006 Downtown Magazine NYC Spring 2012 Griffin Dunne

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DOWNTOWN LIVING HIGH IN LOWER MANHATTAN

GRIFFIN DUNNE

Talks to Us About Film, Television and Life in TriBeCa

SPRING AHEAD Warm Weather Trends for Women and Men

THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL What to see, how to see it

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114 Prince St. New York, NY 10012 212.335.8492 us.karenmillem.com

7forallmankind.com

Episodes of an untitled film Imagined and directed by James Franco Only at YouTube.com/7ForAllMankindJeans

CENTER FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH A DYNAMIC RESOURCE FOR A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY 6\Y ^VTLU»Z OLHS[O ZLY]PJLZ HYL WYV]PKLK I` RUV^SLKNLHISL HUK JVTWHZZPVUH[L ZWLJPHSPZ[Z HUK HYL KLSP]LYLK HJJVYKPUN [V [OL OPNOLZ[ Z[HUKHYKZ ;OPZ VIZ[L[YPJHS HUK N`ULJVSVNPJHS WYHJ[PJL PZ Z\WWVY[LK I` [OL L_WLY[PZL HUK [LJOUVSVN` VM [OL ^LSS YLZWLJ[LK 5L^@VYR 7YLZI`[LYPHU /LHS[OJHYL :`Z[LT 6\Y IVHYK JLY[PÄLK VIZ[L[YPJPHUZ N`ULJVSVNPZ[Z Z\IZWLJPHSPZ[Z HUK TPK^P]LZ ^VYR JVVWLYH[P]LS` [V KPHNUVZL HUK [YLH[ H ^PKL YHUNL VM ^VTLU»Z OLHS[O PZZ\LZ 7H[PLU[Z VM HSS HNLZ YLJLP]L WLYZVUHSPaLK H[[LU[PVU VWLU JVTT\UPJH[PVU HUK [Y\Z[LK TLKPJHS JHYL

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Dr Giti Bensinger, Dr. Christina Kong, Dr. Sophia Wu, Dr. Nina Caplin

Dr. Robbi Kempner

Dr. Sophia Wu

Dr. Christina Kong

Dr. Giti Bensinger

DOWNTOWN

Volume 3, Issue 1

Spring 2012

11

Letter from the Publisher

12

Letter from the Editor

14

Advisory Board

16

Contributors

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT

52

19

Gateway to America

20

The Worst Governor of Them All: Edward Hyde

22

Sheldon Silver Downtown’s Voice in Albany

24

Rachelle Friedman The Woman Behind J&R

26

Downtown’s North End Gets a Facelift Get to Know the New Neighbors

30

Relocating to New York Foreign Nationals Call Lower Manhattan Home

32

The Monopoly of Aggressive Investing

34

Keeping Up with the Jobses and the Gateses How to Ensure Technology at Your Small Business Stays Current

CULTURE CODE 37

All Eyes on TriBeCa

38

Culture Report Unfolding Art and Entertainment News

39

Tribeca Film Festival 2012 Highlights

40

Danny Meyer New York City’s Favorite Friend and Restaurateur

42

Globe-Trotting Two Travel Destinations to Satisfy Your Wonderlust and a Staycation Just Across the River

47

Not So Long Ago

48

Iron Antiquity

50

The Merchants that Make the Streets Buzz

FEATURES

64

52

Griffin’s Dunne It All The Actor, Writer, Director, Producer Is Dedicated To New York

60

Scotto by Scotto All the News on Journalism, Food and Family

64

Wedding Dos Perfect Downtown Nuptials

Cover photographed by Leslie Hassler.

DOWNTOWN ON: SOHO

83 STYLE VAULT 71

Family Baggage

72

Style Report Unfolding Fashion and Beauty News

74

Sorbet Scoop

75

Tee Time

76

Kiddie Closet Casual, Trendy Styles for Spring

78

Love in SoHo

82

Modern Luxury Old World Meets New World

83

Man, Oh, Man His Lifestyle, Personalized

84

Beauty Buys Make Your Skin Glow at Any Age

86

ABSolute Spring Kick-Start Your Bathing Suit Body

88

Eat Right. Breathe Right. Shine Bright! Expert Advice for Starting Your Mornings Off on the Right Foot

CITY BITES 91

It’s Anything but Plain at Plein Sud

92

Food Report Unfolding Culinary News

94

Easy Eggs All Day Amplify Your At-home Brunch Menu with Simple Egg Recipes Just in Time for Mother’s and Father’s Day

96

Shaking Up Latin Cocktails

98

Time Traveler’s Menu Lower Manhattan Restaurants with a Side of History

EXTRA! EXTRA! Hidden Gem 5 Beekman Street

102

Downtown Diaries

106

Rearview Mirror View from Greene Street

108

Soapbox Chew the Fat with Barclay Hudson

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96

DOWNTOWN CEO AND PUBLISHER GRACE A. CAPOBIANCO EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Shari Hartford

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Mike Hammer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrea Tullman EDITOR Matt Essert CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mia Macfarlane FASHION EDITOR Amanda Orlinsky MEN’S FASHION EDITOR Matt Scotto PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Sarah Rossi SENIOR FOOD EDITOR Murray Yanker FOOD EDITOR Amy Matlock TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Michael Kaufman, AIA FITNESS CONSULTANTS Shawna Cordell, Kirk Myers WELLNESS CONSULTANT Denielle Licciardo COPY EDITOR Barbara Machtiger CREATIVE ASSISTANTS Lisa DiCarlucci, Albert Gremse PHOTOGRAPHERS Lana De Doncker, Tony Shi CONTRIBUTORS Marissa Bienstock, John J. Capobianco, Michael DeSano, Kristin Doney, Dr. Steven Friedman, Maria Hadjidemetriou, Lana Levy, Samuel A. Litt TECHNOLOGY Bradley Kirkland, Stefan Lucut, Nicu Lordachescu, Lynn Brooks ADVISORS TO THE PUBLISHER Mikael Gianfranco R, Andrew Wheatcroft LEGAL COUNCIL Thomas Farley, Luigi Rosabianca ACCOUNTANT Vincent Cunzio FINANCIAL ASSISTANT Courtney Branen CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Frank Rosner DESIGN INTERNS Gina Defelice, Chris McCall EDITORIAL INTERNS Samantha Abram, Carmen Bica, Charissa Che, Dorée Harootunian, Tayla Holman, Karen Miller FASHION INTERNS Kelly Abrams, Margarita Mukhsinova, Christine Tran, Ariel Wells GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jane Gardner PHOTOGRAPHY INTERNS Nisran Azouaghe, Sarah Coulter, Ariana de Luca, Eddie Schneckloth VIDEOGRAPHERS Kristopher Kelly, Joseph Masone COLUMNISTS Suzanne Corso, Stacy Seiler, Samuel A. Southworth INTERNATIONAL SALES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Patrice Delancy FASHION AND LIFESTYLE MARKETING DIRECTOR Marsha Wright BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE MARKETING DIRECTORS Tory Peman-Dupier, Roberto Valentin ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING DIRECTOR Jacqueline R. Heller MARKETING AND SALES ASSISTANTS Jaclynn Castellano, Will Jankunis, Louisa Tush CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Grace A. Capobianco EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Annaël Benhamou CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Armando Esposito

DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC, INC CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 64 Fulton Street, Suite 501 New York, NY 10038 Phone: 212.962.1916 downtownmagazinenyc.com

“Starting with the ‘free antipasto,’ this ‘first-rate’ TriBeCa Tuscan is know for its ‘sumptuous’ repast served by ‘bow-tied’ staff that makes you feel like family.” - Zagat 2011

Copyright 2012 by DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC, Inc. All rights reserved. DOWNTOWN (ISSN 2164-6198) is published quarterly in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter for $24 per subscription by DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC Inc., 64 Fulton St. Suite 501, New York, NY 10038. Application to mail at Periodical postage rates is pending at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DOWNTOWN, 64 Fulton St. Suite 501, New York, NY 10038. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 212.962.1916 or visit downtownmagazinenyc.com.

R I N G S FO R N EW YO R K E R S I N LOV E

6 4 T R I N I T Y P L AC E D OW N TOW N N YC 2 1 2 .9 6 4 . 7 5 9 2 G R E E N W I C H J E W E L E R S . C O M

55 Wall Street Between William and Hanover Street

Come and Enjoy a cocktail after work on our outside balcony Cipriani Thursday Party (every other Thursday) Live DJ Open breakfast lunch and dinner from 7 AM till 11 PM Monday thu Friday Ballroom is available for private events, smaller private rooms are also available in the club and restaurant for any occasion. Special Cipriani Club Membership price for downtown magazine readers 646.300.8163 www.cipriani.com

SPRING A

lthough this past winter wasn’t particularly treacherous, and we seem to have adopted a mild, European climate these SDVW IHZ PRQWKV , DP QHYHUWKHOHVV À OOHG ZLWK H[FLWHPHQW DW

the thought of spring. Spring and springtime refer to the season, but also broadly to the idea of rebirth, renewal and regrowth, all things DOWNTOWN knows only too well. We are in our second year—and on our second spring—of delivering to you inspiring, insightful content, stunning photography and an account of one of the most energetic cities in the world, where you can interact with a variety of different cultures without leaving your own neighborhood. 7KLV LVVXH FHOHEUDWHV VSULQJ LQ H[SHFWHG DQG XQH[SHFWHG ZD\V :H¡UH outdoors in pastel fashions, eating lighter and sipping fruity cocktails. :H¡UH H[SORULQJ 6R+R DQG JHWWLQJ WHDU\ DW WKH WKRXJKW RI EHDXWLIXO 'RZQWRZQ ZHGGLQJV %XW DERYH DOO H[HUFLVH DQG Ă€ WQHVV DJDLQ WDNH center stage. 2YHU WKH ODVW WKUHH PRQWKV , H[SHULHQFHG P\ RZQ XSV DQG GRZQVÂł my own winter and spring. After a series of procedures for an ongoing back problem, I knew I needed to get real about my own health and ZHOO EHLQJ :LWK WKH H[WUDRUGLQDU\ FDUH IURP -HIIUH\ 0HQNH¡V WHDP DW RXU FRPPXQLW\¡V 'RZQWRZQ +RVSLWDO 'U :DUUHQ /LFKW 'U 9DGLP .XVKQHULN DQG -RH &LDQFL , ZDV TXLFNO\ EDFN RQ P\ IHHW , QHHGHG WR Ă€ QG WKH ULJKW Ă€ WQHVV DQG QXWULWLRQ FRDFK ZKLFK FDQ DFWXDOO\ EH PRUH GLIĂ€ FXOW WKDQ \RX PLJKW WKLQN /XFNLO\ , MXVW KDSSHQHG WR EH LQWURGXFHG YLD RXU DGYLVRU\ ERDUG PHPEHU /XLJL 5RVDELDQFD WR 6KDZQD &RUGHOO .LUN 0\HUV DQG 9LFWRU 'LNXVDU RI &RUGHOO )LWQHVV 6SULQJWLPH Ă€ QGV PH IXOO\ UHFRYHUHG ZLWK UHQHZHG HQHUJ\ DQG enthusiastic to ride my bike! )LWQHVV LV DQ LPSRUWDQW SDUW RI OLIH DQG MXVW OLNH WKH WXOLS EHQGV DQG turns during its lifespan, our bodies need to develop the strength and Ă H[LELOLW\ WR WKULYH DQG Ă RXULVK IURP GD\ WR GD\ DQG VHDVRQ WR VHDVRQ /HDYH \RXU FDU LQ WKH JDUDJH DQG WKH WD[LV DW WKH VWDQGV ,W¡V WLPH WR JUDE \RXU ELNH DQG H[SORUH EHDXWLIXO 0DQKDWWDQ ,W¡V VSULQJWLPH LQ 1HZ <RUN &LW\

Grace A. Capobianco PUBLISHER

Photographed by Poul Ober. Apparel courtesy of Bloomingdales. Styled by Amanda Orlinsky. Makeup and hair by Alexa Kramer. Bicycle courtesy of Adeline Adeline.

Here’s to the Tulips of

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

I caught a sneak peak of Jason Wu’s Orchid Rain candle, produced by NEST Fragrances, just in time for its April launch. For more designer collabs, turn to Style Report on page 72.

Keep an eye out for suggestions on what to gift Dad and Mom with these “For Dad� and “For Mom� buttons.

I had the pleasure of hanging with Rosanna Scotto at FRESCO by Scotto during her shoot. Read the full story on page 60.

Carolyn Rafaelian, creator of Alex and Ani, and I celebrated the opening of the brand’s SoHo store. Check out Love In SoHo on page 78 for his-and-her trends, featuring Alex and Ani and more.

A

t the beginning of February (in the height of Awards season) I headed down to the East Village to see The Artist with some of my friends. As we stood at the corner waiting to cross the street, an elderly lady with a cane turned to me, grabbed my arm and asked if I could help her cross the street so she would make the light. Caught off guard, I replied, “Sure,â€? and walked her to the other side. Three days later, when I arrived at the M15 Select bus stop and as I was about to insert my metro card into the kiosk to get my receipt, a lady handed me the ticket she purchased and said, “Please, take this! I’m going to walk instead.â€? :DU\ DW Ă€UVW , YHULĂ€HG LW ZDV WKH SURSHU WLFNHWÂłGDWH EXV VWRS QXPEHU GLUHFWLRQÂłDQG WRRN LW DSSUHFLDWLYHO\ Karma (for what it’s worth) was on my side‌and it all started several days prior. Paying it forward really paid off, and not only for my personal gain; these acts of kindness made for a friendly neighborhood. Lessen learned: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. As simple as it may seem, it’s a good

12

SPRING 2012

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motto to renew each year; simple acts of kindness just make you feel good. Spring is an ideal time to reinforce such personal values, clean your slate and test drive the QHZ³KDELWV UHVWDXUDQWV IDVKLRQV H[HUFLVHV HWF We’ve taken this opportunity to do just that at DOWNTOWN. In this issue, we’ve decided to dedicate our mornings to personal wellness in order to lead the healthful life (page 88). We’re introducing industry news pages to highlight new and noteworthy stories about Downtown and New York City culture (page 38), style (page 72) and food (page 92). Look for new icons like those that alert you to gift ideas for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Piggybacking on the winter issue’s gift guide insert, we have another special seasonal section: this time it’s about spring weddings, with an emphasis on celebrating in Lower Manhattan. We even have our ÀUVW LOOXVWUDWLRQ E\ ORFDO 7UL%H&D DUWLVW .ULVWLQ 'RQH\ on the last page of the magazine. In keeping with our constant improvements, we’re paying equal attention to our website. We’ve given our

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

daily content a boost with regularly revolving editor’s SLFNV VSRUWV XSGDWHV ÀOP UHYLHZV 7RS 7XHVGD\ OLVWV and an About Us section at the bottom of the home page so you can meet the DTM team. As we get out and about this spring we want to get to know you, our neighbors. So like us on Facebook.com/ downtownmag, tweet us at @DowntownMag and shout out to me at @andjt. Comment on our web stories! Email us! Subscribe!

See you in the ’hood!

Andrea Tullman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Photographed by Lana De Doncker, Sarah Rossi and Nisran Azouaghe.

It’s a Beautiful Day in THIS NEIGHBORHOOD

© 2012 Hilton Worldwide

INTRODUCING CONR AD NEW YORK. A HOTEL THAT FEELS LIKE IT WAS MADE FOR YOU. BECAUSE IT WAS. Now there’s a place in Battery Park City where the service is intuitive and personal. The surroundings are modern and artful. And you can feel connected to everything downtown. The new Conrad New York. Experience the luxury of being yourself.

OPENING MARCH 2012

102 North End Avenue, New York, NY For reservations call 212 945 0100 or visit ConradNY.com

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT RECYCLING AND BEING GREEN THAT YOU HAVE CARRIED OVER TO YOUR HOME AND BUSINESS? ERIC BONNETAIN MANAGER, CIPRIANI WALL STREET

I already have been taking environmentally friendly steps at home, so it’s a natural extension to take similar measures at work. I’ve invested in an energy-saving computer and set the computer to sleep mode when I’m away for short periods of time. I also have reduced printer use and print on both sides of the paper.

THE COMMUNITY LEADERS AND LEGENDS THAT HAVE HELPED BUILD THIS AREA AND GUIDE OUR COVERAGE OF IT

DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD

DONALD ROLAND, M.D., FACS

BOARD-CERTIFIED PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON CHAIRPERSON OF DOWNTOWN MAGAZINE’S ADVISORY BOARD DREW ALEXANDER HEAD OF SCHOOL, LÉ É MAN MANHATTAN LÉMAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Working in a school setting, educators have the responsibility of modeling the triple R’s: reducing, reusing and recycling as the green way of life. Using motion sensors on water and lights, adjusting thermostats, using mass transit are all planet-friendly measures that support a green planet for future generations.

MELISSA ANDREEV PRESIDENT OF THE FIDI ASSOCIATION AND MANAGER AT LA MAISON DU CHOCOLATE, WALL STREET

Growing up a few blocks away from the EHDFK LQ %HOPDU 1HZ -HUVH\ , ZDV WDXJKW WR UHVSHFW WKH ZDWHU LQ HYHU\ DVSHFW 0\ Ă€ UVW “greenâ€? lesson was about water pollution. I encourage my friends and co-workers to conserve water at all times. Clean running water is a luxury that we should all be thankful for.

CHRISTO INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED HAIRSTYLIST

In my salon, I have a cut-off switch that allows me to turn off all the electricity in the salon at the end of the day from all my outOHWV ,Q DGGLWLRQ DOO P\ OLJKWV DUH HQHUJ\ HIĂ€ cient. I think we have to try to make a differHQFH HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK JOREDO ZDUPLQJ

AARON DWORKIN FOUNDER OF THE SPHINX ORGANIZATION AND A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

At Sphinx, we are undergoing a green evolution by sharing our program materials electronically. All our design materials are virtual, allowing for broader usability and maximizing use of technology to ultimately uphold our collective responsibility as citizens of the planet.

ALBERT M. LEFKOVITS,

:H VRUW DQG UHF\FOH DW KRPH DQG LQ WKH RIĂ€ FH Plastic bags from the laundry are recycled to pick up waste from our dog, Chase. In my RIĂ€ FH ZH UHXVH WKH FOHDQ VLGHV RI QRQSULYDWH ID[HV $W KRPH DQG LQ P\ RIĂ€ FH ZH WXUQ RII unneeded lights and, whenever possible, we use green products.

M.D., P.C.

ASSOCIATE CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF DERMATOLOGY AT MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Drew Nieporent photographed by Morgan Miller. Inset photograph by Matt Gibson.

Being green has become a family affair for us. My kids have become experts at separating our trash into one of three designated bins. ProIHVVLRQDOO\ P\ RIĂ€ FH LV JHDULQJ XS WR switch over to electronic medical records, which will have a huge impact on our paper consumption over the next 25 years.

RORY McCREESH FOUNDER, DUCE CONSTRUCTION

With recycling being such an important factor for our future, we try to recycle everything we can at home. In business, I encourage and educate customers through the Duce Green Division of our company.

JULIE MENIN CHAIRPERSON OF COMMUNITY BOARD 1, SERVING LOWER MANHATTAN

I am proud that we were able to locate the VLWH IRU WKH À UVW JUHHQ VFKRRO LQ 1HZ <RUN City, P.S. 276, in Battery Park City.

JEFFREY MENKES PRESIDENT AND CEO, DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL

,Q OHDJXH ZLWK &RQ (GLVRQ¡V (QHUJ\ (IĂ€ FLHQF\ LQLWLDWLYH 1HZ <RUN 'RZQWRZQ +RV pital has developed a green energy strategy WKDW LQFOXGHV LQVWDOOLQJ KLJK HIĂ€ FLHQF\ PR tors, which will provide superior and more HQHUJ\ HIĂ€ FLHQW YHQWLODWLRQ ZDWHU Ă RZ DQG environmental controls.

DREW NIEPORENT CHAIRPERSON OF THE MYRIAD RESTAURANT GROUP

One of the best things that has come out of the baby boomer generation is the implementation of green efforts. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as recycling. 1HZVSDSHUV VRGD FDQV HYHU\WKLQJ ZHQW WR JHWKHU LQWR WKH WUDVK 1RZ ERWK DW KRPH DQG in our restaurants, green efforts are in place.

LUIGI ROSABIANCA PRINCIPAL AND FOUNDER OF ROSABIANCA & ASSOCIATES, PLLC

In a climate of feel-good sentiments, “Greenâ€? gets its share of attention. Living an environmentally responsible life should QRW EH GHĂ€ QHG E\ DQ DFURQ\P FHUWLĂ€ FDWLRQ designations or embraces to plant life. Be it water usage, cycling, public transportation or the like, our habits can make an impact.

JEFF SIMMONS VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS, DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE

Being green is all about being smart. My partner works for Con Edison and practices what he preaches, and so do I. I don’t leave lights on when leaving a room, I don’t hike up the thermostat or AC unit and I use HQHUJ\ HIÀ FLHQW OLJKW EXOEV

425 WEST BROADWAY SoHo | NEW YORK 646.484.5099 WWW.ALEXANDANI.COM

DOWNTOWN MICHAEL DESANO

Basic Investing: Know the Playing Field page 32 Born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island, Michael DeSano spent the bulk of his youth angling the waters of the Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Before getting hooked on the immense amount of money that the stock markets could proYLGH ÀVKLQJ DQG VSRUWV ZHUH KLV ÀUVW SDVsions in life. As a teenager, he was inspired by his cousin’s successes as a Wall Street stock broker and decided to follow in his footsteps.

MARIA HADJIDEMETRIOU

Relocating to New York page 30 A Downtown resident for over 11 years, Maria Hadjidemetriou has a weekly column for DOWNTOWN’s website as “Downtown Momâ€? focusing RQ IDPLO\ HYHQWV <RX FDQ RIWHQ Ă€QG KHU and her three-year-old daughter strolling along the esplanade in Battery Park City. Hadjidemetriou enjoys writing (presently working on an animated screenplay) bike riding, kayaking and is a board member for Cooley’s Anemia Foundation.

KRISTIN DONEY

A Chat with TriBeCa Resident and Paw-Fect Pet Illustrator Kristin Doney page 108 TriBeCa resident Kristin Doney is a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books. She studied art at Syracuse University. Sketching the streets of New York City is one of her favorite pastimes. She also enjoys doing custom illustrations of kids, dogs and the occasional cat. To see more of her work, visit kristindoney.com.

LANA LEVY

Eat Right. Breathe Right. Shine Bright! page 88 Lana Levy is a registered yoga teacher and nutritionist specializing in a holistic approach toward healthy eating, not only to help her clients achieve their goals, but also help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Levy works to create customized nutrition plans and yoga sequences that DUH VSHFLĂ€FDOO\ WDLORUHG WR WKHLU QHHGV Whether the goal is weight loss, healthy weight gain, energy improvement, preand postnatal health, or relief from various gastrointestinal ailments, Just for Today LLC (justfortodaynyc.com) provides tools to make a change for life.

98 30

DR. STEVE

MIKAEL

FRIEDMAN

GIANFRANCO R

Time Traveler’s Menu page 98 Dr. Friedman is the chairman of the Department of Surgery at New York Downtown Hospital and lives with his wife and two daughters on the North Shore of Long Island. He and his wife enjoy theater in Manhattan on Saturday afternoons, followed by a new gourmet experience.

The Monopoly of Aggressive Investing page 32 Mikael Gianfranco R is a global equity tradHU +H VWXGLHG Ă€QDQFH at the International University of Monaco, ZKHUH KH UHFHLYHG KLV 0%$ LQ Ă€QDQFH and information technology before moving to New York. After settling in the city, he became a registered stock broker with D :DOO 6WUHHW Ă€UP :KHQ KH¡V QRW WUDGLQJ Gianfranco enjoys traveling, exercising, Ă€QH GLQLQJ DQG PXVLF

SAMUEL A. LITT

Sound Advice page 34 Samuel A. Litt is an $SSOH FHUWLÀHG WHFKnical coordinator as ZHOO DV D FHUWLÀHG member of the Apple Consultants Network. He currently serves as the director of technology for John Carris Investments. His published works to date include Mac OS X Administration Basics Exam Cram Study Guide, Mac OS X Bible for Panther, Tiger and Leopard editions, as well as several articles for Element K’s Mac Administrator Journal and Quark’s XRAY magazine.

SARAH SEKULA

Where the Wild Things Are page 43 When Sarah Sekula is not zigzagging around the planet—swimming alongside sea lions in the Galåpagos, trekking glaciers in Iceland or roaming the remote jungles of India—she’s writing about her advenWXUHV WKH HQYLURQPHQW ÀWQHVV KHDOWK wellness, extraordinary people and social injustice issues. Her work has appeared in USA Today, ISLANDS, Sherman’s Travel, Caribbean Travel & Life, Cayman Airways Skies and more. Follow her travels at sarahsekula.com.

32

Bridge CafĂŠ photographed by Poul Ober. Home designed by Art et Maison; photographed by Sarah Rossi. Dollar bill photographed by Eddie Schneckloth.

Contributors

212.877.2220 Eight Spruce Street NewYorkbyGehry.com Owner Developer: Forest City Ratner Companies Marketing Consultant: Nancy Packes, Inc. Marketing & Leasing Agent: Citi Habitats Marketing Group

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT Class Lesson / Visionaries / Downtown Development / Tech Spot

Gateway to AMERICA

Photographed by Tony Shi.

For a brief period in time, Ellis Island was the second beacon in New York harbor, a sight as welcoming as the Statue herself. But few realize that the busiest immigra-

Work began in 1986 to restore the main building—the

tion center in the country was only operational for 62 years, beginning in 1892—a mere blip in the timeline

largest historic restoration ever undertaken in the country. And in 1990 the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened, followed by the American Family Immigration History Center in 2001, which holds a database contain-

of the island of Manhattan. After the wave of European immigration in the early part of the 20th century, 1924

ing over 22 million immigration records from 1892-1924. A little-known fact is that three-term Mayor Fiorello

saw Ellis Island become primarily a detention and de-

La Guardia worked on the island from 1907-1910 as an interpreter, before beginning his law and political career.

portation processing center until it was closed for good in 1954.

—SHARI HARTFORD

N

ew York has been both blessed and cursed by its leadership, but it never has had bland leaders. Something about the island city tends to jazz things up and attract the ambitious in droves. From Peter Stuyvesant to Mayor Bloomberg, they come (from Holland and Massachusetts, respectively) and are lit up as if on a stage, emerging DV ODUJHU WKDQ OLIH Ă€JXUHV ZLWK WKH DXGDFLW\ WR WKLQN WKH\ FRXOG FRQWURO such an experiment in mayhem as Manhattan. Boss Tweed was perhaps the most powerful; Jimmy Walker perhaps the most corrupt. Indeed a lengthy and fascinating book could be made of the various mayors and governors of New York over 400 years. William Randolph Hearst, the press magnate, wanted the job, but couldn’t get over the people’s bitter aftertaste of his own brand of “yellow journalism,â€? which the public well recalled. Former mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former governor NelVRQ 5RFNHIHOOHU ERWK DVSLUHG WR KLJKHU RIĂ€FH ZKLFK GHQLHG WKHP 2QO\ the Roosevelt cousins (Theodore and Franklin) were able to make the jump to the presidency from the governorship, and no mayor has ever

20

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DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

gone the distance to the White House. Fiorello LaGuardia was perhaps the best beloved (especially when he started reading the comics over the radio during a newspaper strike), and John Lindsay, while not admired much these days, was a very decent man with a wonderful campaign slogan, which older readers may recall: simple black lapel buttons with the words in bright white saying “Give a Damn.â€? Senator Bobby Kennedy wasn’t able to see how far he could have gone, but perhaps our current secretary of state and former senator from New York, Hillary Clinton PD\ \HW KDYH D UXQ DW VRPH ORIW\ RIĂ€FH For a truly rotten governor, impossibly high-handed and so crooked he probably needed a corkscrew to get his trousers on, we’d have to cast our spyglass back to the early 1700s and take up the remarkable case of Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury (and later the 3rd Earl of Clarendon). Now, keep in mind how compact this thriving seaport was at that time. The wall, which was at present-day Wall Street, came down in 1699, and a new city hall was built at the intersection of Wall and Broad

Image PD-US Federal Hall, Seat of Congress. 1790 hand-colored engraving by Amos Doolittle.

history

The Worst Governor of Them All: Edward Hyde

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ■DOWNTOWN REWIND Opposite page: Federal Hall, Seat of Congress. 1790 hand-colored engraving depicting Washington’s April 30, 1789 inauguration at the former City Hall where Hyde served. This page: Portrait of an Unidentified Woman, said to be Hyde in women’s clothing.

streets. In 1704, we are told, there were 5,000 people living in 750 houses, and many of them were made of brick and stone, lessening the ever-present fear of Ă€UH 6L[WHHQ ZHOOV ZHUH WDNHQ RYHU E\ WKH DXWKRULWLHV and another 15 were dug to accommodate the increasing population. The houses were tidy, but the streets were a wreck. Eventually homeowners would be required to pave the street in front of their building, and this helped a little, but the chance of being run down by horses and carriages, to say nothing of the roaming packs of almost-wild pigs, hardly lent any coziness to this dark seaport. Footpads (highway robbers on foot) and thugs awaited WKH XQZDU\ DIWHU VXQVHW WR VXFK DQ H[WHQW WKDW ODWH night travelers dared go out, if at all, only in pairs or threesomes. In 1697 each house was required to show some light “in the Darke time of the moon,â€? which ZHQW VRPH ZD\V WRZDUG SURPRWLQJ VDIHW\ 6DPH ROG New York, eh? It doesn’t pay to wander around after dark with your head in the clouds. Onto this scene as part of the push for Anglicization of the port city arrived one Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury, a well-connected British noble. Indeed, his aunt, Lady Anne Hyde, would later be King James II’s bride, and his grandfather was the 1st Earl RI &ODUHQGRQ $Q 2[IRUG JUDGXDWH DQG 7RU\ PHPber of Parliament, Hyde was also a member of the Royal Regiment of Dragoons (dragoons being heavily armed and armored cavalrymen), and Master of Horse WR 3ULQFH *HRUJH RI 'HQPDUN 6R IDU KLV &9 ZRXOG VHHP WR LQGLFDWH ERWK EUDLQ DQG EUDZQ %XW WKH Ă€UVW thing he did was attack the Dutch Reformed Church, attempting to impose the Trinity Church and its brand RI &KXUFK RI (QJODQG IDLWKÂłWKH RIĂ€FLDO UHOLJLRQ RI the colony—much to the discontent of Reformed Church followers. Hyde also started handing out huge land grants, never a good sign in a governor, with one of them being as large as half of Connecticut: some two million acres. But there was more to Viscount Cornbury than merely rewarding his backers and punishing people of other faiths. People began to talk, as they will, about the time he rode his horse into the city’s most prominent coffeehouse, the King’s Arms (just north of Trinity Church on Broadway), which might just indicate high spirits, but it was imputed that there was a lack of sobriety in his actions. Indeed, what might have been passed off as all right in Dodge City in the 1870s was an unusual action for a social meeting place in the New York of the early 1700s, where much business and politics were

done. And, after all, horse-and-polo-mad Vanderbilts and Astors of the Gilded Age are shown in one photograph having an entire meal on horseback—but for Hyde, this was just the beginning. It began to be noised about that the fellow wore dresses . . . indeed, that he liked to wear dresses, and sometimes walked the ramparts of the fort dressed as a woman, or else sprang out from behind a handy tree to alarm passersby with his cross-dressing and loud “shrieks.� Good Lord! This, evidently, was beyond the pale; although transvestism has been with us since the dawn of time, and is largely agreed to be a harmless pastime. Well, it was one thing to be a crooked liar, but quite another to be the queen’s appointed governor in crinoline and lace! A tidy groundswell of opinion now threatened Hyde’s authority, and those who were not fans of his religious oppressions were hardly taken by his private and not-so-private practices. Fortunately for them, Hyde’s transgressions were fairly manifest, such as the 1,500 pounds for harbor improvements that somehow went missing. He had formerly been very proud of his wife’s ears (!), but her death in 1707 (she rests in the Trinity graveyard) won him little sympathy—not least because it was reported he attended her funeral dressed as a woman. Did he actually open the New York Assembly in a hooped gown and fancy head gear, waving a fan? And the lovely portrait of Viscount Cornbury that is in the possession of the 1HZ <RUN +LVWRULFDO 6RFLHW\ FRXOG WKDW really be him? As it turns out, the entire crossdressing accusation seems to have been a bum rap, just another shovel of mud to be piled on a political leader with a heavy-handed and corrupt way about him. There was no eyewitness testimony—just rumors in letters, and not many of those. Be that as it may, he was recalled to England to face charges of corruption, and saved only by the death of his father, which made him the 3rd

Image: Portrait of an Unidentified Woman, by an unidentified artist. Courtesy of the New York Historical Society.

It was one thing to be a crooked liar, but quite another to be the queen’s appointed governor in crinoline and lace!

Earl of Clarendon, and thus unable to be charged with such things. Oh, nobility does have its uses! This didn’t, however, save him from dying in poverty in 1725. &DQ ZH ÀQG D ZRUVH JRYHUQRU" ,W ZRXOG EH KDUG Hyde had an agenda when he arrived, and lined his own pockets along the way with a reckless abandon that showed little stealth and no honor. And not for the last time, New Yorkers demanded better leaderVKLS DQG à H[HG WKHLU PXVFOHV WR DQ XQXVXDO GHJUHH 0HUH FRORQLHV ZHUH H[SHFWHG WR WDNH WKH OHDGHUV WKH\ were offered, and get on with it. But starting in New York, it seemed almost as if new rules applied in the New World, and in time those new rules would include freedom and self-governance. New Yorkers come by their bold audacity honestly, honed over centuries of VTXDEEOLQJ DQG RQO\ EROG OHDGHUV ZRXOG SURYH ÀW WR rule and control such a beehive of activity—and that’s just the elected leaders. After all, neither Robert Moses nor Cornelius Vanderbilt ever stood to election—and, IRUWXQDWHO\ ERWK RI WKHP KDG IDU JUHDWHU LQà XHQFH RQ Manhattan than the now-almost-forgotten Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury. † —SAMUEL A. SOUTHWORTH

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– LEADERS IN TIME

Rachelle Friedman with Blues Legend BB King

SHELDON SILVER

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W¡V KDUG WR LPDJLQH VRPHRQH PRUH TXDOLĂ€HG WR represent Downtown in the New York State Assembly than Sheldon Silver. Born on Henry 6WUHHW RQ WKH /RZHU (DVW 6LGH D QHLJKERUKRRG Ă€YH generations of Silvers can call home), Silver spent his childhood summers working at his father’s hardware store on Ludlow Street and now lives on Grand Street. Having lived in the neighborhood for his entire life, Silver’s “roots run deep in this community.â€? After graduating from Yeshiva University and obtaining his law degree from Brooklyn School of Law, Silver eventually found his way into New York State politics when he was elected to the assembly in 1976 DQG ODWHU DVVXPHG WKH RIĂ€FH RI VSHDNHU LQ

You have lived on the Lower East Side for your entire life. What has compelled you to remain in the neighborhood for all these years?

What I like about the neighborhood, what draws me to it, is its history and diversity. To truly know the Lower East Side is to know the city of New York.‌Really, it’s to know America! Getting to interact with people from every ethnic and economic background teaches me something new every day. To have raised my children in a community such as this, which is not so driven by materialism, was a true blessing. How do you think New York City, and specifically Lower Manhattan, changed after 9/11?

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I think New Yorkers are more united now than before 9/11. Lower Manhattan has emerged as a vibrant, 24/7, mixed-use community. While we are as committed as HYHU WR NHHSLQJ 'RZQWRZQ WKH EXVLQHVV DQG ÀQDQFLDO capital of the world, we are aggressively pursuing new companies from sectors such as media, professional services, technology, creative services and not-for-profits; all of this on top of dozens of new hotels and retail shops. Lower Manhattan is the place to be.

SURJUDP ZKLFK LV EHQHÀWLQJ RXU \RXQJHVW VWXGHQWV across our state. As the assemblyman who represents Downtown, I am particularly proud to have had a hand in Downtown’s comeback. The legislation I crafted to permit the conversion of commercial buildings to residential and the Marshall Plan for Lower Manhattan, which I authored and which sparked the commercial resurgence of Downtown, are particular sources of pride.

What has been the biggest factor(s) helping Down-

What else do you want to accomplish?

town revitalize itself over the last 10 years?

Looking forward, I would like to see the day when the World Trade Center is fully constructed and fully occupied. Equally important, I am working toward the day ZKHQ HYHU\ FKLOG KDV D VHDW LQ D WRSĂ LJKW SXEOLF VFKRRO near their homes in Lower Manhattan.

The $2 billion investment made by the federal government to rebuild Lower Manhattan has enabled us to build new parks and a beautiful new waterfront on the east and west sides, improve our infrastructure and assist businesses to rebuild. And when CondĂŠ Nast, the Daily News, Oppenheimer Funds, the William J. Clinton Foundation, and the New York Academy of Sciences arrived, that sent a message that the revitalization was real and sustainable. What have been your proudest accomplishments in the last 35 years in the New York State Assembly?

As speaker, my greatest source of pride is the establishment of the state’s universal prekindergarten for every four-year-old. Having read the studies and recognizing that children who receive quality early education frequently go on to enjoy long-term academic achievement, I pushed for the creation and the funding of this

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

How do you think you have been able to stay so successful and popular after many years in office?

I have never forgotten and will never forget that it is the people who elect me. I have never lost sight of ZKDW D SULYLOHJH LW LV WR VHUYH LQ SXEOLF RIÀFH 5HPDLQLQJ LQ RIÀFH UHTXLUHV WKDW \RXU FRQVWLWXHQWV NQRZ ZKR you are, know what it is you do and see the results of your leadership. I walk the district and am approachable. I seek the input of my neighbors. I listen to their concerns and I act to address them. Staying engaged, listening, leading‌these are the keys to success in public service. † —MATT ESSERT

Photographs courtesy of the New York State Assembly.

DOWNTOWN’S VOICE IN ALBANY

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– LEADERS IN TIME

Friedman with blues legend B.B. King.

Friedman with son Jason Friedman at J&R Junior.

RACHELLE FRIEDMAN

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t took love—and money—to turn an idea into an empire. Forty years ago, Rachelle and Joe Friedman parlayed their wedding loot into a small momand-pop store, J&R, hawking audio equipment on Park Row in Downtown Manhattan. Rachelle and Joe have since turned that passion into a worldwide shopping destination with 650 employees. Emblematic of that resilience and growth, Crain’s New York anointed J&R Music and Computer World the largest female-owned business in New York City. $V FR FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RIÀFHU 5DFKHOOH VHUYHV DV J&R’s public face—speaking at conferences and serving on boards, such as the Downtown Alliance’s board of GLUHFWRUV³DV LW EUDQFKHV LQWR QHZ ÀHOGV VWD\V DKHDG RI the curve, embraces new technological and consumer demands and continues to stay loyal to Lower Manhattan.

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didn’t have. I wrote it all in a notebook. The next mornLQJ -RH DQG , ZHQW WR D GLVWULEXWRU DQG ÀOOHG WKH VSHFLDO requests. Customers taught me the business.

DQG ÀUVW WR KDYH DQ $SSOH VWRUH ZLWKLQ D VWRUH %XW RXU biggest obstacle was 9/11, due to our proximity to the Twin Towers.

What were the best business decisions you made?

What was the impact of 9/11?

We never took partners, though we were very tempted. We never went public and we never expanded for the sake of expanding. We wanted to run the business by gut. And, instead of renting our stores, we felt the urge to buy the buildings when they became available—and that was one of our better business decisions.

We were closed for seven weeks, yet we managed to continue to pay our employees. We were thankful that none of our employees were hurt on that tragic day.

How did J&R develop worldwide appeal?

We always appealed to the tourist because of our terULĂ€F SULFLQJ DQG JUHDW FXVWRPHU VHUYLFH :H HPSOR\ D staff that speaks every language to accommodate tourists that come to J&R. We have great relationships with other tourism entities in the city.

Why did you choose Park Row?

How has the neighborhood changed since you started J&R?

Park Row was a few blocks away from where my husband worked as an engineer and was a block away from the college where I was studying chemistry. We opened J&R as a part-time endeavor to make some extra money while in school, and we had a passion for what we were selling: gadgets, consumer electronics and music.

Lower Manhattan was inundated with banks and inVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV DQG ODZ ÀUPV DQG ZDV D 0RQGD\ through-Friday area with 9-to-5 hours. Over the years, other businesses and residents moved into the area and, ULJKW EHIRUH DQG DIWHU PDQ\ RIÀFH EXLOGLQJV ZHUH converted to residential.

Tell me about day one.

What obstacles have you faced?

:H KDG JRQH WR D GLVWULEXWRU DQG ÀOOHG XS WKH VWRUH with electronics. It was about 300 square feet. As we sold items, customers asked for other products that we

As the new kids on the block 40 years ago, we had to get factory authorized for all the products and lines ZH VROG :H ZHUH WKH ÀUVW ZLWK FRQVXPHU HOHFWURQLFV

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You were the first business to reopen afterward.

The area looked like a war zone the day before we reopened. The streets were deserted. We felt we owed it to our employees, and our customers said they would not buy another piece of electronics until we reopened. The day after we reopened, the streets were bustling. We didn’t want to abandon Lower Manhattan. We showed the terrorists that they did not win. What’s your advice for someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

%H SDVVLRQDWH DERXW ZKDW \RX VHOO DQG ZKDW \RX ORYH to do. People can always tell if you are being honest with them. What’s your guilty pleasure when you shop?

My shopping guilty pleasure is buying gifts. I take more pleasure in buying things for other people than I do for myself, and I’m a very impatient buyer. † —JEFF SIMMONS

Simmons serves as senior vice president for communications of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the business improvement district for Lower Manhattan.

Store photographs courtesy of J&R. Left and center photographs by Sarah Rossi.

THE WOMAN BEHIND J&R

Photo: Leah Reddy

Our child will always be standing on the educational, ethical, and spiritual foundation formed at Trinity Preschool. –Parent of Trinity Graduate Trinity Preschool is an Episcopal school in Lower Manhattan that cultivates the mind, body, and spirit of children. It offers full-day, year-round options for infants through preschool. This year it celebrates 30 years of service in the community. More information at: 212.602.0829.

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– BLUEPRINT

Vintry Fine Wines

Downtown’s NORTH END

Battery Place Market

Gets a Facelift

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attery Park City (BPC) is attracting a lot of buzz in the Downtown community with help from the folks at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Goldman 6DFKV EHJDQ LWV PRYH LQWR WKH QHLJKERUKRRG LQ DQG RIĂ€FLDOO\ RSHQHG its headquarters in 2010 at the corner of Vesey and West streets. Then, in February 2011, Goldman announced plans to overhaul its immediate vicinity to better serve its employees as well as the local residents. A major renovation was set in motion early last year to convert Goldman’s adjacent 14-story Embassy Suites Hotel into a luxury Conrad Hotel. In addition to replacing the building’s brick façade with glass and steel, new restaurants and retail

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locations have cropped up, including a bakery shepherded by its world-renowned chef, Francois Payard. The area’s gourmet grocer recently opened a second, satellite location, offering alternatives to the area’s former Applebee’s and Chevy’s chains. Wine connoisseurs can delve into a sea of popular and esoteric varietals. Plus, a VSRUWV PHFFD ZKRVH VFRSH LV JXDUDQWHHG WR WDNH DQ\ Ă€WQHVV HQWKXVLDVW¡V EUHDWK DZD\ will open this spring. Some old establishments will remain in the area; among them, a mega cinema. Dino Fusco, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, told Community Board 1 that he believes these changes may make BPC one of Manhattan’s all-purpose hotspots:

All photographs by Poul Ober.

GET TO KNOW THE NEW NEIGHBORS

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– BLUEPRINT

“It makes for a more dynamic, modern experience.â€? Linda Belfer, chairwoman of the community board’s BPC committee, feels both families and Wall Street workers will be given a respite from their bustling deadline-driven environment. “If we, as a residential QHLJKERUKRRG FDQ EHQHĂ€W IURP LW WKDW¡V ZRQGHUIXO Âľ Belfer says. BATTERY PLACE MARKET They had DOWNTOWN hooked the second we tried Executive Chef Robert Sckalor’s homemade turkey chili, and now Battery Place Market is aiming to be the go-to grocery store for on-the-go healthy and organic items and guilty pleasures. CEO Anthony Roche says, “We’re excited to be around all these restaurateurs, such as Harry and Peter, Danny Meyer, the people at Pick-a-Bagel, Greens & Beans and Francois Payard, who is considered to be one of the best businessmen in the country. We’re excited to be a part of this family here.â€? The new market has divided its menu into the basic food groups, with carbs, veggies and meats all sprinkled with a generous dose of health consciousness. “We’re trying to provide fresh quality and the most RUJDQLF SURGXFWV \RX FDQ Ă€QG FRQYHQLHQW IRU WLPH crunched workers to come in and grab lunch in four to Ă€YH PLQXWHV LQVWHDG RI ZDLWLQJ DW D ODUJHU SODFH IRU minutes,â€? explains Roche. Start your day off with something familiar, like a bagel with cream cheese, or go all out with scrambled eggs, chorizo and Manchego cheese on a Portuguese PXIĂ€Q 7KH 6WXPSGRZQ *RXUPHW &RIIHH VHOHFWLRQ raises the standard for your traditional cafĂŠ au lait, and the Intelligentsia Organic Tea offerings span the continents. Choose from a wordly assortment that includes Asia’s Jasmine Peach and Africa’s Moroccan Mint. 0L[LQJ Ă€QH GLQLQJ FKRLFHV ZLWK WKH XUJH WR VDWLVI\ your taste buds no longer has to leave you with a guilty conscience, but rather with the desire to come back for more. Specials and new items are introduced each week, and the dishes are more affordable than those at your average fast-food joint. Plus, delivery is free! In conceiving Battery Place Market, Roche made sure that its services would cater to the area’s diversity, from outsourcing some dishes to making new products themselves. He explains, “We really had to meet our customers on a one-to-one basis‌to get to know them and ask questions: Can we get anything for you? What is something you need on a daily basis? Are we too expensive?â€? Roche says that this “tailoring from A to Zâ€? LV QHFHVVDU\ ´:H ZRXOGQ¡W EH KHUH LI ZDVQ¡W IRU \RX Âľ CONRAD HOTEL All of these new establishments stretch between the Goldman Sachs building and the new Conrad Hotel— the Goldman-owned building that has gotten a ritzy makeover and been turned into a keystone of the Goldman Sachs Dining & Entertainment Complex. The hotel boasts 463 suites, each with two rooms fea-

WXULQJ Ă DW VFUHHQ 79V :L)L PDUEOH EDWKV DQ HVSUHVVR machine and an innovative iPhone app that connects you to the hotel concierge. With 22,000 square feet of PHHWLQJ VSDFH D VTXDUH IRRW EDOOURRP DQG D FRQference center, visitors will have plenty of opportunities to mingle and meet new people. Given the hotel’s location adjacent to the parks of Battery Park City, guests will have vistas of some of the most iconic attractions in the world. “We have close to 2,000 pieces of art in the building,â€? Conrad’s Director of Sales and Marketing Patrick Roy explains. The Public Art Fund has selected the works of artists, including Sol LeWitt, Mary Heilmann, Elizabeth Payton, Pat Steir and Sara Sosnowy, to be on display throughout the hotel. “The whole aspiration for the conversion was to reĂ HFW WKLV EXLOGLQJ¡V VXUURXQGLQJV WR FRQQHFW WKH RXWside to the inside, and the inside to the outside,â€? Roy says. Along with a breathtaking staircase and modern artwork, the Conrad will greet the North End neighborhood with long-awaited modernity. Ensuring that the hotel is an all-around “luxury, Ă€YH VWDU H[SHULHQFHÂľ PHDQV PDWFKLQJ EHDXW\ ZLWK VXE-

VWDQFH ´,W ZRXOG EH D VKDPH WR GR DOO RI WKLV UHFRQĂ€JXration and all this work, and not have the service levels to match,â€? Roy says. Experience Conrad’s Mediterranean food styling at Atrio, the perfect place for business meetings or catching up with old friends. Its all-day menu highlights LQYHQWLYH Ă DWEUHDGV URDVWHG VHDVRQDO YHJHWDEOHV DQG artisan cheeses accompanied by wine by the glass. The Conrad’s second dining venue keeps it more FDVXDO 57% LV D VTXDUH IRRW FKLF WHUUDFH EDU SHUFKHG DWRS WKH KRWHO¡V URRI FR]\ HQRXJK IRU WR 70 people. Its stunning views and contemporary decor make it the perfect place for urbanites to get together and unwind over cocktails and wines. Although BPC’s revamp may intimidate some potential patrons, Roy states, “I don’t think people mind what they’re spending as long as they get value.â€? He FLWHV 9LQWU\ :LQHV ´<RX ORRN DW LW DQG WKLQN 2K WKDW¡V expensive, but you can go in and get a nice bottle for EXFNV Âľ 7KH 5HJDO %DWWHU\ 3DUN 6WDGLXP &LQHPD RQFH part of Embassy Suites, has been given a dramatic PDNHRYHU WR DFFRPPRGDWH LWV QHZ VXUURXQGLQJV <RX

The Conrad Hotel’s general manager, Robert Rechtermann

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ADVANCING SCIENCE, ENHANCING LIFE When  it  comes  to  your  health,  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  truly  worth  a  pound  of  cure.  In  addition  to  our  expertise  and  training  in  treating  a  wide  variety  of  illnesses,  Weill  Cornell  Medical  Associates  internal  medicine  physicians  are  strong  advocates  of  preventive  care.  We  will  help  guide  you  to  a  lifestyle  that  can  reduce  your  risk  of  many  diseases  and  conditions.  Our  obstetrics  and  gynecology  physicians  provide  comprehensive  healthcare  services  for  every  stage  in  a  woman’s  life—from  adolescence  through  child-­bearing  to  menopause  and  the  post-­meno-­ pausal  years.   Weill  Cornell  is  now  at  40  Worth  Street

Weill  Cornell  Physicians  are  faculty  members  of  Weill  Cornell  Medical  College,  one  of  the  top-­ranked  clinical  and  medical  research  centers  in  the  country.  They  are  also  attending  physicians  at  NewYork-­Presbyterian  Hos-­ pital/Weill  Cornell  Medical  Center  and  New  York  Downtown  Hospital.  Weill  Cornell  physicians  have  consistently  been  leaders  in  patient  care,  in  primary  care  as  well  as  in  many  specialty  areas  as  diverse  as  in-­vitro  fertilization,  neurology,  oncology,  and  HIV/AIDS  care.   Committed  to  delivering  outstanding  patient  care  with  compassion  and  concern  for  each  patient,  Weill  Cornell  Physicians  are  providers  of  primary  and  specialty  care  to  people  from  all  ¿YH 1HZ <RUN &LW\ ERURXJKV WKH PHWURSROLWDQ DUHD IURP DFURVV WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV DQG IURP DURXQG WKH ZRUOG  Learn  more  about  Weill  Cornell  Physicians  at  www.weillcornell.org

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ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– BLUEPRINT

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TROUBLESHOOTING 7KHUH DUH KRZHYHU FHUWDLQ GLIÀFXOWLHV SHFXOLDU WR IRUeign buyers that can arise in the relocation process. Some foreigners may not yet have the proper United 6WDWHV LGHQWLÀFDWLRQ ZKLFK PRVW ODQGORUGV ZLOO ZDQW or else request extra month’s security and up to a year’s UHQW LQ DGYDQFH IRU WKH DSDUWPHQW $GGLWLRQDO FRPSOLcations arise when someone is looking to buy instead of rent; visa and tax implications, which differ from country to country, must also be considered and inves-

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Relocating to NEW YORK

FOREIGN NATIONALS CALL LOWER MANHATTAN HOME

WLJDWHG EHIRUH DQ\ GHDOV DUH PDGH )RUHLJQ QDWLRQDOV should understand these expectations and the risk of losing the apartment if they are not willing to see eye to eye with the landlord. ´, Ă€UVW PHHW ZLWK >WKH EX\HUV@ DQG Ă€QG RXW ZKR WKH\ DUH WKHLU LQWHQGHG SXUSRVH DQG ZKDW WKHLU Ă€QDQcial stature is,â€? Jabbour says. “They might be worth millions and millions of euros in their country but here they won’t get accepted.â€? /XLJL 5RVDELDQFD D ORFDO UHDO HVWDWH ODZ\HU ZLWK 5RVDELDQFD DQG $VVRFLDWHV ZKR RIWHQ UHSUHVHQWV IRUeign nationals, explains that the best course of action is to get a holistic view before diving into the process. ´,QLWLDOO\ WKH Ă€UVW WKLQJ ZH GR LV WU\ WR VHH WKH ZKROH SLFWXUH DQG Ă€OO LQ WKH EODQNV Âľ 5RVDELDQFD VD\V ´:H ORRN DW WKH Ă€QDQFLDO FRQFHUQV &HUWDLQ OHQGHUV ZLOO not deal with foreign nationals at all. This is a whole

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

different type of analysis.â€? Lower Manhattan has a vibe and energy unparalleled by any other neighborhood. Stunning lifestyle buildings, restaurants, mass transit system, shopping‌ LW¡V D UHDO QHLJKERUKRRG $QG PRYLQJ IRUZDUG -DEbour feels it will become even more family oriented. ´'RZQWRZQ LV KHDYHQ IRU Ă€UVW WLPH EX\HUV EHFDXVH the value is there and the buildings are beautiful. You VSHQG DERXW RQ D ODUJH RQH EHGURRP DQG you don’t have to be on the Upper East Side in a co-op RQ 6HFRQG $YHQXH 7KH )LQDQFLDO 'LVWULFW LV WKH ROGHVW infrastructure of Manhattan and soon the scaffolding DW )XOWRQ 6WUHHW ZLOO EH JRQH WKH SO\ZRRG ZLOO FRPH down and we are going to have the most beautiful neighborhood. It’s a great eclectic mix.â€? † —MARIA HADJIDEMETRIOU

Hadjidemetriou is a freelance real estate writer.

Photographed by Sarah Rossi. Apartment designed by Art et Maison.

hough Lower Manhattan has had a long and storied history, the neighborhood has seen extensive changes over the past decade in particular. One of the biggest of these developments KDV EHHQ WKH PDMRU LQĂ X[ RI IRUHLJQ QDWLRQDOV $V D UHVLGHQW RI /RZHU 0DQKDWWDQ , KDYH VHHQ Ă€UVW KDQG exactly how international the community has become. In my building alone, families from Germany, EngODQG $UJHQWLQD %UD]LO DQG ,WDO\ KDYH PDGH %DWWHU\ Park City home. There are a number of characteristics of Lower Manhattan that make it attractive to foreign buyers. &RQGRPLQLXPV ZLWK (XURSHDQ LQĂ XHQFHV OLNH 3LQH ZLWK LWV ,WDOLDQ IDVKLRQ GHVLJQHU $UPDQL &DVD LQWHULRUV DQG %URDG GHVLJQHG E\ WKH )UHQFK SURGXFW designer Philippe Starck, have led to Europeans rentLQJ DQG EX\LQJ LQ WKH )LQDQFLDO 'LVWULFW %XW DVLGH IURP (XURSH SHRSOH IURP DOO RYHU WKH map are looking at Lower Manhattan as a prime relocation destination. Nick Jabbour, vice president of Nest Seekers International, said that he once needed a translator to help with a Japanese client. “We ended up using sign language until I enlisted a translator to come along with us,â€? he explains. Jabbour has been in luxury real estate for almost a decade and has completed a number of deals with foreign buyers looking to relocate to Lower Manhattan. While he represents listings all around the city, Jabbour WKLQNV 'RZQWRZQ KDV EHHQ FXOWLYDWLQJ D FHUWDLQ VHQVH of brand, or status, that is attractive to any buyer. “The value of real estate in New York is protected. There is no other protected real estate market in the world like that of Manhattan.â€? $QG WKH YDOXH VHHPV WR EH RQO\ JRLQJ XS ´, UHQWHG P\ Ă€UVW DSDUWPHQW LQ D 5RFNURVH EXLOGLQJ in 1998, and so much has happened since then,â€? says 1DWKDQLHO )DXVW VHQLRU YLFH SUHVLGHQW RI &LWL+DELWDWV “The neighborhood was desolate back then. Now you see so many amenities. It’s a good thing for the neighborhood and for people who are investing.â€? Even more so, in Lower Manhattan, LĂŠman Manhattan Preparatory School (formerly Claremont Prep) is one of New York’s best private schools with an LQWHUQDWLRQDO FXUULFXOXP )DXVW UHFDOOV RQH FOLHQW SXUchasing in the area because of the private school.

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT â– NICKLE AND DIME

BASIC INVESTING: KNOW THE PLAYING FIELD Approaching the market today compared to a decade ago may leave you scratching your head and wondering how companies did so well for some investors. Unfortunately, there is no mathematical formula to guarantee winning stocks. And sometimes, emotions like greed overpower logic. Years back, during the beginning of the ethanol craze, Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) soared from mere dollars to hundreds of dollars with terrible

(ADM) a golden oldie with great earnings, solid fundamentals and a more proven track record, barely moved. The moral of the story: PEIX trades at close to 1 while ADM trades in the 30s. Investors’ greed pushed the stock sky-high but when push came to shove, quality ADM preserved investors capital while the other fell and never bounced back. You don’t need to be a math whiz to reap the rewards of the stock market. First-hand experience and product exposure helps. Stick to the basics. If it looks and sounds too good, chances are it is. Try to invest in tangible items that you use yourself so you know in what you are investing. Take Apple (APPL) for instance. There are five stores in Manhattan alone. At any given hour of the day they are overflowing with happy customers; consumers are hooked on their technology and great service. It’s no secret why APPL has $75 billion in cash and zero debt. If you’re still not convinced, research more. Read up on companies you might invest in to make sure they are profiting and debt is low or zero. Positive consumer feedback is also a great indicator of a solid investment. A good rule of thumb, which I heard from The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, is “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.� —MICHAEL DESANO

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The Monopoly of Aggressive INVESTING

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ggressive investors are investors who place a higher percentage of their assets in equities rather than in safer debt securities. Is 2012 a good year for aggressive investments? For sure there are many opinions among the experts. After a couple of years of solid gains in the stock market, the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P are at levels not seen since 2008. Their values have almost doubled from the bottom levels in the spring of 2009. The question is, does the market have the steam to continue this trend? The answer is probably no. For a portfolio manager to decide on an optimal asset allocation in an attempt to achieve a higher return in WKH LQYHVWPHQWV ÀQGLQJ WKH ULJKW DJJUHVVLYH LQYHVWPHQW strategy in order to outperform the overall market can be very challenging. It becomes an even more challenging task for a regular investor, who usually takes on additional risk. Before assuming this strategy, an investor should evaluate his or her risk tolerance—it must be high—and be sure that he or she has reserve capital before needing the invested funds in a couple of years. This year may be a dream year for day traders or short-term investors EHFDXVH RI PDUNHW à XFWXDWLRQ ZLWKLQ D VLQJOH GD\ The U.S. is gearing up for a presidential election, Eu-

rope is on the edge of a recession and Greece is in debt. There is slowing growth in China, unrest in the Middle East, not to mention high energy costs. Aggressive investing in the stock market in this environment can be YHU\ GLIÀFXOW KRZHYHU LW FDQ DOVR EH IXOO RI UHZDUGV Some stocks, like Apple (APPL), are at their highest YDOXH QRZ VRPH DUH FORVH WR LW OLNH *RRJOH *22* and Baidu (BIDU). Still, many have not recovered much of what they lost during the last years: Citi (C), Bank of $PHULFD %$& 1RNLD 12. DQG 5HVHDUFK LQ 0RWLRQ 5,00 DUH MXVW VHYHUDO WR QRWH There are also the penny stocks, some of which have potential for great returns on investment in the near future, but high risks are associated with such investments. ,Q VXP PDQ\ VWRFNV DUH à XFWXDWLQJ ZLGHO\ ZLWK WKH movements of the market, and the direction of the market will decide the direction for many stocks’ values. 2QH RI WKH EHVW DSSURDFKHV WR DQ DJJUHVVLYH LQYHVWPHQW should be knowing your stocks, their potential and their risk in the volatility of the market. No one can predict with 100 percent accuracy the direction of a stock or the market. Nonetheless, that should not stop an investor from approaching an aggressive investment in 2012. † —MIKAEL GIANFRANCO R

Gianfranco R is a global equity trader.

Photographed by Eddie Schneckloth.

fundamentals, poor earnings and no proven track record; however, they had a dream the public loved. On the flip side, Archer Daniels Midland

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SOUND ADVICE There is no other component of IT infrastructure that is more vital to conducting business, than internet connectivity. Under the lens of qualitative and quantitative considerations, reliability and speed can make or break a business. Value is a proposition that does not always equate to expense. However, poor quality of service (QOS) can lead to costs of another sort: the loss of business. So, when thinking about connectivity, it’s not necessarily a consideration of what you can afford; it’s what you can’t afford. That being said, if your business requirements are such that you cannot afford an outage whatsoever, then redundant connections are a must. Try making them as dissimilarly diverse as possible. If you have a fiber connection such as FIOS, choose a cable provider like Time Warner for the other. Office buildings typically have diversified cabling pathways to mitigate disruption in the unlikely event of an accident or sabotage. If this is not the case, consider a 3G/4G backup from a mobile communications provider. If you’re a road warrior and are dependent on mobile internet connectivity, make one a connection from a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) provider like AT&T or T-Mobile, and the other a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection from Sprint or Verizon. This will cover the majority of commercial mobile data connectivity standards on the planet. Speaking globally, make sure to coordinate your travel plans with your mobile service provider. Doing so will ensure the most preferred global roaming data and talk rates when traveling abroad. Until science fiction becomes science fact, and teleportation becomes a reality, internet connectivity will remain unchallenged as the most significant means of getting business done since the advent of the personal computer itself. —SAMUEL LITT

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Photographed by Lana De Doncker and Sarah Rossi. Graphic by Jane Gardner.

HOW TO ENSURE TECHNOLOGY AT YOUR SMALL BUSINESS STAYS CURRENT

In a brief period of time, Downtown Magazine has become a staple in our community that we all turn to for advice, current events and cultural affairs. Our sentiments have evolved from: a sense of curiosity, to… satisfaction in calling it our very own, to… now, one of pride as we can no longer do without. Keep up the great work, and always do it Downtown!

ATTENTIVE CONSISTENT COMPREHENSIVE CLIENT-CENTERED BOUTIQUE

ROSABIANCA & ASSOCIATES

Attorneys and Counselors At Law

CULTURE CODE City Scoop / Getaway Guide

ALL EYES ON

TriBeCa Founded in 2001, in one of the world’s most prominent filmmaking centers, by Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and Robert De Niro, the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) is held each year to celebrate up-and-coming artists and provide them with a viable platform to showcase their talents to a widespread audience. Festival goers have an array of independent films to choose from, starring A-listers as well as unsung newbies. The 11th annual festival opens with The Five-Year Engagement, a highly anticipated new comedy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s all-star team: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller and Judd Apatow. Segel and Emily Blunt coheadline the film as Tom and Violet. As much as TFF loves dark stadium seat-

Photographed by Lana De Doncker.

ing and popcorn, the festival reaches beyond the theater. The Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, the Tribeca Drive-In Outdoor Screenings, the 2nd Annual Tribeca Film Festival/ NYFest Soccer Day and the Artists Awards Program are only a small handful of the exciting events taking place April 18–29. For programming details, visit downtownmagazinenyc.com or tribecafilm.com and for selected films, see page 39. —CHARISSA CHE

CultureREPORT UNFOLDING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

STATE OF BLISS

FIRST EDITIONS The Seasons of New York

New York City has so many iconic

Photographer Charles J. Ziga captures the change of temperature, diverse moods and

landmarks, buildings and scenes that it may seem like an impossible

continual evolution of scenic New York City in his new book from Universe Publishing. rizzoliusa.com

task to fit everything into a single book. But that’s what photographer Chris Bliss did when he began assembling Iconic New York (teNeus). Bliss spent much of his career as a pianist but eventually grew his interest in photography. After moving to California, he

100 Years Studio Babelsberg: The Art of Filmmaking

frequently visited New York and took black-and-white images for his

to celebrate the studio’s 2012 centennial. In collaboration with Filmmuseum Postdam, “Kondrad Wolf” and the Film and Television University, the tome illustrates the studio’s history, golden years of Weimar cinema and positions Babelsberg as a

Babelsberg Studio, the oldest large-scale studio in the world, has teamed up with teNeues

personal enjoyment. Soon, galleries and publishers began to recognize his work and he felt “compelled to capture as much of the city as I could each time I visited.”

reemerging international film house. teneues.com

In creating his collection of photographs, Bliss tried to show buildings and landmarks associated with New York City but from a new and

THEATER

Evita is returning to Broadway for the first time in more than 30 years. April 5 marks the official opening at the Marquis Theatre. Produced by Hal Huftig and Scott Sanders, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical will star Ricky Martin as Che and Elena Roger, in her stateside debut. The musical is based on Eva Peron, a woman from the slums of Argentina, and her journey to the presidential palace as First Lady. broadway.com

unique perspective or angle, always while looking for the “strongest combination of shape, shadow, light and mood.” And after many years and countless visits, Bliss feels confident in saying, “No place really compares to New York for excitement. When in New York, I always feel like I’m in the center of the world.” For the full interview, visit downtownmagazinenyc.com.

—MATT ESSERT

—SAMANTHA ABRAM Columns, New York State Courthouse

ART GALLERY Artist Claudia DeMonte’s new sculpture and installation exhibit “Abundance” will run at the June Kelly Gallery in SoHo April 12–May 15. DeMonte’s works focus on the meanings of abundance versus basic needs and consist of small bronze figures and self-portrait sculptures covered with shoes and jewelry. DeMonte (an Astoria native) is collaborating with HeARTworks, a not-for-profit art organization that helps the homeless in Jackson, Mississippi. junekellygallery.com

—DORÉE HAROOTUNIAN

MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Documentary footage of Holocaust camps will be shown at a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Entitled “Filming the Camps: John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens: From Hollywood to Nuremberg,” the collection, on view through October 14, centers on three classic Hollywood directors’ contributions to the Armed Forces and Secret Service in filming the realities of war and the liberation of concentration camps. The project was designed by the Mém Shoah and made possible through the support of the SNCF. mjhnyc.org

—DORÉE HAROOTUNIAN Ford and his crew at Midway, 1942

Chris Bliss photographs courtesy of Chris Bliss for teNeues. Columns, New York State Courthouse photograph by Chris Bliss. Abundance: Travel, cast bronze by Claude DeMonte. Ford and his crew at Midway, 1942 courtesy of Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Edited by Andrea Tullman.

CULTURE CODE ■ INDUSTRY NOTES

CULTURE CODE ■I’M TALKIN’

Blue Smoke

DANNY MEYER

NEW YORK CITY’S FAVORITE FRIEND AND RESTAURATEUR

40

SPRING 2012

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Foundation awards. He takes nothing for granted and is the most down-to-earth man you want to know. From where does your inspiration come?

Every single restaurant is different and there are always three factors that sort of coalesce to help bring about the outcome, and you never really know how it’s going to end. It’s like writing a book. For me it is the space, a chef who is desirable to work with, and some ideas kicking around on exactly where you want to go and what you want to achieve with this restaurant. There’s always one of those three elements that comes to the IRUHIURQW ÀUVW ,W YHU\ ZHOO FRXOG EH WKH VSDFH )RU H[ample, the restaurant we are about to open is North End Grill in Battery Park City. In that case, the space FDPH ÀUVW 7KHQ ZH DV D WHDP KDG WR FRPH XS ZLWK D really winning idea and the right chef. How much has living and learning in Rome influenced your career?

I don’t think I can overstate how much I loved and FRQWLQXH WR ORYH 5RPH ,WV LQà XHQFH KDV DIIHFWHG WKH way I approach all of my restaurants and my life. Union 6TXDUH &DIH ZKLFK ZDV P\ ÀUVW UHVWDXUDQW RSHQHG LQ 1985—a year after I lived in Rome. While it is certainly not an Italian restaurant, there is so much Italian soul within the restaurant. It wasn’t until 2009 that I had WKH FRXUDJH WR RSHQ D UHVWDXUDQW WKDW ZDV VSHFLÀFDOO\ an homage to Rome: Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel. The two restaurants are more related then some people really know.

platform. When you are in this business you have a ZRQGHUIXO RSSRUWXQLW\ WR GHĂ€QH IRRG LQ \RXU RZQ way, which is something we all have in common: to express a part of your personality, your generosity of spirit and your sense of taste and caring for people, using food as the vehicle of communication. Tell me a little about City Harvest.

It’s a remarkable organization that has done more to alleviate hunger in the city than any other organization I know, by rescuing and redistributing food that is left over from restaurants, catering events, schools, etc. They are honoring our entire team here at USHG in April at the Practical Magic Ball. We are most honored by that acknowledgment. What is the next major step in your career?

No products, just books and restaurants for the moment. I think we—USHG—are on a very exciting path right now. We know ourselves pretty well and we like WR RSHQ D ÀQH GLQLQJ UHVWDXUDQW HYHU\ WZR WR ÀYH \HDUV What makes you smile?

When someone is eating at one of my restaurants and leans to the next person and says how amazing the food is—that really makes me smile. It is that human pause that gets me. I could spend so much time just looking at people enjoying our food. † —SUZANNE CORSO

Corso is the author of Brooklyn Story.

DM’S FAVORITES Food: If stranded on a deserted island he would wish for

What would you say to the young women and

Italian food. So sausage-and-mushroom pizza and pasta.

men out there who want to be like you?

Wine: A nice Barolo. Coffee: A cup of Peet’s at home.

Don’t be me, be yourself. Create your own restaurant

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

Danny Meyer photographed by Ellen Silverman. Blue Smoke phototographed by Sarah Rossi.

I

Q DW DJH 'DQQ\ 0H\HU RSHQHG KLV ÀUVW restaurant: Union Square Cafe. But it all didn’t begin there. Meyer was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He worked for his father as a tour guide in Rome during college, and then returned to Rome to VWXG\ LQWHUQDWLRQDO SROLWLFV 0H\HU JDLQHG KLV ÀUVW UHVtaurant experience in 1984 as an assistant manager at Pesca, an Italian seafood restaurant in the Flatiron District. He then returned to Europe to study cooking as a stagiaire (an unpaid culinary intern) in both Italy and Bordeaux. Once again, he came home to New York City. It was there that a restaurateur was born. The steady growth of Meyer and his restaurants astounds many. To name a few makes your mouth water: Gramercy Tavern; Eleven Madison Park; and The Modern, all of which have earned so many prestigious accolades. And he couldn’t have done it without his impeccable team at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). USHG’s catering division operates several concessions, such as Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria and Box Frite. In 1994, Meyer made time to coauthor The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York’s Acclaimed Restaurant (Ecco) with his partner, Chef Michael Romano. The book earned the IACP JuOLD &KLOG $ZDUG IRU EHVW QHZ FRRNERRN E\ D ÀUVW WLPH author, and was followed up with the highly acclaimed Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 140 New Recipes from New York’s Acclaimed Restaurant (William Morrow Cookbooks). If that’s not enough, Meyer continues to grow, with North End Grill and a second location of Blue Smoke, both in Battery Park City. This expansion lead to Meyer and USHG winning 24 James Beard

Where the Wild Things Are

GALĂ PAGOS ISLANDS

Both pages photographed by Sarah Sekula.

I

f you’re serious about getting away from it all, take your stressed-out self to the blissfully remote GalĂĄpagos Islands where outlandish animals far outnumber chatty humans. “Look, Sarita!â€? says Ivan, my intrepid guide. He grins as he places his hand on top of his head, mimLFNLQJ D VKDUN Ă€Q :H¡G EHHQ ORRNLQJ IRU UHHI VKDUNV IRU WKH SDVW VHYHUDO GD\V DQG Ă€QDOO\ ZKLOH VZLPPLQJ along a tiny island called Chinese Hat, he spots one. “Swim down and peek into the shark hole, and you’ll see it,â€? he says matter-of-factly. Seriously? Perhaps this gorgeous turquoise water has clogged my ears. It sounds like his idea is for me to purposely insert my face into shark territory. , Ă LSSHU NLFN P\ ZD\ FORVHU WKRXJK DQG KH SRLQWV to a hole in the rocks about 10 feet below the surface. Ivan reassures me, in his endearing Ecuadorian accent, that they do this all the time. So I hold my breath, grab the craggy edges of the small cave and I’m eyeballWR EHDG\ H\HEDOO ZLWK D Ă€YH IRRW ORQJ ZKLWHWLS UHHI shark. Eeks! Fortunately, these slender-bodied creatures spend most of their time tucked away in grottoes

and are rarely aggressive toward humans. As if that was not thrilling enough, I’m happy to report all of my days in the Galåpagos Islands were like this—new and unusual sights around every corner. And without such an experienced guide as Ivan, I’m sure I would have missed out on much of it. Luckily, my sister and I traveled aboard Ecoventura’s M/Y Eric, an eco-friendly, 20-passenger ship that covers seven of the 13 famous archipelago’s volcanic islands. This meant we had two expert naturalists with us 24/7. (You’ll need a licensed guide; the National Park Service requires it.) For a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this, Ecoventura is an excellent choice. For starters, not only are they NQRZQ IRU EHLQJ WKH ÀUVW FDUERQ QHXWUDO ERDW RSHUDWLRQ LQ WKH *DOiSDJRV WKH\ DOVR SDUWQHU ZLWK WKH :RUOG :LOGOLIH )XQG WKH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO (FRWRXULVP 6RFLHW\ and Sustainable Travel International. Impressive credentials; and the accommodations IROORZHG VXLW 7KH VKLS IHDWXUHV WHDN ÀQLVKHG FDELQV a dining room, well-stocked bar and conference area ZLWK D à DW VFUHHQ 79 OLEUDU\ DQG SDQRUDPLF SLFWXUH

windows. I particularly loved the giant lounge chairs on the sun deck. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style; GLQQHU ZDV WDEOH VHUYLFH :LWK P\ KLJK PHWDEROLVP , was also grateful for the ever-present array of snacks. Most of our time, however, was spent off the boat: the carefully planned itinerary had us covering a lot of ground. Passengers choose from water- or land-based activities, including kayaking past sea turtles, chasing GRZQ SHQJXLQV YLD LQà DWDEOH ERDW DQG WLSWRHLQJ SDVW hundreds of marine iguanas. During one of my favorite days, we swam with sea lions near a cove off Isabella Island. I was face-to-furry-face with the supercharged sea lions as they burst into a gentle swirl RI EDFN à LSV OHDYLQJ D WUDLO RI EXEEOHV LQ WKHLU ZDNH It was truly incredible to be part of their world for the day. Better yet, all the animals we encountered were XQUXIà HG E\ KXPDQV PDNLQJ IRU VRPH VWHOODU SKRWRV At the end of my stay, I was ga-ga for the Galåpagos Islands; chances are, you will be, too. For information visit ecoventura.com. †

Spring  travel  S SPRING 2012

—SARAH SEKULA

Sekula is a freelance travel writer.

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DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

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DOWNTOWN ON: SOHO

Photographed by jphilipg.

In Sight / Short Story / Fast Facts

Not So LONG AGO

In the early 1960s, SoHo contained a sea of empty, low-rent commercial lofts equipped with industrial elevators, loading docks and large, unobstructed spaces filled with natural light. In other words, SoHo was an artist’s paradise. Although it was illegal at the time to live in buildings that were neither zoned nor equipped for residential use, young artists couldn’t resist the ample workspaces. One by one, their presence began to gentrify a once industrial wasteland, turning it into a vibrant community that also attracted writers, musicians and activists. By 1975 the area contained over 80 galleries, and by 1980 it was the center of the New York art market. —STACY SEILER

Seiler is an artist and professor of art at Parsons The New School for Design; stacyseiler.com.

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1. Dunne and his daughter Hannah 2. Daughter and father, Dominick Dunne 3. Directing Fierce People 4. On the set of Accidental Husband with his father 5. Directing The Good Wife 6. On the set of a commercial with Hannah 7. With actors Uma Thurman and Colin Firth on the set of Accidental Husband

COVER STORY â–

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YHU D UHFHQW OXQFK LQ WKH )LQDQFLDO 'LVWULFW *ULIĂ€Q 'XQQH told me, along with about two hours’ worth of other stories, that his apartment building is basically falling apart. “We are having a real New York experience‌actually every New Yorker I’ve talked to has never heard of this.â€? Looking for more space for his growing family, Dunne recently moved into a beautiful old apartment in TriBeCa, only to quickly learn that nothing in the entire building was built correctly. “For the plumbing, they used the wrong material, so all the plumbing has to be ripped out,â€? he starts to explain. “Then they put every window in the place wrong‌.The whole building is not built to last; it’s like a set. Nothing works. It’s a catastrophe. So it’s a rough beginning to the new neighborhood, but I love the neighborhood.â€? Not only does Dunne love his new neighborhood, he clearly loves the city. Dunne is a real New Yorker. Now 56, he moved to New York City as an 18-yearold aspiring actor and immediately began an intense love affair with the city that has never let up. As an actor, writer, producer, director, activist, son and father, he has both embraced New York as his own and worked to show it off to everyone. Born to Dominick Dunne, a writer and investigative journalist who spent much of his later career documenting the lives of celebrities for Vanity Fair, and Ellen *ULIĂ€Q 'XQQH DQ DFWLYLVW ZKR IRXQGHG D KRPLFLGH YLFWLPV¡ ULJKWV RUJDQL]DWLRQ called Justice for Homicide Victims, following her daughter’s murder in 1982, GrifĂ€Q VSHQW PRVW RI KLV FKLOGKRRG LQ /RV $QJHOHV EHIRUH DWWHQGLQJ VFKRRO IRU D VKRUW time in Colorado. From a young age, Dunne initially planned to avoid show business altogether. %HFDXVH RI KLV IDWKHU¡V DIĂ€QLW\ IRU FHOHEULW\ FXOWXUH DQG KLV PDQ\ IDPRXV IULHQGV *ULIĂ€Q¡V XSEULQJLQJ ZDV RXWVLGH WKH QRUP Ă€OOHG ZLWK D ORW RI WKH JOLW] DQG JODP RI +ROO\ZRRG ´, ZDV DOZD\V RQ PRYLHV VHWV , was used to meeting famous people when I was growing up,â€? Dunne says. “James Bond would come over and swim in our pool.â€? The celebrity lifestyle Dunne observed at his father’s ODYLVK FHOHEULW\ Ă€OOHG SDUWLHV GLGQ¡W DSSHDO WR KLP LQVWHDG he had aspirations to be a journalist, to have “nothing to do with show business.â€? However, on the encouragement of a high school acting teacher, Dunne shifted his focus toward acting and producing and found he was excelling at both. But around the time Dunne was seriously thinking about going into acting, his father had hit a low in life: broke, friendless and battling addiction. “I saw what Hollywood can do if you bite its hand. I just didn’t think people treated each other like that in New York. I wanted to start off on my own.â€? This, along with an ever-present desire to leave Los Angeles from a young age, moved Dunne to head for New York City, where he was immediately enthralled. ´,W ZDV ORYH DW Ă€UVW VLJKW WKH PRPHQW , VDZ P\ Ă€UVW 0DQKDWWDQ VWUHHW WKH QRLVH

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It was love at ďŹ rst sight the moment I saw my 7 ďŹ rst Manhattan street: the noise and the and the rudeness and the energy and the pace of walking...and just walking.â€? Dunne says this continuous infatuation with New rudeness and the energy York has helped his careers in numerous ways, especially in terms of developing his ability to tell stories. and the pace of the Because “you see confrontations and human stories dewalking...and just walking.... veloping all the time,â€? he feels that New York is an excellent source of inspiration. And after living and observing life in New York for so many years, Dunne’s gift for storytelling has The city constantly reached great heights, as was clear throughout our conversation. ´7KH YHU\ Ă€UVW SODFH >, OLYHG@ ZDV D URRP LQ VRPH ODG\¡V KRXVH ,W ZDV fascinates me.

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the guest or maid’s room or something like that. And she was an old AP reporter, a real old city desk bird who smoked like a chimney. I lived in the back area and I never had my own cigarettes, so I used to crawl into her bedroom on my stomach and steal them all. And she’d catch me every time and go, ‘What the fuck are you doing in my room?’ I pretty much stayed there until she kicked me out.� Until moving Downtown in 1980, Dunne lived in various parts of the Upper West Side, trying to make it as an actor and producer, waiting for his career to take off.

â– COVER STORY

Opposite page: photographs courtesy of the Dunne family. This page: photograph of Damages courtesy Sony Pictures Television.

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Rose Byrne and Dunne in Damages

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Scotto by Scotto

All the News on Journalism, Food and Family

FEATURE

Opposite page: styled by Amanda Orlinsky; photographed by Lana De Doncker. This page: photo courtesy of Scotto family.

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ou’ve seen her face plastered over the better part of New York City’s subway system, inviting you to tune into Fox 5’s Good Day New York. Rosanna Scotto has had one hell of a career, spanning more than 20 years. While growing up in an Italian-American household in Brooklyn, Scotto learned the true meaning of community through her parents, siblings and her surroundings. The oldest of four children, as a child Scotto took the more dominant role among her siblings. “I was the oldest and called the ringleader,” she says. “I always had the ideas and my brothers would carry them out. So they would get in trouble and I’d be sitting back going, ‘What? What happened?’” Through family connections, Scotto found mentors in former WABC-TV anchor Rose Ann Scamardella and eventual WNYW Fox 5 co-anchor Ernie Anastos. “I got a chance to talk to her [Scamardella],” she says, “and she encouraged me to be a part of the business. She was anchoring with Ernie, so I sat down with him and asked him what was the best way to break into the business. He said, ‘Start out of town and work your way back,’ and that’s what I did [by heading to Atlanta]. Twenty-something years later, I was anchoring with Ernie Anastos.” Before becoming a morning anchor, Scotto was extremely well known as a primetime news anchor, a role she sees as quite dissimilar from her current position. “The big difference is that the nightly news is pretty scripted,” she explains. “The morning is unscripted and there’s room for getting yourself in trouble. You have to know your news as well. It entails a lot of interviewing and you really have to be well read and very ingrained in the community. We try to keep it real local. We don’t want to be like the network shows. We want to be the best local show in town. But when there’s a time to rant, we take that opportunity.” While working her way up the journalism ladder, she has seen the news industry transformed in major ways, including the technology used to bring breaking news to life. “The world of news has changed so much,” she says. “There used to be so many more people working in the business. You would go out with three-man crews. Now you’re lucky if you have a one-man crew. There’s a big push to have the reporters carry their own cameras. In the studio, there would be men behind the cameras and now it’s all robotics. Of course, with the Internet and social media, we have to be tweeting and Facebooking and everything else to get people to watch our newscast.” Even more, the immediacy of news reporting has made connecting with viewers via social media a high priority. Scotto is intrigued by how much of an impact social media has on the journalism world. “I know that some people read my tweets as a newspaper so they know the headlines for the day,” she says. “Whether it helps my newscast, I’m not sure. We got Mayor Corey

Booker on [the show] through Twitter, and I’ll tweet to him, ‘Here’s the number to call in. I need you now!’ 6R LW·V GHÀQLWHO\ D JUHDW ZD\ WR FRQQHFW ZLWK SHRSOH “In this business right now, you have to be very ÁH[LEOH $ ORW RI \RXQJ SHRSOH FRPH WR PH DQG DVN my advice on how to break into the business and what jobs are available. We don’t know how it’s going to be in a year from now.” Scotto is far from her days knocking on doors, trying to report breaking news, but she still has the mentality of a hard news journalist. “I still go out there and try to get stories,” she says. “I may not be bringing a camera crew, but what I’ll try to do is recruit people to come into the studio. I’m working on a few big stories now, and it takes time, but we’re always working on the big stories behind the scenes.” Although she has seen and experienced many major moments throughout her career, one in particular will always stick out. “There are so many memorable moments, but obviously, as a New Yorker,” she explains, “we’re still carrying the wounds and scars from 9/11. I don’t think anybody will ever forget that. Covering that and going down to Ground Zero, I don’t think

you ever get over those days.” Looking up, however, Scotto admits Lower Manhattan is better than ever. “[It] is so vibrant, it’s great,” she admits. “I love to walk around the area. It’s so much fun. Great energy, nice restaurants, great public schools, and there’s a good feeling of community and family down there.”

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peaking of family, the Scotto family is one of New York City’s most prominent. Their restaurant in Midtown, FRESCO by Scotto, and its two spin-off locations called FRESCO on the go (one of which is a Downtown staple that opened on Pearl Street in July of 2008) have become favorites throughout the city. Birthed from the hard work of the Scotto’s mother, Marion, the restaurant has become known for its delectably fresh and authentic Tuscan-style cuisine. The establishment has come a long way since its beginnings. “She [Marion] really took a huge risk,” Scotto says, “and here we are, 18 years later, still going strong.” The family felt it was a crucial decision to expand the franchise and tap into Lower Manhattan. “We wanted to be part of the Downtown scene, especially after 9/11,” she says. “We thought it was important to

Rosanna’s sister, Elaina; her mom, Marion; and her brother, Anthony.

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Wedding Dos PERFECT DOWNTOWN NUPTIALS

This page: Greece photographed by Samuel Lavoie. Diamond engagement ring courtesy of Tiffany and Co. Wedding bands courtesy of Greenwich Jewelers.

WEDDING

GLOBAL LOVE The Tiffany setting, introduced in 1886, is among the most popular settings for engagement rings. Featuring an innovative, six-prong design that lifts the diamond away from the band, this unique mount permits a more complete return of light, making the diamond appear larger and more radiant. Today, the ubiquity of technology has, not surprisingly, found its way into the jewelry industry. Tiffany makes it easier for shoppers to browse engagement rings, determine ring size and view actual carat size in their ÀUVW L3KRQH DSSOLFDWLRQ 7KH 7LIIDQ\ &R Engagement Ring Finder. —CHRISTINE TRAN

PUT IT IN WRITING ´7KH LQYLWDWLRQ LV WKH Ă€UVW ZHGGLQJ HOHPHQW JXHVWV VHH VR LW UHally sets the tone for what to expect. Invitations are second in importance only to the dress when planning a wedding. Most couples tend to lean toward classic, timeless designs, such as gray or black ink with a hint of color in a monogram, motif or beveled edge. The Save the Date card tends to be more creative, usually with more color and an interesting font,

DQG WKH\ GR QRW KDYH WR PDWFK WKH ÀQDO LQYLWDWLRQ %\ FRPELQing different fonts with a splash of color, the bride and groom unveil their whimsical personalities while still embracing the tradition of hand-engraved stationery.� —MOLLY KAMBIC

Fine Stationery and Bespoke Specialist of Mrs. John L. Strong Fine Stationery

“Your wedding is your first joint statement of style.�

THE DIAMOND PROFESSIONAL The metal of an engagement ring VKRXOG UHà HFW WKH WDVWH DQG SHUVRQality of the wearer and complement the chosen diamond. Michael Kent of Kent New York in Manhattan’s Diamond District lays it all out on the [jewelry] counter. ‡ Platinum The heaviest and most rare precious metal on earth, platinum offers incredible strength and bright luster, making it the ideal choice for showcasing diamonds. ‡ 18 karat Yellow Gold 75% pure 24 karat gold. This gold has rich warmth in contrast to the icy brilliance of diamonds. ‡ 18 karat White Gold 75% pure 24 karat gold. This beautiful white metal complements the clear brilliance of diamonds. ‡ 14 karat Yellow Gold 58.3% pure 24 karat gold. A popular and durable precious metal for jewelry. ‡ 14 karat White Gold 58.3% pure 24 karat gold. A lustrous white color that complements the clear brilliance of diamonds. —CHRISTINE TRAN

RINGLEADER TIPS AND TRENDS Jennifer Gandia, owner of independent, familyrun Downtown institution Greenwich Jewelers, knows what’s going on in Lower Manhattan when it comes to unique engagement, wedding and commitment rings. “It’s the most personal adornment we wear, so you can be sure it’s chosen with great attention and that it will EH D UHĂ HFWLRQ RI WKH SHUVRQ wearing it,â€? she says. Gandia describes the shop’s Downtown clients as being as diverse as the people in the neighborhoods that comprise Lower Manhattan. However, they all have a common sensibility that is chic, hip and individual, which is how they approach

their jewelry. “In the past 12 months we have seen quite an increase in unconventional rings, which may incorporate colored gemstones, raw diamonds or unique metal combinations. More and more people are breaking with tradition and buying rings that truly express their personal style.� —CHRISTINE TRAN

BIG FAT GREEK GETAWAY For a truly memorable honeymoon, anniversary trip or secret special occasion, you can’t beat Greece for the food, wine and scenery. Here are three suggested ways to see the Greek Islands‌whether you do it by sea or by land. Take a cruise  Silversea, Windstar and Seabourn all offer deluxe small-ship experiences in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Cruise by night and spend your days exploring the islands, planted on a white sand beach or having a glass of ouzo. Rent a villa Become a Greek—at least for a week or so—when you rent a luxurious villa on Santorini or Mykonos. Shop for olives, pita and feta in a community market and then sit on your private patio watching the sunset. There are many rental options available, from apartments to fully staffed homes. Start looking at homeaway.com; rentvillas.com and greece-villas.com. Sail on a yacht Live like the celebrities do‌if only briefly. A yacht with a crew is the best way to see the Greek islands‌miles of clear blue water and only your whim to fulfill. A sailor friend recommends sunyachting.gr. —SHARI HARTFORD

STYLE VAULT Home Decor / Tailor-Made / Beauty and Wellness

Nancy Gonzalez, a petite, softspoken woman from Colombia, set

women and providing daycare for their children. She instills dignity,

out to make her handbag designing dreams come true, and in 1998 she

positivity and structure in a rewarding work environment.

made her United States collection debut. Over the past several decades, the brand, which is notable

Meanwhile, Gonzalez’s son, Santiago Barberi Gonzalez, who is president of his mom’s brand, took a cue

for original use of precious skins and unique colors, has become a household name in fashion-savvy circles

from her and introduced his first men’s collection during the 2010 holiday season.

around the globe. “I incorporate el-

The Santiago Gonzalez collection,

ements in each piece that make us

sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Nei-

smile; a color, a texture, a detail, a surprise,” she says.

man Marcus, features men’s luxury leather accessories, including wal-

You can find her extensive line of

lets, small leather goods, totes and

woven clutches, weekenders, satchels, hobo bags and box clutches,

backpacks made of precious skins, à la Nancy. Asked what his vision for

in 150-plus designs and nearly 200 colorways, at more than 100 stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. Even more important, Gonzalez continues to keep close to her native community by employing local

the line is moving forward, Santiago says, “The line is a system of travel and day bags for the active man. The evolution of it will focus on adding new styles that build upon the collection for the male clients who already own pieces.”

Left and middle bags photographed by Lana De Doncker. Right bag photographed by Sarah Rossi.

SMITTEN WITH SPRING Put away your winter wardrobe and break out the pastels…but don’t fret, you can hold onto a few black accessories. This season’s runway collections debuted delicate palettes with interesting textures, lots of lace, unique trimmings and relaxed silhouettes. Unlock the Style Vault and immerse yourself in fair-color fashions to add to your closets. Plus, consider furnishings, both Old and New World, to inspire spring cleaning and a home revamp.

AMANDA ORLINSKY FASHION EDITOR

Family BAGGAGE

Love in SoHo PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAIA BENAVIDES STYLED BY ESTHER MATILLA Art Director: Mia Macfarlane Fashion Editor: Amanda Orlinsky Producers: Lana De Doncker and Sarah Rossi Photograpy Assistant: Sandra Martin Garcia Stylist Assistants: Ariel Wells, Margarita Mukhsinova, Jane Gardner, Tayla Holman Models: Davis and Arthur Keller (Red Model Management) Makeup: Johanna Thirz Hair: Fabio Doti Special thanks to Karen Millen and Third Rail Coffee

Her: Top, Kimberly Ovitz Pants, Issey Miyake Bag, Giuseppe Zanotti Him: Jacket, Tommy Hilfiger Pants, Dior Homme

Beauty BUYS MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW

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Angelina Jolie

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Origins’ mask removes all the daily grime and makes your face feel like it can breathe again.

Clear Skin Acne Control Gel Cleanser, Yes to tomatoes ($10); yestocarrots.com. Clear Skin Repairing Acne Lotion, Yes to tomatoes ($15); yestocarrots.com. Clear Improvement mask, Origins ($22); origins.com. Super Spot Remover, Origins ($14); origins.com. Protecting Vitamin Lipsaver, Molton Brown ($18); moltonbrown.com. Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion, Eucerin ($9.50); eucerinus.com.

30s

NARS makeup remover soothes and nourishes skin while being soap, oil- and alcohol- (and mess- ) free.

Fabio: This is a good time to settle into a style that is loose and lovely with lots of layers that creates a natural look. Consult with a professional stylist about what cut will best complement the shape of your face. Licari: Most women will start to notice some gray hairs in this period. Peroxide-free semipermanent hair color is translucent, making it the perfect natural-looking solution to make gray hairs look like highlights.

Graphic Caption in this space

Carry this Murad stick everywhere; it’s a treat for your lips, or any other dry skin areas. Makeup Removing Water, NARS ($28); narscosmetics.com. Purity Made Simple one-step facial cleanser, Philosophy ($32); philosophy.com. Hope in a Jar oil-free SPF moisturizer, Philosophy ($39); philosophy.com. Repair Wear Laser Focus, Clinique ($67); clinique.com. Hydra Life rehydrating mask, Dior ($38); dior.com. Soothing Skin, Lip and Cuticle Care, Murad ($16); murad.com.

Edited by Andrea Tullman and Amanda Orlinsky. All products photographed by Sarah Rossi. Elizabeth Olsen photographed by Tabercil. Angelina Jolie photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.

Elizabeth Olsen

CITY BITES

Chef photographed by Sarah Rossi. Scallop photo courtesy of Plein Sud.

In the Kitchen / Love of Fare / Dining Menu / From the Bar

It’s Anything but Plain at PLEIN SUD In January 2012, Lower Man-

he learned cuisines of Cyprus, Afghanistan and Belgium, Agez

hattan was thrilled when a real Frenchman, Sebastian Agez, took

moved to New York in 2009. It was “the beginning of a story or a jump onto a train,” he says.

over as executive chef at Plein Sud in TriBeCa’s Smyth Hotel, bringing

With a menu that leaned toward American fare, Agez is on a mission to return the brasserie to classic, seasonal and

with him the marriage of casual style and quality food for which French brasseries are known.

French, both in food and feel. He is offering dishes like caramelized sea scallops with pearl pasta “caviar,” saffron sauce and herb salad (a DOWNTOWN favorite), plus his own French

Born in Dunkerque, France, but living in Paris from the age of 10,

fries, which are not “plein” at all. What’s more, Agez is serving lighter lunch options to cater to the Downtowner’s tight lunch

Agez was hard at work in restaurants by age 15. Influenced

schedule. Eventually he hopes to engage the kitchen as a late-

by great French chefs like Auguste Escoffier and Joel Robuchon, Agez honed his culinary skills in the City of Light be-

night dining spot as well as offer catering services. Plein Sud is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend

fore coming to the United States nine years ago. After gigs at several restaurants and embassies in Washington, DC, where

brunch. pleinsudnyc.com —AMY MATLOCK

This issue, I’m excited about the latest food industry report, where we touch upon my favorite topic: food trends. I’ve noticed a healthful tea movement making its way into our lives more and more. And with tea, naturally, comes honey. Nothing says spring more than bees gathering pollen and turning it into simple, delicious, sweet honey. To find out more of the latest buzz, flip to the next page. Also feel free to email us any eatery news that you may have. —MURRAY YANKER SENIOR FOOD EDITOR

Mixed by Charlotte Voisey of W Hotel Downtown, Living Room Bar and Terrace 123 Washington St. 646-826-8646 wnewyorkdowntown.com/livingroom-bar-terrace Makes 1 2 strawberries, plus one more for garnish 1½ ounces Milagro Silver tequila ½ ounce Aperol ½ ounce agave nectar ½ ounce fresh lime juice 2 ounces fresh pink grapefruit juice Basil leaf for garnish Muddle strawberries, add other ingredients and shake well. Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a strawberry cut almost in half and a basil leaf.

SHAKING UP LATIN COCKTAILS

Photographed by Sarah Rossi. Edited by Amy Matlock. Ingredients courtesy of Battery Place Market.

STRAWBERRY AND BASIL PALOMA

EXTRA!EXTRA! ■ SOCIAL SCENE

ElenaVONPIERRE

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ELENA CORSANO AND PIERRE-ANTOINE OURY PARTAKE IN MUSIC, ART, FASHION AND PHILANTHROPY In the whirlwind that is always New York Fashion Week, we made sure to make an appearance at the opening of Vertigo, the newest exhibit of Ouattara Watts, hosted by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld. Appropriately attended with a guest list including Carine Roitfeld, Diane von Furstenberg and Salman Rushdie, we sipped wine and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Carine Roitfeld Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld Gallery

Tyler Shields and Francesca Eastwood Imitate Modern Gallery London

Donald Trump, Lola Astanova and Dame Julie Andrews Carnegie Hall

Rosanna Scotto and Grace A. Capobianco FRESCO By Scotto Midtown Salman Rushdie and Diane von Furstenberg

admired the impressive mixed-media artwork of Ouattara’s biggest installation in

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld Gallery

nine years. An honorary evening hosted by the American Cancer Society celebrated the lifetime achievement of the delightful, thoughtful, wonderful and irreplaceable Dame Julie Andrews and her accompanist for the evening, Monsieur Donald Trump. Pianist Lola Astanova, or “Mick Jagger on Louboutin heels,” rocked the evening, her tunes reverberating throughout the walls

102

Ouattara Watts

Lola Astanova

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld Gallery

Carnegie Hall

SPRING 2012

Q

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

of Carnegie Hall. Splashlight Studios hosted and celebrated James Belzer’s last “HiStory” film-

SOAPBOX CHEW THE FAT WITH BARCLAY HUDSON

A CHAT WITH TRIBECA RESIDENT AND PAW-FECT PET ILLUSTRATOR KRISTIN DONEY Barclay Hudson: For how long have you

been drawing?

LOLA English Jack Russell terrier, 7 months old What is the one toy you can’t live without?

TURTLE English bulldog, 10 months old

That’s easy: my squeaky squirrel!

I’m a tough opponent. I never give in…but I don’t always win.

JAX Cavapoo, 1 year old

MONSTER

Where is the most picturesque place to relax during the springtime in Lower Manhattan?

The porch of Marc Forgione while my parents eat. I also like sunning by the fountains in City Hall park.

108

SPRING 2012

Q

In a game of tug-o-war, who usually wins?

Shiba Inu, 6 months old Where is the ultimate place to play outside in Downtown?

My most favorite place to play anytime is the dog park behind Gateway Plaza in Battery Park City. I also love prancing up and down the promenade in BPC, where I can chase birds and squirrels.

DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

Sponsored by Citipups

since I can remember. My father is an artist, so our home was filled with art supplies. I would draw alongside his easel as he worked, imitating his oil paintings in crayon. BH: What type of materials do you like to work with? KD: I work in pencil, India ink and watercolor on Arches 140-lb., hot press watercolor paper. For some projects I combine traditional drawing with digital color. BH: Tell me a little bit about the children’s book you did with Mayor Giuliani. KD: He was my first client when I moved to New York City. We collaborated on a children’s book that he wrote. It was a great experience to have, just starting out in the city. BH: Where is the best spot to sketch? KD: A nostalgic spot to sketch is in Chinatown, at the corner of Pell and Doyers streets, looking west. It is my dad’s favorite place to paint in the city, too. I also like to sit on the roof of my building and sketch the skyline. BH: Why dogs? KD: I enjoy drawing the personality of the “city dog.” Dogs here in TriBeCa have quite the life! A friendly tail wag always makes me smile. It is funny how dogs can charm a total stranger into giving them a belly rub.

Photographed by Sarah Rossi. Illustration by Kristin Doney.

Kristin Doney: I have been drawing ever

Building E xcellence

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