Our Town Downtown - April 7, 2016 by OurTown Downtown

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CRIME IS UP DOWNTOWN NEWS

ceny, which is defined as theft of personal property worth more than $1,000, is up 41.4 percent, compared to the same period of 2015. Last year, as of late March, there had been 174 total reports of grand larceny in the precinct. As of March 20 of this year, there were 246. At the precinct’s monthly community council meeting at the end of March, Brian Nelsen of the Crime Prevention Unit acknowledged the

Property crime is up 41% in the First Precinct BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

Property crime is going up in lower Manhattan. Over the last several weeks, reports of grand larceny in the area monitored by the New York Police Department’s First Precinct, which covers most of downtown, have been steadily increasing. According to NYPD crime statistics, grand lar-

A jump in crime in lower Manhattan has included property theft at Starbucks and other restaurants. Photo by Roberto Ventre via ﬂickr

A CHELSEA LEATHER BAR, STILL STANDING NEWS The Eagle has evolved along with the neighborhood BY JEFFREY KOPP

On a block that exempliﬁes the changing landscape of Chelsea – industrial buildings on one side and luxury apartment buildings on the other – a throwback of New York’s gay scene lives on. Unlike other gay bars in Chelsea that are adorned with bright, colorful lights,

a rainbow flag, and made complete by the sounds of pop music rattling the sidewalk, The Eagle on West 28th Street, between 10th and 11th avenues, is dark and quiet. A single, dim, glowing red light shines in the doorway, which is cased over in plastic streamers reminiscent of a meat-packing plant. Welcome to one of the last remaining leather bars in Chelsea. Bars similar to The Eagle, including The Lure, The Spike, and Rawhide dotted Chelsea in the 80’s and 90’s, but all

have closed as the neighborhood has gone upscale. Rawhide was the most high-proﬁle to go, closing in 2013, after 34 years in business, when its rent nearly doubled. Several similar bars, like The Ramrod, Badlands, and The Mineshaft, also operated in the nearby Meatpacking District, but they, too, are now closed. With the rapid gentrification of Chelsea has come a dramatic change in the tenor of the neighborhood’s gay culture, one where couples pushing strollers are now easier to spot than the club kids of old. The Eagle’s quaint bi-level building is wedged between two much larger ones of the same style; one a garage for a car dealership and the other an industrial supply ware-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

house. Its three doors are sealed with metal grates, and above the left-side door is a rusty overhang with characters made of stickers spelling out “THE EAGLE NYC,” along with the bar’s phone number. The upper level has three windows, but you can never see inside them, even during the day, and above the middle window is a grand, black painted eagle, wings abreast. On the inside, too, everything seems to glow red and black against the aroma of cold concrete. The eerie ambiance is mostly just smoke and mirrors. “The Eagle has a reputation of being a leather bar, but in my

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

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City Arts To Do Business 15 Minutes

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2016

Our Take VOTE FOR PRESIDENT, WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS For the ﬁrst time in nearly two decades, New Yorkers will vote in a presidential primary that actually matters. So here we all are, lined up at the train station, watching the national political circus roll into town. And what a circus it is: Do we choose the Fifth Avenue billionaire or the Brooklyn socialist or the former state senator who lives in Westchester? So many choices; so much at stake. This being New York, we are putting our own stamp on the race. Bernie Sanders supporters are cranking out home-made signs, which they’re plastering around the city. Some doormen in Trump buildings have been spotted with “Make America Great Again” baseball caps. A restaurant on the Upper East Side is taking a straw poll by tallying which dish sells the most: Meatloaf for Donald Trump, pizza for Hillary Clinton, a Cubano sandwich for Ted Cruz, a ribeye steak for John Kasich, and a patrami sandwich for Bernie. This week, we’ll be running our own presidential straw poll of the neighborhood. Check out our sample ballot inside the paper, or go to our web site, and cast your vote. You’ll see we’ve made it easy: you can vote by email, over the web, even by telephone. Next week we’ll report the results. It’s become a cliche this election cycle to talk to about how this is a campaign for the ages. Not least because our city, and our vote, really does matter this year. It turns out, we were right all along. We, as New Yorkers, really are the center of the world.

Eagle co-owner Derek Danton

Downtowner

OurTownDowntown

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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

9-16

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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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced

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APRIL 7-13,2016

WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERIOUS CRIME UP 2 PERCENT, SHOOTINGS DOWN An increase in assaults has contributed to a 2 percent rise in serious crime citywide, although shootings and killings remain at record lows.

Citing police numbers, The Daily News reports that through March, 67 killings have been reported, a 21 percent decrease from the same time period last year, when 85 killing were recorded. Should that trend continue, fewer than 300 killings would be recorded this year. Shootings, too, are down

significantly. Through the first quarter, 188 shooting incidents have been reported, compared to 218 last year, a 14 percent decrease, The News said. “We have never seen, in the CompStat era, fewer shooting incidents than we have this first quarter,” the paper quoted police Deputy Commissioner of Operations Dermot Shea. CompStat — short for computer statistics — are management tools to, among other things, help police identify crime trends. The system was introduced about 20 years ago, during current police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s first tenure in that post. Bratton said the decrease in shootings is attributable to so-called “precision policing,” which focuses police resources on known offenders. While Bratton acknowledged the increase in serious knife crimes – 899 slashings and stabbings through March, compared to 746 through the same period last year — he expressed confidence those crimes would also ebb, The News reported.

PARENTS CHALLENGE SCHOOL TESTING Police Commissioner Bioll Bratton attributed a decrease in shootings to so-called “precision policing,” which focuses police resources on known offenders. While Bratton acknowledged an increase in serious knife crimes – 899 slashings and stabbings through March, compared to 746 through the same period last year – he expressed conﬁdence those crimes would also ebb. Photo: Policy Exchange

P.S. 41 parents have created an online petition demanding answers from the state and city school boards to their questions about standardized testing, DNAinfo reported.

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The Greenwich Village school’s Parent Action committee said the tests have ambiguous questions, create a “teach-to-the-test” mentality, and that results are calculated too late to be used constructively by parents, the publication reported. As of Friday, the petition had more than 100 signatures, DNAinfo reported. City Department of Education spokeswoman Devora Kaye told the news site that this year’s state tests will have fewer questions, no time limit for students “as long as they are working productively” and no impact on teacher evaluations, in response to “concerns raised by students, parents, and educators.” The state did not respond to requests for comment, DNAinfo reported.

SLASHING AT CHAMBERS STREET STATION A man was slashed across the face while leaving the Chambers St. subway station the morning of Friday, April 1, DNAinfo reported. At about 4:30 a.m., the assailant approached the man from behind and demanded cash, but when the man responded that he did not have any, the assailant slashed him on the right side of his face, the news site said. The suspect ﬂed the scene, and the victim refused medical treatment at

the scene. He also did not get a good look at the suspect, DNAinfo reported. In light of a recent increase in slashings, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced “Operation Cutting Edge.” The operation will classify slashings and stabbings as felony assaults, and analyze data in order to ﬁnd patterns that might help the city combat the growing problem, DNAinfo reported.

SUBWAY SLASHING A man was slashed across the face while leaving the Chambers St. subway station the morning of Friday, April 1, DNAinfo reported. At about 4:30 a.m., the assailant approached the man from behind and demanded cash, but when the man responded that he did not have any, the assailant slashed him on the right side of his face, the news site said. The suspect ﬂed the scene, and the victim refused medical treatment at the scene. He also did not get a good look at the suspect, DNAinfo reported. In light of a recent increase in slashings, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced “Operation Cutting Edge.” The operation will classify slashings and stabbings as felony assaults, and analyze data in order to ﬁnd patterns that might help the city combat the growing problem, DNAinfo reported.

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APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

WOMAN RECANTS SLASHING STORY

Police say a woman who claimed she was slashed in the face by a stranger in Lower Manhattan has recanted her story. The New York Police Department said Friday that their investigation revealed that the woman’s wound was self-inﬂicted. They say the 20-year-old woman was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. Police say the woman reported a random attack Thursday afternoon and told police a man grabbed her and slashed her on the left side of her face. Police say she told them that the man called her a terrorist during the attack. Authorities say her injuries aren’t life-threatening.

WATCH YOUR BACKPACK!

TROUBLE TRIO

Thieves seem to zero in on iPhones, even when the devices are stored in backpacks. At 11 a.m. on March 20, a 50-year-old man placed his gold 6s, valued at $800, inside his backpack, zipped up the pack and slung it on his back at the northeast corner of Water and Wall Streets. About ﬁve minutes later, he reached into his bag for the phone and found it gone. He used a friend’s cellphone to track his own and discovered that the thief had already begun erasing his information from the device.

A woman from Queens had a frightening encounter with three muggers late one Saturday night. At 1:16 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, a 29-year-old woman walking westbound on Chambers Street was stopped by three men in their 20s, who then surrounded her in front of 96 Chambers. One of the hoods said, “Let me see what you got.” Fearing for her safety, the woman took out her wallet, and a thief in the black hoodie took $110 in cash from the wallet. All three creeps then ﬂed northbound on Church Street. Police searched the area but could not locate the bad guys.

HACK HACKED One thief didn’t give a taxi driver a break while the cabbie was on a bathroom break. At 12:45 p.m. on March 24, a 49-year-old man doubleparked his taxi in front of 102 North End Ave. to use the bathroom. When he came out, his credit cards, driver’s license and iPhone had been taken from inside his cab. He told police that he was unsure if he had left the vehicle locked, but there was no damage to the vehicle or the car’s lock. No value was stated for the stolen property, and the cabbie cancelled the cards.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st precinct Week to Date

Year to Date

2016 2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg

Murder

n/a

Rape

n/a

100.0

Robbery

n/a

57.1

Felony Assault

-50.0

0.0

Burglary

0.0

-25.0

Grand Larceny

-5.3

246 174

41.4

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

100.0

CITI BIKE STRIKES Citi Bikes seemed to be a popular item among thieves recently. At 2:45 p.m. on March 25, a 22-year-old man from Japan was in the process of returning a Citi Bike to the docking station on the northwest corner of Chambers and West Streets when two men pulled his bike out of the dock before he locked it in. At the time of the police report, the bike had still not been recovered. The value of the stolen Citi Bike was $1,200. Then at 10:11 p.m. the same day, a 27-year-old woman left

Jason Kuffer, via Flickr

two Citi Bikes outside the Cowgirl SeaHorse restaurant at 259 Front St. to use the bathroom. When she returned 15 minutes later, both bikes were gone.

The local paper for Downtown

She told police that the bicycles had not been locked up or secured in any way. The two stolen Citi Bikes had a total value of $2,400.

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct

19 ½ Pitt St.

212-477-7311

NYPD 6th Precinct

233 W. 10th St.

212-741-4811

NYPD 10th Precinct

230 W. 20th St.

212-741-8211

NYPD 13th Precinct

230 E. 21st St.

NYPD 1st Precinct

16 Ericsson Place

212-477-7411 212-334-0611

FIRE FDNY Engine 15

25 Pitt St.

311

FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5

227 6th Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11

222 E. 2nd St.

311

FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15

42 South St.

311

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin

165 Park Row #11

212-587-3159

Councilmember Rosie Mendez

237 1st Ave. #504

212-677-1077

Councilmember Corey Johnson

224 W. 30th St.

212-564-7757

State Senator Daniel Squadron

250 Broadway #2011

212-298-5565

Community Board 1

1 Centre St., Room 2202

212-442-5050

Community Board 2

3 Washington Square Village

212-979-2272

Community Board 3

59 E. 4th St.

212-533-5300

Community Board 4

330 W. 42nd St.

212-736-4536

Hudson Park

66 Leroy St.

212-243-6876

Ottendorfer

135 2nd Ave.

212-674-0947

Elmer Holmes Bobst

70 Washington Square

212-998-2500

HOLY APOSTLES’ LONG AND VARIED HISTORY CHELSEA HISTORY A church with a rich past on Ninth Avenue continues its community mission BY RAANAN GEBERER

COMMUNITY BOARDS

LIBRARIES

HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian

170 William St.

Mount Sinai-Beth Israel

10 Union Square East

212-844-8400

212-312-5110

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

TIME WARNER

46 East 23rd

813-964-3839

US Post Office

201 Varick St.

212-645-0327

US Post Office

128 East Broadway

212-267-1543

US Post Office

93 4th Ave.

212-254-1390

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One of the most striking buildings in Chelsea is the Church of the Holy Apostles, As the website of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists puts it, “The prominent octagonal spire of the Church of the Holy Apostles is a welcoming landmark among the industrial buildings and red brick towers in the far western blocks of Chelsea.” Anyone who has seen it will understand why the church was designated a New York City landmark. As the church’s website points out, Holy Apostles, an Episcopal congregation, has “a rich history and commitment to social outreach and justice ... . The Church was rumored to be a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking freedom. It housed the Episcopal Peace fellowship during the Vietnam War, and it was the site of the ordination of Ellen Barrett, the church’s ﬁrst openly lesbian priest.” It hosts a wealth of activities, one of the best known being its soup kitchen. According to its website, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is the largest emergency feeding program in the city. About 50 volunteers daily serve more than 1,000 meals every weekday, as well as provide counseling and referral services. It also has a writer’s workshop, yoga, meditation and computer classes. “After Hurricane Sandy, when the church temporarily had no power, soup kitchen volunteers made sandwiches by candlelight. When the kitchen saw it was running out of ingredients, it put out a call on social media to donate sandwiches, and it received more than 3,000 sandwiches by Friday of that week”, says Hannah Albee, communications manager for the soup kitchen.” The congregation pre-dates the church building. The church’s site says the parish itself was founded in 1844 as an outreach program by Trinity Church to immigrants who worked on the waterfront, but other sources trace it further back to 1836, when a Sunday school was founded. Indeed, The New York Times of Oct. 22, 1926, reported on a celebration of the church’s 90th year. Holy Apostles’ building, at 296 Ninth Ave., was designed by prominent architect Minard Lafever and built between 1846 and 1848. Further additions were made in the 1850s. “Structurally, the building is unusual for the thickness of its outer walls, which bear the weight not only of the slate roof and beam, but also the weight of the vaulting ... Beams supporting the roof and vaulting are hand ﬁnished and pegged to-

The Church of the Holy Apostles, on Ninth Avenue near 28th Street. Photo: Raanan Geberer gether, using no nails, nuts, or bolts,” the website says. The stained-glass windows are particularly noteworthy. The originbal windows were designed by William J. Bolton, the first artist to craft stained-glass windows in the U.S., with help from his brother John. They feature sepia-toned round panes depicting Biblical scenes, surrounded by panels of geometric and floral glass. In the 1850s, when the church was expanded, the firm of Sharp & Steel designed the additional four windows. In its long existence, the church has gone through many trials. In 1922, it suffered $10,000 worth of damage due to a fire during which firefighters had to make a hole in the roof, according to news reports. Like other institutions, it felt the sting of the Great Depression — The Times of Dec. 21, 1930, reported that the church borrowed $9,500 to pay a debt to the bank. Possibly the most devastating event in the church’s history took place took place in April 1990, when fire attacked the building as a renovation of the building was nearing its end. The flames ravaged parts of the roof, the vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows, and there was also extensive water and smoke damage to the organ, walls and furnishings. However, the generosity of parishioners, neighborhood residents and friends helped to overcome the damage. According to The Times, foundations, corporations, religious organizations, New York State’s historic preservation arm and individuals paid more than half of the $7 million restoration cost, with the rest covered by insurance.

The Times described the reopening ceremony, in which a white-haired woman cried, one of the church’s two cats romped down the aisle, and the ﬁre captain who directed the ﬁght against the blaze attended. The paper quoted the Rev. Elizabeth G. Maxwell, associate rector, as saying, “It’s sort of like a miracle.” Of course, the soup kitchen is still going strong. Ian Frazier, who started a writer’s workshop at the kitchen in 1994, described the experience in detail in a 2008 New Yorker article, “Hungry Minds.” He wrote about some of the interesting people he met, such as Sundance, a hobo who told him where to hop freight trains; David, who wrote a poem about his job as a bicycle messenger; Jay, a volunteer who often wrote about the neighborhood’s history; and Carol, who wore a different hat every day and wrote about attending a memorial service for Allen Ginsberg. In addition to getting food, patrons of the soup kitchen can tell counselors about their various needs. The counselors, in turn, can connect them with social service agencies – “many of whom will have representatives here at the kitchen,” says the soup kitchen’s website. For many years, Holy Apostles hosted Friday night Sabbath services for Beit Simchat Torah, a congregation for LGBT Jews (although it welcomes everybody). As this article was being written, Beth Simchat Torah was preparing to move into a new home on West 30th Street. In addition, the church hosts the non-sectarian New York City Community Chorus, which welcomes singers of all levels.

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Chapter 6

EVE AND OTHERS Welcome to our first-ever serialized novel. Check out previous installments at www.otdowntown.com BY ESTHER COHEN

Because she knew she was a painter, Naomi worked as an Office Temp. She painted the word CANTALOUPE on the apartment wall facing the living room furniture: a three pillowed deep purple velvet couch. The wall was bright yellow. She used uncantaloupe green for the word, so that it would be both cantaloupelike, and not. To temp, she bought a Goodwill version of a passable black dress, not exactly tasteful but good enough to work in an office for five days or ten, to look as though what she was doing was just filling in. Office temps often tended to be an interesting lot. They formed their own nation state in places like Rochester Button Company, Celanese,

or NBC: large office spaces where people did who knows what. The temps usually had many future plans. One day, they told one another, they would build wooden boats, they would visit Bhutan, they would write an opera about mosquitoes and mice. At Rochester Button, a frequently recurring employer, pleasant enough to go and come, Naomi met Albert, a gay African American man who, although he was born in D.C., pronounced his name AL BEAR. In the way that life happened then – was it age? Was it the time? Or something else about New York? Al bear and Naomi became instantly inseparable. A fashionista, he hoped to design his own line. “Can you believe it?” Al Bear would begin every encounter. His life was one long and very incredible story. “A while ago,” he said one day. It was a warm day for

Illustration by John S. Winkleman late March. They were eating lunch on Sixth Avenue and 50th Street, sitting on a wall. Sixth Avenue looked a little like an urban Grand Canyon. Buildings hovered above them right up to the sky. Al Bear said he detested (another favorite word) people who carried lunch in ziploc bags. He would just eat apples,

or oranges, or he’d devour a ring of dried figs. “A while ago,” he repeated, for emphasis, “my next door neighbor Alyoshus Zim he just disappeared. No one, and I mean no one at all, not even his mother, a nice Greek lady who bakes those wonderful Greek butter cookies, not even his mother had any idea where he went.

He was there one day, and then he just vanished. Like that,” he said, and snapped his ﬁngers. “Like that,” he said again. “Tell me about him,” Naomi asked. She had a soft spot for people who’d vanished. She’d known a few. Although she herself never could. “How much time do we have?” Al Bear asked. “I think

our short pitiful lunchtime is nearing a close. Shall we indulge in a happy hour glass of five dollar wine tonight? Then I’ll be able to explain in as much detail as the story requires. Alyosha,” he said, “was not a simple neighbor. He could be anywhere now.”

In accordance with Section 1-13 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York, the Department of Parks and Recreation (“Parks”) is issuing, as of the date of this notice, a RFP for the operation and maintenance of a Snack Bar/Cafeteria at Parks’ Olmsted Center and a Food Kiosk located at David Dinkins’ Circle, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be submitted by no later than Friday, May 6, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. to Parks’ Revenue Division. There will be a recommended on-site proposer meeting and site tour Friday, April 15, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. We will meet at the proposed concession site at Olmsted Center which is located at 117-02 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, New York 11368. If you are considering responding to this RFP, please make every effort to attend this meeting and site tour. To obtain directions to the proposed concession site, please call (718) 760-6600. Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost, commencing Monday, April 4, 2016 through Friday, May 6, 2016, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which is located at The Arsenal, 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065. The RFP is also available for download commencing Monday, April 4, 2016 through Friday, May 6, 2016 on Parks’ website. To download the RFP, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities, click on the link for “Concessions Opportunities at Parks” and, after logging in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFP’s description. For more information, contact Revenue Project Manager Glenn Kaalund at (212) 360-1397. You can also email him at Glenn.Kaalund@parks.nyc.gov. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 7-13,2016

CRIME DOWNTOWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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increase and assured attendees that the precinct was addressing the problem. “Grand larceny has always been a problem,” Nelsen said. “In years where we’ve been down in crime for the whole year we’ve been up in grand larcenies. It’s a high tourist area.” During the week of March 7 through March 13, there were 27 grand larcenies -- 17 more than the same week of 2015 -- though the week of March 20 through 27 showed a decrease, with 16 incidents as compared to 23 incidents during the same week of last year. Though Nelson said he does not suspect that there is one group of thieves in particular who are responsible, he noted that they will often work in pairs or small groups -- one person to keep a lookout and one to snag items from a store or swipe a laptop from Starbucks. “We have numerous teams; every time a pattern pops up we shut it down … and then a new one pops up,” he said, mentioning the grand larceny task force and detective bureau that work on such cases. “It beats going to jail for drugs.” Another recent trend has been financial fraud and identity theft, both of which are usually categorized as grand larcenies because of the value of a stolen credit card. He suggested that some of the members of the newest police academy class, which graduated last week, will be added to the grand larceny team. The vast majority of recent grand larceny incidents, however, have been of items left unattended. “You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings and your property,” Nelsen said, expressing surprise that people continue to leave their belongings, even just to go to the bathroom. “Make sure your bags are secured -- zippers, buttons -- and keep your wallet in your front pocket,” he said.

Email us at news@strausnews.com

LEATHER BAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 opinion, guys just come to be themselves,” said co-owner Derek Danton. “It’s that hypersexual masculine stereotype, but really it’s a place where you can just be free to express yourself and not be judged. All are welcome. We don’t tolerate any intolerance.” Men don everything from blue jeans and a T-shirt to leather trousers and not much else, although the former has become more common than the latter. Danton said that the average age of his customers has dropped from a range of 35 – 45 to 28 – 38. “I think a

lot of it has to do with our neighborhood being gentrified. It [the bar] is not a destination anymore…a lot of young guys avoided it but now once they get there, it’s just total freedom.” For some, the bar functions like a social club, and for others, it’s a oncein-a-blue-moon hangout. Some of the more dedicated bunch participate in an annual contest called “Mr. Eagle,” which determines who will represent the bar in the annual “International Mr. Leather” contest in Chicago. Q Ellis-Lee, Mr. Eagle 2016, said the austere look of the place can be misleading. “Because it’s this heavily masculine thing, people don’t realize how accepting the community it is,” he said. “It is so ridiculously nonjudg-

mental. That bar is like a cozy pair of slippers.” The Eagle has two floors, each adorned with a bar, pool table, and decorations ranging from a motorcycle suspended in the air to benches surrounded by chain-metal fences. In the warmer months, the rooftop is also open with a third bar. The current Eagle is, in fact, the second iteration of a bar also named the Eagle originally in businesses at a location near West 21st Street and the West Side Highway from 1970 to the late ‘90s. In 2000, Danton and his husband, Robert Burke, bought the name to the bar and re-opened it at its current location. Given its location on a street with

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access to the High Line and two new luxury apartment buildings directly across the street, it would be easy to assume that the Eagle has seen its last days. But Danton said that he and his husband signed a lease on the building as Chelsea was already being gentriﬁed, so currently have no fears of losing the space. In fact, he said, “We have never in the 15 years we’ve been open had a down year. Our numbers have gone up every single year. You can’t tell me that the culture is dying when our business is thriving. It may be different, but it’s not dying by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just evolving.”

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com DT

WHO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT OTES OF THE UNITED STATES? (Vote for ONE)

Republican

Ted Cruz

John R. Kasich

Donald J. Trump

Democrat

Hillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING IN OUR READER POLL The NY State Primary is April 19. Tell us before Monday, April 11 at noon how you’re leaning.

You can participate in our reader poll one of multiple ways. • Go to otdowntown.com and click on the Our Town Votes banner. OR • Send an email with your vote and a brief statement of who and why to elections.dt@strausnews.com. OR • Call 347-565-4972 and leave a brief message telling us who you’re voting for and why.

APRIL 7-13,2016

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

Poetry HOW TO WRITE A POEM (IF YOU WANT TO) April 21 is National Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day, part of National Poetry Month. To encourage our readers to write poems, our resident poet, Esther Cohen, penned a primer. If it inspires you, send your poems to news@strausnews.com Sit down anywhere. Poems happen standing up but sitting down’s easier. One good word a way to begin. Lesson One

You can start here or over there. First words matter. Start better than begin. Where you go up to you. Try to go where you can ﬁnd your best poem Lesson 2

You want to write. OK. Just sit right there. Don’t move. Then write a word or two right down. Lesson 3

Some days no poems. Just wait.

A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE FAMILY OP-ED BY ARLINE L. BRONZAFT, PH.D.

The following is in response to a recent “Graying New York” column about family dynamics between parents and their grown children We hear many stories today of poor relationships between adult children and their parents and are told, as a result, the grandchildren of these older parents spend little time with their grandparents. By contrast, the television program “Blue Bloods illustrates a family where four generations of family members eat dinner together at least once a week. I regularly watch “Blue Bloods” and have seen that the older and younger members interact in other ways as well. As a psychologist, I also value data and from my observations of family members and friends, I have found that many follow the “Blue Bloods” pattern. Addi-

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tionally, in my book “Top of the Class” (Ablex, 1996), when I queried older high academic achievers, all members of Phi Beta Kappa, about their lives after excelling at college, I learned of their good relationships with their children and their grandchildren. Some quotes: “My relationship with my children and grandchildren is very close” “We took our children and grandchildren to Italy this past summer.” “I have brought up two daughters and helped with advice and love with four grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.” Apparently, the skills necessary to succeed in school can be applied to your personal and social lives as well. These academic achievers also did well professionally. Now to the relationships I have forged with my two daughters, their husbands and their children. Let me start by saying that my children were reared in a

Associate Publishers Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Regional Sales Manager Tania Cade

home with two working parents who were also able to spend a great deal of time with their children. I was fortunate that as a college professor, I did not teach ﬁve days a week and had the same vacations as my children, thus, giving me much time to be with them. My daughters and their families live in New York City and I interact with them regularly, including dinners and theater-going together. I have attended the graduations from public school, high school and college of my two older grandchildren, attended my granddaughter’s high school basketball games, and go to school assembly meetings when my youngest grandchild performs. I have certainly done my share of baby sitting and my daughters have sought my advice re their child rearing practices. The advice comes from me as their mother although I believe having taught Child Psychology may contribute to the value of this advice. From the time my oldest grandchild

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was four years old, my husband and I took vacations with him and his parents. When his brother was born, he was the fourth on these vacations. My younger daughter has two children and her family was added onto our joint vacations. My husband has died but the vacations with children and grandchildren have continued. Last year on a trip back from London, my youngest grandchild, then nine, asked when we planned to return to London. Despite these shared activities, we still do things independently of each other. I no longer teach psychology at Lehman College but my research and writings on the adverse impacts of noise on health keep me busy. I have had a very successful career but still believe my greatest joy has come from a wonderful marriage to a man who joined me in raising two terriﬁc children who are still very much part of my life.

Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Madeleine Thompson Director of Digital Pete Pinto

Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

ORCHIDS FOR EVERYBODY THE MANHATTAN GARDENER BY MIA KRAVITZ

A generation ago, orchid plants were rare and expensive, reserved for the rich or for special occasions. Unlike other perennial flowers, growers couldn’t reproduce orchids fast enough; it would take years for a plant to grow to blooming size. Propagation was a slow process and even pollination a leisurely business -- one reason why orchid flowers last more than a month in a pot or a vase. Plant scientists then learned that cloning could duplicate tropical orchids. Take a part of the plant that might be smaller than your pinky fingernail, grow it in a lab and get a blooming specimen in a single season. Voila. Now we see mass-market orchids for sale everywhere, even at the grocery store. Beginner gardeners usually start with Phalanopsis, aka Moth Orchids. These have long-lasting, rounded flowers on arching stems. I admit I have no luck with Phalanopsis, but the green-thumbed among us (such as my niece) have no problem getting rebloom from

a gift Phalanopsis. The trick seems to be to keep the plant fertilized, when you are watering it once or twice a week, using a quarter-strength solution of houseplant fertilizer. Give the orchid bright light rather than strong window sun, and a moist atmosphere, such as a kitchen or bathroom, and clip off the old ﬂowers as they fade. You can try this, but if the leaves start falling off and the stem withers, don’t fret. Enjoy Moth Orchids as you would a holiday poinsettia, and throw them out at the end of their season. The paradoxical dryness of “steam heat” in Manhattan apartments is a challenge for orchids indoors. I have had more luck with about a dozen different species of orchids that share a common quality: their leaves are heavier in substance and often stiff to the touch. Here are a few hardier types for a bright window. If you can put them outdoors, once the freezing mark is passed, they will truly thrive and give you a

reason not to curse the humidity of our New York summers. Miniature varieties are worth looking for. Cymbidium: waxy flowers and good in pots outdoors. Bloom time: winter. Oncidium: long sprays of tiny ﬂowers, often fragrant. Bloom time: Spring. Reed Epidendrum: pompoms of bright color, try outdoors in a sunny border. Bloom time: Summer. Zygopetalum: tough as nails, often fragrant. Bloom time: Autumn. Two good sources are Foliage Garden (120 West 28th Street) and, believe it or not, Trader Joe’s (Broadway at 72nd Street).

Everything you like about Our Town Downtown is now available to be delivered to your mailbox every week in the Downtowner From the very local news of your neighborhood to information about upcoming events and activities, the new home delivered edition of the Downtowner will keep you in-the-know.

And best of all you won’t have to go outside to grab a copy from the street box every week.

It’s your neighborhood. It’s your news.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ORCHIDS Manhattan Orchid Society: Monthly meetings and a “show table” of member plants in bloom. 7 p.m., April 13, SCL Conference Center, 5 West 39th St., 3rd floor. More info: 212-244-8888 http:// manhattanorchid.org/ index.html New York Botanical Garden: “Orchidelirium” show in the Conservatory, through April 17. 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx. Demonstrations and workshops most weekends. Public Transit: B, D, or 4 trains to Bedford Park Blvd. Station, then walk eight blocks. Admission $20 weekdays, $25 weekends. Discounts for students, seniors. More info: 718-817-8700 http://www.nybg.org/ exhibitions/2016/orchidshow/index.php

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APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST The local paper for the Upper East Side

At Dizzying Heights, Prices of Luxury Apartments May Have Found Ceiling

Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com

It’s a question of supply and demand. On a seven-block stretch of 57th Street and nearby, there are at least 300 apartments in seven buildings priced at a billionaire-friendly $5,000 a square foot either for sale or scheduled to go on the market in the next 24 months. But despite a record $100 million sale of a penthouse last year, the volume of sales at that level topped out two years ago, at 55 transactions. In 2015, there were just 47

March 10, 2016

March 15, 2016

The local paper for the Upper West Side

Thu August 10, 2015

August 5, 2015

LUXURY MEGA-TOWER COMING TO SUTTON PLACE East Side officials already gearing up to fight the project BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

Plans have been drawn up for a luxury 900-foot condo tower in Sutton Place, which, if completed as planned, would rank as one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan. The 268,000-squarefoot tower will become the second-tallest on the Upper East Side, behind the in-progress 432 Park Avenue at 1,400 feet, and one of the tallest in the city. Construction permits

degree views of Midtown, Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan, Central Park and the East River.” The 268,000 square feet of buildable space and air rights, which includes 58,000 square feet of inclusionary housing rights, have already been delivered. It’s unclear if the affordable housing will be offered on- or offsite, or how many units of affordable housing will be included. Representatives for The Bauhouse Group, which owns the site, declined to field questions about the Sutton Place Development, but a representative of the company provided a press release to Our Town that said the

April 7, 2015

April 8, 2015

FI RST IN YOU R NEIGHBO R H OOD

(212) 868-0190

Eastsider Downtowner

‘BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG’ 14th Street Y, 344 East 14th. St. 8 p.m. $20 A new performance piece combining dance, interactive media and ﬁlm from dancer Rebecca Margolick and composer and graphic artist Maxx Berkowitz. 646-395-4310. www. labajournal.com/calendar

The local paper for the Upper East Side

EXCLUSIVE

Clinton Westsider

Tribeca, 9 Murray St. 2 p.m. Free Adults and teens, beginners and masters, come to the New Amsterdam Library to play chess and checkers and see who we crown The King. www.nypl.org

‘ROMEO AND JULIET’▲

COOKING WITH THE MUSE AND THE POETRY OF FOOD Poet’s House, 10 River Terrace 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Free An afternoon of entertaining readings, show-and-tell and enlightening conversation with Stephen Massimilla and Myra Kornfeld—with delectable edibles and beverages. 212-431-7920. www. poetshouse.org

St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway. 7 p.m. Free The Mobile Unit presents free Shakespeare to prisons, homeless shelters, centers for the elderly, and other community venues throughout the ﬁve boroughs. All are welcome, ages 12 and up. General admission. LOWER ORCHESTRA OF EXILES RSVP required. www.trinitywallstreet.org MANHATTAN TOUR Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. 26 Wall St. 7 p.m. $15 9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Pay what Author-ﬁlmmaker Josh you like Aronson and co-author The 3-hour walking and Denise George in conversation subway tour covers the Financial with Jonathan Rose; special District including Wall Street and performance by Israeli violinist the World Trade Center, SoHo, RUSSIAN STORY TIME Little Italy and Chinatown. There Netanel Draiblate. www.mjhnyc.org will be one or two opportunities to sample tasty treats. New York Public Library, www.freetoursbyfoot.com Battery Park City, 175 North End Ave. 10:30 a.m. Free An introduction to Russian for CATALYST STRING children 5 and younger through QUARTET► stories, songs and music. www.nypl.org 66 West 12th St. WHO’S THE KING 2 p.m.-4 p.m. $18; senior, $16; student, $5 The Catalyst Quartet’s debut New York Public Library,

Sun

Sat

Fri

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

album, ‘The Bach/Gould Project,’ features their own arrangement of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” and Glenn Gould’s “String Quartet.” www.catalystquartet.com

Mon

WELLNESS EVENT► 270 Greenwich St. 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Free Start spring armed with important wellness information and nutritional foods. NewYorkPresbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital offers a number of health and wellness programs throughout the year. www.downtownny.com/ events/complimentarywellness-event

VIVRE AVEC (DEALING WITH IT): AN EXHIBITION The Maison Française, 16 Washington Mews 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free A series of photographs by Jean-Robert Dantou documents a decade of ethnographic research in order to understand how people with disabilities across the life course and throughout France are able to manage using different circles of support, ranging from relatives to professionals, nursing homes to associations of all sorts. www.maisonfrancaise.as.nyu. edu

Tue

12 Wed13

PEN PARENTIS Andaz Wall Street Hotel, 75 Wall St. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Free Fiction of Today and Yesterday: Amitava Kumar, Lauren Willig, Jessica Hagedorn. www.penparentis.org

AHM FILM FESTIVAL: ZINDA BHAAG BMCC, 199 Chambers St. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Free Zinda Bhaag is a ﬁlm about three young men trying to escape the reality of their everyday lives and succeeding in ways they had least expected. www.bmcc.cuny.edu/ calendar/events

SOLDIER KANE/ART KANE Fiorentini + Baker, 54 Mercer St. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Free Soldier Kane performance and CD Release with Art Kane photographs and book event (Look/Listen/Love). 212-226-7229. ny@ ﬁorentini-baker.com

WALKING TOUR: SCANDALS AND SCOUNDRELS Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall St. 11 a.m. $15 90-minute walking tour of the Financial District focusing on the history of ﬁnancial scandals. Price includes museum admission. 212-908-4110. www.moaf.org

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

VIGÉE LE BRUN, PAINTER TO THE FRENCH COURT, AT THE MET FIFTH AVENUE Her sitters included Marie Antoinette and kings, queens and nobles throughout Europe

BY VAL CASTRONOVO

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (17551842) is one of the most important female artists you’ve probably never heard of. The daughter of a pastel portraitist in Paris who died when she was 12, she went on to do great things, following in the footsteps of Anthony van Dyck and becoming a court painter — the ﬁrst woman to be appointed painter to the king of France. Louis XVI, in the hopes of rehabilitating his wife’s image, famously commissioned the artist to paint a portrait of Marie Antoinette with their children, a monumental work that is the centerpiece of “Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France,” a glittering retrospective of some 80 portraits at The Met Fifth Avenue. In the very red “Marie Antoinette and Her Children” (1787), we are meant to see the queen’s kinder, gentler side, though critics deemed the portrayal more regal than maternal. Vigée Le Brun found inspiration in Renaissance Madonna and Child paintings and created a triangular composition, with the royal sitter ﬂanked by three of her offspring, one of whom lifts the drapes on an empty cradle — presumably an allusion to a baby girl who died during the painting’s execution. Like van Dyck, whose collars and costumes she emulated, the painter showed her talent at a young age and was entrusted with commissions from royals and aristocrats early on in her career. Her profligate husband, art dealer Jean Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, vigorously promoted her work (they

would eventually divorce), and she became rich and famous in her lifetime. Her allegiance to the royals necessitated a hasty emigration from Paris in October 1789, when revolutionaries were rushing the gates of Versailles. She began a 12-year exile, ﬁrst in Italy, then in Vienna, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Berlin. In each locale, her ambition showed as she showed her work and lined up patrons. The exhibit here is organized chronologically, beginning with the pre-Revolutionary period in France. When an informal portrait of Marie Antoinette in a breezy chemise and straw hat caused a stir at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture’s 1783 salon, she was asked to remove the picture. She started over and produced a larger, formal portrait, substituting a lacy satin dress for the milkmaid costume. The two works are displayed side by side, a testament to the artist’s versatility and “can-do” attitude — same pose, same prop (a pink cabbage rose), different outﬁt. She mostly painted women (elites, family, friends, friends’ mistresses) and, in the 1780s especially, favored depictions of subjects in casual attire, despite her role as court painter. The court set, in fact, chafed at structured formal wear, eschewing corsets and panniers in informal settings for the more relaxed look and feel of the “chemise à la reine,” a loose muslin dress cinched at the waist with a sash. The shepherdess look is perfectly captured in “The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat” (1782) and “The Comtesse Du Barry in a Straw Hat” (ca. 1781), the latter a mistress of Louis XV who was guillotined. The artist’s portraits were renowned for their high prices and use of color and praised for their sensitivity and expressiveness. History painter Jacques-Louis David is said to have

studied her portrait works and was in awe of her skill. Some of the most striking paintings here are those of children — the queen’s son and daughter (“Madame Royale and the Dauphin Seated in a Garden,” 1784) and the artist’s own daughter, Julie, shown in profile holding a mirror with her reflected image (“Julie Le Brun Looking in a Mirror,” 1787). But her self-portraits are equally appealing, evidence of her reputed grace, charm and beauty. The show’s signature image, a self-portrait from 1790, was produced after she visited the Uffizi’s famed Vasari Corridor, a repository of self-portraits founded in the 17th century. Asked to join the club, Vigée Le Brun offered a painting, “with a palette in hand, in front of a canvas in which I am drawing the queen in white chalk,” she wrote in her memoirs. She is dressed in a black gown, with crimson sash and frothy white collar and turban, looking every bit the part of painter to the French court. Equally beguiling is “Self-Portrait with Cerise Ribbons” (ca. 1782), painted when Vigée Le Brun was only 27 and at the height of her powers. Another tour de force in black, white and red, it shows the influence of “the age of Rubens” with its ribbons — and van Dyck, specifically, with its plumed hat, per the catalog, which states: “Although awareness of her own beauty suffuses all the self-portraits of these years, the artist’s seduction of the beholder is most intense here. The hint of a smile and the slightly open mouth and beautiful teeth convey direct address, as she uses her femininity to promote her art.” Come hither and note the contemporaneous van Dyck show, “The Anatomy of Portraiture,” at the Frick, through June 5.

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris). “The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat.” 1782, oil on canvas, 36 3/8 x 28 7/8 in. (92.2 x 73.3 cm). Muse´e National des Cha^teaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 8971).

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France” WHERE: The Met Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street WHEN: Through May 15 www.metmuseum.org

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

SLOWING DOWN AT THE MUSEUM TO DO An invitation to contemplate art works for minutes at a time BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Slow Art Day, taking place worldwide April 9, invites museum visitors across the globe to engage with works for more than just a few moments. More precisely, it asks museumgoers to spend 10 minutes each with ﬁve works. The Rubin Museum of Art, the Himalayan art and culture showcase in Chelsea, will participate in the event, and Dominique Townsend, its assistant director of interpretation and engagement, discusses the beneﬁts of viewing art at a slower pace. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

THE CONCEPT We’re conditioned through

so many factors in our lives to move quickly and take things in, especially in a city like New York where we’re so critical and we’re constantly either discriminating between useful and worthless and good and bad. I think in looking at art, too, we tend to apply all those same rules. We’re always in a rush and we have to very quickly decide the merits of something that we’re looking at and then quickly move on. It’s just this very beautiful concept that if we create the circumstances that in a kind of playful way invites people to really challenge themselves to sit with one piece of art.

THE EXPERIENCE You see what happens when you reflect on something for much longer than would usually be comfortable. Ten min-

utes is a very long time for most people to really engage with a single static piece of art. To me it has a really lovely dovetail with different kinds of meditation and mindfulness practices that are really about developing tolerance for the characteristics of your own mind. Seeing what happens, what kind of stuff comes up. Can you sit with your own boredom? Can you sit with your own impatience? I think a lot of times we don’t have any tolerance for that stuff because we don’t challenge ourselves in this kind of way … . I think what most people will find is their mind will drift probably far off the object at some times. Other times, maybe things will start to move in a painting. Even sometimes you have a little hallucination or something where you realize your perception starts to make things happen if you really sit with something long enough. Those are all things that happen in meditation as well.

THE WORKS

Stories of Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka); Tibet, ca. 17th century. Pigments on cloth. Credit: Rubin Museum of Art

Stories of Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka)] is a painting that depicts the stories of the historical Buddha and his previous lives. This is an important part of thinking about karma and how the Buddha got to be the Buddha, so there are all these tales of the wonderful kinds of generous and compassionate things he did for many previous lives. That’s a very popular subject in art, and I think one nice thing about that is that it’s narrative. There’s a lot of wonderful visual detail that’s telling you the story and only if you really offer yourself the time and space to sit there will all of that start to speak to you. In the general tour you might spend ﬁve or 10 minutes in an engaged conversation about a piece, but that’s already kind of a lot. In that case you could point out a couple of the stories of previous lives, but I think giving people the space to just silently sit and really deeply look at that painting will let them do some of that themselves. Let the painting start to tell you its story.

IF YOU GO WHAT: Slow Art Day Gallery Tour, Saturday, April 9 WHERE: Rubin Museum of

Art, 150 West 17th St., near Seventh Avenue Museum hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: $15 Guided slow art day tour

from noon-1 p.m.; free with admission For more information, visit rubinmuseum.org or call 212620-5000

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s

FRIDAY, APRIL 1ST, 9:30AM Jefferson Market Library | 425 Ave. of the Americas | 212-243-4334 | nypl.org Legendary singer-songwriter Richard Barone celebrates New York’s folk scene with journalists and musicians, who’ll look at a legacy that runs from Bob Dylan to Paul Simon to Phil Ochs, impacting American culture and politics. (Free)

Ghosts of the Titanic Walking Tour

SATURDAY, APRIL 9TH, 3PM Boroughs of the Dead | Astor Place | 212-587-5389 | boroughsofthedead.com The maiden voyage of the Titanic was haunted by premonitions and eerie coincidences. Hear all the ghostly tales on a tour that ends at the Titanic’s unreached destination on the Chelsea piers. ($20/$25)

Just Announced | Discovering Design: Isaac Mizrahi

FRIDAY, MAY 6TH, 7PM The Strand | 828 Broadway | 212-473-1452 | strandbooks.com Few designers have had as diverse a career as Isaac Mizrahi, seen everywhere from Fashion Week runways to Broadway stages and the aisles of Target. Hear from Mizrahi himself on the occasion of the Jewish Museum’s new lavish exhibit of his work. ($20 gift card or book purchase required)

For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,

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APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 17- APR 2, 2016

Alta

64 West 10 Street

Grade Pending (30) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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. 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.

Subway

244246 West 14 Street

Margaux

5 W. 8Th Street

Wood And Ales

234 W 14Th St

Basta Pasta Restaurant

37 West 17 Street

Grade Pending (21) 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.

The Park

118122 10 Avenue

Aldea Restaurant

31 West 17 Street

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 http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page The Mezz (Google)

75 9Th Ave

Tbsp

17 West 20 Street

Asuka Sushi

300 West 23 Street

Grade Pending (22) 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. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Chinese Fast Wok

230 7 Avenue

Grade Pending (33) 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. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. 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.

One Star

147 W 24Th St

Drunken Horse

225 10 Avenue

Jake’s Saloon

206 West 23 Street

Fika

555 6Th Ave

Chelsea Thai

88 10 Avenue

El Temerario

198 8Th Ave

Chelsea Bagel & Cafe

139 West 14 Street

460 West 16 Street

Intermezzo

202 8 Avenue

Grade Pending (27) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Bowery Eats (Bowery Kitchen Appliance) Intelligentsia Coffee

180 10 Avenue

Spain Restaurant & Bar

113 West 13 Street

Grade Pending (26) 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. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Wrapido

104 8 Avenue

La Sirena

88 9Th Ave

Il Cantinori Restauraunt

32 East 10 Street

San Loco

124 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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.

Mikado Bistro

525 6 Avenue

Birch Coffee

56 7 Avenue

Five Guys Famous Burgers And Fries

56 W 14Th St

Pier 60

And West Side Highway

Big Booty Bread

261 West 23 Street

Telegraphe Cafe

107 West 18 Street

Guckenheimer @ Twitter

245 W 17Th St

Red Room

85 E 4Th St

Guckenheimer @ Twitter Nyc Coffee Bar

245 W 17Th St

Bluestone Lane

770 Broadway

Murray’s Bagels

242 8 Avenue

Red House

203 E 14Th St

Cho Cho San Japanese Restaurant

15 West 8 Street

Grade Pending (19) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Gotham Pizza

144 9 Avenue

Grade Pending (22) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. 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/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Bar Suzette Creperie

425 West 15 Street

Cupcake Market

74 E 7Th St

Not Yet Graded

Juice Press

122 Greenwich Avenue

Village Yokocho

6 Stuyvesant Street

Frank

88 2 Avenue

Aroma

36 East 4 Street

Grade Pending (20) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 17- APR 2, 2016 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 http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page

Gloo

78 Carmine St

Juicepress

375 Hudson St

Not Yet Graded (24) 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. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.

Hi Fi

169 Avenue A

Cien Fuegos

95 Avenue A

Scarpetta

355 West 14 Street

Pbd

627 E 6Th St

L’artusi

228 West 10 Street

Brindle Room

277 East 10 Street

Grade Pending (49) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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. HACCP plan not approved or approved HACCP plan not maintained on premises.

La Bonbonniere

28 8 Avenue

Po Restaurant

31 Cornelia Street

Phil’s Pizza West Village

226 Varick Street

The Quarter

522 Hudson Street

Hudson Cafe

628 Hudson St

Grade Pending (18) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Caracas Arepa /To Go

91 East 7 Street

Tree

190 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (17) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins

100 1 Avenue

Caravan Of Dreams

405 East 6 Street

Jeffrey’s Grocery Restaurant & Oyster Bar

172 Waverly Place

Horus Cafe

293 East 10 Street

Farina

15 8Th Ave

Wafels & Dinges

15 Avenue B

Deb’s

200 Varick Street

Lucien Restauraunt

14 1 Avenue

Starbucks

518 Hudson Street

Yoli Restaurant

274 East 3 Street

Bluestone Lane Coffee

30 Carmine St

Ninth Street Espresso

700 East 9 Street

Rivoli Pizza Restaurant

176 7 Avenue South

Ost Cafe

441 East 12 Street

Starbucks

72 Grove Street

M & J Asian Restaurant

600 E 14Th St

Buvette

42 Grove Street

Y Cafe

182 Avenue B

Bosie Tea Parlor

10 Morton Street

Black Seed Bagels

176 1St Ave

Bubby’s Highline

71 Gansevoort St

Fdr 99¢ Slice Pizza

150 East 2Nd Street

Parm

248 Mulberry Street

Luke’s Lobster

93 East 7 Street

Aroma Espresso Bar

145 Greene Street

F & F 99 Cents Pizza

153 Avenue C

The Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf 189 Bleecker Street

Eastern Bloc

505 East 6 Street

Dumpling Kingdom

227 Sullivan St

Black Market

110 Avenue A

Grade Pending (20) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations.

Dojo Restaurant

10 West 4 Street

Mother’s Ruin

18 Spring Street

Grade Pending (25) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Fukurou

87 Macdougal Street

Laduree Soho

398 W Broadway

Peasant

194 Elizabeth Street

Estela

47 E Houston Street

Gato

324 Lafayette St

By Chloe

185 Bleecker St

Grade Pending (22) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.

Mamani Pizza

151 Avenue A

Mom’s Pizza

15 Avenue D

Grade Pending (26) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Grape And Grain

620 East 6 Street

Alphabet Lounge

104 Avenue C

King Wok

222 Varick St

Mighty Quinn’s Bbq

75 Greenwich Ave

Otto’s Tacos

131 7Th Ave S

Aux Merveilleux De Fred

37 8Th Ave

Feast On Us

645 Hudson St

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

In Brief “SUNDAY BAN” GOES INTO EFFECT FOR TOURIST HELICOPTERS Legislation that bans tourist helicopters from operating on Sundays took effect this past Sunday, as a result of an agreement reached between the City Council and the helicopter industry towards the end of January. According to a statement from Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, the ban is the ﬁrst in a series of helicopter restrictions that will bring relief to New Yorkers living on the west side of Manhattan who have long been complaining about them. “Upper West Siders who spend time in Riverside Park or live near it are fed up with incessant tourist helicopter noise every day of the week,” Rosenthal said in the statement, crediting fellow councilmembers Carlos Menchaca, Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer with the joint effort. “This Sunday, for the ﬁrst time in years, they’ll experience relief, as they will every Sunday after that.”

Business

STATE APPROVES JUMP IN MINIMUM WAGE NEWS Deal is part of a state budget that includes $1 billion in tax cuts

STATE BUDGET PASSES LEGISLATURE The New York State Legislature passed a $155 billion budget for the 2016-2017 ﬁscal year. The budget included plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 over a period of several years depending on the region. “The increase in the minimum wage is absolutely essential to addressing income inequality,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an appearance on NY1 last week. “Our plan is to get 800,000 people out of poverty over the next decade and this is one of the things we needed the State to do so we could achieve that.” The controversial raise was also praised by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as historic and progressive. Other key features of the budget are a new system of paid family leave, tuition freezes for both SUNY and CUNY, and $27 billion for transportation investments, including $500 million for the second phase of the Second Avenue subway construction. The New York Times reported that state legislators were frustrated with the all-nighters required by the last-minute budget scramble that ultimately resulted in a deadline missed by several hours. “It’s frustrating to get a bill that’s over 600 pages long to have, I guess, perhaps from 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. to try to evaluate it and what’s in it,” Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, told the Times.

LANDMARKED CLOCK TOWER SAVED AT THE LAST MINUTE Developers who hoped to convert a landmarked clock tower at 346 Broadway were thwarted last Thursday by a judge who ruled that they would be required to maintain the 19th-century mechanics of the clock, instead of electrifying them, and continue allowing public access to it. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had issued a Certiﬁcate of Appropriateness, according to the Tribeca Trib., approving the Peebles Corporation’s and El Ad Group’s plans to convert the building into luxury apartments -- and the clock tower into a penthouse -- and deny the public access to the tower, despite strong opposition from preservationists. Marvin Schneider, who has served as the clock’s caretaker for over 35 years, told the Trib he was “on Cloud Nine” over the decision. Schneider was one of several plaintiffs in the suit against the LPC, and hasn’t been allowed to clean or wind the clock since March of last year. According to the New York Times, the city’s Law Department is reviewing the decision.

BY DAVID KLEPPER AND MICHAEL VIRTANEN

More than 2 million workers in New York stand to get raises thanks to an increase in the minimum wage, to $15 an hour, signed this week. The deal, which includes a complicated series of regional increases, is part of a broader state budget proposal that also contains $1 billion in tax cuts and a paid family leave proposal. Gov. Andrew Cuomo touted the minimum wage increase at a rally in Manhattan that was attended by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who faces a close New York primary later this month. New York’s move came on the day lawmakers in California voted to raise their state’s wage to $15 by 2022. Cuomo had hoped New York would be the ﬁrst state to enact a statewide $15 wage, but the increase approved by Albany would be more gradual and far more complicated. In New York City, the wage would increase from $9 to $15 by the end of 2018, though businesses with fewer than 10 employees would get an extra year. On Long Island and in Westchester County, the wage would rise to $15 by the end of 2022. The increases are even more drawn out upstate, where the wage would hit $12.50 in 2021 and then increase to $15 based on an undetermined schedule. The budget deal also includes $1 billion in middle-class tax relief, $25 billion in transpor-

tation spending with an emphasis on roads and bridges, a $1.5 billion increase in school spending and a paid family leave proposal that would allow workers to take up to 12 weeks off to care for new children or sick loved ones. The massive spending blueprint, with a total of $150 billion in spending, was hashed out behind closed doors by Cuomo and legislative leaders. The secretive nature of the negotiations over the most important piece of public policy of the year irritated many rank-and-ﬁle lawmakers, who demanded more time.

Debate on the budget began even before many of the budget bills were printed and before lawmakers or the public could review the details. Sen. Michael Gianaris, DQueens, was ruled out of order when he pressed Senate Finance Chairwoman Catharine Young, R-Olean, for answers. “I have a lot of faith,” she told him when he asked how she even knew which details were in the budget. The answer didn’t please Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan. “There are all kinds of places for faith in our lives,” she said. “But actually when you’re vot-

ing on the budget for the state of New York ... you actually want to see the budget bills.” Smaller details from the budget deal did trickle out, including a piece that would authorize Medicaid coverage for “high needs” state prison and local jail inmates starting 30 days before their releases. Assembly sponsors pushed the plan, saying it would ensure the inmates can get prescription medications and services to keep them from relapsing and returning. The legislation authorizes seeking federal approval for the Medicaid change.

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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The courts in Central Park. Photo by Jesse Davis via ﬂickr

A SPRING TENNIS PRIMER SPORTS

Equipment

Where to get permits, courts, and equipment BY GALE MOORMAN

Winter is gone and now we can start to hear birds chirping, kids playing and tennis balls bouncing over nets and courts everywhere. This is the lowdown on how to get started playing a sport that professionally never ends.

Permits There are a few places to get that long-awaited city tennis court permit. First, you can go to: The Arsenal at 64th Street on 5th Ave. (212) 310-6000. It is next to the Central Park Zoo and downstairs; a major ‘go to’ place to buy your permits and has a counter-filled with important handouts about tennis and other park activities. Seasonal tennis permits (April-Nov.) for adults (18-61 years old) is $200 (cash, check, money order, debit/credit cards). Juniors $10 (17 & under) and seniors (62 +) pay only $20 with proof of age. An adult with an NYCID only pays $180. It’s a great place to also meet other tennis people and possible partners. The next best location is at Paragon Sporting Goods at 18th Street on Broadway (1800-961-3030).This is a nice place to buy a permit for the same price as the Arsenal and to browse around the tennis area surveying racket bags, grip accessories, apparel and footwear. Paragon’s permit area is in the back of the store on the first floor. They take only cash and credit/debit cards (no checks and money orders) and they also take your photo in the same area to process your new tennis permit card.

If you’re short on funds and really need a tennis racket or other tennis accessories, visit other sporting shops such as Modell’s (preferably at 18th Street on 6th Ave. or even 97th Street on Columbus Avenue; 42nd Street & Vanderbilt Ave. near Lexington is a great one, too). It’s absolutely necessary to get a pair of tennis shoes, too, because without the proper soled shoes, you’ll be forbidden to play on any surfaced courts. The Sports Authority shop (51st Street/3rd Ave.-212355-9725) is another place to browse for tennis gear and accessories. They may be more reasonable and suitable to buy from if you are a weekend player or one who hasn’t played in years and are just starting up the sport again

Lessons You may have decided to get into tennis finally after seeing it on television or just wandering around city courts but don’t really know how to play so the best place to check would be recreational centers like Asphalt Green (at 91st on York Ave.) or the YMCA’s, such as 23rd St - McBurney or the 63rd St. Y off of Central Park. The racquet clubs and tennis centers will also give lessons but shop around for the most reasonable price per hour. Some colleges and universities may have a series of classes, tailored for your playing status.

Where to Play Now, if you can get the ball over the net fairly well but still need a reliable partner, try posting you name and number at a city parks tennis

center (like Central Park) bulletin board with your status of beginner or intermediate in mind. Major city courts are Central Park Tennis Center at 96th Street within Central Park, Riverside Park at 119th Street downstairs and Riverside Park Clay courts at 96th Street and Riverside Drive downstairs. (The list of other courts and locations are on the handouts you can pick up at The Arsenal). If getting a permit has to be put on the back burner until your money status has improved, then an alternate playing situation is Seward Park HS Tennis Courts on Grand Street on the Lower East Side. It’s convenient by public transportation with the “F” train to East Broadway or the “14A” bus let’s you off at the corner of Clinton & Grand. The courts are hard, free and ﬁrst-come-ﬁrst-play. You will have to contend with four other sports happening at the same time as people playing on three tennis courts, a few basketball hoops, a running track and a few sets of handball walls are the scenario, but staying focused will at least allow you to play for free. It’s important to get there as early as possible to be certain you will get an available court with fewer people around. Another alternative is schoolyards that are available when kids aren’t playing baseball or soccer. Handball walls may also be the ideal spark to get your timing and strokes together before you take on a schoolyard or proper tennis court. Just warming up your shots may be all you need really for the time being. The season is here, so enjoy - wherever and whenever.

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

COMMUNITY LOOKS TO BURST OVAL BUBBLE Residents, CB8 want to increase access to Upper East Side playground BY BRYTNIE JONES

A painting by artist Gerard Carry at the Ryan’s Daughter show. Photo credit: The Gallery of Graphic Arts.

A BEER AND A WATERCOLOR A neighborhood art show hits Ryan’s Daughter pub

BY MICKEY KRAMER

The bright, mostly red, three-paneled painting of a guitar leaned against the bottom front window of the Ryan’s Daughter bar as a clue to passers-by and regulars: an art show was taking place in the bar’s upstairs room. The show, organized by John Healy, featured mostly local artists. Healy, a marketing consultant for the event’s main sponsor, Big Apple Mini Storage, has been producing art shows in bars like Ryan’s Daughter, Phil Hughes and DTUT for about three years. “I love art and know that some can’t afford the ‘fancy’ gallery, so I like to ﬁnd space available for those who may not have other options.” Just minutes after the noon Saturday start time, Gerard Carry hit pay dirt, selling a painting of longtime Upper East Side institution, Di Lorenzo’s Repair Shop, for $300. (Interesting side note: When Boneventura Di Lorenzo retired last November, his party was held at Ryan’s Daughter, which is at 85th Street and First Avenue.) Carry, who hails from Ireland but is a longtime resident of the neighborhood and in fact lives two doors down from the bar, specializes in realistic paintings of his neighborhood and land and seascapes of his homeland. “Painting what you know and have an emotional

Paintings by Elise Margolis, courtesy the artist attachment to, for me, gives the paintings more truth and honesty,” he says. Elise Margolis, who had ten of her paintings appear on the fictional set of the TV show “Friends,” displayed two different kinds of work - a fun folk art series titled “word paintings.” along with a collage made from cut and assembled paint-on-paper. Childhood friend Claudia Hanna called the collage series “very reﬁned and moving.” This was the first appearance for Margolis at one of these shows, so she was unsure how the day would go, but “ended up having a really great time. Many of my friends came out to hang out and to support my art. I met a fantastic group of talented artists and sold a few pieces.” As Healy worked the room, he explained, “I enjoy bringing all the talent together. They are so diverse from young to old and are happy to have their work displayed,

and if they make sales… even better.” Along with Carry and Margolis, others who sold their work included Nancy Purnell, Carla Mele, and Walter De Forest, a Ryan’s Daughter bartender. While local art was the main draw, complimentary housemade shepherd’s pie, lasagna, and salad helped satiate artists and patrons alike and a raffle livened up the festivities while raising about $300 to beneﬁt Pieta House, a center to help prevent suicide and self-harm. The next Healy-produced art show is slated for July 18 at DTUT (1744 Second Ave). Of the artists, Healy says, “I like how they all support and encourage each other, and sometimes buy from each other. They like my concept because it’s local and simple.” He concludes by calling Saturday “a great success and joyful day.”

Among the ideal outdoor spots to play softball on the Upper East Side is right under the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. For nearly nine months out of each year, though, the ﬁeld, called the Queensboro Oval, is covered by a large inflatable white bubble — the indoor home to one of the city’s choice tennis facilities. From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., players can hit on eight clay courts operated run the Sutton East Tennis Club under a concession license issued by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. But for years, neighborhood residents have said they want more than a few weeks each year to use the ballﬁeld, which is overseen by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department. “Our community-at-large has the least amount of public space in NYC,” said Peggy Price, co-chair of Community Board 8’s Parks and Recreation Committee. “People are paying taxes for parkland that they can’t access most of the year. We are trying to make parkland already available to us for public use.” CB8 and city officials are in discussions about what will happen once the Parks Department’s current agreement with Sutton East expires in August 2017 and Jim Clynes, the community board’s chairman, said the best outcome would be to allow the Oval to become “a full-time public park.” In a statement, the Parks’ Department’s borough commissioner, William Castro, said the department is evaluating options for “future use” of the site. “In accordance with the rules of the City’s Franchise and Concession Review Committee, NYC Parks will review plans for any potential Requests for Proposals with the community board and invite its feedback,” the statement says. But the financial math tells its own story, as does the Parks Departments past action with regard to the park. York Avenue Tennis, the LLC behind Sutton East, paid the

city $1.785 million in 2008 the ﬁrst year of the current license agreement with the Parks Department, which calls for the company to pay either a set annual fee, which has increased 5 percent each year since 2008, or 35 percent of the club’s gross receipts, whichever is highest. According to the Parks Department, the company has paid the annual fee each year. If the pattern holds, Sutton will pay Parks $2,637,258 in 2017, the last year of the current agreement. A once-a-week softball permit from the Parks Department, on the other hand, costs a few hundred dollars a season. According to a Department “usage report,” posted online, a single softball game is scheduled for nearly each day the tennis bubble will be down this summer, from June 15 to Aug. 29. Times the field are not in use by permitted holders would presumably be available for to whoever wants to organize pick-up games. Although Sutton is, technically and as Castro says, a public concession, playing tennis there doesn’t come cheap, with one-hour court fees ranging from $80 to $225, according to a representative at Sutton East. By contrast a seasonal, nearly 8-month permit to play on cityowned and -maintained courts costs $200 for players 18 to 61. For older and younger players, seasonal permits cost $10 and $20, respectively. Single-play permits on those courts cost $15. Although Castro noted in his statement that the City Parks Foundation “provides free and reduced tennis programing” at Sutton, a club representative said “there are no reduced fees. There’s no discounts at all.” The foundation did not respond to an email inquiry. In 2010, a Parks Department plan to allow Sutton East to operate year around was shelved after community opposition. Two years later, though, Parks extended Sutton East’s time at the Oval by six weeks. Last year, CB8 proposed that the lease agreements be reduced to a portion of the year, with a board resolution suggesting that Sutton East, which according to the club, has op-

erated at the Oval for nearly 40 years, operate at the site six months out of the year. “A perfect solution will be for the park to be open to the public year round, but to compromise, perhaps during the cold months let the tennis club operate the park, and warmer months let the community have it,” said Clynes, the community board’s chairman. “Six months to the community, six months tennis. That’s a winwin situation for both.” In July, the board unanimously adopted another resolution, this time urging Parks to not renew its contract with Sutton East, and to instead return the park to full public use. And a few weeks ago, the board, again unanimously, approved a resolution outlining CB8’s strong desire for the Oval to return to the community full time as a multi-recreational area with added features for track, soccer, softball and tennis as well as an ice skating rink during the winter months, to maximize year round usage. That would be welcome news to Al Morales, the director the Yorkville Sports Association, who has been party to softball leasing contract with the Parks Department for about 25 years. He recalls the years when the tennis club would occupy the Oval for about six months each year, allowing softball leagues to play from the middle of April until late September, sometimes October. He said the leagues have now just two months to play. “We used to split the time half and half. We have an opportunity to play but not much of an opportunity. We deﬁnitely want our time back,” said Morales, adding that the Oval is one of the few remaining spaces for softball and baseball teams to play on the Upper East Side, and in some cases, the only place. The Parks Department, he said, is falling short of its mission. “They’re shutting out a large community and lots of sports teams,” he said. CB8’s Parks and Recreation Committee meets April 7, with the Oval again on the agenda.

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

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UNITED IN THEIR ITALIAN HERITAGE

see the administration of the entire organization, whether it’s the board or the staff. Like right now, we’re in the middle of planning our major fundraiser and are executing that. But I’m involved in all of our regions. We have four: Rhode Island, Connecticut, greater Washington, D.C., and New York. In New York, we have subsets of the regions because we have Long Island and Staten Island. We’re about to launch Westchester, probably in the fall. We have these cultural and educational programs in addition to the youth programs, one of them I just talked about, the cultural exchange. And another one is the scholarships.

Chair of the National Board of the National Organization of Italian American Women on spreading Italian culture in the city

How would describe the Italian-American community in Manhattan?

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Having lived all over the country, Maria Tamburri appreciated the rich Italian-American community she found when moving to New York in 2006. She relocated here with her husband following his appointment as dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute at Queens College. That same year, she became involved with NOIAW, a national network devoted to celebrating Italian culture and heritage by hosting educational events, providing scholarships, mentoring young people and organizing cultural exchange programs. Her involvement with NOIAW began almost immediately upon her arrival to the city and grew into her taking on different leadership roles within the organization. She was on the board, served as executive director, then president and, in June, became chair of the national board. Her job includes overseeing the other three regions, Rhode Island, Connecticut and greater Washington, D.C., that make up the organization. On April 16, NOIAW will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a luncheon at The St. Regis honoring CNN news anchor Alisyn Camerota and Jeanne Mariani Sullivan, founding principal of venture capital ﬁrm StarVest Partners.

Explain NOIAW’s cultural exchange program. In 2007, we launched this cultural exchange program with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So we’re actually going into our 10th year. This year, we’re selecting a group of ItalianAmerican college women to go over to Italy and be hosted in Rome by the Italian government. They usually stay in

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a residence or a hotel. The idea is that they get to meet professional Italian women. It’s a cultural and educational experience. And this past June, we just had a group of Italian college women that came here for the same thing. We housed them in the dorms at Fordham Lincoln Center. Again, the same idea, they get to meet accomplished Italian-

American professional women. They do some kinds of New York things as well, like see a show and go down to Ellis Island.

What does your job as chair entail? I oversee the office operation. I have someone here who is very good and in charge of the office, Beth, but I over-

In Manhattan, it’s very rich in a sense that there are many organizations here. And we also welcome men; you don’t have to be a woman to be a member or friend of our organization. I’ve lived all over the country and I think you find New York and Manhattan very rich with a lot of Italian-Ameri-

can organizations and activities going on. There’s a group called the Italian Heritage and Culture Month. They represent about 30 different organizations and groups. They put together all the programming that goes on in October for Italian Heritage and Culture Month. We support each other and sometimes do things together with them.

Who have been your Italian-American women mentors in your life and some interesting women you’ve met through your job? I’ve met some very fascinating women. The late Geraldine Ferraro is one of our founding members. Because I came here in 2006, I got to know her. And Matilda Cuomo. Dr. Aileen Sirey is our founder and chair emeritus. I worked with her and she’s still very active on our board. She founded the organization and got support from Geraldine Ferraro, Matilda Cuomo, Donna de Matteo, Constance Mandina. For more information, visit www.noiaw.org

Maria Tamburri, who joined the National Organization of Italian American Women in 2006, was appointed the organization’s chairwoman in June.

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