The local paper for Downtown wn
WEEK OF MARCH - APRIL THE GOOGLIFICATION OF CHELSEA ◄ P.16
29-4 2018
SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS IN SHORT SUPPLY SAFETY As many as half of budgeted positions are unfilled in some precincts BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Despite increased funding as part of a citywide push to hire enough crossing guards to cover every school crossing post in New York City, as many as half of budgeted crossing guard positions in some Manhattan neighborhoods have gone unfilled. City Council Member Helen Rosenthal raised the issue at a recent budget hearing, at which she referenced a lack of crossing guard coverage near a cluster of schools in her district, including the new Riverside School for Makers and Artists, which opened in September. “There’s been no crossing guard at 60th and West End Avenue, where we just opened a new public school, a private school just opened, and we have three other schools up the block on West 61st,” Rosenthal said at the hearing. “It’s been very distressing for the parents.” Five out of nine budgeted crossing guard positions were unfilled in the Upper West Side’s 20th Precinct as of January 2017, the most recent period for which data is available. (Rosenthal said it is her understanding that the number of positions filled has not since changed. The NYPD is required to report updated data on crossing guard vacancies to the City Council by Sept. 30, 2018.) “That means that there are five corners that have been determined to be critical for the safety of our children crossing the street to get to school that are not covered every day because they don’t have people to do so,” Rosenthal said in a later telephone interview.
The Rev. Stephen Harding, pastor of the 180-year-old St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on West 20th Street in Chelsea. Photo courtesy of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
A SEASON OF FAITH The NYPD has struggled to fill budgeted school crossing guard positions in some precincts. Photo: Thomas Altfather Good, via flickr
This city has a commitment to Vision Zero, and having crossing guards at dangerous intersections could be helpful to more than just our public school students.” City Council Member Ben Kallos
School crossing guards are hired by and work under the purview of the NYPD. When a school crossing does not have a guard assigned to it, precincts assign traffic enforcement agents or patrol officers to provide coverage, but Rosenthal said that this protocol still sometimes results in unguarded corners. “A traffic agent or P.O. will go off and do something else if called to do so, because their primary job is not to be a school crossing guard,” Rosenthal said. “So the fallback that they have in place, in my mind’s eye anyway, is not satisfactory.”
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WORSHIP Love triumphant is celebrated on Easter, freedom ascendant is commemorated on Passover — and as the two great spring holidays overlap this weekend, Trumpism will be confronted from the pulpit BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
“Love wins!” said the Rev. Dr. Cathy S. Gilliard in a classic two-word encapsulation of the Easter message of hope and new life and how it can overpower pain and sorrow and even death itself. And the senior pastor of the Park Avenue United Methodist Church on East 86th Street, the first AfricanAmerican to hold that position, quickDowntowner
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WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
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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25
ly added a two-word coda: “Exclamation point!” “Freedom is possible,” said Rabbi José Rolando Matalon in a synopsis of the Passover message that a people of faith, with divine guidance, can defy their oppressor and be emancipated from bondage. And the lute-playing, Buenos Airesborn senior rabbi of B’nai Jeshurun on West 88th Street, the synagogue’s spiritual leader for the past 25 years, added a cautionary note: “But it’s not easy.” Due to a quirk in the religious calendar, the two hallowed institutions — a temple founded in 1825, a church established in 1837 — are about to observe, at the same time but in their own very separate ways, one of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
MTA SHARES PLANS FOR UWS SUBWAY CLOSURES TRANSPORTATION Increased ridership at nearby stations anticipated during closure of B and C line stops; bus service to be boosted if ridership jumps more than projected BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
During the upcoming six-month closures of three Upper West Side subway stations for renovations, MTA officials anticipate that most riders’ best option for alternative service will be to walk to nearby stations. The 72nd Street, 86th Street and 110th Street B and C train stations along Central Park West will each close on a staggered schedule for construction work this spring. The first station to close will be the Cathedral Parkway-110th Street stop on April 9, followed by the 72nd Street station May 7 and the 86th Street station June 4. Each station is expected to reopen in under six months. “Basically, we project that for most people the best alternative will be to walk to the adjacent station,” whether a neighboring stop on the B and C line
or a station on the Broadway line a few blocks west, Judy McClain of New York City Transit Authority’s operations planning department said at a March 26 presentation on the closures to Community Board 7. McClain added that increased bus service on routes near the stations is not currently planned, but that it could be added based on ridership demands. “Our projections show that not many people will shift to the buses, but we are going to be having some buses available when we start the closure in case we get more riders than we think,” particularly on the M10 bus, which runs north and south along Central Park West, and the M86 crosstown bus, she said. Andrew Albert, a co-chair of Community Board 7’s transportation committee and a non-voting member of the MTA Board, said that the stations would be “markedly better” once upgrades are complete, but expressed concerns about the challenges posed by increased ridership at stops adjacent to the closed stations. If there are additional riders at nearby stops, Albert said, “that means longer boarding times, which means longer dwell times for the trains, which means less keeping to schedule.”
A rendering of planned upgrades to the Cathedral Parkway-110th Street subway station, which will close this spring for construction. Image: MTA Several attendees requested that the MTA consider adding shuttle bus service between the 110th Street and 59th Street-Columbus Circle stations. Albert said he plans to speak to NYCT President Andy Byford about the issue. Platform edge work will require train diversions on weeknights and weekends, during which trains will typically run on the express track in one direction between 59th Street-Columbus Circle and 125th Street; customers with destinations between those points will be able to “back-ride” on a local train in the opposite direction. Diversions
will occur before, during and after the station closures. According to the MTA, the temporary station closures will allow for construction work to be completed more rapidly than would otherwise be possible. The station renovations are part of the MTA’s Enhanced Station Initiative, a billion-dollar plan championed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to upgrade 33 stations citywide. The 110th Street station renovations will cost an estimated $30 million, while the 86th and 72nd Street stations are expected to cost $28 million and $25 million, respectively. The project includes repairs to crumbling concrete ceilings, leaks and water damage and corroding steel columns, using materials and design intended to reduce future maintenance costs and requirements. The renovations also include improved lighting, platform countdown clocks, new wayfinding dashboards and redesigned station entrances. But the top concern on the minds of many attendees were new features that won’t be included in the redesigned stations — elevators and escalators to make the stations more accessible and bring the stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
MTA officials said the agency’s capital program includes a separate pot of money for ADA compliance and accessibility outside of the funding dedicated to the Enhanced Station Initiative. By the end of 2019, the MTA aims to have equipped approximately 143 of its 472 stations with elevators. Byford has directed NYCT staff to study feasibility and costs of installing elevators in every station in the system. Less than a quarter of the city’s subway stations are currently wheelchair accessible. On March 13, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York joined a lawsuit against the MTA and NYCT alleging that the transportation agencies violated the ADA by failing to install an elevator as part of a $27 million station renovation project in the Bronx. “There is no justification for public entities to ignore the requirements of the ADA 28 years after its passage,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement announcing the complaint. “The subway system is a vital part of New York City’s transportation system, and when a subway station undergoes a complete renovation, MTA and NYCTA must comply with its obligations to make such stations accessible to the maximum extent feasible.”
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
3
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG ARREST FOLLOWS TRAFFIC DISPUTE
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st district for the week ending Mar. 18
Police arrested a man who struck another with a bike lock. At 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, a man had a verbal dispute with a 37-year-old man, apparently a bicyclist, over what police termed a “vehicular traffic condition” in front of 201 Varick Street. The dispute escalated to violence when the 37-year-old brandished a large bicycle lock and struck the other man twice in his head, police said. The victim refused medical attention at the scene, and Gabor Molnar was arrested and charged with assault.
Week to Date
SCANNER SURRENDER
Year to Date
2018 2017
% Change
2018
2017
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
1
0.0
Rape
0
0
n/a
5
2
150.0
Robbery
2
1
100.0
15
16
-6.2
Felony Assault
2
2
0.0
10
12
-16.7
Burglary
1
1
0.0
9
13
-30.8
Grand Larceny
15
21
-28.6
206 209 -1.4
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
1
2
-50.0
Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr
At 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, a man was sitting in a delivery truck in the rear of 16 Beaver Street when a 25-year-old man wearing a darkcolored jacket walked up to him and said, “Let me get that.” The driver then surrendered his handheld Motorola scanner before driving away quickly, fearing for his safety. Apparently, the man who approached the driver had not made any threats to the driver at any point. No value was listed for the scanner the driver gave up.
CLOTHES SHAVE
LEATHER LIFT
BAG SNATCH
At 1:15 p.m. on Monday, March 12, an unknown person entered through the rear door of a white 2007 Ford van parked in front of 250 Hudson Street after causing damage to the rear door lock and the passenger door lock. He then removed six garment bags containing designer clothes valued at $10,000 before fleeing in an unknown direction. Police searched the neighborhood but couldn’t find the thief or the stolen fashions.
At 4:20 p.m. on Monday, March 12, a man entered the Theory store at 230 Vesey Street, took items off shelves and racks, and left without paying. The items stolen included a man’s leather jacket valued at $995, two black women’s leather leggings priced at $1,990, one pair of white sneakers tagged at $411, and one black T-shirt selling for $65, making a total haul of $3,461.
Police remind women dining out that the safest place to keep your bag while you’re seated at a table is on your lap. At 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, a woman from Staten Island put her bag on the floor beneath her seat inside the Chipotle at 101 sw Street. An unknown man walked by her bag and moved it
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Made in Sri Lanka: Humanizing the Fashion Supply Chain
FRIDAY, MARCH 30TH, 6PM The New School | 55 W. 13th St. | 212-229-5108 | newschool.edu We are more familiar with fashion’s toll on the third world than we are with the industry’s potential for social good. A panel discussion and screening of a film about Parsons students meeting clothing industry workers will illuminate labor justice and mass production (free).
Samia Henni: From Counterrevolution to Counterinsurgency
MONDAY, APRIL 2ND, 7PM The Cooper Union | 41 Cooper Sq. | 212-353-4100 | cooper.edu Architect and an architectural historian and theorist Samia Henni, born in Algiers, relays the overlooked history of the French army’s export of Algerian Revolution colonial tactics to North and South America (free).
Just Announced | Maker of Patterns: Freeman Dyson with Lisa Randall
TUESDAY, APRIL 10TH, 6:30PM NYPL Schwarzman Building | 476 Fifth Ave. | 917-275-6975 | nypl.org In the 94 years that theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson has experienced, our understandings of the universe have changed radically. Dyson comes to the NYPL to discuss his new book with Lisa Randall, a lecturer on theoretical particle physics and cosmology (free).
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
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with his foot before grabbing the clutch and fleeing in an unknown direction. The victim canceled her debit card, and no unauthorized usage turned up. Police searched the area but couldn’t find the thief or the stolen bag. The items inside the stolen carrier included three tickets to a Broadway show, gift cards valued $300, makeup worth $100 and a debit card.
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ART The Broadway at 92Y Chorusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring concert in June 2017. Photo: Jennifer Taylor
SONG AND THE CITY MUSIC The more than 200 ensembles in Manhattan ensure that choral culture thrives BY SHOSHY CIMENT
conductor Vince Peterson took choral performance to the next level when he founded Choral Chameleon in 2008. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I discovered that there is a fair amount of elitism out there,â&#x20AC;? said Peterson, a graduate of the Mannes School of Music who was saddened by what he saw as a tendency to reject â&#x20AC;&#x153;vernacularâ&#x20AC;? music of the world as substantial musical compositions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A composer from 500 years ago might be saying the same fundamental thing about life and living as a pop music composer of today,â&#x20AC;? he reasoned. Hungry for new, meaningful music, Peterson began experimenting with genre-blending and performance-infused work, neglecting the one-sided nature of traditional choral showcase. With 12 members in its original ensemble, Choral Chameleon pushes the limits of musical experience for its singers and audiences. In its performances, the group has incorporated body movement, aspects of traditional Japanese puppet theater, shadow puppetry and food. In addition to its regular showcases, Choral Chameleon is the vocal ensemble-inresidence at National Sawdust, a new music venue in the city. The group also runs a yearly institute, an eight-day Brooklynbased think tank where composers and conductors from all over the world ďŹ&#x201A;ock to study and experiment with new music, using Choral Chameleon as a lab choir. For Peterson, making meaningful art is his impetus to conduct. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is very much an act of humility,â&#x20AC;? said Peterson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about me.â&#x20AC;? While styles and genres evolve over time, the thrill of making music appears to be everlasting. For Wisoff of the historic Mendelssohn Glee Club, the feeling is no different. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of satisfaction in this,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of fun!â&#x20AC;?
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Monday evenings are usually quiet on The Upper West Side. Unless, that is, you happen to be near the Broadway Spanish Church at 93rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. And if you are, you will likely hear the voices of about 30 men radiate from the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basement windows to the otherwise still streets. They are the collective sound of the Mendelssohn Glee Club, the oldest menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chorus in America. For a singer hungry for performing, New York City is a smorgasbord. There are 222 active choirs and vocal ensembles peppering the Manhattan landscape, according to a choir directory run by Vocal Area Network, which catalogues and publicizes vocal ensemble concerts, auditions and general information. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not counting the church-based choirs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Singing in New York is the greatest,â&#x20AC;? remarked Jack Willoughby, a seasoned baritone in the Mendelssohn Glee Club who has previously sung with the New York Choral Society and the Collegiate Chorale, now known as MasterVoices. To this day, the Mendelssohn Glee Club performs in white ties and tails to audiences that have since shed their tuxedos and gloves but have retained their fascination with this New York musical tradition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you take a male chorus, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kind of earthy sounding,â&#x20AC;? said Gene Wisoff, the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director for the past 25 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A treble choir is different.â&#x20AC;? In four parts - tenor, second tenor, baritone and bass - the group performs a variety of traditional pieces. Other than possessing an appreciation for quality singing,
the group is an eclectic mix. Singers include journalists, lawyers, students, doctors, dentists and engineers, some of them retired. Age-wise, the group runs the gamut as well; there are men with brown hair, men with white hair, and men with no hair at all. But what once was regarded as a highfalutin, Upper Manhattan social club has somewhat declined in status since its founding in 1866. Entry to the club is not nearly as competitive as it once was; most current members were brought into the club by their friends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come down a bit in the world but maybe for the better,â&#x20AC;? said Ben Rinzler, a bass singer and treasurer of the club. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become more democratic.â&#x20AC;? For the Mendelssohn Glee Club, remaining a sentimental anchor in the ever-evolving New York choral landscape is a deďŹ ning feature. Other choral groups, however, occupy different niches. The Jewish Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Philharmonic Chorus, founded in 1922, has a repertoire composed entirely of Yiddish songs while the Lance Hayward Singers have been performing predominantly jazz-oriented arrangements since 1984. In another vein, the Broadway at 92Y Chorus, an arm of the 92Y School of Music, describes itself as the only ensemble in New York devoted to performing songs exclusively from the American musical theater songbook, boasting a sing-along portion in many of its concerts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To sing and conduct this style of music is like riding a huge energy wave,â&#x20AC;? said Yana Stotland, the director of the 92Y School of Music. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s musically nothing like it!â&#x20AC;? Evidently, for many New York musicians, sticking to the oldies doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite cut it. Rejecting any restrictive form of old-school ensemble singing,
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CULTIVATING NATURE PLEIN AIR A bouquet of Parisian gardens at The Met BY LEIDA SNOW
Francophile alert! It’s Paris to Provence in New York, no passport required. The “Public Parks and Private Gardens” exhibit at The Met Fifth Avenue radiates a flowering of the masters from Camille Corot to Henri Matisse. Visitors can feast on treasures by van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Seurat, Degas and even the occasional woman, like Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. The show, on view through July 29, traces the reshaping of France’s landscape, a shift in garden design, as it moved from the rigorous formal style for royal palaces like Versailles and the Tuileries to a more naturalist aesthetic, influenced by English parks. Floral still lifes blossomed. Artists, painters particularly, reflected a period in which flowers and plants became central to ceremonies and festivities. Paris itself was transformed
Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926). “Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly,” 1880. Oil on canvas. 25 13/16 x 36 7/16 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Gardner Cassatt, 1965 into tree-lined boulevards with hundreds of public parks and green spaces. Thousands of new gas street lamps created the City of Light. In the second half of the 19th century, the largest city in Europe throbbed with finance, commerce, fashion and the arts. It’s so hard to pick favorites from The Met’s sublime splendor. I couldn’t take my eyes off Monet’s “Garden at Sainte-
Edouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940). “Garden at Vaucresson,” 1920; reworked 1926, 1935, 1936. Distemper on canvas. 59 1/2 x 43 5/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1952
Adresse.” I was mesmerized by Seurat’s “Study for ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,’” which got me thinking about the Stephen Sondheim musical, “Sunday In the Park With George.” That’s the thing about this exhibition. You see Degas’s “A Woman Seated Beside a Vase of Flowers” and you are reminded of Degas’s dancers and horses. Or you start comparing how the different masters generated gardens or trees or flowers. You can feel tension leaving your shoulders as you immerse yourself in an excess of beauty. Many of the artists represented were gardeners, and their work reflects a depth of knowledge. Gardening became an avocation, and Monet called his garden at Giverny his “greatest masterpiece.” Look for documentary materials, horticultural books, journals and period ephemera, and watch the two historical film clips. By the way, The Met’s “backyard,” Central Park, was inspired by the Parisian parks of the same period. If you’ve been to Paris, then you know how small and large gardens are revealed around almost every corner and how they humanize the city. The Met’s exhibit made me yearn for the City of Light, and as soon as I returned home, I reserved a flight for my next visit. I plan to amble, to stroll with no destination planned, to do what the French call flâner. I want to wander around that great city, resting occasionally in one of its hundreds of parks and gardens. Thank you Metropolitan Museum of Art, for gathering this bouquet.
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
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EASTER & PASSOVER WISHES, VIA MR. ROGERS BY BETTE DEWING
“Won’t you be my neighbor?” Oh, how the world needs neighborliness this Easter/Passover season — between nations — above all. But close to home, in church and temple, this Holy Day season, the pulpits could sure use Mister (Fred) Rogers’s lessons. Yes, about being a good neighbor, not only on the Sabbath — like to the person next to you in the pew — and, of course, to members unable to get to the pews. And the clergy must be most aware of the 50th anniversary celebrations since Mr. Rogers’s and his neighbors first blessed the airwaves. Sermons are needed about being that good neighbor and much more, which Fred Rogers emphasized on this multi-award-winning program. While directed to young children,
may thought it appropriate for all generations. Perhaps it was even more than appropriate — but essential. The program made its U.S. debut in 1968, lasting until 2001, just three years before Rogers succumbed to cancer in 2003, just shy of his 75th birthday. Those timeless programs are available to stream, of course and at music stores, if you can find those. Ah, Mr. Rogers would have something to say about losing our neighborhood stores – brick and mortar places which bring people together — all generations. These people places can go a long way to making it a beautiful day in the neighborhood. These so universally loved programs were all about civility too, and don’t we need that. And especially in high places and in media/
entertainment which so shape customs and views. And Mr. Rogers’s music could so change the world, the song about being a neighbor, and the sentiments in the song “What do you do with the mad that you feel” are needed more than ever. The song wouldn’t be out of place in the current protests by youth against gun violence. Or perhaps when contemplate the venom that comes through social media, which is often anything but sociable. In his inimitably disarming manner, Mr. Rogers likely would have much to say about all of that. Ah, manner of speaking has so much to do with love-one-another creeds within faith groups. Share the talk, of course, including about subjects that really matter. Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and, again, the “prac-
ticing ordained” could do with his know-how in uniting people – of all generations – so nobody is left out. Ah, Mr. Rogers would now be 90, and if he were still with us, he would help the world better understand the hard truths and needs of old age. But let everyone use a Mr. Roger postage stamp — which should be a Forever and forever stamp, to get us writing letters again — via real mail, mail that vitally connects. My mother-in-law and I became best friends through our weekly letter exchanges. Mr. Rogers would most surely applaud the essential good neighbors in multiple dwelling places, the socalled “help.” And he’d stress how mostly they live in the outer boroughs and the transit is never that easy, but the great majority made it to work despite hardships brought on by the recent nor’easters. They know how essential their presence can be and not only for those who are ill, homebound or alone. Mr.
RHONY’S RETURNING! BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL
They’re back. Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City — Bethenny, Carol, Dorinda, LuAnn, Ramona, Sonja and Tinsley — return April 4 for Season 10. Say what you will about our reality divas, like the fact that none of them are married and therefore not technically wives — house or otherwise, but after a decade, there are lessons to be learned from these Manhattan ladies. (Please stop laughing and allow me to make my points.)
Actions speak louder than words. Bethenny dubbed Ramona “the Apologizer,” because the bug-eyed blonde always expresses regret after one of her nasty outbursts, which seem to occur every episode. Yes, she always seeks forgiveness, until next time when she does the offending behavior again. Mea culpa is meaningless unless actions back it up. Alcohol is no one’s friend. Slurring, stumbling and just plain falling down drunk, even if you’re swaddled in Escada, is not a good look; especially if, as with Luann, imbibing results in
battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, and two counts of corruption by threat. Pretty sobering, huh? Tell it like it is. I don’t know when letting every piece of stupidity that pops in one’s head, fall out one’s mouth started masquerading as “honesty,” but in the world of RHNYC, that’s the definition. Being unfiltered seems to be OK only when one is dishing it out, though. When one is on the receiving end, well, being frank is called hurtful, rude and “mean girl.” In the real New York, as opposed to realty land, you don’t dish it out if you can’t take it. Diversify. It all began with a margarita. Then Bethenny’s Skinny Girl logo showed up on wine, got slapped on salad dressing and popcorn, plus appliances like blenders. Every time we turn around Bethenny has a new gig — currently it’s house flipping, which she got Bravo to turn into a show. The entrepreneur has also been a talk show host as well as Shark Tank judge. She gives new meaning to the phrase “side hustle.” When you have more than one way to generate income, no one job can hold you financially hostage.
Rogers would gently remind people dependent on them not to take that for granted or let them take unnecessary risks. And yes, there are thousands of essential workers who so thankfully made it through the storms, but don’t qualify as neighbors we’re now discussing. And surely more must be said about that. And more will be said about Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, in this column and elsewhere. But for now, Mr. Roger’s programs are available on CDs, or are they DVDs? Whichever it is, the program and its themes need a great revival — and don’t forget the postage stamp and real mail. All Easter and Passover blessings are wished you, dear readers, and as Rabbi Harvey Tattelbaum was wont to say in homilies that ran in this paper, “Be a blessing. That is why we are here.” It can be done if enough of us try. dewingbetter@aol.com
Strike while the iron is hot. What do you do when you realize you suddenly have a following? Launch a recording career, a wine company, a clothing empire, a nail polish line, a shapewear company, jeans brand, or write a book (the “as told to” kind requiring a ghostwriter). Ya gotta have friends. When they’re not screaming, fighting, pot-stirring, making passive/aggressive digs, talking over each other, schooling one another on appropriateness, stealing each other’s boyfriends and business ideas, and dishonoring the “girl code,” they have each other’s backs. Even Bethenny showed up to support BFFcum-enemy and former housewife Jill Zarin at her husband’s recent funeral. A scene from an upcoming episode of The Real Housewives of New York City. Pictured, left to right, are Ramona Singer, Carole Radziwill, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer. Photo: Heidi Gutman/Bravo
Make it nice! A paraphrase of Dorinda’s “I made it nice,” rant, but all the housewives adhere to it when it comes to entertaining. Whether it’s a house party or catered affair, each lady’s soirees are well-attended, the food and pinot flows like Tinsley’s golden curls, and they always overdress for the occasion, as in, It’s my party and I’ll wear an “I Dream Of Jeannie” high ponytail if I want to. Don’t be all, like, uncool. The Countess
nailed this one. No explanation necessary. Saying it makes it so. You live on the top floor of a building, refer to it as the penthouse. You go out a lot, assume the title of socialite. (The actual definition of which is “a person who is well known in fashionable society.”) And, in Sonja’s case, come up with a lot of unfeasible business ventures, pretend they exist, and represent them collectively as your “international luxury lifestyle brand.”
When life knocks you down, get back up. Carol and Dorinda lost their husbands to illness. Luann and Ramona have been cheated on. They, as well as Sonja, Bethenny and Tinsley have been embroiled in Page Six-type divorces. Some of their businesses have bitten the dust. Houses had to be moved from, and possessions sold off. Custody battles fought. Health issues remedied. Yet, they’re all still here, every Wednesday at 9 p.m. Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novels “Back to Work She Goes” and “Fat Chick,” for which a movie is in the works.
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KARPOFF AFFILIATES JT ZPVS TJOHMF TUPQ GPS TFOJPS MJGF USBOTJUJPOT BOE SFBM FTUBUF CSPLFSBHF OFFET Some of the estimated 200,000 people who took part in a New York City rally calling for gun control Saturday. Photo: Clarrie Feinstein
GUN CONTROL RALLY DRAWS 200,000 PROTEST In wake of Florida high school killings, a loud call for ban on assault weapons, other provisions BY CLARRIE FEINSTEIN
Nearly 200,000 took to city streets Saturday, intent on giving notice that gun violence has ďŹ erce opposition â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and determined to make their collective voice heard by politicians. The atmosphere was thick with emotion as parents, children, grandparents, teachers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all sorts and all types â&#x20AC;&#x201D; walked along Central Park West, chanting â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vote Them Out!â&#x20AC;? The protest, March for Our Lives, was one of hundreds taking place across the nation as well as abroad, with the largest demonstration in Washington, D.C., which was said to have drawn about 800,000. The march was in response to the killing of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last month. Since January 1, there have been 17 school shootings, more than one a
week, according to a tally by CNN. On Saturday, thousands of young people registered to vote, hoping to pressure politicians to pass legislation that meets the demands of the anti-gun violence movement. Among the provisions many would like to see enacted include universal background checks, bans on assault weapons and the raising of minimum ages to buy a gun. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am here to support the students, because my generation has failed them,â&#x20AC;? said city resident Tricia Kampton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who defend these acts of violence because of the Second Amendment are not justiďŹ ed. I have friends in upstate New York who own guns and are in the Washington, D.C., march today.â&#x20AC;? Kampton was accompanied by her son, Talia, a 10th grade student who participated in the school walkout on March 14. In the crowd, various signs read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arm Teachers with Pencils, Not Guns,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Guns or Our Lives?â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never Again.â&#x20AC;? Young children walked with their parents, holding signs, pleading for gun reform. Sam Hendler, a 16-year old student from Marjory Stone-
man Douglas, who addressed the rally, called on people to replace apathy with action. Hendler emphasized that thoughts and prayers following mass shootings were â&#x20AC;&#x153;not enough.â&#x20AC;? Speakers from the Black Lives Matter movement added that gun violence disproportionately affects people of color and that shootings in the Bronx or South Side of Chicago must receive the same kind of recognition. Ally Margelony and Madayn Jurgensmier, high school sophomores from Connecticut, said it was high time for the passage of gun-control laws. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ridiculous there has been no change,â&#x20AC;? Margelony said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How was nothing done after Sandy Hook?â&#x20AC;? she added, referring to the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school shooting in 2012 that killed 26, including 20 pupils. Both students said the movement toward gun control had grown signiďŹ cant and that they want to ensure common sense laws are mandated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspiring to be here,â&#x20AC;? Jurgensmier added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It makes me optimistic that change will happen.â&#x20AC;?
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Mon 2 MICHAEL BENNETT IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVE ZIRIN The New School 66 West 12th St. 7 p.m. Free 212-229-5600 newschool.edu
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Super Bowl Champion and threetime Pro Bowler Michael Bennett is an outspoken proponent for social justice and a man without a censor. He’s also scathingly funny, and he wants to make you uncomfortable. Hear him in conversation with sports editor and co-author Dave Zirin as they discuss their new book, “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable.”
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Thu 29 Fri 30 Sat 31 CLIMATE CHANGE, CHILDREN AND INTERGENERATIONAL EQUITY The New School 66 West 12th St. Noon. Free, RSVP required Engage with the next generation that will have to reckon with the impact of climate change, and discuss how young people are challenging the status quo and advocating for a healthy environment at this talk on environmental justice. 212-229-5108 newschool.edu
ALTERNATIVE, PUNK AND BLUES AT PIANOS Pianos 158 Ludlow St. 7 p.m. $10 adults/$5 children Celebrate spring with new songs at an eclectic evening of alternative, indie, punk, experimental synthpop dance, blues and more. The lineup includes musical acts American Pinup, Ryan Wolfe, Brett Benowitz, Cold Copy and Fawn. 212-505-3733 pianosnyc.com
THE NYC FIRE MUSEUM’S 2018 EGG HUNT► New York City Fire Museum 278 Spring St. 10 a.m. $10 adults/$5 children Seek hidden treasures on the first two floors of the museum, take photos with the FDNY’s fire safety mascot Hot Dog and EMS mascot Siren, and check out the exhibits at this annual Easter egg hunt designed for children ages 3 to 12. 212-691-1303 nycfiremuseum.org
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
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CELEBRATE ICONS OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, SUPPORT THE VANGUARD RESIDENCY AT JOE’S PUB
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Mercury Lounge 217 East Houston St. 7 p.m. $15 Pay tribute to essential Jewish musicians and composers from George and Ira Gershwin and Leonard Cohen to The Ramones at this Passover/ Easter benefit for the Bowery Mission. With members of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pill, Only Son, The Psychic Ills, Psychic TV and other NYC rock bands. 212-260-4700 mercuryeastpresents.com
The Strand 828 Broadway 7 p.m. $15 grants admission & includes store gift card Inaugurate National Poetry Month with poets Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz and Sarah Kay as they celebrate the written word and the launch of their new books. 212-473-1452 strandbooks.com
DISCOVER ARTS: HITLER VS. PICASSO AND THE OTHERS
Village East Cinema 181-189 Second Ave. 7 p.m. $15 In 1937, there were two exhibitions in Munich, one to stigmatize “degenerate art,” and one, curated by Hitler, to glorify “classic art.” “Hitler vs Picasso” chronicles exhibitions displaying work by Botticelli, Klee, Monet, Chagall and others, plus stories from witnesses who saw the destruction and looting of art collections by the Nazi regime. 212-529-6998 citycinemas.com
Wed 4 THE JEWBADOURS: THE SEDER CONTINUES Joe’s Pub at The Public 425 Lafayette St. 9:30 p.m. $20 Band leaders Yakob Veivelman and Ariel Hammerstein will lead guests through a non-traditional seder featuring a Haggadah written by Rabbis Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, and Daryl Hall and John Oates. Come for the yucht rock and Jew-eyed Soul, stay for the brisket. 212-539-8778 joespub.publictheater.org
APR 9 COCKTAILS 6PM DINNER & PERFORMANCES 7PM YOUR SUPPORT WILL ENABLE US TO FURTHER CULTIVATE THE COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES ENGAGED IN THE CREATIVE WORK, CULTURAL NECESSITY, AND LEGACY OF JOE’S PUB AT THE PUBLIC THEATER. ACCESS TICKETS! 212.539.8537 | EVENTS@PUBLICTHEATER.ORG
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EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL London-based artist and designer Marc Camille Chaimowicz has his first solo museum show in America at The Jewish Museum BY VAL CASTRONOVO
He straddles the art and design worlds and revels in pleasing pastel palettes — soft blues, greens, pinks, yellows and lavender. He’s made interior spaces and the home his subject, beginning with his own homes in London, where he currently lives and works in a 12-sided building in Vauxhall. At The Jewish Museum, former Gilded Age home of banker Felix Warburg and his family, Marc Camille Chaimowicz (b. postwar Paris) has created environments that overlook Central Park and engage with the worlds inside and outside the French Gothic mansion. While the exhibit is housed in The Jewish Museum, the artist is not Jewish — his Polish father was Jewish and survived the Nazi occupation of France, but Chaimowicz and his siblings were raised Catholic by their French mother. The family moved to England when the boy was 8, eventually taking up residence in London. “I have no connection with the Jewish faith whatsoever,” the artist recently told The New York Times. In a statement to us, The Jewish Museum said: “Chaimowicz’s family background reflects an aspect of the Jewish experience in the 20th century, including surviving the Nazi Occupation of France, immigration from France to England, and assimilation. The interplay of two cultures, languages, and cities resonates across Chaimowicz’s life and work, and finds its place in the Jewish Museum exhibition.... The building provides Chaimowicz with a unique interior that relates to both his Jewish and French roots.” The multi-disciplinary show spans five galleries that are meant to conjure up a home, a library and a park (the rooms have French names, with
English translations). The contents include paintings, sculpture, drawings, collage, video, furniture, wallpaper, rugs, ceramics, textiles and curtains. Chaimowicz merges the fine arts and the applied arts to create prettily appointed interiors showcasing patterned wallpaper, collaged lampshades, bespoke hat racks and coat hangers and the like. “Marc Camille’s embrace of disciplines deemed outside of fine art, such as decoration and design, and his questioning of Modernist, masculinist assumptions of what art should look like and who should participate in the art world, have [particularly] contributed to his, until now, low profile in the U.S.,” curator Kelly Taxter wrote in an email about his modest reputation in the States. One of his breakout installations in 1972, “Celebration? Realife,” featured a former ballroom at Gallery House in London strewn with masks, mirrors and a glitter ball (orange knickers and a white bra, too). The artist served tea in a nearby room and invited viewer reaction. As part of the act, he slept on the premises for the duration of the show. The performative aspect to his art is lacking here, but the spirit reigns. The exhibit title “Your Place or Mine ... ” is another invitation for visitors to step into his space. He has embraced the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) in his installations, and draws inspiration from painters like Matisse, Bonnard and Vuillard and designers like Eileen Gray and William Morris. But the style is all his own. According to Taxter, “He’s developed his own visual language ... which pays careful attention to color, form, and the notion of the provisional. He purposefully fends off easy description or one way to see or read his artworks; rather, he finds pleasure creating objects that might be read in at least two, more often than not three or four different ways.” The show is a variation of a 2016
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
IF YOU GO WHAT: “Marc Camille Chaimowicz: Your Place or Mine” WHERE: The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue (at 92nd Street) WHEN: through August 5 www.thejm.org
presentation at London’s Serpentine Galleries in Hyde Park. The iteration at The Jewish Museum, across the street from Central Park, includes several newly commissioned works — the wallpaper “Vasque” (2018) in The Salon gallery; and curtains, “A New Curtain for KT” (2018), and mirrored doors, “end game” (2018), in The Public Garden galleries that face the park at the exhibit’s finale. The two garden rooms make playful reference to the museum’s natural surroundings. The objects are arranged on curvilinear platforms meant to suggest the winding pathways of Central Park. Print parasols are scattered about, the kind you would take on a leisurely stroll through the park if you were living in a bygone era. Horticultural references are rife. The curtains have a green leafy motif that speaks to the trees outside (albeit bare now). A series of painted panels, “In a Public Garden in Paris (The Tree)” (1985), hang in the first room, which an exhibit guide explains is “a panel piece that climbs up and down the wall [and] suggests the exuberant verticality of a tree in bloom.” A tulip vase with paper flowers is set beneath the panels. The arrangements are quite deliberate, like stage sets. We are meant to “pass through, linger, double back, continue on, and finally to remember from where we came,” the guide states. We are transported back and forth in time, encouraged to dwell on objects that trigger memories and provoke our imagination. In “end game,” the mirrored doors are colored green. Per the guide: “Visitors catch fleeting glimpses of themselves and one another, moving along together or alone, for a short time in Chaimowicz’s world.” Before, in their imagination, passing through the doors to “somewhere else.”
Marc Camille Chaimowicz, “Tulip Vase and Paper Bouquet,” 2017. Photo: Val Castronovo
Marc Camille Chaimowicz, “BadenBaden (Parasol No. 3),” 2009; “Rope Vase,” 2014. Photo: Val Castronovo
Marc Camille Chaimowicz, “Bespoke Coat Hanger for Decorated Items,” 2011. Photo: Val Castronovo
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
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MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 14 - 20, 2018 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. Racines
94 Chambers St
Grade Pending (25) 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. 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.
1 Pike
1 Pike St
A
Delicious Huang Bakery
139 Hester St
Grade Pending (48) 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. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.
Dudleys
85 Orchard Street
A
Yui Gallery & Tea Caffe
131 Eldridge St
Not Yet Graded (41) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. 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.
Rawsome Treats
158 Orchard St
Not Yet Graded (14) 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.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
100 Maiden Lane
A
Blue Ribbon Sushi
119 Sullivan Street
A
Deb’s Catering
3 Madison St
Grade Pending (55) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution. Records and logs not maintained to demonstrate that HACCP plan has been properly implemented. Food not labeled in accordance with HACCP plan.
Oficina Latina
24 Prince Street
Ipic Theaters
11 Fulton St
A
Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen
20 John Street
Grade Pending (17) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
Grade Pending (28) 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. 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.
Coco & Cru / Sweetwater Social
643 Broadway
A
Ferrara’s
195 Grand Street
A
Acme Bar & Grill
9 Great Jones Street
A
The Odeon
145 West Broadway
A
Bohemian New York
57 Great Jones St
Mulberry Street Bar
176 1\2 Mulberry Street
A
Nomo Soho
9 Crosby St
Grade Pending (30) 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. 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Grade Pending (20) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. 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.
Estela
47 E Houston Street
A
ZZ Clam Bar
169 Thompson St
Grade Pending (30) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. 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. 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.
The Folly
92 W Houston St
Grade Pending (21) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Cafe Wha
115 Macdougal St
A
Ben’s Pizza
123 Macdougal St
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.
Dumpling Kingdom
227 Sullivan St
Grade Pending (10) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Tavern On Jane
31 8 Avenue
A
Numero 28 Pizzeria
2628 Carmine Street
A
Dig Inn
350 Hudson Street
A
Mission Ceviche
353 W 14th St
A
Chumley’s
86 Bedford St
Not Yet Graded (31) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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.
Kaffe 1668
401 Greenwich Street A
Miansai
33 Crosby St
A
New Mandarin Court
61 Mott Street
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 from unapproved or unknown source or home canned. Reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing; or ROP foods prepared on premises transported to another site. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Bonsai Kakigori
265 Canal St
Not Yet Graded (40) Potable water supply inadequate. Water or ice not potable or from unapproved source. Cross connection in potable water supply system observed. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
Golden Steamer
143 Mott Street
Grade Pending (9) Eggs found dirty/cracked; liquid, frozen or powdered eggs not pasteurized.
Saturdays Surf NYC
31 Crosby Street
A
Dak Bakery
90 Bowery
CLOSED (104) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. 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. Toilet facility not provided for employees or for patrons when required. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD STAFFING BY POLICE PRECINCT Precinct
Filled Positions
Budgeted Positions
Vacancies
1st Precinct (Financial District, Tribeca, SoHo)
2
9
7
10th Precinct (Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen)
9
10
1
19th Precinct (Upper East Side)
11
23
12
20th Precinct (Upper West Side)
4
9
5
24th Precinct (Upper West Side)
21
23
2
15
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Data as of January 2017. Source: NYPD
CROSSING GUARDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 At a May 2017 City Council hearing, an NYPD official said that there were then 63 school posts being covered by a traffic enforcement agent. The NYPD received an additional $6.3 million in this year’s budget to hire an additional 100 full-time school crossing guard supervisors and 200 part-time school crossing guards. A total of 2,638 part-time crossing guard positions are funded in the current budget. In the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct, 12 of 23 budgeted crossing guard positions were vacant as of January 2017. Ben Kallos, who represents the neighborhood in the City Council, said that public school principals in his district have requested that more crossing guards be budgeted and hired. “There are schools throughout the city that have safety concerns relating to school violence, but in my district, both in schools and out of schools, the top safety concern is vehicle
collisions,” he said. Kallos said that the 19th Precinct has struggled to attract applicants and retain guards once they’ve been hired, a problem he believes is related to compensation. Most crossing guards are part-time employees, who generally work a split shift of short periods in both the morning and afternoon and are not employed over the summer. Though pay for crossing guards has been increased in recent years and employees are eligible for health insurance benefits if they work more than 20 hours per week, wages for the part-time positions are relatively low, starting at $13.50 per hour climbing to and $14.04 per hour after three years, according to the NYPD. “This needs to be a yearround job,” Kallos said. “These people need to be paid a living wage, with benefits, and they need to have shifts that they can live on without having a large uncompensated break during the day.” Kallos believes that crossing guards could be given ad-
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ditional assignments beyond their current hours and over the summer to monitor intersections near after-school programming sites, youth centers and parks. “After all, this city has a commitment to Vision Zero, and having crossing guards at dangerous intersections could be helpful to more than just our public school students,” he said. When candidates do apply for open positions, Rosenthal said, the hiring process can take months. Candidates must be able to speak and understand English, pass a background check and medical examination and complete six days of NYPD training. Rosenthal said she plans to look into hiring practices to ensure that the onboarding process is as streamlined as possible. “I’m not even sure we’re aiming for the right number of crossing guards,” Rosenthal said. “Perhaps there should be more, but we don’t have the luxury of asking that question because we can’t even fill the slots we do have.”
Downtowner
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MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Business PHASING IN NEW MANHATTAN TOLLS? TRAFFIC Cuomo “cautiously optimistic” about starting congestion pricing with fees on ride-hailing services
Heading from Brooklyn to Manhattan via Uber. Photo: Carl, via flickr
Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t giving up on the idea of imposing new congestion tolls on motorists entering the busiest parts of Manhattan. The Democratic New York governor said on WNYC radio on Friday, March 23 that he believes a budget deal being negotiated with top lawmakers will include the first
phase of congestion tolling. A state panel recommended congestion tolls up to $11 on private vehicles as a way to address gridlock and raise funds for New York City subways and other pressing transit needs. But lawmakers so far have balked, with the Senate’s Republican leaders vowing to oppose any new tolls and the Democratic majority of the state Assembly backing much smaller surcharges and only on for-hire vehicles traveling below 96th Street in Manhattan. The Assembly proposal would also impose a $1-per-ride fee on Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services statewide, a provision being fought by Uber.
Cuomo acknowledged the political challenges of approving new tolls but said decisions about how to address traffic and the city’s beleaguered mass transit system have been put off too long. He said he hopes all sides can agree on a deal that at least includes surcharges on for-hire vehicles entering the zone. Another potential compromise would include funding to install the cashless electronic equipment in Manhattan needed to collect the tolls. “Congestion pricing doesn’t happen in one fell swoop,” Cuomo said. “There are phases. I’m cautiously optimistic that we could start the process.”
THE GOOGLIFICATION OF CHELSEA TECH TOWN The technology giant expands its footprint in the neighborhood, and small business anticipates yet more upheaval BY MICHAEL DESANTIS
Chelsea residents and entrepreneurs have seen massive changes to their neighborhood over the past decade, accelerated by the High Line’s creation in 2009 and Google’s purchase of the enormous former Port Authority building in 2010. Chelsea is about to be shaken up once again. Google last week finalized its deal to buy the 1.2 million square foot Chelsea Market building from Jamestown Properties for a reported $2.4 billion. (Jamestown will continue to manage the ground-floor food market.) Many small business owners who have struggled for years to pay rising rent prices are concerned the purchase could ultimately leave them priced out of the neighborhood. Some, though, are optimistic they could benefit from the tech giant’s increased presence. Douglas Wagner, director of brokerage services at BOND New York real estate, predicts that as Google becomes Chelsea’s major employer, the neighborhood will experience yet more upheaval, and evolve yet further from a predominantly residential and artsy neighborhood to one accommodating
ever more business and entrepreneurship. “Rather than just lifestyle support, we’ll see 24/7 business support,” Wagner said. “Some of those proprietary owned cafes and clubs, little momand-pop boutiques will move out. We’ll see more banks, shipping support and office supplies.” Google, in 2007, initially leased 108,000 square feet of the 1.2 millionsquare-foot Chelsea Market building, and now leases one-third of the building, according to The Real Deal. Across the street, at 111 Eighth Ave., sits its 2.9 million square-foot headquarters, purchased in 2010. The tech behemoth also reportedly intends to lease 250,000 square feet of the Pier 57 development and another 120,000 square feet in the area for office space, and cultural and educational activities, Crain’s New York reported. The assumption is that more office space will mean more employees. Google and Chelsea Market did not respond to a request for comment. New Google employees earn between $115,000 and $140,000, plus any bonuses, according to data on GlassDoor. And Wagner said many of those pay packages would likely double after a few years. Chelsea median income for people aged 25-44 is nearly $95,000, according to Point2Homes. Wagner predicted Chelsea will become even more expensive, with rents continuing to climb, ultimately forcing out small businesses. Eric Marcus, who has lived in Chel-
sea for 24 years, said he’s seen entrepreneurs move out over the years. National brands that can afford the rent have taken the place of mom-and-pop shops. “That’s one of the heartbreaks, seeing independently owned stores bought out by chain stores,” he said. “It seems to be accelerating during this latest boom.” Small business managers like Lorenzo Franchetti of Gelato Giusto on Ninth Avenue and Sam Moseleh of 8th Ave. Gourmet Deli said their rents increase about 3.5 percent with each new lease. Moseleh, who has spent his whole life in Chelsea and helps his father manage the deli, has noticed the shift in the type of storefronts in the neighborhood. “The building [across the street from 8th Ave. Gourmet Deli] used to be five stores over there,” Moseleh said. “Now it’s only one big Duane Reade.” Gloria Rios, who works at Murphy Bed Express on Eighth Avenue, said she believes the presence of Google and big chain stores in Chelsea contributes to the store’s “extremely” high rent, which could require the store to abandon Chelsea in the next five years after a decade there. Medium-sized retailers aren’t safe either. Jensen-Lewis, a furniture and interior design store that employs 25 people, has been priced out of its Seventh Avenue location. It is currently conducting a massive sale as it prepares to move. Jim Ehrenthal, who holds an owner-
Google bought the block-long former Port Authority building on Eighth Avenue in 2010. Its purchase, this month, of the Chelsea Market building on Ninth Avenue gives the tech giant a sizeable footprint in Chelsea. Photo: Michael DeSantis ship interest in Jensen-Lewis, said the store plans to move a half-mile away due to an inability to renegotiate a less expensive lease. “The high rent and commercial rent tax made the decision to find an alternative space necessary,” Ehrenthal said. But while some smaller establishments are getting priced out of Chelsea, other small business owners said Google’s increased presence could be beneficial. R. Marc, who owns Maison 140 on Ninth Avenue, said he believes Google’s 2010 move into Chelsea has benefitted his home goods store. “The Google people make decent money,” said Marc, who asked that his first name not be used for personal
reasons. “They’ll probably live in the neighborhood, spend their money in the neighborhood, go on lunch breaks in the neighborhood. The Google people will come to me because they want a gift. Or they’re going to come here because they just bought a $3, $5, $10 million apartment and they need stuff for it.” Wagner suggested the neighborhood’s ongoing Googlification will hasten its transformation into a professional business environment. Marcus agrees. “I would say that the future of Chelsea, if the trend continues, will become less diverse over time with a less interesting mix of retail,” Marcus predicted.
MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
17
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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MARCH 29-APRIL 4,2018
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
J
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Saturday, June 9 12n - 5pm
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$ Hop on Dirt Mag’s beer bus and embark on a tour of the best breweries Orange County has to offer. Enjoy flights and pints of beer harvested from the historic black dirt region—known for its exceptionally lush soil and tasty brews. See the breweries in action. Tour the malt farm. Sip local beers. Get dirty. $
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FAITH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 great defining holidays of their respective faiths. Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary, falls on March 30, and this year it coincides with Passover, marking the liberation by God of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, which begins at sundown the same day with the first of the two Seders. For Christians, the holiday is a day of fasting and penance, and for Jews, a time to tell the story of the Exodus through stories, songs and a ritual if festive meal, which is repeated in the second Seder on March 31. Easter Sunday, a joyous celebration of the cornerstone of Christianity — the resurrection of Jesus from the dead — falls on April 1, which is also the second full day of the weeklong Passover holiday. Theologically, the holidays would seem to have little in common. Culinarily, they both involve feasting. But there’s more: Mortal enemies of both faiths fall — Pharaoh’s army is obliterated, the Israelites, no longer slaves, cross the Red Sea dry-shod, Roman prefects are humiliated, Jesus prepares to ascend to heaven — and as miracles unfold and good vanquishes evil, the redemptive power of God reigns supreme. “As people of faith, we live with hope and not despair –— hope for our personal life, but also for our world,” the Rev. Gilliard said. “We move from death to life, from darkness and despair to light, as we take our place amongst those who live in the world and try to do the things that Christ would have us do,” she added. “The message of the cross is that the love God is displaying wins out over all the other stuff we see in the world!”
PLAGUES FROM THE OVAL OFFICE That world can be a pretty oppressive place in the Trump era, say at least a dozen ministers, priests and rabbis interviewed by Straus News. Though few mentioned the president by name, most alluded to issues on his watch they found troubling, many of which will be incorporated into the holiday messaging. “We live in very challenging, some would say dark, times,” said Rabbi Matalon. “We are in danger of the erosion of some of our liberties.” He cited an “assault on truth, an assault on science, an as-
sault on the legal system itself,” as well as “racism, sexism and homophobia.” Recounting how Moses, acting upon the instructions of God, defied the tyranny of Pharaoh with the words, “Let my people go,” the rabbi said, “Oppressive structures have to be defied and removed.” And he added, “Freedom is an act of faith, an act of defiance and an act of courage.” It was 3,500 years ago when Moses parted the Red Sea to usher the Israelites out of Egypt, and the Passover holiday has remained largely unchanged over the passing millennia. “There is great comfort in the consistency of that ritual,” said Rabbi Diana Fersko, associate rabbi at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on West 68th Street, which was the first shul in the city to install a female rabbi. “But this year, it might feel a bit more charged because of how fragile our freedoms seem right now,” she said. In a time in which the Jewish people “rejoice in our freedoms, we are also thinking about control over information, control over privacy, control over our bodies, and suddenly, our freedoms seem in real jeopardy,” the rabbi added. Rabbi Alvin Kass, the chief chaplain of the NYPD and a 52year veteran of the department who once helmed the New York Board of Rabbis, has his own take on “the edge and the bitterness” he observes today. “We haven’t seen this in a very long time, and it’s very disturbing,” said the rabbi, an Upper West Sider who serves as spiritual director of the NYPD Shomrim Society, made up of 3,000 active and retired Jewish cops. “It’s important to understand, on this holiday of freedom, how easily freedom can be lost all over the world – and to know that the spirit of totalitarianism must be resisted,” he added. “In this country, which is so diverse, we need to forge a bond of togetherness and join with those with whom we don’t share common ancestry.”
THE POWER AND THE GLORY Meanwhile, at the Church of the Epiphany on York Avenue and 74th Street, the Rev. Jennifer Reddall will take her text from the Gospel of Mark, which ends with the words, “They were afraid.” “You don’t get to see Jesus, who doesn’t appear, you’re left with an empty tomb, and an angel who says he’s been raised, but you don’t get to see him raised, and you’re left with fear,” she said.
The message? “God is challenging us to have faith — even in the midst of fear,” the rector of the Episcopal church explained. “It’s about what do we do in a time of fear, for even when you’re afraid, you still have to go out and seek Jesus, because it is okay to be afraid, but it doesn’t make us immobile or paralyzed.” Is she referencing the current political climate? “It’s a possibility to say that ... I sometime make oblique connections. There are so many things that people are afraid of right now.” Yes, there are, and the Rev. Robert Brashear, pastor of the West-Park Presbyterian Church on West 86th Street since 1995, ticked off a few of them, citing, “Fear of the other, fear of people who are different, fear of people who look different, fear of people who come from different places.” Will the reverend address the perceived source of those fears on Easter Sunday? “If I’m having a conversation from the pulpit, I’d talk about ethics and values and principles,” he said. “If I’m having a conversation over a beer, I would name Trump.” Of course, there are traditionalists who steer clear of any political messages, like Father Douglas Crawford, the former priest-secretary of the late Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York. “In giving His life for us, Our Lord Jesus asks us to continue His mission by being His ‘hands and feet,’ the priest said. “He asks us to share in his work of redemption. “That is why the Gospel is never simply a call to be ‘nice’ to other people. There is nothing sweetly sentimental about Calvary. Life in Christ is a call to unselfish love. If we want to rise with Our Saviour at Easter, we also have to share his work of salvation on Good Friday,” he added. More than ever, this Easter season is a time to remain true to one’s faith, said the Rev. Stephen Harding, pastor of the 180-year-old St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on West 20th Street in Chelsea. “We need an alternative and a moral compass because in our country, the current administration is abdicating the moral high ground,” he said. “It is on us to respect the dignity of every human being and stay true to our core values of decency, honor and compassion.” And the reverend added, “We have an obligation to the world because in some sense, we are all citizens of the world.” invreporter@strausnews.com
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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IN THE RING AND ON THE STAGE Boxing trainer rolls with the punches for a powerful project BY ANGELA BARBUTI
Valentine Lyashenko has taken the art of boxing to the stage. The multidisciplinary trainer/coach and massage therapist — who happens to have a degree in performing arts from City College — lent his talents to “The Wholehearted,” which is being performed at Abrons Arts Center until April 1. The Kazakhstan native, who came to New York at 14, was asked to train show performer Suli Holum, who plays a championship boxer who marries her trainer, who then attempts to kill her. Although the character is fictitious, Holum’s character is based on the biographies of iconic female athletes. The Midtown resident trains clients out of a facility in Chelsea and also travels for private sessions. His work varies from athletic-specific training to rehab, body awareness and injury prevention. 32-year-old As for the future, the 32 year old wants to continue learning new techniques to pass on to his students and hopes to one day own a gym of his own.
Valentine Lyashenko following a victory in a jujitsu competition. Photo: Philip Lai
When did you start boxing? What made you go into the sport? I started boxing around 20 years of age, so about 12 years ago. It was freshman year of college when I started to participate in track and field for health reasons and for athletic purposes. I also wanted to study martial arts. arts
Tell us about your work in MMA. So four years ago, I segued. I studied another martial arts for a year called call wing chun. That was after I had finished boxing. I did some amateur ni competitions and my schedule got com busy bus and I could not commit to the boxing team anymore. So I thought box I’d try t wing chun for a year and that didn’t work out for me, personally. did And then I found a mixed martial arts gym where I started doing my work, because I do training and body work, bec or m massage therapy, if you will. I was looking for a space at the time and loo happened to find it at this dojo. And ha I started studying there first before I even moved my business there, so
Valentine Lyashenko is a boxer, and also a trainer, coach, massage therapist, and jujitsu and mixed martial arts fighter. Of late, he’s lent his expertise to a theater performer. Photo: Masataka Suemitsu
that was my way into the mixed martial arts training. So for the last four years, I’ve been studying mixed martial arts — integrated boxing, kickboxing and grappling arts along with wrestling. And I’ve done some jujitsu competitions to build up on that.
Tell us about a standout moment from a competition. Winning my first boxing match after having lost two. That was quite an experience. It toughens you up when you’re there and you’ve experienced the worst of it. You become a little immune to adversity in the ring or in life. It really crosses over into your life. At that time, I didn’t expect to win, even though I knew I probably did. It was an unbelievable thing. It was the best feeling in the world at that time. All the hard work and training came together for me. And I got out of my brain for the first time. I’m always the hardest critic of myself and always trying to be perfect. And just realizing that life isn’t about perfection, but just trying to do better each time.
Who has been a memorable client you’ve helped? An older gentleman who was 85 at the time. Big real estate guy, met him through another client of mine.
He was looking for a trainer and he, himself, boxed most of his life. His father was a professional boxer. He used training and therapy as a way of getting away from all the stress he was experiencing as that big real estate person and business owner. He knew that the only way to stay physically and mentally capable was to keep training and doing therapy. So we did two hours at a time sometimes, four to five to six times a week to address flexibility, mobility and strength. He had multiple injuries before we met, knee reconstruction, arthritis and had strokes. The one thing he loved was to box. We would go up to 10 rounds sometimes, exchanging body shots. Nothing in the head, of course, because of the injury risk. But people say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you absolutely can.
How did your involvement in “The Wholehearted” come about? George Russell is my mentor. He’s a chiropractor and body worker. And he knew Suli and introduced me to her because he knew that I had boxing, training and body-work experience. And he was looking for someone to work with her and help her develop the choreography for the show.
Summarize the show’s plot for us. The show is about the journey of a female boxer, Dee Crosby. It’s been interpreted, of course, by Suli and the production team. It’s about her lifespan and what she goes through as a female boxer, being in a relationship with an abusive husband/coach. And finding her own way through that world of intensity, aggression and a lot of adversity.
What did your training with Suli entail? Did she have any prior experience? Well, she’s a mover, which is a big plus. She’s a dancer and performer, so it helps. She obviously was not a boxer to begin with. And we worked at least two to three hours a week for a while when she was developing that first, raw material for the show. We trained in boxing technique and, of course, the boxing choreography, as we went along with the script. I sat in on rehearsals and observed and we did a lot of feedback exchange.
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CLASSIFIEDS MASSAGE
PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE OF COOPERATIVE APARMENT SECURITY PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: By Virtue of a Default under Loan Security Agreement, and other Security Documents, Karen Loiacano, Auctioneer, License #DCA1435601 or Jessica L Prince-Clateman, Auctioneer, License #1097640 or Vincent DeAngelis Auctioneer, License #1127571 will sell at public auction, with reserve, on April 11, 2018, in the Rotunda of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, commencing at 12:45pm for the following account: Donald Weber a/k/a Donald A. Weber, as borrower, 64 shares of capital stock of 350-52-54 W. 12th Street Owners Corp. and all right, title and interest in the Proprietary Lease to 354 West 12th Street, Unit 1D, New York, NY 10014 Sale held to enforce rights of CitiBank, N.A., who reserves the right to bid. Ten percent (10%) Bank/Certified check required at sale, balance due at closing within thirty (30) days. The Cooperative Apartment will be sold “AS IS” and possession is to be obtained by the purchaser. Pursuant to Section 201 of the Lien Law you must answer within 10 days from receipt of this notice in which redemption of the above captioned premises can occur. There is presently an outstanding debt owed to CitiBank, N.A. (lender) as of the date of this notice in the amount of $340,638.75. This figure is for the outstanding balance due under UCC1,
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which was secured by Financing Statement in favor of CitiBank, N.A. recorded on April 26, 2007 under CRFN 2007000217862. Please note this is not a payoff amount as additional interest/ fees/penalties may be incurred. You must contact the undersigned to obtain a final payoff quote or if you dispute any information presented herein. The estimated value of the above captioned premises is $470,000.00. Pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code Article 9-623, the above captioned premises may be redeemed at any time prior to the foreclosure sale. You may contact the undersigned and either pay the principal balance due along with all accrued interest, late charges, attorney fees and out of pocket expenses incurred by CitiBank, N.A.. and the undersigned, or pay the outstanding loan arrears along with all accrued interest, late charges, attorney fees and out of pocket expenses incurred by CitiBank, N.A., and the undersigned, with respect to the foreclosure proceedings. Failure to cure the default prior to the sale will result in the termination of the proprietary lease. If you have received a discharge from the Bankruptcy Court, you are not personally liable for the payment of the loan and this notice is for compliance and information purposes only. However, CitiBank, N.A., still has the right under the loan security agreement and other collateral documents to foreclosure on the shares of stock and rights under the proprietary lease allocated to the cooperative apartment. Dated: March 13, 2018 Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP Attorneys for CitiBank, N.A. 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 631-969-3100 File #01-080328-F00 #94462
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RADICAL VISION FOR DEMOCRACY & WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE UP TO MAKE IT REAL?
APR 18-22, 2018 A festival of ideas examining an open society, to imagine its future and understand its past. What are new (radical) ways forwardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ways that go to therootsofourcurrentdemocraticcrisis? Tickets & Info newyorklivearts.org | #MyRadicalVision 219 W 19th Street, New York 10011
Prayers of the People Photo by Kenyon Victor Adams