cityArts
CELEB SINCE 1970 PAGE 22
EVERY THURS.
NYPRESS.COM • THE LARGEST PAPER ON THE EAST SIDE • DECEMBER 5, 2013
Last Blast
Defending Her Turf, One Crossing At a Time School crossing guard Gisela Casella patrols her slice of the Upper East Side
MTA finally ends underground explosions on Second Avenue By Adam Janos Good news for businesses on the Upper East Side: the constant blasting noises from the Second Avenue subway project are finally over. According to the MTA, the project’s final blast occurred at 5:21 p.m. on Monday, November 18, on the north side of 86th and Second Avenue. Continued on page 17
ALSO INSIDE EAST SIDE SURGEON POSTS SURGERY PRICES P.4
P.11
By Alissa Fleck Even Wall Street Journal reporters hoped to catch a glimpse of the famed Gisela Casella, an Upper East Side institution for the past 24 years, but they weren’t able to meet her terms: I’ll see you on my street corner or not at all. For over two decades, Casella has shepherded school kids across busy Manhattan streets morning, noon and evening, from her perch on the corner of 84th St. and Madison Ave. She calls the street one of the busiest in the area, noting some days it’s more like a racetrack as commuters scurry to beat the barricades put in place to protect the kids. “I love the kids and kidding around with people,” says Casella. “If you’re miserable you cannot do this job. If you’re nice to people, they’re nice to you,” she adds, noting the children and their families are the most rewarding part of the job.
Despite her lightheartedness and familiarity with every dog and dogowner in the neighborhood — she greets about 20 different dogs on a daily basis — Casella takes her job as a school crossing guard very seriously. (Ditto her anonymity; she didn’t want to be photographed for this article.) And the job is not without its hurdles. She describes a particular incident in which a woman repeatedly tried to bypass her barricades and then lied to Casella about her intentions. Not only did Casella reprimand the woman on the spot, she launched a stakeout. She would not be taken for a fool. “I started watching her,” says Casella. “I started waiting for her.” The battle between Casella and this particular nemesis went on for some time, Continued on page 8
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TAPPED IN To The Editor: I think you’re doing a very good job. The paper has become more interesting “of late.” I used to just read Bette Dewing’s column and throw the paper away. But for the last couple of months, there have been stories of interest and I find myself reading everything -- even the ads. So, that is all to your credit and I just thought I’d let you know. All the best to you, Ms. Straus and the whole gang at Our Town! Keep up the good work. Susan Coleman E. 81st Street
Carried up in a Con-Edison cherrypicker, (L-R) Con-Edsion Supervisor Antonio Leo helps Upper East Side artist Ron Agam light the World’s Largest Chanukah Menorah at 59th Street and 5th Avenue on November 29th. Designed by Agam’s father Yaccov, the menorah is owned and operated by the Yubavitch Youth Organization.
East side building honors its long-time doorman Residents of 635 Park Ave. went all out for their doorman of 50 years. The 13-story building, at 66th Street, threw a champagne reception earlier this month for doorman Vincent Perez, who was there with his family, residents of the building, and supers from neighoring buildings. Shareholders presented Perez, who has been at the same building for the entire time, with a watch and other gifts.
Photos by Andrew Schwartz
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
CRIME WATCH
Apple Jack
By Jerry Danzig
Wire Mire
Down and Out Someone stole a wallet from a hospital patient. At 9 AM on Saturday, November 23, a 30-year-old male patient in a hospital on York Avenue received a call from an American Express representative who alerted him to suspicious charges. The patient then went to look for his wallet and found it was missing from the dresser drawer in his hospital room. He told police that the room was always open and never locked. He canceled all his cards and found unauthorized charges on two of them. Other items stolen were an Apple iPad Mini valued at $500, $50 in cash, various credit and debit cards, the patient’s New York State driver’s license, and a Zipcar card. The total stolen amounted to $550.
A man was bilked out of $100,000 by an unscrupulous person. At 10 AM on Thursday, September 26, a 36-yearold man living on Park Avenue made an agreement with another individual to purchase numerous vehicles. The man wired the other person $100,000 to conduct the transaction. The wire recipient then informed the man that he was keeping the money and not purchasing the vehicles as agreed upon. At the time of the police report, the perpetrator refused to speak with the victim.
Unauthorized charges appeared on a man’s business credit card. At 12:35 AM on Saturday, November 23, a 47-year-old man living on East 75th Street received a notice from Chase Bank stating that an unknown person had used his business credit card to purchase $2,000 of merchandise at an Apple store without permission or authority. The man was still in possession of his card.
Er i c Je welr y
Unlicensed Liquor
Synagogue Sin A woman tried to pawn a silver basin taken from a synagogue. An employee of a synagogue on East 85th Street reported to police that at 3:20 PM on Tuesday, November 19, she received a call from a pawnshop stating that one of the synagogue’s silver basins had been brought in by a 52-year-old woman who lacked permission to remove such an item from the place of worship. The pawnshop had made the seller leave a photocopy of her ID. The item stolen was a silver basin used in religious ceremonies and valued at $750.
Someone posing as an employee of an Italian restaurant ordered liquor fraudulently. At 10 AM on Tuesday, September 24, a person claiming to be a representative of a popular restaurant on Third Avenue placed an order with a liquor distributor and later took possession of the property when it was delivered. The restaurant owner said he is being held accountable for the unauthorized purchase. The items stolen were three cases of Antinori Tignanello valued at $1,224 and two cases of Col D’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino priced at $648, making a total of $1,872.
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OUR TOWN
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NEWS .com STRAUS MEDIA  MANHATTAN PRESIDENT Jeanne Straus EDITOR IN CHIEF Kyle Pope EDITOR Megan Bungeroth • editor.otdt@strausnews.com CITYARTS EDITOR Armond White • editor.cityarts@strausnews.com STAFF REPORTERS Joanna Fantozzi, Daniel Fitzsimmons FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Alan S. Chartock, Bette Dewing, Jeanne Martinet, Malachy McCourt, Angela Barbuti, Casey Ward BLOCK MAYORS  Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side PUBLISHER Gerry Gavin • advertising@strausnews.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Kate Walsh ADVERTISING MANAGER Matt Dinerstein CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Stephanie Patsiner DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Joe Bendik OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN is published weekly Copyright Š 2013 by Straus Media - Manhattan, LLC 212-868-0190 • 333 Seventh Ave, New York, NY. Straus Media - Manhattan publishes Our Town • The West Side Spirit • Our Town Downtown Chelsea Clinton News • The Westsider To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, c/o Straus News 20 West Ave., Chester, NY 10918 PREVIOUS OWNERS HAVE INCLUDED: Tom Allon, Isis Ventures, Ed Kayatt, Russ Smith, Bob Trentlion, Jerry Finkelstein
How Much Would You Pay For A New Knee? Upper East Side surgeon is among the ďŹ rst to oer “a la carteâ€? medical pricing By Alissa Fleck Imagine if you could walk into your surgeon’s office and price-shop the same way you do now for sweaters. Upper East Side orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Haar is among the nation’s pioneers in the use of “a la carteâ€? pricing in healthcare, allowing patients to get an exact quote on a procedure without having to worry about hidden fees or doing the insurance company dance. Harr, one of a handful of transparent-pricing doctors around the country, lists the prices of his services on the website of his practice, Regency Healthcare. At Regency, for instance, the price of an arthroscopic knee procedure is listed for a flat rate of $4,950, all costs included, while, his website notes, a hospital might provide the same service for up to $40,700. In general, however, he acknowledges that it’s tough to draw such price comparisons, since there is no standard fee for hospital
Choose & Cut Christmas Trees The Real Christmas Tree Experience
procedures, which can vary greatly. Dr. Haar believes the target demographic for this model includes people without insurance who would prefer to pay for “what [they] need and receive� and not all the premiums and large deductibles that accompany insurance plans. “People should have the option of paying out of pocket,� he adds. The doctor says even with the healthcare reform kicking in in January, millions of people will remain uninsured, whether by choice or an inability to find a desirable policy. His business will provide an alternative to Obamacare by providing direct access to common procedures. Dr. Haar believes many people will willingly pay the penalty for being uninsured while partaking in concierge medicine. Dr. Josh Umbehr of AtlasMD, a direct primary care practice in Wichita, Kansas, who also offers transparent pricing, says this system will benefit the uninsured, who often need discounts on medical care the most. He’s also appealing to very small businesses, which won’t have to cut their work staff just to afford healthcare. “For businesses,� he says, “they will still be administering self-funded plans to their employees and this cost savings model will still apply to them.� Dr. Haar is convinced his approach will catch on. “It’s good for everybody,� he said. “It’s good for doctors who don’t have to collect insurance claims, it’s good for patients who can contact doctors directly.� Said Matt Jacobson of SignatureMD, a provider of concierge medicine all over the U.S., “For most patients who embrace [concierge medicine], it’s difficult to put a price tag on their good health. But industry studies show that patients in a concierge program have substantially less hospitalizations than their counterparts receiving conventional medical care.�
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Choose & Cut Your Own Christmas Tree
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Hammer toe correction: $3,800 (plus $500 each additional toe) Incisional hernia: Mastectomy:
$7,100 General anesthesia: $800 (per procedure)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
This December, ring in the holidays with the East Midtown Partnership, as we present 6 days of special holiday music programming featuring: The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School at Lighthouse International: the nation's only music school dedicated to helping people pursue their interest in music while overcoming the challenges of vision loss
Turtle Bay Music School: providing the highest quality music education and experiences to members of the community
Beekman Hill International School PS 59: our local neighborhood school, instilling a lifelong love of learning to children in grades K through 5
The Unforgettables Chorus: the ďŹ rst chorus of its kind for people with dementia and their family members and friends
These performers will bring holiday cheer to the community with 6 days of free afternoon concerts! Plan to join us from December 13 through December 20 and recapture the true meaning of the holidays. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.EastMidtown.org/SoundsOfTheSeason or see our ad in next week’s issue of Our Town.
THE
Unforgettables CHORUS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
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OUT AND ABOUT
Friday, December 6 Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in Conversation with Lynn Hirschberg Kaufmann Concert Hall, Lexington Avenue at 91st Sreet. 8 p.m. $96 Will Ferrell (star/co-writer) and Adam McKay (co-writer/director) of the upcoming film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues will talk with journalist Lynn Hirschberg as Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s top-rated newsman, prepares to hit New York and give Pat Kiernan a run for his money. 92y.org
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams Weill Art Gallery, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St 2 p.m. $21 Ted Williams was the best hitter in baseball history. Yet while he was a god in the batter’s box, he was profoundly human once he stepped away from the plate. His ferocity came to define his troubled domestic life, and while he electrified crowds across America, he shocked them too. Ben Bradlee, Jr. gives a thrilling and honest account of a legend in all his glory and human complexity. 92y.org
Saturday, December 7 Herblock-The Black and White: A Tribeca Film Documentary 67th Street Library, 328 East 67th Street 3 p.m. Free Herbert Block’s career at The Washington Post spanned fifty-five years and thirteen presidents, a timeframe in which he claimed three Pulitzer Prizes, the Medal of Freedom and a significant role in President Nixon’s resignation. Ben Bradlee, Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Jules Feiffer, Ted Koppel and Jon Stewart are among the witnesses to Block’s life, work and indelible contribution to American satire in this inviting documentary. Nypl.org
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Engelbert Humperdinck. A live musical recital performed in concert with piano accompaniment. The musical program is cosponsored with New York Opera Forum which was founded by Richard Nechamkin in 1983 to give classically trained singers the opportunity to learn and perform standard operatic repertoire in the original languages. Nypl.org
Sunday, December 8 Looney Louie Barnes & Noble, 86th & Lexington Ave150 East 86th Street 2 p.m. Free Everybody’s favorite magician/clown returns for a laugh-filled show. This is for all ages. Barnesandnoble.com
Park Avenue Annual Memorial Tree Lighting Brick Presbyterian Church (Park Avenue & 91st Street) 6:30 p.m. Free The tradition of lighting fir trees on Park Avenue each winter began in 1945 when a small group of Park Avenue families, led by Mrs. Stephen C. Clark, the wife of an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, lit trees to honor the men and women who died in WWII. Today the illuminated trees serve as a memorial to all who have lost their lives defending our country. The trees are lit on the first Sunday of December. http://fundforparkavenue.org/
Monday, December 8
New York Opera Forum performs Humperdinck’s Hasel und Gretel
Woody Allen and The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band
96th Street Library, 112 East 96th Street 1-4 p.m. Free New York Opera Forum performs the complete opera of Hansel und Gretel by
The Carlyle, 35 E. 76th Street 8:45 p.m. $100+ Fresh off of his latest film promotion schedule, Woody Allen returns to his regular
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
OUT AND ABOUT Monday night jazz gig at the Carlyle. Tickets go fast so book early. Thecarlye.com
Tuesday, December 9 Community Board 8 Youth & Education Committee New York Blood Center 310 East 67th Street, Auditorium 7 p.m. Free 1. Introductions 2. Discussion on multi-treatment foster care featuring Robert Ward, Children’s Village 3. Update on Budget for CD8 by Michael Hoffman 4. Old/New Business 5. Future Meeting Dates: January 14 Cb8m.com
New York City. Started in November 2010 by photographer Brandon Stanton, over 6,000 portraits have been gathered thus far. Barnesandnoble.com
Thursday, December 12 Tis The Season - Films with Holiday Scenes 96th Street Library, 112 East 96th Street 2-4 p.m. Free Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, starring Edward G. Robinson, Margaret O’Brien, James Craig. Directed by Roy Rowland, 1945, b&w. A Norwegian farmer lovingly raises his daughter in rural World War II-era Benson Junction, Wisconsin. Nypl.org
WINTER REGISTRATION STARTS DECEMBER 10
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 86th & Lexington Ave, 150 East 86th Street 5 p.m. Free Musical Performance. Cast members from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - hosted by composer and writer Dave Malloy - will perform selections from and sign copies of the original cast recording. Barnesandnoble.com
Wednesday, December 10 Rockefeller University Task Force New York Blood Center 310 East 67th Street, Auditorium 6:30 p.m. Free Public Hearing: Rockefeller Universityproposes to build a low research building (two-stories with rooftop pavillions) and a one-story conference center in air space over the FDR Drive adjacent to its campus, plus a one-story recreation building in the northwest corner of the campus, a total of 181,000 square feet. In addition, the University proposes to make improvements to the East River Esplanade, and repairs to the seawall, adjacent to the project. Cb8m.com
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The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue 7 p.m. $30 - $135 director Robert Wilson’s reimagining of performance artist Marina Abramović’s extraordinary life and work begins with her difficult childhood in former Yugoslavia, and chronicles her journey to the present day. Abramović, who plays herself as well as her imposing mother, is joined by worldrenowned actor Willem Dafoe and singer Antony, performing original music and songs created for this ‘quasi opera.’ U.S. premiere. Through December 21st armoryonpark.org
Great kids’ tennis, starting right now! At Hunter College. Kids who’ve never held a racquet. Kids who hardly ever put the racquet down. And everybody in between. That’s who Advantage tennis is for! Our QuickStart program is designed for beginners and younger players ages 4 and up, using courts and equipment that change along with the child’s skill level. Our Junior Program is for players who are ready to improve their game, hone their skills or compete.
First class is FREE for new students!
Brandon Stanton: Humans of New York Barnes & Noble, 50 East 86th Street (86th & Lexington Ave) 6 p.m. Free Author event. Humans of New York is a photoblog and bestselling book featuring street portraits and interviews collected in
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
S P O R T S
Sign up now! Contact Gabe Slotnick at 212.594.0554 or gslotnick@advantagetennisclubs.com Classes are at Hunter College, Lexington Ave. & 68th St., New York, NY 10065
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PAGE 7
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Q:
Does volunteering really make you happier? Jeff, student A: This is a timely question as the holiday season is in full swing. Most likely in the next couple of weeks you’ll be reflecting on all of the people that have come in and out of your life and left indelible markers of impact. And you should do just that — reflect on years past, as research demonstrates that nostalgia enhances mood levels. But what could make your holiday season even more mood altering is volunteering. Research shows that there is a psychological phenomenon called the “helper’s high,” which is described as a euphoric high released after completing altruistic acts, such as volunteering. The helper’s high is analogous to the release of endorphins, the same neurotransmitter released after exercise. Research finds that volunteering makes individuals more empathetic, and provides a sense of purpose and self-efficacy. One of the most salient studies, cited by Stephen G. Post, a bioethics professor at Case Western University, followed over 400 married women with children. The researchers hypothesized that when measured after a period of time, these women would report higher levels of stress than women with no or fewer children. However, whether the women volunteered or not made the largest difference in stress levels, more so than number of children, education, and socioeconomic status. The researchers found after following these women for 30
years in a longitudinal study, 52 percent who those who did not volunteer suffered from a critical illness, compared with 36 percent of women who committed their time to volunteering. In pop culture, no one is more emblematic of the helper’s high than Ebenezer Scrooge, who learns that benevolence not only made him happier, but made him look healthier and more fit. Now psychologists propose that volunteering and altruism should be pillars of public health. Though the general public often promulgates exercising and eating well as the largest indicators of happiness, psychologists suggest that volunteering be made a specific pillar when delineating markers of a healthy live. If health and happiness are a bonus effect from helping others, then why not lend a hand and help your head? For starters, there’s www.newyorkcares.org or www.bigsnyc.org and several more. So, if you’ve gotten into the habit of eating well and exercising this holiday season, do your self and others around you a favor and find a way to give your time. Have a healthy and happy holiday, all. Kristine Keller received her Masters in Psychology from New York University.
One Tough Woman Redefines... Continued from page 1
German native, however, who doesn’t mind the winter cold a bit. “You have to be here,” she explains emphatically. “You can’t be late, everything goes by the minute.” “If I look like a bum, I don’t care,” says Casella, noting some crossing guards treat the job more like a fashion contest. “I’m here.” When she’s not talking about the joys and travails of being a crossing guard, the conversation turns to politics, and Casella has a lot to say on the subject. Unsurprisingly, animals are another one of Casella’s passions. At this point she only has one dog, but says her house resembled a zoo when her daughter was growing up. Steven Merdinger, a local CPA who sees Casella just about every morning, and first tipped Our Town off to her local renown, calls Casella “one amazing lady.” A school security guard in the area smiles at the mention of her name. “Yeah, she’s been here over twenty years,” he says. “She knows every kid, parent and bus driver,” adds Merdinger. “She’s out there rain, shine, sleet or snow.”
before the woman stopped coming around when Casella was on duty. After a dispute, one angry commuter told Casella she hoped she’d get run over by a car, while other locals surreptitiously move her barricades because, Casella alleges, they view them as eyesores. Casella doesn’t stand for any of this. “I believe in karma,” she says. Not only has Casella faced trouble from outsiders trying to circumvent — or even destroy — her barriers, she’s also faced opposition on the job from other crossing guards who have come and gone over the years. “Other crossing guards get jealous because the kids like me better,” she says with a laugh. Indeed nearly every kid who passes by has a joke or a warm greeting for this jovial fixture. She says others simply cannot handle the job — when the temperature drops, or the weather is harsh, they just stop showing up, and sometimes get away with it. That couldn’t be farther from reality for this
Email questions for our Street Shrink to news@strausnews.com.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
Danny mixes and spins with his MacBook Pro and the latest gear. Ask him how you can make music happen. Danny. Only at Tekserve. %NQ @ FHES FTHCD NM @KK SGHMFR SDBGMNKNFX UHRHS GNKHC@X SDJRDQUD BNL
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What’s Happening In East Midtown Looking For Dining, Shopping & More
In East Midtown? Well, We Have The App For You!
Annual Meeting of Membership
Dining, shopping, nightlife and more, right at your fingertips.
Thursday, December 12 at 8:00 a.m. Astra, 979 Third Avenue, 14th Floor (between East 58th Street and East 59th Street)
Visit our website eastmidtown.org/app to download the app today!
You’re invited and encouraged to attend this meeting, which will include a review of our activities and finances as well as an election for members to the Board of Directors. We hope you’ll plan to join us.
Holiday Dining
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East Midtown has no shortage of great restaurants and businesses to take care of all of your Holiday shopping and dining needs. For dining and gift ideas, visit us at
www.EastMidtown.org East Midtown Partnership // 875 Third Avenue, Mezzanine, New York, NY 10022 // 212-813-0030 // info@eastmidtown.org // www.EastMidtown.org PAGE 10
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
cityArts
Edited by Armond White
New York’s Review of Culture . CityArtsNYC.com
Going Dutch By John Goodrich “Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals,” a jewel of an exhibition, represents the collaboration of two gems of institutions: the Frick and the Mauritshuis, both of which showcase small but world-class collections in stately mansions. While the Mauritshuis undergoes a renovation and expansion of its home in The Hague, it has loaned a selection of seventeenthcentury Dutch masterpieces for a multivenue traveling exhibition. In addition to the masters noted in the exhibition’s title, the fifteen paintings currently at the Frick include works by Jan Steen, Gerard ter Borch, Carel Fabritius, and Jacob van Ruisdael. Hanging by itself in the Oval Room, Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (c. 1665)—visiting New York for the first time since 1984—is clearly the star. (One wonders: was Vermeer a vehicle for Scarlett Johansson, or vice versa?) Restored and cleaned in the mid-1990s, its elegant geometry, evocative coloration and fetchingly candid expression are by themselves worth the trip. In the next gallery, museum-goers may recall “The Goldfinch” (1654) by Fabritius, perhaps Rembrandt’s most gifted student; it was a highlight of the Met’s 2001 “Vermeer and the School of Delft” exhibition. Its intimate, glowing realism is even more vibrant now, thanks to its restoration and cleaning in 2003. But I found myself drawn more to four Rembrandts across the room. This master never shied from sentiment and spectacle, but his muscular drawing and color impart a striking gravity to “Susanna” (1636); no painting here surpasses the weighty drama of its huddled, leaning figure. Hanging alongside, his small, early “Simeon’s Song of Praise” (1631) could be the ultimate lesson in multi-figure composition: a tilted ring of people—variously stretching, hunching, and leaning—holds beneath the lunging verticals of an immense interior; dramatic contrasts of light fix each person’s rhythmic disposition. (To appreciate how remarkable this work is,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
compare it to a work by his student, Nicolaes Maes, across the gallery. Maes’ darks are merely dark, not colorful, and his unweighted colors fail to build in sequences that would make any element necessary or unique.) Most inspiring for me was Ruisdael’s “View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds” (c. 167075). Through an extraordinary combination of precise detail, largess of rhythm, and felicitous color, this painting recreates the luminous immensity of a real-life panorama. (Haarlem’s distant spires can be identified to this day.) Ruisdael somehow places careful
particulars within a vast vision. Broad streams of alternately sunlit and shadowed fields, punctuated by tiny people, lead the eye rapidly and firmly to the horizon and its minute spires—all beneath an enormous sky of billowing clouds. Try fixing your eye on the miniscule staarttjasker (a small water-pumping windmill) at the canvas’ center, one-quarter of the way from the lower edge: the entire scene, in sheathes of color, unwraps above and below, in front and behind: nature, in all its self-generating exuberance. Vermeer may tug at our heart strings, and Rembrandt may stir us with his aggressive inventions, but I left the Frick thinking of Ruisdael. “Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis” on view at The Frick Collection through January 19, 2014.
Rembrandt's Susanna
Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring
OUR TOWN
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PAGE 11
CITYARTS THEATER
The Bard Meets Bart Classic stagings of classics and TV By Leslie (Hoban) Blake
S
Art Courses & Workshops From Creative Kickstarts to In-Depth Study National Academy School All Fine Art Mediums for All Levels 5 E. 89th Street at Fifth Avenue Register now! www.nationalacademy.org 212.996.1908 Ä Win $100 in free art supplies! To enter the raffle, use the code FREEART when you register.
PAGE 12
OUR TOWN
hakespeare’s plays have lasted over 400 years--and it’s not only because directors love to dress them up in vintage or contemporary clothing to show their current relevance. And if Shakespeare isn’t the world’s greatest playwright, he’s pretty damn good by any standards--so good that most of his major characters have become archetypes of some human emotion--think jealousy and there’s Othello, think young love and there’s Romeo and Juliet. This season, we’re seeing a lot of those two young lovers both on and Off-Broadway (featuring Elizabeth Olsen, downtown at Classic Stage Company) and even on the big screen (freely adapted by Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame). One can only hope that either or both of these will deliver a more satisfying experience than the current Broadway production, directed by six-time TONY nominee, David Leveaux (Nine/ Cyrano de Bergerac) co-starring filmdom’s Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings/Pirates of the Caribbean) in his Broadway debut opposite two time TONY nominee Condola Rashad (Stick Fly/A Trip to Bountiful). Despite all the afore mentioned ‘star’ power, Romeo and Juliet at the Richard Rodgers Theatre is adrift in a rudderless production. Leveaux isn’t sure if this is West Side Story with a racial rather than an ethnic divide - his star-crossed lovers are Black and white--although little is made of that divide in a Verona ruled by a majestic black Prince (Geoffrey Owens). Juliet’s stout Caucasian nurse (Jane Houdyshell) has obviously been directed to go for the laughs (of which there are many, including a really great one involving a bicycle) at the expense of her emotional connection to Juliet. And within the Capulet family itself, the great Chuck Cooper’s Lord C. seems to be channeling Sherman Helmsley in his most “Movin’ On Up” persona, while Roslyn Ruff ’s Lady C. seems to have Michele Obama in mind. Romeo’s dashingly contempo entrance on a motorcycle (spewing lingering methane fumes over the first ten rows) and the fight scenes between the Montague and Capulet servants who use chains and switchblades in lieu of swords and daggers, also fall into the West Side Story paradigm, but the balcony scenes wherein the two lovers first declare and later (in Levaux’s depiction) consummate their
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Bloom and Rashad in Romeo and Juliet love, elicit laughter. All in all this Romeo and Juliet has the most inappropriate laughter in recent memory--who knew it was a comedy? At 27, poor Condola Rashad, who’s been terrific in every other play she’s done, is at least a dozen years older than Juliet and seems quite lost here. With proper direction, she could have pulled off youth instead of simply trying so hard to play young - those wide eyes and that high pitched voice scream Valley girl, not young girl of Verona. It matters little what Bloom does (or doesn’t do), a reasonably good Romeo, irrespective of age, he’s got groupies in every audience who love every move he makes. It’s a pity that Levaux spent so much time on stage effects--like the humongous hanging liberty bell (on which poor Bloom bumped his head one night) or those rivers of real onstage fire--instead of finding a concept that might have helped the whole production catch fire. The only fire onstage at Playwright Horizons production of Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a Post Electric Play, is in a huge empty metal drum surrounded by what might be a small group of friends at a backyard barbecue or perhaps a group of survivalists telling stories around a campfire--with guns. Slowly we come to realize that they are the scant few survivors of some apocalyptic disaster, trying to keep their spirits up by sharing a storytelling experience. As the curtain rises, they are retelling the “Cape Feare” episode of The Simpsons, based on the 1991 version of Martin Scorsese’s re-imagining of the 1962 film classic. While everyone over the age of 14 has usually heard the basic plot of R&J, there will be those in the 45-65 age range who won’t know much if anything about The Simpsons. But it really won’t matter because Washburn weaves the story and the memories There is plenty of fire and heat (if not actual light) in the post-electric world of Washburn’s play, under the direction by Steven Cozzens, The Civilians’ Artistic Director--Mr. Burns would have to rub his hands together and call it, “Excellent.”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
CITYARTS FILM how both digital media and television and rampant capitalism ruinously intervenes with our personal communication, eventually anesthetizing and distancing our spiritual anxieties. Chen’s vision of this reality is as bold as Renoir’s Rules of the Game was in its day. Against the self-importance of The Social Network and A Touch of Sin, Caught in the Web’s style is deceptively light; the shift in
consciousness among digital era “Netizens” is an on-the-wing social observation but profoundly humane, summed up by Shen’s heartfelt lament: “Why put such a vulgar spin on a noble act.” Chen summarizes our global and cinematic condition. Follow Armond White on Twitter at 3xchair
Chen Kaige’s Caught in the Web
Putting Life in Context Chen Kaige composes a sweeping digital-age epic with Caught in the Web By Armond White
U
nlike The Social Network, which burnished the legend of Mark Zuckerberg founding Facebook while glamourizing the derangement of social values and personal relationships, Chen Kaige gets directly to the social, spiritual point in his masterly new film Caught in the Web. Chen balances a multi-character story involving an executive secretary Ye Lanqiu (Yuanyuan Gao) who is objectified by a cell phone camera capture of a complex private moment that gets broadcast over the Internet. The stress this causes in the lives of her boss Shen (Xueqi Wang) and his wife Mo (Chen Hong) extends to the relations of TV journalist Ruoxi (Chen Yao) who exploits the clip; Rouxi’s charming lover, Yan Souchang (Mark Chao) and the cousin she mentors, Jiaqi (May Wang) are entangled in Chen’s ingenious narrative lattice. Caught in the Web moves swiftly, like farce, yet Ye’s personal crisis--the media heartlessly mocks her as Sunglasses Girl-reflects a serious turning point in national, global morality. As Chen interweaves all the characters, their physical interactions clearly show how technology effects our spiritual lives: phantom antagonisms and emotional confusions are exacerbated by the overwhelming tendency to let technology replace actual connection and interactions. Several kinds of love story are adroitly revealed: Ye’s loneliness is answered by complicated by Souchang’s ardent restlessness, her boss Shen’s marriage is exposed as a
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
Handel's Messiah at Carnegie Hall December 12 & 15 8pm
mismatch of longings that go back to its beginning, and Ruoxi’s media hotshot ambitions mask a desperation that, like everyone’s, is tied to social and economic insecurity. The human texture of these conflicts--through the most subtle, vibrant, funny and moving performances of any film this year--makes Caught in the Web more than a social screed. It satirizes the excesses of digital-era chaos (“Only the mentally ill tell the truth these days”) yet Chen respects the gravity of his characters’ turmoil. (Money is this film’s Maguffin--the thing the characters care about while Chen takes us deeper.) In Jia Zhangke’s poisonous, overrated A Touch of Sin, China’s moral distress was used as an occasion to indulge the violent, nihilistic catastrophes favored among Festival Circuit cynics. By equating national chaos with kungfu movie brutality, Jia Zhangke continued his usual facile, sophomoric political perspective. That this cynicism prevails in the culture might explain why Caught in the Web, which sweeps its characters along, like a game of chess played at Internet speed, has not been widely hailed. But breakthroughs are hard to calibrate. I can’t think of any other movie that so clearly captures how the media--journalism and the Internet-- takes life out of context. The world attacks Ye’s moment of infamy (her outward frustration masks despair and hidden desire) while her boss secretly observes “She has character.” This disjuncture reveals an almost sinister, Frtiz Langian social network--what Brian DePalma’s Redacted meant to be—a heartbreaking examination of how technology distances and confuses human response. “Our job is to record the face of the truth, but sometimes the truth is puzzling,” is Ruoxi’s callous self-justification but it also inspires Chen’s humane investigation. His essentially romantic style goes contrary to David Fincher and Jia Zhangke’s chic, pessimism about
OUR TOWN
Kent Tritle, Music Director & Conductor Leslie Fagan, Soprano Ian Howell, Countertenor Colin Balzer, Tenor Sidney Outlaw, Baritone
Tickets: $128*– $25 CarnegieCharge 212.247.7800 or carnegiehall.org Box Office 57th Street at Seventh Avenue Groups of 15 or more, please call: 646.596.5049 MUSICASACRANY.COM
*Limited availability. Photo: Richard Ten Dyke
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PAGE 13
CITYARTS FILM
Knocking the Messenger Holiday Greetings to the family of writers and readers of Our Town, West Side Spirit, Our Town Downtown, Chelsea Clinton News and Westsider
PAGE 14
OUR TOWN
Langston Hughes’ dream gets deferred in Black Nativity By Armond White
W
atching Black Nativity is such a wearying experience I see no point pretending that its positive message about the Black America Family is good enough for anyone. This is a case where the messenger (s) must be blamed for ruining the message. As one of the increasingly rare contemporary films to present a religious or Christian perspective, Black Nativity, based on a 1961 work of Negritude by the Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, turns the Christmas tale of Christ’s birth into a metaphor for the reunification of a Harlem family: Rev Cobbs (Forest Whitaker) and his wife (Angela Bassett) have been estranged from their daughter Naima (Jennifer Hudson) who ran away after her teenage pregnancy and raised her child alone in Baltimore. Hard times force Naima to send her now teenaged son named Langston (Jacob Latimore) up North to live with the grandparents he’s never met and young Langston and the entire family is made whole. Problem is, this Hallmark Hall of Famestyle miracle, feels more mechanical than spiritual. Black Nativity never grasps Langston Hughes’ honesty about Harlem street life or the old-fashioned grasp of shared feelings and common qualities that defined Negritude (the ethnic ethos that Spike Lee turned rancid in his Black church movie Red Hook Summer). From disastrous miscasting to bungled storytelling, Black Nativity misses most opportunities to make Black gospel sentiments seem pertinent to the way its characters live; that is, to rectify Red Hook Summer’s defamation. The too easy emphasis on young Langston’s hip-hop generation truculence and Naima’s single-mother martyrdom overshadow the elders’ sense of regret. The film’s one good line: Rev. defines himself as “the brokenhearted kind” of grandparent. It’s unfortunate that writer-director Kasi Lemmons hasn’t a clue how to convey that sorrow or its loving roots. Black Natitvity is the most ineptly directed movie I’ve sat all the way through
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Mary J. Blige in Black Nativity this year. Watching it gave the feeling of seeing Langston Hughes’ hopes for Black American family, community and culture sinking into a morass of incompetence. Lemmons makes homiletic points but cannot visually coordinate a single dialogue exchange or activity. Her best moment: Young Langston, looking miserable on the bus to New York, is told “I feel ya” by a fellow passenger, another dejected young black man (played by the rapper Nas). But what follows are a series of rank amateur mishaps and reconciliations-starting with Hudson’s insecure acting and over-singing. Lemmons botches her own attempt at a multilevel, Julie Taymor-style musical spectacle that mixes the Reverend’s Christmas pageant with the passion play of young Langston’s desperate desire for family unity. She doesn’t get the knack of musical performance (something Todd Graff aced in last year’s A Joyful Noise). Her church choir scenes and a second nativity metaphor involving a pregnant homeless girl (plus Mary J. Blige as a white-haired, winged angel) are pitifully staged without rhythm or a sense of warmth. Even Whitaker and Bassett seem uncomfortable as stick-figure oldsters. Producer Bishop T.D. Jakes wants to make restorative movies but he’s settling for Tyler Perry level incompetence. Black Nativity should have revived the fundamental humanism that made The Color Purple a triumph--Spielberg’s “God is Trying to Tell You Something” number went beyond Alice Walker’s novel to answer Langston Hughes’ Harlem Renaissance dream. If Bishop Jakes can’t get Spielberg, surely there are other directors who could fulfill his desire for cinematic-humanistic ministry--from Todd Graff to Charles Stone III to Patrik Ian Polk whose film The Skinny paid a fitting, hilarious tribute to Langston Hughes that was sincere and memorable. Black Nativity is sincere but deserves to be forgotten. Follow Armond White on Twitter at 3xchair
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
NEWS
Holiday Traditions For Your Dog By Mike Rueb With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas right around the corner, it’s no surprise that if the holidays create stress for us they also present many variables that can stress out our pets and put them in harm’s way. There are many things to consider during this time of year, but the two major difficulties I hear from clients are their dog’s destructive behavior (eating human food off tables, etc.), and inappropriately greeting guests (jumping at them, barking, etc.). Much of what you do to curb these behaviors depends on the individual dog, but there are a few things you can do across the board that can help. First, you need to make sure that you are keeping your dog(s) busy and giving proper daily enrichment. Try to stay consistent. Although you may not have the same amount of time you did during the summer to interact with your dog, make sure you are giving him at least three good (15-20 minutes) walks a day. Letting him out in the yard does not constitute a walk. Yards can be boring and lead to inappropriate behaviors such as destruction, digging, barking at neighbors, etc. Of course, a nice game of fetch in the yard can prove to be beneficial. When you are busy or not home, a food puzzle toy such as a Kong is a very good idea. Remember, it is OK for dogs to like food; just try to get them obsessed with their Kong as opposed to the bread on your kitchen table. Start cleaning up your obedience commands with your dog. Make decisions
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
on how you would like your dog to greet your guests and start training now. Whether you want them to sit, lie down, or go to a designated spot before greeting a guest is up to you. Bottom line is, you have to prepare. If you are having a hard time with your dog’s obedience, a good group training class is recommended. One specific command I highly recommend dog owners get a good handle on before the holidays is the “leave it” command. It is important to teach your dogs when they can have something, as well as what they can have (treats in Kongs, food out of their bowl, etc.). Being specific is the key to dealing with a dog that steals food. Remember, most human food is not going to hurt our dogs if given once in a while, but there are things that can hurt our pets such as chocolate and other foods such as onions and grapes (among others). Even some flowers can be poisonous. So, if you are occasionally going to give human food to your dogs during this time of year, be sure you are giving proper food at appropriate amounts (small) and are making the dog work for it (obedience commands, putting in a Kong, having them go to their spot for it, etc.). Overall, think about how you would like your dog to behave, as opposed to just thinking about how you would like to rid your dog of the behavior you don’t like. Then make the appropriate preparations. Your dog will thank you. Visit Bideawee’s training department and learn how to take the first step in improving your dog’s behavior. Mike Rueb is Bideawee’s Certified Trainer
OUR TOWN
Come, Let Us Adore: Christmas Concert Sunday, December 8, 2:00pm Selections from the new CD “It’s About Love” will be performed at the concert. The Christmas Angel Auditions: A Children Youth & Families Play Friday, December 13, 7:00pm Christmas Eve Tuesday, December 24 4:00pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm (Live Streaming for the 6:30 service and 8:30 service).
visit MarbleChurch.org for a full listing of events
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Dr. Michael B. Brown, Senior Minister 1 West 29th St. NYC, NY 10001 (212) 686-2770 www.MarbleChurch.org
PAGE 15
ASK MARGARET
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What are non-smokers rights? I have just moved into a rental building, two year lease unfortunately. I have COPD from second hand smoke; never had a cigarette in my mouth. I, and my daughter, smelled smoke in the apartment the day I moved in. I would like to break my lease, but I fear that is impossible as the landlord has a gazillion rental buildings and a friend who had an experience has reported she was able to move, lost money, but had to move into another of their buildings. After being in the apartment for less than a month, I am not keen on that idea, for many reasons. Do non-smokers have rights? Am I tied to the landlord for the remaining two years even in another building? - Suffering Non-Smoker Dear Non-Smoker, Your letter is a reminder that even in the midst of a major crackdown on smoking in this city, second-hand smoke (or third-hand, which is what you’re actually dealing with) can still pose a nasty problem for those who choose not to inhale voluntarily. It’s also a reminder that unlike our suburban counterparts, little kings of their own housecastles, we New Yorkers have little real control over our sanctuaries. Home is a haven carved out of whatever we can tolerate from our neighbors. For some, the final straw is the rhythmic, rumbling back-and-forth barks of the two dogs who live one floor below; for others, it’s the mystery tenant who forgets to lock the front door and causes the nervous woman in 3B to leave accusatory Post-It notes for whomever she suspects; for still others, it’s the nervous woman in 3B who leaves accusatory Post-It notes even when she’s been assured that the culprit is, in fact, the mailman. In your case, however, you have perhaps a more-legitimate-than-most complaint. Your problem is not one of mere annoyance or inconvenience, like gag-inducing cooking smells or a lazy former frat boy who always leaves his laundry in the single, beatenup quarter-operated dryer in the shared basement. Third-hand smoke - the chemical residue smoke leaves behind - sounds like a distant and innocuous concern, but it can actually become toxic, especially for young people or those with chronic lung conditions like yours. Living in an apartment building is always an exercise in weighing how much crap you can put up with against the benefits of staying put. In your case, it seems like the load of crap has become too heavy to bear. Your home is potentially making you sick, which should probably be a dealbreaker. But you already
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Free Housing Resources On the first Wednesday of each month, from 6 - 8 p.m., Goddard Riverside Community Center, at 593 Columbus Avenue, hosts a free legal clinic offering a presentation on a variety of topics, followed by a question and answer session. The Urban Justice Center Legal Clinic holds free sessions at the Church of Saint Paul & Saint Andrew, at 263 West 86th Street, on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Call 646602-5600 for more information. know that. (Speaking of what you already knew – didn’t you notice the noxious smell before you moved into your apartment? I would pray to the gods of real estate that you did a walkthrough before signing a 2-year lease.) You say that you’ve heard that your landlord has let others move into different apartments under similar circumstances. If your landlord has even a fraction of the gazillion apartments you imagine under his purview, surely one of them is tobacco-toxin-free? You don’t tell us your reasons for not wanting to move into another of the landlord’s properties, but regardless, moving at all should be your last resort. What you really want is to get your landlord to fix this and for you to stay and not be forced to troll the streets searching for Man-with-a-Van telephone pole flyers. The thing to remember about landlords is that no one is ever nice to them. They are generally a despised bunch, always the villains in our cocktail party stories about the Worst Apartment Ever. After years of being screeched at and demanded upon and laughed about, they tend to harden. So be soft. Be nice. Ask your landlord for help as if you expect that he’ll actually help you. If your landlord is willing to work with you to get rid of the smokiness, or, if that fails, to move you to another apartment at one of his properties, go with it. If your entreaties for help (in writing) get no results, then you may consider breaking your lease. Before you do, however, consult an attorney. (See sidebar.) You need to address your unhealthy living space, but you also need to take care of your mental health, which means playing nice with your landlord for as long as possible in order to get what you want. - Margaret Email questions for our advice column to news@ strausnews.com, subject line “Ask Margaret.”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
Last Blast Continued from page 1
“This is a significant milestone, and one which I am sure will be welcomed by all of our Second Avenue community neighbors,� Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction, said. Well, maybe not all of them. Charles Rosa, the night doorman at the Manhattan – a residential high rise at 244 East 86th Street between Second and Third avenues – says the milestone is more academic than visceral. “Now they’re drilling,� Rosa told Our Town. “It’s not ‘boom!’ anymore. Now it’s chk-chkchk-chk!� he said, imitating the sound of a drill. “At seven in the morning, that’s all you hear.� A butcher at Schaller & Weber – the self-
described “Masters of Charcuterie� at the corner of 86th and 2nd Avenue – said he never considered the blasting noise the real problem facing his business on Second Avenue. “What’s keeping people away is all the stuff in the street, not the blasting,� he said. “I don’t think the noise is what keeps people away.� According to a MTA press release, the controlled blasting operations in the Second Avenue subway construction area began on November 4, 2009, at 96th Street, with further blasting used for cavern excavations at 72nd, 86th, and 96th streets. Mick McCullagh, owner of Molly Pitchers Alehouse at East 85th Street and Second Avenue, worries that his business –which has suffered from suppressed foot traffic over the last several years – will not reap the benefits of the completed subway line, when it does finally open. McCullagh leases his storefront,
and his lease runs up in conjunction with the new train’s slated arrival. “In the last six years, it [MTA construction] has absolutely hurt business,� McCullagh told Our Town. “There’s no difference if blasting is done or not. The blasting was done underground. We’d hear it muffled. Every now and then, you hear something. But the real problem is that we’ve lost visibility. People avoid Second Avenue now, particularly families with strollers.�
The $4.45 billion project to extend the Q Line along Second Avenue is the largest expansion of the subway system in generations, and will both help expand access to Yorkville while simultaneously diffusing some of the ridership away from on the overburdened Lexington Avenue 4, 5, and 6 line. The Second Avenue Q, with new stations at 72nd Street, 86th Street and 96th Street, is expected to open for service in December 2016.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
OUR TOWN
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PAGE 17
NEIGHBORHOOD REAL ESTATE SALES Reported November 15-22, 2013
Neighborhood
Apt.
Sale Price
BR BA Listing Brokerage
209 E 56 St.
#11L
$379,000
0
1
Corcoran
200 E 58 St.
#9F
$10
Neighborhood
Address
Apt.
Sale Price
Carnegie Hill
170 E 92 St.
#2C
$273,000
4 E 88 St.
#4B
$875,000
35 Park Ave.
#4A
$720,000
1
1
Corcoran
141 E 88Th St.
#4F
$4,853,891
4
4
Stribling
200 E 36 St.
#2C
$481,000
1
1
Town Residential
181 E 93 St.
#2A
$690,000
2
1
Corcoran
556 3 Ave.
#Phb
$2,400,000
2
2
Core
166 E 63 St.
#5D
$765,000
1
1
Roger Van Voorhees Real
201 E 37 St.
#8F
$392,500
0
1
Douglas Elliman
200 E 66Th St.
#E1702
$3,879,532
3
3
Corcoran
166 E 35 St.
#8E
$530,000
1
1
Metrobrokers
220 E 60 St.
#6K
$798,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
201 E 37 St.
#9B
$510,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
190 E 72 St.
#2A
$1,272,500
3
3
Warburg
575 Park Ave.
#507
$975,000
315 E 69 St.
#7E
$555,000
114 E 70 St.
#5
$2,348,863
114 E 70 St.
#2
$2,348,863
114 E 70 St.
#7
$1,897,159
114 E 70 St.
#1
$3,071,590
114 E 70 St.
#6
$1,897,159
114 E 70 St.
#3
$1,987,500
114 E 70 St.
#4
$2,348,863
Lenox Hill
310 E 69 St.
Midtown E
$4,650,000
BR BA Listing Brokerage
Address
Murray Hill
Sutton Place 1
1
Halstead Property
Turtle Bay
329 E 41 St.
#1B
$390,000
1
1
Coldwell Banker Bellma
400 E 56 St.
#4C
$700,000
1
1
Corcoran
40 Sutton Place
#4A
$380,000
0
1
Exclusive Properties
300 E 59 St.
Multi
$1,635,000
400 E 59 St.
#2A
$525,000
1
1
Keller Williams
155 E 49 St.
#5A
$440,000
310 E 46 St.
#Phg
$1,170,000
2
2
Corcoran
100 United Nations
#10B
$1,550,000
2
2
Halstead Property
321 E 45 St.
#9E
$295,000
0
1
Halstead Property
333 E 43 St.
#115
$225,000
0
1
Fenwick Keats Real Estate
135 E 79 St.
#14E
$10,065,401
4
4
Corcoran
$475,250
0
1
Sotheby’s
4
3
Corcoran
1
1
Halstead Property
4
3
Stribling
200 E 79Th St.
#9C
$4,475,208
1
1
Halstead Property
165 E 72 St.
#12F
Upper E Side
27 E 65 St.
#6A
$880,000
1175 York Ave.
#3T
$450,000
420 E 72 St.
#2J
$1,325,000
3
2
Douglas Elliman
135 E 79 St.
#6W
$9,560,000
132 E 65 St.
#2B
$1,870,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
57 E 75 St.
#1F
$610,000
235 E 55 St.
#44B
$1,300,000
1
1
Douglas Elliman
520 E 76 St.
#11E
$417,500
516 E 78 St.
#1H
$287,000
1
1
Citi Habitats
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171 E 84 St.
#26D
$1,300,000
2
2
Douglas Elliman
65 E 76 St.
#5C
$725,000
301 E 75 St.
#4B
$385,000
0
1
Corcoran
200 E 74 St.
#11D
$875,000
1
1
Brown Harris Stevens
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23 E 74 St.
#Res
$2,100,000
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Yorkville
OUR TOWN
#6Cde
$3,785,000
3
3
Town Residential
#5G
$1,125,000
2
2
Town Residential
201 E 80 St.
#9G
$3,250,000
3
3
Douglas Elliman
535 E 86 St.
#9A
$2,800,000
3
4
Corcoran
309 E 87 St.
#6U
$325,000
0
1
Beverly Diamond
509 E 83 St.
#5W
$355,000
1
1
Citi Habitats
1760 2 Ave.
#31C
$2,400,000
4
3
Corcoran
345 E 86 St.
#3F
$582,000
2
1
Halstead Property
345 E 86 St.
#3G
$535,000
1
1
Halstead Property
StreetEasy.com is New York’s most accurate and comprehensive real estate website, providing consumers detailed sales and rental information and the tools to manage that information to make educated decisions. The site has become the reference site for consumers, real estate professionals and the media and has been widely credited with bringing transparency to one of the world’s most important real estate markets.
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220 E 73 St. 401 E 86 St.
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OP-ED
Future Shock
Dignified, Affordable and Independently Owned Since 1885 WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES
Real estate trends are bucking the old traditions By Frederick Peters A few weeks ago, two five room apartments around 86th Street in Manhattan hit the market. One, a three bedroom in mint condition, sits on a low floor in a pleasant prewar building on West End Avenue. It has good light and approximately 1550 square feet. The other, in good condition but on Madison Avenue, enjoys a corner placement in one of the fancier prewar co-ops in the neighborhood. Located on a mid-level floor, it has a wood-burning fireplace, two bedrooms and a big dining room, and a similar square footage of approximately 1550. The West End listing, which was priced below market, received over 20 offers and sold for 30 percent above its asking price. The Madison listing, priced more appropriately but not above its level, took several weeks longer to sell and has gone to contract for approximately $100,000 less than listing number one. Several things about this situation strike me as relevant. First and foremost, the idea that a similarly sized apartment on West End could sell for more than one on Madison Avenue demonstrates conclusively how much our real estate world has changed over the last years. Before the recession of 1989 to 1991, there was no question but that the Upper East Side was New York’s pre-eminent neighborhood. That edge gradually eroded over the following two decades, but the fact that a prewar apartment in lower Carnegie Hill with a fireplace is worth less than one of a comparable size on West End Avenue, and is of interest to many fewer people, requires a paradigm shift about what today’s buyers want in New York City. As Broadway between Lincoln Center and Columbia becomes more of a Champs Elysees, lined increasingly with luxury emporia and high end condos, it both reflects and elevates the streets around it. Earlier this year, a Warburg agent sold a large co-op on Riverside Drive in the 80s for $9,000,000. As a relative price, the notion that Riverside could outsell Park Avenue on a per square foot basis would have been unthinkable two decades ago! And then there is downtown, where one of our agents literally has people in hand to hand combat over her listing overlooking Gramercy Park, while the new condos at Greenwich Lane, where St. Vincent’s used to be, are selling so fast that prices have already been raised five times in three weeks. These
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prices seem set to rival or surpass those at 150 Charles Street, where many of the higher floor units sold in excess of $4000 per foot (the apartments described in the first paragraph above, to compare, sold for closer to $1500 per foot.) And all of these sales in the new condos are made from plans. The buildings won’t be ready to occupy for years. A striking number of the buyers looking at these units currently live uptown, particularly on the Upper East Side. When asked recently why she was contemplating such a move, one of them told me succinctly, “Life is moving downtown. So are we.� It’s fascinating to watch the city cycle away from the notions of value so familiar to many of us who have lived and worked here a long time. Condos on the Bowery? The Upper East Side as a value play? Although we know that nothing is constant except change, these days the rate at which the future rushes in upon us can leave us racing to catch up.
Light a candle for all the children who have died. 7pm Around The Globe! Now believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, as candles are lit at 7:00pm local time, thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of all children gone too soon, creating a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone.
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Frederick Peters is a licensed real estate broker and president of Warburg Realty.
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530.503.9705 perrycreekwalnuts.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
OUR TOWN
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PAGE 19
MY STORY
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS
November 20-23, 2013
Don’t Let Your Brains -- Or Your Souls -- Fall Out We should all heed the call of a brave letter-writer and protest social disruptions By Bette Dewing This great believer in “Letters to Editor” found one whose message needs to get out there - and stay out there. And while it’s about second-hand chat on airplanes, it applies to countless inconvenient truths ignored or opposed by, yup, the rule-makers, who don’t (or can’t) see (or hear) the big picture. Avrom Jacobs’ November 26th New York Times letter advances the cause of peace and good will on earth, and specifically in the air. He warns about not being so open-ended about new technology “that we let our brains fall out,” And, I urge you to make copies to send around in Chanukah, St. Nicholas Day (hey, that’s my birthday), Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s day mailings. And if you have Internet (many do not) – it has phenomenal “getting it out there” power, and this technology (which mostly I wish had not been invented) can be an instrument for good, like really talking up Jacobs’ last line in his letter to the editor, which follows: “Re: ‘The FCC to Weigh Allowing Cell Phone Use on Flights’ (Business Day, Nov. 22), is it right to force folks to listen to onesided conversations for hours in tiny enclosed spaces from which there is no escape? That’s a reckless recipe for endless flights, 30.000 feet up, a setting never intended to tolerate such disruption. Who, exactly, will impose the peace when inevitably upset, often alcohol-infused passengers have enough of their seat-mates yelling into their cell phone over the Grand Canyon? Will pilots leave the controls to settle things? Will other passengers have to intervene?
PAGE 20
Restaurant Grades The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website on November 4, 2013 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.
We must be open-minded indeed about new technology, but not so open-minded that our brains fall out.” We must remember this: “…and not so open-minded that our brains fall out.” Of course peace is disturbed by any prolonged second-hand chat in any public place, trains, buses, restaurants, you name it. It should not be tolerated because it’s stressful and stress is a very significant health hazard. And of course, contact elected officials and media as well as the F.C.C. about forbidding cell phone use on air planes. Incidentally, I wonder how many letters the Times received; only one was published. The trouble is most concerned don’t protest except maybe privately. Men don’t want to be considered wimps by even doing that sometimes. Old people are considered cranks when they do. And young people, well, they’ve been conditioned to believe that noisy is better and cool. Needed, of course, are regular anti-noise columns like the Times’ Clyde Haberman’s recent interview with Dr. Arline Bronzaft, noted noise pollution scientist and chair of the Mayor’s Environmental Committee on Noise. But for now, we need a little peace and good will-advancing music playing non-stop on 106.7 lite FM through Christmas Day. Yes, some Chanukah songs should be in the mix, but regardless of background, it’s music to help keep our souls as well as our brains from falling out in a time when Black Friday frenzied shopping starts on Thanksgiving Thursday. And the Times airs a section two days before Thanksgiving called “Families” with no recipes on how to overcome problems and priorities that may divide families, but rather implying that the biological and multigenerational kind are really not that important anymore – “if ever they were.” That big-time brain fall-out needs a mighty barrage of protest letters and calls!
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Starbucks Coffee
1631 1 Avenue
A
Burger King
226 East 86 Street
A
Taco Today
1659 1 Avenue
A
Little Italy Pizza
217 East 86 Street
Not Graded Yet (16) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Jack Russell’s Pub
1591 2 Avenue
A
Crown
24 East 81 Street
A
Pinkberry
240 East 82 Street
A
Creative Juice
203 East 85 Street
Not Graded Yet (31) 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Aba Asian Fusion Cuisine
1588 York Avenue
Not Graded Yet (24) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Eli’s Essentials
1291 Lexington Avenue
Not Graded Yet (33) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins
1760 2 Avenue
A
Little Luzzo’s
119 East 96 Street
A
Bagels & More
1585 3 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
The Neighborhood
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS Photo Contest WHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS THE BEST DECORATED? r "QBSUNFOU #VJMEJOH -PCCZ r /FJHICPSIPPE 4UPSF r /FJHICPSIPPE 3FTUBVSBOU Snap a photo of your lobby’s holiday décor, your favorite restaurant or neighborhood store then go to nypress.com to upload your photo
YOUR PHOTO COULD WIN YOU $150
Photo skills not up to the task? Simply tell us and we’ll go shoot the neighborhood spot ourselves. Each week from November 27 - December 19 we’ll award $150 for the best photo (not taken by us)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
OUR TOWN
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PAGE 21
CELEBRITY PROFILE
Striking a Chord with the Younger Generation Husband and wife duo and huge Beethoven fans - put a new spin on the classics at Caffé Vivaldi By Angela Barbuti Classical music can really bring out the creativity in a couple. Ege Maltepe, an actress from Istanbul, and her husband Emir Gamsizoglu, a Turkish pianist, decided to move to New York City to pursue their artistic aspirations. They credit Gamsizoglu’s constant playing of classical music in their Upper West Side apartment as one of the reasons they created Drama in Beethoven, which they are performing this winter at Caffé Vivaldi in the West Village. Maltepe, 30, narrates the show using humorous anecdotes taken from their life. Besides their own personal stories, the couple interweaves intimate tales of classical composers, in the hopes of linking the genre’s past to the youth of today. “We can’t follow Beethoven on Twitter but we can still find a way to create a connection,” Maltepe said. While his wife takes care of the theatrical component of the evening, Gamsizoglu, 40, provides the soundtrack. While he is playing, the audience is asked to visualize stories, some the Beethoven-themed creations of the couple, and others inwardly thought up by the guests. Since classical music does not have lyrics, envisioning these scenarios connects people to the music in a powerful way. This concert drama is just part of the couple’s movement aptly named “classical4all,” which includes classical music appreciation classes Gamsizoglu teaches in their apartment. Maltepe said of their mission, “As artists, we are responsible for thinking of how to communicate what we do to reach new audiences.” Gamsizoglu agrees, saying, “The way classical musicians present should be closer to our time, to keep up with the people of our generation.” Why did you choose Beethoven as your
PAGE 22
show’s subject? Ege: He is the bridge between two periods in music history, classical and romantic. His work is very powerful, very passionate. Emir: You can find both classical and romantic aspects in his music, which covers a lot of different tastes. That’s why he’s been popular for the last 300 years. Why are some young people’s perception of classical music wrong? Emir: It’s not wrong, but in a world of so many genres of music, it’s difficult for classical music to reach to audiences compared to others, because it deserves a little bit more effort to get into it. Most classical music concerts are followed by the older generation. Not the content, but the presentation should improve for the younger generation. How do you accomplish that goal of reaching a wider audience with this show? Ege: At our first show this year, a little kid came just to listen to Emir and he was so into it. First of all, we don’t present in a concert hall, but in a café. It’s very casual; you don’t have to dress up. You can enjoy food and drink while listening to us. It’s a new thing we call a concert drama, but it’s not really dramatic, it’s more funny. We are using the power of stories, which is very engaging with the audience. What kind of stories do you tell during your show? Emir: The stories are about Beethoven’s work and life, stories we make up off his work, and stories that Beethoven was inspired by, like Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. When they hear these stories, the audience gets more engaged in the music. How did you start your partnership with Caffé Vivaldi? Emir: A few years ago, we bumped into it on the internet and wrote to the owner, Ishrat Ansari. He said that he always wanted to have a classical recital in his café. So I did a Chopin recital there in 2010. He asked me to keep playing whenever I wanted. Emir, you were a basketball player. Why did you switch careers? I had an injury and was so bored healing at home that I was ready to try anything to get
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rid of my boredom. Just by chance, my mother is a ballet teacher and was playing a Chopin waltz. I tried what she played and she was shocked that I was able to do it without any education. In a year’s time, I auditioned for a conservatory in Istanbul and was accepted. I ended up in Paris playing with great musicians a few years later. How old were you when you took your first piano lesson? Emir: Twenty. Ege: [Laughs] He says it like it’s normal! How did you meet? Ege: Through mutual friends. I graduated from an acting school in Turkey and a close friend of mine was dating a famous actor there, Memet Ali Alabora. Emir was a very good friend of his. I then got a Fulbright Scholarship to come and study here for my masters in acting. Emir said, “If you want me to, I’ll just come to New York because I’m a classical pianist and my job doesn’t have a language.” As Europeans, what is your perception of the music scene in New York? Emir: Like many Turkish and European snobs, before I came here, I looked down on the American classical music business. But now, I’m a very passionate fan of the way American culture presents classical music in the 20th century. I can’t speak for the other genres, but for classical, if we look at the greatest composers of the 20th century, all of them lived in the United States, most of them in New York. If we still have classical music in the world, part of the reason is the marketing ability of the American music business. I wish European musicians were more aware of this fact. Where do you go to listen to classical music here? Emir: The New York Philharmonic is one of the oldest orchestras in the world. Actually, after Alan Gilbert, they started to play like they were during Leonard Bernstein’s time. Last year, Fora Baltacigil, a Turkish friend of mine, became the lead double bass there. After him, it’s more fun for me to go listen. Ege: Bargemusic, a barge right under the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s an intimate concert experience. And when you get out, you see Manhattan. Ege, tell us about your acting background. Ege: I got accepted to the New Actors
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Ege & Emir’s Suggestions for the Top 5 Classical Music Pieces for Any Age Frederic Chopin, Nocturnes Frederic Chopin, Waltzes Johann Sebastian Bach, Cello Suites Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No.5 and No.7 Franz Liszt, Sonata in B Minor To learn more about the show, visit dramainbeethoven. wordpress.com For more on the couple’s individual work, visit www.emirgamsizoglu.com www.egemaltepe.com Workshop. The director Mike Nichols was one of my teachers there, and one of the founders of the school. One of the acting techniques I learned, Spolin Improvisation, is the work of a genius American drama teacher, Viola Spolin. After I graduated, I decided to translate Viola’s book into Turkish and spread her work in Turkey. Since 2009, I go back and forth to my home country and lead workshops there. What are your future plans? Ege: With the theme of classical4all, we are starting to brainstorm on a project about Shubert. I’m going to start a series of Spolin Improvisation workshops in New York City for writers, actors, businesspeople, anyone who’s interested. Emir has an album coming out, Alla Turca Around the World.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
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sidewalk of E 46th St. east of Fifth Ave. #2 Frank & Walter Eberhart L.P. –to continue to maintain and use a fenced-in area, on the north sidewalk of E 81st St., between First and Second Ave. Interested parties can obtain copies of proposed agreements or request sign-language interpreters (with at least seven days prior notice) at 55 Water St., 9th Fl. SW New York, NY 10041, or by calling (212) 839-6550.
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New York City Department of Transportation Notice of Public Hearing The New York City Department of Transportation will hold public hearing on Wednesday December 18, 2013 at 2:00 P.M., at 55 Water St., 9th Floor Room 945, on the following petitions for revocable consent, in the Borough of Manhattan: #1 5th Midtown LLC -to continue to maintain and use two agpoles on the north
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INTENT TO AWARD NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2013 at 22 Reade Street, Borough of Manhattan, commencing at 2:30 p.m. relative to: INTENT TO AWARD an amendment to the existing License Agreement for the operation and maintenance of food/beverage and/or merchandise concessions on and/or under the Highline, Manhattan, for an approximately seventeen (17) year term, to the Friends of the Highline, Inc (“FHL�). Annual Revenues generated by FHL shall be expended for costs incurred for the operation and maintenance of the High Line pursuant to the Amended and Restated Maintenance and Operations License Agreement between the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and FHL (the “M&O Agreement.�) For each Operating Year, if Annual Revenues, derived from the aggregate of any Licensed Premises, including any Sublicense Agreements for the Licensed Premises, for such Operating Year exceed FHL’s costs for operation and maintenance for such Operating Year, any such excess Annual Revenue shall be paid to the City for operation and maintenance of the High Line including the bridge structure supporting the High Line (“License Fees�). A draft copy of the agreement may be reviewed or obtained at no cost, commencing Monday, December 2, 2013, through Monday, December 9, 2013, between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, excluding weekends and holidays at the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 313, New York, NY 10065. Individuals requesting Sign Language Interpreters should contact the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, Public Hearings Unit, 253 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10007, (212) 788-7490, no later than SEVEN (7) BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5,
2013
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PAGE 23
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