News: Eastside Park Under Assault December 29, 2011
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Notes from the Neighborhood Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth
STAY UPTOWN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
Midnight Run in Central Park The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run kicks off at the stroke of 12 from Central Park’s 72nd Street Transverse just south of Cherry Hill. Runners proceed around a four-mile course, heading east and north before looping around at the 102nd Street Transverse and finishing back at 72nd Street. The brave-legged can still register for the race at New York Road Runners headquarters (9 E. 89th St.), and while times aren’t recorded for this fun run, it does count as one of the nine required races for NYRR members to automatically qualify for the 2012 NYC marathon. For those more interested in celebrating on the sidelines, there’s a DJ and dancing at 10 p.m. at the Bandshell followed by a costume contest at 11 p.m. The race kicks off with fireworks and a laser light show at midnight. More info at nyrr.org. Uptown Dance Party Great news: You don’t have to go to the Meatpacking District to kick it club style on New Year’s Eve. The 92nd Street Y is hosting the Millenium Dance Party, an evening of Latin, classic, new-style hustle and West Coast swing dancing with party hostess Lori Brizzi and a team of fantastic DJs. The first portion of the night is reserved for mixed ballroom dancing, with lessons from 8–9 p.m. and sashaying around until 10 p.m., then the club beats start and last until 2 a.m. If you’d rather stay low-key until the big 12 hits, there’s also a concert in Kaufmann Hall by the Knights Orchestra, featuring a champagne toast at intermission. Your concert ticket gets you a $20 entrance to the dance party, which will still be going strong at Buttenwieser Hall afterward. 1395 Lexington Ave., $35 in advance, $50 at the door. Cash bar until 1 a.m. More info at 92y.org. Wallet-Friendly Bar Night Brother Jimmy’s, the barbecue and beer joint whose original Upper East Side location is at 1485 Second Ave., between East 77th and 78th streets, with another outpost uptown at The Baitshack, 1644
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Fun With the Kiddies For those who want to celebrate with little ones in tow, the Big Apple Circus is putting on a special New Year’s Eve performance at Lincoln Center. Following their 9:30 p.m. presentation of “Dream Big,” complete with music, juggling, magic, acrobatics and animals, there will be live music as kids are invited to dance in the ring, grab goody bags and toast a glass of sparkling cider (champagne for the grown ups) at midnight. Kids tickets from $25, adults from $50, children under 3 who can fit on laps are free. Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 165 W. 65th St. More info at bigapplecircus.org.
FREE FITNESS FOR SENIORS AT THE LIBRARY The 67 Street Branch of the New York Public Library holds free exercise classes for seniors every week. On Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 12 p.m., class leaders trained by the Department for the Aging take seniors through a series of moves focusing on strength, balance and flexibility. No special equipment or clothing required. On Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m., the library hosts a knitting group where anyone can drop in to work on projects or help with the “sock dolls for charity” project. All materials and knitting needles provided. 328 E. 67th St., call 212-734-1717 for more info.
KELLNER HAILS NEW TAXI BILL Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the longawaited and much-debated taxi bill last week after negotiating specific terms with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and agreeing to include provisions for an increase in handicapped accessible vehicles. Upper East Side Assembly Member Micah Kellner, a vocal disability rights advocate who has been pushing for a more accessible taxi fleet, expressed his approval of the bill after loudly criticizing the Bloomberg administration’s previous ideas on how to overhaul the taxi system. “This is a taxi agreement we all can hail. I applaud Governor Cuomo for once
Decem ber 29, 2011
andrew schwartz
You don’t have to drag yourself downtown or, heaven forbid, to Times Square on New Year’s Eve to have a blast. Here are just a few ways to ring in 2012 in the comfort of the Upper East Side.
Third Ave. at East 92nd Street, is the perfect low-key, low-cost destination. They’re serving up their regular menu and have a no-cover cash bar evening, with $3 drafts of Bud and Bud Light from 7 p.m. to midnight. The Baitshack also boasts live band karaoke. More info at brotherjimmys.com.
With the help of artist Ron Agam, Upper East Sider Andrew Scharf lights the giant menorah on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in celebration of Hannakah. again championing the civil rights of a disenfranchised community,” Kellner said in a statement. “Not only does this plan add thousands of accessible vehicles to our city’s streets, but it forces the city to develop a long-term plan that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.” The new bill will add 1,500 medallions to the taxi fleet, all of which would be
required to be fully accessible, bringing the total percentage of accessible taxis from 1.7 percent to 12 percent, and will also add 6,000 new livery cab street hail medallions, 1,200 of which will be accessible. The bill also allows all livery cabs to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs and northern Manhattan. The city estimates that the sales of the new medallions will bring in $1 billion in revenue.
CRIME CHECK Weekly, monthly and year-to-date crime stats from the 19th Precinct, on the East Side from 59th to 96th streets (Week to Date Dec. 12 to Dec. 18)
28 Day
2011
2010
% change
2011
2010
% change
Murder
0
0
***.*
0
0
***.*
Rape
1
1
0
2
2
0
Robbery
3
4
-25.0
15
21
-28.6
Felony Assault
1
3
-66.7
7
7
0
Burglary
4
2
100.0
10
11
-9.1
32
31
3.2
115
109
5.5
2
1
100
8
5
60
43
42
2.38
157
155
1.29
Grand Larceny Grand Larceny Auto TOTAL
Year to Date 2011
2010
% change
2
1
100
15
15
0
Robbery
136
141
-3.5
Felony Assault
107
93
15.1
Murder Rape
Burglary Grand Larceny Grand Larceny Auto
TOTAL
237
229
3.5
1,189
1,228
-3.2
81
88
-8.0
1,767
1,795
-1.56
Source: Compstat
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OUR TOWN
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FEATURE By Megan Finnegan Bungeroth
W
e asked some Upper East Side leaders to look into their crystal balls for 2012 and tell us what we can expect for the upcoming year. Here are some of their prognostications.
COMMUNITY
Mark Thompson, chair of Community Board 6
Matthew Katz, president of the
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Roosevelt Island Residents Association Roosevelt Island will begin to fill its empty storefronts with retail shops catering to the needs of residents and
visitors. Southpoint Park will open for its first full summer of activity. It will be wonderful! The Four Freedoms/FDR Memorial Park will be one year closer to opening. The Roosevelt Island Residents Ga rod Association will pronic duce two elections in 2012 k. to give Gov. Cuomo the com-
Decem ber 29, 2011
n Da
The Barbizon Hotel will be designated as a landmark. The City & Suburban First Avenue Estate hardship application [which would strip its current landmark status and allow for the owners to tear down the buildings and construct new ones in their places] will be denied.
T E M 2 2 1 $ A , TRUMP RUNS E K A T S T E M E H T CARD AND S E I R E S D L R O THE W munity’s choices to fill expired seats on the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors. It’s all about government La pp with the consent of the in. governed! Residential development in Southtown will continue, expanding the population of this planned community. And finally: The New York Mets will win the World Series. I can dream, can’t I?
a sic
Tara Kelly, executive director of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts
S N O I T C I D 2012 PRE RO
J es
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The East Side’s waterfront dream will become real as plans for the former Con Edison Pier park are completed. East Siders will start envisioning the caissons as the start of the Esplanade rather than the leftovers from the FDR reconstruction project. As the focus shifts to creating more green space, people will come up with more ideas for public spaces and parks throughout the community, making the East Side even more beautiful. Our new elementary school will open on First Avenue, helping to temporarily relieve overcrowding. Enthused by the new school, parents and local residents will find a way to plan for another muchneeded school. Pub crawlers will realize that it really is possible to go out, have lots of fun and not trash our neighborhoods. People will be able to sleep at night and our overworked police will breathe a sigh of relief. The city will tell us they were only teasing and the water main won’t be forced down 58th Street. A coming together of private citizens, corporations, government and civic angels will help alleviate the problem at the of homelessness here in the wK atz. heart of the world’s greatest city.
POLITICS
Dan Garodnick, Upper East Side City Council member President Obama will win reelection. Mayor Bloomberg will step down and be replaced
by his son, Mike Bloomberg-Un. James Franco will have a sparkling attendance record in all his classes. The Baron Davis signing will be turn out to be a steal for the Knicks. The NY Giants will win the Super Bowl. The tenants of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village will succeed in their bid to buy the property and protect it as a stable and affordable neighborhood for middle-class New Yorkers. The “Arrested Development” movie will be shot next summer. Believe the hype.
Jessica Lappin, Upper East Side City Council member The Democrats will keep the majority in the NY State Assembly. N EW S YO U LIV E B Y
feature Donald Trump will say he’s running for president.
Dan Quart, Upper East Side Assembly member Ron Paul will run for president as an Independent. The new 73rd Assembly District lines will include Yankee stadium.
m Ada be
s Li
Adam Lisberg, editor of City & State (a Manhattan Media publication)
rg.
Doug Blonsky, president of Central Park Conservancy New Yorkers will discover Manhattan’s Adirondacks; Central Park’s best-kept secret is its north end, but it’s a shame it’s a secret at all. The Park’s wooded north end was originally designed to give city dwellers a taste of upstate New York without having to leave Manhattan. But more than 150 years after the Park was created, many New Yorkers still aren’t aware of the scenic woodlands ripe for exploration north of 100th Street. We predict that 2012 will be the year visitors disy. cover the beauty of the Park’s north end, with its tumbling cascades, leafy paths and rustic bridges. Central Park will look different this spring. Central Park suffered two destructive storms in 2011: Hurricane Irene in August and the Halloween snowstorm that cost the Park nearly 1,000 trees. The result in spring 2012 will be a thinned canopy that will both open new views to visitors and allow new undergrowth to flourish. We predict that the year ahead will remind visitors that Central Park is a living, ever-changing thing to be explored over and over again.
k ns Blo
O u r To w n NY. c o m
Sadly, the fare will go up at the end of 2012. That’s the MTA plan. Last time, in December 2010, the 30-day unlimited MetroCard went up 17 percent. If that happens again, be prepared for a $122 30-day card. It’s a good time to be in the 1 percent. There will be some good news for longsuffering bus riders: You will soon be able to use your cell or smart phone to tell how far your bus is from your stop in real time. A new “Bus Time” program goes Staten Island-wide in January 2012, then around the city. “Poetry in Motion”—subway car ads featuring works from Shakespeare to Frost—will return from retirement. You may get stuck in a subway tunnel, but it will be your chance to catch up on Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson.
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The mayoral race will stay largely quiet. Just as the rumors always swirl about a business-backed would-be Bloomberg jumping in as a Republican, rumors will also swirl about a black or Latino challenger to try to undercut Bill Thompson among Democrat primary voters. Neither will happen. The existing major candidates have worked too hard, scrubbed their records too clean and raised too much money to let an interloper disturb their grim dance. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not fall to earth. He is too skilled a politician to believe his own press and is too focused on the mechanics of governing to let his attention wander. He knows there are forces that hope he settles into a sophomore slump, so he will stay focused on getting results and keeping on top of every potential threat. Beginner’s luck wears off, but he knows the finish line wasn’t the budget, the tax deal or gay marriage— it will be New York’s economy and job market in 2014. Or 2016. New York’s media will stay robust and vibrant, even as more and more New Yorkers shift from reading newspapers and watching TV. A new iPad model and other competing tablets will give more people a reason to get their news in mobile form, not in an old format they have to buy every morning or sit down to watch. Yet the profusion of emerging sources of credible and interesting media will continue to grow—as Capital New York did, BuzzFeed might and other startups dream of—giving everyone in New York an explosion of good options. That’s good news for new media outlets, bad news for old media empires and scary news for journalists who hope to one day have an employer that contributes to their 401(k).
CITY LIVING
Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for The Straphangers Campaign
There will be more ways than ever for New Yorkers to make Central Park their free “staycation” destination. New Yorkers know that Central Park is the place to be on a beautiful day, whether to take a walk or lay a picnic blanket down on the Great Lawn. But there are so many ways to enjoy the Park that New Yorkers don’t realize, all at little or no cost. How many people realize they can visit Central Park and in one day go swimming, fishing and people watch with a great gourmet sandwich? With free programs and performances, innovative playgrounds and more food offerings than ever before, there’s no need to board a bus or a plane for a day trip. We predict that in 2012, New Yorkers will use Central Park as their ultimate “staycation” destination.
reservation. Keeping it local: All over America, when people get sick, they take advantage of their neighborhood Urgent Care Center—except in New York. The Big Apple is very late in joining this national trend, yet our ER wait times are some of the longest in the country. Sixty percent of people who are in ERs don’t need to be there, and we all know how hard it is to get a same-day appointment with your doctor. Visiting an Urgent Care Center like Medhattan Immediate Medical Care is a new option in 2012 for New Yorkers who want the ease of top-notch care brought to their own immediate neighborhood. Hallelujah for convenience in the New Year!
REAL ESTATE
HEALTH
Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats
Sustainable eating habits: 2012 is the year to stop the insanity. It’s out with fad diets and in with moderation. 2012 is the year to realize that subsisting on grapefruits or bacon or whatever the latest trend is is not sustainable. Family meals help balance work and family while cutting down on unhealthy takeout. They are a time to model healthy eating for the kids and teach them that it’s worth the time to try to eat healthy. Saving money at the expense of health: The insurance industry’s answer to rising health care costs is to increasingly offer high-deductible plans and catastrophic-only insurance that only covers surgery, hospitalizations and the like. This means that in 2012, tons of New Yorkers will avoid going to the doctor to save money. That’s a problem because it means you miss the chance to diagnose problems in the early stages and intervene before things get out of hand. We hope that this insurance trend does not translate into people ordering prescriptions online and trying to diagnose themselves via the Internet. Accountability: In 2012, some little talked-about habits will start to surface, namely the rampant overuse of sleep aids and painkillers. 2012 is the year to confront these issues with honesty, discuss them with your doctor and learn to love the person you see in the mirror without
I predict a limited supply of new rental and sale product will enter the market during 2012, thus keeping properties in both categories in high demand. It’s still the Big Apple, and everyone wants a bite. Looking at the city’s sales market, prices will remain stable and may even appreciate slightly if the economic outlook improves. However, a lot is riding on potential home buyers’ access to credit. 2012 will see a continued influx of international buyers. Despite how expensive we New Yorkers think our city is, it is still a value when compared to other major international locales. Furthermore, for the wealthy who live emerging economies, New York real estate is seen as a safe long-term investment. With rental prices near record highs and mortgage rates near historic lows, the city’s tight rental market will push more clients into purchasing in 2012. In fact, I believe now is a golden opportunity for people who have been waiting on the sidelines to purchase real estate before the economy improves and prices rise. I predict developers will plan more “hybrid buildings” in 2012. In a difficult lending environment, buildings that mix retail, hotel, condos and rentals are a good way for developers (and banks) to hedge their bets. Look for increased development activity along the Queens waterfront and the far West Side of Manhattan. I expect these neighborhoods to be the major growth areas in 2012. Continuing on the theme of growth in Queens, I predict that despite the loss of Beltran and Reyes, 2012 is the Mets’ year to take it all.
Alicia Salzer, M.D., and Leslie Miller, M.D., founders of Medhattan
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A Look at Our Town in 2011 CityArts: A Look Behind
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Un-Caped Bat Crusader PAGE 10
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Tree Damage, Evacuation Mistakes
ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN SOARES
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‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
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Hoffa Leans on Sotheby’s
ANNIVER
(June 16) The long-running fight over whether to build a sanitation transfer station near Asphalt Green at East 91st Street heated up this year as the environmental review process continued. Local residents and politicians said the “environmental justice” argument was bogus since the facility would be near public housing, but environmental groups said the dangers were exaggerated. Since 1970
ANNIVE
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Healthy Manhattan: Kicking the Restless Leg Habit August 11, 2011
2nd Ave. Subway Concrete Meets Test
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ably the largest crowds of any neighborhood topic in 2011. The new lines for those schools and one at the Our Lady of Good Counsel site were approved at the end of the year.
ANNIVE
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Trouble on the Waterfront
Pols, Tenants Rally Against Landlord
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Protecting Art Of the World
Foreshadowing Crisis?
East Siders hope to fix
crumbling esplanade as “Trouble on the Waterfront” (Aug. 11) idea of path circling Manhattan moves closer Although the city has long-term plans P.8 to redo the East Side waterfront, neighCall 212.772.DOCS (3627) bors are more worried about the shortterm problems. “We’ve been talking for years about building a blue necklace The Upper East Side’s Community around Manhattan, but we have a piece of that Board 8 battled some members of CB puzzle that’s literally 7 on the Upper West Side in an unsuccessful attempt being washed 40 Largest Fight to stop a plan to away,” said City “School Battles” allow bikes on Council Member Keep Your Bike... School (Dec. 1) two of the pedesJessica Lappin. 2 BattleS Proposals to change trian paths crossBiggest Turf school zoning lines on ing Central Park. War the Upper East Side East Siders used “Out of My this fall consumed words like “stupid’ Park: East Side many parents who and “dangerous” East Side slams FREE FLU SHOTS crosstown path. slams crosstown tried not to get cut to describe the West says build it. path. West says out of P.S. 151 and proposal, but the build it.” (June 290—the Community city implemented Education Council meetings drew prob- 9) it anyway. ANDREW SCHWARTZ
Any year-end list will of course leave off some deserving entries, but here’s our list of a few of our favorite, most memorable or noteworthy cover stories throughout 2011.
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Most Feedback “Community Boards: Old and Out of Touch or Changing With the Times?” (Sept. 1) When Borough President Scott Stringer told us he was trying to appoint younger people to community boards and CB 8 chairperson Jackie Ludorf said she thought younger neighbors were probably not anxious to join a group with many senior citizens, it prompted a lot of negative reaction from readers, some of whom also disliked our headline.
Camps: Ready or Not?
December 1, 2011
Sidewalk Santas on Parade
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Healthy Manhattan:
ANNIVE
June 9, 2011
Making Art Out of the Dark
Since 1970
ANNIVE
east Side Kids Still Up in the
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Elderly Attack Shakes Neighborhood
Trash Talking Garbage Station Fears
Out Of MY
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“Trashy Plan or Just Plain NIMBY?”
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Water Termites Wreak Havoc at East River Park Parks Department spokesman Phil Abramson confirmed that aquatic beings are to blame for the problem with the timber piles that support the areas jutting over the river. “As the East River has become supportive of life again, we have seen problems with marine borers cropping up,” Abramson said in an email. “Marine borers are not fish per se, but a class of organism similar to water termites.” When the Parks Department acquired the property to develop the new park, they ordered a full structural study, utilizing divers to fully investigate the underwater elements. What they found, unfortunately, was “a pattern of increasing damage” from the borers. As a result, the lower portion of the park won’t be able to be finished until funding is identified for the additional work that will be needed to replace and fortify the pilings. Lappin is looking to the City Council to find the money, and other funding could come from state grants portioned out to Borough President Scott Stringer, who has allocated money to the project in the past. The idea for the park originally came from Community Board 8 in 2002,
and the board has been closely watching its development since then. The 1.3-acre park is named after a little-known urban planner who was murdered in 1903. Green was largely responsible for the design of many of New York’s most memorable sites— Central Park, Riverside Park, Marine borers have eaten away at the pilings under Andrew the Bronx Zoo, the Haswell Green Park, which will cost $15 million to repair. American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum with the rest of the park’s upgrades. of Art—but is himself often forgotten in the “We are proceeding with developing collective historic memory of the city. the portion on top of the old pavilion Hopefully, this will change upon the structure that once housed the heliport,” park’s completion. Abramson said that Abramson said. “We will renovate that while the Parks Department waits to area to include a large lawn, shrubbery, identify exactly how they can repair the benches, game tables, new perimeter pilings—and ensure that they will be railing, new pavement and steps. It will resistant to the same type of underwa- become a destination point for East Side ter damage—and where the money will residents 11:17 and all AM NewPage Yorkers N07752 AdvPlan Ad-Campbell:Layout 3 7/22/10 1 with strikcome from to do so, they are continuing ing views of the East River.” andrew schwartz
By Megan Finnegan Bungeroth Last year, Upper East Siders celebrated the impending completion of a brandnew public space on the East River, Andrew Haswell Green Park. The new park, bordering the river from East 59th to East 63rd streets, has been under construction since 2008, when the city broke ground to renovate what had been strictly a drab industrial stretch along the FDR Drive. Now that the park is in its final phase, the Parks Department has discovered a unique problem that will set back the project by an unspecified amount of time and another $15 million. “There was a study done recently that shows that some of the pilings under the pier need replacement,” said City Council Member Jessica Lappin, who has been a champion of the project since its inception and has appropriated city funds to complete it. The problem is unfortunate for the park’s timeline but is a good sign for the environmental health of the city’s waterways. “As the East River has become cleaner and the marine life there has been able to survive, they are eating away at the piers,” Lappin said.
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Q&A with Robert Jackson, Author of Highway Under the Hudson By Linnea Covington Texas native Robert Jackson spent three and a half years compiling a complete history on a structure far from his home, something 33 million East Coasters pass through every year: the Holland Tunnel. Built in 1927, this daily part of New Yorkers’ lives was at the time the longest and largest of the vehicular tunnels in the entire world, and the first to utilize a ventilation system. In Highway Under the Hudson, Jackson delves into not only the history of this famous tunnel but Robert Jackson. the drama behind its construction, the people involved and the unique engineering that took place.
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What drew you to writing about the Holland Tunnel? A few years ago, Director of New York University Press Steve Maikowski decided that a book on the Holland Tunnel needed to be written and he began searching for an author. I was recommended to him and was eager to accept the challenge due to my strong interest in the history of transportation engineering. After reading my history of the Eads Bridge, Steve decided that I was the right person to tackle the story and the rest, as they say, is history. This is a very rich history; how did you start your research? I began my research by contacting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to see what records it retained from the state commissions that built the tunnel, before they merged with the Port Authority in 1930. Unfortunately, all of those records had been stored in the Port Authority library in the World Trade Center and were lost on 9/11. But the New York State Library and Archives in Albany and the New York Public Library had enough material to get me started. I also relied upon the C. M. Holland Collection at Case Western University and found other bits and pieces of documentation in other libraries as I went along. What surprised you most about the
Holland Tunnel? When I began, I assumed that the tunnel had been built primarily for use by passenger vehicles, with truck traffic being of lesser importance. Just the opposite was true; it was built to facilitate the movement of freight from New Jersey to New York, with accommodation of passenger vehicles a secondary consideration. I was also surprised to find that, around the time of World War I, approximately 50 percent of the nation’s foreign trade annually passed through the port of New York. What did not surprise me because I have studied other great construction projects but might surprise others is the cost in human life of building and maintaining a major piece of urban infrastructure. By my count, at least 14 workers died during construction of the tunnel, though it was thought that only 13 had died until I did my research. Also, two men, one firefighter and one patrol officer, died during the fire of 1949. It had previously been assumed that no one died because of the fire. In addition, two of the chief engineers died from overwork while the tunnel was under construction. How does the Holland Tunnel compare to other large passenger tunnels? There are many other vehicular tunnels that exceed the Holland Tunnel in size, length or visual beauty, but the Holland Tunnel holds a unique place in the history of tunnel engineering as the first such structure that was mechanically ventilated. It thus influenced the design of virtually every vehicular tunnel that that came after it. It will never relinquish its place as a seminal work of civil and mechanical engineering. How long do you think the tunnel will last? All great works of humankind are destined to fade away at some point, but, as the title of my last chapter states, the Holland Tunnel was built to last. I believe that with proper maintenance, it will remain in use long after you and I are gone. N EW S YO U LIV E B Y
arts
Challenging Audiences for 10 Years A Q&A with Ildiko Nemeth, founder of New Stage Theatre Company
How did you first encounter the life story of Eric Jan Hanussen? Ildiko Nemeth: Hanussen is a known historical figure in Hungary. Even the famous Hungarian film director István Szabó made a film about him, Hanussen. Mel Gordon, a Berkeley professor and a friend of mine, also wrote a wonderful book, entitled Erik Jan Hanussen: Hitler’s Jewish Clairvoyant, which was another source to draw from to round out
my knowledge of Hanussen. One of the main goals of the NSTC mission is to challenge its audience. How does Hypnotik do that? The Seer entices volunteers by promising that he will heal all comers by getting them in touch with their malignant drives. This scenario should seem somewhat familiar to anyone who has watched Dr. Phil or a similar reality TV show. I hope the audience will find the final vision of the Seer to be chilling in that we can recognize ourselves in the projections his subjects have; to see in some new way how we participate in the ugliness of the world and see some of our dangerous delusions anew.
power be used and how can it move and/ or manipulate people? It is fascinating how occultism became a new religion in Weimar Germany. It was a world where people were still in shock from the horrors and utter defeat of World War I and where traditional religion was not sufficient to heal or have answers anymore. Occult palaces and séances were able to enthrall the masses, who were desperate people searching eagerly for answers, certainty and comfort in this new religion. It gives me a chill to know how the occult was used for political gain, how it empowered the “chosen ones” and convinced the anxious and insecure to put their faith in magical mantras, miraculous potions or mendacious leaders.
What draws you to the subject of the occult? What, if anything, repels you from it? Curiosity in the possibility to see the future, to manipulate reality or to gain secret supernatural forces which are hidden from most of us drew me to the topic. If such power does exist, how can this
Do you believe in the power of psychic healing? Yes, I do believe in psychic healing. The mind can have a big influence on the body. There are many examples of miraculous healing using nontraditional medicines instead of just popping pills. Because of my past work experience, I
Istvan Guba
By Doug Strassler Hypnotik: The Seer Will Doctor You Now is a play loosely inspired by the Viennese mentalist Eric Jan Hanussen, an occultist in Weimar Republic Germany. West Sider Ildiko Nemeth, founder and artistic director of The New Stage Theatre Company, now celebrating its 10th anniversary season, conceived and directed the show, in which an enigmatic hypnotist beckons subjects onto a stage for group catharsis, a form of therapy that slips into frightening territory. West Side Spirit spoke with Nemeth about what makes Hypnotik an unforgettable affair.
Ildiko Nemeth. believe one can overcome psychological problems, troubling emotional drives [and] psychological complexes by bringing them into the conscious and dealing with them head on. Hypnotik: The Seer Will Doctor You Now Through Jan. 15, 2012, Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave. (betw. 9th & 10th Sts.), www.newstagetheatre.org; $18.
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The Little Bookstore That Could
For more than 40 years, Bank Street Bookstore has remained a city staple for tiny readers
NYE at The Big Apple
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photos by andrew schwartz
By Angela Johnson If you’ve got a baby at home or in tow, If you’ve read Goodnight Moon more you don’t have to wander too far beyond times than you can count, we suggest you the first floor. On the second level, conrally up the tots for a trip to Bank Street tent is designated for older children and Bookstore. A part of the Morningside teens, featuring a wide range of fiction Heights community for more than 40 and educational books, as well as math, years, this charming and independent reading and logic games. There is even book nook not only carries a sturdy selec- a special area devoted to reads on life’s tion of extraordinary reads, it also has more serious subjects, such as death, bulpuzzles and games for kids of all ages. lying and divorce. The shop’s story began in 1970 with a And at a time when many small busismall space in the lobby of Bank Street nesses are struggling to keep their doors College primaropen, Bank Street ily serving the colBookstore continues lege faculty and to thrive under the parents of students leadership of Director in the School for Beth Puffer, who has Children. Twenty been with the store years later, the for 25 years. A former store expanded into early childhood eduits current bi-level cator, Puffer’s time at location at the corBank Street began as a ner of 112th Street holiday gig, serving as a and Broadway and short-term break from has grown to be an teaching. She enjoyed invaluable resource her work at the store to both teachers, so much that she never who can find there quite made it back to supplies and curricthe classroom. Director Beth Puffer. ulum materials‚ and Puffer explains that literary-minded parwhile a large portion ents throughout the neighborhood. of Bank Street’s customer base comes But let it be known: Bank Street from the surrounding neighborhood, the Bookstore is a young reader’s para- store appeals to readers from across the dise. Kids will delight in the floor-to- tri-state area and even around the globe. ceiling shelves that are stocked with “We have educators who come from titles in almost 20 different languages. places like Hong Kong, The Philippines Overwhelmed with the possibilities? and Australia year after year to shop Narrow it down by heading to the heart of here and have books shipped to them the store, which boasts a colorful display back home,” she said. of carefully chosen staff favorites. Additionally, many of the store’s titles can be found on Bank Street’s website, which is thoughtfully organized by age Hot Tip of the Week and topic, the way most of the in-store requests are received. Puffer touts her knowledgeable, wellread staffers and their ability to think Spend this New Year’s Eve with the kids outside of the box as one of the key feaat the circus! On Saturday evening, ring in tures that distinguishes her store from 2012 at The Big Apple Circus’ DREAM BIG! the competition. “The staff is the crown with post-show live music, dancing and a jewel of the store,” she said. “A teacher midnight toast. Champagne and sparkling may come in requesting materials for a cider, streamers and noisemakers will be specific curriculum unit, and we’ll not provided, along with special goody bags only suggest nonfiction materials but for the whole family. The celebration starts also poetry, fiction and different subjects at 9 p.m. at Damrosch Park on Lincoln they might not think of that could expand Center Plaza. For more information, visit a child’s vision of the topic.” bigapplecircus.org. Bank Street Bookstore is not just a place to buy hardcovers and paperbacks.
The shop also hosts a variety of concerts as well as author and illustrator events each month. “We’ve heard over the years what an effect it’s had on children to meet the author or watch an illustrator create in front of their eyes,” Puffer said. “It’s like magic.” Though faced with a diminishing number of physical bookstores due the proliferation of e-readers and online shopping, Puffer remains optimistic about the
future. “We hope people will continue to support the idea of sitting with a child, turning the pages of a book and seeing the original art as it was created,” she said. “We hope to be able to continue to be the resource that we’ve been for years. I think we’re going to be here for a long time.” We think so, too. To learn more, visit bankstreetbooks. com. N EW S YO U LIV E B Y
IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT SUMMER CAMP FOR 2012! Renee Flax, director of camper placement of the ACA NY & NJ, will be on hand to answer parents’ questions and help guide them in their search for the right camp!
Upcoming Fairs:
SATURDAY, JAN 28, 2012 Downtown Grace Church School 86 4th Ave. 12PM - 3PM
SATURDAY, JAN 21, 2012
SUNDAY, JAN 29, 2012
SUNDAY, JAN 22, 2012
SATURDAY, FEB 4, 2012
Upper West Side St. Jean Baptiste School 173 E. 75th St. 12PM - 3PM
Upper West Side Congregation Rodeph Sholom 7 W. 83rd St. 12PM - 3PM
Park Slope Union Temple 17 Eastern Pkwy 12PM - 3PM
Upper West Side Bank Street School 610 W. 112th St. 12PM - 3PM
New York Family magazine and the American Camp Association, NY & NJ are teaming up for their winter fairs! Meet dozens of different camp directors from local DAY CAMPS and SLEEPAWAY CAMPS from across the region. Great for children ages 3 to 17! pre-register at:
Newyorkfamilycamps.com For more info on summer camps:
TheRightCamp.com
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DINING
Antique Cocktails to Usher in the New Year Holiday drinks with a twist By Josh Perilo When most people think of New Year’s Eve, they conjure up images of chugging cheap, fizzy alcohol straight from the bottle while wearing glasses in the shape of the New Year’s number. I, on the other hand, have a much more romanticized dream of what New Year’s Eve could be: Ladies in long gloves sipping on Krug in bowlshaped glasses (true, while Marie Antoinette glasses aren’t as good for holding the effervescence of Champagne, they look damn sexy) and gentlemen in tuxedos smoking cigarettes in holders, sipping on arcane cocktails made with muddled whatnots and long-ago-produced bitters and extracts. After talking to my friend Jesse, who gave me the idea for last year’s New Year’s Eve column, I was inspired again to delve
into the concept of the holiday cocktail. This time, with a twist. “I’m making homemade bitters,” Jesse explained to me, “because I have these cocktail books from 50 years ago calling for ingredients that don’t exist anymore...” “So,” I said, finishing his sentence, “you’re making them yourself!” “Exactly!” While I’m in no mood to gather up all of the goods and By Josh Perilo equipment needed to concoct a batch of early 20th-century-style Seville orange rind bitters, the conversation did send me to my own personal collection of vintage and antique cookbooks. My mission: Find a handful of extremely dated but fun looking cocktails to make and serve at this year’s round of holiday parties. The field was wide, but I narrowed
it down to a motley crew of four. So if you’re feeling nostalgic (and maybe a little brave) I invite you to try some of these antiquated cocktails from years gone by with your New Year’s Eve crowd! Gourmet’s Champagne Punch: From the 1957 edition of The Gourmet Cookbook, Volume II. Peel, core and slice three small, ripe pineapples. Put the slices in a bowl and sprinkle them with 2 cups of fine granulated sugar. Cover, allow the fruit to marinate for one hour or more, then add 2 cups of Cognac, 1 cup strained lemon juice, 3/4 cup eau de vie de framboise [substitute Chambord if you can’t find framboise], 1/2 cup peach brandy and 1/4 cup maraschino liqueur. Blend gently, cover and allow to stand overnight to ripen. To serve, pour over a large block of ice in a punch bowl and slowly add five bottles of chilled Champagne. Garnish the bowl with fresh raspberries, sprigs of fresh mint, thinly sliced lemons and oranges and other fruit to taste. Peach Cup: From the 1945 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Peel and slice 6 ripe peaches into a small bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with 1 cup of granulated sugar and add 325mL of German riesling. Cover and let the fruit marinate in the wine overnight. To serve,
add several pieces of peach to each goblet along with a tablespoon or two of the marinating liquid. Top off each goblet with more of the same chilled Riesling. Garnish with a raspberry. Zombie: From the 1950 edition of The Old Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide. Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice and add 1 jigger each of Jamaican rum, Puerto Rican golden rum, white rum, pineapple juice and papaya juice. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon of simple syrup [equal parts sugar and water heated on the stove until the sugar is dissolved]. Shake vigorously and pour with the ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a pineapple stick, a cherry float and a paper umbrella. Tom and Jerry: From the 1966 edition of Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. For each drink, beat 1 egg yolk until it is pale and light. Add 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1 jigger light rum and beat the mixture until it is smooth and thick. Blend in 1 stiffly beaten egg white and 1/2 jigger of brandy. Pour the mixture into a warmed Tom and Jerry mug [no clues about what this might be—use whatever mug you’d like], fill with hot milk or boiling water and sprinkle generously with grated nutmeg. Happy New Year!
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seniors
An Age-Old Problem, Alcoholism, Also Hits the Aged By Fred Cicetti
Q.
My wife and I recently moved into a retirement community. I’ve noticed a lot of people I’d call alcoholics in this community. Do seniors drink more in these places? A: I could find no information that demonstrated that residents of retirement communities drink more. However, these developments are, by nature, more social. So, perhaps you’re just seeing more drinking. With more drinking, you’ll always find more people who don’t handle it well. Alcoholism is a serious problem among seniors. Here are just a few statistics that tell the story: About 70 percent of hospital admissions for older adults are for illness and accidents related to alcohol. About half of older adults in nursing homes have an alcohol problem. Older adults lose an average of 10 years off their lives because of alcohol abuse. About 80 percent of doctors misdiagnose alcoholism as depression in older
women. The highest growing rate of alcoholism is among 75-year-old widowers. About 10 percent of patients over age 60 who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are actually suffering from brain damage caused by alcoholism.
The Healthy Geezer “Alcohol abuse among older adults is something few want to talk about or deal with,” said Charles Curie, former administrator of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Too often, family members are ashamed of the problem and choose not to address it. “Health care providers tend not to ask older patients about alcohol abuse if it wasn’t a problem in their lives in earlier years,” he said. “Sometimes the symptoms are mistaken for those of dementia, depression or other problems common to older adults. Unfortunately, too many older persons turn to alcohol as a comfort following the death of a spouse, a divorce, retirement or some other major life change, unaware that they are markedly affecting the quality of their lives.”
A few definitions: Alcoholism is a disease with four symptoms: a craving or compulsion to drink, the inability to limit drinking, high alcohol tolerance and physical dependence. Alcohol abuse is defined as drinking that causes problems in your life, such as failing at work, getting arrested for drunk driving and hurting someone physically or emotionally. It does not include strong craving, loss of control or physical dependence. Moderate drinking means consuming up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. The American Medical Association provides the following list of physical symptoms to diagnose alcoholism. If an older person shows several of these symptoms, there is a high probability of alcoholism. • Bruises, abrasions and scars in locations that might suggest frequent falls, bumping into objects, physical altercations or other violent behavior • Cigarette burns on the fingers
• Flushed or florid face • Jerky eye movement or loss of central vision • Damage to nerves causing numbness and tingling • Hypertension, particularly systolic (the first number) • Gastrointestinal or other bleeding • Cirrhosis or other evidence of liver impairment, such as swelling in the lower extremities and other signs of fluid retention • Psoriasis
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The 80th Street Residence is the first in the city to receive the New York State Department of Health licensure as an Assisted Living Residence (ALR) with certificates allowing the entire community to serve as both an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) and a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR). With these new certifications 80th Street is now able to provide additional specialized care and services for its Residents, all of whom suffer from cognitive impairment. Clare Shanley, Executive Director says, “The 80th Street Residence has always been devoted to providing excellent care and specialized services to our Residents. In fact, our program was the Nation’s first to receive The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s ‘Excellence in Care’ award. Now with the highest level of licensing for Assisted Living, in addition to providing our unique program, we are able to offer families the peace of mind in knowing that their loved ones may now age in place and receive more nursing care should they need it in the place they call home.” Fully Licensed by the New York State Department of Health, The 80th Street Residence is the only dedicated assisted living community in New York City Specializing in Memory Care. In their boutique setting, 80th Street offers unique neighborhoods, each composed of no more than eight to ten Residents with similar cognitive abilities. All neighborhoods have cozy and homelike dining and living rooms and are staffed 24 hours a day with personal care attendants. The intimate setting allows for an environment that is conducive to relaxation, socialization, and participation in varied activities. A true jewel of care on the Upper East Side.
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• Beautiful Upper East Side Environment • Each floor a “Neighborhood” with Family Style Dining & Living Room • 24-hour Licensed Nurses & Attendants specially trained in dementia care • Medication Management • Around the clock personal care, as needed • Housekeeping, Linen & Personal Laundry • Courtyard & Atrium Rooftop Garden • Chef prepared Meals Nation’s first recipient of AFA’s Excellence in Care distinction.
80th Street Residents in Central Park with the Essex House Hotel peeking from behind.
430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075 Tel. 212-717-8888 www.80thstreetresidence.com D e c e mb e r 2 9 , 2 0 1 1
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Alternative Healthy Manhattan
a monthly advertising supplement
Getting the Mind to Listen to Resolutions Yoga & meditation can help make your New Year’s pledges stick By Paulette Safdieh Staying healthy requires more than an impulsive New Year’s resolution and a spanking new gym membership. To nix bad habits for good and maintain positive changes to your body in 2012, fitness experts argue that the first and biggest change starts with the mind. The philosophies behind yoga, Pilates and meditation share the idea of a mind-body connection. These exercises require a certain awareness of the body that differs from running on the treadmill or breaking a sweat in Zumba class. Instead of counting the calories burned, practitioners believe a mental shift and commitment to change yield the best results. “We live in a fast-paced, results-oriented society,” said Allan Lokos, founder of the Upper West Side’s Community Meditation Center. “If you stick with certain exercises long enough, you realize one day that you can now handle difficult situations with greater ease than you could have before.” According to Lokos, 71, newcomers flock to classes as holiday bells start ringing. He says the human body doesn’t know how to differentiate between negative stress and the good stress brought on by the holidays, like shopping, overeating and traveling. People turn to meditation for the pleasant feeling of calm and quiet, but Lokos insists the sessions can be far from carefree. “When you’re left alone with your body and your mind, all kinds of stuff comes up—and some might not be pleasant,” said Lokos, a two-time author on the topic. “Do I really want to lose weight? Do I really want to quit smoking? You get that clarity and it creates motivation.” Meditation can help spur positive change—whether it’s dropping a few pounds or throwing out the cigarettes for good—if people have genuine concern for their well-being and the desire to change for themselves, not just because
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the doctor said so. Unfortunately, the weight won’t slip off just by sitting in lotus position with your legs crossed a few times a week. To reap the most benefit from meditation, proper activity should be incorporated between the hours spent in the office cubicle. Lokos agrees that exercises like yoga and Pilates maintain a similar philosophy—being attuned to your body, making long-term changes and clearing your mind. “It’s about sculpting yourself from the inside out, changing your mind’s perspective so your body will fall into place,” said Marissa Antebi, who has been a yoga instructor in Midtown for 11 years. “With any body issues, it’s about how you’re seeing something. You need to become aware of the bad patterns and grow from there.” For Antebi, 40, January is the busiest time of year. Despite the holiday rush, not
all newcomers tap into the endurance needed to stick it out and see results. Antebi suggests starting with something as minor as a walk in the park once a week and building from there. Attending group sessions provides the support system of fellow classmates, further encouragement to stick with it. Soon enough, you’ll learn how to maintain your health and weight instead of experiencing the fluctuations of fad diets and cleanses. Pilates instructor Donna Singer, of the Upper East Side’s Center for Movement, said that’s the common ground between yoga and Pilates—it becomes a way of life, not just a method of exercise. “You become aware of your posture and alignment and understand that you don’t need intense exercise to feel limber, supple and stronger,” said Singer, 42, who opened her first studio with cousin Elle Jardim in 1998. “We don’t play mu-
“You need to become aware of the bad patterns and grow from there.”
sic—we want you to keep your mind on what you’re doing. It encourages you to make positive steps to a healthy lifestyle and continue on that journey outside of the class.” Pilates helps create strength without the bulk that comes along with weight training. Sessions at Center for Movement, on the Upper East Side and in Scarsdale, focus on flexibility and elongating the body though breathing. The goal is to do the movements correctly, increasing efficiency so fewer repetitions are required. “As opposed to a spinning class, where you feel sore or you sweat, we teach a method,” said Singer. “After six sessions, you start to see subtle differences, like a flatter stomach and more flexibility. We want to help people meet their resolutions.” Antebi agrees that sticking to your New Year’s resolution through mid-February can be long enough to earn a pat on the back. “People get caught up in their goals for the year,” said Antebi. “If you put it on the back burner and just commit to becoming aware of your mind and body, positive changes will come from that.”
N EW S YO U LIV E B Y DECE M B E R 29, 2011 | otdowntown.com 15
START THE NEW YEAR WITH A
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Early Education coordinator WantEd Coordinate 3 early childhood education centers in the Northwest Bronx. Programs include child care (private pay and funded). Head Start and UPK for children 1-5 years old. Supervise large staff, develop budgets, and work with Board and Parent Association. Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education NYS teacher’s Certification (birth-2nd grade) 10 years administrative experience in ECE required. Supervisory Licenses, SDA, SAS and SBL recommended. Resumes and 3 letters of reference to employment@mmcc.org. PErsonal oFFicE assistant nEEdEd Office Assistant needed. Typical duties includes; • Pack Shipments Supplies; • Track Shipments; • Receive Shipments and Stock Inventory; • Data Entry; • Routing Mail; • QA Inspections. Experience & proficient in Quick book, Excel and Word Applications. e-Mail resumes to “davewalshdesk@att.net Interested Applicants must be 18+ yrs above.”
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The Magic of Macy’s—and I’m Actually Not Kidding
In crowded Herald Square, trying to learn to love the chaos again By Christopher Moore Jump in, I tell myself. Jump into the crowd and the excitement and the noise; that great big mass of humanity. In another lifetime, when you lived—or at least existed—in the suburbs of New Jersey, you said you thrived on this and took a Midtown Direct train to get to the center of everything. Don’t shrink now from the drama. Live a little. Just jump in. That’s what I told myself every time I walked into the madness that is Macy’s—three separate times in two days—in the days before Christmas. But every time I am actually there, watching people bang into one another, just seconds before I become one with them, I find myself thinking, Get out while you still can. Instead, I went in. I needed to because some moron had decided that there should be a wedding in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Eventually, I remembered that the moron was me and the wedding was mine. Everyone else had holiday gift shopping on the brain. I can’t say that I blame them; in my high school years, back in another century, I would brave the Black Friday hordes to visit Macy’s. Hustle and bustle were my middle names. As I got older, I got used to saying no, both as a newspaper editor and a human being. I have a talent for it. Peer pressure
OUR TOWN is published weekly Copyright © 2011 Manhattan Media, LLC 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10016 Editorial (212) 284-9734 Fax (212) 268-2935 Advertising (212) 284-9715 General (212) 268-8600 E-mail: editorial@manhattanmedia.com Website: OurTownNY.com OUR TOWN is a division of Manhattan Media, LLC, publisher of West Side Spirit, Our Town Downtown, Chelsea Clinton News, The Westsider, City Hall, The Capitol, The Blackboard Awards, New York Family and Avenue magazine. To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN, 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016 Recognized for excellence by the
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is largely lost on me. I began saying no to holiday shopping and crowds, individually and certainly when they came together. Staying home developed considerable appeal. I did not see the point in spectacle, especially when the cable TV was working. Still, Macy’s somehow got grandfathered in. I still went there, shopped there and liked being there. This was the surviving store of my childhood. The escalators remind me of my grandmother. My cynical nature oddly ends at the crowded entrance to this store. I happily explained last Thanksgiving morning to my partner that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade concludes with the actual Santa Claus, not an imposter like the others. Often, though, I get wary of actually heading out in the city I keep saying I adore. What is that about? Home is cozy; the cats are so cute. It sounds psychotic to walk out the door and into the lines at Zabar’s, even though the meat counter is so worth the effort. Bloomingdale’s? It’s beautiful, if smelly, but too often I rush through the main floor looking for the nearest exit. I moved to a crowded city and then developed an aversion to crowds. Weird, but I’m not alone. New Yorkers get good at navigating. I can zig while thousands zag. Sometimes I want to be like the fellow who wrote in to the Times years
CommUniTy Soapbox Trash Debate Heats Up
ago. He talked himself out of being wary of big-town grocery shopping by simply reminding himself that the chaos is part of a trip to Fairway. He embraces it. I’m not that far along. But I’m telling myself to jump more in 2012. Just the other day I went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Gorgeous. The problem: Hell is other people, as Jean-Paul Sartre told us. He must have been in a perfume section when he said so. Seconds into my first holiday jaunt to Macy’s, a horrible woman behind me was pushing and saying, “Excuse me,” as if there were not 300 or so people in front of her also trying to get by. On Trip 2, the saleslady forgot to put all our purchases into the bag. This error necessitated Trip 3. By then, though, I was a holiday veteran again—and mostly a happy one. This year, the world’s largest department store provided me with better customer service—by far—than our last visit to Disney World. There is some training or something going on at Macy’s, because I had more than three actual human beings ask me if I needed help, then provided it. They made leaving the apartment worth the effort. Now I just need to extend my love of humanity beyond Herald Square. Christopher Moore is a writer living in Manhattan. He can be reached by email at ccmnj@aol.com and on Twitter at cmoorenyc.
The best comments from OurTownNY.com
Thanks for getting the truth out there (“Don’t Trash the Upper East Side,” Dec. 22). Citizens need to realize that the city has fed them propaganda about the Marine Transfer Station and it will be far larger and more dangerous than they are letting on, The city is also proposing to PRIVATIZE the MTS— that means have it run for profit. What do you think will happen then? —Yorkville Human
is a great deal better than our current longdistance truck-based system of garbage transport, addressing global climate change and ocean acidification by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. In my opinion, the benefits to Yorkville of being a part of the mayor’s attempts to address these global environmental and humanitarian problems are larger than the potential harm of having the MTS. —Philip Orton
One major inaccuracy in your article needs to be clarified—I actually did not make any claim that the MTS facility “would cause no significant environmental impact” to our neighborhood. What I did say is that the water-based system of garbage transport
Thanks, Jed. Your neighbors appreciate your clear, convincing response. It’s shocking how this has turned into an argument about “environmental justice.” First off, we’ve had our turn in this neighborhood. But if it’s unhealthy, we shouldn’t
support it for any neighborhood—rich or poor. And nobody that I’ve spoken to who opposes this project has ever suggested that the alternative is to put it in a poor neighborhood. —N. Roth
Sybil Exposed
This is quite disturbing (“The Truth About Sybil,” Nov. 1). I find it disconcerting that a person’s private medical records might be unsealed for such purpose as writing a book. I also find it disconcerting that people support this book in all its inaccuracies. Perhaps you should learn some proper facts about what you so ignorantly label MPD before attempting to write on this subject further. —Eme Guta
N EW S YO U LIV E B Y
ironic Hopes
It’s Just Another Night
A quiet New Year’s can be the perfect way to usher in 2012 By Josh Rogers Why is this night different from all others? If we’re talking about New Year’s Eve rather than Passover, the answer is that it shouldn’t be. After years of worrying, planning and even feeling embarrassed because my plans for the night were still uncertain in the last week in December, I no longer fret. One of the many perks of marriage is it makes you realize Dec. 31 can be like any other night if you want. But it’s silly to wait for matrimony to come to that simple truth. Yes, there’s lots of good fun out there in New York City at parties, restaurants, bars and, I suppose, Times Square if you have the mental and physical wherewithal to brave the crowds and cold for many many hours before the ball drops. But
ordering takeout, cooking a nice meal or watching your favorite movie are also good options. Sleep, too. It’ll be after midnight somewhere whenever you decide to call it a night, so you can always join a celebration online.
No need to worry if you are doing ‘nothing’ on New Year’s Eve. It’s also a lot more economical to splurge at home or at a friend’s house with your favorite delicacies, wine or spirits. Your low-key neighborhood bar is likely to have some sort of $50 or $100 “special”—even if it doesn’t, it’ll probably
be much more crowded on what drinkers call amateur’s night. If you know of a Manhattan bar that’s an exception, keep it to yourself and hope it stays that way for a few more years. No need to worry about resolutions, unless these thoughts make you feel good. For lots of people, worrying about what you hope to do next year only brings angst. I had great, life-changing things happen to me in each of the years between 2007 and 2010—engagement, marriage, wife pregnant, child born— but ’11 was even better because my son became his own person and I got to spend a lot of time watching him develop. The simple things day to day can make any year special.
As for the big night, the fun comes from the people around you—and that includes yourself. If you can’t be with the ones you love, be with someone who is at least good company. For all of my talk, I am, in fact, going to a big dance party Saturday. It starts at 3 p.m. and it’s being organized by my neighborhood toddler group. I hear some of the moms are really looking forward to going “out” on New Year’s. I’m sure we’ll have a good time, but I’m looking forward to the private after-party—having a good home-cooked meal with our favorite drinks five or six hours before midnight. Last year, we drank single malt Scotch, ginger ale and formula. This year, one of us will probably switch to milk. The years do bring change. Josh Rogers, contributing editor at Manhattan Media, is a lifelong New Yorker. Follow him @JoshRogersNYC.
citiquette
Holiday Store Social Rediscovering the benefits of shopping solo By Jeanne Martinet At first, I was shaking in my boots. I had been about to plunge into my usual last-minute holiday shopping when the friend I was going with bailed on me. Who wants to negotiate the teeming hordes alone or try to make quick decisions on items without another eye to help? It’s like running a marathon all by yourself. But then I reminded myself that solo shopping can also be the best shopping. It was when I was shopping for bathing suits last summer that I had my shopping epiphany (if one can have an epiphany about shopping): There is really no such thing as shopping alone if you are willing to open up to strangers. Shopping for bathing suits, if you are a woman, is like being held hostage in a tiny, airless room with harsh lighting and being forced to confront all your deepest, darkest, ugliest secrets. The small room is the store dressing room and the secrets are what has happened to your body over the past year. I was out of town, shopping by myself and feeling unhappy about not having anyone to help me in my pursuit of the perfect suit. I was even more unhappy that the O u r To w n NY. c o m
only good mirror was outside the dressing room, forcing me to display myself to other shoppers. But soon I began to notice another woman coming in and out of her own dressing room, also trying on suits. I could tell she was in the same state of mind as me. “How do you think this looks?” I ventured to ask her.
Mostly, it is satisfying to talk with other people because it makes you realize you are not alone. You are not the only person who has to buy presents for 15 people in three days or has a crazy aunt for whom it’s impossible to shop. “I liked you in the other one better, the blue one,” she said. “That one really looked terrific on you.” She was polite, the way a stranger would be. But hers was also an entirely objective opinion, maybe even more than a friend’s would have been. A friend might have taken into account my particular insecurities and usual clothing prefer-
ences. She might have even rushed me so we could get to lunch. And while talking to salespeople can be enjoyable, the honesty of store employees can never be entirely trusted. I gave this fellow bathing suit shopper my opinion on her selections, she on mine, and we were both successful and happy. I left with two great suits. Not only can solo shopping be more efficient—you can focus on your own purchases—but it is also rewarding the same way traveling alone can be. When you travel alone, you are forced to engage with people you don’t know. It’s good to think of the other shoppers in the store as fellow travelers. I know it’s my mantra, but interacting with strangers is broadening to the mind and beneficial to the spirit. OK, so shopping the week before Christmas may not be exactly “broadening,” what with all of the jostling and standing in line and having to witness the occasional shopper’s meltdown (“I came all the way down here and you’re out of f***ing stock?!”) And there is no great joy in being stuck in crowds. But you know, some fun parties are like that too, right? And aren’t they worth it in the end?
Of course, holiday shopping “mingling” can be difficult because people are tired, frustrated and stressed. But if you can avoid the occasional raging shopper, the rest of the world can be your shopping comradesin-arms. “Do you think an 8-year-old would like this cobra piggy bank?” you might ask someone. Or “Do you think my mother would like this apron with ‘Your opinion is not in the recipe’ on it?” When you find someone in a store with whom to compare gift choices and ideas—let’s face it, you are not going to be able to find a salesperson anyway—it can be really fun. Mostly, it is satisfying to talk with other people because it makes you realize you are not alone. You are not the only person who has to buy presents for 15 people in three days or has a crazy aunt for whom it’s impossible to shop. You are not the only person who is worried about the money she is spending. You are not the only person who hates the days leading up to Christmas. And you are not the only person who doesn’t get everything done. If you didn’t find that special clipboard with the LED light on it for your father, don’t fret. Just put it on the list for next year. It’s much more important that you stopped to chat with some of your fellow overconsumers along your merry way. Jeanne Martinet, aka Miss Mingle, is the author of seven books on social interaction. Read her blog at MissMingle.com.
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