The local paper for Downtown wn THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER WHO RAPS < Q&A, P.21
WEEK OF JULY
9-15 2015
PARSING THE CRIME STATS NEWS June was the safest for the city in more than 20 years, though crime downtown was up BY HARRISON STEVEN CADE
Does New York City feel safer? According to the NYPD, it should. The department said that the month of June was the safest for the city since 1994, as major felonies fell across the board. NYPD Commissioner William Bratton held a press conference on July 1, in part to trumpet the numbers and in part to reassure New Yorkers that, going into the summer, the department is ready. The NYPD has announced a summer staff-up program, which involved the participation of over 300 formerly desked members of the NYPD in highcrime precincts. Bratton said the additions were aiming at dealing “with the traditional spike that we anticipate in the summer months.” Bratton also succeeded in convincing Mayor Bill de Blasio to add up to 1,300 new cops on the street, though the effects of those extra officers are months away. The citywide dip was not evident in lower Manhattan, where CompStat numbers from the 1st Precinct through the first 28 days of June showed that the seven major felonies tracked by the department were up 24.1% from a year ago. Most of that increase was due to a doubling in the number of robberies from a year ago as well as gains in the number of felo-
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Fabulous upcoming New York State events and must-sees at ILoveNY.com/summer15 and inside!
At B&D Halal Restaurant on West 29th Street, open plastic containers of dates and large jugs of cool water – with which the prophet Muhammad broke his fast some 14 centuries ago – beckon on each of the restaurant’s tables just before iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan. Photo: Richard Khavkine
Our Take THE VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS
FEEDING THE SOUL, IF NOT THE BODY The prohibition on eating and drinking during the Ramadan fast can be challenging, particularly when you’re the one doing the serving
BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
Lunchtime at the B&D Halal Restaurant on West 29th Street is usually a bustling affair. Nearly each of the eatery’s roughly 50 seats are occupied, while other
patrons wait their turns at two dozen steel pans brimming with stewed chicken or goat, fried fish and plantains, spiced rice and grains. But on a late June afternoon, the otherwise spare restaurant’s eight tables, each of which can seat six, were nearly empty. Regulars ambling toward the cash register, Styrofoam containers in hand, remarked at the relative quiet. “It’s Ramadan,” the cashier, Djenabou Diallo, said.
In New York, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, began on June 17 and will last until July 16. The month commemorates the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad and is observed by the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims, including the roughly 1 million who live in the city, by fasting from dawn until just after sunset. In Arabic, Ramadan’s etymol-
New Yorkers like to think they have been everywhere and done everything. We’re a hard group to impress. The visit of Pope Francis to the city in September is an exception. New Yorkers of all stripes -- and faiths -- already are strategizing for ways to see the pontiff during his upcoming visit. The pope’s focus on income inequality and on environmental concerns strike a particular nerve in this city. In addition, the closure of Catholic parishes around town has created deep fissures that the Vatican, and local Catholic leaders, are hoping the pope’s visit will heal. Indeed, one of the planned stops on the pope’s Sept. 24-26 tour is an East Harlem school that had been part of a church closed by the diocese. The late Edward Cardinal Egan shuttered the church, prompting parishioners to stage a sit-in and resulting in the arrest of six people. That was in 2007. This year, protesters again returned to Catholic churches across the city, after the diocese targeted more for closing. The pope will be hoping to close that chapter during his visit. He’ll also preside over masses at Madison Square Garden and St. Patrick’s and will visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Line up for your tickets now. The visit by any pope is special. The arrival of this pope, at this time in our history, is monumental.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 Downtowner WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
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 interested a I was about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing at issue what’s about He first writes post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog 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 indiArbitration Man, suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business by of complaints 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 formality for deTo really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking find a way to tackle business’ hours,” is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. own many their which remain “They pick out boom in the number throughout While Chin 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 the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you 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
n OurTownDowntow
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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
2 City Arts 3 Top 5 8 Real Estate 10 15 Minutes
12 13 14 18
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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLASS-ACTION CASE CLAIMS NYPD ISSUED FICTITIOUS SUMMONSES TO MEET QUOTA The Police Department has been accused of getting rid of evidence that reveal cops giving out summonses without probable cause in order to meet quota, according to the Daily News. The newspaper reports that city lawyers have not found any emails beginning in 2007 to the present from former Commissioner Raymond Kelly and former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito concerning summonses, according to documents filed in Manhattan
federal court. Attorney Elinor Sutton wrote in the documents that she doubts Commissioner Kelly and Chief Esposito did not read or write via text or email the term “summons” for the past eight years. Communication to and from three other former members of the NYPD brass were also investigated but lawyers failed to find any evidence regarding summons, the Daily News reported. However, several whistleblowers provided Sutton with emails and text messages that have since been destroyed, showing that cops were ordered to fulfill summons quotas. The lawsuit includes any official who issued criminal summonses since May 2007 that was dismissed. In a
report from John Jay College, 18 percent of all summonses handed out by the NYPD from 2003 to 2013 were found to be legally insufficient.
PRESCHOOL’S LICENSE SUSPENDED The Department of Health suspended Preschool of America located in Battery City Park last month when a child walked away from his class trip group into oncoming traffic, according to the Downtown Express. The child was unharmed. A motorist returned the child to teachers after she stopped abruptly to avoid hitting him, according to the Battery Park City Broadsheet. The two
teachers watching the kids during the field trip were fired. Last week the Department of Health approved the preschool’s license and began operating on Monday, July 6th.
According to the New York Post the six-story building may be completely converted into residential or office space and could be purchased for more than $120 million.
HEADQUARTERS OF TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL CLOSED AND UP FOR SALE
LAWSUIT: CONDOMINIUMS THREATEN PRESERVATION OF TRIBECA’S 1897 LANDMARK CLOCK
Tribeca Cinemas, the highceilinged iconic theater located on Varick Street announced last week it was shutting down, according to DNAinfo. Serving as the home of the Tribeca Film Festival since 2003, independent films will have to be screened elsewhere.
In December, the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted developers permission to convert the three-story clock tower into a private triplex apartment. However, preservationists and horologists
More neighborhood news? neighborhood celebrations? neighborhood opinions? neighborhood ideas? neighborhood feedback? neighborhood concerns? Email us at news@strausnews.com
as well as the clock master, Marvin Schneider, and his colleague, Forest Markowitz, filed a suit last month, according to the Tribeca Trib. The suit claims that the private residence, now allowed at 346 Broadway, conflicts with the LPC’s decision to name both the tower and its clockworks landmarks. Elad Group and Peebles Corp. have factored in the restoration of the clock tower into its building plans such as running the clock electronically, but the suit claims that by shutting down the intricate 19th century machinery of the four-faced clock, the landmark loses its importance.
JULY 9-15,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
SILVER CITES FEDERAL CHARGES IN FAILING TO REPORT INCOME Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is declining to report his outside income on a state disclosure form, citing federal charges that he collected nearly $4 million in kickbacks. The Manhattan Democrat did not include information about income from his legal practice on the mandatory disclosure forms, which were filed in May but made publicly available this week. “Given pending proceedings in federal court it is inappropriate to answer this question; however, this answer will be amended upon completion of the proceedings,” Silver wrote on the forms. Silver has said he is not guilty of charges that he used his former position to obtain clients and kickbacks disguised as legal fees. Former Senate Leader Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican, is fighting unrelated charges that he traded his influence in exchange for payments and a job for his son. On his disclosure form, Skelos re-
ported making between $150,000 and $250,000 from his law firm last year even though he reports providing no direct services to clients. Skelos maintains his innocence and is fighting the charges. Silver and Skelos were ousted from their leadership positions this year after being charged by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. They are both keeping their legislative seats as they fight the allegations. Silver’s replacement as speaker, Bronx Democrat Carl Heastie, listed only a modest non-governmental income of between $1,000 and $5,000 from his adjunct teaching position at Monroe College. He also listed between $30,000 and $90,000 in credit card debt and other liabilities. Lawmakers are required to periodically file the disclosure forms, which include their income and liabilities using broad ranges of numbers.
$33,000 IN MERCHANDISE TAKEN FROM PARKED VEHICLE Nearly $33,000 worth of goods were taken from a vehicle parked on Mercer Street, police said. The 39-year-old owner of a 2014 Range Rover HSE had parked his on Mercer early on June 24 and found the vehicle had been broken into the next morning. Video footage from a nearby building showed
a man approaching the victim’s car, using an unknown device to unlock the door and removing the property. The stolen items included a $12,500 Corum watch, two Brioni suit priced at $6,800 and $6,000, a tennis racket and balls valued at $1,250, Cartier sunglasses tagged at $950, a travel bag, clothes, headphones and computer worth $4,000, a pair of $800 reading glasses, a GPS tracker worth $500, and an umbrella valued at $30.
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for June 22 to June 28 Week to Date
Year to Date
2015 2014
% Change
2015
2014
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Rape
1
0
n/a
3
5
-40
Robbery
0
0
n/a
25
22
13.6
Felony Assault
4
0
n/a
38
33
15.2
ANOTHER CAR BREAK-IN
Burglary
2
4
-50
63
81
-22.2
At 2 a.m. on June 26, a 28-yearold man parked his car in front of 16 Ericsson Place. When he returned at 4:20 a.m., the car’s passenger’s-side window had been smashed and he was missing a Tissot watch valued at $1,800, an Apple phone priced at $750, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses tagged at $350, and a USB flash drive worth $140. All had been taken from the glove box.
Grand Larceny
23
16
43.8
471
440
7
Grand Larceny Auto
1
0
n/a
8
2
300
MOTORCYCLE STOLEN A $12,000 Yamaha motorcycle was taken from the northwest corner of Murray Street and North End Avenue sometime between the evening of June 22 and the following afternoon, its owner told police. The 2014 bike’s 30-year-old owner said he parked his
multicolored his Yamaha FZ-09 on the northwest corner of the intersection of Murray and North End.
OFFICERS ASSAULTED ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS A 30-year-old man was arrested on charges of assaulting an officer after he punched a parking enforcement officer writing him a parking ticket on Beaver Street, police said. Idarie Forde was arrested following the June 24 fracas, which was witnessed by several people, police said. The officer suffered a bruised left eye and abrasions to his right elbow and hand and was taken
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
to the hospital by EMS for further observation. A few days later, a park vendor was arrested for assaulting an officer on the afternoon of June 27. Police said park officers approached the vendor in City Hall Park after seeing him operating a food cart without a valid New York City parks or vending permit, police said. Officers requested backup when the vendor grew irate and started cursing at them, police said. A request for the vendor’s ID was met with a refusal and he was arrested but only following a physical struggle. Ahmed Abdelhafez, 29, was charged with assaulting a peace officer.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH:
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JULY 9-15,2015
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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
NYPD 10th Precinct
230 W. 20th St.
212-741-8211
NYPD 13th Precinct
230 E. 21st St.
NYPD 1st Precinct
16 Ericsson Place
212-477-7411 212-334-0611
FIRE FDNY Engine 15
25 Pitt St.
311
FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5
227 6th Ave.
311
FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11
222 E. 2nd St.
311
FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15
42 South St.
311
ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row #11
Councilmember Rosie Mendez
237 1st Ave. #504
212-587-3159 212-677-1077
Councilmember Corey Johnson
224 W. 30th St.
212-564-7757
State Senator Daniel Squadron
250 Broadway #2011
212-298-5565
Community Board 1
49 Chambers St.
212-442-5050
Community Board 2
3 Washington Square Village
212-979-2272
Community Board 3
59 E. 4th St.
212-533-5300
Community Board 4
330 W. 42nd St.
212-736-4536
Hudson Park
66 Leroy St.
212-243-6876
Ottendorfer
135 2nd Ave.
212-674-0947
Elmer Holmes Bobst
70 Washington Square
212-998-2500
COMMUNITY BOARDS
LIBRARIES
HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian
170 William St.
Mount Sinai-Beth Israel
10 Union Square East
212-844-8400
212-312-5110
CON EDISON
4 Irving Place
212-460-4600
TIME WARNER
46 East 23rd
813-964-3839
US Post Office
201 Varick St.
212-645-0327
US Post Office
128 East Broadway
212-267-1543
US Post Office
93 4th Ave.
212-254-1390
POST OFFICES
Photo by Raanan Geberer
THE ROOTS OF THE CHELSEA HEALTH CENTER CHELSEA HISTORY
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The now-closed clinic dates back to F.D.R.’s New Deal BY RAANAN GEBERER
When it was closed for renovations, the Chelsea health center on 9th Avenue was one of the busiest health clinics in the city. Specializing in the treatment of sexually trasmitted diseases, the Leona Baumgartner District Health Center, as it’s officially known, will be closed for renovations for two to three years, a source of protest given that Chelsea currently has the highest rate of syphilis infection in the city – and, according to some reports, in the nation. However, the center wasn’t always just an STD clinic. Its functions have changed over the years, in line with city health policy and budgetary concerns. Its roots are in the early de-
cades of the 20th century, when hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lived in cramped tenements with little light or air. Often, these families were taken care of by immigrant mothers who knew little about health care or nutrition. Periodic epidemics of disease like polio, tuberculosis and influenza claimed many lives, especially those of children. In those days, much of Chelsea was considered a slum. It was in this atmosphere that Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia announced plans for eight district health centers in 1934. In 1935, the city filed plans for a three-story clinic on 9th Avenue and 27th Street, at a cost of $175,000. The Chelsea health center, the third to be completed, was dedicated on July 14, 1937. In his speech, LaGuardia insisted that he shouldn’t be praised for building the center – it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, he said, that
made it possible. While material about the evolution of the health center is somewhat hard to come by, at a certain point its main function became an STD clinic. Bob Trentlyon, a longtime Chelsea community activist, remembers. “When I moved into the neighborhood (in the 1950s), everybody called it `the V.D. (venereal disease) Clinic,’ although later on, it offered other things,” he remembers. During the AIDS crisis the use of the STD clinic skyrocketed. One of the anti-AIDS programs the center planned to offer, however, proved controversial. According to the New York Times of Nov. 2, 1988, the late David Smith, longtime president of Penn South, protested against the Health Department’s plan to put a “needle exchange” for IV drug users in the building. While emphasizing that most of the people he represented were not “NIMBY” types, he pointed out that a lo-
cation next to an elementary school (P.S. 33) might not be the right place for such a program. In 2002, the health center was renamed after Dr. Leona Baumgartner, a prominent physician, health educator and the first woman to head the city’s Health Department. In its official announcement, the Health Department announced that in addition to the STD clinic, it had renovated its TB clinic at the site. Furthermore, it would open a “completely renovated” dental clinic by the following year, and would continue to give shots for the flu, tetanus, hepatitis and other diseases. Today, the community looks forward to the reopening of the clinic, which will enable it to provide more, improved services, while preserving the clinic’s original Art Deco exterior appearance.
JULY 9-15,2015
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BETHPAGE BIKEWAY NORTH FORK WINE COUNTRY
IN GEAR LIRR GETAWAYS Take a breath of fresh air and start pedaling. Long Island Rail Road Getaway deals to Bethpage Bikeway or North Fork Wine Country include discounted rail fares, bike rentals and other perks. So it’s easy to be active while seeing someplace new. 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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PARSING THE CRIME STATS
Major felonies reported by the 1st Precinct for June 1-28, compared to the same period a year earlier 2015
2014
% Change
Murder
0
0
***
Rape
1
0
***
Robbery
6
Assault
6
4
50
Burglary
6
11
-45.5
Larceny
82
65
26.2
Car theft
2
0
***
TOTAL
103
83
24.1
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ny assaults. Chelsea residents had mixed feelings as to whether the drop in overall crime is felt in their neighborhood. Audio engineer James Foster, walking by Chelsea Piers, said, “I haven’t seen enough change in the neighborhood to say that I feel safer.” Student Rishman Farid, walking at a pace that only a New Yorker could master, said that despite the NYPD’s headlinemaking success, she still feels unsafe in her neighborhood. Moreover, for locals like James Foster, 27, and Rishman Farid, 21, the potential of the police commissioner’s decision
The High Line
CRIME UP DOWNTOWN
to add 1,297 reserve cops to the NYPD depends on the willingness of cops to cooperate with the neighborhood and its residents. “The relationship between the NYPD and New Yorkers must improve in order for
“HANDS DOWN, THE BEST GYM IN NYC.” — Franz H.
3
100
crime to continue to decline,” Farid said. She suggested that the police “take up classes in psychology explore other ways that would help them focus on treating New Yorkers as New Yorkers and not potential criminals.”
PLANT OF THE WEEK: TRUMPET LILY Native to China, the trumpet lily is a new addition to the High Line, located near 30th St. Its petals are deeply re-curved, flecked with maroon, and arch backward in an elegant bell shape to show prominent stamens. It grows in shapely clusters on slender, smoky green stems with lance-shaped leaves just below the blooms. It makes a showy addition to borders and is striking when set among the High Line’s grassy swaths. This lily’s botanic name (Lilium henryi) references Augustine Henry, the Irish plant explorer who collected this species and others at Ichang Gorge in Central China in 1888 while conducting research for Kew Gardens. We’re lucky to have access to his notes, which he published in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, Vol. 117. He’d spotted the lily “growing on the grassy slopes of precipices at an altitude of two hundred to two thousand feet above sea-level.” He wrote that the plant was “very plentiful […] on [inland] limestone cliffs [...], from which the path leads up to the Taout monastery, [and] flowers in the last half of July.” The procured specimen first flowered at Kew in August, 1889. Since its discovery, this trumpet lily has been a parent in several key lily hybrid species. Lily flowers and bulbs are eaten in Asia, particularly in summer as a method of reducing internal heat, per theories of Chinese medicine. Its bulbs are also used to flavor soup. The trumpet lily requires relatively low maintenance, with resistance to fungi and viruses, and does equally well in full sun or part shade. It makes a great cutting flower, but keep bouquets out of reach of cats, for whom lilies are notoriously toxic.
THIS WEEK ON THE HIGH LINE PUBLIC TOUR: FROM FREIGHT TO FLOWERS Every Tuesday and Saturday, through September Gansevoort Street entrance, on the High Line at at Gansevoort Street Hear the story behind New York City’s park in the sky. Weekly Guided Walking Tours are free 75 minute long tours led by High Line Docents, knowledgeable volunteer guides who offer you an insider’s perspective on the park’s history, design, and landscape. Free public tours take place twice a week on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m., through Sept. 29. Space is limited. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to guarantee a spot. Tours are subject to cancellation due to weather. Check www.thehighline.org or follow @ highlinenyc on Twitter for updates.
WILD WEDNESDAY Every Wednesday, July through August, 4:00 to 6:00 PM 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 noon
TEEN NIGHTS
JOIN NOW, PAY $0 INITIATION AND GET JULY FREE! Pier 60 | 212.336.6000 | chelseapiers.com/sc Offer valid through 7/31/15. Restrictions apply. Photography: Scott McDermott
Thursday, July 16, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 14th Street Passage, on the High Line at West 14th Street Teens take over the High Line during two nights of summer fun, music, dancing, art and other activities for youth ages 13-19! The High Line’s Teen Arts Council (TAC) has been working all spring and summer to host two nights of music, dancing, art, and other fun activities. Our talented teen staff picked the themes, curated the music, designed the activities, and transformed the High Line – now it’s time to come out and enjoy it! Teens only please!
JULY 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Planned Service Changes
(Q) 10 PM to 5 AM Mon to Fri 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. Travel Alternatives: 4 * & ) 0 *+ +"'&* '& +! - AE - 12 - DF & /"& +'& - 46 "&*+ 4 # +! 7 ') * )-" +. & , &* & &! ++ & 4 # # 0 +) &* )* +. & * )-" * + , &* ')' $ 1 7( - + )0 &+ # 7DFQ , 0 + +)' ! AF( & +$ &+" - ) $ 0* +) 24D(Q Stay Informed $$ & * 0 2 ,)) &+ )-" + +,* 5 $''# ') "& ')% +"'& $ ('*+ )* "& *+ +"'&* ') -"*"+ mta.info â&#x20AC;&#x201C; .! ) 0', & ** +! $ + *+ $ && )-" ! & * "& ')% +"'& ,* )"( $ && ) + & *" & ,( ') ) % "$ & + /+ $ )+*
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Voices
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
Letter
SENIOR LIVING
BANNING THE BIKES WON’T SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS
THE TROUBLE WITH TECHNOLOGY BY MARCIA EPSTEIN
To the Editor:
With all due respect to Michael Ring, and his personal campaign to eliminate cars from Central Park, I would like to attempt to dispel a few of the inaccuracies in the recent article “The Story Behind the Central Park Car Ban” (June 25). First of all, the notion that cars are the greatest hazard in the park, and that “it’s going to be a lot safer.. now that the cars are gone”, goes against the observations that I have made in almost 50 years of running, biking, driving, and walking in the park. (For the record, I was biking in the park as early as 1964, when I worked at the Coliseum Towers and rented a bike to ride on the original bike path around the lower loop during my lunch hour.) I would say that the vast majority of accidents in the park do not involve cars, but bicycles, roller bladders, and skate boarders. And with regard to Mr. Ring’s concern as to “When do the cars stop?”, the answer is that they usually stop when there is a red light. With the exception of a few bicyclists (mostly Europeans, where bicycles DO stop for red lights!), most bikers, skate boarders, or roller bladders do not stop for red lights. Even some runners, who sometimes travel in groups large enough to be considered traffic hazards, occasionally seem to think that everyone needs to get out of THEIR way, lest they be forced to break their stride. And at least motorists usually have insurance, licence plates, and registrations, so if there is an accident, the victim will be less likely to have to cover his own medical bills. As far as the time and location in the Park when it is most dangerous, it is NOT above 72nd Street, but the stretch between 59th Street and 72nd Street on the East Drive between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., when bikers, runners, cars, horse drawn carriages, pedi-cabs, and pedestrians are all forced to share a very narrow, and very congested, section of roadway. And the hazard is not the number of cars, but that some cars (and a few motorcycles), and a few bicycles, in their rush to get home and get around the particularly slow traffic, tend to swerve, speed, and run red lights, which is particularly dangerous considering the congestion. The solution to this is not to ban anybody, but to ENFORCE speed limits and red lights, and lane designation (there are running lanes, biking lanes, and car lanes.) Banning cars is an overly simplistic solution, and is indeed “throwing out the baby with the bath water”, because this will not do much to reduce the hazards in the park. It is a big city, and we all need to share it. Gregory Holman Upper West Side
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My two sons-in-law have what I call their “magic machines.” Actually, they are just iPhones or the latest incarnation thereof. But when they look up the nearest Starbucks, take fabulous pictures or talk about their newest apps, I am awed. As for me, I have a flip phone. Remember those? Only a few years ago, flip phones were cool, new, the thing to have. Now, my children laugh at me. But wait, it’s a new flip, and I now have unlimited texting (the old way), a few picture taking capabilities, and…..well, not much more. But I only pay $32 a month, and now I can reach my daughters, who only respond to text messages. When they’re in the mood. (But that’s another story.) I also have an old wall phone at home, the kind with the squiggly cord. I hear better on it. What can I tell you? Anyway, technology is moving so fast, who can keep up with it? When I was nine years old, I wanted to write stories. My mother bought me an instructional booklet, and sat me down at the Underwood typewriter in the den. I typed on that big old thing with its manual return carriage for years. In high school, I took typing because I was already good at it. In the middle of the year, the class got one electric typewriter, kept in the back of the room. We all took turns getting used to it. During my work years, I used carbon paper and Wite-Out. It was really exciting when my office got the new typewriter with Correcto tape. Then came the mainframe computer, and the instruction booklet as big as a set of World Book Encyclopedias. I remember crying. Although I progressed through the years through Ms-Dos to Word Perfect to Microsoft
Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Sr. Account Executive, Tania Cade
Word, I am most definitely not a techie and none of this came easy. I polled my friends at the JCC on 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Most of them have flip phones. A few have no phone, and a very few have smart phones. My friend Ann’s son gave her a smart phone. In fact, he insisted on it, saying she definitely needed one. It lies unused in her drawer, while her flip travels with her. My friend Edna says she has a smart phone, but she’s a dumb user. Most of us agree that all we need is to be able to call and be called. The rest is for the young folks. Most of my friends also have computers, but a few don’t. One tried a tablet and went to the Apple Store on West 67th Street. The noise and crowds chased her out, and she soon returned the tablet.
Not having any kind of computer shocks even me. I have my six-year-old desktop, and I’m hoping it lives as long as I do. I can’t use a laptop; it feels like reaching over a barrier to type, and I certainly don’t want to take it to bed and watch movies. I take books to bed; real books, not a Kindle. Real books have spines and paper and you can’t make the letters larger or smaller. Personally, I don’t know many people with Kindles or Nooks. The people I know still like books; just the feel of them. The sense of picking up something real and settling down to turn the pages and not scroll them. And you can take them into the bathtub. I’m sure there are plenty of seniors tuned in to the modern technological age; my friends and I just aren’t among them. I was once told by someone that
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
I “absolutely needed” to have a smart phone. I told him that no, I didn’t. What most of us want is to check our email, look up illnesses on Google, order from Amazon, and maybe see what’s in the news. I myself like Facebook, though I don’t know its ins and outs. I just like to spy on old friends and look up high school buddies. Technological advances are are not going to stop, and some seniors are going to want all the new gadgets. The people I know pretty much just want to call and say “meet me at the diner at 1,” or “how’s your gall bladder today?” Maybe we want to order a book from Amazon. Go on, young people, swipe away. “Swipe.” Didn’t that used to mean “steal?” Ah, the good old days.
Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
JULY 9-15,2015
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DIGITAL TERRAIN: NAVIGATING THE NEW WORLD OF ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING
Escape to Doral Arrowwood for a Weekend Getaway. <RXĹ&#x;OO IHHO OLNH \RXĹ&#x;UH D ZRUOG DZD\ DW 'RUDO $UURZZRRG RQ DFUHV LQ WKH KHDUW RI :HVWFKHVWHU &RXQW\ 7KHUHĹ&#x;V SOHQW\ WR NHHS \RX EXV\ D URXQG RI JROI D JDPH RI WHQQLV RU D ZRUNRXW LQ RXU 6SRUWV &HQWHU ,Q WKH HYHQLQJ \RX FDQ GDQFH WKH QLJKW DZD\ DW RXU 6DWXUGD\ 1LJKW 'LQQHU 'DQFH RU GURS E\ 7KH 3XE ZKHUH WKH ELJ VFUHHQ 79V ZLOO NHHS \RX RQ WRS RI WKH DFWLRQ 1H[W WLPH \RXĹ&#x;UH WKLQNLQJ RI JHWWLQJ DZD\ WKLQN 'RUDO $UURZZRRG Packages include a luxurious guestroom and a delicious breakfast.
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FULL DISHWASHERS MAKE FOR HAPPIER ELECTRIC BILLS.
Electricity is important. And to help you use it wisely, we offer over a hundred tips to use less power. As well as energy calculators that estimate what those tips can save you. Visit conEd.com/WaysToSave for details.
CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 219 West 40th St., third Floor 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $35 Join professionals from digital news sites, public radio as well as editors at this daylong workshop sponsored by the Society of Environmental Journalists. Registration required. www.sej.org/calendar/digitalterrain
GOOGLE SERIES: GOOGLE MAPS Chatham Square Library, at 33 East Broadway 10 a.m.-noon Free. This hands-on course teaches you how to navigate using Google Maps. The application not only provides you with easy-to-follow instructions, but also includes interactive map, aerial imagery of countries, and you can even search by keyword such as restaurants. 212-964-6598. www.nypl. org/events/calendar
Sat
11
BOOK DISCUSSION: THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO Hudson Park Library, at 66 Leroy St. 10:30 a.m. Free. Junot Diazâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book portrays Domincan-American history on a personal level through character Oscar Waoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey from Santo Domingo to the United States. Oscar cursed by the fukĂş, an evil plaguing his family for years, must overcome this supernatural power in order to achieve the American dream and ďŹ nd love. 212-243-6876. www.nypl. org/events/calendar
DRUID SHAKESPEARE: THE HISTORY PLAYS John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Gerald W. Lynch Theatre, 899 10th Ave. Mark Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Roweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distillation of Richard II, Henry IV parts I and II, and Henry V into a single, continuous narrative explores the nature of leadership and honor while telling a key story in the making of the English nationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including the ruthless suppression and appropriation of the land, language, and people of Ireland.
2 p.m. $110-$175 212-237-8000 www. lincolncenterfestival.org/2015/ druidshakespeare-the-historyplays
Sun
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CELEBRATE BASTILLE DAY 60th St., between Fifth and Lexington Avenues Noon-5p.m. Free. Celebrate Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s independence day at the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bastille Day fair. Try baked goods such as crepes, eclairs, macaroons and baguettes. Practice your French at free 30-minute workshops, explore a wide-array of cheeses or sip on French wine and Ricard cocktails at $25 tastings. 212-355-6100. www. bastilledayny.com
OPEN STUDIO â&#x2013;ź Whitney Museum, at 99 Gansevoort St. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Free with museum admission. Families with children of all ages are invited to get inspired through the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibition, American is Hard to See, and start crafting. Each week a different art making
JULY 9-15,2015
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project is offered. 212-570-3600. www. whitney.org/Events/ OpenStudioJuly2015
Mon
13
MOVIE MATINEE Hamilton Fish Park Library, at 415 East Houston St. 11 a.m. Free. Come watch the new film Blackhat featuring actor Chris Hemsworth. In the movie, Hemsworth is a convict working with his American and Chinese partners to track down a global cybercrime network. 212-673-2290. www.nypl. org/events/calendar
FRENCH CULTURE AT THE MUSEUM
Chatham Square Library, at 33 East Broadway 3 p.m. Free. Greek myths such as Odysseus, Theseus and the Minotaur, Jason and the Golden Fleece as well as Perseus and Medusa are stories containing important life lessons kids will learn and enjoy. Kids will have the chance to interact with others through theater games, role play and improvisation while listening to the tales omnipotent gods, evil beasts, giants and heroes. 212-964-6598. www.nypl. org/events/calendar
HUDSON SQUARE MUSIC City Winery, at 155 Varick St. 5-7:30 p.m. Free. Sip some wine and enjoy music by singer and songwriter Joe Pug who’s toured around the country awing fans with his piano and guitar driven pieces. www.citywinery.com/ newyork/tickets.html/
Children’s Museum of the Arts, at 103 Charlton St. Noon-5 p.m. $12; Ages 65+ pay as you wish. In honor of Bastille Day, learn about French culture and artists. You can create France’s landmarks like the Eiffel Tower out of recycled materials, sew a French-inspired apron and make your own macaroon or paint like an impressionist such as Claude Monet. www.cmany.org TODDLER TIME
Wed
15
Tues
14 HEROES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Seward Park Library, at 192 E. Broadway 11:15-11:45 a.m. Free. Bring your children ages 18 months to 4 years old to enjoy stories, music, picture books and fingerplays. 212-477-6770. www.nypl. org/events
WRITING WORKSHOP Seward Park Library, at 192 E. Broadway 3-4:30 p.m. Free.
Encourage the development of your childrens’ writing skills in this summer workshop. Children ages 6 to 12 will write their own stories, plays or poetry while working with Writopia Lab instructors all of whom are published writers or produced playwrights. 212-477-6770. www.nypl. org/events
Thurs
16 JAZZ IN THE SQUARE Union Square Park, at East 14th St. at University Place 12-1:30 p.m. Free. Bring you lunch and enjoy some afternoon music featuring a New School Jazz group led by violinist Nathan Kamal. www.summerinthesquare. com
SYMPOSIUM ON RACE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT: CORRECTING CORRECTIONS Hunter College, at 695 Park Avenue, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute 6 p.m. Free. In this program, speakers such as Michael Jacobson, former NYC Corrections Commissioner, Norman Seabrook, President of Correction Officers Benevolent Association and others involved in employment, public policy and health for the city’s corrections, will discuss the tension between race and law enforcement. 212-650-3174. events.cuny. edu/
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
< The show art for The Lion King, designed by Frank Verlizzo, who signs his work “Fraver.”
> Verlizzo’s show art for “Hit the Wall,” a short-lived OffBroadway show about the 1969 Stonewall riots.
> Verlizzo appropriated a portion of George Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” for his show art for the musical “Sunday in the Park with George.”
THE MAN BEHIND THE IMAGE Frank Verlizzo has designed show art for more than 300 theater productions BY LEIDA SNOW
“The Lion King” opened 18 years ago, surpassing the run record of most Broadway shows, and hundreds of millions of people have seen the iconic poster art that advertises the hit play. But few know Frank Verlizzo, the artist who designed the proud lion, as well as the art for more than 300 Broadway and Off-Broadway theater productions. A tall, slim 64-year-old with wavy gray hair, the handsome Verlizzo appears a Hollywood
type. Which befits a man who, as he put it, practically lived in movie theaters while growing up. But when he saw his first live theater as a teenager, he found his true love. Now, when not creating theater art, he sees as many shows as he can. Verlizzo started drawing at a young age, though he doesn’t know where the urge came from, as neither parent had an art background. A native New Yorker, he graduated from the High School of Art and Design on East 56th Street and then attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He worked with several advertising agencies before
settling into his own design studio in 2010, not far from his old high school. Verlizzo’s first fully designed poster was for the 1977 New York production of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo.” His portfolio over the years includes 16 Stephen Sondheim productions, such as “Sweeney Todd” and a revival of “A Little Night Music.” Among other memorable posters are “Deathtrap,” “My One and Only,” “As Is,” and “Freud’s Last Session.” For the Sondheim musical “Sunday in the Park with George,” Verlizzo pictured a 19th-century couple with the famous Georges Seurat paint-
ing behind them. The bottom halves of the couple are dressed in modern clothing. Verlizzo said he hopes people see something new each time they look at it. Verlizzo, who signs his work “Fraver,” a combination of his first and last names, still finds some assignments nerve-racking, despite his impressive résumé. The Upper East Side resident designed the poster for the 2011 revival of Sondheim’s “Follies” starring Bernadette Peters, a daunting task as his former teacher and mentor, David Byrd, created the art for the original Broadway production. “It’s one of the most famous theater posters of all time,” he said over a recent sushi lunch. But Verlizzo found his own way to approach the project. “If you look closely,” he said, “what you see is a face made up of torn posters that look like they could have been from the Ziegfeld Follies, and the face seems haunted.” For Verlizzo, who is married to his partner of 38 years, Joe Ligammari, the recent Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality reminded him of his work for 2013’s “Hit the
Wall,” a short-lived Off-Broadway show about the 1969 Stonewall riots, when patrons at gay club the Stonewall Inn fought back during a police raid. For that artwork, as usual, he met with the producers and the creative team. He then read the script about the pivotal moment in the fight for gay rights. “You can’t expect people to understand graphics unless you show them something,” he said. “You can’t say what you intend to do. You have to do something and then they either like it or they don’t.” For the show’s poster, he created an abstract map of a section of Greenwich Village with a pink star marking the location of the Stonewall Inn, an image that, against a black background, also resembles shattered glass. Verlizzo’s next assignment is for “Prince of Broadway,” a new musical celebrating director and producer Harold (Hal) Prince, winner of 21 Tony Awards. The show is set to open in Japan in October with potential for a future run in New York. He is most looking forward to his work for “Misery,” based
on the Stephen King novel and starring Laurie Metcalf and Bruce Willis. It is set to open on Broadway this fall. While attention is lavished on theater performers, Verlizzo hasn’t gone without praise for his work. Critics’ organization the Drama Desk recognized the unique value of theater art, giving Verlizzo a special award in 1987. (This reporter was then the president of the Drama Desk.) And in 2010, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center presented an exhibit of his bestknown work. As a graphic artist and visual person, Verlizzo can’t easily explain his creative process, he said, though he is proud that he can reach people through his designs. He remains sanguine about his role in the theater world. “Shows open and shows close,” he said. “But the artwork remains. It’s part of the historical record.” And, he added, his heart lifts every time he sees one of his posters in a store window or on top of a passing cab. “I know I created that,” he said.
JULY 9-15,2015
5
TOP MUSIC
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR
SAMORA ABAYOMI PINDERHUGHES AT MOMA
GALLERIES
KIDS
VERA NEUMANN: “VERA PAINTS A RAINBOW”
“THE PINKERTONIAN MYSTERY”
FILM “IN COLD BLOOD” Director Richard Brooks’ 1967 film adaptation of the true crime story “In Cold Blood” attempts as much realism as Truman Capote’s book of the same name: the director shot much of the film in the town where the horrific crimes took place, and filmed scenes of the systematic murders of a farm family in the actual home and bedrooms where the shootings happened, lending the film a documentary-style realism. July 10 and 11 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street Assorted show times Tickets $13 To purchase tickets, visit filmforum.org or call 212-727-8110
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
OpenStudios: Emerging Voices
SATURDAY, JULY 11TH, 10AM Open House New York | Locations Vary | 212-991-6470 | ohny.org Get an inside look at the crafting of the future through the Emerging Voices program of the Architectural League, which is opening 40 architecture and design studios around the city. ($20)
Artist’s Talk with Magdalena Solé
Pianist and composer—and recent Juilliard graduate—Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes doesn’t shy from complex, challenging subjects in his work, combining theater and music to explore histories of resistance within the African diaspora, as well as the trauma and subsequent healing of those affected by mass incarceration. Thursday, July 9 Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden 11 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues 5:30 p.m. Free with museum admission For more information, visit moma.org/ nights or call 212-708-9400 Samora Pinderhughes. Photo: Jubal Battisti
This exhibition of New England-born artist and designer Vera Neumann’s work from the 1960s-1980s celebrates the painter’s infatuation with warm, sunny colors, especially yellow and orange. July 9-August 7 Alexander Gray Associates 510 W. 26 St., near Tenth Avenue Gallery hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.5 p.m. FREE For more information, visit alexandergray. com or call 212-399-2636
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Interactive murder-mystery theater company Live in Theater revives its family-friendly spring performance of “The Pinkertonian Mystery” at the New-York Historical Society. July 12 New-York Historical Society 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street 2 p.m. Tickets $35 Visit nyhistory.org or call 212-873-3400
MONDAY, JULY 13TH, 7PM Sous Les Etoiles Gallery | 560 Broadway #603 | 212-966-0796 | souslesetoilesgallery.net A photographer discusses the evocations of a Spanish childhood she experienced in contemporary Cuba, and the stirrings of transformation on an island that will soon be drastically changed. (Free)
Just Announced | Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman: Scout Reads Scout!
TUESDAY, JULY 14TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Celebrate the launch of Harper Lee’s newly discovered Go Set a Watchman with Mary Badham (Scout in the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird), who will read from both books. ($24)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
Now Get Real Time Bus, Subway & Alternate Side Parking Information Here
IN CONVERSATION CHANGE, CONTINUITY AND CIVIC AMBITION: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, DESIGN AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION Charles Birnbaum, president of Washington, D.C.-based organization the Cultural Landscape Foundation, discusses the preservation of some of the most celebrated urban landscapes as part of Central Park’s “Living Landmarks” exhibition. Thursday, July 16 The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park 830 Fifth Ave., at 64th Street 6 p.m. FREE, RSVP required To RSVP, email artandantiquities@parks. nyc.gov
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JULY 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JUN 29 - JUL 1, 2015
The Best $1.00 Pizza
171 West 23rd Street
A
The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml.
Fika
180 Ninth Ave
A
Curry Kitchen
40 West Eighth St
A
Ootoya Japanese Restaurant
8 West 18 St
Grade Pending (26) 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Intermezzo
202 Eighth Ave
Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Caffe Reggio
119 Mac Dougal St
A
Bark
155 Bleecker St
A
Sessanta
60 Thompson St
A
Balaboosta
214 Mulberry St
A
Kings Cross
356 Bowery
A
Lane Deli & Catering
75 Maiden Lane
A
Gino’s Pizza
81 Catherine St
A
Equinox @ 17Th Street
100 10th Ave
A
Cemita’s
19 Fulton St
Not Graded Yet (36) 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. Food worker does not wash hands thoroughly after using the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking, eating, preparing raw foods or otherwise contaminating hands. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Bangal Curry
27 Park Place
Grade Pending (3)
Grayson
16 First Ave
A
Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant 9 Pell St
Grade Pending (22) 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
City Hall Restaurant
131 Duane St
A
Smorgasburg
19 Fulton St
A
Sambuca’s Cafe
105 Mulberry St
A
Red Hook Lobster Pound
19 Fulton St
A
Mee Sum Coffee Shop
26 Pell St
A
Lonestar Empire
19 Fulton St
A
Harney & Sons Tea
433 Broome St
Lumpia Shack
19 Fulton St
A
Ramen Burger
19 Fulton St
Not Graded Yet (18) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
Grade Pending (24) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Pizza Moto
19 Fulton St
A
Hoy Wong Restaurant
81 Mott St
A
Milk Truck
19 Fulton St
A
Mini Express
1418 Elizabeth St
A
Made Fresh Daily
226 Front St
A
Margherita
197 Grand St
A
Hop Shing Restaurant
9 Chatham Square
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 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.
John’s Restaurant
302 East 12 St
A
Wok To Walk
42 Union Sq E
A
Colors Restaurant
417 Lafayette St
A
St Marks Karaoke
6 St Marks Place
A
Viva Bubble Tea
226 East14Th St
A
Oiji
119 First Ave
Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
D.B.A.
41 First Ave
Not Graded Yet (21) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Al Vicoletto
9 East 17th St
A
Chipotle Mexican Grill
149 Eighth Avenue
Grade Pending (43) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Caffe Bene
300 West 17St
Not Graded Yet - No violations were recorded at the initial nonoperational pre-permit inspection conducted on 06/29/2015, or violations cited were dismissed at an administrative hearing.
Cafe Prague
2 West 19 St
Grade Pending (21) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Google Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Ave
A
JULY 9-15,2015
15
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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Dining Information, plus crime news, real estate prices - all about your part of town Sam Zaarour, who manages Baba Ghanouge on Church Street, is fasting during the month of Ramadan. Vegetables and meats behind the glass partition offer no inducement, until just after sunset, he said.
FEEDING THE SOUL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ogy can be traced to words meaning “scorchedness” and “sun-baked ground.” And when Ramadan occurs during the summer months, that can be especially apt—particularly for those preparing food for others but who are fasting themselves. At B&D that afternoon, manager Ali Barry, who oversees food production, had been fasting for nearly 12 hours. “After two or three days, it gets easier,” he said, echoing sentiment from other cooks and restaurateurs who are also fasting. “You don’t think about it.” He had awakened at 3 a.m., and ate a meal of rice with some spinach and avocado. “I eat a lot in the morning,” he said. “I slept a little bit and I came to work,” said Barry, 28, who works six days a week at the eatery just west of Seventh Avenue. Although he carts the pans of aromatic meats, fish, vegetables and grains from the kitchen to the immense steam table in the center of the restaurant, there’s no temptation to have even a spoonful, he said. Fasting has become habit as much as custom. “It becomes normal,” said Barry, who came to the United States from his native Guinea
in 2006. “I started fasting at about 13 or 14.” In fact sustenance can become an afterthought. “Sometimes after Ramadan, I forget to have my lunch,” he said. Since the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan shifts with the seasons and for the last few years has been all or nearly all in the summer — when the days are longest and warmest. At Baba Ghanouge on Church Street downtown, Sam Zaarour was taking phone orders from behind a simple counter on a July afternoon that would reach into the low 80s. Zaarour, who works seven days a week at his son’s restaurant, starting in early mornings, said the mostly temperate weather this Ramadan had made fasting easier to bear than during others in the summer months. “When it’s too hot, that’s the problem,” said Zaarour, 60. “In the winter, it’s easy. ... This summer is not bad.” On a wall beside the cash register, just below eye level, a timetable for the New York Metropolitan Area listed the times for the beginning of the fast; the morning prayer; sunrise; the noon prayer; and iftar, the breaking of the fast. This year, with the beginning of Ramadan nearly coinciding with the start of summer, the length of the prescribed fast
will have shortened by just 25 minutes by the time Ramadan concludes. Zaarour, who came to New York from Lebanon 17 years ago, had been fasting since 3:45 that morning. Behind the eatery’s glass partition, bright purple-red beets, roasted eggplant, creamy hummus, compact stuffed grape leaves and a collection of neatly cut and colorful vegetables, dips and sauces offered no inducement, he said. He had another five hours before he would break his fast. If he thought ahead, he did so cheerfully. “After you eat, it’s like someone gave you a million dollars,” he said. “You are very happy.” Across Church Street, Umar Irshad, who manages the Pakistan Tea House, said the start of Ramadan can be a challenge. “You get hungry by looking at food,” Irshad said as curries, biryanis and other dishes warmed in a steam table nearby. But, he added, “if I’m fasting, I’m fasting.” Irshad, a 24-year-old from Pakistan, has been fasting on some days, but not all; a medical condition precludes him from observing the fast throughout Ramadan. He refrains from eating and drinking when he is able. “You have power even if you’re fasting,” he said. “God has given me life and I’m thankful for that, and that motivates.”
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JULY 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Real Estate Sales Neighborhd
Address
Price
Bed Bath Agent
Battery Park City
300 Albany Street
$490,000
Battery Park City
2 River Terrace
$3,600,000
Battery Park City
30 West Street
$3,226,000
3
3
Corcoran
Battery Park City
99 Battery Place
$642,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
Battery Park City
10 Little West Street
$10
Chelsea
310 West 18 Street
$585,000
1
1
Halstead Property
Chelsea
248 West 16 Street
$1,050,000
2
1
Core
Chelsea
85 8 Avenue
$415,000
Chelsea
300 West 23 Street
$515,000
Downtown Sales Snapshot Number of contracts signed so far in the second quarter
0
1
$0 - $600k
$600x - $1M
$1M-$2M
$2M-$5M
$5M-$10M
$10M+
STUDIOS
40
35
7
3
1
-
1 BED
31
86
84
17
-
-
2 BEDS
-
31
65
94
15
-
3+ BEDS
1
2
6
37
33
11
TOWNHOUSE
-
-
-
-
3
1
Patrick Quagliano
Median Sales Price
Chelsea
166 West 22 Street
$770,000
1
1
Halstead Property
STUDIOS
600,000
Chelsea
331 West 21 Street
$930,000
2
1
Corcoran
1 BED
999,000
Chelsea
221 West 21 Street
$413,712
2 BEDS
1,850,000
Chelsea
655 6 Avenue
$2,648,000
3 BEDS
4,100,000
Civic Center
165 Park Row
$1,250,000
East Village
170 2 Avenue
$2,650,000
Greenwich Village
79-81 West Washington Place
East Village
333 East 14 Street
$472,500
Greenwich Village
20 East 10 Street
$18,250,000
6
0
Douglas Elliman
East Village
115 4 Avenue
$1,440,000
Greenwich Village
77 Bleecker Street
$790,000
1
1
Halstead Property
East Village
99 East 4 Street
$1,295,000
2
1
Avenue Real Estate
Greenwich Village
101 West 12 Street
$574,000
0
1
Halstead Property
East Village
70 East 10 Street
$2,235,000
2
2
Douglas Elliman
Lower East Side
210 East Broadway
$415,000
East Village
228 East 13 Street
$500,000
1
1
Plymouth Management Group
Lower East Side
179 Ludlow Street
$1,741,207
East Village
238 East 4 Street
$6,995,000
Lower East Side
530 Grand Street
$691,000
East Village
23 East 3 Street
$1,800
Lower East Side
530 Grand Street
$695,000
East Village
25 East 3 Street
$1,800
Lower East Side
210 East Broadway
$1,230,000
2
1
Douglas Elliman
East Village
99 East 4 Street
$670,000
1
1
Domus Realty
Soho
242 Lafayette Street
$1,875,000
2
1
Halstead Property
East Village
232 East 6 Street
$538,000
1
1
Argo Residential
Soho
158 Mercer Street
$9,000,000
3
2
Sotheby's International Realty
East Village
311 East 11 Street
$1,220,000
1
1
Halstead Property
Soho
387 West Broadway
$5,181,000
Financial District
15 Broad Street
$1,675,000
2
2
Brown Harris Stevens
Soho
468 West Broadway
$2,200,000
1
1
Stribling
Financial District
20 West Street
$750,000
Tribeca
361 Greenwich Street
$1,988,000
Financial District
20 Pine Street
$390,000
Tribeca
161 Hudson Street
$4,875,000
Financial District
20 Pine Street
$780,000
Tribeca
39 Vestry Street
$7,200,000
Financial District
20 West Street
$675,000
Tribeca
53 North Moore Street
$3,280,000
2
2
Douglas Elliman
Financial District
120 Greenwich Street
$715,000
Tribeca
101 Leonard Street
$2,217,748
Flatiron
650 6Th Avenue
$1,375,000
Tribeca
62 Beach Street
$1,180,000
Flatiron
33 East 22 Street
$745,000
1
1
Corcoran
Tribeca
108 Franklin Street
$2,525,000
Flatiron
16 West 16 Street
$840,000
1
1
Corcoran
Tribeca
101 Warren Street
$2,325,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
Flatiron
17 West 17 Street
$6,450,000
Tribeca
465 Greenwich Street
$1,956,058
Fulton/Seaport
145 Nassau Street
$2,175,000
Two Bridges
165 Henry Street
$590,000
Fulton/Seaport
99 John Street
$962,246
West Chelsea
450 West 17 Street
$1,900,000
1
1
Corcoran
3
3
Corcoran
3
3
Corcoran
0
1
Sotheby's International Realty
2
0
2
1
Core
New York Residence
Source: UrbanDigs LLC $1,800,000
Fulton/Seaport
59 John Street
$2,050,000
West Chelsea
500 West 21St Street
$6,364,062
Fulton/Seaport
324 Pearl Street
$10
West Chelsea
500 West 21St Street
$6,364,062
Gramercy Park
1 Irving Place
$999,000
West Chelsea
520 West 23 Street
$782,500
Gramercy Park
312 East 22 Street
$1,824,203
West Chelsea
500 West 21St Street
$6,669,537
Gramercy Park
305 2 Avenue
$1,800,000
West Chelsea
500 West 21St Street
$5,473,093
West Chelsea
520 West 23 Street
$660,000
West Village
99 Bank Street
$700,000
Greenwich Village
145 West 12 Street
$669,000
Greenwich Village
2 5 Avenue
$1,750,000
1
1
Buchbinder & Warren
Greenwich Village
12 East 14 Street
$1,628,000
Greenwich Village
77 Bleecker Street
$622,000
1
1
Anna Pinto Realty
Greenwich Village
2 5 Avenue
$2,007,581
1
1
Stribling
St.Easy.com is New York’s most accurate and comprehensive real estate website, providing consumers detailed sales and rental information and the tools to manage that information to make educated decisions. The site has become the reference site for consumers, real estate professionals and the media and has been widely credited with bringing transparency to one of the world’s most important real estate markets.
JULY 9-15,2015
17
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Neighborhood Scrapbook CHELSEA PIERS TURNS 20
YOU READ IT HERE FIRST The local paper for the Upper East Side
LUXURY MEGA-TOWER COMING TO SUTTON PLACE EXCLUSIVE East Side officials already gearing up to fight the project 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
The local paper for the Upper West Side
Chelsea Piers celebrated its 20th birthday, with a cake-cutting ceremony. In the last two decades, the Hudson River sports complex has racked up some impressive stats, including: * 150,000 league games have been played at Chelsea Piers * Roughly 300 million golf balls have been hit * More than 45,000 children have attended Chelsea Piers Summer Camps * More than 26,000 children’s birthday parties have been celebrated at Chelsea Piers * More than 100,000 boats have docked * 792 TV episodes have been shot * 27 movies have filmed at Chelsea Piers
HUNTER SCIENCE HIGH GRADUATES ALL 104 SENIORS
Safety Advocates Want Harsher Penalties for New York’s Drivers
THE TRAGEDY AFTER INVESTIGATION 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
Each of the 104 seniors who graduated from Manhattan Hunter Science High School is going to college. Hunter College President Jennifer Raab founded the high school school in 2003 as a pipeline into Hunter College and to encourage the study of science. The school, located within the Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Campus on Amsterdam Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets, strives to accept students who might have the best middle school grades but of whom the best is expected in high school. One of the graduates, Carolin Tolentino, a 15-year-old (pictured) from Inwood, will attend Rice University. Other MHSHS graduates will attend New York University, Binghamton University, Middlebury College, Albany University, Stony Brook University, Rochester Institute of Technology as well as various CUNY and SUNY institutions. In addition, 37 graduates will attend Hunter College starting in the fall — all of them supported by a full scholarship funded by Neil Janovic, a member of the Hunter College Foundation Board of Trustees.
Share your news and what’s going on in your life. Go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.
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
18
JULY 9-15,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
HISTORY MUSEUM’S EXPANSION SEEN AS BOON FOR COLUMBUS AVE. Avenue business owners say a proposed expansion could bring additional opportunity BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
Aetna’s headquarters in Hartford, Conn.
MY INSURANCE COMPANY IS MERGING. NOW WHAT? HEALTH Business deals and what they mean for your policy BY TOM MURPHY
More than a third of the U.S. population has health coverage through an insurer that either wants to make a huge acquisition or is about to be swallowed up in one. Aetna laid out a plan to spend around $35 billion to buy the Medicare Advantage provider Humana Inc. That came a day after Centene Corp. and Health Net Inc. announced a smaller deal and a couple of weeks after Anthem Inc. went public with its offer of more than $47 billion for Cigna Corp. The nation’s biggest insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc., also has kicked the tires on making an offer to Aetna Inc., according to The Wall Street Journal. Health insurers routinely detail the earnings and savings they expect from these mega deals, but the impact on the average consumer can’t be boiled down to crisp dollars and cents. Nevertheless, here are some answers to questions that may arise if your insurer becomes part of an acquisition.
Q: Will my premium go up? A: Not necessarily. The cynic might argue that a bigger in-
surer will charge whatever it wants and not sweat losing a few customers because it has millions to spare and less competition. However, insurance prices depend largely on the cost of health care locally, not how big an insurer gets nationally. Health care costs and the amount of competition an insurer faces can vary widely depending the market. Premiums could jump if the cost of care spikes where you live and big deals wipe out a few competitors. But an insurer also might reap some savings from combining with another company. Some of that might eventually trickle down to premiums. So many variables affect pricing that it’s hard to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship with a mega deal.
Q: Will bigger insurers be able to clamp down on health care costs? A: That also depends largely on each market. In theory, a bigger insurer gains more negotiating muscle over care providers because it can exclude that doctor or hospital from its network and send patients elsewhere. But many of these health care providers also have been growing and gaining their own leverage. Health care costs are still
growing faster than the broader inflation rate, and the rising price of some prescription drugs is drawing concern.
Q: What will the consumer see from these big deals? A: Better technology comes to mind. Insurers are racing to develop better apps and other tools to help their customers buy coverage and health care because patients are being exposed more of the cost of care through rising deductibles and other health insurance expenses. Companies also are using technology more to monitor and improve patient care. That means using tools that tell them if a patient is sticking with a prescription or keeping up with follow-up care. A big deal would allow companies to combine the best technology from each company.
Q: When will consumers start seeing any impact from these deals? A: At least a year from now. Insurers have already settled on their rates and other details of the coverage they want to offer staring in January. These acquisitions still must be approved by shareholders, and regulators have to review them to make sure no company gains an unfair advantage in any market. In some cases -see Anthem and Cigna -- the companies haven’t even struck a deal yet. After an acquisition closes, the companies then have to combine their businesses.
The American Museum of Natural History has yet to reveal an architectural plan for a proposed addition to its Upper West Side campus, but some of the museum’s neighbors already eye opportunities for upgraded public spaces at the museum site. The new building addition is slated for construction on the Columbus Avenue side of the institution, at 79th Street, and some business owners along Columbus see a chance to improve public access and open spaces along that corridor, and specifically for a section of Theodore Roosevelt Park at the western side of the museum. The museum is a city-owned landmark on pubic parkland, and the project requires approval from city agencies. “This is an opportunity to make that parkland really great parkland,” said Huntley Gill, an associate with Columbus Avenue firm Guardia Architects and a member of the board of directors of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District. Gill and other members of the Columbus Avenue BID look at the museum’s addition, an expected 218,000-square-foot building dedicated to scientific research and education, as an opportunity to adapt portions of the park, which is presently fenced off and inaccessible, and create a welcoming neighborhood hub. Presently, the park is underutilized, Gill said, not an inviting enclave for the neighborhood or for the museum’s 5 million annual visitors. Members of the Columbus Avenue BID shared their ideas with the museum, and those involved in the project, “seemed surprised and pleased with the idea,” Gill said. The museum does not yet have a design for the addition, according to Roberto Lebron,
Business owners say an expansion of the American Museum of Natural History, on its south side, pictured, would bring increased foot traffic their way. Photo: Dan Nguyen, via Flickr senior director of communications at the museum, but expects to share the plan for consultation once it’s available, potentially this fall. The relationship between the addition and the park “is one of our principal concerns,” Lebron said. Without a design plan from the project’s architects, the Columbus Avenue BID’s concept remains nascent (the museum has also hired landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand). Some ideas for improvements include fresh landscaping, removal of the iron fence and the addition of movable tables and chairs, similar to Bryant Park’s setup. “We’re hoping that the museum takes down some of the fencing along the Columbus Avenue side and makes an area that is a real meeting and greeting area, that’s both green and welcoming,” said Barbara Adler, executive director of the Columbus Avenue BID. Gill imagines that a welldesigned public space in what is commonly considered the back of the institution will not only give the museum opportunities to host educational events outdoors, but also provide Upper West Side residents with a location to hold meetings and gather, which, he said, the neighborhood currently lacks. And with the location of the new building, patrons will have a new way to enter and exit the museum on
Columbus Avenue, an exciting prospect for nearby business owners. Chris Doeblin, who owns Book Culture on Columbus Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets, noted that visiting the museum is not a casual affair, but a planned event often consuming an entire day. He thinks that an inviting public space and museum entrance on the western side of the campus will also encourage visitors to have more of a “drop-in” experience, that doesn’t involve entering through the museum’s grand, columned entrance on Central Park West. “What I’d like to see is that the museum experience becomes a little less monolithic,” he said. “There are tons of people going by, with kids in strollers and they don’t stop because when you go in it’s your whole day.” If all goes well, the Columbus Avenue BID could use some of its funds to provide planning, coordination and professional expertise to the park project, along with other initiatives along the avenue, Gill said. He noted that the board has not formally voted on the prospect but that “there’s no hint of dissention” among members. “An acre of parkland that is badly designed is worth very little,” Gill said. “An acre of park that is well-designed is worth 10 acres.”
JULY 9-15,2015
19
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
DRAWING INSPIRATION AT THE MET P.S. Art funnels public school students’ work to the museum BY ZEENA SAIFI
It’s as if you were peering into a photograph of someone squinting. You note the wrinkles between the eyes and on top of the nose. You glimpse at the hairs on the eyebrows, how they brush out imperfectly. The finely wrought pastel and colored-pencil drawing highlights various tones and colors, reinforcing what clearly is the subject’s vexation. In a sense, Jemielee Perez, a senior at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, turned a friend’s struggles into art. Titled Frustration, the drawing hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of 88 works by artists from New York City’s public schools of art chosen for display in the museum’s Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education. It is part of the 13th anniversary of P.S. Art, an annual exhibition of artists from the city’s public schools. Perez said Frustration was inspired by a close friend who had gone through a lot of struggles and tough transitions in her life, but nonetheless managed to keep a smile. The friend said although people usually saw that sunnier side, only Perez and a couple of other friends knew of her other trait, which she was reluctant to show. Perez said did not expect to have her work chosen for inclusion in P.S. Art, but said it has been amazing to actually see it at the Met. “I was always really shy and scared to submit any of my work, because I didn’t want to be rejected,” she said. “But now it’s just so surreal, and it really didn’t hit me until I saw it up there.” As dynamic as Frustration is, you wouldn’t expect to find anything less at P.S. Art. The program’s coordinator of visual arts at the city Department of Education, Karen Rosner, said walking through the exhibit is the same experience as walking through a museum filled with pieces made by renowned artists. “Although these kids are in pre-K all the way to high
school,” she said. “We receive a lot of well-made portraits, stilllifes, full landscapes and even sculptures.” This is the eighth year that the exhibit has been held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For this show, 900 students submitted work. A panel of arts specialists from the
Department of Education and Studio in a School, which partners with artists, the DOE and others to foster the creative development of city youth, tapered those entries down to 370 semifinalists. A panel of judges consisting of distinguished administrators from the city’s art commu-
Frustration Jemielee Perez, 17, Senior, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, Manhattan. Courtesy of The New York City Department of Education
nity as well as staff members from the museum then chooses the final pieces that will go on display. The entire selection process takes about a year, Rosner said. For the first time this year, in addition to the museum exhibit, some of the students’ artwork was also projected on outdoor digital screens in Times Square. They rotated on view over the course of several days. Students talked about their pieces as the art was being projected. the Met’s chairman of education, Sandra JacksonDumont, said. She was amazed at how confidently the kids spoke in front of so many people in the middle of a place like Times Square. “The first student to speak was in elementary school,” she said. “Since we were in the middle of noisy Times Square, I wanted to make sure she would be heard, so I grabbed her and said ‘make sure you’re loud.’ And she turned to me and said ‘and proud?’” Jack son-Du mont bega n working for the museum last year around the time that P.S. Art exhibition was opening up. On the first day, there were so many people trying to photograph the kids that it seemed like a paparazzi moment, she
said. “Young people at that age aren’t generally used to that attention,” she said. “Their reaction was kind of like ‘wow, I actually am amazing!’” This year, every artist was given a button that read ‘I’m an artist.’ Jackson-Dumont said it was a way to get people to approach the kids and ask them about their work, in order to make them feel proud about their achievements. According to Rosner, the criteria used to select the final artworks have performance indicators. Teachers are encouraged to use those criteria to judge if the students’ work meets the indicators and are
on grade level. “You might get a work of art that looks fabulous for a second-grader, but it was done by a fifth-grader,” Rosner said. “We don’t want that; we want something age-appropriate.” Jackson-Dumont said the exhibition’s purpose is to highlight the importance of art education in creating critical thinkers and well-rounded minds. ”This is not only about making a pretty painting,” she said. “It’s about building confidence in kids, so that they can have that kind of courage to stand up and speak in front of millions of people in the heart of Times Square.”
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Umbrella Richard Ortiz, 17, Senior, Theatre Arts Production Company School, Bronx Courtesy of The New York City Department of Education
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
A SUBSTITUTE WHO CAN’T BE REPLACED Q&A Elizabeth Rose turned her experience teaching in 25 New York City schools into a book BY ANGELA BARBUTI
In one tumultuous and heartwarming year, Elizabeth Rose was a substitute teacher in 25 public high schools throughout New York City. Not only did she instruct on every subject from physics to art, but, more importantly, touched the lives of her students, so much so that they would give her hugs and beg her not to leave. When her full-time position as a songwriting teacher was cut, she was placed in a pool of approximately 2,500 teachers made to work at a new school each week. At first, Rose considered returning to her freelance music and comedy gigs. Then she realized she could turn her experience into a creative project, so she brought in an iPad, and during breaks, documented the scenes that took place in her classrooms each day. The rich dialogue she had with the kids, which includes candid conversations about everything from race to murder to immigration, make her book Yo Miz!: 1 teacher + 25 schools = 1 wacky year both an entertaining and emotional read. As a substitute, Rose faced the challenge of getting high school students to take her seriously. One of the ways she related to them was by writing a rap song. When she started her lesson with, “I’m your Gangsta Teach…It’s you I want to reach…And I don’t want to preach, screech or beseech…,” “that turned the energy around pretty fast,” she said, laughing.
Did you have the intention of writing a book from the beginning? No, I had no intention of even staying once they dropped my position and said me and 2,500 other teachers had to go week to week to a new school and sub. Our principal overheard in a meeting that the Department of Education devised a scheme so we would get run down and so miserable we’d leave and they wouldn’t have to pay us anymore. I
went to see what my first school was like…and it was a very good school, one of our best, Baruch College Campus High School. And I’m sitting there in this wonderful school in the teachers’ lounge in the second week…and all the sudden this thing came into my brain and it said, ‘You, Elizabeth are going to be sent to a new public school each week as a substitute teacher. Journalists are not allowed in the schools to report. Teachers can’t really say what’s going on. Administrators spin it. And the people who make education policy are afraid to cross the threshold in general. So, in the classroom, you have been anointed with this irresistible opportunity to tell your story.’
You know, they start playing you right away. And I just started rapping because I can spin a few lines. They’re all the sudden my BFFs. So they were telling me about their lives. This one boy says, “I’m a thug. I’m gonna go to jail. I got arrested for armed robbery. I’m going to be in for seven years.” His other friend, a sweet, quiet, handsome young Hispanic boy says to me, “I murdered my stepfather.” And I looked at him; I thought he might be playing me. But he wasn’t. I knew he wasn’t. I just looked at him and said, “Why?” And he said, “Because he was bothering my stepmother.” And I had a vision that there was something hideous and violent going on that he couldn’t express.
You realized you had a book in the making after speaking to a student who immigrated from the Ivory Coast.
What was one of your worst days as a sub?
At the Academy of Environmental Science which, unfortunately, is closed now because it was a socalled failing school, I had all these wonderful immigrant kids who came here from Yemen and the Ivory Coast. And I met this 18-year-old named Mignon. She had been locked in her house as a young child, not able to go to school because of the civil war on the Ivory Coast. Both of her parents were illiterate, so she never learned to read or write. When she was 16, she ended up in El Barrio with a half-sister, put in a fifth grade class and given a standardized test. And she told me, “I failed and this teacher pointed her finger at me and told me that I should have learned this in fifth grade.” It just broke my heart and I went home and wrote her story. And then I realized I was writing a book.
One of your students told you he murdered his stepfather. That was at the Heritage School and I was given the job of sitting in the library to guide the students who had been failing to sit at the laptops and take these credit recovery courses. I had four or five boys, they came in and saw me, a sub, and there’s always a reaction…getting Karma, because that’s the way I used to treat subs when I was a kid. These kids were like, “I’m leaving.”
There was a time I was at the Murray Bergtraum School which is way down in lower Manhattan and it’s a very tough school. They put me in a class with some explosive special ed kids who were much taller than me, and they were starting to throw furniture around. There were only six kids in the class and I felt a little bit in danger. They were so emotionally disturbed and I didn’t have to skills to handle it. I have learned that every single kid, without exception, has a real light in them. And that every one of them has a creative space in them, and if you are willing to meet the kids where they are and honor and value where they are- whether it’s football, rap music or robot sciencethey will light up. And if you do that, you find out that they’ll come with you and value what you value, which is their academic success. To learn more about Elizabeth’s year of subbing, visit yomizthebook.com To hear her rap “Gangsta Teach,” visit www.reverbnation. com/erosemuse/songs
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