Our Town - June 23, 2016

Page 1

The local paper for the Upper er East Side THE MANHATTAN GARDENER, < P. 7

WEEK OF JUNE

23-29 2016

FORMER UES POLICE COMMANDER ARRESTED James Grant, who led the 19th Precinct until April, is among three NYPD officials facing federal corruption charges BY TOM HAYS AND JAKE PEARSON

The 19th Precinct’s former commander, Deputy Inspector James Grant, was arrested Monday on federal corruption and other charges.

Two high-ranking New York Police Department officials, including the former commander of the 19th Precinct on the Upper East Side, and a police sergeant who oversaw gun license applications were among the latest arrests in a case that has cast a cloud over the nation’s largest municipal

police force. Charges brought against four men arrested Monday in a widening city corruption probe include lurid claims that the former precinct commander, James Grant, roomed with a prostitute during a Las Vegas trip as businessmen spent tens of thousands of dollars to ensure unformed officers were available as their private security force. A businessman who contributed heavily to the election campaign of Mayor Bill de Blasio already has pleaded guilty in the case. Earlier this

month, federal prosecutors charged the head of the correction officers’ union with taking kickbacks. De Blasio has not been implicated in any wrongdoing. Among favors was $59,000 spent on a private jet in February 2013 that took Brooklyn businessman Jeremy Reichberg, Grant and an unidentified detective to Las Vegas, the court papers said. The complaint said Reichberg and another businessman arranged for a prostitute to join the flight and

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

WAITING FOR MICKEY MANTLE STREET LEVEL How a young kid gets introduced to hard ball BY BILL GUNLOCKE

Here’s my first Yankee experience. It’s 1958. I’m 11 years old and my father and I come by train from our small town in a rural part of Western New York to see the Yankees play the Chicago White Sox, who were a big deal then. We get in the city on Thursday. We’re staying until Sunday. My father is older than my friends’ fathers. In the club car on the train, among businessmen in suits drinking drinks and reading newspapers, I’m having a Coke and some salted pea-

The view from the general manager’s box. Photo by Bill Gunlocke

OurTownEastSide

O OURTOWNNY.COM @OurTownNYC

Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

2 3 8 10

City Arts Restaurants Business 15 Minutes

12 14 16 21

nuts, while my father has a martini and a newspaper. One guy must sense we’re heading to a Yankee weekend. He says to my father, “Taking the grandson down to a ball game?” My father took trains a lot. He was a successful guy who went to New York and Washington frequently. He knew

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday June 24 – 8:13 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

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

2

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Chapter 17

EVE AND OTHERS BY ESTHER COHEN

Previously: So far, no good leads for ďŹ nding Alyosha. His abandoned room provided no clues. It was too clean to ďŹ nd anything much. And the call to the number on his lease in Jerusalem, proved to be a dead end, too. His cousin, unfriendly when she answered, had no idea where Alyosha was. And no suggestions about where to look. “Maybe,â€? said tall Richard, a man who was both tentative and insistent, “maybe we should concede defeat today. We’ve tried. Success is not always possible. Prolonging is never a good idea.â€? He uttered these words with a little too much good cheer. “You’re a negative person,“ Richard two replied, unexpectedly. He seemed like a compliant man, the sort of person who rarely rebelled.

“We’ve only started to try,� he added. “We’ve hardly begun. Who knows. He could be right in front of us somehow. You’re happier conceding defeat than trying for victory.� “I don’t know how to begin to respond,� said tall Richard. He looked hurt. “Never give up,� Mrs. Israel’s voice was a little too loud. She waved her clipboard in front of her. “I’ve written those words right here with a black marker,� she said, and sure enough, she had. “Not that it’s been my motto all along. But for today, it is.� Eve and Naomi, who had spearheaded the search, both of them, with Charles as their cheerful accomplice, seemed torn about next steps. “I was convinced for no good reason that Jerusalem would yield the clue we needed,� said Eve. “Jerusalem is one of those places where you can assume there will be answers.� “Jerusalem,� Naomi replied, implying god knows what. “Why in the world would he go to Jerusalem? Did you have any reason to think he’d be there? Although it is a beautiful city, with all that pink light. So different from New York. This is a black and

Here’s a helpful detail,� he began. “Alyosha and I were, briefly anyway, lovers. But briefly counts.�

white city, don’t you think? Jerusalem’s on my Big List of places I intend to be one day.â€? Charles, not a peace-making type, more of an arguer really, Charles felt he had to change the tenor of the room. To combat what seemed like hopelessness. He was not a usual leader, but still. “We will find him,â€? he said, with more certainty than he could ever remember saying. “Don’t ask me how I know. I do.â€? And then, as if on cue, Alyosha’s neighbor Albert entered the room, and entered the discussion. Albert (he pronounced his name Al Bear, as though he were French) had started the search in the ďŹ rst place. He’d told Naomi his neighbor was missing. Albert was always resplendent, even when his intention was just to buy

grapefruit juice at the Red Apple Supermarket. Today, for instance, the day he made his Big Entrance and his Revelation, Albert was dressed in orange velvet, pants and matching jacket. “Here’s a helpful detail,â€? he began. “Alyosha and I were, briey anyway, lovers. But briey counts. I know that this society is obsessed with longev-

German

Huge Selection of Bibles Fiction/Non-Fiction Children’s Books Greeting Cards .VTJD t (JGUT Original Art Events and More!

for

/HVVRQV Children

Bilingual German After School Program

NY State Accredited Language Program Low Tuition Minimum Age: 4 Years No Previous German Necessary Classes Meet Once a Week Playgroup Age 4-5 From 4:30-6:15 ,JOEFSHBSUFO "HF t 0UIFS $MBTTFT "HFT 'PVS DPOWFOJFOU MPDBUJPOT JO UIF (SFBUFS /FX :PSL "SFB 3JEHFXPPE 2VFFOT .BOIBUUBO /: 6QQFS &BTU 4JEF 'SBOLMJO 4RVBSF (BSEFO $JUZ

Classes start second week in September

)PVST . 5I BN QN t 'SJ BN QN 4BU BN QN t 4VO QN QN

:PSL "WF #UXO SE UI 4U t www.logosbookstorenyc.com MUDDY PAWS RESCUE & NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE AMERICA

Adopt A Pet 860 Broadway @ E. 17th St.

For more information see:

www.German-American-School.org Teaching German for 119 years! or call 212-787-7543

ity, but we didn’t have that particular hang-up. Brief can be satisfying,� he said to the listening room. “What do you know about him that can help us locate him?� Mrs. Israel asked. She sat down to record any helpful information. “I actually know a thing or two,� Albert said, and then he smiled, an actor who delivered a successful line.

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

JUNE 23-29,2016

3

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

POLICE LOOKING FOR SUNGLASSES THIEF

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct Week to Date

The New York Police Department is looking for a thief who specializes in sunglasses. Police say the same man stole shades from Manhattan outlets of Sunglass Hut and Solstice Sunglasses on 10 occasions between December and May. Surveillance video from one of the stores shows a man with a medium build and a shaved head. The thief’s biggest haul was 13 pairs from a Sunglass Hut in Greenwich Village on May 19. Sunglass Hut glasses can cost $200 a pair or more.

A collision between two bike riders turned into a robbery. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, a 36-year-old man was riding his bike in Riverside Park at 72nd Street when he had a pileup with another bike rider. The other rider grabbed the 34-year-old’s property as it fell to the ground and made off with a Galaxy phone and other belongings valued at $2,000.

2016 2015

% Change

2016

2015

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

2

1

100.0

Rape

0

1

-100.0

1

3

-66.7

Robbery

2

1

100.0

36

47

-23.4

Felony Assault

1

1

0.0

55

55

0.0

Burglary

2

3

-33.3

83

60

38.3

Grand Larceny

35

21

66.7

597

554

7.8

Grand Larceny Auto

3

2

50.0

31

26

19.2

SHOPLIFTER SHOE WAREHOUSE

CRASHING IN

A heel made off with some shoes. At 7:30 p.m. on June 10, a person came into the DSW store at 2220 Broadway and put several pairs of shoes in a black garbage bag before leaving without paying. The thief made off with shoes valued at $1,800.

Tony Webster, via flickr

NO EASE AT E’S The back of a chair may be a convenient place to hang a bag, but it is not a secure one. On June 13, a 25-year-old woman hung her bag on a

chair in e’s BAR at 511 Amsterdam Ave. The bag, along with her credit cards, iPhone, and other belongings, was missing went she next reached for it.

Apply now to join New York City’s system of high-quality pre-K providers for the 2017-2018 school year.

Visit schools.nyc.gov/ProvidePreK.

Year to Date

DONE AT 21 Police shut down two shoplifters recently. At 10:15 p.m. on June 8, two

34-year-old women were caught shoplifting some $3,900 worth of clothing and sunglasses in the Century 21 store at 1972 Broadway. Police arrested the sticky-fingered pair and charged them with grand larceny.

PITY BIKE Someone managed to take a free ride on a Citi Bike. At noon on June 6, a man left a Citi Bike outside 366 Columbus Avenue. When he returned for the vehicle, valued at $1200, it was gone.

4

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 Third Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 44

221 E. 75th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

NEWS Union protesting cut wages, longer hours BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill

FATHER’S DAY STRIKE AT THE HAMILTON

NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

A group of families celebrated Father’s Day last Sunday by participating in a union strike at 1735 York Avenue and E. 90th Street. Members of 32BJ who work at the building — along with their children, some of the tenants, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Ben Kallos — were there to protest their treatment by Bonjour Capital, which bought the building from Glenwood Management. The strike started last Thursday and ended Monday morning. “As far as I understand it, they haven’t come to any conclusion about going back to our regular pay, and we don’t have benefits,” said Marcella Elson, the Hamilton’s shop steward. She is one of 14 remaining union members who work in the building, out of the 17 who were there when Bonjour took

Hector Figueroa, 32BJ president, at the Sunday strike. over in May. Bonjour has announced that iot would be de-unionizing, and cut workers’ pay from $23 per hour to $12, while extending the work week to six days and declining to offer any benefits. Elson said she and her colleagues have not heard anything from Bonjour since the strike started, though the com-

pany did send a letter to the building’s tenants. The letter called the strike a “scare tactic” and described the union’s conduct as having a “loose grip on reality.” It also alleged that the strike was unlawful because it did not notify management, the tenants or the service companies management hired to replace the union. Bonjour

THE BEST TIME TO REGISTER FOR OUTAGE TEXTING IS BEFORE THERE’S AN OUTAGE. HOW TO REACH US:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CALENDAR ITEMS:

ABOUT US

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

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

Everyone depends on electricity. However, if there’s ever a loss of power, be prepared to report it. Text REG to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts. Also check our outage map to get estimated restoration times at conEd.com/OutageMap.

Capital could not be reached for comment. The union’s district director John Santos insisted that 32BJ would fight for the workers’ rights as long as it takes. “[Bonjour] has a game plan, and that game is that they’re greedy and are trying to make all the money off the workers’ backs,” Santos said. “We’re in it til we win it.” Santos and Elson also expressed appreciation for the support of the building’s tenants, who provided them with coffee, food and support during their strike. “Things are heating up in the building,” said L. Gail, a tenant who asked to be identified by her first initial so as not to be singled out by the management. “There was overwhelming support by the tenants for the strikers at our building. My personal experience, and many others at the building, found a definite lapse in security. Bonjour Capital hired a few temporary people to be at the front door. However, since they could not distinguish the tenants from outsiders, people were just walking in and out of the building.” Gail also pointed out lapses in cleanliness and timely delivery due to the fact that the UPS and FedEx workers would not cross the picket line. Elson, who has worked at the Hamilton for more than 21 years, is preoccupied by worries of how she will pay for diabetes medication now that her wages have been cut almost in half. “It’s frustrating, especially when it comes to the end of the day and there’s no money,” she said. “We’re determined that we’re going to see it out. We’re going to stay and fight.”

JUNE 23-29,2016

MICKEY MANTLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 his way around train stations. On Friday morning after we had breakfast at our hotel, we take a taxicab to either Grand Central or Penn Station I can’t remember, because my father has found out when the Yankees will be coming in by train from Kansas City, where they had just played three games. They were the last team to give up train travel. So there we were, my father and me alone on the train platform waiting for the Yankees to pull in. I’ve got a Mickey Mantle T shirt on and I’m holding a Yankee yearbook and my father’s pen. The train stops right in front of us. Through the windows I can see the players walking to the door to get out onto the platform where we are. I recognize every player. They’re almost all wearing pleated pants, Ban-Lon golf shirts buttoned to the neck, and sport coats. Mickey is the last one off the train. He’s dressed a little different. He’s got on a rust-colored suit, a white golf shirt, and wrap-around sunglasses. He’s also got on white bucks. When he walks toward where we are, I gingerly hold the Yankee yearbook, folded back to his page, up to him. I hold the pen

GRANT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 spend the weekend with the group, staying in Grant’s luxury hotel room. According to the FBI complaint, the prostitute told law enforcement agents that Grant and others “took advantage of her services” during the trip. The court papers also contained allegations that Reichberg and an unidentified real estate businessman who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with authorities wore elf hats as they drove to Grant’s Staten Island home on Christmas 2013 to give Grant a video game system for his children and a $1,000 piece of jewelry for his wife. Authorities said they captured Grant on a recorded telephone call a year later grumbling that his two “elves” did not come for Christmas a year later. The head of Grant’s union declined to comment. His lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment. A criminal complaint accompanying the

5

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com up next to it too and say meekly, “Mickey can I have your autograph?” He says, “Out of the way kid,” and walks by us. My father and I are the only two there. A week ago Friday I see big photos of Mickey in Yankee Stadium. I’m with an old high school buddy who’s visiting the city and who’s got two tickets to the game that night. He got the tickets from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, whom he met a year ago, for his loge even though he’s away. That’s why we’re walking along a hallway where big photos of Yankee legends are on display. We’re in a hallway that’s lit like a Four Seasons hotel. The seats in the loge are good, as in comfortable. But they aren’t as good as my father used to get: lower deck between third base and home plate where hot dog and beer vendors hawked their goods. We went to quite a few games over the years. He always kept score on a scorecard with his mechanical pencil. In Catholic boarding school where I’d gone with the guy who got the tickets, and later in college, more than a few nights were taken up with heated arguments over who was the best player. Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. They were all Mick fans. All of them. High school and college. I was a Willie guy. One hundred percent.

latest charges described how Reichberg exploited his connections within the police department to arrange arrests, speed up gun application processing, make tickets disappear, obtain police escorts for him and his friends, get assistance from uniformed personnel to resolve personal disputes and boost security at religious sites and events. A Reichberg lawyer didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. The complaint said Reichberg even managed to use connections to local law enforcement agencies to shut down a lane of the Lincoln Tunnel and obtain a police escort for a businessman visiting the U.S. In return, the businessman showered his favored police officials with well over $100,000 in benefits from 2012 to 2015, including free flights and hotel rooms, expensive meals, home improvements and prime seats at sporting events, the complaint said. Among those arrested was Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, who was second in command at police headquarters in an of-

The loge has a room with cupboards and a small refrigerator. None of it looks like you think it would from seeing Jerry Jones and his gathering at a Cowboys game. It’s very nice, though. There are plates of food. Sandwiches. Meatballs. Chicken wings. I don’t eat meat. So I almost finish off a whole pan of macaroni and cheese which looks great under the rich, warm lighting. Around the sixth inning, cookies show up. I once sat in George Steinbrenner’s box. A college friend was a lawyer for the Yankees and got me and another college friend into a game. We wind up in the boss’s box, which was maybe six rows deep. George was there in the back row. We were right in front. There’s a guy with Steinbrenner with a face I know I know. After a while I say to my friend, “That’s Roy Cohn. The lawyer that worked with Joe McCarthy.” At the game the other night Carlos Beltran drove in a run, maybe two. There wasn’t much action other than that. My friend and I sat there and talked about other friends we haven’t seen over the years. Actually, he and I seldom see each other. The big picture in the loge, right over the plates of food, has Whitey Ford in it, in street clothes. I maybe could have gotten his autograph that day at the train station, but I was waiting for Mickey Mantle.

fice responsible for all uniformed operations. The complaint said Harrington and an unidentified police chief let a businessman buy dinner once or twice a week for 18 months at expensive Manhattan restaurants, where bills ran $400 to $500. Andrew Weinstein, Harrington’s lawyer, said the charges against his client were politically motivated. “Chief Harrington is a loyal and devoted family man who has an unblemished record and has spent the last three decades working tirelessly to keep New York City safe. I consider it a privilege to represent him,” Weinstein said. “One would be hardpressed to find a straighter arrow in their quiver.” Reichberg, Harrington and Grant were each charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. The fourth individual arrested Monday was David Villanueva, an NYPD sergeant assigned to the department’s gun license bureau. He was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.

BARRY LIEBMAN,

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Millions of dollars recovered on behalf of injured clients

Personal Injury Auto Accidents Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents 100-09 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, NY 11375

Medical Malpractice Construction Accidents Other legal matters (718) 821-8100 9am - 5pm (212) 935-6535 after 5pm

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

Our Perspective As Union Strikes Deal with Macy’s, Workers Remain the Real Magic

By Stuart Appelbaum, President Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW

M

acy’s has a unique history and role in New York City. Its iconic flagship store in Herald Square is the largest department store in the United States. Every year, Macy’s promotes its annual fireworks display here, but the workers are the ones who truly light up the lives of New Yorkers. Indeed, the workers are the real

magic of Macy’s. That’s why Hillary Clinton, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and countless political leaders and everyday shoppers threw their support behind Macy’s workers this month during a tough contract fight. During intense negotiations, 5,000 Macy’s workers from the flagship store and other stores in the New York City area never wavered in their support for each other and for a better future for retail workers. By standing together and articulating their demands in a unified voice, Macy’s workers achieved a new contract that raises the bar for what retails jobs can be and should be. Among the key provisions of the contract are: substantial wage increases, a better, more affordable healthcare plan, and scheduling protections that do not require workers to report for shifts on holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving if they want to have time to spend with their families. Macy’s workers will now see major improvements in the quality of their jobs. I am deeply moved by the bravery, commitment, and tenacity of these workers who are members of Local 1-S of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW. Overwhelmingly, these Macy’s workers are women, people of color, and immigrants who are struggling to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world. It’s an incredibly diverse group of workers, but they are united in the belief that this contract fight was a fight for the very heart and soul of retail work. Macy’s workers create a unique shopping experience that has been a big part of the magic of New York City for decades. They are central to the positive image, brand, and profitability of the company. And this contract is important not just for Macy’s workers, but for all of New York City. It raises the bar for what retail jobs can be and should be. It’s a major step forward for the entire retail industry, and it shows the importance of what having a union does to empower retail workers. With a union, working women and men have dignity, justice and respect. By coming together and joining a union, retail workers can make their jobs better, and create better lives for themselves and their families.

For more information, visit

www.rwdsu.org

6

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

An Our Town Cartoon

By Peter G. Pereira

Going to the Airport?

HAVING DIFFICULTY PERFORMING THE SPORT OR ACTIVITY THAT YOU ENJOY DOING?

1-212-666-6666

Outreach Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy

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

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS One Coupon per Trip. Expires12/31/13 12/31/16

Alex Greenspan

53

“We’ll Be There For You!�

(founder) Help with but not limited to:

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

Toll Free 1-800-9-Carmel

Acute/chronic pain, arthritic and neurological conditions, balance and gait deďŹ cits, cardio pulmonary involvement, sports injuries, decreased activity tolerance.

51

www.CarmelLimo.com

Accept but not limited to: Medicare, United Health Care, Cigna and Aetna

CONTACT US AT

1110 2nd Avenue (Northeast corner of 58th Street) PVUSFBDI SFIBC DPN t

JUNE 23-29,2016

7

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

BEST TOMATOES EVER THE MANHATTAN GARDENER BY MIA KRAVITZ

Every food gardener’s dream is surely the tomato: red, juicy, and perfectly adapted to our humid, hot, Manhattan summers. Here are my six tips from a lifetime of tomato gardening in the city: 1. Don’t be embarrassed to get a big starter plant. You are not less of a gardener if you did not start your tomatoes from seeds back in January. Spring of 2016 was colder than normal, and it’s only now that local garden outlets are setting out plants. Go for the quart-size or gallon-size containers you can find at our local Lowe’s (2008 Broadway at 68th Street). Another good source is Stoke’s Farm, a family farm that sells a variety of garden plants at their various locations in weekly Farmer’s Markets around the city, including Union Square (Wednesdays and Fridays) and Tucker Square (Columbus Avenue at

65th Street, Thursdays and Saturdays). 2. Choose varieties wisely. Read the labels on those potted plants. “Tumbler” is a fun new variety meant to be used for hanging baskets. If you’re looking for a good cherry type, try “Sweet Million” or “Yellow Pear.” “Rutgers,” ‘Big Boy” and “Better Boy” are reliable beefsteak tomatoes for flavor and vigor. Steer away from “Ace,” “Celebrity” and the dwarf “Patio” as these tend to make early, but tasteless fruits. 3. Feed and water well. Lay on some mild composted manure or a balanced fertilizer when you transplant, and every two weeks thereafter. Additional calcium, in the form of 0-10-10 fertilizer or bone meal, will prevent those black spots on the fruit. Water deeply: tomatoes are native to tropic America, and they like it moist. 4. Getting lots of flowers but no fruits? Bumblebees are the usual pol-

linator for tomatoes. If you haven’t seen any around, take an old toothbrush (or an old electric toothbrush) and gently rub all the flowers on your plant. 5. Get your first harvest in a hurry by tying up a Granny Smith apple to your tomato stakes. The apple releases ethylene, a hormone gas that encourages ripening. 6. Don’t forget companion plants. If there were such a thing as a mozzarella plant I would grow it. But even if you are growing in containers, you can stick in oregano, scallions (from onion sets) with perhaps marigolds and basil nearby. These cheerful additions will encourage you to visit your tomato plant daily. That is really the secret to good tomatoes -- your attention. Pick off brown leaves or insects, keep the earth moist and the vines tied off the ground, and enjoy the process, which is part of the fun and reward of growing your own food.

The elegant tomato thrives in humidity and heat. Photo by Mia Kravitz

Re-elect Congresswoman

VOTE R ATI C P R I M A RY June28 6

DEMOC

AM – 9

Carolyn Maloney

PM

On our side and getting results. DEMOCRAT - WORKING FAMILIES CarolynMaloney www.carolynmaloney.com

PAID FOR BY MALONEY FOR CONGRESS

8

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Voices

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

RAMADAN, WITHOUT THE FAST BY SABEEHA REHMAN

My baby was barely a week old when Ramadan began. Neither my husband, Khalid, nor I fasted. God had given me a temporary exemption — nursing a baby; and Khalid took a personal exemption — he played hooky. We were just not in the mood. New York City in 1972 did not rejoice in welcoming the holy month of Ramadan: TV news was silent; there were no special Ramadan programs; missing were the sounds of Qur’an recitation; absent were the green and white Ramadan Mubarak signs on stores. I did not hear the sounds of the adhan resonating from the minarets of the nonexistent mosques announcing the beginning of the fast at daybreak; and restaurants remained open. At home, there was no domestic help to cook the predawn suhoor meal; no murmurs of the elders reciting the Qur’an during the afternoon hours; and no chatter of the family gathering for the iftar — breaking of the fast at sundown. The communal sense that goes with fasting was not there. It was just I, home by myself with a newborn baby, fully immersed in diapers and feedings. Islamic rituals had taken a seat in the last row on the bus journeying through childrearing. We were adrift. ****** A gentle knock on my bedroom door in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. It’s 3 a.m., an October morning in 1971. Razia, our cook, calls out to me, “It’s time for suhoor.” I stumble out of bed, brush my teeth, put on my dressing gown, head downstairs. Razia has laid out the table, and Mummy and Daddy are already eating. I break a piece of the greasy, crispy paratha, and scoop the ginger- and garlic-flavored chicken curry. A steaming cup of tea jolts open my sleepy eyes. The clink of forks on china is the only sound as we eat in silence. Razia and Aurangzeb, our butler, eat in the kitchen and clear away after we have retreated upstairs to recite the Qur’an. Now I start hear-

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source

ing the voices of men singing in chorus, glorifying God and the Prophet, resonating from the mosque down the street. A chorus from a second mosque joins in, then a third, the closer ones louder, the farther ones fainter, each drumming their own song in a competition of sorts. Voices from the street call out again and again, “For those fasting, it’s time to wake up,” rousing those who have no intention of fasting. I keep drinking water until the melancholic cry of the adhan rings out, signaling the beginning of the fast. The sky has lost its pitch-blackness with a break of grayish hue. There will be no eating or drinking until sundown. No water either. No lunch hour in offices, and no ladies’ coffee parties. Restaurants display

It was the birth of my children that created that gap. Later it would be concern for my children that would close the gap” signs, “Open for Non-Muslims, the Sick, and Travelers.” Thankfully, the signs do not list menstruating women. A girl seen eating in a college cafeteria is a dead giveaway: she is having her period. We are getting a little woozy by late afternoon. Iftar won’t be until 8 p.m. We start counting the hours, and then the minutes, to sundown. Downstairs, we can hear the clatter of Razia’s cooking, the aroma of spices whiffing up the stairs, whetting my appetite. With minutes to go, we gather for iftar at the dinner table. We pray in silence for God to accept our fast — and, between God and I, to make the seconds go faster. And then the sound we have been yearning for — the adhan. Bismillah! I start — in the name of God! —

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

Sabeeha Rehman in March at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. Photo courtesy of Sabeeha Rehman and we reach out for the dates. Razia has made rooh afza — the refreshing rosewater-flavored drink. The fruit chaat gives me the sugary oomph — the battery charger getting plugged into the outlet. At this time, I am not thinking of all the hunger in the world — the idea behind fasting — I am conversing with my grateful taste buds over those crispy pakoras. Aurangzeb has wheeled in the tea trolley. The cup-a-tea I have been yearning for. I sit cross-legged on the diwan and inhale the aroma of cardamom-flavored tea. I am feeling lazy and sleepy. But wait; there is dinner — at 10 p.m. Then night prayer made longer with the Ramadan Taraweeh prayer. To bed at midnight; then up again at 3 a.m. — the daily ritual for 30 days.

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

****** Now that you have had a glimpse of Ramadan in Pakistan, do you blame me for chickening out? Think of it: a sleep-deprived new mom nursing a week-old baby, having to wake up at that odd hour, cook, eat, try to sleep; and when she finally sleeps, baby wakes up; then she is hungry and thirsty all day. ... Thank you, God, for exempting nursing mothers. But what was my husband’s excuse? And what was my excuse a year later? Or the year after? Or the year after that? Let’s just say that the environment and the support system were not there. There was no flow to go along with. And we did not have the wherewithal to create that flow. Not yet. Unable to integrate our religious rituals into our new lifestyle, we put religion on hold.

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

It was the birth of my children that created that gap. Later it would be concern for my children that would close the gap. We would go on to building a Muslim community, break our fast in a communal setting, and when my children went away to college, they took the ritual of fasting with them, enlisting the support of the cafeteria to prepare special meals for them. And at the workplace, my colleagues saw to it that luncheon meetings stayed off the calendar. Ramadan is now a larger thread in the fabric of America. Sabeeha Rehman lives on the Upper East Side. Her memoir, “Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman’s Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim,” will be published on July 5 by Arcade Publishing.

Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Madeleine Thompson Director of Digital Pete Pinto

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

JUNE 23-29,2016

9

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

COUNT ME IN GRAYING NEW YORK BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

The ďŹ rst time I started to feel invisible was when my daughters were 14 and 17 and we took a trip to Mexico. I was in my 40s and still feeling young and peppy. However, men were eyeing my daughters up and down from dawn to dusk (and beyond), and I was feeling brushed aside, hardly there and not at all visible. It’s only gone downhill from there. Friends have told me that, as seniors, they feel invisible. Though we crowd the streets of Manhattan, we feel brushed aside as a vital part of “what’s happening.â€? We have very few stores where we can buy appropriate clothing. We don’t habituate loud, noisy bars and we’d rather talk in restaurants than be drowned out by the pounding music that the young seem to require. While we can, and do, make fulďŹ lling lives for ourselves, many of us don’t feel a part of the “realâ€? world. I used to participate in paid focus groups, but have aged out. No one cares about my opinion anymore. Magazines will have articles on how

to look at 40, 50 or 60, but never any older. A friend tells me that, at dinner with her family and some of their young friends, people simply ignored her comments. Not out of meanness but simply because she was old and didn’t really count. For women, at least, this sense of invisibility sneaks up slowly and continues unabated. I don’t want to be ogled or receive wolf whistles, but something in me rebels against being not seen. No make-up or sexy clothing will change that (though sexy clothing is not my style). It’s another thing we have to accept ... darn it! Urgent care centers and walk-in clinics are proliferating like dandelions around the city. It used to be banks and Duane Reades popping up on every block; now it’s medical care centers. They suddenly they seem to be everywhere. These centers were designed to be a niche between one’s private doctor and the emergency room, and are much cheaper than going to the ER for minor problems such as sore throats and urinary tract infections. Most of them take insurance, and almost all of them take Medicare. For me, that’s the major plus of these

The cat was fed ten times today

Susan Sarandon, as 60-something Marnie Minervini, aka “The Meddler,� is a welcome presence on the silver screen. Photo: Sony Pictures Classics centers. So many doctors don’t take Medicare anymore, and to me that’s immoral. Who needs regular care more than the elderly, and it’s the poor

elderly who suffer most because many don’t have the money for private care. Maybe the proliferation of these clinics will help change that. Some clin-

ics are privately owned and some are associated with hospitals. The one I use, on 91st Street and Columbus Avenue, is associated with Mount Sinai Hospital, and that makes me feel more secure, though I’m told that the independent clinics are usually ďŹ ne. There is a difference between urgent care centers and walk-in centers. Urgent care centers have enhanced capabilities and are set up to handle more serious illnesses. Whichever you choose, though, you will pay nothing (if they take your insurance), or much less than you would for a trip to the emergency room. Most are open weekends and some evenings and ďŹ ll an important niche, and the fact that most take Medicare is the big plus for the elderly. It’s a pleasure to see a movie for grown-ups, and “The Meddler,â€? with Susan Sarandon, is a very good one. The meddler (and she certainly is one) is Marnie, a 60ish woman who has lost her husband and moved to California to be closer to her daughter. She does meddle, to the point of being annoying, but she’s also a lovable character and there is a love interest with an excop who rides a motorcycle, which is very touching. It’s a rare movie that shows older people dealing with love and desire. I wish there were more of these films for us seniors. I suppose they don’t make much money for Hollywood; hurray to Susan Sarandon for doing this, and for showing that we’re still alive and kicking — and open to life.

It’s never too early (or too late) to talk about Alzheimer’s support. Call our 24-hour Helpline. We’re here anytime you need to talk.

(646) 744–2900 Free | ConďŹ dential | Se habla espaĂąol | ᥇‍ه‏䅑ѣᎽ ɸɝɾ̴:³ĕÆĂ?žÞãĂ?Ě´ Ä?ÂłĂ?Ä‚³˾̴ɚÞĂƒĚ´"Ă–ããò̴̴˳̴̴AÂłÄ?Ě´xãòĂ”˾̴Ax̴ɜɾɾɜɟ̴̴ "ãòĂœ³òĂ–Ä–Ě´8Ă?ĂŁÄ?Ă?Ě´ÂœÜ̴ÞĂƒ³̴ Ă–Ä›ĂƒÂłĂ†Ăœ³ò˞Ü̴ ÜÜãŠĂ†ÂœĂžĂ†ĂŁĂ?˾̴Ax Ě´ ĂƒÂœïÞ³ò "Ä‚Ă?¯³¯̴¨Ä–Ě´Âœ̴žòÂœĂ?Þ̴½òãĂœĚ´ĂžĂƒ³̴AÂłÄ?Ě´xãòÔ̴ZĂžÂœÞ³̴ ³ïÂœòÞĂœÂłĂ?Þ̴ã½̴(ÂłÂœĂ–ĂžĂƒ

www.caringkindnyc.org

10

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to ourtownny.com NEW STORE POLICY: PERMANENTLY & FOREVER OFFERING THESE DISCOUNTS NEW OWNERSHIP

Thu 23 RESPIGHI & MOZART’S ‘JUPITER’▲

6-9 p.m. Free After-hours access to the collection with range of programs, including lectures, performances, and open sketching. 212-288-0700. www.frick. org/

Sat 25 MARTIN CREED CURATORIAL TALKS Park Avenue Armory, 643

WE DELIVER!

ORDER ONLINE FOR OUR MOST COMPETITIVE PRICES

20%

15%

ALL STILL WINES

ALL LIQUORS

OFF

OFF

&OKPZ FWFSZ EBZ EJTDPVOUT /P DPVQPOT OFFEFE /P -JNJU "MM 4J[FT Garnet Wines has recently come under NEW OWNERSHIP!

OUR GOAL IS TO ALWAYS BE THE LOWEST PRICES IN MANHATTAN As a way of saying “hello� ... we are now permanently and forever offering:

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

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

The Morgan Library & Museum, Gilder Lehrman Hall, 225 Madison Ave. 7:30 p.m. $35; members, $25; students, $15 Chamber Orchestra of New York Presents Respighi & Mozart’s “Jupiter Concert� 212-685-0008. chamberorchestraofnewyork. org/

PROUST AND EINSTEIN: IN SEARCH OF TIME Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave. 7 p.m. Free, RSVP to info@ friendsoďŹ hes.org Thibault Damour, permanent professor at the prestigious Institut des Hautes Études ScientiďŹ ques, delves on the experience of time through the work of Marcel Proust and Albert Einstein. 212-650–0070. www. albertine.com/

Fri 24 THE FRICK COLLECTION 1 East 70th St.

DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC Park Ave. 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street Noon. From $25 Elijah Wald, the author of “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night That Split the Sixties,� discusses the events of July 25, 1965 and their context. 212.415.5500. www.92y.org/ index.aspx

3 p.m. $15-$25 An hour-long conversation with Genevieve Yue, an assistant professor of culture and media at the New School. 212-616-3930. www. armoryonpark.org

COMPUTER TUTORINGâ–ź 67 Street Library, 328 East 67th St. Noon. Call or sign up in person.

JUNE 23-29,2016

Computer tutors can help you with everything from learning how to use a mouse, formatting a resume, setting up an email address, posting photos on the internet, starting a blog, using Microsoft Office and more. 212-734-1717

and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, to explore what can be done to meet the needs of the unprecedented number of people uprooted by conict, war and disorder. 212.415.5500. www.92y.org/ index.aspx

fees: $14; FIAF member advance, $3; students $7. The ďŹ lm’s director, ClĂŠment Cogitore, described his ďŹ lm as “John Ford meets M. Night Shyamalan.â€? 212-355-6100. www.ďŹ af.org/

Sun 26

HALLETT NATURE SANCTUARY

Wed 29

JAZZ VESPERSâ–ź Church of the Heavenly Rest, 90th Street andFifth Avenue 5-6 p.m. Free. Come for Jazz Vespers this summer which will begin Sunday, June 19 at 5 pm. Jazz Vespers will take place every Sunday through the end of July. 212-289-3400. www.facebook.com/ events/1773026909620604/

Central Park, East Side from 60th-62nd Streets 2 p.m. Free, space limited Visitors can explore the normally-closed Hallett at their own pace along the rustic trail. Enter from the path just south of Wollman Rink. 212-310-6600. www. centralparknyc.org/

Tue 28

FASHIONED IN TIME: COSTUME DESIGN

SUMMER GARDEN CONCERT: HARP

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. free with museum admission and for members, Create a 3-dimensional costume sketch using fabric. Explore costumes in New York’s Yiddish Theater: From the Bowery to Broadway to get started. 212-534-1672. www.mcny. org/ g

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 East 61st St. 6 p.m. $15; members, free; children under 12, $5. Sarah Loveland Gill, Juilliard and Mannes College of Music, will perform classical and Celtic music on her harp in the museum garden. Museum tour, complimentary beverages and historic cocktail tasting included. 212-838-6878. www.mvhm. org/

Mon 27

‘NEITHER HEAVEN NOR EARTH’

DECADE OF DISORDER: MADELEINE ALBRIGHT IN CONVERSATION

11

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

FIAF, Gould Hall,

The Dignity MemorialÂŽ Personal Planning Guide, is a valuable tool that allows you to record financial and personal information that your family will need during and after your final arrangements. Preplanning puts your family first by making your wishes known and removing the burden from loved ones. To receive a complimentary Personal Planning Guide or to learn more about preplanning options, call or visit us.

COMMUNITY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, 966 Lexington Ave., #3E 6 p.m. Interviewer training session for a project that will collect oral histories of people who have lived or worked in the Upper East Side neighborhood. 212-621-0552. oralhistory. nypl.org/neighborhoods/ues

FRANK E. C AM PB EL L T H E

F U N E R A L

C H A P E L

K n o w n for Ex c e l l en c e since 18 9 8

ANTON COPPOLA Hunter College Brecher Hall, 68th Street and Lexington Avenue 7 p.m. Free The Prelude to Performance young artists will participate in this series of Masterclasses, given by some of the world’s ďŹ nest opera personalities today at The Kosciusko Foundation 15 E. 65th St. Between 5th and Madison 212-315-9190. www. martinaarroyofdn.org y g

John A. Kuhn Jr., General Manager 10 7 6 M a d i s o n A v e n u e

at

81s t S t re e t

212 . 2 8 8 . 3 5 0 0

www.frankecampbell.com

Owned by A Subsidiary of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, TX 77019 (713) 522-5141

Florence

Cool off this summer with a delicious frozen treat from Mamita’s Ice! WHAT MAKES US GREAT...

We use cane sugar and real fruit! A great frozen treat that is healthy!

For a list of our products and retail locations log on to our website: 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue and 92nd Street 8 p.m. From $38 The former secretary of state joins David Miliband, president

55 East 59th St. 4 & 7:30 p.m. Not including

MAMITASICES.COM 5) 453&&5 26&&/4 /: r 718-738-3238

12

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

JUNE 23-29,2016

A GLIMPSE OF A DAZZLING, PROLIFIC PAST “Court & Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs” at The Met Fifth Avenue revisits a 1,000-year-old dynasty BY MARY GREGORY

Few experiences transport us from everyday life, with its traffic, cellphones and crammed sidewalks, more than stepping into the past. And few places offer a better round-trip ticket than the Metropolitan Museum. “Court & Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs” offers a glimpse of life in the years 1037 to 1308. The Seljuqs, a Turkic dynasty of Central Asia, were nomadic, prolific and progressive. They conquered lands across Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, and spread traces of their artistic, scientific and literary advances as far as Alexandria in Egypt. The exhibition starts with maps and historical information flanked by a pair of almost life-sized painted warriors that once guarded palace doors but now welcome visitors. They lead the way to a dazzling array of objects that attest to the wealth and power of Seljuq rulers, but also their inquisitiveness, invention, openness and acceptance. Under Seljuq rule, astonishing scientific and medical advancements were made, poetry and literature flourished, metallurgy evolved, and perhaps most remarkably given the world we live in, great religions coexisted peacefully. The exhibition is presented in six sections: Sultans of the East and West; The Courtly Cycle; Science, Medicine, and Technology; Astrology, Magic, and the World of Beasts; Religion and the Literary Life; and The Funerary Arts. The first and second galleries focus on the rulers and their courts, an early version of lifestyles of the rich and famous. Gold medallions, coins, plaques and just about anything, including an inscrutable Sultan Tughril, that could be inscribed with a sultan’s name is included here. The Courtly Cycle includes the magnificent Blacas Ewer, a masterpiece of metalwork created in 1232 in the city of Mosul. Yes, the same Mosul we hear about on the nightly news once housed the greatest metal smith shops in the world. The Blacas Ewer weaves copper and silver into charming vignettes depict-

ing musicians and dancers, hunting scenes, eating and merriment. For leisure time, there’s a backgammon board and a cup inscribed with a poem extolling the virtues of wine. An elegant dish in turquoise shows an ud player with inscriptions on the side wishing “lasting happiness” and advising “make short all long speech” — still good advice at a party. The sections focusing on science, medicine, technology and magic amaze. The Seljuqs built hospitals and medical schools and performed surgery and dentistry. Manuscripts describe medical preparations. They’re presented alongside pincers and probes and a fearsome surgical saw from the 11th-12th century that now

IF YOU GO WHAT: Court & Cosmos, The Great Age of the Seljuqs WHERE: The Met Fifth Avenue WHEN: Through July 24 www.metmuseum.org/

sports green patina. To be on the safe side, protective inscriptions decorate the blade. A silver apothecary box looks much like today’s version of a seven-day pill container. A gold dental hook looks drastic, but augurs a less severe outcome than death by infection. From the realm of astronomy, there’s a clever astrolabe with interchangeable dials, and a stunning celestial globe made in Iran in 1144, delicately carved with constellations and planets. An ingenious lockbox used spinning dials with letters that had to be lined up before the lock yielded. Evoking a distant interior world are treatises on spells and magic that seem to contradict the Seljuq’s scientific inquiry, though, at the time, they were considered as valid as medicine or astronomy. Heading into the sections covering religion, magnificently carved walnut mosque doors lead to a room filled with stunning, lavishly decorated Qur’ans displaying the height of cal-

A 12th-13th Century Turquoise Bowl Conveys Elegance and Wisdom. Photo: Adel Gorgy ligraphic artistry. Alongside them are Orthodox Christian texts with similar design elements penned by monks in Syria and a cup with Hebrew inscriptions in Seljuq metalwork style. Last year, when the treasures at the Mosul Museum were threatened and later destroyed, Thomas Campbell, the museum’s director, and The Met issued the following statement: “This mindless attack on great art, on history, and on human understanding constitutes a

tragic assault not only on the Mosul Museum, but on our universal commitment to use art to unite people and promote human understanding.” The Met was rare and early in its wake-up call. This year, the museum has gone further in reminding visitors what marvels have been produced and may be forever lost in this important part of our shared world. The astonishing ingenuity, touchingly human playfulness, elegance

and beauty expressed in art, poetry, spirituality, science and technology, in the works in “Court and Cosmos” when seen in context of the political realities of the 21st century bring to mind the words of Omar Khayyam, the great poet born under Seljuq rule. “Your hand can seize today, but not tomorrow; and thoughts of your tomorrow are nothing but desire. Don’t waste this breath.” We all share the history of mankind. Don’t waste this chance to see this moving reminder.

JUNE 23-29,2016

SWINGING TO THE MUSIC A temporary installation at Battery Park is a symphony in motion BY ERICA MAGRIN

Who didn’t love the interactive step piano at FAO Schwarz? What about banging on a Hasbro drum set as a kid? For the adult missing that certain childlike musical glee, and for kids too, “The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation” recaptures the sentiment. It did for Suzanne, in town from Dallas, dropping by the Battery Park City installation last week.

13

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

ciana Bergonzi, 19, who was among those in line to get a turn. Also on line were mothers with young children, a group of 20-something friends and a woman in her 50s. “I’ve never seen this before,” Bergonzi said. “It’s unique.” Daily tous les jours’ original Swings installation is made up of 21 swings and has been ridden millions of times in the arts and entertainment district of Montreal. This smaller version is on tour. It will be at Battery Park until July 7 before heading to San Jose, Calif.

ten feels overly connected — so connected via social media and the web that we have lost the need for human interaction,” she said. “The Swings reawaken that sense of community. An organic conversation arises when one participates in The Swings — whether spoken or musical — through the peaceful practice of an age old pastime.” When creating their piece, Mongiat and her co-founder, Mouna Andraos, were influenced both by an orchestra and by a biology lab located

Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan in Conversation with Nathan Lane

SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH, 7PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Humor Jim Gaffigan by attending this conversation about the comedian’s life and career (his wife Jeannie and Broadway legend Nathan Lane will also be part of the discussion). ($40)

Funny Ladies: An Evening with Four New Yorker Cartoonists

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29TH, 6:30PM Museum of the City of New York | 1220 Fifth Ave. | 212-534-1672 | mcny.org Draw up a plan to attend this conversation with four renowned female New Yorker cartoonists (Liza Donnelly, Liana Finck, Marisa Acocella Marchetto, and Barbara Smaller), who will discuss their careers, creative processes, and the cartooning industry. ($25)

Just Announced | SciCafe Special Event: ZIKA

THURSDAY, JUNE 30TH, 6PM Am. Museum of Nat. History | CPW at 79th St. | 212-769-5100 | amnh.org Zika is coming. We’ve heard the warnings for pregnant women, but how should others prepare? A panel of experts lays out the facts about the virus, the mosquito that spreads it, and what’s the latest plan for warding off the threat. (Free)

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

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

ISABELLA HOUSE Independent Living for Older Adults

“The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation,” an interactive installation, will be at Battery Park City through July 7. Photo: Erica Magrin “We were swinging all together, and in time,” she said of herself and her young grandchildren. “It was like going back to my childhood!” Designed by the Montrealbased design studio Daily tous les jours, and spearheaded by the studio’s co-founder, Melissa Mongiat, the installation is composed of 10 pastel colored swings, each producing the sound of a piano, a harp, a guitar or a xylophone. When used at the same time, the swings develop melodies. On a recent afternoon, though, the swingers were, well, more prone to soloing. “I think they’re all just working on themselves,” said Lu-

The installation tracks how well those who used it actually worked together to make a cohesive piece of music. At the end of the countrywide tour, The Swings will give its verdict as to which section of the country worked together most effectively, or least effectively. “The point of our projects are meant to have people engaged, that’s what excites us,” Mongiat said of Daily tous les jours’ art. Debra Simon, artistic director at Arts Brookfield, which is helping to support The Swings’ tour, called the installation an antidote to our increasingly plugged-in universe. “Today’s digitized world of-

near their studio. “We worked with five professors that study animal cooperators,” Mongiat said. “We worked on this system to bring people to work together.” And she thinks the downtown installation is ripe for collaboration. “It can bring people together and also bring people closer to their environment. It can get people together in a non-tense context,” she said. “In New York, you’re by the river. You can see the Statue of Liberty, the skyscrapers. It’s a different environment you’re connected to. Connection is so important in an area with such a heavy history.”

Our amenities include: • Spacious studios starting at $2,400 per month and one-bedroom apartments starting at $2,800 per month • Complimentary Lunch and Dinner served buffet style • Cable TV – with HD channels • All Utilities are included • Weekly linen service • Visitor Parking • Pastoral Services • A wealth of Programs and Activities • Conveniently located near medical, physical therapy, occupational therapy and psychiatric services • On-site beauty salon, entertainment center, gift shop, laundry and check-cashing facilities • Moderately priced lodging for overnight guests

For more information and to schedule a private tour, please call: 212-342-9539

We’ve thought of everything to enrich and enhance your life. 525 Audubon Ave. at 191st Street. New York, NY

www.isabella.org

f fb.com/IsabellaOrg l twitter.com/IsabellaOrg x youtube.com/IsabellaOrg

14

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

Bagels And More

1585 3rd Ave

Grade Pending (23) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

New Sunny East 88 Restaurant

1680 1 Avenue

A

Noche De Margaritas Restaurant

1726 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (24) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Evidence of 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.

Mamma Mia Pizza

1760 1st Avenue

A

89 Tenzan

1714 2nd Ave

Grade Pending (28) 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. 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. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Lolitas Kitchen & Burger House

1364 Lexington Ave

A

Lucy’s Whey

1417 Lexington Ave

A

Maoz Vegetarian

0 106 Street & 5 Avenue

A

Kennedy Fried Chicken

1774 Lexington Avenue

A

Ali Kenedy Fried Chicken

2100 2nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (58) Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment.

Patisserie Vanessa (La Marqueta)

1590 Park Ave

A

Natural Essentials & Wellness

2105 1st Ave

Grade Pending (24) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Jalapeno Deli

1629 Lexington Avenue

A

Harley’s Smoke Shack

355 East 116 Street

A

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant

209 East 116 Street

A

Grace Wok Chinese

2014 2nd Avenue

Grade Pending (4)

Sams Famous Pizza

150 East 116 Street

Grade Pending (23) 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.

Indo-Pak Halal Restaurant

2173 2 Avenue

A

Taqueria Guadalupe

1743 Lexington Avenue

A

Prime One 16

2257 First Avenue

Grade Pending (23) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

JUN 1 - 17, 2016 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. T-Bar Steak & Lounge

1278 3 Avenue

A

Green Life Juice Bar

311 E 76th St

Grade Pending (15) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Gracie’s On 2nd

300 E 86th St

A

Oriental Cafe / Sunny

1580 1st Ave

Closed (104) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. 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. Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

Mexi Bbq

1633 2nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (2)

Taco Today

1659 1st Ave

Not Yet Graded (46) 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. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment.

Nectar Of 82nd Street

1090 Madison Avenue A

Eli’s Table

1411 3 Avenue

A

Cafe Sabarsky

1048 5 Avenue

A

Antonucci

168-170 East 81 Street

A

Guzan Japanese Cuisine & Bar

1534 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (21) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Five Mile Stone

1640 2nd Ave

A

Pig Heaven

1420 3rd Ave

A

Subway

1434 Lexington Avenue

A

Gina La Fornarina

26 East 91 Street

A

Grunauer

1578 1st Ave

Not Yet Graded (21) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Vinnie’s Pizzaria

1603 2nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (26) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. 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.

Fillmore Delicatessen

1668 3rd Ave

A

Chef Ho’s

1720 2 Avenue

A

JUNE 23-29,2016

POLICE AND THE GAY COMMUNITY, POST-ORLANDO NEWS Symposium tries to heal longstanding rift BY ISIDRO CAMACHO

Community members, LGBTQ advocates, and members of the NYPD gathered at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Chelsea to discuss the turbulent relationship between the gay community and the police. The symposium, organized by the Civilian Complaint Review Board and called “The Rainbow Crossing: Police Accountability and the LGBTQ Community,� had been scheduled for nearly a month but fell three days after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Audience members at the forum were greeted at the front door by members of the counter-terrorism unit, who were brandishing large guns. While the tragedy in Orlando casted a gloom over the symposium, it re-emphasized the need for closer ties with the police. People in the LGBTQ community are not shy when it comes to criticizing the NYPD. During the vigil at the Stonewall Inn following the Orlando shootings, members of the crowd booed Police Commissioner William Bratton. Several people said they were offended he spoke at the event at all. Members of discussion panels during the symposium explained that the majority of complaints arose from situations in which gay people felt they were unfairly stopped on the street or instances where police were purposefully unhelpful. Several panel members cited anecdotes when they felt uncomfortable turning to police when they had been a victim of a crime simply because of their identity. Bianey Garcia-D la O, a transgender woman who came to New York from Mexico, said she faced particular adversity from the NYPD within her community in Jackson Heights, Queens. Speaking through an interpreter, Garcia-D la O told the story of how police were unresponsive when she and her friends complained that they

15

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

were being harassed. She said other transwomen in her neighborhood are frequently stopped and arrested because police think they are prostitutes, a practice she dubbed �transgressive.� A law enforcement panel, which featured two gay members of the NYPD, sought to show how the department is taking steps toward garnering the trust of the gay community. Detective Brian Downey, president of the Gay Officers

police is the root of the numerous complaints. “People within the NYPD think there’s no problem,� he said. Marla Erlien, a woman from Harlem, was angered by the law enforcement panel. She called their discussion “pathetic� and felt that they did not address the connection between race, sexual orientation, and policing enough. Sasha Alexander, founder of Back Trans Media, felt that the

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

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

Your neighborhood news source

OurTownNY.com

Police outside the entrance to the symposium. Action League, said that the average officer lacks training on how to deal with situations involving members of the LGBTQ community. “[The NYPD] is mostly reactive to calls from the LGBT community,� Downey said. “We need to be more proactive.� Detective Tim Duffy, LGBTQ liaison for the NYPD, introduced new guidelines for handling crimes or interactions with trans individuals in 2012. He now teaches these rules to officers throughout the city. The NYPD admitted it has significant catching up to do. Moderator Marc Fliedner, who founded the Civil Rights Bureau, explained that this lack of communication and trust between gay communities and

Law Enforcement panel was a “set-up.� Alexander said that they avoided talking about the internal discrimination that LGBTQ officers face. Improving the channels between gay individuals and officers is a daunting task. Experts from all panels echoed the sentiment that it only takes one bad experience for a person to lose faith in the police system. The bad experiences, however, disproportionately happen to gay and transgender people. The day ended with a closing statement from Mina Malik, the executive director of the CCRB. She said her organization was compiling more data about complaints from members of the LBGTQ community and that an official report is forthcoming.

16

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

JUNE 23-29,2016

Photo by Pete Jelliffe via flickr

Business A PENN STATION THRILL RIDE

BIDDERS SHORTLISTED FOR JAVITS CENTER RENOVATION

NEWS

In Brief

Though the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was planned to begin this year, the delay in selecting a designer indicates that it will likely not start until 2017. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Gilbane Building Company, Skanska USA and two architecture firms are in the running to carry out the $1 billion expansion, according to the Commercial Observer website. The bidders are required to submit their plans by October 31 for the 1.2-million-square-foot space. The expansion is part of an overhaul project that will renovate Penn Station, add a track to the Long Island Railroad, add wifi to subway stations and build a new tunnel under the Hudson River. The Javits Center will get “more amenities, new state-of-the-art meeting rooms and ballroom spaces, 27 loading docks, a rooftop terrace and a pavilion that can accommodate around 1,500 people,” according to Commercial Observer. “This is an important milestone in our plan to transform Javits into a 21st century venue for the next generation and I look forward to seeing this project get off the ground,” Cuomo said in a statement.

DE BLASIO SNUBBED BY SENATE, GETS CONTROL OVER CITY SCHOOLS FOR ANOTHER YEAR Six weeks of fighting with the New York Senate has resulted in what is considered a huge loss for Mayor de Blasio, who was granted another one-year extension on his control of city school in exchange for publishing information on the schools’ budgets and changing the way charter schools are run. According to Politico, “While final details are still being hammered out, the extension now appears to come with a litany of new funding disclosure rules for individual school budgets, provisions that will essentially impose a new school budget process on top of existing protocols.” This will burden the New York City school system — the largest in the country — far more than elsewhere in the state, and will result in considerably more paperwork for its Department of Education. Though mayoral control is widely regarded as the best method of governance for the school system, de Blasio was forced to concede considerably in order to get his extension, which he was hoping would be much longer than one year. The mayor will have to return to the Senate next spring to negotiate his next extension, at which time he will be beginning to run for re-election.

Proposal comes from two city-planning veterans BY KAREN MATTHEWS

Catching a train at New York’s crowded Penn Station is no thrill. But a development team has proposed a novel plan to overhaul the station: Build a 1,200-foot thrill ride on top of it and pay for renovations by charging $35 a ticket. The plan submitted to state officials envisions a transparent tower called the Halo with 11 gondolas offering free-fall rides of varying speeds. “You’re experiencing New York City in an unforgettable way,” said Alexandros Washburn, president of Brooklyn Capital Partners, the partnership behind the plan. “It’s something you will not be able to do anywhere else in the world.” John Gerber, chairman of Brooklyn Capital Partners, said the ride is feasible from an engineering standpoint, but he acknowledged that government agencies and New Yorkers might not embrace the idea. Other ideas floated for renovating the station have included more traditional concepts, like building office towers. “It’s a public process and there are a lot of stakeholders,” Gerber said. “Anything that’s new is going to be complicated.” Washburn and Gerber submitted their plan after Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a request in January for proposals to renovate the rail hub he called “a blight on the greatest city in the world.” Plans to redo Penn Station, which handles more than 650,000 passengers daily on Amtrak and commuter rail lines, have been stalled for years. Washburn and Gerber both previously served as president of the Penn Station Redevelopment Corp., a public-private body that oversaw an earlier upgrade. “We have been there. We know that a new approach is needed,” said Washburn, an architect who also has held the job of chief urban designer for New York City. Washburn said that as “out of the box” as the thrill-ride plan might seem, “It’s coming from people who have worked on building New York City for 20 years.” Washburn and Gerber say the Halo could be situated either on top of Madison Square Garden, the arena that crowns the underground Penn Station, or one block west atop the Farley Post Office building. They say it would generate $25 million to $38 million a year in ticket

sales. Washburn said he got the idea from the New York Wheel, the 630-foot Ferris wheel now under construction on Staten Island. “We figured, aha! Take that circle, make it horizontal and elevate it,” he said. Jonathan Gouveia, senior director of planning and infrastructure for the Municipal Art Society, an urban planning advocacy group, said he sees problems with the thrill ride. Gouveia said placing the ride on top of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station would foreclose the option of moving the Garden off Penn Station, which his organization has pushed for. “We think both of those facilities

are bad for each other,” he said. Gouveia also noted that midtown Manhattan is not zoned for amusement park rides. A spokesman for Empire State Development, the agency that’s reviewing Penn Station proposals, said it can’t comment on the proposals until a development team has been chosen. Washburn admitted that the tower-ride proposal was missing one requirement: a $15 million bond. “They wanted a $15 million bond or line of credit in their hands,” he said. “There was a disconnect because they also asked for innovation. We decided that it’s worth submitting.”

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

17

18

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK & YOU COULD WIN AN

iPad Air facebook.com/ ourtowneastsidemanhattan

THE WORLD IN A DAY A celebration of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ at Symphony Space BY BILL GUNLOCKE

Here’s how James Joyce’s “Ulysses” starts: Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. More than a few people know that line. They could score points with it on Trivia Night at their neighborhood bar. Way fewer people read to the end. That would require sticking

Space on June 16 for Bloomsday on Broadway. Leopold Bloom is the protagonist/hero of the book. There are celebrations all around the world on June 16, the day in 1904 that the book’s about. Symphony Space has been doing it for 35 years, all because a Joyce fan named Isaiah Sheffer got it going and cared for it until his death a few years ago. It goes on still, guided by his spirit. I went to it last week. I’d been to it maybe four times before.

and letters and proclamations having to do with the Easter Rising in 1916. Two young women each sang a song that took your heart away. It too could have gone on longer than it did. People in the audience clapped with their hands above their heads. When I say eight to 10 actors, that sounds generic, and nameless. Like neighborhood theater. Well, every single person on that stage was up to it, at the highest level. It’s New York, after all.

CONTEST OPEN UNTIL WE REACH 2,000 LIKES We will draw a winner at random. You must live in the neighborhood to qualify for the iPad. Neighborhood is defined as living on the East Side from 42nd Street to 125th Street. S T R A U S N E W S E M P L O Y E E S A N D FA M I L Y A R E E X C L U D E D F R O M W I N N I N G .

The local paper for the Upper East Side

Advertise with Our Town today! Call Vincent Gardino at 212-868-0190

I brought my copy probably just to feel like a schoolboy. Photo by Bill Gunlocke

OurTownNY.com

with it for almost 800 pages -almost 800 pages dense with the details of just one day in Dublin. Like readers of “Infinite Jest” or “Gravity’s Rainbow” or any Salinger book. who want to live in those books, readers of “Ulysses” want to live in it, too. They reread it. They read books about it. They buy various paperback editions of it. They join study groups about it. They go on YouTube and watch the movie version which I, a college junior, saw with my girlfriendlater-wife at an unlikely art house in South Bend, Indiana in 1967. They go to Dublin to follow the book’s footprints. They buy “Ulysses” T shirts at the Strand. And if they’re lucky enough to live here, they go to Symphony

Why I don’t go every year is a testament to how unreflective we humans are. It had been a wonderfully stimulating time, each time. If all they did was read “Ulysses” out loud on a stage, you wouldn’t go back, and it wouldn’t have lasted 35 years. So each year they do something fresh. Here’s what they did this year, in front of maybe 300 people who paid $25 to get in for the 7 p.m. start time: It began with eight to 10 actors in street clothes reading a digested version of Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” Perfectly read, perfectly coordinated for almost an hour. It could have gone on. Next came eight to 10 actors (some the same as in the first performance) to read poems

And next, more actors came out to join the ones we’d seen to read perfectly chosen parts from each of the 18 chapters of “Ulysses.” Wow. You even said wow to yourself out loud a few times. That could have gone on, too. At this point you’re glad you live in New York, that you get to be there. But it’s 11:30 and you’re a sports fan and you don’t even know how the NBA game is going, so you can’t possibly stay for the showstopping highpoint final act of the night, Molly Bloom’s soliloquy performed by Fionnula Flanagan. And you leave and walk across the street to the 96th Street subway station and there you go. Still floating a little from what you’ve just seen.

JUNE 23-29,2016

19

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

SCHOOLS REZONING PROPOSALS GET AIRING Parents, faculty discuss possible solutions to overcrowding at PS 199, including the relocation of PS 452 BY SILAS WHITE

A rezoning of three Upper West Side schools seems unlikely to take effect this year, but the city and school zoning boards appear to be taking steps that could result in changes as early as 2017. Rezoning proposals have been discussed since at least 2015, with a seemingly straightforward proposition turning into sometimes convoluted discussion. At the heart of the discussions are Public School 199, on West 70th Street, whose students are mostly white and affluent but which is overcrowded; and Public School 191, on West 61st Street, whose student body is mostly poor and black and Latino and under-attended. The city’s Education Department proposed shifting attendance zones such that students from PS 199 would attend PS 191. The department eventually pulled the plug on that idea and proposed a new one, albeit much more complicated. PS 191 would move a block west, taking over a vacant building currently under construction that was intended to be a new school. Then another public school, PS 452, on West 77th Street, would move 16 blocks south into PS 191’s current space. PS 452’s population is similar to PS 199’s, so the idea is that it would be less of a transition and students and well as their families of PS 199 would be more open to PS 452 rather than PS 191. However, many parents of PS 452 students oppose the move. At a Community Education Council zoning committee meeting Monday at PS 191, many parents of PS 452 students complained to board officials, saying the transition would be difficult for students. “There is still a need for a neighborhood school,” said one parent, “Why are we not considering opening a new school in this building? Why aren’t we adding seats instead of shifting

seats?” Another PS 452 parent, Edward Ryan, said that the zoning board should simply open a new school instead of shifting those around in PS 452. Scott Edelstein, who has two sons at PS 452, said the school has been working where it is, and a move could have a negative impact. “We love you, we don’t want you to leave,” Edelstein said, addressing faculty, “We want you to stay and do miracles in the building we’ve been to. ... Why would you change something that’s working?” While there were those that supported the move, they seemed to be in minority of those who spoke at the meeting. Many faculty of PS 452, however, support the move, mainly due to the increased amount of space PS 452 would gain by moving.

one parent said. “I can’t vote against a library, or a tech lab, or a science lab. And I just can’t dismiss the unanimous advice from these awesome educators … I can’t vote against the move.” Lizabeth Sostre, a member of the District 3 Board of Equity in Education, asked what part zoning lines played and whether they were even useful. “I imagined drawing the zoning lines ... they became a zigzag of conflict and confusion,” she said, “However, we already know what’s necessary to resolve the problem. Erase all the zoning lines, and then design something different. An admissions plan with no zones. Community controlled choice.” Sostre’s observations were met with applause. According to the District 3 website, community-controlled choice would com-

E H T T E E M S R O T I ED

We’re putting our newsroom on the road and coming to you in our mobile newsroom.

Kyle Pope

Parents, faculty and the district’s Community Education Council are looking for solutions to overcrowing at PS 199 on West 70th Street “I just want to implore you to be in favor of us moving,” Fred Dasig, who teaches fourth grade at PS 452, told parents who attended the meeting. “I’ve worked in buildings where we’ve had less space and less resources and it really limited what we could do with the kids. If we were to have the space I’m just thinking that all the great things that happened at 452 this year, we could reach more kids and do a lot more. Please think about how much more we can do or your kids in this building.” Some parents also favored the move. “The move will be a pain and an inconvenience, but I just can’t rationalize against increased facilities for our kids,”

pletely erase zoning lines and make all schools in the district available to all students. It would also ensure that schools reflect a district’s demographic make-up. Community-controlled choice would apply to students entering elementary school, and would offer families a range of school choices, including of ones close to their home and ones with special programs. The goal of community-controlled choice is that admission to all schools in a district would be based off of a commitment to equity. At this point, all of these ideas are only propositions, and nothing has been voted on. Another meeting is being planned for late July where these topics will receive further discussion.

What neighborhood stories are we missing?

Richard Khavkine

What’s going on that we should be looking into?

Look for our truck and give us your story ideas. Here’s where our mobile newsroom will be: Wednesday July 6 | Between 11am-3pm 81st and Madison Opposite Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel Thursday July 7 | Between 11am-3pm 76th and Amsterdam Opposite Riverside Memorial Chapel

20

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

JUNE 23-29,2016

Community Forum How to Protect Yourself and Family Members Against Scams and Fraud

Come hear from law enforcement officials, financial advisers and neighborhood experts about how to safeguard your financial future. Learn to recognize the latest scams and find out what you can do to protect yourself and family members. Hear what local resources are available to answer your questions.

Monday July 25 6-8pm John Jay School of Criminal Justice 524 West 59th. St This event is free but space is limited. RSVP today at RSVP@strausnews.com. Seating is ďŹ rst come ďŹ rst served. The local paper for the Upper East Side

The local paper for the Upper West Side

The local paper for Downtown

The local paper for Chelsea

JUNE 23-29,2016

21

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

YOUR 15 MINUTES

STRENGTH THROUGH ADVERSITY A 17-year Army veteran turned his struggle into a career dedicated to advocacy BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Luis Carlos Montalván uses his experience in what he calls “the war after the war” to advocate for and spread awareness of the hardships veterans encounter that civilians may forget. A recipient of a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars for his service in Iraq, he now lives on the Upper West Side with his service dog Tuesday, who assists him with the physical and mental challenges of war’s aftermath. In 2011, his memoir, “Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him,” became a bestseller. Besides the time he spends public speaking on the topic, he is also earning his second master’s at Columbia and has even introduced children’s books to his growing list of projects. Montalván is one of the subjects chronicled in “Buried Above Ground,” a documentary that sheds light on the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. The film premieres on June 28 on the World Channel as part of the America ReFramed series.

What do you want people to learn about PTSD from the documentary? We hope a candid and deep discussion about post-traumatic stress disorder is able to be facilitated from the film. From the stories of the Katrina survivor, the domestic and child abuse survivor and myself, that PTSD will go from being what it is now, a household term, to something that is better understood.

How does Tuesday help you? Explain what he’s trained to do. He helps me physically and psychologically. Although the film is about PTSD, I have some serious physical disabilities too. He does things like help me sleep. I don’t have them as frequently, but I used to get very bad nightmares, so he can wake me up and snuggle and put me at ease. He helps me walk. He has a handle on his harness which helps me with balance. He also helps me with mental balance. Obviously the stress part of PTSD is significant, so he is able to mitigate most of the symptoms of PTSD.

There’s a scene in the film where a taxi driver doesn’t let you in because of Tuesday. What’s it like traveling around the city with him and what kind of discrimination have you faced? First of all, things have gotten better in terms of access issues related to ser-

vice dogs. But mostly that’s because of advocates fighting back, not because of the right reason, which would be education in the form of teaching and public service announcements and things of that nature. Most of this education has come because of lawsuits and media that has spread situations like the ones we’ve experienced. That said, there’s still quite a problem in the city and the country that people with disabilities who have service dogs face. And it varies from restaurants to companies of any sort to security personnel and law enforcement, merchants of all kinds, and even the government. There are so many employees and owners of various private and public sector organizations who are ignorant of the law and deny people with disabilities access. And that’s a very painful thing because it’s a liberty and a freedom. And when you’re denied that freedom, it is a gross violation of basic civil liberties.

How did you meet Senator Al Franken and what has he done to aid the cause? I met him at an inaugural ball for President Obama in 2009. And I mentioned to him, as I mentioned back then to so many people, that it would be sensational if he would consider championing a piece of legislation to partner service dogs with veterans. This is a very badly needed form of assistance for people with disabilities and there was no governmental support for it. There’s no funding. And the government pays for wheelchairs, has Medicare, does all kinds of things for people, but as significant a help as dogs like Tuesday are, there’s no support for that financially. So, thankfully, he listened and his first piece of legislation as a U.S. senator was the Service Dogs for Veterans Act.

Was writing “Until Tuesday” a form of therapy for you? The original intention of the book was to discuss mostly what I would call the war after the war. The war that comes after, the battle that veterans and their families face after war, because that war is too often forgotten. So it was to really elucidate the challenges and problems, but also the goodness, especially in the form of Tuesday. To be able to help people of all sorts, even those who were not veterans, move on in their recovery and lives. Nowadays, there’s been a lot said about writing as a form of catharsis. But back then, that was not common. There were no writing warrior workshops. I wasn’t really writing it for therapy, although it certainly did

become therapy.

There is a movie being made based on the book. How involved will you be in that? Yeah, it’s been bouncing around like a lot of other movies. They’re still in pre-production at this point. At least in my case, I don’t want any major motion picture to lose its essence, so Tuesday and I will be pretty involved.

You’ve written children’s books as well. What feedback have you gotten from teachers and parents? The children’s books are really aimed at helping to educate and delight children with a discussion of living and thriving with disabilities. Teachers, parents, librarians and lots of other adults involved in education have found the book extremely use-

ful in discussing subjects like mental health that too often go undiscussed. Because it’s a dark subject. It’s difficult for anyone to discuss that, let alone to discuss it with a child. I was in the army for 17 years, so I never thought I was going to be an author. Life just happened that way. Towards the end of writing “Until Tuesday,” I really thought that writing a children’s book would hopefully be an important means to reaching other generations.

Afghanistan in particular and warriors’ ability, willingness and courage to candidly discuss very serious mental health conditions, civilians are emboldened to do the same. And really what we’re doing is continuing to speak about trauma and recovery and healing in ways that hopefully help people better their own lives. To learn more about Luis, visit www. luiscarlosmontalvan.com

What are your future plans? Really to keep spreading hopeful and informative messages. I think one of the big bright lights in the 21st century is a focus on mental health. In the 20th century, there was very little focus on it. It was very dark and unknown. Because of the wars in Iraq and

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

22

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”

BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer

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

JUNE 23-29,2016

JUNE 23-29,2016

23

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

CLASSIFIEDS ADOPTION

HELP WANTED

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

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

REAL ESTATE - RENT

VACATIONS

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

REAL ESTATE - SALE WANTED TO BUY

CARS & TRUCKS & RV’S

Antique, Flea & Farmers Market SINCE 1979

East 67th Street Market

MASSAGE

(between First & York Avenues) Open EVERY Saturday 6am-5pm Rain or Shine

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES OFFERED

NEED TO RUN A LEGAL NOTICE?

Quick | Easy | Economical

Call Barry Lewis today:

HEALTH SERVICES

Indoor & Outdoor FREE Admission Questions? Bob 718.897.5992 Proceeds BeneďŹ t PS 183

Antiques Wanted TOP PRICES PAID Chinese Objects Paintings, Jewelry Silver, Furniture, Etc. Entire Estates Purchased

800.530.0006

212-868-0190

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

Remember to: Recycle and Reuse

Your Homeownership Partner

FVR EcMcR ^S @Rf K^aY ?^acUMUR 2UR]Ph ^ĹŞRabÍ› ΄ 4^\_RcWcWeRÍœ ĹŹgRQÍšaMcR \^acUMURb S^a ĹŹabcÍšcW\R V^\ROdhRab ΄ 5^f]_Mh\R]c MbbWbcM]PR MeMWZMOZR d_ c^ Ά Íœ ΄ E_RPWMZ _a^UaM\ S^a eRcRaM]bÍœ MPcWeRÍšQdch \WZWcMahÍœ @McW^]MZ 8dMaQ M]Q aRbRaeWbcb ΄ 7d]Qb MeMWZMOZR S^a aR]^eMcW^]

Now is the perfect time WR EX\ \RXU oUVW KRPH Buying a home may seem overwhelming—especially for D oUVW WLPH KRPHEX\HU 7KDW V ZK\ ZH RIIHU VSHFLDO oUVW WLPH EX\HU DGYDQWDJHV OLNH /RZ 'RZQ 3D\PHQWV =HUR 3RLQW 2SWLRQ 5HDVRQDEOH 4XDOLI\LQJ *XLGHOLQHV 621<0$ /RDQV DQG )L[HG DQG $GMXVWDEOH 5DWH /RDQV DYDLODEOH RQ )DPLO\ +RPHV &RQGRV DQG &R RSV

SPECIAL FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER PROGRAMS*

:H UH KHUH WR KHOS \RX HYHU\ VWHS RI WKH ZD\ IURP SURYLGLQJ H[SHUW SUH TXDOLoFDWLRQ DQG SHUVRQDO PRUWJDJH DGYLFH WR oQGLQJ WKH SURJUDP WKDW LV WUXO\ EHVW IRU \RX &DOO WRGD\ Anthony Peluso (NMLS #: 1173871) 516-535-8227 Apeluso@astoriabank.com astoriabank.com / 1-800-537-4888

1-800-382-HOME(4663)

www.sonyma.org

0(0%(5 )',& 10/6

* First-time homebuyers only. Income limits and location restrictions may apply.

SOHO LT MFG

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

24

JUNE 23-29,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

COME HOME TO GLENWOOD MANHATTAN’S FINEST LUXURY RENTALS

3 3 3

3

3 3

3 3 3 UPPER EAST SIDE 1 BEDROOMS FROM $3,195 2 BEDROOMS FROM $4,595 CONV 3 BEDROOMS FROM $5,995

MIDTOWN & UPPER WEST SIDE 1 BEDROOMS FROM $3,495 2 BEDROOMS FROM $4,595 3 BEDROOMS/3½ BATHS FROM $8,795

TRIBECA & FINANCIAL DISTRICT 1 BEDROOMS FROM $3,795 CONV 2 BEDROOMS FROM $4,495 2 BEDROOMS FROM $6,195

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

Equal Housing Opportunity

GLENWOOD BUILDER OWNER MANAGER

GLENWOODNYC.COM

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.