Our Town Downtown - September 27, 2018

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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER

27-3

CURBING GRIDLOCK ◄ P.8

2018

THE BOSS IN THE MIRROR WORKFORCE After hitting the mid-century mark, legions of East Siders, West Siders, downtowners, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen residents are mustering the courage, and cash, to go into business for themselves BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

Sarah Carroll (right), pictured here at the unveiling of a new marker in the DUMBO Historic District in Brooklyn, is Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pick to lead the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Carroll has served on the LPC staff for over two decades. Photo: NYC LPC, via Flickr

PRESERVATIONIST TAPPED AS NEW LANDMARKS CHAIR NEIGHBORHOODS Sarah Carroll, career LPC staffer, is mayor’s choice to lead agency BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

In a move that has soothed the concerns of some activists concerned with the direction of the city’s historic preservation efforts, Mayor Bill de Blasio has tapped the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s top staffer to serve as the agency’s next chair. Sarah Carroll, who has served as the LPC’s executive director for the last four years, is the administration’s nominee to lead the 11-member commission. If approved by the City Council, Carroll would succeed Meenakshi Srinivasan, who resigned earlier this year

amid a controversy over a set of proposed changes to agency rules that critics claimed would weaken public input in the landmarks process. The mayor’s nomination of Carroll — a career LPC staffer and preservationist — has quelled anxieties long held by some preservation advocates who felt the commission had been too permissive in allowing demolitions, alterations and new construction in historic districts under Srinivasan’s leadership. Carroll described herself as “a preservationist by training, profession and temperament” in Council testimony, explaining that she hopes to work to make the agency more open and transparent and expand community outreach as chair. “I believe my unique blend of expertise,

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The Upper West Side boasts more entrepreneurs among the over-50 set than any other neighborhood in the city — and the Upper East Side is a close second, a new research report found. But when it comes to becoming one’s own boss at the age of 60 and up, the UES takes the lead — and the UWS trails ever so slightly, according to data from the Center for an Urban Future. The boomer generation is reinventing the workplace. The phenomenon is called “encore entrepreneurship.” And its growth, from the Battery to central Harlem has been turbo-charged, the think tank determined. In the past decade, the ranks of selfemployed Manhattan residents 50 and over soared 19 percent, to 72,996 from 61,159, researchers found, while those aged 60-plus shot up 32 percent, to 41,190 from 31,152. Bottom line: Nearly one out of every three borough residents north of five decades, or 30.3 percent, is now working for themselves, and the selfemployment rate downtown stands at 40 percent, the data shows. Fueling the surge in business activity among 50-, 60- and 70-somethings is the graying of the city’s population — the 50-plus census has leaped over 10 percent since 2010 — along with ever-increasing lifespans and the accompanying need for older New York-

“Willing and ready learners”: social media event at the Senior Planet Exploration Center in Chelsea. Photo: Ashad Hajela

Ask most New Yorkers to picture an entrepreneur, and they imagine a 20- or 30-something in jeans and sneakers. But the face of entrepreneurship across New York City is changing.” Center for an Urban Future report ers to develop new income streams. Other factors include the lingering fallout from the layoffs of the Great Recession, the tough odds seniors face in the job market, persistent age discrimination in the workplace, the rise of the gig economy, the fall of both start-up costs and barriers to entry Downtowner

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12

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

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

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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20

2015

In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits

SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS

A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311

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

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due to advances in technology — and even the relative ease of setting up limited liability companies. “Folks in their 50s and 60s who’ve spent 30-plus years in larger companies are now leveraging their professional experience in the workforce,” said Eli Dvorkin, managing editor of the research institute. “They’ve got a lot to offer. And they’re trying to go it alone.” Many first-time business builders reinvent themselves as independent consultants or freelancers, deploying the intimate knowledge of their industries they developed as employees to provide similar services to customers, he said. But others venture into largely unchartered waters, Dvorkin said. Like the ex-corporate lawyer who created an LLC for a nutritional dog-treat ven-

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BIKE SAFETY, CONTINUED Sunday, September 16, 2:00 p.m., Columbus Avenue between 90-91st Street: a biker on the sidewalk, riding slowly, calmly. And on his shirtsleeve it read NYPD. What a role model. When I saw that I knew it would be hopeless to think that one day there would ever be a change in the mindset of the bikers who go through the lights, against traffic and frighten and hurt so many of us.

“bedpan alley,” the mecca of hospitals strung along York Ave. from East 66th St. to East 72nd St. How compassionate is the engineer who reconfigured the M72 stop to one of the most crowded and hectic locations on the UWS, next door to Grey’s Papaya, again providing no seating or shelter. The infirm must now cross two major avenues to get the M72. Is this another notch lower on our quality of life scale? Thanks, MTA.

Bunny Abraham Upper West Side

Patricia Arena Upper West Side

Bicycles should be licensed, just like cars.

EXPAND FERRY SERVICES

Pat Dale Upper West Side

DISAPPEARING BUS SHELTER I wonder who the rocket scientistMTA traffic engineer is who decided to remove the bench and bus shelter at 72nd St. and Broadway in from of Joseph’s Pharmacy. The shelter served the elders and disabled of the UWS who make their way via the M72 bus to what is commonly referred to as

There is still more NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio can do with his $325 million dollar ongoing citywide waterborne high-speed ferry services program (“River Boat Renaissance,” August 9-15). Our waterways are an underutilized natural asset which can offer significant transportation alternatives for thousands of New Yorkers. Most of our existing public transportation and roadways are already operating at or above capacity. New ferry services can be implemented far more quickly than construction of new subway,

commuter rail or highways, which can take years or even decades until completion of environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements and actual construction. Ferry boats equipped with modern fuel efficient engines can make a positive contribution to air quality. NYC can apply for capital grants from the New York State Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration to assist in funding. Albany also provides State Transportation Operating Assistance for transportation systems. Ridership on any transit service generates yearly federal transportation formula capital assistance. Numerous past private ferry operators have come and gone. They could not financially survive based upon farebox revenue alone without some sort of government subsidy. All of these proposed new ferry services will require subsidies if they are to survive. Mayor de Blasio still needs to convince the MTA Board to support his fare structure of $2.75 per ride to also include a free transfer to a bus or subway using the current MTA MetroCard. Last October, the MTA

SINCE

With the Empire State Building as a backdrop, a NYC Ferry vessel heads southbound down the East River opposite East 34th Street. A major expansion of the city’s ferry systeml connects the East 90th Street landing near Carl Schurz Park with Wall Street by way of 34th Street. Photo: NYC Ferry awarded a $573 million contract to Cubic Transportation Systems to replace the MetroCard. Between 2019 and 2021, new fare collection technology will be coming online for both subway and commuter rail riders. Why not include ferry riders as well? Riders could purchase weekly or monthly passes for discounted fares. These could be supplemented by using Transit Checks which will further reduce the

cost per ride. Who would not want to enjoy the fresh air and breeze that only waterborne transportation can provide? Riding a ferry can be less stressful than being packed in a subway car like sardines in a can. Larry Penner Great Neck, NY

1963

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG SUBWAY KNIFE ASSAULT A New Jersey man was cut by a knife-wielding man on the A train platform of the Chambers Street/ World Trade Center station following an early afternoon dispute on Sept. 14, police said. The 37-year-old man, from Plainfield, argued with a stranger who then lunged at the man and stabbed him, cutting him on his torso. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital conscious and alert. Police did not release his condition or whether an arrest was made.

SWAPLIFTING

CONSTRUCTION TOOLS STOLEN At 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 13, a 42-year-old male employee of BTR Innovative Builders Inc. arrived for work at a construction site at 53 Mercer St. and found a lock box inside the site pried open with tools missing. Other tools were found missing throughout the site as well. There were no signs of forced entry; the combination lock on the front door was intact, and 12 workers knew the combination. The missing items included a laser valued at $3,500, a floor nailer, a chipping gun, a hammer drill and other tools reportedly worth a total of $5,860.

CHANEL SURFING

STATS FOR THE WEEK

At 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16, a woman walked into Bluemercury beauty and spa store at 275 Greenwich St. and took beauty items valued totaling more than $4,000, police said. The woman grabbed Chanel and La Crème products, among others, and fled the store, hopped in a Toyota Camry and drove off.

Reported crimes from the 1st precinct for the week ending Sep 16

Two big-ticket shoplifting incidents inside the RealReal store at 80 Wooster St. were reported to police on Friday. In the first incident, which occurred at 3:48 p.m. on Tuesday, August 21, a man came into the store and, while the ring displays were out on the counter, concealed an expensive ring before leaving the location without paying. The stolen item was an engagement ring valued at $61,495. At 8 p.m. on Monday, September 10, a man entered the store and swapped his own watch for a Rolex.

Week to Date

Year to Date

2018 2017

% Change

2018

2017

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

1

0.0

Rape

0

0

n/a

17

12

41.7

Robbery

4

1

300.0

51

52

-1.9

Felony Assault

1

2

-50.0

40

61

-34.4

Burglary

0

3

-100.0

48

46

4.3

Grand Larceny

19

26

-26.9

723

735 -1.6

Grand Larceny Auto

0

1

-100.0

17

11

54.5

Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr

THIS ISN’T JUST A STUDENT This is tomorrow’s energy leader. Learn how we’re partnering with students to create energy solutions for the future at coned.com/partnerships

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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Useful Contacts

Word on the Street

POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct

19 ½ Pitt St.

212-477-7311

NYPD 6th Precinct

233 W. 10th St.

212-741-4811

NYPD 10th Precinct

230 W. 20th St.

212-741-8211

NYPD 13th Precinct

230 E. 21st St.

NYPD 1st Precinct

16 Ericsson Place

212-477-7411 212-334-0611

FIRE FDNY Engine 15

25 Pitt St.

311

FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5

227 6th Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11

222 E. 2nd St.

311

FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15

42 South St.

311

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin

165 Park Row #11

Councilmember Rosie Mendez

237 1st Ave. #504

212-587-3159 212-677-1077

Councilmember Corey Johnson

224 W. 30th St.

212-564-7757

State Senator Daniel Squadron

250 Broadway #2011

212-298-5565

Community Board 1

1 Centre St., Room 2202

212-669-7970

Community Board 2

3 Washington Square Village

212-979-2272

Community Board 3

59 E. 4th St.

212-533-5300

Community Board 4

330 W. 42nd St.

212-736-4536

Hudson Park

66 Leroy St.

212-243-6876

Ottendorfer

135 2nd Ave.

212-674-0947

Elmer Holmes Bobst

70 Washington Square

212-998-2500

COMMUNITY BOARDS

LIBRARIES

HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian

170 William St.

Mount Sinai-Beth Israel

10 Union Square East

212-844-8400

212-312-5110

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

TIME WARNER

46 East 23rd

813-964-3839

US Post Office

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212-645-0327

US Post Office

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US Post Office

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Photo: Steven Strasser

EXCERPTS FROM “TRANSFER QUEEN” BY A.W. STROUSE (PUNCTUM BOOKS, 2018)

35 hasidic DON JUAN for whom even MOSES would break the law

27 reading horatian odes, he doesn’t look up to catch my yearning

26 i tell him that he dropped his glove on the seat but he believes i have instructed him to place his Chihuahua next to me

38 reading DEATH IN VENICE he’s headed down to battery park

A.W. Strouse is a poet and a medievalist. He teaches medieval literature at the New School.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

LANDMARKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 experience and temperament will allow me to successfully lead the agency,â€? Carroll said. “If confirmed, I will work to continue to preserve and protect sites that reflect the diversity and history of our city throughout the ďŹ ve boroughs and ensure that they remain relevant for future generations to come.â€? Carroll won praise from lawmakers, former colleagues and preservationists during a Sept. 20 conďŹ rmation hearing before the City Council Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections. “Given your vast experience, years of public service and your dedication to preservation, I believe you are clearly qualiďŹ ed to chair the LPC,â€? Council Speaker Corey Johnson said. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, one of the city’s leading landmarks advocacy groups, said that Carroll would bring to the office “a deep appreciation for the beneďŹ ts and importance of preservation principles to the people of the City of New York and its soul.â€? “We have a long working relationship with Sarah Carroll, whom we have corresponded,

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collaborated, socialized, partnered with and argued against for close to 25 years,� Bankoff said. “In that time, we’ve been impressed with Ms. Carroll’s professionalism, thoughtfulness, communicative nature and steadfast dedication to the agency. She is someone who has devoted herself to ensuring the Landmarks Commission succeeds and prospers.� Following Srinivasan’s fouryear tenure as chair, during which she often found herself with odds with members of the preservation community, a number of lawmakers and landmarks advocacy groups called on the mayor to appoint a successor with a background in the preservation field. Notably, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation launched a letter-writing campaign pointedly demanding de Blasio appoint an “actual preservationist and supporter of New York’s landmarks law� to replace Srinivasan, who previously headed the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals. In nominating Carroll, who has served on the LPC’s staff for over two decades and headed the agency’s preservation division for nine years before being named executive director in 2014, the de Blasio administration has fulfilled these requests.

“During this process I called for someone with a strong preservation background to be put forward, and I think that’s where we’ve landed,� said Council Member Keith Powers, whose East Side district includes a wealth of prominent historic districts and individual landmarks, including the Carnegie Hill Historic District, the Empire State Building and the recently designated AT&T Building. Page Cowley, chair of the board of the Upper West Side preservation nonprofit Landmark West!, spoke in support of Carroll’s appointment. “Her level of knowledge about the entirety of the New York City landmarks process is extensive, but it is her ability to respond to special circumstances and preservation issues with extraordinary fairness that makes her an exceptional candidate for this important position,� Cowley said. The Council is likely to vote to confirm Carroll’s nomination as soon as Sept. 26. “Sarah, do not lose any sleep over this,� Council Member Karen Koslowitz, chair of Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections, joked as she referenced the committee’s upcoming vote to send Carroll’s nomination to the full Council for approval.

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THE BOSS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ture, Kalo Karma. Or the former advertising executive who started a food-manufacturing business and produces vegan tempeh, an artisanal meat substitute consisting of organic grains and fermented beans. “Many encore entrepreneurs are not getting traditional bank financing for their businesses – so they’re bootstrapping companies, forming LLCs, getting business cards printed, putting up their own money, and in really large numbers, they’re setting out on their own,” Dvorkin added.

CUPCAKES, COSMETICS AND CONSULTANCIES Some are utilizing platforms like Upwork, UrbanSitter, TaskRabbit, Uber and Etsy, the report says. Others open brick-and-mortar restaurants or clothing shops. Some sell crafts or cosmetics online. Others run home-based day care businesses. Or work as caterers or speech therapists. Or recruit interns for Wall Street banks. Or bake cupcakes in incubator kitchens. What do they have in common? They’re all taking that giant first step into self-employment as they strive to build a client base. The wave of business creation is still in its infancy. But the Center for an Urban Future’s report — “Starting Later: Realizing the Promise of Older Entrepreneurs in New York” — posits that city demographics capture the “ideal conditions” for the boom to intensify: As of 2016, there were roughly 2.2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 50 and 74, comprising almost 26 percent

of the populace. Aging adults will continue to spark the bulk of city population growth because by 2030, projections show, nearly one in three residents will be over 50. “Ask most New Yorkers to picture an entrepreneur, and they imagine a 20- or 30-something in jeans and sneakers,” the report begins. “But the face of entrepreneurship across New York City is changing,” it adds. “Throughout the five boroughs, a growing number of older adults are quietly but purposefully turning to entrepreneurship for the first time.” After spending the better part of a lifetime in the workforce, a new breed of bosses is emerging. The public-policy shop has compiled a breakdown by neighborhood of where they reside, based on an analysis of census data, labor reports and demographic and workplace studies. Adopting a broad definition of entrepreneurship, the center’s study includes both self-employment and business ownership, enabling it to present the full range of entrepreneurial activity among the city’s older population. Among its findings, based on 2016 data: • There are 17,094 Upper West Siders above the half-century mark who work for themselves — out of a total 50-plus workforce of 44,095 — or a lofty selfemployment rate of 39 percent. • Entrepreneurial West Siders older than 60 now number 9,273, out of a census of 21,632, a figure that has spiked 31 percent since 2005. • On the other side of Central Park, there are 14,621 Upper East Siders aged 50 or above who make their own payrolls, a self-employment rate of 32 percent out of 45,177 people in the same age bracket.

• There are also 9,370 East Siders at age 60-plus who report to no other bosses, out of 22,186 people in the same age range, a growth rate of 13 percent between 2005 and 2016. • In Greenwich Village, Soho, Tribeca and the Financial District, there are 10,258 residents aged 50 or older who work for themselves, out of a tally of 25,433. That means lower Manhattan posts a 40 percent self-employment rate, the city’s highest. • And in midtown, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, the 50-andup workforce numbers 24,495, of whom 7,748, or 32 percent, are self-employed. A plunge into older entrepreneurship is replete with steep risks. But it can birth immense fulfillment, too. Not to mention financial rewards that can be handsome. Or more typically, modest: “While few believe they are building million-dollar businesses, these 50-plus founders take what might seem at their age to be a perilous leap into the unknown, often risking their savings to bankroll a dream,” the report’s authors wrote. “They bring know-how and experience to the task, and often have innovative ideas about how to do things better. Trainers and business advisers say they’re readily distinguished from counterparts because, among other things, they are willing and ready learners,” they add. And the report quotes Lendynette Pacheco-Jorge, assistant director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Iona College, who quips, “They know what they don’t know.” invreporter@strausnews.com

NYC NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE HIGHEST RATE OF SELF-EMPLOYED ADULTS AGE 50+ Neighborhood

Self-Employed, 2016

Total 50+ Workforce

Self-Employment Rate

Greenwich Village / Financial District

10,258

25,433

40%

Upper West Side

17,094

44,095

39%

Stuyvesant Town / Turtle Bay

7,779

23,880

33%

Chelsea / Clinton / Midtown

7,748

24,495

32%

Upper East Side

14,621

45,177

32%

Source: Center for an Urban Future analysis of self-employment data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2005 and 2016. Tabulated using IPUMS. Graphic: Caitlin Ryther

‘Defying Gravity” exhibit. Photo: Teddy Son

REACHING FOR THE STARS EXHIBITIONS Space & Science Festival at the Intrepid highlights a talk by Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space BY TEDDY SON

The 7th Annual Space & Science Festival offered visitors to the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum last week a tribute to space discoveries. “It’s a celebration of STEM technology, it’s a celebration of people’s achievements and it’s a celebration of diversity,” said Ellen Silverman, director of public events at the museum. Partnering with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the festival promoted the accomplishments of the space program and science education for people of all ages, with hands-on exhibits on the hangar deck of the carrier. The Exploreum exhibition corner in particular had a number of different booths explaining past achievements in space like lunar missions and working/living in space, while also showcasing future concepts like exoplanets (planets in interstellar space) and Mars missions. “They [NASA] are a wonderful partner with us and we always enjoy having them here,” said Anne Schruth, manager of public programs at the museum. “NASA’s always looking forward,” elaborated Sil-

verman. “So many of their achievements have also led to achievements here on earth ... so it celebrates that aspect of NASA moving forward.” One of the most prominent exhibits was “Defying Gravity: Women in Space,” a mixedreality experience located in the museum’s Space Shuttle Pavilion. Guests could talk and interact with a hologram of former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, taking a virtual tour of the space shuttle while hearing about past achievements of women in the space program. The first African-American woman in space, Jemison herself was also present at the festival on Saturday, talking about her travels on shuttle missions and also about future projects, notably the 100Year Starship Project, a grant aiming to establish a business plan to further research into interstellar travel. Jemison announced that the festival and her projects in general were about “overcoming boundaries of race, gender, and discipline” in order to unite toward a common goal. NASA was not the only organization to take part in the festival. A number of partners had experience booths and tents set up on Pier 86 right next to the carrier. Notable organizations included SpaceCamp, the New York Institute of Technology and other schools like Columbia and Cornell University. These tents were mainly focused on experiences that children could partake in, namely SpaceCamp’s multi-

axis trainer, a spinning chair that rotates on multiple axes. NASA also had a mini exhibit showcasing virtual reality on the pier, while the Intrepid Museum contributed a small planetarium. “The goal of the festival is to engage our local community in ways that are educational,” said Schruth. “We are hoping that families will find interesting demos and things that they can have fun with while also learning and engaging with all of our partners.” Exploreum booth employees Linda and Thalia (who preferred not to have their surnames used), who are usually stationed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in California, talked about linking pop culture and science fiction to recent planetary discoveries. They also discussed the need to convince children that science is not as hard and boring as they might initially think, so that the next generation can take the baton. Their wishes were seemingly granted in abundance, as hundreds of people gathered for the festival. On Saturday afternoon, the admission line stretched past the bow of the ship and down 11th Avenue, with an approximate wait time of forty minutes. Other notable programs also included a panel with astronaut Sunita Williams on Saturday, an astronomy event on Friday evening and a free screening of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” on the flight deck on Saturday evening. The festival ended on Sunday.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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NYC’S MOST VENERABLE (OR ANNOYING?) TV COMMERCIAL PUBLIC EYE BY JON FRIEDMAN

You bet, I was disappointed by the end of the Yankees’ loss to Toronto on Sept. 15. The Blue Jays, whom the Yankees had beaten 13 of 17 games this year up til then, had led the good guys, 8-1, after six innings. The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname by hitting three home runs, including a grand slam, in their half of the seventh inning. But the Yankees ran out of gas and dropped an exciting 8-7 contest. Adding insult to insult, immediately after the Yankees made their final out, the 212666-6666 commercial for Carmel cars came on the tube. It is noteworthy because, for my two cents, this is the most venerable and annoying (and, OK, catchy) jingle around. And it has been around for quite some time. I ďŹ rst heard this commercial in 1999. I cringed at it in the 20th century and I’m shuddering now.

I’m pa r t ia l ly k idd i n g, of course. Who among us shouldn’t respect the staying power of a commercial that has aired over two centuries and lasted for nearly two decades? You know the one. A bunch of cheerful men and women sing 666-6666 as a young woman is escorted to her (Carmel) car. Can you think of any TV spot that has aired for this long, without changing a note? I can’t. How venerable is it? The commercial has encompassed four presidential administrations. It aired before Y2K (remember that fuss?). Eli Manning was playing high school football at the time. Mike Bloomberg was still contemplating a run at City Hall. Rudy Giuliani was the mayor of New York — and he was contemplating running for a third term. The unimaginable horror of 9/11 was two years away. In a delicious irony, a telephone number we New Yorkers take for granted has achieved international notoriety. According to a UK website, the mobile phone number of 666-

6666 was auctioned for charity and became the world’s most expensive phone number. When you think about it, it’s also heartwarming that this song is still with us. For me, the ďŹ rst time I heard it was two jobs ago and I can mark the passage of time by thinking about that jingle. When the excellent film “American Graffitiâ€? came out in 1973, the marketing copy asked, “Where were you in ’62?â€? It was a smart way for the movie’s producers to cast the audience back at the period when the ick takes place. Bob Dylan once said, “Nostalgia is death.â€? He has a point. People shouldn’t live in the past, whether you’re reflecting on good or bad times. It can be debilitating. But I don’t see anything wrong with looking back on this commercial. The ad can evoke lots of feelings because it covers such a swath of time. I do cringe when I see it come on my TV screen. But I also nod in admiration that the same song can last for all of these years.

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NATURAL AND UNNATURAL DISASTERS BY BETTE DEWING

On Hurricane Maria’s first anniversary protesters marched on Trump Tower to protest federal inaction and neglect. Many Puerto Ricans are still without power — imagine. And given how these natural disasters are now considered the new normal, we should all be marching to protest this administration’s unbelief in climate change and its rollbacks of anti-pollution legislation. The federal funds earmarked for reconstruction of the island, said to have been redirected, must be restored. That will take time, but the most critical issue is how we unaffected humans need reminding not to for-

get the ongoing suffering recently wreaked on the Carolinas. Not that many have loved ones in the Carolinas, so no great push to keep remembering the unspeakable and continuing havoc wrecked on these two states. And let us now just talk about homes, which next to losing a loved one, can be the most traumatic loss, especially where affordable livable homes are in such short supply — that in itself a most unnatural disaster. And just imagine how forsaken the countless thousands of Carolinians still living in shelters or away from their homes must feel to see business as usual on the TV screens. And how it would help if media in general frequently, even briefly, addressed

these devastating conditions. And especially should people celebrated at events such as the recent Emmy Awards and within professional sports address them. So needed are high-profile people stressing the horrific conditions of these towns, cities and rural areas, including farms. And the school year recently begun so smoothly here, how very helpful, if their curriculums now include students reaching out to Carolinas and students in other disaster areas — letting them know they care and want to help. Ah, just letting people know they are cared for is such a fundamental human need. If ever a subject needed to be taught in general and role-modeled ... About that so all-important reach-

ing out, yes, kids could set the example for other age groups. And elders, too, need to reach out to their peers in disaster areas, who are too often alone and unable to fend for themselves very well. Ideally, what’s most needed are multigenerational support systems now quite hindered by age-segregated social systems. Until the revolution, elders must urge their political leaders (this paper’s Useful Contacts has phone and address information) to help this most vulnerable and often invisible group. Senior groups must also be pressured to enable the reaching out. Elders have no trouble doing mailing letters to, say, Carolina newspaper editors, but going viral, using social media power is now so essential.

CURBING GRIDLOCK BY SAMUEL I. SCHWARTZ

This week the city declared “gridlock alerts” because of the traffic morass caused by the United Nations General Assembly. City transportation officials are forecasting Midtown speeds dipping to 3 mph or even lower. Their advice — to avoid driving anywhere near the East Side — should not be taken lightly. But, with average speeds on normal days hovering at about 4.7 mph, a brisk walking speed, drivers have been experiencing gridlock throughout the year. Before you say “nothing new here, drivers have been complaining about traffic for a century” (you’d be correct), there is something different today — traffic speeds are the slowest ever recorded — over 30 percent slower than historic speeds over the past century. Forty-seven years ago, in 1971, I was assigned to the research office of the old city Traffic Department. I had traffic data from 1915 through the 1960s. I noticed that Midtown speeds hovered about 7 to 7.5 mph for the pre- and post-war decades, despite a doubling of traffic volumes. This was partially accomplished by traffic engineering:

avenues converted to one-way operations, upgrading traffic signals, more restrictive parking rules, turn restrictions and more. I say partially because I believed another factor was at work. I hit upon it during the 20 years I worked in city traffic. In 1982 I became traffic commissioner and did my best to modernize traffic systems, increase enforcement, establish bus lanes, and crack down on placard parking. Despite my best efforts, traffic speeds edged upward just slightly to about 7 ½ mph. I came up with a theory that there was a misery level drivers were willing to accept at around 7 mph. If speeds got higher than 7 mph, more people would drive; if they dipped below 7 mph, fewer would. This seemed to explain why, for 70 years, Midtown speeds stayed about the same despite dramatic changes in traffic volumes. But something happened in the past few years that has set a new level of misery, far slower than 7 mph. What’s going on? What I hear when speaking with New Yorkers is, “those damn bike lanes,” “trucks double park freely,” “Uber and Lyft are killing us,” “the subways stink,” “bus drivers never pull into

Photo: joiseyshowaa, via flickr the curb,” “illegal parkers, especially those with placards, are the culprits,” “more traffic, more pedestrians, more construction,” and “taxi drivers don’t know how to drive.” Everyone is quick to blame the other person. With a background in physics and engineering, I prefer to look at the data. Traffic volumes entering Manhattan’s central business district are down by about 100,000 vehicles over the past decade. Vehicle miles travelled, a much better measure of the amount of driving, has jumped 7 percent in Manhattan and the dense East River neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn. How can volumes go down but driving go up? It’s because cars usually just head straight to parking, traveling just a few miles in Midtown (I am not minimizing their contribution to congestion).

But vehicles-in-motion, mostly taxis, Ubers, Lyfts and Vias, have soared. As traffic commissioner, I found the closest relationship of any parameter to traffic speeds was vehicles-in-motion — the greater the VIM numbers, the slower the speeds. I had studied taxis at the time and found a single cab’s impact on traffic was up to 40 times that of a commuting car. Bike lanes do reduce vehicular capacity on city streets, but the biggest Midtown program was introduced during the Bloomberg administration, which preceded the more significant drop in speeds over the past five years. With the rise of Amazon and other services, there are more trucks delivering smaller loads than ever. This has not been studied sufficiently but I’m certain there’s an impact.

Another unnatural disaster where intergenerational help is so needed. And surely remembering how helping disaster victims transcends partisan divides. Maybe you too recall John McCain’s funeral where former presidents and first ladies sat in the front row, differences overcome at least for the occasion. And how extremely helpful and also uniting if they were seen helping at these disaster scenes and repeatedly speaking about the victims’ ongoing needs and also the help a caring citizenry must also give. And so much more - your ideas are needed. Ah, and also, the neighbor in need next door must not be forgotten. dewingbetter@aol.com

Subway and bus ridership is down. On-time performance has plummeted this decade from 89 percent to the low 60s; we cannot survive as a world capital with such poor service. People are switching to greater traffic-impacting modes such as Uber and Lyft. So, armed with these facts, what’s the best approach? Having been at this since the Lindsay administration, I maintain that it must be multipronged: transit must improve, the growth of for-hire vehicles needs to be reversed in the business district (through pricing, not a cap), traffic enforcement needs to be more scientific (writing the most tickets does not mean better traffic flow), placard parking should be eliminated in Midtown, growth of truck mini-deliveries must be controlled, and insane tolling policies that encourage motorists to drive out of their way to use a “free” crossing vs. a tolled crossing or to drive through the business district rather than around it to get to New Jersey. The strategy that solves many of the problems is a congestion pricing program for all vehicles that reduces traffic flow while raising revenue to improve transit and other transportation systems. A for-hire vehicle congestion charge will go into effect in 2019. I am hopeful a congestion pricing plan for all vehicles entering the CBD will be passed in the coming legislative session.

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WHEN SENIORS START SNEEZING AGING Late-onset allergies in older patients are often overlooked and under-diagnosed. What you need to know

September is National Preparedness Month! Join NYC Emergency Management to learn how to prepare for all types of emergencies.

BY MAULI DESAI M.D.

Many people think of allergies as a problem afflicting children and young adults. It’s true that allergic rhinitis — or irritation and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose — most commonly begins in the earlier decades of life. That said, there is a group of adults with late-onset allergies, starting for the first time in their 50s or 60s and beyond. Many, at this age, are entering their retirement years — a time when they’d like to enjoy a walk in Central Park or play golf in the suburbs. It can be very frustrating for someone who has never dealt with allergies to suddenly be dealing with nasal congestion and post-nasal drip on a daily basis. Allergy symptoms can be more than a nuisance: they can be distressing, and especially so in the elderly. Rhinitis causes symptoms such as stuffy nose, post- nasal drip and sneezing. Allergies can also cause itchy eyes, coughing and wheezing. Allergies can affect seniors in a major way, as they can lead to poor sleep and fatigue, which impacts quality of life. Patients have described to me feeling embarrassed by the constant need to blow their nose while dining out in NYC, or feeling self-conscious riding the bus or subway, not wanting others to think they are sick. It can be a real social burden. Allergies are a result of the immune system overreacting to a harmless substance in the environment. Seasonal allergies happen in the spring and fall when pollen counts are high. Indoor allergens such as dust mite, dogs, cats, and mold spores can also cause allergies. In NYC we also need to consider cockroaches as a possible allergenic trigger. Environmental allergies can be a significant problem for older patients with asthma. And sometimes allergic inflammation of the nose can make us more sensitive to irritants such as tobacco smoke and strong smells. You might think you’ve just got a cold. But when the congestion, dripping and cough continue, it might be time to

Activities throughout September: Free preparedness fairs, events and workshops throughout the five boroughs Pet and service animal preparedness at Columbus Park in Brooklyn on Saturday, Sept. 22 Family day at the Staten Island Children’s Museum on Saturday, Sept. 29 Allergic rhinitis can lead to poor sleep and fatigue, impacting quality of life. consider if allergies are the cause. So here are a few things to consider: • Allergies in older patients are often overlooked and under-diagnosed. Older patients often have multiple medical problems and during visits, your doctor may focus on your serious medical problems, such as managing diabetes or heart problems. So allergies may not be properly assessed. Also, allergen sensitivities tend to decrease with age, with its prevalence being lower in the most advanced of ages. As such, your doctor may not be as vigilant about assessing for this issue. It’s important to speak up and share your symptoms with your doctor. • It might not be allergies after all. In the senior age group, non-allergic rhinitis becomes a bigger issue. Structural changes of the nose can happen, such as narrowing of nasal passages due to weakening of the cartilage. This can cause nasal congestion. In addition, dryness is a very important contributing factor in this age group. In the winter months many apartment buildings blast the heat. This can dry out our skin, and the lining of our nose as well. Certain side effects of medications can also cause non-allergic rhinitis symptoms. • It’s important to talk to your doctor and see an allergist. Testing (skin test or blood test) can be helpful in diagnosing allergies. Your doctor can also evaluate you for non-allergic rhinitis. • When treating rhinitis medications need to be chosen carefully. Seniors may have more

side effects from certain medication. First-generation antihistamines that can cause side effects like sedation are not recommended, so long-acting antihistamines may be preferable. Some over the counter medications that contain decongestants can effect blood pressure — the elderly need to be cautious. Nasal saline can be helpful in hydrating the nose. For some, allergy shots can be very useful. You can also avoid exposing yourself to allergens by: • Keeping windows closed, and using air conditioning instead during peak pollen seasons. • Changing your clothes or taking a shower after spending time outdoors before entering your bedroom so you don’t track pollen into your bed! • Making sure your pets don’t track pollen into the home and keeping them out of the bedroom. • Using air purifiers, especially if you have pets. • Wearing sunglasses, as this can protect your eyes from pollen in the air. • Using dust mite protective covers for pillows and mattresses. • Minimizing carpeting in the bedroom. Allergies in seniors call for a personalized and specialized approach, so please work with your doctor to help alleviate your allergy symptoms. Dr. Mauli Desai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, The Division of Clinical Immunology at Mount Sinai.

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For more information, visit

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She loved theater. So she gave.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Discover the world around the corner. Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com

Photo:Stephen Paley

EDITOR’S PICK

Sat 29 ‘HAMILTON’S’ MANDY GONZALEZ Schimmel Center, 3 Spruce St. 7:30 p.m. $29+ 212-346-1715. schimmelcenter.org Known for originating the role of Nina in the Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights” and for her current role as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton,” the Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning Mandy Gonzalez will perform songs from her new EP, “Fearless: B Sides.” The title song of the album, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, uses Gonzalez’s personal story to explore political and familial issues.

Some Some say say Helen Helen Merrill was was the the theater. theater. During her life, life, she she fostered fostered the careers of of dozens dozens of of playwrights. playwrights. Today, Today, 21 21 years years after her death, death, the the fund fund she she started in The The New New York York Community Community Trust supports supports emerging emerging and distinguished distinguished playwrights.

What do you love? We We can can help help you you create create aa charitable charitable legacy. legacy.

Contact Jane Wilton: (212) 686-2563 or janewilton@nyct-cfi.org

THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST nycommunitytrust.org

Photo by Arturo de La Barrera, via Flickr

Thu 27 Fri 28

Sat 29

OUR FAKE REALITY: JOURNALISM, LEGITIMACY, AND POST-FACT AMERICA

‘EUGENE RICHARDS ON THE RUN-ON OF TIME’

▲ ‘UNSEEN NUYORICAN PICTURES’

International Center of Photography, 250 Bowery 6:30 p.m. Free Photographer Eugene Richards will shed light on the themes, stories and images that have shaped his 45-year career and his retrospective, now on view at the ICP. The prolific photographer will be joined in conversation by Nelson-Atkins Museum curator April Watson and ICP’s Susan Carlson. 212-857-0000 icp.org

Abrons Arts Center 466 Grand St. Noon, Free with RSVP The Standing On The Corner art ensemble is the curatorial force behind “Unseen Nuyorican Pictures,” a lineup of six rarely seen films from the ‘70s and ‘80s that depict the underrepresented genre of Nuyorican cinema. Some of the screenings will feature a live score by the Standing On The Corner ensemble. 212-598-0400 abronsartscenter.org

Housing Works Bookstore 126 Crosby St. 6:30 p.m. $10 How are facts manufactured, while truth is claimed in both politics and journalism? How does our deeply divided nation often operate with sets of incompatible “facts”? How have journalists adapted to such a contentious environment? Join Bill Adair, recipient of the 2009 Pulitzer for National Reporting, along with Nabiha Syed, Manoush Zomorodi and Karen Mahabir as they explore these provocative questions and more. 212-966-0466 housingworksbookstore.org

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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Sun 30 Mon 1

Tue 2

▲ ILLEGAL INK: THE BIZARRE STORY OF NYC’S TATTOO BAN

▼ WORLD HABITAT DAY: COMPOST WORKDAY

Caveat 21 Clinton St. 7 p.m. $15 Five historians and tattoo artists will tell the story of the New York City tattoo ban that lasted from 1961-1997. The daring artists who worked under the prohibition of ink will share their experiences, while flash tattooing will be available onsite for audience members who feel like getting inked. 212-228-2100 caveat.nyc

East River Park Compost Yard, FDR Drive btwn Jackson Street and Cherry Street. 1:30 p.m. Free The theme of this year’s World Habitat Day is municipal solid waste management, and to celebrate, take a peek at the inner workings of the East River Park Compost Yard. Help sift and bag compost while getting a behind-the-scenes look at how organic waste is processed into rich compost at this unique volunteer and tour opportunity. 212-477-4022 nycgovparks.org

NICHOLAS RASMUSSEN: THE LATEST IN COUNTERTERRORISM National September 11 Memorial & Museum 180 Greenwich St. 7 p.m. Free, ticket required Security and counterterrorism expert Nicholas Rasmussen has held senior counterterrorism posts in three presidential administrations. Drawing upon his cumulative 27 years in public service, Rasmussen will share his insights into the current state of terrorism and counterterrorism policy. 212-312-8800 911memorial.org

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otdowntown.com ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Jesuits and Jedi Episode II: The Dominicans Strike Back

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 7PM

Wed 3 THE LEGACY OF JOAN RIVERS

Photo by Goyojona, via WikiMedia Commons

Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th St. 7 p.m. $15 From her breakthrough on the Johnny Carson show in 1965, Joan Rivers challenged Americans to think about gender roles while making the country crack up. Come watch highlights of her work, and hear from her niece, Caroline Waxler, and comedian Judy Gold, on how her work continues to inspire today. Part of the series “Not Just Funny Girl: Jewish American Women in Comedy.” 212-294-8301 cjh.org

Sheen Center for Thought & Culture | 18 Bleecker St. | 212-925-2812 | sheencenter.org Author Fr. Humbert Kilanowski, O.P. and SIRIUS XM host Fr. John Maria Devaney, O.P. explore questions of meaning, morality, and good and evil, as seen through the lens of Star Wars ($15).

Optics: Visual Culture and Electoral Politics

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 6:30PM International Center of Photography | 250 Bowery | 212-857-0000 | icp.org The ongoing series Optics: A New Way of Seeing Contemporary Culture continues with a timely conversation deconstructing image and identity within the campaign realm—think Shepard Fairey’s Obama poster or Donald Trump’s Twitter presence (free, advance registration required).

Just Announced | America’s Cybersecurity Problem

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD, 7PM Sept. 11 Museum | 180 Greenwich St. | 212-312-8800 | 911memorial.org A major cyberattack impacted the 2016 U.S. elections. How did that security breach happen, and what can be done about a repeat? Former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama and CIA Deputy Director Avril D. Haines talks U.S. cybersecurity today (free ticket required).

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

sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

“Germ City” entrance. Photo courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

MICROBES IN MANHATTAN A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York focuses on NYC in sickness and in health BY ALIZAH SALARIO

Hear the words “Germ City” and New Yorkers conjure images of bacterialaden subway poles and rat-infested dumpsters. But “Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis,” a new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, is not a gross-out showcase. Rather, the exhibition tells the history of New York’s long battle against infectious disease. It’s a chronicle of the city’s social and cultural evolution, one in which densely populated neighborhoods and the complex movement of people and goods created ideal conditions for the spread of germs and disease — not to mention the transmission of ideas and activism that sparked remarkable medical innovations, and even cures. Organized in collaboration with The New York Academy of Medicine and Wellcome, “Germ City” is part of an international project called Contagious Cities, which looks at epidemic preparedness in cities around the world. The MCNY’s thoughtful curation amplifies historical echoes between disparate diseases since the turn of the last century. One can connect the dots between Jewish immigrants stigmatized as trachoma carriers as they entered Ellis Island, discrimination against African-Americans

reinforced by associating them with tuberculosis and the homophobia propagated by the HIV/AIDS crisis. Various artifacts speak to the way immigrants, the poor and minorities have long been saddled with blame for the spread of disease; the exhibition’s most powerful representation of this stigma is “Blood Mirror,” Jordan Eagles’s 2015 display of blood donations from 59 HIV positive men preserved in UV resin. (The piece protests the Food and Drug Administration’s 30year ban on gay men donating blood within 12 months of their last sexual encounter.) Lest we forget that New York City’s sick, or merely stigmatized, were literally cast off to the city’s margins, the spectacularly eerie North Brother Island in the East River makes an appearance. A handwritten letter from Typhoid Mary (Mallon) expressing her frustration over being quarantined there in isolation for nearly three decades — though she was not actually sick (Mallon was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever) — is juxtaposed with photographer Christopher Payne’s 2008 image of North Brother Island, “Isolation Room, Tuberculosis Pavilion.” Payne captures the atmosphere of abandonment and decay on the deserted island in the wake of disease, a striking counterimage to the shiny and gentrified island that Manhattan is today. The exhibition spends a lot of time on the way cultural forces spread dis-

eases, but patrons will also get a sense of how a city that brought diverse peoples — and their potions — in close proximity led to a different sort of transmission. A book of traditional Chinese recipes that includes a “Formula for Cough and Cold” that uses purple aster root, mulberry leaves and field mint is displayed along with a handwritten recipe for chicken soup from an Eastern European Jewish immigrant. Today, what New Yorker hasn’t tried both a steaming bowl of “Jewish penicillin” and an herbal remedy based in traditional Chinese medicine? (The authenticity and appropriation of both is another matter.) A massive iron lung on display used in the treatment of polio is a reminder that a mere century ago, parents feared that their children would not live until adulthood. The exhibition, in fact, commemorates the centennial of the global flu epidemic, during which one-third of the world’s population was sick with the flu and over 50 million people died worldwide. As it always does in a crisis, New York City mobilized quickly during the 1918 flu epidemic. The City instituted staggered work hours to mitigate subway crowds, set up decentralized care throughout the city, started public health lectures at movies and even outlawed spitting, explained exhibition curator Rebecca Jacobs. In an age of public health campaigns and keychain bottles of hand sanitizer, it is hard to conceive of just how revolu-

“Blood Mirror,” by Jordan Eagles, 2015-present. Photo by Leo Herrera

An iron lung used to treat polio. Photo courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York tionary these steps were at the time. By putting germs and pathogens in historical context, “Germ City” also makes clear how our use of disease as a metaphor has invaded our discourse. We go to war against epidemics and battle against cancer. A film essay at the outset of the exhibit includes evening news clips in which Ebola is referred to as the “ISIS of disease.” From Nazi Germany to our current administration, the rhetoric of immigrants

who “infestat” cities has been used to dehumanize and justify prejudice. It’s worth considering how this type of language makes modern New Yorkers conceive of contagion and transmission, be it the virus causing that seasonal cold half the city can’t shake, or the virulent information spread through modern social networks. When it comes to the next epidemic, none of us is immune.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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In Baba Brinkman’s latest hip-hop comedy, he shines a light on free will, brain cells, and the science of consciousness.

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WHAT’S TRENDING ACROSS NYC

COMING SOON

FROM $25

FROM $55

PRIVATE PEACEFUL 133 REVIEWS ENDS OCT 07

GLORIA: A LIFE PREVIEWS START OCT 02

Christine Lahti stars as iconic feminist Gloria Steinem in this world premiere biographical drama directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (“Waitress,” “Pippin”).

86 Adapted from a young adult novel, this solo play offers a timely reminder of the heroic sacrifices of soldiers in World War I.

DARYL ROTH THEATRE - 101 E 15TH ST

TBG MAINSTAGE THEATRE - 312 W 36TH ST

MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET

FROM $50 PREVIEWS START OCT 02

FROM $35

HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN

This world premiere musical tells the story of a gay couple in 1960s New York, a singer and songwriter, who put together a show at an illegal Greenwich Village gay bar.

63 REVIEWS ENDS OCT 28

82

YORK THEATRE - 619 LEXINGTON AVE

FROM $25

A one-man show reflecting Irving Berlin’s remarkable journey from child immigrant to America’s most beloved songwriter.

ORDINARY DAYS

59E59 THEATERS - 59 E 59TH ST

A musical about four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect in unexpected ways as they search for success, happiness, love, and taxis.

PREVIEWS START OCT 02

FROM $39

THEATRE ROW - 410 W 42ND ST

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME 44 REVIEWS IN PREVIEWS

FROM $45

GOOD GRIEF

81

PREVIEWS START OCT 11

This first-generation coming-of-age journey of love, loss, and growing into adulthood follows a Nigerian-American girl as she navigates Pennsylvania’s suburbs.

This witty and searingly personal exploration of the Constitution strives to breathe new life into our founding document. NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP - 79 E 4TH ST

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VINEYARD THEATRE - 108 E 15TH ST KEY:

14

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

Lulu Poke

353 W 14th St

Not Yet Graded (29) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Trece Taqueria

353 W 14th St

CLOSED (57) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas. Food contact surface improperly constructed or located. Unacceptable material used. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Magnolia Bakery

401 Bleecker Street

A

Bleecker Street Bar

58 Bleecker Street

A

Sacred Chow

227 Sullivan Street

A

The Grey Dog Mulberry

244 Mulberry Street

A

Baal Cafe and Falafel

71 Sullivan St

A

SEP 12 - 18, 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. The Cottage / Azuki Japanese

120 East 16 Street

Grade Pending (5)

Kellogg’s NYC

31 E 17th St

A

Outro

816 Broadway

A

Peppercorn Kitchen

11 Waverly Pl

Not Yet Graded (41) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Mancora Bar & Apna Masala Indian Cuisine

344 E 6th St

A

University Center Cafe

65 5th Ave

A

Tre Giovani

548 Laguardia Pl

A

Sharaku Japanese Restaurant

14 Stuyvesant Street

Grade Pending (26) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Pinks Cantina

348 Bowery

A

Dojo Restaurant

10 West 4 Street

Chipotle Mexican Grill

117 East 14 Street

A

Headless Horseman

119 East 15 Street

A

CLOSED (62) 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. 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Fat Cat Kitchen

223 E 14th St

CLOSED (74) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Food, food preparation area, food storage area, area used by employees or patrons, contaminated by sewage or liquid waste. Filth flies or food/refuse/ sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Alo Yoga LLC

96 Spring St

A

Nespresso

92 Prince St

A

Woo Soho

206 Spring St

Not Yet Graded (10) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

La Esquina “The Corner”

106 Kenmare Street

A

Milano’s Bar

51 East Houston Street

A

Insomnia Cookies

116 Macdougal St

A

Famous & Fresh 99¢ Pizza

91 Avenue A

A

Olive’s

191 Prince St

A

East Village Tavern

158 Avenue C

A

Juice Press

156 Prince St

A

Solo Pizza

27 Avenue B

A

Charley St

41 Kenmare St

A

Piccolo Angolo

621 Hudson Street

A

Monte’s

97 Macdougal Street

A

Orient Express

325 West 11 Street

A

Boqueria

171 Spring Street

A

La Loteria

29 7th Ave S

A

235 Mulberry Street

A

Jekyll and Hyde

91 7th Ave S

A

Rubirosa Pizza & Ristorante

Raviolo

57 7th Ave S

Grade Pending (30) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Ahimsa

210 Thompson St

A

Jivamuktea Cafe

841 Broadway

A

Grand 1 Bakery

295 Grand Street

CLOSED (40) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/ sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.

Black Stone Coffee Roasters

502 Hudson St

A

The Butcher’s Daughter

581 Hudson St

A

Plunge

18 9th Ave

A

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

15

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST To place an ad in this directory, Call Douglas at 212-868-0190 ext. 352.

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Access is now restricted to several pathways in Theodore Roosevelt Park due to work related to the museum’s Gilder Center expansion project. Photo: Michael Garofalo

AMNH EXPANSION OPPONENTS’ DAY IN COURT OCT. 2 CONTROVERSIES Anonymous donor pledges $100k match in fundraising drive to support lawsuit BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Opponents of the American Museum of Natural History’s $383 million expansion plan received an eleventh hour boost ahead of a crucial hearing in their quest to block the project in court. A deep-pocketed mystery donor has pledged to match up to $100,000 in contributions to the cause, Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt Park, the local group behind the lawsuit, announced earlier this month. Laura Messersmith, Community United’s co-president, hopes that the matching pledge will galvanize fundraising efforts to support the group’s lawsuit, for which it has enlisted the services of the prominent land use and preservation attorney Michael Hiller. “This has been a grassroots effort from the get-go, with donors large and small contributing all along the way,� she said. “This donation comes at a great moment with the court case just around the corner, and we think it’s really inspirational.� Messersmith spoke to the donor’s motivations while honoring the individual’s wish to remain anonymous. “This is a cause this person believes in and feels is important to the Upper West Side,� she said. “They chose to do this as a match rather than as a straight donation because they think

it is important that the cause has widespread support in the community.� Community United filed its lawsuit in March, after the museum received city approval to build the 200,000-square-foot Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, part of which would stand in what is now Theodore Roosevelt Park. Plans for the expansion include new classrooms and exhibition spaces. It would also create a new entrance to the museum facing Columbus Avenue, which critics say would exacerbate pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area. The lawsuit, which names both the city and the museum as respondents, argues that the project should have been subject to the city’s extensive Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The suit also alleges that the work will imperil public health and that steps taken to mitigate the release of hazardous materials during construction are inadequate. (These claims were refuted in the city’s environmental review of the project.) According to the lawsuit, the Gilder Center, if completed, would “not only result in the loss of public parkland comprising cherished greenspaces in Theodore Roosevelt Park, but worse, [...] would cause catastrophic environmental damage to the area, posing a series of life-threatening health hazards to residents of, and visitors to, the Upper West Side of Manhattan.� The Supreme Court of the State of New York will hear oral arguments Oct. 2. Preliminary work on the proj-

ect is now underway. In recent weeks, workers erected fencing blocking access to paths in the park near the proposed site of the Gilder Center, on the western side of the museum near West 79th Street. In an emailed statement, a museum spokesperson explained that “the work underway in the Park relates to the installation of the construction site fence for the Gilder Center project. It includes work on a temporary park access path near 80th Street as well as the installation of tree protection. Once the path is completed and the tree protection is installed, we will begin to install the site fence.� Cary Goodman, a local resident and longtime opponent of the project, took issue with the timing. “Here’s a museum that for three years has been telling us they want to be a good neighbor, and right before this court date they’re setting up barricades and blocking the park off,� he said. The spokesperson noted that the museum has established “a construction task force which includes representatives from neighborhood groups� to respond to public concerns. “The task force was apprised of the course we’ve been following during a July meeting,� the spokesperson said. “In addition, there is a community liaison for the project as well as a dedicated email (GilderCenter@ amnh.org) and phone number (212-769-5246) for members of the community to ask questions or report concerns.� Museum officials hope to complete the Gilder Center by 2021.

www.the-maac.com Come visit the nation’s largest art & antiques center featuring 100 galleries and over 40 categories. Enjoy time on our 3 oors of antiques, ďŹ ne art, and every category in-between Buy or sell, we welcome your visit 7 days a week.

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SEMI-ANNUAL CUSTOM DECORATING SALE GOING ON NOW! UPPER WEST SIDE 469 AMSTERDAM AVE. 212.501.8282 WINDOWFASHIONS.COM

16

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Business STILL GRACIOUS, BUT ALSO FUNKY AND HIP Or how a legacy 55-year-old retail legend remakes itself and seeks a younger, trendier clientele BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

Gracious Home is roaring back to life. Ever since its founding in 1963, the iconic home-andhousewares retailer has been the go-to destination for upscale Manhattanites in quest of homes, furnishings and lifestyles that were, well, gracious. Now, the retailer is modernizing and relaunching its brand, with a grand reopening in SoHo on Sept. 27, rebooting its merchandise — and looking ahead to a prospective return to the Upper West Side. Even as it keeps the faith with a graying customer base, the stylish household emporium is putting out the word loud and clear: This is not your grandfather’s Gracious Home anymore. “My goal is to bring in younger customers so the brand can survive,” said Esther Eaton, the company’s CEO since March.

At least one a day, someone tells how much they miss us on the Upper West Side.” Company CEO Esther Eaton “You can’t survive if you’re only tending to the needs of your older core customers.” Upper East Siders who’ve flocked to the original store at 70th Street and Third Avenue since Robert F. Wagner occupied City Hall and Lyndon B. Johnson sat in the White House will still find the welcome mat out. And they will still be able to furnish their Park Avenue apartments and homes in the Hamptons homes with the finest bedding, bath linens, lighting, glassware, silverware, china, candles, closets, floral, fragrances and other home accessories. But what they will not see is the panoply of neither-here-

Esther Eaton, CEO of Gracious Home, at the SoHo store. Photo courtesy of Gracious Home

nor-there items that was the stock and trade of the battlescarred retailer that survived two bankruptcy filings in August 2010 and December 2016, eventually shrinking from four stores to the lone outpost on the East Side. “We’re not going to carry Mr. Coffee, and we’re not going to carry cotton balls!” Eaton said. “That was the model of the old Gracious Home — an inventory that carried everything under the sun,” she added. “But we do not want or hope to be everything for everybody.” Under new ownership since billionaire and serial entrepreneur Tom Sullivan bought the company out of bankruptcy for $4 million in June 2017, it is now refocusing its business model and moving, albeit cautiously this time, to become a Manhattan chain once again. With new management in place, Eaton is now building “that endless aisle” online, repositioning the store as a hybrid that combines digital with hipper, brick-and-mortar operations in a campaign to lure younger high-end shoppers and a greater assortment of luxury suppliers. To t hat end, Gracious Home this week is debuting a 1,283-square-foot shop at 498 Broome Street off West Broadway in SoHo that it deems crucial for its sales growth. Post-bankruptcy, the company recorded annual sales of $5.3 million, of which roughly $1 million came from online transactions, a figure that is expected to head north this year and next, though Eaton says it is too early to release projections. Once the SoHo shop is up and running, executive plan to develop a design center in its 300-square-foot basement, which will be open to the public and is intended to attract designers displaying of-themoment merchandise. The store replaces a shuttered Gracious Home that had a “hard industrial feel” and carried products that was “a bit off for that clientele,” Eaton said. “So we came up with a new formula — a little more contemporary, a little softer, a little

The sun-lit interior of the modern new Gracious Home at 498 Broome Street in SoHo, which opens its doors on Sept. 27. Photo: Gracious Home more fashion-oriented, with a younger and more funky feel.” In a nutshell, Eaton sums up the two different markets in which she operates: The younger SoHo customer “wants more color and style,” she says, while the client on 70th Street prefers the “more classic look” in bedding and décor which, she points out, is “very often white.” On the Upper East Side, she adds, “They’re not looking for funky sheets and crazy designs.” But even as Soho opens its doors, the 3,000-square-foot UES flagship is begin renovat-

ed, redesigned and repainted, with new flooring, new shelfand-floor displays, modern air conditioning and new merchandise. “Once the Upper East Side is freshened up and performing well, and once the SoHo store is operating at its peak, we’ll evaluate what comes next,” Eaton said. And therein lies a huge measure of hope for Upper West Siders, many of whom are still mourning the closing of the Gracious Home at 1992 Broadway on the corner of West 67th Street in December 2016 after an 18-year run.

“At least once a day, someone tells how much they miss us on the Upper West Side,” Eaton said. “I would love to return.” Don’t get too excited. She hasn’t started scouting locations yet. It’s still early in the formulation of company plans. It wouldn’t be a very large store on multiple levels like the original that bowed in 1998. The chain’s new model is a smaller footprint of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. “But in the future, it’s where we very much want to be,” Eaton said. invreporter@strausnews.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

17

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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18

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

MY BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S DINING BY LILLY MAIER

“Suddenly you are afraid and you don’t know what you are afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?” Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly asks writer Paul Varjak in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” “Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s,” she adds. “Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the 1961 movie adaption of Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, has long been a classic, and is the first thing that comes to mind both when one thinks of Audrey Hepburn or Tiffany’s. It makes you wonder then, why it took almost fifty years for the luxury jeweler to capitalize on the idea, and offer patrons what they have always dreamed of: the chance for their very own Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Last fall Tiffany & Co. opened The Blue Box Cafe on Fifth Avenue. The aptly named restaurant delivers what it promises: a Tiffany blue box tucked away on the fourth floor of the flagship store. Decorated from wall to wall in the signature blue, and equipped with elegant, white-blue china (designed by Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co.’s chief artistic officer), the café creates an experience that even brunch-proficient

New Yorkers are unlikely to forget. I have been wanting to eat at the The Blue Box Cafe since it opened last November, but even after a year it’s still a hassle to get a table. Reservations are only available online, and have to be made 30 days in advance at exactly 9 a.m. By 9:01 all the seats are filled. Getting the reservation is the only stressful part, though. Afterwards, the 30-day-wait increases the anticipation, and many guests decide to dress up for the occasion — to make it more memorable and to up their obligatory selfie game. Once you finally walk into The Blue Box, the place is just as Holly Golightly envisioned the Tiffany’s of her dreams: quiet, proud and peaceful. The ambience really is the most surprising quality of The Blue Box Cafe: Compared to the noisy streets outside and the bustling store the next room over, I was taken by how quiet the café is. There are only seats for forty people at most, and the waiters — contrary to those at most brunch eateries in the city — let you sit long after you have finished your food and sipped your last drop of the Tiffany Blend tea. Speaking of food: In the movie, Holly Golightly eats her breakfast from a paper bag while looking into the shop windows; in The Blue Box Cafe the selection is more refined. You can choose from a prix fixe breakfast ($32), lunch ($42) or afternoon tea ($52) prepared with seasonal and local ingredients. The signature breakfast is served all day and comes with a croissant, fruit

Avocado toast and buttermilk waffles for brunch. Photo: Angelina Bruno

and one of four bruch choices. I had the sunflower seed avocado toast with a poached egg and my friend ordered the buttermilk waffles, which were fluffy as can be, but don’t leave any room for dessert. The two course lunch includes a Fifth Avenue Salad (lobsters, avocado and grapefruit) or Fifty-Seventh Street Flatbread. The afternoon tea is a large selection of finger sandwiches and sweets served on a delicate three-tiered tea tray. And if you still don’t feel enough like Audrey, you can order the Blue Box Celebration Cake: a small cake that looks like an actual Tiffany ring box, with blue icing and a white confectionary bow. I think, in today’s version, Holly Golightly would jump right into a cab and stay here forever. Lilly Maier is a journalist and historian. An NYU graduate, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar, she just finished writing a book about the life of a Viennese Holocaust survivor, who grew up in the same apartment she lived in as a child.

IF YOU GO WHAT: The Blue Box Cafe WHERE: Tiffany & Co., 727 Fifth Avenue WHEN: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (last seating at 5:30 p.m.), Sunday 12-6 p.m. (last seating at 4:30 p.m.) Reservation required: resy.com/ cities/ny/blue-box-cafe Lilly Maier at The Blue Box Cafe. Photo: Angelina Bruno

Table setting at The Blue Box Cafe. Photo: Lilly Maier

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

19

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Neighborhood Scrapbook

From left: School Construction Authority President Lorraine Grillo, DOE Director of Early Childhood for District 2 Aneesha Jacko, Assembly Member Dan Quart, Council Member Keith Powers, State Senator Liz Krueger, Council Member Ben Kallos. Photo courtesy of Council Members Ben Kallos and Keith Powers

NEW PRE-K FACILITIES FOR THE UES The start of the school year also marked the grand opening of two new pre-kindergarten facilities on the East Side. Local officials held ribbon-cutting ceremonies in recent weeks at new pre-K facilities at 1683 Third Avenue and 252 East 57th Street. The schools currently serve a combined 234 students. A third new

pre-K site with 180 seats will open in fall 2019 on East 76th Street. The new facilities bring the Upper East Side, where the number of available pre-K seats has long lagged behind demand, closer to the city’s goal of providing pre-K for all.

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

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”

BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer

Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

REDEMPTION, ON STAGE AND OFF After 18 years of writing and rewriting, workshops and more work, composer Edward Thomas’s opera, “Anna Christie,” premieres later this month BY MARK NIMAR

Edward Thomas was not yet 20 when he and the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division landed in Sicily during World War II and saw heavy combat. “A lot of friends were hit with machine gun fire,” Thomas recounted recently. “I was lucky.” He would return home, to Chisholm, Minnesota, in the fall of 1945. Thomas, already an accomplished guitarist, would stay but three weeks in his hometown, pop. about 7,000, before embarking for New York City, determined to pursue his musical passion. He hasn’t stopped composing. Over the course of those seven-plus decades, Thomas would sing on recordings by eminent jazz musicians Hank Jones, Milt Hinton and Clark Terry, appear on TV alongside Jackie Gleason, Arthur Godfrey and Ernie Kovacs, write commercial jingles for TWA, Campbell’s Soup and U.S. Steel, and receive seven gold records for his work with luminaries such as Leonytne Price, Roberta Peters and Julie Andrews. But among his most cherished milestones is his opera “Anna Christie,” which will have its world premiere at Encompass New Opera Theatre October 4. Adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, “Anna Christie” follows the story of its eponymous heroine, who, after surviving years of sexual abuse and prostitution, reunites with her sea-barge captain father, and then falls in love with a merchant sailor who is taken aboard ship after having survived a shipwreck in the Atlantic. Like the opera itself, getting this work to the stage was an odyssey. It took Thomas and librettist Joe Masteroff (the book writer for “Cabaret” and “She Loves Me”) 18 years of writing, rewriting, workshops and readings to get the show under the footlights. And it was after a chance encounter that, after many years of hard work, Thomas and Masteroff would get the chance to stage their creation. About five years ago, Encompass’s founding artistic director, Nancy Rhodes happened to be in the audience for another one of Thomas’s shows at the York Theatre. Rhodes was impressed with what she saw

and heard, and asked Thomas if he had anything else he was working on. Thomas sent Rhodes the score for “Anna Christie,” and she fell in love with not only the music, but also the bravery and strength of the opera’s leading lady. “I love her fierce survival, her vulnerability within that, and her passion for life. For living,” says Rhodes. “Anna suffered severe hardships, but she [didn’t] let it stop her from becoming the authentic person she was meant to be, and to go on in her life in a positive manner.... Eugene O’Neill was very far ahead of his time. He was one of the first American dramatists to write so deeply and authentically about these people he actually knew in his life. He was recognized for understanding the backstory of what caused her to go into prostitution. He wrote in such a way that was truly authentic, and real and passionate. The story resonates particularly today with the #MeToo Movement, and what women have suffered with throughout history.” Rhodes would eventually come to direct Thomas’s opera, currently in rehearsal. “The music-drama is on a barge. We are creating water around the barge. There’s this feeling of floating, so we have the presence of the sea constantly.... [we’re] just putting all that together,” says Rhodes. If you have never been to an opera before, “Anna Christie” is the perfect place to start, Rhodes insists. “It has music that’s very singable,” she says. “It has these jazz elements. But it’s very lyrical, and it’s dramatic, because there are a lot of confrontational scenes. It can appeal to sophisticated musical lovers and musical theater people. It will attract both ends of the spectrum.” The story is a charged, powerful drama perfectly suited for the grandness of the operatic stage. The wideranging style of the score is owed to its composer’s rich and varied career in the music world. After the show’s October 7 matinee, Thomas will celebrate his 94th birthday with the show’s cast and audience. “I don’t even believe it’s happening. It’s weird. I can’t even explain it,” says Thomas. Peering back, Thomas takes everything in stride. “The most important thing looking back,” he says, “is basically being happy, and accepting that you could do what you could do when you could do it. It’s the doing that’s more important than the fame and the money.... A philosopher said ‘never too late to be what you might have been.’

Nancy Rhodes, the founding artistic director of Encompass New Opera Theatre, and the composer Edward Thomas. Rhodes is directing “Anna Christie,” an opera, based on Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, for which Thomas wrote the music. Photo: Harold Levine. You keep doing what you need to do and want to do. And whatever will be will be. It’s hard work,” Thomas admits. Thomas finds his personal philosophy reflected in his opera. The story of Anna Christie “proves that it’s never too late to get what you hope for,” he says. “Because she ended up being a prostitute, and she meets [the sailor],

and they’re gonna get married.... You get the feeling they’re gonna be happy together, and she has something real.... She has found someone. And strangely, in these times, relationships are hard to create and remain substantively.... I think that’s the main statement. All the rest is drama preceding.”

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Anna Christie” WHERE: Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave. WHEN: October 4-21 www.encompasstheatre.org 866-811-4111

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