Our Town March 13th, 2014

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The local paper for the Upper er East Side WEEK OF MARCH

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL MEETS OPERA CITYARTS, P. 13 >

2014

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OurTownEastSide @OurTownNYC

WHERE COULD SUCCESS ACADEMY GO? CHARTER SCHOOLS

In Brief

In the wake of de Blasio’s move, the charter school powerhouse could be in the market for real estate.

MANHATTAN STREETS ARE SUBPAR

BLACKOUT

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

After Mayor Bill de Blasio blocked the co-location and expansion of three Success Academies, the charter school empire headed by former city councilmember Eva Moskowitz, the question remains as to where her displaced schools could find a home in the city’s current real estate market. Success’ needs are massive. For instance, one of the schools scuttled by de Blasio, in lower Manhattan, planned on phasing in anywhere from 450-600 kindergarten to eighth-grade students at Murry Bergtraum through the 2017-18 school year. Typically, the DOE calls for 20 square feet of space per pupil, putting the space allocation for such a school at roughly 9,000-12,000-square-feet, plus room for things like a library, auditorium and gymnasium. Up until now, of course, Success Academy has functioned rent-free. But now, with tensions with de Blasio rising, Moskowitz could find herself in the market for real estate. Given its unique needs, where in Manhattan could and should she

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

A three-block stretch of the U.E.S. along Second Avenue has gone dark, prompting some residents to fear for their safety. Who turned off the lights?

A new report published Tuesday by the Center for an Urban Future reveals that Manhattan has the highest share of substandard streets of all the boroughs. According to the report, 42.7 percent of Manhattan roads were rated “poor” or “fair.” The Upper East Side’s Community Board 8 showed that 46.4 percent of streetsare in fair to poor condition. The findings are part of a report published by the Center for an Urban Future which concludes that a significant portion of NYC bridges, water mains, sewer pipes, school buildings and other essential infrastructure is more than 50 years old and badly in need of repair.

BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

UPPER EAST SIDE For more than a month now, sidewalks along a three-block stretch of 2nd Avenue, from 68th to 71st streets, have been dangerously dark, without a single streetlight. “I come home frequently on the 68th Street crosstown bus and walking on that street at night is terrible,” said an Our Town reader, who alerted us to the blackout. “It’s so dark. Once you get onto the block there’s no way of getting out.” That stretch of 2nd Avenue is home to a cluster of construction com-

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mand posts for the 2nd Avenue subway project. Temporary trailers and shipping containers line the east side of the street and create a long corridor on the sidewalk that pedestrians have no choice but to walk through. When reached by Our Town, a spokesman for the authority said that Judlau, the current contractor, is in the process of installing additional lighting on 68th and 69th streets on the east side of Second Avenue. The 69th to 70th Street work zone is also having additional lighting installed by the MTA. Repeated calls to the 19th Precinct

last Friday went unanswered. Nick Viest, chair of Community Board 8, told Our Town that he’s looking into the matter.

GOT A BEEF? LET US KNOW Are there unlit sidewalks or other dangerous conditions in your neighborhood? Email us newsreporter@strausnews.com or call 212-868-0190 ext. 411.

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TAXI UNION SUPPORTS DE BLASIO’S TLC PICK The New York Taxi Workers Alliance released a statement in support of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s appointment of Meera Joshi as chairperson of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, calling her the “first woman of color and the first South Asian” to hold the position. Joshi is a former lawyer with the TLC and sat on the NYPD Civilian Complaint Review Board.

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CHECK CHINA INSTITUTE MOVING DOWNTOWN Despite occupying its current location for 70 years, the China Institute has put their Upper East Side mansion on the market for $32 million. The move will take the China Institute to a commercial condominium in the Financial District, which is cheaper and offers four times the space for galleries, multi-media displays and classrooms for learning Mandarin. The move has reportedly been two years in the making. The original mansion was purchased in 1944. Wall

The China Institute is listing its current headquarters at 125 E. 65th Street for sale at $32 million in anticipation of a move downtown.

COPS WHO SAVED BABY HONORED Two Harlem police officers who recently saved an Upper East Side baby’s life were honored by police commissioner Bill Bratton last Monday. The two officers responded to a 911 call and found the baby had turned blue. While rushing to the nearest hospital, one of the officers gave the baby mouthto-mouth. The baby burped and began to breathe again. “Officers Konatsotis & Roussine are the epitome of public servants,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton tweeted. New York Post

WHITE SOX HAT BANDIT ROBS ONE BODEGA A MONTH An armed man in a White Sox hat has robbed one bodega a month since November on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. Police say the man always brandishes a gun and makes off with cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets. Police estimate that the thief has taken over 10 grand worth of cash and items since he began. The man always wears a black and white White Sox hat with the word “Chicago” on the front.

Street Journal

U.E.S. MAN’S APARTMENT CLEARED OUT BY MISTAKE Last year Nilay Shroff, a resident on the Upper East Side, returned from work only to find that his apartment was cleared of all of his belongings. Apparently, the landlord was supposed to clean out apartment 2B, but actually cleared Shroff’s apartment 2D. Shroff is suing the management company and seeking an undisclosed amount of money. He estimates that about $40,000 was thrown away, including priceless objects like photos of his late mother. He has since replaced most of his belongings out of pocket. New York

NBC New York

FAR UPPER EAST SIDE PRICES SOARING While the Upper East Side has always been synonymous with high living, a recent real estate trend is seeing prices in the far Upper East Side rising. The New York Times reports, using cityrealty.com, that a non-descript block on First Avenue had a penthouse sell for $37.94 million, more than doubling a condo at 170 East End Avenue in 2009. “Second Avenue Subway will have a major impact on the perception of the whole far eastern area of the Upper East Side,” said Brown Harris Steven broker Amanda S. Brainerd. First Avenue “will be much more of a through corridor than it has been in the past, where it was more off to the side.” New York Times

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Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

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CRIME WATCH MORE IDENTITY THEFTS PLAGUE NEIGHBORHOOD More Upper East Side residents became the latest victims of the identity thefts that have been plaguing bank and credit card account holders in ever greater numbers. Here are the latest identity theft reports from the 19th precinct: • At 12 noon on Thursday, March 6, a 66-yearold man received a call from TransUnion advising him that two credit cards had been opened in his name in New Jersey. In addition, unauthorized charges of $4,647 had appeared on the cards, which he had never ordered and never received. • A 33-year-old man received a call from TD Bank at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, questioning four charges that had been made to his debit card, totaling $1,520. The charges were unauthorized, as the man still had the debit card in his possession. • On Wednesday, March 5, a 55-year-old woman got a call from Dell Financial Services stating that multiple cards had been opened in her name, using her personal information and Social Security number. The victim told police that she had no idea how the perpetrators had gotten hold of her personal information.

OUT OF LINE A woman ran off with a moviegoer’s wallet. At 5 PM on Wednesday, March 5, a 61-year-old man was paying for a ticket outside a movie theater on East 86th Street, when he dropped his wallet on the sidewalk without realizing it. Someone else on the ticket line alerted him to the fallen wallet, when

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a woman in the line grabbed the wallet off the ground and ran away with it. The wallet contained the man’s driver’s license and a number of credit cards.

COMMUNITY ALERT! Safeguard your apartment and home. Recent burglaries have occurred in the neighborhood. Be alert for suspicious activity. Perpetrators are gaining entry by: • Forcing locked doors, mainly the front, due to inadequate locks. • Front doors left open and unsecured. • Unlocked rear windows. • Fire-escape windows. Remember to: 1. Lock all windows and doors – even when you will be away from home only for a few hours, even if you live in a doorman building. 2. Install and lock secondary locks. 3. Do NOT leave your electronics (laptops, iPods, etc.) near your windows in plain view. 4. Install only FDNY-approved safety gates on fire-escape or ground-level windows. PROTECT YOUR HOME: Your local precinct Crime Prevention Survey consists of a walkthrough of your home and a list of security recommendations to help prevent your chances of being burglarized. Call your local precinct and ask the crime prevention officer for this FREE service.

The owner of 21 New York City car washes has reached a settlement with the state attorney general to pay $3.9 million for workplace violations including underpayment and failure to pay overtime. More than $2.2 million will be disbursed to around 1,000 immigrant workers who were employed at one of John Lage’s carwashes, while the remainder will go to the New York State Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance Division and New York State Worker’s Compensation Board.

-- BY JERRY DANZIG

The Original Teachings of

Theosophy as recorded by H.P. Blavatsky & William Q. Judge

The Drama of the Soul Photo: David Plakke Media

That man possesses an immortal soul is the common belief of humanity; to this Theosophy adds that he is a soul; and further that all nature is sentient, that the vast array of objects and men are not mere collections of atoms fortuitously thrown together and thus without law evolving law, but down to the smallest atom all is soul and spirit ever evolving under the rule of law which is inherent in the whole. And just as the ancients taught, so does Theosophy; that the course of evolution is the drama of the soul and that nature exists for no other purpose then the soul’s experience. William Q. Judge

Creative Kickstart Art Workshops SCULPTURE: FORM, MASS, VOLUME AND VISION March 28 ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE PAINTING April 12, 19, 26 SHORT FILM EXPERIMENTATION April 25

NATIONAL ACADEMY SCHOOL All Mediums for All Levels 5 E. 89th Street at Fifth Avenue REGISTER NOW! www.nationalacademy.org 212.996.1908

Special Meeting: Wednesday March 19, 7:30pm “A Great Theosophist” - William Q. Judge

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SUNDAY EVENINGS 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. March

16 Dreams & the Inner Life 30 Man, Know Thyself

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13 The Cycle of Reincarnation 27 Theosophy Generally Stated

For full program contact:

The United Lodge of Theosophists Theosophy Hall Phone (212) 535- 2230

347 East 72nd St., New York www.ULT.org

MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

159 E. 85th St.

311

FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 2nd Ave.

311

FIRE

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 2nd Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Micah Kellner

1365 1st Ave.

212-860-4906

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

STATE LEGISLATORS

TECH SCHOOL DEFIES STEREOTYPE SCHOOLS Urban Assembly High School is showing students real-life technical skills, and having great success with graduation rates BY MARY NEWMAN

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

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212-434-2000

NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-764-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill

NYU Langone

550 1st Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

US Post Office

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According to a recent report by Community Service Society of New York, New York City high school students that are enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools are more likely to graduate than students attending public high schools. A large percentage of CTE students start high school with below-average 8th grade test scores, and are often stereotyped as being less academic than their peers in traditional schools. “Not too long ago, CTE schools and programs were a part of a second-class system of vocational education populated by students for whom we had the lowest expectations,” said David R. Jones, president and CEO of Community Service Society (CSS). Employment in the United States has completely changed over the past twenty years, and many employers look for people with extensive computer skills. This has made CTE schools much more desirable to students who have an interest in technology, making them better prepared to find a job after graduation. Career and Technical Education is a growing part of education in New York. Unlike traditional public high schools, they offer students a chance to explore careers, and learn specific skills that they can apply in real life working environments. The report published by CSS tracked the graduation rates of 79,705 students, after following their progress from when they entered high school in 2008 through the spring of 2012. The Urban Assembly has a number of CTE schools, ranging in fields from computer science to graphic design. They have 21 different schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Principal April McCoy of Urban Assembly’s Gateway School for Technology, on 10th Avenue, she told us how she attributes CTE programs’ more

personalized education experience to their higher graduation rates. “Students graduate with more of a purpose, and see themselves outside of high school,” she said. “One thing that we do as a CTE school, is that we provide them partnerships and connections to people working in the industry. They can actually envision themselves ready to take on industry tasks.” McCoy’s goal is to run a school she would want her son to attend. She uses innovative ways to inspire her students and get them to love education despite their teenage instinct to rebel against it. Every incoming class at the Gateway School for Technology is taken on a retreat in upstate New York, where they get to meet their fellow students and discuss their goals. McCoy tells her students to write down their bad habits, and burn them in a bonfire. Next, they write down their goals for high school and put them in a “Dream Jar” which Principal McCoy saves in her office. Walking around the halls of the Gateway School for Technology, it looks just like any other high school. Once you walk into any of the classrooms, however, you could find students programming software, or designing logos in the latest Adobe Creative Suite. “One of my favorite projects was when we built our own computers from scratch,” said 11th grade student Alek Cruz. “I’ve never done something like that, so to go through that pro-

Students learn how to create and program their own software at Urban Assembly. Photo by Mary Newman

cess was very cool. We are still using those computers today.” CTE schools like The Urban Assembly are taking part in a more engaged type of education system, and they are not leaving any student behind. Black and Latino students, particularly the males, have remarkably higher graduation rates from CTE schools. According to the CSS report, only 52 percent of Black and Latino male students graduate from traditional public high schools. This percentage jumps to a 66 percent graduation rate if they switch to a technical school. “[CTE] students are thinking about the bigger picture,” said Ellen Hogarty, the partnership coordinator of The Urban Assembly. She works to make sure the curriculum they are teaching is on point with industry standards. She regularly brings in working professionals to come in and help out with certain classes, give lectures, and tell students what employers will be looking for.

There are only 45 CTE schools operating in New York City, offering programs to 26,000 of the 305,000 total high school students in the city. Existing CTE schools have gained more support since former Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared technical education a priority. He commissioned a mayoral task force to find ways to expand CTE opportunities. In addition to teaching traditional academic courses, CTE schools are offering students the opportunity to discover a more specific career path. Some educators may think high school students are too young to know what they want to do, blaming it on their lack of focus. Career and Technical Education schools work under the assumption that putting students in real life working environments improves their chances of earning a high school diploma, and it seems to be working.

Kids learn the basics of math, science and English along with their technical classes. Photo by Mary Newman

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

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Neighborhood Scrapbook

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Hundreds of people attended Civitas’ benefit honoring Stephen Lash and Charles Warren at the Americas Society on Park Ave and 68th St Thursday, March 4. The group, formed in 1981, works to improve neighborhood quality of life in the Upper East Side and East Harlem. Photo by Jeanne Straus.

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The Auxiliary of Lenox Hill Hospital is holding its fourth annual physician, staff and volunteer art exhibit in the hospital café through April 8th. More than 35 original pieces by hospital staff adorn the walls. Pictured, Barbara Kummel, chair of the 2014 exhibit.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

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“We’ll Be There For You!�

BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

more than half of new applicants live in their areas, while more than a quarter both live and work in their districts. Thirty percent of new applicants own a condo or co-op, while 28 percent rent a market-rate apartment, and just 4 percent live in public housing. When it comes to issues, affordable housing is top-of-mind: nearly 140 new applicants listed it as a key issue, with

WHERE COULD SUCCESS ACADEMY GO NOW? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 start looking? According to Paul Proulx, a land use and zoning lawyer with Holland and Knight, there’s no shortage of potential locations below Canal Street as far as the city’s zoning laws are concerned. “A school constitutes a community facility use, which is widely permitted in Manhattan,â€? said Proulx. “As a zoning lawyer and Financial District resident with school-age children, I’ve researched it and I can tell you that, with the exception of a three-block manufacturing district that extends a few blocks west from the intersection of Walker Street and Canal Street, there is nowhere below Canal Street where a school use would not be permitted.â€? According to Faith Hope Consolo, chair of the Manhattan realty juggernaut Douglas Elliman, Success Academy would do well to outfit a large-scale former retail building. “A big box retailer makes the most sense, depending on the size of the school. It will need to be retroďŹ tted, and security measures put in place, but we should have some vacancies

coming up in the not-too-distant future,� she said. Consolo said Success could look in the World Trade Center area or at the Alexandria condo building on the Upper West Side at 72th Street and Broadway. “The Alexandria seems to have large spaces that might work - but whether residential buildings would want this is another matter,� said Consolo. “An older, small warehouse, or even an auto dealership might be convertible as well.� For Eli Verschleiser, CEO of Multi Group of Companies, the possibilities are endless. “New building permits are getting close to the pre-crash numbers and developers are looking to maximize on their buildable square footage by adding a community facility component to their plans,� said Verschleiser. “There are many new construction projects in the these areas that are looking for community facility tenants.� Of course, this assumes Moskowitz’s forthcoming litigation against the decision fails, and she’ll be forced to trawl real estate listings. If that’s the case, consider this a primer on where

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transportation and education rounding out the top three areas of greatest concern. While a quarter of new applicants have lived in the city for 10 years or less, just as many have called Manhattan home for at least 41 years. And new applicants are an educated bunch, with nearly 90 percent holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and more than half holding a graduate degree.

MARCH 21-25 5 PERFORMANCES ONLY

Juilliard

SUCCESS ACADEMY: A TIME LINE

DANCES REPERTORY

2006: The first Success Academy opens its doors in Harlem serving 165 Kindergarten and 1st graders. 2008: Opens three new elementary schools (Success Academy Harlem 2, 3 and 4), bringing its number of students to more than 1,000, along with more than 100 teachers and school staff

TWYLA THARP Baker’s Dozen (1979) Music by Willie “The Lion� Smith, Arr. Dick Hyman Christopher Ziemba, Piano

2010: Opens three additional elementary schools across Harlem and the Bronx as well as one middle school in Harlem

LAR LUBOVITCH Concerto Six Twenty-Two (1986) MOZART Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622 +VJMMJBSE 0SDIFTUSB t ,BSJOB $BOFMMBLJT $POEVDUPS Weixiong Wang, Clarinet

ELIOT FELD

The Jig Is Up (1984) Celtic music by The Bothy Band, John Cunningham

2013: Opens six new elementary schools, as well as two new middle schools. Now serving 6,700 scholars at 22 schools 2014: Mayor Bill de Blasio fulfills a campaign pledge to take a more critical look at Success co-locations, pulling the plug on three of their locations in your neighborhood Success Academy could wind up.

Friday, March 21 at 8 t Saturday, March 22 at 8 Sunday, March 23 at 3 Monday, March 24 at 8 t Tuesday, March 25 at 8 Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard Tickets $30 at the Juilliard Box Office and online at Rosalie O’Connor

Interviews of prospective community board members began last week, after nearly 600 applications were submitted to Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer’s office for the 2014-2016 term. Of the 596 candidates who applied to serve on one of Manhattan’s 12 community boards, 328 are new applicants—with 29 people applying to Community Board 8, which includes the Upper East Side. In order to serve on any of the 50-member boards, applicants must live, own a business, work or have another interest in the district, such a child enrolled in school in the area. Across all districts,

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JANET AND LEONARD KRAMER BOX OFFICE at Juilliard 155 West 65th Street, Monday – Friday, 11AM – 6PM

MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

Voices

SUPERSTORM SANDY AND THE MARINE TRANSFER STATION EDITORIAL The plan for the East 91st Marine Transfer Station (MTS) has a number of knocks against it, all of them reasons Mayor Bill de Blasio should come up with a new answer to handling our trash. Last week we focused on how the project would adversely

Feedback A TEACHER’S DEDICATION Re; “12,000 Classes, One Absence,” March 6 Incredible dedication! Very inspiring. Especially these days, when most teachers care more about their paid vacations & to hear story like this, is beyond amazing!! She single handedly regain my faith in the teaching profession. We need more teachers like her. Jane Taylor

affect children living nearby. This week: its exposure to the East River. The MTS, which was been under consideration for years, was conceived before Superstorm Sandy. During the hurricane the FDR Drive was under eight feet of water. Congress-

8

woman Carolyn Maloney called on the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the permits for the site. “It makes no sense to house thousands of tons of garbage in a known flood zone right along the waterfront ,” she wrote. In the immediate wake of the storm, former

Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo rightly began preparing for the likelihood that more massive storms were inevitable, and began working to prepare. Our current mayor should do the same, starting with the transfer station along the waterfront of the Upper East Side.

WHAT NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING: HOW TO REDUCE TRAFFIC DEATHS

PUNISHING CABBIES IS NOT ENOUGH What should be done to cut down on pedestrian traffic deaths?

“

The thing that upsets me are the bike lanes. Some of my friends have been hit by bikes.” Rita K., Upper East Side

“ Proposal to crack down on reckless cab drivers won’t solve the problem BY IAN ALTERMAN

I am on the fence as to whether this is an “attack” on cab drivers, since they are involved, percentage-wise, in the majority of collisions in New York City. However, I am not on the fence as to another aspect: that this proposal is not nearly broad enough. At the public memorial for Cooper Stock – the young boy who

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was killed on West End Avenue and 97th Street by a taxi that failed to yield to the pedestrians in a crosswalk – Comptroller Scott Stringer made an incisive observation: there is something inherently wrong with a system in which a driver who kills someone is generally treated the same way as a driver who double-parks; i.e., they get a ticket. At the most recent Community Board 7 meeting, the Transportation Committee put forth a resolution asking that, within the five boroughs, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles permanently revoke the license of any driver who causes the death of or severe injury to a pedestrian, and is subsequently convicted in a civil court (i.e., Traffic Court, Taxi & Limousine

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Commission court) of infractions such as failure to yield or speeding (the two most common causes of pedestrian fatalities and injuries) – whether or not said driver is also charged with a criminal offense. And while this would seem unduly harsh (I would suggest suspension of a license for a minimum of one year in the case of severe injury, and revocation of a license in the case of death), it is definitely a long-overdue step in the right direction. Cabs certainly cause their share of collisions, including pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries. But they are obviously not the only vehicles that do so. Any “crack down” on drivers who kill or severely injure pedestrians needs to go much further than just taxicabs. Staff Reporters, Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons Block Mayors, Ann Morris, Upper West Side

Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

I’m surprised there aren’t more. It worries me when I’m with my son. I don’t have an answer. Anything more would be an inconvenience.” Dan V., Upper East Side

“

I don’t think there’s enough signage. There should be more warnings in hot areas.” Kathy Z., Upper West Side

“

It’s hard to stop people from doing what they’re going to do. It’s a persons choice [to jaywalk].” William R., Lower East Side

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

9

The Sixth Borough

How My Garden Grew

BY BECCA TUCKER

T

he suburbs of Rockland were my rest stop between city and farm. I moved from the city to an acre in the suburbs six years ago now, and dug a little garden. The amount of sweat that has poured off me in that garden was substantial. I situated the garden under a massive oak tree so it wouldn’t interfere with Frisbee tossing on the grass.

I hadn’t foreseen that this corner wouldn’t get any sun once the oak tree got its leaves. Well, my thimble-sized carrots were the sweetest you ever tasted. Year two: I went to town with my hoe on a plot twice the size of the original one, in a sunnier location, although the whole yard was pretty well shaded. I got a call from husband Joe upon his return home. “I didn’t know you were going to rip up half the yard.” I hung up. He called back. His suburban mentality had been surprised, that was all. Hell, he said, farm the whole yard if you feel like it! That was more like it. This yield was only slightly better than last. It included balls of corn containing 10 kernels apiece; more thimblesized carrots (purple this time); and tomato plants with yellow flowers but still no fruit by the fall frost. Dead-set on getting a tomato, I dug up one tomato plant, transplanted it into a giant pot, and lugged it to our bedroom, where it commanded a view of the driveway out a south-facing window. I took down the blind

so the plant would get the maximum available sun. “If this doesn’t work,” mocked Joe, “we’ll get the tomato a hotel room.” Without the blind, neither of us could sleep past 6 a.m. Our sacrifice was not in vain. In February, my winter tomato stunned naysayers with a single ruby red fruit. After it had given birth and just before the plant gave its last gasp, I took cuttings. They survived. Now I could get a head start by planting juvenile tomato plants in the spring instead of seedlings. Who says you can’t put one over on Mother Nature? After that, my yard’s productivity – while still paltry – skyrocketed in comparison to year one. Partly, that’s because I picked up gardening tricks like 1) Use raised beds full of soil from under the leaf pile and 2) The aforementioned tomato head start program. The combination produced a tomato jungle that towered over the rest of my garden. But there’s another reason for the increased output, and it’s kind of embarrassing.

devouring the fence? Those reddish canes resembled the raspberry bush I’d been coveting. On closer look… Yep, here I was working myself to the bone to grow mouthfuls, losing a winter’s worth of quality sleep for one undersized tomato, when a walk around the yard would have uncovered a berry cornucopia. In case I hadn’t gotten the point (pick your head up, look around), nature went ahead and offered me another gentle proof of her gardening superiority. I was admiring my tomato jungle by moonlight. Weeding in the dark is dicey, and there was nothing else to be done, so I wandered aimlessly. That led me to a gnarled tree I’d never thought of as anything but third base in Wiffle Ball. There at eye level, 20 paces from my garden, glowed a small green globe. I took a bite. Not a crab apple. It was a crunchy, delicious apple without a single wormhole. There were a dozen of them. It had only taken me four years to notice. After a camping trip, I had brought home and transplanted a wild raspberry cutting.

Days later, I checked on it. The cutting had withered, but that overgrown thorny heap

Becca Tucker is a former Manhattanite who now farms in upstate New York.

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

DO YOU SUFFER FROM ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION? HAVE YOU NOT RESPONDED TO TREATMENT? If so, and you are between the ages of 18 and 70, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to assess reasons for nonresponse at the Weill Cornell Medical College-New York Presbyterian Hospital. You may qualify for no cost psychotherapy, through this study. For more information, please call

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La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th St. 2:30 p.m., $10+ The opera celebrates the inspiring life of National Football League icon and American hero: O.A. “Bum� Phillips, head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1975-1980. This epic portrait of Phillips’ life explores how a man found resilience and faith in failure, and how a single passion fueled an entire city’s hope. BumPhillipsOpera.com

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Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street 8 p.m., $18 The Queen’s Company, NYC’s acclaimed all-female classical theater company, will be presenting a rare production of Aphra Behn’s Sir Patient Fancy, directed by The Queen’s Company Artistic Director Rebecca Patterson (Lucille Lortel Award winner) and featuring the company’s signature all-female cast playing all the male and female roles. Queenscompany.org

DJ LOGIC & FRIENDS 92Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd St 7:30 p.m., $20 Combining the sounds of soul jazz and nu-jazz, DJ Logic comes to 92Y with his closest friends Joey DeFrancesco All-Star Band with Opening Act Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope - to present an evening of unexpected, evocative songs. 92y.org

Barnes & Noble, 86th & Lexington Ave. 2 p.m., Free Girls ages 8 to 12, come for a special American Girl Event. Truly Talented You features fun activities, puzzles and crafts inspired by the newest Girl of the Year. Barnesandnoble.com

92y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St 7:30 p.m., $29 A veteran political, media and culture reporter and analyst, GreenďŹ eld most recently served as CBS Senior Political Correspondent and is currently a columnist for Yahoo! News and the anchor for PBS’ “Need to Know.â€? Any interview he does is fun, stimulating and often buzzworthy. 92y.org

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

11

BEN KALLOS OFFICE WARMING PARTY

20 COMMUNITY BOARD 8 HEALTH, SENIORS & SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE Lenox Hill Hospital, 130 East 77th Street (Lexington-Park) 6:30 p.m., Free 1 Dennis Connors, Executive Director of Lenox Hill Hospital, will provide an update on the interesting things that are happening at Lenox Hill Hospital. 2 Jody Scopa Goldman, MS, RN, Education Specialist at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at New YorkPresbyterian Hospital will discuss and demonstrate “Hands Only CPR”. 3 A representative from Mount Sinai Medical Center will present on their Cancer Programs, Heart Programs, Ambulatory Care and new space on 83rd Street and may also discuss their Accountable Care Organization (ACO). 4 Philip Cooke, Associate Executive Director of Operations at Metropolitan Hospital Center, will make a presentation on the hospital’s Orthopedic Surgery program. cb8m.com

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Wagner Society, 6 East 87th St. near Fifth Ave. 7:30 p.m., $30 Simon O’Neill, a veteran of the opera world’s great stages, will perform the Drum-Major in Wozzeck at the Met in March. He will discuss his transition from baritone to lyric tenor to Heldentenor, the challenges of singing opera’s heaviest roles, and aspects of vocal technique and training, including his work with Sir Donald McIntyre and he will sing aria excerpts and vocalists. Wagnersociety.org

arts

BENEFIT EVENT FOR SINGERS FUND

National Academy Museum & School, 1083 Fifth Avenue 6:30 – 8 p.m., Free Artist Eric Fischl will join host and fellow artist Robert Berlind in a discussion and book signing at the National Academy Museum. Fischl and Berlind will discuss Fischl’s memoir Bad Boy: My Life On and Off the Canvas, the relation between Fischl’s life and his art, his painting and sculpture, and his thoughts about the art world. A book signing will follow, and copies of Bad Boy will be available for purchase. Nationalacademy.org

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BAD BOY: MY LIFE ON AND OFF THE CANVAS

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Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd St. 12-8 p.m., $20 The Asia Art Fair at BNH will showcase more than 20 international galleries and dealers under one roof, who will display artwork and antiques from the regions of China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, India and the Near East. The fair will offer collectors a unique and tantalizing array of high quality paintings, drawings, textiles, ceramics, carvings, sculpture, and jewelry – including contemporary as well as ancient art. theasiaartfair.com

Asphalt Green, 1750 York Ave. btwn 90th and 92nd 12-1 p.m., $22 Cole Porter was arguably one of the world’s most prolific and influential composers and songwriters, with masterpieces such as “Night and Day,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and so many others. Join us for live music and singing as we explore Porter’s life, works and major contributions to musical theater. Asphaltgreenbpc.org

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Marymount Manhattan College, 221 East 71st Street 6:30 p.m., Free •19 East 70th Street (between Fifth and Madison)- Upper East Side Historic District - Paul Alter, Architect-A Neo-Italiante Renaissance style building designed by Thornton Chard and built in 1909-10. Application is to restore front façade and rebuild rear façade. • 45 East 66th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues) – Upper East Side Historic District – Jeffery Cole, Architect – A neo-French Renaissance with Gothic elements style apartment building designed by Harde & Short and built in 1906-08. Application is for a penthouse rooftop addition. • 696 Madison Avenue (between East 62nd and East 63rd Streets)-Upper East Side Historic District-David Hidalgo, Architect-A neo-Grec style building designed by J.H. Valentine and built in 1878-79. Application for the installation of mounted electronic heaters. • 740 Madison Avenue, 23 East 64th Street and 25 East 64th Street -Upper East Side Historic District – Mr. Louis Lisboa, Architect – 740 Madison Avenue is a neo-Georgian style two-story commercial building, 23 East 64th Street is a neoFederal style five-story row house and 25 East 64th Street is an Italianate style four-story residence. The application is to renew the permit for a façade renovation. Cb8m.com

District Five district office, 244 East 93rd Street 5-8 p.m., Free Freshman City Council Member Ben Kallos Council welcomes residents of District 5 on the Upper East Side to come meet him and his district office staff. BenKallos.com

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

THE TWO THIRTIES MUSEUMS FIT exhibit shows that fashion rose above Depression in the 1930s BY MARSHA MCCREADIE

It’s a tough sell, to make a case for the 1930s high steppin’ fashions as the bedrock for our age’s easy-going,

form-fitting but casually loose looks and functional clothing. But the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology does it, in a show called “Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s.” After you get over staring at the fantastic clothing, some of which Katherine Hepburn wore when she was at the height of her dashing best — shiny

gossamer gowns and cleverly cut suits and coats based on a well-tailored man look (see especially a svelte brown tweed), understanding the camel hair sports-derived “polo coat” at last — the show is intellectually underpinned by Room Two’s presentation. There you will find the more ornate, if confining, Edwardian clothing preceding the 1930s, and with a nod to the shorter skirts of the flapper era. Visual pods in the first room are grouped around the activities of the leisure class, for both men and women. The evening gowns, of course, with sheer chiffons to make Oscar’s red-carpet walkers look dowdy (see

especially a black “Madeleine Vionnet of Paris” number, or an ivory silk organza with black lace, truly tasteful though sheer). Yet what really sticks out is the section devoted to leisure wear — the concept of the weekend being one directly attributable to the 1930s, the Museum text asserts, as is the idea of a year-round tan. For instance, there is Janzen wear, with men’s bathing suits with zippers that can get tops off fast (remember the masculine one-piece?) The Bauhaus wasn’t the only one working with clean lines and purpose. Check out the humorous male cover-all for the pool or beach, as done by McGregor,

12

with its repeat images of swimmers about to take a dive: a design much more clever than the golf- or baseballbearing T-shirts that our age uses for decorative emblems. Here form and function intermingle, and announce themselves, but more elegantly and without the advertising logos and lingo. Exquisite tailoring is shown in purposefully torn-apart, deconstructed suits and dresses, demonstrating how all was put together. At the show’s opening I met Luca Rubinacci, the proud third generational scion of the Neapolitan design house which made some of the show’s clothing. He was in praise of hand-made objects, laughingly declaring “Perfection is in the imperfection.” A human carefully, maybe lovingly, made the object, with its occasional irregularity. Of course all this costs, and an instructional movie-on-awall has curators and history experts explaining the relation between some scenes of Depression-era poverty (not too many of those) and images, some cinematic, which presented another, lavish, lifestyle. A subtext was functional materials and their new use. This inspires you to go back to Room One and see the uses of “new” industrial materials for clothing: rayon, even cellophane. A blue cellophane cape is a marvel, and you can almost forgive the wearer for — what shall we call it? — a certain lack of social conscience.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology is at Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, www.fitnyc.edu. The show runs through April 19.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

13

A FATHER, A DAUGHTER AND A SUICIDE <FILM, P. 15

DOWNTOWN’S SHRINKING JAZZ SCENE <MUSIC, P. 14

Vocal students singing a piece from the opera Carmen. Photo by Megan Bungeroth

TALENT ON DISPLAY AT EAST SIDE HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC & DANCE The senior students at Talent Unlimited H.S. performed scenes from several operas and ballet movements at a recent concert BY MEGAN BUNGEROTH

When the senior vocal students at

Talent Unlimited High School learned they would be performing scenes from the opera Carmen, they asked their teacher, Jayne Skoog, if they’d be singing in English. “Oh no,” she remembers telling them. “In French!” Their wide-eyed surprise turned to eager enthusiasm in a matter of months, as they diligently learned

not only how to pronounce and sing French lyrics, but how to sing while acting and emoting onstage, something slightly foreign to students used to lining up on choir risers facing a conductor to perform. The senior dance students faced a similar challenge, learning the ballet techniques of George Balanchine for their workshop of Simplicity and ModStudents helping one another with ernism, a George Balhair and makeup anchine Education before last Project. Friday night’s “Ballet and opera performance. in the world of song Photo by Megan and dance are the Bungeroth highest and the hardest,” said Wilhelmina Frankfurt, the project’s co-director and choreographer. “If you can get that, you can get the other stuff.” The production of a piece they titled Carmen is Alive, which ran last Thursday, Friday and Satur-

day at the school on East 68th Street, starts with the short English-language opera The Telephone, by Gian Carlo Menotti, with vocal parts split among singers and their lyrics acted out by ballet dancers. Next the dancers take over in their Balanchine study, and finally the entire company, consisting of all the senior vocal and dance majors at Talent Unlimited, perform together in scenes from Carmen, the famous opera by Georges Bizet. Frankfurt explained that she and Skoog wanted to move away from a recital format that showcases short, unrelated pieces, and toward a more complete production with sets, costumes and a cohesive narrative, something that would challenge the kids. The result is an impressive show, with moments that could make any audience member forget they’re in a high school auditorium – though a very nice one with a Broadway-sized stage. The students are just as amazed at their own progress. “Two years ago [in class], we would have to do turns going across the floor on pointe, I remember I was the only one at the bar, clenching on, like

‘I can’t do this, why I am trying,’” remembers Jenee Strand, a dance major. “Now here I am, doing solos and duets on pointe in the middle of the stage. The transformation for everyone is just amazing.” Mikhail Calliste, who danced the lead character in The Telephone and choreographed the Habanera for Carmen, said that learning the Balanchine technique was a particular challenge. “Things are not so positioned, they’re more crossed and extended. You have more of yourself in his dances,” he said. “Telephone was really different in a way, not dance-wise, but more acting. Since it’s such a very cute story, I had to become someone other than myself.” Ivy Ortiz, who played one of the incarnations of Carmen, also recalled having to push herself to adapt to the role; she was used to singing classical music in German, but not French. “It took awhile and a lot of talking sessions after school,” she said. “Getting in character after learning all that was actually very hard.” Skoog and Frankfurt say that they were blown away not only by the students’ abilities to master the difficult pieces, but to work together, with vocal and dance majors collaborating and learning from each other. “Our vision,” said Skoog, “is to teach our children to become citizen artists.”

MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST New York Post WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?

Is the West Side Fairway Cheaper? A reader wrote asking why some groceries cost more at the Upper East Side location than the Upper West Side

A

can of Bumble Bee wild Alaskan salmon at the Fairway on East 86th Street is priced at $7.19 a can – but the same exact product is only $5.49 at the Upper West Side Fairway on Broadway and 74th Street. J. Rubin, a local shopper, wrote to Fairway, and to us, to try to get to the bottom of this discrepancy. We decided to see for ourselves. We sent a reporter to compare prices for a host of products (see chart) at the West Side and East Side locations. Prices were checked on Thursday, May 23, and do not include any sales or specials. Here’s what we found: While a few prices were indeed higher on the East Side (Frosted Flakes and Twinning tea will set you

.com STRAUS MEDIA  MANHATTAN PRESIDENT Jeanne Straus ACTING EDITOR Megan Bungeroth • editor.wssp@strausnews.com CITYARTS EDITOR Armond White • editor.cityarts@strausnews.com STAFF REPORTER Joanna Fantozzi FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Alan S. Chartock, Bette Dewing,Jeanne Martinet, Malachy McCourt, Angela Barbuti, Casey Ward, Laura Shanahan PUBLISHER Gerry Gavin • advertising@strausnews.com

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back a couple extra dimes) there were also a few items more expensive on the West Side, like Chips Ahoy and Ghiradelli hot chocolate. Many prices, however, were the exact same. But what about that glaringly high mark-up on the salmon? Fairway did not respond to our email, but did respond to Rubin’s email, apologizing for what turns out to be a pricing error, which the store said they have since corrected. “The retail for the Bumble Bee Wild Salmon should be $6.49 at our 86th Street location, and $5.99 at Broadway, and these retails were corrected,� said a customer service representative in an email. “The difference in these retails is due to promotional pricing we received from our vendor at our Broadway location. We are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and we thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.� It seems that Fairway is offering a fairly even grocery shopping experience for both the Upper East and West Sides.

14

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013

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NY Times Hunter, The Saddest Smartest School Around Elite East side high school ranks last in happiness study By Adam Janos

H

unter College High School, at 71st East 94th Street, is a school of superlatives. It’s regularly recognized as one of (if not the) most successful public schools in the city and nationwide, and is an ivy feeder, putting its graduates on the fast track to a life amongst the intellectual elite. Now, it’s been saddled with a less-stellar distinction: saddest spot in New York. A new study by the New England Complex Systems Institute

.com STRAUS MEDIA ďšş MANHATTAN PRESIDENT Jeanne Straus

released August 20 took a measure of mood in the city using geo-tagged tweets. Twitter users are known for their informal, concise language, and tweets are frequently accented by the use of emoticons like “:)â€? or “:(“). After researchers established a correlation between the emoticons and the words that would accompany them, they divided all the chosen tweets by location and mapped the city’s mood. Yaneer Bar-Yam, the study’s principal investigator, notes that high-density traffic spots like the midtown tunnel are associated with more negative emotions, while Central Park and Fort Tyron Park – the peaceful, green lungs of Manhattan – are associated with positive sentiment. “We looked at the locations with strong positive or negative sentiment, and the results are intuitive, which is strong confirmation that we’re doing the right thing,â€? he said. And, according to the study, in all of New York City, the most negative place to be is Hunter College High School. Several Hunter grads rushed to defend the institution. “I had a really great time there,â€? Mynette Louie, an independent film producer from the class of ’93 says. “I wasn’t happy about commuting over an hour to get to school‌ but I had a good time, because I was surrounded by all these smart people‌ it was pretty nerdy, but it was also just fun.â€? Caroline Friedman, class of ’06, thinks the atmosphere was

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OUR TOWN

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intense, but never cutthroat competitive. “I’m in law school now, and when I was applying I’d hear stories that at some law schools, people will rip out the relevant pages from the library books so other people couldn’t read it. It was nothing like that,â€? Friedman says. “At Hunter, there was a lot of cooperation: people were sharing notes, people were copying homework.â€? Still, Friedman notes that there was limited sunlight in the classrooms (the students refer to the building itself as “the brick prisonâ€?), and advises current Hunter College High School students to, “go to the park during lunch. spend some time in the courtyard.â€? Other alumni are less glowing in their reviews of the Hunter community; Sachi Ezura, class of ’04, remembers high school as one of the most difficult times in her life. “One thing I remember, is that everyone would go home and write in their Xanga or their Livejournal [online blogs]. And this one kid, all the popular kids used to pass around his blog‌ people reveled in each others’ sadness.â€? Ezura herself spent considerable time in the nurse’s office when she would get upset, and she notes that in her class’s yearbook, there’s a drawing of her crying on a page entitled, “A Day in the Life of the Senior Class at Hunterâ€?. Michelle Kang, class of ’02, thinks a large part of the stress was related to the high pressure of the school combined with the inherent stress of living in New York. “I mean, you think all the typical things American kids get to do in high school: driving around, going to football games‌ I was in the middle of this dense, dirty place, trying to catch a train.â€? Kang has since moved to Seattle, and is getting her master’s degree in architecture. Still, all Hunter alumni seem to agree that the experience, however painful or enjoyable, was indispensible. And when asked, all maintain that their closest friends in adulthood are people they met while at Hunter. “I think if people can step away from [the academic pressure] and appreciate that this is the time in your life when you’re surrounded by the most intelligent, special people, that there’s a lot to be gained by that,â€? Benjamin Axelrod, class of ’02 says. “It’s a really good group.â€?

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

www.nypress.com

MUSIC

of the equation went kaput.

Many small jazz clubs have disappeared from Manhattan, but there are still places for intimate sessions and great atmosphere

Small Clubs Fizzled Out

September 25, 2013

September 5, 2013

BY MARSHA MCCREADIE

NY Times cityArts

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PAGE 18

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Village Halloween Parade Faces Obstacles in Comeback The Town & Village Synagogue

Churches and synagogues throughout Manhattan are ďŹ nding their ďŹ nancial plans thwarted by preservation eorts By Megan Bungeroth

I

t’s hard to argue against preserving the city’s historic, soaring monuments to God. Churches and synagogues throughout Manhattan have been targeted by preservation enthusiasts since the city first created the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965. They have good reason: without landmark status protection, surely many of these places, which give religious congregations a home and neighborhoods an inimitable character and sense of history, would have been torn down

long ago. The side not often heard above the rallying cries of well-meaning preservationists, however, is that of the actual church or synagogue members. The landmark process, meant to protect and preserve historical assets that theoretically belong to everyone, can sometimes end up displacing the very people who hold the actual deeds to these properties and destroying the community that resides within the building in order to preserve its facade. On the Lower East Side, a well-known synagogue is hoping to avoid a landmark designation that some in the community are eager to obtain. The Town & Village Synagogue on East 14th Street has occupied a building for decades that has been technically calendared (meaning that a vote was already taken to schedule a hearing) by the Landmarks Preservation Commission since 1966, though a hearing was never Continued on page 8

ALSO INSIDE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HELL SQUARE? P.4

RESTAURANT HEALTH GRADES P.13

After its ďŹ rst cancellation in a three-decade history last year, the parade is struggling to ďŹ nd enough money to raise itself from the dead By Omar Crespo

T

he Village Halloween Parade has had quite the rough year. Last year, hurricane Sandy left the costumes, floats, and music inoperable. This year, organizers have been forced to turn to Internet crowd funding in hopes of keeping the event going. Sandy left the parade in dire need of donations and funding, which left its organizers in a state of limbo. Jeanne Fleming, the parade’s head coordinator for the past 33 years, is optimistic the event will come together for this year’s Halloween. “We hope so,� she said. Because of the unintended shutdown of the parade last year, the event coordinators have had to try and recoup the losses suffered. The parade committee turned to the popular crowd-sourcing website

Kickstarter, which helps artists fund their creative pursuits through public monetary pledges. The Kickstarter campaign, which began on September 16, has been slowly making its way to the $50,000 green-light goal. If the full amount isn’t pledged by a October 21 deadline, the parade won’t get any of the funds. Fleming said that compared to the hundreds of thousands of people who have attended and enthusiastically supported the parade over the decades, “the Kickstarter response has been lukewarm.� As of press time, the campaign had raised $41,975 from 732 backers, and five days left. The $50,000 collected this year will go to investment insurance for the businesses and individuals who donated last year but did not get a parade. Before this new digital venture, support for the parade came in the form of sponsorship from companies, businesses and TV licenses, as well as from grassroots-level funding such as children selling cookies or restaurants donating food. Recently, the Greenwich VillageChelsea Chamber of Commerce, which represents small businesses in the downtown area, announced that the Rudin Family Foundations and the Association for a Better New York will give a $15,000 matching fund if the parade Continued on page 8

October 29, 2013

October 17, 2013

FIRST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ourtownny.com

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Bradley’s, Sweet Basil: if these names have a mythic aura, there’s a good reason. They’re now gone, but jazz greats used to play there, sometimes for little or no cover; the Village neighborhood knew it and responded with enthusiasm, and regularity. These were the kind of spots with photos of Billie Holiday on the wall – not posed ones, but real impromptu shots. Any night at Bradley’s you might catch Betty Carter or Jaki Byard, fantastic performers who have recently passed, but whose legacy remains. Carmen McRae, known as the musician’s singer for her range and uidity, was known to pop in unexpectedly. Sweet Basil showcased greats like McCoy Tyner, or Nat Adderly, from 1974-1992. Novelist Rosewitha Kluge, a long-time resident of West 11th Street, says she would often dip in on the spur of the moment with colleagues from the nearby Writers Room. Some of the Village magic disappeared, she says, when the music part

So what caused their demise? No point in going through the real estate laundry list that New Yorkers know so well. “It was just too hard to run a small business in the late 1990s in the Village,â€? said Wendy Cunningham, who owned Bradley’s. Uptown in the West 90s on Columbus Avenue, Mikell’s had a parallel, in some ways even more spectacular, story. Whitney Houston sang her ďŹ rst solo there, Wynton Marsalis debuted, and the group Stuff played three times a week. Professional musicians would pop by late at night after other gigs to “sit in.â€? Eric Jensen, who moved to Manhattan in the 1980s, says the spontaneous excitement of Mikell’s was one reason he, a non-musician, moved to the Upper West Side from the Midwest. Named after its owner, Mikell’s closed permanently in 1991. Now, to see Wynton Marsalis with any regularity, you have to fork out a hefty chunk of change at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center. But these appearances are in a concert setting, lacking the frisson of a club environment. Schneider was a regular at Visiones in the West village until it went under in 1998.

From the Ashes Yet all is not lost for those

craving low or no cover, and a sense that anything might happen musically. Antje Weber of the West 70s says she still mourns the passing of Mikell’s, but that she believes the so-called “Obama effect� has sparked a jazz renaissance in her neighborhood. She cites Cleopatra’s Needle, though owner Maher Hussein says he has owned the spot since 1989. Cleopatra’s Needle is at Broadway and West 89th Street, with food and cover-free music every night. “I am an immigrant, and I don’t mind working day and night to keep this place going,� Hussein said. He provides a family atmosphere with a reasonably priced organic menu. This reporter has seen patrons who are singers get up and take the stage: a classy kind of karaoke bar. Hussein extends the neighborly touch to mentioning Smoke, a more sophisticated club with plush velvet curtains a few blocks north at 106th and Broadway. Opened in 1999, Smoke has produced its own record label “Smoke Sessions� on both vinyl and CD. One of the owners, Frank Christopher, a former bartender, says it was a lifelong dream to own a jazz club. He is especially appreciative of his neighborhood: “My upstairs neighbors tell me to please play the music louder.�

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

15

Leichter and her father in a still from the film. Photo credit: Kirsten Johnson

U.W.S. FILMMAKER PRODUCES DOC ABOUT HER MOTHER’S DEATH DOCUMENTARY Kathy Leichter found solace through the filmmaking process as she created a documentary about her bipolar mother’s suicide BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

In February of 1995, when docu menta r y f i lm ma ker Kathy Leichter was 28, she got a phone call from her dad, New York State Senator Franz Leichter, and promptly hung up on him. He called because her mother, Nina Leichter, 63, who had long suffered from bipolar disorder, had committed suicide by jumping from the kitchen window of their 11th-story apartment on Riverside Drive. “No,” was all Leichter said before hanging up. Nine years later, Leichter was living with her father in her childhood apartment, where

her mother carried out her last days. She was making a film about her mother, but was hardly able to look at photographs of her. “I couldn’t even say that my mother had died by suicide when I started making the film,” Leichter, now 47, said. “Here I am now, the film’s finished nine years later, and I’m telling hundreds of people — strangers — that this happened to me and this happened to her, and I use the word suicide.” Released last April, almost 20 years after Nina Leichter’s death, “Here One Day” offers an intimate glimpse into her happiest moments with her family, and her most harrowing bouts of depression as she coped with bipolar disorder, an illness that affects more than six million people in the United States. The film has screened at festivals, including DOC NYC, The Independent Film Festival

Boston, and, most recently at the Jewish Community Center at 334 Amsterdam Avenues on Sunday, March 9 as part of the ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival. The film includes intimate interviews with Leichter’s father, her brother, Josh, and her mother’s family and friends. But she kept many of the painful parts of filmmaking — and grieving — at a distance. Reluctant to clean out her mother’s belongings, Leichter and her father kept Nina’s office intact for four years after her death. “Going through her stuff was just so incredibly emotional, saying goodbye over and over again,” Leichter said. When she did sort through her mother’s closets and drawers, she found a bright dress with geometric patterns, old Beatles records, member card for a mood disorders support group. Pill bottles not yet empty. But when she stumbled upon

a box of audio tapes her mother used to record an audio diary, she didn’t listen to them. She had already produced a rough cut of the film before she told her editor, Pola Rapaport, that the tapes existed. “She practically fell over in her chair,” Leichter said, recalling Rapaport’s reaction. “There’s eight to ten hours of audio tapes from the dead woman we’re making the film about, and here she is talking to us. And I hadn’t really said, ‘Oh by the way, I have these tapes.’ I was like a horse backing into the stall about listening to

them.” She finally put on her headphones and listened to each tape, again and again. After nine years of production and editing, Leichter and Rapaport spent another four to five months re-cutting the film to include Nina’s voice, an addition that Leichter admits “completely transformed the film.” In the finished cut, Nina sings, cries, critiques her medication, and worries about the burden of her illness on her family. “It was really quite wonderful to have the tapes,” Leichter said. “Instead of having a film where five people talked about her, she could actually speak for herself and have her own say.” Through interviews, old home video footage, photographs and, of course, Nina’s own voice, the portrait Leichter painted of her mother shows Nina’s complexities and intelligence, her ability to nurture along with her intense need to be nurtured by others, including her young children. “It really shows the many facets of people who have bipolar disorder, and certainly Nina,” said Franz Leichter, 83, who represented the 30th District

in Manhattan and the Bronx until his retirement from the State Senate in 1998. “She had some wonderful qualities and wonderful achievements.” Leichter, now 45 with two young children of her own, said that grieving and healing from her mother’s sudden death was an unintended offshoot of the filmmaking process, but her goals for “Here One Day” don’t end with her own catharsis. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately one in four adults in the United States experience a form of mental illness. Leichter hopes the film will expose the effects bipolar disorder and suicide have on families, and prove to those coping with the illness that they are not alone in their fights. “All of us probably know someone who has died by suicide, if not loved someone who has died by suicide,” Leichter said. “It’s a very common experience that people aren’t talking about.” To find information on screenings or to purchase or stream the film, visit hereoneday.com.

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

16

Food & Drink

< GENERAL ASSEMBLY OPENS IN OLD HURRICANE CLUB SPACE General Assembly Restaurant and Bar opened March 5 in the former Hurricane Club Steak and Sushi space on 360 Park Avenue South at 26th Street. Chef Craig Koketsu, formerly

In Brief WEST VILLAGE RESTAURANT SERVING LATE-NIGHT RAMEN When New York Times food critic Pete Wells confessed his love for local ramen last week, he included West Village restaurant Takashi on his list of favorite noodle joints. A JapaneseKorean barbeque restaurant by day, Takashi dishes up ramen best suited for night owls: it’s served only between midnight and 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, by reservation only (email ramen@takashinyc.com on Mondays to reserve a seat for the coming weekend). For $16 a bowl (or $17 for Grandma’s Spicy Ramen, which is served with spicy shrimp paste) Takashi’s ramen, Wells notes, is “equipped with beef belly in place of pork, a stock made from beef bones and Cheerio-size rings of slow-fried beef intestine.” For another $14, diners can add foie gras for extra decadence.

of Quality Meats and the now-shuttered Park Avenue, helms the kitchen at the massive, 170-seat restaurant. Diners can expect seasonal dishes featuring locally-sourced ingredients, such as fried skate wing with a lentil crust and grilled porgy with Swiss chard puttanesca.

Traditional desserts get an elevated twist: think apple-ginger sorbet and sticky toffee pudding, or choose from an array of éclairs, which are presented tableside. The drinks menu features more than 130 wines, cocktails infused with herbs and house-made tonics and an extensive craft

beer list that includes General Assembly Saison, a hoppy, bespoke brew from Kelso Beer Co. General Assembly opens nightly at 5:30 p.m. and is now taking reservations.

A FOOD HISTORY LESSON FROM GAME OF THRONES COOKING Francine Segan pulls recipes and culinary inspiration from the popular HBO series

PASTIS KITCHEN GEAR SOLD AT AUCTION Loyal patrons of Meatpacking District restaurant Pastis—which closed its doors last month for renovations—had the opportunity to snag a piece of the famed downtown bistro when the restaurant’s kitchen gear was sold at auction on Monday, March 10. Michael Amodeo and Co. Inc. Auctioneer handled the sale of Pastis’ kitchenware, which included a 6-burner stove, deep fryers, pasta cookers, walk-in refrigerators and freezers, and even pots, pans and utensils. Opened by famed New York City restaurateur Keith McNally, who also opened Balthazar and Minetta Tavern, among other eateries, Pastis will reopen its doors following renovations, according to the restaurant’s website.

Segan recommends meat pies from Tuck Shop for “Game of Thrones” viewing party fare.

BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

A few chapters into reading “Game of Thrones,” food historian and Upper East Side resident Francine Segan recognized dishes and food customs she encountered when researching medieval recipes and dining traditions. “He’s done his research,” Segan said about series author George R.R. Martin. Segan spoke at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday, March 11 about the food, feasts and flagons that populate Martin’s fantasy series and the hit HBO show of the same name. Martin, she said, must have spent some time hitting the history books, and perhaps even historical cookbooks. “He pulls really true, well-researched information on dining and all sorts of food customs from not only the European Middle Ages, but also the Asian Middle Ages and earlier,” Segan said. “India, China, even medieval Africa.” For a series featuring dragons, sorcery and some very cold zombies, “Game of Thrones” has roots in historical events, from the War of the Roses to Scottish massacres. Though the locations, characters and events are fictional, the world of the series is made up of distinct geographic regions, all with different climates, customs and food. According to Segan, even the castle kitchens have historical ties. The wealthy, power-hungry Lannister family “feels very European medieval,” Segan said, while Daenerys Targaryen’s rituals evoke ancient Mongolian and Eastern European customs. Fans of the show will remember when a pregnant Daenerys ritualistically devoured the raw heart of a horse, a common custom for pregnant women in ancient Tur-

key, Africa and Mongolia, Segan said. Less gruesome delicacies are the lemon cakes favored by Sansa Stark, a wealthy, aristocratic girl who fantasizes about chivalric knights and evenings spent in the King’s company. “That’s a cute little food history wink,” Segan said. “Historically, lemons were really expensive and revered, and that was something for the nobility in the Middle Ages.” The sumptuous depictions of extravagant meals found in both the pages of the books and on the television show inspired an official cookbook, A Feast of Ice and Fire, and a companion blog, The Inn at the Crossroads, featuring recipes such as pigeon pie, grilled snake with fiery mustard sauce, and direwolf scones. The latter recipe references a scene in from the show, when a young baker presents Arya Stark with bread in the shape of a wolf, her family’s sigil, as a parting gift. The scene, Segan said, also points to a historical custom. “That’s something they used to do in medieval times,” said Segan, who has written several cookbooks herself, including Shakespeare’s Kitchen, a collection of Elizabethan recipes, and The Philosopher’s Kitchen, featuring ancient Greek and Roman culinary treats. “To honor the guest, they would make the bread in the shape of the coat of arms of the guest of honor.” A pie baked with 100 live doves, served during a “Game of Thrones” wedding feast, has both historical and modern references, Segan said. “In the book, they talk about a wedding feast where 100 live doves were released from a pie, and we still do that today in weddings,” Segan said. Though we won’t encounter doves baked into pie crusts, doves are

Francine Segan finds cooking ideas from medieval shows and books.

sometimes released during wedding ceremonies as symbols of peace and fidelity. “That idea of putting doves in a pie so they could fly away is absolutely from a medieval cookbook.” Season four of the HBO series premieres on April 6, and fans of the show don’t need a pocket full of gold or a castle-sized kitchen to dine like a Lannister during the premiere. For anyone throwing a viewing party, Segan recommends Tuck Shop (in Chelsea Market or at 68 E 1st Street) for Australian meat pies remarkably reminiscent of a medieval meal. She bought a tray’s worth for a viewing party of her own. “Then get some interesting beer, like Dogfish Head,” she said. “Hunks of cheese from a great cheese shop, and big bunches of grapes that everyone can pull off.” “Game of Thrones” offers Segan a virtual feast of mouth-watering historical references. But she thinks the series can turn any fantasy fan into a foodie. “Food is something that’s easy for everyone to relate to,” she said. “Even if you weren’t into food, when you started reading the book or watching the show you’d get into food because of such rich descriptions. It’s a fun way to look at history, to feel the past in a very visceral way.” Spring is on the horizon, but in the world of Westeros, winter is coming. And, if history repeats itself, it will be delicious.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

17

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2014 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.

Campagnola Restaurant

1382 1 Avenue

A

Neil’s Cofee Shop

961 Lexington Avenue

Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Hospoda

321 East 73 Street

A

Gem Sushi Corp

1317A 2 Avenue

Not Graded Yet (4)

The New Amity Restaurant

1134 Madison Avenue

A

16 Handles

1569 2 Avenue

A

Canele By Celine

400 East 82 Street

A

Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant

1616 2 Avenue

A

Brady’s Bar

1583 2 Avenue

A

Gael Pub

1465 3 Avenue

A

Caeldonia

1609 2 Avenue

A

Gina La Fornarina

1575 2 Avenue

A

Swig

1629 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (18) Evidence of mice or live mice 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.

Ithaka

308 East 86 Street

A

The Pitch & Fork

1606 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (22) 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 contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Johnny Foxes

1546 2 Avenue

A

Vosges Chocolate

1100 Madison Avenue

A

Three Decker Restaurant

1746 2 Avenue

A

Gina La Fornarina

26 East 91 Street

A

Bagels And More

1585 3 Avenue

A

Double Dragon

2037 1 Avenue

A

Seattle Cafe

1411 Madison Avenue

Grade Pending (21) 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.

Happy Wok Restaurant

2033 1 Avenue

A

Lemon Life

255 East 110 Street

A

El Aguila

1634 Lexington Avenue

A

El Paso Taqueria

64 East 97 Street

Closed by Health Department (36) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

More neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town

<REAL ESTATE’S $106 BILLION BOOST With the city budget hearings gearing up, the real estate industry wants to get the word out: we create tax revenue. A new report commissioned by the Real Estate Board of New York and completed by AKRF Inc. shows that the real estate industry generated $15.4 billion in taxes in 2012, rep-

In Brief RETAIL RENT RISES ON UPPER EAST SIDE Upper East Side retail spaces have seen a major spike since the fall of 2012 according to a report by the Real Estate Board of New York. It will cost $1,400 per square foot to open up a new retail location between 57th and 72nd streets, an increase of 42%. The progress of the Second Avenue subway line has contributed to the tremendous retail growth in the neighborhood, as has a lack of available space. Madison Avenue is already saturated with retail storefronts, and according to the Madison Avenue BID, 33 new stores opened on the avenue last year between 57th to 86th streets, a drop from 60 new stores opened up in 2012, as a result of lack of space.

LENOX HILL OPENING IN THE VILLAGE The North Shore-LIJ Health System said its new health center under construction in in Greenwich Village will open this summer. The “Lenox Hill HealthPlex” will be located at 7th Avenue between W. 12th and 13th Streets, in the shadow of the old St. Vincent’s Hospital. The first phase of the more than $150 million project opens in late June, with the debut of Manhattan’s first freestanding emergency center that will provide patients with access to boardcertified emergency physicians, specialty trained nurses, specialist consultations and other health care professionals.

18

Business

resenting 38 percent of the city’s tax revenue. The report puts the total economic impact of the real estate industry’s activities at $106.2 billion in jobs, wages and output— including approximately 13 percent of the Gross City Product. The industry’s tax pie is enough to pay the

City’s entire share of $13.1 billion in payroll expenses for teachers, police officers, fire fighters, sanitation workers and correction officers, with $2.3 billion left over. See the full report and the “Faces Behind The Numbers,” which includes examples of people working in the real estate industry, at rebny.com.

PICKING UP SPEED FOR BIKE SHARE STARTUPS Jeff Guida has launched a Kickstarter campaign to develop a product that makes Citi Bikes easier to operate BY OMAR CRESPO

Citi Bike pedaled its way into New York last spring with great success, racking up 96,000 annual memberships and thousands of rides since its 2013 debut. Even with its overall approval ratings high, however, the Citi Bikes have generated some grievances, one being that the clunky-bulky frames make them heavier than a standard bike and thus more difficult to operate. An entrepreneur and bike aficionado hit the repair garage as soon as the Citi Bikes made their debut to ameliorate some of these concerns. Jeff Guida has invented a device he calls ShareRoller, made to fit on bike share cycles. “It’s the first portable, detachable, friction-drive system that will work

on bike share programs around the world,” said Guida of the ShareRoller, a suitcase-like device that attaches to the front of Citi Bikes and propels them without much human interaction. In short, it would turn a manual bike into an electric one. At the moment, there is a blurry line between the legality of an electrically assisted bicycle and a motorized vehicle in New York State. The Department of Transportation of New York states on their website, “New York State Department of Motor Vehicles does not register electric bicycles, therefore their operation is prohibited in New York City.” The DMV website clarifies what counts as a motor-assisted bicycle, which cannot be registered: “A bicycle to which a small motor is attached. A motor-assisted bicycle doesn’t qualify for a registration as a motorcycle, moped or ATV and doesn’t have the same equipment.” The DMV also has restrictions on other motorized devices prohibited such as scooters, mini-bikes, dirt-

bikes and go-carts. But the question is whether a Citi Bike with an added electric motor constitutes an electric bike. “From my reading of the law,” said Guida, “they make it clear, that the motorized scooter definition says, that it is capable of propelling the device without human power.” The ShareRoller is designed to only be started with initial human force, after a mile or two of pedaling. “The way the law was written it sorts of puts in the opportunity for bikes that require human effort, electric assists with human efforts, to be exempt from the law,” said Guida. There is currently a bill in the New York Assembly, introduced in January 201,3 to specifically define an electric assisted bicycle as “a bicycle with two or three wheels, which as a saddle and fully operative pedals for human propulsion and also has an electric motor,” along with having a power output of 750 watts and maximum speed of 20 miles per hour. Some worry that streamlining the Citi Bikes to allow effortless mobility Guida with the ShareRoller afixed to a Citi Bike. Image courtesy of ShareRoller

A rendering of how ShareRoller fits to a Citi Bike. Image courtesy of ShareRoller

could create safety issues. The bulky frames of the bikes are cited for allowing a low center of gravity and thus a more stable ride. Guida states that he believes increased differentials in speed during traffic are a main cause of accidents. With Citi Bikes matching regular bikes speed wise, potential accidents would decrease, not increase, he said. “I see people all the time that have to go around Citi Bikes and frequently having to veer into the lanes of traffic to get around a slow moving Citi Bike,” said Guida. The price points for the planned mass release of ShareRoller in the end of the summer are $1,195 for the 12mile standard range and $1,495 for the 20-mile extended. The price is $995 for Kickstarter backers. But it does have the potential to pay for itself. If a biker were to forgo his $112 MetroCard and switch to a ShareRoller operated bike, it would take a little over 8 months to break even, said Guida. Die-hard manual bicyclists have been critical of this invention, accusing users of laziness. But Guida points out that his design is geared toward making commuting faster and easier. “We certainly don’t look at people who take the subway or ride the taxi to the office as being lazy,” said Guida. “We don’t lambast them for not working out on the subway in the way into the city.” As of press time, the Kickstarter campaign for the ShareRoller has made $33,191 of its $100,000 goal from 61 backers, with 20 days left to go.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

19

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town 20

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

Address

Price

Bed Bath Agent

Murray Hill

311 E 38 St.

$1,150,000 2

Carnegie Hill

170 E 94 St.

$499,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Murray Hill

26 E 38 St.

$385,000

Carnegie Hill

141 E 88Th St.

$5,600,375 4

4

Stribling

Murray Hill

77 Park Ave.

$935,000

Carnegie Hill

181 E 90 St.

$1,985,000 2

2

Corcoran

Murray Hill

80 Park Ave.

$725,000

Lenox Hill

200 E 69 St.

$1,390,000 1

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Murray Hill

Lenox Hill

420 E 72 St.

$1,295,000

Murray Hill

2

Town Residential

Upper E Side

370 E 76 St.

$1,195,000 2

2

Douglas Elliman

2

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Upper E Side

157 E 72 St.

$840,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Upper E Side

165 E 72 St.

$1,545,000 1

1

Agawam Town & Village Realty

1

1

Medow Property

300 E 40 St.

$1,250,000 1

1

Fox Residential Group

Upper E Side

165 E 72 St.

$842,500

1

1

Stribling

5 Tudor City Place

$200,000

Upper E Side

220 E 73 St.

$463,918

0

1

Town Residential

220 E 73 St.

$661,082

1

1

Town Residential

Sutton Place

300 E 54 St.

$575,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Upper E Side

Owner

Sutton Place

430 E 56 St.

$1,120,000 2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Upper E Side

205 E 77 St.

$1,100,000 2

2

Douglas Elliman

1

Douglas Elliman

Sutton Place

440 E 57 St.

$850,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Upper E Side

181 E 73 St.

$1,010,000 2

2

Douglas Elliman

5

Nestseekers

Sutton Place

300 E 59 St.

$1,150,000 2

1

Stribling

Upper E Side

163 E 81 St.

$30,000

40 E 80 St.

$994,500

1

1

Warburg

Lenox Hill

300 E 71 St.

$425,000

Lenox Hill

440 E 62 St.

$1,614,963 4

3

Lenox Hill

435 E 65 St.

$465,000

1

Lenox Hill

203 E 71 St.

$7,500,000 5

Lenox Hill

333 E 66 St.

$572,500

1

1

Maxwell Jacobs

Sutton Place

418 E 59 St.

$2,000,000 3

3

Douglas Elliman

Upper E Side

Lenox Hill

26 E 63 St.

$1,500,000 1

1

Corcoran

Sutton Place

433 E 56 St.

$725,000

1

1

Charles Rutenberg

Yorkville

233 E 86 St.

$450,000

1

1

Corcoran

Lenox Hill

530 Park Ave.

$8,146,000

Sutton Place

303 E 57 St.

$225,000

0

1

Halstead Property

Yorkville

215 E 79 St.

$872,500

1

1

Halstead Property

Yorkville

201 E 79 St.

$1,300,000 2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Yorkville

200 E 84 St.

$275,097 $727,500

2

1

Frank Ragusa Lreb

Lenox Hill

425 E 63 St.

$660,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Turtle Bay

45 Tudor City Place

Lenox Hill

30 E 72 St.

$3,595,000 2

2

Citi Habitats

Turtle Bay

845 United Nations Plaza $1,295,000 1

Lenox Hill

530 Park Ave.

$3

Turtle Bay

333 E 46 St.

$1,033,992

Yorkville

425 E 79 St.

Lenox Hill

360 E 72 St.

$380,000

Turtle Bay

225 E 47 St.

$479,535

Yorkville

75 E End Ave.

$280,000

340 E 93 St.

$465,000

1

1

Stribling

2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

$725,000 1

Halstead Property

Midtown

465 Park Ave.

$575,000

Upper E Side

155 E 76 St.

$1,250,000 2

2

Hf International Realty Ltd

Yorkville

Midtown

111 E 56 St.

$795,000

Upper E Side

315 E 72 St.

$2,250,000 3

2

Corcoran

Yorkville

10 E End Ave.

$975,100

Midtown E

225 E 57 St.

$425,000

Upper E Side

119 E 84 St.

$1,750,000 2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Yorkville

201 E 83 St.

$1,200,000

Upper E Side

230 E 73 St.

$1,350,000 2

2

Douglas Elliman

Yorkville

515 E 89 St.

$625,000

1

1

Corcoran

Yorkville

520 E 90 St.

$999,000

2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

$465,000

1

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Midtown South 244 Madison Ave.

0

1

Corcoran

$1,375,000

Murray Hill

303 E 37 St.

$459,000

1

1

Murray Hill

137 E 36 St.

$850,000

1

1

Apartment Luxe Realty Upper E Side Group, Inc Upper E Side Stribling Upper E Side

Murray Hill

649 2 Ave.

$294,500

0

1

Douglas Elliman

Murray Hill

415 E 37 St.

$1,725,000

135 E 79 St.

$11,847,338

300 E 74 St.

$1,875,000 2

2

Stribling

Yorkville

435 E 85 St.

200 E 79Th St.

$4,678,858 4

4

Stribling

Yorkville

250 E 87 St.

$849,000

2

1

Maxwell Jacobs

301 E 79 St.

$1,449,000 2

2

Halstead Property

425 E 79 St.

$535,000

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Upper E Side

200 E 79Th St.

$576,940

Yorkville

Upper E Side

200 E 79Th St.

$4,321,898

Yorkville

1

HEALTH

TACKLING COLON CANCER March is colon cancer awareness month. A few simple steps can save your life. March is colon cancer awareness month, and despite growing mindfulness of the disease, there are still many misconceptions that remain. First lets take a look at the facts: Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Six percent of us will develop it in our lifetime. Indeed it is so common it is hard not to know someone close to us who has been affected, or heard of the famous people who have died of the disease. So what do many people not know? This common killer should be completely preventable. Colon cancer has

a benign and removable precursor, a polyp. Polyps are lumps of tissue that group inside over 25 percent of us and if left alone can degenerate into cancer. That transition takes time and thus a colonoscopy every five to 10 years with removal of all polyps can prevent up to 95 percent of colon cancers. It is the nitty-gritty of colonoscopy that puts many people off. But here’s why you should get over your fear and do it anyway: Polyps do not cause symptoms, so waiting until you have pain, rectal bleeding, change of bowel habits or weight loss may mean it’s already too late. As for the exam itself, it has greatly improved in the recent past. People are sedated with short-acting drugs so that they sleep through the procedure, only to quickly awaken with the drug completely metabolized, allowing them to return to work if they wish. There is no pain, no discomfort and absolutely no embarrassment. Preparations for the exam have also changed drastically. No longer do

people have to starve themselves for several days before the procedure, and you will not be asked to drink 12 glasses of salty and oily water. Today, many doctors allow their patients to eat the day prior. Typically this is a greasy breakfast the morning before the exam and a dairy lunch like ice cream and yogurt. The purge is typically accomplished by adding an over the counter powder like Miralax to Gatorade. The powder has no flavor and converts the eight glasses of Gatorade to a fluid that is not absorbable and simply washes the colon clean. Most people describe all of this as doable. And if that is not enough encouragement for you, colon cancer screening is encouraged in the new health care law by eliminating copays and deductibles for an exam. In our business we say you do not want to die of embarrassment - and we mean it. Get screened. Brought to you by Carnegie Hill Endoscopy, located at 1516 Lexington Ave. Visit us at CarnegieHillEndo.com, or call us at (212) 860-6300.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

THE PET PAINTER

21

GALLERIES Through her paintings, artist Harriet Sobie Goldstein reimagines human and animal relationships BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Artist Harriet Sobie Goldstein has a knack for painting dogs. She’s fond of floppy ears and wrinkled, wide-eyed pugs. She’s just not sure she actually wants to own a dog. “My mother always had parakeets,” Goldstein, 70, said with a laugh. “Maybe I would get a dog. Maybe sometime in the future, but not any time soon. Dogs are a lot of work.” However, the dogs in Goldstein’s paintings don’t require house training and walks three times a day. Her current show, “Pets and Their People,” opened on Saturday, March 8 at the Phoenix Gallery (210 Eleventh Ave. at 25th Street), an artist-run cooperative space which Goldstein considers her “home gallery.” The 14 oil paintings all feature both human and animal subjects rendered with thick brushstrokes and bright colors. Usually the pet, if not the owner, gazes deliberately out from the canvas, a reflection of how Goldstein thinks animals communicate. “If you go up to a dog, you’re going to get that dog’s attention,” she said. “Whereas

people, it depends on their personalities how they react to you.” The relationships between Goldstein’s human and animal subjects are purely imagined: none of the animals are actual pets, but interpretations of animals she found in books and dropped into a scene. She doesn’t know all the breeds— she’s not sure if the statuesque gray dog in her piece “The Thinkers” is a Weimaraner— but her selections are deliberate. One subject, the daughter of a fellow painter, seemed reflective. “So I put her in a wheelchair,” she said about the setting of the painting, “and I gave her a helpful dog.” In the piece, titled “Worlds Apart,” the blonde-haired girl glances over her shoulder and looks forlorn, while what resembles a black Labrador retriever sits at attention next to her. Though she often paints posed models, one of Goldstein’s favorite pieces, “Downtown Madonna,” features a woman Goldstein saw waiting for a bus on Tenth Avenue, about a block from the gallery, who she painted from memory. The woman had an infant snuggled to her chest and shopping bags slung over her shoulders. Goldstein, a New York native who grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, said she related to the city dweller. “I wanted her to have a

strong-looking dog to protect her in the city,” Goldstein said about the leashed, brown bulldog she added to the scene. Goldstein picked up drawing in first grade, and wanted to do little else. She learned she loved bright colors because she favored yellow Life Savers, and has always been adventurous with color, she said, a penchant that is evident in the bold, geometric cityscapes and lush, sunny lawns incorporated into her current work. She took art classes at James Madison High School in Brooklyn. After graduating from Hunter College with an art degree, Goldstein taught kindergarten and eventually middle school literacy in what became a 30year career in New York City’s public schools. Her interest in art remained, however; she taught other literacy teachers to infuse art into their curriculums through the United Federation of Teachers. Quick to credit her own teachers, including a sixth grade teacher who said she was talented, Goldstein still considers herself a student of art. “I’ve never stopped learning,” she said. “People have to be lifetime learners.” Some of her earlier shows at the Phoenix Gallery have featured abstract work, and “Pets and Their People” is her return to realism. Last year’s show, “Reactions to Gun Violence” was a response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. “The work I showed there reflected this depression and this sadness and anger,” said Goldstein, who retired from teaching about 10 years ago. “So I thought, well you know, I want something a little happy this time.” Some pieces in the current show were ongoing projects, including a portrait of a pregnant woman she started 12 years ago. The model sat nude for the portrait, but when Goldstein painted her she added a thin white dress. “Clothes express personality,” Goldstein said. “She’s not just an object to me.” The finished painting, called “Pregnant Pause,” a deliberate play on words, has the woman lying on a window seat with a sleeping cat next to her, itself an expression of the temperament she imagined for her human subject. “I think that’s how I felt when I added these animals,” Goldstein said. “It’s part of the composition and the story that each painting tells.”

YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES

MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town 22

A JEWISH BOOKMITZVAH FOR A MUSLIM TALE OF HEALING Q&A

FIND OUT MORE

Co-authors Susan Shapiro and Kenan Trebincevic discuss their new book The Bosnia List BY MEGAN BUNGEROTH

Last Saturday night, over a hundred people gathered at the Greenwich Village physical therapy office of Kenan Trebincevic to share in a feast of Jewish and Bosnian food and toast the birth of a book he had written with Susan Shapiro, an author and writing professor. The book chronicles Trebincevic’s traumatic childhood flight from his hometown in Bosnia in the midst of the 1992 ethnic cleansing war waged against Muslims. At age 12, he and his family escaped and came to the United States. Years later, Trebincevic became a physical therapist and an American citizen, and met Shapiro when she was his patient. When he discovered that Shapiro was grading essays on the assignment to “write about your most humiliating secret,” he laughed. But it prompted him to write several pages about his experience and show Shapiro, who urged him to continue. The Bosnia List tells of Trebincevic’s return to his hometown of Brcko with his father and brother, confronting the friends and neighbors who turned on his family decades ago, interspersed with flashbacks of his childhood. At the book party on Saturday, Shapiro joked that Trebincevic was an honorary Jew for the evening, calling up friends and family to light candles on a cake with the book’s jacket superimposed on icing, shepherding the book into the world with a “book mitzvah.” It was a culmination of the cooperation between the co-authors, who said that they each found encouragement and solace in respecting each other’s religious and historical suffering.

Kenan, what was the writing process like for you? Kenan: English is my second language, and I studied science, not literature. I just kept writing. I had never made sense of how and why we survived. I would give [Shapiro] these essays, and she would say, you can take the worst thing that has happened to you, and turn it into the most beautiful thing. And I felt like a mouse in a maze where every time I would remember a new story, there would be one more roadblock I had to find my way around. It started to feel soothing and addicting.

When you were writing, were things coming up for you that you had not previously remembered? K: Yeah, Sue would always ask essential details – touch, sound, what people would look like – and it all started to come back. I have a

Kenan and Sue will speak about The Bosnia List on Wednesday, April 2, from 7:30 - 9 p.m. as part of the Secrets of Publishing First Person Panel at the Strand Rare Books Room, 828 Broadway. Visit www.kenantrebincevic.com for more information about the book. good memory to begin with, but I would start to remember what people wore, what they looked like, and I had a lot of those aha moments. I didn’t get emotional at all, but I had to relive the experiences, but this time make sense of them as an adult.

When you went on your trip back to Bosnia, did you think about how you’d process the experience later?

Shapiro and Trebincevic at their book party celebrating the release of The Bosnia List. Photo by Mary Newman

K: Vacation for most 30-year-old single American guys means party and romance. On my list was visiting graveyards and finding people who betrayed us. I had this huge agenda of 12 things on my list. When you go back, you have two films playing in your head – the current film, things that you see, and then you see things that you saw when you were 12.

students who were Islamic and Arab and Palestinian, fighting, saying negative things about this country. So interestingly, when he first told me he was Muslim, I thought, OK I’m not going to talk about religion and I’m not going to talk about ethnicity at all, which is hilarious because - what did we do for two years?

What was the toughest part of that trip? K: Running into certain people who did us harm, and not fearing for myself but fearing for them. I knew I had managed to put my life together, become an American citizen, finished college. I didn’t want to upset my dad. You see these people, and they say hello to you like nothing happened. My mom’s friend who left us at a checkpoint to die, who could have helped us, he said ‘What’s up guys, where you been?’ I ran into an old neighbor who stole from us. I went to confront her, in a nice way, just to ask her questions. And either she had 20 years to change the history, or she had 20 minutes from the time she was getting her blow dry finished, to change her story. That was the toughest, anticipating who I was going to run into.

How did the two of you work together to write the book? K: We were so immersed in the project. She was reliving the experience with me. So many times I would call and she would be crying. Every morning, lunch, evening, weekend, every free minute I had would be on the phone, texting, emailing, discussing the book. Sue: The deal was, you fix my back, I’ll fix your pages.

Sue, you’ve written many books yourself. How did you approach working with Kenan? This is my third collaboration [writing a book]. I’m known as a Jewish journalist, and

What was the most challenging part of working on the book for you? The book chronicles Trebincevic’s search for reconciliation with his war-torn past. Photo by Mary Newman

I’ve actually reviewed quite a few Holocaust books for the New York Times Book Review for a syndicated column that I had. When I saw the first pages, I thought, it’s the male Muslim Anne Frank who lived to tell the story. So I had written about Jewish subjects and I had lost relatives in Eastern Europe in the Holocaust, so that was the context I immediately put it in.

You call The Bosnia List a Jewish-Muslim book of healing. How did your historical and religious backgrounds contribute to the process? S: I think if there is going to be any kind of Jewish-Muslim peace, it should start where we started, which is completely respecting each other’s pain. We had a very intense connection that way, because I came to him and I was completely vulnerable and really in a bad place, and it was extremely sensitive reliving stuff that had happened to him. So there was this intense respect I think. K: I think there was also growth for you, what happened with you in 9/11, and it gave you a picture of the other side of being Muslim. S: I was actually a little bit afraid of being Islamaphobic because I have so many relatives in Israel. After 9/11 I did have fights with several

S: When we handed in the book to Wendy Wolf, our editor at Penguin, we handed in 200 pages, and she said, everything you have is fantastic, now just add 100 pages of Yugoslavian history. K: So we did it like a family history, like a narrative, so it didn’t come out boring. With my brother in Queens, my dad, discussing, asking him, watching documentaries on the History Channel, asking him about World War I, my father’s war. And also when I went to the cemetery in Bosnia, I asked about all these dead relatives. We didn’t want to write antoher strictly political and academic book. We wanted to tell the story of a 12 year old boy, juxtaposed with the perspective of a 30-year-old American citizen.

Do you feel more connected to that 12-year-old boy you were in Bosnia? K: When I started writing it was more out of a personal matter, to understand what really happened to the family and us, but then came more obligation to tell the story, not just for myself but mostly for my people and anyone who has been persecuted because of their religion, ethnicity or nationality. So I can’t think of a better way to preserve memory of everything that has happened. And I can’t think of a bigger revenge. This is my revenge for the crimes that were committed against innocent civilians.

Our Town MARCH 13, 2014

23

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OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1800-638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com

Sebastian, Florida Affordable custom factory constructed homes $45,900+, Friendly community, No Real Estate or State Income Taxes ,minutes to Atlantic Ocean. 772-5810080, www.beach-cove.com. Limited seasonal rentals

Mortgages Ready to buy a home? We are ready to help. The State of NY Mortgage agency offers up to $15,000 down payment assistance. www.sonyma.org. 1800-382-HOME(4663). REAL ESTATE - SALE

LENDER ORDERED SALE! 5 acres- POND - $29,900 10 acres- STREAM - $39,900 Gorgeous So Tier hilltop setting! Views, ďŹ elds, State Land! Lender terms! 888-905-8847 newyorklandandlakes.com

REAL ESTATE - WANTED

NEW YORK LAND WANTED. Farms, Farmland, Timberland wanted! We have local, national and international buyers! New York Land Quest Northern Division 877-2361117 Southern Division 877257-0617 nylandquest.com SERVICES OFFERED

EVENT SPACE Weddings-Birthdays-Bar/Bat Mitzvahs- First Communions 173 East 75th Street at St. Jean Baptiste High School Call 212-288-1645 X 126 SENSUAL BODYWORK young, handsome, smooth, athletic Asian. InCall/OutCall. Phillip. 212-787-9116 WANTED TO BUY

CASH for Coins! Buying ALL Gold & Silver. Also Stamps & Paper Money, Entire Collections, Estates. Travel to your home. Call Marc in NY 1-800959-3419 WANTED: Pre-1975 Politial, military, gangster, comic books & sports memorabilia & original art ! Largelots, rare & unusual. Collector/Investor, paying cash. Call Mike: (800)273-0312, mikecarbo@gmail.com

Remember to: Recycle and Reuse

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MARCH 13, 2014 Our Town 24

NEW YORK’S VOLUME DEALER

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED SALE! 2011 A u d i

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45,997

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2011 Audi Q5 3.2 QUATTRO

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$

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Audi Manhattan A Proud Member of

OPEN ROAD AUTO GROUP /'' ((K? 8m\ Xk ,,K? Jk% E\n Pfib# EP (''(0

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