Our Town Downtown - October 11, 2018

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The local paper for Downtown wn

WEEK OF OCTOBER

11-17 2018

THE SHED’S OPEN CALL ▲ P.12

‘HEY, WE’RE HAVING AN EVENT’ ACTIVISM NYU’s College Democrats are expanding their range of activities as the midterm elections approach BY TEDDY SON

top plastic surgeon and professor of surgery who has been listed in New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors” issue for nine of the past 10 years, is seeking to change that dynamic. He’s mounting a Republican challenge for a state Assembly seat in a

The New York University College Democrats have stepped up their game as the 2018 midterm elections draw closer by the day. The student political club has expanded their range of sponsored events to an almost weekly basis, while also conducting regular panel meetings every Thursday evening. One such event was a panel of speakers discussing foreign policy after Donald Trump’s presidency. Author Peter Beinart, former diplomat and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen and Center for American Progress member Brian Katulis gathered at the New York University Kimmel Center on September 20 to talk about the future of foreign policy in the Democratic party. These events are not only limited to members of the College Democrats, but also open to general students as well. “We have a very active social media account, and we do try to reach out and promote large events,” said club secretary Arman Becan. “We try to use our reputation, our name recognition to reach out and say ‘Hey, we’re having an event ...’ and of course we encourage anyone who’s interested in liberal and Democratic politics to come to our meetings to learn more.” “There are [students] dissatisfied with the Trump administration and dissatisfied with Republicans in Congress,” said club president Oliver

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Dr. Jeffrey A. Ascherman campaigns on Lexington Avenue and 83rd Street. The Republican physician is running for a state Assembly seat on the Upper East Side and would become the only doctor in the Legislature if he triumphs. Photo courtesy of Dr. Ascherman for Assembly Campaign

THE SURGEON WHO WOULD BE LAWMAKER POLITICS A GOP doctor’s uphill quest to topple an incumbent Democrat and claim an Assembly seat in the old Silk Stocking District BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

There are four medical doctors in the U.S. Senate and 12 in the House. At least two states are run by physician-governors. There is one on the City Council. And more than 75 serve in statehouses across America. Albany, by contrast, is Nowheresville. Out of 213 elected members in the state Legislature — 63 in the Senate and 150 in the Assembly — there is not a single medical practitioner. That’s been the case for decades. Now, Dr. Jeffrey A. Ascherman, a

I’m a hard-core Democrat. I never supported a Republican in my life. But I’m making an exception for my doctor.” Martha Brumfield, patient of Dr. Jeffrey A. Ascherman

Photo courtesy College Democrats at NYU, via Facebook

We believe that each candidate, each district, each race is unique, so we believe that Democrats need to tailor their message to move along the liberal spectrum from more conservative to more progressive based on what they believe their constituents are.” Arman Becan, club secretary, NYU College Democrats Downtowner

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

3 8 10 12

Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes

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WEEK OF APRIL

SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12

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

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

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

2015

In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

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

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

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

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

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RIVERSIDE PARK ART INSTALLATION CHANNELS HUDSON HISTORY MULTIMEDIA Exhibition at 69th Street Transfer Bridge by NYC artist Tony Oursler runs through October BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

The actress Pearl White, who starred in early silent films created along the Palisades, is one of many historical references featured in Tony Oursler’s “Tear of the Clouds” exhibition, on view this month in Riverside Park. Image: Tony Oursler Studio.

Upper West Siders will have one more reason to look forward to evenings on the Hudson this month. Starting this week, Riverside Park will host a large-scale multimedia installation by the New York City artist Tony Oursler. The project, named “Tear of the Cloud,” after the Adirondack lake that is the Hudson River’s highest source, utilizes the 69th Street Transfer Bridge as a canvas onto which ethereal images alluding to the river’s past will be digitally projected.

Videos cast onto the former rail transfer bridge, itself a reminder of the river’s industrial legacy, draw on the length and breadth of the Hudson Valley and its history, from the painters of the Hudson River School to the birth of hip-hop culture in the Bronx to the technological advances of Samuel Morse and IBM — all with an eye toward tomorrow. “The Headless Horseman and his horse are important references in Tear of the Cloud, as they gallop towards artificial intelligence, the chess-playing computer Deep Blue’s famous knight sacrifice, facial recognition technologies, and bots which have provoked significant questions about our future,” Oursler said in a statement. The exhibition, commissioned by the Public Art Fund, will be accompanied

Sunday, 10/28/2018 11 am-2 pm 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn NY 11201

WWW.CITYTECH.CUNY.EDU/OPENHOUSE

by an audio component and creates what Daniel S. Palmer, associate curator with the nonprofit, described as a “powerful, expansive, and transformative experience.” “With this new work, Oursler rethinks how we learn, explore, and share our complex narratives by interweaving the past and the present,” Palmer said in a statement. “In this way, the artist’s multivalent allusions to the region’s stories flow together and offer their vitality like the many tributaries that feed into the Hudson River, coalescing into a source of creativity and inspiration.” The installation will be on view in Riverside Park, near 69th Street, Oct. 10 through Oct. 31 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., except Mondays.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG MAN MUGGED ON CHAMBERS

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st precinct for the week ending Sep 30

At 8:40 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, a 19-year-old man walking on Chambers Street was approached by man who claimed to have a knife and a gun who said, “Give me something out of this,” according to the account given to police. The man then asked for the young man’s headphones and forced him to withdraw money from an ATM, which the young man did at a nearby McDonald’s, taking out $20 in cash and giving it to the mugger.

Week to Date

ARMED SHOPLIFTER ARRESTED Police collared a knife-wielding shoplifter. Just after 6 p.m. on Sept. 27, a 34-year-old man entered the Frye Company store at 113 Spring St. and picked up a brown leather bag on display. Approached by a store employee, the would-be shopper took out large black-and-silver kitchen knife and left the store with the $500 bag. A police officer stopped the suspected shoplifter on nearby Broadway, where he was positively identified by the Frye employee. Justin Gaston was placed under arrest and charged with robbery, police said.

Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr

MAN ARRESTED AFTER MUGGING Yet another downtown mugger was nabbed in late September. At 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, September 25, a 22-yearold Queens woman passing in front

of 175 Franklin St. was accosted by a man in his mid-30s who then took her bag, police said. Both a witness and the victim later identified the mugger to police, and Edward Moore was arrested and charged with robbery.

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Year to Date

2018 2017

% Change

2018

2017

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

1

0.0

Rape

0

0

n/a

19

14

35.7

Robbery

4

0

n/a

57

54

5.6

Felony Assault

0

0

n/a

42

65

-35.4

Burglary

1

2

-50.0

51

50

2.0

Grand Larceny

17

18

-5.6

770

769 0.1

Grand Larceny Auto

0

0

n/a

19

11

72.7

BANK ROBBED OF $5,700

SHOPLIFTING AT SAKS

At 9 a.m. on Monday, September 24, a 34-year-old man wearing a blonde curly wig and white sunglasses passed a note to a teller inside the Chase Bank at 240 B Greenwich St. which stated, “Stacks of 50’s and 100’s please.” The teller complied and gave the robber $5,700 before the man fled the bank on foot. The teller neglected to press the panic button, and a search of the neighborhood proved fruitless.

Saint Laurent was the designer of the day for three shoplifters recently. At 3:41 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, three men entered the Saks Fifth Avenue store at 225 Liberty St. and took 10 Yves Saint Laurent items worth $5,465 from a table, concealed them and left, fleeing southbound on West Street.

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Useful Contacts

Drawing Board BY MARC BILGREY

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

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CON EDISON

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212-460-4600

TIME WARNER

46 East 23rd

813-964-3839

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212-645-0327

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US Post Office

93 4th Ave.

212-254-1390

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On a picturesque coed campus, infused with nature, Oakwood Friends School, guided by Quaker principles, prepares students for lives of achievement, accomplishment, compassion and conscience. Upper School Day & Boarding Programs (5 and 7-day) Middle School Day Program Middle and Upper Schools Open House Student-led campus tours and meetings with faculty and Head of School Sat & Sun Oct 27 and 28 • Noon - 2 PM Sat & Sun Nov 10 and 11 • Noon - 2 PM For more info or to join us, write or call: admissions@oakwoodfriends.org • (845) 462-4200 22 Spackenkill Road, Poughkeepsie, NY

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Praxis Housing Initiatives will operate a new shelter at 306 West 94th Street. Photo: Michael Garofalo

UWS SHELTER MOVING, GETS NEW PROVIDER COMMUNITY Residents raise concerns at announcement BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Freedom House, an Upper West Side homeless shelter long a source of neighborhood grievances, will soon close and be replaced by a new facility nearby. The city’s Department of Homeless Services plans to close the shelter, at 316 West 95th St., between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, late this fall. A new 200-resident shelter operated by a different nonprofit provider will open one block south on West 94th Street by December. Since it opened during the Bloomberg administration in 2012 with no advanced public notice under an emergency contract, “Freedom House has never shed the reputation of being a problem site,” said Helen Rosenthal, who represents the neighborhood in the City Council. For years, neighbors have complained of Freedom House residents engaging in aggressive panhandling, drug dealing, harassment and other disorder-

ly activity, prompting calls from Rosenthal and members of the local community for the shelter to be closed or placed under new management. Steven Banks, commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services, which oversees the Department of Homeless services, acknowledged that the shelter had fallen short of the agency’s standards. “This particular location has not been an effective facility for serving our clients, and [Rosenthal] has been extremely helpful in pointing out ways in which there have been challenges for both our clients and the community,” he said. The new shelter, also between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive at 306 West 94th St., will be operated by Praxis Housing Initiatives, a Manhattan-based nonprofit. “We have a high-quality provider that wants to provide services on the Upper West Side, they have a track record of providing excellent services, they have a building in which our clients could get better services, and that was really the catalyst for going in a different direction here,” Banks said. Locals learned of the city’s plans for the site at an Oct. 4 meeting with elected leaders

and DHS and Praxis officials at P.S. 75 on West 95th Street. A few dozen neighborhood residents attended the forum, which was billed in flyers as a “community update” on Freedom House. “I think there would have been more people here if they had said in advance what their intentions were,” said Aaron Biller, president of Neighborhood in the 90s, a local block association. The Praxis proposal aims to address key deficiencies that Rosenthal and local groups identified as contributing factors to many of the problems plaguing Freedom House. Freedom House lacks an indoor common space, prompting residents to gather on the sidewalk and in Riverside Park. Additionally, Rosenthal said, security at Freedom House is provided by a third-party firm contracted by Aguila, Inc., the nonprofit provider that runs Freedom House, and not wellintegrated into the shelter’s operations. Praxis will hire its own security guards and the new shelter facility will feature indoor common space and a courtyard area for residents. Praxis CEO Svein Jorgensen told residents at the Oct. 4

OCTOBER 11-17,2018 meeting that he and his colleagues would regularly attend community advisory board meetings, employ staff to patrol the area, engage with neighbors to address concerns and address loitering and public nuisance issues. “We will be part of the community,â€? Jorgensen said. Rosenthal said she was reassured by her City Council colleague Andy Cohen’s assessment of a Praxis-operated shelter in Cohen’s Bronx district. “Praxis has a good reputation, which never could be said about the [provider at Freedom House],â€? she said. “If the provider is meeting the needs of the residents, then you don’t see the types of problems that the neighbors have had with Freedom House,â€? Rosenthal said. DHS intends to terminate its contract with Aguila and close Freedom House in the weeks to come. Including Freedom House, the city has four contracts with Aguila, for which the nonproďŹ t receives $34 million annually in public funds. The nonproďŹ t’s other contracts will remain in effect after Freedom House closes. DHS officials declined to address DHS’s assessment of the quality of services at the other Aguila facilities or whether DHS plans to phase out its contracts with Aguila entirely, as the agency has done with other underperforming providers. “We’re always looking at their portfolio,â€? Banks said, adding, “we’re raising the bar and so we’re reviewing all of our providers constantly.â€? Banks said he is hopeful that the Freedom House building will become permanent affordable housing after the shelter closes. DHS officials declined to share details regarding how such a transition might play out. Several residents expressed

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com concern over the site’s future at the Oct. 4 meeting, fearing that Freedom House could eventually be replaced with another shelter or supportive housing. DHS Deputy General Counsel Aaron Goodman said that the agency has no plans or proposals at this time for another shelter at the location. Rosenthal shared some attendees’ skepticism toward DHS’s response. “I hear it the same way you hear it,â€? she said. “It’s not a guarantee.â€? “I will flip out if they put a shelter where Freedom House is now,â€? Rosenthal said. “That is unacceptable to me.â€? The site of the West 94th Street shelter is the Alexander Hotel, an SRO-style building. Praxis identified the building and submitted a proposal for the site through DHS’s openended bidding process for new shelters. Six permanent residents living in the building will not be evicted as a result of the transition. The new shelter will serve as a temporary residence for adult families — for example, a couple experiencing homelessness or a grown child caring for a parent — the same population served by Freedom House. “To the extent that residents of Freedom House aren’t connected to permanent housing yet, they’ll be able to move into the new site,â€? Banks said. The new shelter will have capacity for roughly 200 residents, about the same as Freedom House. Some attendees questioned the fairness of siting the new shelter on the block, which is in the vicinity of several supportive housing facilities. Another topic of concern brought up repeatedly by neighbors, dissatisďŹ ed with what they characterized as the ineffectiveness of the community advisory board model in fixing issues during Freedom House’s six-

year history, was the perceived lack of avenues for meaningful recourse to spur response to recurring problems. “We will continue to work with the community as much as we can, in any way possible, to answer any and every question that comes our way as the community has concerns,â€? said Lori Boozer, a special adviser at DSS. “I’m interested in getting in that building and seeing for myself that it’s in good shape,â€? Rosenthal said, adding, “It’s really important to me that the community hear this and that we hear their concerns. I’m going to continue to hold DHS’s feet to the ďŹ re to make sure that what we’re talking about actually plays out.â€? A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Oct. 18. Closing down and replacing problem shelters such as Freedom House is one aspect of the de Blasio administration’s “Turning the Tide on Homelessnessâ€? plan to overhaul the city’s approach to homelessness, which DHS officials explain evolved in a haphazard manner over the previous decades to include shelters operated by not-for-proďŹ t providers contracted by the city, commercial hotels and so-called “clusterâ€? sites consisting of private apartments largely in the Bronx and Brooklyn. The city is working to end the use of cluster sites and hotels, as well as to reduce the overall footprint of the system while opening 90 new shelters. DHS has ended the practice of opening new shelters without advanced notiďŹ cation and now provides public notice of plans for new facilities at least 30 days in advance. Last year, the shelter system census remained flat roughly from the previous year for the ďŹ rst time in over a decade.

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Freedom House, a homeless shelter on West 95th Street, will close later this fall. Photo: Michael Garofalo

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Voices

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

REMEMBER HENRY STERN NOW BY BETTE DEWING

Should John Jay Park pool be renamed for former city Parks commissioner Henry Stern while he can still enjoy the honor or be renamed, as is usual, only after the honoree has departed this life? Community Board 8’s Park’s Committee voted a unanimous “yes” to renaming forthwith. But New Yorkers nevertheless need to hear about this longtime parks commissioner and his dedicated and visionary work for parks and the city at large. And, yes, Henry was a bit of an eccentric, which sparked more media coverage of places and concerns too often overlooked. And sometimes caused some misunderstandings. And, remember as well, prior to being parks commissioner, Stern was a City Council member-at-large for Manhattan, and with Council Member Bobbie Wagner Jr. tried

in vain to have subway station rails installed, Stern was a man for safe travel, in general, and his remark about city biking was a truth-in-anutshell, a Sternism. He said: “A bicycle can be more scary than a car, because it’s small, swift and silent and can come at you from any direction.” But among the few city officials who agreed was Police Commissioner Ben Ward who warned: “Scofflaw biking is scaring the public to death.” Stern did post “No bicycling” signs on pedestrian park paths, and pushed for greater park patrol enforcement but there’s still a long way to go. Stern is being honored, of course, for his enormous contribution to parks citywide, including, the extraordinarily loving care he gave to park trees – city trees in general. And, he closely monitored the many recreational places, especially the safety of playgrounds, not to men-

tion public swimming pools. But also endearing were the more personal things Stern initiated like giving park names to park-goers, his staff and others. Stern, though, was a central figure in lawsuits alleging discrimination at Parks during his tenure, which the city eventually settled for tens of millions of dollars. But, of course, there also was Stern’s strong commitment to public swimming pools, exemplified by his involvement with John Jay Park pool. The city’s public pools were lifesavers, he reportedly said, for those unable to travel to beaches. Yes, even in this affluent Upper East Side location there are such people, and they especially want the pool to bear Henry Stern’s name while he still can appreciate the honor. Stern is reportedly in ill-health, due to Parkinson’s disease. And don’t we need to hear about that in

Henry Stern. Photo: swedennewyork, via flickr a time when so many afflicted elders especially drop out of sight,of public view, even those who once so magnificently served the public like Henry Stern? Surely now it’s their care that needs close monitoring – their diseases and disorders which need more research to find better treatments and also cures - even if the population were not aging.

So these conditions must be seen, not hidden, for this to occur especially in a society which so inordinately values the young and fast movers and talkers. Again, we need to hear more about Henry Stern’s life now, ideally, to see him at those civic meetings he once so faithfully attended. And how we need to hear Stern speak, however, haltingly, about the hard truths about Parkinson‘s and other disabling conditions which keep those afflicted away from these community meetings, at which decisions affecting entire communities are made. Time for a much needed change and with no one more qualified to lead it than an unparalleled public servant like Henry Stern at age 81. It’s not an impossible dream, not if enough of us share it — and with the able-bodied enabling those who are not, to be seen and heard on a public level. And in general — to never let them be out of sight and mind — or forgotten. dewingbetter@aol.com

FOUL VS. FAIR: WHO WILL TURN OUT? BY MEREDITH KURZ

A light rain fell when the #CancelKavanaugh rally started last Thursday near Trump Tower, but it quickly became a downpour as the crowd of protesters swelled. Anti-Trump protesters have always been cordoned off across the street from Trump Tower, with the meager number of pro-Trump supporters slightly south, on the same side of the street of Trump’s building. Taking the NYPD by surprise, it seemed, activists were directly marching on the sidewalk in front of Trump Tower. Officers finally moved the protesters farther south of Trump’s building, but the march was soon over. The rain stopped, people faded away, most leaving soggy signs. There were no arrests. The foul weather voters could determine next month’s midterm outcomes. According to a 2007 study in The Journal of Politics, statistics favor Republicans in inclement elections.

As at this rally, many pro-Trump supporters are quiet about their preference. The trick for pollsters is to uncover his secret voters. There was only one counter-protester willing to show his stripes at the #CancelKavanaugh rally. He held an oversized “Trump 2020” banner, marching along with the protesters, yelling, “Losers!” He said he’s been at every protest since April 2017. He felt Christine Blasey Ford should be heard, but that Kavanaugh should get in. There was a scuffle when he and another man exchanged words. A nearby officer quickly quelled the dispute. A woman in a torn dress and fake blood all over her was handing out red-splotched flyers quoting the Old Testament — “‘They had sex with her and abused her all night long until morning,’ Judges 19:25.” A wide group of organizations sponsored the rally, from the Women’s March which gathered more than three million people nationwide in

2017, to a group called the Socialist Rifle Association, with the National Lawyers Guild, Black Women’s Blueprint and many others. The only escape from the rain was the Trump Tower overhang: reporters and photographers hovered there, with the doormen and the NYPD. One young man there looked like a businessman who just left work; tie and jacket off, but in a white collared shirt and suit pants. He did not want to give his name, but said he was a conservative Republican. He calmly explained why he wasn’t coming forward to express himself as a counter-protester: he’d been aggressively harassed in the past over his atypical Manhattan opinions. “I don’t think Republicans are conservative enough,” he said with a quiet smile. He supported Trump and approved of Kavanaugh, citing his twelve years on the D.C. courts, and the many times the Supreme Court endorsed his opinions. He noted that

four of Ford’s friends denied that the alleged assault happened as Ford explained it, and that he’d never seen a group of people try to ruin someone else’s life. He admitted he’d like to see Trump behave more formally and that the president had a big ego. However, he likes that Trump “sells” America, claiming we have the best products, the best employees. He’s very happy with the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. “Trump cares about, and is doing a good job with, our economy,” he said. “He gets work done. The voters knew what they were getting, and they voted him in.” The protesters had many varied opinions, yet all agreed Kavanaugh didn’t belong on the Supreme Court and that Trump should be voted out. Most felt the president should not be impeached because it would continue this ongoing political feud. As a generalization, the women

An open Trump supporter at the protest. Photo: Meredith Kurz protesters seemed focused on the disparity between being their being in the majority numerically while being grossly underrepresented politically. The men on both political sides seemed more focused of the power struggle between the two political parties. One woman I spoke to said Kavanaugh had “expressed a disdain for a political slant of some Americans.” This Saturday there is a rally in Washington, DC sponsored by the Women’s March. There is no estimate on the size of the rally. Weather forecast? Fair.

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source nyoffice@strausnews.com 212-868-0190

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

Account Executives Fred Almonte, David Dallon Director of Partnership Development Barry Lewis

Editor-In-Chief, Alexis Gelber Deputy Editor Richard Khavkine

Senior Reporter Doug Feiden

Director of Digital Pete Pinto

Staff Reporter Michael Garofalo

Director, Arts & Entertainment/ NYCNow Alizah Salario

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

SURGEON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 heavily Democratic district that includes the Upper East Side, Sutton Place, Turtle Bay, Kips Bay and Midtown East, including Trump Tower. Of the scores of candidates for elective office who marched, noshed and schmoozed at the Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 8 and the German-American Steuben Parade on Sept. 15, only Ascherman could truly say, “I’m not a professional politician, I’m a practicing physician!â€? For the past 14 years, he’s served as site chief of the division of plastic surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, and he holds an endowed chair as the Thomas S. Zimmer Professor of Reconstructive Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, where he’s been an attending physician since 1995. He’s also published 90-plus scientiďŹ c articles. The 56-year-old Ascherman is basically a lifer at Columbia. “I’ve been here for 34 years,â€? he said. “I started medical school in 1984, and outside of a study year in Paris, I never left.â€? So why is he vying to unseat Assembly Member Dan Quart — a popular Democratic incumbent who was ďŹ rst elected in 2011, thrice cruised to reelection and trounced his last GOP opponent, Rebecca Harary, by a 36,000-to-21,000 vote margin — in the Nov. 6 general election? “I’m not running as a partisan,â€? he explained. “I’d like to improve the lives of all my patients and all New Yorkers — no matter what party they’re in. “Healthcare and healthcare legislation affects every single one of us,â€? he added. “That makes it all the more incredible that the Legislature has no M.D.s with firsthand experience of working in the medical ďŹ eld.â€? Indeed, the lack of a medical voice among state lawgivers motivated his bid for office: If elected, he said, he would help advance bills aimed at protecting patient rights — like a pending measure to prevent hospitals from pushing out women with breast cancer too quickly after a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. “I have performed thousands of breast reconstructions over the years,â€? Ascherman said. “And I can tell you, this is not an outpatient procedure.â€?

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ASCHERMAN’S FAVORITE THINGS ON THE UES Restaurant: Eighteen, 240 East 81st St. “Good kosher food in a comfortable, relaxed ambience where I have celebrated many happy occasions with family and wonderful friends.� Street corner: 85th and Fifth. “Not far from home, and near entrance to our beautiful Central Park where I love to go running.� Shul: Kehilath Jeshurun and Manhattan Sephardic Congregation Best subway stop in the district: 86th and Lex. “Very active and exciting area in my own back yard!� Worst subway stop in the district: “None.� Best hospital in the district: Lenox Hill. “My own hospital, New YorkPresbyterian, is not in the district!� Favorite place for entertainment: “AMC Loews Orpheum movie theaters on Third Avenue between 86th and 87th Streets.� Favorite place for education and enlightenment: “Ramaz — a wonderful institution!� —Douglas Feiden

Other bills he supports would bar sudden increases in drug prices in the midst of a patient’s cycle of treatment and care, and “minimize preauthorization hassles� with insurance companies before medical tests, needed surgeries and even simple visits to a doctor can proceed. “There are too many times we’ve had to delay surgery for patients with breast cancer because the insurance company hasn’t approved it yet — and the patient is worried that the cancer is going to spread, and I’m worried that the cancer is going to spread,� Ascherman said. The state legislature is a parttime job, so if he wins, he won’t have to put down his scalpel. He’d also be able to continue his long practice of providing community service beyond the hospital’s walls, in China for

instance. Ascherman has conducted several humanitarian surgical missions in Nanjing and Harbin, performing ďŹ ve surgeries a day over a week in orphanages and hospitals and operating on cleft lips, cleft palates, hand defects and burns to help make scores of Chinese children more adoptable. “These kids were becoming social outcasts, they couldn’t go to school, people were making fun of them, they were never being adopted — and yet, these abnormalities could so easily be corrected,â€? he said. How will this translate in the political arena? Unclear. But by one key yardstick, the doctor is set to defy conventional wisdom: Typically, an underdog — and there are 2.6 registered Democrats to every Republican in the 73rd Assembly District — goes on the attack. Ascherman says he won’t do that. “Political people have advised me to do negative mailings. They say you have to attack your opponent,â€? he said. “But I’ve instructed my staff not to do so. I haven’t said a single negative thing about him, and I don’t intend to.â€? In an interview, Quart repaid the favor, saying any disagreements would be policy-based, not personal. “I have tremendous respect for anyone who runs for public office, so I never would and never will attack Mr. Ascherman,â€? he said. Instead, Quart said, he’s running on a record that includes helping to lock up an extra $1 billion in capital funding to continue building the Second Avenue Subway; securing monies for library construction on the East Side; funding air-quality monitoring and improvements citywide; and battling for comprehensive property tax reform. Meanwhile, in the old Silk Stock District — where Hillary Clinton bested Donald Trump in 2016 by a 47,749-to-10,859 vote margin — the doctor’s patients have informally organized #DemocratsForDr.Ascherman, a group whose support he’ll need if he any chance of beating the odds. “I’m a hard-core Democrat,â€? said Martha Brumfield, a patient at high risk of breast cancer whom Ascherman treated, along with her two sisters. “I never supported a Republican in my life. But I’m making an exception for my doctor.â€? invreporter@strausnews.com

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The Board of Elections in the City of New York is hiring Poll Workers to serve at poll sites across New York City. Become an Election Day Worker and you can earn up to $500 for completing the training course, passing the exam and working two Election Days.

ELECTION INSPECTOR

INTERPRETER

REQUIREMENTS @ Registered voter residing in the City of New York

REQUIREMENTS @ A permanent U.S. resident over 18 years of age and a resident of New York City

@ Enrolled in the Democratic or Republican party @ Able to read and write English DUTIES @ Prepare the poll site for voters

@ Assist voters during the voting process @ Close the poll site @ Canvass and report election results @ Assist other poll workers as needed TRAINING @ All Inspectors must attend a training class and pass the exam SALARY @ Earn $200 per day

@ Earn $100 for training (Note: You will only be paid for Training if you pass the exam and work on Election Day.)

You can earn up to $500 for completing the training course, passing the exam and working two Election Days.

@ Fluent in English and the interpreter’s language @ Spanish interpreters needed in all boroughs @ Chinese interpreters needed in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens @ Korean, Hindi and Bengali interpreters needed in Queens. For Hindi Interpreters: Please note on your application if you can also speak Punjabi.

@ Does not have to be a registered voter DUTIES @ Assist non-English speaking voters by translating voting information into covered languages during the voting process TRAINING @ All Interpreters must attend a training class and pass the exam SALARY @ Earn $200 per day

@ Earn $25 for training (Note: You will only be paid for Training if you pass the exam and work on Election Day.)

You can earn up to $425 for completing the training course, passing the exam and working two Election Days.

HOURS/LOCATION @ 5:00 a.m. until the polls are closed and results reported, which will be after 9:00 p.m. @ Must be willing to travel within the borough for assignment to a poll site

HOW TO APPLY Visit pollworker.nyc/2018 to apply. If you have any questions, call 866-VOTE-NYC (866-868-3692).

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OCTOBER 11-17,2018

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

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU SHOW UP?

EDITOR’S PICK

Wed 17 You’re full of potential and eager to get ahead, but one thing’s missing — your college degree. Whether you took a break after high school or you stopped out of college with less than 60 credits, earning your Associates Degree now through the NYU School of Professional Studies Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies can change your life! From the first day you step into our classrooms, you’ll develop applicable work-related skills in a highly supportive environment, while building your confidence and benefiting from a wealth of university and career development resources. New affordable tuition makes a world-class NYU education attainable. VIRTUAL INFO. SESSION - Tuesday, October 16, 7 p.m. WALK-IN WEDNESDAYS - October 17, 24, 31; November 7 anytime 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Register - sps.nyu.edu/appliedUG/events39

For information: visit sps.nyu.edu/appliedUG/associates39 or call 212-998-7100 * Bachelors degree programs available for those who have earned 60 transferable college credits or more.

You can do this! We can help you every step of the way! CHOOSE FROM PROGRAMS IN: Business, Health Administration, Information Systems Management, Liberal Arts New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. ©2018 NYU School of Professional Studies.

JAZZ AMBASSADORS: COLD WAR DIPLOMACY Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86 7 p.m. $45 212-245-0072. intrepidmuseum.org This panel discussion features jazz master Jimmy Owens, musician Wycliffe Gordon and historians Ingrid Monson and Penny Von Eschen. moderated by Professor Robert O’Meally, founder of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. After the discussion, Gordon & His International All Stars will perform a reimagining of a concert behind the Iron Curtain.

Thu 11

Fri 12

Sat 13

FALL EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION

DANCE: TERE O’CONNOR’S ‘LONG RUN’

FALL MUSIC FEST

The Drawing Center 35 Wooster St. 6 p.m. Free The Drawing Center’s fall exhibition focuses on three young artists — Elijah Burgher, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Nathaniel Mary Quinn — who explore diverse identities through portraiture and who do so almost exclusively through the medium of drawing. 212-219-2166 drawingcenter.org

NYU Skirball 566 LaGuardia Pl. 7:30 p.m. $35 Long Run is an evocative dance that pushes the emotional content of movement to new physical extremes, allowing time-based elements like polyrhythms, velocity and duration to become external forces in the work, overtaking the eight performers. 212-998-4941 nyuskirball.org

Tompkins Square Park 208 East Seventh St. 1 p.m. Free This festival of rhythm and sound features local New York City bands including GIFTSHOP, Linden St. Connection and the Sloe Guns, and well as politicians rallying for Get out the Vote. Several City Council members will be speaking as well. nycgovparks.org

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Photo:Stephen Paley

She loved theater. So she gave.

Sun 14 Mon 15 Tue 16 ▲ ‘SACRED TO THE MEMORY:’ 1865 FUNERAL REENACTMENT Merchant’s House Museum 29 East Fourth St. 3:30 p.m. $35 In the 19th century, death and funerals took place at home. Experience the recreation of the 1865 funeral service of family patriarch Seabury Tredwell. After the service, grieving widow Eliza Tredwell will receive guests and talk about how death and dying were a natural and everpresent part of daily life. Held in conjunction with the current exhibition, “A Good Death: 19th Century Lessons in Dying Well.” 212-777-1089 merchantshouse.org

▼ FIRST PERSON: MARGALIT FOX

TIMES TALKS: JILL SOLOWAY

Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th St. 6:30 p.m. $15/$10 students and seniors With an eye for quirky details, Margalit Fox wrote more than 1,400 obituaries at The New York Times, and gained a legion of followers. Fox will join author Ruth Franklin in conversation about her own life, her favorite obits and her new book, “Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer.” 212-294-8301 cjh.org

The New School 63 Fifth Avenue 7 p.m. $45 Jessica Bennett, gender editor for The New York Times, moderates a conversation with Jill Soloway, the Emmywinning screenwriter, director and author. They will discuss Soloway’s upcoming book “She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy,” and Soloway’s latest memoir, which follows their evolution from straight married mother of two to identifying as queer and non-binary. 212-229-5108 newschool.edu

Wed 17 ALL USED UP: ‘DISMANTLING THE GAZE’ International Center of Photography 250 Bowery 6:30 p.m. Free This program builds on ICP’s series “Dismantling the Gaze,” which considers looking, power and visual culture in the #MeToo movement, and “Queering the Collection,” which presents work of and outside ICP’s Collections to expand the voices of queer artists. 212-857-0000 icp.org

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

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OCTOBER 11-17,2018

Open Call’s inaugural class. Photo: Scott Rudd

FRESH VOICES RESPOND TO THE SHED’S OPEN CALL The up-and-coming cultural institution aims to present arts and pop culture under one roof for all audiences. Can a generous commission program for emerging artists help? BY ALIZAH SALARIO

To butcher a Virginia Woolf quote, artists must have money and a large cultural institution of their own if they are to create. Now, 52 New York Citybased artists and arts collectives have just that, thanks to The Shed’s inaugural Open Call program, announced by CEO and artistic director Alex Poots on Oct. 9. The luxuries of time and space have long eluded even established and mid-career artists, particularly in a city where the rent is too damn high. The Shed, the gargantuan new cultural center located where the High Line meets Hudson Yards, is trying to

Stage managing director change that. The institution James King and filmmaker is already positioning itself and CEO of the fashion colas New York City’s next hub lective Hood By Air Leilah of artistic innovation with Weinraub. the inaugural commissions Open Call provides the resources local Though the artists selected well before it officially opens artists need to fully explore their ideas, as for Open Call self-identified in spring 2019. through the proposal pro“A fundamental part of well as the platform for reaching higher cess as either “early-career” our mission is to engage our levels of visibility with new audiences.” or “emerging,” many boast local communities and supTamara McCaw, chief civic program officer, The Shed impressive biographies and port New York City’s divermyriad accomplishments — sity of talent,” said Tamara just not a previous commisMcCaw, chief civic program officer at The Shed, who co-organized Beating out a pool of nearly 1000 appli- sion with a large or major institution. Open Call along with Emma Enderby, cants, the recipients each receive a sti- Recipients include designers, rappers, senior curator. “Open Call provides pend of between $7,000 and $15,000, dancers, activists and makers, all of the resources local artists need to in addition to support and resources whom will have the chance to bring fully explore their ideas, as well as the to develop their work. Applicants went their creative visions to two stages platform for reaching higher levels of through a rigorous vetting process, in The Shed’s innovative space: a 500including a committee of curatorial seat black box theater and a 17,000 visibility with new audiences.” Developed specifically for New York and producing artists that honed in on square-foot open air plaza with The City-based artists who have haven’t inventive and risk-taking proposals. Shed’s movable shell ceiling. Recipients include Prince Harvey, a had the opportunity to create and Final selections were made by a panel present work with large cultural insti- of New York-based movers and shak- Dominica-born artist and musician tutions, Open Call spotlights artists ers, including poet and cofounder of known for recording his first album in from across the creative spectrum. Cave Canem Cornelius Eady, Harlem an Apple Store and for STAY BOLD: 100

DAYS 100 SONGS, where he released a song a day for 100 days as a protest against President Trump; artist Gabriela María Corretjer Contreras, who utilizes textiles and performance as a way of imagining a future for a society with an “identity crisis;” and vocalist and composer Tariq Al-Sabir, who has premiered roles in the Smithsoniancommissioned operetta “Qadar” and in the social justice opera “Stinney,” in addition to jingle writing, film scoring and music production. The inaugural group of artists will launch the Shed’s 2019 season and continue into 2020. All of the performances will be free. Core to The Shed’s mission is commissioning and presenting leading artists and thinkers from all disciplines under one roof. Just like the structure itself, it’s a lofty goal — but one that now has plenty of creative fuel behind it. For more information, visit theshed.org/ commission/open-call

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

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Your Neighborhood News Source

BEYOND BROADWAY - DOWNTOWN The #1 online community for NYC theater:

www.show-score.com

NOW PLAYING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FROM $58

FROM $45

FROM $18

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

FINAL FOLLIES

POP PUNK HIGH

177 REVIEWS ENDS NOV 18

145 REVIEWS ENDS OCT 21

111 REVIEWS ENDS NOV 01

90

78

76

Experience this classic in a new way – in Yiddish (with supertitles). Joel Grey directs.

Primary Stages presents this uniquely curated selection of three one-act plays by celebrated playwright A.R. Gurney.

A musical set at a high school where everyone is pop punk, it’s always 2006, and there’s never been anything cooler than shredding and pizza.

MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE - 36 BATTERY PL

CHERRY LANE THEATRE - 38 COMMERCE ST

LE POISSON ROUGE - 158 BLEECKER ST

WHAT’S TRENDING ACROSS NYC

COMING SOON

FROM $30

FROM $35

SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE 352 REVIEWS OPEN RUN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE PREVIEWS START OCT 18

A return engagement of famed novelist Kurt Vonnegut’s rarely produced satire. A searing and darkly comedic look at American culture.

86

THE DUKE - 229 W 42ND ST

An all-new incarnation of the hit revue celebrating the songs of Leiber and Stoller.

FROM $39

DANIEL’S HUSBAND

STAGE 42 - 422 W 42ND ST

PREVIEWS START OCT 18 FROM $49

The story of a seemingly perfect gay couple with different views on marriage, this unflinching look at how we choose to tie the knot—or not—returns for an open-ended Off-Broadway run.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME 110 REVIEWS ENDS OCT 28

WESTSIDE THEATRE - 407 W 43RD ST

83

FROM $39

This witty and searingly personal exploration of the Constitution strives to breathe new life into our founding document.

THE OTHER JOSH COHEN PREVIEWS START OCT 26

NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP - 79 E 4TH ST

David Rossmer and Steve Rosen both play the title character – one eventful year apart – in their musical romantic comedy about courageously owning the hand life deals you.

FROM $20

BLACK LIGHT 72 REVIEWS JUST OPENED

WESTSIDE THEATRE - 407 W 43RD ST

FROM $53

THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI

80

PREVIEWS START OCT 30

Bertolt Brecht’s skewering of Adolf Hitler and totalitarianism is given a new production directed by John Doyle (“The Color Purple”) for Classic Stage Company.

Daniel Alexander Jones returns to the stage as Jomama Jones, his critically-acclaimed alter-ego, in this revival for turbulent times. GREENWICH HOUSE THEATER - 27 BARROW ST

CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY - 136 E 13TH ST

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OCTOBER 11-17,2018

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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS SEP 26 - OCT 2, 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. Lantern Thai

311 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (20) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Breads Bakery

18 East 16 Street

A

Ippudo

65 4th Ave

Grade Pending (23) 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.

Adalya

55 Irving Pl

Grade Pending (22) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

JP Street

52 E 8th St

Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

16 Handles

153 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (18) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Bait & Hook

231 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (37) 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. 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Dan and Johns Wings

135 1st Ave

Grade Pending (18) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. 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.

Bar Primi

325 Bowery

A

Nix

72 University Pl

A

City Of Saints Coffee Roasters

79 E 10th St

Grade Pending (25) 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.

The Bean

31 3rd Ave

A

Mani in Pasta Pizzeria Romana

245 E 14th St

A

Pie

124 4 Avenue

A

ABC Cocina / ABCV

38 East 19 Street

A

San Marzano

117 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (27) 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.

Fat Cat Kitchen

223 E 14th St

Grade Pending (10) 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.

Dunkin Donuts

52 E 8th St

A

Tim Ho Wan

85 4th Ave

Grade Pending (23) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Pizza Mercato

11 Waverly Pl

A

Dun Huang

300 E 12th St

A

Peppercorn Kitchen

11 Waverly Pl

A

Side Bar

120 East 15 Street

A

Finnerty’s

221 2 Avenue

A

KFC

242 E 14th St

A

Gemma

4 East 3 Street

A

Astor Plate Cafe

26 Astor Pl

A

212 Hisae’s

212 East 9 Street

A

Chong Qing Xiao Mian 2

82 2nd Ave

CLOSED (95) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. 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. 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Vinny Vincenz

231 1 Avenue

A

Eleven B

174 Avenue B

Grade Pending (27) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Patisserie Florentine

280 E 10th St

Grade Pending (28) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Evidence of rats or live rats 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

News Bar

107 University Place

Coffee Shop

29 Union Square West Grade Pending (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/ or non-food areas.

Proletariat Ny

102 St Marks Place

A

Kura

130 St Marks Place

A

Spiegel

26 1st Ave

A

349 East 14 Street

Mr White

123 Saint Marks Pl

A

O’Hanlon’s Bar

A

A

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

15

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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FURY IS ALL THE RAGE BOOKS Journalist Rebecca Traister’s “Good and Mad� analyzes the power of women’s anger, and why it is essential to cultural transformation BY ALIZAH SALARIO

Rebecca Traister is furious, and she feels “fucking great� about it. Traister, award-winning author, journalist and New York magazine writer at large, and Aminatou Sow, co-host of the “Call Your Girlfriend� podcast, spoke to a packed house at the New York Public Library’s main branch on Oct. 2 to mark the

launch of Traister’s new book, “Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Woman’s Anger.� Obviously, cracked Sow, Traister engineered the book’s release with the current news cycle. Yes, the joke landed. But looking around — at an audience ranging from young professionals to older activists on the feminist scale, at the middleaged woman Instagramming her “suff RAGEtte� shirt, at the teetering stacks of books that would sell out by the end of the evening, at the audience giving a standing ovation before the talk even began — it was clear that women’s anger isn’t just a blip in the news cycle or a trend piece. Female rage is both a

catalyst for and consequence of American history. If the room stuffed to the gills was any indication, there are still pages and pages yet to be written. It was with this in mind that Sow and Traister launched into a passionate conversation about just how women’s anger functions as a political propellent, particularly at a moment when almost daily, a new incident fans the ames. (It’s worth noting that at approximately the same time as the book talk, President Trump was imitating Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a campaign rally in Mississippi.)

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

Business

THE QUICK AND THE LATE Testing same-day delivery offered by a range of services — from traditional retailers to online-only merchants BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

It was a Friday and I was eagerly awaiting my vegetable spiralizer, red wine and Roku stick. They all arrived as promised. But where was that book and makeup I ordered? And my pizza? Same-day delivery offers the tantalizing convenience of online ordering with nearly the same immediacy of store buying. But how well are stores pulling it off? I settled in on my couch and spent a Friday trying several different services, from traditional retailers to online-only merchants. Some stores did better than others. Amazon Prime Now, Instacart and FoodKick all delivered my items within a certain time frame. At the other end of the spectrum were some doozies. One delivery — Bobbi Brown eye shadow from online luxury purveyor Net-a-Porter — didn’t arrive at all. Ordering from Barnes & Noble included glitches both on the website and on the app, and a book that didn’t come until nearly 9 p.m. The pizza? That came later than I was told as well, and I was hungry. Here’s my take on what went well — and what didn’t. EASE OF ORDERING: Using the Amazon Prime app on my phone was probably the quickest experience of those I tried. I ordered four items — socks, a vegetable spiralizer, calcium pills and a case of bottled water — and it took just two minutes. The most cumbersome experience was with Barnes & Noble. I started on the app at 10 a.m. to order Kristin Hannah’s novel “Winter Garden,” but kept encountering a glitch when I tried to insert my address. After three tries, I switched to my computer, but I had a similar problem there too. I called customer service a little after 11 a.m., and 24 minutes later I placed the order. I could have walked to the local Barnes & Noble store and bought the book quicker than that! DELIVERY: Only four of the seven retailers including the pizza parlor

Where was my pizza? Photo: Lou Stejskal, via flickr offered a specific time frame for delivery. Knowing when something will arrive really helps. I didn’t think I’d be waiting around in my apartment for 11 hours. Amazon Prime, Instacart and FoodKick, owned by FreshDirect, all promised to deliver between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. All three came in that period. I had a nice experience at Best Buy, too, receiving the Roku stick a little after 2 p.m. when I was told it would arrive by 9 p.m. Net-a-Porter said my eyeshadow would come by 7 p.m. At 6:52 p.m., I called for an update and was told there was a problem with the order, and I would get it tomorrow. I was told that the computer system was confused by the apostrophe in my last name, and so my order was put on hold, without my getting any updates. No thanks! I canceled the order. It would have been nice for them to alert me earlier that there was an issue. As for Barnes & Noble, the customer service representative on the phone couldn’t give me a delivery time. At 7:05 p.m., I got a text saying the book was on a truck in New Jersey and heading toward me. It arrived around

9 p.m. — still the same day, after all. The margherita pizza and the salad? Ordered at 12:10 p.m., they were supposed to arrive at around 12:45 p.m. but didn’t arrive until about half an hour after that. FEES: The highest was at Net-a-Porter, which charged $27.22 including the flat delivery charge of $25 and other fees. I guess if I were ordering a $500 dress, it wouldn’t matter. But I was ordering eyeshadow that cost about $76. Instacart’s delivery fee — $11.99 — was also high, bringing the total cost of my chips and guacamole to $26.16. The delivery charge is based on customer demand for the delivery window you request. Barnes & Noble’s delivery fee was just $3.99, while Best Buy’s was $5.99. Amazon Prime waived the delivery fee because my order came to more than $35. FoodKick also didn’t charge a fee because my red wine and pesto totaled $22.13, above the $20 minimum for free delivery. So by 9 p.m., I had most of what I ordered, including a book, wine and pizza. Would I try these services again? Yes, but I definitely know which retailers come through.

A order An of “Winter Garden” G from Barnes fr and Noble. an

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

17

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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OCTOBER 11-17,2018

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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.

Members of NYU’s College Democrats. Photo courtesy of College Democrats at NYU, via Facebook

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Jones. “We welcome anybody who’s working to counteract this administration in terms of preventing its horrendous agenda from passing.” The College Democrats also discussed the outcome of Christine Blasey Ford’s hearing regarding her accusations of sexual abuse by Brett Kavanaugh. Held on the September 27, club members and other students gathered in the Grand Hall of New York University’s Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life (GCASL) to re-live Ford and Kavanaugh’s testimonies. Although the students decided to remain anonymous due to the sensitive emotions being discussed, most participants agreed that

Ford had been treated rather unfairly in her part of the hearing, which led to a further discussion about the treatment of female representatives in the Democratic party. Another event on October 4 involved a phone-banking session to support Congressional candidates Antonio Delgado and Max Rose, with a handful of students making calls in the GCASL basement to potential voters to promote the campaigns of both candidates. According to both Jones and Becan, the main aim of the club is not to stick to any sort of specific Democratic model or advance any particular policy, but to remain flexible and try to get Democrats into office to continue along a more liberal path for state politics. “Our goal is electing Democrats,” said Jones. “We [also]

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have to look at ourselves as NYU College Democrats and looking at where we fit into the party fixture.” “We believe that each candidate, each district, each race is unique,” said Becan, “so we believe that Democrats need to tailor their message to move along the liberal spectrum from more conservative to more progressive based on what they believe their constituents are.” Further activities sponsored by the College Democrats includes a trip to Staten Island neighborhoods where they will get the word out about the Max Rose campaign by knocking on doors and talking to residents. In addition, the College Democrats also opened up a small booth in the Kimmel Center lobby to encourage people to go out and vote.

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

19

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Neighborhood Scrapbook ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life”—Featuring Jane Sherron de Hart

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH, 7PM Museum of Jewish Heritage | 36 Battery Pl. | 646-437-4202 | mjhnyc.org Jane Sherron de Hart launches her new biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which draws on 15 years of comprehensive research and interviews, and was completed with the cooperation of the “notorious” Justice’ herself (free).

TimesTalks: Jill Soloway

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, 7PM The New School | 63 Fifth Ave. | 212-229-5108 | newschool.edu Gender editor for the New York Times Jessica Bennett speaks with Emmy-winning screenwriter and director Jill Soloway. They’ll discuss Soloway’s upcoming book, She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy, and today’s takes on“gender, inclusion, desire, and consent” ($45).

Just Announced | Tenement Talk: The Politics of Domestic Workers Ribbon-cutting at Northwell Health Physician Partners at Greenwich Village. Photo courtesy of Northwell Health

TO YOUR HEALTH IN GREENWICH VILLAGE As part of its expansion in Manhattan, Northwell Health announced the opening of a multispecialty medical practice on the grounds of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital, now known as The Greenwich Lane Townhouses. T h e n e w t w o - s t o r y, 15,000-square-foot facility — Northwell Health Physician Partners at Greenwich Village — is located at 7 Seventh Avenue; the entrance is the same as St. Vincent’s former

Emergency Department. The practice will offer adult medical and and surgical specialties, plus pediatric neurology, allergy and cardiology. The clinical space features 28 exam rooms, a non-invasive cardiology testing suite, chest radiography, audiology testing and a pulmonary function laboratory. “When St. Vincent’s Hospital closed in 2010, we promised to restore health care services for the residents of lower

Exam room at the new practice. Photo courtesy of Northwell Health

Manhattan,” said Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health. “Our ongoing expansion of medical care in Greenwich Village and other neighboring communities reaffirms our commitment to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.” Among the elected officials attending last Tuesday’s dedication were State Assembly Member Deborah Glick and State Senator Brad Hoylman.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, 6:30PM Tenement Museum | 103 Orchard St. | 212-982-8420 | tenement.org A trio of authors and scholars discuss the immigrants and migrants who have historically done domestic work, and the ways they’ve shaped movements and general political reform out of it (free, RSVP required).

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

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Rebecca Traister and Aminatou Sow at the New York Public Library. Photo courtesy of the NYPL

FURY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Traister did not pull any punches. Yes, she said, it’s risky to show anger. Angry women are often characterized as “hysterical, performative, unhinged.” These shrill harpies and furious freaks are the very opposite of the cool girl trope, noted Traister, the pop culture ideal rewarded by the patriarchy for keeping her cool. For women of color, the stakes of showing anger are even higher. Anger can get you fired. Anger can get you killed. Which, of course, is why women’s anger is sanitized and tamped down. Perhaps it’s also why neither Traister nor others thought of women’s anger as a worthy lens to view politics until the 2016 election. Traister called her book idea a moment of clarity, and a narrative through-line became immediately obvious. Women’s anger is “consequential ... only women never had their fury hailed as fundamentally transformative and patriotic,” she said. The audience nodded in recognition. Traister envisioned working on a book about female anger over a period of years. But that was before the Women’s March, before young women

were some of the most vocal activists on gun control, before #MeToo, before the Kavanaugh hearings. The fast and furious pace of political upheaval and outrage turned a marathon into a four-month sprint. Yes, “Good and Mad” comes at a time when women’s anger has reached a boiling point. But Traister is quick to point out that as a country, we’ve been here before, many times. It was women who led labor and civil rights efforts that transformed our nation. For instance, Clara Lemlich called for a general strike that became the shirtwaist workers uprising, resulting in new labor agreements with all but a few factories — one of which was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. For the record, Rosa Parks wasn’t just tired. She was intentional in the act of refusing to stand. And yes, she was angry. Traister certainly isn’t the first to recognize that women’s anger can be a propulsive force. But by looking at “the specific nexus of women’s anger and American politics,” and how many of the movements for social change and progress are woven within it, Traister presents an illuminating reframing. Women’s anger isn’t threatening because a shrieking banshee may spontaneously com-

bust. It’s threatening because angry women run for office. They expose corruption and wrongdoing. Most recently, the unapologetic rage of Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher, the activists who confronted Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator, used anger as a vehicle for disruption and change. Anger makes it impossible to look away. Women’s anger has proven not only productive, but patriotic, even revolutionary. So why is it that the righteous anger of our forefathers — our “national lullaby,” Traister calls it — is the song we have on repeat? This reporter couldn’t help but think about what was missing from the audience: men. Too bad more of them weren’t there to witness what Traister and Sow tapped into: anger allows women to be be seen — and that’s what feels so damn good. “It’s not the anger that’s bad, it’s the swallowing and holding it in,” Traister noted. “Good and Mad” hasn’t been on shelves long. But the very fact of its existence reframes women’s anger for what it so often is: a catalyst for change. The Traister-Sow talk will be rebroadcast on the NYPL’s “Library Talks” podcast, which comes out on Sunday, Oct. 7.

OCTOBER 11-17,2018

21

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

YOUR 15 MINUTES

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to otdowntown.com/15 minutes

THE SECRETS OF SECRETIONS Dr. Randi Hutter Epstein discusses her new book about the history of hormones, and why it’s both a story of amazing advancements by brilliant scientists, and crazy claims by hacks and charlatans BY ALIZAH SALARIO

Hormones. Just over a century ago, little was known about these tonguetwisting chemicals. Now oxytocin, estrogen and testosterone roll off the tongue and into daily conversation. Their basic functions — regulating fighting or fleeing, puberty and sex, for instance, are common knowledge, but exactly how hormones work, and the extent of their influence, remains a mystery to many. In “Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything,” author Randi Hutter Epstein shares the human stories behind these fascinating secretions. Epstein, a medical writer, lecturer at Yale University, Writer in Residence at Yale Medical School, and an adjunct at the Columbia School of Journalism, spoke to Straus News about why p y hormones are like our internal Wi-Fi, the women who made remarkable discoveries about these chemical messengers, and why no one goes hungry on the Upper West Side.

How did you become interested in the history of hormones in the first place? My first book was called “Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank.” So while I was doing that book I started looking into hormones because our hormones change, and it takes hormones to make a baby. A s I sta r ted look i n g i nto t h e h i s to r y of hormones, wh ich was tangential to the first book, I rea lized that starting at the turn of the twent ie t h ce ntury, when it

Dr. Randi Hutter Epstein. Photo: Nina Subin

comes to hormones, it’s been over a century of amazing advances but also ridiculous claims. And while those outrageous claims make for funny and wacky stories, it also means what can we learn [from those stories]...I can’t believe we were peddling some of this stuff in the 1920s — some of the charlatans — but as we all know, history repeats itself. So a lot of what I found in the 1920s in terms of cures for libido, and people wanting certainty, and people promoting hormone cures to make you feel balanced, it was very similar, different remedies but very similar ideas, to what’s going on today.

You manage to seamlessly weave the nitty-gritty science in with the personal stories of scientists and subjects. Can you tell us a little about your writing process? I usually write on the top of my blank sheet of paper “topic” like whether I’m going to be talking about, I don’t know, pregnancy or growth hormones — topic, story, or what is the point, so I’m always searching for the story that’s going to tell the science. I think the other thing is I have a really short attention space, p , so I think of that as I’m explaining the science. If I’m starting to go on for a page or two, I’ll figure out oh, maybe we can break this up and go back to some conversation ... I do rewrite a lot, and I delete a lot, too.

A lot of women were trailblazers in the study of hormones, like New Yorker Rosalyn Yalow and Georgeanna Jones. Was that intentionally part of your book? You’re the second person to ask k me that. It wasn’t consciously in-tentional, however when I’m do-ing my research I can’t help but love the stories of these women who should get more attention, but they don’t ... Like when it came to Georgeanna Jones, I remember I was talking to this group of friends who are writers, and you know how things go ... We were sitting around drinking and talking about the writing process, and I started to tell them about Howard and Georgeanna Jones, and while they did create America’s first test-tube baby together, and while she made a landmark finding of the pregnancy hormone while she was a female medical student (and there weren’t many female medical students back then), I also happened to throw out that she and her husband shared one desk their entire careers. I can tell you I’m happily married, my husband and I have known each other since we were 17, but if we shared a partner’s desk we would not make it till lunchtime. And the fact they worked for decades together, they shared one car, they stared at each other, they worked in the same office, they were besottedly in love, I was like, America’s first test-tube baby? Well ell that’s okay. Sharing a desk with your husband and having that spark keep going for decades? That’s astonishing. That’s a miracle. So I was telling this story, and someone in my group said, “That’s how you begin your chapter.”

Today when we talk about hormones people tend to ascribe almost magic powers to them. I’m pregnant at the moment, and that certainly seems to be the case? Oh absolutely. We ascribe so many magic powers to them. I mean, they are, in some ways, I wouldn’t say magical, but hormones are astonishing in the sense that I like to consider them our internal Wi-Fi ... It used to be that we thought every message in the body was transmitted by nerves, it just marched along, or it went through the blood and it just sort of washed up like oxygen ... but a hormone is a chemical that’s secreted from one gland and reaches a faraway target, like email. Like your pituitary [gland] will send out a little chemical of something —

the pituitary is in the brain — and that chemical will know to target specific cells, whether it’s the ovary or the pancreas or the testes or the thyroid, so it’s really amazing that it’s like a bow and arrow. It’s really amazing that it knows where to go, but we tend to think of [hormones] as this nebulous thing. Oh, you’ll be “hormonal.” What does that really mean?

You’re a longtime Upper West Side resident. What do you love about the neighborhood? When my kids were little (now they’re 18-25), I remember they watched the movie “Home Alone” and they thought in case you ever forgot about us — I mean, right, like I’m going on a family vacation and I’ll get halfway around the world and think, damn I forgot the kids — in case that ever happened, they wanted to figure out if they could eat three meals a day. And they did! They could go into Zengoni’s on 83rd and Columbus, they

could go into Broadway Farms, they knew the people at both places ... and they figured out the restaurants ... like T & R Pizza. Yes, it’s back, yay, on 78th! That’s a nice thing for kids to grow up knowing. They felt that they were in a community ... not to mention that I feel this strong sense of community, and we’re in each other’s business all the time, but then I can just walk a few blocks and be in Central Park and feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere, which I love. Interested in having Randi Hutter Epstein speak at your book group? You can contact her via her website: randihutterepstein.com

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

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WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor M D A C F R O B B Z R D A D E

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

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Artist Breakthrough Conjure Create Disrupt Dream Genius Ideas Imagine Innovate Logic Patent Patterns Radical Scientist

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41. Wired 45. Soccer score 46. Enraged 48. Optimistic 49. Same family name 50. Like bachelor parties 51. Before 52. Tax expert 53. Mother lode Down 1. Untidy one 2. Water sport 3. Winged fruit shrub 4. Sound 5. Consume 6. Asian sheep 7. Hindu Mr. 8. Clothes presser 9. Feat 11. Perilously 13. Looks busy 15. Silent assent 19. Fully developed

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Across 1. Retreat 4. Bird of the Northern Seas 7. Auction action 10. Lake in Scotland 12. America 13. Exposed 14. Ornamental shrub 16. Double-reed woodwind 17. Tall dog breed 18. In the vicinity 20. Big fuss 21. They’re related 22. Old Soviet Union 25. Fill in 29. Affluent 32. Coins of a West African republic 33. Hypothesis 34. Gold plate 35. Ornamental vase 36. Cuke or spud 38. “The ___ File” by Frederick Forsyth

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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.

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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

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