Our Town Downtown March 20th, 2014 by OurTown Downtown

The local paper for Downtown wn A SICILIAN S FE FEAST IN CH CHELSEA, FOOD < P. 14

WEEK OF MARCH

20 2014

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THE POTHOLE AND THE SOCIALITE

In Brief MOSKOWITZ’S HALFMILLION-DOLLAR PAYCHECK With the city and the Success Academy charter schools locked in an ongoing legal battle, attention has inevitably turned to the two public faces of the ﬁght -- and to their salaries. In a much-discussed piece last week, the Times reported that Eva Moskowitz, the head of the Success chain, makes $485,000 a year -- more than double what schools Chancellor Carmen Farina pulls in to run the the NYC school system, which has 1 million students. The Success schools, which operate rent-free, are locked in a battle with Mayor de Blasio, who moved to block three of the schools from co-locating in New York public schools. Moskowitz is ﬁghting to reinstate them.

POTHOLES The winter has been brutal for the roadways downtown BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

Three weeks ago Louise Grunwald fell into a pothole on the East Side and fractured her ankle. “It was noon on a beautiful day, I guess I wasn’t paying attention,” said Grunwald, an Upper East Side socialite who was married to the diplomat and former Time editor Henry Anatole Grunwald. Three days later she was telling the story to friends over dinner at her home on East 70th Street. Among her guests: Amanda “Binky” Urban, the literary agent who has represented authors like Cormac McCarthy and Brett Easton Ellis. “The next morning she was walking to work and she fell into a different pothole,” said Grunwald. “I sent her to the same doctor, she had an X-ray, and ironically she had the same fracture.” Both potholes happen to be on the Upper East Side, but the problem is everywhere. And while potholes have always been a constant of city life, particularly after a brutal winter, their spread has fed a perception that some city services have frayed in the transition from mayors Bloomberg to de Blasio. “I was born in New York, there’s always been potholes, but I’ve never been injured by one,” said Grunwald. “The roadways are in very bad shape, in all neighborhoods.” A review of 311 data from the city shows exactly where the downtown

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

A teacher engages students at the Montessori school in Flatiron. The school hopes to expand in Soho.

A NEW SCHOOL FOR SOHO NEWS The brother-sister team that runs the Montessori school in Flatiron is adding a downtown campus BY MARY NEWMAN

Angela Ciocca is committed to the Montessori philosophy of approaching education. She worked as a Montessori student teacher, earned her International Montessori Degree at

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an 18-month program in Perugia, Italy, and taught at different Montessori schools until opening her own, La Prima Casa in Miami. Now, Ciocca and her brother, Marco, are moving to expand the Montessori footprint in Manhattan, opening a school in SoHo this fall, to add to their existing school in the Flatiron. The new SoHo location is much bigger than the Flatiron space, and will include an outdoor play area and three floors of classrooms. It

will have the same natural aesthetic, framed with large windows and wooden furniture. Since there is no outdoor area at the Flatiron location, students take daily trips to Madison Square Park. With the additional space that the SoHo school is providing, the Cioccas plan on expanding the existing space at Flatiron. They will add a spiral staircase to increase the space to two ﬂoors, allowing the

THE CITY’S AGING INFRASTRUCTURE The gas explosion in East Harlem focused attention on a NYC infrastructure that is literally crumbling beneath us. A report from the Center for an Urban Future notes that many of the city’s roads, bridges, and subways are more than a half-century old. Utility systems are even worse; more than 1,000 miles of water mains are over 100 years old, “leading to frequent and disruptive breaks.” In 2012, 47 bridges were deemed both structurally deﬁcient and fracture critical, “a designation engineers use for bridges that have little structural redundancy, making them prone to failure and collapse.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CHECK ALLEGED DRUNK DRIVER FACING TOUGHER CHARGES Domonic Whilby, who allegedly hijacked a delivery van and crashed into a bus, killing William Pena, an MTA bus driver last month, is now facing up to life in prison. Whilby showed no emotion when he plead not guilty to an indictment that included murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and assault charges. The incident occurred on February 12th. “The defendant’s actions, as depraved and as wanton as they were, show that no amount of bail is appropriate for this defendant at this time as he is charged with murder in the second degree and other charges,” Assistant District Attorney Randolph Clarke Jr. said in Manhattan Supreme Court. NY Daily News

ANDY WARHOL’S TOWNHOUSE SETTING FOR CON An unidentiﬁed man conned ten women out of more than $20,000 with fake Craigslist ads in the East Village, including

Andy Warhol’s former building. The man took several cash down payments for property that he didn’t own, and often wasn’t for sale by the owner anyway. According to the New York Post, “police said he may be a former resident of the building who once rented and later sublet the bait apartment.” E V Grieve

ORTHODOX JEWS PROTEST ISRAELI LAW Tens of thousands Orthodox Jews gathered in the Financial District and Seaport area last Sunday in order to protest a new Israeli law, forcing Orthodox Jews in Israel to join the rest of the country in at least two years of military service. The protest, in name only, featured no signs or chanting and focused solely on prayer. “This is a protest against Israeli law that would imprison Jews who want to study,” said Yitz Farkas, one of the participants. TribecaTrib

POPULATION INCREASE SPELLS TROUBLE FOR LOWER MANHATTAN There already aren’t enough

public school seats for the children of Lower Manhattan, but if statistics hold, things are going to get a lot worse, and for Community Board 1 in particular. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of children decreased by 7.3 percent in New York City. However, over that same period of time in Community Board 1, the population increased 83.6%. “A school has been authorized for Community District 1, but we don’t know where it will go,” said Diana Switaj, CB1’s land use and planning director. “We do know that there’s a gigantic need in the Financial District.” Downtown Post NYC

CHILDREN’S MAGICAL GARDEN LAWSUIT Last Monday, lawyers representing the Childrens Magical Garden ﬁled a lawsuit against 157 LLC claiming that their purchase of land was invalid because it wasn’t for sale. “In New York after a continuous possession of the property is maintained and cultivated for 10 years you become the legal owner of the property,” said Benjamin Burry, an attorney for Children’s Magical Garden. DNAinfo.com

MARBLE’S JAZZ INSPIRED WORSHIP

Residents who use the Lower East Side garden are hoping a new lawsuit will preserve the park.

Hunter College The Writing Center- Continuing Education

Invites You to Join Our 4th Annual

:5,7(56 &21)(5(1&( Saturday, June 7th, 2014 8:30am-5:30pm

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Registration Fee $225 For more information, visit our website: www.hunter.cuny.edu/thewritingcenter-ce/conference 212.650.3850

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695 Park Avenue East Building, Room 1022 NY, NY 10065

EDUCATION

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG UNWELCOME HOME

REPERCUSSIONS OF A BLAST

A womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bank account was compromised. A 78-year-old woman living on the Upper East Side was away on vacation between Tuesday, January 14 and Sunday, March 16. When she returned home, she discovered that her checking account had been accessed without her permission. Somebody had used a copy of her driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license to make three withdrawals, one in Queens and two in Long Island, totaling $13,600.

FIVE DAYS FROM HELL Someone made unauthorized withdrawals from a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bank account. In a ďŹ ve-day period between Monday, March 10 and Saturday, March 15, an unknown perpetrator made four withdrawals from the bank account of a 33-year-old woman, totaling $11,601.50. The woman had her bank card in her possession the entire time.

GOOGLE GLOM A woman was held up on the street. At 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, a 30-year-old woman was walking southbound on Lexington Avenue between East 95th and 94th Streets when she was approached by an unknown man between the ages of 35 and 40, who said he had a gun and asked for her cell phone and cash. She handed over her Google cell phone and $40 cash before the robber ďŹ&#x201A;ed.

GRAN SCAM A con artist scammed a local grandmother. Between the period of 7 p.m. on March 10 and 2 p.m. on March 11, an 86-year-old woman received numerous cell phone calls from someone saying that her grandson had been arrested and she needed to send $2,500 by wire transfer to get him out of jail. She agreed to the request and wired the $2,500, only to learn later that she had been conned.

A deadly explosion caused by a gas leak caused two residential buildings in East Harlem to collapse on Wednesday morning, March 12. More than 60 people were injured, and at least eight killed by the blast that reduced the area to a pile of smashed bricks and mangled metal. The blast has focused attention on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aging infrastructure. Photo by Adnan Islam via Flickr

GRACIE SQUARE HOSPITAL

MARBLEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JAZZ INSPIRED WORSHIP

Invites the community to join us for National Nutrition Month Come and Sample Healthy Treats

Celebrate with us every Wednesday for the month of March from 12PM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2PM in the Main Lobby of Gracie Square Hospital located at: 420 East 76th Street (between First and York Avenue) Each week we will cover a different topic and provide prizes and healthy food samples to participants.

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

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A New School for SoHo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 enrollment to grow from 60 students to 180. With the addition of the SoHo school, they hope to bring their total enrollment to around 365 students in New York City. The head of the new school, Nick Combemale, has already been approached by parents who hope to enroll their toddlers in the new SoHo location. “Nick and Siri (Panday, assistant head of school) have already interviewed over 200 families this admissions season for the two campuses,” Marco Ciacco explained. While staffing their new school, they are looking for teachers across the country that have ﬁnished their Association Montessori International training. AMI teachers are referred to as guides, since the style of teaching allows students to develop at their own pace. “We have the highest level of expectation from our guides, but we also are here to support each other,” explained Panday. “Entertainment is like cotton candy for the brain,” she said. “Our goal is to stretch the child’s ability one attainable step at a time.”

A JEWISH HEADMASTER FOR A PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL

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SCHOOLS The Alexander Robertson School has appointed Irwin Shlachter, a man with a history of success at independent Jewish schools, as its next headmaster BY MARY NEWMAN

UPPER WEST SIDE Irwin

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“We knew we had to up our game,” she said. The school has been operating since 1789 with the belief that empowerment and education go hand in hand. It was the first co-educational school in New York, and Merlin is working to continue in encouraging diversity in both the school and church communities. “It just came naturally to us,” Merlin said of the decision to make Shlachter head of their school, which is still based on the Presbyterian congregation. “We know that we share a heritage, and convictions of that heritage with Irwin. Those are social justice, and education, so here we are.” Shlachter was born in Poland,

moved to Israel with his family at the age of three, and moved to New York City as a teenager eleven years later. He attended the Dewitt Clinton Public High School in the South Bronx. After earning his BA in Political Science and Education, Shlachter taught in public high schools around New York for 12 years. In that time, he also completed his MS degree in Education, and a doctoral study in Educational Leadership and School Administration. Through all of his experiences in education as a student, educator, and administrator he said that he has “seen the worst and the best sides of education.” “Part of what some people don’t understand until they

Shlachter has been working to improve independent education his entire professional life, and will be starting the next chapter of his career as the Head of the Scottish Presbyterian Alexander Robertson School next fall. After spending the last 30 years as Head of the Rodeph Shalom School, Shlachter will be joining forces with Reverend Leslie Merlin, the former head of the school and Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church. The decision to appoint a Jewish man with a history working in Jewish schools to head a Presbyterian school is one that administrators and the pastor are particularly proud of; it demonstrates, they say, their school’s commitment to teaching inclusiveness and understanding for other cultures. Until recently, Leslie Merlin has been working as both headmistress and pastor for 17 years. Merlin was never burdened by her dual roles, but said she knew it was time to bring her congre- The students prepared for a talent show last week. Photo by Mary Newgation into the 21st century. man

become involved [in education], is that schools are about being a community,” explained Shlachter. “No different than a church, a synagogue, or a mosque, and by extension the same formula for success applies to both.” Although Shlachter won’t be starting as Head of the school until next fall, he has already started to feel at home walking through the halls. While pointing out his favorite parts of the school, he stops and ask teachers how their day went, or introduces himself to students practicing for the talent show. Shlachter asserts that building a community is the most important part of a school’s success. “The head of the program is only as good as the team of people working for him or her,” he said. “I think that without a great group of teachers, the school can’t be great. They have to feel that they are absolutely appreciated, because ultimately the teachers are the artisans that carve our children’s futures.” One of the things Shlachter is most excited about is working with Merlin to instill nondiscriminatory ethics in his future elementary students. “These little youngsters are the next generation of adults,” he said. “And if they grow up uninhibited by judgment, we can help them understand that we have to resolve our differences, and learn to coexist.”

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

Neighborhood Scrapbook BARUCH STUDENTS AT CUNY NOBEL SCIENCE CHALLENGE

SOHO SCHOOL WINS GREEN AWARD

The NYC iSchool was recognized with the Green Flag by the National Wildlife Federation’s EcoSchools USA program for conserving natural resources and integrating environmental education into the curriculum on March 12. To win the Eco-Schools Green Flag award, iSchool’s students – led by science teacher Pete Mulroy - tackled a host of sustainability initiatives that included forming an Eco-Action Team, conducting classroom energy audits as well as taking stock of the green space and biodiversity around the school building. These steps led to student-initiated action plans to reduce energy consumption and increase green space. Mulroy and his students created a native ﬂower-garden and wildlife habitat outside the school by constructing and installing box planters and nesting houses for birds. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer congratulated the students for their efforts.

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Baruch College students shined during the 2013 Nobel Science Challenge recently presented by the City University of New York. Baruch students Abdullah Ayaz, a junior, won ﬁrst place in the category of Economics; Nancy Zhu, a sophomore, won second place in the category of Physics. Abdullah, who will be graduating in May with a BBA in Finance, wrote his winning essay on the 2013 Nobel winners Eugene F. Fama, Las Peter Hansen and Robert J. Shiller, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for their empirical analysis of asset prices. Nancy’s essay focused on the 2013 Nobel winners Francois Englert and Peter W. Higgs, who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for their theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was conﬁrmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle..

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

WHY CARS ARE KILLING PEOPLE A LOOK BACK IN HISTORY Approximately 30,000 Americans will die from automobile collisions this year but it doesn’t have to be this way BY HUNTER OATMAN-STANFORD

There’s an open secret in America: If you want to kill someone, do it with a car. Today, despite the efforts of major public-health agencies and grassroots safety campaigns, few are aware that car crashes are the number one cause of death for Americans under 35. But it wasn’t always this way.

History of Cars Vs. Pedestrians “If you look at newspapers from American cities in the 1910s and ’20s, you’ll find a lot of anger at cars and drivers, really an incredible amount,” says Peter Norton, the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. “My impression is that you’d ﬁnd more caricatures of the Grim Reaper driving a car over innocent children than you would images of Uncle Sam.” Though various automobiles powered by steam, gas, and electricity were produced in the late 19th century, only a handful of these cars actually made it onto the roads due to high costs and unreliable technologies. That changed in 1908, when Ford’s famous Model T standardized manufacturing methods and allowed for true mass production, making the car affordable to those without extreme wealth. By 1915, the number of registered motor vehicles was in the millions. Within a decade, the number of car collisions and fatalities skyrocketed. In the ﬁrst four years after World War I, more Americans died in auto accidents than had been killed during battle in Europe, but our legal system wasn’t catching on. The negative effects of this unprecedented shift in transportation were especially felt in urban areas, where road space was limited and pedestrian habits were powerfully ingrained.

crowded city park, where everybody’s moving around, and everybody’s got business to do,” says Norton. “Pedestrians favored the sidewalk because that was cleaner and you were less likely to have a vehicle bump against you, but pedestrians also went anywhere they wanted in the street, and there were no crosswalks and very few signs. It was a real freefor-all.” Roads were seen as a public space, which all citizens had an equal right to, even children at play. “Common law tended to pin responsibility on the person operating the heavier or more dangerous vehicle,” says Norton, “so there was a bias in favor of the pedestrian.” Since people on foot ruled the road, collisions weren’t a major issue: Streetcars and horsedrawn carriages yielded right of way to pedestrians and slowed to a human pace. The fastest traffic went around 10 to 12 miles per hour, and few vehicles even had the capacity to reach higher speeds. In an effort to keep traffic ﬂowing and solve legal disputes, New York City became the first municipality in America to adopt an official traffic code in 1903, when most roadways had no signage or traffic controls whatsoever. Speed limits were gradually adopted in urban areas across the country, typically with a maximum of 10 mph that dropped to 8 mph at intersections. By the end of the 1920s, more than 200,000 Americans had been killed by automobiles. Most of these fatalities were pedestrians in cities, and the majority of these were children. “If a kid is hit in a street in 2014, I think our ﬁrst reaction would be to ask, ‘What parent is so neglectful that they let their child play in the street?,’” says Norton. “In 1914, it was pretty much the opposite. It was more like, ‘What evil bastard would drive their speeding car where a kid might be playing?’ That tells us how much our outlook on the public street has changed—blaming the driver was really automatic then.

A Shift to Protection - and Blame When Walkers Ruled For those of us who grew up with cars, it’s difficult to conceptualize American streets before automobiles were everywhere. “Imagine a busy corridor in an airport, or a

In 1924, recognizing the crisis on America’s streets, Herbert Hoover launched the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety from his position as Commerce Secretary (he would become

A typical busy street scene on Sixth Avenue shows how pedestrians ruled the roadways before automobiles arrived, circa 1903. Via Shorpy. President in 1929). Any organizations interested or invested in transportation planning were invited to discuss street safety and help establish standardized traffic regulations that could be implemented across the country. Since the conference’s biggest players all represented the auto industry, the group’s recommendations prioritized private motor vehicles over all other transit modes. Meanwhile, the auto industry continued to improve its public image by encouraging licensing to give drivers legitimacy, even though most early licenses required no testing. Working with local police and civic groups like the Boy Scouts, auto clubs pushed to socialize new pedestrian behavior, often by shaming or ostracizing people who entered the street on foot. Part of this effort was the adoption of the term “jaywalker,” which originally referred to a clueless person unaccustomed to busy city life (“jay” was slang for a hayseed or country bumpkin). “Drivers ﬁrst used the word ‘jaywalker’ to criticize pedestrians,” says Norton, “and eventually, it became an organized campaign.

They had people dressed up like idiots with sandwich board signs that said ‘jaywalker’ or men wearing women’s dresses pretending to be jaywalkers.”

Today’s Perspective “The real battle is for people’s minds, and this mental model of what a street is for,” Norton says.

“That’s the main obstacle for people who imagine alternatives— and it’s very much something in the mind.” This piece was adapted from “Murder Machines: Why Cars Will Kill 30,000 Americans This Year,” originally published by Collectors Weekly and printed here with permission. Read the full article at www.collectorsweekly.

“ At some point, we decided that somebody on a bike or on foot is not traffic, but an obstruction to traffic.”

Left, a cartoon from 1923 mocks jaywalking behavior. Via the National Safety Council. Right, a 1937 WPA poster emphasizes jaywalking dangers.

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

The pothole on the Upper East Side that snagged Louise Grunwald. Photo by Daniel Fitzsimmons

The Pothole and the Socialite CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pothole problem is concentrated. In Community Board 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s territory, which has about 163,277 residents, there were 1,943 complaints to 311 regarding streets and sidewalks in the last six months. Such complaints include everything from sidewalk conditions and sewer maintenance to street light issues and potholes. â&#x20AC;˘ There were eight pothole complaints on 1st Avenue between East 7th Street and East 10th Street. â&#x20AC;˘ There were 14 pothole complaints on Avenue C between East 14th Street and East 8th Street. Council members represent-

ing districts in downtown Manhattan failed to respond to questions regarding potholes. Nicholas Mosquera, a Department of Transportation spokesman, said the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roadways experienced â&#x20AC;&#x153;signiďŹ cant wear-and-tear due to the winter weather.â&#x20AC;? He said the DOT plans to resurface 1,000 lane miles as part of a comprehensive roadway maintenance plan developed in response to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record-setting winter. Since Jan. 1, DOT crews â&#x20AC;&#x153;have been hard at work repairing more than 207,100 potholes citywide,â&#x20AC;? said Mosquera. According to the DOT, 177,413 potholes were repaired in 2013. It takes DOT crews an average of 2.5 days to respond to a report of a pothole. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you know, the cold, wet winter weather also contributed to increased pothole formation compared to years when

the winter has been mild,â&#x20AC;? said Mosquera. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the sixth snowiest winter on record and the agency is working hard to address potholes on residential streets and arterials as quickly and efficiently as it can.â&#x20AC;? Some complaints are addressed and closed, according to the 311 service request map. However, the map doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always accurately reflect the reality on the ground. For instance, the six pothole complaints originating at the intersection of 72nd Street and 2nd Avenue have since been addressed, according to Mosquera, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up on the map. As for Grunwaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pothole, he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s since been fixed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been back to check,â&#x20AC;? she said. We did, and, as of press time, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still there.

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

Voices

A REASON TO KEEP PUSHING FOR PEDESTRIAN PLAZAS EDITORIAL In a story we excerpted in this week’s paper, “Why Cars Are Killing People,” (p. 12), writer Hunter Oatman-Stanford delves into the history of vehicle-pedestrian collisions in urban areas, and reveals that they weren’t always seen as the tragic and unavoid-

able accidents they are often categorized as today. In the early days of automobiles, drivers were solely responsible for keeping their machines out of the way of walkers, and they paid stiff penalties when they hit someone. Of course it’s impossible to go back to that time,

but there are ways that New Yorkers can and should resurrect a small piece of the mentality that city streets are shared spaces, not just for cars. The de Blasio administration can help by picking up where Bloomberg left off and creating new pedestrian plazas in the midst of busy

traffic areas. These small havens for the fastwalkers, stroller-pushers, and scooter-riders among us contribute to the city’s overall attitude toward traffic and pedestrians, and they send the signal that we can create safe spaces, even in the middle of the street.

LETTERS

Feedback

CONTRAPTION WOULD MAKE BIKES ILLEGAL

Do you think potholes are a problem in your neighborhood? “ It depends on where you look. There’s a lot of roads. You start shutting areas and people are going to get upset.” Ryan O.

“ There’s always some

RETURNING TO THE GLORY DAYS Sounds like Our Town is going to be the hard-hitting investigative reporting newspaper it was when it was founded by Ed Kayatt in 1970. I was one of the original editors and investigative reporters. I was married to Ed. In the 1970s and 80s Our Town was the paper of record for the Upper East Side. We got awards for our investigative reporting. Animal experimentation at the Museum of Natural History was exposed, in the main, by Our Town, and with our relentless reporting (and advocacy), it ended. Our Town’s office was a beehive of activity 24/7. It was “the” place where people and institutions came to to complain, to celebrate victories, to get things done. Whether it was a traffic light that didn’t work, a crossing guard who was taking a smoke while on duty, a noisy juice bar, Our Town was at the forefront of reporting about it and getting, if not resolutions, voice to the issues. I get the sense that you have that commitment and sensibility, and that Our Town will resonate as it did in its heyday. Arlene S. Kayatt

construction. It always creates a problem. Even when I’m on my bike it’s a problem.” Marley G.

Parsing the definition of “electrically assisted bicycles” BY IAN ALTERMAN

In your article “Picking Up Speed For Bike Share,” Mar. 13, you say, “At the moment, there is a blurry line between the legality of an electrically assisted bicycle and a motorized vehicle in New York State.” However, there is no such blurry line with respect to

STRAUS MEDIA-MANHATTAN President, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com

Publisher, Gerry Gavin advertising@strausnews.com Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Kate Walsh

the laws of New York City. In April 2013, the New York City Council passed Intro 1026-A, outlawing all electrically assisted bicycles. The law clearly states, “[T] he term ‘motorized scooter’ shall mean any wheeled vehicle that has handlebars that is designed to be stood or sat upon by the operator, is powered by an electric motor or by a gasoline motor that is capable of propelling the device without human power, and is not

capable of being registered with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.” This law went into effect on December 1, 2013. Since Mr. Guida freely admits that his device would “turn a manual bike into an electric one” by allowing the bike to be capable of being propelled “without human power,” the use of his device would be illegal under current New York City law.

Classified Account Executive, Susan Wynn

Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope editor.ot@strausnews.com

Distribution Manager, Mark Lingerman

Editor, Megan Bungeroth editor.otdt@strausnews.com

Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side

“ It is a problem, my street has a lot of pot holes on it.” Peter R.

“ I do think it’s a signiﬁcant problem, I swear I step in one every day on the way to work.” Brady G. Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

The Sixth Borough

How My Garden Grew

BY BECCA TUCKER he suburbs of Rockland were my rest stop between city and farm. I moved from the city to an acre in the suburbs six years ago now, and dug a little garden. The amount of sweat that has poured off me in that garden was substantial. I situated the garden under a massive oak tree so it wouldn’t interfere with Frisbee tossing on the grass.

I hadn’t foreseen that this corner wouldn’t get any sun once the oak tree got its leaves. Well, my thimble-sized carrots were the sweetest you ever tasted. Year two: I went to town with my hoe on a plot twice the size of the original one, in a sunnier location, although the whole yard was pretty well shaded. I got a call from husband Joe upon his return home. “I didn’t know you were going to rip up half the yard.” I hung up. He called back. His suburban mentality had been surprised, that was all. Hell, he said, farm the whole yard if you feel like it! That was more like it. This yield was only slightly better than last. It included balls of corn containing 10 kernels apiece; more thimblesized carrots (purple this time); and tomato plants with yellow ﬂowers but still no fruit by the fall frost. Dead-set on getting a tomato, I dug up one tomato plant, transplanted it into a giant pot, and lugged it to our bedroom, where it commanded a view of the driveway out a south-facing window. I took down the blind

so the plant would get the maximum available sun. “If this doesn’t work,” mocked Joe, “we’ll get the tomato a hotel room.” Without the blind, neither of us could sleep past 6 a.m. Our sacriﬁce was not in vain. In February, my winter tomato stunned naysayers with a single ruby red fruit. After it had given birth and just before the plant gave its last gasp, I took cuttings. They survived. Now I could get a head start by planting juvenile tomato plants in the spring instead of seedlings. Who says you can’t put one over on Mother Nature? After that, my yard’s productivity – while still paltry – skyrocketed in comparison to year one. Partly, that’s because I picked up gardening tricks like 1) Use raised beds full of soil from under the leaf pile and 2) The aforementioned tomato head start program. The combination produced a tomato jungle that towered over the rest of my garden. But there’s another reason for the increased output, and it’s kind of embarrassing.

After a camping trip, I had brought home and transplanted a wild raspberry cutting. Days later, I checked on it. The cutting had withered, but that overgrown thorny heap devouring the fence? Those reddish canes resembled the raspberry bush I’d been coveting. On closer look… Yep, here I was working myself to the bone to grow mouthfuls, losing a winter’s worth of quality sleep for one undersized tomato, when a walk around the

yard would have uncovered a berry cornucopia. In case I hadn’t gotten the point (pick your head up, look around), nature went ahead and offered me another gentle proof of her gardening superiority. I was admiring my tomato jungle by moonlight. Weeding in the dark is dicey, and there was nothing else to be done, so I wandered aimlessly. That led me to a gnarled tree I’d never thought of as anything but third base in

Wiffle Ball. There at eye level, 20 paces from my garden, glowed a small green globe. I took a bite. Not a crab apple. It was a crunchy, delicious apple without a single wormhole. There were a dozen of them. It had only taken me four years to notice. Becca Tucker is a former Manhattanite who now farms in upstate New York.

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MARCH 5 - 11, 2014

Umami Shoppu

513 Avenue Of The Americas

Grade Pending (23) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Grade Pending (20) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Suenos

311 West 17 Street

Bar Suzette Creperie

425 West 15 Street

Flight 151

151 8 Avenue

Famous Original Ray’s Pizza

204 9 Avenue

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 Da Umberto Restaurant

107 West 17 Street

One 7 Karaoke

29 West 17 Street

Green Cafe

599 6 Avenue

Jake’s Saloon

206 West 23 Street

C Bao

108 West 14 Street

Sploosh

155 8 Avenue

Not Graded Yet (43) 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. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Not Graded Yet (35) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Mary Ann’s

116 8 Avenue

Grade Pending (27) Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Rocking Horse Cafe

182 8 Avenue

Bar Six

502 6 Avenue

MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

Out & About food people More events real estate 21 business

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FAMILY FRIDAY PIZZA & MOVIE NIGHT

Charlotte’s Place, 107 Greenwich St. between Rector & Carlisle 6-7:30 p.m., Free It’s Friday night, you made it through the week, the kids are hungry, and you’re too tired to cook. Bring the whole family to Charlotte’s Place. trinitywallstreet.org

PAULA POUNDSTONE The City Winery, 155 Varick Street 8 p.m., $40+ Twenty-ﬁve years ago Paula Poundstone climbed on a Greyhound bus and traveled across the country -- stopping in at open mic nights at comedy clubs as she went. A high school drop-out, she went on to become one of the great humorists of our time. You can hear her through your laughter as a regular panelist on NPR’s popular rascal of a weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait. Don’t Tell Me. paulapoundstone.com; citywinery.com/newyork

22 news people real estate news

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2ND ANNUAL NYC WORLD TB WALK

Union Square, 14th & Broadway 9:30 a.m., Free Tuberculosis is still a killer disease around the world. Join in on the walk to advocate in the ﬁght against TB. tinyurl.com/TBwalkregister

AN EVENING OF ITALIAN WINE & MUSIC

New Your ^ Neighborhood News Source

Cultural Institute of New York 43A West 13th Street 8 p.m., $30 The evening will begin with a wine reception showcasing Italian wines from Roca della Masie, Stella & Mosca, St Michael Eppan, and Zenato and Prosecco from Enrico, Toffoli, and Zardetto, followed by a thrilling concert of The Art of

Love (Into the Labyrinth), Ray Luedeke’s original, virtuosic score for two pianos and a text adapted from an ancient manual banned for two thousand years, Ovid’s The Art of Love. AlfamaArts.com

23 FORTUNE COOKIE SHOW Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd Street 1 p.m., $15+ What does your future hold? For me, I see a breakfast burrito. Because I just ordered one. But who knows what the hands of fate have in store for you! Come hear NYC’s funniest teenage comics predict their own future, and maybe yours.

kidsncomedy.com

HEEBIE JEEBIES: SPOOKY, FREAKY, & BIZARRE SVA Theatre, 333 W. 23rd St 5:30 p.m., $13 Part of the New York International Children’s Film Festival. A collection of strange and scary short ﬁlms from around the world, for ages 10 to adult. 13 animated ﬁlms from a minute to ten. 80 min runtime. GKIDS.COM

24 ANNA SAEKI Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 W. 3rd Street, between 6th Ave and MacDougal Street

8 p.m., 20+ Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Saeki made her debut in 1987 as a tango singer after being crowned Miss Sapporo. Soon afterward, she traveled to Argentina to record her ﬁrst album. Since then, she has received critical acclaim on TV, radio and in various magazines. She was responsible for the boom of Latin music in Japan in the 1990s/2000s and was also the vocalist for the band “Orquesta del Sol. bluenote.com

LANDMARKS & PUBLIC AESTHETICS MEETING, COMMUNITY BOARD 2 The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St, Room 301 6:30 p.m. Free 1. 80 Wooster St. – Application is to legalize the

installation of mechanical equipment and flagpole without Landmarks Preservation Commission permit(s). 2. 129 Spring St. – Application is to construct rooftop and rear yard additions, alter the roof, and replace storefront infill. 3. 16 Jane St. – Application is to remove the fire balconies, the stucco finish and outer wythe of brick and construct a new façade. 4. 153 W. 13th St. – Application is to construct a rear addition and excavate at the rear yard. 5. 320 W. 12th St., aka 607 Hudson St. – Application is to construct a pergola. 6. 20 Fifth Ave., aka 2-4 W. 9th St. – Application is to replace windows. 7. 4 Bedford St. – Application is to demolish and reconstruct the front and rear facades, install windows, and construct a rear yard addition and rooftop bulkhead.

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

54 Pearl Street 12-5 p.m., $4+ Come explore the landscapes of America’s early history, as seen in maps of the 1700s and early 1800s. This exhibit examines the detailed depictions of an emerging nation as portrayed by cartographers. The 27 exhibited maps provide a wider perspective to the evolving nation’s place in history, including a never before seen map from 1804 depicting the United States’ postal routes. frauncestavernmuseum.org

27 TINY POETS TIME The Poet’s House, 10 River Terrace 10 a.m., Free Poetry readings for toddlers. poetshouse.org

RYAN ADERRÉY PERFORMS

STEPHEN MAINE LECTURE

The Bitter End, 147 Bleecker Street btwn Thompson and LaGuardia 7:15 p.m,, $10 Singer-songwriter Ryan Aderréy, whose music has appeared on Top 40 and Hot A/C Radio, performs at the Bitter End. 21+ ryanaderrey.com

136 West 21st Street, Room 418F 7 p.m., Free A lecture by artist, critic, curator and teacher Stephen Maine. sva.org

JEN DAVIS PHOTO EXHIBIT 136 West 21st Street, Room 418F 7 p.m., Free For the past 11 years, photographer Jen Davis has been working on an extended self-portrait series that explores notions of beauty, identity and body image. More recently, her work has opened up to include the world of men, sexual desire and relationships. Her talk is part of the i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series, which features presentations by digital photographers, hardware and software developers and industry experts. sva.org

DEFINING LINES: MAPS FROM THE 1700S AND EARLY 1800S EXHIBIT Fraunces Tavern Museum,

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART SONGS OF CHRIS DEBLASIO Trinity Church, 74 Trinity Place 1 p.m., Free Trinity’s weekly free concert series. Trinity continues its tradition of presenting incredible talent through Concerts at One. This series has provided a history of music in Lower Manhattan since the 1920s, fostering local and international talent. Today, Concerts at One will satisfy the savvy and the inexperienced concertgoer as Trinity continues to expand the musical palettes of New Yorkers and visitors alike trinitywallstreet.org

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF PUNK ROCK <MUSIC, P. 13

A PLACE FOR POETRY LITERATURE Poets House works to promote poetry and provide free resources for New Yorkers BY MEGAN BUNGEROTH

Tucked away in a corner of Battery Park City, ﬂanking the Hudson, a literary refuge awaits. Poets House, founded in 1985 and in its current home at 10 River Terrace since 2008, is a non-profit institution that provides a home for both poets and poetry. The two-story facility was constructed speciﬁcally as a permanent home for Poets House, which secured a rent-free lease until 2069

from the Battery Park City Authority. Vistors enter through a light-ﬁlled, atrium-like lobby, and can venture into the first-floor children’s room, which holds hundreds of books along with a massive pile of whimsical stuffed animals, ancient typewriters, and an old card catalogue, the drawers of which reveal tiny shadowbox art projects when slid open. “It’s an amazing spot, it’s free, it’s so rich in every sense,” said Arthur Meyerovich, and brought his 4-year-old daughter, Alia, to romp around the children’s room. Upstairs is home to the true stars of Poets House - over 60,000 poetry books. The collection includes editions, anthologies and

chapbooks from every poetic genre and era imaginable. Admission is free, and readers are welcome to bring coffee, lunch and laptops and sit for a few minutes or a few hours. “Poets House is very widely known among some people who really care about poetry,” said managing director Jane Preston. “Moving to this space with its street-level presence and its beautiful view [helps with exposure]. And one of the ways we really get the word out is by doing all sorts of programs.” That includes outreach to schools, teaching poetry to kids, as well as progams that highlight lesser-known poets, like the current project Poetic Voices of the Muslim World. Preston explained that their mission is to

create a home for poetry and poetry readers, but also to broaden public access to the art form. The building is designed to provide a welcoming atmosphere and open access to the stacks, and they are continually asking how they can reach more people with poetry. “How do we help people gain access to this secret treasure that they have, which is their language, and the freedom to use it artistically, to express and experience stuff that they’re never going to get on TV,” she said. “Helping people gain access to that thing which is their birthright is core to all the literary organizations. And by doing that we are helping people to understand and enjoy poetry.”

Alia Meyerovich frequents the children’s room at Poets House with her dad in tow. “It’s been a Shagri-La in the Battery Park City,” her father Arthur said. “It’s fantastic all year round.” Photo by Mary Newman

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PUNK! MUSIC NYU celebrates punk’s 40th birthday with new video installation, panel conversation with punk pioneers BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

WEST VILLAGE In 1980, a nightclub called Danceteria hired two video artists—and former public access television employees—to build a video installation at the music and dance mega-club on 37th Street. The artists, Emily Armstrong and Pat Ivers, converted the third floor of the tri-level space into a version of a 1960s family living room, complete with couches, coffee tables and table lamps from Salvation Army. They called it the Video Lounge. “We designed a viewing environment that people were familiar with,” Armstrong said in a recent interview. “People watched TV

in their living rooms with their families. But the video content was challenging them.” On small television sets, they showed live concert footage they shot at downtown punk clubs starting in the late 1970s, including CBGB, the Mudd Club and Max’s Kansas City, using an Ikegami video camera. Between videos of the Dead Boys and the Lounge Lizards, Armstrong and Ivers interspersed Kung Fu and horror movie clips and experimental videos that local artists gave them.

Punk on Display On March 20, New York University’s Fales Library and Special Collections debuts the “GoNightclubbing Video Lounge,” a recreation of the original Danceteria installation using 200 hours of performance footage, which has been digitally archived for the library’s collection. The multimedia exhibit includes Armstrong’s and Ivers’ original footage of pioneering

punk bands playing downtown Manhattan’s famous music clubs, including Richard Hell and the Voidoids at CBGB, the Cramps at Irving Plaza and the Heartbreakers at Max’s Kansas City. “This is an attempt, we preserved 200 hours of their video, to put the video on display as they showed it back then,” said Marvin J. Taylor, director of the Fales Library and Special Collections. “So

to try and recreate the feel of experiencing it in its environment.” The exhibit on the third ﬂoor of NYU’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library is furnished with a white floral sofa yellowed with age, a faded pink love seat and scuffed wooden coffee tables for visitors to rest their feet. Armstrong and Ivers once again sourced secondhand furniture for around $300. Each seating area comes with its own television set, and all screens will play the same video loops simultaneously. “Things are different now,” Armstrong said. “People don’t watch television with their family and friends and stuff. We’re doing the video lounge in the same type of environment, so instead of challenging them with programming, we’re actually challenging the way they watch video now. Force this intimacy that used to be so normal. Most people absorb their content on their individual screens now.” The installation, which is open to the public through May, coincides with the Punk Turns 40! celebration on March 22, hosted by NYU and the American Comparative Literature Association. The event features panel discussions with music writers and punk musicians, including Richard Hell, and marks the fortieth anniversary of punk band Television’s ﬁrst show at CBGB, which Taylor considers the birth date of punk.

Mining Punk History Emily Armstrong and Pat Ivers Photo by Kevin Gannon

Following the Television performance, CBGB started booking other “scrappy bands” from New

York City, Taylor said. The iconic Bowery club went on to host the Ramones, the Talking Heads and Patti Smith, among many others. “That was where the art scene was,” Taylor said about downtown Manhattan, where musicians and artists could rent large loft spaces on the cheap. “There’s something about this area. It’s like our Paris, our left bank. There’s this space where experimentation and creativity has been allowed.”

Reviving a Scene After NYU acquired and archived the footage, Armstrong and Ivers found videos they forgot they had filmed, including a clip of Iggy Pop from 1979 performing Frank Sinatra’s “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” sweaty and shirtless at 3 a.m. at Hurrah’s. “They built up this great anthology of the times,” said music writer and post-punk musician Vivien Goldman, who teaches a course on punk at NYU. “We’re very lucky they did. It wasn’t that common then, video, you know. It was before MTV.” MTV is now known more for “Teen Mom” and “Jersey Shore” than music videos. Danceteria, CBGB and other clubs Armstrong and Ivers ﬁlmed in are gone. But Armstrong and Ivers retain certain pieces of their club days. Still downtown loyalists, and best friends, the two are neighbors on Orchard Street. And of course, they have hundreds of hours of newly-archived club footage. And, until the end of May, they have a video lounge.

An image from the original Television show Photo by Jay Craven, credit Richard Meyers

MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

Food & Drink

< GIRL SCOUT COOKIES POP UP - BUT WITHOUT GLUTEN-FREE OPTION New Yorkers, rejoice. It’s Girl Scout cookie season, but those without knocks on their apartment doors from neighborhood Scouts needn’t despair. On March 18, a pop-up Girl Scout cookie shop opened at the Girl Scouts of Greater New York office (43 W. 23rd St.). But

In Brief KATZ’S SUES PASTRAMI CART Standing for 125 years and forever etched in the pop culture landscape, Katz’s Delicatessen is defending its good name. The famed deli is suing a food truck that it claims is trying to proﬁt off its signature style and name. The food truck, Katz & Dogz, not only shares the Katz name, but also serves an item called a Reuben Orgasm sandwich. For those unfamiliar, this is reference to the famous scene in 1989’s romantic comedy classic When Harry Met Sally, when Meg Ryan, who is eating at Katz’s Delicatessen, fakes an orgasm, and another customer quips, “I’ll have what she’s having. The $1 million suit alleges that these references are too overt to be coincidences. “It has taken over a century of dedication, hard work and consistent customer satisfaction for Katz’s Deli to become famous,” as stated in the trademark-infringement suit.“Defendants’ blatant efforts to appropriate plaintiff’s business goodwill, name and mark have resulted in plaintiff being associated with food products and restaurant services over which the plaintiff has no control.”

those who want to try the new Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookie are out of luck. ABC Bakers, one of only two companies producing Girl Scout cookies, developed the gluten-free variety and released it in limited test markets this year. Little Brownie Bakers,

which supplies greater New York’s Girl Scout chapter, doesn’t have a gluten-free cookie on its roster yet. But fans of Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints and other varieties can still snag the familiar boxes of coveted cookies at the pop-up shop through May 8.

A FINE SICILIAN FEAST FOOD FESTIVAL Two women honor family during St. Joseph’s Day feast BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

CHELSEA Melissa Muller-Daka and

Photo by Robyn Lee

LISA’S PIZZA CLOSES Lisa’s Pizza, which has been operating since the 1980s in the Financial District, closed its doors permanently last month. Neighbors of the pizzaria, located at 76 Fulton Street, said that its closure was due in part to a decline in business and hefty rent increases in the area. The pizza joint is another casualty downtown, and in the city as a whole, of rising retail rents, and its closure continues a pattern of casual Italian eateries being forced out in the Financial District. Late last year, Pizza and Pasta at 77 Fulton Street, right across from Lisa’s, also closed, after 34 years in business. The owner, Michael Magliulo, had been asked to leave so that the landlord could combine the space with a vacant storefront next door and rent out both.

Caroline Chirichella were both raised in Italian households, learning to cook from their grandmothers. Both have fathers of German descent, but grew up connected to their Italian heritage. “The Italian takes over,” Muller-Daka said. The Italian cuisine they learned in their grandmother’s kitchens inspired their careers in food. Muller-Daka is the chef and owner of Sicilian restaurants Bar Eolo and Pastai in Chelsea. Chirichella was a classically-trained opera singer who ﬁrst traveled to Italy for an opera festival in Ischia, and returned for culinary school in Florence. She now works as a caterer and instructor, teaching children’s pasta and pizza cooking classes, and founded Magic & Pasta, a dining and event service in which she prepares private Italian meals. On Sunday, March 16, the two women teamed up to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day at Muller-Daka’s Bar Eolo. Muller-Daka spent her childhood summers in the small Sicilian village of Sant’Anna, along with her grandmother and family, where the Catholic feast day was elaborately celebrated, and cooking was a daily activity. Chirichella remembers weekends spent in her grandmother’s kitchen in Williamsburg, begging for Italian home-cooking instead of the fast food meals her older

Caroline Chirichella and Melissa Muller-Daka, co-hosts of St. Joseph’s Day Feast at Bar Eolo Photo by Mary Newman brother wanted. “I hated McDonald’s,” she said. “I would not eat it. We would go home and I would be in the kitchen and I’d pull on her dress and I’d say, ‘Will you make me meatballs and pasta and chicken cutlet?’ And my favorite dish that she made was fried cauliflower. I would always beg her to make this for me, and she always made it for me.” For the food-filled holiday, Muller-Daka planned a special menu for Bar Eolo, and A plate of traditional Sicilian fare at Bar Eolo built a three-tiered altar for the holy fam- Photo by Mary Newman ily, decorated with statues and images of have done, in her honor,” she said =during St. Joseph. a break in kitchen preparations. Muller-Daka remembers her own grand- “When you have these beautiful memmother’s St. Joseph’s Day festivities, and ories that are centered around family the sfinci that she made ever year in cel- and food, I want to keep those memories ebration. alive,” said Chirichella. “If I eat fried cauli“She would really go all out on St. Jo- flower now, if I make it right, the taste and seph’s Day,” Muller-Daka said. “I just love the smell is so similar to when she was the idea of doing something that she would around.”

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

<DOORMAN, BUILDING OWNER TALKS HEAT UP The Realty Advisory Board, the industry association representing most building owners in New York City, and 32BJ SEIU, the largest private sector union in New York, formally sat down for contract talks covering 30,000 building workers in the city. Failure to reach an agreement by April 20 could lead to a strike directly affecting more than two

Property

million New Yorkers living in 3,300 apartment buildings. The next bargaining session will be on March 24. The union has highlighted the fact that these negotiations are taking place in a different climate than the last one in 2010, when the economic recovery was still in its beginning phase. Today the

The Downtown Broker

NEIGHBORHOODS

The Deal That Almost Didn’t Happen

THESE STREETS WERE MADE FOR TALKING

very deal has a story, and each is remembered, or not, for different reasons. One recent transaction is of note because there were multiple obstacles to overcome—from readying an estate wreck for sale; to working with a self managed co-op that put up roadblocks BY SHIRLEY HACKEL whenever anything of a financial nature was asked; to one board turndown; to a reverse mortgage on the brink of foreclosure. At the time I was hired to sell the two bedroom floor-through in the stately 19th century Chelsea townhouse, the Board had not met for 18 months. The co-op lacked a reserve fund and had stopped taking Board minutes since the fall of 2011. I hosted the first open house on September 9th just after Labor Day and closed on December 20th. In less than two weeks, more than 60 buyers viewed the apartment, and we went to contract with the candidate who was financing less than 20% of the purchase price and waiving the financing contingency. Nonetheless, when the Board asked for additional information, including three more years of tax returns, negativism began to breed quickly. On November 5th the dreaded email came: “The board voted not to approve the proposed sale.” So we were back to the drawing boards with scores of buyers coming through again in a matter of days and back-up bidders raising their bids. About this time, I learned from the executor that the property was at risk of being foreclosed. Pressure was building and we needed the most Board approvable candidate, one with deep pockets, high liquidity, long standing respected employment—and we needed to close before the end of the year. Numerous other twists and turns ensued, and the deal that followed was enabled by the fact that the buyer’s broker was an NYRS® agent. When you are deep in the execution of a problematic transaction, it makes a difference to have a pro on the other side.

Shirley Hackel is a NYSR® broker with Warburg Realty. Email her at shackel@warburgrealty.com.

A program helps takes the emotional temperature of the city’s neighborhoods BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

A new research project from Microsoft Research Future Social Experiences (FUSE) Labs is giving New York City’s neighborhoods a voice. HereHere NYC (herehere.co) displays the daily emotional temperatures of 42 neighborhoods on an interactive map. Led by Microsoft senior researcher Kati London, the project, which debuted publicly on March 10, uses 311 data to build stories and personalities for each neighborhood. Based on the 311 information, each community posts a daily mood. The Upper East Side might feel ‘worried’ about handicap access and rodent sightings. Greenwich Village could feel so frustrated it wants to flip a table because of ﬁre alarms and broken traffic lights. Without ‘oversharing’—there are typically a few updates per day, as new 311 data comes in— London wants to examine how assigning human traits to neighborhoods can create conversation around local issues and neighborhood dynamics. “We take a reaction or response and make it human,” said Lon-

don, who lives in Chelsea. “You can see an account of how many homeless assistance requests are in a neighborhood, but what happens when your neighborhood tells you that it feels bad about that? How does that change our interaction with that data?” Users can tap in to neighborhood concerns on the map, which features corresponding cartoons—headphones suggest noise complaints, a flattened squirrel denotes road kill sightings—or neighborhood-speciﬁc email lists and Twitter feeds. The map also includes links to community board contact information. HereHere NYC also notes what issues were relevant one year prior, and awards daily superlatives; the neighborhood with the most transportation concerns is dubbed ‘Friendliest Commuter,’

real estate industry is thriving. “This contract is an opportunity to maintain a middle class in this city,” said Hector Figueroa, president of 32BJ SEIU. “We will continue to talk with the RAB to make sure that we have the same understanding of what it takes to live in such an expensive city..”

while the one with the most grafﬁti reports wins ‘Most Artistic.’ “Superlatives are super cute and funny, but you dig down one level deeper, and you look at ‘Biggest Trash Talker,’” London said. “That’s really the neighborhood that has the biggest issues around garbage, recycling and litter. We’re trying to use a playful thing that’s recognizable to people as a way of driving home information.”

HereHere NYC could easily read as a virtual complaint box, but doesn’t post solely negative comments: neighborhoods can feel ‘amused’ by reports of dead trees or ‘satisﬁed’ by a decline in sewage complaints. “You don’t want to hang out with your friend who’s always depressed,” London said. “We want to make a healthy relationship for the users, so we want to celebrate things that are going well.” London and her colleagues will continue to analyze if cute cartoons, characters and shareability more deeply connect New Yorkers to the neighborhoods they call home, while working to improve the program based on user feedback (email hhinfo@ microsoft.com with comments). London has already been approached by other cities interested in similar projects.

Our Town MARCH 20, 2014

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

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Bed Bath Agent

Gramercy Park 45 Gramercy Park North

$5,150,000 3

Battery Park City225 Rector Place

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Gramercy Park 1 Lexington Ave.

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Gramercy Park 201 E 21 St.

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Coldwell Banker Ditommaso Realty

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Douglas Elliman

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CAMP

STRENGTH TRAINING — THE POWER OF CAMP CAMPS

When I was ﬁfteen, I was in my sixth summer at a traditional camp for boys in New Hampshire. One night after dinner, my counselor from the year before (a six-foot, five-inch English rugby player) asked me if I wanted to throw a baseball around. We spent an hour or two playing catch and talking about whatever came up. I don’t remember the speciﬁcs of our conversation. What I do remember, and still enjoy thinking about, are the positive feelings that resulted from having the undivided attention of someone I essentially worshipped. This particular event stands out in my mind, though there were hundreds more like it over the course of my camp career. As a former counselor, and now as a mental health professional specializing in working with children, I am convinced that the cumulative power of small moments like these illustrate the unique manner in which camp helps children reach their full potential.

rate description. One of the reasons that well-run camps are so good for children is that they emulate the processes found in what psychologists call authoritative families. Parents who are authoritative provide their children with a great deal of structure and have high expectations of their children, while simultaneously providing a high degree of emotional warmth and encouragement. They can be distinguished from parents who are permissive (high emotional availability, but little structure and low expectations), or authoritarian (high expectations and structure, but low on emotional warmth and encouragement). When I work with parents, I often describe permissive parents as the “spoilers,” and authoritarian parents as the “dictators.” There are literally decades of psychological research supporting the conclusion that authoritative parenting is most likely to result in children who are happy, independent, and secure in themselves. Good camps are like good families: clear expectations are given, rules are enforced in a fair and sensitive manner, and campers are given warmth, respect, and encouragement. Substitute “camp counselor” for “parent,” and we get the “big picture” reason for why camp is so good for children.

Why is Camp So Good for Children?

Children — Seven to Nine Years

Many camp professionals will describe their camp community as a family. I can’t think of a more accu-

Elementary school-age children are an entertaining group. Their interests change frequently as they are exposed

Why the structure of a camp setting helps children with crucial development BY ETHAN SCHAFER, PH.D.

to new ideas and opportunities. Think of this developmental period as one enormous “trial-and-error” episode, where children will “try on” all sorts of different likes and dislikes. Camp is a particularly good match for this age group, given the chances to participate in activities that are unlikely to be available elsewhere: archery, horseback riding, hiking, sailing, or nature exploration, as well as more typical activities such as team sports. The variety of activities offered at camp ﬁts nicely with this group of children, who are often especially open-minded about trying new things. Social development is also critical in this period, as early friendships are formed and the child’s individual personality begins to express itself. There’s an old saying in psychology that all parents believe the environment is everything, the “nurture over nature” school . . . . until they have their second child. Some children are simply born more introverted, preferring to be in small groups or alone;

others are born more extraverted, enjoying large groups and being the center of attention. Either way is fine. What summer camp provides, because of the sheer amount of time young children spend playing with each other, is the chance to experience the structured and unstructured social interactions of childhood that allow them to determine what kind of person they are going to be.

Children — Ten to Twelve Years Children of these ages are beginning to deﬁne their individuality. Particularly in girls, this period of time is characterized by great variation in physical and emotional development. As those of you who have what the media calls “tweens” in your house can attest, one eleven-year-old can still be engrossed in cartoons and action ﬁgures or dolls, while another spends an hour getting ready for school, seems obsessed with the opposite sex or who did or did not say “hi” to them in the hallway, and so on. I have worked

with several children who voiced the frustration of feeling forced to “be too grown up” on one hand, as well those who are tired of “being treated like a little kid” on the other. The variety of social, athletic, and outdoor activities offered through camp addresses these issues very well. If your child is still “young for his or her age,” camp will allow them to spend time with other children doing “kid stuff’ until they are ready to move on. The more “mature” child will have similar opportunities with older children, without fear of being ostracized. Whatever your “tween” child is ready for, camp provides a safe, supervised set of opportunities to explore and deﬁne individual interests and motivations — a wonderful gift for children as they enter adolescence. Originally printed in CAMP Magazine, reprinted by permission of the American Camp Association.

MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town

YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES

ON POINTE IN NEW YORK CITY

To learn more about Misty, visit www.mistycopeland.com Follow her on Twitter: @ mistyonpointe She will be at Hue Man Bookstore on April 23rd for a book signing and discussion.

Q&A ABT’s Misty Copeland on living in a convent, Café Luxembourg, and Taye Diggs

Photo by Gregg Delman

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Misty Copeland took her ﬁrst ballet class in gym shorts, a t-shirt, and socks because she could not afford a leotard and tights. The 31-year-old American Ballet Theater soloist has come a long way from her 13-year-old self, and she’s chronicled her journey in her new book Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. As the only African American soloist in the prestigious company, Copeland exempliﬁes true perseverance in the face of adversity. The Upper West Side resident credits New York City, where she moved as teenager to pursue her childhood dream of dancing with ABT, with making her feel as though she belonged. “In the ballet world, you’re forced to look a certain way. And in New York, I felt I could be me and it was great,” she said.

At 16, you moved here from California. What did you think of the city at ﬁrst?

my race. At the time, that’s really how we felt. I was young and had the perfect ballet body. I was gifted and New York City Ballet didn’t take me into their summer intensive. I can’t even fathom how that happened when I was getting full scholarships to every elite ballet summer intensive. My teacher said to me, “I really think that it was because of the color of your skin.” But, obviously, that wasn’t said to me by them, so it’s hard to really know if that was the truth or not. Race is a huge part of my experience as a ballerina and I hear it from other dancers of color as well who really dealt with it ﬁrsthand. They had it said to their face, “You don’t belong in ballet. You won’t make it. You might as well do another form of dance.”

ABT accepted you into their summer intensive, and you lived in a convent with other ballerinas.

I was terriﬁed and hated it. It was the summer, so it was super hot and muggy. I was used to California which is not so humid. It was overwhelming- all the people, seeing trash outside on the streets. But by the end of the summer, I had fallen in love with it and can’t imagine living anywhere else now.

Yeah, a lot of dancers experience that. It’s a safe place to be and it’s cheap. When you go away to most summer intensives, they have dorms, but being in Manhattan, it’s not practical. So you have to ﬁnd your own housing. The convent that I stayed at was on 14th Street and 7th Ave. It was a scary area then. I remember a shooting happening one night while we were sleeping and seeing blood outside the front door.

You’ve been living on the Upper West Side for 13 years. It’s referred to as “the dance belt,” right?

I’ve been to ABT’s rehearsal space on Broadway. Describe it to our readers.

Yes, that’s what we all call it. New York City Ballet, ABT dancers, and a lot of people come up here because there’s Steps dance studio, where we take classes. And of course, Lincoln Center is here so it’s just easy to be near the theater. There are so many dancers on the Upper West Side. You run into them on every block.

It’s literally like my second home. We’re in the studios from 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m., five days a week. So I know every little part of that studio like the back of my hand. We have five studios on the two floors that we have. It’s in a building that we share with Broadway people, so we see a lot of interesting people coming in and out of the building. It’s actually very different from a lot of professional ballet companies’ studios. It’s really old. It’s very much like classic New York. The heaters make so much noise in the winter and when we have people come in who have never been in the studios, they get so frustrated with the noise of the radiators because they can barely hear the piano playing. As dancers, we’re not at all used to luxury. We’re in there; we’re working; we’re sweating. The luxuriousness comes out on stage.

What are your favorite places in your neighborhood? There are so many restaurants that I love. There’s Café Luxemburg which is on my block. I love Chowder House. I just love being on Columbus Avenue. Intermix is my favorite store, and Helmut Lang. I love to shop and love to eat.

Describe your ﬁrst ballet class at the Boys & Girls Club in San Pedro. I started at 13 and was in my gym clothes for those ﬁrst couple of classes. I had no idea what ballet really was, and I didn’t have the means to have a leotard and tights. I thought it was important to share those really intimate parts of my upbringing because I know that so many young people experience lives like that. They feel like they have no chance to be a part of something like classical ballet.

Race is a theme in the book; you think that the New York City Ballet didn’t offer you a spot because of the color of your skin. It’s hard to really say whether or not things happen because of

I like the part of the book where you meet your boyfriend through Taye Diggs at Lotus. [Laughs] Yes, he was his cousin. I tried as best as I could to be a normal girl living in New York City. I wanted to really live life and not regret being a young woman stuck in a ballet studio. I deﬁnitely found comfort in being out and about in the city. I frequented Lotus nightclub a lot and that’s how I met my boyfriend. I met him on his last night in New York City before he returned to Atlanta where he was in law school. We ended up in a long-distance relationship for a year before he moved to New York where he’s an attorney.

You still take ballet classes seven days a week and say you will never perfect the technique. Explain that. As a professional dancer, being in class is our way of ﬁne-tuning our bodies. It’s not something you can just learn and forget about. Class is something that we do every morning to warm our bodies up for rehearsal and to keep our technique crisp and clean, the same way you would ﬁne-tune an instrument. For me, personally, I feel that my body is in the best shape it can be in if I take class every day.

Your mother believed in your talent, even though she was struggling in her own life. My mother was extremely supportive and loving. She was a great mother. It was just extremely difficult coming from where she came from, and having to raise all of us kids, pretty much without a father. I think she did an amazing job.

Since you were young, you knew you wanted to dance with ABT. I always knew that was the company I wanted to dance for. I just felt that they represent what America stands for more than any other ballet company. I felt that who I am as a person and as a dancer ﬁt in very well with the company. They have a very diverse repertoire. I enjoy doing more than just classical ballet and I get to do that at ABT. I always saw that vision for myself.

on it four years ago. It’s going to be a dancewear line for curvy women, so it’s really about support in the bust area, stuff that doesn’t really exist for ballet dancers.

There were many mentors who guided you along the way. One in particular, your dance teacher, Cindy, took you in as a foster daughter. Do you still see her? Yeah, I still see her. Everyone tries to get to New York during my spring season. She’ll be coming out with a lot of other family members. I see her when I’m home in California as well. I think it’s important to keep those people in my life.

You mentioned that you’re starting a dancewear line. I’m still in the process of making that happen. I started working

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HILLTOP FARMHOUSE 6 acres $99,900 Great country getaway! 5 BR, 2 BA, decks, In law cottage! Views, ideal setting! 888-701-7509 NewYorkLandandLakes.com

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REAL ESTATE - SALE

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MARCH 20, 2014 Our Town 20

NEW YORK’S VOLUME DEALER

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED SALE! 2011 A u d i

2013 Audi A6 3.0T

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15,253 MILES

34,495

45,997

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2011 A u d i

11 REMAINING 2013 AUDIS AT SIMILAR SAVINGS

SAVE $5,000† JKB G)+). M@E 98'/,-,, ONLY

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22,628 MILES

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39,995

2014 A u d i

2011 Audi Q5 3.2

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53,995

2013 A u d i

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35,995

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PRESTIGE PACKAGE

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26,078 MILES

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53,995

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39,366 MILES

Audi Manhattan A Proud Member of

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