Our Town December 25th, 2014

Page 1

The local paper for the Upper er East Side A RECORDSETTER AT CARNEGIE HALL < Q&A, P.21

M.T.S. RAMP PLAN COULD GET BOOST Stringer may back plan to move MTS ramp to 92nd Street BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

The office of city Comptroller Scott Stringer is considering backing a request by several community groups on the Upper East Side to move the access ramp to the marine transfer station a block north to 92nd Street. It’s all but certain that the controversial MTS will be built at 91st Street on the East River, across FDR Drive from Asphalt Green. But the city’s current proposal involves building an access ramp

that will run through the athletic complex and be used by some 150 dump trucks making daily trips to and from the MTS. Community groups, including Asphalt Green and Pledge 2 Protect, have turned their attention from stopping the MTS outright to mitigating its impact on the community. In a series of high-profile ads in The New York Times and elsewhere, they’re asking Mayor Bill deBlasio to move the access ramp one block north. The plan entails taking the en-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

NEW YORK CITY’S CHRISTMAS ROOTS HISTORY Museum explores Christmas in the city going back to the 1800s BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Christmas, for some, is all about traditions. About favorite foods and holiday films, peppermint bark and “It’s a Wonderful Life” on television. For me, it’s pancake breakfasts and Italian anisette cookies. For my husband, no Christmas Eve is complete without watching George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. While such traditions have their origins in childhood or generations earlier, the celebration of Christmas as we know it now took root in New York centuries earlier, during an era celebrated by the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden. “People develop ideas over time,” said Natalia Sokolova, curator of education at the museum who recently led a talk about Christmas in 1830. “The roots of a lot of

25-31 2014

OURTOWNNY.COM

OurTownEastSide @OurTownNYC

In Brief FINANCIAL SUCCESS AT SUCCESS ACADEMY The Success Academy charter school network took in a whopping $34.6 million for the financial year ended June 2013, according to tax documents reviewed by the Daily News. That’s up nearly $18 million from $16.7 million in the prior year. The booming growth resulted in sharply higher pay for Success founder Eva Moskowitz, who took home $567,500. That’s more than twice the salary of city schools boss Carmen Farina, who earns $212,614 to oversee the city’s system of roughly 1,800 schools. Success Academy has found itself in periodic fights with Mayor Bill deBlasio over the network’s growth, and city Comptroller Scott Stringer has announced he is auditing the school’s finances. Results from that inquiry are expected in 2015.

NEW LAW LIMITS LIGHTING ON STATE BUILDINGS Let there be (not so much) light. A suburban New York lawmaker is trumpeting legislation signed this week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to curtail light pollution from state-owned buildings. Sen. Carl Marcellino says his bill requires the use of shielded lights on the exterior of state buildings, directing lighting downward onto streets, walkways and public spaces. Marcellino says unshielded lighting causes something called sky glow. That obscures night sky views and creates road glare. He says excessive outdoor lighting causes over 100 million bird fatalities across the United States annually.

things lie in the past.” Nestled between a parking garage and a medical research building on the easternmost stretch of East 61st Street, the stone structure, with white wooden shutters and trimmed hedges, was built in 1799 as a carriage house. It was converted into a country retreat in 1826 for middle class city-dwellers looking to escape the urban bustle, which at the time was mostly contained below 14th Street—upper Manhattan was still mostly countryside. Now an educational history museum decorated with furniture of the era, such as a paw-footed writing desk with gold filigree and a French barrel organ that plays “Yankee Doodle,” the museum offers holiday programming, including concerts and candlelit tours, and is decked out for a 1830s Christmas. Pine cones and branches adorn the windowsills. Crab apple garlands hang from the doorways, and gingerbread cookies and figgy pudding—all remarkably

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

WEEK OF DECEMBER

The parlor at the Mount Vernon Hotel Musem and Garden, decorated for the holidays.

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candle every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday December 26 - 4:17 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

2 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CHECK

SUBWAYS SLOWLY UPGRADING FROM 1930S-ERA TECHNOLOGY New York City’s subways — the nation’s biggest mass transit network — serve more than 6 million daily riders who depend largely on a signal system that dates back to the Great

Depression. Antiquated electro-mechanics with thousands of moving parts are still critical to operations. Dispatchers still monitor most trains from 24-hour underground “towers,� and they still put pencil to paper to track their progress. That eight-decade-old system is slowly being replaced by 21st-century digital technology that allows up to twice as many trains to safely travel closer together. But there’s a big caveat:

It could take at least 20 years for the city’s 700 miles of tracks to be fully computerized. Of the subway system’s almost two dozen major lines, just one, the L linking Manhattan and Brooklyn, currently operates on new, computerized, automated signals. And the modernization of the No. 7 line from Manhattan to Queens has begun, to be completed by 2017. So, for at least the foreseeable future, New York subway riders can expect the snags, weekend shutdowns and overcrowding they have become accustomed to. “We’re at the physical limits of what the original technology can carry,â€? acknowledges Adam Lisberg, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs the New York City Transit’s subways. But he says safety is not being sacriďŹ ced. “This stuff is old, but it works — it works really well,â€? he says, his voice rising above the roar of a 400-ton train passing through a Greenwich Village station. Much of New York’s subways continue to operate with the equipment from the 1930s, kept running by a maintenance

team that’s forced to fabricate replacement parts long out of production. Wynton Habersham, the MTA’s chief of signals and track operations, recently led an Associated Press reporter and photographer on a walking tour through some of the 22 control “towers� — as the dispatcher spaces are called, though they’re buried deep beneath the streets. In the cramped, worn-out Greenwich Village tower, MTA workers monitor light boards that show train locations and movement. The dispatchers answer phone calls and listen to two-way radio reports while keeping an eye on each train’s progress. A massive cabinet is arrayed with levers to move switches through a warren of electrical connections to relays that were cutting-edge technology at the same time as the Hindenburg airship. Hidden from straphangers, these are the guts of the urban transit network that guide subway traffic through nearly 500 stations. “The New York system is big and a finite amount of money was available, for decades,� concludes engineer Nabil Ghaly, the MTA’s chief signal engi-

neer until he retired in 2007. “We have to catch up.� AP

U.E.S. SOCIALITES ACCUSED OF ABUSING NANNY STUCK IN ITALY The New York Times reported that 30-year-old socialite Malu Custer Edwards, her husband Mickey Hurley, 37, and their four young children are stuck in Italy due to a lingering lawsuit brought by their former nanny. Felicitas del Carmen Villanueva Garnica came from Chile, where the family is also from, to the Upper East Side as a nanny in 2011. She worked for the family a short time, and two years later ďŹ led a lawsuit alleging human trafficking charges against Edwards and Hurley, claiming that they abused her, took her passport, locked her in a room without access to proper food and medication, and let the children beat her. Edwards and Hurley (who has also received his fair share of negative press after nasty emails he sent to a photographer were made public) denied the allegations, and a judge dismissed the case, due to “rampant inconsistenciesâ€? in Garnica’s story, earlier

this month. The couple was, however, ordered by the Department of Labor to pay Garnica $6,302.54 in back pay. The family is now stuck in legal limbo because the State Department denied Edwards a renewal of her student visa, citing her failure to reveal on her application what they say is potential involvment in human trafficking, and what Edwards and her husband say is the result of a lawsuit with no basis. For now, the family must remain in Italy until their attorney and the State Department reach an agreement. New York Times

COPS TICKETING MORE JAYWALKERS, FEWER BICYCLISTS The New York Post reported that the NYPD has increased the number of jaywalking summonses issued, up 275 percent from last year, from 514 to 1,930. At the same time, summonses for bicycle infractions have decreased by 25 percent through the end of November from last year, with 32,500 tickets issued, down from 43,000 last year. New York Post

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DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 3

CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON ALERT AFTER COPS KILLED Big-city police departments and union leaders around the country are warning the rank and file to wear bulletproof vests and avoid making inammatory posts on social media in the days after a man ambushed two officers and shot them to death inside their patrol car. The killings of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn heightened fears about the safety of law enforcement officials nationwide. The gunman, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, had vowed in an Instagram post to put “wings on pigsâ€? as retaliation for the deaths of black men at the hands of white police. Brinsley was black; the slain New York Police Department ofďŹ cers were Hispanic and Asian. Officials in New York investigated at least a dozen threats against police since the shootings, and one man was arrested

at a Manhattan precinct after he walked in and said: “If I punch you in the face, how much time will I get?â€? and refused to leave. Investigators are trying to determine if Brinsley had taken part in any protests over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, whose names he invoked in his online threat, or simply latched onto the cause for the ďŹ nal act in a violent rampage. In the wake of the officers’ shootings, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged on Monday people on both sides to tone down their rhetoric, calling in a WNYC-AM radio interview for “rational, sober conversationâ€? later to consider reforms. A union-generated message at the 35,000-officer NYPD warned officers that they should respond to every radio call with two cars — “no matter what the opinion of the patrol

19TH PRECINCT

supervisorâ€? — and not make arrests “unless absolutely necessary.â€? The president of the detectives’ union told members in a letter to work in threes when out on the street, wear bulletproof vests and keep aware of their surroundings. At a news conference in New York on Sunday, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce detailed Brinsley’s long criminal record, hatred for police and the government and apparent history of mental instability that included an attempt to hang himself a year ago. Brinsley had at least 19 arrests in Georgia and Ohio, spent two years in prison for gun possession and had a troubled childhood so violent that his mother was afraid of him, police said. He ranted online about authority ďŹ gures and expressed “selfdespair and anger at himself and where his life was,â€? Boyce said.

Report covering the week 12/8/2014 through 12/14/2014 Week to Date

Year to Date

2014 2013

% Change

2014

2013

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Rape

0

0

n/a

11

6

83.3

Robbery

1

0

n/a

84

101

-16.8

Felony Assault

1

1

0

97

91

6.6

Burglary

2

4

-50

207

225

-8

Grand Larceny

33

36

-8.3

1,333

1,480 -9.9

Grand Larceny Auto

1

2

-50

77

54

42.6

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State Senator Liz Krueger

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trance to FDR Drive on 92nd St. and dedicating it solely to dump trucks heading to the MTS. The FDR’s acceleration lane, which runs directly behind Asphalt Green, would also be given over to the trucks, and would rise to link up with the overpass leading to the MTS at 91st St. Vehicle traffic that used to enter the FDR at 92nd St. would be routed two blocks north to 94th St., where an entrance onto the FDR would be created. It will cost an additional $11 million to abandon the E. 91st St. plan and move the ramp to E. 92nd St. If Stringer comes out publicly in favor of moving the ramp, it could put added pressure on the mayor to back the plan, as well. Stringer has already been in-

tation department. As it stands, the ramp runs between Asphalt Green’s soccer fields and DeKovats Park. Advocates for moving the ramp a block north say such heavy truck traffic in that area will result in tragedy. “If the administration had thrown a dart into the neighborhood, they could not have hit a worse location for this ramp,� said Schwartz. “There is a cost-effective alternative just one block away that would slash the risk of pedestrian casualties.� Asphalt Green Executive Director Maggy Siegel said the administration is considering the plan and they hope to have an answer by June. “We are cautiously optimistic that the ramp will get moved,� said Siegel. “Right now there are surveys going on all over the neighborhood and people are asking, what are these guys doing? We believe it’s in con-

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nection with the possible ramp movement.â€? Siegel said that Asphalt Green and Schwartz have discussed with the city the need for them to conduct their own traffic studies and surveys on connection with moving the ramp to 92nd Street. “We also have come to an agreement with the city, and this is huge‌the city has promised us in writing that they will not do any work while our summer camp is going on,â€? said Siegel. “There will absolutely be no construction on the ramp during summer day camp the entire summer.â€? Siegel said the summer day camp is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. over the summer months. “They have not yet done any work that if the ramp moves, they didn’t need to do,â€? Siegel said.

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directly pulled into the conversation. A report commissioned by Asphalt Green cites a ďŹ nding by the comptroller’s office that the Dept. of Sanitation pays out tens of millions of dollars per year in settlement claims involving accidents with their vehicles. “Sanitation is one of many agencies with a considerable fleet of city vehicles that lead to claims costs against taxpayers,â€? said Stringer in a ClaimStat report from this year. “In 2013, the cost for motor vehicle tort claims across city agencies was $91.2 million - one of the highest of any single claim type.â€? Asphalt Green and Sam Schwartz, an engineer and former commissioner of the city’s Traffic Deaprtment hired as a consultant, contend that the $11 million price tag to move the ramp to 92nd Street will be more than made up in fewer claims against the city’s sani-

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M.T.S. RAMP PLAN COULD SEE BOOST

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DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 5

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6 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Neighborhood Scrapbook LIGHTING OF THE MENORAH AT CARL SHURZ

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS AT CARTER BURDEN

For the last seven years, Chabad of the Upper East Side and Congregation Kehileth Jeshuram have joined together to kindle the lights of Hanukah on the first holiday’s first Sunday at a festive gathering at an open event at Carl Shurz Park on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. “We’re bringing the joy of light - the message of Hanukah, even at the darkest and coldest time of the year,” said Chabad Executive Director Rabbi Ben Tzion Krasnianski, pictured.

More than 150 seniors at The Carter Burden Luncheon Club celebrated the holidays with the help of Macy’s volunteers on Dec. 16. Seniors enjoyed a delicious lunch served by volunteers and took home holiday gift bags and raffle prizes provided by Macy’s.

CHRISTMAS ROOTS realistic reproductions—decorate tabletops. Feasting was a major element in American Christmas in the 18th century, Sokolova said, as the winter marked the end of the harvest season and offered a temporary respite for hardworking farmers. Wassailing was also an established holiday tradition, and bands of working men would visit their boss’ homes over Christmas, receiving food, drink and occasionally money as gifts, Sokolova said. But, as New York became a key port city in the 1820s with the opening of

the Erie Canal, cheaper and accessible travel meant a population boom for the city. Class struggles emerged and densely populated tenements and slums—such as the Five Points neighborhood in lower Manhattan—grew common. “Because you have this great disparity of classes there was a lot of social tension that started forming,” Sokolova said. As the economic divide in New York widened, wassailing grew aggressive, loud and contentious. Drinking was often involved and violence arose. What was once an accepted tradition became a vehicle of social protest, Sokolova said, with well-off residents often the targets. In an attempt to preserve the holi-

day, wealthier New Yorkers, who were moving away from the downtown congestion, domesticated their Christmas celebrations, focusing on family feasts, and throwing parties and buying gifts for children. In 1823, an anonymous poet published “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” now commonly known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which solidified the image of Santa Claus. New York continued to develop commercially and shops and boutiques cashed in on the new Christmas traditions, Sokolova said. A newspaper advertisement from an 1833 issue of the Evening Post featured Christmas toys and sweets for children, such as macaroons, coconut drops and lady fingers. Small bakeries grew popular.

IF YOU GO The next event at the museum offers an introduction to the daily workings of the hotel. Recommended for ages 3-6. What: Teddy Bear Tea, where children can bring their favorite stuffed animal or doll for tea and cookies, and act out some of the Delmonico’s, one of country’s first restaurants, began as a confectionary in the Financial District. “It’s amazing what New York had already back then,” said Sokolova. “There was just so much available. And looking at these advertisements, anything that you would want back in that time period would be here in New

common daily hotel activities from 1830. When: Sunday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. Where: Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, 421 East 61st St., between First and York Avenues Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12 York.” While some Christmas traditions formed in the 1820s, others came later. With all its holiday décor, the museum is missing a Christmas tree. A German tradition, the Christmas tree didn’t spread widely in the United States until Queen Victoria was pictured with one in 1847, Sokolova said.

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 7

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8 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Voices

< A VOICE AGAINST THE FRICK EXPANSION Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts has carefully reviewed the proposal for expansion of the Frick Collection. Much of the conversation in the press has focused on the 1977 Russell Page Garden, and while our support of its preservation remains strong and steadfast, we believe it is worth reiterating some of the other reasons we find this plan to be inappropriate. The Henry Clay Frick House is a National Historic Landmark, a New York City landmark, and located within the Upper East Side Historic District. As such, this richly appointed mansion is as much a masterpiece as any of the objects inside. The proposed addition will institutionalize the residence -- counter to the very mission of the museum: “to offer a singular and memorable experience for the

visiting public, providing an engaging view of life in the Gilded Age.” The bulk of the proposed addition is enormous. The continued street wall, met by the towering southward extension of the Reference Library, creates an unusual condition for the mid-block on East 70th Street. When viewed from Fifth Avenue or Central Park, the new addition will thoroughly overwhelm the original Henry Clay Frick mansion. And yet, the net increase in exhibition space would be a mere 3,600 square feet. Thus, a large proportion of the massive new building would be used almost entirely for backstage functions. The Upper East Side is home to an internationally-renowned group of art institutions, all of which have seen the growth of their collections, as well as attendance. Responding

to this, some institutions have thoughtfully reassessed their interiors, finding efficiencies and new space for both public and administrative use. Such a reallocation process is worth a second look at the Frick, whereby the museum’s goals could be achieved without a large-scale new addition. Meanwhile, many other institutions have expanded into buildings offsite. Fortunately, the Frick has an option right next door which should satisfy many space requirements. The groundfloor, two-story condominium unit located at 11 East 70th Street (contiguous to the garden and presently housing an art gallery) could be purchased. Let us be clear, Friends is not against expansion of the Frick Collection. In fact, we gave the museum and their architect an award for the Portico Gallery in 2012. We simply do not believe that this proposal is the right way to go about it.

Op - Ed

A (Wartime) Christmas Story MARIA LUISE MAYR his is a Christmas story of a special kind. Not the kind with angels singing and adoring the crib with the newborn child. It was a cold winter day not long before Christmas in wartime Southern Austria in 1944. This cold winter my dad was suddenly dismissed from his job in the city administration of an Austrian town and, as punishment for “political unreliability”, ordered by the Nazis to be sent to the Eastern front. He had for three or more years steadfastly refused to sign the Nazi party book, the party which everyone employed by the city government had to join. Not only that, an inveterate and globally thinking pacifist and linguist, he had also often contacted French, Russian and Ukrainian war prisoners who were forced to work in the

T

fields. When dad’s moment came, we were in despair and helplessly tried to somehow assemble warm clothing for him to take along. There was nothing new in the house since nonparty members and their families simply did not get things -- if there still were things to be had. But we had learned in the three war years to make something out of nothing, not only Christmas cookies after saving spoonfulls of sugar the entire year … We also had embarked on what today would be called a totally green lifestyle. Old tricot dresses of our mother were laid out on the floor and whoever wanted a bathing suit would lie down on the fabric and we would cut and shape it according to the required size (“couture country style”). All old wool sweaters, socks and mittens, when too small or not wearable, were carefully undone, wrapped around the back of a chair, and tied in three places so they would not entangle when delicately washed and air-dried for further important reuse … early successful recycling. And what use: new mittens with Norwegian double patterns, sweaters, hats, socks, socks, socks – the winters were

cold with snow and subfreezing temperatures. Out with the saved strands of wool and start knitting as if it were for your life! We mixed together different colors of wool, my mother, my sister and I, and the needles clattered away nonstop for hours, while every now and then we would add wood to the small kitchen stove. I don’t remember if we missed a school day, but the snow was too high anyway to send us on our way from the old farmhouse on the hilltop were we had found refuge coming from Italy, down to the school in the little town. While the old kitchen stove kept us warm, a pair of warm socks materialized and ended in my father’s backpack. A second pair, in an even greater hurry. But someone fell behind and dad had to leave for the station to catch the train. With one sock too few. The fastest knitter took over relentlessly. And my mother managed, got us dressed warmly and with the old sled we tobogganed down the two hills to the station where dad, a super punctual person, was still waiting. Cookies from the Christmas jar and the priceless

wool sock. He had tears in his eyes. With God’s help, he returned home towards the end of the war, released early because of a severe illness, walking on foot through upper Styria, by night, and sleeping in the forests by day to avoid the airplane attacks along the train tracks to Vienna. Much later, only this past summer, I found documents attesting to how he had been hounded to join the Party since 1941 and had refused. His mother was Hungarian and the Nazis even tried to prove that she was a “Roma.” Dad recovered and after the war even got his old job back, rose high in the city administration and worked alongside his old “enemies” and only sometimes when talking about them at home a strange smile appeared on his face. He lived another 44 years. We still miss him, the gentle humanist who recited Dickens’ “Christmas Carol in Prose” for us, and his great civilian courage, an example for us children to last.

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Publisher, Gerry Gavin Associate Publishers, Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth

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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

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 9

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Wishing Everybody A Healthy, Happy And Prosperous New Year! 1395 Third Avenue Btwn 79th and 80th Sts 212.879.3690 DCA License #1089294

10 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Out & About 26 MET CHRISTMAS TREE AND NEAPOLITIAN BAROQUE CRÈCHE Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. @82nd St. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Suggested donation $25. Most people are heading to Rockefellar Center to see a New York Christmas Tree, but make sure you head uptown to witness the holiday centerpiece at the Met. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org

Broadway @ 95th St. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $21 Adults, $14 Kids. This lively tale, filled with original music, and acted out by large, animated rod puppets features Brother Sun, a huge, and a talking sun face seven feet in diameter. 212-864-5400. www. symphonyspace.org

KWANZAA 2014: OUR BRIGHTEST LIGHTS

IN THE ABSTRACT

The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave @ 92nd St. 1-4 p.m., Free with Museum Admission. Bring your kids to the Jewish Museum art studio during their winter break this week. During this workshop they will create abstract art with stamps and paint. 212-423-3200. www. thejewishmuseum.

American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West @ 79th Street. 12-3 p.m., Free with Museum

“ZERO COUNTDOWN TO TOMORROW, 1950S-60S” Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave @ 89th St. 10 a.m., $22 adults, $18 Under 12. The zero group was a movement in Germany of artists reacting against Expressionist painting. This exhibit beautifully curates the range of different artists involved in the movement. 212-423-3500. www. guggenheim.org

27 CATSKILL PUPPET THEATRE: SISTER RAIN AND BROTHER SUN Symphony Space, 2537

Admission. Join the Museum’s 36th annual Kwanzaa celebration to experience the rich traditions of Kwanzaa in honor the holiday’s seven guiding principles. 212-769-5100. www.amnh. org

28 13TH ANNUAL TRAIN SHOW Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd St. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Free. Lionel trains once again will capture hearts and imaginations at the Transit Museum where Metro-North, New York Central and subway trains depart from a miniature GCT. 212-340-2345. www. grandcentralterminal.com

EXPRESS YOURSELF

org

29 CLAUDE RUTAULT EXHIBITION Galerie Perrotin, 909 Madison Ave @ 73rd St. 10 a.m., Free. Thirty five years ago, Claude Rutault was one of the first artists to participate in the studio program at MoMA PS1. 212-812-2902. www. perrotin.com

FREE BLUE MARBLE ICE CREAM The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Free with Museum Admission. Everyone can enjoy free ice cream from local purveyor Blue Marble. The City Museum wants to see your ice cream

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 11

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NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE

The local paper for the Upper East Side

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PARTY

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92nd St Y, Buttenwieser Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave. 8 p.m., $20. If you are looking for a family friendly event to celebrate the New Year, get tickets to the 92nd Street Y’s annual dance party. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org

FROM THE MARGINS: LEE KRASNER AND NORMAN LEWIS, 19451952 The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave @ 92nd St. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Free with Museum Admission. Through select paintings by both artists, this exhibition offers a revealing parallel view of two key Abstract Expressionists. 212-423-3200. www. thejewishmuseum.org

GOV’T MULE AT BEACON THEATRE Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway @ 75th St. 8 p.m., Various prices based on seating. Escape the constant holiday music at the Beacon Theatre this week and see famous Southern rock jam band Gov’t Mule. 212-868-0190. www. beacontheatre.com

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NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT FOR PEACE Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Ampsterdam Ave @ 112th St. 7 p.m., $30. Judy Collins and nbc correspondent Harry Smith will host an elegant evening full of Mozart, Handel, and Haydn to celebrate the end of 2014. 212-316-7490. www. stjohndivine.org org

1 NEW YEAR’S R’S DAY BRUNCH NCH AT LEXINGTON ON BRASS Lexington Brass, 517 Lexington Ave. e. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., $55 for two, or $110 for four. Rustle up your our friends and indulge in a bubbly ubbly brunch. The four-course prix-fixe here

includes hearty fare,. 212-392-5976.

SPA ESCAPE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY Premier 57, 115 East 57th St. 8F. 9-12 a.m., Prices vary. Spend the first day of 2015 by experiencing the luxuries of the newest Premier Spa Castle location. Rest up before the chaos of life begins after the holiday with their. 212-868-0190. www. spacastleusa.com

November 5, 2014

April 17, 2014 The local paper for the Upper West Side

LOST DOG TALE, WITH A TWIST LOCAL NEWS

A family hopes that Upper West Siders will help bring their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel back home Upper West Side For the past week, Eva Zaghari and her three children from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, have been papering the Upper West Side with over 1,300 flyers asking for information on their beloved dog Cooper. ?We are devastated, please return our dog,? the sign implores. The catch though, is that Cooper didn?t technically get lost, or even stolen. He was given away. When she explains the story, sitting at Irving Farm coffee shop on West 79th Street before heading out to post more flyers around the neighborhood, Eva and her kids are visibly distraught. About a month ago, on September 5th, her husband Ray had arranged to give the dog away, via a Craigslist ad. He mistakenly thought that removing a source of stress from his wife and kids ? walking and feeding and caring for a dog, tasks which had fallen mostly to Eva ? would make everyone happier

October 2, 2014

October 8, 2014

The local paper for the Upper East Side

A CENTURY OF SEX TALK ON THE EAST SIDE MILESTONES Shirley Zussman, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, worked with Masters and Johnson, and still sees patients as a sex therapist BY KYLE POPE

UPPER EAST SIDE Some people’s life stories write themselves, and Shirley Zussman, the 100-year-old sex therapist of the Upper East Side, is one of those people. She was born in 1914 at the start of World War I (less than a month after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand), lived in Berlin at the height of the Cabaret era, became a protege of the original Masters and Johnson, and, now into her second century, continues to see patients in an office in the ground floor of her apartment building on E. 79th Street. Last month, more than 50 people crowded Yefsi restaurant, a Greek place

August 7, 2014

August 20, 2014

FI R S T I N YOU R N E I G H BO R H O O D

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12 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

FROM BUSKING TO BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Years of study for Elizabeth Kovalchuk, a musician who once played for tips in Central Park, are paying off BY STEVEN MAGINNIS

Imagine arriving in New York City with only $1,200, hoping to make it as a classical musician -- then going on a global tour four months later. That’s what’s happened to cellist Elizabeth Kovalchuk, who in the span of a few months has gone from paying for tips in Central Park to having a seat in the orchestra for the international tour of the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast, taking her to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Greece, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Kovalchuk’s journey began in Riga, Latvia, where she was born just two years before the Baltic country regained its independence from the Soviet Union. As a baby, she suffered from eczema and numerous food allergies, which Sovietera medicine was ill-equipped to treat. Elizabeth’s condition led to infant weight loss and developmental stagnation, worsening to the point where the Kovalchuks had to leave. The family of five took advantage of a Canadian refugee program allowing Latvians to emigrate to Canada. Kovalchuk, the daughter of visual artists, was drawn to the performing arts at an early age and tried dance and piano before she discovered the cello, drawn to its emotional sound. “I was never a popular kid,” she says, ”but because I was so naturally talented at the cello,

I suddenly became cool.” She was so good, she successfully auditioned for Toronto’s Etobicoke School of the Arts, one of the most esteemed public arts-focused high schools in Canada. She won a concerto competition in her senior year, which led to a tour of Chicago, where she pursued a Bachelor of Music degree at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts. During her high school and undergraduate studies, Kovalchuk performed with no fewer than eight different orchestras, including the orchestra of the Sibelius Academy Orchestra in Helsinki, Finland, as an exchange student. She came to New York to pursue her career, more often than not in the form of busking in Central Park and Greenwich Village. She couch-surfed and babysat to save money. Her time in New York led her to Vladimir Panteleyev, a cellist and music professor whom she considers a pedagogical genius. They met during one of her busking stints in the summer of 2013. “He seriously is this undiscovered talent,” she says. “I’ve seen a lot of prodigies in Chicago, Ottawa, and Toronto, all these big centers that have prodigies. Vladimir’s prodigies blow them all out of the water, and the reason why is because he has the ability to teach children how to make an incredibly mature sound.” She notes that the cello provides a somber sound in an orchestra drawn from life’s experiences, and that Panteleyev can make a ten-year-old play with the emotional experience of a seasoned adult.

The cellist Elizabeth Kovalchuk found a mentor in New York who has shaped her playing. Kovalchuk’s own favorite composers are Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and she draws inspiration from cellists such as Mstislav Rostropovich for the bravado in his playing and his expansion of the cello repertoire through his commissions of new pieces. Her favorites also include British cellists Steven Isserlis and Jacqueline du Pré, appreciating the sadness of the definitive 1965 rendition of Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor recorded by du Pré, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the early seventies and died in 1987. “It’s almost as if she knew that she was going to have this tragic death,” Kovalchuk says, “as if she had some kind of psychic feeling that her life was going to be this huge tragedy. Every time I hear it, I can’t help but shed tears.” She enjoys performing solo, her street performances including challenging pieces such as the third movement of Gaspar Cassadó’s Suite For Solo Cello and the Haydn cello concertos, but she also enjoys

playing in orchestras. In addition to the numerous student and youth orchestras she’s performed in, Kovalchuk has also performed with various local orchestras in Indiana, as well as with the Hollywood Concert Orchestra, an ensemble put together through telephone calls between connected musicians - a “telephone orchestra,” Kovalchuk explains - that toured China and played film scores after three or four days’ rehearsal. “We did Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Mission: Impossible,” she says, “just all these different things, and while we were playing, there was this huge projector behind us showing clips, so basically the whole concert was like a two-hour trailer, but the Chinese loved it. We’d get huge applause.” In addition to continuing her performing career, she wants to teach and pursue a doctoral degree in music. She began teaching cello to her high school classmates when she was 15, and that led to instructing groups and coaching

ensembles at the Toronto Lord Lansdowne Music Summer School. Her interest in teaching began when she began paying for her own lessons and worked as an after-school care supervisor. There, she became familiar with the behavior of children of different ages, and she began teaching cello to classmates on the weekends while continuing to take lessons. “I get a lot of joy from teaching,” Kovalchuk says. “Having the opportunity to teach at the highest level is one of the reasons why I am motivated to pursue a doctoral degree.” Vladimir Panteleyev remains her own pedagogical gold standard, saying she would be “so thrilled” to be able to teach like him. As a performer, Kovalchuk would love to seek out and commission new pieces from new composers, and she would love to continue playing for musicals, which she believes makes orchestral music more accessible. She’s well aware of how symphonic music is dy-

ing, largely because the form has failed to change with the times. “Most people don’t relate to Mozart anymore, which I think is totally natural,” she says. “Times have changed. Symphony orchestras are playing in the same way they did hundreds of years ago. It’s in a hall, everyone comes on with a tuxedo, the concert master comes on, they tune . . . it hasn’t evolved.” She says it’s okay for people to be unable to relate to symphonies, and she adds that musical scores, with their more current and contemporary arrangements, have an effect on listeners’ emotions today - which she says makes playing for musicals so rewarding.“The world without art would be a very sad place,” Kovalchuk says. “If we lived in a city, for example, that was only servicing our necessities, it would be this gray land. It’s when you go to a beautiful place that has colors, and you hear beautiful sounds . . . it’s so important to keep the arts and music, for our own enjoyment of our time.”

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DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 13

FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

COMEDY

CHICAGO CITY LIMITS WITH THE SWINGAROOS Upper East Side improv group Chicago City Limits takes the last evening of 2014 as opportunity to recap the events of the year, and welcomes six-piece swing band The Swingaroos to usher in the New Year with a 1940s-style dance party. For anyone looking to be home before midnight, Chicago City Limits will perform an early show at 7:30 p.m. Jan Hus Playhouse 351 East 74th St., at First Avenue 10 p.m. Tickets $75-$100, with $25 open bar option

Improv group Chicago City Limits hosts a New Year’s Eve soiree with swing band The Swingaroos.

FILM “THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER” James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan play feuding gift shop clerks in Budapest, Hungary, who unwittingly fall in love through an anonymous correspondence in this 1940 Ernst Lubitsch film. Based on a play by Hungarian writer Miklos Laszlo—the same source material for the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail”—the film also stars Frank Morgan, best known for his turn as the title character in “The Wizard of Oz,” as shop owner Hugo Matuschek. Moviegoers can enjoy a champagne toast at Film Forum’s New Year’s Eve screenings. Film Forum 209 West Houston St., between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Tickets $13

FOOD LINCOLN CENTER KITCHEN Lincoln Center Kitchen offers a three-course prix fixe dinner on New Year’s Eve, with menu items ranging from deviled eggs with caviar and bacon to Berkshire pork chops with braised kale and pickled cabbage. Located in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the restaurant makes a convenient option for those celebrating the end of 2014 with a trip to Big Apple Circus, or with the Philharmonic’s New Year’s performance of Gershwin favorites. Avery Fisher Hall 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at W. 63rd Street Dinner service 5 p.m.-11 p.m. $70 per person, with champagne toast Call 212-874-7000 for reservations

KIDS “SOMEBODY COME AND PLAY:” 45 YEARS OF “SESAME STREET” From Big Bird to Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster and the Count, Sesame Street’s characters are American icons for children and adults alike. The show celebrates 45 years of educational children’s programming with an exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The exhibit features behind-the-scenes footage, animation cels, a model of a 1990s set and book and comic strip art. Characters from the show invite children to join in art projects and reading sessions. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, W. 64th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues Library hours: Monday and Thursday, noon-8 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, noon-8 p.m., closed Sunday FREE

Now Get Real Time Bus, Subway & Alternate Side Parking Information Here

RIDE NEW YEAR’S EVE BIKE RIDE Start in on the New Year’s resolutions a few hours early and get in some exercise with a late night bike ride. Led by non-profit environmental organization Time’s Up, the journey starts at Washington Square Park and ends just before midnight at Belvedere Castle in Central Park with a free dance party and fireworks. Participants are invited to wear festive attire and bring their own food, drink and noisemakers. Starts at Washington Square Park Arch, Washington Square North and Fifth Ave 10 p.m. FREE

www.ourtownny.com Your Neighborhood News The local paper for the Upper East Side

14 Our Town DECE Town DECEMBER EMBER 25-31 ,2014

Food & Drink

< LOCAL RESTAURANTS HELP RAISE MONEY FOR CITY HARVEST City Harvest partnered with midtown luxury hotel Le Parker Meridien to raise funds for food pantries and soup kitchens through a seasonal and sweet display, the Daily News reported. In keeping with both the decadent and giving nature of the holiday season, some of the city’s pastry chefs, including

In Brief HALAL GUYS OPEN NEW UPTOWN SPOT Popular 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue food truck The Halal Guys, a longtime favorite of the midtown work crowd, opened a brickand-mortar location on the Upper West Side on Dec. 19, the West Side Rag reported. The opening of the 722 Amsterdam Avenue location, near 95th Street, marks the second brick-and-mortar for The Halal Guys—an East Village outpost opened this summer—and the vendors also signed an agreement in June to franchise the business, with plans to open more locations on the East Coast, as well as in Los Angeles, Canada and the Middle East. Guests at the new uptown location can expect to see lamb, chicken and falafel platters and sandwiches on the menu, Eater reported, along with The Halal Guys’ famous hot sauce.

TIMES SQUARE’S CAFÉ EDISON SERVES LAST MEAL Theater District mainstay Café Edison, which has served up its hot pastrami sandwiches, blintzes and bowls of matzo ball soup for more than three decades, closed on Dec. 21. In November, café owners revealed that the restaurant, located in the Edison Hotel on W. 47th Street across from the Barrymore Theatre, would soon close after the hotel declined to renew the restaurant’s lease. Despite strong support from loyal patrons—an online petition to hotel management earned 10,000 signatures—and city and state officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and State Senator Brad Hoylman, the restaurant served its final meal Sunday evening. Jordan Strohl, whose family owns Café Edison, told Jeremiah Moss, whose blog originally broke the news of the impending closure, that the outpouring of support from the community inspired his family to reopen the restaurant in a new location.

those from Colicchio and Sons, Citarella and Gramercy Park Hotel’s Maialino, have concocted elaborate gingerbread structures for the non-profit’s “Gingerbread Extravaganza.” The creations, which include Cake Alchemy’s rendering of the famous Empire State Building scene from “King Kong” and Norma’s nod

D.I.Y. DELICIOUS COMMUNITY KITCHEN Fun and tasty food gifts you can make yourself, or with help from kids BY LIZ NEUMARK

“Ma! Let me do it myself,” beg the young, yearning for independence. Do you remember that exchange with your mom? How lovely that DIY (Do It Yourself) has become a battle cry, as we are suddenly desperate to rediscover the joy that comes from making things ourselves. This is the ideal time to apply DIY. The kitchen is the perfect place to start with these simple projects. They are all appropriate for small helping hands – I make them often with kids who love the mess, delicious ingredients and of course, the end result.

Granola A great gift, good for sprinkling on yogurt, nibbling as a snack, adding to oatmeal or fruit – and downright easy, yet impressive to make. Coconut Raisin Granola Serves 4-6 Ingredients: • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats • 1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/3 cup vegetable oil • 1/2 cup honey • 1 cup dried cranberries • 1 cup raisins

Preparations: Preheat oven to 375F. Toss together oats, coconut, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and honey, then stir into oat mixture until well coated. Spread mixture in baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in cranberries and raisins, then cool completely in pan on a rack.

Meringues Baking typically calls for a great deal of precision. This is a recipe I love because it is forgiving, fast and a delicious treat. The ingredients are fairly simple and it is great fun to make with kids. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, a plastic food-safe bag with a small hole in a corner can substitute.) Meringue Kisses Yield: 24+ kisses Ingredients: • 3 large egg whites at room temperature (yokes can be frozen for other use) • Big pinch of cream of tartar

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to Broadway’s musicals, are on display in the lobby of the hotel until Jan. 4. Visitors to the W. 56th Street hotel can grab a ballot at concierge and vote for their favorite confection with a donation to the charity; online ballots are also available at https://giving.cityharvest.org/ gingerbread-voting.

Little pinch of salt ½ cup superfine sugar ¾-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix on low speed to mix together, then increase the speed to high and beat until the whites thicken. Continue beating while gradually adding the sugar; add the vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip and pipe the meringue onto the parchment paper, into one inch or slightly wider peaks about one-inch high, and about one inch apart. Or using a teaspoon, make small dollops onto the sheet. Place the baking sheet on a rack set in the middle of the oven and bake the kisses for 2 hours then leave them in the cooling oven overnight; they will be completely dry and crisp. Package in gift containers – they are a little fragile. Variations: Add cocoa for chocolate swirl; a drop of food coloring for colors; or even chocolate chips!

Puff Pastry Twists These are an elegant gift, fun to make and allow for creativity. This recipe calls for cheese, but they can be made with sweet or savory fillings as well. The dough can stay in your freezer and is a perfect snowy day activity. A quick Google search will yield how-to videos and more recipes. Cheesy Twists Ingredients: • A few pinches of flour • 1 package frozen puff pastry • 1 egg mixed with a tablespoon of water • 1 cup cheddar or parmesan cheese, herbs or pepper as you like Method: Remove puff pastry from the freezer and thaw. Preheat oven to 400 Once thawed, roll out puff pastry about 10 x 14. Add pinches of flour to work surface or rolling pin as

needed to prevent sticking. Sprinkle cheese over half the pastry. Egg wash the other half and place over the cheese half (egg wash side down) and press. Roll out the pastry using a rolling pin a little more so the sheets are snug together. Cut the pastry into strips the short way. Twist each piece and place on baking sheet, leaving space in between. Once on the sheet, give them a light egg wash. Cook for 10+ minutes. Once crispy, place on a cooling rack. A final word of advice - If you are trying something for the first time, allow yourself a margin of error. I fought with puff pastry dough for a long time until I learned how to make it cooperate. It is remarkable how much you can learn from a few mistakes. That is the recipe for success. Liz Neumark is the CEO of Great Performances Catering and the author of the cookbook Sylvia’s Table.

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 15

16 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Business

< NEW YORK TO BAN FRACKING; ENVIRONMENTALISTS CHEER Handing environmentalists a breakthrough victory, New York plans to prohibit fracking for natural gas because of what regulators say are its unexplored health risks and dubious economic benefits. New York has banned shale gas development since 2008, when the state began an environmental review of the drilling technique also

In Brief AMAZON LAUNCHES 1-HOUR SHIPPING IN MANHATTAN Amazon says it is offering one-hour delivery of thousands of basic products to its Prime customers in Manhattan. The online retail giant rolled out the service, known as Prime Now, to select areas of Manhattan on Thursday. It provides delivery of household products like paper towels, shampoo, books, toys and batteries. Amazon says Prime Now is available to customers who are already enrolled in Amazon Prime, a membership service that costs $99 a year. The one-hour delivery costs $7.99 but the company also offers twohour delivery for free. Seattle-based Amazon says it hopes to roll the service out to additional cities in 2015.

REPORT: BRISK SALES OF MANHATTAN LUXURY APARTMENTS A new report says the market for Manhattan condos and co-ops is setting records this year. One reason: High sales of units costing more than $10 million. A real estate listings and data firm, CityRealty, says the average sales price for co-ops and condos will be around $1.8 million this year. Last year it was $1.5 million. A record of $1.6 million was set in 2008. According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s predicted 220 apartments will be sold this year with price tags over $10 million. Last year, the total was 123.

LAWSUIT: CITY SHOULD HELP TRANSIT RIDERS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH The New York City Transit Authority was accused in a lawsuit Wednesday of discriminating against people with limited English who try to use a program providing transportation to those with disabilities. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a civil rights advocacy group. It seeks class-action status to end what it says is a discriminatory policy and practice involving the city’s Access-A-Ride program. Access-A-Ride provides vans for tens of thousands of people as a substitute for subways and buses. Five named plaintiffs maintain they’ve encountered barriers, delays, denials and discrimination when they apply to the program and suffered emotional harm when they were denied equal access to public transportation. The lawsuit said the policy violates federal and local laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the New York City Human Rights Law. The lawsuit seeks a comprehensive system to provide language services to individuals seeking to use Access-A-Ride. Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Judie Glave said the agency does not comment on litigation. In a news release, attorney Aditi Shah said New York City Transit’s policy was “not only unfair, it’s illegal.” Shah added: “Federal law requires that New Yorkers with disabilities have equal access to public transportation. Yet New York City Transit explicitly excludes people who need Access-A-Ride services, merely because they do not speak English well.”

known as hydraulic fracturing. “Never before has a state with proven gas reserves banned fracking,” said Deborah Goldberg, an attorney with Earthjustice, adding that the decision “will give courage to elected leaders throughout the country and world: Fracking is too dangerous and must not continue.”

Industry and its supporters expressed outrage at the decision. “We are very disappointed that it appears the governor is unwilling to be a leader and is going to pass the buck at the expense of New Yorkers,” said Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute. Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens said Wednesday that he is recommending a ban, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, responded that he would defer to Martens.

PROTECT YOUR PURCHASES SHOPPING Tips from the Department of Consumer Protection to get the most out of holiday shopping The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection has issued tips advising consumers to shop smart this holiday season, and encouraging them to be proactive in fully understanding the terms and conditions of purchases. “We want to make sure the public is mindful of their purchases and their rights as consumers,” said Secretary of State Cesar A. Perales. Last holiday season, the most frequent complaints received by the Division of Consumer Protection included (1) returns/refunds; (2) defective merchandise; (3) incorrect, late, or lost mail orders; (4) gift cards; and (5) cellular/wireless phone purchases. In response, the Division of Consumer Protection has provided the following tips for shoppers this holiday season:

Returns and Refunds The law requires stores to conspicuously post their return and refund policy. Review these terms before making a purchase. Check for any restocking fees or other fees you may be charged for a return. If a store does not post any return policy the store must accept your return within 30 days, and provide the re-

fund in your choice of a cash or credit. However, you must provide the store a receipt or other proof of purchase. In short, keep your receipts!

Rebates When buying items that were advertised with a rebate, look for the actual selling price of the item and how the rebate will be returned to you. Keep copies of all correspondence and any documents sent to redeem a rebate, such as the UPC code and proof of purchase. The law requires retailers to advertise truthfully. Retailers cannot use a rebate to hide the actual selling price, unless the advertised price clearly and conspicuously includes the rebate terms and conditions.

merchandise upon delivery. Contact the retailer as soon as possible if you discover a problem and memorialize any communication in writing. Be clear: state the defect or problem, and request a specific response. If the item was damaged during delivery, contact the shipping company immediately. They may owe you repair or replacement costs.

Defective Merchandise

Gift Cards and Certificates

Before you buy, research the product warranties or guarantees, and the store policies to return defective merchandise. Look out for any additional fees you may be charged to correct or return defective merchandise.

Gift cards are always popular holiday gifts, but they may lose their value if they are lost or are not redeemed on time. The law requires gift cards/certificates clearly and conspicuously state all terms and conditions on the product, so that consumers are aware prior to purchase. Look for usage restrictions and dormancy fees that can reduce or eliminate the value of the gift. Keep receipts or online confirmation information after buying the gift card. Make a copy of the card or certificate to keep with the receipt in the event the gift is lost or stolen. This information may be helpful to get a replacement. Only buy from reliable sources, some discount auction sites provide opportunities for scam artists to take advantage of

Order and Deliveries Each holiday season, the Division of Consumer Protection receives numerous complaints about wrong merchandise delivery, late arrival of orders and lost articles. Plan ahead to allow for time to receive your items in time for the holidays. Get tracking information from the retailer and track your purchases online until they arrive. Prior to purchase, read all the shipping and handling, return, and refund policies. Always inspect the

consumers.

Cellular/Wireless Mobile phones and tablets are very popular gift items during the holidays. Wireless contracts are often long and filled with terms and conditions that effect your wallet. Identify your needs and then research which provider and/or plan will meet them. Consider your options and review the different plans available that are best suited for you and your family. Remember, it is easy to upgrade a plan so initially only obligate yourself to the features you really need. Once you chose a device and plan, and sign a contract, it is legally binding. There are finite time periods before you can change plans or end the contract, and fees often apply. Consumers may also contact with their local consumer affairs authorities for additional protections in their jurisdictions. For more information, contact the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection at (518)-474-8583 or visit the website at www. dos.ny.gov or Follow DCP on Twitter (@NYSConsumer) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nysconsumer).

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 17

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS DEC 15 - 19, 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.

Joy Burger Bar

1567 Lexington Avenue

Not Graded Yet (23) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Dough Loco

24 East 97 Street

Not Graded Yet (31) 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. Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

Kobeyaki

215 East 86 Street

A

Gracie’s Cafe

1530 York Avenue

Grade Pending (22) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Dunkin Donuts

1630 Madison Avenue A

World Cup Cafe

956 Lexington Avenue Grade Pending (40) Food from unapproved or unknown source or home canned. Reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing; or ROP foods prepared on premises transported to another site. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Murphy’s Law

417 East 70 Street

Grade Pending (16) 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.

Swifty’s

1007 Lexington Avenue

Grade Pending (29) 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. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

The Stumble Inn

1454 2 Avenue

A

Columbus Citizens Foundation

8 East 69 Street

A

Campagnola Restaurant

1382 1 Avenue

Not Graded Yet (33) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Rongoli Exquiste Indian Cuisine

1393A 2 Avenue

A

Papadam

1448 1 Avenue

A

Oslo Coffee Roasters

422 East 75 Street

A

Chicky’s

355 East 86 Street

A

Aba Asian Fusion Cuisine Ave

1588 York Avenue

Grade Pending (19) 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. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Taijiyama

1718 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (26) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Akami Sushi

1771 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (24) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Enthaice

1598 3 Avenue

A

Oriental Palace Kitchen

1728 Madison Avenue A

East Harlem Cafe

153 East 104 Street

A

El Paso Restaurante Mexicano

1643 Lexington Avenue

A

Grand Cafe (Metropolitan Hospital)

1901 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (20) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Asian Gourmet

1509 Lexington Avenue

A

Q Marqet

38 East 98 Street

Grade Pending (30) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Carval Pizzeria

1544 Madison Avenue A

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant

209 East 116 Street

Not Graded Yet (11) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas.

Rong Sheng Chinese Restaurant

2102 2 Avenue

A

Bawarchi Indian Cuisine

1546 Madison Avenue A

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18 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

Address

Price

Bed Bath Agent

Turtle Bay

250 E 49 St.

$1,810,000

2

2

Corcoran

Beekman

415 E 52 St.

$680,000

Turtle Bay

310 E 46 St.

$599,000

0

1

Corcoran

Beekman

435 E 52 St.

$3,200,000

Turtle Bay

321 E 48 St.

$537,000

0

1

Corcoran

Beekman

860 United Nations Plaza

$827,500

Turtle Bay

250 E 49 St.

$3,890,000

4

3

Bid On The City

Beekman

400 E 51 St.

$900,000

Turtle Bay

333 E 43 St.

$415,000

1

1

Corcoran

Beekman

424 E 52 St.

$80,454

Turtle Bay

321 E 45 St.

$340,000

0

1

Douglas Elliman

Beekman

435 E 52 St.

$4,000,000

Turtle Bay

240 E 46 St.

$92,000

Carnegie Hill

141 E 88Th St.

$3,650,000

2

2

Stribling

Turtle Bay

301 E 48 St.

$767,500

1

1

Town Residential

Carnegie Hill

170 E 87 St.

$2,960,000

3

3

Platinum Properties

Turtle Bay

324 E 50 St.

$140,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

1

1

Halstead Property

1

1

Brown Harris Stevens

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Carnegie Hill

168 E 90 St.

$760,000

1

1

William B. May

Turtle Bay

333 E 43 St.

$480,000

Lenox Hill

404 E 66 St.

$950,000

1

1

Peter*Ashe

Turtle Bay

45 Tudor City Place

$275,000

Lenox Hill

116 E 66 St.

$1,655,000

2

2

Stribling

Upper E Side

531 E 72 St.

$375,000

Lenox Hill

301 E 69 St.

$783,000

2

1

Halstead Property

Upper E Side

399 E 78 St.

$315,000

Lenox Hill

340 E 64 St.

$600,000

Upper E Side

65 E 76 St.

$1,350,000

2

2

Corcoran

Lenox Hill

300 E 62 St.

$490,000

Upper E Side

1000 Park Ave.

$3,894,806

4

3

Classic Marketing

Lenox Hill

400 E 70 St.

$925,000

Upper E Side

1420 York Ave.

$10

Lenox Hill

304 E 65 St.

$1,995,000

Upper E Side

305 E 72 St.

$1,150,000

Lenox Hill

404 E 66 St.

$350,000

Upper E Side

444 E 75 St.

$421,000

0

1

Warburg

Lenox Hill

525 Park Ave.

$3,800,000

2

2

Sotheby's

Upper E Side

830 Park Ave.

$9,000,000

3

4

Brown Harris Stevens

Lenox Hill

575 Park Ave.

$592,000

1

1

Brown Harris Stevens

Upper E Side

930 5 Ave.

$2,500,000

2

2

Corcoran

Lenox Hill

116 E 66 St.

$940,000

2

2

Halstead Property

Upper E Side

176 E 77 St.

$1,400,000

0

1

Corcoran

Midtown

641 5 Ave.

$2,325,000

1

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Upper E Side

516 E 78 St.

$499,000

2

1

Upnext Real Estate

Midtown E

235 E 55 St.

$1,200,000

1

1

Town Residential

Upper E Side

201 E 77 St.

$1,260,000

2

2

Coldwell Banker Bellmarc

Midtown E

207 E 57 St.

$3,000,000

2

2

Charles Rutenberg

Upper E Side

25 E 83 St.

$649,000

1

1

Corcoran

Midtown E

220 E 54 St.

$415,000

0

1

Manhattan Boutique Real Estate

Upper E Side

196 E 75 St.

$1,175,000

2

2

Douglas Elliman

Midtown E

220 E 57 St.

$375,000

0

1

Town Residential

Upper E Side

923 5 Ave.

$1,150,000

Murray Hill

415 E 37 St.

$1,140,000

2

2

Luxury Habitat

Yorkville

215 E 80 St.

$950,000

Murray Hill

210 E 36 St.

$305,000

0

1

Bond New York

Yorkville

45 E End Ave.

$525,000

1

1

Apartments Plus

Murray Hill

25 Tudor City Place

$255,000

0

1

Steven Corcoran Real Estate

Yorkville

235 E 87 St.

$870,575

1

1

Coldwell Banker Bellmarc

Murray Hill

210 E 36 St.

$489,000

1

1

Bond New York

Yorkville

325 E 79 St.

$1,074,000

2

2

Keller Williams Nyc

Murray Hill

5 Tudor City Place

$470,000

1

1

Sotheby's

Yorkville

500 E 83 St.

$1,025,000

2

2

Sotheby's

Murray Hill

333 E 34 St.

$735,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Yorkville

515 E 89 St.

$300,000

Murray Hill

52 Park Ave.

$1,900,000

Yorkville

250 E 87 St.

$2,162,500

4

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Murray Hill

242 E 38 St.

$430,000

1

1

Corcoran

Yorkville

425 E 79 St.

$800,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Murray Hill

2 Tudor City Place

$995,000

2

2

John J. Grogan & Associates

Yorkville

1623 3 Ave.

$738,000

1

1

L.G. Fairmont Group

Sutton Place

45 Sutton Place South

$2,300,000

3

3

Coldwell Banker Bellmarc

Yorkville

405 E 82 St.

$389,000

1

1

Town Residential

Sutton Place

400 E 54 St.

$685,000

1

1

Corcoran

Yorkville

529 E 87 St.

$655,000

1

1

Coldwell Banker Bellmarc

Sutton Place

333 E 53 St.

$495,000

1

1

Frank Ragusa Lreb

Yorkville

205 E 85 St.

$1,950,000

2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Sutton Place

411 E 53 St.

$725,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Yorkville

205 E 85 St.

$2,575,000

2

2

Brown Harris Stevens

Sutton Place

60 Sutton Place South

$648,000

1

1

Corcoran

Yorkville

1601 3 Ave.

$1,195,000

2

2

Corcoran

Sutton Place

300 E 55 St.

$1,400,000

Yorkville

180 E End Ave.

$2,600,000

4

4

Corcoran

Sutton Place

418 E 59 St.

$2,240,000

3

3

Douglas Elliman

Yorkville

1601 3 Ave.

$550,000

Sutton Place

60 Sutton Place South

$1,695,000

2

2

Douglas Elliman

Yorkville

333 E 80 St.

$419,000

1

1

Corcoran

Sutton Place

411 E 53 St.

$720,000

1

1

Corcoran

Yorkville

451 E 84 St.

$1,375,000

2

2

Douglas Elliman

Sutton Place

25 Sutton Place South

$1,426,500

2

2

Halstead Property

Yorkville

301 E 79 St.

$865,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Turtle Bay

255 E 49 St.

$840,000

1

1

Corcoran

Turtle Bay

255 E 49 St.

$1,355,000

2

2

Corcoran

Turtle Bay

865 United Nations Plaza

$926,607

1

1

Halstead Property

St.Easy.com is New York’s most accurate and comprehensive real estate website, providing consumers detailed sales and rental information and the tools to manage that information to make educated decisions. The site has become the reference site for consumers, real estate professionals and the media and has been widely credited with bringing transparency to one of the world’s most important real estate markets.

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 19 Guitarist Paul Reisch of the reunited Gunhill Road band, playing a show with his bandmates earlier this year at The Bitter End in the West Village. Photo courtesy Gunhill Road Facebook page

TURN A YOUTHFUL PASSION INTO AN ENCORE CAREER SENIORS Reunited ‘70s band Gunhill Road shares tips for starting a second career Baby boomers have always been a generation unto themselves – a cohort so vast, their every inclination seems to become a cultural watershed. Now, a group of three 60-somethings has a new riff on a distinctly boomer trend: encore careers. An estimated 9 million Americans aged 44 to 70 have launched second careers, and a quarter of boomers plan to follow suit, according to a MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures survey. “Instead of starting a business like so many other boomers, we reunited to do what we started when we were in our 20s,� says Glenn Leopold, the 66-year-old vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for Gunhill Road, a rock band known for its 1973 hit, “Back When My Hair Was Short.�

The group broke up in 1976 and the musicians went on to pursue more traditional careers: Hollywood writer, businessman, and tradesman. They would not reunite until 2011, when they got together to perform at a beneďŹ t. “I was wondering what my third act was going to be when my mother diedâ€? following that performance, Leopold says. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to get together with the guys again and record?’â€? He, 64-year-old vocalist, pianist and songwriter Steve Goldrich, and 66-year-old vocalist and bass player Paul Reisch did just that this year. Every 40 Years is their ďŹ rst album in, well, 40 years. In yet another reunion, they also got a well-positioned industry advocate -- Michael Harrison, the 66-year-old publisher of two leading radio industry trade publications, Talkers and RadioInfo. Harrison had been a 22-year-old DJ at WNEW-FM “The New Groove,â€? New York City’s trend-setting rock station,

back when Gunhill Road was trying to hit the big time. “Back then, we chose the music we played – we weren’t restricted to playing just certain songs or artists,� Harrison says. “I heard Gunhill Road and I loved their sound, the poetry of their lyrics. I played the heck out of them.� The band took note and thanked their favorite DJ with a handmade gold record. The new album has been a fun opportunity for all four men – a chance to finish old business and rekindle friendships. “Whenever we were in the studio, the time went by so quickly,� says pianist Goldrich. Leopold and Goldrich offer these tips for boomers who want their “encore� to be a revival of a youthful pursuit:

Keep your expectations realistic. “Reuniting to record together was more about having fun and seeing what we could do than trying to hit the top 40, although we would like to do that, too!� Leopold says.

“We’re not going to be superstars -no one’s even thinking about that. We enjoy being with each other and we hope there’s a fan base who will enjoy the music. This project has kept us in touch, and that’s been a great thing.� Goldrich says, “It is art for the sake of art and that is a wonderful concept.� Adds Harrison: “This is an absolutely superb band.�

Realize times have changed and you may have to, too. The old paths to success in the music industry have virtually disappeared. “It’s all different,� Leopold says. “Music is given away free. You need to get a song on TV or in a movie; play live; and sell a ton of merchandise.� Harrison is helping them find new ways of getting exposure. “There’s a website of course – they wouldn’t have had that 40 years ago!�

he says. “And getting a song played on mainstream radio isn’t the same as it was back in the ‘70s, but there are still plenty of alternative stations and talk radio is showing great interest in their story. You just have to be creative.�

If it’s not fun anymore, don’t do it! The Gunhill Road musicians discovered they still get along well and enjoy making music together, but they might have discovered just the opposite. “If there were tensions among us, if we didn’t like how we sound together now, or if it felt too much like work, we would have quit recording,� Leopold says. “There’s no reason to spend whatever time we have left doing something that makes us miserable, if we can help it,� adds Goldrich.

The only dedicated Assisted Living Facility in New York City specializing in Enhanced Memory Care.

Ensconced in the landmark neighborhood of the Upper East Side, Residents continue to enjoy the heart and soul of this incomparable city they have always loved. • Beautiful Upper East Side Environment • Each floor a “Neighborhoodâ€? with Family Style Dining & Living Room • 24-hour Licensed Nurses & Attendants specially trained in dementia care • Medication Management • Around the clock personal care, as needed • Housekeeping, Linen & Personal Laundry • Courtyard & Atrium Rooftop Garden • Chef prepared Meals Nation’s first recipient of AFA’s Excellence in Care distinction.

80th Street Residents in Central Park with the Essex House Hotel peeking from behind.

430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075 Tel. 212-717-8888 www.80thstreetresidence.com

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The 80th Street Residence is the ďŹ rst in the city to receive the New York State De-

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20 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

www.ourtownny.com Your Neighborhood News

The local paper for the Upper East Side

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 21

YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES

A PIANIST WHO PLAYS FROM THE HEART Q&A A classical soloist celebrates the true meaning of the holidays by welcoming some special guests to Carnegie Hall BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Katya Grineva will be setting a record when she takes the stage at Carnegie Hall for the fourteenth time on December 27th. The Russian native, whose dream it was to one day play at the iconic venue, is the first woman to have performed as a soloist there that many times. The program will include arrangements from her album A Classic Holiday, with new variations of traditional pieces like “Silent Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which were

produced by her friend, cellist Byron Duckwall. This is her first holiday concert and she is using her talent to spread joy this season. She’s invited close to 500 underprivileged children, some from orphanages, others from schools, to watch her play. Throughout the year, Grineva visits schools and hospitals to bring the beauty of classical music to others. In fact, in the playbill for her upcoming concert, she included a note from a 9-year-old student. “She didn’t want to practice piano and after she heard my concert, she’s practicing every day… So I publicized it on the Carnegie Hall playbill, because I think it’s so touching,” she said. We met at her Upper East Side studio apartment, where she impressively fits a Steinway baby grand, and even listened to her practice, which, she

says, her neighbors are also happy to do. “One of them, when she was moving, she was so upset,” Grineva said. “I used to practice Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto and she would call her friends to come over and listen and I didn’t know. [Laughs] They were having a party while I was practicing.”

When did you leave Russia? In ’89. At that time it was hard, because it’s a very closed system and you have to study at the Moscow Conservatory or some major school and then you have to either win a competition or have parents who are musicians who have connections. Otherwise, there’s no chance. Here, in America, or at least in New York, I find if you have a will to do something, you find a way. If you’re really committed to making a career, you can do it. It’s difficult, nothing is easy, but you can do it. In Russia,

I couldn’t do it. I knew that.

You went to Mannes College to study music. What was that experience like? Because education is so high in Russia, they put me straight into a master’s program, so I skipped bachelor’s. The school I finished there was under the Moscow Conservatory. So when I came here, everybody told me I should go straight to master’s. And in the master’s program, you have more time to practice the piano. And that’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to practice a lot.

It was always your dream to perform at Carnegie Hall. Everybody knows Carnegie Hall. For every musician, it’s a dream to play there. I remember coming to New York and going to a concert there and Rostropovich was playing. It was the first week I was here. And I thought, “I just want to play here one day.”

How old were you the first time you played there? Were you nervous? I was 25. I played for about 1,000 people. Of course! I’m still nervous. Carnegie Hall makes you want to do the best. I mean, you always want to do the best, but this is a place where the best of the best musicians came.

So you’ve invited 500 children to your show this month. Yeah, we’re bringing 50 kids from

the Leake & Watts orphanage. And we’re giving lots of tickets to children through schools in Westchester. I started playing concerts at schools in Westchester through a friend of mine, George Albano, who is the principal of the Cottle School in Eastchester. He puts a camera on my hands so all the kids watch my hands and hear the music. He loves the effect classical music has on children. I also offer specials for parents where they can get one ticket and up to two for free for kids. Then David Pope of the Pope Foundation heard about this and gave me a little bit of money to sponsor this endeavor. We did it for the last three years, but this year we are bringing the orphanage too. I was just talking to a friend who teaches autistic kids here in New York, so I said I want to bring those kids as well. It’s the holiday season, and it’s great to expose kids to classic music.

What reaction do you get from kids who listen to you play? They really love it. Actually, it’s the parents who are nervous the kids won’t like it. And the kids are the ones who are mesmerized. When I go to play for them, I play serious stuff, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Mozart, and then they write notes. Every kid says a different piece they love. They give me standing ovations, they jump. I was in Paraguay and I gave a concert for children and they were so worried that they would be antsy. They were especially concerned about this one kid, and I was playing, “Clair de Lune,” and he started crying. And he said, “I’ve never heard anything so beautiful. I want to play piano.” And then he came to meet me, and his eyes were like shining. It was so sweet.

You also play for patients at hospitals. The idea was that we wanted to play for kids, so we started with children’s hospitals, but tomorrow we’re playing at Mount Sinai. There’s actually a very beautiful foyer there and the music goes to all the rooms. So maybe they don’t come down, but the music flies all over the hospital. I played at a hospital in Providence and this one girl came and said, “I actually forgot I was in the hospital.” She was shining. She was completely happy.

What do you like about living on the Upper East Side? I like being near the river and I travel so much, so I like coming here and having this little space. It’s like a cocoon.

You are considered a romantic pianist. What does that mean? It’s very expressive playing. It’s not dry and cold, and it’s not technical. You have to have technique, but it’s very expressive. So it’s as if you’re talking to the audience. To learn more about Katya and listen to her music, visit www.katyagrineva.com and www.katyacds.com

22 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

Directory of Business & Services Antique, Flea & Farmers Market SINCE 1979

East 67th Street Market (between First & York Avenues) Open EVERY Saturday 6am-5pm Rain or Shine Indoor & Outdoor FREE Admission Questions? Bob 718.897.5992 Proceeds Benefit PS 183

To advertise in this directory Call Susan (212)-868-0190 ext.417 Classified2@strausnews.com

ANTIQUES WANTED

TOP PRICES PAID

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800.530.0006

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Photo by Jade Albert

Call Mark @ Meringoff Properties 646.262.3900

Learn more at

autismspeaks.org/signs Some signs to look for:

No big smiles or other joyful expressions by 6 months

No babbling by 12 months

No words by 16 months

© 2014 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It's time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. The person depicted is a model and is used for illustrative purposes only.

DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014 Our Town 23

CLASSIFIEDS Classified Advertising Department Information Telephone: 212-868-0190 | Fax: 212-2868-0190 Email: classified2@strausnews.com Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Deadline: 12pm the Friday before publication ACCOUNTING/FINANCIAL SERVICES ALLSTATE INSURANCE Anthony Pomponio 212-769-2899 125 West 72nd St. 5R, NYC apomponio@allstate.com LOMTO Federal Credit Union It’s hard to beat our great rates! Deposits federally insured to at least $250K (212)947-3380 ext.3144

ADOPTION ADOPTION: Unplanned Pregnancy? Caring licensed adoption agency provides financial and emotional support. Choose from loving pre-approved families. Call Joy toll free 1-866922-3678 or confidential email:Adopt@ForeverFamiliesThroughAdoption.org ANIMALS & PETS

BIDEAWEE - Animal People for People Who Love Animals! -Manhattan-Westhampton866-262-8133 www.Bideawee.org North Shore Animal League AnimalLeague.org 1-877-4-SAVE-PET Facebook.com/TheAnimalLeague Precious Pets Dog walking, cat & dog sitting 13 years exp. Exc. references. Hannah O’Regan,212-722-8660 ANNOUNCEMENTS

GrowNYC.org Recycle@GrowNYC.org 212-788-0225 ANTIQUES/COLLECTIBLES

Antique, Flea & Farmers Market, East 67 St Market (bet. First & York Ave). Open every Saturday, 6am-5pm, rain or shine. Indoor & Outdoor, Free Admission. Call Bob 718-8975992. Proceeds benefit PS 183.

CAMPS/SCHOOLS Alexander Robertson School Independent School for Pre-K through Grade 5 212-663-2844, 3 West 95th St. www.AlexanderRobertson.com

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DRY CLEANING John’s Cleaners, 1441 York Ave (bet 76 & 77) Manhattanwash Cleaners, 1142 1st Ave (bet 62 & 63 St) Manhattanwash Cleaners, 1324 Lex Ave (bet 88 & 89 St) 212-410-3200. Ask about Anniversary Sale. COUNSELING

Non-traditional therapist & problem solver, 40 yrs exp. I’ll help you learn to love & respect yourself Hazel James, 212-645-3135 ENTERTAINMENT

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POLICY NOTICE: We make every effort to avoid mistakes in your classified ads. Check your ad the first week it runs. We will only accept responsibility for the first incorrect insertion. Manhattan Media Classifieds assumes no financial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for copy changes. All classified ads are pre-paid. MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

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CARMEL Car & Limousine Service To JFK… $52 To Newark… $51 To LaGuardia… $34 1-212-666-6666 Toll Free 1-800-9-Carmel Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel Known for excellence since 1898 - 1076 Madison Ave, at 81st St., 212-288-3500 Hudson Valley Public Relations Optimizing connections. Building reputations. 24 Merrit Ave Millbrook, NY 12545, (845) 702-6226 John Krtil Funeral Home; Yorkville Funeral Service, INC. Independently Owned Since 1885. WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES 212-744-3084 Marble Collegiate Church Dr. Michael B. Brown, Senior Minister, 1 West 29th St. NYC, NY 10001, (212) 689-2770. www.MarbleChurch.org

My child is going to college at

New-York Historical Society Making history matter! 170 Central Park West www.nyhistory.org (212) 873-3400 Riverside Memorial Chapel Leaders in funeral pre-planning. 180 W 76th St (212) 362-6600 SPORTS CENTER at Chelsea Piers ChelseaPiers.com/SC 212-336-6000 Vamoose Bus Providing premium bus service between: NYC|MD|VA www.vamoosebus.com

Their tomorrow depends on your words today.

Help complete your child’s future by encouraging them to get a college degree. Call the Hispanic Scholarship Fund today at 1-877-HSF-INFO or visit YourWordsToday.org to learn more.

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24 Our Town DECEMBER 25-31 ,2014

COME HOME TO GLENWOOD

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Builder | Owner | Manager

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