Our Town - June 29, 2017

The local paper for the Upper East Side

WEEK OF JUNE-JULY

29-5

GEMS IN RELIEF < P.12

2017

NYC’S SUBWAY SAVIOR TRANSIT WOES Joseph Lhota returns as MTA chairman. But can he really do two jobs and fix the ailing transit system?

POLITICS The 11 candidates for Dan Garodnick’s seat focus on affordability and small business — and what kind of experience a council member should bring to City Hall

BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

The sum total of Joseph Lhota’s compensation in his return gig as MTA chairman will be $1 a year. But don’t feel too sorry for him. He’ll still pull down a cool $1.35 million from his day job at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Lhota’s base pay in 2015 was $892,423, and he made another $459,431 in bonuses and incentives, the hospital complex reported in tax filings. Clearly, he works hard for the money, clocking an impressive 61 hours per week on average, the filings show.

But a question must be asked: Can a moonlighting chairman, however adroit, rescue, restore and reinvent a crippled subway system in dire need of a turnaround even as he helps to steer a complex academic medical center as its senior vice president, vice dean and chief of staff?

Well, betting against Lhota — except of course when he’s running for mayor — can prove a losing proposition. His crisis-management and disaster-recovery skills are well-tested, his standing among peers and rivals is high, and his flair for pushing back, behind closed doors, at political patrons is pretty near unprecedented.

As ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s deputy mayor, he helped lift the city to its feet after 9/11. When rat infesta-

COUNCIL CANDIDATES SPAR AT DISTRICT 4 DEBATE

BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Joseph Lhota, in his first stint as MTA chairman, after Superstorm Sandy in November 2012. Photo: MTA, via Wikimedia Commons tion plagued Manhattan, he took command of eradication efforts as City Hall’s unofficial “rat czar.” Famously, in his first go-round as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s MTA boss, he engineered the swift restoration of subway service after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Still, those feats were accomplished when he held one post, not two.

“He doesn’t have to personally take a monkey-wrench to every ancient subway signal in the system,” said tax consultant Alan Green, who lives in Chelsea, as he waited

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

Candidates running for the District 4 city council seat laid out their platforms to constituents at a public debate held June 22 at Waterside Plaza.

The debate, sponsored by Town & Village newspaper, the Waterside Tenants Association and Waterside Plaza management, featured 11 candidates vying for the seat currently held by Council Member Dan Garodnick, who is prevented by term limits from seeking reelection. Dozens of East Siders filled the sun-drenched plaza on a warm Thursday evening to hear the contenders’ competing visions for the district, which includes Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, East Midtown, and much of the Upper East Side.

Nine of the participants hope to win the Democratic Party’s nomination: Vanessa Aronson, Maria Castro, Alec Hartman, Rachel Honig, Melissa Jane Kronfeld, Jeffrey Mailman, Keith Powers, Bessie Schachter, Barry Shapiro and Marti Speranza. They took the stage alongside Republicans Rebecca Harary and Melissa Jane Kronfeld. Both parties will choose their nominees September 12, eight weeks before the November 7 general election.

3 8 10 12

Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes

14 16 17 21

Candidates for city council detailed their visions for District 4 at a debate at Waterside Plaza on June 22. Photo: Michael Garofalo

“People come to this city because of its character, not to have a soulless neighborhood of Duane Reades and Chase Banks.”

Democratic candidate Marti Speranza Each candidate delivered a brief opening statement and then responded to questions posed by the moderators, Town & Village editor Sabina Mollot and Waterside Tenants Association president Janet Handal. The evening was characterized by broad agreement on at least one topic: across both party affiliation and professional background,

candidates repeatedly emphasized that affordability is among the most important issues facing the district.

Much of the conversation centered on various proposals to ensure the availability of affordable housing and ease the economic burdens facing the community’s small businesses and seniors.

Several candidates touted their previous positions in government to voters, while others took the opposite approach, stating that their experience in other fields would allow them to bring fresh ideas to the table.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset.

Friday, June 30th – 8:13 pm.

For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

TAKE THE TIME TO CHECK FOR TICKS HEALTH Lyme disease is a serious menace, and there are new risks for people and pets. How to protect yourself this summer

BY CHRISTINE STAVROPOULOS, MD

If you’re heading out of town this holiday weekend, don’t just protect your skin from the sun. There is another serious summer menace: Lyme disease. Because of an increase in the mouse population due to a bountiful acorn crop a couple of years ago combined with a milder winter, blacklegged ticks are out in full force and with them comes the potential to become infected with Lyme disease.

In 1977 Lyme disease was recognized in Lyme, Connecticut and it was first mistaken as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that the scientist Willy Burgdorfer made the link between a spiral-appearing bacterium that lives on deer ticks and the disease. Because of his discovery, the bacterium — a type of spirochete — was named Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacterium causes flu-

like symptoms, fever, muscle and joint aches. If not treated with antibiotics early enough, the infection can even spread to the heart and nervous system and settle into joints.

But can you get Lyme disease in New York City? Well, yes and no. Theoretically, there are some parts of NYC where deer and mice may be more prevalent such as Staten Island and the northern Bronx, but most New Yorkers who get Lyme disease are infected when they leave town and go to places such as upstate New York where deer ticks are more widespread.

However, as more people and their pets go back and forth from endemic areas (essentially any wooded areas where deer, mice and people converge), ticks will be increasingly brought into NYC and the possibility of local transmission will occur.

Since there is no available vaccine for Lyme diesease (vaccines were introduced in the early 1990s, but were controversial because of possible side effects and were consequently pulled from the market), prevention is still the number one defense. If you’re going to be outside this summer in heavily forested areas where deer and mice are prevalent, wear long pants and shirts, hats, and use bug spray. On

the skin, DEET should be applied using a 20 to 30 percent concentration for best efficacy without toxicity. You can spray your clothes and sneakers with Permethrin for added protection.

Take a shower after being outside to wash off any possible unattached ticks. And you can throw your dry clothes in the dryer at high heat for 10 minutes to kill any surface ticks.

The next line of defense is the tick check. I cannot stress this enough.

To get infected with Lyme disease, the tick needs to stay attached to your body for at least 24 hours. This means you have time, even if there is a tick on you, to not get infected with Lyme disease. Check your head, behind the ears, your arm pits, your groin, behind your knees, and if you can’t reach, ask a friend or family member to help you. If there is a tick on you, relax, take a deep breath, and don’t get the matches. Just get the tweezer and start at the head of the tick and pull it out with firm, even pressure. If the tick is not engorged, it is unlikely to have had a blood meal and transmitted the disease-causing bacteria. Make sure to disinfect the area afterwards. Save the tick in the plastic bag if you want to get it identified for the Lyme bacteria, or throw it away in the plastic bag

Most New Yorkers who get Lyme disease are infected when they leave town for places where deer ticks are widespread. Photo: Jill Rogan, via flickr

to make sure it is properly discarded.

Watch for any flu-like symptoms or rash within a two-week time period.

Call your doctor if these symptoms occur: fever, severe headaches and neck stiffness, bull’s-eye-shaped rash at the site of the bite that appears about a week later, joint stiffness, or nerve pain. Keep in mind the rash may be missed, or may not present in about 20 to 30 percent of patients. It can also vary in appearance and look like a red sunburn patch or patches that expand, so look carefully. Blood tests are available, but if the symptoms are typical, testing may not be necessary.

Remember too that ticks can carry other pathogens such as the parasite Babesia and bacteria in the Anaplasma family. These too cause flu-like illness and make you sick as a dog, but like Lyme disease all are treatable.

So this summer, be sure to stay one step ahead of those dreaded insects and add tick check to your nightly routine. And don’t forget to pack the tweezers along with the sunscreen, bathing suits and flip-flops.

Dr. Christine Stavropoulos is a Senior Faculty member in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai Health System

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG DRIVER MUGGED ON RIVERSIDE At 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20, a 43-year-old motorist was waved down and stopped by a person who approached his side window at Riverside Drive and West 100th Street asking him for money, police said.

The driver reached into his glove box, but when he turned back he saw the pedestrian had lifted his shirt to reveal a black firearm in his waistband and was demanding the driver’s wallet. The driver handed over his wallet, which contained $600 cash and two debit cards. The man next told the driver to exit the vehicle, whereupon he handcuffed the unfortunate motorist and walked him over to the sidewalk.

An accomplice then went into the driver’s vehicle, but the driver told police he didn’t know if anything had been removed from his car. Both suspects finally ran westbound toward the lower level of Riverside Drive.

FRUIT TAKE A fruit vendor must be hoping some thugs slip on a banana peel. At 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, a 60-year-old man was working behind a fruit stand at the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 90th Street when three or four

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

photo by Tony Webster via flikr

men approached, pushed him to the ground, and took $215 in cash from his pockets before fleeing. Police searched the neighborhood but couldn’t find the creeps.

BAGGED At 7:26 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, a man smoking a marijuana cigarette outside 216 West 103rd St. was approached by police. Although the smoker threw away the joint, he was

nevertheless apprehended. But when the officers tried to put the suspect into a patrol car, he resisted, kicking the car door, which slammed shut on an officer’s finger, police said. The same officer suffered a cut on his right hand while subduing the suspect, who was found to be holding three bags of marijuana. The suspect, who was not named, was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment and the officer was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Year to Date

2017 2016

% Change

2017

2016

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

0

2

-100.0

Rape

0

0

n/a

6

1

500.0

Robbery

1

2

-50.0

59

38

55.3

Felony Assault

0

3

-100.0

60

61

-1.6

Burglary

2

4

-50.0

97

91

6.6

Grand Larceny

27

26

3.8

635 628 1.1

Grand Larceny Auto

3

2

50.0

16

33

-51.5

MAN CHOKED ON 89TH

THREE IN FRACAS

Just after midnight on Friday, June 9, a 56-year-old man was heading to a train station after finishing work when an unknown perpetrator came up behind him outside 105 West 89th St. and choked him until he was unconscious. The perpetrator then jumped on the victim from behind, shoving the victim’s face into the pavement. The victim was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital for treatment.

Three local women had quite a dustup recently. At 9:09 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21, a woman stabbed a 23-year-old woman multiple times with a glass object on Columbus Avenue between 108th and 109th Streets. The assailant also punched another woman in the face, and also took another woman’s cellphone. The first victim was taken to St. Luke’s for treatment.

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1. New business checking account with new money only. Existing business checking account customers are not eligible. A new business checking account is defined as any new business checking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank business checking account(s). An existing checking customer is defined as anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money not currently on deposit with Flushing Bank. 2. You must deposit a minimum of $100 to open a business checking account. No minimum balance required to be eligible for the Bonus. You will receive $100 for the completion of 5 debit card purchases. And $100 for the completion of 5 online banking bill-payments via Flushing Bank’s Online Banking portal. Each debit card purchase and each online bill-payment must be $25 or more and must be completed prior to 60 days after the account is opened. THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT A BUSINESS CHECKING CUSTOMER CAN RECEIVE IS $200. The compensation will be credited to the checking account on or about the end of the month following the completion of the qualifying transactions.

A 1099 will be issued in the amount credited to your account. Other fees and restrictions may apply. 3. A minimum opening deposit of $15,000 is required in the Complete Business Checking account to qualify for the Value Program gift. The gift tier is based on the 90-day average balance of the new Complete Business Checking account. The minimum 90-day average is $15,000 to qualify for the minimum gift tier. Notwithstanding the Value Program, a minimum deposit of $100 is required to open the Complete Business Checking account. 4. You must maintain a daily balance of $15,000 for the statement cycle to receive the 90-day rate in the Complete Business Checking Plus. The 90-day rate will remain in effect for 90 days after account opening. At the end of this 90 day period the annual percentage yield will revert to the rate tier corresponding to the account balance. A minimum deposit of $100 is required to open the account, but a minimum daily balance of $15,000 is required to earn interest. Rates may change at any time without notice. All offers are subject to change and termination without prior notice at any time. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details.

Flushing Bank is a registered trademark

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

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

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

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HELLO AGAIN!

BY PETER PEREIRA

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

POLITICAL HOPEFULS RALLY FOR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY An estimated 1,200 to 1,400 NYC establishments are closing each month.

Candidates blame current officials for the problem

Peace of mind begins by planning today!

The Sanctuary at MOUNT LEBANON CEMETERY

BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

Undeterred by the unyielding heat of a summer afternoon, several candidates running for city offices lined the steps of City Hall last Wednesday to show their support for small businesses. Though the speakers and their supporters outnumbered the crowd of about 10 people, there was no less passion for the plight of small business owners than if the steps had been packed, perhaps because all but one of the candidates are facing incumbents.

“We’re here today because the city has been betrayed by our mayor, by our public advocate, the leadership of the City Council,” said Steve Barrison, vice president of the Small Business Congress. “They’ve turned their back on the mostly immigrant small businesses of New York City.” A main failure of these politicians, Barrison said, has been their inability to pass the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, which would help preserve mom-and-pop shops by, for example, requiring that they be offered leases lasting a minimum of 10 years and preventing them from taking the brunt of landlords’ property taxes.

Barrison also called for an immediate, emergency freeze on commercial evictions in order to stem the loss of small businesses. “The only hope will come from the independentminded candidates in order to save jobs from the extreme crisis decimating our small businesses, being evicted at a rate of ... almost two an hour,” he said. “We can’t wait another day.” Barrison went on to cite statistics showing that, under Mayor Bill de Blasio, an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 businesses throughout the city are closing each month, eliminating between 9,600 and 11,200 jobs. He accused de Blasio, Public Advocate Letitia James and City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito of being in “willful denial” of these issues. The Department of Small Business

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Mel Wymore (center) who is running for City Council District 6, spoke out in support of small businesses at a rally Wednesday afternoon.

The political hopeful promised to prioritize the passage of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act if elected. Photo: Madeleine Thompson Services declined to comment on both the Small Business Jobs Survival Act and on the call for a freeze on commercial evictions.

According to a 2016 study by the Center for an Urban Future, New York City has “more than 207,000 businesses with 20 or fewer workers,” and “the number of businesses employing fewer than ten workers has increased by nearly 12 percent since 2008.” However, a survey completed last spring by Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office found that a third of all smallbusiness owners had to wait at least six months for city approval to open their businesses, and 48 percent said they “did not feel like they had been treated fairly by city agencies.”

Both reports recommended multiple ways that opportunities for growth could be increased for small businesses, and concluded that doing so is crucial to expanding the city’s middle class. The Center for an Urban Future study pointed to barriers such as high tax rates and the ever-climbing real estate market as causes of stagnant small-business growth.

Democratic mayoral candidate Sal Albanese, who attended last Wednesday’s rally, led a walking tour of the Upper East Side the next day to further illustrate the issue. “Soon, the city will be a town only of big chain stores, drugstores and banks,” Albanese said in a statement. “This is yet another result of Mayor de Blasio’s payto-play atmosphere at City Hall, which favors big real es-

tate over the needs of the community.”

Council Member Ben Kallos, who is a sponsor of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act and represents parts of the Upper East Side, said often residential buildings don’t want to offer space to restaurants because they can attract insects and rodents. “Any time the storefront is in a co-op or condo, which is most of the time on the Upper East Side, we need to work with those buildings to fill the space with a lower rent. Anyone ... can do their part to make that space available for a mom-andpop small business if they wish, and I wish they would.”

Harris Healy, owner of Logos Bookstore on York Avenue at 84th Street, is struggling after the building’s previous owner sold out to a corporate landlord who drastically increased the store’s rent. He was offered a five-year lease under the new management, rather than the two 10-year leases he’d had before. Healy blamed the challenges of running a small business on online ordering and a lack of activism by residents.

“Manhattanites have to get off their butts and do some work,” Healy said. “[Elected officials] need more support from the private citizen. Private citizens have got to get off expecting everything to come through a computer.”

Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

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A SERIES OF FIRSTS FOR PRIDE ACTIVISM Network television coverage, a transgender grand marshal and new political messages highlight the 48th annual march

BY ESTELLE PYPER

Thousands of rainbow-clad New Yorkers and tourists gathered in the streets of Manhattan on Sunday, June 25 for the culminating event of Pride Week 2017. The 48th annual Pride March drew members, friends, and allies of the LGBTQ community to celebrate and protest for the protection

of their rights. From Fifth Avenue to Christopher Street, 2017 marked a year of many firsts for the Pride March.

It’s been almost 50 years since the historic Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village launched the start of the gay rights movement, serving as a catalyst for the first march a year later in 1970. Recently, the event was referred to as “Pride Parade.” Planners decided this year to officially label it a Pride “March” instead. The word highlights the distinction between a protest and a celebration, and was meant to evoke the earliest political marches.

“Pride is more than just being out and proud,” said An-

gelo Franco, a New York project manager. “It’s about the sacrifice of all those who came before me that allow me to stand here today, in my brown skin, decked out in all the colors of the rainbow, and say that I love the way I am.”

For the first time, the New York City Pride March was televised on a major network. ABC broadcast the event from Fifth Avenue, providing interviews and commentary to viewers as the march passed. This move accentuated the intentions of the original march: to make LGBTQ members visible to the world.

“For me, pride means visibility,” explained Bailey C., a transgender man from Long Island.

“It means being able to walk down the street and not really care who clocks me as a trans guy — and also the fact that I’m in a relationship with another guy. I know there’s been a lot of tension in this country especially. Pride to me just means being able to come together as one.”

Brooke Guinan, a transgender woman who works for the New York City Fire Department, was named a grand marshal of the event along with the American Civil Liberties Union, Krishna Stone of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Geng Le, a Chinese gay rights activist. This marked the

Marchers at East 41st Street and Madison Avenue. Photo: Elvert Barnes, via flickr first time a transgender public safety employee has served as a grand marshal.

Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst released early from prison in May, also participated by riding on the ACLU float. Celebrities including Kelly Osbourne and singer Sam Smith joined in on glittering floats, while some paused to perform numbers on the designated stage.

Other highlights included a float collaboration between Alexander Wang and Trojan which distributed free condoms to the cheering crowd.

Sunday signs. Photo: Elvert Barnes, via flickr NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreath tion (“Parks”) to be held on Monday, July 10, 2017 at 2 Lafayette Street, 14 Floor Auditorium, Borough of Manhattan, commencing at 2:30 p.m. relative to: AMENDMENT of the existing license agreement between Parks and York Avenue Tennis, LLC (“Licensee”) for the operation and management of an indoor tennis facility and clubhouse at Queensboro Oval, Manhattan. The amendment, among other things, extends the agreement for one (1) year from September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018; with two (2) one (1)-year renewal options to be exercised at the sole discretion of Parks, and establishes a new Summer Season fee structure for Year 10, Extended Operating Year 1, and Option Years 1 and 2 of the agreement.

Compensation to the City will be as follows: for each operating year, York Avenue Tennis, LLC shall pay to the City license fees consisting of the greater of a guaranteed minimum annual fee versus a percentage of gross receipts. Year 10 (September 1, 2016 – August 31, 2017): $2,637,258 vs. 35%; Extended Operating Year 1 (September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2018): $2,637,258 vs. 35%; First Option Year (September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2019): $2,637,258 vs. 35%; Second Option Year (September 1, 2019 – August 31, 2020): $2,637,258 vs. 35%. Further, in the event Licensee’s Gross Receipts from the Summer Season exceed $300,000, Licensee shall pay to the City 20% of all such Gross Receipts from the Summer Season in excess of $300,000. Gross Receipts from the Summer Season shall only include those funds received for court use, instruction, or other services provided, which take place during the Summer Season.

A draft copy of the amended license agreement may be reviewed or obtained at no cost, commencing on Friday, June 23, 2017 through Monday, July 10, 2017, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays at the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 313, New York, NY 10065.

Individuals requesting Sign Language Interpreters should contact the Mayor’s th Office of Contract Services, Public Hearings Unit, 253 Broadway, 9 Floor, New York, NY 10007, (212) 788-7490, no later than SEVEN (7) BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

Political groups representing Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio passed out rainbow colored posters, and anti-Trump signage dotted the scene. A “silent memorial” of participants dressed hauntingly in white veils held black and white posters of those killed in last year’s Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando.

Security was tight all around, mainly to control heavy foot traffic and maintain the peace, but the day saw a few conflicts.

A woman was quickly whisked away by police after spritzing pepper spray into a crowd of onlookers. In another instance, a group of 12 protesters sat in the middle of the parade route, repeating anti-police chants. They were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after disrupting the flow for about 10 minutes. The march quickly resumed.

In all, the day was peaceful, yet intentionally politicallydriven. Many activist groups

used the publicity and popularity of the event to shed light on other topics, such as reproductive rights, the Black Lives Matter movement and gun violence, all with an anti-Trump edge.

“Really at the end of the day, we’re just one people and we’ve got to stick together,” said Bailey C. “I think we’ve been so divided with labels like trans, gay, bi, pan, whatever.” He’s attended the parade for three years now, “but this is the first year I can do this!” he said gleefully, drawing back the rainbow flag draped around his shoulders to reveal a naked chest — the result of a recent top surgery.

As the sun set, the revelers disappeared into the night to celebrate a successful Pride Week, leaving in their wake a sea of rainbow streamers and #Resist posters in front of Stonewall Inn.

Along the barricades in the West Village. Photo: Estelle Pyper In accordance with Section 1-13 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York, the Alliance for Downtown New York (ADNY) has issued a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the operation of an outdoor cafe at Mannahatta Park, Wall Street off of Water Street in Lower Manhattan. The concession requires the operation of a mobile food unit for the sale of food and beverages at Mannahatta Park, Manhattan.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost, commencing June 26, 2017 through July 21, 2017, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the ADNY Office located at 120 Broadway Suite 3340, New York, New York 10271. Please call ahead at (212) 566-6700 to arrange building security access. Photo I.D. is required to enter the building. All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be submitted by no later than Friday, July 21, 2017, at 3:00 p.m.

The RFP is also available for download commencing June 26, 2017 through July 21, 2017 on the Alliance for Downtown New York’s website. To download the RFP, visit, http://www.downtownny.com/request-for-proposals.

For more information related to the RFP contact Daniel Giacomazza at (212) 566-6700 or via email: dgiacomazza@downtownny.com.

TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

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The ANHDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new annual report shows how far equitable lending practices have come

BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

In 1977, New York City was hit by a 25-hour blackout caused by multiple lightning strikes.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 25th year on the throne.

The Medal of Freedom was posthumously awarded to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star Warsâ&#x20AC;? was released. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was passed by Congress to ensure that ďŹ nancial institutions carry out their â&#x20AC;&#x153;continuing and affirmative obligation to help meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered.â&#x20AC;? Though perhaps the least immediately notable, the latter event has had the most enduring effect.

The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), founded three years before the CRA, released its annual report last week showing just how far equitable lending practices have come since 40 years ago.

Jaime Weisberg, a senior campaign analyst at ANHD who wrote and researched the report, said that while progress has been made, still more is necessary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re finding year after year that [bank] branch distribution remains inequitable,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You see we have a lot of banks in Manhattan but not so many in the outer boroughs. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still banking deserts. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely something that comes up again and again.â&#x20AC;? According to Nicole Smith, deputy director of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Financial Empowerment, 360,000 households did not use a bank in 2015, and another 780,000 had a bank account but still used alternative ďŹ nancial services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;New York City was higher than the national average in terms of unbanked and underbanked,â&#x20AC;? Smith said.

Additionally, bank access is still a challenge for immigrants, who often face issues providing the required identification. Weisberg said fewer banks are accepting the IDNYC,

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A report by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development analyzes banksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; service to New Yorkers under the Community Reinvestment Act. Photo: Benjamin KRAFT, via ďŹ&#x201A;ickr though Smith said the number has stayed at roughly 13 ďŹ nancial institutions. However, Weisberg noted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;more banks are offering products that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow overdraft,â&#x20AC;? calling this a â&#x20AC;&#x153;positive moveâ&#x20AC;? for lower-income residents who might not be able to afford a bank account otherwise. By studying both public and internally collected data on 25 New York City banks, the ANHD report seeks to monitor these institutionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; adherence to the CRA by gathering more granular data. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really a transparency tool,â&#x20AC;? she said.

It also illustrates the way gaps between banks and communities are bridged by, for example, community development funds.

Thomas Yu is strategic development officer at Asian Americans for Equality, a nonproďŹ t founded in 1974 that offers ďŹ nancial services like micro-loans to small business and home owners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look at the neighborhoods we work in ... and whether our clients have access to capital,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Homes and businesses] are the things that really build wealth and assets in a community ... and break a poverty cycle or integrate into American society.â&#x20AC;? The ANHD report found increase in community development lending â&#x20AC;&#x153;across the board, including affordable housing loans, loans to nonproďŹ ts in general, and loans to nonprofits for affordable housing.â&#x20AC;?

However, there is plenty of room for improvement. The study recommends numerous ways banks can increase support for their neighbors, such as having community development teams, dedicating at least

five percent of local deposits to investments that will beneďŹ t low- and moderate-income communities, and offering accounts with a minimum deposit of $25 or less. The report also makes clear the impact of not following its guidelines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are ... less than 10 years out from the latest ďŹ nancial crisis, which was a direct result of irresponsible behavior by ďŹ nancial institutions that targeted and misled poor and minority communities with expensive and unsustainable loans,â&#x20AC;? it states.

But banks arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t solely to blame. Weisberg pointed out the crucial role policymakers have in protecting these communities, and had recommendations for them as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Restrictions to protect rentregulated tenants is one really important thing,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Making sure rezonings are done equitably, because once thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rezoning thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much tension on that neighborhood and speculation is bound to happen... Invest[ing] in nonproďŹ t developers.â&#x20AC;?

The future of the CRA is in question now, as President Donald Trump recently promised sweeping ďŹ nancial legislation reform that could affect the bill. Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin produced a report that said Congress should consider rolling back regulations on certain financial institutions. In another 40 years, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still around, the CRA could look like something else entirely.

Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com

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

‘RESTORE OUR GOOD – WITH NEIGHBORHOODS’

BY BETTE DEWING

It’s our nation’s birthday and the “America the Beautiful” anthem desperately needs this new last line: “Restore our good — with neighborhoods — from sea to shining sea.”

Thousands of New Yorkers will sing it as they flock to the East River’s 4th of July fireworks display. They’re aghast by all the empty small stores and diners they’ve seen along the way — to be replaced by luxury private high-rises.

Ah, such a revolution is long overdue — while many New Yorkers care, only a relative few take action. And while the low-rise affordable housing loss is crucial, this is about the loss of small businesses that create self-sustaining neighborhoods — and community.

And how especially shocking to see a whole block going down. “Rome really is burning!” cried out some Yorkville residents viewing the First Avenue block between 79th and 80th Streets. “All the small stores and eatery places are on ‘lock out’ except temporarily, the Szechuan takeout place and Italian Village,” said Susie Coleman, of the greatly-missed original East End Avenue’s family deli. Others on the “locked out” list are: Cousins restaurant, Annaliese’s Bakery/Soup Cafe, Neergaard Pharmacy, a dry cleaners, a Nail Salon which replaced a computer shop and Eddie’s fruit/vegetable deli Market.

Eddie’s Market did note its impending closure with this poignant sign: “With a heavy heart we will be closing this weekend.” So there

was time for a column interview which all such losses need. And coverge that might even save them.

But awareness must be raised about not only the lasting loss to the community, but workers uprooted from longtime workplaces — fellow workers and longtime customers. And where are the jobs in this small-biz closure epidemic?

Thankfully, Italian Village will move only a block away. What about Szechuan? The loss of Cousins restaurant on the corner of 79th and First reminds us of the original diner run for three decades by cousins Peter and John. How ideal it was, with all-booth seating, a sit-down counter, thoughtful waiters and prices, and open almost 24 hours a day. But despite help from custom-

Voices ers, Senator Liz Krueger and Our Town coverage, the landlord would not renew the lease. And the loss to the community included members of St. Monica’s church next door, and AA members who came for coffee after the meetings held in the church basement. Another diner-type restaurant came in a year or so later and nothing was the same, though it was more popular than the upscale restaurant which replaced it..

Again, it’s a city-wide loss of community places to buy or break bread.

And a home away from home for many who are too much alone, and crucial for those who cannot walk very far. Stores like Trader Joe’s or Fairway are too large for them to navigate. The population is aging.

Again. the First Avenue block is a microcosm of most city avenues.

“But on the east side, new buildings, east of Lex, can go as high as they like,” said East 79th Street Neigh-

THE JUROR IS IN EAST SIDE OBSERVER

BY ARLENE KAYATT

Pride, pomp, circumstance — Summer is sure off to a great start. Gov. Cuomo this month appointed Judge Paul Feinman to fill the seat of recently deceased jurist Sheila Abdus-Salaam on the New York Court of Appeals.

Elected to the bench in 1996, Feinman is the first openly gay judge to sit on New York’s highest court. And his judicial roots are in Manhattan: He is an associate justice in the Appellate Division, First Department, in Manhattan after having served on the Supreme Court in New York County. He lives with his husband on Roosevelt Island, in U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s district, and she has been a staunch supporter as he progressed on the bench starting in the 1990s when the law of the land was “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and “Defense of Marriage Act.” Last weekend, in honor of Feinman’s appointment, Maloney hosted a Pride Month breakfast reception where she presented Feinman with a Congressio-

nal Record Proclamation highlighting his achievements. Several elected officials attended as did Judge Alex Tisch and Judge Tony Cannataro, both of whom sit on the Supreme Court’s Civil Branch in New York County. It was a proud day for the LGBT community and for all New Yorkers.

Wall of Dogs — Citibank seems to be rethinking its target audience. Just walk into the Citibank on Third Ave and 81st Street and you’ll find a wall filled with photos of pooches. Personal pooches belonging to those who bank at Citibank. As you enter the banking area, there’s a desk with a staffer who directs customers to the tellers, answers questions, AND takes pictures of pets — mostly doggies (cats and birds are stay-at-homes) — with an iPhone. The staffer will patiently take and retake the picture — I watched as, in one instance, he made three tries — until the pooch’s person is satisfied.

Ellie, a Pomeranian mix, was primped and posed until her photo was ready for the wall. Sounds cutesy and fun, but the bank that once said it never sleeps may be onto something. After all, monied and not-so-monied folk

Judge Paul Feinman, recently appointed to the New York Court of Appeals, and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney at a Pride Month breakfast reception hosted by the congresswoman last weekend. Photo courtesy of Maloney’s office set up trusts for their beloved pets or make provisions for them in their wills. So why not keep an account where the pet has a “relationship” with the bank? ... And who can say what counts as a relationship?

Lhota’s luck — No sooner did former Senator Al D’Amato get a commitment from former MTA Chairman and former mayoral candidate Joe Lohta on NY1’s Road to City Hall that he would be willing to return to his old job as MTA chairman than Cuomo appointed Lhota to replace the now gone Tom Prendergast as MTA chief.

That’s all well and good — but I hope that Lhota remembers that Yorkville’s

residents voted for him in his run for Gracie Mansion when he deals with the abominable bus service on the UES — First, Second, Third, Lexington and York Avenues. Not asking for quid pro quo, just mercy. Merci.

The corner of 86th and Lex — Kudos to Community Board 8 Chairman Jim Clynes for promising to appoint a task force to address community and other concerns relating to the mixeduse development being built above the train station on the northeast corner of 86th and Lexington. The more than $300 million, 230,000-square-foot mixed-use development is expected to be completed sometime next year.

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borhood Association president Betty Cooper Wallerstein. “Only the synagogue remains on Second between 79th and 78th — and up First and down Second, others are going and many already gone around 86th – It’s epidemic!” And zoning laws she’s long worked to enact, aren’t there to, at least, limit heights.

Every block needs a group to activate their residents, but on this nation’s birthday. may all concerned New Yorkers start leaving “Thank you — and really sorry” notes on “locked out” small business doors.

And above all, repeatedly post (nail?) “Save the Nabes!” signs on the doors of lawmakers. And keep singing out: “Restore our good with neighborhoods...” It can be done if enough of us try. dewingbetter@aol.com

Located at what was formerly 147 and 151 East 86th St., the project includes relocation of subway entrances and exits on Lexington and on 86th St. The building’s design requires that the Lexington Ave side of the sidewalk be expanded and the subway station entrances rebuilt. It also calls for the addition of a subway elevator kiosk to comply with requirements for accommodations for those who are disabled.

At this month’s meeting of CB8’s Transportation and Traffic Committee, the development team came to speak to and hear from the community about their concerns as the project develops and the pitfalls of the massive residential and commercial building. The community had questions about loading docks, street and pedestrian traffic, types of commercial tenants, where deliveries were going to be made for commercial tenants and for residents, and, why the New York Sports Club was no longer going to occupy the third and fourth floors of the building as originally promised, and on and on and on. Hopefully the task force, which will include elected officials, neighborhood residents, CB8 members, city agencies, the owner and developer, and the feneral contractor, will satisfactorily respond to and resolve community concerns.

Editor-In-Chief, Alexis Gelber editor.ot@strausnews.com Deputy Editor Staff Reporters Richard Khavkine Madeleine Thompson editor.otdt@strausnews.com newsreporter@strausnews.com Michael Garofalo Senior Reporter reporter@strausnews.com Doug Feiden invreporter@strausnews.com

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

VOICING NEW BONDS BOOKS Two mothers whose newborns spent time in intensive care start children’s library

BY BRYSE CIALLELLA

When Gabrielle Felman’s daughter, Marin, was born 10 weeks early, she only weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces. Marin was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital. Felman said she felt scared and helpless as she peered into the domed isolette that held her child. The tiny breathing tube inserted into Marin’s nose and the hard, clear walls of the beeping plastic universe punctuated Felman’s sense of anxiety. The whole environment felt abnormal.

Julie Rudolph, a close friend of Felman’s, had a similar experience. Her son, Nathan, was also a pre-term baby who spent the first seven weeks of his life in the same neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Two years have gone by and Marin and Nathan are now happy, healthy and adorable toddlers. But the mothers haven’t forgotten the emotional difficulty of having a sick child. Felman said they’re determined “to pay it forward.”

“We were thinking of other ways to support parents, what do parents from the NICU really need? I think we were both able to have a realistic concrete understanding of what parents really need. Because we are both early childhood educators also,” she continued.

In February, Felman and Rudolph began a project to help NICU parents forge bonds with their infants. They created the Lenox Hill NICU Book Drive with the help of hospital nursing staff, social workers and donors, The library on wheels is actually a donation-based book cart with an array of colorful children’s books. The cart is presented to every parent who has a child in the NICU. Parents choose one or two books and are encouraged to read them to their newborns. One of Felman’s and Rudolph’s objectives is to promote “normalcy in an abnormal environment.”

“I read a lot to Marin because,

WIN 2 FIELD Julie Rudolph and her son, Nathan, left, and Gabrielle Felman and her daughter, Marin. you’re there all day, it’s very emotional, and there is only so much you can talk about. It feels abnormal,” Felman said.

“So, I thought, ‘What would I be doing with her if she were home?’ I would be singing to her and I’d be reading to her.

So, I just started bringing some of my favorite books for babies and reading to her.”

Rudolph’s instinct was much the same. “You sit there, and you want in some way to connect to your baby. A lot of my friends gave me books in the beginning and said, ‘oh, this is to read to him.’ It was a very special way to connect. After his bottle or before he went to bed, I would read to him. It was just really special bonding,” she said.

Studies have shown that a mother’s voice is key to the development of a secure infantmother attachment. But there are also other benefits associated with reading to infants. In May, the American Academy of Pediatrics published research showing that “reading books with a child beginning in early infancy can boost vocabulary and reading skills four years later, before the start of elementary school.”

When Felman and Rudolph launched the book drive, they

solicited family and friends for book donations. “These books need to be new (hospital cleanliness standards!),” read the missive.

“We got 500 books or so. It was incredible,” Felman said.

Rudolph and Felman then set up the library, and introduced it to parents whose infants were in the NICU. A social media campaign pulled in yet more books.

The effort was initially conceptualized as a kind of renting library. It was ultimately decided that parents should be able to keep the books, and so far Felman and Rudolph have already given away more than 100.

“We are also hoping that NICU graduates will give back.

A little bit of a pay it forward,” Felman said. “It’s such an easy ask. Children’s books are inexpensive and easy to get.”

Both Marin and Nathan are avid readers, their mothers said. Rudolph thinks the children’s fondness for reading stems from their early exposure to books.

“Yeah, that’s how it started and it’s taken off. We really have an influx of books and we’d like to be able to help other hospitals,” Felman said. “This should be for all babies.”

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

More Events. Add Your Own: Go to nycnow.com

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GRAMERCY PARK 292 3rd Avenue @ 23rd St 212-777-3030 YORKVILLE 1491 3rd Ave @ 84th St 212-289-6300

UPPER EAST SIDE 888 Lexington Ave @66th St 212-772-1400

HELL’S KITCHEN 766 10th Ave @ 52nd St 212-245-3241

UPPER WEST SIDE 159 W 72nd St @ B’way 212-595-2500

LOWER EAST SIDE 80 4th Ave @ 10th St 212-477-6930

SOHO 55 Thompson St @ Broome 212-627-1100

CHELSEA 215 7TH Avenue @ 23rd St 212-646-5454 212-645-5454

UPTOWN WEST 2680 Broadway @ 102nd St 212-531-2300

LONG ISLAND CITY 30-35 Thomson Ave 347-418-3480

Thu 29 Fri 30

Sat 1

THE NEW RETIREMENT

BE QUIET! STORYTIME

Yorkville Library 222 East 79th St. 3 p.m. Free Find purpose in your “third act” with a certified professional coach: learn the values that are most important to you in this life stage, your life priorities, which areas you would like higher levels of satisfaction, how to create a meaningful goals, and more.

212-744-5824. www.nypl.org

LIVE PERFORMANCE OF BROADWAY’S ‘ANASTASIA’ Barnes & Noble, 150 East 86th St. 4 p.m. Free Based on the animated film, “Anastasia” tells the story of an amnesiac orphan Anya who may or may not be the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the last remaining imperial family member. Join special guests Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, plus cast members for a special live performance, followed by a CD signing.

212-369-2180. barnesandnoble.com

THEATER OF THE RESIST The Met Breuer, 945 Madison Ave. 6 p.m. Free #MetLiveArts in collaboration with media and culture writer Kali Holloway presents an eightweek summer series of edgy, timely and pointedly political performances and films, featuring: spoken word artist Emtithal Mahmoud, Shilpa Ray’s fire breathing Cyclops, and Kim David Smith’s Doomsday cabaret.

212-731-1675. metmuseum. org

LUCID DREAMS AND DISTANT VISIONS Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. 6:30 p.m.

This exhibition considers the work of 19 contemporary artists from the South Asian diaspora whose work explores notions of home and issues relating to migration, gender, race and memory across mediums and aesthetics.

212-288-6400.

Barnes & Noble, 555 Fifth Ave. 11 a.m. Free In this new book from author Ryan T. Higgins, all Rupert the Mouse wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picture book. He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends just won’t stop talking! Activities to follow.

212-697-3048. barnesandnoble.com

CONSERVATORY GARDEN TOUR Central Park, Fifth Ave. and East 105th St. A staff-led tour through three gardens in one. From a magnificent wrought-iron gate made in 1894 to a sculptural tribute to The Secret Garden, Central Park Conservancy staff take you on a guided stroll amid thousands of trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials and annuals.

212-310-6600. nycgovparks. org

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Sun 2 ◄EXHIBIT: PLANT PATTERNS Central Park Arsenal, 830 Fifth Ave. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free Plant Patterns features the work of Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao, Adrienne Elise Tarver, Karin Haas, Liesl Pfeffer and Nick Wildermuth. The artists use plants’ impressive natural characteristics as a means to explore various themes in their graphic works.

212-360-8163.

63. nycgovparks. org

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

needing to play catch up. Preregistration required.

212-768-4242. bryantpark.org

WRITING CIRCLE Yorkville Library, 222 East 79th St. 5:30 p.m. Free Need a quiet space to write?

Want to meet other writers in the neighborhood? Come join the writing circle at Yorkville! All writing styles, levels and genres are welcomed. Participants will free write in our quiet community room and have the opportunity to discuss their work with other participants.

212-744-5824. nypl.org

Hone a new hobby and create something great at this beginner class presented by Knitty City.

Yarn and needles are provided.

Call to register.

212-787-5896. bryantpark.org

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL Recreation Center 54, 348 East 54th Street 6:30 p.m. $25 Have you ever wanted to learn how to play wheelchair basketball and know the rules inside and out? Well, here’s your chance to learn from the best! Come out and scrimmage against other wheelchair basketball players from the NYC area.

212-360-3341. nycgovparks.org

FAMILY WORKSHOP P The Met Cloisters, sters, 1000 Fifth Ave. 1 p.m. Free Children ages 4-12 and their families are invited ted for an hour-long workshop shop in the branch of the Museum useum devoted to the art rt and architecturee of medieval Europe.

212-923-3700.

00. metmuseum.org

Mon 3 LEARN A NEW EW LANGUAGE E Bryant Park, Fifth Ave. & East 42nd St. 11:45 a.m. Free Bryant Park speaks Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and French with instruction by inlingua.

Learn a new language in these standalone beginner classes.

Classes are not cumulative, so you may attend any class throughout the season without

Tue 4 KNITTING CLASS▲ Upper Terrace Gravel, Bryant Park 1:30 p.m. Free

Wed 5 AIDS: ART & ACTIVISM Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free with museum admission.

Art exhibit examining how artists and activists have expanded the idea of caretaking and family and navigated the political stakes of domestic life in the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis, from the early 1980s to the present.

212-534-1672. mcny.org

◄ISRAELI FOLK DANCING 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. 8:15 p.m. $15 Dancing for everyone of all ages and stages. Open dancing with instruction of more advanced repertoire.

212-415-5500. 92y.org

11

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GEMS IN RELIEF Four centuries of portrait medals from the Scher Collection grace the lower galleries of The Frick Collection

BY VAL CASTRONOVO

Stephen Scher discovered portrait medals when he was an undergraduate at Yale. He was summering in Florence and spied an antiquary shop, where he was first introduced to the small disks. He held one in his hand, a transformational “magical experience,” he recently told the Frick’s head of publications, Rebecca Brooke. From then on, he was hooked.

He toured the medals collections of museums and made his first purchase in 1957, when he was a graduate student at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.

He went on to amass a world-class collection, comprised of nearly 1,000 precious medals and medallions (large

IF YOU GO WHAT: “The Pursuit of Immortality: Masterpieces from the Scher Collection of Portrait Medals” WHERE: The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St. WHEN: Through Sept. 10 www. frick.org medals), dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, 450 of which he and his wife Janie Woo Scher have donated to the Frick. It is the largest gift in the institution’s history.

“The Pursuit of Immortality: Masterpieces from the Scher Collection of Portrait Medals” celebrates the Schers’ generosity and the art form that originated in Renaissance Italy in the 15th century and spread to Germany, France, the Netherlands, Eng-

Cup inset with Jan de Vos (ca. 1578–after 1619). “Allegory of Vanitas,” dated 1614.

Silver, with gilding; 128 × 100 × 102 mm (cup), 57 × 44 mm (medal). Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection. Photo: Michael Bodycomb

Cup inset with Jan de Vos (ca. 1578–after 1619). “Allegory of Vanitas,” dated 1614.

Silver, with gilding; 128 × 100 × 102 mm (cup), 57 × 44 mm (medal). Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection. Photo: Michael Bodycomb land and beyond. Magnifying glasses are available in the galleries — grab one to take the full measure of this forgotten art.

“Portrait medals were one of the most important artistic istic inventions of the Renaissance,”” Aimee Ng, who co-curated the exhibit bit with Stephen Scher, said on a tour. She and the collector selected 130 items ems to showcase, small-scale — in some me cases teenytiny — portraits of kings, queens, princes, artists, writers and others among “the wealthy, powerful and culturally rally influential classes.” Think Queen Victoria, Josephine ephine Bonaparte, Albrecht Dürer and the Medicis.

Medals, associated d with awards today, originally inally functioned mostly to o commemorate individuals ls and events (births, marriages, riages, deaths and, as seen n here, historic upheavals such as the French Revolution). on). They typically featured likenesses kenesses of individuals in profile e on the front (obverse) and personal onal imagery on the back (reverse). Borders orders were often festooned with mottos os and elaborate iconography.

“It’s no secret thatt today modern museum-goers are less familiar with medals as objects of art,” Ng said. “All medals are sculpture — that’s the message of the exhibit.” These objets d’art allowed persons of wealth and status to “shape their identity and circulate it,” she noted — among friends and, in the case of rulers, subjects.

Considered fine art, on a par with painting and sculpture, medals could

be carried around and “were intended to be seen and felt, to be turned to catch the light and scrutinized from every angle, claiming attention from both the eyes and hands,” Ng writes in the catalog about these portable gems in relief, which had to be handled to be fully experienced. “They were never

Antonio di Puccio Pisano, called Pisanello (ca. 1395–1455), “Cecilia Gonzaga” (1426–1451), dated 1447.

Copper alloy, cast; 85.8 mm. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection. Photo: Michael Bodycomb meant to be static,” she said.

Museums can’t replicate that experience — the art here is still in cases, and you can’t touch it, save for one reproduction — but the Frick has

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

mounted a very inviting show, with vitrines that you can walk around to survey the front and back of the art, just as if you were viewing a piece of sculpture. A medal by Italian Renaissance sculptor Antico is mounted on what looks like a skewer — turn the handle for a look at both sides.

The painter Antonio di Puccio Pisano (ca. 1395-1455), better known as Pisanello, is usually credited with inventing the portrait medal, though its origins are “more complicated,” Ng states in the catalog, pointing to several predecessors. Pisanello was an innovator, nonetheless, who made the first cast portrait medals of contemporary individuals and, inspired by ancient coins but grounded in modernity, created a new art form.

He produced one of the show’s highlights, a copper medal of Cecilia Gonzaga (1447), a noblewoman who joined a convent rather than submit to an arranged marriage. Displayed in the entrance gallery, her portrait is “a perfect Italian Renaissance image,” according to Scher.

An inscription on the front announces the subject’s chastity: “Virgin Cecilia, daughter of Gianfrancesco I, Marquess of Man Mantua.” The back trumpets it with an allegorical image of a plucky alle female holdi holding the horn of a unicorn, which, according to medieval lore, acco could only b be tamed by a virgin. The disk slowly spins for 360-degree views.

There are a treasures galore, here.

A large gilt copper medallion of Josephine Bonaparte (ca. 1832), Josep Empress Consort of France, by Empr Pierre-Jean David d’Angers is Pier arguably the exhibit’s star atargu traction.

A posthumous portrac trait, trai the image looks hyper real. real Ng marveled at the “instantaneity” of the work. “It’s stan as if she just turned her head, to the point where her earring is just swinging back. He just caught that moment,” she said about the piece, which has a very modern vibe. vib Sit down in front of the silver wine goblet inset with Jan de Vos’ vanitas medal, “Allegory of Vanitas” (1614), “Alle for a full appreciation of this Dutch ap Golden Age masterpiece.

The medal’s m obverse portrait of a young woman decorates the outside of the cup. Peer into the cup, and the reverse image of her skeleton appears. The medal’s inscription: “Do not boast of tomorrow” (obverse) ... “Death does not delay” (reverse).

Carpe diem and head over to the show.

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Summer in the subway. Photo: Jason Devaun, via flickr

SUBWAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 an incomprehensible 15 minutes for a southbound 1 train at Times Square during a recent morning rush. “He just has to provide the leadership.”

His girlfriend, Monica Morley, a waitress in Tribeca, disagreed. “How can you figure out what the hell’s happening to the number 1 train if you have a full-time job somewhere else?”

In their profound disagreement, Green and Morley, each crying out for help, framed the issue perfectly. “Inspire and lead,” he said. “Get your hands a little dirty,” she said.

Lhota’s challenges are immense. One workload is daunting enough. Not to mention two. A modest proposal: Consider a summertime sabbatical as a compromise. That way, Green and Morley and the millions of other straphangers who might similarly clash would be satisfied.

Somewhat.

Indeed, it’s a safe bet that if he stepped down from Langone, at least temporarily, its 25,000plus employees would be eternally grateful. It could help make their commutes a little less hellish.

Is a leave or time off in the cards? Can Lhota fulfill his MTA duties given his commitments to Langone? How many hours does he expect to work as chair? The MTA is famous for not communicating with riders, so it’s perhaps no surprise that MTA Communications Director Beth DeFalco did not communicate or respond to queries from Straus News.

Lhota’s job description can be boiled down to two words — Subway Savior — which certainly sound like a full-time position.

But here’s how it’s been structured. He’ll direct the MTA’s executive management team, not handle day-to-day operations, and as chairman he’ll delegate those duties to a permanent, but yet-to-be-hired CEO, a position that, incredibly, has remained vacant for five months.

“Joe has a full-time job,” Cuomo said in his June 22 press conference after tapping Lhota. “This cannot be his full-time job, so he is going to be a true chairman.”

The governor said Lhota was originally reluctant to re-up, and gave his final, “Yes” just 20 minutes before he was nominated. The sticking point was not managerial, but rather a question of whether he could function in the time available to him, Cuomo said.

So now, the traditional one-person, full-time, chairman-cum-CEO post is being bifurcated, and the next MTA executive officer will handle the nuts-and-bolts — meaning 472 subway stations, 837 miles of track, 1,600-plus mainline switches and 13,000 signals.

Veteran transit steward Veronique Hakim, who’s been running the show since January as interim executive director, is seen as a lead candidate for the CEO slot.

While she’s viewed as capable, consider her language earlier this month as the subway crisis spiraled out of control. Hakim promised a “topto-bottom review” in which the MTA would “do our own forensics” and “attack this with an allhands-on-deck-attitude in a number of ways.”

Oh, and she’d also “consult with subject-matter experts internationally to see what other systems are doing.” She should go a little easy on the jargon. Lhota has no great love for bureaucratese.

Meanwhile, there is another dynamic at play as the second Lhota era begins at the MTA. And that is what role if any he’ll assume in the long-poisoned relationship between Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who trounced him by a 50 percent margin when they squared off in the 2013 mayoral race.

In a rare grace note, de Blasio tipped his hat to his former Republican foe, saying he doubted politics entered into Cuomo’s calculations because “few public servants are more capable” of fixing the subways than Lhota.

The MTA chairman may very well take the high road himself. Still, it may be instructive to look at a couple of his recent tweets.

On April 25, @JoeLhota posted that day’s Page One cover in the New York Post with an image of the mayor as a parade float suspended in midair.

“FULL OF HOT AIR,” the headline proclaimed.

“No plans, no money for DeB’s promises.” Referring to the reporter who wrote the story, Lhota wrote, “Poor Yoav. He’s never going to be able to ask a question ever again.”

Earlier, he tweeted a December 2016 statement he gave to the Wall Street Journal about de Blasio’s reelection prospects at the time.

The mayor, Lhota wrote, was “vulnerable to defeat” at the hands of a GOP nominee who focuses on his “incoherent management skills, his severe lack of honest transparency, and his overall demeanor of indolence and slothfulness.”

Ouch.

Now, maybe those barbed views have mellowed over time as de Blasio’s political stock improved.

But the fact that they’re still out there for all the world to see is not happy news for the mayor at a time when his nemesis the governor is proclaiming that the city needs to shell out a lot more cash for MTA capital projects if it hopes to see a service turnaround.

In the middle of that maelstrom stands Joe Lhota. It’s a place where he’s comfortable, a position in which he functions well, a situation that, one imagines, he may actually enjoy.

Yet still the question remains: After putting in 61 hours somewhere else, how much energy will he actually be able to devote to the fight?

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Wish You Were Here: Franz Kafka

THURSDAY, JUNE 29TH, 6:30PM The Jewish Museum | 1109 Fifth Ave. | 212-423-3200 | thejewishmuseum.org

New Yorker contributor Rivka Galchen appears as “Franz Kafka” in conversation with Jens Hoffmann, Director of Special Exhibitions and Public Programs. (Free with pay-what-youwish admission)

Lucid Dreams and Distant Visions: South Asian Art in the Diaspora Opening

FRIDAY, JUNE 30TH, 6:30PM Asia Society | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org Catch an opening reception and keynote panel on a new exhibtion of the work of 19 contemporary artists from the South Asian diaspora. (Free)

Just Announced | TimesTalks: Al Gore

TUESDAY, JULY 18TH, 7PM Tribeca Perf. Arts Center | 199 Chambers St. | 212-220-8000 | timestalks.com Al Gore speaks about the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, and the ways this may not upend the battle for change—the former Vice President will contend that the movement’s momentum is already unstoppable. ($50)

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

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

14

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JUN 14-21, 2017 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml.

Tal Bagels

1228 Lexington Avenue

BOOK DEAL FOR PREET BHARARA

A

PUBLISHING Former U.S. Attorney will “address the circumstances that led to his firing”

Starbucks

1488 3 Avenue

A

Alice’s Tea Cup

220 East 81 Street

Grade Pending (24) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewageassociated (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. Personal cleanliness inadequate.

Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Starbucks

1378 Madison Avenue A

Barking Dog Luncheonette

1678 3 Avenue

Starbucks

1378 Madison Avenue A

Barking Dog Luncheonette

1678 3 Avenue

A

Naruto Ramen

1596 3 Avenue

Grade Pending

Subway

455 East 116 Street

A

Thai Wok

1406 Madison Ave

Grade Pending (4) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Lion Lion

332 E 116th St

A

A

Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney fired earlier this year by President Donald Trump, has a book deal.

Alfred A. Knopf announced Thursday that Bharara was working on a book about the “search for justice” that would come out early in 2019. Bharara was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for seven-and-a-half years. His prominent cases included the conviction of Sheldon Silver, former Speaker of the New York State Assembly. Bharara was fired abruptly by Trump in March and has since said the president tried to cultivate a relationship with him, potentially compromising his

Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (center) at Financial Times reception in Washington in 2015. Photo: Rod Lamkey Jr., via flickr independence. He has called the conversations “weird and peculiar.”

Bharara expects to “address the circumstances that led to his firing,” Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards said Thursday.

Bharara said in a statement issued through Knopf that his book, not yet titled, was about law, but also “integrity” and “moral reasoning.”

“The law is merely an instru-

ment, and without the involvement of human hands, it is as lifeless and uninspiring as a violin kept in its case,” Bharara said. “People will regard a result as just if they regard the process leading to it as fair and if they believe the people responsible for it are fair-minded. That is the process I want to illuminate in this book.”

— The Associated Press

A SOMBER LAST MASS FOR ST. VERONICA’S FAITH The Christopher Street church was known for its advocacy in the gay community

BY ESTELLE PYPER

On Sunday, June 25, the historic St. Veronica’s Catholic church on Christopher Street hosted its last official services: Mass in English at 10 a.m. and then in Spanish at 11:15 a.m.

Both were led by the church’s pastor, the Rev. Santiago Rubio.

Sparse attendance of about 45 at the first Mass left plenty of empty pews, corroborating for some the main reason the church is closing after 120 years as a place of worship and a community cornerstone. St. Veronica’s merged with the

nearby Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard’s in 2006.

While St. Veronica’s was landmarked as part of the 2006 extension of the Greenwich Village Historic District, there is some concern the interior could still be altered. As of now, the church community is unsure of what the space will turn into. Parishioners continue to collect signatures on a petition calling for the church to be kept as is, including the in-house AIDS memorial plaque on the second level.

While there was no mention of the impending closure during Sunday’s Mass, a palpable mood of discontent hung over the congregation. Afterward, attendees expressed sadness as they spoke to familiar faces and greeted passers-by who had wandered through the

Holy Communion during the last Mass at St. Veronica’s Church Sunday, June 25. Photo: Estelle Pyper open doors.

There was a table set up in back with the petition and women asked around for more signatures. People took pictures and mingled with neighbors. “It’s a sad time, we appreciate everyone’s support,”

one of the women gathering signatures said to anyone who would listen.

The church closed the day of the New York City Pride March, “which is ironic for us,” church member Terri Cook pointed out, alluding to the church’s

history of advocacy for the nearby gay community.

One special Mass is still scheduled for July 23 — what parishioners are calling an “alumni” Mass, which the community is welcome to celebrate “We were all happy to see

so many visitors to the AIDS Memorial who also signed our petition to help keep St. Veronica’s open,” Cook said. “We are grateful for the community’s support and will continue our efforts to re-open the church.”

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

DEBATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Keith Powers and Bessie Schachter each previously worked as staffers for state Senator Liz Krueger and referenced their familiarity with government and the legislative process. Powers, who also served as chief of staff to Assembly Member Jonathan Bing and currently is a lobbyist with the ďŹ rm of former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr., said of his resume, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right type of experience that you need to bring to the job when we talk about issues like affordable housing, small businesses, [and] improving public transportation.â&#x20AC;?

Jeffrey Mailman, an attorney and Turtle Bay resident who serves as legislative director and counsel to Queens Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, cited his six years of experience in the council chambers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know most of the council members and their staff members and I know how to get things done,â&#x20AC;? Mailman said.

Maria Castro stated that she had never been an employee of the government or an elected official, and said that the knowledge she developed working as a consultant in the real estate and construction industry would help her to effectively negotiate with developers to create affordable housing.

Alec Hartman, co-founder of a cloud-computing business, said his experience in the technology and startup realms would bring a new perspective to city government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anyone on the council who has tech or innovation experience at all.â&#x20AC;? One tech-based proposal that Hartman said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d champion is a new uniďŹ ed system for affordable housing applications.

On the topic of housing, some candidates called for an updated version of the Mitchell-Lama program, the affordable housing initiative that helped fund the construction of Waterside Plaza.

Barry Shapiro, a 40-year resident of Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, said that quality of life in the development had declined in recent years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; evidence, he said, that affordable housing programs are not working for tenants as they were intended, and that leaders in the city council should pressure Democrats in Albany to reform housing programs at the state level. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m more for taking away some of the beneďŹ ts that developers are getting rather than extending more to them,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Vanessa Aronson, a former New York City public school teacher and foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, echoed Shapiroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call for city Democrats to use their platform to push for better outcomes in the state capitol. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our local Democratic leaders need to put pressure on the turncoat Democrats who are siding with the Republicans to keep the decisions made for housing in Albany rather than right here, where they should be made,â&#x20AC;? she said, referencing members of the Independent Democratic Conference, who have formed a coalition with Republicans in the state senate.

Marti Speranza said that the city canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rely on existing programs to meet its affordable housing needs and said she would push for new solutions, such as creating a community land bank of vacant spaces owned by the city that could be used as sites for permanent affordable housing built by non-proďŹ t developers. Speranza, the director of the city initiative Women Entrepreneurs NYC and former director of strategic initiatives with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Consumer Affairs, led the race in fundraising by a wide margin as

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

We need to take away every incentive that landlords have to keep these spaces vacant and ensure that we incentivize landlords to give leases to small businesses.â&#x20AC;?

Speranza advocated for a repeal of the commercial rent tax and proposed a system that would provide grants to small businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People come to this city because of its character, not to have a soulless neighborhood of Duane Reades and Chase Banks,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Mailman outlined a plan to form a task force on small businesses. Powers proposed a tax disincentive for warehousing vacant storefronts and said he supports Borough President Gale Brewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal that would provide tax relief

to grocery stores.

Aronson said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to take away every incentive that landlords have to keep these spaces vacant and ensure that we incentivize landlords to give leases to small businesses.â&#x20AC;?

Castro said that an audit of vacant storefronts should be conducted and proposed taxing landlords â&#x20AC;&#x153;who are speculating and warehousing storefronts waiting for the next Starbucks or the next big box store to come into their neighborhood.â&#x20AC;?

Huge Selection of Bibles Fiction/Non-Fiction Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books Greeting Cards .VTJD t (JGUT Original Art Events and More!

Democratic candidate Vanessa Aronson

of the most recent campaign ďŹ nance disclosure deadline. As of May 15, Speranza had raised over $176,000; her next closest competitor, Powers, had raised roughly $98,000. Public matching funds for contributions from small donors have not yet been awarded.

Schachter said the city needs to review project to ensure that developersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; promises are met. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually spending $1.4 billion every year as a city in subsidies that go to landlords, and in exchange theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supposed to build affordable units in a lot of these new buildings that you can see going up,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yet weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re never auditing any of those programs.â&#x20AC;? An audit, Schachter said, would allow the city to recoup funds not spent by developers on affordable housing.

Rachel Honig, a public relations professional and former special projects director with the New York State Council on the Arts, said affordable housing regulations currently in place need to be better enforced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ďŹ rst thing we have to do is hold the mayor and city hall accountable to the protections that are in place,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Powers agreed that new affordable housing should be created and emphasized the need to provide units available to seniors, with preference should be given to seniors who already live in the area. Hartman proposed ending the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;homeless hotelâ&#x20AC;? program and redirecting funding to improved senior and housing programs.

Rebecca Harary, an entrepreneur and founder of several non-profits who ran unsuccessfully for the state assembly seat held by Dan Quart in 2016, proposed a plan to incentivize doctors and nurses to move into buildings with senior populations and provide medical care to residents in exchange for â&#x20AC;&#x153;a little bit of a discountâ&#x20AC;? in rent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not happy with what the city council and our mayor is going to be spending next year for our city council budget â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a record $85 billion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but I will say there is new money in there for senior services and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Melissa Jane Kronfeld pitched a â&#x20AC;&#x153;post-partisan agendaâ&#x20AC;? including property tax and commercial rent tax reform and a shared storefront initiative for small businesses, among other proposals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problems that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re confronting and the solutions that we have to implement are far bigger than the party politics that are ripping our country apart,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Small businesses were a central topic of discussion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We truly have a small business crisis,â&#x20AC;?

Honig said, citing the struggles of retailers along the Second Avenue subway corridor during the new transit lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction as an example of government failing to help local business owners. Honig said she would prioritize steps to ensure that businesses are better served during the construction of subsequent segments of the Second Avenue subway.

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Business A NEW YORK TOP 10 From food to diversions, housing options to opportunities, the city is number one

BY FREDERICK W. PETERS

10) You don’t have to drive. I just returned from L.A., where you have to drive everywhere, mostly on congested freeways. In New York my first choice is to walk. And while I am perfectly comfortable taking a yellow cab or a dial car service like Lyft when I must, I am always grateful for our public transportation system. Even with the subway in its current parlous state, it still is more likely than not to be quick and efficient, while allowing me to read, listen to music, or just daydream. Same with the bus. I prefer to go UNDER the traffic but, if I can’t, I am delighted to have someone else do the driving.

9) New York embraces everyone, from everywhere. No matter where I go in our town, I interact with people of different backgrounds, skin colors and economic circumstances. New York is a truly open city. It provides a chance to anyone, regardless of their origins, who has talent and a will to work hard.

8) The food is great and easy to get.

Do you want gourmet French? Street food Indian? Burgers, fries and a shake? Tapas? Nouvelle American or

American cheese? You can find it all, most restaurants are open late, and you can usually call them and have it delivered.

7) Manhattan is vertical. I love the fact that Manhattan goes high rather than wide. Nowhere is ever that far from anywhere else. And that verticality also benefits our carbon footprint; we burn less oil per capita by living and working atop one another than we would if we were more spread out.

6) Central Park. What can I say? All cities have parks, and many of them are wonderful. But nothing compares to Central Park for size, diversity of habitat and accessibility. After 150 years, it remains one of the city’s transformative jewels.

5) Nothing stays the same. Tenement buildings become spiffy. Empty lots turn into condos. Warehouses become lofts. The Bowery, former home to alcoholics and has-beens, now houses hipsters. Brownstones in Bed-Stuy cost $2 million. There’s always a new surprise: a neighborhood, a restaurant, a theater or concert venue, that I haven’t heard of or been to before.

4) The city offers never-ending diversions. No matter what you love, you can do it here, any night of the week.

Broadway shows. Sporting events.

Rock concerts. Opera. Movies. Serious theater. Dance. The party never ends.

3) New York makes aging easier.

Because of Nos. 10, 8, and 4, growing

Photo: Matias Garabedian, via Wikimedia Commons older here limits people far less than in other places. And because the majority of New Yorkers live in apartments, with elevators, stairs don’t tend to be an issue either inside or outside the home. You can still enjoy a full life here on your own without driving, cooking or being able to walk too far.

2) Housing options abound. Sadly, fewer and fewer of them remain inexpensive. But from post-collegiate shares to opulent multi-room prewar

apartments in Manhattan, from flats in the Art Deco buildings on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, to the halftimbered mansions of Kew Gardens, to the water-view apartments of Bay Ridge and Coney Island, there’s something for just about everyone.

1) New Yorkers don’t fear too much.

Because we have seen so much, not so much scares us. We saw the towers come down. We’ve had bomb scares and bombs; we’ve had riots and black-

ON THE SIDE STREETS OF NEW YORK REIF’S TAVERN — 302 EAST 92ND STREET It is not every day that one can walk into a bar at 6:00 p.m. and be greeted by an 84-year-old woman in a soft pink cardigan sweater with pearl buttons, serving beer to her customers. “She is our shining beacon,” one of the gentlemen sitting at the bar announced. He then went on to say that Rosie Yurasits began working at Reif’s Tavern as a young woman, when there used to be a kitchen in the back.

She would cook side by side with “Mama

Reif.” Today, the kitchen is gone, but what remains is a room complete with a pool table, shuffle board, and a golf machine. Farther back is an outdoor garden. As for the origins of the bar, John and Bobby were two brothers who opened Reif’s in 1942, and then were clever enough to purchase the building. In 2017, the next two generations are still running the place.

To read more, visit Manhattan Sideways (sideways.nyc), created by Betsy Bober Polivy.

Rosie Yurasits. Photo: Alex Nuñez Caba, Manhattan Sideways

outs and scandals. We are wise about what’s dangerous and what’s not. Still, we are friendly, busy people, often in a hurry but usually compassionate and generous. New Yorkers are proud to be the embodiment of the glorious mosaic that is America. We would not have it any other way.

Frederick W. Peters. is chief executive officer of Warburg Realty Partnership

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

YESTERYEAR’S SECOND AVENUE LINE HISTORY The corridor’s elevated tracks were dismantled during World War II, for the steel

BY RAANAN GEBERER

When the first portion of the Second Avenue subway opened at the start of the year, it was the beginning step in the culmination of a long-held aspiration. A Second Avenue line was first proposed in 1919 and was a part of the city’s transit plans for many years.

Some tunnels were actually finished in the early 1970s, but the city’s fiscal crisis in 1975 put a stop to any further construction until the new century.

Yet, there was once another transit line on Second Avenue, a line known as the Second Avenue El. Opened in 1880, it was the last of Manhattan’s four elevated lines — which ran along Ninth, Sixth, Third and Second Avenues — to be completed.

The Third and Second Avenues Els were a block from each other because they were built by rival companies. Before long, though, the lines were consolidated and operated by the Manhattan Elevated Railway Company.

And in 1903, the Els were absorbed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Com-

pany (IRT), which built the city’s first subway.

The Second Avenue El didn’t run only on Second Avenue. On 23rd Street, it swung east one block and then ran down First Avenue and Allen Street to Chatham Square. There, it shared the Third Avenue El’s tracks to Chatham Square and South Ferry. Narrow Allen Street was completely covered by the El, making it known as the “street where the sun never shines” and a headquarters for prostitution.

As the Third Avenue El expanded into the Bronx in the 1890s and early 1900s, the Second Avenue El merged with the Third Avenue line above 125th and ran to Tremont Avenue or Fordham Road. When the subway’s elevated extension along Westchester Avenue was built in 1903-4, another connection was made in the lower Bronx, and a spur of the El ran to Freeman Street. My late mother, who grew up in the East Bronx, remembered taking the “Second Avenue Special” in the late 1930s from Freeman Street to Hunter High School.

Finally, another spur of the Second Avenue El went over the Queensboro Bridge, where it merged with the Astoria and Flushing lines. But with all these connections, the Second Avenue El still never had as many riders as the neighboring Third Avenue line. That’s why the Second Avenue line didn’t

run between midnight and the earlymorning rush hours.

The original cars on the El were wooden “gate” cars, with open platforms on each end and gates that had to be manually opened and closed by the conductor. At first, trains were pulled by steam engines, but later they were electrified. In 1916, the Second and Third avenue Els received several hundred “composite” cars, which were somewhat more modern.

The composites had a steel frame, a wooden body and copper sheathing, and they had been the subway’s original fleet in 1904. They were deemed unsafe for underground service because of the possibility of collisions and fires, but they were still considered OK for service on the El. Also around 1916, the Manhattan Els, including the Second, added a third track for express service. In some places, the street was too narrow for a combined local-express station.

“Hump” stations were built in these places, with the express tracks one level higher than the local trains.

Almost from the beginning, the Els proved unpopular with many New Yorkers. They were dirty and noisy, they blocked sunlight, they were much slower than the newer subway trains, and the typical elevated train was only about five cars long. After automobiles became commonplace in the

1920s, motorists complained that the El’s pillars were a safety hazard.

The main group pushing for demolition of the Second Avenue El was the First Avenue Association, an organization mainly made up of businesspeople, property owners and real estate brokers from Midtown and the Upper East Side. As Alexander Nobler Cohen remarked in “Fallen Transit: The Loss of Rapid Transit on New York’s Second Avenue,” the interests of Lower East Side or East Harlem tenement dwellers weren’t represented by the association.

Looking at The New York Times from the 1930s, it seems like every few months, the First Avenue Association made a new push to demolish the El. The April 24, 1936, issue tells us that the association presented a petition with 3,000 signatures in favor of demolition. In February 1938, the association sought funds to build an opera house — but part of the price would be tearing down the El. In 1940, just before subway unification, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia condemned most of the Ninth Avenue El, the Second Avenue El above the Queensboro Bridge and several of the Brooklyn Els. The lower part of the Second Avenue El and its Queensboro link were preserved because powerful Queens politicians wanted their constituents to have the option of a one-

CULTIVATING CRAFT FOOD Kfir Ben-Ari’s refined cuisine finds a home in Harlem

BY ELISSA SANCI

Although it was not obvious to him then, Kfir Ben-Ari was destined to become a chef from a very young age. Obsessed with taste, he spent his childhood in Israel attempting to extract flavors from the most unconventional sources — the first rain of the season and the freshly mown grass, for instance.

“I drank mud — filtered mud,” BenAri said, laughing as he recalled the time he snuck out of bed once his parents were asleep to collect the rain. Ben-Ari, who owns and runs the French restaurant Rendezvous in East Harlem, said he just had to know what it tasted like.

Rendezvous, on Eighth Avenue and 112th Street, opened in January. Following an eight-year tenure as executive chef at Paradou, the now-shut-

tered Meatpacking bistro, Ben-Ari decided it was time to open his own restaurant.

Ben-Ari describes Rendezvous, also known as RDV, as a modern French restaurant. He explained that, while he uses cooking techniques and flavors from the southeast region of France, he strays from tradition.

Ben-Ari, both a chef and a sommelier, relies on locally sourced produce and meats from the tristate area for his seasonal menus. “In the States, you just need to think about something and you can get it like that without any effort, so I like to put the effort back in by sitting down with my cooks and my general manager to plan purchasing,” Ben-Ari said. “It’s not only fresher, but it’s the right way to go. It’s better for the environment.”

Food isn’t the only thing that’s locally sourced at Rendezvous; the staff is too. “Community is very important for me,” said Ben-Ari, who has had a strong connection with Harlem since moving there nearly a decade ago. “I try to help the community and hire people locally.”

Rendezvous is at 2072 Frederick Douglass Blvd. in Harlem. Photo: Elissa Sanci He’s come a long way since eating grass spread on toast in Israel. BenAri’s culinary journey started after he completed three years of military service in Israel; he spent the following nine months traveling throughout South America, where he explored with his passion for food and cooking.

“I offered my hand in every country,” he said, explaining that he worked his way through South American kitchens during his travel. “I didn’t want money — just a place to stay, something to eat and to learn.”

It was during those nine months

that Ben-Ari confirmed for himself that he belonged in the kitchen.

Shortly after returning from his trip, he enrolled in the Institut Paul Bocuse near Lyon, France, to formally learn his trade.

Ben-Ari made his way to New York in 2003 where he worked as a line cook at Daniel Boulud’s Restaurant Daniel on the Upper East Side. Although he had planned to stay in the United States for just two years, Ben-Ari couldn’t turn down the opportunities that came his way following his stint with Boulud.

The Second Avenue El, looking south from 13th Street, in the midst of demolition. Photo: Marjory Collins, Office of War Information, via Wikimedia Commons seat ride to East Side and downtown destinations.

Partial demolition didn’t satisfy the opponents of the El, and the entry of the U.S. into World War II gave them the arguments they needed, according to Cohen. They maintained that the steel in the Second Avenue El could be best used as material for the war effort. In June 1942, the rest of the Second Avenue El rumbled into history. Second Avenue was left without a train — until now.

“Fourteen years later, here I am, opening my own restaurant, which is the biggest dream I’ve ever dreamt,” he said. “I made it a reality.”

But before Rendezvous came Caféine, Ben-Ari’s first small business.

Ben-Ari opened the espresso shop, located just two blocks from Rendezvous on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, as a way to “make sure [Harlem] was the right location.” He reasoned that if his European-inspired shop fared well in Harlem, then his French restaurant would as well.

And so far, according to Ben-Ari, Rendezvous has flourished. With 4.5 stars on the reviewing site Yelp, the restaurant has brought in mostly positive reviews from local patrons.

“People are coming back and bringing new people with them,” Ben-Ari said.

On Mondays, Ben-Ari spends time with his family; during the rest of the week, he can be found in the kitchen, embellishing classics such as foie gras and beef tartare with unexpected accents, and making an occasional round of the dining room.

But you won’t find mud or grass on the menu — those days are long gone.

“Once you decide to become a chef,” he said, “you look back at the old things you did and it makes sense.”

JUNE 29-JULY 5,2017

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

THE MAGIC OF MOVEMENT Principal dancer with MOMIX on pool noodles, taping reality TV and fostering wellness

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

As a college student in Boston, Sarah Nachbauer took a trip to New York City with friends who were going on a dance audition. A junior at the time, she thought, “I’ll go; I’ll get cut and I’ll go shopping in New York.”

As fate would have it, she never had her shopping spree, because she kept getting called back. And upon graduation in 2003, she had a place with MOMIX, a company whose members are referred to as dance illusionists. When asked to describe their unique style, Nachbauer noted body scu lptu re a nd unique partnering as setting them

apart. “We form our bodies together to create another image and then dance inside of that image,” she explained. They also employ the use of props on stage, giving life to them through their movement. And as for her fellow dancers, Nachbauer likens them to a familial unit. There seems to be no better testament to that than the fact that she is engaged to one of them. MOMIX’s 2017 season at the Joyce Theater runs through July 16.

involved. Where in modern dance, I think you’re given a little bit more freedom to explore yourself first to the movement. But, that’s happening a lot in ballet companies as well because there’s a lot more crossover. There’s a lot more contemporary ballet that’s happening. I think dance now is becoming a melting pot, where you kind of have to be able to rely on multiple different facets of it in order to create movement, the image and story. I feel like it’s joining forces in that sense.

What attracted you to modern dance?

I’m trained in classical ballet and modern dance. And with modern dance, there’s just a little bit more freedom, and more of a chance to explore yourself as a mover as opposed to fitting a mold of what a character has become. You know, like when you do the Sugar Plum Fairy or something, it’s kind of set a nd has its own character already

Can you give us an example of a prop that would be used and the story behind it?

So in this show, “Opus Cactus,” at the Joyce, we use a very simple thing that everyone will see this summer, which is a pool noodle. And we have covered them and manipulate them to be winding snakes around women who are snake charming them .... Without giving too much away, there’s still a lot of dance magic that’s happening.

We can’t give all the secrets away.

[Laughs]

Are you and your fellow company members all friends outside of work?

We’re friends for sure. I think we’re more of a family in that respect that we’re working together, living together, traveling together, and having dinner together. So I think you’re even more intimate with each other than you are with some of your friends.

I think you do become like this family unit and people start to represent what that is in the company. You always have your company mama and the little sister. You always have these little family dynamics. And there are times where something might happen and there might be an argument or you might not get along. And there are times, usually right after that, you make up because it’s like your family.

You don’t want to have that kind of relationship. You want to have love; you want to have respect; you want to have each other and hold them dear to you.

Because you’re spending so much time with these people. My fiancé, I met in the company. And then there’s a dancer in the company who I partnered with for almost 15 years or so since we first met. In some respects, he knows me much better without even having to ask, than a lot of my friends might.

You were on “America’s Got Talent.”

What was that experience like?

Sarah Nachbauer, principal dancer with MOMIX. Photo: Charles Azzopardi

That experience was interesting.

First of all, it was amazing we got to perform at Radio City Music Hall — what an iconic theater to perform in.

The theater’s breathtaking and there’s so much history there. So as a dancer, you feel connected to that spirit

Sarah Nachbauer trained in classical ballet and modern dance.

Photo: Jennifer Goodman. of what that theater has. And it was hard because every week you were coming up with these different little stories .... So we would have 15-hour days just kind of trying to get things right, trying to come up with stories that we thought that were in a broad enough of a range where so many people would be able to connect with it. And that’s also quite a challenge to get your mind in an understanding of such a broad range of people. And it is reality television, so they are there capturing your reality, and that’s also something that takes some getting used to. Where there’s a camera there, but there’s not. [Laughs] And they’re there to capture your true emotion — the frustration and the happiness and everything that goes along with that — because they also are trying to tell a story about what you’re going through as well. So it’s interesting to see those different levels of everyone trying to do the same thing, but in different mediums.

What are your future plans?

I’m a bit in transition. I’m 37, so at that age where I’m starting to think about family and not traveling as much and all of those things that go

along with other aspects of life that aren’t dance based. And it’s also, how long can I keep this longevity happening and my body going in this fashion?

And it’s still working for me now and I’m thankful every day that it’s possible. But there is a finite time. It will have to end at some point. It’s interesting because everything that happens keeps your life evolving. So I guess I’m just trying to find the next circle of my evolution. But, I have been doing some personal training and have been working for Tracy Anderson Method when I’m not on tour with MOMIX. It’s a different way of looking at the body and how it can move and how it can foster health and wellness. I think that’s a path I started to be attracted to, the path of health and wellness and how we can keep our bodies at their best for the most amount of time. www.momix.com

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

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Medical Front Desk Receptionist

Č&#x2C6; Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x2030;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2019;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x2026;Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Interview patients and record medical Â&#x160;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x203A;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Â&#x201E;Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x2039;Â? Â&#x2019;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x17D; Â&#x2022;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2030;Â?Â&#x2022;Ǥ We require: Č&#x2C6; Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x160;Â&#x192;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021; Â&#x192; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x192;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2020; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2022;Â&#x2021;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Knowledge of Oncology/Hematology Â&#x192; Â&#x2019;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; At least two years of exp working in Â&#x192; Â&#x160;Â&#x2021;Â&#x192;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2013;Â&#x160;Â&#x2026;Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2039;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2018;Â?Â?Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x192;Â&#x2022; Â&#x192;Â? Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Bilingual, English/Spanish a must.

Č&#x2C6; Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2013; ĆŹ Â&#x2026;Â&#x2018;Â?ƤÂ&#x201D;Â? Â&#x2019;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2018;Â?Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Provide administrative support, Â&#x2026;Â&#x2018;Â?Â&#x2020;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x192; Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x201D;Â&#x203A;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Â&#x192;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x2039;Â? Â&#x2019;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x2026;Â&#x192;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Ǥ We require: Č&#x2C6; At least two years of Medical Front Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â? Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2019;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Â&#x201D;Â&#x2018;ƤÂ&#x2026;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013; Â&#x2039;Â? Â&#x2039;Â&#x2026;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2020;Ǥ Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2019; Â&#x192; Â&#x2019;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Â&#x2018;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2020; Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2030;Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2039;Â&#x153;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2018;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x17D; Â&#x2022;Â?Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2022; Â&#x192; Â?Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013;Ǥ Č&#x2C6; Bilingual, English/Spanish a must.

Salary up to $30 per hour depending on Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2019;Ǥ Daytime hours Â&#x2018;Â?Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x203A; ÇŚ Â&#x201D;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x203A;Ǥ

Salary up to $22 per hour depending on Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2019;Ǥ Daytime hours Â&#x2018;Â?Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x203A; ÇŚ Â&#x201D;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â&#x203A;Ǥ

Applicants please email or send resume: Robert Nicoletti Â&#x160;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2014;Â?Â&#x192;Â? Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; ĆĽÂ&#x2026;Â&#x2021;Â&#x201D; Email: rnicoletti@nycancer.com Fax: 631-675-5066

New York Cancer & Blood Specialists Â&#x192;Â&#x2022;Â&#x160;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x2030;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2018;Â? Â&#x201D;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2018;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x17D; Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â? Â&#x2014;Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x2030; Í&#x201C;Í&#x2DC; ÇŚ Í&#x2022;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x17D;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;ÇĄ Â&#x2021;Â&#x2019;Â&#x2013;Ǥ 1500 Route 112 Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2021;ĆĄÂ&#x2021;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â? Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2018;Â?ÇĄ Í&#x2022;Í&#x2022;Í&#x203A;Í&#x203A;Í&#x161;

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