Our Town Downtown November 2, 2011

NOVEMBER 3, 2011 | www.otdowntown.com

N E I G H B O R H OOD CHAT TE R � Why Let the Billionaires

Have all the Fun?

OCCuPY WALL STREET OuT IN THE COLD: The winter weather is setting in a little earlier than expected. According to the National Weather Service, the snow on Saturday, Oct. 29, was a rare, early-season storm that broke several historic Northeast records for this month. Central Park charted 2.9 inches of snowfall. Photographer Scot Surbeck found his way to Zuccotti Park and snapped this image of protesters braving the sleet and frigid temps. Surbeck's work can be found at cityclickr.net. PhOtO By ScOt SuRBEck

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WALL STREET OWS MASS LETTER DELIVERY Organized by OccupyTheBoardRoom. org and OWS Direct Action, a mass march took place on Friday, Oct. 28. Protesters, including foreclosure victims, unemployed New Yorkers and students with debt, split into two groups and marched from Bryant Park, delivering letters “from the 99 percent to the 1 percent” at the headquarters of Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase.

SAFETY CONCERNS ARISE AT OWS Last Friday, Oct. 28, members of the Fire Department of New York and the New York City Police Department reportedly confiscated six generators and biodiesel fuel from people camping out in Zuccotti Park on the grounds that the items were potential fire hazards.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Council Member Margaret Chin released the following statement that day in response to community concerns about OWS: “We continue to work with the city, OWS and all stakeholders to respond to community concerns. Fire hazards like generators and gas affect both the community and the protestors. We are glad that there were no incidents as the FDNY carried out its safety inspection this morning.

“Other major issues remain, specifically noise, sanitation and access related to barricades. We’ve met with the city and, today, Borough President Stringer and Senator Squadron met with representatives of OWS who have been designated to work with the local community to address these ongoing concerns.”

LOWER MANHATTAN ICONIC SHOPS CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARIES Today through Sunday, Nov. 6, J&R Music & Computer World and Century 21 Department Store will celebrate their 40th and 50th anniversaries, respectively. The

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businesses, just a few blocks from each other in Lower Manhattan, have partnered up to launch a special gift card promotion during this time. Shoppers who spend $100 or more at J&R will receive a $10 Century 21 gift card and tote, while shoppers who spend $100 or more at Century 21 get a $10 J&R gift card and tote.

LOWER EAST SIDE CHIN RALLIES TO PROTECT P.S. 137 Council Member Margaret Chin attended a rally on Tuesday, Oct. 25 to support the P.S. 137 community in the Lower East Side. Although the Department of Education hasn’t officially ordered the school to close, school officials have been warned that its doors might be shuttered due to low performance.

That day, Chin also sent a letter to City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, noting that P.S. 137 has struggled to establish its identity since it was moved into the P.S. 134 building in 2006. She added that the school lost many experienced teachers mid-year because of attrition and has had to cut one after-school program due to budget cuts.

The DOE is expected to conclude its evaluation of the school by December.

CHINATOWN PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and City Council Member Margaret Chin met with senior citizens at the Project Open Door Senior Center at 168 Grand St. in Chinatown on Thursday, Oct. 27 to help educate them about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance program.

The program helps some 6.5 million people across the country get the prescription medicines they need. Patients seeking help in obtaining medicines can call PPA (1-888-4-PPA-NOW or 1-888-477-2669) to talk to a trained specialist. Specialists speak a number of Chinese dialects, including Cantonese and Mandarin.

downtown social

Kiddie Parade

The tots of Downtown Manhattan sporting their costumes while trick or treating on All Hallow's Eve.

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NOVE M B E R 3, 2011 | otdowntown.com

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An artistic rendering of Nelson for the cover of his biography Everything Is an Afterthought. PhOtO cOuRtEsy Of KEViN AVERy

second act for the critic who championed A No-Name Legend Returns ADylan and Springsteen but died in obscurity

| By Cullen gallagher

C

hances are you haven’t heard of Paul Nelson before—but if you’re a fan of rock music, you owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Nelson pioneered the field of rock criticism with his first-person style as an editor at Rolling Stone in the 1970s, where he was among the earliest supporters of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon.

But by the early 1980s, Nelson’s personal struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression—as well as professional clashes at Rolling Stone—brought his career to a crashing halt. Dropping out of the scene, Nelson languished in obscurity in New York City, writing only a handful of pieces before his death in 2006.

Five years later, Kevin Avery is giving Nelson’s legacy the boost it so badly deserves.

Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983 (Continuum), which Avery edited, was published last month. Now comes Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson (Fantagraphics Books), a deeply moving biography that captures not only Nelson’s tragedy, but also celebrates the ardor and artistry of his life and work.

How did you first encounter Nelson’s writing?

When I was a teenager growing up in Salt Lake City, I subscribed to Rolling Stone and the Village Voice. I was reading all their critics—Greil Marcus, Dave Marsh, Jon Landau— but out of all of them, Paul Nelson was the one who really struck a chord with me.

What stood out to you about his style?

In the mid-to-late ’70s, rock music was still being discovered. There were no hard and fast rules, so in a way criticism was an act of discovery for these writers and they were just expressing what they liked. Paul was able to do that in a way that was not only personal, but also he would draw from film, books and his knowledge of folk music. You also got the feeling that he was a mysterious character.

There would be hints dropped that there was an unhappy guy behind all these reviews. His writing was beautiful. This was music criticism that could be read as literature.

What was the interview process like for Everything Is an Afterthought?

It snowballed. One person would lead me to two others who would lead me to four others. A lot of this was accomplished by good will, old friends of Paul’s who really wanted to see his work in print again. I found that

among Paul’s friends there was the most immense amount of collective guilt that I’ve ever encountered. They felt like, as a whole, they had let him slip away. Paul didn’t make it easy.

A lot of them did try to call Paul and he didn’t return their calls. Paul was very good at shutting doors in his life and not turning back.

Was there anyone you couldn’t reach?

I really wanted to talk to Clint Eastwood.

I found it such a compelling story that here’s a guy who, in 1979, says, “OK, yeah, you can interview me for Rolling Stone,” and the process goes on for four years. I wanted to ask, “What was it about Paul that made you want to let him keep coming back?” On the other hand, the fact that this wasn’t answered allowed me to write Conversations with Clint.

How did you select which of Nelson’s pieces to include?

Early on, I had it in my mind that I’d publish everything that he had written, but it soon became clear that this wasn’t going to be possible. Ultimately, the determining factor was: Does this contribute to Paul’s story?

Paul’s story is in his writing. When I gained access to his belongings, I was able to read his original manuscripts. Very often some of the most personal stuff had been taken out either by him or by editors.

Which writers today carry on in Nelson’s footsteps?

The two writers who leap immediately to mind are Jonathan Lethem and Mikal Gilmore. Their work not only reflects Paul’s influence but also demonstrates a respect for his tradition.

Are there plans to print more of Nelson’s work, such as his unpublished interviews with mystery novelist Ross Macdonald?

That’s possibly my next book. It’s a little more daunting because with the Clint Eastwood tapes, I was working with 17 hours of material, but with Macdonald it is about 45 hours. Paul reached out to Macdonald as much as a fan as out of the need to connect with somebody who understood where he was in his life at that time. Paul clearly knew those books inside and out and goes through them systematically. I think it would make for a fascinating book.

Kevin Avery will be reading at the Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway (at 12th Street) on Wed., Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Joining him will be renowned music critic Dave Marsh, Nelson’s friend and colleague.

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BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | EATS & drinkS

BEST PLACE To drink An AuThEnTiC CuP of PAkiSTAni ChAi for $1: LAhori kEBAB 124 lexington ave. (betw. e.

28tH & 29tH StS.), 212-400-1166 Craving a hot drink to wash down your dinner? Forget the redundantly named $4 chai tea lattes and head over to Lahori Kebab to drink an authentic cup of chai.

Any South Asian will tell you that a cup of chai is not made with frothed milk or nutmeg but a concoction of tea leaves boiled in water and cooked with milk, cardamom and sugar added to taste. Only $1 will get you a styrofoam cup of chai to go. The first sip brings warmth, the second sip brings contentment and the whole cup brings zen.

BEST frEE PoPCorn: hoLidAy CoCkTAiL LoungE 75 St. MarkS pl. (betw. 1St & 2nD aveS.), 212-777-9637

EATS & drinkS ShorTEST rESErvATion BEST mom-And-PoP LiST for A “dArk dining” CAfé: 11Th STrEET CAfé rESTAurAnT: CAmAjE 327 w. 11tH St. (betw. greenwicH & 85 MacDougal St. (betw. bleecker & HouSton StS.), www.caMaje.coM If dark dining isn’t on your bucket list yet, it needs to be. As simple as it sounds, the European craze of eating without vision is a kind of sensual journey in which the avid food appreciator can dine without the distraction of eyesight. Very few NYC restaurants offer this intriguing experience (and even fewer have any openings left for 2011), but Camaje hosts these special occasions about two to three times a month. Their process is, however, a little outside of what has become the norm; while most restaurants hold the events in a pitch-black room (many of them are also handled by a blind wait staff ), Camaje’s darkness is simulated with a specially designed blindfold. This allows their staff to serve meals in a hazard-free environment and allows you to take a bathroom break without crashing into other patrons.

waSHington StS.), 212-924-3804

Forget Chipotle and the lunchtime rat race. Step into this adorably tiny West Village cafe for a long, delicious, anti-chain lunch.

While you’re at it, get to know Maud and Philippe Bonsignour, the charming husband-and-wife team behind the operation.

Maud hails from France’s Basque country, while Philippe has a proud Parisian pedigree. The two met as children somewhere romantic in France, and have been opening friendly cafés ever since they were married— Philippe in the chef’s role, Maud as manager extraordinaire. “I know every single customer,” Maud said. “I know their grandmothers.

Everything.” For breakfast, the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit is an artery-clogging, hangover-busting delight—or, if you’re in a rush, get their eggs-in-a-coffee-cup to go (exotic toppings like pineapple and gruyère are optional). For lunch, the turkey sandwich with Danish blue cheese, frisée, lingonberries and honey mustard is simply brilliant.

BEST PLACE To hAvE An ACTuAL ConvErSATion ovEr CoffEE: CAfé grumPy 224 w. 20tH St. (betw. 7tH & 8tH aveS.), www.cafegruMpy.coM In an era when entitled customers expect Wi-Fi, table service and an endless reservation on their chair, Café Grumpy’s no-laptop policy feels curiously antiquated. But while it does drive away über-achieving students and part-time bloggers, it brings in a much preferred crowd: the Chatty Cathys of the world. Eavesdrop on grad students explaining to clueless sorority girls why a Foucauldian reading of the text might be more insightful than a Marxian, start-up types chatting about plans to oust the CRO and the CFO and Chelsea boys plotting their sloppy conquests later. If you get desperate for some digital stimulation, discreetly check your smart (or dumb) phone or tap on an iPad under the table. Did we mention they have great coffee?

This East Village dive’s longtime owner no longer slings drinks, but Holiday Cocktail Lounge’s interestingly stocked jukebox, surprisingly decent beer selection and glorious popcorn remain.

The new owners are Yankees-loving locals whose accents and propensity for buying barflies a beer every few rounds are welcome in a neighborhood where both comforts are no longer standard. If Mad Men teaches us anything, it’s that just about the only constant in this city is change.

Don, Roger and the boys might not be saddling up to the Holiday’s U-shaped bar for an old fashioned any time soon, but it’s nice to know there’s a place where thirsty city dwellers can drink a pint and talk shit about A-Rod with a stomach full of free popcorn.

BEST gLuTEn-frEE PizzA: PiE 124 4tH ave. (betw. 12tH & 13tH StS.), www.piebytHepounD.coM With its quirky, no-frills decor and thincrust, gluten-free options, Pie is the buzz among vegans jonesing for the perfect slice of grilled eggplant pie as well as the average pizza lover craving a plain cheese slice. Since you pay by weight, Pie is perfect for commitment-phobes who want to mix and match toppings. The way the pizzas are chopped up into small squares also makes sharing—and swiping—an easy option. Whether you want to devour a whole pound or just sample a couple of toppings, their inexpensive beer ($2 for Miller High Life; $2.50 for Budweiser) will help you wash it all down.

N OV E M B E R 3, 2011 | otd ow n tow n . c o m

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EATS & drinkS | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

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BEST HoTEl BAr for Work or plAy: pArAmounT BAr in THE pArAmounT HoTEl 235 w. 46th St. (betw. broAdwAy & 8th Ave.), 212-827-4134 There’s no lack of drinking establishments in Midtown, but if you’re looking for a place you could bring a client and perhaps have a special someone meet you there an hour later, well, there aren’t too many spots that fit the bill. Enter Paramount Bar. Open since April, this sliver of a space in the lobby of The Paramount Hotel is easy to miss (a friend recently bypassed the space and emailed us grumpily from a seat in the lobby, proclaiming there was no such bar in the hotel) but worth finding. Expertly made cocktails are served in a chic, calm room either at the bar or by a helpful if unobtrusive staff. Seasonal concoctions like the Dark and Stormy come and go, but there’s a solid menu of standbys and a helpful bar staff willing to whip up whatever you need.

A small but sturdy wine list is also available. The only thing missing is a menu of small bites, considering that once you enter the bar, it’s unlikely you’ll want to leave for dinner.

BEST rESTAurAnT HEAdEd By A Top CHEf: CATCH 21 9th Ave. (betw. LittLe w. 12th & 13th StS.), 212-392-5978 Restaurants run by former Top Chef contestants are a dime a dozen, and that’s not always a good thing—when was the last time you heard someone say they went to the Mondrian SoHo for the food? One sure fire bet amidst the mixed bag, however, is Catch. The latest venture from the owners of, among others, Abe & Arthur’s, Lexington Brass and Tenjune, the multilevel space dishes out seafood prepared by Top Chef winner Hung Huynh (formerly the executive chef at Ajna Bar), most of which is designed to be shared. Eats are prepared in several parts of the restaurant, including the raw bar, the open-air kitchen and by the central wood-burning oven (yes, the place is as big as it sounds). The sprawling eatery also boasts a sushi bar, a tapas station, a cocktail bar and a glass-enclosed rooftop lounge. Flavors are big—and so are the prices—so reach for your LBD and skyhigh pumps and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by food that’s as good as the setting it’s served in.

BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | EATS & drinkS

BEST Block for oldSchool food ShopS: BlEEckEr STrEET BETw. 7Th & 6Th AvES.

BEST dEEp-friEd hoT dog: crif dogS 113 Saint MarkS Pl # 2 (betw. 1St ave. & ave. a), 212-614-2728

On Bleecker Street, you’ll feel as if you dropped back in time or took a trip to Europe as you wander from one tiny food shop to another—no mega stores here.

Make a list or be inspired by what is fresh and cook up a storm. Start near Seventh Avenue at Ottomanelli, where fourth-generation butchers really know their meat, from quail to rabbits and the best fresh turkeys in town. Cross to Faicco’s, where for over 60 years brothers have sold everything to concoct the perfect Italian feast: mozzarella, sausages and marinara sauce made fresh. Waddle a few doors down to Murray’s Cheese, only around for a couple of decades, and sample from over 250 different aromatic, creamy or pungent varieties. Luckily, there’s a bench out front where you can sit and look at the cakes in Rocco’s Pasticceria. If you cross the street and open the door, the aroma of anise and butter will seduce you. There is a green grocer at either end of the street, so you can find a veggie or two to round out your feast.

Whether you call them hot dogs, frankfurters or some kind of wurst, bun-wrapped, tube-shaped meats are hardly ever something to write home about, forget about line up for—and deal with tip-hounding moonlighting college kids—at 2 a.m. But whether you get one of their bacon-wrapped Tsunami dogs or a grilled, “cooked to order” (read: prepare to wait) veggie specials, Crif Dogs’ franks are indeed worthy of their good press. And for a graduate course in patience, you might want to queue up to wash your dog down with one of the elegantly mixed cocktails served at the “secret” nextdoor speakeasy, PDT (Please Don’t Tell).

But for that, really be prepared to wait because, as every concierge and tourist guidebook will tell you, “Psst...the entrance is through the phone booth.”

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manhattan living | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

Best Reason to hail a CaB: the C tRain Morning commuters are getting restless as they shift their weight back and forth on the Upper West Side’s 72nd Street subway platform, waiting for a train they feel may never come. “This just makes me crazy,” one woman exclaims, tapping a black patent leather heel and shaking her head.

Maybe that’s why they named it the C train, or maybe it’s because of the creeping, crawling way it snakes through subway tunnels, like Charon’s doomed ferry steering through the underworld—when it finally does decide to show up.

Tying for the worst of the 18 subway lines as rated by NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign in their 2011 “State of the Subways” report card, the C has the least daytime service and breaks down more than any other line. But at least it’s clean and you’re likely to get a seat after all that heel tapping—probably because no one else wants to ride it.

Best PlaCe to RedisCoveR the ComiCs and memoRaBilia of YouR Youth: foRBidden Planet 840 Broadway (at E. 13th St.), www.fpnyc.com Have you ever found yourself walking toward Union Square and suddenly noticed a plastic Yoshi staring at you from a nearby shop? That would be Forbidden Planet, and beyond its doors is an impressive collection of comic books, manga and graphic novels. However, Forbidden Planet is perhaps best known for its multimedia-themed collectibles and merchandise. From apparel to toys to posters to virtually whatever, Forbidden Planet is a treasure trove of products to keep your closet geek at bay. But if merchandise and memorabilia don’t completely satisfy your nostalgic needs, the store also hosts regular in-store appearances and signings by comic book authors, illustrators and the like.

After all, the only thing more appealing to your inner geek than an out-of-production Wolverine action figure is one that has been signed by someone from Marvel Comics.

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manhattan living Best new PuBliC tRansPoRtation: east RiveR feRRY The subway is hot and crowded and the bus can be unreliable, but thanks to this year’s latest transportation innovation, The East River Ferry, getting around Manhattan, or even to far-flung destinations like Queens or Governors Island, can be easy, cheap and scenic.

A $4 ride, which you can pick up at East 34th Street or Pier 11 in the Financial District, will shuttle you quickly to a number of spots, from Williamsburg to Dumbo or even Long Island City, with the oddly is-this-really-New-York-City

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feeling of being on a boat. On nice days the decks are the place to be, taking in the sun and watching the East River glisten almost as if it was the Mediterranean. On less pleasant days, stay indoors and thank your lucky stars that you’re not shoved into a speeding box with a thousand other wet, unhappy commuters. Besides fostering an appreciation for the waterfront we never had before, the ferry has made heading to hard-to-reach parts of town a snap and made everyday city life a bit more like a day trip. In our experience, nautical garb only makes the journey more pleasant.

Best PiCniC aRea in CentRal PaRk: west 100th stReet neaR the Pool Let’s face it: Central Park is too damn crowded, at least during the times you want to be there. But the tourists haven’t yet figured out that the park extends north of the reservoir, so enjoy the space while it lasts. There are quite a few nice spots up there to spread a blanket and take off your shoes, but none better than facing the pool, the charming pond near the park’s northwest corner that receives more shade than any of the main lawns, where rushing waterfalls provide the background noise.

BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | manhattan living

Best Place to meet the KnicKs: the sKy Room 330 W. 40th St., 33rd Fl. (betW. 8th & 9th AveS.), 212-380-1195 There’s a world above our world in Manhattan; from the street, The Sky Room (on the rooftop of a Times Square building) blinks like a distant star. But the trip up costs only your coat (they often lose it), and when you pop up on the sky top, you may, depending on the day, feel like an alien—a midget among Knicks.

But they’re gentle giants, and you’ll soon relax. And marvel: from the Sky Room’s sky-nested deck bar, Manhattan glitters like red, green and gold star shards, a metropolis unlike the one you live in. And looking down at this other Manhattan— and up at the tall, tall men—can even be affordable; just order a soda.

Best PaRK foR live music: Washington squaRe PaRK Steve Earle walks his dog here, and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas can occasionally be seen pushing a stroller under Washington Square’s massive white arch, but it’s the impressive and varied assortment of amateur and semi-professional musicians that make this West Village park the best spot for live (and free!) music. Drum

circles, impromptu acoustic jam sessions and staged sets from jazz-infused NYU trios set the soundtrack for an afternoon around the Square’s fountain. Sure, Central Park’s SummerStage brings in the big name acts, but without stilts and a pair of binoculars, you’ll have a hard time getting a glimpse of the action at those jam-packed sweat fests.

Instead, head over to Washington Square on an early Sunday afternoon, snag a bench or a spot by the fountain and open your eyes (people watching opportunities abound) and ears to the musical majesty awaiting.

the Best Place to use the RestRoom in nyc: times squaRe maRRiott 1535 broAdWAy (At 45th St.), WWW. mArriott.com/hotelS/trAvel/nycmq-neW-york-mArriott-mArquiS The lines for the bathrooms can be outrageous during the intermissions of Broadway shows. Homeless people have populated the restrooms of Starbucks. So where is someone in the know supposed to duck in for the bathroom? Try the Marriott Marquis’ second-floor bathrooms. Clean and well-populated with stalls and urinals, the Marriott is close enough to the majority of Broadway theaters to make standing in an endless line unnecessary.

Community for Senior Living New York’s Premier Enriched Housing

• Three meals a day from our extensive fine dining menu • 3.5 hours of personal care services per week • Housekeeping once a week CALL TO LEARN • Personal laundry, linens and towels ABOUT OUR NEW • Diverse in-house daily activities “DISCOUNT” • Licensed nurse on duty 7 days per week PROGRAM • Personal care workers on duty 24 hours per day • 24 hour concierge service • All utilities included, except telephone and cable TV Features: garden terrace, community rooms, libraries, beauty/barber shop, wellness and rehabilitation center, in-house pharmacy and emergency back-up generator.

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Best Place to Rescue a smalleR Dog: BiDeaWee 410 e. 38th St. (betW. Fdr dr.& 1St Ave.), WWW.bideAWee.org Trying to adopt a pet at the city’s pounds and countless animal rescues is a daunting task, with lots of large dogs and special needs cats. Not everyone is equipped to nurse these animals back to health. Bring in Bideawee. This nokill animal rescue has been a New York establishment since 1903. The staff at Bideawee brings in animals from the street, kill shelters and a multitude of other places and readies them for a family. They have programs to fly in smaller dogs from California pounds that are harder to adopt there than in our smalldog-loving city. New pet parents can rest assured that they’ll have support from the organization, as each pet comes with a free vet visit to Bideawee’s animal clinic to confirm that your new friend is in good health when they go home.

Best BooKstoRe: mcnally JacKson 52 Prince St. (betW. lAFAyette & mulberry StS.), WWW.mcnAllyjAckSon.com This bilevel Soho book mecca is always packed, and that shouldn’t be surprising. It’s stocked with a large but well-curated selection of books, from fiction to travel guides and cookbooks, and boasts an impressive selection of readings, in-store book clubs and seriously good-looking patrons. There’s even a coffee shop off to the side of the main level in case you find yourself under-caffeinated or unable to leave the store without tearing into your new purchase. What’s most appealing about McNally, though, is the feeling of shopping at a locally owned store that’s not at all lacking in selection. There are none of the impersonal touches that chain stores can have and all of the New York charms they could never cultivate if they tried. Sure, you can order any book you’d like online, but the experience of shopping at McNally is more than worth the effort.

Best RecoRD stoRe: otheR music 15 e. 4th St. (betW. broAdWAy & lAFAyette St.), 212-477-8150 Most people are downloading their music these days, whether they’re buying it on iTunes or downloading it illegally.

But if you’re looking to buy records—yes, the good old-fashioned kind—or CDs, Other Music in NoHo is the place to go.

Staffed by knowledgeable if slightly aloof young people who seemingly live in hip Brooklyn rock clubs, the shop stocks not only the best in new, must-have music but a nice collection of used LPs and CDs that are discounted in price and offer a bit more eclectic a selection. The real secret about Other is that while the staff can seem a bit too cool, they’re actually quite helpful, whether you’re looking for the newest release from a practically unheard of band or something a bit more mainstream. If you’ve ever missed the classic record store experience or found yourself looking for something that hasn’t yet hit the store that lives in your computer, give Other Music a spin.

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manhattan living | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

Best Reason not to miss law & oRdeR: all tv shows still Filming in new YoRk Some of them (The Good Wife) use New York to stand in for some place else. Some of them (Boardwalk Empire) film in New York to evoke days of yore.

And some of them (Bored to Death, Damages, Gossip Girl, White Collar) take advantage of their filming location to show off the Big Apple’s many trendy and hidden sites in all their glory. All of them, mercifully, provide employment for the many local performers who feared they’d lost a home when the Dick Wolf evergreen came tumbling down in 2010. And as a result, terrific actors like Jayne Atkinson, Heather Burns, Len Cariou, Santino Fontana, Lisa Joyce, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Laila Robins and Paul Sparks don’t have to flock across the country to find work.

Best touRist-FRee outdooR shopping mall: 5th ave. Betw.

14th and 23Rd sts.

Let’s face it, sometimes New Yorkers just need to step into an H&M that doesn’t make us feel like we’re in the middle of a strange, touristy, pop-music-filled torture chamber. Sometimes we need to impulsively buy a leopardprint shirt from Zara that we’ll only wear once because it’s been a long week and we don’t want to battle attractive Italian people who can afford to buy the entire store. Other times we may need to walk down the street and not worry about crashing into large, immobile groups of midwesterners in Hollister T-shirts holding maps on Broadway because we just want to pop into a J. Crew, Club Monaco or Madewell to scan the sale racks.

That’s why lower Fifth Avenue is a New York shopper’s “safe space.” Spacious sidewalks allow you to avoid the tourist obstacle courses that usually end in passive-aggressive shoulder checks and nine times out of 10, the stores will have your size. It’s our very own private Mall of America—let’s just pray the out-oftowners don’t catch on.

Best $20 gYm not in a CReepY Basement: Blink Fitness E. 4th St. (at Broadway), www.BlinkfitnESS.com Tiny basements with limited ventilation and budget-friendly gyms just don’t mix. Blink Fitness manages to buck tradition with spacious, light-filled, airy facilities so pleasant, you will actually find yourself wanting to go to the gym.

A little sister of Equinox, Blink has every piece of up-to-date equipment your

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fancier gyms have, minus the classes to keep costs down. But who really enjoys those sweat-filled rooms full of Zumbadancing strangers anyway? At $20 a month, there’s no reason not to join.

complete. By then, you may be able to watch the Donald sporting an oxygen machine, sitting at a boardroom table in outer space tell a 39-year-old, fresh-outof-rehab Justin Bieber, “You’re fired.”

Best BuskeR: asian hipsteR at the 1st ave. l station

Best lawn that’s emptY on a weekend aFteRnoon: RoCkeFelleR univeRsitY Campus, tuRtle BaY

There’s something about the hipster Asian gentleman who often sits at the First Avenue L station, guitar in hand and harmonica perched on his neck. His voice isn’t classically good. His notes are not exactly crisp. He kind of sounds like a drunken, high-pitched Tom Waits at times. His accent is a bit off, as is his pronunciation of certain words, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t melt you heart every single time you hear him. He just sits there on the benchs, playing a Rolling Stones cover, unperturbed by the masses walking by, singing his heart out.

What he lacks in correct enunciation he more than makes up for with his perfectly mournful tones. There’s nothing better to hear when you’re returning to Brooklyn after a night that didn’t exactly go as planned.

Best suBwaY to oCCupY (and woRk on) wall stReet: no. 2 & 3 While other trains are stuck in the station, you can beat your broker Downtown and Occupy Wall Street with a 15-minute ride from the Upper West Side. While the A train has the largest “big play” express jump in Manhattan from 59th to 125th streets—which made for comic fodder in the indie classic The Brother From Another Planet—and the additional glamour of inspiring a jazz standard (“Take the A Train”), stop for stop, nothing moves you up and down Manhattan quicker than the 2 and 3 trains during rush hour. Added bonus: the No. 1 is often waiting across the platform if you are looking for a local station.

Best stReet exempliFYing the exCesses oF Capitalism: FReedom plaCe, tRump plaCe 66th StrEEt at frEEdom PlacE This street is actually named in honor of three civil rights workers slain during the Freedom Summer of 1964. But like all idealistic endeavors, it eventually succumbed to the pressures of capitalism and is now lined with residential towers emblazoned in gold lettering with the namesake of Donald Trump. If you haven’t had enough development in the 14 years since its groundbreaking, Trump Place is expected to expand by another seven buildings before it’s

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On-campus housing is limited at Rockefeller University, so you pretty much have this oasis to yourself when class is out of session. Between ignoring your cell phone and getting engrossed in a novel, be sure to explore Manhattan’s forgotten campus, home to one of the world’s best biological sciences program. The rustic sculpture installation on the campus’ north end makes you question whether the old cliché about scientists in lab coats never seeing the light of day could possibly be true.

Best plaCe to expeRienCe new YoRk like it’s 1608: inwood hill paRk indian Caves inwood hill Park (at dyckman St.), 212-304-2278 Some folks would probably argue that NYC has been going downhill ever since Henry Hudson started poking around out in the harbor. That’s fine, because in New York City, there’s even a place for the naysayers. The Wiechquaesgeck indians

used the caves in Inwood Hill Park as a sort of pre-Columbian summer camp, complete with shellfish feasts and cool summer breezes. It is one of the very few places in Manhattan where it is actually conceivable to pitch a tent and frolic in the woods. Imagine a slightly more rustic version of the Hamptons and you get the idea.

Best oFF-the-Beatenpath FiRst date spot: les enFants teRRiBle 37 canal St. (at ludlow St.), www. lESEnfantStErriBlESnyc.com Way down on the Lower East Side there exists a radius of a few blocks that avoid the collection of sidewalk stumblers, women walking barefoot while holding their high heels and guys in collared shirts fighting in the middle of the street. In that space is a hip little French (or is it Brazilian?) restaurant/bar full of attractive people, good music and dark lighting. Les Enfants Terrible can get a little crowded, but it’s intimate and not too bustling and has a general vibe and out-of-the-wayness that will give your date the idea you’re in the know. Sure, your date’s eyes might linger a little too long on the younger version of Audrey Tautou seated next to you or the scruffy, scarf-wearing cigarette smoker hanging outside, but chances are that will end up rubbing off on you by the end of the night.

Best outdooR ConCeRt seRies: summeRstage www.SummErStagE.org Working in over 750 parties citywide, SummerStage offers what is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and interesting outdoor musical offerings in New York City. This past summer’s slate included Yo-Yo Ma, hip-hop legend Funkmaster Flex, indie rockers Friendly Fires, local up-and-comers Milagres and a whole lot more. And it’s not just music: SummerStage offers dance and theater performances as well. The main stage, where the biggest concerts take place, is at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park near Fifth Avenue and East 69th Street and features, in addition to performance, food and drink vendors curated by The Brooklyn Flea. The best part? Most of the shows are free. And the paid ones are usually fundraisers, which is hard to say no to when you’re enjoying so much complimentary culture each summer.

Photo by Flickr user yosoynuts

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manhattan living | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

Best Place to Live a Jimmy Buffett Lifestyle: West 79th Street Boat Basin W. 79th St. (at the Hudson River), 212-496-2105 Everyone knows that living on a boat is just about the coolest thing you can do. But living on a boat and simultaneously paying $417 a month for rent may also be the smartest decision you ever make. There are only 116 slips and the waiting list is a mile long, but register now and there may be a chance you could spend those golden years sipping rum drinks under the roar of the West Side Highway. There are only three prerequisites to starting your Manhattan yacht life: A boat, a sweet beard and a weathered stash of urban-themed Hawaiian shirts.

Best Small Outdoor Dog Run: Madison Square Park www.madisonsquarepark.org On the west side of the park near 25th street, just north of the regular dog run, is a nice play space for smaller canines. A friendly assortment of owners bring an equally interesting array of dogs to play, chase balls and, frankly, tire them out. Here people know their little darlings won’t get seriously pounded by a Siberian husky 50 times its size as in the bigger dog park. Water bowls are provided and if they’re not full, you can enter the big dog park and fill them with the hose at the south end. The small dog run is a great place for puppies to get socialized without getting traumatized. The first time I brought my new puppy there, she was filmed by CUNY.TV for a promo about how animals can keep you healthy. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Best Place to See the Stars: Columbia University Stargazing and Lecture Series The Roof of Pupin Hall, 538 W. 120th St. (betw. Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.), outreach.astro.columbia.edu During the 2004 blackout, the Milky Way was visible from New York City for the first time in decades. Some people called 911 because they didn’t know what it was. Light pollution is an urban astronomer’s nightmare, washing out nearly all of the heavenly bodies. But Columbia University’s astronomers understand that people shouldn’t be deprived of seeing the rings of Saturn, the Seven Sisters or the mighty Orion.

Every other Friday night, stargazers can enter Pupin Hall’s observatory and

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Best Place to Find an Action Figure of Public Enemy’s Chuck D: Toy Tokyo 91 2nd Ave. (betw. 5th & 6th Sts.), www.toytokyo.com Is it a rubber ducky with Mr. T’s head that catches your fancy? Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to try a Ghostbusters energy drink? These and other unique items line the somewhat out there and completely whimsical shelves of Toy Tokyo in the East Village. The shop, which boasts exclusive items including an action figure of Public Enemy’s Chuck D, as well as classic Star Wars and Wonder Woman toys, is a collector’s dream. Cool cache from around the world arrives on shelves every week, so whether you are looking to buy another Kid Robot or your very first Monchichi doll, you’re in luck.

Vending machines filled with mini action figures can be found at the front of the store not far from the Justin Bieber sticker books, the one touch of irony in this toy oasis.

peer through their five telescopes at the night sky. Even on cloudy nights, the free movies and lectures on black holes, colliding galaxies and the latest in astronomical discoveries make the trip worthwhile.

Best Meatpacking District Hot Spot Hotel: Dream Downtown 355 W. 16th St. (betw 8th & 9th aves.), dreamdowntown.com Move over Standard, step aside Jane, and forget you, Soho House—these days, there’s no topping The Dream Downtown.

A hospitality mecca, the sprawling hotel boasts two restaurants: a steakhouse called Marble Lane run by the same team that operates Tao and Romera, which specializes in “neurogastronomy” and has one seating per night of an 11-course, $245-a-person dinner prepared by acclaimed chef and neurologist Dr. Miguel Sánchez Romera. To top it off, The Dream Downtown boasts a spacious penthouse lounge, PH-D, equipped with an elevated DJ booth and a state-of-the-art sound system housed between two floor-toceiling glass walls, one of which opens onto an expansive outdoor terrace. Down below there’s a basement lounge, Electric Room, run by Rose Bar’s Nur Khan. One things’s for sure: this is one hotel where few people come to sleep.

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Photo by Flickr user joo0ey

Best NYC Afternoon Without Spending a Cent: Hudson River Park www.hudsonriverpark.org Begin your journey at 23rd Street, cross the West Side Highway and enter the Hudson River Park. Once you get beyond the bedlam known as the bike path, you’ll find a delightful pedestrian walkway that moves at a much more civilized pace.

Wander, perambulate and rejoice in the beauty of the river, the fresh air, the sky and the immaculate landscaping.

Remember and celebrate the fact that you live on an island. Sit on a bench and read a book you’ve been meaning to get to, feel the sun on your face, reflect and hang out.

Be aware of each moment in the present as it cascades into the next. Sit in the sun or find some shade and rest on the totally dog-free lawns. Stroll for hours. Revel in the idea that you’ve found joy without money for just one day.

Best Home Brewing Supply Store: Whole Foods Market Bowery Beer Room 95 E. Houston St. (at Bowery), 212-420-1320 With the closest home brew shop a lengthy subway ride into Brooklyn away, I was relieved when the Whole Foods Market Bowery Beer Room opened at the Houston Street Whole Foods. Besides having one of the most

impressive local beer selections in the five boroughs, they have anything and everything you’d need to get your own brew started in your very own kitchen.

Bottles, hops, tubes and the all-important, hard-to-find beer yeast are all there for the perusing. Sure, this stuff is all available online, but it’s always better to see the stuff in person. Cheers to a welcome addition to the do-it-yourself landscape of Manhattan!

Best Place to Feel Like Edith Wharton: The Old Mercantile Library Center for Fiction, E. 47th St. (betw. 5th & Madison Aves.), www.centerforfiction.org Ascend the staircase of The Old Mercantile Library, select a clothbound novel from the shelves, settle down in a wingbacked leather chair and visualize yourself a regency noble or Bostonian spinster poetess. Or ride up in the gloriously claustrophobic, rickety elevator and read literary quotes from the decoupaged newspaper pages and clips that line its walls. It’s practically a ghost town during weekday business hours, when members can treat the Henry Otis Chapman-designed spaces as their personal drawing rooms. Don’t forget to visit the stacks in the recessed bowels of the building. Dark and empty, we imagine more than a few live bodice rippings might have taken place among the tomes.

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PRESENTS:

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6-8:30PM Boys + Girls Club 888 E. 6th St. at Ave D

(meeting in English and Spanish reunion en Español y Ingles)

Wednesday 11/2/11 6:30-9PM Middle School 131 100 Hester St.

at Forsyth St. (meeting in English and Chinese, 中文会议)

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Two Bridges Neighborhood Council

82 Rutgers Slip at Cherry St.

(Spanish and Chinsese translation provided Facilitación de Español. 有中文翻译)

BICYCLING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Share your vision!

Local Spokes is 9 groups engaging residents of Chinatown and the Lower East Side to envision the future of bicycling in our community.

Asian Americans for Equality, Good Old Lower East Side, Green Map System, Hester Street Collaborative, Recycle-A-Bicycle, Times Up!, Transportation Alternatives Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, and Velo City

www.localspokes.org

BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | manhattan living

Best By-the-hour CuBiCle: ParagraPh 35 W. 14th St. #3 (betW. 5th & 6th AveS), WWW.pArAgrAphny.com If you find yourself without an office and are sick of writing at home, Paragraph—a rental space for writers—awaits. Grab a first-come, first-served cubicle and silently glance at the Wooly Cap Guy, the Literary Glasses Girl or the Intellectual Loner while you pretend to work, basking in the glow of your laptop. For around $150 a month, there’s free coffee and candy in the kitchen, along with the chance to strike up a conversation about Rilke or Egan with someone who might actually know who they are.

Best suBway art— offiCial: 14th street a/C/e Platform Most MTA art ranges from the spectacularly inoffensive—mosaic waterfalls and literary snippets under the NYPL—to the hopelessly misguided—the “interactive sound experience” on the 34th Street N platform that begs tourists and drunks to bombard innocent bystanders with a cacophonous din of rain sticks and xylophones. None of it inspires any emotion—that is, except for Tom Otterness’ “Life Underground.” In a corner of the system used primarily by Meatpacking clubgoers lurks a world of featureless, mildly sinister characters going about the same business of subway-riding as everyone else, only cuter. Otterness’ signature figures scrounge for change (in sacks of gold coins), sleep on benches (with top hats pulled over their eyes) and get pulled down open manholes by equally adorable crocodiles. Equal parts Rich Uncle Moneybags and the industrious Doozers from Fraggle Rock, the foot-high figurines will inspire at least one emotion while you wait for the train: delight.

Best suBway art— unoffiCial: mta “serviCe advisories” Since the sanctioned art scene belowground is so dull, many industrious artists have taken it upon themselves to liven up the scene, bringing the mountain to the MTA’s Mohammed. Of course there’s the graffiti and Poster Boy’s (née Henry Matyjewicz) iconically iconoclastic corruption of station billboards, though recent legal hassles have slowed his once-prolific output, but for the best of the bunch, our money’s on the fake MTA posters. About six years ago, a genius with an ax to grind and some amazing Photoshop skills discovered they could perfectly replicate the MTA’s service advisory posters and created their own, warning riders about the transit corporation’s corruption, greed and indifference to its customers. Though the format has since been cracked and is

now available for any average Joe to crank out a poster, the biting, politically strident originals used the medium to subvert itself and its viewer’s expectations, the true test of high art.

Best neighBorhood to wind uP an extra on tv: triBeCa In the space of 10 blocks below Canal Street you can go from the pan-Asian bustle of Chinatown past the imposing monuments to justice of the court system down to a world of wider-than-average cobblestoned streets and family-friendly, post-industrial lofts. Nowhere else in New York has less of a unifying aesthetic, making Tribeca the perfect choice for those trying to simulate just about anywhere in America, from big-shouldered Chicago to tony West Hollywood as well as New York City itself. Though Law & Order no longer films daily in and around The Tombs, a number of series have picked up the slack and neighborhood residents are now immune to the thrill of walking past craft services tables and sneaking a peek inside trailers. Walk down any street and you’re sure to end up in a crowd scene or two— hang around long enough and you may just get discovered.

most ColorCoordinated Brownstone: 48 w. 10th st.

Your doctor retired to where?

Another reason to call.

48 W. 10th St. (betW. 5th & 6th AveS.)

You want an outstanding doctor and we can connect

10th Street is, end to end, quite possibly the most beautiful residential street in the city. From St-Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery on the east side through the restored brownstones of the middle Village to the starchitect high rises on the Hudson River, it’s enough to inspire severe homeowner’s envy. Best (or worst) of all is the block between Fifth and Sixth avenues, a perfect row of brownstones with verdant window boxes and baroque ironwork that ends at the gorgeous clocktower of the Jefferson Market Library. Nestled in its center is a scene that has to have been planned: a single-family dwelling of brighter-thanusual red brick with vibrant turquoise shutters, outside of which is parked a trim turquoise Vespa with a brick-red seat.

We’re convinced the Vespa’s for show only; in at least five years, it’s never once been away from its post.

You want to resent the excess, but it’s just too perfect a picture.

you with one who’s right for you. Whether near your home or office, doctors affiliated with Continuum Health Partners hospitals – Beth Israel Medical Center, Roosevelt Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, New York Eye & Ear Infirmary – are conveniently located throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Our doctors participate in all major insurance plans.

Need a great doctor?

Call (866) 318-8759. w w w. c h p n y c . o r g

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It’s Not Too Early To Think About Summer Camp For 2012!

New York Family magazine and the American Camp Association, NY and NJ are teaming up for two Camp Fairs in November!

• Meet over 30 different camp directors • Local Day Camps • Sleepaway Camps • Great for children ages 3-17

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BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | arts+entertainment and choreography by professionals Larry Pressgrove and Ben Hartley. But the annual musical is only one of several excellent productions by LaG students. On Nov. 4, you can hear the smooth-as-velvet Senior Jazz Band and rousing symphonic band for $10.

There are choral events, gospel concerts, dramas, art shows, dance showcases and even operettas. You just might see the next Jennifer Aniston, Tichina Arnold, Laurence Fishburne or Al Pacino (all LaGuardia alums) take the stage.

Best sexual experience with Your clothes on: stripped stories Upright Citizens Brigade theatre, 307 W. 26th st.

(BetW. 8th & 9th aves.), WWW.UCBtheatre.Com

arts+ entertainment Best immersive Best decadent theatrical production: nightlife experience: dances of vice sleep no more 530 W. 27th st. (BetW. 10th & 11th aves.), WWW.sleepnomorenyC.Com Voyeuristic thrills. Venetian carnival masks. Wicked murderesses in bloodstained bathtubs. And that’s just the froth of the witch’s brew that Punchdrunk is serving up with Sleep No More, a Macbethinspired participatory theater experience that’s like nothing you would recognize from 10th grade English class. With six floors and over 100 rooms as your playground, you’re not watching the action but becoming a part of it. As you rifle through clues and follow Duncan down twisting, labyrinthine corridors to his doom, you’ll find yourself seduced—not only by witches in scarlet Art Deco-era evening gowns but by the whole delicious phantasmagoria.

WWW.danCesofviCe.Com It’s midnight on a Saturday and you’ve wandered straight into what can only be described as the black-and-white wonderland of an Edward Gorey illustration.

No, you’re not dreaming, just lost in the sumptuous, anachronistic surreality that is a Dances of Vice event. From baroqueflavored masquerade balls to Victorian murder mystery spectacles to Blade Runner-inspired afterparties, Dances of Vice makes you feel the way Charlie did after he unwrapped the golden ticket.

Best BroadwaY QualitY theater at a tenth the price: fiorello laguardia high school of music, art and the performing arts

Remember the thrill of playing “never have I ever” in the basement of your best friend’s home after homecoming? Bring that game full circle once a month and join in for a few rounds with 200 fellow pleasure seekers. Giulia Rozzi and Margot Leitman host Stripped Stories, a fun-loving, sexthemed storytelling show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

The Chelsea location is home base for the duo, who tour with Stripped Stories around the U.S. The show encourages audience members to laugh at their own sexual misfortune through comedians revealing their own on stage. At the end of the night, the audience is asked to join in for an interactive audience game of “never have I ever.” The rules are simple: Everyone starts standing up, the hosts ask a question and if you’re a no, you sit down. The winner is the last person standing, who is then interviewed about their sexual escapades on stage.

Best uptown/ downtown mash-up: poprallY at moma 11 W. 53rd st. (at 6th ave.), WWW.moma.org

100 amsterdam ave. (at 65th st., Behind linColn Center), WWW.lagUardiahs.org Pssst. Students at Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and the Performing Arts (the Fame school) are putting on Guys and Dolls from Dec. 8-18, and it only costs $20 for adults and $10 for students! Last year’s school musical, Hairspray, electrified sold-out audiences with its Broadway-quality singing, dancing, acting and set design—and musical direction

A series of collaborations between artists working in different mediums, PopRally brings the sort of cutting-edge programming usually left to Downtown warehouse parties to the upscale environs of the Museum of Modern Art. Past events have included a screening of the film Old Joy paired with a live performance by indie stalwarts Yo La Tengo, an evening of skateboarding videos, afterdark gallery tours and an evening of art trivia hosted by artist Ryan McNamara and DJed by hot Brooklyn band Tanlines. This beingthe Modern, it’s a bit more upscale than your average night out, but take that as a challenge and dress up, have a nice dinner first and soak in the sort of cultural cocktail that it would be impossible to find anywhere else.

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ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

BEST OFF-OFFBROADWAY THEATER COMPANY: PARTIAL COMFORT PRODUCTIONS PARTIALCOMFORT.ORG You get Uptown quality for Downtown prices with this nearly 10-yearold theater troupe, currently on a roll after a trio of trenchant works: Thomas Bradshaw’s The Bereaved, Samuel D. Hunter’s A Bright New Boise and company co-founder Chad Beckim’s After.

(Molly Pearson is Partial Comfort’s other parent.) PCP—which has an ongoing residence at Alphabet City’s Wild Project—prides itself on presenting fresh plays that refrain from giving easy answers and quick resolutions. These plays examine the quiet corners of human emotion and do it in ways that are wholly accessible and entertaining. The only thing not genuine is the name— when it comes to a salve for the theatergoing soul, these guys go all the way.

BEST PLACE TO SEE THE NEXT BIG BAND: (LE) POISSON ROUGE 158 BLEECKER ST. (BETW. LAGUARDIA PL. & THOMPSON ST.), WWW.LEPOISSONROUGE.COM (Le) Poisson Rouge (French for “The Red Fish”) is a veritable cornucopia of nightlife and entertainment options. Concert hall, nightclub, karaoke lounge, art/ poetry/fiction gallery, cabaret—you name it, they host it. But particular recognition goes to their concert hall for regularly showcasing up-and-coming bands at an affordable price (the majority of their shows are just $15). In the past year, (Le) Poisson Rouge has featured buzzworthy acts like Beach House, Dan Deacon, Lykke Li and the ever-so-trendy Florence and the Machine. Occasionally, they even get the opportunity to showcase major performers like Paul Simon and Lou Reed (these shows are generally attached to a benefit or charity and are a bit more expensive). But the true price of a concert lies beyond just the cost of the ticket, and (Le) Poisson Rouge accommodates accordingly by serving up some cheap drink deals like $3 Rolling Rocks and $5 well drinks.

BEST PLACE TO KEEP THE GHOSTS OF BROADWAY PAST ALIVE: MUSICAL MONDAYS AT SPLASH 50 W. 17TH ST. (BETW. 5TH & 6TH AVES.), WWW.SPLASHBAR.COM Carol Channing, Hugh Jackman and Mary Martin never got together and threw back kamikaze shots—at least, not to our knowledge. But video jockey John Bantay (a Broadway baby himself, having recently appeared in the

revival of The Ritz) provides the next best thing for rabid show tune fans on Monday nights at Splash Bar, with an encyclopedic vault of musical songs on celluloid. Crowds rock out to such staples as Wicked’s “Defying Gravity,” Funny Girl’s “Don’t Rain on my Parade,” The Drowsy Chaperone’s “Show Off” and even the Jersey Boys medley from the 2006 Tony Awards telecast. You can also catch recordings of musical numbers from films like Little Shop of Horrors, Pennies From Heaven and The Wiz. Famous fans like Christina Applegate, Kristen Chenoweth, Cheyenne Jackson and La LuPone have even been known to turn out. And remember, newbies: The show ain’t over until Jennifer Holliday sings.

BEST-KEPT THEATER SECRETS: SUSAN LOUISE O’CONNOR AND WILL ROGERS These two marvelous New York actors rarely stop working and yet have managed to stay under the radar, charting a course that’s a testament to both their impressive range and stunning depth along the way. Take O’Connor’s incisive work last spring in Kari Bentley-Quinn’s Paper Cranes at Packawallop Productions and compare it to her zany antics in Joshua Grenrock and Catherine Schreiber’s Desperate Writers, the show that followed merely days after the close of Cranes. Rogers embodied a similar onetwo punch, bounding from his subtle work as a Harvard undergrad getting an unintentional education in Classic Stage Company’s Unnatural Acts to turn in the sharpest performance in Jeff Talbott’s The Submission at MCC Theater. Both have played a litany of roles with effortless grace and have never stolen the spotlight. It’s time that spotlight shone on them.

Photo by Alan Howarth

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BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011 | arts+entertainment

11 W. 53rd St. (at 6th ave.), WWW.moma.org Yeah, it was the Alexander McQueen exhibit at The Met that broke records with their labyrinthine lines this summer, and it was an interesting, if anemic, showcase. At the same time, though, it conflated fashion with costume design, two worthy but distinct areas of art. This MoMA exhibit is on sturdier artistic footing. It makes a thorough case for the many merits of abstract expressionist art and why Willem De Kooning might just be their best representative—even more so than his more famous colleague, Jackson Pollock. Organized by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture, the retrospective covers the entirety of the Dutch artist’s seven-decade-long career. This is the rare art exhibit whose works are powerfully palpable, justifying every scrape, line and brushstroke. It demonstrates how de Kooning’s oeuvre wasn’t just a reflection of his own life but of everyone’s.

Best pLaywright we hope never gets coopted By hoLLywood: crystaL sKiLLman Awards and accolades have a habit of continuously being flung in the direction of Skillman, the unconventional and uncompromising scribe of such Downtown successes as Nobody, Birthday, Crawl, The Vigil or the Guided Cradle and Cut. Skillman has a unique voice, both irreverent and soulful, and her plays are of-the-moment instant classics. She is unafraid of challenges and has experimented with such formats as the Western, musicals and graphic novel adaptation. There is seemingly no world this exemplary talent cannot create within the sandbox of her own mind—which begets the fear that one day the tempting hand of Hollywood will come calling. Let’s hope that day is far away—we need Skillman here to help keep New York theater organic for a long time to come.

Best UndergroUnd strip cLUB: saint venUs theater WWW.SaintvenuStheater.com You need to apply to get on the invite list to this elite traveling strip club. Parties are hosted at a rotating roster of destinations, and the only way to find out where is to be accepted and receive their weekly email. Each party requires a $40 admis-

sion, which includes 2-for-1 drinks and a complimentary lap dance. Yay! Once past the doorman, a bevy of beauties await, and it is the girls who make this pole worth dancing. Saint Venus holds casting sessions looking for the best and the brightest, so if you go to Columbia or NYU and want to check it out, be prepared to run into some scantily clad classmates.

Best video rentaL store (yes, they stiLL exist): video room 300 rector Pl.(at rector Park) or 1403 3rd ave.(betW. 79th & 80th StS.), 212-962-6400 or 212-879-5333 This is a confusing time for home video entertainment. Blockbuster is dead, signaling the end of the chain movie rental store as we know it. However, the combined price increase for Netflix’s DVD service coupled with their paltry online streaming selection makes one pine for the days of the corner video hut. Keep hope alive, children!

The video store lives! One of the best remaining rental stores in the city, Video Room, is carrying on as if it was 1985. With two locations (one on Rector Street in Battery Park City and the other on Third Avenue on the Upper East Side), this place has every movie. Seriously. And if it doesn’t exist on DVD, they’ll have it on VHS. Yes, they carry over 12,000 titles on video cassette. As if they weren’t awesome enough already, they also deliver. Fire up those VCRs and set your time machines to 198-awesome!

Best venUe to see ’90s reLics: mercUry LoUnge

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217 e. houSton St. (betW. eSSex & ludloW StS.), WWW.mercuryloungenyc.com Anyone suffering from a lack of moping, guitar fuzz and twitchingly catchy choruses in their lives should head directly for Mercury Lounge. Over the last 12 months, the LES stalwart has played host to such ’90s alterna-rock icons as J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, among others. The intimate back room with its pleasantly cluttered, lower-thanaverage stage is small enough to keep from intimidating skittish performers who may not have been on stage in over a decade. Plus, the only way on and off the stage is through the crowd—dust off your back issues of Sassy and bring them in for an autograph. Strangely, there’s less plaid here than in any Bushwick hangout—kids these days.

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city services | BEST OF MANHATTAN 2011

Best Undiscovered Jewelry shop: reinerland Jewelry 162 Allen St. (betw. Rivington & StAnton StS.), www.ReineRlAnd.com Housed in a shared space with fedora purveyor Charm NYC, Reinerland is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Cristina Taranu and Reiner Mengesdorf. In 2006, they opened up shop on the Lower East Side, specializing in one-of-a-kind and custom jewelry with an ancient Roman inspiration. “We go to The Met and observe old jewelry,” said Taranu. “We want an unfinished, hammered feel.” In that vein, animals and talismans abound: snake earrings, a heart-shaped necklace with a skull on the bottom. It’s all presented on pieces of reclaimed materials ranging from weathered slate to driftwood salvaged from the East River.

Best etailer who can actUally MeasUre yoU: BonoBos 45 w. 25th St., 5th Fl. (At 6th Ave.), www.bonoboS.com/getFit If you’re a man in the 18-to-40 demographic, chances are you’ve seen ads for Bonobos’ pants on Facebook—often featuring a shapely behind sheathed in brightly colored khakis. With its not-too-boxy, nottoo-slim fits, etailer Bonobos says they are doing their part to “eliminate khaki diaper butt” while still allowing the wearer to retain his masculinity. The pants have been a big hit among Wall Street and Madison Avenue types—though this Downtown dude is a big fan himself. Bonobos avoids the pitfalls of online commerce by allowing unlimited free returns, but Manhattan customers would be well advised to step into Bonobos’ Flatiron office, where you can receive personal assistance from savvy employees in their “Fit Ninja” program. The Fit Ninjas help fit and measure you so you know exactly which of their sizes fit you best—hang

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city services on to the numbers, as they could serve you at future fittings too. The Ninjas also consult on style, so you can get the best selection for your taste and wardrobe needs. Plus, they’re called ninjas! Hi-ya!

Best aBove and Beyond service for watches: Jwatch 39 w. 14th St., Ste. 501 (betw. 5th & 6th AveS.), 212-695-4270 In a city where you get what you pay for, it’s a treat to experience great customer service even when money doesn’t change hands. On a recent visit for a battery replacement (or so we

O U R TOW N : D OW N TOWN | N OVE M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 1

thought), JWATCH’s experts advised that maintenance at a manufacturerauthorized location was required.

An energetic blond printed the other company’s service request form and even filled in our watch’s details for us.

Turns out she was JWATCH owner Jamie Brown, a rarity in the male-dominated world of watchmaking. Brown hails from Dalhart, a small town in the Texas Panhandle, where she says going the extra mile to help people was instilled in her at a young age. Between Brown and watchmaker Antonio, who has 45 years of experience, JWATCH can fix almost any timepiece—even antiques and collectibles. And if they can’t, they will help find someone who can.

Best locksMiths: Greenwich locksMiths 56 7thAve.(betw.bARRow & commeRce StS.),www.gReenwichlockSmithS.com Phil Mortillaro, the longtime proprietor of Greenwich Locksmiths, would like to make one thing very clear. They are locksmiths, not a hardware store with keys. Locksmiths through and through, Mortillaro and his handful of employees view their profession as a craft, something to be mastered over years of experience. That might be why the 31-year-old shop is a favorite of local building superintendents. Greenwich Locksmiths repairs antique locks, opens broken safes and cuts keys by hand. Just don’t call

CLASSES FOR ADULTS ALSO AVAILABLE

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THE 7-DAY PLAN THURSDAY

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SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

BEST PICK

A Night with Frank Henenlotter [11/6]

Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave. (betw.

E. Houston & Bond Sts.) www.anthologyfilmarchives.org; 4:30 p.m., $9.

Anthology will screen Frank Henenlotter’s classic film, Brain Damage, uncut, uncensored and completely unhinged.

Henenlotter is one of those mythic directors steeped in the horror subculture, and he will attend the screening.

The Key of Awesome 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. (betw. Desbrosses & Vestry Sts.), www.92y.org/tribeca; 7 p.m., $12.

The Key of Awesome is one of the Internet’s most successful series ever, with more than 100 million hits on YouTube.

See the show’s creators Mark Douglas, Todd Womack and Anastasia Douglas perform some of their greatest hits live on the 92YTribeca stage.

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Submissions can be sent to otdowntown@manhattanmedia.com.

White Truffle Dinner City Winery, 155 Varick St. (betw. Vandam & Spring Sts.), www.citywinery.com; 7 p.m., $175.

The white truffle—one of the most expensive kinds of truffle in the world—will be the guest of honor at this posh dinner.

The delicacy is so prized that a 1.6-pound specimen recently fetched $150,000 during the 79th White Truffle Festival in Alba, Italy. Fortunately you won’t have to travel to Piedmont to taste this unique delicacy.

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Marilyn Crispell Cornelia St. Cafe, 29 Cornelia St. (betw. Bleecker & W. 4th Sts.), www.92y.org/tribeca; 9 p.m. & 10:45 p.m., $15.

Pianist Marilyn Crispell makes her first appearance at Cornelia Street Cafe for two exclusive area concerts. She will perform solo and in duo with bassist Mark Helias. Among her peers, critics and the listening public, Crispell is considered one of the leading figures in jazz and contemporary improvised music.

FREE Songs and Stories of the Persian Jew

Village Temple, 33 E. 12 St. (betw. University & Broadway), www.villagetemple.org; 6:30 p.m., $10 suggested donation.

Hazzan Farid Dardashti, world-renowned heir to a rich tradition of Persian hazzanim and vocal artists, will be a guest at the Persian Jewish Shabbat, a special worship service to be held at The Village Temple. The evening begins with an Erev Shabbat worship service. Dardashti will sing melodies of the Iranian tradition, and also recount memories of the Persian Jews. Dardashti is the first Iranian-born international concert artist and hazzan in the western world.

Clowns Full-Tilt: A Musing on Aesthetics La Mama Theater, 74A E. 4th St. (betw. Bowery & 2nd Ave.), www.lamama.org; 7:30 p.m., $18.

If seeing the world premiere of a nine-woman clown troupe that includes a roster of international performers isn’t on your bucket list, well, it should be. Hop over to La Mama for Clowns Full-Tilt, a sophisticated, multimedia evening of clown theater from creator/director Kendall Cornell.

Taikoza Japanese Drumming Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery St. (betw. Houston & Bleecker Sts.), www.bowerypoetry.com; 11:30 a.m., $10.

Back by popular demand, Bowery Kids presents a family program with dance and exciting Taiko drumming. Taikoza hits the stage with a high-energy performance of traditional and original Japanese tunes featuring flutes and an amazing array of ancestral Taiko drums.

FREE Occupy Housing Works

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St. (betw. Houston & Prince Sts.), www.housingworksbookstore.com; 7 p.m.

Housing Works and the literary magazine n+1 will co-host a discussion of the Occupy movement with activists and writers, moderated by n+1 editor Keith Gessen. Copies of the n+1 OWS-inspired gazette, OCCUPY! will be available.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

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

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Much Ado About Noshing with Calvin Trillin Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St. (betw. 4th St. & Astor Pl.), www.gvshp.org/noshing; 6–8 p.m., $250.

This benefit for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will include discussions of food, history, community and, of course, noshing. Calvin Trillin, staff writer for the New Yorker, and the Russ & Daughters family—who will be catering the event—will join guests for good food and good conversation.

Let My People Go! The Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. (at First Place), www.mjhnyc.org; 10 a.m–5:45 p.m., $12.

Beit Hatfutsot, The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, brings its seminal exhibition to NYC for a limited time. The show tells the story of Jews in the former Soviet Union who wanted to emigrate but were denied the right to leave. Visitors will learn about their efforts to maintain Jewish identity and community life and their struggles with Soviet authorities.

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Book Club Burlesque Parkside Lounge, 317 E. Houston St. (betw. Attorney & Clinton Sts.), www.parksidelounge.net; 8 p.m., $7.

Catch-22 author Joseph Heller’s classic blend of comedy and the grisly reality of life on the front lines meets the Lower East Side stage. Artists will bring their own creativity to each piece, relating their performance or installation to themes or text found in Heller’s work, all while having sexy literate fun. Event is 21+.

Stripped Stories The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 307 W. 26th St. (betw. 8th & 9th Aves.), www.ucbtheatre.org; 9:30 p.m., $5.

This hit sex-themed monthly storytelling show features hosts Giulia Rozzi (MTV, VH1) and Margot Leitman (Spike TV, Conan O’Brien).

They invite comedians, musicians and guests to reveal hysterically honest stories about their sex lives. Rozzi and Leitman will also each reveal their own juicy stories amidst games, audience interviews and hookups...hopefully.

1886: Unplugged!

Ella Lounge, 9 Ave. A (betw. Houston & 1st Sts.), www.ellalounge.com; 8:30– 10:30 p.m., $10.

Evan Laurence, producer/artist/performer, presents an evening of ribaldries, music, burlesque and surprises. Inspired by an 1886 British school songbook, Laurence has gathered local talent for their take on Victorian society and characters, updated to tickle your fancies and diddle your duodenum.

NOVE M B E R 3, 2011 | OTDOWNTOWN.COM

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EmPLOYmENT

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O U R TOW N : D OW NTOWN | N OVE M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 1

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N OV E M B E R 3, 2011 | otd ow n tow n . c o m

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OBITUARY

Agnes Allon, 1926–2011 Manhattan Media CEO Tom Allon’s mother, Agnes Allon, passed away last Wed. Oct. 26 after a brief illness.

Here are excerpts from the eulogies given by her sons, Tom and Richard, and grandson, Jonah, at her memorial service on Oct. 28 at Riverside Chapel.

A Mother Like No Other

By Tom Allon

O

ne thing about my mother is that she always had a great sense of humor and she loved to hear jokes and tell jokes, especially off-color ones.

As she was being wheeled to the operating room at Mt. Sinai two months ago and I trailed alongside her, she looked at me and said: “Did you hear the one about the 7-year-old boy who had a six-month old brother and asked his dad what the ‘economy’ meant?”

I looked at her, incredulous that she could tell a joke at this moment.

But she went on, unfazed. “The father said: ‘Hmmm...well, the economy is like your family. I’m business, your mother is management, the maid is labor and your little brother is the future.’”

“That night the boy was awakened at 3 a.m. by his baby brother’s cries. He saw that his diaper was full, so he went next door to his parent’s bedroom and saw that his mother was asleep. Then he went to the maid’s room and saw that his father was having sex with the maid. So, he went back to his bedroom, changed the diaper himself and went back to sleep.

“In the morning at the breakfast table, he said: ‘I think I know what you mean about the economy, dad.’ “‘Great,’ said his father. ‘Tell me.’ “‘Well, it seems that management is asleep. Business is screwing labor. And the future is full of shit!’

We had a good laugh then, in the waiting area outside of the operating room; my mother comforting me, like she always did, in one of the toughest moments of her life. She had that very impish smile that told you that she not only enjoyed telling the joke, but she re-

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Agnes Allon, with son Tom, grandchildren Tess and Lena, and daughters-in-law Janet and Hope. Photos by Richard Allon. ally enjoyed laughing along with you.

That is the image of my mother I’d like all of you to take away today. That is the lasting image that I will always have of her. And that moment tells you more about my mother than a lifetime of eulogies could explain.

She was a saint. Saint Agnes, my brother and I jokingly called her. The first Jewish saint that ever lived.

Her life was an incredibly rich one, a long life full of lots of jokes, good times with my father, loving years with me and my brother Richard and an incredibly rewarding 17 years as a grandmother.

“I don’t feel cheated at all,” my mother said to me in the hospital last month during that long Labor Day Weekend we got to spend together where she reminisced about her early life and how she met my father.

Their’s was a love affair that sounds

too good to be true. A love that started when they were 11 and 12 years old, in a different century, in a different culture, in a world much more innocent than the one we live in today. My parents were first cousins who met during the summer of 1936, when my father came to Hungary to spend the summer with my mother’s family. “He was so handsome, I fell in love with him the first time I saw him,” my mother told me that weekend.

“He was wild and fun and we had only eyes for each other.” The wild part, I still find hard to believe, for those of you who knew my dad, but everything else rang true.

The next summer, my father was bar mitzvahed and my mother went with her dad, my father’s uncle, in a strange genetic twist of fate. Their romance deepened, as much as a 13-year-old and a 12-year-old can be said to have a

romance.

Excuse me, I have to interrupt here and say something to my two daughters: Lena and Tess, don’t try this one...it happens only every three generations.

And then came the war and the Holocaust, and both my parents lost parents and siblings and all that was left was their love for each other. Their whole world had come crashing down and this helped solidify their already strong bond. They embarked on a new life as a couple in their early 20s, facing a world that had already shown them that life was precious and fragile.

So, after a few years of living the cosmopolitan life in Vienna and Paris and Budapest, my parents decided to move to New York, my mom told me, because New Yorkers were so much nicer about Continued on next page »

Anyu

(In Hugarian and English)

By Richard Allon

A sivem szakad A faydalom nagy A lelkivilagom semved Somoru egy nap ez My heart is torn The pain is huge My inner world is shaken I am unmooredSad, this day

You were so in your skin. So you.

So absoulutely comfortably, unapologetically you! Anyu— And how priviledged and fortunate I have been to have you, my mother, for all these 58 years.

Mindenem. Bodyo edes. Tshilagom.

Aranyom. Botzikam. Szerelmem.

Kedvensem.

Kish bodyo. Nagy bodyo. Apuka.

Edes andyalom. Imadshag.

Ezek a nevek—amik nem fogom halani megint teoled My everything. My dear little seed.

My star. My golden one. My love.

My favorite one. My Little seed. My big seed. My dear loved one. My dearest of all dears.

These are the names I will no longer hear you call me.

Anyam. Baratam. Tanitom. Yavitau.

Anyam edesh edesh anyam.

Ishtenem, Miyen egy dyeneru embert hosztal a vilagra Esh miyen jo sivu egy anya, esh miyen lelki gusdug…

Miyen [pechem van hogy iyen egy anyat talaltam….

My mother, My friend. My teacher.

My fixer. Repairer of all things My dear, dear one and only mother.

God, what a beautiful person you brought into the world.

What a good-hearted and deeply contented soul.

kids than the French. Thus began their odyssey as Americans.

But my mother and father did not leave their European roots of elegance, style and love for family behind, they merely recreated it on the Upper West Side. Their best friends were expatriate Hungarians who moved to the city.

Their social life revolved around the oldworld Hungarian businessman’s club on 73rd Street, off Central Park West. My parents and my aunt and uncle moved to West 86th Street and raised me and my brother and my cousins in a new world that was a generation and worlds removed from their childhood.

My mother did everything she could to make sure that my brother and I lived a safe and happy childhood. And to make us look good. That was very important to them. As an expert seamstress, she actually designed and made

Richard and Agnes Allon Yol halgatal. Yol latal Yol vitseltel.

Nagyon jol vitseltel . Yol rehegetel Az a Friedmani chaladi rehegsheg.

Minden oyan edseruen neset ki.

Megkertunk valamit toeled esh aba a pertsbe vagy a kevetkese napon el volt intesve.

You listened well. You saw me well.

You told jokes so well. So well. You laughed so well.

That Friedman family laugh, with

our clothes. I still get a little embarrassed when I see pictures of me at 4 years old wearing purple velour short pants that my mom made for my brother’s bar mitzvah. Or the white leather pants my mom designed and had me wear to elementary school. That is perhaps why my only rebellion towards my mother has been my utter lack of interest in fashion. I think that was one of my mother’s few disppointments in me. Just the other night, when I came to visit her at home and leaned over her bed to kiss her, she strained to say something. I thought, I’d better lean in, this could be very important. And then she said, “Is that a stain on your shirt?”

My mother was not just a saint but a modern woman who was not afraid to work and raise a family and be proud to do both well. Every day, she made sure my brother and I were ready for

the endless, endless tears.

Everything seemed so easy. One asked you for something and it was done in that very easeful moment or the next day.

Te tanitotal hogy kel leni, hogy emberi leni, hogy dolgosni, hogy piheni, hogy betegen leni esh most hogy halni.

Mi yol ishmertunk egy masht—mi yol megertetunk egymasht.

You taught me how to to be, how to be a human being, how to work, how to rest, how to be sick and now, how to die. With grace, with dignity—in life as in death.

You taught me to enjoy the pleasures of a midday nap, enjoying a fresh warm strudel, a good paprikash chirke nokedlival.

You taught me how to be in a room alone, all alone—doing something I love.

You taught me to count my blessings, to be grateful for the little things.

You were such grace—such amazing grace.

And we knew each other well. And we understood each other well.

So wise. So naturally wise. So much everyday profound common sense.

I loved to hear your counsel—earthy, loving, no bullshit, direct, clear.

I loved to hear you tell me you love me—I loved to tell you I love you.

Such a sweet and familiar refrain : Imadlak. Imadlak. Imadlak.

Anyu, tudom hogy miyen boldog vagy hogy eshkudtem Hopal,

school, then she went off to her fashion boutique with my aunt and was home again by 5:30 p.m. to prepare dinner for our family. My father and me and my brother were so well taken care of, and she made it look so effortless, that she ruined things, unwittingly, for any woman who dared enter our family.

Sorry, Janet and Hope, but Mom did not plan to spoil me and Richard forever.

My mother lived for her family and her kitchen was her castle, and even when it was small on West 86th Street, she made everything taste good, she baked the most amazing cakes and she took joy in watching us all eat her food.

A

fter my father passed away suddenly, almost 13 years ago, life changed dramatically for my mom. Her soulmate was gone. It took her almost a year to

esh hogy menyira imadod eht.

I know how happy you are that Hope and I got married just a few weeks ago, And I know how much you love dear, dear Hope.

Az ishten aldyon meg teged.

Ishten agyon neked eresheget esh beket.

Ishten vigyazon rad, Apukan, Bebon esh az eges czaladra.

Anya czak egy van, Anya czak egy volt. Anya czak egy les May God watch over you, bless you. May God give you strength and peace.

May God take care of you, of Apu, of Bebo, of all the departed cardplaying Hungarians….

I was thinking that if Apu was a good toothpick—you are a thread, a needle, a thimble, a button.

You wove your healing into all the beautiful shawls, afghans, sweaters and clothes that you made for all of us endlessly—tirelessly.

Anyu, pihenyel, ne feyel, mi it vagyunk.

Mi yol vagyunk. Mi emlekesni fogunk. Mi elere nezunk Esh mint te – mi fogyuk elvesni az eletet amedig biryuk Vis latish Anyuka. Vis latash. Vis latash.

Anyu. Rest. Don’t be afraid. We are all fine. We will all remember what you’ve taught us.

We are all faring forward.

And like you, we will relish and enjoy every last minute for as long as we are able.

See you again. See you again.

See you. Again.

find her footing, but she did, and she reveled in her times with my children, with me and my wife, Janet, with Richard and his wife Hope, and in going out to the theater with her friends Vera and Judka and Judith and in seeing her friends in Florida and the Hungarian Club and the neighborhood. She loved her niece and nephew, Ester and Peter, and always invited my uncle Max over for family dinners and holidays. We had a lot to celebrate together these past 13 years: our kids’ graduations, birthdays, Jewish holidays and just being together as a family.

And my mother was the glue that held us all together. She always cooked and shopped and made food days in advance so we were all well fed. Now, we will have to follow her example and Continued on next page »

N OV E M B E R 3, 2011 | otd ow n tow n . c o m

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OBITUARY Continued from previous page keep close to our relatives and friends and make life a joy each day, inspired by her incredible example.

I

’ll never forget one conversation my mom and I had while we were walking in the hospital that Labor Day weekend just two months ago, when we still had hope, but my mom knew that things may not go as we all hoped it would.

Out of the blue she said: “What took you so long?”

When I looked at her with a puzzled look she shot back that impish smile.

“You know what your father will say when he sees me? ‘What took you so long?’”

Although there is no way to be sure, of course, I am optimistic that mom and dad are now reunited in some other place, resuming the greatest love story I have ever witnessed, either in fiction or real life.

These past 12 and a half years since my dad died have been a gift to me and my brother, to our wives, Janet and Hope, to my children, Jonah, Tess and Lena and to all of you who knew and loved my mother.

A big part of my mom died that bleak February day in 1999, as it did in June 2002, when her beloved sister, Eva, died and as it did on a number of bleak days in 1942 when she lost her mother and two sisters during the Holocaust, but she nonetheless remained a positive, loving, warm, caring, selfless, thoughtful woman whose life made everyone’s better around her. Almost everyone thinks their mom is the best mother ever, and most of them are right. But Richard and and I were truly blessed with a mother like no other; she loved us unconditionally, praised us when the world was telling us otherwise and lifted our spirits when we were low and in need of the love only a mother can provide.

And now, we must grow up completely and become the people our mother taught us to be. Straightforward, but compassionate; loving, but not fake. Caring and nurturing and positive and striving each day to make the world around us a better place.

Because that’s what she did and hers will be a very tough act to follow.

Mom, yes, the future is full of shit, as your punch line so prophetically and poignantly pointed out. But your life and the memories of our time with you will always be a blessing and an inspiration to all of us.

Rest in peace.

And say hi to dad, and tell him we miss him, too.

Tell him it’s our fault you took so long.

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Agnes Allon and her grandson Jonah. Photo by Richard Allon.

A Grandma’s Strength

By Jonah Allon

I

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first realized that Anyu was dying when I saw her middle finger in her waning days. She hardly had any strength in her voice, her skin had taken on a ghostly pallor, and she was fading in and out of consciousness. But her middle finger was conspicuously unpainted. I had never seen any of her bare fingernails in my entire life prior to that. They were always richly coated in red whenever we played Rummikub on the kitchen table or whenever I watched her elegant fingers push needles through fabric by the dim light of the TV screen. I felt immediately as though I had stumbled on something shameful, like walking in on my mother naked. My grandmother was fully exposed to me for the first time in her life. It was a moment of heartbreaking profundity for me as I held her hand, hoping that the nail polish would simply reappear.

Right now, I’m mentally preparing myself to embark on the most significant rite of passage since my barmitzvah. I’m going to college next year. I’ll be out on my own for the first time. My mind is oriented toward the future, toward all of the promise and possibility it holds for me. But when Anyu passed, I reluctantly took a step back into the uncomfortable realm of memory.

I’ve been dwelling there for the past few days.

I remember the Vh1 Top 20 Countdown with a Nutella sandwich in my hands, Anyu beaming as she watched me eat, contentedly. I remember trying to explain how a computer works to a woman from a different generation. I remember our trip to Debrecen, her hometown in Hungary, where our family revisited the courtyard of the building where she had grown up.

I remember the smells from her kitchen. The holiday

dinners with the whole family where she told her trademark jokes. The wistful reflections on photographs of her and her beloved Apu. They were a movie-star couple, happy with their lot and their American dream.

Throughout all of this, I haven’t cried once. I don’t say that to boast. There are times when I have welcomed that catharsis, but it just hasn’t come yet. Some people have told me it’s just taking me time to digest and react to this. Some people have said that she will go away in fragments—I’ll notice the absence of her weiner-schnitzel, wonder why my father isn’t visiting her more often, walk by her house dreamily – and she’ll begin to fade away, gradually. But I’d like to provide another possibility: after a life of loving, selflessness, and generosity, Anyu has decided to bestow on me her greatest gift— the gift of strength. It was evident throughout her life that she had an abundance of strength—the Holocaust took most of her family away from her, her husband and the love of her life died suddenly, and in her last 10 years she had no shortage of personal hardships. Yet somehow she maintained an enduring vivacity of spirit, a will to live despite all of the obstacles she faced in her long and full life. And now, poised on the edge of a new chapter in my life, it’s my responsibility to follow in her example and carry on that legacy of strength that has continued to inspire me every day.

Colleges caution potential applicants against the “grandma essay,” where applicants talk about the lessons they’ve learned and the qualities they’ve emulated in their grandmothers. Often, the grandmother ends up seeming like the more appealing candidate.

But the lessons I’ve learned and the newfound strength that Anyu has passed on to me aren’t appropriate for something so mundane. As my old tennis coach so eloquently put it, I would be doing her memory a disjustice. So instead, I’m here to thank Anyu for teaching me unconditional love and for giving me the gift of her strength, which I’ll take forward with me, whatever the future might hold. I hope that, wherever she is, she’s happy. I hope she’s with Apu. I hope she’s re-applying a fresh layer of her signature red nail polish.

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Harris Dew

photo By penny gray

Manhattan Media

Harris Dew, Director of Programming anD Promotions at ifc center

| By penny gray

S

ince opening in 2005, the IFC Center at 323 Sixth Ave., at West Third Street, has become a cinema hub for the city. Harris Dew, director of programming and promotions, talks about the role of IFC in the community and the community’s role in IFC. How long have you been at IFC? I’ve been at IFC since the summer of 2005, just about the time it opened. Before that I was at Film Forum doing publicity and repertory programming. And before that I was at MoMA doing PR. What exactly do you do as director of programming and promotions?

I program films with my boss, which means viewing a lot of films, going to festivals and watching screeners [films submitted by filmmakers].

About half of the films that we show at IFC were picked up at festivals and the other half were chosen from submissions. My boss and I have very different sensibilities, so the two of us can really cover the waterfront together.

How would you categorize the films that make it to the IFC screens?

It’s tough to do that. We’re not just an art house cinema and we don’t just screen documentaries. We’ve got highbrow, lowbrow, middlebrow. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the good, the bad and the ugly, but it’s quite a range.

What do you love most about your job?

I love discovering something great and then sharing it with people; it’s a pretty lucky position to be in. And I love working at an institution that is able to serve such a broad audience, not in a “lowest common denominator” sort of

way but because we do lots of things in lots of ways. It’s tough to pigeonhole IFC. I love that.

What’s the most disappointing element of your job?

Getting it wrong. Just because you love a film and believe it to be great doesn’t mean other people will agree.

I guess I hate not being able to find the right audience for a film. Other than that, I dislike the things that everybody dislikes about their jobs, right?

The last-minute things that don’t come through…little things. But at the end of the day, there’s very little that I don’t enjoy.

How does being Downtown shape IFC as a cinema?

Well, it makes us as diverse as Downtown New York is.

That’s really it. For one thing, it makes us a filmmaker’s theater. We never lose sight of the fact that screening films isn’t enough. We hold lots of Q&As and filmmakers screenings. We also have some pretty hardcore art house patrons from NYU and other academic institutions, as well as an international crowd.

The great thing is that we have programming to meet the needs of our diverse Downtown audiences. We’ve got Queer/Art/Film, a really fun weekly series in which a member of the New York gay arts community picks out an influential film for screening.

We have the New York International Children’s Film Festival, in which we screen films for kids every weekend. We have our Midnight Movies series that attracts a very different crowd. So, yeah, I would say being Downtown shapes IFC tremendously.

Do you think IFC could exist uptown?

Not in the same way.

We’re very much a Downtown theater in our sensibility. We take energy from this neighborhood and we give it back.

It’s lucky to be on top of the West Fourth Street station because it’s so convenient and folks from uptown can easily access us. I guess if we existed uptown, we’d have a slightly different audience profile, and over the years of screenings you’d probably see a change in what we screened.

expanded significantly. So that should be a pretty exciting festival.

In addition, we’ve just opened a Weekend Retrospective Series featuring the works of Aki Kaurismäki. Every weekend, a different film of his will be screened through Dec. 18.

So there’s a lot going on.

So what’s next at IFC? We just opened a film called Urbanized, by Gary Hustwit; it’s a feature-length documentary about the design of cities that looks at the strategies and issues behind urban design. Gary will be at IFC with lots of city planners and designers for Q&A sessions discussing sustainability, climate change and how to urbanize better.

We also have the DOC NYC festival Nov. 2-10 in collaboration with NYU. It’s our second year and we’ve already

And down the road at IFC? The DOC NYC festival will continue to expand. And we’ll continue our collaborations with filmmakers and organizations in New York. We opened in 2005 and were HD from the beginning. We added two new screens in 2009, so hopefully in the future we’ll add more screens, more space. I want us to be idiosyncratic in the long run. It’s an exciting place to see what’s coming next.

One thing’s for sure, you’re not going to get bored. There’ll be something.

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