The local paper for the Upper East Side THE WORD IS ‘CAMP’ ◄ P.12
WEEK OF JUNE
13-19 2019
MORTY’S THIRD AVE TOWER TOO TALL, BP SAYS GAME NEVER ENDS DEVELOPMENT
One block, one developer, two controversial towers
BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
SPORTS A day in the sun with the longestrunning softball team in Central Park BY MEREDITH KURZ
New York was founded in 1624 and about 60 years later Madison Square Park became public and about 160 years after that, baseball was born, in that park, in New York City. Sure,
Morty Gilbert has been playing softball in Central Park since the 1940s. Photo: Meredith Kurz
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
A few hundred feet west of 249 East 62nd Street — the so-called “condo on stilts” that in recent months has captured the attention of Upper East Side zoning reform advocates for the 150-foot-tall mechanical void in its middle section — a second tower being built on the same block by the same developer has come under scrutiny for questionable zoning practices of its own. The 30-story condominium building nearing completion at 1059 Third Avenue is significantly larger than should be allowed under the city’s zoning resolution, according to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and a local land use group that examined the project’s building plans. The Department of Buildings, Brewer alleges, approved plans for the project with severely miscalculated floor area tallies that produced a building nearly 10,000 square feet larger than should have been permitted — the equivalent of roughly five stories of extra space, worth about $36 million. As reported by the New York Times, Brewer requested in a May 31 letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio that the DOB open an internal investigation to determine how the agency approved the plans. The “egregious lapses” in the floor area calculations, Brewer wrote, “seem deliberate.”
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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts
INSIDE RENOVATION FOR STANLEY M. ISAACS CENTER Ribbon-cutting for a new senior kitchen and youth facility, P. 6
A BOOST FOR NEW MOTHERS An UES organization helps Medicaid-eligible women have healthy pregnancies, P. 7
A rendering showing two residential towers currently under development between East 62nd and East 63rd Streets on the Upper East Side. 1059 Third Ave. (left) and 249 East 62nd St. (right) are both projects of Orland-based Real Estate Inverlad Development. Image: George M. Janes and Associates
“The care with which these miscalculations occur — and the fact that they only accrue to the benefit of the developer — suggests this was not an accident,” Brewer’s letter reads. George M. Janes, a planning consultant who prepared the pending zoning challenge filed against the project by Friends of the Upper East
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Side Historic Districts, concurred with Brewer’s conclusion. “In past reviews, I have identified dozens of errors in DOB approved drawings, but such errors could plausibly be attributed to applicant negligence, ignorance, carelessness,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
DAD’S TURN TO MOM UP A debut novel about a divorced father’s unexpected custody experience, P. 19
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NAILING THE CAT BILL PETS New York poised to become first state to ban feline declawing BY DAVID KLEPPER
New York would be the ďŹ rst state in the U.S. to ban the declawing of cats under legislation approved by lawmakers at the request of cat owners, animal welfare advocates and many veterinarians who call the procedure cruel and needless. The bill, which would subject veterinarians to $1,000 fines for performing the operation, now heads to the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, whose representatives said he will review the bill before deciding if he will sign it. “Cats of New York: Show me your
claws,â€? said Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal of the Upper West Side, who pushed the bill for years despite the opposition the state’s largest veterinary society. She called cat declawing “barbaric and inhumane.â€? Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe and in several Canadian provinces, as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, but no other U.S. state has voted to ban the procedure, which involves amputating a cat’s toes back to the ďŹ rst knuckle. Unlike human nails, a cat’s claws are attached to bone, so declawing a feline requires a veterinarian to slice through tendon and nerves to remove the last segment of bone in a cat’s toes. Supporters of the ban cite estimates that a quarter or more of all domestic cats in the U.S. have had the procedure. The New York State Veterinary Medical Society had opposed the bill, arguing that declawing should be allowed as a last resort for felines that won’t stop scratching furniture or humans — or when the cat’s owner has a weakened immune system, putting them at greater risk of infection from a scratch. “Medical decisions should be left to the sound discretion of fully trained, licensed and state supervised professionals,â€? the society said in a memo opposing the legislation.
Under the bill, which easily passed the Democrat-led Senate and Assembly, veterinarians could still perform the procedure for medical reasons, such as infection or injury. Veterinarian Michelle Brownstein stopped performing declawing operations 15 years ago at her Rochester-area animal hospital when she said she became convinced the procedure leaves cats with lifelong problems. Some declawed cats exhibit behavioral issues, she said, while others struggle with chronic pain at the amputation site.
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal pushed the bill for years despite opposition from the state’s largest veterinary society. Photo courtesy of Linda B. Rosenthal
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“The end result is a barbaric procedure that results in the mutilation of the animal,� she said. “Frankly, if you’re worried about your furniture, then you shouldn’t be getting a cat.� Now, when a cat owner asks about the procedure, Brownstein said she discusses alternatives, such as routine nail care, scratching posts or even tiny plastic caps that can be placed over a cat’s nails. There was little vocal opposition in the Senate, which passed the bill 50-12, or in the Assembly, where the preliminary vote was 92-27. But some lawmakers spoke out against
JUNE 13-19,2019 the measure, saying declawing should be kept legal for rare cases in which cat scratches could pose a hazard to owners with weakened immune systems or other medical issues. Opponents also said they worried that more cats might be given up for adoption or euthanized because their owners would no longer be able to get them declawed. “I don’t think government should be involved. I think we should leave it to the vets and the owners,� said Sen. Robert Antonacci, a Republican from Syracuse.
“Cats of New York: Show me your claws.� Photo via Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal’s Twitter
JUNE 13-19,2019
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for the week ending June 2 Week to Date
Year to Date
2019 2018
% Change
2019
2018
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
1
-100.0
Rape
0
0
n/a
11
7
57.1
Robbery
2
2
0.0
53
65
-18.5
Felony Assault
1
4
-75.0
55
58
-5.2
Burglary
4
10
-60.0
83
82
1.2
Grand Larceny
22
33
-33.3
606 592 2.4
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
9
SWINGING IN THE RAIN According to police, on Wednesday evening, May 29, a 27-year-old man took shelter under a scaffold at the corner of Madison Ave. and East 83rd St. during a rainstorm. A 37-yearold man standing next to him told him that he was getting too close, and when the younger man said he hadn’t moved, the older man punched him in the face before walking away, police said. When cops arrived on the scene, the victim identified his assailant and Erimeyas Densamo
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-40.0
Photo by Toni Webster via Flickr
was arrested and charged with assault. The victim suffered minor bruising to his face but refused medical attention at the scene.
vehicle through an open window and grabbing the phone, an iPhone 10 valued at $1,449.
AIR IN, PHONE OUT
At 10 a.m. on Monday, June 3, a 34-year-old man was talking on his phone at the bus stop at the northeast corner of Second Ave. and East 79th St when a man on a blue bike swooped by and took his bag, which he had placed on the ground. The items stolen included a pearl-andwhite Mikimoto necklace valued
A thief stole a cell phone from a man’s car while the man was putting air in the tires at the gas station on the southwest corner of First Ave. and East 95th St. Security footage of the incident, on Friday morning, May 24, showed a man reaching into the
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at $6,000, a black IWC pilot watch of no specified value, a pair of blue jeans worth $150, a pair of brown Cole shoes selling for $120 and a blue button-down shirt tagged at $50, making a total stolen of $6,320.
LOCKER THEFT At 6:45 p.m. on Friday, May 24, a 30-year-old man left items in a locked locker inside the New York Sports Club at 502 Park Ave. When he left the gym at 8 p.m. he discovered that items
were missing from his wallet, and unauthorized charges had turned up on his credit card at nearby stores. The victim told police that he remembered another gym member asking him questions about his lock after he locked it. The lock had not been tampered with or broken. The items stolen included $80 cash and a US Bank MasterCard.
ANOTHER PHONE SCAM Seniors are well advised to get caller ID and not answer phone
calls from unknown numbers. At 2:30 p.m. on May 29, a 67-yearold woman living on East 63rd St. got a call from someone claiming to work for Apple, saying she needed security software. She was told that she was required to purchase two $2,000 Apple gift cards to pay for the software, but that the purchase price would be refunded. Unfortunately, the senior bought the cards as instructed only to find out later that she had been scammed and was never reimbursed as promised.
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Useful Contacts
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POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct
153 E. 67th St.
212-452-0600
159 E. 85th St. 157 E. 67th St.
311 311
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311
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311
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State Sen. Jose M. Serrano State Senator Liz Krueger Assembly Member Dan Quart Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright
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212-828-5829 212-490-9535 212-605-0937
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212-288-4607
COMMUNITY BOARD 8 LIBRARIES
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JUNE 13-19,2019
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JUNE 13-19,2019
$2.1 MILLION RENOVATION FOR STANLEY M. ISAACS CENTER SENIORS Ribbon-cutting for a new senior kitchen and youth center on the UES BY JASON COHEN
A facility that serves more than 6,000 children and low-income families, out-of-school and out-of-work youth and older adults annually on the UES recently received a $2.1 million facelift. On June 3, the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center at 415 East 93rd Street unveiled its new senior kitchen, youth center and restrooms. The center, which has existed for more than 50 years, provides food and security to hundreds of seniors daily through on-site hot meals and home-delivered meals to the homebound and medically fragile. “Feeding older adults and families in need, as well as providing safe
and engaging places for children to learn, grow and play have been central to the mission of the Isaacs Center, since its founding,” said Gregory Morris, president and executive director of the center. “Renovations to our senior center kitchen and youth center facilities are a significant win for this community and speak to the City’s renewed focus on critical investments in public housing residents. I thank Council Member Ben Kallos and NYCHA for their commitment to the Isaacs Center and driving this project forward.” Construction began in the senior center in June 2018. The youth center, which provides after-school programming and workforce development services to hundreds of children and young adults, saw a complete bathroom renovation, with a replacement of plumbing fixtures, new LED lighting fixtures and new doors and frames.
Meanwhile, the kitchen lacked proper ventilation for more than a decade. This caused problems with food storage and respiratory issues for the meal preparation staff. There is now new equipment, a renovated floor and ceiling and mechanical upgrades. Kallos provided $680,000 to fully fund the project in his first year in office, and an additional $350,000 in 2017 in response to higher than expected bids to see the project continue for a total investment of $1,030,000. His predecessor, Councilman Dan Garodnick and NYCHA had allocated approximately $1 million six years ago, but it remained unused. “We must invest in our seniors and our youth in public housing and throughout our city,” Kallos said. “As seniors face food insecurity, they deserve a good hot meal from a kitchen equipped to serve them. New lighting will welcome
Ribbon-cutting with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Council Member Ben Kallos and Gregory J. Morris, president and executive director, Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center. Photo courtesy of Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center
youth to a bright place to learn and grow. Thank you to Isaacs Center’s Executive Director Greg Morris and his staff for their partnership in moving this project forward and always fighting for seniors and youth in public housing.” Kallos told Our Town that with only four senior centers on the UES — Isaacs, Lenox Hill, Carter Burden and Robbins Plaza — it is imperative that all of them are properly funded and able to provide adequate care and food. The council member explained that the center provides a safe haven and meals for the large public
housing population in East Harlem. While Kallos was pleased his funding helped the facility, he noted that some senior centers are not being taken care of in the city. “I have met with seniors from all over the borough and the city and they’re disturbed to learn about the rampant disinvestment in our seniors throughout the city,” he said. Pakhi Kane, deputy executive director at Isaacs, feels the renovations will benefit the community. “People are over the moon,” Kane said. “They would not have a hot meal if it was not for the center.”
JUNE 13-19,2019
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A BOOST FOR NEW MOTHERS COMMUNITY An Upper East Side organization helps Medicaid-eligible women have healthy pregnancies and become self-sufficient BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
When Zaiane Alawade found out she was pregnant following her freshman year at Fisk University, she resolved to continue on with her education and raise her child. After completing one more semester of courses in Nashville, the Harlem native moved back to New York and gave birth to her daughter, Naiilah, in March 2018. By June, Alawade was already back in school, taking an online summer course at Hunter college to stay on track. “As an African American I always make it my business to beat the statistics,” said Alawade. “So not going back to school wasn’t an option and I told myself I wasn’t going to succumb to my circumstances.” But with that summer course came a tuition balance, one she couldn’t afford to pay. She was not working at the time and received very little financial support. A hold was placed on her university account and she would not be able to resume classes at Hunter in the fall until the balance was paid. Suddenly, the path, which, before her pregnancy, had been clearly leading her to medical school to become an OB-GYN, had now become narrow and difficult to traverse. Alawade thought she might need to delay her education in order work and pay off the balance — a delay that she knew could easily turn into a permanent absence from school. Months before, however, a nurse from NurseFamily Partnership — an Upper East Side organization that helps Medicaid-eligible, firsttime mothers succeed in having their best, healthiest pregnancy — who had been making visits to Alawade’s home told her about the Heart’s Desire Fund. The fund is a program operated by the Friends of NYC Nurse-Family Partnership, a separate nonprofit organization founded to raise funds for programs NFP could no longer finance. The fund helps the mothers who’ve been working with NFP to further their careers and educations by providing money for metrocards, laptops, childcare, tuition, which, in Alawade’s case, meant she could pay off her overdue balance. Without the unpaid balance hanging over her head, Alawade resumed her studies as a full-time student at Hunter College and is continuing in her pursuit to become a doctor.
Zaiane Alawade holds her 14-month-old daughter, Naiilah, in her arms. Photo courtesy of Nurse-Family Partnership
Continuing Home Visits It’s a story like Alawade’s that Susan Orkin and Chris Wasserstein envisioned when they founded the Friends of NYC Nurse-Family Partnership. The two women met through their work with another organization, but had both been involved with NFP in the past. “I was attracted to the program because I am a psychotherapist,” Wasserstein said. “I have long known about the early childhood experience and how if it’s abusive or neglectful the child has lifelong physical and emotional problems as well.” But what intrigued her about NFP was their commitment to not only see the mother through her pregnancy (starting at 24 weeks), but also to continue home visits until the child is two years old. To Wasserstein, it showed that NFP valued healthy pregnancies, good parenting and the mother’s achieving selfsufficiency. “[The mother] is incredibly motivated to become self-sufficient,” Wasserstein said. “I think she identifies with her new baby and wants to make a better life for the child, better than what she had.” For a while, NFP had been using foundation grants to help fund programs that helped mothers become self-sufficient, but those grants eventually dried up. Since NFP is housed within the city’s government — which is not the case for other branches of NFP operating in other states — it cannot accept individual donations. Orkin, who has a background in philanthropy and fundraising, felt like a lot of money was being left on the table. So, together, Orkin and Wasserstein, founded Friends of NYC Nurse-Family Partnership and started helping mothers like Alawade stay on track and become self-sufficient. “We think and we know from what people are telling us, both clients and nurses, this is a huge benefit for clients as you can imagine,” Orkin said. “The nurses can encourage and motivate a client all they want, but if a woman doesn’t have enough money to go to school then she’s not going to go.” “Or she’s going to take out a big loan and suffer from that for many, many years as so many students do,” Wasserstein added.
the South Bronx. This year they hope to serve 80 more women, and have helped 34 additional clients so far. Orkin and Wasserstein hope the tuition as-
sistance, particularly unpaid balances, helps clear the path for women to further themselves. “It could have taken her seven or eight years for her to do that if that balance hadn’t been paid off never mind she’s making progress, her child is more likely to move out of poverty much more quickly,” Orkin said of a mother whose balance was paid by the fund. In Alawade’s words, she and her daughter are doing “fabulously.” She’s enjoying watching Naiilah grow and learn. She’s also working part-time and has a financial cushion. And she credits Heart’s Desire with her being able to not only stay enrolled at school full-time, but to thrive in her courses. “Without HDF I would have had to work, I would have had to delay my matriculation through college, I would have had to find additional child care and pay the expense of that,” Alawade said. “In my field of study it is imperative that I am focused and because of the assistance I received from Heart’s Desire, I was able to be fully engaged in my classes. I couldn’t give them enough gratitude.”
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Voices
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ACADEMIC MANIA AT LAGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL
The author as a freshman at LaGuardia High School. Photo courtesy of Rachel Kalina
I also wanted to win. I wanted people to think I was smart. I wanted to go to an elite college. So I took as many AP classes as the school allowed. And it all made me angry. I was doing what a good student was supposed to do; I took AP US History and got a four out of five on the AP test. I took honors government. I took the US history SAT2, scored over 700 out of 800, and retained nothing. To this day, I don’t know the date of the revolutionary war. So I wasn’t surprised to hear about the recent student protests at LaGuardia High School over the encroachment of AP classes and strict grade-based admissions. Before honors and AP classes, I used to read all the assigned books in English ahead of time. Not on purpose, just because I loved reading. The honors track ended that. I remember a moment in AP English Literature when the teacher had to step out of the room. “Start discussing ‘Portrait of the Artist’ while I’m gone.” The door closed behind her. Silence filled the room. Finally, a girl spoke. She was one of those students who always came prepared. During class discussions, self-assured, fully articulated thoughts floated from her lips like pearls. “I haven’t read the book at all,” she said. The second student to speak was a quiet girl, sad-looking in the vein of Sylvia Plath, who usually exhibited almost the same level of poetry
EAST SIDE OBSERVER BY ARLENE KAYATT
BY RACHEL KALINA
In the summer before my freshman year at LaGuardia High School in 2007, I did poorly on an entrance test and didn’t qualify for honors English. In my non-honors English class, we studied Shakespeare. I had seen quite a few Shakespeare plays at that point, and had even gone to a camp two years before in which I’d played servant number two (thank you very much) in a production of “The Merchant of Venice.” Nevertheless, due to my poor entrance test I was put into a class filled with kids who had barely heard of Shakespeare. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” “What does that mean?” asked the teacher. “The light’s so strong, it’s smashing the window,” said one of the students. “Not exactly.” The teacher broke down each line. We acted out the scenes in groups. My group put on a puppet show. I built a miniature set, complete with balcony. The acting majors in my group made sock puppets and performed. It was awesome. The next year, I was on the honors track for good; honors English, then AP English Language, then AP English Literature. In “Brave New World,” there is a scene in which babies enter a room filled with books and flowers. The babies crawl towards the display, but as soon as they reach it, a piercing noise goes off and an electrified floor shocks them. The babies learn to associate books and nature with pain and to stay away from them. That’s how AP English made me feel. It made me want to run from literature; it was a trap, every beautiful book followed by an electric shock in the form of a deadening essay topic or test.
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in her class commentary as the great writer herself. “I just skim SparkNotes the night before discussion or before I post online in the class forum.” Now a boy: “Me, too.” More confessions followed from my brightest classmates on down, until we came to the consensus that no one sitting in that room had at any point read any portion of “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” And here’s the thing; two things actually. The first is that because of the time spent on SAT study, SAT2 study, revising college essays, doing extracurricular activities designed to enhance our college eligibility and finishing the homework for all those other AP classes, we simply didn’t have time to read the book. The second thing is that if we had wanted to learn, we wouldn’t have been taking AP classes; we would have taken classes that allowed us time to read books. It’s encouraging that the current students of LaGuardia are pushing back against tougher academic courses and admissions standards. It means they want to learn and that they care about their art. Unlike my generation, instead of just subverting the system, they’re facing up to the administration and attempting to change the status quo. If they succeed, they’ll make room for real learning to happen, in classes like English as well as the arts.
Staying stone — A new kind of stone is replacing the stones that were sold at the little jewelry shop that was located opposite Ruppert Park on East 90th Street, just west of Second Avenue. Don’t remember its exact name — something like East Asian III. Its window was invariably filled with all manner of stone, from diamonds and emeralds to rubies and sapphires to estate antiques to tchotchkes with a Russian flair. Within at least a day of closing, the shop was broom clean, painted, and the new tenant was busy moving in and ready to do business the next day. Couldn’t wait to find out what was coming. The flyers they hand out say “Body Work — 1 Hour $50 — 11:00 AM — 10:30 PM.” Included in the body work is a stone massage where small black rocks, aka hot stones, are used with aromatic oils. Each massage room has a curtained door. Seems that the small neighborhood businesses coming to the UES are trending to coffee cafes, doggy day care, nail spas. Stones not so much. Need a new nomenclature for small businesses. Calling them momsand-pops just doesn’t tell the story. Lesson learned — Have to say that Starbucks, at least the one at the corner of East 87th Street and Lexington Avenue, has taken seriously the failure of a Philadelphia Starbucks’s to allow a non-customer (one who doesn’t make a purchase) to use the bathroom. The 87th Street location has the code number allowing access to anyone — customer or not — taped to the door of its bathroom. Under the old system, the code number was on the receipt you got when you made a purchase. Good for Starbucks. Restaurant redux — It’s New York, restaurants come, restaurants go. In one instance, at least, the same restaurant did both. It left so the landlord could demolish the building (yes, this is NY, happens every day) and replace it with a hotel, and came back when the hotel was built and
ready to open in the old location. So it was with Ben & Jack’s steakhouse on East 44th Street between Second and Third Avenues. Initially opened in 2005 by the Sinanaj brothers — Ben and Jack (there’s also Harry, Jeff and Russ; all own the Empire Steakhouse restaurants) — with a 15-year lease that would terminate in 2020. Sometime in 2012 the Ben & Jack’s landlord notified them that the building was being demolished and a hotel would be built. Keeping the well-run, high caliber restaurant was an imperative for the landlord, and it fell to brother Jeff to cut a deal with the landlord that would bring Ben & Jack’s back to its old home. And five years later, in 2017, it happened. The brothers, who are veterans of the venerable Peter Luger’s, as are a contingent of cousins, reopened in the Even Hotel (owned by Intercontinental) in a new space at the old location with the same great steaks and cocktails and impeccable service. Great when a landlord and a tenant can cut a deal that keeps a business in business. In steak parlance — that’s rare and well-done. Restaurant redo - Tandoor Oven on East 84th Street, just west of Third Avenue on the north side of the street, was at the same location with the same owner for 30 years. That changed in August of 2018 when Tandoor Oven changed hands and the new owners upgraded the menu and interior and replaced the old street canopy with a spiffier, more elegant one. The new ownership includes Nimma Reddy, a chef who owns restaurants in New Jersey and Connecticut. The new menu focuses on regional but authentic Indian dishes which are popular across the country. On the new appetizer menu, there’s Cauliflower Manchurian, a popular north Indian street food inspired from Asian cuisine, and Kale Sprouts (definitely au courant). Prices are 21st century — Chicken Saag (then spelled Shaag) was $8.50. Currently, spelled Saag, at $16.95. Looking forward to at least another 30 years of the terrific Tandoor Oven tradition at the same location. Priceless.
JUNE 13-19,2019
FATAL FALLS RISING AMONG OLDER ADULTS HEALTH Traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures lead to health declines — but exercise and balance programs can reduce risks BY LINDSEY TANNER
New research shows fatal falls have nearly tripled in older Americans in recent years, rising to more than 25,000 deaths yearly. The ďŹ ndings highlight the importance of fall prevention. A separate study bolsters evidence that programs focusing on improving muscle strength and balance can help achieve that goal. Both studies were published last Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Circumstances weren’t included in the data, but traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures leading to steep health declines are among
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causes of death in older adults who fall. “Deaths from falls may have increased because older people are living longer, living longer independently, and are living longer with chronic conditions,� said Elizabeth Burns, a study co-author and health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s injury center. She noted that some medications also make older adults prone to falls. That includes prescription drugs affecting balance. Burns said research shows their use of certain psychiatric medications that can cause drowsiness and vision problems has increased substantially in recent years. The new analysis included 16 years of U.S. vital statistics data on adults aged 75. Fatal falls increased from 8,600 in 2000 to 25,190 in 2016. Separate CDC data show they climbed even higher in 2017, to almost
26,440 fatal falls in Americans aged 75 and older. The rate in the study more than doubled, from 51 fatal falls per 100,000 people to 122 falls per 100,000. The results echo studies of fatal fall trends in the Netherlands and other European countries. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking; balance exercises; and resistance exercises to strengthen muscles can also reduce risks for falls, said Dr. Marco Pahor of the University of Florida’s aging and geriatric research department, who wrote an accompanying journal editorial. The program studied in the second study involved exercises three times a week at home for a year, with ďŹ ve sessions led by a physical therapist. These include seated and standing leg lifts, knee bends and backward walking, plus walking half an hour at least twice weekly. Participants were 344 Canadian adults aged 70 and older who had experienced a recent fall. Half were randomly assigned to the program plus usual care by a doctor; the remainder received only usual care. There were 236 falls during the study among the exercise group compared with 366 falls among the others. Pahor said many older adults
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June 5 - Nov 17 ELECTIVE AFFINITIES: EDMUND DE WAAL AT THE FRICK COLLECTION The Frick Collection 1 East 70th St 10:00 a.m. Free frick.org 212-288-0700 The Frick Collection presents a temporary installation of sculptures by acclaimed author and ceramist Edmund de Waal. Site-speciďŹ c works made of porcelain, steel, gold, marble, and glass are displayed in the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main galleries alongside works from the permanent collection.
Thu 13
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FILM - THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940)
ARCHIPELAGO NEW YORK
96th St Library 112 East 96th St 2:00 p.m. Free In this ďŹ lm, a petty thief and a bum get a political career off the ground, but it may not last. nypl.org 212-289-0908
92Y 1395 Lexington Ave Noon $29 Join documentary ďŹ lmmaker and writer Thomas Halaczinsky as he discusses his latest published work, â&#x20AC;&#x153;rchipelago New York.â&#x20AC;? 92y.org 212-415-5500
Sat 15 â&#x2013;ş BOOK LAUNCH: AMERICAN GARGOYLES BY NEIL COHEN Shakespeare & Co 2020 Broadway 6:00 p.m. Free Enjoy a celebration of Neil Cohenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Gargoyles: Save the Wenworth!â&#x20AC;? The American Gargoyles have one mission: to save their home. The once-celebrated but now-forgotten Wentworth Building is targeted for destruction by an egomaniacal developer who wants to knock it down to build a giant mirror so he can look at himself all day. Working together, the sooty statues go from being ignored stone carvings to brave and brainy heroes cheered on by the entire city. shakeandco.com (212) 738-0001
JUNE 13-19,2019
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Sun 16
Mon 17
BLOOMSDAY ON BROADWAY XXXVIII
▼ LET ME PLAY: A TRIBUTE TO TITLE IX
Symphony Space 2537 Broadway 7:00 p.m. $28 This Father’s Day, we celebrate our 38th Bloomsday with a special nod to father figures and longing sons. Join host Mia Dillon and a cast of actors, musicians, and avid Joyceans for Symphony Space’s annual tribute to James Joyce and his masterpiece, “Ulysses.” symphonyspace.org 212-864-5400
Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza 6:00 p.m. Free A selection of documentary films from the Reserve Film and Video Collection will frame a discussion with Gordon Bakoulis, editorial director for New York Road Runners and longtime women’s running coach on the social and political importance of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 which, in short, prescribed equity in school sports for female athletes. The program will include the premiere of the restoration of Bonnie Friedman’s awardwinning educational film “The Flashettes” (1977), which documented the titular girl’s BedStuy track club. nypl.org 917-275-6975
Tue 18 REFLECTIONS ON ARTISTIC LICENSE: CAI GUO-QIANG The Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave 6:30 p.m.$25 Artist Cai Guo-Qiang speaks at the museum on his contribution to the exhibition. The program will feature excerpts from the film “October: The Unrealized Century” (2018) by Shanshan Xia. guggenheim.org 212-423-3500
Wed 19 ▼ FISHING AT THE HARLEM MEER Central Park Harlem Meer, East Side, just west of the Discovery Center at 109th Street 10:00 a.m. Free Catch-and-release fishing at the Harlem Meer is free for families and individuals. The Harlem Meer is a thriving aquatic ecosystem that supports a wide variety of fish, waterfowl, turtles, plants and microorganisms. Some of the fish living in the Meer include large-mouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill sunfish, carp, and chain pickerel. centralpark.com 212-310-6600
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JUNE 13-19,2019
THE WORD IS ‘CAMP’ This year’s spring exhibition at The Costume Institute, a multimedia experience, traces the origins of the aesthetic style and its impact on fashion and more BY VAL CASTRONOVO
Who knew the term had so many meanings and layers? The first section of this ambitious show is devoted solely to contextualizing and defining the elusive word — “camp” as a verb, an adjective, a noun — with a soundtrack featuring Judy Garland singing camp anthem, “Over the Rainbow.” Susan Sontag’s influential essay from 1964, “Notes on ‘Camp,’” a 58-point treatise on the subject, is the frame, the lens through which to view more than 250 paintings, sculptures, drawings, manuscripts, porcelains, photos and pushing-theenvelope fashions that give concrete form to the idea, the clothes especially.
waistcoat with satin trim (see Napoleon Sarony’s photos of the playwright posing in Aesthetic ensembles). It’s Jazz Age flapper dresses, Josephine Baker and Tiffany lamps. Tiffany lamps? Note #8: “Camp is a vision of the world in terms of style — but a particular kind of style. It is the love of the exaggerated, the “off,” of things-being-what-theyare-not. The best example is in Art Nouveau, the most typical and fully developed Camp style. Art Nouveau objects, typically, convert one thing into something else: the lighting fixtures in the form of flowering plants, the living room which is really a grotto.” (See Tiffany Studios, “Tulip” Lamp, 1907-12.)
The Corner of a Circular Room The term is nothing if not elastic, and fantastic, so much so that a visitor can leave the show and not
Dethroning the Serious “Sontag gave us a grammar, mmar, a language by which to understand erstand and to appreciate and to discuss cuss [camp]. And in a way she’s the hero of the exhibition,” Andrew Bolton, lton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, said at a preview last month. Sontag’s defining principles nciples are conveyed over speakers, kers, illuminated on a ticker tape pe and appear as text on vitrines. nes. Camp is extravagance (“a woman walking around in a dress made of three million ion feathers”), artifice and nd style. It’s kind, it’s generrous, it’s fun. Note #41: 41: “The whole point of Camp mp is to dethrone the serious.”” It’s ironic. It’s subversive. rsive. It’s democratic. It encompasses sses highart, mass-culture and queer ueer culture. It’s Versailles (“camp Eden”) den”) — the theatricality of Louis XIV and his cross-dressing younger er brother, “Monsieur” — and the 19th century dandy. Note #45: “Camp is the modern dandyism.” Imagine Oscar Wilde, the “dandyaesthete,” in a velvet jacket and
Ensemble by Jeremy Scott for House of Moschino, spring/summer 2018; courtesy of Moschino. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Johnny Dufort, 2019
Gallery view of “The Psychopathology of Affluence”-themed fashions, featuring Vaquera’s wearable Tiffany jewelry pouch, flanked by Mary Katrantzou’s “Harry Dress” (left) and “Winston Dress.” Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, BFA.com/ Zach Hilty
be certain she has it “down.” But, as fashion critic cr Vanessa Friedman suggests, it’s it’ like the famous defipornography: you know it nition of por see it. when you se Bolton said the exhibit was much challenging to produce than more challe previous shows at the Inany of the pr “mainly because camp is so stitute “mai define. It’s a huge, huge difficult to d concept ... A cultural historian once said s that trying to define camp is i like sitting in a corner of a cir circular room. And it’s so true.” It’s a sensibility that seems to find its clearest expression in fashion. The ensembles on fash view, view by a string of haute designers, are presented in desig themed them niches on two levels in the show’s second section, with labels like “Outrageous lab Aestheticism,” “Gender With Aesthetic Genitals,” “Gender Without Genitals” and “Rediscovery of History’s “R Waste.” Bring Bri binoculars and look up! “Rainbow” is piped in, along with recitations o of Sontag’s criteria and other insights from the experts (“camperts”?), but it’s the designers themselves who give voice to the commentary. The experience is pure theater — “an echo chamber,”
IF YOU GO WHAT:“Camp: Notes on Fashion” WHERE: The Costume Institute at The Met 1000 Fifth Avenue WHEN: Through September 8 www.metmuseum.org/ per Bolton — with the outfits competing with the aural effects for our attention. Note Mark Booth’s aperçu from his 1983 book, “Camp,” alongside a Giambattista Valli evening dress in pink synthetic tulle: “The simple, bold colours of camp are ice-cream colours: camp’s favourite colour is pink: nursery pink, sugary pink, screaming pink.” When asked about exhibit highlights, the curator singled out its intellectual underpinnings: “All the categories. I like the categories because the categories are based on particular comments [by] Susan or other scholars. What we tried to convey is that camp is really a site of debate rather than consensus.”
An Actual Freudian Slip What is not debatable is that the ensembles here are statements. They are cheeky, humorous, rebel-
lious, hyper-male, hyper-female, androgynous and flat-out outlandish, fashioned from tulle, silk satin, sequins, suede, velvet, lace, leather and pink-and-black ostrich and coque feathers (the latter for a screaming-pink flamingo headpiece by Stephen Jones for House of Schiaparelli). There’s a “Freudian slip” dress by Marc Jacobs — yes, an actual slip of a dress in silk jersey with Freud’s profile splashed across the front — because, as writer and artist Philip Core decreed in “Camp: The Lie That Tells the Truth” (1984), “CAMP is cross-dressing in a Freudian slip.” Jeremy Scott from House of Moschino presents a jokey TV-dinnerthemed ensemble, with peas and carrots, while Vaquera riffs the classic Tiffany jewelry pouch to create a wearable blue facsimile, because why not? It’s camp, and it’s comical. Accessories are arranged in display cases at the center of the room. Philip Treacy’s “Smiley Face” headpiece in yellow acrylic is paired with Christopher Isherwood’s 1970 dictum, “Camp is happiness.” Sounds like an inversion of the lyrics to the Peanuts song, “Happiness.” Look around at this exuberant show and it’s hard not to agree with him. Nailed it.
JUNE 13-19,2019
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In Project Y’s feminist remaking of the classic fairy tale, the power of love is tested and the bonds of friendship prove stronger than magic.
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Based on the hit novel, Atlantic’s new musical comes from the creative team behind “Sweat,” “Spring Awakening,” and “Fun Home.” FROM $15
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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAY 29 - JUNE 4, 2019 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. Delizia Ristorante
1374 1st Ave
A
Gracie’s On 2Nd
300 E 86th St
Grade Pending (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
SOFTBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 you’ve heard Cooperstown, but I’m sorry. The Knickerbocker Rules? From the Knickerbocker Club right here. The nine innings and the whole schmiel are still used today. We could argue about it. I’m sure someone somewhere is. Morty Gilbert started playing ball in Central Park in the 1940s, near Umpire Rock, which used to be called Rat Rock. All the rats would climb up there after dark; probably still do. This team, his team, is called the Morty Gilbert Division. Morty, now in his 90s, still shows up, and Jimmy Bitros the team’s general manager, still calls it Morty’s Game. This is the longest running team in the park.
Running for Morty
Asian 83
1883 Third Ave
A
Jacques Brasserie
1317 1st Ave
A
Poke Restaurant
343 E 85th St
A
Subway
1661 1st Ave
Grade Pending (20) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
Sweetgreen
1500 3rd Ave
A
Aki Sushi
1531 York Ave
A
Firenze Ristorante
1555 2nd Ave
A
Thai @ Lex
1244 Lexington Ave
A
Hutch & Waldo Coffee
247 E 81st St
A
Metropolitan Museum Balcony Lounge
1000 5th Ave
A
Hummus Kitchen
1613 2nd Ave
Grade Pending (16) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Tarallucci E Vino
9 E 90th St
A
As Morty has gotten older, he chooses one of the men to run for him. They’ll wait for Morty to slam it, and then run the bases. Todd Montgomery wrote “Morty’s Song.” It’s refrain is “I’m gonna run ... for Morty.” It’s considered a high privilege. Bitros, aka “the Mayor” in Central Park’s Heckscher ball fields, draws up the two teams. Sitting in the shade on the bleachers, he goes over the roster, considering the merits of his players. The others mill around, check their gloves, their shoes, feel the weight of the bats, and wait. It has to be an even match. It has to be fair, just like when they were twelve years old. Bitros yells at one of the guys to get out there and pitch, warm up. The others wander out, some to the ballfield, others work on a ‘who’s up’ batting order. They’re soft passing the ball to the bases, to the outfield, then back to the pitcher, Willie Ferre. He offers the batters gentle lobs to they can power the ball deep, or not, where the outfield waits. About six years ago, the team was in need of help. Jimmy Bitros quit his other general manager job and took over Morty’s Game. He is warm, concise, and direct. No one questions his decisions, at least to his face, when he’s divvying up the talented, and not so talented, into even-sided teams.
La Fonda Restaurant And Tapas Bar
169 E 106 St
Grade Pending (2)
The Roster
Bakery On 3rd Cafe
1885 3rd Ave
Grade Pending (26) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/ sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Ricardo Steak House
2145 2nd Ave
A
Sams Famous Pizza
150 E 116th St
Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
The players range from 19 to over 80. “It’s a bit of a scramble to get the young guys,” Bitros told me. “You used to have 65 percent of the boys in sports. It’s dropped down to about 35 percent. They’re stuck in front of their phones or the TV. It’s a shame.” Jack Oppenheim, who just celebrated his 87th birthday, has been playing since the 1950s. Jack Cutler, an actor who moved into the city in 1979, then moved to LA in 1998, swings into the city every year for the softball season. Nineteen-year-old TJ is in between semesters at Albert University. He has the quiet way of someone with real talent. His skill speaks for him. He bats, throws, catches and runs with fluid ease. We admire his age, his moment. He’ll elevate the game quite a bit when he steps onto the field. Louis Crocco, another younger player is a drummer in a Broadway show. Broadway folks are an easy recruit, because they have weekday afternoons off. There are four Broadway teams who play on the field during the day,
JUNE 13-19,2019 so if you’re looking for the famous, now you know. Smokey, who was as much part of the team as the players for decades, has recently passed. He used to clean up the field before selling peanuts, soda, perhaps a beer or two. No one knew his last name. Someone who hangs around the field who knew Smokey told the team about Smokey’s death. He’d been part of the experience for decades. No one has taken his place. Joel Goldman, who’s on the cusp of becoming a grandfather, pitches well, and bats well. “Typically, I bat second,” he said. I know that’s a good spot, even with my weak softball knowledge. He’s just dipped his toe into his seventies, but he looks much younger, which I won’t tell him, because the other men, I’m sure, will razz him.
Camaraderie and Testosterone There’s a lot of teasing, a lot of banter, the semi-cruel typical guy chatter on this team. It is the conversation of men. It is the way they tell one another they like one another, hell, love one another. They’re going to name-call, criticize hits and misses, your bad politics, your hair, the fact that you may or may not wear a cup, and the size of the cup. This is camaraderie, testosterone style. They play with me, the stranger, tell me I can’t be taking pictures “See the sign?” and I stupidly look around. They laugh and I realize, they’re bringing me in. I had three older brothers: I get it. The game starts and the mood switches from verbal jousts to focusing on the ultimate pleasure of playing their best, doing their best. Most of these men know the Achilles heel of their mates, know their ace moves. Will they exploit one, or allow the other to shine through? It’s just a game, they say. For over seventy years, hell for over 160 years, they keep coming back.
Here comes the pitch. Photo: Meredith Kurz
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AILEY AT 60: ALIVE, ENGAGING AND INSPIRING DANCE Thirty years after his death, Alvin Ailey’s genius is still making the world a better place
Dance is for everybody. I believe that dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.”
BY MARY GREGORY
Alvin Ailey didn’t make it to 60. He died in 1989 at age 58 in Lenox Hill Hospital due to complications from AIDS. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, however, continues his legacy and vision and is celebrating its 60th season. In 1958, Ailey led his troupe of young African American performers onto the stage of the 92nd Street Y and changed the world of dance forever. They’ve since been recognized as global ambassadors of American culture and some of the most original, dynamic, passionate and unforgettable artists on the world stage. They return from a cross-country tour to New York for their 2019 Lincoln Center season from June 12-16. Several programs offer chances to see world premieres of new dances by up-and-coming choreographers, and ground-breaking pieces like
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Rennie Harris’ “Lazarus.” Photo: Paul Kolnik.
Rennie Harris’ soulful, hip-hop inspired ballet, “Lazarus.” Each performance will conclude with Ailey’s masterwork, “Revelations.” Drawn from life experiences like celebrations and spiritual milestones such as baptisms and funerals, “Revelations” transforms the
familiar into elegant art. Through a combination of jazz, gospel, blues, inventive choreography, and expressive movement that’s at turns tense, triumphant, and tender, it gives voice and vision to African American cultural experience. Says dancer Hope Boykin, “‘Revelations’
takes you on a journey from struggle through surrender to salvation.” In addition to his renown as a dancer and choreographer, Ailey is remembered as a human rights and LGBTQ icon. In that spirit, the troupe will participate throughout Pride Month in New York with spe-
cial performances and free lessons at Ailey Extension as part of NYC Dance Week (June 13-22). Coinciding with the troupe’s 60th anniversary, Fox Searchlight just announced that the director of the Academy Award winning film “Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins, will be directing a film based on Ailey’s life and work. “I am trying to show the world we are all human beings, that color is not important, that what is important is the quality of our work, a culture in which the young are not afraid to take chances and can hold onto their values and self-esteem, especially in the arts and dance,” said Ailey. “That’s what it’s all about to me.”
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Business Curb appeal. Photo: Steven Strasser
SMARTER LIVING: WHY LAYOUTS MATTER REAL ESTATE On gracious entry spaces, trends in floor plans and the enormous bathroom craze BY FREDERICK W. PETERS
What not to do. Photo: Andrew J. Kramer
‘GREEN’ MOVES ARE GOOD MOVES ASK A BROKER I’m a big environmentalist and I try to do whatever I can to save the planet. I recently went so far as to boycott making online purchases to cut down on the amount of waste from the packing materials. Witnessing my next door neighbor’s recent move — with all the cardboard, bubble wrap, etc. consumed — put me over the edge. In today’s world, aren’t there alternatives available to minimize our footprint when moving? You bring up a very important and relevant issue that’s on a everyone’s mind today. Every time someone moves into a
new home, there is a tremendous amount of trash — most destined for recycling ... we hope! We do need to open our eyes to the volume of waste we create and do something about it. Outside of loading up your Prius and hauling your stuff yourself to your new place, here’s a great way to start — try using a reusable plastic bin borrowing service like www. bin-it.com or www.rentagreenbox.com. You rent plastic bins/boxes for your move, fill them up, move, empty them out, and then they are collected to be re-used. Spread the word about this service. Every little step can make a big difference!
Does every home need a great room? Do buyers need, or even want, a dining room? How important is the kitchen, especially in a market like New York? Does it matter whether the ceiling is 9 feet high, or 8 feet high, or 11 feet high? While in our data-hungry age values tend to be calculated on a price per square foot basis, how those square feet are deployed is actually just as important as how many there are. Many properties with huge square footage still provide nowhere to comfortably settle in, while sometimes small homes and apartments can be enormously cozy and inviting. So what makes some layouts work so much better than others? Here are a few ideas. • First, let’s address the question of “wasted space.” During the 1950s and 1960s, no doubt the nadir of American architecture, architects and designers had the notion of efficiency clearly in mind. In those times, this desire for efficiency contributed substantially to the creation of unappealing spaces. Foyers
were eliminated. Ceilings were lowered. Tiny walkthrough kitchens entered the apartment design vernacular. Somehow the architects of that era contrived to make a two-bedroom unit feel less spacious than a prewar studio. While there is certainly such a thing as wasted space, the architects of that era misunderstood where it lay. Homes without a sense of entry tend not to feel welcoming. Apartments with low 8-foot ceilings create a cramped feeling even if the rooms lay out to a decent size. Many buyers continue to feel drawn to older homes (or new homes in which the architects have learned from older homes) because they so often lend a feeling of spaciousness even in small spaces by offering an entry foyer, or a hallway leading to the bathroom, or an alcove. • Where space often IS wasted in the homes of today is in duplicating room functions. If you have a great room off the kitchen will you ever actually use the living room? If you park in or next to the garage, then walk into the kitchen, will anyone ever enter through the front door? In the vast mansions being built today in Florida, or Aspen, or the Hamptons, the rooms are often so big and so poorly laid out that it is inevitable that
with time the owners will develop a routine which sees them using the kitchen, the bedroom, and maybe one or two other rooms. No one can effectively occupy 20,000 square feet! People, no matter how fancy they are, like to feel cozy. • What about curb appeal? If the façade of the home offers passers-by a view only of a front door (unused) and a double garage door, it presents a blank frown to the guest approaching from the street. The garage belongs at the back or side of the house, leaving the architecture of the front façade to create an invitation to approach. • Inside, an entry foyer should welcome new arrivals into the home. In the best layouts, rooms radiate off the foyer in a way which provides both reassurance and mystery. One finds oneself drawn in, both engaged by the public rooms which ARE visible, and simultaneously intrigued by the hallways or doorways leading to rooms which are not. While an enfilade of rooms, one opening into another, can be lovely, a railroad flat in which you see it all the minute you enter, is not. • I have read several articles recently about how separate rooms are making a comeback. People apparently no
longer want their living room, dining area, and kitchen all to be combined into one large open space. They want to be able to hide their dirty pots and pans when friends come for dinner. (This of course doesn’t apply so much to most New Yorkers, who all want state-of-the-art kitchens with name brand appliances even though they never cook and use their ovens as sweater storage!) It’s a harbinger of the return of grace to floor plan design. • Finally, what’s up with the enormous bathroom craze? I understand the appeal of two sinks, a stall shower, and a water closet, but does the master bathroom need to be the third biggest room in the house? No one spends THAT much time in there. Styles and tastes evolve. What seemed user friendly in 1960 may seem dated or unattractive today. Fundamental principles of good architecture always outlast fads. A layout which both beckons the visitor in while providing tantalizing glimpses of other, not fully visible spaces, will always possess appeal. Some things don’t change. Frederick W. Peters is Chief Executive Officer of Warburg Realty Partnership
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Real Estate Sales
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BUILDINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The â&#x20AC;&#x153;egregious lapsesâ&#x20AC;? in the floor area calculations, Brewer wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;seem deliberate.â&#x20AC;?
or the result of a complex process,â&#x20AC;? Janes wrote in the challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their size, pattern and pervasiveness suggest that these errors are likely in a different category.â&#x20AC;? Real Estate Inverlad Development, the Florida-based company behind the project, could be forced to lop several stories off the top of the building if Brewer gets her way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the results of the investigation conclude that the floor area now constructed was in fact fraudulent, DOB must order an equivalent amount of footage be removed from the building,â&#x20AC;? Brewer wrote. Brewer also referred the
STREETS What would an end to free parking mean for Manhattan? BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
case to the Manhattan District Attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office and the state Office of the Professions â&#x20AC;&#x153;for consideration of criminal charges and license suspension of the architect involved.â&#x20AC;? A partial stop work order has been in place at 1059 Third Avenue since January, when debris fell from the construction site and caused significant damage to the roof of a neighboring six-story building.
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An ongoing debate is exposing New Yorkersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; divergent priorities regarding how the city should utilize one of its most precious public commodities: the curbside parking space. The passions at play were immediately apparent at the June 4 meeting of the Upper West Sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community Board 7, at which members were scheduled to vote on a resolution calling on the city to â&#x20AC;&#x153;discontinue the policy of providing free parking for private cars.â&#x20AC;? The measure, passed weeks earlier by the boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation committee, requested that the city consider â&#x20AC;&#x153;more productive and equitable uses of curbside spaceâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most efficient way to get fair value for the provision of any
German is for Everyone!
private parking it does provideâ&#x20AC;? through alternative policies including paid residential parking permits and metered spaces with variable pricing based on demand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasing congestion on the streets, increasing difficulty to find parking, increasing cruising for parking, and the concern was raised: How is this all going to be affected when congestion pricing comes?â&#x20AC;? Howard Yaruss, co-chair of Community Board 7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation committee, said of the resolution. To the frustration of a number of attendees who turned up at the meeting hoping to weigh in on the issue, the community board ultimately decided to postpone its vote on the resolution, which was revised before the meeting to ask the city to â&#x20AC;&#x153;review and studyâ&#x20AC;? free curbside parking rather than stop it altogether. But a brief public discussion served as a preview of heated debates to come, with residents arguing over whether an end to end to free parking would represent â&#x20AC;&#x153;a war on anybody who owns or needs a motor vehicleâ&#x20AC;? or a welcome step to address â&#x20AC;&#x153;a fundamental unfairnessâ&#x20AC;? in how the city allocates public resources.
Commuter-driven Parking Shortage?
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The impending implementation of congestion pricing, which beginning in 2021 will impose a yet-to-be-determined fee on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, has drawn increased focus to the always-hot topic of the boroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parking spots. While Upper West Siders will not be subject to the new congestion toll when driving within their own neighborhood, many residents fear the policy will disrupt local street parking patterns. Out-of-town commuters who currently drive into the congestion zone, the thinking goes, will seek to avoid the new toll by parking just outside the boundary and transferring to the subway for the last leg of the journey. A number of city legislators have sought to preemptively address this concern by in-
Some parking reformers want the city to abandon free spaces in favor of metered side streets or residential permits. Photo: Steven Strasser
troducing legislation to put in place a residential parking permit program, which would effectively reserve 80 percent of free parking spots in a given neighborhood for those who live nearby. Proponents say the permits, which could be obtained for a fee, would make it easier for residents to ďŹ nd parking spots in their own neighborhood and cut back on the number of cars cruising for spots, reducing congestion and pollution. Council Member Mark Levine, who introduced one of the residential parking permit bills, has spoken of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ&#x201A;oodâ&#x20AC;? of out-of-town commuters who park on the streets of his Upper Manhattan district each day and get on the subway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are taking advantage of free curb space in our residential neighborhoods,â&#x20AC;? Levine said at a committee hearing last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are adding to congestion and they are displacing local residents, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing it for free.â&#x20AC;? But evidence of a commuterdriven parking shortage is primarily anecdotal, and many observers are skeptical it will be a significant issue even once congestion pricing goes into effect.
Traffic Models Margaret Forgione, chief operations officer with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Transportation, cautioned the Council last year against voting to institute a residential permit program. The DOTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limited studies on the topic of out-oftown parking, she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;have indicated that there may be fewer outsider vehicles in New York City neighborhoods than people may perceive, with many actually belonging to local residents. Rather, in New York City on-street parking
scarcity is mainly driven by the large number of resident owned vehicles compared to the number of spaces available.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the supply of permits signiďŹ cantly exceeds the number of parking spaces in a zone, the permit is no guarantee of parking availability â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just a permit that residents must now obtain for the privilege of circling the block looking for parking exactly as they did before,â&#x20AC;? Forgione continued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this case, only a system that incorporates either rationing or pricing to control the number of permits will actually ease the search for parking â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meaning waitlists or mechanisms such as auctioning.â&#x20AC;? Traffic models produced by transportation policy analyst Charles Komanoff project that roughly one percent of drivers bound for the congestion zone would ďŹ nd it in their interest to park elsewhere in the city and transfer to transit â&#x20AC;&#x201D; equating to roughly 1,100 cars each day. One alternative to residential permits is metered parking on side streets, which could be implemented on a â&#x20AC;&#x153;surge pricingâ&#x20AC;? basis to reflect varying demand at different times of day. Supporters say the policy would capture the value of a public resource that is currently given away for free, and also serve as a disincentive against unnecessary car ownership by locals. Community Board 7 voted to refer the parking resolution back to the transportation committee for further discussion during its July 10 meeting, at which local elected ofďŹ cials will be invited to testify. The full board (which does not meet in August), plans to take up the issue again at its September meeting.
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DAD’S TURN TO MOM-UP NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST BOOKS Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s debut novel about an UES father going through divorce and an unexpected custody experience BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL
Want to read a book about a single Upper East Side mom starting over? Head to Barnes & Noble on 86th Street and throw a rock. A single dad’s story — you won’t hit much. Until now. Thanks to the debut novel by New York Times Magazine staff writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “Fleishman Is In Trouble,” fathers now have representation in the form of liver specialist, Dr. Toby Fleishman. Newly separated after almost 15 years of marriage to breadwinning talent agent (as well as emotionally withholding) Rachel, Toby expected weekends and every other holiday with his tween daughter, Hannah, and nine-year-old son, Solly, when he would, of course, claim the title of fun parent. What Toby, the one-time chubby child cum obsessive grown-up dieter, didn’t expect was the plethora of women swiping right. It was as though he, “awoke one morning inside the city he’d lived in all his adult life and which was suddenly somehow crawling with women who wanted him.” He takes them all up on their offers.
Just when his optimism apropos of being a bachelor about town starts to kick in, Rachel doesn’t just throw water on his new normal, she waterboards it. Toby is totally blindsided when one night, his ex drops off the kids at his apartment with no expectation of returning; and won’t respond via any of our many forms of modern communication. Before you can say, “never happen,” I actually had a colleague who lost his custody battle to his former wife. A week later — count ‘em, seven days — she realized that raising three boys under ten by herself was more than she bargained for, brought them over to my coworker’s house and said, “You wanted them? Here they are.” The guys lived with my associate and eventually his new wife, who was more of a mother to them than their own, until they each went off to college. Although I wished Toby the same good fortune, especially in trying to track down Rachel, if only for the sake of the rattled Hannah and Solly, I have to say I smirked as he scrambled to do what I see so many of my single mother friends do each and every day — juggle career, never-ending parenting duties, and an attempt at a social life (I knew a mom who also threw getting an advanced degree into the mix) without having a nervous breakdown. Toby milks the poor spurned soul for all it’s worth (his therapist calls him “the woman in the divorce”), causing cheers of atta boy when he tells off Rachel via email. Howh ever, as the novel progresses one can’t help but wonder: is Toby really a victim and is Rachel truly the wicked witch of the UES? Well, as often is the case, it all depends on who’s telling the story, which turns out to be Toby’s old friend, magazine journalist Elizabeth “Libby” Slater, who he met when both were college students on a year abroad in Israel. It is through her that the tale of Toby and Rachel’s years together is revealed — as in his side, her side and the truth. Perhaps Fleishman’s troubles didn’t begin when his wife left, but when he gave her reason to. If this were a “mom begins again” novel, the newly emancipated woman would end up with p either a handyman on Nantucket e or a friend she suddenly sees o tthrough a romantic lens after he’s sstuck by her on her journey. What Toby needs is a more realisttic relationship with himself. LLorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novels “Fat Chick” and “Back to Work She no G Goes.”
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FUNDING CUTS LOOM FOR NYC LIBRARIES BUDGET A grassroots campaign to fight the spending reductions reveals New Yorkers love for their “de facto community centers” BY DIANA DUCROZ
On a muggy June afternoon, the Columbus Library on Tenth Avenue at West 51st Street is a calm, cool refuge from the noisy streets outside. Vanessa Watson, an office associate, has worked at this branch for longer than she wants to say. She has watched the community transform as more families with children move in to the neighborhood. Residents of this once predominately Irish-American neighborhood now request books in languages such as Chinese and Russian. The library itself has changed, too. Once mainly a place to borrow books, it now provides extensive programming and services for children, seniors, immigrants, job seekers, students, the homeless, and people with special needs. In a typical week, the Columbus Library hosts several dozen events and classes. In the basement TechConnect computer lab, anyone may take classes in computer skills, basic to advanced, for free. “We are here to serve everyone. No one is left out,” Wat-
son said. “No library is big enough for all the programs we would like to do.”
Possible Cuts in Service New York City’s public libraries are de facto community centers, the crossroads of the neighborhoods they serve. Like branches across town, the Columbus Library does its best to keep up with the changing needs of its community, limited only by available resources. But in a time of rising costs and increased demand, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed $92.5 billion city budget for fiscal year 2020 allocates $387.1 million for public libraries, a drop of $11.7 million from the previous year’s amount. The city’s three library systems — the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Borough Public Library — have instead requested an increase of $35 million in expense funding, as well as another $963 million in the 10-Year Capital Plan for repairs, renovations, and expansion of aging and overburdened facilities. Library representatives warn that cuts to funding could force libraries to reduce services, with weekend hours the most at risk. To help them in their campaign to restore and increase funding, the three library systems have asked New Yorkers to
We are here to serve everyone. No one is left out. Vanessa Watson of the Columbus Library
post ‘sticky notes’ of support online in addition to sending emails and letters to city officials.
Love Letters to Libraries Since launching in March, the “Invest in Libraries: Libraries Make NYC Stronger” campaign has generated over 70,000 letters to city hall and collected over 5,000 digital sticky notes, as New Yorkers from all over have sent in their little yellow love letters expressing their feelings for their libraries. The campaign has garnered some high-profile supporters, such as Sarah Jessica Parker and writer Jennifer Egan, but the notes from everyday New Yorkers are the heart of the campaign. In note after note, people from all over the city talk about their library as a place of refuge, of connection, of learning and exploration, as a home away from home, a place not only to escape their troubles but also to find the help to rise above them. Notes left by users of the
Library staff worry about the potential impact of budget cuts. Photo: Diana Ducroz
Photo: Jaden Satenstein
Columbus Library follow the same themes. A patron named John wrote “Columbus Library is a lifeline of education for the community, especially those who are of limited financial means and cannot easily access the internet, books or other media because of cost.” Another user, Jennifer, posted “From my earliest memories as a child, the library has been a sacred and special place where all are welcome. As an adult, I want my children to have the same fond feelings I had growing up!” For Rebecca, “It’s this exhilarating feeling of walking down an aisle of books and knowing there are so many stories waiting to be picked and I’d have the chance to read them all. The library is my second home.”
The deadline for budget approval is July 1, when the new fiscal year begins. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said on Thursday that negotiations over the library funding are still underway. Johnson has been a staunch advocate for an increase in library funding. “Libraries are one of the most egalitarian things, not just about NYC, but about society. Libraries are a gateway to new immigrants. Libraries are laboratories for learning. Libraries are places for children and for seniors,” the Speaker said. “Libraries are essential to a healthy democracy and a healthy society, and that is why we’re fighting so hard for libraries.” Jo h n s on ’s c om m e nt s echoed many of the senti-
ments written on the sticky notes. Some patrons of the Columbus branch take it even further. “For me, the library has been a way to escape to a better place within the pages of a book that allowed me to pick and choose a better narrative for my life. It has been a safe haven,” said a patron named Nataly. “If I could stay in the library from morning to the nighttime I would,” wrote another, named Sally. Vanessa Watson loves the Columbus Library just as much. “This little branch is kind of a gem in the neighborhood, one of these little tiny gems that you don’t see until you look close,” she said. “A jewel, a jewel that is very precious.”
Laboratories for Learning Amy Geduldig, assistant director of media relations for the NYPL, believes the campaign is having a positive effect, not just on the potential outcome of the budget negotiations, but on the supporters themselves. “It expands beyond the neighborhoods, but it also focuses on them, so it’s a really collaborative effort from New Yorkers across the city,” Geduldig said. The online visibility of the notes reinforces to viewers not only “how people appreciate their libraries and the programs and services that they use, but also just how widespread it is.”
Columbus Library patrons can post the names of their favorite books. Photo: Diana Ducroz
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THE PLACE WHERE PRIDE BEGAN The Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich
PRIDE 2019 Village attracts New Yorkers and tourists alike BY JADEN SATENSTEIN
LGBT Pride Month is in full swing in New York City, with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising adding extra interest and excitement to the month’s celebrations. In addition to the annual LGBT Pride March on Sunday June 30, events will include a rally to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, when members of the LGBTQ+ community rioted in the wake of a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, on June 28, 1969. The initial incident and the days of demonstrations that fol-
lowed sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States. An eight-acre area surrounding the Stonewall Inn was designated a national monument by President Obama in 2016. It includes Christopher Park, directly across the street from the inn. The park features the Gay Liberation Monument, a sculpture of two men standing and two women sitting on a bench together, created in 1980 by American artist George Segal and dedicated in 1992. It draws visitors from near and far, as it did on a sunny afternoon last week.
Respect and Progress For New Jersey resident Francesca Scirocco, visiting the monument is a must-do every time she’s in New York. “Especially being a member of the community, it’s so im-
To see something of that much importance in my heritage as an LGBTQ person is amazing.” Rhysand Brown, a visitor from Ringgold, Georgia
The Gay Liberation Monument in Christopher Park, by sculptor George Segal. Photo: Jaden Satenstein
portant for us to kind of be around and just make sure we pay our respects to those who started such a big movement,” Scirocco said. While some visitors make the trip to the monument often, others had only recently learned of the Stonewall Uprising, thanks to the attention it’s received in the media, leading up to the 50th anniversary. “I read about the riots this morning and I had never heard about them, never knew anything about them,”
said Baltimore-native Jamil Batcha. “I’m not originally from New York. I don’t know if I’d blame myself or the education ... I just never learned about this.” Batcha noted the importance of the monument as a way to recognize and acknowledge the historic oppression of LGBTQ+ people in the United States, and the progress that still needs to be made toward equality. “Growing up in the 1990s and stuff, homosexuality was still taboo and I think everyone, myself included, probably used the word ‘gay’ too often in a negative connotation,” Batcha said. “And so I know I’ve changed, and people have taught me and hopefully others have as well.”
many visitors were drawn to the site last week to celebrate another monumental event — New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill’s official apology for the department’s actions during the raid and the anti-gay laws of the time. New York resident Michael Connor decided to visit the site after hearing O’Neill’s apology, stating that it was a “monumental day” for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. “Every step is a step in the right direction,” said Connor. “It’s really about creating a sense of love. And so people are starting to feel that. And I think that even our police commissioner sees that, because our city is just based on love.”
Paying Homage An Apology at Last In addition to the excitement surrounding Pride Month and the 50th anniversary,
For Joey Cocciardi, who has lived in New York for over 15 years, the monument serves as a way to initiate conversa-
Christopher Park, across from the Stonewall Inn, is part of an eightacre area designated as a national monument by President Obama in 2016. Photo: Jaden Satenstein
tion regarding the diversity of identities and experiences within the New York community. “I think that everyone should be talking about everything as much as they can, and the information is just kind of the key to it all,” Cocciardi said. “This is a really good example of it. I think you can add your own stories. The more information there is, the stronger the monument is, the bigger the impact it will have.” Christopher Park, currently lined with rainbow flags for Pride month, welcomes both those coming to visit the monument and people simply looking for a relaxing place to sit and enjoy the city. “I just kind of like the vibe around here,” Julianna Eddy, a photographer visiting the city from Connecticut, said. “I feel like it’s really safe and just a good place to kind of just meet people.” This positive energy reflects the sense of acceptance and celebration of identity felt by many visitors, including Rhysand Brown, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who visited New York from Ringgold, Georgia, which he described as a “less than accepting area.” Brown was “overwhelmed” by the displays of LGBTQ+ pride he witnessed at the monument. “Especially since it’s the 50th anniversary, everything’s rainbow and everything’s Pride and you see all these things that remind you that you’re not alone in who you are and that you still have the same community even though you may be far away from it,” Brown said. “And I just wanted to pay homage to my predecessors in the trans and gay community because I don’t have that same access at home to see all those people… And it’s just surreal. To see something of that much importance in my heritage as an LGBTQ person is amazing.”
JUNE 13-19,2019
IAN HUNTER ROCKS ON PUBLIC EYE At an age when he might be expected to kick back, the British star is tearing it up on stage BY JON FRIEDMAN
Ian Hunter, who achieved fame as the front man of the British rock and roll band Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s, deserved to celebrate his 80th birthday last week on stage at City Winery, with a few hundred of his devoted pilgrims. You read that right. Hunter turned 80. To put that bulletin into perspec-
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com tive, Hunter has lived twice as long a life as John Lennon did. But at City Winery, he proved that age is just a number. He barely took a breather for the first hour-and-forty minutes until he yielded the stage to his pal Joe Elliott, of Def Leppard fame. Hunter was having the time of his life on stage, during a show that capped a three-night stand at one of Manhattan’s most satisfying rock and roll venues. (For better or worse, City Winery will shut down its Soho location in August and reopen early next year at a new base, at Hudson River Park’s Pier 57 on West 15th Street).
Rock and Roll War Horse Hunter had a huge smile on his face all night, underscoring how much he loves to get up on a stage and play his tunes. The audience sure appreciated him right back. There is something heartwarming about witnessing a rock and roll war horse cranking out his hits and having the audience in the palm of his hand. It would not be a surprise to find out that most of the people in attendance were seeing their fourth or fifth or sixth Hunter concert. (For the record, I last saw him play in 1980, when he opened for The Kinks on a college campus in Queens). Hunter shifted effortlessly between guitar and (my preference)
piano and performed the songs that first made him famous, such as “All the Way from Memphis,” a terrific cover of Lou Reed’s classic “Sweet Jane,” “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” and, of course, his anthem, “All the Young Dudes,” which David Bowie wrote for Mott the Hoople to record way back in the early 1970s. For all of his accolades and accomplishments, you could make a good case that Hunter deserved a better fate in the history of rock and roll. He and Mott the Hoople were overshadowed by the likes of Bowie, Reed and others during the “glam-rock” phase of the 1970s. Then the unfortunate popularity of disco eclipsed many serious, hard-rocking bands. In the mid-70s, punk overtook everything in rock and roll, pushing to the side bands like Mott the Hoople. Hunter has persisted, though, recording solo albums and performing gigs throughout the years.
quipped that he was really only 29. Hunter owned one of the great, ironic lines of all time when he sang in “All the Way from Memphis,” “You look like a star/But you’re really ... out on paROLE!”). In fact, “All the Way from Memphis” also explains Hunter’s love of rock and roll and what it means to
him — and the rest of us. He sings in the song, “You got to stay young, man.” Hunter might well have been the oldest person at City Winery that night. But thanks to his enduring songs, stage persona and loyal fans, he’ll never really grow old, either.
Staying Young Besides his musical prowess, the quality that has enabled Hunter to push on and maintain his rabid audience has been his puckish sense of humor. Who else would have put out an album entitled “You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic,” as Hunter did in 1979 (when he was a mere 40-years-old). When they sang the happy birthday song to him, he
Photo: Harold Derschowitz
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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THE SILENCE OF THE SURVIVORS Author Patricia Bischof on how the Holocaust affected her parents, and her upbringing in New York BY MICHELLE NAIM
The atrocity which left approximately 6 million Jews dead did not only follow with the pain and trauma of those who were lucky enough to survive it, but also their children who had to live with their parents’ roaring silence day in and day out. In her book, “Memoir of a 2G: Story of Secrecy and Resilience,” Patricia Bischof speaks with a voice that we don’t often hear. The title refers to a designation that Bischof described as “someone whose parents endured, witnessed, [or were] involved, during the Holocaust, in the Second World War.” She writes of the difficulties she faced as a child of two Holocaustsurvivor parents. Her father, Henry Bischof, and her mother, Ruth Renzema, met in New York and began a family. Straus News spoke with
Bischof, who lives on the Upper East Side, about her upbringing and how she came to write her story. Both of your parents were Holocaust survivors? My mother was from Prussia and she left for the USA in 1937 as a tourist. Her mother [my grandmother} knew things were going on, and sent her on a boat here. My mother was from the northern part [and] my father was from a southern part of Germany, Munich. And Dachau was just outside of Munich. My father was in Dachau for 22 months and he came here in 1947. My mother escaped [from Germany], but still she was a survivor. She didn’t come here because she wanted to be the President of the United States. You didn’t know your grandparents growing up? I know you and your cellphone that’s taping my voice better than I knew what my father and mother went through. Nothing was talked about. Not untypical of children
growing up with parents that had that kind of background. What parent wants to tell their children about atrocities? So I somewhat understand it, on the other hand, I’m not happy that I don’t know what went on. I was just getting to know my father when he died. I was 19 years old. My mother, when he used to come home from work, she would say, “Leave your father alone.” I mean, he was depressed. I didn’t know that then but [it] makes sense now. Why should people read this? It’s very apropos in the sense that my parents were immigrants, they were refugees. And they came to this country, the land of opportunity. And I see the parallel with people coming from South America, or Mexico, or Russia, they’re coming for a land of opportunity. Nothing is a perfect situation, America included, but it’s the best deal in town. I was brought up very patriotic by my mother. I put my hand on my heart and I was a Girl Scout later and [I was taught to] have respect for the flag. Patricia Bischof with her memoir. Photo: Michelle Naim
So neither of your parents ever spoke about their struggles? If we left the light on or the refrigerator door was left [open] more than a second, [my father] would freak out. I don’t know if that had to do with him being incarcerated. I remember there was this bread drawer and there were pieces of bread in the back that were a little bit older, and he flipped. I think it had to do with the concentration camp, that we’re wasting, we’re not going to eat that bread, we’re going to throw that out? And here’s this new bread, you’re going to eat that? He was very angry. How would your mother react to that? I think my mother tried to help my father. I don’t want to say remold him, but just try to help him. I think she was more grounded, certainly. For some reason my mother couldn’t [open up] with me. Maybe I was too close because I [was] her offspring. I said, the Shoah Foundation is looking for people to be interviewed that had the kind of history you’ve had. She said yes. I couldn’t believe it. I think this was part of her healing, her ability to finally let go and tell her truth. So I set up the interview. I was emotional, it was the first time [I ever heard her talk about it.] Photo via Amazon.com
What hit you about it? That she was able to finally let go. For people such as my mother and my father, to dredge up past history, that’s why people don’t want to talk about it. It’s quite emotional; psychologically it can do something to them as well. What do you remember about your father? I asked him, when he would come home from work, “How was work today?” “Lousy!” He would always say that. I didn’t ask him every day, but he would always say that. “Hi Dad, how was work today?” “Lousy!” That I do remember. I attribute it to this — my father was a very elegant, dapper European man. If he were to be introduced to you, he would take his hat off. He had some elegance about him and his store. It was a fabric store, with elegant fabrics — linens and worsted wools, pure silks. And the women, they wanted polyester and all that stuff. [He] had to try and sell what the public wanted and I think that that’s maybe where he missed out. Is your mother still alive? Talk about finality of numbers — December 31, 1996 is when she died.
What was that like for you? I was relieved. My mother was so judgmental. I was so creative when I was a youth, I’d show her the clothes I’d made for my doll and she’d complain about it. She never said anything good and that was throughout life, except for that one time she said, “Ya, I’ll interview.” And she apologized once, that’s one thing I remember. What would you ask your parents if they were here? I would love to know exactly how my father got in [to Dachau]. What it took for him to recuperate from living in that kind of turmoil. What it was like growing up in Europe under the kind of environment that’s a little bit similar to today in the sense that there’s a dislike if you’re not total America. You know, we’re all Americans, we all have souls, we all have some worth to ourselves. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and space.
Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.
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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
by Myles Mellor
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