Our Town - December 17, 2015 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side

WEEK OF DECEMBER

THE BEST OF MANHATTAN IN 2015,

17-23

SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE

2015

In Brief

THE UNLIMITED TALENT OF THE HOLIDAYS

MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFE

A high school version of “The Magic Flute” BY MARC GROSS

Talent Unlimited High School performed the opera “The Magic Flute” during our holiday shows this year. This opera was written in German, and was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791. “The Magic Flute” takes place in Egypt and is about a prince who falls in love with a woman named Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night. I found the story interesting because it was basically about how all the characters ﬁnd it so difficult to ﬁnd love. This is something that I suppose was true then and is still true today, making “The Magic Flute” very relatable to our audience. I played Monostatos, the chief of the slaves, who is also looking for love and has his eye on Pamina. He is a mean villain who is also funny to watch in action. The hardest thing for me was relating to a villain who is funny at the same time, and the most challenging part of this performance was acting out this character’s emotions on stage. This is always hard for me when performing in any show, and my classmates in the show have expressed that this is a challenge for them as well.

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WHAT’S BEHIND THE CITY’S CHRISTMAS TREE-FOR-ALL? A City Council loophole that legalizes sidewalk tree selling has created a booming market BY VERENA DOBNIK

In New York City, even sidewalk space is coveted real estate. Street vendors sometimes spend a fortune or languish for years on waiting lists to acquire one of the permits that allow them to sell goods in tightly regulated locations. But once a year, there’s an exception, laid out in an artfully worded city ordinance: During the month of December, anyone may sell “coniferous trees” just about anywhere, no license required. It’s a rare tree-for-all. Peddlers ﬂock in from across North America. Big trucks carrying huge loads of trees arrive in the dead of night. Stands selling coniferous trees (some people, but not the city, call

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them Christmas trees) sprout everywhere. The annual tree ritual brings New Yorkers together on village-like corners abuzz with neighborly chatter amid twinkling lights. “I like to walk through the smell,” says Tim Albright, a customer taking a deep whiff of a cluster of trees this week. And then there’s that other special green attraction: the smell of money that comes with the right to operate tree stands 24-7, free of charge, no license needed. That lures hardy entrepreneurs like Tom Gilmartin, a 62-year-old commercial ﬁshing captain from Alaska. He rolled into town with his wife and 12-year-old son in a pickup truck with a red-and-green camper perched on the back. That’s where they’ll be sleeping for the next few weeks, parked next to

Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Best of Manhattan

2 3 8 11

City Arts Top 5 Real Estate 15 Minutes

32 33 36 37

the Manhattan stand they’ve operated every season for two decades. A giant Santa Claus standing on the truck’s roof helps lure customers. Gilmartin and his wife take turns doing 12-hour shifts and shower at a local hostel in return for a donated tree. They sell up to 500 trees each season, averaging an income of about $14 per hour. Their prize sale so far has been a 17-foot, $700 Fraser. Their son, Rory, earned $1,200 on a recent weekend delivering trees on a three-wheeled stroller. He gets $20 per delivery. “You can’t just sell trees,” Tom Gilmartin said. “You have to make friends. That’s what this business is all about.” They might not be in New York if it weren’t for the unlicensed vend-

This week’s threat against public schools in Los Angeles is terrifying. And it once again focuses attention on school safety in New York City, where more than 1 million kids attend school at 1,700 schools across the city. We’re not telling parents anything they don’t already know when we say that school safety in New York is patchy, at best. Some schools have guards, even metal detectors, others have none. The vulnerabilities seem particularly acute in elementary schools, where educators and parents are wary of rattling young kids. Parents are scared. Every time a new attack hits the news, principals hear from nervous parents who want to know why more isn’t being done. The fear dies down, somewhat, when the headlines fade. (Expect a new crest of phone calls this week, on the L.A. news and a bomb threat in New York that police dismissed.) It’s time for the city Department of Education, the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio to make an aggressive move on school safety. The Paris and San Bernardino attacks prove that we have entered a new phase when it comes to “soft-target” attacks. A comprehensive plan for security guards, tough school-access rules, even reinforced entry doors is urgently needed. Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday December 18 – 4:13 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SUBWAY FELONIES INCREASE An increase in assaults and robberies on the subway system has contributed to nearly 10 percent spike in felony crime recorded by law enforcement, amNewYork has reported. Citing police statistics, the paper reports that there were 2,241 felonies on the system between January and November, a 9.2 increase from the same period a year ago, when 2,053 felonies were recorded, the paper said. Reported rapes on the system were down significantly, however, declining by 80 percent, amNewYork reported. Still, reports of other sex crimes, such as lewdness and groping were up by about 100 incidents so far this year, with 699 instances of such crimes reported, the paper noted. City police and transit officials have campaigned to get victims to report sex crimes, and police have also been more aggressive in targeting offences, amNewYork said. “Many of these crimes to light when officers observe elements of a crime and intervene,” NYPD Deputy Chief Vincent Coogan was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

5,6 TRAIN SERVICE DETERIORATING The Lexington Avenue subway line is get-

“The 4, 5, and 6, is a very intense line,” Peter Cafiero, the MTA’s chief of operations planning, was quoted as saying. MTA officials said they would be changing the train schedule but that did not assuage board member Charles Moerdler: “Just changing the schedule doesn’t get the train to the station any earlier, it just masks the problem,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

MAN FISHED OUT OF EAST RIVER

Photo: untitled-14-5-2, via Flickr ting worse, according to an MTA official. Number 5 and 6 trains are on schedule less than 50 percent of the time, according to data cited by amNewYork this week. Transit officials cited by the newspaper said

the train meet the MTA’s wait standards about two-thirds of the time. Excessive wait times are anything over 25 percent late, the paper noted. Weekdays, the 5 train has been on time

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just 40.4 percent of the time, while the 6 train kept to the schedule 46.5 percent of the time, amNewYork noted. Transit officials said increased ridership on the line contributed to trains’ tardiness.

A man whom police described as intoxicated was fished out of the East River by officers on Sunday, the Daily News reported. The 21-year-old man, who was not identified, was in the river at the level of East 68th Street about 5:15 a.m. when a nearby fisherman heard him. “I heard the guy say ‘help,’” the fisherman, Efrain Correa, told the Daily News. “At first I stumbled back like ‘Who the hell is in the water?’ I stopped a jogger and another guy so they could call 911.” The man was taken to nearby New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition, the newspaper reported. Cops were looking into how the 21-yearold wound up in the river. “It was better than catching a fish,” Correa told the Daily News. “We saved a life.”

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

FIRE AT CHELSEA POSTAL FACILITY Fire officials say six U.S. Postal Service trucks were damaged in a fire in a garage of a Manhattan postal facility. The blaze broke out around 10:30 p.m. Saturday at a postal facility on 11th Avenue in Chelsea. Dozens of firefighters responded, and the blaze was declared under control around midnight. The trucks were on the third floor of a parking garage. There are no reported injuries. It’s unclear if any mail was damaged. A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

identiﬁed by police as Moreno, digging through her dresser drawers and taking $3,000 in cash she had stashed there. Moreno, 36, was charged with burglary and arrested Dec. 5. Police suspect Moreno is responsible for at least one similar heist. A woman later police she had noticed that various items, including jewelry and cash, disappeared between Jan. 31 and Nov. 30 of this year. Most recently, she found $300 had vanished from a closet drawer. Other missing items included a Jaeger-LeCoultre vintage diamond watch valued at $3,000, a Raymond Weil watch priced at $1,500, gift cards worth $250, plus the $300 in cash, making a total of $5,050. Police suspect that the same doorman may have been responsible for these crimes as well.

SHE’S NO ANGELICA DEVIL DOORMAN An Upper West Side doorman went through the wrong doors. The doorman, Christian Moreno, is suspected of having entered at least two apartments at 260 Riverside Drive and removing items from residents there. In the latest instance, one of the building’s residents was looking through video surveillance footage of her apartment on Dec. 4 glimpsed he building’s doorman, later

Police remind the public to be careful who you Skype! At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, a 22-year-old man living on West 106th Street was talking with a woman via Skype when the latter recorded him in a compromising position. The man later told police that he had been contacted by the woman, who asked that he send money or she would release the compromising video on YouTube as well as to his Facebook

friends. He told police that he had sent $200 via Western Union, before he was instructed to send an additional $200. He had no contact information for the video vixen aside from the name Angelica Zulia and a possible phone number.

EEEEEE-MAIL A couple’s email account was scammed to the tune of $22,000. At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, a 51-year-old woman wired money to someone named Pamela S. Cobb in response to instructions contained in an apparent e-mail from her husband, who was out of the country. She later discovered that the e-mail had in fact not been sent by her husband, and indeed their account had apparently been compromised. The victim told police that the fraudulent e-mail appeared genuine, using her husband’s normal terms of endearment for her. Authorities are continuing to investigate.

EX MARKS THE PLOT A former lovers’ quarrel turned violent. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, a 66-year-old man living at 574 West End Ave. had a verbal

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 Week to Date

Year to Date

2015

2014

% Change

2015

2014

% Change

Murder

n/a

Rape

n/a

-20.0

Robbery

-75.0

11.9

Felony Assault

-100.0

115

19.8

Burglary

300.0

160

206

-22.3

Grand Larceny

12.9

1,269

1,300

-2.4

Grand Larceny Auto

-100.0

-5.2

assailant also said to the victim, “One dispute with a man he had previously dated. The 66-year-old asked the other of these days, motherf*cker, you are going to get it from my Glock. I am man, later identiﬁed as Gary Zazulka, going to get you.” Zazulka is wanted for to leave his apartment, but the latter assault. refused. Finally, when the other man consented to leave, he struck the 66-year-old in the right side of his head with an aluminum crutch, causing swelling, bruising and pain. The assailant later called, texted, sent video messages and left voicemails threatening to cause the 66-year-old harm, and he demonstrated in his videos what he was going Jason Kuffer, via Flickr to do to the victim. The

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All Saints Episcopal Church 230 E. 60 St (betw. 2nd & 3rd Ave)., New York, NY 10022 th

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 Third Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 44

221 E. 75th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

STATE LEGISLATORS

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

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PROGRAMMING FOR THE FUTURE Hands-on initiatives introduce city’s Girl Scouts to coding, in preparation for possible careers in computer sciences BY MAYA DANGERFIELD

At the downtown offices of The Girl Scouts of Greater New York Saturday morning, Najwa Khass, a 15-year-old Girl Scout, peered over the shoulder of a younger scout and scrutinized a line of symbols on a computer screen. “Make sure you put a semicolon here,” Khass said, pointing at the screen. “Or else the code won’t work.” Khass was among 100 elementary and middle school girls, scout leaders and volunteers from throughout the city dissecting the nuances of computer programming. Working in pairs under the supervision of older scouts like Khass, the scouts edited videos using JavaScript, a common programming language. In a partnership with Vidcode — a new woman-led startup that teaches coding to girls — the event was part of a wider observance of Computer Science Education Week, which encourages girls to pursue careers in science and technology. Women make up less than a quarter of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce, according to the Department of Commerce. The STEM gender gap is particularly prominent in computer science, where

women hold just 27 percent of all computer science jobs. A study by the American Association of Women concluded that the number of female computer scientists in 2013 was nearly the same as it was in 1960. Correcting those discrepancies means starting early, according to Jill Scibilia, 42, vice president of philanthropy and external relations at GSGNY. “Girls are not seeing enough female role models in those (STEM) positions. Even though they have equal ability in math and science as boys do. Children are watching us. They’re watching adults and they’re asking — ‘Is this for me?’”, Scibilia said. To address the scarcity of women in computer science, a number of organizations like Vidcode, Girls Who Code and Black Girls Code have cropped up in recent years in the belief that early exposure and continual encouragement of girls in STEM will help close the gender gap. Khass became interested in coding after learning the basics in third grade. She’s continued to code in school and within the Girl Scouts. “When you sit there and code, you figure out the things you can do and you get surprised with what you can do,” Khass said. “You learn new things when you code.” The Vidcode program begins by introducing the scouts to the mechanics of coding language — gradually building skills that allow scouts to manipu-

Girl Scouts Angelica Lee, 14, Maliyah Colon, 14, Madeline Brown, 10, distil the nuances of programing languages at a TechJam event on Saturday. Photo: Maya Dangerfield late and then write their own lines of codes. The program allows scouts to apply a variety of filters and stylistic effects like text and music to a video. The girls then upload and share their final projects. The GSGNY’s Sara Pooley, 31, guided the scouts through the finer points of programming language. “For a lot of them this is expanding on what they’ve learned in school, for some of them they haven’t done it at all. A lot of them it’s the first time they’re seeing code. It just depends on the resources of the school,” Pooley said. Madeline Brown coded for the first time on Saturday. Along with the other elementary school scouts, her day began with a role-playing activity that emulated communication between a programmer and a computer. Students practiced

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giving clear specific instructions before tackling the videocoding tutorial. “It’s been going good,” Brown, 10, said about her progress. “I’m already on level six. I’ve never done it before but it’s easy. It makes sense.” The Girl Scouts of America partners with a variety of science and technology businesses, such as LEGO and Microsoft, to develop programming that engages with STEM subjects. The GSGNY hopes to expand the coding event into an after school program in 2016. After a morning troubleshooting coding problems, the teenaged scouts eventually withdrew into their mobile phones as the younger girls confidently worked their way through the modules. “The little girls are catching on,” Khass said.

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Out & About

Thu 17

EAST 79TH STREET NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING Temple Shaaray Teﬁla, 250 East 79th St. (Second Avenue entrance) 6 p.m. Discussion of 19th Precinct Police Report on neighborhood safety, including bike, vehicle and pedestrian incidents. Reports and updates from elected officials and their representatives.

BERNARD-HENRI LÉVY 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, Kaufmann Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. From $38 The French philosopher in conversation with Thane Rosenbaum 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Bernard-Henri-Levy

Fri 18 GREAT MUSIC AT ST. BART’S — ADORATION N OF THE MAGI St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Ave. at 51st Street 7:30 p.m.$25, $15 for students & seniors. Singer Jeff Morrissey and St. Bart’s Music Director William Trafka present their popular Christmas program inspired by the elegant Nativityy

paintings found in the South Chapel of St. Bartholomew’s. 212-378-0248. mmpaf.org

REVEL IN THE SEASON: BYZANTINE HOLIDAY POP UP CONCERT Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street 6–6:30 p.m. Free with Museum admission Antiphonal works performed by master cantors of the Eastern Orthodox community, with musicians alternating parts in multiple languages, weaving an evocative sonic tapestry from an exotic past. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ﬁndevents

Showcasing the top teen poets in the city and the announcement of the 201516 NYC Youth Poet Laureate. Special appearance and reading by National Book Award winner Jaqueline Woodson. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/NYC-Youth-PoetLaureate-Competition

THE LARCH ENSEMBLE Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street, Great Hall Balcony 5-8 p.m. Free with Museum admission Ralph Farris, violin and viola; Dorothy Lawson, cello; and Stephen Gosling, piano, play works by Schumann, Piazzolla,

Sat 19

Bach and holiday favorites. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ﬁndevents

NEW YORK CITY YOUTH POET LAUREATE COMPETITION

Sun 20

92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, Kaufmann Concert Hall 4 p.m. Free

ANGELICA WOMEN’S CHAMBER CHOIR Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, 869 Lexington Ave. at East 66th St. 3 p.m. Suggested donation: $20; seniors & students, $10. $2 Tickets at the door. Tic “In the Moon of Wintertime.” The Hastingsbased women’s chamber choir, founded in 1996, has developed a rich repertory of music ranging from early anonymous music to contemporary compositions. 914-478-3267. www. aangelicavoices.org

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Does It Have The Apple Logo? HOLIDAY CONCERT Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue Dec. 20 & 21, 7 p.m. Floor seating, $40, $35 Guggenheim members and Friends of Works & Process; Ramp standing, $10, $8 Guggenheim members and Friends of Works & Process. George Steel conducts the Vox Vocal Ensemble playing holiday music in the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Frank Lloyd Wrightâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;designed rotunda. 212-423-3618. www.guggenheim.org/ new-york/calendar-andevents/2015/12/20/holidayconcert/5179

Mon 21 PROJECT SHAW â&#x20AC;&#x201D; THE SHEWING-UP OF BLANCO POSNET Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway. 7 p.m. $30; VIP, $50; members & seniors $25; students, $20; children, $10. The Shewing-Up Of Blanco Posnet, written in 1909, is Shawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rollicking tale of the Old American Wild West. 212-864-5400.

MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK PILGRIMAGE Start West side of Fifth Avenue, at 64th Street 4 p.m. Prelude, James Holt. To join, let us know your voice part, then download our iPhone application, Susync, which weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll use to synchronize performers. On the day of

the performance, simply show up with your phone and a pair of earbuds. makemusicny.org/ winter-2015/prelude/

the Metâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glorious Christmas Tree. These are the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nal performances. www.metmuseum.org/ events/ďŹ nd-events

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Tue 22 Wed 23 BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

NORTHERN FORTS TOUR

67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St. 5:30 p.m. Carson McCullersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Heart Is a Lonely Hunterâ&#x20AC;? 212-734-1717

Meet at Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues 11 a.m. $15; $10, members Highlights include McGowanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pass, Fort Clinton, Nutterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Battery and the Harlem Meer. 212-348-4867

ANONYMOUS 4: THE FINAL CONCERT Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street 6:30 & 8:30 p.m. Call 212-570-3949 for ticket availability. The all-female a cappella ensemble sings its signature mix of ancient, traditional, and modern music in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, in front of

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ISRAELI FOLK DANCING 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, Mack Gym 8:15 p.m. From $14.00 Open Session: Dancing for everyone! Open dancing with instruction of more advanced repertoire. Taught by Ruth Goodman. 212-415-5737. www.92y.org/ Uptown/Event/IsraeliFolk-Dancing

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Voices

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A BUS STOP WITH ITS OWN ADDRESS EAST SIDE ENCOUNTERS BY ARLENE KAYATT

Wok’s up?: Most lifelong New Yorkers over 50 can probably attest that Chinese restaurants have always been part of the landscape. Up until not too long ago, two or three or more were on the same block. I always thought they’d never leave. Not true. High rents. Thai and Vietnamese places replacing them, at least in Manhattan. What hasn’t changed is that everyone still has a local favorite Chinese restaurant. There are destination spots like Shun Lee (Lincoln Center), the Peking Duck House on East 53rd, Mission Chinese on East Broadway, and for fun and funky there’s Chinatown and Flushing, but I’ve always thought of Chinese restaurants as catering to locals. So it was surprising to hear a Connecticut family telling the waiter in Wok 88 on 3rd Ave that they travel every other week to Manhattan for dinner at Wok 88. Overhearing the conversation, another table told of their weekly trip from upstate Goshen for the great asparagus sauteed with beef, and pineapple chicken. Not to be outdone, a third group told of their regular travel from downtown Philly for the “deelish” bok choy, noodle soups and roast meats. All politics may be local, Chinese restaurants maybe not. Whole Foods (3d/88th) shout out: For making all Thanksgiving fixings and ingredients, including turkey and sides, available to staffers who worked Thanksgiving Day so they could make their own Thanksgiving dinner on store

premises and have it together. The store closed at 4 p.m. and those who didn’t have other plans shared the day with other Whole Food staffers. Good stuff. Bad business: Thanksgiving, Stargate (Diner 3d/88th-89th), around 6 p.m. Single woman walks into restaurant. Not very busy. Seated in a booth is another woman by herself. A gentleman is sitting alone at the table next to the woman’s table. He’s drinking wine. Couldn’t see if she was. Server points new customer to a table. Before looking at menu, customer orders wine and is told that they don’t serve wine. Customer points to gentleman drinking wine. Server walks over to him (he’s either the owner or his brother), comes back and says no, the woman at the booth table brought her own wine. In walks another customer. Owner/brother seats her and brings bottle of wine to her table and proceeds to pour. Hey. If he wanted to have wine with the customer who came BYOB, then join her at her table and don’t sit at a table in the middle of the restaurant drinking wine when it’s not available to be ordered by all customers. And then to bring a bottle of wine for another customer is good reason to walk out. What happened to hospitality? Business sense? Common sense? Not at Stargate. In these days of diners going out of business, it would be a shame to lose one, not because of high rents, but because the owner or his brother don’t know how to run a restaurant.

The new real estate? Would you believe that there’s a bus stop with its very own address at 90 Bowery St - on the border of the East Village and Soho? Not to be confused with “90 Bowery” in Chinatown/Little Italy which, on Street Easy, is described as “a collection of 11” 1 and 2 condominium apartments. Both Bowery addresses are prime real estate. I didn’t visit 90. What got my attention was that a bus stop had an address. It’s not a bus depot like the Tuskagee on East 100th St and Lexington. If you google that location, you get the depot’s address. If you google 90 Bowery St, you get an address for the bus stop. Across the street, at 87 Bowery St, there’s a travel tour company. So who owns the bus stop? The tour company or the MTA? The site could be lucrative and competitive with some high-end real estate. If sold, it would bring in megabucks, funds the MTA could put - if only it would - to good use. I haven’t been able to ﬁnd out what MTA bus goes to 90 Bowery St. Or if it’s an MTA bus stop. I did get driving directions from the UES online start at the entrance to the FDR Drive in the 90’s southbound to exit 3 which merges onto South St toward Manhattan Bridge, a right onto Pike Slip, continuing onto Pike St, turning left onto Division St and right onto the Bowery. Bus stop on left. If there’s still a bus stop. Once they ﬁgure it out, real estate goes quickly. Disarmament: Friday early evening. Dinner with friend at Budapest, a Hungarian restaurant

(formerly Andre’s), 2nd/84th-85th. Seating is benchlike banquettes. We ordered quickly because it was nearing dinner time. What to have? Goulash? stuffed cabbage? chicken paprikash? Ordered Hungarian salami and sausages with a side of korozotti in paprika - feta and cream cheese blended with onion, paprika and spices - and a glass of wine. As we were starting to eat, a woman alone was seated at the table alongside ours next to my friend. The two women became partners in the woman’s menu choices. They chose cauliﬂower tomato soup, veal paprikash, studel. The two women dined and discoursed. Not one for discourse with neighboring diners, I ate. The conversation turned to events of the day -- the Paris terrorism, crime in New York. The woman liked NY’s superior intelligence but had had it with NY. Having reached retirement age, she was “out of NY forever.” My interest piqued, I asked “Why?” “Look, I’ve lived here a long time. I’m not a New Yorker. I want to move to a Red State. I believe in the Second Amendment. I want to carry my gun.” With that I realized I had best stick to eating and leave discourse with neighboring tables to my friend. Arlene Kayatt’s East Side Encounters will run bi-weekly in Our Town. Know of something she should include in the column? Email her at news@ strausnews.com

ISIS AND THE ROUTINE OF SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL DIARY BY ZEKE BRONFMAN

I have friends who, every day for the last six years, have taken the same train to and from school. This week, they (saved up their allowances and) took cabs. A close family friend carries balloons in the Thanksgiving Day parade every year, but this year she watched on TV. In the wake of the haunting ISIS propaganda video that threatened New York, these are the subtle, yet impactful ways that our daily lives have been disrupted. As we walk into school every morning, we are greeted by cheery security guards with big smiles on their faces; they address us by name and tell us to have a good day,

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just as they did before the rise of ISIS. Yet, now the tension is palpable - somehow the security guards have transformed from being a friendly face who, when in a good mood, allow you to bend the rules and order in food, to a walking, talking reminder that the threat of terrorism is ubiquitous. There have been no credible threats against our city yet, and the NYPD is the ﬁnest anti-terror police force in the world. But the human mind, and especially the teen mind, is rarely governed by logic and reason. More often, it is ruled by fear and emotion. On the night of the Paris attacks, my phone was abuzz with angry and confused messages - some

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of them from friends who were ready to enlist and fight ISIS themselves, some from friends who wanted to double bolt their doors and stay in bed, and some (from those who think more like I do) who were ready to run for Congress and protect their families through legislation. All of these messages were united by common themes - fear and a call to action. However, when the sun rose the next morning, reality set in: there is nothing we can do. Most of my friends are 15, too young to enlist, let alone run for Congress; locking the door doesn’t get rid of the voices in your head. What is most terrifying about terrorism is that it is arbitrary. There is nothing you can do to pro-

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voke it, and there is nothing you can do to avoid it. Despite this truth, people try to evade an unsubstantiated threat by putting their daily routines on hold. With that, ISIS wins. Their goal is to provoke irrational fear, disproportionate to the danger that exists in order to stop us from living our lives and expressing our freedom. The only way that a 15-year-old ﬁlled with rage and confusion can ﬁght ISIS is by taking the subway, marching in a parade, and continuing to enjoy the liberty that they will never know. Zeke Bronfman is a high school student in Manhatttan. Have an idea for him? Email him at news@strausnews.com

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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My Story

Breaking Bread

hat does it proďŹ t a city when a mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top priority is for affordable homes to â&#x20AC;&#x153;lay down the head,â&#x20AC;? but with no plan to save the nearby places which meet residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; everyday needs. Such places, of course, are located on the ground ďŹ&#x201A;oors of the low-rises being replaced by luxury high-rises which may contain some affordable homes. But ironically, high-rises displace longtime non-market rate tenants, as well as neighborhood-serving places. Consequent construction noise is unending.

Dignified, Affordable and Independently Owned Since 1885 WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES ďŹ&#x201A;awed food or service ensued, but the overriding concern was for this family-owned storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continued presence. And many said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since manager, Joe Majiko, returned, things have already improved!â&#x20AC;? Ah, and Majiko shares my belief to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Above all, go allout to make it a very helpful â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;service with a smileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; store!â&#x20AC;? (Indeed science ďŹ nds the very act of smiling also cheers the smilerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brain.) Of course, East 79th Street Neighborhood Association president Betty Cooper Wallerstein was there with civil critiques and helpful suggestions. Other association members chimed in.

No-vision naked emperors Keep up the pressure

And in every borough, neighborhoods which made New York such a great and life-long place to live, are being rapidly banished by emperors with no clothes vision. They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the forest for the trees or that so many soaring social ills they decry, like mental illness, relate to a lack of stable and supportive neighborhood communities. But crime does thrive when the citizenry isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t out there walking to various neighborhood stores and cafes. Literally untold losses result.

But these places and their patrons must also bring their problems and ideas to this paper. Elected officials and civic groups must get big-time continuing pressure to make saving and restoring these everyday need-ďŹ lling resources, a top priority. And remember, these places are also Safe Havens and potential emergency centers. And do stress how New York will no longer be elderfriendly, if accessible neighborhood places no longer exist.

A most worthwhile holiday gathering

Forewarning so needed

Will such losses be discussed at local elected officialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; parties? Thankfully, one December gathering hosted by Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Agostinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supermarket located on York between 79th and 80th did just that. Publicized as a community meeting with refreshments served, the public was urged to attend and tell the store how it could do better. Like traditional supermarkets all over, business is off, and I went (after learning Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be helped to manage the steep stairs to the meeting room), because this store so needs to be saved. Alas, some traditional markets are slated for closure, we hope. later, than sooner, like East Endâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gristedes, where my loyalties lie.

But did anyone try to stop the sale of the low-rise building on 81st and York which houses Gracieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CafĂŠ, open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and light refreshments -- and offering popular outdoor seating ? Also reportedly sold are the two small buildings behind it. One is the charming Gracie Inn, where the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visiting family and friends often conveniently stay. The other provides rental homes and dry cleaners. More neighborhood-serving places lost to yet another private home-only high-rise. And critical lease negotiations are underway for Logos Book Store on York between 83rd and 84th, the only area store which holds regular community events, including a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story hour.

Lost livelihoods! And not only the public loses, but think of the lost work places, with the longtime emotional ties, but above all, lost livelihoods, and when employees are no longer young or any age. InďŹ nitely more must be said.

The smiling and other solutions So how was the Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Agostino meeting, already? Well, complaints about pricing and

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2 0 1 5

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Food & Drink risotto fresco. Power brokers have lunch here; lots of celebs on the menu for dinner. Heck, you might even run into co-owner Rosanna Scotto, the popular co-anchor of Good Day New York on Fox 5. Can’t get more New York than this.

velvet Yodels, spiked sorbets and old-fashioned milkshakes.

POLS AND LONG LUNCHES

LEVAIN BAKERY

CITY HALL RESTAURANT

BEST SPORTS BARS

THE BASICS, PLUS DIVE BAR

IN THE NABE ALLIE WAY SPORTS BAR

410 e. 70TH St. Mon. – Weds. 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Thurs.- Fri. 11 a.m. – 4 a.m.; Saturday noon – 4.m.; Sunday noon – 2 a.m. (917) 512-0397 www.thealliewayny.com A small unassuming joint with a little more than a dozen bar stools and some table tops, it’s a great place to catch a game, a brew and a burger. The prices are right, the bartenders are friendly, and a lot of the regulars work at two area hospitals – Cornell and Sloan-Kettering. Great burgers, Spanish food specials daily, Tuesday Trivia Nights, Thursday Karaoke and some good beers on tap, including Guinness, Angry Orchard and Delirium. No moguls or celebs, but a great place to kick back and hang out.

BASEBALL AND BEYONCE 40-40 CLUB

6 W. 25th St. 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily. (212) 832-4040 www.the4040club.com You can’t get much fancier – or sports-minded – than this glimmering 12,000-square-foot, topof-the-line A-list hangout co-owned by hip-hop mogul Jay Z. This Chelsea night spot features a 20-by-20 illuminated bar, more than 30, 55-inch ﬂat screen TVs, and ﬁve VIP lounges ranging from fancy to super-fancy. The bar is amazingly well-stocked and its somewhat traditional menu features such sports bar staples as Buffalo Wings, huge shrimp, bone-in rib eye and a variety of sliders. Celeb’s galore, maybe even Jay Z’s main squeeze, Beyonce. Tip: Behave yourself, the bouncers are huge.

732 Amsterdam Ave. (other locations on 76th and 101st sts. Noon to 4 a.m. daily. (212) 749-4358 www.diverbarnyc.com It’s not really a dive bar in the gritty true sense of the word, but it’s as down-to-earth as you can get in terms of well-rounded, well-stocked sports bars and restaurant. A popular neighborhood joint with lots of regulars, it also draws diehard sports fans from around the city. It features plenty of wide screen TVs, and boasts a huge array of beers on tap from Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider to Wittekerke Belgian Wheat. Typical pub grub list features wings, mozzarella sticks, s, tacos and quesadillas and, of course, mac and cheese. All three locations have nightly events, including luding trivia and games. Can get really loud, but, hey, it’s a sports bar!

POWER PLACES ES PASTA AND PLAYERS FRESCO BY SCOTTO

34 East 52nd St. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dinner 5:30 0 p.m. to 11 p.m. (212) 935-3434 www.frescobyscotto.. com This Scotto-family owned wned Tuscan restaurant is a favorite avorite lunch and dinner place for many power brokers and celebrities brities looking for great food and ambience. ce. Some refer to it as the ‘NBC Commissary” for its proximity to the network’s offices and popularity opularity among its news and entertainment execs cs and staff. The menu includes lasagna, beef meatballs alla Toscana, poached Branzino, Fresco co grilled sausage and

131 Duane St. Monday-Thursday noon – 10 p.m.; Friday 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. -11 p.m. (212) 227-7777 www.cityhallny.com Housed in a landmark cast iron 1863 building that once served as a shoe factory, this elegant eatery combines the best of Old New York – the downstairs bar is carved out of bedrock from under the street -- and the latest trends in dining. Owner Henry Meer prides himself on using locally grown organic ingredients and regional seafood. One favorite among the pols, judges, bankers and bigwigs who lunch here is the “L.E.S. chicken soup” with matzo balls that ﬂoat like grandma’s, and a range of oysters, shrimp, steaks, burgers, and the delights of a well-stocked bar.

BREADS, BRIOCHE AND COOKIES GALORE 167 W. 74TH St. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (212) 874-6080 www.levainbakery.com This cozy neighborhood bakery is popular with local regulars and tourists looking for some of the best baked goods in the city. Everything is baked on-site and they feature an array of rustic breads and a signature six-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie. Founded in 1994 by two Ironman competitors who craved good, sweet carbs to replenish themselves, they’ve since opened another shop in Wainscott on Long Island’s East End and another store in Harlem.

CROWDS, COSMOS AND ‘SEX’ CAFETERIA

119 7th Ave. 24/7 (212) 414-1717 www.cafeteriagroup.com The waits are long and the crowds and can be loud and rowdy, but the food is great at this trendy Chelsea hotspot that never closes – and once was featured in “Sex and the City.” It gets locals in the morning, tourists during the day, hipsters at dinner and post-clubbers in the wee hours with a dazzling menu of good American comfort food. The goodies range from lemon ricotta pancakes to build-your-own omelettes, “classic” burgers, mac knock-your-socksand cheese in all varieties and knock your socks off desserts like red

Photo: wEnDy

SURF, TURF AND A BISSEL PASTRAMI SO SIT AND HAVE A BITE PASTRAMI QUEEN Q

1125 Lexing Lexington Ave. Daily 10 a.m. a.m to 10 p.m. (212) 734-1500 734-1 www.pastramiqueen.com www.past Back in the day, when it was Pastrami King on Queens Boulevard, Jimmy Breslin would sit in a side room and talk out his column for the next day’s ppaper. Now, the king is a queen and it’s on the Upper East Side, but it’s still serving up overstuffed pastrami and serv corned beef sandwiches on rye with a corne mustard and a pickle. There’s kasha little m meat knish, chicken in the pot, stuffed and m cabbage, cabbag matzo ball soup, kreplach and for dessert, rugelach and apple strudel. It’s not cheap, but you’ll never leave hungry.

YACHTING IN SOHO LURE FISH BAR

142 Mercer St. 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (212) 431-7676 www.lureﬁshbar.com Owner John McDonald calls

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

this a “little downtown power scene amongst the younger generation,” and the Wall Street Journal terms it a “sub-street-level urban yacht.” Executive chef Josh Capon has a killer seafood menu starting with oysters – from Long Island Blue Points to Kushis from British Columbia – to large sashimi combos, wahoo ﬁsh tacos, and lobster rolls. For the carnivores, there are thick, juicy burgers. The place is ﬁlled with large, comfortable banquettes that are perfect for a leisurely meal. Loud, crowded and fun, but the liquor bar is well-stocked so be careful if you decide to go a–tweeting.

STEAK STAKEOUT OLD HOMESTEAD

56 Ninth Ave. Lunch starts at 11 a.m. during the week and noon on weekends. Dinner 4 p.m. till 10:45 or 11:45. (212) 242-9040 www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com Located in the heart of the old Meatpacking District since 1868, this place is legendary for its prime-aged USDA Texas-size (14-to-24ounce) steaks, Porterhouse, sirloin or ﬁlet mignon. They also serve huge shrimp, great tater tots and all the sides and desserts imaginable – and unimaginable. It’s got a dark, old-school ambience, but can get loud and crowded. In a town full of great steakhouses, this one stands out for its food and old-time feel.

BEST RESTAURANTS ASIAN CONFUSION

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MIAMI ON THE HUDSON CALLE OCHO

45 W. 81st Street in the Excelsior Hotel Dinner every day at 6 p.m., 5 p.m. on weekends. Brunch Saturday and Sunday (212) 873-5025 www.calleochonyc.com Latin food rules in this trendy spot in the Excelsior Hotel – everything from Cuban, Peruvian, Dominican, Spanish and Venezuelan to Costa Rican. Chefs use bold ﬂavors to spice up everything from ceviche, tapas and empanadas to steak, duck breast and paella. Great cocktail list includes a variety of sangrias and a dessert list to die for. You’ll also ﬁnd a bustling atmosphere and some hilarious house rules, but advance reservations are a must --- like three or four weeks.

IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME PERIALYI

35 W. 20th St. (212) 463-7890 www.periyali.com This cozy high-end Greek restaurant in among the very best in New York, with excellent service, knowledgeable waiters and elegance with an unpretentious feel. Periyali, a Greek word for coastline, stresses seafood, but also serves meats, hearty salads, lots of sautéed veggies and a bountiful selection of full-bodied Greek wines. The Horitaki Salata is a delicious and ﬁlling blend of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, olive and feta, and don’t miss the Paidakia Thedrolivano, baby lamb chops served with potatoes. Desserts range from tasty sugar cookies to Baklava swimming in honey.

MACAO

311 Church St. Mon.-Weds, 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Thurs. – Sat. 5 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.; Sunday 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (212) 431-8750 www.macaonyc.com This two-level restaurant with the feel of a casino and old-time opium den in TriBeca just below Chinatown serves an eclectic menu of Portuguese and Chinese food: Macao was once a Portuguese colony. The ﬁrst level is mostly for dining; the lower level for more causal drinking and dining. The menu features such items as Char Siu barbeque spare ribs, Portuguese meatballs, African chicken and Malasadas, Portuguese-style doughnuts. You can wash it all down with Tsingtao beer or Vinho Verde, which, if you want to pretend you’re Portuguese, is pronounced vin-yo verde.

JAPANESE DELIGHTS TAKAHACHI BAKERY

25 Murray St. Monday-Friday 7 a.m.- 7p.m. p.m. (212) 791-5550 www.takahachibakery.com This Japanese patisserie and bakery boasts a large selection of homemade macaroons and other sweet savory inventions. Owner Hiroyuki Takahachi specializes in matcha desserts like Mochi-An-Pan and Matcha crepes. They also feature traditional fare such aa strawberry shortcake, and imaginative creations like their Orange Wasabi Mousse and Shiso cream puffs – not to mention a variety of breads, rolls and baguettes. They also have an impressive list of coffees, teas and lattes to wash it all down.

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Art & Culture

MARILYN, LIZ AND WARHOL THE JEWISH MUSEUM

from William John Kennedy: The Warhol Museum Edition. Courtesy of kiwiartsgroup.com and www.warhol. org/editions

on-Profit Used Bookshop oceeds Benefit ork Public Library Thousands of books rted into 50+ categories

ed-Antique-Collectibles Children’s Books section NY Times Bestsellers CDs-DVDs-Art Books 1465 York Ave. Between 77th & 78th St. (212) 288-5049 angelfire.com/trek/tothecellar/ Like us on Facebook- The Book Cellar NYC

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Tickets range from $7.50 $15. Children under 18 free. 1109 Fifth Ave. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. thru Tues.; 11 a.m. – 8p.m.; 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Closed Wednesday www.thejewishmuseum. org (212) 423-3200 The Jewish Museum is full of magniﬁcent exhibitions you would expect to ﬁnd in such a museum – and one you might not. “Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn” explores the conversions to Judaism of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Who knew? Though Taylor was open about her 1959 conversion, Monroe, who converted in 1956 upon her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, was a bit more circumspect. Anyway, in this exhibit you can see Monroe’s brass Menorah and hear Taylor softly reciting a Jewish prayer. The museum’s café is closed for renovations: the famous Lower East Side appetizing shop Russ and Daughters will be moving in. Now thru Feb. 7.

MOVIES FOR KIDS NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL

Various venues Feb. 26 thru March 30, 2016. www.nyicff.org (212) 349-0330 Founded in 1997 to support the creation of thoughtful films for children and teens, the festival offers about 100 short and feature films, including fulllength movies, six short film programs and

75 screenings of selected movies from around the world. NYICFF also offers parties and red carpet events. The New York City Festival has grown from one weekend of ﬁlms into the largest ﬁlm festival for children and teens in North America. Winners of the Festival’s juried prizes are eligible for consideration at the annual Academy Awards.

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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School of American Ballet join forces to make each of the more than 40 performances magical. Tschaikovsky’s music, Balanchine’s choreography, Karinska’s sumptuous costumes, and Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s magical sets are an annual delight for kids from 9 to 99.

Hall -- because the show closes Jan. 3. “39 Steps” is the two-time Tony Award-winning hit comedy that bills itself as playing “Just 39 Steps East of Broadway” and near ﬁne restaurants, a regular farmers’ market and a spruced up Union Square Park. Four actors portray some 150 characters as our hero tries to clear his name and solve the mystery of The 39 Steps. And everyone in the audience gets a bright red “nosie.”

OUTDOOR ART OUTSIDER ART FAIR 2016

HITCHCOCK UNHITCHED 39 STEPS Photo Credit: Steve Sussman

JAZZIN’ AROUND

Tickets $20 - $105. Check box office for schedule. Dark Tuesday Union Square Theatre 100 East. 17th St. www.39stepsny.com (877) 250-2929 If you want to catch this hilarious spoof of the Hitchcock classic from 1935, you’d better hurry on over to the Union Square Theatre – a beautiful building that once housed Tammany

BALLET AND BALANCHINE

WINTER JAZZ FEST

NUTCRACKER

Various venues around Greenwich Village Jan. 13 -17. 5-day pass $175; 2-day pass $75; Single shows $25-$45 www.winterjazzfest.com The 12th season of the NYC Winter Jazzfest runs for ﬁve days, The most popular event, the Jazzfest Marathon will feature more than 100 groups performing over two days at various spots around The Village on Friday Jan. 15 and Saturday Jan.16.. Among the performers are Amir Elsaffar, Jose James, Takuya Kuroda, Marc Cary, Lakecia Benjamin and Sexmob – as well as jazz veterans Christian McBride and Dr. Lonnie Smith.

Check website for ticket information David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Now through Jan. 3, 2016 www.nycballet.com (212) 496-0600 Once again the New York City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker.” All 90 dancers, 62 musicians, 32 stagehands and two casts of 50 young students each from the

Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik

Tickets $20 - $60 Metropolitan Pavilion 125 W. 18th St. www.outsiderartfair.org (212) 387-3338 The Outsider Art Fair gathers together galleries specializing in the work of self-taught artists like Henry Darger, Martin Ramirez, and Bill Traylor, among many others. Outsider Art gets a bad rap for being the purview of marginalized European artists: psychotics, mediums, and eccentrics. But its proponents and practitioners say they are simply artists who aren’ttethered to art history or art world trends. The works are fun and worth a look.

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Health & Fitness

SHAPE UP NYC

The Little Gym of The UES runs a variety of programs, including gymnastics, sports skills, dance and karate for kids from ages 3 to 12. Instructors help kids build their skills in programs that are engaging, challenging and fun. “Children are encouraged to try their best, not be the best,” the website says. They offer birthday parties, seasonal camps and “Parents’ Survival Nights,” where you can drop the kids off and catch a movie.

GET IN SHAPE

Free Various times and locations. Check website for nearest one. http://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/ recreation/shape-up-nyc Shape Up NYC offers free ﬁtness classes every week at dozens of locations across Manhattan – and the other four boroughs – all year around. Expert instructors lead the classes and know how to make ﬁtness fun. There’s a cool video on the website to give you a feel for the program. Class offerings are challenging, varied and include aerobics, yoga, Pilates and Zumba at all levels. Shape up NYC is a free program and you do not need to be a member of a recreation center to attend a class, but you should bring a lock.

WINTER BEACH YOGA WINTER BEACH YOGA

HEALTH AND RACE WALKING WALK, DON’T RUN

Free Central Park Conservancy North Meadow Recreation Center, mid-Park at 97th Street Saturday mornings. 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. http://www.centralparknyc.org 212-348-4867. The NY Walkers Club holds weekly moderate

to brisk walks for people 18 years and older of at all ﬁtness levels. It’s a low-impact ﬁtness program and is perfect for those who want to get in shape, build muscle tone, strength and increase cardiovascular health while enjoying Central Park’s beautiful landscapes. No pre-registration required. Programs held rain or shine, except in extreme weather conditions.

KEEP THE KIDS FIT LITTLE GYM OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE

Check website for programs, memberships. 207 E. 94th St. Monday thru Saturday. Hours vary. www.thelittlegym.com (212) 787-1124

Check website for pricing information The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers 20th St. and Hudson River Park. Monday mornings in December 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. http://www.chelseapiers.com 212-336-6000. Missing the beach this time of year? Well, you can cure the winter blues by hitting the “beach” for a relaxing yoga class in the sand. Winter Beach Yoga classes are held on the Sand Volleyball Court every Monday in December. Beach towels will be used in place of yoga mats. Beach towels and bottled water provided by Dasani. Advance registration required and you must be a member.

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Are you suffering from t "DIZ IFBWZ PS UJSFE MFHT t %JÄ? DVMUJFT XBMLJOH PS TUBOEJOH t .VTDMF DSBNQT SFTUMFTT MFH TZOESPNF t 4XFMMJOH OVNCOFTT CVSOJOH PS JUDIJOH t 7BSJDPTF PS TQJEFS WFJOT t #MPPE DMPUT VMDFST CMFFEJOH JOGFDUJPO

OLD AGE MAY NOT BE THE ONLY REASON President and leading specialist at the Vascular & Endovascular Interventions of New York (VEiN,) Dr. Lev Khitin is board certified in general and cardiothoracic surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American College of Cardiovascular Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Phlebology. Today, Dr. Khitin answers our readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; questions. I have recently noticed that walking at a leisurely pace has become difficult for me. My legs and feet feel heavy, even numb, and I tire easily. I feel better after a brief rest, especially if I sit down, but as soon as I resume walking, the problem comes back. All of the specialists that I have consulted blamed my age as the reason. I think there may be another explanation. Could you advise? (Mark S., Manhattan)

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Common complaints include difficulty walking or standing for a long period of time as well as heaviness, weakness and tiredness of the lower extremities. Other common complaints include cramping at night, swelling of the ankles, tingling sensations, often referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pins and needles,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; burning, and numbness. As the condition progresses, the patients see an increase in swelling, which causes periodic flare-ups of infection. Other complications may include thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers and bleeding. A change in skin pigment to a blackish-brownish color is yet another sign of the condition. If you experience any of the above symptoms, please contact our clinic and we should be able to help.

Dr. Khitin is a cardiovascular surgeon, board-certified in general and cardiothoracic surgery, fellow of American College of Surgeons, member of American College of Cardio-Vascular Surgery, president, founder and a leading specialist of New York Vein Treatment Center.

My ankles swell excessively throughout the day. Early in the morning they seem OK, but as the day progresses, they swell so much that I need to go up a shoe size by the evening. Diuretics used to help a few years ago, but are useless now, regardless of the dose. Please help if you can. (Jennifer K., Long Island)

Lev M. Khitin, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dear Jennifer, you are absolutely right. Diuretics do not help, since the problem is not an excess of water in your body, but the abnormal distribution of that water between your lower extremities and the rest of the body. Diuretics, unable to recognize the main cause of the problem, simply attempt to rid the body of that water entirely. Fortunately, your kidneys do recognize the problem and stop the diuretics from taking effect. Had the diuretics worked, swelling would have gone down, but you would have become dehydrated, jeopardizing your kidney function as well as other organs. The cause of your symptoms is centered in a specific area of the body, your legs and feet, so the solution should focus on that area as well. Prior to recommending any treatment, I urge you to get an accurate diagnosis. Most likely, you do have circulatory problems of the lower extremities and our clinic could identify the cause of the problem and help treat it.

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Kids

INDOOR FARMS THE ART FARM IN THE CITY

$20 drop-in fee. Classes, camps, programs available. 419 E. 91st St. (between York & 1st Aves. www.theartfarms.org (212) 410-3117 Manhattan’s only indoor petting zoo boasts a variety of year-around activities. Their popular Mornings on The Farm allows kids one-year-old and up a fun-ﬁlled two hours on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to feed and snuggle with the farm’s animals, including rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, and even an occasional pig or goat. The Art Farm has a variety of programs designed to teach kids about responsibility through caring, loving and being in the company of animals. There’s also a summer camp, preschool, various classes and space for birthday parties. Check the website for more information and about programs and fees.

ROCKIN’ THE EAST SIDE SCHOOL OF ROCK

Call for prices of lessons, packages. 439 E. 75TH St. Mon. – Thurs. Noon – 8 p.m. Friday Noon – 5 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Closed Sunday www.newyorkschoolof rock.com (212) 249-7625 This music school and its programs are geared toward kids and teens who want to learn to a play everything from guitar, to drums to horns of all kinds. There’s a strong emphasis on creating bands of friends and musicians. The Performance Program is designed for kids who know the basics of how to play their instrument and are ready to

take it to the stage. Students get ready for that by taking Rock 101 or private lessons.

EARTHQUAKES AND DINOSAURS

Natural Disasters section looks at N earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes and hurricanes. And of course, there’s always the dinosaurs – not to mention an amazing gift store that the kids will not allow you to skip.

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

CREATIONS AND PAINTINGS

Free 79th St. and Central Park West Daily 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. www.amnh.org (212) 769-5100

COLOR ME MINE

An amazing way to spend a cold or rainy day – or any day at all for that matter – among the exhibits that include a collection of information about the living things that have evolved from simple cells into an awe-inspiring array of life forms over millions of years. The Science of

Prices vary 92 Reade Street Mon. – Wed. 10a.m.-8 p.m.; Thurs.Sat. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. www.colormemine.com (212) 374-1710 Drop in to this lovely little pottery shop – but don’t drop the creations. Their slogan is: You pick it; you paint it; we ﬁre it; you take it. Kids – and adults, too – can paint special items, including Hello Kitty, Snoopy and Marvel comic

heroes. They have seasonal crafts, and kids’ night out where parents can drop off and leave the kids to paint, eat pizza and make friends. They also have adult events including a Ladies Night called Diva, complete with a variety of cheeses and chocolates.

URBAN TREEHOUSE

For more than 30 years, CMOM has been a destination and resource where families learn, play and grow together. From pre-school on, CMOM says it touches some 350,000 families a year, through top-notch exhibits, innovative programs and class performances. The emphasis is on making art and cultural programs accessible for kids and families from all walks of life.

CITY TREEHOUSE

Trial class $20. Party packages start at $500. 129 E. 20th St. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. www.citytreehouse.com (212) 255-2050 City Treehouse is a play and learning center aimed at children from 2 months to 8 years old. It has a treehousethemed indoor play area, water play, classes and playdates. The twostory treehouse is great for climbing, sliding and crawling. There’s also a kaleidoscope, peek-a-boo holes and a see-through ﬂoor, sprinklers, water wheels and dump buckets. Membership is not required, but space is limited so you may want to call ahead to save a spot.

A MUSEUM – AND MORE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN

$8 - $12 212 W. 83rd St. Sunday – Thurs. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Closed Monday. www.cmom.org (212) 721-1223

MOMS, KIDS AND YOGA KARMA KIDS

Drop-ins $20 and up; Class packages generally from $350 to $600 25 W. 23rd St. Mon. – Fri. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sat. 8:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Closed Sunday www.karmakidsyoga.com (646) 638-1444 Karma Kids offers yoga, Pilates and more for new moms, babies from six-weeks and up, including challenging classes, restful exercises and moves even the youngest toddlers can do. There’s CircusYoga for kids 7 and up, offering a blend of the consciousness of yoga and the communal celebration of circus, with juggling, Devil Sticks, acrobatics, Flying Partner Yoga, Tightwire and Balance. Teens can take yoga classes featuring postures to build inner and outer strength, breathing exercises, ﬂowing sequences, balancing poses and deep relaxation. There also are programs for children with special needs.

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Outdoors

FREE OUTDOOR ICE-SKATING THE RINK AT BRYANT PARK

Free 40th to 42nd sts., at Fifth Ave. Daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. through March 6, 2016 www.nycgovparks.org (212) 661-6640529-9262 The Rink at Bryant Park, part of Bank of America’s Winter Village, is the only free outdoor skating rink in the city. For the most part, the atmosphere at the well-maintained 170-by100-foot is rink relaxed and fun, though it can sometimes get crowded. The skating is free, but skate rental can run $15 to $19 and there’s a bag check fee. There are more than 100 kiosks and shops, and restaurants you can visit before -- or after -- you take to the ice.

PARADE FIT FOR A KING THREE KINGS DAY PARADE

Free Jan. 6, 2016. 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. E. 106th St. and Lexington Ave. www.elmuseodelbarrio.org For more than 40 years, El Museo Del Barrio has been drawing thousands of people to the annual celebration of the three wise men. The parade route begins at 106th Street and Lexington Avenue and ends at 115th St. and Park Ave. After the parade, you can celebrate at La Marqueta with some traditional Puerto Rican food and music and then back to El Museo for some live music by Pablo Mayor and friends, and free admission to Las Galerías.

metallic sounds, dulcimer notes, water splashes and car horns. The walk begins at Gansevoort and Washington sts. and ends at West 30th.

PINING FOR PINOT PINOT DAYS

LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY SHOPPING UNION SQUARE HOLIDAY MARKET

14th St. at Union Square Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thru Dec. 24 www.urbanspacenyc.com (212) 529-9262 It’s not too late to run down to the he Union Square Holiday Market to pick up some last-minute st-minute Christmas gifts – and get a bite to eat – at this perennial holiday mart. You can stroll oll the hollylined aisles and pick up some handmade made jewelry, gifts for kids, artwork, bowls, soaps, s, scarfs, shawls, pens, soaps, candles -- and of course some winter hats and gloves. Local foodsellers offer everything from hot chocolate to crepes and donuts.

ROCKIN’ THE HIGHLINE E THE GAITS: A WINTER SOUNDWALK ALK

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Photo Credit: NYC Parks Daniel Avila

Free The High Line at Ganesvoort St.. December 21, 2015 5 p.m. to 6:30 30 p.m. www.makemusicnyc.org Make Music New York’s third annual nual Make Music Winter features 12 participatory, musical usical parades across the city on Dec. 21, the ﬁrst night of winter. This one at the High Line uses a freee downloadable smartphone app that features a score ore of electric guitar chords and Zen gongs. As participants rticipants walk the High Line, footsteps are turned rned into

$75 Saturday, Jan. 23 City Winery, 155 Varick St. www.pinotdays.com Pinot Days is the largest gathering of Pinot Noir producers in the world. This year’s event at the City Winery will bring together 40 Pinot Noir producers from California, Oregon and New Zealand and true Pinto lovers from across the city. You can’t can t try them all but kick back and enjoy this beautiful little grape in many forms and styles. Organizers say the event is “for people who want to savor the good things in life.”

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SWIM SOCCER BASKETBALL FLAG FOOTBALL BASEBALL VOLLEYBALL TENNIS FITNESS MARTIAL ARTS ADULT & YOUTH LEAGUES AND TEAMS

Winter classes start JANUARY 4 • Registration is now open. UPPER EAST SIDE 555 East 90th St. • 212.369.8890

BATTERY PARK CITY 212 North End Ave. • 212.298.2900

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Best Funeral Home

Pets

John Krtil Funeral Home; Yorkville Funeral Service Inc., 1297 1st Ave. ; 212-744-3084 Cobblestone streets, two-way horse drawn traffic on the avenue, this was 70th Street and First Avenue, Manhattan, circa 1885, the year that John Krtil Funeral Home came into existence. Since then, a John Krtil has always owned and managed John Krtil Funeral Home; Yorkville Funeral Service Inc. Our credo, “Dignified, Affordable, and Independently Owned and Operated since 1885”, has been fact since our inception. It is our adherence to these principles and our good reputation that gives us the ability to compete with both “name brand” or “budget” funeral firms. No matter the volume of work, we remain, in essence, that very professional yet personalized funeral home with a loyalty to our neighborhood and our clientele. To be in flux seems to be the norm in an ever changing Manhattan landscape. But we here at John Krtil Funeral Home Inc. have embraced a tried and true formula of service to families in need that will last another 130 years.

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Best Sports Complex Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex, West 23rd Street and Hudson River Park; 212-336-6500; chelseapiers.com Chelsea Piers is a 28-acre sports village located on three historic Hudson River piers, offering the city’s best sports programming for children ages 12 months to 16 years. Easily accessible by bus, subway or car (on-site parking available for a fee), Chelsea Piers features state-of-theart facilities and a wide range of sports including gymnastics, basketball, soccer, baseball, rock climbing, golf, ice-skating and hockey. Youth sports programs are available year-round, including after-school specialty classes, Saturday camps, school break camps and summer camps in 15 sports. Chelsea Piers is also a popular location for children’s birthday parties. For more information, call or visit the website.

Best Family Mediation Talking Alternatives Why can’t we just all get along? Family is everything. These are phrases we have heard from childhood through adulthood. Sometimes it’s just not that easy. Relationships are complicated and problems cannot always be resolved without help. Maybe it’s about communication, or the lack of it. Fractured relationships make it impossible to talk civilly. Mediation is an option and it works. Talking Alternatives is a family mediation firm that helps families get back on track through conversation, not confrontation. We are neutral third parties who work with you to restore or preserve family harmony. We specialize in Elder and Adult Family, Adult Family and Parent/Teen disputes. Maybe it’s the inability of adult siblings to make decisions about the care of an elderly parent. Or maybe it’s helping teens and parents learn how to listen and talk again. Call us (646-682-9319). We can help. www.talkingalternatives.net

PUPPY LOVE MANHATTAN PET SERVICE

Check website for dog-walking rates and other services. 224 Fifth Ave. www.manhattanpetservice.com (646) 727-0178 This all-purpose pet service features dogwalks from 15 minutes to an hour (GPS tracking available), home visits, pet-sitting, puppy visits to help with exercise and socialization and overnight stays with a minimum 10-hour guarantee. They also offer training based on techniques learned and perfected from more than seven years of animal training at SeaWorld San Antonio. Among the techniques are treats for good behavior and being ignored for bad behavior – just like your kids.

Best Health Insurance

FELINE FUN

Fidelis Care, Chinatown Community Office, 185 Canal Street, Suite 406; Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday-Sunday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Inwood Community Office, 100-02 Post Avenue; Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM; fideliscare.org; 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) Fidelis Care offers quality, affordable coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life, including products available through NY State of Health: The Official Health Plan Marketplace. Open enrollment for NY State of Health “metal-level” products runs until January 31, 2016. Fidelis Care also offers year-round enrollment for Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and the new low-cost Essential Plan. Other products available to qualifying individuals include Medicare Advantage and the Managed Long Term Care plan, Fidelis Care at Home. Individuals can visit Fidelis Care’s Affordable Care Advisor tool on fideliscare.org to get a quick estimate of the price of health insurance, including any government subsidies and tax credits, and schedule an appointment with a Fidelis Care representative. Fidelis Care representatives make it as easy as possible to apply for enrollment, often meeting with residents in their homes or another location in the community.

KATIE’S KITTY

Best Appraiser - Household Contents SLM APPRAISALS, 1441 Broadway; 917.701.8162; www.slmappraiser.com SLM Appraisals is a full service personal property appraisal firm, assisting clients with the appraisal, liquidation and resale of items inside the home such as art, antiques, jewelry and silver. Whether you are downsizing or moving; have inherited items; need cash; or just have too much stuff, we can help you determine best options. With our Roadshow At Home service, we come to your home and do a walk-thru- it’s like having your own private Antiques Roadshow™! UWS neighbor Sheri Mason, owner of SLM Appraisals, was a key member of the Kaminski Auction team, entrusted by Oprah to sell her personal property when she decided to downsize and sell the “Oprah Winfrey Collection.” We pride ourselves on treating each and every client with respect, and understand the importance of approaching every situation with sensitivity and discretion.

Best Oldest And Largest Youth Sports Organization Yorkville Youth Athletic Association, 212-360-0022; www.yyaa.org New York is the world’s greatest place to live. But if you’re a kid, it’s not always the easiest place to play. For almost fifty years, the Yorkville Youth Athletic Association has served the children and families of New York. From day one, our mission has been to give kids the chance to build skills, learn teamwork, make friends and have fun. Some of our players have gone on to earn scholarships and play in high-level Division I college programs. YYAA offers both recreational and competitive baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track, volleyball and more. Today, more than 6000 kids play on Yorkville developmental, house league and travel teams. Shouldn’t your child be one of them?

Prices vary 170 E. 83RD St. Daily 8 a.m. – 12 a.m. www.katieskitty.com (212) 288-5712 Katie’s Kitty bills itself as an “exclusive boutique style” pet-sitting company that offers its services in homes throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. They also provide private cat and dog boarding in host family homes through Peter’s Pets, a division of Katie’s Kitty. They generally board one pet in each home so the animal will not be locked in a cage, but have free run of the home – with bed privileges. Most of our pet sitters work from home, assuring round the clock supervision for your pet. All sitters are bonded and insured.

HAVE A HEART, SAVE A PET BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK

Check website for information www.ny.bestfriends.org (347) 76ADOPT There may be 8 million stories in the Naked City, but there also are thousands upon thousands of stray, homeless or unwanted pets here, too. The Best Friends Animal Society has been operating in the New York City area for the past ﬁve years, hosting large-scale events like Super Adoption, Strut Your Mutt and other events. They work with city shelters, local animal welfare organizations and individuals to save the lives of pets in shelters in the tristate area. They host adoption and fundraising events and run a lifesaving foster program in partnership with Animal Care & Control of NYC.

Check website or call for prices Daily 24/7 www.rover.com (347) 943-7436 This major, nationwide chain has a network of 40,000 sitters in thousands of cities across the country that provide dog-walking, dog-sitting, drop-in visits, doggie daycare and more. The farﬂung service boasts that its sitters will treat clients’ dogs like family. It also claims that 92% of the population is within a short drive of a network sitter and that it gets 5-star reviews 95% of the time.

POOCH NANNYS NEW YORK DOG NANNY

Check website for prices and info 126 Lexington Ave., and private spaces around the city www.newyorkdognanny.com (917) 261-7333 New York Dog Nanny was founded by Cynthia Okimoto five years ago because while at work she was constantly concerned about the welfare of her dog at home. Unsatisfied with putting her pet in a kennel while she was away, she started a fullfledged nanny service for small breed dogs. This family-owned business provides dog-walking, training, grooming, walking and even a holistic clinic. They board dogs in a Murray Hill loft and private apartments in the city where they have the run of the place.

LEGGING UP FIDO PRICELESS PET SERVICES

Call for prices 1 W. 100th St. www.pricelesspetservices.com (212) 933-4042 Located just steps from Central Park West, Priceless Pets offers itself as an alternative to big chains that care for pets. Services range from dog walks and cat visits to daycare. Their headquarters is a state of the art facility designed from the ground up with the pet in mind. There’s also an indoor dog park with Mighty Max Pet Grass, an indoor washable turf that’s great for your dog’s legs and joints during play.

PETS AGAINST PESTS M&M PEST CONTROL

Prices vary 32 Orchard ST. www.mandmpestcontrol.com (212) 219-8218 Their team of insured, licensed and certiﬁed pesticide applicators are divided into pest specialties such as termites, bed bugs, rodents, ants and cockroaches. They work with architects, lawyers and also businesses that provide comprehensive cleaning, sanitation, remediation, fumigation, moving and storage services. Their philosophy is that Pesticides are always the last alternative for eliminating pests. Their Integrated Pest Management (“IPM”) program includes changes to your pets’ living environment and frequent inspections.

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Make East Midtown Your Destination for… · Manhattan’s Best Dining & Nightlife · Manhattan’s Best Shopping & Accommodations · Manhattan’s Best Arts & Entertainment

With hundreds of destinations, East Midtown offers something for everyone.

Visit us at www.EastMidtown.org and begin your journey to the Best of Manhattan! And there’s an App for us! Download the free East Midtown Mobile App at www.EastMidtown.org/App East Midtown Partnership // 875 Third Avenue, Mezzanine, New York, NY 10022 // 212-813-0030 info@eastmidtown.org // www.EastMidtown.org

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Best Theatrical Dance Performance Noche Flamenca, West Park Presbyterian Church, 86th St. and Amsterdam Ave. Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca‘s Antigona returns to New York December 11–January 23. This visually arresting adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone was declared a New York Times Critics’ Pick by Laura Collins-Hughes, who wrote that “a haunting, distant classicism coexists with sweaty, unmediated corporeality in this dance drama.” The New Yorker’s Joan Acocella declared: “Never, until I saw Santangelo’s ensemble, their heels stamping, their arms cutting through the air, had I seen a chorus whose physical force could support the fate-heavy songs that Sophocles wrote for his plays.” Antigona merges spoken text, live music, theatrical spectacle, and dance to create a production that propels the classic Greek play to new heights. The company brings the inherent theatricality of Flamenco to bear on this classical tragedy, reigniting the theatrical potential of the Greek chorus as the lyrical and rhythmic heart of the drama. Tickets on sale at nocheflamenca.com

Best Bank Ridgewood Savings Bank, www.ridgewoodbank.com. Ridgewood Savings Bank offers a full of array of retail banking and residential lending products and services. The experienced and attentive staff at Ridgewood’s two locations on the Upper East Side offer unparalleled customer service and personal attention. Branch Tech Specialists are available to demonstrate the Online and Mobile Banking features as well as remote deposit capture. A Tech Specialist is available to educate customers on the Bank’s portfolio of Digital Banking Products and Services. Ridgewood offers competitive rates on co-op and condo loans. Speak with a Mortgage Consultant to discuss current rates and terms. Ridgewood combines the level of personal service and attention to better understand customers’ financial needs with the convenience and speed of high-tech banking. Stop by either Ridgewood branch located at 1404 Second Avenue at 73rd Street or at 1646 First Avenue at 86th Street in Yorkville for all your banking needs or visit our website at www.ridgewoodbank.com. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lending.

Best Fitness Center in Chelsea CrossFit, http://crossfitnyc.com/ 212-731-2165; 50 W 28th St, 2nd Floor CrossFit is leading a fitness revolution. It’s replaced boring machines and endless hours on cardio equipment with highly-effective, intense workouts that use natural and functional movements. CrossFit NYC was the first CrossFit in New York and has over ten years of experience training clients and helping them reach their fitness and sports goals. People come to lose weight, get stronger, do a better Tough Mudder, learn Olympic weightlifting, etc., and do it all with a great community of supportive, like-minded people. CrossFit NYC has high-level coaches in all aspects of CrossFit including kettlebell training, rowing, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, and more. Special attention is paid to getting new people comfortably up to speed, with careful instruction in the basics, and scaled workouts that challenge but don’t overwhelm. Over 300 weekly classes and various membership options make it easy to find the right mix for anyone.

Best Dining East Midtown Partnership, 2875 Third Avenue, Mezzanine, New York, NY 10022, 212.813.0030 With over 100 restaurants, East Midtown Manhattan has a menu for every palate and every budget. For decades, native New Yorkers and international visitors alike have recognized East Midtown as a culinary destination with few rivals. Dine in style at dozens of upscale restaurants, including Le Cirque, Harlow, The National, Amali, Le Colonial, Felidia, and Aquavit. Or grab a more casual (but no less delicious) meal at Bloom’s Tavern, The Carriage House, Pig ‘n Whistle, or the original P. J. Clarke’s. Better yet, when you carry a free East Midtown Passport card, you can get special cardholder benefits at almost 100 area businesses... including more than two dozen dining establishments! Visit www.EastMidtown.org/Passport for details.

Best Jeweler Murreys, 3rd Ave. bet. 79th & 80th Streets, 212.879.3690 Murreys Jewelers, a family business now in its third generation, has been serving loyal customers since 1936. Fully visible to clients entering the store Murreys onsite workshop is locally, nationally and internationally acclaimed. Murreys state of the art onsite workshop boasts 5 highly skilled jewelers, watchmakers, setter & stringer. Murreys bend over backwards service and superior workmanship - whether the staff are custom crafting diamond earrings for a discerning customer, or executing a minor repair to a cufflink - expect the best here in service, creativity and repair. The combined workshop talent boasts over 150 years of experience. Whether creating spectacular “event” pieces, repurposing out of date estate pieces or a simple repair it will always fall under Murreys motto of “finest quality”, great value and superior rapid service. The full line store features wonderful unique high fashion contemporary jewelry as well as timeless vintage estate treasures and time pieces.

Best & Only Community Owned Jewish Funeral Chapel Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, 630 Amsterdam Ave; 212-769-4400; www.plazajewish.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel is the only communally owned and operated Jewish funeral chapel in the Metropolitan New York area; dedicated to the belief that the process of grief is not a business proposition but rather an emotional, human passage to be treated with dignity and conscience Plaza is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of clergy from all the denominations, community leaders and executives of social service agencies. We take pride in giving back to the community in a variety of ways. Our educational programs support those working in end of life care as well as students in religious schools and seniors in a variety of settings. We provide programming in hospitals, hospice facilities and have provided financial assistance to the community in various forms. Plaza Jewish is also a drop off site for gently used medical supplies to be distributed to communities in Africa and Haiti.

Services

MAPPING IT OUT

MR. FIXIT

RIDE THE CITY

BIG APPLE HANDYMAN

$95 A YEAR www.ridethecity.com Okay, now that you have a Citibike – or one of your own – go to Ride the City to ﬁnd the best, safest and most direct routes all over the city. Ride the City avoids roads that aren’t meant for biking, like highways and busy arterial streets – and it steers cyclists to routes that maximize the use of bike lanes, bike paths, greenways, and other bike-friendly streets. The website features an illustrated walkthrough and answers to lots of FAQs.

$80 minimum www.bigapplehandyman.com (917) 915-5732 NYC Handyman is an owner-run and operated company with over 10 years of experience serving Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. They do assembly of furniture, gym equipment and items from stores like Ikea, Home Depot, Crate and Barrel and many more. Big Apple Handyman will install your Plasma TV, hang your pictures and ceiling lights, put up your mirrors and install bathroom and kitchen ﬁxtures.

JEWELRY REPAIR

KEYED IN

MURREY’S

PARAGON SECURITY AND LOCKSMITH NYC

Prices vary. 1395 Third Ave. Monday – Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. www.murreys.com (212) 879-3690 The family-owned business – three generations since 1936 – has been ﬁxing, restoring and selling bracelets, earrings, necklaces, watches and more. They have ﬁve highly skilled Jewelers, whose combined experience totals more than 150 years. Their watchmakers have decades of expertise and know-how and have worked on every imaginable type of timepiece, including pocket watches, automatics, battery-operated and quartz watches of all kinds and price ranges. They also do maintenance and appraisals.

Prices vary 24 W. 8th St. www.paragonsecurityny.com (212) 620-9000 (store) (212) 671-1270 (24-hour emergency service) Paragon is a leading security and locksmith that provides 24-hour emergency locksmith service provider in the New York area. In addition to ‘round-the-clock service, they do alarm systems, cctv systems, intercoms, locks, safes, window gates ﬁre escape doors and security consultation to residential and business sites of all sizes.

BIKIN’ AROUND CITIBIKES

$149 annual membership. 24-hour rides $9.95; $25 weekly pass. www.citibikenyc.com New York City’s bike-sharing system is still going strong and adding stations all over town. Their ﬂeet of specially designed, sturdy, durable bikes that are locked into a network of docking stations, where you can rent, ride and return to any station in the city. At last count there were more than 7,000 bikes at some 400 stations; all are available 24 hours a day. And there’s an app for that.

TECH FOR SENIORS THE SENIOR PLANET EXPLORATION CENTER

Free. Donations accepted 127 W. 25th St., between Sixth and Seventh Aves. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.seniorplanet.org The country’s ﬁrst technology-themed center for people 60 and up, the Senior Planet Exploration Center in Chelsea offers classes, workshops, talks and all kinds of social events in a comfortable space and learn new ways to grow and thrive in the rapidly changing digital world. You must register for free courses and be a member to use the resources, but membership is free. There are plenty of scheduled and unscheduled events, and the center also has “Teksperts” who can ﬁll you in on the latest gadgets.

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Best Vein Center New York Vein Treatment Center, www.NY4VEIN.com; (212) 575-8346 New York Vein Treatment is a leading medical facility in NYC devoted exclusively to diagnosis, prevention and treatment of venous disorders. The treatments performed in our center are safe, effective, quick, painless and, most importantly, deliver permanent results. We offer advanced, in-office treatment options such as sclerotherapy, cryo-sclerotherapy, ultrasound guided sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation (EVLT®), ClariVein®, micro-phlebectomy, thrombectomy, FlexiPulse and Dornier® transcutaneous pulsatile laser treatment. Dr. Khitin, the founder and president of New York Vein Treatment Center, is a cardiovascular surgeon specializing in endovascular surgery. He is an acclaimed surgeon, board certified in general, cardio-thoracic and vascular surgery and is the author of numerous published journals, abstract and textbook chapters. He is an active member of the American College of Surgeons, American College of Cardiovascular Surgeons, American Venous Forum, American College of Phlebology and the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Winter Road Trips

Best Bakery Glaser’s Bake Shop; 1670 1st Ave., 212-289-2562 Glaser’s Bake Shop has been part of New Yorkers’ celebrations for over 113 years! John Glaser and Herbert Glaser Jr. are the 3rd generation owners of this German Yorkville landmark. It was opened in its current location on April 2, 1902 by their grandparents John and Justine. Their son Herbert Sr. took over the business in 1933, and though his sons have now been in the business for over 40 years. Despite the ever-changing world outside its doors, one gets transported back to a different time upon entering Glaser’s with its mosaic-tiled floor, timeworn mirrored and milk glass panels, patterned tin ceilings, carved wooden display cabinets and striped string used to tie boxes. John and Herbert still continue making some of the delicious products that customers have come to associate with this neighborhood bakery – black and whites, brownies, birthday cakes and German holiday treats, including stolen, springerle and pfeffernusse. A family tradition lives on in Yorkville!

Best Bank on the East Side Flushing Bank has helped families, businesses and communities throughout the New York City metropolitan area for more than 85 years. At the heart of our community-based approach to banking relationships is the philosophy that we are “Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you.” Meaning we offer the same comprehensive set of products and services that the large commercial banks have, but we take the time to know you and provide the personalized attention you deserve. Flushing Bank now has two Manhattan locations. Our newest location is at 99 Park Avenue. Stop by for a visit and allow us to show you how we are a different kind of bank – one that cares. Flushing Bank, a New York State-chartered commercial bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Bank serves consumers, businesses, and public entities by offering a full complement of deposit, loan, and cash management services through its 19 banking offices.

Best App for Shopkeepers to Save Time & Money Local business owners may be familiar with this situation: You’re expecting an important delivery and all of a sudden the street is blocked off for repairs. Or when you open the store in the morning, you find that a scaffold has been placed over the sidewalk out front. Don’t ever be surprised again. Award-winning Mind My Business™ will send you customized notifications to help you make informed decisions, saving you time and money while reducing risk and uncertainty. Just type in your address and get daily updates about upcoming street repairs, fine risks, building construction, 311 complaints, restaurant inspections, and so much more. You’ll also get tips to help you deal with each situation, and a list of free business courses around the city. We do the research so you don’t have to. Don’t risk not knowing. Download the app and get informed today! For more info, visit mindmy.biz/ourtown.

Best Camp Asphalt Green, www.asphaltgreen.org Kids unleash their sense of adventure at Asphalt Green’s Summer Day Camp, held on the Upper East Side or in Battery Park City. Asphalt Green’s facilities, curriculum, and experienced staff stand out. Kids have plenty of space to play sports on a 1.5-acre field (Upper East Side) or fullcourt gymnasium (Battery Park City), swim in a 50-meter (Upper East Side) or 25-yard pool (Battery Park City), do arts and crafts, and participate in other activities including gaga, theater, music, and gardening. The camp calendar is also packed with unique field trips and theme days. The best part about Asphalt Green’s Summer Day Camp is it maintains a low camper-toinstructor ratio, and all of the coaches and instructors specialize in the sport or activity they teach. There’s more: If your child can’t get enough of camp, Asphalt Green offers mini-camps that follow the same curriculum during school breaks and holidays!

Best Culture Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is a producing organization known for “mounting choral music extravaganzas in world class concert halls with singers from around the world” (The New York Times). Partnering with some of today’s most honored and revered living composers (Sir Karl Jenkins, Christopher Tin, Eric Whitacre, Tarik O’Regan, Paul Mealor, Stephen Schwartz, Morten Lauridsen), DCINY regularly fills the halls with world premieres, an award winning orchestra, and a lively enthusiastic audience year round. Concerts events are typically held at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center with tickets starting at just $20. For tickets, VIP deals and group sales visit www.DCINY.org or call 212-707-8566. Affordable, accessible and fun for the whole family, DCINY certainly represents the Best of Manhattan.

Photo Credit: Zoe

A SPA IN THE COUNTRY MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE

Check website for rates and special packages 1000 Mountain Rest Rd., New Paltz, NY www.mohonk.com (855) 590-9829 Relax and unwind in a Victorian castle above Lake Mohonk, surrounded by landscaped gardens and pristine wilderness. The hotel features extensive woodwork, ﬁreplaces made from Shawangunk stone and breathtaking views. Just 90 miles north of New York City, Mohonk Mountain House offers all-inclusive accommodations and year-round activities including seasonal hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It can be pricey to stay at the Mountain House, but they offer day passes for a variety of activities like skating ($17) and cross country skiing from $21 to $26

deer, raccoon, skunk, Canada goose, fox, swan, bobcat and rabbit. Check with Bear Mountain Office for Merry-Go-Round hours and availability.

HOLIDAY ON THE HUDSON HUDSON VALLEY RESORT/INN AT HOLIDAY VALLEY

6557 Holiday Rd., Ellicottville, NY www.holidayvalley.com (716) 699-2345 Holiday Valley boasts 13 lifts, 58 slopes, three base lodges, two hotels and more. The resort has become a leader in the ski industry and ranks among the favorites of skiers in the East. It has a lift capacity of 23,850 per hour, terrain parks, x-country trails, mountain coaster, snow tubing and an average winter snowfall of 180 inches

SKATING AND ICE-FISHING ON BEAR MOUNTAIN BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

3006 Seven Lakes Drive, Bear Mountain, NY www.nysparks.com (845) 786-2701 Bear Mountain offers great outdoor adventures in the rugged mountains in the state park on the west bank of the Hudson River. Weather permitting you can hike, bike and climb the four mountain peaks. There’s also a public skating rink, ice-ﬁshing at various lakes and a cross-country ski trail. One not-to-miss site is the Merry-GoRound at Bear Mountain State Park with its hand painted scenes of the park and hand-carved seats of native animals including black bear, wild turkey,

Photo Credit: ML Heco

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Best Dentist on Upper West Side Dental 365, 212-799-7700; GoDental365.com. Dental365 provides high-quality, affordable dentistry while offering routine and walk-in emergency dental care 7 days a week. Their goal is to service the Upper West Side with the latest technology in oral healthcare and wellness. As an added convenience, their brand new, inviting office focuses on all areas of dentistry, including orthodontics, so patients never have to go elsewhere for dental treatment. Located at 211 W. 79th St., the office has been renovated to provide state-of-the-art equipment. Patient comfort was at the center of the office design and each exam room is complete with a flat-screen television. Dental365 accepts walk-ins with little or no waiting time for adults and children and offers everything from emergency extractions to routine exams, including cosmetic restorations and veneers, periodontal procedures and Invisalign all in a beautiful environment. For more information about Dental365 or to schedule an appointment call 212-799-7700 or visit GoDental365.com.

SMUGGLE IN SOME FUN

DOGSLEDDING DELIGHT

SMUGGLERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTCH RESORT

TUG HILL AREA

Call or go to the website for prices 4323 Vermont 108 south www.smuggs.com (802) 370-3186 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a six-hour drive up to this Green Mountain resort, but Smugglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Notch can be worth it if you love to ski, skate and then relax in a sauna, indoor pool or hot tub. Surrounded by 3,000 acres of forest, Smuggs has three levels of mountains for skiers of all abilities, including the Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only triple black-diamond trail, The Black Hole, for the most experienced skiers and snowboarders. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobile tours. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a FunZone and arts and crafts for the kids.

317 Washington St., Watertown, NY. (315)785-2380 www.tughill.org (315) 785-2380 The Tug Hill Region, with its densely forested terrain, is located roughly in the triangle formed by Watertown, Rome & Syracuse. Approximately 2,000 square miles, it is a prime area for many year-round recreational activities including crosscountry skiing, hiking, ďŹ shing, hunting, canoeing, horseback riding, biking and dog sledding in a region that gets a lot of snow.

Best Winter Breaks The Southampton Inn, 91 Hill St. Southampton, 631-283-6500 Why load up your car with ski equipment and drive to Vermont or shell out the arm and leg it costs to fly the family to St. Lucia when you can go to the Hamptons only a 2 hour drive from Manhattan. The Inn hands out holiday stockings filled with coupons, a complimentary wrapping room, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ice skating, horse & buggy rides, craft fairs, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs, gallery openings, restaurant prix fix and so much more. The Southampton Inn offers an easy, affordable trip for the family. It is set in the heart of the Village of Southampton, providing an idyllic, year-round escape for bustling city-dwellers. In the winter, the hustle of the summer months is replaced by a Norman Rockwell-esque experience. The rates plummet, making weekend or week long trips a no-brainer. In December they even offer adjoining rooms for families at a further discount and through the holidays.

Best Book Store The Book Cellar, 212-288-5049 Located in the lower level of the Webster Branch of the NYPL on York Ave. between 77th & 78th St., is a unique book shop. Run by volunteers from the Friends of the Webster Library, all books are donated and proceeds benefit branch libraries of the NYPL. With thousands of books sorted into 50+ categories, you never know what treasures youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover. From the latest NY Times bestsellers to antique collectibles, from our huge Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Section to beautiful art books to our Mystery/Thrillers Room, there is something for everyone. The Book Cellar is open four days a week- Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12-5pm, Thursdays from 2-6:30pm, and Saturdays from 11am-4pm. Stop by and browse and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover why so many people call The Book Cellar â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a hidden gem of NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Follow us on Facebook at The Book Cellar NYC.

Best Charter School Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, 147 St. Nicholas Avenue; www.harlemhebrewcharter.org Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School is a free public charter school in Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CSD 3 that provides students with the foundation to successfully pursue advanced studies and achieve continued personal growth as global citizens. We have 2-3 teachers in each class. We offer a nurturing, rigorous curriculum featuring intensive instruction in the Modern Hebrew language. Our model includes Teachers College Readers/Writers Workshop and is designed to meet the needs of all learners. Our diverse student body develops social and civic responsibility through service learning. Our social studies curriculum explores Israeli history and culture and Harlemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history as a focal point of migration and immigration. Like all public schools we are non-sectarian and do not teach religion. All are welcome!

SNOWMOBILES AND RELAXATION ALLEGANY STATE PARK

2373 ASP Route 1, Salamanca, NY www.nyparks.com (716) 354-2182 This sprawling park has two campgrounds, 20 cabin trails and offers a total of 189 campsites and 230 cabins, 30 of them winterized. Each Fancher Cottage, located in the Quaker Area, has a bathroom with shower, refrigerator, countertop range and microwave. The fully accessible cottages sleep six, are furnished and stocked with pillows, bedding, cooking utensils, dishes and coffeemakers. Activities include cross country skiing and snowmobiling.

SKIS, SKYTRIPS AND MEMORIES WHITE MOUNTAIN SKI CENTER AND GONDOLA

5021 Route 86, Wilmington, NY www.whiteface.com (518) 946-2223 Whiteface Mountain, located in the Adirondacks, a ďŹ ve-hour drive from Manhattan, offers a variety of winter events, including bobsledding, ice-skating, the Cloud-Splitter Gondola Ride, snow-tubing, Zamboni rides, the Wee Ski program for kids aged two to four and a Yoga and Skiing Retreat for Women, every Wednesday. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, located in the same building as the 1980 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miracle on Iceâ&#x20AC;? Olympic hockey game in which Team USA defeated the USSR. And on Dec. 30, ďŹ gure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva and a host of Olympic Medal-winning skaters present â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the Heart,â&#x20AC;? a tribute to her late husband and skiing partner Sergei Grinkov.

Best Comprehensive Care Close to Home and Work Photo Credit: John Northrup

NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of lower Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse community 24 hours a day/seven days a week. In our ER, specially trained physicians, nurses and other health professionals provide world-class care to children and adults in all areas of medicine. Our Pediatric ER, which opened in 2013, provides a separate, child-friendly area staffed by pediatricians, pediatric emergency specialists, and skilled emergency nurses. In addition, the Hospital is making continuous improvements including a brand new inpatient unit and a state-of-the-art Natural Birth Center. Our physicians are all faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine. NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan is a 911 receiving hospital, a designated stroke center and has one of the largest decontamination units in the city equipped to respond to individual and community-wide emergencies. The Hospital is located at 170 William St., two blocks southeast of City Hall. To find a physician, call 855-969-7564.

Best Real Estate Broker Brown Harris Stevens. Ellen Devens, NYRS Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker; 212-452-6240; C 646-425-5330 For 15 years Ellen Devens has been representing buyers and sellers in the sale of their apartments. Her real estate practice has been built on financial strategy, creative marketing and honest brokerage. Ellen views residential property as a home but equally important as equity in a portfolio where judgment and timing is critical for efficient selling and smart purchasing. Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients will tell you that she has an amazing â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyeâ&#x20AC;?, makes the process of selling or buying seem effortless and is diligent on their behalf. As a native New Yorker and third-generation New Yorker there is not a building or street in Manhattan she does not know. %FUBJMFE t 'PDVTFE t &YQFSJFODFE t .JOEGVM t &Ă˛FDUJWF $POTJEFS &MMFO UIF OFYU UJNF ZPV QVSchase or sell your home.

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Movies

THE PARIS THEATER ▲

the nearly 600 seats are comfortable and roomy and the sound is great.

4 W. 58th St. (212) 593-4872 www.theparistheater.com

BOWTIE CHELSEA

The Paris might be the best movie theater in town. Located across from the Plaza Hotel, this single-screen movie house opened in 1948, with actress Marlene Dietrich cutting the ribbon. Its fare ranges from independent movies to foreign films -mostly French of course -- to first-run flicks. It has very old-school balcony seating. All of

(almost) Kino & Vino series that offers special screenings and a cocktail reception. Tickets for those are $29 online and $35 at the door. The staff is helpful and friendly.

260 W. 23rd St. (212) 691-5519 www.bowtiecinemas.com

ANGELIKA FILM CENTER & CAFÉ

This newly renovated nine-screen theater has new luxury rocker seats, theater and reserved seating is available. It sells Jack & Harry’s gourmet ﬂavored popcorn, runs classics on Thursday nights and has a monthly

18 W. Houston St. (212) 995-2570 www.angelika.nycreadingrdi.com This downtown ﬁve-screen theater is the Mecca of art and indie ﬁlm lovers

– and it also squeezes in some quality ﬁrst-run movies. The screening rooms are bigger than you would think and the sound and picture quality good. The best thing about it may be the comfy lounge in the lobby where you can hang out before the show and grab a quick bite from the cafeteria-style concession which carries coffees, teas and great cakes and cookies. And the regular concession downstairs has great popcorn and drink reﬁlls are free.

squeezes in some quality ﬁrst-run movies. The screening rooms are a bigger than you would think and the sound and picture quality good. The best thing about it may be the comfy lounge in the lobby where you can hang out before the show and grab a quick bite from the cafeteria-style concession which carries coffees, teas and great cakes and cookies. And the regular concession downstairs has great popcorn and drink reﬁlls are free.

CITY CINEMAS 1, 2 & 3

REGAL BATTERY PARK 11

1001 Third Ave. (212) 753-6022 www.citycinemas.com

2 North End Ave. (844) 462-7342 www.angelika.nycreadingrdi.com

Three screens, good movie selections – first-run indies, foreign films and some mainstream flicks -- and delicious popcorn. But the best thing about this theater is the seats. They have comfortable reclining leather LazyBoy style seats that make you feel like you’re watching the movie on a huge wide-screen TV in your apartment. Reserved seating is available online, and the theater this downtown 5-screen theater is the Mecca of art and indie film lovers – and it also

This giant 11-screen theater is inside the Conrad Hotel in Battery Park City. It screens ﬁrst-run movies in theater with comfortable seats. The concessions stand sits in a big lobby with great views of the area. The snacks are good and there’s even a ShakeShack outside, not to mention the World Financial Center with its small restaurants and shops. Maybe the best thing about it though, is that because it’s a bit off the beaten track, it never gets too crowded.

“Deliriously over-the-top” - The New York Times

CONCERTS AT CARNEGIE HALL AND LINCOLN CENTER TICKETS FROM $20 Visit WWW.DCINY.ORG/BESTOFNY for Discounts & More Changing Lives through the Power of Performance Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director | Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder and Artistic Director

250 West 57th St., New York, NY 10107

Tel: (212) 707-8566

Email: Concerts@DCINY.org

www.DCINY.org

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com This building is being constructed through the Inclusionary Housing and 421(a) Programs of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC) of the New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

Affordable Housing for Rent 47 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS 92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 205 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128 Amenities: 24hr doorman & concierge, washer/dryer in every unit, terrace, party rooms†, children’s playroom†, teen lounge†, storage†, bike storage† and more† (†additional fees apply).

Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.

Who Should Apply?

1. View the Available Units… Units Available

1 bedroom

$607

1 person 2 people

1 bedroom

$769

1 person 2 people

2 bedroom

$736

2 people 3 people 4 people

2 bedroom

$930

2 people 3 people 4 people

Annual Household Earnings***

Household Size**

* Rent includes gas for cooking; tenant pays for electricity

How Do You Apply?

5% of units set aside for mobility-impaired applicants 2% of units set aside for applicants with visual or hearing impairments Preference for a percentage of units goes to: Residents of Manhattan CB 8 (50%) Municipal employees (5%)

2. See Unit Requirements

Monthly Rent*

Unit Size

x x

Transit: Subway: 4,5,6 Bus: M103, M96, M101, M15 No application fee. No broker’s fee. Smoke-free building.

b bb b bb bb bbb bbbb bb bbb bbbb

** Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria.

$22,218 - $24,200 $22,218 - $27,640 $27,772 - $30,250 $27,772 - $34,550 $26,775 - $27,640 $26,775 - $31,080 $26,775 - $34,520 $33,326 - $34,550 $33,326 - $38,850 $33,326 - $43,150 *** Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income for household members. Income guidelines subject to change.

Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to: www.nyc.gov/housingconnect. To request an application by mail, send a postcard or self-addressed, to: 92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 1357 Broadway, Box 438, New York, NY 10018. Only send one application per development. Don’t submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified.

When is the Deadline? Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than February 1, 2016. Late applications will not be considered.

What Happens After You Submit an Application?

After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to an interview to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Interviews are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income.

Español

Para recibir una traducción de este anuncio y la aplicación en español, envíe un sobre con su dirección a 92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 1357 Broadway, Box 438, New York, NY 10018.En la parte posterior del sobre, escribir en inglés la palabra "SPANISH". Las solicitudes llenas deben enviarse por correo a más tardar el 1 de febrero 2015

䬨ỻᷕ㔯ġ

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㢨GṅḔⱬḰG㐔㷡㉐㜄G␴䚐G䚐ạ㛨Gⶼ㜡⸬㡸Gⵏ㙸⸨㐐⥘⮨Gⵌ㋕㟝G⸽䍠⪰92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 1357 Broadway, Box 438, New York, NY 10018.㡰P⦐G⸨⇨㨰㐡㐐㝘UG⸽䍠G◫⮨㜄G“KOREAN”㢨⢰ḔG㜵㛨⦐G㤵㛨㨰㐡㐐㝘UG㣅㉥═G 㐔㷡㉐㜄⏈G⏚㛨⓸YWX]≸Y㠈GXG㢰ᾀ㫴㢌G⇔㬐G㋀㢬㢨G㵁䜴G㢼㛨㚰G䚝⏼␘UG G Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon reklam sa a ak aplikasyon an nan lang, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li a nan 92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 1357 Broadway, Box 438, New York, NY 10018. Dèyè anvlòp la, ekri mo, “HAITIAN CREOLE” nan lang Anglè. Ou dwe tenbre aplikasyon ou ranpli yo anvan dat fevriye 1, 2016. Ⱦɥɹ ɩɨɥɭɱɟɧɢɹ ɞɚɧɧɨɝɨ ɨɛɴɹɜɥɟɧɢɹ ɢ ɡɚɹɜɥɟɧɢɹ ɧɚ ɪɭɫɫɤɨɦ ɹɡɵɤɟ ɨɬɩɪɚɜɶɬɟ ɤɨɧɜɟɪɬ ɫ ɨɛɪɚɬɧɵɦ ɚɞɪɟɫɨɦ ɩɨ ɚɞɪɟɫɭ 92nd & 3rd Associates LLC, 1357 Broadway, Box 438, New York, NY 10018.ɇɚ ɡɚɞɧɟɣ ɫɬɨɪɨɧɟ ɤɨɧɜɟɪɬɚ ɧɚɩɢɲɢɬɟ ɫɥɨɜɨ “RUSSIAN” ɧɚ ɚɧɝɥɢɣɫɤɨɦ ɹɡɵɤɟ Ɂɚɩɨɥɧɟɧɧɵɟ ɡɚɹɜɥɟɧɢɹ ɞɨɥɠɧɵ ɛɵɬɶ ɨɬɩɪɚɜɥɟɧɵ ɩɨ ɩɨɱɬɟ ɧɟ ɩɨɡɞɧɟɟ 1 ɮɟɜɪɚɥɶ 2016.

Governor Andrew Cuomo Mayor Bill de Blasio NYS HCR Commissioner/CEO James S. Rubin HPD Commissioner Vicki Been

www.nyc.gov/housingconnect

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TREE-FOR-ALL

trees, to avoid the appearance of giving special treatment to one religious group. There are a few other carveouts in New York’s licensing schemes for street vendors, including an easing of some regulations for veterans and a waiver of permits, on free speech grounds, for people selling books. On the ﬂip side, some hot dog pushcart owners paid the city $200,000 or more in concession fees for the right to operate in a prime spot in Central Park. For a two-year street vending license, the city charges $200 -but they’re so scarce that legal permit holders often “lease” them out to other vendors for tens of thousands of dollars. Christmas tree sellers have an easier time, but they also hold on to their territory. Laura Miller has been working the

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ing, which has an intriguing history. In 1938, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia waged what became known as his “War on Christmas” -- an effort to keep mostly immigrant vendors off the streets by forcing them to obtain licenses. So few were issued that trees vanished, causing an uproar. That’s when the City Council enacted an exception allowing vendors free access to sidewalks once a year to sell Christmas trees, so long as adjoining store owners give their consent and the operation doesn’t block pedestrians. The city later changed the text of the law to apply to coniferous trees, rather than Christmas

same corner in Manhattan for a decade. The 40-year-old, who is five months pregnant, can be spotted from afar, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders under a warm hat. The cold is no problem; she grew up in the Siberian city of Omsk, where she was a chorus conductor. Now a Florida resident, she does office work the rest of the year and stays with friends during her winter stint in New York. “I have a lot of competition now in New York, for sure, because just about every corner is trying to sell Christmas trees,” Miller said. “It can be so crazy.” But ever the saleswoman, Miller quickly touts the quality of her ﬁne ﬁrs. “Basically,” she said, “I have the best.”

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Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956). “One: Number 31, 1950.” 1950. Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 8’ 10? x 17’ 5 5/8? (269.5 x 530.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange), 1968. © 2015 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

AMERICA’S DRIP MASTER AT MOMA The museum struts its collection of paintings, drawings and rare engravings by Jackson Pollock BY VAL CASTRONOVO

With the holiday season in full swing, there’s no shortage of exciting shows at the Museum of Modern Art — the Picasso sculpture exhibit notably comes to mind. And perhaps it is fitting that MoMA has chosen to showcase its stellar collection of works by Jackson Pollock too, another 20th century original and fervent admirer of Picasso. “Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey (1934-1954)” brings together some 50 paintings, drawings and prints, including some rare engravings, in three galleries on the second ﬂoor. The show opens with an enormous blackand-white photo of Pollock (1912-1956) painting in his barn studio in East Hampton, with wife and fellow artist Lee Krasner looking on. The couple married in 1945 and bought the farmhouse and barn that same year with the help of a loan from patron Peggy Guggenheim, a passionate collector of 20th century modern art and special champion of young American artists. Guggenheim, niece of Solomon Guggenheim, founder of the museum on Fifth Avenue, gave Pollock his big break when she showcased his work at her cutting-edge gallery, Art of This Century, on West 57th Street. She offered Pollock his ﬁrst solo show in 1943 and famously commissioned him to paint a mural for the entrance to her

new townhouse on East 61st Street, even giving him a contract so he could quit his day job. The 9-foot-by-20-foot canvas, “Mural” (1943), was a daring, all-over web of curvy lines and swirls. As art critic Clement Greenberg memorably said: “I took one look at it and I thought, ‘Now that’s great art,’ and I knew Jackson was the greatest painter this country had produced.” The piece — on Belgian linen, not the wall, so it would be portable — is now in the collection of the University of Iowa Museum of Art. The brash New York painter became the face of postwar, American abstract expressionism. The show here begins with the artist’s arrival in the city from Los Angeles in 1930, when he was 18 years old. He enrolled at the Art Students League and apprenticed with Thomas Hart Benton, who became a major supporter. Pollock would eventually eschew Benton’s social realist style, but his rhythmic arabesques and undulating lines became a part of his artistic vocabulary. The exhibit is neatly divided into three parts: the early infatuation with mythical, primitivist subjects (1934-43); the fusion of ﬁguration and abstraction (1944-47); and the sublimation of all representation in favor of those purely expressive drip, splash and splatter works (1948-54), with the emphasis on materials, technique and process — not the subject matter of a painting but the physical act of painting.

To that end, Pollock in his “mature” years would forgo the easel for the ﬂoor, famously laying his canvases on the ground of the barn in East Hampton, where he could literally dance around the four sides as he ﬂung paint with stiff brushes, sticks and punctured cans. He got down and dirty, physically and metaphorically — in some cases leaving actual hand prints on the paintings (as, for example, on the upper right of “Number 1A, 1948,” from 1948). Some of the markings were acci-

dental, but as former MoMA curator Carolyn Lanchner writes in a recent monograph about the artist, such random splatters “were accidental only in the moments of their occurrence; whatever survives of them in the ﬁnal work represents Pollock’s considered decision.” “Gothic” (1944), on view here, bears the strong imprint of Picasso’s iconic brothel scene, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907), in terms of the arrangement of the ﬁgures and the “governing vectors of energy,” Lanchner

Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956). “Gothic.” 1944. Oil on canvas, 7’ 5/8” x 56” (215.5 x 142.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Bequest of Lee Krasner, 1984 © 2015 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

states. Pollock was drawn to Picasso’s analytic cubism, which inspired him to paint abstractly. But his influences were wide-ranging, harking back to Old Masters such as El Greco for his swirling forms, and to Native American artists for his mixture of sand with paint — in addition to his own subconscious. MoMA’s cache of Pollocks has earned the institution bragging rights. About half of the collection is on display, including such seminal works as “Stenographic Figure” (c. 1942), “The She-Wolf” (1943), “Shimmering Substance” (1946), “Full Fathom Five” (1947) and perhaps his greatest painting, “One: Number 31, 1950” (1950), a wall-size, drip tour de force that dramatically closes out the show. Per the organizers, “At different moments [it] can suggest the pulsating intensity of the modern city, the primal rhythms of nature, or the flickering forms and infinite depths of the cosmos.” Pollock’s battle with depression and alcoholism are well known. He died in 1956, at age 44, after crashing his car less than a mile from his home in East Hampton. In a nod to the last few years of his life when he reverted to painting quasi-figurative images but generally painted little, the museum has included the Matisse-inspired “Easter and the Totem” (1953) and acknowledged Pollock’s mercurial side. “I’m very representational some of the time,” he is quoted as saying shortly before he died, “and a little all of the time.”

DECEMBER 17-23,2015

TOP5

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ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

FOR THE WEEK

ChinaFile Presents: The New Yorker on China

BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Asia Society and Museum | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org

OUR ARTS EDITOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, 6:30PM

DANCE

View China and her development over 40 years through the eyes of ﬁve writers who covered the country for The New Yorker, reminiscing about their experiences with magazine editor David Remnick. ($20)

“ANTIGONA”

Gifts New York Gave Me | Amelia Coulter, Allen Coulter | An Artist Dialogue Series Event

In “Antigona,” dance company Noche Flamenca adapts Sophocles’ “Antigone,” with spoken word and ﬂamenco dance. The production features live musical accompaniment, with Noche Flamenca’s Soledad Barrio playing Antigone, the tragic heroine. “Antigona” Now through Jan. 23 West Park Presbyterian Church 165 W. 86th St., at Amsterdam Avenue 8 p.m., with a 3 p.m. show on Dec. 26 Tickets $25-$60 To purchase tickets, visit nocheﬂamenca.com or call 212-352-3101

THEATER

MUSIC

“DOUBLE IT”

AN IRISH CHRISTMAS: A MUSICAL SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

A mix of martial arts, acrobatics and dance, “Double It,” from theater and ﬁlm director Chen Shi-Zheng, features music by composer and Gorillaz keyboardist Mike Smith (along with producer Lee Perry), who Chen worked with on the opera “Monkey: Journey to the West.” “Double It” Through Jan. 18 Baruch Performing Arts Center One Bernard Baruch Way 25th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues Assorted show times Tickets $45-$125 To purchase tickets, visit baruch.cuny.edu/ bpac or call 212-352-3101

“HOW ALFO LEARNED TO LOVE” “How Alfo Learned to Love” ﬁnds the perpetually-single Alfo in a precarious romantic situation. His deceased grandfather, who’s in purgatory (which, in the play, is the BrooklynQueens Expressway), must help him ﬁnd romance in order to keep his Brooklyn bakery in the family and get a pass into heaven. “How Alfo Learned to Love” Dec. 16-Jan. 3 59E59 Theaters 59 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison Avenues Assorted show times Tickets $18 To purchase tickets, visit 59e59.org or call 212-279-4200

A diverse program not just rich with the familiar ﬁddles of Irish folk music, the Irish Arts Center’s seasonal celebration also brings ragtime, swing and music and dance from the Caribbean festival Junkanoo, to the stage. Presented in a casual, breezy format, the performance features accordionist Billy McComiskey and “Riverdance on Broadway” ﬁddler Athena Tergis, among others. Dec. 18-20 Symphony Space 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street Assorted show times Tickets $40-$60 To purchase tickets, visit symphonyspace.org, irishartscenter.org or call 866-811-4111

FAMILY “SOLSTICE STARS” In celebration of the winter solstice, the National Museum of Mathematics will create a seven-pointed star out of glow sticks, with angles close to 26 degrees, or the highest that the sun reaches on the shortest day of 2015. As part of 23 Days of Flatiron Cheer, Solstice Stars is also an opportunity to give, as guests are invited to bring non-perishables for a food drive. Tuesday, Dec. 22 Flatiron North Plaza 23rd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue 6:30 p.m. FREE To be included in the Top 5 go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19TH, 2:30PM Mid-Manhattan Library | 455 Fifth Ave. | 212-340-0863 | nypl.org A dual interview looks at the inspiration NYC has offered two different creative types—pastry chef/ sculptor Amelia Coulter and her uncle, director Allen Coulter (the TV series Vinyl). (Free)

Just Announced | A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service

MONDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 6:30PM N-Y Historical Society | 170 Central Park West | 212-873-3400 | nyhistory.org Robert M. Gates looks at his experiences (heading the CIA, Texas A&M, the Department of Defense) and speaks with Charlie Rose about leadership’s role in serving the public. ($44)

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

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UNLIMITED TALENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 It is also really hard for me to balance school work with all the extra time I spend at school practicing for shows, but I deal with it. There were some parties after the last show on Saturday night but I did not attend because I work very hard to keep up my average, so I went home and got up early the next day to do all my homework. I am currently a voice major but when I ﬁrst entered this school I was a musical theater major. While in musical theater I was cast in “Little Women,” where I played two characters, Mr. Laurence and Rodigo. This is the second opera I was cast in, and I have a bigger part than I had in “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” so I was a little nervous at ﬁrst because I had just moved into the voice department. We performed the opera in English, not in German, so

learning the music was easy. The scene I was most nervous about was when I was alone with Pamina and I had to try and make her love me. The girl who played Pamina is my friend’s girlfriend in real life, and I just felt nervous doing this, especially since he was also in the opera! During the performances, the Queen of the Night’s solo received the most applause. She sang a very difficult aria and the crowd loved it. I got the most applause when I was being funny. At one point I got dragged off the stage because the King was punishing me for trying to steal Pamina. I also had a small dance number where I was placed under a spell, which made me do a funny dance with the chorus behind me. We had a choreographer, Emma Canalese, who helped make sure the dancing in the show was good. Dance lessons are part of the musical theater major’s requirements, and I have been taking dance lessons at Talent Unlimited since my freshman year. Although I have not done any tap dancing on stage yet, I do take tap dancing lessons twice a week as a

gym class. I really like the fact that my high school offers this to students. After the performance I got some really great compliments from lots of people—from my family, my friends, and most interestingly, from people I did not even know. They said I did a fantastic job and that I had a great voice. This made me feel great! Everyone in the cast was getting a lot of compliments and they all seemed really happy after each of the performances. We all had to work hard in this opera but, at the same time, found the experience rewarding. I feel very lucky to have found my passion for the arts in high school, and I am so happy when I am involved in the production of any show. I love to do musicals and I now ﬁnd that I really enjoy performing operas. I am fortunate to have been able to experience these two types of performances while in high school. Marc Gross is 17 and a junior at Talented Unlimited High School majoring in voice. He plans to pursue a BFA in musical theatre and is considering a minor in classical voice. His favorite musical is “Cats.”

Answer holiday letters from New Yorkers in need. newyorkcares.org/winterwishes

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DECEMBER 17-23,2015

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Sports ASPHALT GREEN SOCCER TOURNAMENTS The Asphalt Green Soccer Club experienced success in tournaments this weekend. GU16 Riptide took ďŹ rst place at the PA Classics College Showcase. The girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team beat the #2 ranked team in West Virginia and is currently the #24 team in New York East. BU7 Academy split into two teams at the Red Bull Holiday Cup in Teaneck, NJ. One team came in 2nd place, with Lucas Evans led the scoring charts despite spending one of the four games playing goalkeeper.

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

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MARCHING TO THE BEAT OF THE NUTCRACKER Q&A Principal timpanist of the New York City Ballet’s orchestra on the role of a percussionist BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Behind every sugar plum fairy and wooden soldier is the New York City Ballet’s orchestra lending their talents to each performance of “The Nutcracker” this and every Christmas season. Ian Sullivan is an integral part of that orchestra as its principal timpanist, the sole player of the timpani or kettledrums. Since graduating with a master’s from Julliard in 2012, he has amassed an impressive musical resume, whose highlights include performing with Yo-Yo Ma, joining Carnegie Hall’s chamber orchestra and playing with the Metropolitan Opera.

How did you get started? Did you always know you wanted to be a musician? For me, it was kind of late, actually. I started in high school. I saw people playing drums and wanted to play. And as I went through high school, I had a really great music program and it introduced me to a lot of classical percussion instruments, which there is an unlimited amount of. As I got more into that, it took over really quickly for me.

You got your master’s from Juilliard. What was that experience like? It was great. It was a really intense two years, but very fun. It was amazing for me to come back because I had just come from Michigan for my

undergrad. It was really like getting thrown into the big city and having these big orchestra concerts. I went there primarily for my private lesson teacher. He was extremely strict, but really encouraging. It was all about studying with him, basically. I sometimes go back there because they do a mock audition every year and they bring in a guest to judge that. They asked me to do it last year and I got to be on the other side of the audition panel, listening to that.

You substitute at the Metropolitan Opera. What does that entail? Basically they have a certain number of percussionists and there are certain operas that require a lot more people. So we did the Shostakovich opera last year called “Lady Macbeth” and it required, I think, 10 percussionists and they only have four or ﬁve. So we came in. There’s a huge battery of percussion instruments that’s used for that opera. They play basically the whole time. It works out well because we have these offseason periods of time where we’re not playing at the ballet and it happens to coincidence with the time we are off from City Ballet.

What is the atmosphere like in “The Nutcracker’s” orchestra pit? It’s really exciting. It’s like we’re on this big sports team and we all have our different roles to play. It’s the same as it’s been since school, which is playing really great music with all of your friends. We have a conductor who we watch who gives most of the direction, but there’s also a lot of chamber music where we’re interacting between ourselves and making sure that we all line up and are representing the music in the right way.

You performed with Yo-Yo Ma. What was that like? That was great. I performed with him twice. Once was with a group that he is the artistic director of called the Silk Road Ensemble. People have played all these different instruments that are along the Silk Road, which are rarely played together, and they arranged music speciﬁcally for that group of instruments. That was a few years back, but then a couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to play in this group called The Knights, which is a chamber orchestra in New York that’s run by Eric Jacobsen. There’s a piece that was written for Yo-Yo by Golijov called “Azul,” and it had been played by him in the mid2000’s, but was never recorded. So in September we got to go through recording that entire piece, which was a big highlight for me.

You’ve played in so many iconic venues throughout Manhattan. Where are your favorite places to perform? The (New York City) Ballet is great. It’s such a beautiful theater. I really love the acoustics and the entire presentation. Before I worked here, I worked at Carnegie Hall. That deﬁnitely has a great history and the acoustic space is awesome, so it’s hard for me not to love that space as well.

So you’re still involved with Carnegie Hall, right? Yes, I was a member of Ensemble ACJW, their chamber orchestra, for two years before I worked here. Now, I function as an advisor to ACJW and as a teaching artist.

Tell us a funny story from your career. During an orchestra performance a few years back, one of the percussionists’ cymbal handles broke and the cymbal ﬂew off and rolled all the way to the conductor during the performance.

What are your future plans? Do you want to stay in New York? I do want to stay in New York. We just got a new music director here at the Ballet and he has a lot of really exciting projects coming up. It would be really great to start a chamber music series here because we have a lot of really great musicians. I think there used to be a chamber music series in the past that really gets to feature these smaller groups in the orchestra, but it hasn’t been there for a while. That would be an awesome project.

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