Our Town July 23rd, 2015

Page 1

The local paper for the Upper er East Side GOING OFF SCRIPT, AND SUCCEEDING < CITY ARTS P.12

WEEK OF JULY

23-29 2015

Our Take

THE BATTLE OVER SMALL BUSINESS NEWS Group fighting for small business jobs bill targets Brewer BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

A recently formed coalition of small business advocates have injected new life into

the old cause of passing the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. The standard-bearer for the legislation, which was introduced in the 1980s, has traditionally been the New York City Small Business Congress. But years of stagnation on the legislative docket, coupled with what one organizer said is a record

THE FUTURE FOR OLDER NEW YORKERS

number of small businesses being forced out of their storefronts due to skyrocketing lease terms, has resulted in a renewed push to pass the law. The SBJSA would allow commercial tenants in good standing to negotiate fair

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Gale Brewer

HUNDREDS ATTEND VIGIL FOR TRAFFIC VICTIMS Families speak out against ‘aggresive’ driving culture, advocate for enforcement BY LOGAN HENDRIX

Denise Baum, foreground, holds a newspaper detailing the death of her husband, Rubin Baum, who was killed in 2012 on the Upper East Side. Photo: Logan Hendrix

Fabulous upcoming New York State events and must-sees at ILoveNY.com/summer15 and inside!

Union Square was a sea of yellow and gray T-shirts in commemoration of loved ones who have died in traffic crashes in the city. Among them was Amy Cohen, a founding member for Families for Safe Streets, whose 12-yearold son, Sammy, was killed by a van outside of the family’s Brooklyn Heights home in October. Cohen implored the crowd to start using the word “crash” instead of “accident.” “The word ‘accident’ suggests something unavoidable and inevitable,” Cohen said. “When we refuse to say ‘accident’ we are insisting that something can be

done to save lives.” Vigil for Vision Zero, which drew hundreds on a warm, humid evening July 14, was organized by Families for Safe Streets and Transportation Alternatives, which is advocating for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians and stricter enforcement of traffic laws. The event took its name from the de Blasio administration’s pivotal traffic-safety initiative, the goal of which is to eradicate traffic deaths and injuries in the city. Friends and family gathered on stage holding pictures of their lost loved ones. Denise Baum, held a newspaper detailing the death of her husband, Rubin Baum, who was killed in 2012 on the Upper East Side. A spinning car that had collided with another vehicle killed Baum as he

hailed a cab. Denise Baum said her husband pushed her out of the way to save her. “I was in total shock and disbelief,” she said. The core of the event was reading the names of 123 people who have died in traffic crashes so far in 2015. Yellow flowers were handed out, each representing the more than 24,000 injured and people killed in traffic crashes in the five boroughs this year. Single yellow shoe laces were also given to vigil participants to commemorate pedestrians and cyclists killed in traffic crashes. Hsi-Pei Liao and Amy Tam-Liao shared the story about how their daughter, Allison, was killed by a car in 2013 as she and her grandmother were crossing at an intersection.

Never has there been a better -- or worse -- time to grow old in New York City. This week, we kick off what will be a months-long look at the frustrations, and the joys, of senior citizens in America’s biggest city. We’re beginning this effort by debuting a new, biweekly column on our Voices page by veteran Manhattanite Marcia Epstein, called “Senior Living.” Give it a read and give us your thoughts. Marcia’s column marks the beginning of a series of stories and investigations on elderly New Yorkers, who, perhaps more than any other demographic group, are feeling the brunt of the city’s transformation. Think of any of the hotbutton issues in New York today: affordability, crime, transportation, development. Chances are that elderly New Yorkers are feeling the brunt of them more than the rest of us, either because of fixed incomes, or limited mobility or other vulnerabilities. For decades, New York City has been seen as a blissful place to retire. But it’s also become a brutally difficult place for older people. Join us in coming months as we tackle these issues, all of us, together. Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday July 24 – 8:01 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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JULY 23-29,2015

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HOMELESSNESS IN THE CITY IS AT RECORD LEVELS Homelessness is at its highest point since the Great Depression, with

60,000 people, nearly half of them children, estimated to be sleeping in shelters and one organization is laying the blame at the previous city administration, according to a report in

the Daily News. During the ďŹ scal year that ended June 30, one in 42 children was in a homeless shelter, the paper reported. “These unprecedented levels of

homelessness stem directly from disastrous Bloomberg administration policies that eliminated permanent housing resources from homeless children and families,� the News quotes the campaign Homes for Every New Yorker. During a demonstration last week, advocates called for 15,000 living units to be built and set aside for homeless families, the News reported. Protesters also called for the de Blasio administration to allocate 10 percent of units that are part of in his affordable housing plan to the currently homeless. “Mayor Koch built 15,000 real affordable housing units and we think de Blasio should match those numbers,� the News quoted the executive director of the advocacy group Vocal-NY, Jennifer Flynn, as saying. The protestors, noting that about one-third of homeless families sleeping in shelters are employed, also called for an increase in the minimum wage to $15.

million, the Commercial Observer reported. The investors are tied to the nursing home operator Cassena Care, which operates several nursing and rehabilitation facilities throughout New York and Connecticut. The nursing care provider will not deal with managing or changing the operation of the nursing home facility, a company spokesman told the news site.

GOURMET RICE KRISPIES TREATS EATERY OPENS ON UES WITH ADULTS IN MIND Treat House, an Upper West Side eatery specializes in Rice Krispies, is opening a new branch on Second Avenue near 81st Street. This time, however, the owners say they have the adults’ taste on their minds, DNAinfo reported. Chris and Jennifer Russell had designed their ďŹ rst store as a spot for kids, but now they’re hoping their Upper EAst Side location will attract an older crowd, according to the news site. The Russells said the treats and avors will remain mostly the same, but the layout of the new store will cater to a more sophisticated audience. Chris Russell said you can sense different vibes between the Upper West and Upper East Sides, and he wanted to reect that neighborhood in a more elegantly designed store.

UPPER EAST SIDE NURSING HOME PROPERTY CHANGES HANDS FOR $105M A group of private investors listed as 79th Street Acquisition Group purchased the building that houses DeWitt Rehabilitation & Nursing Center on the Upper East Side for $105.5

Homelessness in New York City has reached record levels. Photo: Elvert Barnes, via Flickr W

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

PROTESTS ON GARNER ANNIVERSARY Protesters marked the anniversary of Eric Garner’s chokehold death with rallies and marches, echoing demonstrations just after his death that helped fuel a national conversation about policing. “We’re over-policed,� said Alice Sturmsutter, who joined about 20 other activists in lower Manhattan as they boarded the Staten Island Ferry for a protest at the site where a police officer put Garner in a chokehold on July 17, 2014. The protesters headed to the Staten Island sidewalk where officers confronted Garner, who was 43, because police believed he was selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A video shot by an onlooker shows Garner, who was black, telling the officers to leave him alone and refusing to be handcuffed. Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is white, placed his arm around Garner’s neck to take him down. Garner is heard gasping “I can’t breathe!� 11 times before losing consciousness.

His death, coupled with police killings of unarmed black men elsewhere, spurred protests around the country about police treatment of black men. Later, some demonstrators roved through parts of Manhattan. A gathering around Herald Square prompted a message from the city’s public-notification system that the protests were intermittently closing streets. Police said some arrests made been made during the demonstrations, but the number of arrests and other details were still being gathered late Friday night. The city medical examiner found the chokehold contributed to Garner’s death. Chokeholds are banned by New York Police Department policy, but Pantaleo has said that he used a legal takedown maneuver known as a seatbelt, not a chokehold. A grand jury declined to indict him. A federal inquiry is ongoing. Garner’s family reached a $5.9 million settlement with New York City this week over the death.

looked inside her bag, she found that her wallet was missing, containing credit cards, her Social Security card and $60 in cash.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for July 6 -12 Week to Date

LAPTOP STOLEN

Year to Date

2015 2014

% Change

2015

2014

% Change

In this city, laptops are not always secure on countertops. At 4 p.m. on July 10, a woman laid her Mac laptop down on the counter at the KES clothing store located at 463 Amsterdam Ave. A man snatched the computer and ran off with it. The Mac is valued at $2,000.

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

0

n/a

Rape

1

0

n/a

5

5

0.0

Robbery

1

1

0.0

52

45

15.6

Felony Assault

2

4

-50.0

63

58

8.6

Burglary

9

4

125.0

80

103

-22.3

WEIGHTY MATTER

Grand Larceny

35

21

66.7

672

677

-0.7

At 6 p.m. on July 13, a 44-year-old woman was walking up the stairs from the subway at West 72nd and Broadway when she realized by a change in weight that something was missing from her bag. She checked and discovered that her wallet was gone, containing cards and cash totaling $249.

Grand Larceny Auto

3

3

0.0

35

36

-2.8

PICKPOCKETBOOK

DUANE READE ROBBED

A woman stopped at a local Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up but a thief did the picking up. At 10 a.m. on July 12, a 22-year-old woman visited a location of the popular coffee chain at 1841 Broadway and hung her bag on the back of her chair. When she next

At 3:15 a.m. on July 12, a woman entered the Duane Reade at 2025 Broadway, approached a clerk behind the front counter, and said, “Open the register, or I’ll shoot you!� The bandit succeeded in making off with $202.

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A masked man stole a car from an area car rental agency. At 11 a.m. on July 11, the man entered the Prestige

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JULY 23-29,2015

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244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

THE SAGA ON WEST 73RD NEWS How has a building on the Upper West Side been vacant for 30 years? BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

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1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

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505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

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525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

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E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

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Many Upper West Siders are familiar with the rundown townhouse on West 73rd Street, a neighborhood eyesore encased in scaffolding and infested with rats that’s been vacant for at least 30 years. Why they probably don’t know is the strange and confusing saga of the building, at 44 W. 73rd Street, involving foreclosure in 1975, conflicting property deeds, fraud, and an ongoing court case. In April of last year, an attorney named Steven Wimpfheimer filed suit against Aviation Distributors, Inc. and other parties that claim to own 44 West 73rd Street. The complaint asks, in brief, that the court recognize the building as belonging solely to Wimpfheimer’s client, a mysterious company named Community Preservation Neighborhood, Inc. In cour t papers, Wimphheimer argues that his client is in possession of the “true copy” of the property deed, which Community Preservation acquired last February from a woman named Lois Voyticky, which Wimpfheimer maintains is the sole heir of the most recent previous owner, Marion Miller. A lawyer for Aviation Distributors, Solomon Zabrowsky, made a defense and counterclaim, saying they acquired the property from Miller in 1977, and since then have continued to maintain the property and to pay taxes on it. The response goes on to say Aviation recently transferred ownership to an affiliated company named Kojo Global Development, Inc., and accused Community Preservation of engaging in fraud in claiming ownership over the building and filing their suit. At the center of the dispute is whether Lois Voyticky really did have a claim to the property and was indeed Miller’s sole heir, and was within her legal rights to sell it to Community Preservation last year. Public records indicate a Frances Voyticky, who died in 1988, acquired the property from Jean Rudiano in 1964. Diane Has-

44 West 73rd Street. Photo by Daniel Fitzsimmons. lett, who is listed as Rudiano’s attorney in legal documents from that time, facilitated the sale. Haslett surfaces again in 1975, presumably before she was married to Rudiano, when she bought 44 West 73rd Street from Otec Realty Corp. (Haslett herself was in the news earlier this year, for her involvement in a speparate building, at 118 West 76th St, a similarly neglected townhouse. Haslett finally sold that building last year for $6.6 million after much pressure from community groups and elected officials.) On West 73rd Street, the City of New York began foreclosure proceedings against the property in 1971, a process that was carried out in 1975, two months after Haslett bought it. It’s unclear how or why Haslett bought a property that was in the midst of being foreclosed upon. She could not be reached for comment. According to public records, Marion Miller acquired 44 West 73rd Street sometime after it was foreclosed upon and sold it to Aviation in 1977. However, the deal seems have only involved the land, and not the building itself. At this juncture, in the mid-70s, it appears as if two deeds for the property were created. More recently, public records with the New York City Register indicate Lois Voyticky sold the property last year to Community Preservation Neighborhood, Inc. for $205,000. Aviation initially appeared to have the better case. A title

trace commissioned by Kojo Global and carried out by Blackstone Land Title Agency found that Lois Voyticky, while indeed the sole survivor and distributee for the estate of Marion Miller, did not have any legal right to the property. But this is where it gets weird(er). In the midst of the case, on Aug. 8, 2014, NYS Civil Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead granted a motion filed by Wimpfheimer that effectively declared Community Preservation sole owners of 44 West 73rd Street. The default judgement was granted after the defendant failed to appear in court. And last month, the Manhattan DA announced an indictment against John Kojo Zi, owner of Kojo Global, on charges that he obtained titles to five buildings on the Upper West Side and Hamilton Heights by fraudulently filing forged deed transfers with the city’s Register’s Office. Among them was 44 West 73rd Street. According to the DA’s office, Zi, age 53, allegedly filed a fraudulent deed transfer for the property, “transferring the property from its legitimate owner, Aviation Distributors, to his company…” He’s charged with multiple counts of grand larceny, fraud and forgery, among other crimes. According to the Real Deal, Zi’s lawyer is none other than Solomon Zabrowsky. The DA’s press release goes on to say that Zi told the Register’s Office his father founded Aviation Distributors, and even submitted a forged contract from 1976 showing Aviation’s original purchase of the building for $360,000 cash. “By filing forged deed transfers and lying on official forms, this defendant allegedly defrauded three Manhattan property owners, stealing five buildings out from under them,” said Manhattan District Attorney Vance in announcing the indictment. “Deed fraudsters use publicly available housing data to target properties that are not actively managed by their owners, including those that are falling into disrepair, or burdened with tax liens and unpaid utilities.” But the legal dramas surrounding the property have gone largely unnoticed to neighbors of 44 West 73rd

Street, and misconceptions about the property continue to abound, such as when a local blog erroneously reported that Haslett-Rudiano had finally put the building up for sale for $5 million. “She doesn’t own it outright, I know that Diane [Haslett-Rudiano] does not own it,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer told the Spirit recently. “She lost it a while ago.” Beyond that, however, Brewer said she does not know who currently owns it. Arlene Simon, the former president of Landmark West who was involved in the campaign to pressure Haslett-Rudiano into selling 118 West 76th Street, told the Spirit last year that even she doesn’t quite understand the history or legal status of 44 West 73rd Street. “It’s one of those things where you can’t quite figure out the pieces,” she said. And other mysteries remain. How was Community Preservation able to buy the property from Lois Voyticky last year for a paltry $205,000? The company was established in late2013, has zero public profile, no website, and the only point of contact in state registration records is Wimpfheimer, who said he wouldn’t comment on the case as litigation is ongoing (both sides are due back in court Aug. 11). When asked about topics not related to the litigation, such as what Community Preservation does, Wimpfheimer said he’s “not authorized to give out any additional information.” Calls to a number listed as belonging to Lois Voyticky went unanswered. Zi did not return calls or an email. A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment beyond the press release and referred a request for more information on Zi to the NYPD, who said they have no arrest record for him either this year or last. Zabrowsky did not return requests for comment about Aviation’s ownership claims. It’s also unclear why he is representing Zi in court or affiliates Aviation with Kojo Global in court documents prior to the DA’s indictment. So the mystery endures. If 44 West 73rd Street hasn’t belonged to Diane Haslett-Rudiano in decades, why has it been allowed to languish for all this time?

JULY 23-29,2015

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then transition to the bike as the rolling mountain views provide a scenic backdrop to the ride. Two loops of 56 miles bring competitors back to where they began their 26.2-mile run through the town and around the lake.

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SAVE THE DATE LUCILLE BALL COMEDY FESTIVAL Jamestown. July 30-August 2 Who hasn’t enjoyed the zany humor of Lucille Ball? This raucous festival is located at the Lucy Desi Museum at Center for Comedy in Jamestown, Lucy’s hometown. Come and laugh your way through this four day celebration that includes performances by comedy greats such as headliners Jerry Seinfeld and Nick Offerman.

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For more great New York State events and must-see attractions, visit iloveny.com/summer15

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JULY 23-29,2015

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45 Years and Counting

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES, SINCE 1932 The 3 Decker is among the last of the Depression-era businesses in Yorkville BY HARRISON STEVEN CADE

Every week, Our Town will celebrate our 45th anniversary by profiling a neighborhood business that has been around longer than we have. Know of a local business that should be on our list? Email us at news@ strausnews.com On Second Avenue, near 91st Street, hidden amidst a scene of restaurants, cafes and diners, the 3 Decker Restaurant has been doing business since 1932. From its origin as a neighborhood joint in Great Depressionera Yorkville to, now, its incarnation within a gentrifying cultural hub, the restaurant’s echoed its locale. Reflecting the neighborhood’s growing diversity, the 3 Decker’s propositions include Greek and Mexican cuisine and American barbecue alongside traditional diner food. Athanasios Raftopoulos, aka “Ernie� by neighborhood regulars, has been among the 3 Decker’s caretakers since he was 16, soon after his arrival in New York.

“When I came from Greece I knew little about the restaurant business, but when I came here I couldn’t get a job anywhere else. So I worked as a dishwasher over here in 1965, and from there on I was learning the business,� Raftopoulos said. He bought the 3 Decker from its original owners, fellow Greeks, in 1967. Although still a neighborhood cornerstone, the 3 Decker has had sunnier days, Raftopoulos said. Increased competition from newer restaurants has obliged the 3 Decker to expand beyond its original identity for fear of becoming outdated, he said. And, as for so many other businesses along the Second Avenue corridor, construction of the new subway line there has added another obstacle. Business is down about 50 percent since the project started, Raftopoulos said. “The subway is killing us. Because for years we used to work with truck drivers from Connecticut, New Jersey, that knew us and would stop by all the time for breakfast, or come later on for lunch.� he said. “Taxi drivers, limousine driv-

Illustration by John S. Winkleman ers, all customers, cannot ďŹ nd parking now, and cannot possibly stop here. That section of the business we lost. We lost it.â€?

He also reminisced about an Upper East Side that has long since ceased to exist. “This was a working neigh-

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borhood,� he said, ticking off a list of mom-and-pop shops and businesses that have since disappeared. “And in those days there were no high-rises here, it was a working community from 90th Street all the way up to 96th Street. There were factories, garages, and so forth.� The 3 Decker survived them all, and Raftopoulos attributes

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that to a loyal, local fanbase. “They are very much our favorites.� He said. “They’re always coming here because we have been here for all these years. And some of them grew up in this neighborhood, and now they’re married and have kids of their own, and so forth. We are a very local restaurant.�

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JULY 23-29,2015

THE BATTLE OVER SMALL BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lease renewal terms for the next 10 years upon expiration of an existing lease. If a tenant and landlord cannot come to an agreement, nonbinding mediation would occur followed, by binding arbitration if necessary. Advocates for the bill say that the real estate industry, namely the Real Estate Board of New York, have consistently worked to block the legislation behind the scenes. REBNY President Steven Spinola maintains the legislation is unconstitutional, and that the city council does not have the legal authority to set controls on the leasing of private property. The new coalition, comprised of Save NYC, a grassroots organizing group, and Take Back NYC, a full-blown lobbying entity, together with the Small Business Congress NYC, say legal arguments against the bill are just a smokescreen. “We’ve yet to see a single legal document be produced which unsubstantiated the legality of the bill,” says Kirsten Theodos, an organizer with Take Back NYC. REBNY did not return a request for comment. But the new coalition has also sets its sights on elected officials who they feel are focusing on the wrong solutions, or, much worse, actively shilling for the real estate industry. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who worked on the SBJSA as a member of former council member Ruth Messinger’s staff, has found herself in the unusual position of being criticized for her advocacy on behalf of small businesses. While in the City Council, Brewer passed legislation limiting the amount of space banks and drug stores could take up on Upper West Side streets. As borough president, she’s exploring a law that would require landlords give commercial tenants a six-month heads up if they’re going to increase the rent. If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, the tenant can request non-binding mediation, or they can opt for a one-year extension with a 15 percent rent hike, allowing them time to find another location. The idea of the bill – which in its current form is just a rough sketch – is to eliminate the last minute doubling, tripling and quintupling of rents that force longtime mom and pops out of the very neighborhoods they helped create. Brewer has been holding roundtable discussions with Brooklyn council member Robert Cornegy and the small business community to solicit ideas related to her legislative sketch and also new ideas to ease the small business crisis (Cornegy is chair of the small business committee in the city council). “The small business roundtables are to get ideas from people about how to save mom and pops, that’s just one example,” said Brewer. “I think the issue is all ideas should be on the table. We’re trying everything.” One thing Brewer is sure of is that SBJSA has no chance of passing. “I wrote the bill with Ruth Messinger in 1985, so I know it very well,” said Brewer. “It’s been sitting there since 1985, and I can’t wait another 30 years, so I want to get something done. I don’t think that bill is going to pass. I’ve been around a long time, I know what’s going to pass and what’s not going to pass. That bill is not going to pass.” In an op-ed published in this paper in May,

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com Brewer wrote that in addition to the constitutional issues with the SBJSA, the bill’s “mandatory arbitration system applies only to landlords via a right-of-first-refusal for existing tenants. If an arbitrator doesn’t construct lease terms to a tenant’s liking, the tenant can reject the arbitration and suffer no consequences - they stay in the storefront until and unless a new potential tenant can negotiate terms that the current tenant then refuses to meet! This mechanism is wildly inefficient, and will have the additional result of tightening the market for newer small businesses seeking space.” But pushing for anything other than the SBJSA has earned Brewer the opprobrium of groups like Take Back NYC, who have mounted campaigns to boycott her roundtables and regularly criticize her and her allies in the press. “They can do their thing. I know all of them, I like them and I appreciate them, I just want to get something done. And we all have the same goal, which is to save the mom and pops,” said Brewer. “One thing I’m not is backed by REBNY, that I can promise you, and they know that.” In this Q&A, Theodos talks about her group’s stance and why when it comes to saving small businesses, it’s the SBJSA or bust.

Is Take Back NYC pushing for a city council hearing on the legality of SBJSA? We are not pushing for a public hearing on the legality of the SBJSA as there are no legal issues with the bill. We’ve yet to see a single legal document be produced which unsubstantiated the legality of the bill. We are however pushing for a public hearing on the bill as a step toward the SBJSA making it to the floor of the City Council for a vote. A public hearing is the right of any introduced legislation to provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the merits of the bill.

Why is Take Back NYC so sure SBJSA will pass this time around? For decades, it’s never even gotten out of committee, legality notwithstanding. There seems to be forces aligned against it in the city council, regardless of how much support it has. If by forces aligned against it in the city council, you mean the real estate lobby, REBNY, then yes, there is definitely a David v. Goliath situation here. What’s different today is that while real estate speculation has been going on for decades now, small business closures have become significantly worse as we are seeing record closings and rents which are tripling, quadrupling and in some cases even quintupling. We are past the tipping point, now more than ever action needs to be taken to address this worsening crisis.

We write about small business issues a lot, and are surprised at how aggressively this coalition is targeting Brewer’s legislation and roundtables. Why is she the target and not REBNY? It is our elected officials who are supposed to be making policy for New York City. We would be focused on anyone who was trying to propose a legitimate solution. We hold all elected officials accountable for understanding the severity of this crisis and providing real solutions. So, while it is meaningful Brewer and Cornegy have validated the small business crisis and the need for a solution, what they’re proposing does not address the root of the problem, which is escalating rents, an unfair lease renewal process, and extortion of immigrant business owners.

Hsi-Pei Liao holds a picture of his daughter, Allisson, who was killed in 2013.He was among hundreds of others who attended the Vigil for Vision Zero at Union Square Tuesday evening. Photo: Logan Hendrix

HUNDREDS ATTEND VIGIL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Her death was a result of a dangerous, predictable, aggressive driving culture,” Tam-Liao said. “Ali did not need to die. She should be playing in the sprinklers with her brother. She should be preparing for kindergarten.” Sofia Russo also lost her daughter, Ariel, in 2013 when she was struck and killed by an unlicensed driver fleeing police. “My 4-year-old daughter was not killed in an accident. Her death could have been prevented if the driver had been obeying traffic safety rules,” Russo said. “She should be here right now. She would be 6 years old getting ready to start first grade, reading books to her 4-year-old brother,” Russo said. Some traffic crash survivors

took the stage to promote Vision Zero’s goals. Last summer, Dulcie Canton was riding her bike home when a reckless driver rear-ended her and kept going. Canton was left with a broken shoulder and ankle and a concussion. “It’s an awful thing to happen and it really shouldn’t,” Canton said. Cara Cancelmo, hit by a taxicab two years ago, contends with chronic pain from an injury to her shoulder. “My injuries may not be visible at first glance, but my pain is real,” said Cancelmo, who added that she also has leftover mental trauma. “Many New Yorkers dissociate from the possibility that this could be their life, their pain, their story or end to it. But those of us here today know the truth: we are all in danger. “What happened to me was not my fault. It was a terrible failure of the city,” she said. Jackie Rowe-Adams, founder of Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E,

which works to prevent gun violence, equated traffic deaths with those from firearms. “The pain never goes away. We share the same pain. We share the same hurt,” said Adams, whose two sons were killed in separate shootings. “We wake and we have the loss of our kids.” The crowd kneeled and held up their yellow flowers for a moment of silence to honor a cyclist who was killed near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn when he struck by an SUV on July 13. Aaron Charlop-Powers, a founding member of Families for Safe Streets and whose mother was killed five years ago riding her bike in the Bronx, concluded the vigil in a cry answered by the crowd: “What do we want?” he shouted. “Safe Streets!” the audience responded. “When do we want it?” Charlop-Powers screamed. “Now!” declared the crowd.

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JULY 23-29,2015

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Voices MEMO FROM THE STREET

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

Senior Living

OP-ED

ANOTHER TALE OF TWO CITIES BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

New York can be a wonderful place to be a senior citizen. It can also be a terribly lonely one. First, some of the wonderful. It helps to have money. Ideally, a lot of it. Second best is a rent controlled or rent-stabilized apartment. I am lucky enough to have the second. I’ve lived in my Upper West Side neighborhood long, long before it was considered upscale. In fact, it was considered dicey when I first brought my young children to live there. I myself had lived in various places on the Upper West Side since college. When my younger daughter was two, we moved into a brand new Mitchell-Lama building on West 90th Street. In those years, lots of buildings were built under the Mitchell-Lama program to help lower and middleincome people live in affordable housing. Obviously, those days are over. For me, living in a neighborhood that is suddenly fashionable has been a bit dizzying. I like some of it, but I do miss the old Woolworth’s and coffee shop, and the Red Apple on 100th Street and Columbus Avenue. Now we have TJMaxx and Whole Foods, and I am surrounded by apartment buildings I could never afford. In any case, I am lucky to be able to remain in my apartment and my neighborhood. Other seniors are not so lucky. Market rents are not manageable on a fixed income, and the seniors we all see on the streets of Broadway are either long-time residents in stabilized apartments, owners of co-ops bought long ago, or people of wealth. But for those of us who are here, New York can be a senior’s paradise. We have handicapped-access buses, elevators on major subway lines, senior discounts to museums and various events, and enough culture to satisfy anyone’s taste. New York can also be a not so wonderful place for an older person to live. Loneliness is a problem for people without families or friends. One can become homebound with one fall, one stroke, one heart attack. Even if a person can afford to stay in his or her apartment, if no one visits, it can be spirit-destroying. Without the ability to go to the senior center, the movies, the activities, a single senior can end up spending long, lonely days alone. It’s true that there are social services agencies, and organizations such as Dorot on the Upper West Side, that are specifically designed to help the needy elderly. But New York is a busy, energetic city, and the elderly can become invisible. Our invisibility is a recurring topic in my senior women’s group. With the city, and our own Upper West Side, teeming with single young people and families, the elderly aren’t often noticed. But if we are healthy, most of us have learned to occupy our days fruitfully. And if we are lucky enough to have a partner, and families, we will have help and companionship if a disaster happens. That isn’t true for those of us who are alone. One catastrophe, and the known life is gone. Many New Yorkers don’t know their neighbors except to say hello. Without the activities that sustain us, New York can be the loneliest place in world to be a senior citizen. So far, I am among the lucky ones. I am healthy and active. I have a family. If something happens to me, I will have loving people in my life. But I know people who live in fear of ending up sick and alone. They have had falls or illnesses and recovered enough to resume their lives. But they wonder and worry about the day when they won’t recover. Who will help them? Who will care? While some are lucky enough to have compassionate neighbors, many know no one in their building beyond friendly greetings. New York is two retirement cities; one wonderful, one not so wonderful. Nowhere else has so much to offer the elderly, if they’re healthy and active, have enough money, and know how to utilize what the city has to offer them. For the others, the sick and lonely, New York can be a sad and isolating place.

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BY CHARLES GROSS

ful. Summer is has returned to New York City. The birds are chirping and the familiar sound of the Mister Softee trucks fills the streets. The trucks are not the only thing that fills the streets, however. People fill the streets. They walk, they bicycle and they drive. In doing so they often get in each other’s way. Then the trouble begins. I have at times been a pedestrian, a cyclist and a motorist. I carry a monthly metro card, a Citibike key and a Zipcar card. So maybe, just maybe, I can give my fellow pedestrians, cyclists and motorists a word of advice.

To My Fellow Pedestrians: Are we not fortunate to live in a city where almost everything we need is a few foot steps away? That which is not nearby can easily be obtained by walking to the nearest bus or subway stop. New Yorkers walk everywhere. We are statistically thinner than our suburban counterparts. And yet there are snakes in our Garden of Eden. Cyclists who race down our sidewalks or believe that a park path is exclusively theirs and motorists who expect us to jump out of their pathways. Often we may be in the right but we must remember that whether the pitcher hits the rock or the rock hits the pitcher, it’s going to be pretty bad for the pitcher. Still, we must shoulder some of the blame. If you ask pedestrians if they have ever broken traffic laws, 90% will say they have and the other 10% are liars. My fellow pedestrians, shocking as it may seem, traffic laws apply to us. Yet at times the temptation to cross against the red light or in the middle of the road is simply too great. On those occasions please remember to look both ways. If you see a car coming, let it pass. Even if the car is far away, it may slow down when it sees you and miss its light. Remember, when you cross against the light, you are breaking the law and therefore in the wrong, so MOVE IT and be care-

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To My Fellow Cyclists: Do we not live in a golden age of cycling in New York City? More people than ever are riding. Miles upon miles of bike lanes now give us a safe area to ride. Citibike, even with all its problems, allows us to ride around town unencumbered by the need to store the bike when we arrive at our destination. And yet all that glitters is not gold. Unlike most cities, ours denies us the safety of the sidewalks. There are those who believe that a bicycle and its rider (average combined weight of 175 pounds) should be treated like a car and driver (average weight over 3,000 pounds). Many motorists are still reluctant to share the streets with us. Many pedestrians, despite a city of wall-to-wall sidewalks, feel the need to converge in our bike lanes. My fellow cyclists, there may be times when you feel you have no choice but to ride in the wrong direction on a one-way street or find traffic so congested that you take a brief hop of the side walk. On those rare occasions, please slow down and look extra carefully as to where you are going. Remember you are breaking the law and therefore in the wrong

To My Fellow Motorists: Is there a group more despised than we are? We are now the main persecuted minority in the city. Our parking lots and gas stations are destroyed to build housing and offices. Our street parking is eliminated so cyclists can have protected lanes that tie up already crowded streets. Our mayor wants to balance his budget with hidden speed trap cameras and the slogan of the cycling advocacy group Transportation Alternatives is not “One More Bike” but “One Less Car.” It is no wonder that most city dwellers do not own a car and many do not even bother to get a driver’s license. And yet, there is a silver lining in our cloud. Companies such as Zipcar al-

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low us the pleasure of owning a car— for one hour at a time. They, like us, have realized there are some places that the subway cannot take you. My fellow motorists, those who despise us will never know the awesome feeling of driving a car. Still, with great power comes great responsibility. Unlike pedestrians and cyclists, we can never flaunt the law. The risks are too great. While not all pedestrians are motorists, all motorists are pedestrians. When we come upon law-flaunting pedestrians or cyclists we must grit our teeth and slow down. Yes they are in the wrong but do we want to have their lives or injuries hanging over us? The life you save by setting an example may be your own.

Finally, To The Traffic Police: I ask for lenience if in slowing down for an errant pedestrian, a motorist crosses a light that is redder than it was a second ago. In conclusion my fellow travelers, as the city grows larger there will be more of us sharing the streets. We all want to get to where we are going in a New York minute. While I don’t agree with all of the city’s Vision Zero policies, zero traffic fatalities is a desirable goal. If pedestrians, cyclists and motorists could walk in each other’s shoes or ride in each other’s tires for just a moment, we may yet achieve it.

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

JULY 23-29,2015

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ILLUMINATING A BRUTAL LEGACY

Detail from the movie poster for “Shadows of My Past.”

A New Yorker’s film, “Shadows From My Past,” documents Austria’s role in the Holocaust BY LAUREN ROTHMAN

Gita Weinrauch’s passport, which would allow her passage out of Austria and to the United States in the mid-1930s.

As anyone who has traveled to Austria’s capital well knows, Vienna is a jewel of a city, reflecting its nation’s rich artistic and cultural heritage in astounding imperial buildings, museums chock-full of revelatory central European masterpieces, and palaces still bedecked in the fine furnishings of bygone eras. But such splendor can bely the deeper, more painful histories of this storied city. “There’s so much tragedy in the streets of Vienna — but you have to look for it, because it’s such a beautiful city,” said Gita Weinrauch Kaufman, an author, educator and Upper West Side resident who co-directed, with her late husband, Curt Kaufman, a Holocaust documentary entitled “Shadows From My Past.” The

film, released last year, will be screened Saturday evening at The Actors’ Temple on West 47th Street. Kaufman was born into a Jewish family living in Vienna in the 1930s, as the Nazi Party tightened its hold on Europe. In March of 1940, shortly before the Weinrauchs were to be deported to Dachau, one of Germany’s most notorious concentration camps, they received their American visas and left for New York. Many from their extended family, however, were shipped to concentration camps and killed. “Shadows From My Past” is Kaufman’s inquiry, decades after narrowly escaping extermination, into the lives — and deaths — of those family members. A f ter f leei n g Au st r ia , Kaufman had little intention of ever returning. “It was just too painful,” she said. But when her mother passed away in the late 1980s, a fateful discovery caused Kaufman to reconsider. Stuffed within a drawer of her late mother’s Upper West Side apartment, a ream of letters written in both Yiddish and German and dating to the war period detailed, in urgent terms, her family’s attempts to escape the Nazis. When she found them, Ms. Kaufman said, she was immediately transported back to her early childhood in Vienna. “Letters meant life, letters meant excitement. But when the war started, the letters stopped,” she said. Or so she thought. Kaufman’s parents did indeed continue to receive the missives, but shielded their children from their contents. When, decades later, Kaufman unearthed them, she was both shocked and intrigued. “That’s when I really felt the pain,” she recalled. “I was so overcome by them.” In 1968, Kaufman had married Curt Kaufman, a photographer and videographer who shot stills for films such as “Sophie’s Choice.” At his urging,

Kaufman began to consider turning the letters into some kind of artistic project. She started by translating and then digitizing them, with her husband’s help, and through this process connected with Oliver Rathkolb, an Austrian historian and professor with the Bruno Kreisky Archives Foundation in Vienna. In the late 1990s, she was awarded that foundation’s prestigious award for Outstanding Achievement in Human Rights. Modest prize money and the foundation’s invaluable support network enabled Kaufman to begin work on a documentary film. In 1998, after nearly six decades of exile, she returned to Vienna. From that year until 2011, when her husband died, the couple worked on the film, making several trips to Austria. Kaufman finished the film after her husband’s death. “Shadows From My Past” explores the very complicated reality of Austria’s compliance with Nazi Germany and its willing sacrifice of many of its Jewish citizens, and in the documentary, Kaufman interviews many prominent Austrian politicians including President Heinz Fischer. It’s this point, Kaufman said, that sets her film apart from many Holocaust narratives. While the losses within more prominently anti-Semitic countries such as Poland and Hungary are well documented, the actions of equally complicit nations sometimes get obscured. “A lot of us are taught about the Holocaust through Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel, but that’s only a part of the story,” she said. Rabbi Jill Hausman of The Actors’ Temple, where the film will be shown this weekend, concurs. “People don’t really have a firm grasp of Austrian complicity with the Nazis,” Hausman said. “She had access to very interesting people there.” While the events that unfold in the film occurred many decades ago, “Shadows Of My Past” remains relevant today, when Europe is experiencing a resurgence of anti-Semitism that, as it did in Nazi Germany, correlates with rising levels of unemployment, Hausman said. Kaufman agrees. “There’s a lesson in the film, which is that this kind of thing can happen anywhere if we’re not watching who’s in charge,” she said. “Shadows From My Past” screens at The Actor’s Temple July 25 at 8:15 pm. For more information, call 212-245-6975.

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JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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

Fri 24 NEW YORK THROUGH THE DECADES: BOILER ROOM

DR. STEVEN DAVIDOWITZ 328 East 75th Street www.LuxuryDentistryNYC.com

A classroom in 92Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St 10 a.m. From $30 The 10-week film series that screens a representative movie for each decade, starting with the 1920s and ending in 2010 is coming to an end. This week, they are screening a movie from the 2000s about making money and crime www.92y.org

GET POP-CULTURED: FANGIRL FRIDAY We work to make your smile dreams come true.

IF WE DON’T DO OUR HOMEWORK, NEITHER CAN SHE.

Barnes & Noble, 150 East 86th St. 7 p.m. Free If you’re a fangirl, attend this event to get together with other fangirls and celebrate your fandom! You’ll get the chance

to interact with the Women of Marvel, enjoy giveaways and much more. 212-369-2180, storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/ event/4863013-0

Sat 25 MUSIC: NEW YORK OPERA FORUM 96th Street Library, 112 East 96th St. 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Free This musical program gives classically trained singers the opportunity to learn and perform a selection of standard opera in their original languages. Join them for a complete performance of Maria Stuarda. 212-289-0908, www.nypl. org

▼ LE ROC USA PARTY Buttenwieser Hall, Lexington

Avenue at 92nd St 8 p.m.-9 p.m. From $17 A dance known as the ‘Modern Jive’ that originated in France is now in NYC. It is a smooth and stylish dance that is easy to learn and very social. You can take it anywhere and dance it to the latest music, so come along and impress your friends! www.92y.org

Sun 26 DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: A TOUR FOR GUIDE DOGS AND THEIR HUMANS Museum Plaza, 1000 Fifth Avenue 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Free with museum admission, though reservations are required Visually impaired humans are invited with their guide dogs to discover dogs at work and play in paintings and sculptures. This even is part of a monthlong celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 212-650-2010, www. metmuseum.org

▼ FILM SCREENING – “DO YOU DREAM IN COLOR?” (2014) Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall, Uris Center for Education, 1000 Fifth Ave. 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Free with museum admission

Everyone depends on electricity. So if you ever need to report a loss of power, now you can text OUT to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts. Also, check our outage map to get estimated restoration times at conEd.com/OutageMap.

JULY 23-29,2015

Get inspired by watching extraordinary stories that shine a light on the obstacles faced by people who are blind and what it takes for them to overcome those barriers and achieve their goals. www.metmuseum.org

Mon 27 QUIET STUDY ROOM 67th Street Library, 32 East 67th St. 10 a.m. Free For adults, senior citizens, book lovers and even businesspeople, if you are interested in having a completely quiet space with no talking, no cellphones and no noise at all to focus on some work, then the quiet study room is the place to be. 212-734-1717, www.nypl.org

infamous supernatural and exciting thriller ďŹ lm Birth by Jonathon Glazer that will have you on the edge of your seats! www.ďŹ af.org

READING ALOUD Webster Library, 1465 York Ave. 4 p.m. Free In order to ensure your children know the importance of reading, bring them to this event, where a librarian will share books and stories with them. 212-288-5049, www.nypl. org

Wed 29 ON AND OFF SCREEN: THE CINEMATIC SURROUND OF PHILIPPE PARRENO Wade Thompson Drill Hall at

Theater and jazz fans, here’s a night for you! Join one of the city’s greatest summer traditions and watch the most groundbreaking jazz masterpieces. www.92y.org

Thu 30 SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE MEETING Lenox Hill Hospital, 130 East 77th St 6:30 p.m. Free In this meeting, council members from Community Board 8 will discuss the Intro 799-2015 bill, which would potentially exempt commercial tenants from paying less than $500,000 per year in rent from the commercial rent tax. 212-758-4340, www.cb8m. com

THE END OF THE TOUR: A CONVERSATION WITH JASON SEGEL â–ş Kaufmann Concert Hall, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 8:00 p.m. From $32 Hear from actor Jason Segel portrayed one of the deďŹ ning writers of the generation in the ďŹ lm The End of the Tour, based on Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky’s bestseller Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself. www.92y.org

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Going to the Airport?

1-212-666-6666 ;V 1-2 ;V 5L^HYR ;V 3H.\HYKPH Tolls & gratuities not included. Prices subject to change without notice.

One Coupon per Trip. Expires12/31/13 12/31/15

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One Coupon per Trip. Expires12/31/13 12/31/15

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“We’ll Be There For You!�

Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave. 6:30 p.m. Free for members, $15 for non-members French artist Philippe Parreno is joined by Whitney curator Chrissie Iles to discuss how he uses ďŹ lm, cinematic references, fantasy and experiences in his practice, as seen in his exhibition. 212-933-5812, www. armorypark.org

JAZZ & SONDHEIM, SIDE BY SIDE â–ź

â–ź RHYTHM AND SOUND Yorkville Library, 222 East 79th St. 2 p.m. Free For children ages 4 or older, this is an interactive workshop where a percussionist will bring audience members to the stage to play percussive instruments from around the world. 212-744-5824, www.nypl. org

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Kaufmann Concert Hall, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St 8 p.m. From $52

Tue 28 â–˛ BIRTH FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St. 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Free for members, $13 for non-members Watch the screening of the

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JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

GOING OFF SCRIPT, ON PURPOSE Seven strangers walk into an Upper West Side apartment ... BY ZEENA SAIFI

For two hours, I was Shaktideva, one of the most promising entrepreneurs in the Terrestrial Coil. I had one mission: to convince six strangers that humanity’s future was within my field, reality engineering. If I could do that, I would obtain the Thousand Worlds Archive. I was reserved, private and a bit cold. The first person to speak at the funeral was in tears, but I was more than furious. Although I had no script and plenty of trepidation, I was determined to play my part.

I had acted in high school plays, but this — LARPing — was something entirely out of the ordinary. LARPing — Live Action Role Play — is both an innovative art form as well as an interactive theatrical and gaming experience. LARPs generally feature a story with pre-written characters, each with their own disposition, incentives and goals but without a script. Participants interact with each other through improvisation, with the freedom to choose their own actions and dialogue. Warren Tusk, 30, grew up in Westchester County and has been involved in gaming and theater ever since he was a child. But it wasn’t until he attended Harvard that he had the

From far left and following the LARP circle: The Eudaimonic Integrated Collective, aka Josh Kronengold; The Quicksilver Buddha; Ianthe Scarlet-Moon-Rising, looking like Sarah Judd; SERPENTINE, who resembles John Isabella; Shaktideva; Edward Strephon Davenport, looking a lot like James Mendez Hodes; and Annas of Malacor, aka Alden Strock, wearing black. Photo: Liz Susman Karp

The Quicksilver Buddha, aka Aili Klein, left, and Shaktideva, aka Zeena Saifi. Photo: Liz Susman Karp chance to fuse the two when he joined the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association. “I didn’t learn about LARPing until I joined this club in college,” he said. “But it certainly pushed a lot of buttons that I was familiar with, so it didn’t take me long to fall in love pretty hard and fast.” Ever since then, he’s enjoyed being an author and designer of theatrical experience games, but only on the side. He has a full-time job with the Treasury Department, but would prefer to LARP for a living. “I think it is a median that needs people to popularize and work on full time,” he said. “But that doesn’t seem to be viable right now.” In 2006, Tusk put together one of his best-known works to date, “The Dance and the Dawn.” It is a gothic fairy tale that features dancing and the quest for love and draws on sources from philosophy-of-gender thinkers to Japanese anime. It premiered at Harvard and has since been played dozens of times at LARP conventions in Ireland, New Zealand and China. On July 10th, Tusk hosted another one of his games, “Inheritance,” a tale of strange technologies, property rights and trans-human dreams, at his West 101 Street home. As I walked up the steps of the house, I thought of Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage.” The apartment’s décor mixed modern and classic under a very high ceiling. Although a home for Tusk and his wife, Liz Karp, for an evening it became a stage for seven participants, including me. I had read all the materials and logistics of the game before getting

there, including the suggestion that we dress in character if we wanted to get creative. I chose not to, but all my LARPing colleagues did. I was a bit intimidated, not just because everyone was in character while I was in ripped jeans and sneakers, but mostly since everyone was much older than I, and seemed like they had all done this before. I kept telling myself that it would be alright, that the experience would be singular. But I was stressing. We were given some time to reread any final points about our characters and their relationship with the others before we began. I felt a bit more at ease. I looked at my character as a real person, and tried to understand her and put myself in her position. Matters would just fall into place thereafter. “Ladies and gentleman ... take a deep breath, close your eyes, and the next time you open them, you are no longer you, you are now your character,” Tusk said, while roaming the perimeter with his big black cane. “Let the games begin.” I’m certainly not the first person to have found LARPing a bit strange initially, since, according to Tusk, LARPing is stigmatized as nerdy and weird. “As things stand socially speaking, it has a lot of strikes against it that I find personally painful,” he said. Most shut down and decline to participate because they feel self-conscious and shy about acting in front of people they don’t know. But people who initially think they wouldn’t enjoy it end up having a lot of fun, he said. “It’s not a weird or inaccessible pastime that only particularly unusual people can appreciate,” he said. “The market of people who could enjoy LARPing is the same as the market of

people who would enjoy watching a play or reading a book.” Take Sarah Judd, 27, for example, a fellow participant of Inheritance who heard about LARPing from her friends. The first LARP she ever participated in was in college, and she played the role of someone’s best friend. Once it was over, she shook the person’s hand and began talking to him as herself and automatically felt comfortable. She felt there was no awkwardness with this person, even though he was a stranger, because she had been pretending to be his best friend for two hours. Since then, she thought LARPing was a great way to learn about other people. “It’s a lot of fun to get into someone else’s head and play in that head for a while,” she said. “You get the fun out of theater without having to worry about cut-throat auditions; you just get to be someone.” Before I knew it, I was no longer Shaktideva anymore. The two hours flew by, and I was taken aback with how involved I had become. All of the participants were friendly and welcoming, so much so that my stress had evaporated. And I won! Well, technically, we all did. All seven of us were able to agree on cooperating and sharing the Thousand Worlds Archive. My first LARP, which I had approached with apprehensiveness, had been a success. Tusk wants to find ways to, well, replicate my experience and to popularize the medium. “To put it in a pretentious way, I am an artist. I will keep doing what I do, regardless of if it makes money or not,” he said. “I’m just trying to bring this to a wider audience.”

JULY 23-29,2015

TOP5

13

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

AC T I V I T I E S F O R T H E F E R T I L E M I N D

thoughtgallery.org

FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

N E W YO R K C I T Y

The End of the Tour: A Conversation with Jason Segel

MONDAY, JULY 27TH, 8PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org

MUSEUMS

Hear about the challenges of portraying David Foster Wallace from Jason Segel, who plays the late writer in a dramatization of a five-day interview. ($32)

THE GENIUS OF GEOFFREY HOLDER

The Cost of Courage

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts celebrates the work of choreographer, actor, dancer and artist Geoffrey Holder with a multi-media exhibition dedicated to his multi-disciplinary career. Born in Trinidad, Holder acted as director and costume designer for the 1975 Broadway production of “The Wiz.”

Bryant Park Reading Room | 42nd St. & Fifth Ave. | 212-768-4242 | bryantpark.org

The Genius of Geoffrey Holder July 23-Aug. 29 New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, at W. 64th Street and Columbus Avenue Library Hours: Monday and Thursday, noon- 8 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Closed Sunday FREE For more information, visit www.nypl.org/locations/lpa or call 917-275-6975

MUSIC

FAMILY

PIANO ICONS: FROM JELLY ROLL TO OSCAR

“PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE”

Pianists Bill Charlap, Marcus Roberts and Jeb Patton perform compositions by Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton and other jazz greats as part of 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July Series. Patton, Charlap and Roberts, a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Quartet, get some help from bass player Todd Coolman and drummer Willie Jones III. Piano Icons: From Jelly Roll to Oscar Thursday, July 23 92nd Street Y Kaufman Concert Hall Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 8 p.m. Tickets $52-$85 To purchase tickets, visit 92y.org or call 212415-5500

Pee-Wee Herman’s wacky antics hit the big screen in the 1985 film “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” from director Tim Burton. When the titular character discovers that his iconic bike has gone missing, he sets out on a search. Guests are treated to free popcorn at this outdoor evening show at Hudson River Park. “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” Friday, July 24 Hudson River Park, Pier 46 West Street between Charles and Perry Streets 8:30 p.m. FREE For more information, visit hudsonriverpark.org or call 212-627-2020

FILM ANIMATION BLOCK PARTY

LUNCHTIME HANDBELL CONCERT The Bishop’s Bluecoat Anglican High School Handbell Choir makes its way from Chester in the United Kingdom to St. Bartholomew’s Church on the Upper East Side for a free afternoon concert. These 12 student ringers play a 4-octave set of bells in a performance that includes classical works as well compositions from “Phantom of the Opera” and the film “Titanic.” Lunchtime Handbell Concert Wednesday, July 29 St. Bartholomew’s Church 325 Park Ave., at 51st Street 12:30 p.m. FREE For more information, call 212-378-0222 or visit http://stbarts.org/music/summer-festivalof-sacred-music/

This annual animation festival presents ten animated shorts from both professional and student filmmakers at Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza. No film exceeds 14 minutes in length, with California filmmaker Matt Marblo’s “Little Doorman” running just 2 minutes long. The international roster features filmmakers from France, Spain, Italy, Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Animation Block Party Thursday, July 30 Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place 230 Vesey St., between West Street and the Hudson River 7:30 p.m. FREE For more information, visit rooftopfilms.com To be included in the Top 5 go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29TH, 7PM

Award-winning author Charles Kaiser tells a story of betrayal and resilience through a bourgeois Catholic family in the French Resistance in WWII. (Free)

Binge-Worthy Journalism with the Creators of Serial

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 8PM BAM | 30 Lafayette Ave. | 718-636-4100 | bam.org Hear from the two creators of Serial, the podcast investigation into a 1999 murder that’s been downloaded over 78 million times and opened up a new front of longform journalism. ($32)

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

sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.

14

JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JUL 2 - 10, 2015

Soom Soom

1603 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (37) old food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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. 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. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Arturo’s Pizza

1610 York Ave

Not Yet Graded (36) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Tasti D-Lite

1276 Lexington Avenue

A

Wild Horse Tavern

1629 2Nd Ave

A

Lexington Candy Shop

1226 Lexington Avenue

A

Cascabel Taqueria

1556 2Nd Ave

A

City Swiggers

320 East 86 Street

A

Fika

1331 Lexington Ave

Not Yet Graded

Pascalou

1308 Madison 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.

Sarabeth’s Kitchen

1295 Madison Avenue A

Au Jus

1762 1St Ave

Grade Pending (24) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

New Fresh Wok

1777 1St Ave

Grade Pending (23) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Pio Pio Express

1746 1 Avenue

A

Go Cups

1838 2Nd Ave

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

East Garden

1685 1St Ave

A

Manny’s On Second

1770 2 Avenue

A

Ray’s Pizza

1827 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (18) 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.

Hoagie’s Heros

1650 3Rd Ave

A

Noodle Fun

1744 1St Ave

A

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. Tanoshi Tei

1374 York Ave

Grade Pending (38) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

Cafe Mingala

1393B 2Nd Ave

A

Per Lei

1347 2 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 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/ sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.

Zucchero E Pomodori

1435 2 Avenue

A

Arlington Club

1032 Lexington Avenue

A

A La Turka

1417 2 Avenue

A

Cafe Evergreen

1367 1 Avenue

A

Matsu Ii Sushi

411 East 70 Street

A

Candle Cafe

1307 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (18) 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.

Numero 28

1431 1 Avenue

A

Crusty & Tasty Bagel

1323 2Nd Ave

A

Bagels & Co

500 E 76Th St

Not Yet Graded (34) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Equinox 74Th Street Juice Bar

1429 2Nd Ave

A

Papaya King

179 East 86 Street

A

Metropolitan Museum Roof 1000 5 Avenue Top Garden Cafe

A

Chicken Festival

Grade Pending (17) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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.

1584 1 Avenue

Le Bistro D’a Cote

1590 1 Avenue

A

Tisane Pharmacy

340 East 86 Street

A

Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf

1469 3 Avenue

A

El Aguila

1215 Lexington Avenue

A

JULY 23-29,2015

15

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PROTESTING A WEST SIDE PET SHOP Group targets a Columbus Ave. shop for selling animals BY MICKEY KRAMER

The signage out front of Manhattan Puppies and Kittens on Columbus Avenue and 87th Streets reads “Pet Boutique and Grooming.” Even inside the store, it’s not obvious they also sell puppies and kittens, which are kept out of sight. Some locals are not pleased. Seven people spent a recent Saturday handing out flyers about pet adoption and puppy mills, while politely asking neighborhood residents to boycott Manhattan Puppies and Kittens until they stop selling animals. Jannette Patterson, a real estate agent who lives a few blocks away, said, “It’s simple, there are too many animals and not enough good homes. We want to educate people about the thousands of lovely

puppies, dogs, cats, and kittens, waiting for homes in shelters” Manhattan Puppies, in business since March, offers the usual collection of dog beds, leashes and collars, and a grooming price list. But off to one side, there are three large cubicles where interested parties can sit with and meet puppies. While the storefront doesn’t seem to promote its sale of puppies and kittens, it’s a strong focus of the website. The home page description begins as follows: “Manhattan Puppies specializes in the sale of healthy puppies and kittens from certified breeders, with whom we have enjoyed long-standing relationships.” Store manager Meghan refused to give her last name and politely stated that she is not allowed to speak with reporters. Numerous emails to the store went unanswered.

Steve Lunny, 40, has an adopted dog, and was surprised to hear from the protestors that the store sells animals. “I thought they just sold supplies and offered grooming. Knowing that [they sell puppies and kittens], I will not purchase anything from them.” Mary Atwater pushed her recently adopted senior pug in a stroller and lives around the corner from Manhattan Puppies. “I completely agree with the demonstrators out front. They don’t have to sell puppies and kittens to be successful.” Atwater, 25, adds that the store can work with rescues and adoptable animals instead. Patterson plans to have a presence in front of Manhattan Puppies and Kittens every weekend. “As long as we have at least two people, we can and will keep the pressure up.”

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

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JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Business

< FORMER CONGRESSMAN SENTENCED TO PRISON Michael Grimm, a former New York congressman and FBI agent who once investigated white-collar crime, was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion by a judge who said his “moral compass” needed adjustment. Grimm, 45, pleaded guilty late last

year to aiding in filing a false tax return -- a charge that stemmed from an investigation into the Staten Island Republican’s campaign financing. U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said the crime included exploiting immigrant laborers, including some

who were paid as little as $4.60 an hour. “He knew what he was doing was illegal, wrong and criminally punishable,” she said. Grimm, “of all people, knew better.” “Your moral compass, Mr. Grimm, needs some reorientation,” the judge told him. “I want to apologize to the court for

even being here,” said Grimm, adding that he had cheated on taxes to keep a business afloat. “I didn’t want to fail and I made bad decisions that I’ll regret for the rest of my life,” he said, prompting the judge to criticize his “belated remorse.” Prosecutors had sought at least two years behind bars.

In Brief BUDGET INCLUDES MONEY TO INCREASE SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT STAFF Progressive council members recently applauded the allocation of nearly double the amount of funding to target illegal conversions of residential units to hotel rooms, known as illegal hotels, in the city’s FY2016 budget. Working with Mayor Bill de Blasio, the City Council allocated an additional $1.2 million to fund 17 additional staff members to the Office of Special Enforcement (OSE), the agency that responds to 311 complaints of illegal hotel activity with inspectors from the Department of Buildings, Fire Department, and the Finance Department, according to a press release from council member Helen Rosenthal, chair of the council’s contracts committee. Her office said OSE will have a total budget of $2.8 million and 28 staff members in FY16. In addition to increasing the number of inspectors, the funding supports a database administrator, who can target the most egregious offenders of the law, and four staff attorneys and a paralegal, who can pursue more legal actions against the worst offenders. “New York City is in a housing crisis exacerbated by home-sharing websites like Airbnb that account for more than 16,000 illegal rentals in the five boroughs,” said council member Jumaane Williams, chair of the housing and buildings committee. “This is a fundamental problem not just in New York City but across the country that has skyrocketed in recent years. By beefing up the OSE, we will ultimately ensure the Mayor’s Housing Plan does not fall short of its 200,000 unit goal and that New York City remains affordable for all.”

THE SHUTTERING OF FAO SCHWARZ

TRUMP DRAWS COUNCIL MEMBER’S IRE Upper West Side council member Mark Levine came out swinging against presidential hopeful Donald Trump after the controversial businessman and reality T.V. personality made negative comments about immigrants during a campaign speech. “Donald Trump isn’t just a hate-monger and presidential candidate; he is also the owner of no fewer than four concessions in New York City parks -including both ice rinks in Central Park and a high-end golf course in the Bronx,” said Levine in a statement. “As chair of the City Council Parks Committee, I’ve called for each one of these contracts to be cancelled immediately.” In his speech, Trump called for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep out “rapists” and criminals. Levine’s office said Trump’s racist remarks about Mexicans and immigrants were outrageous even by his already low standards, “and he ignores the facts: evidence shows that there’s no correlation between immigrants and violent crime.” “Our parks are for everyone,” concluded Levine. “Trump’s continued ownership of parks concessions runs directly contrary to that spirit.”

RETAIL Iconic toy store has had an outlet in Manhattan since 1870 BY LEJLA SARCEVIC

Tom Hanks danced on a large floor piano there in the movie “Big.” Multitudes of children wandered through the aisles over the years, hopped up on sugar from the candy store and wide-eyed with delight at the giant stuffed animals and other toys. And a fair number of parents winced at some of the price tags. FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue, probably the best-known toy store in the world, closed Wednesday night, July 15.

Owner Toys R Us announced the decision in May, citing the high and rising costs of running the 45,000-square-foot retail space on the pricey avenue. Though the flagship store is closing its doors for good, it may reopen elsewhere in midtown Manhattan. “It’s the end of an era, it sucks. It’s a great store so it should probably remain in its original home,” said Flo Marinez, who, as a teenager, once had a sleepover inside the store. FAO Schwarz says it is the oldest toy store in the U.S., with a New York City location since 1870. Reported celeb sightings -- Kim Kardashian and Kanye West before they were parents; Moms Angelina

Jolie, Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham --- have helped fuel the fantasy since the flagship store opened in 1986. Nick Jonas stopped by and hopped around The Big Piano in December while singing “Jealous.” But generations of ordinary families have also reveled in three levels of toys and candy. Scott Wolfson from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, remembers coming to FAO Schwarz as a kid and today brought his own son to see the iconic store. “To see it through his eyes, from his perspective, it brought a whole new meaning to me,” Wolfson said. The Manhattan landmark included a candy store, personal shoppers and three levels of

specialty toy departments. “The baby department at FAO Schwarz is the ultimate destination when luxury shopping for little ones,” the store’s online fact sheet advised. When those babies reached “tweenhood,” they’d need specialty skin care products: “It’s never too early to start protecting one’s natural beauty!” Michael Vartanian, who’s shopped at the store for years, said other stores can’t replicate the FAO Schwarz experience. “It doesn’t have the same feel, and the same as the name FAO Schwarz. It’s a name, it’s an icon,” he said

JULY 23-29,2015

17

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Tired of Hunting for Our Town? Subscribe today to Eastsider A makeshift memorial for Bubacarr Camara, the 26-year-old shopkeeper killed last month during a robbery attempt at the Amsterdam Avenue store. Three men could face the death penalty for Camara’s killing. Photo: Richard Khavkine

FEDS COULD SEEK DEATH PENALTY IN UWS MURDER Although capital punishment is unconstitutional in New York State, federal charges were applied

BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

The three men accused of killing an Upper West Side shopkeeper last month could face the death penalty if convicted of murder charges. Although capital punishment was declared unconstitutional in New York State more than a decade ago, the three could still be put to death since they will be prosecuted under federal statutes. During a conference hearing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on July 15, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Lenow said officials in the Southern District of New York would confer internally as well as with Department of Justice officials in Washington, D.C., on whether to pursue the death penalty for Stephen Adams, 27; his brother Michael Adams, 29; and Zubearu Bettis, 45. Following a federal grand jury indictment, all three were arrested July 9 and charged with murder for the shooting death of Bubacarr Camara, who was killed in his father’s Amsterdam Avenue store during a robbery attempt on June 18.

They have pleaded not guilty. Camara, 26, a recent arrival from Gambia, was killed during what a police source called a “botched robbery” of BNC General Merchandise, on a mostly residential stretch of Amsterdam Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets. Stephen Adams, Michael Adams and Bettis were charged under the Hobbs Act, a federal statute directed at racketeering and organized crime activities. The statute has been successfully used by federal prosecutors against armed robbers targeting businesses. Federal capital prosecutions, though, are extremely rare in New York. Only one person convicted in the state is on federal death row, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center. Ronell Wilson, 33, was convicted in 2006 of capital murder for killing two undercover police officers on Staten Island in 2003. He was sentenced to death in 2007 and, following a reversal by an appeals court, was resentenced to death in 2013. His was the first federal death sentence handed down in the state since 1954, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. According to police and the

state Department of Corrections, Steven Adams, Michael Adams and Bettis had all served time for prior criminal convictions. Police said Stephen Adams has seven prior arrests, including for felony assault. He was being sought on strangulation charges for an early June incident; Michael Adams was on parole through May 2017 following a conviction on attempted robbery charges; and Bettis, also known as Michael Bettis, had served time on grand larceny, weapons charges and other crimes. At the conference hearing, Lenow, the U.S. attorney, told Judge Lewis Kaplan that the government expected a quick trial if the death penalty was not invoked. He said prosecutors had executed search warrants on the defendants’ cellphone history, the contents of the phones and their homes. He declined to say whether there were witnesses to the shooting. “It is a relatively straightforward case,” he said. He said his office would send a recommendation to “main justice” in Washington, D.C., “sometime in August” on whether or not to pursue a capital case. Kaplan set October 7 for the next hearing in the case.

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JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Real Estate Sales Neighborhd

Address

Price

Bed Bath Agent

Beekman

424 East 52 Street

$1,050,000

Beekman

870 United Nations Plaza

$1,562,500

Carnegie Hill

111 East 88 Street

$1,575,000

Carnegie Hill

160 East 91 Street

$425,000

Carnegie Hill

115 East 87 Street

$3,850,000

Carnegie Hill

14 East 90 Street

$5,395,000

Lenox Hill

333 East 66 Street

$1,400,000

Lenox Hill

220 East 67 Street

$2,195,000

Lenox Hill

301 East 63 Street

$189,000

Lenox Hill

300 East 64 Street

$980,000

STUDIOS

371,000

Lenox Hill

200 East 66Th Street

$2,067,047

1 BED

675,000

Lenox Hill

130 East 64 Street

$6,750,000

2 BEDS

1,418,888

Lenox Hill

150 East 69 Street

$2,700,000

3 BEDS

2,925,000

Lenox Hill

425 East 63 Street

$925,000

Lenox Hill

750 Park Avenue

$1,050,000

Lenox Hill

300 East 64 Street

$1,175,000

Lenox Hill

2 East 61St Street

$22,900,000

Number of contracts signed so far in the second quarter 2

2

Halstead Property

1

1

Halstead Property

2

2

Douglas Elliman

1

1

$379,000

Lenox Hill

300 East 71 Street

$730,000

1

1

Halstead Property

Lenox Hill

220 East 65 Street

$605,000

0

1

Peter*Ashe

Lenox Hill

330 East 65 Street

$400,000 $1,256,908

Midtown

117 East 57 Street

$3,750,000

Midtown

111 East 56 Street

$650,000

Midtown

117 East 57 Street

$740,000

Midtown East

325 Lexington Avenue

$1,303,360

Midtown East

325 Lexington Avenue

$2,357,248

Midtown East

325 Lexington Avenue

$2,494,712

Midtown East

225 East 57 Street

$743,000

Midtown East

220 East 57 Street

$491,000

Midtown South

11 East 36 Street

$5,500,000

Midtown South

220 Madison Avenue

$1,599,000

Midtown South

425 5 Avenue

$2,450,000

Midtown South

445 5 Avenue

$240,000

Murray Hill

210 East 36 Street

$580,000

Murray Hill

115 East 36 Street

$1,440,000

Murray Hill

160 East 38 Street

$599,000

Murray Hill

333 East 41 Street

$439,000

Murray Hill

5 Tudor City Place

$520,000

Murray Hill

288 Lexington Avenue

$400,000

Murray Hill

330 East 38 Street

$895,000

Murray Hill

320 East 42 Street

$305,000

Murray Hill

234 East 35 Street

$275,000

Sutton Place

400 East 56 Street

$801,000

Sutton Place

419 East 57 Street

$846,909

Sutton Place

400 East 59 Street

$1,200,000

Sutton Place

2 Sutton Place South

$647,960

Sutton Place

447 East 57 Street

$1,150,000

$600x - $1M

$1M-$2M

$2M-$5M

$5M-$10M

$10M+

STUDIOS

63

10

1

1

-

1

1 BED

57

107

40

6

-

-

2 BEDS

5

41

99

46

4

-

3+ BEDS

-

-

20

79

45

11

TOWNHOUSE

-

-

-

1

2

1

0

1

1

2

1

1

1

2

Source: UrbanDigs LLC

Halstead Property

233 East 70 Street

570 Park Avenue

$0 - $600k

Median Sales Price

Lenox Hill

Lenox Hill

Eastside Sales Snapshot

Douglas Elliman

Halstead Property

Douglas Elliman

Brown Harris Stevens

Sutton Place

345 East 56 Street

$1,030,000

Sutton Place

303 East 57 Street

$415,000

Sutton Place

415 East 54 Street

$2,750,000

Sutton Place

303 East 57 Street

$560,000

Sutton Place

303 East 57 Street

$740,000

Turtle Bay

305 East 51 Street

$2,459,073

Turtle Bay

305 East 51 Street

$1,807,393

Turtle Bay

333 East 43 Street

$1,175,000

Turtle Bay

155 East 49 Street

$495,000

Turtle Bay

310 East 53 Street

$7,650,000

Turtle Bay

310 East 49 Street

$355,000

3

3

Halstead Property

0

1

New York Residence

Turtle Bay

145 East 48 Street

$650,000

Turtle Bay

240 East 46 Street

$775,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Turtle Bay

255 East 49 Street

$880,000

1

1

Douglas Elliman

Turtle Bay

305 East 51 Street

$2,494,712

2

1

Halstead Property

4

4

Sotheby's International Realty

2

1

Douglas Elliman

3

2

Corcoran

Turtle Bay

255 East 49 Street

$1,625,000

Turtle Bay

865 United Nations Plaza

$999,000

Turtle Bay

211 East 51 Street

$1,190,000

Turtle Bay

212 East 48 Street

$940,000

Turtle Bay

349 East 49 Street

$100,000

Upper East Side

1021 Park Avenue

$6,800,000

Upper East Side

930 5 Avenue

$2,450,000

Upper East Side

45 East 85 Street

$600,000

Upper East Side

345 East 73 Street

$1,116,535

Upper East Side

136 East 76 Street

$1,375,000

Upper East Side

900 Park Avenue

$5,775,000

Upper East Side

516 East 78 Street

$460,000

Upper East Side

120 East 83 Street

$280,000

Upper East Side

1080 Madison Avenue

$870,000

Upper East Side

315 East 72 Street

$1,825,000

Upper East Side

175 East 79 Street

$750,000

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.

JULY 23-29,2015

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

19

FIGHT OVER MUSEUM EXPANSION TAKES SHAPE NEWS Neighbors organize to save a favorite park BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

On a recent weekday afternoon, summer campers in matching blue T-shirts ran around a pocket of parkland in Theodore Roosevelt Park, which surrounds the American Museum of Natural History. Young parents pushed strollers while children cruised along the pathways on scooters as the late afternoon sun cast shadows through the tall trees. For some residents, this familiar scene in a tranquil slice of the park at W. 79th Street and Columbus Avenue is in peril. The 146-year-old museum eyes this section of the park as the site for a new education and research building, while neighborhood residents fear the destruction of a favorite respite. “This is not just a loss of parkland,” said Sig Gissler, who lives on W. 79th Street. “It’s more than that, because this is such a sweet gathering spot.” Gissler and other members of the community are contesting the plan. Along with his wife Mary, Gissler started galvanizing the neighborhood in an effort to fight the museum’s encroachment into the park. The museum officially announced its plans last December, but many residents are just learning about the threat to their community enclave, Gissler said. He launched a website for the movement,

saveteddyrooseveltpark.org, and a fellow resident started an online petition, now with nearly 850 signatures. “We consider it as a backyard,” said resident Nadine Gill during one of her frequent strolls through the park with her long-haired Chihuahua, Ginger. “It’s just a big, big loss to everybody who comes here.” The opposition effort is still nascent, Gissler said, as some residents only learned about the implications of the addition earlier this month when the museum held a meeting with residents of W. 79th Street days before the July Fourth weekend, timing that some found problematic. Those fighting the location of the addition question the need for another building on the campus, suggesting that the institution repurpose space in its existing labyrinth of buildings, and construct satellite education facilities in other boroughs. “If their job is to reach out to the public schools, have they really found out the best way to do that?” said Musa Klebnikov, who lives on W. 79th Street. Her three children learned to ride bicycles in the park. Museum officials maintain that they remain sensitive to the new building’s position within the park space. “We’re aware of the questions and concerns being raised by the petition, and will continue to involve and consult with the local community as we have been doing through a series of meetings and briefings that have taken place,” Roberto Lebron, senior director of communications at the mu-

Mary Gissler, left, chats with Georgia Steele (and dog Midas) in front of the park. Photo by Sig Gissler

Dave and Marjorie Greenberg solicit signatures protesting the museum’s plans at a West Side farmer’s market. Photo by Sig Gissler seum, said in a statement. The new Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation will focus on education and research. The museum hasn’t yet released publicly an architectural plan for the $325 million, 218,000-square-foot building, but it has selected architect Jeanne Gang for the project, and notes that her firm “is well-known for integrating architecture and nature,” Lebron said. The project has also received early support from council member Helen Rosenthal. “I’m delighted to report that my strong support for the American Museum of Natural History’s new science education center resulted in substantial funding for construction: $16 million from the City Council,” Rosenthal said in a statement. While in support of the initiative, she expects that the museum will “have an open dialogue with the community regarding the use of park space and construction safety.” As a landmark located within a public park, the project requires approval from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Department

of Parks and Recreation. Typically, in order to claim public parkland for such use, the museum would need state approval. But some members of the community note that the museum has offered documentation from 1876 that allows for ongoing development by the museum on this slice of land. “They’re claiming they already have permission,” said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates. “Which obviously we will be challenging in court if need be. So they seem to think that whatever actions transpired from the legislation in that year was an inperpetuity placeholder.” Dave and Marjorie Greenberg have lived on W. 79th Street for 32 years. When they learned about the museum’s expansion into the park, they started informing their neighbors and friends about the project, many of whom didn’t know what was at stake. The couple canvasses at the park’s weekend greenmarket, raising awareness and growing support for the opposition movement. “Virtually every friend we have in the neighborhood we met in the park,”

said Dave Greenberg. “It’s really a community.” Now retired, the pair had an enduring pre-work ritual: they carried travel mugs of coffee with them to the park in the early mornings, even during winter, when they bundled up and brushed snow from the benches where they sat. After work, a stroll through the park was a welcome de-stressor. Gregory St. John, president of the coop board at Clifton House on W. 79th Street, where the Greenberg’s live, worries that the loss of green space and the potential spike in traffic along Columbus Avenue could jeopardize property value on the block, which at present ends with the park. “If the museum has its way, it’s going to end in a building,” said St. John, who often reads on the park’s benches. Though Central Park is just an avenue away, St. John doesn’t find the sprawling lawns an attractive alternative for the town square atmosphere at W. 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. “This is for the neighborhood,” he said of Theodore Roosevelt Park. Central Park “is for the whole city.”

20

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JULY 23-29,2015

If you like Our Town, you’re gonna love getting a personal copy of The Eastsider! Everything you like about Our Town is now available delivered to your mailbox every week in The Eastsider From the very local news of your neighborhood to information about upcoming events and activities, the new home delivered edition of The Eastsider will keep you in-the-know. And best of all you won’t have to remember to grab a copy from the box or the mailroom every week.

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JULY 23-29,2015

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

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

PASSIONATE TO PLAY THE PART Acting since he was 5, New Yorker David Arthur Bachrach has carved a niche on city stages and elsewhere BY VALERIE KAUFMAN

Ever since he played Hansel in a firstgrade production of Hansel and Gretel, David Arthur Bachrach, 62, has thrilled to the sound of applause. Born and raised in Maine — and “hooked” on acting at age five — he worked as a radio disc jockey during his teen years. His passion for the stage — which, in his words, “did not start but which started me” — accompanied him from Maine to North Carolina and then, finally, to New York City. He temped at a Wall Street brokerage house where everyone crowed about the money to be made. His heart wasn’t in it; he was after what he calls the “highest high” — acting. New York has long been thought of as the concrete jungle where dreams are made. Young people hope they can make it here; longtime residents pride themselves on never having stopped trying. Bachrach, 62, has now been an actor most of his life. Despite the hardships and uncertainties, he said, it’s been worth it. “You only need a will-

ingness to sacrifice,” Bachrach said. Take his living quarters, which he describes as “a Hell’s Kitchen twobedroom, only one room’s outside.” The room outside is a garden where potted plants lend a spare beauty to the tiny urban patio. A small bench seats one comfortably, and a café table, rescued from a refuse pile, holds a cold drink on a summer’s day. This is Bachrach’s refuge from city life. The “inside” room features a long, thin bookcase stacked with mostly plays. The room also holds a few props, which he sometimes uses during auditions. A shelf holds a skull for Hamlet to ponder. Pegs on a wall hold an assortment of hats, which fit an assortment of characters. Bachrach is tall and lanky, with an animated face, which he might angle to emphasize a point he’s making. But beneath an intense gaze, there’s also playfulness. Bikram yoga several times a week — in 125 degree heat at a Manhattan studio — keeps him limber and energized. To pay the rent, Bachrach has what he calls his “most honorable part-time job” at an entertainment law firm, which is flexible if Bachrach needs

David Arthur Bachrach as Bill Malkey with Bill Vaughn in The Christman Bride. Photo: Michael Eric Berube

time off for an out-of-town acting job. “I ran around like a lunatic for so many years, from one ‘survival’ job to another,” said Bachrach, who studied at the New Actors Workshop and the Esper Studio in the city. “There is no career path in show biz.” He’s worked as a radio announcer, a church musician and an opera singer. He’s led a jazz quartet and performed as part of a jazz cabaret in Europe. “One thing that leavens an actor is life experience,” he said. “Everything interests me.” Being on stage, Bachrach said, is “a kind of heightened reality. Acting teaches you something important that not many of us do. It forces you to be aware, emotionally committed, and present in the moment.” Some 30,000 actors live in New York City, according to the website Hollywood Sapien. Bachrach’s acting friends include a registered nurse, a paralegal, an Army reservist, a yoga teacher and a personal assistant. When not working, David goes to auditions, dubbed “cattle calls” for the sheer number of applicants. There, blink-of-an-eye decisions are made by casting directors. Is he right for the part? Will he be called back? His most recent acting job was as the lead, Sir Evelyn Estebrooke, in The Singapore Mikado at Brooklyn’s Theater 2020. He’s worked several productions by Gemini CollisionWorks, for which he is currently rehearsing Nord Hausen Fly Robot. The fluid, experimental work is being workshopped on Governors Island this month, with a full production slated for later this year at The Brick in Williamsburg. He recently played the King of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland at the Unchained Festival in Long Island City. He has also acted with American Shakespeare Repertory, The Seeing Place Theater, and the Snowlion Repertory Company. While Bachrach is proud of having played some great title roles — Cymbeline, Prometheus, Socrates — and estimates that he’s acted before tens of thousands of people, one aspect of his acting career stands out: roles have been written into plays and musicals expressly with him in mind.

“The Elephant Piece” Interlude Anticipation with Bartley Mullin. Photo: Michael Eric Berube Regardless, he’s always looking to improve his métier. “You ask yourself what words or lines you could have done better,” he said. Where were the hits? Where were the misses? Although he likes acting most of all, Bachrach has time to pursue his other interests, which he believes inform his acting. A nearby dance studio offers inexpensive, unlimited ballroom dancing lessons. When not working, he rollerblades, tends his garden, makes his own beer. Evenings, he goes to see friends act. A night owl, Bachrach reads scripts and learns lines into the early morning. He likes having a “real” address, one where he actually lives, unlike actors who constantly travel to jobs around the country. But while Bachrach believes he has more fun than many actors, he feels a certain amount of regret too — for not mailing more resumes to casting directors, updating his website more often and attending more auditions. “Being an actor is a lot like being in sales — there’s always one more call that could be made, one more audition,” he said.

Health insurance, a high income and the social life money can buy — especially in pricey Manhattan — were among the harder sacrifices Bachrach felt he had to make. Among the “easier” ones were choosing to not have children, relinquishing certain creature comforts and foregoing status. And things could get tougher. Fewer people are interested in theater, audiences’ tastes are less adventurous and fewer shows are in production. Since moving to New York 35 years ago, Bachrach has watched the theater become decimated by AIDS and, more recently, choked by a reduction in funding for the arts and arts education. But despite all that, and a surfeit of actors here, New York is the place to be if you’re dedicated to the avocation. “I have followed my heart,” Bachrach said, “and I’ve had a wonderful life.”

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“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”

BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer

Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.

JULY 23-29,2015

JULY 23-29,2015

CLASSIFIEDS

ACCOUNTING/FINANCIAL SERVICES

23

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HEALTH SERVICES

REAL ESTATE - SALE

Telephone: 212-868-0190 Fax: 212-868-0198 Email: classified2@strausnews.com

POLICY NOTICE: We make every eort to avoid mistakes in your classiďŹ ed ads. Check your ad the ďŹ rst week it runs. The publication will only accept responsibility for the ďŹ rst incorrect insertion. The publication assumes no ďŹ nancial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for any copy changes. All classiďŹ ed ads are pre-paid.

SERVICES OFFERED

VACATIONS

WANTED TO BUY

ANIMALS & PETS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SERVICES OFFERED WANTED TO BUY

ANTIQUES/COLLECTIBLES

CAMPS/SCHOOLS TUTOR HELP WANTED VACATIONS

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

Antique, Flea & Farmers Market

CARS & TRUCKS & RV’S

SINCE 1979

City Department of Parks and Recreation (“NYCDPR�) is issuing, as of the date of this notice, a Request for Bids (RFB) for the sale of food from one (1) mobile food unit near the Washington Square Park Fountain area, Manhattan.

ENTERTAINMENT MASSAGE

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE - RENT

Remember to: Recycle and Reuse

Hard copies of the RFB can be obtained, at no cost, commencing Monday, July 13, 2015, through Monday, August 10, 2015 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue Division of NYCDPR, which is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065. All bids submitted in response to this RFB must be submitted by no later than Monday, August 10, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. The RFB is also available for download, commencing on Monday, July 13, 2015 through Monday, August 10, 2015 on Parks’ website. To download the RFB, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities, click on the link for “Concessions Opportunities at Parks� and, after logging in, click on the “download� link that appears adjacent to the RFB’s description.

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 BeneďŹ t PS 183

ANTIQUES WANTED

TOP PRICES PAID

Chinese Objects Paintings, Jewelry Silver, Furniture, Etc. Entire Estates Purchased

800.530.0006

SOHO LT MFG

462 Broadway MFG No Retail/Food +/- 9,000 sf Ground Floor - $90 psf

For more information, contact Glenn Kaalund at (212) 360-1397 or VIA email at Glenn.Kaalund@parks.nyc.gov. Thank you.

+/- 16,000 sf Cellar - $75 psf

TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

Call Farrell @ Meringoff Properties 646.306.0299

24

JULY 23-29,2015

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COME HOME TO GLENWOOD

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Builder | Owner | Manager

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