Our Town - December 24, 2015 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side A HOLIDAY COOKIE PRIMER < FOOD & DRINK, P.16

WEEK OF DECEMBER

24-30 2015

Our Take

A FRESH APPROACH TO THE HOMELESS PROBLEM

WELCOME BACK, MR. MAYOR

NEWS Mayor hopes outreach ‘surge’ will make a difference BY JONATHAN LEMIRE AND COLLEEN LONG

A surge of outreach teams set to be deployed by New York City to deal with its persistent street homelessness problem has a deceptively simple goal: talk to as many homeless people as possible, as often as possible. That increased frequency of contact, many experts believe, could help persuade the homeless, even those who have lived on the street for years, to ﬁnally go to a shelter. The number of staffers doing the outreach -- which started this past week with plans to double to more than 300 by March -will ﬂood an 8-mile stretch of Manhattan, checking each block daily to try to make contact with the estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people living on the streets of the nation’s largest city. Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes the tactic, which has had mixed results in other U.S. cities, could help the city “crack the code” of what has been a chronic problem. He stressed that, while the city looks to create permanent affordable housing, it still can offer a bed in a shelter, hotel or room donated by religious organizations. “Now, more than ever, we’re going to provide the housing they need,” the mayor said during a radio interview. “So if we can get them in the right direction, we actually have a place for

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A MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR A DOG LOVER NEWS Two dozen dogs, and their owners, turned out to honor the founder of an animal rescue organization BY MICKEY KRAMER

Tina the chihuahua, Tilly the pitbull-mix, and Yorkie terriers Sigmund Freud, and, yes, Trump, were among the 25 or so canines who paid

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tribute, along with over 60 humans, to Emelinda Narvaez, the founder of Earth Angels Canine Rescue. The memorial, on Saturday at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, honored Narvaez, who passed away on December 2. “I feel so lucky to have known her and so sad that such a beautiful light in the world is now gone,” said longtime Earth Angels volunteer Judy Ross. She said that her dog Car-

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City Arts Top 5 Food & Drink 15 Minutes

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mine -- “a beautiful 75 pound ball of mush” -- adopted through Earth Angels in 2005, is a wonderful reminder of Narvaez. Narvaez, who was 70, spent about 40 years rescuing dogs in New York City and was in route to saving a dog whose guardian was about to enter a nursing home, when she was felled by a heart attack. Her niece Emelin-

Mayor Bill de Blasio left us all a holiday gift this week, in the form of an admission -- his first, by our count -- that he has stumbled in his first two years in office. “I want to do better,” the mayor said. If acknowledging your mistakes is the first step towards not repeating them, de Blasio is moving in the right direction. Much of the first half of his first term has been marked by a haughtiness that has turned off even people who voted for him. That, and his initial failure to acknowledge a rise in homelessness aand a fraying of relations between the community and the police, left the impression that he was out of touch, or worse, uninterested in the nitty gritty business of governing. Speaking to reporters, de Blasio was surprisingly candid about that failing. “When you actually have to start with the substance, the world gets a little more interesting,” he said, later adding: “I’m not going to change my level of belief that a lot of things have to change in this city. But I also understand the status quo doesn’t always yield so easily.” As we enter 2016 and beyond, here’s hoping he’s learned his lesson. The city has no shortage of pressing problems, and is ready to get down to the business of solving them. We’d love to have the mayor join us.

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday December 25 – 4:16 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

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DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PANEL RECOMMENDS RAISES FOR CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS

An advisory panel has recommended raises for the city’s elected officials, including for Mayor Bill de Blasio. Photo: Kevin Case, via Flickr

An advisory panel has recommended raises for the city’s elected officials, including a 23 percent pay bump for the 51 council members and a 15 percent raise for Mayor Bill de Blasio, The New York Times reported. The Quadrennial Advisory Commission, which is charged with reviewing elected officials’ pay, suggested that the mayor’s raise would better reflect the office’s responsibilities, The Times said. Raises for elected officials, whose salaries have not increased in a decade, must be ratified by the City Council, the paper noted. The proposed raise for the mayor would bring his salary to $258,750. De Blasio, though, has said he would not accept the raise in his first term, which ends in just over a year, the newspaper said. The commission’s recommendations would bring council members’ salaries to $138,315. The panel, though, recommended that the council posts be reclassified as full-time occupations to minimize the potential for conflicts of interest tied to outside employment, The Times said.

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M66 GETS POKEY AWARD The M66 bus, which travels from an Upper East Side neighborhood replete with hospitals to Lincoln Center and back, has received Straphangers Campaign’s Pokey Award, designating it as the city’s slowest crosstown bus line. The commuter organization said the bus, which travels on 65th through 68th Streets between West End and York Avenues, travels at 3.1 mph, a speed it said is slower that than a turtle. In a press release last week, Straphangers said the Pokey Award is determined by the speed of rides documented by organization staff and volunteers that observe 35 bus routes. The routes are selected based on either high ridership or “historically slow” travel speeds. Straphangers also bestowed its Schleppie Award for the least reliable bus route to the M1 and the combined M101/102/103 lines, with both lines showing up 37 percent of the time either bunched together or with big time gaps between buses. The M1 travels to and from the East Village to Harlem along Fifth and Madison Avenues while the M101/102/103 goes from Harlem, East Harlem and Washington Heights to the East Vil-

lage along Third, Lexington, Lenox and Amsterdam Avenues.

PANEL CONVENES TO OVERSEE MTS PROJECT A local task force will keep an eye on construction of the Marine Transfer Station being built on East 91st Street and York Avenue, DNAinfo reports. The group will meet starting in January to take the community’s pulse as well as respond to concerns, the news site reported. The project has been heavily criticized since its conception. Community Board 8’s chairman, Jim Clynes, told the news site that if the project can’t be halted, the community should remain vocal about its impact. “Just because it is being built doesn’t mean it has to open,” Clynes was quoted as saying by DNAinfo. “Although the position of Community Board 8 has always been that it should not be built and everyone has tried everything in the book and outside of the book to stop it, it doesn’t seem to be able to be stopped.”

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DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

PAIR ARRESTED IN $3 MILLION COCAINE BUST A private in the U.S. Army Reserves and another man are facing drug-related charges after authorities seized $3 million worth of cocaine shipped from Boston to New York City. Mark Soto, 23, and Xavier HerbertGumbs, 24, were arraigned in Manhattan on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to a statement from Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor. Bail was set at $400,000. Both Soto, who’s in the Army Reserves, and Herbert-Gumbs live in Puerto Rico. An ongoing investigation by state and federal prosecutors identiﬁed the pair as members of a major narcotics trafficking network. Both were arrested during traffic stops in the Bronx. Authorities say Herbert-Gumbs possessed 110 pounds of cocaine, which was pressed into brick-shaped packages. Soto was arrested a short time later with about 26 pounds of cocaine in the trunk of his vehicle, prosecutors

said. Soto’s vehicle also contained an identification card with HerbertGumbs’ name and photograph, they said. Investigators say the cocaine had been transported from Boston to New York. Soto’s attorney did not immediately return a call for comment. An email to the Army Reserves press office for details about Soto’s assignment was not immediately returned. A number for Herbert-Gumbs’ attorney went unanswered Saturday. Herbert-Gumbs’ occupation wasn’t immediately clear.

ART FRAUD A prestigious art gallery fell for a fake email message and was defrauded of $31,000. A Madison Avenue art gallery reported to police that they had received an e-mail from a client back last month requesting the transfer of payment to an unknown account for a piece purchased. Gallery officials subsequently found out that the e-mail was fraudulent. Representatives at the gallery, which was identiﬁed as being between 76th and 77th Streets, reported the incident last week. Police said an investigation is ongoing.

UNWELCOME DISCOVERY

A 78-year-old woman who had just moved into a new apartment at 66th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues reported to police that she had been burglarized of items worth about $35,000. The day after her move, she discovered that a drawer of silverware was empty, and an expensive necklace and earrings were missing as well. She reported the incident on Dec. 18. Apparently, only the moving company personnel had access to her premises at the time.

FIRE ESCAPE SCRAPE Sometime between 8 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10 and the following Sunday night, someone entered the apartment of a 25-year-old woman living on 90th Street between First and Second Avenues, accessing her premises via a ﬁre escape door. The woman realized something was amiss when she saw that door was open and her laptop and two checks of an unspeciﬁed amount were missing. The laptop is valued at $1,600.

DECEITFUL DEPOSITS At noon on Thursday, Dec. 10, a 71-year-old woman living on 71st Street between First and Second Avenues noticed several unauthorized

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for Dec. 7 to Dec. 13 Week to Date

Year to Date

2015 2014

% Change

2015

2014

% Change

Murder

n/a

Rape

-100.0

-27.3

Robbery

200.0

14.1

Felony Assault

-25.0

119

100

19.0

Burglary

50.0

164

208

-21.2

Grand Larceny

-8.6

1,305

1,335 -2.2

Grand Larceny Auto

0.0

withdrawals from her checking account, totaling more than $13,000. Apparently, unknown perpetrators had deposited fraudulent checks in her account and immediately withdrawn money before the deposited checks cleared. The total amount withdrawn in the scam came to $13,050.

-5.1

car’s trunk to remove some property. She closed the trunk only to see an unknown person drive off in her car. The vehicle, a 2013 Nissan Rogue, was later recovered.

IDLE THREAT At 1:50 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, a 55-year-old woman pulled her car over to the curb at 62nd Street and York Avenue. She left the car idling with the keys in the vehicle while she opened the

Jason Kuffer, via Flickr

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DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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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 LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

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The FDR Drive in the days following Superstorm Sandy.

AUDIT FAULTS NYCHA PREPAREDNESS PLANS NEWS Stringer says 400,000 tenants at ‘extreme risk’ BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

In what city Comptroller Scott Stringer called a failure to learn lessons from Superstorm Sandy, an audit by his office found that the NYC Housing Authority’s current emergency preparedness and disaster recovery plans would leave more than 400,000 public housing tenants at “extreme risk” in the event of a crisis. Among the audit’s ﬁndings is that the housing agency keeps faulty emergency contact information for tenants with disabilities, that there is no systematic plan for preparedness drills and training in place, and NYCHA currently has only ad hoc emergency staffing plans. Perhaps the most damning failure is that three years after

Sandy, NYCHA says fixes are on the way over the next five years, meaning it will take the agency a full eight years after Superstorm Sandy to implement adequate emergency measures. “More than three years after Superstorm Sandy struck New York City – damaging 402 NYCHA buildings and shutting off essential services including heat, hot water, electricity, and elevators for tens of thousands of residents – we found that NYCHA is still woefully unprepared to face another emergency,” said Stringer. In response to Stringer’s audit, NYCHA released a statement that said it overlooked several components of NYCHA’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, which is currently in progress, and said Stinger narrowed the scope of the audit which resulted in the loss of four months of “important information on

NYCHA emergency preparedness improvements.” “This audit, in a series of NYCHA audits, is yet another example of the Comptroller cherry picking data and shifting timelines to paint an outdated picture of NYCHA,” said NYCHA Chief Communications Officer Jean Weinberg. Stringer called on NYCHA to accelerate its emergency preparedness plans. “People’s lives, safety, and homes depend on NYCHA taking the simplest, most basic steps to prepare for disaster. The Housing Authority must – must – accelerate its disaster preparations now,” said Stringer. The audit also found NYCHA failed to provide any information about the existence of generators at 55 percent of its developments, reducing the Authority’s ability to respond to power outages. NYCHA said the agency is working on in-

stalling GPS tags on each generator. Auditors made 19 recommendations, including that NYCHA ensure that information on all disabled tenants is current, accurate, and sufficiently comprehensive, so that those residents can be easily identified and assisted during an emergency. In their response, NYCHA said information on disabled tenants is self-reported and the agency is working to improve their data. Stringer’s overall assessment was that the agency should shorten its timeline for having a comprehensive plan in place. “NYCHA has employed the ostrich method of emergency planning – sticking its head in the sand and hoping that we never have another major disaster,” Stringer said. ”When it comes to ensuring the safety of NYCHA tenants, ﬁve years is an absurdly long time to wait.”

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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AMAZING IS WAKING UP. “It was like a flashbulb went off in my eyes.” That’s the last thing Nancy Jarecki remembers before a blood vessel in her brain exploded. Forty percent of people who suffer brain aneurysms like Nancy’s don’t survive. And of those who do, many have severely impaired brain function. But the skilled neurosurgery team at NewYork-Presbyterian helped Nancy beat the odds. When she opened her eyes in the recovery room, she wasn’t just awake—she was, to her own amazement, very much herself.

nyp.org/amazingthings

Central Park

A FRESH APPROACH

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PARK DELIGHT IN WINTER Central Park is a wonderful place to explore year around. In winter, bare trees open up vistas and views and it is common to see the hawks that call Central Park home. Fewer crowds mean better opportunities for getting that perfect photograph. And we still offer tours to get you out and moving around, whether you want to take a walk, a bike ride, or even travel around the park via horse and carriage or pedicab. Check out www.centralpark.com/tours for info.

ICE SKATING AND ICE HOCKEY Did you know that there are two ice skating rinks in Central Park? Most people know about Wollman Rink, located mid-park on the southern end. But there is also Lasker Rink (which functions as a swimming pool in the summer), located in the northern end of Central Park. Both rinks offer open times for ice skating, as well as ice hockey. You can book a private or group lesson or even a birthday party. Times vary for open skates each day and skate rentals are available. For hours of operation and pricing, visit www.centralpark.com/guide/sports

COMING UP THIS WEEK SWEDISH COTTAGE MARIONETTE THEATRE: THE 3 BEARS HOLIDAY BASH Looking for something to do with the kids? The Three Bears Holiday Bash is a variety show that celebrates the holiday season in song, dance and puppetry. Through Dec. 30 at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre located on the West Side of Central Park at 79th Street. Visit centralpark.com/ events for more information.

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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PUBLIC ART FUND: ALICJA KWADE: AGAINST THE RUN View the current exhibit at the entrance of Central Park on 60th Street & Fifth Avenue. Adapting a 19th century design that one might typically see in New York City, the artist has reversed the conventional mechanism. Through Feb. 14 at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza (Central Park, 60th Street and Fifth Avenue). Visit centralpark. com/events for more information.

Event listings and Where in Central Park? brought to you by CentralPark.com.

WHERE IN CENTRAL PARK?

LAST WEEK’S ANSWER

Do you know where in Central Park this photo was taken? To submit your answer, visit: www.centralpark. com/where-in-central-park. The answers and names of the people who guess right will appear in the paper and online in two weeks.

Dedicated in 1894, this bronze and granite monument stands on the park perimeter at 103rd Street and Fifth Avenue, in honor of Dr. James Marion Sims (1813–1883). He was a surgeon regarded as the father of modern gynecology. He also founded the Woman’s Hospital, the nation’s ﬁrst such hospital, at 83 Madison Ave. (1855). The statue was originally dedicated in Bryant Park and was brought to its present site, across from the Academy of Medicine, of which Dr. Sims was a memberk, in 1934. Congratulations to Gregory Holman, Bill Ferrarini, Candi George, Joe Ornstein, Henry Bottjer and Marisa Lohse for their correct answer.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 them to go.” The teams will engage each homeless person and offer services, such as shelter, medical care or a hot shower, officials said. The hope is that the homeless people, many of whom are mentally ill, will begin to trust the familiar faces and eventually accept help. But they can’t be forced to leave. The de Blasio administration has shifted into high gear in recent weeks to combat the homelessness problem after taking months of criticism for not acting quickly. There are about 58,000 people living in the city’s shelters, a near-record high. Part of the delay, de Blasio acknowledged, was not having an accurate count of the number of street homeless, something the new program, dubbed Home-Stat, aims to ﬁx. “It will be the most comprehensive street outreach effort directed at the homeless ever deployed in a major American city,” the mayor said.

Other cities have tried this approach, including San Francisco, which formed an outreach team a decade ago and until last year focused on canvassing to find and convince homeless people to move to

shelters. But it had to change the model to focus on on-site medical care because there wasn’t enough shelter for the more than 6,500 homeless people. Colorado Springs operates an outreach team through the police department, with input from homeless and civil liberties advocates. Houston’s team includes both police and mental health professionals. In New York, there will also be a newly trained team of about 100 police officers who primary duty will be to deal with the city’s homeless. Over the years, police have increas-

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR A DOG LOVER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 da Banuchi, who used to travel the streets with Narvaez looking for stray dogs to feed and save, called her aunt, “a hero to the dogs.” For the memorial, the sanctuary was decorated with hand-made posters featuring pictures of dogs adopted throughout the years, dogs currently available for adoption and tributes to Narvaez with words such as “woof woof mommy, we miss you.” The stories of gratitude, admiration and love for Narvaez were vast, tear-filled, and extended the scheduled one-hour event to almost two. Diego Aguirre and Jamey Poole brought Rusty James, a gray and white pitbull they’ve had for four years. Aguirre served in the Marines, and said adopting Rusty has helped calm him and that Narvaez “saved both our lives.” “I wasn’t complete until he came into my life,” Aguirre adds. Tucker Ranson and Virginia Martinez adopted Pebbles, a chihuahua-mix, from Earth

Photos by Barbara Ross Angels in 2007. “Emelinda brought this wonderful gift into our lives, so we wanted to honor her [at the memorial]. Our lives would be so empty without her,” Ranson said. While sitting on the floor of the sanctuary with Sigmund Freud, Zahra Meherali explained that she used to foster dogs for Earth Angels when one day Narvaez said to her, “I have your dog.” Meherali thought she meant her next foster dog, but Narvaez had another, more permanent arrangement in mind. Eight years later, Sigmund and Meherali couldn’t be happier. Meherali adds that her mother also has a Yorkie adopted from Earth Angels.

ingly relied less on arrests in favor of trying to move people into hospitals. But Police Commissioner William Bratton suggested this week that he would look into some legislative modiﬁcations to expand police officers’ authority when dealing with the homeless. For instance, the law currently prohibits begging within 10 feet of a bank ATM; Bratton wants that expanded to ATMs found in stores. That suggestion and the new outreach teams concerned some homeless advocates, who fear unwarranted arrests or conﬁscation of property. “This new program is just more of the same,” said Jesus Morales, a member of Picture the Homeless, who has lived on the street for over 15 years. “More case workers, more cops; that does nothing for me. Find us housing.” Giselle Routhier, policy director of Coalition for the Homeless, called the outreach program “a step in the right direction” but cautioned that the city needs to implement it carefully. “To do this right, there should be trained social services providers going out there who can listen carefully on what the needs of the homeless are and offer real solutions,” she said. Bill Dodson and Ania Kucharski attended the service with their two Yorkies. One, the previously mentioned Trump (Dodson wanted to clarify that Trump came “named” already) was a labor of love for Narvaez. Trump was abused and very sick, but Narvaez paid for multiple operations before choosing Dodson and Kucharski as the perfect parents. “Emelinda was very happy that Trump would have a friend,” Dodson recalls. Narvaez had a house in the South Bronx and Ross explains that a couple of days after Narvaez died, Ross saw two stray cats patiently waiting for Narvaez to feed them. “It broke my heart and was a stark reminder as to how many lives were affected by Emelinda and what a hole her death left in the world,” Ross says. Earth Angels still has a number of dogs, mostly pitbulls, which need loving homes. “Emelinda has been such an inspiration that we all want to continue the work that she did,” Ross said. To adopt, foster, or volunteer: Earthangelsnyc.org, 917-648-7070, or email earthangelsnyc@gmail.com

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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Neighborhood Scrapbook

Our Perspective Holiday Season Means Extra Stress for Retail Workers By Stuart Appelbaum, President Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW

ASPHALT GREEN SWIMMING AT JUNIOR NATIONALS The Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics National Group attended Junior Nationals in Atlanta over the weekend of December 12, the country’s highest-level competition for 18 and under athletes. Isabel Gormley was the top AGUA finisher with a 12th place finish in the 400 IM. Krystal Lara made the B-final in the 100 backstroke, setting a new team record. Aaron Glas set a new personal best, and Sophia Zhang qualified for Summer Junior Nationals. Nicole Aarts and Carly Fried also made finals.

orking in the retail industry any time of year can be a challenge. But for the holiday season, it can be downright daunting for workers tasked with handling everything from crowds of holiday shoppers to the flood of post-holiday returns. For many RWDSU members, employed at retail stores such as Macy’s, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and Bloomingdale’s, it’s the most stressful time of year. Big crowds, irritable customers, long hours, and the need for workers themselves to take care of their own holiday obligations can all weigh heavy on workers’ shoulders. Too many shoppers don’t appreciate the pressure that retail workers are under this time of year. And, especially for retail workers in non-union stores, the stress of the holidays is stacked on For non-union retail top of the daily obstacles they face every day of the year: workers, it can be insufficient hours, poverty a struggle just to wages that won’t support survive - to say families, and unpredictable nothing of providing scheduling that makes it their families with a difficult to work another job, joyous holiday. plan childcare, or attend school. Non-union retail workers may be forced to work when they don’t want to, regardless of their own holiday plans, and they likely won’t be compensated fairly for working holiday time. For these workers, it can be a struggle just to survive – to say nothing of providing their families with a joyous holiday. With a union, workers have the assistance of contract protections, a voice in the workplace, With a union, and a way to effectively workers have the communicate their concerns assistance of with management. They can contract protections, make their jobs better, and create better lives by coming a voice in the worktogether and joining a union. place, and a way to This holiday season, if you are communicate with working in retail, hang in there, management. and call on your fellow workers and your union for support and assistance. And for everyone, when you are doing your holiday shopping, take some time to consider the stress the workers who are helping create holiday memories are under. Lend a smile, and some patience to workers and your fellow shoppers. It’s the time of year we can all give a little back and do our best to spread good will.

“

REPAIRING THE SEAWALL AT ROCKEFELLER Manhattan Parks Commissioner Bill Castro, Councilmember Ben Kallos, Rockefeller University President Marc TessierLavigne, Minna Elias (on behalf of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney), and Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington celebrate the repairs to the seawall near Rockefeller University and the revitalization project of the East River Esplanade.

Share your news and what’s going on in your life. Go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

For more information, visit

www.rwdsu.org

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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Editorial

A NEW WRINKLE ON SCHOOL SEGREGATION For months now, we’ve been harping on about the shameful segregation of our city schools. As real estate values soar, diversity in our neighborhoods goes down. The result is one of the most segregated school systems in the country, as bad as the climate that led to forced desegregation by the courts in the 1970s. That’s the storyline we know. Now, thanks to some impressive, groundbreaking research from the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs, a new wrinkle has been added to the debate, and it doesn’t reflect well on parents in some of the city’s gentrifying neighborhoods. The study acknowledges that segregated housing begets segregated schools, particularly at the primaryschool level, when kids tend to attend the neighborhood school they’re zoned for. But this study shows that the demographics of the neighborhood don’t tell the whole story. Schools in many neighborhoods — especially ones with predominantly black or Latino populations — tend to be even more segregated than the neighborhoods themselves, essentially meaning that white parents are pulling their kids out of the public system in those neighborhoods, opting for private or charter schools. Case in point: P.S. 191 on the Upper West Side, site of a recent, nasty ﬁght over school overcrowding at nearby P.S. 199. A plan to shift kids from the (predominantly white and top-performing) 199 to (the predominantly black and Latino and poor-performing) 191 was met with angry protests and letters, forcing the city to back down.

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But here’s the thing: The study found that 80 percent of the kids at P.S. 191 are black and Latino. However, only 21 percent of the people living in the zone are black and Latino. What that means is that a big chunk of the white families who live in the zone are choosing not to participate in the neighborhood school; clearly, there are more than real estate values at play here. New Yorkers pride themselves on their openness and inclusivity. David Dinkins called it our “gorgeous mosaic.” Apparently, that changes when it comes time to send our kids to school. Values that we wear as badges of honor in our 20s and 30s fade as our families grow. Diversity is ﬁne, we say, but not if it comes at the price of our own kids’ education. It’s sad, but telling, that the New School center had to end its report with a section called “Why Integration Matters.” Poorer schools, it said, tend to have trouble keeping good teachers and are more likely to have lower expectations for their kids; higher-income parents have the political clout to demand better. “The key,” the report concludes, “is to find ways to encourage more middle-class parents who live in economically mixed neighborhoods (or white and Asian parents living in racially mixed neighborhoods) to send their children to the neighborhood schools.” Until that happens, the segregation in this city will worsen, and the inequality gap will continue to spread from our wallets to our kids. — The Editors

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THE FLYING OF TIME SENIOR LIVING BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

Did you ever notice how the day after Monday is Friday? Or so it seems. I actually love Mondays. A new, clean week. My favorite restaurants will be empty for lunch. The movies will have available seats and no lines. But suddenly it’s Friday again. Just like that, in a blink. Where did the week go? What happened to the days in the middle? Time is not only ﬂying, it’s on a jet plane. Scary, isn’t it? When you’re a kid, time seems so endless, days so long, so … stretchy. Now it’s whoosh, and another week is gone. Is there a scientist who can explain this? Another thing I’m noticing is that I’m receiving in the mail brochures, flyers etc. about assisted living facilities and burial sites. Not that I asked for them! Sorry, cemeteries, but I’m going to be cremated. I doubt this information will reach them and I expect to receive more of

their unsolicited mail in the future. As for assisted living, well, I hope to avoid that entirely. As most of us do, I hope to remain in my home until I’m taken out feet ﬁrst. I’ll do anything necessary to achieve that goal, though if it comes to being a burden to my children I make have to rethink it. In any case, I don’t know how I got on these lists and I wish I could end these fruitless and wasteful mailings. To my thinking, burial is a waste of space, but each to their own. I remember turning 50 (a millennium ago) and receiving the AARP magazine. How did they know, I wondered? It’s same with these brochures. They just know. Are you Grandma, Nana or Bubbe? I am Grandma Marcia because there is a Grandma Hennie and I don’t like any of the other options and neither did Hennie. Nana makes me think I should be baking ginger snap cookies. Are you Grandpa, Zaide, Papa, or Poppy? My mother was Grandma, and I am Grandma. But wait, me, Grandma? It happened rather late, actually. My first grandchild was born when I was in my 60’s. And, of course, it’s wonderful. There’s nothing like it. But it shakes one up a bit, doesn’t it? First I was just Marcia. Eventually I was Mommy. Grandma snuck up on me. An old friend used to joke that when she had grandchil-

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Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons

dren they would call her Ms. Pat. Hah! She was Grandma in a snap. It’s like the rest of life; we adjust to everything and some of it we end up welcoming with open arms. Literally! I attended a lovely luncheon hosted by a member of BAiP (Bloomingdale Aging in Place). BAiP has many activities, and lunches and dinners are hosted by whoever in the organization has the urge and are common throughout the year. We went to Sookk, a small Thai restaurant on Broadway between 102nd and 103rd Streets. The food was delicious and very reasonable. The restaurant is run by a family and they are more than generous in their portions and their smiles. Deﬁnitely worth a try. Has anyone noticed what seems to be a slowdown of buses on the West Side? I’ve waited up to 45 minutes on Columbus, Amsterdam and Broadway. People are grumbling and muttering to themselves at the bus stops. When a bus ﬁnally arrives, it’s the battle of the walkers and canes. I’m sure the MTA would deny a slowdown, but c’mon folks, it’s obvious. And then, while waiting for that elusive vehicle, along comes a bus practically shouting “NOT IN SERVICE.” Grrr!! And so it goes.

Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Op-Ed

BREAKING BREAD BY BETTE DEWING

Editor’s note: This column ran in the Dec. 17 edition of Our Town without a byline for columnist Bette Dewing. We run it again this week -- this time with her name attached. What does it proﬁt a city when a mayor’s top priority is for affordable homes to “lay down the head,” but with no plan to save the nearby places which meet residents’ everyday needs. Such places, of course, are located on the ground ﬂoors 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. No-vision naked emperors 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 can’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 isn’t out there walking to various neighborhood stores and cafes. Literally untold losses result. A most worthwhile holiday gathering Will such losses be discussed at local elected officials’ parties? Thankfully, one December gathering hosted by D’Agostino’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 I’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 End’s Gristedes, where my loyalties lie. 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. Infinitely more must be said. The smiling and other solutions So how was the D’Agostino meeting, already? Well, complaints about pricing and flawed food or service ensued, but the over-riding concern was for this familyowned store’s continued presence. And many said, “Since manager, Joe Majiko, returned, things have already improved!” Ah, and Majiko shares my belief to, “Above all, go all-out to make it a very helpful ‘service with a smile’ store!” (Indeed science finds the very act of smiling also cheers the smiler’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. Keep up the pressure 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-ﬁlling 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 elder-friendly, if accessible neighborhood places no longer exist. Forewarning so needed But did anyone try to stop the sale of the low-rise building on 81st and York which houses Gracie’s Café, 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 area’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 children’s story hour. Don’t be Silent –Support Local So speak out. Don’t be silent. And we can ﬁght City Hall, if enough of us try – keep trying. Shop/support local. Smile - a lot more. And Charlie Brown would likely say, all this really does relate to what Christmas and Chanukah are all about… dewingbetter@aol.com

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DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to ourtownny.com

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▲“NOT EXACTLY CHRISTMAS EVE” CONCERT 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, Kaufmann Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. From $60 David Broza’s annual extravaganza 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Uptown/Event/David-Broza

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583 Park Ave., at 63rd Street 6:30 p.m. Sing Christmas carols. Hear inspirational country singer Cherie Brennan make her New York City debut. 212-838-1870. ThirdChurchNYC.com.

Fri 25

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Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Ave., at 92nd Street 11:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m. “Mother,” “Salt for Svanetia,” “October” and “Storm Over Asia.” Part of the museum’s Soviet ﬁlm series. 212-423-3200. thejewishmuseum.org/calendar/ events/2015/12/25/powerof-pictures-ﬁlm-screeningsmondays-and-fridays

Central Park, in front of the Samuel F. B. Morse statue, inside the Park at 72nd Street. 2 p.m. Free Walk straight through the heart of Central Park and enjoy a great variety of its scenic, sculptural, and architectural elements. 212-868-0190. www. centralparknyc.org/events/ individual-events/heart-of-thepark-tour-12-25-2015.html

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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Sat 26 ETHEL & FRIENDS Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave, at 82nd Street, Great Hall Balcony 5-8 p.m. Free with museum admission JP Jofreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hard Tango Chamber Band, with JP Jofre, bandoneĂłn; Ralph Farris, violin; and Pablo CaďŹ ci, piano. Works by Jofre, Piazzolla and Federico. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ďŹ ndevents

â&#x2013;˛ HEALTH AND RACE WALKING Central Park, North Meadow Recreation Center, mid-Park at 97th Street. 9:30 a.m. Free This low-impact ďŹ tness program is perfect for those who want to get in shape, build muscle tone, strength and increase cardiovascular health. 212-310-6600. www. centralparknyc.org/events/ individual-events/Healthand-Racing-WalkingClinic-12-26-2015.html

Sun 27 NO HOME MOVIE The Museum of Modern Art Theater 1, 11 West 53 St. 5 p.m. $12; Seniors, $10, Students, $8. Chantal Akermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nal movie. www.showclix.com/event/f25737-No-Home-Movie/listing

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NATURE EXPLORATION HIKE FOR FAMILIES Dana Discovery Center, Central Park, 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues 11 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12:30 p.m. And Urban Park Ranger program focused to families and participants who will enjoy observing the Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wildlife while learning about its ecosystems. 212-628-2345. www.nycgovparks.org/ events/2015/12/29/natureexploration-hike-for-families

67th Street Library. 328 East 67th St. 11 a.m. Free Stay Well volunteers certiďŹ ed by the NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department for the aging will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. 212-734-1717. www.nypl.org/ events/programs/2015/12/14/ stay-well-exercise NATURE EXPLORATION:

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THE PINETUM LUIGI. A BENEFITTRIBUTE CONCERT Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway. 7:30 p.m. $85 212-864-5400. www. symphonyspace.org/ event/8973/Dance/luigi-abeneďŹ t-tribute-concert

Tue 29 WHEN BELIEF MEETS ART Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave, at 82nd Street, Gallery 534 11-Noon. Free with museum admission. Michael Norris, art historian and lecturer, discusses how medieval artists created otherworldly and unreal visions in sculpture, mosaic, tapestry and painting to help Christians sustain their belief. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ďŹ ndevents

85th Street and Central Park West in Central Park 11 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12:30 p.m. Created in the 1970s, this section of the park contains a variety of pine trees species. The Urban Park Rangers discuss the special adaptations and characteristics of the trees and their evergreen cousins. 212-628-2345. www.nycgovparks.org/ events/2015/12/30/natureexploration-the-pinetum

NEW YEAR'S EVE SERVICE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 AT 7:30PM

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave, at 82nd Street, Gallery 534 11-Noon. Free with museum admission. Maria Rhor, of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education department, discusses perspective, realism and illusionism in 17th century Dutch paintings and how lines between reality and illusion become blurred. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ďŹ ndevents

A special Jazz service in the Sanctuary. Holy Communion. Followed by a festive reception in the Marble Loft (274 Fifth Ave). Chad Tanaka Pack, preaching; Chris Whittaker, music.

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Robert Kondo, Remy in the Kitchen, “Ratatouille,” 2007. Digital painting. Copyright: Disney/ Pixar

TELLING THE STORY OF KIDS’ CLASSICS EXHIBITION The Cooper Hewitt showcases the geniuses behind Pixar BY MARY GREGORY

Storytellers have been key to human society since before there was writing, never mind computer technology. Pixar Animation Studios has mastered (or invented) countless tools and techniques, yet all of them are there to serve the story. In films like “Finding Nemo,” “Cars,” “Inside Out” and its newest, “The Good Dinosaur,” art, design and science merge into magic. There are

fascinating tales behind these beloved classics, but since stories don’t tell themselves, Cara McCarty, curatorial director, and her team at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum decided to tell Pixar’s in The Design of Story -- an exhibition that’s equal parts studious, serious, and fun. McCarty and her team first conceived of a Pixar exhibition more than three years ago. Since then, the museum has undergone a major renovation, including the creation of the Process Lab, a special gallery with interactive equipment that gives visitors a glimpse into the methods designers use. It’s the

perfect place to engage inquisitive minds, especially when the display involves characters like Wall-E and Buzz Lightyear. The lab’s two galleries are ﬁlled with dozens of drawings and digital paintings, sculptures and models, story boards and plans selected to offer a glimpse into the design decisions that underlie the films. While there are lots of things to attract and engage young visitors, it’s not like a Harry Potter theme park, ﬁlled with costumes, props and souvenirs. Rather, it’s a way to understand the planning and preparation that goes into each stage of production.

“Working with Pixar was a real eye opener for me,” McCarty said. She and the other curators met with Pixar’s creative team to discuss their work and methods. Together, they came up with a visual representation of their process, designing a target-like medallion, McCarty explained, with “Story” at the center. Surrounding it, and next in importance are “Appeal” and “Believability,” which are arrived at through the third layer, “Research,” “Collaboration” and “Iteration.” All are crucial, and the exhibition shows how it all comes together. When the artists started working on the cute little ants that starred in “A Bug’s Life” they found that six legs weren’t so cute, so it was back to the drawing board for Flik and the gang. Four legs made the characters seem a little less buggy, increasing their appeal factor. Remy, the rat from Ratatouille, may have begun with anatomical studies of rodents, but the designers knew they had to make him a little cuddly, too. The Parr family,

a.k.a. “The Incredibles,” lived in mid-twentieth century California. To make the story feel believable—less like a cartoon and more like an action film— designers put tremendous research into the architectural styles, furniture, cars and clothes that show up in the film. That’s where Pixar ties into the Cooper Hewitt. Background elements, like George Nelson’s “Ball Wall Clock” were so accurately portrayed that they can be matched to the actual ones in the museum’s collections. The same thing happens with Eames chairs and hundreds of other items the curators identified as they watched all the films. Visitors can trace and link them in the lab’s interactive computer displays. To see how Pixar utilizes Iteration, visitors can look to Woody, from “Toy Story.” In successive sculptures and drawings he evolves from a gruff, weathered old cowboy to the adorable character kids and adults have come to love. Visitors are offered the tools to try their own hands at cre-

ating a loveable, believable character starting from just a squiggle, and while it’s a tight, small show, it’s surrounded by a whole museum’s worth of other wonders that can easily ﬁll a day. At the end of each Pixar ﬁlm, when the final credits roll, it takes a second or two for the live actors’ names to scroll past. The list of writers, animators, technicians, programmers, artists, sculptors, and visual and sound effects editors rolls on and on. All of them have to be thinking in unison, sharing a vision, following not just story boards, but myriad esthetic considerations to create a story that’s not just believable, but memorable and meaningful. “There’s magic, and a lot of imagination,” McCarty said, “but there’s a lot of reality. I think that’s the brilliance of Pixar, that they are able to pick up on and distill things down to the essence with a high credibility factor. And,” she added with a chuckle, “lots of fun.”

5 TOP

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

DAVID BROZA’S ANNUAL “NOT EXACTLY CHRISTMAS EVE” CONCERT Every December since 2001, Israel’s David Broza brings his eclectic sound to 92nd Street Y. Inﬂuenced by the music of the countries he’s called home, including Israel, Spain and the United States, Broza’s albums have included poetry by Townes Van Zandt and, most recently, featured Israel’s Andalusian Orchestra of Ashkelon. Country artist and songwriter Steve Earle also makes an appearance. David Broza’s Annual “Not Exactly Christmas Eve” Concert Thursday, Dec. 24 92nd Street Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 7:30 p.m. Tickets $60-$75 To purchase tickets, visit 92y.org or call 212-415-5500

LUMINARIES As Christmas lights twinkle throughout the city, a different lighting display shines in downtown Manhattan. With Luminaries, an installation at Brookfield Place’s Winter Garden, 650 lanterns draped from the ceiling glow with LED lights and change in color as visitors put their hands on touch stations. Light shows take place every two hours. Luminaries Now through Jan. 10 Winter Garden at Brookfield Place Entrance at 200 Vesey St., between West Street and North End Avenue 8 a.m.-8 p.m. FREE For more information, visit artsbrookfield.com

A WRITER’S CHRISTMAS: DICKENS & MORE In a free exhibition of items from its collection, New York Public Library presents pieces of literary yuletide cheer, including a Christmas card from James Joyce, a card typed by Jack Kerouac to his wife, and Charles Dickens’ personal copy of “A Christmas Carol,” which is ﬁlled with his notes, that he used for readings. A Writer’s Christmas: Dickens & More Now through Jan. 4 New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street Hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m.8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. To be included in the Top 5 go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

David Broza’s Annual “Not Exactly Christmas Eve” Concert

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org

MUSIC

ART

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FREE For more information, visit nypl.org or call 917-275-6975

KIDS WINTER RECESS WONDERLAND The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has a full roster of events to ﬁll the days during school vacation, including costume decorating inspired by the Rockettes’ bedazzled garments, a science talk about the sun with a team from the American Museum of Natural History, and New Year’s Eve crafting where kids can make their own noisemakers to ring in 2016. Winter Recess Wonderland Dec. 28-31 Children’s Museum of Manhattan 212 W. 83rd St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue Assorted times Museum hours: Sunday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission $12 For more information, visit cmom.org or call 212-721-1223

IN CONVERSATION KARMA: CAUSE, EFFECT AND THE ILLUSION OF FATE In discussion with actor Peter Sarsgaard, climatologist James Hansen, who brought attention to global warming in 1988, talks about the key takeaways from the recent Paris Climate Change Conference. Karma: Cause, Effect and the Illusion of Fate Wednesday, Dec. 30th The Rubin Museum of Art 150 W. 17th St., near Seventh Avenue 7 p.m. Tickets $25 To purchase tickets, visit rubinmuseum.org or call 212-620-5000

For the past 20 years, on the night before Christmas, singer/songwriter and UNICEF goodwill ambassador David Broza has performed a concert of his music, with its inﬂuences from Spain, America, England and his native Israel. ($55)

Fun City: John Lindsay, Joe Namath, and How Sports Saved New York in the 1960s

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29TH, 6:30PM Mid-Manhattan Library | 455 Fifth Ave. | 212-340-0863 | nypl.org Sporting News editor and author Sean Deveney looks at a mayor, a quarterback and an evolving New York City. (Free)

Just Announced | Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World— Adam Grant and Malcolm Gladwell

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Adam Grant (Give and Take) joins fellow original thinker Malcolm Gladwell for an exploration of innovation and bucking tradition. ($45)

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

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

DA VINCI, THIS TIME IN KNOTS A textile show at the Met shows the master in a new light BY MARY GREGORY

Any time there’s a work by Leonardo da Vinci on view anywhere in the Northeastern U.S., it’s worth considering a trip. Any time there’s one in New York, it’s practically a no-brainer. The Metropolitan’s exhibition Fashion and Virtue: Textile Patterns and the Print Revolution, 1520– 1620 opens with a fascinating look at a group of woodcuts showing complex, elegant knot work designs thought to be embroidery patterns. The woodcuts were made in da Vinci’s workshop after his original designs. Da Vinci was drawn to knotty problems, and to knots themselves. In his intellectual and artistic circle, knots both signiﬁed complexity and symbolized inﬁnity. Here, he formed them into a graceful circular motif of geometric perfection.

Detail from a Todd Oldham Evening dress in silk and plastic, 1992-93 Photo by Adel Gorgy

His original six patterns were so stunning and so signiﬁcant that an artist no less than Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) decided to copy them. Associate curator Femke Speelberg, who organized the exhibition, explains in a blog post that Dürer “encountered the prints during a trip to Italy undertaken between 1505 and 1507. Copying after other artists was uncharacteristic for the famous artist from Nuremberg, but the ingenuity and appeal of these designs led him to set aside his scruples and create the woodcuts, to be able to share the beautiful designs with his northern colleagues.” She also noted that Dürer’s conscience didn’t allow him to place his signature on another artist’s design, but that didn’t bother the subsequent owner of the woodblock, who didn’t hesitate to carve an AD insignia in the center of the design to spur sales. The very rare woodblock itself, along with the original da Vinci that inspired it and Dürer’s homages are

“Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch” published in Cologne in the 16th century, one of many needlework design books on display Photo by Adel Gorgy

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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OurTownNY.com The Garden of Eden embroidered in the late 1500s shows virtuosic painting with thread Photo by Adel Gorgy all on display. The exhibition, filling the first floor of the Lehman wing through January 10, goes on to explore the creation, dissemination and popularity of printed pattern books made between 1520 and 1620. They were the original fashion magazines, and they became wildly popular in Renaissance Europe. One look at the paintings of the period in the galleries upstairs will show that these people took their clothes seriously. Lace collars and jeweled hems sewn together with golden threads adorn both secular leaders and saints. The Met has one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest collections of these pattern books, and seeing them on display is extremely visually engaging. But seeing them grouped among samples of the ďŹ nal product, either as textiles or garments, or in paintings of sitters wearing them, brings it to a whole different level. And tracing how these early patterns inďŹ&#x201A;uenced subsequent designers and craftspeople for centuries underscores the tremendous historical signiďŹ cance these early patterns had. The exhibition includes a touching and gentle painting by Francisco de ZurbarĂĄn of the Virgin Mary as a young girl, caught in a moment of spiritual communion as she is embroidering. The wall text makes the point that needlework was thought of as a virtuous occupation for women, as opposed to racier pursuits like singing, dancing or playing cards. Depictions of Mary at needlework were common throughout the Renaissance, and young womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education included sewing lessons well into the 20th century. While the show incorporates several examples

of humble, homespun textiles, like the charming sampler done in 1669 signed by â&#x20AC;&#x153;I.S.â&#x20AC;? an unknown girl of just 10 years of age, the spectacular works are jaw-dropping showstoppers. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a silk velvet panel embroidered with a depiction of the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden done in England in the late 16th century. It stretches over six feet and shows, under a spreading apple tree, Adam and Eve on the left, covered by leafy embroidery. Below them is a river populated with swimming ďŹ sh and ďŹ&#x201A;oating ducks and a bank of blossoming ďŹ&#x201A;owers all depicted in thread. In the center is God, robed in rich red and crowned with an embroidered gold halo, angels ďŹ&#x201A;ying above him. And at the right, the angel escorts them from Eden. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing short of virtuosic. One room features a whole wall of patterns realizedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;drawings and textiles placed side-byside. Also on display are works from Mexico to Bhutan, from the 1500s to the present, and ecumenical and everyday garments that remind us that we all gather under one great robe, or, more prosaically, that we all put on our pants one leg at a time. An opportunity to see so many works from so many different departmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;prints and drawings, the Costume Institute, European Paintings, as well as international loansâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;coming together to form a new way of understanding the evolution of fashion is rare and delightful. A chance to see a da Vinci of any kind is not to be missed. And for anyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever tried his or her hand at turning a paper pattern from Simplicity into a wearable garment, this show will boggle the mind.

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Food & Drink NEW YORK CHOCOLATIERS UNDER FIRE

The Brooklyn chocolate makers who run Mast Brothers in Brooklyn find themselves in hot water after allegations that they lied about their chocolate-making methods, an accusation that the brothers denied before admitting to a small part of

the claim in a Dec. 20 New York Times story. Rick Mast told the Times that when the pair--who maintain that their chocolate bars are derived from a bean-to-bar operation-first started concocting their confections, they used industrial chocolate at times.

Eater reported that, after a letter on the company website stated that “we have been making chocolate from bean to bar since the beginning” the company shared an updated letter, admitting that, in the earliest days, they “tested” with remelted chocolate.

Via jen collins on Flickr

SUGAR, SPICE, EVERYTHING NICE Homemade holiday treats, delicious and easy to make

BY LIZ NEUMARK

The best part of the holidays is giving yourself permission to eat too much of everything from turkey and ham, roast, ﬁsh, sides and bread, to indulging in tempting desserts. New Year’s Eve — and, at the very least, a mental commitment of returning to the gym after the holidays — gives us license to savor the delicious sweets we resist year round. Here are a few my favorite treats (after all, if you are breaking the rules then make it worthwhile). These are good as hostess gifts or to keep yourself. And it’s the holidays for goodness sake, so relax, have fun in the kitchen by yourself or invite some kids or friends to join you. The more, the messier — I mean the merrier!

Holiday Sea Salt Caramels You will want to have a candy thermometer for this, a worthwhile investment, as you will want to make these over and over. You will also need wax paper or cellophane for wrapping individual caramels. Great Performances’ pastry chef Rob Valencia makes these for us to bring to our customers throughout the holiday season. Yields a 9 x 13 pan. Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream 10 Tb sweet butter 2 tsp ﬂeur de sel 3 cups sugar ½ cup light corn syrup ½ cup water Spray pan w/ pan spray or use vegetable oil, line bottom with parchment paper and lightly spray. Bring cream and butter to boil, set aside. Boil sugar, corn syrup and water in heavy 3-4 quart saucepan. Do not stir ingredients but swirl pan to mix, cook until light amber in color. Carefully stir in cream mixture, being aware that sugar mixture will bubble up. Stir frequently, and boil until candy thermometer registers 242 de-

grees, about 10 minutes. When mixture reaches temperature, mix in ﬂeur de sel. Immediately pour into greased pan and let cool on level surface for two hours. Cut into 1-inch squares and wrap in wax paper or cellophane.

bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center is nearly clean when removed, about 25 minutes. Carrot cakes should be a little moist, so take care not to over bake it. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, then turn it out and frost it. For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer on high speed. Lower speed to medium and gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, adding more or less to your preferred consistency. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, let set for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and garnish with candied ginger if using.

Maple Walnut Caramel-Corn Balls, by Liddabit Sweets’ Jennifer King, from “The New Greenmarket Cookbook” Now that you are interested in caramel, and practice makes perfect, here is another caramelbased recipe from my friends at Liddabit Sweets, an amazing Brooklyn-based handcrafted candy company. I became addicted to their caramels years ago in the New Amsterdam Market. This recipe appears in a cookbook I adore, “The New Greenmarket Cookbook,” where you are more likely to ﬁnd recipes for every seasonal vegetable, hence the double delight of getting this treat. (The cookbook and the popcorn balls are a great gift set.) Ingredients: Vegetable oil for greasing 18 cups popped popcorn (about 2⁄3 cup unpopped kernels) 8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar 3⁄4 cup ﬁrmly packed light brown sugar 3⁄4 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B 1⁄2 cup light corn syrup 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1 1⁄2 tsps baking soda 1 Tb salt Grease two heatproof spatulas and one extralarge bowl. Place the popped popcorn in the bowl and set it aside. Pop the corn kernels, or buy some really freshly made popcorn. (My note: Make enough to snack on while you cook!) Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugars, maple syrup and corn syrup. Using a heatproof spatula, stir to combine. Bring to a boil and insert the candy thermometer. Stirring often, cook the mixture to 290°F and stir in the walnuts, if you’re using them. Remove from the heat, gently add the baking soda, and stir thoroughly. The mixture will foam

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

A version of pumpkin bread pudding, a delicious and simple to make holiday-time treat. Photo: esimpraim, via Flickr slightly. Carefully pour the hot caramel evenly over the popcorn and, using the spatulas, toss gently and constantly — as you do a salad — until the popcorn is coated with caramel, about 1 minute. Add the salt and toss again. Then, using greased hands, shape the popcorn into balls (anywhere from tennis ball to softball-size) and place on sheet pans to cool.

Carrot-Ginger Squares This is an all-time favorite and very easy to make. I like it because it can be made as two layers and turned into a cake as easily as it can be poured into a 9x13 baking dish can cut into ﬁnger friendly squares. Carrots are also in abundance at the farmers market, so there is an element of seasonality to it! This recipe appears in my cookbook, “Sylvia’s Table.” Ingredients: For the squares: Butter or vegetable oil to crease the pan 1 ¾ cups all purpose ﬂour plus more for the pan 1 cup of sugar 1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp baking soda 3 eggs lightly beaten 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shredded carrots (about 4 smallish ones) 1 ½ Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger ½ Tbsp Myers’s rum or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled For the frosting: 12 oz cream cheese at room temperature 2 Tbsp butter at room temperature 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract About 3 cups confectioners’ sugar Minced candied ginger, optional Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and ﬂour the pan, tap out excess. Mix the ﬂour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and powder together in large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine well but do not over mix. Pour the batter into the pan, place in over and

Great Performances’ Pastry Chef Rob Valencia recommends this dish because it is so versatile. He serves it warm right out of the oven and loves it cold from the fridge a few days later. For entertaining purposes, you can assemble the ingredients early in the day and pop into the oven during the meal for a stunning grand ﬁnale! The great aroma will whet your appetite! Ingredients to ﬁll a 9x9 casserole baking dish: 5 eggs 2 yolks (reserve whites for your morning eggs!) 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups half & half 1 10 oz can pumpkin puree (I like Libby’s) 4 oz butter, melted ½ tsp pumpkin pie spices 1 lb brioche, diced, toasted in oven on baking tray 2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar to garnish Mix together all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour over diced bread, let soak about 30 minutes. Fill a ceramic casserole dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in a 200-degree oven for 30 minutes until the top is brown. The consistency inside will be moist and custard-like. Happy, tasty holidays! Liz Neumark is the CEO of Great Performances catering and the author of the cookbook “Sylvia’s Table.”

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS NOV 16 - DEC 17, 2015

Andaz

1378 1 Avenue

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

Dining Room

.1-A East 77 St

Union Club Of City Of New York

101 East 69 Street

Petaluma

1356 1 Avenue

Joe Coffee

1045 Lexington Avenue

Come Prima

903 Madison Ave

Not Yet Graded (5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Island

1305 Madison Avenue A

Oita Sushi

1317A 2Nd Ave

Bkb

321 East 73 Street

Seamstress

339 East 75 Street

Cafe Luka

1319 1 Avenue

Oslo Coffee Roasters

422 East 75 Street

Cilantro

1321 1 Avenue

El Paso Taqueria

64 East 97 Street

Trend Diner

1382 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food prepared from ingredients at ambient temperature not cooled to 41º F or below within 4 hours. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.

Champignon

1389 Madison Avenue A

Lloyd’s Carrot Cake

1553 Lexington Avenue

Wimpys Restaurant

23 East 109 Street

Grade Pending (19) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations.

Grand Cafe (Metropolitan Hospital)

1901 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (19) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Lexington Restaurant

1863 Lexington Avenue

Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations.

Spice Hut Indian Restaurant

2172 2Nd Ave

Grade Pending (28) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Eddie’s Deli & Pizza

184 E 116Th St

Perk Kafe

1867 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (32) Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Budepest Cafe

1631 2 Avenue

Pinkberry

240 East 82 Street

Sushi Para Manhattan

1461 3Rd Ave

Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Crepes And Delices

222 E 86Th St

By The Way Bakery

1236 Lexington Ave

Big Daddy’s

1596 1598 2Nd Avenue

Wa Jeal

1588 2 Avenue

Five Mile Stone

1640 2Nd Ave

Casimir & Co

1022 Lexington Ave

Session 73

1359 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (17) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

BE THE SOMEONE

WHO HELPS A KID BE THE FIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE.

newyorkcares.org

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

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This holiday season, make a difference in the life of a dog or cat in need of a second chance. When you make a gift to Bideawee you give an animal the critical nutrition, medical care and training necessary to save their life. Donate today by calling 866.262.8133 or visiting Bideawee.org.

animal people for people who love animals 庐 Manhattan 路 Westhampton 路 866.262.8133 路 bideawee.org

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com P.S. 163 students protest JHL’s plan to build a 20-story nursing home next to their school at a Dept. of Health hearing at the school last year. Photo by Daniel Fitzsimmons.

COMMUNITY GARDEN LOT SWAP ON HOLD La Perla gardeners and property owners stymied by open-space deed restriction BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

A WIN FOR OPPONENTS OF JHL NEWS State Supreme Court orders nursing home project to reexamine the impact of construction on surrounding community BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

A State Supreme Court judge ruled that in approving Jewish Home Lifecare’s plan to build a 20-story nursing home on West 97th Street, the NYS Dept. of Health did not adequately take into account the impact that noise and hazardous material would have on the surrounding community. In her ruling, Judge Joan Lobis said that the DOH followed proper state environmental review procedures, but that, “in certain substantive areas… did not take the requisite hard look at speciﬁc environmental issues.” The ruling vacates and annuls the DOH’s approval of JHL’s application and calls for an amended Final Environmental Impact Statement that reconsiders ﬁndings on the issues of noise and hazardous material. JHL has sought to build its nursing home on a parking lot that’s situated 30 feet from P.S. 163, an elementary school, and is surrounded by three housing complexes. P.S. 163 parents and local residents each filed Article 78 proceedings, which are used to challenge decisions by a local or state agency. At issue is the effect that construction noise would have on students at the school and the possibility that hazardous materials from the parking lot, which was found to contain toxic levels of lead and other contaminants, would be dispersed into the air during the work. The two Article 78s were combined in Judge Lobis’ decision. JHL’s mitigation efforts included wetting down the parking lot during construction to reduce the risk of contaminants being picked up by the air and providing P.S. 163 with

noise attenuating windows. In a statement, JHL said it’s moving forward with preparations to begin construction next summer and will consider appealing the court’s decision. “Jewish Home will take appropriate steps in order to move ahead with plans to construct the Living Center of Manhattan on West 97th Street,” JHL said in their statement. “We remain committed to working with the school’s parents to identify workable solutions. At the same time, Jewish Home will consider its other options, including appealing the decision.” According to Rene Kathawala, a P.S. 163 parent and lawyer who is representing fellow parents in their suit, the proceedings argued four main points: the effect that construction and the nursing home itself would have on traffic in the neighborhood, the possibility of building the nursing home at a JHL-owned site on West 106th Street, which the community contends is a better location, and the questions of noise and hazardous materials. Lobis’ ruling did not find merit with the first two arguments concerning the project’s impact on traffic and the West 106th Street site. Kathawala said, however, that the most significant portions of the proceedings concerned noise and hazardous materials. “The essence of our case was noise and hazardous materials, they lost both of those and they lost both of those in significant and material ways,” he said. “[The FEIS] demonstrates their lack of concern about the mitigation measures, which is why the judge vacated it.” Kathawala also took issue with the notion that JHL has worked with parents on finding solutions to their concerns. He said the noise attenuating windows the company offered the school blocked eight to 13 decibels less noise than what the

parents’ expert recommended. “JHL is trying to build a $252 million dollar nursing home [next to] an elementary school, and they’re spending $350,000 on mitigation efforts,” said Kathwala. “That tells you all you need to know.” Through a spokesperson, JHL declined to elaborate on whether they would file an appeal or proceed with a review. The spokesperson said JHL does not anticipate that the summer 2016 start date of construction will be significantly delayed. The project has experienced significant delays, however, due to legal challenges. According to news reports from 2013, construction was supposed to commence in the fall of 2014. JHL’s statement also indicated its understanding that the court’s decision requires the company to file a supplemental EIS. But Kathawala said a SEIS only comes into play if there’s been significant changes made to the FEIS, and that Lobis’ decision actually requires them to reevaluate the FEIS’ findings altogether. “It’s not just sitting there and rewriting [the FEIS], they need to reexamine the underlying facts and apply the law properly to get the mitigation correct,” said Kathawala. In her decision, Lobis ordered “an amended FEIS, to reconsider the findings on the issues of noise and hazardous material.” The JHL spokesperson did not clarify JHL’s understanding of what’s required of them in the judge’s decision by press time. “This is a win for P.S. 163’s students: under the plan that was approved, a huge, high-rise project could have choked and deafened a high-performing school with dust and noise,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in a statement. “Judge Lobis saw what we saw: the State Department of Health was wrong to approve this massive construction project next to P.S. 163.”

A pending agreement that would have allowed a community garden on West 105th Street to remain on two contiguous lots — and ensure that it won’t be lost to development — has stalled because of a deed restriction. Earlier this fall, the owners of two of the lots on West 105th Street — the Manhattan Land Trust, which owns the easternmost lot, and two Manhattan Valley families, which together own the middle of the garden’s three lots — had in principle agreed to swap plots. But the deed for the easternmost lot says that land “shall be used in perpetuity for open space purposes, and for no other purpose.” The lot was sold in 1999 by the city’s Economic Development Corp. to the Trust for Public Land and then conveyed to the Manhattan Land Trust about ﬁve years ago. The Manhattan Land Trust’s president, Genevieve Outlaw, said the trust must get the EDC to sign off on the exchange and, in the process, ensure that the open-space provision carries over to the swapped lot. The garden is on the north side of West 105th, just east of Columbus Avenue. “We still want to pursue the land swap,” Outlaw said. “It’s just a postponement.” But one of the middle lot’s owners, Elizabeth Kellner, said the postponement represents yet another obstacle in concluding the swap, which she herself proposed to the MLT and the gardeners at La Perla, as the garden is called. Kellner said the process has so far been pockmarked by a lack of clarity

and communication from the gardeners and the trust. “This is the reward of patience as opposed to building a fence last May,” Kellner said a day after receiving a letter from Outlaw outlining the deed’s provision and consequent snag. “Here we are Dec. 14th and we’re right back where we were in September. So that’s my good-guy reward.” La Perla’s fate had been uncertain since the spring, when the two families decided to sell the 17-foot by 100-foot property they purchased for $500 at public auction in the late 1970s. The sale of the lot, now assessed at about $350,000, and its likely development would have made it exceedingly difficult for the gardeners to salvage their venture on two lots in all likelyhood separated by new construction. But an exchange would allow the gardeners, who with permission from the two families have tended to dozens of roughly four-foot by eight-foot raised beds since the mid1990s, to reconfigure the garden on two joined lots. Kellner cited the annual $15,000 tax bill as a significant reason for putting the lot on the market. Although the idea of a swap was brought up informally shortly after Kellner said the couples wanted to sell, several people connected with the garden they were skeptical that an exchange could be worked out. It fell to Kellner to suggest a possible trade. She did so in September, broaching the idea with Outlaw. “Everybody concluded that the best way to go was to do the swap” given the prospective sale of the Kellners’ lot and its likely development, Outlaw said. “We a lose a third but we will be able to retain two-thirds

A longtime gardener, Elizabeth Hall, in her garden plot at La Perla on West 105th Street this summer. Photo: Richard Khavkine

of what was La Perla,” she said. She nevertheless called the loss of one-third of the garden “devastating.” “It just came down to we couldn’t raise that kind of money,” she said. “It’s about protecting the plot that we have. ... It doesn’t feel good, but we have to protect what we can.” The Manhattan Land Trust has enlisted the New York ofﬁce of the not-for-proﬁt Trust for Public Land, the national organization that created the Manhattan Land Trust, to assist in the conveyance of the deed’s open-space provision to the swapped lot. The director of TPL’s New York City Program, Andrew Stone, said he would endeavor to clarify for MLT “whether the restrictions can simply be transferred to another lot.” Councilman Mark Levine is also working to bring about the swap, calling it the best possible outcome. “It’s a loss to lose green space like this. There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” he said. But “to have split the property down the middle would have been devastating.” Officials at the Economic Development Corp. did not respond to a request for comment. In September, the gardeners and their attorney, Inshirah Muhammad, looked into whether they could use the principle of adverse possession, a commonlaw doctrine that entitles caretakers of property to gain title if its legal owner has neglected the land, to take ownership of the middle lot. That provision, however, hinges on an initial hostile takeover. Given that Kellner explicitly granted the gardeners permission to use the lot and that she and the other family having been paying taxes on the lot, that effort would likely fail in court. Muhammad did not return phone calls requesting comment. Kellner has been frustrated by what she said was the process’ protracted pace. She said it was just a few weeks ago that she received the names of the attorneys representing the gardeners, documentation of insurance and other material after having requested the information months ago. Kellner said she has so far been unable to get the names and contact information for the garden’s officers, which leaves her unsure that she is communicating with the relevant people.

DECEMBER 24-30,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

YOUR 15 MINUTES

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to ourtownny.com/15 minutes

A NEW GOLD STANDARD FOR FOODIES Bo Peabody, founder of new app, on transformingg the ratings system BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Venture capitalist pitalist and high-end restaurant afi cionado Bo Peabody noficionado ticed that restaurant staurant rating systems had barely progressed ogressed in our current data-driven world. Having experience erience in online startups — he founded nded Tripod, one of the first social networks, while still in college — Peabody eabody decided to put together an app that allows users to input their preferences references of anything from cocktails ls to soundtracks to find a restaurant that approximates their conception off an ideal dining experience. “It’s nott so much that we’re trying to tell you u that this restaurant is universally better etter than another one. We’re trying to tell you that this restaurant might ht be better for you than the next restaurant,” aurant,” he explained. The restaurants ants are rated by surveytaking members ers who must either apply or be invited ed to join. Peabody refers to them as Manhattan’s anhattan’s “restaurant nerds” who are already devoted diners at the city’s most notable spots. Eventually, ntually, Renzell will offer subscriptions scriptions that allow members rs to have access to exclusive usive events hosted by the restaurants on the list. Another aspect spect that ma kes Renzell zell different is that at all the data received d will be shared with the eateries, which will, ll, in turn, throw partiess for Renzell members. rs. “I’ve been shocked d by the interest the restaurants have in welcoming a new, modern way of doing ratings,” Renzell said. “We just had an incredible dible response.”

How did this idea dea come about? For the last ast 20 years, I’ve been een living two parallel lel lives. I’ve been a technolechnology and media a entrepreneur most st of my time living in New York. I’ve done a few w startups and been also an investor in several others. hers. In my other life, I’ve ve been a restaurateur and d have owned, together with a partner, as many as three restaurants urants and a large catering business. All of them are located up in the Berkshires. kshires. Our oldest restaurant, which ch is called Mezze, Mezze is in

Williamstown, Massachusetts, and we’re we re celebrating our twentieth year this year, which we’re very proud of. And we have another restaurant in Great Barrington called Allium. And then we have a catering business that does 40 wedd ings a year as well as a bunch of other events. I’ve been living in New York since the late ‘90s, and within the last ﬁve years, I’ve always eaten in the better restaurants in the city, just because I have a passion for it. And it real-

ly dawned on me that the whole ratings and reviews ecosystem around restaurants is totally antiquated. And by living my other life of a technology entrepreneur, like all of the different industries that have been modernized by data, I saw that the ecosystem around ratings and reviews for restaurants has been totally left behind. These experiences that people are having in these restaurants, which are now as long as three hours,

they’re entertainment experiences and there’s there s a lot of things thing that go into them and just having a few people go in and subjectively rate them or too probably don’t have many people who proba enough context to rate them, is just a bad way to do it. And the right way group to do it is to have a big enough e can get enough of people where you ca restaurant, but a small data about the restauran enough group where you yo know something about every one of them.

How were the restaurants chosen? We decided that if we were going to take this approach, that we obviously couldn’t do it for hundr hundreds and hundreds of restaurants. In order for it to really work, you have to have a group of people who are ano anonymous and eating in the restaurants restaurant on their own dime. And you have to get g enough of them to do it over a long lon enough period of time so that you can actually make the data science work. So we decided to choose what ended up being 32 different characteristics that charac we thought made up what wh it means to be a great restaurant in New York. And we scored 230 restaurants in New York on all those 32 criteria. And tthen we wrote an algorithm that essenstack-ranked those tially stackrestaurants based on 230 restaur those 32 diff di erent scores that we ga gave every one And half of the of them. A scores were wer existing ratsystems like Wine ing system Spectator and MiSpectat and New York chelin a Times and a the other them were prihalf of th research that mary re we did around the restaurants’ busirestau principles and ness p reputations of the re owners and all the ow those things. And how we ended that’s h up wit with this stackof the top 230 rank o restaurants and resta decided that we d would choose we w and that came 54 an from us wanting have a list that to hav was big enough for it matter and for our to matte members to be able some degree of to have som And also for it variability. A to be small enough that th all the reswould respect taurants on the list w each other.

Since high-end restauran restaurants have already proven themselves, themselve why do you think your ratings system will matter? I think it will matter, matter but only for

a pretty small audience. This is not meant for a big audience; this is meant for a relatively small audience that actually cares about the difference and the gradations in the top hundred. And that’s why our survey covers eight different attributes for the dining experience and within those, there are 41 different granular details that we cover. So when we issue our ratings, as a consumer, you’ll be able to go in and say, ‘I care about cocktails, soundtrack, lighting levels and comfort of the seats.’

Who are the survey-taking members? Right now, members are the people who are doing the data collection for us. They’re taking the surveys that are allowing us to create these ratings. We’ve gone through the process of ﬁnding 300 people who are going to these places anyway, and we find about ﬁve more every day through an application process. Ultimately, the data will be available to everybody, but right now, the people who are our members are just the people who are giving us that data. That will allow us to give any consumer a much better view of what these places do well than they can get from any other ratings source.

Explain how consumers can use Renzell. There’s going to be three different ways that you can potentially interact with Renzell. The ﬁrst way, which is available now, is to be accepted as a survey-taking member. That’s a free thing. We’re going to give all the data back to the restaurants, and in exchange for that, they’re going to do exclusive events for us. And that we’re going to package up into a membership club where people will pay a yearly fee to be able to go to those events. The ones who will be paying will not be allowed to review. There’s going to be two totally separate apps. The ﬁrst, which we have today, is for the people taking the surveys. When we gather up all these events, we’re going to build a separate app that people will pay to have access to which will have all of the data in it and access to all the events. The third way is just by looking at all the data which we’re going to release publicly in September of 2016. www.renzell.com

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