Our Town Downtown - March 10, 2016 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side THE MET'S NEW MODERNISM

WEEK OF MARCH

10-16

CITYARTS, P.24 >

2016

2 0 16

OTTY AWA R D S l rdina His Eminence Ca hy M. Dolan Timot

Dr. Maura

her Paul Gunt

t s Gran Jame

Spain Mallory

ncalves Gustavo Go

k D. Fran

nes aw Jo Susan Hensh

aly Harris He

Dr. David

as Thom

IS THE LUXURY MARKET SLOWING DOWN? NEWS

in allerste Betty Cooper W

Concerns about a glut at the very high end

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

The Bauhouse Group’s 900-foot condo project on Sutton Place is the latest luxury residential development to suffer from a lack of funding, as investors are increasingly wary of financing projects at the top end of the market due to a surplus in inventory and a tepid outlook on whether affluent buyers will materialize down the road. News of the 80-story, 260,000 square foot proposal broke last April, and sent the comparatively squat and sleepy Sutton Place neighborhood into a panic. Community Board 6 voiced its objections, and Councilmember Ben Kallos came out strongly against the building’s height and social implications. But it wasn’t just community opposition working against Bauhouse principal Joseph Beninati. Michael Stoler, a managing partner at the investment firm Madison Realty Capital, said Beninati’s background also played a role. Antares Investment Partners, the ﬁrm Beninati co-founded with a prep school classmate that at one point boasted $6 billion in assets, was

Our Town has much to be thankful for. The paper celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2016, and this week honors its latest group of OTTY Award winners, noting people who have made a unique difference on the Upper East Side. The OTTY awards -- short for Our Town Thanks You -- have always been a reflection of deep community service, and this year’s list is particularly strong. Our honorees include community activists, business owners and medical and public safety heroes. We’re also taking a moment to recognize Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who shepherded last fall’s wildly successful visit to the city by Pope Francis. In his interview with Our Town Editor Kyle Pope, Dolan reflects on that visit, on the pressing issues still facing the city, and on the warnings he received from his friends before moving to New York seven years ago. Read his profile, and the profiles of the other nine OTTY awards by reporter Madeleine Thompson, in the special section inside. We are proud to bring it to you, and proud to call the winners part of our community.

OurTownEastSide

O OURTOWNNY.COM @OurTownNYC

Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

2 3 8 10

City Arts To Do Food & Drink 15 Minutes

24 25 26 29

accused of overleveraging investor capital. Beninati and his partner, James Cabrera, were sued for millions after the ﬁrm’s collapse, and Antares was stripped of most of its assets in the late-aughts. A representative for Beninati and the Bauhouse Group did not return a request for comment by press time. Stoler also spoke to the Real Deal newspaper last month about a noticeable decrease in high-end apartment sales, which highlighted market data that said the average number of days for-sale apartments in new developments spent on the market increased 47 percent between the end of 2014 and the end of last year. “Everyone’s a little worried,” Stoler told TRD. “With anything at $2,500 [per square foot] or more, lenders are very cautious.” Stoler told this newspaper that

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday March 11 – 5:41 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

We deliver! Get Our Town Eastsider sent directly to your mailbox for $ $49 per year. Go to OurTownNY.com or call 212-868-0190

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NYC ADDS RECORD NUMBER OF JOBS New York City has added nearly a quarter-of-a-million jobs since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office two years ago, the most in a two-year period for 50 years, according to The New York Times. Altogether, the city has a record 4.29 million jobs, a release from the mayor’s office said. The city added just over

100,000 new jobs during the 12-month period ending in January, representing a 3 percent increase, higher than the national rate of 2.2 percent, the release said. Since December 2013, the strongest job gains were in the health care and social assistance ﬁelds, and in professional, scientiﬁc and technical services, it said. The positive job numbers contrast with the gloomy scenarios that emanated from the business sector as

de Blasio and his liberal mayoral agenda swept to office in November 2013, succeeding Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and pro-business mayor who served three terms. “There was deﬁnitely something in the ether,” The Times quoted Alicia Glen, a deputy mayor under de Blasio, and a former Goldman Sachs executive. “‘The lefties are taking over.’ ‘This is not a pro-business mayor.’ ‘They’re going to ruin the economy.’ I heard a lot of that A record number of jobs have been created since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office two years ago. Photo: Kevin Case, via ﬂickr

Feeling Your Best Shouldn’t Be Your Last Priority. See one of our world-class physicians today and get back to being a better version of you.

visit us at weillcornell.org to learn more

myself.”’ With nearly six in 10 city residents employed, the share of New Yorkers with jobs is the highest it’s been in at least 40 years, The Times said. Wages, too, have increased, even if the cost of living remains high, the paper noted.

EMPLOYEE SUES HOTEL FOR AGE AND RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION, A 15-year former Hotel Plaza Athenee employee is suing the boutique hotel for discrimination, saying she was ﬁred because of her age and religion, DNAinfo reported. Azza Amer, a Muslim woman originally from Egypt, was 55 in March 2015 when she began training her 20-something non-Muslim replacement, not realizing that she would be ﬁred shortly after. A New Jersey resident, she began working in the hotel’s reservations department in 2001 and was promoted two years later to assistant reservations manager, according to portions of the suit cited by DNAinfo. Throughout her time at the job, the hotel never had any complaints against her, her lawsuit states. In March, the hotel hired another much younger assistant reservations manager and had Amer train the new employee. New management took over the hotel last year and she was told that the hotel was downsizing in December

2015, even though they had just hired her younger replacement. Amer was making $56,000 a year and declined the eight weeks of severance pay the hotel offered in exchange for dropping her claim, her attorney told DNAinfo.

HOSPITAL’S EXPANSION SET TO OPEN IN 2018 The frame for the New YorkPresbyterian Hospital’s multi-million dollar 17-story expansion was completed last week, allowing for work on the interior to begin and a projected opening date of 2018, DNAinfo reported. Located on York Avenue between East 68th and 69th streets, the building will have an outpatient center and a state-of-the-art maternity ward with 6 floors dedicated to pre-and post natal care, the first of its kind in the tristate area. Also the first in the city to have MRI capabilities and an operating room in the newborn intensive care unit, the maternity ward will have rooms dedicated to antepartum and post partum, labour and delivery, C-sections, post-acute care bays and ultrasounds. The site will be named after David H. Koch, wealthy philanthropist who donated $100 million to the project who signed the final beam of the 750,000-square-foot building’s skeleton before it was put in place in a ceremony for the center last month.

Weill Cornell Medicine. Care that Connects to you.

For appointments, call 1-855-WCM-4YOU Today

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

FORMER NYPD OFFICER DIES IN TEXAS GUNFIGHT A Texas police officer who died after a gunfight had moved from New York City to the Dallas area because he wanted to be somewhere safer, his mother says. Officer David Hofer, 29, died Tuesday during surgery following a gunfight with an armed suspect in a park near a Dallas-area school. A 2008 graduate of New York University, Hofer served in the New York Police Department for five years before coming to Euless in 2014, Police Chief Mike Brown said. The New York Post reported Hofer, the son of European immigrants, formerly worked in the 9th Precinct on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. “He was wonderful child, a wonderful police officer,” his mother, Sofija Hofer, told the newspaper. “He was working this very difficult precinct, so he had a lot of traumatic experiences. ... He decided to go to a safer place.”

SHADES OF GRAY A fashion model got double dipped by a fraudster. At 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, a 23-year-old woman living on West 86th Street received a $4,960 check from the Gray Shade modeling agency to cover the cost of her wardrobe for an upcoming shoot. She deposited the check and then withdrew the same amount, which she sent the following day as instructed via Western Union Money Gram to a person unknown to her. Later the model discovered that the same amount had been withdrawn from her bank account without her permission. An investigation revealed that the bank check was fraudulent. The victim therefore was defrauded out of both the wire transfer money and the bank check, making a total stolen of $9,921.

OUTLAW IN-LAWS A young man earned his girlfriend’s trust, but the same could not be said for his family members. On Feb. 19, a 21-year-old woman cashed her income tax refund check of $5,000 and returned home to her apartment on West 100th Street to place the money in a black plastic bag under her mattress. She later removed $200 from the bag and then put the money back in the same place. After returning home from errands a few days later,

the remaining money — $4,800 — was missing. She told police that her boyfriend’s mother and brother had been staying in her home since Feb. 11, they were the only people in her home, and she thought that they had been going through her personal property.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for Feb. 22 to Feb. 28 Week to Date

Year to Date

2016 2015 % Change

FRAUDULENT RENT

Murder

n/a

-100.0

On Feb. 27, a 24-year-old woman living on West 107th Street made a deal to sublet her apartment. The lessor sent the woman ﬁve checks totaling $9,635, considerably more than the price she was asking for the apartment. So the woman withdrew $4,794 from her own bank account to return the difference to the lessor. When she went to purchase something online sometime later, she discovered that her bank account had been closed. She went to her bank, where she was informed that the ﬁve checks she had received were fraudulent.

Rape

n/a

-100.0

Robbery

-50.0

26.7

Felony Assault

-33.3

15.0

Burglary

300.0

82.6

Grand Larceny

44.4

195

194

0.5

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

25.0

BAD NEIGHBORS On Feb. 21, a 23-year-old woman returned home from shopping. She had bought so much that she could not carry all her bags and left some of them by the elevator area in her building at 169 Manhattan Avenue. When she returned to pick up the bags by the elevator, they, along with merchandize valued at $2,780, were gone. She told

police she believes the thief lives in her building. The items stolen included a Gucci handbag valued at $853, a Python bag worth $754, Gucci shoes priced at $384, Roger Vivier shoes tagged at $375, Michael Kors clothing priced at $171, a Prada bag valued at $143, and Elizabeth Arden skincare products worth $100.

MAD MED One man wanted his prescription —

BAD! In the early morning of Feb. 26, a 29-year-old man was attempting to fill his prescription in the CVS store at 540 Amsterdam Ave. when the pharmacist informed him that he could not fill the prescription until he spoke with the man’s doctor. This answer did not sit well with the man, who jumped the pharmacy counter, took his prescription back, and smashed the pharmacy computer, breaking the computer stand. The man then fled and could not be found.

Is she spending too much time on social media? 'R \RX NQRZ VRPHRQH ZLWK PLOG RU PRGHUDWH FRJQLWLYH LPSDLUPHQW GXH WR

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?

If so, this person could qualify for a clinical research study being conducted by PRA Health Sciences in Marlton. To qualify for this study, the individual should also be at least 50 years old and have a caregiver or person who can assist with the study’s medication. Subjects who qualify for this study may be compensated for their time and travel. Transportation is available. To learn more, call PRA Health Sciences at 844-PRA-PINK (844-772-7465) or visit Volunteers.prahs.com

Volunteers.prahs.com 3PVUF /PSUI t -BLF $FOUFS &YFDVUJWF 1BSL 4UF t .BSMUPO /+

844-PRA-PINK (844-772-7465)

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

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

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

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

Bike lanes similar to this one could be added to several Upper East Side crosstown streets. Photo: Helen K, via ﬂickr

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

HOW TO REACH US:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

212-868-0190 nyoffice@strausnews.com ourtownny.com

Include your full name, address and day and evening telephone numbers for veriﬁcation. Letters that cannot be veriﬁed will not be published. We reserve the right to edit or condense letters for libel, good taste, grammar and punctuation. Submit your letter at ourtownny.com and click submit at the bottom of the page or email it to nyoffice@strausnews.com.

TO SUBSCRIBE: Our Town is available for free on the east side in select buildings, retail locations and news boxes. To get a copy of east side neighborhood news mailed to you weekly, you may subscribe to Our Town Eastsider for just $49 per year. Call 212868-0190 or go online to StrausNews. com and click on the photo of the paper or mail a check to Straus Media, 20 West Ave., Chester, NY 10918.

NEWS ITEMS: To report a news story, call 212-8680190. News releases of general interest must be emailed to our offices by noon the Thursday prior to publication to be considered for the following week. Send to news@strausnews.com.

BLOG COMMENTS: We invite your comments on stories and issues at ourtownny.com. We do not edit those comments. We urge people to keep the discussion civil and the tone reﬂective of the best we each have to offer.

PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: Call 212-868-0190. Classiﬁed ads must be in our office by 12pm the Friday before publication, except on holidays. All classiﬁed ads are payable in advance.

PREVIOUS OWNERS: Tom Allon, Isis Ventures, Ed Kayatt, Russ Smith, Bob Trentlyon, Jerry Finkelstein

CALENDAR ITEMS:

ABOUT US

Information for inclusion in the Out and About section should be emailed to hoodhappenings@strausnews.com no later than two weeks before the event.

Our Town is published weekly by Straus Media-Manhattan, LLC. Please send inquiries to 20 West Ave., Chester, NY 10918.

CROSSTOWN BIKE LANE PLAN COULD EXPAND CB8 to consider a resolution that would have NYCDOT look at installing the lanes through most of Upper East Side

BY MICKEY KRAMER

Upper East Siders attending a Community Board 8 Transportation Committee meeting last week expected vigorous debate on a proposal to install six crosstown bike lanes. They got that, and the chance to express both support and criticism of the plan. But, following the late introduction and passage of a surprise resolution, the full board is now expected to consider a much grander scheme: To have the city Department of Transportation study the plausibility of adding crosstown bike lanes to every street in Community Board 8’s district. The resolution, introduced by committee member Jordan Wouk, was approved 10 to three with two committee members abstaining. The full board will take

it up when it next meets, on March 16. For the second consecutive month, a proposal to install crosstown bike lanes on 67th, 68th, 77th, 78th, 84th and 85th Streets was the committee’s centerpiece agenda item, and an overwhelming number of residents attending the meeting in the auditorium of the New York Blood Center on March 2 spoke out against the plan. “Unmitigated disaster,” “absolutely impossible” and “someone will get hurt” were a small sampling from the majority opinion; “thrilled to have a bike lane” and “everyone will be safer” were among the supporting sentiments. Critics cited increased traffic and what they suggested were potential dangers of the lanes to streets that include bus routes, schools, fire departments and hospitals. To try and ease those concerns, the Department of Transportation’s Manhattan Borough Commissioner, Margaret

Forgione, along with two colleagues, explained that, in Manhattan alone, there are already bike lanes that pass by eight hospitals, 85 private and public schools, as well as many bike lanes that share streets with bus routes and ﬁre departments. “There have been no issues. No children injured,” Forgione said. Critics of the DOT’s plan, she said, “are making it a bigger issue than it really is.” But Mary Larkin, the principal of Saint Ignatius Loyola School disagreed, saying that a bike lane running passed the East 84th Street school would be a danger to children, parents and teachers. Sharon Pope, who sits on the transportation committee and is also the community outreach and strategic planning manager for Bike NY, said the DOT gave ample consideration to the plan. “I realize that from the outside looking in, the process can be exceedingly frustrating, but it’s a collaborative effort between the residents, com-

munity board and the DOT, and at the end of the day, we’ll have bike lanes and that will benefit the entire community,” she said. The debate was perhaps encapsulated by residents and bicyclists Meredith Fink, who said narrow, heavily trafficked 67th Street in particular was a poor choice, and Hindy Schachter, who said that for too long cars and motorists have monopolized streets and that now was the time to further expand travel lanes for cyclists. After almost two hours of heated public discussion, Gorman Reilly, vice president of CIVITAS, a nonprofit that works to improve the urban environment, presented a detailed five-page proposal that garnered great support from most in attendance. Reilly offered three different pairs of streets for the DOT to consider: 70th-71st, 75th-76th and 80th81st. In contrasts to the streets earmarked in the DOT proposal, those pairs, he said, are “lightly trafficked.”

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

ONE LAST STOP ON THE SECOND AVENUE LINE NEWS A final funding round should lead to completion in December BY BRYTNIE JONES

After years of sidewalk closings, traffic congestion, and project setbacks, Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway is ﬁnally set to open in December after landing an additional $66 million from the MTA. The agency’s Transit and Bus Committee approved a proposal to accelerate the work of four contracts by requesting use of the additional money out of its contingency fund. East side officials hailed the move, which will mean the completion of a project that already has cost $4.4 billion. “I am pleased that the MTA is taking the steps needed to ensure the on-time completion of Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “This project is incredibly important to New Yorkers, as the Lexington Avenue line is currently the most congested in the nation and is in desperate need of relief. I am very much looking forward to my ﬁrst ride come December 2016.” Maloney has made build-

LUXURY MARKET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Beninati’s project – dubbed Three Sutton Place - was well above that $2,500 market threshold and that the developer set his expectations too high. “In general high end luxury condo financing is currently only available [to] experienced, well capitalized borrowers,” he said. “In addition, the project on Sutton Place was for condos selling for more than $3,000 per square foot. The project might have taken place for another developer expecting lower prices per square foot.” In January the Bauhouse entity overseeing the Sutton Place project, at 426-432 East 58th Street, defaulted on a $147 million loan from Gamma Real Estate, who as a result sought last month to foreclose on the

ing the line her top priority, and has been persistent in campaigning that Phase 1 is completed by December 2016. Phase 1 extends the Q train from its current terminal at 57th Street and 7th Avenue to the new 96th Street and 2nd Avenue Station. New subway stations will be located at 72nd St., 86th St., and 96th St., along 2nd avenue, and the Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street station will be redone. The ﬁrst proposal for the Second Avenue Subway was introduced in 1929. It wasn’t until April 2007 when the groundbreaking at the 96th Street Station ﬁnally took place. The completion of the first phase is set to help alleviate overcrowding on 4,5,and 6 trains between 103rd St and 63rd St, and provide easier travel between the Upper East Side and the west side of Manhattan. Service will continue into Brooklyn via the existing Q train. “It will decrease crowding on the adjacent Lexington Avenue Line by as much as 13%, or 23,500 fewer riders on an average weekday. It will also reduce travel times by up to 10 minutes or more for those on the far east side or those traveling from the east side to west midtown”, said MTA spokesman Kevin

Ortiz. The line stretches 8.5 miles along the Upper East Side, from 125th Street in Harlem to Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan. A total of 16 new stations will be built serving several communities including, Harlem, the Upper East Side, Lower Manhattan, East Village, amongst more. “MTA has stepped up and become involved in disseminating information to the community and is addressing issues on an ongoing bases”, said Barry Schneider, co-chair of the Second Avenue Subway Taskforce, which was created in 2004. Schneider says that the MTA publishes newsletters quarterly to update the community on the progress of the work. He also mentioned the MTA’s Second Subway Community Information Center located on 2nd Avenue, a facility offering exhibits and programming on the history and construction of the Second Avenue Subway. “This taskforce addresses all issues involving the project development and construction of the subway”, said Schneider. The taskforce has seven members, and meets approximately four times a year to discuss new developments in the process. Other community members are welcome to attend

these meeting as well. Councilmember Ben Kallos remembers being a staff member when ground broke in 2007, and he expresses an interest in not only the trouble that the subway construction has caused residents, but also the businesses that have suffered because of it. “It’s amazing that nine years later, we will have the subway. At the time we did what we could to support local busi-

nesses and finally everyone’s commute will get better and the businesses that made it through the investment will see their businesses restored”, said Kallos. After Phase 1 of the project is operational, it is anticipated that workers will be able to continue working on Phase 2 of the station, which will extend from 96th to 125th street. “Phase 2 will stretch north and west from Second Avenue

and E. 96th Street to Lexington Avenue and E. 125th St., and includes three new stations at 106th Street, 116th Street, and 125th and Lexington Avenue”, said Ortiz. “Work will not stop. We fear that if we stop it will never continue again”, said Kallos. “I’m looking forward to taking the subway to work every morning and Coney Island for a weekend trip.”

site. To forestall that action, BH Sutton Mezz LLC filed for bankruptcy late last month, and the project remains in real estate purgatory pending further action from Gamma. But Bauhouse isn’t the only developer in Manhattan struggling to finance a development. TRD pointed out others that have been put on hold pending an infusion of cash, including the condo conversion of the Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South, HFZ Capital Group’s need for $250 million in financing for a High Line condo project, and Michael Shvo and Howard Lorber’s $500 million ask for their New Valley project on Greenwich Street. Gary Barnett’s Extell Development has yet to announce financing for his Central Park Tower project at 217 West 57th Street. “There is a stall in the luxury market with too much product already,” said Phillia Kim

Downs, a luxury real estate broker with Brick and Mortar. “Real sellers are slashing prices across the board to compete with all the new developments out there.” Downs said there was low inventory in the high-end market in 2013 and 2014, “but times have deﬁnitely changed.” Kallos said Beninati’s failure to secure funding is evidence that a 64-story luxury condo tower on Sutton Place is a bad idea, and touted the community’s effort – crowned by a zoning amendment application - to stop the project. “Our opposition was pivotal,” said Kallos. “If you look at superscrapers that didn’t face community opposition they’re moving forward and their moving quickly.” He mentioned specifically 180 East 88th Street, a 521-foot residential tower currently underway at Third Avenue.

“If I was able to mobilize the community at 88th Street and Third Avenue, I’m hopeful that we could’ve seen a similar result,” said Kallos, who credits the zoning application with helping to pump the brakes on Three Sutton Place. “There’s little hope they can move forward before we change the zoning,” he said. The application, introduced in January with Councilmember Dan Garodnick and endorsed by other officials like Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, would cap buildings from East 52nd Street to East 59th Street, east of First Avenue, at 260 feet. The plan awaits certiﬁcation by the City Planning Commission. Kallos also acknowledged that market conditions play a part, and that the ﬁght isn’t over. He’s focused now on getting the zoning change passed to preserve contextual zoning

and affordable housing on Sutton Place, and rolling the tactic out to other parts of his district and the city. “I’m glad investors throughout the city, state, country and world acknowledged that this is not a good investment and as a result they could not move forward with the project,” he added.

Still, Stoller said, the Sutton Place assemblage is an attractive enough site that a developer will eventually bite. “Someone will take over the development,” he said. “It might not be as luxury but it’s a good development site.”

BARRY LIEBMAN,

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Millions of dollars recovered on behalf of injured clients

Personal Injury Auto Accidents Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents

445 Park Avenue, 9th Floor New York, NY 10022

Medical Malpractice Construction Accidents Other legal matters

Free Consultation (212) 935-6535

Email: negligencelawyer@outlook.com No fee unless we win your case (accident cases only) Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

CAMP OUT NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST AND MOST FLEXIBLE DAY CAMPS! Space is Limited. Register Today! Camps run June 20 - September 2 " # !" ( " # " ! $ ! ! ! & " "' ! # ( $ ! % ! " !# # # ! ! % EARLY BIRD PRICING Register by May 20th & save! SUMMER CAMP

212.336.6846 chelseapiers.com/camps

Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to ourtownny.com annual-reelabilities-nydisabilities-ďŹ lm-festivalpresents-stilts

a quartet from the Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats. 212-288-0700. www.frick. org/calendar#/?i=1

GENIUS SOLUTIONS TO HEART OF THE PARK SOCIAL ISSUES TOUR Lexington Avenue at 92nd St.,

Thu 10

Classroom 8 p.m. from $25 Social entrepreneurs Nick Ehrmann, Andrew Klaber, and Lily Liu with Zachary D. Kaufman, tackle issues, such as: poverty, civil rights, among more in innovative and â&#x20AC;&#x153;geniusâ&#x20AC;? ways. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Genius-Solutions-toSocial-Issues

8TH ANNUAL REELABILITIES: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;STILTS AND SPOKESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x2013;˛

Fri 11

67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St, 3rd Floor 4:30-6:30 p.m. Free A heartfelt, entertaining, and comedic documentary, part of the NY Disabilities Film Festival. 212-734-1717. www. nypl.org/events/ programs/2016/03/10/8th-

TEEN NIGHT

Samuel F. B. Morse statue, 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free Visit some of the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous landmarks. www.centralpark.com/ events/show/3030/heart-ofthe-park-tour

Sat 12 VOLUNTEER GARDENING

Carl Schurz Park, 86th Street Mall at East End Avenue 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Frick Collection, 1 East The Carl Schurz Park 70th St. 5:30 p.m. Free for high school Volunteer Gardeners are an adult group that meets monthly to students w/ ID Explore galleries of the Gilded work in the park. Students or Age mansion and enjoy drawing children who wish to participate activities, talks, and live music by must be accompanied by adults

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

HAVE THE

Kitchen of Your Dreams

for a fraction of the cost of a full renovation! t ,JUDIFO $BCJOFU 3FGBDJOH t $PVOUFS 5PQT BOE 5JMF 8PSL

M E N T I O N T H I S A D F O R A 10 % D I S C O U N T 1460 Lexington Ave | Bet 94th & 95th St. | 212.348.9100 | www.trufacers.com

or parents who work along with them. 212-459-4455. www. carlschurzparknyc.org/

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;UN BALLO IN MACHERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 96th Street Library, 112 East 96th St. 1-4 p.m. Free New York Opera Forum performs the complete opera. 212-289-0908. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2015/03/12/musicverdis-un-ballo-mascheraperformed-new-york-operaforum

Sun 13 BECOME A PAPER BAG PLAYER 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd St, Scheuer Auditorium 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. $12, adults, $10, children; Members: $10, adults, $8 children Behind-the-scenes workshop of theater games, costume designing and developing mini performances. 212-423-3200. buy. acmeticketing.com/orders/213/ tickets?eventId=5665c39ee4b 0fc3701643827&date=201603-13T00:00:00-0500

ART IN THE ROUND Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave. 2 p.m. Free with admission Architecture tours led by gallery educators and focus on architecture of the Frank Lloyd Wright building and themes. 212-423-3618. www.guggenheim.org/ new-york/calendar-andevents/2016/03/13/art-

in-the-round-architecturetour-23/21564

Mon 14 CB8 YOUTH & EDUCATION COMMITTEE New York Blood Center, 310 East 67th St., Conference Room 1&2 6:30 p.m. Free 212-758-4340. cb8m. com/events/youth-educationcommittee-21

WINE TOUR DE FRANCE FIAF, Le Skyroom; 22 East 60th St. 7 p.m. $115; members, $95; Learn how a vintage can bring out the best in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nest wines on a tasting and understand what makes each vintage unique . 800-982-2787. ďŹ af.org/ events/winter2016/2016-0314-vintage.shtml

Tue 15 EMIGRATION, MIGRATION AND SELFDETERMINATION â&#x2013;˛

DEPORTED: POLICING IMMIGRANTS, DISPOSABLE LABOR AND GLOBAL CAPITALISM 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street Tanya Maria Golash-Boza, associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Merced, argues that deportation has become a state strategy of social control that serves the aims of global capitalism. Noon. $25 www.92y.org/Event/ Deported

Wed 16 THE FAMILY WE MAKE Barnes & Noble, 150 East 86th St. 7 p.m. Free Three young and up-andcoming writers, Kristopher Jansma, Jacob Rubin and Marie-Helene Bertino, explore the theme of what makes a family. 212-369-2180. stores. barnesandnoble.com/ event/9780061756152-0

THE EXCHANGE OF PRINCESSES

Albertine, 972 Fifth Avenue 7 p.m. Free 212-461-3670 John D. Calandra Italian Award-winning French American Institute; 25 W. 43rd novelist Chantel Thomas Street discusses her novel, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 6-8 p.m. Free Exchange of Princess,â&#x20AC;? 212-396-6545 A panel discussion on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Italians, alongside John Cullen, who Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in translated the novel into English, and Sal Robinson. Search of an American Dream.â&#x20AC;? www.albertine.com/events/ www.centropr.hunter.cuny.edu the-exchange-of-princesses/

JOHN KRTIL FUNERAL HOME; YORKVILLE FUNERAL SERVICE, INC. Dignified, Affordable and Independently Owned Since 1885 WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES 5 )/'&1 /'+$1)-,0 $2250 -+.*'1' 5 )/'&1 2/)$*0 $2850 5 4.'/1 /' *$,,),( 3$)*$%*'

1297 First Ave (69th & 70th & + # " $& )" $ " $ ) * "#( & " $ + ))) $& '" $ #! #! Each cremation service individually performed by fully licensed members of our staff. We use no outside agents or trade services in our cremation service. We exclusively use All Souls Chapel and Crematory at the prestigious St. Michael's Cemetery, Queens, NY for our cremations unless otherwise directed.

THE FASTEST WAY TO WHITER TEETH WITH

ZOOM! WHITENINGÂŽ How white? How Fast? In 45 minutes Zoom Whitespeed technology will whiten your teeth up to 8 shades in office or at home

We cover all aspects of aesthetic dentistry from general hygiene visits to ďŹ llings, crowns, veneers and implants. INTEREST-FREE FINANCING FOR COSMETIC TREATMENTS

Book Today Through ZocDoc at www.stevendavidowitz.com

Or Call 212.759.7535

DR. STEVEN DAVIDOWITZ 328 East 75th Street www.LuxuryDentistryNYC.com

We work to make your smile dreams come true.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

Op-Ed

ALL TRUMP, ALL THE TIME EAST SIDE ENCOUNTERS BY ARLENE KAYATT

THE NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR BY MELITTA ANDERMAN

Love Thy Neighbor? It’s said that you can’t choose your family, only friends. But what about picking neighbors? The question of who lives next to you seems to have slipped through the donut hole and landed in a no man’s land of discarded humans who have given up the ﬁght (or right) to get rid of beastly neighbors. Apartment living is a dicey scale of ups and downs. What’s the most important decision to be made when selecting an apartment? Of course, it’s location, size of rooms, layout and affordability. How many of us check our neighbors as part of the package? If possible, I’d like to interview the people living above me and next door. I would arrange a little soirée, send out invitations, titled “Getting to Know You.” The person invited should bring a personal resume citing their mental stability, prior arrests and all odds and ends of their lives. Watch for professional musicians who practice at home, toddlers who don’t sleep and parents who are walking zombies, people who don’t follow house rules and believe that leaving bikes, shoes, umbrellas outside the door is a territorial right (this is dangerous as it can lead to internal warfare). One of the worst offenders are the hoarders. They are secretive , never open their door and if you ring the bell, a head pops out. They don’t want anyone to see inside. Should you catch a peek, you may regret it as a permanent nasal congestion (due to odor) could be your fate. What is one to do? I love the apartment I’m investigating. But my fear of who lives to my right, left and above is casting a shadow . Can I take a chance that I will survive my neighbors? Is there any help for me? Anyone?

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source

Anything Trump: After reading Dan Fitzsimmons’s article in the Feb 25, Our Town, “In Central Park, Weighing Kids Against Donald Trump,” I couldn’t help but think of the Trump properties that span Manhattan. I always wonder just what, if any, interest The Donald has in their day-to-day operation. Trump Tower on 5th/57th is a down escalator ride away from bliss during the day. Yes, the same escalator that Trump and his wife descended to announce his presidential run. Not familiar with mornings or evenings in the luxe public space, but afternoon hours are quite busy. The surroundings are soothing and pleasant. A waterfall, marble walls and ﬂoors, cafeteria-style counter for hot and cold food; cafe for coffee, tea. Another counter for ice cream and pretzels. But what has impressed me most is the courteous staff, efficiency, cleanliness, and serenity of the all-day public venue. There’s a bar and grill restaurant with daily specials that has a separate entrance. What happened as I gazed around while having some iced coffee made me giggle and brought home what probably underlies all entities Trump that are or aren’t owned outright by the mogul -money and a deal in the offing. On a recent afternoon, there was a large TV screen in the corner of the public space promoting Shen Yun at Lincoln Center. No sound. Just visual. Two women were seated at a table near the TV almost guarding the screen. When anyone sitting in the public area got up to leave, one of the women would come over and handed the departing a pamphlet promoting Shen Yun and asked if they would like to buy tickets. A no got a polite smile and thank

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

Associate Publishers Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Regional Sales Manager Tania Cade

you. To the women’s chagrin, at about 3 o’clock, one of the Trump Tower staff went over to the screen, unplugged, disabled and moved it so that it could not be used. The two women sought out the staffer who had done the deed. They explained that they had rented the TV screen for the day and had two more hours to go and wanted the TV screen back and promoting Shen Yun. The very nice staffer, without rancor or consulting a higher up, explained that the area was going to be used by a tourist group who rented the venue for the afternoon. They would be having dinner and then leaving for the theater. He offered that the ladies could come back the next day and the TV would be set up for them. Brightening up, the ladies asked in unison, “Can we come to the party, too? Maybe they want Shen Yun?” The art of the deal is in the air at anything Trump. Of moules and men: Jacques Brasserie on 85th/ 2nd/3rd is a gracious enough place for an evening of moules and frites

and wine. It’s usually busy. A woman called ahead for a 7 PM reservation for the same evening. She was told, at her request, that she could sit in the bar area where she always has dinner. She doesn’t like the other room. The two ladies arrived at 7. About three or four couples were seated at tables in the bar area. Don’t know about the back room. The host/maitre d’ informed the ladies that all tables in the bar area were reserved and that they could not be seated there. The lady who made the reservation was not happy but was willing to sit in the back room. The other lady, obviously rankled, said no, they were leaving -- two men or a man and woman would never be treated that way. After some back and forth about whether the table was actually promised and whether the lady had in fact called, the host/maitre d’ (make that gendarme) called a server to assuage the ladies. It worked. The ladies were seated at a corner prime table in the bar area. At no time during the evening

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope editor.ot@strausnews.com Fred Almonte Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com

Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons Director of Digital Pete Pinto

did anyone honor their reservation at any other table in the bar room. Sipping wine, the ladies mused over moules and men and how the times they have not changed. Nail tips: No mani-pedi for Danny Meyer if he tries to impose a no-tipping policy on nail salons. The hospitality entrepreneur will ﬁnd himself up against some formidable backlash from the ladies who run the salons. Particularly several on the Upper East Side where signs are posted advising that you can pay your bill with a credit or debit card but must pay tips in cash. There’s something about the wording that makes tipping seem mandatory. Maybe not. But I leave the ﬁght to Danny Meyer. Remembering Jazzy: 12-yearold Yorkie, Jazzy, survived by his loving mom Cindy Adams and sister Juicy, left us this past week. He was sweet and gentle - all love and licks. I’ll miss him. Rest in peace.

Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

MARCH 10-16,2016

Irving Lepselter

HEROES TO THE RESCUE MY STORY BY BETTE DEWING

We could sure use some smiles when snarls by those who would lead our nation have never been so swarmy and hateful. To the rescue, here’s an Irving Lepselter Cityscape cartoon. A design engineer by trade, thankfully, Irv is also a social critic by nature, and his gently satirical, wryly humorous cartoons enlightened Our Town readers for 20-plus years. Critiques, they were, of how not only our policy makers were “the problem,” but yes, how you and I could be, too - mostly for being unaware or silent. Of course, we wouldn’t think of charging someone to help them board the bus, but the cartoon sparks thinking about giving an assist to someone who doesn’t yet need a ramp or wheel chair lift. Or it just sparks thinking about those who need some assistance and oh - to look up from those devices- devices-devices! Oh, Irv, please come out of retirement to critique about that! Above all, the cartoon must remind us how often bus drivers don’t pull to the curb. It’s part of their “work order,” but one too often ignored. And little is said how that makes boarding or exiting stress-

ful - and dangerous. A friend’s hip was broken when the York Avenue bus did not pull to the curb. And the pothole next to the curb where this woman was obliged to step into caused her to trip and to fall. A year later, she is still partially disabled and too often in pain. Stories, unfortunately rarely told. and bus driver infractions are rarely reported to the MTA – or to elected officials and civic and other groups concerned with citizen rights and needs. Of course, good drivers must be commended in person, and to the MTA. But unlike subway travel, the city bus kind gets little attention, except how to make it faster, which frankly, also makes the ride less safe. Elected ofﬁcials and media only seem to know about subways. Attention must be paid. And oh, how that greatest of bus drivers, Govan Brown, deserves all-out remembering. He should also be part of Black History month - this now longretired Fifth and Madison Avenue bus driver whose extraordinarily thoughtful driving was heralded, not only by the New York Times, but picked up internationally. Of course. it was covered by Our Town and yours truly, who, doggone it, now cannot ﬁnd those stories or my column with a photo of

Brown and me. And to those so against saving “hard copy” because “everything can be found online,” it just is not true. For 20 years, mind you, Govan Brown made bus riders smile while driving most carefully; he called out every bus stop and noted the special sights along the way. All who boarded the bus received a word and a smile, and I was providentially on board when Brown wished everyone “a very, very blessed New Year!” And everyone applauded and smiled - and at each other, too. Imagine! Mayor Dinkins declared a Govan Brown Day when Brown was about to retire, and I wrote (in vain) how he must stay on part-time to teach drivers how to make even a crowded bus ride tolerable. Incidentally, Brown was a deacon in his church - in Queens, I believe it was. Not surprisingly, his family life was as good as his work life, and how both must be remembered, and greatly exampled! And here’s to Irv Lepselter resuming his visual critiques, to stress how crucial now to save and restore the nabes which made the city such a great, neighborly and democratic place to live. It can be done if enough of us try. dewingbetter@aol.com

Public Hearing

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Proposed Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 Service Plan The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) proposes restoration of W service and revisions to N and Q service in connection with the opening of Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway, expected to be completed in late 2016. The new line will run under 2nd Avenue from 96th Street to 72nd Street, serving new stations at 96th Street, 86th Street and 72nd Street. South of 72nd Street, the line will curve west, connecting to the existing 63rd Street line and serving Lexington Av/63 St Station, where a cross-platform transfer to the F will be possible. West of the Lexington Av/63 St Station, the new service would connect to the Broadway line express tracks at the 57 St-7 Av Station and continue south. The proposal would provide service on the new Second Avenue line via a rerouted Q service. W service between Queens and lower Manhattan, which was eliminated as part of the 2010 Service Reductions, would be restored to replace Q service in Astoria; the W would operate local in Manhattan, terminating at Whitehall St. N service would operate express in Manhattan between Canal St and 34 St-Herald Sq. Further descriptions of the proposed changes are outlined below:

N Astoria/Broadway Express/ Fourth Avenue Express/Sea Beach N service would continue to operate between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd and Coney IslandStillwell Av at all times. However, during rush hours, middays, and evenings, N service would operate on the express tracks rather than the local tracks in Manhattan south of 42 St-Times Sq. During these times, the N would make the following stops in Manhattan: Lexington Av/59 St, 5 Av/59 St, 57 St-7 Av, 49 St, Times Sq-42 St, 34 St-Herald Sq, 14 StUnion Sq, and Canal St. Late nights and weekends, N service would remain unchanged from current service patterns.

Q Second Avenue/Broadway Express/ Brighton Local Q service would be rerouted from the Astoria line to the 63rd Street line (via existing tracks under Central Park that connect to the Broadway express tracks and that are not currently used for passenger service) and the new Second Avenue line, terminating at 96 St and Second Avenue in Manhattan. Q service would operate between 96 St and Coney IslandStillwell Av at all times. In Manhattan, Q service would operate on the Second Avenue, 63rd Street, and Broadway express lines (except late nights), stopping at 96 St, 86 St, 72 St, Lexington Av/63 St, 57 St-7 Av, Times Sq-42 St, 34 St-Herald Sq, 14 St-Union Sq, and Canal St. Late nights, the Q would run local between 96 St and Coney Island-Stillwell Av via the Manhattan Bridge. Q service in Brooklyn would remain unchanged.

W Astoria/Broadway Local

To replace weekday Q service in Queens, W service would be restored between Whitehall St and Astoria-Ditmars Blvd, operating on the Astoria and Broadway local lines, making all stops.

R Queens Boulevard Local/Broadway Local/ Fourth Avenue Local R service would remain unchanged.

Date, Time and Place of the Hearing Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2 Broadway 20th Floor Hearing begins at 5 p.m. Registration is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Directions By Subway: Take the 4 5 to Bowling Green, R to Whitehall St, or 1 to South Ferry or R to Rector Street. By Bus: Take the M5, M15 (local or SBS), M20, X1 or X10. By Staten Island Ferry: Take the Staten Island Ferry to Whitehall Terminal. Those wishing to be heard must register in advance either by telephone, by calling (646) 252-6777, on the MTA website at www.mta.info, or in person at the hearing. Hearing impaired customers should call 711 for relay services and then ask to be connected to the telephone number listed above to speak with an agent. Verbal presentations will be limited to three (3) minutes. You may present verbal testimony or submit written statements in lieu of, or to supplement, oral testimony concerning the proposed service plan. Email comments will be accepted and information is provided on the MTA website at www.mta.info. All written statements must be submitted by April 14, 2016. Comments received after that date and time will not be considered.

Accessibility And Interpreter Services The hearing has been scheduled at a location that is accessible to people with mobility impairment. Sign language and/or foreign language interpreters will be available upon request by calling (646) 252-6777 no later than March 31, 2016.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority www.mta.info Going your way

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MARCH 10-16,2016

HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL TIMOTHY M. DOLAN

ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK

CONGRATULATES

THE 2016

“OTTY” HONOREES

DR. MAURA D. FRANK

WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN

GUSTAVO GONCALVES ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL

JAMES GRANT

NYPD 19TH PRECINCT

PAUL GUNTHER

GRACIE MANSION CONSERVANCY

HARRIS HEALY

LOGOS BOOKSTORE

SUSAN HENSHAW JONES MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

MALLORY SPAIN

EAST 86TH STREET MERCHANTS AND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

GLENWOOD BUILDER

OWNER MANAGER

MANHATTAN’S FINEST LUXURY RENTALS

DR. DAVID THOMAS MOUNT SINAI

BETTY COOPER WALLERSTEIN EAST 79TH STREET NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2 0 16

OTTY AWA R D S l rdina His Eminence Cathy M. Dolan Timo

nk D. Fra a r u a M . Dr

ther Paul Gun

t s Gran Jame

Spain Mallory

es oncalv Gustavo G

ealy Harris H

as Thom Dr. David

nes aw Jo Susan Hensh

ein allerst Betty Cooper W

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

THE POPE’S VISIT, SIX MONTHS LATER I forget the helicopter ride with him out to JFK airport for his departure, and his request to circle the Statue of Liberty. I will say, though, that the entire trip was slightly unreal, that a kid from Ballwin, Missouri would be escorting the Successor of Saint Peter throughout New York.

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN The last six months have been the most exhilarating -- and the most trying -- periods of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s seven-year stint as the leader of New York’s 2.5 million Catholics.

Much attention has been paid to income inequality in the city, and to the effects of rising rents on those at the lower end of the income scale. Of the myriad social and economic issues we all face at the moment -- income inequality, racial tensions, global warming, etc - what is the issue that you hear about from Catholics in New York that you think is underreported or underappreciated?

Last year’s visit by Pope Francis -- overseen at every step by Archbishop Dolan -- was an unqualiﬁed success for the city and the church. And it served as a welcome reprieve following months of controversy surrounding the diocese’s move to close parishes throughout New York. On the eve of the holiest part of the church calendar, Dolan talked to Editor in Chief Kyle Pope about Francis, income inequality and what he was warned about before moving to New York.

Last year’s visit to New York by Pope Francis generated great enthusiasm for the church, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike. What in your mind has been the most enduring legacy of that visit? I don’t think we’ll know the full effects of Pope Francis’ visit for some time. As you may know, New York has hosted more visits by a Pope than any other diocese in the country – the visit by Pope Francis was the fifth time that a Pope has visited here – and those who have been involved in past visits have told me that it is only when you look back after a few years have passed that you can really appreciate the impact that a visit like this has had. For instance, the last papal visit prior to this one was in 2008, when Pope Benedict was here. And, last year and this year we have larger than normal ordination classes – young men who chose to answer God’s call to a priestly vocation, inspired, at least in part by Pope Benedict’s visit. So, we’ll have to see in five or so years what other changes might arise out of last year’s visit by Pope Francis. Some things, of course, were immediately obvious. So much

of what Pope Francis talks about – caring for the poor and those on the margins, welcoming immigrants, extending a merciful hand to those who feel alienated from the church – are things that the archdiocese has been doing, usually without any fanfare or publicity. Pope Francis allowed us to shine a spotlight on those efforts, helping us to better serve those in need. Another positive outcome was the impact that the Pope’s visit had on everyday New Yorkers, even those who weren’t able to attend any of the events with him. We’re getting close to six months since he was here, and everywhere I go, not just here in New York but around the country, people still can’t wait to tell me how moved they were by his visit, how wonderfully they thought everything went, how much they love this Pope.

As someone who accompanied the Pope on his visit here, what is the one moment that most touched you personally? It’s hard to pick out one moment. The Holy Father was here in New York only for about 36 hours or so, but his time

here was incredibly fruitful. Evening Prayer at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday evening, a visit to the United Nations and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on Friday morning, meeting with school children, an encounter with immigrants, a motorcade through Central Park on Friday afternoon, and, of course, the Mass at Madison Square Garden Friday evening. That’s a schedule that would be taxing for a man half his age. It’s hard to put anything above the celebration of the Mass. It’s the greatest prayer we have, and to pray it with the Vicar of Christ is always extraordinarily special. But then I remember the look of happiness on the Pope’s face when he was taking selﬁes with the school kids outside Our Lady Queen of Angels school, or the mix of disbelief and joy during that raucous, exuberant, deafening reception as he made his way through Central Park, or the powerful, moving moments as we stood at the Reﬂecting Pool at the 9/11 Memorial, and greeted members of the 9/11 community, and I honestly can’t say which moment touched me the most. Nor can

Building and sustaining affordable housing is very important for our city. We’ve been working with the mayor and his staff, and the City Council, the borough presidents, the governor, and many others to find sites that could be used for the construction of affordable housing. The church in general, and the archdiocese in particular, have many years experience building and managing affordable housing; look, for example, at the Highbridge section of the Bronx, where the archdiocese has helped transform that neighborhood, and provided not only good apartments and private homes, but also brought the many services – like access to health care – that brings stability and a sense of community. One of my favorite responsibilities as Archbishop of New York is to visit our parishes and schools, and it’s something I try to do as often as I can. In a typical month, I get to more than a dozen parishes; it was 13 in February alone, either for Mass, a prayer service, a school visit, or celebration. While I’m there, people generally do the same things: 1. Ask if they can take a picture with me! Cameras in your smartphone means everyone wants a picture – and I’m ﬂattered and happy to oblige. 2. Tell me how much they love Pope Francis. Not a surprise. 3. Bring up something personal or about their local situation – for instance,

can I make an exception and allow their pastor to stay beyond the normal 12-year term limit, or can I bless their rosary for them. Rare is the time when someone will bring up an “issue” that they want to discuss.

We continue to hear from parishioners working to save churches targeted for closure by the diocese. Is this an issue you consider still open for review? The goal has always been to make sure that our parishes are located where they are needed, that our parishes are as strong and vibrant communities of faith as possible, and that our parishes become as sustainable as possible. We knew two things when we started. The ﬁrst was something needed to be done. In some parts of the archdiocese we had more parishes than were needed, and keeping them all open was not a good use of our resources, including the resource of our priests; in other parts of the archdiocese, we needed to expand and grow, as population changes over the past 100 years meant that areas which were once sparsely populated were now thriving communities. The status quo just wasn’t going to work. Second, we knew that no matter what we did, no matter how much local input we received, no matter how much consultation and discussion we held, there would be people who would be upset with the decisions that were reached. It’s understandable that some people are upset that their parish has had to merge with another parish, and that the church building which they loved would no longer be available to them. But, more importantly, I would hope that people would see that the Church is not about a building, our parishes are not museums, and that the archdiocese is as committed as it ever has been to meeting the pastoral, spiritual, and religious needs of our people, even if it is in a new conﬁguration. The decisions we made were painful, both for the people and for me personally, but I believe that they were the correct decisions, and that after a period of adjustment, people will come to realize that the archdiocese

When news of my appointment to New York was announced, many of my wellmeaning friends called to warn me: New York, they said, is a cold, impersonal, secular, big city

and its parishes are stronger now than they were before.

You serve a huge and diverse group of people. What are the threads of commonality that have surprised you about Catholics in New York? I’m from the midwest, as you know. I was born and grew up in the suburbs of Saint Louis, and immediately prior to coming to New York I was the Archbishop of Milwaukee for nearly seven happy years. When news of my appointment to New York was announced, many of my well-meaning friends called to warn me: New York, they said, is a cold, impersonal, secular, big city, where religion and faith are exiled. Well, I arrived in April of 2009, and I’ve quickly found that nothing could be farther from the truth. I’ve been impressed by the thriving faith of so many here – Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Evangelical. Faith is very much alive here. And the people are as warm and gracious and welcoming as anywhere I’ve ever lived. The same is true of the Catholic people in New York. They’re really no different than the Catholics I knew in St. Louis, Milwaukee, or Rome, or anywhere else I’ve lived and served. Sure, Catholics here root for the Yankees or Mets, not the Cardinals or Brewers, but we all believe the same things, we celebrate the same Mass, and love and support the same Pope in Rome. It’s one of the reasons that I instantly felt at home here.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Mount Sinai Health System Congratulates David C. Thomas, MD, MS, MHPE Professor of Medicine | Vice Chair for Education Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME) Department of Medicine | Department of Medical Education Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

Kenneth L. Davis, M.D. Chief Executive Officer and President, Mount Sinai Health System

Dennis S. Charney, M.D. Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System

Jeremy Boal, M.D. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE FOR MATH GUSTAVO GONCALVES, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL Gustavo Goncalves began teaching during his time at Brooklyn College to pay for his tuition, and discovered a love for it that he didn’t know he had. More speciﬁcally, he discovered that he loved math, which he had not enjoyed as a student in home country of Brazil. “I was more of a Phys Ed kid,” he said. “But in college I became passionate about math.” Goncalves held many other jobs before landing his current one at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, where he’s been for nine years; server, tutor, shoe shine, van driver (despite not having a license). Then he got a B.S. in math from Brooklyn College, a master’s degree, and pursued a Ph.D. in mathematics. He ﬁnally met his match in topology, the

study of spaces, and dropped out of the program. “It’s crazy stuff,” he said of topology. He was also offered the soccer coaching job at Eleanor Roosevelt, and felt compelled to take on his “second passion.” Goncalves has now been coaching soccer for five years, and may someday go back to his Ph.D. Last month, Gonclaves was one of seven New York City high school teachers to receive the Sloan Award for Excellence in Teaching, which annually honors instructors of math and science for motivating and inspiring their students. Goncalves has been in the U.S. since 2001 -- he remembers arriving in January and seeing snow for the first time. “I love New York,” he said. He lives a block away from Eleanor Roosevelt with his wife and their two kids, whom he would very much like to send to the school. “The math department has become stronger; we just added two new courses, Foun-

Goncalves clearly takes great pride in his students’ success, and credits them fully with their achievements.

dations of Math and Discrete Math,” he said. “By the time my son is 14 this place is going to be like MIT.” His favorite class to teach is AP Calculus, because it’s the class that made him fall in love with math in the first place. “Most of [the students], if not all of them, are self-motivated. You

seem them struggling, but they bounce back,” Goncalves said. Several of his former students are currently studying math in college, and he has stayed in touch to cheer them along. “What I like the most is when they come back from college and say that what they learn in this class helped them,” he said. “Kids from four years ago are still asking for help, still doing mathematics. The last two years we’ve had two math majors.” Goncalves clearly takes great pride in his students’ success, and credits them fully with their achievements. He says the number of kids in his highest level math classes has steadily increased over the years due to increasing curiosity and demand for the challenge. With great enthusiasm, Goncalves describes the care he takes in preparing his lessons, and sings his community’s praises. “The grass is not greener on the other side,” he said. “It’s green here.”

Great leaders inspire our communities In every community, there are people who can inspire others to work for positive change. True leaders know how to forge a consensus and create a lasting legacy of success. Our Town honorees, it's an honor to recognize you.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

NEW ON THE EAST SIDE BEAT JAMES GRANT, NYPD James Grant, deputy inspector of the NYPD’s 19th precinct, is responsible for the more than 200,000 people who live on the East Side between 59th and 96th streets, and supervises 240 officers to keep them safe. “I go in every day, I read the crime stats, I read the community complaints, and I formulate plans along with my lieutenants, my cops,” he said. “I’m a very community-oriented person. … I like to help people, so I always end up extending myself to make sure that problems get corrected.” About 20 months ago, Grant was promoted to deputy inspector by Commissioner Bill Bratton and transferred to the 19th precinct — before that Grant worked in Brooklyn for about 18 years. When he was a kid growing up in Brighton Beach, he remembers always looking up to the local police

One of the most prominent issues on residents’ minds lately, according to Grant, is the increase in the number of bicyclists in the neighborhood.

officers. “I always wanted to be a cop,” he said. Grant rose through the ranks, and is grateful that his comparatively new East Side community has been so welcoming. For his part, Grant takes

pride in his work cleaning up the community and boosting morale at the station. “This a 24/7 operation, so I’m always a stickler when it comes to [cleanliness],” he said. “Some commanding officers bark orders, not in a bad way, but myself I walk around and I interact with the cops. … They might think it’s minor but it’s something I want to do to help out.” Grant stressed the importance he places on having his colleagues enjoy their work, saying it helped the precinct work more efficiently as well. Though fairly new to the community, Grant said he believes he understands its needs. When the record-breaking blizzard hit in late January, Grant got calls from people in the area who weren’t able to get back to their hotels because of the snow, so he had his officers drop them off. “I love to deal with people,” he said. One of the most prominent issues on residents’ minds lately,

Salute

2016 OTTY Award Honorees Special Thanks For All You Do For The Community

according to Grant, is the increase in the number of bicyclists in the neighborhoood. “There are a lot of elderly people who live up here, and as you get older it’s a little harder to react,” he said, adding that the subject has come up at several community meetings. While he takes the issue seriously, Grant is glad the community is not facing more dangerous problems. “They’re not complaining about people getting robbed and shot, thank God,” he said. A big believer in addressing quality-of-life issues, Grant has instigated several initiatives to address the bicycle problem, and plans to continue approaching all of his residents’ complaints with the same attitude. He has come to love the East Side, and is happy to see that the feeling is mutual. “A lot of people come in and donate stuff,” he said. “We see more appreciation here than anywhere else I’ve worked.”

Congratulations to all of the 2016 OTTY Award Winners!

From the Board of Directors and Staff of

“Better Banking for a Better Future” Equal Opportunity Lender

countrybankonline.com

Member NYCE, PLUS

875 Third Avenue, Mezzanine New York, NY 10022 212.813.0030

www.EastMidtown.org

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

My father was a very serious birdwatcher, and you’re taught to look. I grew up always looking, looking, looking. New York’s buildings tell so many stories.

KEEPING THE NEIGHBORHOOD WELL-READ HARRIS HEALY, LOGOS BOOKSTORE

PROTECTOR OF THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE PAUL GUNTHER, GRACIE MANSION CONSERVANCY Immediately after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Paul Gunther as executive director of the Gracie Mansion Conservancy last May, Gunther immediately began to rejuvenate the historical “People’s House.” Gunther had been familiar with Gracie Mansion throughout the course of his work with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York Historical Society and the Municipal Art Society, to name a few. At the art society, Gunther joined former ﬁrst lady Jaqueline Onassis in saving Grand Central Station from destruction. “What made that important is that up until the ruling by the Supreme Court [that saved Grand Central], people doubted preservation’s constitutionality,” Gunther said. “When they upheld Grand Central Terminal they were also

upholding the basic constitutional possibility of landmarking private property.” Gunther was also part of bringing the Adopt-A-Monument program to life, which has restored more than 40 monuments since 1987. “All these things together led to a long love and knowledge of Gracie [Mansion],” Gunther said. He was especially excited to take on the project of Gracie’s revitalizing because Mayor de Blasio, unlike his predecessor, would actually be living in the mansion, with his family. In an op-ed he wrote for the Huffington Post in 2013, he urged the next mayor to allow it to “return to the model of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” “I think a place like that that can, as I like to say, make history as well as measure it,” he said. Before he came on as executive director, some of the house’s upstairs furniture was returned to the collections they belonged to and the residence was redesigned to accommodate a modern family. Some asbestos was discovered in and removed from the roof, which

slowed down the opening of the house to public tours, which are now available on Tuesdays at certain hours. Gunther led the selection of art that was chosen to adorn Gracie’s walls to suit the tastes, in particular, of ﬁrst lady Chirlane McCray. “[She] said ‘I want there to be some fuller look at New York’s history,’” Gunther said. “The decision was that we would take 1799, when the house was ﬁrst built, as a sort of lens. So [the pieces] really are of, or refer to, the Federal era.” Those pieces include a print of Frederick Douglass, a Chinese porcelain platter and a painting of a notorious slave market, among many others. The mansion will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2017. A native New Yorker, Gunther has a deep love of the city and its history. “My father was a very serious birdwatcher, and you’re taught to look,” he said. “I grew up always looking, looking, looking. New York’s buildings tell so many stories. It’s really a rich, rewarding experience.”

Harris Healy, a native New Yorker, has been involved with Logos Bookstore, on 84th Street and York Avenue, for 30 years, and has owned it since 1991.

I think what’s happening now is the community’s starting to realize they don’t want to go to the other stores, and they don’t always want to order impersonally from Amazon.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the book industry, New York City and everything else,” he said. Healy started off as a cardbuyer’s assistant at Logos, stocking up on cards for the ofﬁce workers near its previous location in midtown to pick up on their lunch breaks. But he soon moved up to assistant manager, then manager, then owner. When he moved the store to the Upper East Side in 1995, he recalls York Avenue as being a “sleepy” area with little retail. “Now it’s a whole different ball

game,” he said. “A lot of people are raising their kids here.” Logos, whose name derives from “the word” in Greek, serves all readers, but has always had a special emphasis on religious and Christian texts. “My interest in religion goes way back,” said Healy, who attended Drew University theological school, intending to become a minister. “It helped me ﬁgure out I wanted more theological education … but if you’re Christian, saying you want to be a minister just doesn’t cut it.” Healy was not called to a specific denomination of Christian ministry, but ended up with a Master of Theological Studies degree from Drew. After the store’s move to Yorkville, Healy added a specialty in children’s books to help expand his customer base. “Up here, the mothers told me, ‘You’ve gotta get those board books,’” he said, referring to books printed on thick paperboard for the youngest readers. Logos also boasts a book club called “Kill Your TV Reading Group” that was founded by a customer who used to live in the area in 1998, and averages about 10 to 15 people every

meeting. Healy loves that activities like KYTV, which is currently reading “City of Fallen Angels” by John Berendt, and the newer Sacred Texts reading group allow him to bond with the community. He emphasis the inclusivity of such groups; “The current person who leads [Sacred Texts] is my assistant Ben, who likes to tell everybody he’s a Jewish atheist.” Healy described the bookselling climate as being “really tough” over the last few years, and sometimes visits the nearest Barnes and Noble to scope out the competition. But lately things have been getting better, and Healy is considering putting some of his business online. “I think what’s happening now is the community’s starting to realize [they] don’t want to go to the other stores, and [they] don’t always want to order impersonally from Amazon,” he said. As the only full-service Christian religious bookstore in Manhattan, Healy is thinking about adding items like rosaries or communion cups to his wares, but otherwise Logos will stay the neighborhood staple that it is.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

More CUNY Value More Than 90% of CUNY baccalaureate graduates are employed or pursuing advanced higher education three years after graduation.

More Student Award Winners than ever: Since 2011, 86 student Fulbright Award Winners, 81 NSF Fellowships, 12 Goldwater, 5 Soros, 3 Truman Scholarships – and a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

More Faculty Award Winners than ever: Since 2011, 51 faculty Fulbrights, Guggenheims, National Book Awards and Pulitzer Prizes.

More Than 8 of 10 CUNY college students graduate free of federal loan debt.

very year, hundreds of thousands of students choose The City University of New York for a multitude of reasons that can be summed up as one: opportunity. Providing a quality, accessible education regardless of background or means has been CUNY’s mission since 1847. The University’s unwavering commitment to that principle is a source of enormous pride. CUNY colleges offer a seemingly infinite array of academic programs taught by award-winning faculty, as well as the arts, sports, internships, scholarships and community service opportunities. The powerful combination of quality academics, remarkable affordability, financial support and the convenience of 24 modern campuses spanning the five boroughs of New York – the most exciting city in the world – makes CUNY a singular value in higher education today. The wise choice for smart students: That’s the CUNY Value. James B. Milliken CHANCELLOR

Support the CUNY Value

#supportcuny

cuny.edu/support

CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK-1847 HUNTER COLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYN COLLEGE-1930 QUEENS COLLEGE-1937 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY-1946 COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND-1956 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1959 CUNY GRADUATE CENTER-1961 BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE-1964 YORK COLLEGE-1966 BARUCH COLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1968 LEHMAN COLLEGE-1968 HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2003 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2011 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-FALL 2016

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

SERVICE FROM SUBWAY TO PANTRY MALLORY SPAIN, ACTIVIST

REVIVING THE CITY’S MUSEUM SUSAN HENSHAW JONES, MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK Upon stepping down as director of the Museum of the City of New York last April, Susan Henshaw Jones was credited with saving the institution. When she was appointed to the position in 2003, the museum was facing serious financial problems and dwindling visitor numbers. When she departed last April, attendance was up to 250,000, from 82,000, according to the New York Times, and a new $9 million endowment had been established.

Henshaw Jones, who was not available for an interview, has had a long history of leadership in the city. She worked for thenMayor John Lindsay in the ’70s and ’80s, led the New York Landmarks Conservancy from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1990 to 1993. She then became president of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1994, where she stayed for roughly a decade before moving back to New York. Henshaw Jones is looking forward to spending more time with her husband and two daughters. “I believe ﬁrmly in the things we celebrate here as part of our mission — diversity and opportunity and perpetual transformation,” she told the Times last April.

When she was appointed to the position in 2003, the museum was facing serious financial problems and dwindling visitor numbers.

At an early age, I learned from my parents the impact and beneﬁts to be derived through active community involvement relative to local quality of life issues. My community service has centered around a wide spectrum of issues including ecology and recycling, creating a

new park for East Harlem residents, and traffic and safety regarding bicycle lanes. I have testified at hearings regarding vendor proliferation on the East 86th Street corridor, construction accidents, and the Second Avenue Subway project. In addition, I have served as president and executive vice president of the East 86th Street Merchants and Residents Association and on an advisory board aimed at im-

It is my regular volunteering at the pantry which brings me real joy, working with a diverse cadre of volunteers, of people who just want to help. proving relations between businesses and the MTA related to the construction of the Second Avenue line. The advisory board launched an aggressive out-reach drive to meet one on one with merchants along corridor. We had street fairs, fundraiser events, and meetings in restaurants along the corridor to raise awareness and convince the MTA that they needed to establish a resource for community outreach. This was accomplished and remains in place to this day. Finally, I served on the board of the Yorkville Common Pantry for 20 years, up until 2012. It is my regularly volunteering at the pantry which brings me real joy, working with a diverse cadre of volunteers of people who just want to help. I am proud to be part of the team. In 2015, the Pantry received the Gold Medal Award for NonProﬁt Excellence. How rewarding for me to have been part of a board that established the foundation for this award. As a result of years of community service, I was rewarded and honored to attend the Inaguration of President Obama and Vice Present Joe Biden. What an awesome and unforgettable experience.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

A DEVOTION TO MEDICAL CARE FOR ALL train as a physician, and specifically singled out Mount Sinai as the place he wanted to work. He said the Upper East Side/ East Harlem community appeals to him because of the diversity of the area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The community] continues to teach me,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I try to have a focus on those who are much

DAVID THOMAS, MOUNT SINAI Thomas is quick to point out the disparities in access to medicine, depending on income, and wants physicians-in-training to be aware of those disparities.

David Thomas is passionate about ensuring everyone has access to medical care. Though Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; day job is doctor of internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Icahn School of Medicine, much of the rest of his energy goes into his work as the co-founder and medical director of the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), a studentrun, attending-directed free clinic for uninsured patients. He is also the chair of the community advisory board of Mount Sinai. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very committed to inner city medicine and the vulnerable population,â&#x20AC;? Thomas said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to that I have a main focus on teaching medical students. I feel like that way I get to affect hundreds of people and how

more vulnerable.â&#x20AC;? Part of EHHOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, according to its web site, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;to establish a positive approach to medicine by creating shared goals with our patients and by empowering our patients to participate actively in their physical and emotional wellbeing to enhance the effective-

ness of our services. His speciality in internal medicine, too, stems from a love for involvement in his patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more that I know about them, not just the medical side but who they are as a person, the better I can take care of them,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Huge Selection of they care for patients throughout their lives.â&#x20AC;? Thomas is quick to point out the disparities in access to medicine, depending on income, and wants physiciansin-training to be aware of those disparities when considering how to provide the best possible care to their patients. Though heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from Philadelphia, Thomas came to New York to

enrich lives

Bibles Fiction/Non-Fiction Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books Greeting Cards .VTJD t (JGUT Original Art Events and More! Hours: M-F 10am-9pm 4BU BN QN t 4VO QN QN

:PSL "WF #UXO SE UI 4U t www.logosbookstorenyc.com

Congratulations to our Board Member Mallory Spain on receiving the 2016 OTTY Award for community service East 86th Street Merchants/Residents Association HDVW VW#JPDLO FRP Â&#x2021; ZZZ H WK RUJ

WE PROUDLY SUPPORT THE

OTTY AWARDS AND CONGRATULATE THE 2016 HONOREES

VISIT OUR WEBSITE! at OURTOWNNY.COM

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

THE MAYOR OF E. 79TH STREET BETTY COOPER WALLERSTEIN, NEIGHBORHOOD ADVOCATE Betty Cooper Wallerstein began inﬂuencing her community almost from the moment she moved to the Upper East Side. She was waiting for a bus on York Avenue on a cold winter day 32 years ago when someone pulled up to the bus stop in a car and warned her that she’d be waiting a long time -- there was no Sunday service on that line. Knowing how close she was to several world-class medical facilities, Cooper Wallerstein was shocked. The next day she called up a local official to inquire as to the lack of bus service. She was informed that to get attention, she needed to be a member of a neighborhood association, so by the next Thursday

she had notified her block that she would be holding a community meeting. That Friday, March 4, the 79th Street Neighborhood Association celebrated its 32nd anniversary. “I consider myself a community activist,” she said. “What I have tried to do is be an advocate for quality of life improvements where I live.” That first neighborhood association meeting was so well attended that they ran out of chairs. “It makes sense; this is a neighborhood that is very far from transit,” she said. “It showed me that there are a lot of people who wanted or needed to improve (the area) … and they felt that you can’t ﬁght City Hall.” Since then, transportation has been a favorite focus for her. Eventually, the area was given a short trial period of Sunday bus service by the transit authority, and the bus proved popular enough that it is still running today. Cooper Wallerstein is adamant

Cooper Wallerstein is adamant that those interested in making change work with elected officials. that those interested in making change in their neighborhoods should work with elected officials. She describes them as happy to cooperate and work in turn with residents. Through that method she has also brought a taxi stand to the Far East Side, as it is sometimes known, rallied residents to help improve sanitation through “Basket Buddies,” and expanded the neighborhood association to include residents far beyond 79th Street. “People were starting to come from other groups and other neighborhoods,” Cooper Wallerstein said.

“We never changed our name, but I never knew it would grow as far as it has. We have members from 72nd to 96th street.” For most of its existence, the neighborhood association has met on the second Thursday of every month at the City University administration building, but then the building was sold and for the last three years it’s had to move around. They currently meet in a nearby temple. Though she has made herself a household name in the area, Cooper Wallerstein was not always sold on New York. Originally from Baltimore, she moved here to get her advanced degree in social work and “met a lovely young man.” “I wasn’t so enthused about New York, but I was very enthused about him,” she said. “I found New York overwhelming, but then I married him and began to enjoy being here.” She has been here ever since, and has plenty more on her list of ways to improve the community.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

2016 OTTY WINNERS

NEW STORE POLICY: PERMANENTLY & FOREVER OFFERING THESE DISCOUNTS NEW OWNERSHIP

A DOCTOR WITH A HAND IN THE COMMUNITY

WE DELIVER! ORDER ONLINE FOR OUR MOST COMPETITIVE PRICES

MAURA FRANK, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN Think of the most pressing human health needs of the last several decades and Dr. Maura Frank, medical director of pediatrics and assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at New York Presbyterian Hospital, has likely had a hand in ďŹ xing them. But before any of that, after graduating from Barnard College, she had a stint teaching high school biology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was, like a lot of my friends, very interested in making change,â&#x20AC;? Frank said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved the kids but I was not a good teacher. There was deďŹ nitely a passion for doing good.â&#x20AC;? Frank eventually went to medical school and completed her residency at Cornell, where she has stayed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been interested in community work and community outreach, and as a result I requested a position that focused on the neediest patients in our practice,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My ďŹ rst foray into community outreach was the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting [TAPP] program â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I started getting involved in that

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been interested in community work and commuity outreach, and as a result I requested a position that focused on the neediest patients in our practice.

20% OFF 15% OFF ALL STILL WINES

ALL LIQUORS

&OKPZ FWFSZ EBZ EJTDPVOUT /P DPVQPOT OFFEFE /P -JNJU "MM 4J[FT as a resident.â&#x20AC;? TAPP combines OBGYN and pediatrics to provide health care to young mothers and their children, and works closely with the nearby Inwood House. She also helped operate a van that drove around providing care to the homeless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The community is broad,â&#x20AC;? Frank said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The patients that come into our clinic come from all over New York City.â&#x20AC;? She made connections early on with Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where she helped establish the Healthy City Kids program for the parents of children in Head Start, and joined their medical advisory committee. She gives talks in the community on a variety of top-

ics like asthma and inďŹ&#x201A;uenza, and set up a project called Go For Health in a local middle school to teach health as it relates to weight. Recently, her focus has turned to the prevention and management of childhood obesity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The obesity program is a clinical program here â&#x20AC;Ś and we have 10 weeks of intensive training for both the kids and the parents,â&#x20AC;? she said, adding that her program has served more than 300 patients since 2009. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There just seemed to be such an aching need for it.â&#x20AC;? Frank lived on the Upper East Side through most of medical school and throughout her residency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The heart of my work is here,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Garnet Wines has recently come under NEW OWNERSHIP!

OUR GOAL IS TO ALWAYS BE THE LOWEST PRICES IN MANHATTAN As a way of saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;helloâ&#x20AC;? ... we are now permanently and forever offering:

FREE DELIVERY IN MANHATTAN t (BSOFU8JOF DPN .PO 8FE BN QN t 5IVST 4BU BN QN t 4VO QN QN

-FYJOHUPO "WFOVF (Between 68th and 69th Sts)

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Weill Cornell Medicine & NewYork-Presbyterian congratulate Dr. Maura Frank & all of the 2016 OTTY award recipients.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Care That Connects To You. Visit weillcornell.org and nyp.org

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

A NEW APPROACH TO CHILDHOOD FOOD ALLERGIES

OUTREACH PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND SPEECH REHABILITATION, PLLC OUTREACH is a new rehabilitation clinic in your area that focuses on physical therapy, hand therapy along with speech and swallowing difficulties (speech and language pathology).

HEALTH Studies question avoiding peanuts and other foods

Please call for more information about our services and how we can be of assistance.

BY LINDSEY TANNER

Two new studies bolster evidence that feeding babies peanuts or other allergy-inducing foods is more likely to protect them than to cause problems. One study, a follow-up to landmark research published last year, suggests that the early prevention strategy leads to persistent, long-lasting results in children at risk for food allergies. It found that allergy protection lasted at least through age 5 and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wane even when kids stopped eating peanut-containing foods for a year. That means at-risk kids who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to eat peanut butter on a weekly basis can safely take a break, at least for a year. The second new study suggests that the early strategy could also work with eggs, another food that can cause allergies in young children. It found that allergies to peanuts and eggs were less common in young children who started eating those foods at 3 months of age than in kids who as infants received only breast milk. The New England Journal of Medicine published both new studies online Friday, coinciding with their presentation at a medical meeting in Los Angeles. Food allergies are common, potentially serious and sometimes deadly. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re becoming more prevalent in children in many countries, affecting up to 8 percent of kids under age 3. About 2 percent of U.S. kids have peanut allergies. The results from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study prompted a sea change in expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; approach to preventing these allergies. It was the ďŹ rst â&#x20AC;&#x153;to show that early introduction of peanut can prevent the development of allergy to it,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. It also led to new draft guidance issued Friday by a panel convened by Fauciâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agency. The recommendations include giving at-risk kids peanut-containing food as early as 4- to 6-months of age. Infants at risk are those with severe skin rash-

1110 2nd Avenue( between 58th and 59th street: Northeast corner on 58th) 1IPOF t FNBJM info@outreach-rehab.com website: www.outreach-rehab.com

Going to the Airport?

1-212-666-6666 es or egg allergies; allergy tests are recommended beforehand. The agency paid for last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study and follow-up, and will issue final guidelines after a 45-day comment period. The draft guidance echoes advice issued last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups in response to the ground-breaking study. That study involved more than 600 at-risk British infants. By age 5, peanut allergies were much less common in children who had started eating peanutbased foods before age 1, usually peanut butter or a peanutbased snack, than among children whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been told to abstain. The follow-up involved most of those children. After a year off, an additional three kids in both groups tested positive for peanut allergies. The allergies remained much less common in the early peanut eaters _ affecting just under 5 percent of those kids versus almost 19 percent of the others. The new results suggest that early introduction of allergyinducing foods results in â&#x20AC;&#x153;true toleranceâ&#x20AC;? in at-risk kids, said Dr. Stacy Dorris, an allergist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was not involved in the research. The second study involved 1,300 study breast-fed British

children randomly assigned to get several types of allergyinducing foods or just breast milk. The strongest results were with peanut-based food and eggs but there was one hitch. About 60 percent of the early eaters didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stick to the program. Some may have had immature swallowing skills; some doctors donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend starting solid foods until around 4 months of age. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible some parents stopped giving solid foods because they noticed allergy-like symptoms, which may have included false alarms, said Dr. Gideon Lack, a Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London researcher who led all three studies. The results suggest feeding these foods to at-risk infants is safe, but often not feasible in infants so young, said Dr. Gary Wong, a Hong Kong pediatrician. He wrote an editorial published online with the new studies. Still, Wong said the new studies confirm that the old approach to preventing food allergies _--avoiding certain foods early in life -- is probably obsolete. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evidence is really building up. It appears early introduction would be better off than avoidance,â&#x20AC;? said Wong, who is also an associate editor at the journal.

;V 1-2 ;V 5L^HYR ;V 3H.\HYKPH Tolls & gratuities not included. Prices subject to change without notice.

One Coupon per Trip. Expires12/31/13 12/31/16

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Be There For You!â&#x20AC;?

www.CarmelLimo.com

Toll Free 1-800-9-Carmel

IN OUR HANDS RESCUE, LINDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAT ASSISTANCE, MUDDY PA RESCUE & NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE AMERICA

Adopt A Pet UI "WF CUXO 8 UI 8 UI 4U t /FX :PSL /: 75 9th Ave. (btwn W. 15th & W. 16th St.) 7 '3* ."3 t 1. o 1. 7 159 Columbus Ave. (btwn W. 67th & W. 68th St.)7 7

46 University Pl. (btwn E. 9th & E. 10th Sts.) 7 7

1280 Lexington Ave. (btwn E. 86th & E. 87th Sts.) 7 7

Home of the Mutt Mut utt tt-ii-gree gre reeÂŽ animalleague.org rg 7 516.883.7575 25 Davis Av Ave enue 7 Port rt Wa Washingto on, NY

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MARCH 10-16,2016

A DIALOGUE ACROSS CENTURIES The Met Breuer displays dazzling unfinished thoughts BY MARY GREGORY

The world just got more beautiful, at least the world around Madison Avenue and 75th Street. The Met Breuer opens to members March 8 through the 13, and to the public on the 18th. Two exhibitions inaugurate the space; one is filled with understated elegance, the other with jaw-dropping masterpieces. Each is extraordinary, and together they mark the first step in a new journey for the museum, which hopes to offer audiences a longer, wider view of modern and contemporary art. Just as The Cloisters specializes in presenting medieval art in its unique space, the Metropolitan Museum has leased the building that once housed the Whitney to start a dialogue about art of the 20th and 21st centuries and how examples from each relate to the art of the non-Western world and the past. “Especially for a younger audience,” said Thomas Campbell, the Met’s director and CEO, “when they see historical work, they see the fact that it’s historical before they actually see the work. I think seeing the work in this Brutalist, modern setting gives a whole new freshness and resonance.” Nasreen Mohamedi (1937–1990), whose solo exhibition fills the second floor, is relatively unknown to Ameri-

can audiences. Her work is spare and graceful. With a limited palette and visual vocabulary, her paintings, drawings and photographs capture a timeless quality through the lens of modernism. Across the 130 works, one senses stillness — the slow progression of a shadow across a wall, the rhythm of a shuttle’s slide back and forth to weave a carpet. “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible” is a sweeping look at a question all artists face. When is it time to call it done, and is it ever done? Some 190 works spanning more than 550 years, in various states of completion, offer a fascinating glimpse of how artworks evolve. The same questions that plagued Titian in the 16th century may have haunted Alice Neel in the 20th. The same restless energy that propelled Leonardo da Vinci to a new page may have inspired Jean-Michel Basquiat’s impassioned poetic painting. Two floors are filled with works presented roughly chronologically. The earliest work in the show, “St. Barbara” by Jan Van Eyck (1437), is glorious. Its unfinished or intentionally skeletal state (nobody’s sure) reveals intense delicacy and complexity that might have been obscured by even thin washes of color. The exhibition ends on the floor above with a suite of six Cy Twombly works never before exhibited. The presentation is focused on

“Unﬁnished: Thoughts Left Visible,” gallery view. Photo: Adel Gorgy

Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Piscine Versus the Best Hotels (or Various Loin),” 1982, Schorr Family Collection. Photo: Adel Gorgy mostly European and American works from the Renaissance through today. Some may ﬁnd fault with a lack of cohesion or diversity. If you want to quibble with curators for mounting two shows, only one of which is dedicated to a non-male, non-white, non-Western artist, go right ahead. I’d rather spend my time contemplating a dazzling grouping of Michelangelo’s stunning red chalk “Studies for the Libyan Sibyl” next to the exquisite “Head of a Woman (La Scapigliata)”

done at the turn of the 16th century by Leonardo, ﬂanked by yet another da Vinci, sketches in silverpoint and ink preparing for his painting, “The Virgin of the Rocks.” The unsurpassable quality of the works and the ability to secure these loans is astonishing. “The Met can do this. I can’t imagine too many other museums can,” the museum’s president, Daniel Weiss, said. “And that’s what we’re hoping to bring – a really different perspective on the creative process and the relationship of tradition to modernism.” On the fourth floor, more recent works are on view, from a roomful of Picassos in dialogue with Cézannes, to Pollock and Warhol, to Felix GonzalezTorres’ multicolored pile of wrapped candies, to a surprisingly delicate Louise Bourgeois marble sculpture. Some of these works were never completed because the commission fell through, others because the artist died or moved on, some because the artist could never let go. Turner (a breathtaking roomful of his art is presented) was known to take a brush and keep adding strokes even when his paintings were hanging on gallery walls. Rembrandt was so focused on the drama of a moment he often didn’t bother with pesky details like hands and shoulders; everything he wanted

was captured in the crease of a brow or the glint off a shining blade. In the 20th and 21st centuries, process came to take precedence over the product. Artists observe time, rather than trying to capture it. Robert Smithson’s earthworks, even within a building, can never be completely stable. Janine Antoni’s “Lick and Lather,” two sculpted busts, one made of chocolate the other of soap, are meant to be decomposed. Was that work finished the day Antoni completed it, or the day it ceases to exist? “I hope very much visitors spend some time going through the exhibition and then revisiting it, because it opens up many questions … that you can explore the answers to,” curator Sheena Wagstaff said. “They’re there in the canvases, and they’re also in you. It’s about engaging you to ask those questions of yourself.” The Met Breuer’s inaugural exhibitions are filled with hundreds of spectacularly beautiful works seen together for the first and only time. There are things you have never seen and ones you will never forget. Don’t lose the chance to experience something remarkable and formulate your own answers to complex artistic questions.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com Madeline Barr, Julia Blauvelt and Allison Taaffe in “Three.” Photo: Bailey Nassetta

FROM SHAKESPEARE TO THE KARDASHIANS TO DO BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Julia Blauvelt discusses her play “Three,” with a script she and her collaborators Allison Taaffe and Madeline Barr assembled from diverse sources, including Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” The writers and performers present a staged reading of the play about three sisters at the New York Society Library on March 13.

THE IDEA “I was interested in looking at the three daughters of “King Lear.” I was just really into that play a couple years ago for some reason, and that sort of collided with Allison [Taaffe] being really interested in “Three Sisters,” the Chekhov play. And we had coffee one day and talked about how I was interested in these women apart from the rest of the narrative of the play. And she was like, ‘that’s funny because I’m reading “Three Sisters” and I’m really interested in those women.’ And we thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to see them in the same play stripped of the rest of those plays? Then Maddie [Madeline Barr] came on board and brought with her this pop culture streak. We started looking at a bunch of different sources that had three women,

specifically three sisters in them. So then it became this big collage frenzy of culling all these different sources.”

THE MATERIAL “All of these texts, be it present day Beverly Hills, California or 1604 or Russia, all of them have certain similarities within the characters, within the texts, within the struggles, within the way they phrase things. And there are certain consistent archetypes among those sisters. I think that sort of makes each piece timeless in its own right. I never thought I would call the Kardashians timeless, but this has led me to believe that they are. That the existential despair that Kim feels in a breakdown where she’s crying over something that seems sort of trivial is actually similar rhetoric to a breakdown that Masha might have in “Three Sisters.”…And looking at “The Brady Bunch,” we have found some really morbid, existential lines coming out of Cindy’s mouth that sound like they could have been written by Chekhov. Really interesting things in the context of that very light-hearted and spirited ‘70s TV world, when it’s taken away, when it’s taken out of context, they read super dark and heavy.”

THE CHARACTERS “The plot is very simple. We’re just three sisters celebrating the youngest sister’s birthday.

IF YOU GO “Three” Sunday, March 13 New York Society Library 53 East 79th St., near Madison Avenue 3 p.m. Tickets $25 For more information, visit www.nysoclib.org/events/ three

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

But it’s also been a year since our father died, so we’re together for the first time, sort of in remembrance but also to try to have this birthday party, and we’re baking a cake in the oldest sister’s kitchen. So the action of it is fairly straightforward. But the text is, we’ll say a line of Shakespeare, and someone will counter with a “The Brady Bunch” line, and pretty soon it becomes clear that there is conflict among these siblings. They’re undercutting each other, undermining each other, getting at a bigger point of who’s angry, who’s bitter, who’s holding on to something, and how are they going to reshape their lives in the absence of their father. So that’s the deep undertone of this play. And then the aesthetic of it is super breakneck. At times there will be a monologue from Shakespeare but then that will be undercut by a quip from a Kardashian or a snarky line from Marcia Brady.”

Padma Lakshmi—Love, Loss and What We Ate

THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH, 7:30PM Asia Society and Museum | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org With Top Chef back in full swing it’s a good time for the show’s cohost Padma Lakshmi to make the rounds, discussing food, family, and the scars that life leaves, as covered in her new memoir. There will be a book sale and signing as well. ($12)

7 Days of Genius: Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger in Conversation

FRIDAY, MARCH 11TH, 6:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Resist the urge to regram your POTD as Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger discusses the evolution of the app. ($32)

Just Announced | Country of Dreams: Art Festival as Social Change

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27TH, 6:30PM Japan Society | 33 E. 47th St. | 212-832-1155 | japansociety.org Artists Marina Abramovic, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Ilya & Emilia Kabakov talk about the EchigoTsumari Art Triennale, which every three years transforms a remote stretch of Japan into a vibrant global art destination. ($13)

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

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MARCH 10-16,2016

Food & Drink

In Brief THE GROWING NYC KOSHER DINING SCENE Kosher dining options have proliferated in the city, with the number of kosher restaurants growing by 50 percent in the last 20 years, according to Crain’s. With around 300 kosher eateries in the city, options abound for those who keep kosher in the city, a development that can be attributed to Rabbi Menachem Genack, who, as the CEO of Orthodox Union, a nonprofit that certifies food items as kosher, grew the number of food production operations observed by the organization from around 400 to 9,000 globally, Crain’s reported. The organization also certifies about 30 restaurants in the city, including Le Marais steak house on W. 46th Street.

TRUMP HOTEL SUED

IGNORING THE SALT WARNING LABELS NEWS New Yorkers say the labels will make little difference BY VERENA DOBNIK

A lawsuit ﬁled in Suffolk County Supreme Court is going after Donald Trump’s hotel for keeping tips from catering employees, DNAinfo reported. The suit, ﬁled on Feb. 13, 2015 by a catering worker, suggests that the Trump Soho Hotel kept the 22-percent service fee that it charged catering clients, instead of distributing the earnings to catering staff members. The suit also suggests that for the hotel to hold on to the service fee that clients would believe was gratuity violates labor laws. The hotel said in a statement to DNAinfo that “The plaintiff has never been a staff member of the Trump Soho Hotel. She was contracted by a third party but was never directly employed by Trump Soho Hotel.” A similar 2012 suit against eatery Per Se resulted in a $500,000 settlement, DNAinfo reported.

As warning labels go, the small salt shaker emblems that began showing up on some New York City restaurant menus recently are fairly unobtrusive, but each is supposed to carry a powerful message. If the black and white logo appears next to a dish, it means it contains more salt, by itself, than doctors recommend that a person ingest in an entire day. Getting diners to pay attention to the logos, though, is another matter. “I haven’t had health problems, other than I’m a little overweight, so I feel I should eat what I want until I have a problem,” said Madi Boggs, a former resident of New York who now lives in Connecticut, as she tucked into a plate of crispy chicken ﬁngers at a TGI Friday’s in Manhattan. The city began requiring chain restaurants to post the warnings in December. Hundreds have voluntarily complied, even as the industry has continued to delay enforcement of the rules through a court challenge.

But customers interviewed at several city restaurants said the labels were unlikely to change what they ordered. “For someone that’s young, it really doesn’t matter, because they’re still healthy,” said Maite Acosta, a 20-year-old nurse from Birmingham, Alabama, as she dined at an Applebee’s just off Times Square. The hostess at the restaurant, Ashley Hurtado, said she thought the labeling was “a good idea,” but also said it wouldn’t change the way she ate. “I’ll eat anything, whatever I want. That’s just how I am,” she said. New York City’s regulation applies to restaurants and fast-food places with more than 15 outlets nationwide. It requires eateries to post the salt shaker emblem next to menu items that contain more than the daily recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams of salt, or about the amount found in a teaspoon. Health experts say too much salt intake over time can lead to high blood pressure and other problems. The National Restaurant Association went to court to challenge ﬁnes of up to $600 for non-compliance that were to kick in Tuesday. On Monday, an appellate judge issued

a temporary stay of enforcement while the appeal is underway. New York has, for years now, been trying to attack chronic health problems like obesity, diabetes and hypertension by warning consumers about the hidden dangers in the food they eat. The city banned the use of arterydamaging artificial trans fats in restaurant food. It tried, but failed, to impose a limit on the size of cups used to serve sugary beverages at food service establishments. Eight years ago, it began requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on their menus, reasoning that if people knew how caloric some dishes and beverages were, they might stay away. That initiative was quickly replicated in several other big cities, but it may not have achieved its main goal, which is to change the way people eat. Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine who reviewed 31 studies on calorie labeling concluded in a Journal of Community Health article published in December 2014 that its effect on diners was “marginal.” “While there are some positive results,” they wrote, “overall these

studies show that calorie labels do not have the desired effect in reducing total calories ordered or consumed.” City health officials said they interviewed more than 8,000 restaurant patrons and found better results. They said that patrons who saw the labels purchased, on average, food containing 100 fewer calories. City health officials are optimistic that the new salt labels, if they survive the court challenge, will make a difference. “We are certain it will have an effect. It’s just too early to tell what that will be,” said Christopher Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. In some ways, it has already had a limited effect. Panera Bread changed some ingredients in three menu items to lower the salt content, including its signature bread bowl. Still, at a Subway sandwich shop in midtown Manhattan, employees interviewed Tuesday said only two or three people had inquired about the salt icons after they began appearing December -- a sign of the challenge ahead in changing public opinion.

MARCH 10-16,2016

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JAN 25 - MAR 1, 2016 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 www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page. Restaurant San Cristobal

339 East 108 Street

Superior Cafe

1490 Madison Ave

Neapolitan Express

232 E 111Th St

Not Yet Graded (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.

King Dragon 88

1548 Madison Ave

Thai Wok

1406 Madison Ave

Not Yet Graded (31) 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Double Dragon 88

2037 1St Ave

Chickpea, Red Mango

1413 Madison Avenue A

Little Caesars

1936 3 Avenue

Amor Cubano

2018 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (19) Evidence of mice or live mice 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.

Moon House Chinese Restaurant

1810 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (16) 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. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.

El Nuevo Caribeno Restaurant

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

1675 Lexington Avenue

Not Yet Graded (28) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. 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.

Grade Pending (24) 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. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches 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.

Steak And Hoagies

1657 Madison Ave

Grade Pending (38) Evidence of mice or live mice 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.

Best Lexington Pizza

1634 Lexington Avenue

Highlands Cafe Restaurant 1505 Third Avenue

Ithaka

308 East 86 Street

Follow Our Town on Facebook and Twitter

Eastsider NOTICE TO PERSONS WHO MAY HAVE SUFFERED FROM INADEQUATE ACCESSIBLE FEATURES AT LIBERTY PLAZA AND OTHER RENTAL BUILDINGS On February 11, 2016, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a consent decree resolving a lawsuit brought by the United States Department of Justice against certain builders and developers alleging that they failed to include certain accessible features for persons with disabilities required by the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(c), in the design and construction of Liberty Plaza. Under this consent decree, a person may be entitled to receive monetary relief if, in relation to any of the properties identified below, he or she: E WAS DISCOURAGED FROM LIVING AT THAT PROPERTY BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF ACCESSIBLE FEATURES; E HAS BEEN HURT IN ANY WAY BY THE LACK OF ACCESSIBLE FEATURES AT THAT PROPERTY; E PAID TO HAVE AN APARTMENT AT THAT PROPERTY MADE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES; OR E WAS OTHERWISE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY AT THAT PROPERTY. The properties relevant to this notice are:

E LIBERTY PLAZA

E THE GRAND TIER

E BRITTANY

E BARCLAY TOWER

E PARAMOUNT TOWER

E EMERALD GREEN

If you wish to make a claim for discrimination on the basis of disability, or if you have any information about persons who may have such a claim, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York at 212-637-2800. You may also fax us at 212-637-2702 or write to: United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York Attn: Civil Rights Unit 86 Chambers Street New York, New York 10007 NOTE: You must call or write no later than February 11, 2019.

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

YOUR 15 MINUTES

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

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS The new Manhattan Chamber of Commerce president on her past experience and future goals BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Jessica Walker has made a career out of making our city a better place. Upon graduation from college, she moved to the Bronx and quickly found a niche within the political world. As the new president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, she enters the role with the experience that comes with having worked for influential nonproﬁts around Manhattan such as United Neighborhood Houses, New York Academy of Medicine and Partnership for New York City. Wa lker replaces Nancy Ploeger, who served as Chamber president for 21 years. The two briefly overlapped and Walker calls her a “godsend” in helping with the transition. Although she only began her tenure on Feb. 22, Walker already has ambitious goals for the organization, including assisting young entrepreneurs in starting businesses. A believer in the importance of face-toface networking, she outlined the mission of the Chamber of Commerce, which is to advocate for, connect and educate the businesses in Manhattan. “So really the goal is to make sure that Manhattan remains a great place to start and grow a business,” she explained.

How did you begin your career in the nonprofit sector? When I first graduated from college, I actually was setting myself up for a career in public relations, but I decided I didn’t really like it very quickly. [Laughs] I was just a lot more interested in politics, so I started to move into that world. I got hired by the United Neighborhood Houses, which represents all of the community centers and settlement houses in the city. The first thing I was hired to do was to be a policy analyst, and I was working on a host of issues that were helpful to community centers.

You grew up on an Indian reser-

vation in New Mexico. Do you use any of what you saw there in your job today? My parents are hippies, I would say. I was actually born in Detroit and when I was eight years old, they had an epiphany that they wanted to move to a Native American reservation even though we’re not Native American. The Navajo people are a really beautiful people and have a certain way of viewing the world and a very positive way of seeing things and I think I deﬁnitely learned that and carry that.

You’ve been at the Chamber of Commerce for two weeks now. What’s one of the ﬁrst things you did there? We’ve done some really great events since I started. That’s a big part of what the Chamber does, bring people together for networking and educational purposes. We had some really good speakers who I was happy to see and help present, including Maisha Walker who is an Internet guru and was sharing ideas for honing your digital strategy. We had the founder of Shoptiques present to a lot of young women, which was really neat. Just to see the impact we can make has been the big lesson in my ﬁrst two weeks.

Describe what a typical day has been like for you so far. What’s your job description? It’s about four pages long. [Laughs] But essentially, a lot of it is being the spokesperson for the organization, and also trying to really come up with some innovative ways to help our members start and grow their companies. It’s really trying to think through what events would be of value and what can really help businesses. And some of it is advocacy; I’ll be testifying before the City Council on different issues and doing some lobbying. But also just really trying to meet the members and ﬁgure out what their needs are and try to help them. That’s what it’s all about.

What are some things you hope to accomplish in this role? Well I deﬁnitely want to ramp up our advocacy efforts. That’s

Jessica Walker, the new president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

one of my passions obviously, in my background. There are certain issues that we definitely want to take on, such as eliminating the commercial rent tax, which only affects businesses in Manhattan. It’s a tax on commercial rental properties below 96th Street and it’s sort of a double taxation and a hardship, essentially, for a lot of businesses in Manhattan. I also want to do a lot to help young professionals and entrepreneurs. It’s a very complex city in terms of learning the rules and regulations you have to follow to start a business. So we want to do a lot there to clarify that and make it easier for people to follow their passions.

Tell us about some of the nonproﬁts you worked for and your proudest accomplishments. If you look at my resume, it doesn’t seem clear, but it is to me in terms of the fact that the common thread is focused on making New York a better place. The nonprofits I’ve worked for are some of the biggest institutions here in the city, including United Neighborhood Houses and the New York Academy of Medicine, which is all about public health in the city and at the Partnership for New York City, which represents the city’s businesses. The ﬁrst part of my career was focused on trying to make the city a better place for its oldest residents. And I’m really proud of some of the things we did, such as shining the spotlight on social isolation, which is a huge issue, actually. We did a report that was very influential. It caused former Mayor Bloomberg to act on the issue and it garnered a lot of attention and it’s now one of the biggest issues that the AARP Foundation is focused on. I’m proud of that. I think we did a lot of good to help people, starting with that report.

At the New York Academy of Medicine, you worked on an initiative called Age-Friendly New York City. It’s sort of revolutionary in that we actually went out and talked to people about what they wanted instead of sitting

in the office and making it up. We contacted 15,000 older adults in the city and asked them what they liked, what they didn’t like and what they wanted to see change. Nothing crazy, but we got a lot of valuable information that led to 59 policy improvements in New York City.

niﬁcant importance on face-toface networking and connecting and making sure you’re getting the information from a credible source. So, making sure that we are visible and people understand that we’re a resource even though there’s all this information and other stuff happening out there.

Going forward, what do you think the challenges will be in your job?

You live in Harlem. What are some of the business you support there? How have you seen the neighborhood change?

I think, right now, it’s an interesting times for chambers in general because there’s so much networking that can happen digitally. Part of it is going to be how we are going to maximize that for people. But also, I think there is still a sig-

I’ve been here for a little over four years. It’s just a great place. I like an Italian restaurant called Babbalucci … and Chez Lucienne. There’s a lot of great restaurants in Harlem

right now and I try to frequent them as much as possible. There are a lot of changes happening. Right around the corner from where I live, there’s a Whole Foods that’s about to open. It used to be a huge vacant lot. Also just the number or bars and restaurants that have opened. It’s been a very rapid change.

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to ourtownny. com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”

BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer

Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.

MARCH 10-16,2016

CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

HELP WANTED

MASSAGE

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

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

SERVICES OFFERED

Directory of Business & Services To advertise in this directory Call #BSSZ (212)-868-0190 ext.4 CBSSZ MFXJT@strausnews.com

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

SITUATION WANTED

ANTIQUES WANTED

TOP PRICES PAID

MASSAGE TUTOR

Remember to:

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

Recycle and Reuse

800.530.0006

NEED TO RUN A LEGAL NOTICE?

Antique, Flea & Farmers Market SINCE 1979

East 67th Street Market (between First & York Avenues) Open EVERY Saturday 6am-5pm Rain or Shine Indoor & Outdoor FREE Admission Questions? Bob 718.897.5992 Proceeds BeneďŹ t PS 183

Singles, Families including LGBT Thinking of moving to New Jersey? Call Barbara Silber, RealtorÂŽ Direct: 973-280-6086 www.barbarasilber.com Office: 973-251-0100

Quick | Easy | Economical

Call Barry Lewis Today: 212-868-0190

SUBURBAN 4245 Town Center Way, Livingston NJ 07039

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

Control Your Own Future h

it e Sm

sborn E. O

Opportunity to BUY Established Real Estate Brokerage Firm with a rich history in serving Greater New York Area since 1887!

*OWFTUPST t 7FOUVSF $BQJUBMJTUT t 4VDDFTTGVM #SPLFST w

No l l Ca

212-986-7644 www.eosbornesmith.com to take the next step into your future!

FROM THE $170s

On Top of the World in Ocala is Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Active Adult Community â&#x20AC;˘ Over 250,000 sq. ft. of amenities â&#x20AC;˘ 54 holes of golf on three courses and much more Call us at 1.855.458.7447 or visit OnTopoftheWorld.com On Top of the World Communities Inc., Ocala, Florida a 55+ community. On Top of the World Communities reserves the right to change or withdraw any offer at any time. Prices, features and speciďŹ cations are subject tochange without notice. Certain conditions may apply. Void where prohibited by law. NY Registration #H13-0004, NJ Registration #09-04-0018 and #NJ12-04-2019.

MARCH 10-16,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

COME HOME TO GLENWOOD

MANHATTANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FINEST LUXURY RENTALS

453*,*/(-: *.13&44*7& ".&/*5*&4 "/% 4&37*$&4

INCLUDING FULL SIZE WASHER/DRYER IN SOME RESIDENCES UPPER EAST SIDE 1 BR FROM $3,195, 2 BRS FROM $4,995, 3 BRS FROM $7,595

MIDTOWN & UPPER WEST SIDE #3 '30. t #34 #"5)4 X 8"4)&3 %3:&3 '30. t $0/7&35*#-& #34 #"5)4 '30.

TRIBECA & FINANCIAL DISTRICT #3 '30. t #34 X 8"4)&3 %3:&3 '30. t #34 #"5)4 '30. '3&& 1"3,*/( 8)*-& 7*&8*/( "1"35.&/54 01&/ %":4 ". 1. t /0 '&& 61508/ -&"4*/( 0''*$& %08/508/ -&"4*/( 0''*$&

GLENWOODNYC.COM

Builder | Owner | Manager

Equal Housing Opportunity.