Our Town Downtown May 08th, 2014 by OurTown Downtown

The local paper for Downtown wn THE DEBATE OVER CE CENTRAL PARK’S CAR CARRIAGE HORSES < VOICES, P.8

WEEK OF MAY

8 2014

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CLOTHESLINE ART AGAINST VIOLENCE AT HOME SPEAKING OUT In Tompkins Square Park this weekend, T-shirts from victims of domestic abuse BY CAITLIN OCHS

Eight years ago, a woman was attacked at her son’s 15th birthday party by a man with a machete. While her children watched, the man brutally swung, leaving her left hand and right arm nearly severed, and deep cuts on both legs. The attacker was the children’s father and the woman’s ex-husband. Her son’s birthday marked the ﬁfth time the man violated his restraining order. On Saturday, May 10, her T-shirt will be among those displayed at an event for domestic violence survivors in Tompkins Square Park, where victims of abuse will hang T-shirts with personal messages along the pathways. Known as the Clothesline Project, the event, organized by the Andrew Glover Youth Center, gives victims like this woman a platform to reach out to their community and speak out against violence. “This event aligns with what we do at the Andrew Glover Youth Center, which has worked with the Lower East Side community since the 1970s to make our homes and communities safer for kids,” said Jessica Hall, who works at the center and is co-coordinating the event with her colleague Elsie Flores. “We wanted our moms to have more

support, and about a year ago we started a weekly group for our moms who have survived domestic violence. When I saw the Clothesline Project at a college campus, it made me think about our moms, so I brought it up at group and they loved the idea. The project has evolved from there.” Last year, the NYPD responded to 280,531 domestic violence incidents, and advocates of the city’s domestic violence hotline answered 99,719 calls from victims. Three people died in Manhattan in family-related homicides. Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens had the highest number of family-related homicides, with 16 deaths in Brooklyn, 11 in the Bronx and four in Queens. In recent years, the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence has expanded its services available to victims. The city opened a Family Justice Center in each of the boroughs, with the ﬁnal facility in Staten Island scheduled to open in 2015. These centers are meant to consolidate civil, legal, and counseling services for victims in one place. In addition, the city has launched education programs and public awareness campaigns. “This year, we’ve held 185 community

In Brief ALBANY APPROVES MORE SPEED CAMERAS State legislators voted last week to allow New York City to install more speed cameras on city streets. The measure will add 120 cameras to the 20 that are now located throughout the ﬁve boroughs. The vote was applauded by Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose Vision Zero plan to reduce pedestrian fatalities includes adding more speed cameras to the city’s traffic enforcement arsenal. The law allows cameras to be installed within a quarter mile of schools and to only target speeders between 7 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Speed cameras work in the city by automatically ticketing drivers $50 for going 10 mph over the speed limit. Failure to pay the ﬁne results in an additional $25 fee. The current speed limit in most parts of the city is 30 mph, though some legislators and pedestrian safety advocates are calling for it to be reduced to 25 or 20 mph.

SCHUMER WARNS OF POWDERED ALCOHOL

outreach events since February,” said Tracy Weber-Thomas, assistant commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. “We’re focused on reaching out to our communities to let people going through domestic violence know that there’s help out there, that they can call us, or walk into Family Justice Centers and get help.” Despite these efforts, many survivors of domestic violence feel the city is failing to provide enough support. “What the system is doing, that’s

my problem,” said the mother of ﬁve who survived the machete attack, and prefers to remain anonymous. “Eight years later, I’m watching my niece go through the same I thing I went through, and it’s horrible. Before I was attacked, we were begging to get out. We didn’t care where they put us... but the numbers that the city gave us didn’t help. We called 1-800-HOPE, but where was the hope? They asked me to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

On Sunday, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately halt Palcohol - a new powdered alcoholic product - from getting federal approval and hitting store shelves this fall. Palcohol is easily concealable, can be mixed with water and sprinkled onto food, and can even be snorted. Schumer said that the FDA should look into the obvious health concerns surrounding Palcohol so that the product does not ever reach store shelves. “Palcohol can be easily concealed and brought into concerts, school dances and sporting events, it can be sprinkled on food and can even be snorted,” Schumer said. “It’s clear the FDA must utilize their authority to intervene when alcohol products create signiﬁcant health risks – as they did with Four Loko – and stop this potentially deadly product in its tracks.”

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CHECK CANAL STREET TO BECOME SLOW ZONE Downtown Express reports that the Department of Transportation will be instituting a slow zone on the 1.5-mile stretch of Canal Street. The plan will lower the speed limit on the entire street from the city-standard 30 mph to 25 mph, starting in June. Locals have long been petitioning the DOT to make changes to the hazardous area, which includes the entrances to the West Side Highway, the Holland

Tunnel and the Manhattan Bridge. “Sometimes it seems as if Canal St. is a perpetual slow zone — but slowing down traffic on Canal, which bustles with bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles all day long, is the right thing to do,” State Sen. Daniel Squadron said in a statement Thursday. “This heavy volume of road use is exactly what makes Canal Street a great candidate for an arterial slow zone.” The change for Canal Street is part of the DOT’s new “arterial slow zone” program, which identiﬁes and

targets major streets that facilitate and contribute to speeding throughout the city. The spots selected for this program comprise only 15 percent of the city’s streets but account for 60 percent of the city’s traffic fatalities, according to the DOT. Downtown Express

CON ED HAS PLAN TO INCREASE GAS LEAK PATROLS Con Edison President Craig Ivey says

the utility is starting a pilot program to have trucks that scan for stray voltage check for gas leaks as well. Ivey said Friday that if the program is successful, Con Edison will expand it to substantially increase the number of gas leak patrols it performs. Ivey was to announce the pilot program at a New York state Assembly hearing in Manhattan. According to is prepared remarks, Ivey said everyone at Con Edison is deeply saddened by the March 12 explosion in East Harlem that killed eight people and injured more than 60. He said Con Ed is working with the National Transportation Board and others to determine the causes of the blast. He said he could not comment on details of the explosion. AP

CONCERTGOER DIES AFTER WEBSTER HALL SHOW

The entire length of Canal Street will become a slow zone, with a 25 mph speed limit.

Gothamist reports that a 21-yearold man died after attending a performance by metalcore band Miss May I on Saturday night. Albert Scott, who was initially thought to have died immediately after hitting his head in a botched stage dive at the popular venue, was transported to Beth Israel hospital just before 10 p.m. by the FDNY and went into cardiac arrest. Webster Hall told Brooklyn Vegan that

Scott collapsed while he was leaving, according to video footage and police. Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to cover Scott’s funeral expenses; it says that his only family members live in Florida. Gothamist

GREENWICH STREET STEWARDS PASSING ON RESPONSIBILITIES The Tribeca Trib reports that a small group of Tribeca residents who have cared for a five-block stretch of Greenwich Street for over a decade are ready to throw in the trowel. Members of the volunteer group, called Friends of Greenwich Street, have dedicated countless hours tending to the grees, gardens and flower beds between North Moore and Duane Streets, and now leader Steve Boyce said that many of them no longer have the energy and time required to keep up their significant efforts. The group was started in the 1990s, and since 2003 Boyce has been leading the small band of gardeners in tending to the sidewalk plantings and the trees. Boyce is asking anyone who is interested in continuing the Friends’ mission to meet with him at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28 at Tribeca Pizzeria, 378 Greenwich St. They can also call him at 646-610-9986.

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STRIP TEASER A man was arrested for fraud. At 2:31 PM on Friday, April 4, the staff at a clothing boutique on Mercer Street told police that a 24-year-old man had attempted to use a credit card being disputed on fraud charges by American Express. Upon further investigation, it was found that the man had also tried to use a forged American Express gift card with a 36-year-old female store employee’s account number on the card’s magnetic strip. The employee was in possession of the card at the time of the fraudulent purchase. Video is available of the incident. The perpetrator was arrested April 26 and charged with grand larceny.

NETS TWO RINGS A thief stole two valuable rings from a jewelry store. At 1:30 PM on Friday, April 25, a 20-year-old man asked the clerk at a jewelry store on Fulton Street if he could try on a ring, saying he was in town to go to a Nets game and he wanted to make a decision on purchasing the band. He then took two rings and exited the store, ﬂeeing in a white Chevrolet Cruze with New York plates GJA4574 in an unknown direction. Police canvassed the area but could not ﬁnd the vehicle or the thief. The thief had also left a bag in the store containing sweaters. The

items stolen were a platinum superior diamond ring valued at $8,300 and a platinum and 18-karat gold ring with superior diamonds valued at $8,200, making a total haul of $16,500.

NAPSACKED Police arrested a man for stealing a subway rider’s knapsack. At 3:43 AM on Saturday, April 26, a police officer witnessed a 49-year-old man remove a knapsack from the lap of a sleeping 54-year-old male passenger on an E train at Chambers Street. The officer apprehended the thief without incident in another car of the train, with the stolen knapsack still in the robber’s possession. The items in the knapsack included $22 in cash and clothing valued at $100. The thief was arrested April 26.

SKATEBOARD ASSAULT Five youths shoplifted candy and assaulted a store employee. At 3:30 PM on Sunday, April 27, ﬁve youths entered a chain convenience store on Broadway and shoplifted various items of candy. As the ﬁve were exiting the store, one knocked down a standing fruit basket. A store employee chased the suspects out of the store and said he was calling police. One of the suspects then swung a skateboard and struck the employee in his arm,

causing pain and abrasion to the arm, plus a laceration to his hand. The suspects ﬂed north on Broadway. Police searched the area but could not locate the gang of ﬁve. Video is available of the incident.

THE PRICE OF CHANGE A man was robbed when he was attempting to deliver food in a building downtown. At 3:35 PM on Monday, April 28, a 35-year-old man was delivering food to a building on Beaver Street, when a 25-year-old man demanded that he hand over his food delivery in the building’s lobby. The 25-year-old then asked the deliveryman if he had change for $100. The deliveryman said no, but his restaurant was close by and he could get change. The deliveryman left and returned with change for $100. The younger man then asked the deliveryman to follow him. When they entered the building’s elevator, the younger man snatched the money from the deliveryman’s hand and ﬂed the location, heading in an unknown direction. Police searched the area but could not ﬁnd the thief. Video is available of the incident.

Source: 1st precinct NYPD CompStat report

You Kicked Prostate Cancer. Now It’s Time to Tackle Bladder Leakage. If you’ve had prostate cancer surgery, you’re probably thankful to be where you are today. But you may still be frustrated by bladder leakage. Rather than struggling with pads or limiting your activities, consider other options. A Day Camp As Complete As SleepAway!

READY TO LEARN MORE? Free Patient Education Seminar Presented by Neil Grafstein, M.D. Tuesday, May 13, 2014 Registration: 6:00 p.m.; Seminar: 6:30 p.m. Mount Sinai Medical Center Goldwurm Auditorium (First Floor) 1425 Madison Avenue (98th St.) New York, NY 10029

RSVP to 1-877-433-2873 American Medical Systems, Inc. is hosting and funding this patient education seminar and accompanying materials. ™ The denoted marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of American Medical Systems, Inc. © 2014 American Medical Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Minnetonka, MN 55343 AMSUS/MH-00870(1)/ March 2014 www.AmericanMedicalSystems.com 1-800-328-3881 U.S. Use Only

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct

19 ½ Pitt St.

212-477-7311

NYPD 6th Precinct

233 W. 10th St.

212-741-4811

NYPD 10th Precinct

230 W. 20th St.

212-741-8211

NYPD 13th Precinct

230 E. 21st St.

NYPD 1st Precinct

16 Ericsson Place

212-477-7411 212-334-0611

FIRE FDNY Engine 15

25 Pitt St.

311

FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5

227 6th Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11

222 E. 2nd St.

311

FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15

42 South St.

311

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin

165 Park Row #11

Councilmember Rosie Mendez

237 1st Ave. #504

212-587-3159 212-677-1077

Councilmember Corey Johnson

224 W. 30th St.

212-564-7757

State Senator Daniel Squadron

250 Broadway #2011

212-298-5565

Community Board 1

49 Chambers St.

212-442-5050

Community Board 2

3 Washington Square Village

212-979-2272

Community Board 3

59 E. 4th St.

212-533-5300

Community Board 4

330 W. 42nd St.

212-736-4536

Hudson Park

66 Leroy St.

212-243-6876

Ottendorfer

135 2nd Ave.

212-674-0947

Elmer Holmes Bobst

70 Washington Square

212-998-2500

COMMUNITY BOARDS

CLOTHESLINE ART AGAINST VIOLENCE AT HOME

LIBRARIES

HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian

170 William St.

Mount Sinai-Beth Israel

10 Union Square East

212-844-8400

212-312-5110

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

TIME WARNER

46 East 23rd

813-964-3839

US Post Office

201 Varick St.

212-645-0327

US Post Office

128 East Broadway

212-267-1543

US Post Office

93 4th Ave.

212-254-1390

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 get rid of two kids because they could only accommodate three. So tell me, as a parent, what would you choose? Get rid of two kids? Run with all the kids? Or, stay there and die.” For those in unsafe living situations, long wait times for permanent public housing make things worse. Currently, the city has 2,228 beds speciﬁcally reserved for victims of domestic violence who need immediate shelter, designed as temporary relief to those in danger. While helpful, these shel-

ters lack the resources to support victims and their families waiting for permanent housing. According to women who have lived through the process, the wait for more permanent public housing is three years. According to the New York City Housing Authority, the complexity of the housing system, “variety of factors that comprise a family’s profile, and low turnover and vacancy rates of apartments,” make it “virtually impossible to establish an aver-

age waiting time…Some applicants can be matched up with an available apartment in months, while others often have to wait years.” To learn more about these women and their stories, visit the Tompkins Square Clothesline Project Saturday May 10th between 11am to 2pm. Those interested in supporting the project can contact the Andrew Glover Youth Center about donating shirts for survivors of domestic violence to share their messages.

Historic New York C E L E B R AT E M O M

WITH A MOTHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY GIFT SET Available starting April 11 Purchase the PANDORA â&#x20AC;&#x153;Forever in My Heartâ&#x20AC;? gift set for $200.*

THE ROOTS OF TAVERN ON THE GREEN Central Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tavern on the Green restaurant reopened last month with a new chef, new menu, and new decor. The original building was designed in 1870 by Calvert Vaux, who co-designed Central Park with Frederick Law Olmstead. It originally housed the sheep that grazed in the Sheepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Meadow nearby (pictured below, in a photo from around that time.) In 1934, under direction from Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, the space was renovated into a restaurant. Vaux and Olmstead went on to design Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, and Morningside Park.

Sterling silver charms from $25

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Plate, 1934. Whiteware. Gift of Samuel V. Hoffman, New-York Historical Society H.N. Tiemann & Co. Sheep in Sheep Meadow, Central Park, New York City, ca. 1880-1916. New-York Historical Society Library

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Our Town MAY 8, 2014

MILESTONE

In Memory of Jinny Kim Gardino

MEN HAVE NEEDS TOO.

Gardino moved to New York in the early 1980s to pursue a career in finance.

Obituary Jinny Kim Gardino, a New York City resident for the past 30 years who loved food, travel and the arts, died last month after a long illness. She was born in Seoul, Korea,

in 1960, went to grade school in Japan, then immigrated with her family to Oregon in 1974. She is a graduate of Missouri’s Stephens College, where she remained active in alumi activities. After college, she worked in Washington, DC, for Oregon Congressman Denny Smith, then moved to New York in 1984 to pursue a career in finance. While in the city, she worked for the Industrial Bank of Japan, Morgan Stanley, and, finally, Invesco, where she was a vice president. According to family and friends, Jinny had many interests and hobbies. She was a lover of the arts and frequently attended the theater, the ballet, and the symphony. She was also an accomplished cook, and traveled throughout the world

for cooking classes. She loved to entertain, and, even with an active career, she found time to host an event or meet friends and family for dinner. She is preceded in death by her father, Boum (B.J) Joong Kim. She is survived by her husband Vincent Gardino, recently named group publisher of StrausMedia Manhattan, Robert Gardino (brother-in-law), Johanna Kim (mother), Frank (brother) and Judy Kim, Tyler, and Brian Kim (nephews). A memorial fund in her honor has been set up at her alma mater. Gifts can be sent to: Stephens College, Att: Shannon Walls, Office of Philanthropy, 1200 E. Broadway, Campus Box 2035, Columbia, MO 65215. Credit card donations can also be made online at www. stephens.edu/career-alumae/

Fresh air or smoke and mirrors? A vapologist behind the bar at Henley in Soho. Photo via HenleyCigs.com

Health INTRODUCING THE PRESTON ROBERT TISCH CENTER FOR MEN’S HEALTH. 555 MADISON AVE. BETWEEN 55TH AND 56TH ST. Now, men have a state-of-the-art medical facility they can call their own, right here in the heart of Manhattan. The Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health provides men with access to NYU Langone specialists in cardiology, internal medicine, gastroenterology, urology, orthopedics/sports medicine, physical therapy and physiatry, dermatology, ear, nose and throat, mental health, plastic surgery, pulmonology, endocrinology, neurology, and radiology. Experience what it feels like to have your healthcare tailored specifically for you. To make an appointment with an NYU Langone doctor, call 646-754-2000. Visit nyulmc.org/menshealth.

Public embraces ubiquitous new product before long-term health effects are known SOHO On the edge of the downtown neighborhood, The Henley Vaporium is an intimate hipster hangout with overstuffed chairs, exposed brick, friendly counter help — but no booze. Instead, the proprietors are peddling e-cigarettes, along with bottles of liquid nicotine ready to be plucked from behind a wooden bar and turned into flavorful vapor for a lung hit with a kick that is intended to simulate traditional smoking. Places like The Henley are a rarity, even in New York. But “vaping,” itself, has had astonishing growth — in just eight

years or so, the number of enthusiasts around the world has grown from a few thousand to millions. Believed by some to be the invention of a Chinese pharmacist, vaping now has its own YouTube gurus, trade associations, lobbyists, online forums and vapefests for meetups centered on what enthusiasts consider a safer alternative to the “analog,” their name for tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes are usually made of metal parts combined with plastic or glass and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They heat the liquid nicotine solution, creating vapor that quickly dissipates when exhaled. The vapor looks like tobacco smoke and can feel like tobacco smoke when taken into the lungs at varying strengths, from no nicotine up to 24 milligrams or more. Whether vaping is cheaper

than a cigarette habit is up to how much is spent on equipment and liquids and how often one vapes. A 15-milliliter bottle of liquid at Henley can go for $12 and may be roughly the equivalent of four packs of cigarettes, depending on the strength of both liquid and leaf cigarette, among other factors like how many puffs a smoker takes in. Rechargeable devices require batteries — another expense — and a starter kit for reuse that comes with a device can run around $66. By comparison, the cost of a 20-cigarette pack of regular cigarettes can range from about $5 to about $15, depending on state tax and the type of location where they’re purchased. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet stepped in to regulate e-cigs but that’s likely to happen.

RENEWING THE CITY’S INVESTMENT IN SENIORS SENIORS JASA and other organizations for older New Yorkers are encouraging people to harness the attention of the new city government

BY MARY NEWMAN

UPPER WEST SIDE There are more than 1 million people over 65 living in NYC, and by 2030 this number is expected to increase by 50 percent. With so much of the city changing, the Jewish Association for Serving the Aging (JASA) on the Upper West Side hopes to highlight the needs of older New Yorkers. JASA has been making sure seniors take advantage of a transitional time in city government, with not only a new mayor but 21 new city council members in office. In addition to their senior advocacy courses offered through Sundays at JASA, the organization recently held a conference titled “A New Age for New York 2014.” In partnership with the UJA Federation of New York, JASA offered six different workshops ranging from topics like “Our Changing Political Landscape” to “Technological Trends for Tomorrow.” The event gathered many familiar faces within the JASA community, like Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, but also welcomed new faces like Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center. Zickuhr ran the workshop on technological trends, discussing ways for seniors to learn more about social media, tablets, and smart phones. After her presentation, she encouraged the seniors taking the workshop to discuss their own experiences and concerns with technology. Michael Noble discussed the immense resources the internet has to offer to seniors. “The bottom line [of technology] is that it offers us a vast resource of knowledge. We shouldn’t be intimidated by it,” Noble said. “The more information you know, the longer you will live.” A popular topic among many attending the

workshop was housing - mainly rent stabilization and giving more power to older tenants who are often pressured to move out of their rent controlled apartments. The workshops “AgeFriendly NYC” and “Transforming and Sustaining Spaces” addressed several issues surrounding housing in New York. Participants discussed concerns about making their homes more suitable to their needs as they grow older, and how to get help from their landlords to do so. Caitlin Smith ran the “Age-Friendly NYC” workshop and raised the point that so many buildings that were not designed with senior citizens in mind, now have dozens of senior tenants who have been living in the same apartment for decades. Things like walk-up apartments and deep bathtubs can lead to serious falls and injuries. “What age-friendly really means is ﬁguring out how neighborhoods can sustain people, allowing them to stay in their homes,” explained Borough President Gale Brewer. “This community of older New Yorkers is so vocal, so intelligent, and so committed to their communities. It is important for them to be kept up to date, so this [conference] is a great way to do it.” JASA stays on top of informing seniors about ways to get involved with their communities, and prepare themselves for the many different issues that can arise with aging. Doris Welch was raised in New York, and was introduced to the JASA class Institute for Senior Action (IFSA) through her union when she retired in 2000. She was happy to have taken the course because it made her aware of countless resources she didn’t know existed. Soon after retiring her brother became sick, and she explained that if she had not taken the 10-week IFSA class, she wouldn’t have been able to ﬁnd the best hospitals and homes for him that supplied the care he needed, and how to talk to social workers. “There is a huge amount of seniors that don’t feel comfortable leaving their own neighborhoods, but JPAC (Joint Public Affairs Committee for Older Adults) and JASA have really gone into the communities to see what people need,” Welch said. “They’ve gone into the community centers, and with advocates like myself and others we have been able to work with the Department of Aging in increasing the awareness of what seniors really need. Ultimately that is the most important way to make New York safer for seniors.”

Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 89 Carlton Avenue, Brooklyn. These one bedroom apartments are for one or two person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age for applicant and 55 years of age for co-applicant at the time of application. Current Rent Range: $873 - $1238 Income Range: $36,925 - $48,100 1 person household; $36,925 - $55,000 2 person household *Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household. Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: Carlton Avenue Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.

Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 315 West 61st Street, NY These studio apartments are for one person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age at the time of application. Current Rent Range studio: Income Range:

$820 - $854 $28,090 - $36,120 1 person household

*Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household. Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: 315 West 61st Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

Voices

LETTER: A FARMER’S PERSPECTIVE A comment from the web in response to our editorial, “Where are all the reasonable people?” about the horse carriage debate: Sometimes when I read the activists’ statements I feel like either they, or I am living on separate planets. Reasonable people with differing reasonable opinions on animal husbandry live with, love, and respect their

animals on a day to day basis. I live and work on an open farm, with interns helping, we grow 75 percent vegetable crops and meat is 25 percent of the yearly harvest. It seems so bizarre for people with ideological agendas to call, email, or stalk my website with death threats and call me a murderer because I eat meat. I care for every animal on this farm

Feedback

with above and beyond effort, and the same folks who want to ban the carriages are the ones who call me a mass murderer. I say to PETA that the only differences between humane slaughter and euthanasia is in slaughter one sees blood, but the difference between PETA and farmers like me is our animals live in freedom, love, and joy till the day

they are stunned and die, while PETA puts them in horrible little cages to hear and await their fate, then dump them illegally behind the local Piggly Wiggly. I don’t waste anything, while the “activists” dumps the animal like garbage. Where are the reasonable people, indeed? Fran Levy

LETTER

AGAINST THE CARRIAGE INDUSTRY I would like to think that I am one the “reasonable people” whose opinion you are looking for with regard to the horse and carriage issue (Editorial, May 1). Let me address three aspects of the issue. Humaneness. The issue is not how humanely the horses are treated at the stables, or by the carriage drivers. Rather, it is about the trip to and from the stables, and the waiting along (mostly) 59th Street that is troublesome. Regarding the former, these trips subject the horses to possible “spooking” and, in fact, there has been at least one such incident on a trip from the park back to the stable. Regarding the latter, the waiting has led to numerous incidents of spooking, in this case causing injuries to horses, drivers and passengers. At least two horses have died or had to be put down, and at least ten drivers and/or passengers have been injured. It is also silly to suggest, as some supporters of the industry do, that the horses would end up as dog food. First, the fate of horses that are privately owned is entirely up to the owners, and there are plenty of options other than slaughter. As for those horses not privately owned, the City has already promised that places would be found for those horses. Appropriateness. While it is true that horse and carriages are used in other cities, none have the degree of vehicular traffic that NYC has – particularly in midtown, where the horses actually travel. As well, actor Liam Neeson said that, “It has been my experience, always, that horses, much like humans, are at their happiest and healthiest when working.” Setting aside that many humans are much happier when they are vacationing, I would ask, “Are horses happier and healthier working and being confined to stables than they are when they can roam free?” Contrary to Mr. Neeson’s well-intentioned comment, the situation of these horses does not seem appropriate to me. Economics. The City has been quite evasive about how much revenue it derives from the industry, and the figures given by the industry simply do not add up, and are almost certainly inflated. Thus, it is likely that the City will lose little or nothing by shutting down the industry. As for the carriage drivers, again, the City has promised to make sure they are not left unemployed. Currently, an idea is being floated to give each driver a taxi medallion – worth up to $1 million – in recompense. Ultimately, the only compromise that might work would be if the stables were in Central Park. This would remove a major obstacle (the trips through City traffic), though the waiting along 59th Street would still need to be addressed, and it would not address the “stable-to-workto-stable” life of the horses. However, the Central Park Conservancy has not been amenable to this idea, claiming that there are no current structures that could be appropriately retrofitted as stables, and no place for new structures to be built. Given all this, it would seem that, as nostalgic as the horse and carriages may be, they are an anachronism that put the horses at too much risk, put drivers and passengers at risk, and generate negligible revenues for the City. Ian Alterman, Upper West Side STRAUS MEDIA-MANHATTAN

THE ARGUMENT FOR BANNING HORSE CARRIAGES

President, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com

Group Publisher - Manhattan Vincent A. Gardino advertising@strausnews.com

Distribution Manager, Mark Lingerman

Publisher, Gerry Gavin

A leading propoponent of the ban hits back BY ELIZABETH FOREL

It’s revealing that your editorial has seen fit to scold animal activists and hold them up to unrealistic and silly white glove standards, while ignoring the vicious lies of the carriage trade. By focusing on style over substance, you are not fulfilling your journalistic duties of bringing the truth to the public. These are some of the lies: * The horses will all go to slaughter if there is a ban. But it’s the drivers who will bring the horses to slaughter. The ban will actually assure that the horses will be saved. * This is a real estate land grab. Every group and individual involved in this issue wants to see the horses off the street because it’s institutional cruelty and past time to retire them to a real sanctuary. The Hudson Yards redevelopment project has been under Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Kate Walsh Classified Account Executive, Susan Wynn

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

way for m many more years than the ban campaign This will beneﬁt the majorcampaign. ity of New Yorkers – not just a small g entitled group, which stands to make a huge pr proﬁt on its properties. i * FBI is investigating. Prove it. How abo about investigating this? What’s b behind the Daily News trying M to derail Mayor deBlasio? Whose monbehi the Tea Party backed Cavey is behind Grou hired by the carriage trade? alry Group Is this a $15 million to $19 million industry? We don’t think so. Has this cash-onl business produce tax recash-only turns? There’s a turnover of approximately 71 horses a year. Produce documentation to sh show where they go. Are the la horses laundered through the Amish on their w way to auction? Just last week: hor spooked on Central Park * A horse South and fell, pulling his carriage on him top of him. judg ruled the NYPD must hand * A judge over acci accident records to the Animal Legal Def Defense Fund. ow * An owner was charged with falsifyfo ing the four-digit hoof ID number on an older hor horse named Ceasar to pass him off as one half his age. d justice to this issue and bePlease do rep it fairly. gin to report Elizabe Forel, president, CoaliElizabeth Ba Horse-Drawn Carriages tion to Ban

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

Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

The Sixth Borough

Mother’s Day on the Farm “Tucker!” I sat up in bed. I had just gotten the baby down for the night, which in our house is an event often accompanied by silent ﬁst pumps. So the fact that husband Joe was BY BECCA TUCKER yelling for me from outside the bedroom window at 9:30 p.m. meant he must be drunk, or something was… not wrong, exactly, because he sounded excited. His voice was an entire register above where it usually is, like a teenage boy’s when it cracks. It sounded familiar, that voice. I’d heard it once before. When? The memory came to me as I swung out of bed.

I’d been lying in this very spot a year and a half earlier when Joe had squealed in that pitch, so unlike his regular sotto voce: “I see her face!” Those four words had etched themselves into my gray matter, because they meant that that the hardest thing I’d ever done was ﬁnally, mercifully, done. That was what that voice meant this time, too: A baby had just been born. Joe banged through the screen door giggling and clutching to his jacket a wet, grass-covered, squeaking calf. No – two! Twins. What a night for it. We were having one of those freak springtime temperature plunges. The precipitation alternated between a cold rain and something that came down slowly but couldn’t quite be called snow. Joe had pulled into the driveway and, hearing a shrill squeaking, followed the sound to a spot 30 feet from the barn door. There in the wet grass, he found the second and third babies to be born on our farm. We toweled them off and they ﬂuffed right up, becoming excruciatingly cute. One was all black, a girl. (On a farm, you’re always hoping for girls, since they’re the ones that provide milk and progeny.) And the other, black with a white forelock and a white horseshoe shape on his back, looked just like his handsome dad. A boy. Tempting as it was to have a full-on photo

shoot, the one thing I was sure of was that they needed to get back to their mom. Headlamps on our heads, goat babies on Joe’s chest and human baby on my chest, we trudged through the rain to the barn. On the way out of the house I grabbed our two goat books. I’d been meaning to re-read the chapters on kidding. No time like the present. But where was Rebeca? She wasn’t in the stall with the others. Of all our goats, she’s the most skittish, and she had plenty of reason to be spooked. She’d never given birth before and didn’t have a doula to explain it all; her babies had just been taken away; and now people were coming with lights on their heads. I stayed with the babies, emptying a couple bags of paper shreddings into the stall where we had put them. Meanwhile, Joe went to look for Rebeca with a loaf of bread under his arm. He found her outside, near where she’d given birth. One bit of bread at a time, so slowly she hardly realized she was moving forward, he enticed her into the barn. But just when she had set foot into the stall with her babies, she bolted. While Joe coaxed her back, I did some frantic reading by the light of my headlamp. I’d heard of mama goats rejecting their young. I paged through the kidding section; there was an emergency recipe for making your own colostrum substitute. We had all the ingredi-

ents, amazingly, even cod liver oil, but there’s nothing like the real stuff. Only a mother’s thick colostrum contains all the nutrients and antibodies that kids need to thrive. That much I knew. Here she was again, following Joe’s trail of bread crumbs, afterbirth hanging from her backside. This was the moment of truth. Exhausted from labor and scared by all this activity, would she freak out? Turn tail? I wouldn’t blame her. This time, she saw her babies in the stall and rushed over to the corner where they were huddled. I gasped: it looked like she was stomping one! Infanticide! But no, she was pulling the paper shreddings away with her hoof, so that they could... yep, the white-forelocked boy pulled himself up on wobbly legs. He almost looked like a baby monkey, his legs were so long compared to his body. Rebeca licked the other calf, and she, too, rose and started making suckling noises. She was nowhere near the teat – but hey, it was a good sign. I repositioned the baby girl closer to the udder, where she started nibbling Rebeca’s leg hair. She’d get there eventually. Joe smiled at me. I squeezed his wet arm. We settled in to watch. Becca Tucker is a former Manhattanite now living on a farm upstate and writing about the rural life.

Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 351 East 54th Street, NY These studio apartments are for one person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age at the time of application. Current Rent Range studio: Income Range:

$993 - $1153 $41,688 - $48,100 1 person household

*Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household. Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: East 54th Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.

SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE US TO LOOK INTO DO HAVE Email us at news@strausnews.com? YOU

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE PERFECT FATHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY GIFTâ&#x20AC;? DRAW YOUR DAD FOR FATHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY JUNE 15, 2014

Out & About pavilion at BrookďŹ eld Place (formerly the World Financial Center). mas.org/tours

Draw a picture of Dad, scan it (or send it to us)

and then order a mug or luggage tag with your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drawing on it.

SCHUBERTIADES: PIANIST EMIR GAMSIZOGLU

All kids drawings will appear on our website as they are received. Just go to otdowntown.com under fun and games and click on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Draw Your Dadâ&#x20AC;? to get the details!

E-mail your drawing to contests@strausnews.com or mail it to Straus News Contests 8FTU "WF t $IFTUFS /:

Then order Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portrait PO B NVH UPUFCBH FUD Go to strausnews.com DMJDL PO i%SBX :PVS %BEw BOE GPMMPX UIF EJSFDUJPOT DO NOT USE PENCIL Use bold and bright colored pens, markers, crayons, etc. Light color and pencils will not reproduce on our website or newspapers.

PLEASE DO NOT FOLD YOUR DRAWING

Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Name: Your Name & Age:

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FOLK SINGER NIALL CONNOLLY

GO FISH: FAMILY PERFORMANCE

Cafe Vivaldi, 32 Jones Street 9:30 p.m.; Free Niall Connolly has built a worldwide following as a singer-songwriter throughout frequent tours of Europe and the United States. His observations on life in his adopted home of New York City, as well as his descriptions of the faces and places encountered along the way, have cemented a leading reputation among his musical peers, and has led to his songs being covered by a wide array of artists. cafevivaldi.com; facebook. com/niallconnollymusic

Robert F Wagner Jr. Park, 20 Battery Place 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Free Join experienced anglers for catch-and-release ďŹ shing and learn about life in the Hudson River. Art projects, bird watching, and a musical performance, too. bpcparks.org

MADAMA BUTTERFLY JAPANESE KABUKI THEATRE

purchase urchase 11 a.m.; $15+ Many highproďŹ roďŹ le projects are re beginning too see the light off day in Lower Manhattan. With One World Trade Center now ruled uled the â&#x20AC;&#x153;tallestâ&#x20AC;? building uilding in the United States, Matt Postal will lead ead a tour of the he immediate neighborhood, eighborhood, discussing the h design of the Nicholas Grimshawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soon-toopen Fulton Transit Hub, as well as the recently-opened concourse linking Santiago Calatravaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emerging $4 Billion Path Station to a new entry

Connelly Theater, 220 E. 4th St. 7:30 p.m.; $40/$30 students & seniors An opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The libretto of the opera is based in part on the short story â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madame ButterďŹ&#x201A;yâ&#x20AC;? (1898) by John Luther Long â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which in turn was based partially on stories told to Long by his sister Jennie Correll and partially on the semi-autographical 1887 French novel Madame ChrysanthĂ¨me by Pierre Loti. Conducted by Douglas Martin with stage direction by Nathan Hull. amoreopera.org

NOW ON THE HORIZON: LOWER MANHATTAN Municipal Arts Society Location given with ticket

Cafe Vivaldi, 32 Jones Street 3:30 p.m.; Free Caffe Vivaldi and CLASSICAL4ALL will take you back in time to the romantic period.Pianist Emir Gamsizoglu will play a program of romantic piano pieces, along with his entertaining and educational presentation. caffevivaldi.com; classicalforall.com; emirgamsizoglu.wordpress. com

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT PERFORMANCE BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street Room S110C 1:30 p.m.; $25 Michael Rosenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awardwinning book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Going On A Bear Huntâ&#x20AC;? is brought vividly to the stage in director Sally Cooksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun-ďŹ lled adaptation set to Benji Bowerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s versatile lively score. Join our intrepid adventurers on their quest to ďŹ nd a bear; as they wade through the gigantic swishy swashy grass, the splishy splashy river and the thick oozy, squelchy lh mud! Expect catchy songs, interactive scenes and plenty of hands-on adventure. tribecapac.org/were-goingon-a-bear-hunt-2

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

12 COMMUNITY BOARD 1 LANDMARKS COMMITTEE Community Board #1 Office, 49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709 6 p.m.; Free 1) 25 Broadway, application for master plan – Resolution 2) 97 Chambers Street, application for roof top metal security fence – Resolution 3) 125 Chambers Street, application for facade alteration – Resolution 4) 138 Beekman Street, application for penthouse addition – Resolution 5) 77 Chambers Street, application for replacement of windows – Resolution 6) Seaport Working Group – Update by CB1 nyc.gov/html/mancb1

COMMUNITY BOARD 3 ARTS TASK FORCE Theater for the New City 155 First Avenue (btwn E. 9th & 10th Sts) 6:30 p.m.; Free 1. Update on Arts & Cultural Affairs organization database 2. FAB Update re: effort to obtain economic data from Pew Charitable Trust’s Cultural Data Project 3. Art Space presentation on the development of PS 109 as artist housing with gallery and non-proﬁt space as a possible model for artists in Lower East Side nyc.gov/html/mancb3

13 COMMUNITY BOARD 1 YOUTH & EDUCATION COMMITTEE Community Board #1 Office, 49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709 6 p.m.; Free 1) Community Center at Stuyvesant High School – Presentation by Robin Forst, Vice President, BPCA nyc.gov/html/mancb1

MODERN MASTERS: RENE MAGRITTE New York Public Library, 175 North End Avenue 4 p.m.; Free Explore the mediums, messages, and techniques of modern and contemporary artists. Presented by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. For ages 6 and older. nypl.org

evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 7:00 PM featuring the piano stylings of Nate Andersen, an Awards ceremony at 7:30 PM, a buffet dinner and live music. The Manhattan Youth Players of IS 276 will present “It’s a Hardknocks Life” from their

PERSON, PLACE, THING LIVE! WITH RANDY COHEN & TRACY K. SMITH Poets House, 10 River Terrace 7 p.m.; $30 Poets House will host the live broadcast of this public radio show and Emmy Awardwinner Randy Cohen, widely known as the original writer of “The Ethicist” for NYT Magazine, with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith. The premise: Randy interviews guests about one person, place, and thing they ﬁnd meaningful. Join us for a special evening of live music and great stories in support of Poets House programming. poetshouse.org

15 MANHATTAN YOUTH DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY AWARDS 2014 Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren Street 7 p.m.; $150 Seven individuals will be honored for their commitment to education in the Lower Manhattan community. The

recent production of Annie. manhattanyouth.org

POSH FASHION SALE Lighthouse Guild, 110 East 60th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues. 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.; $10-$30 4-day/students & seniors half off POSH will feature top designers at up to 75% off — such as: Armani, Bill Blass, Brooks Brothers, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Ferragamo, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Marc Jacobs , Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Prada, The Row, Valentino,YSL and many more. All proceeds benefit Lighthouse International, an affiliate of Lighthouse Guild, providing a full spectrum of integrated vision + healthcare services to help people with vision loss as well as those with multiple disabilities lead productive, dignified and fulfilling lives. Continues through the 18th. poshsale.org

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Our Town MAY 8, 2014

THESE WALLS CAN TALK ART Current exhibits explore NYC streets’ past and present BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Last November, one of New York’s most iconic art exhibits was uncermoniously whitewashed. Outdoor art space 5Pointz, a destination in Long Island City where graffiti writers from all over the world came to leave their mark, was covered over with white paint last November at the behest of the building’s owner, Jerry Wolkoff. When the vast walls of colorful graffiti were covered, Long Island City resident Jeffrey Leder took notice. Wolkoff had allowed graffiti writers to legally create work on his property for more than a decade, but now plans to demolish the building and construct residential high-rises after winning legal disputes with the 5Pointz artists. Leder, who operates an art gallery a block away, joined forces with Marie Cecile-Flageul, a member of the 5Pointz community who also manages its press, to curate “Whitewash,” an exhibition responding to the destruction, featuring work by nine artists who once painted at 5Pointz. Included in the exhibit are paintings by Meres One, the longtime curator of 5Pointz, as well as prints by Orestes Gonzalez, who photographed the aftermath of the whitewash. “The opening was like an Irish wake,” said

Leder about the debut of the exhibit. “It was a celebration 5Pointz of the life of 5Pointz and also showed that there mourning its death.” was a need for While “Whitewash” is a di- graffiti culture rect response to the recent as a tourist events at 5Pointz, the Jeffrey destination spot, Leder Gallery is not the only and so therefore local space exploring graf- any gallery or art fiti’s presence in New York institution that City. In February, Museum of can provide people the City of New York opened with their graffiti “City as Canvas,” an exhibi- ﬁx will do so.” tion of 1980s graffiti art. City Gregory J. Lore, a non-proﬁt organiza- Snyder, author tion that preserves and pro- of “Graffiti motes folk and grassroots Lives: Beyond arts movements, opened its the Tag in New new gallery space in April York’s Urban Underground” with “Moving Murals,” a photographic display of graffiti-covered subway cars shot by photographers Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper during the 1970s and early 1980s. “Graffiti is so emblematic of the way people can be creative in their own environment,” said Steve Zeitlin, founding director of City Lore, who noted that, while graffiti still exists in the city, painted train cars are rare. In August, Gothamist reported that a tagged 4 train was spotted in the Bronx, though Zeitlin said it didn’t stay in public view for very long. “They never make it out of the train yard,” Zeitlin said. While graffiti is more policed now than in the 1970s and 1980s, street art has become a more accepted public display in urban areas, thanks in no small part to the international celebrity of clandestine British street artist Banksy, who completed a month-long ‘residency’ on New York City’s streets in October. Gregory J. Snyder, a sociologist and professor at Baruch College whose book “Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York’s Urban Underground” resulted from a decade of immersive research into graffiti’s subculture, makes a distinction between the two forms. “A lot of what we consider street art was anticipated by some of the early pioneers of the graffiti movement,” said Snyder, referencing artists like COST and REVS, whose wheatpaste posters in

Above, a train mural from the City Lore exhibition. Photo by Henry Chalfant

“

Left, Henry Chalfant and graffiti writer SHARP at the City Lore exhibition opening. Photo by Fernanda Kock

the early 1990s stared defiantly at Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s cleanup efforts. Snyder also acknowledged the open tension between graffiti writers and street artists. “Street artists do not necessarily have to answer for their vandalism the same way that graffiti writers do,” he said. “Graffiti is thought to break windows, where street art is just, ‘hey, I’m putting up art.’ So it’s a little bit easier in the public mind to be a street artist than to be a graffiti writer, and I think both of those subcultures like it the way it is.” Abby Ronner, director of the City Lore gallery, echoes Snyder’s sentiments. “They’re totally different aesthetics,” Ronner said, noting that the City Lore exhibit explores an era when graffiti was transitioning from pure vandalism to legitimate expression in the art world’s view. Graffiti’s presence in galleries and museums isn’t new, Snyder said, nor is its alignment with fine art. Brooklyn Museum exhibited graffiti in 2006 and included some of the same artists as the Museum of the City of New York show, which acquired a private collection of graffiti art in 1994. Galleries, including Jonathan LeVine in Chelsea and roaming pop-up Klughaus repre-

sent artists rooted in graffiti and street art. Many artists who were part of graffiti’s halcyon days have gone on to professional art careers, including Barry McGee, also known by his tag name Twist, and Steve Powers, known as ESPO, who are now successful studio artists. Still, Ronner notices a recent uptick in public interest. “In New York City, the cost of living is increasing so signiﬁcantly and quickly, and there’s so much commercial development,” said Ronner. “A lot of people feel New York is being lost. The very deﬁnition of New York and the character of it are lost. People are seeking old New York City culture.” Snyder suggests that Banksy’s mainstream success and the current popularity of street art renewed some interest in graffiti art and its culture, though he wonders if the recent events at 5Pointz affected gallery and museum attention. “Curators have a good sense of the moment,” said Snyder, who said that, though 5Pointz became a prestigious space for graffiti writers from all over the world, it wasn’t necessarily home to

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MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

THESE WALLS CAN TALK CONTINUED

FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

KIDS

the most progressive work. “5Pointz showed that there was a need for graffiti culture as a tourist destination spot, and so therefore any gallery or art institution that can provide people with their graffiti ﬁx will do so.” For Leder, who considers himself a “happy voyeur” to 5Pointz rather than a crusader entrenched in the community and the legal battle over its fate, the whitewashing of 5Pointz signifies a censoring of the artistic voices in the neighborhood. He worries that, with the sprouting of luxury condos in 5Pointz’s wake, artists in Long Island City will no longer be able to afford their studios, a dilemma that has already

pushed artists in downtown Manhattan into more affordable outer-borough neighborhoods. He references a piece in the show by Meres One titled “Essence:” simple black graffiti lettering painted in acrylic on a white canvas. “I’ve found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way. Things I have no words for,” the painting reads. “To me, that’s the credo of the visual artist,” Leder said.

“ A lot of people feel New York is being lost. The very deﬁnition of New York and the character of it are lost. People are seeking old New York City culture.” Abby Ronner, director of City Lore gallery

A YEAR WITH CHILDREN 2014 A culmination of 20 weeks of work by nearly 1,500 students ents from 11 New York City schools, A Year with Children 2014 is an exhibition of work birthed from a partnership between the Guggenheim’s Learning Throughh Art education program and the city’s public schools. The exhibition opens in the Kandinsky Gallery, and the nearly 100 works on display—which includee collage, paintings and mixed media, among other mediums—contemplate local cal and global communities. Participating schools include PS 42 in Chinatown, town, where fourth graders created mixed-media sculptures based on books ooks they studied, and PS 317 in the Bronx, where second graders built ilt collages of materials found on a nearby beach to represent their community. mmunity. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave. May 9-June 18 Sunday-Wednesday 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Friday 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-7:45 p.m. Admission $22

ART

FILM

JANINE COYNE’S “NAPOLI”

“MUGABE: VILLIAN OR HERO?”

Brooklyn photojournalist Janine Coyne’s exhibition, “Napoli,” featuring images captured during the artist’s recent visit to Naples, where she explored the historic Spaccanapoli district, documents both the active city, which suffers from high unemployment rates, as well as the natural beauty of the location, including Mount Vesuvius. “Napoli” includes 15 large-scale images and opens at the Italian American Museum on May 9. Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry St. May 9-October 13 Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday by appointment only

MUSIC

The rule of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, the country’s sole elected leader since its independence from Great Britain in 1980, has been marked with human rights violations, economic despair and intimidation of the Zimbabwean people, but director Roy Agyemang’s 2012 documentary explores the complexities of Mugabe, who also seized white-owned lands and returned them to the locals, and whose early political career was highlighted by his ﬁght for the rights of the black majority. Screening as part of the New York African Film Festival, “Mugabe: Villian or Hero?” was shot over three years of intimate access to Mugabe and his closest allies. New York African Film Festival Film Society Lincoln Center Francesca Beale Theater, 144 W. 65th St. Sunday, May 11, 6:15 p.m. Tickets $13

NYCC JAZZ

OUTRAGEOUS!

New York Composers Circle, an organization devoted to the production and performance of new works, presents NYCC Jazz, a presentation of new pieces composed and performed by Composers Circle members. The event features original compositions by nine NYCC members, and performances by the group’s Jazz Quartet and Heritage Ensemble. New York Composers Circle Zinc Bar, 82 W. 3rd St. Wednesday, May 14, 6 p.m. Free until 7 p.m.

This 1977 cult classic opens the IFC Center’s “Summer of Drag” film series, a collection of films that celebrates the history of drag in New York City. Based on the short story, “Making It,” by writer Margaret Gibson, the film follows hairdresser Robin Turner, who becomes a drag performer at the urging of his schizophrenic roommate. Played by Canadian drag star Craig Russell, Robin becomes a sensation for his impersonations of Judy Garland, Bette Davis and Mae West. Drag star Lypsinka, who praised the film’s realistic depiction of 1970s gay life in the city, joins for a post-viewing discussion. “Summer of Drag” film series IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. Monday, May 12, 8 p.m. Tickets $14

Weill Music Institute

Free

Neig hbor hood Conc ert

Le Vent du Nord Sunday, May 18 at 3 PM Le Vent du Nord’s folk music is an earthy swirl of energetic French-Canadian and Celtic dance tunes, traditional songs, and original compositions. Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement The Playhouse 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street) Manhattan abronsartscenter.org 212-598-0400 DFJ

Bus: B39, M9, M14A, M15, M22

Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concerts are sponsored by

Free concerts in all ﬁve boroughs! carnegiehall.org/NeighborhoodConcerts

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

Food & Drink

POPULAR ONLINE DONUT SHOP HOLEY DONUTS! OPENS A BRICK-AND-MORTAR BY LAUREN ROTHMAN

WEST VILLAGE Holey Donuts!, a ten-yearold donut company started by Frank Dilullo, went the opposite route of most traditional businesses: after a decade of online success shipping its frozen treats across the country,

Holey Donuts! has taken up shop in a corner storefront on Seventh Avenue South. These aren’t just any old donuts, though: they’re low fat, containing about a quarter of the fat and calories of a standard donut. You wouldn’t know it from looking at the pastries: they’re the same size and shape as a normal

donut, and come in all the classic ﬂavors such as chocolate-frosted with sprinkles, Boston cream and jelly-filled. A top-secret cooking process—Dilullo said the donuts are handmade via a 22-step process and then cooked in computer-controlled ovens—leaves the desserts a desirable choice for dieters.

A lobster roll from Luke’s Lobster, one of the restaurants downtown participating in Sustainable Seafood Week

In Brief PETE WELLS REVIEWS EAST VILLAGE SUSHI SPOT CAGEN Toshio Tomita, chef and owner of East Village sushi spot Cagen, which opened this past summer on East Ninth Street, formerly worked for chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa, who owns 19 restaurants internationally, including celebrity hotspots in New York City, Los Angeles and London, a culinary training that Pete Wells recognized in Cagen’s dishes. In his April 29 review for the New York Times, he avowed his love for Tomita’s chimichurri, made with wild ginger, yuzu and jalapeno and served with sashimi, a nod to a Nobu mainstay, Wells wrote. Diners can opt for a three-course omakase menu for $45, which includes an amuse bouche, sashimi and a noodle dish, or order freely from the a la carte menu. But Wells advocates for the $120 seven-course omakase menu if budget allows, noting that “the big splurge shows off all the things Cagen does very well: sashimi with that nervy chimichurri, sushi wrapped in grilled seaweed that crackles like autumn leaves, and zaru soba, served as three small ponytail bunches of cool soba noodles.” Cagen accepts reservations and opens for dinner at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

LONG-AWAITED RESTAURANT OPENS IN UNION SQUARE PARK On the heels of the anticipated opening of the renovated and reimagined Tavern on the Green on April 24, another restaurant debuted in one of Manhattan’s parks after years of delays and controversy. On May 1, The Pavilion opened in Union Square Park following six years of lawsuits and court battles with advocates who believe the space should remain public and accessible to city residents, particularly for youth programs. According to the Daily News, the 90-seat restaurant opened to a packed house and served up $13 tuna crudo and $14 cocktails, and owner Simon Oren, who also owns the Five Napkin Burger franchise, plans to add another 90 seats for more al fresco dining. Oren will owe the city $300,000 per year to lease the space, an amount that will increase incrementally, capping off at $450,000 for the ﬁnal year of the 15-year contract, the Daily News reported.

“ The freshness of locally caught ﬁsh [is] like a tomato that’s plucked off a backyard vine as opposed to one that’s shipped halfway across the country: there’s no contest.” Sean Dixon, co-founder of Village Fishmonger

GUILT-FREE FISH FOOD New York City celebrates sustainable seafood BY LAUREN ROTHMAN

UPPER EAST SIDE Beginning on Tuesday, a group of local fishermen, restaurant chefs and organizations around the city have gathered to discuss the peril that faces our oceans: a fast-dwindling supply of seafood. This week marks New York’s second annual Sustainable Seafood Week. Due to overfishing, the destruction of marine habitats caused by development and acidification of the oceans created by climate change, 70 percent of the world’s fish populations are threatened, with some of the most popular species in particular crisis: the Pacific Bluefin tuna population, for example, has suffered a 96 percent decline. Those figures weighed heavily on Sean Dixon’s mind last year when he and his Village Fishmonger co-founders, Samantha Lee and Dennis O’Connor, launched the first annual Sustainable Seafood Week.

The trio, who run a sustainable seafood company here in the city as well as a popular CSF, or community-supported fishery program, decided that New York City diners—a seafood-loving bunch—ought to know more about how their dinners are caught. Sustainable Seafood Week runs through Sunday, with star chefs including Tom Colicchio, April Bloomfield, David Chang, Anita Lo and Bill Telepan participating in events, like a “Sustainable Seafood Shindig” and an interactive supper club, which will mix food and fun with education. For Dixon, eating New York-caught seafood fits right in with the wider trend of eating local. “There are so many locally-made products out there today, from cheeses to beer to yogurt to honey,” he said. “The freshness of locally-caught fish, that’s the same thing. It’s like a tomato that’s plucked off a backyard vine as opposed to one that’s shipped halfway across the country: there’s no contest.” Jessica Lin, brand manager at Luke’s Lobster on William Street, agreed. The restaurant sources its crustaceans from a group

of fishermen operating in Milbridge, Maine, a close business relationship that Lin says allows the restaurant to know the true provenance of the lobster it serves. “We can trace each lobster we get in, so that we know we’re doing things sustainably,” she said. As part of Sustainable Seafood Week, on Thursday Luke’s Lobster will host the second of two “Sustainable Seafood Supper Clubs,” serving a lobster pot pie. Owner Luke Holden will be on hand to discuss sustainable ﬁshing practices. Lin said she has noticed that customers are more curious about the provenance of their meal than they have been in the past. She said the restaurant wants to continue to engage that conversation. “There does seem to be an increasing awareness,” she said. “But it’s also helpful when the restaurant itself is talking about sustainability. We’re talking more, and they’re paying more attention.”

FOR MORE Information on Sustainable Seafood Week, visit sustainableseafoodweeknyc.com Information on Village Fishmonger, visit villagefishmongernyc.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS APRIL 24 - 29, 2014 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. Rainbow Falafel

26 East 17 Street

Rosewood

5 East 19 Street

Mcdonald’s

724 Broadway

Grade Pending (22) 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

Moon Struck On 2nd

88 2 Avenue

Adriatic Restaurant Pizzeria Bar

321 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (3)

National Arts Club

15 Gramercy Park South

Dunkin’ Donuts

40 Union Square East

Dos Toros Taqueria

137 4 Avenue

Stillwater Bar & Grill

7880 East 4 Street

Saigon Market

9193 University Place

Dorado

28 East 12 Street

Starbucks Coffee

49 1/2 1 Avenue

Jack’s Sliders And Sushi

171 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (26) Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Rai Rai Ken

218 East 10 Street

All’onda

22 East 13 Street

Grade Pending (38) 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Pizza Vinoteca

15 Union Square West

Insomnia Cookies

299 East 11 Street

The Players Club

16 Gramercy Park South

Il Cantinori Restauraunt

32 East 10 Street

Campeon

9 East 16 Street

D.B.A.

41 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (27) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live animals other than ﬁsh in tank or service animal present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Karma

51 1 Avenue

Mancora

99 1 Avenue

Ugly Kitchen

103 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/ or non-food areas.

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

The Pothole Project

If this pothole at 47th & Park Ave. looks like any of the potholes in your neighborhood, send us an e-mail with the exact location and we’ll go take a photo or send us a photo with the location to news@strausnews.com We’re compiling locations to inform the City & improve our neighborhood The local paper for Downtown

New Your Neighborhood News Source ^

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

Property

JUDGE: PLAZA HOTEL CAN’T EVICT CITI BIKE RACK The Plaza hotel can’t boot a bicycle-sharing station out of a space across the street from its entrance, a judge ruled Tuesday, rejecting the luxury landmark’s claim that the electric-blue bikes are a traffic-clogging eyesore. Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Kern said city transportation officials

In Brief

did an adequate review before installing a Citi Bike rack on Fifth Avenue’s landmarked Grand Army Plaza. “It does not significantly affect the scale, visual prominence or visual context of these landmarks,” Kern wrote, noting that the bike rack isn’t as tall as many cars on the street and

that there are bus stations, kiosks and other street structures nearby. Officials were “very pleased with this decision, which keeps in place one of the most popular bike share stations in the city,” city lawyer Nicholas Ciappetta said in a statement.

POLICY KEY ISSUES

BUILDING FIRM ADMITS DEFRAUDING CLIENTS One of the country’s largest interior construction companies has agreed to forfeit $55 million after admitting it overcharged clients by inflating bills. Structure Tone pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single count of falsifying business records. It agreed to pay $55 million in a plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. DA Cyrus Vance called the deal “one of the largest forfeiture penalties ever imposed on a construction company.” He says the invoices were systematically inflated between 2005 and 2009. The Manhattan-based firm specializes in rebuilding interiors. Its projects have included St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The firm says the plea would not impact its ability to complete existing and future projects. It says the company has strengthened its “compliance protocols to improve transparency.”

REBNY SAYS NEW YORK BROKERS MORE CONFIDENT The Real Estate Board of New York just released its most recent quarterly survey showing that brokers are more confident in the real estate market now than they were at the end of 2013. In its report, REBNY said the first quarter of 2014 saw an increase in the Overall Confidence Index to 9.21 from 9.00 compared to the last three months of 2013. The index was at 8.75 at the end of the third quarter of 2013. “This jump is due in part to our steadily improving economy as well as the continuing increase of home sales in the city’s residential market,” said REBNY in a press release accompanying the report. “Our brokers - both residential and commercial - continue to express strong confidence in New York City’s real estate market,” said REBNY President Steven Spinola. “Our continuing increase in the Broker Confidence Index is a strong sign of our member’s faith in our city’s steadily improving economy.” According to REBNY, the confidence index is a collection of data from anonymous online surveys given to their residential and commercial brokerage division members. Survey data is tabulated on a scale of zero to ten; five is neutral.

· $41 billion investment to yield 200,000 new and preserved affordable units · City doubling the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development’s capital budget to $2.5 billion · Rules and processes overhaul to contain costs and accelerate affordable construction De Blasio unveils housing plan

MAYOR TAKES ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING De Blasio’s housing initiative includes an investment of $41 billion BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a 10-year plan to expand and protect affordable housing in New York City. According to the mayor’s office, a $41 billion investment will yield 80,000 new and 120,000 preserved units of affordable housing in the next decade. The city will propose to double the Deptartment of Housing Preservation and Development’s capital budget in 2015 and will also overhaul the development process so projects face fewer unnecessary barriers and delays. The mayor’s office said the 115page plan was put together with input from 13 city agencies and includes over 50 initiatives.

“ We have a crisis of affordability on our hands. It touches everyone from the bottom of the economic ladder, all the way Another major component of the plan is the implementation of mandatory inclusionary zoning, which says all re-zonings taking place in the city that could substantially increase an area’s housing capacity must include a portion that’s permanently affordable to low or moderate-income households. The city will also launch affordable housing programs for very low and middleincome New Yorkers. “This is a plan that takes on our crisis of affordability from every angle. We are linking our housing

up to the middle class. And so we are marshaling every corner of government and the private sector in an unprecedented response.” Mayor Bill de Blasio

strategies with our work to spur economic development, deliver good jobs, and revitalize neighborhoods,” said Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for Housing and Economic Development. “We are committed to innovating new ways for government and the private sector to work together to realize these ambitious goals.” The mayor’s office said it proposes to double HPD’s capital fund as part of the 2015 budget - to over $2.5 billion - which would substantially contribute to and support the city’s affordable housing

stock. Another component of the plan involves, “stemming the tide of rent deregulation and protecting tenants.” Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, a development industry trade organization, said de Blasio’s plan, “identiﬁes the problems and provides a realistic roadmap for solutions,” and that the organization looks forward to working on implementing the plan’s objectives. However, he has said he won’t support any initiative that changes the affordable housing component to near 50 percent for new development projects. Currently, developers looking to building the city must adhere to a 20 percent affordable housing component for their projects. The plan was announced soon after Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office unveiled a report claiming that families who make $40,000-ayear or less, “literally may not be able to ﬁnd an apartment they can afford.” The report noted that median rents in New York City rose 75 percent from 2000 to 2012, even as median incomes declined in the same period due to the recession. To view a complete copy of the mayor’s plan, called “Housing New York: A Five-Borough, Ten-Year Plan,” visit nyc.gov/housing.

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd Address

Price

Bed Bath Agent

Battery Park City225 Rector Place

$645,000 0 1

Battery Park City30 W St.

Fulton/Seaport 150 Nassau St.

$777,777

Ccg Real Estate

Gramercy Park 1 Irving Place

$1,515,000 2 2

Nestseekers

Battery Park City70 Little W St.

$847,500 0 1

Chelsea

246 W 17 St.

Chelsea

1 1

Corcoran

Soho

140 Grand St.

$1,480,000 0 1

$1,125,000

Tribeca

93 Worth St.

$1,302,087

Gramercy Park 205 3 Ave.

$2,200,000

Tribeca

250 W St.

$8,900,000 3 3

Nestseekers

Greenwich Vill 26 E 10 St.

$1,200,000 1 1

Douglas Elliman

Tribeca

93 Worth St.

$738,231

$1,950,000 1 2

Core

Greenwich Vill 67 E 11 St.

$980,000 1 1

Halstead Property

Tribeca

55 Vestry St.

$5,450,000 4 3

Douglas Elliman

148 W 23 St.

$930,000 2 1

Corcoran

Greenwich Vill 250 Mercer St.

$8,000

Tribeca

415 Greenwich St.

$4,930,000 3 3

Douglas Elliman

Chelsea

219 W 14 St.

$877,500

Fox Residential Group

Greenwich Vill 23 E 10 St.

$545,000 1 1

Tribeca

60 Beach St.

$4,631,250 3 2

Halstead Property

Chelsea

77 7 Ave.

$801,000 1 1

Douglas Elliman

Greenwich Vill 175 W 12 St.

$4,750,000

Tribeca

16 Warren St.

$5,100,000 3 3

Douglas Elliman

Chelsea

312 W 23 St.

$416,000

Greenwich Vill 63 E 9 St.

$495,000 0 1

Charles H. Greenthal

Tribeca

93 Worth St.

$410,670

Chelsea

77 7 Ave.

$925,000 1 1

Douglas Elliman

Greenwich Vill 35 E 10 St.

$485,000 0 1

Green Line Realty

Tribeca

93 Worth St.

$496,860

E Village

427 E 12 St.

$941,881

1 1

Douglas Elliman

Greenwich Vill 23 E 10 St.

$14,450

E Village

111 4 Ave.

$630,000

Halstead Property

Greenwich Vill 126 W 11 St.

$325,000 2 1

E Village

185 E 2 St.

$375,000

Greenwich Vill 111 W 11 St.

E Village

115 E 9 St.

$1,750,000 2 2

Corcoran

Financial District75 Wall St.

$1,802,302 2 3

Douglas Elliman

Financial District88 Greenwich St.

$610,000

Financial District123 Washington St.

$1,351,217 1 1

Financial District123 Washington St.

1 1

Douglas Elliman

Town Residential

Cantor And Pecorella

Two Bridges 257 Clinton St.

$490,000

Edward Horner

W Chelsea

520 W 19 St.

$2,560,000 2 2

$605,000 1 1

Corcoran

W Chelsea

455 W 20 St.

$4,302,106

Lower E Side 570 Grand St.

$840,000 3 1

Halstead Property

W Chelsea

450 W 17 St.

$3,000,000 2 2

Lower E Side 504 Grand St.

$425,000 1 1

Loho Realty

W Chelsea

455 W 20 St.

$4,081,910

Lower E Side 195 Bowery

$2,850,000 2 2

Charles Rutenberg

W Chelsea

520 W 23 St.

$825,000 1 1

Brown Harris Stevens

Douglas Elliman

Lower E Side 60 Orchard St.

$1,580,000

W Chelsea

468 W 23 St.

$1,390,000 2 2

Keller Williams

$1,354,272 1 1

Corcoran

Lower E Side 530 Grand St.

$440,000 1 1

W Village

299 W 12 St.

$794,235

Firstservice Realty

Financial District75 Wall St.

$804,417

0 1

Douglas Elliman

Lower E Side 417 Grand St.

$380,000

W Village

23 Downing St.

$8,100,000

Financial District55 Wall St.

$975,000 1 1

Douglas Elliman

Noho

10 Bleecker St.

$2,062,500

W Village

204 W 10 St.

$675,000 2 1

Flatiron

10 W 15 St.

$2,038,650 2 2

The Rsp Companies

Soho

505 Greenwich St.

$2,325,000 2 2

Douglas Elliman

Flatiron

16 W 16 St.

$620,000 0 1

Corcoran

Soho

29 King St.

$1,025,000 1 1

Core

Flatiron

22 W 15 St.

$1,125,000 1 1

Corcoran

Soho

383 W Broadway

$26,580,000

Fulton/Seaport 99 John St.

$1,425,550 2 2

Nestseekers

Soho

92 Greene St.

$5,250,000 3 3

Clickit Realty

Corcoran

0 1

Douglas Elliman

Corcoran

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YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES Abergel came to NYC Ballet at 13 and stayed for 18 years. Left, a “Nutcracker” performance.

THE KEEPER OF THE SNOW ANGELS Q&A Ever wonder who keeps all those kids pointed in the same direction at the ballet? The answer is Dena Abergel BY HEATHER E. STEIN

on the faculty at the School of American Ballet ages 8-13. Some of the productions I have worked on include George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Mozartiana, Harlequinade; Peter Martins’ Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Magic Flute; Jerome Robbins’ Circus Polka among many others.

Dena Abergel is a kid whisperer. If a production at New York City Ballet includes child dancers -and some, like “The Nutcracker” have a lot of them -- it is Abergel who casts, teaches and rehearses them. Here, she talks about her favorite ballets for kids, what makes a good dancer, and how to know if your kid has the goods.

I was six years old when I began real ballet classes in New Jersey. I came to the School of American Ballet when I was 13. I danced in the corps de ballet of NYCB for 18 years.

What is your actual job title?

What do you look for in each child?

I am the Children’s Ballet Master for New York City Ballet and teach

Each child truly is unique and develops at his or her own pace.

How old were you when you started dancing?

NEW YORK CITY BALLET’S “NUTCRACKER” REQUIRES

63 children in each cast

2 casts 126 children Up to

8 hours of weekly rehearsal

Some children have a natural sense of movement, while others really need to be taught step by step. For different roles, I look for different qualities. For example, this season we are performing both Coppelia and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Coppelia requires more classical dancing, while Midsummer requires more energetic quick movements. We have so many talented students now at SAB that I was able to give all the roles to different students, giving more children opportunities to perform with the company. What is most important to me, aside from their ability to execute the steps, is their desire to work hard and their ability to project when they dance. When a child looks like he or she is enjoying dancing, it gives the whole audience pleasure. Ultimately, that is what dancing is all about.

What is the rehearsal process like? Typically we rehearse for three or four hours on Sundays (seven or eight during Nutcracker) and twice a week after classes for an hour and a half. Since we are working with children, we can only work with them after 7 p.m., when academic and ballet classes are ﬁnished. These kids are really committed and dedicated. They are little professionals!

What amazes me is that at 8:30 at night, after hours of school and ballet classes, they never want the rehearsal to end. We only get to rehearse on stage once or twice before the performance with the company. That is the most exciting and stressful time because all the hours of work in the studio suddenly become real. The kids have lights, costumes, company dancers and no mirror. They are in a totally different environment and need to remember everything I have taught them in the studio. It’s truly amazing how well they perform under pressure.

Do the kids have a favorite ballet? Nutcracker is wonderful for children for so many reasons. It is a magical ballet that opens their eyes and hearts to the world of ballet. Children often perform many roles over the years, but “grow up” in the Nutcracker. There are 63 children in each cast, and we have two complete casts which means rehearsing 126 children for the ballet. Balanchine brilliantly taught the students step by step how to learn choreography. For example, the youngest children often perform as angels in the second act. There are no steps in the choreography, just formations. The children must learn to count the music

and create their formations at exactly the right time in the right space on the stage. Party scene is full of acting, but also playful dancing and a very proper “Grandfather’s Dance,” which is more of a social dance than ballet. As the children get older and learn more, they can dance as Polichinelles and Hoops, which have more challenging choreography. I have loved teaching Coppelia and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well. The wonderful thing about this job is that the choreography is so fantastic and the music is wonderful. Each year I have new children to introduce to this magical world. Their excitement and enthusiasm makes teaching them a wonderful experience for me.

Who does their makeup and costumes? The kids or parents do their own makeup. It is never heavy because Balanchine wanted the children to look like children. The costume department of the company takes care of their costumes.

What is your advice to all the little ones out there -- and their parents -- who want to be professional ballet dancers? If you love to dance, work hard, listen thoroughly and watch carefully. Then, dance your heart out.

MAY 8, 2014 Our Town

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LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL Rick Bryan, Attorney & Counselor-at-Law. Wills, Living Trusts, Probate, Elder Law, Guardianships, Legal Advice. Home Visits Available. We Honor all AARP and Legal Service Plan Discounts 237 1st Ave, 2nd Fl, S.W. Corner of 14th St and 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003 212 979-2868 Social Security Disability & SSI Court Representation Victor Ferrer, Legal Advocate Email: ssdrep@gmail.com No money up front. No expenses. Se habla Espanol Serving NY, NJ, CT 347-573-3882/347-692-6902

HELP WANTED

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MASSAGE

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Directory of Business & Services ANTIQUES WANTED

TOP PRICES PAID

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To advertise in this directory Call Susan (212)-868-0190 ext.417 Classified2@strausnews.com

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212 979-2868 Home Visits Available - We Honor all AARP and Legal Services Plan Discounts 237 1st Ave, 2nd Floor, New York NY 10003 S.W. Corner of 14th Street & 1st Ave

Our Town MAY 8, 2014

WE HAVE OVER 500 WINES UNDER $10!

Sauvignon Blanc Black Birch Mountain Marlborough

Chardonnay Carneros Buena Vista

2010

2008

Dievole Rosso di Sangiovese

Rose Cotes de Provence Terre Des Oliviers

2008

750ML

5.99

2013

750ML

8.99

9.99

750ML

9.99

Cotes du Rhone Perrin Reserve 2010

750ML

8.99

750ML

5.99

750ML

Beaujolais-Villages Laboure-Roi Vieilles Vignes 2009

5.99

750ML

Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sauvion

Bordeaux Coeur De Verdet 2011

Prosecco Martini & Rossi Italy

8.99

2012

6.99

750ML

Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon Argentina

Chenin Blanc Man Vintners South Africa

2011

2013

750ML

7.99

Zinfandel L de Lyeth Sonoma County

Marques de Caceres White Rioja

2006

2010

750ML

Saronga Chardonnay South Africa 2010

750ML

7.99

750ML

5.99

Warreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Warrior Port

4.99

13.99

750ML

Sebastiani Chardonnay Sonoma 2012

750ML

Pinot Noir Cono Sur Chile 2013

750ML

9.99

La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux Rouge

Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon Chile

2011 750ML

2013

2008

Pinot Grigio Torre del Sale Italy 2011 750ML

750ML

6.99

Chateau Serilhan St. Estephe

4.99

2007 750ML

10.99

750ML

7.99

Columbia Winery Pinot Gris Washington State 750ML

Chianti Astorre Noti 2010

750ML

6.99 8.99

6.99

Vinas del Eden Malbec - Bonarda Argentina

4.99

750ML

8.99

Yes, We Deliver!

Credit card purchases In store only. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Not responsible for typographical errors Prices effective through

May 14, 2014