Our Town Downtown July 2nd, 2015

The local paper for Downtown wn TRAINING THE NEXT BIG THINGS < Q&A, P.17

WEEK OF JULY

2-8 2015

NATIONAL TRUST: DEVELOPMENT ENDANGERING SEAPORT

Our Take THE ECHOES OF THE SUPREME COURT

NEWS District lands on national most endangered historic places list

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

The South Street Seaport has been added to the list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In adding the Seaport to its annual list, the trust cited “development” as the primary threat facing the district.

“While the Seaport is a locally designated historic district, and is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is currently under threat due to a series of development proposals that would disrupt the look, feel and low-scale historic character of the Seaport,” said the trust in declaring it endangered.

Since late 2013, the Howard Hughes Corp., which has a 60-year lease on the Seaport with the city’s Economic Development Corporation, has been pushing a development proposal that includes a residential high-rise at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Local elected officials and preservationist groups have criticized the plan as being out of sync with the low-scale, 19th century buildings that define the district.

In a separate development proposal, Howard Hughes has begun construction to turn Pier 17 into a shopping and dining destination.

City officials have said the Seaport

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Near the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street Sunday. Photo: Adrian Cabrero (mustagrapho.com), via Flickr

A RAINBOW-COLORED CHEER Gay pride weekend culminates historic week at the Stonewall Inn

BY WILLIAM ENGEL

Greenwich Village was in a festive mood last week, which, following a freshly endorsed right to marry, culminated Sunday with more than 20,000 people participating in the city’s gay pride parade and hundreds of thousands more spectators joining in the rainbow-colored cheer.

Much of the merrymaking took place in front of the Stonewall Inn, the iconic brick-clad bar on Christopher Street near Seventh Avenue that is often called the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.

On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo officiated at the marriage between David Contreras Turley, 36, who worked as part of the coalition to pass the marriage equality law in New York State, and Peter Thiede, 35, a UBS analyst.

It happened on the spot where, nearly 46 years to the day, a police raid of the Stonewall Inn ignited days of resistance and rioting that came to be called the Stonewall Rebellion, widely considered to be the catalyst that set the national LGBT rights movement in motion.

Earlier in the week, three days before the Supreme Court said samesex couples have the right to marry

anywhere in the United States, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission recognized that lineage and designated the Stonewall Inn as a city landmark.

LGBT activists, particularly those who participated in the original uprising in 1969, were simultaneously awed and reflective.

“I think it’s a great thing,” says Joan Sobel, a veteran of the Stonewall Uprising. “They should keep it forever as a reminder of what happened, so younger generations will know.”

Established in 1967 and operated by the mob, the inn quickly became

Within minutes of the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage, the celebrations began on the streets of Manhattan.

Police almost immediately cordoned off Christopher Street, to make room for a street party that everyone knew was inevitable, turning pride weekend into a three-day celebration.

By Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was performing his first wedding ceremony in front of the Stonewall Inn. For veterans of the fight for marriage equality, the court’s decision was the culmination of decades of work. And yet, you couldn’t escape the fact that the speed of change was breathtaking. Even Republican presidential candidates, facing a bruising primary fight for the party’s fringe, had to concede that the country, through the justices, had moved on.

The streetsweepers were barely done with their work early Monday morning when the hand-wringing over the decision began. Would the acceptance of same-sex marriage undercut a gay-rights movement that had in part been defined by its outsider status?

Was the community losing its cohesion? Would critical issues that still needed advocacy -- like pay inequity and transgender rights -- lose steam?

All important questions.

But first, let’s spend a few more days savoring an epochal change in our nation and our city. And let’s celebrate our fellow New Yorkers who, by the thousands, are now free to exercise a constitutional right they were too long denied.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Downtowner

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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging

BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961.

Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice

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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20

2015

In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam.

Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services.

Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done.

Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks.

President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits

SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS

A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311

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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY SYSTEMS CITYWIDE GET BUDGET BOOST Public libraries in the city will be open six days a week for the first time in nearly a decade, library officials said following the inclusion of a $43 million increase in operating funds included in the city budget, officials from the city’s three library systems said.

The funding boost will allow for increased hours and programming as well as more library staff. Library officials said the increase was the largest ever for the city’s three library systems – The Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library and Queens Library.

The fiscal year 2016 budget, adopted by the city council last week, also includes capital funds for libraries of at least $300 million over 10 years, which library officials said was needed to improve, renovate and repair facilities citywide.

“The people of New York City made clear how much they love their libraries and library staff, and the City’s elected

leaders in turn provided libraries with their largest ever operating increase and unprecedented capital funding,” New York Public Library President Tony Marx said in a statement.

Marx said that more than 150,000 New Yorkers sent letters to city officials supporting the increases in funding.

STATE LAWMAKERS AGREE TO RENT CONTROL, PROPERTY TAX BREAKS PROVISIONS As the 2015 legislative session ended in overtime last week, many New York lawmakers claimed at least partial victory for their constituents — millions of them in the city — with rent controls and property tax breaks.

The rent controls affecting more than two million tenants, which expired briefly, were extended four more years. The new law raises by $200 to $2,700 the regulated monthly rent threshold for apartments that landlords can move to market

rates when they become vacant. The next three years the threshold would increase annually, indexed to the most recent year’s adjustment.

Another major provision in the lastminute bill extends for four years tax breaks for residential developers in the city that include some affordable housing. It includes a requirement that real estate and labor interests reach agreement within six months on construction wages. The program costs city tax coffers more than $1 billion a year for building 155,000 units including almost 13,000 deemed affordable that aren’t for many people, said Assemblyman Charles Barron, a Brooklyn Democrat.

Mayor Bill de Blasio advocated changes that were incorporated into the law that are expected to create 24,000 affordable units over the next 10 years, lowering the city subsidy and lowest applicable income levels, according to his office.

“Albany came up short,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat whose district includes downtown. He said the rent law had

slight improvements in protections against landlord harassment and rent increases for capital improvements also, but it failed to end vacancy decontrol and vacancy rent increases.

Squadron also pushed for months for legislation, killed in a Senate committee, to close the campaign finance loophole for anonymous campaign donations through limited liability companies.

Some grumbled about missed ethics reforms in the six-month session that saw leaders of the Senate and Assembly benched by kickback scandals. Other unpassed bills would have raised the minimum wage, legalized mixed martial arts, rolled back part of New York’s guncontrol law, prohibited discrimination based on gender orientation and raised the criminal age of responsibility from 16 to 18.

The Associated Press

PLAQUE MARKS SPOT OF SLAVE MARKET

a plaque marking the site of an 18th-century slave market in lower Manhattan.

The plaque commemorates the open-air slave market that operated on Wall Street from 1711 to 1762.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said a dedication ceremony June 27 that the slaves played a vital role in building New York City even though their time on earth “literally did not belong to them.”

City Councilman Jumaane Williams said New York was “built on the backs of slaves.”

The marker was first proposed by Christopher Cobb, a Brooklyn-based artist and writer.

The language on the plaque was prepared by the Parks Department and Landmarks Preservation Commission in collaboration with Christopher Moore, former director of research at the Schomburg Center for Black Culture.

The Associated Press

City officials have dedicated

Across from the the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street Sunday. Photo: Adrian Cabrero (mustagrapho.com), via Flickr

Hundreds gathered Sunday by the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, where the gay rights movement was launched in 1969. Photo: Adrian Cabrero (mustagrapho.com), via Flickr

RAINBOW-COLORED

context of the civil rights movement.

In early 2014, the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation began to campaign to upgrade the Stonewall Inn’s status from historic site to city landmark, which would grant it a greater degree of protection and preservation. The Stonewall Inn is the first building in the city to be landmarked solely on the basis of its connection to the LGBT civil rights movement.

In early 2014, the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation began to campaign for landmarks designa-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 renowned as one of the only establishments in the city that catered to LGBT customers. Sobel recalls that the inn was the site of several police raids over the years.

“The cops were just having a free-for-all,” she said. “Eventually, we just got disgusted, which is understandable. We were just trying to relax and we got harassed for it.”

On June 28, 1969, Sobel and the rest of the Stonewall patrons decided that enough was

enough. A police raid triggered a series of violent retaliations from LGBT protestors.

“Back when it was happening, I never thought that the city would recognize us one day,” said David V. Bermudez, another veteran of the Stonewall Uprising. “We didn’t do it for fame; we just had enough, we fought back, and now we’re being commemorated for it.

They even have a plaque for us; it’s beautiful.”

But both Sobel and Bermudez were quick to point out that, as activists, their work was far from over.

“We’re not done yet,” said

Bermudez. “Some of us still risk losing our jobs for being gay. I mean, before, we didn’t have any rights at all. So what we have now is a blessing, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Sobel concurs that, for what it’s worth, the country is far more progressive than in 1969. “Back then, we were all in the closet,” she said. “Nobody spoke. Maybe things are easier now because people are talking, but there’s still a lot of prejudice we have to face.”

In 1999, the Stonewall earned a spot on the State and National Registers of Historic Places for its historical significance in the

tion, which would offer the site a greater degree of protection.

Andrew Bergman, the society’s executive director, told the commission that “few sites anywhere in New York have the international resonance of Stonewall.”

Landmarks designation would ensure preservation of the building, “which is so inextricably linked to the events of June 1969 that transformed our city, our country and our society,” he said.

Alterations, reconstruction, demolition or new construction affecting the Stonewall must now be approved by the

commission before it can go ahead. The Stonewall Inn is the first building in the city to be landmarked solely on the basis of its connection to the LGBT civil rights movement.

Bergman said several other sites across the city deserve landmark designation on that merit, including Julius’ Bar, on 159 West 10th St., and the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, at 99 Wooster St. The Associated Press contributed to this report

JULY 2-8,2015

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

MAN CHARGED WITH RUNNING ID-THEFT SCAM A New York City man has been charged with running an identity-theft scheme in which he pretended to be a record company executive in order to use job applicants’ personal information.

New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says 29-year-old Sharif King was arrested on charges including identity theft, forgery, grand larceny and insurance fraud.

Schneiderman says King’s scheme began in 2013 when he posted job opportunities online for his purported record label.

Schneiderman says King requested personal identifying information from job applicants including their date of birth, address and Social Security number. King allegedly used the information to commit fraud such as opening credit cards in the names of the victims.

King pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on a15-count indictment in Manhattan state Supreme Court on Friday.

NATIONAL TRUST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 is in need of extensive repair.

As first reported in Our Town Downtown, workers have begun demolishing the cooler areas behind the New Market and Tin buildings as officials with the EDC said they’re in danger of “imminent collapse.”

Howard Hughes contends that the luxury tower it wants to build on the site of the New Market Building will pay for the $300 million in community benefits it’s also offering, which will include rehabilitating the piers and certain buildings, saving the financially ailing Seaport Museum, creating 70 units of affordable housing and building a new school.

Yet pushback from the community on the tower proposal, including from the local community board and elected officials, led Howard Hughes last year to downsize the tower proposal from 50 stories to 43.

That proposal was also rejected by the community. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Margaret Chin, along with several preservation groups, maintained that any tower in the district would disrupt its character and ruin the Seaport, and urged

SHADY DEALINGS Three men lifted more than $7,000 worth of sunglasses from two SoHo shops on the afternoon of June 17, police said. The trio first entered the Silver Lining Opticians store at 92 Thompson St. and snatched $2,020 worth of sunglasses before fleeing on foot eastbound on Spring Street.

They had snatched two pairs of Bruno Chaussignand valued at $850, one pair of Dunhill Vintage sunglasses tagged at $795, and one pair of Silver Lining Opticians Calcium shades priced at $375. A few minutes later, the three men entered the Ilori store at 138 Spring St. and lifted five pairs of Chanel sunglasses totaling $4,500 and a pair of Prada sunglasses valued at $885, making a total haul of $5,385. They then fled on foot eastbound on Spring Street. Police searched the area but again could not locate the thieves.

Video is available of both incidents.

CHAINED IN VAIN A chain did not stop thieves intent on acquiring a motorcycle. On June 18, a 32-year-old man parked his 2008 Yamaha motorcycle in front of 250 South End Ave. and chained the bike to a sidewalk railing. When he returned just an hour later, at 4 p.m., his bike

Howard Hughes to find a site outside of the Seaport for their tower proposal.

Despite that criticism, late last year Howard Hughes forged ahead with the landmarks review process for much of what it wants to do on the Seaport. (Because the New Market Building is not part of the Seaport Historic District, the Landmarks Preservation Commission does not have review authority over the developer’s tower proposal.)

But a recent announcement by Chris Curry, Howard Hughes’ senior vice president of development, indicated that the company is beginning to bend on its tower proposal. “In response to community concerns, we are exploring a significant reduction to the height of the proposed building on the New Market site,” said Curry in a statement. “As we’ve stated from the beginning of this process, our long-term vision for the seaport celebrates the area’s rich history by creating a vibrant Seaport District while also preserving its historic fabric and architecture, puts the South Street Seaport Museum on sound financial footing and reestablishes New York’s cherished connection to the working waterfront.”

A spokesperson for How-

was gone. A search of the area proved fruitless. The motorcycle stolen was a blue Yamaha R6 with New York plates 66GC41, valued at $4,000.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 20th Precinct for June 15 to June 21 Week to Date

SWIM WHERE? A celebrated fashion designer discovered the hard way that robbers had designs on her fashions, about $7,000 worth of designs. Late on June 17, the 47-year-old woman parked her car at the southwest corner of Franklin and Church Streets while she visited a nearby lounge. When she returned to her car, she found that items were missing from inside. She had locked the car’s doors, and there were no broken windows or any scratches around the windows. She noticed that three credit cards were missing, and unauthorized charges later turned up on one of the cards, which she canceled. The items stolen from inside the car included 12 swim pieces valued at $1,920, 6 swim cover-ups tagged at $1,800, 6 swimsuit tops by Jean Yu worth $1,500, a 12-inch Apple Air laptop valued at $1,100, a cashmere scarf tagged at $400, a pair of Shwood sunglasses priced at $165, a pair of Tommy Hilfiger sandals valued at $110, a Tyvek wallet worth $40, and 2 X face towels priced at $32.

ard Hughes declined to comment on whether the National Trust’s decision to declare the Seaport endangered due to development would have any impact on the developer’s new proposal.

Brewer applauded the Seaport Historic District’s inclusion on the National Trust’s endangered historic places list.

“The National Trust’s designation only confirms what we in Manhattan already know: the Seaport area is at risk - and very much worth preserving,” said Brewer in a statement.

Brewer credited the Seaport as sparking New York City’s economic development, and said the neighborhood should be enhanced for current New Yorkers while maintaining its link to the past for future generations.

“To dominate the area with a tower is the wrong choice, and I’m glad that the Howard Hughes Corporation is drafting a new proposal,” said Brewer.

Victor Papa, president of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, who is also spearheading a new conservancy-type organization for the East River waterfront called the South Street Initiative, indicated it was the community’s effort that led to the Seaport being named as endangered by the

Year to Date

2015 2014

% Change

2015

2014

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Rape

0

0

n/a

3

3

0

Robbery

0

1

-100

25

27

-7.4

Felony Assault

1

0

n/a

35

14

150

Burglary

2

1

100

37

47

-21.3

Grand Larceny

13

15

-13.3

303

356

-14.9

Grand Larceny Auto

0

2

-100

6

13

-53.8

DUO STEAL MONOGRAM

PLAID CAD

One shoplifter had a getaway driver to assist in her dirty work. On the afternoon of June 21, a woman of unknown age removed a blue leather Saint Laurent Monogram bag valued at $2,190 from a store display in the Saint Laurent shop located at 80 Greene St. and put the merchandise in her bag.

She was last seen fleeing northbound in a waiting black sedan on Greene Street. Police were unable to locate the thieves or the missing property. Video caught the incident.

One good turn deserved much better than this. On June 15, after leaving a bank ATM just before sunset, a 32-year-old woman was approached at the northwest corner of Broadway and Fulton Street by a man in his late fifties wearing a shirt with plaid buttons, asking for directions. While she was distracted by the request, the man then brandished a knife and demanded her jewelry and $800 in cash. He ordered her to “give me everything!”

A rendering of Howard Hughes’ last proposal for a luxury residential tower on the site of the New Market Building at the South Street Seaport. A Howard Hughes official has since said the company is exploring a ‘significant reduction in height to the proposed building.’

National Trust.

“Without a doubt, this is the result of a larger collaborative effort, involving many of the South Street Initiative’s members and supporters. We are thrilled that our work has achieved national attention,”

said Papa in a statement. “More than ever, this accomplishment highlights the urgency of the South Street Initiative and the importance of the South Street Seaport to the neighborhoodat-large. The potential for equitable infrastructural and

economic development, as it relates to the preservation of this precious landmark, must not be wasted in disservice to the residents, businesses, and stakeholders of the Lower Manhattan East River Waterfront.”

4

JULY 2-8,2015

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct

19 ½ Pitt St.

212-477-7311

NYPD 6th Precinct

233 W. 10th St.

212-741-4811

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230 W. 20th St.

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212-334-0611

FIRE FDNY Engine 15

25 Pitt St.

311

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227 6th Ave.

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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 BOARDS Community Board 1

49 Chambers St.

212-442-5050

Community Board 2

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Community Board 3

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Community Board 4

330 W. 42nd St.

212-736-4536

Hudson Park

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Ottendorfer

135 2nd Ave.

212-674-0947

Elmer Holmes Bobst

70 Washington Square

212-998-2500

LIBRARIES

HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian

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CON EDISON

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FUROR OVER Senate bill would exempt taxi and bus drivers from being detained at the scene of serious pedestrian accidents

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

The State Senate has passed a bill exempting taxi, livery and bus drivers from the city’s right-of-way law, which if passed by the Assembly and signed into law, would prevent law enforcement from detaining those drivers at the scene of serious accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists.

The right-of-way law makes it a misdemeanor when any driver fails to yield to a pedestrian or cyclist that has right of way, and as a result, kills or injures someone. It was designed to increase the discretion of precinct-level officers in charging reckless drivers that injure pedestrians or cyclists but are otherwise not suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Previously, only a small number of police officers in the department’s Collision Investigation Squad were able to issue arrests at the scene of serious accidents.

The Assembly’s version of the bill, A-648-B, did not make to the floor before that body concluded its session last week.

Should the bill become law, police will not be

able to detain cab, livery or bus drivers at the scene of an accident or arrest them under the right-of-way law if the driver has a valid license and is not suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The Senate’s exemption bill, which was pushed by the Transpor tat ion Workers Union Local 100, passed by a w ide margin, with 54 votes for and 6 against. State senators who voted against the bill include Daniel Squadron, Brad Hoylman, Liz Krueger, Kemp Hannon, Thomas Croci and the new speaker, John DeFrancisco. The Assembly’s companion bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Walter Mosley, had 16 co-sponsors.

Caroline Samponaro, deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, said the Senate’s exemption bill is a setback for street safety in New York City.

“It’s a terrible bill,” said Samponaro said.

“We should be holding professional drivers to the highest standards.”

She said the union misrepresented the bill by portraying it as only applying to bus drivers, not livery or cab drivers. “The description on the bill itself grossly misrepresents what the bill would actually do,” she said.

TWU Local 100 officials did not return a

Families for Safe Streets at a City Hall rally last year. Photo: Daniel Fitzsimmons. request for comment.

In statements on their website regarding the passed Senate bill, the union stresses that it does not prevent drivers from being arrested and charged with the right-of-way law after an investigation, but only prevents drivers from being arrested on the scene if there is no evidence of recklessness. According to statements online, their position is that bus drivers should not be treated as criminals before the facts are in.

Representatives from Families for Safe Streets, a pedestrian safety organization made up of families who have lost family members in traffic incidents, said since the right-ofway law was passed police have charged 31 drivers, including six MTA bus operators.

The orga n i zat ion wrote an open letter to TWU Local 100 criticizing the union for what the group said was a de

A VisionZero?

Street Team last month handed out information to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in Manhattan.

Photo: NYC Department of Transportation

facto exemption from the rules of the road and offering evidence that the law is working. “Last year, MTA bus drivers killed eight people who had the right of way in crosswalks; so far this year, that number is zero,” the letter reads.

Dana Lerner, whose son Cooper was killed last year in the crosswalk by a cabbie who was later charged with failure to exercise due care and fined $500, also criticized the union for pushing the exemption bill.

“This is a devaluation of human life,” Lerner said. “Professional drivers need to be held to the highest standards. The union is claiming that the bus drivers are victims. The true victims here are the people who are being killed and seriously injured on our streets every day.”

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Lerner worked to pass what became known as Cooper’s Law, which would yank the TLC license of any cabbie who was found to have broken traffic law and, as a result, killed or critically injured another person. An investigation by this paper found that since the law went into effect nine months ago, it has only been used twice.

“This law impedes the NYPD from doing its job,” she said. “And this could affect Cooper’s Law, which as we know is not even being enforced.”

But pedestrian safety advocates may have found an unlikely ally

in Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, with whom they often disagree when it comes to the intersection of street safety and the law. After the exemption bill was passed, Vance sent a letter to both the Senate and Assembly saying that if the exemption bill were passed into law, it may impede cases against drunk drivers.

“Although the amended bill attempts to exclude drivers who may be driving under the influence of alcohol, police officers often conduct field sobriety tests even when there is no immediate suspicion of impairment, and must often wait a significant period of time for the arrival of equipment to conduct those tests,” Vance wrote. “By prohibiting the detention of (bus, taxi and livery) drivers at the scene of collisions, the bill prevents law enforcement from gathering evidence vital to bringing criminal charges in appropriate cases.”

Samponaro applauded Vance’s letter.

“It’s great to see the DA, who sees a lot of vehicular crime cases, coming out in opposition to a bill that’s going to hinder the prosecution of these cases,” Samponaro said.

Transportation Alternatives representatives said they do not believe that, if passed into law, the right-of-way exemption bill would affect Cooper’s Law or other pedestrian safety laws.

JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

BETHPAGE GOLF, POLO & TENNIS MONTAUK VILLAGE & GOLF

SWINGING

Save your long drives for the fairway, not the highway. Long Island Rail Road Getaway deals to Bethpage State Park and Montauk Village let you skip traffic with discounted rail fares and taxi rides to the golf course, plus give you cash-saving coupons to local merchants. For details, visit “Deals & Getaways” at mta.info/lirr – and be sure to download our free Train Time® app for maps, schedules, fares, updates and more! #LIRR

TM

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

The High Line

Chelsea History

PLANT OF THE WEEK: PINK CHINESE ASTILBE

Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions in Pink’ is having a particularly spectacular moment now at the High Line. At around 18 inches tall, its soft, candy-pink panicles echo the form and texture of the Aruncus ‘Horatio’ found in the Washington Grasslands; it is, in fact, commonly referred to as false goat’s beard because of its resemblance to Aruncus. Native to mountainous areas of Asia and North America, Chinese astilbe spreads by

rhizome and is a member of the Saxifragaceae family. Though astilbe is widely loved for its success in shady areas, the ‘Visions in Pink’ cultivar is drought-tolerant and has proven to flourish in the High Line’s full sun exposure. In combination with tangerine-colored butterfly weed and fuschia Red Cauli sedum, as you’ll find it at the High Line, Astilbe becomes part of a beautiful, impressionistic palette with great texture and varied form.

Chinese astilbe flowers abundantly in mid-to-late summer and provides great cutting flower opportunities; after its blooms have faded, its deep green, glossy foliage adds lacy texture into the fall. Many gardeners love its coppery seed heads, which provide great shape in a snowy landscape, as much as the flowers, and refrain from cutting the plants back until spring.

Chinese astilbe is an enthusiastic grower and can be shaped aggressively without fear of harming the plant; its striking, upright habit can weave into softer grasses with great effect, but will also overwhelm surrounding growth if not kept in check.

You can see this plant on the Washington Grasslands and Woodland Edge, Northern Spur Preserve, Chelsea Grasslands

THIS WEEK ON THE HIGH LINE updates every Tuesday by 3 p.m.

STARGAZING Every Tuesday, April through October, dusk to 11 p.m.

On the High Line at West 14th Street You don’t have to leave New York City to see the stars. Gaze at the stars, planets, and moon through the high-powered telescopes of the Amateur Astronomers Association, and chat with the experts about the sights you see.

This High Line Program is free and open to visitors of all ages. No RSVP required.

Viewing times and locations along the High Line are subject to change due to weather. Check back or follow @highlinenyc on Twitter for

“THE COLLECTIVITY PROJECT” FOR KIDS Every Tuesday and Thursday, June through September, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On the High Line at West 30th Street Build, play, and dream about cities using LEGOs and your imagination. Led by a High Line Educator, these special programs just for families are part of Olafur Eliason’s The collectivity project.

Ages 4+

The Carpathia is seen docked at Pier 54 in 1912 after having dropped off the survivors of the Titanic.

FROM DISASTERS AT SEA TO A WATERFRONT PLAYSPACE Pier 55, soon to be a $100 million park, has a dark maritime history

BY RAANAN GEBERER

WILD WEDNESDAY Every Wednesday, July through August, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

14th Street Passage, on the High Line at West 14th Street Looking out from the High Line we can see the places and people that make our neighborhood a great place to live, work, and play. Join us on Wednesdays in July and August to learn about the ways animals and plants at High Line Park also make homes, eat their snacks, and help each other and us!

Wild Wednesday is a drop-in program (no RSVP required), and is open to kids ages 4+ accompanied by caregivers.

Wild Wednesday takes place rain or shine, but may be cancelled in the event of severe weather. Check back or follow @highlinenyc on Twitter for updates on Wednesdays by 12 p.m.

Text and photos from thehighline.org

The talk of the ChelseaGreenwich Village waterfront nowadays is the “Pier 55” project, to be funded by power couple Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg to the tune of more than $100 million. Its innovative design consists of a long esplanade connected to what amounts to a man-made island that will serve as a park and performance space.

The Hudson River Park Trust has already approved a lease to the Diller group for the pier, which will replace the deteriorated Pier 54, Most people, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, seem to like the idea, although Riverkeeper, an environmental group, is pressing for an environmental impact statement, and some have complained about the secrecy in which the plan was conceived.

The City Club, a civi group, has sued to stop construction of the project.

The old Pier 54, which has been sinking slowly into the river, has its own complicated history. In the early years of the 20th century, the pier, which is roughly parallel to West 13th Street, was used by the Cunard and White Star steamship lines. And in that capacity, it was connected to two of the greatest disasters in U.S maritime history.

While the sinking of the Ti-

tanic in 1912 is well-known to Americans, what’s less known is the ship that saved 705 of the Titanic’s survivors, the Carpathia. That ship docked at Pier 54 after the heroic rescue.

The crew members of the Carpathia were all awarded medals by the survivors, and its captain, Arthur Henry Rostron, was knighted by King George V of England and received the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Taft.

Not as famous today, but certainly well known to history buffs and World War I aficionados, was the Lusitania disaster of 1915. The Lusitania, a British ship, left Pier 54 for Liverpool on May 1. It was wartime, German submarines were the terror of the Atlantic, and Imperial Germany had declared the waters around Britain to be a war zone.

Before the ship began its journey, the German government had placed a warning in New York newspapers, saying that passengers on Allied or British ships traveling in war zones were putting themselves at risk. A German Uboat sank the Lusitania off the Irish coast, and 1,193 people died. The incident helped to turn the American people against Germany, although the U.S. didn’t enter the war on Britain’s side until 1917.

The original pier building, according to the Forgotten New York website, was damaged by fire in the 1930s and had to be rebuilt. Like the other Chelsea piers, Pier 54 fell victim to the end of the era of ocean liners.

In 1991, the pier terminal structure, described by the New York Times as a “great green hulk” and a “decrepit remnant,” was demolished, despite the pleas of preservationists.

In 1998, the pier became part of Hudson River Park. Before it was closed a few years ago for structural issues, Pier 54 saw lots of activity. It was used for the annual Gay Pride dance each June; bands played there as part of the River Rocks, Moon Dance and Blues and Barbecue festivals, and films were shown there.

The age of ocean liners is now part of history, and the Pier 55 plan is part of a new era – one of the waterfront and the river as recreation. For the time being, a rusted metal gate still stands on Pier 54, the only survivor of an era when well-heeled Manhattanites wearing fedora hats and mink coats came to the pier in chauffeur-driven automobiles, heading for England, France, Italy and beyond.

This rusty metal gate is all that remains of the once-grand ship terminal building on Manhattan’s Pier 54. Photo by Raanan Geberer

JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Planned Service Changes

(Q) 10 PM to 5 AM Mon to Fri Jul 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10, Jul 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;17 No trains at (Q) stations in Manhattan. ( runs in Queens and Brooklyn only.

Q runs in Brooklyn and is rerouted via the 6 Av D in Manhattan to/from the 57 St F station. ) service ends early in Manhattan and Queens each night.

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

Poetry

OP-ED

CHANNELING THE WIND

A NEW THREAT TO TRAFFIC SAFETY LAWS

The chiasso of a day softens once I hear the wind.

Trees sashay to its many faces.

Leaves chatter. Reveal secrets.

My muses, Tragedy and Heartbreak, having moved on, it’s time to summon new gods.

Fall arrives in Philadelphia.

Mother Nature takes her throne.

As currents caress me, I wrap my mind around memories.

In New York City, as I walk along High Line Park, I reach for parades of clouds.

Nudged by the wind, I compose lines.

On lunch breaks near Penn Station, a blustery force calls out.

I chase it, and empty my head of lists so that I can make room for the stories.

BY HELEN ROSENTHAL

Free at last on Saturdays, I traipse down Tenth Avenue to Chelsea Market.

Moving too fast to text or talk, verses take root.

An indigo sky looms as I head to the gym on the Pier.

Meeting face-to-face with the wind, I make a pact to share the tales.

No longer keep them tucked in my soul to savor alone.

BACK HOME Cicadas lead summer’s songs.

Mornings sparkle.

Sleep comes.

Welsh settlers baptized towns.

Bells ring.

Dusk hums.

Green frames enchanting streets.

Walkers stroll.

Drivers yield.

Restaurants open.

Landmarks change.

Faces age.

Memories fade.

Home travels.

Hearts hold heady days.

Youth unfolds.

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source

-- Amy Barone

he New York State Assembly just voted down the State Senate’s attempt to overturn New York City’s “Right of Way” law. This law is a critical component of Vision Zero; it gives the New York Police Department the ability to treat a fatal crash as an on-site arrestable offense. I’m proud to support the Right of Way law— when a car crash results in critical injury or death, the NYPD should have all tools possible to address the situation.

Last week I was dumbstruck to see State Senators speak out against the NYC Right of Way law—saying the city had overstepped and professional drivers should not be held to the same standards as non-professional drivers. The State Senate bill would exempt not only bus drivers, but also any for-hire vehicle, including taxis, black cars, and Uber drivers. I understand the nuance of bus drivers who operate vehicles with many blind spots, and I fully support any measures we can take to eliminate those blind spots, but that is a far cry from exempting them from the Right of Way law. Professional drivers must be held to the same standard as any other driver, if not higher.

T

Vice President/CFO Otilia Bertolotti Vice President/CRO Vincent A. Gardino advertising@strausnews.com

Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Sr. Account Executive, Tania Cade

The city has so few tools to address traffic safety: it’s the State Department of Motor Vehicles that controls drivers’ licenses, the District Attorneys who pursue reckless drivers, and the courts who make judgments and impose penalties.

Cooper’s Law, which I sponsored and was passed into law last year, sought to capture the authority that the city does have: over taxis, black cars, and Uber drivers, all of whom are licensed by the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Since July 2014, TLC-licensed drivers were involved in 34 collisions that caused the death or critical injury of a pedestrian or cyclist.

Of those 34 collisions, three triggered Cooper’s Law and the TLC immediately suspended the drivers’ TLC license. Another five cases did not qualify for Cooper’s Law, but TLC used Local Laws 28 and 30 of 2014* to prosecute those drivers. In the remaining 26 cases, the TLC driver was involved in the crash, but the blame was attributed to other drivers.

Still, even when Cooper’s Law is triggered, a case usually spans several months from collision to arrest. For the victims’ loved ones, an arrest cannot come too soon, and the wait is unbearable. There are two main reasons for the delay: * Due process. When a TLClicensed driver kills or critically injures a pedestrian or cyclist, we cannot require his TLC license to be automatically suspended, because law enforcement needs to determine

if the driver caused the collision -- at that point they’ll issue a summons and arrest the driver.

For example, there is always the possibility that the crash was caused by the vehicle’s malfunction or another driver. We all have the right to due process under the 5th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. * Length of Investigations by NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad. CIS investigates all collisions that kill or critically injure someone. The investigation of Cooper’s death took 10 months as the CIS took measurements of the crime scene, examined the cab for mechanical defects, and conferred with the Manhattan District Attorney. The driver was arrested on October 7, 2014 for “failure to exercise due care.”

The time it takes CIS to investigate varies case by case, but I am told Cooper’s case was a typical timeframe. I continue to work with the NYPD to determine if more funding or staffing is needed in this department to decrease the time of investigations.

When a judgment does come for a case using Cooper’s Law, it can be disappointing. There is no amount of money or jail time that can bring back a loved one or undo a serious injury.

However, the judgments given fall short of basic decency, let alone justice. The driver that killed Cooper faced a maximum fine of 15 days in jail, a $750 fine, and a license suspension. He pleaded guilty; his license was suspended for six months, and he had to pay a $500 fine and

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope Fred Almonte, Susan Wynn editor.ot@strausnews.com Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com

Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons

complete a driver safety course.

He received no jail time. Again, the sentence for these cases depends on the judge trying the case, and it is outside of our purview as a legislative body.

Advocacy is essential to changing the public discourse.

I am continually in awe of Dana Lerner, Cooper Stock’s mom, for her perseverance in the face of a devastating tragedy. Her courage to tell her story -- to journalists, at TLC hearings, in public forums -- has made pedestrian safety a personal issue for the Upper West Side and the city at large.

NYC has so few tools to address traffic safety. I will continue to do my part in protecting and strengthening the tools we do have. * Local Law 28 requires the TLC to review the results of the NYPD’s investigation of any crash involving a TLC licensed driver operating a TLC licensed vehicle that results in death or critical injury, review that driver’s fitness to drive, and allows the TLC to suspend the driver while the fitness review is pending. Local Law 30 allows the TLC to combine DMV license points assessed against a license under the critical driver program for traffic violations with TLC license points assigned under the persistent violator program for safety violations in determining when a TLC-issued driver’s license must be suspended or revoked.

Helen Rosenthal represents the Upper West Side on the New York City Council

Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

JULY 2-8,2015

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

WE’VE SEEN IT ALL. Funeral directors are using Therapy Dogs to add levity to settings that can be sad and stressful.

For over 25 years, New Yorkers have been trusting us to service their Apple technology.

DOGS AS FUNERAL THERAPY PETS Funeral homes are using pets to help mourners through their grief

BY JIM FITZGERALD

Sandy Del Duca was mourning the death of her father when Lulu, a curly haired goldendoodle, came bounding down the stairs at the BallardDurand funeral home.

Del Duca thought Lulu was simply the pet of funeral home owner Matthew Fiorillo, whom she was meeting to make arrangements. But the dog also works there Funeral directors say dogs, especially trained therapy animals, can lighten the often awkward, tense atmosphere at a wake or funeral service, and sometimes seem to know exactly who needs their help.

Whenever a dog joins a group of mourners, “the atmosphere changes,” said Mark Krause, owner and president of Krause Funeral Home and Cremation Service. “In a funeral home, people are typically on edge, uncomfortable. But everyone lights up, everyone has to greet the dog.”

Krause bought Oliver, a Portuguese water dog, in 2001 to be a family pet. But his wife had Oliver trained to be a therapy dog and he made the usual therapy-dog visits: schools, nursing homes, hospitals.

“Then my wife said, `Why

can’t he do this in the funeral home?’ and in the 10-plus years we had him, he probably touched a couple thousand families,” Krause said. Oliver seemed to “sense grief and who needed him.”

In one case, a boy about seven years old had lost his threeyear-old sister and had stopped talking, even to his parents.

“The minute the dog came in, the boy started talking to him about his sister,” Krause said.

“This little boy tells the dog, `I don’t know why everyone’s so upset, my sister said she’s fine where she is.’”

“I don’t suppose Oliver understood, but he looked at the boy as if he did,” Krause added.

Oliver died in 2011 -- his funeral was attended by 150 people and many of their pets -- and has been succeeded by another Portuguese water dog, Benny.

When Oliver started, a dog in a funeral home was a rare sight.

Statistics aren’t kept, but Jessica Koth, spokeswoman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said, “We hear from members that more and more of them are bringing animals into funeral homes, be it a dog or a cat, whether it’s a certified therapy dog or just an extremely well-behaved family pet.”

Some of the funeral directors are dubious about cats, however.

“Dogs are the only creature that love you more than they love themselves,” Krause said.

“Cats tend to lurk. They could surprise people.”

In White Plains, one-year-old Lulu has been on duty since last month. She lives with Fiorillo and her devotion to him is evident as she follows his every step and command. Lulu even “prays” when prompted, bowing her head between her front paws while perched on a kneeler.

Fiorillo said he first thought about using a dog in the business when he saw how a tiny Maltese being carried through an airport helped distract and calm passengers as flights were being canceled and delayed.

“My purpose was to take a tense, uncomfortable situation and ease the tension a little bit,” he said.

He bought Lulu as a newborn and had her trained for almost a year for a total cost of about $5,000. She wears a blue and white vest that says “Therapy Dog” on one side and “Pet me, I’m friendly” on the other.

When mourners come to the stately funeral home to make arrangements, Fiorillo asks if they’d like to meet Lulu and tells them she’s available -- no extra charge -- for any wake or funeral. Almost all have accepted.

“It’s not like she’s running around during the wake,” he said. “If Lulu’s getting too much attention, then I might say she’s tired and pull her back.”

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com Erectile Dysfunction:

Travel the Road to Treatment Erectile dysfunction (E.D.) affects more than 30 million men in the U.S. It is especially common in men with prostate surgery, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. However, it is now possible to treat almost all men with E.D! E.D. undermines a man’s sexual confidence—but successful treatment can restore it!

Many E.D. treatments are covered by most insurance and prescription plans.

Attend a FREE seminar to educate men and their partners about approved E.D. treatment options. Free refreshments will be served, and partners are encouraged to attend.

Featuring: Dr. J. Francois Eid A board certified urologist who specializes in the treatment of E.D.

The New York Marriott East Side Morgan B Room 525 Lexington Ave. at 49th St. New York, NY 10017

Also featuring: A patient who has found a long-term solution to his E.D. Wednesday, July 8, 2015 Refreshments available at 6 p.m.

Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m.

To reserve your space or for more information about this FREE seminar, please call: (866) 233-9368.

An educational series, sponsored by Coloplast Corp., designed to inform and empower. www.ColoplastMensHealth.com

Now Get Real Time Bus, Subway & Alternate Side Parking Information Here

Fri 3

Sat 4

TOUR OF HISTORIC SHIP ▲

PUBLIC TOUR: FROM FREIGHT TO FLOWERS▼

South Street Seaport, Pier 15 & 16 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

Step aboard the Hermione, a replica of the 1779 French vessel that General Marquis de Lafayette sailed to the United States. First come, first serve. www.hermione2015.com/ voyage2015/new-york/

FILM & VIDEO SCREENING: NORMAL LOVE

otdowntown.com Your Neighborhood News The local paper for Downtown

Whitney Museum, Floor 3, Susan & John Hess Family Theater at 99 Gansevoort St. 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Free with Museum Admission ($18 Seniors/Students; $22 Adults) In four films and videos, love or intense desire is expressed in various ways such as through role-playing, impersonation or examples found in pop culture.

212-570-3600. whitney.org/ Events

GET POP-CULTURED: MAGIC TREEHOUSE DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

Barnes & Nobles at 97 Warren St. 10 a.m. Free.

Spend your Saturday morning learning about dinosaurs and participate in fun activities and High Line, Gansevoort Street giveaways. entrance 212-587-5389. www.store10-11:15 a.m. Free Tours led by High Line docents locator.barnesandnoble.com/ offer an insider’s perspective on event/4858943 the park’s history, design and landscape. www.thehighline.org/ activities/free-public-tours

JULY 2-8,2015

Sun 5 BIG CITY FISHING At Pier 25 at North Moore Street, and at Pier 46 at Charles Street 1-5 p.m. Free Hudson River Park’s free program for those as young as five who are eager to learn both how to fish and about the Hudson River environment. www.hudsonriverpark.org/ events/series/big-city-fishing

NEW SCHOOL JAZZ Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue at 36th St. 1-3 p.m. Free with museum admission ($18 adults; $12 students) Enjoy your weekend brunch while listening to jazz music, featuring a duo lead by violinist Zofia Warpeha. events.newschool.edu/

Elliot Chelsea Center, 441 W 26 St. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

LiveOn NY (formerly CSCS) Specialists will assist you with your application, Change Reports, Recertifications and scrie (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption).

347-815-5930. www.liveonny.org

Tue

7

HEROES ON CAMERA: INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP

Americans with Disabilities Act, this event is part of a three-year Dance/NYC initiative to increase inclusion and access to the art form.

212-966-4452. www. dancenyc.nyc/dancenycevents/2015/07/Disability.Dance.-Artistry/

New York University, Lester Pollack Colloquium Room, 245 Sullivan St. Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m.6 p.m. Free Conference hosted by the Institute for International Law and Justice at New York University School of Law iilj.org/documents/ FinalAgenda-06-26-15.pdf

FREE BENEFITS APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

The local paper for the Upper East Side

LUXURY MEGA-TOWER COMING TO SUTTON PLACE

THE IMITATION GAME: HUDSON RIVERFLICKS, BIG HIT WEDNESDAYS

EXCLUSIVE East Side officials already gearing up to fight the project

Pier 63 in Hudson River Park, Pier 63 in Hudson River Park.

8:30 p.m. Free Big Hit Wednesdays feature a lineup of crowd-pleasing films and free popcorn for all who attend. All films featured are rated PG-13 or R. 212-561-7462. www. hudsonriverpark.org/events/ series/riverflicks-big-hitwednesdays

Chatham Square Library, 33 East Broadway 2-3:30 p.m. Free Teens and young adults (13-18 years) will use cameras supplied by the NYPL to learn the basics of digital photography and capture their unique perspectives. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/07/07/heroescamera-icp-photographyworkshop

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

Plans have been drawn up for a luxury 900-foot condo tower in Sutton Place, which, if completed as planned, would rank as one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan.

The 268,000-squarefoot tower will become the second-tallest on the Upper East Side, behind the in-progress 432 Park Avenue at 1,400 feet, and one of the tallest in the city.

Construction permits

degree views of Midtown, Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan, Central Park and the East River.”

The 268,000 square feet of buildable space and air rights, which includes 58,000 square feet of inclusionary housing rights, have already been delivered. It’s unclear if the affordable housing will be offered on- or offsite, or how many units of affordable housing will be included. Representatives for The Bauhouse Group, which owns the site, declined to field questions about the Sutton Place Development, but a representative of the company provided a press release to Our Town that said the

April 7, 2015

April 8, 2015

Safety Advocates Want Harsher Penalties for New York’s Drivers

THE TRAGEDY AFTER INVESTIGATION

Thu 9

WAXAHATCHEE Roosevelt House Public Policy AND SPEEDY ORTIZ: Institute at Hunter, 695 Park HUDSON RIVER PARK’S Ave. HUDSON RIVER ROCKS 6 p.m. Free

INDICATORS AND THE ECOLOGY OF GOVERNANCE

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST

The local paper for the Upper West Side

LONG, HOT SUMMER? A DOUBLE SYMPOSIUM ON RACE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT◄

Mon 6

11

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

A senior community organizer from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a deputy commissioner from the New York Police Department and an associate professor of Social Work discuss criminal justice, from stop and frisk encounters to harsh solitary confinement and from Ferguson to Baltimore.

212.650.3174. events. cuny.edu/eventDetail. asp?EventId=64298

Wed 8 DISABILITY. DANCE. ARTISTRY. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 860 11th Ave. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.Free.

Registration is required.

Commemorating the 25th anniversary year of the

As many as 260 pedestrians are expected to die this year on New York City streets. But almost none of the drivers involved in those cases will be prosecuted -- adding to the nightmare for the families of the victims.

see Reyes punished for Ariel’s death, now more than a year and a half ago, in June 2013.

Russo said in an interview that she finds cruel irony in the fact that she teaches history to boys the same age as Reyes, who was 17 when he ran over Ariel and her grandmother in a Nissan Frontier SUV in front of the little girl’s preschool on the Upper West Side.

This is why she initially sympa

sterdam Avenue in an attempt to flee from cops who had seen him driving erratically and ordered him to pull over. The chase ended with the fatal crash on 97th Street.

Originally, by giving him bail and charging him as a minor, Judge Carro was giving Reyes a chance to avoid having a public criminal record. But on Sept. 3, Reyes was again stopped for driving recklessly, without a license This time in speeding

March 2, 2015

December 4, 2014 The local paper for the Upper East Side

Pier 84 in Hudson River Park, West 44th St and Hudson River Greenway 6 p.m. Free Hudson River Rocks kicks off its 17th season of free outdoor summer concerts. This highly anticipated event features established and breaking artists.

212-561-7462. www. hudsonriverpark.org/events/ series/hudson-riverrocks

JAZZ IN THE SQUARE CONCERT SERIES West side of Union Square Park, East 14th Street at University Place Noon-1:30 p.m. Free Bassist Almog Sharvit plays for a lunchtime audience events.newschool.edu/event/ jazz_in_the_square_concert_ series_featuring_bassist_ almog_sharvit#.VZGDAEZGTXs

November 5, 2014

April 17, 2014

FI R S T I N YOU R N E I G H BO R H O O D

(212) 868-0190 The local paper for the Upper East Side

The local paper for the Upper West Side

The local paper for Downtown

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

JULY 2-8,2015

THE FUTURE IS NOW, AND IT’S DOWNTOWN A new project from Downtown Alliance encourages collaboration between startup professionals

BY LEIDA SNOW

The newly opened Lower Manhattan Headquarters, or LMHQ, looks, at first glance, like many office spaces designed with innovation in mind. It is mostly open, with high ceilings and movable chairs.

Even the conference rooms appear airy: their doors are walls of glass.

Long tables are intended for solo and group work or meet-ups, and communal areas with sofas, chairs, books, and a café provide a social environment.

But how the space is used depends on who uses it.

“Ambition is bigger than the box,” said Amanda Ramos, one of the project’s design team of 10 from the global firm Gensler. “The design facilitates collaboration, but what happens in the end depends on what people do with the space.”

Hopes are that LMHQ will be a “third space” between work and home, a clubhouse for techies and where the new downtown entrepreneurs can network and socialize.

“Soft areas transform the people in them,” Ramos said. “They foster creativity and collaboration.”

LMHQ is the brainchild of the Downtown Alliance. Founded in 1995 by a group of property owners, commercial tenants, residents, and elected officials, the Alliance works to turn what has been traditionally called the financial district (and a ghost town on nights and weekends) into an inviting community.

“LMHQ is another arrow in the quiver, as we remake downtown into a safe, clean, and vibrant destination,” said Jessica Lappin, president of the organization.

The 12,500-square-foot space at 150 Broadway is financed by state economic development funding,

and by the Alliance, and operates as a non-profit. Microsoft provided some of its latest technology and IdeaPaint installed 4,000 feet of whiteboard walls, ready to be marked up and later wiped clean.

David Rose, a founding sponsor and “serial entrepreneur” who runs the investment group New York Angels, sees identifying and nurturing startups—perhaps the next Google or Facebook—as his calling. He even supplies pitch coaching to those looking for backing, before they present their visions to his investors. He believes LMHQ will nurture the creative, tech and marketing communities that are blooming in the area south of Chambers Street, where more than 800 tech, advertising, media, and information companies have located in recent years.

In some ways, LMHQ is similar to co-working office spaces, such as WeWork, a privately-owned company that recently added a space at 85 Broad Street to its international locations, which include facilities in London, Amsterdam, and Israel.

WeWork also has lounge areas and small private offices, and offers two events every week at each location.

WeWork first attracted tech startups, but now welcomes writers, media folks, lawyers, and financial professionals into its “community.”

But Ramos is quick to point out that the Gensler innovation office design is different from spaces that rent out private offices, which can isolate each company or individual within the larger fold.

To an observer, LMHQ has an expansiveness not found in some co-working environments. The extensive use of glass makes the space appear completely open, and the whiteboard walls can turn work into play. And, unlike co-working spaces, LMHQ can’t be used as someone’s primary office or busi-

ness address.

“It’s meant to provide opportunities for socialization and networking across industries,” Lappin said.

To that end, LMHQ hosts events geared toward its members. Upcoming programming includes a July 7 tech meetup and a July 14 panel about women, body image and food. All events are open to the public, with a networking cocktail hour open to all attendees after the events.

Currently, LMHQ has 50 individual and seven corporate members, including Pace University. Annual membership is $1,920 for individuals and $9,600 for businesses, and $30 for one-day access that includes a conference room.

Rose, a vibrant 58-year-old with frameless eyeglasses, said that the world of work has completely changed.

“Real estate people want stability, ten-year leases,” said Rose, who has a shock of white hair and talks quickly. “But startups don’t want long-term commitments. They don’t even know if they’ll be around next week.”

Rose, who is also an associate founder of Singularity University, a post-graduate program in Silicon Valley, said that, for such industries, the future of work is bleak for those who won’t, or can’t, market themselves.

Given the high-tech world of now, people can be anywhere in the world, alone with their computers, but it turns out that doesn’t always satisfy, which is one of the reasons tech professionals come to New York, Lappin said.

“But being here isn’t always enough,” she said. “People want a space to meet others involved in the same things that interest them.

They want the happy collisions, the chance encounters. They want community.”

Amanda Ramos, senior associate with architecture and design firm Gensler, at the new LMHQ work space. Photo: Leida Snow

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JULY 2-8,2015

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

FOR THE WEEK

BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

MUSEUMS

REVOLUTIONARY WAR NIGHTTIME WALKING TOUR Celebrate the Fourth of July with the Fraunces Tavern Museum’s annual walking tour of lower Manhattan, where a seasoned tour guide will lecture on the city’s role in the Revolutionary War and reveal where in Manhattan some of the war’s heroes are buried.

Revolutionary War Nighttime Walking Tour Saturday, July 4 Start location sent by email upon ticket purchase 3 a.m.-7 a.m.

Tickets $20; advance purchase required To purchase tickets, visit http://frauncestavernmuseum.org/events/ or call 212-425-1776

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

I Say Vote Yes: An Afternoon with William Daniels & 1776

FRIDAY, JULY 3RD, 1PM Fraunces Tavern | 54 Pearl St. | 212-425-1778 | frauncestavernmuseum.org Catch Brooklyn-born actor William Daniels as he discusses what it was like playing John Adams in the musical comedy 1776 as well as his memoir, covering 75 years in show business. (Free with museum admission)

Drawing Sound, Part I: Billy Martin

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH, 7:30PM The Drawing Center | 35 Wooster St. | 212-219-2166 | drawingcenter.org The worlds of sight and sound overlap and collide over three nights (Wednesday through Friday) as musicians interpret the work of artist Billy Martin. On the 10th, novelist Paul Auster enters the mix with a spoken-word piece. ($10)

Just Announced | 1920: The Year That Made the Decade Roar

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH, 7PM GUSTAV KLIMT AND ADELE BLOCHBAUER: “THE WOMAN IN GOLD” The Neue Galerie examines the friendship between Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer, an arts patron and the only person whom Klimt painted twice, including for the iconic 1907 Adele Blochpainting “Portrait of Adele Bauer I © 2015 Bloch-Bauer I” which the Neue Galerie museum purchased in 2006.

New York The exhibition also features Klimt’s drawings as well as vintage photographs.

Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: “The Woman in Gold” Now through Sept. 7 Neue Galerie New York Museum for German and Austrian Art 1048 Fifth Ave., at E. 86th Street Museum hours: Sunday-Monday and Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) Admission: $20 For more information, visit neuegalerie.org or call 212-628-6200

HISTORY FESTIVAL OF TALL SHIPS L’Hermione, a replica of an 18th-century ship— and the largest, most authentic Tall Ship replica from the last 150 years—docks at Pier 15 from July 1-4. The public can tour the ship and view a photography exhibition about General Lafayette, the ship’s commander, and his contributions to the American Revolution. Events also include reenactments and period music concerts. Starting July 4, a 170-foot wooden replica of a Spanish galleon docks at the pier.

Festival of Tall Ships July 1-12 Pier 15 at South Street Seaport South Street, at Fletcher Street Events daily from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

FREE for L’Hermione tours, $15 for El Galeón tours

For more information, visit southstreetseaport.com/events

Bryant Park Reading Room | 42nd St. & Fifth Ave. | 212-768-4242 | bryantpark.org

MUSIC

Correspondent Eric Burns talks about the kickoff year of the Roaring Twenties and its foreshadowing of the century to come. (Free)

SUMMER SINGS’ MOZART NIGHT Singalongs aren’t just for elementary school students. New York Choral Society leads participants in Mozart’s haunting “Requiem in D Minor,” one of the composer’s most significant choral works. Led by music educator Judith Clurman, the impromptu ensemble is provided with scores, accompaniment and soloists.

Summer Sings’ Mozart Night Wednesday, July 8 Symphony Space 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $20 To purchase tickets, visit symphonyspace.org or call 212-864-5400

For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,

sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.

KIDS GLOBAL FAMILY DAY AT SUMMERSTAGE After the ashes of the Fourth of July fireworks dissipate, Central Park Summerstage turns into a family-friendly entertainment zone. Kid-centric soul and R&B outfit Shine and the Moonbeams perform, along with the acrobatic and comedy pair Red Trouser Show and Harlem dance company Batoto Yetu.

Global Family Day at Summerstage Sunday, July 5 Central Park Summerstage at Rumsey Playfield Entrance at Fifth Avenue and E. 72nd Street 2 p.m.-6 p.m.

FREE For more information, visit cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage To be included in the Top 5 go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

Advertise with Our Town Downtown today!

212-868-0190 or advertising@strausnews.com

otdowntown.com

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Food & Drink

< INVESTIGATION REVEALS NYC WHOLE FOODS OVERCHARGES Upscale grocery chain Whole Foods Market has landed in hot water with the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, after an investigation into the store’s pricing practices revealed that the chain serially overcharges for its pre-packaged products, the New York Daily News reported. Ongoing inspections of 120 area grocery stores revealed that Whole Foods was more significantly gouging clients

ROLLING AND SLINGING Food trucks, long part of the city’s street food tradition, proliferate in number and quality

BY LIZ NEUMARK

We are a food town with a wide range of places to eat; from coffee shops and cafes to bars and taverns; from Michelin Star restaurants to casual, local eateries — and everything in between. We are notorious for eating on the run, a characteristic we don’t appreciate until a visit to a city like Tokyo where walking and eating in public is practically illegal.

New York City has a deep history of street food vending, from the original local fare of oysters and clams to the romanticized pushcarts of the Lower East Side. Waves of early European immigrants broadened the offerings to include pickles, sausages, knishes and corn. It is estimated that in the early 1900’s there were thousands of street food carts in the city.

The emergence of food trucks paralleled the evolving cart culture.

Their genesis traced to the western chuck wagons of the late 1800’s and then to a more urban setting with the lunch wagon. These lunch trucks and food carts sold either food already prepared or had on-board facilities where operators prepared meals from scratch. If we have a favorite memory of a local greasy spoon or a long gone lunch counter, then how about a recollection of the legendary roach coach with its bitter coffee and plastic wrapped/plastic tasting food? It was the iconic food symbol of construction sites or transient

neighborhoods with fluctuating street traffic.

What New Yorker cannot remember the true sound of summer? The jingle of the neighborhood Mr. Softie in the early evening is indelibly etched in the early folklore of ice cream trucks. As for my truly favorite food, dirty water dogs (I cannot remember how many I ate in my economically lean years), they are fast, cheap and delicious.

Surprisingly, over the past 10 years, food trucks became trendy, gourmet and a choice destination for a meal.

They were flash points of conflict between their operators and bricks-andmortar landlords. They went beyond an option for enterprising individuals and nurtured entrepreneurial dreams of would-be restaurateurs, chefs and food aficionados. While they were always an option for unskilled (though food savvy) labor, the new generation of carts and trucks unleashed a wealth of ethnic food diversity and offered myriad benefits: employment, higher quality food options in broader communities and a stepping stone to other potential jobs in the culinary world.

The force behind this major shift in mobile food culture is the convergence of several forces: •The recession closed many highend restaurants and chefs/cooks were looking for new work options. Diners were interested in more casual and cheaper food options as well.

•Social media made it fun and easy to track the location of food trucks adding cache to dining experience.

•KogiBBQ in Los Angeles (serving Korean favorites like short rib tacos

than other food stores, prompting the department’s investigation into the Austin-based chain. DCA discovered that the chain, which has eight locations in Manhattan, including an outpost on Greenwich and Warren Streets, overcharges routinely for packaged items, like pre-made foods and chicken cutlets. While other grocery stores in the city were found guilty of overcharging consumers, DCA com-

with kimchi, and Kogi sliders or dogs) is credited as the first truck to gain widespread recognition and inspire a succession of other ethnic food trucks, from Indian to Vietnamese and Brazilian to Greek and Middle-Eastern — not to mention upscale ice cream trucks, vegan, or cupcake and waffles concepts. The list is endless.

•We love eating out and discovering new options. Over the past 10 years, we have watched the emergence of an experiential food dining culture.

The food truck phenomenon has both fed this trend while it’s been fed by it at the same time. Once Hollywood grasped the storyline, the country followed. The Great Food Truck Race on The Food Network was a hit. “Chef,” the movie, romanticized the struggle of a frustrated and talented chef who found fame and fortune (and love) behind the wheel of a nomadic food truck.

Now the reality: trucks are expensive and it is all about a good working vehicle. Truck breakdown or cooking equipment malfunction means loss of revenue. Regulations are formidable.

To operate a truck, you need to pass a course on food safety and vehicle regulations. You need licenses and insurance as well as a depot/commissary for nightly upkeep and resupply.

To take a truck onto the street, it first needs to pass rigorous inspection and then you need a permit; only the catch is that the city is not issuing unrestricted permits. The city’s mobile vending laws were last updated in 1965, when a first-class postage stamp was 5 cents. Restricted permits are easier to get once the operator has a contract with a site that is willing to allow a food truck to operate on its premise. Hence, the interest in contracts at regulated destinations such as Governors Island, designated parks, private property, etc.

Here’s my confession. I had a bad case of food truck envy. In 2010 I had contract food clients in Wave Hill in Riverdale who closed their café while they renovated the historic building that housed it. I jumped at the chance to offer them a food truck for a twoyear period. Thus, the Katchkie Veg-

missioner Julie Menin told the Daily News that the incidences at Whole Foods were the worst the inspectors had ever seen. Since 2010, the city’s Whole Foods shops have been hit with more than 800 pricing violations and $58,000 in subsequent fines, the Daily News reported.

Last year, the grocery giant accepted an $800,000 fine for similar practices in some of its California locations.

Food truck on lower Park Avenue. Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman, via Flickr gie Truck was born, inspired by our farm and our love for vegetables and healthy eating. We rolled it out at a Zagat food truck event where I received lesson #1. People line up for delicious food — but vegetables come in last.

There are lines for sliders, souvalaki, dim sum, ice cream, pizza, any form of pork, even greasy mac n’ cheese — but rarely for veggie burgers. Last year we successfully bid on placement of a food truck at Governors Island, putting that lesson to work. The Dog House, a pint-sized converted Cushman Truckster, is at the food court every weekend selling designer hot dogs and becoming a destination in its own right.

The annual Vendy Awards are the Oscars of the food truck world. Held in September, they feature close to 20 trucks competing in several ‘Best of’ categories.

There are trucks with social missions like Snowday Food Truck from Drive Change, an organization dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated youth find employment, learn skills and establish new lives. The Cinna-

mon Snail, currently off-line as a result of the permitting situation, achieved a giant following and awards, with its all-vegan menu. In fact, many trucks are dedicated to serving healthful and locally-sourced ingredients.

The regulatory landscape for food trucks merits revision. These trucks are essentially small businesses, subject to a lot of regulation on top of the challenges of operating on the street.

Small businesses are the heart of our country, employing vast numbers of workers, providing entry level opportunities, nurturing entrepreneurial dreams, being incubators of creativity, all while feeding and even educating us about cuisine and the marvelous array of individuals behind the window & wheel. As for my mobile vehicle wish list, there are a few concepts on the drawing board — from the Chicken Coop to the Pickle Barrel.

However, I am not giving up my day job.

Liz Neumark is the CEO of Great Performances, a catering company, and the author of Sylvia’s Table, a cookbook

JULY 2-8,2015

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

Reach Manhattan’s Foodies

JUNE 22 - 26, 2015 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.

Blue Ribbon Sushi

119 Sullivan Street

A

Greenhouse Cafe (557 Broaday) Scholastic Building

555 Broadway

A

Red Bamboo

140 West 4 Street

A

Vegetarian Paradise Vp2

144 West 4 Street

Grade Pending (23) 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.

Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.

Blue Haven

108 West Houston Street

A

Gmt Tavern

142 Bleecker Street

A

Chipotle Mexican Grill

71 Spring Street

A

Thompson Alchemists

449 West Broadway

A

Mamoun Falafel

119 Macdougal Street

A

Think Coffee

248 Mercer Street

A

Cafe Angelique Express

575 Broadway

A

Starbucks

45 West 4 Street

A

Bangal Curry

27 Park Place

Closed by Health Department (91) 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.

Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

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.

Fika

Baluchi’s

15

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

52 Duane St

275 Greenwich Street

Not Graded Yet (17) 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 (39) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Corte Cafe

2 Lafayette Street

Grade Pending (24) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

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

Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Mark Joseph Steakhouse

261 Water Street

A

96%

of readers report eating out more than once a week

39% of readers report eating out

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E FOOD & WYOINUR FEST IN ORHOOD NEIGHB FES TIVALS

Advertise with Our Town Downtown!

Call Vincent Gardino at 212-868-0190 The local paper for Downtown

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS SOURCE

16

JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

Address

Price

Bed Bath Agent

Battery Park City

30 West Street

$1,800,000

2

2

Corcoran

Battery Park City

2 River Terrace

$1,610,000

2

2

Charles Rutenberg

Battery Park City

350 Albany Street

$531,500

1

1

Ccg Real Estate Brokerage

Battery Park City

30 West Street

$883,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Battery Park City

70 Little West Street

$1,240,000

1

1

Lg Fairmont Group

Chelsea

151 West 17 Street

$3,575,000

3

2

Chelsea

323 West 16 Street

$4,251,000

3

3

Chinatown

50 Bayard Street

$400,000

Downtown Sales Snapshot Number of contracts signed so far in the second quarter $0 - $600k

$600x - $1M

$1M-$2M

$2M-$5M

$5M-$10M

$10M+

STUDIOS

40

35

7

3

1

-

1 BED

31

86

84

17

-

-

Core

2 BEDS

-

31

65

94

15

-

Sotheby's International Realty

3+ BEDS

1

2

6

37

33

11

TOWNHOUSE

-

-

-

-

3

1

Chinatown

156 Hester Street

$475,000

Civic Center

170 Park Row

$385,000

0

1

Charles Rutenberg

STUDIOS

600,000

East Village

123 3 Avenue

$2,500,000

2

2

Corcoran

1 BED

999,000

East Village

120 2 Avenue

$520,000

1

1

Halstead Property

2 BEDS

1,850,000

East Village

143 Avenue B

$1

3 BEDS

4,100,000

Financial District

20 West Street

$778,961

0

1

Robert Defalco Realty

Financial District

88 Greenwich Street

$690,000

0

1

Domus Realty

Financial District

40 Broad Street

$636,500

Financial District

123 Washington Street

$26,907,184

Financial District

123 Washington Street

$5,632,124

Financial District

123 Washington Street

$1,359,363

Financial District

176 Broadway

$1,457,500

Financial District

15 Broad Street

Financial District

Median Sales Price

1

1

Corcoran

$1,600,000

1

2

Douglas Elliman

15 William Street

$1,194,407

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Financial District

55 Wall Street

$10

Financial District

55 Wall Street

$985,000

1

1

Corcoran

Flatiron

69 5 Avenue

$3,850,000

3

3

Owner

Flatiron

16 West 19 Street

$1,680,000

1

2

Douglas Elliman

Flatiron

14 West 17 Street

$1,450,000

Flatiron

280 Park Avenue South

$1,400,000

Flatiron

16 West 16 Street

$820,000

Source: UrbanDigs LLC

Flatiron

16 West 16 Street

$1,425,000

2

2

Nestseekers

Fulton/Seaport

117 Beekman Street

$2,500,000

Fulton/Seaport

150 Nassau Street

$168,000

Fulton/Seaport

102 Fulton Street

Gramercy Park

340 East 23Rd Street

$1,950,000

2

2

Douglas Elliman

$740,000

0

1

Citi Habitats

Gramercy Park

26 Gramercy Park South

$512,500

Gramercy Park

305 2 Avenue

$1,883,762

2

1

Cantor And Pecorella

Gramercy Park Gramercy Park

26 Gramercy Park South

$600,000

1

1

Acqua Capital, Llc

230 East 15 Street

$1,800,000

Gramercy Park

130 East 18 Street

$611,000

0

1

Corcoran

Gramercy Park

235 East 22 Street

$470,000

0

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Gramercy Park

18 Gramercy Park South

$18,000,000

4

5

Zeckendorf Marketing

Gramercy Park

205 East 16 Street

$777,838

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

TRAINING THE NEXT BIG THINGS Q&A Janine Molinari is more than just a dance teacher to child stars

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

It’s Janine Molinari’s boundless energy that keeps her students motivated as they audition and get cast in roles on Broadway and television.

Although she is the founder and artistic director of Dance Molinari, to call her a dance teacher is somewhat of an understatement. Before auditions, Molinari, whose former students include Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas, gives the kids advice on what to expect. “I always say, ‘No matter what happens, fake it ‘til you make it. And just smile.

Because if you’re having fun, they’re having fun and they’re

17

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

going to want to work with you.’”

After moving to Manhattan upon graduation from college, she was cast in “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” and started giving dance lessons to adults in the show. One Saturday, fate stepped in- literally- when a bunch of Broadway kids came into her room because their teacher was a no-show. “I was a little freaked out thinking how they were going to keep up since it was a relatively advanced tap class…But they were amazing and all the adults were a little intimidated,” she said, laughing.”

And then they never left,” she added, with a smile.

How old were you when you started dancing?

I started when I was about two-and-a-half. Apparently I jumped out of the stroller

as my father was pushing it on Staten Island because we passed a little dance studio where girls were dancing. I ran inside and he had to follow me in. They enrolled me and I was the youngest one in class.

I went to a cool dance studio where they also had singing. I sing as well. Part of the whole process is that you have to be able to do everything on Broadway. You have to sing, act and dance. So my dance classes are really loud cause most of these kids are singer/ actors who have to learn to dance. And I want them to be vocal because on Broadway you’re dancing and singing at the same time. During tap class, we call things out or we sing along which is really challenging for kids coming in from a studio out in Jersey or Pennsylvania to learn to adapt to that.

Do you see kids’ potential right away?

That’s a great question because sometimes I think a certain kid is going to be a superstar and end up not being.

I think it’s a little bit of everything- definitely personality, but perseverance is number one from the parent and the kid. And it really has to come from the kid because in the end, kids will rebel if they don’t really want to do it. Ariana Grande had her eye on the prize at a young age and knew what she wanted. One of my first students was Nick Jonas and he was a little tyke in “Annie Get Your Gun” and he came in with a bunch of kids to tap dance. There’s a little light behind their eyes that you kind of know. But it’s such a fickle business. Some of the first kids I taught are now in their 20s and out in LA doing great and some

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to otdowntown.com/15 minutes

others are struggling trying to get auditions. I try to tell them to become well rounded and find their other great passion.

Since it’s such a hard business, how do you keep the children motivated?

I try to make it really fun and not be a strict dance teacher. I really am not that way at all. I want it to be fun and for them to know that they’re doing this because they love it. They might get all the way down to the finals for something and not get it, but there’s always another show. And I always say, “If it stops being fun, you shouldn’t do it anymore.”

Explain the web series you’re working on, “Tap Out of It.” It’s completely fictional. I’m in it. I’m playing Gina Marinara.

Some people are not teachers in my company; they’re actors.

The director is Anthony Patellis and a lot of our kids are in it.

It’s all based on this show coming from Iceland that they’re going to do on Broadway and it’s called “Carmelita.” It parallels what we do- things that

happen- we can’t make this stuff up. All the sudden a show is announced and we’re just packed with trying to get kids ready for these shows.

You’re also a choreographer.

What a memorable show you’ve choreographed?

I did something with Debbie Gibson. Last year, we choreographed a show here in New York called “Totally Tubular Time Machine.” It took place in the 80s and she starred in it.

So that was really fun, meeting my teen idol and getting to work with her. That was kind of crazy, going back in time and having to do all the choreography that I haven’t done in years like “Thriller,” Electric Youth and Vanilla Ice. Visit www.dancemolinari. com for more information

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to otdowntown. com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

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JULY 2-8,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

BY GIVING JUST A FEW HOURS OF MY DAY

I HELP CHILDREN PREPARE FOR

A LIFETIME OF LEARNING BECAUSE I DON’T JUST WEAR THE SHIRT, I LIVE IT. GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED

®

Ruth Rusie is part of United Way’s ongoing work to improve the education, income, and health of our communities. To find out how you can help create opportunities for a better life for all, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG. ®

JULY 2-8,2015

CLASSIFIEDS

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