Chelsea Now, July 25, 2012 by Schneps Media

Our man Amateau (see directly below)

VOLUME 4, NUMBER 50

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

JULY 25 - AUGUST 7, 2012

A newsman looks back BY ALBERT AMATEAU When did it start? Age three going on four, stomping through half-empty house, shouting, “Where’s my printing set?” Gave explicit instructions to mother and father not to forget it in the move from Kings Highway, Brooklyn to Utopia Parkway, Queens. Don’t remember finding it. Copy boy, World Telegram & Sun (125 Barclay Street, 1952?). Made friends with fellow copy boy a few years older who lived on Avenue A, Allen Ginsberg. He carried around a library book about the Mayans and said he

Photo by Sally Helm

Mulch ado about something: Chelsea Garden Club spreads the love to area bike lane tree pits. See page 12.

Film shoots draw ire and support BY SAM SPOKONY Chelsea residents are sharply divided in their perceptions of film and photo shoots taking place on their block on West 21st Street — which some claim are being held illegally. Opinions are also split among those who were recently surrounded by a major Hollywood production that lasted nearly a week and resulted in the destruction of a city tree on Ninth Avenue. “[It’s] destroying the residential quality of the block,” said Steven J. Shore, who has lived in his apartment on the west 400 block of 21st Street for 18 years. “When the filming is in progress, the sidewalk on the north side of the street is frequently closed or restricted, parking is disrupted by the trucks and vans the various film companies use, and the quiet of our residential block is disrupted by the film personnel out on the street.”

Shore was referencing film and photo shoots that have taken place intermittently at two residences on his block (between Ninth and Tenth Avenues) since 2009. The buildings, at 425 and 441 West 21st Street, have sparked enough tension and controversy among the small group of neighbors that the Council of Chelsea Block Associations (CCBA) and Save Chelsea compiled a June 25 report on what the organizations perceive to be the two building owners’ violations of residential zoning laws. The report claims that 18 shoots have been observed at 425 West 21st Street since 2010, and that 49 have been observed at 441 West 21st Street since 2009 — including one that lasted 10 days — according to testimony from block residents. Citing NYC Planning Commission zoning regulations,

which state that no more than 500 square feet of a residential unit can be used for business purposes, the report also asserts that the owners of the two buildings advertise the use of much more space than is legally allowed. The website referred to in the CCBA report (betsy.com) is run by Elizabeth Morgan (one of the owners of 441 West 21st Street). As of July 23, it was advertising over 8,000 square feet of indoor space (between two separate apartments) and 2,000 square feet of outdoor space on her property, for film and photo shoots. “Such usage, in the [CCBA] and [Save] Chelsea’s opinion, adversely impacts the quality of life on the block, which has been turned into a commercial zone for the benefit of two property owners

was going to Yucatan to see the ruins, then hang out with friends in San Francisco. Ginsberg tells me about visiting Ezra Pound at St. Elizabeth’s asylum in Washington, D.C. Shows me a typescript of his own poems with a short blurb by William Carlos Williams. I show him a poem I had written with some not-very-good rhymes. His critique: “Forget that tired crap.” Copy boy on New York Post (75 West Street, 1956?), working midnight-to-8am shift: July 25, 1956, city room frantic.

Continued on page 4

Chelsea Market reaches ULURP halfway process BY SCOTT STIFFLER Wi t h a J u n e 6 “ N o , Unless” verdict from Community Board 4 (CB4) and a July 19 declaration of “Conditional Disapproval” from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Jamestown Properties’ bid to vertically expand Chelsea Market is now halfway through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process. The CB4 decision (reached via a 26-14 vote)

Continued on page 2

and Stringer’s detailed analysis of the ULURP application both came with recommendations for significant design changes and a firm philosophical opposition to the project. Opinions differ, however, as to what extent the current design will change, and what benefits the surrounding community will see. In addition to a 19 million dollar contribution to the High Line

Continued on page 7

EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 8

INDIE-FOLK AT ROCKWOOD PAGE 23

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Is Chelsea morphing into ‘Hollywood on the Hudson?’ Continued from page 1

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Models used for illustrative purposes only

at the expense of the rest of the neighborhood and its residents,” the June 25 report states. Morgan did not return phone calls seeking comment, and George Fares, the owner of 425 West 21st Street, declined to comment. The CCBA and Save Chelsea report also stems from what its writers, along with block residents, claim to be a poor response from the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) in their investigations of the alleged zoning violations. “We’ve been looking for a response from the city for about two years, but we really haven’t gotten anything at all,” said CCBA President Bill Borock. According to records on the DOB website, there have been 13 complaints logged against 425 West 21st Street related to film and photo shoots, but none have resulted in violations. Based on the agency’s complaint records, the dismissals all resulted from the fact that no shoots were taking place when DOB inspectors arrived at the building to investigate. But according to the records, those inspections often took place months after the complaints were filed. In one case, the inspection of a complaint logged on October 19, 2011 did not take place until January 25, 2012. There have been 12 complaints logged against 441 West 21st Street, also with no resulting violations. According to the DOB records, two complaints against that building — one from May 16 and another from February 27 — have yet to be investigated. “The Department is currently investigating complaints of illegal commercial uses at both these properties and will take the appropriate action based upon what we find,” said DOB Press Secretary Ryan FitzGibbon, although he did not address any specifics of potential investigations. Even while neighbors, and both the CCBA and Save Chelsea, call foul on the owners of 425 and 441 West 21st Street, some block residents believe the outcry is unwarranted. “I’ve never found the shoots to be inconvenient, and most of the neighbors I’ve talked to about it feel the same way,” said Steven Horton, who has lived on the west 400 block of 21st Street for the past three years. “More than anything, I feel flattered that people love this block enough to want to do that stuff here.” When asked about the disruptions cited by other residents and in the June 25 report — including claims of blockages along the street and sidewalk due to production trucks and equipment — Horton said he found them to be negligible. “The worst thing that might happen is

that you have to step off the sidewalk to walk around a car as you’re going down the street, but that’s just 10 seconds out of your life,” he noted. Horton went so far as to say that “95 percent” of the residents on his block had no problem with the shoots and several neighbors concurred with his assessment. But one resident, who asked to remain anonymous because of what they called the “animosity this has all caused between neighbors,” said that plenty of block members — mostly longtime residents — have complained, but aren’t heard over the voices of relative newcomers to the neighborhood, who generally don’t have as much invested in the community of the block. “I think the idea of 95 percent is very inaccurate,” said the anonymous resident,

There have been 12 complaints logged against 441 West 21st Street, with no resulting violations. According to the DOB records, two complaints against that building — one from May 16 and another from February 27 — have yet to be investigated. who said they have lived on West 21st Street for over 40 years. “50 percent are concerned about it, and 50 percent live in their own little world.” “This street used to be a real community,” the resident added. Meanwhile — within a stone’s throw of West 21st Street’s 400 block, no less — other residents have weighed in on the pros and cons of a recent major Hollywood movie shoot that took place for nearly a week on Ninth Avenue. The shoot was part of the filming for the upcoming blockbuster “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” starring Golden Globe-nominee James McAvoy and Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain, which is slated for release in 2013. But some people were less concerned with

Continued on page 3

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Film shoot exhaust has neighbor fuming Continued from page 2 being star-struck than with what they considered to be the shoot’s negative effect on their neighborhood and quality of life. On July 12, a trailer owned by an unidentified production company backed into a tree on Ninth Avenue between West 21st and 22nd Streets, hitting with enough force to crack the tree and tear it down, according to witnesses. “[The trailer’s driver] hit it because he pulled in too close, like he just wasn’t familiar with driving in Manhattan,” said Jimmy Butches, a truck driver who saw the accident after delivering supplies to a hardware store on Ninth Avenue on the day of the shoot. “And the guy was surprised; he didn’t even realize he did it until someone told him.” Although the production company reported the accident to the city, the NYPD determined onsite that the company would not be responsible for the tree, since it appeared to already have been weathered, according to Marybeth Ihle, a spokesperson for the mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (which approves

‘It really is worth it for them to be helping the economy of the city, so I have no problem with it,’ said Wong. ‘Yes, there are disruptions, but I think they’re bearable. We live with disruptions all the time here, right?’

permits for Hollywood shoots). The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment. The tree has since been removed from the area. While the destruction of the tree is perhaps seen by some as a minor issue compared to other potential property damage, Lesley Doyel, a co-president of Save Chelsea, believed that the incident exemplified a sense of disrespect for the neighborhood — and a feeling of being used for the city’s economic gain. “We are now under perpetual assault from the film industry,” said Doyel. “I understand that people want to develop industry and bring in revenue for the city, but this has such an impact the neighborhood that there need to be limits on the amount that can be done. It needs to be done in moderation.” P.C. Wong, a resident of the west 400

On July 21, a production company’s trailer felled this tree (Ninth Ave., btw. W. 21st & 22nd Sts.)

block of 22nd Street — a block that also felt the pressure of the “Eleanor Rigby” shoot — acknowledged the concerns of people like Doyel, but firmly disagreed. “It really is worth it for them to be helping the economy of the city, so I have no problem with it,” said Wong. “Yes, there are disruptions, but I think they’re bearable. We live with disruptions all the time here, right?” But the shoot’s disruptions in the life of another resident of West 22nd Street quite literally clouded her perspective of the issue. Hilda Regier, who lives on the west 300 block of 22nd Street, complained of her apartment being flooded with noxious exhaust fumes coming from a production truck parked directly below her window on July 11. “My throat began to ache from what I was breathing in,” said Regier. “I immediately tried to get the exhaust turned off by approaching one of the production men on the sidewalk around 10:30am.” But, although the production team told her they would shut off the source of the offending fumes, she explained that the smoke continued to waft into her apartment, unabated, until around 4:30pm. “Global warming got a big boost from this filming,” Regier mused, adding that a sign on the smoke-spewing truck’s door identified it as owned by Kaufman Astoria Studios. Kaufman Astoria did not return calls seeking comment.

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

Albert Amateau, from copy boy to millinery editor Continued from page 1 Andrea Doria bound for New York collides off Nantucket with outbound SwedishAmerican liner Stockholm. “[Post publisher] Dorothy Schiff’s grandson and ex-daughter-in-law, [film actress] Ruth Roman are aboard. Look for them. Take a copy boy with you,” says night city editor to man on rewrite desk, who takes me. We do not find Ruth Roman. She lands the next day, rescued by the Ile de France. Her son, Richard Hall, 3, arrives July 27 aboard the Stockholm, which came in under her own power. Andrea Doria capsized and sank, 1,660 rescued, about 50 were lost, including five or six Stockholm crew. Receive free press ticket to “Waiting for Godot,” first Broadway production, with Burt Lahr, E.G. Marshall. Still remember that bleak, funny, compelling performance. Lafayette, Louisiana. Daily Advertiser, 1956, first job as a staff reporter. South Louisiana, many country people speak Cajun French. Politics divided between Long and Anti-Long. (Earl Long, Last of the Red Hot Poppas and Huey’s brother, is governor). Beat includes City Hall, police, fire. Later, editor of real estate and oil-exploration pages, knowing nothing about either. “You ever smoke marijuana?” asks Police Chief Carlo P. Listi, who invites me in, introduces me to a couple of narcotics agents from Houston. Funny smell in the police station. Gives me a skinny cigarette and lights me up. “You got to hold it in a little bit,” instructs a very relaxed agent. “How do you like it?” asks Listi. I shrug, “O.K.” Agent looks at me with pity, says, “Don’t know how to smoke weed, eh?” Lafayette was second stop on their “Beware the Weed” tour, with 90 miles still to go before New Orleans. Yet another day, publisher calls me upstairs about lawsuit for a million dollars filed by white plaintiff against Daily Advertiser, naming me for “impugning his honor as a Southern gentleman” in a police item about a brawl over “a colored girl.” Suit soon dismissed. Beat includes weekly Rotary Club lunch

where Tennessee Governor Frank Clement appears — one of several stops he makes across the South in 1957 — to justify calling state National Guard to quell the riot following integration of Clinton, Tenn., Central High School. File story at Western Union office to AP regional desk. June 25, 1957, Hurricane Audrey makes landfall with 140 mile-per-hour wind and 15-foot storm surge in Vermillion Parish just south of Lafayette. Next morning, editor sends me with Speed Graphic camera to fly over the area in three-seat, single-engine plane. When pilot banks, I point camera out of window and shoot. Surprised at good photos of devastation. First estimate: 200 deaths. Editor makes me lowball it down to 40. Deaths eventually total 400 in Vermillion and Cameron parishes. Syracuse Post Standard’s North Country bureaus in Ogdensburg and Watertown, 1959, record cold and snow. St. Lawrence River ice stops ferry service between Ogdensburg, NY and Prescott, Ontario. State editor assigns me to inquire about possibility of cars crossing the river on tops of St. Lawrence Seaway dams. Robert Moses does not return phone call. Ogdensburg Bureau includes State Court in Canton, NY. Cover “deer-jacking” cases against defendants hunting at night and shining flashlights in deer’s eyes. Watertown Bureau: John Foster Dulles, U.S. secretary of state, January 1953 to April 1959, dies in May 1959. State editor assigns me the obituary because Dulles grew up in Watertown and used to sail from nearby Henderson Harbor yacht club on east end of Lake Ontario. Obituary made Post Standard front page all editions. Assigned to cover Queen Elizabeth II 1959 visit to Kingston, Ont. Took photos with Speed Graphic. Not very good. Knowing nothing about millinery, hired by Millinery Research in 1961 as editor of 12-to-16-page trade weekly with office in center of budget millinery district, West 39th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Aves. Interview Alex Rose, head of Hat Cap Millinery Workers’ Union and influential cofounder of Liberal Party. He scolds me for not wearing a hat. Included occasional items on Emile

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Photo by Tequila Minsky

Reporter Albert Amateau at City Hall last month, covering a hearing on NYU. A butterfly alighted on his chest.

Griffith, up-and-coming welterweight boxer with day job in stock room of a Sixth Ave. millinery house. Items get longer as Griffith’s boxing star ascended. Covered fight in St. Nicholas Arena (West 66th Street at Columbus Ave., now ABC television studio), where an unpopular decision gives Griffith the win, provoking peeved fans to fling folding chairs down from the balcony. “This is a millinery paper, not a sports sheet,” says the publisher, putting end to boxing stories. One day a week at the printer, Peña Press, West 28th or 29th Street under the High Line. In addition to Millinery Research, they print Taxi Weekly; La Farandula, weekly Spanish entertainment magazine; and Al Islah, Arabic-language weekly paper written, typeset and published by Dr. Charise, a priest of the Maronite Rite of the Catholic Church with an Arabic-speaking Lebanese congregation. Peña Press, on the second floor, had an Arabic linotype machine on which the good doctor composed his articles and set them in type at the same time. A Hungarian-language paper also published there but I never met anyone connected with it. Downstairs, Hokkaido Shimbun published a Japanese weekly. Shimbun printers set type by hand and would occasionally come up to Peña Press, use a piece of equipment, then run back downstairs. It was an incredible establishment. Fairchild publications, Women’s Wear Daily, other daily and weekly trade papers,

1962-65, covering state and federal courts from courthouse pressrooms. State Supreme Court had two pressrooms because of bitter feud between Daily News and Post reporters. Occasionally, plaintiffs, defendants, lawyers and judges who wanted ink would drop in. Actor Zero Mostel walks in with a cane, talks about his personal-injury case. Roy Cohn, with several law partners, also comes in. So does Prince Felix Yusupov, said to be leader of aristocratic gang that in December 1916 assassinated Rasputin, monk with powerful influence over the Tsar’s family. The prince was suing a writer for questioning his role in the Rasputin assassination. Dr. Charise, my friend from Peña Press, comes in one day to talk about a church dispute that found its way to State Supreme Court. Assigned to Federal Court, where pressroom radio is always tuned to all-news station and perpetual poker game always has three to six reporters, lawyers, clerks. Nov. 22, 1963, 1:30pm. I leave pressroom to have lunch with a friend on Henry Street. “The president was just shot,” he says. We listen to the radio for a while before I go back to Federal Court. Poker players groan as radio confirms Kennedy death, but game goes on. Spring 1983, on staff of Chelsea Clinton News and The Westsider after a few years of other ventures. Weeklies published by Robert S. Trentlyon, strong supporter of a Hudson River Park after New York State drops Westway landfill project. “Go interview this guy in Chelsea who claims to be writing the longest diary in the world,” says editor Tom Lyles. Name of diarist, Edward Robb Ellis, sounds familiar. He tells me he worked on World Telegram and Sun. “Ed Ellis! I used to be your copy boy 30 years ago.” Ellis was star feature writer on the Telegram. Born in Illinois, he worked on Chicago, New Orleans and other papers but loves New York. Began writing his diary in 1927 as a teenager and wants it to be in the same class as Samuel Pepys’s 17th-century London diary and 19thcentury diary of New York Mayor Philip Hone. He worked hard on everything he wrote: “Easy write, hard read. Hard write, easy read,” was his motto. Afflicted with emphysema and overweight, Ed lived in a third-floor walkup and died in 1998. Since 1997, on staff of The Villager, Downtown Express. World Trade Center towers, 15 blocks away, attacked and fall September 11, 2001. John Sutter and Lincoln Anderson get down close, file great copy; The Villager publishes two days late. After countless obits, stories about St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York University, find myself in July 2012 two weeks from 80th birthday. How did that happen? EDITOR’S NOTE: Although he’ll no longer be working at Community Media fulltime, we are pleased to assure you that Al Amateau will be writing for Chelsea Now — as a hungry freelance reporter — for quite some time to come. His constant presence in the office will be missed, and his occasional presence in this paper will be treasured.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Milk Not Jails is grassroots activism at its freshest BY DONATHAN SALKALN Too often, we rely on the government to come up with programs to help solve economic and social issues. When our local government seems dysfunctional (see, for example, Albany), it takes a levelheaded activist with ingenuity and perseverance to pick up the slack. Lauren Melodia is one such activist. The program she founded, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Milk Not Jails,â&#x20AC;? is helping resurrect upstate New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an area that has been economically gutted with the closure of many prisons â&#x20AC;&#x201D; while she struggles to promote prison reform in an area that bears the heavy hand of the prison guards union.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Milk Not Jails is a milk marketing and distribution company where we connect upstate farmers with urban consumers willing to pay what these farmers actually need to keep their business alive,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Melodia explains. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In exchange, the farmers agree to sign up on our policy agenda.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; With a drought ravaging much of the country, more agriculture dependence will fall upon New York â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the fourth largest dairy producer in the United States. With production vanishing elsewhere, Milk Not Jails couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have come at a more compelling time. State legislatures and senators in Albany should take heed, as the cause of supporting New York State farms doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just benefit the state, but also the country as well. Drought or no drought, we still have

Photo by Donathan Salkaln

Lauren Melodia, founder, Milk Not Jails, at CRDC's July 19 Community Forum.

to help nourish a nation. At the Chelsea Reform Democratic Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s July 19 Community Forum (held at the Hudson Guild), Melodia spoke of her work to linking upstate farmers not only to city store shelves, but to upstate legislators. This past May, Milk Not Jails began shipping upstate dairy products from the Ronnybrook or Hawthorne Valley Farms directly to New York City grocers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; circumventing Dean Foods, which controls 70 percent of all the northeast (Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product brands include Tuscan, Lehigh Valley, Meadow Brook, Garelick Farms, Land of Lakes, Shenandoahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pride and Friendship). Melodia claims that Dean Foods Brands, a Dallas-based milk processor and distributor, has been squeezing upstate farmers to the point where many are unloading their herds, declaring bankruptcy or selling land to developers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Milk Not Jails is a milk marketing and distribution company where we connect upstate farmers with urban consumers willing to pay what these farmers actually need to keep their business alive,â&#x20AC;? Melodia explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In exchange, the farmers agree to sign up on our policy agenda.â&#x20AC;? This includes the further consolidation of prisons and using the money saved to protect upstate farmland, passage of the SAFE Parole

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Act, the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana and passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. Brenden Beck, an organizer with Milk Not Jails, adds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The farmers agree that criminal justice policies shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be dictated by the economic needs of rural New York. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping that the economic support that we give these farmers will give them the incentive to help us

fight for criminal justice reform.â&#x20AC;? In doing so, they will help level the upstate political field, which has been long dominated by the prison guards union. Moderated by Lee Sinovoi and Judy Richheimer, the discussion was joined by Reverend Stephen Chinlund. Author of the book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prison Transformations,â&#x20AC;? Chinlund spoke of the secondary and college educational opportunities inside prison today, taught by volunteer professors. Some prisoners have told him that coming to prison was the best thing that could have happened to them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only a reflection of the life they had before prison but also on the life of they have been able to lead inside, and the way they have grown as people,â&#x20AC;? he said. Milk Not Jails has secured distribution agreements with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) on the Lower East Side, Park Slope, Dumbo, Harlem and Sunnyside and is currently working to get an agreement with the CSA in Chelsea. They are also looking to fill orders for local buying clubs. For more information, visit milknotjails.org. Donathan Salkaln is Vice President of the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club (the home club of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried). The CRDC meets monthly to exchange political ideas in protecting the rights and improving the lives of those residing in Chelsea. Visit crdcnyc.org or email them at info@crdcnyc.org.

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

Local teens curate free High Line film series BY SCOTT STIFFLER Warm nights, cool breezes and free cinema under the stars: With “High Line: Teen Picks,” the elevated public park is about to stake its claim as a destination for summertime film screenings. But unlike the Bryant Park Summer Film Festival (which favors Hollywood classics) and Hudson River Park’s “RiverFlicks” (which screens movies targeted to grownups and kids on Wednesdays and Fridays), the first-ever movie series to take place on the High Line has been curated by teens living in West Chelsea. Sponsored by Friends of the High Line with support from AT&T, there’s not an animated Pixar flick to be found on their schedule (which favors introspection over diversion). The program was created in response to a spring/summer 2011 survey of more than 800 residents living in the Robert Fulton Houses and Chelsea-Elliott Houses. Conducted by Friends of the High Line to determine what sort of programs local residents would be likely to attend, the survey showed that adult respondents were interested in job training opportunities, while many teens were interested in attending outdoor film screenings. The inaugural edition of “High Line Teen Picks” satisfies both of those concerns, by employing a six-person High Line Teen Film Committee. Meeting weekly since May, the committee is responsible for overseeing the event’s food, operations and programming, as well as creating a plan for community outreach and marketing. After screening many potential films (and, one presumes, going through their share of popcorn), the committee settled on a series that features underdog characters who must overcome challenges and obstacles to realize their dreams. “We picked these movies,” explained

Photo courtesy of Friends of the High Line

A theme runs through it: High Line Teen Picks flicks feature underdog tales.

Winona Holderbaum and Carla Hernandez, “because the High Line itself is a reinvention.” That message also resonated with Luz Delgado. “Have you every thought about giving up, but then something changed your mind,” he asked, noting that the characters in the films they chose possess the same traits of willpower and perseverance dem-

onstrated by High Line founders. The teens are currently conducting tabling surveys at the NYCHA houses and other neighborhood locations to determine which film will be shown at the August 2 screening. It’s a choice between 2007’s “Step Up” (which the committee describes as “a teen romance where two worlds unite as one passion explodes on the dance floor”) or 2004’s “The Notebook” (“a lifelong romance set in the 1940s that stirs up your heart all the way to the end”). Voting for the Audience Choice film ends on Tuesday, July 31. To vote, visit thehighline.org or the High Line’s Facebook page; or stop by the High Line Field Station’s mobile information cart (Thursday through Sunday, on the High Line at West 16th Street).

The final two films in the series are, as they say, already in the can. On August 9, “Real Steel” is a futuristic tale (from back in 2011!) starring Hugh Jackman as a dad who bonds with his son when their underdog mechanical prospect tries to make it in the world of professional robot boxing. On August 16, the 2007 drama “Freedom Writers” stars Hilary Swank as a teacher who sacrifices to help her students succeed. The High Line Teen Picks film series is a free event, happening from 7-9pm on Thursday, August 2, 9 & 16 — in the 14th Street passage, on the High Line (at West 14th Street). No RSVP is required, but seating is limited. All films are rated PG-13. For more info, visit thehighline.org.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Stringer recommends radical design change to Chelsea Market plan Continued from page 1 Improvement fund and additional amenities for the elevated public park, both CB4 and Stringer have made known their desire for Jamestown to establish a fund for affordable housing, equal to 27 percent of the project’s floor area increase. If the ULURP application is approved in its current form, Jamestown will be allowed to add 240,000 square feet of office space alongside the 10th Avenue

‘It’s a hard thing to consider,’ said Justin Hoy in a July 23 phone interview. The Save Chelsea co-president — whose group has been uncompromising in their opposition to any construction atop the iconic building — recalled that ‘There have been 28 [ULURP] projects proposed that the City Council has had the yay or nay over, and 28 have been approved. That’s Wild West development.’ side and 90,000 square feet of hotel space at Ninth Avenue and West 16th Street. The applicant has repeatedly expressed their willingness to scrap the hotel in favor of additional office space. Plans to alter the block-long, 18-building complex — first assembled in 1898 then expanded to accommodate the growing needs of the National Biscuit Company — are now in the hands of the City Planning Commission (CPC). The CPC has just under 60 days to weigh in. As was the case with CB4 and the borough president’s office, the CPC will issue a nonbinding but influential recommendation before the project is either approved or rejected by the City Council. Subject only to mayoral override (which Bloomberg has never invoked), even the

most steadfast opponents concedes the likelihood of an end game scenario in which the City Council will permit some form of construction to proceed.

SAVE CHELSEA REMAINS ‘100%’ STEADFAST “It’s a hard thing to consider,” said Justin Hoy in a July 23 phone interview. The Save Chelsea co-president — whose group has been uncompromising in their refusal to endorse to any construction atop the iconic building — recalled, “There have been 28 [ULURP] projects proposed that the City Council has had the yay or nay over, and 28 have been approved. That’s Wild West development.” Asked about any shift in strategy given the likelihood of ULURP approval, Hoy speculated, “We’ll have to decide what to do then…but our vote has been consistently, among ourselves, to oppose this.” In a July 23 message sent to those on its email list, Save Chelsea urged likeminded opponents of the expansion to attend the CPC’s public hearing on Chelsea Market (set for 10am on July 25). “Show our community’s unanimous rejection of this plan!” the message implored, noting that “We at Save Chelsea and our allied groups are still 100% opposed to this upzoning and expansion…This developer wants the zoning changed in order to make a financial windfall, and if they get their way, we all know more developers will soon follow.” Bemoaning the fact that the CPC public hearing was scheduled on the heels of Stringer’s decision, Hoy asserted, “That’s something that is wrong with the ULURP process. It comes too quickly. But our primary focus now is going to be at the level of [City Council] Speaker Quinn’s office — right after the CPC hearing. We’ve had a lot of preliminary and indepth discussions with her staff, but we haven’t yet met with the speaker. That wouldn’t be appropriate, because it’s not before her yet.” Asked to assess the borough president’s 17-page recommendation, Hoy praised it as “a very detailed and insightful review of what is proposed. We would have preferred to see him oppose this 100 percent, just as we do. But we believe that the research and conclusion in his recommendation really tells the story of why this should not be built. What the zoning along 10th Avenue was intended to do was provide light and air and unrestricted views from the High Line. Stringer points this out in very great detail.”

CONTEMPLATING DESIGN CHANGES Vertically expanding the existing Chelsea Market structure would require exemptions from zoning constraints established by the Special West Chelsea District (SWCD). Adopted in 2005 by

Continued on page 11

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

EDITORIAL Margaret Chin and NYU On July 17, the City Council’s Land Use Committee voted overwhelmingly, by 19 to 1, to support New York University’s 2031 development plan for its two South Village superblocks. The resulting plan wasn’t what opponents were hoping for, but represents significant concessions by NYU, and may be the best outcome achievable under the circumstances. The Bloomberg administration strongly supported the plan — as witnessed by the City Planning Commission’s earlier vote to approve the 20-year project. In any compromise, no one is ever completely satisfied. Six years ago, NYU started a public process to provide a rational and transparent planning process for the expansion of its facilities, which it said had not kept pace with its student body’s growth and the school’s changing nature from a commuter school to a worldclass university. Growing on its own footprint is an improvement to the university’s former approach of haphazardly finding development sites. Yet, the superblocks plan was an overreach and needed to be reined in. City Councilmember Margaret Chin and Borough President Scott Stringer — and City Planning, which nixed an NYU hotel from the project — have all played a part in paring the plan down. The earlier removal of a temporary gym was also a win for neighbors. Chin worked long and hard on this — her first major ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) — to secure compromises from NYU. And the concessions by the university are binding, agreed to in writing by NYU President John Sexton. Specifically, the Mercer Street Boomerang building has been shaved down significantly, from 11 stories to four. Its footprint, along with that of the LaGuardia Place Boomerang, has been reduced, which will take up less space within Washington Square Village, making the complex’s courtyard seem less like a walled-off “college quad.” The Zipper building, which will replace Coles gym, has also been reduced in size, and its mass shifted toward Houston Street, so that the project will have less impact on residents living near the building’s northern end. Also important, NYU has agreed to maintain the open-space public strips on the superblocks at the same level as its privately owned public spaces on the blocks. Up till now, NYU has done an atrocious job in this regard — for example, in allowing a playground on Mercer Street to become a condemned sinkhole, unusable by the public. This agreement will rectify that long-festering problem. In another major concession, NYU has agreed that — if the School Construction Authority doesn’t build a public school at the current Morton Williams supermarket site — the university will include at least 25,000 square feet of space in a new building there for use by community groups, at a moderate rent. In her critical negotiations with the university during this process, Margaret Chin has handled herself as a competent and committed community leader. She has listened to all sides in this roiled debate, including her constituents, many of whom never gave her a reasonable road map to a final solution. Had they backed off of an unreasonable maximalist position of “no growth whatsoever in the core,” she might have been able to make more headway. Without any guidelines, they left her up against the NYU powers almost alone. The councilmember pushed NYU to make critical cuts in the project and provided novel community spaces and amenities. In this most important decision of her Council tenure, Margaret Chin stands tall.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Hoping City Council scales are working To The Editor: Re “Chin must reduce NYU 2031 project’s scale” (editorial, July 11): NYU has spent a tremendous amount of money trying to push this expansion play down the throats of the Village. I didn’t say “superblocks” on purpose. Our entire community would be damaged. The strips are public land but the university has treated them as if it has the right to own and change them. Thousands and thousands of hours have been spent making these open-space areas what they are now. Isn’t that effort worth something? The lives of the residents in 505 LaGuardia Place are under a cloud with the specter of losing their ability to pay for their homes. What about those people who worked hard and spent their lives’ income to live on Mercer Street? What will compensate them from losing their piece of the sun? I could repeat a score of reasons why NYU should not be allowed to build its NYU 2031 plan. Let us hope that the scales of justice are working in the City Council because if they aren’t, the courts will have their way. Ray Cline

Shame on you, NYU To The Editor: New York City needs to take a lesson from San Francisco, which, starting back in the ’70s and ’80s, elected progressive officials (mayors, supervisors, planning commission members) who believed in preserving the beauty and character of the city’s skyline and old Victorian neighborhoods rather than “Manhattanizing” them. It is not surprising that New York University continues its bulldozing mentality of targeting the Sasaki Garden, the community gardens, the majestic trees along LaGuardia Place, etc., when it has already wiped away the historic Edgar Allan Poe house and the historic Provincetown Playhouse, rather than realizing the importance of preservation and restoration. Shame, shame. Ralph Swain

High time NYU gave back To The Editor: Re “Chin must reduce NYU 2031 project’s scale” (editorial, July 11): After repeated, unequivocal “no’s” to Community Board 2 on the same topic, NYU’s Alicia Hurley, under pressure, muttered a vague and dubious “We’ll work with Councilmember Chin’s office” in response to Councilmember Comrie’s question at the City Council public hearing regarding whether the space allocated for the Bleecker building would remain permanent space for the community if a school isn’t constructed there. No matter what the result is of the NYU 2031 plan, the space for the Bleecker building must not revert back to NYU. As you stated in your editorial, this space must be designated as permanent space for community use. After nearly 50 years of inappropriate, bulky buildings and broken promises to the community that have

provided the setting for NYU’s success, the time is long overdue for the university not only to receive far less than what it is asking for, but for the university to give the community the space it rightfully, and unequivocally, deserves. Robin Rothstein Rothstein is a member, Community Board 2 NYU Working Group and Social Services & Education Committee

You gave Chin the road map To The Editor: Re “Chin must reduce NYU 2031 project’s scale” (editorial, July 11): I’d like to praise your editorial staff for finally seeing how out of proportion NYU’s grandiose 2031 ULURP proposal really is. Definitely, Councilwoman Chin should take your editorial seriously. Thank you also for suggesting the elimination of the Mercer Street Boomerang building and the downsizing of the Zipper building. The so-called public school site absolutely should be deeded over to the city for either a school or community facility, otherwise it will again revert to NYU and not be built. As for 505 LaGuardia Place, its affordability is already being affected in current negotiations in which NYU claims it can ask for an annual rental of up to $3 million. The property was “given” to NYU by the city at a very low cost and should be transferred to the 505 co-op at a reasonable cost. Again, thanks to Matthew Broderick, our Village hero, for his strong support. Sylvia Rackow

Unions help all of us To The Editor: Union workers created, fought and died for the concept of a 40-hour work week, among other humanizing laws that benefited all working people. Now that cornerstone is being eroded by the endless greed of profiteers who insist on squeezing every last dime from every possible source — the environment, working people’s salaries, schools systems, pensions, etc. — without thought or regard for how this is heading everyone, and the planet, into a ditch. While apologists for management try to provoke upset at these workers because they earn a decent living with health benefits, the one percent walk away with profits and salaries that are completely out of proportion to the worth of the work they perform. Con Ed should let families make a living and stop endangering the entire city of New York with its unionbusting efforts. K Webster

Email letters, not longer than 300 words in length, to scott@chelseanow.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal Street, Unit 1C, New York City, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Community Contacts To be listed, email info to scott@chelseanow.com. 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, normally happens on the first Wednesday of the month. In August, the board is on hiatus. The next meeting is Wed., Sept. 5, 6:30pm at Roosevelt Hospital (1000 Tenth Ave., btw 58th & 59th 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. CB5’s board meeting, open to the public, normally happens on the second Thursday of the month. In August, the board is on hiatus — the next meeting will be at 6pm on Thurs., Sept. 13 at Xavier High School (30 W. 16th St., btw. 5th and 6th Aves., 2nd fl.). Call 212-465-0907, visit cb5.org or email them at office@cb5.org. THE 300 WEST 23RD, 22ND & 21ST STREETS BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at 300westblockassoc@prodigy.net. 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. 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 212-620-7310. THE ALI FORNEY CENTER Their mission is to help homeless LGBT youth be safe and become independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood. Main headquarters: 224 W. 35th St., Suite 1102. Call 212-222-3427. The Ali Forney Day Center is located at 527 W. 22nd St., 1st floor. Call 212-206-0574 or visit aliforneycenter.org. 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

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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 212-7609800. For the Children’s Center (459 W. 26th St.), call 212-760-9830. 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 well-being 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. PENN SOUTH The Penn South Program for Seniors provides recreation, education and social services — and welcomes volunteers. For info, call 212-243-3670 or visit pennsouth.com. 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.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR John W. Sutter ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ARTS EDITOR Scott Stiffler PUBLISHER EMERITUS Elizabeth Butson REPORTERS Lincoln Anderson Albert Amateau Aline Reynolds EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Sally Helm Kaitlyn Meade

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Vera Musa SR. V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING Francesco Regini RETAIL AD MANAGER Colin Gregory ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Russell Chen Allison Greaker Julius Harrison Gary Lacinski Alex Morris Julio Tumbaco

SAVE CHELSEA Contact them at savechelseanyc@ gmail.com. MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT SCOTT STRINGER Call 212-669-8300 or visit mbpo.org. CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN Call 212-564-7757 or visit council.nyc. gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml. STATE SENATOR TOM DUANE Call 212-633-8052 or visit tomduane.com. ASSEMBLYMEMBER RICHARD GOTTFRIED Call 212-807-7900 or email GottfriedR@ assembly.state.ny.us. CHELSEA REFORM DEMOCRATIC CLUB The CRDC (the home club of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Richard 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. At 147 W. 24th Street (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.

QUEERS FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE is a progressive organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation. Visit q4ej.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 GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Christina Entcheva Michael Shirey Arnold Rozon CIRCULATION SALES MNGR. Marvin Rock DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION Cheryl Williamson

CONTRIBUTORS Albert Amateau Duncan Osborne Sam Spokony Jerry Tallmer Paul Schindler Trav S. D. Stephen Wolf PHOTOGRAPHERS Jefferson Siegel Milo Hess J. B. Nicholas

July 25 - August 7, 2012

POLICE BLOTTER GRAND LARCENY: Tots bolt, purse snatched from unattended stroller A 34-year-old female resident of W. 21st St. told police that while in the playground at 11th Ave. & W. 23d St. (at approximately 5:50pm on Sun., July 15), her kids started running away from the stroller, and she went after them. Upon returning, her purse was no longer in the stroller. At the time she cancelled her AmEx and Chase credit cards, no unauthorized usage had been reported. The purse also contained $1,430 worth of valuables — including a $20 wallet, a $400 iPhone and $400 in cash. The purse itself was valued at $500.

PETTY LARCENCY: Costly contact lens adjustment Sun., July 15, 6pm: While in the restroom of a Circle Line cruise ship (based out of 12th Ave. & W. 42nd St.), a 32-year-old female resident of Upper Manhattan was making some adjustments to her contact lenses. While she was momentarily distracted, her camera (a

Nikon 16MP worth $300) which was placed next to her on the counter, was taken. The victim searched the ship and checked with the crew, but to no avail. There were no witnesses (besides the victim and the perpetrator).

PETTY LARCENY: Muscle Milk bandit caught by long, strong arm of the law Police arrested two males, ages 23 and 35, who attempted to abscond with $95 worth of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry Muscle Milk — a protein-rich postwork out supplement whose restorative powers might have proved useful for their failed escape attempt. At 10:15am on Mon., July 16, an employee of Gristedes (221 8th Ave.) was approached by the two men. While one distracted the employee with questions about Muscle Milk, the other removed the product. Defendant #1 was stopped outside of the store. Defendant #2 fled the location — and was apprehended by police after a brief foot chase. Defendant #2 resisted arrest by flailing his (assumingly underdeveloped) arms and refusing to be cuffed.

PETTY LARCENY: Bandit was looking for a boost A 43-year-old male was busted, then arrested by uniformed officers — when, at around 2:40pm on Sat. July 14, he was discovered exiting Whole Foods Market (250 7th Ave.) with six concealed items in a handbag. Their total value was $138. The defendant, in need of a boost but not willing to pay for it, was attempting to leave the store with one bottle of the purported athletic performance enhancer Taurine, three bottles of the energy booster ribose and one bottle each of glutamine pills and powder (a favorite supplement of gym rats seeking to build muscle).

GRAND LARCENY: Long list of pricey items in briefcase The coat check ticket is still in his possession — but his missing briefcase is nowhere to be found. A 35-year-old male resident of Manhattan told police that at 4pm on Fri., July 13, he attempted to retrieve his briefcase from the Dream Hotel (335 W. 16th St.). An employee of the coat check concession (which the hotel says is run by an outside company) could not locate the item. Items totaling $4,175 were reported missing — including a Lenovo ThinkPad ($3,000), a Galaxy Nexus phone ($500), a Verizon Aircard ($200), Maui Jim sunglasses ($250) and three thumb drives ($20). The Tumi briefcase was valued at $150.

CRIMINAL POSESSION OF A WEAPON: Scissor slasher On Sun., July 15, on the sidewalk in front of 109 Ninth Ave. a 43-year-old man was arrested after he was observed swinging scissors at passersby and slashing the tires of a bicycle.

UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE: He manhandled a Mercedes At around 1:15am on Sat., July 14, a 38-year-old female returned to the southeast corner of 10th Ave. & W. 29 St. to discover a 30-year-old male sitting in the driver’s seat of her 2006 Silver Mercedes-Benz, attempting to take control of the vehicle. The man was arrested by uniformed officers.

ASSAULT: Sports ritual segues to sucker punch A traditional handshake between opposing teams (who were playing in Chelsea Park, at 10th Ave. & W. 28th St.) turned violent — when two men decided to exact some unsportsmanlike revenge for a verbal altercation that took place during a game of softball that had just ended. While the rival players were shaking hands, two perpetrators struck a 31-year-old male in the face. The victim did not fight back because the punches left him dazed and confused.

—Scott Stiffler

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Elisa Cokkinos. Main number: 212741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council Meeting normally takes place at 7pm on the last Wed. of the month — but the Council is on summer break until September 26.

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.

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: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-4774380. Detective Squad: 212-4777444. The Community Council Meeting normally takes place at 6:30pm on the third Tues. of the month — but the Council is on summer break through September 18.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Save Chelsea still opposes Jamestown plan proposal, in its current form, risks destroying Chelsea’s character. We have to recognize that Chelsea is a unique

Continued from page 7 the City Council (with input from CB4 and the CPC), the SWCD was designed to promote residential and commercial development while protecting light and air integrity along the High Line. Concern for the aesthetic integrity of the High Line pedestrian experience loomed large in Stringer’s list of recommendations — which envisions an even more radical design change than what was proposed by CB4. A July 19 press release from Stringer’s office advocated “shifting the proposed addition from over 10th Avenue to over 9th Avenue and lowering the addition's base height to 170 feet and capping its height at 184 feet in total. This recommendation respects the original intent of the Special District to shift density away from the High Line.” Allowing the current proposal to move forward, Stringer noted, would “be the first time the special district would move density to and directly over the High Line instead of trying to move it away. “You don't build a park and then undermine it,” Stringer cautioned, “but that's what this proposal does. It's precisely the wrong approach." In a July 23 phone interview, Stringer noted that his specific recommendations on the matter of Chelsea Market expansion also speak to the future. “Development,” he asserted, “must coexist, not overwhelm a neighborhood. People come [to Chelsea] not just for unique economic opportunities, but unique living opportunities.” While he conceded that “the skylines in the city change, and they must,” Stringer added, “The expansion

‘I strongly encourage Jamestown to continue working with the City Planning Commission and the Council to reexamine their development plans and find a solution that can work for all stakeholders. The plan in its current form is wrong for Chelsea and wrong for New York City.’—Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer community whose residents have built it with sweat equity. We need to have balance. Part of what I’ve tried to do with this large development project is to shape a road map to getting something accomplished, and I think it offers many practical ways to accommodate development and protect the community.” Chelsea Now reached out to Jamestown, requesting comment regarding whether they are amenable to any specific proposals put forth by the borough president,

and how this might impact Jamestown's impending review by the CPC and the City Council. In a July 24 email, a spokesperson for Jamestown Properties replied by noting, “The city’s land use review process allows for input from various stakeholders — including recommendations from the Community Board and Borough President. Jamestown will continue to make the case for the job- and revenue-generating expansion of Chelsea Market which will provide much-needed space for tech companies and much-needed funds for the High Line. As we move through the process toward what we hope will be a favorable conclusion, we will continue to explore ways to improve the plan based on ideas from area residents and other important stakeholders.” In the July 19 press release detailing highlights of his recommendation, Stringer added, “I strongly encourage Jamestown to continue working with the City Planning Commission and the Council to reexamine their development plans and find a solution that can work for all stakeholders. The plan in its current form is wrong for Chelsea and wrong for New York City.” Stringer expanded on this statement in his phone interview with Chelsea Now, noting that “There has to be more work and real negotiation” between the applicant and the remaining two players in the ULURP process, and asserting that his office would have a presence moving forward. “We’re certainly going to have discussions with Jamestown and the City Planning Commission and the Speaker’s office,” vowed Stringer, “to give them our thinking on the issue. Jamestown was not willing to have a discussion about density and height during our time period. Perhaps down the road, they’ll have that discussion with the City Council.”

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

Garden Club, MillionTrees give Eighth Ave. a facelift

Photos by Sally Helm

Orange cosmos — Chelsea Garden Club’s signature flower — enjoy the newly damp soil in a bed watered by a fire hydrant.

Gloria Schofner and Paul Bodden plant blue dune grass on Eighth Ave., watched by a passing biker.

BY SALLY HELM During her eight years as a Chelsea resident, Jennifer Fragale has met more neighbors while tending to an Eighth Avenue bike lane tree pit than at any other time. She remembers, “I had one biker who rode by and said to me, ‘You’re adding a piece of heaven in a war zone.’ ” Through the Chelsea Garden Club (CGC), Fragale and others labor to keep neighborhood streets from looking as bleak as the trenches. Out in force for a

“cultivating and planting” day on Saturday, July 14, CGC volunteers cleaned up dead matter, added mulch to the soil and planted new flowers in the bike lane tree pits on Eighth Avenue from 18th to 30th Streets. They also deeply watered more than 20 pits — and in the hot summer months, that’s an imperative. Club leader Phyllis Waisman bought plants and supplies for the event with a $600 grant that the group received from

Continued on page 16

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Ceramics artisans use nerves of steel to create ‘Chelsea in Clay’ Move over, Macy’s — there’s a new window display in town… or there will be, if you’re reading this on or beyond July 30. That’s when members of the Penn South Ceramics Studio will premiere “Chelsea in Clay.” The miniature streetscape tour boasts marquee names like the Flatiron and the Empire State buildings, but also includes depictions of iconic churches, stores and low-rise buildings that give Chelsea its unique and enduring character. The unveiling and opening reception takes place on Monday, July 30, from 5:307pm. It remains on display through September 7, in the front window of the District Office of Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (242 West 27th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues). “Chelsea in Clay” was created by students of the Penn South Studio and initiated by Ceramic Instructor Ava McNamee and Studio Manager Nic Newcomb. If you’d like to join their ranks, their next workshop, “Relief Tile Making,” is a fourday workshop that teaches participants how to transfer their ideas onto tile and how to carefully make a plaster mold.

Your doctor retired to where? Image courtesy of Penn South Ceramics

Each student will finish the workshop having completed two tile designs and molds. It takes place August 6, 13, 20 and 27, from 10am-1pm. The cost is $125 for non-Penn South members, $110 for Penn South non-studio members. The Penn South Studio is located at 276 Ninth Avenue, at West 26th Street. For more info, send an email to pennsouthceramics@gmail.com or visit pennsouthceramics.com.

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

NYU 2031 plan wins key vote by Council committee BY LINCOLN ANDERSON This month, the New York City Council is weighing in on a massive expansion plan by New York University that, if approved, would tack on about two million square feet of development to two superblocks the university owns south of Washington Square Park. By an overwhelming vote of 19 to 1, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved NYU’s massive 2031 expansion project for the two South Village superblocks on Tuesday, July 19. The vote follows eight hours of testimony by university administrators and the plan’s local supporters and opponents at a City Council hearing in late June. Those who are against the plan believe it’s too extensive and that it could erode Greenwich Village’s otherwise quaint, residential character. The estimated 100 people who attended the vote comprised a mix of Village residents, NYU faculty and Downtown activists and preservationists. Public testimony wasn’t allowed at the vote, although opponents held aloft small protest signs saying the project is “wrong” for the Village, NYU and the city. The full Council was poised to cast a final vote on the plan on Wednesday, July 25, the day after this publication went to press. The vote will complete the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which began earlier this year. Lynne Brown, NYU’s senior vice president, maintained that the plan would help New York City remain “economically vibrant” and the “talent capital of the world.” “The plan approved today by the City Council Committee on Land Use will enable NYU to add the academic space it needs for classes, labs and performance space — while at the same time providing the local community with more publicly accessible open space and community facility space,” she said. Confronting the continued opposition to the project, Council Member Margaret Chin — whose 1st District includes the NYU superblocks — said she was able to get the university to make significant reductions and concessions. In the latest negotiations, the Boomerang buildings planned for the Washington Square Village block were cut down — very significantly in the case of the Mercer Street Boomerang, which had been the larger of the two. During the Council’s review, the Mercer building was cut by 64 percent, thereby dropping it by seven stories. More than 20,000 square feet was also slashed from the LaGuardia Boomerang. Both buildings now have smaller footprints, meaning they’ll take up less space and make the complex’s central courtyard more accessible to the public, according to Chin and other advocates of the current plan. As for the Zipper Building, a 14-story tower on its northeastern corner has been chopped down to five stories, and the building’s bulk generally shifted southward in order to minimize its impact on residents who live at 200 Mercer Street and 88 Bleecker Street. “At last month’s public hearing, I made it clear I did not support NYU’s expansion proposal as modified by the City Planning Commission,” Chin said prior to the vote.

Photos courtesy of New York University

What NYU’s 2031 expansion plan will look like 20 years from now: a bird’s eye view of the expansion for the two superblocks bounded by Houston Street on the south (left side); Mercer Street on the east (right side); West 3rd Street on the north; and La Guardia Place on the west.

“Throughout this process, I have tried to keep an open mind. I have maintained that it is possible to strike a balance that upholds the integrity of Greenwich Village and meets NYU’s immediate academic needs.” Chin said she felt confident that the modified proposal, which incorporates what she deems are “major modifications” to the expansion plan, strikes an appropriate balance between the needs of the university and the surrounding community. “To be perfectly honest, no one got everything they wanted,” said the council member. “This was a compromise; but it was arrived at rationally in good faith.” District 2 council member Rosie Mendez said many people would be happy if she voted “no” and that it would be the “easy thing to do.” But, deferring to her “sister” Margaret Chin, she said she would vote “yes.” (The Council’s practice is generally for members to follow the lead of the council member in whose district a project is located.) Unlike at the June hearing, when testimony by the project’s unequivocal opponents (including actor Matthew Broderick) had drawn flurries of agreeing “jazz hands” fluttering in the air, they had little to feel jazzed about this time around. The only “jazz hands” in evidence were when Council Member Charles Barron spoke before casting his lone dissenting vote. Barron cited the noise, traffic and congestion the project would cause. “These are neighborhoods, these are not university towns,” he said in reference to expansion projects by NYU and Columbia University. “We should send this back to the drawing board.” Alluding to Community Board 2’s resolution on the project, which was an “absolute no,” Barron added, “It does seem that everything in this report is diametrically opposed to

what’s in the plan. “This is so-called representative democracy,” he declared. “We’re supposed to be representing the people — not NYU.” While retaining the option for a K-5 public school at the southeast corner of Bleecker Street and LaGuardia Place, Chin got NYU to commit to ensuring that, if the school plan doesn’t materialize, one-quarter of a building there will be devoted to community use. The city Department of Education’s School Construction Authority would have until late 2014 to approve the site. The SCA would then have until mid-2018 to begin construction. If the SCA declines to build the school, then NYU would construct a building at the site of up to 100,000 square feet, with no less than 25,000 square feet devoted to uses by community groups, such as a preschool or senior day center. In total, NYU has committed to building 38,500 square feet of community space. Space would be leased out to the community groups at a rent that “ensures that NYU would not make a profit,” according to the agreement. Speaking before the Council vote, Alicia Hurley, vice president of NYU’s Office of Government Affairs and Civic Engagement, maintained that the university would build “the core and shell” of the community space in the Bleecker building and fully fit it out for use by the tenants. As for what NYU would put in the floors above this community space, word is it would be something like the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. NYU’s previous plan for the site included a freshman dorm, but community members and CB2 argued it would be inappropriate, in that it would be akin to plopping “Animal House” on top of a public school. NYU has also pledged to provide 6,000 square feet in Washington Square Village 4, a

high-rise building, for community use. In addition, the university is planning a 7,500-square-foot indoor atrium and community space on the western side of the new Zipper Building, perhaps comparable to the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden. Chin and her staff said this atrium might be a place where one could get a cup of coffee and hang out, and would give people more of a reason to walk down a widened walkway on the western side of the building. Chin was unsuccessful in preventing NYU from taking part of the public strip along Mercer Street in front of Coles. NYU said it had to do this. Otherwise, it would limit the way the mechanical systems could be laid out in the building. NYU has also committed to immediate upgrades to existing open space in the area. Due to the community’s concern about NYU’s ability to maintain its public spaces, the university has committed to entering a maintenance and operation agreement for care of the public land with the city Department of Parks and Recreation. In addition, the university has plans to create a $150,000 annual endowment for the permanent upkeep and maintenance of private open spaces on the superblocks. As part of the agreement, NYU is promising to maintain the city-owned public strips at the same standards as NYUowned private land. NYU has additionally consented to modify the so-called “Open Space Oversight Organization” — which was previously approved by the Department of City Planning — to include oversight of existing and future open spaces. The organization is to be established by the end of this year. In other issues, NYU has agreed not to lease space on the superblocks to nightclub operators, and has similarly vowed not to allow tenants to obtain cabaret or liquor licenses. In a rally before the vote, members of NYU’s Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (FASP) — a faculty group named after NYU President John Sexton that opposes the project — presented their “no-build” alternative, which calls for the university to move administrative uses out of the campus core, thereby freeing up space for academic use. FASP members previously said they would support teaching on Fridays, since this would better utilize the university’s existing classroom space, so that new space wouldn’t be required. (The no-classes-on-Fridays regimen currently in place is a holdover from the university’s days as a commuter school). But despite these myriad amendments, some firmly held their ground against the plan. Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said the Council committee’s vote was “deeply disappointing.” “The plan is still absolutely wrong, and it violates a public trust,” he said of NYU 2031. “This was public land given to NYU a generation ago. This land was never supposed to be built on. While we appreciate that the plan was scaled back slightly, it’s not nearly enough to make it acceptable.” Berman noted that filing a lawsuit against the plan is still an option.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Garden club fights heat with hydrants Continued from page 12

MillionTreesNYC. A public-private partnership whose goal is to plant and care for one million trees in the city by 2017, MillionTrees recently invested $10,000 to support grassroots gardening projects for up to $1,000 (the CGC and 300 W. 23, 22 & 21 Street Block Association received one such mini-grant). Shalini Beath, Deputy Director of MillionTreesNYC, was on hand to observe the event. MillionTrees representatives visit all the groups they fund, she said, and the projects vary greatly — some engage children to adopt trees or learn about their growth, others clean up litter or beautify tree beds. Beath said the CGC is the first group she has visited that focuses specifically on bike lane tree pits — and that they’re notably organized. As the day’s work got underway, the members consulted a printed spreadsheet of tasks, then donned bright yellow vests to make them more visible to passing traffic. “See, that’s an advanced group right there,” Beath said, as the fleet moved off down the sunny street. It was 9:45am and temperatures were already climbing. Organized as they may be, the CGC has a powerful enemy to contend with: the sun. They chose droughtresistant perennials to plant, hoping they’ll have a chance at survival. Member Paul Bodden pointed out a sheaf of blue dune grass — a tough, hardy plant that spreads aggressively. Then he picked up a few cases of blackeyed Susans, yellow and black flowers that can flourish despite dry conditions. “It’s been bad this summer,” Bodden said, heading to his pit on 22nd Street. “We haven’t had much rain.”

Photos by Sally Helm

Albert Taylor chops up dead plants, victims to the summer heat. They’ll be reintegrated into the soil to help new flowers grow.

Kai-Shih Wang plants one of the 40 new perennials that the Chelsea Garden Club brought to Eighth Avenue on July 14.

Getting water to the tree beds is a constant struggle for garden club members. They often ferry it gallon by gallon from their apartments, or rely on the spigots and sinks of nearby business owners to save a few steps. According to Beath, watering is also one of MillionTrees’ most important agenda items. “Trees should be watered with 15 to 20 gallons, poured slowly into the roots, once per week,” Beath said. That can be difficult to accomplish — but it’s especially important in New York City, which has unique difficulties for gardeners. “In a city, with all the concrete, it’s so much hotter than it is in a natural area,” Beath said. Yet, there are also city-specific solutions. Through MillionTrees, the CGC gained a permit to use fire hydrant water to keep the beds irrigated. Some members attended a workshop on July 11, where they learned how to use a specific wrench and hose adaptor to corral the powerful flow of H² O. On July 14, MillionTrees representatives opened some hydrants to give the Eighth Avenue tree pits a good bath. “The hydrants are such a luxury, man,” said garden club member Missy Adams. Standing beside her now-dripping tree pit on 18th Street, she pointed to a tiny tomato plant sporting hard, green fruit the size of grapes. “It’s been so parched for weeks. It was suffering.” MillionTrees is a boon for the CGC — but it’s tough to grow a tomato in a war zone. Adams says, “We have such a different set of circumstances than even an urban garden does, that you just have to experiment.” For info, or to get involved, visit chelseagardenclub. blogspot.com or send an email to cgc.nyc@gmail.com. Also visit milliontreesnyc.org.

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July 25 - August 7, 2012

CHELSEA: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Edgy August offerings not just flowing from FringeNYC With 200+ shows at two dozen venues, Fringe still looms large BY TRAV S.D. I’ve just started to climb out of my hidey hole to begin seeing shows again following a six month book-writing jag. And we’re off to a good start! I managed to catch Untitled Theater Company #61’s adaptation of the Ursula K. Le Guin classic “The Lathe of Heaven” at 3LD. It was a thought-provoking experience, the highlight of which was Robert Honeywell’s measured, affecting performance as a man whose dreams have the power to change reality. Also entertaining (although it didn’t provoke any thoughts) was Tribeca Lab’s “TITANIC! A Folk Rock Opera” in the undergroundzero festival, which was more tuneful than factual. (Who knew that British sailors were so laid back?) Heading into August, I foresee no icebergs on the horizon (how could there be?). August 2-18, The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot series will be presenting their version of “Coriolanus” — Occupy Wall Street style. Transplanted from ancient Rome to an American presidential election (hmm…kind of like ours), the production, as always, will be presented in the Municipal Parking Lot at the corner of Ludlow and Broome Streets. Best of all, it's free. Which is surprising — think what they could charge for standing outside in a paved parking lot for two hours in August. Snarkiness aside, “Coriolanus” is on my short list of Shakespeare-I-have-not-yet seen, so I intend to attend. Find more info at shakespeareintheparkinglot.com. Now for the new shows this month. August 1-4, Soho Think Tank’s Ice Factory will be presenting “The Girl of the Golden West” — the latest adaptation of David Belasco’s 1911 Western novel, which was subsequently turned into a stage play by the author, and later into an opera by Puccini. The new version is a musical by the team of Brian Rady and Jeremy Bloom. I’m intrigued by what sort of modern spin can be given to this tale of the only eligible girl in a mining camp full of lusty men. My version would stress the camp in “camp,” but something tells me they’ve gone in an earnest direction. Still, it’s interesting. For tickets and more information, go to newohiotheatre.org. August 4 is the opening day of Theater for the New City’s annual street theater production “99% Reduced Fat” — which they describe as a “rip-roaring musical” and “a little operetta for the street.” Something tells me it’ll have a little something to do with Occupy Wall Street and the upcoming elections. TNC’s free street theater presentation has been going strong for about

Photo by Jonathan Slaff

"Coriolanus" will be re-envisioned as a modern day election fable in the second production of the Drilling Company's 2012 Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot series (Aug. 2-18 in the Municipal Parking Lot, corner of Ludlow & Broome Sts.).

four decades now and is one of the last holdovers of the heyday of political protest theater. Without Vietnam, Nixon or even Reagan to rail against, the show tends to be a Mulligan Stew of progressive causes (but I haven’t missed one in eight years). Written and directed as always by TNC’s founder Crystal Field, the community-spirited show always has plenty of sweetness and charm. It’ll be touring all five boroughs through September 16. For a complete schedule, see theaterforthenewcity.net. The second big event at TNC this month is the return of their new annual Dream Up Festival. Curated by Michael Scott-Price, the festival features “theatrical visions embracing drama, poetry, music and dance,” presenting two dozen shows in TNC’s four spaces from August 19 through September 9. All they’ve released at press time are the show titles — but I must say that’s more than enough to intrigue. Shows include “Fat Fat Fatty,” “Giant Killer Slugs,” “Pornography for the People,” “Love in the Seventh Kingdom of Wrath,” “The Love

Junkies of Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Ukulele Orchestra of Greater Brooklyn Presents ‘Missionary in Manhattan’ a Mormon Musical.” For a schedule and tickets, go to dreamupfestival.org. That festival will, of course, have an avalanche of competition from the granddaddy of summer theater events, the New York International Fringe Festival, now in its 16th year. Over 200 productions at two dozen venues take part in the festival, which runs from August 10-26. Get the full schedule at fringenyc.org. Nowadays, no one actually dies — their spirits simply inhabit the bodies of tribute act impressionists. August 12, 7pm at The Duplex, don’t miss “A Night at the Sands: Music, Laughter & Drinks with Dean Martin.” Michael Patrick Dominick stars as the titular crooning inebriate in this re-enactment of the Las Vegas musical variety comedy acts of the 1960s. We can’t have Dino anymore, but this is liable to be just as weird. Visit theduplex.com for more information.

On August 18, Epic Win Burlesque will be presenting “CLOCKtease! A Steam-Powered Scientific Exhibition of Professional Ecdysiasts.” Run by magician Nelson Lugo, Epic Win bills itself as “one of the nerdiest burlesque shows in the city” (there are OTHER nerdy burlesque shows in the city?). Mixing elements of nerdcore and burlesque, they’ve done previous girlie shows using themes like the TV shows “Star Trek” and “Firefly.” It’s a niche, one would imagine, they have all to themselves! In their new steampunk edition, they promise to present such “miracles of modern science” as Hazel Honeysuckle, Moxie Kat, Mary Cyn, Minnie de Moocha and Kobayashi Maru (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nasty Canasta). Host Nelson Lugo promises to break out his Blade Box O’Death. He threatens to dismember one of his girls, but something tells me it’s all talk. It’s at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe: nuyorican.org. See you next month!

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Just Do Art! BY SCOTT STIFFLER COLLEGE HUMOR OFFLINE The web’s longest-running comedy website — CollegeHumor.com — brings its irreverent and youthful sensibilities into the three dimensional world for one night only…plus, there’s free ice cream! “CollegeHumor Offline” will be hosted by comedian (and CollegeHumor Editor-in Chief) Streeter Seidell, and will feature stand-up and sketch comedy performed by the CollegeHumor cast, along with fan favorites Jake & Amir. Plus, everyone in the crowd will receive a Choco Taco (courtesy of the fine folks from Klondike). Humor may be subjective, but who doesn’t love a frosty treat that looks like food but tastes like dessert? If it’s you, simply give the snack to your neighbor and continue to enjoy the show. Thurs., Aug. 2, 8pm. At the Gramercy Theatre (127 E. 23rd St., btw. Lexington & Park Aves.). For tickets ($18), visit thegramercytheatre.com. Also visit collegehumor.com.

Photo by Vincent Peone

Come for the live comedy, stay for the Choco Taco: CollegeHumor takes its online act on the road.

DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY: Aengus Woods (in collaboration with John Holten) shines some light on a “pur“PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE” If you’ve ever visited David Zwirner portedly little-known” Eastern European Gallery and had a particularly impas- avant-garde art group. Sculptural work sioned and informed conversation with is represented by artists including Clive the staff, this exhibition provides some Murphy, who explores the prescribed insight as to why that kind of thing utility of found objects. seems to happen with such regularity. “People Who Work Here” can be “People Who Work Here” delivers on seen through Aug 10, at 519 W. 19th St., the promise of its title by showcasing btw. 10th & 11th Aves). For more info, the work of, well, people who work at visit davidzwirner.com. David Zwirner Gallery. Curated by the co-directors of Brooklyn-based contemporary art gallery Rawson Projects (yes, James Morrill and Chris Rawson also work at David Zwirner), the show functions as a bridge between the Brooklyn and Manhattan art worlds, as well as the spheres inhabited by emerging and established artists (“People” runs concurrently with a program in the gallery’s Images courtesy the artist and David Zwirner, New York 525 and 533 W. 19th St. spaces featurJustin Phillipson’s “Two Bodegas, ing 40 internationally acclaimed artists). Brooklyn, 2012” (HD Digital Video; At 519 W. 25th St., however, Duration: 8:30 minutes; loop; dimenyou’ll see painting, drawing, sculpture sions variable). and installation from those who aren’t (yet) household names in Switzerland or Sunnyside. Many of the pieces address aspects of abstraction, such as Justin Davis Anderson’s hand-painted Polaroids and paintings from Sam Martineau that evoke the aesthetic sensibilities of mid-century American graphic design. Other works reference art history, with Cy Amundson’s exploration of figurative painting and David Ording’s use of oil painting to reinterpret canonical portraiture. Justin Phillipson’s use of video compression disengages his source material by distorting the original Installation view of works by David Ording, in "People image in some way, while Who Work Here" (curated by Rawson Projects), at a video installation by David Zwirner, New York.

“FERMENTED NEW YORK” Scholar and self-proclaimed “fermentation revivalist” Sandor Katz rhapsodizes about the 7,000+ year-old tradition that gives some added character to bread, coffee, pickles, beer, cheese, yogurt and… more. In addition to citing facts, figures and anecdotes from his book “The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World,” Katz will delve into all aspects of New York’s own unique pickling traditions — then conclude with a home pickling workshop and tasting. Thurs., Aug. 2 at 6:30pm. Admission is $25 ($45 with purchase of the book).

Photo by Sean Mintah

A right proper pickle: On August 2, Tenement Talks guest Sandor Katz rhapsodizes about fermented foods.

TENEMENT TALKS: THREE FOODTHEMED HAPPENINGS Part history lesson, part lecture, part author meet and greet: The Lower East Side Tenement Museum’s Tenement Talks series consistently informs and engages by shining a light on famous, infamous and forgotten aspects of New York City culture. Gangsters, poets, pugilists and vanishing storefront shops are among our favorite past topics — but the series is at its mind-feeding best when food is on its plate (which is often; check out their website to listen to all 75 minutes of June 19’s “Behind the Scenes: Goldie Lustgarten’s Kosher Butcher Shop and the Riot of 1902”). Committed foodies and armchair epicureans are in for a treat (and maybe a nosh?) when they attend three upcoming talks — which take place at the Tenement Museum Visitor Center and Museum Shop (103 Orchard St., SW corner of Delancey St.). Seating is first-come, first-served. For tickets, call 877-975-3786 or visit tenement. org. For info, call 212-982-8420.

“YES, CHEF: A MEMOIR” With flavor and verve, Marcus Samuelsson’s book documents how an adopted Ethiopian boy growing up in Sweden went from the weekly Saturday ritual of helping his grandmother prepare a roast chicken to the relentless routine of life as a world-renowned chef. Visit marcussamuelsson.com for the skinny on the man behind Harlem’s Red Rooster restaurant, who learned to embrace everything from meatballs and ginger snaps to soccer and spices — or attend his Tenement Talk and ask him yourself. Thurs., Aug. 9 at 6:30pm. Admission is free. “TORRISI ITALIAN SPECIALTIES: TASTE AND TALK” Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone — the chefs and owners of Mulberry Street’s Torrisi Italian Specialties — are the guests. James Beard House VP Mitchell Davis is the moderator. Together, they seek to answer the question of what it means to cook “Italian” in today’s New York. Spoiler alert: It has something to do with the immigrant groups and cuisines historically concentrated in Chinatown, the Lower East Side and Little Italy. Tues., Aug. 21 at 6:30pm. Admission is $15. For more info on Torrisi Italian Specialties, visit torrisinyc.com.

July 25 - August 7, 2012

Unconventional plots, uncommon perspectives Asian American International Film Fest unspools features, shorts FILM THE 35TH ANNUAL ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

July 25 through August 5 at The Museum of Chinese in America (215 Centre St., btw. Grand and Howard Sts.) Clearview Chelsea Cinemas (260 W. 23rd St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) Asia Society and Museum (725 Park Ave., btw. 70th & 71st Sts.) For a full schedule (and to purchase tickets), visit asiancinevision.org/aaiff Admission: $13 general, $11 for students, seniors & the disabled Photo courtesy of the filmmaker

Tickets available at the box office or at the above URL, or by calling 212-9890017 (Mon.-Fri., 12-5pm; processing fee of $1.50 per ticket)

Stefanos Tai’s “Big City Small Town” chronicles changing times in Stuyvesant Town.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER With screenings at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas, the Asia Society and Museum and The Museum of Chinese in America,

the Asian American International Film Festival’s creative content is as farreaching as its geographic sprawl. The 35th edition of this annual event — which over the course of its lifetime has seen Asian cinema spread in popularity along with America’s embrace of indie and art house films — will offer 14 features and 33 shorts, unspooling over 12 days. Many of the filmmakers are either debut directors (actress Lily Mariye’s L.A. dysfunctional coming of age story “Model Minority”) or are

returning to the festival (as does H.P. Mendoza, with the horror film “I am a Ghost”). "We are extremely happy to see the number of Asian American filmmakers making quality work in a truly independent fashion, which AAIFF continues to champion," says Program Director Martha Tien — who notes that several of this year’s selections are clever variations on much-tread narrative territory.

Continued on page 21

July 25 - August 7, 2012

AAIFF subverts stereotypes

AOA is Soho and Tribeca’s newest restaurant and SPORTS GASTROPUB

Photo by Armando Salas, artwork by Nate Whitson.

Eliza Coupe and Daniel Henney’s ears perk up when they hear “Shanghai Calling.”

Continued from page 20 “They’re not just making films about culture shock or generation gaps,” says Tien of the directors whose unique voices caught her eye. “They’re taking a stereotype and turning it on its head, or bringing us more mainstream stories where the characters happen to be Asian.” Two selections that fall into the former (and, to some extent, the latter) category are Daniel Hsia’s “Shanghai Calling” and Simon Yin’s “$upercapitalist.” Both films take their successful protagonists from New York City to unfamiliar terrain. In the romantic comedy “Calling,” an attorney slowly cultivates an appreciation for Shanghai thanks to a beautiful “relocation specialist,” a clever journalist and a savvy assistant. In “$upercapitalist,” a hedge fund trader is plunged into Hong Kong’s ruthless culture of profits. “We are living in a very globalized world now,” says Tien regarding the recurring festival theme of relocation and self-discovery. “Everyone’s on the move, and the cross cultural connection is growing stronger. That’s reflected in the work of these filmmakers. Both films have lead characters who are working in a field that many Asian Americans are in. These are relatable stories, because these things are really happening right now.” From her point of view, curator Tien notes, “It’s great to see filmmakers taking on this topic, but bringing a unique perspective. In ‘Shanghai Calling,’ it’s a Chinese American who’s unfamiliar

with all the culture and customs, and it’s the Caucasian female relocation specialist who helps him settle into his new environment. ‘$upercapitalist’ is more about individualism and family values, less about cultural customs.” The AAIFF also distinguishes itself from other festivals, with respect to the amount of time and energy spent showcasing shorts. “Short films,” Tien says, “are the starting point for many filmmakers. They often develop it into a feature film. Our festival has always been an incubator for upcoming filmmakers, and we feel a need to support them by showing their short work.” This year’s short programs include “Love, Interrupted” — a collection of five LGBT-themed stories, each expressing an LGBTQ perspective. “This American Life” contemplates what it means to be Asian and living in America. The eight films in “How To…” examine different coping techniques for unexpectedly severe life changes; and “For Youth by Youth” presents nine experimental, animated and documentary shorts by directors between the ages of 15 and 20. In one of those films, “Big City, Small Town,” Stefanos Tai examines changes in Stuyvesant Town, where he grew up. “It’s a teenager’s reflection on how they’re trying to squeeze out the old rent controlled tenants,” notes Tien. “It’s his point of view, all about how he’s grown up in the neighborhood, and what it’s meant to him — a very personal, very local story.” The best of the AAIFF’s short films will be available, in September, at dramafever.com/acv.

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Summer stars of jazz and indie Forgo outdoor fests, and beat the heat in air-conditioned splendor

Unsung jazz hero Lew Tabackin will lead a high-powered trio, featuring bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi, at Smalls Jazz Club on July 27.

BY SAM SPOKONY With the thermometer hitting the triple digits for days on end, I don’t blame you for wanting to stay inside — and while New York hosts some of the nation’s best outdoor music festivals every summer, we shouldn’t neglect the equally exciting shows taking place inside the wealth of excellent East and West Village venues. So feel free to get some sun — but don’t feel compelled to run all the way out to the beaches or parks when it comes to taking in tunes of all shapes, sizes and subgenres. With that in mind, I’ve looked deeply into my crystal ball of coming events in the worlds of jazz and indie/rock music, and have come up with several tips to increase your live listening pleasure over the next month. Aside from including both fast-rising young artists and revered elder statesmen, these listings also feature some of the best values in town — no higher than $35 for jazz and $20 for indie, with a couple of freebies thrown into the mix — because some of us can’t drop $200 on tickets for Justin Bieber at MSG… and why should we, when there’s more affordable and eclectic fare to be had?

JAZZ I won’t be the first one to tell you that there are a number of jazz instrumentalists who haven’t become household names, even though they’ve played a vital role in pushing the music forward. Tenor saxophonist and flautist Lew Tabackin, who turned 72 this year, falls squarely into that category — so if you haven’t heard him blow yet, get off your couch and get schooled! Aside from spending three decades as the head soloist in a cutting-edge big band led by his wife (pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi), Tabackin has recorded with icons like Clark Terry, Hank Jones and Charlie Haden. Now you can see him at Smalls Jazz

Photo by Bek Andersen

Young Magic, led by producer and vocalist Isaac Emmanuel (right), will bring their brand of indie electronica to the Mercury Lounge on July 29.

Club (183 W. 10th St., btw. W. Fourth St. & Seventh Ave.) on July 27 and 28 at 10pm, for a $20 cover. For the back-to-back shows, Tabackin will be leading a trio featuring bassist Boris Kozlov — who also does a hell of a job leading the Charles Mingus Big Band — and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi. Tickets can’t be reserved, so you’ll have to pay your cover at the door. For more information, visit smallsjazzclub.com.

Saxophonist Konitz, guitarist Frisell, bassist Peacock and drummer Baron have all left their mark on the last half-century of the jazz tradition as individual leaders — but this is the first time they’re joining forces to bring the best of the old school to the 21st century. If the straight-ahead stuff isn’t enough, and you’re up for an act that stretches the boundaries of jazz outside both the genre and the American border, look no further than Farah Siraj and The Arabian Jazz Project. Siraj, a vocalist who was recently named the Musical Ambassadress of her home country of Jordan, now leads an ethnically diverse quintet — with musicians from the U.S., Spain, Syria and Georgia — on a quest to blend

Middle Eastern rhythms with Western jazz harmonies. They’re doing it with everything from traditional Arabian folk tunes to original compositions in contemporary styles, and you can experience some of the culture shock for yourself at Drom (85 Avenue A, btw. 5th & 6th Sts.) on August 4 at 9:30pm. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance at dromnyc.com. And it wouldn’t hurt to see four of jazz’s greatest living musicians all at once, right? That’s what you’ll get if you come out to see Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Gary Peacock and Joey Baron as they celebrate the release of their new album, “Enfants Terribles,” with a five-night run at the Blue Note (131 W. 3rd St., btw. MacDougal St. & Sixth Ave.). Just writing about it is making me sweat — and I think I just coughed up a few minor ninth chords in anxious anticipation. Saxophonist Konitz, guitarist Frisell, bassist Peacock and drummer Baron have all left their mark on the last half-century of the jazz tradition as individual leaders — but this is the first time they’re joining forces to bring the best of the old school to the 21st century. And there’s a chance for everyone to take a listen, as the quartet will perform two sets per night — at 8pm and 10:30pm — from August 15-19. Tickets cost $20 for a bar seat and $35 for a table, and you can purchase table tickets in advance at bluenote.com. Tickets for bar seats can only be purchased at the door, and they’re first-come, first-served.

INDIE/ROCK Lovers of the musically trippy should by all means converge at the Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston St., btw. Ludlow & Essex Sts.) on July 29 — where you’ll find two acts that come from opposite angles to achieve equal amounts of catchiness and weirdness. Quilt, a

Continued on page 23

July 25 - August 7, 2012

The great indoors: Jazz and indie music Continued from page 22 Boston-based indie-folk trio, radiates a cosmic wave of jangly guitars and threepart harmonies that recalls the soul of the ’60s — while washing that soul in chorus effects that are thick enough to kill a small horse. Young Magic is an electronica trio led by Australian-born producer Isaac Emmanuel, whose most recent project involved sampling and recording songs, piece-by-piece, over the course of a six-month trip around the world. This combination should be one that captures everything great about the blend of hightech instrumentation and lo-fi grit that’s been an indie trademark for years, so don’t miss it. Doors open at 7pm, and tickets cost $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show. To purchase tickets, visit mercuryloungenyc.com. Amy Vachal: So dreamy. And I don’t just say that because she’s young and attractive. Her voice may actually be angelic enough to permeate and hover within your subconscious mind. She’s a songwriter and guitarist at heart, combining passionate lyrics with upbeat tunes that are folk-tinged and pop-friendly — but Vachal also shines while reinterpreting cheesy old standards like “La Vie En Rose” in understated, self-accompanied

As RJD2 continues to mix samples from the worlds of rock, hip-hop and electronica into a whole that’s much greater than the sum of its parts, it’s worth hearing him on such a big stage.

solos. Don’t believe me? Go check her out for yourself at Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen St., btw. E. Houston & Stanton Sts.) on August 2 at 9pm. And there’s no cover charge, so feel free to buy yourself that extra drink. For more information, visit rockwoodmusichall.com. Now, I know some people are just going to treat this next event as a massive dance party. That’s fine, but I still think there’s plenty of listening value in it for anyone like me, who would rather watch paint dry than dance continually for three hours. I’m talking about electro mastermind RJD2, who’s going to be playing a set at Webster Hall (125 E. 11th St., btw. Third & Fourth Aves.) on August 3 at 10pm. For more than a decade, he’s been one of the most

Photo courtesy of the artist

Photo by Adam Jason

Sampling mastermind RJD2 will blend rock, hip-hop, electro and indie in an energetic solo set at Webster Hall on August 3.

Singer/songwriter Amy Vachal brings her sweet sound of indie-folk to Rockwood Music Hall on August 2.

adventurous and stylistically open-minded producers in the nation, while never losing his straight-up skills as a DJ and instrumentalist. As RJD2 continues to mix samples from the worlds of rock, hip-hop and electronica into a whole that’s much greater than the sum of its parts, it’s worth hearing him on such a big stage. Tickets cost $20, and can be purchased in advance at websterhall.com. And finally, since it’s always nice to end with a flourish, I give you instrumental rock mainstay Russian Circles. With a wide dynamic range that runs from seriously heavy breakdowns to swirling, ethereal improvisations, the Chicago-based trio quickly became known for their waybetter-than-the-record live shows when they first hit the scene around 2004, and that reputation has never faded. Catch them at Highline Ballroom (431 W. 16th St., btw. Ninth & Tenth Aves.) on August 18 at 8:30pm. The opening bill for this one is also worth hearing, comprising the deeply brooding singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe and the inventively grungy power trio Marriages. But don’t you dare bring earplugs. You take that highvolume distortion — and you take it like a (gender-neutral) man. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $18 on the day of the show, and you can purchase them at highlineballroom.com. And that’s that! Happy listening to all, and don’t forget to tip your bartender. If you have any questions, suggestions or hidden secrets about sweet shows on and under the Village radar, drop me a line at samspokony@gmail.com.

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