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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER PICASSO IN 3D < CITYARTS, P.12
17-23 2015
JAZZING UP THE JEWISH NEW YEAR Rabbi Steven Blane, who founded an online synagogue, plays The Bitter End with his band for Rosh Hashana BY RUI MIAO
FASHION WEEK MOVES TO THE WEST SIDE, AND THE LOCALS YAWN
For many of his congregants, High Holy Days are the only time of a year when they get to see their rabbi, Steven Blane, in person. Most of the time, Blane presides on their computer screens. The founder and spiritual leader of Sim Shalom, a virtual synagogue, Blane conducts services out of a small room on Riverside Drive, within a four-room apartment that he shares with his wife, Carol, and two puppies, Sammy and Ari. The room is sparse: a sofa, a chair, an Asian-styled dark bamboo divider and a workstation atop a Persian rug. Blane, equipped with a keyboard, a studio microphone and a large monitor with a camera, streams live services every Friday night from there. Blane, bald, bespectacled, and sporting an earring in his left earlobe, sits in front of the bamboo divider. “I’m on,” he said into the camera at 7 p.m. on a recent Friday. “I’m on now.” A typical service lasts about an hour. “I start by singing jazz, to warm it up,” said Blane, a former Broadway singer who plays the piano, guitar and ukulele. About 15 minutes in, he puts on his kippah, and begins to sing and to celebrate the liturgy. “Now I’m a rabbi,” he says. He interacts with the congregants via a chat window, which shares the screen with the live video. He greets congregants by name as they join the service online. “It’s like a family,” said Sharon Schorr a Sim
New York Fashion Week’s move to a new location near Penn Station has energized the global fashion crowd, but it’s hardly worth mentioning at Brother Jimmy’s BBQ, a block away. “I’m not into fashion and I can’t afford the clothes,” said Kasia Davenport, 32, a waitress at Brother Jimmy’s, located across the street from Moynihan Station at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 31st Street. “What matters to me is my job.” The restaurant’s homelike ambiance, combined with succulent slow-smoked ribs, can make anyone forget not only about fashion week, but also about being in the heart of New York City in general. Fasion Week’s relocation this year to a still-gritty slice of Manhattan, between Moynnihan Station and the Hudson River, had lots of potential, throwing together models and designers with the Irish bars and porn shops nearby. But so far, at least, that hoped-for mash-up
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NEWS A hoped-for mash-up of models and Irish bars disappoints BY MARIA PANSKAYA
Our Take CELEBRATING A SUBWAY STOP It is a sign of the dysfunction of our public life that the opening of a new subway station is cause for celebration. Yet it is, and the new 7 train station at Hudson Yards is indeed a wonder. The station, the first new stop in the system in two decades, extends by a mile and a half the 7 train and is the westernmost outpost of the uptown system. The station features impressive public art, an elevator that (for now) works, and heating and cooling systems that will keep commuters cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In short, it has everything that the rest of the world has come to expect in a working subway system, but that New Yorkers, beaten down by decades of infrastructure neglect, see as something just short of a miracle. Should this be so in the richest city on earth? Even the weekend opening of the new station carried with it some of the petty squabbling that has made such projects a rarity. The mayor and the MTA bickered over funding issues. Former mayor Bloomberg - a champion for the station -- was a noshow. Cynics predicted that the temperature-controlled platform would be a winter haven for homeless people. And everyone pointed out that the $2.4 billion project, as glorious as it is, opened its doors a year and a half late. But for now, let’s celebrate the 7 station -- and the even-more impressive Fulton station in lower Manhattan -- as steps in the right direction. And recognize that our public spaces, and public transit, define who we are as a city.
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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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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLASS-ACTION SUIT SAYS OCCUPY ARRESTS VIOLATED RIGHTS A class-action lawsuit was filed last week against the city and police alleging that officials
were purposely unconcerned with First Amendment protections when officers arrested 185 people on the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protests three years ago, The New York Times reported. The lawsuit, which
could ultimately represent about 200 people arrested on Sept. 17, 2012, claims that the city failed to train police on how to handle lawful political demonstrations and that the city’s strategy amounted to a violation of the protesters’
constitutional rights, The Times reported. The complaint names the city, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former police commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, and four police commanders, the paper says. One of the lawyers filing the complaint, Wylie Stecklow, told the paper that city police have arrested protesters on disorderly conduct charges when in fact demonstrators’ activity was not criminal. “When the Constitution is involved,” Stecklow told The Times, “you need a real threat to public order, not just a technical violation, to justify a disorderly conduct charge, and that is not understood by a vast majority of members of the police force, from police officer up to chief.”
SUBWAY DANCERS ENCOURAGED TO MOVE ABOVE GROUND
Demonstrations on the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protests Sept. 17, 2012. Police arrested 185 people that day, events that triggered a class-action lawsuit against the city. Photo: Victoria Pickering, via Flickr
There’s no evidence that shows a link between credit reports and job performance. That’s why NYC made it illegal to use credit reports in employment decisions. Let’s grow New York businesses and workforces with fairness and equal opportunity for all. Learn how the law affects you at nyc.gov/humanrights or by calling 311.
A new program created by the de Blasio administration — “It’s Showtime NYC” — hopes to encourage subway dancers to rise above ground for their performances, The New York Times reported “Make money. Avoid arrest. Dance!” read new cards
handed out by New York City Transit officers who have been occasionally been arresting individual on rails during routines. Now rather than detaining dancers for illicit soliciting, the transit cops encourage subway dancers to move to sanctioned public spaces to perform and take part in the dance initiative. Many performers see this change in enforcement as an opportunity for “subway dancers to do what they love without dealing with arrests and messing up their records,” Castle Hill’s Dayrome Wright, 21, told the newspaper. Though the initiative’s success hasn’t yet been measured, Joseph Fox, the chief of the Police’s Transit Bureau, said the number of dance related arrests are down, 264 in late August of 2014 and only 185 through late August of this year.
‘INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION’ TECHNOLOGY ON WAY TO CITY The head of the federal Transportation Department said
the ciyt would receive funding to develop technology that will alert vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists travelling in midtown of imminent collisions threats and other dangers, Crain’s New York Business reported. Anthony Foxx, the department’s secretary, said Monday that the city would receive $20 million to implement “Connected Vehicle Technologies” in midtown as a part of a pilot program. Other test programs will be initiated in Tampa, Florida, and parts of Wyoming. Midtown is one of the most congested traffic areas in the nation and the “Connected Vehicle Technologies” will affect an estimated 10,000 vehicles by 2017, Crains reported. The system itself will warn vehicles of dangers, such as pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as the traffic conditions. The hope is to keep motorist and pedestrians safer in areas that are heavily crowed by use of traffic lights to send or “beam” information to the motorists so they can be better prepared.
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
TENNIS STAR SEEKS FIRING OF COP WHO TACKLED HIM Former tennis star James Blake, whose caught-on-camera takedown by a plainclothes New York City police officer prompted apologies from the mayor and police commissioner, told The Associated Press that the officer who wrongly arrested him should be fired. “I don’t think this person should ever have a badge or a gun again,” Blake, 35, said a day after surveillance video of the arrest outside a Manhattan hotel -- and details about previous complaints over the officer’s use of force -- became public. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask,” he said. Blake, who had been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world before retiring after the 2013 U.S. Open, was misidentified by a cooperating witness as being
part of a scheme to sell fraudulently purchased merchandise when he was tackled, police have said. The arresting officer, James Frascatore, who has been with the NYPD for four years, has been named in several civil rights lawsuits alleging excessive force. He has also been the subject of four civilian complaints -- an above-average number for NYPD officers, according to complaint data. “I think that that kind of police officer tarnishes the badge, which I have the utmost respect for and I believe that the majority of police officers do great work and they’re heroes,” Blake told the AP. “So this person doesn’t ever belong in the same sentence with the heroes that are doing the right kind of police work and keeping the public safe.” A message left at a number listed for Frascatore, 38, wasn’t immediately returned. Officials have said he was exonerated of one civilian complaint, a second was unsubstantiated and he was sanctioned for not identifying himself in a third. The status of the fourth complaint was unclear. A spokesman for his union
did not return a message seeking comment Saturday. But on Friday, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said Blake’s arrest was made “under fluid circumstances where the subject might have fled, and the officer did a professional job of bringing the individual to the ground.” Frascatore has been placed on desk duty while internal affairs detectives continue their investigation.
SCOOTER LOOTERS This officially marks the first Crime Watch report of a stolen self-balancing scooter. At 12:48 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, a 15-year-old boy was approached at the corner of New and Beaver Streets by three other male youths, who began to ask questions about his scooter. The 15-year-old allowed one of the other boys to ride the device, and when he tried to retrieve it, he was punched in the face and neck by two of the young thugs, knocking him to the ground. All three bad guys fled the scene on foot with his scooter and backpack containing other
items. Police searched the area but could not locate the bad boys and their booty. The items stolen included a self-balancing scooter valued at $350, Curry Ones Under Armour priced at $20, a Kevin Durant bag tagged at $80, and a pair of Nike sneakers priced at $25, totaling $575.
PERSE SNATCHERS Yet another Mercer Street boutique got hit by a shoplifter. At 12:50 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, a woman entered the James Perse store at 60 Mercer St., took items off a shelf, and walked past the cash register and out the front door with more than $1,500 worth of merchandize. Police could not find the shoplifter in the area, but store video captured the theft. Items stolen included a beige sweater valued at $795, a long-sleeved shirt priced at $310, and another long-sleeved shirt tagged at $465, making a total haul of $1,570.
KOOPLES SCRUPLES Another Mercer Street clothing customer didn’t feel like paying for all his purchases. At
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for Aug. 31 Sept. 6 Week to Date 2015 2014
Year to Date % Change
2015
2014
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
0
n/a
Rape
1
0
n/a
5
5
0.0
Robbery
2
3
-33.3
41
34
20.6
Felony Assault
4
1
300.0
56
54
3.7
Burglary
1
2
-50.0
90
110
-18.2
Grand Larceny
19
9
111.1
712
622
14.5
Grand Larceny Auto
1
0
n/a
15
13
15.4
2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a 33-year-old man entered the Kooples store at 115 Mercer and shopped for an hour, going in and out of the fitting room with merchandise. Finally, he attempted to purchase $500 worth of items using two separate credit cards, both of which were declined . He then paid using cash. After he left the store, employees noticed that one pricey item was no longer in the fitting room. A canvass of the neighborhood proved negative, but video revealed the thief. The item stolen was a leather jacket valued at $1,200.
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CONE CLOWN Traffic cones generally serve a useful function, but not on this particular day. At 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, a 37-yearold man got into an argument with a 20-year-old man at the northwest corner of Greene and Prince Streets regarding the latter sitting on a step outside a certain store. The younger man struck the older man across the face, shoved him, and then hit him over the head with a traffic cone. Police searched the area but were unable to locate the cone assailant.
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 7th Precinct
19 ½ Pitt St.
212-477-7311
NYPD 6th Precinct
233 W. 10th St.
212-741-4811
NYPD 10th Precinct
230 W. 20th St.
212-741-8211
NYPD 13th Precinct
230 E. 21st St.
NYPD 1st Precinct
16 Ericsson Place
212-477-7411 212-334-0611
FIRE FDNY Engine 15
25 Pitt St.
311
FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5
227 6th Ave.
311
FDNY Engine 28 Ladder 11
222 E. 2nd St.
311
FDNY Engine 4/Ladder 15
42 South St.
311
ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmember Margaret Chin
165 Park Row #11
Councilmember Rosie Mendez
237 1st Ave. #504
212-587-3159 212-677-1077
Councilmember Corey Johnson
224 W. 30th St.
212-564-7757
State Senator Daniel Squadron
250 Broadway #2011
212-298-5565
Community Board 1
49 Chambers St.
212-442-5050
Community Board 2
3 Washington Square Village
212-979-2272
Community Board 3
59 E. 4th St.
212-533-5300
Community Board 4
330 W. 42nd St.
212-736-4536
66 Leroy St.
212-243-6876
COMMUNITY BOARDS
LIBRARIES Hudson Park Ottendorfer
135 2nd Ave.
212-674-0947
Elmer Holmes Bobst
70 Washington Square
212-998-2500
HOSPITALS New York-Presbyterian
170 William St.
212-312-5110
Mount Sinai-Beth Israel
10 Union Square East
212-844-8400
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4 Irving Place
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201 Varick St.
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US Post Office
128 East Broadway
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US Post Office
93 4th Ave.
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POST OFFICES
Photo courtsey MTA
SUBWAY PULLS INTO FAR WEST SIDE Seven line extension is the first new subway station since 1989 BY DEEPTI HAJELA
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There’s a light at the end of the tunnel -- and it’s a subway train, finally pulling into New York City’s first new station in more than two decades. Almost two years after its initial promised opening date, a subway stop at 34th street and 11th Avenue is ready for business, adding a new transit option to a part of the city experiencing a construction boom and drawing new visitors to the High Line, the repurposed elevated railway that is now a popular park. The station on Manhattan’s far west side extends the No. 7 train 1 1/2 miles past its current last stop in Times Square, and it’s the first station added to the system since 1989. Service started early Sunday afternoon, following a ribboncutting ceremony. The station will serve the new Hudson Yards project -- about 17 million square feet of office, residential and hotel space being built where only rail yards used to be. Transit officials point out it’s the only subway line serving the area west of Ninth Avenue below 59th Street. “It is the centerpiece toward redeveloping the far west side,”
said Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Kevin Ortiz. Construction on the $2.4 billion project, financed by the city, started in 2007 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and was initially projected to be completed by December 2013, but officials pushed that back several times. Ortiz said the delays stemmed from making sure components like escalators, elevators and some communications systems were in place and running properly. The station is the first in the system to have elevators that travel on an incline like escalators do, and will also maintain a steady temperature of between 72 and 78 degrees on platforms no matter the outside weather. The station is airy, with a multihued mosaic on its ceiling and shiny metal railings leading to the platform level. The 7 line extension is one of three major transportation projects the MTA has been working on. The East Side Access project, slated for completion in December 2022, is bringing new tunnels to Manhattan and Queens and a new concourse underneath Grand Central Terminal. The Second Avenue Subway is bringing a new line along Manhattan’s far east side, with the first segment from 96th street to 63rd street expected to be complete in De-
Photo courtesy MTA cember 2016. Richard Barone, director of transportation programs for the Regional Plan Association, said the new extension is different from the other two not only in terms of how it was financed -- with the city putting up the money instead of state and federal dollars being used -- but also because of the level of interaction between the MTA, the city and the Hudson Yards project developer that integrated transit and land use. “It’s really about spurring redevelopment of an area that was pretty much inaccessible,” he said. The other two projects, he said, are about relieving congestion and improving transit access in already developed areas and are being paid
for more traditionally. Commuter advocate Gene Russianoff, of The Straphangers Campaign, agreed it was about redevelopment, and didn’t consider it “a giant step forward for the system.” He pointed out it was only one new station. Initially, another had been planned for 10th Avenue and 41st Street but was cancelled over cost issues. “It has more to do with real estate than it has to do with serving the riding public,” he said, adding that the other infrastructure projects would do more. “It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “It’s just not the top priority.”
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
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SELLING LOCAL DURING FASHION WEEK NEWS A pop-up shop at Chelsea market showcases 23 local designers BY MADISON COLLINS
Photo by Madison Collins
FASHION WEEK MOVES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 has largely not materialized; the fashion people have kept to their Uber cars, and the locals have largely ignored them. Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, which hosted NYFW for five years, wasn’t allowed to extend its contract for outside vendors to use the park’s grounds. Lincoln Center had earned millions of dollars by renting out the park’s space,
chopping down trees and ripping out gress bends to make room for the fashion week tents. Prior to Lincoln Center, Bryant Park was home to fashion week, for 17 years. Despite the relocations, the event has boomed. In 1993, when the Council of Fashion Designers of America launched its first fashion week, the number of participants didn’t exceed 35. In 2015, the number grew past 70. According to New York tourism officials, the event brings in more than $900 million a year in economic activity, exceeding
the marathon, the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey and the U.S. Open in Queens. While luxury hotels, firstclass restaurants and the retail industry flourishes, local business -- like Brother Jimmy’s BBQ, Twins Pub or B&W Deli & Pizzeria, at the corner of the Ninth Avenue and 34th Street -aren’t feeling the ripple effect. “I don’t think fashion week is going to add anything new,” said Vitali Khan, 43, a local resident. “The neighborhood has a set way of living and this yearly fashion vibe is not going to change it, for better or worse.”
If Fashion Week is for the global jet-set crowd, the ID Pop Shop is fashion week for locals. The week-long event is a place for 23 New York-area designers to show their wares -- and hopefully attract a wider following. Barbara Wilkinson (Barbara Wilkinson Jewelry) and Raoul Calleja (Vernakular Photo Designs), created this event in 2011 when they saw an oppor-
tunity to showcase artists who couldn’t get the attention of better-known designers. “Barbara and I have always been in this scene.” Calleja said, “We’ve known these people for years.” Designers are picked based on each show and Wilkinson and Calleja try to keep a mix of unique artists and designs - having no more than nine jewelers at any given event, for instance, and none too similar in style. At this point, most of the designers are from the city, such as Kip Cosson, of Kip Kids of New York, who is an East Village native. Cosson has a line of story books filled with hand-
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TopMBA.com/StrausNews Rhea Kulcsar of Rhea Kulcsar Jewelry. Photo by Madison Collins
painted pictures, as well as onesies and t-shirts inspired by New York life. Cosson, who started his business 25 years ago, said he is starting to see the kids of parents who once wore his line. Rhea Kulcsar (Rhea Kulcsar Jewelry) said this event allows for designers to “expand brand, face to face.” Kulcsar creates her pioeces in her studio on the Upper West Side, and finds that pop-up shops are the easiest and least expensive way to market her wares. The ID Pop Shop will be held through Sunday Sept. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Chelsea Market, Ninth Avenue at 16th Street
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Sports ASPHALT GREEN INAUGURATES NEW TURF FIELD Young soccer players helped break in a new turf ďŹ eld at Asphalt Green uptown last week. The ďŹ eld, on the fourth ďŹ&#x201A;oor of the nonproďŹ tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Murphy Center, replaces a basketball court. The organization is moving its basketball classes, practices and leagues to nearby Sacred Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Athletics and Wellness Center at 406 East 91st St.
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$35 presale, $40 at the $37.75 and $47.75 tickets, door. 1:00 pm - 5:00 p.m. reserved seating. 7:00 p.m.
SPEED OF SOUND FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER 26, DUTCHESS COUNTY AIRPORT $55. 12:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. $5 parking for general admission attendees.
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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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Voices
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
Letters to the Editor BLAMING THE BIKES Unfortunately, I disagree with Richard Weil’s Letter To The Editor in the September 3-9 issue of “Our Town.” After reading it and the website to which he refers, I believe the data is skewed and/or selective perhaps to justify the programs. One example of reality is: while recently crossing 2nd Avenue in the mid-50s, not one of the approximately seven bike riders, who were riding in the bike lane, observed the traffic light and instead rode through the bike lane against their red light and came within inches of me. So what good are bike lanes if the riders are not observing traffic signals and bike rules? Another example is one that I have written about: food delivery riders. Between 6:30 and 9:00 PM on a weeknight in midtown Manhattan you can observe them darting out from their restaurants to deliver dinner to people working late. They ride against the traffic flow, disregard red lights, and come within inches of people who are attempting to cross the street with the right of way. Whatever happened to the summonses that were supposed to be issued to the restaurant owners when their delivery people violated official bike rules of the road? Plainclothes cops on bikes could easily go after them and simultaneously add revenue to the city by issuing summonses. I don’t know her personally, but I completely agree with Bette Dewing. People, especially senior citizens, should be scared (to use Mr. Weil’s word) and take extraordinary precautions especially at certain times of the day. Pat Nestor Richard Weil’s criticism of Bette Dewing’s column concerning bike safety on city streets was both unfair and unmerited. Contrary to what Mr. Weil may believe, Bette Dewing was not trying to scare people nor was she bashing responsible bicyclists in her column, “Older Views and Bike Safety.” She was, and continues to be, the voice of people who are stymied by the City’s lack of concern for the safety of all of its citizens. Mr. Weil cites studies that were conducted in 2010 and 2011, a fact he conveniently failed to mention. The number of bicyclists, skateboarders, delivery men, etc. has increased greatly in the last five years. I challenge Mr. Weil to stand for an hour and watch what occurs regularly at 79th Street and First Avenue. It’s chaos at times and dangerous to everybody concerned. I have nothing against law abiding, responsible bicyclists, but for the safety of all, they need to have licenses for people using anything with wheels on city streets. We need law enforcement to actually issue summonses for people who don’t follow the rules of the road. If you don’t like that idea....then ride your bikes on bike trails in the park and stay out of traffic. Sally Senf Richard Weil is wrong and Bette Dewing is right. I am terrified of the many cyclists who ignore safety guidelines, go too quickly, ride in any direction they feel like and show no concern for pedestrians. Last year I was struck by a speeding cyclist who admitted he had no idea that he was supposed to stop for pedestrians crossing with the light. Why don’t cyclists obtain licenses and be required to take a class in bike safety regulations ... maybe even get insurance? I honestly don’t see why the majority of us have to endure all this bike business to please the minority of cyclists, most of whom couldn’t care less about us, our rules, our city etc. How I wish the money spent on bike lanes had instead been directed towards the MTA and spent on improving mass transit. Thank you Bette Dewing for getting your facts and stories “correct”.....and for speaking up. Susan Coleman
STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source
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A REFUGEE REMEMBERS OP-ED BY ELIZABETH MOLNÁR RAJEC
The present refugee crisis in Europe made me recall my own experience of 1956 when the Soviet Union crushed the rebellion. As a Hungarian asylum seeker - for political reasons - I crossed the Iron Curtain. As a traumatized East-European individual I was seeking help and was hoping to receive it from the West. Austria opened its border and welcomed almost 200,000 Hungarian refugees. We, the former migrants, can never be thankful enough for their generosity. I crossed the Iron Curtain in 1956 at Christmas time. Snow storm, icy conditions made it very difficult to proceed. Soviet tanks were again patrolling the borders. Hungarian railroad men, familiar with the territory, unselfishly directed us to the safest border crossing road. Our lives were at great risk -- as well as their existence should we have been stopped by Soviet soldiers. In spite of the danger, they behaved as first class human beings. Austrian border police with dogs were looking for refugees stranded in the snow storm. During the very dark night they were whistling and singing Austrian folk songs to call attention to the Austrian border location. Once they rescued us, we were guided to an old school house. The room had no beds, we found only straw on the floor. But we were warmly welcomed, got hot soup and dry socks. We were exhausted and hardly could comprehend that we actually crossed the Iron Curtain and that we are free. Their generosity restored our belief in humanity. For us refugees, the school house was the safest heaven on earth. Next day we were taken by bus to refugee camps where channels for immigrants opened up. Without the welcoming human generosity of Austria our traumatized refugee status would have been much more critical. For us, the asylum seekers, Austria opened the road to freedom, it gave us hope to a better future. In a real political crisis they welcomed us and gave us temporary shelter. We were treated as human beings. We, the former Hungarian refugees, have to be thankful for all their help. It is difficult to understand that Hun-
Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Sr. Account Executive, Tania Cade
gary has forgotten its sense of history so quickly. About 60 years ago it was the first country which made the Iron Curtain crumble. Today it is building a razor wire fence at its southern border to stop refugees seeking political asylum. Most of them are escaping from wars in the Middle East, have already braved sea and land routes and want to reach the European Union. Most of the refugees supposedly do not want to stay in Hungary but plan to proceed to the north, particularly to Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is assisting with their relocation
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
process. But we must ask why does Hungary not provide more buses and trains? Why do they let them march on foot to the north in extreme hot summer weather? Why do smugglers take advantage of human suffering? Why does the United Nations not assist more in their relocation process? Why do human moral feelings disappear? Why do we let history repeat itself? The answer is not easy. However, a more human solution must be found. Elizabeth Rajec has been a Manhattan resident since 1957.
Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons
Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
N O I N U R E THECOOP
CONTINUING EDUCATION
FALL 2015 COURSES START IN OCTOBER
FINDING SUPPORT AND FRIENDSHIP SENIOR LIVING BY MARCIA EPSTEIN
One of the most important aspects of healthy aging is connection to people of all ages, but being with people in my age group gives me the feeling of belonging and camaraderie that I don’t get elsewhere. I enjoy people of all ages, but only my own cohort understands what we are all experiencing, to one degree or another. I belong to a very special group that has impacted my life for the past eight years, and has not only offered me support and acceptance but friends who I would never have met otherwise. This is the Senior Women’s Support Group at the JCC on 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Some of us have been together for many years and have been through difficult losses, and some are newer, but all are there to provide a caring and supportive environment. We discuss many topics that touch our lives in different ways. This group offers such an accepting environment that many of us have been attending for years. It’s described as a support group, and that it is. We come from varying backgrounds (and even countries), and often are new to the city. Our ages range from the early 70s on up. The group offers an atmosphere of compassion that is precious anywhere, but especially in New York City,
where life for seniors can be lonely and difficult, as well as fun and fulfilling. The feeling of trust and safety in our women’s group is hard to find outside of family. Though we certainly disagree sometimes, and though we don’t all feel the same way about problems brought to the table, everyone eventually comes to feel the empathy of the other members, which makes it easier to discuss difficult topics and to know that, no matter what the issue, we will be listened to in that room. It is a place where we can disagree and yet feel safe. Indeed, this support group more than lives up to its name. There is no assigned topic, but there is always something to discuss. We have talked about everything from health problems, family issues, age bias and getting around New York with disabilities, to productive use of time such as volunteering and sharing ideas about interesting activities to pursue in the city. We discuss joyful events such as new grandchildren (or great-grandchildren!), weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and trips. Most of the women have lunch together after the meeting. The group has gone on outings, such as a water-taxi ride, lunch at L’Ecole, the restaurant of the French Culinary Institute, and outings to various museums and lunches at special restaurants. The group initiated and pri-
marily conducts the “StayConnected” program now used throughout the JCC, which is available for seniors living alone to be called daily if they wish. Conceived after one of our members died alone, we feel this is an important contribution. Feeling connected to others, and especially to those who are in the same stage of life as ourselves, is important. Of course, many of us have families and friends, but this group has a very special bond. Though some of us get together outside of the group in various combinations, when we are in that room, we are one. This is more impressive considering the differences among us, and the fact that many of us have nothing in common except our ages. But we are able to reach across that table and offer comfort, support and caring to anyone who needs it that day. My women’s group has made a huge difference in my life. I want to thank them all for the years of friendship, support and acceptance. I certainly hope we have many more years ahead of us and will be there for each other in whatever joys and sorrows await down the road. Thank you, all of you! Finally, an item worth a mention: Since my column about hearing loss and the cost of hearing aids, I’ve learned that Costco has had audiologists and hearing aids for years at much lower than market costs, and now they are upgrading the hearing aids, which is good news for the many senior citizens who want them but cannot afford the high prices. There is a Costco at 517 E. 117 St., right off the FDR Drive. You can also get eyeglasses for half the price of some of the leading retailers in Manhattan.
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to otdowntown.com schimmel.pace.edu/events/ new-york-theatre-ballet
Thu 17
Sun 20
WHEN GOVERNMENT HELPED: LEARNING FROM THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF THE NEW DEAL Tamiment Library, 10th Floor, 70 Washington Square South, Bobst Library 6-7:30 p.m. Sheila Collins and Gertrude Goldberg, the book’s editors, in discussion. RSVP at Bobst@ nyu.edu with guest names & title of event. events.nyu.edu/#event_ id/69132/view/event
12TH ANNUAL STONE STREET OYSTER FESTIVAL ▼ “WINE RIOT” ▲
Stone Street Starting at noon 10,000 guests, 35,000 69th Regiment Armory, 68 oysters, and one attempt at Lexington Ave. the Guinness Book of World 7 p.m.-11 p.m., $65 Over 250 Wines to be tasted Records the most oyster shells collected at an event. and enjoyed at a festival of 212-482-0400. wines. www.oysterweek.com/ secondglass.com/eventcategories/wineriot/NYC-2015/ events/2014/12th-annualstone-street-oyster-festival
Sat 19 PUBLIC TOUR: FROM FREIGHT TO FLOWERS
▲ PHILOSOPHY THURSDAY NIGHT WORKSHOP SERIES: CINZIA ARRUZZA
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Wolff Conference Room, Albert ert and Vera List Academic Center, 6 East 16th St. 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Free Cinzia Arruzza, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research, will give a talk entitled “Spirit in Plato’s Republic and the Tyrant’s ’s Psychopathology” events.newschool.edu/event/ nt/ nssr_philosophy_thursday_ night_workshop_cinzia_ arruzza#.VfcB75dGTC4
Fri 18 TAPPING OF THE KEG
Downtowner
Ulysses, 95 Pearl St. Oopah Music, traditional cuisine, and costumes in preparation for Octoberfest. (212) 482-0400. www. ulyssesnyc.com/special-events ts
Gansevoort Street entrance, on the at Gansevoort Stree 10 a.m., Free Hear the story behind New York City’s park in the sky. 75-minute tour led by High Line docents, knowledgeable volunteer guides offer an insider’s perspective on the park’s history, design, and landscape. Space is limited. 212-206-9922.
“DANCE!” ► New York Theatre Ballet Schimmel Center at Pace University, 3 Spruce Street 7:30, $29 A combination of modern choreography and classic tales brought to life at the Michael Schimmel Center for Arts.
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
THE EPIC OF EVEREST
Consider a GREAT Option
Rubin Museum, 150 West 17th St. 8 p.m., $15, 13.50/members A showing of the 1924 silent masterpiece, which mesmerizingly documents George Malloryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ill-fated expedition ... 212-620-5000
Mon 21 GIRLS NIGHT OUT AT THE GOLF CLUB The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers, Pier 59 - 18th Street and Hudson River Park. 6:30-8:30 p.m. $40. Unwind after work, network and socialize with other women while learning the game of golf in a fun and relaxed setting. 2123366400. www. chelseapiers.com/gc/ specials/2015/girls-night-out/
NANCY: HOME IS WHERE THE SONGS IS, THROUGH THE BACK DOOR
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Meet Admission Representatives from:
Tue 22 Wed 23 â&#x2013;˛ NY MADNESS SEASON LAUNCH! FEATURING GUESTS NEIL LABUTE The 16th Street Theater, 330 West 16th St. Witness the creation of short plays with new and emerging play writes, and directors. nymadness.com
STARGAZING â&#x2013;ź
On the High Line at West 14th Street. 7:30 p.m.-11 p.m., Free Gaze at the stars, planets, and Upright Citizens Brigade moon through the high-powered Theatre, 153 East 3rd St. telescopes of the Amateur 8 p.m., Tickets start at $5 Astronomers Association, and A showcase of impressions and original characters hosted by chat with the experts about the Michael Hartney and Justin Tyler sights you see. 212-206-9922. www. 212-366-9176. thehighline.org/activities/ east.ucbtheatre.com/ stargazing performance/41483
URBAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL AMC 34th St Theatre and SVA Theatre The 19th year of the Urban World Film Festival with viewings and panel discussions. urbanworld.org
TANGO LOVERS NYU Skirball Ball Center for Preforming Arts, LaGuardia Place and West Fourth Street 8 p.m., $29 Award winning dancers and musicians take viewers on an explorative journey, for all lovers of Tango. 212-998-4941. m.nyuskirball.org/m2/app. html?v=150810#tevent/2051/ tango-lovers
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
MEETING PICASSO, AGAIN EXHIBITIONS MoMA’s stunning show redefines the artist who defined modernism BY MARY GREGORY
Forget everything you think you knew about Picasso’s work, or at least get ready to revise it. MoMA, through co-curators Ann Temkin and Anne Umland, presents “Picasso Sculpture,” giving viewers the first chance in almost 50 years to see a whole new dimension of the spark of creativity, the endless curiosity and the staggering inventiveness of one of the world’s greatest artists. Picasso made over 4,000 paintings, a mind-numbing thought, but he also created over 700 sculptures. Close to 150 have been gathered together in a truly once-in-a-lifetime show, a rare chance to see works that rocked the history of art. The exhibition fills the fourth floor of the museum. Plenty of space gives viewers the chance to get in, around, under and up close to an astonishing collection. They’re grouped by chapters, in galleries that represent phases of the artist’s experimentation. Picasso worked feverishly, but sporadically, Umland and Temkin pointed out. He sometimes broke off for years at a time. Each burst of output is presented in a separate gallery with wall texts that give context and insight into their circumstances, motivations and impact. “When people go through the exhibition,” Temkin said, “they might think that they were in a group show, because, as one goes from one gallery to the next, it’s such an absolutely new type of work that they’re going to come across…Every decade he invents a new language.” Many of these works are unfamiliar to audiences because Picasso famously kept them to himself, almost never selling or exhibiting his sculptures. This may be because he thought of
painting as his bread and butter and sculpture as his private work. Temkin and Umland point out in the catalog that, in the early 1900s, you were either trained as a painter, which Picasso was, or as a sculptor, which he wasn’t. For sculpture, there were accepted tools, materials and practices. Picasso threw out all those conventions, forever changing the medium— both for his own generation and those that followed. But there may have been another, deeper motivation for keeping them close. Temkin and Umland suggested that he treated these works almost as though they were members of his family, filling his homes and studios with them. “If you have to place him within a sculptural tradition, it really…has far less to do with Western art,” Umland explained, “rather he’s looking to African and Oceanic art… and a tradition of object making that has a ritual function. [They] have a magic, an anima… a soul…He’s making things that aren’t just to look at. They have a spirit.” The spirit that comes through in the exhibition is an explosion of unfettered imagination. From the late painted sheet metal works, through ground-breaking assemblages, wire sculptures and wooden compositions, time after time, you feel you’re looking at paintings that have somehow magically leapt off the canvas into the real world. Though the vision is consistent, the expression never stopped evolving. Temkin cited Picasso’s absolute “refusal to repeat himself.” Part of the enchantment of art is that it allows you to inhabit the mind of another, to see what he saw, even for just a moment. That’s where the power of this show lives. Works stop you in your tracks because they’re tangible evidence of an eye and a mind so attuned, so in love with line and form and color and movement and all things that make up beauty that, through them, you realize that everything—every pebble, kitchen tool, piece of wood or child’s toy—has the potential to become a work of art. In “Still Life” from 1914, scraps of wood are whittled, shaped, painted and glued to form an interior—complete with a glass of wine, a slice of bread (with sausages) and a table topped with a painted cloth, right down to actual pom-poms glued to the edge. In the gallery documenting the Cubist years, all six of his series of absinthe glasses are gathered together
for the very first time. The complex constructions vary from one to another more than seems possible for a set of six of the same spoon mounted on bronze casts of the same base. “Violin,” a gorgeous polychrome sheet metal and wire assemblage sings in line and color. As the show progresses, “Woman in the Garden,” close to seven feet tall, with windswept hair, painted white, standing against a darker white wall seems to hint at the same vision, albeit transformed emotionally by despair, that occurs in “Guernica.” “Bust of a Woman,” in creamy white plaster is erotic, tactile, fleshy and plump. “Standing Bull,” a painted ceramic only about a foot tall has an incredible beefy presence. There’s a group that feels totemic, including “Figure” from 1938 that resembles a Kachina doll. Pay attention to the details. A highlight is the iconic “Bull’s Head” comprised of a bicycle seat and handle bars. But there are many such delights. A baboon’s face is really a repurposed toy truck. Eyes may be made of screws or grommets, or even tennis balls. The head of a poodle is really a crumpled napkin. Akimbo arms are just a set of cast-off stretcher bars. Who thinks this stuff up? Only a mind for which all is art and art is all. In the final gallery, “Bathers,” Picasso’s only multi-figured sculpture, fills an enormous platform. They hint at an artist perhaps pondering his own mortality—skeletal shapes in monumental poses. But, just to the left, the curators placed “Bird,” a wooden duck in flight with two painted forks stapled to the bottom forming a pair of feet, proving that whimsy and humor were as intrinsic to Picasso’s work as line and form. It’s a stunning and repeatedly breathtaking show. What Temkin and Umland have done, in wrangling these creations together and getting them to MoMA (with all the attendant logistics, diplomacy and aesthetic considerations) is give us a great gift. They’re sharing their vision, their scholarship, their insight, four years of hard work, and their passion. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving. “Picasso Sculpture” runs through February 7th, providing the opportunity for repeated visits and a chance to become familiar with these astonishing works. See them while you can, and while you’re there, go and fall in love again with the MoMA’s great collection of Picasso’s paintings, seeing them with brand new eyes.
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Pablo Picasso, Woman with Hat, 1961 and 1963, Painted Sheet Metal, 49 5/8 x 28 3/4 x 16 1/8” Photo by Adel Gorgy
5 TOP
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR
With “The Situation Room,” sculptor Will Ryman recreates the 2011 photograph of President Obama and his administration during the attack on Osama bin Laden. The life size sculpture, made from crushed black coal, obscures some faces from the scene, but leaves the expressions of key members of the administration, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, recognizable. Ryman’s “Classroom,” an installation of 12 figurative sculptures each made from a different natural resource and sculpted from the same cast, examines pervasive child labor practices. Will Ryman: “Two Rooms” Now through Oct. 17 Paul Kasmin Gallery 515 W. 27th St., between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. FREE For more information, call 212-563-4474 or visit paulkasmingallery.com
MUSEUMS ALFRED STIEGLITZ’S “THE STEERAGE”
David Zwirner’s exhibition of Dan Flavin’s large scale sculptural works made from Photographer Alfred Stieglitz fluorescent lamps explores famously captured urban scenes and how the artist contemplated city life in dramatic black and white and affected a viewer’s images, and his 1907 photograph “The sense of space. The show Steerage” of passengers aboard the includes Flavin’s room-length, Kaiser Wilhelm II ocean liner—on which yellow and green illuminated Stieglitz was a first-class passenger— installation “untitled (to remains one of his most enduring. Dan Flavin Sonja),” exhibited for the first Sept. 25-Feb. 14 untitled (to Barnett time since its debut at the The Jewish Museum Newman) one, 1971 © 2015 Stephen Flavin/ Museum of Modern Art in 1109 Fifth Ave., at 92nd Street Artists Rights Society 1969. Museum hours: Saturday, Sunday, (ARS), New York; courtesy Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-5:45 David Zwirner of David Zwirner, New York/ p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, Now through Oct. 24 London 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 537 W. 20th St., near Admission $15 Eleventh Avenue For more information, call 212-423-3200 or Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 visit thejewishmuseum.org p.m. FREE For more information, call 212-517-8677 or visit davidzwirner.com
DANCE
“BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING” Otto Preminger’s 1965 black and white film “Bunny Lake is Missing” follows a desperate mother, played by Carol Lynley, whose search for her missing daughter Bunny raises questions about the very existence of the child. Following the screening, film historian Foster Hirsch speaks with actor Keir Dullea, who played Lynley’s brother, Stephen. Sunday, Sept. 20 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street 5:30 p.m. Tickets $13 To purchase tickets, visit filmforum.org or call 212-727-8110
NEW YORK CITY
Black Irish Identities: A Symposium
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2PM
Trace the relations of two once maligned minorities in America in a scholar-filled symposium. ($10 suggested donation)
WILL RYMAN: “TWO ROOMS”
FILM
thoughtgallery.org Glucksman Ireland House NYU | 1 Washington Mews | 212-998-3950 | irelandhouse.as.nyu.edu
GALLERIES
DAN FLAVIN: “CORNERS, BARRIERS AND CORRIDORS”
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SOAKING WET DANCE SERIES The ongoing Soaking WET series at the West End Theater continues with a presentation of works by six choreographers. Sept. 24-27 West End Theater 263 W. 86th St., between Broadway and West End Avenue Assorted show times Tickets $18 To purchase tickets, call 800-838-3006 or visit brownpapertickets.com For more information, visit thebanggroup.com To be included in the Top 5 go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.
China’s Financial Markets: On Track or Off the Rails
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, 12PM China Institute | 100 Washington St. | 212-744-8181 | chinainstitute.org Amid the seeming chaos of China’s current financial market state, hear from two investment gurus steeped in Chinese strategy and precedent. (Free)
Just Announced: Shonda Rhimes | Year of Yes
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Television pioneer Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) spent a year saying yes to every opportunity that came her way. The results were transformative. She’ll talk about her experience as she shares “the power of yes.”($39)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.) When the “Magic Pill” isn’t so magic Erectile dysfunction (E.D.) affects more than 30 million men in the U.S. It is especially common in men with prostate surgery, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. However, it is now possible to treat almost all men with E.D! E.D. undermines a man’s sexual confidence—but successful treatment can restore it! Many E.D. treatments are covered by most insurance and prescription plans. Attend a FREE seminar to educate men and their partners about approved E.D. treatment options. Partners are encouraged to attend. Featuring: Dr. J. Francois Eid A board certified urologist who specializes in the treatment of E.D.
The New York Marriott East Side Morgan B Room 525 Lexington Ave. at 49th St. New York, NY 10017
Also featuring: A patient who found a long-term solution to his E.D. Thursday, October 1, 2015 Refreshments available at 6 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m.
To reserve your space or for more information about this FREE seminar, please call: (866) 233-9368.
An educational series, sponsored by Coloplast Corp., designed to inform and empower. www.ColoplastMensHealth.com
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
In Brief
Food & Drink
KEEP ON TRUCKIN’
BOARD OF HEALTH VOTES YES ON SODIUM WARNING Last week, the New York City Board of Health voted in favor of a measure that will require large chain restaurants to note which menu items contain more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium, the Associated Press reported. The amount, which is around a teaspoon, is more than the daily recommended intake. This move, which will require restaurants to add salt shaker images next to such menu items, marks the first of its kind in the United States. The requirement only applies to restaurant chains in the city with 15 or more operations nationwide, which must implement the measure starting Dec. 1. According to health officials, such eateries “account for about 1/3 of the city’s restaurant traffic” the AP noted. Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, said that the requirement is “just the latest in a long litany of superfluous hoops that restaurants here in New York must jump through,” the AP reported.
The Vendy Awards add a dollop of social mission to the best of street food fare BY LIZ NEUMARK
Final touches on delicacies from Squish Marshmallows. Photo: Liz Neumark
JEAN-GEORGES TO OPEN RESTAURANT IN REVAMPED SEAPORT Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who operates the three Michelin starred fine-dining restaurant Jean-Georges on Central Park West along with 10 other Manhattan eateries, is set to put down roots in the South Street Seaport, the New York Post reported. Along with business partner Phil Suarez, Vongerichten will open a 40,000-squarefoot seafood market in the Tin Building (a development that still requires city approval) along with a restaurant on Pier 17. The news coincides with the Howard Hughes Corp.’s $1.5 billion redevelopment project at the Seaport. The marketplace in the Tin Building, which could open in 2017, is inspired by the Fulton Fish Market, now located in the Bronx, a favorite of Vongerichten’s, and will include retail shops and tables for casual dining. The restaurant, in a second floor space on Pier 17, will include an outdoor section with views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Post reported. Home Frite’s dips. Photo: Liz Neumark
Once again, New Yorkers flocked to Governors Island for the annual Vendy Awards to determine the city’s Best Street Food Vendor of the year and to also raise funds for the Street Vendor Project, a city-based non-profit providing advocacy and support for the thousands people who sell food and other goods outside of traditional retail establishments. From ancient pushcarts to 21st century food trucks, street vending has a long and rich tradition of providing jobs and upward mobility for generations of immigrants and aspiring entrepreneurs. But you don’t need to think about the social mission to enjoy the amazing selection of food, drinks and sweets from 25 vendors — you just need to come hungry, have a plan of attack, navigate lines (a strategic partner helps) and ditch the diet. If the day was purely epicurean, it would be easy. But there are so many stories to hear and questions to ask. What, for example, makes a trio of post-army-service Israelis start a mobile shakshuka outlet — the Shuka Truck — in a city that has never heard the word? Chutzpah, I guess. They got my vote. Flavor and healthful in the same bite, maybe the only dish there that was actually good for you. What sort of vision motivates someone to give up the day job to start (another) dessert company (witness Butter & Scotch with their signature maple bacon cupcake) — or build a business on a foundation of marshmallows? Only in New York City is there a market for multi-textured and flavored marshmallows. And it’s not like we need more doughnuts, but dessert purveyor Doughnuttery took the cake with their freshly fried mini gems. (What is it about fried food?!) My favorite was BOOQOO Beignets. In all fairness, I fell in love with Matt Pace, a New Orleans native, at Vendy Plaza earlier this sum-
mer. He is as sweet as his pastry and doesn’t break a sweat despite standing over a hot fryer for hours. Wicked good with killer dips of chicory coffee praline or creole vanilla, you can find him on Sundays at La Marqueta. If there were veggies, you’d be hearing about it. The closest thing was the hand-cut spud from Home Frite, which I would gladly eat daily, savoring each cheesy, fried, salted and dipdrenched bite. Crazy good if only to try each amazing dip (malt vinegar aioli, herbocado, jalapeno cilantro, curry ketchup — get my drift?). I was really longing for the Cinnamon Snail, a groundbreaking, award-winning, brilliant 100 percent vegan truck that fell victim this year to the scarcity of food truck licenses. On that subject, I asked the newer vendors how they managed to get one. The answers were a blend of “you know,” “not easy,” a dip of the head, and the unspoken truth — that they finagled, found a way to the black market and struggle to make it work. It is a tribute to this roundup of vendors that despite the dearth of simple, legal options, they persevered and made their way to the street. It is also the proliferation of markets inspired by Smorgasbord, which provide welcome and legal outlets for new vendors. Back to food. Husbands and wives, moms and sons and other cheering relatives round out the truck teams and provided the support needed to feed the long lines. The Old Traditional Polish Cuisine truck served up tempting kielbasa and pierogis — the wife of one of the owners does their marketing during her off hours from her job at Calvin Klein. Her husband and partner left construction in search of something different. Every ingredient (people included) come from Poland and yes, they found their new calling. Lil Zeus enlisted Mom to man the front line. I don’t know what “nachas” is in Greek, but she had it as she hawked wraps and salads as they were ready, belting out: “Who wants a sandwich?” Coco & Co had a sweet tale that
started when a wedding trip to Sri Lanka morphed into living on coconuts when the money ran out, which in turn spawned a coconut water based bicyclecart. Though in business only since April, Luke (a former News Corp. journalist) and partner have 10 employees. Catalina’s Champurrado and Best Juice Uptown represent the heart of Street Vendors Project, immigrant families who bring tastes of their countries to their new communities. Best Juice reminds me of an Orange Julius — the Dominican drink includes fresh OJ, milk, cane sugar plus a secret ingredient. I sampled Catalina’s Oaxacan Champurrado, a warm drink incorporating chocolate and corn (masa de maiz) savoring the unique blend of flavors. These are flavors of home and their audience loves them. The best for last. The Snowday Food Truck won 2014 Rookie of the Year and took the 2015 prize for Vendy Cup and People’s Choice. Jordyn Lexton founded Drive Change to train, employ and change the lives of formerly incarcerated young people using food trucks as the nucleus of her program. Work changes lives, food creates jobs and passion inspires food and work. The youth that work on the truck are real, warm and inspiring. The food is amazing — probably the finest maple grilled cheese you will ever taste. But what is truly breathtaking is thinking about the Vendys and the street vendor universe as a pathway for change. From the struggling immigrants of 150 years or 150 days ago, street vendors work hard. I asked Crystal of Home Frites what her advice to the novice vendor would be. She said it’s all about hard work and taking the plunge. It’s a long day, in a hot truck, on your feet, few breaks, getting hassled by cops or storekeepers, keeping up with the customers. The very least I could do was to wait on line. So, uncharacteristically, I did. Liz Neumark is the CEO of Great Performances catering and the author of the cookbook “Sylvia’s Table.”
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THE EAST POLE 133 E 65th St. (212) 249-2222 www.theeastpolenyc.com
JOSEPH CAPOZZI What made you go into the restaurant business? My father is Italian and very enthusiastic about food. I remember when i was a kid that he loved to experiment in the kitchen. It was always fun helping him. I guess thats where i found my love for cooking. What inspires you? I have many friends that are also chefs in New York City. I think that we all inspire each other. I am always looking for something new and different. Wether it be an ingredient or technique. Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it? I love asian food. I would eat Chinese food every day if I could. I mean scallion pancakes?! yes please.
freshest fish I have ever tasted. It melts in your mouth.
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? I love Sushi Yasuda. Once you eat sushi there, it will be very hard to ever go anywhere else ever again. It is the
What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? I don’t want any dining trend to go away. As long as people are going out to eat I will always have a job. And
the trends make it easier for me to understand what it is that the people like to eat. Everyone must not forget that us chefs are here to provide a service. And as much as I love creating new and exciting dishes, it is the people who decide what the trends are.
Top Chefs of the East Side will come together to offer up creations inspired by art from Sotheby’s at The Art of Food, Tuesday October 13. Here are just a few of the people who will be creating work at this special event at Sotheby’s, hosted by Michael White and Nicole Miller and honoring Tim and Nina Zagat. VIP Admission is at 7p.m. and is $200, General Admission is at 7:30p.m. and is $135. A portion of the proceeds will go to City-Meals-on-Wheels. For tickets and more information, including a list of all top tier restaurants participating, go to artoffoodny.com.
PHILIPPE
PIZZA BEACH
33 E 60th St. (212) 644-8885 www.philippechow.com
1426 3rd Ave. (646) 666-0819 www.pizzabeachclub.com
STEVE BOXER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
ERIC KLIENMAN
What made you go into the restaurant business? Growing up in China, I always had the desire to cook. After I left China I worked for Mr. Chow for 25 years. During that time I developed my passion to cook. The next step was to live the American Dream by opening up my own restaurant. What inspires you? I am inspired by listening to our guests about why they love my food. I keep an open mind as to what they like and why. Then I know which direction to take in the development of new dishes. Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it? My favorite foods are fresh fish & vegetables. Using different preparations, I could eat this every day.
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? I love to experiment with new and different restaurants. Anywhere that specializes in fresh seafood is where you can find me. What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? I am a big believer in trying all types of foods. However, I am not a big supporter of trying to turn complex dishes into fast food.
T-BAR STEAK & LOUNGE
What inspires you? Guests leaving our restaurant with a big smile.
1278 3rd Ave. (212) 772-0404 www.tbarnyc.com
Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you could get away with it? A great pasta dish and a great dessert.
TONY FORTUNA, OWNER What made you go into the restaurant business? Working in my uncle’s restaurant in France -fell in love with restaurant world.
What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? Antonucci Cafe -- great Italian trattoria. What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? Food trends with 25 ingredients in one dish.
What made you go into the restaurant business? I was always intrigued by cooking as a child. I used to spend a lot weekends making pasta & meatballs with his “uncle Tony”. My mother’s childhood friend. What really drew me to it was the fact that neither of my parents were very good cooks. Throughout the years, my brother & I became more responsible for the meals in the house. I was always proficient in math & science & upon graduating high school was awarded a full scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology. I accepted & went for 2 years before deciding it wasn’t for me. It was then that I decided, I was gonna try to become a chef. What inspires you? I’d have to say travelling is what truly inspires me. As well as trips to the farmers market & local farms. Is there a food or a dish you would eat every day if you
could get away with it? No if and or buts... Bucatini all’amatriciana!! What’s your favorite food spot on the Upper East Side? Probably Daniel for pure decadence!! Cheap mexican, El Aguila. Burger One for a burger or some mexican. What’s the current dining trend or fad you wish would go away? Molecular Gastronomy...... I can appreciate it & enjoy the experience, but just not my style of from the heart cooking.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Property Ask a Broker
Ready for Autumn s our beautiful summer winds to a close, the fall selling season begins. Given the complex and often contradictory messages which have animated our New York City real estate market this year -- from the press, the Dow, and our clients and customers -- predicting market behavior in the coming months defies simple answers. And yet there are threads which allow me to suppose that the following will take place (and I will say, modestly, that over the years, my predictions have been accurate more than 75 percent of the time): BY FRED PETERS * Prices will remain stable at or near current levels in the weeks ahead. Although the outlook for the U.S. economy and job growth remain quite strong, the undertow of negative news coming from China and emerging markets around the globe has peeled back confidence among both local and international real estate buyers. As confidence is a primary driver in our commodified marketplace, I see very little likelihood of price increases this fall. I see prices holding at our near current levels; there could be some decreases if the stock market continues to seesaw. * Foreign buyers will become increasingly price sensitive. We have already seen a substantial slowdown in absorption of superluxury condos, as too much product has hit the market in certain neighborhoods, outstripping demand. The Russian presence is greatly diminished, and Asian buyers, be they Chinese, Indian, or Korean, have been the main event in 2015. As China’s economy continues to face headwinds I foresee most of these buyers containing their purchases to condominium units in the $10 million and under category. I think trading will remain brisk for these units, especially in prime locations or in buildings with terrific views and amenities, but units costing over $15 or $20 million are likely to sell slowly and require some developer incentives to move them off the inventory list. * Sellers will have to make some hard decisions. Although inventory remains scarce, especially for smaller units and well located, six- to nine-room co-ops, buyers will enter the fall season more cautiously and carefully than they would in a bull stock market. Their offers may be lower, and their flexibility within negotiations more limited. This will require difficult discussions between agents and some sellers. The 2015 Fall market will NOT be a time when wide-eyed optimism on the part of sellers is likely to be rewarded. The seller who succeeds will offer tight pricing and a focus on getting the job done with the most likely and realistic buyer. The doomsayers will be out in force. Whenever there is a correction in the stock market, the pundits of disaster rush to the fore. “We are headed for a 50% correction.” “The next recession is already upon us.” I am no economist, but I don’t think so. As I said earlier, our American economic fundamentals remain relatively strong, and while we are certainly not impervious to being rocked by global forces, I do not see a disaster scenario unfolding at this time. Prognostication is a dangerous game. And our real estate market lives in a destabilizing environment, with ultra-high prices being pumped by the press and reality TV and little attention or understanding paid to the nuances of the marketplace. That said, I live within this market all day, every day. Let’s check in in three months to see if I was right! Fred Peters is president of Warburg Realty
A
COLD WAR AT THE WALDORF NEWS Espionage fears have surfaced since a Chinese company bought the iconic Manhattan property BY MATTHEW LEE
Fears of espionage have driven the U.S. government from New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which has housed presidents and other top American officials for decades but was bought last year by a Chinese firm from Hilton Worldwide. Instead, President Barack Obama, his top aides and staff along with the sizable diplomatic contingent who trek to Manhattan every September for the annual U.N. General Assembly will work and stay at the New York Palace Hotel, the White House and State Department said. The Associated Press first reported the impending move in June but it wasn’t formally announced until Friday, a day after the final contract was signed with the Palace. Officials said the change is due in large part to concerns about Chinese espionage, although White House and State Department spokesmen said the decision was based on several considerations, including space, costs and security.
“While I don’t have the details on the specific arrangement that’s in place for the president’s trip to New York in a couple of weeks, I can confirm the report that president will stay and the rest of the U.S. delegation will stay at the New York Palace Hotel,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said the decision followed a review “to take into account changing circumstances.” In addition to the switch for the U.N. meeting, Toner said the department is also considering whether the Waldorf should still serve as the residence of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations as part of a review of “our security protocols and standard operating procedures to ensure the safety and security of our information and personnel.” The hotel has served as the home of the ambassador to the UN since 1947 and presidents and other top officials have traditionally used the Waldorf for decades. “We are evaluating our options,” Toner said. “The decision about the location of the U.S. Ambassador’s residence must necessarily take into account numerous factors, including costs, the needs of the United States government and the U.S. Mission to the UN, as well as any possible
security concerns.” U.S. law allows the department to rent the ambassador’s residence for a term of 10 years or less. The current lease expires next year with an option to renew for one or two years. U.S. officials have pointed to Hilton’s sale of the WaldorfAstoria to China’s Beijingbased Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion last year as having prompted the security concerns and on recent overnight trips to New York, Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry have all shunned the Waldorf for other hotels. It was not immediately clear if U.S. officials would be barred from meeting with foreign dignitaries at the Waldorf, which will continue to host non-U.S. delegations. However, an early version of Kerry’s schedule for this year’s General Assembly shows him with no meetings at the Waldorf. Terms of the sale allow Hilton to run Waldorf for the next 100 years but also call for “a major renovation” that officials say has raised eyebrows in Washington, where fears of Chinese eavesdropping and cyberespionage run high. The U.S. suspects Chinalinked hackers were behind a recent massive breach of federal personnel records that
compromised the data of millions of government workers. At the time of the October 2014 sale, officials said it could have implications for the U.S. government’s longstanding relationship with the hotel. They said decisions about the relationship would be made on cost, Anbang’s plans for the property, and security concerns with an eye on the renovation project. The State Department routinely warns U.S. diplomats in China about physical and electronic surveillance and tells American citizens in the country to be aware of similar risks, notably in hotels. “Hotel rooms (including meeting rooms), offices, cars, taxis, telephones, Internet usage and fax machines may be monitored onsite or remotely, and personal possessions in hotel rooms, including computers, may be searched without your consent or knowledge,” the department’s travel advice for China says. “Business travelers should be particularly mindful that trade secrets, negotiating positions and other businesssensitive information may be taken and shared with local interests,” it says. The New York Palace hotel is owned by South Korean investors.
SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
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SEPTEMBER 17-23,2015
Rabbi Steven Blane, who founded Sim Shalom, an online Jewish Universalist Synagogue, performing with his jazz band at The Bitter End during the Jewish New Year. Photo: Rui Miao
JAZZING UP THE JEWISH NEW YEAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Rabbi Steven Blane in his Riverside Drive home, preparing Friday night services for Sim Shalom, the online Jewish Universalist Synagogue he founded. Photo: Rui Miao
Shalom congregant, Schorr and her husband, Jamie, met Blane in 2012, at their daughter’s wedding. They found the idea of an online synagogue intriguing, and Jamie Schorr later joined its board of directors. “You can even pull it up on your smart phone,” said Sharon Schorr. “It’s nice to be able to sit in your family room, with your dog next to you and drink a glass of wine, while watching Rabbi Blane conducting the service.” On Monday, the first day of the Jewish New Year, though, Blane was on stage at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, leading a jazz band in a decidedly unconventional Rosh Hashana service. Wearing a kippah and a scarf embellished with tzitzit and backed by players on bass, saxophone, piano and drums, the 58-year-old Blane sang and nodded his head to jazz inflected sacred songs. Shadowed under the stage lights, young and older filled the space, immersing themselves into the fusion of jazz and ritual. “If next year you wind up in a traditional synagogue, don’t sing the song that way,” Blane said to laughter and applause. “They will throw you out.” Blane grew up in a “Conservadox” family in Jersey City and attended Yeshiva school as a child. It was a cloistered education, he said. “I rode bus to school, spent all day in Jewish school with Jewish kids, and rode bus home, it was horrible,” he
said. But he also had fun. “I played sports with my local neighborhood kids— black, white, Latino,” he said. Growing up in a mixed urban community had a huge influence on him. “The Jewish world is very small,” he said. “If people find what we do is interesting and feel like this is a comfortable place for them, I don’t see what the problem is.” Mindy Squeo, 52, was a member of a traditional synagogue for 18 years. She came across Sim Shalom on Facebook three years ago, and has been participating in it since then. “It’s all the same prayers you sing at a traditional synagogue,” she said, “but it’s light and fun.” Some have been less welcoming of the virtual synagogue, which Blane founded in 2009, but Blane believes that he is doing the right thing. A 2013 Pew Research Center survey showed that one in five Jews described themselves having no religion, suggesting that Jewish identity has fundamentally changed in America. Blane said that just confirmed what he had been hearing and experiencing. “Every synagogue is desperate to get people to fill their boxes, but they are just not coming, not as they used to,” he said. “This [online service] is the answer — it’s a combination” of the old and new. In 2010, Blane founded the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, an online rabbinical school where students could be ordained in a year, as opposed to the four or five-year curriculums at most Jewish rabbinical academies. He said that this program was born in response to needs.
“The mainstream seminars have a great education model, but it just doesn’t work anymore,” Blane said. “They require rabbinical candidates to move to Israel for a year, which is not a bad thing; however, if you are married and have a baby, you are out. In that way the seminars restrict the candidates greatly.” Equally provocative is the institute’s broad acceptance of candidates. Blane embraces Jewish Universalism, which Blane, on the Sim Shalom’s website, means welcoming the “diversity of the Jewish world without judgement, conditions or requirements and asserts that all paths to the divine are equally Holy.” One-third of his rabbinical school students are converts. In 2012, he ordained an openly gay man who is the son of a Muslim father and African American mother, and is a former Catholic from Brazil. “I’m very progressive,” Blane said. He equally welcomes those who want to convert to Judaism, and understands those who want to walk away from the faith. His eldest daughter, Megan, married earlier this month to a non-Jew; she is an antitheist, opposed to any religion. “I struggled to find out why,” he said, “but it is what it is.” Still, it’s passion drives him. He’s a lifelong learner—he’s been exploring Meerkat and Snapchat to share his service; he jogs every morning; and he sings and plays at a few clubs and coffee houses. “I’ve never been more comfortable than where I am now in life,” he said. Blane and band play The Bitter End on Yom Kippur, Sept. 23 at 10:30 a.m.
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS SEP 4 - 11, 2015
B Flat
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.
277 Church Street
A
Oriental Garden Restaurant 14 Elizabeth Street
Grade Pending (25) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Wild Ginger Vegetarian Kitchen
380 Broome Street
A
Miansai
33 Crosby Street
A
Subway
220 8th Ave
A
Chartwells
65 West 11 Street
A
Super Taco Express
225 7th Avenue
A
Domino’s Pizza
16A W 8th St
A
Red Egg
202 Centre Street
Grade Pending (2)
Amorino
162 8th Ave
A
West New Malaysia Restaurant
4648 Bowery
A
Piadina Restaurant
57 West 10 Street
Closed by Health Department (12) 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.
Taiwan Pork Chop House
3 Doyers Street
A
The Mill
75 Varick St
A
Sticky’s Finger Joint #1
31 West 8 Street
A
Deluxe Green Bo
66 Bayard St
Fika
555 6 Avenue
A
Red Spoon
201 W 14th St
Grade Pending (19) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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.
Scalini Fedeli
165 Duane Street
A
Not Graded Yet (42) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Tribeca Grand Hotel
32 White Street
A
Tataki Sushi Restaurant
3 Lispenard St
A
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to otdowntown.com/15 minutes
KEEPING THE CITY MOVING Felice Farber left a large law firm and found her passion in the city’s transportation system BY ANGELA BARBUTI
The director of external affairs of the General Contractors’ Association gives us an insider’s look into heavy construction projects around the city Felice Farber is celebrating her 10th anniversary as the director of external affairs of the General Contractors Association. The trade association has been building New York City’s roads, bridges, schools, parks, airports, water main, transit and sewer systems for over a century and represents 275 heavy construction companies, which employ more than 20,000 professional and trade workers throughout the city. Some of their current projects are the creation of the Second Avenue subway, the East Side Access project, which will bring the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central, and the extension of the 7 line. “It’s interesting to look at how transit service develops and how having quality service really makes a difference for a community,” she said. Farber, who has never lived anywhere but New York City, has seen that system improve dramatically since her F train commutes from her home in Brooklyn to attend NYU in the ‘80s. “When I went to school, it was pretty common for the train not to go all the way through and dump you somewhere along the line where you had to change to another train to head into the city,” she said. As an Upper East Side resident, she is understandably excited about the arrival of the Second Avenue subway. As part of her job, she has toured the construction site – which can have up to 1,000 people working on it at one time – and calls it “an impressive engineering feat.” And as for the perpetual question of when the project will be finished, Farber assures, “It’s close to being done. It’s scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. I’m looking forward to that one-seat ride to the west side.”
You earned both your undergraduate and law degrees at NYU. What was your experience like there? I loved going to school at NYU. I was a commuter as an undergraduate and lived there when I was in law school. It really was very interesting seeing the transition in the transit system, going to school in the ‘80s when it was not the heyday of New York City transit. Things have improved tremendously. Even seeing the difference in a place
what were the far reaches of Queens and Brooklyn which were, at the time, farmland.
Tell us about the Second Avenue subway. Our members are building the Second Avenue subway and it’s a very exciting project. The city started building the Second Avenue subway in the 1970s. The project put some long-time GCA members out of business – companies that had been in existence for 150 years. Even when they first started doing the utility relocation and my daughter was much younger, we’d walk down the street and talk to the contractors and the construction workers and ask them what they were doing. And everybody was so friendly and so happy to talk about the job – and I never said who I was. I was just an ordinary person walking down the street and it was great to see how friendly everybody was to really explain the project and let you know what was going on.
Explain what the East Side Access project entails. East Side Access is more complicated than the Second Avenue subway because of the soil conditions, the complexity of the project and coordinating with Amtrak and through the busiest rail yard in the country. But that will allow the Long Island Railroad to come into Grand Central Station and make it a much easier commute to the east side for Long Islanders. And ultimately, allow for a greater reverse commute out to Long Island.
Another big project is the 7 Line Extension.
like Washington Square Park and how redeveloping the park has made such a difference in community life. When I was at NYU, I took an internship class there on New York City government and interned at PDC, which was, at the time, the Public Development Corporation, which has become the Economic Development Corporation. In addition to working at a city agency, the class included a series of panel discussions with government and civic leaders. One of the panels that really stuck in my mind featured Gene Russianoff from the Straphangers Campaign and Alair Townsend as Deputy Mayor. It really got me interested in government and the things you can
influence by being involved in government. My internship at PDC included work on the environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Terminal and MetroTech projects. I gathered research for the blight study portion of the EIS. It was fascinating driving around these communities that are now these really desirable places to live and that have changed dramatically since the 1980s.
What was your first job after law school? Like many people, I come from a working-class background and was seduced by the large salary that you get from working at a big law firm.
And I did that for a couple of years and was miserable. If you don’t care about what you’re doing and you’re not passionate about it, it doesn’t matter how much money you get paid. And so, I left big law to work for the New York City Department of Transportation where I was special counsel to the commissioner. Then, I worked for private bus companies, four of them had common ownership. It was interesting from a larger, public policy standpoint, if you step back and look at how transit has developed in the city. In the early part of the 20th century, many immigrants started independent bus and trolley service in Manhattan. They were pushed out of the city and sent to
The opening of the 7 line is scheduled for September 13th. GCA members built the 7 Line Extension. You can see the impact transit access has on a community. Hudson Yards would not be happening if it weren’t for the extension of the 7 line to the far west side. It’s unfortunate that the 10th Avenue station was canceled. There was supposed to be a station at 10th Avenue and 41st Street. As part of the initial tunneling, the contract included an option to dig out the cavern for the 10th Avenue station. The option was never exercised and, I think, the decision was shortsighted. Ultimately, when someone decides we need to go back in and build a station for the 7 line at 10th avenue, it will be so much more expensive than simply having moved forward with the station initially. Follow the General Contractors Association on Twitter: @GCANewYork
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