Our Town - September 27, 2018

The local paper for the Upper East Side

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER CURBING GRIDLOCK ◄ P.8

27-3 2018

THE BOSS IN THE MIRROR WORKFORCE After hitting the mid-century mark, legions of East Siders, West Siders, downtowners, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen residents are mustering the courage, and cash, to go into business for themselves

BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

Sarah Carroll (right), pictured here at the unveiling of a new marker in the DUMBO Historic District in Brooklyn, is Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pick to lead the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Carroll has served on the LPC staff for over two decades. Photo: NYC LPC, via Flickr

PRESERVATIONIST TAPPED AS NEW LANDMARKS CHAIR NEIGHBORHOODS Sarah Carroll, career LPC staffer, is mayor’s choice to lead agency

BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

In a move that has soothed the concerns of some activists concerned with the direction of the city’s historic preservation efforts, Mayor Bill de Blasio has tapped the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s top staffer to serve as the agency’s next chair. Sarah Carroll, who has served as the LPC’s executive director for the last four years, is the administration’s nominee to lead the 11-member commission.

If approved by the City Council, Carroll would succeed Meenakshi Srinivasan, who resigned earlier this year

amid a controversy over a set of proposed changes to agency rules that critics claimed would weaken public input in the landmarks process.

The mayor’s nomination of Carroll — a career LPC staffer and preservationist — has quelled anxieties long held by some preservation advocates who felt the commission had been too permissive in allowing demolitions, alterations and new construction in historic districts under Srinivasan’s leadership.

Carroll described herself as “a preservationist by training, profession and temperament” in Council testimony, explaining that she hopes to work to make the agency more open and transparent and expand community outreach as chair.

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

The Upper West Side boasts more entrepreneurs among the over-50 set than any other neighborhood in the city — and the Upper East Side is a close second, a new research report found.

But when it comes to becoming one’s own boss at the age of 60 and up, the UES takes the lead — and the UWS trails ever so slightly, according to data from the Center for an Urban Future.

The boomer generation is reinventing the workplace. The phenomenon is called “encore entrepreneurship.” And its growth, from the Battery to central Harlem has been turbo-charged, the think tank determined.

In the past decade, the ranks of selfemployed Manhattan residents 50 and over soared 19 percent, to 72,996 from 61,159, researchers found, while those aged 60-plus shot up 32 percent, to 41,190 from 31,152.

Bottom line: Nearly one out of every three borough residents north of five decades, or 30.3 percent, is now working for themselves, and the selfemployment rate downtown stands at 40 percent, the data shows.

Fueling the surge in business activity among 50-, 60- and 70-somethings is the graying of the city’s population — the 50-plus census has leaped over 10 percent since 2010 — along with ever-increasing lifespans and the accompanying need for older New Yorkers to develop new income streams.

Other factors include the lingering

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Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes

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“Willing and ready learners”: social media event at the Senior Planet Exploration Center in Chelsea. Photo: Ashad Hajela

Ask most New Yorkers to picture an entrepreneur, and they imagine a 20- or 30-something in jeans and sneakers. But the face of entrepreneurship across New York City is changing.”

Center for an Urban Future report fallout from the layoffs of the Great Recession, the tough odds seniors face in the job market, persistent age discrimination in the workplace, the rise of the gig economy, the fall of both start-up costs and barriers to entry due to advances in technology — and even the relative ease of setting up limited liability companies.

“Folks in their 50s and 60s who’ve spent 30-plus years in larger companies are now leveraging their professional experience in the workforce,” said Eli Dvorkin, managing editor of the research institute. “They’ve got a lot to offer. And they’re trying to go it alone.”

Many first-time business builders reinvent themselves as independent

consultants or freelancers, deploying the intimate knowledge of their industries they developed as employees to provide similar services to customers, he said.

But others venture into largely unchartered waters, Dvorkin said. Like the ex-corporate lawyer who created an LLC for a nutritional dog-treat venture, Kalo Karma. Or the former advertising executive who started a food-manufacturing business and produces vegan tempeh, an artisanal meat substitute consisting of organic grains and fermented beans.

“Many encore entrepreneurs are not getting traditional bank financing for their businesses – so they’re bootstrapping companies, forming LLCs, getting business cards printed, putting up their own money, and in really large numbers, they’re setting out on their own,” Dvorkin added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat and holiday candles Friday Sep. 28, 6:25 pm Shemini Atzeret eve. Sunday Sep. 30, 6:22 pm Simchat Torah eve. Monday Oct. 1, after 7:18 pm from a pre existing flame For more information visit: www.chabaduppereastside.com

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BIKE SAFETY, CONTINUED Sunday, September 16, 2:00 p.m., Columbus Avenue between 90-91st Street: a biker on the sidewalk, riding slowly, calmly. And on his shirtsleeve it read NYPD. What a role model. When I saw that I knew it would be hopeless to think that one day there would ever be a change in the mindset of the bikers who go through the lights, against traffic and frighten and hurt so many of us.

“bedpan alley,” the mecca of hospitals strung along York Ave. from East 66th St. to East 72nd St. How compassionate is the engineer who reconfigured the M72 stop to one of the most crowded and hectic locations on the UWS, next door to Grey’s Papaya, again providing no seating or shelter. The infirm must now cross two major avenues to get the M72.

Is this another notch lower on our quality of life scale? Thanks, MTA.

Bunny Abraham Upper West Side

Patricia Arena Upper West Side

Bicycles should be licensed, just like cars.

EXPAND FERRY SERVICES

Pat Dale Upper West Side

DISAPPEARING BUS SHELTER I wonder who the rocket scientistMTA traffic engineer is who decided to remove the bench and bus shelter at 72nd St. and Broadway in from of Joseph’s Pharmacy. The shelter served the elders and disabled of the UWS who make their way via the M72 bus to what is commonly referred to as

There is still more NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio can do with his $325 million dollar ongoing citywide waterborne high-speed ferry services program (“River Boat Renaissance,” August 9-15). Our waterways are an underutilized natural asset which can offer significant transportation alternatives for thousands of New Yorkers. Most of our existing public transportation and roadways are already operating at or above capacity. New ferry services can be implemented far more quickly than construction of new subway,

commuter rail or highways, which can take years or even decades until completion of environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements and actual construction. Ferry boats equipped with modern fuel efficient engines can make a positive contribution to air quality.

NYC can apply for capital grants from the New York State Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration to assist in funding.

Albany also provides State Transportation Operating Assistance for transportation systems. Ridership on any transit service generates yearly federal transportation formula capital assistance. Numerous past private ferry operators have come and gone. They could not financially survive based upon farebox revenue alone without some sort of government subsidy. All of these proposed new ferry services will require subsidies if they are to survive.

Mayor de Blasio still needs to convince the MTA Board to support his fare structure of $2.75 per ride to also include a free transfer to a bus or subway using the current MTA MetroCard. Last October, the MTA

SINCE

With the Empire State Building as a backdrop, a NYC Ferry vessel heads southbound down the East River opposite East 34th Street. A major expansion of the city’s ferry systeml connects the East 90th Street landing near Carl Schurz Park with Wall Street by way of 34th Street. Photo: NYC Ferry awarded a $573 million contract to Cubic Transportation Systems to replace the MetroCard. Between 2019 and 2021, new fare collection technology will be coming online for both subway and commuter rail riders. Why not include ferry riders as well? Riders could purchase weekly or monthly passes for discounted fares. These could be supplemented by using Transit Checks which will further reduce the

cost per ride.

Who would not want to enjoy the fresh air and breeze that only waterborne transportation can provide?

Riding a ferry can be less stressful than being packed in a subway car like sardines in a can.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG PANHANDLER PUNCHED Police are looking for a man who attacked a panhandler in a convenience store. At 7:40 p.m. on Monday, September 17, a 53-year-old man was asking for money inside the 7-Eleven store at 1160 First Ave. when a man said to be in his early 50s punched him in the face, drawing blood, according to the police account. The assailant then fled the store. The victim also sustained pain in his left ankle and was taken to the Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment. His condition was not released.

STICKY FINGERS INSIDE WHITE GLOVES? It appears that the Upper East Side might have a derelict doorman.

At 5 p.m. on Monday, September 17, a 38-year-old man walked into the Dunkin’ Donuts shop at 411 East 70th St. to buy a cup of coffee. He placed his Samsung laptop on a table and left it unattended. A man in a white outfit, which appeared to be a doorman’s uniform, approached the machine and removed it from the table before leaving the store, police said. The stolen laptop is valued at $1,300.

CITY AGENCY IMPOSTOR

STATS FOR THE WEEK

Police remind the public to be very suspicious of surprise visits by individuals claiming to represent official agencies. At 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16, an 85-year-old man was at home on East 78th St. when a 49-year-old man gained entrance, displaying what turned out to be forged documents from the New York City Department of Buildings. Fortunately, the intruder -- Spencer Washington -- was soon arrested and charged with burglary. The police report listed no items stolen.

Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for the week ending Sep 16

LATE-NIGHT SEX ASSAULT

Week to Date

Year to Date

2018 2017

% Change

2018

2017

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

0

n/a

Rape

1

0

n/a

11

8

37.5

Robbery

5

3

66.7

108 87

24.1

Felony Assault

3

3

0.0

106

96

10.4

Burglary

3

4

-25.0

160

147

8.8

Grand Larceny

23

26

-11.5

994 967 2.8

Grand Larceny Auto

2

0

n/a

56

38

47.4

At 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 15, a man approached a woman in her 20s in front of 175 East 90th St., grabbed her from behind, placed his hand over her mouth, put his other hand under her skirt and grabbed her. The victim kicked the man while struggling with him, but fell to the ground. She was nevertheless able to and flee.

Police searched the neighborhood but couldn’t find her assailant.

Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr

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Useful Contacts

Word on the Street

POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13 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 Keith Powers

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

1485 York 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

HOW TO REACH US:

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EXCERPTS FROM “TRANSFER QUEEN”

BY A.W. STROUSE (PUNCTUM BOOKS, 2018)

35 hasidic DON JUAN for whom even MOSES would break the law

27 reading horatian odes, he doesn’t look up to catch my yearning

26 i tell him that he dropped his glove on the seat but he believes i have instructed him to place his Chihuahua next to me

38 reading DEATH IN VENICE he’s headed down to battery park

A.W. Strouse is a poet and a medievalist. He teaches medieval literature at the New School .

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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DAYTIME TALKS LEARN MORE

ARTS & CULTURE OCT 1

SHANTELL MARTIN: WHY NOW. GUIDED EXHIBITION TOUR

OCT 3

PLEASURES OF PARIS, PART 1 • JANETTA REBOLD BENTON, PhD

OCT 9

WILL FRIEDWALD’S CLIP JOINT: BURT BACHARACH

OCT 10

PLEASURES OF PARIS, PART 2

OCT 12

FROM CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN: IN AND OUT OF AFRICA with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • JOE YOGERST

OCT 15

DAVID FANTLE & TOM JOHNSON with DICK CAVETT: HOLLYWOOD GOLDEN AGE LEGENDS

OCT 17

ART TALK with MARLENE STRAUSS—HELENA RUBINSTEIN: AN UNCOMMON LIFE

OCT 22

PSYCHOBIOGRAPHY WITH DR. GAIL SALTZ: ON CHOPIN with DR. ALAN WALKER

OCT 29

RICHARD POTTER: AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK CELEBRITY • JOHN A. HODGSON

OCT 31

ETERNAL RESTING PLACES • SETH GOPIN

HISTORY & POLITICS OCT 4

THEY SAID NO TO NIXON • MICHAEL KONCEWICZ

OCT 5

KEY TOPICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY with DOUG BRIN

OCT 8

TROUBLE IN LAFAYETTE SQUARE • GILBERT KLEIN

OCT 11

VIOLENCE IN CONGRESS AND THE ROAD TO THE CIVIL WAR • JOANNE FREEMAN

OCT 12

HUNTING CHARLES MANSON • LIS WIEHL

OCT 16

HITLER’S RISE TO POWER AND THE DOWNFALL OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC • BENJAMIN HETT

OCT 17

GROWING UP A STATELESS FOREIGNER IN WARTIME JAPAN • ISAAC SHAPIRO

OCT 30

MY LIFE AS A SPY • KATHERINE VERDERY

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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TRY BA UN

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LANDMARKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

8 8 - 20 18

Here we are Celebrating 30 Month CD

15 Month CD

3. 2.

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“I believe my unique blend of expertise, experience and temperament will allow me to successfully lead the agency,�

Carroll said. “If confirmed, I will work to continue to preserve and protect sites that reect the diversity and history of our city throughout the ďŹ ve boroughs and ensure that they remain relevant for future generations to come.â€?

Carroll won praise from lawmakers, former colleagues and preservationists during a Sept. 20 conďŹ rmation hearing before the City Council Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections. “Given your vast experience, years of public service and your dedication to preservation, I believe you are clearly qualified to chair the LPC,â€?

Council Speaker Corey Johnson said. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, one of the city’s leading landmarks advocacy groups, said that Carroll would bring to the office “a deep appreciation for the benefits and importance of preservation principles to the people of the City of New York and its soul.� “We have a long working relationship with Sarah Carroll, whom we have corresponded,

collaborated, socialized, partnered with and argued against for close to 25 years,�

Bankoff said. “In that time, we’ve been impressed with Ms. Carroll’s professionalism, thoughtfulness, communicative nature and steadfast dedication to the agency. She is someone who has devoted herself to ensuring the Landmarks Commission succeeds and prospers.�

Following Srinivasan’s fouryear tenure as chair, during which she often found herself with odds with members of the preservation community, a number of lawmakers and landmarks advocacy groups called on the mayor to appoint a successor with a background in the preservation ďŹ eld. Notably, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation launched a letter-writing campaign pointedly demanding de Blasio appoint an “actual preservationist and supporter of New York’s landmarks lawâ€? to replace Srinivasan, who previously headed the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals.

In nominating Carroll, who has served on the LPC’s staff for over two decades and headed the agency’s preservation division for nine years before being named executive director in 2014, the de Blasio administration has fulfilled these requests.

“During this process I called for someone with a strong preservation background to be put forward, and I think that’s where we’ve landed,� said Council Member Keith Powers, whose East Side district includes a wealth of prominent historic districts and individual landmarks, including the Carnegie Hill Historic District, the Empire State Building and the recently designated AT&T Building.

Page Cowley, chair of the board of the Upper West Side preservation nonproďŹ t Landmark West!, spoke in support of Carroll’s appointment. “Her level of knowledge about the entirety of the New York City landmarks process is extensive, but it is her ability to respond to special circumstances and preservation issues with extraordinary fairness that makes her an exceptional candidate for this important position,â€? Cowley said.

The Council is likely to vote to conďŹ rm Carroll’s nomination as soon as Sept. 26. “Sarah, do not lose any sleep over this,â€? Council Member Karen Koslowitz, chair of Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections, joked as she referenced the committee’s upcoming vote to send Carroll’s nomination to the full Council for approval.

After 30 years of serving neighbors and businesses, we are celebrating – but you get all the rewards.

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

NYC’S MOST VENERABLE (OR ANNOYING?) TV COMMERCIAL PUBLIC EYE

BY JON FRIEDMAN

You bet, I was disappointed by the end of the Yankees’ loss to Toronto on Sept. 15. The Blue Jays, whom the Yankees had beaten 13 of 17 games this year up til then, had led the good guys, 8-1, after six innings.

The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname by hitting three home runs, including a grand slam, in their half of the seventh inning. But the Yankees ran out of gas and dropped an exciting 8-7 contest.

Adding insult to insult, immediately after the Yankees made their final out, the 212666-6666 commercial for Carmel cars came on the tube.

It is noteworthy because, for my two cents, this is the most venerable and annoying (and, OK, catchy) jingle around. And it has been around for quite some time.

I first heard this commercial in 1999. I cringed at it in the 20th century and I’m shuddering now.

I’m pa r t ia l ly k idd i n g, of course. Who among us shouldn’t respect the staying power of a commercial that has aired over two centuries and lasted for nearly two decades?

You know the one. A bunch of cheerful men and women sing 666-6666 as a young woman is escorted to her (Carmel) car.

Can you think of any TV spot that has aired for this long, without changing a note? I can’t.

How venerable is it? The commercial has encompassed four presidential administrations.

It aired before Y2K (remember that fuss?). Eli Manning was playing high school football at the time. Mike Bloomberg was still contemplating a run at City Hall. Rudy Giuliani was the mayor of New York — and he was contemplating running for a third term. The unimaginable horror of 9/11 was two years away.

In a delicious irony, a telephone number we New Yorkers take for granted has achieved international notoriety. According to a UK website, the mobile phone number of 666-

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6666 was auctioned for charity and became the world’s most expensive phone number.

When you think about it, it’s also heartwarming that this song is still with us. For me, the first time I heard it was two jobs ago and I can mark the passage of time by thinking about that jingle.

When the excellent film “American Graffiti” came out in 1973, the marketing copy asked, “Where were you in ’62?” It was a smart way for the movie’s producers to cast the audience back at the period when the flick takes place.

Bob Dylan once said, “Nostalgia is death.” He has a point.

People shouldn’t live in the past, whether you’re reflecting on good or bad times. It can be debilitating. But I don’t see anything wrong with looking back on this commercial.

The ad can evoke lots of feelings because it covers such a swath of time. I do cringe when I see it come on my TV screen.

But I also nod in admiration that the same song can last for all of these years.

September is National Preparedness Month!

Join NYC Emergency Management to learn how to prepare for all types of emergencies.

Activities throughout September: Free preparedness fairs, events and workshops throughout the five boroughs Pet and service animal preparedness at Columbus Park in Brooklyn on Saturday, Sept. 22 Family day at the Staten Island Children’s Museum on Saturday, Sept. 29 and much more!

For more information, visit

NYC.gov/EmergencyManagement or call 311.

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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.

NATURAL AND UNNATURAL DISASTERS

BY BETTE DEWING

On Hurricane Maria’s first anniversary protesters marched on Trump Tower to protest federal inaction and neglect. Many Puerto Ricans are still without power — imagine. And given how these natural disasters are now considered the new normal, we should all be marching to protest this administration’s unbelief in climate change and its rollbacks of anti-pollution legislation. The federal funds earmarked for reconstruction of the island, said to have been redirected, must be restored.

That will take time, but the most critical issue is how we unaffected humans need reminding not to for-

get the ongoing suffering recently wreaked on the Carolinas.

Not that many have loved ones in the Carolinas, so no great push to keep remembering the unspeakable and continuing havoc wrecked on these two states. And let us now just talk about homes, which next to losing a loved one, can be the most traumatic loss, especially where affordable livable homes are in such short supply — that in itself a most unnatural disaster.

And just imagine how forsaken the countless thousands of Carolinians still living in shelters or away from their homes must feel to see business as usual on the TV screens. And how it would help if media in general frequently, even briefly, addressed

these devastating conditions. And especially should people celebrated at events such as the recent Emmy Awards and within professional sports address them. So needed are high-profile people stressing the horrific conditions of these towns, cities and rural areas, including farms.

And the school year recently begun so smoothly here, how very helpful, if their curriculums now include students reaching out to Carolinas and students in other disaster areas — letting them know they care and want to help. Ah, just letting people know they are cared for is such a fundamental human need.

If ever a subject needed to be taught in general and role-modeled ...

About that so all-important reach-

ing out, yes, kids could set the example for other age groups. And elders, too, need to reach out to their peers in disaster areas, who are too often alone and unable to fend for themselves very well. Ideally, what’s most needed are multigenerational support systems now quite hindered by age-segregated social systems.

Until the revolution, elders must urge their political leaders (this paper’s Useful Contacts has phone and address information) to help this most vulnerable and often invisible group. Senior groups must also be pressured to enable the reaching out.

Elders have no trouble doing mailing letters to, say, Carolina newspaper editors, but going viral, using social media power is now so essential.

CURBING GRIDLOCK

BY SAMUEL I. SCHWARTZ

This week the city declared “gridlock alerts” because of the traffic morass caused by the United Nations General Assembly. City transportation officials are forecasting Midtown speeds dipping to 3 mph or even lower. Their advice — to avoid driving anywhere near the East Side — should not be taken lightly. But, with average speeds on normal days hovering at about 4.7 mph, a brisk walking speed, drivers have been experiencing gridlock throughout the year. Before you say “nothing new here, drivers have been complaining about traffic for a century” (you’d be correct), there is something different today — traffic speeds are the slowest ever recorded — over 30 percent slower than historic speeds over the past century.

Forty-seven years ago, in 1971, I was assigned to the research office of the old city Traffic Department. I had traffic data from 1915 through the 1960s. I noticed that Midtown speeds hovered about 7 to 7.5 mph for the pre- and post-war decades, despite a doubling of traffic volumes. This was partially accomplished by traffic engineering:

avenues converted to one-way operations, upgrading traffic signals, more restrictive parking rules, turn restrictions and more. I say partially because I believed another factor was at work.

I hit upon it during the 20 years I worked in city traffic.

In 1982 I became traffic commissioner and did my best to modernize traffic systems, increase enforcement, establish bus lanes, and crack down on placard parking. Despite my best efforts, traffic speeds edged upward just slightly to about 7 ½ mph. I came up with a theory that there was a misery level drivers were willing to accept at around 7 mph. If speeds got higher than 7 mph, more people would drive; if they dipped below 7 mph, fewer would. This seemed to explain why, for 70 years, Midtown speeds stayed about the same despite dramatic changes in traffic volumes. But something happened in the past few years that has set a new level of misery, far slower than 7 mph. What’s going on?

What I hear when speaking with New Yorkers is, “those damn bike lanes,” “trucks double park freely,” “Uber and Lyft are killing us,” “the subways stink,” “bus drivers never pull into

Photo: joiseyshowaa, via flickr the curb,” “illegal parkers, especially those with placards, are the culprits,” “more traffic, more pedestrians, more construction,” and “taxi drivers don’t know how to drive.” Everyone is quick to blame the other person. With a background in physics and engineering, I prefer to look at the data.

Traffic volumes entering Manhattan’s central business district are down by about 100,000 vehicles over the past decade. Vehicle miles travelled, a much better measure of the amount of driving, has jumped 7 percent in Manhattan and the dense East River neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn. How can volumes go down but driving go up? It’s because cars usually just head straight to parking, traveling just a few miles in Midtown (I am not minimizing their contribution to congestion).

But vehicles-in-motion, mostly taxis, Ubers, Lyfts and Vias, have soared. As traffic commissioner, I found the closest relationship of any parameter to traffic speeds was vehicles-in-motion — the greater the VIM numbers, the slower the speeds. I had studied taxis at the time and found a single cab’s impact on traffic was up to 40 times that of a commuting car.

Bike lanes do reduce vehicular capacity on city streets, but the biggest Midtown program was introduced during the Bloomberg administration, which preceded the more significant drop in speeds over the past five years.

With the rise of Amazon and other services, there are more trucks delivering smaller loads than ever. This has not been studied sufficiently but I’m certain there’s an impact.

Another unnatural disaster where intergenerational help is so needed.

And surely remembering how helping disaster victims transcends partisan divides. Maybe you too recall John McCain’s funeral where former presidents and first ladies sat in the front row, differences overcome at least for the occasion.

And how extremely helpful and also uniting if they were seen helping at these disaster scenes and repeatedly speaking about the victims’ ongoing needs and also the help a caring citizenry must also give. And so much more - your ideas are needed.

Ah, and also, the neighbor in need next door must not be forgotten. dewingbetter@aol.com

Subway and bus ridership is down.

On-time performance has plummeted this decade from 89 percent to the low 60s; we cannot survive as a world capital with such poor service. People are switching to greater traffic-impacting modes such as Uber and Lyft.

So, armed with these facts, what’s the best approach? Having been at this since the Lindsay administration, I maintain that it must be multipronged: transit must improve, the growth of for-hire vehicles needs to be reversed in the business district (through pricing, not a cap), traffic enforcement needs to be more scientific (writing the most tickets does not mean better traffic flow), placard parking should be eliminated in Midtown, growth of truck mini-deliveries must be controlled, and insane tolling policies that encourage motorists to drive out of their way to use a “free” crossing vs. a tolled crossing or to drive through the business district rather than around it to get to New Jersey.

The strategy that solves many of the problems is a congestion pricing program for all vehicles that reduces traffic flow while raising revenue to improve transit and other transportation systems. A for-hire vehicle congestion charge will go into effect in 2019. I am hopeful a congestion pricing plan for all vehicles entering the CBD will be passed in the coming legislative session.

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

WHEN SENIORS START SNEEZING AGING Late-onset allergies in older patients are often overlooked and under-diagnosed. What you need to know

BY MAULI DESAI M.D.

Many people think of allergies as a problem afflicting children and young adults. It’s true that allergic rhinitis — or irritation and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose — most commonly begins in the earlier decades of life. That said, there is a group of adults with late-onset allergies, starting for the ďŹ rst time in their 50s or 60s and beyond.

Many, at this age, are entering their retirement years — a time when they’d like to enjoy a walk in Central Park or play golf in the suburbs. It can be very frustrating for someone who has never dealt with allergies to suddenly be dealing with nasal congestion and post-nasal drip on a daily basis.

Allergy symptoms can be more than a nuisance: they can be distressing, and especially so in the elderly. Rhinitis causes symptoms such as stuffy nose, post- nasal drip and sneezing. Allergies can also cause itchy eyes, coughing and wheezing. Allergies can affect seniors in a major way, as they can lead to poor sleep and fatigue, which impacts quality of life. Patients have described to me feeling embarrassed by the constant need to blow their nose while dining out in NYC, or feeling self-conscious riding the bus or subway, not wanting others to think they are sick. It can be a real social burden.

Allergies are a result of the immune system overreacting to a harmless substance in the environment. Seasonal allergies happen in the spring and fall when pollen counts are high. Indoor allergens such as dust mite, dogs, cats, and mold spores can also cause allergies.

In NYC we also need to consider cockroaches as a possible allergenic trigger. Environmental allergies can be a significant problem for older patients with asthma. And sometimes allergic inflammation of the nose can make us more sensitive to irritants such as tobacco smoke and strong smells.

You might think you’ve just got a cold. But when the congestion, dripping and cough continue, it might be time to con-

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Allergic rhinitis can lead to poor sleep and fatigue, impacting quality of life. sider if allergies are the cause.

So here are a few things to consider: • Allergies in older patients are often overlooked and under-diagnosed. Older patients often have multiple medical problems and during visits, your doctor may focus on your serious medical problems, such as managing diabetes or heart problems. So allergies may not be properly assessed. Also, allergen sensitivities tend to decrease with age, with its prevalence being lower in the most advanced of ages. As such, your doctor may not be as vigilant about assessing for this issue.

It’s important to speak up and share your symptoms with your doctor. • It might not be allergies after all. In the senior age group, non-allergic rhinitis becomes a bigger issue. Structural changes of the nose can happen, such as narrowing of nasal passages due to weakening of the cartilage. This can cause nasal congestion. In addition, dryness is a very important contributing factor in this age group. In the winter months many apartment buildings blast the heat.

This can dry out our skin, and the lining of our nose as well.

Certain side effects of medications can also cause non-allergic rhinitis symptoms. • It’s important to talk to your

doctor and see an allergist.

Testing (skin test or blood test) can be helpful in diagnosing allergies. Your doctor can also evaluate you for non-allergic rhinitis. • When treating rhinitis medications need to be chosen carefully. Seniors may have more side effects from certain medication. First-generation antihistamines that can cause side effects like sedation are not recommended, so long-acting antihistamines may be preferable. Some over the counter medications that contain decongestants can effect blood pressure — the elderly need to be cautious. Nasal saline can be helpful in hydrating the nose.

For some, allergy shots can be very useful.

You can also avoid exposing yourself to allergens by: • Keeping windows closed, and using air conditioning instead during peak pollen seasons. • Changing your clothes or taking a shower after spending time outdoors before entering your bedroom so you don’t track pollen into your bed! • Making sure your pets don’t track pollen into the home and keeping them out of the bedroom. • Using air puriďŹ ers, especially if you have pets. • Wearing sunglasses, as this can protect your eyes from pollen in the air. • Using dust mite protective covers for pillows and mattresses. • Minimizing carpeting in the bedroom.

Allergies in seniors call for a personalized and specialized approach, so please work with your doctor to help alleviate your allergy symptoms.

Dr. Mauli Desai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, The Division of Clinical Immunology at Mount Sinai.

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New York City Department for the Aging 2018 Public Hearings

The New York City Department for the Aging will be conducting public hearings for the Annual Plan Sum mary of 2019-2020 for services under the Older Americans Act, the New York State Community Services

for the Elderly and the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Programs. Hearings are scheduled for each borough as follows:

Borough /Date & Time

BRONX

Tuesday, October 16

9:30am - 11:30am

BROOKLYN

Wednesday, October 17

10:00am 12:00pm

MANHATTAN

Monday, October 22

10:00am - 12:00pm

STATEN ISLAND

Thursday, October 25

9:30am - 11:30am

QUEENS

Location BronxWorks Morris Innovative Senior Center 80 East 181st Street Bronx, NY 10453 (718) 933-5300 Albany Senior Center 196 Albany Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11213 (718) 773-2600 Leonard Covello Senior Center 312 East 109th Street New York, NY 10029 (212) 423-9665 JCC of Staten Island 1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314 (718) 475-5238

Sunnyside Community Neighborhood Senior Center

43-31 39th Street

Friday, October 26 Sunnyside, NY 11104

(929) 335-7915 10:00am - 12:00pm

testimony@aging.nyc.gov or send mail to NYC Department for the Aging, c/o Yvette To register, email 2 Lafayette Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10007.

Parrish-Chenault,

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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Discover the world around the corner.

Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com

EDITOR’S PICK

Thu 27 MIKA BRZEZINSKI AND KATIE COURIC: KNOW YOUR WORTH 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. 7 p.m. $40+ 212-415-5500. 92Y.org Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski offers insights in “Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth,” where she addresses how women can communicate their value and get more respect for their contributions at work and at home and in life. She’ll sit down with Katie Couric and offer her take on #TimesUp, #MeToo and Trump’s infamous “facelift” tweet, as well as what she’s learned from women like Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg and Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Photo of the “Gee, Officer Krupke” segment of West Side Story by the Jets. Photo by Fred Fehl, via WikiMedia Commons

“NE

OBLIVISCARIS”

Thu 27 Fri 28

Sat 29

▲ ‘WEST SIDE STORY,’ ‘GYPSY’ AND ‘FORUM’

UES FAMILY DAY

92nd Street Y 1395 Lexington Ave. 1:30 p.m. $45 This year-long Broadway lecture series kicks off with an exploration of Stephen Sondheim’s background, training and contribution, as lyricist, to his first two professional productions, “West Side Story” and “Gypsy,” as well as his foray into writing both music and lyrics with A “Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

212-415-5500 92y.org

CALLIOPE BRASS: FIRST ANNUAL BENEFIT CONCERT Church of the Epiphany 1393 York Ave. 3 p.m. $30 suggested donation Calliope Brass, a quintet that harnesses the power of storytelling through music, brings an interactive and educational show to their first benefit. The performance will be followed by a silent auction and light reception. Proceeds will help bring the show to schools with limited arts funding. calliopebrass.com

St. Catherine’s Park, First Avenue between East 67th and 68th Streets Noon. Free Join NYC Parks and Council Member Ben Kallos for an afternoon of crafts, games, inflatables, face painting with Agostino Arts, an obstacle course, carnival booths, sports, a photo booth and more.

212-408-0256 nycgovparks.org

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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Nikola Tesla, with his equipment for producing high-frequency alternating currents. Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images - images//wellcomeimages.org. Photographer: Dickenson V. Alley, via WikiMedia Commons

Sun 30 Mon 1

Tue 2

â–ź HISTORIC WORKSHOP: GREEK REVIVAL CERAMICS

THE IMAGINATION OF HENRI MICHAUX

â–˛ ‘TESLA: INVENTOR OF THE MODERN’

Albertine 972 Fifth Ave. 6:30 p.m. Free Join Richard Sieburth and Pierre Joris as they discuss Sieburth’s new translation of Henri Michaux’s “A Certain Plume.� Plume, meaning feather or pen, is a character who drifts from one thing to another, losing shape, taking new forms, at perpetual risk.

212-650–0070 albertine.com

Shakespeare and Co. 939 Lexington Ave. 6:30 p.m. Free Richard Munson will discuss his biography of the proliďŹ c and eccentric genius Nikola Tesla.

212-772-3400 shakeandco.com

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden 421 East 61st St. 2 p.m. $20 adults/$15 members From furniture to literature and architecture, 19th-century New Yorkers loved ancient Greece. This event includes a tour of the museum’s Greek Revival objects and a workshop where participants will learn to make Greek-inuenced decorative items. All materials provided.

212 838-6878 mvhm.org

Photo by MatthiasKabel, via Wikimedia Commons

Wed 3 PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET: JEROME ROBBINS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION The Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave. 7:30 p.m. $45 Peter Boal, the PaciďŹ c Northwest Ballet’s artistic director and a former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, will be joined by dancers from the PaciďŹ c Northwest Ballet to discuss and perform male solos by Jerome Robbins.

Additional performance Sept. 2.

212-423-3500 guggenheim.org

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

“Germ City” entrance. Photo courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

MICROBES IN MANHATTAN A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York focuses on NYC in sickness and in health

BY ALIZAH SALARIO

Hear the words “Germ City” and New Yorkers conjure images of bacterialaden subway poles and rat-infested dumpsters. But “Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis,” a new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, is not a gross-out showcase. Rather, the exhibition tells the history of New York’s long battle against infectious disease. It’s a chronicle of the city’s social and cultural evolution, one in which densely populated neighborhoods and the complex movement of people and goods created ideal conditions for the spread of germs and disease — not to mention the transmission of ideas and activism that sparked remarkable medical innovations, and even cures.

Organized in collaboration with The New York Academy of Medicine and Wellcome, “Germ City” is part of an international project called Contagious Cities, which looks at epidemic preparedness in cities around the world.

The MCNY’s thoughtful curation amplifies historical echoes between disparate diseases since the turn of the last century. One can connect the dots between Jewish immigrants stigmatized as trachoma carriers as they entered Ellis Island, discrimination against African-Americans

reinforced by associating them with tuberculosis and the homophobia propagated by the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Various artifacts speak to the way immigrants, the poor and minorities have long been saddled with blame for the spread of disease; the exhibition’s most powerful representation of this stigma is “Blood Mirror,” Jordan Eagles’s 2015 display of blood donations from 59 HIV positive men preserved in UV resin. (The piece protests the Food and Drug Administration’s 30year ban on gay men donating blood within 12 months of their last sexual encounter.)

Lest we forget that New York City’s sick, or merely stigmatized, were literally cast off to the city’s margins, the spectacularly eerie North Brother Island in the East River makes an appearance. A handwritten letter from Typhoid Mary (Mallon) expressing her frustration over being quarantined there in isolation for nearly three decades — though she was not actually sick (Mallon was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever) — is juxtaposed with photographer Christopher Payne’s 2008 image of North Brother Island, “Isolation Room, Tuberculosis Pavilion.” Payne captures the atmosphere of abandonment and decay on the deserted island in the wake of disease, a striking counterimage to the shiny and gentrified island that Manhattan is today.

The exhibition spends a lot of time on the way cultural forces spread dis-

eases, but patrons will also get a sense of how a city that brought diverse peoples — and their potions — in close proximity led to a different sort of transmission. A book of traditional Chinese recipes that includes a “Formula for Cough and Cold” that uses purple aster root, mulberry leaves and field mint is displayed along with a handwritten recipe for chicken soup from an Eastern European Jewish immigrant. Today, what New Yorker hasn’t tried both a steaming bowl of “Jewish penicillin” and an herbal remedy based in traditional Chinese medicine? (The authenticity and appropriation of both is another matter.)

A massive iron lung on display used in the treatment of polio is a reminder that a mere century ago, parents feared that their children would not live until adulthood. The exhibition, in fact, commemorates the centennial of the global flu epidemic, during which one-third of the world’s population was sick with the flu and over 50 million people died worldwide.

As it always does in a crisis, New York City mobilized quickly during the 1918 flu epidemic. The City instituted staggered work hours to mitigate subway crowds, set up decentralized care throughout the city, started public health lectures at movies and even outlawed spitting, explained exhibition curator Rebecca Jacobs. In an age of public health campaigns and keychain bottles of hand sanitizer, it is hard to conceive of just how revolu-

“Blood Mirror,” by Jordan Eagles, 2015-present. Photo by Leo Herrera

An iron lung used to treat polio. Photo courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York tionary these steps were at the time.

By putting germs and pathogens in historical context, “Germ City” also makes clear how our use of disease as a metaphor has invaded our discourse.

We go to war against epidemics and battle against cancer. A film essay at the outset of the exhibit includes evening news clips in which Ebola is referred to as the “ISIS of disease.” From Nazi Germany to our current administration, the rhetoric of immigrants

who “infestat” cities has been used to dehumanize and justify prejudice.

It’s worth considering how this type of language makes modern New Yorkers conceive of contagion and transmission, be it the virus causing that seasonal cold half the city can’t shake, or the virulent information spread through modern social networks.

When it comes to the next epidemic, none of us is immune.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

13

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BEYOND BROADWAY - EAST SIDE The #1 online community for NYC theater:

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The American premiere of a new musical from Tony Award nominee Conor McPherson and music icon Bob Dylan.

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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Neighborhood Scrapbook

SEP 12 - 18, 2018 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml.

McDonald’s

1286 1 Avenue

A

Campagnola Restaurant

1382 1st Ave

Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Kings Carriage House

251 East 82 Street

A

San Matteo Pizzeria E Cucina

1559 2nd Ave

Grade Pending (27) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies.

Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

China Taste

1570 2nd Ave

Grade Pending (43) 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/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Subway

1523 York Avenue

A

City Swiggers

320 East 86 Street

A

Dunkin’ Donuts

1571 York Avenue

A

Five Mile Stone

1640 2nd Ave

Grade Pending (25) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/ refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/ or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Bayards Ale House

1589 1st Ave

A

Blake Lane

1429 3rd Ave

A

Food Passion

1200 Lexington Ave

Grade Pending (25) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Bagels And More

1585 3rd Ave

A

Make N Bake

1976 3rd Ave

A

El Aguila

1634 Lexington Ave

Grade Pending (18) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

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

Taco Mix

1621 Lexington Ave

A

From left: School Construction Authority President Lorraine Grillo, DOE Director of Early Childhood for District 2 Aneesha Jacko, Assembly Member Dan Quart, Council Member Keith Powers, State Senator Liz Krueger, Council Member Ben Kallos. Photo courtesy of Council Members Ben Kallos and Keith Powers

NEW PRE-K FACILITIES FOR THE UES The start of the school year also marked the grand opening of two new pre-kindergarten facilities on the East Side. Local officials held ribbon-cutting ceremonies in recent weeks at new pre-K facilities at 1683 Third Avenue and 252 East 57th Street. The schools currently serve a combined 234 students. A third new

pre-K site with 180 seats will open in fall 2019 on East 76th Street. The new facilities bring the Upper East Side, where the number of available pre-K seats has long lagged behind demand, closer to the city’s goal of providing pre-K for all.

School Construction Authority President Lorraine Grillo, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member Keith Powers, Deputy Manhattan Borough President Matthew Washington, Community School District 2 Superintendent Bonnie Laboy. Photo courtesy of Council Members Ben Kallos and Keith Powers.

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

MY BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S DINING

BY LILLY MAIER

“Suddenly you are afraid and you don’t know what you are afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?” Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly asks writer Paul Varjak in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” “Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s,” she adds.

“Calms me down right away.

The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.”

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the 1961 movie adaption of Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, has long been a classic, and is the first thing that comes to mind both when one thinks of Audrey Hepburn or Tiffany’s.

It makes you wonder then, why it took almost fifty years for the luxury jeweler to capitalize on the idea, and offer patrons what they have always dreamed of: the chance for their very own Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Lilly Maier at The Blue Box Cafe.

Photo: Angelina Bruno

IF YOU GO WHAT: The Blue Box Cafe WHERE: Tiffany & Co. 727 Fifth Avenue WHEN: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (last seating at 5:30 p.m.), Sunday 12-6 p.m. (last seating at 4:30 p.m.)

Reservation required: resy. com/cities/ny/blue-box-cafe

Last fall Tiffany & Co. opened The Blue Box Cafe on Fifth Avenue. The aptly named restaurant delivers what it promises: a Tiffany blue box tucked away on the fourth floor of the flagship store. Decorated from wall to wall in the signature blue, and equipped with elegant, white-blue china (designed by Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co.’s chief artistic officer), the café creates an experience that even brunch-proficient New Yorkers are unlikely to forget.

I have been wanting to eat at the The Blue Box Cafe since it opened last November, but even after a year it’s still a hassle to get a table. Reservations are only available online, and have to be made 30 days in advance at exactly 9 a.m. By 9:01 all the seats are filled.

Getting the reservation is the only stressful part, though.

Afterwards, the 30-day-wait increases the anticipation, and many guests decide to dress up for the occasion — to make it more memorable and to up

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Avocado toast and buttermilk waffles for brunch. Photo: Angelina Bruno

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Business STILL GRACIOUS, BUT ALSO FUNKY AND HIP Or how a legacy 55-year-old retail legend remakes itself and seeks a younger, trendier clientele

BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN

Gracious Home is roaring back to life.

Ever since its founding in 1963, the iconic home-andhousewares retailer has been the go-to destination for upscale Manhattanites in quest of homes, furnishings and lifestyles that were, well, gracious.

Now, the retailer is modernizing and relaunching its brand, with a grand reopening in SoHo on Sept. 27, rebooting its merchandise — and looking ahead to a prospective return to the Upper West Side.

Even as it keeps the faith with a graying customer base, the stylish household emporium is putting out the word loud and clear: This is not your grandfather’s Gracious Home anymore.

“My goal is to bring in younger customers so the brand can survive,” said Esther Eaton, the company’s CEO since March.

At least one a day, someone tells how much they miss us on the Upper West Side.”

Company CEO Esther Eaton “You can’t survive if you’re only tending to the needs of your older core customers.”

Upper East Siders who’ve flocked to the original store at 70th Street and Third Avenue since Robert F. Wagner occupied City Hall and Lyndon B. Johnson sat in the White House will still find the welcome mat out.

And they will still be able to furnish their Park Avenue apartments and homes in the Hamptons homes with the finest bedding, bath linens, lighting, glassware, silverware, china, candles, closets, floral, fragrances and other home accessories.

But what they will not see is the panoply of neither-here-

Esther Eaton, CEO of Gracious Home, at the SoHo store. Photo courtesy of Gracious Home

nor-there items that was the stock and trade of the battlescarred retailer that survived two bankruptcy filings in August 2010 and December 2016, eventually shrinking from four stores to the lone outpost on the East Side.

“We’re not going to carry Mr. Coffee, and we’re not going to carry cotton balls!” Eaton said.

“That was the model of the old Gracious Home — an inventory that carried everything under the sun,” she added. “But we do not want or hope to be everything for everybody.”

Under new ownership since billionaire and serial entrepreneur Tom Sullivan bought the company out of bankruptcy for $4 million in June 2017, it is now refocusing its business model and moving, albeit cautiously this time, to become a Manhattan chain once again.

With new management in place, Eaton is now building “that endless aisle” online, repositioning the store as a hybrid that combines digital with hipper, brick-and-mortar operations in a campaign to lure younger high-end shoppers and a greater assortment of luxury suppliers.

To t hat end, Gracious Home this week is debuting a 1,283-square-foot shop at 498 Broome Street off West Broadway in SoHo that it deems crucial for its sales growth.

Post-bankruptcy, the company recorded annual sales of $5.3 million, of which roughly $1 million came from online transactions, a figure that is expected to head north this year and next, though Eaton says it is too early to release projections.

Once the SoHo shop is up and running, executive plan to develop a design center in its 300-square-foot basement, which will be open to the public and is intended to attract designers displaying of-themoment merchandise.

The store replaces a shuttered Gracious Home that had a “hard industrial feel” and carried products that was “a bit off for that clientele,” Eaton said.

“So we came up with a new formula — a little more contemporary, a little softer, a little

The sun-lit interior of the modern new Gracious Home at 498 Broome Street in SoHo, which opens its doors on Sept. 27. Photo: Gracious Home more fashion-oriented, with a younger and more funky feel.”

In a nutshell, Eaton sums up the two different markets in which she operates: The younger SoHo customer “wants more color and style,” she says, while the client on 70th Street prefers the “more classic look” in bedding and décor which, she points out, is “very often white.”

On the Upper East Side, she adds, “They’re not looking for funky sheets and crazy designs.”

But even as Soho opens its doors, the 3,000-square-foot UES flagship is begin renovat-

ed, redesigned and repainted, with new flooring, new shelfand-floor displays, modern air conditioning and new merchandise.

“Once the Upper East Side is freshened up and performing well, and once the SoHo store is operating at its peak, we’ll evaluate what comes next,” Eaton said.

And therein lies a huge measure of hope for Upper West Siders, many of whom are still mourning the closing of the Gracious Home at 1992 Broadway on the corner of West 67th Street in December 2016 after an 18-year run.

“At least once a day, someone tells how much they miss us on the Upper West Side,” Eaton said. “I would love to return.”

Don’t get too excited. She hasn’t started scouting locations yet. It’s still early in the formulation of company plans.

It wouldn’t be a very large store on multiple levels like the original that bowed in 1998. The chain’s new model is a smaller footprint of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet.

“But in the future, it’s where we very much want to be,” Eaton said. invreporter@strausnews.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

17

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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Table setting at The Blue Box Cafe. Photo: Lilly Maier

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 their obligatory selfie game.

Once you ďŹ nally walk into The Blue Box, the place is just as Holly Golightly envisioned the Tiffanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of her dreams: quiet, proud and peaceful.

The ambience really is the most surprising quality of The Blue Box Cafe: Compared to the noisy streets outside and the bustling store the next room over, I was taken by how quiet the cafĂŠ is. There are only seats for forty people at most, and the waiters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; contrary to those at most brunch eateries in the city â&#x20AC;&#x201D; let you sit long after you have ďŹ nished your food and sipped your last drop of the Tiffany Blend tea.

Speaking of food: In the movie, Holly Golightly eats her breakfast from a paper bag while looking into the shop windows; in The Blue Box Cafe the selection is more reďŹ ned. You can choose from a prix ďŹ xe breakfast ($32), lunch ($42) or afternoon tea ($52) prepared with seasonal and local ingredients. The signature breakfast is served all day and comes with a croissant, fruit and one of four bruch choices.

I had the sunflower seed avocado toast with a poached egg and my friend ordered the buttermilk waffles, which were ďŹ&#x201A;uffy as can be, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave any room for dessert. The two course lunch includes a Fifth Avenue Salad (lobsters, avocado and grapefruit) or FiftySeventh Street Flatbread. The

afternoon tea is a large selection of ďŹ nger sandwiches and sweets served on a delicate three-tiered tea tray.

And if you still donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel enough like Audrey, you can order the Blue Box Celebration Cake: a small cake that looks like an actual Tiffany ring box, with blue icing and a white confectionary bow. I think, in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version, Holly Golightly would jump right into a cab and stay here forever.

Lilly Maier is a journalist and historian. An NYU graduate, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar, she just ďŹ nished writing a book about the life of a Viennese Holocaust survivor, who grew up in the same apartment she lived in as a child.

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Self-Employed, 2016

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Greenwich Village / Financial District

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Upper West Side

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14,621

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She loved theater.

So she gave.

Photo:Stephen Paley

NYC NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE HIGHEST RATE OF SELF-EMPLOYED ADULTS AGE 50+ Neighborhood

19

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Source: Center for an Urban Future analysis of self-employment data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2005 and 2016. Tabulated using IPUMS. Graphic: Caitlin Ryther

THE BOSS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CUPCAKES, COSMETICS AND CONSULTANCIES Some are utilizing platforms like Upwork, UrbanSitter, TaskRabbit, Uber and Etsy, the report says. Others open brick-and-mortar restaurants or clothing shops. Some sell crafts or cosmetics online. Others run home-based day care businesses. Or work as caterers or speech therapists.

The wave of business creation is still in its infancy. But the Center for an Urban Futureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starting Later: Realizing the Promise of Older Entrepreneurs in New Yorkâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; posits that city demographics capture the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideal conditionsâ&#x20AC;? for the boom to intensify: As of 2016, there were roughly 2.2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 50 and 74, comprising almost 26 percent of the populace. Aging adults will continue to spark the bulk of city population growth because by 2030, projections show, nearly one in three residents will be over 50. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ask most New Yorkers to picture an entrepreneur, and they

imagine a 20- or 30-something in jeans and sneakers,â&#x20AC;? the report begins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the face of entrepreneurship across New York City is changing,â&#x20AC;? it adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A growing number of older adults are quietly but purposefully turning to entrepreneurship for the ďŹ rst time.â&#x20AC;?

After spending the better part of a lifetime in the workforce, a new breed of bosses is emerging. The public-policy shop has compiled a breakdown by neighborhood, based on an analysis of census data, labor reports and demographic and workplace studies.

Adopting a broad definition of entrepreneurship, the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study includes both self-employment and business ownership among the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s older population. Among its ďŹ ndings, based on 2016 data: â&#x20AC;˘ There are 17,094 Upper West Siders above the half-century mark who work for themselves â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or a lofty self-employment rate of 39 percent. â&#x20AC;˘ On the other side of Central Park, there are 14,621 Upper East Siders aged 50 or above who make their own payrolls, a self-employment rate of 32 percent out of 45,177 people in

the same age bracket. â&#x20AC;˘ In Greenwich Village, Soho, Tribeca and the Financial District, 10,258 residents aged 50 or older work for themselves, out of a tally of 25,433. That means lower Manhattan posts a 40 percent self-employment rate, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest. â&#x20AC;˘ And in midtown, Chelsea and Hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen, the 50-andup workforce numbers 24,495, of whom 7,748, or 32 percent, are self-employed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While few believe they are building million-dollar businesses, these 50-plus founders take what might seem at their age to be a perilous leap into the unknown, often risking their savings to bankroll a dream,â&#x20AC;? the authors wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They bring know-how and experience to the task, and often have innovative ideas about how to do things better ... among other things, they are willing and ready learners.â&#x20AC;?

The report quotes Lendynette Pacheco-Jorge, assistant director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Iona College: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They know what they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know.â&#x20AC;? invreporter@strausnews.com

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SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3,2018

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REDEMPTION, ON STAGE AND OFF After 18 years of writing and rewriting, workshops and more work, composer Edward Thomas’s opera, “Anna Christie,” premieres later this month

BY MARK NIMAR

Edward Thomas was not yet 20 when he and the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division landed in Sicily during World War II and saw heavy combat.

“A lot of friends were hit with machine gun fire,” Thomas recounted recently. “I was lucky.”

He would return home, to Chisholm, Minnesota, in the fall of 1945. Thomas, already an accomplished guitarist, would stay but three weeks in his hometown, pop. about 7,000, before embarking for New York City, determined to pursue his musical passion.

He hasn’t stopped composing.

Over the course of those seven-plus decades, Thomas would sing on recordings by eminent jazz musicians Hank Jones, Milt Hinton and Clark Terry, appear on TV alongside Jackie Gleason, Arthur Godfrey and Ernie Kovacs, write commercial jingles for TWA, Campbell’s Soup and U.S. Steel, and receive seven gold records for his work with luminaries such as Leonytne Price, Roberta Peters and Julie Andrews.

But among his most cherished milestones is his opera “Anna Christie,” which will have its world premiere at Encompass New Opera Theatre October 4.

Adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, “Anna Christie” follows the story of its eponymous heroine, who, after surviving years of sexual abuse and prostitution, reunites with her sea-barge captain father, and then falls in love with a merchant sailor who is taken aboard ship after having survived a shipwreck in the Atlantic.

Like the opera itself, getting this work to the stage was an odyssey. It took Thomas and librettist Joe Masteroff (the book writer for “Cabaret” and “She Loves Me”) 18 years of writing, rewriting, workshops and readings to get the show under the footlights. And it was after a chance encounter that, after many years of hard work, Thomas and Masteroff would get the chance to stage their creation. About five years ago, Encompass’s founding artistic director, Nancy Rhodes happened to be in the audience for another one of Thomas’s shows at the York Theatre. Rhodes was impressed with what she saw

and heard, and asked Thomas if he had anything else he was working on. Thomas sent Rhodes the score for “Anna Christie,” and she fell in love with not only the music, but also the bravery and strength of the opera’s leading lady.

“I love her fierce survival, her vulnerability within that, and her passion for life. For living,” says Rhodes. “Anna suffered severe hardships, but she [didn’t] let it stop her from becoming the authentic person she was meant to be, and to go on in her life in a positive manner.... Eugene O’Neill was very far ahead of his time. He was one of the first American dramatists to write so deeply and authentically about these people he actually knew in his life. He was recognized for understanding the backstory of what caused her to go into prostitution. He wrote in such a way that was truly authentic, and real and passionate. The story resonates particularly today with the #MeToo Movement, and what women have suffered with throughout history.”

Rhodes would eventually come to direct Thomas’s opera, currently in rehearsal.

“The music-drama is on a barge. We are creating water around the barge.

There’s this feeling of floating, so we have the presence of the sea constantly.... [we’re] just putting all that together,” says Rhodes.

If you have never been to an opera before, “Anna Christie” is the perfect place to start, Rhodes insists. “It has music that’s very singable,” she says.

“It has these jazz elements. But it’s very lyrical, and it’s dramatic, because there are a lot of confrontational scenes. It can appeal to sophisticated musical lovers and musical theater people. It will attract both ends of the spectrum.”

The story is a charged, powerful drama perfectly suited for the grandness of the operatic stage. The wideranging style of the score is owed to its composer’s rich and varied career in the music world.

After the show’s October 7 matinee, Thomas will celebrate his 94th birthday with the show’s cast and audience.

“I don’t even believe it’s happening.

It’s weird. I can’t even explain it,” says Thomas.

Peering back, Thomas takes everything in stride. “The most important thing looking back,” he says, “is basically being happy, and accepting that you could do what you could do when you could do it. It’s the doing that’s more important than the fame and the money.... A philosopher said ‘never too late to be what you might have been.’

Nancy Rhodes, the founding artistic director of Encompass New Opera Theatre, and the composer Edward Thomas. Rhodes is directing “Anna Christie,” an opera, based on Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, for which Thomas wrote the music. Photo: Harold Levine.

You keep doing what you need to do and want to do. And whatever will be will be. It’s hard work,” Thomas admits.

Thomas finds his personal philosophy reflected in his opera. The story of Anna Christie “proves that it’s never too late to get what you hope for,” he says. “Because she ended up being a prostitute, and she meets [the sailor],

and they’re gonna get married.... You get the feeling they’re gonna be happy together, and she has something real.... She has found someone. And strangely, in these times, relationships are hard to create and remain substantively.... I think that’s the main statement. All the rest is drama preceding.”

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Anna Christie” WHERE: Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave. WHEN: October 4-21 www.encompasstheatre.org 866-811-4111

CROSSWORD

20

31

40

R G U J S L N F P O V V I X O

K N G X G S L K V R O A K K S

S D X I V I T O L I L A M P S

T W S C C G M L U E C Y X L B

D L O K S L T F L A S H E S Y

H I E S D I S O F D S P S C I

Q R M D M M U G W T F J V G Y

S S H S S M F X A P A H R M B

Y V P A W E P R F Z V M O O N

R A V W A R S B F L I G H T S

The puzzle contains the following words. They may be diagonal, across, or up and down in the grid in any direction.

I S Q V A S S P A R K L E S H

Brightens Dims Flashes Flickers Glimmers Illuminates Lamps Leds Lights Moon Sparkles Sparks Stars Suns Twinkles

ANSWERS O

P

H O

S

R

T

N

U

P

D

O O

N

E

V

A

S

E

R

I

E

K

48 41

42

N

T

43

E

E

39 32 30 23

24

A

N

V

33

E

34

15 12 1

2

3

N

B

S

44

L

40

L

I

50

O

I

R

O

O B

45

D W E

35

36

37

I

A E

U 4

S

S

R

26

R

T

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22

I

19

A

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16

H

5

A

U

13

T

N

6

E

A M 7

T E

46

A R

47

N L

38

E

E

L

A Q N

A

31

25

21 18

A

49

K

C

E

L L

G G A 27

Y

28

S M E

29

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B

L

20

I

W A

17

O

C

14 8

B

9

A

N R A B

10

D E S U

11

8

2

6 2

7 5

4

8 9 3 4

7 1 5

4 3 9 1 8 6 2

1 8 3 2 6 9 5 4 7

9 7 5 4 1 3 2 8 6

2 4 6 8 7 5 1 9 3

5 2 1 9 3 6 4 7 8

4 6 9 5 8 7 3 2 1

8 3 7 1 4 2 6 5 9

Down 1 Ukraine city 2 Celtic 3 Indian bread 4 Confess 5 Belonging to them 6 Atmosphere 7 Nastier 8 Bandy 9 Type of berry 10 Livestock building 11 Kind of car 19 Goes with a suit 20 Departure announcement 23 Pick 24 Prayer start word 25 “Law and Order” concern

27 Come together 28 Completely 29 Type widths 33 Transmitter 34 Cry of mock horror 35 South American plains 36 ABC owner 37 Pursue 38 Supply with wealth 41 Mashed dinner fare 42 Edge a knife 43 Fairy tale start 44 Reprimand, with “out” 45 Trunk of a tree 46 Plane times 47 Joe Namath team

A D M S N I Z D F C H G H P E

7 5

56

P G X W W A G R A U C N X H M

3 9

55

S G H T I L L U M I N A T E S

6 1

54

B R I G H T E N S A D P G B N

I S Q V A S S P A R K L E S H

53

R A V W A R S B F L I G H T S

52

6

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

Y V P A W E P R F Z V M O O N

51

8

7

S S H S S M F X A P A H R M B

50

4

47

Q R M D M M U G W T F J V G Y

49

46

H I E S D I S O F D S P S C I

45

D L O K S L T F L A S H E S Y

44

50 Bit 51 Start to operative 52 “I ___ you one” 53 Symbol of happiness 54 Hunter’s target 55 Cunning 56 Myra or Rudolf

5

Level: Medium

48

Across 1 Barbie buddies 5 Topper 8 Hindu Mr. 12 Middle Eastern nation 13 Clamor 14 Tapi endings 15 Biblical brother 16 Time piece?

17 Ending with hard or soft 18 Window cover (2 words) 21 An ___ ball 22 Look at for takeover 23 Lots 26 Jamaican jazz 30 A man walks into a bar joke 31 Colonnade tree 32 See the world 36 Lives 39 Snakelike fish 40 Euripides drama 41 Cushion (2 words) 48 Bridge, in Bretagne 49 A Bobbsey twin

1

T W S C C G M L U E C Y X L B

43

7

S D X I V I T O L I L A M P S

42

38

K N G X G S L K V R O A K K S

39

37

1

R G U J S L N F P O V V I X O

36

3

A D M S N I Z D F C H G H P E

35

5

3

4

P G X W W A G R A U C N X H M

34

8

S G H T I L L U M I N A T E S

33

2

B R I G H T E N S A D P G B N

32

41

29

S

30

28

A M

27

8 7

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26

2 6

L

25

5

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24

9

2

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23

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1

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1 9

53

19

8 6

56

18

9

Y

17

6

L

16

5

S

15

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

O W E

14

11

52

13

10

55

12

9

R

8

E

7

C O

6

E

5

N

4

D

3

U

2

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

51

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