Our Town Downtown - April 26, 2018 by OurTown Downtown

The local paper for Downtown wn 2018

WEEK OF APRIL - MAY

DOTTY 26-2 AWA R D S

Downtown’s Our Town Thanks You

2018

P.9

A FIRST LOOK AT PIER 17 DEVELOPMENT The waterfront space, featuring restaurants, ESPN studios and rooftop performance venue, will soon open its doors to the public BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

NYCT President Andy Byford addressed Upper West Side transit riders at an April 19 forum hosted by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal. Photo: Michael Garofalo

‘I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE NOT HAPPY’ TRANSPORTATION NYCT President Andy Byford addresses M104 cuts and station closures at UWS forum BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Andy Byford harbors no illusions about the magnitude of his task as president of New York City Transit. “Without question, I think the biggest, hardest, toughest job in transit right now is New York,” Byford told a congregation of Upper West Side transit riders at an April 19 forum at Rutgers Presbyterian Church. “I come into this job with my eyes open,” he said to the often lively crowd that ﬁlled the pews to capacity. “I know that you guys are not happy.”

Byford, an Englishman who joined NYCT in January after a seven-year stint heading the Toronto Transit Commission, promised a bold plan to modernize the New York’s subway and bus service in an hour of crisis. “I didn’t come here to tinker at the edges,” Byford said. “I came here to give you the transit system that New Yorkers deserve.” Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, who organized the forum, pressed Byford on recently announced reductions in M104 bus service, a popular Broadway route which she said “round after round of cuts have rendered a shell of its former self.” Byford acknowledged that the M104 “is a critical route for this community,” but said that recent cuts

Food, drink, outdoor space and breathtaking views will be the key offerings at the new multipurpose commercial space set to open next month at Pier 17 — the latest addition to the Lower Manhattan waterfront and a major component in Howard Hughes Corp.’s overhaul of the South Street Seaport district. The developer hasn’t announced an official opening date, but public outdoor spaces on the roof and the building’s periphery are expected to open by late May, with a full opening to follow sometime this summer. Howard Hughes Corp. hosted a public tour of the space April 19 as contractors completed ﬁnal touches on the new fourstory building, which juts into the East River at Fulton Street. Retractable glass doors on the sides of the building, which will be kept open as weather permits, reveal an airy two-story space on the ground floor. Within are several modular commercial spaces, clad in corrugated metal and reminiscent of shipping containers, that will hold restaurant tenants, including concepts from chefs Andrew Carmellini and David Chang. The ﬁrst restaurant, a casual seafood-centric offshoot of chef JohnGeorges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen, is scheduled to open in August. The open areas between the restaurants will feature seating intended to evoke a hotel lobby ambience rather than the feel of a shopping mall, How-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

The new Pier 17, set to open this spring, is a centerpiece of developer Howard Hughes Corp.’s effort to revitalize the Seaport District as a commercial destination. Photo: Michael Garofalo Downtowner

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Crime Watch NYC Now Voices City Arts

3 6 8 25

Business 26 Real Estate 27 Restaurant Ratings 28 15 Minutes 29

WEEK OF APRIL

SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12

FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He ﬁrst writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereﬂect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice

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

n OurTownDowntow

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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices

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

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLEANING UP OUR STREETS Over the last few years I’ve noticed a steady deterioration in the cleanliness of the streets in my neighborhood on the Upper East Side. There have been times lately when the streets looked as bad as they did in the 1970s. I know because I grew up here. I started by photographing problem areas and venting to City Council Member Keith Powers and to Community Board 8’s District Manager Will Brightbill. Powers suggested I work with his staff and use the city’s 311 app to document specific trash problems. Brightbill confirmed the steps I needed to take to trigger remedial action. From November through March I photographed excess trash conditions and uploaded the photos via the 311 app. I also sent copies to Powers’ staff and they followed up with the Sanitation Department. Slowly but surely, conditions improved. I learned that the Department of Sanitation had been issuing fines to offending property owners, providing the “stick” needed to change behavior and counteract over-reliance on the Doe Fund. Powers also obtained additional fund-

ing for trash pickups on Second and Third Avenues in the 70s and 80s and ordering new trashcans. This foray into retail activism taught me a few lessons: • If you don’t say something, nothing changes. • You need to learn what the levers of change are for your issue so your activism is effective. • You need to be persistent and methodical. • You need to show that engagement works so others follow suit. Please use the 311 app and call your representatives. This is one problem we can actually solve if we do it together. Suzette Brooks Masters Upper East Side

MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOODS What a wonderful, sensitive, beautiful article by Bette Dewing honoring Mr. Rogers and his generous, loving thoughts and talks to us and our chil-

dren (“Easter & Passover Wishes, via Mr. Rogers,” March 29 — April 4). My Julie and Tommy watched the show daily and sometimes I with them. It never ceased to amaze me how he seemed to hit the right tone in the content of the show. Thank you so very much for your article which reminded all of us of the simple, loving gestures and actions we can do each day to and with our neighbors. Maggie Mills Upper East Side

[A friend] forwarded Bette Dewing’s column to all of the deacons at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. I’m so glad she did. The column was so important and relevant to the season, and using Mr. Rogers’ focus on neighbors and kindness to those around us, even the so-called “staff,” made it clear and simple. Nancy Hauber Upper East Side

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG ASSAULT ARREST

STATS FOR THE WEEK

A 37-year-old man was arrested on assault charges on suspicion of hitting another with a metal pipe following a dispute, police said. Just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 15, the 37-year-old, later identiﬁed as Donte Lockett and a 59-year-old man got into argument, Lockett followed the older man to his vehicle, parked opposite 1 South Street, and struck the older man with a metal pipe on his hand. He then resisted arrest at officers dispatched to the scene.

Reported crimes from the 1st district for the week ending Apr. 15 Week to Date

Year to Date

2018 2017

% Change

2018

2017

% Change

Murder

n/a

0.0

Rape

n/a

50.0

Robbery

n/a

11.8

Felony Assault

-50.0

-33.3

Burglary

n/a

7.1

NIGHTCLUB THEFT

Grand Larceny

-16.7

273

280 -2.5

At 1:50 a.m. on Friday, April 13, a 30-year-old man placed his bag on the back of a chair inside the Macao Trading Company at 311 Church Street. When he came back for his stuff at 3:15 a.m. his bag was missing. The missing, and presumed stolen items stolen include a black Yves St. Laurent backpack valued at $1,100, a leather cardholder priced at $500, a portable charger worth $185, a pair of basketball shorts costing $135, a pair of sneakers tagged at $135 and other items.

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

CRUISE CRIME A river cruise proved to be anything but smooth sailing for a visitor from

Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr

China. At 11 a.m. on Monday, April 16, a 54-year-old man got off the Hornblower cruise boat at the Marina pier at Fulton and South Streets when he noticed that his backpack was unzipped and his wallet was missing. The items stolen included $1,000 inm Chinese currency, $100, a Visa card, China passport and China retirement card.

TRANSIT TROUBLES Once again, evidence a nap in the subway often comes at a high price. At 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11, a 42-year-old man riding northbound on the 1 train fell asleep between Rector and Franklin Streets. When he woke up at 5:15 a.m., his backpack was

missing. The items stolen included a black 12-inch laptop valued at $200, a pair of black-and-white eyeglasses priced at $200, a tablet worth $100, a black-and-white striped sweater tagged at $50, a black travel kit worth $20, a black “#1 Dad” wallet costing $10, along with miscellaneous papers, making a total stolen of $580. On the other hand, handrails are there for the taking. At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 29, a man tripped going into the subway at the Fulton

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Street 2 and 3 station, and his wallet fell from his hand, and when he picked himself up his wallet was nowhere to be found. He asked other riders, and none of them could say who took the wallet. The items stolen included $185 in cash, a black leather wallet valued at $20, and various debit, credit, and gift cards, along with a New York State driver’s license, making a total loss of $205.

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NYCT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 If we are serious about speeding up the re-signaling of the railway to give you more reliability and way more capacity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in other words, running way more trains â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that will come at a cost of temporary inconvenience.â&#x20AC;?

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ART

NYCT President Andy Byford other measures. Several attendees at the West Side meeting questioned Byford about renovations that require the temporary closure this spring and summer of three B and C train stations at 72nd Street, 86th Street and 110th Street along Central Park West. The renovations are part of the MTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Enhanced Station Initiative to renovate stops around the system. The initiative was originally slated to target 32 stations, but MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced in April that the project would end early after running through most of its $936 million budget with only 19 stations completed or in progress. The project has been criticized for including aesthetic improvements to the stations but not the installation of elevators and other accessibility measures. Byford said the perception that the renovations are primarily cosmetic is false. The fundamental reason for the station closures, he said, is to conduct necessary repairs to station infrastructure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the components are deteriorating, you need to take action there and then,â&#x20AC;? Byford said. The Upper West Side station closures wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be the last inconvenience riders will experience on the path to improved service. Throughout the eve-

ning, Byford tempered his lofty rhetoric about a â&#x20AC;&#x153;radical planâ&#x20AC;? to transform the subways with realism about the pains the transformation will entail. The biggest obstacle facing the subway, Byford said, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the sheer age and unreliability and lack of capacity of our signaling system. What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to do is bite the bullet and re-signal the whole subway.â&#x20AC;? At the MTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current pace, it would take 40 years to re-signal the entire system, a rate Byford called â&#x20AC;&#x153;untenable.â&#x20AC;? Byford said that if work were accelerated to update two lines at a time, â&#x20AC;&#x153;you could get around 80 percent of customer journeys on this modern signaling system, probably within ten years.â&#x20AC;? While the end result would be better, more frequent subway service, the work would entail significance disruptions and require â&#x20AC;&#x153;peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patience and a lot of money,â&#x20AC;? an outcome Byford acknowledged wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be popular. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not talking about shutting down during the weekday, but deďŹ nitely longer hours overnight and some evening closures.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we are serious about speeding up the re-signaling of the railway to give you more reliability and way more capacity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in other words, running way more trains â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that will come at a cost of temporary inconvenience,â&#x20AC;? Byford said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just has to.â&#x20AC;?

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were made in response to ridership demands. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have over the last ten years actually seen a decline in the ridership of the M104, which seems to be concurrent with increased in ridership on the subway,â&#x20AC;? Byford said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So it seems that there is a migration of people going from the bus to the subway.â&#x20AC;? The MTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finite resources sometimes require transportation planners to reshuffle its fleet and operators to the routes where they are most needed, Byford said. The service cuts, he added, are also intended to make the M104 â&#x20AC;&#x153;more reliable and stop the service bunching and gapping.â&#x20AC;? Byford left open the possibility that bus frequency on the M104 could be restored to prior levels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to keep this under very close review,â&#x20AC;? he said, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we ďŹ nd weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the M104 wrong, then we can fairly rapidly take action to supplement it.â&#x20AC;? Days after the Upper West Side meeting, Byford unveiled a comprehensive action plan for bus service that he called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the ďŹ rst piece in the jigsaw toward the full scale modernization of New York City Transit.â&#x20AC;? Byfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to improve the speed and reliability of New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bus network, which is currently the slowest major system in the world, calls for the MTA to reexamine its entire route network and remove closely spaces and underutilized stops, expand the use of Transit Signal Priority systems that reduce the time buses spend stopped at red lights, and introduce all-door boarding and a new fare payment system to speed up boarding and reduce dwell time, among

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MAIL-IN REBATE Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 1/13/18 - 4/9/18 from participating dealers in the $ " 542? 7;'2/,?/4- 6;8).'9+ /9 *+B4+* '9 ' 6;8).'9+ 5, '4? 5, :.+ 685*;): 35*+29 9+: ,58:. 2/9:+* 54 ,854: 5, :./9 )'8* /4 7;'4:/:/+9 2/9:+* 54 ,854: , ?5; 6;8).'9+ 2+99 :.'4 96+)/B+* 7;'4:/:? ?5; =/22 45: (+ +4:/:2+* :5 ' 8+(':+ !+(':+ =/22 (+ /99;+* /4 :.+ ,583 5, ' 68+6'/* 8+='8* card and mailed within 4 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 6 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details & rebate form. 2018 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners.

Photo: Richard Giles, via Flickr

Thu 26 Fri 27

Sat 28

▲ DED TALKS: TED TALKS FROM DEAD PEOPLE

DOWNTOWN CULTURE WALK

CAVEAT 21 Clinton St. 7 p.m. $10 in advance/$15 door Ded Talks is an otherworldly new lecture series that invites you to put your head in the clouds (or wherever you think heaven is), highlighting the life and ideas of your favorite dearly departed ﬁgures from history, Catch unauthorized re-appearances of the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Julia Childs and Steve Irwin. 212-228-2100 caveat.nyc

THE POETRY PROJECT: TYLER COBURN AND LAWRENCE ABU HAMDAN The Poetry Project 131 East 10th St. 8 p.m. $10 general admission/$8 students/seniors Founded in the summer of 1966 as a continuation of the various coffeehouse reading series that once ﬂourished on the Lower East Side, the Poetry Project helps increase recognition of up-and-coming poets and performers. This week, hear poets Tyler Coburn and Lawrence Abu Hamdan read their innovate work. 212-674-0910 poetryproject.org

The Drawing Center 35 Wooster St. 11 a.m. Free As part of a self-guided walking tour of SoHo, The Drawing Center will host open hours of “Exploratory Works: Drawings from the Department of Tropical Research Field Expeditions” an exhibition of images that illustrate the formation of our modern deﬁnition of nature by William Beebe, one of America’s greatest popularizers of ecological thinking. 212-219-2166 drawingcenter.org

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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Sun 29 Mon 30 Tue 1 UP AND AWAY: A MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE Clark Studio Theater 165 West 65th St. 11:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. $25 In this intimate black box theater, families can join the Fogg family on a journey through the sky in their very own hot air balloon. Featuring puppetry, live music and interactive play, this â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ&#x201A;ightâ&#x20AC;? is geared toward young audiences on the autism spectrum and their families. Weekends through May 6. 212-875-5375 lincolncenter.org

â&#x2013;˛WOMEN OF LETTERS City Winery 155 Varick St. 8 p.m. $20-$40 Every month, New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best and brightest women come together on stage to celebrate the lost art of letter writing. Expect laughter, tears and camaraderie as host SoďŹ ja Stefanovic welcomes guests reading letters on the topic of the evening. 212-608-0555 citywinery.com

JAZZ FOR GENDER JUSTICE: AN EVENING OF JOYFUL RESISTANCE Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub at The Public 425 Lafayette St. 6 p.m. $100 VIP/$50 general Swing into spring on May Day to celebrate elevating feminist voices, leadership, and creativity across genre. With Travis Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bjorkestra (featuring Pyeng Threadgill), Candice Hoyes, Lauren Sevian, Rana Farhan and the Resistance Revival Chorus. All proceeds beneďŹ t the The Feminist Press at CUNY. 212-539-8778 joespub.publictheater.org

Wed 2

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â&#x2014;&#x201E; JENNIFER ZEYNAB JOUKHADAR: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THE MAP OF SALT AND STARSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Strand 828 Broadway 7:30 p.m. $27 admission & signed copy of the book/$5 admission & gift card â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Map of Salt and Starsâ&#x20AC;? follows the lives of two young women from Syria who undergo very similar geographical journeys, albeit 800 years apart. 212-473-1452 strandbooks.org

Compassionate Senior Move Manager & Expert Real Estate Broker Marilyn Karpoff www.KarpoffAfďŹ liates.com | mkarpoff@karpoffafďŹ liates.com 212.358.8044 | 290 Third Avenue, Ste 26C, NYC 10010

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Voices

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

EMULATING WHAT MADE BARBARA SO BELOVED BY BETTE DEWING

For once TV talk shows were not about bad people and bad behavior. Refreshingly bipartisan, newscasters were talking about Barbara Bush’s departure from this life at age 92. CNN, typically “on the left,” aired as many heartfelt tributes to the former ﬁrst lady as did Fox. And I wasn’t sorry TV had been invented. Ah, but the very next day an acquaintance’s Facebook entry was all about what Barbara Bush had done wrong. OK, so such views need to be heard, but couldn’t this irate critic have waited awhile? And also given a nod to the solid 73-year Bush marriage and acknowledge how that does make for a safer and non-violent society for all? The youngsters who marched for that cause would

likely agree and that life is better with intact families and where parents work things out. And few will argue how working things out and role-model marriages are so needed in high and inﬂuential places. Ah, but this column didn’t plan to be so much about that, but Barbara Bush might well have said “It should be!” Two Bush sons, George and Jeb, appear to have role-model marriages. We don’t hear much about the other two sons and one daughter. Which reminds, “on the left,” nobody has a more stable marriage than the Obamas and lest you forget, Michelle’s widowed mother looked after the first daughters in the White House. She is likely still a vital part of that household. And how we need such role-model connections.

Barbara Bush would surely agree and that when they exist, grandparents and other extended family should not become bit players in their families’ lives. Ah yes, and the problems and conﬂicts that often divide, must be worked out – worked out. Communication skills should be learned and practiced from prekindergarten on to life’s very last class. Yes, these skills exist, Virginia, and I’d vote for most anyone who stressed this kind of literacy - especially the conﬂict resolution kind. But more about why Barbara was so generally liked as well as beloved. Hey, longtime parents rejoice that she spoke her mind to her adult sons and adult daughter. obviously believing we never outgrow criticism that is constructive. And far more must be said how

wife Laura’s one-person intervention got George W to stop drinking. A family intervention is not always needed, although so thankfully Betty Ford’s did step in and likely, eventually, to make her the ﬁrst lady who did the most overall good. Her autobiography, “A Glad Awakening,” should be required reading as intervention is still too often resisted. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And it was surely Barbara Bush’s appearance too which made her endearing — looking more like her constituents, not like a high fashion model. And I wish Barbara had said more about women still so judged by their appearance which had better be youthful — and yes even sexy, AAUGH. Ah, but so universally important, who will take care of George H.

Photo: Esther, via ﬂickr Walker without Barbara around? We hope George W. and Laura, who live nearby, will and that other sibs and grandkids will share in the care long-distance. Such role model caring could not be more needed — could not be more needed. Nor could remembering and emulating what made Barbara Bush so universally liked and beloved. dewingbetter@aol.com

MANHATTAN MOTHER TO THE RESCUE BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL

Pop stars. Broadway. And Upper East Sider Kevin Kline. If those weren’t enough reasons to devour Amy Poeppel’s new Manhattan mommy-lit novel, “Limelight” (on sale May 1), how about the fact that it DOES NOT include momzillas or an errant hedge fund hubby who leaves the protagonist for another woman. Although the book does borrow from the common theme of starting over, it’s more about how when the going gets tough, it takes a Manhattan mother to get things going. Allison Brinkley’s lawyer husband Michael transfers to NYC, and her dream of living here finally comes true. It is an adjustment for her and their three children, especially when the teaching job she had lined up dissipates and her tutoring side hustle falls ﬂat. But this is a city where things change in a New York minute and you never know who you might run into — literally. When Allison accidentaly sideswipes a parked BMW and leaves her

contact info, she never imagines the call to exchange insurance info would come from Bieber-esque pop singer, Carter Reid. What begins as a momentary pity party for an eighteen-year-old guy with no direction or family, who exhibits enough self-destructive behavior to fill a year’s worth of tabloids, turns into a full-time gig as caretaker. Allison’s job is to literally and ﬁguratively get Carter’s house in order. His penthouse overlooking Central Park is in dire need of a good cleaning, and his poor eating habits combined with a drug/alcohol habit require the celebrity’s body and mind to be cleansed, too. The newly-minted assistant has only a small window to get the job done, because the wayward teen idol is about to start rehearsals for a Broadway musical, which also stars Tony-winner Kline, as well as Hollywood star, Melissa McCarthy. Another refreshing thing about this read is that there’s no us vs. them, (a la “The Devil Wears Prada,” “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” et al.) where loved ones get on the main character’s

case for abandoning them for her career. Taking care of Carter actually becomes a family affair with Michael reading contracts and teen daughter Charlotte running lines with the learning-challenged singer. Allison’s publicist BFF Sara steps up with image-changing ideas: a law enforcement officer, whom Allison tutors in writing, agrees to act as bodyguard, and the more NYC-connected moms from son Jack’s school come through with recommendations for a chef, chauffeur and much-needed concierge doctor. As I read this work of fiction, I couldn’t understand why situations like this are not more of a reality, as in: why isn’t the parent skill set considered a valuable asset — especially for mothers returning to work after a stint of stay-at-home childcare? A couple of years ago, I interviewed for a position at a Broadway show-focused website. My pitch highlighted that the Great White Way was a go-to destination for my daughter and me; my two decades as a promotions writ-

er for major entertainment networks; and my management skills, which came from both my family experience as well as volunteering at both my children’s schools, where I spearheaded committees, organized events and fund-raised persuasively. The guy looked at me and all he could come up with was: “But besides the ‘mom stuff,’ when you were on staff, you weren’t a manager?” And right there it was clear that the fact that I did not supervise anyone at my 9-to-5 eclipsed all the managerial work I’d done over the past twenty years because it was associated with the apparently irrelevant triad: mother/school/volunteer. I don’t want to lay this behavior solely at the doorstep of men. I’ve had a number of professional women roll their eyes at my pro-bono positions, that, pardon me, I took seriously and thought were signiﬁcant. Perhaps those who hire should consider the phrase “transferable skills.” If they really want to bring someone on board to get the job done, they’ll hire the Allisons of the world who can

walk in, survey the situation and take charge. For anyone who needs a reminder, “Limelight” is a great place to start. Amy Poeppel discusses “Limelight” on Wednesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at Book Culture On Columbus, 450 Columbus Ave. Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel “Back to Work She Goes,” about a 50+ stay-at-home-mother who tries to re-enter the workforce.

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APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018

DOTTY

Downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Our Town Thanks You

AWA R D S

Abby Brody

Wellington Z. Chen

Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein

Wendy Gonzalez

Robert Hammond

Catherine McVay Hughes

Shari C. Hyman

Martin Kagan

Daniel Quintero

Donnette Truss

Paul Steely White

Ron Wolfgang

Anthony Fracchiolla

Jin Huan Yang

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

2018 DOTTY WINNER

SHAPING 21ST CENTURY SKILLS As a leader at Avenues: The World School in Chelsea, Abby Brody is helping students expand their horizons in more ways than one BY ALIZAH SALARIO

For Abby Brody, the most effective classrooms are the streets of Manhattan. “Most schools serve a community as the center of a town, and everything revolves around the school. In New York, you’re just so small, and that’s really empowering. All of a sudden, the world becomes your community,” says Brody, Division Head of the Lower School at Avenues: The World School in Chelsea. Brody, a veteran educator, plays an instrumental role in taking education beyond classroom walls. Avenues students have studied biodiversity on the High Line and taken walking tours of the surrounding gallery district. Even ﬁrst graders have internships at local businesses, where they learn about working together for a common cause. One classroom studying Chinese culture partnered with a Mandarin-speaking senior citizen home, where burgeoning Mandarin speakers could communicate with residents in their native tongue. And of course, when students study ancient Egypt, they visit one of the world’s largest Egypt exhibits at The Met. “I’m a constructivist [teacher,],” says Brody. “Learning is seeing and doing, experiencing and believing. It’s not a teacher telling you something.” At a school that counts shaping global leaders among its ambitious goals, Brody has the vision, passion and expertise to uphold Avenues’s lofty mission. It’s a goal she does not take lightly. “The most research I do is on 21st century skill sets, and thinking about what is the future they’re [students] going to inherit and the problems they’re going to solve,” says Brody. She notes that critical thinking and empathy, skills that help foster a global mindset, are essential for the next generation’s success.

There’s no better place to raise your children. They have the opportunity to live beyond their borders with so many different cultures on one small little island.” Abby Brody

Photo: Anne Kristoff

SOLVING URBAN ‘RIDDLES’ Wellington Chen of the Chinatown Partnership focuses on the challenges facing his community BY ANNE KRISTOFF

Photo courtesy of Abby Brody Brody received a master’s of elementary special education from Bank Street College, where she focused on language disorders. Prior to becoming lower school head at Avenues, she taught at the Allen-Stevenson School for nine years and spent time with the Shipboard Institute of Education, where she wrote curriculum for geography, culture and immigration while circumnavigating the globe. Today, her focus is both local and global. In Manhattan’s grid system she sees both a math lesson and an intricate map; lessons about different cultures present themselves just walking down the street. “I just think of myself as every day trying to make an impact on one child, she says. Brody, who moved to New York City from Minnesota at age 10, has long seen endless educational opportunities everywhere in our multifaceted city. Though teaching was always her ambition — Brody says she remembers lining up her dolls and playing teacher as young girl — her arrival in New York at an impressionable age seems to have shaped her focus on the skills that tomorrow’s global leaders will need to thrive. “I think there’s no better place to raise your children,” says Brody, who has two kids of her own. “They have the opportunity to live beyond their borders with so many different cultures on one small little island.”

Wellington Chen sits on the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He’s the recipient of the New York Post’s Liberty Medal for Freedom. And he has worked with revered architect I.M. Pei. So you may be surprised at what he feels is his biggest accomplishment as Executive Director of the Chinatown Partnership, a position he’s held for the past decade. “Believe it or not, it’s something very small,” he said. “During one of our Weekend Walks — you take away the cars for a few hours, you put carpeting, chairs, tables, tents, and you hand out goodies, you have raffle prizes, showcases — a little girl from Chinatown learned to ride a bike. So, little things like that. That girl will never forget that she learned to ride a bike in an alley of Chinatown.” Chinatown Partnership was created by the 9/11 Fund and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to help have accountability and transparency in making sure the funds meant for Chinatown are properly spent. Chen was the ﬁrst employee and help build it from the ground up using a combination of education, information outreach, and relationshipbuilding with everyone from the American Legion to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and its “unofficial mayor of Chinatown” and non-Asian members of the community. The Chinatown Partnership handles issues including clean streets, graffiti removal and infrastructure. Chen specializes in rescuing or resuscitating troubled towns or centers. Solving the riddle of how to ﬁx things is his passion. “It’s like the Egyptian Sphinx,” he said. “There’s a riddle in front of you. To get past me you have to solve

We have a fighting chance … But it’s a tough fight.” Wellington Chen

the riddle. If not, you die. So, I hope before I die I will solve the riddle.” The riddle of Flushing is what first got his attention. During his last year of architecture school his neighborhood started sputtering (homelessness, panhandling, methadone clinics, prostitution, high vacancy). So he got involved and helped create the Flushing BID. Manhattan’s Chinatown hardly seems to be sputtering, but the community is vulnerable and faces the same problems as the 16 other Chinatowns across the country — aging population, less relevance, the need to adapt to change and the question of how to get children to return. “It’s not a failure story,” Chen said. “No one thinks that after you get your college degree you’re coming back to take over the pasta store or the noodle shop. That has never been the gold bar standard.” So all of those challenges make up the riddle. The answer lies in adaptability and inclusion. Chen is grateful to neighboring ethnic groups — like the Little Italy Restoration Association, which went through similar struggles — that generously share insights and information. “Thank God we have a little bit of ingredients here that are slightly different and we have a ﬁghting chance,” he said. “Chinatown will be here because of the nature of some of its structure. But it’s a tough ﬁght.”

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

SUPPORT FOR A DIVERSE COMMUNITY At the 14th Street Y, Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein creates programs “for New Yorkers of every background” BY CHARMAINE P. RICE

As executive director of the 14th Street Y located on East 14th Street and First Avenue, Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein oversees a diverse community, serving New Yorkers from all walks of life, from toddlers to senior citizens. Rabbi Epstein joined the Y in 2013 and loves getting to know the members, staff and business owners in the community. “As a rabbi who runs a historically Jewish community center, in one of the most creative and vibrant places in the world, I love that we are able to use our cultural inheritance and creativity to create real and supportive community for New Yorkers of every background, race, ethnicity and religion,” says Epstein. Among the wide range of programs offered, the 14th Street Y coordinates Downtown Jewish Life a network of 30 synagogues, museums, and Jewish organizations in Downtown Manhattan. In addition to its robust cultural offerings, the 14th Street Y offers programming that appeals to a wide variety of interests and needs of the community. “We work to serve as a center that can serve as a supportive community for people of every age, stage, background and socioeconomic status, supporting their social, recreational, spiritual, wellness and educational needs,” explains Epstein. “So, for some people, this is their pool or their fitness center or home basketball court. For others, it is their preschool, their parenting support network, their child’s afterschool activity. For many, we are the place for their cultural engagement, for adult education classes, or for their social outlet either after the workday or during the fulfilling days of retirement.” The 14th Street Y is a part of the city’s Educational Alliance, a social institution that has served Lower Manhattan since 1889. Originally established as a settlement house for East European Jewish immigrants emigrating to New York City, the Alliance eventually grew and evolved into an organization that offered social service programs, and was one of the first organizations to offer Head Start for early childhood education. “Everyone wants to live meaningful, healthy, and interesting lives, connected in real ways with others — and I see that happening here every day,” says Epstein. “Whether it is in our theater, our pool, our preschool, on the basketball court, or in the fitness center, I get to see people of all ages and backgrounds playing, learning, and growing together, making a real village of neighbors here in the East Village.”

The Alliance for Downtown New York congratulates our wonderful colleague

RON WOLFGANG for receiving the Dotty Award and for his years of dedicated service to Lower Manhattan. We salute all the other awardees for their contributions to making our great city what it is. Photo: Bridget Badore

For some people, this is their pool or their fitness center or home basketball court … For many, we are the place for their cultural engagement, for adult education classes, or for their social outlet.” Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein

DowntownNY.com

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

2018 DOTTY WINNER

ĞůĞďƌĂƟŶŐ ϭϬϯ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƚŽ ϭϬ͕ϬϬϬ ĚŝƐĂĚǀĂŶƚĂŐĞĚ ǇŽƵŶŐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƌŽŶǆ ĂŶĚ ϮϮ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ďǇ͕ ǆĞĐƵƟǀĞ ŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ͕ ĂŶŝĞů YƵŝŶƚĞƌŽ ʹ ϮϬϭϴ Kddz ,ŽŶŽƌĞĞ͘

ŽŶŐƌĂƚƵůĂƟŽŶƐ͕ ĂŶŝĞů YƵŝŶƚĞƌŽ͕ ŽŶ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞůůͲĚĞƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂǁĂƌĚ͊ ϳϭϴ͘ϴϵϯ͘ϴϲϬϬ ͻ <ŝƉƐďĂǇ͘ŽƌŐ

14TH STREET Y

CONGRATULATES RABBI

SHIRA KOCH EPSTEIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 14TH STREET Y,

AND ALL RECIPIENTS OF THE 2018 OTTY AWARD.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY STRONGER!

14StreetY.org

A HELPING HAND FOR SMALL BUSINESS At Google’s Chelsea office, Wendy Gonzalez leads an initiative to provide companies with tech tools and workshops BY ASHAD HAJELA

Since its establishment in September 1998, Google has been leading an initiative to promote small businesses by providing companies access to their revolutionary tools as well as training. Working out of Google’s office in Chelsea, Wendy Gonzalez, the tech giant’s manager for the Small Business Outreach Team, is leading the initiative today. Gonzalez is 32 and has worked with small businesses throughout her career so far and she loves doing it. “It’s so inspiring,” she said. “In my family there have been a lot of smallbusiness owners.” Gonzalez’s team helps small companies by providing them access to Google apps and workshops. One notable endeavor is the “Get Your Business Online” program. Her team also backs a mobile app called Primer, which provides ﬁve-minute lessons about getting a business started and social-media marketing. Gonzalez’s team has helped many small businesses, but a company called Sword and Plough, based halfway across the country in Denver, Colorado, stands out to her in particular. “Sword and Plough is one of my favorites,” she said. Sword and Plough is a company that makes bags out of surplus military fabrics. A pair of sisters founded the company, one of whom was in the military until last year. “They launched it with a Kickstarter Campaign,” said Gonzalez. “They used Google apps to start their business.” Although Google is the leading company in providing Internet tool to small businesses, Gonzalez is wary of competition. “One of the amazing things about the Internet is that there are so many different companies out there and people can use the products that are best for them,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Google Google’s and Gonzalez’s impact on small businesses in New York was recognized when she was the featured speaker last month at WCBS Newsradio 880 Small Business Breakfast, the longest running small-business event series in the New York area. There, Gonzalez gave advice about how to handle small businesses. “It is really inspiring to see them want to use Google products,” she said. “It makes me feel so great. I am lucky.”

It is really inspiring to see [small companies] want to use Google products. It makes me feel so great. I am lucky.” Wendy Gonzalez

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

Photo: Liz Ligon, courtesy of Friends of the High Line

HAMMOND ON THE HIGH LINE His foresight and imagination transformed a forsaken railroad into a pioneering public urban space BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

When Robert Hammond started Friends of the High Line with Joshua David in 1999, the group’s plan to fashion an elevated public greenway on the abandoned West Side rail tracks was regarded by many as a pipe dream. Their vision for the derelict railway, which at the time was overgrown with vegetation and targeted for demolition, was practically ridiculed in some quarters. “There are signiﬁcant ﬁnancial, maintenance, operation and liability issues,” Joseph B. Rose, Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s Planning Commission chair, said in The New York Times, adding, “to the extent that the romantic vision is a stalking horse to preclude this area of town from continuing to evolve, that’s problematic.” Nineteen years later, with the High Line the centerpiece of a West Side hub for art, architecture, food and tourism, the notion it could have been an obstacle to the neighborhood’s evolution is all but inconceivable. The High Line’s success as a park, gathering place, performance venue, arts center and allpurpose transformative project is so well documented that it’s become easy to take for granted as an inexorable part of the Manhattan cityscape — it welcomes 7 million people each year, as many as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But Hammond isn’t focused on past accomplishments — as the Friends’ executive director, he’s charting the course for the High Line’s future. “In a lot of ways we’re like a teenager,” Hammond said from his Gansevoort Street office, which overlooks the mile-and-a-half long park’s southernmost stretch. “We look fully grown, but

it’s unclear what’s going to happen next.” The park is almost completely built — a spur near 30th Street is scheduled to open next year — and, Hammond said, “the opportunity we have going forward is to really ﬁgure out: what is the cultural institution for the 21st century?” It’s clear, Hammond thinks, that it will look something like the High Line. Free, open to the public and offering a wide range of amenities and opportunities for engagement. “People no longer just want to go to big boxes for their art, for their theater, for their music, for their food,” he said. “They want to have multiple experiences at the same time.” The High Line fulfills all of these roles and more. “New Yorkers are in charge of how they want to experience it,” Hammond said. Among the challenges Hammond faces is dealing with what he calls the “interesting problem of over-success.” “Just because something is free and open to the public doesn’t mean that everyone feels welcome,” he said. Programming designed by and for New Yorkers, including job and internship programs for local youth, has helped make the High Line’s visitorship as diverse as the neighborhood it runs through. As the High Line’s success helped spur a wider urban movement to repurpose outdated infrastructure as public space, the Friends created the High Line Network to share knowledge from peer projects around the world. “How do you make sure these public spaces benefit everyone?” Hammond said of the network’s mission. “We’re proof of concept, and we’re learning from each other rather than us teaching them how to do it.” “We were in the right place at the right time, but one of the things that was really helpful is actually Josh and I didn’t have any experience in this,” Hammond said. “Our talent was for listening to smart people.” “These crazy dreams can come true,” he said.

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

An Intimate Evening of Conversation with Megyn Kelly

SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH, 7PM Sheen Center for Thought & Culture | 18 Bleecker St. | 212-925-2812 | sheencenter.org Go behind the news with NBC host Megyn Kelly as she discusses her career, faith, and interactions with the current president with Fr. Edward L. Beck, C.P. ($45).

Guerilla Science Presents The Attraction Lab

SUNDAY, APRIL 29TH, 6:30PM Caveat | 21 Clinton St. | 212-228-2100 | caveat.nyc Pull on a blindfold and experiment with attraction as Guerilla Science leads a night dedicated to exploring the neuroscience of desire. Tickets are sold as “Single and Here to Mingle” or for “Couples and Groups, ” depending on your agenda ($25).

Just Announced | First Reformed Sneak Preview | Q&A with Paul Schrader and Ethan Hawke

TUESDAY, MAY 15TH, 7PM Film Society of Linc. Cntr. | 70 Linc. Cntr. Plaza | 212-875-5600 | ﬁlmlinc.org “Gaze right into the eye of modern media- and money-fueled horror” at a preview of Paul Schrader’s new ﬁlm, which stars Ethan Hawke as a middle-aged pastor ($25).

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

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

2018 DOTTY WINNER

LEADING THE WAY FOR DOWNTOWN’S REBIRTH

BATTERY BOOSTER REVS UP RETAIL AT WTC After a quarter-century in the public sector, Shari Hyman crosses to the private sector to helm the most expansive shopping destination built in Lower Manhattan since 9/11 BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

An urban pioneer who’s lived a block from the WTC for three decades, Catherine McVay Hughes didn’t just help to rebuild her neighborhood once, she worked to rebuild it twice BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

The catastrophic terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 obliterated 2,000-plus lives, wiped out 65,000 jobs, displaced 20,000 residents, destroyed 14 million square feet of office space and crippled America’s fourth-largest business district. A great rebuilding, rebranding and reinvention followed the calamity. And Catherine McVay Hughes — then a member of Community Board 1 and chair of its World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee from 2005 to 2012 — was one of its leading architects. Then another cataclysm struck Lower Manhattan on October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy, a meteorological monstrosity propelling oncein-a-lifetime storm surges that burst two riverbanks and ﬂooded buildings, tunnels and infrastructure. Soon, a second recovery campaign began. Once again, Hughes — who had become chair of CB1 in July 2012 and joined the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. board that same year — played a supportive but central role in the reconstruction of Downtown. Bottom line: Due in part to her advocacy, the area got back on its feet, mega-businesses and boutique shops gravitated to its commercial hub, it became greener, livable, more sustainable, and now, no residential neighborhood in the city is growing faster than CB1. “On September 10, 2001, there were 20,000 residents living in the area, and half of them moved out after 9/11,” Hughes said. “Today, CB1 has a population of roughly 70,000.” Nothing happens alone, she stressed. Partnerships, coalitions, elected officials, responsible developers, on-the-ball government agencies, all made the effort possible. “Everything is a team effort,” she said. “You can’t just wave a magic wand.” Yet community activism is paramount. “The takeaway message is that it’s important to actively engage in the public process, and that through public participation, you can actually make a difference, and see very real, very positive changes,” Hughes added. A 1982 graduate of Princeton University with a degree in engineering, Hughes, who got her MBA from the Wharton School in 1987, became an urban pioneer in 1988 when she settled a block away from the WTC in a business district with

Photo courtesy of Catherine McVay Hughes virtually no amenities, services or shops. She joined the community board in 1997, and four years later, the area was reduced to ashes and concrete dust. The recovery wasn’t swift, but over time, it proved phoenix-like. Her tireless advocacy was one of the reasons the phrase “Ground Zero” slowly dropped out of the lexicon. Examples abound: Officials wanted to turn Zuccotti Park into a staging ground for construction. “We said ‘No! Let’s get our open space back,’” Hughes recalls. Sure enough, the zone of construction was shrunk. They wanted to turn off the waterfalls at the 9/11 Memorial in the winter. “We said, ‘No! They should be on 12 months a year,’” she said. And so they are. Hughes helped to pass the James Zadroga Act, providing health-care monitoring to first responders and survivors; advocated to expand the Victim’s Compensation Fund boundary north to Canal Street; battled to mitigate construction noise and bolster safety standards; and played a key role for 15 years in WTC environmental health issues. When Sandy struck, its water walls penetrating buildings, she found a new mission: “Helping rebuild my neighborhood a second time,” she said. She’s been doing that ever since, ﬁrst, at the helm of CB 1 from 2012 to 2016, then, as a member until 2017. Now, Hughes serves on a resiliency task force and a storm-surge working group, and she’s on the board of the South Street Seaport Museum, the Battery Park City Authority and the advisory board of the Earth Institute. Her activism paid off. After ﬁghting for comprehensive resiliency planning for Downtown, she helped lock up funding for the planning and implementation of an engineering study for the tip of Manhattan. “Her background as an engineer and an environmental activist helped make two recoveries possible, from the World Trade Center attacks and from Sandy,” said Assembly Member Deborah Glick. “And her work regarding resilience continues to this day.” invreporter@strausnews.com

When Shari Hyman stepped down after four years as president and chief operating officer of the Battery Park City Authority in September 2017, she bid farewell to a booming 92-acre enclave she affectionately dubbed the “best small town in New York City.” Many of its residents, workers, diners, shoppers, students, mariners, anglers, ballplayers, dog-walkers, film-watchers, concert-goers, hotel guests and chess players will tell you that their little river town got even greener, livelier and friendlier on her watch. The secret of her success? The accomplishment she’s most proud of? Programming. Suddenly, the parks, the marina and the promenade were pulsating with new and reinvigorated activities. “I managed to increase free public programming by $1 million — while keeping the budget of the authority intact,” Hyman said. How? She redirected resources and streamlined costs to double down on community needs. The bottom line: In her last year at Battery Park City, 50,000 people attended field days, movie nights and happenings like Dockappella, River & Blues, Strings-on-the-Hudson, even a Swedish Midsummer Festival. It’s all about serving the community, she argues. Since then, Hyman has left the public sector. Changed jobs. Shifted to the private sector. Yet much has remained the same. Geographically at least, she couldn’t be much closer to her old job. She simply moved a couple of blocks, from the west side of West Street to the east side. Hyman is now vice president and general manager of Westfield World Trade Center Property Group, a position she’s held for the past seven months, and her charge is to run the company’s sprawling retail operations at the WTC, with 85 shops, and Fulton Center, with 16. The shopping magnet — located in the Oculus, or main hall, of the WTC Transportation Hub, and on Fulton Street in a second transit center — is the most ambitious retail destination built in the area since 9/11. It replaced the original WTC mall that was obliterated that day. “My chief responsibility is getting the retailers the services they need and the sales they need to be successful,” Hyman said. She’s being modest. Most malls have outdoor signage to lure customers and swift routes for deliveries. Westﬁeld WTC has neither. Santiago Calatrava’s vast steel-ribbed Transportation Hub, its exterior resembling the spreading wings of a dove taking ﬂight, doesn’t post retail signs. All its deliveries proceed un-

Photo: Andrew Rauner Photography derground, entering via the WTC’s Vehicle Security Center for screening. “Security can never be compromised,” Hyman said. So marketing has to target residents, workers, commuters and tourists to make sure they’re aware of the below-grade retail, and she’s constantly interacting with public entities like the Port Authority and the MTA to foster deliveries and address security concerns. “Their customers are our customers, and they’ve been great partners in making this a beneficial, customer-oriented experience,” Hyman said. “The whole idea is to balance everybody’s interests in a communal space.” A 1988 Columbia University graduate, Hyman got her law degree in 1991 from Northwestern University and worked as a prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau through the 1990s. Starting in 2006, she served as ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, and in 2011, became chair of the city’s Business Integrity Commission, which shields the trade-waste industry from mob influence, a post she held until moving to Battery Park City Authority in 2014. “She’s an absolute legend within the downtown community and around the entire WTC campus,” said Rachel Kraus, Westfield WTC’s vice president of marketing. “There’s been a dynamic shift since she came in, it’s more friendly, open, customer-centric, engaging, and it’s creating great memories for residents, tourists, commuters and business travelers,” Kraus added.

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

Pace University congratulates MARTIN KAGAN on being a 2018 DOTTY Honoree Photo courtesy of the Schimmel Center at Pace University

THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENES Martin Kagan is responsible for bringing high-caliber programming to the Schimmel Center for the Arts BY ALIZAH SALARIO

You might not know the name Martin Kagan, but you’re probably familiar with the performing artists he brings to the stage. “I’ve always felt a kindred spirit to what I see onstage,” says Kagan, the Assistant Vice President of Cultural Affairs at the Schimmel Center for the Arts. “Not being an artist, where I get true satisfaction is knowing that when I sit in the audience — and I see every performance — I’ve been responsible to make that happen.” This year, Kagan has a lot to take pride in. He’s the driving force behind bringing internationally acclaimed artists to the Schimmel Center, an intimate performing arts venue at Pace University. Upcoming highlights this spring include a performance by Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan, Persian and Turkish improvisationalists with devoted fans across the globe, and a new musical about confronting gun violence in America performed by the acclaimed Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra. Manhattan’s cultural offerings are an embarrassment of riches any given night of the week, and Kagan’s vision has helped position the Schimmel Center and Pace University, where Kagan teaches a class in arts and entertainment management, as a growing cultural force in Lower Manhattan. But ultimately, says Kagan, his job is not about him. “Our goal is to make the artists look the best possible they can. It’s all about the artist,” he says. From dance, cabaret and music to lectures and comedy, Kagan approaches the process of creating the perfect performing arts season with precision and insight. He begins planning over a year out, and sees artists live or on YouTube before making any decisions. “I try to ﬁnd attractions that are unique each season, ones that have artistic integrity,” says

“You feel very close to the artists [at the Schimmel] and it’s one of the things that both the audience and the artists love about the space. It’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s intimate.” Martin Kagan

Kagan. “You feel very close to the artists [at the Schimmel] and it’s one of the things that both the audience and the artists love about the space. It’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s intimate.” When asked to pick his favorite performance, Kagan pulls no punches: “Everything we do I think is spectacular,” he says. “I try not to have favorites. They’re like children, they’re all my favorites.” The most important part of the job? Building trust with the audience. “I’ve had many years working in different venues, but that has been key. Not only that I provide an environment for the artist, but that I also provide an audience to feel comfortable, and to want to come back and have the conﬁdence to see things they may not be interested in because I’m presenting,” he says. Kagan ﬁnds excitement in the diversity of experiences his position offers, and it’s a path he encourages others to follow. Says Kagan, “It’s a full life. No day is ever the same.”

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Spring 2018

Free Health & Wellness Spring 2018 Seminar Series May

Cancer Prevention: Sugar Avoidance and Strategies

NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center: A New Patient Experience

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Precision medicine is really going to change how we do

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that cancer is not one disease but thousands of diseases.â&#x20AC;?

new, world-class ambulatory care center, they started with a simple question: What will exceptional ambulatory careâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;both clinical care and

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An Overview of Skin Wellness

Prevention and Treatment of Stroke Matthew E. Fink, MD

More Than Meets the Eye:

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will be home to a

wide range of ambulatory care services, including outpatient surgery, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging and infusion

In the last 20 years, the

is spearheading to drive new

research enterprise

discoveries in cancer care.

at Weill Cornell

to fund,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Sharpless, who earlier in the day met with

its centennial celebration, the academic medical institution

to speed the most

leadership from Weill Cornell Medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sandra and Edward

renamed itself in deep appreciation for Joan and Sanford I. Weill

innovative discoveries

Meyer Cancer Center and toured its labs.

and their exemplary leadership, launching a bright, new era of

Sarah H. Van Tassel, MD

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over the past two years and Dr. Sharpless is optimistic about the

Athanasios Papakostas, MD

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future, he acknowledged that there are always more good ideas

maternal and neonatal care, beginning in 2020.

than funds to support them. He also discussed the importance of

Medicine, focuses on preventing disease and promoting physical,

American Sign Language interpretive services will be provided at all seminars. If you require a disability-related accommodation, please call 212-821-0888 and leave a message. For more information on the Health & Wellness Series please visit our website at: www.weill.cornell.edu/seminars/

transformed over the past two decades from a small Ivy League

leading investigators dedicated to improving human health

medical college to a formidable leader in global healthcare.

through cutting-edge translational research. The 18-story

providing research funding to early-stage investigators and the

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promise of other initiatives led by the Institute such as the Cancer

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Moonshot.

and around the world,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our institution

self-care and self-healing tools they can use every day.

Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things

CARE

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you can do to reduce your lifetime risk of cancer. According to the

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International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the

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is focused on delivering exceptional care and the best patient

obesity and being overweight to 13 types of cancer. Excess fat is

experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to every patientâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;now and into the future.

also associated with abnormal glucose metabolism and insulin

http://www.nyp.org/locations/david-h-koch-center

NCI Director Highlights Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy in Talk at Weill Cornell Medicine

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our mission to Care, Discover and Teach.â&#x20AC;?

TEACH Weill Cornell Medicine

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is one of the leading

decades, Weill Cornell

medical schools in

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the United States,

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levels, which are associated with certain types of cancer. Excess

academic physicians

range of services for

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who advance medicine

patients, with more

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through research.

than 1,300 physicians

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currently providing

losing even a small amount of weight can reduce your cancer risk.

care in 18 academic

By setting realistic goals and adopting healthful lifestyle habits,

clinical departments

you can achieve lasting weight loss that helps you maintain a

Credit: Roger Tully

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healthy weight.

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(ÂŹĂ&#x192;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2030; Ä : (ÄĄÄ? Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;Ă&#x192; ÂŹÂ&#x2030;Ă&#x2DC; Â&#x2026;Â&#x2122;ÂżÂ&#x2030;Â&#x20AC;Ă&#x2030;Â˛Âż Â&#x2122;Ă&#x192; ÂźtĂ&#x17E;Â&#x2122;ÂŹÂ&#x201C; Â&#x20AC;ÂĽÂ˛Ă&#x192;Â&#x2030; tĂ&#x2030;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2030;ÂŹĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2122;Â˛ÂŹ Ă&#x2030;Â˛

Learn more about cancer prevention at our upcoming Health

Ă&#x2DC;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2014; :Â&#x2030;Ă&#x2DC;kÂ˛ÂżÂŁÄ¤JÂżÂ&#x2030;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2030;ÂżÂ&#x2122;tÂŹÄ˘ ÂżÂ˛tÂ&#x2026;Â&#x2030;ÂŹÂ&#x2030;Â&#x2026; Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;Ă&#x192; ÂżÂ&#x2030;tÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2014; Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2014;ÂżÂ˛Ă&#x17D;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2014;Â˛Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2030;

advances in precision medicine and immunotherapyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;two

and Wellness Seminar on May 1 titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cancer Prevention:

Manhattan and into Brooklyn and Queens. Weill Cornell Medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

approaches that have the potential to reshape the way physicians

QĂ&#x17D;Â&#x201C;tÂż Ă&#x2014;Â˛Â&#x2122;Â&#x2026;tÂŹÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2030; tÂŹÂ&#x2026; QĂ&#x2030;ÂżtĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2030;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2030;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x2030;Â˛ MÂ&#x2030;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x17D;Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2030; kÂ˛Ă&#x17D;Âż tÂŹÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2030;Âż MÂ&#x2122;Ă&#x192;ÂŁÄ&#x201D;ÄŤ

worldwide network of collaborators also includes the GHESKIO

treat cancer.

Weill Cornell Medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

groundbreaking $100 million giftâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Weill Cornell Medicine has

It strives to help patients lead healthier lives by offering effective

Read more about the center at

to patients in need. Credit: Amanda Painco

collaborative programs and talented faculty continue to attract

is truly a triple-threat powerhouse, with excellence in all parts of

All seminars: 6:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 pm All seminars held at Uris Auditorium Meyer Research and Education Building Weill Cornell Medicine Ă°Ă˛ĂŻĂŻ kÂ˛ÂżÂŁ Ă&#x2014;Â&#x2030;ÂŹĂ&#x17D;Â&#x2030; Ä tĂ&#x2030; ĂľĂ¸Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2014; QĂ&#x2030;Ä&#x201D;ÄĄ

dynamic expansion. Powered by the renamingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and the Weillsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Maintaining a Healthy Weight Can Reduce Cancer Risk

psychological and social well-being through holistic health care.

All seminars are FREE and open to the public. QÂ&#x2030;tĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2122;ÂŹÂ&#x201C; Â&#x2122;Ă&#x192; tĂ&#x2014;tÂ&#x2122;ÂĽt ÂĽÂ&#x2030; Â&#x2019;Â˛Âż ĂąĂ´ĂŻ ÂźÂ&#x2030;Â˛ÂźÂĽÂ&#x2030; Â˛ÂŹ t Ă§ÂżĂ&#x192;Ă&#x2030;Ä¤Â&#x20AC;Â˛ÂŤÂ&#x2030;Ä? Ă§ÂżĂ&#x192;Ă&#x2030;Ä¤Ă&#x192;Â&#x2030;ÂżĂ&#x2014;Â&#x2030;Â&#x2026; tĂ&#x192;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x192;Ä&#x201D;

of physicians and scientists working

eÂ&#x2014;Â&#x2122;ÂĽÂ&#x2030; Â&#x2019;Ă&#x17D;ÂŹÂ&#x2026;Â&#x2122;ÂŹÂ&#x201C; Â&#x2019;Â˛Âż Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2030; :tĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2122;Â˛ÂŹtÂĽ tÂŹÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2030;Âż (ÂŹĂ&#x192;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2030; Â&#x2014;tĂ&#x192; Â&#x2030;Â&#x2030;ÂŹ ÂżÂ˛ Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x2030;

in June, the program, run in collaboration with Weill Cornell

increasing numbers

For Weill Cornell Medicine, 1998 was a banner year. Amid

science is still really important

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effective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is why basic Photo credit: Ashley Jones

Aging and Ocular Health

:kJ tĂ&#x2014;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2026; &Ä&#x201D; 1Â˛Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2014; Â&#x2030;ÂŹĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2030;Âż Ă&#x2DC;Â&#x2122;ÂĽÂĽ tÂĽĂ&#x192;Â˛ Â&#x2030; Â&#x2014;Â˛ÂŤÂ&#x2030; Ă&#x2030;Â˛ Ă&#x2030;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2030; (ÂŹĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2030;Â&#x201C;ÂżtĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Â&#x2030;

Medicine has expanded

immunotherapy more

Presbyterian David H. Koch Center,

highlighted work the institute

research is key to making

:Â&#x2030;Ă&#x2DC;kÂ˛ÂżÂŁÄ¤

George I. Varghese, MD

DISCOVER

He also added that basic

today?

Kira Minkis, MD, PhD

Â&#x2030;ÂŹĂ&#x2030;Â&#x2030;ÂżÄ? eÂ&#x2030;Â&#x2122;ÂĽÂĽ Â˛ÂżÂŹÂ&#x2030;ÂĽÂĽ 9Â&#x2030;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2122;Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2122;ÂŹÂ&#x2030;ÄĂ&#x192; Ă°Ă˛Ä¤Ă&#x192;Ă&#x2030;Â˛ÂżĂ&#x17E; Ă¨tÂ&#x201C;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2122;Âź tÂŤ Ă&#x17D;ÂĽtĂ&#x2030;Â˛ÂżĂ&#x17E; Â&#x20AC;tÂżÂ&#x2030;

well as imaging, since 2007.

tenure in October 2017â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and

that vision a reality

health programs on six continents. Further, the Weill Greenberg

providing patients with access to primary and specialty care, as

directorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;he began his

how can we make

Centers in Haiti, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) and global

facility, consolidated numerous clinical programs under one roof,

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like in the future, and

Love the Skin You Are In:

Weill Cornell Medicine Celebrates 20 Years Since Renaming

Speaking to faculty, staff and students at a packed Uris

experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;look

Andrew J. Dannenberg, MD

15 at Weill Cornell Medicine â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to force us to face the fact

total patient

Lewis C. Cantley, PhD

Â˛ÂŹÂ&#x20AC;Â˛ÂĽÂ˛Â&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ä?ÄŤ Ă&#x192;tÂ&#x2122;Â&#x2026; Â&#x2122;ÂżÂ&#x2030;Â&#x20AC;Ă&#x2030;Â˛Âż ÂżÄ&#x201D; :Â˛ÂżÂŤtÂŹ QÂ&#x2014;tÂżÂźÂĽÂ&#x2030;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192; Â&#x2026;Ă&#x17D;ÂżÂ&#x2122;ÂŹÂ&#x201C; t Ă&#x2030;tÂĽÂŁ 9tÂżÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2014;

at over 40 sites in

With its award-winning faculty, a state-of-theart clinical skills center Credit: Roger Tully

and a new curriculum

that utilizes innovative teaching methods, Weill Cornell Medicine is continuing to build upon its position as a premier academic medical center that provides a world-class education to the next generation of physician-scientists.

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

LEADING WITH COMPASSION Donnette Truss, business partner at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, conveys calm, earns trus BY SHOSHY CIMENT

Photo courtesy of Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club

A FOCUS ON FUTURE LEADERS Daniel Quintero of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club channels fund-raising events in Manhattan to serve children cross the city BY CHARMAINE P. RICE

Daniel Quintero has been empowering kids across the city for over three decades. Quintero is the Executive Director of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club for the past 21 years and has been a part of the organization for 35 years. As a youngster, he joined the Kips Bay Boys Club at the age of 10 and leveraged the Club’s programs to hone burgeoning leadership skills. He eventually became president of the Junior Leaders, coached baseball, and was crowned “Athlete of the Year” in 1976. Quintero returned to the Boys & Girls Club movement in a professional capacity in 1984 and has remained with the organization ever since. “What I ﬁnd most fulﬁlling about my role is that I’m helping to create the necessary resources so that thousands of children can take advantage of our educational, recreational, and empowerment programs.” Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club is a youth develop-

ment organization that provides programming geared to youngsters ages 6-18 at nine locations throughout the Bronx, along with a camp in Harriman, New York. A wide range of programs is offered, covering literacy, drug prevention, jobreadiness training, pregnancy prevention, the digital arts, and more. Quintero manages over 250 staff members, serving more than 10,000 children across nine Bronx locations. Fund-raising plays a key part in ensuring the continuity of the programs. “A challenging part of my job is keeping all our programs funded, and that means raising about $9 million annually. We do this through hosting special events including The Show House, [a popular annual event where high-proﬁle interior designers transform a Manhattan home into a stunning showcase of the latest design trends and art] and partnerships with foundations and corporations,” explained Quintero. “At the end of the day,” he added, “we are building self-esteem and self-worth so that these young people are equipped to become future leaders. Our programs will enable kids and young adults to compete and be prepared for the complex society and the world we live in.”

Our programs will enable kids and young adults to compete and be prepared for the complex society and the world we live in.” Daniel Quintero

Donnette Truss didn’t plan on going into the health-care industry. But her chance decision to accept a job managing billing at a dialysis center led her to a fulfilling, extended career in human resources. “I took advantage of opportunities presented to me,” Truss said. “And over time, there was no place else I’d rather be.” Almost 15 years later, Truss has served as the president of the Association of Healthcare Human Resources Administrators of Greater New York and was a 2017 recipient of the Gary Willis Leadership award for her work in human resources management and her leadership in implementing an electronic timekeeping system, a project that affected more than 5,000 hospital employees. Today, Truss’s role at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital as a business partner has solidified her as an irreplaceable and trustworthy leader at Mount Sinai. “She has earned the trust and respect of the staff across the hospital and health system,” said Christopher Berner, vice president of human resources for Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “She has taught me a great deal, and serves as an aspirational role model for maintaining composure and calm in moments of stress.” In perhaps the most stressful situation in her career at Mount Sinai Beth Israel — the current internal and external transformation of the hospital — Truss has proven her ability to lead compassionately with a steady vision. Until a few years ago, Mount Sinai Beth Israel used to be known as the Beth Israel Medical Center. As part of the process to revitalize Mount Sinai Beth Israel, the decision was made to shrink inpatient services, expand ambulatory service and transfer to a smaller facility. Such changes plunged the hospital into a multi-staged process that required employees to transfer to various institutions to prevent any layoffs of union staff. “It’s a huge change that impacts people’s personal lives,” said Truss, who meets personally with every employee who is going through the process. “It can be an extremely emotional issue for the folks who are transitioning through it.” In addition to the firm qualities required for overseeing placement decisions, empathy and compassion are essential for dealing with a project of such a personal nature. “It’s not easy,” Truss said. But to many who know her, Truss has perfected the balance between assertiveness and a kind presence, making her a dependable source of comfort for the hundreds of employees undergoing this daunting process. To Truss, hearing about the positive effects of her work is what makes it all worth it. “The moments I relish the most are the unsolicited stories of the impact my work has had on leaders, staff and my colleagues,” she said.

Photo: Storr Todd

I took advantage of opportunities presented to me…. And over time, there was no place else I’d rather be.” Donnette Truss

But in addition to her achievements in the professional world, Truss’s greatest accomplishment to date is her children, two daughters aged almost 25 and 22. “They are fearless and have such a lust for life,” said Truss. “To have a ringside seat to their lives as adults brings me joy.”

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

Photo: Claudio Papapietro

RECLAIMING THE STREETS Paul Steely White has pushed New York to build safe and sustainable transportation networks BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Transportation Alternatives’ goal to “reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile and advocate for better bicycling, walking and public transit” hasn’t always been met with open arms. “For the better part of our history, that has been a very controversial mission,” said Paul Steely White, the group’s executive director. Since the nonprofit was founded in 1973, detractors have called its members car-hating zealots and worse. But in an age in which the city has enthusiastically adopted the Vision Zero road safety initiative and in the last ﬁve years added 330 miles of bike lanes to city streets (in the face of, yes, some auto-borne resistance, but also with signiﬁcant public support) it’s difficult to argue that a tangible corner hasn’t been turned toward a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly future for New York — and Transportation Alternatives has led the charge. “It’s only really been in the last couple years, I think — and it might sound a little extravagant — that the world has caught up to us,” said White, who joined Transportation Alternatives in 2004. “I think there’s a really widespread realization now that there’s something antithetical about the car and the city. There’s something incompatible with large-scale motor vehicle use in a dense metropolis like New York. There just isn’t enough room.” The group’s message has become acutely relevant in the face of the city’s subway and congestion woes. But in crisis, White sees opportunity. In particular, he hopes that the impending shutdown of the L train for tunnel repairs, dur-

ing which the Department of Transportation plans to close 14th Street to all vehicles except buses during peak hours and install a two-way protected bike lane on 13th Street, will serve as a model for easing pressure on the limited-capacity subway system by “getting more out of our surface transportation network.” “The silver lining of the L train shutdown is that it forces us, as a city and a state, to forge some new solutions that use the streets in some radically different ways,” he said, “Essentially we’re talking about turning our surface streets into transit corridors so that they are much more efficient and have much more capacity to move people and still leave room for the things that we love.” White traces his own love of bicycling to his first ride, which came as his parents were in the midst of a difficult divorce. “I had never learned how to ride a bike until I was maybe 7 and my dad took a weekend to teach me how to ride,” he said. “It was a tough time emotionally, but that feeling of flight and freedom when you finally get it felt like such a liberating experience,” White said. White’s favorite bicycle ride in New York is part of his morning commute from his home in Red Hood to Transportation Alternatives’ offices in the Financial District. “If I have about 10 extra minutes I’ll ride right along the waterfront through Brooklyn Bridge Park,” he said. “It’s such an exhilarating and relaxing way to start my day.” “What we do now is so much more than just bicycling — it’s tied to traffic safety and healthy transit and the rest — but bicycling is still our heart and soul, and it is for me too,” White said. “It’s really what keeps my batteries charged and keeps me jazzed and juiced to really attack my work.”

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

congratulates

the 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x153;DOTTYâ&#x20AC;? Honorees and thanks each of them for making downtown a better place to live and work.

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APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

2018 DOTTY WINNER

2018 DOTTY WINNERS

THE FIRST RESPONDERS Jin Huan Yang and Anthony Fracchiolla, six months on the job, were first EMTs on the scene following Halloween terror attack BY ASHAD HAJELA

Photo: Anne Kristoff

‘I LOVE DOWNTOWN’ After retiring from the NYPD, Ron Wolfgang was ready for a new challenge at the Alliance for Downtown New York BY ANNE KRISTOFF

Good luck trying to give Ron Wolfgang an award. “It’s not about me,” he said, of his DOTTY award. “It’s about everybody I work with and the support I get from the boss and everybody else here. Every positive adjective you can think of — hardworking, brilliant, diligent — we have in Operations. It’s about the work that we do collectively.” Wolfgang is the Senior Vice President of Operations for the Alliance for Downtown New York, an organization founded in 1995 that provides supplemental services (public safety, sanitation, economic development, and more) to businesses and residents in the Financial District. Wolfgang joined the Downtown Alliance 11 years ago after retiring from the NYPD. The Staten Island native spent the ﬁrst half of his career in the nearby First Precinct. After retiring, he was ready for a new challenge. “I like the uniqueness of this position,” he said. “It’s not just security, sanitation, it’s a little bit of everything, so you’re constantly using your knowledge and skills. I like the wide spectrum of disciplines.” He also loves the location. “My father was a police officer in the First Precinct too and he always told me ‘Downtown’s great!,’” he recalled. “I love Downtown. I love the history. I like to hear the old stories of immigrants who came through and made it.” One of the biggest changes to the area is also one of its biggest challenges: the sheer number

What I am most proud of is being here every day, caring about what we do. I would like people to say thank you to our folks on the street.” Ron Wolfgang

of people that crowd into its old Colonial-era grid. “There are over 60,000 residents now, whereas before there were about 20,000. We’ve at least tripled with that,” he said. “And a lot of tourists. Last year, the number was 13 and a half million, just down here speciﬁcally.” Which means space is at a premium and keeping those spaces clean and safe is one of the Alliance’s main functions. To that end, the Alliance has a veritable army of red suited workers who hit the street every day. Cleaners, public safety, and folks manning information kiosks and running the circulator bus. “What I am most proud of is being here everyday, caring about what we do,” Wolfgang said. “I would like people to say thank you to our folks on the street ... it’s our staff that really does all the work.”

On October 31, the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11 took place along the bike path bordering the Hudson River. There, Sayfullo Saipov, a Paterson, New Jersey, man and ISIS acolyte, drove a rented truck for a mile and wreaked carnage along the Hudson River Greenway, between Houston Street and Chambers Street, slamming into bicyclists and pedestrians, leaving both their bodies and their bikes gnarled on the concrete path. Before Saipov’s rented terror truck smashed into a school bus near Stuyvesant High School on West Street, eight would be fatally injured and scores injured. Ryan Nash, an NYPD officer from the First Precinct shot and incapacitated Saipov, preventing him from causing more carnage. Not all heroes were as conspicuous as Nash. City Fire Department emergency medical technicians also played a key role by responding early, likely limiting the number of dead. “I saw people running in the streets. People were just running in the middle of the highway. I thought to myself, why are people running in the middle of the highway? That’s dangerous,” said Jin Huan Yang, 26, an EMT who together with his partner, Anthony Fracchiolla, were responding to a different call when they drove up on the scene. Yang and Fracchiolla, 21, responded immediately, going into the midst of chaos to treat the injured. Theirs was the first FDNY unit on the scene. “Our main objective was to help,” Yang said. Yang is a first-generation Asian American who has been in the United States ever since he could remember. He applied to be an EMT for FDNY on a whim. This was his first serious incident. Yang was not the only new person on the job. He and his partner, Anthony Fracchiolla, only 21, had joined FDNY as EMTs only six months prior to the attack. Fracchiolla clambered on to the school bus that was hit by the pickup truck and freed a girl stuck at the back. He had, he said, to “try to stay calm, relax and just do the job.” Although neither Yang nor Fracchiolla had experienced a situation of a similar magnitude, they said they were well prepared through their training. But the extent of the situation truly hit them when they were out in the field. “You see injuries, people crying on the floor. It hits you. People are looking at you,” Fracchiolla said. Fracchiolla had always tried to help people when he was growing up. When he was younger, he used to help a neighbor shovel snow. Fracchiolla has now taken up a career helping people. However, after the attack, he had one regret — “Knowing that I wasn’t able to help all the victims,” he said.

Jin Huan Yang. Photo courtesy of FDNY

Anthony Fracciolla. Photo courtesy of FDNY

You see injuries, people crying on the floor. It hits you. People are looking at you.” Anthony Fracchiolla

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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Baba Brinkman’s latest hip-hop comedy. He shines a light on free will, brain cells, and climate change.

A revival of Basil Twist’s boundary-breaking surreal show set in a 1,000-gallon water tank.

Five teams of actors perform original ten-minute episodic plays.

SOHO PLAYHOUSE MAINSTAGE - 15 VANDAM ST

HERE ARTS CENTER - 145 6TH AVE

THE FLEA THEATER / THE SIGGY - 20 THOMAS ST

WHAT’S TRENDING ACROSS NYC

COMING SOON FROM $85

FROM $45

THE METROMANIACS 77 REVIEWS JUST OPENED

THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE PREVIEWS START MAY 04

A new adaptation of Henry James’s classic 1903 novella, fusing dance, drama, and music to tell this romantic tale of love and loss.

VINEYARD THEATRE - 108 E 15TH ST

A breezy “transladaptation” of a French farce by David Ives with scheming servants, verbal acrobatics, and mistaken identities.

FROM $35

ME AND MY GIRL

THE DUKE - 229 W 42ND ST

PREVIEWS START MAY 08

FROM $30

Encores! brings this delightfully old-fashioned musical comedy to New York for the first time in nearly 30 years.

TRANSFERS 30 REVIEWS JUST OPENED

NEW YORK CITY CENTER - 131 W 55TH ST

FROM $25

OLD NAMES FOR WILDFLOWERS

A new drama about gifted students from the South Bronx that asks: how do you break through a system designed to lock you out?

SPENS MAY 11

The Civil War is over, but the scabs it left still itch. A fox stalks the clearing behind the Auberts home, a love triangle goes horribly wrong, and a family is destroyed.

LUCILLE LORTEL THEATRE - 121 CHRISTOPHER ST

FROM $50

THE SEAFARER 19 REVIEWS JUST OPENED

THE TANK - 312 W 36TH ST

FROM $15

EXQUISITA AGONIA

OPENS MAY 25

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz debuts his newest play about the survival of a modern family who must confront their past.

Matthew Broderick stars as a visitor to Dublin whose arrival turns a game of poker into a gamble for one player’s soul.

REPERTORIO ESPANOL - 138 E 27TH ST

IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE - 132 W 22ND ST

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APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Cellilst Laura Navasardian, 14, ﬁrstplace winner of the 92Y School of Music concerto competition. Photo courtesy of 92Y

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Yana Stotland, director of the 92Y School of Music. Photo courtesy of 92Y

Ian Maloney, 13, won a chance to perform in the 92Y School of Music concerto competition. Photo courtesy of 92Y

BRIDGING GENERATIONS THROUGH MUSIC Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the 92nd Street Y Orchestra brings together instrumentalists who “make a difference in people’s lives” BY SHOSHY CIMENT

For the 92nd Street Y School of Music Orchestra, continuity is key. Now in its centennial year, 92Y Orchestra is still committed to the same principles upon which it was founded in 1917. That is, providing musical opportunities to amateurs and non-professional musicians in New York City. Of course, it isn’t entirely the same as it once was. As the longest-running community-based orchestra in New York City, 92Y Orchestra has transformed somewhat over the last 100 years. But while rehearsals, concert pieces and membership have all shifted slightly, the underlying goals of the orchestra have survived. In certain cases, the orchestra has even returned to its ancient customs without realizing it. “We’ve made it full circle unintentionally,” said Yana Stotland, the director of the 92Y School of Music. She noted how the orchestra, which had departed from its original rehearsal time of 3 p.m. on Sundays a while ago, has now shifted back to that time as a result of changes throughout the years.

To Stotland, the orchestra’s ability to simultaneously celebrate its history while looking forward to the future is what has kept it relevant. The 92Y School of Music and accompanying orchestra foster programming for kids, adults, and senior citizens. The school, which boasts around 1000 students each semester, offers private music lessons, group instruction classes, chamber music classes and a chorus that exclusively performs selections from the American musical theater songbook. “It’s such a beautiful union of sharing something that is universal,” said Stotland. “Music means a lot to these people.” The 92Y School of Music Concerto Competition, which is open to students who are 17 years old and younger, gives budding musicians the rare opportunity to perform on stage with a semi-professional orchestra. The winners of the 2018 competition, 14-year-old Laura Navasardian and 13-year-old Ian Maloney, were the soloists for the 92Y Orchestra’s centennial concert on April 22. “It was really an honor to win and just be a part of it,” said Navasardian, who has been playing the cello since she was six. Navasardian performed Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, the piece that won her first place at the 2018 concerto competition.

“If you are making people feel something, that’s what matters,” she said. Maloney’s piece with the 60-member orchestra was Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, which he started learning when he was eight-years-old. In addition to the cello, Maloney plays the piano and the trumpet and hopes to become a professional musician. “That’s really what I want to do,” he said. Musicians in the orchestra range from teenagers to people in their eighties and nineties; some people have been performing there for decades. “I think it’s really the community that makes it different,” said Tomo Matsuo, the 92Y Orchestra’s music director since 2014. “They all sort of come together and shed their personas of their daily lives.” Like many of the musicians in the orchestra, Matsuo also has a day job; he is an executive in ﬁnancial services. But despite the differences in the orchestra’s personnel, a love of music is the uniting factor for a group that spans generations. To Stotland, who will be celebrating her eighth year with the 92Y school music in August, there is no more satisfying career than one in music. “You make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “It sounds cliché, but you do!”

Tomo Matsuo has been the 92Y Orchestra’s music director since 2014. Photo: Ed Panganiban

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Business

GOING CASHLESS Faster lines as restaurants forgo payments in bills and coins BY JOYCE M. ROSENBERG

Views of the East River bridges, downtown skyline and Brooklyn waterfront will be among the offerings at the new multipurpose commercial space set to open next month at Pier 17. Photo: Michael Garofalo

PIER 17 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ard Hughes executive Saul Scherl said. “We’re planning on making it lounge-y,” he said. A 1.5-acre rooftop space with public seating offers sweeping views of the downtown skyline, East River bridges and Brooklyn waterfront. Future plans for the roof include a 50-seat restaurant and an ice skating rink in the winter months. The roof will double as a 3,400-person venue for concerts and other events, prompting concerns from some neighbors about excessive noise. The stage will face south towards Governors’ Island, which Howard Hughes officials said would project sound away from nearby buildings; plans originally called for the stage to face west toward Lower Manhattan. The second floor houses ESPN’s live broadcast studios, where the network began filming a new flagship morning show in early April. The developer is still seeking a tenant for commercial space on the third floor. “The building was built one foot above the new FEMA requirements” instituted after Superstorm Sandy, Scherl said, and the structure’s power lines can be sealed off from water during a flood event. The old Pier 17 building did not flood during Sandy. Howard Hughes Corp., which leases Piera 17 from the city through an agreement with the New York City Economic Development Corp., has invested roughly $781 million in the

pier and the surrounding Seaport District in an effort to transform the neighborhood from a tourist haven to an upscale commercial destination. The Tin Building, which stands between Pier 17 and the FDR Drive, is in the process of being renovated and will eventually hold a food hall overseen by Vongerichten. The fate of the neighboring site that holds the New Market Building is as yet unclear. Howard Hughes Corp. previously planned to build a residential tower at the site, but abandoned the proposal in 2015 in the face of local opposition. NYCEDC announced in January that the building, which once housed the Fulton Fish Market and is outside of the South Street Seaport Historic District, would be demolished. In response, Community Board 1 passed a resolution admonishing the EDC for moving to demolish the vacant building while providing no details on the timeline and “nothing about future plans for this historic and sensitive site.” “[W]e regrettably find that the EDC [...] has continued its previous practice of not sharing important information with the CB or the community nor consulting with the community in advance of making important decisions despite the CB’s repeated requests to do so,” the resolution stated, continuing, “we do not want to see another tower proposal for the New Market site.” Michael Garofalo: reporter@strausnews. com

The lunchtime lines at Dos Toros move faster these days — customers don’t fumble for bills or coins, and employees don’t make change. Since around New Year’s, the Mexican food chain has been cashless. “For the vast majority of customers, there’s no reaction at all; they’re already paying with their cards. And the signiﬁcant majority of cash customers don’t have any problem with it either,” says co-owner Leo Kremer, who has 14 stores in New York and one in Chicago. If people do try to use cash, employees explain the reasons for the change — faster service for customers, saving the business time and money. The trend toward cashless small and mid-sized businesses is fairly new. Many of the companies adopting the policy are restaurants with menus and prices more upscale than fastfood chains, but service that aims to be almost as quick as a McDonald’s or Subway. During a busy lunch hour with customers lined up at ordering stations and cashiers, forgoing cash means faster transactions. Sweetgreen, the popular salad chain, went cashless in 2017. Many business owners would rather be cashless. Cash actually costs money — banks charge fees for cash deposits and to handle coins. If businesses take in enough cash to justify pickups by armored car services, that’s another cost, and given that restaurants can be a target for holdups, not one that can be eliminated. And counting and checking cash and preparing it for deposit takes up time a manager could spend with staff or customers. “We feel a manager’s time is so valuable, and it was being spent on what is only 10 percent of our revenue,” says Kremer, who also says revenue at Dos Toros hasn’t been hurt by the transition. Millions of consumers use little or no cash. In a survey released last month by the financial services company Capital One, only 21 percent of 2,000 people questioned said cash was their most common way to pay for things. But going cashless isn’t a slam-dunk. Some customers who want to use cash point to a statement on paper money: “This note is legal tender for all debts public and private.” However, the Federal Reserve says on its website that

Sweetgreen, the popular salad chain, went cashless in 2017. Photo: bryan ..., via ﬂickr private companies can make their own policies about cash unless there is a state law saying otherwise. Massachusetts does have such a law. One concern about cashless restaurants is that they exclude would-be customers who don’t have bank accounts or credit cards. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. found in a 2015 survey that about 9 million households didn’t have bank accounts. Nearly 60 percent of households without bank accounts or cards said they didn’t have enough money to keep in an account. Customers will be more understanding if store employees explain the rationale for going cashless, and how it might beneﬁt them, says Utpal Dholakia, a marketing professor at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. “I think customers are very happy to trade off their ability to use cash to get this service in return,” he says, and notes the popularity of apps that let

people order and pay for food online or on their phones and bypass the line completely to pick it up. When Tender Greens went cashless earlier this year, it took other steps to improve the experience for customers, says Denyelle Bruno, president of the chain that has 29 stores in California, New York and Boston. Customers no longer need to sign charge receipts under $25, and lines move faster since managers have more time to help out. Tender Greens, whose menu includes salads, sandwiches, ﬁsh and chicken, isn’t seeing frustrated customers give up and leave the line, Bruno says. Signs throughout the stores alert customers to the no-cash policy. But occasionally, people are still surprised when it’s time to pay — and some have no other form of payment on them. “We give the food to the guest” in those cases, Bruno says. “Our goal is never to turn people away when they get to that point.”

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS APR 11-17, 2018 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. McDonald’s

160 Broadway

Casa Toscana

12 John Street

The Great American Bagel Bakery

200 Broadway

Not Yet Graded (34) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

224 Front St

Pho Bang Restaurant

157 Mott Street

Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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.

Cheese Grille

188 Allen St

The Burgary

67 Clinton St

Grade Pending (23) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Evidence of rats or live rats 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.

Yokoya

201 Allen St

Macaron Parlour

44 Hester St

Champion Pizza

101 Ludlow St

Not Yet Graded (28) 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. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/ or non-food areas.

Kahuna Wave

43 Clinton St

Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Sandy Coffee Shop

212 Delancey St

Grade Pending (20) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Remedy Diner

245 East Houston Street

Grade Pending (21) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

New Wong Restaurant

103 East Broadway

Fiore’s Pizza

165 Bleecker Street

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse

409 Greenwich Street A

Amity Hall

80 West 3 Street

Souk & Sandwich

117 Ave Of The Americas

Dominique Ansel Bakery

189 Spring Street

Grand Bo Ky Restaurant

214216 Grand Street

Grade Pending (32) 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. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Le Pain Quotidien

205 Bleecker St

Dojo Restaurant

10 West 4 Street

Grade Pending (27) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewageassociated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Vin Et Fleurs

69 Thompson Street

Parisi Bakery

198 Mott Street

Delicatessen Macbar

54 Prince Street

Botanica Bar

47 East Houston Street

12 Corners Coffee

121 Mott St

Hometown Hotpot & BBQ

194 Grand St

196 Loving Tea

196 Canal St

Tracey Anderson

90 Franklin St

Saluggi’s

325 Church Street

Salaam Bombay

319 Greenwich Street

Cafe Bari

276 Canal St

Samurice

261 Canal St

Banh Mi Saigon Bakery

198 Grand Street

Nom Wah Tea / Dim Sum Palor

13 Doyers Street

Grade Pending (17) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Peasant

194 Elizabeth Street

Nagomi

179 Prince Street

The Grey Dog Mulberry

244 Mulberry Street

Da Nico Restaurant

164 Mulberry Street

Hello Saigon

180 Bleecker St

Soho Grand Hotel

310 West Broadway

Grade Pending (20) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations.

Caffe Palermo

148 Mulberry Street

Sevilla Restaurant

62 Charles Street

Nice One Bakery

47 Bayard St

CLOSED (38) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment.

Grade Pending (23) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. 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.

Joey Pepperoni Pizza

381 Broadway

Tortilla Flats

767 Washington St

Cafe Petisco

189 East Broadway

Trattoria I Malatesta

649 Washington St

Dixon Place

161 Chrystie Street

Phillip Marie

569 Hudson Street

One Mile House

1012 Delancy Street

Wxou Radio

558 Hudson Street

Ivan Ramen

25 Clinton St

Tue Thai Food

3 Greenwich Avenue

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

YOUR 15 MINUTES

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS The executive director of the city’s largest volunteer organization on the ‘joyful endeavor’ that is his work BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Gary Bagley revels on the impact his organization has on the lives of New Yorkers. As executive director of New York Cares, the largest volunteer organization in the city, filling over 200,000 volunteer positions in the city annually, he is always focused on where there’s need anywhere in New York City. “Every month, 11,000 people get off their couch or up from behind their desk and show up somewhere in the ﬁve boroughs,” he said. The Washington Heights resident highlights the organization’s volunteers for their dedication on projects like sorting donations at their annual holiday coat drive, aiding in disaster relief, serving at soup kitchens, and assisting students with homework. Still, there’s always more to be done, Bagley said “When I feel good about the work we’re doing at a certain school, I can’t help but think about the school two blocks away that doesn’t have access to our volunteers,” he said. In any one year, New York Cares serves more than a half a million city residents and helps 1,275 nonprofits and schools. With numbers such as numberssuchas those, it’s not surprising that when asked what one of the best parts of his job is, he said it’s knowing all the neighbor-

hoods, schools and individuals that the institution and its volunteers have touched.

What is the key to operating the largest volunteer organization in New York? New York Cares’ founders were meeting a pressing need in the city, which is that volunteers want to have access to high quality, high impact experiences. And, nonprofits and schools generally want to benefit from that. But for a lot of reasons, the two were not able to get together well. One of the things that we do at New York Cares is focus is on ease of access. So for volunteers, they go to one 45-minute orientation, then they have access to about 1,700 projects every month. Now, in terms of accessibility for nonprofits and schools, we provide a number of programs that are known to be good for volunteers and clients of the organization. Whether that’s STEM programming for elementary school kids, SAT prep program for high school kids, helping adults get back in the workforce, painting and gardening, we have 30 years of developing programs that we can offer to our schools and nonprofits.

There are 1,300 team leaders who are crucial to yyour operations running so smoothly. The real rea reason we’re able to do this much is that we provide those volunteers with a person on-site, who is called the volunteer team leader. This vol person is a volunteer from our datavo meaning unpaid. They volunbase, meani teered with us, then interview and become a team leader, and apply to bec then go to a training session. When you’re a volunteer and show up on vol the day of you your project, there’s a New York Cares tteam leader there who will actually h help manage the experience. And A the reason that’s so important is that’s the key capacity that most schools and nonproﬁts lack, that on-site management. We hear all the horror stories, like “They forgot I was coming.” Or even more important, if it’s a home-

Gary Bagley is executive director of New York Cares, which serves more than 500,000 city residents annually. Photo: Lyn Hughes

As executive director of New York Cares, Gary Bagley oversees an organization that ﬁlls 200,000 volunteer positions each year. Photo: New York Cares less shelter or a public school, things may happen that are more urgent than the fact that you’re showing up to read to a child that day. So this allows us to provide consistency for the volunteer and for the nonproﬁt partner or school.

What is the demographic of your volunteers? Seventy percent of our volunteers are between the ages of 18 and 34, which is really cool, because that’s not the typical demographic of most volunteers. They want to learn more about community issues and want the ability to give back more mindfully. We were founded by a group of volunteers who were working. And so their biggest barrier to volunteering was that they had jobs. So we’ve always focused on making sure that there’s this ease of access and therefore, a lot of our programs take place outside the traditional nine to ﬁve workday. Although we certainly have a good share of daytime programming. We’re also ﬁnding when people move to New York City, volunteering is way to get to know New York. It’s a great way to meet like-minded New Yorkers in a really positive setting.

Tell us a story of a person whose life has been changed by your organization. I think we ﬁrst connected with her eight years ago, a wonderful woman named Tonya Ingram. Tonya grew up in our programs. She was working with a local social services agency in the Bronx and in the ﬁfth grade, went on one of our Read to Me programs. And New York Cares volunteers were the reason she got her first library card. And she stayed connected to us, and eventually, years later, when she

was preparing for her SATs, the organization that she was working with also brought in a New York Cares SAT prep program. And so Tonya, who is very bright, then did very well on her SATs. And one of her volunteers, who had gone to NYU, asked her if she was applying there and Tonya said, “I don’t know NYU.” And they took her on a trip there, and she ended getting I think a full scholarship. And she’s remained connected to us. She’s turned into a wonderful, talented poet. There’s a virtuous circle in volunteerism, which is that folks who have been given a lot and helped, then feel compelled to help others.

There is also a disaster relief component. You were there for Hurricane Sandy. As horrible as Superstorm Sandy was, there was a moment for New York Cares where we were truly at the hub of people who wanted to help and a place where there was great need. And the skill in deploying people where they can really be helpful when there are so many unknowns, is very challenging. I do list the follow-up to Hurricane Sandy as possibly the most exciting period of time in my career. Our donors stepped up and we raised over three-and-half-million dollars just dedicated toward disaster response. In the first six months, we deployed 25,000 individuals to help and really challenged ourselves. There was not a strong nonproﬁt infrastructure in the Rockaways, coastal Brooklyn or Staten Island at the time. We had to test our systems, learn how to work directly with homeowners, bring a lot of resource into that area and really make a full dedication to that work. I’ve never done so much on so little sleep in my life. But I will tell you, in the course

of 30 days, we staffed up and built a disaster response team of nine or 10 people and some of them have gone on to careers in disaster recovery work because it really spoke to them.

New York Cares is also known for its holiday coat drive. What are some stats from this past winter’s? I’m proud to say we collected and distributed over 104,000 coats to New Yorkers in need. And this is truly a citywide effort. We partner with the NYPD; people can donate at any police precinct in the five boroughs. We collect at transportation hubs. We have 1,300 groups that collect, whether it’s individuals who run a collection at their company, real estate firms in the lobby of their buildings, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, synagogues, churches, mosques. It’s such a spirit of folks collecting. And it’s powered by volunteers who are bringing the coats in, getting them sorted. We work with our nonprofit partners who need them to, as soon as they’re ready, get them right back out to the communities they serve. It’s an amazing logistical journey. I drop my coat in a box in a police precinct and it somehow ends up in another borough on a person’s back, and sometimes in as short as two weeks and at the busiest time, within four weeks. www.newyorkcares.org

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S K M C C D K U A L H W V C M

P M K E E L B B L Q C B E I K

R A S T E E R W E X Y L S S V

A S P I N N A K E R A G W U N

The puzzle contains the following 15 words. They may be diagonal, across, or up and down in the grid in any direction.

Y T R J A T S I V O K G D T W

Canoe Decks Gale Kayak Keel Mast Oars Sailing Spinnaker Spray Steer Tack Waves Wind Yacht

ANSWERS S

48 41

A O

E M P 33

O M

R M A 45

A T

M A

G O

18 15 12

R 3

N 4

D E

E 7

E R

N K

S M U

30 1

C O O

G H W A

B U B

Y T S

E W

G R

U O 10

A S

2 9 6

5 8

2 4

4 1

7 5 6

4 7 5 1 6 3 2 8 9

5 2 1 9 3 4 8 6 7

3 8 9 6 7 2 5 4 1

6 4 7 8 1 5 3 9 2

9 6 4 3 2 8 1 7 5

1 3 8 7 5 6 9 2 4

7 5 2 4 9 1 6 3 8

25 Occupy 27 Subside 28 Hey, Mac! 29 Swine enclosure 33 Fashionable haircut 34 Nave bench 35 Skip ____ 36 Fend off a threat for example (2 words) 37 Pitch 38 Greatest 41 Metal fastener 42 ___ of Man 43 Fishing tackle 44 Enameled metalware 45 Mideast chief 46 Network of veins, etc 47 Midleg

H N S U T L C G I L H J W P F

8 1

49 Dove call 50 Black cat, maybe 51 Picnic dish 52 Lord of the Rings good guy 53 Something to build on 54 Extra 55 Sports fight blocker 56 Larch Down 1 Mild cheese 2 Hindu melodic formula 3 Multivitamin supplement 4 Add gold to 5 Cheap flight 6 Greek war god 7 Turbulent 8 Ptero___ (flying dinosaur) 9 Tangelo type 10 Black-and-white cookie 11 Cut, as a log 19 Bad weather for driving 20 Street, for short 23 Any boat 24 Mingle at a party

U Z D H S J X D I F N B U Q O

G T C E J J H A D B B N O I K

O A R S C T S T T U O H F K S

Y E J M S V O C H C C B S N W

Y T R J A T S I V O K G D T W

A S P I N N A K E R A G W U N

R A S T E E R W E X Y L S S V

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

P M K E E L B B L Q C B E I K

S K M C C D K U A L H W V C M

U V W Z A W E A G R V U A M C

P W I N D T E A Y H X P W Z A

5 2

Level: Medium

U D E C K S O S O A T F G O N

Across 1 Hudson river link 5 “Yay!” 8 Couples 12 Put in stitches 13 Poetic palindrome 14 Indian tourist stop 15 All stirred up 16 Holly and the ivy time, for short 17 Ball of yarn, thread 18 Something that appears 21 Myrna of “The Thin Man” 22 Brown, e.g. 23 Blotch 26 Hollywood stars 30 Greetings 31 On the other hand 32 Release 36 Short 39 Over, old way 40 Chow down 41 It shows the top point achieved (2 words) 48 Sailing the Paciﬁc

S Q V M U Y N R Z A K N J N O

N B V I J B A E M V I T G I Y

H N S U T L C G I L H J W P F

U Z D H S J X D I F N B U Q O

G T C E J J H A D B B N O I K

O A R S C T S T T U O H F K S

Y E J M S V O C H C C B S N W

5 4

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

A W

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

Downtowner 1

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

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APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018

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Volume 2 | Issue 1

The Pulse of

Lenox Health Greenwich Village

Make no bones about it – prevention is key: 5 tips for maintaining strong and healthy bones Osteoporosis makes bones more susceptible to fractures and breaks. Bones naturally lose density with age, but you can still help keep them strong. May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, so it’s a great time to take action. 1. Boost calcium consumption. Calcium helps give bones their strength. Maintain the recommended daily intake of 1,0001,200 mg with good sources of calcium including low-fat dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and soy products such as tofu. 2. Don’t forget about vitamin D. For best absorption, pair calciumrich foods with those high in vitamin D, such as salmon, milk and orange juice. Adequate sunlight also provides your body with vitamin D. 3. Pump up the protein. Protein is one of the essential building blocks of bones. Eat plenty of protein-rich foods like eggs, Greek yogurt, lean chicken, beans and nuts. 4. Cut back on the alcohol and avoid smoking. Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption restrict your body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients, which can decrease bone density and increase the chance of fractures. 5. Make exercise a priority. People who spend a lot of time sitting have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Combine strength training, weight bearing and balance exercises (such as walking, running, skipping rope and stair climbing) to benefit bones.

Did you know…

52 million Americans are aﬀected by osteoporosis and low bone density. If you think you may be at risk, see our specialists, who oﬀer bone density tests to assess and diagnose this condition. Did you know…

Only 35 percent of American adults consume the recommended daily intake of calcium. If you find it diﬃcult to get enough calcium from your diet, consider taking a calcium supplement.

Our advanced Imaging Center is dedicated to meeting the radiology needs of the entire Greenwich Village community. Learn more at Northwell.edu/LenoxHealthImaging or call (646) 846-1452.

APRIL 26-MAY 2,2018