DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, SEPT. 11, 2014 by Schneps Media

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 7

SEPTEMBER 11-SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

THE GENERATION THAT BARELY REMEMBERS 9/11 BY D U SI CA SU E M A LE S E V IC ophia Gasparro was in preschool when the planes hit the Twin Towers 13 years ago. “I think it is a really interesting thing to grow up in the aftermath,” said Gasparro, now a 16-year-old senior at Millennium High School. “I feel it is a real thing around all the time.” Gasparro lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, but wanted to go to high school in the Financial District. Millennium High School was founded in 2002 after 9/11 to bring youth back into the neighborhood, she said in a phone interview, and the school’s mascot is a Phoenix, the mythical creature that rises from the ashes. Her family spends Sept. 11th with her mother’s good friend, who lost her firefighter husband that day. Gasparro says that even when she goes to college next fall, she will make sure to call her mom’s friend. She and three of her friends at Millennium spoke to Downtown Express about their views on 9/11 — all said they had vague memories of it in separate phone interviews, even though they were only 3 or 4 at the time. Gasparro is interested in studying international relations and said that the events of 9/11 are present when they talk about the U.S. Patriot Act or the Iraq war in her history and government classes. Deena Finegold, 17 and a senior, was also at preschool on 9/11. Her father had dropped her off at school and was going to drive her mother to work in the Financial District — her office building was right across from the Twin Towers. While on the

Continued on page 19

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

It continues to get busier around One World Trade Center, which officials hope will open this year.

Editor’s Letter

The change is real this year at the World Trade Center

B Y J OSH ROGERS

he funny thing is the inevitable World Trade Center briefings every September didn’t seem much different this year. The optimism was the same, so was the mutual admiration, the congratulations, and all of the talk of working well together. The difference this year is there was much more truth to many of the proclamations. For the first time since the 2001

attack, part of the 16-acre site is open to the public, thanks to the opening of the 9/11 Museum in May. Yes, the memorial plaza opened three years ago, but the ticketing system denied strolling residents, commuters and the wandering tourist access to the site. For better or worse — and some nearby residents say things have recently gotten worse — a large part of the site is now open. “It is no longer a plan for the future, it’s a real place,” architect

Daniel Libeskind, who developed the site plan, said Tuesday at a briefing in 4 World Trade Center. Libeskind, a Downtown resident who defi nitely doesn’t agree with some of his naysaying neighbors, said he walks through the memorial almost every day to get from his home to his office. But surprisingly, even with the addition of roughly eight acres of Continued on page 6

he threw our way was that someone there would be selling coffee.

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WHAT’S BREWING IN W.T.C. RETAIL? The old World Trade Center retail area was the most profitable per square foot in the country, and many Downtowners have been waiting for its return for over a decade. We’re sorry to deliver bad news on that front. Even though part of the transit hub’s retail area is already open to the public, John Genovese, senior vice president of Westfield World Trade Center — the firm recruiting tenants for the mall — told us this week that the company will wait until the entire hub is open, and will not open any sections early. That means the retail opening is over a year away, but given the well-chronicled delays at the $4 billion station designed by Santiago Calatrava, we conceivably could have a new president before anyone does any shopping there (and yes, we think it’s a safe bet that President Obama will not be impeached and removed from office before 2017). Meanwhile it’s not just the residents who are anxious for stores. During his presentation to Community Board 1 on progress at 3 and 4 W.T.C., Malcolm Williams of Silverstein Properties included a slide of a New York Post clipping suggesting that Eataly would be opening at 4. Williams suggested it was much more than an idle rumor. At the same meeting, Glen Guzi of the Port Authority, which is essentially Westfield’s landlord, claimed to have no inside info, but he also said, “I guarantee you’ll have a couple of options for Starbucks for sure.” Genovese laughed when we told him of the guarantee, but made no promises there’d be any Venti Lattes at the W.T.C. The only bean

If you live in New York City, chances are you’re not afraid of a drone strike as much as someone living in, say, Pakistan. Robert Gluckstadt at least wasn’t until last weekend, when he says he had his own encounter with one of the high-flying vessels that “could have killed him.” He told us he was reading a book in the park in front of the Citibank building on Greenwich St. near his Independence Plaza apartment last Sunday morning. All of a sudden a drone “fell out of the sky,” he said. He said the drone sounded like a lawnmower when it hit a nearby tree. “But it was not dead,” he added. “It made a tremendous racket on the ground trying to right itself like a wounded animal” for ten minutes. Disturbed by the spectacle, he told a security guard for the nearby bank headquarters to call the police, which the guard and his supervisor refused to do even as the two pilots of the drone came running. With the leverage of a little piece of the drone that he had picked up, Gluckstadt said he then convinced one of the two men to accompany him to the First Precinct, where the officer on duty simply told the drone’s owner to be more careful in the future and didn’t even take his ID. “I was upset, as I usually am when I talk to the police,” he said. “Apparently the operators of the drone weren’t breaking any laws…. “If it was a Monday morning, somebody may have been hurt.” It was not clear what the men were doing with the drone.

STREET CLICKING MAN Photographer Scot Surbeck, a regular contributor to Downtown Express, currently has an exhibition, “Street Seen,” on display until Oct. 2 at Soho Photo Gallery, which is actually in Tribeca at 15 White St. Gallery hours are 1 p.m.-6 p.m., Wed. – Sun.

Do you remember when _____________ happened downtown? ...We do. Visit our archives at Downtownexpress.com IN PRINT OR ONLINE

W W W. D O W N T O W N E X P R E S S . C O M

September 11-September 24, 2014

DowntownExpress.com

On The Spot

Gina Gibney Gina Gibney has devoted herself to the Downtown dance scene since 1991 when she started her first studio at 890 Broadway in Flatiron. She has since expanded. Now, Gibney Dance has taken over the former Dance New Amsterdam space at 280 Broadway near City Hall, and is renovating it. Gibney sat down with Downtown Express on Thurs., Sept 4, to talk community, choreography and construction. Interview has been condensed and edited.

—DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC You’ve expanded from one studio to three to eight. Why take on 280 Broadway? There are some practical reasons for us and there’s the larger rationale for the [dance] field. There are many things that we were not really able to do at 890 Broadway given the profi le of the building. Within this new configuration, we’re able to hone 890 Broadway to be a choreographic center. It is not a good place for really large classes, for really large public assemblies, for performances. So this did give us the opportunity to venture into those areas that we’ve always been interested in. I think there was a certain amount of confi dence in our organization because we had managed to do these expansions [before]. I, for one, and I think that I speak for the field, did not want to see this space lost. So there was a sort of urgency to it, given the time pressures that someone needed to step up. What are the opportunities and challenges of taking over DNA’s former space? [We want] to really expand the number of classes that we’re offering. We went from having about three classes a week to now […] probably having 60 classes a week. And that’ll continue to grow. Another really obvious thing, which is completely new for us, is the whole realm of presenting dance. We didn’t do that before and we’re making our first venture into that very soon. We will not only have one theater here, but we will have two more performing spaces. DowntownExpress.com

Studio C is our newly combined extra large studio. So it will be a class space by day, but at night it will be a really beautiful memorable studio theater. We’re also making a performance lab downstairs. It will be ground floor, perfect for installations, immersive performances, film screenings, just all kinds of really novel performances can happen down there for small audiences. Having it on the ground floor is just unbelievable. Having been in a really beautiful building at 890 that is incredible but kind of sequestered, to have something on the ground floor is

be a conference room just for our own purposes, but it’s going instead to be programmed as a learning and leadership studio. Some of the nuts and bolts of a having an artistic career will really be covered in this room. The other thing that we’re really excited about is the back of the space, there was a kind of lounge area, and we’re converting that into a digital technology workroom and recording studio. It’ll be a place where you can go and have access to a really great computer that is really supped up with all kinds of great software. And then we’re look-

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

just like shouting. Describe the renovations at 280 Broadway. We’ve taken two thirds of the office space and repurposed it. We’re not going to have a lot of office space. There is going to be a community action hub and that I know is a first. That is, I think, the first time that there has been a designated space for community action training and community action mobilization within a dance center in New York City. We do a lot of work in shelters with domestic violence survivors that will give them a platform and springboard for that work. The other thing is mining the nooks and crannies of this building. It’s so ripe. This room, sure it could

ing at things like could we use the lobby as a sort of PT [physical therapy] area where people can go back and stretch. Can we use a little lobby, could we have computer-charging stations, could we have a little high countertop with benches so you could go there and work on your labtop. Will the Lower Manhattan community be able to utilize some of these resources? Absolutely. We’re really hoping to draw in — there are a lot social service organizations in Lower Manhattan and in fact our primary partner, Sanctuary for Families, is down here. Also, this is a place for the neighborhood. We are really trying to build offerings: yoga, absolute beginning dance classes,

performing spaces. Will the renovations be complete by October? Many of them. All the work that has been needed to be done to repurpose office space and studio space is completed on the second floor. The digital media rooms are not complete yet. The downstairs will be completed by the end of September. So, on Oct. 1, all of our spaces should be up and running except the digital technology space. Our grand opening party is Oct. 30th at 6 p.m. This was a big week for us. Yesterday [Wed., Sept. 3] was the first day of classes in studio C. It was amazing. We had a class at 10 o’clock that had 64 people in it. That’s huge. I think that’s probably one of the biggest dance classes I’ve ever seen. It was pretty moving. How do you feel the dance scene Downtown has changed? I think we were at risk for a while. In that whole Flatiron area, there used to be a lot of dance studios and slowly, over the past few decades, they just left. So much of dance has moved out into the other boroughs, which is great. I think there is a real thirst for being in Manhattan. I am also really excited about being in this neighborhood in a time when the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center is going to be coming up. I am really excited about the growth of Tribeca; the proximity to Chinatown is incredibly exciting to me. I also love the political activism of this neighborhood. I’ve had more contact with the community board and with the local politicians since January than I’ve had in the entire 20 years in [the Flatiron] neighborhood. How would you describe your choreography? I think it really is about exploring a situation in life, exploring a part of what it is to be human. I love the duet form because I love to see how two bodies and two minds interact. I could spend all of my time just watching two people moving in space.

September 11-September 24, 2014

TRIBECA MUGGING An 18-year-old Brooklyn man was with his 17-year-old girlfriend Monday afternoon in Tribeca when two men punched him in the head, causing a bump. Police say the pair then stole his $100 Eddie Bauer book bag, Beats headphones worth $200, and $40 in cash. The two men fled east from the corner of Canal and Varick Sts. after the theft at 4:45 p.m. on Mon., Sept. 8.

PLUNDER OF PERFUME STOPPED Two women attempted to filch over $300 worth of perfume from a Sephora at 150 Broadway in the Financial District last weekend, police say. A member of the store’s loss prevention saw the two suspects take the bottles of perfume from a display rack and stuff them in their purses on Sat., Sept. 6 at around 5 in the afternoon, cops say. When the 34-year-old male Sephora employee approached the two women, they proceeded to

punch him several times in the right arm. Police arrested the two women — one 28, the other 33.

CUFFLINK CAPER A 69-year-old man and his wife discovered that someone had entered their apartment on Franklin St. in Tribeca through an unlocked fire escape window and ransacked their bedroom. The thief made off with $38,000 worth of cufflinks, eight pairs total, sometime between Thurs. afternoon on Aug. 28 through Tues., Sept. 2. Police say there were no signs of forcible entry. The pricey accessories included 3 pairs of Cartier gold cufflinks and one pair of Bulgari gold enamel cufflinks.

SNEAKY IN PINK A man wearing a pink shirt approached a 53-year-old Queens woman this week and claimed that he was an illegal immigrant without a bank account and needed help cashing a $50,000 check. She agreed to deposit the check. First, though, the suspect convinced the woman to take out $1,600 from

CAR BREAK-IN A rental vehicle with Quebec plates was broken into on Greene St. in Soho on Sun., Sept. 7 between 11:30 a.m. and noon. When the driver returned to his car, the back driver’s side window was smashed and his Canadian passport, Dell laptop, iPad, Tumi backpack, wallet, eyeglasses and credit cards were gone — worth over $5,500. The 56-year-old Manhattan resident cancelled his credit cards. Police did not identify the car model.

CITIBIKE STOLEN Police say a 16-year-old male stole a CitiBike from a docking stand at Pearl St. and Maiden Lane in FiDi at 2 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 28. A Sixth Precinct officer observed the suspect

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riding the blue bike on W. 14 St. and arrested the teen after conferring with a CitiBike representative, who said the $1,200 bike was stolen. The officer then found a small amount of marijuana. Police did not say why the teen was originally stopped.

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World Trade Center Cancer Deadline Approaching National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has linked 67 cancers* to the toxic dust

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September 11-September 24, 2014

Editor’s Letter

A new World Trade Center Continued from page 1

public space, the crowds and congestion have increased. Some of that is due to the opening of the museum, which has drawn nearly one million people in its first four months. But much of the crowd problems are because of a tight chokehold on the site’s access points. The Port Authority, which owns much of the site, promised a little bit of relief Monday night at a Community Board 1 briefing. Regarding the mass competition for space on Vesey St. between PATH commuters, subway riders and residents — the “Vesey Squeezey,” as this paper has dubbed it — the Port’s Glen Guzi said there will be a little more room on the sidewalk probably in about four weeks or so, when space opens up near the Post Office building across the street. But the usually affable and accommodating Guzi did not offer resident Mary Perillo any hope about opening up Greenwich St. to pedestrians soon. “The quick answer is no,” Guzzi told her at the meeting, saying there is too much nearby construction to allow the street to open soon. Afterwards, a disappointed Perillo said even though you had to walk up stairs to cross the W.T.C. at Greenwich before 9/11, it was still a well-used walkway. “We all went up the stairway to get through it,” she told me. “It would be nice if 11.5 million tourists had somewhere to go.” Scott Rechler, the Port’s vice chairperson, said at the Tuesday briefing that

they always look to open things early, but Greenwich St. would be difficult before the opening of the permanent transportation hub, expected by the end of next year. At least a few observers were scratching their heads at the resistance to opening the north-south path though the site, and one with knowledge of the area told me it “absolutely” could open very soon. But elsewhere, the progress at the site is real. Although office workers have not set up shop yet at 4 W.T.C., the building had its own “opening” ceremony almost a year ago, and has staged private events for quite some time, including the W.T.C. briefing on Tues., Sept. 9. Developer Larry Silverstein, who is building Nos. 4, 3 (estimated 2018 opening) and someday perhaps 2 W.T.C., said, “Of course we all wish we had gotten it done a lot faster but that doesn’t diminish the pride we all feel.” Rechler and other officials were equally happy that One W.T.C., which many still call Freedom Tower, was also expected to open this year. That was the mood. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver declared that Lower Manhattan “has come roaring back” and Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance, called it “an extraordinary moment of transformation… “Thirty billion dollars of public and private investment all coming online at relatively the same moment in time [at or near the W.T.C.] and you can see it in our parks, in our buildings and in our transportation system.” For Joe Daniels, president of the memorial and museum, it’s the first Sept. 11

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

A visitor to the 9/11 Memorial this week.

where he doesn’t have to talk about how much longer construction is going to take. “It’s great, it’s nice,” he told me. “It goes from setting deadlines, doing everything to meet them — now we can appropriately focus on what we’re doing, which

is the content of the museum and bringing the story of what happened to millions of people around the world…. “After all the sturm and drang over the years, I really think [the whole site] is really rolling out the way it’s supposed to.”

The crowds coming out of the “Vesey Squeezey,” the mass of commuters and tourists on Vesey St.

September 11-September 24, 2014

DowntownExpress.com

Residents report more tour buses at the memorial BY D U SI CA SU E M A LE S E V IC Lower Manhattan residents expressed frustration with the amount of bus traffic due to the dropping off and picking up of visitors at the 9/11 Memorial at a Sept. 8 meeting of Community Board 1’s Planning Committee. The museum, which opened in May, has had over 900,000 visitors and will close in on one million this month. At that time, the memorial ended its ticketing system, leading to a sharp spike in tour buses visiting the site, community leaders say. Jim Connors, the executive vice president of operations, gave an update about the museum and said that the majority of museum visitors are arriving on foot or taking mass transit. Visitors are emailed maps and directions of how to get to the museum. Less than one percent of the museum’s visitors come by bus, he said. “We have a very proactive approach to dealing with tour buses,” said Connors. When a museum reservation agent speaks with a visitor, the first thing that the visitor is advised is to please not come by bus. The museum does not allow for bus parking and dropping off during commuter hours, only from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There are two slots for

two buses per half-hour time slot, said Connors. But resident Mary Perillo said the two buses per time slot does not include the hundreds of buses dropping visitors off all day long, every day, seven days a week. “For every person who comes to the memorial museum in a bus, there’s probably four buses just taking people to the memorial plaza,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, chairperson of Community Board 1. “Currently there’s nothing set up to manage those three or four other buses that are not having to go through your procedure to go to the museum. I think that’s the frustration.” Tammy Meltzer, committee member, said that the buses loop around after dropping visitors off and park at the M.T.A. stops, next to the schools and any place they can pit stop while people visit the plaza. “There are hundreds in a week who are like this,” she said. “They block sidewalks and bus stops and things, and so it’s not safe for kids.” Hughes said borough president Gale Brewer has met with commissioners from the N.Y.P.D. and Departments of Transportation and Consumer Affairs to discuss tour buses. “It’s a serious issue,” said Hughes.

File photo

Members of the public will be able to view the Tribute in Light and visit the World Trade Center memorial after 6 p.m. on Sept. 11.

9/11 Memorial & Museum events Thursday will be the first Sept. 11th in 13 years that the public will have access to the World Trade Center. The memorial will still be closed for most of the day for the annual 9/11 commemoration ceremony honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed on the day, but after 6 p.m. it will be open to anyone wishing to pay their respects or get a closer view of the Tribute in Light installation representing the Twin Towers, which is visible after sundown. Joe Daniels, president of the memorial and museum, called it “an import-

ant milestone” in the development of the memorial and museum. In addition, the memorial and museum have recently started several new programs: Starting on Sept. 10, N.Y.P.D. bagpipers now perform at the memorial every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. There is free access to the museum on Tuesday evenings from 5 p.m. until close. Tickets can be obtained online up to two weeks in advance, and reservations fill up quickly (www.911memorial.org).

This anniversary, join us at the 9/11 Memorial to honor and remember. Reflection and Tribute in Light

Evening of Musical Tributes

Thursday, September 11 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m

Friday, September 12 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

Visitors outside the 9/11 Museum DowntownExpress.com

911memorial.org September 11-September 24, 2014

B.P.C. residents press city & state on Liberty & West St. safety B Y DUSICA SU E M A L E SE V IC Battery Park City Committee members raised safety concerns about the intersection at Liberty St. and West St. at a Mon., Sept. 2 meeting. “It is a very, very dangerous crossing,” said committee member Ninfa Segarra. “It’s not just dangerous for those of us that are residents that understand the street. But these poor tourists, they have no idea they are on a highway.” “We’re continuously monitoring and adjusting as appropriate,” said Shilpan Patel, deputy director of the state’s Department of Transportation, who is working with the city’s D.O.T. and various agencies on improving that section of the World Trade Center site. “However, I would like to point out that we are in the construction phase,” Patel added. He listed all the improvements that have been made at that intersection: the straightening of the alignment of the crosswalk, which was zigzagged; the well-defined barriers on both sides; and the countdown signal. “People are just lost,” said Segarra, who was a deputy mayor in the Giuliani

administration. “They’re trying to get across and trying to figure out which way to go.” Segarra said that something additional needs to be done and suggested more signage. The high flow of pedestrians at the intersection is making it difficult for vehicles to turn left from Liberty St. northbound onto West St., also known as Route 9A, and the suggestion of making it a pedestrian-only crossing phase at certain times was floated. The state D.O.T. studied signal timing at the intersection and analysis showed a high volume of vehicles exiting from Battery Park City eastbound onto 9A. Changing the timing of the lights and allocating it to pedestrians might create backup, Patel said. “It is a balancing act here where we try to maximize the green time for the high volume of pedestrians that cross particularly during the peak hours” with the amount of vehicle traffic, said Conn MacAogain, from the city’s D.O.T. “We’re trying to serve both interests well in terms of safety and efficiency.” Taxis dropping people off to go to

September 11-September 24, 2014

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Pedestrians cross West St. at Liberty.

the 9/11 Memorial was another issue raised. The cabs are not supposed to stop there, said committee member Tammy Meltzer. Tourists are also trying to hail cabs by the memorial, which adds to the problem. A pedestrian bridge that will cross West St. and that may alleviate some of the foot traffic at the crosswalk will not be completed until fall 2015. The committee also asked the D.O.T. representatives about the bike path,

which has been closed between Albany St. to Vesey St. since 2007. MacAogain, the city official, said it would not be reopened until the beginning of 2016. The new estimate prompted audible grumbles in the room. In a Downtown Express article published two weeks ago, officials with both the state D.O.T. and with the Battery Park City Authority said the bike path would reopen at the end of next year.

DowntownExpress.com

The looming World Trade Center ‘stalemate’ B Y J O SH RO G E R S The World Trade Center’s epic disputes over power and money have for the most part been resolved, but there’s at least one remaining that could prevent construction of one of the proposed towers. “We are at a stalemate with them at the moment,” David Emil, president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., told Downtown Express last week, referring to the corporation’s dispute with the Port Authority. “It’ll be years before it’s resolved.” The L.M.D.C., a federally-funded corporation formed to manage Downtown’s post-9/11 recovery, owns the World Trade Center Tower 5 site, and Emil said the Port wants to take it over without paying any money. The problem, Emil said, is the site is worth $300 million to $500 million, and in addition, the L.M.D.C. spent hundreds of millions to get the site ready for development — a figure that ballooned because of the plagued and long-delayed demolition of the Deutsche Bank building, where two firefighters were killed battling a 2007 blaze.

Emil said the Port is arguing that it effectively became the owner of the site under a 2006 agreement, and that the development corporation has been acting as the Port’s agent. “We say, yeah, that may be. If we were your agent, you have to pay us the $300 million that it cost to take this thing down, to which they say no, that was your problem you owned it — you see, you can’t have it both ways guys,” Emil said during an impromptu interview at the site Sept. 2nd, after a ceremony celebrating the opening of a temporary green market and public plaza there. Last week, the Port Authority did not dispute Emil’s characterization of the situation, and a spokesperson declined to comment for this article. On Tuesday, Scott Rechler, the Port’s vice chairperson, said the higher demolition costs were not a reason to revisit the agreement, but he also thought the dispute would not lead to delay. “We’re going to live by the agreements of ‘06, and I think everyone will – to move it forward,” he told Downtown Express Sept. 9.

Downtown Express photo by Josh Rogers.

David Emil, president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., played Ping Pong last Tuesday at the opening of a new temporary plaza and greenmarket at the 5 World Trade Center site. The greenmarket will be open every Tuesday for at least a year on Greenwich St. near Albany St.

The 2006 deal, a memorandum of understanding between the Port and the L.M.D.C., involved a land swap of the Tower 5 site and the World Trade Center’s Performing Arts Center site. The Port had originally planned to

develop the site as an office tower but after a 2007 deal to move JP Morgan Chase headquarters Downtown fell through, it has since said it would wait Continued on page 19

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September 11-September 24, 2014

Downtown Express photo by Yannic Rack

St. Paul’s Chapel, right, with the Freedom Tower, a.k.a. One World Trade Center, left.

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September 11-September 24, 2014

A few more months for St. Paul’s scaﬀolding BY YAN N IC RACK If you get out at Fulton St. subway station, your view of the Freedom Tower is partly obstructed by allround scaffolding on St. Paul’s Chapel, but the church still planned to ring its Bell of Hope Thursday to honor the thousands killed on Sept. 11. Construction work on the church tower’s exterior began in August and the scaffolding will remain in place until the end of the year, a spokesperson for Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel said earlier this week. There was to be no interference with the Sept. 11 service, however, and the traditional ringing of the bell was expected to take place at 8:46 a.m. on Thursday in the west churchyard. “The scaffolding is allowing workers to complete three projects: replacing the lead-coated copper in the

steeple, restoring the existing clock and mechanics, and repairing and restoring the existing masonry,” the spokesperson said. The oldest surviving church building in Manhattan, St. Paul’s Chapel became a place of refuge for World Trade Center recovery workers in the direct aftermath of the Twin Tower attacks in 2001. For months, the church, which was miraculously unharmed, provided meals and beds as well as counseling and prayer services, while visitors turned the fence around the church into an impromptu memorial. The church was partly shielded from falling debris by a 70-yearold sycamore in its churchyard. A bronze sculpture of the felled tree’s roots and stump still serves as a memorial in a Trinity Church courtyard at the head of Wall St. DowntownExpress.com

Coding apps made easy at high school summer camp B Y YA N N I C R A C K Scientific research, robotics and coding – that doesn’t necessarily sound like every kid’s dream of the perfect summer. But 16 high school students from all over New York City, New Jersey and as far away as Yonkers, chose to spend two weeks of their vacation doing exactly that at Pace University’s annual STEM Collaboratory Camp. The program took place at the university’s Downtown campus for the second time this summer where the students, including two from Downtown schools, developed and designed mobile applications, or apps, based around this year’s theme of cyber security. If that sounds impressive, then so were the finished apps that the teens presented to family, faculty and newly made friends at a reception last month at Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Using software ranging from CSS and HTML to JavaScript, one of the groups, consisting of four students each, developed a trivia game to teach users the basics of cyber security. Another put together a survey that informs honest participants about

their online behavior and how they can improve their safety on the web. Learning to code is no piece of cake, said Laureen Chan, a senior at Stuyvesant High School and first-time participant. “In sophomore year, my school implemented a mandatory year-long course on computer science and we learned Netlogo, Java, Python, HTML – all that stuff,” she said. “I actually didn’t think I would like comp sci, it was a lot of work.” Nonetheless, Chan and her team ambitiously called themselves F.O.C.S., short for “Future of Cyber Security,” and came up with an app that lets users manage their wifi hotspot and allow or block other devices from connecting to it. Chan said that working with faculty from Pace and college-level mentors made coding and STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, much more accessible. Jeremy Eng, a 15-year-old sophomore at Millenium High School in Lower Manhattan, was last to present his group’s app. The aptly titled “Phisher” lets you scan your social media accounts for content you once uploaded, but might not want someone in particular to see – say a

college board or a possible employer. Eng became interested in coding when a friend started making apps on iOS, Apple’s operating system, and said he would even consider a career in the field. During the presentation, Eng said that everybody likes their privacy, even if they have nothing to hide. “I love to lock my door when I go to the bathroom, for example,” he joked. The program was jointly sponsored by Pace and AT&T, which organized a tour of its facilities as part of the camp, as did Google. Jonathan Hill, associate dean at the Seidenberg School and co-director of the STEM Collaboratory, thinks the program has the potential to teach the students much more than just the technical skills of coding. “These kids, some of them live in areas where there’s no broadband Internet access. They can’t afford to have a computer at home, but by and large they have smart phones, and the smart phones are their connection to the world. So we want them to use that connecting tool in a good, smart, safe way.” At the end of their presentations, the teens promised to keep in touch with each

Downtown Express photo by Yannic Rack.

Millennium High School’s Jeremy Eng with Pace’s Jonathan Hill. Downtown

other, something Hill thinks is potentially the greatest achievement of the program. “Some of them are from badly underserved public schools, and some of them are from very good private schools,” Hill said. “They wouldn’t know each other in the course of their daily lives, but here they get to know each other, and they’re the future of our city. Twenty years from now they’ll be on the same subway getting off here at Fulton Center to go to work in one of these towers, and if we start those relationships now, think of the cool things they’re going to do together. That’s what it’s about.”

Y O U T H O U GH T T H E Y R E P O R T E D T H E GAS L E A K . T H E Y T H O U G H T Y O U D I D . “Smell gas. Act fast.” Those are the words we want you to remember. Don’t assume that a neighbor will call 911 or 1-800-75-CONED. Just leave the area immediately and make the call yourself. If you prefer, you can report a gas-related emergency anonymously. You don’t even need to be there when help arrives. Visit conEd.com for more gas safety information and take safety into your own hands.

DowntownExpress.com

September 11-September 24, 2014

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

Vietnamese celebration

Last Sunday, in Thomas Paine Park near Worth St., the first ever Vietnamese Moon Festival in New York City had moms, dads and children enjoying arts and crafts, games and moon cakes. The little ones enjoyed the summer sun during sack and egg balancing races, while balloon animals and a lantern-making station offered the chance to get creative. The five-pointed, star-shaped lanterns are a traditional part of the event, which is also known as Children’s Festival because of its emphasis on young ones. Called Tet Trung Thu in Vietnamese, the festival even saw a traditional lantern procession, or ruoc den, led by a giant star lantern. The origin of the festival can be traced to the time when the Vietnamese believed that children, being innocent and pure, had the closest connection to the sacred and natural world and where therefore seen as a way to connect with animist spirits and deities. About 400 people ﬂocked to the event, which was organized by the Vietnam Heritage Center.

Prayers for Peace will be said and the Bell of Hope will be rung. St. Paul’s Chapel Churchyard

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 & 21, 10am The Gospel, Times, Journal, and You A discussion group that reads the editorial pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the assigned Gospel for the day. Led by the Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones. 74 Trinity Pl, 2nd Fl, Seminar Room

Votive Eucharist for Peace, 12:05pm

community

A noonday Eucharist Trinity Church

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 6pm Family Friday Pizza and Movie Night Relax with your kids and meet other downtown families for free pizza, children’s movies, and community. All families with young children are welcome. Charlotte’s Place

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Observances in remembrance of those killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Ringing of the Bell of Hope, 8:46am

All Are Welcome All events are free, unless noted. 212.602.0800 trinitywallstreet.org

Mass for Peace, 12:30pm

A Eucharist for Peace St. Paul’s Chapel

music TRINITY CHURCH Broadway at Wall Street 74 TRINITY PLACE is the office building behind Trinity Church ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL Broadway and Fulton Street CHARLOTTE’S PLACE 107 Greenwich Street btwn Rector & Carlisle Streets The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector The Rev. Dr. William Lupfer, Rector-Elect

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1pm Concerts at One West Point Band and the West Point Glee Club celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner. Trinity Church

education

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 10am Sunday School Open House Come learn more about this year’s Sunday School at a new location–across from St. Paul’s Chapel. Meet and greet teachers, pre-register, and see the new space. Regular Sunday School begins September 28. Information: Kathy Bozzuti-Jones at kbozzuti-jones@ trinitywallstreet.org or 212.602.9622. 14 Vesey Street

September 11-September 24, 2014

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2–4pm Symposium on the Elaine Race Massacre Featuring: Robert Whitaker, author of On the Laps of Gods; J. Chester Johnson, author of article, “Evanescence: The Elaine Race Massacre”; Sheila Walker, relative of Albert Giles, one of the Elaine 12; David Solomon, who is working toward the creation of a memorial for the massacre. Sponsored by Task Force Against Racism. St. Paul’s Chapel

worship

SUNDAY, 8am & 10am St. Paul’s Chapel · Holy Eucharist 8pm · Compline by Candlelight Coming Sept. 28-Services at 8am and 9:15am, followed by Sunday School SUNDAY, 9am & 11:15am Trinity Church · Preaching, music, and Eucharist · Child care available MONDAY—FRIDAY, 12:05pm Trinity Church · Holy Eucharist MONDAY—FRIDAY, 5:15pm All Saints’ Chapel, in Trinity Church Evening Prayer; Evensong begins Thursday, Sept. 18 Watch online webcast

Leah Reddy

worship

DowntownExpress.com

Have it your way – with beer? BY D U SI CA SU E M A LE S E V IC It takes two hands to hold a Whopper, but only one to hold a beer. A Burger King at 106 Liberty St. is planning to sell beer alongside its fast food fare. First it had to petition the Financial District Committee for a beer license though. The application process started with a topic other than alcohol at the Wed., Sept. 3 meeting: trash. “I have complained numerous times about the garbage,” said committee member Pat Moore, whose building faces Liberty. “The garage is disgusting— it’s on the ground, it’s leaking, it’s running.” Moore said she has called the Dept. of Sanitation several times about the problem. “One thing shouldn’t have to do with the other,” she said. “But I don’t need to have now, on top of that, people beer drinking outside and hanging out.” At the meeting, one of the owners of the Burger King franchise, Rob Powell, said he was not aware of this and would try to resolve it. He also suggested that perhaps the rubbish should be attributed to another establishment on the street.

“I’m blaming you for your garbage,” Moore retorted. After promises of resolving the garbage problem, the committee had other concerns of when and who would serve the beer. With two high schools near and fast food workers including teenagers, the committee wanted to make sure that the alcohol would not end up in minors’ hands. “There’ll be no minors dealing with the alcohol,” said Powell, who then explained that his Burger King had table service upstairs with waiters. “We’re becoming more of a traditional restaurant.” The committee recommended approving the license. The matter goes to the full board Sept. 23, before the Downtown Express Photo By Dusica Sue Malesevic. advisory resolution goes to the State The Burger King across from the World Trade Center is expecting to get a beer Liquor Authority, which is likely to license. grant the license since there is no community board opposition. “I’m not here to be a burden on the had received overwhelming requests The beer would not be available for take out and will be served in a clear community,” he said. “[The beer is] to from tourists to offer beer on the menu. cup. The restaurant will use identifi- help me enhance the average check. “It’s going to be a game changer for us,” cation scanners that are used at clubs Costs are going up — between wages he said. to ensure an ID is valid. Powell also and electricity, I can’t keep up.” After setting the hours the beer can Powell later told the Downtown be served, the committee approved the assured the committee that he is hiring T:8.75” Express in a phone interview that he license. an adult staff to wait tables.

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September 11-September 24, 2014

TRANSIT SAM Thurs., Sept. 11 – Wed., Sept. 17 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK Special A lert for Lower Manhattan on Thursday! In observance of the 13th remembrance of the September 11th attacks, all streets in the area bounded by Barclay St., Thames/Albany Sts., Trinity Pl. /Church St., and West St. will close 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. While West and Church Sts. will remain open I strongly advise taking alternate routes (F.D.R. Drive) if driving or taking a taxi. In the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound tube will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. This will

send inbound traffic to the Holland Tunnel, where one lane will close in each direction during the same hours. Avoid a late-night return if you can. In their first home game of the season, the Giants take on the Cardinals 1 p.m. Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Expect extra traffic at the Holland as drivers jam the Lincoln. Fashion Week is wrapping up on Thursday. Calvin Klein’s 2 p.m. show at Spring Studios on Varick St. between Laight and Beach Sts. will spell slow exits from the Holland Tunnel. The Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge will close 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, mid-

night Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, and midnight Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday. Drivers headed into the city will take the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges and the Battery Tunnel instead, making for extra traffic on Canal, Delancey, and West Sts., respectively. The San Gennaro Festival officially starts Thurs., Sept. 11, and continues through Sunday, September 21. It will close Mulberry St. between Canal and East Houston Sts., and Grand and Hester Sts. between Mott and Centre Sts. 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. No Brookly n-bound F serv ice at Broadway-L afayette, 2nd Ave., Delancey St., or East Broadway 11:45 p.m. Thurs. to 5

a.m. Fri., and 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Wednesday nights. F trains will run via the A line from W. 4th St. to Jay St-MetroTech. No D trains at BroadwayLafayette or Grand St 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Shuttle trains will run every 20 minutes between W. 4th St. and Grand St, stopping at Broadway-Lafayette.

Have a question about a parking ticket, traffi c rules, public transportation, or street cleaning rules? If so, send me an e-mail atTransitSam@ downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 322 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

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September 11-September 24, 2014

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September 11-September 24, 2014

Katz’s will stay but air rights may be gone BY GERARD FLYNN Recent news reports and rumors that a developer will be hoisting luxury condominiums atop Katz’s on the corner of Houston and Ludlow Sts. aren’t true, Jake Dell, the famed deli’s owner, told The Villager this week. “The look, the feel” of Katz’s, now in its 126th year, will stay the same, Dell said. He did confirm, however, that he had made a deal to sell “air rights,” also known as development rights, to a developer, whom he declined to identify. But an agent from a nearby real estate company, ambivalent about being named, said he was “99 percent sure” it is Benjamin Shaoul, head of Magnum Real Estate Group. Strong rumors to that effect have been circulating for weeks in the neighborhood. Shaoul, also known as the “Sledgehammer,” didn’t return a call from The Villager for comment. Now more likely to be feted in real estate trade magazines and snapped by celebrity photographers, Shaoul has been the focus of many news articles about his removing rent-stabilized residents from

their apartments, before putting the units back online at market rate. “The bottom line is Katz’s storefront is going to stay as is,” Dell said. “We are staying. I am fifth generation and I am going to make sure Katz’s lasts at least another 50 years.” Having witnessed so many changes in the area over the years, Dell said he’s fine with new construction on the block. But for another beloved restaurant on the other corner of Houston St., the prospect of more luxury condos brought closure after nearly 20 years in business. Bereket, a Turkish and Middle Eastern kebab shop, shuttered at the end of June. Its departure marked the beginning of the end for other stores along the strip. A small deli a few storefronts down doesn’t look like it does a lot of business, but it has been here for even longer, its owner Abdul said. His lease expired in May, but he has been given two reprieves and is looking at November as a termination date. He estimated that Bereket had been forking over $20,000 a month for around 1,000

Fighting to make Lower Manhattan the greatest place to live, work, and raise a family.

Downtown Express photo by Gerard Flynn

Katz’s Deli, at Houston and Orchard Sts., has reportedly sold its unused development rights.

square feet of space. When Abdul started out at the location, he said he would pay $2,500 a month in rent. And today? “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” he said, adding that he works hard seven days a week just to earn a salary. The realtor speculated that with current zoning imposing a height cap of 120 feet, the unused space above Katz’s Delicatessen might be “transferred” to allow increased density and thus more apartments at adjacent sites along Orchard and E. Houston Sts. Bowery Boogie reported on Aug. 29 that Katz’s had sold its development rights, and the Web site speculated that perhaps a new development would “cantilever” over Katz’s. The unnamed realtor who spoke to The Villager praised the arrival of more luxury development and the tow-

ering hotels under construction nearby because, he said, retail stores need a lot more foot traffic. Boutiques on side streets below Houston St. on Labor Day were struggling, with some shuttered and others selling merchandise for half price. But not everyone is happy with the upmarket changes the Lower East Side has seen in recent years. No sooner then she had plopped herself down on a stoop around the corner on Ludlow St., a dismayed Susan Scutti asked, “What ever happened to Max Fish?” Max Fish was a popular haven for artists. The bar opened in 1989, when the neighborhood was still ragtag and drew celebrity names like Johnny Depp. “Oh, my God,” she said in dismay, as she surveyed what was left of that scene. “This is not the Lower East Side, after all.”

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DowntownExpress.com DowntownExpress.com

Keep Orchard St.’s gritty charm, BID is told

YOUR FOOD SCRAPS at Greenmarket

Drop off household fruit and vegetable scraps at

Tompkins Square Greenmarket Sundays, 8am–1pm, E 7th St & Ave A

A concept drawing showing the “grove concept” in place on Orchard St.

B Y Z A CH WILL IA MS A plan to improve the safety, traffic and appearance of Orchard St. received support from a Community Board 3 committee on Sept. 4. Presented by the Lower East Side Business Improvement District, the proposed changes to the streetscape would increase consistency among curbside amenities, such as trees, bike racks and benches, among other proposals.

However, the C.B. 3 Transportation Committee urged the BID to protect the historic street’s character. Additionally, the committee made its support for the plan conditional upon further study of the traffic implications of a proposed pedestrian plaza on Broome St. meant to prevent drivers from bypassing Allen St. via Orchard St. on their way to Continued on page 22

St. Mark’s Church Greenmarket Tuesdays, 8am–2pm, E 10th St & 2nd Ave

www.GrowNYC.org/compost | 212.788.7964

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September 11-September 24, 2014

PUBLISHER

Jennifer Goodstein EDITOR

Josh Rogers REPORTER

Dusica Sue Malesevic ARTS EDITOR

Scott Stiffler SR. V.P. OF SALES & MARKETING

Francesco Regini RETAIL AD MANAGER

Colin Gregory

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Jack Agliata Bill Fink Allison Greaker Julio Tumbaco ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Troy Masters SENIOR DESIGNER

Michael Shirey GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Andrew Gooss PHOTOGRAPHERS

Milo Hess Jefferson Siegel PUBLISHER EMERITUS

John W. Sutter

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

A flag to remember Workers were putting up a large flag mural on Church St. across from the World Trade Center on Wednesday, the day before the Sept. 11 ceremonies at the 9/11 Memorial.

Letters SPINNING WHEELS

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To The Editor: Re “Officials say wait yet another year to reopen bike path” (News article, Aug 28 – Sept 10): We have been cycling in the city for over 30 years and live in the Financial District. We were very distressed to read your article, “Officials say wait another year to reopen bike path.” This is yet another example of cyclists not being taken seriously by city agencies. How is it that after 7 years and more (since the bike lane was also closed for a long while after 9/11/01) there is still no safe passage for cyclists near the W.T.C. site? We ride the streets of the city on a daily basis and find it difficult and hazardous to take the detours provided by city agencies. Every day we see cyclists riding up the West Side Highway with fast moving cars, trucks and buses, because they know of no alternative, and frankly, the alternative is just as bad. The crowded plaza in back of the

September 11-September 24, 2014

Winter Garden is filled with blissfully oblivious walkers listening to MP3’s, determinedly oblivious skateboarders practicing their latest jump, little children breaking free from their parents so that they can try out their new tricycles, not to mention mothers with baby carriages who are attempting to get from Point A to Point B. This is certainly not the place to redirect fast-paced bikers who have just been bumped off their bike path. It is unconscionable that this has been going on now for seven years. We anticipated back in 2006 that the redirection would only take “a year or two” and now, we learn, it must continue for yet another year. It’s simply not fair and it’s not safe. Esther Regelson and Jack Cadwallader

TOO MUCH ON SOUTHBRIDGE BALLOT To The Editor: As a long-time

resident

Southbridge Towers, I am disturbed by the choice we are being forced to make in our vote on privatization this month. The measure includes changes to the by-laws that would: eliminate term limits that were voted in by cooperators; reduce the board from 15 to 9 members assuring concentration of power in the hands of fewer and fewer people; allow directors to attend board meetings via conference telephone or similar communication equipment, thus allowing a board member to spend months at his/her vacation home and still make decisions that affect the lives of those of us who actually live here; allow directors to vote on contracts in which they have substantial financial interest. These changes are significant. They should be dealt with in a separate vote. Allow cooperators to vote once on the issue of reconstitution and again on each of the issues listed above. Barbara M. Lerner DowntownExpress.com

Four Millennium High students reflect on 9/11 Continued from page 1

West Side Highway, her parents saw the first tower fall and turned right back. She remembers watching the news on T.V. at home, although it is hard for her to know where her parents’ memories begin and hers end. “I see it as a very big turning point in our society,” said Finegold, who lives on the Upper West Side. The events of that day changed security here and throughout the world, she said. Afterwards, a family member grappled with a fear of planes and Finegold’s family did not get on an aircraft for seven years. Finegold, who is considering studying either public relations or pre-med in college, is not afraid of planes. “I was too young to comprehend what happened to its full complexity that it has now,” she said. “What I remember is very vague,” said Summer Wrobel, 17 and a senior at Millennium. Wroebel, who might double major in anthropology and economics, said her mom told her she was at a preschool day camp when it happened. Wrobel lived in the Financial District at one point and now lives in Chelsea. But on 9/11, her grandparents lived in the Financial District and she remembers confusion and chaos. “I feel like it’s such a defining moment for our country,” she said. “We kind of made it part of our identity to get rid of terrorists.”

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

From left to right, Deena Finegold, Sophia Gasparro and Anna London, all seniors at Millennium High School.

This in turn, gives us a different interest and investment in international events that happen today, she says, such as ISIS in Iraq and the Russia-Ukraine issue. Anna London remembers that she and her neighbors “watched the build-

ings go down from our roofs and the fire escapes.” The 17-year-old senior, who may major in journalism or psychology, was at a pre-K program a block away from where she grew up in the East Village and went home when the attack began.

For her, it felt as if the city grew quiet in the days and weeks after 9/11. “It’s horrible,” said London. “I can still see it – the impact it left here.” For London and her generation, every school year has included a moment of silence on 9/11.

The next dispute at the W.T.C. Continued from page 9

for the market to dictate the best use of the site. Emil said the Port is still looking to develop the site commercially, but the L.M.D.C. feels the quickest and most lucrative way to proceed is to build a residential tower. “The [L.M.D.C.] board’s very strong feeling is we should monetize it and use the money for Lower Manhattan,” he said. The corporation is only allowed to spend money in Manhattan south of Houston St., whereas the Port’s revenue benefits both New Jersey and New York State. The L.M.D.C.’s board is made up DowntownExpress.com

of appointees of the governor and mayor, but its current members were mostly appointed by previous administrations during periods when the corporation had a much larger staff and was more involved in Downtown plans. Former Gov. George Pataki created the agency at the end of 2001 with a Congressional grant of $2.783 billion. Rumors of the development corporation’s imminent demise began surfacing a few years later, and by 2006, Pataki’s last year in office, he said it was time for the agency to close since it had done most of what it set out to do, including managing the World Trade Center redevelopment and

memorial plans. Pataki’s successor, Eliot Spitzer, apparently agreed during his campaign, calling the agency an “abject failure” in 2006, but he had a change of heart after taking office the next year, naming his top economic development adviser, Avi Schick, as chairperson, and Emil as president. There have been two new governors since and one new mayor, but Schick and Emil remain the leaders of the corporation. Emil no longer draws a salary for his position and works part-time as president. He said there are now 15 staff members remaining, who focus on making sure invoices on L.M.D.C. projects

are legitimate before writing checks. He said their combined salaries were something less than $750,000 a year. Over the years, there have been many calls to close the corporation down. Most observers agree that, legally, the organization can’t shut down fully until all of the money is spent, but some have suggested it has become a paper organization, with the city taking over its remaining responsibilities. All of the corporation’s remaining funds are designated for specific uses, but there is still hundreds of millions of dollars that has not yet been spent. Much of it is for projects that have not been completed, such as enhancements to the East River waterfront.

September 11-September 24, 2014

Activities

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Art: Come learn art with paper, clay, wood, and paint. Ages 4 and under | Free, drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park | 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 10/30

Art & Games Age 5+ | Free, drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park | 3:30-5:30 p.m. EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 10/30

SEE/CHANGE South Street Seaport, 19 Fulton Street, southstreetseaport.com/events Seaport Youthmarket: Youthmarket is a network of urban farm stands operated by neighborhood youth, supplied by local farmers, and designed to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to communities throughout New York City. All ages | 12 p.m.-5 p.m. until November 20th NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, nypl.org/locations/battery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; first-come firstserved. Ages 0-18 months | Free | 11:30 a.m. EVERY THURSDAY AT 11:30

Intellectual kids club workshop: Join the first ever literature workshop for kids at Battery Park City Library. Explore transformations in literature and drama including Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Greek and Roman myths from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Ages 4-8 | Free | 4 p.m. Teen Advisory Group: Have fun, hang out with old friends and new, and learn about books and media for teens. Refreshments will be served. Ages 12-18 | Free | 4 p.m.

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bait and instruction will be provided. Beyond teaching fishing, the program also provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to learn about river ecology and the many fish species that can be found in the river. 5+ | Free | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

come first-served. Ages 0-18 months | Free |11:30 a.m. EVERY TUESDAY AT 11:30 A.M.

Picture Book Time: A librarian will read classic stories and new picture books. All ages. | Free | 4 p.m.

EVERY SUNDAY THROUGH 9/28

EVERY TUESDAY AT 4 P.M.

FRESHMADE NYC 636 Broadway, 5th Floor, Suite 516, New York NY 10012 freshmadenyc.com Trial Class: Palette Palate – A new frontier in Mommy & Me (or caregiver) Art Classes! Use your imagination, what can you create with items you find in your fridge and pantry? Explore all the arts from painting to pottery, tie dye and so much more. Registration is required, space is limited. Please contact us at 212.475.0500 or email info@freshmadenyc.com 18 months-3 years | 10:45 a.m.

THE 88th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO See 9/12

Book Buddies: Teens Read to Kids: Teen Book Buddies will pair up with kids 11 and under for 15-30 minute one-on-one reading sessions on Tuesday afternoons following story time. Ages 13-18 years| Free | 4 p.m.

THE 88th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO between Canal and Houston Sts., sangennaro.org/index.htm Although this is an annual celebration of faith, the Feast of San Gennaro is known the world over for its festive atmosphere, an 11-day event featuring religious processions and colorful parades, free musical entertainment every day, a wide variety of ethnic food delicacies, charming restaurants and cafes and even a world-famous cannoli-eating competition! All ages | Free | 9/11 THROUGH 9/21

EVERY MONDAY AT 9:30 A.M.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

EVERY MONDAY

THE SCHOLASTIC STORE 557 Broadway (Between Prince & Spring Streets, scholastic.com/sohostore/ Screening: Feel like you are swimming with dolphins during a FREE screening of “Dolphin Tale 2. “Afterward, splash in the store with a signing by Craig Hatkoff, author of “Hope for Winter” — the story behind the movie. Seating is limited, Scholastic.com/RSVP Ages 5+ years | Free | 11 a.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ big-city-fishing Big City Fishing: The rods, reels,

August 28-September 10, 2014 September 11-September 24, 2014

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, nypl.org/locations/battery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; first-come first-served. Ages 0-18 months | Free | 9:30 a.m.

Toddler Story Time: A librarian will share lively picture books, finger plays, and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers. Ages 18-36 months | Free | 4 p.m. EVERY MONDAY AT 4:00 P.M.

Children’s Basketball: Adjustable height hoops and fun drills to improve skills. Close-toed shoes required. Ages 5 – 6 | Free | Drop in | Rockefeller Park |3:30 to 4:30 p.m., 5-6 year olds, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. 7 & older EVERY MONDAY UNTIL 10/27

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, nypl.org/locations/battery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; first-

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Play: Interactive play on the lawn. Toys, books, and play equipment provided. Ages 4 and under | Free | Drop in | Wagner Park | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Soccer for Preschoolers and Elementary Schoolers: Have fun passing, shooting & dribbling! Parks programming leaders facilitate the fun. Everybody plays! Closed-toe shoes required. Free | Drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park 2:30 – 3:15 p.m., 3-4 year olds 3:30 – 4:15 p.m., 5 to 7 year olds 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., 8 to 11 year olds EVERY TUESDAY THROUGH 10/28

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, nypl.org/locations/battery-park-city Toddler Story Time: A librarian will share lively picture books, finger plays, and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers. Ages 18-36 months | Free | 10:30 a.m. EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 10:30 A.M.

Animal Habitats: Learn about different environments such as the rainforest, desert, solar system and mountains and explore what kinds of animals and insects live there. Presented by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Ages 4-7 | Free | 4 p.m. BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Wagner Park, 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org DowntownExpress.com DowntownExpress.com

Drop-in Chess: Play chess and get pointers from an expert. Ages 5 – 15 | Free | Drop in | Rockefeller Park | 3:30 – 5 p.m. EVERY WEDNESDAY UNTIL 10/24

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Art and Art & Games: See 9/11 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers and Teen Advisory Group: See 9/11 Bilingual Storytime: Enjoy classic stories, songs, and rhymes in English and French! All ages | Free | Drop in | 4 p.m. SEE/CHANGE South Street Seaport, 19 Fulton Street, southstreetseaport.com/ events/ Seaport Youthmarket: See 9/11

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS 103 Charlton St., c m a n y. o r g / e v e n t s / d r a w n - t o - l a n guage/ Drawn to Language: Drawn to Language is an exhibition that brings together emerging and mid-career artists whose work relates to the material qualities of language. In Drawn to Language, words are given visual form. While the works in the exhibition vary conceptually – from amusing to political to philosophical – each work is defined by its use of words to create an image, a deeper meaning, or both. All ages | Free with paid admission | 10:00 a.m. NY KIDS CLUB: PJ PARTY 88 Leonard Street, nykidsclub. c o m / O p e n - P l a y - S p a c e - F o r- K i d s DowntownExpress.com DowntownExpress.com

Single-Day-Signup/667/Tribeca Held every Friday NY Kids Club pajama parties are a one-of-a-kind thematic “after hours” celebration for children 2.5 - 8 years featuring gym exploration, art, story, cooking, games, relays, and more. All parties culminate in a disco dance party, and dinner is provided. “Mad About Science” theme on 9/19. 5-8 years | $48 for the first child, $24 for each additional sibling | 6-9 p.m. THE 88th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO See 9/12

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 SECOND ANNUAL SIDEWALK CHALK FESTIVAL Torly Kid, 51 Hudson Street torlykid.com/pages/happenings Discover the artist in you at Torly Kid’s 2nd Annual Sidewalk Chalk Contest! Each child will be given a sidewalk frame to draw their interpretation of various famous works of art or create their very own. Drawings will be photographed and judged. Prizes will be awarded. All ages | Free | 10:30a.m.-1p.m.

Photo courtesy of Torly Kid

A sidewalk artist at work during last year’s Sidewalk Chalk Contest organized by Torly Kid, 51 Hudson St. The second annual contest outside the Tribeca store will be Sat., Sept. 20, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play and Soccer for Preschoolers and Elementary Schoolers: See 9/16

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Toddler Story Time and Animal Habitats: See 9/17 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play, Wednesdays at Teardrop and Drop-in Chess: See 9/17

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE 88th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO See 9/12

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 HUDSON RIVER PARK Big City Fishing: See 9/14 THE 88th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO See 9/12

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers and Toddler Story Time: See 9/15 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play and Children’s Basketball: See 9/15

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

How a child learns to learn will impact his or her life forever. Progressive Education for Two-Year-Olds – 8th Grade

Open House | City and Country

a child learns tolearn learnwill will HowHow a child learns to Please visit www.cityandcountry.org for information and application materials. impact his or her lifeTel:forever. impact his orNew her life 146 West 13th Street, York, NY 10011forever. 212.242.7802 Wednesday, November 13, from 6-8pm

Progressive Education for Two-Year-Olds – 8th Grade

Open House | City and Country

OpenWednesday, Housey|, City and Country W e d n e s d aNovember N o v e m13, b efrom r 1 96-8pm , 6-8pm

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Wednesday, November 13, from 6-8pm BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Please visit www.cityandcountry.org for information Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers, Picture Please and materials. visitapplication www.cityandcountry.org for information Book Time and Book Buddies: Teens 146 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212.242.7802 and application materials. Read to Kids: See 9/16

146 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212.242.7802 August 28-September 10, 2014 September 11-September 24, 2014

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Photos by Rebecca Lepkoff

When the streets were their playground Rebecca Lepkoff, the photographer who died Aug. 17 at 98, famously captured the street life of her native Lower East Side in the 1940s and ’50s. At left, in a game of kick the can, “prisoners” who were tagged and in “jail” are liberated as a boy kicks the can. The wall is covered with “Vote Yes — Rabin — Supreme Court” posters, perhaps referring to then-Assemblymember Samuel Rabin, who was elected to the bench in 1954 and served as a judge until 1981. At right, children scale and play around in a snow mound.

Orchard St. plans Continued from page 17

the Williamsburg Bridge. “I would caution you against sanitizing Orchard St. too much. It’s part of its charm,” Karen Blatt, the committee’s chairperson, told Tim Laughlin, the BID’s executive director, who presented the plan. Laughlin said that some improvements were underway, such as installation of new trees. However, implementing much of the project depends on acquiring further funding, as well as additional design and cooperation with city agencies. The proposed plaza on Broome St. would require an additional design process, he added. The project’s overarching theme is “celebrating the past and looking to the future in a way that stays true to

the Lower East Side,” he added. Inviting local artists to participate is one way that the street could better reflect the surrounding neighborhood, suggested committee member Morris Faitelewicz, who specifically mentioned Jim “Mosaic Man” Power as a candidate for such outreach. Chad Marlow, another committee member, said the loss of community-oriented businesses along the street has diminished some of its uniqueness in recent years. However, the street must remain relevant in the coming years, he added. “And this may be it if it’s done in the right way,” he said during the meeting. According to the 47-page “Orchard Streetscape Manual,” developed in cooperation with the Pilot Projects Design collective, the “grove con-

September 11-September 24, 2014

cept” guided the design process. By placing street furniture and bike facilities together in various combinations, traffic is calmed and pedestrians and cyclists can enjoy additional space within a grove. Under the plan, groves would be placed at every corner of Orchard St. between Canal and E. Houston Sts. “It is a variant of what a slow zone does,” Laughlin explained. According to the study, the project aims to “build consensus” on the street’s future among residents, building owners and merchants. After a meticulous survey of the street, planners erected a 16-foot-long model of Orchard St. last winter as the centerpiece of a community design meeting hosted by the BID. About 55 residents

and Borough President Gale Brewer attended. “Using this approach,” the study notes, “the goals and many of the details, of the improvement plan were defined by the community itself.” The “historic neighborhood fabric” of Orchard St. is increasingly weaving itself into the surrounding neighborhood where real estate development has dramatically increased in recent years, according to the study. Pedestrian, bike and car traffic are also all on the rise, requiring greater synergy among them and the businesses lining the street. “Orchard St. has become a frontier for the artists and artisans that distinguish the Lower East Side from the towering business districts of Midtown and Downtown Manhattan,” the study notes. DowntownExpress.com

A high volume of poetic greatness

‘Best American’ anthology has brilliance, innovation, surprises ANTHOLOGY THE BEST AMERICAN POETRY 2014 Guest Editor, Terrance Hayes Series Editor, David Lehman 240 pages Scribner Hardcover: $35.00 Paperback: $18.99 E-book: $11.99 Visit thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com

BY PUMA PERL Last November, while on a West Coast poetry reading tour, I stayed for a few days at my friend Beverly’s San Francisco home. Beverly loves books more than anyone I know. Floor to ceiling shelves line every inch of available wall space, and there are additional cartons in the garage and in storage. Serendipitously, the guest room doubles as the Poetry Room, everything alphabetized and divided into categories and sub-categories. It was there that I discovered the Best American Poetry series in its entirety. I had come across a volume or two and was already an admirer of the work of the Senior Editor, David Lehman, but never before had I had access to all twenty-five volumes. Jet lagged and bleary eyed, I stayed up as long as possible, devouring volume after volume. The next afternoon I was still at it, vaguely annoyed when I had to stop and attend my own reading. As a poet, my knee-jerk reaction to anything labeled “best” is “How do you know?” or “By whose standards?” David Lehman’s 2011 introduction provided some insight into the editorial methods by exploring the concept of poetic greatness and the standards we use, and the ways in which an editor must suspend his own “natural resistance” to new forms and new ideas. This year’s Guest Editor, National Book Awardwinning poet Terrance Hayes, admits in his introduction to finding himself obsessing over the DowntownExpress.com

Courtesy of Scribner

concept of “best” and concluding that there are all kinds of “bests,” representing a “unity of contradictions.” What I will attest to, in all of these volumes, including the current one, is that there is brilliance, there is innovation, there are surprises, and there are no poems that I would unequivocally state are unworthy of inclusion. The series began in 1988, and employs a different poet as Guest Editor each year, who is responsible for the final selection. For the most part, the poems were published during the previous year. The first Guest Editor, John Ashbery, included a poem of his own, and appears in the current volume. David Lehman’s early practice of writing forewords has evolved into a “state of the art ” statement. In the current volume, he considers the ways in which the digital age has changed our language and thinking. Poetry may continue to be celebrated “if you can write in units of 140 keystrokes,” as a character from “Mad Men” states in the opening paragraph. Lehman points out two things that you can count on. First, that “people will keep writing as they adjust from one medium

to another,” and second, that articles will appear at regular intervals declaring that poetry is dead. The selected poems vary in form and are diverse in the choice of poets. They are arranged alphabetically, yet, magically, create links and form natural arrangements, probably because of the vision of the editor. Many anthologists spend countless hours creating order among their selections; I’ve found it to be one of the biggest challenges in my own solo collections. In this case the poems line up like children in size place, some of them rowdy, some quiet, some refusing to stand quietly in place. A poem by Ray Gonzalez, “One El Paso, Two El Paso” ends with the words five centuries praying in the beautiful dust as a young woman’s body is dragged from the river. The following entry, by Kathleen Graber, is titled “The River Twice,” which takes its title from a pre-Socratic philosopher, and concludes, A hymn with the chorus Every moment you shall be judged is followed by in which the choir shouts Praise! Stand up and be forgiven. To me, some of the gifts of the volume are these coincidences, cultural diversity connecting on artistic soil. Another aspect that distinguishes this series is a lengthy section (42 pages) of contributors’ notes and comments. Rather than the usual array of accomplishments and/or cute one-liners, an opportunity is provided for the poets to write about the published pieces. Olena Kalytiak Davis, whose entry, “It is to Have or Nothing” was one of my favorites, admits, “I don’t really like this poem.” She goes on to explain that the most interesting thing about it is all of the other poems that happened around it — “that they are part of the dirt!” Jon Sands, a thirty-one-year-old Brooklyn resident, created a new form in his poem, “Decoded,” in which he tried to “produce an effect similar to what you get when you examine a photograph beside its negative.” He adds that “without the work and personhood of Eboni Hogan” this poem could not have been written.” I’ve known Jon Sands for several years and his innovation and generosity of spirit are what you would expect from him. The kid is a mensch of the highest order and his work stands up equally on page and stage. He has built a community both with other poets and in the human service arena, Continued on page 27

September 11-September 24, 2014

Buhmann on Art

Township mother fights losing battle to keep son, age nine, from running off to live life on the streets. She tries to assert authority with threats: “What’s your future going to be like without an education?” But it is too late. The boy — called Papa — is out of control. From “House of Bondage” | 1967 | Gelatin silver print | 7 7/8 x 11 3/8 in. (20 x 29 cm).

There were no “blacks only” benches in Johannesburg — blacks sat on the curbstones. Gelatin silver print | 8 5/8 x 12 5/8 in. (22 x 32 cm).

BY Stephanie Buhmann (stephaniebuhmann.com)

ERNEST COLE: PHOTOGRAPHER Born in 1940, Ernest Cole was one of South Africa’s first black photojournalists. In 1958, when working as a darkroom assistant at DRUM magazine in Johannesburg, he began to acquaint other young black journalists, photographers, jazz musicians and political leaders in the burgeoning anti-apartheid movement. After becoming increasingly radicalized in his political views, he started working on a book that would communicate to the rest of the world the corrosive effects of South Africa’s apartheid system. In 1966, a year before said book with the title “House of Bondage” was published, Cole was forced out of South Africa for good. The images he captured before his exile — many of which will be on display — compassionately depict the lives of black people as they negotiated apartheid’s racist laws and oppression. Migrant mineworkers waiting to be discharged from labor, parks and benches for “Europeans Only,” young men arrested and handcuffed for entering cities without their passes, and crowds crammed into claustrophobic commuter trains are just some of the scenes that Cole focused on. While the cruel realities of segregation, destitution and violence weave through many of these moving images, others depict lighter, intimate moments between mothers and children, couples and friends. This exhibition will feature more than 100 rare black-and-white gelatin silver prints, accompanied

September 11-September 24, 2014

According to Struan Robertson, a photojournalist and a friend of Ernest Cole’s, tsotsis (thugs or street criminals) used the extreme crowding on black trains to rob passengers, especially on payday. From “House of Bondage” | 1967 | Gelatin silver print | 8 5/8 x 12 5/8 in. (22 x 32 cm).

by captions from “House of Bondage.” Organized by the Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg, Sweden, which holds Cole’s stunning archive, this marks the first major solo museum show of Cole’s work. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.

Through Dec. 6. At Grey Art Gallery (100 Washington Square East, btw. Waverly & Washington Places). Hours: Tues./Thurs. Fri. from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. | Wed., 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Call 212998-6780 or visit nuy.edu/greyart. DowntownExpress.com

What the great ones groove to, and why The One LP Project pairs famous fans with favorite recordings

Annie Ross, with Billie Holiday’s “The Lady in Satin.”

BY SCOTT STIFFLER From Graham Nash beaming with pride at the “Sgt. Pepper’s” album to Al Jarreau giving Les Double Six a thumbs up, to Johnny Marr paying Iggy and the Stooges’ “Raw Power” some

somber respect: The One LP Project reminds us that those we have on heavy rotation started out as humble, ravenous fans. Determined to provide “a compelling insight into how this music often sets out the course of their lives,” British photographer William Ellis spoke with 50 musicians about the deep connection they felt with a particular recording. This exhibit (the very first for its host venue) will have QR code links to the interviews, alongside its equally candid and revealing portraits. The opening night event, at which Ellis will take photos of those in attendance cradling their own favorite recording, is sold out. Another session has been

added: Sat., Sept. 20, 2–4 p.m. The $100 fee benefits the ARChive of Contemporary Music — a noble non-profit music library and industry research center that knows how to throw a party (contact them to attend, or become a member and snag an invite to their impending Holiday Record + CD Sale opening night shingdig). “The One LP Project” is a free exhibit, at the ARChive of Contemporary Music (54 White St., 3 blocks south of Canal St., btw. Broadway & Church Sts.). Sept. 19–Oct. 3. Mon.–Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. For info, call 212-226-6967 or visit arcmusic.org. Also visit onelp.com.

Ron Carter, with his copy of Leonard Bernstein & The NY Philharmonic’s recording of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony.”

SUMMER SAILING CAMPS &Žƌ ũƵŶŝŽƌƐ Θ ƚĞĞŶƐ͘ ^ƚĂƌƟŶŐ Ăƚ ΨϯϵϬ ƉĞƌ ǁĞĞŬ͘ All info at www.nyharborsailing.com DowntownExpress.com

September 11-September 24, 2014

Just Do Art BY SCOTT STIFFLER

NICO: UNDERGROUND Personapalooza! It’s yesterday once more, when Theater for the New City hosts 1960s Warhol superstar and Velvet Underground centerpiece Nico. Born Christa Päffgen in pre-war Cologne, Germany, she’d grow up to assume the guise of a Teutonic chanteuse who captivated Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Jim Morrison — while making her mark as a distinctive artist whose glum monotone was (and is!) ripe for parody. Something much more than that is offered by gifted satirist Tammy Lang. A longtime NYC performance scene presence as country/ gospel crooner Tammy Faye Starlite, Lang as Starlite channels the singer/songwriter’s genuine greatness and undeniable goofiness, in “Nico: Underground.” Anchored by Starlite’s dead-on vocal performance, the show func-

tions as a jukebox musical (a “cavalcade of non-hits”) as well as a recreation of actual encounters Nico had with journalists (via Jeff Ward’s portrayal of The Interviewer). While Nico’s dour worldview is played for laughs, this production has genuine artistic merit. Starlite does a fascinating job of coaxing emotion from that iconic monotone, and the classic songs (including “Femme Fatale” and “I’ll Be Your Mirror”) benefit from the top-notch musicianship of Keith Hartel (bass, guitar), Richard Feridun (guitar), Ron Miracle Metz (drums), Dave Dunton (keyboard) and Craig Hoek (sax, flute). Sept. 11–28. Thurs.–Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 3 p.m. In the Cabaret Theater, at Theater for the New City (155 First Ave., btw. 9th & 10th Sts.). Tickets: $15. For reservations, visit theaterforthenewcity. net. For info on the artist: facebook. com/tammyfayestarlite. Twitter: @ tammyfayenyc.

music&art

Photo by Bob Gruen

Photo by Peculiar Works Project

She’ll be your mirror: “Nico: Underground” reconsiders the artistic legacy of a woman who was much more than a Warhol muse.

Three men and a doctor all play God, in the sanctuary of Judson Memorial Church. See “3Christs.”

3CHRISTS

God — to varying degrees of success. As the delusional patients are manipulated by a series of indisputable truths and convenient lies, the nurse charged with overseeing their day-to-day existence begins to question both the ethics and effectiveness of destroying one’s core belief system. “Perhaps,” she reasons, “psychosis represents the best terms some people can come to with their lives.” Through Sept. 28. Thurs.–Sun. at 7 p.m. In the sanctuary of Judson Memorial Church (55 Washington Square South, at Thompson St.). For tickets ($18), call 866-811-4111 or visit peculiarworks.org.

Peculiar Works Project continues their tradition of site-specific productions, by setting “3Christs” in the sanctuary of Judson Memorial Church. Co-playwrights SM Dale and Barry Rowell based their script on a psychological study that took place in Michigan’s Ypsilanti State Hospital from 1959-61. Betting that he can cure three paranoid schizophrenics with one harsh dose of reality, Dr. Milton forces them to live together. Eventually, he reasons, all will have to admit that they can’t possibly be the one true Jesus Christ. Good intentions, bad idea. The overconfident doctor soon finds himself playing

summer Starting June 23rd n

n n

Programs for students of ALL AGES! Music & Art Camps Private & Group Instrumental Birthday Parties & Space Rentals

212-571-7290

74 Warren Street www.churchstreetschool.org 26

September 11-September 24, 2014

DowntownExpress.com

The Best American Poetry 2014 points out, Whitman wrote an essay in 1888 forecasting the demise of poetry in fifty years “owing to the special tendency to science and to its all-devouring force.” Hayes ends his introductory interview with these words: “The poems are here as proof. They are a gift to you whom I was thinking of all along the way. How you might, on an overcast day, criticize my choices. How you might, on a well-lit day, salute what I salute, and be transformed as I have been transformed.” How, maybe, you might even write a poem.

Continued from page 23

providing well received workshops in harm reduction settings. I decided to have a conversation with him about his inclusion in the series and his view of the state of the art. I was curious about how the selection process played out for him. “I received a fairly nondescript email about possible inclusion in ‘an anthology,’ and I’m really glad I wrote back,” he explained. He later learned that the Guest Editor reads as much published work as possible for a year, and curates from there. It is telling that Sands’ piece was originally appeared in “Rattle,” which publishes in several forms, including online, and whose mission is solely “to promote the practice of poetry.” I noted that despite the complexity of his piece, a sly humor also emerged. “I believe that ninety-nine percent of the discoveries in my life that I have been most proud of would not have been possible without a sense of play. My hope is that the sense of play, dark humor, and the undeniable pain (and growth) that can accompany not looking away are all-present in the poem.” Sands had just returned from a residency at the Blue Mountain Center in Upstate New York when we spoke, and I asked him about the experience. “The residency was transformative and productive,” he responded. “The true benefit for me has come in its wake. But, like most profoundly transformative spaces, you’re not meant to stay there. You’re meant to take it with you on your journey into the difficult and

2014 Best American Poetry contributor Jon Sands made his solo collection debut in 2011, with “The New Clean.”

Learn more about Jon Sands at jonsands.com. His collection, “The New Clean,” is available at bookstores or online, at powells.com/ biblio/61-9781935904267-0. His favorite show of the year is coming up Sat., Sept. 13, 7-9 p.m., at The Firehouse Space (246 Frost St., Brooklyn), hosted by Sands and Adam Falkner, with special guests a cappella trio Saheli. Tickets are $12, $8 for students and veterans.

Barnes & Noble, in love with poems, words and each others’ spirits, and I remembered when that was me. On the floor in the Eighth Street Bookstore, or the back of the Fillmore, or going through records in Free Being, in love with the moment of discovery. For many people, it’s only new once, but artists get to continually transform. The torch has not only passed, it returns to light the fires under those who thought hope was lost. And that is why I like this series so much. It brings hope. As Lehman

Puma Perl and Friends will appear at Moscow 57 (168 Delancey St.) on Thurs., Sept. 18, 9:00. The next Puma Perl Pandemonium is Friday, Sept. 26, 7-9:30, at the Bowery Electric Map Room (327 Bowery), and includes featured guests Michael Anthony Alago, Annie Sauter and Jim Petrie, Alison Gordy, Johnny Young and a cast of regulars: Puma Perl and Friends, Joff Wilson, Walter Steding, Danny Ray, Angello Olivieri, Joe Sztabnik, Jeff Ward and Rick Eckerle. Admission to both events are free.

Courtesy of the artist

beautiful world.” The description of the world as “difficult and beautiful” is what I have come to expect from him. Sands’ first solo collection, “The New Clean,” was published in 2011 and I attended the book release party. Some moments stay with you. I was greatly moved by the sense of community and the love present among the participants and the audience. I specifically recall Sands’ friend, Jeanann Verlee, who is also a favorite poet of mine, describing their friendship, hours spent on the floor of

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