Our Town - February 16, 2017

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The local paper for the Upper East Side SKIN DEEP < P 12

WEEK OF FEBRUARY

16-22 2017

THE

NEW

ACTIVISM

CITY TEENS SEIZE THE MOMENT From a walk-out to calling elected officials, how high school students are becoming politically engaged BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

They aren’t old enough to vote, but the city’s liberalleaning teenagers are forging new paths to political involvement in the wake of a historically fraught presidential election. Young people have joined in protests throughout the country, perhaps none more so than in New York City. Along with attending classes, doing homework and participating in extracurricular activities, many students have found time to make signs, call elected officials and raise money to oppose the actions of President Donald Trump that they say threaten their classmates and their futures. Hebh Jamal, a 17-year-old student at The Beacon School, organized a student walk-out on Tuesday, Feb. 7 that drew a crowd of several hundred to Foley Square. “I think that voting is a very minuscule part of democracy,” Jamal said. “Being part of a democracy is being involved in the conversation, be involved in these issues, be involved in creating an impact.” As a Muslim she is very much opposed to Trump’s travel ban, but her main focus has been on equity in education and on desegregating the city’s school system. “We’re not only here to yell at the top of our lungs, we’re here because we actually know what’s good for us,” Jamal shouted through a megaphone at the walk-out. According to the U.S. Census, there are an estimat-

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Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers his State of the City address at the Apollo Theater on Monday. Photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photography Office

REACHING OUT TO NEW YORKERS Mayor de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Brewer address constituents BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

The American Sign Language symbol for “Donald Trump” is communicated with a hand on top of the head, lifting briefly in imitation of the president’s hair in a breeze. It was used repeatedly by an interpreter on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s State of the Borough address, during which she and five panelists discussed action New Yorkers can take to oppose Trump’s administration. The next night, during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s State of the City speech at the Apollo

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Theater, it was used only once, though the spirit of Trump’s first weeks in office hovered over the event. Both the mayor and the borough president will be running for reelection this year, but the mayor’s address was far more overtly aimed at voters. De Blasio focused on the “affordability crisis” New York City faces, citing rising housing costs and stagnant wages as major problems. He announced his intention to “create 100,000 more good-paying jobs” over the next 10 years, which he defined as jobs paying $50,000 annually or more. “These are jobs that we will make available whether people have pre-existing skills or not,” de Blasio said. “We’re going to provide the training and the

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support.” He also touted the success of his affordable housing plan so far. “It’s actually ahead of schedule,” de Blasio said of the push for 200,000 new affordable units. “Sixty-two thousand homes have already been built or financed or preserved in three years.” Part of the financing for this, the mayor hopes, will come from the “mansion tax” on all homes sold for more than $2 million. The measure failed to gain enough support in 2015, but de Blasio tried again in his recent testimony on state funding for the city’s upcoming budget. Notably absent from the address was a mention of problems at Rikers Island and the multitude of transportation issues slowing

down all forms of transit for New York City commuters. In de Blasio’s only direct mention of Trump, he empathized with those who voted for Trump but are not seeing the change they were hoping for. “A lot of people voted in 2016 based on a pain that was very economic, very real,” he said. “Now, the sad reality is they’re unfortu-

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TRUST VERSUS TRUMP New funding to nonprofit groups opposing the president’s agenda BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office were met with extraordinary public response from New Yorkers, who ooded parks and streets to protest the president’s policies. The political furor evidenced by the highproďŹ le marches and demonstrations translated into monetary support for nonprofits opposing various aspects of Trump’s agenda. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and the Anti-Defamation League all reported surges in donations in response to Trump’s election and his subsequent actions in office. The grassroots support for organizations working against Trump has been mirrored by institutional backing. Last week, the New York Community Trust, one of the region’s largest sources of private funding for nonprofits, announced the allocation of over $800,000 dollars to groups working on such issues as immigration, housing, and reproductive health “to respond to federal policy changes and

advocate against harmful changes to programs.â€? Though NYCT didn’t mention Trump by name in its statement announcing the grants, a number of the organizations selected to receive funding by the trust stand to be impacted by the president’s proposed policies and actions since taking ofďŹ ce. Among the most controversial of Trump’s initial measures was his executive order, issued Jan. 25, expanding federal deportation priorities with respect to unauthorized immigrants. Included in NYCT’s grants was a $261,000 contribution to Human Rights First to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation proceedings. Additionally, the trust announced it would give $100,000 to the New York Immigration Coalition, a policy and advocacy group that recently published what it described as a leaked internal memorandum from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dated Feb. 11 detailing how ICE had arrested “approximately 40 foreign nationalsâ€? in New York City and the surrounding area over the previous week in a “targeted enforcement operation.â€? The New York Times reported

Support for Planned Parenthood at the New York City Women’s March last month. Photo: Narih Lee, via ickr that over 600 people had been arrested in similar operations nationwide over the same period. The memoran-

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dum described the ICE actions in New York as “routine,� but on Sun., Feb. 12, President Trump wrote on Twitter,

“The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise. Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!� The New York Community Trust, established in 1924, helps fund nonprofits with grants from various charitable funds established by donors. The funding awards in response to federal policy changes were part of a $7.65 million package of grants that also funded health care and education initiatives, cultural institutions, and conservation groups. Planned Parenthood of New York City received a $185,000 grant from NYCT to help protect access to reproductive health services. Trump spoke during his campaign of stripping Planned Parenthood of federal funding. Additional grants include $60,000 to the New York Housing Conference to monitor changes to federal housing policy that impact New York City and $300,000 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to advocate for the preservation of federal funding to programs such as Medicaid and food stamps. “At a time when programs to improve health care, support the social safety net, and safeguard the environment are under assault, the trust is working for the well-being of all New Yorkers,� Patricia Jenny, NYCT’s vice president for grants, said in a statement.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct Week to Date

Tony Webster, via ickr

VIOLENT BIKER ARRESTED

SINGLE-SHOE SHOPLIFTER

AIR LIFT

A bicycle rider was arrested after venting his “sidewalk rage.� Late on Feb. 4, a 66-year-old man from the Upper East Side asked a 41-year-old man to move his bike, which was blocking the entrance to a store at 1278 First Ave. The bike rider responded by swinging a chain at the older man, striking him on his arm. The assailant took off heading north on First Avenue on his bike but was apprehended by police at the southwest corner of 110th Street and First Avenue, about two miles north of the incident. He was charged with assault and menacing. The older man refused medical attention.

Shoes are generally acquired in pairs, but not for one shoplifter. At 10 a.m. on Dec. 11, a woman dressed all in black with a black scarf covering her face entered the Christian Louboutin store at 965 Madison Ave., took a single shoe from a display, and placed it in her shopping bag before leaving the store without paying. The shoe was a Harleyda 55 size 36 valued at $2,695. The incident wasn’t reported until earlier this month.

Here’s a cautionary tale for Airbnb renters. At 2 a.m. on Jan. 7, a 34-yearold man returned to his apartment at 220 East 79th St., which he had rented out via Airbnb. He discovered that his temporary tenant had thrown a party in his apartment, and his MacBook Pro was missing, valued at $1,249.

WEED MISDEED Driving drugged is as bad as driving drunk. At 2:20 p.m. on Feb. 5, a police officer observed a black 2003 BMW

Year to Date

2017 2016

% Change

2017

2016

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Rape

0

0

n/a

3

0

n/a

Robbery

1

2

-50.0

6

14

n/a

Felony Assault

4

1

300.0

16

9

n/a

Burglary

2

10

-80.0

14

25

-44.0

Grand Larceny

25

28

n/a

128

128 0.0

Grand Larceny Auto

0

0

n/a

0

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making an improper left turn and unsafely changing lanes, causing other cars to brake short. He pulled over the driver, a 20-year-old man, at the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 86th Street. Further investigation revealed that the driver was operating his vehicle under the inuence of narcotics and was also found to be in possession of marijuana. The driver was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana and moving infractions.

-100.0

PANE PAIN Police are looking for vandals who smashed windows at two neighborhood businesses on one night recently. Between 4 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 5, unknown hooligans broke the windows of the Chenille Organic Cleaners at 1443 Second Ave., causing $1,800 worth of damage, as well as a Pottery Barn Teen store at 1451 Second Ave., breaking its window and causing $250 in damage. No property was taken from either store.

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FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13 FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 Third Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 44

221 E. 75th St.

311

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

New York’s original Playboy Club, on East 59th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, opened in 1962. Above, a release party for Twinn Connexion’s debut album at the club, whose new incarnation will open on West 42nd Street later this year. Photo: Jerry Hopkins, via flickr

THE PLAYBOY CLUB RETURNS West 42nd Street venue to feature lounge, game room, Bunnies BY VERENA DOBNIK

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Three decades after the original Playboy Club closed in Manhattan, an apparent victim of changing American tastes and views on women, a new one will debut later this year in a hotel a few blocks from Times Square. The club on West 42nd Street “will be one of the most chic and sophisticated venues in the world,” promises Playboy Enterprises spokesman John Vlautin. It will have a lounge, a restaurant, a game room and, of course, the Bunnies, though with some updates to the outfits. Other Playboy clubs are already operating in London, the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and several places in India. Another is set to open in the spring in Shanghai. New York’s club will be in the Cachet Boutique New York Hotel, replacing the gay-themed Out Hotel, which closed last year. If the club opens as scheduled, it will be in a city that began the year with hundreds of thousands of women taking to the streets to protest the presidency of Donald Trump, in part because of remarks he made that were perceived as chauvinistic. The timing may be off, says travel guidebook publisher Pauline Frommer. “Retro is in, but I’m not sure this type of retro,” she says. “We live in this era when thousands of women are gathering in marches to protest. I’m not sure the zeit-

geist is right for Playboy now.” Industry observers said the key to success is how the brand will be presented to prospective guests. Will it be seen as a luxurious enclave, a nostalgic throwback, or a place where “75-year-old guys walk around in silk pajamas?” travel guru Peter Greenberg asks. “As a concept, Playboy has the word anachronism written all over it — outdated, irrelevant — so I don’t know what the cachet is today,’’ Greenberg says. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner opened the first club in Chicago in 1960. He quickly expanded the operation to 30 clubs around the world. A chance to leer at the Bunnies wasn’t the only attraction. The clubs also featured top musicians and other entertainers. New York’s version opened on East 59th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues in 1962. The next year, feminist Gloria Steinem worked as an undercover Bunny and wrote an expose for Show Magazine entitled “A Bunny’s Tale.” Among her revelations: The pay was lousy, the male customers propositioned the female staff, and she was forced to get a gynecological exam and take a test for venereal disease before she was hired. Former Bunny Kathryn Leigh Scott has fonder memories of the New York club. An acting student who lived on her minimum-wage pay, plus generous tips, Scott was 19 when she got the job.

“Yes, it was chauvinistic by today’s standards, but back then, one felt protected and there were stringent rules we used to laugh about. It was more paternalistic than chauvinistic,” says Scott, now a Beverly Hills resident and actor who starred in the cult television classic “Dark Shadows.” She said she was never asked to undergo a gynecological exam and was “treated extremely well.” “It was an opportunity and it was fun. You put your school clothes in a locker and put on a satin costume,” she says. Scott, 74, is the author of a history of the Playboy club titled “The Bunny Years,” for which she interviewed 300 former Bunnies. The original clubs remained popular and lucrative for years before faltering in the 1980s. “Bunnies Go From Risque to Passe,” read a Los Angeles Times headline in 1986, the year the club there closed as did the New York one. The original clubs were all defunct by 1991. Changing mores have altered Playboy magazine, too, lately. The magazine, still sold in 23 countries, no longer allows full nudity in the U.S. edition, favoring articles and images of broader news interest. Cooper Hefner, the 25-year-old son of 90-year-old Hugh, is now its chief creative officer. Some industry experts say there may also be marketing appeal left among millennials, and fans of “Mad Men,” a TV show set in the New York where the Playboy Club thrived.

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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DEADLY WORKSITES A map of Manhattan’s 17 constructionrelated fatalities since 2015 BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

New York City legislators are considering a sweeping set of new regulations aimed at improving worksite safety in response to what city council members termed “an alarming increase in construction site in-

juries and fatalities.” Proposed measures include requiring increased safety netting and guardrails to prevent falls, one of the most common types of construction accident, changes in accident reporting requirements, and a controversial training mandate that has sparked rancor between union and non-union construction firms.. There were 30 construction-related deaths reported in New York City in 2015 and 2016. This map shows the 17 fatalities that occurred in Manhattan. Sources: NYC DOB and OSHA

View the interactive map and find out more information about each incident by reading this article online at ourtownnycom.

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Members of Coalition Z, a political action group founded by three students from The Dalton School, made protest signs in opposition to cabinet appointments and executive orders that have defined the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s tenure. Photo: Zoe Davidson 5

CITY TEENS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ed 940,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 in New York City, and more than a million students in the city’s public schools. In an already heavily Democratic area, these young people tend to be some of the most progressive voices. They are tentatively known as Generation Z, and the Center for Generational Kinetics — a research and consulting firm that analyses the various generations and how they interact — found last year that only 24 percent of this age group thinks the country is headed in the right direction, less than 31 percent of millennials who feel positively about the U.S. in terms of economic success and job creation. “The upside of [Generation Z’s] lackluster view of the country’s direction goes hand in hand with this new generation’s pragmatic tendencies,” the report states. “If a realistic and sober estimation of the problems and issues facing us is the best weapon for developing strategies to solve them, it just might be that these youngest citizens will enter adulthood fully aware of reality and equipped to positively impact it.” Evelyn Benson, 17, who joined the student walkout from Eleanor Roosevelt High School on the Upper East Side, was particularly shocked by the confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “I think that the things she wants to do are really harmful and I think she’s obviously not qualified,” said Benson, whose sister has a learning disability. “It scares me for my little sister

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and my cousins and all the people who are gonna have to grow up with [DeVos].” Al Kurland, who fought for legislation in the New York City Council to lower the age limit on joining community boards to 16, said teenagers have a distinct ability to “influence audiences and see things from their point of view.” The bill was passed in 2014 with the help of the nowshuttered Future Voters of America organization, Borough President Gale Brewer’s office and the Police Athletic League. According to Brewer, there are now 35 youth members on nine out of Manhattan’s 12 community boards. “I really believe that young people, if given the chance, have a lot to say,” Brewer said. New York City kids, especially, seem to have more than most. “They’re so much more sophisticated here,” she said. “In New York people grow up faster and have a more diverse and richer experience.” Adding that she thinks the voting age for municipal elections should be lowered to 16 or 17, Brewer said she was confident that the recent surge in youth activism would pay off in the next presidential election, if not sooner. Though they’ve considered joining their community boards, Bryson Wiese and Zoe Davidson, 16-year-old students at The Dalton School, decided to go their own way in getting involved with local and national politics. Along with classmate Alex Lehman, they founded Coalition Z, which Wiese described as a network aiming to combine “collective political power and voices of students to take action together,” after the November election. Coalition Z isn’t directly affiliated with Dalton, and boasts members from 12 different

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schools. About 50 Coalition Z members recently gathered to make calls opposing DeVos’s nomination and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act; they also expressed their support for the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and the City Council’s plastic bag tax. “I think that the most important thing, especially at this stage in our lives, is to get in the habit of being civically engaged,” Davidson said. Coalition Z recently partnered with the Girl Scout Troop that is campaigning for more statues honoring women in Central Park. Researchers estimate that by 2020 more than half of American kids will belong to a minority

race or ethnic group, with that record-breaking diversity also extending to sexual orientation and gender. A tangible change may be apparent as soon as more of the youngest generation reach voting age, but even before then the youth of New York City will be finding new and creative ways to be heard. “Although we do have support from city officials, it’s not enough,” Jamal said. “We need to be a force that they actually need to have permission from us in order to make laws.” Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com

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ENVISIONING FOUR YEARS FROM NOW Activists gather to map out a progressive future BY CLAIRE WANG AND LILY HAIGHT

“It’s 2021, and our movement has won,” Ulli Hussein Barta told a group of people gathered in a muted East Village basement last week. Thursday’s snowstorm, which had shut down public schools and closed businesses, had slowed to flurries as darkness fell. Inside Planeta, a community arts space on East Eighth Street near Avenue B, melted ice dripped down a pile of coats and scarves sitting atop a wooden table. “Close your eyes and imagine what that’s like.” Silence descended on the dimly lit room as Barta’s raspy voice guided the meditation. “Who is president?” she asked. She also asked who they envisioned as Senate and House leaders four years from now, and which alliances attendees had joined and built. Most importantly, she asked, how do you feel about this new country? The responses she received coalesced into a country that has rid Washington of corporate money, broken the two-party system, reinstated respect for facts and protected the environment. For the next hour, the group talked about how best to achieve that vision. More than 30 people attended the Feb. 9 occasion. It was among dozens of so-called Next Up Huddles that took place in Manhattan in last few weeks, gatherings that formed part of the 10 Actions for the First 100 Days campaign, which launched following the Women’s Marches that brought millions to the streets the day after Presi-

dent Donald Trump’s inauguration. “We’re building a network of activists,” said Barta, one of the Planeta huddle’s organizers. “We’re creating a community to support each other and achieve political involvement.” In the last few weeks, veteran and first-time progressive activists have met in community spaces, bars and even apartments all over the world to brainstorm ideas and actions to take in the first three months of Trump’s presidency. Some of the huddles catered to specific groups, such as parents with young kids, or writers and bloggers. As of Feb. 10, more than 4,000 huddles in over 30 countries had been planned, some guided by a step-bystep guide posted on the Women’s March website. In Chelsea on Sunday, 40 women and a few men gathered at the Hudson Guild on West 26th Street. With their eyes closed, they followed a similar ritual to that at Planeta: envisioning 2021 following success for a progressive agenda. “Has anyone ever done anything like this before?” asked Katie Santo, who facilitated the Hudson Guild huddle. To a general shaking of heads, she added, “I’ve never done anything like this before in my life. We’ll figure this out together.” For many of the huddlers in Chelsea, this kind of community organizing was a first-time venture. Two budding activists, Caitlin Klein and Kenzi Locks, decided to host a group of friends for the first action of the 10 Actions in 100 Days movement – writing postcards to U.S. senators – at Locks’ apartment on the Upper West

Huddle organizer Ulli Hussein Barta next to a timeline of actions her group of activists were planning. Photo: Claire Wang Side. But when more than 100 people responded to their Facebook event, they paired up with Karissa BroderickBeck, a career access coordinator at the Hudson Guild, to host the postcard writing event, and then the huddle meeting. With the help of volunteer facilitators like Santo, the Chelsea huddle worked in two groups to come up with action items, focusing largely on local movements, such as attending town halls and community board meetings and joining rallies and protests, as well as just spreading word to friends and family members. After Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detained 40 people in the New York area last week, sanctuary also became a topic of discussion. “As we speak our neighbors are being rounded up and they are being deported,” said Carla Fine, one of the Chelsea huddle attendees who works with the

Judson Memorial Church’s sanctuary movement for undocumented immigrants. “Get to know your neighbors, find out if they are undocumented and offer sanctuary.” The Planeta huddle attracted a diverse group of activists, including French, British, Chinese and Brazilian immigrants. Most were women, but several men were present as well, including Power Malu, the events director at Overthrow Boxing who organizes a donation-based boxing class every Monday to support Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. “We want to use our platform to empower the marginalized,” Malu said. “I’m also here learn how to make the movement grow even more.” Typical of the East Village crowd, most of the attendees came from creative backgrounds: filmmaking, software engineering, fundraising, theater. All

RESIDENTS MOURN YORKVILLE DOORMAN Miguel Gonzalez was shoveling snow when he slipped and fell through a glass door BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

The snowstorm that blanketed the city last week turned tragic on the Upper East Side, when a doorman died after falling through a glass door as he shoveled outside his building. Miguel Gonzalez, 59, was removing snow near the steps leading from the sidewalk to the entrance of 333 East 93rd St., near First Avenue, when he

slipped down the steps and through a glass door at about 9:30 a.m. Feb. 9, suffering fatal wounds. Gonzalez, who lived in Bridgeport, Conn., was a fixture at the building for decades and was reportedly nearing retirement. By this afternoon, the door had been repaired and a makeshift memorial had been assembled in the building’s lobby. Throughout the day, well-wishers dropped off flowers and cards for Gonzalez’s family. “He was such a nice guy,” one tearful neighbor said as she added a bouquet to the display. “He said hello to

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017 were eager to leverage their skills. Some came to the huddle to reconnect with activism while others had specific issues they wanted to tackle. “I’m grateful that I finally have time again to spend hours making phone calls,” said Amy, a semi-retired theater director who took part in the Civil Rights Movement and protests against the Vietnam War. “I have trouble sleeping at night – I have to do something,” she said. “That’s why I’m here.” Alex, a substance abuse counselor in Brooklyn, said that his biggest concern is mass incarceration. “I deal with people who have been involved in the criminal justice system and I’m trying to make a change,” he said, adding that the most effective thing activists can do is to get out of the echo chamber. “Talking only to the same [like-minded] people will not create meaningful change.” Some said a priority was to get Trump impeached and donating to legal campaigns like the ACLU and signing petitions could help move that effort forward. A more clear-cut strategy, some suggested, is to contact and boycott prominent businesses in cahoots with the Trump brand, Barta said. But attendees’ overarching hope, even expectation, is ensuring that Democrats regain control of the House and Senate in the 2018 midterm elections. Several people suggested reaching out to relatives or friends in Midwestern states who oppose Trump’s agenda but are reluctant to speak out in redder states. What resonated in the East Village and in Chelsea was a desire to keep the momentum of the Women’s March moving forward. Gathering in a huddle was a statement, participants said, that new and older activists alike would not grow complacent under the new administration. Trump’s presidency is the result of “20 years of civic engagement karma wave,” Barta said. “We can’t afford to slide into complacency again.”

me every day and I didn’t even live in the building.” “It’s a terrible day,” the doorman manning Gonzalez’s old post said. “Who would think that this could happen? He was just clearing the ice so that everyone else would be safe,” added the man, who declined to give his name. Service Employees International Union 32BJ released a statement honoring Gonzalez, who was a member of the union. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children and all those who knew and cared about him, including his coworkers and the residents of his building,” 32 BJ President Hector Figueroa said in the statement. “Our union family will do all we can to support Miguel’s family in this difficult time.”

Residents and neighbors of 333 East 96th St. assembled a memorial in the building’s lobby for doorman Miguel Gonzalez, who died after falling during the Feb. 9 snowstorm. Photo: Michael Garofalo

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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SPECULATING, WORRYING, HOPING GRAYING NEW YORK BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

It’s coming, it’s really coming. Trader Joe’s is finally coming to the 90s on the Upper West Side, after years of speculation and hope. For ages I’ve been walking by an empty storefront on Columbus Avenue and 93rd Street, which has been the site of the speculation, but with no confirmation. Nobody seemed to know for sure; there didn’t seem to be any construction going on for what seemed like years. And then earlier this month, I walked by and saw some activity. Not one to let an opportunity pass, I peeked inside and saw a human figure in back. “Halloooo,” I called. A man ap-

peared. “Hi there, can you tell me what this is going to be?” He seemed to hesitate, and then finally said, “Trader Joe’s.” I yelled a delighted “Whoopie.” My friends who live farther downtown, mostly in the 70s, are thrilled with their Trader Joe’s. Now we will have our own — Hallelujah. Here’s hoping it brings more stores to Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. There are still a lot of vacant spaces. I’d like to tell you about The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing. Formed in 1976 by a coalition of social service agencies, religious institutions and community organizations, it created a new form of housing to meet the needs of older people and those with special needs. The Marseilles on West 104th

Street was its first building. In 1980, it opened its doors to low income elderly and handicapped people. In addition to providing apartments and services to independent seniors, WSFSSH also serves the frail elderly, the elderly with mental illnesses, the homeless and physically handicapped, as well as providing homes for grandparents raising grandchildren. It has buildings on the Upper West Side, Harlem, Chelsea and the Bronx. All buildings have on-site social services. Since 1980, WSFSSH has renovated or built 24 buildings serving over 1,800 people. They provide independent apartments, single room supportive housing and congregate supportive housing. In the works is WSFSSH at 108th Street. The development would address the shortage of housing for low-income and elderly residents of Manhattan Valley. It would include

healthcare and childcare, among other services. If you think you fit into any of these categories or know someone who does, get in touch with the federation, at 212-864-0940. In these days of impossible rents and gentrifying neighborhoods, an organization like WSFSSH is vitally important in helping those who need it most. I have two kinds of friends; those who can afford assisted-living or retirement homes, and those who can’t. Those who can’t (like me), tend to worry a lot. Those without family worry even more. I know people who live in both kinds of housing; if I could afford it, I’d consider a retirement community. Assisted living only if I needed it. But money is the key, as it always is. I’m lucky to be rent-stabilized, and I’m lucky to have a partner. But who knows who will live longer, who knows what might happen when

SPEAK OUT! SHOW UP! BY BETTE DEWING

As the snow fell last week, it was “Shovel Out!” But with myriad local stores closed by anti-small business forces, fewer concerned shopkeepers were there to do the job promptly and correctly. Or at all. As Our Town readers know, an Upper Eastsider, Antal Kiss, was tragically killed when he slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk last month — not far from the Second Avenue subway stop. Who would have thought that those businesses which survived the decade of subway construction chaos, and were supposed to be helped by the new line’s completion, would now suffer from an influx of food trucks parked near the subway stops? Aaaugh! (In Our Town Feb. 2-8, reporter Laura Hanrahan’s story, “Food Carts Proliferate after Subway Opening,” is required reading.) Thankfully, their owners are taking this latest assault to Community Board 8 and calling 311. But the help they need most is from the community at large, which can’t afford to lose any more local “brick and mortar” eater-

ies where you can sit down and break bread, alone or with company. Or get in out of the cold, heat and maddening crowd. And while contacting elected officials and civic groups is essential, what’s needed most are on-site protests — especially from older people who have the time and a critical need for these lifeline places. They can sit on folding chairs or in wheelchairs and on walker seats. Even just two or three there on a daily basis with “Save Our Stores/Rome is Burning” signs will raise awareness — and get media coverage. Speak out, too — politely, but firmly. Which reminds me of Upper East Side elder Claire Rubin, who is not silent when motor vehicles fail to yield, and bikes — well, you know what they fail to do. This woman who chose Manhattan as her retirement home (she had been a junior high educator in Newton, Massachusetts) says maybe she shouldn’t speak out on the street, however politely. But we say, “if only more people did !” — and about so much more. Claire also made her co-op home more neighborly when, rather

A proliferation of food carts have set up shop along Second Avenue following the completion of the subway line there. Omar Ismail’s cart, pictured, is one of four that were doing business Tuesday morning near the northwest entrance to the 72nd Street station. Photo: Richard Khavkine than filling mail boxes with community board meeting notices, she stood in the lobby and handed them out with a smile and the words, “Thank you so much if you can make it.” Some residents said that personal effort did prompt their attendance, and they welcomed that neighborly action. So just a little shoutout, indeed a perennial valentine, to good neighbor/ citizen Claire — and to others who so quietly help build community in their

own back yard. Elder people have the time and concern but need the encouragement to be their local — yes — Paul Reveres! And all concerned need Daniel Victor’s message in the Times editorial, “Here’s Why You should Call, Not Email Your Legislators.” Legislators pay more attention to phone calls, says considerable research, and staff members taking the calls keep a record of how many certain concerns receive.

I’m old? Oh wait, I am old. I mean really old. I’m about to get a springing power of attorney (it springs into action when I’m not longer able to make my own decisions). Still, I have the fear of many of my friends that I’ll end up in an awful nursing home. It’s the stuff of old-age nightmares. So, does money buy happiness? No, but it probably does buy some peace of mind. One last comment. If you get a call from a number you don’t know, and someone asks “Can you hear me?”, just hang up. This is called a voice signature and can be used by scammers for a variety of things, such as overseas telephoning, utility bills, or products and services. It’s also used to serve as your consent to upgrade a plan you may have. It’s a sad world when we have to be careful of a simple phone call, but so be it. Be alert, be careful, avoid being sorry.

And hey, with cell phones, we can call them (a lot) while, say, politely but firmly protesting food trucks parked near a Second Avenue Subway stop. This latest assault on small business, “has just got to be nipped in the bud — right this minute!” to quote Andy Griffin’s deputy sheriff, Barney Fife. And heed former 19th Precinct Community Police Officers, Steve Petrillo and Lou Uliani’s repeated advice to the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association: “Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!” So squeak already to policymakers by email, “real mail,” as well as by phone. And squeak in person at their local offices and at civic meetings. Numbers count. And build community and inclusion by the able-bodied helping those who are not. Attend those meetings and those “sit-in” protest sites, especially now, sending those food trucks packing to places that really need their wares. Some local numbers to call are found in this paper’s “Helpful Contacts” column. Of course, contact media, which so shape customs and views, and can hold policymakers’ feet to the fire. It can be done if enough of us try — if enough of us try, Rome is burning, is burning — in our own backyard. dewingbetter@aol.com

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FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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NOT-SO-HIGH HOPES Sutton Place community rallies for a “race against time�

objections from the community to the proposed construction of an 850-foot luxury residential tower at 430 East 58th Street. “I think there’s nothing better than getting a shitload of letters before you even start,� Borough President Gale Brewer told attendees of a town hall on Friday, Feb. 10, encouraging them to raise their voices. “It is necessary to make sure the advocacy is there.� Approximately 80 people gathered in the Skytop Lounge of the Plaza 400 to

BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

Residents of Sutton Place, the neighborhood between First Avenue and the East River from 53rd to 59th Streets, are pinning their hopes on Marisa Lago, the incoming director of the Department of City Planning. When Lago’s tenure begins on March 1, her desk could be piled high with

hear updates on the tower’s progress, sign a petition and donate to the cost of opposing it. After plans for the tower were announced in 2015, neighbors sprang into action to form the East River Fifties Alliance (ERFA). The group hired planners and consultants to help develop a zoning text amendment that would limit building heights to 260 feet, as well as requesting more affordable housing, which the Alliance ďŹ led to the Department of City Planning this past December. “ERFA is proposing a contextual district that would prevent supertowers through height limits, and would provide greater incentives for affordable housing, and design controls for wide buildings,â€? the application reads. It cited, as in-

How the Sutton Place tower would have stacked up, in an image distributed by the developer.

spiration for the zoning text amendment, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “mandate to make all of New York City a diverse and balanced community.â€? The Department of City Planning has yet to certify the group’s application as complete so that it may begin undergoing the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Meanwhile, the Sutton Place tower has been beset by issues — both ďŹ nancial and social — since the beginning, and was sold to Gamma Real Estate at a foreclosure auction this past December. In January, the plans to move forward with construction were rejected by the Department of Buildings as incomplete, though a spokesperson for the agency told DNAinfo at the time that this was not unusual for new building permits. With both the rezoning application and the Sutton place plans currently stalled, it is now a question of what will be approved ďŹ rst. “We are all in a race against time,â€? Lisa Mercurio, the Alliance’s director of communications, said at the town hall. “We believe we’ve ďŹ led a complete application, and frankly we can’t understand why this process is taking so long. If the foundation is poured for [the tower] before the zoning law can be amended, it’s game over.â€? Brewer suggested that the city planning commission’s concern was setting a precedent, which she called “a ridiculous reasonâ€? not to approve the community’s application. Zoning tends to be regulated by the city, and the efforts of the East River Fifties neighborhoods to determine its own fate are rare. Brewer was joined at the town hall by State Senator Liz Krueger, Council Member Ben Kallos and Council Member Dan Garodnick, who expressed their unwavering support for the Alliance’s proposed zoning text amendment. Kallos, who has secured several stop work orders against the construction already underway on the project, assured residents that he would con-

A rendering of a Sutton Place tower proposed in 2015 that would have been among the tallest in Manhattan. tinue ďŹ ghting the developers at every turn. “We will be there as a community to stop them,â€? he said. The East River Fifties residents will likely be some of the ďŹ rst New Yorkers to schedule an appointment with Lago when she takes office in March. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com

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come find out how to

protect your loved ones.

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

STEPHEN DUER, &HUWLÂżHG 3UHVHQWHU 5693 WR /DXULH 'L0DXUR $GYDQFH 3ODQQLQJ &RXQVHORU DW

We invite the community to join us for

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH Come and Sample Healthy Treats Each week we will cover a different topic and provide prizes and healthy food samples to participants.

Wednesdays Location March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 Main Lobby, Gracie Square Hospital 12 noon – 2 pm 420 East 76th Street between First and York Avenues

Thu 16 Fri 17

Sat 18

HEART HEALTH

ALL-DAY SIT

ABOUT LOVE

Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th St. (Cayuga Room) Noon-3 p.m. Free Two cardiologists, nurse practitioner, with medicine and cardiology departments do screenings: cholesterol, blood pressure, vein, cardiac and more. hearthealth.weillcornell.org

Quest Bookshop, 240 East 53rd St. 6:30 p.m. RSVP judithmcosta@hotmail.com If you want to know more about love, attend this lecture to discover how to love and how to be loved with ease, and to being joyful. 212-758-5521.

RENAISSANCE VENICE

â–˛ MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Ave. 6-8 p.m. Free Talks that explore La Serenissima’s (Venice’s) social, cultural and political history, with two authors, Alessandro Barbero and Edward Muir Jr. 212-879-4242. iicnewyork. esteri.it

New School, 63 Fifth Ave., room U100 7 p.m. Free Mannes School of Music Festival 2017 presents music by Hindemith, Bartok, Sibelius, Ravel, Puccini and others. 212-229-5600. newschool. edu/mannes

Zen Studies Society, 223 East 67th St. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. $40 Hokuto Daniel Diffin Sensei leads a Parinirvana all-day sit in commemoration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s ďŹ nal entrance into Nirvana. 212-861-3333. zenstudies.org

FRENCH STORY HR. Albertine Books, 972 Fifth Ave. 11 a.m. Free For kids, ages three and up; reading, in French. 212-439-14167. albertine.com

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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Honor & Recognize The Top Contributors to a Better Life on the West Side Hector Batista Big Brothers & Sisters of NYC

Tom Bernstein, Roland Betts David Tewksbury Chelsea Piers Rev. Robert Brashear West Park Presbyterian Church

Renee Edelman Children’s Museum of Manhattan

Officer Jack Etter 20th precinct

Olive Freud Committee for Environmentally Safe Development

Photo by Charlotta Wasteson via Flickr

Sun 19

19th c. French Novels,” about involvement with fine arts by novelists Zola, Proust, Maupassant and others. 212-650-0070. albertine.com

MUSLIM VIEW All Souls Church, 1157 Lexington Ave. 11:15-12:15 p.m. Series explores principal texts, concepts and ideas that constitute Muslim worldview; grounds upon which Muslims agree and disagree, unite and divide. 212-535-5530. allsoulsnyc. org

ORGAN RECITAL St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue & 50th Street 3:15 p.m. Free Hailed as “elegantly assured,” Damin Spritzer in performance. 212-753-2261. saintpatrickscathedral.org

Mon 20 FRENCH TALK Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave. 7 p.m. Free Author of “The Brush: How Passion for Art Shaped

$1 OYSTERS The Milton, 1754 Second Ave. 4 p.m.-Midnight Food & drink specials start at 4 p.m., and The James Zeller Trio at 7 p.m. It’s Prohibition Mondays so get out your bow ties & flapper dresses. 212-369-1900. themiltonnyc. com

Tue 21 THE DRESSMAKER’S SECRET 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th St. 7:30 p.m. $25 Robi, eager to escape oppression of communist Romania and forge a new life in the west, must decide whether to embrace his ancestry or run. 212-753-5959, ext. 101. 59e59.org

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Officer Edward Groger

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 East 61st St. 1-3 p.m. $15 Celebrate the birthday of our first president with music & dance as done in 19th century. Costumed dancers perform and teach traditional country dances. 212-838-6878. mvhm.org

20th precinct

Rabbi Joy Levitt JCC Manhattan

Robert and Judith Long Long’s Bedding

Capt. Ciro Napolitano

Wed 22

FDNY

Scott Parker PS 452

IMAGES OF VALUE

Linda Rosenthal

The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free “The Artwork Behind Security Engraving 1830s-1980s,” surveys 150 years of watercolor drawings, prints and photographs used as engraving subjects by U.S. bank firms, 212-838-6690. grolierclub.org

NY State Assemblymember

Kate Wood Landmark West

Sponsor the Spirit’s WESTY’S Issue February 23 Call Vincent Gardino for rates @ 212.868.0190 x407 or advertising@strausnews.com

PORCELAIN The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $22 Year-long exhibition exploring complex history of making, collecting and displaying porcelain, including pieces produced by renowned Royal Meissen manufactory. 212-288-0700. frick.org

Sponsored in part by

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SKIN DEEP A flashy show at the New-York Historical Society traces the evolution of tattooing in the Big Apple BY VAL CASTRONOVO

Captain James Cook, a Brit, brought the name back from the South Pacific. They have marked the skins of tribesmen, princes, socialites, sailors and sideshow attractions at the circus. The city banned them in 1961, after a hepatitis B outbreak, but the craft migrated underground to apartments and back rooms, and above ground to art galleries and museums. The ban was repealed in 1997, and now skin art has gone mainstream.

John Simon (ca. 1675–1751) after John Verelst (1648–1734). Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, King of the Maquas, 1710. Mezzotint. New-York Historical Society Library

“New York is the birthplace of modmod d ern tattooing. The tattoo machine was developed here,” e,” Cristian Petru Panaite, the curator, tor, said at a preview of “Tattooed New w York,” a presentation of some 250 items ems illustrating more than 300 yearss of tattoo history. The turn-of-the-century ntury machine, based on Thomas Edison’s son’s electric pen, “revolutionized the e craft. It made it cheaper and opened it to the community.” Indeed, New Yorkers from all walks of life wanted to get tattooed. A photomonhotomontage at the exhibit’s xhibit’s entrance includes cludes images of Teddy Roosevelt, Dorothy rothy Parker and a “man in Times Square.” are.” Parker sports a star tattoo on her wrist; T.R. is rumored ored to have worn the family crest on n his chest. R.H. Macy, acy, the founder of the department store, ore, boasted a red star on his hand or arm, which inspired d the company’s iconic onic logo (and looked d like Parker’s tattoo). ). Think of the gallery, with paintings, s, photos, prints, banners, ers, flash (tattoo design)) sheets and other tools of the trade, as a giant tattoo o parlor, which it will literally become on select Fridays and weekends eekends when the Society presents live demonstrations featuring tattoo artists from the five boroughs. This is wearable art, with the body as canvas. Panaite has traced its roots back to the region’s Native Americans, who poked and scratched and used pigments to create markings that they believed had the power to heal and protect — and used to declare identity and battle victories. One Seneca Indian signed a fur-trading account book (1695-1726), on display, with a pictograph representing his trademark tattoos. Other early items include four mezzotints from 1710 that picture inked Mohawk and Mohican tribal leaders who went to London to request aid from Queen Anne to fight the French and their Ojibwe allies. The prints are among the first works of art to capture Native American tattooing. Soldiers and sailors in North America first used tattoos for identification purposes. In the 1800s, tattooing, like

Lady Liberty, American traditional backpiece, by Michelle Myles on model Evan Hall. 2016. Digital print on aluminum. Photo: Dale May scrimshaw, became a popular pastime on the high seas, and its uses evolved to mark memories of voyages and bring luck to a sailor. Design sheets line the walls, with symbolic images of pigs and roosters (protection from drowning if inked on feet), eagles (honor), anchors (stability) and swal-

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Tattooed New York” WHERE: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (at 77th Street) WHEN: through April 30 www.nyhistory.org

lows (miles traveled). travele “One swallow stood for 5,000 miles,” Panaite said, mi adding that sailors who were looking to “make a buck” w would show off their ink at sideshows in New York. But women were iin on the game, too — high-society lad ladies and “tattooed ladies” at Coney Island and on the I Bowery — and their contributions are a focus of the show. Tattoos were quite fashionable until W World War II and garnered plenty of press coverage. In 1901, the New York World, the “TM “TMZ of its day,” ran the screaming headline: scr “Mrs. Amy Gillig Starts Newest Newe Fad, Tattooed Marriage Initials In Mar Place of Engagement Plac Ring.” Ring And rumors swirled that Vanderswi bilt heirs were getting tattooed. tat L ess for t u n ate women, however, w saw sa economic opportunity in getting p inked. Beginning in in the th late 1860s, “Opportunities were p limited. Women li could sustain themco selves by becoming se sideshow tattoo atsid tractions ... and feel trac empowered by their empo tattoos. These were very tattoos business ssavvy women,” the said. curator said Enter sidesho sideshow stars Nora Hildebrandt, La B Belle Irene and Betty Broadbent, the last an attraction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair for her head-to-toe ornamentation. Mildred Hull, the “Queen of the Bowery,” was the first woman to open a shop on skid row and a tattooer herself. Her 1939 portrait with Charlie Wagner (“the Michelangelo of tattoo artists”) in the act of decorating her forearm is a wild canvas for some of the more than 300 images she created, including an alleged butterfly “in a spot not visible to the public,” a label states. In the 1970s, female tattoo artists began to proliferate, and the tattoo had become a way for women to reclaim their bodies and proclaim independence and personal style. Exhibit photos of breast cancer survivors with elaborate designs, concealing scars, signal transformation and pack an emotional wallop. During the ban, practitioners had to be on the alert for police raids. Tony D’Annessa, who had a shop on West 48th Street, kept his flash on window

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

shades that could be rolled up if the cops came. See one here, along with a diorama of Tony Polito’s basement studio in Crown Heights. The curator’s hope for the show is that viewers recognize that tattooing, however controversial, “is an art form like any other. It’s just another form of personal expression.”

John Wyatt (b. 1942). Thom de Vita and client in his studio at 326 East Fourth Street, 1976. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist

Tony D’Annessa (b. 1935). Window shade with flash designs from Tony D’Annessa’s tattoo shop on W. 48th Street, ca. 1962. Ink outline with markers coloring on vinyl. Collection of Tony D’Annessa and Dave Cummings, PSC Tattoo, Montreal

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Donny McCaslin and his quartet play the BRIC JazzFest Marathon in Brooklyn in October 2015. Photo: Steven Pisano

BOWIE’S LAST BAND GATHERS ACCOLADES Donny McCaslin’s group backed the late singersongwriter on “Blackstar,” which won five Grammys BY CHARLES J. GANS

Saxophonist Donny McCaslin will never forget the last time he saw David Bowie. He got a hug from the rock legend as they listened to the finished version of his last album, “Blackstar.” Bowie had unexpectedly chosen McCaslin’s cutting-edge, New York-based jazz quartet to record “Blackstar.” After mixing and mastering the album, Bowie invited McCaslin to his lower Manhattan home for a listening session in November 2015. McCaslin was sitting and listening to the music with his eyes closed when Bowie walked into the room and embraced him. “I told him how much I loved the record and how beautiful it was to me to hear it ... and just what a brilliant piece of art it is. And he was so happy that I was happy,” McCaslin recalled. ``The joy on his face was beautiful.” At the time, Bowie had talked about recording more songs and sitting in with McCaslin’s band at an upcoming gig at the Village Vanguard jazz club. But Bowie died of liver cancer on Jan. 10, 2016, just two days after “Blackstar” was released on his 69th birthday. At Sunday’s Grammy Awards,

the record picked up all five Grammys for which it was nominated: best recording package, engineered album — non-classical, alternative music album, rock performance and rock song. “I wish David was here to see all the love and appreciation for the record,” said McCaslin, who collected the awards. “It’s been a privilege for me to meet so many of his fans this past year who love the record and whose lives he touched deeply with his art. I know for all of us in the band working with him was a transformative experience that we’ll carry with us the rest of our lives.” McCaslin’s band — with keyboardist Jason Lindner, electric bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana — channeled the grief they felt over Bowie’s death through music. Just weeks later, in every set at the Village Vanguard, they played “Warszawa,” the hauntingly brooding anthem that Bowie co-wrote with Brian Eno for the 1977 album “Low.” McCaslin says his band’s new album “Beyond Now,” released in October, was very much influenced by their experience working with Bowie. It includes covers of two Bowie tunes — “Warszawa” and 1995’s “A Small Plot of Land,” featuring guest vocalist Jeff Taylor. “Beyond Now” also features covers of tunes by Deadmau5, MUTEMATH and the Chainsmokers, reflecting the band’s interest in “exploring this in-

tersection of improvisation and electronica music,” McCaslin said. McCaslin says Bowie was into “exploring new territory and doing something cuttingedge” on “Blackstar,” and it was his quartet’s willingness to push boundaries that attracted the rock legend. Tony Visconti, Bowie’s producer, said McCaslin’s band “was told to do their ‘thing,’ and not think of it as a commercial rock record.” McCaslin received two of his three Grammy nominations for his soaring solos with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, and it was Schneider who brought Bowie to Greenwich Village’s tiny 55 Bar in June 2014 to hear McCaslin’s band. McCaslin first worked with Bowie on the single “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime),” for which Schneider won an arranging Grammy last year. Bowie began sending the saxophonist demos of his new songs and invited him to record “Blackstar.” McCaslin says Bowie was “no diva type” and was “gracious, warm and humble,” creating an environment that “brings out the best in those around him.” “It was really inspiring to see him at that stage of his career ... his fearlessness as an artist just going for realizing his musical vision,” the 50-year-old McCaslin said. “That’s the way I want to live and be when I’m 68 years old.”

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Washington’s Birthday Ball

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH, 1PM Mount Vernon Hotel | 421 E. 61st St. | 212-838-6878 | mvhm.org Party like it’s 1830 at a party celebrating the first president’s birthday in the same way as our 19th century ancestors would have. ($15)

An Evening with Al Gore

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, 7:30PM Temple Emanu-El | 1 E. 65th St. | 888-718-4253 | emanuelnyc.org Ten years after the release of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Vice President Al Gore offers the latest data on climate change and poses essential questions for the future of the planet. ($45)

Just Announced | The First 100 Days: Economic Policy

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 6:30PM Graduate Center, CUNY | 365 Fifth Ave. | 212-817-7000 | gc.cuny.edu Will Donald Trump do for America what he did for Atlantic City? A range of political POVs will be represented in a panel on “Trumponomics,” headlined by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. (Free, reservation required)

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

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

14

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

Bakery On 3rd Cafe

1885 3Rd Ave

Grade Pending (29) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Tre Otto

1410 Madison Ave

A

Delicious

1974A 2Nd Ave

A

Champignon Cafe

1389 Madison Ave

A

Texas Chicken And Burgers

1974 2Nd Ave

A

Sams Famous Pizza

150 East 116 Street

A

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

1908 3Rd Ave

A

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant

209 East 116 Street

A

The Duck

2171 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (26) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Cross Culture Kitchen

62 East 116Th St

Grade Pending (25) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

FEB 2 - 8, 2017 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/restaurantinspection.shtml. Union Club Of City Of New York

101 East 69 Street

A

Muscle Maker Grill

1413 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (24) 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Six Happiness

East Side Billiard

1413 2Nd Ave

163 East 86 Street

Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Grade Pending (37) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Roma Pizza

1568 3 Avenue

A

Effy’s Kitchen

1567 Lexington Ave

A

Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins

1392 Lexington Avenue

A

1 Up Bistro

1404 Madison Ave

Grade Pending (4)

Bean Y Vino

153 E 104Th St

C

Wok 88

1570 3 Avenue

A

Mojito’s

227 East 116 Street

A

Dtut

1744 2Nd Ave

A

Triple A Diner

2061 2 Avenue

Bluestone Lane

2 E 90Th St

A

Big Bowl

1764 1St Ave

A

Grade Pending (19) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Sabor A Mexico

1744 First Avenue

A

Dunkin’ Donuts

Midnight Express

1715 2 Avenue

A

Dunkin’ Donuts

200 East 89 Street

A

The District

1679 3 Avenue

A

A-Jiao Sichuan Cuisine

1817 2Nd Ave

A

159 East 116Th Street Grade Pending (40) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

1754 2Nd Ave

Grade Pending (19) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

East Harlem Bottling Co

1711 Lexington Ave

The Milton

Not Yet Graded (20) Food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. A

1678 1St Ave

A

El Nuevo Caridad Restaurant

225759 2Nd Ave

Shorty’s Marco Polo Pizza & Deli

1289 Madison Avenue A

Tasty Mug Cafe

1798 3Rd Ave

Lexington Pizza Parlor

1590 Lexington Ave

A

Raspberry Deli & Grocery

2127 2 Avenue

A

Not Yet Graded (13) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Taqueria Guadalupe

1743 Lexington Avenue

A

Oriental Palace Kitchen

1728 Madison Avenue A

White Castle

351 East 103 Street

A

Rao’s Bar & Grill

455 East 114 Street

A

Gong Thai Restaurant

173 East 99 Street

A

El Paso Taqueria

64 East 97 Street

A

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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WHY DID THE PUREBRED CROSS THE ROAD? DOG SHOW For Westminster, Jerry Grymek has been on the spot—for Spot BY GAIL EISENBERG

(Warning: animal puns ahead.) Hotel Pennsylvania turned into something of a HairBnB this week as the midtown spot hosts/hosted nearly 500 dogs competing in the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show across the street at Madison Square Garden. The hotel is pet-friendly throughout the year, but seriously pups their game every February for the annual event. Jerry Grymek, top dog of Pooch Relations (PR) and Barketing, has spearheaded the effort for two-plus dog years. “I started doing PR for the hotel

about the same time we began seeing growth in pet requests during Westminster and decided to expand services for the VIPs — Very Important Pooches,” says Grymek. The Room to Groom S’paw equipped with bathing tubs, grooming tables, fitness equipment, and a relieving area is among the added amenities available to guests during the Dog Show. A heightened sense of the lengths to which people go for these competitors is also on display. Grymek has happily granted many unusual wishes over the years, such as rolling out a red carpet for a dog’s arrival, sending cots to pet parents so their dogs can have their beds, and ordering in special comfort food. “I’ve assisted with getting them seven cheeseburgers — hold the onions

Jerry Grymek, concierge to the Very Important Pooches participating in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, with a trio of clients. Photo: Ryan Segedi

— and spinach pizza,” says the doggie concierge. But his favorite inquiry was for Ecco D’Oro, a rare breed Spinone Italiano, who loved opera. As a pre-Show ritual, Grymek worked his magic to secure a New York City opera singer to serenade the furry participant. “The dog was dressed up in a tuxedo for the performance and we sectioned off an area so people could listen and watch,” says Grymek. “Ecco was so relaxed during the performance, and even howled for an encore!” Over the years, the hotel has hosted Best in Show winners, including Uno and Rufus — the first-ever beagle and bull terrier — to take top honors at Westminster. “We like to think the hotel gives our guests some good luck for the show,” says Grymek. “And as a special thanks, we comp the entire stay for those Best in Show winners.” What’s more, the Hotel Pennsylvania’s year-round animal policy is on a very long leash. There are no restrictions on the size or the kinds of pets allowed — near-300-lb. St. Bernards, cats, lizards, snakes, bats, and the like are all welcome with open paws, says Grymek. “The key is letting the front desk know. This way housekeeping doesn’t get scared.”

Hayden, a 20-month old standard Poodle, being groomed for his first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Photo: Ryan Segedi

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Business

FASHION WITH A MESSAGE Lithuanian designer Vilma Mare focuses on cultural strength and the power of nature BY LAURA HANRAHAN

When it comes to an atypical New York Fashion Week event, Lithuanian designer Vilma Mare brought her own flair with her “Creating Beauty That Protects” show. Operating as more of a gallery installation than a runway show, Mare displayed her creations in a square-shaped room at the Consulate of Lithuania on Fifth Avenue and 37th Street. In each corner was a live model, with mannequins strung from the ceiling with fishing twine. What made the garments, constructed almost exclusively out of sturdy boiled wool, immediately stand out was the fact that the seams were on the outside. “As long as I keep the edge nice and sharp, that fabric looks done after cutting and the edge is so beautiful that I turned it out,” Mare said at the event’s closing party on Feb. 13. Mare has spent time rediscovering the Baltic culture that was suppressed when Christianity came to Lithuania. The strength of her ancestors is what she hopes will come

across in her designs. “Studying, I found out lots of things,” Mare said. “When women would be beautifying themselves, not to be pretty, not to be outstanding, but to work on their success, to work on their protection, that was a very strong message.” The clothing, using an earth-toned palette, featured high collars and strong, fitted lines. The models wore large headpieces, sturdy boots and wrist cuffs, emphasizing the message of empowered female protectors. In addition, it was a message that Mare wanted to put across in a sustainable way. “As I realized the importance of nature to our overall health and security, I find myself feeling deeply about the current ecological crisis that our planet is facing and the fashion world’s impact on it,” Mare said. Behind the models and mannequins hung floor-to-ceiling tapestries of trees, and branches fixed to the wall and ceiling draped with traditional flags. “Trees are our protectors,” Mare said. “Baltic temples were in the forest so people would go and talk their sorrows to the trees. That was another interesting message to learn

At Vilma Mare’s Fashion Week show at the Lithuanian Consulate on Fifth Avenue . Photo: Laura Hanrahan when I was turning 50.” Corey Aldrich, owner of Electric City Couture, which produced the show, echoed Mare’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of sup-

porting smaller designers, as opposed to mass-produced brands. “There’s a strong message that we’re interested in promoting and that is sustainable fashion is about

POLITICS TAKE OFF ON THE RUNWAY New York Fashion Week got into full swing last week BY JOCELYN NOVECK

The message could not have been clearer or more pointed: Raf Simons’ debut collection for Calvin Klein opened and closed with the David Bowie song “This is Not America.” “When you have a voice, you should use it,” Simons said backstage just last week at his own label’s menswear show. And now, for his much-awaited bow Feb. 10 with new employer Calvin Klein — for which he has moved to New York — the Belgian designer was using his. The soundtrack wasn’t the only means Simons used to put across his message. A day earlier, Calvin Klein had sent guests patterned bandanas, with a note saying: “Unity, inclusion, hope and acceptance: Join us at Calvin Klein in wearing the white bandanna. (hash)tiedtogether.”

The clothes, too — designed along with the label’s Pieter Mulier — were meant to display an inclusive message, sort of a melting pot of styles. “It reflects the environment,” Simons wrote in the show notes. “It is the coming together of different characters and different individuals — just like America itself.” There were nods to the American West for both women and men, with denim jackets over loose jeans, or colorful cowboy-style shirts. There was sporty America, in striped tube-sock sleeves — similar to the arm-warmers shown by his men’s label. There were crisp business-like suits in black and white, and coats in colorful quilt patterns. Supermodel Lauren Hutton, among the celebrity attendees who also included Sarah Jessica Parker, Greta Gerwig and Sofia Coppola, praised both the show’s contents and its messaging. “He’s a new miracle,” she said back-

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

stage of Simon’s arrival at the label, a post the former Dior designer has taken over from Francisco Costa. Asked whether politics should have an expression in fashion, she said: “I think that’s what all art is for. Fashion, if it’s good, always has something to say about society.” Designer Diane von Furstenberg also was among the front-row guests. She wore a large button that said: “Fashion starts with Planned Parenthood.” “It’s not about politics,” she explained. “It’s about women’s rights, about the body, and about human rights.”

A MILESTONE FOR JASON WU It was back in 2009 that Jason Wu vaulted to prominence as the chosen designer of Michelle Obama’s first inaugural gown. For good measure, he repeated the feat four years later. This year, he’s celebrating the 10th anniversary of his label, and he marked the occasion last week with a display of wearable, elegant designs at

Jason Wu catapulted to prominence in 2009 as the designer of Michelle Obama’s first inaugural gown. Last week, he celebrated the 10th anniversary of his label with a display of wearable, elegant designs at New York Fashion Week. Above, Wu with Michelle Obama in 2010, with the gown he designed. Photo: Tom Bridge, via flickr

scale, and sustainable fashion is about supporting the makers directly,” Aldrich said. “I think the industry is kind of trending towards people wanting to find more meaning in what they’re purchasing, and what we wear is a very intimate part of what we communicate to the world around us.” Claudia Marzotta, owner of Moda Lab, a fashion development studio in Miami, came to Mare’s event precisely so she could see the collection and interact with the designer oneon-one. “I like the intimate type of event,” she said. In the center of the room was a long wooden table covered with feathers and tree bark. The table, Mare said, was her homage to the people at Standing Rock, to whom she dedicated the event. “They have lost so much and yet they continue to strive to protect us all,” Mare said. “These are indigenous people here who also don’t want to lose their identity and the table is devoted to them because they still feed us, the fertile ground that we stand on.” Aldrich explained Mare’s wish to have a legacy of leaving the world a better place than she found it through her designs. “Fashion is political and when fashion can make a statement that’s positive, that empowers people, that changes things,” he said. “Fashion is powerful.”

the St. Regis Hotel that showed his talent for turning out pretty yet unfussy clothes. The collection was focused on “the luxurious femininity at the core of the house,” Wu said in the show notes. It featured soft suits and flowing dresses in fabrics like velvet, tulle, and chiffon. A shoulder-baring dress and a billowing top were both fashioned of a black gauzy material dotted with pale green velvet. Colors ranged from “lipstick reds” to “amber golds” to “juniper greens.” Accents included grommets and pearls. Printed chiffons were embellished with what the label said were “thousands of crystals, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.” Among the celebrities present were film actress Diane Kruger and modelactress Amber Valletta. But the star of the front row — at least judging from the oohs and aahs coming from photographers — was Adriana Lima, the Brazilian Victoria’s Secret model, in a hot pink satin dress and black leather jacket. She was photographed with the jacket on, but her later removal of said jacket was enough to get the shutters clicking again furiously.

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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YEAR-LONG REVIEW FOR HOUSING PROJECT West 108th Street development would create hundreds of units but opposition builds BY RAZI SYED

Community groups and stakeholders are gearing up to for a lengthy public process to review the development of a proposed Manhattan Valley affordable housing facility, which has already drawn heated debate. The facility, which would expand a homeless shelter on West 108th Street and create hundreds of new units of affordable housing, will be built on the footprint of two existing city-owned parking garages. The loss of hundreds of parking spaces and the prospect of noisy construction has mobilized Save Manhattan Valley, a group of local residents who have been leading a months-long effort to stop the development. The group has collected over 1,700 signatures in support of their goals. Because public land is being used for the project, it is subject to the city’s uniform land-use review procedure, which requires public hearings as well as an advisory review by Community Board 7. The process is set to begin this spring. Save Manhattan Valley has been unsuccessfully attempting to meet city officials, said Michael Hiller, an attorney retained by the group, who pointed to the fact that the land-use review begins only after the city has decided to move forward on the development. Save Manhattan Valley believes there are other sites that can be used for the facility without affecting the neighborhood’s residents, Hiller said. He pointed to a 2014 study by the Municipal Arts Society of New York which counted more than 3,100 city-owned sites with no current use. “We are prepared to identify at least 10 facilities which will be suitable for this process, with no or limited displacement,” Hiller said. “It’s not as if the people of Manhattan Valley

don’t care about supportive housing; they do. But when the adverse effects threaten harm to their children and other neighborhood residents, they have to take a stand.” The demolition of the parking garages has been one of the major sticking points for the group, whose members worry that people who depend on their cars may be unable to find street parking. According to a city-commissioned study, the two largest garages have a capacity of 550 vehicles, though the study acknowledges that the vehicles parked inside can exceed the capacity if the aisles and elevators are used. The demolition of a third parking garage, with a capacity of 125 vehicles, was planned initially but the city has since announced that it will remain for at least another five years. The city’s review will take most of this year, at the end of which The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, a nonprofit that manages affordable housing complexes in the city, hopes to begin construction. As proposed, the new building will be 11 stories, requiring a zoning variance to build higher than the seven stories zoning regulations allow. The facility will expand the current WSFSSH-run shelter from 92 beds to 110 beds. There will be an additional 120 supportive housing units for seniors and 74 new apartment for families. All are reserved for people making less than the area median income. But with skyrocketing rents and rising homelessness in the city, those touting the project say the inconveniences are worth tolerating. “There’s an affordable neighborhood crisis,” said Manhattan Valley resident Julie Hertzog, who consults with a national affordable housing advocacy organization but is not affiliated with the WSFSSH project. “We need these units.” Median rates for housing in Manhattan Valley as of Sunday ranged

CITY BORO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nately seeing the exact opposite of what many of them thought they were voting for.” The mayor went on to reassure viewers of his commitment to remaining a sanctuary city, and to continue to provide services like health insurance. Brewer’s State of the Borough took on a less formal tone, consisting of comparatively brief remarks that also put housing front and center. “Getting more affordable housing into every new residential development that comes

A rendering of an affordable housing develoment proposed for West 108th Street. Courtesy of Dattner Architects

from $2,150 for a studio to $3,750 for a three-bedroom, according to RentHop. Rent levels for the West 108 Street development range from $865 for a studio to $1,289 for a three-bedroom. The development will also have one-bedroom units at $419 for seniors. Hertzog said her support for the planned development came down to beliefs and ideals. “Our neighborhood has seen a lot of gentrification and neighborhood is much improved, in terms of safety,” she said. “To say we now are not going to allow people of low income to take advantage of that opportunity — that’s contrary to my values and I think the values of the Upper West Side.” Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, West End Presbyterian Church, Friends of Anibal Aviles Playground and over a dozen other community groups have signed on to support the

before my office is top priority,” Brewer said. She also listed accessible street signals, funding for public schools and a record 1,100 applications to Manhattan community boards among her accomplishments. Brewer then moderated a conversation with five experts on the specific challenges Trump’s policies — like the recent travel ban and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids — present to the city, and how New Yorkers can oppose them. “Community-based organizations are the lifeboat for communities in these uncertain waters,” Angela Fernandez, executive director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said. “Community pressure and moral pressure is anoth-

proposed facility, WSFSSH executive director Paul Freitag said, cumulatively representing thousands of Manhattan Valley residents. But Reina Kim, a parent of a sixth grade at Booker T. Washington Middle School who is not a member of Save Manhattan Valley, said she felt the school’s need had been left out of the debate. “I saw there was debate over what’s more important — cars or people?” Kim said. “But no one was talking about students. “My concerns are about the construction dust, noise and street safety,” she said, worrying that students would be unable to concentrate with heavy construction going on nearby. The school sits across the street from the planned development. Any work done on the buildings could release lead, asbestos and other hazardous chemicals into the air,

er tool that we have.” Andrew Rasiej, founder of Civic Hall and Personal Democracy Media, and Chair of the New York Tech Alliance, cautioned the audience to protect their online data and take their cybersecurity seriously. De Blasio’s event, meanwhile, also served to generate support for his reelection. The use of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, for which the mayor’s office paid $35,000, appeared to be an appeal to his base of African-American voters, 96 percent of whom went for de Blasio in 2013. Hours before his speech, the mayor also announced that a branch of the New York Public Library at 115th Street would be renamed after Harry Belafonte.

Hiller said. Freitag said WSFSSH has met with school officials twice to discuss their concerns and how to mitigate impacts on the school. “If in fact there was an important test day, we could arrange to make sure it’s not intrusive to kids,” Freitag said. He added that WSFSSH is asking its contractors to propose construction methods that can keep dust, noise or other disruptions to the school and other neighbors to a minimum. The organization plans to use a precast construction system, which would allow large pieces of the structure to be built offsite and then delivered to West 108 Street and lifted into place. Under the current timeline, a roughly two-year construction period would begin at the end of the year, with the building ready to take in residents in early 2020, Freitag said.

So far only de Blasio has opponents in his race, all of whom are eager to hear whether the mayor or any of his aides will be indicted in an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into his fundraising practices during the 2013 campaign. Should that happen, the race may open up to yet more challengers — potentially including Comptroller Scott Stringer — who would then have a greater chance at being elected. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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Nothing beats newspapers as the most reliable source of local news in print and online Recent studies show:

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What accounts for print’s superiority? Print - particularly the newspaper - is an amazingly sophisticated technology for showing you a lot of it.”

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Local newspapers are still the top source of news about readers’ communities, including their branded Web sites and social media channels.” Publisher’s Daily - August 30, 2016

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Residents are eager for news about their own communities, which, increasingly, only local news organizations can provide” Editor & Publisher - June 1, 2016

Politico - September 10, 2016

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

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

SHARING OPPORTUNITIES New development director of the Fresh Air Fund on her rewarding career working with the city’s nonprofits BY Y ANGELA BARBUTI

When Jennifer Joyce ce joined the Fresh Air Fund last month, nth, she said it felt like “all of the thingss that I’ve been doing my entire life lined d up to land me in this perfect opportunity.” unity.” As the nonprofit’s new development pment director, she explained, “A lot off the different ways that I have raised d money in the past culminated in a passion assion of mine, which is children.” The organization has been committed to nurturing unprivileged ileged youth in New York City since 1877 7 with mentoring, tutoring and summer mer programs. In her role, Joyce oversees versees their events, major gifts, grants, direct marketing and volunteer er outreach. One of the benefits to her new office space is that it allows her daily interaction with the Fresh Air kids who come in for tutoring and nd mentoring. Joyce has already been en gearing up for their summer programs, grams, a camp on 2,000 acres in Fishkill, kill, New York, and the Friendly Towns wns program, where host families take ke in Fresh Air children in their rural and suburban communities. Joyce’s dedication to serving in the nonprofit sector came after she left a job at Morgan Stanley to o do relief work in Sri Lanka after it was devastated by a tsunami. After returning rning to New York, she held positions at the Association of Community Employment ployment Programs for the Homeless, ss, Food Bank For New York City and Citymeals on Wheels.

people from all over the world there doing relief work. It just took my career in a whole new direction, where I was needed most and where I was happiest.

Through your experience at the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, what would you want people to know about the homeless in the city? I think in a lot of the populations that I’ve worked with, also at Food Bank, that often we think it’s because of something that someone has done wrong, when, in fact, it is often just circumstantial. And a lot of really bad luck. Some of the people I worked with at ACE were maybe the first people in their family to ever hold a job. And things like, to call in when you’re sick, was something that they didn’t really know how to do. Or the idea that once you are homeless, it’s hard to break down, step by step, what you need to do next to get back on your feet. So it seems like an overwhelming thing, but it cou ld h ave been just a bad circumstance, like an illness,

that got you out of work and you were evicted. There are mental health and addiction issues with the population, but that’s not across the board. And even that is not the fault of the person who is dealing with those diseases. And the same is true with the Food Bank, one in five New Yorkers use the Food Bank at some point during the year, which means that could be the person who is next to you at work who has to buy their kids’ school books that

What made you leave Morgan rgan Stanley to serve in Sri Lanka? My father had passed away and my brother and I decided d to go to Sri Lanka after the tsunami. unami. It was a two-week trip where here you could go and help rebuild ld some of the homes. And I found und this orphanage that had about out 60 babies and only four people taking care of them. It was like nothing we could d even imagine. You just walk in and all of these children would have their arms up, waiting aiting to be held or fed or paid d any attention to. So I wound nd up deciding to stay there re for almost a year’s time. I came back and left my job and d went back to work in Sri Lanka ka and lived outside of the orphanphanage, but basically spent every day there. It was an amazing Jennifer Joyce, development director at the Fresh Air Fund. Photo: Alix Samuel time where there were many

month, so they need to spend a few nights eating dinner there.

Explain your volunteer work with the Women’s Prison Association. It’s the only shelter in New York where you can live with your children. The kids are living there because their mothers have recently, or at some point, gotten out of jail. Their mothers are dealing with a lot, so I go on Monday nights and their mothers will be getting their GEDs, and I watch the kids. Those are some of, literally, my proudest moments. Taking the kids to the theater or the zoo and seeing just how happy and resilient children are when given a small thing, which is a little bit of your time. And how much they appreciate it and how alive they become.

In your own words, what is the Fresh Air Fund’s mission? To give children opportunities that they don’t normally have. To show them different experiences, and to open their eyes to their own potential. To allow them to be kids and see how many people care about them. And to see what the world is outside of what they know.

What can you tell us about the children who are part of the organization? All of the kids are from underprivileged neighborhoods. They have struggled with a lot of things in their lives, probably more than any child should know. A lot of them travel more than an hour to get to and from school. These kids are also the

most resilient and hard working. They are curious and eager. They are looking for options for themselves, so we do job shadowing and mentoring. They also make lifelong friends people who might be in similar with pe positions, or with a lot of the camp position counselors were once campers. They counsel have mentors who know what also ha it’s like to be a child in their position. who’s our newest June Ambrose, A member, is a huge name in hip board m She’s a brand ambassador for Jay hop. She millions of names. She was a Z and m Air child and speaks to the chilFresh A the kids the potential dren, showing sh they have and that they really are that the our future. futu And I think that’s really need to know, is that all the children c there’s hope. h are you working on now? What a Friday, I went to the camp, which On Fri is Sharpe Sharp Reservation, 2,000 acres and five camps on that land where children go in the summer, free the chil charge. The kids from the neighof charg borhoods in the city go and have two borhood weeks tto just be a kid – to learn to do arts and crafts, connect with swim, d peers and an mentors. They have a planeand a ropes course. It’s really a tarium a Disneyland for children; it’s amazing. Disneyla And I think th a lot of what I’m doing now figuring out how we can get more is figuri go camp and raise more money. kids to g

Tell us ab about the Friendly Towns program program. Families sign up to take on an innerFamili city child, chi and the kids go to another family in i the country. They go out to some di different part of the country or Canada and they live with this family and have a completely different experience outside of their own. The experie Fresh Air A child has an entire other family. T The kids become best friends. They learn lea a whole different culture. Both the th families and the Fresh Air children get a lot of it, almost equal to one another. The families who take a the children in were saying that their chil kids totally change because they rectot ognize some of the things that they have that th other kids don’t have. And they build bu these long-lasting friendships with w somebody that they might not othe otherwise get the chance to meet or unde understand. www.freshair.org www.fres

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Down 1. It’s ___ over 2. Driving location 3. Proper behavior 4. Joltless joe 5. Cheer 6. Id’s associate 7. Berth place 8. Antidote 9. Deuce in poker 10. Today in Espanol 11. Right on! 17. Divulge a secret 19. Alien craft 21. Wise one 22. Old hat

23. Sweater tug 25. Newspaper writer 26. Japanese movie style 27. Milk dispenser 30. Like a goldfish, like a carp 31. Dead against 37. Polecat’s defense 39. Supporting 41. Marina sight 43. Japanese wrestlers 45. Three spot card 47. Cow or sow 48. Rowboat need 49. Free market economy country 50. Antlered animal 51. Brewed drink 53. French avenue 54. He’s a real doll

X K Z K V M D L Z A G T U L A

X K Z K V M D L Z A G T U L A

47. Quesadilla side (2 words) 52. Vex 55. Dupes 56. “___, I love you, won’t you tell me your name” The Doors 57. Take to court 58. Time 59. Small fry 60. Sawbuck

P E P I N N S E Q U O I A L T

P E P I N N S E Q U O I A L T

60

W P Q J I V S F K A R C H E S

W P Q J I V S F K A R C H E S

59

W S T W P B A D L A N D S Y D

W S T W P B A D L A N D S Y D

58

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

E

57

54

N

56

53

9

E

52

6

U

51

1

T

50

55

Across 1. Downed a sub, say 4. Gown 9. Biblically yours 12. Allow 13. Colonel’s insignia 14. Distress 15. Head wreath 16. Church singers 18. In the character of 20. Coin of Afghanistan 21. Boring 24. Hot casino destination in China 28. Sandwich cookie 29. Rap sheet letters 32. James ___ in spy novels 33. Set afire 34. NCO part 35. Jar top 36. Sgt. Snorkel’s dog 38. First-aid, for one 39. Stew 40. Strapped 42. Same elements, different atom arrangements 44. Granola ingredient 46. Coffee holder

4

S

49

9

Level: Medium

57

45

43

60

48

42

S

47

5

O

41 44

7

1

39

E

38

L

40

2

L

37

4 3

35

1 36

3

K

34

31

27

8 1

E

33

30

26

3

Y

29

25

7

T

28

24

6

H

22

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

56

21

10

59

18

9

S

16

8

A

15

7

A

13

6

R

12

5

E

4

H

3

55

2

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

58

1

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

CLASSIFIEDS MASSAGE

23

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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

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Quick | Easy | Economical

Call Barry Lewis today at:

Antique, Flea & Farmers Market SINCE 1979

East 67th Street Market

212-868-0190

(between First & York Avenues)

Open EVERY Saturday 6am-5pm Rain or Shine Indoor & Outdoor FREE Admission Questions? Bob 718.897.5992

PUBLIC NOTICES

Proceeds BeneďŹ t PS 183

Antiques Wanted

YOUR LAMP CAN BRING OTHERS

A BRIGHT FUTURE. YOUR DONATIONS TO GOODWILLÂŽ HELP FUND JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

TOP PRICES PAID t 1SFDJPVT $PTUVNF +FXFMSZ (PME t 4JMWFS 1BJOUJOHT t .PEFSO t &UD

OFFICE SPACE

AVAILABLE IN MANHATTAN

300 to 20,000 square feet

Elliot Forest, Licensed RE. Broker

212 -447-5400 abfebf@aol.com

:H DUH D SURXG PHPEHU RI WKH $VVRFLDWHG 3UHVV DQG WKH 1DWLRQDO 1HZVSDSHU $VVRFLDWLRQ

Entire Estates Purchased

212.751.0009

SOHO LT MFG

462 Broadway MFG No Retail/Food +/- 9,000 SF Ground Floor - $90 psf +/- 16,000 SF Cellar - $75 psf Divisible Call David @ Meringoff Properties 212-645-7575

DONATE STUFF. CREATE JOBS.

TO FIND YOUR NEAREST DONATION CENTER GO TO GOODWILL.ORG

24

FEBRUARY 16-22,2017

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COME HOME TO GLENWOOD MANHATTAN’S FINEST LUXURY RENTALS

3 3 3

3

3 3

3 3 3 UPPER EAST SIDE 1 BEDROOMS FROM $2,995 2 BEDROOMS FROM $4,395 3 BEDROOMS FROM $5,995

MIDTOWN & UPPER WEST SIDE 1 BEDROOMS FROM $3,295 2 BEDROOMS FROM $5,395 3 BEDROOMS FROM $6,495

TRIBECA & FINANCIAL DISTRICT 1 BEDROOMS FROM $3,795 2 BEDROOMS FROM $5,895 3 BEDROOMS FROM $8,195

UPTOWN LEASING OFFICE 212-535-0500 DOWNTOWN LEASING OFFICE 212-430-5900 ! " " All the units include features for persons with disabilities required by the FHA.

Equal Housing Opportunity

GLENWOOD BUILDER OWNER MANAGER

GLENWOODNYC.COM

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