Our Town Downtown July 30th, 2015

The local paper for Downtown wn

WEEK OF JULY-AUGUST

SARGENT’S PAEAN TO THE CREATIVE CLASS

30-5

CITY ARTS, P.12 >

2015

A LACK OF ACCESS, UNDERGROUND OR ABOVE

GRADING RESTAURANTS (ON A CURVE)

25 years after the American Disabilities Act, just 103 of 490 stations are accessible to the disabled

NEWS

BY WILLIAM ENGEL

The health department says the vast majority of city restaurants are now getting A grades.

Industry experts aren’t so sure.

If you’ve been in New York for any length of time, the subway has likely been part of your daily routine at some point.

That’s not the case for Todd Kreisler.

Kreisler, 57, has been in a wheelchair his entire life and for him, navigating the subway system is more of a chore than a convenience.

“I use the subway about six times a year, basically,” the Upper East Side resident said. He said that, in general, he only uses the subway when he has to travel out of the borough.

And for good reason: Where he lives, the closest accessible subway station is a 15-minute bus ride away.

Earlier this year, blogger Matthew Ahn drew up and posted online a subway map that only included stops that were accessible to the disabled. Of the 490 stops around New York City, just 103 appeared on the map (including those on Staten Island).

Ahn has been infatuated with subway culture since he moved to New York from Cleveland. Earlier this year, he set a Guinness World Record when he traveled through every subway stop in the city within 22 hours. Over the course of his travels, he noticed a trend — the rarity of handicap accessibility.

Are 95% of New York City’s restaurants really squeaky clean?

The Department of Health recently touted that fact that 95% of the 24,000 restaurants in the city now receive an A inspection grade, up from 38% four years ago.

While health department officials credit more frequent inspections and better communication for the higher marks, restaurateurs, inspection consultants -- and even some diners -- aren’t so convinced.

“I think the numbers are pretty skewed,” said Adolfo Velasquez, whose NYC Grade Fixers is part of a cottage industry that helps restaurants navigate the health department’s inspection process through mock run-throughs adminis-

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BY LOGAN HENDRIX

Our Take A WAGE TO LIVE BY The state’s roughly 200,000 fast-food workers — about 50,000 of them in the city — are on their way to earning a fair wage.

A state panel appointed by the governor last week recommended that workers at the state’s McDonalds, Taco Bells and other fast-food outlets that number more than 30 deserve better pay.

It’s a correct decision -- and a courageous one. And, following decisions to boost the minimum wage in Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C., it amounts to an endorsement that service industry employees have for too long borne an often onerous burden, particularly in this city, which has seen incredible wealth pour in during the last few decades.

According to a report released last year, 87 percent of fast-food workers to do not receive health benefits through their employer and more than half of those working full time in the industry are enrolled in at least one public benefit program.

A few decades ago, McDonalds and other fast-food outlets were typically staffed with collegeage kids and young adults living with their parents and looking for extra income. That’s no longer the case, and people working in the industry are ever more likely to live in or near poverty.

A nearly anonymous threemember board in the state capital has made a significant decision. The deserved hope — and expectation — now is that the marquee names in a nascent presidential campaign will back them up.

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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

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City Arts Top 5 Food & Drink 15 Minutes

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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 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

n OurTownDowntow

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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 30-AUGUST 5,2015

WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL MAY BE OUT, BUT THE LAW IS ALWAYS IN Capitalizing off of the success of the police department’s summer programs, the de Blasio administration announced

at 10-point proposal to cut down on the number of student arrests, suspensions and summonses. The mayor’s office, the department of education and the police have come together to supervise and track the success of the program,

which is largely in response to a 63 percent increase in school suspensions that occurred between 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the recommendations support an emphasized focus on

interactions between school staff, the students and their families with community supports to help stabilize the learning environment. Another goal that was highlighted was the reduction of disparities in disciplinary practices between students of different ethnicities, race and students with special needs and students with general education, through greater transparency, consistency, and information sharing between schools. The proposals aim to lay the groundwork for a healthier relationship between the city’s students and the police.

REFLECTING POOL FILLED AT COLLECT POND PARK Collect Pond Park has finally been refilled after a dry spell of nearly a year.

The reflecting pool was initially drained due to several mechanical issues, the Tribeca Trib reported. A couple months after opening in the spring of 2014, the pool was drained due to leaks in pond’s system, such as a pipe fracture.

In addition to the 100-foot-long pool, the $4.6 million park includes a children’s sprinkler, benches, a bridge stretching across the pond as well as historical elements that tie the park to the 17th century.

“ST. VINCENT’S TRIANGLE” REPLACED BY NEW PARK A new park at the old St. Vincent’s Hospital site will be opening soon at Seventh Avenue South near West 12th Street, the Villager reports.

The park will include outdoor seating and tables, a lawn and children’s sprinklers. An AIDS memorial exists at the site since the hospital was essential in treating patients with the infection.

Rudin Management is building the park, the same company building the Greenwich Lane luxury residences on the former main campus of St. Vincent’s Hospital. The park’s name has yet to be unveiled.

END OF THE ROAD FOR A BELOVED BIKER BAR Come August the doors of the iconic Meatpacking District watering hole Hogs and Heifers will be forever shut, concluding more than two decades of fun and frolic. The bar’s closing became inevitable after its lease expired in 2014 causing the rent to increase from $14,000 a month to $60,000 a month, its owner, Michelle Dell, told DNAinfo. Dell decided to close up shop in New York City. A Las Vegas outpost will continue the legacy.

The de Blasio administration has compiled a 10-component proposal to reduce the number of student arrests, suspensions and summonses. Photo: Kevin Case, via Flickr

M ARB L E C O L L E GI AT E C H U RC H

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JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

SILVER LOSES BID TO DISMISS CHARGES

Sheldon Silver. Photo: Azi Paybarah, via Flickr

Former New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver lost a bid to toss out corruption charges against him.

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan last week dismissed the Democratâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to portray behavior that earned him millions of dollars over the last decade as innocent conduct that, at most, stretched the limits of ethics rules. â&#x20AC;&#x153;None of Silverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguments is persuasive,â&#x20AC;? the judge wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evidence that Silver went to lengths to conceal his allegedly ill-gotten gains is evidence both of Silverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge that the money that he received constituted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;criminally derived propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ... and evidence of Silverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consciousness of guilt regarding his allegedly fraudulent and extortionate

activities.â&#x20AC;?

Silver is free on bail after his January arrest on charges that he collected $4 million in kickbacks by abusing his powerful legislative position. The 71-year-old Silver faces a Nov. 2 trial, where he has vowed to be vindicated.

His lawyers said in a statement Friday that they were studying Caproniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to a trial of this case in which Mr. Silver will clear his name,â&#x20AC;? they said.

Caproni noted that prosecutors plan to prove that Silver used his power and influence to obtain millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fact that the payments Silver allegedly received as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bribesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;kickbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were funneled through entities in which he

had an undisclosed interest does not transform the bribery or kickback schemes into â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;undisclosed conflictof-interestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; schemes,â&#x20AC;? she wrote.

In court papers, defense attorneys had argued that the indictment made allegations that werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t crimes, but instead constituted â&#x20AC;&#x153;longstanding features of New York state government that the U.S. attorney finds distasteful.â&#x20AC;?

Silver, a Manhattan resident, resigned from his Senate leadership post after his arrest but retained his Assembly seat.

First elected in 1976, he represents a district on Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lower East Side, where he was born and raised.

The Associated Press

6 SUBTRACTED BY 4 A gang of four shoplifters snatched six handbags said to be worth $23,650 from the racks at the Celine clothing boutique at 67 Wooster St. in the early afternoon of July 18, police said. A store employee

TILE LIQUIDATION

SALE!!!

was slightly hurt when he was shoved to the ground. The perpetrators ďŹ&#x201A;ed the store on foot.

ASPHALT GRIEF Nearly $4,000 worth of belongings was taken from a locker at the Asphalt Green on North End Avenue on July 17. A 41-year-old woman told police she had put the items, among them a Longines watch valued at $2,900, gold rings worth $600 and a $300 bracelet, in the locker and found them gone when she returned a half hour later.

RANGING ROVER Two men rode off with a 2008 Range Rover parked at a facility at 103 Warren St., police said. The vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 43-year-old owner told police he parked his blue Range Rover, bearing New York plates FYW2321, just after 7 p.m. on July 12. It was gone when he returned just before midnight on July 15. The parking facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security video showed two men walking into the location and pulling on car doors.

They made off with the Range Rover when they found its key.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for July 13 - 19 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

4

5

-20.0

Robbery

1

2

-50.0

31

25

24.0

Felony Assault

0

2

-100.0

43

38

13.2

Burglary

6

1

500.0

74

85

-12.9

Grand Larceny

29

20

45.0

542

495

9.5

Grand Larceny Auto

1

1

0.0

12

4

200.0

The Rover was last seen at 10:28 a.m. on July 17 crossing the Williamsburg Bridge.

BLACK DAY AT DAHLIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S More than $10,000 in cash stashed in an office ďŹ le cabinet was taken from Dahliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mexican restaurant on Greenwich Street sometime after closing on July 16 and 7 a.m. the next day, police said.

The theft was discovered by an employee opening the restaurant who found a side door on Harrison Street was open and one of the doorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s windows shattered. A padlock

to the office door was missing and the thief or thieves used a key pulled from an unsecured key box to unlock the cabinet, police said. Three bottles of alcohol valued at $505 had also been removed from a rack inside the office.

HAND-CARVED AND HAND-PICKED OFF About $5,500 worth of handcarved jewelry was taken from a messenger bag on a bicycle parked outside King Street near Sixth Avenue about 2:30 p.m. on July 15. The jewelry, inside two brown bags, included earrings, rings and a pendant.

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Everyone depends on electricity. So if you ever need to report a loss of power, now you can text OUT to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts. Also, check our outage map to get estimated restoration times at conEd.com/OutageMap.

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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.

212-741-8211

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230 E. 21st St.

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ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin

165 Park Row #11

Councilmember Rosie Mendez

237 1st Ave. #504

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

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59 E. 4th St.

212-533-5300

Community Board 4

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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

212-587-3159

COMMUNITY BOARDS

LIBRARIES

Artspace P.S. 109, at 215 East 99th Street in East Harlem. Credit: Artspace.org.

HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian

170 William St.

Mount Sinai-Beth Israel

10 Union Square East

212-844-8400

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

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46 East 23rd

813-964-3839

212-312-5110

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JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

After 19 years on the Upper West Side, El Taller set to move across park

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

El Taller Latino Americano, the language school and cultural center that for two decades has been located on the Upper West Side, is moving in August to East Harlem.

After searching for over a year for a new location, the center will open in September in the basement of Artspace P.S. 109, an affordable housing enclave for artists and their families.

The move follows many months of uncertainty after El Taller lost their home of 19 years on West 104th Street to a steep rent hike last summer. For the past year, El Taller has been running Spanish language classes out of St. Michael’s Church at 99th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

But that uncertainty plays into the immigrant narrative familiar to many who find their way to El Taller, said Bernardo Palombo, the organization’s founder and artistic director.

“For me, it’s going back to where I started in 1969,” said Palombo, who is originally from Argentina. “I’m an immigrant. But my first approach of connection to the Spanish-speaking world (in New York) was in El Barrio.”

El Taller (pronounced el tie-year), in addition to offering Spanish language classes, also functions as an art gallery, music venue and community center. For more than 35 years the organization has been located in a half-dozen different locations in several Manhattan neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side, Chelsea and the Upper West Side.

“In some ways it’s the history of gentrification,” said Palombo.

Artspace, based in Minnesota, is a 35-year-old nonprofit whose mission is to create, develop and maintain permanently affordable housing for artists and their families. According to vice president of asset management Bill Mague, the organization has 38 projects in 14 states, which each have, on average, 50 units of affordable housing and 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of arts related space.

Artspace P.S. 109 is a converted public school with 90 affordable apartments, for which the organization received over 53,000 applications from artists, according to Mague. Competition was also fierce for the arts-related space that the organization set aside in the basement of P.S. 109, which is located on 99th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Why did El Taller make the cut?

“From an anchor-tenant perspective, El Taller was one of the only organizations that presented a need to move, they wanted to remain geographically relevant, and they had a 30-year track record of activity in a space of comparable size,” said Mague.

Palombo said in addition to similar artistic visions, El Taller is an attractive tenant simply because they’re able to pay rent.

“A lot of organizations applied, but when they came to the interview they said they basically depend on grants,” said Palombo, who noted El Taller earns the vast majority of its funds from tuition fees for their language classes. “For the last two years we were on a list of many organizations waiting for the space. Then they called us and said we got it.”

That call concluded a months-long search for a new home fraught with uncertainty.

“There have been so many emotions at the same time, from being scared about losing our space, to fear about moving to

a new community, but we couldn’t believe how good this is,” Palombo said. “I think it’s incredibly exciting for us. We’re going to celebrate 37 years this March, it was time for us for a change that way.”

But will El Taller’s established West Side community trek across the park to the new location?

Palombo said his organization’s artistic model is built on diversity, attracting musicians and artists from a wide array of locales both foreign and domestic. And while West Siders may not cross the park for language classes, Palombo is confident they will for art showings and concerts.

“Well, remember, Taller is an open space.

It’s made by the programming. We have musicians that come in from everywhere, the painters are the same,” Palombo said.

“I think that they will cross the tracks — the park — for some activities we’re going to have there.”

And El Taller will still maintain a footprint on the Upper West Side as they’re continuing to offer language classes out of St. Michael’s.

“We were very lucky because we kept functioning in St. Michael’s church,” Palombo said of El Taller’s itinerant year.

“It was amazing for us, the perfect refuge.”

The new digs, however, are certainly an upgrade. The new home will feature a recording studio, performance and workshop space, and a 120-person capacity theater, among other amenities. El Taller will also benefit from Artspace’s built-in public relations team, who help spread the word about events and expand the profile of their artists via social media and their network of arts patrons and organizations.

“We run a very empowered model,” said Mague, “we’re always seeking strong, local partners.”

Palombo added that El Taller events will have a built-in potential audience of 90 artists and their families living right upstairs.

“For me, it’s really exciting,” he said.

But not everyone is thrilled with the move. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who attempted to negotiate with El Taller’s old landlord to keep them in the neighborhood, said she’s sad to see them leave the Upper West Side yet pleased the organization will survive.

“Losing El Taller is a loss for the West Side, because it was an art space, a gathering space, and a unique space,” said Brewer, who lives on the Upper West Side and represented the neighborhood for many years on the city council. “It’s a loss. It was our version of historic. It was part of our history. I am glad (Palombo) found a space and his talent and creativity and the people that follow him have a place to go. He curates amazing things in music and art.”

Brewer does plan on visiting El Taller at Artspace P.S. 109, and has no doubt that the organization’s audience will follow wherever Palombo leads.

“He has a big following, high quality,” she said. “I think it’s great for them to stay in Manhattan. It’s not just West Siders that went to El Taller, they came from all over. People came from all over to go to El Taller.”

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

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A LACK OF ACCESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After being posted online in early June, Ahn’s map went viral.

“Some people posted some really good insights,” he said.

“They’re a whole subset of the population that we don’t think of as having mobility issues, like people who have trouble climbing up more than one flight of stairs.”

Most of the country’s major cities with subways don’t have this shortcoming. In Washington, D.C., all of the city’s metro stations are accessible via elevator. Chicago’s Metropolitan Rail Corporation lists 173 of its 241 stations as “accessible.”

The Municipal Transportation Agency in San Francisco offers accessible boarding for wheelchair users at all stations.

But New York’s subway is almost 100 years old, which can present engineers with sometimes massive obstacles — both physical and financial — when the authority looks to ameliorate access for the disabled.

Still, Sid Wolinsky, the cofounder of Disability Rights Advocates, said New York is lagging when it comes to disability access, especially on a global scale. “In Seoul, which is a 1000-year-old city, every single subway stop in the far-flung subway system is completely wheelchair accessible,” he said.

“New York should be ashamed of itself.”

According to the MTA, the relative lack of accessible sta-

tions is a matter of engineering limitations.

Nonetheless, the MTA is working to increase the number of stations accessible to the disabled. According to the authority’s Capital Program Report for 2015-19, $561 million has been earmarked for accessibility. The plan includes the installation of elevators at several “key” stations, including Times Square-42nd Street and Chambers Street/Nassau in Manhattan. An additional $436 million has been earmarked to replace 46 elevators and 35 escalators.

By Kreisler’s account, the city’s progress with regard to accessibility for the disabled has been slow, but steady. “I’ve seen changes,” he said.

“When I was young, I hated Manhattan because I couldn’t navigate it. Now it’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better.”

Matthew Ahn’s subway map, which shows only those stations accessible to This year marks the the disabled, or 103 of 490 stops in the five boroughs.

25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities cludes the following clause: other than just individual staAct. Similar in design to the “public entities are not re- tions, one at a time.”

A spokesman for the MTA, Civil Rights Act of 1964, which quired to take actions that outlawed discrimination would result in undue financial Kevin Ortiz, said handicap accessibility is one of the agenbased on race, religion, sex and administrative burdens.”

Wolinsky, though, said that cy’s top priorities, even if he and sexual orientation among other attributes, the ADA also the city is taking advantage says that full accessibility just included provisions to ensure of this passage to dodge its isn’t feasible, at least for now.

“Given the configuration of that public structures would responsibility. “There is no abprovide reasonable accommo- solute requirement that older certain stations and the age dations to disabled persons. stations which are not now ac- of the system, it is simply imThis, naturally, included the cessible be immediately made possible or cost prohibitive to make every station accessible,” fully accessible,” he said. subway system.

But he said, there is a require- he said.

But Title II of the ADA inTo his disappointment, Krement that renovation projects at subway station include a 20 isler agrees with that assesspercent outlay to create access. ment. “You’re never gonna see “This is federal law,” Wolinsky 100 percent accessibility in said. “This has been largely New York,” he says. “I’ll never ignored by New York for 20 see it in my lifetime, I’ll tell you that much.” years.”

But although he’s resigned, Ahn, the blogger who composed the map, is more hope- Kreisler said he’s also reconful. “I do think that, MTA ciled.

“I would like the subways leadership really believes that this is something that needs to to be better, but, you know, happen,” he says. “It’s just not they’re not, and I doubt they clear that, with the priorities ever will be,” he said. “But you they have, that it’ll be anything deal with what you have.”

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GRADING RESTAURANTS ON A CURVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 trative hearings.

Velasquez and others say the high overall grades in the city may have less to do with the quality of food, and more to do with restaurants’ success in court appealing their grades.

Before the letter grades, restaurants were inspected once per year, twice if the initial inspection was lower than an A. Today, consultants are saying while the price per fine has remained the same, health inspectors are doling out fines more frequently. The first inspection of the year, two if a restaurant receives less than an A initially, determines a restaurant’s grade for the entire year.

Consultants and restaurants believe additional visits are made simply to cash in on minor food safety violations.

“It’s not that restaurants were ever that bad and needed improvement,” said Mark Nealon, president and founder of S.A.F.E Restaurant Consulting. “If health inspectors are coming more than twice a year they’re making more money.”

Restaurants receive an A or a warning rather than a B or C on their first inspection of the year. If a restaurant does not earn an A during the second visit, restaurant owners can choose to post their grade and pay the fines, or a grade pending card until heard by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings Health Tribunal.

Consultants say those so-called OATH hearings have become the avenue used by restaurants to upgrade their grades. “Now everybody says, ‘I don’t care what happens as long as you can get me the A in court,’” Nealon said.

When graded, a restaurant receives a certain amount of points for each health code violation. An A inspection grade ranges from 0 to 13 points. A score of 14 to 27 points results in a B and 28 or more points earns a C. If a restaurant receives an A inspection grade, it does not have to pay a fine for any violations.

More severe violations, which threaten human health, such as a rat infestation, receive higher points.

Michael Forrest, an owner of Italian restaurant Galli, with locations in the Lower East Side and Soho, said customers shouldn’t assume a restaurant with an A is cleaner than restaurants with Bs or Cs. “The letter grade in itself doesn’t really tell the full picture, it’s a way of simplifying it,” he said. “As an owner I see that the system has flaws, and some points you can receive have nothing to do with food quality,” Forrest said, Violations such as dishwashers without a hairnet, ice building up on the ice machine or shipment boxes on the floor are not considered immediate health hazards. However, minor violations can add up resulting in a B or C inspection grade.

Romel Tovar, assistant to the owner of Grandaisy Bakery, said the Upper West side establishment received points when the only staff member with a food handling certificate was absent on the day of inspection. “That’s a 10-point violation automatically, so it’s kind of hard to come back from that and score under 13,” said Tovar. Since 2014, about 80% of Grandaisy Bakery employees take the free online food handler’s class to avoid a repeat violation. The bakery pays for each test and staff members are given a $200 bonus for completing the course. “It’s been a useful lesson that we learned,” said Tovar.

On the other hand, some restaurants with major health code violations can receive As. “A place that has two rats sitting on a cutting board in the kitchen, which is a 10-point violation, gets an A,” said Nealon. “The place across the street that has cracked floor tiles, a dripping air-conditioning unit and a missing thermometer gets a B. So which one would you rather go to, the place with an A on it or a B?” he said.

Max Falkowtiz, senior features editor for Serious Eats, said he never considers restaurant inspection grades when writing a review of a restaurant. “Most home kitchens would get points knocked off on a DOH health inspection. Most homes are not charging people for their food, but if you’re comfortable eating out of your own kitchen the risks of eating out in the city are minimal to marginal,” he said.

Falkowitz, who eats in restaurants more than he eats at home, said the DOH rules are extremely cautious and outdated.

“There are a lot of kitchens right now that are experimenting with fermented and aged foods as well as these very long established traditions and techniques of preparing foods that have been safe for hundreds and thousands of years,” said Falkowitz.

“But because they don’t fall within the strict references of what the DOH protocols are, DOH employees have a hard time keeping up with restaurants,” he said.

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

HIDDEN CAMERAS UNDER SCRUTINY Does tenant surveillance ever become tenant harassment?

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

It’s common practice for a landlord to install a hidden camera facing the apartment door of a tenant they want to evict. Such tactics are most often used in non-primary residence suits, when a landlord seeks to prove one of their tenants is not using their rent stabilized or rent regulated apartment as a primary residence, in violation of affordable housing law. If such a case can be proved in court, that tenant can be evicted, allowing the landlord to rent their unit at market rate.

Although there are exceptions, affordable housing law generally says a tenant must spend at least half the year in their apartment in order for it to qualify as a primary residence. Non-primary residence suits, and the use of hidden electronic surveillance in support of such proceedings, primarily occurs in the trendier neighborhoods of Manhattan where stabilized and regulated apartments that rent for hundreds of dollars per month can be flipped and rented for thousands of dollars if the affordable tenant can be evicted.

But does the use of hidden electronic surveillance ever cross the line into tenant harassment? Attorney Arthur Schwartz may soon find out. In June he removed five cameras that were pointed at the door of Ruth Berk’s apartment in the West Village. As Berk’s legal guardian, Schwartz claims the amount of cameras pointed at her door, and the minimal effort that went into hiding them, is evidence that her landlord is harassing her.

“These weren’t hidden, these were open and notorious, which is why I feel they took a step in an even worse direction,” he said. “There were large holes in the crown molding.”

Schwartz removed the cameras, without damaging them, he said, and turned them over to the state Attorney General’s office as evidence of possible tenant harassment. Three weeks later he was arrested on grand larceny charges after the landlord, BLDG Christopher LLC, complained to the police that removing the cameras amounted to theft.

The crown molding across from Ruth Berk’s apartment door after attorney Arthur Schwartz removed surveillance cameras he said were placed there obviously and for the purpose of harassing and intimidating Berk.

Schwartz’s position is that he only removed the cameras to keep Berk from being intimidated. He also said the value of the five cameras, which ranged in price from $83 to $123 when he looked them up online, do not exceed the $1,000 threshold required for a grand larceny charge.

And he believes the landlord sought charges against him only after he wrote about the episode in the West View News, a local newspaper in the West Village. According to Schwartz, police in the Sixth Precinct initially told the building manager when she complained that the issue of the removed cameras was a civil matter. Soon after the article appeared, however, he

received a phone call informing him that he was being charged with grand larceny.

“When that paper hit the street, the building agent marched back into the precinct and started yelling and screaming,” Schwartz said.

“I actually think it was more retribution for writing about it than for my doing it.”

The building manager, Sophia Lamas, did not return a request for comment. A phone call to parent company BLDG Management also went unreturned.

Attorney Sam Himmelstein, who exclusively represents tenants in housing-related matters, said the issue of hidden surveillance cameras targeting tenants is new legal ter-

ritory. He was only able to find one case that indirectly dealt with the practice.

In 1998, a New York City Civil Court judge ordered a landlord to remove a surveillance camera from the hallway of a building on Broome Street. A state Supreme Court appellate panel later reversed the decision, saying that the civil court overstepped its authority as it relates to the enforcement of housing standards.

The case — reversed for a jurisdictional reason — offers meager insight into how the courts view hidden surveillance cameras and tenants’ rights. Can a camera be pointed into someone’s apartment, as was the case with the five cameras aimed at Berk’s front door?

“Every time she opened her front door they could see what was going on inside,” said Schwartz. “That’s why I believe it was harassment. One camera would’ve been sufficient if you really thought there was something suspicious going on. And they had every angle covered you could possibly think of.”

Sue Susman, a lawyer and tenant activist who maintains a network of affordable housing organizers, said the issue hinges on what constitutes a reasonable expectation of privacy.

“The main legal issue is privacy. If someone reasonably expects privacy, such as inside their apartment, then it’s a violation of law to aim a camera there,” said Susman. “So the essential question is whether a camera in a hallway, where there is no expectation of privacy, is OK if it would show anything inside a tenant’s apartment when the door is open.

Another aspect is whether people have a right to privacy about who visits them.”

Himmelstein said the expectation of privacy, at least in New York, doesn’t exist.

“This notion that people have a right to privacy is kind of an urban myth,” Himmelstein said. “The minute you step out of your apartment door, you’re in the public.”

Playing devil’s advocate, Himmelstein said the prosurveillance argument would be that when an apartment door is open, the camera can see what the human eye can see, and by opening the door a

tenant is exposing the interior of their apartment to a person that might be passing by, who would not be violating the law by looking into the apartment.

“Right now there’s not any really strong arguments that these cameras violate the law,” he said. “It seems to me that right now, the only way we can address this is legislatively.”

The state Attorney General’s office, which along with the Department of Homes and Community Renewal is piloting the state’s newly formed Tenant Protection Unit, referred inquiries on the topic to tenant harassment laws at the city and state level, neither of which address the use of hidden surveillance cameras.

“We haven’t put out specific guidelines on this,” said a spokesperson with the AG’s office. DHCR did not return a request for comment.

But the ubiquity with which Himmelstein sees hidden cameras being used by landlords, and the dearth of case law around the issue, leads him to believe building owners have the upper hand.

“I can tell you that it is a very common practice,” Himmelstein said. “Some landlord law firms use (hidden surveillance cameras) as a matter of course.”

He did allow, however, that his clients do feel intimidated when they discover surveillance cameras are monitoring them.

“They hate it, they all feel invaded by it,” Himmelstein said.

“When people discover a camera, yea they get angry. They feel it’s intrusive. And with good reason. You don’t think of your hallway as a public space like you do with your lobby or out on the street.”

But does the obvious and seemingly excessive use of surveillance cameras against a tenant constitute illegal harassment?

Schwartz believes the cameras were installed outside of Berk’s apartment in such a way as to make their presence known, for the express purpose of intimidating Berk and her daughter, who have lived in the apartment at 95 Christopher St. since 1961.

“When you do surveillance and it’s not known, it doesn’t harass people ... but here, when they’re open and notorious,

Wires and a hole that were used by one of five surveillance cameras removed by attorney Arthur Schwartz.

Attorney Arthur Schwartz, who is facing grand larceny charges, said the dollar value of the five cameras he removed does not exceed the $1,000 threshold for such charges. and they’re objected to and the landlord says, ‘tough luck I can do it anyway,’ then it moves into the realm of harassment,” Schwartz said. “Especially because they didn’t exist anywhere else in the entire building.”

For Schwartz, as Berk’s legal guardian, removing the cameras was a simple choice and one he doesn’t regret.

“She’s 92 and in a wheelchair.

I’m supposed to look out for her well-being, and it bothered her a lot,” he said. “Those cameras, I mean, you open the door and they look right inside.”

The case against Schwartz goes before a grand jury on Oct. 15.

8

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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

THE UNRAVELING OF TIMES SQUARE To the Editor: Reading Janet Nonamaker’s “The Disgust of Times Square,” I have one word to say: BRAVA. She has said what I have been thinking for years.

They could have rid Times Square of the pimps and prostitutes by cleaning up 42nd Street, Broadway all the way to the west, and left the rest of that area alone. What it has been turned into is a honky tonk area which Manhattan never was. Neon flashing lights one on top of the other trying to outdo each other. What a mess. I have no hope that we will ever again see that classy area. And the D.O.T. really thinks those tables and chairs are charming? These foolish people sitting for hours, do they not know they are inhaling the toxic fumes ofall the vehicles going past?

As for the tourists, yes we love them here but why are they always in the way? I was trying to cross the street and there was a couple with two children all holding hands and it was hard to get through. Did they think someone would kidnap one of their children in broad daylight in NYC? If yes, what must they think of this evil city and why are they here?

And to walk along the street needing to get somewhere and the person in front stops short to take a picture.

I understand they want to enjoy their stay with memories but have a little consideration. And to allow these people wearing uniforms of TV puppets such as Elmo harass many people for money, this is not what we are known for and Mayor deBlasio and Commissioner Bratton, please wake up and do something about it. As one who has known the real beautiful Times Square for many years, it saddens me to see this.

Bunny Abraham

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

ENDING THE SCOURGE OF COPTER NOISE OP-ED

BY HELEN ROSENTHAL

Helicopter noise is a relentless burden, and now there’s a chance things will get quieter.

Tourist helicopters flying over New York City takeoff from the Downtown Manhattan Helipad near Wall Street, and they fly up and down the Hudson River and around the bay. They operate 7 days a week, 8-10 hours a day. Tourist helicopter noise impacts everyone who lives, works, attends school, or enjoys public parks along their flight path.

Last Thursday I joined Council Members Carlos Menchaca of southeast Brooklyn and Margaret Chin of lower Manhattan to introduce legislation to limit tourist helicopters based on noise. The Federal Aviation Administration categorizes helicopters by noise from Stage 1, the loudest, to Stage 3. The five helicopter tourist companies that operate in New York City all use Stage 2 helicopters. We have jurisdiction to ban Stages 1 and 2 on our own, but we need approval from the US Secretary of Transportation to limit the least noisy category of helicopters, Stage 3.

At our press conference announcing the legislation, people came from all over

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

the City to explain how helicopter noise impacted them.

Murray Fisher, Founder of the Harbor School, a public school with marine-focused Career and Technical Education programs based on Governor’s Island, explained how helicopter noise affects teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn.

Paul Rieckhoff, Founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and resident of Battery Park City, said helicopter noise in his neighborhood is worse than he experienced in Baghdad. Representatives from Weehawken, New Jersey and the office of New Jersey Congressman Albio Sires attended to show their support. Delia Von Neuschatz, who felt so fed up with helicopter noise that she founded a non-profit, Stop the Chop NY NJ, noted that no other major city -- London, Paris, D.C. -- has helicopter tours.

Cheré Campbell, an Upper West Sider, echoed what I’ve heard from many of you: helicopter noise is too frequent and too loud and warrants relief. I particularly appreciate Council Member Paul Vallone from Bayside speaking out in support of our efforts.

The tourist helicopter industry launched a coalition, named “Helicopters Matter”, and ran a full-page ad in Friday’s issue of the New York Daily News. They argue

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

Photo: empty007, via flickr the industry creates 219 jobs and adds about $33 million to the city’s economy. They note that calls made to 311 regarding noisy helicopters have diminished over time and are far fewer than 311 complaints noise from loud parties.

I’m looking forward to our first hearing about these bills, when we can tease out

critical issues around the impact of noise on residents’ quality of life, and whether removing tourist helicopters would have a meaningful impact on New York City’s economy. I’m also curious as to why 311 helicopter noise complaints have decreased.

Are residents fed up with getting no response from

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

government about their complaints?

If this issue matters to you and you experience helicopter noise, please call 311 to issue a complaint. The City -- and the tourist helicopter industry -- is listening.

Helen Rosenthal represents the Upper West Side on the 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 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Photo: MTA, via Flckr

CROSSTOWN BLUES M86 bus service should return to Second Avenue and 86th Street in 3 months

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

Yorkville residents who use the crosstown M86 bus to get to the West Side were miffed last week when a popular stop, at Second Avenue and 86th Street, was nowhere to be found.

It turns out the MTA closed the westbound bus stop at Second Avenue due to a temporary boiler trailer that’s been installed outside of 241 East 86th St. The closest stops going westbound are now at First Avenue and Third Avenue. The eastbound stop at Second Avenue has been closed for the past two years because of subway construction.

Adding to the confusion is that the stops at Third Avenue and Lexington Avenue in both directions were moved from the west side of the avenues to the east side to make way for bus bulbs that are being installed at both locations.

“These temporary stops will remain until the construction of the bus bulbs are complete, at which point the stops, along with the fare machines, will return where they were previously,” an MTA spokeswoman, Marisa Baldeo, said.

But the shakeup could hardly come at a more inconvenient time as the MTA is rolling out its Select Bus Service, a new transportation program with faster fare collection and travel times and increased comfort for passengers. As Select Bus Service takes shape, the New York City Transit Authority and the city’s Department of Transportation teamed up on an “Ambassador program” to assist passengers curbside with the new fare machines and any questions they might

have.

Baldeo said confusion is lessening as time goes on.

“DOT and NYCT Customer Ambassadors have reported that the initial confusion about the temporary moving of these stops has lessened,” she said.

“However, we will continue to work to ensure signage is in place once the Ambassador program has concluded.”

But Yorkville residents say they were left in the dark.

David Rosenstein, a Community Board 8 member, sent an alarmed email to fellow board members, elected officials and NYC Transit criticizing the lack of notice regarding the closure of the westbound 2nd Avenue stop. But a member of NYC Transit’s community relations team told him they had in fact notified the community board.

“Who dropped the ball? I can’t say,” said Rosenstein, who questioned why the MTA couldn’t install temporary kiosks closer to the original site of the bus stop on Second Avenue and 86th Street. “But the bottom line is the MTA doesn’t seem to be flexible, and can’t think outside the box.”

It’s unclear where the fault lies. Scott Falk, chair of the board’s transportation committee, said the committee would look at its communication procedures.

“I guess we’ll have to review what notification methods are appropriate for this type of situation and we’ll take a look at that,” Falk said.

Baldeo said the westbound 2nd Avenue stop should return in about three months, but Falk takes issue with the boiler trailer displacing it in the first place.

“I don’t think that private construction should need to result in the suspension of a bus stop,” Falk said. “But I

don’t have full information at this time on the policies of when these suspensions are seen as necessary. It does seem the boiler placement is going to make it impossible to accommodate the stop where it’s located.”

What that means at the moment is riders walking a full avenue block, something many elderly and disabled Upper East Siders find difficult to do.

Rosenstein said the Second Avenue and 86th Street stop had been eliminated for a number of years before the community board got it back.

“Before my back surgery, I was in terrible pain and fought for myself and other disabled riders to get the westbound stop re-opened. I may be able to walk the extra distance now, but how many elderly and disabled will be hurt by this penny-wise, pound foolish decision?” he asked.

Falk said he’s heard complaints from at least one disabled board member about having to schlep to Third Avenue.

“That would indicate that that’s just the tip of the iceberg of people that are affected by this,” Falk said.

Elaine Walsh, another CB8 member and president of the East 86th Street Neighborhood Association, was incensed that her organization and the community at large weren’t made aware of the bus stop relocation.

“For an administration that believes and ran on the premise of community involvement, they have totally missed the boat on this one because they didn’t involve us at all,” Walsh said. “I don’t care what they’re saying about the community board, I did not get an email, nor did the board. This is a total shock. I’m very angry.”

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

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

Advertise with Our Town Downtown today!

Call Vincent Gardino at 212-868-0190 or email advertising@strausnews.com

otdowntown.com

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

Fri 31 ▲ BLAKE MILLS W/ GABRIEL KAHANE City Winery, 155 Varick St. 8-9:45 p.m. Tickets $20 to $28.

Mills is known for his guitarplaying and released his second solo album last fall. Kahane’s label debut

“The Ambassador” was called “one of the year’s very best albums” by Rolling Stone. www.citywinery. com/newyork/tickets/ blakemills073115.html

Trainor perform with special guests featuring Life of Dillon and Charlie Puth. www.hudsonriverpark.org/ events/meghan-trainor

MEGHAN TRAINOR: THE MTRAIN TOUR

Sat 1

Pier 98, at West 55th Street 7 p.m. Ticket prices vary.

Enjoy the sunset at Hudson River Park’s waterfront venue and watch singer Meghan

LEO GENOVESE QUINTET Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. South 8:30-10:30 p.m. Tickets $30; fees $3.

Argentine pianist Leo Genovese leads a trombonist, tenor saxophonist, bassist and drummer in a captivating jazz performance.

212-255-4037. www. villagevanguard.com/

◄ EVERY HERO HAS A STORY MOVIE SERIES: BOLT otdowntown.com Your Neighborhood News The local paper for Downtown

Chatham Square Library, Community Room, 33 East Broadway 2-4 p.m. Free.

Join animated dog, Bolt and his cat and hamster companions on his adventure to find his owner, Penny.

212-964-6598. http://www. nypl.org/events/calendar

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Sun 2 INTERFACE: QUEER ARTISTS FORMING COMMUNITIES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

SCIENCE OF SUPERHEROES Chatham Square Library, Community Room, at 33 East Broadway.

Teens are welcome to join this interactive tech-based workshop where they’ll discover the science behind various superpowers.

212-964-6598. www.nypl. org/events/calendar

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art, at 26 Wooster St.

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

COMEDY SHOW UCB Theatre NY, at 307 West 26th St. 8 p.m. Tickets $5.

Your week is halfway over.

Celebrate it with an improve show, Ass Wednesday with Brandon Scott Jones, Morgan Miller and Joanna Bradley. chelsea.ucbtheatre.com/ performance/40903

Thurs 6 12:30-3 p.m. Free.

Leslie-Lohman presents pieces such as sculptures, paintings and photographs by artists who have used social media to display their work.

Metrocards will be provided.

To RSVP, email alb585@nyu. edu

SUNDAY FISHING

Tues 4 ▲ HUDSON SQUARE MUSIC & WINE FESTIVAL: BRASIL SUMMERFEST City Winery, 155 Varick St. 5-7 p.m. Free.

Sip wine outdoors and listen to music. This week’s music

by Los Sebosos Postizos is influenced by the 60s and 70s music of Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor. 212-608-0555. www. citywinery.com/newyork/ tickets.html

Pier 25, in Tribeca, at North Moore St. 1 p.m. Free.

Ages 5 and up are welcome to learn about fish and the Hudson River ecosystem while fishing for many fish species that can be found in the city’s river. www.hudsonriverpark.org/ events/big-city-fishing-sundayon-pier-253 THE POP UPS

Mon 3 SEASHELLS: ARTS & CRAFTS Seward Park Library, at 192 E. Broadway.

1 p.m. Free.

Learn to use seashells in a creative way with Jessie Oram.

Turn seashells into art that will remind you of summer.

212-477-6770. www.nypl. org/events/calendar

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Pier 25, at North Moore Street 6:30 p.m. Free.

Family-friendly performers keep you and your kids entertained all summer long with music, magic and storytelling. www.hudsonriverpark.org/ events/the-pop-ups-2015

Wed 5 WRITING WORKSHOP ► Seward Park Library, at 192 E. Broadway

INDEPENDENCE LOST: LIVES ON THE EDGE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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Fraunces Tavern Museum, at 54 Pearl St., 2nd Floor 6:30 p.m. Tickets $10/ general; free/museum members.

Learn how individual motives of people living outside the thirteen rebelling colonies influenced American independence. frauncestavernmuseum.org/ events/

SUMMERSTAGE CONCERT: CARIBOU WITH GUEST SINKANE East River Park, East River Promenade.

7-9 p.m. Free Dan Snaith eclectic musicianship and Sinkane’s soul seaside.

212-360-2789. www. cityparksfoundation.org/event/ summerstage-caribou/

Downtowner

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

THE PORTRAIT KING John Singer Sargent paints his bohemian and high-society friends in a blockbuster show at the Met

BY VAL CASTRONOVO

John Singer Sargent (18561925), the Gilded Age, American expat artist, may be best known for his formal portraits of the one percent. But he had a freer, looser style on display when painting family and friends. Those friends — many of them writers, artists, actors, and musicians — form the core of a dazzling summer show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that casts a spotlight on the artist’s more informal paintings and sketches. These works were typically not commissioned, but tokens of — and tributes to — friendship and, as such, were gifted to his subjects or kept by the artist.

The curators have produced a blockbuster show, with some 90 paintings and drawings on parade, on view through Oc-

tober 4. It is a paean to the creative class, with a healthy helping of high-society thrown in because, after all, this is John Singer Sargent and the rich and influential were his bread and butter — his patrons, his benefactors, the grist for his art.

Scan the walls and be impressed by the company he kept. Literary giants Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson and William Butler Yeats are represented alongside composer Gabriel Fauré, actor Edwin Booth (founder of The Players Club in Gramercy Park), dancer La Carmencita and art world greats Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, William Merritt Chase and Carolus-Duran — the latter Sargent’s mentor and celebrated society portraitist. Sargent went to Paris in 1874 and joined Carolus-Duran’s atelier, quickly becoming his star student.

His masterful portrait of his teacher, dated 1879, fittingly kicks off the show, with a seated Carolus-Duran holding his left

Pailleron Children, 1880 Oil on canvas, 60 × 69 in.

Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Edith M. Usry Bequest, in memory of her parents Mr. and Mrs. George Franklin Usry, the Dr. and Mrs. Peder T. Madsen Fund, and the Anna K. Meredith Endowment Fund

hand on his thigh and exuding confidence and charisma.

But in a room framed by Carolus-Duran at one end and the provocative “Madame X” at the other, there is a showstopper of another sort at the exhibit’s entrance, featuring one of Sargent’s pet subjects: his friends’ children. “Portraits of Édouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron” (1881) may not be as well known as “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” (1882), which resides at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and is not part of the current show. But it has an intensity that stops you in your tracks.

The artist’s first formal double portrait, the picture portrays the children of playwright Édouard Pailleron and wife, Marie. It shines a literal light on Marie-Louise, making her and her white, frilly dress the ghostly focus (her brother wears black and recedes in the background). The young girl claimed to have endured 83 sittings for the portrait, a brilliant character study and testament to Sargent’s Impressionistic obsession with light, especially light on fabric and light on white — or “white on white,” in the words of curator Richard Ormond, Sargent’s grand-nephew, at a recent lecture at the Met. Glide past portraits of the elegantly attired Madame Ramón Subercaseaux, wife of the Chilean consul, and the spectacled Vernon Lee, Sargent’s childhood writer-friend, until you see the commanding, fulllength figure of doctor SamuelJean Pozzi. The renowned Parisian gynecologist is portrayed here in a crimson-red dressing gown and embroidered slippers (“Dr. Pozzi at Home,” 1881). As Sargent scholar Elaine Kilmurray writes in the catalog, the glamorous Pozzi was “famous for his love affairs,” including one of long standing

Carolus-Duran, 1879 Oil on canvas, 46 × 37–3/4 in.

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Photo © Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.

Photo by Michael Agee

with actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Kilmurray also writes that Pozzi “founded the League of the Rose, a society devoted to the confession and acting out of sexual experiences.” Sargent was clearly cognizant of Pozzi’s inclinations when he composed this red-on-red masterwork, which ironically was influenced by Old Master paintings of ecclesiastical figures.

In 1907, he dispensed with painting oil portraits and switched to charcoal drawings.

He completed 600 portraits in this medium — a select few on exhibit here — including a dashing likeness of Yeats in 1908 for the frontispiece of a new volume of poems. He had embraced landscape painting some years earlier, reveling in watercolors and the new freedom they afforded. Using both oils and watercolors, he traveled to Venice, the Alps and southern Europe and experimented with plein air compositions of the kind forged by the Impressionists. Case in point: “The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy” (1907), which portrays American artist Jane de Glehn in the act of painting outdoors, with her artist-husband Wilfrid looking on.

Sargent was a lifelong friend of Monet, but he was often called the heir to Manet because of “his urbanity and feeling for light,” Ormond said in his talk, adding that he gives a “realistic feeling of real people

The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy, 1907 Oil on canvas, 28–1/8 × 22–1/4 in.

The Art Institute of Chicago, Friends of American Art Collection in real space.” He also noted that the painter’s style was “rooted in French Aestheticism ... [he had] a feeling for art for art’s sake, beauty for beauty’s sake.”

This exhibit hails from London’s National Portrait Gallery, minus Sargent’s beau-

teous “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” (1885-86), which couldn’t travel. A preparatory study in oil for this charming tableau of young girls (modeled after the daughters of a friend) lighting paper lanterns in a garden will have to suffice. It does. And then some.

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JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

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ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

FOR THE WEEK

BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

THEATER

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

99 Objects: Virginia Overton on the Whitney’s Building by Renzo Piano

THURSDAY, JULY 30TH, 6:30PM Whitney Museum | 99 Gansevoort St. | 212-570-3600 | whitney.org Get an artist’s take on the Whitney’s new home, which incorporates the industrial character of its surroundings while showing off dramatic modern elements. (Free with museum admission)

“PIMM’S MISSION”

This story from Georgian company Gabriadze Theatre, chronicles the love affair of two trains.

Told with marionettes, the tale follows the titular Ramona as she waits for the return of Ermon, a locomotive traversing Russia.

Through Saturday, August 1 Clark Studio Theater at Lincoln Center 165 W. 65th St., near Amsterdam Avenue Assorted show times Tickets $85 For more information, visit lincolncenterfestival.org or call 212-275-5000

FILM “THE FRENCH CONNECTION” AND “THE BRINK’S JOB” Film Forum’s true crime series continues with a double feature of films from director William Friedkin: the 1971 film “The French Connection” and 1978’s “The Brink’s Job.” Friday, July 31 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street Assorted show times Two films for $13 (available at the box office only) For more information, visit filmforum.org or call 212-727-8110

W. 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue 1 p.m.

FREE For more information, visit lcoutofdoors.org or call 212-875-6500

A type designer looks at seven letters that originated as images of the body, with additional insight into letters made of bodies and bodies made of letters. (Free)

Just Announced: Richard Dawkins in Conversation with Robert Krulwich

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org English ethologist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins will champion reason over religion in a talk with the co-host of Radiolab. ($32)

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

GALLERIES ELIZABETH LIVINGSTON’S “NIGHT FELL” Painter Elizabeth Livingston’s realistic scenes capture moments of suburban domesticity, from a lone evening swimmer treading water in a backyard pool to the glow of an upstairs window in an otherwise dark house.

Aug. 5-Sept. 6 Opening reception: Aug. 5, 7-9 p.m.

The Lodge Gallery 131 Chrystie St., between Delancey and Broome Streets Gallery hours: Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon-10 p.m.

FREE For more information, visit thelodgegallery. com or call 212-627-7221

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

Do

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MUSIC OPENING DOORS: CELEBRATING IMMIGRANT NEW YORK This free day of music, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, highlight’s the art and music of some of the city’s immigrant communities. Queens-born musician Ryan Ali plays high-octane percussion inspired by music from Trinidad and Tobago with his Boodoosingh Tassa Drummers, and Calpulli Mexican Dance Company performs traditional Aztec dances.

Sunday, Aug. 2 Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center

MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD, 6:30PM The Cooper Union | 41 Cooper Sq. | 212-353-4100 | cooper.edu

have

“RAMONA”

Humanform Letterform

Elizabeth Livingston, “Before I could Answer”, oil on canvas 72” x 84”

To be included in the Top 5 go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

?

into

In playwright Christopher Stetson Boal’s new show, an explosion at a New York base of a pharmaceutical company leads an FBI agent to the sole witness of the attack, a man named Robert Pimm, who, along with an employee of the company, comes under suspicion.

“Pimm’s Mission” July 30-Aug. 16 59E59 Theaters 59 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison Avenues Assorted show times Tickets $25 For more information, visit 59e59.org or call 212-279-4200

Email us at news@strausnews.com

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JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Food & Drink TOP CHEFS IN SMALL TOQUES Cooking programs teach city kids food preparation techniques while emphasizing nutrition and eating well

BY LIZ NEUMARK

Bring a child into the kitchen and imagine what happens?

There is excitement and engagement around the various tasks of food preparation. Children are motivated to experiment and explore, and that is only the beginning of food magic.

In speaking with chef educators who specialize in cooking with inner-city children, the consensus is unanimous: our at-risk children, those in communities with the highest incidents of diet related disease, can — and want — to learn about healthy eating. Although their food preferences might not resemble mine, they too want to enjoy delicious and well-prepared foods.

The Sylvia Center, a culinary focused non-profit operating in city public housing community centers and other afterschool location) as well as at Katchkie Farm upstate, engages more than 3,000 children, teenagers and their parents and caregivers each year. Their motto is Inspiring Children to Eat Well. The cooking curriculum involves a six-week program and upstate farm visits are daylong.

Nina Simmons, senior chef instructor, sees children on both sides of the spectrum: those who have families active in the kitchen with varying cultural traditions around food and those dependent on frozen meal and fast-food options. And though it is alarming for her to discover how few children cook with adults at home, it is a sign of the times that their first reaction to being taught basic kitchen skills is the ubiquitous and joyful statement: “I’m going to be a Top Chef,” she shares. (“Have you been on TV?” they all ask her.)

The first steps are simple, especially for the younger groups starting at age 7 with mixing, assembling and learning basic knife skills. The bear claw (with arched fingers), holding the food while the other hand works the knife, is practiced over and over as small

hands take big strides. The next level involves learning how to use peelers and graters. Favorite tasks include whisking vinaigrettes, squeezing citrus or mashing avocado for guacamole. Cracking eggs is a learning experience as many children think they require squeezing. The instructors take this loss factor into consideration when calculating egg quantities! Then they are ready to move closer to the stove, stirring a pot, tending a skillet, learning about the oven’s thermostat and checking the progress of baked or roasted food.

There are generalizations about likes/dislikes that seem to be consistent at different cooking programs.

Zucchini, potatoes, carrots and cucumbers get “likes.” Cauliflower, broccoli, kale (even in chip form) merit “meh.” “Weird” is reserved for beets, eggplant and green beans. Salads are not a consistent part of home meals – neither leafy greens nor veggie salads. There are few fruit desserts, and neither blueberries nor peaches are familiar items. Herbs, like basil, are new. Learning that a bulb of garlic is broken into cloves and then chopped is new. Within six weeks, young children show enthusiasm for trying new foods spurred by new flavors, textures and colors. “I want the recipe so I can take it home and cook with my mother” is heard frequently.

Teresa Morelli, a Sylvia Center chef instructor, has been working with youth and teens for five years.

Conducting classes at the Red Hook community center the students take advantage of the community garden, which adds a deeper dimension to the exploration of food. Basil becomes pesto and the hand-picked tomatoes and cucumbers make a salad. Teresa reflected on the sense of privilege she feels being in the kitchen with her students. “They take it seriously and learn more than they realize. There are wonderful conversations despite getting them to eat green things. I sneak in food advice and encourage them in new ways.” It is in this environment that the students share stories about food, family and their lives.

She describes the eaters who pick the

veggies out of the pasta dish and celebrate the young girl who made the asparagus and feta frittata for Mother’s Day – and then posted the photo on Instagram. The most popular class dishes are muffins, frittata and smoothies.

Less beloved are the butternut squash and beans. Leafy greens find their way into her pasta dishes, notably lasagna, and get eaten. The rule – the two-bite test: after two bites, you can pass on a new food.

Just Food, another city-based foodfocused non-profit directs its efforts at supporting capacity building community-based food projects. Known also for deep relationships with regional farmers and pioneering CSA’s in the city for over 15 years, bringing fresh food to local pantries and being a leading voice in food advocacy, Just Food ran community chef programs for several years, training youth to lead cooking demos in community centers, gardens and markets. Heather Horgan is the markets and outreach coordinator for East NY Farms in Brooklyn and continues the work of the program.

Reminiscing about her pathway to food advocacy, she recalled lessons from her Southern grandmother and the small garden where they grew peas and beans. Though she slipped into a diet style of fast food, she reconnected as an adult via a job with the Food Bank of New York. “Decolonizing our tastebuds” is how Horgan

described the process of getting back to “natural, culturally relevant food.”

The program is rooted in the principle of “We Do” — ‘we grow the food, we pick it, and we cook it’ so the children see and taste with heightened senses and new appreciation. The garden is the catalyst for cooking as well as community work. The youth program is tiered with first year interns (middle-school age), returning interns and finally externs (high school seniors and college students) who work in the East New York farm as well as other communities throughout the city. A weekly four-hour cooking class for interns and staff yields lunch for 40 or more. Knife safety, sanitary habits – including the washing of produce – and basic nutrition guidelines permeate the lesson. They are at an age where they can start to cook and make their own food choices. Many of them are intrigued by the work and aspire to be chefs. In short order, they are leading cooking demos for even younger children — in the market, at day care — and mentoring the next group.

Nina Simmons, a lead chef instructor for a pilot program funded by the After School Corporation and The Pinkerton Foundation, conducted an apprenticeship program for 25 selected Bronx high school students from TASC affiliated schools. The program titled TSC Teen Chef: Skills for Life, was 60 hours long over the course of 16 weeks. Most

of the participants had “no clue about eating healthy food or being in the kitchen,” she said. In addition to learning culinary skills, the students were given reading assignments, learned about food justice, the industrial food system and how to teach. With ongoing guidance and mentorship, they are currently in summer internships at community centers across the city, instructing two youth classes a week in the art of cooking! The goal is multifaceted. Creating lifelong healthy eaters is a goal as is teaching skills that can lead to employment, a critical factor in initiating lasting lifestyle changes.

The takeaway: Everyone wants to eat better food. If the message is dogmatic, the lesson will be lost. Kids learn by doing — and cooking very much is doing. Stuffing empanadas or dumplings is a favorite. The media can be our friend — kids think cooking can be cool. Teens quickly latch on to the professional possibilities cooking can offer. Seeing food in its natural context is mind blowing. Baking is amazing — and delicious. Seeing spinach reduce during cooking is an ‘aha’ moment.

The precision of measuring cups is new and a completed task is a proud moment.

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

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Central Park

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PARK? Smorgasburg is returning to Central Park! After a successful trial run last fall, the renowned Brooklyn food market is back for one summer night only. Choose from among offerings from 25 food vendors, grab a beer or sip from a glass of wine, and enjoy some outdoor tunes under the stars in the greatest park in the world.

Smorgasburg has operated the food-andbeverage concession at SummerStage since 2010, where four food vendors set up for all 50+ shows every summer.

Tickets are $10, which includes a $5 food voucher at the door. Friday, July 31 at

SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. This is a first-come, firstserved event. More info at centralpark. com/events Shakespeare Summer Slam: A group of professional independent theatre artists who bring the spontaneity and fun of Shakespeare’s plays to modern audiences.

By using Elizabethan performance techniques, which involve limited to no rehearsal and the ability to instantly bring the Bard’s words to physical and entertaining heights, they give their audiences a historical taste of how

Shakespeare’s plays would have originally been performed.

The shows at Summit Rock off 81st Street and Central Park West are free to the public. Scheduled performances are as follows: Romeo & Juliet — 2 p.m. on Saturdays August 1 and 8 As You Like It — 2 p.m. Sundays August 2 and 9 Bring blankets and chairs for picnicstyle seating; there are also benches.

More info at centralpark.com/events

COMING UP THIS WEEK BAGEL BARKS AT CHERRY HILL Hosted by Central Park Paws, Bagel Barks, a free program of Central Park Conservancy, takes take place in dog-friendly areas all over the Park.

Event listings and Where in Central Park? brought to you

by CentralPark.com.

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This one is on Saturday, August 1 from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. at Cherry Hill.

More info at centralpark. com/events

28TH ANNUAL YORK CENTRAL PARK TRIATHLON: Come out and cheer on the participants as they swim, bike and run.

When: Sunday, August 2 from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

More info at centralpark. com/events

WHERE IN CENTRAL PARK? ANSWER FROM TWO WEEKS AGO: Belvedere Castle was once an open-air structure, with no doors or windows. This changed in 1919 when the United States Weather Bureau moved the Central Park Observatory to the castle. The Weather Bureau took over the operation in 1911, and moved it here eight years later, enclosing the castle and altering the turret’s shape to accommodate their scientific instruments. Congratulations to Anthony J. Yearwood, Peter Denicola, Randy Bishop, Michael Patrick, Jeanne Locker, Marisa Lohse, Gregory Holman, Sherrie Nagin and Bill Ferrarini for answering correctly

$15 an Hour for Fast Food Workers Shows us the Way

By Stuart Appelbaum, President Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW

T

he proposal by Governor Cuomo’s wage board to raise the wages of fast food workers throughout New York to $15 an hour means a chance at a better life for many working people in the state. But more importantly, it establishes two principles in addressing the growing wage inequality that has made life a struggle for low-wage workers.

First, the wage board’s decision declares, once and for all, that the state’s current minimum hourly wage of $8.75 is far too low, and it’s inadequate for working New Yorkers who are trying to survive. We need to take action.

Second, by raising fast food wages in New York City more quickly than the rest of the state, the wage board proposal acknowledges that the cost of living in the city is higher than throughout the rest of the state. Worker advocates have argued for years that it’s important to recognize that wages that may be appropriate in the rest of the state aren’t sufficient in New York City.

We applaud the decision of Governor Cuomo to convene the wage board and address the issue of economic inequality head on.

In announcing the wage board’s decision, he said nobody can “live and support a family on $18,000 per year in the State of New York,” and he’s right.

For many low-wage workers, life is a daily struggle to get by.

Even when they are fortunate enough to have full-time jobs, parents grapple with choosing between paying the bills or buying food. For these workers, keeping their families out of poverty is an uphill battle.

And, by allowing business to pay poverty wages, we force taxpayers to pick up the slack since so many workers have no choice but to seek out public assistance. The cost of these poverty wage jobs on our society and our state is tremendous.

Raising the wages of fast food workers shows us there is a path we must follow to raise worker standards in New York. We call If $8.75 isn’t enough upon the state legislature to for fast food workers, raise the minimum wage for it isn’t enough for reeveryone. If $8.75 isn’t enough for fast food workers, it isn’t tail workers or any of enough for retail workers, the other hardworkcar wash workers, or airport ing New Yorkers who workers, or home health care still find themselves workers, or any of the other in poverty. hardworking New Yorkers who still find themselves in poverty.

“

“

Do you know where in Central Park this photo was taken? To submit your answer, go to centralpark.com/ where-in-central-park. The answers and names of the people who guessed right will appear in next week’s paper.

Low-wage workers need more in New York, and raising the fast food workers’ wage to $15 sets a precedent. The bar has been set, and it’s our responsibility to fight for at least $15 an hour for all working people in New York.

For more information, visit

www.rwdsu.org

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JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

Business

< FOUR SEASONS SPACE GETS NEW RESIDENTS The iconic space that served as home to the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building on E. 52nd Street for decades will soon make way for a new operation, the New York Times reported, from chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi and partner Jeff Zalaznick. The trio operates some of Manhattan’s

most coveted downtown hot spots, including Carbone and Dirty French, along with casual eatery Parm, which has grown to include an Upper West Side branch at Columbus Avenue and W. 71st Street and an outpost in Battery Park City’s Brookfield Place in addition to its original Mulberry Street location. Aby Rosen,

who owns the building, will step in as the stillunnamed restaurant’s co-owner. The shakeup follows the rejection of Rosen’s proposed renovations to the dining room by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission earlier this year, and after Rosen informed the Four Seasons’ owners that he would not renew their lease when it runs out next year, the Times reported.

FAST-FOOD WORKERS TO MAKE $15 Raises will be phased in over 3 years in NYC, and in six years elsewhere in the state

BY DAVID KLEPPER AND DEEPTI HAJELA

Fast-food workers in New York state heralded a proposal to raise their minimum wage to $15 even as restaurant owners vowed to fight what they said would be an arbitrary and damaging increase.

The minimum wage would increase gradually to $15 an hour — but only for workers in fast-food restaurants with 30 or more locations — under a plan endorsed last week by a state Wage Board. The proposal now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s labor commissioner, who is expected to approve the increase. Cuomo said he supports the move.

An estimated 200,000 workers would be impacted by the increase, which would be phased in over three years in New York City and over six years elsewhere in the state.

Fifteen dollars represents a significant victory for workers who argue fast-food wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living in one of the country’s most expensive states.

“If I made $15, I could pay my rent on time, I could put food on the table, I could hold my head up,” said Rebecca Cornick, a 60-year-old grandmother who makes $9 an hour at a Wendy’s in Brooklyn. “We have worked so hard to make this happen.”

But restaurant owners say the increase will backfire by forcing them to consider higher menu prices, reduced hours for workers and even automated fast-food counters that use computers to take a customer’s order.

“We’re being singled out for an unknown reason,” said David Sutz, who along with his partners owns four Burger Kings in Westchester and Dutchess counties. “Unfortunately, I can turn one of my registers into a ki-

osk and eliminate a position,” he said.

“Labor is your second most expensive cost in this industry after the product.”

San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles have approved gradual increases to $15 an hour, and the huge University of California system said Wednesday that it would raise its minimum to $15 for all hourly workers. That group includes students and full-time employees working in dining halls, dorms and bookstores or as gardeners, housekeepers and custodians at campuses and hospitals.

With a large concentration of lowwage workers, the fast-food industry has become a popular target for labor activists who say inexpensive chain restaurants haven’t kept up with the cost of living. Fast-food employees themselves have emerged as a potent political force in New York and around the nation.

“You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 a year in the state of New York — period,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a Manhattan rally celebrating the proposal. “This is just the beginning. We will not stop until we reach true economic justice.”

Franchise owners are now considering whether they could fight the increase in court. Carolyn Richmond, an attorney with New York City-based Fox Rothschild LLP, said she can’t see the legal justification for focusing on a single industry.

“This is certainly ripe for challenge,” said Richmond, who represents many hospitality businesses including fastfood companies. “It’s what legally we call ‘arbitrary and capricious.’”

The fast-food industry employs a greater number of minimum-wage workers than other sectors of the economy, according to Michael Reich, a University of California-Berkeley economics professor who has studied the minimum wage.

Fast-food workers and members of other organisations advocating for for a living wage rallying in Union Square in August 2013.

Photo: The All-Nite Images, via Flickr Entry-level fast-food workers make an average of $16,920 a year, according to state labor statistics. They are twice as likely to receive some type of public assistance. Cuomo said the annual cost of that assistance to taxpayers is $700 million in New York state.

“It accounts for more low-wage employment than any other,” Reich said of the industry. “If you’re going to pick one sector, it’s a strategic one.”

The increase now goes to Cuomo’s labor commissioner for a final authorization. It does not require legislative approval.

Cuomo called for the creation of the Wage Board after proposals to increase the minimum wage for all workers failed in the Legislature. The three-member panel was led by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

Labor groups held rallies around the

state to celebrate the board’s vote to endorse the increase. But not all attendees were pleased that the increase will be implemented gradually.

“We have to wait six years for this to happen and we need it now,” said Stacey Ellis, who works at an Albany McDonalds. “By the time six years goes by it won’t need to be $15. It will need to be something even higher.”

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

17

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JUL 14 - 23, 2015

J J Noodle

19 Henry Street

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.

Grade Pending (27) 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 use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.

Mikey’s

134 Ludlow Street

A

Home Sweet Home

131 Chrystie Street

A

Vic’s Pizza On Essex

51 Essex Street

A

Downtown Iggy’s

132 Ludlow Street

A

Pizza

84 Hester Street

A

Boss Tweed’s Saloon

115 Essex Street

A

Sebastian - Chloe 81

81 Ludlow Street

A

Gaia Italian Cafe

251 East Houston Street

A

Chinatown Chinese Restaurant

250 E Houston St

A

The Spotted Owl

211 Avenue A

Galli Restaurant

98 Rivington St

Grade Pending (49) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours.

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.

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.

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

Not Graded Yet (26) 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.

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.

Starbucks Coffee

286 1 Avenue

A

Physical Graffiti

96 St Marks Place

A

The Summit

133 Avenue C

A

East Village Social

126 St Marks Place

A

Villa Cemita

50 Avenue A

A

New York Macaroni Company

102 Saint Marks Pl

Not Graded Yet (22) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

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.

Dorian Gray

205 East 4 Street

A

Len’z

514 E 20Th St

Grade Pending (23) ggs found dirty/cracked; liquid, frozen or powdered eggs not pasteurized.

Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

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

Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Ward Iii

111 Reade Street

A

Korchma Taras Bulba

357 West Broadway

A

Caffe Roma

385 Broome Street

A

Square Diner

33 Leonard Street

Grade Pending (35) 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.

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

A

East Noodle Village

85 Chrystie St

Not Graded Yet (22) 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.

162 Eb Corp Bakery

162 East Broadway

Closed by Health Department (53) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

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

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.

Live animals other than fish in tank or service animal present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

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

Go Believe Bakery

239 Grand St

A

Burger King #14222

146 Delancey St

A

Cc’s Cafe

41 Monroe Street

Grade Pending (17) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas.

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.

Dimes

49 Canal St

A

Pause Cafe

3 Clinton Sreet

A

Hawa Smoothies

181 East Broadway

A

Do

you something You’d

like

us to

look

?

into

55-59 Chrystie St

have

Alin Sushi

Email us at news@strausnews.com

18

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

Address

Price

Battery Park City

212 Warren Street

$1,501,918

Battery Park City

212 Warren Street

$1,471,371

Battery Park City

225 Rector Place

$680,000

Battery Park City

250 South End Avenue

$287,951

Battery Park City

200 Rector Place

$715,000

Battery Park City

377 Rector Place

$980,000

Battery Park City

250 South End Avenue

$400,000

Chelsea

333 West 14 Street

$4,300,000

Chelsea

318 West 15 Street

$520,000

Chelsea

319 West 18 Street

$399,000

Chelsea

151 West 17 Street

$3,112,500

Chelsea

85 8 Avenue

$499,500

Chinatown

50 Bayard Street

$490,000

East Village

307 East 12 Street

$1,705,000

East Village

170 2 Avenue

$1,750,000

East Village

115 4 Avenue

$1,750,000

East Village

62 East 3 Street

East Village

Bed Bath Agent

Downtown Sales Snapshot Number of contracts signed so far in the second quarter $0 - $600k $600x - $1M $1M-$2M $2M-$5M $5M-$10M $10M+

1

0

1

1

Corcoran

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

Douglas Elliman

2

1

Core

$560,000

1

1

Halstead Property

211 East 13Th Street

$1,350,000

1

1

Sieber International

East Village

507 East 12 Street

$599,000

1

1

East Village

333 East 14 Street

$815,000

East Village

133 2 Avenue

$2,200,000

1.5

East Village

178 East 2 Street

$998,000

2

Financial District

15 William Street

$1,838,348

Financial District

3 Hanover Square

$420,000

Financial District

88 Greenwich Street

$690,000

Financial District

15 William Street

$1,219,863

Financial District

15 William Street

$2,019,035

Flatiron

254 Park Avenue South

$911,333

Flatiron

16 West 16 Street

$790,000

Flatiron

69 5 Avenue

$1,270,000

Flatiron

650 6Th Avenue

$1,925,000

Flatiron

42 West 15 Street

$3,400,000

Flatiron

35 West 15 Street

$3,617,187

Fulton/Seaport

99 John Street

$570,220

Gramercy Park

45 Gramercy Park North

$3,100,000

Gramercy Park

60 Gramercy Park North

Greenwich Village

1 5 Avenue

Greenwich Village

55 East 9 Street

$485,000

Greenwich Village

63 East 9 Street

$611,000

Greenwich Village

30-32 West 9Th Street

$2,350,000

Greenwich Village

16 East 11 Street

$4,364,500

Greenwich Village

15 West 11 Street

$1,100,000

1

1

Corcoran

Greenwich Village

23 East 10 Street

$621,000

1

1

Corcoran

Greenwich Village

25 Minetta Lane

$587,283

Lower East Side

179 Ludlow Street

$1,832,850

Lower East Side

210 East Broadway

$629,000

Lower East Side

455 Fdr Drive

$499,000

Lower East Side

500 Grand Street

$300,000

0

STUDIOS

Median Sales Price STUDIOS

600,000

Bond New York

1 BED

999,000

2

Douglas Elliman

2 BEDS

1,850,000

1

Nestseekers

3 BEDS

4,100,000

1

Voda Bauer Real Estate

Source: UrbanDigs LLC

Noho

33 Bleecker Street

$2,650,000

Soho

50 King Street

$750,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Soho

141 Wooster Street

$2,460,000

2

1

Sotheby’s International Realty

Soho

2 Charlton Street

$2,600,000

Soho

75-77 Grand Street

$96,118

Soho

136 Sullivan Street

$2,900,000

Tribeca

422 Greenwich Street

$5,700,000

Tribeca

422 Greenwich Street

$8,325,281

Tribeca

422 Greenwich Street

$8,500,000

Tribeca

288 West Street

$2,200,000

Tribeca

261 Broadway

$2,005,000

$2,500,000

Tribeca

422 Greenwich Street

$8,350,000

$4,850,000

Tribeca

51 Walker Street

$3,500,000

2

2

Douglas Elliman

1

1

Douglas Elliman

1

2

Douglas Elliman

2

2

Alchemy Properties

2

0

1

0

2

1

1

1

Res New York

Halstead Property

Tribeca

71 Laight Street

$5,200,000

West Chelsea

520 West 23 Street

$810,000

West Village

150 Charles Street

$10,729,419

West Village

2 Horatio Street

$650,000

West Village

80 Perry Street

$1,875,000

1

1

Brown Harris Stevens

West Village

72 Horatio Street

$2,272,500

1

2

Halstead Property

West Village

180 West Houston Street

$750,000

1

1

Skny

West Village

421 Hudson Street

$2,596,537

1

2

Corcoran

Halstead Property

Loho Realty

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 30-AUGUST 5,2015

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015 Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman at the centennial dinner for the Anti-Defamation League in New York City in October 2013.

Photo: Ash Carter, via Flickr

FOXMAN RETIRES AS HEAD OF ADL Exit from Anti-Defamation League marks shift for US Jews

BY RACHEL ZOLL

Over 28 years as head of the AntiDefamation League, Abe Foxman emerged as a forceful torchbearer for American Jews. He counseled presidents and diplomats, CEOs and celebrities. He took on prominent figures over anti-Semitic remarks or representations — actor Mel Gibson among them — and accepted any ensuing apologies on behalf of an entire community. No other U.S. Jewish leader has wielded as much influence with policymakers, faith leaders and U.S. Jews.

Foxman retired last week as national director, a major moment of transition in American Jewish life that raises questions about the future of the organization known as the ADL. Foxman, 75, spoke to The Associated Press earlier this month amid the partially packed file boxes and memorabilia in his Manhattan office. He talked anti-Semitism and Israel, took on his critics, and reflected on the past and future of an organization he helped mold.

ANTI-SEMITISM IN AMERICA There’s both good news and bad in how far efforts to fight anti-Semitism have come since Foxman started with the ADL as a staff lawyer a half-century ago. The organization, which tracks anti-Semitic attitudes and incidents in the U.S. and overseas, has seen a decline in such problems here but a dramatic rise in anti-Semitic views in Europe while pervasive stereotypes persist elsewhere overseas.

The Internet has given bigots a way to spread their beliefs “not only anonymously but at the speed of light,” said Foxman. Internet searches for “Holocaust,” for example, yield results that include numerous denial websites.

“This is, today, where anti-Semitism lives and spreads,” he said.

On the positive side, he said no effort has had a greater impact at fighting anti-Jewish prejudice than the 1965 declaration “Nostra Aetate” from the Roman Catholic Church, which stripped away any theological justification for anti-Semitic beliefs. Pope John Paul II furthered that message during his tenure, becoming the first pope to visit a synagogue (in Rome in

1986) and later praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

“It hasn’t changed everything,” Foxman said, “but it has been the most dramatic change.”

JEWISH ENOUGH? The ADL was founded in 1913 with a mandate to fight anti-Semitism and all bias. But the emphasis differed over time depending on who was in charge and the issues of the day.

Foxman has faced criticism that the ADL puts too many resources into nonJewish issues.

Under him, the organization built a formidable research arm into white supremacists and other extremists, advocated for immigrant and gay rights, conducted diversity training for law enforcement and developed programs for schools on issues ranging from the Holocaust to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to the impact of bullying.

And though Foxman opposed a planned mosque near ground zero in New York, his organization formed an interfaith coalition to defend mosque construction elsewhere in the U.S. The complaints about the ADL’s direction are part of a wider American

Jewish debate about whether Jewish organizations should keep a strict Jewish focus or have a broader reach, according to Sarah Benor, a Jewish studies professor at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles.

Foxman said such critics are usually uncomfortable with the ADL’s positions on gay rights, Latino immigration or other issues. In response, he quoted the Jewish sage Hillel: “But if I am only for myself, who am I?” Said Foxman: “We have always believed you can’t fight one kind of defamation without fighting the other.”

Foxman long endured objections that he overreacted to perceived slights against the Jews and was too quick to condemn. Yet he was also chided for too easily forgiving and embracing those who repented their anti-Jewish remarks.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s relationship with the Jewish community was left tattered after anti-Semitic remarks he made during a 1984 presidential bid.

Yet Jackson emerged in the 1990s as an opponent of anti-Semitism, in part because of Foxman’s counsel, according to J.J. Goldberg, editor-at-large of the Jewish newspaper The Forward.

At a retirement dinner last month for Foxman at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel, a video tribute included a photo of Jackson with one arm around Foxman and the other around Henry Kissinger.

Foxman said it was essential to accept apologies, especially from those who can serve as prominent allies for Jews.

“If you don’t let them change, then you become the bigot.”

ON ISRAEL Foxman has taken the position that criticism of Israel is not inherently anti-Jewish. But he said the condemnation often crosses the line into bigotry

when it fixates on the wrongdoings of Israel, and ignores positive developments.

Foxman said the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement aimed at ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is “99 percent of the time” anti-Semitic. (BDS leaders say their battle is against Israel, not Jews, and they deny any bias.) The ADL has developed a list of “Top Ten Anti-Israel Groups” in the U.S., and provides training and resources on college campuses to combat anti-Semitism amid anti-Israel protests.

LOOKING AHEAD Foxman’s successor is Jonathan Greenblatt, 44, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor who interned with the ADL in college and worked in the Obama administration shaping national service and civic engagement programs.

He joins an organization with a big budget ($60 million annually) and big bully pulpit, yet he takes over at a time when the American Jewish community is splintering. Fewer U.S. Jews formally affiliate with a synagogue or religious movement and the DIY ethos pervading American philanthropy has led to a proliferation of small Jewish nonprofits focused on very specific concerns.

Foxman said the multi-issue ADL can still play a critical role in Jewish life. “I believe our mission is, unfortunately, even more credible than when we started.”

He plans to still work with the ADL as a consultant, but Foxman demurred when asked what advice he’s shared with Greenblatt.

“People keep telling him, ‘You have big shoes to fill,’” Foxman said. “They said the same thing when I came in.”

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

21

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

YOUR 15 MINUTES

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

PLEASING PEOPLE ONE AT A TIME Restauranteur Matthew Glazier on the family business

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

The president of the Glazier Group, which has owned and operated successful restaurants in the city for decades, talks about his career As a kid, Matthew Glazier could always be found at the restaurants his parents owned. “You can almost say my family dinner table was in the restaurant business,” he said. His father, Peter Glazier, started The Glazier Group in 1985 and his mother, Penny, serves as the director of communications.

Matthew now serves as president, which means he’s been in charge of such places as Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C., Strip House, event spaces Twenty Four Fifth and Bridgewaters, The Westminster Hotel in New Jersey and The Reach Resort in Key West.

Upon graduation from Fordham University’s School of Law, he joined the family business and has taken on every job from bartending at Monkey Bar to managing Strip House. “I think it’s important that if you’re going to be running a restaurant, you have to be able to step in and at least know everybody’s position and see everything from everyone’s point of view,” he said.

Glazier, who will still clear tables on a busy night, loves that restaurants are so hands-on in an era where most industries are moving away from that personal connection.

When asked what his favorite part of the business is, he said, “Every day you get to try to wow people, and if you fail, you get another chance right away.”

Since many of his restaurants serve steak, we felt compelled to ask what his favorite order is. “I really like a good strip steak. For me, it has a nice balance; not too fatty, not too lean.”

Did you know from a young age that you wanted to work in the family business?

The restaurant business is very hands on. I think it’s very good for families. If your father or mother is in the restaurant business, they can bring you to work. There’s always something to do. It’s one of those things where we always had dinner in the restaurant. So I was always exposed to it. I went to law school and, especially nowadays, a legal education definitely helps you out in this business. But it was

always my creative love, the restaurant business, and trying to please people. Achieving success by pleasing customers one at a time. I guess in law you can please your clients one at a time. But I think it’s a much different animal.

In your early twenties you bartended at Monkey Bar. What was that experience like?

When it opened, Monkey Bar had 25 people waiting in line to get in. We had 150 seats in the dining room, so it was really crazy. It was a small bar, but we had to do service for the dining room as well. I learned how to bartend on the job.

It was my parents’ restaurant; I definitely would not have gotten that job any other way. Also, we had a catering facility back then. I thought it was the best thing ever, during my summers, to get paid good money to wait tables and I could pick and choose when I wanted to work.

One of your Strip House locations was in Planet Hollywood in Vegas.

What’s the difference between having one there versus in New York?

The thing is Vegas is that you’re not trying to culture a repeat customer. The local community, most of them work on The Strip, and when they’re not working, they don’t want to be there. But in New York, your business is regulars.

So it’s two competing mindsets.

Vegas is more glitzy glamour. Everybody was dressed up. A lot of it was atrocious the way they were dressed, but they were in Vegas and they were gonna have the most wonderful night of their life. It was fun there because everybody was charged up all the time. Holly Madison had a show literally right next door to us for a while. There were nightclubs in the hotel and they always had guest hosts. The celebrities was always exciting and interesting. We were in the Planet Hollywood Hotel so you’d see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone a lot.

How did the partnership with Michael Jordan come about? How much involvement does he have in the restaurant?

My father had friends who were close with Michael and they were looking to do something in New York. He’s more involved than you think. Unfortunately for us, he’s not in New York often. It’s very important to everyone, including him, for

it to be about what he’d want when he went out for a great dinner, instead of a tourist trap. If you’ve been, there’s really no pictures of him. There are four pictures of him in one private dining room.

You’re also on the board of Citymeals-on-Wheels.

I’ve been on the board there for about 10 years which is very, very rewarding. It’s one of those very complicated charities and it took me about a year-and-a-half to really figure out what they do. The city delivers meals to homebound elderly, but they only do it five days a week and they only do it for the amount of people that they can afford to do it for. What happens is you get a waitlist of people who have the need, but there aren’t resources to feed them. So City Meals comes on and takes the waitlist and also feeds people on the weekends and holidays. The charity steps in and feeds the elderly and the homebound when the government is not able to do it.

What are the pros and cons to working with your parents?

Pros are we have the same goal.

No one’s trying to screw you under the table. Sometimes it’s tough because the line between personal and business gets mixed. It will be Saturday, and we’ll be talking about business. I’m very close with my mother and father. Sure, sometimes we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything. But like I said, there’s no doubt we have a common goal, which is a good thing.

How do you deal with negative reviews?

I used to take feedback very personally. Like, “I remember that table. Their steak was overcooked and we brought them a new one right away!” And the review was “Nobody cared.” I used to take it really personally and be angry, and then I realized that’s somebody’s perception. No matter what, that’s the way the customer perceived it, so you gotta try and learn from it.

There are some people who can’t be pleased. www.theglaziergroup.com

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BE THE SOMEONE

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

WHO HELPS A KID BE THE FIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE.

newyorkcares.org

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

CLASSIFIEDS

ACCOUNTING/FINANCIAL SERVICES

23

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH SERVICES

Telephone: 212-868-0190 Fax: 212-868-0198 Email: classified2@strausnews.com

POLICY NOTICE: We make every eďŹ&#x20AC;ort to avoid mistakes in your classiďŹ ed ads. Check your ad the ďŹ rst week it runs. The publication will only accept responsibility for the ďŹ rst incorrect insertion. The publication assumes no ďŹ nancial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for any copy changes. All classiďŹ ed ads are pre-paid.

REAL ESTATE - SALE

SERVICES OFFERED

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Chinese Objects Paintings, Jewelry Silver, Furniture, Etc. Entire Estates Purchased

800.530.0006 WANTED TO BUY

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24

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

www.otdowntown.com Your Neighborhood News

The local paper for Downtown

JULY 30-AUGUST 5,2015

L PPSS MAANN AAALTT GGEERRM A L A L A IV T IV IN TAAIN FFEESS T R M MOOUUNN T HHUUNNTTEE R

HAMPT

The local paper for Downtown

ON CLA SS

FA L O AL BUF N AT IO N

WINDH

IC HOR SE SHO W

E S T IV W IN G F

A M WO RLD

AL

THIS AUGUST

NY STATE

IS A FEAST FOR CUP

YOUR SENSES MONTH LONG CALENDAR OF EVENTS INSIDE!

For more great New York State events and must-see attractions, visit iloveny.com/summer15

AU GUST EVENTS IN NEW YORK STATE

Promotional Feature

Weekend of

Weekend of

AUGUST 7-9

AUGUST 21-23

1

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NYS WOODSMAN’S FIELD DAYS

WINDHAM WORLD CUP FESTIVAL

Boonville. August 21-23

Windham. August 6-9

Have you ever chopped wood for a campfire? If the answer is yes then you have an idea of the strength and endurance required in the career of a lumberjack. The forest industry and lumberjacks are celebrated in this weekend of events and contests designed to entertain and educate participants. One of the predominant lumberjack contests in the United States today, contestants come from far and wide to compete in the festivities.

Feel the thrill as bikers sail through narrow and rocky paths through forests and streams. Experience the excitement and be one of thousands of spectators and amateur participants at the fifth annual event. Enjoy the block party with stunt and magic shows, mechanical bull rides, food, vendors, live music and more. Bring the kids so they can participate in the Sunday bike race for prizes.

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Weekend of

JULY 31 - AUGUST 2

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THE PHOENICIA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE VOICE

Phoenicia. July 29-August 2 Music, music and more music. Take in Phoenicia-voted one of the coolest towns in America, it’s been transformed into a mecca of musical events showcasing all kinds of vocal talent. This year’s all-American Festival offers Broadway as well as American pop, folk, and beloved standards-Gershwin, Sondheim, plays, workshops and more.

2

SPIEDIE FEST AND BALLOON RALLY Binghamton. July 31-August 2

This is one of the top hot air balloon rallies in the country. It’s a fun filled, three day event beginning on Friday with a balloon launch and the foot stomping rock and roll of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, ending with an amazing fireworks show. Balloon launches, cooking contests, and great music continue throughout Saturday and Sunday.

3

ANNUAL ANTIQUE BOAT SHOW Clayton. July 31-August 2

Enjoy an exciting weekend among some classic boats on the beautiful St. Lawrence River. Stop by the Antique Boat Museum to see more boats or take a boat ride to the majestic Boldt Castle on Heart Island. Explore history through lectures, groove to some live jazz music at the cocktail reception and marvel at the awe inspiring boat parade.

Watkins Glen. August 6-9

NASCAR fans won’t want to miss a minute of the action at Watkins Glen.

Camp at the Glen beginning with the Cheez-It 355 race on Wednesday and stay for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the NASCAR Xfinity and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

3

GERMAN ALPS FESTIVAL AT HUNTER MOUNTAIN

Hunter. August 8-9 The music and merriment of this traditional festival are sure to bring a smile to your face. Get up on your feet and join the Schohplattler Dancers. Delight your palate with German-American foods. Enjoy the vendors, entertainers and fun activities for the kids.

4

FINGER LAKES RIESLING FESTIVAL Canandaigua. August 8-9

Experience the best wineries, breweries, artisans, farmers, musicians and entertainers of the magnificent Finger Lakes. Taste the wine, sample the beer and enjoy an amazing musical showcase of local talent. Fun activities include arts and crafts for the kids and grape stomping for the adults.

5

AMERICA’S GRAPE COUNTRY WINE FESTIVAL

Dunkirk. August 8-9 Savor the best wines, micro-brewed beers, ciders and spirits from across the state on the shores of Lake Erie. The real star of the show is the Concorde grape as this is the largest grape growing region east of the Rockies! The party kicks off Friday night at The Parrotheads Bash–Wine in Paradise preview. Spend the next two days taking in the state’s finest cuisine, craft artisans and a classic car show.

4

PARK AVE SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL Rochester. August 1-2

INTERNATIONAL CELTIC FESTIVAL

Weekend of

AUGUST 14-16

1

BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS CONCERTS

Bethel. Ongoing Get ready to rock out with Lynyrd Skynrd – August 14, The Zac Brown Band – August 23 and Rascal Flatts – August 30th or kick back with the 2010 Nightlife Award Winner for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist, Christine Ebersole – August 29th. Take some time to visit the amazing, award-winning main exhibit at the museum “Woodstock and The Sixties” which offers a growing collection of artifacts and reference materials, special exhibitions for young and old and the preserved historic site of the famed concert.

2

HUDSON VALLEY RIBFEST New Paltz. August 14-16

Sixty teams pit their barbecue skills against sharp competition to produce some of the best ribs in the Northeast. Sure, the food is great but the fest is not just about the ribs. Sit back while you eat and listen to the awesome musical line-up, or learn how to cook like the pros in the demonstration tent. Visit the vendors offering the best in sauces, rubs, grills and unique BBQ tools.

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INTERNATIONAL CELTIC FESTIVAL Hunter. August 15-16

You’ll find no blarney here. Take in fantastic entertainment from the Emerald Isles with world-class Irish-American bands and dancers, dozens of authentic Irish vendors, traditional foods, and plenty of beverages. A bagpipe competition and a massed march round out the festivities as hundreds of pipers and drummers march down the mountain in unison and play as one.

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HAMPTON CLASSIC HORSE SHOW Bridgehampton. August 23-30

The Hampton Classic is a grand farewell party to the summer. One of the largest outdoor horse shows in the country, the quest for a coveted spot on the World Cup Finals squad kicks off here. See some of the top jumper riders from around the world, take in great celebrity sightings, and shop at matchless high end boutiques. Break out your finest millenary and promenade the grounds with Fido at the prestigious Grand Prix, held on the last Sunday of the show.

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CYCLE ADIRONDACKS Saranac Lake. August 23-29

Yes you need to be in shape to cycle the magnificent Adirondacks rugged beauty but the lakes and rivers, forests and wildlife are for all who visit. Cycle Adirondacks is a week-long, fully supported road tour of this magical area.

Pedal, socialize, and sleep while enjoying great food and music along the way.

Canandaigua. June-October Water skiing and wakeboarding on steroids! Roseland Wake Park is the first and only cable wake park in the northeastern United States!

Experienced and beginner wake boarders alike can enjoy rails, kickers, and ramps of varying difficulty levels. Everyone can ride at their own level and improve their skills.

TRAVERS RACE, SARATOGA RACE COURSE Saratoga Springs. August 29

Come to Saratoga Race Course and experience what horse race lovers have been talking about for years. Grab a few friends and hit the stands for an unbelievable sporting event. Cheer on your favorite horse and jockey as they fly around the track and into the home stretch. This Saratoga tradition is alive and well.

DUTCHESS COUNTY FAIR – VIA METRO NORTH OR I LOVE NY BUS

Rhinebeck. August 29 The fair offers something for everyone. Enjoy the animals, entertainment, food concessions, wine and food festival, sheep and wool family festival, crafts, antiques, and classic car shows. If you’ve never experienced a real county fair, don’t wait another summer. Hop on the I LOVE NY bus from NYC or purchase a Metro North Getaway package leaving from select train stations.

THE DATE 4SAVE NEW YORK STATE FESTIVAL OF BALLOONS Dansville. September 4-7

Join the 35,000 spectators this year who will be a part of this breathtaking festival. The beauty of an early morning flight is amazing as balloons gracefully float over the valley and the thrill of a mass evening launch is a real crowd pleaser. Come out and enjoy six scheduled launches, craft vendors, an international food court, rides and amusements for children and free entertainment.

THE DATE 5SAVE NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL

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RALLY IN THE VALLEY Olean. August 19-23

Buffalo. September 5-6

Sad that Hogs and Heifers is closing next month? Leave the Meatpacking District and take a ride upstate to let your inner biker out! You don’t need a Harley to enjoy five days of motorcycle rallies, games, dice runs, raffles, and comradery.

CHEEZ-IT TM 355 AT THE GLEN

Syracuse. August 27-September 7

Every year, nearly one million people experience this 12-day celebration of delicious food, eye-opening exhibits and outrageous fun. The fair showcases thousands of animals, scores of exciting midway rides and dozens of bigname entertainers such as Rick Springfield, Eric Church with the Cadillac Three and Everclear.

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MUST DO ROSELAND WAKE PARK

Discover the best up and coming young classical musicians surrounded by the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains. A mecca for the classical music fan, this 2 week festival includes live chamber music and orchestra concerts, children’s concerts, open-rehearsals and performance workshops all offered with a “pay what you can” admission.

Ellicottville. Aug 2-9 Hit that bullseye! Take a ride on the renowned Ski Hill Top of Spruce chairlift to catch a glimpse of archers from around the world as they tune up for the big event. Compete or cheer for your favorite archer in the World Bowhunting Championship Title. Open to archers, young and old, there is even a Future Bowhunters Division for young children.

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NEW YORK STATE FAIR

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Endicott. August 24-30

This is your only chance to see the fierce completion of the second half of the PGA 2015 Championship Tour in New York State. Come and experience world class golf and the music of the Grammy winning superstars Lady Antebellum in the beautiful countryside of Endicott.

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AUGUST 28-30

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DICK’S SPORTING GOODS OPEN

Lake George. August 17-27

IBO WORLD BOWHUNTING CHAMPIONSHIP AND HOLIDAY VALLEY OPEN

Weekend of

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LAKE GEORGE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Bring the family and spend the day at the 37th annual festival of arts, crafts and music in Rochester’s oldest and most unique neighborhood. Attracting over 250,000 people, the festival features 300 artists, vendors and exhibitors. Enjoy the tastiest of treats from Cajun specialties, bloomin’ onions, giant turkey legs, crepes, strawberry shortcake and lime rickeys.

NEW YORK STATE FESTIVAL OF BALLOONS

Hot, Medium or Mild. Bring your appetite and your celery. This weekend is all about the Buffalo Wings created over 50 years ago at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo. With everything from sauce competitions and wing eating contests to the Miss Buffalo Wings Pageant, this festival is sure to please.

ZAC BROWN BAND

FOR 12 DAYS ONLY, NEW YORK STATE THROWS A PARTY. The Great New York State Fair, Syracuse, NY

Plan your summer vacation at iloveny.com / summer15

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YOUR SENSES MONTH LONG CALENDAR OF EVENTS INSIDE!

For more great New York State events and must-see attractions, visit iloveny.com/summer15