DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, FEBRUARY 8-14, 2012

downtown ®

VOLUME 24, NUMBER 38

express s THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN

BOB STILLMAN’S IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, PG. 27

FEBRUARY 8 - 14, 2012

L.M.C.C.C. staff is slashed by five

BY ALINE REYNOLDS The city-state agency charged with coordinating Downtown construction projects since the mid-2000s will be losing the bulk of its staff come March. And, though the agency pledges to continue to fulfill its core mission, exactly how it will go about mediating and monitoring some 60 major Lower Manhattan redevelopment projects valued at an estimated $30 billion, in light of the layoffs, is unknown.

Various sources have confirmed that five of the seven full-time staff members of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center will be let go by the end of next month. The agency’s remaining employees, External Relations Director Robin Forst and Capital

Planning-Construction Coordination Director Dave Frucher, will be transferred to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Lower Manhattan offices at 115 Broadway, according to Port Authority Spokesperson Steve Coleman. Since summer 2009, the L.M.C.C.C. has shared office space with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation at One Liberty Plaza, across from the World Trade Center.

The layoffs purportedly include the axing of David Ortega, director of the agency’s website, Lowermanhattan.info, which boasted more than one million page views in 2011. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the website would be continued as is once Ortega is gone.

Continued on page 16

Downtown Express photo by John Bayles

As confetti fell from above on Tuesday, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (in blue vest) stared up at the sky. For Jacobs, it was his second trip through the “Canyon of Heroes.”

When a typical Tuesday turns into a ‘Big Blue-day’

BY JOHN BAYLES As early as 7:30 a.m., commuters to Lower Manhattan on Tuesday emerged from the subway stations along Broadway to thunderous chants of “Let’s Go Giants!” The chants only got louder and they lasted well into the afternoon.

Hundreds of thousands of die-hard New York Giants fans began arriving in the wee hours of the morning to claim a spot along the Super Bowl XLVI Parade route, which started at Battery Place and headed north, through the

“Canyon of Heroes,” to Worth Street.

The parade began at 11 a.m. but the celebration started well before the sun rose over the East River.

On the morning after the Super Bowl, Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement that read, “Big Blue gave us a game to remember, and on Tuesday we’re going to give them a parade to remember.”

Many people probably saw the sun rise as they rode in from various spots on Long Island. The Long Island Railroad added 16 extra trains for

the occasion: seven westbound trains between 9 and10 a.m. and nine eastbound trains between 2 and 4 p.m.

The Metro-North Railroad provided six extra trains throughout the day and there were additional PATH trains to bring in fans from New Jersey.

Though the sidewalks along the parade route were open to all, the official ceremony at City Hall, where Mayor Bloomberg presented the team with the “Key to the City,” was not.

Continued on page 14

B.P.C.’S BLUE SMOKE Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke, which recently opened in Battery Park City, is a little different than its uptown counterpart. Turn to page 6.

February 8 - 14, 2012

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BY ALINE REYNOLDS City-employed physicians and scientists are hoping to discover new health trends and further encourage treatment of 9/11-related illnesses through continued surveys and research.

More than 40,000 enrollees of the World Trade Center Health Registry have already responded to the Registry’s third mass survey, which will close in mid-March. The Registry, established by the city Department of Health in 2002, is also working on several new 9/11 health studies, including one focused exclusively on cancer.

The Registry’s current survey is only open to the 71,000 first responders, residents, and workers that responded to its first questionnaire distributed in 2003-2004, according to director Mark Farfel. Over the years, the Registry has managed to maintain contact with more than 99 percent of this original cohort.

“That’s the group we’re following over time,” said Farfel. “We need to have this longitudinal approach, so we can understand the course of conditions that has already been reported, symptoms and conditions that are persisting, and anything that may be emerging.”

Once the responses to the latest survey are collected and organized, Farfel and his team, comprised of experts in fields such as occupational health, environmental health, demography and anthropology, will sift through the data in search of reoccurring descriptions of symptoms. The group will then conduct a formal analysis of their findings, which will likely be submitted for peer-reviewed publication next year or the year thereafter.

“We do want to begin looking at the patterns of illnesses reported in the [second] survey and see what’s happening with those conditions now,” said Farfel. “That’s a process that takes some months to do.”

The cancer study, which will be turned in for publication by March, is based upon matches to data through 2008 from nearly a dozen statewide cancer registries.

“We’re comparing the number of confirmed cancer diagnoses among enrollees to our expected numbers based on the general population of New York State,” said Farfel. “We’re also comparing the cancer rates of enrollees who are more highly exposed to rates of those who are less highly exposed, to see if there’s a relation between cancer and [Ground Zero] exposure.”

Asked about the push by John Feal and other 9/11 advocates to have cancer added to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, Farfel noted that the Registry wasn’t formed to make such recommendations to the federal government.

“We have a public system for people who are not covered or who can’t afford care,” said Farfel, referring to the city Health and Hospitals Corporation.

With respect to the Registry’s forthcoming study, Farfel noted, “We recognize that all of this is early and intend to continue cancer assessment study in the future.”

Meanwhile, the Registry is attempting to

Photo courtesy of New York City Dept. of Health

Director of the World Trade Center Health Registry Mark Farfel

identify gaps in care, as many enrollees have indicated unmet health problems in the questionnaires. Nurses and other D.O.H. employees have joined forces with the H.H.C. to individually call and write to enrollees to let them know about treatment options. They’ve also regularly updated officials at the city Department of Education about local treatment for children adversely affected by 9/11.

The Registry’s outreach thus far has resulted in 1,000 first-time visits to the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center, which has locations at Gouverneur Healthcare Services, Bellevue Hospital Center, and Elmhurst Hospital Center.

“We think that’s meeting one of our core missions, which is responding to needs,” said Farfel.

The Registry’s outreach has also informed health articles such as a 2011 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of lung function in area residents and workers.

“For that study,” Farfel said, “we invited subgroups for pulmonary function tests and had them complete a symptom and exposure questionnaire.”

Researchers unaffiliated with the Registry have also solicited feedback from Registry enrollees for their own 9/11-related studies on topics including W.T.C. evacuation experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) symptoms among first responders and their children.

“One of the strengths of the Registry is the large, diverse cohort we have — I think that makes us unique,” said Farfel.

Asked how the Registry would persuade its enrollees to participate in all the surveys and studies, Farfel said, “There are no financial incentives or special benefits, per se. I think there’s some motivation of just wanting to be part of an effort to make a contribution in understanding the impacts.”

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NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9, 12-21

OWNTOWN

EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

DIGEST

ONE W.T.C. GAFF COULD HIKE CONSTRUCTION COSTS A design gaff in One World Trade Center could hike the price of the overall cost to build the tower by millions, according to a Jan. 31 Associated Press report.

Construction of the temporary PATH Station is impeding the necessary access of trucks to the building’s underground loading site, causing the agency to build five temporary aboveground loading bays, according to Steve Coleman, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“Several years ago, there was a design miss,” Patrick Foye told the A.P. and other reporters following a speech at the Association for a Better New York the day the A.P. story came out. “Should it have been caught? The answer is, probably.”

Access to the below-ground loading docks will be reopened once the W.T.C. Transportation Hub is completed and access to the temporary PATH Station on Vesey street is no longer needed, Coleman said.

Construction of the transit hub, however, won’t be finished until early 2015, after One W.T.C. is fully built out. Coleman nevertheless assured that the glitch would not directly impact the building’s leasing prospects or tenant fit-out.

SQUADRON COMMEMORATES DANNY CHEN ON SENATE FLOOR

YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 - 27

Danny Chen. The resolution coincides with a resolution City Council approved last week demanding reforms to the Army’s cultural diversity training of its soldiers.

“The tragedy that befell him, the experience that he had serving our country, is one that no person in this country should ever have, period,” said Squadron. “We need to have zero tolerance, because of the experience that Danny had and the way that he suffered, the way that he was hazed, the way that his background made his time serving our country harder.”

Squadron continued, “But we also need to have zero tolerance because, if even one member of the armed forces is treating someone else in this way… it sullies the entire armed forces, and we need to fight back against it.”

A schedule of this week’s upcoming Community Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless otherwise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board office, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room 709 at 6 p.m.

E.D.C. PRESENTS NEW DOWNTOWN LIGHTING INITIATIVE

ON WED., FEB. 8: The Tribeca Committee will meet.

The city Economic Development Corporation introduced a new lighting project to members of Community Board 1 at a joint meeting of the Financial District, Tribeca and Seaport-Civic Center committees last Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The light shows, which will illuminate select Downtown buildings with multi-color patterns on a weekly or monthly basis, will not carry advertisements, according to E.D.C. Project Manager Julie Simon. “The goal is not to have a corporate billboard – it’s really to have an engaging art proj-

ON THURS., FEB. 9: The Landmarks Committee will meet at 5 p.m.

State Senator Daniel Squadron voiced his support of a NY Senate resolution honoring the late U.S. Army Private

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C.B. 1 EE TING S

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ON MON., FEB. 13: The W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee will meet.

ON TUES., FEB. 14: The Youth and Education Committee will meet.

Continued on page 7 OPEN THINKING | ON A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT No. 2 IN A SERIES

CAN CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGE LIKE MUSIC?

By Yongling Lu Curriculum Specialist, Avenues In our global society, becoming fluent in a foreign language is a huge advantage for any child. Fortunately, learning language today doesn’t have to be an endless exercise in verb conjugation and translation. It helps to think of language as music, with its distinctive rhythm and melody. The most effective way to teach a language is to help students learn to “sing the music” of a new language — through stories, games and theatrical performances.

Read the rest of Yongling Lu’s article about learning language at www.avenues.org/delu.

You’ll also find articles, video interviews and details on parent information events hosted by the leadership team of Avenues: The World School.

Yongling Lu is the curriculum specialist in the Mandarin Chinese program at Avenues.

Avenues is opening fall 2012 in Chelsea. It will be the first of 20 campuses in major cities, educating children ages three to 18 with a global perspective.

Downtown Express photo by John Bayles

Liu hypes up Big Blue crowd New York City Comptroller John Liu was ecstatic as he rode in the back of a convertible during Tuesday’s Super Bowl XLVI Championship Parade. Wearing a Giants sweatshirt and waving a white towel, Liu was a hit among the Giants fans that lined up along Broadway in the early morning.

WWW.AVENUES.ORG

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POLICE BLOTTER Garage hold-up Two men held up an employee of the Edison Park Fast Garage at 15 Worth St. around 1:40 a.m. Sun. Feb. 5 and took, $50 from the victim’s pocket and $100 in $1 bills from a small safe in the office, police said.

The victim told police he was returning to the booth after parking a car when one of the two robbers put a gun to his back and ordered him to open a large combination safe. When the employee said he could not open it the robbers took his $50, ordered him into the bathroom and managed to open a smaller key safe and took $100 from it.

The robbers also made off with the victim’s cell phone from a counter top.

‘Cat Lady’ sentenced Shana Spalding, who sang under the

name of Purgatory with the death-metal band, Divine Infamy, and who was convicted on Dec. 13 of the armed hold-up of an Arche Shoe boutique on Astor Pl. in June 2010 and a Cotelac boutique at 92 Greene St. in August 2010, was sentenced on Wed., Feb. 1 to 10 years in prison. Spalding, 27, was known as the “Cat Lady” because she wore a cat mask during the Astor Pl. robbery and during a previous robbery in Queens. At her sentencing she protested that she was not a violent person and had not displayed the toy gun that she had when she held up the Greene St. shop.

Seek second story man Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect or suspects who gained

entrance into Soho and Village apartments via fire escapes or roof top patio doors from Sept.28 to the present. A heavy set Hispanic man in his late 20s to mid 30s with close-cut hair, medium complexion and stocky build was recorded on surveillance tape leaving the buildings with stolen property concealed in shopping bags.

All callers to Crime Stoppers 1-800-577TIPS remain anonymous. Callers regarding this series of burglaries should refer to Crime Stoppers poster number M-932.

Van fire on Canal A 2001 Dodge van burst into flames at the intersection of Canal and Centre Sts, around 1:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb 2, but the driver, 47 escaped without injury, according to reports. The fire closed the street for two hours, according to an item in the New York Post.

Baby was safe

downtown express stopped at Barolo Restaurant, 398 W. Broadway near Spring St., around 5 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 28, took her baby from her stroller and left the stroller with her handbag with the staff who put it in a nearby room. When the woman went to retrieve the stroller she discovered the bag was gone, along with her wallet, credit cards, $90 in cash and a few diapers and Pampers.

Vehicles stolen A Soho woman, 20, parked her motorcycle opposite 525 Broome St. near Sullivan St. around 3 p.m. Wed., Feb 6 near her place of work and returned at 5:30 p.m. to find it had been stolen.

A New Jersey man who parked his 2000 VW in a lot at the rear of 34 Desbrosses St. around 7 a.m. Fri., Feb. 3 returned at 7 a.m. the following Sunday and discovered it had been stolen. There was broken glass at the scene and a surveillance camera was operating on the site during those hours, police said.

— Alber t Amateau

A woman, 39, visiting from London,

Stonewall Draws Crowd Celebrating Prop 8 Victory

Photo courtesy of Donna Aceto

MENY’s interim executive director Brian Silva addressed the Stonewall celebration.

BY TROY MASTERS A gathering of more than 75 people turned out on the evening of February 7 for a flash celebration of the ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming a 2010 federal district court decision that found California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

The gathering was called by Marriage Equality New York within hours of the threejudge panel’s ruling being announced at 1 p.m. New York time.

Cathy Marino-Thomas, MENY’s communications director, emphasized that the appellate ruling was narrow, finding a constitutional flaw in the fact that California voters took away a right to marry for same-sex couples established roughly six months before by the State Supreme Court. The ruling did not address the underlying question of whether “under the Constitution same-sex couples may ever be denied the right to marry.”

The court’s refusal to address that broader

issue did not dampen the enthusiasm of those on hand, but Marino-Thomas and other speakers –– including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, MENY’s interim executive director Brian Silva, Jake Goodman, who is active with the grassroots group Queer Rising, and civil rights attorney Yetta Kurland –– emphasized that gay marriage supporters must continue to press the case for repeal of the US Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to all same-sex marriages.

The speakers urged the crowd, which spilled out of the bar onto Christopher Street, to continue pressing Congress to act on the Respect for Marriage Act. That legislation, sponsored by US Representative Jerry Nadler of New York and California Senator Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, would repeal the 1996 anti-gay law. The measure has 32 sponsors in the Senate and 138 in the House, only one of whom is a Republican.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

C.B. 1 not sold on city’s new ‘green’ zoning

BY ALINE REYNOLDS The city’s proposal to promote more environmentally-friendly buildings Downtown and citywide was met with caution by Community Board 1’s Landmarks Committee during a meeting last Thursday, Jan. 26.

Grace Han, of the Department of City Planning’s Manhattan office, presented a series of amendments to the city’s zoning law that would lift certain restrictions to the construction and retrofitting of commercial and residential buildings in order to facilitate energy efficient designs. While C.B. 1 generally supported the plan, board members committed to preserving the historic characteristics of Tribeca buildings voiced concern that the allowances could result in unlawful aesthetic changes to landmarked buildings without additional design guidelines.

The proposal, subject to approval by the D.C.P. Commission as well as the City Council, would enable developers to more easily insulate buildings’ exteriors, add renewable generators such as solar panels and wind turbines, and otherwise make the buildings’ energy use more efficient.

Under the new rules, wind turbines, for example, would be permitted atop waterfront buildings and any others that are taller than 100 feet. The amended zoning would also encourage the creation of rooftop greenhouses by excluding the new structures from buildings’ floor area ratio and height limits, thereby maximizing profits for developers.

Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds

Grace Han, of the Department of City Planning, discussed proposed changes to the city’s zoning law that would promote eco-friendly design at a Community Board 1 meeting last Thursday.

The changes are poised to save up to $800 million in energy expenses for property owners, businesses, and residents, according

Photo by Jefferson Siegel

Robert Caballero being arraigned on criminal charges last week.

Politico accused of grand larceny

BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL On Thurs., Jan. 26, Robert Caballero, 53, was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on charges of grand larceny, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument and falsifying business records.

Caballero, a property manager for a Housing Development Fund Corporation, low-income co-op building at 172 Forsyth St. on the Lower East Side, is accused of forging checks to steal more than $260,000 from the co-op. Sitting passively during the brief proceeding, he pleaded not guilty.

Between January 2007 and July 2010, Caballero allegedly forged more than 150 checks from the building's bank account. He had access to the accounts because he was responsible for collecting rent from tenants and depositing the proceeds to pay for the

co-op's bills and maintenance costs.

Caballero was to be paid $450 a month for those services; instead he forged checks in that amount on a weekly basis.

“Government programs are not piggy banks,”Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., said after the arraignment. Vance said Caballero stole “from members of a program that was intended to help low-income New Yorkers achieve the dream of home ownership.”

Caballero is due back in court March 12. He reportedly faces up to 15 years in prison.

A former Lower East Side Democratic district leader in the 1990s, Caballero a few years ago tried to run for the office again but was caught living outside the district — though his voter registration falsely claimed he still resided within it. He had to withdraw from the race.

to the D.C.P. “We hope developers will take the time to retrofit and make their buildings more

energy efficient,” Han told the committee.

“It’s about time that we look at renewable technology and ‘green’ development.”

Architect Corey Sharples, a member of C.B. 1’s Landmarks Committee, fears the plan might give developers a bit too much leeway when altering landmarked buildings.

“There’s a lot of pressure by the Mayor to go along with greening of the city,” said Sharples. “We’re concerned that, even with landmarks review, there would be pressure on the [city Landmarks Preservation] Commissioners to approve things that may not be in the best interest of historic buildings or the aesthetics of historic districts.”

Sharples also noted that Han failed to explain how the new regulations would dovetail with the city’s current buildings codes and was also concerned about the rules pertaining to future greenhouses.

“There’s a lot of money to be made from Manhattan rooftop parties,” said Sharples.

“If you want to put up a greenhouse for kids, I’m all for it. But I don’t want to see 20-foothigh glass party spaces all over the city.”

George Calderaro, a member of the Historic District Council, a nonprofit advocate for the city’s historic neighborhoods, was equally hesitant about the proposal, even though he lives in Solaire, the country’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.)-Gold certified building.

Continued on page 20

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Empire State Development C.E.O. touts Gov’s budget

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER A few weeks ago, Kenneth Adams, C.E.O. and Commissioner of Empire State Development — the arm of State government that promotes business investment — came to New York City with a mission. His directive was to explain Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 20122013 budget to some Downtown honchos and to drum up support.

“This is more than a budget proposal,” Adams explained. “Key reforms are built in.”

He said the budget plan was “relatively simple and straightforward.” He described the previous year’s budget as “difficult and challenging.

So much of the hard work was done last year.”

Adams said that much of the budget was already set, with 4 percent for education, 4 percent for Medicaid, 2.2 percent for SUNY/ CUNY, a 2 percent spending cap — and a $2 billion deficit.

“This year we will eliminate all automatic inflators,” he said. State agency operations such as healthcare and debt service, for instance, which were scheduled to rise by 4.5 percent will remain flat, saving $1.3 billion. Aid to localities will go up by less than the previously scheduled amount, saving $756 million.

This will provide the needed $2 billion savings.

“This year, the budget is manageable,” he said. “The reform proposals will be more of a challenge.” The problem is how to spur private sector job growth while limiting government spending and maintaining “fiscal discipline.”

Economic development proposals would include the repair of more than 100 bridges and 2,000 miles of roads. Ninety municipal water systems would get upgraded and 48 state parks and historic sites would be improved.

One hundred fourteen flood control projects would be repaired. Fifteen billion dollars would be devoted to these projects, including $5 billion to build a new Tappen Zee Bridge. The money would come from the state, the federal government, from various Authorities and from private investment.

A new convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens would replace the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, which is too small and obsolete. In Phase 1, it would have 3.2 million square feet of display space and 1,000 hotel rooms. In Phase 2, it would be enlarged with a half million additional square feet of display space and 2,000 more hotel rooms.

Resorts World, which has a long-term lease at Aqueduct, would spend $4 billion of its own capital for the project. “The taxpayers, the City and the State would not be at risk,” Adams said.

Another important aspect of the State’s economic development plan would be to build “energy highways.” Adams said that energy infrastructure is a bottleneck across the State.

Hydroelectric power is produced in Quebec, Canada, but then is sent to Vermont because New York State doesn’t have the infrastructure to bring the power to the lower Hudson Valley.

Gov. Cuomo wants to establish an Energy Highway Task Force that will issue an R.F.P. and hold a conference to report options to him by June 1 to bid and build a new energy highway. The governor envisions $2 billion in private investment with no capital invested by the State.

He is also pushing for an amendment to the State constitution to legalize casino gambling.

“We’re surrounded by states that allow casino gambling,” Adams said. “One billion a year is being lost to these states.” This revenue could be used to support New York State programs.

Among Cuomo’s reform proposals are to simplify and streamline State government, which has grown into a warren of agencies and departments, sometimes with overlapping responsibilities. “We must reevaluate the functions of government agencies across the state,” said Adams.

He said it was also necessary to cap and control executive compensation. The allowance for overhead in State contracts ranges from 3 percent to 50 percent. Moreover, there is no standard for executive compensation in State contracts. It can range from $50,000 a year to over $1 million.

Adams said that Gov. Cuomo has issued an executive order to cap executive compensation at $199,000 under State contracts.

A fourth part of Gov. Cuomo’s budget is what Adams referred to as “mandate relief.”

Currently, county governments in New York State spend $8 billion a year on Medicaid. In

2005, the State capped the amount of growth the counties have to pay annually. This year, said Adams, “Gov. Cuomo will go further. We will save counties and New York City $1.2 billion over the next five years with a State takeover of Medicaid growth. You can’t apply a 2 percent property tax cap to local governments and have their obligation go above that,” he said.

To offset this expenditure, the governor proposes a new State pension system with a reduction in benefits. This would only apply to new people coming into the system.

Adams said after his presentation that he expected the greatest opposition to the governor’s plan would come from those opposed to the pension reform measures and to another thorny subject, the proposed criteria for teacher evaluation. There has been a failure to agree on a teacher evaluation system as required by the federal government. Adams quoted Cuomo as having said to the New York State counties that they have until Feb. 17 to agree on a teacher State-wide evaluation system or “I will solve the problem for you.”

If an evaluation system is not fully implemented by individual districts by Jan. 17, 2013, they will be ineligible for a State aid increase of 4 percent of their budgets.

While there are certainly obstacles to the budget that Gov. Cuomo has proposed, Adams said he was “optimistic that this will get done.

We have a track record of success,” he said.

Hearings on the budget are currently going on in Albany.

Not your uptown Blue Smoke Bar-b-que BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER At the front desk of Battery Park City’s Blue Smoke, maitre d’ Patrick Duffy looked at a monitor showing each of the restaurant’s 29 tables and at the crowd of people in front of him. “It will be about 45 minutes,” he said to a woman, “unless you want to sit at the bar.” The customer said she would wait for a table.

Blue Smoke, a Danny Meyer restaurant, opened at 101 North End Ave. on Jan. 9 and has been packed at dinner time ever since.

“It has exceeded our expectations,” said Mark Maynard-Parisi, managing partner.

The restaurant takes dinner reservations for parties of five or more, but not for smaller groups. Wednesdays through Saturdays are particularly busy. Reservations are accepted for parties of all sizes at lunch.

The Battery Park City Blue Smoke is similar to its counterpart at 116 East 27th St. — the original Blue Smoke — in some respects but not in all. The blue-topped tables are similar and the dark wooden chairs and banquettes, upholstered in red. Barbecue is in the spotlight on both menus. But the Battery Park City Blue Smoke serves many items that are not available uptown.

Jeffrey Held, 33, who was on the opening

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Jeffrey Held, chef de cuisine at Blue Smoke in Battery Park City, checking some ribs in the smoker. The meat is smoked with hickory and apple woods.

team at the uptown Blue Smoke, is chef de cuisine. He has worked with Blue Smoke executive chef Kenny Callaghan since 2001.

Held has brought a number of his own recipes to Battery Park City, and they are not available uptown. Among the Held appetizers, grilled oysters with spinach and bread crumbs flavored with Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic and shallots are excellent. Held also introduced pickled ruby red shrimp with fennel, sweet onions and coriander to the appetizer menu and chicken gumbo with okra, tomatoes and crispy tortilla.

Making use of seasonal ingredients, Held created a crisp salad of roasted root vegetables for the winter menu. Carrots, parsnips, celery root, Brussels sprouts, chives and radicchio are dressed with a sweet apple cider vinaigrette.

The main courses in Blue Smoke Battery Park City (but not uptown) include a Texas black pepper pork chop with parsnip and celery root gratin and charred chilies. “We use a heritage breed of pork — Berkshire — that was one of the original breeds of pig,” Held explained. “It’s always on our minds to get the best quality meat. The animals that had the best lives tend to taste better.

Our meat comes to us from Heritage Farms U.S.A. They have many farms that they approve and work with. Every invoice has to

Continued on page 21

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February 8 - 14, 2012

P.S. 276 kids learn it’s cool to be kind

BY ALINE REYNOLDS To honor Martin Luther King, Jr., middle schoolers at P.S. 276 in Battery Park City aren’t just reading books or watching films about the Civil Rights Movement. They’re learning to embody and employ the movement’s core values in everyday life.

The school’s sixth grade class is participating in the Kindness and Justice Challenge, a pilot program aimed at encouraging the students to be thoughtful toward one another and defend what’s right. The initiative coincides with the school’s overall anti-bullying program and “Respect for All” week, when schools citywide are asked to promote respect and diversity in their classrooms.

“Too frequently at schools, kids are known for doing the wrong things, and simple acts of kindness get overlooked,” said P.S. 276’s middle school social studies teacher Mary Valentine, who spearheaded the Kindness and Justice Challenge. “We can help to create a culture of kindness by taking the time to recognize those things when they happen.”

To kick off the program, Valentine and other school staff shared stories with the students that exemplified kindness or justice.

“I told a story about kids at the school who had come to me to let me know that one of their classmates wasn’t being

treated nicely,” said middle school director Pauline David. “I told them that as an act of justice — when you see something being done, even though it’s not affecting your friends, you can still stand up for others.”

“It’s preventative medicine to try to discourage bullying,” explained Erica Weldon, P.S. 276’s parent coordinator.

“We’re trying to tell them that there’s a difference between tattletaling and being a good citizen to the school.”

The sixth graders are tracking their own behavior by keeping a weekly log of virtuous gestures they make to their peers. On Wednesdays, they create leaves with messages recognizing instances of kind or just behavior, and attach the leaves to a paper tree that’s posted on a billboard in the school cafeteria.

The Kindness and Justice Challenge will culminate with a student-led forum, in which the class will share its most poignant stories with the seventh graders in the school auditorium.

During a break from class last Friday, sixth graders William Martino, Skyler Velez, and Skyler Coffey stopped by the cafeteria to scan the messages on the leaves. One student wrote about how she witnessed someone providing food to a homeless person, while another noticed Maya Nunez’s classmate, P.S. 276 sixth grader Astrid Chadrow, narrates “The Scarecrow’s Dance” to first grader Lena Sidell.

Downtown Digest Continued from page 3 ect Downtown,” she said. “We think it’s an exciting project, and we want to build community support for it.”

Still, Downtown residents that attended the meeting were anxious about the disruptions the initiative could bring.

“When you say you’re going to reach out to building owners, will you reach out to the building across the street for permission, as it will likely disturb the 120 people that live there?” asked Linda Gerstman, who lives at 15 Broad Street.

The E.D.C.’s Assistant Vice President, Ali Davis, answered saying the city would indeed be soliciting approval from affected building owners.

The project, she conceded, will be challenging. “We know we have a lot of work to do to make it work,” said Davis.

Proposals for specific light displays are due by March 13. If all goes as planned, the displays will begin before the year’s end.

CHURCH ST. SCHOOL’S NEW ARTS PROGRAM Church Street School for Music and Art has announced a new teen arts pro-

gram called ’72.’ Teens in ‘72’ will get to choose from two out of six workshops offered, including “Fibers,” an exploration of sculpture through filament; “Music Through Technology,” a class centered on beat-building; “GIF-Making,” a multi-disciplined approach to story-telling through imagery; “Music Video Production,” a workshop purportedly ideal for bands and their friends; and “Salon 72: Street Art,” dedicated to the production of legal, semi-permanent and two-dimensional outdoor art.

“We are excited to offer a non-traditional, collaborative arts program for teens programmed specifically for contemporary art interests, from music and filmmaking to visual and digital art,” according to a description of the program provided by the school.

All workshops run for four consecutive weeks with the first starting on Tuesday, March 6. Those attending the classes will have access to the school’s monthly concerts, film screenings, and rehearsal space.

Membership is $400 per semester.

Registration for ‘72’ is open through March 31. For more information, visit www.7eventytwo.org or call 212-5717290. Church Street School for Music and Art is located at 74 Warren Street, New York, NY.

Continued on page 20

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

Assemblyman Shelly Silver If you need assistance, please contact my office at (212) 312-1420 or email silver@assembly.state.ny.us.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

downtown express

D.O.T. is set to release new Delancey St. safety plan

BY ALINE REYNOLDS Tina Carr, a resident of the Seward Park Co-op, has always been nervous whenever crossing the precarious intersection at Delancey and Clinton Sts. But now her jitteriness has reached new levels, after having witnessed the death of Dashane Santana, 12, who was fatally struck by a minivan there the afternoon of Fri., Jan. 13.

“I saw a girl lying in a pool of blood.

It was very traumatic,” said Carr, who has three young children of her own. “I cross here between two and four times a day.”

Carr is one of the many community members that bravely dash across Delancey St. at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge every day to try to make it from one side of the extra-wide street to the other before cars start barreling in their direction. If they don’t wish to stand in the median, they have less than half a minute — exactly 22 seconds — to traverse 10 lanes of vehicular traffic.

The Delancey St. corridor, which stretches westward from the bridge to Bowery, is considered one of Manhattan’s deadliest thoroughfares. A total of 82 accidents occurred at the intersection of Clinton and Delancey Sts. between spring 2008 and spring 2011, 13 of which involved pedestrians or bicyclists. During the same period, 80 accidents took place at the intersection of Essex and Delancey Sts., 29 of which involved pedestrians or bicyclists, according to data from the state Department of

Photo by Aline Reynolds

A memorial by the Williamsburg Bridge to Dashane Santana, 12, who was killed crossing Delancey St. last month.

Transportation.

In an effort to lower the accident rate, the city’s Department of Transportation has prepared a new Delancey St. safety plan, which will be unveiled next Wed., Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Seward Park Co-operative (268 East Broadway). Scott Gastel, a D.O.T. spokesperson, declined to comment on the initative’s details prior to the meeting.

The plan is largely the outgrowth of a working group state Senator Daniel

Squadron convened in the fall to brainstorm on safety improvement tactics for Delancey St. Since last August, the city has installed pedestrian countdown signals, increased pedestrian crossing times and extended median refuge areas along the Delancey corridor. D.O.T. is now finishing up an extension of the pedestrian refuge area in the middle of the Delancey-Clinton intersection, where Santana was killed.

But Lower East Siders and their elect-

ed officials contend these changes aren’t enough.

“Delancey needs nothing short of a safety overhaul now, which means looking at solutions like stop lines and turning restrictions, as well as improved medians and crossing times,” said Squadron. “I look forward to the new plan, and I hope that it moves us toward the safer Delancey that is critical to all users.”

Teenager Lucelny Ruiz, who crosses the Delancey-Clinton intersection five times a day, said she often feels she’s risking her life.

“If they were to change the timing in the crossing and give at least 40 seconds, it would be better,” Ruiz said. “Now, if I want to get across, I have to run.”

Gastel said crossing times adhere to federal guidelines, and that signals are designed to allow pedestrians to make it to at least the median, if not to the other side of the street.

“Each intersection is different, and signal timing is based on criteria, such as intersection geometry and traffic and pedestrian volumes,” he noted.

Rita Morales, 71, who also crosses the dangerous intersection daily, charged that cars often run red lights.

“They must have a policeman here, because people do whatever they want when they drive the car,” she said. “They don’t care if they kill you or kill me.”

downtown express

February 8 - 14, 2012

Weeknight Service Changes

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February 8 - 14, 2012

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EDITORIAL PUBLISHER & EDITOR John W. Sutter

Downsizing the L.M.C.C.C.

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Bureaucracies don’t die easily. Following the news of the impending layoffs at the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, we are compelled to praise this as a move in the right direction. While this agency has been an invaluable asset to the Lower Manhattan community following the attacks of 9/11, it is nearing the end of its mandate and its mission.

That being said, to have the L.M.C.C.C. disappear altogether would be an unwise decision. Retaining two staff members and continuing to allow the agency to serve the residents and workers in Lower Manhattan, is a must.

The alphabet soup of agencies and non-profits that sprang into existence as a result of the 9/11 attacks is a testament to the strength and agility of our government and civic organizations to respond to an overwhelming and crippling crisis. It is a healthy development when we are finally able to see the end of many of these organizations’ missions. It means that we are returning to normal, and that our existing institutional universe of city and state agencies can handle the flow of business, without the need of ad hoc organizations. All these organizations that are being phased out need a comprehensive sunset plan to cover business in the pipeline and their dedicated staff that have served the public.

It is clear that since Governor Andrew Cuomo took office there appears to be a sea change in the works in terms of our city-state agencies. His move to streamline government operations where there is redundancy, or where existing governmental organizations can do a better job, is a welcome one. These tight budget times call for tough choices and trade offs, and it is better to cut redundant bureaucracies than to see services to our schools or to our most vulnerable citizens cut.

But once again, we must call again for more dialogue and transparency from our city and state governments when it comes to decisions which directly affect our community. On the particular scaling back of the L.M.C.C.C., many residents truly attest to the role the L.M.C.C.C. has played in their lives, whether it be in resolving complaints about constructionrelated noise, or in simply providing them with the right person to contact regarding a question about construction on their block.

Would it have been so hard to hold a public hearing to allow community members to have their say in this latest decision? We think not.

A public discussion is part of a well thoughtthrough sunset plan, and lends more legitimacy to the process.

downtown express

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Surge ‘prophet’ is all wet To the editor: Re “C.B. 1 comes to grips with storm surge realities” (news article, Jan. 28): Sea level has been rising a few millimeters per year for the past few hundred years, and has not shown any significant increase during the past 30 years -- a requirement for the manmade global-warming theory to have credibility.

I think this “prophet” has been drinking too much tea, if you know what I mean.

Bob Smith

Say ‘no’ to eating ban bill To the editor: Manhattan State Senator Bill Perkins proposed bill to ban eating in the subway is personification of the nanny state. His legislation would be enforced by police issuing $250 fines to those caught chowing down on the subways. In my opinion, police have more important tasks to perform by preventing fare evasion, pickpockets, mugging, sexual harassment and other real crimes against victims rather than give out $250 fines to those caught snacking on the subways.

Women are routinely accosted by gropers on a daily basis, while perverts engage in other unhealthy sexual activities. Newsstand vendors provide employment. They count on revenues

for sales of snacks and provide the M.T.A. with millions in lease revenues. NYC and State also count on millions in sales tax revenues on vendor sales of snacks. Some people with long subway rides need to eat on something due to medical conditions.

There are other ways to fight the growth of rats and mice. The M.T.A. should consider installing separate cans for recycling newspapers, plastic and glass along with regular garbage. Selling advertising on sides of cans could generate revenues to help cover the costs of more frequent off-peak and late night collection and disposal. If asked, the city Department of Sanitation would consider doing the same on the street adjacent to subway station entrances.

There are also solutions to dealing with waiting for or riding the subway and having the “urge to go.” The odds of finding a working bathroom for “relief” may be too late. Until the early 1960s, most subway stations had clean, safe, working bathrooms with toilet paper. Revenues generated from a 10 cent fee helped cover the costs. Why not consider charging a fee between 25 cents and a dollar? That would generate revenues to assign a matron along with covering security and maintenance costs. This could help provide secure, fully-equipped bathrooms at most of the 465 subway stations. Many riders would gladly pay this small price to ensure working bathrooms rather than face the current unpleasant alternatives, which contribute to dirty subways.

Larry Penner

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This Giants fan had a message for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, which also paid homage to Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck.

downtown express

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February 8 - 14, 2012

TALKING POINT An AIDS Memorial Design To Embrace

BY NATHAN RILEY The shape of the AIDS Memorial Park advocates have been pressing for on a triangular parcel adjacent to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital is no longer a matter of conjecture. A jury chaired by Michael Arad, the New York architect who created the National Sept. 11 Memorial at Ground Zero, has announced a winning design that is at once pastoral and modern, an oasis that provides tranquility and an opportunity for reflection amidst the city’s noise.

The site of the proposed park — bounded by 12th Street, Greenwich Avenue, and Seventh Avenue South — is part of Rudin Management’s redevelopment of the shuttered hospital’s property into high-end residential uses. As the city moves toward final approval of the overall Rudin plan, decision-makers must deal constructively with a major new fact — the unveiling of this dramatic proposal for a world-class park in the West Village.

Both Community Board 2 and the City Planning Commission have approved the plans laid out by Rudin for the 17,000-squarefoot parcel — but on each occasion, that approval came with an endorsement for including a memorial to the AIDS crisis, for which St. Vincent’s was a Ground Zero in its own way.

Neither C.B. 2 nor the NYC Planning Commission offered a prescription for how to incorporate an AIDS commemoration into the park. They offered no view on whether it should be a plaque or a sculp-

ture and whether the theme should define the park or be relegated to the least-used edge of it. However, Amanda Burden, the Planning Commission chair, urged Rudin to “continue to work with the community,” and she specifically included “those interested in creating an AIDS memorial” as members of that community.

Now that a fully realized AIDS memorial design has emerged, Rudin Management and the City Council should avoid enshrining the developer’s earlier plans in stone and instead work to make the new plan a reality.

The winning design, “Infinite Forest,” submitted by Studio a+i, a Brooklyn firm, is simple in concept. Groves of birch trees and adjacent seating areas may attract tourists, but the overall effect is an environment closer to the quiet of a library than the noisy exuberance of a park full of young people such as Washington Square.

Studio a+i mixes modern and traditional.

If the trees give the park a pastoral feel, mirrors on three sides add a distinctly modern touch and magnify the size of the site. Christopher Tepper, an urban planner who — with his friend and fellow design professional Paul Kelterborn — organized the design competition, predicted that the reflections created by the mirrored surfaces would attract and amuse children living in the neighborhood.

The ability of the park to simultaneously serve the recreational aspirations of the local community and honor the pivotal role St. Vincent’s and Greenwich Village played

in responding to an unprecedented health emergency that staggered the gay community is a critical strength of the Studio a+i design.

The sense of both the past and present in the firm’s proposal was undoubtedly a key factor that allowed it to beat out the 475 alternatives from 32 countries.

“Infinite Forest” offers crucial flexibility on one other point. Tepper, Kelterborn, and their allies hope to preserve a basement space below the triangular parcel for use as a museum and learning center about the epidemic. The Rudin plan, however, relies on gutting that space for use as a staging area in building the park. The Studio a+i design can proceed either way — by placing skylights on a roof enclosure for the basement or by developing the park without preserving the basement. The design put forward, Tepper explained, is for now merely a proposal, and “there will be a process of design refinement” as additional stakeholders, including C.B. 2, make suggestions.

In this way, the Studio a+i design offers ample room for a new consensus to emerge.

But that is possible only if there is leadership from Rudin and from Christine Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, which makes final decisions on land use matters. Those two players, in turn, will more likely do the right thing if C.B. 2 continues to play a positive role in promoting AIDS commemoration as central to the park’s mission.

Rudin owns the site and is required to build a park as part of the overall approval of

its ambitious redevelopment project. By law, only Rudin is positioned to request a change to its existing application before the city.

Whether any changes the developer agrees to are considered minor or major will be an important factor in determining how easily the Studio a+i design can be embraced. The question of preserving the basement may prove particularly tricky to navigate without going back to square one.

It is altogether fair of advocates, however, to expect that Burden was sincere in her admonition that Rudin continue to work cooperatively with the community.

Quinn plays the other major role here.

The Council will vote within the next two months on whether to give Rudin authority to proceed with its project. As the Council member who represents the West Village, the AIDS Memorial Park proposal poses a critical test for her as she moves closer to a 2013 run for mayor. Quinn has won significant financial support from the real estate industry, but a leader understands that such relationships are two-way streets.

She ought to have the credibility to say to Rudin, “Embrace the new and go with the best idea.”

New and best are adjectives “Infinite Forest” represents dramatically. As visitors stand amidst trees surrounded by mirrors that reflect each other, they will witness images repeated multiple times, offering them a sense of the infinite that for each will have its own associations of wonder and awe.

DOWNTOWN NOTEBOOK M.L.K.’s daughter provides words of wisdom at Pace

BY HELAINA N. HOVITZ In August of 1963, for the first time in history, armed soldiers stationed themselves on city sidewalks during the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In September of 2001, Lower Manhattan saw them by the truckload, and they were back again exactly ten years later in September 2011.

They are still patrolling Zuccotti Park and city sidewalks nationwide to this day.

On the heels of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, Bernice King, daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke on February 1 at Pace University and discussed the importance of social justice and the power of activism in the United States.

Dr. King was most vividly remembered as a human rights leader who fought, among many things, against economic inequality. There was nothing elite, he said, about wrongheaded beliefs. He examined the world as it actually was and saw clearly that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He tried to warn us about the looming danger of a culture rapidly deteriorating, of the rise of greed, materialism, elitism, and selfishness. At some point, he said, we would be at the ruin of America.

We’re well on our way down that steady decline, deep into housing, poverty, and healthcare crises while economic and political systems are collapsing all around us.

At first, Occupy Wall Street seemed reminiscent of Dr. King’s quest, after having secured equal voting rights, to bring attention to the unequal distribution of wealth in this nation. Shortly after President Johnson declared a “war on poverty” in 1964, another war — Vietnam — threatened its emphasis, and financial resources were diverted to its propagation.

Even then, Americans suffered from lack of fair and equal economic opportunities and a severe sense of hopelessness.

Ten years after our nations’ longest war was underway, we found ourselves in the same place—perhaps, arguably, even worse off.

What started out as a movement with a somewhat clear focus, soon became a circus of varying demands and protests; yet people are still donating to this “movement,” and protestors continue to make headlines by squaring off with police.

The official Occupy Wall Street website offers some insight into the common principles they are fighting for: participatory democracy, personal and collective responsibility, redefinition of labor values, and a new socio-political and economic alternative that offers greater possibility of equality.

Similarly, Dr. King urged us to spend our time in pursuit of justice and freedom. But is our time most wisely spent camping out in parks or urinating in the streets? This does not a movement make.

Regardless, the Occupy “movement” caught on like wildfire

and spread throughout the nation. Yet these protests, unsurprisingly, have not caused any tangible changes in the system.

Luckily, some students are becoming inspired to pursue careers that will allow them to one day be in a position to create change. Pace requires them to take courses in civil justice, and asks them to give up their spring break to focus on helping the hungry and homeless of New York—which many of them do.

“My father studied things he thought would help in his quest for how to change the world,” King relayed to her young audience. “We need students to become leaders who make decisions and policies that respect the dignity of personhood, not profit margin. Corporations need to make money, but not at the cost of damaging people.”

On the moral end of the spectrum, she continued, reality television shows have replaced sitcoms that taught family values and virtuous principles.

“Too many of us waste time in pursuits like Housewives of Atlanta, in partying, exploiting, and video gaming,” King explained. “No generation can afford to waste time — there are always things in place that threaten to undermine freedoms.”

Now, around the country, from Oklahoma to D.C., police are still responding to peaceful protestors with tear gas, concussion grenades, and smoke bombs. In fact, movements are now rising

Continued on page 18

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BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER FOOD TRUCKS: It was exactly 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, when Albert Teran, owner of the Bongo Brothers Cuban Food Truck, firmly closed his window, disappointing several customers still waiting outside. “We have to stop selling at 3 p.m.,” he later explained.

“Besides, I’d run out of food.”

Bongo Brothers was one of four food trucks parked in the cul-de-sac at North End Avenue and Vesey Street on the second day of Battery Park City’s newest dining amenity — four food trucks that will appear from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on a rotating schedule, bringing a variety of ethnic foods and desserts to B.P.C.’s hungry hordes.

The idea originated with Brookfield Office Properties, owner of the World Financial Center, in an effort to make up for the dining options that are no longer available inside 2 World Financial Center during construction.

To ensure good quality and variety, the food trucks were chosen with the help of the New York City Food Truck Association, which has 25 vendors.

February 8 - 14, 2012

Teran said that business was great on his first day in Battery Park City. He estimated that he served around 150 customers, compared with around 100 customers during a normal lunch period when he parks on the street. Debbie Jones, who manages the Eddie’s Pizza food truck, also said she’d had a good day.

Frites ‘n’ Meats, with burgers, a variety of toppings and Belgian-style fries and Brooklyn-based Cupcake Crew selling cupcakes such as Red Velvet, S’mores and Chocolate Peppermint, made up that day’s foursome.

For information on which food trucks will be at the World Financial Center on any given day, go to www.worldfinancialcenter. com/foodtrucks.

Battery Park City Authority called, “an outrageous act of vandalism. It’s a bit disheartening,” he said. “So many people consider Battery Park City a special place, but we’re not immune.” Monahan speculated that the damage could have been caused by skateboarders, but no one actually saw it happen.

For safety reasons, the damaged art table is currently under wraps while the Authority, which paid for the project, decides whether to replace it, relocate the intact art table, or take them both down.

VANDALIZED ART TABLE: In late September, two identical interactive maps showing the locations of most of the public art in Battery Park City were installed on the esplanade at a cost of $75,000 each. One was placed opposite Rockefeller Park, the other next to Wagner Park. In early December, the Wagner Park art table was smashed by what Matthew Monahan, a spokesman for the

DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY THEATER: Manhattan Youth is thinking about starting a community theater, and invites anyone interested in performing or crewing to a wine-andcheese gathering on Monday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the possibilities. The exploratory event will be held at the Downtown Community Center (120 Warren St.).

“It’s well known that Downtown is full

downtown express

Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

On Monday, Feb. 6, food trucks started serving lunch on North End Avenue in the cul-de-sac at Vesey Street next to the World Financial Center. There will be four food trucks there every day, Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In the beginning of December, two art tables in Wagner Park were wrecked beyond repair through what a Battery Park City Authority spokesman called “an outrageous act of vandalism.”

of talented singers, dancers, actors, musicians and artists of all kinds and of all ages who might love the chance to perform or crew a production of a play or musical,” said Rosalie Joseph, who is one of the organizers along with Bob Townley, executive director of Manhattan Youth.

Joseph said that, “Community theater refers to theatrical performances made for, by and with the residents of a particular community and performed in a venue in the neighborhood.”

RSVP to Rosalie Joseph, rosaliebpc@ gmail.com. Those who can’t make the meeting but who are interested in working to develop a community theater, should email Joseph with contact information.

VALENTINE-MAKING WORKSHOP: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s annual Valentine-making workshop takes place on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at 6 River Terrace. Like last year, the theme will be “green” valentines, made from recycled materials such as salvaged paper, postage stamps, dried flowers, lace and ribbon.

Abby Ehrlich, director of programming for the B.P.C. Parks Conservancy, suggests that participants bring something of their own with which to personalize their valentines.

At last year’s valentine-making workshop, people from toddlers on up quickly became engrossed in the process of thinking of what they wanted to say to whom and of designing, cutting and pasting. The room hummed with intent and concentrated activity. Out of the workshop emerged valentines for moms, dads and grandparents, friends and a favorite teacher.

The workshop costs $5 per person (cash only). It’s free for children under 3. Preregistration is required as space is limited.

Call (212) 267-9700, ext. 348 or 366 to register.

To comment on Battery Park City Beat or to suggest article ideas, email TereseLoeb@ mac.com.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

Broadway businesses have mixed feelings on parade

BY ALINE REYNOLDS Citywide businesses are cashing in big time from Big Blue victory, according to the Mayor’s office, who announced the good news in the late afternoon of Monday, Feb. 6 in anticipation of the Giants’ Lower Manhattan ticker-tape parade. While some local business managers attested to anticipated profits, others were ironically fretting a loss in profits because of the massive crowds.

The ticker-tape parade, which began at Battery Place and proceeded along Broadway to Worth Street, attracted between 500,000 and one million spectators, one-third of which will be coming from outside of New York City, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. The city and its businesses, the announcement said, bilked in between $19 million and $38 million.

“The Giant’s Super Bowl victory was an incredible win for our City – and now, tomorrow’s ticker tape through the Canyon of Heroes will be another big win for New Yorkers and our small businesses,” said Bloomberg in a statement.

On Monday evening, just hours before the parade began, many Downtown store personnel were busily preparing for the notable surge in customers, some of whom were frequenting the Broadway shops as early as dawn.

Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds

Kevin Corssan, general manager of Modell’s Sporting Goods at 150 Broadway, was ready at 6 a.m. on Monday in preparation for fans wanting a piece of Super Bowl history.

“[Today] is the busiest day I’ve ever personally been a part of at Modell’s,” said Kevin Corssan, general manager of Modell’s Sporting Goods at 150 Broadway.

“When we get a championship, you work very long hours, and you work very hard during those long hours, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Corssan was preparing for a 6 a.m. opening to accommodate the hoards of Giants fans that came in to purchase roster t-shirts, foam fingers, towels, and other paraphernalia bearing the football team’s logo. The manager recruited 15 additional salespeople from other Modell’s shops in the Tri-State area to join Tuesday’s staff.

“A lot of people take tomorrow off and want to get their parade gear and get a good spot out on Broadway,” he said. “Between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., we’ll expect anywhere from 3,500 to 4,000 customers.”

Romeo, manager of Suspenders Restaurant at 111 Broadway who declined to give his last name, was equally stoked about the parade, which he expected would draw between four and six times the number of diners the restaurant usually sees on a Tuesday.

“It’s great for the city, it’s great for the economy, and it’s something to celebrate,

Continued on page 19

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February 8 - 14, 2012

downtown express

Tuesday’s “V-day” parade for the Giants “I grew up in New Jersey,” said Cooper. “It was a spectacular game and a cliffhanger. And, it’s always great to see the underdog win.”

Continued from page 1 A lucky 250 people, via a special lottery that took place on Monday morning from 9 to 11 a.m., were awarded two tickets each to the event. The winners were notified at 2 p.m. on Monday and had to get to City Hall to pick up their tickets by 8 p.m. that evening.

But for the everyday Downtown worker or resident, Tuesday proved to have its ups and downs. For some, the masses of fans didn’t really affect them until noontime at the height of the celebration.

Jeffrey L., a lawyer in the Financial District, said, “The parade really didn’t get to me in the morning, but trying to get to lunch at noon proved to be pretty difficult.”

Even at 4 p.m., the streets were still full of spirited fans wearing Giants jerseys and shouting “Deja Blue!” and “Boston Sucks!”

NOT REALLY TICKER TAPE

BLESSING BIG BLUE Reverend Dr. James Cooper of Trinity Church had one of the best vantage points along the parade route. During his tenure with Trinity, Rev. Cooper has witnessed three ticker tape celebrations: the first after the Giants beat the New England Patriots in 2008 and then again to celebrate the New York Yankees’ World Series Championship in 2009.

Standing atop a ladder behind the iron fence in front of Trinity Churchyard, Cooper, sporting a Giants Super Bowl cap, wearing his robe and swinging a censer, was spotted by numerous Giants players. Some of them acknowledged the Reverend by performing the sign of the cross.

It was special for Cooper also because Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin is an old family friend.

“I lived in Jacksonville, Florida for 32 years,” said Cooper.

“And I knew coach Coughlin then.”

But even when Cooper lived in the “Sunshine State,” his heart remained with the Giants.

Downtown Express photos by John Bayles

Reverend Dr. James Cooper of Trintity Church shows his support for the NY Giants at the Super Bowl XLVI Parade on Tuesday.

Joe Timpone, the Downtown Alliance Senior Vice President of Operations, has worked with the city Department of Sanitation for over three decades and has seen his fair share of parades. He’s known as “Lower Manhattan’s Confetti King.”

On Monday, the Downtown Alliance received over one ton of recycled, shredded paper from a paper factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Members of the Alliance’s Operations Team separated the confetti into 20 small bags and distributed them Tuesday morning to various office buildings along the parade route. But, Timpone acknowledged that the paper that falls from the sky during the parade does not all come from the Alliance.

“There’s a lot of optimistic people out there,” Timpone said. “They probably started shredding their own paper last week.”

When all was said and done, following the 2009 Yankee’s parade, more 50 tons of paper was collected by NY Dept. of Sanitation workers. Timpone said a lot of the paper gets stuck on ledges and balconies, and that a strong wind in the days after is the only thing that can bring the shredded bits of paper to the street.

“It could be a week after the parade, then a wind comes a long and you’ll think it’s snowing,” he said.

Timpone’s role, though, is to actually create confetti that resembles the ticker tape of old.

“There’s no real ticker tape anymore,” Timpone said, “and hopefully this will keep people from throwing out toilet paper and phone books.”

That however was not the case. One fan had a roll of toilet paper hit him right in the head.

“This is a souvenir!” he said.

Workers from the Downtown Alliance bag up one ton of recycled paper on Monday that they distributed to office buildings along Broadway for Tuesday’s Super Bowl XLVI Parade.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

Looking victory right in the face Many of the die-hard New York Giants fans that lined Broadway in Lower Manhattan for Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Super Bowl XLVI Championship Parade wore their team pride all over their faces.

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downtown express

Tom Hall, 66, artist and manager of Woodward Gallery

BY ALBERT AMATEAU Tom Hall, the manager of the Woodward Gallery on the Lower East Side for 16 years, died Jan. 2 of mesothelioma lung cancer at the age of 66.

A longtime friend of the gallery director, John Woodward, he was offered the job as manager in 1996 two years after the gallery opened at 133 Eldridge St. “Tom completely organized the gallery.

He was the front line to the public and an integral part of our growth and development,” said Kristine Woodward, his friend and a partner in the gallery.

While in his 20s, Tom Hall was in the Navy from 1966 to 1969 during the Vietnam conflict. His diagnosis about a year ago with mesothelioma lung cancer was likely the result of his Navy service when his engine rating meant that he spent his working watches at sea in boiler rooms lined with asbestos, according to his longtime partner,

Teresa Gindi “He fought a rugged battle last year, underwent two major surgeries and several courses of brutal chemotherapy. Before that he wasn’t sick a day in his life,” Kristine Woodward said. “He was an ardent vegetarian and an outdoorsman who loved the wilderness and camping.”

“Camping out in a tent was like being in a five-star hotel for Tom,” said Gindi, who noted that he was meticulous about preserving his campsite environment.

A resident of W. 14th St. with Gindi, Tom Hall was a painter and sculptor who also wrote, directed and produced two fulllength documentary films in 2008 and 2010, “Gold, Money and Oil” and “Response to Peak Oil.” In the 1980s he worked for a producer of cultural exhibits for the Smithsonian Institute and NASA. Born in Manhattan to Frederick and

Tom Hall.

Elizabeth Shea Hall, he graduated from Kean University in New Jersey after his Navy service and earned a master’s degree in art from Montclair State College.

In addition to Gindi, a son, Aaron Hall, and a sister, Elizabeth Marie Chester, both of New Jersey, also survive.

Woodward Gallery will host a celebration of Tom’s life in about a month, details to be posted on the Web site www.

WoodwardGallery.net.

Clayton Patterson, who runs the Clayton Gallery and Outlaw Art Museum and Gallery, at 161 Essex St., has fond memories of Hall.

“One of the many pleasures I got from visiting Woodward Gallery was talking to Tom,” Patterson said. “For me, Tom Hall was the point man, the go-to guy, the serious, yet warm, welcoming person guarding the fort.

Although he was a Vietnam veteran, a painter and sculptor, where we most connected was his love of documentary films.

“He started to make movies later in life.

The DVD he made and gave to me was called ‘Response to Peak Oil,’ which emphasizes the need to go green. With declining oil reserves, we have increased our dependency on oil!”

L.M.C.C.C. to move in with Port Authority Continued from page 1 The downsizing coincides with the end of the state fiscal year on March 31, according to a source familiar with the situation.

“People have been told informally they’ll be terminated, and the timeline is the end of March,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Coleman confirmed the news Tuesday afternoon. After reviewing the future role of the agency with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office, Coleman said, “We are taking immediate steps to streamline the L.M.C.C.C.’s operations while maintaining its presence with the Downtown community and continuing its core mandates.”

Coleman continued, “This should lead to meaningful savings of government money, while preserving L.M.C.C.C.’s role.”

Neither Bloomberg’s nor Governor Andrew Cuomo’s offices responded to repeated requests for comment by press time.

Responding to Coleman’s comments, Forst said, “The L.M.C.C.C.’s goals remain unchanged. We look forward to continuing to serve the Lower Manhattan community by fulfilling our core functions.”

The L.M.C.C.C., created in 2005, hosts weekly construction contractor meetings and biweekly community forums to help manage Downtown construction staging and workers’ access to construction sites; the delivery of steel and other materials to the sites; car traffic and pedestrian flow; utility work and corresponding power outages; and construction-related sound, vibrations and other annoyances to area residents and workers. The agency’s environmental compliance director Tom Kunkel, one of the full-time staff to be dismissed, makes daily rounds of the Financial District to monitor dust and noise levels emanating from the myriad con-

struction zones. The monitoring system has led to an eight percent drop in dust particles in the neighborhood since 2004, according to L.M.C.C.C. data.

Due to cutbacks by both state and city funding sources, the L.M.C.C.C.’s staff was progressively shrunk from 22 employees in 2006 to 11 employees in late 2010 to its seven current employees in late 2011. These periodic cuts, however, don’t appear to coincide with construction levels. According to a logistics presentation former L.M.C.C.C. Executive Director Bob Harvey made in July 2011, Downtown’s peak construction period is between first quarter 2012 and first quarter 2013.

Though the Port Authority is insisting that the L.M.C.C.C. will remain an independent entity that’s expected to last through the completion of its executive order in late 2013, it is unclear exactly how the agency will be able to carry out its core functions moving forward, and which of its services will be lost due to the layoffs.

The L.M.C.C.C. has struggled to keep up with operations as is, the anonymous source said, particularly since the departure last September of Harvey, who was never replaced.

“The agency’s at bare bones now as is, and obviously, it’d be impossible for the Command Center to perform at the level it has been with a staff of two.”

The cutbacks, the source said, are illogical. “If you’re going to take the time and trouble to renew the executive order, it doesn’t really make sense that you’d dissipate the staff approximately one-third of the way through.”

The news also troubled several Downtown residents who argue that the agency plays a critical role in the synchronization of construction projects in their own back yards.

“I’m very upset to hear this – we’ve been able to call upon the L.M.C.C.C. for so many

incidents,” said Cedar Street resident and Community Board 1 member Pat Moore, whose apartment overlooks the World Trade Center. “Whoever’s in authority is basically saying that it’s okay for us to not have anyone in control of all the elements that affect our daily life.”

Moore continued, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of my door in the course of the last four or five years to see the street has been closed with no prior notification. I’ve called the L.M.C.C.C. when that happened, and have been able to get satisfaction.”

Liberty Street resident and another C.B. 1 member Ro Sheffe said the decision to slash the majority of the agency’s staff is “very distressing” and “outrageously premature.”

“We’ve got infrastructure crumbling all over the place, and work crews working to either replace or repair infrastructure,” said Sheffe. “Look around and count the number of cranes you can see in the sky. Without that kind of oversight, the situation will be intolerable both for residents and workers in the community.”

Community Board 1 Vice Chair Catherine McVay Hughes, agreed that downsizing the L.M.C.C.C. would be a “penny-wise and dollar-foolish” plan that would “send the wrong message to a neighborhood that’s still rebuilding.” On behalf of C.B. 1, Hughes has crafted several resolutions urging the agency not to sunset before the area’s peak construction period.

“The L.M.C.C.C. is very critical to the delivery of services, so anything that would hinder L.M.C.C.C. and their ability to function, when we have more than 50 very large projects in our community in a very densely populated area, could slow and hinder the progress that’s been achieved in the rebuilding in the last 10 years,” said Hughes.

In addition to coordinating the 10,000plus construction trucks that travel into

Lower Manhattan every month, the agency, Hughes said, ensured that Vesey Street stay open to pedestrians despite the adjacent W.T.C. construction work and most recently assisted in the daunting opening of the National Sept. 11 Memorial Plaza.

One particular project the L.M.C.C.C. continues to mediate is the city’s reconstruction of Chambers Street. According to Tribeca resident Jeff Ehrlich, Forst came to the rescue several times when after-hour jackhammering was disturbing local residents.

“When companies do work late at night they might not have permits for, and residents can’t get inspectors over at the right time, the L.M.C.C.C. steps in and has a strong voice in getting inspectors there,” explained Ehrlich.

L.M.C.C.C.’s weekly construction meetings have proven to be instrumental in coordinating the city’s capital infrastructure projects, particularly the road work repair to Chambers and Fulton Streets, with new construction by private developers, according to Tom Foley, assistant commissioner of the city Department of Design and Construction.

“A lot of the time, we won’t know if there’s a specific private building planned for a certain area,” said Foley. “It certainly gives us a heads-up as far as private planned work that’s coming up several months from now, which may require revisions to our plans.”

Utilities company Con Edison, whose representatives have also sat in on the L.M.C.C.C. meetings, credited the L.M.C.C.C. for scheduling “large and complex” work along John Street and elsewhere Downtown in conjunction with private developers, the city and other utilities companies.

“This has eliminated much unnecessary work and helped minimize, as best as possible, the inconvenience to the community,” said spokesperson Allan Drury.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

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Instead of cutting, using cutting-edge technology

BY TERENCE CONFINO In the constantly evolving field of medical science, N.Y.U. School of Medicine has stepped up its curriculum by combining science with 3D computer technologies.

Dr. Sally Frenkel is just one associate professor that worked in partnership with BioDigital Systems LLC to create the BioDigital Human, a 3D interactive virtual cadaver that aids medical students’ understanding of dissection and anatomy.

“The first thing to say is that nothing actually compares with the experience of dissecting an actual cadaver,” said Frenkel. “But the 3D technology comes close.”

Students are using consumer-grade 3D glasses to view life-size digital content displayed on a projector screen in the N.Y.U. anatomy lab. They can also use laboratory iPads to magnify and explore human anatomy in a way that the more static two-dimensional sources, like textbooks and dissection manuals, simply can’t.

The new teaching relies heavily on simulation, and one of the advantages the 3D technology provides is spatial awareness.

With the virtual cadaver, students can zoom in on any organ and spin it to view it from their angle of choice.

They can also reveal and hide layers of muscle, bone and nerves and then use tools to dissect or analyze them.

“It allows you to manipulate and rotate the body organ whatever way you like and you can dissect in layers. First the skin, then muscles, then blood vessels,” said Frenkel, who has been with N.Y.U.’s School of Medicine for nearly 20 years.

The use of lab iPads “allows for mastery of the subject matter,” said Frenkel, since students can continually review any area they feel weak in as much as they like.

At N.Y.U. School of Medicine, examining a dissection by using a computer image and 3D glasses.

Victoria Fang, 23, is a first year M.D. / Ph.D. candidate at N.Y.U. School of Medicine. She is interested in pursuing a career in oncology research and medicine, the branch of medical science that deals with tumors, including their origin, development, diagnosis and treatment.

“When I first heard about [the 3D virtual cadaver] in late August, it was still in the works and it sounded amazing,” Fang said.

She went on to note the obvious disadvantages to using old books, as she put it, “following line by line, when you’re not sure of something, then having to go to two to three other books to get the information.” As opposed to looking at illustrations and photos in books, it’s actually much easier to just click on an image and

zoom in to see it, said Fang.

“The books have more difficult spatial concepts, things become difficult to visualize in that sense, and the 3D technology is incredibly helpful,” she noted.

When asked about her first impressions when confronted with the School of Medicine’s high-tech approach to science, Fang said, “It was amazing in terms of what technology can do.”

The technological upgrade comes as part of N.Y.U. School of Medicine’s new curriculum for the 21st century or “C21.” These changes are the result of dramatic advances in the healthcare delivery system, which have, in turn, prompted curricular reforms in medical education.

Dr. Frenkel hopes that the new digital environment will result in the reduction of medical errors and improved patient care.

She likened her students’ technological experience to a future where the doctor stands by a patient’s bedside using an iPad to explain treatment options.

However, some things will just never change. And as both professor and student agree, nothing comes close to dissecting an actual human cadaver.

“Absolutely nothing can really replace it,” Frenkel said. “The cadaver provides an intimate experience in providing students with the feel and relationship of the human body. We consider it the students’ first patient.”

Medical student Fang concurred.

“To be honest, the dissection itself is what allows you to learn the actual material,” she said. “A computer display is absolutely not what we’re encountering with patients.

“And as far as experience goes,” Fang concluded, “unless you go into surgery — it’s probably the only time we’ll get to see the inside of the body.”

February 8 - 14, 2012

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downtown express

Bernice King at Pace Continued from page 11 up in opposition to the violence against these movements. Other movements are spawning, like “Occupy Congress” and “Occupied Real Estate,” which list properties available for occupation or in need of eviction defense.

But the disorganization of the majority of movement participants and “leaders” nationwide continues to keep progress at a standstill.

“Down in Atlanta, when I asked them what they stood for, these movement leaders —actually, there weren’t any designated leaders but ‘spokesman’— said they were trying to take in everyone’s interests and concerns. That’s what hurt them,” King said. “They needed a

common, solid focus to mobilize. They lacked direction. If he were here, my father would have celebrated the energy behind the movement, but believed it would have had to have been more disciplined and focused.”

There is no question that we need a system of dignity, decency, fairness, and equality. But threats to shut down the Brooklyn Bridge and NYC Subway System from unruly protestors carrying signs that could be from ten different movements are not going to cut it. They are going to push us further away. We can only hope that more colleges like Pace are encouraging students to try to become part of the system, but ensuring the legacy of their generation will be a catalyst for change.

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downtown express

19

February 8 - 14, 2012

PU B L I C NOTI C E

Businesses feel gain and pain

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING

Continued from page 13 which we all need every now and then,” said Romeo.

Anticipating a sizable morning crowd, the restaurant opened Tuesday at 8 a.m. instead of its usual 11 a.m. and offered a special breakfast menu to the early risers.

“We’re preparing to have about 20 percent more employees and will offer a limited menu from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” said Romeo. “It makes it easier on the kitchen for such an increased volume of patrons.”

Not all Broadway businesses, however, were expecting to capitalize on the parade. Yahaira Minaya, store manager of Easy Spirit at 183 Broadway, said she could count on her fingers the number of customers that trickled into the shop during the New York Yankees’ 2009 tickertape parade.

“It’s actually going to affect me, but not in a good way,” said Minaya. “A lot of people we get are from [nearby] offices,

and they don’t want to come out until [the tourists] leave.”

As for the tourists themselves, Minaya said, “It’s a women’s shoe store, so I don’t think they’re going to be coming in.”

Mayer Laleh, general manager of Broadway Kosher Café at 160 Broadway, said he would be forced to close his restaurant until 1 p.m. that day, when the parade ended.

“People are standing next to the door and don’t let anyone come in,” he said.

Marty, who sells gyros, hotdogs and chicken over rice in a cart stationed across from 140 Broadway, said he was preparing to stay home on Tuesday, since the cops ordered he and the other vendors to pack up shop during the parade.

“They told us we wouldn’t be safe here because it’s going to be too crowded,” he said.

Marty, for one, wasn’t happy about the prospect of losing daily profits of between $400 and $500. “They should let me stay,” he said, “or at least pay me for the day I’m not working.”

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FOR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER CAMPUS SECURITY PLAN, PUBLIC MEETING AND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Rules of Procedure for City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) and the NewYork State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is assuming lead agency status for the below-described project and is initiating the SEQRA/CEQR review. NYPD has determined that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for the proposed World Trade Center Campus Security Plan (CEQR No. 12NYP001M).

The CEQR lead agency will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with Article 8 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law (SEQRA) and CEQR Project Location: The Project Area includes all streets, sidewalks and buildings that would be directly affected by the installation of the proposed security infrastructure. This area is generally bounded by Barclay, West, Thames, and Church Streets in downtown Manhattan.

Project Description: The Lead Agency, the NYPD, is proposing to implement a comprehensive perimeter vehicle security plan for the World Trade Center (WTC) Site (the “Campus Security Plan”) to protect against vehicle-borne explosive devices while ensuring an open environment that is hospitable to remembrance, culture, and commerce. The Campus Security Plan bars unscreened vehicles from entering the Site and certain areas at the perimeter of the site and creates stand-off distances to guard against the risk of progressive collapse of buildings and other catastrophic damage to persons and property. Under the proposed Campus Security Plan, four vehicular access points are located at: Washington Street/Barclay Street; West Broadway/Barclay Street; Church Street/ Liberty Street; and Liberty Street/West Street. The secure perimeter would consist of various types of vehicle interdiction devices, which would include static barriers (such as bollards or walls) and operable barriers to allow vehicle access, all under NYPD control.

A vehicle seeking to enter restricted areas would be subject to credentialing to determine whether entry is authorized and screening to ensure that the vehicle does not contain dangerous material. The creation of a Trusted Access Program (TAP), in which tenants, car services, taxis and delivery vans could enroll, is envisioned to expedite vehicle entry.

The Vehicular Security Center (VSC) planned in conjunction with the WTC development will control access to the WTC Site’s underground traffic network, loading docks, and parking areas. All vehicles parking or making deliveries at the site would be processed and screened at the VSC. As it is anticipated that demand for on-site delivery, tour bus and private occupancy vehicle (POV) parking will be considerable, it is expected that a management strategy including scheduling of tour buses and truck deliveries will be developed to ensure orderly and efficient operations.

A build year of 2019 has been selected for the analysis of the project to coincide with the anticipated full build-out of the WTC program, including 1 WTC, 4 WTC, the Performing Arts Center, 2 WTC, and 3 WTC. Public Hearing: A public scoping meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the New York City Department of City Planning in Spector Hall. The Department of City Planning is located at 22 Reade Street, New York, New York.

Directions: Spector Hall is easily accessible by the 4, 5 (express) and 6 (local) subway lines to the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall Station; the J and Z subway lines to the Chambers Street Station; the R train to the City Hall Station. The following bus lines also provide service to the area: the M5 bus to the Broadway/Reade Street stop (southbound) and Church Street/Duane Street stop (northbound); the M9 bus to the Park Row stop; the M22 bus to the Centre Street/Chambers Street stop; and the M103 bus to the Park Row stop.

The public meeting site is accessible to the mobility-impaired. Interpreter services will be available for the hearing-impaired upon advance request. Please call 646-610-4557 or email WTCEIS@nypd.org to request these services.

Following the public hearing, the public comment period on the Draft Scoping Document will remain open for written comments for a minimum of ten days following the scoping meeting (through Monday, March 26, 2012 at 5PM). Comments should be sent to: Lieutenant David Kelly New York City Police Department One Police Plaza New York, NY, 10038 Comments on the Draft Scoping Document can also be submitted to NYPD until 5 PM on March 26, 2012 via email: WTCEIS@ nypd.org Copies of the Draft Scope of Work and the Environmental Assessment Statement may be obtained from Lieutenant Kelly at the address listed above, by calling 646-610-4557, or at the following web address: www.nyc.gov\html\nypd\html\crime_prevention\counterterrorism.shtml Copies of the EAS and Scoping Document will be available for reference at the following locations:

Battery Park City Public Library 175 North End Avenue (at Murray Street) New York, NY 10282

Community Board 2 3 Washington Square Village, #1A New York, NY 10012

Community Board 1 49-51 Chambers Street, Suite 715 New York, NY 10007

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination 253 Broadway, 14th Floor New York, NY 10038

February 8 - 14, 2012

20

New ‘green’ zoning “The proposals are very admirable, but in execution it could be disastrous,” said Calderaro. “The amendment must explicitly state that landmarks and buildings in historic districts are subject to review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.”

“I find it impossible that you could put a turbine on a roof without problems.”

— Jeff Galloway

In response, Han assured that all proposed changes to landmarked buildings will continue to undergo L.P.C. review, and that developers violating the rules would incur penalties.

“That won’t change,” Han said. “But the majority of our zoning doesn’t look at materials. The more guidelines there are, the more difficult they are to enforce.”

Jeff Galloway, chair of C.B. 1’s Planning and Community Infrastructure

Committee, which hosted the meeting, defended the zoning changes. He contended that developers shouldn’t be penalized because of “green” features in their proposals.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that adding insulation will have a dramatically positive energy conservation effect,” said Galloway. “I don’t think you should hold this hostage to [new] design guidelines, which may or may not ever be approved for this city. It’s not obvious to me that adding a new set of guidelines actually will make things better.”

Nearly all C.B. 1 members present at the meeting, including Galloway, rejected the idea of wind turbines, asserting that the noise they create could disturb local residents and that they could be eyesores and possibly pose safety hazards to pedestrians.

“If you saw windmills everywhere, you’d feel like you were down at the East Side helicopter pad,” said Roger Byrom, co-chair of the landmarks committee.

“I find it impossible that you could put a turbine on a roof without problems,” said Galloway.

At the meeting’s end, both committees voted unanimously in favor of a resolution supporting the zoning amendment but urging the L.P.C. to evaluate renovations to landmarked buildings irrespective of the proposals’ “green” characteristics.

Trinity Wall Street

Continued from page 7 classmates in a science group inviting a classmate without a group to join theirs.

‘The Kindness and Justice Challenge has nurtured a mindset that has become contagious among the students.’

— Pauline David

Martino recounted to Velez and Coffey a recent morning when he prepared breakfast for his four-year-old sister when his mother was ill. “Before [the Challenge], people had doubts of doing some stuff that’s kind,” said Martino.

“Now, they’re more open, because they feel more safe because everyone’s being kind now.”

Helping others can boost one’s selfesteem, pointed out Velez. “Some people

Let’s do something together

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1:05pm Trinity Institute Presents: Wall Street Dialogues Kathryn Tanner, Yale Divinity School, asks the question “What does the Bible say about economic disparity?”

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 10am How Do We Experience God… As Teenagers?

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 6pm The Spirituality of 12-Step Recovery This ministry bridges the recovery spirituality of its members with their Christian faith. Open to all.

74 Trinity Pl, 3rd Fl, Room 4

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1pm Bible Study for 20s/30s Seminarian Joe Mitchell leads a lectio divina (divine reading) style Bible study for those in their 20s and 30s. Every second Sunday of the month.

74 Trinity Pl, 2nd Fl, Seminar Room

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1pm Concerts at One Music of John Musto. Part of American Art Song Series in collaboration with Joy in Singing, music curator and host Paul Sperry.

Trinity Church

P.S. 276 nutures kindness feel lousy about themselves, that they never do anything right,” he said. “If they realize they’re helping someone else, they may not feel as useless.”

That day, the sixth graders read to a group of P.S. 276 first graders stories that demonstrated acts of benevolence.

Sixth grader Maya Nunez narrated “The Scarecrow’s Dance” to six-year-old Anisha Singhal.

“What do you think was kind?” Nunez asked Singhal.

“That the boy prayed for the farm to be safe,” Singhal replied.

Reading in itself is an act of kindness, said Nunez.

“I enjoy reading to the kids — they get to learn new things,” Nunez said. “When I explain to them what happens, they get the gist of the story.”

The Kindness and Justice Challenge has nurtured a mindset that has become contagious among the students, according to David. “When somebody offered a snack, I heard kids saying, ‘Oh, that’s kind of you,’” she said.

The school hopes to expand the initiative in the coming years by having students partake in local volunteer programs.

“I think we definitely want to think about using advisory [session] as a time to talk about community service,” said David.

trinitywallstreet.org

worship SUNDAY, 8am and 10am St. Paul’s Chapel Communion in the round SUNDAY, 9am and 11:15am Trinity Church Preaching, music, and Eucharist Sunday school and child care available MONDAY – FRIDAY, 12:05pm Trinity Church Holy Eucharist MONDAY – FRIDAY, 5:15pm All Saints’ Chapel, in Trinity Church Evening Prayer, Evensong (Thurs.)

Watch online webcast

TRINITY CHURCH Broadway at Wall Street 74 Trinity Place is located in the office building behind Trinity Church.

Leo Sorel

Continued from page 5

downtown express

Kathryn Tanner will ask “What does the Bible say about economic disparity?” as part of Trinity Institute Presents: Wall Street Dialogues.

ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL Broadway and Fulton Street CHARLOTTE’S PLACE 109 Greenwich St, btwn Rector & Carlisle

All Are Welcome All events are free, unless noted.

212.602.0800

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, Vicar

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

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February 8 - 14, 2012

B.P.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blue Smoke Continued from page 6 tell us exactly where our meat came from.â&#x20AC;?

The staple on the Blue Smoke menus are ribs slowly smoked over hickory and apple woods. Twenty hours out of 24, someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooking in the Blue Smoke kitchen. The ribs are in the smoker for six to nine hours. Memphis baby back ribs are the most popular. Spices are rubbed on the meat and it is smoked dry. The ribs are sauced for the first time when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re finished. Baby backs are cooked for six hours over apple wood, which imparts a more delicate flavor than hickory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hickory has a darker, heavier smoke,â&#x20AC;? said Held. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baby backs canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take that.â&#x20AC;?

On the Blue Smoke rib sampler, diners can taste all of the kinds of ribs that Blue Smoke offers: Memphis baby backs, Kansas City spareribs, which are meaty, dark, sweet and spicy, and Texas salt and pepper beef ribs, which are rubbed with salt, pepper and spices but not sauced.

After a spicy main course, a creamy dessert is a refreshing contrast and pastry chef Jennifer Giblin has come up with several. She is in charge of desserts at both the Battery Park City and Flatiron restaurants. Her banana cream pie is very popular with a crust of walnut and vanilla cookie crumbs filled with fresh banan-

as tossed with a pastry cream, banana liqueur and lemon juice and topped with freshly whipped cream and toasted walnuts. Slices of key lime pie, served slightly frozen, are also well loved. Giblin got the recipe from an aunt â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;a native Floridianâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; named Yvonne Davis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We make our own graham crackers for the crust,â&#x20AC;? Giblin said.

Blue Smoke also makes its own ice cream â&#x20AC;&#x201D; vanilla and chocolate. The vanilla appears as an accompaniment to a Toll House pie that Giblin first encountered at Disney World in Florida. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved it,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and developed my own version.â&#x20AC;?

Blue Smoke diners seem to have hefty appetites. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We put sorbets on the menu,â&#x20AC;?

Giblin remarked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go over so well.â&#x20AC;?

Maybe sorbet seemed tame next to a Bourbon pecan pie with crème fraiche or a hot fudge brownie sundae. Diners who resist those temptations still have to make it out the door, which is right next to Blue Smokeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bake shop where cupcakes in flavors such as Red Velvet, double chocolate (Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food with chocolate frosting) and Very Vanilla (sour cream cupcake with vanilla butter cream) whisper that they might be needed for a midnight snack.

Blue Smoke is at 101 North End Ave., phone (212) 889-2005. It is open for lunch and dinner daily.

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February 8 - 14, 2012

22

COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM All year long, the Junior Officers Discovery Zone is anexhibit designed for ages 3-10. It’s divided into four areas (Police Academy, Park and Precinct, Emergency Services Unit and a Multi-Purpose Area), each with interactive and imaginary play experiences for children to understand the role of police officers in our community — by, among other things, driving and taking care of a police car. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity that will challenge them to remember relevant parts of city street scenes, a physical challenge similar to those at the Police Academy and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by The Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip (btw. Front and South Sts.). For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit nycpm.org. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 12-5pm. Admission: $8 ($5 for students, seniors and children; free for children under 2).

TEATRO SEA PRESENTS “CENICIENTA/CINDERELLA” Latino children’s theatre Teatro SEA is putting a bilingual, tango-infused musical spin on the Cinderella tale. All the classic characters are here: Cinderella still falls in love with the Prince, and she’s still overworked by an evil stepmother and a few jealous stepsisters — but “Cenicienta” parts ways with tradition when it comes to the Fairy Godmother. In this version, she’s sick and a surprise character replaces her. Sat.,

Feb. 11, 18 & 25 — at 3pm. At Teatro SEA, New York’s Latino Children’s Theatre (Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St.). For tickets ($18; $15 for children), call 212-529-1545. For info, visit teatrosea.org.

SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities are designed to get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. At 557 Broadway (btw. Prince and Spring Sts.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info, call 212-343-6166 or visit scholastic.com/sohostore.

NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM Kids will learn about fire prevention and safety through group tours, led by former NYC firefighters. The program — which lasts approximately 75 minutes — includes classroom training and a simulated event in a mock apartment (where a firefighter shows how fires can start in different rooms in the home). Finally, students are guided on a tour of the museum’s first floor. Tours (for groups of 20 or more) are offered Tues.-Fri. at 10:30am, 11:30am and 12:30pm.

Tickets are $3 for children and $5 per adult — but for every 10 kids, admission is free for one adult. The museum offers a $700 Junior Firefighter Birthday Party package, for children 3-6 years old. The birthday child and 15 of their guests will be treated to story time, show and tell, a coloring activity, a scavenger hunt and the opportunity to speak to a real firefighter (the museum provides a fire-themed birthday cake, juice boxes

YOUTH ACTIVITIES and other favors and decorations). The NYC Fire Museum is located at 278 Spring St. (btw. Varick and Hudson). For info call 212-691-1303 or visit nycfiremuseum.org.

THE BULLY This musical from Vital Children’s Theatre (part of their touring repertoire since 2005) returns to NYC for an extended run. “The Bully” tells the story of a bus mix-up stranding Lenny (the nerd) and Steve (the bully) at the wrong school — where they both get picked on for being “the new kids.” When the boys are forced to work together to get back to their school, they begin to learn that they might not be so different after all. Appropriate for ages 4-12. Through Feb. 26; Sat. & Sun. at 11am & 1pm.

Weekday 11am & 1pm school holiday performances on Jan. 27 and Feb. 20, 21, 22, 23. At Vital Theatre (2162 Broadway, 4th Floor, on the North East Corner of 76th St. and Broadway). Tickets are $25 (seating in the first three rows, $30). For reservations, call 212-579-0528 or visit vitaltheatre.org.

JIM HENSON’S FANTASTIC WORLD If you grew up on “Sesame Street” and have seen the new Muppet reboot currently in theaters (“The Muppets”), then a visit to this exhibit is a must.

“Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” has much more to offer than just the chance to see Miss Piggy and Kermit under glass. There are also drawings, storyboards, props and a reel of witty commercials from the black and white era of television. “Fantastic World” can be seen through March 4. At the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave., Astoria). Museum hours: Tues.-Thurs., 10:30am5pm. Fri., 10:30am-8pm. Sat. & Sun., 10:30am-7pm. Admission: $10 for adults; $7.50 for college students and seniors; $5 for chil-

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM From Feb. 20-24 (1-3:30pm each day), the “Jr. Police Academy” is a mid-winter recess drop-off program at which children can spend a fun afternoon learning about the police and the museum’s collection. On Monday, conduct “CSI”-style chemistry experiments — including fingerprinting and invisible ink.

On Tuesday, learn about the way police move around the city, then build a police vehicle. Wednesday will focus on the way police communicate with one another (by making string phones). Thursday will focus on learning about museum collections and exhibits (children will build their own shoebox exhibits). Friday, the Academy graduates will use all the skills they learned to solve a mystery. Register for one day, or all week (at nycpm. org). The cost is $30 per day.

Registration is required, and space is limited.

downtown express dren under 18 (free for members and children under three). Free admission every Fri., from 4-8pm. For info and a full schedule of events, visit movingimage.us — or call 718-777-6888.

POETS HOUSE The Poets House Children’s Room gives children and their parents a gateway to enter the world of rhyme — through readings, group activities and interactive performances.

For children ages 1-3, the Children’s Room offers “Tiny Poets Time” readings on Thursdays at 10am; for those ages 4-10, “Weekly Poetry Readings” on Saturdays at 11am. Filled with poetry books, old-fashioned typewriters and a card catalogue packed with poetic objects to trigger inspiration, the Children’s Room is open Thurs.-Sat., 11am-5pm. Free admission. At 10 River Terrace. Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided arts projects at this museum dedicated to inspiring the artist within. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon — giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. The CMA’s Multicultural Festival Series continues, with Sun., Feb. 19’s “Arty Gras Festival & Parade.” Celebrate Mardi Gras — and the 25th anniversary of New York’s legendary Two Boots Pizzeria — with masks, noisemakers and floats. A 4pm parade will be led by the Raya Brass Band. The day will also feature a special pizza snack from Two Boots! Regular museum hours: Mon. & Wed., 12-5pm; Thurs.-Fri., 12-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 10am-6pm.

Admission: $10; free for seniors and infants (0-12 months). Pay as you wish on Thurs., 4-6pm. At 103 Charlton St. (btw. Hudson and Greenwich Sts.). Call 212-274-0986 or visit cmany.org. For group tours, call 212-274-0986, ext. 31.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT LISTED IN THE DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Send information to scott@chelseanow.com. Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Information may also be mailed to 515 Canal Street, Unit 1C, New York City, NY 10013. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the event. Questions?

Call 646-452-2497.

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23

February 8 - 14, 2012

DOWNTOWNEXPRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Feinstein preserves Popular Music, praises Sinatra American Songbook guardian, on lost era of irony-free cool become a mainstream hit. That had largely vanished by the ’70s, when singer/songwriters and self-contained pop acts were writing their own songs. So the art of interpreting a songwriter’s words was largely lost. It was also the last decade before economics started to come into play.” Vegas and TV variety shows, he notes, still employed, “a huge orchestra and a huge string section and full production numbers…that connection to a heritage of vaudeville and old-fashioned performing.”

Many of the 12 tracks on “The Good Life” conjure up Vegas and Broadway images of chorus boys and girls executing lavishly choreographed routines amidst a full complement of impeccably dressed musicians. Backed by a 30-member orchestra and the arrangements of producer Bill Elliott, Feinstein comes on like gangbusters from the get-go. The very first track (“Thirteen Women”) is a perfect example of how one’s glamour and cool

MUSIC ON CD: THE SINATRA PROJECT, VOLUME II: THE GOOD LIFE $12.26 (on Amazon.com) Visit michaelfeinstein.com and feinsteinsattheregency.com

ON TV: MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S AMERICAN SONGBOOK Airing nationally on PBS Friday, February 10 & 17, 9-10pm (Episode I aired February 3, will repeat) For info, visit pbs.org.arts

BY SCOTT STIFFLER Michael Feinstein knows how to make an entrance. He also knows what to do for an encore. That’s good news — because generally speaking, second acts and sequels are ill-advised unless you’ve got something relevant and new to offer. It’s the rare individual who can answer that challenge by mining relevance from old objects scattered along a well-traveled road.

In recent years, the prolific pianist, vocalist and NYC cabaret room namesake (Feinstein’s at Loews Regency) has emerged as our foremost preservationist of American Popular Music. His ubiquitous presence as a much-watched content provider between PBS pledge breaks began in 2010 with Season I of “Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook.” In 2008, he cast new light on the Frank Sinatra canon, with a Grammynominated CD (“The Sinatra Project”).

Currently, Feinstein is expanding on those efforts. The second season of his PBS series is looming, and another Sinatra CD was released in October of 2011 (“The Sinatra Project, Volume II: The Good Life”). Both manage to recreate the original’s appeal, while avoiding the sophomore temptation to mimic past glories.

A trilogy within a sequel, the three episodes from Season II of “Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook” see the host excusing himself from his usual perch behind a piano and embarking on a cross-country road trip during which he interacts with all manner of experts, legends and eccentrics. Along the way, we see there’s not much he won’t do to uncover more hidden gems from the likes of Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin. Feinstein’s relentless pursuit of untold anecdotes and original sheet music finds him mulling over selections from Hugh Hefner’s jukebox, learning a

Photo by Zach Dobson

Michael Feinstein comes to praise our buried past.

new song from the “trunk” of Jerry Herman and scouring the contents of a storage locker (for which he gamely dons a pair of blue gloves seemingly borrowed from the “CSI” prop table). The final episode, “Saloon of Singers,” has Feinstein tracing the origins of nightclub entertainment all the way from the juke joints of Mississippi to the nocturnal antics of the Las Vegas Rat Pack.

It’s at this point that all roads lead back to Frank Sinatra. Led by the Chairman of the Board, that boozy, smoky, sexy era of 1960s Rat Pack cool took place during a brief window of time during which performers could still plant tongues in cheeks without dragging their source material down into the abyss of irony. Life was still something to be enjoyed, instead of commented upon from a distance.

That’s part of the reason why Feinstein chose “The Good Life” as the subtitle (and a track) for Volume II. The song, Feinstein explains, “is from the mid-’60s. People were in many ways, if perhaps illusionary, living a good life.” It was also a very good time for Sinatra. “By the 1960s,” recalls Feinstein, “Sinatra had legendary status because of the accumulated body of work. The power of his film appearances and his ubiquity on TV, as well as the dizzying number of hit records and concert albums, made him one of the most celebrated and recognized singers in the world.”

Feinstein pinpoints this era as, “the last decade where there were still a large percentage of American Popular Standards heard on mainstream radio. It was still possible for a song from a Broadway show to

Continued on page 24

February 8 - 14, 2012

24

downtown express

Feinstein digs deep to mine American Songbook gems Continued from page 23 quotient can be instantly jacked into the stratosphere thanks to a solid wall of horns (whose forceful presence gives a cheeky kick to the narratorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innuendo-laden tale of romancing female admirers). Of his take on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thirteen Women,â&#x20AC;? Feinstein says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is probably the most characteristic â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s arrangement. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s based to some degree on Ann-Margretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interpretation.

The lineage is fascinating. It was written and performed by Dickie Thompson, as an R&B single. So the original bears no relation to the one Ann did, or to my interpretation.â&#x20AC;?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typical of the CDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sly nod not just to Sinatra, but also to the contemporaries who influenced and informed his work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is really about the Sinatra circle,â&#x20AC;? says Feinstein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The album contains a few songs Sinatra never sang, which was intentional because I wanted to encapsulate that era and show that, though he was still very important, music and styles were changing. It was the ushering in of a new sensibility, and yet the 1960s was still a time when rich, standards-type songs like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;For Once In My Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were still being created alongside newer pop elements like rock and roll.â&#x20AC;?

As for the title track, Feinstein recalls

Photo courtesy of Dave Davidson, Hudson West Productions

What I did for love: Michael Feinstein puts on the gloves, so he can do the dirty work of preserving the American Songbook.

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how â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Good Lifeâ&#x20AC;? remains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a song thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associated with Tony Bennett. His interpretation was probably more visible at the time, more popular. Sinatra recorded it with Count Basie and gave the interpretation a more bluesy swing than Tony did. It was, orchestrally speaking, a more homogenous version.â&#x20AC;? Feinsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach is unexpectedly downbeat â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but skewers more towards quiet introspection than razor-blade-gripping depression. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did it with just voice and piano, because I wanted to strip the song down to its essence. I felt it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a band. For me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a song of pathos,â&#x20AC;? he argues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sinatra would often swing a song that was originally a ballad, with varying degrees of success.â&#x20AC;? Old Blue Eyes did it again with his rousing take on â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Way You Look Tonight.â&#x20AC;? Sinatraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of a swing arrangement, Feinstein says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;to some degree weakens the lyrics, which are so extraordinarily romantic. I did â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Way You Look Tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What if Sinatra had done this with Antonio Carlos Jobimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in a bossa nova arrangement.â&#x20AC;?

If that seems heretical, Feinstein the historian points out that Sinatra wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t immune to criticism of his own interpre-

tive style. Indeed, the notion of a blustery Sinatra striving for authority and relevance (popularized in the 1980s by the impressions of SNLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Joe Piscopo and Phil Hartman) owes a debt of gratitude to Sinatraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1960s venture into Simon & Garfunkel territory. What he did with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mrs. Robinson,â&#x20AC;? Feinstein notes, was an example of, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sinatra trying to be hip and sounding phony. Paul Simon was so upset, he was going to sue [Sinatra], then decided not to if he wanted to live. He has told that story.â&#x20AC;?

Sinatra, Feinstein points out, had much better luck achieving relevance by covering a contemporary work when he put his stamp on â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Once in My Life.â&#x20AC;? Although now forever associated with Sinatra, that song (track 10 on Feinsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CD) at least can be covered without a singer having to worry about crawling out from under Frankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long shadow. One number you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear Feinstein have his own way with: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Way.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to sing that without thinking of Sinatra,â&#x20AC;? admits Feinstein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And for me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to sing anyway, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a terrible song. Sinatra hated that song.â&#x20AC;?

Read the Archives www.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.com

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February 8 - 14, 2012

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February 8 - 14, 2012

26

downtown express

Groundhog predicts six more weeks of Downtown theater FRIGID returns to Horse Trade, as Vampire Cowboys move on up

BY TRAV S.D. It seems the groundhog left his hideyhole, saw his shadow — and ran back into a Downtown theatre. The artists he encountered were so open and welcoming, they didn’t even mind performing their show for a fat little rodent! What’s that? You didn’t hear that on the weather report? That’s why we call it a “scoop,” people!

Here’s some more terrific news: F. Murray Abraham will play the title role in a production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Galileo” at Classic Stage Company (CSC). I once had the honor of meeting “F.” after a performance he gave in Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country” (at the Roundabout). Praise, he would not take — it was a litany of beating himself up about the imaginary imperfections in his terrific performance. He is one of our great actors, so I know he’ll be both funny and tragic in the part of this weak-willed scientific hero (just as Brecht’s original American collaborator Charles Laughton must have been. It’ll be up at CSC through March 11. Find more info at classicstage.org.

Also promising: “The Ugly One,” which is opening at Soho Rep February 1. This is the New York premiere of German playwright Marius von Mayenburg’s absurdist play about a man who discovers that he is unspeakably ugly, thanks to the thoughtful help of his boss, who won’t allow him to make a company presentation at a convention. Then, when the guy gets plastic surgery, his male colleagues all like his new look so much, they all go to his doctor and get the same face! It’s funny because it’s true. The play has already been done in 30 countries.

Needless to say, advance word is very positive. For info and tickets, go to sohorep.org.

Here’s a little news bulletin for fans of the Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company.

Having just closed a successful run of their show “She Kills Monsters” at the Flea, they now announce a revival of their recent hit “The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G” at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre. You may recall our earlier account in these pages when that play (about a young man’s search for his roots in Vietnam) debuted at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. Now it’s being kicked upstairs to an Off-Broadway production where the company’s unique Molotov cocktail of humor and martial arts are likely to take a lot of people by surprise.

Photo by Joan Marcus

F. Murray Abraham (left) and Andy Phelan, in the Classic Stage Company production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Galileo.”

I wish them well. This is a cultural moment that must be watched. The run is through March 4. For tickets and information, go to vampirecowboys.com.

If you are a lover and not a fighter, a few savvy companies are mounting (forgive me) some productions that are calculated to take advantage of the Valentine’s season.

“An Evening of Awkward Romance” is Wendy Herlich’s offbeat comedy in which two actors (one of whom is the author) portray a wide assortment of oddball characters trying to find love. It’s playing at the Tank from February 11-26. For more info, see thetanknyc.org. Meanwhile, the Canal Park Playhouse will be reviving “Perfect Catch: A Throwmantic Comedy” (first presented at that new-ish venue a few months ago). The show promises to use the art of juggling to

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tell the story of an office romance. It is being resuscitated for two shows only, February 11 and 12. More details at canalparkplayhouse.com. And then there’s always “Love N’ Courage” — Theater for the New City’s annual Valentine’s-themed benefit, held on February 13 at the National Arts Club.

This year’s ceremony honors 100-year-old Bel Kaufman, author of “Up the Down Staircase” (who last year became the oldest professor in the country). Taking a turn at the mike to perform and pay their respects will be a bevy of showfolk including Elaine Stritch, Tammy Grimes, Phoebe Legere, and, just to switch it up some, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers. For more info, go to theaterforthenewcity.net.

If you are, like me, much interested in the Roma culture (formerly known as the Gypsies), then you may want to check out “I Killed My Mother,” playing at La MaMa February 10 through March 4. Set in Romania during the bloody rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, András Visky’s play is based on the true story of a girl who is abandoned by her mother at birth and learns to make it on her own as an orphan. A special talkback organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute will follow the February 15 performance. More info at lamama.org.

February 18, don’t miss “The Anna Copa Cabanna Show: Love in Space” (at Joe’s Pub). Ms. Copa Cabanna is a faux Australian singer-songwriter, go-go dancer, roller skater and xylophone player. That sounds like an

entire show by itself — but she is backed by an outfit called The Anna Copa Cabanna Dancers, and we’re promised that people of all genders will be wearing unitards. Look for me in the front row! Tickets and information can be arranged at joespub.com.

From February 22 through March 4, the Horse Trade Theater Group will be presenting its annual FRIGID New York Festival. An order of magnitude smaller than Fringe, and apparently scheduled so that audiences will freeze rather than swelter, FRIGID is always curated smartly, with a high percentage of non-turkeys to its credit. There are 30 shows in this year’s fest. My picks include: “The Rope in Your Hands,” Siobhan O’Loughlin’s interviewbased solo show featuring survival stories of victims of Hurricane Katrina; the clown piece “Little Lady,” by Sandrine Lafond (a former performer with Cirque du Soleil and back-up dancer for Celine Dion); “Stripper Lesbians,” a comedy about “what it means to be in love with a stripper”; and “Scratch and Pitz: Burlesque Variety Hour,” featuring well-known burlesque host and comic actress Cyndi Freeman (a.k.a “Cherry Pitz”) and her comedy partner Brad Lawrence. As you can see, I was only able to keep it classy for one or two shows — but for me that’s not a bad record. Anyway there’s over two dozen more to choose from. You can learn about them all at frigidnewyork.info.

See you next month, if the creek don’t freeze!

downtown express

27

February 8 - 14, 2012

Just Do Art! COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU: A VALENTINE’S DAY CELEBRATION WITH BOB STILLMAN Tony Award-nominated performer and composer Bob Stillman (“Grey Gardens” and “Dirty Blonde”) embarks on a musical exploration of love’s trials and tribulations by working his way through a set list featuring material by the Magnetic Fields (“Book of Love”), Laura Nyro (“I Never Meant To Hurt You”) Joni Mitchell (“A Case of You”) and others. Stillman will be joined by singers Rachel Bay Jones, Martha Redbone and Bryce Ryness, as well as musicians Sean Harkness (guitar), Danny Weller (bass) and Tim McLafferty (drums).

Free. Mon., Feb. 13, 7:30pm, at the World Financial Center Winter Garden (220 Vesey St). For info, call 212-945-0505 or visit worldfinancialcenter.com.

IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE Tune in, turn up the volume and get in the mood for love — courtesy of Stolen Chair’s “If Music Be the Food of Love” Valentine’s party. Whether you’re getting intimate in one of the private listening booths, making love to the mic while lipsynching on a faux Jumbo-tron or finding true love by taking a music compatibility quiz, this lusty evening of aural pleasures has something to offer couples, singles and the undeclared.

Sat., Feb. 11, from 7:30-10:30pm.

Downstairs, at Judson Memorial Church (239 Thompson St.). The $15 admission includes free drinks (21 and over, only). The proceeds will go to help fund Stolen Chair’s 15th original work, “Listen To This!” — which explores how our love affair with music has changed over the centuries. For more info, visit stolenchair.org.

In the mood for love: Bob Stillman entertains, at World Financial Center.

Photo by Chana Porter

BROWN RICE FAMILY, UNDERGROUND HORNS AND PITCHBLAK BRASS BAND

A young couple experiments with aural pleasures, at Stolen Chair’s “If Music Be the Food of Love.”

Brass, funk and hip-hop are the common threads weaving their way through this ambitious triple bill of musical groups.

The Brooklyn-based Underground Horns — who’ve made good on their “music for the people” mission statement with unannounced concerts in subway stations and parks throughout the city — assure us they’re cooking up an audio gumbo of New Orleansinfused Afro Funk peppered with jazz, hiphop and brass band traditions. Brown Rice Family’s jamming “straddles ancient and contemporary global sounds” with a vibe that recalls (but doesn’t necessarily resemble) the output of Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Reggae, hip-hop, dancehall,

Afro beat, jazz stylings, rock, Brazilian, Latin and funk all figure into the organic flow of BRF’s take on World Roots Music. PitchBlak Brass Band’s “hip-hop driven music” also incorporates intense raps, grooving rhythms, funk, jazz, rock and classical music.

Sat., Feb. 11, at 9pm (doors open at 8pm).

At 92YTribeca (200 Hudson St., at the corner of Canal St.). For tickets ($10), visit 92y.org.

Also visit pitchblakbrassband.com, brownricefamily.com and undergroundhorns.com.

Photo courtesy of the artists

Brown Rice Family, one-third of a funky, brass-infused bill.

INADMISSIBLE Last week, a computer glitch erroneously led 72 early decision applicants to believe Vassar gave them the green light to join the

class of 2016. If those crestfallen hopefuls attend the dark comedy “Inadmissible,” it will come as no surprise to learn that collegiate cyber incompetence is just the tip of the iceberg. Playwright D.B. Gilles makes a compelling case for the argument that it’s not just the best and brightest who get into our elite universities. This fly on the wall tale looks at the backroom deals and Machiavellian schemes conducted by an admissions committee at a university striving to make it into the Top 10.

Through Feb. 18. Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm. At Canal Park Playhouse (515 Canal St., btw.

Greenwich & West Sts.). For tickets ($18), call 866-811-4111 or visit canalparkplayhouse.com.

Photo by Jim Baldassare

Richard Hoehler and Kathryn Kates navigate the troubled waters of the college admission process, in “Inadmissible.”

February 8 - 14, 2012

28

downtown express

PRESENTS...

J&R Jr.

GRAND OPENING

FEB11–12

FREE PERFORMANCES

1Park Row 2nd floor 212.238.9060

Sat Feb 11

J&R is opening a boutique for kids & parents in Downtown NYC featuring the best in baby gear, electronics, toys & more.

Laurie Berkner (solo)

Little Maestros

Farmer Jason

1:30 pm

2:30 pm

4:00 pm

Dirty Sock Funtime Band

Book Reading w/ author Tad Hills

Amazing Max

11:00am

12:00noon

Sun Feb 12

To Celebrate We’re Having A

2-DAY KIDSTRAVAGANZA FREE Picture taken with Dora

Diego

1:00pm

SpongeBob

Clifford

© 2012 Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. SpongeBob SquarePants created by Stephen Hillenburg.

A Princess Visit

Dan Zanes

KIDZ BOP KIDS

2:00 pm

3:00 pm

autograph signing

4:00pm

Arrive early for performances -- space is limited.

Due to space constraints there will be a stroller check.

FREE NYC shuttle buses available. See JR.com for details.

courtesy of Gray Line NY Sightseeing

Plus upcoming events at J&R Jr. developmental seminars & classes by special events by

JR.com/jr | @JandR_Jr