Our Town - September 14, 2017

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The local paper for the Upper East Side A SMALL BUSINESS PASSION PROJECT

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER

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2017

DACA: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE DREAMERS A longtime community leader on his involvement with an East Harlem group devoted to helping Latino immigrants BY STEPHAN RUSSO

In February I retired from a job I loved. I had been the executive director of Goddard Riverside Community Center since 1998, having started my career there in the summer of 1976 as a young and impressionable youth worker. As I rose through the ranks of this venerable West Side agency, I clung to the values of fairness, social justice and the power of offering a helping hand. Today Goddard Riverside serves over 17,000 neighborhood residents and has been a citywide leader in street outreach, supportive housing and access to higher education for young people who are often the first in their families to attend college. Yet it was time for me to move on and pass the torch to the next generation of leadership. Faced with the challenge of transitioning from community leader to community member, I wanted to put my energies elsewhere in the quest to “do good.” The instinct to find community, and be part of something that makes a difference, brought me to a wonderful East Harlem organization called CREA, Centro de Recursos Educativos para Adultos (The Center for Adult Education). I came upon CREA last spring after a conversation with an old friend and colleague. I related to her that I was interested in getting involved with a group working on immigration, particularly an organization deeply

A colorized postcard image from 1941 shows the giant, 17-foot, gold-tinted rotating globe in the lobby of the old Daily News Building at 220 East 42nd Street. One of the world’s largest indoor globes, it was used as a permanent educational science exhibit for schoolkids. Postcard: Published by Lumitone Photoprint, via Wikimedia Commons

CREA founder Maria Guadalupe Martinez (“Lupita”). Photo courtesy of CREA rooted in the Latino community. (I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1970s in Colombia, South America, and the warmth of that community has never left me.) “I know a marvelous woman who leads an education program in the Hispanic community,” my colleague said. “The program works primarily with immigrants of Mexican decent who never had the opportunity to complete their studies in their home countries and are motivated to improve their lives through education.” She put me in touch with Maria Guadalupe

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

‘TOO TOUGH TO DIE’ MEDIA A former Daily News reporter ponders the sale of the storied tabloid, reflects on its past glories, marvels that it has once again dodged a bullet – and prays for twin miracles, its continued survival and success BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

A single pointed word, perfectly chosen, speaking volumes. The telltale exclamation point that follows. A haunting photo that, once seen, can never be forgotten. The visceral presentation, in print no less, that can shock, anger, inform and take your breath away, all at the same time.

3 8 10 12

Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes

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This was newspapering at its most elemental, and, I would argue, at its finest: On January 12, 1928, murderess Ruth Snyder went to the electric chair at Sing Sing after she and a lover garroted her husband. And the next day, a photo of the execution ran on Page One of the Daily News. There was the one-word headline — “DEAD!” – topping a picture of a woman in a black dress, sitting upright in a chair, an electrode strapped to her leg, her face masked, head helmeted, an autopsy table at her side, at precisely the moment a fatal current coursed through her body. OK, it was lurid. And sensationalistic. Illicit, too. You can’t just snap photos in a death house. So a News lensman (yes, we actually called them that) smuggled in an ankle camera, a long cable release running up a trou-

ser leg, and recorded the horrifying scene. Now, why is this a good thing? It was the mission of “New York’s Picture Newspaper” to show, not just tell. Its duty to readers was to present a vivid account by camera, not just pencil and paper. The editors wanted to show you what really happened inside that execution chamber. Did they want to sell newspapers?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat and holiday candles Rosh Hashanah eve. Wednesday Sep. 20, 6:38 pm 2nd day Rosh Hashanah eve. Thursday Sep. 21 after 7:35 pm from a pre existing flame Friday Sep. 22, 6:35 pm from a pre existing flame. For more information visit: www.chabaduppereastside.com

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DON’T DEMONIZE PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS VIEWPOINT It’s misguided to link medical use with misuse BY LEIDA SNOW

New government numbers once again scream a staggering rise in drug deaths, but in most news reports, medical use is conflated with recreational misuse. And even though there is a downward trend in deaths from prescription opioids, and the upward data are shown to be related to increases in the supply and use of heroin and a mixing of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the government report still recommends “safer opioid prescribing.” When my back seized up some months ago, I embraced the heavy doses of prescribed painkillers, even as I followed the news about a national opioid epidemic. This wasn’t my first episode, and the overwhelming majority of sufferers could tell the same story of re-

current agony: Low back pain is the second most common cause of disability in U.S. adults. A snake had wound itself around my spine. When the spasm was ferocious, I couldn’t get in and out of bed on my own or find a comfortable position to lie in. The oxycodone pills let me sink into sleep. As I felt their power I cried in gratitude. As the days passed and the intensity of the episode subsided, the snake relaxed its grip. I noticed that the morning following the night found me in a nothing-seemed-very-important world. Realizing that my daytime feelings might be related to the pills taken the night before, I refilled the antiinflammatory and muscle relaxant prescriptions but didn’t ask my physician to reorder the industrial strength painkiller. I’m not alone: A PubMed review found that among those who take opioids for pain, the rate of addiction averaged between 8 and 12 percent. That’s a huge number of people but, it’s critical to note, most use these

meds responsibly, for short periods of acute distress. So is the opioid crisis a national emergency as President Donald Trump has declared, based on his bipartisan commission on opioids report? Or is the huge problem actually about recreational — rather than medical — misuse of drugs? Thousands of sufferers get hooked on strong pain relievers and move to heroin, some to minimize physical or emotional suffering, some to enjoy the euphoric feelings they give. Some want to avoid the symptoms of withdrawal, which can include drug craving and muscle spasms. The problem is critical and can’t be minimized. But there is another way to look at this, admittedly serious, issue. No matter the drug, most addictions start in young adult years by those who misuse medications recreationally and then get hooked. In the “Unbroken Brain,” neuroscience journalist Maia Szalavitz discusses a groundbreaking

program that treats addiction as a developmental disorder from which sufferers can be taught recovery. Osteopathic physician Craig Antell, director of ambulatory orthopedic rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center, said that “opioid addiction is a critical national problem, but it needs to be put in perspective and not sensationalized. We don’t outlaw alcohol,” he continued, noting that a 2016 Surgeon General report included alcohol as part of the addiction crisis. “More people die from alcohol-related causes every year than do from opioids,” Antell emphasized. He said the use of the term “epidemic” could lead regulators to prevent physicians from prescribing painkillers to those who need them. While I’m currently not taking any medication, my back remains stiff. For chronic discomfort, there are back exercises, yoga, acupuncture, shiatsu, physical therapy and the Mayo Clinic’s concentration on perception. I’ve tried ver-

Tablets of oxycodone hydrochloride, an opioid analgesic. Photo: Babypat, via Wikimedia Commons sions of all of them. And I have the muscle relaxants and antiinflammatories handy. But if I ever have another acute episode, I hope my physician will be able to prescribe oxicodone or the equivalent. It is critical to remember that the big numbers of those addicted, troubling as they are, are a small percentage of the people who need, and use, prescription pain relievers on a temporary basis. While a Blue Cross report states that the high dosage of prescription

drugs like OxyContin and Percocet has seen a corresponding rise in the rate of abuse and addiction, it also notes that opioids are more likely to be prescribed for select acute short-term conditions. September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction and Recovery Month. Addiction won’t end if prescriptions for pain are limited. Linking medical use with misuse isn’t a solution. The opioid crisis should be confronted with care and caution.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for Week to Date 2017 2016

% Change

2017

2016

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

0

2

-100.0

Rape

1

0

n/a

8

3

166.7

Robbery

4

3

33.3

80

58

37.9

Felony Assault

2

0

n/a

88

78

12.8

Burglary

2

4

-50.0

139

136

2.2

Grand Larceny

20

36

-44.4

918

940 -2.3

Grand Larceny Auto

4

2

100.0

36

60

MOTORCYCLE STOLEN SUITCASE STOLEN FROM JITNEY Here’s a disquieting story for Hamptonites. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 27, a 60-year-old woman got off the Hampton Jitney bus at West 82nd Street and Broadway and discovered that someone had taken her suitcase with contents valued at $4,300.

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One area shoplifter must have significant issues with his nasal passages. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 2, a man entered the Duane Reade store at 4 Amsterdam Avenue and took off with Mucinex valued at $1,084.

It appears that a local Century 21 store might need to post a new sentry. At 7 p.m. on Friday, September 1, a 33-year-old woman entered the Century 21 store at 1972 Broadway and made off with $1,400 worth of clothing.

Year to Date

-40.0

FRAUDULENT CHECK CASHED

It’s too bad that Honda vehicles don’t have thief-proof security as well as bulletproof reliability. At 9 p.m. on Friday, September 1, a 55-year-old man returned to the spot outside 52 West 83rd Street where he had parked his 2002 Honda motorcycle, only to ďŹ nd it was missing.

Another week, another unauthorized check story. At 3 p.m. on Friday, September 1, a 33-year-old man living at 200 Central Park West received notice that someone had cashed an unauthorized check against his bank account in the amount of $1,900.

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

BY PETER PEREIRA

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

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

WHIRLWIND

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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RETURN OF CIRCUS TO PARK REKINDLES TENSIONS PARKS Residents criticize Lincoln Center for using Damrosch to host what is now a for-profit enterprise BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

The Big Apple Circus is set to return to Damrosch Park next month after a tumultuous one-year hiatus from the venue during which the circus, formerly a nonproďŹ t, declared bankruptcy and was reconstituted as a for-profit business. But as Big Apple prepares to pitch its tent again in its former longtime home, it faces opposition from some neighbors, parks advocates and local officials, who claim that hosting the revamped circus in Damrosch Park is an inappropriate use of public land by a commercial enterprise, and may violate the terms of a 2014 legal settlement. Damrosch Park, a 2.4-acre plaza on West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, is a public park that owned by the city but operated and managed by Lincoln Center under a license agreement with the Parks Department. Lincoln Center

In March, the Big Apple Circus signed a 10-year deal with Lincoln Center to return to Damrosch Park for performances in October through January. Photo: Reed George, via Flickr hosts various programming in the space, such as free outdoor concerts and movie screenings, as well as larger events that occupy the park for longer periods of time, such as the circus and, formerly, Fashion Week. Until it ďŹ led for bankruptcy last year, Big Apple Circus had been a ďŹ xture in Damrosch Park since the 1980s, staging performances in the plaza for a few months each year. The circus, which had previously operated as a nonprofit, was bought at auction earlier this

year by Florida-based investment ďŹ rm and relaunched as a for-proďŹ t venture. In March, the reconstituted Big Apple Circus reached an agreement with Lincoln Center to return to Damrosch from Oct. 8 to Feb. 1 for the next 10 years. The circus’s ďŹ rst performance of the 2017 season is scheduled for Oct. 27 with tickets already on sale. Helen Rosenthal, the city council representative whose district includes the park, has criticized the deal. “They’re using a name of what was a

agreements for commercial events substantially similar in nature, size and duration to Fashion Week and for which access is not generally available to the public.â€? “It almost describes the Big Apple Circus exactly,â€? Bill Raudenbush, a local activist and critic of the new circus deal, said of the language in the 2014 settlement. “It’s no small thing that it’s for-proďŹ t and takes up almost the entire park.â€? (Raudenbush, who is running as an independent for the City Council seat held by Rosenthal, said that he credits the incumbent for her stance on the issue.) Rosenthal, chair of the Council’s contracts committee, plans to look into whether Lincoln Center’s new agreement with Big Apple Circus violates the 2014 settlement. “I’ve already let Lincoln Center know I plan on investigating this very seriously,â€? she said. Mary Caraccioli, Lincoln Center’s chief communications officer, said that Big Apple Circus’s status as a commercial enterprise is not an issue — circuses she said, are firmly entrenched as an appropriate use of public space. “There’s tons of legal precedence saying that a circus, forprofit or not-for-profit, is a park-like use,â€? she said.

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public nonproďŹ t to mask what is now a private company,â€? Rosenthal said. “I’m opposed to it.â€? Lincoln Center’s management of the park has been a repeated point of contention with some community members, who feel that the open space has been used too often for special events. Fashion Week was the subject of a 2013 lawsuit ďŹ led by community members and parks advocates, who claimed that the event, which was held in the park for several years, was an inappropriate non-park use of the space and violated the state’s Public Trust Doctrine, a common-law standard that holds that parkland exists for the beneďŹ t of the public at large, not just for some. The plaintiffs reached a settlement with Lincoln Center and the Parks Department in 2014. Though the impetus of the 2014 settlement was the use of the park for Fashion Week, some opponents of the new agreement with Big Apple Circus say that the settlement includes terms that are not speciďŹ c to Fashion Week and also apply to events like the reconstituted circus. SpeciďŹ cally, they point to a clause in the 2014 settlement that states that the city and Lincoln Center “intend to further expand public access to the Park by not entering into

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The High Holy Days: more than just services. Learn, pray, participate, and connect at OZ. SO FULL A VOICE FROM SO EMPTY A HEART: The Significance of the Sounds of the Shofar Lecture and discussion with Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz, Ph.D. Thursday, September 14, 7 pm, 127 E 82nd Street Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz is director of the Beit Midrash and Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS. No charge, RSVP requested. C O N G R E G AT I O N 212.452.2310 ext. 12. For High Holy Day tickets, call 212.452.2310, ext. 12. Visit orzarua.org to learn more about our programs.

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SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PLANNED FOR PARK ROW TRANSPORT Pedestrian, bicyclist access will be expanded BY CARSON KESSLER

The more than 1,600 bicyclists who ride in and around lower Manhattan’s Park Row can look forward to much-needed relief from extreme congestion along a half-mile stretch by spring. Mayor Bill de Blasio last week announced that the New York City Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the NYPD, would enhance pedestrian and cyclist access to Park Row. The project is tied to Vision Zero, the de Blasio administration’s traffic safety initiative. With the installation of a two-way bicycle lane set off by a concrete barrier, bicyclists will no longer have to pedal against road traffic or onto crowded sidewalks. The bike lane will enhance safe access to and from the Brooklyn Bridge without reducing roadway capacity, city officials said in a press release announcing the project. “New York has so many cyclists,” said Liza Pausma, a tourist from the

Cyclists along Park Row, which is scheduled for bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements. Photo: Carson Kessler

Netherlands. “These improvements will be useful for tourists, like us, because local cyclists seem to drift in and out of vehicle lanes.” Not just tourists will benefit from the enhancements. Abigail Weinberg tends to avoid the Brooklyn Bridge altogether when making her commute into Manhattan. “There are so many pedestrians,” she said. “[The improved access] will definitely make traveling over the bridge more pleasant.” Pedestrians will also benefit from a new crosswalk on the east side of Spruce Street. The crossings at Spruce and Beekman Street will be shortened by expanded median tips, curb extensions and extended medians. “After years of effort, I am proud that we have arrived at a design solution that strikes the right balance: increasing access through this corridor while at the same time maintaining the safety around one of our most sensitive locations, One Police Plaza,” de Blasio said in the release. The project also envisions reconnecting the Chinatown and Civic Center areas, which were divided in parts by security measures following the 9/11 attacks. Wayfinding signage will accompany the pedestrian space and

bike path to better direct pedestrian traffic towards Chinatown and Lower Manhattan. “Park Row remains an important artery for our community much like prior to 9/11 times, today’s new initiative is a right step toward that direction and we look forward to working for further improvements to enhance our accessibility and connectivity,” said Wellington Chen, the Chinatown Partnership’s executive director. DOT also will replace streetlights in the area with brighter and more energy-efficient LED bulbs. The Park Row bike path will eventually connect with the existing bike network via Frankfort street, including the protected lane adjacent to City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge. “Park Row should be a welcoming, safe, walkable and bike-able gateway from Chinatown and Two Bridges to the Civic Center, the Seaport area, and the rest of lower Manhattan,” the Manhattan Borough president, Gale Brewer, said. DOT expects to start work on Park Row from Worth Street to Frankfort Street this fall. Construction is not expected to affect bus service on the M9 or M103 lines.

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Voices

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

GRADUATING SENIORS GRAYING NEW YORK BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

Considering what I hear from my friends who have moved to assisted living or retirement communities, the feelings involved aren’t much different from the long ago move from home to college. The sense of loneliness, of dislocation, of unreality are much the same. When an 18-year-old moves away from home for the first time, however much he or she has been anticipating it, there

is often a feeling of shock. Where am I? Who are these people? Where are my old friends, my old bedroom, my old routine? Recently The Times had an article on this sense of displacement in new college students, and somehow it sounded very familiar. Aside from my own experience decades ago with similar emotions, it sounded very much like what I‘m hearing about leaving one’s home to move for an assisted living or retirement community. The same sense of disorientation, of loss, even fear. As beautiful as the new facil-

ity may be, it’s not “home.” Not yet, not for a long time. It’s a major life change, just as college was. I’ve even heard a retirement home called the “campus,” and one woman spoke of the need to get “off campus” and see old friends. Although these retirement homes sound idyllic to me — all meals, swimming pools, activities, people around all the time — I remember how traumatized I was years ago moving from one floor to another in my own building, so I don’t fool myself that it would be easy. Not that I can afford it, not by any means, so it’s moot for me. But since I prefer to be around people my age or older, it does have its enticements. I have many friends who love to be around younger people; they say it refreshes them, keeps them “young.”

Aside from my family, I don’t feel the same way. I don’t feel any sense of connection to young people, or even the middle-aged. Older people are going through what I am, we can all relate. Younger folks just don’t get it. For the very young, life stretches out ahead of them in endless years. The middle-aged are usually involved in child rearing and/ or careers. My contemporaries are usually retired, finding their way in the world without the schedule that work requires, dealing with various aches and pains, and looking at a limited number of years ahead of them. These are my folks! What could I possibly talk to younger people about? I know very little about new technology, and don’t much care to. I don’t have a smartphone or a smart TV; I don’t know

what the iCloud is, I don’t use Twitter or Snapchat. Truly, I, like many of my friends, feel invisible to young people. And so, in many ways, I’d feel right at home in a retirement community where I’m sure people chat with each other and not through texting. I don’t think I’d miss screaming children in restaurants and music so loud I can’t hear my friends talk. But as I’ve said before, there isn’t any way I can afford to move to such a facility, and maybe it’s for the best. I’m sure I’d have the same feelings that I’m hearing about regarding the “what the heck am I doing here?” thoughts that my friends, and friends of friends are dealing with. Interesting though, the parallels between new college students and new assisted living/retirement community residents. Food for thought.

TIME TO PROTECT CYCLISTS ON OUR CROSSTOWN STREETS As bike ridership surges, protected lanes and other safety measures are essential BY GALE BREWER

This summer, two cyclists were fatally struck in Chelsea. The first was a 36-year-old man riding east on a Citi Bike along 26th Street. He was hit by a charter bus just past Eighth Avenue, the first fatality in the four years since Citi Bike started. The second victim was an 80-year-old man, struck while riding near the intersection of West 29th Street and Seventh Avenue. If there had been protected bike lanes on those streets, these two men would probably still be alive. Bike ridership is surging in our city. As the Department of Transportation’s latest study shows, the number of New Yorkers who cycle regularly has grown 150 percent in the last decade. This trend is good news for New Yorkers’ health and for congestion; every person on a bike is one less person traveling by car through our increasingly congested streets or on jam-packed trains in our subway system. But we have to plan for growth in cycling — and the safety needs that come with it. Most of our borough’s crosstown

The Second Avenue Subway Transit Garden on the Upper East Side, configured earlier this year, includes a protected bike lane. Photo: New York Department of Transportation streets are far narrower than our avenues, which makes it harder to accommodate separated bike lanes on some of these roadways without removing parking spaces. And street design changes always rankle some – the few New Yorkers who own cars want to preserve parking, and all of us worry about worsened congestion when driving lanes are narrowed. But if we do not include more crosstown bike lanes, tragic collisions like the ones we have seen this summer will

likely continue. This is a no-brainer and long overdue. I am urging the Department of Transportation to embark on a study of Manhattan’s crosstown streets to determine which could best accommodate protected, river-to-river bike lanes with the least amount of disturbance to traffic flows. The city should plan to start building new bike lanes by next summer. Mayor Bill de Blasio should be commended for the work he has done to

expand our city’s bike lanes so far. In 2016, the Department of Transportation added an unprecedented 75 miles of bike lanes across the city, and 18 of those routes were fully protected. Last year the mayor also committed to installing 10 miles of protected bike lanes in New York City each year moving forward, and he increased bike lane funding from $245,000 to $690,000 in this year’s budget. It is nearly possible to the entire length of our borough in a protected bike lane — but there’s virtually no safe way to go crosstown. There’s more to be done — and bike lanes aren’t the only preventive measure. We should be looking into carrots and sticks to push intercity buses onto broader streets and keep them off the narrower side-streets where these crashes occurred. Intercity buses that veer off broad streets and designated bus routes have been a problem for years. One of the problems is these buses don’t have good places to go – capacity at the current Port Authority Bus Terminal is stretched to the limit, and many buses don’t even use the terminal as a pickup and drop-off point. As the Port Authority considers options for replacing or supplementing its midtown terminal, part of a long-term solution

has to include getting more buses off of the streets. Large trucks also pose a safety concern for pedestrian and bikers. Projects like the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel long championed by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler would help dramatically reduce the number of trucks on our streets. This is urgently needed — on Sept. 11, a woman on a Citi Bike was struck and injured by a truck on Seventh Avenue and 30th Street, just five blocks from the site of the first Citi Bike fatality earlier this summer. We must continue to implement life-saving street treatments like the creation of protected bike lanes. These improvements not only lead to much safer cycling conditions, they also have been found to improve quality of life and boost small businesses that depend on pedestrians. The Department of Transportation needs to conduct a crosstown streets study so we can determine which streets can best accommodate safetyminded changes. Even one preventable fatality is too many. We cannot afford to lose more New Yorkers to senseless traffic violence. Gale Brewer is the Manhattan Borough President

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source nyoffice@strausnews.com 212-868-0190

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Account Executives Fred Almonte, David Dallon Director of Partnership Development Barry Lewis

Editor-In-Chief, Alexis Gelber Deputy Editor Richard Khavkine

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Director, Arts & Entertainment/ NYCNow Alizah Salario

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CARNIVORES, REJOICE!

Cemetery Property at Affordable Prices

RESTAURANTS

- Single & Companion gravesites

Sparks Steak House, one of the last survivors of the old Steak Row in the East 40s and scene of a notorious mob rubout, is saved by a lastminute real estate deal

- Family Plots - Above-ground Mausoleums

BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

- Niche space for Cremation Urns

The outside of Sparks Steak House, at 210 East 46th Street in the heart of the old Steak Row, which once housed dozens of chophouses. Photo: Piffloman, via Wikimedia Commons September 11. Made world-famous by a spectacular Mafia assassination that took place outside its doors in 1985, the eatery, which was opened by the Cetta family in 1966 at 123 East 18th Street before its migration to midtown, had faced possible closure on August 31. That was when its belowmarket lease expired, the family business was suddenly faced with the prospect of a rent hike as steep as 100 percent, and its future looked pretty dire. In fact, co-owner Michael Cetta filed a so-called WARN Notice on May 26 with the State Department of Labor — which requires businesses to give employees early warnings of closures and layoffs — saying that Sparks was preparing to let 87 unionized workers go due to “possible non-renewal of lease.â€? The jobs of waiters and busboys and dishwashers and chefs hung in the balance. Meanwhile, talks between the Cettas and the property’s owner, The Durst Organization — which was founded by Joseph Durst in 1915, the same year as Joe & Rose’s opened — went down to the wire. Eventually, the parties hammered out a deal that called for a signiďŹ cant rent hike, but not the doubling the family had initially feared, which would have forced it to shutter or relocate. “We met at the ‘market,’â€? said Jordan Barowitz, Durst’s principal spokesman, referring to the area’s market rate. In a statement, Jody Durst, the company’s president, added, “Sparks has been a neighborhood staple since the late

1970s. They are our oldest East Side tenant, and we are thrilled with their success in the competitive restaurant business and pleased they will remain in our portfolio.� The father-and-son owners, Michael and Steven Cetta, didn’t return calls seeking comment. Oh, and about that mob rubout: It was a double assassination actually, which federal prosecutors later proved took place on the orders of John Gotti, the late Gambino crime family boss, and for better or worse, it gave Sparks a special kind of cachet for New Yorkers and tourists alike that resonates to this day. It was broad daylight on December 16, 1985, and Paul Castellano, better known as “Big Paul� and then the Gambino family’s reigning don, was in a Lincoln Town Car being driven to Sparks by his underbossbodyguard-chauffeur Thomas Bilotti. As they pulled into a “No Parking� zone in front of the restaurant, four gunmen wearing matching white trench coats and black Russian fauxfur hats pulled semi-automatic handguns from their coat pockets and shot both men in the face and head multiple times. Gotti was said to have watched the twin executions from down the block, and a few weeks later, he assumed Big Paul’s job duties, his racketeering trial later revealed. The Cettas have never denied that the episode proved a boost to their business. And inside Sparks, it is still referred to as “The Incident.�

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East 45th Street and a handful of neighboring blocks between Second and Lexington Avenues once sported more steakhouses than existed in entire American cities. Served by the slaughterhouses on the East River that were demolished in the 1940s to make way for the United Nations, the restaurateurs of “Steak Rowâ€? liked to boast that they “fed more carnivores than Chicago and Omaha put together.â€? But tastes, diets and demographics changed. Carbohydrates became a dirty word. Wall Street steak-lovers started to dine elsewhere. Red-meat joints in the area became, well, done. Or at least, medium-rare: Joe & Rose’s, opened in 1915 at Third Avenue off 46th Street, shut its doors. Crist Cella, opened in 1923 at 160 East 46th Street, closed down. The original Palm, opened in 1926 on Second Avenue off 45th Street, shuttered in 2015, though Palm Too still carries on across the street. Any steakhouse graveyard would have to include Pen & Pencil, Danny’s Hideaway & His Inferno, The Editorial, and the original Pressbox, all on 45th Street. Then add Scribe’s, Fourth Estate, Late Edition and The Front Page. The list goes on, the vanished chophouse names paying homage to a largely male clientele that then labored in the newspaper, printing, publishing and advertising trades. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that one of Steak Row’s most endangered species just won a new lease on life — literally — and will continue serving its high-caloric repasts to loyal chowhounds and connoisseurs, gastronomes and gluttons, until at least 2032. Sparks Steak House, at 210 East 46th Street, just inked a new 15-year lease for the 22,924-square-foot restaurant space it has occupied since 1977, its landlord conďŹ rmed on

Bilingual German After School Program

NY State Accredited Language Program Low Tuition Minimum Age: 6 Years No Previous German Necessary Classes Meet Once a Week from 4:30-6:15 4QFDJBM :PVUI DMBTT BHF HSPVQ t 0UIFS $MBTTFT "HFT Three convenient locations in the Greater New York Area: Manhattan(Upper East Side) Franklin Square (LI) and Garden City (LI).

Classes start second week in September For more information see:

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SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

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

Thu 14 Fri 15 ON WRITING, IMMIGRATION AND BELONGING

LISA LUCAS AND YANICK LAHENS IN CONVERSATION

The Center for Fiction 17 East 47th St. 7 p.m. Free What does it mean to find home as a writer? Authors Rumaan Alam, Nicole DennisBenn, Garnette Cadogan, Rigoberto Gonzalez and Porochista Khakpour talk immigration and finding their place in a global center like New York. Presented by the National Book Critics Circle and the Brooklyn Book Festival. 570-362-6657 brooklynbookfestival.org

Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave. 7 p.m. Free Welcome award-winning Haitian author Yanick Lahens and Executive Director of the National Book Foundation Lisa Lucas for a conversation on Lahens’s latest novel in English “Moonbath”, winner of the 2014 Prix Fémina and 2016 French Voices Award. 212-650–0070 albertine.com

HISTORY BEHIND THE SCENES New-York Historical Society 170 Central Park West 6:15 p.m. $69 Witness how conservators prepare, treat, install and de-install library and museum paper-based collections for exhibitions and loans in this behind-the-scenes tour of the Historical Society’s conservation lab. Participants get the chance to try the techniques themselves. 212-873-3400 nyhistory.org/programs

COLLEGE NIGHT AT THE FRICK The Frick Collection 1 East 70th St. 6 p.m. Free for undergraduate and graduate students Hob-nob in a beautiful Gilded Age mansion and discover great works of art at the Frick’s special college night. Festivities include live music, gallery talks, sketching and more. Principal support for College Night is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. 212-288-0700 frick.org/programs

Sat 16 CREATIVITY IN TIMES OF CONFLICT Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. 1 p.m. Free Registration required Artists FX Harsono and Htein Lin, from Indonesia and Myanmar, respectively, will discuss the impact that dramatic sociopolitical change had on their creative processes. Michelle Yun, senior curator of modern and contemporary art at the Asia, moderates. 212-288-6400 asiasociety.org/new-york/ events

POSTER DESIGN FOR TEENS ▲ The Met, 1000 Fifth Ave. 1 p.m. Free Inspired by posters and prints in The Met’s collection, develop your own unique poster using printmaking, stamping, and stenciling techniques with teaching artist Jackie Cedar. Ages 15-18; no prior experience necessary. 212-535-7710 metmuseum.org/events

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

Sun 17 Mon 18 Tue 19 SOCIAL GOOD SUMMIT 92nd Street Y 1395 Lexington Ave. 10 a.m. $100 By 2030, what do we want our world to look like? That’s the question addressed at event, which unites progressive thought leaders from across the globe to explore, among other themes, how we can unlock technology’s potential to make the world a better place. 212-415-5500 92y.org

LATINO/A WRITERS ON DIVERSITY IN GENRE FICTION New York Society Library 53 East 79th St. 3 p.m. Free Registration required Latino/a writers Carlos Hernandez, Richie Narvaez and Sabrina Vourvoulias will discuss issues in writing and publishing genre ďŹ ction and celebrate “Latin@ Rising,â€? a new collection of science ďŹ ction and fantasy stories edited by Matthew David Goodwin. 212-288-6900 nysoclib.org

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DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE FOOD BUSINESSES Cooper Hewitt 2 East 91st St. 6:30 p.m. $15 How can local businesses support food startups and design new systems that promote sustainability and inclusivity? Find out at this discussion with progressive food entrepreneurs working toward environmental sustainability. 212-849-8400 cooperhewitt.org

THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY Guggenheim Museum 1071 Fifth Ave. 7:30 p.m. $40 Choreographer John Heginbotham and author/ illustrator Maira Kalman discuss their newest collaboration, a whimsical dance production inspired by Kalman’s words. This event is part of the Guggenheim’s Works & Process series, which explores artistic creation. 212-423-3500 guggenheim.org/event

Intergenerational After School Program for 3 rd and 4th Graders

THE MAN BEHIND THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE â–ź New York Society Library 53 East 79th St. 6:30 p.m. $15, registration required Discover the story behind one of New York’s most iconic structures in “Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge.â€? Erica Wagner, former literary editor of “The London Times,â€? discusses her biography. 212-288-6900 nysoclib.org

ILLUSTRATED MAPS OF NEW YORK CITY The New York Public Library Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street 6 p.m. Free Orient yourself with this ongoing exhibit of pictorial maps, which span 180 years of history and illuminates Gotham in intriguing ways. Guest curator Katharine Harmon shares additional maps from the library’s collections. 917-275-6975 nypl.org/events

KZKdÍ›Ć? /ĹśĆšÄžĆŒĹ?ÄžĹśÄžĆŒÄ‚ĆšĹ?ŽŜÄ‚ĹŻ ŽŽŏ ƾĚĆ? is a free weekly after school book discussion program that nurtures a natural love of reading by bringing together youth and older adults. Together they read the books DORXG DQG GLVFXVV WKH WKHPH RI DSSUHFLDWLQJ SHRSOHÂśV GLIIHUHQFHV (DFK session also includes art and other interactive activities that go along with the theme of the books. tĞĚŜĞĆ?ĚĂLJĆ? ĨĆŒŽž Ď° Ͳ Ϲ͗ϯϏ WD ZÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÄ‚ĆšĹ?ŽŜ Ĺ?Ć? ŽƉĞŜ͊ Visit dorotusa.org/book for our 2017 schedule, or contact Shai Rosenfeld at 917-441-5051 or srosenfeld@dorotusa.org for more information. 171 West 85th Street, New York, NY

Wed 20 TEACH-IN: THE END OF PUBLIC EDUCATION Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Blvd. 7 p.m. Free In the spirit of teach-ins developed to advance social movements, join Khalil Gibran Muhammad for a discussion on education policy with Noliwe Rooks, author of the forthcoming book “Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education.� 212-491-2200 schomburgcenter.org

CENTRAL PARK HORSE SHOW

Photo by Tiago Fioreze, via Wikimedia Commons

Wollman Rink in Central Park 830 Fifth Ave. 6:30 p.m. $50 Trot on over to the Central Park Horse Show, which highlights the athleticism and majesty of these elegant animals. The event opens on the evening of Sept. 20 with the Arabian horse show, presented by Aljassimya Farm. 844-319-2747 cphs.coth.com

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SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

‘THE RISE AND FALL OF TIMES SQUARE’ “The Deuce” recaptures the area’s peep shows, gin mills and massage parlors of the early 1970s BY FRAZIER MOORE

You don’t have to look far to find a New Yorker who beefs about what 42nd Street has become. That stretch between Eighth Avenue and Broadway just off Times Square: It’s now a frothy family friendly cauldron of theaters, eateries and other tourist draws that many natives denounce as “Disneyfied.” By any description, it’s a stunning transformation from the urban slag of peep shows, gin mills and massage parlors known as “the Deuce” back in 1971 — the time and place in which a magnificent new HBO drama series, “The Deuce,” is immersed. (Its eightepisode season premiered Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern.) For devotees of “The Wire” and “Treme,” nothing more need be said

about “The Deuce” than it was cocreated by David Simon and George Pelecanos, who can lay claim to those extraordinary dramas. Pelecanos’ shorthand for his new series: “the rise and fall of Times Square.” More specifically, this first season tracks the rise of the flesh trade from what was then called “smut” and what jokester Johnny Carson dubbed “strolling hostesses” to today’s billion-dollar industry whose wares are just a cellphone call away. From its first scenes, “The Deuce” gets under your skin. As on “The Wire” (set in Baltimore) and “Treme” (New Orleans), this new series populates its chosen world with a rich spectrum of characters that range from pimps and prostitutes and drug dealers to mobsters and dirty cops and even a New York University dropout-turned-barmaid. But among the series’ splendid ensemble, the greater among equals

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Candy in “The Deuce.” Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

James Franco in twin roles in “The Deuce.” Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO are Maggie Gyllenhaal as a defiantly entrepreneurial hooker who sees adult films as her ticket to success and James Franco, who tackles twin roles as identical twins: Vincent, an oddly high-minded bar owner who fronts for the mob, and Frankie, a rascally, trouble-courting cad. The denizens of the Deuce trace intertwined narratives that unspool in matter-of-fact yet lyrical fashion, all set against an exactingly re-created Big Apple of nearly a half-century ago. Perhaps no one is more knocked out by this production-design wizardry than Franco. “You watch all the old (Martin) Scorsese and Sidney Lumet films that I love from that era, and all they had to do was put their cameras where they wanted and it was fine,” he says. “But not only did we have to set up all the shots, we also had to make up everything you see in the frame.” On top of that were his dual roles, which include scenes where, with cinematic fluency, he interacts with himself in the same frame. It’s no small trick. “I go in usually as Vincent first,” explains Franco in a soft, confiding tone as he leans in to his interviewer, “just because of the way the makeup and the hair worked, even though I would have rather done Frankie first, since he’s the more extroverted one. And

then I’d do Frankie. And each time, the actor playing opposite me” — a place-holder in the two-shot — “would remember what I did with the other brother from when we rehearsed, so he could do it himself.” All that, plus in two of the episodes, Franco is also directing himself. “It’s a real case of compartmentalizing,” he says. By phone, Pelecanos noted that onscreen twins played by a single actor are usually each given distinctive grooming or garb. Not here, apart from a helpful cut on Vincent’s forehead in the earlier episodes that help viewers get accustomed to telling the two characters apart. “We kept them very similar in the way they look,” Pelecanos said. “What Franco did to differentiate the characters was all acting. Not just line delivery, but his posture, the way he walked — that was all him. What he did with the twins was really great.” Vincent and Frankie are based on real-life twins, with the bar that “Vincent” actually ran in the early `70s a well-known hangout for all types of people. “Gays, straights, prostitutes, pimps, cops, porn actors — everybody was welcome,” Pelecanos said. “That was real attractive to us dramatically.” But the series’ central theme — an

explosion in the sex trade as obscenity laws began to fall away — was much more difficult to dramatize. “This is a tough show to do without being exploitative,” Pelecanos said. “And if, in the end, we have done that, we’re guilty of the thing we’re presenting. But hopefully, we hit the mark. If you look at the scenes where they’re making porn, it’s not sexy at all.” (As evidence, look no further than Episode Two’s potato soup.) Future seasons of “The Deuce” will follow the porn boom, the sexual revolution and, all too soon, the scourge of AIDS. By the mid-’80s, the ease and economy of video production would spell the end of back-room porn films. Then the porn industry moved out West. By the 1990s, on the eve of Time Square’s cloying renaissance, 42nd Street had been left to rot. With that much story left to tell, Franco is itching to get a green light for Season 2. “I remember walking around New York last summer when we were filming the first season and just thinking, This is the dream! The best writers in television. An incredible cast. And not only one great role, but TWO great roles.” He flashes a smile as only James Franco can. “This is as good as it gets!”

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MAKING THEIR MAARKAH FASHION Designers from the Middle East and North Africa make their debut at NYFW BY ALIZAH SALARIO

Moroccan fashion designer Khaoula Ouilal runs her fingers along the hand-sewn sequins and ornate braided piping, called sfifa, that embellish a blush-colored gown. Her design glints in the afternoon light pouring into Studio 450, an airy loft space Chelsea. Ouilal, 27, is about an hour away from unveiling the collection she created in a Marrakesh studio on a New York runway. Ouilal is one of ten designers who presented her fall collection at MAARKAH, a Fashion Week showcase on September 11 featuring designers of Middle Eastern and African descent. Far from the mainstage and the hoopla of celebritydriven runways, the show drew a quiet crowd. MAARKAH, meaning brand in Arabic, was produced by the fashion promotion agency Runway Prestige and Rabab Abdalla, who wanted to see greater representation of Middle Eastern and African designers in mainstream American fashion. “We’re putting a spotlight on them so that they become the brand, the maarkah,” says Abdalla. Inclusion has long been an issue during Fashion Week, from the narrow standards of beauty and body shapes on display on runways to the lack of diversity among designers. In recent years, efforts have been made toward greater diversity. “I like the initiative,” says designer Houda El Fechka. “I think it’s time to get this kind of fashion in New York Fashion Week.” El Fechka, who was born in Holland to Moroccan parents, wears aviator sunglasses and pristine cream-colored sneakers. A bold rhinestone brooch pins the fabric of her hijab over one shoulder. She previously presented a couture collection at New York Fashion Week, but this is the first time she will show looks that incorporate elements of traditional Moroccan design. Inspired by a recent trip to Andalusia, her fall line reflects the Arabic influences in Spanish culture. Many of her designs juxtapose unexpected fabrics, shapes and silhouettes — lace on caftans, for instance — to create a look she describes as sensual, elegant and more theatrical than her previous collections. “I always believe that fashion is a language we all speak, whether Muslim, non-Muslim, Christian, Jewish,” says El Fechka. The language of fashion inspired Michal Hidas, an Israeli designer who studied and worked in Milan, to co-create the “Bridging” collection. After volunteering with Israeli children recovering from trauma after the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza, she wanted to learn more about how children in Gaza were coping with trauma. Hidas began Googling the same phrases in Hebrew, English and Italian, and realized that vastly different images appeared depending on which language she typed into the search engine. “You see something completely different, and you don’t know what is the reality,” say Hidas. “You only know what’s happening by speaking to people.” Hidas then began reaching out to artists and

From Israeli designer Michael Hidas’s “Bridging” collection with a Palestinian artist. Photo: Alizah Salario

Moroccan-American designer Issam Balalioui. Photo: Alizah Salario designers throughout the Muslim world on social media, and developed an online friendship with a Palestinian artist and architect. Though the two have never met in person — he cannot leave Gaza, and she cannot enter — they collaborate online. The Palestinian artist created a series of freehand drawings, which are printed in bold colors and patterns on dresses that Hidas designed. The result is a collection called Bridging. As Moroccan-American designer Issam Balalioui prepares to launch his fall collection on the runway, he wears tinted sunglasses a mesh trucker hat pulled down low. Once the show begins, he’ll swap it out for a tarbouche, the deep red brimless cap topped with a silk tassel traditionally worn by Muslim men in Morocco. “There’s a lot of color in my show,” he says. Balalioui, who earned his degree in business administration and worked in sales in the U.S. before returning to Morocco and pursuing fashion, takes pride in mixing aesthetics and accessories from different cultures. For Balalioui, East and West, and modern and traditional, are not mutually exclusive categories. El Fechka too designs without borders, and with a person’s character in mind, not their country of origin. “I design for the strong woman that knows what she wants, and is confident, and ready to conquer the world.”

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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS AUG 28 - SEP 6, 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. JG Melon Restaurant

1291 3 Avenue

A

Yia Yia

404 E 69th St

A

Mokja

1663 1st Ave

A

Sweetgreen

1500 3rd Ave

A

Carnegie Cup Cafe

1080 Park Ave

A

Zesty Pizza & Salumeria

1670 3rd Ave

A

Merrion Square

1840 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (20) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.

Bagels And More

1585 3rd Ave

A

Go Cups

1838 2nd Ave

A

El Nuevo Caridad Restaurant

225759 2nd Ave

A

Yummy City

1557 Lexington Avenue

A

BM Deli & Grocery

1916 3rd Ave

Not Yet Graded (21) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.

JFK Fried Chicken

2041 1st Ave

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

Rong Sheng Chinese Kitchen

2102 2nd Ave

A

More neighborhood news? neighborhood celebrations? neighborhood opinions? neighborhood ideas? neighborhood feedback? neighborhood concerns?

Email us at news@strausnews.com

GIVING WOMEN A VOICE ON THE RUNWAY Snapshots from NYFW: speaking models, playdough and social messages BY JOCELYN NOVECK

Entering the Tracy Reese presentation on Sunday afternoon, you immediately noticed something unusual about the models standing on the stage: They were speaking. “They’re saying something about themselves, why they’re doing this, what their hopes and dreams are, the women they admire in their lives,” Reese explained. “Often when you come to these, people don’t look at the women, they’re looking at the clothes, and that why we’re doing this. I wanted people to see the woman in the clothing, and hear something about who she is.” The remarks were unscripted, and very personal. One model was speaking in Spanish, saying that her mother was the person she admired most in the world. Another, in English, was saying: “A woman is strong, a woman is love, a woman is beauty.” Still another was saying, “I am strength, I am grace, I am a woman.” Attending the show was Whoopi Goldberg, who noted that Reese, who’s known for being one of Michelle Obama’s favorite designers, is “especially good at recognizing that women’s bodies are different. And they’re big and small and wide and thin and that’s who she creates for. So there is something for every person on the planet in Tracy’s collections, and I love that.” Reese has long offered up a runway that is diverse not only ethnically but in terms of size and shape. She also often combines professional and non-professional models in her shows — a rarity. Diversity on the runway is something other designers have slowly caught up to, Goldberg noted. “It’s what you kind of have to do now,” the actress and TV host said. “If you want to sell the clothes. She’s always

known and she now can design for everybody — as you see here, there are black women, white women, Hispanic women, Asian women ... this is the world stage. So I am so proud.” Often, designers are asked who their “muse” was when designing a specific collection. Reese said her muse was simply “every woman who wants to look and feel beautiful in clothing. I thought, ‘Let’s highlight the women that are wearing the clothes.’” “I love that they’re getting to share who they are.” she said.

A PLAYFUL VIBE AT BECKHAM Victoria Beckham has a 6-year-old daughter, which probably explains some of her color inspirations this season: playdough and ice cream. “It’s not too sickly sweet, but it feels fresh and happy,” Beckham said of shades like a bright pistachio that appeared on her runway. “I used to wear so much black, and now I really enjoy wearing color.” After a night of two glitzy shows — Alexander Wang’s outdoor event on a dead-end street in Brooklyn, and Philipp Plein’s extravaganza that included a striptease in a giant martini glass — Beckham’s Sunday morning show felt like a peaceful trip to a tea salon. And in fact, tall glasses of ginger iced tea were offered to guests as they entered. With husband David and son Brooklyn looking on, the former Spice Girl, who launched her label nine years ago, served up a collection that featured light, summery fabrics and even a little glitter on the shoes and on the ankles, in the form of sparkly ankle bracelets. “I love the sparkly shoes,” she said. “And the little anklets. They are just so cute. It’s like a fresh way of wearing jewelry.” Her main goal, she said, was to create clothes that are easy to wear. “For me, that’s how I want to dress,” she said. “You know I didn’t want to create a collection of showpieces. These are clothes that you can wear, and that’s important. Yes, fashion is fantasy — but you can really wear these

clothes.” She also wanted to stress that light doesn’t necessarily mean weak. “I wanted to show how delicate can be strong,” she said.

CELEBRATING IMMIGRANTS, AT PUBLIC SCHOOL For their runway show in lower Manhattan, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School chose a spot with significance to the history of immigration in New York: the 19th-century Five Points neighborhood, occupied by waves of immigrants from different origins. Asked if the design duo been thinking about the current political situation, Chow simply pointed to his cap: “DACA Dreamers,” it said, expressing solidarity with the young immigrants who came to the United States as children and are living in the country illegally. “It was symbolic that we meet here to celebrate the immigrant experience in New York,” he said, “and their contributions, what they bring to New York and to the world.” How was that reflected in the duo’s designs, which were displayed on a runway in a long, narrow alleyway? Through the depiction of everyday items that are often tossed aside, Chow explained after the show. “The plastic bag, for example,” he noted, “[is] something that people may discard or overlook. When you think about immigrants and their contribution, they’re overlooked.” A succession of plaid garments — shorts, shirt dresses, skirts — resembled those ubiquitous square plastic laundry bags with zippers. A number of garments were covered with loose-fitting translucent tops — trenches, jackets — resembling clear plastic bags. There were “shopping bag” tops, and orange garments that looked exactly like the plastic bags sent out as the invitation to the show. Also on display: the design team’s knee-covering sneaker boot, a collaboration with Jordan that was released on Sunday at a pop-up shop outside the runway show.

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

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ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

A SEPTEMBER ELEVEN SALUTE POETRY BY JOHN PETERS

September 11. 2002 First anniversary, honorable visit, recall fire-fighters, patriots all. In terrorist’s terror, evil in thrust, stabs of agony. In dusts of disaster, in shards of debris, screams, announcing catastrophe. The nation grieves, rivers, streams of tears, heroic, the survivors. Collective grief proved her best, this crisis time. Freedom is not free. On hallowed ground, ghosts abound, ‘round this day of infamy. Freedom is not free.

Crash site, hallowed ground, resounds, the terror unleashed that recalled, fatal day. A somber city sobs a cry, “Heal we must and heal we will, take comfort in our history.” The wound is raw, the sorrow true, hurt beyond despair, like nightmares in a dream.

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Public Lecture Series with Erica Cirino | The Go and See Tour: Plastic Pollution, Science, and Solutions

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 6PM The Explorers Club | 46 E. 70th St. | 212-628-8383 | explorers.org Hear the adventures of science writer Erica Cirino, who sailed the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” to document what millions of tons of discarded plastic is doing to our waters ($25).

Interviews: The Latest Book by Alain Elkann

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 6PM Italian Cultural Inst. | 686 Park Ave. | 212-879-4242 | iicnewyork.org

The hurt remains, embrace the pain, the hallowed ground moans, still, Freedom is not free.

La Stampa columnist Alain Elkann discusses his new book, a compendium of his famous interviews, with Diane von Furstenberg and Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. A book signing will follow (free).

Brotherhood, goodwill demands, a chain of loving helpful hands. Freedom is not free.

Just Announced | Alec Baldwin’s Here’s the Thing Live with John Dean

We rise, stronger in our worth, Glow, “Bright light of liberty”. Freedom is not free.

Catch the unlikely pairing of presidential impersonator Alec Baldwin and Watergate alum John W. Dean, as Baldwin hosts a live taping of his WNYC conversation series Here’s the Thing ($37-$65).

John Peters, an artist, orator and poet, is 90 years old and a resident of Westbeth artist housing.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, 8PM NYU Skirball Center | 566 LaGuardia Pl. | 212-998-4941 | nyuskirball.org

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

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

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NEIGHBORHOOD SIDE STREETS

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

Business

MEET 59TH STREET

sideways.nyc

JIM’S SHOE REPAIR 50 EAST 59TH STREET Stepping inside Jim’s Shoe Repair is like walking into a time capsule. At first glance, it appears that nothing has changed since the store opened in 1932. Wooden saloon-style booths line the wall opposite shoeshine chairs with golden footrests and leather backrests. Jim’s is the place for the customer who wants “the best shoe shine” with a bit of small talk or a glance through the daily newspapers. Jim, 84, is the son of the original owner. His father, also Jim, left Italy for the U.S. in his late 1920s and started the store soon thereafter. Their business has not changed much since its inception, and many of the workers have been there for more than twenty-five years.

A SMALL-BUSINESS PASSION PROJECT The founder of Sideways New York reflects on her journey to support establishments on Manhattan’s side streets BY BETSY BOBER POLIVY

There’s been much hand wringing and few solutions for the problem of local businesses rapidly closing up shop in Manhattan. What we can do, and what we should do, is to treasure the small businesses that survive and continue to grace our streets. My passion project since 2011 has been to support and promote the thousands of small businesses on the side streets of Manhattan. In the past six years I have literally walked and catalogued every one. You can go to Manhattan Sideways (sideways.nyc) to see all the small businesses. Beginning on First Street, I have walked from the East River to the Hudson documenting every shop, boutique, restaurant, bar, garden, hotel, church, synagogue, gallery and much more. This summer, I reached the pinnacle of my journey — 155th Street — where the original Manhattan Grid ended. As I worked my way north over the course of the past six years, I’ve also been continuously updating the site to reflect establishments that are opening and closing on a daily basis. There are over 14,000 “businesses”

Dawn Harris-Martinez of Grandma’s Place. Photo: Adrian Bacolo reflected on Manhattan Sideways plus 40,000 photographs. In addition to having all commercial enterprises listed, we also tell the stories of owners in the Side Picks section. Sadly, I’m witnessing shops in business for 50 to 100 years being forced to close their doors, many times because the building has been scheduled to be torn down to make way for a large apartment complex, or the rent has been raised so high that it is, inevitably, a chain store that will replace them. Lately, I’ve found that small businesses aren’t even surviving a year on a side street. It’s my pas-

sion to have New Yorkers support the staples in their neighborhood, and to get out and explore other neighborhood areas to find the amazing gems that are hidden on every single side street. These small businesses are part of what make our city unique. My journey has allowed me glimpses into the lives of iconic New Yorkers, such as Ruth Kuzub, the owner of Silversmith on West 4th Street — considered to be the smallest retail space in Manhattan. She has been operating her jewelry store here since she took it over in 1960. She continues to make many of her own wares, and only sells pieces

that she loves. Well into her eighties, she still goes to work most days — at least whenever the sun is shining. Ruth told us in the interview that “I’m the last of all the artists who were on the street.” While she has managed to maintain her small store at the address — 183 ¾ West Fourth Street — many have not been as fortunate. Creative, independent stores like the Silversmith are too quickly becoming few and far between. Another story that continues to resonate with me is that of Lou Lou Button. Owner Roz Farhadi arrived in New York from Iran in 1978. He applied to universities in the States without discussing it with his family. Roz said that when he told his mother that he had been accepted at Brooklyn Polytechnic, she asked “where is America?” She spoke no English and did not write, but she took her small parcel of jewelry, the only possession that she had, and sold it. She gave the money to her son and sent him off to follow his dream. After earning a degree in engineering, he began working for a company on Fifth Avenue. During his lunch break one day, he wandered into a shop and picked up an interesting button and inquired about purchasing some of them. When he was told that it would take a few weeks for the buttons to arrive in the store, Roz immediately thought to himself, “I am

going to make this.” Today, 20 years later, Roz has a tiny but successful store on West 38th Street where he designs and makes buttons for the fashion industry, Broadway shows, the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet. And then there is Grandma’s Place, a children’s educational toy and book store at 84 West 120th Street that is a gem in Harlem. People do not only stop into Grandma’s Place to pick up a gift for a birthday party, or something special for their own child. During my visits, on several occasions, it seemed that the entire neighborhood was dropping by simply to receive a warm hug from Dawn Harris-Martinez, and possibly sticking around a bit longer to entertain their little ones, or share some local gossip with the owner of this remarkable staple on 120th Street. Without a doubt, Dawn — a former school teacher who was the first in her family to go to college and originally opened the space as a literacy center — has earned the beloved title of “Grandmother of the neighborhood.” As a lifetime New Yorker, my goal for Manhattan Sideways is to encourage others to venture out, to discover and appreciate some of what I have had the pleasure of experiencing for the past several years, and to, of course, support the small businesses in our city.

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

17

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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DAILY NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Of course. Yet look what else they accomplished. Opposition to capital punishment snowballed. A movement to reform American criminology was launched. Debates raged in state legislatures and European parliaments over the power of the state to kill its killers. Suddenly, the death penalty itself was in play. It’s called doing-good-bydoing-well journalism: “It wasn’t about public service, it was the drive to get something the other guy hasn’t got,â€? said longtime press agent, publicist and political ďŹ xer Morty Matz, 93, who worked on The News’ picture desk from 1949 to 1960. “But it evolved into a public service,â€? he added. “Legislative and political arguments were made, and people opposed to the death penalty came forward. In those days, there was always a war going on, and that was the whole idea behind it — competition.â€? It had been four years since I considered the Ruth Snyder agonistes. But every day for 17 extraordinary and life-defining years, I would walk past that slightly blurry image of her ďŹ nal moments. You see, I was lucky enough to work for the Daily News — on a dozen different beats, as reporter, rewriteman, bureau chief, editorial page writer, investigative reporter – from 1996 until a round of mass layoffs in 2013.

SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com And there she was, hanging on a wall, down a long hallway at 450 West 33rd Street, the paper’s then-headquarters, along with dozens of other Page One mock-ups that recounted the history of New York City, the nation and the world, in that order: “WHO’S A BUM!� proclaimed the Brooklyn Dodgers’ seventh-game triumph over the hated New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series. “WE WUZ ROBBED� told how gunmen stole sackfuls of cash from the paper’s Brooklyn printing plant in 1961. “TEDDY ESCAPES, BLONDE DROWNS� telescoped the chilling 1969 crash in Chappaquiddick that killed Mary Jo Kopechne and dogged Senator Ted Kennedy forever. “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD� skewered President Gerald Ford for nixing loans to a nearly bankrupt city in 1975. “HE DIED IN THE CHAIR AFTER ALL� bid adieu to Albert Anastasia, “Lord High Executioner� of Murder Inc., who was assassinated in the barber’s chair of midtown’s Park Sheraton Hotel in 1957. “SAY GINA WAS OBSCENA ON LA SCREENA� reported an Italian magistrate’s ruling that starlet Gina Lollabrigida’s 1966 sex scenes were indecent. You felt the weight of all that history when you worked there. You felt connectivity with the city because your paper was woven into its fabric. You felt the burden of responsibility, too, when you put on that press pass. You had a tradition to up-

This fabled and much imitated Page One headline – “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEADâ€? – ran in the Daily News on October 30, 1975 after President Gerald Ford refused to authorize federal loans to New York City as it teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. The next day, thenMayor Abe Beame famously posed holding up a copy of the paper. Photo: Newsstand copy, via Wikimedia Commons hold, a mission to amplify the authentic voice of everyday New Yorkers. And there were few professional joys greater than riding the Lexington Avenue line and watching a straphanger clutching your paper, reading your story. All this came to mind as news broke on September 4 that the Daily News had been sold for $1 — the price of a single newsstand copy — to a company called Tronc, which also assumed $26.5 million in pension liabilities and other obligations. Despite its unfortunate and widely-ridiculed name, Chi-

cago-based Tronc, short for “Tribune online content,â€? has a long history with The News. Formerly the Tribune Company, the publisher founded the paper in 1919 as America’s ďŹ rst modern tabloid. The Trib hailed it as the “common man’s paper.â€? The “servant girls’ Bible,â€? competitors sneered. A famous 1992 ad proclaimed its mantra, “Tell it to Sweeney.â€? The coda? “The Stuyvesants will understand.â€? In other words, speak to your core working-class readers, then largely Irish- and ItalianCatholic, and the blue-bloods and merchant princes will respect you, even advertise with

HEBREW TUTORING AND BAR AND BAT MITZVAH TUTORING

you. So now the question becomes, “Will Tronc understand?â€? Can it take a humbled paper – in a single story, Keith Kelly, The Post’s adjective-loving media columnist, dubbed it “beleaguered,â€? “money-losing,â€? “money-bleeding,â€? “ailing,â€? “teetering,â€? “troubled,â€? “stagnant,â€? and “perpetually downsizingâ€? — and restore it to obstreperousness, or at least stability and solvency? Let’s break down the deal. Tronc gets a prize that, monetarily, is worth more than its print acquisition: Ownership of the paper’s Jersey City plant and a 49.9 percent stake in 25 adjoining acres. Which raises two questions: Is this a newspaper deal in which the owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune reenters the nation’s biggest media market? Or a real estate deal for its most valuable asset – prime land overlooking Manhattan’s skyline? The answer: It’s both a media and a property deal. Or as Tim Knight, Tronc’s president, bluntly put it, the property was “certainly an added inducement to this transaction.â€? No kidding. Exiting the picture is Mort Zuckerman, ex-chairman of Boston Properties and a billionaire who himself has masterminded mega-real estate deals for trophies like the General Motors Building. The 80-year-old Zuckerman, now facing health problems, could never stanch the ow of red ink. Perhaps no one could. Waves of large-scale dismissals followed. It was rough. The paper felt diminished. There was blood in the water. Mercilessly, The Post began taunting it as “The Daily Snooze.â€? Yet one can never forget: Mort had saved the paper from neardeath, buying it out of bankruptcy in 1993 after a crippling strike and the mad reign of British publishing mogul Robert Maxwell, a supposed white knight who plundered $1 bil-

lion from his company’s pension funds before tumbling off his yacht in the Canary Island in 1991. That was Mort’s great gift to the city. A quarter-century added to the life of a newspaper. The continuance of doorstep reporting. The thrill of irreverent, two-ďŹ sted headlines. Yes, the News lost zest and brassiness. But that wasn’t all bad. Drinking and smoking vanished from the City Room. Women took on enhanced roles. Bawdiness and sexism didn’t disappear. But they were curbed. Oh, two other things. Under his watch, the paper earned ďŹ ve Pulitzer Prizes. And after a period of somnolence, it found its voice all over again with the rise of Donald Trump, who became the paper’s arch-nemesis. Back came the Page One “screamersâ€? — tabloidese for exclamation marks, also called “slammersâ€? or “bangersâ€? — on classics like “NUTS!,â€? “OFF HIS MEDS!,â€? “LOCK HIM UP!â€? and “STOP THE DON CON!â€? Naturally, Trump didn’t take kindly to such barbs. But the paper was elevated anew when he branded it “worthless,â€? and “loserâ€? and labeled Zuckerman “dopeyâ€? in several 2016 campaign tweets. So if I can offer a few unsolicited words of advice for Tronc: Wear those Trumpian slurs as a badge of honor. Remember an old slogan that can still deďŹ ne your paper, “The Eyes, the Ears, the Honest Voice of New York.â€? Respect your history and heritage. No, you don’t have to be a prisoner to every old Page One hanging in a hallway. But you do have to honor the glorious traditions from which those headlines sprang. And lest you contemplate a future erasure of the sacred trust you just purchased, remember the popular lapel buttons worn by your reporters during the existential crises of 1991 and 1992: “DAILY NEWS: TOO TOUGH TO DIE.â€?

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SEPTEMBER 14-20,2017

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DACA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Martinez (“Lupitaâ€?), the visionary founder of CREA. I trekked over to CREA and met with Lupita, whose boundless energy became immediately apparent. Her story, like many who have settled here seeking a better life and have made a contribution to our city, is remarkable. Lupita journeyed to this country in the late 1990s. She was a PTA leader in her son’s school and realized that many Spanish-speaking parents were afraid to become involved because they themselves had not ďŹ nished their education and were reluctant to participate in their child’s education. Lupita quickly discovered her passion to help her fellow parents by establishing her own “Plaza Comunitaria,â€? an educational program recognized by the Mexican government that offers literacy, elementary, middle and high school equivalency classes, as well as life-skills workshops to Spanish-language communities. The ďŹ rst year (2013) CREA had 40 participants and today provides a community education program for close to 100 students. The needs of the students who attend CREA extend beyond the classes and workshops. Lupita has created a tight-knit, supportive community. The program is fully staffed by volunteer teachers as well as interns from “La Universidad IberoAmericanaâ€? in Mexico City and CUNY. CREA has partnered with an experienced counselor who helps students with the plethora of issues beyond education – food, housing, jobs and family crises. Now CREA ďŹ nds itself confronting a troubling national issue. The announcement last week by the Trump administration rescinding the DACA program created by former president Obama has alarmed the Latino community. Several volunteer interns who teach classes have sought protection under DACA. If they lose their DACA status, CREA would be hard pressed to ďŹ nd qualiďŹ ed, Spanish-speaking instructors. Lupita pointed out that the elimination of DACA would affect entire families, not just the young people who have been able to take advantage of the opportunity to study and work without the fear of being deported. “The worst part of Trump’s announcement is the fear and uncertainty which has been created in the community,â€? said Lupita. “The administration is causing great pain, despair and suffering. For Trump, this is a game of chess with many moving pieces; but for the Latino community, it is life itself. On the one hand he praises the accomplishments of these young people yet puts forth policies which will drive them back into the shadows.â€? The concerns of this community are not new. CREA has been able to facilitate legal help to those

Students in class. Photo courtesy of CREA whose status is uncertain and provide concrete ways to deal with ICE’s more aggressive approach. Lupita highlighted the importance of empowering her community with information, and remains confident that its strength and determination will help see it through this period. “The young people in DACA want nothing more than to improve their lives by educating themselves,� Lupita stressed. “They have been raised here and love this country. Their parents work long hours to provide them with a better life. We also have to recognize that the people in our community are not going anywhere. This is where they work, study and raise their families. They are an integral part of our city.� I am in awe of the sheer determination and optimism of Lupita, the volunteers and her group of advisors. In addition to confronting the DACA crisis, CREA is currently searching for a permanent home and additional resources to sustain its work. How fortunate for me to have stumbled upon this East Harlem hidden gem of an organization as I deal with my own professional transition and ongoing desire to remain involved in community work. I am currently helping CREA become its own 501c3 nonprofit organization with the assistance of Lawyers Alliance for New York. I just may have found what I was looking for.

Fall IS HERE!

19

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STEEPED IN TRADITION Lifelong Little Italy resident and Figli di San Gennaro member Michael Vera reflects on his neighborhood and its annual event BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Some of the goodies served up at the Feast of San Gennaro. Photo: Tom Thai, via flickr

Michael Vera was born on Mulberry Street, in the same apartment his grandparents settled into when they immigrated to Little Italy from Naples at the end of the 19th century. Now 69, he still lives there, and although he’s seen the neighborhood change, one thing that’s remained over the decades is the Feast of San Gennaro. Now in its 91st year, the feast will run from September 14 to 24, with highlights like cannoli- and meatball-eating contests and a Mass to celebrate the patron saint of Naples for which it is named, at the Church of the Most Precious Blood. As a member of the Figli di San Gennaro, the nonprofit that runs the iconic event, Vera celebrates the past, but also looks to the future. “I hope that the Feast of San Gennaro goes at least to 100 years. We’re hoping and praying for that part. And then, we hope that all its heritage and background is preserved. And that the future is intertwined with much of the past.”

Tell us about your family’s history in Little Italy. My grandparents came from the town of Avellino which is in Naples. They moved to Mulberry Street in 1897. I still live in the same apartment. We’re still the legal occupants living there.

ian festival or to frequent some of the Italian restaurants. The millennials that have come in, the bad part about that, is they made the rents, which were basically at one point stable, go sky-high. But when they decided to come in, rents have gone very high and they no longer patronize a lot of places that are still around.

As part of the Figli di San Gennaro, what are some initiatives you’re working on? We are helping to keep some of the religious institutions around, such as the Church of the Most Precious Blood. We help fund that to get it back on its feet and get it refurbished. We hope that it will be around for a longer time. It was basically an Italian-oriented church and attended by the Italians that were around. We help support the church as best we know how and have several fundraisers, including the Feast of San Gennaro.

What is your favorite memory of the feast? The best memories were I think, what everyone usually remembers, the grease pole. They used to have a pole filled with grease. There were teams of guys around the neighborhood who basically tried to climb to the top. And on the top, there were all kinds of prizes ... money, at that time, televisions and a few other household goods. That stopped in the ‘70s somewhere; I’m not too sure about the exact date. It was very family-oriented. At the time, families came back to the neighborhood. All the families that were still here cooked and ate at their grandparents’ house.

What was it like growing up there?

Feast of San Gennaro in 2016. Photo: er Guiri, via flickr

Anything new to the feast this year or does it stay the same?

It was a fantastic, quaint, nice and friendly neighborhood. The people were generous and friendly. Up until the early ‘70s, it was still considered an Italian neighborhood. Most people have moved out basically for more room and have families ... parking was involved, schools were involved. So a lot of them have moved to, I don’t want to say suburbia, but a lot have moved to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

It’s usually almost all the same, but there are quite a few different factors. Usually the same vendors are around, lots of sausage and zeppole stands. A lot of the good and healthy Italian foods. I think there are a few vegan stands that have opened up along its way. It’s a good time, fun for all, and still safe. It’s still a safe neighborhood.

How has the neighborhood changed?

www.sangennaro.org

It changed in the fact that it’s not a neighborhood that’s a neighborhood anymore. You lose your heritage because everybody starts to separate. Families don’t come back around anymore. The only time they usually come back down is basically during the Ital-

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