Our Town Downtown April 25, 2012

AP R I L 26, 20 12 | W W W.NYP R E S S.C OM

THE DAY-TO-DAY OF DOWNTOWN’S CELEBRITIES RESIDENTS Leonora Desar finds out just how normal our local A-listers (P9)

SEAPORT TO GET A NEW MALL?

Howard Hughes Corp. eyes 60,000-sq.-ft. building on Pier 17 ( P 8 )

ON TOPIC

Josh Rogers asks if parenting in NYC changed after Etan Patz (P27) ARMOND WHITE Farrelly Brothers get it right with The Three Stooges (P12)

ILLUSTRATION BY SAHAR VAHIDI | PATRICK MCMULLAN PHOTOS/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO . . .

BRAD GORESKI What are this stylist’s favorite NYC spots? (P 26)

DOWNTOWN SOCIAL Tribeca Film Festival still strong after 10 years (P4)

Healthy Heart

Dr. Haleh Milani

Today we are in discussions with Dr. Haleh Milani who is an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center with an active clinical practice on Central Park West.

Dr. Milani what is some of the new and exciting research that may be relevant to our daily lives?

We are now focusing on Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Disruption as a contributing factor to the increased risk of Diabetes, Obesity, and negative health effects on the immune function. Sleep deprivation may result in a slowdown in the metabolism and a reduction in insulin production which may be mediated throughout the circadian cycle; that is rhythmic 24-hour oscillations in biologic processes controlled by environmental cues, most notably the daily changes in light intensity Can Drinking Alcohol Benefit Heart Attack Survivors?

According to research funded by the US National Institutes of Health, “…men who have two drinks a day after surviving a first heart attack have a lower risk of death from heart disease than non-drinkers.” Investigators looked at data on “more than 1,800 American men who survived a first heart attack between 1986 and 2006 and were followed for up to 20 years.” The researchers found that “men who drank about two alcoholic drinks (between 10 and about 30 grams of alcohol) per day had a 14 percent lower risk of death from any cause, and a 42 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular death.”

Can ASPIRIN a day prevent Cancer?

Aspirin is already included in cardiovascular guidelines for it’s preventative benefits. There is however no apparent reduction in cancer incidence during the first 3 years of use, and an estimated 20% reduction in risk during the fourth and fifth year of use. A daily aspirin also has been associated with lower risks of colorectal cancer and of recurrence of adenomatous polyps.

Can Air Pollution increase your health Risk?

Researchers have found that for each short-term increment of 10 mcg/m3 of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide,and carbon monoxide, present in industrial waste and car exhaust fuel, there was a 1- 4.8% increase in heart attacks and breathing disorders.

What can we do as individuals to reduce our risk of Dementia?

Mentally stimulating group activities -- including such things as discussion groups, games, and gardening -- boost cognition in the elderly and reduce progression of dementia.

What are some of the warning signs of heart disease in the young adult?

Symptoms can include chest pain, dizziness, exerciseinduced syncope, and shortness of breath, which may have been disregarded by the patient and family; a detailed history also may reveal the sudden, unexplained death of a young relative. In fact, estimates suggest these warning signs may be present in up to half of cases of sudden cardiac arrest.

A variety of risk-assessment tools have been used, and although these have not been validated or assessed for sensitivity or specificity, expert opinion currently emphasizes the importance of these “ominous” findings on a preparticipation screen

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What is blood pressure and why is it important to control?

Elevated blood pressure is called the “silent killer “ because it increases your risk of a stroke, heart and kidney disease amongst other things. Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs.

During each heartbeat, BP varies between a maximum (systolic) and a minimum (diastolic) pressure. BP decreases as the circulating blood moves away from the heart through arteries. A person’s BP is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure over diastolic pressure (mmHg), for example 140/90. As adults age, systolic pressure tends to rise and diastolic tends to fall. In the elderly, BP tends to be above the normal adult range, largely because of reduced flexibility of the arteries. Also, an individual’s BP varies with exercise, emotional reactions, sleep, and time of day. During the reading, the arm that is used should be relaxed and kept at heart level, for example, by resting it on a table.

NEW and EXCITING Blood pressure news.

“Isoflavones -- a compound found in foods such as soy milk, green tea, tofu and peanuts -- may help lower blood pressure in adults. Also, a Medtronic device is under investigation for use to control hard-to-treat high blood pressure by burning overactive nerves with a burst of radio-frequency energy.

According to research presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting. “after six months, 71 percent improved with recorded lower blood pressure after the procedure, which is approved for sales abroad.”

MEET THE TEAM: THURSDAY: May 10th 6-8pm SATURDAY: MAY19th 10am-12 noon Event Locations: •115 Central Park West • Citi 52nd & 5th Avenue Limited space: FOR RESERVATIONS call 212-543-3400 Haleh Milani, MD, FACC Fellow: American College of Cardiology Board-CertiFied: American Board of Internal Medicine; American Board of Internal Medicine, Subspecialty-Certified in Cardiovascular Disease; American Board of Nuclear Cardiology; American Board of Echocardiography MeMBer: American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, American Society of Echocardiography, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, New York Cardiological Society, Medical Society of the State of New York HoSPital aFFiliatioNS: Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Columbia Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center, New York, NY Dr. Milani lives on the upper West Side with her husband and two young children.

What is the future of medicine?

In the next decade, discussions between physicians and patients could include whole-genome sequencing that would generate information on undiagnosed symptoms and an individual’s risk of disease, While there are ethical, privacy and discrimination issues to be resolved, health care will evolve from being reactive to becoming preventive, which is “really a game-changer in medicine

Can you elaborate on your MEET the physician discussion sessions for the community.

Yes, we are attempting to bring the latest health care news from the academic centers of excellence to the community at an informal forum with many physicians, dieticians, and exercise physiologists. This will address the individual needs of the patients and community.

DR. MILANI WILL RESPOND TO PATIENT COSULTATIONS WITHIN 24 HOURS. For More Information:

Call: 212.543.3400 www.MilaniCardioNY.com

115 Central Park West, Suite 1, New York, NY 10023

❯ C R I M E WATC H THE JEWELS ON THE DESK According to police, a thief recently nabbed $4,200 in jewelry from a specialty store on Spring Street in Soho. Police say that while the owner’s attention was elsewhere, an unidentified thief lifted a $3,000 platinum-and-diamond ring and a $1,200 14-karat white gold mounting from the owner’s desk.

DON’T TRUST A FRIEND WITH YOUR WALLET A 23-year-old woman was whiling away the hours dancing at a bar on South Street recently when her wallet was stolen out of her friend’s purse. The friend told police she left her bag on a chair while the pair jived and grooved. The woman canceled her cards after noticing a suspicious purchase at an MTA ticket machine.

NEVER LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNATTENDED In a surprising move, a 69-year-old man told police that while at a beauty store in Soho one recent evening, he left his briefcase at the front of the shop and went on a 10-minute tour of the premises.

When he returned, his bag was nowhere to be seen, and whoever might have taken it made off with a lot of loot. The briefcase reportedly contained a $2,000 Lenovo lap-

A FUN, QUALITY, AFFORDABLE, NYC BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL PROGRAM

Handing It Over Apparently, in an urban metropolis, even the public bathroom isn’t safe from top, a $200 camera, $100 worth of drafting pens and pencils and a $150 tape measure.

CITIZENS’ ARREST Police were called to the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets recently at almost 10 p.m. after receiving complaints from residents that a man was excessively shouting.

Police say that after the 21-year-old man refused to quiet down, they attempted to arrest him but he flailed his arms and legs.

An officer was reportedly injured in the process.

HOLD ON TO THAT IPHONE iPhone thefts—at least according to the complaints we look at—seem to mainly occur in the subway systems, where thieves not only have close access to the devices but usually a means of a quick getaway by stepping off the train at a stop.

But in a recent NYPD case, a 24-year-old woman’s phone was taken from her while she was on the street. She told police that she was at the intersection of Spring and Wooster streets and had been intercepted a few times by a 25-year-old guy. When she attempted to cross the street, he ran by, snatched her iPhone and ran away. The woman told police that she attempted to use the Find My iPhone application but to no avail, as the phone was turned off.

TAKE YOUR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

enterprising robbers, or so a recent incident reported by the NYPD would indicate.

A 57-year-old woman was at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in the early afternoon when she made her way to the restrooms. After selecting a stall, she placed her bag on a hook on the stall door, but no sooner had she closed that door than a man ran up, swooped his arm over the door and snatched her purse. Fortunately, the woman had only about $100 in cash and a few credit cards in her bag.

PHOTO BY ED JOHNSON

STOLEN BIKE A 40-year-old man was given a rude awakening recently when he wrapped up his workday. According to police, the man pulled up to the corner of Greenwich and Spring streets at 9:30 a.m. and parked his Yamaha R6 motorcycle. When he returned to the spot after work, he discovered that his bike, worth roughly $7,000, was stolen.

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

APR I L 26, 2012 | NYPR E SS.COM

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Downtown Social

Tribeca Film Festival Rings in 10th Year

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tarted in the wake of 9/11 in an attempt to revitalize Lower Manhattan, the Tribeca Film Festival returned for its 10th season this year. From April 18-29, the festival dominates the Downtown area with a range of events, from premieres and after-parties to panels and outdoor film screenings, like the classic Goonies.

TexT by Marissa Maier

| PaTriCK MCMULLaN PhoTos/PaTriCKMCMULLaN.CoM

Tribeca Film FesTival co-Founders Jane rosenThal and roberT de niro aT The Vanity Fair opening nighT parTy.

KrisTin Wiig aT The reVenge For Jolly! premiere.

morgan spurlocK and Will arneTT aT The aFTer-parTy For MansoMe.

sarah silverman, michelle Williams and luKe Kirby aT The aFTer-parTy For take this Waltz.

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OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

James Franco aT The premiere oF Francophrenia.

Five Facilities_ManMedia 4/19/12 4:51 PM Page 1

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The new 390,000 sq. ft. Fiterman Hall at Borough of Manhattan Community College replaces the one lost on 9/11, with new classrooms, instructional and computer labs, an art gallery and café.

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Bronx Community College’s, 98,000 sq. ft. North Instructional Building and Library, provides classrooms, a library, a café, a two-story commons, study rooms and lounges.

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CUNY Law School moves to 2 Court Square, an environmentally green building in Long Island City with 260,000 sq. ft. of classrooms, library, law clinic, moot court, an auditorium and offices.

ESIGNED TO INSPIRE INQUIRY AND INNOVATION, five new, state-of-the-art education hubs — part of The City University of New York’s capital program to upgrade and build facilities to meet record

enrollments and 21st-century needs — open their doors this fall. CUNY’s construction program is a job-creating economic engine for New York, responsible for nearly 20 percent of all construction in New York City.

— Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor

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The New Community College at CUNY, an exciting new college opens in the center of midtown Manhattan at 50 West 40th Street, overlooking Bryant Park. The first entering class will be 300 students.

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Lehman College’s 69,000 sq. ft.

New Science Facility, Phase I, showcases its strength in plant science teaching and research with high-tech sustainable laboratories, science learning centers and offices.

Visit www.cuny.edu/admissions for more info.

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� N E I G H BO R H O O D C HAT TE R Lower east side MuseuM of Chinese in AMeriCA WelCoMes neW exeC. DireCtor The Board of Trustees of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) has announced the appointment of the accomplished program expert and East Asian scholar Helen Koh, who began working there in mid-April.

“We are looking forward to having Helen Koh lead our museum,” said Maya Lin, co-chair of MOCA’s board and designer of the museum. “After an extensive national search, it was very clear that her expertise and passion for Asian studies and her vision for inventive programs and creative audience-building strategies would inspire the board and staff as we enter the next phase of MOCA’s growth.”

On Apr. 25, MOCA’s newest exhibition, America through a Chinese Lens, will provide Koh an opportunity to share her vision of MOCA’s future. “I look forward to working with the trustees, staff and founders to create an exciting new chapter in MOCA’s development.” said Koh. Chinatown squADron honoreD At ChinAtoWn

Cherry BlossoM festivAl On Apr. 14, State Sen. Daniel Squadron was honored at the annual Chinatown Cherry Blossom Festival for his work to improve quality of life along the Bowery and throughout Confucius Plaza.

Over the past several years, Squadron has led the efforts to bring more trees and green space to the Chinatown community, working with the Parks Department and the community on a number of initiatives, including the planting of 37 new trees in November 2010.

The Chinatown Cherry Blossom festival was organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York, the Confucius Plaza Board and the Confucius Plaza Tenants Council as a promotion for cultural activities throughout Chinatown. Over the past several years, with Squadron’s help, Confucius Plaza has planted 70 cherry trees around the Bowery and Division Street.

Citywide nyu furMAn Center issues A fACt Brief on rent stABilizAtion In advance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement on whether it will hear the case of Harmon v. Kimmel, which challenges rent regulation laws in New York

City, The Furman Center has issued a fact brief that details the number of rent-stabilized units in New York City and provides both demographic and socioeconomic data comparing the tenants in these units with tenants in market rate units.

“In Harmon v. Kimmel, petitioner James D. Harmon argues that rent stabilization is a violation of several provisions of the United States Constitution,” said Vicki Been, director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.

“The case would have broad implications for New York City’s rental market, approximately 47 percent of which is subject to rent control or rent stabilization laws.”

The case of Harmon v. Kimmel challenges rent control and rent stabilization laws that have existed in NYC since the 1940s, which allow “more than 1 million city residents to pay artificially low rents,” according to WNYC. The Supreme Court can choose at any time between now and June to take the case or to not hear it at all, which would leave the law in place.

60 DoWntoWn AlliAnCe CoMputers DonAteD to loCAl nonprofits After upgrading its computer net-

work this past spring, the Downtown Alliance donated 60 of its previously owned computers to nine not-for-profit organizations in the major metropolitan area.

“Guided by David Rockefeller’s 50-year-old tradition of civic activism, our organization has a long history of collaboration and commitment to community,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance. “We are excited to continue building on his vision with the donation of these computers.”

According to a press release, the Downtown Alliance staff sought not-forprofit organizations in need of additional computers, and these organizations accepted the donations.

Approximately four years old, each Intel HP Convertible “mini tower” computer was reformatted with Windows XP. Restored to their initial factory settings, the units also came with rewriteable DVD drives and keyboards.

The Downtown Alliance is an organization that strives to “make Lower Manhattan a wonderful place to live, work and play by creating a vibrant, multi-use neighborhood where businesses can prosper and the residential community can flourish,” according to its website.

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OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

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APR I L 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 | nyp r e s s. c o m

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� N EWS

Community Turns Out for Squadron From an ideal mtA train system in Brooklyn to “Stand your Ground” legislation, the state senator picks the brains of his constituents

| By Courtney m. HolBrook State Sen. Daniel Squadron has a history of listening to his constituents’ concerns.

Squadron helped secure $66.5 million in funds for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation last week and has supported bills for marriage equality and ethics reform in the past.

These policy decisions came from “listening to the people and working in response to the needs you’re raising,” Squadron said.

Sunday, April 22, Squadron held his fourth annual 25th Senate District Community Convention. Constituents of the 25th District trudged through the rain into the auditorium of the High School of Economics and Finance in Lower Manhattan to share their concerns with Squadron and other members of New York government.

“It’s at this convention that the plans and concerns of citizens are heard,” Squadron said. “We have a lot to do, but listening to you all here, that’s a powerful force for making real changes.”

The general mood of the afternoon focused on praising citizens for speaking out and showing up.

“The truth is that the jobs we do are made possible by listening to your concerns,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “And when we organize in a situation like this [con-

New Mall for the Seaport

Commission hears proposals for a shopping area on Pier 17

| By Courtney m. HolBrook

Plans for redevelopment in the South Seaport Historic District moved forward this week. Last Tuesday, April 17, the Landmarks Preservation Commission met to hear proposals regarding the Howard Hughes Corporation’s design for a new shopping area on Pier 17.

“No final decision was made at the hearing,” said Lisi de Bourbon, a spokesperson for the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). “But the commissioners were favorably disposed toward the design and they received

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vention], when we get the data down—you get listened to and we see results.”

Quinn noted that specific changes in policy, including the re-evaluation of restaurant grades in Lower Manhattan, had been brought to her attention through citizens’ action. Were it not for these meetings, “I wouldn’t have known about this in the way I do now,” she said.

The speeches paid special attention to changes to the transit system. For New Yorkers of all incomes and backgrounds, the MTA has always taken “a more important role at these conventions,” Squadron noted.

The day’s guest speaker, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, discussed the past successes and future plans of the MTA transit system, paying attention to the subway and bus lines directly affecting the residents of Lower Manhattan.

“When it comes to making government more accessible and more transparent, the MTA, believe it or not, has done a relatively good job,” Lhota said. “But we’ve done a terrible job of marketing that fact.”

Lhota discussed transparency projects the MTA has provided for the New York public, including the development of the online MTA STAT on MTA.info, which shows schedules and times for travelers.

Lhota also talked about the online dashboard, where transit users can look online at the cost of construction projects conducted by the MTA. “The online dashboard is a model of transparency,” Lhota said. “We give you the numbers for how much we planned a project would cost, how much we’ve spent to date

the proposal well.”

The retail area in the South Street Seaport Historic District has a long history with New Yorkers. Twenty-seven years ago, Howard Hughes Corp. opened a large shopping mall on Pier 17. But despite hopes for the design’s ability to attract local shoppers and visiting tourists, they found it difficult to generate necessary profits, according to representatives at the meeting.

Now, the corporation, with SHoP Architects and the landscape design architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, wants to demolish the mall and replace it with a glass-covered building containing two 60,000-squarefoot sales floors. The design is built around a “natural” plan, with wide, open-air spaces between shops and restaurants.

The company hopes to begin construction in 2013, with the pier opening in 2015.

In a prepared statement, Chris Curry, senior executive vice president of development for Howard Hughes, said the company’s design “balances the pier’s iconic waterfront

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

and how much we will need to complete a project.”

Discussion also circulated around new expansions for the L and F lines. Those lines are the “fastest growing lines to date,” according to Lhota.

The biggest rider complaint deals with overcrowding. This problem stems from increased growth in the number of paying passengers and the outdated model of the transit system.

“The number of [MTA] riders went up to 1.86 billion paying passengers in 2011,” Lhota said. “That’s the highest number since 1950. But our trains operate under a system that was designed 110 years ago.

Our newest operating system is still 70 years old.”

In order to decrease overcrowding and provide more comfortable systems for passengers, Lhota said the MTA would have to modernize its system.

He went into detail on how that would be possible in places like Williamsburg, where subways were not originally designed “for residential areas; we need to put more entrances on all corners of the street to decrease overcrowding.”

Lhota’s speech was met with positive responses from audience members. One attendee, David Feuerman, an entrepreneur who lives in the East Village, was concerned about the efficiency of the transit system, but he welcomed Lhota’s remarks.

“I was very impressed by him,” Feuerman said. “[He] seems to be much more in touch with the broader transportation concerns we all have.”

Piers 15, 16 and 17 in Lower Manhattan. cReAtIve commons Photo

location with its unique ability to provide a much-needed community hub for the rapidly growing residential population in Lower Manhattan.”

Nevertheless, concerns were raised at the meeting. These included fears that retail signage would block views of the Brooklyn Bridge and obstruct the glass façade of the proposed structure.

“The commission worried that the way the interior was arranged, and the design of the glass structure, would block the new building from sight,” de Bourbon said.

The convention continued with Squadron’s speech about the importance of public initiative and communication with local government. He also spoke about the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—a name that brought loud hisses of disapproval from the audience.

“ALEC is a conservative organization made up of corporations and special interests,” Squadron said. “They brought us the Arizona immigration legislation and the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law that killed Trayvon Martin.”

ALEC sees itself as an organization that forces government to make legislation they want, according to Squadron. But Squadron noted that ALEC “does not have a monopoly on making a difference…it doesn’t speak for the people. This meeting is what it means to keep the public interest before government, not special corporate interests.”

After that rallying cry, audience members split into various discussion groups on topics such as rent regulation, marriage equality, transportation, workers’ rights and more.

According to Squadron, the discussion groups are “where we figure out what you want and work to make it part of our policy.”

As the audience filtered out, Squadron ended with praise for his constituents, a theme of the afternoon.

“There’s always a concern when, as a government official, you bring ideas to the table, instead of forcing them on people…when you try to seek solutions instead of fielding complaints,” Squadron said. “You wonder whether that will engage people. But today, it clearly has.”

As it stands, another public meeting will have to take place before final decisions can be made, for which Howard Hughes and SHoP Architects will come up with an updated design. De Bourbon noted the meeting could take place within the next few months, and hoped the concerns would be addressed at that time.

De Bourbon said the commission wants “to get a clearer sense from [Howard Hughes] about their plans for dealing with these problems in future meetings with the Commission.”

Certain preservationists also expressed concerns. In a prepared statement, Jane Thompson of the Historic Districts Council, a preservation advocacy group, proposed that the mall at Pier 17 be renovated, not demolished and redesigned entirely. Thompson and her husband, Benjamin C. Thompson, took part in the original Pier 17 design in 1987.

Still, Tierney was supportive of the possibility of changes to Pier 17, saying that the Hughes Corporation’s plans signaled “an appropriate first step.”

Celebrity State of Mind

Could downtown’s A-list set really be so…normal?

Alec Baldwin is on top of the world, perched high above the deserted city on the rooftop of an exclusive nightclub just before the break of dawn. “Hand that back,” he says to Mary-Kate Olsen—or is it Ashley?—who snatches Baldwin’s cell phone away before sinking into a designer red velvet couch flush with fallen change and lost cigarette lighters.

Past them, supermodels like skyscrapers in summer blues and lilacs glide past one another like ships. “Leo, have you seen Leo?” they implore tipsily, backlit against the city as Tupac’s hologram slips out from some dark corner. Wispy and iridescent, it circles the bar like a fine thread of cigarette smoke before retreating behind the folds of a tightly drawn curtain.

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r so I imagined, along with all other sorts of outlandish, fictitious stories about Downtown celebrities. After all, in our star-obsessed culture, the rich and famous are seductive, mythical beings who flirt and play against only the most lavish of backdrops (which, for some reason or other, always seem to sit high up on rooftops).

To get past the velvet ropes, I asked New York’s servers to give me their dish on some Downtown superstars—the scandals! the tantrums! the intrigue! But what they served up was even harder to believe than what I had originally envisioned.

OK, so I didn’t expect to hear that Baldwin flirted with the Olsen twins. But I had hoped that digging around about the Greenwich Village actor, famed for his Twitter tirades as much as for his talent, would be a good way to go about researching this story. I must be in for some juicy revelations, right?

“He’s very friendly and polite,” declared a source at Nolita restaurant Emporio.

“He was a super nice guy, a good tipper,” gushed a former server at Popover Cafe. “He would always talk to some of the

waiters who were also actors and see what they were doing, encourage them.”

“Alec’s awesome, he makes you feel like you’re at the table with him,” echoed an insider at Pure Food and Wine, where the 54-year-old star first met his 28-yearold fiancée, yoga teacher Hilaria Thomas.

“When you walk by, he says, ‘Hey, good to see you.’ He’ll ask you how you’ve been and introduce you to someone. He’s not wanting you to go away. It’s almost hard to pull away from the table because he’s engaging you in this really fun, playful, sweet, witty way.”

But this was practically criticism compared to what people had to say about West Village star Sarah Jessica Parker, of Sex and the City fame.

“She’s a real doll, really nice and down to earth, just a regular girl,” Prime Burger owner Michael DiMiceli revealed. “I’ll never forget it, she was sitting one day by herself, trying to be inconspicuous, and there were a bunch of school kids here on a trip. They recognized her and went over to her one by one. She didn’t just sign an autograph, she asked each of them their name. I was very impressed by that.”

He was equally impressed when she chatted up his wife and daughter for half an hour. “She was having a regular conversation with them like she was nobody special. That’s what I really like about her—she’s always nice. She always pays her check, never expects things for free or anything like that.”

But if you want to hear someone really sing her praises, ask how the actress behaves on a bad night. Parker was dining at Café Luxembourg with husband Matthew Broderick when, according to her server, another patron mistakenly took her jacket. Inside were her lines for the

Broadway show Once Upon a Mattress, which she was supposed to have learned for rehearsal the following day.

“She was gracious, didn’t lose her temper at all,” said the server. “She was also very personable and real with me. She acknowledged me as a person, not just someone waiting on her.”

You can imagine how, after all of this, I wasn’t exactly shocked when others started raving about Tribeca couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z. “So nice!” “So gracious!” “Super normal!” “Not at all high maintenance!”

“Jay-Z and Beyoncé are a casual, sweet couple,” praised one server. “They treat the staff very well, tip very well. They have a normal dinner and don’t ask for special treatment, even though they get it. They’re not picky or particular. You can tell they’re a regular couple enjoying each other’s company more than anything.”

Is there anyone who’s not so sweet and down to earth? I asked my sources.

“Katie Holmes was kind of standoffish,” confessed a Downtown waitress.

“She was quiet, looked down a lot.”

Oh? “It was hard for her to eat in the restaurant because the paparazzi kept trying to take photos of her through the windows. She wasn’t nasty or anything—she was respectful.”

The wind had finally left my sails.

Where were the scandals? The tantrums?

The intrigue? Celebrities were just about as exciting as your average New Yorker (though obviously with more glamorous clothes and high-powered friends).

I was starting to see how the gossip rags might get desperate enough to embellish or even fabricate their material. At this point, I’d rather write a tell-all column about Mother Theresa.

“Well, what did you expect?” asked a friend and former server as we wove through Greenwich Village avenues, eyes peeled for familiar, front-page faces. “This is New York, not L.A. Even the most famous people are just living their lives here like everyone else. They get their takeout at the same place every day, go to Starbucks. It’s not an issue of who they are.”

But by now, all I see are celebrities. Celebrities standing beneath the eerie neon of a street lamp, silhouetted. Celebrities just beyond the glass pane of every taxi passing by. In the corner, by the DJ booth, on the red velvet sofas of another supposedly star-saturated lounge we’re about to leave behind.

But wouldn’t you know it? All the superstars and legends are really at home watching TV. The bar’s emptied out, and in the light, the designer couches are not truly red at all—just a deep, dull pink.

APR I L 26, 2012 | nYPR E SS.com

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ILLustRAtIon by sAhAR vAhIdI | PAtRICK MCMuLLAn Photos/PAtRICKMCMuLLAn.CoM

| By LeonorA DesAr

THE 7-DAY PLAN

BEST PICK

Dionysian Scavenger Hunt

[4/28] Washington Square Park Arch, 5th Ave. (at Washington Square), shakespearessister.org; 1 p.m., $15.

Don’t sell this scavenger hunt short, though. In the spirit of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and celebration, participants and teams (who are encouraged to dress as their favorite gods and goddesses) will receive specific missions and a secret rendezvous point for the after-party. This three-hour event will be less like a hunt and more like a pub crawl in togas.

THURSDAY

26 27 28 29 30 01 02 SUNDAY

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Two Days in New York Apple Store, 401 W. 14th St. (at 9th Ave.), tribecafilm.com; 7 p.m., $16.

The Tribeca Film Festival and the Apple Store in the Meatpacking District team up to bring 2 Days in New York. The film’s writer, director and lead actress, Julie Delpy, will discuss the film and the inspiration for the movie’s plot: the cultural differences between her new American boyfriend (Chris Rock) and her family as she attempts to deal with the stresses of her career.

The Ryan Case 1873 Fontana’s Bar, 105 Eldridge St. (betw. Broome & Grand Sts.), fontanasnyc.com; 2 p.m., $40.

This interactive theatrical murder mystery transports audiences back in time to New York’s notorious Five Points. The year is 1873, and word of a gruesome murder is rippling through the city streets. Citizens are scared and need answers. But with a crooked police force, it’s up to you to solve the crime. Based on a real unsolved 19th-century city murder case, you’ll be working “the beat,” talking to witnesses and using your brain to close the case.

FREE wordSpoke Festival: Reading and Writ-

ing Jewish Poetry Workshop The Center for Jewish Arts and Literacy, 325 E. 6th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), sixthstreetsynagogue.org; 11 a.m.

The Sixth Street Synagogue welcomes Jake Marmer and Adeena Karasick as they preview the Summer 2012 KlezKan Poetry Retreat. The poets will read, interpret and dissect various poems written by Jewish writers, in addition to helping the audience write their own poetry.

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One Hamlet Less/ Un Amelto Di Meno Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave. (at 2nd St.), anthologyfilmarchives.org; 9 p.m., $9.

Un Amelto Di Meno “celebrates the power and beauty of Shakespeare’s theatricality while attempting to strip the piece of the morbid piety that has come to cling to it over the centuries. The film condenses most of the action of the play and further deforms the text” in the spirit of Bene’s contestation, according to The Harvard Film Archive.

The Loser’s Lounge Tribute to Carole King Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (betw. E. 4th St. & Astor Pl.), joespub.com; 6:30 p.m., $25.

It’s a blast from the past as the cast of the Loser’s Lounge covers the early songs of Carole King, including “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss),” “Let Me Get Close to You” and more, honoring both King’s late ’60s pop melodies and her confessional songwriting pieces from the ’70s.

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Drew the Dramatic Fool Canal Park Playhouse, 508 Canal St. (betw.

Greenwich & West Sts.), canalparkplayhouse. com; 1 p.m., $20.

Drew Richardson takes center stage at the Canal Park Playhouse as a disoriented, befuddled mess, innocently drawing your smiles and captivating your heart with laughter. Adhering to Murphy’s Law, in Drew’s world, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

❮ FREE

I will show you fear in a handful of dust Gallery Space at NYU Wagner, 295 Lafayette St., 2nd Fl. (betw.

Jersey & E. Houston Sts.), ericksanchez.net; 12 p.m.

I will show you fear in a handful of dust was created for the Gallery Space at Wagner as a visual manifesto—a consciousness-raising display about the urgent need for environmental protection and the perils of man-originated ecological disturbances. The four abstract expressionist, large-format landscapes resulting from these explorations are deliberately cautionary in tone and use inventive medium combinations.

The Broken Tower IFC Center, 323 6th Ave. (at W. 3rd St.), ifccenter.com; $13.

This black-and-white film by James Franco explores the brief and tumultuous life of early 20th-century American poet Hart Crane. Filled with his arresting poetry, The Broken Tower follows Crane, a self-destructive artist, from his early years in well-to-do Chicago through sojourns in New York, Paris and Cuba. The film captures Crane’s dreams, his unapologetic love of men and his erratic emotional instability.

The President’s Club: The World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity 92Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson St. (betw. Vestry & Desbrosses Sts.), 12 p.m., $40.

Journey behind closed doors when moderators explore the secret relationships of the past 13 U.S. presidents—including backroom deals, bitter rivalries, secret alliances and rescue missions. From JFK to Nixon to Obama, this talk and lunch will bring you closer to understanding the lives and decisions of those who hold the office of president of the United States.

WEDNESDAY

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Borrowed Prey Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave. (betw. 15th & 16th Sts.), carrieahern.com; 9 p.m., $35.

Dickson’s Farmstand Meats plays host to Carrie Ahern Dance/Present Pariah Inc. This solo performance follows Carrie Ahern inside the butcher shop and provides a fresh commentary on people and the relationship we have with the animals most of us consume.

Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), newschool.edu; 6:30 p.m.

The term “fracking”—hydraulic fracturing, a method of natural gas extraction—is the focal point of this Earth Week presentation at the New School. The teach-in hosts a panel of experts and activists who will discuss fracking and its local impact from all perspectives, as well as engage the audience with a Q&A session.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Submissions can be sent to otdowntown@manhattanmedia.com.

FREE Waterfight: A Teach-In on Fracking

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Visit nypress.com for the latest updates on local events.

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

❮

Tyrone Wells feat. Joe Brooks City Winery, 155 Varick St. (at Vandam St.), citywinery.com; 7 p.m., $22.

Join Tyrone Wells in celebrating the release of his new album, Where We Meet, which has managed to capture both the charm of Wells wistful serenades and the weight and yearning of an artist who continues to grow.

Reflecting a nomadic year of perfectionist writing, Wells has created an album he feels is the perfect representation of the sound he had hoped to create.

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With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St. (betw. Howard & Grand Sts.), mocanyc.org; 11 a.m., $7.

In a thoughtful presentation, With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America calls attention to the many layers of the Chinese-American experience. In a total of nine pieces, the exhibition chronologically presents different moments in the ugly struggle between a people and a new country—a country of immigrants.

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� SE E There’s Something About N’yuk the Farrelly Brothers redeem ‘the three Stooges’

| By Armond White “You will always be children!” Steven Spielberg encouraged last year’s Comic-Con gathering when he previewed scenes from The Adventures of Tintin. Infantilization has become contemporary Hollywood’s standard method for making or selling its product, but Hollywood rarely deals with that subject as explicitly as in the Farrelly brothers’ The Three Stooges.

First depicting the Stooges’ backstory as brats at Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly go to the essence of their fondness for the 1930s anarchist clown trio. The downright infantile, barely libidinal mayhem of the Stooges (Moe and Curly Howard plus Larry Fine, and sometimes Shemp Howard) has special appeal to boys.

The maxim that love of The Three Stoog-

es is what separates males from females has uncanny truth—it’s also what separated the Stooges from their great peers in Hollywood comedy, the Marx and Ritz brothers, who made artful farces that extended ethnic vaudeville, while the Stooges birthed a nonethnic nearly autistic soon-to-be tradition.

The Farrellys stay true to the Stooges’ chaos and their reckless, hasty film style, dividing the new movie into segments like the old Stooges short subjects. Those shorts were the primary source of their cultural immortality when they played on television to new generations during the 1950s and 1960s, even causing a brief resurgence of the old pranksters’ reputation, as in the 1960s reboots The Three Stooges in Orbit and The Outlaws Is Coming.

It is the Stooges’ childish indifference to others that equally inspired proto-punk musician Iggy Pop and the Farrelly brothers. And the charm of the Farrellys’ movie comes from recognizing how that “indifference” inspired the Farrellys’ singular slapstick humanism.

This film—a true homage more than a reboot—provides the unfettered pleasure of wild childishness. When the kiddie Stooges are replaced by adults (Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe, Will Sasso as Curly and Sean Hayes as Larry), the performances are uncannily faithful.

Diamantopoulos, Sasso and Hayes become the Stooges. This time, shot in color,

The Prophecy of Evita Webber and rice’s celebrity exposé | By Armond White Evita is back—and at the right time, too.

Celebrity worship wasn’t like it is now when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice debuted Evita in 1975 as a concept album featuring Julie Covington of Rock Follies fame. There was no irony in their original idea of exploring the dubious sanctity of Argentine dictator Juan Peron’s fashion-plate wife Eva; they created Evita as their second exploration into the cult of personality that they began with Jesus Christ Superstar.

The music in both productions carries far more verve and melodious emotion than a schematic conceit. Webber and Rice’s modernist approach to legend was only mildly sardonic, which explains why both shows have lasted—Superstar still moves the devout as well as the non-religious, and Evita even fascinates political skeptics. Incapable of Sondheim’s cynicism, they displayed greater insight into fame than today’s brutishly condemnatory and cravenly obsequious media.

In the current Broadway Evita, directed

by Michael Grandage, Ricky Martin portrays Che (Eva’s foil), now understood as a common skeptic rather than a demi-oracle. Che’s

12

failed revolutionary principles, crumbled like communism after the Berlin Wall, increase the spotlight on Eva Peron, who now stands as a perfect precursor to the celebrityhood of our time.

Appreciating Evita this way is a testament to Webber and Rice’s great instincts—they didn’t simply predict the celebrity era, they anatomized its origin. The show portrays the same mass hysteria seen at the mourning for Princess Diana and Kim Jong-il.

That’s why casting Madonna in Alan Parker’s disastrous 1996 movie was not a stroke of genius, it was merely redundant, since Madonna had already achieved dictatorial status in the pop universe. (Her incompetent singing and acting underscored her fakery of Eva’s personality.)

Madonna could not accomplish Webber and Rice’s coup de théâtre “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina,” the nonpareil statement of celebrity and showbiz hubris. Understanding that song today, after the myriad examples of female pop icons from Madonna on up to The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Buckingham Palace and the White House, reveals Evita’s unsuspected political brilliance.

Che’s early warning, “Eva, beware your

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

Sean Hayes as Larry, Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe and Will Sasso as Curly

the idea of the Stooges seems to bloom as if a new flower ready to be sniffed and examined. The actors perform the physical and vocal stunts (including the ineffable “N‘yuck, N‘yuck, N‘yuck” and chiming “Hello! Hello!

Hello!”) with alacrity and crazy grace. Their choreography looks unstudied.

The Farrellys know how to do disreputable hilarity, even without the presence of Jim Carrey’s genius, as in their fitful but often uproarious The Heartbreak Kid. (A coda with hunks Justin Lopez and Antonio Sabato portraying the Farrellys makes the ultimate joke on unreliable Hollywood impersonations.)

Yet the spirit of the film is still the same unruly, outrageous humor that caused the Farrellys to redefine normality along with inappropriateness, as in the wonderful disabilities humor of their Stuck on You, Me, Myself ambition!” comes to roost in “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina,” that Cinderella moment when the lower-class climber reaches the peak of Buenos Aires power and shrewdly lords it over the people. The song is breathtakingly moving, devious and (knowingly) hollow—a command for attention that glories in the spectacle of self.

Line by line, Eva appeals to the admiration and envy of the servile throng (“All you can see is the girl you once knew/Although she’s dressed up to the nines/At sixes and sevens with you”). She dissolves her difference from them as a matter of happenstance.

Eva’s craftiness is stunning when she downplays fortune and fame as “Illusions”— a word easy to coo that floats on one long breath, smooth as a drug dealer’s promise.

Her admonition “They’re not the solutions they promise to be” is the slickest, clearest demagoguery until Oprah Winfrey came along a decade later. And, like Oprah, Eva unctuously bleats “I love you and hope you love me.”

There’s no bombast in this great theatrical moment, yet it’s as modest as Princess Diana’s wedding and coronation. Eva’s ball gown and new blonde beehive as she steps onto the balcony for her state address contrast the lullaby’s deceptively low pressure; it’s the orchestration that surges, swaying along with the mob who are dazzled by the pretense of a public figure seeming to dismiss the power they dream of sharing.

and Irene, Shallow Hal, The Ringer and There’s Something About Mary. The Farrellys reapportion a child’s knack for violence, tantrum, unchecked instinct and untutored ineptitude into a crude yet open view of behavior.

When the Stooges are asked to save their orphanage, then asked to commit murder to raise funds, their innocence leads to haphazard fate and moral choices that are consistent with unpretentious free will and always good will, which is preferable to the smug vulgarity of Judd Apatow’s humor.

That’s the childishness that taints contemporary film culture—the Farrelly brothers rediscover a liberating purity in Stoogeness.

Follow Armond White on Twitter @3xchair This article appeared in a previous issue of CityArts. Visit them at cityarts.info.

In this way, Evita gets at the truth of political manipulation and explicates its essence as show business. In Act II’s thrilling followup “Rainbow High,” Eva goes further: “I came from the people/They need to adore me/So Christian Dior me/They must have excitement/And so must I!” Michelle Obama could not have cinched solidarity tighter.

Webber and Rice are wise to this tiny confession and push its limits: “I’m their product/ It’s vital you sell me/ So Machiavell me!” reveals the no-nonsense intention behind “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina.”

That this particular song has entered the diva repertoire proves an embarrassing tendency to avoid political consciousness.

Using it as a showcase simply for vanity and talent seems aberrant to our current superficial sense of political enlightenment, but it also demonstrates the genius of Webber and Rice’s timely and timeless meditation on feminist power, predicting its discontents and its deviousness.

Argentinean actress Elena Rogers is physically slight but wiry, with a strong voice; more Eva Peron than Patti LuPone. If she spoils the Broadway illusion, she also happens to bring the show—and the historical fact of female political behavior—a certain ethnic realism it’s never had before.

Follow Armond White on Twitter @3xchair This article appeared in a previous issue of CityArts. Visit them at cityarts.info.

� FAM I LY C O R N E R

Living at Its Greenest A roundup of residential buildings that offer special amenities for eco-minded fami lies

The CiTizen, Chelsea This spacious, architecturally stunning building on West 23rd Street meets all LEED energy efficiency qualifications, making it one of the greenest residential buildings in Manhattan. The triplelayered windows let natural light in and keep noise pollution out. Walls are specially formatted for soundproofing and have an extra layer of drywall for quiet serenity. The building boasts low-flow toilets for water efficiency and multiple secure bike storage spots. Should you need public transportation, The Citizen is located within blocks of major subway lines. The neighborhood is lively and buzzing with young families, providing playmates for your little ones and the perfect culture boost.

Agent: Shelley O’Keefe, The Corcoran Group, 212-839-0124

| By ElizABEth RAymond

emerald Green, midTown wesT Centrally located at 320 W. 38th St., Emerald Green offers eco-minded living with style, functionality and spectacular views from all angles. This pair of 24-story towers, encompassing a total of 568 apartments, is Glenwood’s very first LEED-certified rental building. Living up to its name, Emerald Green has been designed according to ecological guidelines with features like sustainable bamboo wood flooring, VOC-free interior finishes and water-efficient plumbing. Other green features include a parking garage complete with electric car charging stations. With families in mind, Emerald Green also has a hand-painted children’s playroom and a screening room with theater-style seating. The neighborhood offers a wide variety of shopping, food and fun— and boasts plenty of parks and schools.

Agent: Glenwood, 212-695-3838 The helena, midTown wesT With its Gold status, The Helena on West 57th Street is the first voluntary LEED-certified residential building in the city. The building’s green features include recycled materials that produce less waste output, a blackwater system and extensive solar paneling. While at least 50 percent of The Helena’s purchased energy is windgenerated, it also offers glass walls to maximize sunlight and reduce electrical needs.

Additionally, the spacious apartments sport amazing views and tons of room for the little ones to run and grow. The Helena comes with valet and cleaning services, a fitness room and a children’s playroom.

Plus, the building is pet-friendly, so Fido can make himself right at home.

Agent: James Manning, Durst Fetner Residential, 212-262-6500

new York FamilY newsleTTer

For tips on local parenting resources, shopping and weekend events, sign up for a weekly e-newsletter at newyorkfamily.com

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 edition of New York Family, newyorkfamily.com. new York bY GehrY, FinanCial disTriCT This much-admired building (towering at 76 stories!) is located at 8 Spruce St. and boasts a ton of amazing amenities such as a fitness center, 50-foot swimming pool and indoor secure bike storage.

Eco-minded touches include the installation of Energy Star appliances and use of low-emitting paints, coatings and sealants as well as regionally manufactured and recycled materials. The New York by Gehry has truly unique views and the neighborhood is family-friendly and hip to boot. To top it off, the building is pet-friendly and boasts a tweens’ den, children’s playroom and screening room with Gehry-designed amphitheatre seating.

Agent: Citi Habitats Marketing Group, 212-877-2220

APR I L 26, 2012 | nYPR E SS.com

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� DI N I N G Kutsher’s Serves Modern Jewish Cuisine—No, Really The Tribeca restaurant is baffling and delighting the skeptics

| By Regan Hofmann To talk to Zach Kutsher is to become convinced that opening a Catskills-resort-themed restaurant in Tribeca, modernizing American Jewish cooking was the most reasonable thing in the world to do. But step back and look at those elements individually—the Catskills?

Didn’t they shut down the year after people stopped putting Baby in a corner? And Jewish food? Don’t you mean a deli?

But why would you put a deli in Tribeca, around the corner from the perennially wait-listing Locanda Verde and other dimly lit Downtown hotspots, and why would you give it a birch-lined, soaring dining room with atomicera brass light fixtures and soft white walls?

In Kutsher’s eyes, it all comes together.

He is the heir to the Kutsher’s Country Club throne, the stalwart upstate summer resort/ sleepaway camp that was a haven for tristate Jews and non-Jews alike from its opening in 1907 to its heyday in the ’40s and ’50s and its

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nostalgic, elderly slide through the ’80s. He is truly to the manor born, though it wasn’t always clear he would end up assuming his crown. “There was no future in the industry” when he entered the workforce, he said. “I never wanted to get into it.”

Instead, Kutsher followed the now well-known millennial path of law school, corporate work, downsizing, re-evaluation, culinary school. But while most such paths end up with a small business owner slinging cupcakes in South Williamsburg, Kutsher veered to hospitality, his genetic destiny.

“Over the years, I’d met so many people who had been to Kutsher’s. I’ve always been interested in food and its ability to speak to people, and this seemed like a way to tap into peoples’ emotional consciousness in a personally rewarding way,” he said.

Much has been written about the restaurant’s smart, amusing food at this point.

The New York Times’ Pete Wells likened it to Springtime for Hitler, the shock hit playwithin-a-play in The Producers, and New York Magazine’s Adam Platt labeled his review “Building a Better Gefilte Fish.” Everybody

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

Kutsher’s latkes, topped with caviar, salmon roe and wasabi tobiko.

PHOTO BY EVAN SUNG

had written off Jewish cooking, it seemed, except Kutsher himself and the restaurant’s chef, Mark Spangenfeld, who “has a lot of New York Times stars under his belt but is a nice Jewish boy from Great Neck.”

“We wanted to redefine, elevate and advance the cuisine,” he explained. That mantra informs the now-elegant disks of chopped wild halibut topped with microgreens in the aforementioned gefilte fish. You’re not going to forget that its the Passover staple, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the jellied balls floating in cloudy jars that roll out every year. Latkes come topped with three kinds of caviar, including a brightly wasabi tobiko and a salty salmon roe.

“We wanted to have fun with it,” Kutsher said. “You know, to call yourself farm-to-table—what does that mean? You can basically do whatever you want and call it American.

We’ve given ourselves a challenge, real limitations to work within.”

Intelligently sourced ingredients is one key to the food’s success; it’s hard to malign the

grilled Romanian skirt steak the way others do when you’re using prime meat—something no other restaurateurs bother to do. Mushrooms aren’t just brown flecks in gravy when they’re wild varieties; they’re sautéed gently and featured prominently in the kreplach.

It’s all a resounding success with customers young and old, Kutsher’s regulars and goyim who’ve never heard of the place—save for one small, vocal contingent. “There are some people who, once you start making something they or their relatives make, you piss them off,” he laughed. “They feel the need to come up and tell you theirs is better.”

Still, on a Saturday night the restaurant is packed with families, couples and groups drinking cocktail rife with housemade syrups and infused liquors, glossed up with names like the Bungalow Bunny and The Deep End. “It’s like a bar mitzvah on steroids,” Kutsher said.

A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT: OPENING FALL 2012 IN NEW YORK.

AVENUES NYC CAMPUS ON THE HIGH LINE

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continuing education

Landing a Dream Job 101 Baruch seminar focuses on better ways to find a job

By Rachel Stern

W

hen Arlene Newman, founder of Career Bound Success, was hiring director at The Leading Hotels of the World, a Baruch College student sent her a résumé for a summer internship.

While the student had a stellar background, Newman dismissed her after catching a few spelling and grammatical errors on her CV. But the girl’s professor called Newman, told her the applicant spoke English as a second language and convinced her to give the college junior another chance.

Newman later hired the hard-working student for a full-time position and now uses the story as an example of how presentation is vital to snagging one’s dream job—and not getting glossed over by hiring managers swamped by other candidates.

“The cover letter and résumé should be error-free,” said Newman, who will be imparting more of her

seasoned knowledge to job seekers in her “Fundamentals of a Successful Job Search” course on Friday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Held at Baruch College, the course is open to the public and costs $99 to enroll.

Through personal anecdotes and hands-on exercises, Newman will cover everything from online networking skills to the importance of attitude in the job search.

“The job search is all about networking, whether online or personally,” said Newman, pointing out that employers will trust the recommendations of other employers far more than job search engines such as Monster.com.

Yet, having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile—especially one outfitted with keywords about skills and descriptive job information—can also catch the eye of recruiters.

“It’s all about distinguishing yourself— determining your strengths and what sets you apart,” she said.

Newman said presentation during the interview itself—whether over the phone

or in person—is also important. For example, applicants should have a firm handshake with eye contact, sit up straight and smile when talking, she said.

Newman will also talk about honing personal image and projecting a positive attitude—which some applicants inadvertently lose as they become frustrated by the job search, she said.

One of Newman’s clients was stuck in a job search limbo for nine months, she said, before landing a job.

“I helped her hone her ‘elevator pitch’ to be more succinct and to the point,” said Newman, who will be helping every student in her class craft their own spiel to present to employers.

She will also include advice about the post-interview process, such as sending a hand-written thank-you note rather than just an email.

“It differentiates you from every job seeker,” said Newman, who has hired applicants who took the extra effort to give a personal touch.

Newman worked as director of human

Arlene Newman will be sharing her job search tips May 4 at Baruch College. resources at places such as the Food Network, Leading Hotels of the World and Jaeger Sportswear before founding Career Bound Success in 2010. Located on the Upper East Side, the company specializes in equipping college students, alumni and professionals with the skills they need to land their dream job—advice she carries to her career seminar at Baruch.

“A lot of people will get out of the seminar a sense of confidence,” said Newman.

FLAGSHIP FLAGSHIP MEMBER MEMBER OF OF THE THE MERITAS MERITAS FAMILY FAMILY OF OF SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

Think ahead. ahead. What What will will your your child child need need to to navigate navigate the the world world of of today today -- and and tomorrow? tomorrow? The The Think courage courage to to question question “what “what is. is.”” The The curiosity curiosity to to ask ask “what “what if. if.”” The The creativity creativity to to imagine imagine “what “what could could be.”” And And the the confidence confidence to to ask ask “why. “why.”” At At Leman Leman Manhattan Manhattan – – we we take take critical critical thinking thinking seriously. seriously. be.

Whether Whether our our students students are are learning learning American American History, History, Geometry Geometry or or how how to to play play aa team team sport, sport, we we inspire them them to to ask ask thoughtful thoughtful questions, questions, use use high-order high-order reasoning reasoning and and solve solve complex complex problems. problems. inspire Think small. small. Our Our students students benefit benefit from from small small group group and and one-on-one one-on-one instruction. instruction. And And our our Think Personal Personal Learning Learning Plan Plan (PLP) (PLP) is is an an individually individually tailored tailored plan plan focused focused on on achieving achieving unsurpassed unsurpassed student learning learning and and personal personal growth. growth. Just Just as as all all of of our our students students are are unique, unique, no no two two PLPs PLPs are are the the student same. same. Each Each PLP PLP not not only only addresses addresses skills skills needing needing improvement, improvement, but but also also offers offers challenges challenges in in areas areas of student student strength strength and and interest. interest. of Think locally. locally. Located Located in in the the heart heart of of historic historic downtown downtown Manhattan, Manhattan, Léman Léman Manhattan Manhattan is is aa Think vibrant, vibrant, world-class, world-class, 21st 21st century century preparatory preparatory school school that that serves serves students students from from early early childhood childhood starting with with 3s 3s through through Grade Grade 12.

12. starting Think globally. globally. We We are are the the only only preparatory preparatory school school in in Manhattan Manhattan that that offers offers students students internainternaThink tional tional learning learning opportunities opportunities beginning beginning in in 2nd 2nd grade grade at at our our established established sister sister campuses campuses in in Europe, Europe, Asia, Latin Latin America America and and throughout throughout the the United United States.

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Asia, Think on on your your feet. feet. We We develop develop strong strong bodies bodies along along with with strong strong minds. minds. Our Our state-of-the state-of-the art art Think facilities facilities include: include: 25 25 yard yard competition competition pools pools in in each each campus, campus, rock rock climbing climbing wall, wall, regulation regulation size size gyms aa personal personal training training room room and and aa large, large, roof roof play play area area for for children. children. gyms Think out out loud. loud. In In our our art art studios, studios, music music rooms, rooms, professional professional performing performing arts arts auditoriums auditoriums and and Think recording recording studio, studio, our our students students develop develop their their passions, passions, explore explore their their interests, interests, realize realize their their potential potential and have have fun. fun. and Think fast. fast. Leman Leman Manhattan Manhattan is is now now accepting accepting applications applications for for 2012: 2012: 3s 3s program program -- High High School School Think

Contact Contact Janet Janet Barrett, Barrett, Director Director of of Admissions Admissions (212) (212) 232-0266 232-0266 ext. ext. 259 259 j.barrett@lemanmanhattan.org www.lemanmanhattan.org. www.lemanmanhattan.org. j.barrett@lemanmanhattan.org 24 

N N•TOWN April| A26, O•U ROUR TOW TOW N : D OW P R I 2012 L 26, 2012

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

continuing education

Applying Early to College Pays Off

By David Stoll

T

Will Hart

he story this month seems to be that it is harder than ever to gain admission to a selective college.

Harvard, for example, admitted just 5.9 percent of its 34,302 applicants this spring, down from 6.2 percent last year.

However, this trend should be viewed in a larger perspective—one that suggests that applying early remains an important part of the admissions process.

The Harvard story is instructive.

Harvard reinstated early admissions, in the form of nonbinding early action, this year. A full 772 students—18 percent of early applicants—were offered early admission, a number representing nearly half the size of the entering class. Harvard naturally assumed that the yield (the percent who will eventually accept) would be high. Thus, fewer students were offered regular admission this year, making that larger pool even more competitive.

Harvard is not alone. Princeton offered admission to 21 percent of its early applicants, who would fill more than half the class if they all accepted. The 15 percent accepted early by Yale would also fill

more than half the class. The University Leagues, admitted nearly 25 percent of of Chicago admitted over 18 percent of its early applicants, filling 38 percent of its early applicants; because Chicago’s yield class. Williams College admitted over 42 is lower than those of the Ivy Leagues percent of applicants, representing 43 (despite its stellar reputation), the school admitted more people early than it has freshman slots.

Locally, Fordham admitted more than 45 percent of its applicants early, also admitting more students than there are slots.

The early decision story is even more interesting. Applying early decision involves a binding promise to attend the school if accepted.

Columbia University admitted more than Harvard University.

20 percent of its early applicants, filling 45 percent of its fresh- percent of its class. Locally, NYU admitman class before most people had even ted nearly 46 percent of early applicants, submitted their applications. University representing 29 percent of the class. of Pennsylvania admitted more than 25 What do these numbers mean? percent of its early applicants, filling 47 Applying early decision is wise for a percent of its freshman class. competitive student who has a clear first Duke, as competitive as the Ivy choice and for whom financial aid is not

an issue. For such a student, the odds of acceptance are higher, because the student is showing an interest, the school will accept a higher percentage of applicants and there will be fewer slots available for those applying regular decision.

On the other hand, someone uncertain about attending a school should not apply early decision as a means of gaming the system; attending a good-fit school is well worth the wait.

Applying early action is also wise, and financial aid need not be a consideration yet. While chances of admission are not quite as high at an early action school as at an equivalently selective early decision school, the odds for a competitive student are still are better than they would be in April. Do note that some early action schools, including Harvard, Princeton and Yale, will not permit early applicants to apply early to other schools. Thus, it may be better to apply to other schools early to allow for more possible options.

David Stoll is a premier tutor and college admissions counselor at The Princeton Review.

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A p r il 2 6 , 2 0 1APR 2 •I L w s id e s irs.it 2 6es , 2t 012 | nyp rp es c o •m

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continuing education

A Guide to Educational Sumer Day Camps

By Meghan Gearino, Kat Harrison and Elizabeth Raymond

W

e doubt that anyone thinks of New York City as a summer camp mecca—but by most standards, it really is. Consider all the children’s activity centers and enrichment programs that the city is blessed with—some go on hiatus and some slow down in the summertime, offering the same programming but less of it, but many others take what they do best and build wonderful day camps around their core offerings.

Academic Keep your kiddo’s mind fresh this August with the academic day camp offered by Drake Bennett Summer Schools. Divided into two sessions and housed at The Epiphany School, 1st-6th graders can brush up with lessons in literacy, math and science, while chess and drama pepper the afternoon hours.

Or join Mathnasium for their Summer Re-Boot Camp. Specifically for 2nd-8th graders, this half-day camp is filled with math-centric games and activities.

Language Set your kid on the fast track to becoming bilingual. Collina Italiana is offering Italian Summer in the City Camp, which includes Italian-infused music, theater, movies, cartoons and museum outings.

Children as young as 3 can start learning “bonjour” and “merci” at the French Institute Alliance Française, where culture and language will be taught through stories and workshops.

The Language Workshop for Children is a great tool to get your child speaking like a native. Offering summer camps in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese, immersion activities include costume days, arts and crafts, baking and birthday celebrations.

Media Future video game creators will love the options in Summer Media Camp through the Museum of the Moving Image, where campers get to flex their software muscles learning animation, live action video and more. Or send your wannabe MTV VJ to New York Film Academy’s one-week Music Video Camp, designed for kids with little or no knowledge (but a

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O U R TOW N : D OW N TOWN | A P R I L 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 • O UR TOW N • April 26, 2012

passion) for the industry. And let’s not forget about summer camp at Take Two Film Academy, which will show your budding director the ins and outs of production, acting and editing. Each student gets to keep an online and DVD copy of their final product to show off to friends and family!

Nature Wonder about wildlife? Kids ages 8-12 can get friendly with hyenas and lions at the Bronx Zoo’s Animal Kingdom Camp, where they will observe creatures up close and learn how to best protect an animal’s habitat. Taking full advantage of Prospect Park, the Park Explorers’ Camp Explorers program is ideal for the elementary school set. Be prepared to get a little dirty as this camp takes a hands-on approach to Mother Nature—think sprinklers, hill rolling and a host of field trips.

And regardless of where you live, an awesome camp adventure awaits with NYC Parks Experience Summer Camp. With locations in every borough, this überaffordable camp provides structured hiking, swimming and sports.

Science Inquisitive young minds will love the American Museum of Natural History’s Fossils and DNA Camp, where they can explore the evolutionary timeline. If your elementary school-aged child is more into constructing and electronic, the range of camp choices at Launch Math will give him or her the chance to build rockets and robots or design video games.

Budding scientists can use the city as their laboratory with the SciTech Kids Summer Camp. In Central Park, campers build solar ovens, learn about gravity thanks to the thrills of Victorian Gardens and make a few insect friends.

Visit newyorkfamily.com for even more day camp options.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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continuing education

Notes on Getting Teen Students Better Organized

One-On-One Tutoring and Intensive Summer Programs Grades Pre-K to 12

By Dr. Emily Levy

A

s students progress through school, their organizational demands increase rapidly. They are required to complete lengthier assignments, take detailed notes, study for exams and transport more materials.

For many students, these organizational demands can be daunting, and they often become lost and utterly disorganized in this process.

Most students lack a system for consistently organizing all of their papers, notes, handouts and tests. By learning and implementing the three-tier organizational system below, students will become much more organized and systematic with all of the loose papers that come their way.

So how does it work?

The three-tier notebook organization system is composed of the following three parts: a working notebook, reserve notebook a and long-term filing drawer.

The Working Notebook. This is the notebook that should be taken to school on a regular basis. It can be set up in the form of one three-ring binder with separate tabs for each class or in the form of one color-coded spiral notebook (for taking notes) and one folder (for handouts and homework) for each class. What is most important about the working notebook, however, is that it only contains papers that your child absolutely needs to be carrying with him to school.

One day per week (you should help your child choose this day and have him write it down directly in his assignment book each week) will be designated as his clean-out-my-working-notebookday. On this day, he will clean out all the papers that he no longer needs to take to school with him and file them in his reserve notebook.

Improve Up to TWO GRADE LEVELS!

The Reserve Notebook. The reserve notebook should actually take the form of a large, multisection accordion folder. For each class, there will be three sections in the accordion folder: one for homework, one for class notes and one for tests or quizzes. For example, for math, your child would have sections labeled “math homework,” “math class notes” and “math tests/quizzes.” He would have similar sections for English, science, social studies, and all other classes. Remember that the working notebook should be cleaned out and transferred to the reserve notebook on a weekly basis.

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Reading comprehension & writing Multi-sensory math Phonics instruction & reading fluency State test preparation Study & organizational skills Orton Gillingham instruction Specialized programs for students with dyslexia, ADD and learning disabilities Home tutoring available in NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Westchester and New Jersey Our Director Dr. Levy personally performs all assessments

The Long-Term Filing Drawer. At the end of the semester or school year, if your child has written a stellar essay, completed a notable project or scored sky-high on a particular exam, you may want to save this work for the long-run.

This information should be placed into a filing drawer for long-term safekeeping (you should be in charge of this drawer).

You might want to help your child set up this system and encourage him to maintain it on a regular basis. Within weeks you’ll notice that your child is more organized, structured, and systematic in his approach to managing his loose papers and his overall workload.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching (www. eblcoaching.com) which offers tutoring and organizational coaching.

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APR I L 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 | nyp r e s s. c o m

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� B I K E M O NTH NYC Throwback Threads for Vintage Cycling Enthusiasts How Brits brought tweed back to New York City | BY Mike Vidafar

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Street Kings has over 85 years of combined messenger experience.

We understand the importance of convenient, professional service in rain, heat, sleet or snow. We are dedicated to working hard to make your work easier.

At Street Kings, we also understand the importance of healthy communities. We contribute ten cents from every delivery we make to groups that share this value, including BreastCancer.org. By utilizing our service, you arehelping us to give more. Mention you saw us in the Ultimate Guide to Bike Month.

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20

Ted Young-Ing was just an ordinary British cyclist in 2009, when he became the new owner of a pair of plus fours (pants that extend four inches beyond the knee). He had no idea that by the end of that year, he would have changed the landscape of “period cycling” faster than he managed to change into his new threads.

The recipe, Young-Ing discovered, was that he found a way to merge his two loves: turn-of-the-century British garments and bicycles. His brainchild is called Tweed Run, and the enthusiasm surrounding it is hard to deny. To onlookers, it’s the equivalent of a social time capsule, each event expelling a generation hardened (or lost) to two world wars onto a modern landscape for an afternoon reprieve.

While it does stand as tribute to England’s past, Tweed Run’s success is also a product of the personal atmosphere event

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

organizer Jacqui Shannon has instituted in the three years since that inaugural circuit.

With a 500-person limit (any more would make tea-time impractical), Tweed Run maintains a measure of exclusivity traditionally reserved for a turn-of-thecentury golf clubhouse. Events have the feel of a members-only gathering, with like-minded cyclists chosen at random via lottery. There’s also an understood adherence to the now-famous line first addressed to the original 2009 participants: “Now look here: proper attire is expected, bowties, cravats, vintage race jerseys and plus fours!”

Supplementing their fashionable joyrides, Tweed Runners are catered to with afternoon tea and a soiree at the end of the circuit. Adding to the festivities are good-humored awards and enthusiastic onlookers.

As for their adventures across the pond, on Oct. 15, 2011, Young-Ing and Shannon gave New Yorkers their first opportunity to take a trip back in time. The tweedsters, who regularly garnish their passports and take to riding abroad, were met by hundreds of participants eager to

take a refined ride through Lower Manhattan, with afternoon tea to be served in Foley Square. However, the inaugural NYC event (sponsored by Rugby Ralph Lauren) was forced to amend its cycling circuit, as circumstance had its way.

“It was a very unfortunate coincidence that the protests on Wall Street [Occupy Wall Street] were occurring and that the city had given us Foley Square for the tea stop. We really wanted to do the full ride, but with everything going on, we were advised not to,” said Shannon. “We ended up doing a shorter version…but we’d like the chance to come back and show New Yorkers how London does Tweed Run.” With authentic British resolve, New Yorkers didn’t let the circumstantial abbreviation put a damper on their day.

Instead, Tweed Run transformed into a day-long outdoor festival in the area surrounding the Ralph Lauren Rugby Store at 99 University Place in Noho. With featured events and prizes, (including awards for Best Dressed and Best Moustache) YoungIng and Shannon managed to hold a strikingly memorable first go in the Big Apple.

“New York City has a strong bike scene and I’m lucky enough to know Brendt

Barbur, the founder of The Bicycle Film Festival. [Barbur] and his team were super helpful at every step of our planning for New York,” said Shannon. Looking ahead, Young-Ing has revealed plans for another New York City Tweed Run, tentatively scheduled for spring 2013.

As usual, they hope to rally nearly 500 participants to take to the streets, decked in tweed—just in time for the Big Apple’s annual ripening.

For now, Young-Ing and Shannon have returned to London. Their impending cruise, scheduled for May 6, 2012, continues to draw the attention of a wide cross-section; history buffs, vintage cycling enthusiasts and Britophiles all vie for a chance to ride.

And for Tweed Run, there’s no international bias—Americans are welcome to put their names in the hat in the hope of joining the tweedsters wherever they ride.

Indeed, Shannon notes on Tweed Run’s website that lottery spots are chosen well in advance to give international participants ample time to plan ahead.

For the cycling community, it’s time to take notice: where there’s tea, vintage one-speeders and hundreds of cyclists who look like they’ve pedaled straight out of a Sherlock Holmes story, there cannot be any doubt as to who’s behind it. It’s Tweed Run—those dapper dames and proper gents who have perfected the art of cycling transposition.

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A tweedster during a winter jaunt. Photo by ben bRoomfIeLd

For more information on Tweed Run, visit tweedrun.com or follow them on twitter @tweedrun.

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The Truth About Vein Care...

It’s Really Not About Being Vain

Healthy Manhattan a monthly advertising supplement

Michael J. Gelb

Brain Exercise Visit either our Manhattan or Morristown office: New York, NY 530 First Avenue, Suite 6D 1-877-VEIN-NYU (834-6698) Morristown, NJ 95 Madison Avenue, Suite 415 1-973-538-2000

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O U R TOW N D OW NTOWN | A P R I L 2 6 , 2 0 1 1

Author remembers his age as he develops memory techniques

By Ashley Welch Authors Michael J. Gelb and Kelly Howell recently released Brain Power: Improve Your Mind As You Age, a book that attempts to demystify the long-standing belief that memory declines with age and offers simple tricks and techniques to improve brain activity and enhance overall mental well-being.

Gelb, who leads seminars around the world on the subject, has written 12 books, including How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius

Every Day and Innovate Like Edison: The Five-Step System for Breakthrough Business Success. He has won a number of awards, including the Brain Trust Charity’s “Brain of the Year” award. A former professional juggler, Gelb once performed with The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

We spoke with Gelb about their new book, the biggest misconception people have about memory and aging and the different methods people can use to increase their mental acuity.

Why did you decide to write this book?

I wrote it for two reasons. One is because there are tens of millions of baby boomers who need to read it—the book provides simple lifestyle and attitude changes people can make so they can live Continued on page 23

Healthy Manhattan From page 23

happier and more fulfilling lives. There’s a personal reason, too. I’m approaching 60 myself, so I’m at an age where I’m thinking about my memory and mental well-being.

Why were you a good person to coauthor it?

I have been passionately studying the mind and how to develop it for a very long time. And I don’t just study it theoretically; I put the techniques I talk about to practice in my everyday life. At my age, I’m a good candidate to try them out. I also lecture all over the world and see them work in the people in the audiences. I’ve also closely studied some of the greatest minds in history, including Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, when writing my books.

What kind of research went into writing the book?

I studied a variety of research to see what the average person can do as they get older to strengthen their memory.

I interviewed experts in the field, including physicians, gerontologists and neuroscientists.

My goal was to discover what simple, research-validated techniques there are to improve our mental well-being.

strengthen the immune system. Practicing your balance also helps. Try standing on one leg or a balance board. It’s important to keep strengthening and nurturing your balance.

What are some quick tips and techniques people can do every day?

The most important thing people can do is learn something new every day for just 15 minutes. Get out of your habitual rut and do something different. This could be reading a book, learning about a new subject, having a lively conversation, going to a museum or playing a brain game. It should be challenging and stimulate your mind. Another technique is to use your non-dominant hand for 15 minutes.

What would you say is your favorite tip?

One of the best reactions I get from people who hear me speak is when I tell them to take a daily dose of GFH—that’s gratitude, forgiveness and humor. These are really simple things that anecdotal wisdom tells us is good for us, but now there is scientific backing that validate their benefits.

“You never hear [a forgetful child] say ‘I’m having a junior moment.’”

What is the biggest misconception people have about memory?

Most people think that their memory is doomed to decline and they are destined to forget everything when they get older. That’s totally absurd. Even when people are young, if they forget something they say, “Oh, I’m having a senior moment.” But ask any elementary school teacher; kids forget things all the time. They don’t dwell on it, though. You never hear them say, “I’m having a junior moment.” They just move on with their day. It’s when people start commiserating with each other that they’re getting older and are forgetting everything—they begin to self-hypnotize and they actually do start forgetting things.

What are some things people can do to improve memory in the long run?

Exercise is key. Getting the blood pumping to deliver oxygen to the brain helps improve mental activity. Weight training and tai chi both improve posture, strengthen the ligaments and muscles and

At what age should people start actively working to improve their memory?

I recommend doing these things if you want to maintain mental acuity at any age. It’s flat-out common sense for living a happy and fulfilling life. It’s never too early to start.

However, as you get older, your margin of error declines. In your twenties, you can get away with abusing your body, but that gets harder in your forties and even harder in your fifties. So as you get older, it’s something you should think about more and more.

Did you come across any controversy in the scientific community on these subjects as you conducted research for the book?

One neuroscientist argued that we do lose brain cells as we get older. And I don’t dispute that. However, we both came to the agreement that it is not so much the number of brain cells we have but how we use them. The goal is to use them often and extensively.

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❯ S O C I ET Y MANHATTAN MEDIA

PRESIDENT/CEO Tom Allon tallon@manhattanmedia.com GROUP PUBLISHER Alex Schweitzer aschweitzer@manhattanmedia.com CFO/COO Joanne Harras jharras@manhattanmedia.com

EDITORIAL

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advertising@manhattanmedia.com PUBLISHER Gerry Gavin ggavin@manhattanmedia.com DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Dan Newman ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Mary Ann Oklesson ADVERTISING MANAGER Marty Strongin SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR Jim Katocin SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Verne Vergara, Mike Suscavage DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & MARKETING Joanna Virello jvirello@manhattanmedia.com EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT OF SALES Jennie Valenti jvalenti@manhattanmedia.com

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CONTROLLER Shawn Scott CREDIT MANAGER Kathy Pollyea BILLING COORDINATOR Colleen Conklin CIRCULATION Joe Bendik circ@manhattanmedia.com

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Brad Goreski

WE ASK NEW YORK NOTABLES OUR VERSION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE MADE FAMOUS BY MARCEL PROUST. PHOTO BY TOMMY GRACE BY BRAVO

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Allen Houston ahouston@manhattanmedia.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marissa Maier mmaier@manhattanmedia.com SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR Josh Rogers jrogers@manhattanmedia.com FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Whitney Casser, Penny Gray, Tom Hall, Regan Hofmann, Mary Morris, Robby Ritacco, Lillian Rizzo, Paulette Safdieh CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS George Denison, Veronica Hoglund, Wyatt Kostygan, Andrew Schwartz INTERNS Andrew Rice, Patricia Voulgaris

The World According to Brad Goreski has been captivated by the world of fashion since picking up his first issue of Vogue at the age of 12. Decked in a signature blazer, bow tie and Oliver Peoples frames and muttering catchphrases and unforgettable one-liners, he was the breakout star of Bravo’s The Rachel Zoe Project, working as her good-natured assistant. After a highly publicized split last year, Brad has struck out on his own, picking up celebrity clients like Jessica Alba, styling magazine photo shoots and starring in his own show, It’s a Brad, Brad World, on the same network.

Whether it comes to doling out style advice or walking the red carpet in sequined shoes, he is constantly proving that taking bold risks is always in fashion, on and off the runway.

At what address would you like to live?

147 Mercer St., in room 214.

When did you first feel like a New Yorker? What happened?

When I interned at Vogue. I was 24 and living in the West Village down the street from Sarah Jessica Parker.

It was all very Carrie Bradshaw.

What is your favorite watering hole for lunch? For dinner?

Lunch at Fred’s, dinner at ABC Kitchen.

What newspaper column do you read first in the morning?

WWD. Who is the smartest New Yorker you know?

Anderson Cooper…even though I don’t know him. I think he’s smart.

OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN is published weekly Copyright © 2012 Manhattan Media, LLC 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10016 Editorial (212) 284-9734 Fax (212) 268-2935 Advertising (212) 284-9715 General (212) 268-8600 E-mail: otdowntown@manhattanmedia.com Website: NYpress.com OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN is a division of Manhattan Media, LLC, publisher of West Side Spirit, Chelsea Clinton News, The Westsider, City & State, The Blackboard Awards, New York Family, and Avenue magazine.

To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016 Recognized for excellence by the New York Press Association

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Who is the funniest?

My boyfriend, Gary Janetti.

Who is your favorite dinner partner?

My girls: Danielle, Tracy, Annebet and Casey.

What is the hardest part about living in New York?

How expensive it is to live here on a daily basis.

What’s your favorite New York sound?

Good music in a club. I love a dance party.

Who do you most admire?

James Lecesne. He is one of the founders of the Trevor Project and I admire how much he does for other people. He’s a true living angel.

What’s your most embarrassing New York moment?

Being told I couldn’t come into the club Avenue because I was wearing shorts. They were Thom Browne!

What brought you to New York?

Desire to work in fashion.

What’s your worst-dressed New York moment?

Setting sail on the Queen Mary 2 wearing a full Tom Ford for Gucci western look, including GG logo belt and silk neck scarf.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A back-up dancer for Lady Gaga.

What’s your favorite transportation moment in the city?

Anything involving an Escalade.

This article originally appeared in the March 2012 edition of Avenue, avenueinsider.com.

OU R TOWN DOWNTOWN | APR I L 26, 2012

ON TOPIC

Etan Patz and Growing Up in NYC The city was less safe then, but parents were also less protective

T

he name Etan Patz conjures up so much for so many in New York City.

If you’re under 30, it is likely to draw a blank stare, but for many others it’s different, particularly if you were growing up in the city around 1979, when Patz, a 6-year-old Soho boy, disappeared on his first solo trip to school.

“Mom used to say, ‘You’ll end up like Etan Patz and no one will ever see you again’ when I walked too far ahead in NYC as a kid,’” @AlexSalta wrote on Twitter last week. “It worked.”

Patz was a trending topic this week and last as investigators went back to a Soho basement to dig for clues with a new suspect in the case. It’s the kind of story that grips you every time it resurfaces, although it probably didn’t change behaviors as much as people think.

Peggy Schneider, naturally, was thinking about Patz this week, since she was in middle school in Manhattan when the boy disappeared—but then again, she thinks about Patz and his parents a lot.

“I can still see his smiling face; I have probably thought about it once a month for my entire life,” she said in a phone interview.

Her friend was Patz’ babysitter, so she had a personal connection, but even that was not enough to change her habits.

She still traveled the city on her own as a young teen.

So did I and most of my friends. The city was less safe in the ’80s, yet many parents then were much less protective than they are now.

Columnist Lenore Skenazy got a lot of mileage a few years ago when she wrote about letting her 9-year-old son ride the subway alone, and has since expanded the column into a movement to promote raising “Free-Range Kids.” Her column would never have drawn the uproar 30 years ago that it did in 2008.

I was a few years older than Skenazy’s son when I began riding the subway

with a friend, but around the 3rd grade, I began walking to school alone—of course, that simply involved crossing a street that my parents could see from our window. My friends and I would play ball after school with other neighborhood kids, and we managed to do it without refs or adult supervision.

Still, I didn’t have to cross any streets to get to the concrete “field,” and I know things will be different when my son reaches the age when we have to start making these impossible decisions.

There is a lot to be said for letting kids figure it out for themselves, but the rub is deciding when to do it and how much to let go.

Schneider’s youngest sister, Zoe, 40, is a year older than Patz would be today.

She doesn’t remember being reigned in much growing up, but somewhere between then and now, city parents began tightening the leashes for better and, perhaps, for worse.

She may be more tapped into this generation of New Yorkers than anyone; she is the organizer of Magic Garden, a large monthly party for people who grew

up in the city, giving them a chance to meet people who don’t ask, “What was that like?”

She used josh rogers to come home late at night from babysitting gigs when she was young, but her immediate neighborhood in Tudor City was shielded from cars. Now in Harlem, she said “it is really scary” to think about her children someday walking by themselves near so much traffic.

“Babysitting at age 9 is crazy, but it was what it was,” she said. “It all worked out and everyone made it through.”

Not that parents didn’t worry quietly.

Mine are fuzzy about how Patz affected their thinking, but my mother does remember me taking the train to high school in the Bronx. It wasn’t all that long after Patz disappeared.

“I always say I spent four years looking out the window,” she told me.

New Site.

New Content.

Newly relevant.

APR I L 26, 2012 | nYPR E SS.com

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