Downtown Express

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 3

FEBRUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Photo by Milo Hess

Cra n e c r a s h A 565-foot crawler crane crashed down along two blocks of Worth St. in Tribeca on Friday, killing one man and injuring three other people.

The crane’s crew was in the middle of preparing the boom for high winds when accident occurred, prompting the city tighten rules on securing cranes when strong gusts are forecasted. For more on the catastrophe, and the city’s response, see page 2.

Photo by Yannic Rack

The Downtown leaders who revived the Lower Manhattan School Overcrowding Task Force — including, from right, Community Board 1 chairwoman Chatherine McVay Hughes, Councilmember Margaret Chin, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and State Sen. Daniel Squadron — attempt a jedi mind trick to convince School Construction Authority chief of staff Melanie La Rocca, at left, to add more classroom seats to the school planned for 77 Greenwich St.

BY YANNIC RACK t was perhaps the second-most-anticipated sequel ever.

The newly revived Lower Manhattan School Overcrowding

I

Task Force held its first meeting last week since the downfall of its disgraced founder, convicted former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. But the focus wasn’t on the past — instead it was on the

1 MET ROT E CH • NYC 112 01 • COPYRIG HT © 2016 N YC COMMU N ITY MED IA , LLC

future of a new school planned for the Financial District.

Downtown parents, principals, activists, and elected offiSCHOOL WARS Continued on page 6

CRANE WRECK

Tribeca tragedy spurs some reforms, but locals demand more oversight

BY YAN N I C RA CK The deadly crane collapse in Tribeca last week was a wakeup call for construction-weary Downtowners, who say that tighter safety rules will be useless if the city cuts back on oversight.

Two days after a 565-foot crawler crane toppled over onto Worth St. and crushed a 38-year-old man, Mayor de Blasio announced new rules on securing cranes for high winds, and left open the possibility of further restrictions in the future.

“We’re going to leave no stone unturned in terms of learning from this accident and determining if we need other safety measures going forward,” the mayor said at a press conference in Tribeca on Sunday.

“We all know there is a construction boom going on in our city, [but] there’s no building that is worth a person’s life.”

But Lower Manhattan’s leaders say that the fatal accident shows the need not only for better safety rules, but also better coordination of Downtown’s many construction projects.

“We’ve been calling for more construction safety and coordination for a very long time now, and unfortunately we have a tragic wake-up call today,” Catherine McVay Hughes, chair of Community Board 1, said at a press conference in front of the toppled crane on Friday.

Hughes and fellow Downtown leaders said the crane crash came at a critical moment — right as the city’s Dept. of Transportation is preparing to shutter its office dedicated to coordinating construction projects in Lower Manhattan.

“We have got to put a stop to this,” said Councilmember Margaret Chin of the imminent closure.

“There’s too many construction projects down here, and we need better coordination from the city.”

The department announced in December that it was “phasing out” its Lower Manhattan Borough Commissioner’s Office — charged with inter-agency communication on around 90 major ongoing construction projects below Canal St. — in March, due to lack of funding.

Photo by Tequila Minsky

Falling debris knocked loose by the toppling crane injured three passers by, one seriously.

2

February 11 – February 24, 2016

Photo by Milo Hess

(Above) The falling crane boom killed one person and crushed several cars parked along Worth St. (Right) Tribeca resident Bruce Ehrmann, points to his building on Worth St. where he was when the crane collapsed, said the terror he and his wife felt during the thundering crash was “worse than 9/11.”

Photo by Yannic Rack

“We’re urging the mayor to put more resources into the Lower Manhattan [office], and we need more attention down here to make sure that this kind of tragedy does not happen again,” said Chin.

Neither the mayor’s office nor the Dept. of Transportation responded to a request for comment on the issue by press time.

The crane-safety plan the mayor announced on Sunday requires crawler cranes — which run on treads like a bulldozer — to be secured whenever steady winds are forecasted to exceed 20mph, replacing the previous threshold of 25mph.

Fines for failure to safeguard equipment were more than doubled to $10,000, and rules on protecting pedestrian safety during crane operations and requirements for advance notification of crane activities were sharpened.

Investigations into the crane collapse are still ongoing, including a forensic investigation of the equipment itself, as well as probes by the police and the Dept. of Buildings.

On Friday, the mayor also ordered all of the city's 376 active crawler cranes to be inspected by the Dept. of Buildings before they are put back into service.

The collapsed crane, which was based at the corner of Worth and Hudson Sts., toppled over just before 8:30 a.m., crashing down along two blocks of Worth St. As the crane fell, it damaged four neighboring buildings, raining debris down onto

the sidewalk below.

David Wichs, a 38-year-old trading firm employee from the Upper West Side, was killed by the impact and three more people were hurt by falling debris, according to city officials. One of them, 73-year-old Thomas O’Brien, was in serious condition with a head laceration, according to police. The other two passers by sustained minor injuries.

For Downtowners along Worth St., the extremely loud and incredibly close catastrophe evoked traumatic memories.

“We fell down in our apartment, it was worse than 9/11, the sensation,” said Bruce Ehrmann, who lives on the block where the crane was stationed and was at home with his wife when it collapsed. “She was screaming, we both were. It was terrifying.”

Diane Lapson, who lives nearby, said her daughter thought it was some sort of natural disaster.

“My daughter came out of her room and said, ‘Mom I think we just had an earthquake. My whole room shook,’” said Lapson, though for her, the incident recalled a manmade cataclysm.

“Almost immediately we started hearing sirens,” she said. “And in this neighborhood, when you hear sirens after a big jolt, your antennas go up. It brings back a lot of memories of 9/11.”

The crane, which is owned by Bay Crane and operated by Galasso CRANE WRECK Continued on page 16

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

3

No sleep ’til morning Late-night construction ‘torture’ has Downtowners demanding changes

BY YAN N I C RA CK The city that never sleeps is living up to its reputation Downtown, where latenight construction is making it impossible for some to get a good night’s rest.

Residents in Lower Manhattan say they are constantly assaulted by afterhours construction work, and local lawmakers warn that the problem could get even worse due to less city oversight.

“We are being tortured,” said Michelle Noguchi, who lives on Hanover Square and claims the deafening noise from dump trucks and jackhammering routinely keeps her up past 2 a.m. “It’s everywhere. It’s really making me question having moved to this neighborhood in the first place,” she said.

Noguchi is not the only one losing sleep over the issue — last year, the Dept. of Buildings received 3,773 complaints for after-hours construction across the city.

“When it’s going on, sometimes past 11 p.m., it’s deafening,” agreed John St. resident Patrick Kennell, head of the newly formed Financial District Neighborhood

Association. “It does keep people up, especially families with kids. In the summertime, we can’t keep our windows open, because of the noise, but also because of dust and debris.”

The D.O.B. issues wwork permits called After Hours Variances, which allow work after 6 p.m. and before 7 a.m. on weekdays, and are necessary for construction at any time on the weekend.

The Dept. of Transportation also issues permits when the work spills over onto the sidewalk or street, as is the case with many projects.

“After Hours Variances are granted primarily when it’s safer or less disruptive to a neighborhood to perform the work at night or on weekends,” said a Dept. of Buildings spokesperson. “For example, variances are granted for work done near schools or public spaces, for heavy construction work that might require sidewalks to be closed to protect pedestrians, or for work that would cause traffic gridlock if it’s done during the day.”

But out of those thousands of com-

Photo courtesy of Michelle Noguchi

Hanover Square resident Michelle Noguchi said after-hours construction like this routinely keeps her awake past 2 a.m.

plaints, the agency only issued 54 violations last year, which means most of the work was properly permitted.

And according to lawmakers across the city, that’s precisely the problem.

Last December, 20 elected officials signed a letter to First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris, demanding the city stop

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

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HUNGRY REDHEAD Police say a hapless, knife-wielding mugger with a distinctive red dye job had a snack attack at a Spring St. store last week.

He was caught on camera at the Spring Iconic Sweet Shop near Sullivan St. at around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 when he grabbed two $1.49 bags of Cheetos and tried to flee, according to police.

A shop employee tried the stop the crimson-coiffed culprit, earning himself a painful kick in the leg, which caused him to fall and cut his finger, police said.

Police say the suspect — described as in his 20s, 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, with distinctive red hair — is wanted for questioning in connection with three subway robberies last week: A man was slashed with a knife on a northbound C train on Jan. 31 by a redhead who unsuccessfully attempted to take his phone.

On Feb. 2, a man awoke on a northbound 4 train to fi nd a similar-looking perp cutting open his pocket with a razor. When the man tried to restrain the would-be thief, the scarlet scoundrel punched him, but still fled empty handed.

Aside from the double-dose of chips, police believe the ruby rapscallion’s only success came a short time after that Feb. 3 caper, when an individual matching his vermillion description snatched an iPad from a woman on a northbound C train and fled.

Photo courtesy of NYPD

Police say this tomato-top stole two bags of chips from a Spring St. shop, and is wanted in connection with three subway robberies.

Greene St. from 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6 until 3:15 a.m. the next morning.

When the 46-year-old owner returned after a shift of taking pictures at the Haus NYC nightclub nearby, he noticed that the rear passenger-side window was broken, and a leather jacket and photo equipment worth more than $3,700 were missing from the car, according to police.

Less than an hour later, at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7, a partygoer attending the same nightclub returned to his 2015 Infiniti sedan parked a block away, at 15 Wooster St., only to find one of the windows had been smashed as well, police say.

The 20-year-old victim told police that he was missing almost $3,000 worth of designer attire, including a $700 Michael Kors bag, a $1,500 Luis Vuitton bag, a $300 Michael Kors wallet and a $400 Burberry jacket.

It was not immediately clear whether police believed the two incidents were related.

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A visitor from New Hampshire might not be inclined to return to New York anytime soon, after his car and more than $11,000 worth of stuff — including 20 harmonicas — were stolen in Soho.

Police say the 51-year-old victim parked his light blue Toyota Prius in front of 35 Wooster St. around 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. But when he returned later to get his wallet, the $14,000 sedan was gone.

In addition to the car, the man is missing a $4,000 Apple laptop, $250 portable speakers, a $150 acoustic guitar, 20 harmonicas worth a total of $450, $2,500 in cash and clothes worth $4,000.

Two men knocked out a teenager on a northbound A train in the early hours of Monday morning, after they stole his wallet and threatened him with a knife, police say.

The 19-year-old victim was on his way to his home in the Bronx just after midnight on Monday, Feb. 1, when one of the perps took the teen’s wallet out of his pocket just before the train pulled into the Fulton St. station, according to police.

When he took a step towards the pickpocket and asked, “What are you doing?” the second mugger pulled out a gravity knife and held it to the victim’s neck, according to the report.

The teen told police that the knife-wielding criminal then grabbed his arm and punched him in the head, knocking him out cold.

According to the report, when the train reached 190th St. he woke up — without his wallet, which contained a green card, social security card and $160 in cash.

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DOUBLE CAR THEFT It was a bad night out in Soho for two Staten Island men who both had their cars looted in the same night last weekend, according to police.

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

5

Children’S denTal healTh MonTh

Why growing teeth need a specialist

By Dr. Tanesha Francis

As someone who specializes in the treatment and care of little people’s teeth, parents often ask me how important it is to take children to a pediatric dentist. In fact, many don’t realize that this is an option in the first place.

Yes, there are options! There are dentists, like me, who specialize in the unique needs of infants, children, and young teens’ teeth. Alternatively, there are family dentists who are qualified to care for patients of all ages.

Naturally, I believe that pediatric dentists are the way to go when parents have the option, and here are my reasons:

Teeth development in children Think 6 plus 6! Generally speaking, a baby’s first teeth will begin to break through at 6 months; those teeth will stay put until about age 6, when they begin to fall out and be replaced by permanent, adult teeth. Although children lose

their first set of teeth, poor oral care in those early years can lead to issues and disease that lasts throughout life.

A pediatric dentist specializes in instructing families on how to care for teeth before there are even teeth!

Parents often think of troublesome sicknesses such as asthma and allergies; however, dental problems such as early childhood caries (an in-

SCHOOL WARS Continued from page 1

cials sat down with representatives from the School Construction Authority on Feb. 5 to push for more classroom space and facilities at the 476-seat school slated for 77 Greenwich St. “We’re in a situation where, because of the shortages [in school seats and community facilities], we need this school to be a lot of things to a lot of people,” said Tricia Joyce, co-chair of Community Board 1’s Youth and Education Committee.

“We need to think into the future a little bit with this one.”

Downtowners have long complained that the city’s planning for new schools has lagged far behind the recent surge in Lower Manhattan’s population.

Just looking at the new residential developments announced since the city’s last school-needs assessment, CB1 will need more than 500 additional school seats beyond those now promised at Greenwich St. just to keep up with current demand, according to Downtown resident Eric Greenleaf.

“In other words, a school that is larger than this new school that has just been announced,” Greenleaf said.

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

fectious disease also known as baby bottle tooth decay or bottle rot) are five times as common.

What sets pediatric dentists apart Pediatric dentists have a lot to learn! Unlike general dentists, pediatric dentists are required to complete up to three additional years of specialty training in the unique needs

And that’s using the city’s notoriously stingy formula for calculating the need for new seats. The city assumes that 100 new residential units will bring only 12 new elementary school students to a neighborhood — or 0.12 kids per household.

“The city’s formula for determining the need for school seats is totally outdated. We need a more realistic assessment.” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who was one the local elected officials who took up the cause of the task force — along with Councilmember Margaret Chin, State Sen. Daniel Squadron, and Borough President Gale Brewer — after Silver’s conviction on federal corruption charges last year.

Even with the city’s miserly formula, no one can deny that Downtown has an urgent need to build more schools. A survey of planned residential units by CB1 shows that Lower Manhattan can expect at least 6,000 new apartments in the next few years. So by the city’s own formula, the area will need at least another 720 new school seats.

“There’s no indication that the growing residential development will slow down,” said CB1’s planning and land-use director Diana Switaj.

of children’s teeth.

Some of the topics we study that are unique to working with children include behavior management, pediatric pharmacology, interceptive orthodontics, speech, minor oral surgery, sedation, traumatic injuries, dental care for children with developmental disabilities, and more.

Since the dental journey includes growing a first set, losing them, and then growing an adult set, there’s a lot to keep up with during each stage.

We specialize in helping families make it a healthy journey from the start. We also offer key advice on maintenance through those critical candyand-sweets-eating years.

Specialized treatment options Parents know that taking care of children — especially health exams like regular dentist visits — can be stressful at times. Pediatric dentists are great at knowing how to make visits as painless and pleas-

The S.C.A. reps were receptive to the community’s requests, but also made clear that the possibility for negotiations was limited when bargaining with the developers.

“It’s very early, we’re working with the developer now. We’ll be in touch as we go through the design process, which should be done by the end of the summer,” said S.C.A. spokesman Michael Mirisola. “We’ll certainly take all your concerns back and try your best to give you everything you’re looking for. But I can’t promise you that you will get everything you want.”

Paul Hovitz, co-chair of CB1’s Youth and Education Committee, suggested that the community would support letting the developer build more floors in exchange for a larger school.

“Whatever it takes, within reason for the quality of life and the community,” he said.

But S.C.A. chief of staff Melanie La Rocca said that Trinity Place Holdings, the owner of the site, was already allowed to build a high tower as-ofright, and its plans wouldn’t depend on any concessions.

“It’ll be a negotiated deal with the developer. We do have a framework deal with them now,” La Rocca said.

ant as possible. Our offices are full of color, activities, and warmth that can make kids’ experiences fun and educational, too. Dentists often recommend dental appliances and corrective treatments during the childhood and adolescent years.

We also have the most upto-date knowledge about treatment options and advancements in the field for children.

And in the end, children and teens are all about the “cool factor” with a pediatric dentist, our finger is on the pulse of colorful and engaging tools and appliances that will keep them interested in their own dental health.

We all want the best for children. When it comes to keeping their mouths, teeth, and gums healthy for the long haul, a pediatric dentist just makes sense!

Dr. Francis can be found at Park Slope Kids Dental Care [150 Fourth Ave. between Douglas and Butler streets in Park Slope, (718) 488–0200].

“We’re still happy to have a new school, but we were clearly hoping to hear more,” said Wendy Chapman, a local parent and co-founder of the advocacy group Build Schools Now. “We have this opportunity now, especially since things are still on the drawing board,” she said, adding that she hoped the elected officials would try lobbying the developers directly as well.

After the meeting, the attendees said they were hopeful, but said they would not let up pressure on the S.C.A., which has agreed to meet every month to report on progress.

The new Greenwich St. school will be included within the mixed-use development planned for the site of the former Syms discount clothing store between Rector and Edgar Sts., expected to begin construction later this year and be completed in 2019. The 500foot tower will include about 85 luxury condominiums and 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail on Greenwich St., in addition to the long-awaited school.

What it won’t include, according to the S.C.A. officials, is the full gym and separate auditorium that locals were hoping for.

“Gymnatoriums are our standard,” La Rocca said.

DowntownExpress.com

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DowntownExpress.com

February 11 – February 24, 2016

7

Happy Lunar New Year!

It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

Performers from the New York Chinese Cultural Center came to the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place to ring in the Year of the Monkey with a showcase of Chinese dance, traditional music, and martial arts in a celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Downtown Councilmember Margaret Chin introduced the show, and even Sen. Charles Schumer showed up to wish the crowd a happy new year. SportsNet New York sportscaster Michelle Yu served as emcee.

In addition to the swirling Red Ribbon Dance, the Yun Nan Fan Dance, fastpaced martial arts — and, of course, the iconic Lion Dance — viewers were treated to a visit by the Monkey King himself.

(1) The Monkey King showed up to welcome the Year of the Monkey. (2) The show featured traditional dances. (3) The performance also included live music on Chinese instruments. (4) The boisterous Lion Dance delighted the audience.

Photos by Milo Hess

School kids team up to help shelter cats A group of sixth graders from Lower Manhattan Community Middle School got together to support a local animal rescue project for their service day last month.

They sold hot chocolate to teachers and fellow students every morning and lunch period for a week to raise money, and raked in more than $160.

Their teacher Jessica Kelman said the kids were “super excited to give it to the kittens.”

On Jan. 15, Kelman brought her students to Shelter Chic, a boutique that sells high-end pet accessories to support its work with rescue animals, to donate the cash and learn about pet adoption.

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

The kids also brought materials from home to make cat toys for the rescue strays they would meet at Shelter Chic.

Jackson McCormick, 12, used a Snapple bottle, a toilet paper roll, some string and a small pill bottle to make a tetherball cat toy.

But for the most part, the kids were more interested in playing with the cats, than that cats were in playing with the toys.

“We met two cats, Adele and Gus,” said McCormick, “Gus was more of a chill cat. Adele was more energetic. She’s a little feisty. She’d hiss at you if you touched her too much.”

Photo by Milo Hess

Lower Manhattan Community Middle School teacher Jessica Kelman, at left, brought kids from her sixth-grade class to Shelter Chic to learn about animal rescue and adoption.

DowntownExpress.com

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B Y YA N N I C RAC K The city may have reached a deal to reduce the helicopter-tour traffic by half, but residents of Lower Manhattan say they still want a law banning the noisy birds from the city.

John Dellaportas, who has lived in Battery Park City for 22 years, said he felt betrayed by the councilmembers who were pushing to ban the industry, which operates exclusively out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and has long been a nuisance to residents along the Hudson River.

“It’s a complete sell-out by our elected officials. They promised us they were going to try to enact a complete ban, and instead, behind our backs, cut a deal with the helicopter industry,” said Dellaportas, who also heads the advocacy group Stop The Chop NYNJ. The arrangement was hammered out not by the Council, but by the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which owns the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, to preempt the far more drastic legislation proposed by city lawmakers that would effectively banish the helicopter-tour industry from Manhattan.

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have to cut half of all flights at the Pier 6 heliport near The Battery by January 2017, and end all flights on Sundays by April 1 this year. The cutback will be phased in over the course of the year, with a 20-percent reduction from 2015 levels beginning June 1, and a 40-percent reduction by Oct. 1. The city estimates that by this time next year, the agreement will have eliminated nearly 30,000 helicopter flights annually, but Dellaportas is not impressed.

“The helicopters will continue to fly, ten hours a day, six days a week,” he said. “It’s still a pretty steady din, so I don’t think this will have any less impact for us.”

Those that have lived near the copters for years — with flights thundering in an out of the heliport 28 times every hour during the day — said last week that the agreement doesn’t go far enough.

Shortly after the deal was announced, Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee unanimously passed a resolution urging the CHOPPED Continued on page 17

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Zombie sheds haunt Downtown State bills aim to curb long-term scaffolding and sidewalk sheds

BY YAN N I C RA CK Residents and business owners in Lower Manhattan are looking to Albany for relief from the plague of sidewalk sheds that have encrusted so many Downtown blocks and often linger for years whether they’re needed or not.

A set of bills introduced by state lawmakers aims to kick the zombie sheds to the curb by requiring building owners take them down unless

work is ungoing, rather than leave them looming unnecessarily over the sidewalks, where they become a nuisance for those underneath.

“Your business is failing, because you’re literally left in the dark.

It’s terrible,” said Ann Benedetto, whose boutique in Tribeca has been shrouded by scaffolding for months at a time over the past few years.

Benedetto estimates that the sidewalk shed around her shop, which

Small-biz selfhelp in Tribeca

BY YAN N I C RA CK Tribeca’s small business owners are pushing back against chain stores and empty storefronts at the first public meeting of the neighborhood’s new business alliance later this month.

“We really have to do something to keep this neighborhood alive, and that’s what we’re trying,” said Tribeca Alliance president Ann Benedetto, who started the group last year out of frustration with permanent scaffolding outside her boutique on W. Broadway.

The Tribeca Alliance already has around 135 members from across the neighborhood, which Benedetto said demonstrates the need for a united front to address issues such as construction, trash, and traffic — not to mention the area’s abandoned storefronts, which more often than not are eventually filled by chains stores or bank branches.

“The real estate of these commercial spaces is going so sky-high that only corporations and banks are able to afford it. If you’re a small, privately owned business, you don’t have a chance,” Benedetto told Downtown Express in November when she launched the group.

At an organizational meeting last month, the group formed a ten-member steering committee, elected officers, and chose a slogan: “Shop small, spend local.”

A group of volunteers is now busy building a website and phone app, as well as putting together maps, a video, logos, and signage to present at the

10

February 11 – February 24, 2016

Photo by Yannic Rack

Local business owner Ann Benedetto started the Tribeca Alliance out of frustration over scaffolding around her boutique, and the invasion of chain stores and bank branches pushing small businesses out of the neighborhood.

public meeting, whose agenda is still open for suggestions.

Benedetto said she is also inviting local elected officials to attend, in the hope that they’ll take notice and get behind the coalition’s efforts. She wants a big turnout from local businesses to show them the group deserves clout.

“We have to show up in numbers, so they know we mean business,” she said.

The Tribeca Alliance’s first public meeting is on Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Millenium Hilton hotel on Church St. near the World Trade Center.

Photo by Yannic Rack

Locals complain that the scaffolding around 20 Exchange Pl. has been up for more than four years.

stretches all the way around the corner windows she pays so much rent for, has cost her more than $200,000 in revenue since 2013.

And Benedetto isn’t alone in her frustration. Community activists around Downtown cite several sidewalk sheds that have been up as long as four or five years.

“The situation is out of control. I’ve been following this for a long time,” said Arthur Piccolo, the chairman of the Bowling Green Association.

Piccolo said he surveyed the Financial District to flag the worst offenders — such as 20 and 40 Exchange Pl., which have had scaffolding up for around four and five years, respectively.

“There are eight properties within a couple-hundred yards of Wall and Broad Streets that have been up for at least three years,” Piccolo said. “It’s egregious.”

Now the outrage is being heard all the way in Albany.

“We hear complaints about it fairly frequently, both from commercial enterprises and from residents,” said Lower Manhattan Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who co-sponsored the shed-shedding bill.

The scaffolding not only blocks the view of businesses, but over the long term, the sheds can collect trash, create hazards for pedestrians and erode local quality of life, she said.

“It creates a dark area, debris can accumulate. If it’s not properly lit, it

can be a safety concern,” Glick said.

In addition to the unintended consequences, Glick suspects that some persistent scaffolding could even be part of a more nefarious agenda.

“And it does sometimes appear that it is being used as a vehicle for driving either people out of their homes or businesses [into giving up] their lease,” she said.

The bills in the State Senate and Assembly would only allow extensions to sidewalk shed permits if the scaffolding was necessary for construction work at least 10 days every month in the previous year.

There are currently around 7,700 of the wood-and-steel structures scattered around the city, according to the Dept. of Buildings, which issues permits for scaffolding whenever building owners build, inspect, or make repairs to the façades. And even the city admits that many of the sidewalk sheds have outlived their usefulness.

The Dept. of Buildings recently performed a sweep of all sidewalk sheds in the city and found that more than 150 of them were no longer required, according to a spokesman — and that wasn’t the only problem they found.

“Inspectors looked for safety problems and common eyesores that reduce people’s quality of life, including sheds that haven’t been SCAFFOLDING Continued on page 21

DowntownExpress.com

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

11

VICTORY! Council co-names Bowling Green in remembrance of Evacuation Day

BY BI L L E G B E RT Faced with outrage at its initial refusal to honor America’s victory in the Revolutionary War, the Council finally voted last week to co-name Downtown’s Bowling Green as “1783 Evacuation Day Plaza.”

Evacuation Day, on Nov. 25, commemorates the day in 1783 when the British finally abandoned their occupation of Lower Manhattan as George Washington made his triumphant return to New York with a parade down Broadway.

Bowling Green was the site of that day’s most poignant moment, when a former prisoner of war named John Van Arsdale managed to climb the greased flagpole where the departing British had nailed a Union Jack, and replace it with the Stars and Stripes, just before Washington’s arrival.

“Celebrated by New Yorkers for more than a century, Evacuation Day symbolized the triumph of liberty, self-determination,

and democracy over the forces of tyranny,” said Councilmember Margaret Chin, who sponsored the proposal to co-name the park. “It is my hope that with this official designation, Evacuation Day will again take its rightful place in the rich and colorful history of our City, which played such a vital role in the great American experiment that continues today.”

For one of the proposal’s main backers, the overcoming the Council’s initial resistance was Downtown’s own small triumph over another sort of tyranny.

“What we were truly battling was a disdain and ignorance about our history.

There never should have been a battle to gain approval of Evacuation Day Plaza by the City Council. But then again, it never should have taken a revolution for Americans to win their freedom,” said Arthur Piccolo, head of the Bowling Green Association and co-founder of the Lower Manhattan Historical Society.

Councilmember Chin announced

Photo courtesy of Arthur Piccolo

Downtown’s Councilmember Margaret Chin, center, beams in the Council chamber as she holds up the “Evacuation Day Plaza” sign just approved for Bowling Green, flanked by Lower Manhattan Historical Society co-founder James Kaplan on the left, and Bowling Green Association head Arthur Piccolo on the right.

the co-naming proposal at last year’s Evacuation Day ceremony, even unveiling an “Evacuation Day Plaza” sign in anticipation of its swift approval, since the Council routinely supports co-namings endorsed by the local member.

So when the parks and recreation committee scheduled a vote last month to approve more than 40 street co-namings, supporters of the “Evacuation Day Plaza” proposal were stunned to discover that it had been struck from the list.

Council staff explained the rejection by pointing to the official guidelines for

street co-namings, which limit the practice to honoring individuals or groups for outstanding civic service, rather than commemorating something as abstract as an event or holiday.

But the list of co-namings the parks committee was set to approve at its hearing last month included such abstractions as “Diversity Plaza” in Queens, “Ragamuffin Way” in Brooklyn, and “Hip Hop Boulevard” in the Bronx.

With outraged supporters of VICTORY Continued on page 13

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

DowntownExpress.com

Whole Foods in Fidi could lower locals’ grocery bills

BY ATO O SA M O I N Z A DE H Only in the Financial District could a Whole Foods make grocery shopping cheaper.

Amid the rumors that the famously pricy gourmet grocer is eying a prime location in the Financial District, residents are hoping that it could free them from dependence on even pricier grocery delivery services.

“It would be massively convenient for people who live down here — a lot of people Photo by Associated Press / Tony Dejak here do a lot of online grocery A Whole Foods in Fidi could actually lead to shopping, and it would give lower food bills for locals, who currently rely on us a good option for a lot of pricey grocery delivery services. good gourmet stuff,” said Fidi resident Patrick Kennell, who frequently for supermarkets. With retail space at a uses services like FreshDirect, Instacart, premium, the neighborhood has yet to and AmazonFresh to feed his family of attract large-scale grocers to keep pace four. “This would mean we wouldn’t with the expanding population as offices convert to residential use. have to rely on delivery.”

Now developer Harry Macklowe is In 2015, the Wall Street Journal crunched the numbers and found that reportedly negotiating with Whole Foods Instacart, which sources from Whole to take on retail space at One Wall St., Foods and other stores, marks up some according to the New York Post.

“A Whole Foods development acknowlitems by as much as 26 percent.

Kennell said a new supermarket would edges that Fidi has truly made the transformake like easier for Fidi residents to mation into one of the top neighborhoods improve a local diet sourced more from in the city,” said local real estate broker Luis Vazquez, who is a co-founder, with local restaurants than organic farms.

“Families around here are always Kennell, of the newly formed Financial looking for affordable options that help District Neighborhood Association Vazquez said there is also ongoing buzz them cook at home and eat healthier,” he said. “We order takeout a lot more about a Trader Joe’s taking root just two blocks away at 28 Liberty St. than we should be.”

“The neighborhood has been waiting Though not exactly a “food desert,” the Financial District is notoriously starved for this for a long time,” he said.

“Evacuation Day Plaza” rallying to storm the January hearing and demand justice, the parks committee canceled the vote entirely, delaying the full Council’s bi-annual consideration of street co-namings until this month.

Finally, after a hearing on a new list that included “1783 Evacuation Day Plaza,” the Council approved the historic co-naming for Bowling Green on Feb. 5.

“Thanks to the tireless work of our community, dedicated activists, and elected officials, Evacuation Day Plaza is now a reality. I would like to thank the Bowling Green Civic Association, the Lower Manhattan Historical Society, and Councilmember Chin for helping to make this co-naming possible,” said Community Board 1 Chairwoman Catherine McVay Hughes.

Evacuation Day may struggle to get DowntownExpress.com

its due respect today, but for more than a century the holiday marking the end of the Revolutionary War was celebrated in America as fervently as the one that marked its start, the Fourth of July.

After the Civil War, it was eclipsed by Thanksgiving, and official observations were mostly abandoned nearly a century ago when America allied with the British in World War I, but the Lower Manhattan Historical Society launched an effort to revive the holiday in 2014.

James Kaplan, co-founder and president of the society, hopes that honoring the holiday by co-naming Bowling Green

will help rekindle interest in Downtown’s patriotic heritage.

“We think this is a great forward step in educating the people of Lower Manhattan and all New Yorkers about this very important holiday and the city’s

Revolutionary War history,” he said.

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Alice Cancel tapped by Democrats for special election Longtime operative named as party’s pick for April 19 poll to replace Sliver in Assembly B Y LINC O L N A N D E RSO N Longtime District Leader Alice Cancel was overwhelmingly nominated

by County Committee members to be the Democratic nominee in the April 19 special election to succeed former Assemblymember Sheldon Silver.

Cancel won on the first and only round of voting, held at the Educational Alliance, at 197 E. Broadway. Around 185 County Committee members weighed in.

Known as “weighted votes,” the final tally was 5,772 for Cancel, 1,770.5 for Paul Newell, 605 for Jenifer Rajkumar, 93 for Yuh-Line Niou and zero for Gigi Li. The weighted vote was determined by the level of the turnout in different parts of the district for Gov. Cuomo in his general election in 2014.

The district includes Lower Manhattan, Chinatown, Little Italy and the Lower East Side and stretches up into Soho and a small part of the East Village.

Calling the nominating process

“flawed,” Niou dramatically dropped out of the running after concluding her five-minute speech to the members.

“I am withdrawing from this flawed process — and look forward to sharing my vision for Downtown in April and in September with all those who have no voice here, but who need and deserve so much from their Assemblymember,” Niou said, emphatically raising her hand above her head.

Most understood that she dropped out because she didn’t have the votes to win. Niou recently was endorsed by the Working Families Party and intends to run as a third-party candidate in the special election on the W.F.P. line, and will run in the September Democratic primary election, too.

Rajkumar, similarly, in her remarks to the crowd slammed the process as “undemocratic.”

“Indeed, many of us came here today with our marching orders handed to us,” she said.

Some in the crowd noted disapprovingly that if Rajkumar and Niou

had had the votes to win, they wouldn’t have complained about the process.

In her brief acceptance speech after the final vote figures were announced, Cancel told the committee members, “It’s going to be a great challenge. This is just a hurdle. There is still more to go.”

Afterward, speaking to The Villager, she said, “I’ve been a district leader for many years. I will now have to do it on a bigger level. I’ll have a bigger district to cover.”

She said that housing, the environment and schools will be among her top issues.

Cancel defended the nominating process, saying, “The people that came in this room are all community people.”

For his part, Newell said he had turned down an offer by the Independence Party to run as a third-party candidate on their line in the special election.

Setting his sights on the September primary, another candidate, Don Lee, did not participate in the County Committee process

File photo by Tequila Minsky

Alice Cancel is the Democratic nominee for the April 19 special election to fill the 65th Assembly District seat vacated by former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver after his conviction on federal corruption charges last year.

and did not address the members at Sunday’s gathering. He had earlier issued a statement slamming the special-election process.

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CRANE WRECK Continued from page 2

Trucking and Rigging, had been replacing generators and air conditioning units on the roof of the former Western Union Building at 60 Hudson St. since Jan. 30, and had been inspected the day before the crash by the Dept. of Buildings, city officials said.

A crew had arrived there at 7 a.m. on Friday and was in the process of lowering the crane as a safety precaution due to strong winds, Mayor de Blasio said at a press conference in Tribeca after the accident.

There had been no construction work going on that morning.

Several blocks around the site were cordoned off on Friday, as Fire Dept. crews searched the crane as well as the surrounding buildings. More than 140 firefighters and emergency medical personnel from more than 40 units were deployed to the site, according to the F.D.N.Y. A wide area was blocked off over the weekend, but by Sunday, crews had chopped up and removed the crumpled crane from the street.

Officials with the Dept. of Buildings and Con Edison said a water main also broke, and four buildings between W. Broadway and Church St. sustained damage, at least one of them part of New York Law School. According to press reports, the crane’s 4,600pound lifting hook was sent swinging into one of the law school’s fifth-floor offices, but luckily didn’t hurt anyone.

NO SLEEP Continued from page 4

borhoods and questionable standards for permits granted,” wrote the politicians, including State Sen. Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Councilmember Margaret Chin, who all represent parts of Lower Manhattan.

They also argued that the differences between the different permits — Buildings issues them for two weeks, while the Dept. of Transportation variances can span months — allow both agencies to deny responsibility for unreasonable hours.

“It enables a cycle of blame, leaving little possible recourse for nearby residents,” the pols wrote.

A bill introduced in the Council two years ago would stop contractors from working before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. on weekdays, and before 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work at all on Sundays.

16

February 11 – February 24, 2016

The mayor credited the crane’s crew — who had cleared the street of cars and pedestrians while working to secure the boom — for avoiding even worse carnage.

“If you go out there in the street, as I did, and see what happened there — thank god it was not worse,” de Blasio said after the incident. “You can see how powerful the damage was, but you can also see that it was something of a miracle that there wasn’t more impact. This is an area that would have normally had a lot of people around during rush hour.”

Not everyone was entirely surprised by the accident, however.

“I’m stunned, but not surprised,” said Ehrmann. “We’ve been predicting that this would happen since the crane went up,” he said. “We asked [the operator] what are the odds of it collapsing when they started the work.

And Galasso [Trucking and Rigging Inc.], which is in charge of the job, said, ‘You have a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery.’”

Ehrmann said he had taken a picture of the crane dangerously swaying in the wind just the night before and forwarded it to CB1’s Hughes.

“It should not be the responsibility of residents to be the watchdogs of these major construction sites,” Hughes said, emphasizing that the city is responsible for oversight, and shouldn’t shirk its obligation.

CB1 passed a resolution in December calling on the city to reverse its decision to phase out the Lower

But the bill, which has 13 co-sponsors, has not been scheduled for a hearing since it was introduced in February 2014.

"We have been getting more complaints, and we're working very hard on this issue,” said Paul Leonard, a spokesperson for Councilmember Chin, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. "We already have legislation that has been introduced and we are looking to have it heard as soon as possible, so New Yorkers Downtown can see some meaningful relief,” he said.

It couldn’t come a day too soon for Linda Gerstman, who has lived on Broad St. in the Financial District for eight years.

“At this point, I think the problem is so pervasive that the only solution is going to be legislation,” she said. “It’s a problem throughout the city.”

She also noted that because of the canyon streetscape of Lower Manhattan, noise from nearby construction sites tends to travel.

Photo by Milo Hess

(Above) The crawler crane’s base “somersaulted” according to eyewitnesses. (Right) On Sunday, Mayor de Blasio announced new rules on securing cranes for high winds to avoid similar accidents in the future.

Manhattan Commissioner’s Office.

“The community has been very clear that construction coordination in Lower Manhattan is a huge concern, and that this construction site is a particular concern,” said State Sen. Daniel Squadron after he surveyed the scene on Friday.

As for Ehrmann, who is also on the community board, he warned that residents could take matters into their own hands if the city doesn’t take action.

“There will be no more work on

Worth St. from now on without the informed consent of the neighborhood. If it involves civil disobedience, that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

“This is a wake-up call, and we will not allow it to happen again.”

Gerstman said getting relief was easier in the days of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, a dedicated office that coordinated thousands of construction projects — and complaints — south of Canal St. after 9/11.

The L.M.C.C.C. closed in 2014 and was replaced by the Dept. of Transportation’s Lower Manhattan Commissioner’s office — which the agency revealed last year would be phased out in March due to lack of funding, despite more than 90 active construction projects in the area.

“Fourteen years after 9/11 and three years after Sandy, [construction has] a major impact on quality of life Downtown,” Community Board 1 chairwoman Catherine McVay Hughes said when the agency announced the move in December. “It’s really important there is coordination.”

A spokesperson for the Dept. of Transportation wouldn’t confirm whether

the Commissioner’s office is still scheduled to close in March, but elected officials are pushing the agency to keep it open.

"Community engagement makes a big difference when communities are impacted by construction. L.M.C.C.C. and the more recent D.O.T. coordination have proved the point,” said State Sen. Squadron. “Construction and building projects should never mean tearing down a community's quality life.”

For her part, Noguchi said she can only hope the politicians’ efforts will get results soon.

Close to her apartment, the tower at One Wall St. will soon undergo a massive residential conversion, and with thousands of new apartments coming to the Financial District alone in the next few years, there likely will come more afterhours work as well.

“I cannot and will not continue living like this,” she said.

Photo by Tequila Minsky

DowntownExpress.com

CHOPPED Continued from page 9

city not to renew the current concession agreement at the heliport once it expires in July 2018.

Committee members doubt that the deal will even be effective, since it will rely on monthly flight counts from the tour operators themselves.

“The helicopter companies are not trustworthy,” said committee co-chair Susan Cole. “So this will probably be at least a third to a half higher [than what they report], if not more.”

The mayor’s office said that the flight counts would be periodically verified by an independent third party — which will be paid for by the operators.

A chorus of Downtown elected officials who have long crusaded against the tour-chopper scourge, hailed the deal as a step in the right direction — but Dellaportas can take heart that they vowed to continue their push to eliminate the choppers altogether.

“We have long called for a complete ban on nonessential tourist helicopters from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, and still sup-

port a full ban,” proclaimed a joint statement by the pols, including state Sen. Daniel Squadron, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Borough President Gale Brewer, and Assemblymember Deborah Glick.

“We consider it a half-measure,” a spokesperson for Nadler, who has been working to curb the copters for decades, later told Downtown Express.

Nonetheless, the Councilmembers who had grilled the E.D.C. and the tour operators at a contentious council hearing back in November, claimed victory for forcing the city to finally do something.

“As Councilmembers, we are proud to have pushed forward legislation that helped give our constituents a voice and a rallying point in the fight to reduce noise and air pollution caused by the increasing number of tourist helicopter flights,” said Downtown’s Councilmember Margaret Chin, Brooklyn’s Carlos Menchaca, the Upper West Side’s Helen Rosenthal in a joint statement.

Asked by CB1 members if the city’s deal alleviated the need for a ban, a

representative from Councilmember Margaret Chin assured the panel that the legislation was still on the table.

“The legislation has not been withdrawn,” said Chin spokesman Paul Leonard, but he hinted that it would stay on hold until lawmakers see whether the city’s deal makes a real difference “We will push forward if the industry does not abide by the terms of their agreement,” he said.

More than 59,000 flights took off from Pier 6 overall last year, with busy summer tourist season seeing the bulk of traffic. Leonard cautioned that the phased reductions will be enforced on a month-to-month basis compared to the same time last year — so the summer months will continue to see more flights than the quieter winter months even after reductions take effect.

Saker Aviation, the concessionaire for the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, also agreed to establish a system to monitor air quality in the vicinity of the heliport and provide monthly reports to the E.D.C. and the Council. Saker has promised to reduce idling by helicopters between flights as well.

Photo by Louise Wateridge

Happy birthday!

Earlier this month Lower Manhattan celebrated its birth as a city — when the Dutch colony was given a charter and a Common Council to govern itself as New Amsterdam on Feb. 2 1653 — by raising the Dutch flag alongside the Stars and Stripes at Bowling Green Downtown on Feb. 2

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

To the Editor, The 2016 Presidential election column "Overstuffed clown car careens toward Iowa" (Jan. 14) reminds me of the "South Park" episode to select a new team mascot.

Voters just like the students at South Park face a choice between Giant Douche and Turd Sandwich.

Larry Penner Great Neck, NY To the Editor, As you may be aware, serious concerns have been raised about recent decisions of the Battery Park City Authority board and how they are adversely effecting our neighborhood.

The local papers have done a great job of summarizing the issues this past year. And many of us longtime residents of B.P.C. have had enough, so we have joined together to demand democracy for B.P.C.A — Democracy4BPC.org.

As a first step, we believe that having local residents and business-owners appointed to the B.P.C.A. board would go a long way towards mending the disastrous relationship B.P.C. has with the B.P.C.A. That is what our Petition to Governor Cuomo asks for.

It is important to note that this is not the first time B.P.C.A has called on a governor to stop the taxation without representation. In fact, this month is the tenth anniversary of Community Board 1 first enacting a Resolution calling for greater community representation on the B.P.C.A. But having said this before is not a reason not to say it again.

And there are several very good reasons for saying it again now: • We’ve just been through a year of bad decisions by B.P.C.A, like the marina, and opening access to the ball fields to outside groups and issuing quarterly permits only, and firing Tessa Huxley, and bringing in AlliedBarton Security in replacement of the P.E.P. officers.

• Every one of these decisions was made in defiance of the expressed will of the community, and our Community Board, and our elected officials.

• We have reached a tipping point where we can no longer continue with business as usual. We all need to yell: “We are mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore.”

And the time is right to renew this push for other reasons: • Our Community Board and our elected officials have recently joined us in calling for a majority of B.P.C.A. board seats to go to residents and stakeholders.

• State Sen. Daniel Squadron’s call in November, 2015 to shut down the B.P.C.A. and transfer it to City control has definitely got the Governor’s attention.

• The Battery Park City Homeowner’s Coalition is on record a supporting B.P.C.A. board seats or residents.

• We got some great news at the January 26, 2016 Community Board 1 Full Board Meeting: State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblymember Deborah Glick introduced a bill that would require Governor Cuomo to appoint local residents to a majority of the seats on the B.P.C.A. board.

State Sen. Squadron spoke at the meeting as well, saying in part: “…the good news is that it takes a relatively small number of deeply committed citizens to impact the narrative. If residents of B.P.C.A and CB1

in general get together and make a really big push here, create a petition, begin a local movement with organic support here, it can make a huge difference, in some ways more than the elected officials."

• In 1 week, Democracy4BPC.org already has over 480 signatures! Our goal is to get the majority of the 13,000+ residents of Battery Park City to sign!

By signing the Petition at Democracy4BPC.org you will be joining the chorus of voices calling for greater local representation on the B.P.C.A board, and together we can take a first step toward fixing what has become a deeply dysfunctional relationship.

If you are on-board, share the link with your friends and neighbors. Let’s keep up the pressure and the momentum!

Justine Cuccia Crystal Aurnhammer Sarah Cassell To the Editor, Shortly after you went to press the news broke that Battery Park City's P.E.P. officers were no longer contracted to provide security. At a recent Town Hall, the Battery Park City Authority Board and Management misled local residents that the contract was being negotiated for renewal.

We knew they were lying and now the truth is out. This is a neighborhood of parks enjoyed by residents, other New Yorkers and tourists alike. We who live here willingly pay extra for security that protects everyone. What exactly is the Authority doing with its excess revenue? We know that these revenues are to be used for housing in N.Y.C. What are the amounts of these revenues? How has the State and City used them over time? Please investigate.

I ask all readers to consider and sign our petition to put locals on the B.P.C.A. Board at this website democracy4bpc.org. We need people who care about this neighborhood to make the decisions that affect the lives of visitors and residents.

Maryanne P. Braverman To the Editor, Thank you to Daniel Squadron, Jerrold Nadler, Gale A. Brewer, and Margaret Chin for the letter to Governor Cuomo for requesting positions on the Battery Park City Authority.

Today [Jan.31] was the last day that the Parks Enforcement Patrol officers will be providing security for our community.

They were replaced by a private security company which has no legal authority to issue summonses or make arrests.

Our P.E.P. officers deterred crime, issued summons and made arrests in effort to keep the most highly targeted area in the United States secure. They acted as a great deterrent to crime.

After the brutal attack of two of our youngsters by a gang of thugs, I was surprised to learn of the P.E.P. officers dismissals in the Battery Park City area, by the Battery Park City Authority.

I implore you to keep the pressure on, to re-instate the Battery Park P.E.P. officers, where 3,000 people lost their lives. Since Ray Kelly's departure from office, there has been an increase in crime in our area. The parks departments presence is crucial in preventing future crimes.

Hank Wisner Chief of The Residential Managers Community Emergency Response Team DowntownExpress.com

Val's Day: A great chance to screw up your relationship

BY LENORE SKENAZY There are holidays filled with joy, love, laughs and a gladdened heart.

And then there’s Valentine’s Day. “I’m not sure he ever recovered,” recalls a friend I’ll call Clarissa, thinking back on the Valentine’s Day when she was engaged to the man of her dreams, who gave her a pair of heart-shaped silver earrings. Nice, right?

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

And wrong.

“When I put them on, I realized they were tarnished. I went insane!” says Clarissa. “I thought, ‘This is the end of our relationship!’ I remember going down the street, crying my eyes out and calling my friend, ‘Matt bought me these tarnished earrings (sob) and I don’t want (sob) to speak to him again!’ (Assume more sobbing.) It was like the tarnish was a metaphor for our relationship. I remember my family talking me down, ‘He doesn’t mean it. He loves you. It was inadvertent.’ But what kind of man gives a woman a tarnished gift?”

A man who’s pre-t-t-t-y worried about giving her a gift again, I’ll tell you that.

Looking back now — with her 30th anniversary coming up (yes, to Tarnish Man!) — Clarissa can’t understand why she went so ballistic.

But I do.

Valentine’s Day is to relationships what pythons are to picnics.

Another friend whose name I can’t use — do you sense a pattern here? — had been married for a few years and V-Day was upon him. “Of course, I was one of those last-minute shoppers,” he admits. “So I was on Fifth Avenue and I just popped into a Victoria’s Secret to get her something.” He pauses. “I learned a lot that day.”

Lessons you males out there may wish to note: • Buying a negligee for a woman is sometimes perceived, perhaps unfairly, as more of a gift for you.

• Silk is an expensive material, long valued for its drape, feel, and cost.

• Polyester is a cheap, man-made material that can, to some benighted (ex) boyfriend or husband, seem just like silk.

• It’s not.

Once my friend had learned this lesson the hard way, he never bought his wife any clothing again — not even a scarf. In fact, after that it was mostly gift cards.

“Let her handle it,” he says now, sounding a little shaken.

Still married.

But shaken.

And then there was the “funny” Valentine’s Day that entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker Peter Shankman arranged for his date. They’d been going on five months — “Long enough for her to know my sense of humor.”

Or so he thought.

“Did you know that on Valentine’s Day, White Castle takes reservations and puts out waiter service, place mats, candy hearts, etc?” He told the girlfriend to dress up, “We’re going to someplace romantic.”

They drove to Queens. They pulled into White Castle. The girlfriend assumed they just needed a place to park. But — surprise! During dinner, she cried.

They broke up a week later. He has since married someone more fun.

Of course, sometimes the gift a guy gives is actually quite perfect. That doesn’t mean all goes as planned.

“One year, I happened to get three bouquets delivered at work,” recalls Manhattan author and poet Elinor Nauen. “Bouquet No. 1 came from Johnny, my new boyfriend at the time. Bouquet No. 2 was from a guy who worked there and had a hopeless crush on me.” The third bouquet was a thank-you from a writer whose story she’d published. The gift just happened to arrive on Feb. 14.

“I kept getting interrupted to go to the front desk for yet another delivery, and the small muttering that came at the second bouquet got pretty loud by the third,” says Nauen. And what were those co-workers’ mutters?

“Everyone seemed to think I’d sent them all to myself!”

So a day to revel in popularity became a day to realize: All my coworkers think I’m a neutered, friendless, narcissist. Gee thanks!

Luckily, she is still with Johnny — he of Bouquet No. 1 — decades later. And the fact that he has never given her flowers since is something they’re both okay with.

Maybe the key is to simply sleep through the 14th. Or do what my husband did in the early, giddy days of our relationship: Buy your beloved a pound of bologna.

Not as a metaphor. Just as a guilty pleasure that isn’t made out of polyester and can’t tarnish.

What’s more, it is unlikely your sweetheart will get three pounds on the same day.

Lenore Skenazy is a keynote speaker and author and founder of the book and blog Free-Range Kids.

Posted To NEW FIDI NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO EASE GROWING PAINS (JAN. 28) I hope that Mr. Kennell is not suggesting that our diminutive streets AKA William St. be widened?

Anyone who comes to live here must contend with History. That is what we are about. William St. used to be a "blue lined" street. In other words, No Parking! However, cars have taken over on both sides of the street and those who find a spot, park.

Where the traffic cops are in all of this is not apparent. Where is ticketing by the Department of Sanitation?

William St. is fast becoming one of the busiest streets in FiDi. Please clean up Exchange Place. Please clean up after your dog. And please recycle, please use the garbage/trash baskets provided, etc.

Diane Fabrizio DowntownExpress.com

THE NEW FIGHT OVER THE NEW SCHOOL (JAN. 28) K-8 means they don't want to go to school with kids from the rest of the district. Only space for the spoiled in TriBeCa. Janes Hardet I'd like to respond to Janes Hardet's comment.

That's an erroneous comment to make — schools are zoned in accordance with the places in which we all live. Some schools, such as PS 150, was an unzoned school up until two years ago. While technically it still might be unzoned, the fact is that all of Downtown is overcrowded and our children need schools to attend.

Schools are mandated by statutory laws and protected by the state constitution.

We are no more privileged then any other neighborhood with needs.

Dorsey

In District 2 most middle school seats are not bound by neighborhood zones.

Janes's point stands. Creating K-8 schools downtown (the only part of District 2 where this model exists) ensures that the the kids Downtown do not have to attend middle school outside of their neighborhoods.

Bethany

COUNCIL RETREATS! “EVACUATION DAY PLAZA” BACK ON LIST FOR VOTE (FEB. 1) This is a great victory for all in Lower Manhattan and elsewhere who treasure the City's revolutionary war history, Though long forgotten, Evacuation Day was at one time the City's most important Revolutionary War Holiday.

When the 13-star American flag was raised by John Van Arsdale on

November 25, 1783 at Evacuation Day Plaza it symbolized the start of Democratic government in the United States and ultimately would be symbol of the rise of Democracy throughout the world. This plaza could and should be one of the great historical heritage destinations in the world.

Kudos to the Downtown Express, New York Times, Arthur Piccolo of the Lower Manhattan Historical Society, the Sons of the Revolution and the Veteran Corps of Artillery as well as Councilmember Chin's Office for their resolute insistence that the City Council recognize this important place at the next hearing. Our efforts to educate residents of Lower Manhattan and throughout the City of important historic sites here will continue.

James S. Kaplan, President, Lower Manhattan Historical Society February 11 – February 24, 2016

19

Rest in peace, Father John Priest of Ground Zero church dies at 86

BY JOS E PH M . CA L I SI Father John Romas, who lead the fight to rebuild the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at Ground Zero, succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Jan. 24.

Every year at Pier 1 in The Battery, “Father John” would lead the procession of the “Blessing of the Waters” ceremony on the first Sunday after the Epiphany on January 6th.

The ceremony revolves around the retrieval of a gold cross to celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River

by St. John the Baptist. The swimmer who retrieves the cross hoists it in the air and swims back to the boat. For his efforts, he is rewarded with a small cross and a personal blessing from the priest to ensure good luck for the coming year. The ceremony concludes with the release of a white dove which symbolizes the Holy Spirit, which is said to have appeared that day in the sky.

“Father John Romas was the pastor of the St. Nicholas Church at the World Trade Center, and when the church was destroyed on 9/11, he and his parish-

ioners moved to St. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in downtown Brooklyn where they were welcomed. I got to meet him only following 9/11 at the annual Diving for the Cross religious events on Epiphany,” said parishioner Greg Homatas. “He and Father John Lardas always lead the procession to the foot of The Battery and always blessed us with holy water during Epiphany. He was always very nice to talk to and approachable. He will be missed by everyone.”

Romas was born in 1929 to Demetrios and Vasiliki Rambaounis in Dorvitsa, Nafpactias, Greece. He arrived in the United States on August 29, 1952, and later that year married Lorraine (Ourania) Papachristou.

He followed his calling later on in life, and was ordained a deacon and presbyter in 1984 in Greece. Following his return to the United States in 1987, Archbishop Iakovos assigned him as the Proistamenos of Downtown’s St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, where he served until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, destroyed the church.

Ramos is credited with keeping

Photo by Joseph M. Calisi

Father John Romas, who died on Jan. 24 at age 86, led the annual "Blessing of the Waters" ceremony at Pier 1 on the first Sunday after the Epiphany.

his flock together after its house of worship was destroyed, and for leading the charge to rebuild the church, which has been designated as a National Shrine of the Archdiocese, and is set to open at the eastern end of Liberty Park, on Liberty St., in the summer of 2017.

He was laid to rest Jan. 27 in a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and

Helen in Brooklyn, where he worked following 9/11.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Father John to the St. Nicholas Rebuilding Fund or for the St. Nicholas kouvouklion used for the Good Friday Epitaphios.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lorraine (Ourania) Papachristou and his family.

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TRANSIT SAM

Thurs., Feb. 11 – Wed., Feb. 17 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED FRI. AND MON. Summons Alert Day ahead!

Although Presidents’ Day on Monday is a national holiday, only alternate side parking rules are suspended.

Many people don’t know this and are surprised to find tickets for meter violations and No Parking rules. The best way to avoid any unwanted summonses is to follow me on Twitter @ GridlockSam, and check my website gridlocksam.com.

Happy Lunar New Year! Love might be in the air on Valentine’s Day Sunday, but gridlock will be on the ground when the 17th Lunar New Year Parade takes over Lower Manhattan. The parade will impact a number of streets 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday including Mott St. between Broome and Canal Sts., Hester St. between Mulberry and Eldridge Sts., and Forsyth St. between Rivington St. and East Broadway. Expect slowdowns leading up to the Manhattan Bridge.

Public schools are on mid-winter break beginning Monday (2/15) and running through Friday (2/19). That means traffic will be a bit easier for AM commuters.

Late night Hudson River tunnel woes near the Holland Tunnel

ahead: In the Lincoln Tunnel, one New York-bound tube will be closed 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.

This will send drivers south to the Holland Tunnel where one New York-bound lane and one New Jersey-bound lane will be closed during the same period. Expect late night delays and extra traffic on Canal and Varick Sts. In the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, one tube will close Monday through Friday nights 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

One tube will also close 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday. During the closure, two lanes of traffic will remain in the open tube. Expect slowdowns.

In the Battery Park Underpass there will be a full closure of the south tube from the FDR to West St. midnight to 5 a.m. Thursday. Use the detour by going south on West St., left onto Battery Pl., continuing onto State T., and going one block north on Water St., then right onto Broad St. One lane will also close during the day 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday and Friday.

Avenue D between 12th and 13th Sts., Thames St. between Greenwich St. and Trinity Pl., Fletcher St. between Front and South Sts., and Dutch St. between Fulton and John Sts. will be closed all week.

SCAFFOLDING Continued from page 10

verify that enough work was being done each month, and were also skeptical that the proposed fines for noncompliance — capped at $1,000 — would have any effect.

“That’s a lot for me, but it’s the cost of doing business for them,” said committee member Mitch Frohman. “It’s cheaper for them to pay the fine than to put the scaffolding back up when they need it.”

Glick told Downtown Express that the main purpose of the law was to break the pattern of the Dept. of Buildings simply rubber-stamping repeated extensions for scaffolding permits.

“It’s really a directive to the agency not to just automatically renew these permits,” she said.

For Benedetto, relief can’t come soon enough — no matter what shape or form.

“Anything that causes people to rethink it is a good thing, as far as I’m concerned,” she said of the legislation. “Something has to be done.

I’m hanging on by my fingernails.”

painted in years or are covered with graffiti, where the lighting is out, or where there are missing boards or structural supports,” he told Downtown Express, adding that inspectors issued more than 600 violations.

The department is currently reviewing the proposed legislation, he said.

But some Downtowners think new state laws won’t make a difference anyway — not least because they would rely on the Dept. of Buildings, which isn’t strictly enforcing the laws already on the books.

“I think, on a practical level, it’s meaningless,” Piccolo said at a meeting of Community Board 1’s Planning Committee on Feb 8. “The state has no enforcement ability — the buildings department will be responsible to enforce this themselves.”

At a meeting of CB1’s Quality of Life Committee last month, members wondered how inspectors could DowntownExpress.com

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Science and spirituality, in conversation

Rubin Museum series explores brains, Buddhism B Y SE A N E G AN The burgeoning field of neuroscience and the ancient tenets of Buddhism, seemingly incompatible at a glance, are not so far apart.

Tim McHenry, the Director of Programs and Engagement at the Rubin Museum of Art, argues for the “commonality between the frontier science of neurological exploration — of neuroscience, and understanding how the mind works — and the innate understanding of how the mind works in Buddhist philosophy.

They both try to do the same thing, but with very, very different means.”

This train of thought was the impetus behind Brainwave, an annual series McHenry has been curating since its debut in 2008. Anchored by a series of conversations between notable personalities and leading neuroscientists, Brainwave discussions address various mind-related topics by drawing on science and spirituality. “It’s proven to be a subject of inexhaustible interest to not only me, but anybody who attends,” McHenry notes.

For this year’s installment, the theme is “emotions,” a topic McHenry finds particularly interesting — though he makes it clear that Brainwave is concerned with digging deeper than just examining basic emotions (such as fear and happiness) and calling it a day.

“Emotions are really, really interesting in that they’re both useful and necessary, and yet deeply problematic” he says.

“Buddhism is really about trying to mitigate or reduce the effect of your emotions on you in a way that is damaging, detrimental, and makes you beholden to them, as opposed to [feelings that] you enjoy, and using them to inform yourself and inform your understanding of the world. So that’s why emotions are interesting in this particular context.”

Elaborating on the kinds of programs one can expect, McHenry says, “Nobody really wanted to address the idea of a single emotion because quite frankly, it’s so much more complex than that. We just ended up in the realm of people talking about the role of emotions within a particular context,” he explains. On Feb. 8, autism was the DowntownExpress.com

Courtesy Rubin Museum of Art

The Rubin Museum of Art’s Brainwave series melds tenets of neuroscience and Buddhist thought.

topic of a sold-out talk featuring Sigourney Weaver. “On paper,” says McHenry, this seems to be “such an unlikely subject for her to address.” But, he notes, she became interested in the condition while playing a severely autistic character in “Snow Cake,” which led to her discussing the gray areas of the sprectrum, with neuropsychologist David Amaral. This is indicative of the method used to develop Brainwave’s programming: working with guests to develop a topic of interest specific to them, and pairing them up with a scientist who can facilitate that discussion effectively and entertainingly.

“It’s a dialogue between who you want to have participate and what they want to talk about, and what you want them to talk about,” says McHenry of his booking philosophy. “It’s a juggle. It’s like matchmaking. You’re sort of the Dolly Gallagher Levi of neuroscience programming.”

This Dolly-esque form of matchmaking has worked well — and this year’s Brainwave lineup promises to build on

the festival’s reputation for intrigue and illumination. Upcoming dialogues include a talk between Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim and experimental psychologist Steven Pinker (Mar. 9); the Roots drummer Questlove discussing food and emotions with neuroscientist Stuart Firestein (Apr. 25); “Star Trek” actor Zachary Quinto discussing spirituality and the brain with neuroscientist Heather Berlin (Mar. 6); and drag artist Courtney Act in conversation with Tim Pychyl about procrastination (Mar. 30).

Even the less-than marquee entertainment names seem to be highly interesting — such as the Feb. 12 pairing of neuroscientist Morgan Cerf (returning after a discussion with Jake Gylenhaal on dreams last year, McHenry notes) with former US representative and mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner about so-called “emotional politics,” which McHenry asserts “will be intriguing.”

But then again, McHenry is intrigued by everything on Brainwave’s docket.

“I’ve made a rule to say that you don’t program something unless you’re really interested in seeing how it plays out,” laughs McHenry, who makes it clear how fascinating and thrilling he finds these improvised talks, where the participants have only just met prior to the audience assembling and cameras starting to roll.

“They have to [have] their exploration in real-time, and we get to witness that.

That’s a binding, intriguing factor about putting these dialogues together onstage at the Rubin, is that in the great majority of cases, this is a moment of risk, where nothing is pre-ordained,” he asserts. “So these two people have to meet each other as adults and forge a conversation, and broker a language that they might have in common to talk about something that is of mutual interest, of which they’re approaching from two very, very different angles.”

While these talks are the bread and butter of the festival, McHenry’s made SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY Cont’d on page 24

February 11 – February 24, 2016

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Useful and problematic: Brainwave gets emotional

Courtesy Rubin Museum of Art

“Wheel of Life Tibet” (19th century, pigments on cloth) connects to the emotion of sadness, as it depicts the Buddhist realm of Hungry Ghosts, where people never satisfied in their past lives are reborn.

Courtesy Okayplayer

Roots drummer Questlove is set to talk about food and emotions on Apr. 25, following the Apr. 12 release of his new book “something to food about.”

SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY Cont’d from page 23

sure to expand beyond this. Running on Fridays throughout the festival is the “Cabaret Cinema: Emotions/Emotocons” series, which pairs up classic films like Lynch’s “Eraserhead” (Mar. 4) and Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” (Apr. 15) with specific emotions and emoji. There’s also what is referred to as an “experience” called “Waiting Rooms,” courtesy of NYU game designer Eric Zimmerman and architect Nathalie Pozzi, which McHenry is particularly excited about. “[Eric’s] building a prototype of an experiential piece that will be set in the museum, that uses different chambers, different rooms to replicate the feeling of the immigrant and refugee experience of being shunted from one space to the other, without clear direction,” McHenry explains of the Apr. 16 and 23 event. “It’s incredibly

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February 11 – February 24, 2016

relevant now, and it’s not something we’ve done before.”

While always looking forward to new frontiers, Brainwave will soon make it easy for audiences to look back on where they’ve been — and not just during the festival’s yearly run dates. They’ve filmed all of their programs, and will soon be housing the full talks online on the Rubin website for all to see. “People who are coming to Brainwave for the first time can revisit earlier programs in video format,” McHenry says. “The knowledge that comes out of these conversations, the spark, the energy, is still transmitted that way, and it’s really worth seeing.”

Ultimately, Brainwave comes all down to the knowledge gained from the festival — be it in the form of “a-ha” moments from participants in the conversation, or in an audience member witnessing it. McHenry hopes people leave the Rubin with a better under-

Courtesy Rubin Museum of Art

In 2015, neuroscientist Eric Cerf (right) discussed dreams with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Cerf returns on Feb. 12, to talk emotional politics with Anthony Weiner.

standing of the topics, and a determination to employ the effects in real life.

“It’s about these small awakenings and realizations,” he says, citing how people could change their behavior to be a little kinder and more perceptive. “It might seem minor, but if you stick at it, the cumulative

effects, hopefully, would be profound.”

Brainwave runs through Mon., Apr. 25 at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 W. 17th St., btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.).

Ticket prices and times vary. For a full schedule and tickets, visit rubinmuseum. org. For more info, call 212-620-5000.

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A polished ‘Snow White’ with no bad apples

Company XIV’s creatures are capable of miraculous metamorphoses B Y T R AV S . D .

Some things never worsen, only improve. I have been following Company XIV for almost six years, and their work just seems to grow richer, more beautiful and complex.

Founded in 2006 by choreographer Austin McCormick, the company uses baroque dance as a jumping off point for productions that mash up high and low culture, incorporating elements of burlesque, opera, Weimar cabaret, masque, conventional ballet, jazz and modern dance, New Romanticism, camp, and circus arts. I try to see everything they do, and have had the pleasure of experiencing “Le Cirque Feerique” or “The Fairy Circus” (2010), “The Halloween Plays” (their 2010 evening of spooky short works with Brave New World Repertory), “Eliogabolo” (their 2011 collaboration with Gotham Chamber Opera), “Rococo Rouge” (their astounding 2014 variety revue), and their annual eroticized holiday extravaganza “Nutcracker Rouge,” which I’ve managed to catch twice. I’ve seen them in their old space near the Gowanus Canal (damaged by Hurricane Sandy — good riddance!), at the sexy after-hours night club The Box, at their own short-lived venue on Lafayette St., and, more than once, at the Minetta Lane Theatre, where their present show — “Snow White” — is ensconced.

Fairy tales are a staple of the Company XIV repertoire. Their “Pinocchio: A Fantasy of Pleasures” was a hit of the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and they opened their 2015 season with their critically acclaimed “Cinderella.” McCormick’s treatments of the familiar stories are not for children, however. Beautiful bodies, male and female — provocatively adorned, and sensuously choreographed — are his stock in trade. In his schema, the body itself is a work of art.

His Queen (Laura Careless) although not billed as “Wicked” (as is customary in retellings of the story), is most assuredly vain, surrounded by mirrors and videocams and a corps of lackeys festooned like her in Warhol-esque blonde wigs. Her “mirror, mirror” is

Butch and Femme are flipped, and all in the cast are, on some level, both male and female.

The dancers themselves seem like the characters they play — mythological creatures, capable of miraculous metamorphoses. And yet all of them have more than one superpower. In this cast are an aerialist, an opera singer, a concert pianist, a bilingual narrator (who narrates in English and German), puppeteers, and many acrobats of one sort or another — in addition to all the beautiful dance.

While it is serious and profound, it never ceases to be fun, and even occasionally gets broadly humorous, as when numbers are staged to camp chestnuts like “A Corset Can Do a Lot for a Lady,” “Chapel of Love” and “Lucky Lips,” the latter featuring the entire chorus sporting large, clownish soup-coolers. Zane Pihlstrom’s set and costume designs leave one reeling from an explosion of graphic takeaways: Satyr-like men in high heels. Fosse-style broads primping in a dressing room. Hart horns on humans. Diamonds as ball gags. A birdcage crown. On the night I attended, even a video projection effect got applause.

McCormick spoke about his long history with this story and why it inspires him: “This is our third version Photo

by Steven Trumon Gray Marsha P. Johnson, the iconic Queen the Village and of ‘Snow White.’ Our first of production was for family Each member of the provocatively adorned and found dead 7/6/1992 in did a queer liberation audiences pioneer,inwas Carroll Gardens in 2008.

Then we sensuously choreographed cast is adept at switching theversion Hudson River. new in 2010.

This new incarnation is obviously teams and displaying skills. for adults. Our version is based primarily on that of a video projection on the back wall, and the news it the Brothers Grimm. Our cast member Lea Helle is a reports is increasingly bad. Into her life comes Snow native German speaker, so she was able to help us with White (Hilly Bodin), although we might be forgiven the original German text as source material. The origfor mistaking her for Rose Red when we first meet inal version is terrifying. It’s more gruesome and has her, tricked out as she is in crimson lingerie. Gender, more scary imagery than the usual children’s editions, as always, is fluid in McCormick’s creations. Here, and we’re embracing that more. In our version the Snow White defies traditional archetypes by being Queen is Snow White’s mother, not her stepmother.”

If you have any information about the case, tomboyish, with the compact body of a gymnast and Fairy tales, says McCormick, are “perfect frames for we want to know. closely cropped hair. Whereas the Prince (Courtney performance. They contain classical themes and familiar Please call Gioannone) who eventually rescues her is not just played by a fine-boned female, but portrayed in a man(718) 883-0484SNOW WHITE Continued on page 27 ner that emphasizes traditional notions of femininity.

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The time is right for ‘Before Afterward’

Choreographer Vencl doesn’t dance around what matters

Photo by Jonathan Slaff

Choreographer Susan Vencl’s “Long Before Afterward” premieres Feb. 19–21, at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.

BY SCOTT STIF F L ER Choreographer Susan Vencl has taken that well-trodden “better late than never” trope, done a graceful pivot, and arrived at the point where the later you wait, the better it gets. A Hiram College class of 1964 magna cum laude philosophy major whose life was interrupted by a decade of “seemingly intracta-

ble depression,” 37-year-old Vencl reset her downward trajectory by taking up Spanish, then modern, dance. In 1992, four years after graduating from Case Western’s MFA program, the 50-year-old hopeful followed in the footsteps of countless just-off-the-bus others by arriving in the East Village “powerfully prepared” to realize

her creative ambitions, yet “terribly ignorant.” Intense study of ballet, along with the Hawkins and Limon techniques, led to the formation of Vencl Dance Trio in 1997 and, later, Susan Vencl Dance (her current troupe).

Touching upon the motifs of falling and dispersal, “Long Before Afterward” celebrates her own predilections (“an appetite for jumps, turns and complex stepping patterns”) alongside the equally idiosyncratic work of others. This 50-minute piece for five dancers — the fourth evening-length work of Vencl’s career — will be performed to a suite of expressionistic pieces by Londonbased American composer Arlene Sierra, and preceded by Sierra’s “Avian Mirrors,” a short musical piece featuring violinist Jesse Mills and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan.

Fri.–Sun., Feb. 19–21, at 8 p.m., at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance (55 Bethune St., at the corner of Washington St.).

For tickets ($20, $15 for seniors & the disabled, free for children 12 or under), visit artful.ly/vencl-dance or call 212-388-9563.

Beautiful bodies, provocatively adorned and sensuously choreographed SNOW WHITE Continued from page 25

elements that everyone can understand and challenge.

The challenge is in taking something people associate with childhood and revamping it in a sexy environment for grownups. But we still want what kids bring to the theatre, a willingness to be transported to a world of make-believe.”

The Company XIV version centers around the Queen, as portrayed by Laura Careless, who attended Juilliard with McCormack. “I saw her in a ballet there,” he recalls, “and something just clicked, and we’ve worked together ever since. She’s not just a dancer, but more like an actress who’s dancing; she invests a lot of personal context into her movement.

We push each other. It’s a true collaboration. She’s definitely a muse to me.”

Providing “more edge than usual” for the title role is recent SUNY Purchase graduate and first-season Company member Hilly Bodin. “Snow White is often cast as a young ingénue,” says McCormick. “I wanted somebody with more edge than usual, a Snow White who is interested in being seduced, who is moving towards temptation. Here, she is kind of a protégé of the Queen, and the Queen loves and admires her.”

And the audience is entranced by them both!

DowntownExpress.com

Photo by Steven Trumon Gray

L to R: Hilly Bodin as Snow White and Laura Careless as the Evil Queen.

Through Mar. 12 at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane, btw. MacDougal St. & Sixth Ave.). Performances are Tues.–Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 5 p.m. For tickets ($40-$65, premium VIP seating $75-$105), visit ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000. “$30 Under 30!” rush tickets available at the box office beginning two hours prior to curtain for patrons under the age of 30. Limit of one ticket per ID. The show contains partial nudity — 16 & over admitted only. For more info, visit CompanyXIV.com.

February 11 – February 24, 2016

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