Our Town Downtown August 1st, 2013 by OurTown Downtown

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DINING

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COMMUNITY NEWS BELOW 14TH STREET

• AUGUST

2013 PAGE 9

Pop-Up Park Builds Community on the River

R E K EC B N A L NO

MLB Draft: Round 11 Ht/Wt: 6-4, 210 lbs. Bats/Throws: R/L High School: Stuyvesant, 2009 Hometown: New York, NY

Photo courtesty of urbanomnibus.net

A pop-up park on the East River esplanade provides temporary outdoor recreation space.

The mini park is a collaborative eﬀort to bring art and communal green space to an area in transition By Alissa Fleck

ven on a rainy Sunday, cyclists and joggers along the East River slow to peer through the fence at the colorful Paths to Pier 42 park, which recently popped up against a gray backdrop of industrial refuse and warehouse

ALSO INSIDE GRANT FOR LOCAL CHURCH P.2 CITY OF EARLY RISERS P.4

space. The popup park at Pier 42, which opened in mid-July, is a collaborative effort between community groups, artists and architecture firms which will remain in place until a more permanent park space makes its way along the East River esplanade to Pier 42 in a few years. The groups involved include CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, the Lower East Side Ecology Center, the Hester Street Collaborative and others. The popup park is a community space which has already been home to various performances and festivals. Continued on page 7

THE NOISIEST NABES P.13 JEAN-GEORGES DISHES ON NEW RESTAURANT P.14

From Village Little League to Big Leagues A pitcher who landed on a minor league pro baseball team remembers playing downtown as a kid By Beth Mellow

hile many of Nolan Becker’s classmates from Yale University have chosen to start their post-graduate lives in the northeast, occupying desks in the skyscrapers that dot the landscapes of New York City and Boston, Becker chose Billings, Montana. Or, rather Billings, Montana chose him. The 22-year-old, who grew up near Union Square, was drafted to play professional baseball after his junior year of college in 2012. He is currently pitching for the Billings Mustangs, a minor league team in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Becker, who spent his whole life in the northeast, admits that it has Continued on page 5

NEIGHBORHOOD CHATTER Grant for St. Mark’s Church on the Bowery

Bowery, located in Greenwich Village, will receive a Robert W. Wilson Sacred Sites Challenge Grant of $35,000. “It’s vital to renew and repair religious buildings,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “Not only do these sites convey their communities’ history, they serve their neighborhoods today with food pantries, nursery schools, concerts and a variety of worthy programs.” St. Mark’s in the Bowery was constructed in 1795-99 on the site of the chapel originally built by Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam in 1660. Architecturally, the church reflects construction over several generations. A major fire in 1978 caused extensive damage to the church and parish hall, which were restored between 1978 and 1987. The church is internationally known as a cultural institution. St. Mark’s provides rehearsal and performance space for many performing arts companies including the Danspace Project, the Poetry Project, the Ontological Hysteric Theatre, the Rejoice Ensemble, and the Third Street

The New York Landmarks Conservancy announced that St. Mark’s Church in the

15 1 4 7

re-use

ways to your old newspaper

Use it as wrapping paper, or fold & glue pages into reusable gift bags.

Add shredded newspaper to your compost pile when you need a carbon addition or to keep ﬂies at bay.

Use newspaper strips, water, and a bit of glue for newspaper mâché.

Crumple newspaper to use as packaging material the next time you need to ship something fragile.

Tightly roll up sheets of newspaper and tie with string to use as ﬁre logs.

After your garden plants sprout, place newspaper sheets around them, then water & cover with grass clippings and leaves. This newspaper will keep weeds from growing.

Make origami creatures

Use shredded newspaper as animal bedding in lieu of sawdust or hay.

Make your own cat litter by shredding newspaper, soaking it in dish detergent & baking soda, and letting it dry.

Wrap pieces of fruit in newspaper to speed up the ripening process.

Cut out letters & words to write anonymous letters to friends and family to let them know they are loved.

Roll a twice-folded newspaper sheet around a jar, remove the jar, & you have a biodegradable seed-starting pot that can be planted directly into the soil.

Make newspaper airplanes and have a contest in the backyard.

12 15

Dry out wet shoes by loosening laces & sticking balled newspaper pages inside.

OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN

Myrtle Avenue, near Carlton & Park Avenues) from 4 - 6:30 p.m. Adults must sign a waiver, and children under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign a waiver for them. Call 311 for more information.

Shark Fin Banned, Local Restaurants Respond

Citi Bike Adds Bikes, Helmets Riders who use New York City’s bikesharing program can now rent a helmet too. Bike tour and rental company Bike and Roll NYC is partnering with Citi Bike to provide helmet rentals to all users of the program. Helmets can be rented at 10 locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They can be rented in one location and dropped off at another. It costs $3 a day or $15 a week. The locations are near many Citi Bike stations. The company says the helmets are cleaned and sanitized after each use. It has more than 1,000 helmets and plans to obtain more if needed. Citi Bike offers an annual membership of $95 and a day pass at $9.95. It has 6,000 bikes at 330 stations in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Citi Bike members receive a coupon for $10 off a helmet from any bike shop in the city. The Department of Transportation also offers free helmets at events every month; the next event is in Brooklyn, at Whitman Houses (287

By Michael Virtanen New York is banning trade in shark fins starting next summer in an effort to protect the marine predators. The fins are used in soup popular in Chinese cuisine, and New York is home to one of the nation’s largest Chinatowns. An estimated 73 million sharks are killed worldwide to meet the market demand, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who signed the law Friday. So-called “finning” of sharks - catching them, cutting off their fins and returning them to the water to die - is already illegal in U.S. and New York coastal waters. New York also prohibits sport fishing for many shark species. Some restaurateurs in Chinatown said they have been phasing out shark fin soup since other states began banning the traditional delicacy. “We don’t use very much shark fin right now,” said Tony Chen manager of Grand Harmony Palace. “Not that many people ask for it.” Chen said that’s partly because the soup is so expensive - at least $80 for a small bowl and partly because shark fin has been difficult to procure since California and other West Coast states banned it. He said the restaurant will stop selling shark fin when the ban goes into effect next July 1.

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Music School. Additionally, it houses the St. Mark’s Visual Arts Project, which provides art and photography classes for young people in the community. The Parish Hall is used regularly by community organizations for meetings and events. The Neighborhood Preservation Center has occupied the rectory since 1999. It is estimated that 50,000 people attend public programs at the St. Mark’s facility each year. New Yorkers enjoy public access to the burial grounds for quiet contemplation.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

CRIME WATCH

Cell Phone Special A chain cell phone store was broken into and burgled on John Street. At 5 p.m. on Monday, May 13, unknown suspects cut the gate fronting a cell phone store and threw a red pipe cap into the side window next to the front door, breaking the glass. Surveillance cameras in the store were not working, nor was the motion sensor in the store’s alarm system. Items stolen included a Samsung Galaxy Note II valued at $680, three iPhone 5s, each worth $649, an HTC One valued at $580, a Blackberry 210 worth $532, a Samsung Galaxy S3 valued at $530, an LG Optimus L9 costing $240, a Nokia Lumia 521 worth $150, and a Huawei Summit valued at $140. The total cell phone snatch amounted to $4,799.

RG MIA Yet another motorcycle was stolen downtown, this time from Rector Place. At 5 p.m. on Friday, July 19, a 38-year-old man parked his motorcycle there. When he returned at 6:15, his vehicle was gone. The bike was not at the tow pound, nor did it turn up in a search of the area. The two-wheeler taken was a gray 2014 Yamaha RG with New York plates, valued at $14,000.

Illustration by John S. Winkleman

By Jerry Danzig

Perforated and Purloined A woman shoplifted a handbag from a boutique on Wooster Street. At 1:15 p.m. on Monday, July 15, a woman entered the shop and asked a 34-year-old female employee if she could see a pair of shoes in a different size. When the employee returned with the requested footwear, the woman and the handbag were gone. The employee reviewed the store video, which showed the shoplifter exiting the store and fleeing on foot north on Wooster Street. Police searched the area but were unable to locate the thief or the handbag. The purloined purse was a black Balenciaga perforated handbag valued at $1,695.

Blue Bike Bandit A bicycle rider grabbed a cell phone from a female pedestrian last Saturday, July 20. At 12:30 p.m., a 34-year-old woman from Dover, MA was talking on her iPhone at the northeast corner of William Street and Fulton Street. Suddenly a man with a shaved head sped by on a dark blue

mountain bike and grabbed her cell from her hand before heading north on William Street. She used the Find My iPhone tracking software but was unable to pick up a signal. Police searched the area but couldn’t locate the mountain bike marauder or the snatched cell. The iPhone was valued at $500.

Hog Heist A cyclist’s Harley disappeared from Beekman Street. At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 15, a 50-yearold man from Mount Vernon, NY parked his motorcycle on the street. When he returned a few hours later, his bike was gone. It was not at the tow pound, no glass was found on the pavement, nor was there any sign of damage to the vehicle. The missing motorcycle was a black 2006 HarleyDavidson Softail Deluxe with New York plates, valued at $12,800.

Short Seven Shorts Three women stole seven pairs of cargo shorts from a clothing boutique on Prince Street. At 5:06 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, three 20-year-old women took and concealed items of clothing in the store. Video cameras captured the incident. The women did not touch any surfaces in the store, but one of them used a cup and left it at the scene. Police tested it for fingerprints, without success. Police also searched the area but failed to locate the treacherous trio. The cargo shorts were valued at $1,316.

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OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN

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NEWS

The City That Sometimes Sleeps New guide reveals early morning treasures for Manhattanites up with the sun By Daniel Fitzsimmons

here are countless guides to nightlife downtown, but not too many places to find information on the city before sunrise. Local author Cameron Gidari decided he would pen his own version for the early birds on the island. We talked to Gidari about his new book, “Manhattan Before8,” which reveals a side to the Big Apple most people don’t see; a lack of crowds. Gidari’s book is a guide for morning people in New York City, highlighting the best sights, sounds and experiences in Manhattan before 8 a.m. Gidari’s book, “Manhattan Before8,” is available through his

.com STRAUS MEDIA  MANHATTAN PRESIDENT Jeanne Straus ACTING EDITOR Megan Bungeroth • editor.otdt@strausnews.com CITYARTS EDITOR Armond White • editor.cityarts@strausnews.com STAFF REPORTER Joanna Fantozzi FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Alan S. Chartock, Bette Dewing, Jeanne Martinet, Malachy McCourt, Angela Barbuti, Casey Ward PUBLISHER Gerry Gavin • advertising@strausnews.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Kate Walsh ADVERTISING MANAGERS Marty Strongin, Matt Dinerstein CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Stephanie Patsiner DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Joe Bendik OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN is published weekly Copyright © 2013 by Straus Media - Manhattan, LLC 212-868-0190 • 333 Seventh Ave, New York, NY. Straus Media - Manhattan publishes Our Town • The West Side Spirit • Our Town Downtown Chelsea Clinton News • The Westsider To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, c/o Straus News 20 West Ave., Chester, NY 10918 PREVIOUS OWNERS HAVE INCLUDED: Tom Allon, Isis Ventures, Ed Kayatt, Russ Smith, Bob Trentlion, Jerry Finkelstein

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OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN

website, www.before8.com, and on Amazon. Gidari is also the author of “Seattle Before8.” Our Town Downtown: So what are some of the best sights, sounds and experiences to see in downtown Manhattan before 8 a.m.? Cameron Gidari: The High Line - There is a reason that the High Line has become Manhattan’s newest can’t-miss tourist attraction - it is absolutely stunning. The combination of nature with modern design and art makes for one of the most unique experiences in the city, and the views of Manhattan and the Hudson River are tremendous. There is a ton of detail packed into this mile-and-a-half stretch, but it gets so crowded during the day that most of those details can be easily missed. Fortunately, the High Line is empty when it opens at 7 a.m., leaving you free to explore at your own pace. Hu Kitchen - Healthy restaurants have become something of a trend over the last couple of years, but most of them are far less healthy than they’d like you to believe. Hu Kitchen is the real deal, and their food is some of the best in Manhattan. Hu’s goal is to provide delicious food with natural, unprocessed

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ingredients, and the result is a breakfast that leaves you satisfied and full without making you feel weighed down. The bacon, egg, and kale sandwich is my favorite item on the menu, with ‘bread’ made from ground veggie seeds and organic egg. Like Hu says on their website, “We are going to give you something awesome to eat, and then we’re going to blow your mind when you look at the ingredients.” Dominique Ansel Bakery - Have you ever talked to someone who has eaten one of Dominique Ansel’s croissant-doughnut hybrids known as the cronut? Their voice gets hushed, their eyes grow wide, and they talk in a tone usually reserved for recounting a life-altering experience. Only 300 cronuts are made each day, and people start lining up before 5 a.m. for the chance to buy one. Few pastries are worth getting up at the crack of down for; the cronut is one of them. Our Town Downtown: How long have you lived in Manhattan? Cameron Gidari: I moved to Manhattan in April after spending the last seven years in Phoenix, Arizona. The last few months have been a whirlwind, and I’ve actually explored more of Manhattan in four months than I did of Phoenix in seven years. Our Town Downtown: Why did you decide to write “Manhattan Before8”? Cameron Gidari: I published “Seattle Before8” in March and was doing preliminary research into which city to cover next. My fiancee received a job offer in Manhattan, and I realized that writing “Manhattan Before8” would be the perfect way to explore my new city at a time when most of the tourists and crowds are still asleep. Most people think that New York City is always noisy and crowded, but the more I researched and started exploring, the more I saw a different side to Manhattan. I wanted to share that side with locals and visitors alike. Our Town Downtown: When did you first realize a book like this was possible? Cameron Gidari: The concept of Before8 - travel guides for morning people - came about a year ago. I was talking about travel with my father, an avid morning person himself, and we were lamenting how difficult it was to find travel information for when we wanted to explore cities - before 8 a.m. I started researching morning experiences in my hometown of Seattle, and discovered an entire morning culture that I knew nothing about despite growing up there. Writing “Seattle Before8” and seeing the positive reception it got told me that there was an audience hungry for morning adventures. My first week in Manhattan, I walked through Times Square at 6 a.m. and was shocked to find it completely empty. This was the most-visited tourist attraction in the world, and I had it all to myself. That was the moment I fell in love with Manhattan mornings and knew that there was an entirely different city to reveal to travelers.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

Nolan Becker Continued from page 1

been an adjustment moving to Montana. He said, “Sometimes I miss home, being in the wide, openness of this place. Then again, it’s also relaxing to just be able to focus on baseball without other distractions.” In minor league professional baseball, the game schedule is jam packed and between the end of June and beginning of September, Becker is on the field nearly every day. It’s something that Becker never imagined for himself while playing as part of the Greenwich Village Little League during grade school. It even took time for Becker’s father, who coached some of his Little League teams, to recognize the extent of his son’s talent. Becker joked, “I always wanted to be a pitcher, but I didn’t get to do it until I was 12 years old. My dad just didn’t think I was good enough.” Only a few years later, he went on to pitch a perfect game as part of his high school baseball team. Manhattan is not known as a fecund training ground for professional baseball players. Unlike the top notch Little League organizations and training clinics found in California, Texas, and Florida, the leagues in New York City are much more casual. To Becker’s team photo from hone his skills, Becker not his Little Leauge Days. only played as part of the baseball team at his academically prestigious alma mater, Stuyvesant High School, but also as part of travel leagues that took him

Governors Island Explores World War II Students learn how to research and depict the story of the last ‘good’ war Becker signs the contract to play for the Cinncinati Reds.

to games each weekend in Connecticut, Westchester, and Long Island. While his parents passionately supported his interest in baseball, Becker readily admitted you don’t get a lot of recognition for playing baseball in New York City the way you do in other parts of the country. In high school, the 6’6” left-handed pitcher was also a star player on the basketball team and his classmates knew him for his skills on the court. Becker said, “When people heard that I was playing sports in college, they were pretty sure is was basketball, not baseball.” Because there are less opportunities for baseball players to hone their skills in New York City, Becker also anticipated that he would be up against a steep learning curve when he finally moved onto college baseball. However, it wasn’t a lack of skill that nearly derailed his baseball career, but a serious elbow injury he sustained at the beginning of his freshman year that required surgery. Becker explained, “It took me two and a half years to get back to the level I was at. There was a time when I thought I might not be able to play professional baseball.” During his junior year, Becker began to explore alternatives beyond sports. As an economics major, he started to research careers in the realm of finance and nearly took an internship in investment banking. Still, he instinctively knew he should stick with baseball and at the end of his junior year was recruited to play professionally. “It was up to whether I could persevere in chasing the dream, or not. Fortunately I decided to keep chasing the dream,” he said. Becker played last summer with the Billings Mustangs and then returned to Yale in the fall for a semester. He has one semester of school to finish and will look to complete his degree during his off season. In the meantime, he plans to wrap up the current season with the Billings Mustangs and then Becker with his parents at the Mustangs field in join an instructional league for a Montana. month in September.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN

By Katya Johns

overnors Island has only been re-opened to the public for the past 10 years, but the floating arboretum in the middle of New York Harbor played a seminal role in protecting the everyday lives of New Yorkers back in the 1940s. Thanks to an exhibition created by the student historians of the New York Historical Society, visitors to Governors Island can journey back to a time when the verdant parkland was the military base standing between the Germans and the Atlantic seaboard. Given the limitations of space in the exhibit, one landmark important to the war effort had to be left out and would have probably evaded notice completely if the museum’s education division had not passed on the job to its student historians, an accomplished group of high school students from all five boroughs “with a passion for making history matter,” said Chelsea Frosini, managing director of the award-winning program. Working for more than six months, the students were able to piece together Governors Island’s past reputation as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of America’s foremost suppliers of ships, planes, equipment and soldiers to the Allied cause. “These kids came in and made their own WWII story. Some of the questions they were asking were ones I hadn’t even considered. It was very refreshing for me,” says Mike Thornton, a curatorial associate at New York Historical Society, who spent four to five

hours one afternoon teaching students about the basics of curatorship. Jonathan Brown, a student historian since 2011 from Frederick Douglass Academy on West 140th Street, picked up quite a lot of US history from his internship but admits, “I never knew Governors Island was part of the WWII effort before, nor did [the other 12] people in my group, but that’s what motivated us to look into it.” The WWII & NYC (Part Two): Photographs and Propaganda is comprised exclusively of old black-and-white images from the era that have been blown up and hung, not in a museum, but in a pre-war mansion on Governors Island that was once used to house military soldiers. The relocation was not without its bumps and hurdles. The Trust for the Governors Island was very specific as to which building they could use, although the house they gave them “was not a safe space but more a military ruin,” recalls Mike Thornton. “My gut reaction was ‘Why would you dare put people in there, let alone an installation.’” Upon visiting House #18 now, you’ll recognize the same mustard color exterior and rusty door, but the inside has been completely transformed into a wall-to-wall gallery. “It was very hands-on and very demanding work,” recalls Chelsea Frosini, “but our teams of teens and staff all stepped up to the challenge and produced something unprecedented and very exciting!” The museum was also unprecedented in its visitor count. On opening weekend alone, 792 people on Saturday and 832 people on Sunday dropped by to marvel at the sundry photographs, maps, propaganda posters, and advertisements that illustrate New York’s physical and moral transformation by the War.

Success Academy Charter Schools

is applying to open a new elementary public charter school in CSD 2. When: August 2014 Where: Community School District (CSD) 2 Grades: K and 1st grade for the 2014-2015 school year and serving K-8th grade at full scale

Success Academy has a proven record of excellence, with our scholars consistently scoring in the top 5% of all 3,500 public schools in New York state for reading, science and math. To learn more about Success Academy’s proposed new schools, please visit: SuccessAcademies.org/NewSchools We encourage your input: NewSchoolsD2@SuccessAcademies.org

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SHOPPING

DINING

Best of Downtown Summer Specials because The Lion (62 W 9th St.) is first class all the way. Inhabiting a townhouse built in the 1800s, the restaurant features a fireplace, a small slab of elevated balcony seating right in the center of the action, and a classic By Helaina Hovitz American menu from Chef John DeLucie. Their fare is on the pricier side, but the 1. The newly opened Black Tree Sandwich sumptuous summer barbecue brunch menu is Shop & Bar (131 Orchard St.), shares the worth it. On Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., same name as its restaurant in Crown Heights, guests can choose from a variety of entrees which is equally slight in space. Signature including the Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwich, woods, exposed brick, and brass-framed the Lion Burger, Smoked Pork Butt and photographs line the narrow walls, and brown Crispy Fried Oyster Po’ Boys, Fried Chicken paper placemats protect the oak tabletops — and Waffles, or the Lobster Roll. Each entree order a sandwich, and you’ll see why. comes with Jalapeno Spiked Corn Bread, Full of fresh cut, hulking meat, many Coleslaw and Pickles as well as a pint of draft of the chefs’ creations are slathered with beer, all for $25. Personally, I’d go for the thick, homemade jams like Red Raspberry lobster roll every time, but any meat-eating Chocolate mint or Spicy Cherry, some with man will flip over the slabs of smoky pork that potato chips wedged between the buns. come out on a wooden board. If nothing else, Owners and executive chefs Sandy Hall the ambiance and friendly wait staff make it and Mac Sillick only use locally sourced worth the trip. ingredients. All 3. Every of their cheeses, Monday night fruits, and at Louro (142 breads come W 10th St.), from vendors in Chef Dave New York State. Santos’s “Nossa Ladies, look Mesa” closes away, because its restaurant this tidbit isn’t for doors to the the faint of heart: general public. By they also butcher One of Black Tree’s signature sandwiches reservation only, whole animals around a dozen in-house. So you’re guests are seated at one long, communal table getting really, really fresh meat. and served a seven-course dinner with a Their current summer promotion is the Sip theme, which changes every week. The supper & Slide-r Happy Hour, which features a chef ’s club series’ seafood dinners are a refreshing selection of 3 slider-size sandwiches for $9, summer dining choice, and are a great way to unlimited $4 drafts of New York state craft get to know your neighbors. beer, and unlimited $6 glasses of Channing Coming up on August 5th is the “VIP Daughters wine on tap. Possible chef ’s Shellfish Dinner” ($75) featuring unique selections include the Mushroom Sandwich with balsamic-roasted Portobello mushrooms, bites like Vanilla Lobster and truffle potato puree with parmesan foam, followed by the smoked goat cheese and strawberry balsamic “Summer Truffle Explosion “($95) on August jam, a Short Rib Sandwich with coffee19th and the “Portuguese Seafood Boil” ($55) rubbed, stout-braised short rib with house on August 26. blue cheese dressing and market greens, the August 12th will be their “Breaking Bad” Summer Lamb Sandwich with cucumber, ($65) dinner, based on the series finale of the yogurt, mint and local feta, or any others on TV show, and will feature Test Tube Shooters, the menu. Frankly, though, with prices this Fluke Crudo with Avocado Puree and Tortilla low, you can go ahead and splurge for a full Foam, and Grilled Cactus Salad. sized sandwich, too, like the Lobster Claw & “We want to surprise, excite and exhilarate Tail Roll or the Summer Duck (you’d be crazy our guests, maybe even challenge them a not to try this one if they have it). little,” Chef Santos says of these endeavors. Oh, and don’t go in expecting to order a He makes good in his promise. Diet Coke, either — your choices include herb All dinners are BYO wine and beer and peach, sarsaparilla or spicy blueberry soda. start at 7 p.m. 2. Put on your fancy pants (or shorts),

THE SHOPS ■ e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face) ﬂagship store 741 Broadway www.eyeslipsface.com ■ Le Palais des Thes 156 Prince Street us.palaisdesthes.com

Grab these seasonal specials while you still can this August

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OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN

Ladies’ Day Out Downtown Two new local stores to hit with the girls By Helaina Hovitz

he new e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face) flagship store beckoned me from blocks away. Upon entering the space, outfitted with makeup artists, shiny display cases, and makeover stations, I thought that, surely, I was seeing things. Mascara for $2? Must be a misprint. However, as my eyes flickered over all of the other products, I saw similar prices: $1, $2, $4. I’ve pretty much lived in Sephora since age 12, and could not believe what I was seeing. “We’re able to offer affordable prices because we don’t build in celebrity endorsements or exuberant advertising budgets,” said Creative Director Achelle Dunaway, a makeup artist by trade. “We also buy ingredients in larger quantities.” The company, which has been around for nearly a decade, opened their first store at 741 Broadway a few months ago, and had previously been carried only at Target, Walgreens, and Urban Outfitters. There’s no pressure to buy anything after having your makeup done, but, seriously, when most products go for $3-5 bucks, why wouldn’t you? Nifty original products include a special wand that shields your cheeks and brows from eyeshadow and mascara mishaps, an HD Crème Blush which, even in an intimidating hot pink, gave me a surprisingly subtle, rosy glow, and brushes like their Stipple brush which gives your makeup an airbrushed look ($3). Best picks for summer include an SPF 45 Mineral Powder ($6) Shine Eraser Sheets made with green tea extract ($1), SPF Studio Lip Balm that’s sheer but actually visibly tinted ($3), and Mineral Personal Blend Foundation

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that allows you to custom blend four different shades into your perfect summer hue — that one will cost you more, but seriously, $8 is still a steal. e.l.f. is, essentially, the Forever 21 of makeup. Even if you only get a few uses out of their trend products and even trendier colors, the makeup pretty much pays for itself. Later I made my way down to 156 Prince Street to the new Le Palais des Thes store. To be fair, anyone who hands me a glass of floral-tasting iced tea in the middle of a heat wave is already on my good side. As I looked around the shop, my attention was directed to a photo of co-founder Cy Bessiere with a tea farmer in Darjeeling. He and Aurelie, his wife and co-founder, spend half of their year travelling in search of the finest teas that Africa, Asia, India, and even South Korea (where tea is rare) have to offer. Their teas and “Les Creations” (special blends) from Paris are perfect for summer because they can be brewed at room temperature for about 30 minutes. No boiling, just add ice, and voila! Most of Le Palais des Thes’s loose and boxed teas are reasonably priced. Their popular The du Hammam (green tea, roses, dates, berries, and orange flower water) runs $15 for 3.5oz, about 35 cups’ worth. The gift sets and prepackaged canisters are on the pricier side, and so are teas like their Perles de Jasmin, tiny tea leaves hand-rolled into pearl shaped pieces. That one goes for $12.85 per ounce (about 10 cups), which actually isn’t even all that steep (pun intended) for something so special. People use their teas in all sorts of funky recipes, too, for steamed chicken, fish, and duck — last week, a pastry chef made a cake with their Toffee blend. If you’re new to the tea scene, they’ll walk you through the whole thing. There’s something here for everyone, guaran-tea-d.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

Pop Up Garden Continued from page 1

According to the Paths to Pier 42 group, “Art/design installations and events on site serve to model activities that can and will take place on the waterfront once it is fully redeveloped while providing community access and enjoyment in the interim.” In an area beset by public housing buildings and fenced off lots, the group sought input from the community as to what should exist in the future park, beginning with biweekly meetings in early spring and up through the park’s official launch. Benny Ruiz and John Dee, who live nearby on the Lower East Side, come down to the East River esplanade about twice a week to go fishing, and have witnessed the park’s growth throughout the month of July. “We actually used to fish over there,” said

‘Hood Happenings We want to hear about what’s going on right in your neighborhood. Do you belong to a civic or neighborhood organization, a church or synagogue, a Little League team, or a local volunteer group? Tell us what’s happening your ‘hood; send news to hoodhappenings@ strausnews.com.

Cheese Class Signs tell locals that an urban oasis is near.

A community bookshelf acts as a free minilibrary.

Ruiz, indicating where the park now stands, “but then they put in all those benches and trees and turned it in to a sort of theme park.” Despite losing their prized fishing spot, the two said they’ve seen people come and enjoy the park, which is tucked between the Manhattan and Wiliamsburg Bridges and has both Montgomery and Cherry Street access. One piece of the collaborative effort, the landscape architect studio Dlandstudio, opened a similar popup park on Pier 1 in 2008, before Brooklyn Bridge Park opened. According to Jesse Catalano, who works for Dlandstudio, “That park was meant to raise awareness and support for the eventual development of the Brooklyn waterfront and Brooklyn Bridge Park.” Catalano added, “It was a short-lived project but attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors over its short lifespan.” The Paths to Pier 42 popup park has been an effort to mimic that success and bring the same attention to the East River esplanade and promenade area. While the popup park was closed when Our Town Downtown went to visit, benches, planters, sculptures and even a communal bookshelf were visible through the fence. “This is really a community park,” explained Catalano of Paths to Pier 42. “Many people from our offices and members of the community went out to physically build the project and ensure that it would be a success. “We hired no contractors but painted the asphalt, built the benches, erected shade pavilions and planted the plants ourselves with the artists and supporters.”

Do you love cheese? Of course, who doesn’t? Do you want to know more about it? See previous answer. Cheese 101 is the best place to start-- even some of the best cheesemongers began here. Sit and relax over a plate of some of the best cheeses as the basics are bared. You’ll be guided through a tasting of fresh cheeses, washed rind and aged, plus a variety of cow, sheep, and goat cheese, all while learning about cheese-making and cheese-pairing fundamentals; Murray’s Cheeses: 8/1, /8/5, or 8/10, 2 hours; cheese making is Monday and Thursday from 6:30-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3:30-5 p.m.

Kayaking in Manhattan You don’t need to go to the tropics have fun in the sun. With the Manhattan Kayak Company, you’ll discover the beauty and majesty of water closer to home: New York Harbor. And in August, you’ll be able to experience it not only close-up but standingup as well with fun classes in Stand-Up Paddleboard and Yoga. Come on down to the Pier 66 Boathouse at West 26th St. and the Hudson River or register for your tour or lesson online to get started right away. Monday through Friday, 2-3 p.m. or 5-6 p.m. (Paddleboard), 7 p.m. (Yoga). Manhattankayak.com.

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One session with dog-whisperer Anna Grossman and you’ll see a palpable improvement in your dog’s behavior. In this hour-long orientation you’ll receive a solid introduction on how to use gentle and humane techniques to encourage behaviors you want, stop behaviors you don’t want, and have fun along the way. Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 7 PM. $25. 3rd Ave and 17th St.; schoolforthedogs.com

Hiking Through History Join the National Park Service for a hike through the National Historic Landmark District on Governors Island. Park rangers will guide you on a 1.5-mile, 1.5-hour tour through more than 200 years. Tours begin with the arrival of 10 AM and 2:15 PM Manhattan ferry. Aug. 1. Free; The Trust of Governors Island; downtownny.com

Kids’ Open House The Learning Experience Children’s Academy Open House will celebrate the upcoming school year as well as the grand re-opening of the lower level of 7 preschool classrooms which have been closed since Hurricane Sandy. The event will host many local merchants and vendors and feature activities for children and parents alike; 28 Washington Street. Aug. 10, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free.

Chess Camp This Summer Chess NYC will provide 3 additional weeks of True Grandmaster Competition Prep Camp, led by World Famous, 5 times reigning USA Champion Irina Krush and supported by Chess NYC Experts and Masters. Camp Dates: Aug. 19-23. $445. At Zinc on 82 W. 3rd St. Sign up soon at chessnyc.com as seats are limited.

Eventually a more permanent park will emerge near Pier 42.

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THE 7-DAY PLAN FRIDAY

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

BEST PICK

Summer Streets (August 3, 10, 17)

72nd & Park Ave. to Centre St, Nyc.gov/summerstreets, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., free For the first of this three-Saturdays event, nearly seven miles of NYC turf (from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to Central Park) will be cleared of vehicles, creating a pedestrian paradise complete with food and entertainment. This edition’s offerings are still being finalized, but previous years have included free bike rentals, a rock-climbing wall, a zip line and picnics along the route. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for outdoor art installations.

FREE Night at the Museum

.com Visit nypress.com for the latest updates on local events. Submissions can be sent to otdowntown@strausnews.com

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Tribute to Les Blank

11 W. 53rd St., Moma.org, 4-8 p.m., free Turns out there is another reason to love UNIQLO: Its sponsorship of free Friday nights at the MoMA, which launched in May. See million-dollar artwork by paying nothing except the cost of congestion. Your UNIQLO Free Friday Night ticket permits you to see other Museum galleries, exhibitions, and films.

36-01 35th Ave, Museum of the Moving Image, movingimage.us, 7 p.m., $12 The great documentary filmmaker Les Blank (1935–2013) made poetic, vibrant films that captured the lives, culture, food, and music of people at the periphery of American society. This special tribute to Blank, who died this April, consists of three of his most beloved films (Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, Dry Wood, and Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers), shown in beautifully restored prints from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Closing Night Screening & Ceremony for Asian American Film Festival

Summer Fashion Shows August 2013

725 Park Ave, Asia Society, Aaiff.org, 7 p.m., $35-$40 The East Coast premier of Our Homeland (2012), a film based on director Yang Yonghi’s family story about a Japanese boy sent away to repatriate North Korea, will conclude the 36th Annual Asian American International Film Festival this weekend. Like all the movies in the festival, it will have English subtitles. The hour and a half screening will be followed by a special Q&A session with the director, an awards ceremony and a gala reception with tasting tables from local restaurant sponsors.

44 W. 63rd St., Empire Hotel Rooftop, 6 p.m., $125-$400 Looking for a way to curb your fashion cravings during the long wait to Fall Fashion Week? Come check out a fashion show in three segments including Glamour, Seasonal Collection, and Swimwear. Experience a rooftop night, featuring the best in fashion, top runway models, and all things summer, as well as complimentary champagne and cupcakes. For ticket information, please visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6213483697/zvents

TEDxUpperEastSide

Lincoln Center Out of Doors Presents Sacred Drums

321 E. 73rd St, Bohemian Benevolent Society, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., $100 You don’t have to go to Silicon Valley to be surrounded by “ideas worth spreading.” Proving that the Upper East Side can also be a wellspring of creativity and innovation, Sara Beth Allen, one of the event coordinators, will speak about branding, followed by Richard Dedor (author of “Anything is Possible), Croix Sather (author of “BetterBody BetterLife), Davis Mallory (MTV’s the Real World), Dada Nabhanilananda (a.k.a. The Yoga Monk Dude), and many more.

West 62nd St. Btw Amsterdam and Columbus Ave, Damrosch Park, lcoutofdoors.org, 7 p.m., free Listen to the rhythms of the drum while rejoicing in the sacred rituals and popular music of other cultures. Each performance group — whether from Brazil, Japan, or downtown Manhattan — contributes to the beauty of the global sacred experience of the drumbeat, a pulse that connects our traditions with the heartbeat of nature.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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Claes Oldenburg Exhibition at MoMA: Last Day!

NYC Workers Unite and Unwind With Norma Rae (1979) at Bryant Park

Claes Oldenburg’s audacious, witty, and profound depictions of everyday objects have earned him a reputation as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. This exhibition examines the beginnings of Oldenburg’s extraordinary career with an in-depth look at his first two and last two major bodies of work: The Street and The Store (1960s) paired with Mouse Museum and Ray Gun Wing (1970s). Come enjoy what Holland Cotter has called a “two-meals-for-the-price-of-one feast” at the MoMA before it runs out.

41 East 40th St, bryantpark.org, 8 p.m., free Sally Field took home the Oscar for her starring role as a minimum-wage textile worker who takes on her capitalist factory bosses in this week’s selection for Bryant Park’s Monday Movie Summer Screenings. As usual, Bryant Park will open the lawn at 5 p.m. for picnics and blankets and start rolling the film at sundown, usually around 8 p.m.

Green Series: “The Billion Oyster Project”

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Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Parks, brooklynbridgepark.org, 7 p.m. Discover the huge power of these tiny ecosystem engineers to clean and rebuild the East River Estuary. Join students and faculty of the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School to take a close look at the parks oyster gardens, and discuss their goal to put a billion oysters back in New York Harbor. RSVP online.

BalletX at The Joyce Theater joyce.org, 7:30 p.m., $10 BalletX unites world-class choreographers and dancers to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace according to visions of its award-winning founders and artistic directors, Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan. One of the company’s thirty world premieres, Tuesday night’s performance promises to “cultivate a collective appetite for bold new dance” among New Yorkers who will get to see choreography from internationally renowned artists spring to life.

Apollo’s Amateur Night

Food for Thought: Housing Works’ DISH Event

253 W. 125th St, Apollo Theater, 7:30 p.m., $20-32 Every Wednesday night until November 27, a line-up of contestants show off their talent for singing, dancing, rapping, spoken word and more, to compete for the ultimate prize: the title of Super Top Dog with a $10,000 cash prize. The audience also compete in cheering or jeering the loudest until their favorite performer is the only one left standing. Amateur Night at the Apollo is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess.

126 Crosby St, Housing Works, 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation DISH is a sumptuous 4-course feast of readings and stories, as told by New York’s hottest chefs, restauranteurs, mixologists, food authors, bloggers and critics. Each “course” -- Aperitif, Appetizer, Main and Dessert -- features an expert in their respective field, guaranteed to provide an evening of mind-watering entertainment. And for a nightcap, attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite recipe for the DISH recipe swap!

Syfy Movies With a View Harbor View Lawn, brooklynbridgepark.org, 6 p.m., free The theme for this 6th Annual film festival is “With Love From,” taking you through cities from around the globe with a lineup of fantastic films. This week do as the Romans do and enjoy a “Roman Holiday” screening, featuring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The DJs hit the stage at 6 p.m. and the movie does not start until sundown but in the meantime, buy yourself a gelato and let your mind travel.

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Ulrich Schnauss 6 Delancey Street, The Bowery Ballroom, boweryballroom.com, 8 p.m., $20 This special performance celebrates the release of Strauss’s fourth record, A Long Way to Fall, about the German-born electronic artist’s labor of love. Blackbook wrote that this solo album six years in the making shows that “Ulrich is getting even more seductive with his sound.” Ladies will want to stand back.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

cityArts

Edited by Armond White

New York’s Review of Culture . CityArtsNYC.com

Key Krazy Notes from a piano extravaganza By Jay Nordlinger

erome Rose presides over the annual piano extravaganza at Mannes College. More formally, this extravaganza is the International Keyboard Institute & Festival, or IKIF. Rose is its founder and director. IKIF takes place in the second half of July. And, every year, Rose gives the opening recital. This year, he played four sonatas of Beethoven, all of them having nicknames: not “Moonlight,” “Pastoral,” “Tempest” and “Hammerklavier,” but “Pathétique,” “Waldstein,” “Les Adieux” and “Appassionata.” All 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas are special, really, but those with nicknames are thought to be extra-special. This is not entirely without reason. Rose plays with utter confidence, knowing what he wants to do, and going ahead and doing it. He also plays with due emotion. Recently, a musician friend of mine said to me, “My father says that music ought to be played with feeling. We don’t use the word ‘feeling’ much. We’re a little afraid of it, I think. Or we may look down on it. But my father’s right, you know.” Yes, he is. Moreover, Rose plays with a big, fat, virile sound. You may not get Mitsuko Uchida-like delicacy from him. Jerome Rose But the bigger playing has its compensations. When this pianist’s fingers stumble, he simply plows ahead, heedless, his Fantasy on Themes from Rossini’s Mosè. Mayer continued pursuing his musical purpose. Daniel Barenboim has this with a piece by a famous and great composer: Schumann. But quality as well. Rose is a big-picture man, and if some of the the piece was a relative rarity, Schumann’s Sonata in F-sharp details fall by the way, so be it. minor, Op. 11. On the stage at Mannes, he was especially good in In my judgment, we would never hear this piece at all if Beethoven’s slow movements. The one from the “Pathétique” it were not by a great composer. If it were by, say, a Robert was blessedly unlagging, a proper Beethoven song. And the one Schumacher, rather than Robert Schumann, it would be in the from the “Waldstein” was superbly lush and full. The sonata dustbin, and understandably so. ended with a charge, provoking a roar from the audience. The second half of Mayer’s program was all-American— IKIF is celebrating its 15th year, a veritable institution here beginning with Silver Spring, by William Mason, whose dates in New York. It is appreciated, and attended, by pianists and are 1829 to 1908. This is not an immortal piece (though it is piano cognoscenti all over town, and from out of town. There still being played in 2013, isn’t it?). But I’m glad to have heard is nothing else like it. Students get taught. Professionals give it. And where else could you, besides IKIF? recitals. And the vast piano repertory is explored. True, Rose Mayer then played two pieces of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, played four canonical sonatas. But IKIF typically gives you the first of them being his Pasquinade, a purely American music from way off the beaten path. piece, snappy and delightful. The second piece is much Take the recital by Steven Mayer, who, like Rose, is an different: The Last Hope, ethereally beautiful. Mayer played it American. He began with a piece by Thalberg—Sigismond just this way. Incidentally, someone made Gottschalk’s melody Thalberg, a piano virtuoso born near Geneva in 1812. This was into a hymn: “Day by day the manna fell . . .”

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

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\Speaking of hymns, Mayer then played the third movement of Ives’s “Concord” Sonata, which incorporates a hymn we know as “Missionary Chant.” Mayer played this music with maturity. And he ended his printed program with “solos”—treatments, arrangements, versions, improvisations, call them what you will—by Art Tatum, the jazz great. The first of these was one of his most famous: Humoresque. What Tatum did with Dvorak’s ditty, Dvorak would love, I think. Did Mayer play the Tatum pieces with the limpidity and charm of the master himself? That is an unfair question. It’s enough that Mayer pays homage, and pays it well. He gave the audience an encore: It was, if I understand correctly, a Fats Waller treatment of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” otherwise known as “Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do.” The piano repertory is wide and wonderful, and Jerome Rose’s festival reminds a person of that fact.

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CITYARTS CLASSICAL

Z for Excellence

OPPORTUNITY Motivated and talented low-income public high school students are eager to go to college but can’t afford SAT prep.

Zzyzx brings the joy of sax to Symphony Space By Judy Gelman Myers

IMPACT Every year, New York Cares brings its Kaplan SAT Prep program to public schools throughout the city. In 2012, volunteers worked in 40 schools and helped 1,000 students get into the colleges of their choice, including several admissions to Cornell and New York University.

ike the superb little restaurant no one knows about because it hasn’t yet been reviewed by the New York Times, classical music for saxophone lies beneath most New Yorkers’ radar. The Zzyzx Quartet revealed the folly of that obscurity with their July 12 concert at Symphony Space, in which they presented classical (as opposed to jazz or military) standards written for saxophone quartet, new commissions, and transcriptions of pieces written for other instruments. The saxophone’s lack of prominence in the classical repertoire is due not to a dearth of quality but to bad timing: the saxophone was invented late in the evolution of the symphony orchestra, so it was simply not included in many of the works that are routinely presented in great concert halls. Designed by Belgian Adolphe Sax to combine the power of brass with the subtle nuance of woodwinds and the facility of strings, the saxophone first made its appearance in 1841 and was patented five years later in two versions: one for the orchestra, the other for military bands. Many well-known orchestral composers who wrote after its creation—Berlioz, Prokofiev, Puccini— included it in their works, and

many contemporary composers are including it in their compositions. The Zzyzx Quartet, comprising soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone sax, exemplifies the happy development of the instrument in the excellence of their playing, the quality of their repertoire, and their synthesis as a quartet. Watching them is like watching a well-directed string section whose bows move in unison; the members of Zzyzx breathe simultaneously, their voices swelling together or seamlessly trading over an undulating sea of sound. Their Symphony Space program began with Thierry Escaich’s haunting saxophone quartet, “Tango Virtuoso,” followed by David Maslanka’s moving “Recitation Book,” based on a collection of madrigals, including Gesualdo’s “Ecco moriro unque.” Fuminori Tanada’s “Mysterious Morning II” incorporated fluttering, descending chromatic lines that sounded like unnatural sounds from nature: you’ve never heard them, but you can’t imagine where else they might be from. The concert accompanied the release of Zzyzx’s second CD, Intersections, which includes a transcription of Rachmaninoff ’s “O Gentle Light,” Florent Schmitt’s Quator, and the world premiere recording of John Mackey’s Unquiet Spirits, commissioned by Zzyzx and given its New York Premiere at Symphony Space. While spotlighting a little-known bistro might kill its charm, spotlighting this excellent music can only deservedly augment its reach. Zzyzx Quartet is the perfect guide through this unknown but magnificent territory.

Volunteer or Donate at newyorkcares.org.

New York Cares is New York City’s leading volunteer organization.

Photo credit: Lauren Farmer

Dana Booher, Stacy Wilson, Stephen Page, Matt Evans.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

CITYARTS FILM

It’s a Nerd, Nerd, Nerd, Nerd World

Computer Chess is Mumblecore’s ﬁrst gear shift By Armond White

hatever else is going on in Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess, it is also--unmistakably--a satire on film culture’s extinction. The weird weekend gathering of chess and computer geeks at an early 80s conference (they’re testing whether a machine can outplay a human being) is deliberately antique-looking; it becomes a hermetic curio when the conference’s leader shows up, played by Gerald Peary, formerly a film reviewer for the now defunct Boston Pheonix who had tried his own hand at indie filmmaking with a little-known documentary on the critical profession. As chess master Pat Henderson, the professorial Peary is first seen chastising Bujalski’s cameramen: “Hey! Do not ever shoot at the sun! You’re gonna burn out the tube! You’re gonna shoot the rest of the weekend inside. We want to be only inside. That’s it.” And Bujalski stays only inside the insular world of nerds: pale, sweaty guys, all with bad shag, bowl, stringy haircuts or

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balding. (Yesterday’s high school audio-visual geeks today claim hipness like The Onion’s AV Club.) Computer Chess’s mockumentary style gets almost surreally deadpan. The point of is to embrace the uncool, that’s the source of Bujalski’s affection and his humor. It’s also surreally sexless, contrasting the nerds’ arcana with a peculiar, aggressive human potential cult sharing the same hotel and ballroom space. (Their skirmishes recall the War Room fracases of Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.) The mumbled dialogue is recorded in a muffle, a eunuchy euphony true to the anti-social fascination with technology that defines dweebness. Computer Chess uncannily replicates contemporary film culture types, especially the world of criticism. Bujalski exposes a world as insular and unappealing as eavesdropping on a confab of film critics (as Peary’s doc meant to do). Set prior to the Internet, Computer Chess preserves a fossilized world in old-fashioned (analog) amber. Who would want to see this thing besides other film nerds? Perhaps only Mumblecore cultists who naively mistake spartan video technique with cinema esthetics. This time Bujalski displays unusual stylistic self-consciousness--black & white video tape imagery, compositions that fake real-time realism plus out-of-focus shots, white & black

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reverse images, inserts that comment upon the banality of ancient TV style, including showing off old-time beta-cams, overhead projectors, bulky cathode ray tube monitors and computer fonts and crude chyrons. Mumblecore’s standard indifference to aesthetics is explained by this look at primitive technology of the past; it becomes the basis for Mumblecore’s presumption that all aesthetics are arbitrary. “Innovation can be a rocky road” is one chess nerd’s warning—it’s Mumblecore’s creed. Since the Williamsburg hipness of the Mumblecore movement began in 2002, it has been usurped by the mainstream media--including privileged indie-boutique careerists like Noah Baumbach and Joss Whedon. Of necessity, Mumblecore originator Bujalski has found the wit to break out from its conspicuous routines and make the genre’s most stylistically varied, artistically adventurous film with Computer Chess. Bujalski actually employs montage and style-idiosyncratic style--that goes past simply being unHollywood and creates its own uniquely nerd vision. Cinema pioneer Jean Rouch’s chastised: “Video is the AIDS of cinema” (which Emilie de Brigard reminded mourners at Donald Richie’s recent memorial service). But the entirety of Computer Chess is an

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analog vs. digital gag, looking back to the roots of nerdism before the Pixar era made it feel cool. Bujalski’s embrace of video-tape avoids sensual esthetics and emotion just like the nerd character Dever (Brandon Thomas) avoids sex. As in contemporary criticism, this reflects a generation that doesn’t respect cinema’s spiritual and sensual qualities but constantly looks to undermine them with primitive rebukes of all the advances that cinema has made so far. And critics who promote Mumblecore don’t know any better. Computer Chess negates cinema as dis Soderbergh’s Schizpolis and Full Frontal experiments. Does Buljaksi know them? His Cassavetes-style Dever seduction scene suggests he knows better than Soderbergh yet he stays stuck in Mumblecore’s nerd world, welcoming the end of cinephilia while satirizing it. His most entertaining character jolts all the nerds when he protests “You guys are just trying to eke out one little victory versus each other.” That could be Bujalski’s ultimate word before switching Mumblecore’s gears. He’s succeeded in making a movie different from the others, but it is barely even a movie.

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CITYARTS FILM

Smelling a Rat

Svetlana Khodchenkova and Hugh Jackman in Wolverine 2.

The Wolverine’s decomposition of a summer blockbuster By Armond White

s I sat down at the AMC Empire cinema in Times Square for that evening’s allmedia screening, I could smell a dead rat--and then The Wolverine confirmed it. It wasn’t the first time that an all-media screening took place in that filthy, Crossroads-of-Consumerism flea pit (very recently a woman stood up at an AMC Empire screening and screamed about a rodent that jumped into the seat next to her). Such are the conditions forced upon reviewers as they’re herded into what the media enthusiastically refers to as “summer blockbusters” like The Wolverine. It has become standard to submit reviewers and non-professional bloggers to the same nighttime screening schedule as public consumers. Publicists originally justified this practice as establishing the proper atmosphere for enjoying audience-friendly genres (comedies and action films) as if a critic could not laugh or be thrilled without a mob’s encouragement. Thanks to the Internet, the mob now includes the burgeoning ranks of media shills. That self-justified publicist’s rationale is disrespectful to professional reviewers yet the rationale has become self-fulfilling: One has to be intimidated into feeling thrilled at a movie as mediocre as The Wolverine, another Marvel Comics spin-off. The stench of rotting vermin, or an unwelcome visit by a scuttling critter is a new kind of 3D FX, more effective than anything that occurs in James Mangold’s uninspired staging. Mangold (Knight and Day, 3:10 to Yuma) has become a studio hack, guaranteed not

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to challenge or innovate any costly production and just bring it in on schedule and on budget. He approaches this comic-book franchise film like it was a James Bond assignment: The Wolverine’s story, bringing Logan/Wolverine, the immortal superhero with adamantium blade growing from his knuckles, out of self-imposed exile to the present day where he reunites with a man (Hiroyuki Sanada) whose life he saved in WWII, feels like the umpteenth entry in an indistinguishable chain. The series of violent set pieces in a northwest hunter’s bar, a Tokyo lair, a highway, in a futuristic lab with a venomous Viper Woman or with various yakuza and ninjas, is like a tourist’s checklist of the usual action-movie-blockbuster locales. (Oddest scene has Wolverine strung like a marionette to wires shot by ninja-archers.) Even yeoman Hugh Jackman does his muttonchop fretting and body-builder calisthenics with a tour guide’s dutifulness. The Wolverine’s visions of his late wife (Famka Jenssen) suggests the death wish and existential anguish of a totally different kind of movie--as does his Oriental flirtations with two Japanese women (Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima). Mangold should have retitled this hodge-podge should Pacific Rimming. Summer blockbusters this formulaic--predictable and forgettable--offer a decomposition and deconstruction of film industry thinking. It’s why adults opt out of going to see more of the same and only kids and fanboys think these Marvel flicks have anything to do with myth, culture or pleasure. The whole situation (from unendurable theatrical venues to boring narratives) is a Hollywood disease--and it stinks.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Will Democratic Primary Be Like 2001 or 1977? general election. In 2005, when Bloomberg ran for reelection, the Democratic field included Freddy Ferrer again, popular City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields and a feisty Brooklyn By Tom Allon Congressman named Anthony Weiner. The final result of that primary was similar ike the old saying goes: “Those to 1989 and 2001: two at the top, Ferrer at 40 who do not understand history are percent and Weiner at 30 percent, and two destined to repeat it.” near the bottom, Fields at 15 percent and This is true in local politics as it Miller at 10 percent. is for broader social issues. And in So, we see a pattern emerge: in 4-way races, this year’s mayoral campaign, it may be more two candidates break out of the pack and then instructive to rewind the tape not 12 years (to the other two, who fail to get traction, drop to 2001) but rather 36 years (to 1977). the single digits. In 2001 and 2005, like 1989, But in 2013, there are 7 there were four leading Democratic contenders for the Democratic Mayoral candidates in each primary. nomination, and to paraphrase In each of these three cases, the the old song, it feels like 1977 all supposed “frontrunner” a year before over again. the primary did not actually emerge That year, there was also a victorious when all the votes were 7-person field, and the primary counted. result had four finishers all In each of these three campaigns, below 20 percent and within 5 two candidates near the end of the percentage points of each other. race became embroiled in a battle Here was that primary finish: for the top spot, while the two others Koch 19, Cuomo 18, Beame 18, Tom Allon badly sunk to the bottom. Abzug 17, Sutton 14, Badillo 11, In 1989, Edward Koch, the threeHarnett 2,... term incumbent, was seen as a prohibitive So, could this year’s Democratic primary favorite a year before the primary. His have a similar result to 1977 where there was challengers -- Manhattan Borough President 5 people in double digits, or will it be more David Dinkins, Comptroller Jay Goldin and like 1989 and 2001, when only two candidates former MTA Chairman Dick Ravitch -- all reached above the single digit mark? sensed that Koch had overstayed his welcome. It would be too glib to say that frontrunner Dinkins emerged as the racial healing Christine Quinn is this year’s version of the alternative to Koch and he beat the 1977 frontrunner, Bella Abzug, but they do beleaguered incumbent by a margin of have a lot of issues and style in common 49 percent to 42 percent while the highly besides both being brash women. intelligent Ravitch and Goldin fought a race Is Anthony Weiner this year’s Edward Koch, for the bottom, drawing 5 percent and 4 the glib and fast-on-his feet outsider who had percent, respectively. some sexual ambiguities that made him a In 2001, Alan Hevesi (who was recently curiosity but did not impede his path? released from prison after serving time for Is Bill de Blasio the Mario Cuomo of this corruption charges) was the “frontrunner” a race, the smooth-tongued progressive who year before the primary, but his fortunes and ultimately fell short in a close race? those of popular City Council Speaker Peter And will Bill Thompson be like Percy Vallone both dropped precipitously as Latino Sutton, the likable and smart candidate who candidate Freddy Ferrer and former Public fell short because he failed to ignite passion for Advocate Mark Green duked it out for the top his candidacy? spot. The final percentages in that campaign It’s hard to draw exact parallels between were: Green 31, Ferrer 35, Hevesi 12 percent 2013 and 1977, but when it comes to mayoral and Vallone 19 percent. politics, it sure feels a lot like the “Saturday Green won a racially bruising run-off with Night Fever” days of the late 70s. Ferrer, but his pyrrhic victory then reaffirmed Tom Allon, the president of City and State, that old maxim: “Don’t win the battle but NY, was the Liberal Party-backed mayoral lose the war.” Green was narrowly defeated candidate last year. He can be reached at by political neophyte Mike Bloomberg in the tallon@cityandstateny.com

The ﬁrst round of voting for our next mayor could easily repeat history

Where’s the Noisiest Neighborhood? Downtown takes the mantle

Block

By Katya Johns

Block

or the past few years the City of New York has attempted to prepare and publicize records of the annual noise complaints waged, organized by location and type. A freelance graphic designer, Karl Sluis, decided to map the data. The map shows that there are certain seasons and areas where noise swells the most. The months from May to July consistently receive nearly double the number of noise complaints than the rest of the year. It seems noise is the only thing that doesn’t slow down in the summer. However, it does travel to popular destinations. Downtown, with the possible exception of Hamilton Heights, a neighborhood near West 145th Street, has the noisiest spots in the city (wow, nobody saw that coming). More interestingly, thanks to the city’s detailed categorization of the noises and to Sluis’ expert visual encoding work, it is possible to see how downtown’s noise compares to other regions: The Village is second to only Harlem in loud partying – a major complaint - but loud people and loud talking (a hazy distinction) are not as problematic if still most prominent there, especially near Wall Street and the Smith Houses, a public housing development on the Lower East Side. Surprisingly, construction, even with the jackhammering, is not a huge source of complaint, perhaps because many New Yorkers assume it’s par for the course and inescapable wherever you go. However, the two major construction sites presently – the World Trade Center and the Second Avenue subway – do ruffle some feathers. Due to the latter penalty, the Upper East Side is no longer the chief oasis of peace and quiet, but a

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013

close second to the Upper West Side, whose only Achilles’ heel is Lincoln Center, not exactly an unpleasant sound-maker. Overall, the 311 operatosr fielded over 40,000 noise complaints last year (roughly 100 a day). Believe it or not, that is low compared to past years. An average of nearly 1,000 calls a day were made in 2004, the year before the city passed the first comprehensive noise reform in 30 years, with the assistance – and insistence – of Mayor Bloomberg, then NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Chris Ward and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. A downtown DJ at American Apparel, who could barely be heard above blasting music, said, “Technically we are not supposed to be playing without a permit. We had some trouble in the West Village, but that hasn’t stopped us…plus, we only do this once a month.” Of course, when all the major department stores downtown are doing it ‘only once a month,’ chaos quickly ensues. Still, the upsides of living downtown—its centrality and affordability—will not last much longer. Just as young people rushed to the Village to seize on its local trendiness and prices, they may be moving out for the same reasons. For, Eric Grayson, 26, the price for living off East Houston Street (only to land right by an intersection) is too much to pay. Putting it bluntly, he said, “I live on the 15th floor in one of the nicer apartment buildings…and I sleep with a white noise machine. I knew it would be bad, but not this bad.” His ideal place to relocate? The Upper West Side. “I realize I want something more residential after that.” So, watch out uptown, the party might be coming to you. If loudness is the effect of mere saturation of sounds, as the textbooks says, then consider stocking up on earplugs before Duane Reade runs out.

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CELEBRITY PROFILE

A Chef with a Lot on His Plate

similar to SouthE Asia. You have coriander, chili, coconut, and mango. The same kind of ingredients done in a different way, but it was very easy for me to absorb.

Jean-Georges dishes on breakfast, ginger, and his new venture, ABC Cocina

What is the relationship between ABC Home and ABC Kitchen? When they approached me for ABC Kitchen - there was a restaurant called Lucy there they decided to change it, because it wasn’t working very well. I came there and we talked about being farm-to-table since we were half a block away from Union Square. Only they wanted to call it Love. I said, “We are in the ABC building, let’s call it ABC Kitchen. You do the décor and I’ll do the food.” And it took off. We’re going to do ABC To Go or Home Grown. We’re not sure of the name yet.

By Angela Barbuti

he restaurant scene in New York City, or the world for that matter, would be very different without Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Forty years ago, a young Jean-Georges ate at his first 3-Star Michelin-rated restaurant and was immediately smitten. He started there as an apprentice and the rest is culinary history. With nine restaurants in New York alone, and 2,500 employees here, the 56-year-old only recently began taking weekends off to spend with his family. When he truly wants to get away, the chef travels to his restaurant in Bora Bora, which takes three planes and two boats. That’s how far people will travel to taste his creations.

You never took weekends oﬀ until recently? I worked six, sometimes seven days all the way up to when I was 50. So from age 16 to 50. When I turned 50, I said, “The problems are the same when I’m here or not here.” So I bought a house in the country, Wchester, an hour from here. I fish, hunt, canoe. I learned how to relax. It’s not easy. So I work five days full blast.

You don’t stay here at Jean-Georges until the kitchen closes, right? I travel a week a month, but when I’m in town, I’m here every day for lunch. At 8:30 or 9 p.m., I go to another restaurant. Last night I was at Cocina. Tonight I’m going to be at JoJo. I hit one other restaurant every night. Then I go home around 11:30 or 12. I sleep very well. It’s a long day.

At 16, you got your ﬁrst restaurant job rather unexpectedly. For my 16th birthday, my parents took me to a 3-Star Michelin, Auberge de l’ill. At the time we never went to restaurants. It was a time when three generations were still living under one roof. We were too many people to go to restaurants. It was just the three of us. They took me because they felt bad about me being thrown out of school. I was sitting there and saw the ballet of the waiters, the whole choreography, the food. I didn’t know in ’73 you could make a living out of food. Food was at home - your mother, grandmother cooking. In ’73 it wasn’t glamorous to be a chef. It was like you were good for nothing. The chef came to the table and my father said, “Listen my

PAGE 14

son is good for nothing. If you need some apprentice to peel…”

dinner in the city, where would you go?

How did that job help your career? Starting at a 3-Star Michelin really helped me. I never wrote for a job, because from a phone call, I went to another 3-Star. I did four 3-Stars in France. It was like entering the Mafia.

Was your open kitchen at Lafayette in ’86 the ﬁrst one in New York? One of the first ones. It was completely open like this. [Jean-Georges] Everybody requested a table on the kitchen because people wanted to see the action. It was new in New York.

How have you seen the restaurant business in New York change? Completely. I arrived in ’86. At that time, all the old-time restaurants - La Grenouille, Le Cirque - were around. The food alone has changed. You couldn’t find anything. All the vegetables were imported from a company called Flying Food. I remember going to Union Square when I arrived - there was nothing. Apples, potatoes, but no vegetables. I had to go Chinatown, because when I arrived here, I just came back from five years in Asia. So the only place I was comfortable in was Chinatown with all the vegetables. I came in when Daniel was starting, Thomas Keller, David Bouley, Tom Colicchio. We really pushed the farmer to grow things for us. I felt like people wanted to eat in a different way.

Your time in Asia really inﬂuenced the way you cook. What did people think? I used ginger and lemongrass. People were saying, “Who’s this guy and what is he doing?” Chilis everywhere, trying to make it hot and spicy. I got used to this flavor after five years over there. I made a name for myself using ginger basically.

If you had to take your wife out to

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Any place she’d like to go. But she likes to go to Koreatown for barbeque, that’s her background. I take her to Sushi Seki sometimes, Le Bernardin, Per Se. Once a year, I try to do one or two high-end restaurants. Otherwise I eat late and very casual. I don’t bother my colleagues late night, so I go to Marea and have a bowl of pasta at the bar and go home. Simple.

Your son followed in your footsteps and went into cooking. He is the chef at Perry St. I tried to push him away, but he really wants to do the business. I wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer. It’s not a gift. You have to work every holiday, when other people are watching TV and having a good time. There’s not really much of a life. Your life is your customer.

On the weekends, I may invite my brother over who has three kids the same age as my daughter. I have two grandkids now. I invite friends and family and just cook. At home, I never plate anything. I put a pot in the middle and they serve themselves. I plate every day, so I don’t want to plate on the weekend. I never cook at home in the city, only in the country. My wife cooks in the city for my daughter. I only cook Saturday and Sunday. On the weekend, I do everything. I peel, chop.

We created ABC Kitchen. Farm-to-table. It’s all simple food, but has an edge of some flavors. Next door there was a restaurant called Pipa, a Spanish restaurant with tapas. It was part of my lease to take it over. We shut it down New Year’s Eve of this year and opened four months after. It’s farm-to-table as well, but with some Spanish flavors, not only from Spain, but from South America. When I did research for that food, it very

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We have a concept called Simply Chicken. We offer chicken salad, a chicken sandwich, a chicken hot dog. This year we are adding chicken soup and a chicken taco. Why not?

Why is breakfast your favorite meal? I love breakfast because I grew up in France and a slice of bread with butter and jam and a bowl of coffee is breakfast. French toast in France we eat for dessert. Three restaurants serve breakfast - The Mark Hotel, Jean Georges, and the Mercer in Soho.

You have three restaurants in hotels. What are the positives to that?

What do you cook for your family?

Explain the concept of your new restaurant, ABC Cocina.

You even have a chicken concession in Madison Square Garden.

I like it because you serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We do room service as well. For business, it’s great. People say you don’t make money with room service, which is totally wrong. That means they don’t know how to make it. It keeps the operation really going 24 hours. All three restaurants are open 24 hours because of room service.

Where’s one location you’ve opened a restaurant in that you would have never thought you would? Shanghai. We also have a place in Bora Bora. You have to take three planes and two boats to get there. It’s 60 seats. It’s on stilts. I try to go twice a year. [Laughs] I love diving and it’s a paradise for that. We have fishermen bringing fish right on the dock - it’s spectacular?

What’s one food you don’t like? Zoo food. Alligator, zebra, kangaroo. Any animal in the zoo, I don’t cook.

Is it true you fall asleep with chocolate in your mouth every night? Since I am 4 years old. I brush my teeth first. A piece of Lindt milk chocolate. And I have sweet dreams.

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