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Church Street and Trinity Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Val Castronovo
RELIGIOUS LEADERS REACT TO TRAVEL BAN President Trump’s action sparks responses from Manhattan congregations across the faith spectrum BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
“This God loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants, because you were immigrants in Egypt.” “Thus says the Lord, do justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor she who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless and the widow.” Bible verses on the topic of the stranger, read aloud during last Sunday’s service at Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, resonated deeply in light of President Donald Trump’s executive order, issued Friday, Jan. 27, temporarily barring refugees and nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Trump’s order was met with a swift response from thousands of New Yorkers over the weekend, as protest-
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Mayor Bill de Blasio at a Battery Park rally on Jan. 29 held to oppose President Trump’s executive order barring residents from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
BUDGET FOR A SANCTUARY CITY After de Blasio’s presentation, uncertainty over how Trump’s action will affect federal funds BY MADELEINE THOMPSON AND MICHAEL GAROFALO
Just a day after Bill de Blasio presented his preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, President Donald Trump threw what could be a major wrench in the mayor’s plans. On the afternoon of Jan. 25, Trump signed an executive action to pull funding from so-called sanctuary cities that attempt to protect undocumented immigrants, of which New York City is one. Roughly
unlikely that the entire $7 billion could be taken away. More probable is the stripping of $165 million federal dollars for security measures like surveillance cameras and other anti-terrorism protections. “This president and these Republicans have to understand that we are and will always be the number one terrorist target in the world,” Stringer said. Trump has also said that he will not pull funds from law enforcement, so it is unclear exactly how the city’s security could be affected. At an emergency rally last week, New Yorkers and several elected officials spoke out in
10 percent of the city’s budget comes from federal aid, adding up to more than $8 billion in 2016 and a projected $7 billion for next year. At his budget presentation, de Blasio acknowledged the questions surrounding the new president’s administration. “Against a backdrop of a lot of uncertainty … we are still confident that with this budget we can deepen the investments we’re making in this city,” he said. “It is clear to us that while we’re waiting for the situation in Washington to develop, we’ve got to keep moving.” According to New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, it is
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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support of the city’s immigrant population. Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in Washington Square Park on Wednesday evening to express their broad dissatisfaction with several of President Trump’s actions: the sanctuary cities order; an additional order to begin building a wall at the border between the U.S. and Mexico; and reports that Trump was considering an order restricting immigration from certain predominantly Muslim countries, which he signed two days later. Protesters, many wearing the
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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THE CITI BIKE EFFECT Upper East Siders meet to discuss the impact of the bikes on local business BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Are Citi Bikes helping or hurting small businesses? The ongoing conversation about bikes in the city continued on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at a joint meeting of Community Board 8’s small business, street life and transportation committees. About 20 Upper East Siders — relatively few compared to the crowds that have shown up to bike-related meetings in the past — turned out to discuss the impact of Citi Bike on local businesses. Liz Patrick, vice president of the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association, presented an informal survey her organization had done of several small businesses that revealed some specific complaints. “There is a gap between the sidewalk and where the docking station is … and trash, dirt and other things seem to accumulate in there,” she said. Patrick specifically mentioned Best Health Gourmet Deli, at First Avenue and 74th Street, and Primrose Flo-
rist at Third Avenue and 71st Street. The former has also had issues with delivery trucks causing gridlock because the store is located between a bus lane and an apartment building, and the delivery trucks must doublepark next to the docking station on 74th. She said the other five Citi Bike stations in her neighborhood were “nicely placed.” According to Patrick, the NYPD has issued Primrose Florist a warning for not keeping the trash-filled gap between the Citi Bike rack and the sidewalk clear. “The police ... told them that it is their responsibility to clean that gap just like it’s their responsibility to clean the sidewalk,” she said. “[The owner] said they’re nervous wrecks. It’s not uncommon to stop working with a customer, come outside and sweep up before they think the police officer might be coming by to give them a ticket.” No one from the Department of Transportation attended the meeting, and CB8 board members promised to take up the issue with DOT, as well as with the Sanitation and Consumer Affairs Departments. Following an inquiry by Our Town, a DOT spokesperson said NYC Bike Share is
Photo: Jim.henderson, via Wikimedia Commons accountable for maintaining the stations and the areas around them. “Local business owners are encouraged to contact Citi Bike customer service to report trash buildup at a particular station,” the spokesperson said. During the time reserved for public comment, some attendees just wanted to discuss their opposition to Citi Bike, and the committee chairs had to remind them to stay on the topic of bikes in relation to small businesses. Last week’s group included those who felt passionately both for and against the bike-sharing program, and the discussion remained civil despite the contentious topic. “I’m really happy about the bike lanes. It’s going to make it much easier
to actually use the Citi Bike system,” said Maggie Subhas, who lives on East 69th Street and Second Avenue. She suggested that the trash accumulation issue could become a community project. Trisha Shimamura, a member of the transportation committee, credited Citi Bike with helping her find the baker for her wedding cake. “I went in hating Citi Bike but was encouraged to try it out, but I have to tell you that we, personally, have [patronized] more small businesses because of it,” she said. “I do see us … saving money because now neither my fiance nor I buy monthly Metrocards.” But others lamented the loss of parking space and the lack of knowledge
that some bikers seem to have about basic traffic rules. “The city of New York needs to educate people if we’re going to continue in this fairly chaotic fashion of imposing bikes on the general citizenry,” another Upper East Sider said. “I think most bikers don’t realize the danger they are imposing on themselves.” By the end of 2017, there will be 12,000 Citi Bikes at 750 stations across the five boroughs. The next phase of Citi Bike’s expansion in Manhattan will take place above 110th Street into Harlem and Morningside Heights. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com
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Dash celebrates Our Town’s Art of Food at Sotheby’s on February 4th 2017.
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG NICKED NICOTINE
STATS FOR THE WEEK
Another shoplifter appeared to be trying to kick a habit other than shoplifting. At midnight on Monday, Jan. 16, a man entered the Duane Reade store at 100 Broadway and removed more than $4,000 worth of smoking cessation medications, putting them into a black bag and then leaving the store. Police searched the area for the shoplifter but couldn’t find him. The items stolen included Nicorette gum, lozenges and patches totaling $4,040.
Reported crimes from the 1st precinct
OUT OF AMO
Tony Webster, via flickr
BIMMER SKIMMERS Saks Fifth Avenue may attract a better class of shoplifter, judging from one pernicious pair’s means of getaway. At 7:37 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, two perpetrators entered the Saks store at 225 Liberty St. The first perpetrator was observed on surveillance cameras removing four bags from a display shelf
and concealing them in his jacket while the second perpetrator distracted a sales associate. The pair then exited the store and were observed fleeing the scene in a silver BMW. The shoplifters got away with four Yves St. Laurent bags with a total value of $6,200.
At 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 21, a woman went into a fitting room in the Anthom store at 25 Mercer St. with two items of merchandise. She put both items on under her clothes and then left the store without paying. Police couldn’t find her in the neighborhood. The items stolen included a Veda leather jacket valued at $990, and Amo jeans priced at $268, making the total stolen of $1,258.
SINGAPORE STING Police remind citizens and visitors to check your property anytime someone
Week to Date
Year to Date
2017 2016
% Change
2017
2016
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Rape
0
1
-100.0
1
1
0.0
Robbery
1
3
-66.7
4
5
-20.0
Felony Assault
1
0
n/a
6
0
n/a
Burglary
0
2
-100.0
2
6
-66.7
Grand Larceny
26
19
36.8
61
72
-15.3
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
bumps into you. At 5 p.m. on Jan. 16, a man visiting from Singapore was walking southbound on the Northwest corner of Warren Street and Broadway when he was bumped from behind. The victim didn’t realize that he’d been pickpocketed until he got a block farther south. He tried using the Find My iPhone app, but his phone had been turned off. The items stolen included a silver 128 GB iPhone 6s valued at $1,048, and $500 in cash, making a total bump-and-grab of $1,548.
NORTHERN INHOSPITALITY At midnight on Jan. 22, a 27-yearold woman from Richmond, Virginia, checked into the Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel on Canal Street and used the hotel’s parking service. At 8:30 in the morning she returned to her vehicle, which was parked at 6-10 Wooster Street, and found that her wallet and its contents — which she had left in the car’s glove compartment — were missing. The items stolen included a Burberry wallet valued at $650, $2,000 in cash, credit and debit cards, and a California ID. In all, the woman was out $2,650.
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AMAZING IS NOT HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN YOUR KIDS. Celeste’s unborn twins had a rare condition that was causing one child to thrive at the expense of the other. Specialists had told her to terminate Baby B to save Baby A or to end the pregnancy altogether. Desperate, she went to NewYork-Presbyterian for a second opinion. Drs. Russell Miller and Lynn Simpson told Celeste she didn’t have to choose—they had a plan to save both children using advanced endoscopic laser surgery. Celeste remembers hearing one, then two, tiny gurgles as Baby A and Baby B entered the world—and became Elias and Mattin.
nyp.org/amazingthings
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers testimony on the New York City budget before members of the New York State Assembly and Senate during a joint budget hearing at the Legislative Office Building in Albany on Jan. 30. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
BUDGET Photo: Luke McKernan, via flickr
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READING ALTERNATIVES
pink hats that emerged as a symbol of the widespread women’s marches held the weekend before, waved signs and chanted slogans like, “No ban, no wall, New Yorkers for all.” “I came here with a completely different impression of what the United States was,” said attendee Shreyas Muzumdar, 22, who moved to New York from his native India five years ago. “It sort of baffles me that something like this could ever happen here.” The rally, sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, attracted activists and local elected officials, including Stringer, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Council Member Helen Rosenthal. “Donald Trump, you idiot, don’t you understand economics 101?” Stringer said to cheers from the crowd. “This town can’t live and operate and function without the immigrant community.” Stringer railed against Trump again the next day. “It’s idiotic the things he says and tweets,” he said, adding that, especially as a Jewish American, he would stand with Muslims everywhere. “When they come for the Muslim community they’re coming for me, and when they come for me they’re coming for you,” he said. As de Blasio made the rounds on television last week, he doubled down on his commitment to being a sanctuary city for moral, economic and security reasons. “It’s going to make cities less safe,” he told CNN, referring to Trump’s executive order. “That is the bottom line.” Public safety was a main focus of his proposed budget, with $275 million going to the renovation of a facility in Rodman’s Neck for officers to train in. More than 10 million will go to bullet-resistant window inserts for NYPD vehicles, and $4.5 million will be invested in enabling communities to reduce local gun violence and intervene in gang activity.
“1984,” “The Plot Against America,” other dystopian visions top bestseller lists BY LILY HAIGHT AND CLAIRE WANG
In the week after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, independent bookstores in Manhattan have noticed an increase in sales of novels with totalitarian themes, among them George Orwell’s “1984,” Sinclair Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here” and Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.” Orwell’s dystopian classic sold out last week on Amazon after Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, characterized provable falsehoods as “alternative facts, while Roth’s novel, published in 2004, pres-
Photo: Chris Protopapas, via flickr
ents an alternative history in which FDR lost the 1940 presidential election to anti-Semitic candidate Charles Lindberg, the famed aviator. The general manager of Shakespeare & Co., on Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side, Kenneth Tan, said the bookshop is boosting its stocks of both books to meet demand. The store sold about 10 copies each of “1984” and “Plot Against America” recently. Four stores — Westsider Books, 192 Books, Book Book and Book Culture on Columbus Avenue — have all sold out of “1984.” Three of these stores have also sold out of “It Can’t Happen Here.” Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and U.S. Rep. John Lewis’s memoir, “Walking with the Wind” have all been selling briskly. Lewis’s book, which documents his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, sold out on Amazon
Photo: RA.AZ, via flickr
after Trump attacked him on Twitter over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, saying that Lewis is “all talk, no action.” Trump’s tweet followed Lewis’ claim that Trump was not “legitimate president” given allegations of Russian meddling in the elections. While Orwell’s “1984” sits at number one on Amazon’s bestsellers list, Sinclair Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here,” Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” about a future society where books are outlawed and burned, Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and Orwell’s “Animal Farm” have all risen on the list as well. Trump’s own “The Art of The Deal,” published 30 years ago, is number 24 on the list. In addition to the rise of political and dystopian books on Bestsellers lists, another piece of literature that has gained in popularity since the inauguration: sitting at number 37 on Amazon’s list is the U.S. Constitution.
Photo: Karen Horton, via flickr
Vision Zero also received a significant commitment of $400 million to be spread out over six years, bringing the program’s total funding to $1.6 billion through 2021. This includes more street lights, traffic signals and left-turn calming measures at 100 key intersections. “We think we’re going to be able to show even greater ability to save lives and protect people as Vision Zero deepens,” de Blasio said. Slightly more than $6 million will be devoted to hiring 200 school crossing guards and 100 supervisors, and $690,000 in safety enhancements to bike lanes Adding up to $84.67 billion, the mayor’s new budget is 14 percent higher than it was when he took office in 2014. Though inflation has not risen at the same rate as the budget increase, the Fiscal Policy Institute’s deputy director and chief economist James Parrott explained that the difference makes sense. De Blasio settled union agreements with nearly 70 percent of municipal workers soon after taking office, which was costly, and has prioritized responding to “real city needs” like homelessness and bad practices at Rikers Island. Parrott described the budget as “constructed to be cautious,” citing the high level of capital reserves set aside that could help absorb the effect of any potential lost federal dollars. “If the economy were weakened then, of course, city tax revenues would fall off and it would be harder for the city to make ends meet,” Parrott said. De Blasio’s plan sets aside a record $1 billion in reserves over four years. The City Council’s various committees will begin to hold hearings on the budget in March, aiming to reach an agreement with the mayor by June 30. For the moment, there is nothing much to be done in response to Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities but wait. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com. Michael Garofalo can be reached at reporter@strausnews.com.
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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TRAVEL BAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ers gathered at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Battery Park to voice their opposition. Demonstrations continued Monday at Tompkins Square Park and Columbia University. Though critics say the executive order specifically targets Muslims, it has attracted the attention of Manhattan congregations from across the religious spectrum. The Rev. Rachel Johnson said Riverside Church has taken steps to publicize protests against the order to its congregation. The ban, Johnson said, is “dismissive of fundamental Christian values of welcoming the stranger,” and the fact that it prioritizes granting refugee status to religious minorities, many of whom are Christians in the countries listed, is particularly troublesome. “We have a responsibility to care for our neighbors, and that should include everyone,” she said. Imam Ali Mashour of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York on the Upper East Side said that the order has already had a significant impact on the mosque’s congregants. “It’s not just foreign people who have never been to our country,” he said. “It’s people that have very strong ties and multigenerational ties to this country and this has now paralyzed their lives.” “We even have imams here on staff who have been affected,” Mashour continued. “People who were supposed to
Hundreds descended on John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 Saturday to protest President Trump’s executive order banning citizens of seven countries from traveling to the United States. Photo: Rhododendrites, via Wikimedia Commons go travel and they’re too afraid to travel because they’re afraid they can’t come back.” Mashour said that the center has been the target of vandalism and bomb threats in recent weeks, and that police have stationed an extra squad car outside in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Quebec City mosque Sunday. The Islamic Cultural Center has not participated directly in the protests of the last week, Mashour said, “because this is a religious institution and we don’t want to dabble in politics, since politics are very ambiguous.” Still, he said, the demonstrations have been a “breath of fresh air” because they show that many New Yorkers do not support the ban. The center has re-
ceived an outpouring of goodwill from neighbors in the days since the order was issued, Mashour said. “People bringing flowers, people signing up to volunteer for our various charitable activities,” he said. “They’ve been overwhelmingly supportive.” Rabbi Robert N. Levine said that members of Congregation Rodeph Sholom on West 83rd Street are “deeply engaged” with the challenges facing refugees in light of the executive order, and that members of the synagogue’s congregation and clergy were active in the protests of last weekend. “There probably isn’t any issue that should engage the Jewish community more than this,” Levine said. “There is nothing in our tradition that is emphasized more
than empathy for the stranger.” “This has a special resonance,” he added. Congregation Rodeph Sholom is hosting an upcoming event about providing assistance to refugees and is working with other synagogues as part of a coalition on refugee issues. “We realize as a consortium there is much we will be able to do to impact legislation and engage with our representatives,” Levine said, noting that the congregation will strive to deliver both direct service and effective advocacy on a number of issues. “It’s immigrants, it’s women, it’s a lot of different areas where the values we care most about as a religious tradition will be under assault,” he said. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael B. Curry, issued a statement last week calling on Trump to “continue the powerful work of our refugee resettlement program without interruption.” Manhattan’s Episcopal parishes have followed Curry’s lead in responding publicly to the executive order. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea will hold a candlelight prayer vigil at 6:30 Thursday evening, Feb. 2 “to pray for our country, pray for our leaders, and pray for the people affected by them, ” said the Rev. Stephen Harding, the church’s interim pastor. Harding plans to hold similar vigils each week. “As Episcopalians, we are called to respect the dignity of every human being,” he said.
7 At St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on West 99th Street, about 40 congregants stayed after last Sunday’s service for an impromptu gathering, during which they discussed how to respond to the refugee ban. The Rev. Katharine Flexer, the church’s rector, said that pastors like herself must strike a balance between giving people space to follow their own consciences and staying true to the church’s Christian identity. “A long time ago someone told me ‘preach the gospel, don’t preach politics,’ but a lot of times the gospel is politics,” she said. “It’s deep in our Christian DNA to welcome strangers and to care for the vulnerable, and if we’re not doing that, we’re not being good Christians,” Flexer added. St. Michael’s helped organize congregants to participate in last month’s women’s march, Flexer said, and will continue to play a role in working “not against any specific person, but against policies we perceive to be wrong.” Specifically, she said, the congregation will look for ways to connect with Muslim immigrant communities in New York. “We need to work together with people we haven’t worked with before and know our neighbors,” she said. “I think that’s one of the big messages.” Madeleine Thompson and Laura Hanrahan contributed to this story.
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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TAKING IT TO OUR STREETS GRAYING NEW YORK BY BETTE DEWING
Ah, so many figurative and literal protest marches are needed locally, to save/restore the neighborhood places that meet everyday needs — not to mention safe passage — or the lack thereof because laws are not strictly enforced. And to help the cause, Antal Kiss’s wrongful death from a fall on an icy Yorkvile sidewalk must not be in vain. This tragic and preventable loss of life was reported briefly in the News and the Post and then in this column which so thankfully prompted a response from the victim’s friend, Sheri Miller. And we learn how this
75 year-old long-time Yorkville resident was such an active and valued member of the Lenox Hill Senior Center. His thoughtful involvement helped make it a true community. And don’t we need that. A memorial service was held at the center “and at least 100 people attended,” wrote his friend Sheri. And they spoke of how much “Tony” had meant to them, and how his absence is so profoundly felt. Incidentally, before hearing from Sheri, an internet search found a 2015 Toronto newspaper obituary for an Antal “Toni” Kiss, who before moving to Canada had helped save “hundreds of Hungarians from the
Hungarian Revolution.” There must be a family connection and how we need Yorkville’s Antal “Tony” Kiss’s wrongful death story to at least result in strict enforcement of laws which ensure safe passage, especially, the minimally enforced kind requiring walkways’ ice and snow removal. And how ironic, Sheri added, that after the years of Second Avenue subway construction caused precarious walking, Tony should fall after all that was finally cleared away. More than ironic is how little protest was made against those decade-long unsafe and chaotic conditions for the community at large. And while maybe city-funded senior centers can’t do protests against questionable government actions or inactions, surely individual mem-
bers can — and to save what they need most in their own backyards. But surely neighborhood social activism must get equal time with social activities in other non-city subsidized groups for elders. Except only social activities are noted in a St. Monica Church’s recently formed senior ministry group’s questionnaire. No social actions listed, not even against the Second Avenue subway caused “skyrocketing rental values,” noted by St. Monica Church’s pastor, Father Donald Baker, in the Jan. 19 Catholic New York monthly. He fears older church and community members especially will be forced out of their homes. Stores and shop fronts with longtime presences in neighborhoods have already been priced-out. They have been going and going and
going, but where was — where is — the protest? To be continued, of course, but for now please, please check this paper’s Useful Contacts column and call in your concerns to local officials listed there – and any community groups too. Although, I say, do both. Thank you, Felicia Felday, for sharing this important social action tip, And here’s to remembering “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” nononsense advice civic groups used to hear from then 19th Precinct community police officers. Equal time for social action, you bet! And it can be done if enough of us try — if enough of us try. dewingbetter@aol.com
SHALL WE SKATE? BY MELITTA ANDERMAN
Remember all those wistful childish wishes? Choices were endless; boys wanted to be firemen, policemen, astronauts and cowboys, and girls wanted to be mommies, movie stars and ballerinas. I wanted to be an ice skating star. Actually, my parents named me for an international figure skater popular when I was born, Melitta Brunner, but I don’t believe the name penetrated my thought processes at the time. I did a lot of skating through the years, but the likes of Sonia Henie and Meryl Davis (a brilliant and beautiful American ice dancer) eluded me, and so I resigned myself to watching as many ice capades and competitions as possible. Here in Manhattan we have scenic Rockefeller Plaza and Wollman Rink in Central Park, as well an enclosed skating rink on Manhattan’s West Side by Hudson River. These are all wonderful places to let your feet fly over ice as you circle the rink. If you even have a bit of an ability to stay steady and feel secure, the ice will be your friend and allow you to let your body relax as you skate. It is a truly great pleasure to skate alone or hold
hands with another person. Wollman lies on a valley as you enter from Central Park South. In a few minutes you descend and the whiteness of the ice appears and then the wooden enclosures with all the amenities you need for a happy time — shoe rentals, food court, lockers and benches. It’s a little Switzerland in our Big Apple. It’s easy to forget and overlook, but it’s a hidden gem. Watching all the little eager kids make their way around and around, plopping on the ice on unsteady feet (when you are small falling is fun) as well people way over middle age in great shape traversing the ice makes me wish I had those beautiful white skates of my youth. At least I have the wonderful pleasure of watching greats perform in person or via satellite. I can turn on YouTube, where I can revisit any Olympic exhibition I missed and catch segments of skating greats, like Britain’s Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean do their 1984 rendition of “Bolero,” one of the legendary pair-skating feats. Great dramas played out on the ice, dangerous stunts which sometimes led to tragic accidents as well as world success.
Wollman Rink. Photo: Alexandre Breveglieri, via flickr It’s all very exciting, but at this moment I love watching the junior members of the Wollman Rink perform their solos to music and twirl and
jump and maybe climb a little closer on the ladder to fame. The work of a skater is hard and unbending, and there is great personal
sacrifice, but if you feel that fire, go for it and don’t give up. You may catch me in the crowd cheering.
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THE NEW FASHION POLICE Departments are loosening restrictions on tattoos, beards and, in New York City, turbans
BAR/BAT MITZVAHS Y SWEET SIXTEENS Y WEDDINGS
BY COLLEEN LONG
The Joe Friday look is out. Tattoos, turbans and beards are in. Police departments, compelled by a hiring crisis and eager for a more diverse applicant pool, are relaxing traditional grooming standards and getting away from rules that used to require a uniformly cleanshaven, 1950s look. More officers are on the job with tattoos inked on their forearms, beards on their chins or religious head coverings like hijabs and turbans in place of — or tucked beneath — their blue caps. “My turban is a part of me,” said Mandeep Singh, among 160 Sikhs in the New York City Police Department who last month were allowed to wear navy blue turbans in place of the standard-issue police caps. “This opens a gate for other potential candidates who felt they could not be a police officer because they would have to choose either the job or their faith.” That followed a 2014 move by the St. Paul, Minnesota, police to create a special hijab for its first female Somali Muslim officer. Muslim NYPD officer Masood Syed, who grows a beard for religious reasons, was suspended for its length and sued his department last year over a rule requiring beards to be trimmed to within a millimeter of the skin. As a result, the department changed the length to a half-inch and reinstated him. Syed’s suit is still pending, though, because he said the length is arbitrary and it should be case by case, depending on the officer’s needs. “It’s 2017,” Syed said. “The police department is supposed to reflect the community that it’s policing.” Many departments say it’s tougher to attract candidates to a physically demanding job that offers low pay and is under increasingly intense public scrutiny. That has led many to make a nod to shifting fashion trends, particularly among millennials, and ease longstanding bans on beards and visible tattoos. New Orleans; Portland, Or-
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Police departments around the country are reconsidering whether to allow officers to sport accoutrements such as tattoos and beards. Photo: edwardhblake, via flickr egon; Austin, Texas; and Pinellas Park, Florida, are among the departments that look the other way if a recruit comes in with visible tattoos. “Modern practice is colliding with dress codes,” said Will Aitchison, an attorney who represents police unions during labor-related disputes. “And what police departments really should be focused on is how the officer performs his or her job, as opposed to how they look.” In Kansas, state police did a public survey on whether officers should be allowed to have tattoos to help determine whether to change their policy after they couldn’t fill about 100 trooper jobs. Half of the nearly 20,000 respondents had tattoos themselves. Sixty-nine percent said the department shouldn’t have a policy prohibiting visible tattoos. “We were surprised by the response,” said Lt. Adam Winters. “It just doesn’t seem to bother people.”
Still, the department’s prohibition on visible tattoos has stayed in place, in part because of the potential challenge of regulating the content of tattoos that might be offensive. In Philadelphia, the department is considering tightening its policy after photos surfaced last fall of an officer in uniform with a tattoo on his forearm showing a Nazi symbol: a spread-winged eagle under the word “Fatherland.” In Chicago, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by tattooed officers — all military veterans — who objected to a new requirement that they wear long sleeves to cover up their inked arms during a sweltering Midwestern summer. The judge argued it would be too difficult for departments to determine what would be considered offensive and need to be covered. But, the police brass recently started allowing them again — they said as a morale booster for a beleaguered force.
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
MARBLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH Sunday Worship at 11:00am Sunday Worship, led by Dr. Michael Brown, is the heart of the Marble Church community. It is where we all gather to sing, pray, and be changed by an encounter with God. Marble is known throughout the world for the practical, powerful, life-changing messages and where one can hear world class music from our choirs that make every heart sing.
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com
Busy? Live stream Sunday Worship with us at 11:00am at MarbleChurch.org.
Upcoming Events
Frederick Douglass:
The Making of an American Prophet Friday, February 24 | 7:30pm
GRAMMY award-winning singer/songwriter Marcus Hummon presents, Frederick Douglass: The Making of an American Prophet, has been captivating audiences and draws people in with the story of struggle and hope for a freer world for all. Admission is FREE.
Lift Every Voice! The Marble Community Gospel Choir and Festival of Voices Concert
Sunday, February 26 | 3:00pm
Thu 2 AUSTRALIA DAY ▲ Trinity Church, 75 Broadway 8 a.m. Free Top auditioned singers from across the Australian continent: Gondwana Chorale, perform vibrant and energetic Australian music. 212-602-0800. trinitywallstreet.org
BICYCLE ART The Marble Community Gospel Choir and Festival of voices present Lift Every Voice! A tribute to African-American composers of every genre, from classical to gospel. Directed by Stacy Penson. Visit MarbleChurch.org for tickets. Event listings brought to you by Marble Collegiate Church. 1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 212 686 2770 / MarbleChurch.org
Rapha, 159 Prince St. 6-9 p.m. Free, RSVP Exhibition of the work of Alex Ostroy, painter, art director, lifelong cyclist and founder of the NYC cult cycling label PoseurSport. 212-804-5050. raphia.cc
Fri 3 CONSCIOUSNESS HACKING The Strand, 828 Broadway 7 p.m. $20 Discussion on the philosophy and practice of consciousness hacking with Buddhist scholar Chris Kelley. The question: can technology facilitate mindfulness? 212-473-1452. strandbooks. com
BLUE PIPA TRIO Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St. 8-9:30 p.m. $15 Min Xioa-Fen’s Trio presents “From Harlem to Shanghai and Back.” 855-955-6622. mocanyc.org
Sat 4 11 WOMAN ARTISTS Con Artist Collective, 119 Ludlow St. 6-9 p.m. Free, RSVP Opening reception for “The Box,” an exhibition of works from 11 woman artists exploring what it means to be a female artist today. 646-504-2323. conartistnyc.com
CHINESE NEW YEAR China Institute, 100 Washington St. 4-7 p.m. $20 Kick off the Year of the Rooster with a New Year celebration featuring a lion dance, food and live music. 212-744-8181. chinainstitute. org
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
S M E A R E E R H T D R G A I T B S
Sun 5 ‘REBEL NIGHT’ The Back Room, 102 Norfolk St. 8 p.m.-Midnight. No cover Monthly dance party, spinning 45s all night long: 50’s, 60’s rock ‘n roll, rockabilly, soul, R&B, blues — jive, bop, stroll, twist & drink ‘til the a.m. 212-228-5098. backroomnyc.com
VINTAGE JAZZ ▼ Delilah, 155 Rivington St. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Join the Glenn Crytzer All Stars for “cool cocktails and hot music.” No cover, all ages welcome. For listeners and dancers. 212-777-2520. delilahnyc. com
Photo by Denise en Djemilla via flickr
Mon 6
Wed 8
what life is and should be,” from Tiny Little Band theater group. 212-598-0400. abronsartscenter.org
‘13TH’ | DOCUMENTARY
‘YOUR HAIR LOOKED GREAT’ ▲
INTERCULTURAL POETRY
New York University, 1 Washington Pl., room 522. 6 p.m. Free, RSVP An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality. 212-998-1212. 2. gallatin.nyu. edu
Abrons Arts Center, Underground Theater, 485 Grand St. 7:30-9 p.m. $25 “A kaleidoscopic head-trip through the social and cultural forces that shape our sense of
The Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St. 6 p.m. $10 includes a drink Russian-American Poetry Reading: Alexey Tsvetkov and Andrey Gritsman. 212-989-9319. corneliastreetcafe.com
TRIVIA NIGHT HT Woodrow’s, 43 3 Murray St. 6-8:30 p.m. Bring a group of up to six people or join oin a team when you arrive! Win a bar tab, prizes, shotss and more. 212-676-0300. 00. woodrowsnyc.com om
Tue 7
REGISTER TODAY FOR SCHOOL BREAK CAMPS
INSPIRED WORD The Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston on St. 8 p.m.-Midnight ht Open mic/performance rformance series featuring spoken word, poetry, comedy, medy, music and storytelling.. Get tickets in advance to perform. orm. 212-673-6270. 70. parksidelounge.net net
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
FROM THE TECH WORLD TO BROADWAY Ron Simons, a former Microsoft executive, is helping shape black theater BY MARK WHITAKER
Just weeks into a two-month run, the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of August Wilson’s “Jitney” is getting rave reviews as a triumph of ensemble theater. The play about the camaraderie and conflicts between gypsy cab drivers in Pittsburgh is also winning attention as the last of Wilson’s “Century Cycle” — his 10 plays depicting life in Pittsburgh’s Hill District over 10 decades — to make it to Broadway, following the memorable runs of such hits as “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson.” Yet ironically, “Jitney” was the first play that Wilson wrote about the Hill District, in the late 1970s when he was still a struggling poet and only beginning to try his hand at writing for the stage. Like the play itself, the tale of how “Jitney” finally made it to Broadway is an ensemble story. One of its most interesting characters is Ron Simons, 56, a black New York-based theater and film producer who less than two decades ago was working as a computer executive for Microsoft in Seattle. The son of a Detroit autoworker, Simons grew up with visions of becoming either a software engineer or an actor. As an undergraduate at Columbia University, he double majored in programming and English, with a focus on theater. He applied to the Yale Drama School, but by the time he heard back he had taken a job at Hewlett-Packard. Only 19 years later, after stints at IBM and Microsoft, did he summon the courage to pursue his other dream and enroll in acting school at the University of Washington.
Simons moved to New York City in 2001 to try to make it as an actor, but the transition wasn’t easy. It took him two years to land a minor role on “Law and Order,” that rite of passage for so many New York actors. While his agent kept calling with uninspiring offers of bit parts in TV and commercials, Simons was meeting black and other minority writers with exciting projects that they couldn’t get off the ground. So in 2009, he decided to do something about it by becoming a producer. Simons caught an early break with an independent film called “Night Catches Us.” The script about a Black Panther who retu rns home for his father’s funeral had been
André Holland as “Youngblood” and Carra Patterson as “Rena” in “Jitney” at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Producer Ron Simons helped bring the August Wilson play to Broadway. Photo: Joan Marcus kicking around for a decade when Simons invested enoug enough money to get a credit, mostly so h he could shadow the executive produ producer. Then that producer and the director fell out, d and Simons had to step in. He got lucky again when the lead actress Kerry Washington pulled out and Ke was available — ttwo years before she shot to stardom stardo in “Scandal.” While not a box office success, ”Night Catches Us” impressed critics at the Sund Sundance Film Festival and gave Simons a crash course in being a film’s “CEO,” as a he calls it. Turning Turni to theater, Simons identified three i qualities he would quali look for in scripts: artistic artis merit, commercial merc appeal and a connection to “uncon derrepresented der communities.” com Those criteria T lled him to join production p tteams for “The Gin Game” starG ring James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson; “Hughiie,” starring Forrest Whitaker; and
Ron Simmons’ road to producing Broadway theater was a circuitous one, but he’s found success. Photo: Bobby Quillard
“Turn Me Loose,” about the comedian and activist Dick Gregory. Explaining how much of producing involves lining up recognizable names to give a project “pedigree,” Simons recalls that the Gregory project “couldn’t get arrested” until Joe Morton (the father in “Scandal”) agreed to star and singer John Legend came aboard as the marquee producer. Simons admits that he’s “made of bunch of mistakes” in becoming a producer, but he’s learned a few core lessons. “Networking is the absolute key” to finding great scripts and recruiting investors, he says. Almost all productions are “hurry up and wait” affairs, requiring years of patience and then the ability to act in a matter of days and even hours once the pieces come together. Most of all, Simons says, “You have to go on faith that if you bring together the right people, magic will happen.” A partner on “Turn Me Loose,” Broadway producer Eric Falkenstein, led Simons to “Jitney.” The Manhattan Theatre Club had committed to making the play part of its 2017 calendar — guaranteeing healthy ticket sales from the MTC’s “installed base” of subscribers. Falkenstein, Simons and Legend put up hundreds of thousands more in “enhancement” dollars to insure production values and marketing worthy of the superb cast. The result, Simons boasts, is a theater experience
of “nines across the board.” Through his production company, SimonSays, Simons is now part of a small but increasingly visible world of black actors using their clout and connections to get passion projects made, creating opportunities for diverse actors and other creative talent in the process. Although tight-lipped about details, Simons lists among the company’s upcoming projects a screenplay by Joe Morton; a musical about “a well-known singing group;” and a TV interview series with singers modeled on “Inside the Actors Studio.” Meanwhile, he continues to audition for acting roles and to make small investments with his own money in likely hits such as the revival of “Hello Dolly” with Bette Midler. Simons says he is also looking forward to the Oscars, and the chance to cheer on best picture and acting nominations for three films — “Moonlight,” “Fences” and “Hidden Figures” — that would never been made without the influence of that world of black movers and shakers. “It’s happy confluence,” he says about the end of the #OscarsSoWhite drought, “but there is no guarantee t hat t h i n gs have c ha n ged permanently.” A decade and a half into his second career as black man in show business, the engineer in Ron Simons knows that it’s still up to him to make things happen.
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
TALE OF THE LUCKY CLASSROOM GECKO Beyond cats, dogs and ducklings: a young pet lover has never met an animal she doesn’t like
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Zoe Sullivan has always had an affinity for reptiles. Then again, the 7-year-old aspiring zoo veterinarian has never met an animal she doesn’t like. So when the classroom critters in SoHo’s Little Red Schoolhouse need caretaking during breaks, there’s always one hand that goes up. “We’re known as ‘that family,’” says Alison Lynn, Zoe’s mom. “She always volunteers us. The holidays are easy because they’re for a shorter period of time. Summer’s a real commitment.” After the “serial sitter” spent last summer caring for a leopard gecko, she asked and received the school’s blessing to double-down on that responsibility and turn the reptile’s summer vacation spot into a permanent residence. “I named her Roxie because she feels like little pebbles when you hold her,” says the second-grader. “You know it’s a girl if there aren’t any dots when you turn the gecko over.” When Zoe’s around, the toothless Roxie knows it means chow time — mealworms followed by protein-rich Dubia roaches. “I’m the only one who touches them because they’re gross!” Sullivan says, happily dipping the worms in dried calcium and vitamins for the extra nutrients. When Roxie’s not climbing up a pile of laundry — or Zoe’s face — you can find her in her hanging out in her 75-80 degree glass tank decorated with wood, as well as various hides that serve to shelter her and aid in shedding her entire skin — a process signaled by her turning gray. “And then she eats it!” says Zoe. Roxie is the most low maintenance animal the family has ever had, says Lynn of the gecko who only requires food every two or three days — which is
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Zoe Sullivan and her leopard gecko, Roxie, get some face time. Photo: Alison Lynn saying a lot. Their SoHo home has had its share of hairy visitors and then some. Over the years, they’ve welcomed the usual household companion animals like cats and dogs, in addition to several classroom critters. Pee Wee, a guinea pig was Zoe’s BFF, loyally by her side throughout the transition into kindergarten, and, of course, there were the ducklings that needed to be taken to the farm. “The kindergarten teacher told me they were notoriously difficult to raise — not like chickens — and to expect four or five max. It sounded manageable for a long weekend,” says Lynn. “But when I looked in the incubator the next day, I saw all these eggs cracking.” To Lynn’s surprise — and Zoe’s delight — they were about to host a total of seventeen ducklings for a four-day weekend. “Fortunately, we’d just purchased the upstairs apartment. It was the perfect pied-aterre. I ran to Janovic Plaza and bought 25 feet of plastic sheeting and duct tape ... ” “Quack, quack, quack.” Zoe interrupts her mom, laughing.
“I put newspapers down, I set up heat lamps. They swam in our bathtub. I created a little duck heaven.” And in return, the ducks created a little havoc. Lynn was at the Bronx Zoo with Zoe and her older sister, Mia, when their father called in a panic. “He’s yelling, ‘The ducks escaped! They escaped! They chased me!’ He was hiding in the bathroom. The kids tell me I said, ‘Man up! Get out there and put them back in their enclosure.’ I’ve lived with him for twenty years not knowing he’s terrified of small animals,” says Lynn. “He won’t even pick Roxie up, but he says she’s best dog we’ve ever had,” Zoe adds. Thus far, there hasn’t been a need for volunteers to watch Chub Chub, the twice-monthly-cricket-eating resident tarantula of Zoe’s second-grade class. But come summertime, one guess whose hand will be raised. “Do you want to take Chub Chub for the summer?” Lynn asks her daughter. “Sure!” Zoe smiles.
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS
Little Branch
20 7 Avenue South
Grade Pending (27) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
55 Bar
55 Christopher Street
Grade Pending (17) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Bespoke Kitchen
615 1/2 Hudson St
Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Oppa
353 W 14th St
Grade Pending (20) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Entwine
765 Washington Street
A
Trattoria Pesche Pasta
262 Bleecker St Bsmt &1/Fl
A
JAN 14 - 20, 2017 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. Aldea Restaurant
31 West 17 Street
A
Neta
61 West 8 Street
A
The Big Slice
146 5th Ave
Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
OCafe
482 Avenue Of The Americas
Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Bubble Bar
204 W 14th St
Not Yet Graded
Hu Kitchen
78 5 Avenue
A
Wise Men
355 Bowery
A
Ofrenda
113 7 Avenue South
A
Juice Press
897 Broadway
Not Yet Graded (17) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Piccolo Angolo
621 Hudson Street
A
Hudson Bar And Books
636 Hudson Street
Grade Pending (19) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
Red Farm/Decoy
529 Hudson Street
A
Barrio 47
47 8 Avenue
A
Cafe Gitane
242 Mott Street
A
Union Square Cafe/ Daily Provisions
101 E 19th St
A
Pourt
35 Cooper Sq
Not Yet Graded (28) Food contact surface improperly constructed or located. Unacceptable material used.
Ducks Eatery
351 East 12 Street
A
224 East 10 Street
A
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Bar
111 Macdougal Street
Graffitti Me & You
Grade Pending (21) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Abraco
81 E 7th St
A
Xi’an Famous Food
68 Kenmare St
A
Blind Pig
233 East 14 Street
A
The Grisly Pear
107 Macdougal Street A
Saigon Market
9193 University Place
A
Hecho En Dumbo
354 Bowery
A
Ainsworth Park
111 East 18 Street
A
Comodo
58 Macdougal Street
Han Dynasty
90 3rd Ave
A
Joe Jr. Restaurant
167 3rd Ave
A
Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings
179 2nd Ave
A
Yuca Bar & Restaurant
111 Avenue A
A
Eastern Bloc
505 East 6 Street
A
Grade Pending (51) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/ sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Records and logs not maintained to demonstrate that HACCP plan has been properly implemented.
Black Market
110 Avenue A
A
Domodomo
138 W Houston St
Revision
219 Avenue B
Grade Pending (28) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Mcdonald’s
136 W 3Rd St
Not Yet Graded (34) Food worker does not wash hands thoroughly after using the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking, eating, preparing raw foods or otherwise contaminating hands. Filth flies or food/refuse/ sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Mr Panzerotto
124 Macdougal St
A
Fivestuy Cafe
5 Stuyvesant Oval
A
Post
42 Avenue B
A
Hudson Diner
468 Hudson Street
A
Mr. Dennehy’s
63 Carmine Street
A
Kith Treats
644 Broadway
A
Kith Treats
644 Broadway
A
NYC BALLET GETS CHIC Dancers don designer jeans, sneakers for new work BY JOCELYN NOVECK
The fashion label Opening Ceremony never disappoints when it comes to finding inventive ways to present its wares at New York Fashion Week. It has shown its clothes next to a wall oozing chocolate. It has sent models deliberately pratfalling down the runway. It has presented full theatrical productions. This time, the label went arguably further outside the confines of Fashion Week, which begins this month. It ditched the runway completely and instead invited hundreds of guests to the ballet last Satur-
day night, showing its designs on the writhing, leaping, athletic bodies of the New York City Ballet. The costumes — brightly colored urban streetwear, accompanied with sneakers rather than pointe shoes — were conceived by Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and NYCB’s young star choreographer Justin Peck, and featured in Peck’s new ballet, “The Times Are Racing.” The Opening Ceremony designs were colorful and highenergy — shiny yellow parkas, black athletic pants with thick fuchsia stripes down the side, jean cutoff shorts, brightly hued trench coats — but they hardly upstaged the dancing in Peck’s crowd-pleasing new
ballet. Star ballerina Tiler Peck (no relation to Justin) and especially an impassioned Robert Fairchild (her husband) were standouts. Some of the ballet’s best moments were shared between Justin Peck, performing his own work, and Fairchild, both in jeans and white sneakers, flying across the stage in unison. The crowd milled around towering video screens bearing the work of Brooklyn-based visual artist Santtu Mustonen, part of City Ballet’s five-yearold Art Series. On one of the high balconies overlooking the promenade, one young couple threw down their coats and bags and danced with abandon. No pointe shoes there, either.
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ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Aperture ‘On Feminism’ Panel: Our Bodies, Online
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH, 6:30PM The New School | 55 W. 13th St. | 212-229-5108 | newschool.edu Be more than an object at this discussion interrogating how women wield their bodies on the Internet and the rules of feminism in the digital age, part of the Confounding Expectations lecture series. (Free)
Haters Emboldened in US and Europe: Online, on the Political Extremes, and in the Streets
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH, 3PM Museum of Jewish Heritage | 36 Battery Pl. | 646-437-4202 | mjhnyc.org Delve into how the Internet is being used to promote xenophobic and anti-Semitic views, and how concerned citizens can challenge this disturbing hate speech. (Free)
Just Announced | Neuroscience and the Law—Are We There Yet?
THURSDAY, MARCH 9TH, 7PM Baruch College | 55 Lexington Ave. | 646-312-1000 | baruch.cuny.edu What happens when you bring together a neuroscientist and a judge? Find out at a neuroculture night that asks whether the incredible advances in brain science of recent years warrant a fresh look at human intentions in the context of the law. ($15)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
Styling: Eleonora Martini - eleonoramartini.it
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
HONORING A FORGOTTEN NEIGHBORHOOD A park and art installation will pay tribute to downtown’s “Little Syria” BY RAZI SYED
City officials and local activists have finalized the concept for a large-scale art installation that will be integrated into a planned park in Lower Manhattan to honor “Little Syria,” a diverse former neighborhood that existed in the early 20th century in what’s now Tribeca. On Jan. 25, the Department of Cultural Affairs convened a panel to select the proposal from four finalists. Sara Ouhaddou, a French artist of Moroccan descent, was chosen for a concept she proposed of using asphalt and stone to display text from Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” Her installation will be incorporated into the design of the park, which will join two small landscaped open spaces, Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza and Trinity Plaza, and is located south of the World Trade Center. It’s expected to provide more than 20,000 square feet of park space. Preliminary plans for the park include plants and trees associated with the Mediterranean and the motif of different types of climates, like forests, desert and plains to symbolize immigration, along with Arabic elements, said Todd Fine, president of the Washington Street Historical Society, which advocates for the preservation of Little Syria’s history. “The Prophet” text will be presented in an alphabet Ouhaddou created by fusing Arabic typography and geometric shapes. “It gives you something very abstract that you can’t read if you don’t have the key,” Ouhaddou said. “But at the same time, all my work is about symbols and language. My struggle was about how to create a universal language with symbols, to create meanings with symbols.” The symbols will be placed throughout the entire park, requiring an aerial view to see the work in its entirety, Ouhaddou said. It will be her first installation outside of Morocco. Ouhaddou will receive a $30,000 design fee and will work with the parks department and the architect to incorporate her design into the park, which Fine said is slated to be completed at the end of 2018.
Kendal Henry, director of Percent for Art, the city’s public arts program, said artists were asked for proposals that referenced the literary heritage of Little Syria, which formed the heart of Arab-American society in the early 20th century. At the start of the 1900s, Little Syria was a thriving community of Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians and other immigrants who ran shops and lived in the Lower West Side of Manhattan on Washington Street, from Battery Park to around Rector Street. Little Syria developed an active journalism and literary scene, Fine said. The linotype machine was first modif ied for Arabic characters in Little
French artist Sara Ouhaddou during a ceremony celebrating an upcoming public art piece at the Metropolitan College of New York on Jan. 25. A design proposed by Ouhaddou was selected by a panel convened by the department of cultural affairs to be incorporated into a planned park site in lower Manhattan. Photo: Razi Syed Syria and the neighborhood was the site of the first Arabic-language periodicals. However, by the 1940s, when construction b ega n on t he Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, much of the neighborhood n ne ighborhood was de-
Sara Ouhaddou Arabic created an alphabet by fusing Arabic typography and geometric shape and her proposal to use asphalt and stone to display text from Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” was chosen for incorporation into a planned park in lower Manhattan. Photo: Razy Syed
stroyed as buildings were razed to make way for entrances to the tunnel. Three buildings comprise the final physical vestiges of Little Syria that are still standing: the downtown community house at 105-107 Washington Street, 109 Washington Street and St. George’s Syrian Catholic Church. The church was designated a city landmark in 2009, but activists have been unsuccessful in advocating for the other two structures to be given the same protected status, Fine said. “One of the reasons we’re so focused on this art project is the difficulty of protecting these buildings in light of all of the real estate boom — there’s so much money at stake,” Fine said. “We’re fearful that these last buildings on the Lower West Side will be destroyed.” Despite finalizing plans for the homage to Little Syria just days before President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting the flow of refugees from seven countries in North Africa and the Middle East, Fine said the current political climate wasn’t relevant. “This is something that I see as beyond politics,” Fine said. “Politics are maybe four-year questions or news cycle one-day questions; the questions that these poets engaged are thousand-year questions.” Fine said he was pleased to have gotten widespread support from the city for public art to honor Little Syria. “The historians have been working on this and advocating it for a long time,” he said. “And sometimes, when it comes to something involving Arabic language or Arab-Americans, we’re told things are impossible, that they won’t happen.” “But this did happen, and it’s going to happen,” Fine said. “It’s a testament to the diversity, and just the amazing city that is New York.”
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FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
FOOD CARTS PROLIFERATE AFTER SUBWAY OPENING Local brick-and-mortar shops near Second Avenue stations say business has been affected BY LAURA HANRAHAN
The highly anticipated opening of the Second Avenue subway was met with relief from local business owners, hopeful they would return to their pre-construction prosperity. An influx of food trucks in the areas near the new stations, however, is causing some discontent among local deli, cafe and restaurant owners. According to Community Board 8 Chairman James Clynes, the board office has received numerous complaints from restaurant owners who operate along the Second Avenue corridor. After suffering through seven years of construction-related disruptions, which forced many businesses along the avenue to move or shut down altogether, Clynes is sympathetic. “It’s not right that they’ve now set up in front of subway stops, cashing in,” he said of the food carts. Arturo Guillan, who works at Express Stop 72, a small deli on Second Avenue just north of 72nd Street, said the deli’s owners and employees have
contacted a City Council liaison and the city helpline but have been sent in circles, seeing no results. “We called 311 and were sent to the police and the police sent us back to Consumer Affairs,” he said of the city department. Since the opening of the subway station, Guillan now sees three to four carts operating within one block of the deli every morning, with two to three operating throughout the day. The financial hardship that the business hoped would be alleviated after the completion of the subway stations has continued, which he attributes to the presence of the trucks. “My boss is paying rent from his savings money thinking business was going to be better but it’s still the same,” Guillan said. No more than 10 yards from the deli, Omar Ismail operates a cart in front of the west entrance to the 72nd Street subway. He moved from his 79th Street location to his current spot following the station’s opening earlier this month. Like Express Stop 72, Ismail’s cart sells coffee, juice and a variety of sandwiches. “I don’t really know who’s complaining” Ismail said. “I get a lot of police, they come to me and just talk about it
Food carts have set up shop along Second Avenue following the completion of the subway line there. Omar Ismail’s cart, pictured here, is one of four that were doing business Tuesday morning near the northwest entrance to the 72nd Street station. Photo: Richard Khavkine but I’m really not hurting anyone. It’s competition basically, that’s just how it works.” Once a food cart vendor is granted a permit by the Department of Health, they are free to set up on any sidewalk that is at least 12 feet wide and is not on the city’s restricted list. Despite the
competition, Ismail does not see his presence as taking away loyal patrons from local establishments. “I believe if they like the restaurant they’re just going to go to the restaurant, that’s just how it works,” he said. But longtime Upper East Side resident Linda Burak believes the increase
of food carts near her 68th Street home are encroaching on local establishments. “There’s a wonderful neighborhood institution called Beach Cafe, been there for 15 years, and next to him is something called Beijing Wok, which has been there forever, and suddenly there’s a food truck in front of him,” Burak said of two businesses just south of 70th Street on Second Avenue. “These are businesses that have stayed through all that construction that are neighborhood businesses. What the hell is a food truck doing there?” For Burak, not only are the carts creating competition for these longstanding restaurants, but they are causing congestion on the sidewalks, particularly early in the morning and around lunch time. “It just seems to me that there’s been such a proliferation and what it means is lines of people on their phones standing there, you can’t walk by,” she said. Clynes said the overabundance of the food trucks and carts were an unforeseen result of the subway’s opening. “The Second Avenue subway has all good intentions,” he said, “but with all good intentions comes unintended consequences.”
FEBRUARY 2-8,2017
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
OUR TOWN’S ART OF FOOD AT SOTHEBY’S BY MOLLY COLGAN
Artwork: SOGNO D’AMORE (LOVE DREAM), signed J. Dazzi / P. Barzantu & Gallery / Florence Gallery: F & P Associated, Gallery 39, phone: (212) 644-5885
The worlds of fine art and cuisine are about to merge. For Our Town’s Art of Food event Saturday, Sotheby’s Auction House curated a robust selection of original art work, featuring some of the most sought-after contemporary artists’ pieces on the market. The work being highlighted at The Art of Food event was chosen from Sotheby’s March 2 contemporary curated sale and the personal collection of prominent art collectors Ed Cohen and Victoria Shaw, providing ticketholders with the rare opportunity to view pieces by John Currin, Jeff Koons, Sol LeWitt and Howard Hodgkin. All works are originals and will be available for purchase during the event. They range in price from $6,000 to $400,000. Each piece of highlighted art has been assigned to a participating restaurant to inspire the chef’s cuisine for the evening. While all works are contemporary, each piece offers a unique perspective into the vastly di-
verse genre. Some chefs are working with sculptures and pieces dating to the 1940s; others have been assigned paintings or drawings created as recently as 2016. Vaucluse’s Michael White is making a dish based on a work of art by Alexander Calder, while Richard Sandoval of Maya is serving up delicacies that mirror a piece by Jonas Wood. Ross Postmentier of NewYork-Presbyterian is drawing inspiration from “Sun Green,” one of Yayoi Kusama’s signature pieces, an infinity net she creates with little cells of paint. “She does an accumulation of them all over her canvases,” explains Emily Kaplan, Sotheby’s head of contemporary curated sales. “She envisions this world in which the infinity nets take over everything, and does this multiplication of motif with the dots ... the colors on this one are so vivid and bright — it feels like it was made yesterday, but it’s from 1957.” One particular piece of artwork to be on the lookout for during the event
is Ed Ruscha’s “Broken Pencil.” “It’s a fantastic work because of its early date,” notes Kaplan. “Early works from Ruscha are really coveted and rare. It’s really remarkable in person.” At first glance, this varying and sophisticated collection of artwork seems to present a particularly daunting task to the participating chefs, all 27 of whom represent some of the most storied establishments on the Upper East Side. However, if there is one group of culinary titans that can take on the task of creating dishes inspired by fine artwork, it is this one. Many of them are artists themselves: Joseph Capozzi of East Pole has a background in photography, Sweetcatch Poke’s Lee Anne Wong went to fashion school, Flex Mussel’s Rebecca Richards is a potter, Atlantic Grill’s Joyce Rivera, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque’s Hugh Mangum, and 5 Napkin Burger’s Andy D’Amico are former musicians. They’re all up for the challenge, and are about to give the term culinary arts a whole new meaning.
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
DEDICATED TO THE JOY OF DANCE Jacques d’Amboise reflects on his storied career, from the New York City Ballet, to Hollywood and to city schools BY ANGELA BARBUTI
Jacques d’Amboise’s life reads like a fairytale. As a young boy growing up in the 1940s in Washington Heights, which he compares to “West Side Story” with its teenage gangs, his mother enrolled him in a ballet class. His talent was quickly realized and at age 15, it brought him to New York City Ballet, then in its infancy. George Balanchine, its founder, looked at d’Amboise as the son he never had, even fashioning the title role in his revival of “Apollo” with him in mind. “Balanchine said, ‘I wrote the ballet describing it as a wild, untamed youth who learns nobility through art. And you know, Jacques, that’s you,’” d’Amboise, now 82, explained about his 23-year-old self. “And it’s true. I was a street guy with gangs in Washington Heights and ended up being Apollo.” He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, starring in classic films like “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” While filming, he had to leave the set early to return to New York to dance in the inaugural production of “The Nutcracker.” Ultimately, d’Amboise chose the ballet, and later, even found love on stage with ballerina Carolyn George, whom he married. The couple had four children, all of them following in their parents’ footsteps as dancers, two pursuing the craft professionally. After retiring from the ballet at 49, d’Amboise began giving his son and his friends dance lessons. “I was
reaching the later part of my career and realized how I had been transformed as a young boy by being involved in the arts and that dance was the doorway,” he said. Out of his first class of 11 boys, five went on to have careers as ballet dancers. It was because of these fledgling classes that d’Amboise was inspired to take the idea to the city’s public schools. This led to the creation of the National Dance Institute, a nonprofit that brings dance into schools for every student, free of charge. With NDI part of the curriculum in 41 New York City schools, 6,500 local children are dancing because of d’Amboise’s unwavering dedication.
Photo: National Dance Institute
You grew up in Washington Heights and took your first ballet class there.
boy in the class.
I was born in Dedham, Massachusetts, and came to New York to live in Staten Island at 5. And then at 7, we moved to Washington Heights and that’s where I started ballet. There were gangs; it was like “West Side Story.” You belonged to the Panthers or the Famwoods. But they were not gangs, mostly they’d go wilding on Halloween. It was not serious gang fighting, which came later with something called a zip gun. But I got away from that, because my mother got me in a ballet class with a teacher who taught on 181st Street in Washington Heights, right off Amsterdam and St. Nicholas Avenues. My sister was also studying ballet. After a year, I was just turning 8, the teacher told my mother, “I don’t have room for your children anymore.” She handed her a piece of paper and said, “Take them to the School of American Ballet. George Balanchine. They are better teachers than I am.” And she gave up her only
Jacques D’Amboise with New York City pupils. Photo: National Dance Institute
How many boys were in your class at the School of American Ballet? Did you ever feel that you shouldn’t become a ballet dancer because it was predominantly female? There were two others when I first went. And a year or so later, a third one joined. And that was Eddie Villella, who later became a great ballet dancer. I loved being with the girls in class and the challenge of the dancing. I always thought it was temporary, but almost immediately I was doing children’s roles in the ballet. I have only one year of high school. I quit school and joined the Corps de Ballet of New York City Ballet.
he kind of considered me, if he had had a young son. I was like his pseudo son. You know, he did a great ballet to Stravinsky music called “Apollo.” And he revived it for me. It had been done by all great male dancers. And he said, “No more golden curls and sandals. We’re gonna do it in black-and-white and put grease on your hair like an American teenager. This is going to be Apollo of today.” … And that’s the way it is today. It became universal for all-time. He wanted me to have grease in my hair, no wig curls.
Tell us about your experience in Hollywood.
I just went last night and with me were five ballerinas from New York City Ballet that are my peers. I got them tickets. We sat in the front row and watched Balanchine’s ballet, “The Four Temperaments,” one of the great Balanchine ballets. And all these girls had danced in it and I had done several roles in it. Robbie Fairchild was dancing, who, right now, is my favorite. Although there’s another, Daniel Ulbricht, who I also love in New York City Ballet. They’re great. And the orchestra is so terrific. And I thought to myself, “This is not the end of always there.” Because every time you see New York City Ballet, there is Balanchine. In the way the dancers perform, in the high quality of their technique as well as their deportment and good manners on the stage. It’s a national treasure, New York City Ballet, and everybody should go to it.
What had happened was I was asked to do this movie, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” I turned 18 on the set and Balanchine said, “Don’t sign a 7-year contract. They’ll owe you. Have my agent make your contract.” So he made a contract for one movie a year for seven years. The shooting schedule was no more than three months because most movies were shot very quickly. So “Seven Brides” was to be finished by a certain date and the date came and they were still shooting. And I said, “I gotta leave. The ballet company is starting. Balanchine is doing his first “Nutcracker.” And I’m supposed to be in it.” And they said, “No, you can’t leave.” So I kept postponing and finally I said I was leaving on suchand-such a date, no matter what. My contract had been written so that I could do that. So in the last few scenes of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” there’s a guy in the back in a green shirt; it’s actually the assistant director disguised as me, because I had left. [Laughs] I did several other movies. I’m so glad I did them, but I’m so glad that ballet was my Mount Everest.
Describe your relationship with Balanchine.
You retired on the recommendation of your wife.
When you joined New York City Ballet, it had just been founded the year before. Do you still go to see performances there? How does it compare?
He never had children, but I think
I was about to be 50 that summer.
I had married and had children and only had a few roles that I was still doing. My wife at the time, Carolyn George, who I had met in the Corps de Ballet of New York City Ballet and fell in love with and got married, was the company photographer. And she said to me, very nervous that I’d be offended, “You shouldn’t do that role anymore.” And I said, “What do you mean? Right now, no male dancer in the company can do it better than me.” And my wife said, “Yes, that may be true. But the way you’re dancing it tonight is not as good as the memory of the way you danced it last month. Your plane is about to land. Get out while the memory of how good you were is still in people’s minds.” So the next day I went to Balanchine [Laughs] and said, “Who do you want me to teach this role to?”
Explain how the National Dance Institute came about. I started the National Dance Institute in schools because in New York City public schools when I grew up, there was a jazz orchestra, symphony orchestra, an acting group. ... All that art left the public school system. They kept sports. So I started going to principals of schools and asking them if they’d like to have a free dance class for boys. Then the girls in the schools said, “Why do the boys have it?” So it ended up being boys and girls and that’s how National Dance Institute started. To learn more, visit www.nationaldance.org
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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
15 colors are listed by the puzzle. Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in all eight directions.
Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.
G X A D X W E P G A U P D I A
G U I D F D Q N D E C W N P M
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