The local paper for Downtown wn TUNING IN FOR THE HOLIDAYS < P. 12
WEEK OF DECEMBER
8-14 2016
THE 16 MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS IN MANHATTAN Vehicular accidents and close calls: life near the most perilous streets BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
On Monday morning, car horns blared as vehicles of all sizes vied for space at East 59th Street and Second Avenue, the second most dangerous intersection in the city. The Roosevelt Island Tramway ferried passengers over the heads of the many pedestrians on the ground, including Aaron Fisher, a street cleaner for the East Midtown Partnership. Fisher was not at all surprised to hear that the site topped the list of Manhattan’s most dangerous intersections and came in second in the city. “I see accidents all the time,” he said. According to data analyzed last spring by CUNY Baruch student Aleksey Bilogur, Manhattan contains 16 of the city’s 25 most dangerous intersections. With an average of 150 vehicular collisions per year, East 59th and Second Avenue comes in first in Manhattan, followed by 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue with 140, then the Bowery and Kenmare Street at 115. But Bilogur added that the safety of certain intersections can be difficult to measure. “Even in what one would term ‘unsafe’ intersections, the actual incident level of accidents is very low,” he said. “The problem that the [Department of Transportation] has been facing for much longer than this one administrative cycle is that you don’t really know how safe or unsafe an intersection is until you’ve seen years and years of data accumulate.” The data Bilogur used came from the city’s OpenData portal, which houses thousands of documents and files from all government agencies, but only goes as far back as 2012. A bundle of pedestrian and cyclist safety bills are making their way through the City Council right now to address some of the challenges pedestrians and cyclists face on city streets. One requests a Department of Transportation (DOT) study on using the Barnes Dance crossing method, where all traffic lights turn red at the same time and pedestrians can walk diagonally through the intersection. According to the DOT’s Manhattan action
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View the interactive map by reading this article online at otdowntown.com.
11
Collisions Average Per Year
7
5
2
12 10
4
16 6
1 9 13
14
8 3
1
2nd Ave. & E. 59th St. 1150
2
42nd St. & 8th Ave. 140
3
The Bowery & Kenmare St.
115
4
57th St. & 3rd Ave.
110
5
42nd St. & 9th Ave. 110
6
34th St. & 7th Ave.
110
Rob Stephenson, “Spring Street and Greene Street, SoHo, Manhattan,” 2016. Courtesy of the photographer/Museum of the City of New York.
A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HEIGHT
7
W. 40th St. & 11th Ave. 1100
8
The Bowery & Houston St.
9
2nd Ave. & E. 36th St. 1100
10
W. 42nd St. & 7th Ave. 1100
11
1st Ave. & E. 96th St. 1100
12
3rd Ave. & E. 59th St. 95
13
E. 34th St. & 2nd Ave. 90
14
W. 42nd St. & 6th Ave. 90
15
E. 125th St. & 2nd Ave. 90
Since the adoption of the city’s first zoning resolution in 100 years ago, the skyline has seen many grand buildings designed, proposed and, in some cases, built, with heights rising taller and taller. As of last fall, there were 22 “supertall” towers topping 984 feet in Manhattan, mostly concentrated in the midtown area. This Thursday, Dec. 8, the Museum of the City of New York will examine the subject as part of a lecture series that parallels its “Mastering the Metropolis: New York and Zoning, 1916-2016” exhibit.
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W. 34th St. & 8th Ave. 90
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
1100
Surveying the skyline: lecture series will address zoning in the city BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
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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
2 City Arts 3 Top 5 8 Real Estate 10 15 Minutes
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DECEMBER 8-14,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SECRETS OF THE CITY’S PARKS City Council hopes to reopen closed historic sites BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
From the top of the Washington Square Arch, a visitor might be treated to sprawling views of Greenwich Village, Soho and the East Village. It’s hard to know for sure, however, since access to the top of the arch has been closed to everyone except the occasional Parks Department employee. But the City Council’s parks and recreation committee held a hearing last week to try to change that, and to ask that more off-limits places be opened to the public. The committee identified eight historic sites that they would like to see made accessible. Three are in Manhattan: in addition to the Washington Square Arch, the list includes the Old Croton Aqueduct Gatehouse on West 119th Street and the 89th Streets Soldiers’ and Sailors Monument. Other sites throughout the city are the Fort Greene Park Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch at Grand Army Plaza, the New York State Pavilion in Queens, Hart
Island and North Brother Island. Council Member Mark Levine, in whose district the Old Croton Aqueduct sits, pressed the Parks Department to explain why the sites had to remain closed. “At a time when city park usage is surging … we have many assets in our park system that are untapped and underused,” he said. “Each of these sites is utterly unique in the world. Investing in expanding access would yield incredible benefits.” The Parks Department’s director of government relations, Matt Drury, testified that visitor safety, structural stability, ventilation control, Americans with Disabilities Act standards and building codes were all issues that factored into the closure of these sites. In particular, Drury said the Washington Square Arch, which was dedicated to President George Washington in 1895, has a fragile roof and was not built to accommodate foot traffic inside. However, he added that the “widest audience possible should enjoy [the parks’] benefits.” As the city’s first water supply system, the Old Croton Aqueduct stretches 41 miles from Westchester through
the Bronx and into Manhattan. Near Columbia University on West 119th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, a gatehouse for the aqueduct sits blocked off on a small rectangular plot. According to the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the tunnels were used to supply the city with water from 1842 to 1955, when it became “insufficient due to the spiraling population growth to which it contributed.” Thirty blocks south, at West 89th Street in Riverside Park, the Sailors and Soldiers Monument stands tall at 100 feet. It was completed in 1902 after being designed by brothers Charles W. and Arthur A. Stoughton, who won a Greek antiquity-inspired public design competition. The Parks Department website states that, despite more than a million dollars worth of repairs that were made to the monument in 1960, it still “awaits funding to repair loosened joints, chipped stone, and the damage generally wrought by time if not vandalism.” Parks representatives seemed open to the idea of supervised public visits to these sites, especially since some of them have occasionally hosted tours
Members of the City Council’s parks and recreation committee last week agreed that several historic monuments and other places should be opened to the public. They include the top of the Washington Square Arch. Photo: Eden, Janine and Jim, via Wikimedia Commons in the past, but it seems there is work to be done before anyone discovers their secrets. Levine said that opening these places could bring in tourism revenue, but emphasized that money is only one reason to consider greater
access. “I wouldn’t measure these experiences purely by the number of visitors.” Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com
Come Experience Auctions at Showplace First-Time Bidders Welcome! Sunday, December 18, 10am
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
How I Got Over: Vision and Justice in Racialized America
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9TH, 7PM The Greene Space | 44 Charlton St. | 646-829-4000 | thegreenespace.org Fine and decorative art, jewelry and furniture for a fraction of retail cost! No reserves!
Recent public losses of black lives are contemporaneous with an era of African-American cultural ascendancy. Hear from photographers LaToya Ruby Frazier and Carrie Mae Weems and a Harvard art history professor Sarah Lewis as they look at an emerging visual literacy concerning race. ($15)
The Nazi Hunters Preview: December 5 – 18 8:30am – 5:30pm weekends & 10am – 6pm weekdays
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH, 2PM Museum of Jewish Heritage | 36 Battery Pl. | 646-437-4202 | mjhnyc.org
Absentee and phone bids accepted! Complimentary lunch after the auction!
French activist and attorney Serge Klarsfeld discusses his life’s work pursuing justice for the victims of the Holocaust and prosecutions of Nazi war criminals. (Free)
View the catalogue at www.nyshowplace.com! Showplace Antique + Design Center | 40 West 25th Street 212-633-6063 ext. 808 | auctions@nyshowplace.com
Just Announced | Design Night: Designing a Better America
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 6:30PM Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum | 2 E. 91st St. | 212-489-8404 | cooperhewitt.org
We buy estates! Entire or partial contents Immediate payment Professional and discreet
Enjoy a talk plus the run of the museum on a night of design and technology inspired by the exhibition By the People: Designing a Better America. ($25)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
3
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
New York City police are looking for three men who taunted a Muslim woman aboard a subway train, yelling “Donald Trump” and calling her a terrorist. Police say the incident occurred at 10 p.m. Dec. 1 after the 18-year-old victim and the suspects boarded a train in Manhattan. Police say the men told the woman “you don’t belong here” and referred to her hijab as a “rag.” As she attempted to move away, one of the men grabbed her bag, breaking the strap. As the train pulled into Grand Central station, one of the suspects told her to take off her hijab and unsuccessfully attempted to pull it off. The woman ran out of the train and contacted police. Police are investigating it as an anti-Muslim bias incident. The Associated Press
A woman from Brooklyn told police that at 6:50 a.m. on Friday, November 25, her husband saw a man standing in the lobby of the Roxy Hotel at 2 Sixth Ave. and, believing him to be a parking valet, gave him the keys to his 2014 Infiniti QX 60. Unfortunately, the man in the lobby was not a parking valet, and he drove off with the Brooklyn man’s car. The police report gave the value of the vehicle as $4,500, but online sources say this model can easily run upwards of $25,000.
LOADING DOCKED Commercial vans are as desirable to thieves as passenger cars and trucks. At 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, November 27, several individuals were loading a van in front of 250 West Broadway. They left the 2014 GMC unattended and running. When they returned 10 minutes later, the van was gone. A search of the neighborhood showed turned up nothing, but a license plate reader captured an image of the van in the Holland Tunnel at 4:29 a.m. heading toward New Jersey. The van is valued at $20,000. The truck was carrying $500 worth of bread.
“
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st precinct Week to Date
GIVEN THE BRUSH At 1:15 p.m. on Nov. 23, a New Jersey man placed his jacket behind his chair while having lunch in the Hudson Eats/ Dos Toros restaurant at 225 Liberty St. He later received notification of unauthorized charges to his debit and credit cards. He checked his jacket and discovered that his wallet containing the cards was missing. He told police he had felt a “slight brush” while eating but thought nothing of it. He subsequently canceled all his cards. The total of the unauthorized charges came to $12,300, including one charge made at the 14th Street Apple Store.
PLANET SICKNESS Two men learned the same hard lesson about leaving valuable property in a gym locker. At 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, two men put property in lockers at the Planet Fitness gym at 25 Broadway. When they returned to
My IDNYC card helps us easily access city resources, from the library to the city hospital. I can get discounts on groceries, medicine, and movie tickets.
Year to Date
2016 2015
% Change
2016
2015
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
1
-100.0
Rape
0
0
n/a
9
7
28.6
Robbery
0
0
n/a
54
68
-20.6
Felony Assault
1
2
-50.0
71
82
-13.4
Burglary
2
3
-33.3
109
119
-8.4
Grand Larceny
22
15
46.7
987
988
-0.1
Grand Larceny Auto
2
0
200
47
20
135.0
Tony Webster, via flickr
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POLICE SEEK 3 AFTER MUSLIM WOMAN IS HARASSED
VARLET VALET
their lockers at 1:55 p.m. they found that they both been ripped off. The items stolen included a silver blackface Movado watch valued at $3,000, a grey wedding ring with three diamonds priced at $700, $380 in cash, a Samsung Note 4 cell phone worth $300, and a black lock. The total stolen came to $4,380.
CARTASTROPHE The cost of sending her daughter to
The local paper for Downtown
school skyrocketed for an area resident recently. At 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 21, a 50-year-old woman left a Whole Foods cart in front of the location at 82 West Broadway as she put her daughter on the school bus. When the woman turned back around, she found the cart was gone, along with her wallet and credit cards. A search of the area turned up nothing. The items stolen included a Gucci leather wallet, cash, a check, various credit and debit cards, a monthly Metro Card, and a school ID, with a total value of $3,701.
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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct
19 ½ Pitt St.
212-477-7311
NYPD 6th Precinct
233 W. 10th St.
212-741-4811
NYPD 10th Precinct
230 W. 20th St.
212-741-8211
NYPD 13th Precinct
230 E. 21st St.
212-477-7411
NYPD 1st Precinct
16 Ericsson Place
212-334-0611
FIRE FDNY Engine 15
25 Pitt St.
311
FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5
227 6th Ave.
311
FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11
222 E. 2nd St.
311
FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15
42 South St.
311
ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row #11
212-587-3159
Councilmember Rosie Mendez
237 1st Ave. #504
212-677-1077
Councilmember Corey Johnson
224 W. 30th St.
212-564-7757
State Senator Daniel Squadron
250 Broadway #2011
212-298-5565
Community Board 1
1 Centre St., Room 2202
212-669-7970
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
201 Varick St.
212-645-0327
US Post Office
128 East Broadway
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US Post Office
93 4th Ave.
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DECEMBER 8-14,2016
SMOKING BAN IN PUBLIC HOUSING SPARKS DEBATE New rule, to be implemented nationwide, could be difficult to enforce BY KAREN MATTHEWS
Elba Acosta was distressed to learn that her morning habit of coffee and a smoke inside her New York City Housing Authority apartment will be banned under new federal rules prohibiting smoking in public housing. “I have my black coffee and a cigarette at home,” Acosta, 67, said outside the Chelsea-Elliot Houses last week. “I mean, that’s my freedom. You do whatever you want to do because it’s your body. The government has no business in your personal choice.” Acosta was reacting to U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro’s Nov. 30 announcement that smoking will be banned in public housing developments nationwide. Housing agencies will have 18 months to implement the ban, which will apply to apartments and indoor common areas as well as outside areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative offices. Castro stressed the dangers of secondhand smoke for children, saying, “Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, healthy home, free from harmful secondhand cigarette smoke.” Housing authorities in several cities including Boston, Seattle, Syracuse and San Antonio already ban smoking in apartments, but the New York City Housing Authority, the nation’s largest with more than 400,000 residents, currently prohibits smoking only in common areas, such as lobbies and hallways. Reactions to the impending ban were mixed at the Chelsea-Elliot Houses and the Fulton Houses, both in Chelsea. Smoke-free living can’t come soon enough for Aurea Martinez, 83, who neither smokes nor allows anyone to smoke in her apartment. “I’m against the people that smoke,” Martinez said. “It’s not good for my health.” But Jose Rodriguez said stress drives housing authority tenants to smoke. “I just smoke ‘cause right now I’m looking for work,” said the 46-year-old Rodriguez, holding an unlit cigarette as he exited his building. Rodriguez said he smokes outside but some of his neighbors smoke in their apartments. “This is the only thing that calms them down,” he said. “Do you want them to buy a bottle and start drinking?” Officials at public housing agencies that already ban smoking said residents have adjusted. Bill Simmons, executive director of the Syracuse Housing Authority, said the
Al Lopez, 60, who has lived in De Hostos Towers, on 91st Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, since he was 8 years old, doubts a smoking ban in public housing can be policed. Photo: Genia Gould agency spent two years educating tenants about the city’s smoking ban before implementing it last year. Simmons said that while some tenants “felt their rights were being violated,” there have been few problems since the ban went into effect. “Things have worked out well,” he said. “It’s been good.” The Seattle Housing Authority banned smoking in 2012 after extensive consultation with residents, agency spokeswoman Kerry Coughlin said. “People are used to it now,” she said. “So many places don’t allow smoking.” The San Antonio Housing Authority also banned smoking in 2012 after surveys showed 80 percent of residents favored the ban, spokeswoman Rosario Neaves said. Neaves said that under San Antonio’s initial enforcement plan, tenants would get a lease-termination notice only after violating the smoking ban five times. That’s since been amended to a three-strikesyou’re-out policy. No one has yet been evicted for smoking, Neaves said. Neaves said enforcement efforts have been aided by tenants who can smell the smoke coming from neighboring apartments.
“We do have people telling on each other and that’s one of the ways that people do find out,” Neaves said. “If it bothers them and they want to protect their health then they’re going to speak up.” Al Lopez, 60, who has lived in De Hostos Towers, on 91st Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, since he was 8 years old, doubts the ban can be policed. “It’s completely unenforceable,” said Lopez, whose family was among the first tenants to move into the building. “When I heard the news I started laughing.” “There are already so many rules that people in public housing have to follow. Come Labor Day and Fourth of July, we can’t do any barbecuing, like everybody else in the city,” Lopez said as he gestured to a set of rules posted in the lobby of his building. “And even within the perimeter of the projects, one can’t smoke, so I can’t even go to the yard and have a cigarette, how does that work?” Neighbors are tight-knit and there’s a ‘no-snitch’ rule – nobody will tell on their neighbors, he said. Genia Gould contributed to this report.
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Adorning the Season
Mayor Bill de Blasio with the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus at the World Aids Day dedication for the Aids Memorial. Photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photo Office.
AIDS MEMORIAL DEDICATED World AIDS Day this year was commemorated with the official unveiling of the New York City AIDS Memorial at the St. Vincent’s Triangle in Greenwich Village. The memorial, a minimalist metal canopy comprised of interconnected triangles on a granite floor, was dedicated on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was both sad and proud, “sad to think of a loss. ... proud to re-
member the fight.” “This is one of those moments where you have to reflect, you have to feel emotionally the history that we’re here to commemorate — and it is a history filled with pain,” he said. “It’s a very personal pain. It’s something — every single person here has a story — those they lost, those they knew, those they loved and lost. There is clear pain. And, at the same time, what this symbolizes is
hope because of the fight that was waged.” Of 1.2 million HIV-positive Americans, de Blasio said, about 10 percent live in New York City. But the city in 2015 otherwise had the lowest number of HIV infections in 30 years and no HIV births. He again called for the elimination of the epidemic by 2020. “Let this be the place where we recommit ourselves,” he said.
Holiday decorations inside the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. Photo: Rick Sayers
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ZONING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Given the love-hate relationship New Yorkers have with height, the museum’s exhibit and lectures aim to “examine a century of evolving ideas and heated debates about what constitutes an ‘ideal’ city,” according to the press release. “With this exhibition we hope to shed light on the law’s transcendent legacy by unpacking its intricacies in engaging ways,” museum director Whitney Donhauser said in the release. “Museumgoers will leave ‘Mastering the Metropolis’ with a full understanding of how invisible forces like zoning policy affect our daily lives, and a deeper appreciation of how our unparalleled skyline and neighborhoods from the Bronx to Staten Island came to look and feel as they do today.” Thursday’s panel, the first of five through March, features speakers who will address supertalls and the ability of the zoning resolution to keep pace with modern development. The other four lectures are titled “Zoning for the Public Good,” “Zoning to Scale: Considering Neighborhood Character,” “Cracking the Code: Fostering Public Participation in Zoning,” and “Zoning Worldwide.” Hilary Ballon, deputy vice chancellor of New York University Abu Dhabi and curator of a gallery in the museum’s new “New York at its Core” exhibit, called zoning “one of the most significant and influential tools that we’ve had to shape the built environment.” In comparison to Abu Dhabi, which is a younger city with many skyscrapers, New York City’s zoning laws are well developed. “[Abu Dhabi] only established its equivalent to
Wurts Bros., Empire State Building, view from top of N.Y. Life Building, 1931. Museum of the City of New York, Wurts Bros. Collection, gift of Richard Wurts.
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
our d epartment of City Planning approximately a decade ago,” she said. Ballon, an expert in global zoning and infrastructure, called the walkability of New York City “genius.” “It’s walkable in part because of the scale of the streets, the diversity of shops and uses that we see on the street [and] the density of the city,” she said. However, she also called zoning “arcane,” and criticized its complexity and inaccessibility to the average resident. Though she couldn’t begin to guess what the next century of zoning will bring, she said any changes to come would likely be incremental. Council Member Dan Garodnick, whose district includes most of Manhattan’s existing supertalls, will participate in the “Zoning for the Public Good” forum. Garodnick has been working on a rezoning of east midtown Manhattan that would “allow us to improve our mass transit system in connection with development. He hopes to modernize the zoning code to allow property owners to “have more flexibility in building in exchange for direct improvements to the subway system in the area.” Based on personal experience, Garodnick acknowledged that the zoning code has both pros and cons, and he emphasized the necessity of continually revisiting the topic. “Zoning is one of the fundamental powers of local government, and it’s important that we get it right,” he said. Thursday’s kick-off lecture, “Zoning at New Heights: Supertalls and the Accidental Skyline,” will take place at the Museum of the City of New York at 6:30 p.m. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com
Berenice Abbott. “Seventh Avenue Looking North from 35th Street,” Dec. 5, 1935. Gelatin silver print. Museum of the City of New York, Museum Purchase with funds from the Mrs. Elon Hooker Acquisition Fund.
Rob Stephenson, “Skyscrapers on Fifth Avenue,” 2016. Courtesy of the photographer/Museum of the City of New York.
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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Voices
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
WE ALMOST MISSED THE PLANE BY MELITTA ANDERMAN
I dedicate this piece to our neighborhood CityMD Urgent Care facility. Planning a trip has its ups and downs. For us, seasoned travelers, packing is a chore that doesn’t come lightly. Why do some people know exactly what clothes to take, appropriate for the weather to come? But since the weather is a big mystery these days, I will be forgiven if my choice is incorrect at times. Nevertheless, the struggle continues. Yes? No? The in-flight choices are easy. The most comfortable stretchy pants, little slippers, subdued makeup (no makeup is too scary for the flight crew), extra wide scarf, a favorite book reread ten times so I won’t strain my brain. Also, hand wipes for touchable surfaces, travel-size cologne to diffuse undesirable whiffs, and so it goes. Until the day of departure. One last look, but my suitcase has a forlorn look, it’s crying for another addition just in case. I’m traveling to modern cities where the “just
Photo: Nils, via Wikimedia Commons in case” can be replenished, but I feel more at ease knowing I’ve given in to my addiction. It’s two hours to go before the scheduled pickup for the airport jaunt. A wee call from the other room alerts me to a possible disaster. My beloved has mistakenly, in the process of cutting sealing strips for the luggage, managed to dispose of some much needed skin on his finger, leaving a good-sized gash which is now gushing blood nonstop. I immediately call our doctor who says we must go to emergency care. We throw on
our sweats, get a cab and go to CityMD Urgent Care on 67th Street and Third. I explain our plight to the receptionist who gets us to see the first available doctor. They take him into the office and I wait outside. I’m mentally making a new plan B. Cancellation insurance call, no turkey, no guests, no nothing. I could have been in Los Angeles with family, but here I am. My husband comes out, fixed up by the terrific doctor who squeezed some medical miracle foam into his finger that will pull the skin together. Voila! We zoom home in another cab, get dressed for the trip. My plan B is discarded. My superstitious mind is conjuring the thought that maybe this was a warning not to go, but I don’t have time for these usual indulgences. My husband will have to change the bandage daily, though he is an expert since his medicine cabinet is filled with every size BandAid and first aid accessory. Our trip runs its smooth cycle on our holiday vacation to Vienna and Berlin. Thank you again, Urgent Care. But I did miss the pre-parade balloon blow-ups on the West Side, the parade and Mr. Turkey (I’ll get you next year, promise).
DIM THE LIGHTS! BY BETTE DEWING
“Making a list and checking it twice,” but what jumps to the top of this column’s list is when I read about the lamentably already-in-progress, conversion of city street lights that turn night into day and even invade our homes. To quote Charlie Brown, “AAUGH!” Now I’m all for saving the planet and saving the city some money, but not when it does harm, very great harm. I mean such as exchanging the current sodium bulb lit street lamps to the LED-lit kind, which destroy the city’s lovely night-time ambiance, the cycle of relative darkness and peace which, I might add, plant life also needs. And much more — and it’s a world-wide boondoggle of the very first kind. Policy makers didn’t do their homework, haven’t looked at the big picture. All they know is LED bulbs cost less to operate and take less energy, They don’t care or maybe can’t see, how totally wretchedly wrong these blinding lights are - visually, emotionally and physically. And like their energy-efficient fluorescent cousin, they are not biodegradable. So internet-users, please do the LED street light search and share with, above all, legislators and media. Tell them how the LED-afflicted citizenry world- wide always fiercely protests them, including those within the five boroughs. The mayor promised to dim them down some, but some say he hasn’t. Anyway, that’s not the right answer! And the subject came up again in this column because this appalling makeover is mentioned
STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source
in this paper’s Nov. 24 cover story. It says, “safety measures are already underway like switching 250,000 street lights to brighter and longerlasting LED lights.” Sam Quinn, head of pedestrian and bicycle programs said “We are doing everything we can to improve the experience for pedestrians and cyclists in our city.” Now a switch to traffic safety, but isn’t “experience” an odd word to use for the safe travel some of us have worked for decades to achieve? Hey, I even have framed awards credentials from U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and State Senator Liz Krueger and others. And speaking of night-lighting we need, really, really bright ones should light up all Citi Bikes. Yes, state law already requires head- and taillights, but judging by the nighttime bicycle scene, you’d never know it. Do many City Council members know that or for cyclists’ safety and others sharing these finite streets, bikes should make a nice little sound. (Scooters too!) Regrettably, this safety-first idea didn’t go over so well with some cyclists. Ah, but former Parks commissioner henry stern approved because, “Bicycles stress us more often than cars do, because they are small, silent and come at you from any direction.” Obviously, much more needs to be said about that, and that they yield before making a turn into a pedestrian crosswalk. And no speeding. But, what needs to be inordinately and continually stressed, is that “failure to yield” kills and injures more city pedestrians than any other “crime of traffic.” Of course, casualties are most-
Vice President/CFO Otilia Bertolotti Vice President/CRO Vincent A. Gardino advertising@strausnews.com
Associate Publishers Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Regional Sales Manager Tania Cade
The Grand Stair at Lincoln Center off Columbus Avenue. Each stair has imbedded LED lights. Photo: Wilson Rivera, via flickr ly wrought by motor vehicles’ failure to yield — something my Pedestrians First group and column has railed against for decades. And it’s every corner where they can turn into you. Community Board 8 and 19th Precinct Community Council member Barry Schneider said, ‘“Failure to yield” should be emphasized in every Vision Zero public announcement. “Right now it says, ‘Turn carefully.’” To be continued, but back to the LIGHTING, to save it safely and even enhance our peoplemade places and urban environments, reduce the excess wattage that became de rigueur in the last decades. And more so with the advent of so-called energy-efficients and especially the
President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Editor-In-Chief Account Executive Alexis Gelber Fred Almonte editor.ot@strausnews.com Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor Barry Lewis Richard Khavkine editor.otdt@strausnews.com
LED kind. Every place is now over-lit. In the hospital rooms I recently experienced, I had to wear sunglasses. And maybe you also feel that the holiday lights we love are too profuse, and one can’t see the beautiful Rockefeller Christmas tree overwhelmed by its 60 some thousand LED glares. Ah, above all, please help save the city’s everynight beauty and peace by keeping the kindly light of the sodium-lit street lamp — the kindly light of the sodium street lamp. And, of course, shop small all year! dewingbetter@aol.com
Staff Reporter Madeleine Thompson newsreporter@strausnews.com Director of Digital Pete Pinto
Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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T U O N S E ’ L P O O E O R ’ H E C W
Mirko Deluca at the Seventh Avenue tree stand. Photo: Diamond Naga Siu
COOKIES, COFFEE BLUNT THE COLD EVERGREENING BY SARAH NELSON
Mirko Deluca and Carla Alcalde have run their Christmas tree business on Seventh Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets for three consecutive years. Alcalde is originally from Spain, and has worked as a tree vendor for six years. For the remaining eleven months, she is a coffee farmer in Colum-
bia and a part-time diving instructor. It was during her time as an instructor in the Caribbean where she first decided to sell Christmas trees. A former vendor had left the business, and she applied for their piece of sidewalk. She asked Deluca, a diving instructor from Italy, to join her for the holidays running the small business in New York. Though both agree the long hours and physical labor is tough, the neighborhood is thoroughly enjoyable.
“I like to spend time here selling trees. You get really good contacts,” Alcalde said. “They (locals) give us cookies or homemade stuff. It’s awesome. I love it.” For Deluca, selling Christmas trees is the quintessential way to engage in New York culture. “It’s being part of the neighborhood. If you want to know New York, this is the best way to do it,” he said. “People are very nice people. They stop by to see if you’re OK, giving you coffee.”
CAMPS RUN December 19 - 23 & December 26 - 30
School Break Camps at Chelsea Piers are the perfect option to keep your kids active, happy and healthy during their vacations! Carla Alcalde at the Seventh Avenue tree stand she runs with Mirko Deluca. Photo: Diamond Naga Siu
212.336.6520
chelseapiers.com/fh
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THIS WEEK AT THE RUBIN MUSEUM
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com
ENCOUNTER TIMELESS ART AND WISDOM IN A SPACE FOR CONTEMPLATION
Thu
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JUST ADD WORDS Warby Parker, 121 Greene St. 4-8 p.m. Free Enjoy a couple hours of uninterrupted holiday card writing with the pens, postage and cards all provided. 888-492-7297. www. warbyparker.com Photograph by Stephan Crasneanscki
FEATURED EXHIBITION
FEATURED PROGRAMS
Sacred Spaces: Himalayan Wind
Awakening Practice: Morning Mindfulness in the Shrine Room December 10 11:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12:15 PM
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think my heart rate and blood pressure were both lower by the time I went downstairs...a relief after a stressful week.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Rubin Museum visitor Experience the high Himalayas through an immersive sound experience by Soundwalk Collective. Hear the whistle RI VWURQJ ZLQGV WKH Ă DSSLQJ RI SUD\HU Ă DJV DQG WKH FKDQWLQJ RI EOHVVLQJV DW some of the highest Buddhist monasteries in the world.
Sacred Spaces: Himalayan Wind is made possible through the generous support of Christopher J. Fussner, The Hoch 2009 Charitable Lead Trust, Rasika and Girish Reddy, and Audio-Technica. Additional support has been provided by Bob and Lois Baylis, Ashwini and Anita Gupta, Preethi Krishna and Ram Sundaram, William and Pamela Michaelcheck, Tulku Tsultrim Pelgyi, Manoj and Rita Singh, Venkat and Pratima Srinivasan, the Zakaria Family Foundation, and contributors to the 2015 and 2016 Exhibitions Funds. | Family Sundays are made possible by New York Life. Additional support has been provided by Con Edison, Agnes Gund, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Yarn courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn Company.
THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART 150 WEST 17TH STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10011 RUBINMUSEUM.ORG
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Feeling cleansed with the blend of art, sound and spirit.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Awakening Practice participant Connect Himalayan art, culture, and practice in this guided meditation session held in the Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room. The session explores different approaches to meditation, including mantras, mudras, and mindfulness.
Insurgent Poets Society, 55 Walker St. 7-10 p.m. Free Join Mahogany Browne, Lynne Procope, Shanelle Gabriel and other women writers of color for a discussion themed around decolonization. 212-226-3970. www. decolonizethisplace.org
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SPICY PEPPER AND UGLY SWEATER CONTESTâ&#x2013;ş
Free Family Sunday: Green Greetings December 11 Drop in, 1:00â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4:00 PM Ages 3 and older Explore the natural materials used to create the paintings and sculptures in Masterworks of Himalayan Art and drop by the art studio to use recycled and natural materials to make holiday cards for your loved ones.
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT/SUN
WOMEN WRITERS OF COLOR
11:00 AMâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;5:00 PM CLOSED 11:00 AMâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;9:00 PM 11:00 AMâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;5:00 PM 11:00 AMâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;10:00 PM 11:00 AMâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;6:00 PM
Mad Dog and Beans Mexican Cantina, 83 Pearl St. 7-9 p.m. Free Wear your ugliest sweaters while competing for a trophy and $100 prize to see who can down the spiciest peppers. 212-269-1177. www. maddogandbeans.com
HARRY POTTER HOLIDAY BALL
Sat
10 Sun 11
STORY TIME National Museum of the American Indian, 1 Bowling Green 1-2 p.m. Free Make a cornhusk doll and listen to Chief Jake Swamp of the Mohawk tribe narrate a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of the Six Nationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thanksgiving Address. 212-514-3700. www.nmai. si.edu
WEIHNACHTSFREUDE â&#x2013;ş The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson St. 4:30-6:30 p.m. $20 online, $25 at door Listen to Rheinberger, Bach and Mendelssohn during an evening of caroling supplemented with a wine reception. 212-924-0562. www. ghostlightchorus.com
WHAT THE DICKENS?
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St. Noon-4:30 p.m. Free Barnes & Noble, 97 Warren St. Enjoy an afternoon of 7-9 p.m. Free caroling and holiday spirit with Celebrate the holidays Harry a performance of â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Christmas Potter-style at the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carolâ&#x20AC;? by Charles Dickens. holiday ball, complete with 212-334-3324. www. dancing, music and Hogwarts housingworks.org magic. 212-587-5389. www. barnesandnoble.com
DOULA HEALING CIRCLE Love Child, 1 Horatio St. 3-5 p.m. Free Relax with some restorative yoga, trauma release hypnosis and a healing circle to discuss and digest any traumatic birth experiences. 512-608-7005. www. lovechildnyc.com
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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CHAIR DANCING ▼
CWA Local 1180 Retiree Division, 6 Harrison St. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free Learn how to stay fit with chair dancing, a way to tone muscles, burn calories and improve flexibility. 212-226-5800. www. cwa1180.org
MARIJUANA SYMPOSIUM NYSSCPA/FAE, 14 Wall St. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. $50 members, $69 non-members Discuss and debate the various implications of marijuana legalization during this interdisciplinary conference. 800-537-3635. www. nysscpa.org
COMMITTEE MEETING Asian Mentoring Committee, 40 Rector St. 6:30-8 p.m. Free Join the conversation on how to become a leader and mentor for communities of Asian youth. 212-686-2042. www. bigsnyc.org
Photo by Sam Cox via Flickr
MOVIE NIGHT 180 Maiden Lane 8 p.m. Free Attend an animated film festival hosted by Free Reign that will feature work by various independent international artists. 212-779-7700. www.180maiden.com
FEARLESS EXHIBITION RALLY City Hall, City Hall Park 11 a.m.-noon. Free Join the Right to Council NYC as they deliver 5,000 postcards and signatures of support to pass the Right to Counsel. 718-716-8000. www. casapower.org
Soho Photo Gallery, 15 White St. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free View New York-based photographer Larissa Nowak’s blue footed booby photo exhibition that highlights their fun, fearless characters. 212-226-8571. www. larissanowak.com
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DECEMBER 8-14,2016
The Snowman© Snowman Enterprises
TUNING IN FOR THE HOLIDAYS THE SNOWMAN David Hayes, artistic director, will lead The Mannes Orchestra in an orchestral accompaniment of “The Snowman,” a charming animated film of a little boy who builds a snowman that comes to life, and the two travel to the North Pole and meet Santa Claus. Performances at The Met Fifth Avenue are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday Dec. 17. Tickets are $40 to $55 and include admission to the museum. www. metmuseum.org/events/
HOLIDAY LIGHT The Western Wind Vocal Sextet will celebrate the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays on Dec. 17 in an evening of songs spanning the Middle Ages to today, including folks songs and spirituals. The sextet along with guest performers will perform new arrangements of seasonal classics such as “The Cherry Tree Carol” and charming Hanukkah songs such as “Flory Jagoda’s Ocho Kandelikas.” 8 p.m. Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, 417 East 61st St. $20$35 www.westernwind.org/store. html?tix. 212-873-2848
THE DESSOFF CHOIRS A celebration of the holidays featuring seasonal repertoire and contemporary arrangements of carols, including Handel’s “Messiah,” Bach’s “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden,” and Robert Parsons’s “Ave Maria.” The Welcome Yule concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street), invites the community to come together and celebrate the holidays as Dessoff welcomes audience members of all ages to join in the singing of carols and enjoy the music of Bach, Tavener, Lauridsen and Howells. The Messiah Sing, at 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17 at James Memorial Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway (at 121st Street), is a beloved seasonal event and the start of a new tradition for Dessoff. All singers and non-singers alike are invited to join with the choir on the work’s many choruses while Dessoff singers will have the opportunity to perform the solo arias. Welcome Yule tickets $25-35.
The Dessoff Choirs celebrate the holidays with a seasonal repertoire and contemporary arrangements of carols, including Handel’s “Messiah,” Bach’s “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden,” and Robert Parsons’s “Ave Maria” Dec. 10
Seniors/students $15. Messiah Sing: $15. Seniors/students $10. www.dessoff.org/
GREENWICH VILLAGE CAROLING WALK Continuing a tradition begun 1974, The West Village Chorale hosts the Greenwich Village Caroling Walk at noon on Saturday, Dec. 17. Participants gather in the meeting room of Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, then stroll through the historic, Dickens-like Village neighborhoods singing seasonal carols and songs. Songbooks will be provided as will refreshments, conviviality and yet more singing follow back at Judson. Free for the whole family (donations accepted). westvillagechorale.org
UNSILENT NIGHT Composer Phil Kline will lead a chorus of boomboxes on a saunter from the Washington Square Arch to Tompkins Square Park that begins about 6 p.m., Sunday Dec. 18 in the 25th annual presentation of this luminous soundscape, which will be performed in cities around the globe. Kline will hand out a limited number of vintage boomboxes from his
collection and cassettes and CD’s to those who bring their own. Go to unsilentnight.com/participate.html to download the tracks Participants, onlookers and listeners meet at the arch at 5:45 p.m.
CANDLELIGHT CAROL SERVICE The nondenominational Chelsea Community Church’s 42nd Annual Candlelight Carol Service, comprising Scripture lessons, a choir and congregational singing, will take place on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 6 p.m. at its host church, the historic St. Peter’s Chelsea. The choir, under the direction of Larry J. Long, will present choral music from the ancient plainsong chant “Hodie Christus natus est” (“Today, Christ is born”) to John Rutter’s contemporary “Shepherd’s Pipe Carol.” Broadway singer/actor Arbender Robinson will read Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” 346 West 20th St., between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. The event is free, though offerings will be accepted.
HANDEL’S ‘MESSIAH’ An audience-chorus of nearly 3,000 voices under the batons of 17 eminent
conductors will join with the National Chorale, under the artistic direction of Everett McCorvey, to perform its 49th presentation of Handel’s Messiah Sing-In at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20., at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza. The performance features countertenor Eric Brenner, tenor Roderick George, bass Kevin Maynor and soprano Jessica Sandidge. Tickets are $30-$100 and available at www.nationalchorale.com or by calling 212-333-5333.
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene presents a concert of rediscovered and restored pre- and post-World War II music from the theatrical works of the great composers of the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater, among them Ellstein, Goldfaden, Olshanetsky, Rumshinsky and Secunda. 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Edmond J. Safra Hall at Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place $30, $20 for members of Museum of Jewish Heritage or National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. 212-213-2120 ext. 230; group sales ext. 204; www. nytf.org
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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MET’S FIRST OPERA BY A WOMAN IN 113 YEARS Composer Kaija Saariaho and director Robert Lepage during rehearsals of “L’amour de Loin.” Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera
The company stages Kaija Saariaho’s “L’Amour de Loin” BY RONALD BLUM
When the first notes of Kaija Saariaho’s “L’Amour de Loin (Love from Afar)” were played at the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 1, it marked only the second staged work by a woman composer in the company’s history — and the first since 1903. “It is staggering,” said Jennifer Higdon, one of six women to win the Pu-
litzer Prize for music. “We’re in the 21st century. There are a lot of women composers out there who are writing a lot of music, and some of it is fantastic stuff.” The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. In 1983, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich became the first female composer to win the award. “I actually had someone say to me at one point that they wanted to do an orchestral piece of mine but they already had done a woman that year,” Zwilich recalled. “There’s still a bunch of stuff out there. But generally speaking, the
Tamara Mumford as the Pilgrim in Kaija Saariaho’s “L’Amour de Loin.” Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.
door is open. It’s not easy for any composer.” “L’Amour,” with a libretto by Amin Maalouf, premiered at the 2000 Salzburg Festival in Austria. It is being shown at the Met in a striking new production by Canadian director Robert Lepage that features some 28,000 LED lights about 1 square millimeter each in 30 rows, including three over the orchestra pit. Saariaho, a 64-year-old Finn who has long lived in Paris, also wrote “Adriana Mater,” which debuted at the Opera de Paris’ Bastille auditorium in 2005, and “Emilie,” first seen at the Opera de Lyon in 2010. She considers herself a composer who is a woman, not a woman composer. “I would not even like to speak about it,” she said after a piano rehearsal at the Met. “It should be a shame.” Ethel M. Smyth’s “Der Wald (The Forest)” was the first opera by a woman composer at the Met, receiving just two performances. It was paired with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” for its U.S. debut on March 11, 1903, and with Donizetti’s “La Fille du Regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment)” nine days later. And then it disappeared. “I don’t feel like I’m righting wrongs,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said. “That Kaija’s a female has absolutely nothing to do with my wanting to do this work. This is not part of a female quota system. In my history at the Met, I have no interest in the sex of the composer. My interest is in the quality of the composition.” “L’Amour” will be given eight performances through Dec. 29, and the Dec. 10 matinee will be televised to theaters around the world. Susanna Malkki, a highly regarded 47-year-old Finn who also lives in Paris, will be on the podium — just the fourth woman
to conduct the Met following Sarah Caldwell (1976 debut), Simone Young (1996) and Jane Glover (2013). “I think we have to look at the roots, the grassroot level,” Malkki said. “It starts very early on, and there are sort of invisible stages which were not existent earlier. Girls were not being encouraged or taken seriously. So we already have a much smaller number of female composers compared to the men. ... I think it’s something that is definitely changing now, and that is really positive. And hopefully at some
point we are going to be in a situation where we don’t need to talk about this anymore because, of course, the artwork in itself is what is important.” “L’Amour’’ is part of the Met’s commitment to show a contemporary work each season. Thomas Ades’ “The Exterminating Angel,” based on the 1962 Luis Bunuel movie, will be staged next season. Nico Muhly’s “Marnie” has been moved up a season to 2018-19 in place of Osvaldo Golijov’s “Iphigenia in Aulis.”
Eric Owens as Jaufré Rudel in Kaija Saariaho’s “L’Amour de Loin.” Photo: Ken Howard/ Metropolitan Opera.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS NOV 15 - DEC 02 2016
Dumpling Go
188 2Nd Ave
Grade Pending (22) 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/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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Dahlias Fine Mexican Cuisine
214 E 9Th St
Grade Pending (33) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. 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.
Hou Yi
97 2Nd Ave
A
Babbo Ristorante E Enoteca
110 Waverly Place
A
The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page Divya’s Kitchen
25 1St Ave
A
East Village Pizza And Kebab
145 1 Avenue
A
Royal Bangladesh Indian Restaurant
93 1 Avenue
Grade Pending (3)
Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen
87 2 Avenue
A
Hot Kitchen
104 2 Avenue
Grade Pending (35) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Pret A Manger
821 Broadway
A
Hana Sushi
211 7 Avenue
A
Yama Japanese Restaurant’
122 East 17 Street
A
Merchants Ny
112 7 Avenue
A
Chelsea Creamline
75 9Th Ave
A
Mcdonald’s
27 3 Avenue
A
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
252 8Th Ave
A
Amorino
60 University Place
A
East Of Eighth
254 West 23 Street
A
Blue 9 Burger
92 3Rd Ave
Grade Pending (22) 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 not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Petite Abeille
44 West 17 Street
A
Sticky’s Finger Joint #1
31 West 8 Street
A
Guckenheimer @ Twitter Nyc Coffee Bar
245 W 17Th St
A
Just Salad
140 8Th Ave
A
Tequila Chito’s Mexican Grill
358 West 23 Street
A
Vip Club
20 West 20 Street
A
Bareburger
153 8 Avenue
A
16 Handles
178 8 Avenue
A
L’arte Del Gelato
75 9Th Ave
A
Oramen
579 Avenue Of The Americas
Not Yet Graded (20) 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.
Le Grainne Cafe
183 9 Avenue
Grade Pending (22) 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.
Burger Joint
33 W. 8Th St
Grade Pending (22) 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/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.
Ogawa Cafe
36 E 4Th St
A
Ii Forno Pizza And Pasta Restaurant
343 2Nd Ave
Grade Pending (36) 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. 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.
Khyber Pass
34 St Marks Place
A
Blue & Gold Bar
79 E 7Th St
A
Yakiniku West Restaurant
218 East 9 Street
Grade Pending (22) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Dear Irving
55 Irving Pl
A
Dunkin’ Donuts
67 Cooper Sq
A
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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ART OF FOOD Our Town’s
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Saturday, February 4, 2017
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MEET THE CHEF
A picture of a swastika etched in state Sen. Brad Hoylman’s Greenwich Village apartment building on Nov. 15.
HOYLMAN FACES HATE CRIME INCREASES The state senator speaks out against a troubling trend BY ALEXANDRA ZUCCARO
On the evening of Nov. 15, State Senator Brad Hoylman found a swastika etched inside his Greenwich Village apartment building. In a tweet he wrote: “Swastika found in my apartment building this evening in Greenwich Village. Anti-Semite named to #Trump White House post. Connect the dots.” In the following days, the Senator also received an anti-Semitic pamphlet in his mailbox. “It’s certainly disconcerting getting anti-Semitic hate in the mail,” Hoylman said. “But I’m also concerned about the trend nationally.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, nearly 900 separate incidents of bias and violence against immigrants, African-Americans, women, LGBT people and Muslims occurred in the ten days after Donald Trump was elected. The organization called it a “national outbreak of hate.” Hoylman believes that this trend has become prevalent
We’ve had an uptick in hate crimes... Actually a little bit more than an uptick. We’re up 31 percent from last year. At this time last year we had 250, this year we have 328. Specifically against the Muslim population in New York City we went up from 12 to 25 and anti-Semitic is up too by nine percent from 102 to 111.” Police Commissioner James O’Neill because Trump coddled individuals who spread hate crimes during his campaign. “Racist and bigoted Americans seem to have been given license to spread hate,” he said. Hoylman works closely with minorities, particularly in the LGBT community, and many are concerned that hate crimes will be directed toward them
and their families. The NYPD has also been concerned about the trend. “We’ve had an uptick in hate crimes,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said on John Catsimatidis’s radio show. “Actually a little bit more than an uptick. We’re up 31 percent from last year. At this time last year we had 250, this year we have 328. Specifically against the Muslim population in New York City we went up from 12 to 25 and antiSemitic is up too by nine percent from 102 to 111.” But, O’Neill added, “rest assured if you’re going to ... engage in this type of behavior the New York City Police Department is going to make an arrest and you’ll be fully prosecuted.” Before Trump takes the White House, Hoylman would like to help ensure that transgender rights are protected and that Supreme Court rulings like Roe vs. Wade are not able to be overturned. The Senator knows these issues are important to his community, and hopes that he will be able to defend their rights. “New York needs to protect its own right now,” he said.
How did you get started in the food biz? I was in undergrad at the University of Buffalo, and western New York is known for some fantastic supermarkets, which I didn’t know about, growing up on Long Island: Tops and Wegman’s.
of the crane collapse. It devastated the building we were in and we were put out of business. We’re here now, right across the street. And nine months ago, we opened up another Crave Fishbar on the Upper West Side.
You were at the Art I don’t want to of Food last year. TODD MITGANG knock my mom, Chef at Crave Fishbar We had a lot of fun. 945 2nd Ave., but growing up with New York, NY 10022 Chefs like challenges, her, I learned the and what was unique basics: buying a box of rice pilaf about it was coming up with a and making it. It proved good pairing that somehow was inspired enough my freshman year of by the piece of art. Last year, college. We’d all pitch in a couple our artwork Roy Lichtenstein’s of dollars and would host these “Thinking Nude,” so our dish was dinner parties, and we’d end up Naked Salmon. When we go to eating something delicious. That these tasting events, we get the is part of what pushed me into the chance to create something totally kitchen, because while there is a lot unique. of great, fine dining in Buffalo, the Any cooking advice? greasy spoons were really greasy I love to cook. That’s why I’m in spoons. If you went in to order a this industry. My number one tip sub, it was automatically on garlic is to have fun in the kitchen. If you bread with oil and vinegar and the learn some very basic techniques: guy behind the counter was like: how to use salt, how to roast, how “Hey, do you want mayonnaise on to broil. Stick with one technique. this too?” So I really got started Learn how to fix a mistake or make cooking in undergrad. something even better than you When did Crave get started? had originally sought out to. That’s I started Crave Ceviche Bar, which the fun part of cooking. You don’t used to be right across the street. necessarily need to follow a recipe Right now, Crave Fishbar is here at to the T. Taste as you go, and 945 2nd Ave. The ceviche bar was so long as you know what each 946 2nd Ave. It was a ceviche-only ingredient is going to add, you can restaurant and we were having a always end up with something that lot of fun, but it closed because is going to be delicious.
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DECEMBER 8-14,2016
Property
ASK A BROKER BY ANDREW KRAMER
I am a buyer looking to purchase a large one-bedroom co-op. I don’t understand why square-footage is not included on all listings? It would streamline my efforts and allow me to focus on just properties with the space I’m looking for. Can you shed some light on this? Although this sounds simple and logical on the surface, it’s actually a quite complex issue. First and foremost, unlike condominiums, cooperative apartments are not sold by squarefootage but rather by room count. In the condo and new development markets, the “Schedule A” in the prospectus (available for buildings built from the ground up or rehabilitated within the last 25 years), which every buyer receives, oftentimes contains square footage information for each unit. However, not all square-feet are
created equal as calculations may include the thickness of the walls and/or a portion of the common areas and therefore may considerably overstate the usable square footage. Believe it or not, there have even been lawsuits as a result of disagreements over the accuracy of squarefootage, which has contributed to the practice of removing it entirely. At the end of the day, if you’re in the market for a co-op, you’re buying a home to live in (as co-ops tend restrict subletting) and there are so many other factors that impact it’s value ... location, exposure, view, what floor it’s on, ceiling height, fireplace, how quiet it is, flow of space, amenities, etc. Don’t give up, I’m sure you’ll find the perfect home with the space and features you’re looking for. Andrew Kramer is a licensed associate real estate broker with Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales
Photo: Bosc d’Anjou via flickr
MTA HAS A RIGHT TO UNRESTRICTED DEVELOPMENT Cuomo vetoes a bill to limit a new definition of ‘transportation purposes’ BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Exactly what does the Metropolitan Transit Authority own? According to data compiled by the Municipal Art Society, the MTA has 656 properties throughout the city totaling more than 41 million square feet. However, a note at the bottom of the web page housing this information warns that it is difficult to know for sure what belongs to the MTA because many sites are listed under different agencies, such as “New York City Transit Authority,” “Long Island Rail Road” and “Department of Transportation,” to name a few. State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents parts of the East Side from 96th to 10th Streets, has been asking for a complete list of MTAowned property for 15 years. “Over the course of those years multiple requests have been made of the MTA to produce a master list of all their properties in the 12 counties [they cover] and what they’re using
them for,” Krueger said. “The MTA has never done so.” The lack of such a list became more problematic for those concerned about land use after the state legislature passed its 2016-2017 budget this spring. Tacked onto the budget was a revision of New York public authorities law that changed the definition of “transportation purposes.” The MTA, a public authority, had previously been allowed to develop their property without restriction or obligation to follow local zoning laws as long as it was for transportation purposes, like storing equipment or building a subway station. Under the new law, the two words have far broader implications: “‘Transportation purpose’ shall mean a purpose that directly or indirectly supports all or any of the missions or purposes of the authority, any of its subsidiaries, New York City transit authority or its subsidiary, including the realization of revenues available for the costs and expenses of all or any transportation facilities.” This put all 656 known MTA properties in play for unrestricted development.
Hypothetical build-out of what could be developed on an MTA-owned lot at 63rd Street and Second Avenue. Courtesy of the Municipal Art Society According to Krueger, very few, if any, legislators were aware that this definition had been added. “The language was slipped into the budget with, guilty as charged, almost no legislator realizing it was there,” she said. Once lawmakers did, State Senator Jack Martins, who represents part of Long Island, created a bill to repeal that section of the budget. Krueger was one of its sponsors. But last week that bill to remove the MTA’s power to develop their land in any way, for any purpose was vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “People didn’t really know or understand because it’s pretty damn esoteric when you start the discussion,”
Krueger said. She added that she has since gathered support for a removal of the redefinition of “transportation purposes” from groups including the Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Tara Kelly, vice president of policy and programs at the Municipal Art Society, said her organization discovered the large amount of MTA-owned land coincidentally, while attempting to map all city-owned property. “When we looked to seek out what were individual MTA properties ... there were things that we knew were owned by the MTA but weren’t coming up in our
map,” she said. “We’re unable to say definitively ... that we know exactly what is under this jurisdiction of MTA because the data isn’t organized in a way for that to be made clear.” In particular, Kelly is concerned about the 221 sites owned by the MTA that are zoned for residential development. Cuomo’s justification for giving the MTA free reign was that it would help generate additional income by allowing the authority to rent land to developers. The MTA declined to comment for this article, but MTA spokesperson Stephen Morello told the Wall Street Journal in June that “The city’s interpretation is extreme and its concern is unwarranted.” Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said he didn’t think the potential for increased revenue outweighed the provision’s potential costs. He called the new definition’s implications “mind-boggling and scary.” After the governor’s veto, those opposed to the MTA’s new power are disappointed but not giving up. Said Krueger: “In my experience when somebody vetoes your legislation the best answer is ... to sit down and have the discussions about the incredible negative consequences that perhaps were not understood by everyone in the room.” Kelly and Berman said they would confer with their elected officials to determine the next step. In the meantime, they’ll be keeping an eye on all the properties they’re aware of that are owned by the MTA. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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ART OF FOOD Our Town’s
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MEET THE CHEF The Meatball Shop was at Tell me about how you got the Art of Food last year. started in the culinary We were there—we did world. pizza balls, which were There was a Mexican inspired by our art, a restaurant on 3rd lovely painting of the Ave. and 82nd Street Statue of Liberty. Très called San Mulitas that New York. hired me as a delivery boy when I was 13 or 14 We don’t know what years old. But doing we’re getting paired delivery was cold—it’s with yet this year! I always hot or cold hope it’s something here in New York! It’s weird and abstract. a nightmare. And I Are you into art was attracted to the DANIEL HOLZMAN yourself? Chef at The Meatball Shop kitchen. The guys are 1462 2nd Ave. My mom is a painter. She New York, NY 10075 all tattooed and tough does a lot of still life work and macho, you know? and some portraiture and collage. Everybody says “yes, sir” I thought it She’s a prolific artist. I have a painting was cool. of hers right on the wall over there. So I found my way into the kitchen. You have a ton of old pictures up on I worked in a lot of different, fancy the walls in your restaurants. Who restaurants—a lot of French are these people? restaurants. A lot of them are random, but some When did you realize meatballs were of them are real people. On Bedford your calling? Avenue is where I have the most I had moved back to New York to family. This shop on the East Side is open a restaurant, and we weren’t mostly random people. One of our sure what kind of restaurant we original investors who passed away wanted to open, but I knew I wanted is on the back wall. People give us to serve the type of food I wanted to pictures of their family members and eat; something customers could relate say things like: “This is my aunt, she to. And I wanted it to be a place where was the life of the party. Can she live we could have fun at work. Meatballs in your restaurant?” or “This guy kind of lend themselves to that. really loved meatballs.” Also, it was like—what in New York You have a bunch of Meatball Shops is missing? There were a lot of great scattered around the city. Any plans meatballs, but no definitive best to expand outside of NYC? meatball in New York, and we thought We have one in Brooklyn. We talk we could get there. Plus, my brother a lot about moving out of the city. is a huge meatball hero guy. Hopefully next year or the year after Favorite place to eat on the Upper that. East Side? Number one cooking tip? I really like Daniel. I think that’s a great Relax. Breathe deeply. Don’t get restaurant. If I could pick anywhere stressed out about it. on the Upper East Side to go, it’d be there.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 plan, the Barnes Dance has only been effective “at intersections with about 20,000 pedestrians a day, high pedestrian signal compliance and low vehicular traffic volumes.” The method may not be more widely feasible “due to concerns about excessive pedestrian wait time.” Of a different bill proposing that cyclists adhere to pedestrian signals at some intersections, a DOT spokesperson said they “support the intent of the bill.” Sam Schwartz, a former traffic commissioner and president of his firm Sam Schwartz Engineering, identified one issue in particular as singular to New York City: “Pedestrians do not follow walk-don’t walk signals, don’t necessarily cross at intersections and sometimes seem to challenge drivers,” he said, admitting that he fits into the latter category. However, he said, the chaos seems to slow cars down. In Los Angeles, by comparison, there are fewer pedestrians and the rules are more strictly enforced, but the fatality rate is much higher. Gladys Levy said she never disobeys the traffic signals at East 57th and Third Avenue, the eighth most dangerous intersection in the city, though she sometimes does so elsewhere. “I might cross 51st Street without the light, but never Third Avenue,” said Levy, who lives nearby on East 51st Street. She was surprised to learn that 57th and Third was one of the most dangerous, but she blames the site’s collision statistics on turning. “You can be crossing the street, and if [cars]
IWantToBeRecycled.org
DECEMBER 8-14,2016 think they can beat you they will,” she said. Dwayne Hermidas, a doorman at 200 East 57th Street, has spent 12 years looking out at the intersection of 57th and Third. “Once I saw somebody crossing the street and a cab hit him,” Hermidas said, recalling an incident he witnessed about a year ago. He attributed the location’s increased risk for pedestrians to the many buses that criss-cross each other on the two-way street all day long and the proximity of the Queensboro Bridge. Fisher, at 59th and Second, said pedestrians there are very careful about not jaywalking because they know how dangerous it is. However, he empathized with the Department of Transportation. “I kind of feel for them in a way,” he said. “These streets were built a long time ago. It’s really hard to work on them. How are you going to do construction on Second Avenue? People coming from Queens, from the Bronx, have to take Second Avenue to go down.” Many of the city’s most dangerous intersections have tunnels, bridges or large transportation hubs nearby. The entirety of 42nd Street from Sixth Avenue to Ninth Avenue is included, as well as 34th Street at Seventh and Eighth Avenues around Penn Station, and 40th Street and 11th Avenue by the Holland Tunnel. Though the DOT reports that pedestrian fatalities have decreased by 60 percent over the last 30 years, it remains to be seen whether Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan will accomplish its goal of eliminating them by 2024. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com
DECEMBER 8-14,2016
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PUTTING WARMTH INTO THE HOLIDAYS Founder of the Broadway Coat Drive on her mission BY ANGELA BARBUTI
The lights on Broadway shine a little brighter this holiday season, as the casts of some of its most beloved shows are donating their coats to help those in need in our city. The Broadway Coat Drive was assembled on behalf of “Good Morning America’s” Warm Coats and Warm Hearts by Broadway mom Tammie Cumming. She came up with the idea in 2010 after her son’s show, “Billy Elliot,” promoted the charity on the morning show, but did not have their own means to collect coats. “And I thought, ‘It would probably be one of the easiest things to do, to coordinate the Broadway shows to do a coat drive,’” she explained. Former Broadway kids from shows like “Mary Poppins”, “South Pacific” and “The Lion King” serve as the drive’s ambassadors, organizing and executing the entire process. This year, five shows are on board — “The Lion King,” “Matilda,” “Kinky Boots,” “Beautiful” and “On Your Feet.” As for the future, Cumming hopes that one
day the effort can expand to include audience members bringing coats to the shows. “I would like it to be an annual event just like Broadway Barks and Bernadette Peters. I would like people to think, ‘It’s wintertime; there goes Broadway’s young performers who are leading this effort that they do every year to help New York City.’”
How did your partnership with Warm Coats and Warm Hearts come about? I have a son who was on Broadway in “Billy Elliot” and what they did for publicity was the show turned up on “Good Morning America’s” Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Drive to be spokespeople. The show, to my knowledge, didn’t really have a coat drive, but the kids were there promoting it. Then we started with it the very next year, where we actually contacted the shows and asked if they would like to be a part of the coat drive and then rounded up Broadway actors. We tried to give the ones in the shows opportunities to do things, but a lot of times they’re so busy working on publicity for their show, rehearsing and performing, that they don’t have as much time. So we said, “What about the kids who are aging out of the roles?” It gives them a continued role in the
The Broadway Coat Drive Kids on “Good Morning America” for Warm Heart/Warm Coat Drive. Photo: Laurie Sheppard Broadway scene, to do something helpful and to feel connected. That’s how it began.
Tell us about the ambassadors. This year I have eight. They are from previous shows. Some of them are doing some acting now. It’s a lot of work
and not just a role that they have on a piece of paper. They have to help solicit the participation of the shows. And then they have to help get the boxes ready and get on a schedule and make sure they are in communication. It really is a good training tool for when they go out into the world and have to work. They have to be on a schedule with the stage manager for when they are supposed to pick up. There has to be a posting to announce when there will be a photo shoot according to union rules. They have to make sure to pick up the coats on their scheduled days, be at the photo shoot. It’s a lot of responsibility. I check in a lot with them, but I really do try to designate some of that authority to them and let them have that responsibility and feel what it’s like to do that. So really, it is their coat drive; I’m just helping to facilitate the process. When they say they want to be an ambassador, I will ask them, “What does it mean to you to be in this role?” And they give me some written sentences about why it’s important and why they want to be a part of this. And I think to articulate what they mean and why they should be selected, is a very good experience for them as well.
the recipient. From what I understand, the coats donated from the area will go to the area first and then within the state. So it’s local first, and then it goes beyond. This really is a national effort. I have to tell you, some of the coats that are donated, it’s an impressive group. People are not giving their hand-medown coats that’s been handed down four times and really ready to go to the trash. I’ve seen some beautiful designer coats come in and thought, “The people who are giving are really kind.” I think there is a lot of thought and care that goes into the quality.
What is your vision for the future of the drive? I would love it to get bigger and I need to think of a better way where audience members can actually bring the coats. And I’ve been asked this question before, but I can’t figure out how to do the workload of collecting them and where it would be. Because it’s not a simple solution in New York City with space, theaters and unions. But it could be a lot bigger. To learn more, visit @BrdwayCoatDrive on Twitter To learn about the national effort, visit www.burlingtoncoatfactory. com/warm-coats-warm-hearts-drive
Where do the coats go?
“Kinky Boots” cast members participating in the Broadway Coat Drive. Photo: www.mickeypantanophotography.com
Our last coat drive was tremendously successful; we had more than 300. Last time, they were all brought to “Good Morning America.” We gave a lot of coats, but usually there is a second batch of 20 more coats or something. Then we will give those directly to Burlington, who is actually
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VIP $185 - 1st 100 receive a copy of Geoffrey Zakarian’s celebrated cookbook My Perfect Pantry and exclusive book signing with Geoffrey
GA $105 - 1st 100 receive Geoffrey Zakarian’s new Pro For Home 15-piece storage container system
MIGHTY QUINN’S BARBEQUE Hugh Mangum 5 NAPKIN BURGER Andy D’Amico ORWASHERS BAKERY Keith Cohen PAOLA’S Stefano Marracino SANT AMBROEUS MADISON AVENUE Andrea Bucciarelli SEAMSTRESS Jordy Lavenderos SHAKE SHACK Mark Rosati T-BAR STEAK Benjamin Zwicker THE MEATBALL SHOP Daniel Holzman THE PENROSE Nick Testa VAUCLUSE Michael White
Geoffrey Zakarian Star of Food Network’s Chopped, The Kitchen, Cooks vs. Cons, author of “My Perfect Pantry,” restaurateur behind The Lambs Club, The National in NYC, The National in Greenwich, The Water Club at Borgata in Atlantic City, Georgie and The Garden Bar at Montage Beverly Hills and, coming soon, Point Royal at The Diplomat Beach Resort and co-creator of Pro For Home food storage container system, Margaret Zakarian President of Zakarian Hospitality, co-author of “My Perfect Pantry” and co-creator of Pro For Home food storage container system.
A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO
p for f Downtown The localppaper
LOWER MANHATTAN
THE PLACE TO SHOP, DINE & CELEBRATE DowntownNY.com/holiday | #DownIsWhatsUp
DYNAMIC . FLOURISHING . EVOLVING . Lower Manhattan is changing rapidly. As more and more businesses and residents move south of Chambers Street, a new and globally recognized neighborhood is being infused with unrivaled energy and is becoming the hot destination for shopping, dining and celebrating. This kinetic square mile at New York’s southern tip has something for everybody. This holiday season, come see for yourself why #DownIsWhatsUp
Throughout 2016, Lower Manhattan’s retail revolution kicked into full swing. Westfield World Trade Center opened, joining its neighbor Brookfield Place and longtime neighborhood fixtures like Century 21. And more great things are just over the horizon. Lower Manhattan’s next chapter is underway.
DowntownNY.com/holiday
Clinton Hall Beans & Greens Manhattan Proper The Bailey Restaurant & Bar The Dead Rabbit Jupioca Barleycorn The Malt House FiDi Church & Dey Vietspot
Burger Burger
Cafe 11
The Capital Grille
Nelson Blue
121 Fulton Street
Dirty Bird To-Go Pier A Harbor House The English
Sweetgreen OBAO
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
Fowler & Wells Reserve Cut Melt Kraft Melt Shop Haru
Keg No. 229 Little Muenster Trinity Place Bar & Restaurant Little Park Sale & Pepe Caterers Vivi Bubble Tea Thai Sliders & Co. LOX Battery Gardens Restaurant
Made Fresh Daily North End Grill The Open Door Gastropub
Shake Shack Vintry Wine & Whiskey Luke’s Lobster Smörgås Chef
P.J. Clarke’s Suspenders Terri
Roast Kitchen Woolworth Tower Kitchen
Zaitzeff
Route 66 Smokehouse Amba FiDi China 59
Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar Wei West Asian Wok Chinese Restaurant
Woodrow’s Blue Ribbon Federal Grill
Industry Kitchen
Ruben’s Empanadas
Fraunces Tavern ®
T.G.I. Friday’s
Trading Post
Le Pain Quotidien Gee Whiz Diner
Blue Smoke Mooncake Foods Fields Good Chicken
No. 1 Chinese Restaurant Northern Tiger
Just Salad Beckett’s Bar & Grill Fioro
Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine BlackTail
Pound & Pence
Num Pang Fresh&Co
La Dama
L’Appart Racines NY Les Halles Downtown Antica Ristorante Smashburger By Suzette Augustine
Hudson Eats Beaubourg Tartinery Crepes du Nord
Reserve Cut
Yip’s Restaurant Chickpea
CompleteBody Juice Bar Umami Burger
A La Saigon Bombay’s Indian Cuisine 2West Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Amada Miramar
Charly’s
Juice Generation
The Hummus & Pita Co. Adrienne’s Pizzabar
Mudville 9 Bareburger
Juice Press
Parm The Paris Café Chop’t
Magic Mix Juicery
George’s New York SUteiShi
The Ketch Brewhouse The Beekman Pub Rosa Mexicano Yorganic El Vez Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina Benares Hale and Hearty Soup St. George Tavern
SHOP, DINE & CELEBRATE IN LOWER MANHATTAN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON *This map is not an accurate representation of retail destinations.
A La Saigon
Shorty’s Cheesesteaks Mulberry & Vine
Discover why #DownIsWhatsUp! Check out all that Lower Manhattan has to offer this holiday season!
DowntownNY.com/holiday | #DownIsWhatsUp