Downtown Express

Serving Tribeca, Battery Park City, the Seaport and the Financial District VOLUME 30, NUMBER 20

NOV. 2 – NOV. 15, 2017

Terror strikes Downtown — again

Deadliest attack since 9/11 claims eight Full story — Page 2 Photo by Milo Hess

A suspected “lone wolf” terrorist drove this rental truck down 15 blocks of the West Street bike path on Oct. 31, killing eight people and injuring 12.

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Terrorist strikes Downtown Deadliest attack since 9/11 kills eight in rampage down Hudson River bike-path

BY COLIN MIXSON A suspected terrorist killed eight people and injured 12 others with a pickup truck he allegedly drove onto a bike path bordering West Street in Lower Manhattan Tuesday, in the deadliest act of terror to rock the city since 9/11, according to officials.

“This was … a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives, who had no idea what was about to hit them,” said Mayor de Blasio at a press conference shortly after the mayhem.

Sayfullo Saipov was behind the wheel of the truck he rented from Home Depot when he entered the bike path near Houston Street at 3:05 pm and accelerated to high speeds heading south towards the Battery Tunnel, crushing cyclists and pedestrians along the way, according to Police Commissioner James O’Neill.

A chilling scene of bodies, bikes, and car parts littered the bike path in the suspect’s wake, and good Samaritans

who witnessed the carnage rushed to lend assistance, according to one witness.

“I see a huge pile of completely trashed bicycles covered in what looked like parts of cars,” said Brooklyn resident Greg Ahl. “There was nobody standing up. Nobody was moving.”

His rampage continued more than 15 blocks down to Chambers Street, where Saipov collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children, according to O’Neill.

The man sprang from the truck wielding two pistols, a pellet and paintball gun, and stalked amongst cars on West Street, before sprinting towards a group of nearby children, according to 15-year-old Thibeaud Roy, who ran for cover when he spotted the weapons.

The attack was ended by 28-year-old police officer Ryan Nash, who wounded Saipov with a shot to the abdomen, and the suspected terrorist was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and interrogation, according to police.

Photo by Rebecca White

Police cordoned off the area and scoured the scene late into the night looking for evidence after the terrorist attack on Oct. 31.

Of the 20 victims, six were found dead at the scene by paramedics who rushed 14 others to three area hospitals for treatment, where another two victims perished, according to Fire

Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Three victims have been released from the hospital, and four suffered TERRORIST Continued on page 27

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3

Booze cruise boats blasting music again

BY LEVAR ALONZO An agreement between party-cruise company Hornblower and the local community might have hit rough seas.

After noise complaints last summer, Hornblower promised Community Board 1 that its boats wouldn’t blast music when docked at the Seaport’s Pier 15 — and just last month, as a condition of board approval for a new liquor license, the company agreed to tone down the tunes within 500 feet of the dock.

But at CB1’s most recent meeting shortly thereafter, the board’s vice-chairman said that while relaxing near Pier 15, he still heard a Hornblower boat blasting music at the dock.

“I immediately got upset because no less than a few days after we met with representatives from Hornblower, there is a boat playing music at the docks,” said Paul Hovitz, a Southbridge Towers resident who frequents the Seaport. “They have to understand it’s one of the few remaining spots in our community where can just sit and relax.”

Before last summer’s agreement, Hornblower boats would blare music for up to half an hour while loading and unloading passengers, and within a few minutes of one party boat shoving off, another would come into port blasting music, according to Hovitz.

“Some agreement had to be reached between all parties,” he said.

Hornblower’s response at the Oct. 24 CB1 meeting to the complaints about recent noise was that it has

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

Hornblower Cruises & Events

Last year, after numerous complaints, Hornblower struck a deal with Community Board 1 and the city’s Economic Development Corporation — which holds the lease for Pier 15 where its party boats dock — that it’s booze cruises would stop blasting music while docked at the Seaport. But locals say the company has gotten lax in keeping the noise down.

taken some time for the message to be passed down to new captains, but they promised that they would comply with the agreement.

Some board members wanted the board to reject the new liquor license application as punishment, or write a letter to the State Liquor Authority asking them to revoke all the cruise company’s existing licenses.

An SLA spokesman confirmed that if a community board complains to them about a business and they find the business to be in violation, they can look into

revoking their license.

But in the end, the board narrowly voted to approve a resolution supporting Hornblower’s new liquor license.

“They have been pretty good with keeping the agreement, said Hovitz. “I am satisfied with giving them another chance.”

Hovitz added that he thinks Hornblower understands that it is in their best interest to be in agreement with the community.

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5

Storm clouds loom over Sandy 5th anniversary

BY COLIN MIXSON Five years after Hurricane Sandy inundated Lower Manhattan with intense tidal surges and torrential rain, Downtowners are at as great a risk of flooding as ever, according to one local civic honcho.

“Not one person has confidence that our neighborhood is protected in the event of a Sandy-level storm based on what the city had done,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, a board member with the Battery Park City Authority and former chairwoman of Community Board 1.

In New York City, major floods have become dramatically more common since the Industrial Revolution, and storms that would have occurred once every 500 years will become five-year events within the next three decades, according to a recent study authored by researchers from top schools throughout the country, including Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The study discovered that rising seas coupled with sinking landmasses around the five boroughs have left the city more vulnerable than ever before to relatively weak storms that in ages past would have merited little concern, according to one researcher.

“A storm like Sandy, which 150 years would not have flooded Lower Manhattan, did in fact flood it, and a somewhat weaker storm 100 years from now could easily fl ood the city to the same extent,” said Kerry Emanuel, a professor at MIT. “It’s all

Photos by Tequila Minsky

Hundreds marched over the Brooklyn Bridge into Lower Manhattan on Saturday to mark the fi fth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy with a call for action against climate change, which studies show has made Downtown even more vulnerable to catastrophic storms.

about sea-level rise.”

Emanuel hopes that the study will help the city understand the rising threat, and lead to infrastructure improvements both large and small to help mitigate future flood damage.

“You can do anything from restructuring buildings to make them more waterproof, all the way up to building a storm barrier that could go from Long Island to New Jersey,” he explained.

And the city, along with service and utility providers like the MTA and Con Edison, has made small gains here and there, largely through efforts designed to ensure emergency services and hospitals stay up and running during major

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

floods, and that subway tunnels and energy infrastructure aren’t corrupted by brackish water.

But major resiliency projects designed to prevent the deluge itself from flooding Lower Manhattan remain on the distant horizon, with efforts such as the Big U — a more-than-$1-billion system of levies and park land designed to stretch from E. 23th Street in Midtown all the around the Big Apple’s southern tip and up to Battery Park City — won’t even begin construction for more than a year.

And while workers are scheduled to start shoveling dirt sometime in 2019, they’ll be laboring over a project that isn’t fully funded, and locals can expect delays and even work stoppages if Uncle Sam doesn’t step in to foot the bill, according to the chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Resiliency.

“They say they’ll start construction in 2019, but once the funding runs dry, that’s it,” said Councilman Mark Treyger. “They don’t have all the funding in place.”

Adding insult to injury, officials have split the Big U into two smaller projects — the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project and the Lower Manhattan Resiliency Project — and a lack of funding for both phases of the levee system has led residents of different neighbor-

hoods to compete for their slice of a dwindling pie, sometimes against the needs of their neighbors, according to Hughes.

“The funding and implementation of the Big U is has pitted various vulnerable communities against each other for limited resources,” she said.

Last estimates put the uptownfocused East River Coastal Resiliency Project — which stretches from E. 25th Street to Montgomery Street — over the top with $505 million in funding, but the Downtown resiliency project that covers the remaining two-mile gap still lacks tens of millions of dollars in funding, and the project will come to resemble less a U, and more a J unless the feds fill the gap, Treyger said.

“If you add up all these projects they have funding for it does not equal a Big U, it amounts to a Half J,” said Treyger.

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

7

Tribeca construction riles neighbors

BY LEVAR ALONZO Neighbors are furious with the owners of 53 Beach Street in Tribeca over after-hours construction work and improper crane use, according to a local civic leader who lives nearby.

“I have seen men showing up at 7 am on the weekends and working way ’til after normal working hours,” said Marc Ameruso, a member of Community Board 1. “Are they not concerned about their neighbors?”

The behavior is part of pattern of conduct by the owners that betrays a brazen disregard for the community and the law, according to Ameruso.

For example, the owners came before CB1’s Landmarks Committee last month seeking approval to build a wheelchair lift in the building to make it compliant with the American Disabilities Act — but it turned out that they had already built the lift without notifying CB1 or getting approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which is required before the work could legally begin.

The committee has asked the commission to reject the owners’ retroactive application.

8

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

There have been numerous 311 complaints about construction noise at the site, according to the Department of Buildings, which it has followed up with repeated inspections.

Another big issue raised by neighbors is the use of portable cranes — or boom trucks — transported on the back of a flatbed truck. Ameruso said he has seen portable cranes being used on the eight-story building and said the contractor never got the necessary permits.

The crane violations are particularly galling to residents of Tribeca, where a massive crawler crane toppled along Worth Street in February 2016, killing one man and spurring a raft of new rules to improve crane safety — some of which the contractor appears to be flouting.

The Department of Transportation confirmed it has issued violations to the contractor, Pilku Construction, for crane use at the site, and said the contractor has since been put on a citywide hold for non-compliance.

But Ameruso worries that issuing violations and imposing fi nes may not CRANE Continued on page 27

Photo by Marc Ameruso

Locals are furious at the owners of 53-55 Beach Street in Tribeca for doing construction work at all hours and using mobile cranes without proper permits.

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DowntownExpress.com

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

9

Cataract surgery common and effective

A

s men and women age, their risk for cataracts increases.

Starting at age 50, cataract risk rises, and that risk only grows more significant as people get older.

The National Eye Institute predicts that, by the year 2050, 50.2 million Americans will experience cataracts.

The lens of the eye is normally clear, but as a person ages, the lenses can begin to cloud and lead to impaired vision. Cataracts can cause blurry vision and increase the glare from lights, affecting how a person can manage daily activities. They also may make it more difficult for eye doctors to examine the back of the eye during routine visits to detect conditions such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.

Eye experts routinely recommend surgery when cataracts interfere with daily activities, such as driving,

watching television, or even reading medication bottles. Surgery is a safe and common way to treat cataracts.

The American Optometric Association says cataract surgery involves the removal of the natural lens of the eye, which is replaced with an artificial lens. This clear, plastic intraocular lens requires no special maintenance and is designed to properly focus. In many cases, the eye doctor will make a small incision in the side of the cornea, where he or she inserts a tiny probe. This device will use ultrasound waves to soften and break up the lens into small pieces, which are removed by suction in a process known as phacoemulsification. The cataract lens is removed, but the thin, outer layers of the lens, called the lens capsule, are not touched. Afterward, the plastic lens is placed in the lens capsule.

If the cataracts have advanced and

phacoemulsification is not an option, the eye doctor will have to fi nd another way to remove the lens.

The intraocular lens used may be monofocal, fi xed-focus, accommodating, and multifocal lenses, and which type of lens is best for a patient’s needs will be determined by the eye doctor.

Cataract surgery may only take 15 minutes, though patients will likely spend more time at the surgical facility to allow for prep time and post-operative evaluation. Recovery will involve the use of medicated eye drops several times daily, and a protective eye shield should be used while sleeping.

As the eye recovers, a special pair of post-operative sunglasses are required to protect the eyes from bright light. Eye doctors also advise patients to avoid strenuous activity, including exercise, for at least the fi rst week of recovery. Water splashed in the eyes

Clouding of the lenses of the eyes, called cataracts, may require surgery.

can cause infection, so swimming should be avoided and caution should be taken when bathing or showering.

All About Vision says it can take several weeks for the eye to heal sufficiently. If both eyes require surgery, doctors will often wait one to three weeks before performing surgery on the second eye.

Learn more about cataract surgery by speaking with your eye doctor or visiting www.aoa.org.

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11

CITI-PSYCHE! A swindler tricked a man into handing over his Citibike on Church Street on Oct. 25.

The victim told police that he was heading to a docking station near Barclay Street to drop off the rental bike at 9:02 am, when a man offered to dock it for him and the victim handed it over.

But the crook didn’t live up to his word, and pedaled away. Cops are hunting him and the $1,200 rental, according to police.

Oct. 22, taking nearly $3,000 worth of valuables.

The victim told police he left his ride between Thompson Street and W. Broadway at 1:30 am, and returned a two hours later to find his laptop and Blackberry cellphone stolen.

MAKEUP CASE Police busted a woman who allegedly used a bogus credit card to purchase more than $7,800 worth of makeup from a 225 Liberty Street department store on Oct. 22, cops said.

CAR CLOSET A thief nabbed more than $9,000 worth of watches, clothing, and other valuables from a man’s car parked on Broadway on Oct. 29.

The victim told police he left his car near Liberty Street at 6:30 pm, and returned about an hour later to find the wardrobe he’d left in his vehicle had been poached.

JACKET JACKED Someone snagged a woman’s $5,000 jacket that she left unattended on Broadway on Oct. 15.

The victim told police she was near Fulton Street at 10:30 pm, when she set down her jacket to take some pictures, only to return and discover her lux St. Laurent jacket was stolen.

FREE-FOUR-ALL

SWEATING IT OUT

Four thieves nabbed nearly $3,000 worth of smartphones from a Broadway cellphone shop on Oct. 19.

An employee told police that the crooks entered the store near Vesey Street at 7:25 pm, and worked together to snatch the phones from a display case, before fleeing.

A man and two women were arrested for allegedly stealing a $1,250 sweater from a Vesey Street clothing store on Oct. 19.

An employee told police the suspects waltzed into the fashion boutique near West Street at 3:40 pm, and proceeded to stuff the ritzy sweater in a bag, before fleeing past the register and out of the store.

The suspects were arrested that day and charged with grand larceny, cops said.

ART OF THE STEAL A thief looted a Broome Street gallery on Oct. 25, but passed over the fine art in favor of the pricey electronics.

An employee told police the crook entered the gallery between Wooster and Greene streets at 11:39 am, when he proceeded to swipe a $2,800 laptop, along with some keys for the storefront.

BAD DELIVERY Some crook rode off with a delivery guy’s $1,500 electric bike that he left locked on River Terrace on Oct. 25.

The victim told police he parked his bike between Murray and Warren streets at 7:55 pm, and returned about eight minutes later to find his lock clipped and ride stolen.

RIDE RANSACKED A thief rummaged through a man’s car he had parked on Spring Street on

ROUGH PLAY Three punks robbed two teenagers inside Vesuvio Playground on Oct. 18.

The victims told police that were in the park near Spring Street at 12:30 pm, when the crooks grabbed them and shoved them against the wall of a nearby bathroom.

“This is a stickup,” one of the goons snarled, before reaching into one of the boys’ pockets and yanking out $50.

One of the thieves motioned to something inside his jacket that looked like a gun, and told the victims to wait inside the bathroom for 10 minutes, while they fled.

— Colin Mixson

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

13

Radio play Cell tower over playground worries parents

BY COLIN MIXSON Peck Slip School’s rooftop playground may double as an alfresco microwave, claim worried parents, after discovering the roof of a nearby building is home to several radiation-spewing cellphone antennae.

“You should not put a cellphone tower that irradiates people next to a children’s playground,” said Emily Hellstrom. “This is basic stuff.”

The radio transmitters at 264 Water St. are operated by Verizon Wireless and Metro PCS, and have been rigged to a water tower atop the condominium since 2002, according to a spokesman for Verizon.

The School Construction Authority opened Peck Slip School with its rooftop playground about 60-feet-away from the transmitters in Sept. 2015, but parents only found out about the tower’s existence at a Community Board 1 meeting last week, where condo resident and mom Patrice Farameh expressed her concern that radiation from the device

may be harming kids and called for its removal.

“We could find out all these kids have brain tumors and be sorry later,” said Farameh. “I would rather protect them now.”

Board members shared Farameh’s concern, but ultimately decided to table the discussion on potential actions for an upcoming meeting in November to gather more information, according to the chairwoman of CB1’s Youth and Education Committee.

“We need to do more research based on the initial findings we’ve received thus far,” said Tricia Joyce.

Joyce was nevertheless disturbed to learn the city had sited the relatively new school and its rooftop playground right beside a source of radiation, and hopes the city will exercise better judgement when deciding where to build future schools.

“We’re in an urban environment and there are challenges in terms of space, but radiation is radiation,” Joyce said.

Patrice Farameh

A water tower atop 264 Water St. may be bathing children playing at the nearby Peck Slip School’s rooftop playground in harmful radiation, parents claim.

The local PTA, however, has dedicated itself to removing the transmitters, and is currently compiling petitions and pushing letter-writing campaigns calling for the devices to be moved, Hellstrom said.

But despite the concern, the parents are not aware of any study measuring

the amount radiation kids are being exposed to.

A resident living in the condominium building did bring in an expert in November 2016, who took readings inside homes there and found that radiCELL TOWER Continued on page 27

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ADVERTORIAL

TOP DRIVER DISTRACTIONS Using mobile phones Leading the list of the top distractions behind the wheel are mobile phones.

Phones now do more than just place calls, and drivers often cannot pull away from their phones, even when driving. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, studies have shown that driving performance is lowered and the level of distraction is higher for drivers who are heavily engaged in cell

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phone conversations. The use of a hands-free device does not lower distraction levels. The percentage of vehicle crashes and nearcrashes attributed to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening.

Daydreaming Many people will admit to daydreaming behind the wheel or looking at a person or object outside of the car for too long. Per-

haps they’re checking out a house in a new neighborhood or thought they saw someone they knew on the street corner. It can be easy to veer into the direction your eyes are focused, causing an accident. In addition to trying to stay focused on the road, some drivers prefer the help of lane departure warning systems.

Eating Those who haven’t quite mastered walking and

chewing gum at the same time may want to avoid eating while driving. The majority of foods require a person’s hands to be taken off of the wheel and their eyes to be diverted from the road. Reaching in the back seat to share some French fries with the kids is also distracting.

Try to eat meals before getting in the car. For those who must snack while en route, take a moment to pull over at

a rest area and spend 10 minutes snacking there before resuming the trip.

Reading Glancing at an advertisement, updating a Facebook status or reading a book are all activities that should be avoided when driving. Even pouring over a traffic map or consulting the digital display of a GPS system can be distracting.

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

15

E D ITO R IAL

The ‘You REALLY shouldn’t have!’ gift guide PUBLISHER

Jennifer Goodstein EDITOR

Bill Egbert

BY LENORE SKENAZY November means December is around the corner, and December means it’s time to buy presents. Just not these.

REPORTERS

FOR THE KIDS

Colin Mixon Levar Alonzo

Anxious Barbie: This is a Barbie that prefers to stay in her Dream House.

Really. Go away. Ken has taken to driving his Corvette to the bar, grousing to anyone who will listen, usually Skipper, who could tell you stories about her own disastrous marriage(s). And she will, when you buy her a Mojito and pull her string.

G.I. Tract Joe: The first action figure to come with a retractable intestine.

Hours of fun!

EZ-Break Oven: Minutes of fun!

Cabbage Patch Cabbages: Adorable heads of real cabbage with tiny arms and legs. Store in a cool, dark place and they’ll last long enough to you to start wondering what that weird smell is.

And then when you reach in – aggghhhh! It’s a cabbage with limbs!

ARTS EDITOR

Scott Stiffler EXECUTIVE VP OF ADVERTISING

Amanda Tarley (P) 718 260 8340 (E) atarley@cnglocal.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Jim Steele Julio Tumbaco ART DIRECTOR

Marcos Ramos PHOTOGRAPHERS

Milo Hess Tequila Minsky

FOR HIM PUBLISHER EMERITUS

John W. Sutter

PUBLISHED BY

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

Eau de Regret: Cologne with the scent of potato pancakes, which whisks you right back to your mother-in-law’s kitchen when you were first married and she told you to buy your apartment — a “crazy” idea because it was $42,000 for the three-bedroom on West 87th.

Eau de Further Regret: This cologne, with top notes of sage, saddle soap, and dysentery, is sure to remind you of that trip you took with your buddies to the dude ranch in Montana. The one that served all those beans.

Eau Enough Already: Is that a hint of musk? Or the entire musk shoved into a manly bottle, his little paws

pressed against the glass? Whatever. It sure is musky.

Alligator Wallet: A popular item.

But first you have to pickpocket the alligator.

FOR HER Pumpkin Spice Hairspray: The look and feel of an expensive, limited-time latte — but in your hair.

50 Shades of Hay: The naughty novel of two intensely attracted horses.

50 Shades of Neigh: The horse’s wife finds out.

Spa in a (Small) Box: Give your pinky a day of bliss. Or your little toe.

But not both.

Whitman’s Sampler: Walt Whitman, that is. First stanzas of 24 assorted poems.

Channel No. 4: Yes, yes, it knows it’s not quite what you asked for. Have you ever even tried – wait, wait. Hold on. Deep breath. It’s not “cheap,” it’s a “value scent.” Some people like it even better!

“I ™ NEW YORK” T-shirt: It’s 10 pm, Dec. 24. Do you know where your wife’s cousin’s present is? Try Ninth Avenue, near Port Authority.

The Tiffany Ring: Group of guys who planned a heist at Tiffany’s in the ’70s. Not really relevant on a gift list.

FOR THE HOME The Keurig Day 2 Coffee Re-Heater: Simply pour yesterday’s coffee into an empty plastic K-cup and carefully position it in re-heater. Place receptacle under spigot. Press “On.” Repeat six or seven

times for a cup, 12 to 13 times for a mug.

(Note: By this time the first few podfuls of Keurig Day 2 may by cool. Simply pour them back into the K-cup and carefully position in re-heater. Cancel other plans for the rest of the day.)

Plush Sperm-Shaped Throw Pillows: What’s that all over the sofa? A whole lot of sperm-shaped comfiness!

The Smart Spoon: Tired of to trying to get soup to your mouth only to have it splash and spill? The Smart Spoon scoops up soup and vacu-seals it in a tiny plastic pouch. Simply puncture the pouch once it is inside your mouth and voila – piping hot soup (and a little bit of plastic). Best of all, no more mess! (Except for spitting out the pouch.)

The Smart Fork: Tired of trying to spear your food, only to have it fall off half-way to your teeth? The Smart Fork wraps your food in fine 8-gauge wire.

Simply chew through the wife once it is inside your mouth and voila – delicious food (and little bits of wire).

FOR YOUR PET 100% Carrot Chew Toy: A boneshaped carrot that will make any Fido healthier, if he chews it. Which hopefully he will. Although, none of the test dogs did. But they were probably fussier than yours.

Close Encounters Flea, Tick, and Alien Collar: Protect your pets from all the dangers out there. One-hundred percent effective against aliens. About 60 percent good when it comes to fleas.

Some ticks like the smell, ironically. But almost everyone – man, bug, and extraterrestrial – hates the siren-like alarm you can’t turn off.

Lenore Skenazy is author of “Has the World Gone Skenazy?”

Posted To THE ONLY THING TO FEAR ON HALLOWEEN IS FEAR ITSELF (OCT. 26) Skenazy on the mark again.

Astounding she has not been silenced or lobotomized or disappeared by the legions of self appointed protectors of all things everywhere yet. “Trunk or Treat” is how 21-year-olds are “triggered” by – the horror – words – and wind up demanding “safe spaces” to protect them from everything outside

the womb.

M Burke

TRUMP’S PLUMMET PREDICTS ITSELF (OCT. 18) HL Mencken in the Baltimore Sun (26 July 1920): “As democracy is perfected, the office [of president] represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move towards a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and

the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Thanks, Max. S Again So glad I left New York. The monolithic groupthink plaguing the city will be its eventual undoing.

Donald Trump is doing a great job as President and will remain President until January 20, 2021 – and most likely until January 20, 2025.

Escaped From New York DowntownExpress.com

O P- E D

Citizens Union: Say ‘Yes’ to constitutional convention Allow changes that could end passive voter suppression by making voting easier

BY RANDY MASTRO While voters in many states participated in early voting primaries in last year’s presidential election, few New Yorkers even realized that our state does not allow for any early voting at all. In fact, it is harder to cast a vote in New York than in almost any other state across the nation.

This is a huge problem – but the good news is that this November, New Yorkers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take the first step toward changing that forever.

On Nov. 7, New Yorkers will vote on whether they would like to convene a convention to consider changes to the state’s constitution. By voting yes on a constitutional convention, New Yorkers can make voting easier in the state by allowing early voting, introducing same-day registration and enabling greater access to absentee ballots.

New York is a state with passive voter suppression caused by its antiquated voting laws that restrict how and when citizens can vote. Voter participation in the state is surprisingly low — almost the lowest in the country. In last year’s presidential election, only 57 percent of eligible voters in the state turned up at the polls, putting New York 41st in the nation for turnout.

There is no doubt that the difficul-

ties voters face in accessing the ballot results in low participation. Not only is New York is one of 16 states that does not allow for early voting, but the state constitution prohibits the practice. As a result, those with full work days or busy schedules are forced to choose between voting or fulfilling their other responsibilities.

Not only does New York limit voting to one work day, but the state also makes it exceedingly difficult to vote by mail. In California, voters can get per-

manent absentee status, which allows them to skip the polls for every election and mail in their ballots. In contrast, New York only permits absentee ballot voting in extreme cases — if a voter is absent from the country or city, has an illness or disability that prevents them from reaching poll sites, is detained in jail or is a patient in a Veterans hospital.

The rules governing participation in New York’s primaries are even more restrictive. Primaries in the state are closed, meaning that a prospective voter must be registered with a party to participate. New York law requires that first-time voters be party registered at least 25 days before the election. And if voters want to switch their affiliation, they need to have decided at least six months before the primary vote. An analysis by the New York Times found that New York has the earliest deadline for switching party affiliation of any state in the country that holds closed primaries.

As a result, the number of voters participating in primary elections is abysmal. In 2016, just 8 percent of eligible city voters voted in June’s federal primaries and 10 percent voted in September’s state and local primaries.

Over the years, legislators have announced plans to make voting easier

and address these seemingly unnecessary limitations on ballots access, but these proposals have gone nowhere, and voting remains burdensome as the recent participation numbers bear out.

That’s why New Yorkers must take advantage of the opportunity afforded by a constitutional convention and introduce these badly needed voting reforms.

A convention is particularly important for a proposal like early voting, which would require a change to the constitution. To do this via the normal legislative process is particularly challenging as it requires two successive sessions of the legislature to approve before presented to the people for a vote.

A convention provides a much easier solution for enacting reform. It lets citizens bypass Albany altogether and vote instead for delegates to represent them at the convention. Any proposals drafted by delegates at the convention appear on the ballot for a statewide vote.

In a progressive state like New York, citizen engagement and electoral participation should be encouraged, not discouraged. It’s time to say yes to a constitutional convention and make voting easier in New York.

Randy Mastro is a former deputy mayor and currently the chairman of Citizens Union of the City of New York.

people are resisting the power of the political machines and turning away from the parties in droves. The rest of our great electorate has begun to do the same. More and more New Yorkers are declaring independence from broken party politics every day.

Instead of waiting for party politicians to enact common-sense reforms, we have a chance to take that action ourselves.

Voting Yes to Prop #1 on Nov. 7 is

simply saying “Yes, we want OPTIONS.” That’s it. Any and all proposals generated by this process would then have to be passed by us at the ballot box. Our constitution should defend the right of every New Yorker to vote in every election without having to pledge allegiance to a private political party. It should encourage more participation in democracy, not less.

It is time to remind the political elite in Albany that they work for us,

not the other way around. When it comes to making headway on positive practical change for our state, I’ll trust my fellow New Yorkers over professional politicians every day of the week. So on Election Day, I’m making Prop #1 my priority #1. I hope you will vote “YES” with me for a Constitutional Convention. Turn over your ballots, vote “YES,” and turn the tide.

Joan Ingalls

Randy Mastro is the chairman of Citizens Union.

Letters To the Editor, On Nov. 7 we have an opportunity that comes around only once every 20 years — to establish a Constitutional Convention. New York is at its greatest when it stands up for participation, democracy, and the power of ordinary people. Both parties’ inability to get any meaningful change accomplished has us disenchanted and dumbstruck.

It’s time we recognize that young

For more news & events happening now visit www.DowntownExpress.com DowntownExpress.com

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

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A tasty time Taste of the Seaport’s 8th yummy year

BY JANEL BL ADOW More crowds, more food, more fun.

The 8th-annual Taste of the Seaport foodie fest on Oct. 21 was the biggest and best ever, according to business owners, residents, visitors and kids alike.

Peter Pelsinsky of Pearl Street, enjoying the afternoon and some “Peposo con polenta” — a traditional peppery Tuscan beef stew from Felice 15 on Gold Street — remembered the event’s humble beginnings.

“The first year it was a half-block long with six vendors,” he said. “My how it’s grown. It feels as if it’s always been here.”

More than 40 food stands offering small bites from local restaurants and cafes — such as Fresh Salt, Eataly NYC Downtown, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, and Big Gay Ice Cream — lined Front Street. A “Kids Zone” filled Peck Slip, where youngsters could let their imaginations run free, and get into some spirited outdoor play. And with two stages with rotating rosters of entertainers, the

party was on.

Vendors were setting up as early as the night before, but the real action got underway at 11 am. On main stage at Fulton Street, the Peck Slip School Chorus kicked off festivities, followed by young performers from the Spruce Street School. Eight bands and soloists, including rockers Best Behavior and Queen V, performed throughout the afternoon.

Over at the Kid Zone stage, magician Gary the Great and puppeteer Nicoa McEldowney entertained while other kids lined up at booths for fun activities such as face painting, pasta rolling, creating picture frames with felt cutouts and decorating cake pops.

The FiDiFamilies website sponsored a free fall-activities booth. Blogger Denise Courter said started the site because “I was always asked about things to do downtown with the kids.

This is my sixth year as part of the event. The weather couldn’t be better.

The kids are outside, there’s music, food. It’s a cool city experience.”

Battery Park City Day Nursery Pre-K For All Tour Dates (Parents Only)

Thursday, November 9th, 9:15am Wednesday, December 6th, 9:15am Tuesday, December 12th, 9:15am Your child must be born in 2014 in order to qualify for the Pre-K for all Program in September, 2018 Pre-K tours last approximately 30 minutes. To schedule a tour please email or call info@bpcdaynursery.com, 212-945-0088

Preference for the Pre-K for all program is given to currently enrolled students 18

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

Photos by Janel Bladow

(Above) Youngsters could customize their own cake pops in the “Kids Zone” at the 8th-annual Taste of the Seaport festival on Oct. 21. (Right) Peter Pelsinsky has been coming to the event for the past eight years, and remembers when it was just half a block long with six vendors.

Meanwhile, up the street, her 9-yearold son Luke was throwing nerf footballs through a hoop.

“I play a lot of football,” he said, after making another score.

Some kids played with cardboard boxes they could color, cut up or crawl into, while others surrounded the “Does It Float” booth — set up by the South Street Seaport Museum MiniMates program — where they figured out if an object (say, a coin, or a sponge) would float in a tub of water.

“Everyone is amazingly friendly, having a great time,” said SSSM communications director Kenneth Sommer, who was manning their food stand around the corner on Front Street and serving up corned beef and cabbage. “[Borough President] Gale Brewer and [Councilwoman] Margaret Chin stopped by.”

And while the weather was unseasonably warm, there were still plenty of takers for their hot dish.

“We went through three trays already and it’s only 2 in the afternoon. It’s from the third-class menu,” Sommer said, pointing to a printed menu from the museum’s current exhibit, “Millions: Migrants and Millionaires aboard the Great Liners, 1900–1940.”

In front of Kiwi Cuba Gastropub — recently changed from Nelson Blue — the meat and veggie empanadas were going fast. And the team from Insomnia Cookies couldn’t pass their treats out quickly enough.

Stefano Barbagallo, owner of Barbalu on Front Street, was dishing plates of

creamy pasta with a pear and ricotta stuffing.

“I didn’t want to have the usual pasta you can find in any Italian restaurant,” he said. “People came back for seconds.

This event is great for every generation.”

Cafe Patoro, the Brazilian pastry shop that opened earlier this year on Front Street, had a stand for the first time. Manager Taigo Reis ran out of their well-known Brazilian cheese bread made with gluten-free tapioca flour very early.

“It all went fast,” said Reis, proudly adding that the cafe makes five different flavors of the “pao de queijo” or PDQ. “We also have cakes. Brazilian carrot cake which is very different from the American [recipe],” he said.

A $40 ticket was good for five tastes, and VIP tables could be reserved for up to $1000. The money raised benefits activity programs at PS 387, or The Spruce Street School, and PS 343, or The Peck Slip School.

DowntownExpress.com

Costumed canines cavort on esplanade

BY COLIN MIXSON This Halloween party was paw-fully cute!

Battery Park City tail-waggers were dressed to the nines for the neighborhood’s 16th-annual Halloween Puppy Parade on Oct. 29, and it was the most adorable thing ever, according to one dog lover.

“Oh my god, I loved it,” said Judy Miraglia, who came down from Tribeca with her dog Delilah. “It was so great.”

The event saw dozens of locals and their costumed best friends showing off on the esplanade surrounding North Cove Marina, where dogs could be spot-

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ted sporting pirate, princess, and lion costumes, along with the obligatory Big Bad Wolf from the Brothers Grimm’s immortal “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Many Battery Park City residents, like pug-owner Dennis Gallagher, learned about the event through hearsay, and the local man ran home with his dog, Pops, and daughter just 20 minutes before the show, and the trio returned in full costume for great time, he said.

“My daughter and I ran home, she dressed up Pops, put on an outfit, and we were out the door in 20 minutes,” Gallagher said. “It was fun time.”

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Photos by Milo Hess

(1) This dog doubled as a garden at Battery Park City’s 16th annual Halloween Puppy Parade on Oct. 29. (2) A pug dressed as Batman’s sidekick Robin poses with his dad — who’s dressed as a pug. (3) A pirate pup stopped prowling the high seas for a little land lubbing around North Cove Marina. (4) This leonine canine shows of his impressive mane. (5) This pretty pup was the queen of the ball. (6) The Big Bad Wolf came in costume as Grandma.

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VISIT PCRICHARD.COM FOR A STORE NEAREST YOU DowntownExpress.com

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

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PHOTOS BY MILO HESS

Boo who? H’ween revelers unafraid after path attack

J

ust a few hours after a terrorist attack blocks away on the Tribeca waterfront killed eight people and injured 11 others, thousands of New Yorkers showed their grit and refusal to be cowed by marching up Sixth Ave. at the annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. As expected, there were plenty of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton costumes. The ubiquitous Marni Halasa, a candidate for City Council in the Third District (Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen) lit up in a smile as her favorite photographer, The Villager’s Milo Hess, snapped her picture as she held “King Donald” prisoner at sword-point.

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

DowntownExpress.com

An Homage to Constant Flux Kate Shepherd has a ‘lock’ on 56 Henry

Installation view, Kate Shepherd’s “Bagels and Locks.”

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN For her latest exhibit — “Bagels and Locks” — Kate Shepherd lures us into the realm of New York City’s construction sites. In fact, some visitors might easily engage in the illusion of having stumbled upon one, scaffolding and all. Shepherd, who though best known for her almost minimal but lusciously slick-surfaced enamel paintings has a long practice of material exploration, succeeds in shining a spotlight on the delights of the rough and tumble — partially by bringing it indoors.

Here, boarded up street facades serve as memorials for the notion of impermanence in a city where constant development tears at the infrastructure.

In New York, gentrification is hardly a new phenomenon and yet, the increasing speed of it makes it difficult to follow. Whereas the process of seeing DowntownExpress.com

Courtesy the artist and 56 Henry

Installation view, Kate Shepherd’s “Bagels and Locks.”

a neighborhood transformed from rags to riches seemed to take at least a decade, it now tends to unfold in less than a handful of years.

Shepherd’s outlook is not nostalgic but rather factual, finding relevant visual appeal in Hunter green plywood, for example, that aims to keep pedestrians from trespassing onto yet another construction site slotted for new condominiums. At 56 Henry, one of the walls is painted in muddied-up beige with a diamond shaped peephole cut into it.

Covered by a Plexiglas, the latter serves as a stylized invitation for street side voyeurism. Another wall is made of large, rough-hewn boards affixed with a set of doors that rest mildly askew, chained together and padlocked.

What Shepherd draws attention to can be experienced on an outdoor city walk any day and yet,

by bringing these elements into an indoor setting, she has created an unusual sanctuary; a place for contemplation. In that, “Bagels and Locks” manifests as an homage to constant flux. In this setting, we get to recognize that it is not only the city which is changing, but also everything and everyone who is navigating its intricate web. To stand still for a moment and to absorb it in this distilled and simplified form enables us to realize what construction fragments really are: remnants of a particular slice of time.

Through Nov. 19 at 56 Henry (56 Henry St., btw. Market & Catherine Sts.). Visible from the street 24 hours a day. Gallery doors are open to the public Thurs.-Sun., 12-6pm and by appointment. Call 646-858-0800, email info@56henry. nyc, or visit 56henry.nyc.

Nov. 2 – Nov. 16, 2017

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La Dulcet Musto Nightlife maven appears in a dozen duets to support Gays Against Guns

BY TRAV S. D. There may have been more powerful columnists in the history of American journalism than Michael Musto, but none was ever more adored, for he radiates a personality and humor as great as — and often greater than — the celebrities he covers. For nearly 30 years (1984-2013), his Village Voice column “La Dolce Musto” was obligatory reading for any New Yorker who wanted to have it on the ball. He’s a frequent presence on television and in documentaries, one of the rotating cohosts of the PBS show “Theater Talk,” a weekly blogger at Papermag.com, and the talent behind the “Musto Unfiltered” column at NewNowNext.com.

Perhaps lesser known is the fact that he also sings! On Sat., Nov. 11, he will present his second evening of musical duets with a little help from his friends at Club Cumming, Alan Cumming’s new East Village venue. Joining him onstage will be the likes of Bridget Everett, Murray Hill, Flotilla DeBarge, and a dozen more.

Titled “Musto Duets Deux,” the proceeds from the night will benefit Gays Against Guns.

“I’ve always loved to sing,” Musto told our sister publication, Gay City News. “I sang in school. I was in high school musicals. I was in [the annual city high school musical competition] SING! I won Best Actor that year, which is a credit I never tire of bragging about. In college, I was in Gilbert and Sullivan productions. And in the early ’80s I fronted a Motown cover band called the Must. I hung up the singing for a while. But deep down I’m a ham.

Just sitting down and writing all day is not enough for me.”

The first “Michael Musto Duets” show on Sept. 23 was one of the first entertainments to grace the stage of the brand-new Club Cumming. The new space is essentially a reboot of Eastern Bloc, the gay bar at 505 E. Sixth St., co-owned by Benjamin Maisani and Darren Dryden, with the continued involvement of nightlife promoter Danny Nardicio. The transformed space is being called a “fantasy performance salon.”

“It’s a wonderful mix of high-brow and low-brow,” Musto said. “Classical mixed with drag queen divas. I’m calling it ‘Café Carlyle meets CBGBs.’ ” Cumming’s connection to the club makes for a high likelihood of celeb-

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Nov. 2 – Nov. 16, 2017

Courtesy Michael Musto

In addition to everything you thought you knew about Michael Musto, Nov. 11 at Club Cumming you’ll have a chance to find out just how splendidly he sings — in duet with some dozen favorites.

rity sightings. The very first week, said Musto, Paul McCartney, Emma Stone, and Billie Jean King all arrived as part of the same party. Stone’s bio-pic about King (“Battle of the Sexes”) had just been released, which partially explains the eclecticism of the trio.

According to Musto, he initially suggested the duets concept as a night of numbers performed by other singers, but the club’s bookers understood him to mean something more like those records where Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett sing with a succession of partners, with Musto anchoring the evening.

Musto didn’t mind the misunderstanding a bit.

“People are always encouraging me to sing,” he crowed. “And I love duets.

When you’re singing in a duet you always have your partners as a safety net. No matter how bad I am, there’s always the other person to help carry

it! I’m pinching myself. I can’t believe some of the people I get to perform with in this show.”

Prominent among them is Bridget Everett, whom Musto mentions he gave early coverage to back in the 1990s. She’s been hot lately, with numerous appearances on “Inside Amy Schumer,” the 2017 fi lm “Patti Cake$,” her just-fi lmed pilot for Amazon, “Love You More,” and a standing ovation for her performance of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” back in August.

With “Mr. Showbiz” Murray Hill, he’ll be performing “The Lady is a Tramp” –– with updated lyrics, “because,” quipped Musto, “neither one of us is a lady.”

With jazz violist Aaron Weinstein, Musto will perform “I Loves You, Porgy.” Also on the bill: Flotilla DeBarge, Cheryl Freeman (who played the Acid

Queen in the Broadway production of “The Who’s Tommy”), Mrs. Kasha Davis (from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Jill Sobule (the songs “I Kissed a Girl” and “Supermodel”), Brini Maxwell (Ben Sander’s drag character), Amber Martin, Ari Kiki, Kenyon Phillips, and Markus Kelle, all singing what Musto described as a “mix of Broadway, disco, and cabaret diva classics”.

About the beneficiary, Gays Against Guns, Musto said, “I’ve been involved with them since last year, in the wake of the Orlando shooting. Now, since the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, it’s a more vital charity than ever.”

“Musto Duets Deux” is performed Sat., Nov. 11, 9pm at Club Cumming (515 E. Sixth St., btw. Aves. A & B.).

For tickets ($32-$45), visit brownpapertickets.com/event/3105536. For Gays Against Guns info, visit gaysagainstguns.net.

DowntownExpress.com

Photo by David Noh

L to R: Brian Belovitch and Everett Quinton star in a revival of Charles Ludlam’s “Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide” (through Nov. 19 at La MaMa).

Ludlam Celebrated By Those He Loved Everett Quinton brings back a Ridiculous original, with Brian Belovitch along for the ride

BY DAVID NOH The late, great Charles Ludlam wrote dozens of plays, but they are rarely revived right here in the very city in which he pioneered the alternative theater scene. To remedy that, La MaMa is reviving his “Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide,” commemorating both the playwright’s founding of his Ridiculous Theatrical Company half a century ago and his death 30 years ago. Inspired by Christopher Marlowe’s “Tamburlaine the Great” and set in outer space, it’s a futuristic tale of war across the universe with Tamburlaine capturing various kings and queens (of course) from Mars, Venus, and Saturn with names like Zabina, Natolia, and Cosroe.

This production is being directed

by Ludlam’s longtime partner, Everett Quinton, and I snatched the opportunity to discuss it with him at a favorite West Village neighborhood haunt, Hudson Diner.

Joining us was actor Brian Belovitch, who is playing Alice, the wife of Tamburlaine. I met Belovitch an eon DowntownExpress.com

ago, at his Hell’s Kitchen apartment when he was then known as Tish Gervaise, one of Manhattan’s most lauded trans personalities and certainly the sexiest. Looking like Claudia Cardinale’s younger and even more voluptuous sister, Tish sauntered through the clubs and then-Bohemian nabes of this burg, leaving a wake of devout fans and gob-smacked guys behind her. Michael Musto was at Tish’s place, too, as was Holly fucking Woodlawn, and we all had a gay old time, perusing Antonio Lopez’s opulent new Arabian Nights-inspired book, for which Tish had modeled, and dishing some serious dirt (including what an avid fan of Screw magazine’s back page ads for transgender escorts Eddie Murphy was).

It was a quite heavenly reunion, during the course of which, while discussing “Conquest of the Universe,” Zsa Zsa Gabor’s immortally trashy sci-fi epic “Queen of Outer Space” was heavily discussed. (You knew it would be.) Quinton, who spent this past summer memorizing a full act of

Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” which he performed for a one-night stand in Provincetown at the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, said, “I was asked which of Charles’ plays they should use for this commemoration and I chose this, which was the first one he did when he started the Ridiculous.

He would read the newspaper every day and just be inspired by whatever news story caught his fancy and wrote a play from that. And, as Tamburlaine, we have Grant Neale, who was in the original production! I play two roles: Cosroe and Zabina. It’s a big production, we’re excited about the fabulous design of it, and I just want to get it up on its feet! I’m so proud of this cast, which I hand-picked. Of course, it’s very gay: you know, Charles used to say, ‘I get down on my knees every day and thank God I’m gay!’ ” Belovitch described his role as “a cross between Suzanne Sugarbaker from ‘Designing Women’ and Ann Richards, although not as smart. But she does use coquetry and various feminine wiles to gain power. You

know, I haven’t acted or done drag in so long, look what I have to wear now, which I didn’t use to need!” And with that, Belovitch pulled out not only a cunning pair of high heels but a couple of hip pads.

Tish Gervaise certainly didn’t need them back in the day, and Belovitch recounted some of his mesmerizing past.

“I’m from Providence, Rhode Island, and always knew I was different from age four or five. The first guy I was ever with was around 15, from high school. Tall and skinny with long hair.

He took me to this place by the railroad tracks where you went into this building where there was some cardboard which had been laid out and a candle.

It wasn’t traumatizing at all. That shit happened later, when I was introduced to the local nearby cruising ground and started hopping in and out of cars.”

Belovitch began transitioning in his teens and came to New York — away from a decidedly non-supportive famLUDLAM continued on p. 24 Nov. 2 – Nov. 16, 2017

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Let’s Get Lost in ‘Stranded’ Jerry Nolan bio has a beat you can read to

BY PUMA PERL “Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan’s Wild Ride — A Tale of Drugs, Fashion, the New York Dolls, and Punk Rock.”

Curt Weiss’ bio of drummer Jerry Nolan lives up to its long subtitle. Nolan’s drumming drove the Heartbreakers and the New York Dolls, and his style was the epitome of his favorite fashion expression, “profiling.” His appetites for women and substances can also be described as nothing less than driven.

Well-written and painstakingly researched, “Stranded” presents Nolan as a complex and layered character, while exploring his technique and approach to drumming. Weiss also explores the explosion of the punk era. It is often said, about the ’70s, that you were there or you weren’t there.

Sometimes you don’t remember if you were there. I fit into all three categories to varying degrees, but the memory of wandering into Club 82 and seeing the New York Dolls for the fi rst time breaks through the haze.

Weiss spent 11 years working on this book, which includes many interviews from people who knew Nolan in different contexts, and with varied opinions. What can’t be denied is he was a hell of a drummer whose career was cut short by the same demons that took many of our best musicians. It makes sense that Gene Krupa was an early hero.

Too bad the Jerry Nolan (1946-1992) didn’t come even close to Krupa’s 64-year life span. Who knows what else he might have done.

Weiss will read from “Stranded in the Jungle” (a Backbeat Books release) on Tues., Nov. 7, 8pm at Rough Trade (64 Ninth St., Brooklyn, btw. White & Kent Sts.). The NYC release party takes place Thurs., Nov. 9, 7pm at The Delancey (168 Delancey St., btw. Clinton & Attorney Sts.).

More info at facebook.com/pg/curtweissauthor/events.

Courtesy Backbeat Books via Facebook

The book’s release party happens Nov. 9 at The Delancey.

LUDLAM continued from p. 23

ily with six siblings — where he fell into modeling and the cabaret/club world. He praised the great Lopez as “the most generous man. He drew me a bunch of times and I luckily still have some sketches. But he really got me, all of us, really, and was so very kind.

When you posed for him, he made you feel like you were really something special.

“But you know, I tried everything, got married [to a soldier for five years and lived on a German army base], had my own rock band, modeled as a woman, and no one knew the difference. But I was too ahead of my time, and the frustration got to me. A downward spiral of drugs — crack cocaine, honey, it was the ’80s!

“But I got myself to rehab and have been sober for a very long time. Then I decided to stop transitioning and became a man again. I’m so happy

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Photo by Theo Cote

The “Conquest” cast includes, L to R: Shane Baker, Jeanne Lauren Smith, Everett Quinton, Lenys Samá and Géraldine Dulex.

now, have a new husband — a horticulturist. We live in Brooklyn, and I work in a rehab center now, as a counselor, because I have been there and so know

what that’s all about.”

I frankly cannot wait to get to La MaMa and revel once more in the delirium, fun, and authentic wit of Ludlam’s

universe, especially with these two fabulous veterans who’ve known each other forever. And I will never forget Belovitch’s line when once asked how he felt after having his breasts removed. Referencing a famous Mary Tyler Moore TV movie of the week, he said, “First, you cry.”

Through Nov. 19: Thurs., Fri. & Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at 4pm & Mon., Nov. 6 at 8pm. At La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. Fourth St., btw. Bowery & Second Ave., second fl.). For tickets ($31; $26 for students & seniors), visit lamama.org/ludlam. SPECIAL EVENT: Coffeehouse Chronicles, La MaMa’s educational performance series exploring the history and development of Off-Off Broadway, will look at the groundbreaking Ridiculous Theatrical Company and the work of its co-founder actor, playwright and director, Charles Ludlam. This free event (donation suggested) happens Sat., Nov. 11, 3pm at the Ellen Stewart Theatre.

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Buhmann on Art Paintings manifest as portals in ‘The Roaming Eye’

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN Curated in a joint effort by the acclaimed New York-based painters Kathleen Kucka and Jennifer Riley, “The Roaming Eye” brings together an unusual group of artists, aesthetics, and approaches. Still, despite this obvious eclecticism, they have one thing in common: all of them utilize vision as the dominant sense.

The result is a vivid and surprisingly cohesive exhibition, in which the vocabulary might herald from many sources — such as abstraction, figuration, as well as narrative structures — but in which it is nevertheless fused into a unique, independent language.

“We consume with our eyes and as visual-centric beings we’ve created activities that include image feeds saturated with innumerable pictures of life and art alike,” state the curators, while further pointing to modern technology as an ongoing source of inspiration. “On our devices we scroll — searching for ideas, meaning, inspiration and connection to life. We swipe right for ‘like’ or left for ‘no thanks’ to people and works of art. In this process, images of diverse type and source flow seamlessly in front of our eyes.

Browsing the different paintings on display, which range from stunning black and white paintings

by Christopher Deeton and David Rhodes to Shirley Kaneda’s stark juxtaposition of luminously patterned color fields to Russell Robert’s intriguing compositions made of gestural brushwork, one will quickly find inspiration in the manifold ways in which contemporary visual expression can take shape on canvas.

As the exhibition primarily embraces large-scale works by all artists — including Alison Blickle, Davide Cantoni, Kathleen Kucka, Margrit Lewczuk, Judith Linhares, Jennifer Riley, and Marc Andre Robinson — it allows visitors to be enveloped by each unique vision. Here, paintings manifest as portals rather than windows, inviting the audience to step into a purely visual experience.

Through Dec. 9 at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center (81 Barclay St., btw. W. Broadway & Greenwich St.). Hours: Tues.–Sat., 12–6pm.

Call 212-776-6237 or visit bmcc. cuny.edu/sfac/.

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Courtesy Shirley Fiterman Art Center

Courtesy Shirley Fiterman Art Center

Alison Blickle: “Moon Phases” (2017; oil on canvas and ceramics; 87” x 55”).

Christopher Deeton: “Number 236” (2015; acrylic on canvas; 108” x 80”).

Courtesy Shirley Fiterman Art Center

David Rhodes: “Untitled 16.2.17 (1)” (2017; acrylic on canvas; 19.6” x 15.7”).

Nov. 2 – Nov. 16, 2017

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Dates: Thurs., Nov. 2–Wed., Nov. 8

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE WILL BE SUSPENDED TUESDAY FOR ELECTION DAY Special alert: following Tuesday’s deadly attack expect some continued street disruptions as police continue their investigation. West St. will be most affected from 14th St. to Chambers St. and even down to the Battery. Expect increased police presence, continued media activity and gawkers driving by

shuttle to the stadium.

A Giants-Rams battle on Sunday at 1 p.m. will cause turbulence at approaches to the Holland starting at 11 a.m. and a return surge around 5 p.m. (unless it’s a blowout).

Although the NYC Marathon, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday doesn’t close any streets below Central Park, Downtowners won’t be immune to the ripple effect of 50,000 runners and street and highway closings in all 5 boroughs. The big impact to lower Manhattan comes about as drivers avoid the East Side (both First and Fifth avenues will have extended closures) and shift to the West Side Highway. Drivers who normally go through Brooklyn en route to Staten Island will be diverting through the Holland Tunnel. Drivers trying to escape lower Manhattan on

Sunday would do best by taking the Williamsburg Bridge over the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges and certainly not taking the Battery Tunnel.

Fall back time kicks in on Sunday, so the sun will set an hour earlier.

Prepare for it to get dark by 5 p.m. on Monday, reducing visibility for evening commuters. Drivers: keep your eyes peeled for pedestrians and children, and slow down! “We had seen that as the days shorten and the weather gets colder, crashes on our streets involving pedestrians increase,” says NYCDOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

So New York City’s “Vision Zero: Dusk and Darkness” campaign will continue to use education and enforcement to make our streets—and those who use them—safe once Daylight Savings finally ends on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter Terrorism at the NYPD. The attack is not considered part of a wider terrorist plot, however, and the

suspect is thought to have acted as a lone-wolf killer, according to Governor Cuomo.

“There’s no evidence to suggest a wider plot, or wider scheme,” said Cuomo.

The attack drew a massive emergency response, and West Street from 14th Street down to the Battery Tunnel is expected to remain closed in both directions until Wednesday evening to accommodate the ongoing investigation, according to police.

New Yorkers were also told to expect an increased police presence in various forms — including plainclothes officers, heavy weapons teams, and rooftop snipers — throughout the city and within the transit system, as security remains on high alert following the attack.

The New York City Marathon, which is expected to draw some 50,000 runners, will go on as planned on Sunday, although athletes and spectators should expect a high security presence, police said.

In multiple press briefings held since the attack, both de Blasio and Cuomo urged New Yorkers to carry on without fear, in defiance of Saipov’s ultimate goal to spread terror with his attack.

“To New Yorkers, be New Yorkers, and live your lives, and don’t let them change us or deter us in any manner, shape, or form,” Cuomo said.

On Tuesday night, hours after the attack, more than a million costumed New Yorkers turned out for the 44thannual Village Halloween Parade.

— with Rebecca White

“The difference here is it’s being produced by something you have no control over,” he said.

Exposure to those levels can potentially lead to minor health issues, including sleeplessness, difficulty focusing, tinnitus, nausea, and dizziness, according to Waltezke. But studies recognized by the American Cancer Society suggest the type of non-ionizing radiation produced by cell towers isn’t strong enough to destroy DNA cells and thus cause cancer.

Throughout his investigation, Waletzke’s highest measurements amounted to less than one-percent of the maximum safety standards for cellphone radiation set by the federal government, but that standard — the same standard applied to microwave ovens and intended only to prevent the literal cooking of human flesh — is considered by some to too lax.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Waletzke said. “I’m assuming they doesn’t recognize any health effects at lower levels,

but there’s plenty of information that shows that there is.”

And children playing at the school’s rooftop playground in the shadow of the tower aren’t shielded by walls or windows like condominium unit where Waletzke took his measurements, and could be exposed to significantly more radiation depending on which direction the transmitter’s signal is beaming, according to Waletzke.

“Performing a study would be my recommendation,” he said.

units to market before competitors.

“It appears that the rich owner of 53 Beach Street has found a loophole in the system, in that he does not care how much he will pay in fi nes to reach

a building completion deadline, which is putting the public in danger and eroding the quality of life in the community,” he said. “The City agencies should be granted more authority to

stop this loophole practice.”

At its most recent full board meeting, CB 1 passed a resolution asking the DOB to issue an immediate stop-work order on the building.

all slowing down traffic. I am anticipating several vigils and a likely demonstration by biking groups demanding more protection on the bike path. Follow me on Twitter @GridlockSam for updates.

Thursday night football will add to traffic woes. The Jets play the Bills at 8:30 p.m. at MetLife Stadium triggering extra traffic through the Holland Tunnel and more delays starting around 6 p.m. If you’re still thinking of driving anywhere near Lower Manhattan Thursday evening, think again! Those going to the game, take NJ Transit to Secaucus and transfer to a free rail

TERRORIST Continued from page 2

critical injuries, but are in stable condition. The remaining five victims were seriously injured, with wounds including major head, neck, back, and chest trauma, in addition to one victim who required multiple amputations, Nigro said.

Saipov, a permanent legal resident, emigrated from Uzbekistan to the United States in 2010, where he found work as an Uber driver.

Investigators searching Saipov’s home found notes indicating he carried out the attack in the name of ISIS, following months of planning, and his attack closely mirrored strategies published on social media by the terrorist organization, according to John Miller,

CELL TOWER Continued from page 14

ation generated by the cell towers was similar to what’s emitted by cell phones or wireless internet routers, according to Matt Waletzke, environmental consultant and owner of Health Dwellings.

But Waletzke’s benign-sounding analogy belies one key difference — cellphones can be turned off, and routers relegated to the far corners of a home, but residents are powerless to manipulate the cell tower, Waletzke said.

CRANE Continued from page 8

be enough to deter lawless constriction in a hot real-estate market like Tribeca, where millions of dollars can be made by brining new and renovated DowntownExpress.com

Photo by Milo Hess

Flowers were already piling up Tuesday afternoon at a makeshift shrine outside PS 234 on Greenwich Street, near the end of the terrorist’s 15-block rampage.

Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2017

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