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The local paper for the Upper East Side
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‘MRS. SHIRLEY, LISTEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY’
Donna Bailey is 100 years old. But she’s still a fighter. The retired Yorkville nurse told state Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright how she resisted a phone scammer, “Mr. Miller from the government,” who wanted to steal her money. Photo courtesy of Seawright’s office
SENIOR SCAMS
An e-scooter sharing program similar to those operated in San Diego and other cities by companies such as Lime and Bird could soon be given the green light to launch in New York City on a trial basis. Photo courtesy of Lime
END TO E-BIKE BAN IN SIGHT? SAFETY Electric bicycles and electric scooters could soon be legalized on New York City streets BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
For years, electric bicycles have been a significant, if illicit, component of New York City’s street transportation network, favored by food delivery workers and loathed by many pedestrians. But the motorized bikes — now illegal and frequently confiscated by police — could soon become an officially sanctioned mode of transportation under a measure now being considered in the City Council. A package of bills introduced in the City Council on Nov. 28 would legalize not only e-bikes but also escooters, and would pave the way for e-scooter sharing services to begin operating in the city. Council Member Ydanis Rodri-
2019
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“I don’t think vehicles have any place on sidewalks where pedestrians go. I like human-powered vehicles to have their own space apart from motor vehicles, and that’s why we have bike lanes.” Council Member Ben Kallos guez, who is a co-sponsor of the bills and the chair of the Council’s transportation committee, cast e-bikes and e-scooters as an efficient and environmentally friendly option for delivery workers, commuters and tourists at a Nov. 28 press conference on the bills.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
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With Hanukkah underway and Christmas approaching, financial fraud is surging — and con artists are increasingly preying on vulnerable elderly on the UES and UWS BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
The instructions were explicit: Withdraw $20,000 in large bills. Conceal them inside the pages of several magazines. FedEx them to an address in Las Vegas. Then wait. The $1 million windfall will arrive a bit later. Of course, it never did and never will. Instead, a criminal or crime ring, identity and whereabouts still unknown, had deployed the telephone swindle to trick an Upper East Sider out of the bulk of her life savings. The victim was a 90-year-old Yorkville woman who lives alone on York Avenue in the East 80s and worked for years in the human resources department of what is now New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She sang in the choir at the Jan Hus Presbyterian Church on 74th Street, was an active member of her community, and without kids of her own, doted on her nieces and nephews, including one who died on 9/11. Unfortunately, her story is all too common: Internet-based, auto-dialing and search-by-age technology has given fraudsters ease and anonymity to make all-but-untraceable phone calls from anywhere in the world — dangling bogus gifts and rewards to steal personal data and cash. Despite the con’s digitization, it’s still built around a fast-talking pitch
asphaltgreen.org
“For senior citizens, the holidays should mean, ‘Tis the season to be joyful.’ Instead, it is, ‘Tis the season of scams.’” Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright that’s as old as the analog telephone. Imperative you take immediate financial action, a caller will say. No need to consult with family or friends. Fat cash prizes “guaranteed” — even if you didn’t request them.
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Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, December 7 – 4:11 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
‘FEARLESS GIRL’ NO LONGER STARING DOWN ‘BULL’ up for selfies with the 4-foot (130-centimeter) bronze celebrity. One person who was not a fan of the statue was Arturo Di Modica, the artist who created “Charging Bull” and installed it in lower Manhattan in 1989 without permission. Di Modica complained that his 11-foot-tall bull was meant to embody “strength, power and love,” but having “Fearless Girl” face off against his work had turned the bull’s message into something negative. “The girl is right in front doing this, ‘Now I’m here, what are you going to do?’” Di Modica said last year. City officials, meanwhile, announced in April 2018 they would move both statues about three blocks away to the stock exchange because the crowds of pedestrians clustered around the statues presented a traffic hazard. A spokeswoman for Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said details on when the 11-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) bull would be moved and where exactly it would be placed were not available. Di Modica has maintained the city has no right to unilaterally move “Charging Bull.” Noman Siegel, an attorney for the Italy-based artist, said Di Modica had no immediate comment Wednesday on the bull’s potential relocation. “Fearless Girl” sculptor Kristen Visbal did not immediately return a call seeking comment on her statue’s move.
SYMBOLS Bronze celebrity statue is taken down; no date given for reinstallation at New York Stock Exchange BY KAREN MATTHEWS
The “Fearless Girl” statue that inspired millions with her message of female empowerment has been plucked from her spot opposite Wall Street’s “Charging Bull” and will be reinstalled in front of the New York Stock Exchange by the end of the year, officials said Wednesday. The Boston-based financial services firm State Street Global Advisors said the sculpture of a defiant-looking young girl was moved Tuesday night. No date for her reinstallation at the stock exchange was given. A plaque with two footsteps marks the girl’s former spot on a traffic island near the tip of Manhattan. “Fearless Girl is on the move to The New York Stock Exchange,” the plaque reads. “Until she’s there, stand for her.” The hands-on-hips bronze statue was intended as a temporary display when State Street installed it in March 2017 to encourage corporations to put more women on their boards. City officials extended her stay after she became a favorite with tourists, who lined
A favorite with tourists. Photo: Shinya Suzuki, via flickr
2018 CHRISTMAS EVENTS AT THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CHORAL SERVICE
CHILDREN’S PAGEANT
CHRISTMAS EVE
CHRISTMAS DAY
SUNDAY, DEC. 16
DEC. 24
MONDAY, DEC. 24
TUESDAY, DEC. 25
4 p.m. — Lessons and Carols
11 a.m. — Pageant
9:30 p.m. — Pre-Service Music 10 p.m. — Candlelight Service
11 a.m. — Worship
1140 Park Avenue at 91st Street, 212-289-4400, www.brickchurch.org #mybrickgives
DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG SPRAYED, NOT PAID
STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for the week ending Nov 25
Apparently, beauty ran only skin deep in one beauty salon customer. At 8:45 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26, a female customer refused to pay the $245 she owed for treatments in a beauty and nail salon located among the 1300s on Lexington Avenue. Accordingly, a 57-year-old male employee blocked the door so the customer couldn’t leave until police arrived. She responded by pepper-spraying the employee to get through the door. She succeeded and ed northbound on Lexington to an unknown location. Unfortunately, police were unable to locate the customer.
Week to Date
CROWBAR MENACE COLLARED At 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, a man was walking some dogs at the northwest corner of York Avenue and East 85th Street when he got in a dispute with a 48-year-old man. The 48-year-old then went into the basement of an adjacent building and came out with a crowbar, threatening to hit the dog walker with it. A police officer arrived on the scene and talked to multiple witnesses who said they saw the whole incident. The crowbar wielder, Miguel Arnao, was arrested and charged with menacing.
Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr
SIMULATED GUN, REAL CASH A bank robber simulating a gun made off with a substantial score recently. At 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28, a 45-year-old man wearing sunglasses entered the Capital One bank at 991 Third Ave., approached
a teller window and slid the teller a note requesting $10,000 cash. The robber had his hand in his coat pocket, simulating, but not showing, a gun. The teller gave the man $2,738 in cash along with his note. The robber then ed on foot, heading westbound on East 59th Street and evading police.
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Year to Date
2018 2017
% Change
2018
2017
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
12
14
-14.3
Robbery
0
1
-100.0 127
110
15.5
Felony Assault
0
1
-100.0 135
116
16.4
Burglary
5
1
400.0
205
186
10.2
Grand Larceny
27
32
-15.6
1,287 1,256 2.5
Grand Larceny Auto
1
2
-50.0
71
53
34.0
STOLEN STROLLER
BOUTIQUE PIQUE
A baby stroller went for an unauthorized stroll. At 5:50 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, a 33-year-old woman placed her stroller, containing personal property, next to her vehicle in front of 1122 Third Avenue while she paid the parking meter. When she returned, the stroller was gone. No unauthorized usage turned up on her credit cards at the time of the police report, but the items stolen included a Bugaboo Bee stroller valued at $1,200, a Marc Jacobs bag worth $250, $100 in cash and a New York state driver’s license, making a total theft of $1,550.
A local thrift shop is likely somewhat the worse for wear after a recent robbery. A 47-year-old male employee of the Unique Boutique at 1674 Third Ave. told police that a coworker had closed up the shop at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19. When the employee came in to open the store at 10 a.m. the following morning he noticed that the rear screen door was open. He then checked the register and deposit drawer and discovered that $900 in cash was missing.
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Useful Contacts
Drawing Board BY PETER PEREIRA
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
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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4 KEY ISSUES AT PUBLIC ADVOCATE FORUM
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Big turnout for give-and-take with 13 candidates vying to succeed Tish James
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When New York City Public Advocate Tish James is sworn in as the new State Attorney General at the beginning of next month, Mayor DeBlasio will call a special election to fill her current office, which is first in line of succession to the Mayor. Candidates will then have a short time to get 7,000 petition signatures, and the election will likely occur in February. Local Manhattan Democratic clubs organized a candidates’ forum last Thursday at the Goddard Riverside Community Center on the UWS, and 13 candidates showed up. Each of them was asked to do a two minute presentation followed by a three minute Q and A with the audience, a standing-room crowd of about 200 people. Manhattan State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, who is affiliated with Community Free Democrats, the lead organizer of the event, was the moderator. Candidates who participated were: Bronx State Assemblymember Michael Blake; Bitcoin businessman Theo Chino; Columbia University Professor David Eisenbach; Brooklyn City Council Member Rafael Espinal; attorney Ifeoma Ike; investigative journalist Nomiki Konst; former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Manhattan Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell; Manhattan City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez; Attorney Dawn Smalls; Brooklyn Assemblymember Latrice Walker; Brooklyn City Councilmember Jumaane Williams; and State Democratic Committee member Ben Yee. In the lively give-and-take, several themes emerged repeatedly, both from the candidates and the audience:
The need for the public advocate to be independent of the mayor: One of the event’s strongest themes was directed at an effective check on the mayor and his agencies when necessary. Several candidates said
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Public advocate candidate Ifeoma Ike speaking (right), with moderator Linda Rosenthal (left). Photo: Erica Overton they would seek subpoena powers and the right to bring lawsuits. (As public advocate, James sued several times only to have the lawsuits thrown out by the courts because she lacked standing to sue.) Also discussed was a need for the public advocate to have a bigger budget and investigative staff, and for that budget to not be decided by the mayor, as it currently is.
New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments: Problems with heat, hot water, lead and mold were on the agenda for candidates and audience. Some NYCHA residents pressed candidates about their positions on the de Blasio administration’s plans to sell off open land in NYCHA developments to private developers, who would presumably construct buildings containing some luxury residences, along with more affordable ones. Residents were clearly looking to get pledges of opposition to these plans from the candidates. Zoning issues: There were complaints, and agreement, that the administration is not inclined to put the brakes on “too tall” buildings, such as those now underway at 69th Street and Amsterdam Avenue and 66th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue — even when the developer bundled zoning lots in a questionable way, in the first instance, or led the city to believe that his building would be much shorter, in the second. Candidates and audience members criticized the re-zonings of some neighborhoods according to the mayor’s formulas, supposedly designed to produce affordable housing, on the grounds that they lead
to increased density and gentrification. Participants also attacked the recent announcement by de Blasio and Governor Cuomo of the Amazon plan for Long Island City.
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The fate of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act: First proposed by then West Side Councilmember Ruth Messenger more than 30 years ago, this would give small business owners the right to negotiate with landlords about terms at lease renewal time, something they currently lack. Advocates say this would help stem the tide of vacant storefronts, preserving “mom and pop” businesses and the jobs that go with them. The bill recently had a City Council hearing, its first in many years, but has never advanced to the stage of an actual vote in all the years since its introduction, a situation which advocates say is the result of the outsized influence of the real estate industry. Rosenthal, the moderator, said about the event, ”The huge turnout was an inspiring moment in local politics. I am heartened to see that the new sense of civic activism has extended past the midterm elections. My hope is that this spirit of activism will continue and the new Public Advocate, whomever that may be, should know that the citizens are paying very close attention.” Joining Community Free Democrats as co-sponsors of the forum were: Ansonia Democrats, Broadway Democrats, Columbia Law Democrats, Hell’s Kitchen Democrats, Manhattan Young Democrats, the Manhattan Policy Forum, Northern Manhattan Democrats for Change, and Park River Independent Democrats.
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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MARBLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH ADVENT CONCERT
Discover the world around the corner. Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com
Let Heaven and Nature Sing
EDITOR’S PICK
Mon 10 PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES: ‘TRACKING HANNIBAL’ The Explorers Club, 46 East 70th St. 7 p.m. $25 explorers.org 212-628-8383 Hannibal Barca’s legendary march to launch the Second Punic War is the foundation of his legacy as Rome’s greatest foe, but the true route trod by his war elephants has never been confirmed. Dr. Patrick Hunt led a ten-year National Geographic-sponsored field expedition to find Hannibal’s actual trail. Join Dr. Hunt to learn the truth about one of history’s great warlords and explorers.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 AT 2:30PM Choirs and Orchestra, Kenneth Dake, director
Event listings brought to you by Marble Collegiate Church. 1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 212 686 2770 / MarbleChurch.org Download the Marble Church App on iPhone or Android
Thu 6
Fri 7
Sat 8
▲ PRESIDENT CARTER: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS
CANDLELIGHT TOUR OF MOUNT VERNON HOTEL
► LA LECTURE OUI, BUT WHY?
92nd St. Y 1395 Lexington Ave. 7:30 p.m. $35 Stewart Eizenstat was at Jimmy Carter’s side throughout his political rise and four years in the white house, where he served as chief domestic policy advisor. Join Mr. Eizenstat, David Rubenstein, and President Carter himself via Skype for a discussion about this widely misunderstood presidency. 92y.org 212-415-5500
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 East 61st St. 6:15 p.m. $20, $5 children Step into the holiday season of 1830 with an intimate and magical tour of the museum by candlelight. Enjoy popular refreshments, confections of the time, and classical holiday music performed by harpist Sarah Loveland Gill. mvhm.org 212-838-6878
French Institute Alliance Française, 22 East 60th St. 9 a.m. Free If you are a digital native, why would you open a book to enter the world of fiction when you could immerse yourself in the universe of the internet? This day-long event dedicated to the importance of reading has panels, discussions and events featuring leading sociologists, teachers, writers and journalists. fiaf.org 212-355-6100
DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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Plate found on page 7 of Frankenstein, captioned “FRANKENSTEIN AT WORK IN HIS LABORATORY.”
Sun 9
Mon 10 Tue 11
LIGHTING OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST MENORAH
HUNTER COLLEGE CHOIR PERFORMS ‘CARMINA BURANA’
▲IT’S ALIVE! TWO CENTURIES OF FRANKENSTEIN
Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue between West 58th and West 59th Streets 5:30 p.m. Free Join your fellow Hanukkah celebrants on the seventh night of the Festival of Lights. Weighing in at 4,000 pounds and 32 feet tall, the world’s largest menorah is truly a sight to behold. nycgovparks.org
Hunter College Assembly Hall, East 69th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues 7:30 p.m. Free In a performance for the fall semester, the Hunter College Choir will perform Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” alongside smaller works by Gustav Holst and Zoltan Kodaly. This will mark the debut of Professor Michael Sheetz as director of the choir. hunter.cuny.edu 212-772-4000
Webster Library 1465 York Ave. 5:30 p.m. Free Join Elizabeth Denlinger, curator of the Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and his Circle, for an exploration of “Frankenstein at 200,” a collaborative exhibit between the Morgan Library & Museum and the NYPL. Learn about the many forms this classic monster has taken since the 19th century, as well as the process of putting together the exhibit. nypl.org 212-288-5049
Wed 12 THE HEAD & THE LOAD Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Ave. 8 p.m. $40+ South African visual artist William Kentridge branches into live performance with a largescale multimedia historical collage that explores the roles played by millions of Africans in the service of colonial powers during WWI. armoryonpark.org 212-933-5812
FRANK E. CAMPBELL THE FUNERAL CHAPEL IS PROUD TO HOST THE FIRST ANNUAL
WINTER EVENING OF MUSIC Saturday, December 8, 2018, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. 1076 Madison Avenue at 81st Street All are welcome to attend this free concert performed by World-Class Musicians. Refreshments will be served beginning at 5:30 p.m.
FRANK E. CAMPBELL THE FUNERAL CHAPEL 1076 Madison Avenue at 81st Street www.frankecampbell.com 212-288-3500 O w n e d b y a s u b s i d i a r y o f S e r v i c e C o r p . I n t e r n a t i o n a l , 1 9 2 9 A l l e n P k w y . H o u s t o n , T X 7 7 0 1 9 , 7 1 3 - 5 2 2 - 51 4 1
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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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.
THE TREES, EVENTS AND MUSIC THAT UNITE BY BETTE DEWING
You who read this column each year about this time know that the trees that unite us, people of all faiths and backgrounds, are the Park Avenue Memorial Trees. Unfortunately, those who don’t read this column or this paper (imagine!) may think these illumined fir trees are just another city Christmas holiday scene. Regrettably, most media overlook this tradition, so it’s not common knowledge that the Park Avenue trees honor all who gave their lives in this nation’s wars – all who made the ultimate sacrifice — all who made the ultimate sacrifice. And oh so memorable is how this magnificent tradition so poignantly began at the end of World War II in 1945. This was when Mrs. Stephen C. Clark and several other mothers of
fallen soldiers channeled their grief into planting several Park Avenue islands with illumined fir trees. This serenely beautiful December visual was meant to honor their cherished sons and all others who perished fighting this nation’s wars - the countless others, and still counting. How long, dear Lord, how long? Now these memorial trees bless Park Avenue from 54th to 97th Street, and in the early ‘80s, Hawthorne and cherry trees were added to celebrate Chanukah. The Fund for Park Avenue, which produces and underwrites the Memorial Trees, importantly notes how “the memorial has expanded to involve and include all faiths, and to further the crusade of peace and invoking reverence for those who have sacrificed their lives.” For the future, the tree lighting ceremony in front of Brick Church
is always held on the first Sunday in December, beginning at 6 p.m. As for reverence in general, we who recall when society was rarely irreverent feel societal reverence needs a mighty revival to further that “crusade of peace.” Singing together also furthers that cause, and surely happens at the memorial tree lighting ceremony led by Brick Church’s choir director. The Carl Schurz Park tree lighting event was also held on that first December Sunday, and its conservancy notes that “what began as a handful of intrepid carolers, is now an event worthy of being featured in Betsy Pinover Schiff’s new book, “Tis the Season New York.” But some of us sigh; it was a more neighbor-uniting event when there were “just a handful of intrepid carolers.” Phone numbers were often exchanged to work together on neighbor-
hood needs, and to just be neighborly. And another seasonal caroling event familiar to me will occur on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. when the East Sixties Neighborhood Association hosts their annual Holiday Sing on the corner of 67th Street and First Avenue. Ah, and here’s to all the carolers joining the association’s year-round endeavors, especially supporting and saving neighborhood stores that meet every day needs and truly unite us. And of course, experience the Park Avenue Memorial Trees after sundown and maybe sing some Chanukah, Christmas, peace-on-earth, joyto-the-world and yes, save-the-nabes songs. And the able-bodied will enable those who are not to share in this reverent and uniting walk. Of course, helping one another must be a year-round, New York state of mind. And isn’t that what these holy
days/holidays are so much about? And in the interest of peaceable city streets — that means safe ones — do attend the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association meeting on Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. to remind government officials that their first duty is to ensure public welfare, which is now being threatened by the invasion of the e-bikes, e-motorcycles and yes, e-scooters. Help! Threatening, too, is the fare hike for public transit, the safest and most democratic city transit mode. Temple Shaaray Tefila, the meeting place for the Dec. 13 neighborhood association meeting, is located on the corner of 79th Street and Second Avenue. Indeed, all concerned New Yorkers should be there and/or contact their elected officials. Say something – do something. Extra special Chanukah blessings to those who do.
SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE PLEASANT A Roz Chast retrospective puts the author and cartoonist’s humor, and humanity, on display BY ALIZAH SALARIO
I was having a New York moment, and not in a good way. Why is every Chelsea gallery always one avenue further west than I anticipate? Why are the avenues so long, and why are there so many of them? Why must I get stuck walking behind a smoker when an accidental inhale will surely ruin my unborn child’s prospects of getting into a good college, and how dare this unforgiving city continually put obstacles in the path of a very pregnant woman (me)? Yes, New York, I take it all personally. These were my thoughts as I made my way to “The Masters Series: Roz Chast,” a delightful retrospective of the cartoonist and author’s work now on display at the SVA Chelsea Gallery through Dec. 15. When I finally made it, I found myself among my people: Chast’s frenetic and phobic yet highly lovably characters.
I mean this quite literally. Many distinctive Chast illustrations found in the pages of the New Yorker magazine and elsewhere were transformed into life-sized foam cutouts that silently greeted me throughout the gallery. An entire wall was covered with a vibrant, hand-drawn cityscape that Chast designed exclusively for the exhibition. The effect was immersive, like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole and into the artist’s dynamic imagination. And there was Chast herself, in a short video, her green parakeet perched on her shoulder. She piled stacks of rejections on top of her file cabinet because, she explained, the drawers were already stuffed to the gills with rejections. I enjoyed seeing her “no” pile just as much as the gallery full of yeses. The retrospective features postersized reproductions of her many New Yorker covers and original sketches of cartoons that appeared in the magazine along with photos of her Brooklyn childhood, early sketchbooks and lesser-known example of her prolific mind, such as hand-painted Ukrainian style-eggs and hand-hooked rugs. Of
the latter, a mopey family bordered by the Czeslaw Milosz quote, “When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished” was by far my favorite. Tyson Skross, exhibitions manager at SVA Galleries, worked closely with Chast on designing the retrospective, which focuses on three areas of her extensive career: “Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York,” based on a small book Chast originally made for her kids when they came into the city to attend college, the many high points of her career at the New Yroker and and her early life, including many never-before-seen childhood drawings. “She wanted to show her drawings as a child. The idea that she might inspire a young artist who thinks that they’re just going around drawing, doing their own thing was important and exciting to her,” said Skross. And what was it like working with Chast? “She’s amazing. She’s naturally funny. She’s full of stories. Everything she pulled out she had a story about,” Skross continued. Though I’d admired her New Yorker
cartoons, Chast’s work made me sit up straight when she published “Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?” a graphic memoir about her parent’s final years . Finally, a book about dying parents! A friend and I had attempted to write one a few years back — we’d both lost a parent in our 20s, and there was no guide for what to do when all your friends were getting married and starting families while you were stuck at your parents home surrounded by adult diapers. Chast, though of a different generation, had captured a sentiment I’d tried to put into words, a slightly twisted truth that all the maudlin and earnest books I read about grief and dying failed to grasp: an event so existentially devastating as the loss of a parent must be infused with absurdity and humor. It is one thing to consider a single Chast cartoon amid a sea of text, but quite another to find yourself effortlessly backstroking in an entire Chastian ocean. I lost count of the times I thought “yes, exactly!” and “that’s so true.” One, titled “Manspreading in
Roz Chast’s graphic memoir. Bloomsbury, USA (2016) Art” featured a frame with “1200-pages novels” and reminded me of male writer friends who shall go unnamed. Taken altogether, Chast’s work is a reminder that life never feels clean and angular. It’s always a little squiggly around the edges. Despite perfectionist tendencies, my hair frizzes, my plans go pear-shaped. Perhaps knowing that is enough. It was a comforting thought. And then I left the gallery, overpaid for a mediocre muffin, and schlepped my way back to Brooklyn.
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SCAMS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Meanwhile, there’s a vast pool of potential marks that perpetrators can target on both sides of Central Park — 40,821 Upper East Siders over the age of 65, including 5,270 residents north of 85, and 33,678 Upper West Siders who are 65 and up, including 5,366 who top 85. Adding to their vulnerability: At least 50 percent live alone, city data shows. Consider the case of 100-yearold Donna Bailey, a retired nurse who worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering and lives on East End Avenue. She got calls from a “Mr. Miller from the government” demanding she send $600 and “everything will be cleared up.” She didn’t fall for it. Or Helene Goldfarb, 89, a retired science teacher at Hunter High School and Yorkville resident who said she was “badly badgered” by scam calls demanding cash for phony Hurricane Maria relief. “None of us who are old have that much money that we want to give it all away,” she said. She didn’t pay up, but remains shaken and adds, “I stopped answering the phone after that experience.” Not everyone is as fortunate as Bailey and Goldfarb: “Telephone scamming is nearing epidemic proportions — and the time is now to find a cure,” said state Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, who chairs the Assembly Subcommittee on Consumer Fraud Protection. She cited a series of “devious plots” to steal the life savings of residents in her East Side district and citywide, adding, “The sad reality is that too many people are conning too many of us!” Seawright told Straus News she’ll hold a public hearing
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com early next year aimed at documenting fraudulent schemes and crafting legislation in Albany to protect senior citizens from phone thievery. “I am calling on our community to let my office know of attempted telephone scams,” she said, including requests for donations from unfamiliar organizations or causes and all other types of unwanted solicitations or abuse. “I am sending a warning to everyone,” Seawright added. “Beware of these scammers who are relentless in their harassing pursuit of your money in the holiday season. Remember, ‘Nothing free is for a fee.’”
ANATOMY OF A CON That was the trap that ensnared the Yorkville woman, whose is being identified only by her first name, Shirley, for privacy reasons, at the request of Audrey Berman Tannen, Seawright’s chief of staff. Pestered by non-stop phone calls from an impostor who falsely claimed to represent Publishers Clearing House, and demanded her speedy response to “urgent” financial matters, Shirley withdrew $20,000 in cash from her bank on York Avenue in early October, Tannen said. That was the sum required in advance of her receipt of a $1 million prize she’d supposedly won. As instructed, she inserted large-denomination bills into magazines, took them to a FedEx location on First Avenue, shelled out $86 for the mailing to Nevada and waited for a bonanza that never arrived. Then the phone calls started all over again — about six a day, every day of the week, at all hours, Shirley told Tannen. Her $20,000 was already gone, but they still wouldn’t leave her alone. As Tannen told the story, “Shirley just kept shaking her head and asking, ‘Why? Why
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would anyone want to do this to me? Why?’” What was the purpose of the new round of calls? While it isn’t certain, and Shirley could have been targeted by yet another malefactor, a scammer will often target his victim more than once, promising — for a fee — to recoup funds stolen in an initial fraud. In any event, three voicemail messages left for Shirley in mid-October, and recorded by Tannen for documentation, provide a portrait of intimidation and high-pressure tactics used to extract cash from the elderly. “Mrs. Shirley, listen to me, and listen to me very carefully,” the con artist says at one point. “This is very important. We need to get to you, and we need to get to you ASAP. “You need to please pick up the phone,” the message continues. “We need to get to you, and we need to get to you immediately. Please do not disappoint me. Pick up the phone, and pick up the phone right now.” Such harassment can be expected to intensify as the city populace ages: Over half of financial fraud victims are over age 70, a 2017 AARP study found. “For senior citizens, the holidays should mean, ‘Tis the season to be joyful,’” Seawright said. “Instead, it is, ‘Tis the season of scams.’” Readers, family members and residents who have been targets or victims of telephone scams and want to share their stories can contact state Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright’s office by calling 212-212-288-4607, emailing seawrightr@nyassembly. gov or stopping by her community office at 1485 York Avenue between 78th and 79th Streets. They can also contact reporter Douglas Feiden at invreporter@strausnews. com
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FROM OBJECT TO SUBJECT The Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia’s new Manhattanville campus stages a groundbreaking show about the evolving representation of the black female figure BY VAL CASTRONOVO
“Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today” is a major exhibit, co-organized by Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery in West Harlem and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. It has its origins in a 2013 doctoral dissertation by Columbia grad student Denise Murrell, now a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the gallery and the exhibit’s curator. Murrell had the idea to trace depictions of the black female figure in art history, inspired by the overlooked black maid in Édouard Manet’s iconic
and, by the standards of the time, quite scandalous “Olympia” (1863), a picture of a reclining white courtesan in slippers and jewels sans her clothes. “It’s considered to be the foundational painting of modern art. It flashes up on the screen in courses, and you’re sitting there listening, taking notes, and the entire narrative is about the reclining, nude white woman, but I’m always seeing two women in this painting, who are presented in a manner that suggests they should both be brought to our attention,” Murrell said in an interview. “It was just one of my early curiosities for research purposes to look into what else could be said about the black model who posed with Olympia.” And to examine her legacy — the re-imagining, deconstructing and unpacking of the painting, “the way the Olympia maid figure was a major project of artists, including those of our current generation.”
The extravagant “Young Woman with Peonies” (1870) by Frédéric Bazille, believed to represent a flower vendor not a servant. Oil on canvas, 23 5/8 × 29 9/16 in. (60 × 75 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Image courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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IF YOU GO: WHAT: “Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today” WHERE: The Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, Lenfest Center for the Arts; 615 West 129th St. (west of Broadway) WHEN: Through Feb. 10 wallach.columbia.edu Works by Manet (1832-83) and his avant-garde circle kick off the show, which includes loans of more than 100 paintings, sculptures, photos, prints and book illustrations. The maid avec bouquet in “Olympia” was a woman named Laure, who the artist painted three times in one year (the original “Olympia” will be featured in an expanded presentation next spring at the Musée d’Orsay). In each painting, Laure assumes a different role: brothel worker (“Olympia”), nanny (“Children in the Tuileries Gardens”), and, in the expressive portrait at the exhibit’s entrance (“La négresse”), not a servant but “a young woman who might be working in a shop or be an actress. You just see all of these social roles that black women played in 19th century Paris,” the curator said. In contrast to academic artists like Jean-Léon Gérôme, who portrayed black women as exotic and barebreasted, Manet painted these women as he saw them—free blacks living in the northern neighborhoods of Paris in the aftermath of the second French abolition of territorial slavery in 1848. Their presence was small, but they were an undeniable part of the social fabric. They were servants, dancers, actresses, equestrians, circus stars, matrons and working-class stiffs. Some were part of the painter’s immediate social and artistic milieu. As Murrell said, “The changing mode of representing the black female figure is part of what makes modern art modern. Because in the traditions of Orientalism and Romanticism, the black female figure was always exoticized, [put] in a remote locale, with all this exotic, romantic attire. What Manet and the painters of modern life did was re-situate that figure in the heart of everyday 1860s Paris.” Frédéric Bazille (1841-70) was a fan of Manet and changed his style in response to the master’s depictions of modern life. The gorgeous works on display illustrate his transition from the academic style of painting popular at the Salon de Paris to the modernist painting of everyday scenes champi-
New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is known for her rhinestone-studded portraits. Mickalene Thomas, Din, une très belle négresse #1 (Din, a very beautiful black woman #1), 2012. Rhinestones, acrylic, oil, and enamel on wood panel, 102 × 84 in. (259.1 × 213.4 cm). Jiménez-Colón Collection, Ponce, PR. © Mickalene Thomas / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York oned by his hero. On the one hand, there’s “La toilette” (1869-70), with the requisite Orientalist, bare-breasted black woman in a servile position. “She’s kneeling, she’s working, she’s helping the woman dress,” Murrell said. “But then that painting is rejected by the salon, and Bazille decides to become an acolyte of Manet.” He takes the same black model, whose name is not known, and gives her a modern spin in the extravagant “Young Woman with Peonies” (1870), on display. “She’s not necessarily a servant. I read her to be a flower vendor. That’s another step up in the social hierarchy, of making your way [and having] an economic toehold in the society,” the curator said. “She’s in French attire, she’s not bare-breasted, and she’s portrayed in a very sympathetic way. There’s a sense of an individual personality.” The work is a symbolic tribute to Manet, of course: the subject is offering
peonies, which the artist famously loved. He painted them and cultivated them at his country house. There is a riveting cache of works by Henri Matisse (1869-54) here. Murrell serendipitously discovered that the artist visited New York four times in the 1930s. “We learn from his letters… that he was in the daytime visiting The Met and being hosted by the Rockefellers, but at night he is visiting jazz clubs and attending black theater,” she said. He engages with artists and writers in the city and sees the modernist works of the Harlem Renaissance, which had a profound influence on his aesthetic. Cumulatively, the black model moves “from object to subject over the course of the 160 years covered by the show,” Murrell said. There are now portrayals “based on how black women are seeing themselves and their history. But we still have too few contemporary artists of color on view.”
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Scotto’s serves up traditional Tuscan fare with a celebrity-tinged are. Photo: Scotto’s
Best Restaurants FRESCO BY SCOTTO 34 East 52nd St. 212-935-3434 www.frescobyscotto.com
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This traditional Tuscan restaurant run by the family of “Good Day New Yorkâ€? co-host Rosanna Scotto is a great spot for a power broker lunch or celeb-watching. Its quaint atmosphere exudes the real feel of a traditional and homey Italian restaurant, and it features signature dishes like a pan-roasted branzino, ďŹ lleted Mediterranean sea bass and
grilled marinated lamb chops. An extensive wine list and great desserts like ricotta cheesecake complement a meal that will leave you happy and content. They feature special menus for holidays and heart-shaped ravioli for Valentine’s Day.
PERIYALI 35 West 20th St. 212-463-7890 www.periyali.com Opened in 1987 by Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis, who also run Il Cantinori and the French bistro La Gauloise, this restaurant has become one
Barney Greengrass is a old-style Jewish deli great for noshing on nova and schmoozing with friends. Photo: Maggie
of the most famous — and best — Greek restaurants in Manhattan. A romantic Greek word for coastline or seashore, the name Periyali was chosen because much of the food has roots in the Greek Islands. Attentive waiters serve up traditional keftedakia saltysa (stewed meatballs), an amazing horiatiki sakata garides psites (grilled shrimp with sautÊed vegetables) and charcoal grilled lamb chops to die for. It’s perfect for any occasion and, with a little notice, the staff will go the extra mile to make it an even more memorable night.
THE RIBBON 20 West 72nd St. 212-787-5656 www.theribbonnyc.com Part of the vaunted Blue Ribbon franchise, this Upper West Side outpost features huge portions of comfort food served by friendly waiters in a upbeat and attractive setting. Start off with oysters or steamed clams, move on to the white bean soup followed by spit-roasted prime rib of beef or pork, or the lamb chops with eggplant tomato conďŹ t, mint and cucumber yogurt. The main dining room is large and airy, the bar is well-stocked and creative, and the windows provide nice views of the neighborhood.
Best Burgers FINNEGANS WAKE
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1361 First Ave. 212-737-3664 www.finneganswakepubnyc. com This longtime Upper East Side Irish pub has a warm, friendly atmosphere and a
DECEMBER 6-12,2018
traditional menu with a wide array of daily specials. The owners boast of having the “best hamburger in New York City,â€? and the “best pint of Guinness in the neighborhood.â€? You could argue that a Guinness is a Guinness, but they undoubtedly have one of the very best burgers around. They also feature bangers and mash, Shepherd’s Pie, gigantic sandwiches and a special fresh ďŹ sh of the day. Finnegans is a great place to sit at the bar and cheer on your favorite soccer team.
Best Luxury Rentals on the East Side Expertly landscaped gardens. High ceilings. Bright play rooms for the kids. State of the art fitness centers. Tons of natural light. The list of reasons why Glenwood’s East Side luxury rentals are the best in Manhattan is endless. Located in the midst of the neighborhood’s favorite businesses, restaurants, parks, shops, and cultural institutions, and just steps away from public transit, Glenwood’s luxe apartments give the term “home� a whole new meaning. Discover gold standard living at The Andover, The Barclay, The Brittany, The Caldwell, The Cambridge, The Fairmont, Hampton Court, The Lucerne, The Marlowe, The Pavilion, The Somerset, and The Stratford.
The Annual Holiday Sale at the Renowned Art Students League of New York Take home the everlasting gift of art! More than 400 works are on sale at the Art Students League of New York for very affordable prices! Every December, hundreds of art-lovers and gift-givers bring home great values, choosing from a wide variety of works by emerging artists. Paintings and prints—landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and abstractions—sell for no more than $1,000. Prices for sculptures are capped at $1,500. The show runs December 11 through December 21.
J.G. MELON
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480 Amsterdam Ave. 646-895-9388 www.jgmelonnyc.com Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon burgers and turkey burgers are on the menu at this renowned but cash-only restaurant, which also has locations in Greenwich Village and on the Upper East Side. It can be quite busy at lunch or dinner, and you may have to wait to get a seat, but it’s well worth it. If you’re not in the mood for a burger, they have a broiled ďŹ sh daily special and a large and pan roasted salmon. Their desserts come from Magnolia Bakery and include vanilla bean cheesecake, chocolate cake and banana pudding. Nice mix of locals and tourists.
MAXWELL’S 59 Reade St. 212-917-261-6917 www.maxwellsnyc.com A longtime New York staple, Maxwell’s Bar and Restaurant in Tribeca can feel a bit cramped, but there’s an outdoor seating area when the weather cooperates, and the staff is quick and friendly. Their eclectic new menu has a variety of burgers, including a build-yourown Angus burger where you can add everything from cheese, mushrooms and onions to a fried egg or avocado. Popular with the lunch, dinner or after-work crowd, they also serve up a whiskey-amed pork chop and feature a bar menu of ďŹ nger food and every kind of cocktail imaginable.
Best Ethnic Food ANGKOR CAMBODIAN BISTRO 408 East 64th St. 212-758-2211 www.Angkornyc.com
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Metropolitan Window Fashions 469 Amsterdam between 82nd-83rd windowfashions.com Metropolitan Window Fashions is delighted to announce its 85th Anniversary Sale at their beautiful showroom located at 469 Amsterdam between 82nd-83rd . On display are custom draperies and both manual and motorized shades. Metropolitan has been at their current location for 15 years and has been recognized as the National Retailer of the Year. Metropolitan offers FREE in-home consultations for custom draperies, shades, blinds, bedding and upholstery. Simply call for a no-obligation appointment and have samples brought to your home. Call now at 212-501-8282 sale and save up to $200 per window. Visit windowfashions.com for more information. Coppelia is the 24/7 place for creative and distinctive Latin cuisine. Photo: Andy
Owner and chef Ming Truong reportedly ed the Khmer Rouge as a child in the early 1970s, came to the U.S. in 1981 and later learned his craft in U.S. restaurants before opening this highly rated and cozy Cambodian bistro. He serves traditional Cambodian dishes like Phnom Pen roast duck and shrimp and avocado curry. Angkor was one of just ďŹ ve UES restaurants named a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand for great and inexpensive food.
DRUNKEN MUNKEY 338 East 92nd St. 646-998-4600 www.drunkenmunkey.com Come for the name — stay for the delicious, authentic Indian fare and craft cocktails served in a nice hideaway setting with great ambience that is both casual and romantic. They’re famous for their masala short ribs, but you can’t go wrong with the lamb skewers, mutton shish kabobs, crispy okra and Drunken Munkey biryani, either lamb or chicken. The decor is brightly polished wood, with tables and comfy banquettes — and the prices are reasonable.
BARNEY GREENGRASS 541 Amsterdam Ave. 212-724-4707 www.barneygreengrass.com Great place to nosh and schmooze in a quintessential Jewish deli — but bring cash because they don’t want to
know from your credit cards. The four-generation family business has been around since 1908, ďŹ lling up customers with lox, cold cuts, kasha, knishes, pastrami and nova with eggs and onions. They also feature homemade pickled herring — creamed or schmaltz — and a hearty matzoh ball soup. Don’t be surprised if you bump into a movie or TV crew: the place has made appearances on “Seinfeld,â€? “Law & Orderâ€? and “Sex and the Cityâ€? over the years.
COPPELIA 207 West 14th St. 212-858-5001 www.ilovecopelia.com Named for a famous ice cream parlor in the heart of Havana, this cozy 24-hour Latin diner is great for early birds and late-night revelers from local bars, nightclubs or movie houses. Coppelia, with its constantly glowing neon sign, draws a varied crowd at the intersection of Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the bustling Meatpacking District. There’s a soda fountain with shakes and Latin soda and booth service surrounded by pastel-colored walls and topped off with antique ceiling fans. Cuban benedicts in the morning, vuelve a la vida at lunch and arroz con pollo and rabo encedido (braised oxtail in red wine sauce) for dinner.
Best 4-year-old School Program on the Upper West Side The Alexander Robertson School 212-663-2844 - admissions@alexanderrobertson.org Since 1789 the Alexander Robertson School has been providing a nurturing environment for elementary-school aged girls and boys from all walks of life and has now expanded its offerings to include a Junior-Kindergarten for children who will be 4 years old by September 1, 2019. Junior-Kindergartners will benefit from exposure to the Smithsonian Institute designed Science and Technology curriculum, early Humanities courses including French, Mandarin, Ethics, Art and Music, and by being in a little gem of a school that is on tree-lined West 95th Street just steps from Central Park and many world class cultural institutions. Call today to arrange a tour on 212-663-2844 or visit the school’s website: alexanderrobertson.org/admission to book an appointment online.
The Best Senior Move Manager and Real Estate Brokerage www.karpoffaffiliates.com, t Karpoff Affiliates is here for your life’s transitions & real estate brokerage needs. Whether you are looking for aging in place or downsizing we make the entire process seamless and stress free. We oversee packing, arrange for movers, disconnected utilities, arranging storage, and more. As a fully licensed real estate broker, we can list and sell your current home and manage the purchasing of a new home. We provide personalized plans for caring transition for anyone and their families during their time of need. We are you one stop shop for all of life’s transitional needs.
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BUS STOP CAFÉ 597 Hudson St. 212-206-1100 www.busstopcafe-nyc.com
Two Little Red Hens is a cupcake-lover’s paradise. Photo: Twanna A. Hines
Best Dive Bars
a great night out for a group of friends who want to drink and get loud.
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1140 Second Ave. 212-758-0900 History abounds at this great old sports bar that once served Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe and still doles out relatively inexpensive shots, beers and simple cocktails. Wendy Wasserstein once called it “the kind of dive in which it makes sense not to order wine.” But you can order meaty wings, waffle fries and burger wraps while hanging out with friends and watching sports, especially soccer matches. The Washington Post named it one of the eight most authentic bars in the country.
BLONDIE’S 212 West 79th St. 212-362-3311 This dimly-lit sports bar is known as one of the best places to get wings in the city — $14.95 for 10, $26.95 for a double order and $64.95 for a huge bucket of 50. The friendly staff also serves tenders, chili, burgers and pasta and a mean party platter — but it’s really about watching sports and the inexpensive drinks. Blondie’s is
332 Ninth Ave. 212-629-0118 This non-nonsense, nofrills dive bar in Chelsea/ Hell’s Kitchen was once described by The New Yorker as “grubby as Golem” — but it’s a great fun place featuring inexpensive shots and beer and a rowdy, diverse crew that’s as serious about drinking as about shooting pool and playing darts. The walls are plastered with movie and sports posters, including one of Captain America and another of ex-basketball coach Bobby Knight throwing a chair across the court. It’s a great place to stop before or after a Knicks or Rangers game at Madison Square Garden.
Best Diners MIDNIGHT EXPRESS 1715 Second Ave. 212-860-2320 www.midnightexpressdiner. com This Upper East Side diner
— one of the few left in the neighborhood — bills itself as “Your Anytime, Any Day Diner,” and claims to have been the first 24/7 eatery in the city. Nearly everything is locally sourced — except for the salt, which they import from Greece. You can lounge in comfortable vintage booths while enjoying their eclectic menu, which includes Mexican-style fries, guacamole, disco fries (covered with melted mozzarella and gravy) Angus burgers, frozen hot chocolates and a Greek yogurt parfait.
VIAND 2130 Broadway 212-877-2888 www.viandnyc.com You can’t beat the Viand if you’re looking for an old school New York coffee shop that serves huge portions of diner classics all day long, from pancakes for breakfast, a Waldorf wrap for lunch to meatloaf and — when they have them — lamb chops for dinner. The staff scurries across the blue and yellow linoleum floor to bring hungry customers such favorites as wings, salmon fillets and jumbo shrimp scampi. They also have an impressive dessert menu featuring peanut butter pie and chocolate chip cake.
The Bus Stop is the go-to place in the Village for breakfast — and lunch and dinner, too. This family-owned, former Prohibition era speakeasy serves a wide variety of oatmeal for breakfast and offers createyour-omelets if you’re not in the mood for cereal. Among their specialties are sweet potato fries, spinach pie and a wrapped pork chop special. They offer a variety of vegan and veggie options and have outdoor seating. The owners are responsive and reply to online reviews — even the few that are not so great.
Best Desserts TWO LITTLE RED HENS 1652 Second Ave. 212-452-0476 www.twolittleredhens.com This trendy and extremely popular bake shop features the best cakes and cupcakes this side of Paris. Their specialty is the Brooklyn Blackout, four layers of chocolate cake, three layers of chocolate pudding and a creamy fudge frosting. They specialize in cupcakes and the most popular offerings include yellow, chocolate and red velvet, but you can also score seasonal carrot, banana and pumpkin ones. They even have cream-filled Brooklyn blackout cupcakes.
LEVAIN 167 West 74th St. 212-874-6080 www.levainbakery.com How can you beat a place that arguably makes the best walnut chocolate chip cookie on the planet? They are famous for their long lines — they even have a line cam you can check out — but it’s well worth the wait. Ranked in the top two or three of the nearly 500 dessert places in New York City, Levain also offers peanut butter chip cookies, mini pizzas, fruit tarts, lemon cake and terrific sticky buns. A little over-commercialized — they sell a variety of T-shirts and other items — but hey, when you’re the best, why not?
SWEET CORNER BAKE SHOP
Blossom on Columbus features such delicious vegan dishes as a sourdough shake and creamy mushroom pasta. Photo: Josephine S.
535 Hudson St. 212-206-8500 www.sweetcorner.com Check out this snug, cozy downtown eatery to enjoy
Levain features amazing cookies and long lines, but both are well worth it. Photo: Wally Gobetz
cookies, coffee, pastry, wraps, pop tarts, mouth-watering tiramisu, passion fruit mousse and Snickerdoodles. Everything is freshly baked from scratch each morning. Their signature offering is a Nutella bomb cookie, and they also sell Nutella hearts for you sweetie — and your sweet tooth. The place is cashless, so leave your greenbacks at home and bring your credit cards.
Best Healthy Eats CANDLE 79 154 East 79th St. 212-537-7179 www.candle79.com If you’re looking for a healthy vegan meal to light your fire, look no further than Candle 79. The two-floor dining area is small and elegant, but the menu is huge for lunch, brunch or dinner. Signature dishes include a grilled kale salad, guacamole timbale, wild mushroom crepe and spaghetti and wheatballs. The portions are hearty and filling, the wine list is deep and organic, and the cocktails are creative.
BLOSSOM ON COLUMBUS 507 Columbus Ave. 212-875-2600 www.blossomnyc.com
Blossom on Columbus touts itself as a “pioneer in modern vegan cuisine,” with a “crueltyfree ethos,” which we guess means that none of its fare was living and breathing before it got to your plate. The inventive meals are served in an earthtoned space and are mostly locally sourced and organic. The menus are packed with starters like bourekas, nachos, buffalo arancini (quinoa-breaded risotto croquettes) and wild mushroom ravioli. Other tasty dishes include wasabi-crusted tofu, kale and grain salads, a quinoa burger, a tofu BLT, seitan piccata and a variety of plantbased pizzas, which can be made gluten-free.
SOUEN SOHO 210 Sixth Ave. 212-807-7421 www.souen.net The food at this traditional Japanese restaurant is organic, macrobiotic, and so good you won’t believe it’s actually healthy. The moderately priced, stress-free food is served in a well-lit room with floor-toceiling windows that allow in streaming sunshine during the day and nice views anytime. The knowledgeable, friendly staff serves up such delights as organic edamame, scrambled tofu, a variety of soups ranging from miso to hayato, as well as a crispy cabbage salad, fettucine with almond and veggie pesto and a macro plate of green veggies, brown rice and beans.
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Best Comedy Clubs
and display their moxie on the club’s compact stage. There are drinks, food — even at the bar — and the staff is helpful and friendly. Their signature, twicenightly show, “All-Star Standup Comedy,” can be a little hit-ormiss, but they have featured such professional shows as “Jewish … ish” and Nicky Sunshine’s “Confessions of a Massage Parlor Madam.” There’s a two-drink minimum, but the show is usually worth at least that.
COMIC STRIP LIVE
COMEDY CELLAR
1568 Second Ave. 212-861-9386 www.comicstriplive.com
117 MacDougal St. 212-254-3480 www.comedycellar.com
This is the longest-running stand-up comedy showcase club in New York City; Chris Rock used to clean tables and Colin Quinn was a bartender before cracking the big time. It’s a great, fun night out. Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler have played here over the years, as well as an 18-year-old Eddie Murphy back in the day. There are open mics at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and some audition nights. The menu is limited, and the drinks can be pricey — so come for the comedy and die laughing.
Famous comics often pop up at this 36-year-old Greenwich Village club. Regular performers over the years have included Louis C.K., Colin Quinn and Darrell Hammond, as well as the likes of Amy Schumer, Nikki Glaser and Ben Bailey. The club has three shows Sunday through Thursday, and 10 shows on Friday and Saturday. There’s also an upstairs restaurant, Olive Tree Café, that serves a weekend brunch including eggs, salads, griddle cakes and spinach panini. Beer, wine and cocktails are reasonably priced. Reservations suggested.
ARTS & CULTURE Best Live Music BRANDY’S PIANO BAR 235 East 84th St. 212-744-4949 www.brandyspianobar.com Stashed away on a side street on the Upper East Side, this casual, cozy spot with about a 30-seat capacity has been the neighborhood’s best-kept secret for more than 35 years, serving up live entertainment nightly. Staffers belt out piano classics from the likes of Elton John and Carole King and show tunes from “Hamilton” and other popular musicals. The audience is invited to join the boozy sing-a-alongs. There’s a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and live music nightly at 9:30 p.m. No cover charge, but there’s a two-drink minimum.
PROHIBITION 503 Columbus Ave. 212-579-3100 prohibition.net This down-to-earth lounge, with its friendly, fun-loving crowd, is a great spot to see aspiring singers, musicians and
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cutting-edge poets hone their craft as they strive to make it big. There’s music every night, the entertainment is free, and the reasonably priced menu includes tacos, pizza, shoestring fries and Prohibition’s signature mini cheeseburgers. There’s an open mic night on Mondays. Relax, enjoy the community vibe and just think — you’ll be able to say you saw them before they were famous.
LE POISSON ROUGE 158 Bleecker St. 212-505-3474 www.lpr.com Housed on the site of the old Village Gate in the heart of the Village, Le Poisson Rouge is a fun venue presenting a variety of artists from theater, film and music in its mission to “establish a creative asylum” for artists and audiences. The programming is eclectic, there are various performance space configurations, and they offer a small dinner and drinks menu. Artists like Bela Fleck, KD Lang and Lady Gaga have graced the stage. They have various oldies nights and recurring acts including “Linda Loves Bingo” and the “Back to the Eighties Show with Jessie’s Girl.”
BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB 318 West 53rd St. 212-757-2323 www.broadwaycomedyclub. com A rotating crew of notquite-ready-for-prime-time performers hone their talents
Best Dancing SESSION 73 1359 First Ave. 212-517-4445 www.session73.com Session 73 is a lively, casual music venue that hosts live music seven nights a week and showcases bands ranging in style from blues and jazz to funk and salsa. There’s also delicious cocktails and casual dining, so it’s great for a date or a gettogether with friends. There are weekday specials, plus salsa lessons and an open mic night on Mondays. Great staff, and a good beer selection.
IGUANA NEW YORK 240 West 54th St. 212-765-5454 www.iguananyc.com
Big name comics like Louis c.k. and Amy Schumer sometimes pop up at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village. Photo: Surangk
Up-and-comers and established acts perform at Broadway Comedy Club. Photo: Surangk
This raucous three-story Tex-Mex eatery has two actionpacked dance floors: a DJ on the lower level for the hip-hop crowd and a dance club for Latin dance lovers on the second floor to salsa and merengue the night away. They offer a dazzling 28 flavors of margaritas or mojitos to get the dance juices flowing, and spicy menu choices like rock shrimp chalupitas and red
snapper Veracruz. The lower level features a “Ladies Night” on Fridays, followed by “Sexy Saturdays” every week. Friendly staff, reasonable prices and quality drinks.
MEHANATA BULGARIAN BAR 113 Ludlow St. 212-625-0981 www.mehanatanyc.com Mehanata, aka “House of Gypsy,” is both a dive bar and a disco. It touts itself as “one of the loudest, the most outrageous and crazy night clubs in New York.” The bar’s music ranges from break-beat to bachata. Over the years, the club spawned the new gypsy punk wave and launched the breakthrough act Gogol Bordello. Gwen Stefani and Scarlett Johansson have been spotted doing shots of rakia at the bar. Regulars boast about the good music and the bras hanging from the ceiling as décor. It has an authentic feel, and many of the bartenders and waitresses are from Eastern Bloc countries.
Under the Radar Museums NEUE GALERIE 1048 Fifth Ave. 212-628-6200 www.neuegalerie.org This small museum of early 20th century German and Austrian art is a relatively new addition to the city’s vaunted Museum Mile. Housed in the small but elegant William Starr Miller House, it features the famous Klimt painting “Woman in Gold.” The work of Franz Marc, August Macke and Wiener Werkstatte is currently on display, and the exhibition “The Self-Portrait, from Schiele to Beckmann” opens in early 2019. There’s also a nice restaurant, Café Sabarsky. General admission is $22, but there are occasional free days between exhibits.
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Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College hosts some 200 performances a year. Photo: cuny.edu
NICHOLAS ROERICH MUSEUM 319 West 107th St. 212-864-7752 www.roerich.org Russia may not be on most Americans’ favorite countries
list these days, but that’s no reason not to pay a visit to this hidden gem of a museum dedicated to the work of a Russian-born artist whose paintings focused on nature scenes from the Himalayas. Roerich was known as a
visionary who promoted peace, the protection of the world’s cultural heritage and the unity of religions — and his works reflect those ideals. Admission is free, and they offer poetry readings and piano recitals most Sunday evenings.
CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART 421 Broome St. 646-370-3596 www.italianmodernart.org This popular downtown gallery and research center is
open from October through June and features byappointment guided tours led by renowned Italian art scholars. This year, CIMA is presenting its first group show, “Metaphysical Masterpieces 1916-1920: Morandi, Sironi and
Carra,” which focuses on the period ending the first phase of the avant-garde movements of Cubism. It’s great way to spend an afternoon, and learn about the history of modern Italian art.
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The Best Shopping in Lower Manhattan Everything twinkles a little brighter in Lower Manhattan during the holiday season. Our ice rinks have Olympians and Brooklyn Bridge views, and Santa sits in the tallest tower in the western hemisphere. No worrying about where to park or what to wear, we’re a quick train ride away and protected from the cold weather with tons of indoor shopping. We have over 1,300 diverse shops, world-class restaurants and hotels, and iconic attractions in less than one-square-mile. Lower Manhattan is exactly where you want to be to get your Holiday shopping
Best Credit Union At Bethpage Federal Credit Union, we care about what you care about. That’s why our Money Market account offers you a faster way to grow your savings. With an APY of 1.75%, a Bethpage Money Market account makes your money work hard for you while giving you easy access to it. Plus, you can open an account with as little as $500. Get started by visiting our Chelsea branch or lovebethpage.com.
Best Writing Classes for All Level West Side YMCA Writer’s Voice is one of New York City’s longest-running and well respected creative writing programs. Each class offers writers of all levels a great opportunity to generate new or hone existing material with the support of our faculty and writing peers. We offer classes in eight week sessions in the writing stylesof Memoir, Fiction, Non-fiction, Comedy, and Playwriting/Screenwriting. The West Side YMCA is located at 5 West 63 Street New York, NY. Registration opens for Members December 15 and for Community Members on December 22. For more information, visit us at http://ymcanyc.org/communityarts.
Best Performing Arts Classes for all Ages Do you have a rising star in your family? Are you the next triple threat?You have the talent, we have the stage. Come join us at West Side YMCA, located at 5 West 63 Street New York, NY. We offer classes for Youth in Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary, and Drama and for Adults we offer Theater and Vocal Music classes. Studentsof all levels have the opportunity to learn from performing arts professionals who provide an in-depth learning experience. Registration for classes begins December 15 for Members and December 22 for the Community. For more information, please visit us at http://ymcanyc.org/communityarts.
Best Theater in Chelsea Irish Repertory Theatre, called “one of the finest theater companies in America� by Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal, is currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season. You don’t need to travel far or pay much to see world-class theater. Irish Rep’s 22nd Street home features the best of Irish and Irish-American dramayear-round. Chelsea residents can access rush tickets (50% off!) up to one week in advance of Wednesday evening performances. Stop by today and plan your next outing! Current productions: Two by Friel (ends Dec 23) and A Child’s Christmas in Wales (ends Dec 30).
Best Doggy Daycare Facility on the Upper West Side Playground Pups, "NTUFSEBN CFUXFFO OE BOE SE t t QMBZHSPVOEQVQT DPN Established in 2009, Playground Pups is the Upper West Side’s premier doggy daycare facility, offering daycare, crateless boarding, grooming, training, a free weekly puppy playgroup and a small boutique. Owner run and operated, we are known for our passion for our dogs. Our experienced daycare staff treat every dog as if they were our own. Offering an introductory 1⠄2 day of daycare ($40) at no charge, now through the end of January. First half day assessments are done 7 days a week, by appointment only. Free puppy playgroups are for new puppies up to 8 months of age and are given every Saturday and Sunday from 10 -11am. No reservations required and your puppy needs only age appropriate vaccines to come. Check us out on Yelp, Google, Facebook or our website at www.playgroundpups.com. SPONSORED CONTENT
Accordion Death Squad band plays Mehanata. Photo: Nick Johnson
Best Local Theater KAYE PLAYHOUSE AT HUNTER COLLEGE 695 Park Ave. 212-772-4448 www.hunter.cuny.edu The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College presents some 200 plays, concerts and dance performances a year in a small, comfortable space with great acoustics and a warm, welcoming staff. If you missed the recent run of “Uncle Vanya,� it’s not too late to see the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ presentation of the “Pirates of Penzance� on Dec. 27-30.
DeVito and Sarah Jessica Parker.
IATI THEATER 64 East 4th St. 212-505-6757 www.iatitheater.org IATI is a bilingual Latinx theater company that prides
itself on presenting original, bold and experimental comedies and dramas that explore and redeďŹ ne Latino culture. At this small theater in the East Village, the writers and performers are a mix of emerging and established Latino artists, including Chilean actress and singer Andrea Velasco.
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE 545 West 52nd St. 212-247-4982 www.ensemblestudiotheatre. org The venerable Ensemble Studio Theatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary season with a series of mainstage productions, including “Behind the Sheetâ€? and “Georgia Mertching is Dead.â€? For the 37th year, EST will present its Marathon of One-Act Plays in the spring. There are two sets, and each offers a variety of themes. The venue is comfortable, albeit on the second oor of an old building that has seen better days, Ensemble artists and writers over the years have included Ellen Barkin, Danny
Production of Gorilla, at IATI theater company for LatinX music and theater. Photo: iatitheater.org
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PETS
Best Grooming BARK PLACE 1371 First Ave. 212-737-3510 www.barkplacenyc.com This cage-free dog and cat grooming salon offers free pickup and delivery. The diligent staff is super-quick, caring, courteous and specially trained in rescue animals, so they have the patience and knowledge to deal with dogs and cats who may not have had the best of experiences with humans. After grooming, your pet will get to chill on fluffy animal beds while waiting to go home.
Best Vets CARNEGIE HILL VETERINARIANS 1707 Third Ave. 212-369-5665 www. carnegiehillveterinarians. com Carnegie Hill, under its director, Dr. Alexander Jon Miller, gives its four-legged patients treatment that is both holistic and specially tailored to each animal. Carnegie Hill’s team pays attention to details and is always available for consultations. They offer special drop-off and pick-up times for sick or anxious pets and they strive to include pet owners in the healing and follow-up process, taking extra time to demonstrate home care.
CITY VETERINARY CARE 220 West 72nd St. 212-799-7000 www.cityvetcare.com Founded in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Kaplan, a BoardCertified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist, City Veterinary Care is known for its high-quality general practice and specialty medical and surgical care for dogs and cats. Some of their acclaimed doctors — like Dr. Anne Cloudman and Amelia Kahn — trained at the famed Animal Medical Center, and the veterinary nursing team instills confidence in pet owners who visit their offices. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. City Vet Care runs a non-profit dedicated to solving the city’s pet over-population problem, and they work with animal rescue groups to prepare former street dogs and feral cats for new homes.
BLUE PEARL DOWNTOWN 1 West 15th St. 212-924-3311 www.bluepearlvet.com Blue Pearl Downtown is a 24/7 emergency pet hospital serving Downtown, Union Square, Greenwich Village and the East Village. Their team of
A CUT ABOVE PET STYLISTS
Photo: Smiley Pets
certified specialists, anesthesiologists and surgeons ranks among the best in the city. Pet owners generally give high marks to the care their pet got in Blue Pearl’s environment, and the friendly, helpful staff are happy to answer questions.
Best Pet Stores PET TOWN 1671 First Ave. 212-996-6273 www.pettown.business.site This small locally owned neighborhood pet supply store carries a great selection of dog and cat food, treats, and other supplies for your furry friends. The owners are welcoming and friendly and knowledgeable and take extra time to get to know their customers – both the two-legged and four-legged varieties. They offer reasonable prices and local delivery and they take special orders.
LITTLE CREATURES 569 Columbus Ave. 347-954-0021 www.littlecreaturesnyc.com
The local family that has been running this shop for more than 25 years grew up surrounded by dogs and cats, and their expertise and dedication to animals means a lot to their loyal customers. The extensive inventory includes plush toys, high-end collars, airlineapproved bags, training crates and pet stain-removal products. They specialize in smaller dogs — and have another store on Amsterdam Ave.
BEASTY FEAST 327 West 14th St. 212-300-4346 www.beastyfeast.com Customers are enthusiastic about this family-owned Downtown pet shop that has been serving the Chelsea and Meatpacking District neighborhoods for more than 40 years and boasts a huge selection of pet food, leashes and apparel. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and they make each customer — and their pet — feel special. The merchandise is reasonably priced, and Beasty Feast carries a large line of raw foods. There is a master pet groomer on the premises. One customer called it “the best pet store in the USA.”
143 West 69th St. 212-877-7778 www.acutabovegrooming. com If you’re looking for a fullservice neighborhood grooming salon for your pet, A Cut Above fits the bill. Services include baths, full-body brushes, nail clipping, styling and sculpting — and the pets can enjoy the good, orderly atmosphere here. Their certified groomers are wellequipped to deal with even the most temperamental pooches. Longtime customers praise the place — and their pets would too, if they could talk.
DOGMA 21 Seventh Ave. South 212-366-4060 www.dogmanyc.com
them keep their animals at home. They help dogs, cats and rabbits find new homes both by adopting directly to the public or by partnering with some 200 animal placement organizations. Satisfied customers praise the staff’s dedication and helpfulness.
UPTOWN CATS 2289 Broadway 646-701-1812 www.uptowncats.org This rescue service works toward stabilizing the feral cat population and offers adoption services. They use non-lethal trap-neuter-return methods to keep the population down. They provide shelter and find new homes for suitable animals. They sterilize about 300 cats a year, about 200 of which can’t be domesticated; the animals are vaccinated and neutered and placed in managed cat colonies. The 100 that can be domesticated are housed in volunteer homes and then put up for adoption at a series of events.
BEST FRIENDS NEW YORK 307 West Broadway 347-762-3678 www.adoptnyc@bestfriends. org Best friends is a Soho operation that is both a space for local pets to find homes and an outlet for the national “nokill” message. They showcase adoptable animals in a playful, gallery-style setting that is
Dogma means “space” in Japanese, and this dog and cat salon provides plenty of space and a serene environment for your pets to get the care and treatment they deserve. The staff is kind and courteous and helpful in calming your pet and providing any follow-up care that may be necessary. This seven-day-a-week pamper palace also does in-home baths on request, as well as overnight boarding and day care.
Best Rescue ANIMAL CARE CENTERS OF NEW YORK 326 East 110th St. 212-788-4000 nycacc.org New Yorkers flock to Animal Care Centers each day to reclaim lost pets, adopt new ones or get resources to help
Photo: Smiley Pets
clean and well-maintained. The staff is passionate and caring and some of the animals live in “cat condos” while waiting for a new, loving home.
Best Dog Walkers BARE PAWS NYC 157 East 86th St. 646-224-1155 www.fourbarepaws.com Bare Paws operates on the Upper East Side and many other neighborhoods across Manhattan. GPS tracking offers updates, notes from the walker, and routes taken on any given day. They also have a roster of dog and cat-sitters in each neighborhood who are carefully matched to your pet. Overnight care is also available. Each client has a private login to schedule appointments from their phone. Client Frances Rusnak says “Violet and her team provide excellent service,” and Stephanie Blaney says the smooth operation is simple and easy to use.
SWIFTO DOG WALKING 313 West 57th St. 917-746-7633 www.swifto.com This innovative dog-walking company says it was the first to offer GPS-tracked walkers in Manhattan. Clients can check on their pups through pictures
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CAMP CANINE
and live poop alerts. The walkers are experienced, collegeeducated and well-screened. They offer a meet-and-greet before the first walk and there is online scheduling. Prices vary by length of walk and are posted on their website.
46 West 73rd St. 212-787-3647 www.nycampcanine.com Camp Canine is a full-service space with plenty of room for your pets to socialize with others of roughly the same size and age. They specialize in skittish animals and work to cure bad habits such as chewing and jumping. Staffers are helpful and patient. Dogs are walked for a mid-day relief break. Camp Canine offers “Valet Barking,” which means you can call ahead, and someone will come out to fetch your pet when you pull up.
SMILEY PETS 146 West 10th St. (312) 316-0703 smileypetsny.com This outfit serves the Village and Chelsea, and their carefullyscreened, highly-experienced walkers are insured and bonded. One loyal client, Rebecca, says: “Georgia and her staff at Smiley Pets are top-notch. She treats my fur baby as though he was his own.” You can check their rates online.
THE WAGGING TAIL 77 Worth St. 212-285-4900 thewaggingtail.nyc
G Best Day Care DOGGIE-DO & PLAYTIME TOO!
348 East 76th St. 212-288-3633 www.doggiedonyc.com
Photo: Dogma
This doggie day care center and grooming salon has been a mecca for pooches and their
owners for more than 20 years. They provide a safe, loving environments for pets and the
staff is welcoming and friendly. They offer overnight boarding, and all pets must be spayed
or neutered and up-to-date on vaccines. There’s also a small boutique with a designer
collection of handed-knitted coats and sweaters.
Family-owned and operated for more than 30 years, this Tribeca spot is big and can handle up to 70 dogs. They offer day care, boarding, walking, breakfast and dinner, and bathing and grooming. There are cameras in the space and they even have a doggie pool. Staff is courteous and knowledgeable, and customers generally sing the praises of the care their pets receive.
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Holiday Art Sale Bring Art Home for the Holidays
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December 11- 21, 2018
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400 Original Artworks by League Artists Priced $50 - $1,500
Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery
TheArt StudentsLeague of NewYork 215 West 57th Street www.theartstudentsleague.org
Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday–Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM On Friday, December 21 the sale will close at 4:00 PM
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KIDS Best Book Stores CORNER BOOKSTORE 1313 Madison Ave. 212-831-3554 www.cornerbookstorenyc. com This compact book nook in Carnegie Hill has been offering a wide selection of books for kids of all ages for 40 years. Their small, carefully selected children’s titles begin with touch-and-feel books and are arranged by reading level through young adult books. They offer special store charge accounts for children and ask neighborhood youngsters to review advance copies of novels for kids ages 8 to 13 for their newsletter. They host storytime on Sunday mornings and an annual Christmas party for the neighborhood.
BOOK CULTURE 450 Columbus Ave. 212-595-1962 www.bookculture.com Book Culture on Columbus prides itself on its diverse selection of titles and activities. Owners say they were inspired by the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign to “reflect and honor the lives of all young people.” Its shelves hold books about a Hasidic Jewish girl who fights monsters, a homeless boy growing up in the Bronx, and a girl who fled Vietnam and ended up in Alabama. They have storytimes on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and a bilingual Turkish storytime on the last Saturday of the month in partnership with Makam New York.
Photo: Children’s Museum of Manhattan
BOOKS OF WONDER
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT
18 West 18th St. 212-989-3270 www.booksofwonder.com
520 Columbus Ave. 212-496-0163 www.Goodenoughtoeat.com
This spacious and popular old-school Chelsea children’s book shop specializes in books that will “stimulate and encourage young imaginations.” They feature books about New York City, as well as popular — and under-the-radar — picture books along with folktales and fairy tales. Books of Wonder hosts storytime on Saturday and Sunday mornings featuring age-appropriate books selected by their knowledgeable and helpful staff.
Carrie Levin started this kidfriendly eatery serving American comfort food in a small but cozy Upper West Side location in 1981. Most of the food is made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. Breakfast includes a variety of pancakes, waffles, eggs and omelettes served with homemade biscuits and strawberry butter. The dinner menu features starters like grilled corn bread and fig focaccia, and such favorites as meat loaf and buttermilk fried chicken.
Best Places to Eat with Kids
COWGIRL
THE BARKING DOG 1678 Third Ave. 212-831-1800 www.barkingdog94.com Brunches, a filling and flavorful children’s menu, an outdoor doggie drinking fountains and doggie treats bring flocks of New Yorkers to this canine-themed Upper East Side eatery. It appeals to the stroller set and their grown-ups with a menu chock-a-block with salads, sandwiches, Americanstyle comfort foods like meat loaf and pot roast, plus some British favorites like fish and chips and Shepherd’s Pie. Loyal customer Chastity raves: “If you have a pooch and want to have a nice doggie date, this is the place for it.”
519 Hudson St. 212-633-1133 www.cowgirlnyc.com This bar and restaurant was founded in 1989 and has been offering Texas-friendly fare, killer margaritas and a substantial kid’s menu ever since. The children’s menu features wooden nickel pancakes, “Texas” scrambled eggs and biscuits, along with a “get along little corndoggie” and “granny’s grilled cheese” (all $6.50 each) plus burgers and a pulled pork sandwich. For adults, they have a wide selection of Tex-Mex dishes and seasonal specials, like a “Dios de Los Muertos” menu in late October and early November with roasted acorn squash and chicken tortillas.
Best Museums
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
This spacious Soho museum offers hands-on arts experiences for kids and families, including after school classes, exhibits and performances. It has several art labs, an art studio, a media lab, a sound booth where kids can record their own music, and even a quiet room. Exhibits like “Acts and Activism: Drawing the Line,” try to instill a sense of community involvement. There also are Saturday family studio events and art colony day camps. One parent says that “the children’s museum is great. I love the way they sing to the children ... [and] they express the idea of art in different ways.”
1220 Fifth Ave. 212-534-1672 www.mcny.org MCNY is truly a hidden gem of a museum. It engages kids and their parents by “celebrating, documenting and interpreting the city’s past, present and future.” Current exhibits include “Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis,” which explores the story of the city’s long battle against diseases, and “Rebel Women,” which looks at 19th century women who challenged the status quo, including Elizabeth Jennings Graham, a black woman who refused to get off a segregated trolley in 1854, and Hetty Green, a businesswoman dubbed “the witch of Wall Street.” Admission is free if you’re under 20; $18 for adults and $12 for seniors.
103 Charlton St. 212-274-0986 www.cmany.org
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN 212 West 83rd St. 212-721-1223 www.cmom.org This five-story Upper West Side museum is a great place to spend a rainy day — or any other day — with kids interested in arts, sciences and the humanities. Each floor features a hands-on environment for discovery, exhibits, workshops and performances that will enthrall kids with a bent for the artistic. Special exhibits include “EatSleepPlay,” to encourage children to eat healthy, and “Let’s Dance,” to introduce them to the varied world of dance. CMOM hosts an annual “Sunday Funday” benefit in January, and year-round is admission is $14 for children and adults and free for kids under 1 year of age.
Photo: The Art Farm
as well as special camps in the fall and summer. There are classes on cooking, animal care and, of course, art. They offer drop-in open playtimes for youngsters ages 6 months and up from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, “Fun Fridays” for children 18 months and up, and regular storytimes. One satisfied customer calls it a “magical gem of a safe haven for your child to grow.”
ELLIOT’S GYMNASTICS 131 West 86th St. 917-517-8721 www.elliottsclasses.com Kids can frolic, play and learn in this spacious indoor gymnasium that offers scheduled classes along with open play from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. daily. Their gymnastics and movement classes for newborns to pre-teens are designed to make kids feel more confident in their bodies. Elliot’s also offers “Mooski Music” classes, art classes in various mediums, as well as a community art project where kids can make murals with finger paints and sponges. Playtime is free for kids enrolled in classes.
CITY TREEHOUSE CMANY offers classes and exhibits for kids with an artistic bent. Photo: Children’s Museum of Arts New York
Best Indoor Play THE ART FARM 419 East 91st St. 212-410-3117 www.theartfarms.com Founded in 2002, this innovative play space offers creative classes all year-around,
129A West 20th St. 212-255-2050 www.citytreehouse.com Young ones can play, learn about dance and take “RockA-Baby” or “Tots and Tutus” classes, or attend sleepover parties at this award-winning play space in a cheerful and intimate environment supervised by friendly staffers. Satisfied parent Isabel says: “We’ve been coming here since my daughter was one and-ahalf. We’ve brought friends and family alike ... the water table is my daughter’s favorite.”
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2019
BEST FITNESS CENTER
Sweat it out at Asphalt Green’s two beautiful locations on the Upper East Side and in Battery Park City. BOTH FACILITIES FEATURE TOP-OF-THE-LINE STRENGTH AND CARDIO EQUIPMENT, FUNCTIONAL TRAINING AREAS, AND SPACIOUS FITNESS STUDIOS. UPPER EAST SIDE
555 E. 90th St.
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BATTERY PARK CITY
212 North End Ave.
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asphaltgreen.org
/asphaltgrn
@asphaltgreen
@asphaltgreen
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WORKOUTS Best Mind/ Body Workout BODE NYC 173 East 83rd St. 212-288-9642 www.bodenyc.com Walk-ins are welcome at this traditional yoga studio that offers a challenging, invigorating selection of classes. Owners Donna Rubin and Jennifer Lobo opened their Bikram practice in 1999, as a total experience featuring core strengthening classes and guided meditation — Hot Bode Flow for upper body and Yin Nidra for deep stretching. They offer a 21day introductory membership for $49; drop-in classes are available for $30. Clients say the staff is friendly and the instructors are nurturing and patient.
X 93 Fitness has serious trainers for serious workout enthusiasts. Photo via x93fitness. com
PURE YOGA 204 West 77th St. 212-877-2025 www.pureyoga.com Memberships can be a bit pricey at this high-end yoga “spa,” but devotees say it’s well worth it. Founded in 2002, and popular across Asia, Pure Yoga arrived in New York in 2008. The club’s mission is to “empower seekers to create their new yoga body and mind.” Clients praise the serene surroundings, friendly, knowledgeable staff, spacious showers and saunas. Pure offers 350 classes across 20 yoga styles, including hot yoga, meditation and ashtanga.
MODO YOGA 434 Sixth Ave. 212-780-9642 www.nyc.modoyoga.com This popular yoga spot in the West Village offers hot yoga classes, with or without music. Modo’s sweaty program combines hot yoga with the precision of therapeutic yoga and the foundation of traditional yoga. They offer classes all-day long and accept drop-ins for $20. It’s a small space that attracts a youngish crowd that fills virtually all classes. Member Marcelline says she has been doing it over a year and it has helped her lose 54 pounds and “has changed my life [and] attitude.”
Best Indoor Pools ASPHALT GREEN — UPPER EAST SIDE 555 East 90th St. 212-369-8890 www.asphaltgreen.org Asphalt Green is a multipurpose health and fitness facility with a beautiful, 50-meter Olympic swimming pool that offers free and low-cost programming for kids as well as seniors. You can buy one of three types of memberships or pay a $35 day-rate to use all the facilities. Their swim program includes “waterproofing,” free swimming instruction and water safety classes for children who attend New York City public schools. Fans applaud the “beautiful facility and friendly staff.”
GERTRUDE EDERLE RECREATION CENTER 232 West 60th St. 212-397-3159 www.nycparks.org Named for a New Yorker who became an Olympic Medal
winner and the first woman to swim the English Channel, this no-frills recreation center offers yearround swimming, lessons and an aquatics program for members at very low rates. Classes include Learn to Swim, Adaptive Swimming for people with disabilities and senior and adult water exercise. Youth under 18 can become members for free. Users say the facility is clean and the staff is helpful.
COMMUNITY CENTER AT STUYVESTANT HIGH SCHOOL 345 Chambers St. 212-267-9700 www.bpcparks.org This Battery Park City rec center is a great, relatively inexpensive place for you or your children to swim, play sports or get fit. It features a half-Olympic-size pool, as well as basketball courts and a fitness center. Memberships start at $79 for kids and there are discounts for Battery Park residents and veterans. The Center also offers day passes: $15 for adults and $10 for youth.
FLEX PHYSICAL THERAPY 278 West 81st St. 212-579-3539 www.flexptny.com Flex offers holistic treatment and one-of-a-kind treatment plans that adapt to your everchanging needs. Licensed physical therapists treat each patient to fix your aches, pains and sports and orthopedic injuries in 30-minute sessions. Patients give high marks to the staff and report remarkable results in a relatively short period of time, depending on the extent of your injuries.
SPEAR PHYSICAL THERAPY 269 West 16th St. 646-841-1411 www.spearcenter.com Therapy with a view! This spacious, Chelsea loft clinic boasts a talented, experienced “salt-of-the-earth” staff that will take you through your paces on modern equipment with good street views. Spear has 15 Manhattan locations and satisfied customers say the staff patiently explains the exercise and benefits. The Chelsea clinic is conveniently located near many subway lines.
Best Trainers
membership fess — you pay for each class or workout session.
EXCEED FITNESS
TRIBECA HEALTH AND FITNESS
1477 Third Ave. 212-481-5300 www.exceedphysicalculture. com Trainers at this Upper East Side boutique gym specializes in HIIT — High-Intensity Interval Training. Exceed’s signature session, “The Workout,” is a serious 50-minute piece designed for athletes or wannabe athletes at all levels. Trainers like kick-boxing specialist Ian Allen craft individual plans for their clients, who rave about the “high-energy” workouts.
X 93 FITNESS 673 Amsterdam Ave. 212-280-0689 www.x93fitness.com Trainer Chris Fernandez and his colleagues pay attention to detail to design individual plans based on the client’s needs and level at this Upper West Side gym that specializes in “total body training.” One customer said of his trainer: “He listened and created a workout that was made just for me.” Their motto is “Training you Can Afford,” and there are no enrollment or
Best Physical Therapy HSS SPINE THERAPY CENTER 450 East 75th St. 646-714-6850 www.hss.edu The Hospital for Special Surgery offers specialized care for spine patients with lower back problems through a variety of techniques tailored to the individual. Therapists work with your doctor to develop a menu of activities to restore and maintain strength, flexibility and balance, as well as the Schroth method of Pilates. The therapists are experienced, well-trained and helpful and the facilities are clean and wellmaintained. The website lists over 250 patient testimonials.
107 Chambers St. 212-732-9466 www.tribecagym.com Allison and Frederick Thompson took over this gym and have turned it into a fitness factory using holistic methods, or what they call “Lifestyle Optimization.” Their staff of professional trainers take clients through challenging workouts in the tri-level, 10,000 squarefoot space, which is clean and well-maintained and stocked with strength machines and free weights for fitness buffs or people recovering from injuries. Customer Chiara says, “it’s a terrific, no-nonsense gym that very few people know about.” They do take drop-ins.
Best Indoor Tennis SUTTON EAST 488 East 60th St. 212-751-3452 suttoneasttennis.com There are no membership fees at this Yorkville facility which boasts eight indoor red clay courts. You pay for court time or classes and they have programs for all playing levels — including ones just for intermediate and advanced players. The club also has a junior development program for kids 6 to 18, and Pee Wee Tennis for kids aged 2½-to-5 years. There’s also match play and an evening league. Hourly rates range from $80 to $165 for singles courts — but they periodically offer off-peak court time promotional packages.
MANHATTAN PLAZA RACQUET CLUB
Clay courts and junioir programs at Sutton East Tennis. Photo via suttoneasttennis.com
450 West 43rd St. 212-594-0554 www.advantagetennisclubs. com The club, just a block from Times Square, has five newly resurfaced hard courts in an airconditioned year-round bubble. Hourly rates start at $62 and monthly rates are available — as are private lessons from pros for from $60 to $175, plus court fees. Staffers will help you arrange games with competitors of roughly your level and ability.
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Alexander Technique Get Comfortable in Your Body Introductory Session $40 How comfortable are you sitting at your desk? Do you feel any pain or tension in your shoulders, neck, or back? Lessons in Alexander Technique might be the solution out of pain, freeing you into balance and coordination!
Photo: Asphalt Green
MIDTOWN TENNIS CLUB 341 Eighth Ave. 212-989-8572 www.midtowntennis.com You can schedule playing time on one of their eight courts, enroll in their adult or junior programs or take lessons from established pros at reasonable rates in a conveniently located club that’s been around since 1965. There are no membership fees, staffers are friendly and accommodating and the place is spiffy clean. Hourly rates start at $90 — and they’ll even ďŹ x your strings.
Best Strength Workout UPLIFT STUDIOS 24 West 23rd St. 212-242-3103 www.upliftfitness.com This women-only, female
power palace offers cardio and strengthening classes in an airy boutique gym in the Flatiron District. Trainers — many of whom sport T-shirts or tank tops that say “Strong Women Uplift Each Otherâ€? — design body-sculpting and training routines will get and keep you toned and ďŹ t. Their signature program, Power X, is a 55-minute circuit-style routine. They offer a $20 one-time-use pass for a group class.
SLOW BURN PERSONAL TRAINING 168 West 78th St. 212-579-9320 www. slowburnpersonaltraining. com Trainer Fredrick Hahn developed a highly touted low-force, slow motion training routine called the Slow Burn method, which he guarantees will make you a leaner, stronger version of yourself in just 30 minutes a couple of times a week. Hahn and his team
work in a small space with a maximum of four clients to reach controlled muscle fatigue. Slow Burn can be pricey, but they offer one free introductory workout. And, hey, they were on the “Today� show last year with Hoda Kotbe and Kathie Lee Gifford.
SOHO STRENGTH LAB 182 Mulberry St. 646-926-1182 www.sohostrengthlab.com If you’re looking for a tough, strength-building workout that combines old-school grit and new-school personal training, Soho Strength Lab is your kind of place. Trainers Andy Speer, Ryan Hopkins and their experienced colleagues will help you get strong in either group or personal training drills over two oors in their 39,000-squarefoot emporium. Their clients are serious — and some are even famous, like Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard and model Christy Turlington.
Book Your Session Now
www.think-at.com To book your session contact: .POB NPOB!UIJOL BU DPN t 'BJTBM GBJTBM!UIJOL BU DPN AMEX Tower, 200 Vesey St, 24th Fl
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On 95th Street at Central Park West 212-663-2844 alexanderrobertson.org
Female-focused Uplift Studios offer strength and cardio classes. Their motto is “Strong women uplift each other.� Photo: Uplift Studios
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KIDDING AROUND
Best Toy Stores MARY ARNOLD TOYS 1178 Lexington Ave. 212-744-8510 www.maryarnoldtoys.com Mary Arnold Toys first opened its doors in 1931 and boasts of being “America’s oldest, continuously run toy store.” Mary Arnold carries a wide range of educational and imaginative toys, including a deluxe puppet theatre and a “Columbus Girl Basket” for newborns up to oneyear-olds. The selections range from the newest creations to the toys and games you played with as a child.
WEST SIDE KIDS 498 Amsterdam Ave. 212-496-7282 www.westsidekidsnyc.com For more than 35 years, Alice Bergman and her daughter Jenny have run this small toy emporium that prides itself on carrying a collection of well-chosen toys for kids from toddlers to teens. In addition to staples like Legos, action figures and train sets, they sell educational toys like “Magnetic Wooden Alphabet” and “Math Magic,” which they will wrap and deliver. Customer Susan says: “This is the first place I go to find toys ... and I never walk away empty-handed.”
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60 West 15th St. 212-645-6337 www.kiddingaroundtoys.com This long-standing specialty toy shop has been around for more than 20 years and — aside from its warm, neighborhood feel — boasts a huge and somewhat eclectic selection of reasonably priced toys, dolls, puppets, starter “bikes,” dress-up options and books. Owner Christina Clark’s helpful and friendly staff is full of suggestions to satisfy any child’s desires. They have a dizzying array of Thomas the Tank Engine paraphernalia, stuffed animals and puzzles.
Best Appetizing Shops SABLE’S 1489 Second Ave. 212-249-6177 www.sablesnyc.com Brothers Danny and Kenny Sze learned the trade during their 12 years as lox slicers and managers at Zabar’s. This small, often-crowded takeout-only shop offers fabulous fish at fabulous prices. Aside from fish, they also offer cold cuts, exotic cheeses, salads and desserts, including rugalach and babka.
One longtime customer says, “They h have h the h bbest Nova andd bialys you can find anywhere.”
MURRAY’S STURGEON 2429 Broadway 212-724-2650 www.murrayssturgeon.com This 72-year-old little gem is smaller, and a little bit up Broadway from the worldfamous Zabar’s, but it’s definitely in the same league — and its prices are often slightly lower. The lox and caviar are yummy, but they also carry Kosher deli meats, chopped liver like grandma used to make, a “Kosher” Alaskan seafood salad and an array of delicious knishes.
SADELLE’S 463 West Broadway 212-776-4926 www.sadelles.com This New York City brunch restaurant and takeout place in the heart of Soho consistently makes every “Best of” list. It features signature items like bagels on a baton and lavishlyarranged smoked fish towers, salami and eggs, babka loaves and every style of blintzes imaginable. But its most popular item is its French toast, which is soaked in egg, milk and cinnamon overnight and then deep fried. Lines can be long but Sadelle’s is worth the wait.
YANZ LEATHER SERVICES 1427 Lexington Ave. 212-722-0041 www.yanzleather.com This relatively new shop offers quality shoe repair, shines, stretching, dyeing and steam cleaning — as well as handbag repair — in this small but attractive store Upper East Side store. Many regard the friendly, experienced owner as the “Shoe Genius.” Loyal customer Chris says: “I am beyond satisfied with Yanz. They are very professional. I have been recommending them to all my friends and I will continue to do so.” Danny and Kenny Sze of Sable’s. Photo via sablesnyc.com
262 West 72nd St. St 212-877-3517 This longtime shoe repair shop is under new management and underwent a complete remodeling. Customers give the new owners a big thumbsup for friendliness, expertise and workmanship. Satisfied customer Valencia says it is “the best shoe work I have ever had.” Mel’s offers an awesome selection of polishes, inserts and related supplies.
ROMANO COBBLER 224 Eighth Ave. 212-675-7463 The team at Romano’s repairs and restores boots and shoes of all types at reasonable prices and gets raves for great customer service. Voted “Best of New York” by New York Magazine in 2014. Satisfied customer Stephanie gushes: “I don’t trust many people with my expensive shows, but I do trust this place.” They offer free pickup and delivery and do watch and jewelry repair; no listed website, but they’re on Facebook.
Best Jewelry Store ALEX’S JEWELRY
Best Shoe Repair
You can get this hoodie at Choices. Photo via choicesgifts. com
1435 Lexington Ave. 212-988-5135 www.alexsjewelrynyc.com This trendy but traditional family-owned shop carries a wide array of wedding rings, diamonds, necklaces, watches and bracelets, many at reasonable or discounted prices. Alex’s offers same-day service on sizing and some repairs. One longtime customer, Penny, says: “They are incredibly talented jewelers who put a premium on excellent customer relations.”
THE JEWEL BOUTIQUE 2586 Broadway 646-684-4888 www.tjbnyc.com This elegant “top-notch” jewelry store specializes in custom designs, high-end watches and repairs and stone resetting. Owner Harmeet boasts on the website: “You dream it, we make it.” His staff is knowledgeable and friendly,
and they have an in-house designer who will bring your idea to life with a sketch, wax and rubber mold and finally the metal of your choice.
improvement mecca” include incense, essential oils, recovery books and glow-in-the-dark medallions, not to mention the “Grateful I’m Not Dead” hoodie.
GREENWICH ST. JEWELERS
MAGPIE
64 Trinity Place 212-964-7592. www.greenwichjewelers.com Despite the name this small, family-owned high-end jewelry store is not on Greenwich St., but it has been selling, repairing and restoring gems since 1976. They carry pieces for everyday wear and special occasions. They feature such top designers as Chris Ploof, Jane Taylor and Jennie Kwan. The friendly staff will even steam clean your wellworn rings as you wait for them to wrap your new purchases.
Best Gift Shops CHOICES 220 East 78th St. 212-794-3858 www.choicesgifts.com Choices is one of the oldest bookstores in the country specializing in wellness and recovery from addiction, be it alcohol or substance abuse, love or codependency. Products at owner Jay De Paolo’s “self-
488 Amsterdam Ave. 212-579-3003 www.magpienewyork.com Sylvia Parker opened this neighborhood gift store six years ago, offering a mix of stylish, eco-friendly gifts including home décor, jewelry, stationary and toys. She sells a whimsical collection of locally made or designed merchandise, including artisanal toffee made in Harlem, as well as fashionable silk bracelets from Turkey. There’s a blue octopus rattle for the baby in your life, pocket wallets for men and Victoria Bekerman earrings.
VILLAGE GIFTS NYC 175 Bleecker St. 917-675-7366 www.villagegiftsnyc.com This somewhat offbeat modern shop offers a twist on the usual tourist-oriented city-themed gifts. They sell bracelets, watches, keychains, lighters, fancy cigar cutters, vape goods, a variety of flavors of e-juice, and an eclectic collection of tchotchkes. This is not your grandmother’s gift store.
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Best Hair Salon Salon West (646) 876-1127 (212) 579-8097 www.salonwestnyc.com For 21 years, Salon West has served as the Upper West Side’s leading salon. With hair color, haircut, extensions, keratin treatment and eyebrow specialists, this salon is the one stop shop for having the very best hair. Salon West has 2 locations - 625 Amsterdam on 90th and West 85th on Amsterdam. Open 7 days a week with extended hours for the holidays, call or book online for 20% off your first service!
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Best Bilingual Independent School For Ages 2-13 International Academy of New York. 4 East 90th Street. 212-641-0260 www.ianyc.org A gem on the Upper East Side next to Central Park, the International Academy of New York has been featured on television (Babbel, SinoVision, China News Service, Fox5) and in print for its outstanding bilingual program. Children choose the Spanish or Mandarin Chinese track, with the goal of fluency. The school is committed to maintaining a multi-cultural and diverse student body and faculty, and keeps a low teacher to student ratio to deliver personal attention to each student, teaching them the skills to contribute and thrive in today’s world. Accepting applications for Pre-Nursery through Grade 4, and adding a grade each year through Grade 8.
The Private School Redefining Education on the Upper West Side BASIS Independent Manhattan 795 Columbus Avenue | 347-305-4960 | manhattan.basisindependent.com . BASIS Independent Manhattan is a PreK–grade 8 private school that raises the standards of student learning to the highest international levels. The nationally recognized BASIS Curriculum, offers a liberal arts and sciences program that is benchmarked to the world’s top education systems. Passionate, expert teachers with advanced degrees or experience in their fields lead each subject and every grade level, bringing classrooms to life and preparing students with the content knowledge, critical-thinking skills, and confidence to succeed in their education and beyond. Accepting applications for fall 2019.
Best Fitness Center Asphalt Green’s Upper East Side duplex fitness center overlooks the East River and features top-of-the-line strength and cardio training equipment. Alongside free weights, Olympic lifting platforms, and TRX suspension trainers is dedicated turfed space for functional fitness, encouraging gym-goers to be creative with their workouts. Ample studio space allows for over 100 weekly group exercise classes, including a variety of strength, cardio, core, Pilates, yoga, cycling, and AG6TM, our arcade-style workout. Asphalt Green’s downtown location in the heart of Battery Park City offers an equally excellent fitness experience with comparable amenities and friendly staff.
Best Vision and Healthcare Lighthouse Guild 8FTU UI 4USFFU BU 8FTU &OE t t MJHIUIPVTFHVJME PSH Provides coordinated vision and healthcare. We can maximize your functional vision and address underlying medical issues. We offer primary healthcare and specialty care, vision assessments (optometry), physical and occupational therapy. Our American Diabetesaccredited self-management program includes nutritional counseling and support groups. Our behavioral health services can help you cope with vision loss and other issues such as depression, trauma, addiction and PTSD. Our Adult Day Health Care program is for people with vision loss and chronic medical conditions. Anyone can benefit from our healthcare services regardless of vision loss.
The Compression Store has arrived to NYC! The Compression Store, centrally located at 1476 1st Avenue is delighted to announce its GRAND OPENING. We are a Surgical Sock Shop Company, established in 1998. Our state of the art showroom includes the largest selection of compression socks and garments in NYC. We staff experienced certified fitters that are trained to determine the appropriate garment for each individual and need. We sell products from top quality brands such as Medi, Sigvaris, Juzo, Jobst, Therafirm etc. Our stock includes compression garments, ready to wear and custom, maternity supporters, sport socks, orthotics, and braces. Most major insurances accepted! Our prices are discounted and the lowest offered. Fax or email your prescription today! F:(212) 224-9560 E: rx@thecompressionstore.com
Manhattan Cabinets is a ďŹ xture on the Upper East Side. Photo: Manhattan Cabinets
Best Kitchen/Bath Remodeling MANHATTAN CABINETS 1349 Second Ave. 212-548-2436 www.manhattancabinets. com Zee, Rob and their crew of techs have been plying their trade at Manhattan Cabinets — a ďŹ xture in this Upper East Side neighborhood — for years. Their showroom boasts premier cabinetry, countertops and built-in shelving designed to show off your kitchen and make your bathroom sparkle. SatisďŹ ed customers say the team of experts provides good services, great ideas and tips to bring your vision to life. “I am extremely happy with my new home,â€? loyal customer Joan
says, noting that she got exactly what she wanted at exactly the right price.
INTELLIGENT KITCHEN 521 Amsterdam Ave. 212-501-8000 www.ikdny.com This renovation studio gets most of its cabinetry, appliances and material from leading European and U.S. suppliers. Lauren and her team of designers will listen to your ideas and steer you in the right direction with clear, creative plans to ďŹ t your budget. Happy customer Ariel says “Lauren is very easy to work with ... [she] is proud of her work and stands by it.â€?
MCK+B 41 West 25th St. 212-995-0500 www.mkcb.com The Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath promises that their experienced staff of designers and builders will
The Expanded National Museum of the American Indian The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is a cultural staple of Lower Manhattan. Located in the stately Beaux Arts Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, the museum offers a rotating slate of exhibitions, programming and film that embrace Native American cultures throughout the Western Hemisphere. The museum greatly expanded their offerings in 2018 with the addition of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, an interactive new space that explores Native innovations in science and technology, as well as a newly renovated museum store that is three times larger. The museum is open every day except December 25 and admission is free. SPONSORED CONTENT
provide stress-free renovation and won’t bust your budget — whether it’s $10,000 or $100,000. They have a complete line of kitchen appliances and vanities for sale whether you want a contemporary design or favor a more traditional approach. MCK+B can be a bit pricey, but customers say the quality of material and workmanship are worth it.
Best Handyman TOM EURO-3000 434 East 89th St. 917-450-9449 www.handyman-nyc.com This handyman service has been operating out of the Upper East Side since 1927, doing major and minor repairs, tiling, appliance installation, plumbing, electrical work, oor reďŹ nishing, wallpapering and locksmithing. Loyal customers rave about their prompt service, good workmanship and reasonable prices. They work primarily between 79th and 96th Streets, between Fifth Ave. and East End Ave., but will go a bit further at an extra cost.
HAYS NYC 115 West 74th St. 646-875-5050 www.hays-nyc.com Veterans Chair Caning & Repair was founded in Hell’s Kitchen in 1899. Photo courtesy Veterans Caning
Have a middle-of-the-night plumbing emergency? No problem for these jack-of-all
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KARPOFF AFFILIATES
trades handymen who also do electrical work, painting, shelf installation, picture-hanging and kitchen renovation. They’ll even assemble those IKEA purchases that look easier than they really are. Take it from satisďŹ ed customer Jess: “I had a plumbing emergency around midnight. They arrived 45 minutes after I called, and they ďŹ xed the problem perfectly and fast.â€?
4FOJPS .PWF .BOBHFS t 3FBM &TUBUF #SPLFS KARPOFF AFFILIATES is your single stop for senior life transitions and real estate brokerage needs. t If you or your family member needs to renovate their existing home to allow them to BHF JO QMBDF PS JT MPPLJOH UP EPXOTJ[F XF DBO IFMQ t *G ZPV XBOU UP NPWF XF DBO TFMM ZPVS IPNF BTTJTU XJUI QBDLJOH PWFSTFF QSPGFTTJPOBM NPWFST BOE QSPWJEF TVQQPSU UP SFEVDF TUSFTT 8F XJMM NPWF ZPV PVU PG TUBUF PS CBDL UP /FX :PSL *G ZPV BSF MPPLJOH GPS BO BTTJTUFE MJWJOH SFTJEFODF XF DBO IFMQ t *G ZPV IBWF MPTU TPNFPOF XF XJMM PSHBOJ[F BOE BTTFTT JUFNT MFGU JO UIF IPNF BOE mOE B buyer for the residence in order to lessen the hardship during this difďŹ cult time. t Karpoff AfďŹ liates created the signature service Moving On NYC to address these needs. 8F IFMQ NBOBHF FWFSZ EFUBJM DPOOFDUJOH XJUI BUUPSOFZT FTUBUF HVBSEJBOT TPDJBM XPSLers and caregivers. You will deal with one person from start to ďŹ nish. t 8F SVO UBH BOE FTUBUF TBMFT BOE QSPWJEF BQQSBJTBMT GPS KFXFMSZ FTUBUFT BOE mOF BOtiques. We also offer total auction services.
NYC HANDYMAN 235 West 45th St. 917-915-5732 www.bigapplehandyman.com Owner Kamani is a selfproclaimed “handyman extraordinaire� who runs a oneman operation that has been assembling furniture and gym equipment, mounting TVs and hanging mirrors, curtains and blinds for more than 10 years. “If it comes in a box, I can probably assemble it,� he proclaims on his website. But there’s a catch: He’s allergic to cats, so if you have a feline, you’re out of luck.
Best Painters WARSHOW PAINTING AND DECORATING 236 East 78th St. 212-368-5600 www.warshowpainting.com Owner Sheldon Warshow has been running this 98-yearold company for the past ďŹ ve decades. His experienced crew does straight painting, skim coating, staining and tile and wallpaper installation — and they are happy to work with their customers to carry out their vision. He also boasts an impressive client list which includes the USS Intrepid, Sarah Meir Photography and Barbara Fairchild, the editor-in-chief of
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We provide peace of mind and ensure that each project is handled with respect and integrity.
Marilyn Karpoff Founder & CEO
212-358-8044 www.KarpoffAfďŹ liates.com NLBSQPGG!LBSQPGGBGmMJBUFT DPN
Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath promises stress-free renovation. Photo via mkcb.com
Bon Appetit magazine, who said in a testimonial that she was “delighted� with Warshow’s work and “will not hesitate to recommend you to our friends.�
BRUSHED INTERIORS 101 West 85th St. 917-400-4025 www.brushedinteriors.com Owner David Sartori’s roots are in Milwaukee and he says he has brought his “Midwest work ethicâ€? to this Upper West Side outďŹ t that takes pride in its ability to paint, plaster, and restore the beauty to your home or apartment. “Updating your space should be a pleasure, not a pain,â€? he states on his website. One happy client says Sartori “is a fantastic painter and a great guy.â€?
BROADWAY PAINTERS
Compassionate Senior Move Manager and Expert Real Estate Broker
176 Broadway 212-257-0090 www.broadwaypainters.com
290 Third Avenue, Suite 26C | NYC 10010
Owner Mez Diamond has been running this relatively new — but well-regarded — painting company for seven years. They paint and stain apartments, houses and offices across the city. But his best talking point is coop and condo boards and management companies to get the needed permits and approvals quickly. SatisďŹ ed customers say the company is responsive, helpful and their prices are competitive. Loyal customer Dan says, “working with Mez was a pleasure.â€?
The Original Teachings of
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WEDNESDAY EVENINGS Q N UP Q N t %PPST PQFO Q N STUDY CLASS in - Selected excerpts from the writings of H.P. Blavatsky & William Q. Judge on the theme of Dreams and the Dreamer
For full program contact:
The United Lodge of Theosophists Beckenstein Fabric & Interiors custom-designs pieces to ďŹ t personalities. Photo: Beckenstein, via Facebook
Theosophy Hall Phone (212) 535- 2230
347 East 72nd St., New York www.ULT.org
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www.CarmelLimo.com NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and Parks to be held on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 2 Lafayette Street, 14th Floor Auditorium, Borough of Manhattan, commencing at 2:30 p.m. relative to: INTENT TO ENTER INTO an amended and restated license agreement (“License Agreement”) between the City of New York, acting by and through Parks; and RIPA; and Sportime for the construction, expansion, renovation, operation, maintenance, and management of a year-round tennis facility at Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan. The License Agreement, among other things, provides for the renovation and expansion of the current Licensed Premises to include, after construction, ten (10) additional fullsize tennis courts adjacent to the current Licensed Premises, and related amenities, and extends the term by twenty-five (25) years from the date the expanded facility opens. Compensation under the License Agreement will be as follows:
The MTA plans to extend the Second Avenue subway to East Harlem from its current terminus at 96th Street as part of the project’s next construction phase. Photo: Steven Strasser
SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY PROJECT CLEARS HURDLE TRANSPORTATION The next phase of construction will extend the Q train north to East 125th Street BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The Second Avenue subway is one step closer to expanding service to East Harlem. It will likely be a decade until the Second Avenue subway’s second phase of construction is completed, but a federal finding issued last month represents an important milestone in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s efforts to build three new Q train stations extending the existing line north to East 125th Street. The Federal Transit Administration issued a document known as a Finding of No Significant Impact in November after reviewing updated environmental assessment docu-
ments prepared by the MTA, paving the way for the MTA to begin assembling federal funding for the project. “This is an important milestone that puts us a step closer to providing a long-overdue subway to serve the people of East Harlem,” Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief development officer, said in a statement. “With the environmental approval in place, we can move into a new phase in the effort to secure federal funding for this important project.” The first phase of the Second Avenue subway opened Jan. 1, 2017 following ten years of construction. The next phase will expand the line north from its current terminus at 96th Street and Second Avenue, adding new stops at 106th Street and Second Avenue, 116th Street and Second Avenue, and 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. The 125th Street stop will provide connections to the Lexington Avenue subway and the Metro-North Railroad for the
historically transit-starved neighborhood of East Harlem. MTA officials estimate the project will be completed by 2029 according to a conservative timeline, but say the second phase could potentially be completed as early as 2027 if funding is quickly secured. Plans for the four-phase project call for the line to eventually extend south to Hanover Square in the Financial District. “This finding is a major step forward toward making Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway a reality,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney said in a statement. “Phase 2 will make it much easier to commute to and from East Harlem, and to access Metro North and the LaGuardia bus at 125th Street. We have already seen the extraordinary success of Phase 1, and the MTA must move forward as quickly as possible to build the full-length Second Avenue subway up to 125th Street and then down to lower Manhattan.”
Until the August 31st immediately following the Effective Date, Sportime shall pay to RIPA license fees consisting of the higher of a minimum annual fee of Three Hundred Thirty-Three Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars ($333,923), or the sum of twenty percent (20%) of Gross Receipts derived from Permitted Sponsorship Activity plus ten percent (10%) of all other Gross Receipts. From the September 1st immediately following the Effective Date until the Phase II Commencement Date, Sportime shall pay to RIPA license fees consisting of the higher of a minimum annual fee of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000), or the sum of twenty percent (20%) of Gross Receipts derived from Permitted Sponsorship Activity plus ten percent (10%) of all other Gross Receipts. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence in this paragraph, to ensure that there shall be no negative impact on the license fees during construction, at the end of each Operating Year during this period and to the extent that the above license fees equal less than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000), Sportime additionally shall pay to RIPA the difference between the above license fees and One Million Dollars ($1,000,000). From the Phase II Commencement Date until the end of the term of the License Agreement, Sportime shall pay to RIPA license fees consisting of the greater of a minimum annual fee or the sum of the percentage of Gross Receipts, as follows: PHASE II OPERATING PERIOD OPERATING YEAR 1
MINIMUM ANNUAL FEE
2 3 4 5 6
$1,050,000 $1,102,500 $1,157,625 $1,215,506 $1,276,282
7 8 9 10 11
$1,340,096 $1,407,100 $1,477,455 $1,551,328 $1,628,895
12 13 14 15 16
$1,710,339 $1,795,856 $1,885,649 $1,979,932 $2,078,928
17 18 19 20 21
$2,182,875 $2,292,018 $2,406,619 $2,526,950 $2,653,298
22 23 24 25
$2,785,963 $2,925,261 $3,071,524 $3,225,100
$1,000,000
Vs. % OF GROSS RECEIPTS 20% of all Permitted Sponsorship Activity + 10% of all other Gross Receipts Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above 20% of all Permitted Sponsorship Activity + 10.5% of all other Gross Receipts Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above 20% of all Permitted Sponsorship Activity + 11% of all other Gross Receipts Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above 20% of all Permitted Sponsorship Activity + 12% of all other Gross Receipts Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above 20% of all Permitted Sponsorship Activity + 13.5% of all other Gross Receipts Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above Same As Above
A draft copy of the License Agreement may be reviewed or obtained at no cost, commencing on Monday, December 3, 2018 through Monday, December 10, 2018, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 313, New York, NY 10065. This location is accessible to individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. For further information on accessibility or to make a request for accommodations, such as sign language interpretation services, please contact the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) via e-mail at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone at (212) 788-0010. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation for the public hearing should contact MOCS at least three (3) business days in advance of the hearing to ensure availability. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
HOLMES TOWERS PROJECT FACES QUESTIONS HOUSING Debate continues over private residential building to be built on NYCHA campus BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The city’s plan to allow a private developer to build a 500-foot tower on the campus of a Yorkville public housing development, which sparked backlash from neighbors and local elected officials upon its announcement last year, is facing continued opposition from many members of the Upper East Side’s Community Board 8, which met Nov. 28 to discuss and gather more information on the project. In May 2017, the city announced that Fetner Properties would pay $25 million to the beleaguered New York City Housing Authority for the privilege of building a 50-story residential building on the grounds of NYCHA’s Holmes Towers development at East 92nd Street and First Avenue. The new building, which will sit directly between the two existing 25-story Holmes Towers buildings and replace a playground, will include approximately 339 residential units, 169 of which will be publicly subsidized affordable housing. The Fetner project is part of a broader city initiative, known as NextGeneration NYCHA, to raise revenue for the underfunded housing authority by allowing so-called “infill” development by private builders on open space in public housing developments. NYCHA says that the money it raises through these developments—including the $25 million Fetner will pay for
A rendering of the 50-story residential building to be built between the two 25-story towers of NYCHA’s Holmes Towers public housing development. Image courtesy of NYCHA its 99-year lease of the Holmes Towers site — will help to offset the agency’s vast capital needs and fund maintenance and repairs in NYCHA buildings, many of which have experienced chronic heat, hot water and elevator outages in recent years amid management crises and federal budget cuts. Critics of the Fetner deal claim that the city failed to negotiate adequate compensation from the developer, and say that the revenue generated by the new building won’t do enough to address NYCHA’s nearly $32 billion in
capital needs. The $25 million NYCHA will receive from Fetner is well short of Holmes Towers’ five-year capital needs of nearly $59 million. “It surprises me that New York City was only able to negotiate $25 million from a developer who stands to make hundreds of millions on this property,” said Ben Kallos, who represents Yorkville in the City Council. “This deal is too good to be true if you are the developer; we can do better for the residents.” NYCHA has said that Fetner Proper-
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS
ties was selected to develop the site in part due to its proposal’s inclusion of community amenities, including a $13 million facility in the building’s base which will be operated by Asphalt Green and feature a rooftop athletic field and an indoor basketball court. Fetner also committed to hire at least eight Holmes Towers residents to fill permanent jobs created by the new development. Kallos and others have said that any new housing at the site should be entirely affordable rather than the 50
Sushi Ren
1584 2nd Ave
Grade Pending (20) 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.
Kobeyaki
215 E 86th St
A
Yura
1350 Madison Ave
A
The District
1679 3 Avenue
A
Eli’s Essentials
26 E 91st St
A
NOV 21 - 27, 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.
percent included in the Fetner deal. The new building’s 169 affordable units will be reserved for residents earning between 30 and 60 percent of the New York City region’s area median income, or AMI. The majority of units, 60 percent, will be reserved for individuals or families earning up to 60 percent of AMI, which as of this year is $43,860 for an individual and $62,580 for a family of four. Of the remaining units, 15 percent will be allocated to residents earning up to 50 percent of AMI, 15 percent will be allocated to residents earning up to 40 percent of AMI and 10 percent will be allocated to residents earning up to 30 percent of AMI, which is $21,930 for an individual and $31,290 for a family of four. Hal Fetner, the development company’s president and CEO, said in an interview that all 169 affordable units will remain affordable for the duration of Fetner’s 99-year lease and that every residential floor will feature at least one affordable unit. Market-rate and affordable residents will use the same entrance; the building will not have a “poor door,” as some other mixed-income housing developments in the city have utilized. Every unit in the building, affordable and market-rate alike, will feature the same floors, appliances and other finishes, Fetner said. Fetner added that a 100 percent affordable development would fail to generate new revenue for NYCHA buildings and would cost taxpayers more in housing subsidies. “We really do care about creating affordable housing and creating revenue to make sure that the residents can live in clean, safe housing,” Fetner said. “We as a community need to find ways to make sure that these buildings don’t
La Crosta Restaurant
436 East 72 Street
A
Tenzan 89
1714 2nd Ave
A
Tanoshi Tei
1374 York Ave
A
Starbucks
245 E 93rd St
A
Juice Press @ Equinox
1429 2nd Ave
Grade Pending (18) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
No Pork Kitchen
2135 2nd Ave
Grade Pending (6) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Lechonera Tropical & Grill
172 East 103 Street
A
Hui Restaurant and Bar
314 E 70th St
Not Yet Graded (24) 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.
Little Caesars
1936 3rd Ave
A
Triple A Diner
2061 2 Avenue
A
Dig Inn
1319 1st Ave
A
East Harlem Bottling Co
1711 Lexington Ave
A
Felice
1593 1 Avenue
A
A Taste Of Seafood
1980 3rd Ave
A
DECEMBER 6-12,2018
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST To place an ad in this directory, Call Douglas at 212-868-0190 ext. 352.
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A rendering shows the proposed development’s noncompliance with the sky exposure plane, a zoning mechanism that governs permissible height. The mayor could grant a waiver to override the zoning requirement and permit the development to proceed as planned. Image courtesy of George Janes
›’Â&#x;ŠÂ?ÂŽČą Š›Â?¢ȹ Â˜Â˜Â–ÂœČąČŠČą Ž••¢ȹ Š—Œ’—Â?ȹȊȹ ŠÂ?Ž›’—Â?
řŗŖȹ ÂŽÂœÂ?ȹśř›Â?Čą Â?›ŽŽÂ?ČąČŠČąĹ˜Ĺ—Ĺ˜ČŹĹ˜ĹœĹ›ČŹĹ›Ĺ›Ĺ–Ĺ–    ǯÂ?ÂžÂ›Â”ÂžÂŠÂŁÂ›ÂŽÂœÂ?Šž›Š—Â?ÇŻÂŒÂ˜Â–Čą
fall into further deterioration.â€? Fetner and his wife, Nina, each made campaign contributions of $4,950, the maximum allowed by law, to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reelection fund in 2017. At a Nov. 8 meeting of Community Board 8’s committees on housing, zoning and development, and health, seniors and social services, attendees also discussed zoning questions raised by the Holmes Towers plan. According to George Janes, a planning consultant who has analyzed the proposal and briefed the community board on his ďŹ ndings, the proposed Fetner building would not adhere to local zoning requirements. Specifically, he said, the building would grossly exceed the district’s sky exposure plane, which requires tall buildings to be set back from the street to preserve light and
air at street level. Janes believes the de Blasio administration is likely to utilize a mechanism known as a mayoral zoning override to waive the height and setback requirements and allow the project to move forward. The override would effectively preclude the community board, borough president and City Council from having formal input on the process. Community Board 8 members at the meeting proposed a resolution expressing the board’s opposition to the use of a mayoral zoning override on the project; the full board is expected to vote on the resolution at its Dec. 19 meeting. “To take away the amenity of light and air from the residents of the existing buildings to make way for a 50-story building that doesn’t comply with Zoning Resolution is a problem, and it isn’t fair to those NYCHA residents,� Alida Camp, the chair of Community Board 8, said. Spokespeople with the mayor’s office and NYCHA would
not address the zoning issues at play or the possible use of a mayoral zoning override despite repeated inquiries. But the city acknowledged the override as a possibility in an August 2018 federal filing, writing, “It is anticipated that a waiver may be sought for some items including penetration of the sky exposure plane.� Damon Pazzaglini, Fetner’s COO, said one of the goals of the building’s design is to minimize impact to the existing buildings, and that a waiver would help to make this possible. “If we had to comply with height and setback [restrictions], we would have to put the building in the middle of NYCHA’s campus, which would be far more disruptive to the residents of Issacs [Houses, a neighboring public housing development] and Holmes,� he said. Representatives of the mayor’s office, NYCHA and Fetner did not attend the Nov. 28 meeting but are expected to present an update to Community Board 8 in January.
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DECEMBER 6-12,2018
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
SAFER EAST SIDE STREETS NEIGHBORHOODS Study shows continued trend of reduced injuries to pedestrians and cyclists BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
East Side pedestrians and cyclists are making strides in street safety, according to an analysis of NYPD collision data covering East Side zip codes from 26th to 96th Streets performed by the offices of East Side City Council Members Ben Kallos and Keith Powers. Pedestrians have seen the most significant safety improvements, with injuries dropping in each successive year since 2013. So far in 2018, 347 pedestrians have suffered injuries in collisions, down from 632 in 2013, The 281 collisions involving cyclists so far in 2018 are roughly flat in comparison with last year’s total of 283, but both figures represent a significant decline from the 2015 and 2016 bike collision totals of 380 and 352, respectively. To date, four pedestrians have been killed in collisions with motor vehicles in 2018, including an 84-year-old woman who was struck and killed on a sidewalk near 79th Street and Madison Avenue Oct. 5 by a vehicle that jumped a curb. Since July 2012, 42 pedestrians have been killed and 3,195 have been injured in collisions with motor vehicles on the East Side. There were zero cyclist fatalities on the East Side over the same period. Motor vehicles remain the greatest cause of injuries to pedestrians and
E-BIKES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “It’s a safe, green alternative to sitting in traffic, riding the subway or for a quick trip to the bodega,” Rodriguez said. “Most people are not blind to the fact that we have electrical bikes and electrical scooters moving through the city already.” E-bikes that use a throttle, which can travel at speeds of more than 20 mph, are currently banned from city streets. Earlier this year, the city’s Department of Transportation adjusted its rules to permit pedal-assist electric bikes, which have motors that only operate while users are pedaling and typically travel at lower speeds. Rodriguez and other council members co-sponsoring the e-bike legalization bill, including Lower Manhattan representatives Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera, said that current regulations are unfair to delivery workers, who are predominantly immigrants and against whom police enforce-
cyclists alike. Of the 347 pedestrians injured on the East Side so far in 2018, just 13 were hurt in collisions caused by cyclists. Kallos attributed recent declines in injuries to pedestrians and cyclists to improvements in street infrastructure and increased enforcement and education efforts. “What it shows is when you do the right thing and continue to do the right thing, it has a positive impact,” he said. In recent years, the Department of Transportation has worked to install new curb extensions and pedestrian islands on Upper East Side Streets, adjusted traffic signals at key intersections to give pedestrians additional time to cross ahead of turning vehicles, and opened a new protected bike lane on Second Avenue. “I still see cyclists going the wrong way in bike lanes, but far fewer than when we only had the bike lane on First Avenue,” Kallos said. Safety improvements to East Side streets are set to continue in 2019, with plans to expand protections to the Second Avenue bike lane between 68th and 59th Streets and create a new bike and pedestrian crossing at the dangerous Queensboro Bridge intersection at 59th Street and Second Avenue. “The best way we can protect everyone is by giving every type of vehicle its own space,” Kallos said. “Pedestrians have the sidewalk, cars have the street and bikes should have a bike lane, and that way everyone has a place to stay safe.” In October, Deputy Inspector Kathleen Walsh, commanding officer of the NYPD’s 19th Precinct, which covers
the Upper East Side from 59th to 96th Streets, announced that the precinct would assign a new bike-mounted safety officer to patrol the neighborhood’s streets and bike lanes. The new position was created to focus on promoting safety for bikers and pedestrians and conduct enforcement against both drivers and cyclists that violate traffic laws. “Having an officer focused on bike lanes will mean fewer vehicles blocking the bike lane and more people obeying the law,” Kallos said, adding, “We hear so much in the 17th and 19th Precincts about bike safety issues, and the commanding officers are responding to concerns and are doing more than I think anywhere else in the city.” Kallos and Powers have partnered with the DOT and Bike New York to sponsor bike safety training sessions. Kallos praised the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association for conducting its third annual survey of local businesses’ bicycle delivery practices, including whether delivery riders use illegal electric bikes or wear helmets and vests with identification. As of October, police with the 17th and 19th Precincts had confiscated 81 ebikes this year. Even as the number of annual bike trips taken by New Yorkers has more than doubled since 2006, the rate at which cyclists are killed and severely injured has dropped precipitously, according to citywide data collected by the DOT. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Nov. 29 an expansion of Citi Bike that will double the bike share system’s service area and triple the number of Citi Bikes on New York streets over the next five years.
ment is often targeted. “We refuse to accept a city that uses over-policing as a short-sighted Band-Aid for traffic safety reform, especially when the people who are penalized, the delivery workers, end up being the ones with the most to lose,” Chin said. But despite the legislators’ enthusiasm, many e-bike skeptics remain — including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has long criticized throttled e-bikes as a safety hazard and has claimed that legalization would require action by the state legislature. (Proponents of the Council legislation dispute this legal analysis and claim that the city can act unilaterally to legalize e-bikes and e-scooters.) The de Blasio administration has attempted to crack down on the use of e-bikes by targeting police enforcement against riders and businesses that employ them. Last year, police confiscated more than 1,000 e-bikes citywide. Asked to comment on the Council’s e-bike legalization proposal at a separate Nov. 28 press conference, de
Blasio cited safety issues posed by delivery riders “going the wrong way on streets, driving recklessly” and said that the city will continue its enforcement efforts. “The only way to resolve that issue is in Albany,” he added.
“BREAK THE CAR CULTURE” Council Speaker Corey Johnson said he is “excited” about the bills and spoke of the need to “break the car culture in New York City,” but did not endorse the legislation, explaining that the Council is still in the process of reviewing legal issues relating to the state law. Ben Kallos, who represents much of the Upper East Side in the City Council, said he is still learning about the bills and listening to constituents, but said he has concerns about cyclists sharing bike lanes with motorized e-bikes. “I believe there needs to be a place for different types of vehicles,” Kallos said. “I don’t think vehicles have any place on sidewalks where pedestrians go. I like human-powered vehicles to have their own space apart
Traffic collisions involving cyclists on the East Side have trended downward in recent years even as ridership has increased. Photo: Steven Strasser
MORTORISTS PEDESTRIANS CYCLISTS INJURED INJURED INJURED 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
687
632
245
644
586
215
621
539
258
562
464
221
573
369
185
458
347
185
from motor vehicles, and that’s why we have bike lanes.” Another bill packaged with the e-bikes legislation would legalize escooters. The council is also considering a bill that would allow for a pilot program to test e-scooter sharing services in New York City. The pilot program would prioritize neighborhoods that will be impacted by the shutdown of the L train next year and neighborhoods that are underserved by Citi Bike. In recent years, e-scooters have risen in popularity — and have faced accompanying backlash — in San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and other American cities that host sharing services operated by Bird, Lime and other companies that allow users to rent battery-powered scooters for a fee. Unlike Citi Bike, the companies do not utilize docks to store e-scooters when they are not being used; rather, users can drop off or pick up e-scooters anywhere. Critics in other cities complain that users ride e-scooters on crowded
sidewalks and say the dockless system results in unsightly jumbles of abandoned e-scooters that impede pedestrian traffic. Vandalism of unused e-scooters has become an issue in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Paul Steely White, who recently joined the e-scooter company Bird after previously heading the New York bicycle advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said that e-scooters are an “economical and environmental” option that complements public transit options and replaces car trips. White said that e-scooters and e-bikes can be safely accommodated within the New York City’s transportation infrastructure. “E-bikes and e-scooters do not belong on the sidewalk,” he said. “E-scooters and e-bikes must ride in the street, in the bike lane.” The Council legislation would cap the speed of e-scooters at 15 mph. Ebikes would be limited to 20 mph. The Council’s transportation committee expects to schedule a hearing on the bills by early next year.
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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THE CHARACTER ACTOR TAKES CENTER STAGE New York theater veteran Lou Liberatore talks identity politics, his favorite Chelsea hangouts and what success really means BY MARC BOUCAI
A Chelsea resident for decades, Lou Liberatore first gained in prominence in 1987, when he was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of “Larry” alongside John Malkovich and Joan Allen in Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This.” For thirty years, Liberatore has worked as an actor and teacher in New York City, and he is currently costarring in “Daniel’s Husband,” a new play about gay marriage by Michael McKeever, now in a commercial run at the Westside Theatre after successful productions at Penguin Rep Theatre and Primary Stages. Straus News got the chance to catch up with the busy thespian about being a working character actor and how roles by and about gay men have changed over the past 30 years.
Can you talk a little about how you broke into the business? Well, as my mother says, I came out acting, and so it’s always been in my blood, I suppose. I don’t know where I got it since there was no one prior to me [in my family] who was an actor/ artist that I am really aware of. Growing in New Jersey, my mother would take me to matinees in New York City, and one of the first plays I saw was Joel
Grey in “Cabaret.” I sat there thinking, “I want to do that.” I started at Boston University, and quickly transferred to Fordham University. One of my teachers at Fordham was Rod Marriott ... at that time, Rod was a professor and the literary agent at Circle Rep, so I became an intern. I was there doing a lot of grunt work and getting that handson experience ... [that was] sort of my grad school, I’d say. And at that time, Circle Rep, and Manhattan Theatre Club, those were the ones you wanted to be around.
Tell me a little bit about “Daniel’s Husband.” It’s about a gay couple, and the facts are that one [partner in] the gay couple wants to get married and the other one doesn’t...and what sort of conversations and discussions come from that. It’s about relationships and commitments, and how we to take care of each other and [our] family, and chosen family. My character has a line in the play: there is “a family you are grown into and a family you create.” That [family] is a stronger bond for some people, and especially for gay people. And even if there is more acceptance, it still resonates today. It’s important for people to see this because as gay men, we have been living our entire lives watching heteronormative stories and trying to find our way into those stories ... and so it’s time now certainly for others to see our story and to find their way into ours. And it’s been successful. And I don’t
(From left) Lou Liberatore, Ryan Spahn, Matthew Montelongo and Leland Wheeler in “Daniel’s Husband,” now playing at the Westside Theatre. Photo: Carol Rosegg want to call it a gay play. It’s a great play, touching, heartwarming. After over 100 performances, I can say every person has related to this play. Oh, and this a bastardization of what my costar Ryan Spahn once said in another interview. So credit him, he’s the good talker in the company. He’s a thinker!
band” and the whole gay marriage debate. It changed, for our characters, pre- and post-election, and post-Kavanaugh. That made our approach more serious and immediate and grounded, because we are immediately entrenched in our rights again and we need to fight and resist.
What was your first Broadway role?
What advice do you have for young actors trying to break into the business?
At Circle Rep one day, Bill Hoffman saw me in the hall, and said, “I have a new play.” I read a couple of scenes… later it became a play called “As Is,” and we did workshops of it and eventually Circle Rep produced [it in 1985]. As we all know now, it was one of the first plays to deal with [the AIDS crisis]...it wasn’t even called AIDS back then.
What is it like being in both “As Is” and “Daniel’s Husbands,” two very different gay plays spanning 30 years, one set during the AIDS crisis and one about marriage?
Actor Lou Liberatore. Photo: Ride Hamilton
I really feel quite honored and blessed to deal with seminal issues in the profession I’ve chosen. We really hold a mirror up to humanity…during the time of “As Is,” we didn’t know what the impact was going to be, but the script was changing every day. [It] was a living document, ripped from the headlines, you know, at the same time “The Normal Heart” was being written and rehearsed. Ours was a quieter love story ... and it didn’t even have a name. It was GRID, it wasn’t called AIDS at the time. And flash forward to “Daniels Hus-
I teach as well.…in this business, know who you are. Meaning, are you a leading man, lady, are you a character actor? You will save yourself a lot of time. Because there are roles that you can do, and roles that you are. Bill Espers, my acting teacher, said we were not all born to be Hamlet. So know who you are. And I know I am a wonderful support, a wonderful character actor. And there were a good fifteen years when I wasn’t on the stage at all since I was too young for college and not old enough for dads, and I worked in retail after being on Broadway, and let me tell you it’s not so bad!
It’s important for young actors to hear that. They think once you make it, that’s it! I like to say that the Tony nomination did not come with a check or assurances of work. And it’s persistence or naïveté to stay in the business. Also, tell young actors to believe in the project [they] wanna go for, don’t go for the money, just believe in it. Desperation smells horrible.
Any particular companies or off the beaten path venues you would recommend? Well, certainly Ensemble Studio Theatre — shout out to them. I adore them. And there’s Fiasco Theatre, who did “Into the Woods” a couple years back. Them I like. The One-Minute Play Festival is also quite wonderful. The Brick [Theatre] in Brooklyn I like. And the F*it Club with Allyson Morgan; she does a wonderful job. Page 73 does great work. The Women’s Project is great, too.
What are your favorite New York watering holes? I love my neighborhood here, between 23rd and 34th Streets. And there are a lot of great restaurants and cafes. Blossom is a great restaurant down here, it’s vegan - I’m not vegan, and it’s nice to go to a healthier place. I’ve been in Chelsea about 10 years. And I love the area around the [Westside] theatre. West Bank Cafe is such a wonderful, wonderful place. And right next to the theatre is Bea; they have been great hosts to us as well. And we love the Westside Theatre, it’s beautiful and we like to say it’s #broadwayadjacent.
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H Q T O Q E G L A T O P A Z N
Y W Y S U U D N O N S Q M E S
X F N X B R I R D M L H E M T
J J T B A T M O N Y X E T E O
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Z R F A P U Z T B I I G S L K
Z N W T X E W Y E S N P T D C
H E L T S O R G A M B E R U Y
Q T U W C A O D E R O P A L P
The puzzle contains the following words. They may be diagonal, across, or up and down in the grid in any direction.
J C I T R I N E R O K D G N R
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P T T W H L O K P Z C M S L O
F G A H E G K A O Q K K H R N
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Z I K Y B G Q E X L N Q A X O
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N T C A R N E L I A N B T M D
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WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor
H Q T O Q E G L A T O P A Z N
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P T T W H L O K P Z C M S L O
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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.
S
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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
by Myles Mellor
O
2
CROSSWORD
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CLASSIFIEDS PUBLIC NOTICES SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF ROCKLAND INDEX # 033789/2015 FILED: 10/18/2018 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICE Plaintiff designates ROCKLAND County as the place of trial. The Basis of Venue is that the Subject of the Action is situated in ROCKLAND County. BAYVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, Plaintiff, against SARA KEATING, ESQ., as Guardian ad Litem for the respective heirsat-law, next-of-kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through Sterle K. Murray A/K/A Sterle Murray, who may be deceased by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, any right, title or interest in the real property described in the amended complaint herein, STEPHEN F. DEGROAT, AS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF ROCKLAND COUNTY, DORCAS MURRAY, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF STERLE K. MURRAY A/K/A STERLE MURRAY, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION & FINANCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUM-
Telephone: 212-868-0190 Email: classified2@strausnews.com
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PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
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PUBLIC NOTICES
MONED to answer the Amended Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Amended Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorneys within 20 days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); The United States of America may appear or answer within 60 days of service hereof; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Amended Complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING A PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT: THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is the foreclosure of a Mortgage, dated April 3, 2008, executed by the defendant, Sterle K. Murray a/k/a Sterle Murray, as Borrower, to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as mortgagee, to secure the sum of $293,000.00, which mortgage was duly recorded in the Rockland County Clerk’s Office on April 11, 2008 under Instru-
ment No.: 2008-00017115. Effective December 1, 2008, the Borrower entered into a Loan Modification Agreement whereby the principal balance was adjusted to $303,173.60. The Loan Modification Agreement was recorded on August 7, 2009, under Instrument No: 2009-00027972 in The Rockland County Clerk’s Office. Effective April 1, 2011, the Borrower entered into a Home Affordable Modification Agreement whereby the principal balance was adjusted to $307,271.88. The Home Affordable Modification Agreement was recorded on April 28, 2011, under Instrument No: 2011-00016299 in The Rockland County Clerk’s Office. Effective November 1, 2013, the Borrower entered into a Loan Modification Agreement whereby the principal balance was adjusted to $330,944.20, with a deferred principal balance of $99,283.26. The Loan Modification Agreement was recorded on March 25, 2014, under Instrument No: 201400008033 in The Rockland County Clerk’s Office. An Assignment of Mortgage was recorded on October 3, 2014, under Instrument No.: 2014-00026776 in The Rockland County Clerk’s Office, covering premises known as 28 Rela Avenue, Haverstraw, NY 10927 (Section 26.36, Block 1 and Lot 18). The relief sought within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt described above. To the above named Defendants: The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by
publication pursuant to an order of the Hon. Sherri L. Eisenpress, A.J.S.C. of the State of New York, filed along with the supporting papers in the Office of the Clerk of the County of ROCKLAND on 10/11/2018. This is an action to foreclose on a mortgage. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Village of Haverstraw, Town of Haverstraw, County of Rockland and State of New York, Section 26.36, Block 1 and Lot 18, said premises known as 28 Rela Avenue, Haverstraw, NY 10927. YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. There is now due and owing from the Estate of Sterle K. Murray a/k/a Sterle Murray to plaintiff the principal sum of $327,423.85 plus interest and late charges. UNLESS YOU DISPUTE THE VALIDITY OF THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER YOUR RECEIPT HEREOF THAT THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, IS DISPUTED, THE DEBTOR JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU AND A COPY OF SUCH VERIFICATION OR JUDGMENT WILL BE MAILED TO YOU BY THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR. IF APPLICABLE, UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST, WITHIN SAID THIRTY (30) DAY PERIOD, THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE ORIGINAL
CREDITOR. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A DISCHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, YOU ARE NOT PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR THE UNDERLYING INDEBTEDNESS OWED TO PLAINTIFF/CREDITOR AND THIS NOTICE/DISCLOSURE IS FOR COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE New York State Law requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT You are in danger of losing your home. If you fail to respond to the Summons and Complaint in this foreclosure action, you may lose your home. Please read the Summons and Complaint carefully. You should immediately contact an attorney or your local legal aid office to obtain advice on how to protect yourself. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies, and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by New York State Department of Financial Services’ at 1-800269-0990 or visit the Department’s website at http://www. dfs.ny.gov FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of
people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. Section 1303 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving the copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Stiene & Associates, P.C., Attorneys for Plaintiff, 167 Main Street, Northport, NY 11768 File # 201501160
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