim passed a group of men — who began to walk in the same direction. At the mid-block point

CASH FOR GUNS $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.

CRIME STOPPERS If you have info regarding a crime committed or a wanted person, call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, text “TIP577” (plus your message) to “CRIMES” (274637) or submit a tip online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

between 7th and 8th Aves., one of the men began to follow him in a deliberate manner — causing the victim to run. A short distance away, he was tackled by his follower, who was assisted by another man from the group. After removing a wallet and a cellphone from the victim’s pocket, the two perps (both estimated to be in their mid20s) fled on 18th St., westbound, towards their original location. The wallet contained $81 in cash, as well as several credit cards along with the victim’s passport card and New York State driver’s license.

Urine trouble now!

Police arrested Daniel Montes, 32, on Jan. 19 after he was caught carrying an illegal knife in the Meatpacking District.

Officers initially stopped Montes around 3am because they had spotted him urinating on a sidewalk near the corner of W. 14th St. and 10th Ave. Once they began searching him, Montes reportedly admitted to having the gravity knife stashed in his jacket pocket, and cops soon found that he was also carrying a small bag of alleged marijuana.

In addition to the violation for public urination, Montes was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana.

—Sam Spokony & Scott Stiffler

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Commander: Captain David S. Miller. Main number: 212-741-8211.

Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212741-8245. The next Community Council meeting, open to the public, takes place at 7pm on Wed., Feb. 29.

THE 13th PRECINCT Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Ted Bernsted. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411.

Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380.

Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meeting takes place at 6:30pm on the third Tues. of the month.

Pets and More…

Book Online at www.brindleybeach.com

1-877-642-3224

“ S E R V I C E F I R S T … F U N A LWAY S ! ”

www.

.com

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

11

CHELSEA: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Buhmann on Art

Image courtesy of Peter Freeman, Inc., New York

Frank Stella’s “The Big Flea Achterbahn” (2013; paint on TUSK Solid Grey 3000, aluminum and stainless steel; 110 x 130 x 96 inches | 279.4 x 330.2 x 243.8 cm).

Image courtesy of Peter Freeman, Inc., New York

At Peter Freeman, Inc. through Feb. 22: Frank Stella’s “K.56” (large version; 2013; paint on Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and stainless steel; 114.2 x 106.3 x 82.7 inches | 290 x 270 x 210 cm).

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN

FRANK STELLA: RECENT WORK

Marking the acclaimed artist’s second solo show with the gallery, this installation features 14 works from two series: “Scarlatti K” and “Circus.” Both reflect Stella’s career-long engagement with expanding the means of abstraction to create and redefine space. The works are made of entwined central resin forms (made using 3-D printing technology) with seemingly tensile metal pipes and rods that provide an overall sense of dynamism.

While “Scarlatti K” pays homage to the work of musicologist Ralph Kirkpatrick (19111984), the “Circus” series, Stella’s newest body of work, is an ambitious contemplation of a world somewhat dreamlike and playful.

Through Feb. 22, at Peter Freeman, Inc. (140 Grand St., btw. Crosby & Lafayette Sts.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. Call 212966-5154 or visit peterfreemaninc.com.

COLOR FORMED

Curated by Jim Osman, this show features six sculptors, who all utilize color to express form in distinct and personal ways. They draw on a range of sources from tools to landscape and architecture. Monti and Porcaro add color to their casting materials. Beach and Doyle apply paint to built forms. Salmanson and Urkowitz turn to materials that have inherent color. Through casting, painting and found color, these artists find innovative ways to leverage hue and form into unified works of art.

Through Feb. 23, at FiveMyles (Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin, then ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place.).

Hours: Thurs.-Sat., 1-6pm. Call 718-7834438 or visit fivemyles.org.

Image courtesy of FiveMyles

Continued on page 12

Six sculptors are featured in “Color Formed,” on view through Feb. 23 at Brooklyn’s FiveMyles gallery.

12

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Buhmann on Art Continued from page 11

6:30pm or by appointment. Call 212-9951774 or visit miguelabreugallery.com.

DUSTIN HODGES: LATE STICK STYLE

THRUSH HOLMES: ALL LIT UP ON WINE

The title of the show refers to a fictional “late” moment of a 19th century tendency in American wood architecture. The Stick Style refers to a loose agglomeration of ideas, values and tendencies. Along these lines, the exhibition features a constructed kiosk for example, whose outside walls are made of freehand observational paintings of houseplants. In addition, a series of “Ruler Drawings,” following the logic and precision of architectural drawings, and “Oyster Style Drawings” that are calligraphic and expressive in nature, are on display.

Through Feb. 23, at Miguel Abreu Gallery (36 Orchard St., btw. Canal & Hester Sts.). Hours: Wed.-Sun., 11am-

Splaying wood panels with exuberant spray paint and slapdash neon tubing, Holmes’ radical methods invigorate otherwise rather traditional subjects like still lifes and reclining nudes. While gesture and crystallized forms dominate the compositions, keyed-up frames in fluorescent hues and brilliant lights add a post-Pop touch of extravagance. In Holmes, the banal receives an almost fetishistic make over worth re-discovering.

Through March 1, at Mike Weiss Gallery (520 W. 24th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am6pm. Call 212-691-6899 or visit mikeweissgallery.com.

Image courtesy of FiveMyles

An installation shot from “Color Formed” — at FiveMyles through Feb. 23.

WEST 23RD BETWEEN 7TH & 8TH

212-777-3456

EVERY THURSDAY at 7:00 & 10:00 PM 7:00 SHOW HOSTED BY HEDDA LETTUCE E

FEB 6 TH FEB 13TH SATURDAY FEB. 15TH 10:00 PM INTERACTIVE WITH

HEDDA LETTUCE

xes

Image courtesy of the artist & Miguel Abreu Gallery

Dustin Hodges’ “Late Stick Style” — on view at Miguel Abreu Gallery through Feb. 23.

lounge THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL 157 W 24th St. One free drink with your Chelsea Classics ticket stub.

www.bowtiecinemas.com

www.

.com Image courtesy of Mike Weiss Gallery

“Thrush Holmes: All Lit Up On Wine” — at Mike Weiss Gallery, through March 1.

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Voices from the Black Box Real dialogue grist for gripping drama

The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce LGBT-2-B Committee & Gay City News present

Diversity in the Workplace LGBT Employee Resource Groups Diversity in the Workplace is good for business – an inclusive corporate culture attracts and retains good employees, and a diverse workforce offers insights on how to reach a more diverse base of customers.

Come join the Manhattan Chamber LGBT Business Committee for a panel discussion on the role in LGBT Employee Resources Groups (ERG) in promoting diversity.

Courtesy of Collective: Unconscious

R to L: Nora Woolley, Irving Gregory, Sam Zuckerman and Patrick Daniels.

FILM CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO Written by Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels and Irving Gregory Co-Directed by Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels and Karlyn Michelson 80 minutes In 3-D Through Feb. 11 Screenings at 1, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8 & 10pm At Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., W. of Sixth Ave. Visit filmforum.org

BY TRAV S.D.

(travsd.wordpress.com)

“Charlie Victor Romeo” may be the most cost-effective disaster movie ever made.

Longtime Downtown theatre fans are well familiar with this pocket-sized but ambitious show, which started at Collective: Unconscious’s tiny Ludlow Street storefront theatre in 1999, with later incarnations at P.S. 122, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and 3LD Art & Technology Center. Performances at

the latter venue were shot (in 3-D!) in 2012 and form the basis of the film.

Shows this small don’t usually stay alive for fourteen years (and counting), but then, most of them don’t offer a journey as compelling or as harrowing as “Charlie Victor Romeo.” The title is aviation jargon for “cockpit voice recorder,” a.k.a. the black box that investigators always scrutinize in the wake of an air disaster. The script of the theatre-piece (and now the film) is drawn from transcriptions of the moments immediately prior to six airplane crashes that occurred between 1985 and 1996.

One of the disconcerting things about the experience is the number and variety of things that can go wrong — sometimes fatally — when you’re flying hundreds of miles an hour ten thousand feet off the ground.

Thousands of factors are involved in getting you safely to your destination, and stuff can go catastrophically wrong with any one of those factors: glitches in manufacture, maintenance, pilot error, bad weather. The six stories in “Charlie Victor Romeo” hit all the major areas, helpfully clarifying the chaotic events with diagrams, charts, data and the verdicts of FAA investigators.

As theatre, there is precedent for Collective: Unconsciousness’s “documentary” approach in the work of Anne Devere Smith and others. Obviously not all real-life dialogue is grist for great drama, but I think I am not alone in finding “Charlie Victor Romero” among the most riveting ninety minutes or so I have ever spent in a theatre. Expertly acted by a cast of seven, it took you on an emotional

Continued on page 15

The panel with be moderated by Paul Schindler, Editor of Gay City News, and include panelists providing insights from the corporate and employee perspective, industry perspective and views on the progress and challenges on LGBTs in the workplace on the national level.

Professional networking with wine and cheese following the panel discussion.

February 12 | 6:30p to 8:30p Microsoft 11 Times Square | New York, NY, 10036

www.manhattancclgbt.org

www.li-lacchocolates.com

www.gaycitynews.com

212 473 7875 manhattancc.org/lgbt

13

14

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Just Do Art

Photo by Josh Koenig

Pig Iron Theatre Company’s take on “Twelfth Night” has exuberant physicality and a Balkan-inspired score.

Photo by Daniel McCarthy

Photo by Steven Schreiber

The ReGroup Theatre Company revival of “The House of Connelly” restores playwright Paul Green’s original ending.

Sound and movement are used to explore the undiscovered country, in “The Futurist” (Feb. 5/6, as part of CULTUREMART). See page 15.

PIG IRON THEATRE COMPANY’S “TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL”

as well as the ensemble’s commitment to realism and relevance over diversionary fluff, left an indelible mark on the likes of Brando, Dean, Pacino, De Niro and Streep — all of whom underwent training at the Actors Studio (founded by Group members Cheryl Crawford, Elia Kazan and Robert Lewis). Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets also did some pretty good post-Group work — but other than Odets’ “Golden Boy” (revived last year on Broadway to great acclaim), The Group Theatre’s work is largely unknown to contemporary audiences.

For the past several years, The ReGroup Theatre Company has been calling attention to the Group’s “lost” plays — by publishing three collections and bringing long-dormant works

The rough and tumble (and quite possibly insane) thespians from Pig Iron Theatre Company proudly boast of their inability to sit still. But you’d be mistaken to connect the unconventional ensemble’s perpetual motion with an inability to focus on the story at hand. In fact, a dutiful fidelity to the source material weighs heavily on the frontal lobe of director Dan Rothernberg — who says this Philly company is poised to deliver a “rough, wholly American” version of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” without “deconstructing the thing.” That’s good news, because the Bard’s much-interpreted tale of mistaken identity and

misdirected love is wicked funny as written — making it a perfect match for Pig Iron’s exuberant fusion of clown theater, cabaret and dance (and, in this case, a Balkan-inspired score performed live by members of the West Philadelphia Orchestra).

Feb. 4–7, 12–15 and 19–22 at 7:30pm. Feb. 8 at 7pm. Feb. 9, 16, 23 at 3pm and Feb. 19 at 1pm. At Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand St., at Pitt St.). For tickets ($30-$40), call 212-3523101 or visit abronsartscenter.org. Also visit pigiron.org.

“THE HOUSE OF CONNELLY”

Founded in 1931, The Group Theatre burned bright for just a decade. But co-founder Lee Strasberg’s “method acting” technique,

such as “Big Night” to the stage. Their current effort reconsiders “The House of Connelly,” by going with playwright Paul Green’s original “jaw-dropping conclusion” instead of the more optimistic ending imposed upon its original 1931 run. In doing so, ReGroup acknowledges that for all its ambition and integrity, even The Group Theatre’s inaugural production (directed by Strasberg, with Adler and Odets in the cast) was not immune to leavening harsh reality with a little hope. Still, regardless of which tone dominates at curtain time, there’s plenty to chew on, in this tale of a wayward heir navigating his Old South legacy while assessing the motivations of a potential love interest.

Continued on page 15

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Charlie Victor Romeo Continued from page 13 hellride ranging from grim concern to fear to despair to moments of light, thoughtless chitchat (which in some ways are the most terrifying moments of all — think about it).

The main virtue of the film is that now these terrific performances are preserved and can travel beyond the confines of tiny New York and Fringe theatres. When I first heard it had been made into a movie, I had visions of a full adaptation, with real planes and special effects, or perhaps green screens providing a sky and clouds outside the cockpit window. But instead, this is a full-on documentary record of a theatre performance.

(I was startled to learn in the credits that it was taped before a live audience, because, tellingly, you can hear a pin drop.) Normally, “filmed theatre” is sort of a drag, the kind of thing you see on PBS. Occasionally it can be effective, depending on the strength of the performances, but graphically it can be unbearably static.

Because of the singular nature of this piece, however, that potential pitfall doesn’t apply here. While the set is literally comparable to the cockpit set Ed Wood used in “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” we are so drawn into these moments and performances and so into the character’s heads that it comes close to being like listening to radio theatre (and the sound

design is one of the many strong points of both the theatre piece and the film). But the expressions on the actors’ faces are so crucial, too.

The performances, simple and unadorned by any nonsense, are all uniformly terrific.

There is lesson here that I hope Hollywood learns. With very little set and no special effects, we have a movie that is all thrills, the equivalent of the climaxes of six disaster movies — and in many ways, more effective. I don’t need any CGI; the sweat rolling off a pilot’s worried forehead affects me just fine.

The ultimate benefit of the film may come from a home video release, if it gets one.

When I saw the live stage production about a decade ago, when it was over I definitely wanted to hang on to the experience, ask questions, rewind it and watch certain crucial, elusive moments again. It’s easy to get obsessive about “Charlie Victor Romeo.”

Trav S.D. has been producing the American Vaudeville Theatre since 1995, and periodically trots it out in new incarnations. Stay in the loop at travsd.wordpress. com, and also catch up with him on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et al. His books include “No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous” and “Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and its Legacies from Nickelodeons to YouTube.”

Just Do Art Continued from page 14 Through Feb. 9: Mon. and Thurs.-Sat. at 8pm and Sun. at 3pm. At The Barrow Group Theatre (312 W. 36th St., third floor; btw.

Eighth & Ninth Aves.). For tickets ($35), call 212-868-4444 or visit smarttix.com. Also visit regrouptheatre.org and thehouseofconnelly.com. At 2pm on Fri., Feb. 7(also at Barrow Street Theatre), ReGroup will present a staged reading of Green’s adaptation of the Richard Wright novel, “Native Son.”

CULTUREMART 2014

They’ll all be mainstage productions someday — but right now, the creative types who have the full confidence of HERE’s Artist Residency Program are ready to give you a glimpse of their upcoming works, all in various stages of development. That’s the upshot of CULTUREMART, which has an impressive track record of very few misfires among its annual throw-it-out-there festival. This year’s edition offers 13 workshop performances from mid-career artists in the fields of theater, dance, music, puppetry and visual art (three HARP alumni, also in the midst of developing new projects, are on board as well). Here’s some of the stuff that tripped our wire: Joseph Silovsky’s “Send for the Million

Men” uses puppets and robots to blend his own biography with the trial, then execution, of 1920s anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti (7pm, Feb. 1 & 2). Dead-on theater critic David Cote (a tough but fair champion of the Downtown scene) provides the libretto for “The Scarlet Ibis” — based on the 1960 James Hurst short story, in which a well-meaning older brother’s efforts to toughen up his frail sibling has tragic results (6pm, Feb. 3). “The Futurist” is an evening-length dance by Laura Peterson Choreography, in which elements of composer [Joe Diebes’ with sound installation] transform into costumes, furniture and landscapes that represent the dread, hope and anticipation expressed by a diverse group asked to imagine what life will be like in the coming years (8:30pm, Feb. 5 & 6). Leyna Marika Papach’s opera/movement-theater work “Glass Mouth” questions whether external things like words and movements are capable of representing the true nature of our thoughts (8:30pm, Feb. 8).

Performances happen through Feb. 9, at HERE (145 Sixth Ave., entrance on Dominick St.). For tickets ($15), call 212352-3101 or visit here.org. Student Rush tickets are free (with valid student ID) at the box office, open after 5pm on show days.

15

16

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

FAMILY PRIDE

Battery Park City Day Nursery Where loving and learning go hand in hand

Register Now!

Register Now

A boon to Mothers and Fathers with career commitments

2 blocks south

2 blocks south of the of World Financial World Financial Center

Center between Albany & Rector Place

215 SOUTH END AVENUE, BATTERY PARK CITY, NY 10280 www.bpcdaynursery.com

SPENCE-CHAPIN Adoption Service and Caring Since 1908 Adoption is not a moment in time, but a lifelong journey

To Advertise, Contact Francesco Regini Francesco@ChelseaNow.com 646-452-2496

Spence-Chapin is fully committed to equality in adoption and we remain dedicated to placing children with stable, loving forever families. We can help you design a custom adoption progam to suit the needs of your growing family while providing the building blocks, education and support all adoptive families need at different life stages.

Our workshops and support groups help nurture confident parents and happy families.

Call us at 212-400-8150 410 East 92 St ! New York, NY ! 10128

www.spence-chapin.org

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

17

Can’t Camouflage the Changes on Eighth Avenue Although he says closing negotiations with The Chelsea Gardens co-op have been “completely amicable, the bottom line is that if any business is to stay alive long term, it needs to keep changing or it will die.” After his brick and mortar days end in March, Gurewitsch plans to revamp his website (arcadianyc.com), eliminate shipping charges for some items, increase social media outreach and “focus more tightly on those products Arcadia has that no one else sells.”

Continued from page 5 course, we are obligated as part of our lease to pay the tax bills.” With residential non-stabilized rents in the area greatly increasing “as more tech people moved in and more apartments were de-stabilized every year, the assessment on the building we were in skyrocketed.

But the landlord had no interest in appealing it, because she doesn’t pay her tax bill.”

Gurewitsch’s lease obligated him to pay 50 percent of any increase in taxes over the base rate. “The numbers quickly became unsustainable,” he recalls, noting that’s what led him to apply for storefront space in Chelsea Gardens, a co-op on West 23rd Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

“Every apartment and retail space pays its fair share of the total real estate tax bill for the building,” says Gurewitsch, “so the store’s share was a miniscule few hundred dollars per year, and my lease specifically includes a maximum cap in the increase in real estate taxes the building can pass along to me.”

But insulation from “insane tax bills” weren’t enough to shield him from dynamics at work within his client base.

First, there was the loss of core customers who, “while not rich, were ready to spend significant money ($100-500) on a fairly regular basis for gifts for friends and family and for decorating their own homes. The recession chased a significant portion of those folks out of Chelsea and in many cases out of NYC entirely.”

The newer tenants that have moved in over the past five years or so are also “far less tied to Chelsea as a distinct neighborhood and community.” These overwhelmingly young residents eye Chelsea more for the area’s centrality than its gay identity or proximity to the galleries — and they’re more inclined to shop online. Unlike those who arrived decades ago, bought into the market when it was cheap and remain to this day, new arrivals employed by Google (and soon, newly announced West 17th Street tenant Twitter) “fall into two very different and opposite categories: one, barely able to pay rent and keep food on their tables so all they can do is buy greeting cards (which don't exactly pay Manhattan retail rent) or two, making so much money that, I kid you not, Arcadia is just not expensive enough for them.

I have heard it repeatedly, especially in the last few years: ‘Your prices are too low.’ This at the same time I am dealing with customers complaining about my cards being too expensive, even though the prices on my cards haven’t changed in many years, and they are generally cheaper than the cards at CVS.”

CAMOUFLAGE

Photos by Scott Stiffler

Movin’ out, moving on: After 38 years, Camouflage vacated its corner space, on Eighth and 17th.

One change that’s kind of nice: Nasty Pig (“innovative clothing and edgy products for the masculine, sexually self-assured man”) is moving to 259 W. 19th. “Coming Soon,” promises a sign in their 265A W. 19th St. store (seen here in its 2013 glory).

This past Sunday, workers were wheeling out empty display cases, and other final remnants, from the store Norm Usiak founded with his business partner, Gene Chase (who succumbed to AIDS in 1996).

When Camouflage made its debut on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 17th Street, Usiak recalls, “what was so wonderful about Chelsea and the West Village was that it didn’t matter who you were. You were accepted. The whole area was an idea factory. It used to draw innovative, young people who came to New York to start their careers.

You had so many actors, writers, production designers and theater people.

Everybody was friendly, as long as you abided by the law and didn’t hurt anybody. In the 70s, it [Eighth Avenue] was predominantly straight. I’m straight, Gene was gay, and we were best friends.

We always said that Camouflage was a clothing store for men. We didn’t care what they were.”

Although many say the migration started with the opening of Splash in 1991, Usiak traces the Chelsea’s rainbow population explosion to the 1994 Gay Games New York. After that, he says, “there was a tremendous flux of gay men into Chelsea. It became incredibly popular.” So popular, in fact, that a second store, Camouflage Downtown, was opened in 1987 — two doors down, but meant to “represent a new look, of what everyone south of 23rd Street was wearing; a bit more tight-fitting, tailored shirts, no pleats. Back then, jeans were becoming acceptable to wear with the sports jacket.”

In August of 2013, Camouflage Downtown closed. Last weekend, so did the original. “I gave that [Downtown] up for the same reasons I am giving up this one up, which is rent increases,” says Usiak, who notes the monthly asking price for the corner store went from $7,000 to $24,000 — a decision made by the building’s new co-op board.

“They really never gave me an explanation. From what I’m told, the building needed more income and the only way they could get the income was increas-

Continued on page 19

18

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Gene Stavis, Gay TV Pioneer, Dies At 70 Gene Stavis, a film historian and scholar who produced “Emerald City,” the first gaythemed cable television show in New York, in 1977, died on December 29 after a short illness. He was 70.

With two other gay men, Frank O’Dowd and Steve Bie, he organized Truth, Justice and the American Way, Inc. to produce the show on Manhattan’s leased-access Channel J, syndicating it to San Francisco as well.

“Emerald City,” which ran through 1979, covered the LGBT movement, politics, and culture in that late pre-AIDS era, including interviews with such figures as activist and later presidential aide Ginny Apuzzo, performer Quentin Crisp, painter David Hockney, Charles Ludlum of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, and porn star Casey Donovan. Among the on-air talent were journalists Arthur Bell, Vito Russo, and Brandon Judell. And the show featured commercials for the city’s growing gay commercial establishment of bars, bathhouses, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

Writer, activist, and physician Dr. Larry Mass wrote in an email, “Gene was widely known as an authority on film and had his own notable collection of vintage reels. He was beloved by his students and cineastes, and for many years hosted a kind of salon in his home at Waterside Plaza. He was a close friend of Arnie Kantrowitz, Brandon Judell, and Stephen Bie. We mourn the passing of this fabled figure of our communities.”

Stavis taught cinema history at the School of Visual Arts for 35 years. He worked with Henri Langlois, founder of Cinemathèque Française,

You Saw It...

Gay film pioneer and film scholar Gene Stavis.

in the 1970s to develop an American counterpart to that famous film archive, serving as its New York director. He had principal responsibility for the development of the SVA Theater on West 23rd Street between Eighth and Ninth, which is also used for numerous film premieres.

A close friend, director and editor Robert M. Neilson, wrote online, “He LOVED film.

He discovered a lost student film by Orson Welles at a library in Greenwich, CT. called ‘The Hearts of Age.’ He confronted him over the phone while he was at a hotel in Las Vegas, ‘excuse me Mr. Welles, I have a film that belongs to you.’ Welles: ‘It’s a fake, burn it.’

Gene: ‘But Mr. Welles, you’re in it.’”

—Andy Humm

You Read It...

And so did Thousands of our Readers.

To advertise, call 646-452-2496

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Eighth Ave. Not Half of What it Was

Photos by Scott Stiffler

Read it and weep: A sign announces the Oct. 31, 2013 closing of Room Service, “due to the lease agreement” (their Hell’s Kitchen location, on Ninth Ave., btw. 47th & 48th Sts., remains).

Continued from page 17 ing the retail rents or increasing their maintenance. I never had real estate taxes, but with the new lease, I would.”

Still, he notes in a surprisingly upbeat tone, “If you own the building and somebody walked up to you and offered 23, and somebody offered you 24, I think 98 percent of the people would take the 24.”

Usiak, who turns 65 this year, says that rather than open at another location (estimated cost, over half a million), he’d like to do some consulting work and maybe “teach young people about retail and how to stay alive for 38 years, which is very difficult when you don’t own your property. I’m disappointed that I m leaving Chelsea, but to start a new business with the type of product I have, it’s just too expensive.

My store is not the type you can put between a block. These [corner] windows have been my source of advertising.”

Right up to its final days, Usiak recalls, Camouflage remained a destination for “those who want to feel the fabric, and see the quality,” and would spend the necessary amount for a product that has physical stylistic staying power. “I wouldn’t sell clothes that you can’t wear five years from now,” he says, noting it

wasn’t uncommon to hear from customers “who came here in the late 70s, who bought a beautiful Perry Ellis coat they still own.” He does, however, acknowledge that by and large, “The Twitter and Google people, they buy online.”

As for the prohibitive rent increase, Usiak says the story of his store, and so many others forced to move from Eighth Avenue, are casualties not of the great gay migration, but of the trickle down tourist invasion. “The High Line had a lot to do with that,” he reasons. “When you bring in five to seven million tourists, the commercial landlords understand that means more people walking by their property. They calculate that as a reason why they’re raising the rent to these levels.”

With so many of his friends having left, Usiak says it’s the right time for him to part ways with the neighborhood he helped define. “But I can’t thank the Chelsea community enough in their support of my store and the friendliness they’ve shown to me.” Four of five months from now, he predicts, “Camouflage will be pretty well forgotten, and there will be something else on this corner. But do we really need another fast food store or bank? This is an incredible neighborhood that’s under a major change, and I’m hoping it still can keep a little bit of what makes it unique.”

19

20

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

MEET YOUR CHELSEA BANKING TEAM Our friendly staff at Amalgamated Bank’s 275 7th Avenue branch is proud to serve the Chelsea community.

Led by Claude Colimon, a New York native with more than two decades of experience in the banking industry, our team offers a variety of personal and business banking solutions to meet your financial needs; including:

Eunice Bello, Claude Colimon, Madtiel Cabral

•

Affordable checking and savings options

•

Residential mortgage originations

•

Loans and lines of credit

Learn what Amalgamated Bank can do for you and to get to know Claude’s team.

Stop by the branch at 275 7th Avenue or call 212-895-8988.

© 2013 Amalgamated Bank. All rights reserved. Amalgamated Bank NMLS ID#898791 Rev. 11/2013

SAVE 20%

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU SENT THEM LAST YEAR?

ON YOUR FIRST BUSINESS ORDER Call or visit us to learn more!

212-571-7555 143 Duane Street | New York, NY 10013

212-982-7200

They don’t either.

100 St. Marks Place (8th St.) | New York, NY 10009

BUSINESS GIFTS

by Edible Arrangements. PRETTY SMART Same day pickup and delivery available ®

EdibleArrangements.com Offer valid at participating locations shown. Limit one per customer. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Visit EdibleArrangements.com for details & restrictions. EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS® & Design and all other marks noted are trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC. (C)2013 Edible Arrangements, LLC. All right reserved.

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

Strong Words From Tin House Pen Parentis Literary Salon helps keep writers on track

21

Trying to have a baby?

H We CAN HeLP!

Our mission is to help patients realize the dream of parenthood - regardless of marital status or sexual orientation.

GENESIS Fertility & Reproductive Medicine is a nationally recognized center of excellence for the treatment of infertility, long-recognized for our comprehensive fertility services, culturally-sensitive approach to patient care and excellent success rates. The countless notes from patients that decorate our halls are testimony to the quality of the GENESIS program.

Photo by Darius Suziedelis

Elissa Shapelle, seen here at a previous Pen Parentis event, returns (along with Tin House colleagues Elissa Schappell and Matthew Specktor) to the Feb. 11 salon.

Brooklyn • Staten Island • Long Island (718) 283-8600

GENESIS

®

BY SCOTT STIFFLER Put those deadlines on hold, ditch the kids for a few hours and head to the Andaz Wall Street hotel — for a provocative and stimulating night that just might become your new regular thing.

Once a month, the Pen Parentis literary salon hosts readings by authors who’ve remained prolific, while raising a family. Their tips, plus ample time for schmoozing with other parents dedicated to staying on creative track, will help you realize your own goal of writing — while providing the opportunity to come home with a few books that don’t rhyme, pop up or ask you to pinpoint Waldo.

The salon’s February installment features three authors from Tin House — a publishing imprint whose irreverent magazine contains works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, as well as columns on food and drink. Brooklyn resident Elissa Schappell, a founding editor of that magazine, will read from “Blueprints for Building Better Girls.” Joining her will be Cari

Luna, whose debut novel “The Revolution of Every Day” was published last October — and Matthew Specktor, whose “American Dream Machine” is currently in development for a series on Showtime. After their readings, the authors will talk about their writing and parenting lives in an informal roundtable. Brian Gresko and M. M. De Voe, from Pen Parentis, host and moderate.

On March 11, “Authors Discuss Their Passions” features Ann Hood, Rick Moody and Max Watman. April 8’s “Authors on the Verge” welcomes Sara Lippmann, Ben Tanzer and Caeli Wolfson Widger (with special guest host Julia Fierro).

Tues., Feb. 11, at 7pm. In the lobby of the Andaz Hotel (75 Wall St., enter from Water or Pearl Sts.). Free, and open to the public (21+ only; Happy hour specials on beer and wine). For info, visit pennparentis.org. RSVP recommended: info@ penparentis.org. Also visit facebook.com/ penparentis. Twitter: @penparentis.

Fertility & Reproductive Medicine

Where Life Begins

®

www.genesisfertility.com

Building Families for 25 Years!

2

22 Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014 July 18 - 24, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE WEDNESDAY 5:00 PM MAIL 515 CANAL STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013 TEL 646-452-2485 FAX 212-229-2790 SERVICES

REAL ESTATE

Cleaning your home & office your way since 2004 One-time or recurring service, move-in/out, post-construction cleaning Fully insured and bonded, Home Advisor...4.56 rated cleaner Chamber of Commerce member

Call us today!

(718) 333-1181 dentoncleaning.com

ADVANCE SHOE REPAIR EXPERT RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY....

FOR YOUR FAVORITE SHOES *Shoes *Hand Bags *Leather Repair *Shoe Cleaning/Shine

30% OFF ENTIRE ORDER W/AD EXP. 12/31/14 Pick Up & Delivery Available 212-967-4040 397 8th Ave., Chelsea

Trying to have a baby?

WE CAN HELP! Clean with a Conscience

WANT TO LEARN SPANISH &/OR JAPANESE?  Reasonable Rates

 Call Mauricio  (718) 789-0430 MetroTourService21@gmail.com

Genesis Fertility & Reproductive Medicine Where Life Begins Brooklyn | Staten Island | Long Island (718) 283-8600 | genesisfertility.com Building Families for 25 Years!

SERVICES FOR ALL MIGRANTS Scalabrini Center For All Migrants 25-B Carmine Street (x Bleeker) Low cost legal assistance, referrals, classes.

Tel: 347-606-4050; info@scalabrinicenternyc.org

GET HELP WITH MORTGAGE PAYMENTS! CATSKILL VILLAGE DUPLEX FOR SALE

CATSKILLS PRIVATE LAKE PROPERTIES Small Cottages and Buildable Beautiful Lakefront Land 2 Hrs, from Lower Manhattan.

Call 212-925-0044

A lovely affordable duplex. Live in the 3-bedroom unit and rent out the 2-bedroom one to minimize your living expenses.

Both units offer spacious rooms and off-street parking. 3-bedroom has 1 1/2 baths; 2-bedroom has 1 bath. Units are partially renovated; new kitchen appliances, new flooring, new carpets and new paint throughout. Walking distance to town, stores and restaurants.

MIAMI BEACH &GREATER DOWNTOWN MIAMI LOOKING TO BUY AND/OR SELL A CONDO? Greg Schreiber of CVR Realty/Condo Vultures gregschreiber.cvrrealty.com 786.223.3324

Asking $99,900

APT. SHARE OR PVT RM. HEALTHY, ACTIVE,

Contact Karen Deyo at Rip Van Winkle Realty 518-943-5303, or Colin at 646-641-9327.

Senior, Female.

Non-Smoker, Non-Drinker Manhattan or within one hour public transportation.

Call 646-248-3733

COMMERCIAL SPACE & INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

NOHO 6,000 sq.ft. approx.

Ground floor with drive-in for service warehouse mfg.......$40,000 per month Call Owner (212) 685-1514 COMMERCIAL SPACE

SOHO MANUFACTURING SPACE

Leslie Feldman

@leslie4hair Hair missionary. I cut, color, & consult.

Where less is more. Private 'non-salon' studio.

ChelseaNYC | beauticianwithamission.info

(212) 229-1856

Ground Floor aprox 1,550 sqft $120k per Anum.

Call 212-226-3100

Trying to have a baby? WE CAN HELP! Genesis Fertility & Reproductive Medicine | Where Life Begins Brooklyn | Staten Island | Long island (718) 283-8600 | genesisfertility.com Building Families for 25 Years!

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

23

Dear Hot:

Dear Readers: Well, the ink on my Airbnb contract is dry — obligating me to vacate my Chelsea apartment, so some lucky stiff from Denver can use these humble digs as a flop house, between all the Big Game activities…so here’s one from the archives to keep you occupied until our February 12 issue (a special Valentine’s Day column).

Toodles!

Dear Aunt Chelsea, I have a MAJOR problem with my Chinese delivery guy. I know, I know…a girl should avoid the MSGpacked dishes — but sometimes, I just can’t help myself. I have even gone so far as to turn it into a bit of a “treat,” ordering only on Mondays (to get over those start of the workweek blues).

But my delivery guy REFUSES to deliver to my door. Instead, he hangs out downstairs, buzzing and calling me on my cell with unprecedented urgency.

Every time I go down (mind you, I live in a five-story walk-up) and give him a nasty look, he mumbles something and takes his money, complaining that I DON’T TIP ENOUGH (sister, I don’t tip if I gotta go down and get it).

I guess my delivery “friend” caught on, because ALL OF A SUDDEN, they do not deliver to my building (and this place is a mere two blocks down the street).

I know I should just find a new place, or just walk over there. But c’mon, Aunt Chelsea. I already put SOOOO many hours in at Chelsea Piers! I DESERVE to get food from THIS particular Chinese joint. I don’t think you realize just how DIVINE their General Tso’s chicken is! Please, help your gal pal out!

Hot for Tso

Aunt Chelsea, no stranger to the twin pleasures of scallion pancake and helping her gal pals, has great admiration for the hours you spend exercising at Chelsea Piers.

So why, I wondered upon giving your letter its first glance, would a person so bitterly resent a 10-flight round trip to retrieve their tasty MSG reward? On the letter’s second read, it hit me. Oh, dear. Oh dear, dear, dear. SO MANY CAPITAL WORDS (not to mention the “use of quotes” and the four-letter swear I discreetly removed so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of my beloved readers).

Hot, you’re clearly a person of great passion and high standards. I like that. I admire that.

But stubborn resolve often has a self-defeating downside — and in your case, it’s a liberal interpretation of urban delivery protocol that’s long on righteous anger and short on empathy. So let me play personal trainer and give YOU a helpful little exercise…in “moral fortitude!”

The next time you’re at Chelsea Piers, ride a stationary bike at full speed for 10 minutes and pretend you’re dodging traffic. Then dismount and see how excited you are about running up five flights of stairs to get what may or may not be enough of a tip to cover bus fare home. Don’t forget to stress over the umpteen dozen more deliveries you have to make, the countless hours left on your shift and the threat of a pink slip if the boss hears one more complaint from a physically fit, stairs-averse customer.

It’s no wonder you’ve fallen off your favorite Chinese joint’s radar — and delivery map! At once, you simply must hoof it down the block, seek out that overworked delivery guy and apologize. Blame it on the Monday blues and a chemical imbalance. I’m sure they’ve heard that one before! Then hand over his overdue tips. Harsh words hurt, but money talks (and heals wounds and mends fences).

Go home walking the proud, tall walk of the truly righteous — and the next time you get a craving for the General, you just call up that joint and tell them you’ll happily meet them downstairs to pick up the order. Have a smile and a kind word and a reasonable tip for the delivery guy, and I’m absolutely certain he’ll go from being a “friend” to…a friend! Good luck, honey, and here’s to many more years of peace, love and MSG-infused happiness.

c o s r H o o pe s Aries This is the day to ditch your laser-like focus. Fantastic

ideas flow from a wandering mind — but rein it in by week’s end, or risk a liberated noggin that remains stubbornly loopy.

Taurus A scheming foe is being coerced by an unseen puppet master. Clip their strings, and join forces with your new ally!

Gemini Good ideas, like snowflakes, are fragile and fleeting things. Let a pen and pad be your shovel this week, when a powerful brainstorm blankets the overnight hours.

Cancer Shame is this week’s monkey on your back. A normally unhealthy sense of stubborn pride will scratch the itch into oblivion. Go, girl, go!

Leo A trio of Monday events will challenge the structural

integrity of your moral core. Tell temptation to take a hike!

Virgo There is nothing unique about your Polar Vortex

complaints — so chill out, and warm up to the notion that others are just as cold!

Libra Your fond recollection of a cartoon character’s pithy catch phrase inspires you to settle on the main dish of an important dinner.

Scorpio Justice is served in this month’s waning days, as a seemingly disinterested party shares a secret that redeems your reputation. Say “thanks” with a Ziggy card!

Sagittarius The results of an Internet personality quiz leave

you deeply unsettled. Repeat to yourself, calmly: Eight questions cannot determine which Disney princess I am!

Capricorn You will be compelled to excavate a mothballed

sweater long regarded as drab and dull. What else are you willing to warm up to, as the years take their toll on your once-stubborn resolve?

Do you have a personal problem at work, the gym, the bar or the corner coffee shop? Is there a domestic dispute that needs the sage counsel of an uninvolved third party? Then Ask Aunt Chelsea! Contact her via askauntchelsea@chelseanow.com, and feel free to end your pensive missive with a clever, anonymous moniker (aka “Troubled on 23rd Street,” or “Ferklempt in the Fashion District”).

Aquarius At a party, you will be tempted to binge on the

contents of a particular snack tray. Show restraint, and court the favor of a comely admirer.

Pisces A blank look never helps — but do resist piping up when

a conversation veers into territory beyond your expertise.

Janurar y 29 - February 11, 2014

“ M I C H A E L G R A N D A G E ’ S S T U P E N D O U S P R O D U C T I O N O F B I L LY B U D D I S G L Y N D E B O U R N E A T I T S M A T C H L E S S B E S T. ” — T H E D A I LY T E L E G R A P H ( U K )

☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆

—THE GUARDIAN (UK)

—FINANCIAL TIMES (UK)

— D A I LY M A I L ( U K )

G L Y N D E B O U R N E LONDON

F E S T I V A L

PHILHARMONIC

O P E R A

ORCHESTRA

PHOTOS: ALASTAIR MUIR

24

F E B

7—13

B I L L Y B U D D BILLY BUDD / BY BENJAMIN BRITTEN / GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVAL OPERA / LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA THE GLYNDEBOURNE CHORUS / CONDUCTED BY SIR MARK ELDER / DIRECTED BY MICHAEL GRANDAGE

718.636.4100 BAM 2014 Winter/Spring Season sponsor:

BAM.ORG Billy Budd is made possible by a generous gift from The Howard Gilman Foundation Leadership support for Billy Budd provided by: Robert Turner Aashish & Dinyar Devitre

TICKETS START AT $30 Leadership support for opera at BAM provided by: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation