The local paper for the Upper East Side WHAT WAS LOST ◄ P.12
WEEK OF APRIL-MAY
25-1 2019
INSIDE
BEFORE THE PULITZER Former Spirit editor wins prize for the WSJ P. 2
The residents who filed the lawsuit are concerned that the new building will imperil the Guggenheim Museum and other neighborhood landmarks. Photo: Vince Smith via Flickr
PLAN FOR NEW UES BUILDING PROMPTS SUIT DEVELOPMENT UES pair say new building is bad for the neighborhood, including the Guggenheim and other designated landmarks
CROSSTOWN BUS CUTS New schedules reduce service on M31 and M72 routes P. 7 A cyclist crosses the 59th Street and Second Avenue intersection using the bus lane. The Department of Transportation is set to install a new bike lane at the dangerous crossing, near the entrance to the Queensboro Bridge. Photo: Michael Garofalo
SECOND AVENUE SAFETY UPGRADES ON THE WAY STREETS
BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
Two Upper East Side residents are suing a city agency over a planned residential high-rise, saying the building would imperil landmarked buildings — including the Guggenheim Museum.
DOT to begin installing new bike lane, pedestrian island near hazardous Queensboro Bridge intersection BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Bicyclists and pedestrians will soon see long-awaited safety im-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
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provements along one of Second Avenue’s most treacherous stretches. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is set to install a new dedicated bike lane on Second Avenue between 68th and 60th Streets, where bikers currently must share a travel lane with motor vehicles. The agency will also reconfigure the complex and crowded intersection at the entrance to the Queensboro Bridge, between 60th and
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59th Streets, to make the crossing safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Cyclists have advocated for years for improved street design in the frequently congested area.
A Point of Contention The new curbside bike lane will be parking-protected — that is, separated from vehicle traffic by a lane
CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
DOCTOR, SCIENTIST, WRITER Siddhartha Mukherjee honored at Rockefeller University P. 6 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat and the Passover Holiday candles. Thursday, April 25 - 7:28 pm Friday, April 26 – 7:29 pm from a pre-existing flame. End of Passover, Saturday night April 27 – 8:32 pm For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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BEFORE THE PULITZER AWARDS Former Spirit editor Michael Rothfeld wins journalism’s top prize for Wall Street Journal coverage of Trump hush money payments BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
After Frank McCourt won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for his memoir “Angela’s Ashes,” this newspaper — then known as the Manhattan Spirit — republished a number of McCourt’s columns that had appeared in these pages a decade earlier. The Spirit’s editor at the time of the McCourt series, which ran under the banner “Before the Pulitzer,” was a 25-year-old journalist named Michael Rothfeld. Twenty-two years later, Rothfeld has earned a Pulitzer of his own. Rothfeld, now an investigative reporter with the Wall Street Journal, was a lead contributor to coverage of President Donald Trump’s hushmoney payments that was recognized last week with the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. The Wall Street Journal’s investigation
exposed Trump’s direct involvement in secret payoffs during the 2016 presidential campaign to suppress the stories of two women who claimed to have had affairs with him. “It’s been a pretty amazing run,” Rothfeld said, describing the “jubilant” atmosphere in the Journal’s offices following the April 15 Pulitzer announcement. “The support was overwhelming in the newsroom.” Rothfeld and his colleagues detailed Trump’s potentially criminal orchestration of payments to cover up alleged affairs with former Playboy Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal and former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which involved Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen and tabloid publisher David Pecker. “It’s been a fun story to cover because there are a lot of colorful characters involved,” Rothfeld said. “This is not the typical cast of characters that you find in the Wall Street Journal’s pages,” he added. “It was a great opportunity to cover that kind of story, and especially one that leads straight to the president.” Before his journalism made waves nationally, Rothfeld honed his craft as a reporter and editor for the Spirit
Michael Rothfeld (center, holding microphone) reacts to winning the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in the Wall Street Journal newsroom. Photo: Stephanie Aaronson/The Wall Street Journal
from 1995 to 1997. Traveling around the West Side by bicycle, Rothfeld covered the hot issues of the day — including the battle over the future of Pier 40 and community opposition to Trump’s Riverside South development — as well as topics of enduring local importance, like excessive noise from helicopters and rowdy bars. Tom Allon, the Spirit’s publisher and editor-in-chief at the time, described Rothfeld as a “fearless reporter” and remembered his wide-ranging coverage of the neighborhood, noting in particular his cover story on a pedophile treat-
ment center located across from a West Village elementary school and his Aug. 1996 report on “Pedestrian Hell” — the hazardous intersection of Broadway and 23rd Street, which had been the site of over 90 collisions over the preceding three years. Another Rothfeld cover story explored the last remaining furriers holding out in the Garment District amid slowing sales and attacks from animal activists — still relevant now, Allon noted, in light of legislation introduced last month by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson that would ban fur sales in the city. “Even over 20 years ago Michael
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APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019 was ahead of the curve on that one,” said Allon, who is now publisher and president of City & State. Rothfeld joined the Spirit in 1995 as an unpaid intern, eventually rising to become the newspaper’s editor before departing for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1997. He did a bit of everything along the way, from reporting feature stories to writing editorials and restaurant reviews to editing Ed Koch’s film reviews. “It was a really great starting job for me to learn how to get out there and interview people and what makes a story,” Rothfeld said. Rothfeld and his Journal colleague Joe Palazzolo are currently working on a forthcoming book to be published by Random House that will expand on their Pulizer-winning coverage. Tentatively titled “The Fixers” and scheduled to be released by early next year, the book will explore Trump’s dealings with Cohen, Pecker and other trusted facilitators. “It starts several decades ago as the relationships developed between these people and show how everything comes together in 2016 during the campaign when these deals were made,” Rothfeld said. “It takes the stories we’ve been reporting on and puts them in this larger context and landscape.”
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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CRIME WATCH BY MARIA ROCHA-BUSCHEL STATS FOR THE WEEK
TWO WOMEN PUNCHED, MAN ARRESTED
Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for the week ending Apr 14
Police arrested a 26-year-old man for assault in front of The Park at 118 Tenth Ave. on Sunday, Apr. 21 at 4:05 a.m. Two women were talking in front of the bar, police said, when the man, who neither of the victims knew, approached them and punched them both in the face, causing bruising and swelling. Police said that the suspect resisted arrest when officers attempted to handcuff him by flailing his arms and pushing the officers away. Police had no further information about what may have prompted the attack.
Week to Date
SNEAKERS WERE DEFINITELY NOT ON THE MENU Someone attempted to fraudulently use a woman’s credit card while she was dining at Coppelia restaurant at 207 West 14th St. on Saturday evening, Apr. 20, police said. The woman told police that the restaurant had her credit card for approximately 15 to 20 minutes after she gave it to them to pay the bill. In that time, she said, an unknown person attempted to make fraudulent purchases for $75 on the Adidas website. She said the card was returned to her and that she was contacted about the possible fraud by
her credit card company shortly after leaving the restaurant.
SUSPECT’S APARTMENT MAY BE FILTHY Police arrested a 43-year-old man for stealing more than $200 of cleaning products from the Duane Reade at 455 West 37th St. on
2019 2018
% Change 2019
2018
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
1
-100.0
Rape
1
0
n/a
10
4
150.0
Robbery
3
1
200.0
37
38
-2.6
Felony Assault
2
4
-50.0
33
41
-19.5
Burglary
1
4
-75.0
62
61
1.6
Grand Larceny
21
23
-8.7
428
400
7.0
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
3
7
-57.1
wipes into a black laundry bag and left without paying for the items. A Duane Reade employee told police that the total value of the items was $246.
Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr
Saturday, Apr. 20, around noon. Police said that the man put 11 bottles of Lysol all-purpose cleaner, six bottles of Clorox cleaner, five bottles of Tilex shower cleaner, five bottles of Tilex mold and mildew cleaner, three bottles of Formula 409 cleaner, three bottles of Clorox disinfectant, three bottles of Resolve carpet cleaner and two packages of Clorox disinfectant
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damage to the passenger’s side mirror, then left without exchanging information.
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FDNY VEHICLE DAMAGED A fire department EMT told police that his vehicle was damaged while he was parked at the corner of Twelfth Ave. and West 33rd St. on Sunday afternoon, Apr. 14. The victim told police that a Megabus traveling west on West 33rd made a right turn, hitting the FDNY vehicle, causing
An employee of the 7-Eleven at 246 West 23rd St. told police that on Tuesday, Apr. 16, around 9 p.m., a man went behind the counter in the store without permission and took two boxes of Newport cigarettes, then left without paying, fleeing east on West 23rd St. No arrest has been made.
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DOCTOR, SCIENTIST, WRITER MEDICINE Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of “The Emperor of All Maladies,” received the Lewis Thomas Prize at Rockefeller University and explained how he turns medicine into literature BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
Academics and scientists aren’t known for writing engaging narratives, but Siddhartha Mukherjee happens to be incredibly good at it. In his books and essays, the New Delhi-born oncologist is able to render concepts like gene editing and metastasis into stories that lay readers can comprehend, enjoy and be moved by. He does so by telling these big stories intimately through a human lens. On Monday evening, Rockefeller University recognized Mukherjee for this feat and presented him with the Lewis Thomas Prize for writing about science. “Lewis Thomas had a clear influence on Dr. Mukherjee’s thinking and professional trajectory,” tory, said the university’s president, Richard Lifton, in his introduction of Mukherjee. The prize was established in 1993 to honor Thomas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and physician. Since then, Lifton said, the award has honored individuals who, through their writing, introduce scientific knowledge e in public discourse,, and particularly y those whose writing g evokes reflection, n, revelation and wonnder of the natural al world.
He intertwines scientific, medical, cultural, political and literary threads to weave an intellectually and emotionally compelling tale.” Rockefeller University President Richard Lifton, on Siddhartha Mukherjee A cousin who suffered from neck and mouth cancer visited his home. At the dinner table, she would not open her mouth and Mukherjee came to understand that she was ashamed of the disfigurement to her body caused by the cancer. The experience stayed with him, motivating him to specialize in oncology at Harvard Medical School. In his first book, “The Emperor of All Maladies,” Mukherjee tells the story of cancer, tracing the history of the disease from its first mention on papyrus in 2500 BC to
The Spark of an Exceptional Career The eve nt t h at sparked Mukherjee’s e’s intellectual curiosity ity took place when he was nine.
Photo: Via siddharthamukherjee.com
the modern era of molecular genetics and targeted therapies. For his work, he won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. “He intertwines scientific, medical, cultural, political and literary threads to weave an intellectually and emotionally compelling tale,” Lifton said, adding that Mukherjee accomplished that by imposing one rule in his writing: the reader should go no more than five pages without encountering a sympathetic human character.
Telling the Story of Cancer His inspiration for the book came after a troubling interaction with a patient. During his fellowship, a woman with an aggressive abdominal cancer told him, “I’m willing to go on, but I would need you to tell me what I’m battling.” Mukherjee was embarrassed. He could not produce a road map of his discipline and he couldn’t recommend a book that explained what she was going through. A succinct history of cancer had not been written, so he decided that he would tell that wou story through the stor perspectives of per doctors, patients doc and researchers. In conversation Monday evening Mo w it i h Thom a s Sakmar, a proSa fessor and sefes nior physician ni at Rockefeller, Mukherjee disM cussed his writcu ing in process. “I think what wa w s he lpf u l to me was not telling anyone t about it while a I was writing,” he h said. He added that he doesn’t compartmentalize between being a writer and being a scientist and doctor. All of these projects were continual w and d built b ilt off ff one another.
Siddhartha Mukherjee’s latest book is “The Gene: An Intimate History.” Photo: © Deborah Feingold via siddharthamukherjee.com
“When I would see a patient, that patient would be a reminder of a history and a future. If that meant writing about that patient or making an experimental treatment come alive, or failing and grieving — it was all a part of the same story,” he said. “It was just being open, and keeping yourself open, to the experiences.”
Being “More Present” Before Mukherjee sits down to write, he said he spends a lot of time in a “dreamy prespace.”
“I don’t discuss my thoughts during this time. If someone asks me what I’m writing, I’ll say, ‘I don’t know,’” he explained. “For a long time, I won’t do much, but I’ll linger with an idea and play with it. I’m not sure what’s going to come out.” During that time, he said he tries to be more present and not cheapen experiences by interrogating what it means to be doing what he’s doing in any particular moment. Once he knows what he wants to say, the writing comes easily. Since publishing “Mala-
dies,” Mukherjee became a professor at Columbia University, where he practices medicine and conducts research. He’s subsequently written “The Laws of Medicine” and “The Gene: An Intimate History.” Currently, he’s working toward better treatments for cancers of the blood that might also benefit those with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. He hopes this will inspire more writing. His many readers no doubt share that hope.
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Are you experiencing stress or anxiety? The M31 bus will soon run with increased headways during morning peak and evening hours on weekdays. Photo: Michael Garofalo
CROSSTOWN BUS CUTS TRANSPORTATION MTA to implement new schedules with reduced service on M31 and M72 routes BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Bus riders will face increased wait times on the M31 and M72 routes under new schedules set to take effect April 28. The M31 bus, which provides crosstown service between Yorkville and the West Side via 57th Street, will run less often during morning peak and evening hours on week-
days. The morning rush hour cuts are relatively modest, with scheduled headways between buses to increase from 6 to 6.5 minutes. The evening cuts are more significant, with scheduled headways to increase from 10 to 12 minutes. A 2017 report from Comptroller Scott Stringer found that the M31 travels at an average speed of just 4.14 mph, making it the city’s secondslowest bus route. On the M72, which runs between the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, scheduled headways during morning peak hours will be increased from 10 to 12 minutes.
According to boilerplate language used by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to justify bus frequency reductions, the cuts are intended “to more closely align service with customer demand and to meet established bus loading guidelines.� Both routes were subject to a previous round of service cuts in 2017. The MTA’s practice of using decreased ridership to justify service cuts has frustrated many bus riders, who believe that slow and infrequent service is to blame for riders abandoning the bus as a reliable transit option.
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FAITH AND COMMUNITY: SHARING THE BURDEN BY BETTE DEWING
The way the world worried about the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, it’s hard to believe the recent Gallup Poll finding that “U.S. Church Membership is Down Sharply in the Past Two Decades.” A decline was also noted in synagogue and mosque membership. Also during Easter/Passover week, angry Paris crowds protested the megamillions pledged to restore NotreDame Cathedral rather than helping the poor and disadvantaged. Ah, if only they didn’t rage. But perhaps you share my hope for comparable support to save U. S. faith groups with all-out efforts to reverse that sharp decline.
The Loss of a Church I think of the pending loss of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, which has blessed the corner of East 74th Street and York Avenue since 1939. As this paper’s readers know, the congregation is relocating and the church building will be razed to make way for a resi-
dence for Weill Cornell Medicine medical students. Yes, that’s surely better than a luxury high-rise, one reader wrote. But the church’s low-rise distinctive architecture will be sorely missed in a city increasingly overwhelmed by characterless high rises. And isn’t the architecture — the look and feel of it, inside and out — a major reason for the worldwide concern about Notre-Dame by nonbelievers? Epiphany is also beautiful, inside and out, and there’s even a garden.
The Need for Help and Support Gallup also notes how people just aren’t interested in church affiliation, let alone membership. And while there’s surely the loss of religious faith, I’ve long felt there’s too little sharing of one another’s burdens within religious congregations. The sermons and scripture interpretation somehow don’t help create a supportive community. They could sure use lessons on supportive community building from the 12-step groups that often meet on religious premises.
COUNTRY LIFE? I’LL PASS BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL
The anti-NYC TV series “Bless This Mess” has hit the air waves starring Dax Shepard and Lake Bell. It’s this century’s “Green Acres,” which I watched as a child in my Bronx living room. When Eva Gabor as socialite wife Lisa would sing in the show’s theme song, “New York is where I’d rather stay, I get allergic smelling hay, I just adore a penthouse view, darling I love you but give me Park Avenue,” even at ten, I thought, Lady, I’m with you. This time around, newlyweds Rio and Mike move from Manhattan’s “rat race” to what they think will be a more relaxed and fulfilling exis-
tence on a farm in rural Nebraska. To quote the show’s tag line: who knew the simple life would be so hard? Everyone I’ve ever worked with who arrived from somewhere where the corn grows as high as an elephant’s eye has done so to escape the boredom and lack of opportunity offered by a small-town life. They come here for the excitement and all the possibilities that New York has to offer. I have suffered through many conversations where our newly minted denizens felt the need to explain to me how they were too big time for their small-time upbringing and how they were going to take my city by storm a la Madonna.
And incidentally, these so essential groups lose meeting spaces when churches and other places of worship shut down or merge. These facilities are so needed for so many non-religious purposes that serve the public good. And they are public places we’re fast losing in a city once renowned for its neighborhood stores and eateries, which made it a neighborly city. But where are the protests? And a related sidetrack — what about when fires destroy homes and neighborhood shops? “Fires ripped through a Brooklyn business block,” reported NY1 the day after the Notre-Dame fire. But nothing was said about the catastrophic loss to business owners and workers, or to the community at large. And shouldn’t the mayor and other electeds be calling for donations to restore these places, which meet everyday needs? Incidentally, every fire that leaves people homeless or destroys stores warrants enormous public response, especially with so few affordable homes available. Ah, and
Down the road, these same people can’t wait to rub in my face how they’re leaving. They can’t wait to “get out of here” because this is no place to raise children. They couldn’t understand how or why I would do it either. Didn’t I want a yard? Of all the hopes and dreams I’ve had during the course of my life, a yard has never made the cut. I’ve never had any desire to mow. I have a number of friends and relatives who live in the bucolic suburbs. They practically live in their cars, whether it be to go grocery shopping, do school drop off and pick up, or meet a friend for lunch. Everything I need is basically across the street, around the corner, or down the block. I am grateful to live in a walking city where, honestly, even if I wanted to 10,000-step it all the way downtown, I could. I’d
shouldn’t faith groups be preaching and teaching about the need to restore the time when family, friends and neighbors took in those made homeless by disasters?
Spreading the Love And shouldn’t faith groups be addressing this lack of “love one another” in society at large, beginning in their own congregations? Incidentally, Easter flowers for a longtime Presbyterian church member, now home-bound by an accident, came from East 79th Street Neighborhood Association president and Passover-observant Betty Cooper Wallerstein. To return to the loss of Church of the Epiphany, I sometimes attended, and for special occasions like the memorial service for member Dagmar Scott. Dagmar was always there to help when you were ill or in trouble, but she was not helped enough in her last homebound years. And I failed to practice what I preach. Among pastoral prayers I especially recall, were Pastor Andrew
The Church of the Epiphany on York Avenue, which will be razed. Photo: Courtesy of the Church of the Epiphany
probably be exhausted when I got there, but then I’d go into one of the ubiquitous Starbucks and regroup. If I’m ever too tired, lazy or in a such a hurry that my little legs can’t carry me, I hop in a cab or on public transportation. As an Upper East Sider, my backyard is Central Park and Carl Schurz — yes I have two. People who grew up in non-city environments tell me they used to hang out in the parking lot behind the 7-Eleven or in people’s basements. My now grown son used to hang out on the steps of The Met and the Great Lawn. Make no mistake, I’m aware my hometown has its stress inducing moments. It’s busy, it’s hectic, it’s competitive; someone always seems to be in your way, literally and figuratively. It makes you tough at an early age, as well as cynical. But the
Mullins’ prayers for the safety of workmen repairing the church roof. Ah, what a dangerous profession is erecting high-rise buildings — and so is fighting high-rise fires. This column is all over the place on how to save places of worship, but mostly I believe it’s the caring for others, the bearing of one another’s burdens, that must be stressed — in general surely — but beginning within the congregation. It’s up to the concerned, like you and me, not only to remind faith group leaders, but to be a Dagmar Scott-type example. Incidentally, a plaque dedicated to Dagmar’s memory graces a John Jay Park bench. dewingbetter@aol.com
upside of this is, as the song says, if you can make it here you can make it anywhere. And yes, even I, the native New Yorker who loves her city and wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else, gets to the point where I’ve had it “up to here.” That’s what vacations are for. But no matter where I go or how beautiful, tranquil or stress-free that destination may be, upon returning, the New York skyline always takes my breath away and I’m grateful to be back home. I realize there are plenty of Rios and Mikes out there who can’t relate to this. I hope they will pack up their cares and NYC woes posthaste and spare the rest of us for whom “I love New York” is not just a slogan. Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the NYC mom novel “Back to Work She Goes.”
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The author (right) fencing at a college event. Photo: Bea So
FENCING AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS IN NYC VIEWPOINT A former athlete on the inside world of an elite competitive sport BY RACHEL KALINA
Top fencers have an enormous advantage when it comes to elite university admissions. In order to reach the highest levels of the sport, athletes have to put in years of intense training. Just as importantly, they have to have financial backing. The kids who trained in the Manhattan fencing club I attended had that monetary support. They went to private
schools or the selective specialized high schools. They had parents who understood the long term payoffs of high level fencing. These parents closely examined the poster hanging on the fencing club wall which listed the names of the universities former students had attended; Harvard, Princeton, Duke, UPenn, Cornell, Harvard again, Princeton again; not Yale, which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give the admissions bump to fencers that the other universities do. The parents of fencers and young athletes in other obscure expensive sports spend money on their children in order to give them an edge. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
almost not surprising that, as The Boston Globe reported recently, a wealthy father might cross the line of legality and spend even more in order to ensure his son a place on the Harvard fencing team. (The father in question bought the fencing coachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home at a vastly inflated price, and his son was admitted to Harvard.) When I talk about money in fencing, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not talking about the money that pays for equipment, although thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no joke. The equipment is expensive and breaks or wears out regularly, which
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Calendar NYCNOW
Discover the world around the corner. Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com Joseph Saidian and Sons Gallery #50
EDITOR’S PICK
Sapphire and Diamond necklace and earring set by Van Cleef and Arpels circa 1980. Convertible into two bracelets. Lord Spencer, the father of Princess Diana, gave a similar set (designed with rubies instead of sapphires) to Lady Raine Spencer, his wife, around this time.
April 18 - Sep 2 HAND-IN-HAND The Mount Vernon Hotel & Garden 421 East 61st St 2:00 p.m. Free mvhm.org 212 838-6878 1050 2nd Ave b/t 55th St & 56th St. New York | NY 10022 | 212.355.4400 info@the-maac.com
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A specially designed program for visitors with memory loss and their care partners. Explore the Museum’s historic rooms and its collection and reflect on this month’s theme: Kitchen Chores & Soap-Making. Connections between life today and life in the 19th-century are nurtured through conversation and a handicraft workshop.
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Zila Khan’s Rumi Yatra
FRIDAY, APRIL 26TH, 8PM Asia Society | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org Singer Zila Khan’s repertoire ranges from Indian Classical to Indo-Jazz Fusion to traditional Ghazal and Sufi. She’ll lead an ensemble through India’s rich musical landscape, as informed by the philosophy of Rumi ($30).
Nightingales in Berlin: Searching for the Perfect Sound
MONDAY, APRIL 29TH, 7PM The Explorers Club | 46 E. 70th St. | 212-628-8383 | explorers.org Philosopher and musician David Rothenberg shares his new book, which delves into the varied sounds made by nightingales—a composite of human influence and birdsong that no one species could make alone ($25).
Just Announced | Adam Savage on Creativity and Finding Inspiration
TUESDAY, MAY 7TH, 8:30AM Company HQ | 335 Madison Ave., 3rd Fl. | company.co Original MythBuster Adam Savage, host of Discovery Channel’s new MythBusters Jr., talks about the creative process and his forthcoming book, Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It ($30, includes book).
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
Thu 25
Fri 26
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FILM - THAT CERTAIN AGE (1938)
▲ LEARN TO PLAY CHESS AT WEBSTER
BEETHOVEN STRING QUARTET MARATHON
96th St Library 112 East 96th St 2:00 p.m. Free In this comedy, directed by Edward Ludwig, a teenage girl, played by Deanna Durbin, falls for an older man, played by Melvyn Douglas. Add some musical Boy Scouts, some parents and a teenage boyfriend and watch the fun. nypl.org (212) 289-0908
Webster Library 1465 York Ave. 3:00 p.m. Free Are you a chess champion? Or do you want to learn how to play? Practice your skills? Or play a game? All materials will be provided, and Timothy Mobley, an experienced instructor, will lead the group. nypl.org 212-288-5049
Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza 11:00 a.m. Free Come see a full day of Beethoven string quartet concerts, with intermission commentary from Juilliard faculty, along with a display of Beethoven manuscripts. nypl.org 917-275-6975
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Mon 29
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LOOPHOLE OF RETREAT FILM PROGRAM: UNTITLED (M*A*S*H)
PROJECT BROADWAY: BROADWAY’S LEADING LADIES: A LOVE LETTER TO JUDY ▼
▲ CODING FROM SCRATCH
The Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave 3:00 p.m Free with museum admission Depicting a mobile medical theater amid a wartime environment that the artist equates with the lived experience of black women, Untitled (M*A*S*H) renders a space of healing and care in reference to the United Order of Tents — a secretive organization of black female nurses founded in the 1840s by individuals involved in the Underground Railroad. The film amplifies filmmaker Simone Leigh’s frequent theme of communal protection, capturing quiet moments of reprieve and restoration as women perform acupuncture, recite blessings, make music, and keep watch. guggenheim.org 212-423-3500
Symphony Space 2537 Broadway 8:00 p.m. $45 Broadway’s leading ladies pay tribute to Judy Garland, an icon who made an indelible mark on American culture as an actress and singer, with her iconic interpretations of songs including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and “The Man That Got Away.” Performers include Kate Baldwin, Carolee Carmello, Aisha de Haas, Robyn Hurder, Jill Paice, Jessica Vosk, Emma Stratton, and Rema Webb, with music direction by Fred Lassen. symphonyspace.org 212-864-5400 A publicity still of Judy Garland from MGM used in conjunction with promotion of The Harvey Girls (1946). Photo: Eric Carpenter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, via Wikimedia Commons
Yorkville Library 222 East 79th St 3:30 p.m. Free with museum admission Join us as we introduce Scratch, a block-based visual programming language and online community targeted primarily at children. Users of the site can create online projects using a block-like interface. nypl.org (212) 744-5824
Wed 1 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT & ARCHER: JESSICA WALTER IN CONVERSATION WITH JESSICA SHAW 92y 1395 Lexington Ave 7:00 p.m. $35 Jessica Walter became an icon on “Arrested Development” — but Lucille Bluth is just the tip of the iceberg. Join her for a candid conversation with Jessica Shaw, from EW Morning Live on SiriusXM, about her eclectic, wide-ranging career, from collaborating with Sidney Lumet and Clint Eastwood to her voice work on Jim Henson’s Dinosaurs and FX’s Archer, to becoming “Arrested Development’s” martini-fueled matriarch, and much more. 92y.org 212-415-5500
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WHAT WAS LOST A new show at the Frick Collection brings back to life frescoes by Tiepolo that were destroyed during World War II BY VAL CASTRONOVO
In an eerie coincidence, the Frick previewed an exhibit devoted to a lost fresco cycle by Venetian painter Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) on the very day last week that the world got the shocking news that NotreDame cathedral, another cultural treasure, was burning. It made the show’s raison d’être seem prescient, and all the more urgent. As the museum’s director Ian Wardropper put it shortly before word of the fire circulated, “This exhibition allows us to contribute to a better understanding of what was lost. And at a time when many cultural monuments around the world are in jeopardy, it is a good opportunity for us to call attention to works of art that are in peril.”
and a co-organizer of the show, said at the preview. “What we want to do in the exhibition is bring [the frescoes] back to life through preparatory works — preparatory sketches and drawings, but also through photographs taken before the war.” The presentation in the lower-level galleries, comprising some 50 paintings, drawings, prints, black-andwhite photos and illustrated books, is the first to gather surviving works for this cycle of ceiling paintings. The organizers took as a starting point an oil sketch from the Frick’s own collection, “Perseus and Andromeda” (ca. 1730-31), purchased by Henry Clay Frick in 1916. Said Salomon: “This painting is one of the most easily forgotten paintings at the Frick. You see it as you walk in, you walk straight in front of it ... The question was to shine some light over this picture and look at the context as to why this picture was created and what it was for.”
A Patron with Vision Obliterated by Bombs In this case, the works gone forever were casualties of war. They include five ceiling paintings that Tiepolo created from 1730 to 1731 for the Palazzo Archinto in Milan, his first major commission outside the Veneto. Between August 13th and August 14th, 1943, 500 Allied bombers, mostly English, attacked the city, damaging or completely destroying 65 percent of its historic monuments. “The palace is basically obliterated except for its exterior walls,” Xavier Salomon, the Frick’s chief curator
It was created in response to a commission from Count Carlo Archinto, a civic leader and great intellectual, who was descended from one of Milan’s oldest aristocratic families. He lived in Palazzo Archinto with his wife and 11 children until his death in 1732. The palace was home to the city’s largest private library, five rooms reflecting its owner’s enthusiasm for math, science, philosophy and history. Carlo decided to redecorate Casa Archinto around the time of his eldest son Filippo’s wedding to Giulia Borromeo in April 1731.
Palazzo Archinto after bombing in August 1943. Unknown photographer, 1948. Azienda di Servizi alla Persona Golgi-Redaelli, Milan. Photo: Su autorizzazione dell’Azienda di Servizi alla Persona Golgi-Redaelli di Milano
He had legacy on his mind — this was a house for the ages — and who better to tap for such a project than the talented Tiepolo, who, as Denis Ton, curator of the Musei Civici in Belluno writes in the catalog, “gave form to the aspirations of an intellectual elite that heightened historical and philosophical awareness in Italy and Europe.” The exhibit spreads out over two rooms. The first covers the history of the palace and the intellectual interests of the Archinto family through photos, drawings and books. Carlo became a patron of a publishing house, the Società Palatina, “devised to republish old texts and put them in circulation again,” Salomon said. “The interesting thing is that Carlo sponsors this enterprise [and] contributes to it intellectually. He’s publishing the books, but also contributing to them in a scholarly way.” Tiepolo is called on to produce illustrations for the texts. Note the eight delicate drawings in black chalk of Italian historical events, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum.
Mythology and Allegory The story of the lost frescoes un-
spools in the second room, with the spotlight on three ethereal oil sketches of mythological and allegorical subjects: “Triumph of the Arts and Sciences” (ca. 1730-31), “Perseus and Andromeda” (ca. 1730-31), and “Apollo and Phaëton” (ca. 1730-31). The works were arguably preparatory sketches or presentation models that were shown to Archinto so he could visualize the art. Tiepolo’s largest fresco in the palazzo was “Triumph of the Arts and Sciences,” represented here by a preparatory painting and three drawings. “It is the only [Tiepolo] fresco where we have both sketch and drawings,” Salomon said. Grab a magnifying glass to study the painted sketch’s glorious panoply of allegorical figures, representing the disciplines embraced by Archinto and his vast library: Painting, Music, History/Literature, Sculpture, Architecture, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Dialectic and Science. The mostly female subjects are perched on billowy clouds under the watchful eyes of Apollo and Minerva. Painting appears at the center, wielding a palette and paintbrush. She is surrounded by the arts: Mu-
Giambattista Tiepolo “Triumph of the Arts and Sciences,” ca. 1730–31 Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon. Photo: © Direção-Geral do Património Cultural / Arquivo de Documentação Fotográfica (DGPC/ADF) / photo Luisa Oliveira
sic, holding a viola; Literature and Poetry or History, perhaps, with open and closed books; and Sculpture, who leans on a marble bust and clasps a chisel. “We promise not to dedicate all our efforts to lost works,” Salomon concluded. “But we are at a time when so much has been destroyed — in Syria, the Middle East and other parts of the world — that we have a duty to make sure that these great works of art are passed on to the next generations.”
IF YOU GO WHAT: “Tiepolo in Milan: The Lost Frescoes of Palazzo Archinto” WHERE: The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St. WHEN: Through July 14 www.frick.org
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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FENCING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 means at least some of it has to be replaced several times a year. But there’s also the training: group classes four to six days a week and multiple private lessons a week. Each private lesson costs extra. There’s also the cost of traveling to competitions to build up performance readiness, even before any winning starts to happen. Later, athletes travel to national or even international events in order to build up points. The better the fencers do in these events, the more points they get and the higher their rankings become. This means paying for tournament fees, cars, planes and hotel rooms. There is an excellent club
in New York City which provides scholarships for underserved athletes. But, for most fencers’ families, these costs come out of pocket. I started fencing at age twelve. My parents weren’t too sold on the extra lessons and travel and I didn’t have a strong enough interest to push it. I started training harder late, in my junior year of high school, when college recruitment starts. I applied to universities with division three fencing teams. In division three, the university coach puts the names of recruits on a list and if your scores and grades approximate the requirements, you get a little boost in admissions. The division one schools, including the Ivies, are more generous toward their top recruits, but
you must still have high test scores and grades. In my freshman year of college, the training I’d put in the year before came through. I medaled twice nationally. That was my peak. In order to improve, fencers need a highly trained coach skilled in teaching their specific weapon. They need to train most days of the week for multiple hours. They need private lessons geared toward their particular strengths and weaknesses. Even the most well-endowed universities can’t usually provide this. There just aren’t that many highly skilled coaches.
The Post-college Experience The fencers who go on to compete successfully nationally and internationally through college and after
tend to choose universities close to their original fencing clubs. This allows them to retain the coaching expertise they need to excel during their college years. For the fencers whose families supported their athletic careers primarily as an in to the Ivies, serious training usually ends in college. After all, fencing can’t help students get into medical or law school. After graduating, I went back to my old fencing club and tried to regain the skills I had lost in college. In exchange for free training, I taught for the club at a reduced salary. At first, it felt good to focus on a sport after so many years of sitting in school. But after three years of wearing athletic clothes every day, I started to eye women’s business attire on
the street. How nice to be able to wear a skirt to work! At the club, the conversation, of course, was always about fencing. The other instructors discussed who won, who lost, which coach snubbed another. The students discussed their grades, SAT scores and the logistics of college admissions. I liked them, I loved fencing, but I was starting to feel like I was stuck in some kind of high school time warp. At my last competition, it became clear that the seemingly minor injury I’d sustained a week before was more serious than I’d thought. It took me three and a half months to find a doctor who would treat the painful tendonitis in my hip. Meanwhile, I couldn’t train. Although I kept teaching, demonstrat-
ing fencing movements during instruction exacerbated my symptoms. I also didn’t want to show up to teach if the nausea from a cortisone shot, or some other symptom, made me unable to ensure my students’ safety. Children practicing movements with big metal sticks is no joke. It necessitates unwavering attentiveness on the part of the teacher. I told my coach I was leaving in November. I co-taught my last class in December with a freshman college student I’d been training with at the club. After the class ended, he asked, “How long have you been fencing?” “Fourteen years,” I said. “It’s the end of an era.” “Yeah, it is.”
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS APR 10 - 16, 2018 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml.
There’s more than enough food in America for every child who struggles with hunger. Help get kids the food they need by supporting Feeding America, D QDWLRQZLGH QHWZRUN RI IRRG EDQNV ¢9LVLW )HHGLQJ$PHULFD RUJ
Tasti-D-Lite
1310 1st Ave
A
Tanoshi Sushi Sake Bar
1372 York Ave
Grade Pending (16) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
Via Quadronno
25 East 73 Street
A
Beach Cafe
1326 2 Avenue
A
Bareburger
1370 1 Avenue
A
Campagna Quattro Gatti
205 East 81 Street
Grade Pending (26) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
China Jade
1643 2nd Ave
A
Yeti Spice Grill
1764 1st Ave
A
Birch Coffee
171 E 88th St
A
Pasteles Capy
242 E 116th St
A
Joe & The Juice
1400 Madison Ave
A
American Grind
1798 3rd Ave
A
Chu Ros Thai
1590 Lexington Ave
A
G&J’s Pizzeria
188 E 104th S
Not Yet Graded (18) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
LAWSUIT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Neighbors Renato Negrin and Scott Wilson, who live in separate buildings near the construction site at 1230 Madison Avenue, filed a petition against the Department of Buildings (DOB) that the construction of the 16-story building could cause a “loss of valuable air, light and views.” Negrin and Wilson were compelled to file the petition after filing a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request in October, to which the department has yet to respond. The pair is asking that the court grant their request and release the complete building plans.
No Response from the DOB “We want full transparency from the Department of Buildings in terms of all approvals that they’ve given, what type of investigation they’ve done with each permit application and whether the zoning that’s been approved is in compliance with the law,” said Jack Lester, the attorney representing Negrin and Wilson. “The Department of Buildings works for the public and not the developer. To keep documents hidden is antithetical to democracy.” As of Friday afternoon, the DOB had not yet been served with the lawsuit, according to
We want full transparency from the Department of Buildings ... to keep documents hidden is antithetical to democracy.” Jack Lester, attorney for the plaintiffs a department spokesperson. The agency did not comment further about how it intends to respond. The construction also could undermine the “structural stability” of four city-designated landmarks — including Saint David’s School — in the Carnegie Hill Historic District, according to the suit Additionally, the suit claims the Guggenheim Museum will be “impacted aesthetically based upon shadows and the infringement of light that will be cast” over the museum.
Protecting Landmarks Lester said his clients have been in touch with the various institutions. He adds that the landmark buildings are public resources and his clients are advocating for them as part of the public. “Once a building receives
landmark status it’s there for the benefit of the public,” he said. “The public has an interest in the security, safety and architectural integrity of these landmark structures.” The Guggenheim’s office of media relations did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Because the building is not in the Carnegie Hill Historic District and is being built asof-right, it is not subject to protections under the Landmarks Preservations Commission and it does not need to go through public review, explained Lo van der Valk, president of Carnegie Hill Neighbors. He noted that the organization has been following the progress of the Madison Avenue development from the start, but Neighbors was not involved in the lawsuit. “We are very supportive that developers be made to provide drawings that are clear and transparent,” van der Valk said in a statement. “Apparently, the filers of the suit felt that this provision was not fully complied with.” The DOB has a few weeks to respond to the petition, Lester said. Once they do, he said, a court would decide if the department had produced all of the documents required by law. If not, the court would order that all of those documents be disclosed.
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Business
‘WEIRD, INTERESTING AND BEAUTIFUL’ FASHION A young fashion designer with talent and vision creates unique clothes for working women BY MICHELLE NAIM
Naomi Mishkin is as fierce and unapologetic as they come. When she was just 14, she sent late fashion designer Charles Nolen an email asking to intern for him. When she showed up at his door, he hired her, even though Mishkin said his initial reaction was “Oh My God, you’re a child.” About a year ago, she started a small-batch garment company for working women, featuring a shirt with an iron burn on the front and silk scarves that incorporate the grid design found on paper-cutter mats. Mishkin, 30, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Harlem, considers herself an artist. “We’re weirdos,” she said, “but I say that as the highest
Did you know you wanted to be an artist?
You’ll get lots of breaks if you work work hard, hard, because because you’re you going to put yourself yoursellf in in a place to be lucky.” Naomi Mishkin, fashion entrep entrepreneur
compliment nt to myself.” Straus News ws spoke with Mishkin about out her career and her clothing othing line, NAOMI NOMI. MI.
Why the shirt rt and why the scarf? rf? Why did you begin the brand with ith those two pieces eces specifically? ? I think they hey perfectly encapsulate apsulate two main tenets of the brand. One, that we are for working women. The idea of working women and all that entails. And so, the idea of women’s work is a complicated topic and I embrace the complexity in that. Most people, when they talk about working women, they talk about wage work, and for the majority of women, and the majority of civilization, women have not been paid for the work that they do. I wanted to talk about that complexity. The Bad Wife Shirt [with the iron
Artist and designer Naomi Mishkin models her fashion creation, the Bad Wife Shirt. Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Mishkin
burn] really talks about that, and that was the reason I wanted to start with [it]. The scarf brings up another aspect of my brand, which is that it sort-of relates to our supply chain and the actual business model, which is extremely small-batch. What it is, is that everything I make is inspired by the process of making. I’m a maker. I majored in glass as an undergrad in college, and material as well. Everything that I do, everything that I make, comes back to the actual act of fabrication, the actual ideas of creation. So the Cutting Mat Scarf held up that tenet as well.
What inspires you? Materials inspire me. The thing I come back to every time is materials and what I can do with them.
Why materials?
The design of Mishkin’s silk scarves was inspired by the grid on paper-cutter mats. Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Mishkin
Something I love about making clothing, and clothing for women, is that it’s incredibly tied to reality. A woman has very specific needs and demands and wants out of her clothes. As wild as my imagination runs, when you’re designing clothes for women, there is a beautiful reality to actually dressing women. It’s a really interesting combination of fantasy and reality and materials and the reality of materials is a really ... humbling experience. You can’t make a material do something it doesn’t want to do, I mean you can try, and that’s what we do as artists,
we’re trying tryi to make materials do what materia want them to we wa do. [[But] they have their own personalities. perso was a glassI wa blower for many blowe years, glass is the material on bitchiest m — like the planet, I mean bitchy bi breaks when rude, obnoxious, br you don’t want it to. Nothing is bitchier than glass, and fabric can be similar. Every material has a personality and understanding those personalities is endlessly interesting. I fall in love with fabrics and I design clothes out of those fabrics.
Did you have a big break? No. I have been working in the New York creative industry since I was 14 years old. I think the idea of having a big break is beside the point. Work hard — work hard every day — and you’ll get a break. You’ll get lots of breaks if you work hard, because you’re going to put yourself in a place to be lucky. But, no, I’ve been working at this since I was 14 and I’ve done dozens of jobs in all kinds of creative industries, and you just gotta hustle. If you’re waiting for a big break, stop waiting.
Do you doubt yourself, and how do you deal with that? Oh, yeah. Actually, an old friend [said] this in college which I always think about actually, is “We have no time for doubt.” I believe that — I have a lot of things I want to make in this world and in order to do those things, you don’t have time for doubt. And of course, you have it, but you have to be like ‘No! We have things to do today.’ You can sit around and doubt yourself for an hour a day, [but] you have a lot more important things to be doing with your time. So, you just have to power through it and surround yourself with people who critically question you, but always encourage [you too].
I love making things. I used to hoard toilet paper rolls underneath the bathroom cabinet sink because I had dreams of making many, I don’t even know, like castles. I tell this story and my boyfriend is like ‘That is the story of a young hoarder.’ And I hear this story and I’m like ‘I was a young maker!’ I always made. I think in the back of my head I always knew I wanted to come back to making clothing. My grandfather manufactured wedding gowns in the 1950s and 60s. His mother had been a foreman on the garment floor on the Lower East Side, his father had been a pattern cutter. His business was very bust by the time I came along, but I grew up at his house sewing, at my grandparents’ house sewing, and they taught me how to sew and it taught me patience. I loved sewing, it was just so much fun. I’m definitely a designer who sews first, sketches later. I don’t sketch and then sew. I let the material speak to me, I fall in love with materials, and then I go for it.
What are your plans for Naomi Nomi? I consider the company to be really items-based. I don’t believe, [or] think it makes sense for my business right now to come out with huge 30-piece collections that change every season. I don’t think its sustainable, either from an environmental impact or a business decision. People don’t need to buy that much every six months. They don’t. And I think the world is catching up to that. Because I’ve always sewn my whole life, since I was six, I’m actually a horrible shopper. I spend hours every week talking to women about how they shop, because I don’t shop and I don’t know how to shop. But I know how to build a closet. That’s a completely different understanding of how to both approach the consumer and how to build a relationship with the consumer... Basically, I’m working on a signature collection of about 7-10 pieces which will be the NAOMI NOMI signature closet. I don’t want there to be anything generic about NAOMI NOMI. It’s weird and interesting and beautiful. It’s complicated ... Anytime I have the opportunity to make something bland, I never take it. Anytime I think I want something very simple, it’s always going to be a little weird, and we’re all a little weird. If you give people that permission, I think they really open up. Interview was edited for clarity and space.
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
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APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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She cared about people with disabilities. So she gave.
The American Museum of Natural History’s proposed Gilder Center expansion will occupy a quarter-acre of what is now Theodore Roosevelt Park Rendering: AMNH
AMNH LAWSUIT DISMISSED MUSEUMS Judy Goldring’s brother was born with a brain injury. She created a fund in The New York Community Trust to help others with disabilities. Forever. Every year, her gift helps effective nonprofits provide opportunity and improve lives.
What do you love?
We can help with your charitable giving. Contact Jane at (212) 686-0010 x363 or giving@nyct-cfi.org
www.GiveTo.nyc
Appellate court rules against opponents of Gilder Center, clearing path for museum expansion project BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The American Museum of Natural History has again prevailed in court against opponents of its controversial expansion project, paving the way for the museum to complete the 230,000 square foot Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. In an April 18 ruling, the Appellate Division’s First Department unanimously affirmed a lower court’s Dec. 2018 decision to dismiss the proceeding brought by Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt Park, a local nonprofit group that argued the city did not adhere to land use and environmental review requirements in approving the project. The decision likely marks an end to local efforts to block the project, which has drawn persistent criticism and opposition from some neighbors since the museum first
As for the decision, we disagree with it, but we do not regret having represented the community in this matter.” Michael Hiller, attorney for Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt Park announced the project in Dec. 2014. The Gilder Center, which will include new classrooms and exhibition spaces and improve visitor circulation within the museum complex, will occupy a quarter-acre of what had been open space within Theodore Roosevelt Park. The expansion will also create a new museum entrance facing Columbus Avenue near West 79th Street. “The Gilder Center will be a major new resource for science education for all New Yorkers and visitors from around the world, and we are extremely pleased that we can now turn our attention to proceeding with the project,”
a museum spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Bill Raudenbush, the chairman of Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt Park, said the group does not intend to pursue a further appeal in the state’s highest court. Michael Hiller, Community United’s attorney, wrote in an emailed statement, “As for the decision, we disagree with it, but we do not regret having represented the community in this matter, which had become a largely pro bono project for our firm. We continue to believe that the privatization of public assets by large institutions and developers poses an existential threat to the soul of the City, and accordingly, we will not stop our work on behalf of its communities until policies are instituted to protect our public parks and other greenspaces which continue to dwindle in the current political environment that so heavily favors private development over the interests of New Yorkers.” Work is already underway on the Gilder Center, which museum officials hope to complete by 2021.
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
Health & Wellness Seminar Series The DOT will reconďŹ gure Second Avenue between 68th and 60th Streets to include a new curbside bike lane. Image: NYC DOT
SAFETY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of parked cars â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only during off-peak hours, between 8 p.m. and 3 p.m. The parking lane will become a travel lane to accommodate increased traffic during the afternoon rush hour, leaving just a small painted buffer between bikers and drivers. The lack of full-time protection has been a topic of contention for many cyclists. Chelsea Yamada, a community organizer for Manhattan with the bicycle and pedes-
trian advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said that the new curbside lane is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a step in the right directionâ&#x20AC;? but added that a lane protected by parked cars at all times would be safer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the rush hour design really does an injustice to cyclists during the times when the pressures of traffic are most dangerous,â&#x20AC;? she said.
Safer at the Bridge The DOTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overhaul of the Queensboro Bridge crossing will include new crosswalks and a pedestrian island on the
east side of the intersection, which a recent study found was the boroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most dangerous. The redesign will also include a signaled crossing for cyclists continuing south on Second Avenue. Currently, cyclists in the shared lane must contend with vehicles turning left onto the bridge entrance ramp, and often opt instead to cross several lanes of traffic to ride in the bus lane along the opposite curb. Initial construction work on the project is set to begin as early as this week, according to a DOT spokesperson.
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IWantToBeRecycled.org
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Time 6:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8:00 pm Place All seminars held at Uris Auditorium Meyer Research and Education Building Weill Cornell Medicine 1300 York Avenue (at 69th St.)
All seminars are FREE and open to the public. Seating is available for 250 people on a first-come, first-served basis. American Sign Language interpretive services will be provided at all seminars. If you require a disability-related accommodation please call 212-821-0888 and leave a message.
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
SIP THE BLACK DIRT dirt
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
Hop on the bus and sample brews, spirits, and wines from the historic black dirt region — famous for its exceptionally fertile soil.
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APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
HELPING THE FERAL CATS OF CHINATOWN ANIMALS Nonprofit TNR Utopia teaches the public how to trap, neuter and return stray felines to the wild NYC streets BY CULLEN MONROE ORMOND
The futuristic exterior — a stark contrast to the weather buildings with dirty awnings that line sleepy Hester Street — is a surprise to passersby. A glass-windowed wall protects the word MEOW, which commands attention in white, chunky letters. But within that word, if you look closely, you will sometimes be able to spot a pair of yellow eyes peering out into the street. Or spot a deft blur of fur, a force briskly pouncing on some invisible object. Step inside the glass door and all of the dots will connect. For a small fee, visitors can enter the glorified animal shelter, which is also New York City’s first-ever cat café. If I was a stray cat living on the streets of Chinatown, I would pray to a four-legged, furry divinity to be rescued by the Animal Care Center of New York City (ACC) and where they are swiftly taken to the Meow Parlour. At Meow Parlour, there are opportunities for visitors to interact with kitties. But on a recent Wednesday night, 16 cat enthusiasts were training to catch, neuter and release feral cats back into the wild New York streets. TNR Utopia, a non-profit organization, was hosting their fifth workshop. Husband and wife Louis Lotitl and Michelle Haverkamp and friend Sharon LaPenta assisted in rescuing over 400 cats ts in 2018. Their mission is to o teach the public how to properly perly trap, neuter and return n (TNR) as many feral cats as possible to their neighborhoods. ds. “It’s just aboutt raising awareness,” said Haverkamp. averkamp. “Cat ladies don’t have to be old ladies, it can n be men, women, young or old, anyone who cares.” Lotitl and Haverkamp rkamp became certified themselves mselves after a feral cat colony ny infiltrated their backyard in College Point, Queens. After er hearing the benefits of TNR R certifi tifica-
tion (the ability to rent cages wall of a vacant apartment from the ASPCA along with next door under construcfree neuter and transporta- tion. She pleaded with the tion services) they completed landlord and construction members to rescue the cat the workshop immediately. TNR Utopia began to list the with little success. Fearingadvantages of the TNR meth- time was running out, Janine od and the crowd feverishly went rogue and broke into the apartment. Within five days, took notes. 1: Population manage- she had lured the cat out, had ment. Cats brought to the it neutered and set it free. Some volunteers came for ASPCA will be given abortions if they are pregnant, or less exciting reasons. “I live spayed or neutered, which on St. Marks Place and I allimits the number in the feral ways see stray cats. I wanted cat communities. Because of to do something to help,” said their territorial nature, addi- Cecilia Fu, a cat owner who tional feral cat colonies will works in the communications department at the Museum not approach the area. 2: Rodent control. Feral of Chinese in America. While cats do not accept food from Fu was speaking, Joanna, a humans because of a random school teacher in Manhatchance that is unfairly doled tan who lives on Long Island, out at birth. When a cat is sniffled in the background. “I’m actually highly allergic born, if it does not receive human interaction between to cats,” said Joanna. “But three to eight weeks, it will I’ve had a cat colony outside become feral and never trust my apartment which I feed, humans. So cats in the wild but I’m moving to Brooklyn feast off of rodents. If a tenant soon and wanted to be able to is fearful of rats infiltrating use official resources.” After the break, the threetheir apartment, a feral cat community is a major benefit. and-a-half-hour workshop 3: Do not adopt a feral cat. dwindled to a close. The audiA feral cat has identifiers that ence was taught how to close are different than a stray. the trap door using the DIY Feral cats have clean fur and bottle method: a bottle with make loud growling noises. a string attached holds the Stray cats are often dirty and trap door up, and as soon as interact with humans but do the cat steps to the back of the trap you rip the string, slamnot last long in the wild. As the attendees’ heads ming the door shut. Lotitl adwere buried in their notepads mitted that with all of the catand the only audible sound, rescuing he and his wife do, no one noticed the cats slink- they invested in a trap with a ing around the Meow Parlour. remote-controlled door. As tokens of their attenThen it was time for a 10-minute break with one dance, participants received rule: do not feed the felines. beige identification cards. Feeding the cats could pro- The newly certified TNR afvoke a fight — growls were filiates said their goodbyes, already heard among the wandering out into the quiet rescues who were trying to darkness, most likely passing assert dominance. But over still unknown feral cat comcheese pizza, people shared munities, waiting to their reasons for attending be saved. the workshop. Janine, a video shot manager for television who lives in Greenpoint and preferred to only use her first name, described how one of 11 feral cats in the colony in her backyard became trapped in a Denizen of the cat cafe. Photo: lovinkat, via flickr
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com wnny.com
One Person’s Manhattan hattan
THE LITTLE LEAGUE WHERE EVERYBODY WINS Rick Hayduk created a league for special needs children that’s a celebration for all BY HARVEY COHEN
It’s an early afternoon in the middle of April. Clouds partially cover the skies. It’s seventy-one degrees and the warmish breeze tells you winter is finally over. The weather is perfect for baseball. As you enter the Con Ed fields near Stuyvesant Town, you see baseball being played everywhere. You see games where parents are cheering for their own kids, as if the child’s future will be decided by one stroke of their bat. You also see many other kids just casually tossing a ball back and forth with skill and ease. Then you notice something different — a game where all the parents cheer for every player on both teams. And no one shouts, “Kill the umpire!” Because there is no umpire. In this very special Little League, there are no strikes, no balls and no outs; only home runs for every player who comes to bat. This is the Challenger Division of
Getting ready to bat. Photo: Kelly Vohs
the Peter Stuyvesant Little League (PSLL), and every player faces some sort of physical, mental or emotional challenge. And though none of these players will ever dream of a professional baseball career, the spirit, the excitement and love of the game come through with more emotion and power than one can ever imagine seeing at any game of baseball.
The biggest thing is you want the kids to feel great. If they just feel good you’ve let them down.” Rick Hayduk
All of this is the work of one man — one man who had a vision and went out and found the people and the resources to make it real. The man is Rick Hayduk. And you can tell everything you need to know about Rick by the quote he wears
on the back of his tee shirt. It’ss a quote from his friend Dabo Swinwinney, the football coach of the NCAA AA national champions Clemson Tigers: “The only disability in life e is a bad attitude.” Rick was born and raised in Westestchester County and now livess in Stuyvesant Town but he has travraveled through much of the world in his profession as a hotel and real estate executive. He and his wife Carol are both avid sports enthusiasts. Rick has a golf handicap of plus two and Carol is a former tennis pro. Rick and Carol have three children and the youngest one suffers from Down syndrome. Years ago, while waiting in an airline terminal, Rick met the father of another Down syndrome child and Rick says that father gave him the best advice he’s ever received: “Just treat them normal.” That’s why it was so important for Rick to make sure that his daughter, and any other child with special needs, would have the opportunity to play baseball, like all other kids. The Challenger program has few rules, but the ones they have are all about being inclusive, accepting and creating a totally non-judgmental environment where every child becomes a star. At each game they generally have about twenty players who are divided into two teams and from forty to eighty volunteers. The volunteers do everything from helping the players swing a bat and run the bases to giving out hats and shirts to each player. But the volunteers, the parents and all the other spectators play another very critical role. They gather all along the base paths and cheer and applaud each child as the child, with the help of their volunteer “buddy,” runs from one base to another. You can see each child’s joy by their big smiles as they first hit the ball and then are greeted with support, congratulations and dozens of high fives as they run the bases. All along the way, each child is encouraged by Rick as he plays the role of announcer. Rick works
Hayduk high-fives with his daughter Jamison. Photo: Kelly Vohs
HOW TO JOIN THE TEAM PSLL’s Challenger Division welcomes boys and girls with physical and developmental challenges between the ages of 4 and 18. There is no fee, as PSLL covers all fees. Games will be held once a weekend at Con Ed Fields, on East 16th Street, just east of Avenue C. Tentative dates: • Sunday April 21 (No games — Easter Sunday) • Sunday April 28 • Sunday May 5 • Sunday May 12 • Sunday May 19 • Sunday May 26 (No Games — Memorial Day Weekend) • Sunday June 2 • Sunday June 9 (Closing Challenger ceremonies) Contact Rick Hayduk at (239) 340-1405 or rhayduk1313@aol.com. Or go to: www.psll.org/challenger
Rick Hayduk calls the play by play. Photo: Kelly Vohs
up the crowd and encourages the players with color commentary like, “keep going Ray” and “come on home, Ethan” and “Ryan, you really socked it.” Sandra Velez, whose seven-yearold son Ray plays in the Challenger program, says: “Everybody is so welcoming and accepting. It makes the child more comfortable and more competent.” Then she adds about Rick: “He remembers every
child’s name and treats them all as an MVP. He’s an amazing teacher and mentor.” Rick sums up his goal and philosophy by saying: “The biggest thing is that you want the kids to feel great. Not good. If they just feel good you’re letting them down.” In this game, there are no winners and losers because everybody wins — the players, the parents, the coaches, the volunteers and the whole community. As Dan Schachner, one of the other league commissioners puts it: “This level of community is something we don’t often see. It’s a reminder to all our kids that no matter anyone’s physical ability, everyone can play baseball.” Everyone involved with Challenger knows they are part of something very special — more special than any ball hit by Aaron Judge or thrown by Jacob DeGrom. And if baseball is America’s pastime, Challenger is America’s heart.
Know someone we should profile in One Person’s Manhattan? Call 212-868-0190 or email nyoffice@strausnews.com
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Q U B N I T C S O T B Q D O C
E N O R M O U S J X Y H K Y Q
L D J U U L U X W G K T U O W
V Z V S C B A S O G R E K U J
The puzzle contains the following words. They may be diagonal, across, or up and down in the grid in any direction.
A A U G J E A L O U S L U S O
Bijous Couscous Curious Devious Enormous Famous Generous Jealous Joyous Miraculous Nervous Obvious Pious Pompous Raucous
ANSWERS S
S
U
E
N
E
R
P
D O
48
44
U
A O M
N
Y
I
T
G A
S
P
O
I
P
S
M A
I
I
S
34 27 21
22
G
A E
L
12 1
2
3
T
L
G O 4
A
5
R
A
N
T
M A
N
35
U
M A
30
I
24
E
U
52
E O
I
N
N
A
E 7
L
E 8
K
A
G N
32
M A
I
13
E
31
A M 33
I
20
V
16
E
54
I
26
19
6
L
A M
25
P
53
O W E
38
M
23
51
I 41
B
37
L A
29 18
15
Y
46
I
40
R 28
C O
50
Z
45
39 36
C
49
S
T
U
F
17
K
I
14 9
S
H
10
L O N E
11
B M D E V I O U S C P M J P W
G I N E R V O U S P H N K O K
R R J W I W L G S T G V M M P
F A M O U S H Y E Y Q D X P X
I C U M U E N O W N R O R O F
O U U C S S H K C P E X P U O
Z L F R O R Q T S P C R I S U
K O M R I U Y S W O Y Y O G Q
H U B S B O S A U R V I U U K
Q S M V N U U S T L N S S J S
Q U B N I T C S O T B Q D O C
E N O R M O U S J X Y H K Y Q
L D J U U L U X W G K T U O W
V Z V S C B A S O G R E K U J
A A U G J E A L O U S L U S O
4 8
1 9
2
3 8 5 6 4 2 7
1 3 7 5 6 9
5 7 6 9 4 2 1 3 8
3 4 8 7 9 5 2 1 6
2 5 9 3 6 1 8 7 4
6 1 7 2 8 4 9 5 3
9 3 5 6 1 8 7 4 2
7 6 1 4 2 9 3 8 5
8 2 4 5 7 3 6 9 1
26. Big ___ 28. Realizes 29. Primitive aquatic plant 31. Engrossed by 32. Chew (on) 33. Label 37. Hello! 38. Show ___ 40. Dirty 42. One of the three bears 43. Took advantage of 44. Places for sweaters 46. Screen symbol 48. Morning moisture 49. Anthem contraction 51. Pick __ or the other! 52. Land of opportunity 53. Dearest 54. Old verb ending
R R J W I W L G S T G V M M P
H
48. ER role 50. 2-door 55. Podded plant 56. “Omigod!” 57. Dawning 58. Billboard displays 59. Sarcastic 60. Poet’s “below” Down 1. Sibling 2. Mischief-maker 3. Goes with chi 4. Space ___ 5. “Let’s ___” 6. Concluding stanza 7. “Fantasy Island” prop 8. New Zealand parrot 9. Gull like bird 10. Refined sound, in its day 11. Chemical compound 19. Australian runner 20. Top European soccer team, AC ___ 21. Humanoid monster 22. Tylenol target 23. Eye disease 25. Morning time
G I N E R V O U S P H N K O K
T
60
B M D E V I O U S C P M J P W
43
54
P
53
A
52
42
51
47
50
E
Across 1. Instrument, favored by George Harrison 6. Antlered animal 9. “Murder __ wrote” 12. Adult insect 13. Original name before marriage 14. Relatives 15. Hard sell 16. By way of 17. Strange flyer 18. August baby 20. Junk ____ 21. Photo ___ (camera sessions) 24. Dolphins’ home 27. Chocolate is one variety.... 30. Speak badly about 34. Qatar coin 35. Food from heaven 36. Vital force 38. Type of fowl 39. Supermodel Campbell 41. Need to pay 42. Sour ___ 45. Israeli weapon 47. Programming language
Level: Medium
7 6
A
59
41
S
56
4
E
55
49
8
N
48
2
N
47
2
O
45
3
1
40
44
3 6
4
3
38
8
57
43
1
60
37 39
58
33
5 7
35
36
42
32
2
6 9
Y
34
31
5
K
29
26
5
E
28
25
3
E
27
24
9
W R
23
7
56
22
20
Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.
59
21
19
11
A
18
10
S
7
E
6
D
5
A
4
P
3
55
2
SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
by Myles Mellor
58
1
APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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APRIL 25-MAY 1,2019
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