The local paper for Downtown wn
WEEK OF DECEMBER-JANUARY
WHEN SONGWRITING GETS PERSONAL
31-6
< Q&A, P.21
2016
A BATTLE OVER HOMELESS CAMPS NEWS
THE YEAR DOWNTOWN FULLY CAME BACK
Three people sue over city efforts to get them off the streets
STORIES TO WATCH IN 2016
BY COLLEEN LONG AND WILLIAM MATHIS
As members of the city’s new homeless outreach team fanned out in a campaign to persuade people to leave the streets, three homeless New Yorkers filed paperwork to sue over an unrelated effort to remove them, saying police wrongly tossed identifying documents and family photos into a dump truck. Jesus Morales and two others say they were sleeping in an encampment outside a school in Manhattan at about 5 a.m. on Oct. 2 when police and a sanitation crew arrived, woke them, told them they had to move and tossed their stuff, including a birth certificate and Social Security cards. Some said they were kicked and shoved by the officers. “They grabbed my clothes and threw it all in the garbage truck,” Morales, 42, said in Spanish at a news conference, attended by about a dozen homeless New Yorkers, to announce notice of the claim. Morales said he’s been homeless nearly 16 years. “I can’t even afford a room,” he said. “We are many, and we don’t have money to live here.” The notice of claim, the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city, was prepared by the New York Civil Liberties Union after they obtained security footage of the night through a Freedom of Information Law request. Attorney Alexis Karteron said their
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Recovery in the financial district has been so complete that concerns are now shifting to what to do with all the people BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
In ticking off all of the improvements seen in the financial district this year, Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, was confident that 2015 was a banner year for the neighborhood. Lappin said Lower Manhattan as a whole, since the attacks of 9/11, a recession in 2008 and the devastating Hurricane Sandy in 2012, has now fully recovered. “2015 was a big year for us,” she said, before highlighted the openings of the Fulton Street transit hub, Brookfield Place and Hudson Eats as three major new draws in the financial district. “The rejuvenation of lower Broadway, and generally speaking the barricades and walls starting to come down around the World Trade Center site, I think there were quite a few really big moments for us this year, and looking ahead, 2016 is going to be even better,” she said. Next year will see the opening of the mall at Westfield World Trade Center, Saks Fifth Avenue at Brookfield Place and the retail portion of the Fulton Center, she said. Other highlights to come in 2016 are restaurant openings by Tom Colicchio
and Keith McNally at The Beekman, and Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant at the Four Seasons downtown. “Those are three household names in terms of chefs,” said Lappin, who was a council member on the Upper East Side before taking over at the alliance. “Those will be big openings. In terms of places to go to eat and shop, there’s going to be some really great and exciting options that aren’t here today but will be here a year from now.” Lappin said the neighborhood’s recovery was due to the people who, instead of retreating out of fear after 9/11, decided to rebuild the financial district. “It says a lot about the people who work here and live here, and really it’s about the American spirit of people not only not giving up but dou-
bling down their effort to come back and to not be cowed, to push ahead,” she said. One of those people was Marco Pasanella, who in 2002 opened Pasanella and Son Vintners on South Street at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. “We’ve been down here for a bunch of changes,” said Pasanella, who has lived above the wine shop with his wife since 2003. “Of course there were bumps in the road - the recession, the [Fulton Fish Market] leaving, Hurricane Sandy, but now we’re back.” Pasanella, who lived in the Meatpacking District with his wife before moving to the Seaport, said he decided to open a small business in the
Our Take THE STATE OF THE CHAINS And finally, some good news on the development front to ease out 2015. The Center for An Urban Future, in its eighth annual ranking on chain stores in the city, reports that growth in national chains slowed considerably over last year -- and that growth in established neighborhoods like the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and some parts of lower Manhaattan dropped sharply. For neighborhoods moaning the loss of mom and pop stores and restaurants -- and neighbors worried about the fraying fabric of where they live -- this is only good news. Maybe people’s buying habits are finally starting to come back to the little guys. A couple of caveats are in order: the report focuses on slowing growth of the chains -- not an overall decline in their number. According to the data, chain store locations in the city grew by 1 percent in 2015, to 7,550 stores. The previous year, the growth was 2.5 percent; this year’s rise is lower than all previous years except 2013. The other insight worth noting is that while chain store growth is slowing in gentrified neighborhoods in Manhattan, it’s surging elsewhere, particularly in the outer boroughs. But let’s not quibble. It’s been a rough year on the development front, with more megatowers going up, neighborhood institutions going down, affordable apartments making way for luxury. City officials seem unwilling, or unable, to take it on. We’ll take the chain-story survey as a good omen.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Downtowner
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CITY’S FIRST WI-FI HOTSPOT INSTALLED
jobs in support services, according to the city.
The first of a projected 4,550 public Wi-Fi hotspots kiosks was set up in the East Village earlier this week, DNAinfo reported. The kiosk, while not yet operational, will like the thousands of others to be installed citywide will enable encrypted access to the Internet within a 150-foot radius, the news site reported. The kiosks, which are being installed by a New York-based company, CityBridge, will eventually replace once ubiquitous phone booths. They will allow people to place free phone calls to anywhere in the United States. The spokeswoman told the news site that more than 510 of the kiosks will be installed by summer. About 4,000 more will be set up within four years. The city plans to have at least 7,500 kiosks operational by the summer of 2023, DNAinfo reported, with nearly 4,000 of them in Manhattan. The venture will be funded by revenue derived by from advertising on the kiosks. City officials expect to take in about $500 million in revenue within the initiative’s first 12 years. CityBridge will design and build the so-called links within the city. The venture is expected to create up to 150 full-time jobs, and an additional 650
CRIME CITYWIDE IS DOWN FOR THE YEAR Overall crime is down, according to police data cited by The New York Times. According to police statistics, incidents of murder, rape, robbery serious assault, grand larceny and car theft decreased 2 percent from already record low numbers of similar serious crimes logged last year, the paper reported. Although there have so far been six killings more than last year, murders this year — 339 — correspond to just a 2 percent increase from the record low number of homicides last year. “As we end this year, the City of New York will record the safest year in its history, its modern history, as it relates to crime,” The Times quoted police Commissioner William Bratton as saying. Bratton, though, also said that 2015 has been a sorrowful for the department following the deaths of four officers since late last year. “It has been a year of great contradictions,” the paper quoted him as saying.
Photo: New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
BASKETBALL PLAYER REPORTS $617K IN MISSING JEWELRY Police say New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams has reported that $617,000 in jewelry has vanished from his apartment. Police say they are searching for two women in the case. They released surveillance video footage late Wednesday of two well-dressed women leaving a club in Manhattan’s meatpacking district early Dec. 19. They say those women went to Williams’ home in the trendy TriBeCa neighborhood. They left after 90 minutes. Police say Williams later reported several pieces of jewelry missing.
They included a $50,000 diamond Rolex watch, three diamond rings valued at $30,000 and three 24-karat gold chains worth $35,000. Williams has declined to comment on the theft. Williams was picked second in the 2011 draft and averages 7.3 points this season. The Knicks are the 24-year-old player’s third NBA team.
SWISS MISS A Swiss visitor discovered the hard way that New York thieves strike like clockwork. At 2:50 p.m. on Dec. 12, a 25-year-old man from Rothenburg, Switzerland, was waiting for a southbound C train in the Chambers Street World Trade Center station. He placed his backpack, containing several items, on the bench next to him, and when the train arrived 10 minutes later, his pack was missing. The items stolen included a MacBook Air valued at $1,300, a GoPro Hero 4 camera priced at $450, a TomTom GPS tagged at $400, a Sony Cybershot camera worth $350, a JBL speaker valued at $200, a WD Elements external hard drive priced at $100, along with a Swiss passport, jacket, shirt, and bag, totaling $3,100 in all.
BAD TASTE Police suspect that a cash theft from
a restaurant was an inside job. Sometime between the hours of 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Dec. 11, someone removed $1,500 from the store register and safe inside Sabor de Mexico on Nassau Street. Apparently, only four employees were working in the eatery that day, and only one had access to the safe.
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 10th Precinct for Dec. 7 to Dec. 13 Week to Date
Year to Date
2015 2014
% Change
2015
2014
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
7
8
-12.5
MINK STINK
Robbery
2
3
-33.3
76
48
58.3
One person might have had an pricey gift in mind but insufficient funds with which to purchase it. A man removed a valuable fur from a display in the Vera Wang store on Mercer Street during store hours on Dec. 16. Police searched the area but could not locate the thief or the missing merchandise. The item stolen was a white mink coat valued at $4,950.
Felony Assault
0
4
-100.0
84
74
13.5
Burglary
10
2
400.0
129
143
-9.8
Grand Larceny
39
15
160.0
1,068
887
20.4
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
21
31
-32.3
TOOL JACK A 49-year-old man left his work backpack and tools inside the Citibank located at 388 Greenwich St. on Dec. 15. When he returned to work the next morning, he discovered that his backpack and tools were missing. He told police that a night shift had been working at the location. The items stolen included a backpack filled with Klein tools valued at $700, punchdown tools and blades priced at $225, a Warsaw hammer worth $200, along with
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side cutters, screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, a tape measure, splicing tools, a shearing knife, and a keyhole saw, making a total haul of $1,330.
error had occurred when the bike was docked, and the two-wheeler did not lock properly. The missing Citi Bike was valued at $1,200.
DOCKED AND SOCKED A 31-year-old woman docked her Citi Bike at the Franklin Street and West Broadway station on Dec. 15. Four hours later, she received an e-mail from Citi Bike stating that the vehicle had not been returned. The woman went back to the stand and confirmed that the bike was missing. Fortunately, Citi Bike acknowledged later that an
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42 South St.
311
ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row #11
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237 1st Ave. #504
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State Senator Daniel Squadron
250 Broadway #2011
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
AN ENDURANCE TEST FOR ARTS IN CITY SCHOOLS A Manhattan couple will compete in a rickshaw race in India to raise funds for programming BY RUI MIAO
Joanna and Michael Droege, pictured with their sons Logan, now 13; Holden, 11, a s s u re d , t he y and Jack, 6, are in India to participate in a rickshaw race through which they hope to know what they raise funds for arts programming in city schools. Photo: Peter Hurley, peterhurley.com want in life. But there are so many kids in New York Among the programs on offer City, a city known for its art mester,” said Fran Van Horn, and culture, that are missing the deputy director of develop- at ArtsConnection is DELLTA out because they can’t afford ment at ArtsConnection. “To — Developing English Lanus that’s a great addition, and guage Literacy Through the it.” The couple teamed with it is important that the money Arts — which immerses kids from other countries in the ArtsConnection, which part- goes directly to the children.” After years of budget cuts arts and by extension, English. ners with city schools to pro“When kids come into a vide theater, dance, music and and schools’ emphasis on visual arts in city schools in core subjects, the city in 2014 country and they don’t have all five boroughs. The Droeges pledged to spend an additional English, all they do is watchwill donate an expected $23 million, hiring 120 arts ing and following others,” $15,000 they hope to raise teachers to teach in middle Van Horn said. “What dance through a gofundme effort to and high schools that are un- and theatre does is give them the organization, which will derserved, among other ini- something to talk about. They design an in-school art pro- tiatives. Still, Van Horn said, get so excited about what they are doing, they start to vermore is needed. gram. “It’s a good time for the arts,” balize. They are learning the “The money will provide a semester of an art form to a Van Horn said. “But some language of the arts but they grade; the classes can work schools still don’t have every- are also learning English language literacy skills.” with a teaching artist for a se- thing that they need.”
Holden Droege, 11, loves to dance. “If you visit our home now,” the boy’s mother, Joanna Droege, said, “I’d guarantee you that he’s dancing.” Holden’s two brothers, Logan, 13, who aspires to be an actor, and Jack, 6, who has a knack for both dancing and acting, are also drawn to the performing arts. “Our kids are very lucky to have good arts programs at their schools,” their mother said. The family lives on the Upper West Side and the boys attend public schools, Logan at M.S. 245, the Computer School; Holden, at Ballet Tech in the Flatiron; and Jack, P.S. 87. The neighborhood has allowed the boys to prosper — and look forward. “I want to be on Broadway someday,” Holden said. To nurture those aspirations, their parents earlier this week set off on an unlikely trek in South Asia: they will race across India on a rickshaw to raise money for arts programs in city schools. Kicking off on New Year’s Day, Joanna and Michael Droege will travel no set route, but hope to traverse roughly 2,500 kilometers from a starting line in the southwestern port city of Kochi to a finish line in Jaisalmer, in the north, near the Pakistan border. The Droeges said hope to bring awareness to what they say is the dearth of arts funding in public schools. “We know how arts have helped our kids. They’ve been able to catch up on their social skills and develop their own Holden Droege, 11, lives on the Upper West Side and attends Ballet Tech, the New York City Public School personality,” Joanna Droege for Dance, in the Flatiron. His parents are in India to participate in a rickshaw race through which they hope said. “They become very self- to raise funds for arts programming in city schools. Photo: Michael Droege
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
AMAZING IS NEVER GIVING UP THE FIGHT. Daniel Jacobs was a rising star in boxing when his legs started to go numb. An MRI revealed the cause: a large tumor wrapped around Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spine. The surgical team at NewYork-Presbyterian used precise three-dimensional imaging to navigate the path to Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spine. They removed the tumor and rebuilt the damaged area of the spinal column. How well did the surgery work? Three years later, Daniel became the WBA Middleweight Champion of the World.
nyp.org/amazingthings
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
DOWNTOWN FULLY CAME BACK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 financial district after 9/11 – despite thoughts of fleeing the city – out of a sense of defiance and a refusal to give in to fear. “I think instead, we made a conscious decision not just to not move out, but to go down here. To not be scared,” said Pasanella. “You’re not going to get me to leave my home.” But despite all the growth and encouraging signs of life, especially since Hurricane Sandy, Pasanella said more must be done in the realm of preparing for another major storm. “The fear is not so much about terrorism but about real resiliency in terms of coastal flooding and climate change,” said Pasanella. “The [South Street Seaport Historic District] in particular remains as vulnerable as it ever was and has made no progress in 2015 or previously to being any more hardened in terms of flooding. If tomorrow another Sandy came, we’d all be screwed.” Ro Sheffe, chair of Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee, said the neighborhood has come along way since that devastating storm over three years ago. “It took a lot longer to recover from that hurricane than anyone ever anticipated,” said Sheffe. “It was a good two years before the ‘for rent’ signs began disappearing finally.” But it was the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, said Sheffe, that was the catalyst for him “reluctantly” wanting to serve on CB1. He’s been chair of the Financial District Committee for about seven years. “We saw people moving out and our response was indignation,” he said. “We were more determined than ever to stay after that attack. We weren’t frightened away…we were angry and defiant and we wanted to get to work and put it back together.” What does Sheffe see as the biggest change to the financial district since 9/11? “I would say without reservation the population explosion,” he said. “And that of course has a lot of ramifications. It puts a hell of a strain on the schools – a lot of our schools are overcrowded as a result. We’ve opened several news schools in that time but it’s just not nearly enough to cope with that kind of explosion in population.” CB1 recently released a report predicting the residential population will continue to increase with an additional1,100 housing units going online next year, and another 4,000 in 2017 and beyond, in CB1’s 1.5 square miles. This is on top of the roughly10,220 residential units that went online from 2010 to 2015, according to CB1 chair Catherine McVay-Hughes. As a result, the board’s Planning Committee passed a unanimous resolution this month urging the Dept. of Education to site a 456seat school as soon as possible in the district. Plans for the pre-K to fifth-grade school have been in the works since 2013, but a location has not yet been decided upon. The planning committee’s resolution also called on the city to make significant investments in, “long overdue infrastructure additions and improvements in [Community District 1], including parks, transportation, water, sanitation and others to accommodate past and future population growth.” McVay-Hughes largely agreed with Lappin and her colleague Sheffe when asked what she thinks has been the biggest change to the financial district since 9/11. “The busy sidewalks, the restaurants open late, and all the retail expansion, and then the new schools - seeing all the kids rush in and out tells you everything you need to know about how downtown has become a mixed-use, family-friendly neighborhood,” said McVay-Hughes. Another milestone for Lappin and the alliance was employment numbers this year hitting the same levels that were seen pre-9/11. “Longer term, we’re projecting between now and the end of the decade that we’re going to grow private sector jobs by about 40,000,” said Lappin. “So I think that’s a good metric that tells you both we’re back to the levels we were at on 9/11 in terms of jobs, but we’re going to really grow.” Lappin said the financial district’s comeback after 9/11 was due in large part to significant investments being made from all quarters after the attack. “There was just an incredible commitment on both the public and private sides, a lot was invested both in terms of infrastructure and human capital,” she said. “And that commitment gave people hope that we would come back.” Lappin also pointed to a coming hotel boom in Lower Manhattan next year as a solid sign of recovery. “There will be about 11 hotels we expect to be completed between now and the end of next year,” she said. “I think that’s an important new trend and not one we’ve seen here before, really ever.”
LOOKING BACK AT 2015
AHEAD TO 2016 SHELDON SILVER FOULS OUT 2015/2016 He impressed on the basketball court, plyed his trade in criminal court, and was convicted in federal court BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
Sheldon Silver first made his name at Rabbi Jacob Joseph High School on Henry Street, a 10-minute walk from the family home in Grand Street’s Hillman Houses, where he captained his basketball team. The name didn’t travel far, not yet, not within the insular orthodox community within which Silver grew up in the 1950s. The fourth child of Russian immigrants who had settled on the Lower East Side and prospered in the retail hardware trade, Silver earned his undergraduate degree at Yeshiva University and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Within a few years, he was practicing law. His first run for office, a bid for a City Council seat when he was 30, failed. But two years later, in 1976, Silver swept to a state assembly seat. For nearly four decades, he would represent an ethnically, religiously and economically diverse district that’s now been his home for all of his 71 years. Silver honed his political aptitudes in Albany — on occasion sizing up would-be political bedfellows, including governors, on the basketball court. The trial lawyer mastered the art of compromise — and of engineering a better deal. In 1994, he ascended to, nominally, the second most powerful post in the state. But even among the renowned Three Men in a Room, Silver was the dean. By all accounts, his political instincts and lawyerly nous were rarely rivaled. Still, his constituents back home could count on him. A dutiful district office measured constituents’ pulse. Silver, in turn, facilitated the funneling of millions in state dollars to his home district. Decidedly liberal except in certain mat-
ters of crime and punishment, Silver was instrumental in keeping cornerstone rentregulations laws in place; secured funding for universal pre-kindergarten programs years before Bill de Blasio was elected mayor; and helped broker development disputes at the World Trade Center. Silver withstood or, more often, derailed or defeated efforts to weaken his hold on the legislature. He rebuffed charges of conflicts of interest and repelled an attempted putsch from upstate legislators. He also withstood accusations of having brushed aside allegations of sexual harassment and assault by, first, his chief counsel and, later, another Democratic assemblyman. But nearly a year ago, Silver’s cloak of impenetrability finally cracked. The longtime assemblyman was arrested on charges of taking nearly $4 million in kickbacks from two law firms in exchange for state contracts.
Despite the charges, Silver’s appeal — as well as his influence and authority — endured, sufficiently enough that he was reelected to his 11th term as speaker of the Assembly 18 months after federal officials had begun looking into Silver’s purported law practice. He was convicted on all counts November 30. “Today, Sheldon Silver got justice, and at long last, so did the people of New York,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office prosecuted the charges against Silver. A day after his conviction — and consequent automatic dismissal from the assembly — Silver filed for his state pension. But the man who had made his name on the Lower East Side’s basketball courts a half-century earlier could face a lengthy prison term when he sentenced next year. Prosecutors could yet ask that Silver forfeit those benefits.
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
ANOTHER REVISION FOR THE SEAPORT 2015/2016 Company backs off of one tower, but another could emerge in 2016 In a dramatic turn of events this past fall, Texas-based mega-developer Howard Hughes Corporation appeared to have abandoned its proposal for a luxury residential high rise on the Seaport, with a spokesperson telling the New York Post in November, “There will be no tall tower on the New Market site. That is not happening.” But when contacted for confirmation later that month, a spokesperson for the company refused to admit they were abandoning their tower plan, which at one point rose to over 50 stories. Howard Hughes provided a statement to this paper saying they’re, “working on a revised mixed-use devel-
opment plan in light of feedback from elected officials and the community. We remain fully committed to the Seaport District and we will be presenting a revised plan soon.” Nevertheless, those in the community who have stood against the proposal for years certainly took indications of its demise as a victory. “There is a certain sense of promise as we see our years of advocacy for the South Street Seaport Historic District finally bearing fruit,” David Sheldon, a member of the advocacy group Save Our Seaport that stood against Howard Hughes’ various proposals, said in November. In their latest proposal the company wanted to build a 500-foot, 150-unit luxury residential tower at the site of the New Market Building, near the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. The company
planned to use revenue generated by the tower to build a new middle school and 70 units of affordable housing on Schermerhorn Row. But pressure from advocates, preservationists and elected officials like Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Margaret Chin convinced them to go back to the drawing board. In 2016 look for Howard Hughes to release a revision - their third at this point - on what they’re now proposing to build at the Seaport. Also, depending on what it says, they should be prepared for another bloody lip from those in the community who want to see the maritime history of the Seaport, and the surrounding South Street Seaport Historic District, preserved for and passed down to future generations. -- Daniel Fitzsimmons
AT PIER 55, A FIGHT OVER PUBLIC SPACES LOOKING BACK AT 2015
AHEAD TO 2016
2015/2016 The ambitious Hudson River project could become a test case
CHELSEA’S NORTHWARD CREEP
BY KYLE POPE
Work has begun on an ambitious, privately funded entertainment pier in Chelsea that will either A. solidify the neighborhood’s standing as the preeminent cultural destination in the city, or B. mark the tipping point in the loss of our great public spaces to private money. As we turn to 2016, both may prove to be true. Pier 55, as the project is known, is the pet of media mogul Barry Diller and will mark the capstone to the Dillerfunded redevelopment of the formerly derelict Hudon River piers. The High Line, which Diller and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, willed into being, has become the most-visited tourist attraction in the city, an ultra-manicured, perfectly designed walkway that has become so popular that developers have configured apartments so that their residents can commune with High Line tourists as they have their moning coffee. The High Line will connect to Pier 55, which connects to the glorious new Whitney, which feeds into the Meapacking District and, soon, the Hudson Yards. But not everybody is on board
2015/2016 for Pier 55 -- and the objections shine an interesting light on the corporatization of public spaces in the city. Aesthetically, people like New York magazine art critic Jerry Saltz find them too sanitized for a city like New York, which once throbbed with messy, disjointed spaces -- almost all of which have since been shaved down. Saltz calls the High Line and Pier 55 “ersatz, privatized public spaces built by developers; sterile, user-friendly, cleansed adult playgrounds with generic environments that produce the innocuous stupor of elevator music; inane urban utopias with promenades, perches, pleasant embellishments, rest stops, refreshments, and compliance codes.” The other objection to such places -- and the area most likely to pick up steam in 2016 -- has to do with the way they are approved and permitted in
the city. The City Club, an advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit over Pier 55, arguing that even though it juts out into a public waterway, the project nevertheless has proceeded with very little community input, inadequate environmental review, and a lack of transparency given the scale of the project. The lawsuit is winding its way through the courts. The objections over Pier 55 are only in part because of the way it looks and feels or because of how it came to be. At the core of the complaints is an uneasiness over the pace and strain of development in the city, where buildings can be allowed to zoom over Central Park without a public hearing. In 2016, Pier 55 could well become a test case of how far -and whether -- we are willing to let that kind of development proceed.
Neighborhoods in New York are in a constant state of molting and growing. Gentrification has made sure of that. But no neighborhood in Manhattan has undergone a change as pronounced -- and as swift -- as Chelsea. The news here isn’t that the neighborhood has gone upscale; that’s been happening for a decade or more, as art galleries and upscale restaurants have colonized the area. What’s new -- and what will accelerate in 2016 -- is the physical creep of the new Chelsea, which had stopped at 23rd Street, then 26th Street, and is now moving north towards 30th Street and beyond. This was the year Hudson Yards began to take physical shape, and for the some of the promise of this massive new development to become clear. Top chefs signed on for the food court. Corporate tenants annouced sprawling new leases. Architectural renderings of luxury apartments in the sky
The extension of the 7 train to the west side has helped fuel the expansion of Chelsea. Photo courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority began hitting glossy magazines. Though Hudson Yards won’t be ready until 2017, the shift, and expansion, of Chelsea northward has begun. The extention of the High Line to Hudson Yards means you can now walk from the Whitney, through the Meatpacking District, into the galleries, then all the way to Hell’s Kitchen in pruned, upscale luxury. Clearly, Chelsea’s days as a
special gem, tucked in between the Village and midtown, is long gone. What’s emerging is one of the city’s premiere culture playgrounds, sprawling a big chunk of the west side. We can long for the days when this neighborhood was a smaller, quieter place. But those days are behind us, and 2016 will only bring more of the same. --Kyle Pope
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
< TIME TO STUDY BIKE LANES To the Editor: When the issue of crosstown bike lanes came up at Community Board 8’s meeting on December 16th, I was disappointed to see a handful of people trying to derail a public process before it even began. In November the community board, admirably, asked the DOT to study our neighborhood and make it safer to walk or ride a bike crosstown. Not even a month later, before the DOT could bring suggestions, a few people appeared to be trying to skew the results preemptively. They asked that East 72nd Street be excluded from the street safety study. That same street, by the way, has seen 128 people injured in traffic crashes in the last three years alone.
Photo: Rawle C. Jackman, via Flickr
Letter VIEW FROM A BIKE To the Editor: From what I’ve experienced as a bicyclist and motor vehicle operator is that accidents are more common than most people tend to give credit. Riding a bicycle on a roadway is something more people do each year. Bicycles are not protected by metal enclosure and therefore the person riding is usually seriously injured in an accident. Another important factor to accidents is that motor vehicles make many mistakes and don’t follow rules while driving. Automobiles will speed up for a yellow light dedicated to arriving at a destination as quickly as possible often putting many lives in danger. Auto vehicles are cited a lot. How many bicycles are pulled over for speeding past 25 mph in the U.S.? (I say U.S. because I’ve seen some despicable bicyclist videos from the U.K.) My point is that it’s my belief that the bicycle is easily blamed when motorists tend to take more risks at the cost of others lives. One example is this: I was following all the rules of the road on a fourlane roadway. I had about 1.5 feet of room for a bike lane. A tractor trailer passed me in the same lane and blew a red light in the process. I ended up ripping my brakes into an intersection. I head-on collided with an opposing car waiting to make a left hand turn. They never saw me nor I them. The driver was fine. I have spinal injuries, amputation and broken teeth as a result. The police declared that the driver did everything right. As a result I likely will not receive any compensation and have extreme difficulty taking care of household chores and doing everyday activities. I also experience a great deal of pain and soreness just trying take care of myself. I cannot work physically demanding jobs probably for the rest of my life as a result. Ed Tea via the Web
STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source
Voices
I don’t know if 72nd street should be redesigned, but we certainly shouldn’t rule it out. It is demonstrably dangerous and congested with internal combustion vehicles, is a route to Bed Pan Alley East, and features bus stops. At the very least we need to see a study before we, as a community, can make an informed decision. I chair a health care advocacy organization In New York City, and I know we lose 250 of our friends and neighbors every year, and over 50,000 are injured in car crashes. I also know that when changes are proposed for proven lifesaving street redesigns, someone will invariably say “not on my block.” The way that we figure out if something will work is to first commission research studies. We shouldn’t limit the findings of any study before it begins— that’s what the climate change denying state
governors and petro industry-subsidized congressional representatives do. As Upper East Siders in the densest community in the U.S., we should look forward to making our streets and sidewalks -- our public spaces -- safer for everyone. We employ a public process when deciding about zoning, licenses and outdoor cafes. We should then use the best data and research available when making decisions about how our streets are laid out. The community deserves to see DOT’s complete study about how the agency plans to make our public space as safe as possible. Sincerely, Jeff Gold Former Chair, Transportation Committee East 79th Street Neighborhood Association Chairperson, Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign
A COMMUNITY IN THE CITY MY STORY BETTE DEWING
Everyone knows about eight days of Chanukah and 12 days of Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day (here’s to temperate ones), but there’s also 43 days and nights of the Park Avenue Memorial Tree display - from December 6 to Martin Luther King’s birthday on January 18. But too few know these lovely lighted fir trees lining Park Avenue every year are there to remember all who made the ultimate sacrifice in this nation’s wars. So do spread the word, and do make this serene and meaningful scene after sundown. Very few strollers there now, unlike the December 6th tree lighting ceremony at Brick Church, where hundreds, especially young families, crowded the blocked-off streets for this event of tributes and caroling. And I could not have made it without a friend to help me maneuver the crowds to the reserved seats in front of the church. Something to think about. And to really think about are some thoughts from Reverend Michael Lindvall’s opening remarks. They deserve to be widely heard and remembered for 2016 and beyond.
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“Welcome to the 71st Annual Park Avenue Tree lighting ceremony,” the minister began … and I really loved this: ”We gather together as a wonderful mix of God’s children, Christians of many denominations, Jews, Muslims, those who believe, those who struggle with belief, and those who cannot believe. In spite of such distinctions, know that all - all are welcome.” “These trees were first lit in 1945 just after World War II. Every year since, they have honored men and women, who fought in our nation’s armed services, especially those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.” (I might add several Park Avenue mothers whose sons gave their lives in World War II began this blessed tradition). “These lights also celebrate our great City of New York and
its neighborhoods – our will to become a community in the anonymity of a huge city. Our gathering here defies all the forces of darkness which would work to divide.” (Of course I thought of “community” lost as the small businesses which meet everyday needs and the rental homes, are replaced by luxury condos and big business towers. And how countless more must actively defy this legal urban darkness). Reverend Lindvall remembers it was also “the first night of Hanukkah and the festival of lights” and all they stood for. Lighted Hawthorne bushes are part of this display. Of course, he thanked all who made these lighted trees possible, above all Barbara McLaughlin and the Fund for Park Avenue. So do we all! For many, the best part was the
President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope Fred Almonte, Susan Wynn editor.ot@strausnews.com Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com
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almost half hour of really joyful carol singing led by Keith Toth, Brick’s Minster of Music. And how we need sing-a-longs all year and everyone singing – goodwill songs that unite – yup, especially generations. Taps played by trumpeter, Thomas Hoyt, brought us back to the real meaning of these Memorial Trees. And the minister’s closing prayer began with, “God of all peoples, shine your light into the world’s darkness as we dedicate these trees and their lights to those who died for freedom and peace, give us courage to live for peace and freedom … may your light again be born in us kindling hearts gone cold, and illuminating moral indignation gone dim. Be with all leaders of this world that we may at last beat all these spears into pruning hooks and swords into plowshares.” Amen and amen! And, again, may that “moral indignation” really “be illuminated” against the destruction of our community affordable neighborhood places and homes! And may more of the hundreds gathered for this annual event also fill those faith group pews every Sabbath day. We can’t afford to lose any more places of worship. And I hope you will get a copy of Reverend Lindvall’s entire message by calling Brick Church at 212-289-4400. For more peace, good will and moral indignation in 2016! dewingbetter@aol.com
Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com
Thu 31 MATANA ROBERTS PRESENTS: RED, WHITE AND BLUE(S)
FREE Electronics Recycling
Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort St. 9 p.m. Adults, $50; members, students and seniors, $45. The experimentalist, composer and improviser returns to the Whitney for a New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve ensemble performance and celebration. 212-570-3600. whitney.org/ Events/MatanaRobertsPresents
212-777-1089. merchantshouse.org/
ICONIC VIEWS OF CENTRAL PARK TOUR Central Park, North Meadow Recreation Center, Dairy Visitor Center, mid-Park between 64th and 65th Street. 11 a.m. $15 (Members $10). Take our signature tour, and let Central Park Conservancy guides give you an insiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at some of the most iconic features of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest urban park. 212-310-6600.
*Coupon valid for $10 off any single purchase of $50 or more; $20 off any single purchase of $100 or more. Expires 2/15/16.
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PIRATES OF PENZANCE â&#x2013;˛ New York University, Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place 7:30 p.m. New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players 212-998-4941. events.nyu. edu/#event_id/71655/view/ event
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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave. 2 p.m. Free with admission and meet on the rotunda ďŹ&#x201A;oor. No RSVP is required. Led by Filip Noterdaeme, gallery educator. 212-423-3618. guggenheim. org/new-york/calendar-andevents/2016/01/05/art-in-theround-exhibition-tour-21/5833
AMERICAN DANCE MACHINE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY â&#x2013;ş
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For more locations and details, visit tekserve.com/recycling
KINDRED SPIRITS: VASILY KANDINSKY AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
Sun 3
Sunday, January 3rd Union Square, NYC Stop by with your old electronics for eco-friendly recycling. All participants will receive a coupon for up to $20 off a qualifying purchase at Tekserve.*
futures were (and are) written, proposed and even determined. events.newschool.edu/event/ futurographies_cambodia-usafrance#.VoGs5fnyvIU
Merchantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House Museum, 29 East Fourth St. 2 to 5 p.m. $20 Come by for tours of the house, 19th century readings about New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day celebrations, and punch and confectionery. Holiday Raffle drawing at 4:30 p.m.
Sat 2 FUTUROGRAPHIES: CAMBODIA-USAFRANCE Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 66 Fifth Ave. Noon-6 p.m., through Jan. 10 this multi-media exhibition explores another set of parallel histories in which alternate
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. 2 & 7:30 p.m. Starting at $10 at 212-242-0800. All other tickets can be purchased online A living archive of musical theater dance, ADM21 reconstructs original choreography from revered musicals for an enchanting new program ďŹ lled with live music and special guest stars. 212-691-9740. www.joyce. org/performance/americandance-machine-for-the-21stcentury-2/#.Vm9fWUorLIU
HEALTHY MATERIALS LAB: WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INSIDE? Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 2 West 13th St. In the windows of the Kellen Gallery: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside the various
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
DOWNTOWN IS OUR HOME Our Town Downtown is Your Paper
products that make up our daily environment? A display by the Parsons Healthy Materials Lab of common building materials. www.newschool.edu/ parsons/currentExhibitions. aspx?id=17179871526
who generally make $53,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited Englishspeaking taxpayers. www.bmcc.cuny. edu/calendar/events. jsp?id=29832#.Vnxm0vnyvIV
Mon 4
Tue 5
SENIOR DAY WRITING WORKSHOP ▲
“THE WASTELAND” SLIDECHOREOGRAPHY VIDEO
The Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th St. Meet at the base of the spiral staircase in the main lobby. Anthology Film Archives, 32 2-3 p.m. Free for visitors 65 Second Ave., corner of East and older Make connections with the Second Street
South 8 a.m.-midnight An exhibition of 29 paintings which brings the viewer on a journey, similar to the path of the artist himself. events.nyu.edu/#event_ id/81037/view/event
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Downtowner art on view in the galleries through lively group discussion and creative writing. Program is facilitated by Nina Goss, a teacher of creative writing at Fordham University. 212-620-5000. rubinmuseum.org/events/ event/senior-day-writingworkshop-01-04-2016
FREE TAX HELP Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers St., Fiterman Hall, roms 508 & 509 Jan. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 & 14; 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Free Free tax help from IRScertified volunteers for people
3 p.m. Free Judith Barnes and Peter Ludwig are featured readers of T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” with video images chosen and choreographed by Nancy Bogen. The video also includes music by New York-based composer Richard Brooks. 516-586-3433. anthologyfilmarchives.org/
CLARITY, PASSION AND DARK INERTIA: PAINTINGS BY ERIC DEVER Kimmel Center for University Life, 60 Washington Square
BIG DANCE THEATER The Kitchen, 512 West 19th St. 8 p.m., January 6–9, 13–16. $25 The company returns to its dance roots for its 25th anniversary celebration, theatrically re-imagining the conventions of a repertory program. 212-255-5793. www. thekitchen.org/event/bigdance-short-form
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
The show “If/Then” will among those featured at BroadwayCon
WHEN THE FANS TAKE OVER BROADWAY BroadwayCon, in midtown at the end of January, is envisioned as Comic Con for theater buffs BY MARK KENNEDY
If you’re in midtown Manhattan late next month and see women in green makeup or folks strutting around in colonial outfits, fear not. They’re attending the inaugural fan convention for Broadway. The three-day BroadwayCon -- sort of like a Comic Con for thespians -- promises to con-
nect theater fans with stage stars, but also wants them to leave with more than an autograph. There will be meet-ups for fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Sondheim and one for theater fans who have tattoos. There will be panels about sound and costume design. “Cosplay With the Pros” will features tips from Broadway costumers. The casts of “Rent,” “Fun Home” and “Hamilton” will talk about their shows. There
will be a seminar on producing and plenty of master classes led by veterans. There will be sing-alongs, a game show and a cabaret. The event was conceived by Melissa Anelli and Stephanie Dornhelm, who co-founded and lead GeekyCon, and the original “Rent” star Anthony Rapp. They’ve partnered with Playbill and the convention will be held Jan. 22-24 at the New York Hilton Midtown. Although the Broadway community does have gatherings throughout the year -- benefit shows, a flea market and fundraising concerts -- it hasn’t had a full-on convention until now. Enter the masterminds of GeekyCon, which grew from a love of Harry Potter to one of the largest and most recognized conventions for fans of fantasy films, television shows and young adult books. “I think and I hope it’s going to help people really understand why fandom and passion is so powerful,” said An-
elli. “Passion has been nothing but amazing in our world, so I’m excited for the Broadway world to discover it.” The BroadwayCon lineup is constantly being updated, but some of the stars slated to appear include Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of “Hamilton,” Jeremy Jordan, Michael Cerveris, Alice Ripley, James Monroe Iglehart, Billy Porter, Melissa Errico, Gavin Creel, Seth Rudetsky, Kerry Butler and Christian Borle and Brian d’Arcy James from “Something Rotten!” Anelli, who was such a passionate fan of “Rent” that she slept outside its Broadway home at age 16 and eventually befriended Rapp, said BroadwayCon will attract at least two large groups of fans. “One is the one who heard the word BroadwayCon and said, `Move all of my cast albums out of the way so I can get to my computer to buy a ticket,’” she said. “And then you have the `Next to Normal’ fans, the `Rent’
fans, the `Wicked’ fans -- the ones that were brought in by one very specific fan base.” Tickets start at $50 and go up to a general pass with full access to everything on offer for $250. Ten percent of all profits go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Anelli said about half the several thousand expected attendees are under age 30, 80 percent are from outside the state and 80 percent are women, reflecting the Broadway audience. Attendees will likely give a boost to Broadway box offices during a traditionally slow month. Organizers balked at some traditional convention staples, particularly the fees charged for autographs and selfies with stars. “All fans do all day is stand in lines. It feels like a waste of their talent and the fans’ energy,” Anelli said. “We wanted to make sure it was content-based.” At BroadwayCon, there’s no charge for autographs, though fans may have to enter lotter-
ies. Master classes in vocal technique -- with performers from “If/Then,” “Rent” and “The Book of Mormon” -- are free, but require registration and fill up fast. Rapp, currently touring with “If/Then” and who will be present as “Rent” cast members celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, praised his fellow organizers for trying to create a grassroots, homegrown feeling to the gathering. “So many things have gotten so focused-grouped and corporatized in our entertainment world, and I promise you this is not going to be that,” said Rapp, who will be hosting his own master class. To that end, organizers encourage fans to show up in costumes of their favorite show. “The idea of being very specifically a fan of one thing is suddenly OK,” Anelli said. “It’s becoming cooler to be a fan, and I think people are more out there about what they love.”
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
13
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THE WHITNEY, AND THE NEW CHELSEA
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
“Come Calling” on New Year’s Day
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1ST, ALL DAY
2015/2016
Merchant’s House Museum | 29 E. 4th St. | 212-777-1089 | merchantshouse.org
The success of the museum marked the arrival of the neighborhood
Revive the custom of paying calls to mark the new year with a visit to this historic town house, which is hosting tours, readings and punch. ($20)
Another Day Lost: Closing
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5TH, ALL DAY
BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
In New York, an opening can draw crowds like few other events, and 2015 was a big year, from the box office debut of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to the Broadway premiere of the musical “Hamilton,” which fast became the city’s hottest—and priciest—theater ticket. But few debuts in 2015 were as anticipated as the opening of the new home of the Whitney Museum of American Art, which moved from its longtime residence at 75th Street and Madison Avenue to 99 Gansevoort Street, in the heart of what’s become one of the city’s most luxe neighborhoods. The $422 million building designed by architect Renzo Piano opened on May 1 in the Meatpacking District. The Whitney capped off nearly four years of construction with an opening ceremony a day earlier that featured First Lady Michelle Obama as its keynote speaker, and continued the celebrations with a free neighborhood block party on May 2. The inaugural exhibition, a building-wide show of 600 pieces from the Whitney’s collection titled “America is Hard to See,” was in a way a celebration of American art and the museum’s holdings. “I think we’re all proud to have them there and I think it’s good for the neighborhood,” said Tobi Bergman, the chair of Community Board 2. Bergman added that the institution infused culture in an area noted for its nightlife. The museum’s presence has also changed the midday neighborhood demographic, according to Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art. “It has definitely brought a new influx of people especially during the day: it’s been quite surprising to see how many more people come during the day in a district that has been
Trinity Church | 74 Trinity Pl. | 212-602-0800 | trinitywallstreet.org Syrian-born artist Issam Kourbaj has created a ‘camp’ out of waste materials, marked with distinctive black lines based on Arabic calligraphy and traditional mourning ribbons, and housed in Trinity’s churchyard. (Free)
Just Announced | Carol: Special Screening & Discussion
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6TH, 7PM Museum of the Moving Image | 36-01 35th Ave. | 718-777-6888 | movingimage.us Director Todd Haynes joins his producers, cinematographer, editor and production designer to speak about bringing Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt to life. ($30)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
,2015 ARY 12-18 5 FEBRU 12-18 ,201 Town n FEBRUARY
OurTow 12 Our 12
The view of the Whitney Museum of American Art from Gansevoort Street. Photograph by Karin Jobst, 2014.
historically much more vibrant during the night,” said Alemani in an email. The Whitney’s arrival in the neighborhood, where it counts buzzed-about restaurants and high-end fashion boutiques as its neighbors, also solidifies the upscale nature of the Meatpacking District and neighboring Chelsea. Rafael Risemberg, who leads gallery tours through his company New York Gallery Tours, contrasts the Whitney’s arrival in the Meatpacking District to the New Museum’s role on the Lower East Side. When the New Museum opened on the Bowery, galleries followed, he said. “The New Museum was a harbinger for change,” he said. “The Whitney is following the change.” As New York Times architec-
ture critic Michael Kimmelman pointed out in his review of the building, the Whitney’s arrival also signifies a cultural migration of sorts. “The move confirms a definitive shift in the city’s social geography, which has been decades coming,” he wrote. “It ratifies Chelsea and the once-funky far West Village as something closer to what the Upper East Side used to be, say, circa 1966, the year Marcel Breuer’s Whitney building opened at 75th Street. Those neighborhoods serve up the same cocktail of money, real estate, fashion and art—except that the financiers, Hollywood stars and other haute bourgeois bohemians stand in for the old Social Register crowd.”
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Your Premier Arts Section
EVERY WEEK IN Downtowner
14
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS DEC 6 - 24, 2015
Chelsea Papaya
171 West 23 Street
Grade Pending (20) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or nonfood 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.
Formerly Crows
85 Washington Pl
A
Green Cafe
599 6 Avenue
A
The Boiler Room
86 East 4 Street
A
Cacio E Vino
80 2 Avenue
Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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.
Klimat
77 East 7 Street
A
Graffitti Me&You
224 East 10 Street
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 www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. La Carbornara
202 W 14Th St
B
Sne Crepe
58 W 8Th St
A
The Gander Bar Room And Restaurant
15 W 18Th St
A
Coopers Craft And Kitchen
169 8Th Ave
A
Pier Sixty One-The Lighthouse
0 Chelsea Piers Pier 61
A
Gotham Comedy Club
208 West 23 Street
A
Google Cafeteria
76 9 Avenue
A
Famiglia Of Chelsea Piers
0 Chelsea Piers/ Pier 61
A
Jake’s Saloon
202 9 Avenue
A
Dear Irving
55 Irving Pl
A
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Bar
457 West 17 Street
A
Kenka
25 St Marks Place
Blue Ginger
106 8 Avenue
A
Neta
61 West 8 Street
A
U Way
74 5 Avenue
Grade Pending (4)
Kosaka
220 W 13Th St
Not Graded Yet (2)
Grade Pending (26) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Six Pans
180 7Th Ave
Not Graded Yet (2)
The Izakaya
326 E 6Th St
A
Papa Kebab
361 West 17 Street
A
Shu Han Ju Authentic Chinese Cuisine
465 6Th Ave
Grade Pending (24) ) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Paul & Jimmy’s Restaurant 123 East 18 Street
A
239 Park Avenue South
A
Pie
124 4 Avenue
A
Posto
310 2 Avenue
A
Barbounia
250 Park Avenue
A
Gemma
4 East 3 Street
A
Friedman’s Lunch
75 9 Avenue
A
Starbucks Coffee
122 Greenwich Avenue
A
Go Go Curry Chelsea
144 West 19 Street
A
Rainbow Falafel
26 East 17 Street
A
Bravo Pizza
146 5 Avenue
A
Continental
25 3 Avenue
A
Pizza Italia
307 W 17Th St
Grade Pending (16) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Visana
321 1St Ave
Not Yet Graded (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
Bowlling
27 Waverly Pl
Not Yet Graded (19) 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.
El Quijote
226 W 23Rd St
Grade Pending (21) Food, food preparation area, food storage area, area used by employees or patrons, contaminated by sewage or liquid waste. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Highline Cafe
85 10Th Ave
A
Matchabar
256 W 15Th St
Grade Pending (33) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Le Pif Chelsea
465 W 23Rd St
Not Graded Yet (2)
Harbs
198 9Th Ave
A
Beijing Chinese Restaurant 223 East 14 Street
A
Hawkers
225 E 14Th St
Not Yet Graded (24) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Banana Leaf Ny
328 E 6Th St
Not Yet Graded (5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Joe's Pizza
150 East 14 Street
Grade Pending (23) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. 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.
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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BATTLE OVER HOMELESS CAMPS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 belongings weren’t worth much, “but the emotional cost is priceless.” A spokeswoman for the mayor said the encounter between the homeless and police involved illegal trespassing on school grounds. “That said, we will review our protocols concerning the seizure and disposition of personal property to ensure that it can be reclaimed by its rightful
owners,” spokeswoman Karen Hinton said. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city has had success in persuading some who live in the camps to accept city services. “Think about the encampments -settlements of people living out in the open or living under a railroad tunnel. Sleeping in the exposed air, often drug dens. This was not an acceptable way of life for those people,” he said. “We’re not going to tolerate it -- for them, let alone for the communities around them. What a horrible message it sends about quality of life.”
But homeless New Yorkers and advocates said they were concerned the mayor’s approach is too aggressive. Linda Lewis of Picture the Homeless questioned what would happen if all 55,000 homeless citizens were sheltered. “Then what? There isn’t enough housing for them -- where do they go after shelter?” she asked. Some homeless said they preferred the streets to shelters, where they felt unsafe. An audit by the comptroller’s office found too few employees oversee the nonprofit organizations that operate shelters.
Meanwhile, about 50 outreach workers from three nonprofit groups canvassed Monday as part of the city’s Home Stat outreach program. Allison McCullough of the Goddard Riverside Community Center interacted with about 10 people by midday, and one conversation was cut short when police arrested a man on an assault charge. She said connecting on the street is a challenge. “People aren’t always forthcoming,” she said. “It can take months. It can take years.” She spoke with 30-year-old William Hardnet, who has been homeless since
he was laid off from a cooking job at an Atlantic City casino six years ago. “I like their program so much more because they actually come out and interact with the homeless,” he said. “It shows that it’s coming from the heart.” He said he prefers to sleep in a convenience store doorway than to go to a shelter. Still, he said, he plans to work with McCullough. “I would like for someone to come with me to see how it’s set up,” he said. “I’m definitely trying to get inside this winter.”
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In Brief PARENTAL LEAVE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES City employees will get six weeks of paid parental leave under a new policy announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Crain’s reports that the leave policy includes time off for maternity, paternity, adoption or foster care and will bring New York City in line with cities such as Portland, Ore., which recently approved a six-week paid parental leave policy. “Too many new parents face an impossible choice: taking care of their child or getting their paycheck,” de Blasio said. “New York City is leading by example, putting us at the forefront of paid parental leave policies around the country.
WHOLE FOODS FINED FOR OVERCHARGING IN NYC The upscale supermarket chain agreed to pay $500,000 following allegationns that it overcharged its customers and to adopt new standards to ensure more accurate labels, city officials said. “After discovering the troubling and repeated mislabeling of prepackaged goods at Whole Foods last year, we are happy to have reached an agreement with Whole Foods that will help to ensure New Yorkers are better protected from overcharging,” said Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin. “Whether it’s a bodega in the Bronx or a national grocery store in Manhattan, we believe every business needs to treat its customers fairly and, with this agreement, we hope Whole Foods will deliver on its promise to its customers to correct their mistakes. DCA will also continue its vigilance in making sure New Yorkers are protected every time they check out at the grocery.” The Daily News first reported that the city had launched a probe of Whole Foods after investigators found that the chain routinely overcharged customers dating back to at least 2010. Inspectors weighed 80 different types of items at Whole Foods’ eight locations in the city that were open at the time. They found every label was inaccurate, with many overcharging consumers. The overcharges ranged from 80 cents for a package of pecan panko to $14.84 for a container of coconut shrimp, the Daily News reported. A Whole Foods spokesman argued the city “misrepresented” the agreement, noting that the store initially faced $1.5 million in fines.
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
Business A NEW KIND OF ORGANIZED CRIME NEWS Street gangs, particularly in New York, are increasingly moving to white-collar crime and identity theft BY COLLEEN LONG
The Van Dyke Money Gang in New York made off with more than $1.5 million this year -- but it wasn’t in gunpoint robberies or drug running, it was a Western Union money order scheme. In New Jersey, 111 Neighborhood Crips used a machine to make dozens of fake gift cards for supermarkets, pharmacies and hardware stores. In South Florida, gangs steal identities to file false tax returns. These aren’t members of an organized Mafia or band of hackers. They’re street crews and gangs netting millions in white-collar schemes like identity theft and credit card fraud --- in some instances, giving up the old ways of making an illicit income in exchange for easier crimes with shorter sentences. “Why would you spend time on the street slinging crack when you can get 10 years under federal minimums when in reality you can just bone up on how to make six figures and when you get caught you’re doing six months?” said Al Pasqual, director of fraud security at the consulting firm Javelin Strategy and Research. Law enforcement officials say they see increasingly more gangs relying on such crimes. This year, more than three dozen suspected crew members have been indicted in separate cases around the country. Grand larcenies in New York City account for 40 percent of all crime last year -- compared with 28 percent in 2001. About 5 percent of Americans nationwide have experienced some kind of identity theft, with Florida leading the country in complaints. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton wrote in an editorial in the city’s Daily News last week that white-collar crime was being committed by gang members “to an astonishing degree.” Crews recruit bank account owners to help cash phony checks, they pay off crooked employees who skim credit card information using hand-held readers, and they buy identities online. Pasqual said for some, it was a replacement for other crime. “For some it’s a supplement. They’re earning the money
to grow the other side of their business, using white-collar crime to fund gun running. For a lot of them this becomes their day to day. They travel the country when they get really good at it.” A task force created by federal officials in Florida has charged more than 400 people with causing more than $140 million in losses --- including more than 60 charged three weeks ago -- and officials say increasingly those arrested are gang members. It’s an organized crime -- but not “Organized Crime,” said Bill Maddalena, assistant special agent in charge of the white-collar branch of the Miami FBI of-
crime, but not necessarily in committing the crime,” said David Szuchman, chief of the investigation division at the district attorney’s office in Manhattan. As officials crack down on one type of scam, criminals move on to the next. Gang members learn the craft from each other -- but many are also millennials, “raised in a computer age, and they know how to use it,” said Lt. Greg Besson of the NYPD’s financial crimes task force. The nation’s largest police department has revamped how it responds to financial crimes after officials started noticing street crews with recoded credit cards. Now, the grand larceny division brings in detectives from the gang unit and other divisions to work together. The Outlaw Gangsta Crips in Brooklyn made about $500,000 this year in a paycheck fraud scheme that involved obtaining a legitimate paycheck and then using the information to create and quickly cash phony checks before they were taken down. But they also robbed check-cashing stores and were charged with conspiracy to kill two people, authorities said. Most cases are pending. In Union County, New Jersey, the 111
fice. “They’re very well organized. They have to recruit people to help steal devices, cash the checks.” And because gang members are engaging more in fraud, there are fewer turf wars. “There’s still an element of violence,” Maddalena said. “There’s less head-tohead competition. They’re attacking the government.” This violence can be more directly related to the crime, not like a drive-by shooting over a turf war that injures dozens. A postmaster killed over a key to open the P.O. boxes in Florida. In a Manhattan case, authorities found a scrap of paper in the pocket of a gang shooting victim that had the identification of another person. “There’s often violence surrounding the
Neighborhood Crips made tens of thousands in fake tax returns -- and four of the 12 indicted this summer were also charged with murder and attempted murder in separate incidents. Their cases are pending. The Van Dyke crew operated out of a public housing development. Their scheme, uncovered this year, stretched along the East Coast, as far as north Boston and as south as Washington. They recruited bank account holders and then used more than 350 accounts to deposit fake money orders. A dozen suspected gang members and associated were arrested and charged by federal officials with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. A trial for some of the defendants is scheduled for early next year.
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
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DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
27th Annual
COAT DRIVE
November 17 th - December 31st
Keep a New Yorker warm this winter. Start your own coat drive among friends, family, or colleagues. Sign up at newyorkcares.org
#CoatDrive Or text COAT to 41444 to donate and keep a fellow New Yorker warm this winter.* The Coat Drive is a program of New York Cares, New York City’s leading volunteer organization.
Photo: Craig Cutler © 2015 New York Cares, Inc. *Messaging & data rates may apply. Text STOP to 41444 to stop; Text HELP to 41444 for help.
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IN MUSEUM EXPANSION, A CLASSIC NEIGHBORHOOD SHOWDOWN STORIES TO WATCH IN 2016
DECEMBER 31-JANUARY 6,2016
LOOKING BACK AT 2015
AHEAD TO 2016
Residents pledge to stay active as the AMNH project moves forward BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
The American Museum of Natural History’s proposed expansion into Theodore Roosevelt Park drew much attention and some consternation from neighbors who see the loss of serene parkland as a hefty price to pay for a 218,000-square-foot science and education center. In November, 11 months after the project was first announced in December, the museum released a conceptual plan for the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation. The design by architect Jeanne Gang includes arched, cave-like exhibition spaces and an expanded entrance at 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. The museum will knock down three of its buildings to make way for the new structure, and much of the addition will reside within the current museum space, linking other areas within the building complex. Less park space than originally expected by both the museum and the project’s detractors will be used, with about 11,600 square feet of parkland needed for the project. But as the museum’s plan progresses, nearby residents remain active in the fight to preserve a cherished community meeting spot. Protectors of the park coalesced into an advocacy group that started modestly and grew in just a few months. Defenders of Teddy Roosevelt Park formed about seven months after the announcement, following a meeting the museum held with some nearby residents in July, during which some neighbors first became aware of the project. Since then, the group has rallied supporters, hosted a public meeting and engaged in an active dialogue with museum officials. “I think we’ve made some good progress,” said Sig Gissler, president of Defenders of Teddy Roosevelt Park. “There’s still a lot to do. If you look at the remaining issues there are quite a few.” Before the release of the de-
The proposed facade concept of the new building from 79th Street and Columbus Avenue shows a redesigned section of Theodore Roosevelt Park. Courtesy of Studio Gang Architects. sign, the lengthy period of speculation about the project may have caused mistrust of those who offered early support, including Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, who allocated more than $16 million dollars in City Council funding for construction of the building. During a crowded Town Hall meeting about the project on Oct. 6, she was greeted with boos from the audience. Rosenthal is not alone in her support of the project; to date, the museum has raised more than $100 million dollars for the new building, including $44.3 million in city funding. Peter Wright, president of Friends of Roosevelt Park, a non-profit group that maintains the park with the museum and the city’s Parks Department, said early lack of transparency was a misstep— his organization did not know about the expansion until after the museum announced the project—but one the museum has corrected through continued communication. Wright said the advocacy efforts of Defenders were effective, and the museum has worked with local groups and neighbors. “It’s a rare example of an institution listening to its neighbors, knowing what it has to do and in the opinion of Friends, it’s been a poster child for institutional cooperation,” said Wright. Museum officials met with community sta keholders throughout the year, including Gissler’s group and nearby block associations. Shortly after revealing the conceptual plan in November, the museum hosted a well-attended public meeting to share the design. The museum maintains they’ve been open and respon-
sive to community concerns throughout the design phase, and will continue an open dialogue, but granting community wishes can’t come at the expense of the museum’s needs. “The museum will always be open in sharing information and trying to answer as many questions as possible, but I do want to make clear that the design needs to meet the program that is needed for the museum,” said Dan Slippen, the institution’s vice president of government relations. “Everybody has a different view and we respect everybody’s view, but at the same time the museum has to do what is best for the museum…and what’s best for the museum is best for the city of New York.” Much still needs to happen before shovels hit the ground, including approvals from city agencies and various public reviews. A city and state environmental review will start in early 2016, which examines transportation, noise, air quality and other issues. A public scoping meeting will allow for comment on what should be included in the review. Meanwhile, the design of the new center will enter its schematic phase, a roughly six-month process in which architects refine the design elements of the interior and exterior spaces, including what stone will be used on the façade and the content of the exhibition spaces. An application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission could come in late spring, starting another assessment that also includes a public hearing. Prior to the Landmarks hearing, the museum will present the proposal to Community Board 7.
GROWING PAINS ON THE EAST SIDE STORIES TO WATCH IN 2016 Luxury residential towers and zoning change proposals point to a growing height trend in Manhattan BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
An uptown construction boom and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s push to rezone the city are among the biggest real estate developments this year that stand to have major implications looking ahead to 2016. Recently completed residential mega-towers on the East Side, like 432 Park Avenue, at nearly 1,400 feet, join other projects in the area that are currently being worked out, like the 900-foot luxury residential project on East 58th Street in the sleepy neighborhood of Sutton Place. Add to these the major residential projects currently being built on the West Side, like 217 West 57th Street at 1,522 feet and 111 West 57th Street at 1,438 feet, as well as luxury residential towers further uptown on both sides of the park, and it’s hard to argue with the notion that less vertically impressive neighborhoods are poised to go through a growth spurt. “It’s about to get a lot more crowded,” Councilmember Ben Kallos told Our Town of his district on the Upper East Side. City council members are also in the midst of discussing a pair of initiatives from the de Blasio administration to increase affordable housing. His mandatory inclusionary housing plan would require certain new construction projects to include permanently affordable housing with a goal of creating 80,000 units and preserving another 120,000. His Zoning for Quality and
432 Park Avenue, which was completed in 2015, looms over Central Park and the East Side at 1,396 feet. Source: elliman.com Affordability plan aims to increase affordable housing by providing increased incentives – raising height caps and eliminating some parking requirements - for developers to build additional new low- to mid-income and senior housing units. But de Blasio’s proposals have also stoked fears that rezoning in many of the neighborhoods will inevitably speed the pace of gentrification. “We have come out very strongly against ZQA,” said Andrea Goldwyn, Director of Public Policy for the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Both ZQA and mandatory inclusionary housing have proved to be largely unpopular among the city’s community boards, and four out of five borough presidents rejected ZQA. The City Planning Commission recently held hearings on both proposals and officials have said they’re likely to undergo changes before a vote in the council is held, which must occur by early April at the latest. De Blasio said he’s been touring different parts of the city in support of his proposals while gathering input and feedback from many areas that had rejected his overall plan. He ad-
mitted earlier this month that part of the reason it’s met with backlash is that, “we’re not explaining it well enough.” Goldwyn said ZQA, as it’s currently written, “increases building heights in areas where residents and building owners thought they had certainty for what kind of building would be going up on their block.” “We’re very concerned about the contextual zoning protections that neighborhoods fought for over years,” she continued. “Block by block, community by community, are being changed all at one time in a one size fits all plan that doesn’t really take into effect all of New York’s scenic communities.” Kallos said in his district that every four- to six-story brownstone located on an avenue is about to become “unlimitedly high.” “The mid-block is safe, the mid-blocks are all capped at 75 feet,” said Kallos, who touted a joint effort by himself, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and State Senator Liz Krueger to insure ZQA would not raise mid-block building heights in the district.
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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A CITY SONGWRITER GETS PERSONAL Michael Graetzer crafts tunes to celebrate people’s special occasions BY ANGELA BARBUTI
Michael Graetzer is not your typical songwriter. A Song Just for You, the business he started in 2007, has him creating personalized songs to commemorate life’s special events. The process starts with an in-person interview during which Graetzer picks up on details that make his subject’s story unique. He then writes lyrics that sets to music based on the client’s taste. The icing on the cake is that he will perform the song at the wedding or special event for which it was composed. Graetzer, who has written 150 songs in his career and won an award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International, is often moved, sometimes to tears, when hearing his clients’ stories. He takes pride in crafting the perfect lyrics to add a unique and lasting touch to memorable moments. “People are just so thrilled to hear very personal details set to music,” he said.
Michael Graetzer writes songs just for you. Photo: Jeremy Davis Photography
How did the idea for this business come about?
of them what would be an interesting song.
I was a songwriter for all of my life and went to Berklee College of Music as a songwriting major. Then I moved to Nashville for a while and wrote songs there and then moved to New York. When I was in New York, to make some extra money, I started working in advertising. And in advertising, as a writer, you’re always writing to very specific parameters. “This is the unique thing about this product; this is the demographic; this is what they already think about the other products.” There were so many specific things that I would write for. It’s not just free, creative writing. And, you know, I got pretty good at it. And then I thought, “Why don’t I do this for other people, for their special events?” Actually, a woman who I worked with, Lynn Edlen-Nezin, she would do ideation exercises to help us understand what people really think. So I kind of incorporated some of that into my interviews with people to draw out
Fifty percent of your work involves writing wedding songs for couples. Couples usually start off telling me about the big things about the relationship which are completely useless for a song, like, “I’m not happy unless she’s happy” or “I’m not happy unless he’s happy.” But then they’ll sneak in little things and don’t realize it. Like, “When we were picking apples…” They have these very unique, individual stories that totally make good songwriting material.
What questions do you ask during the interview? I’m looking for something that I can write a song with. My ears are picking up things that are unique or interesting or very specific. Like, I did something for a 9-year-old’s birthday party. “Well, she used to like Hannah Montana, but now Bon Jovi’s got her heart.” Just ordinary things, but very specific. Maybe with a couple, I would start off saying, “So when did
you first meet? Where did you meet? What was your first date?” And once they get over trying to talk about their relationship in a global sense, then they get loosened up and trust me more. Because it’s a real trust thing, to open up about something very personal. But once people get started, I cry. Because they’re telling me stories they’ve never told their friends. No one’s ever asked. It’s very, very moving.
What’s one song you’ve done that sticks out in your memory? One that sticks out in my head a lot was where the truth was made for a song. This guy took his girlfriend up to Maine to where his family gathering was and they carved their initials in a heart on this tree. And then they went back the next year to the same place, but he snuck out early in the morning. And on the other side of the tree, he carved, “Will you marry me?” And then he brought her to the tree and they saw where they carved before and then he said, “Sometimes when
you talk to a tree, the tree talks back.” And he took her around to backside of the tree and she carved, “Yes.” It’s just so touching; you couldn’t make that up.
Where are your favorite places to write? I have a music studio in midtown that I run with two partners. That’s certainly a place I record. But writing can happen just about everywhere. I’ve tried coffee shops; that doesn’t really work for me. I would say, when I’m in bed, late at night or early in the morning, I’m thinking about the song. I’ll have my little handheld recorder next to me and my notebook and I’ll write things down. Walks in nature, like in Central Park. I’ve written a lot sitting in Central Park on the benches. Those two things are probably the best for me.
Who are some singers and songwriters you look up to? I like David Byrne, Don Henley. Leonard Cohen, I was really moved by for many years. Bright Eyes is a young band that I like a lot. Hall & Oates are
an old favorite of mine. Kansas, back in the day, were amazing.
What are your future plans? I think to put out some videos because it seems, for the last five years, everything’s just been moving towards video. And I haven’t put attention to that. I put more attention to the writing of the song than anything, especially the lyrics. Melodies and music come very naturally to me. I don’t have to work at that very hard. Lyrics, I do really care about, so I work at that, probably too hard. [Laughs] But video, I think, would be the next step for me. To get more videos out there of my songs and me doing various things. www.ASongJustForYou.com
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