DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, July 25 2012 by Schneps Media

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 4

WATER MAIN PROJECT, TO SPAN FOUR YEARS, SPURTS TENSION JULY 25-AUG 7, 2012

He smelled smoke, he recalled. He disembarked and touched the pier. “It was really hot,” he said. “I decided immediately that we needed to leave.” When van Nes yelled to get off the pier, a lot of people, reportedly, didn’t pay attention. Clipper City owner Tom Berton — who was at Yankee Stadium at the time and

BY SAM SPOKONY s if Financial District residents didn’t have enough noisy construction projects going on in their neighborhood, another one is on its way. The city Department of Design and Construction (D.C.C.) presented its plan for a four-year reconstruction project on Broadway, between Ann and Rector Streets, to Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee meeting on Tues., July 10, amid groans from committee members. The project, slated to run from spring 2013 to spring 2017, will involve replacing water mains, sewers and other elements of utility infrastructure that date back to the 1960s, according to D.D.C. Assistant Commissioner Thomas Foley. The road surface will also be replaced, including the removal of trolley tracks that have a longer life span than the underground utilities. The agency will begin reconstructing Broadway on the two blocks between Ann and John Streets next spring — moving further southward after about 18 months. It will affect eight heavily trafficked blocks, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Fulton Center site, which won’t be completed until summer 2014. The project carries a price tag of approximately $48 million, Foley said. “There’s been no major reconstruction on Broadway for the last 50 years, and our intent in this case is to make sure there’s no major work needed for another 50,” he told the

Continued on page 16

Continued on page 19

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

On Sat., July 14, a fire broke out on Pier 17, causing the Clipper City schooner crew to hightail it into the harbor.

Fast work and courage save Clipper City from Pier 17 ﬁre BY T E R E SE L O E B K R E U Z E R n Sat., July 14, Circle Line Downtown’s speedboat, Shark, had just dropped off passengers and was moored on the east side of Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport when the crew heard people screaming, “Fire!” With Captain Michael Pellizzi at the helm, the Shark headed over to Pier 17, where the fire broke out minutes before 4 p.m.

Shark deckhands Sean James and Alvin Nasongsong took turns with the boat’s hose, trying to keep the blaze in check until firefighters arrived. Several minutes before the Shark crew tried to douse the fire, the tourist schooner Clipper City had pulled into its berth on the east side of Pier 17. Capt. Chris van Nes had just officiated at a wedding, whose party was still aboard the boat.

We have relocated our downtown Broadway store to more spacious quarters at 161 Hudson St.

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

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B Y AL IN E REY NOLDS Congratulations, Speaker! How do you feel about earning this prestigious award? Thanks. I’m truly humbled. They give out this award once every two years across the nation. I think it’s a validation of the way I led the Assembly. It’s always easy, especially in New York, to get lost in the media hype and in polls, so it’s exciting to be cited for excellence by a committee of my national peers. Who selected you for this award? An independent panel of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.

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You grew up in Lower Manhattan, which you now represent politically. Do you still live in the neighborhood? Yes — five blocks from where I was raised. I was born on Henry Street, moved to Grand Street, I got married and moved to East Broadway, and my family got larger and I moved back to Grand Street. It’s the best place to live and raise a family. My grandparents came to this country and moved to Essex Street — their first place was there. My parents moved to Henry Street; my four grandsons lived there up until about a year ago. We’ve always found it a very good place to live — we have great neighbors, and it’s just a great community overall. It’s very convenient, as well, since my district office is at 250 Broadway. What did you do prior to joining the New York State Assembly? After graduating from Brooklyn Law School, I worked as an attorney for a year-and-a-half in a Downtown Broadway office. I was a law secretary to a judge for about five years, and then I ran for the Assembly at age 32.

How did you start out in the Assembly? I first served as chair of the Election Law Committee. At the time, I introduced the first public finance bill, which passed in the Assembly about a dozen times since 1986 but never passed the Senate. It was the first public campaign finance bill in New York, before the NYC Campaign Finance Board was formed. Then I became chair of the Codes Committee, which deals with the criminal justice system and the civil justice system. They’re the laws that are implemented in the courts. Then, I became chair of the Ways and Means Committee — the budget committee — until 1994. When Assembly Speaker Saul Weprin died in office, I was elected to replace him. Which Downtown-related state law enacted since your tenure as Speaker is the most important to you, personally? Probably the most important thing I did, generally, was institute a universal prekindergarten program across the state. We passed several laws after 9/11, which I called my “Marshall Plan” for Downtown. We provided tax incentives and actual money for people to renew leases Downtown — both business and residential — in proximity to the World Trade Center area, and authorized actual cash grants at the time. Speaking of the World Trade Center, does the state play a role in resolving the stalemate? No. It’s more in the hands of the Governors of New York and New Jersey. How has Lower Manhattan changed in the years that you’ve served as state Assembly Speaker? I was able to build new schools Downtown in order to catch up to the population that was exploding here. State money pays about half of all the education expenses of the city; I’ve increased that state money to the city by several billion dollars since I became Speaker. Groups like Manhattan Youth, the Chinese-American Planning Council and Asian-Americans for Equality got state money from a budget that provided for new youth in our district. There are also a number of senior citizen luncheon programs and social programs — like the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community program, which provides services to seniors to keep them in their homes rather than institutionalize them.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9, 12-21 EDITORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23-25, 27 FOUR WORKERS FIRED FROM W.T.C. SITE FOR DRINKING DURING LUNCH

POLITICIANS BARRED FROM NEXT 9/11 ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY

Four steamfitters working on the World Trade Center site were fired on Wed., July 18 after undercover detectives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey caught them drinking on their lunch break, according to a source close to the situation. All of the workers were union members assigned to 3 W.T.C., and were found by the Port Authority detectives in a bar near the W.T.C. site, where they were all having “more than one” alcoholic drink, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous due to professional concerns. “We appreciate the prompt response [of the firings] from the Port Authority, and especially the Inspector General and his investigators,” said Bud Perrone, a spokesperson for W.T.C. developer Silverstein Properties. “There is no place at the World Trade Center for risky or irresponsible behavior of any kind.” The anonymous source also stated that Port Authority detectives have conducted frequent undercover investigations into drinking and other worksite safety issues over the past several years, and that undercover operations are still ongoing. “Obviously, it’s my own fault; I should have known better,” said one of the fired workers, 48-year-old Long Islander Michael Galvani, to the New York Post. “I had two beers with my burger. I think there’s a lot worse going on on that job, but I’m going to pay for it.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that politicians will be excluded from the next 9/11 commemoration. Joe Daniels, the president of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum — where the annual ceremony is held — wrote in a July 11 letter to 9/11 victims’ families, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, that “the reading of the names by family members will be the exclusive focus of the program.” Bloomberg made the final call to exclude all politicians after discussing the issue with the board of the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, which he chairs. In previous years, current and former elected officials recited historical readings or poems as part of the event. Over the past few months, it came to light that personal feuds may have been brewing between the mayor and both New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at last year’s 10th anniversary observance. Cuomo complained that his father, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, was being hassled by security, while Christie complained about former New Jersey Governor Donald DiFrancesco not being invited, according to the New York Post. More recently, Bloomberg rejected a proposal by the Port Authority of New York and New York Jersey — which is headed by Cuomo and Christie — to gain greater oversight of the 9/11 Memorial, saying that he wanted to keep the memorial out of the “political process.” Cuomo’s office did not return requests for comment.

G.S.A. SIGNS LEASE FOR SIX FLOORS AT 1 W.T.C. The U.S. General Services Administration (G.S.A.) announced on Wed., July 18 that it signed a lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Durst Organization to occupy six floors at 1 World Trade Center. The lease, which gives the G.S.A. approximately 270,000 square feet of space on floors 50 to 55 of the tower, will start in 2015 and carries an initial term length of 20 years, according to a G.S.A. release. It also marks the fact that 55 percent of the tenant space at 1 W.T.C. has now been leased, according to a Port Authority spokesperson. “This lease brings 1 World Trade Center one step closer to being one of the most successful commercial developments in the world, and is a significant generator of jobs and economic activity,” said Port Authority Vice Chairman Scott Rechler. Durst and the Port Authority are co-owners of the flagship tower, which is scheduled to be opened by the start of 2014. The G.S.A. is the third tenant of 1 W.T.C., alongside publishing giant Condé Nast, which has leased nearly 1.2 million square feet, and Beijing Vantone Real Estate Co., which will fill 190,000 square feet. “This reaffirms the federal government’s commitment to the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and to this project that demonstrates the undaunted resilience of the American people,” said Dan Tangherlini, G.S.A.’s acting administrator, in a statement released the day of the announcement. “There will once again be a federal presence in the World Trade Center, as there was from its beginning.” Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, several government agencies were housed at 6 W.T.C., including the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Agriculture, Commerce and Labor Departments. One W.T.C. is being built on the site of the former 6 W.T.C., which was demolished after the attacks.

ANOTHER WORKER INJURY AT W.T.C. An ironworker was injured at 3 World Trade Center on Fri., July 13, according to officials. The man, who is employed by the Falcon Steel Company, was helping prepare a load of steel to be lifted from ground level when one of the beams rolled over him, according to John Gallagher, a spokesperson for Tishman Construction, the construction manager for Towers 1, 3 and 4. An ambulance arrived about 20 minutes later, and the worker, whose name wasn’t released, was transported to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a city Fire Department spokesperson. “We take the safety of the job site extremely seriously and treat it as a continuous process that involves all key stakeholders,” said Dara McQuillan, a senior vice president of W.T.C. developer Silverstein Properties. “Whenever there is an accident, it is important to determine what went wrong, so we have set in motion an investigation of Friday’s accident in partnership with all the stakeholders at the World Trade Center.” Gallagher said that Tishman is “cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation of the incident.” This comes on the heels of two recent accidents. On June 26, a worker was injured after falling on a metal rebar, and a day later, a load of steel being lifted by a crane crashed through windows on the 46th floor of 4 W.T.C.

PETITION FOR MONUMENT TO HONOR THOSE KILLED BY GROUND ZERO TOXINS A Downtown resident has started an online petition urging authorities to build a free-standing monument on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum Plaza to honor first responders and cleanup workers who have died from inhaling toxins at Ground Zero. Allan Tannenbaum, 67, a Community Board 1 member

CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

C. B. 1 As usual, Community Board 1 will take a recess in August. Until then, it will host its monthly full-board meeting on Tues., July 31, at 6 p.m. at Dance New Amsterdam (280 Broadway, 2nd Floor).

and photojournalist from Tribeca, created the petition in late May after years of advocacy for those affected by 9/11related toxins. His photo story “Still Killing,” published in TIME Magazine in 2006, documented cases of emergency and clean-up workers who were suffering from cancers and other incurable diseases years after the terrorist attacks, and who Tannenbaum said are often overshadowed by those who died on 9/11. The 9/11 Memorial has plans to include an exhibit on those who’ve died from toxins once it opens to the public. Tannenbaum — who was a member of C.B. 1’s now-defunct World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee — said that when, during a committee meeting, he once asked 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels why the exhibit couldn’t be turned into its own monument on the Plaza, Daniels told him that it was because some Ground Zero workers have died from causes unrelated to toxins. “But an exhibit just isn’t enough because of the awful illnesses and deaths that these people and their families have gone through,” said Tannenbaum. “I don’t think that we should kill the whole idea just because there might be a handful of names on that wall who didn’t die from 9/11 toxins.” The petition, which had gained more than 230 online signatures by press time, can found at www.change.org.

A.A.F.E. TO BOYCOTT CHINATOWN HOTEL IN SUPPORT OF HESTER STREET TENANTS Chinatown residents and community leaders gathered on Fri., July 13, to support Asian Americans for Equality (A.A.F.E.) as it launched an official protest of the Chinatown Wyndham Garden Hotel and landlord William Su’s treatment of the former tenants of 128 Hester St. Standing outside the new 18-story hotel at 91-93 Bowery, protesters once again called on Su to provide compensation to the eight families — 29 people — who lost their homes in August 2009 when the building was evacuated by the city Department of Buildings (D.O.B.) because of dangerous structural flaws. Before it was demolished, the D.O.B. had noted that the deterioration was due in part to the hotel’s construction on the lot adjacent to 128 Hester St. Su has also repeatedly failed to comply with a 2010 order from the N.Y.S. Division of Housing and Community Renewal to pay relocation fees to his former tenants. “He has been treating the tenants in a way that nobody in our community should ever be treated,” said Peter Gee, Continued on page 17

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

ACCIDENT, LONG-TERM PARK

SEAPORT THEFTS

SKATE PARK

The surveillance video of Orange Gallery, the jewelry shop at 89 South St. (Pier 17) in the Seaport, recorded two men taking about 50 items of jewelry valued at $1,975 and fleeing, police said. A woman seated at an outdoor café at 89 South St. around 6:45 p.m. Sat., July 14, told the management that she saw a man take her handbag from under her chair. Police were summoned and arrested Sean Nee, 20, who was in possession of the bag.

A man who stopped at the skate park at the Hudson River Park on West and North Moore Streets on Sat., July 14, left his bag to one side around 7:35 p.m. while he skated and discovered a short time later that the bag, with his iPhone, iPod and shirts and socks, was gone.

SWEET-SMELLING THEFT Two suspects who entered the Duane Reade store at 95 Wall St. around 11:25 p.m. Sun., July 15, made off with 117 boxes of perfume with a total value of $3,254, police said. A surveillance tape shows one thief opening the glass display case and the other following a few minutes later and taking the merchandise.

OPEN AND SHUT A woman patron of New York Sports Club at 503 Broadway went for a workout around 8:15 p.m. Thurs., July 12, did not lock her locker and returned to find that her bag, with her designer sunglasses and silver necklace, had been stolen.

STRANGE SENSATION A New Jersey woman told police she had been “getting a sensation that someone was hovering behind her” while she was shopping in the Scholastic Store, 557 Broadway, around 2 p.m. Wed., July 16. She soon discovered that her backpack was open, and her wallet with $40 in cash and various credit cards had been stolen. A Maryland woman shopping at a store on Canal Street and Broadway around 4:45 p.m. Sat., July 21 felt someone bump her and discovered that her cell phone and her wallet with her marriage license had been stolen. A woman was listening to music on her iPhone while walking to her home at 200 Water St. around 1:50 a.m. Thurs., July 19, when a thief ran past and snatched the phone, police said.

A man, who had to leave his car at Canal and Hudson Streets after an accident around 1 a.m. Sun., July 22, discovered later that $1,200 in cash had been stolen from the top of the front console. Police said the tow-truck operator reported that he found the car closed and locked when he first arrived at the scene, but was called away on another job and returned at 8:50 a.m. to find the car door open. A Battery Park City woman told police on Sun., July 22 that she parked her Vespa scooter in the basement garage at Gateway Plaza, 345 South End Ave. in March 2011 and discovered when she went to check on it recently that it had been stolen.

BITE AND KICK Police arrested two women suspects in a shoplifting spree that turned nasty in the H & M department store, 515 Broadway, around 1:50 p.m. Wed., July 18. Four suspects put 11 items of clothing in a foil-lined shopping bag and tried to walk out without paying, police said. Shaday Griggs, 17, and Tyshoe Conway, 17, who were apprehended, bit and kicked the security guards but two accomplices, a man and a woman, both in their 20s, escaped.

CAB SHARE

15 felt her dipping into his pocket and taking his wallet and iPhone, police said. He demanded the return of his property and when she refused, ordered the driver to stop at the First Precinct on Varick Street and Ericsson Place. Police found the phone and the wallet on the floor of the cab and charged Janell Johnson, 26, with larceny.

PATRONS LOSE BAGS A California visitor to Aroma Espresso, 145 Greene St., on Sun., July 15, changed tables around 4: 30 p.m. but left his bag behind. He returned to the old table a short time later but the bag, with books, iPod and laptop computer with a total value of $2,690 was gone. A patron of Greenhouse, the club at 150 Varick St., told police that someone bumped him in the club around 3:15 a.m. Mon., July 16 and stole his iPhone. The club, which had been ordered closed June 18 after a brawl in the annex next door, reopened two weeks ago.

SUBWAY SLEEPER A man who fell asleep on a J train woke up at 2:30 a.m. Sun., July 15 at the Nassau/Fulton Street stop to discover his pockets had been cut and his iPhone and wallet with $80 in cash and a MetroCard with $104 on it were gone.

A visitor from Sweden who shared his cab with a woman at West Broadway and Canal Street around 4:35 a.m. Sun., July

— Albert Amateau

Lung cancer screening: Early detection could save your life. Please Join NYPD Transit District Two National Night Out!

If you are a current or former smoker, or have had exposure to hazardous materials, you are at increased risk for lung cancer and may benefit from screening. As a leader in cancer research and a pioneer in lung cancer screening, NYU Langone uses low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer at an early stage, when it is easier to treat successfully.* This painless, noninvasive exam takes only minutes to complete and you get the results in just a few days.

Tuesday, August 7th from 4-7 PM Tribeca Park (Corner of West Broadway & Beach Street.) Come see Citibank, New York Blood Services, FDNY, Dept of Aging, US Marines, DA’s Office, US Postal Inspection, Downtown Allliance, Grandaisy Bakery, AFLAC, Nyack College and many more neighborhood businesses at the event.

There will be food, games for the kids, a D.J. and some great giveaways. Don’t miss it!

Come Meet the Police Who Patrol Your Subways!

For more information or to schedule a screening, call 855-NYU-LUNG (855-698-5864) today or visit NYULMC.org/lungcancerscreening. Lung Cancer Screening Program 403 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016

*New England Journal of Medicine, August 4, 2011.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Renovations occupy Chase Plaza B Y A L IN E R E Y NO L D S hase Manhattan Plaza will continue to be off limits to the public until the flowers bloom next year, prompting outrage among Financial District residents and workers. Officials from JPMorgan Chase, who briefed Community Board 1 about the closure at a committee meeting on Thurs., July 19, announced that the 70,000-square-foot plaza in front of the 1961 skyscraper would be undergoing a badly needed overhaul that will require it to be closed until next May. In the interim, the bank will caulk the plaza’s pavers to rid it of leaks, replace its faulty piping and drains and give the flooring a power wash, according to Bill Viets, a managing director and associate general counsel at the bank. Workers will use vector mapping, a technique used to pinpoint defects in the plaza’s below-grade infrastructure. JPMorgan Chase, the plaza’s owner, deemed the fixes necessary after a thorough inspection of the plaza. “The leaks have been coming from multiple sources, not only affecting banking operations in our retail branch but [the] means of egress to and from the subway system and the concourse,” according to John Babieracki, a managing director at the bank. But area residents present at the C.B. 1 meeting railed against this decision and asked the bank to instead consider blocking off segments of the plaza at a time. Nassau Street resident David Colman was so angered by the plaza’s inaccessibility that he closed his Chase checking account. Colman, a Financial District resident for 15 years, has fond memories of training his dog in the plaza. “It’s really tacky and gross,” he said of the closure. “That plaza belongs to the community and the people in it.” Ro Sheffe, who chairs C.B. 1’s Financial District Committee, pointed out that the plaza has already been closed for more than six months already. “I appreciate your doing what you can to limit it only to a six-month period,” he said, “but from the perspective of the community, that makes it an 18-month period, almost.” Rumors have been swirling among Downtown residents and construction workers that the plaza’s closure is attributable to Occupy Wall Street — since, according to reports, the plaza was cordoned off a day after O.W.S. began at the nearby Zuccotti Park. That’s at least what the wife of 46-year-old Fulton Center construction worker, Ray Candelario, said. She reportedly works at JPMorgan Chase. “They didn’t want the protesters going in there and interrupting their business,” he said. Candelario, who misses hanging out at the Chase Plaza, has been taking his lunch breaks at the plaza facing 140 Broadway, instead. “There’s too much traffic, and it’s too open,” he said. “Over there [at Chase Manhattan Plaza], it was kind of enclosed, so there was a little peace and quiet.

Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony

A decorated fence has enclosed Chase Manhattan Plaza to the public since last fall.

“So, I’m caught in the middle, because I like the space, but now I can’t use it just because they don’t want the problems with the protesters.” Officials, however, denied the claims of a correlation between the plaza’s closure and O.W.S. “It really has nothing to do with that,” according to Karen McGuinness, a vice president from JPMorgan’s Government and Community Relations Department. McGuinness wouldn’t comment further on the correlation due to pending litigation between the bank and Richard Nagan. Nagan, an expeditor, sued the bank for not responding to a Freedom of Information Law (F.O.I.L.) request asking to see documents substantiating repair plans the bank purportedly filed with the city. Responding to residents’ concerns, Viets said that partial closures of the plaza wouldn’t be an option and would cause the project to exceed two years. “We’re as anxious as you to get this work done,” added Babieracki. “If you’re trying to sequence it in phases, you would add a tremendous amount of time onto the project.” Responding to concerns about noise, Viets said that only quiet construction such as sheetrock work will be performed at night, and that construction materials

wouldn’t be unloaded at the site at night barring an emergency work situation. Additional reporting by Sam Spokon

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Local group oﬀers ﬁnancial lifeline for Hudson River Park B Y H E L A I NA N . H O V IT Z plan to beautify the Lower West Side’s Hudson River Park is in the works following a host of safety concerns shared by nearby residents. A recent survey conducted by the Friends of Hudson River Park (F.O.H.R.P.), the designated fundraising partner of the Hudson River Park Trust, found issues with access to the park and its connectivity to the surrounding streetscape — highlighting, in particular, that the West Side Highway has become an impediment to the park and its intersections. In response, F.O.H.R.P. executive director A.J. Pietrantone said the organization would be working with the city Department of Transportation on overall safety issues, including the timing of traffic lights and the improvement of nearby crosswalks. This discussion, which took place at Community Board 1’s Tribeca and Waterfront Committees on Wed., July 11, was part of a larger proposal put forth by F.O.H.R.P. to sustain and improve the 550-acre park through the medium of a Neighborhood Improvement District (N.I.D.) — the first of its kind in New York City. The N.I.D. would provide a stable, long-term funding source for the park and aim to strengthen the relationship between the park and local neighborhoods, Pietrantone said. It would be governed by a board of property owners and residents and serve as a public-private

Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony

A Neighborhood Improvement District — the first of its kind in the city — might be coming to the area in and around Hudson River Park.

partnership guided by a community plan and approved by the city. The proposed plan comes on the heels of Hudson River Park Trust’s proposition in June to amend the 1998 Hudson River Park Act so that it would allow both residential and hotel development and offer longer lease terms to commercial tenants. Since F.O.H.R.P. is not eligible for city or state funding, the costs would have to be covered by local residents and businesses, various organizations and other private sources. Currently, most of the park’s funding comes from its commercial piers and private donors. The plan, in other words, would involve taxing people who live or work in the park’s vicinity, explained Pietrantone. “It’s for their benefit,” he said. “The surrounding property values are enhanced by the well-maintained park, so it’s necessary in order to maintain that balance.” The N.I.D. would cost residents 7.5 cents per square foot, so a 1,200-square-foot home would cost a projected $92 a year, and a building comprised of 24 apartment units would likely contribute a total of $2,395 annually. “It’s a reasonable rate — we’re getting bang for our buck,” said Bob Townley, C.B. 1’s Waterfront Committee chair, of the proposal. Because the park is built next to the water, it deteriorates faster than inland parks such as Central Park and is therefore in need of more frequent upkeep, according to F.O.H.R.P. The park has been growing in size, but the funding remains the same, Pietrantone noted. The Hudson River Park Act, which dates back to 1998, states that the park must be self-sustaining and cannot draw upon city or state funds for such construction projects.

The $200 million total needed for the park’s overhaul will go toward upkeep and maintenance, the specifics of which Pietrantone said would be worked out later on. As it currently stands, the funds would partially go toward maintaining the landscape — such as replacing trees and pavers, as needed — and toward the hiring of contractors. Funds raised for the project would not be devoted to materials, salaries or other contracts, according to Pietrantone. The F.O.H.R.P., which has embarked on an aggressive fundraising initiative, is expecting a total of about $4.4 million in contributions from corporations, individuals and foundations. Recently added to the F.O.H.R.P. board to raise the park funds is Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s girlfriend, Diana Taylor, and Australian actress Deborra-Lee Furness, wife of actor Hugh Jackman. Blake Beatty also joined the group as director of development, having spent the past five years fundraising for the National Sept. 11 Memorial. The plan’s proposed improvements for the park is also meant to support local business owners, according to the F.O.H.R.P. Though specific programs have yet to be decided on, preliminary ideas have already been tossed around — namely discount programs and special events that would attract park-goers to area retail and food service establishments. While F.O.H.R.P.’s main purpose is fundraising, the Hudson River Park Trust runs the park. In a phone interview, NYS Assembly Member Deborah Glick said that, while she advocates fundraising to maintain the park, she’s concerned about where the Trust is going to go with the plan it presented back in June. Glick reiterated her disapproval of major development in the park, such as residential high-rises, hotels and office towers. Building on the piers, she said, is an environmentally bad idea — particularly since Manhattan’s entire Lower West Side coast falls in Zone A for flood evacuation. “I think this would change the nature of what a park is,” she said. “We are the most park-starved neighborhood in the city, and we deserve a park.” She believes that people who live in affordable housing should only have to pay a small annual fee, rather than a monthly fee, toward the park. “For some people, especially elderly people who have no way of having additional resources,” she said, “there might need to be a hardship clause.” The proposal will require City Council approval. But first, F.O.H.R.P. will return to C.B. 1 in the fall to solicit a resolution that favors the proposal. The F.O.H.R.P. has gone before C.B.s 2, 3 and 4 as well. The group describes itself as an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the completion and enhancement of Hudson River Park. Founded in 1999, F.O.H.R.P. has also been the principal advocacy group working to garner public dollars for Hudson River Park and monitoring its progress under the Hudson River Park Act. F.O.H.R.P.’s advocacy has already helped to secure more than $250 million in public funding to construct the park. It is estimated that the park will always need about $11 million per year to operate.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

N.Y.U. 2031 plan wins key vote by Council committee BY LIN C O LN A ND E R S O N his 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 N.Y.U’s massive 2031 expansion project for the two South Village superblocks on Tues., 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, N.Y.U. 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, N.Y.U. and the city. The full Council was poised to cast a final vote on the plan on Wed., 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, N.Y.U.’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 N.Y.U. 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 N.Y.U. 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 St. and 88 Bleecker St. “At last month’s public hearing, I made it clear I did not support N.Y.U.’s expansion proposal as modified by the City Planning Commission,” Chin said prior to the vote. “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 N.Y.U.’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

Photos courtesy of New York University

This is what NYU’s 2031 expansion plan will look like 20 years from now. Above is 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. Below are renderings of the plan before and after the latest modifications — including a reduction in size of the Zipper Building (bottom rendering).

Mercer Street View: Original Application

Mercer Street View: With City Council Modifications

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. Continued on page 21

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Trinity Wall Street

THURSDAY, JULY 26 & AUGUST 2 5:45pm Summer Discussion Group Following Evensong, study the history and meaning of hymns, including the hymns for the following Sunday and the favorite hymns of those who are present. 74 Trinity Pl, 2nd Fl, Parlor

trinitywallstreet.org

SUNDAY, JULY 29 & AUGUST 5, 10am worship Community Bible Study SUNDAY, 8am and 10am A weekly, summer Bible study St. Paul’s Chapel open to all. Holy Eucharist 74 Trinity Pl, 2nd Fl, Parlor SUNDAY, 9am and 11:15am SUNDAY, JULY 29 & AUGUST 5, 10am Trinity Church The Gospel, Times, Journal, and You Preaching, music, and Eucharist A discussion group that reads the Child care available editorial pages of The New York Times, MONDAY – FRIDAY, 12:05pm The Wall Street Journal, and the assigned Gospel for the day. Led by the Trinity Church Holy Eucharist Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones. 74 Trinity Pl, 3rd Fl, Parish Library MONDAY – FRIDAY, 5:15pm TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 5pm Trinity Knitters Knitters and crocheters and those who wish to learn are encouraged to attend. Yarn, needles, patterns and expert instruction provided. 74 Trinity Pl, 3rd Fl, Library

All Saints’ Chapel, in Trinity Church Evening Prayer, Evensong (Thurs.) Watch online webcast

TRINITY CHURCH Broadway at Wall Street 74 Trinity Place is located in the ofﬁce building behind Trinity Church.

Leah Reddy

THURSDAY, JULY 26 & AUGUST 2 5:15pm Summer Evensong When Evening Prayer is sung it is called Evensong, the service that closes the day. During the summer Trinity offers a simpliﬁed version of Evensong, sung by the congregation. All Saints’ Chapel, Trinity Church

Let’s do something together

Learn to knit or crochet with the Trinity Knitters the ﬁrst Tuesday of every month.

ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL Broadway and Fulton Street

All Are Welcome All events are free, unless noted. 212.602.0800

CHARLOTTE’S PLACE 107 Greenwich St, btwn Rector & Carlisle The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, Vicar

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

C.B. 1 plan seeks to keep seniors in their homes BY SA M S P O K O NY lmost three decades after Community Board 1 formed Manhattan Youth — which has played a vital role in providing services for children of all ages and their families — the board’s Housing Committee is finalizing plans to make Downtown a more neighborly place for senior citizens. The hopeful result of almost two years’ work will be Lower Manhattan Seniors (L.M.S.), a community-based, nonprofit organization allowing C.B. 1’s senior community to access basic neighborhood services and individual resources through a single office. “We want our seniors to have the opportunity to age in place and to be able to stay in their homes, no matter what happens,” said Tom Goodkind, chair of C.B. 1’s Housing Committee and founder of the project. “Unless you have a fortune saved up, those years can be a scary part of life, and we need to relieve that sense of desperation by providing ways to receive affordable care.” The finalized L.M.S. business plan was first distributed at the committee’s June Housing Committee meeting. The 18-page plan, written by committee members Amy Sewell and Adam Malitz, established that, while L.M.S. would not offer direct services in its finished stages, the organization would instead partner with local health care providers, community centers, educational and cultural institutions — as well as financial advisors and religious groups — in order to connect them with seniors seeking help. “It’ll basically be a knowledge center,” Malitz explained. “What gives it a unique strength is the fact that it’s going to be so hyper-local that both larger and more obscure resources can be tapped into equally.” G o o d k i n d s a i d t h a t N e w Yo r k Downtown Hospital — the only hospital in Lower Manhattan — had already reached out to the Housing Committee two months before the final plan was drafted, hoping to become a partner. The plan cites a study, published in February 2010 by the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City (C.S.C.S.), which states that the population of the city’s adults aged 60 and over increased from 1.25 million in 2000 to 1.39 million in 2007, and that the 85 and older age group will see a 25 percent increase from 2000 to 2030. The C.S.C.S. study also states that 18 percent of senior-headed households earn less than $10,000 annually, and that 60 percent of seniors live alone.

A timeline included in the L.M.S. business plan sets an approximate opening date of January 2014 for the organization’s central office, whose location has yet to be determined. While Malitz noted that it’s too early in the development process to know whether that deadline will be met, he said, “I don’t see a reason why it couldn’t happen within that timeframe.” Since C.B. 1 lacks the legal standing needed to run a business, Goodkind acknowledged that the Housing Committee’s direct involvement in L.M.S. will cease once the business plan is adopted by investors, who will be responsible for the fundraising and staffing process forward. “But we’ll be there every step of the way to monitor it and make sure it’s happening the right way,” said Malitz. Goodkind stressed that he hoped the concept of L.M.S. as a one-stop access point for all senior services would become a model for other neighborhoods across New York City. “You can walk through the rest of the city and not see the kind of senior care that is going to be established here,” he said. “It’s way outside the box, but it’s also just an obvious answer to something that’s needed.” At the July Housing Committee meeting, Malitz gave a PowerPoint presentation to explain the concept to local seniors and officials, which received a largely positive response. District 1 Council Member Margaret Chin, who was in attendance, weighed in after Malitz’s presentation with a reminder that L.M.S. should focus on filling in the gaps of programs that already exist Downtown. “I think it’s a really interesting concept,” said Chin. “I’d like to see if what you’re proposing can be coordinated with current senior resources at places like Southbridge Towers and I.P.N. [Independence Plaza North].” Also at the July meeting was Paul Goldstein, the director of NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s Manhattan district office. As C.B. 1’s district manager from 1983 to 2006, Goldstein played a vital role in overseeing the formation of Manhattan Youth. To the delight of the Housing Committee, he gave the Lower Manhattan Seniors plan a ringing endorsement. “[Silver’s office] will look forward to working with you on this as the project advances, because seniors are by far the biggest group calling our office for help these days,” said Goldstein, after hearing Malitz’s proposal. “Back when we started Manhattan Youth, the timing was right. The timing is definitely right for this plan now.”

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

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Margaret Chin and N.Y.U. 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 N.Y.U., 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, N.Y.U. 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 the growth of the school’s student body and its shifting role from a commuter school to a world-class university. Growing on its own footprint is an improvement to the university’s former approach of haphazardly finding new 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 N.Y.U. 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 Uniform Land Use and Review Procedure (ULURP) application — to secure compromises from N.Y.U. And the concessions by the university are binding, agreed to in writing by N.Y.U. 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 — thereby taking up less space within Washington Square Village and 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. Its mass was shifted toward Houston Street in order to minimize the impact on residents living near the building’s northern end. Also important, N.Y.U. 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 until now, the university has done an atro-

cious job in this regard — allowing a playground on Mercer Street, for example, to become a condemned sinkhole, unusable by the public. This agreement will rectify that long-festering problem. In another major concession, N.Y.U. has agreed that - if the School Construction Authority doesn’t build a public school at the current Morton Williams supermarket site - then 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 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 N.Y.U. powers almost alone. The councilmember pushed N.Y.U. 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.

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Letters to the Editor TO THE EDITOR: Re “C.B. 1 plan seeks to keep seniors happy in their homes” (web article, July 18): At age 64, having lived more than half my life in IPN, I applaud this. My part of town has been decreasingly friendly to people of my age since right around 9/11. One horn of what is a multi-pronged dilemma is an influx of mommies-of-bothsexes with nannies and trophy-children, with attendant stresses on systems and services. Downtown Express’s regular comments on schoolseat problems is partly illustrative of this. A community geared for 25,000 or 30,000 people now has to support 60-plus thousand. Another horn, perhaps the nastiest: for people on fixed incomes — old folks, and even people just getting there, but past the point where the income curve flattens, even declines — is housing and food costs. The former is perhaps scariest, and building the combination of elected officials (old folks turn out for elections), city and state agencies and senior activists to nudge them will be an important determinant of the success of any such organization.

I am intrigued that his is being rolled out at The Hallmark. One might suggest that Community Board 1 should also present to seniors in other venues, such as Independence Plaza North and Southbridge Towers.

TO THE EDITOR: Re. “B.M.C.C. gears up for new Fiterman Hall grand opening” (news article, July 11): The new Fiterman Hall is splendid, and a whole lot of people have made it that way. What is equally important: The college has apparently begun to think through the renovation of main building — designed for 8,000 students and severely overused for well over a decade. Several teams have played roles in all this: Scott Anderson does a first-class job bringing together the people who make the place run; his departments keep the place clean and working and secure, and do it with such grace that it almost escapes attention. Then there are the academic-support teams: My favorite is the group that manages the instructional technology setup, and who can respond

to a help-me-now! call in minutes, often not even disturbing the flow of the class. Over half my 35-year teaching career has included teaching classes at B.M.C.C.; I have watched the present organization building and refining itself and the college as a whole; I am also in a position to compare B.M.C.C.’s development with such places as NYU as well as other City University of New York (CUNY) colleges. None of the colleges and universities in which I have worked does the job better; most do not do as well. Donald Jenner

TO THE EDITOR: Re Water main project to span four years, spurting tension (web article, July 18): This is frankly unbelievable. After September 11th, which I can easily say without hyperbole was the worst experience I ever went through, as it probably was for everyone who was down here that day, a strange thing happened. People would ask me if I felt the attacks were personal. Personal? I won-

dered. I would have to be pretty delusional and selfcentered to think that. How could anyone think they were personal? I chalked it up to the many ways we all react to tragedy. But this — this feels personal. After all the truly insane degree of infra-structuring we have endured down here since September 11th, all of it engineered by people who claim to have the best interests of the area at heart, this feels like the last straw. Just as the most onerous and troublesome project of all, right in the heart of the neighborhood comes to a close — the grandiose, $10 billion subway entrance that MTA officials have misspent more than a decade completing at the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway — the idea that the same stretch of Broadway is going to be ripped up to replace water mains is just infuriating. Do the people making these incredibly stupid decisions ever come to the area? Spend the night? Take a good hard look at the kind of destruction their construction has wrought? Do they have any idea the kind of atmosphere they have created down here? It is a war zone,

pure and simple. What is saddest of all is that the gallery of criminal nitwits is so broad — greedy, thoughtless developers; inept, unprofessional, thoughtless Con Edison officials; grandiose, corrupt, thoughtless MTA officials; bumbling, thoughtless city planners. There’s a heaping helping of idiot pie for everyone, and I for one am really, really tired of watching them all gobble it down like there’s no tomorrow. Finally, some accuracy and truth. After 9/11, people were encouraged to move here. The residential population tripled to about 28,000 people. Instead of serving them, they destroy their lives with all the construction, no schools for their kids and they make noises like it’s actually “good” for them. Pipes are 100 years old or 50 years old or they don’t know how old, maybe their even new. Certainly, they don’t give a damn about the people living here. Give us a break and do this in 5 years. If the water mains are 50 years old, they can be 55 years old. There is no thought for residents. There is no thought, period. David Colman

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Talking Point

Time to return ‘The Sphere’ BY M I CHA E L B U R K E

AT THE PORT AUTHORITY of New York

and New Jersey’s monthly board meeting in June, Patrick Foye, the agency’s executive director, expressed his support for restoring the Fritz Koenig Sphere to the World Trade Center site and including it in the National Sept. 11 Memorial. “This is an artifact that survived and was affected by the horrors of 9/11, and placing it on the Memorial Plaza, we think, is entirely appropriate,” Foye said at the meeting. Community Board 1 chairperson Catherine McVay Hughes has also called for the return of the sphere, saying, “The sphere is the only public work of art to survive the Trade Center attacks, making it a unique symbol of continuity and the endurance of the creative spirit. Finding the right permanent home for the sphere at the World Trade Center site is one of the unfinished tasks of rebuilding.” More than 7,000 people have signed my online petition, “Save the sphere,” including scores of 9/11 family members, survivors and Ground Zero workers. Hundreds of Downtown residents have signed another petition calling for its return to the W.T.C., including politicians of the likes of NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “This is the first thing I saw after walking down 99 floors in Tower 2,” one person wrote. “Please preserve this memory.”

“I helped salvage the sphere from Ground Zero and would very much like to see it returned,” wrote another commenter. “The sphere is a symbol of strength!” wrote yet another petitioner, who referred to herself simply as Mother of Matthew, 23, W.T.C. Tower One, 105th floor. “How can we not return it to its place of glory for all to see our resilience and determination? Those lost on 9/11 walked past it every day — give the rest of the world the opportunity to do so as well.” Many people called for the return of the sphere all the way back in 2003, when the final eight design choices for the 9/11 Memorial were up for debate. “It’s just sitting down at Battery Park, when it belongs here,” they complained. Their words, however, seemed to be flat-out ignored by all Ground Zero officials, including the jury that selected the memorial’s final design. In taking note of its neat, crisp lines, some visitors have complained that the plaza is “antiseptic.” This was not 9/11, they’ve asserted. The memorial, in order to be genuine and lasting, needs to do more than express our grief and offer healing. It needs to speak directly to our memories of the Sept. 11 attacks and teach and convey to future generations what happened here. Yet, Joe Daniels, president of the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, has declared that returning the sphere cannot be incorporated into the design. This makes no sense.

There is no precedent for banning from a historical site authentic artifacts that speak directly to that history. Imagine if the keepers of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial had banished the U.S.S. Arizona? Or if they did away with the dome remnants from Hiroshima? What if they disposed of the death camp remnants at Auschwitz-Birkenau, or all the battle artifacts at Gettysburg or Normandy? Or, what if we disposed of the hallow remnants at the African Burial Ground National Monument, just a few blocks north? These gestures would have denied each of those histories, and if anyone should so much as suggest them, the outrage would be immediate, deafening and just. This logic does not evaporate at Ground Zero. The Port Authority’s plan for the sphere was to place the artifact in the future Liberty Park, just outside the rebuilt St. Nicholas Church and the Liberty Street Pedestrian bridge — where it never stood. Placing it there would convey a lie. It would reduce the sphere from its status as a hallow artifact to another pedestrian obstruction — exactly what Downtown does not need. The sphere could very easily (and perhaps most economically) be restored just outside the museum’s glass pavilion. There, it would not only be steps away from where it stood for 30 years, but it would act as a welcoming icon for the memorial.

Move it back to the site now, and its rededication — with the relighting of the eternal flame of peace before it — could be the centerpiece of this year’s 9/11 anniversary commemoration. It would provide a profound moment of rebirth and triumph and a great moment of national healing. It would also, not incidentally, present a significant fundraising opportunity to the cash-strapped Foundation. It is inarguable that the sphere’s return to the W.T.C. could only serve to enhance a visitor’s understanding and appreciation of 9/11. Must everything at Ground Zero be a battle? What’s to come next? ‘Occupy the sphere?’ Shall people who escaped the burning towers, lost their children and witnessed their friends’ deaths chain themselves to the hallow artifact in order to be heard? Democracy was attacked on 9/11; and now at Ground Zero, will people’s repeated, expressed wishes be ignored? The 9/11 Memorial Foundation’s refusal to incorporate the sphere onto the plaza amounts to little but stonewalling. Let’s do the right thing by returning the sphere to where it belongs. Michael Burke is the brother of Captain William F. Burke, Jr., a firefighter with Engine Company 21 who was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

TRANSIT SAM THE ANSWER MAN

Alternate side parking rules are suspended Wed., Aug. 15 for ‘Feast of the Assumption,’ and Sun., Mon., Tues., Aug. 19, 20, 21 for the end of Ramadan. HEADS UP, DOWNTOWNERS! Street construction is rampant this month, and West Street (Route 9A) is getting a heavy dose of it. The following sections are closed for these durations: • Between West Thames and Vesey Streets: One northbound lane is closed daily 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. (from Fri., July 20) until Fri., July 27, 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Sat., July 28, and 12:01 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun., July 29. • Between West Thames and Vesey Streets: Two northbound lanes are closed overnight 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. (from Fri., July 20) until Fri., July 27, 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sat., July 28, and 12:01 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun., July 29. • Between West Thames and Vesey Streets: One southbound lane is closed daily 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Mon., July 23 through Fri., July 27, 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Sat., July 28 and 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun., July 29. • Between West Thames and Vesey Streets: Two southbound lanes are closed overnight 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Mon.,

July 23 to Fri., July 27, 1 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sat., July 28 and 12:01 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sun., July 29. • Between Vesey and Chambers Streets.: One northbound lane is closed daily 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mon., July 23 to Fri., July 27, 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sat., July 28 and 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun., July 29. • Between Vesey and Chambers Streets: Two northbound lanes are closed 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mon., July 23 to Fri., July 27, 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. and 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sat., July 28 and 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun., July 29. • Between Vesey and Chambers Streets: Two southbound lanes are closed daily 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mon., July 23 to Fri., July 27, 12:01 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sat., July 28 and 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Sun. July 29. FDR DRIVE HAS STREET CLOSURES AS WELL: One northbound lane is closed between Battery Place and Morris Street daily 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (starting Thurs., July 19) until Mon., July 30. On the Battery Park Underpass, one lane is closed in each direction between the F.D.R. Drive and West Street 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon., July 23 through Fri., July 27.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU LOCALS WHO WILL BE IN BROOKLYN, watch out for Bay Ridge on Fri., July 27, when the city Transportation Department Weekend Walk will close 3rd Avenue between 78th and 89th Streets, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. FROM THE MAILBAG: Dear Transit Sam, What is the regulation with regards to parking in front of a school anywhere in NYC during the summer? Most schools prohibit parking between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Does this restriction apply to July and August when students are on vacation? Michael, East Village Dear Michael, You may park in front of a school during summer months if there are no classes going on inside the school, like summer school or any other type of school program, and if there are no students around. Check the city Department of Education’s website, http://schools.nyc.gov to see what schools are open for summer school. Transit Sam

ART MUSIC&

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

TARTING TARTING 3EPTEMBER G 3EPTEMBER P

Programs for students 16 months to adult ■

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The party gods smiled on long-time Water Street resident Harold Reed once again. On Wed., June 13, he held his festive gathering to celebrate the prelude to summer. The rain had stopped, and the guests were able to enjoy his lushly landscaped terrace with a splendid view of the Brooklyn Bridge. This year’s midsummer is one of the steamiest we’ve seen in a while. Plus, with the construction on Peck and Water Streets, Fulton Street and beyond, it’s enough to send some Seaporters running to the Hamptons!

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Instead, head to the Porterhouse Bar at Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl Street, for their Sunshine Beer Fest all summer long. Daily features include Founders Cerise, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Saranac Blueberry Blonde. Join their Tastings Tuesday, 6 to 8 p.m., and sip samples from boutique breweries. On Aug. 14, Blue Point Brewery, Long Island’s only microbrewery, is featured. Founded in 1998 by two friends, Blue Point, which brews as many as 21 flavors, always keeps six in stock, including Toasted Lager, Hoptical Illusion and Summer Ale. The brewskis are all natural, poured without preservatives and unpasteurized. Even if you aren’t a beer drinker, you have to love what one of our founding fathers, Ben Franklin (who probably drank at Fraunces Tavern) had to say: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Plus, you might want to head over to their web site, www.francestavern.com, and make some suggestions for their huge 250th anniversary celebration in September. They’re open to ideas.

SEE CITY AT SEA LEVEL… Up for a swim?

How about an Aquathlon? Qualified swimmers can sign up to breaststroke or backstroke their way around New York Harbor in the second annual Governors Island Swim on Sat., July 28. Apply at www. nycswim.org. Water temps average 72-77degrees, and wetsuits are welcomed. Water hazards include substantial water chop and random bits of flotsam and jetsam. But if you’re more of a landlubber, join the fun from the shore with a picnic and cheers. Picnics and cheers are welcomed. The swim starts at 11:35 a.m. at Governors Island Pier 101, Castle Williams and ends at the pier by the Brooklyn

Birthday invitees posed for a photo at Kathleen Joyce’s birthday party at Meade’s at the South Street Seaport.

Battery Tunnel air vent. The awards ceremony starts 20 minutes, after the last swimmer comes ashore.

SMOKE IN…

Didn’t get your ash on last time? Well, the second Longest Ash contest takes place at Cigar Landing, 150 Beekman St., on Thurs., Aug. 2, at 6 pm. The $20 entry fee gets you a cigar and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate or $100 toward membership.

JUST WONDERING…

Will Water Street between Beekman and Dover Streets ever return to its peaceful, cobbled two blocks? Seems peculiar that when a fire breaks out under the pier, its owners want to tear down during the height of summer.

B I R T H D AY B E A U T I E S B L AS T …

Neighbors might have wondered what the ruckus was or hopped down to join in the fun at Meade’s, at Peck Slip and Water Street, on Fri., July 13. It was the annual birthday bash for the best bartender. Kathleen Joyce celebrated hers that night, along with her bestie Amber McMillan. Theme was “F--- it, make it big,” which Katie says is their motto “to live happy, adventurous, thrilling lives.” You go, girls! Tons of out-of-town guests joined Meade’s customer, childhood and city friends to celebrate the ladies. Katie’s mom came in from New Jersey, her sister and brother-in-law drove in from Pennsylvania and her aunt came up from Atlanta. Katie’s friends, Tim and Dawn, arrived from Florida and Canada, respectively. The joint was packed and spilled onto Peck Slip. Staff bartenders Chano and Izzy rocked behind the bar, “Making it big,” says Katie, with gigantic margaritas. “Amazing to turn 34 – when did that happen? – surrounded by so many of my awesome friends and family,” the birthday girl told the Seaport Report. All guests left with a special pint glass to commemorate the occasion, but we can’t print the slogan in a family newspaper!

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

New York gleams on City of Water Day B Y T E RE SE L O E B K R E U Z E R flight over New York City shows its numerous islands set like gemstones and surrounded by gleaming bands of water. Rivers, estuaries, bays, wetlands and the Atlantic Ocean comprise 520 miles of the city’s shoreline, binding New York and New Jersey into one complicated ecosystem. But, said Roland Lewis, president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (M.W.A.), many New Yorkers just think of their home as the five boroughs. They don’t realize that there is a “sixth borough” — the water — and that they live in an archipelago. The M.W.A.’s fifth annual City of Water Day, which took place this year on Sat., July 14, tried to drive this point home by offering scores of opportunities to get on the water and learn more about it. Lewis estimated that more than 25,000 people showed up for this year’s City of Water Day, centered as usual on Governors Island and in Jersey City’s Liberty State Park. In addition, 15 local waterfront-related organizations staged neighborhood events. Most people arrived on Governors Island via ferry. Some attendees kayaked from as far away as Yonkers in Westchester County. Many of New York Harbor’s commercial boats offered free narrated tours that pointed out key landmarks and spoke to the ways in which the harbor affects the economy, the climate and the life of the metropolitan region. About 6,000 people took a spin around the harbor, many of whom were on the water for the first time, according to Lewis. The exposure, he hopes, will help to address waterfront issues and spark a continued interest in using the water for recreation. New York Harbor receives more commercial traffic than any other harbor on the East Coast. It is ranked as the third largest in the country, after Long Beach and Los Angeles, supporting 275,000 jobs. But in order to retain that preeminence, the harbor has required dredging to a depth of 50 feet, and even that may not be deep enough to accommodate the super-sized vessels that will be carrying cargo once the newly widened Panama Canal opens in 2014. Initial dredging operations in the harbor should also be finished by that year. “The challenge going forward will be maintenance,” Lewis said. “Mostly clean dredge material is now coming out of the harbor. Maintenance dredging will be dirtier. It will be sediment that washes down with the contaminants from upstream, so it’s more expensive to remove.” Getting the funding to maintain these channels, he added, is a great challenge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The hope is that the federal government will provide the necessary money, but whether it will or not is uncertain. This is only one of many pressing issues confronting the businesses that depend on the harbor and the organizations committed to its

Your doctor retired to where?

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

restoration for commercial, recreational and educational use. “The East River ferry service celebrated its millionth passenger today,” Lewis said, “but the relatively nominal funding that makes that service possible is only in place for three years.” Ridership on the East River Ferry has been twice as large as projected, indicating that the waterborne service is crucial. There are currently 19 private ferry routes in the New York area that collectively carry around 10 million people a year, but Lewis said the services make up only a fraction of what is needed. He would like to see regular ferry service linking the five boroughs as well as other parts of the region. On City of Water Day, Statue Cruises provided ferry service every half hour between Governors Island and Liberty State Park. “This connection doesn’t normally exist,” Lewis said, “but why shouldn’t it normally exist? It would be a great way of getting back and forth between two great parks in our harbor.” However, the event was not all serious talk and boat rides. Nolan Park on Governors Island was packed with picnickers. Vendors sold eclectic foods such as dosas, jerk chicken and homemade sorrel drinks. Kids played on a large foam map of the harbor stretched out on the grass. They tried their hand at tossing a tethered ball into a kayak placed 20 feet away as members of the U.S. Coast Guard have to do when they toss a line into a foundering boat. Some people took lessons in outrigger canoe paddling. There was also a dose of history. Among the tables that ringed Nolan Park with information about waterfront organizations, one honored the 150th anniversary of the launch of the U.S.S. Monitor, the first ironclad warship. It was built in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and entered service in 1862, during the Civil War. Those who wanted a more direct experience of maritime history could board the tugboat Urger, docked at Governors Island for the day. The 111-year-old wooden tugboat, vividly painted in blue-violet with orange trim, is the oldest working tugboat in New York State. It educates visitors about the state’s canals and the boats that plied them. New York City would not exist were it not for its harbor. City of Water Day brings that home and conveys the message that taking care of this resource and using it well should be priorities.

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

Honoring Bastille Day with all things French People celebrated Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Independence Day in front of the French Cercle Rouge restaurant, on West Broadway in Tribeca, with ample music, food, booze, table football and the classic PĂŠtanque Tournament of boules, a French ball game.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

BY T E RE SE LO E B K R E U Z E R

DEAL-DINING IN B.P.C.: Three Battery Park City restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week, offering discounted meals through Fri., Aug. 10. Three-course lunches cost $24.07, and three-course dinners are $35. Tax, tip and beverages aren’t included in the deal. 2 WEST, in the Ritz-Carlton hotel (2 West St.), a member of this year’s restaurant week, is offering discounted lunches and dinners. The Atrio Bar & Restaurant in the Conrad New York hotel (102 North End Ave.), is offering lunch, dinner and Sunday dinner. Danny Meyer’s North End Grill (104 North End Ave.) is also serving lunch as part of Restaurant Week. At North End Grill, à la carte lunch entrées regularly cost $18 to $33. The three-course Restaurant Week menu is a delicious bargain. A chilled cucumber soup served with hearts of palm and cherry tomatoes is infused with subtle Indian spices. For a second course, the spiciness of chili-rubbed rock cod is set off by a sweet mélange of roasted corn and onions. Pistachio cheesecake with plums makes a creamy and satisfying finish. North End Grill’s ambiance is pleasant and low key, with tables set far enough apart for conversations to remain private. The service is distinguished. For more information about Restaurant Week and to make reservations, visit www. nycgo.com/restaurantweek/. SOUTH COVE SINKS: For reasons yet to be determined, a sinkhole — a sizeable crater in the ground — has developed in South Cove, on the south side of the wooden pier that juts out into the river. The Battery Park City Authority has hired the SDL

Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

The Restaurant Week menu at Danny Meyer’s North End Grill includes chilled cucumber soup with hearts of palm and cherry tomatoes. A three-course lunch there during Restaurant Week costs $24.07.

Group, a Queens-based contractor, to trace the cause of the problem. The cost of the repairs will be determined after the initial excavation and assessment, which are due to begin on July 23. While this work is in progress, part of South Cove’s lower level will be closed off. People with mobility issues should use the upper level. In early July, the B.P.C.A. put up safety barriers and reflective cones in order to keep people away from the sinkhole. Recently, a sinkhole in the nearby Wagner Park was repaired. Matthew Monahan, a spokesperson for the B.P.C.A., said the two sinkholes are completely unrelated. “At Wagner, it was caused by a cracked underground drainage pipe,” he said. “No pipe is near the South Cove location.”

M.T.A. TO RESTORE B.P.C. BUS SERVICE: The M9 bus, which disappeared from Battery Park City in 2010 during the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s draconian service cuts, will be back next January. B.P.C. will be one end of a route that will connect Chinatown and City Hall with the East Village and the Lower East Side, much as the service did prior to the cuts. In addition, the M9 will now continue north to Bellevue Hospital and the N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center at 34th Street. The restoration of the M9 is one of several transportation service improvements in the offing. Five new bus lines have been proposed, including one that would run along the far west side of Manhattan, connecting the West Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and Clinton. That route is supposed to open in September 2013. The service additions will cost the M.T.A. $29 million a year, which it expects to recoup with increased ridership. Pending a public hearing, the city also hopes to increase fares starting in March 2013.

TAP CITY: On July 13, as part of the River

On Fri., July 13, 150 dancers performed on the World Financial Center plaza as part of the River to River Festival.

to River Festival, 150 tap dancers showcased their moves in three free performances on the World Financial Center’s outdoor plaza. Many of the dancers, who ranged in age from 7 to 75, are students at a tap dancing school run by the American Tap Dance Foundation at 154 Christopher St. Others were professional dancers. The performance, called “Tap City,” was put on by the American Tap Dance Foundation’s founder, Tony Waag, who conducted. It was the tap ensemble’s first appearance at the River to River Festival. Most of the dances were performed without musical accompaniment. In one number, a saxophonist led the dancers onto the stage, like the Pied Piper, and then accompanied their rata-tats resounding off the metal plates that had been strewn across the plaza steps. Another number, which sounded like a jazz gig, featured a drummer who “tagged” one dancer

after another with her drumming, causing the selected ones to tap out a short solo. Tap dancing seems to have grown out of an amalgamation of African drumming and Irish step dancing. Interestingly, some of tap dancing’s antecedents were in Lower Manhattan. In the mid-19th century, the infamous Five Points slum near what is now Columbus Park was home to both Irish-Americans and African-Americans. They engaged in dance contests and incorporated each other’s steps into their own dancing. An African-American dancer, William Henry Lane, who called himself Master Juba, astonished everyone who saw him with his tap dancing. In 1841, Charles Dickens was among those who saw him dance, calling him “the greatest dancer known.” Juba died in 1852 at the age of 27, but some of his dance routines are still performed.

BATTERY PARK CITY IN BLOOM: If the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), resembles an artichoke, that’s because it’s a close relative. Its striking purple flowers can now be seen on the southern flank of Wagner Park. Cardoon, domesticated for more than 2,000 years, was used as food by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians. From Europe, cardoon (also called “artichoke thistle”) made its way into colonial American vegetable gardens. Stems were braised and leaf stalks — steamed or braised —were said to taste like artichokes. Cardoon enzymes can be used for cheese production. Oil extracted from cardoon seeds resembles safflower and sunflower oil. How long will B.P.C.’s cardoon continue to bloom? “That depends on the weather,” according to Eileen Calvanese, B.P.C. Parks Conservancy’s head horticulturist. The cardoon flourishes in dry climates. It is native to the western and central Mediterranean. To comment on Battery Park City Beat or to suggest article ideas, e-mail Terese Loeb Kreuzer at TereseLoeb10@gmail.com.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Pier 17 catches ﬁre Continued from page 1

unaware of the blaze until the game ended — said afterward, “He screamed at everybody to get the hell off. He literally pushed people onto the boat.” In order for Clipper City to depart with its 34 passengers aboard, someone had to stay onshore to cast off the lines. First mate Tim Miller, 29, volunteered. “Someone had to do it,” he said the next day. “I did it without even thinking about it, though I thought afterward, ‘Was I brave or foolish?’” As soon as Miller had let Clipper City’s lines slip into the water, thick, choking smoke enveloped him. The boat was only eight feet away but he couldn’t see it, nor could anyone on the boat see him. He said he was terrified and thought that he would have to jump into the East River to escape. Then he heard van Nes calling to him that he was coming back to get him. Through a slight break in the smoke, Miller leapt into the boat and was caught by two other crew members. Clipper City sped away from the pier to the Atlantic Basin, a man-made cove on the East River opposite Governors Island, where the passengers disem-

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

The day after the Pier 17 fire, diners ate at Sequoia, on the second tier of the pier’s mall, above large holes the Fire Department made in the deck in order to extinguish the fire. The smell of smoke and soot still lingered in the air.

barked. The 158-foot-long boat spent the night there with most of the crew on board.

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Fireboats from three different marine companies responded to the three-alarm blaze. Around 140 fire fighters were on the scene. About 500 people were evacuated from the pier, but there were no injuries. By 5:20 p.m., the fire, which spread more than 100 square feet, was declared under control. That evening, Berton had heard from senior officials of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, which owns the pier, that Clipper City would be able to return the next day and that the vessel could dock again on Pier 17, just north of its previous berth where the fire occurred. Berton was grateful. “The Fire Department and the fire boats responded so fast that it was amazing,” he said. “They had to cut large holes in the pier in order to extinguish the fire.” “It was lucky for the pier and the people on the pier that the wind was blowing from the west,” Berton observed. “It blew the smoke away from the pier toward the water, straight toward Clipper City.” The fire put the boat at great risk, according to van Nes. “We made the right decisions and we worked hard and quickly, but we were also lucky,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got away that I thought, ‘I’m glad that went O.K.’ It would have been terrible if it hadn’t gone all right. The only thing I was scared of was that the smoke was so saturated, it looked like it could burst into flame. “I wanted to get out of there before that happened.” Berton, owner of Manhattan By Sail, whose boats take tourists around New York Harbor, said he was “really proud” of the Clipper City crew.

The cause of the fire was determined to be faulty electrical wiring under the pier. Department officials said they checked to make sure that it hadn’t been structurally compromised. Two days later, spokespersons for the Howard Hughes Corporation, which has a long-term lease on the pier, stated that the pier’s underlying structure was sound. Merchandise in L’Express, a women’s clothing store closest to where the blaze occurred, was damaged by the smoke, but the other businesses along the pier weren’t affected, according to reports. By Saturday evening, the pier had reopened to the public. However, a small portion of the pier remained cordoned off and still smelled of smoke. “We washed Clipper City down all night and all day,” said Berton the day after the fire, noting that he also had people scrubbing the pier. Appearing before Community Board 1 the week after the fire, Piazzola said that the Howard Hughes security staff had alerted storeowners to the blaze, but the Pier 17 building lacks a public announcement system to tell employees and customers to evacuate. Fire safety laws mandating such a system were enacted long after Pier 17 was built (The pier was grandfathered in as not having to meet the new requirements). Piazzola said that, in light of future incidents, Howard Hughes is considering installing a public address system, but he was noncommittal as to whether it would actually happen. As for the wedding couple, Thomas Butler and Liana Tsenoba, they said they had a great time at their wedding and would have some memorable pictures to show to family and friends when they got back from their honeymoon.

PIER 17 BLAZE, ROUND TWO? For the second time in less than a week, the F.D.N.Y. had to be summoned to Pier 17. On Wed., July 18, a security guard noticed smoke on the far south face. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Fire Department was called,” said Michael Piazzola, senior general manager at the Howard Hughes Corporation. “The plug has been deenergized and will be replaced by a licensed electrician.” A Fire Department spokesperson said that the call came in at 11:13 a.m. Engine 4, Ladder 15; Engine 10, Ladder 10; and Battalion 2 responded with around 40 firefighters. Less than a half hour later, the fire was declared under control. Piazzola declined to characterize what happened, saying only that it was “a smoke situation.” He said that Howard Hughes intended to inspect the entire electrical system under the pier.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Continued from page 3

A.A.F.E’s director of housing and community services. In addition to asking residents and organizations to sign a petition urging Su to compensate the displaced tenants, A.A.F.E. is now calling for a boycott of the Wyndham, which will open later this year. “When Wyndham and William Su have the ceremony to open up this hotel, respect the tenants of 128 Hester Street,” said Gee. “Do not go to the ceremony. Do not use the Chinatown Wyndham Hotel. Do not support William Su. He has screwed over the tenants, and we are here today to tell him that we demand justice.” Su’s lawyer, Stuart Klein, fired back in an interview several days after the press conference, telling the Downtown Express that he believes the boycott is “completely groundless.” “Su spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on repairs to 128 Hester, and also reconfigured the superstructure of the hotel in 2009 to prevent it from impacting 128 Hester,” Klein asserted. “Why would he take the time and money to do that if the intent was to neglect it?”

MENIN MAXES OUT FUNDRAISING FOR BOROUGH PREZ PRIMARY Former Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin is off to a strong start in her campaign to be Manhattan’s next borough president, having already raised all of the funds she can legally spend before the Democratic primary in September 2013. In a six-month fundraising period that ended on July 11, Menin told the Downtown Express she had raised more than $476,000. Along with funds accumulated during the two-month filing period between January and November, Menin has now raised over $950,000 in approximately eight months. With matching funds from the city Campaign Finance Board, that total pushes her to $1.45 million — the limit that can be spent on the upcoming primary — giving her an early edge over her opponents. “That fact that we’ve maxed out in fundraising 14 months ahead of the primary date means that we can already move on to stage two of the campaign,” said Menin. “That will involve continuing to go into every neighborhood in Manhattan, to talk with voters and Continued on page 18

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Continued from page 17

community groups.” She added that her campaign has received over 1,750 individual donations, with the majority of donors contributing $250 or less. Menin served as the chair of C.B. 1 for seven years before stepping down last month. Her three rivals in the Democratic primary — Jessica Lappin, Gale Brewer and Robert Jackson — are all behind her in fundraising, although Lappin is closing the gap, having raised about $740,000 so far, according to the Wall Street Journal.

NEW CENTER WILL BRING WORLD-CLASS MEDICAL RESEARCH TO DOWNTOWN Within a year from now, Downtown will be home to a new, cutting-edge medical research facility. The New York Genome Center (N.Y.G.C.) announced on Tues., July 24 that it had signed a lease on seven floors at 101 Sixth Avenue, where it will establish its first headquarters. Construction on the interior of the building, which

will begin within weeks, should be completed by mid-2013. The deal, which carries a price tag of $47 million, has an initial term of 20 years and will provide the organization with approximately 170,000 square feet of space, according to the N.Y.G.C. The center’s headquarters is expected to become one of the largest human genome research facilities in North America within five years, and will create at least 500 new jobs for scientific, academic and medical professionals in that span of time, said Nancy J. Kelly, N.Y.G.C.’s founding executive director. The facility will also serve to attract new medical technology to New York City, with a primary goal of finding new ways to diagnose, treat or cure genetic diseases such as various forms of cancer, according to the release. N.Y.G.C. was founded in August 2010 as an independent non-profit organization, through partnerships with 11 major institutions that include Columbia University, Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center and the New York University School of Medicine.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

UP TO

50%

ON SELECT

MOVING BOXES All summer long … From now through August 31, 2012

Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony

The stretch of Broadway between Ann and John Streets, which has already been narrowed due to construction of the Fulton Center, will become even more jammed when the city begins to tear it apart next spring.

Lower Broadway to go under the jackhammer Continued from page 1

C.B. 1 committee. Accompanying him was Maria Centeno, the D.D.C.’s executive director of Community Outreach and Notification. While the majority of the work will take place on and underneath the roadway, the project will also include building a new sidewalk extension at the intersection of Ann Street and Broadway. Committee member Joel Kopel couldn’t hold back his frustration while listening to Centeno’s presentation of the plan. “You’re coming to us just as the World Trade Center is almost finished, and you’re telling us we have to go through another four years of this — and four years of our water being turned off?” he exclaimed. Kopel’s fellow committee members prevented him from continuing in order to allow Centeno to finish, but acknowledged they were also displeased. In an interview with the Downtown Express following the meeting, Foley said he didn’t believe the water shutdowns would be extensive or overly disruptive. “It’s not as if the business and residential communities will be without water for four years,” he said. “The impact is basically that there will be two or three days where people are without water from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” Centeno, in turn, stressed that her office would provide an on-site community construction liaison to act as a point of contact between the D.D.C. and the residents. The liaison, along with a D.D.C. staff person, will be charged with giving general project updates and notifications about temporary water shutdowns resulting from the water main replacements, she said. Aside from the utility issues, Financial

District Committee Chair Ro Sheffe voiced concern about vehicular traffic problems that could arise once the D.D.C. project overlaps with construction on the Fulton Center (formerly known as the Fulton Street Transit Center), which will be situated at the intersection of Fulton Street and Broadway. “We all recognize that the work needs to be done, but it’s just incredibly unfortunate timing,” said Sheffe. “I don’t see how this project could possibly begin until the lane of Broadway that’s been closed by the Fulton Center construction is reopened, because it’s going to become too narrow.” Foley stated that the D.D.C. was wellaware of potential traffic flow problems and would attempt to mitigate them by placing more traffic enforcement agents on the street than are generally provided for similar projects. He added that “hundreds of thousands of dollars” would be invested in both vehicular and pedestrian flaggers. The D.D.C.’s project is meant to begin prior to the completion of the Fulton Center so that the agency has the sufficient amount of time to complete the necessary work and subsequently clear out before the Fulton Center opens its doors to the public. “What we didn’t want to happen was to have the M.T.A. doing the station’s ribbon-cutting while we’re simultaneously reconstructing the street right in front of them,” explained Foley. In addition to the Fulton Center, construction on a new Pace University dormitory at Broadway and John Street has placed strain on Financial District residents and roadways over the last several months. The D.D.C. also has ongoing water main replacement projects on Hudson and Chambers Streets.

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Fighting to make Lower Manhattan the greatest place to live, work, and raise a family.

Assemblyman Shelly Silver If you need assistance, please contact my office at (212) 312-1420 or email silver@assembly.state.ny.us.

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

N.Y.U. 2031 wins vote, but not all register approval Continued from page 7

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 N.Y.U. 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.

to the community groups at a rent that “ensures that N.Y.U. would not make a profit,” according to the agreement. Speaking before the Council vote, Alicia Hurley, vice president of N.Y.U.’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 N.Y.U. would put in the floors above this community space, word is it would be something like the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. N.Y.U.’s previous plan for the site included a fresh-

‘These are neighborhoods, these are not university towns. We should send this back to the drawing board.’ — Council Member Charles Barron “This is so-called representative democracy,” he declared. “We’re supposed to be representing the people — not N.Y.U.” While retaining the option for a K-5 public school at the southeast corner of Bleecker Street and LaGuardia Place, Chin got N.Y.U. 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 S.C.A. would then have until mid2018 to begin construction. If the S.C.A. declines to build the school, then N.Y.U. 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, N.Y.U. has committed to building 38,500 square feet of community space. Space would be leased out

man dorm, but community members and C.B. 2 argued it would be inappropriate, in that it would be akin to plopping “Animal House” on top of a public school. N.Y.U. 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 N.Y.U. from taking part of the public strip along Mercer Street in front of Coles. N.Y.U. said it had to do this. Otherwise, it would limit the way the

mechanical systems could be laid out in the building. N.Y.U. has also committed to immediate upgrades to existing open space in the area. Due to the community’s concern about N.Y.U.’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, N.Y.U. is promising to maintain the city-owned public strips at the same standards as N.Y.U.-owned private land. N.Y.U. 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, N.Y.U. 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 N.Y.U.’s Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (FASP) — a faculty group named after N.Y.U. 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 noclasses-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 N.Y.U. 2031. “This was public land given to N.Y.U. 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.

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July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM Kids will learn about fire prevention and safety through group tours led by former NYC firefighters. The program â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which lasts approximately 75 minutes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; includes classroom training and a simulated event in a mock apartment, where a firefighter shows how fires can start in different rooms in the home. Finally, students are guided on a tour of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first floor. Tours (for groups o f 2 0 o r m o r e ) a r e o f f e r e d Tu e s . - F r i . a t 1 0 : 3 0 a m , 11:30am & 12:30pm. Tickets are $3 for children and $5 for adults â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but for every 10 kids, admission is free for one adult. The museum offers a $700 Junior Firefighter Birthday Party package for children 3-6 years old. The birthday child and 15 guests will be treated to story time, show and tell, a coloring activity, a scavenger hunt and the opportunity to speak to a real firefighter (the museum provides a firethemed birthday cake, juice boxes and other favors and decorations). The NYC Fire Museum is located at 278 Spring St. (btw. Varick and Hudson). For info, call 212-691-1303 or visit nycfiremuseum.org. CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided art projects at this museum dedicated to inspiring the artist within. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon, giving children the opportunity t o e x p e r i m e n t w i t h m a t e r i a l s s u c h a s p a i n t , c l a y, fabric, paper and found objects. CMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new exhibit,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art Forms: 75 Years of Arts Education,â&#x20AC;? displays childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artwork from the collections of celebrated arts educators Leon Bibel, Henry Schaefer-Simmern and Sona Kludjian. The works, dating from the 1930s and 1960s, are juxtaposed with contemporary creations by NYC public school students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art Formsâ&#x20AC;? runs through Sept. 30. Throughout the summer, Governors Island joins CMA to present the Free Art Island Outpost â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where kids ages 1-12 can participate in a variety of activities (everything from craft stations to sound design). Every Sat. & Sun., through Sept. 16, from 11am-3pm (at buildings 11 & 14 in Nolan Park, on Governors Island). CMA is located at 103 Charlton St., (btw. Hudson & Greenwich Sts.). Museum hours are Mon. & Wed., 12-5pm; Thurs.-Fri., 12-6pm; Sat.Sun., 10am-6pm. Admission: $10; free for seniors and infants (up to 12 months). Pay as you wish on Thurs., 4-6pm. For group tours, call 212-274-0986, ext. 31. Call 212-274-0986 or visit cmany.org for more info. THE SKYSCRAPER MUSEUM The Skyscraper Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saturday Family Programâ&#x20AC;? series features workshops designed to introduce children and their families to the principles of architecture and engineering â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through hands-on activities. On Aug. 11, â&#x20AC;&#x153;So Sew Tall,â&#x20AC;? an event presented in conjunction with the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Urban Fabric,â&#x20AC;? lets children design factories to manufacture their own product. On Aug. 25 enjoy a reading of the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sky Boysâ&#x20AC;?

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In this re-creation of New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Waitomo cave system, visitors look up to see the otherworldly spectacle of sticky â&#x20AC;&#x153;fishing linesâ&#x20AC;? dropped from the ceiling by glowworms to trap prey.

C R E ATUR E S OF LI G H T Descend into the depths of the ocean and explore the caves of New Zealand â&#x20AC;&#x201D; without ever leaving Manhattan. Just visit the American Museum of Natural Historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibit on bioluminescence (organisms that produce light through chemical reactions). Kids will eagerly soak up this interactive twilight world

(about the construction of the Empire State Building). Following that, kids will construct a skyscraper skeleton with toothpicks and gumdrops. On Sept. 8, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Living and Working in the Cityâ&#x20AC;? encourages thought about the many uses of skyscrapers around the world and then asks participants to design their own mixed-use tower. All workshops take place from 10:30-11:45am, at The Skyscraper Museum (39 Battery Place). Registration required. Call 212-945-6324 or email education@skyscraper.org. Admission: $5 per child, free for members. Museum hours: Wed.-Sun., 12-6pm. Museum admission: $5, $2.50 for students/seniors. For info, call 212-945-6324, visit skyscraper.org or email education@skyscraper.org. B O O K S O F W O N D E R N e w Yo r k C i t y â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s o l d e s t a n d largest independent childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bookstore hosts Storytime every Fri. at 4pm and at noon on Sun. in their Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and on Sat., Aug. 4 at 3pm, William Joyce will be reading his new book â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmoreâ&#x20AC;? (which inspired an Academy Award-winning short film). Mr. Morris Lessmore loves books, the stories in them and the words that make them up. But whatever will he do when the stories, including his own, get caught up by a storm? The tale, told through Joyceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabulous writing and extraordinary art, will delight the entire family. Joyce will be available to sign books after the reading. At 18 W. 18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 11am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For more info, call 212-989-3270 or visit booksofwonder.com. P O E T S H O U S E T h e P o e t s H o u s e C h i l d r e n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R o o m gives children and their parents a gateway to enter the world of rhyme â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through readings, group activities and interactive performances. For children ages 1-3, the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room offers â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tiny Poets Timeâ&#x20AC;? readings on Thursdays at 10am; for those ages 4-10, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weekly Poetry Readingsâ&#x20AC;? take place every Sat. at 11am. Filled with poetry books, old-fashioned typewriters and a

where huge models of everything from fireflies to alien-like fish illuminate the dark. Through Jan. 6, 2013 at the American Museum of Natural History (79th St. & Central Park West). Open daily, 10amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;5:45pm. Admission is $25, $14.50 for children, $19 for students/ seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or at amnh.org. For more info, call 212-769-5100.

card catalogue packed with poetic objects to trigger inspiration, the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room is open Thurs.-Sat., 11am-5pm. Free admission. At 10 River Terrace. Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org. THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM During regular Museum hours (Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 12-5pm), visit the Junior Officers Discovery Zone, designed for ages 3-10. It is divided into four areas (Police Academy, Park and Precinct, Emergency Services Unit and a Multi-Purpose Area). Each has interactive play experiences for children to understand the role of police officers in our community. For older children, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a crime scene observation activity, a physical challenge similar to those at the Police Academy and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by the Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip (btw. Front and South Sts.). For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit nycpm.org. Admission: $8 ($5 for students, seniors and children; free for children under two). THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholasticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-store activities are designed to get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. Also, at 11am every Tues., Wed. and Thurs., the Scholastic Storyteller brings tales to life at Daily Storytime. At 557 Broadway (btw. Prince and Spring Sts.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info, call 212-343-6166 or visit scholastic.com/sohostore. Would You Like to See Your Event listed in the Downtown Express? Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Send to s c o t t @ c h e l s e a n o w. c o m o r m a i l t o 5 1 5 C a n a l S t . , Unit 1C, New York City, NY 10013. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the event. For more info, call 646-452-2497.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

Edgy August offerings not just flowing from FringeNYC With 200+ shows at two dozen venues, Fringe still looms large

B Y T R AV S . D . ’ve just started to climb out of my hidey hole to begin seeing shows again following a six month bookwriting 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 pre-

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.).

sentation has been going strong for about 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 - Aug 7, 2012

Summer stars of jazz and indie

Forgo outdoor fests, and beat the heat in air-conditioned splendor

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.

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.

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B Y SAM SPOKONY

ith 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 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. 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 Continued on page 25

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012

The great indoors: Jazz and indie music Continued from page 24

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 Boston-based indie-folk trio, radiates a cosmic wave of jangly guitars and three-part 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 high-tech 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 popfriendly — but Vachal also shines while reinterpreting cheesy old standards like “La Vie En Rose” in understated, self-accompanied 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 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 way-better-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 high-volume distortion — and you take it like a (gender-neutral) man. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $18 on the

Photo by Adam Jason

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

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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July 25 - Aug 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.)

Photo by Armando Salas, artwork by Nate Whitson.

Eliza Coupe and Daniel Henney’s ears perk up, when they hear “Shanghai Calling.” Photo courtesy of the filmmaker

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

For a full schedule (and to purchase tickets), visit asiancinevision.org/aaiff Admission: $13 general, $11 for students, seniors & the disabled 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)

B Y SCO T T S T IFF L E R

ith 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. “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.

July 25 - Aug 7, 2012