DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, DECEMBER 28, 2011

downtown

JACKIE MONAHAN IS “HOMO COMICUS,” PG. 19

®

VOLUME 24, NUMBER 32

express THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN

DEC. 28, 2011 - JAN. 3, 2012

V.C.F. deadline means tough choice for some 9/11 survivors

BY ALINE REYNOLDS On December 22, 2010, 9/11 health advocates won a hard-fought battle to persuade the U.S. Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Now, just days after the law’s one-year anniversary, 9/11 victims seeking compensation from the federally-subsidized Victim Compensation Fund are busy compiling their medical records dating back to the early 2000s.

Some 1,600 victims in

particular who have ongoing lawsuits against New York City, Downtown building owners and others entities, face the difficult decision of choosing between continuing litigation or applying for federal compensation under the law — since V.C.F. claimants must discontinue their lawsuits by January 2, 2012 in order to be eligible for the federal government funds.

While V.C.F. claimants have the advantage of a government-set time frame, unlike lawsuit plaintiffs,

Continued on page 23 Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

And only a wreath was left The sidewalk in front of Washington Market Park that had been filled with Christmas trees for the last month was bare on Monday. All that was left was a lonely wreath.

Recovery is priceless holiday gift

BY HELAINA N. HOVITZ In the midst of another holiday season tarnished with entitlement and overindulgence, seven men stood in the chapel of a Lower Manhattan homeless shelter filled with hope and appreciation. On Dec. 15, the graduates of the New York City Rescue Mission’s 12 Step-Recovery Program celebrated their own Christmas miracle: a new beginning.

The very first step was to get and stay sober in order to create a more manageable life.

Upon graduation and having completed all 12 steps, each man commits to living a more noble life by serving

others, according to the mission’s community relations manager Joe Little.

“The way they treat other guests and residents has drastically changed by the time they’re ready to graduate,” said program counselor Ben Caswell.

“The proof is in the action.”

A total of 21 men graduated in 2011, setting a new record.

“A few months ago, we only had two men graduating. Now we’ve got seven graduating at once!” exclaimed Little.

If mission graduates follow the guidelines and stay connected with family, their chances of maintaining sobriety are greater than ever once

they’ve completed the program.

Jeff, for example, tried to get sober in programs that sent men packing after less than a week. He spent last Christmas in a meth house in New Mexico. Soon after, an old friend tracked him down and offered to pay for his ticket into Lower Manhattan if he agreed to move into the mission, and he did.

Next week, he’ll be on his way back to New Mexico to reunite with his 9-year-old son, Jordan, who he hasn’t seen since last December.

Greg Manning’s first attempt to

Continued on page 14

O.W.S. Christmas is salute to diversity

BY ZACH WILLIAMS Like for many families, Christmas presented an opportunity to stress unity rather than focus on division. Spending time in the presence of others and enjoying fellowship at a symbolic place on a symbolic day only seemed appropriate.

Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists attended a 24-hour celebration Sunday at Zuccotti Park, the symbolic center of the fledgling movement for social and economic justice that began 100 days before.

Organizers said “Occupy Christmas” aimed to unify activists across the religious spectrum while also uphold-

ing the charitable ideals of a holiday often overshadowed and sometimes seemingly defined by consumerism.

“I’m not a strict Christian but I do believe that there was a guy named Jesus and he came with a message similar to what we are talking about with his flipping over the [tables] of the money-changers,” said Brendan Hunt of Queens, who attended the event before attending a family celebration.

The event featured music, religious services and an afternoon feast. Occupy activists originally intended to stage an event on a larger scale that would have

Continued on page 14

2

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

downtown express

3

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

D

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7, 10-15 EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 - 22 CLASSIFIEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

OWNTOWN DIGEST

FULTON ST. TRANSIT CENTER BECOMES REAL Downtown’s future transportation hub is well in the works.

The Fulton Street Transit Center, scheduled to open in 2014, is already in operation: Sections of the A and C mezzanine levels have opened, in addition to the southbound platform of the R line’s Cortlandt Street station, according to a December 23 report in the New York Times.

The skeleton of the hub’s oculus, which illuminates the station’s underground levels and crowns its central building at Fulton Street and Broadway, has also been completed. “We’re trying to create a great public space, not just connect stations,� said Uday Durg, director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Lower Manhattan projects, told the N.Y.T.

anticipated ridership of 409,000, according to the City Council’s office. “The East River ferry has exceeded expectations and has proven to be an indispensable resource for Lower Manhattan residents and New Yorkers alike,� said Chin. “Making full use of our waterways is very important, and I hope that the popularity of the ferry means we can expand this service in the future.� “The fact that the East River ferry ridership is shattering projections in only six months is proof that commuters and tourists alike are discovering both the beauty and convenience of traveling borough by borough on the East River by ferry,� said Quinn. “The [service] has proven to not only provide a more scenic means of transportation, but also a more environmentally friendly, and in some cases, a less time consuming commute for riders.�

ANNIVERSARY OF EAST RIVER FERRY SERVICE

HEALTH DEPT. SLAMS DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS WITH VIOLATIONS

The new East River ferry service turned six months old earlier this month.

On Thursday, Dec. 15, City Councilmember Margaret Chin along with Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other city officials greeted morning ferry commuters and provided free service and coffee aboard the ferry that day.

Close to 500,000 passengers rode the new service to and from Wall Street since this summer, surpassing the city’s

Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits at 143 Fulton St. has been closed for evidence of mice in food areas, according to the city Department of Health.

The fast food chain’s Downtown location received a whopping 49 points’ worth of violations on December 16, considerably more than the 27 points given to “C� grade restaurants, according to the D.O.H. The restaurant’s reopening is pending until restaurant operators

C.B. 1 EE TING S

M

A schedule of this week’s upcoming Community Board 1 committee meetings will be available on January 3 on the C.B. 1 website. Visit www.nyc.gov/ html/mancb1/html/home/home.shtml for a complete listing of meetings and agendas.

retake a food protection course and pass a corresponding exam, according to a Department spokesperson. “The re-opening inspection will be scheduled once the restaurant’s management gets in touch with the Health Department,� the spokesperson said.

In better news, Edward’s, an American bistro at 136 West Broadway, has made a comeback — recently receiving an “A� grade from the D.O.H. after being slammed with 62 points of violations upon an initial inspection earlier this month.

Previous violations included food contamination, rodent activity, and improper cleaning of food contact surfaces, according to the D.O.H. Neither restaurant could immediately be reached for comment.

6DWXUGD\ -DQXDU\ _ $0 WR 30 _ 5DLQ RU 6KLQH _ %RZOLQJ *UHHQ 3DUN 7XUQ \RXU KROLGD\ WUHH LQWR HQYLURQPHQWDOO\ IULHQGO\ PXOFK DQG WDNH VRPH KRPH WR XVH RQ \RXU IORZHUV VKUXEV RU VWUHHW WUHHV NYC Compost Project staff will be on hand to answer all of your questions about composting and how to use mulch.

'LG \RX JHW KLJK WHFK SUHVHQWV IRU WKH KROLGD\V" 'RQrW WKURZ RXW \RXU ROG HOHFWURQLFVvUHF\FOH WKHP DW %RZOLQJ *UHHQ 3DUN 'LG \RX NQRZ"

New York State has passed an electronic waste recycling law to ensure that additional opportunities for recycling unwanted electronics are available.

MAIN SPONSOR

4

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

downtown express

5

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Seaport Museum lease outdated, says Jones

BY ALINE REYNOLDS While the Seaport Museum might have been saved from closure, it still has to overcome leasing limitations and other financial hurdles in its path.

That was the underlying theme of the Dec. 16 New York City Council’s Lower Manhattan Development Committee hearing on the maritime museum, where several people testified to the museum’s need for additional sources of revenue.

Susan Henshaw Jones, director of the Museum of the City of New York, temporary operator of the Seaport Museum, stressed the importance of creating contributed and earned revenue to fund the restoration of its decaying ships and exhibit space. But in order to do that, she said, the maritime museum’s lease agreement with the city must be amended.

“The point is that this lease agreement was written in 1981, and it’s just not a platform for operations in 2012,” said Jones. “We’re hoping to modify the restriction on cultural uses to include other kinds of uses, so we can monetize the assets, develop earned income and offset the cost of operations.”

M.C.N.Y. is also requesting that the jurisdiction of the Seaport Museum’s lease be transferred from the city Economic Development Corporation to the Department of Cultural Affairs. “The model for the E.D.C. requires payments of utilities, which are very, very substantial; the model with the D.C.A., which oversees the Cultural Institutions group, doesn’t require rent or utilities payments,” she said.

Jones has plans to meet with city officials in the first quarter of 2012 to hash out the lease provisions and discuss the potential transfer. “We don’t have anything specific yet, because we haven’t started the process,” she said.

Asked for comment, E.D.C. Spokesperson Patrick Muncie

Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds

Seaport Museum’s lease with the city dates back to 1981 and many are calling for it to be updated.

wrote in an e-mail, “As part of the interim agreement with the Museum of the City of New York, we are working with M.C.N.Y. on a strategy concerning the use of space under the lease, including potential amendments to the lease, to assist in developing a long-term plan [for the Seaport Museum].”

M.C.N.Y. is also ironing out plans for the Seaport Museum vessels — spending $2.75 million of previously authorized city money, for example, on the restoration of the WaverTree, according to Jones. The ship, according to an agreement with the city, must be moved out of Pier 15 by next May. “We want to save the WaverTree, and bring it into

Eight soldiers charged in Chen’s death

BY ALINE REYNOLDS Criminal military charges have been made, and new, disturbing details released, concerning the sudden death of Private Danny Chen on Oct. 3. The charges, at least, give Chen’s family and others hope that justice is on the way.

Chen, 19, an Army private from the East Village who was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in a guard tower in Kandahar, Afghanistan, is now believed to have committed suicide, according to U.S. Army officials, who released a new report Wed., Dec. 21, on the military’s investigation into his death.

Eight soldiers of the Third Battalion, including one higher-ranking officer, purportedly precipitated Chen’s death by physically and verbally harassing the AsianAmerican. The soldiers have consequently been slammed with a litany of charges, including involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and reckless endangerment, as well as maltreatment and verbal threats.

The accused soldiers are First Lieutenant Daniel J. Schwartz, Sergeant Blaine G. Dugas, Sergeant Andrew J. Van Bockel, Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb, Sergeant Jeffrey T. Hurst, Specialist Thomas P. Curtis,

Specialist Ryan J. Offutt and Sergeant Travis F. Carden.

While in Afghanistan, Chen was allegedly hung, forced to swallow liquids and hit with rocks by fellow soldiers and superiors, according to Councilmember Margaret Chin’s Office. In notes to his friends, Chen spoke of being harassed and of being the only Chinese-American that attended military training sessions at Fort Benning in Georgia prior to being deployed in Afghanistan.

Chen also reportedly wrote home, saying that it was “best not to respond” to the harassment, but also that he was “running out of jokes to respond with,” according to Chin’s Office.

Earlier Army accounts revealed that Chen was dragged out of bed and racially taunted by his peers in the hours prior to his death.

“A preliminary hearing will be held to determine if there is sufficient evidence to take the matter to a trial by a courtmartial,” Army spokesperson George Wright said of the charges. The trials would begin sometime in the coming months, Wright said, either in Afghanistan or in this country.

Wright added, “The Army is a valuesbased organization. We inculcate our sol-

Continued on page 15

the position that the Peking is now in on the south side of Pier 16,” said Jones.

Community Board 1, who also testified at the hearing, supported many of M.C.N.Y.’s wishes, including the lease transfer and the removal of certain lease restrictions. The board previously adopted a resolution in November calling on the E.D.C. to modify the museum’s lease, so the museum could more easily profit from its capital assets and otherwise regain financial stability.

“The lease stipulates a burdensome process for obtaining E.D.C. consent to sub-letting,” according to the testimony, “and C.B. 1 believes that a more flexible standard with a prescribed time frame could be crafted.”

C.B. 1 also vouched for the museum’s ability to redevelop the crumbling five-story building at 213-215 Water St., which now houses the museum’s library and archives. “The building is not code compliant and needs a gut renovation,” says the testimony.

Finally, C.B. 1 urged the E.D.C. to consider alternative locations for the Wavertree. “C.B. 1 would like the Wavertree or a similar museum ship to be acknowledged as fulfilling the lease requirement that a ‘tall-masted’ vessel be docked at Pier 15.”

At the hearing, Councilmember Margaret Chin underscored the importance of the museum’s success. “The Seaport Museum has long been the cultural anchor of the Seaport community, which is home to close to 1,400 residents,” she said. “More than four million people visit the Seaport each year — greater than the number of people who visit the Statue of Liberty. As such, its future health and prosperity is essential for the continuing redevelopment efforts in Lower Manhattan, particularly for the restaurants and small businesses in the Seaport area.”

6

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

POLICE BLOTTER Child abuse sentence Jeremy Fulton, 29, former youth minister of Mariner’s Temple Baptist Church on Henry and Oliver Sts who pleaded guilty in April to raping three girls between 10-16 years old, was sentenced on Tues. Dec. 20 to prison for 22 years. Fulton’s sexual abuse of one girl started when she was 12 in 2007 and lasted two years.

Chinatown gang sentence Guang Ju Lin, leader of a gang active in Chinatown and in Los Angeles, was sentenced to life in prison on Dec. 7 after his July 11 conviction of racketeering offenses including murder, attempted murder, narcotics trafficking and illegal gambling. He was involved in the November 2001 attempted murder of a rival gang member in a Chinatown restaurant in which a two-yearold was injured. In December 2001 he fled to Los Angeles after being involved in a murder in Queens and in August 2006, he and accomplices stabbed, beat and shot to death a victim involved in a dispute with a gang member. Yudi Liu, a Chinatown and Queens associate of Lin, pleaded guilty to murder in March and awaits sentencing.

Soho firm scammed Judy Del Galdo, 67, and her son, Joseph Del Galdo, 46, were sentenced to four to 12-yeaars in prison on Tues., Dec.20 for stealing more than $16 million over a period of seven years from a textile company at 483 Broadway near Broome St. The Del Galdos, who pleaded guilty to the charges in April, are also ordered to pay the firm more than $15million in addition to the $850,000 they already restored, according to the Manhattan District Attorney.

Through forgery, unauthorized withdrawals and a dummy account between August 2003 and April 2010, Judy Del Galdo, stole the money from Hi-Fashion Fabrics and its affiliate Timeless Treasures Fabrics where she worked as a bookkeeper for 22 years. The defendants moved $667,000 to Joseph Del Galdo’s now defunct private ambulance company and spent the rest on private jet flights, luxury sports boxes at Madison Square Garden and Meadowlands, and $850,000 on mortgages on three properties now all foreclosed.

Christmas shots Police responded to reports of gunshots following a stabbing in front of 35 Clinton St. at the corner of Stanton St. shortly

before midnight on Dec. 24. The victim told police that about four suspects jumped him, slashed his face and head and fired several shots. A helicopter and a K-9 team also responded and a person of interest was apprehended but no charges have been filed yet, police said. Detectives are investigating the case.

Attempted robbery A suspect followed a woman, 40.into her building near Monroe and Catherine Sts. around 7:50 a.m. Sun., Dec. 18, groped her and tried to steal her bag, according to reports. The victim struggled and the suspect fled empty-handed.

Mugger on bicycle A woman, 25, was talking on her cell phone whiled walking on Essex St. near Stanton St. around 11:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 10 when a man on a white bicycle punched her in the face and chest and tried to grab the phone. The victim resisted and the thief pedaled off emptyhanded.

Robbers grab Yule tips Two armed suspects got into the lobby of 99 John St. around 2:40 a.m. Mon., Dec. 19, forced the doorman into a back room, bound him and made off with a white box containing about $5,000 donated by residents for the staff, police said.

Three tries, one robbery Major case squad detectives are asking the public to help find a bank robber who made off with money from a Sovereign Bank branch at 2 Gold St. around 5:17 p.m. Fri., Dec.23 after two attempts to rob two other financial district banks during the previous 46 minutes.

The suspect, described as black man between 45and 50 years old, 200 lbs. and 6 ‘tall, wearing a black and gray knit hat, a dark coat, jeans and white sneakers, entered the Chase branch at 155 Water St. around 4:33 p.m., passed a demand note to a teller but fled without taking anything. He walked into the Citi Bank branch at 111 Wall St. at 4:42 p.m. and again fled empty-handed after presenting a note, police said.

Anyone with information may phone Crimestoppers at 800:577-TIPS (8477) or go online to www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text CRIMES (274637) and enter TIPS577.

All reports are confidential.

— Alber t Amateau

Read the Archives www.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.com

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

The interior of Asphalt Green Battery Park City as seen through a window at the front of the facility at 212 North End Ave.

Asphalt Green’s B.P.C. delay

BY TEREE LOEB KREUZER The opening of Asphalt Green Battery Park City, originally announced for November, then for early January and most recently, for Feb. 1, has now again been delayed. No opening date has been set.

Winter classes, scheduled to start on Feb. 3, have been cancelled.

Construction of the center on North End Avenue is under the direction of the Battery Park City Authority, which selected Asphalt Green to manage the facility. A sign on the entrance indicates that it is a hard-hat area.

Dangling wires and unfinished walls are visible through the community center’s ground floor window. A request to the B.P.C.A. to photograph the interior of the Asphalt Green facility was denied.

Anne Fenton, a spokesperson for the B.P.C.A. confirmed, “No one is allowed in the facility without authorization, because it is an active construction site and safety is a top priority.”

“Construction completion is now likely to go past the last projected opening date of Feb. 1 because essential approvals and permits from City regulatory agencies are still pending,” said Matthew Monahan, another spokesman for the B.P.C.A. Monahan said that even after the approvals are received, some construction work will still need to be done. Then, he said, there will be a “gap” between the time that construction is finished and the time that

Asphalt Green is able to move in and begin operation.

On Nov. 9, when the B.P.C.A. let go 19 employees, both members of the construction department were laid off, as were both members of the architectural team. However, according to Fenton, Gwen Dawson, senior vice president of asset management for the Authority, will oversee the remaining construction at the Asphalt Green site. Dawson previously was the Director of Strategic Planning for the B.P.C.A. One of those dismissed on Nov. 9 said the center would have opened in November with a “soft” opening.

“The center could have been used, but there would have been a punch list and some touch-ups occurring at the same time,” said the employee, who requested anonymity.

Regarding permits that are needed to complete the construction of the facility and that have still not been obtained, he said that there was no guarantee that he and his colleagues would have been more successful than the current B.P.C.A. management in obtaining those permits, but he did note that after many years at the Authority, they had good relationships with Department of Buildings and Fire Department personnel and were often able to expedite the permitting process because of those relationships.

For information on the facility, programs and fees, visit the membership sales office,

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.

7

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

8

EDITORIAL Lessons of 2011

PUBLISHER & EDITOR John W. Sutter ASSOCIATE EDITOR John Bayles ARTS EDITOR Scott Stiffler REPORTERS Aline Reynolds Albert Amateau Lincoln Anderson SR. V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING Francesco Regini ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Allison Greaker Colin Gregory Julius Harrison Alex Morris Julio Tumbaco BUSINESS MANAGER / CONTROLLER Vera Musa ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Troy Masters ART DIRECTOR Mark Hasselberger GRAPHIC DESIGNER Vince Joy CONTRIBUTORS Helaina N. Hovitz • Terese Loeb Kreuzer • Jerry Tallmer PHOTOGRAPHERS Milo Hess • Jefferson Siegel • Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Published by

COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, NY, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 229-1890 Fax: (212) 229-2790 On-line: www.downtownexpress.com E-mail: news@downtownexpress.com

Gay City

NEWS

Downtown Express is published every week by Community Media LLC, 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890.

The entire contents of the newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2011 Community Media LLC. PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

Member of the New York Press Association

Member of the National Newspaper Association

© 2011 Community Media, LLC

TM

The last year was filled with significant news stories in New York like Occupy Wall Street, the election of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the passage of the gay marriage law, and the Zadroga 9/11 Healthcare Act. In Lower Manhattan, though, one major news story provided a road map for the next year, while serving as a testament to the past decade: the tenth anniversary of September 11 and the opening of the National Memorial at the World Trade Center site. That event signaled to the world, the nation and to New Yorkers, especially those that live or work Downtown, that hard work, performed collaboratively by dedicated groups and individuals, could result in a rebirth of a neighborhood and a renewed spirit.

During the ten years there were periods where a promised feeling of progress seemed neglected and the neighborhood’s rebuilding seemed in jeopardy. Much of that was due to the extraordinary complex alphabet soup of agencies that all have a hand in Downtown development.

Ten years later, with the National Memorial open and with 1 W.T.C. rising 80 stories above the ground, progress is clearly visible and the next year should be spent looking at the agencies that played a vital role then, but who should now start closing up shop.

Some of this work is already underway in the form of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey preparing to absorb the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. New Port Director Patrick Foye should make this a top priority and demand it happen in a speedy and transparent process.

Foye’s predecessor, Chris Ward, in an interview with the Downtown Express two months ago, pointed to the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center as another agency he believed could sunset, and we agree. The L.M.C.C.C. was essentially created to oversee and coordinate all of the different agencies involved in getting us to where we are today. But today, the Port Authority and existing city and state agencies can clearly coordinate and implement all construction activities. The role of the L.M.C.C.C. has been dutifully carried out.

Other issues that made the news in 2011 and we would like to see addressed in the next year are the Dept. of Education ‘s rezoning process for schools, and the personnel changes that occurred at the Battery Park City Authority.

As for the Dept. of Education, better forecasting is needed, and Chancellor Walcott should look to Community Board 1 and Speaker Silver’s School Overcrowding Task Force, rather than the Community Education Council, for demographic data needed to tackle overcrowding in Lower Manhattan schools. The data on which to project future needs are simply more accurate.

We know what has to be done: we must build more schools. If this fact is not realized then the crisis will stymie Downtown residential growth, upend parents and their children’s lives, and result in more crowded classrooms.

And the Battery Park City Authority, which existed well before 9/11, was a major player in the rebirth of the Lower Manhattan. It too, however, should now recognize all of the great work it has performed pre-and post-9/11 and begin the arduous task of closing. A very carefully thought-out sunset plan should be established and implemented in such a manner that doesn’t result in the management public relations disaster and chaos that we have seen following the latest round of layoffs.

We call on City Comptroller John Liu, who was given the task by Mayor Bloomberg in 2010 to examine the feasibility of bringing B.P.C. into the structures and agencies of N.Y.C., to seriously examine this possibility and issue a report.

All of these suggestions are meant to serve a single purpose: to ensure that the greatest story of 2011, the rebirth of a neighborhood, can continue, cost-effectively and unencumbered by now unneeded layers of bureaucracy, into the future.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Cheers to letters to the editor!

To the Editor: This past year, I’m grateful that the Downtown Express has afforded me the opportunity to express my views, along with others who may have different opinions on the issues of the day, via letters to the editor. Thanks to you, an ordinary citizen like myself has the freedom to comment on the actions and legislation of various elected officials at the city, state and federal level.

Public officials are powerful and have easy access to taxpayer dollars to promote their views. This is done via mass mailings of newsletters, news releases, letters to the editor and guest opinion page columns. In many cases, they are produced or ghost written by campaign or office staffers paid for by taxpayers on public time. Ordinary citizens like myself have limited ability and time to make a simple submission. In the marketplace of ideas, let us hope there continues to be room for everyone, including our own Downtown Express.

Sincerely, Larry Penner

Seaport Xmas tree is the least of our worries To the Editor: A verbal report was given to Community Board 1’s Seaport Committee on December 20, when the Board of Southbridge Towers (S.B.T.) complained about the quality of the tree at the South Street Seaport. The S.B.T. Board may have forgotten that, until very recently, the South Street Seaport was under financial duress and barely escaped bankruptcy, thus limiting funding for any endeavor.

In addition, you may recall that, last year, a different tree was knocked down by a surprise wind storm.

If S.B.T. wanted to complain, they might have mentioned that the display at the Seaport do not contain any menorahs. But that may have hit uncomfortably close to home.

The menorah in S.B.T.’s plaza is dwarfed by the gigantic tree and surrounded by 10

EVAN FORSCH

Christmas wreaths. In the lobbies, the footlong menorahs are placed above eye level, while the six-foot trees dominate the area.

We’re glad that amid empty stores and a stalled privatization process they found an issue they could act upon — even if it was a weak one.

Joseph Lerner

Occupy London is a joke To the Editor: Re “Occupy London Tent City is still holding its ground” (reporter’s notebook, Dec. 15): My office overlooks said camp. I pass said camp daily getting to my office. The writer’s sole visit is merely a subjective observation on said camp. Here are mine: Since the “strike,” activity in the camp has decreased dramatically. I have noted on several occasions prominent members of the camp arguing amongst themselves, often shouting and swearing — great public relations.

The large banner, which reads, “This is Democracy,” is displayed next to the porta-loos. Tent numbers have decreased since the “strike.” People generally don’t care anymore.

My conclusions: Politicians don’t listen to those protesting.

Politicians don’t listen to those striking.

People are apathetic (cite the poor turnout for the Feltham election).

The camp will alter nothing.

Merry Xmas.

Owen Marsden

Letters policy Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to 511 Canal St., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.

downtown express

9

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

ON THE SPOT WITH ROBERT LAVALVA Most institutions that embed themselves in the city’s fabric owe their existence to a group of people, but the New Amsterdam Market that just concluded its 2011 season on South Street near Peck Slip exists because one man: Robert LaValva. He was born in Trenton, N.J. and spent his early years in Princeton Junction near several farms that have since succumbed to development. He discusses how his past led him to where he is today.

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER Those memories were obviously influential.

The market that you founded helps to preserve farms. What else influenced you?

When I was in middle school and high school, I had a number of teachers who really introduced us to the idea of the environment and ecology. This was in the ’70s.

As I look back on it, they must have been flower children themselves — but what they taught had an impact.

Where did you go to college? What did you study?

I went to N.Y.U.; I was interested in ecology and environmental issues and also interested in cities and architecture and planning.

At the time, those two things seemed at odds. Of course, nowadays people look at cities as part of the natural environment.

I eventually got a degree in N.Y.U.’s

urban design program.

What did you do next?

I applied to design school. I ended up going to the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I graduated in 1991 with a Master’s in Architecture (MArch). But I found myself more drawn to the idea of cities and how they function and the systems that connect cities to the environment. What really excited me was the idea of natural systems and environmental systems and urban systems. I didn’t know how on earth all these things could come together.

So how did they come together for you?

that? I thought, ‘That sounds amazing.’ I had learned about composting and it seemed like this magical process whereby you were taking waste and turning it into soil with all these friendly bacteria helping you. I said yes right away. It was a great job. I was there for almost 10 years. I eventually ran the program. My experience in the composting world led me to get to know people who were also thinking about organic gardening, permaculture and environmental systems related to food systems.

I thought I would like to do something new that brought together all these crazy, seemingly disparate interests that had to do with design and planning on the one hand, and on the other hand, with natural systems and biology and the environment — and also with food and cooking and markets.

Serendipity. I applied for a job at the New York City Department of Sanitation. It was advertised as a planner to work on the siting and development of new recycling infrastructure.

When I went to interview for the job, I was told, we’re opening up another position.

It’s for composting. Would you be interested in

it has been a place where people bought and sold food. There were probably thousands of different food businesses located there. In the late 1990s, the wholesale produce vendors started to move out of the city and there were a lot of stalls becoming empty. Then a trust that runs the market as a public site started to stage food events at the market. One of my jobs at Neal’s was to get there at 4 a.m. to stack all the cheeses. I saw the whole theater of the city and the market just coming awake. It was inspiring. I walked around the market thinking, ‘Why don’t we have this kind of market in New York?’ This led me to learn that we once had this kind of market here [where the Fulton Fish Market once was, in and around South Street.] I wanted to start a market. The first one was a one-day event held under the arcade at the south end of the Municipal Building.

And you’ve grown from there, correct?

What specifically gave you the idea for the New Amsterdam Market?

I went to London to work at a great cheese shop called Neal’s Yard Dairy. Their main store is in the Borough Market in South London. Since Roman times,

Yes. In 2006, the New Amsterdam Public Market Association was incorporated as a 501(c)3 [nonprofit organization].

And you just held your 50th market?

Yes. It was a great year for the market — our longest season to date. We went from late spring to winter with the greatest range of products ever.

We’re meeting with the E.D.C. [New York City Economic Development Corp.] in January to talk about 2012.

OUT AND ABOUT What was the biggest news story of 2011?

CHRISTOPHER HARDWICK, EAST VILLAGE JOE MANGANO, MORGANVILLE, NJ

ELIZABETH LAGNO, MANHATTAN

I’d have to say the downward spiral of the economy.

That’s what has been affecting me the most when it comes to my business.

The biggest story was probably the revolts in Egypt. The Arab Springs. I just think that it was a turning point on how Americans view the Middle East. It made people pay attention.

It was definitely the Tsunami and the earthquake … just watching that and then the nuclear reactors after that all becoming problematic, because it was just so devastating and it was so close to home and just tragic just to watch it unfold on TV.

10

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER C.B. 1’S HOUSING COMMITTEE: Community Board 1’s Housing Committee is only four months old, but they have been a busy four months. The group that is now officially recognized as a C.B. 1 committee actually started its work four years ago with the preparation of a guide to rent stabilized housing in Lower Manhattan. That document was followed by one entitled “Seniors’ Guide to Lower Manhattan” and this past summer, by a guide to affordable housing. The guide for seniors is currently being updated. The rent-stabilization guide was recently updated and has just been re-released.

“There are over a 1,000 more rent stabilized apartments in Lower Manhattan than there were a year and a half ago,” said Housing Committee chair Tom Goodkind at the most recent Community Board 1 full board meeting on Dec. 21. Goodkind emphasized that “rent stabilized” is not the same thing as “affordable.” Some of the rent stabilized apartments have hefty rents but they can only be increased by amounts voted annually by the New York City Rent Guidelines Board.

The Community Board 1 listings include buildings with more than 40 units. Among the Battery Park City buildings listed as rent stabilized are Liberty Luxe and Liberty Green on North End Avenue, where studios start at $3,700 a month. Elsewhere in Lower Manhattan, New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce St. is also rent stabilized, according to the C.B. 1 guide. These three buildings and several others on the C.B. 1 list received Liberty Bond financing, which gives them tax abatements and makes them subject to rent stabilization as long as the tax abatements are in effect.

“We’re the only Community Board that does this [prepare a list of rent stabilized apartments],” said Goodkind.

The Housing Committee is also moving ahead on organizing services for seniors in the community that will allow them to age in place. “We’re continuing with the 501(c) 3 business plan for Manhattan Seniors,” Goodkind said at the C.B. 1 full board meeting. He mentioned that Manhattan Youth was founded by Community Board 1, which brought Bob Townley on board to run it.

“We’re hoping to do the same for the latter part of life and provide a business plan where we can give services to the seniors in

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

our area so they can stay here affordably,” Goodkind said. “We’re getting assistance from professionals in the field.”

FIBER ART EXHIBIT AT THE WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER: Textiles, rag paper, pipe cleaners, plastic mesh, crocheted metal wire and other materials are transformed into provocative sculptures and wall hangings in a juried exhibit called “Crossing Lines: The Many Faces of Fiber” at the Courtyard Gallery in the World Financial Center through Feb. 19, 2012.

Some of the objects are beautiful such as Nancy Koenigsberg’s shimmering “Morning Light,” made of coated copper wire and glass beads, or Saaraliisa Ylitalo’s “Altar and Offerings,” with a gold screen that hovers over silk and wire bowls, embellished with gold leaf. Others are disturbing. A bed whose coverlet by Ruth Tabancay is stitched with tea bags (“Extending the Useful Life” is the name of the work) could not afford much rest, especially when flanked by a hand-dyed, quilted wall hanging, “All that Glitters”

by Elizabeth Barton, depicting oil wells like dinosaurs dipping their greedy maws earthward. Another quilted piece, “Conventional Forces,” by Katherine Knauer, showing soldiers, war and the tools of war hangs on a neighboring wall.

Still other works in the show impress with their craftsmanship and their wit.

The exhibit celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Textile Study Group of New York, a not-for-profit organization founded to promote the fiber arts. It was curated by Rebecca A. T. Stevens, Consulting Curator of Contemporary Textiles at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. “Crossing Lines” is part of the cultural programming sponsored by Brookfield Properties, which owns the World Financial Center complex. The exhibit is open from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is free.

ANOTHER 9/11 MEMORIAL: The National September 11 Memorial has gotten a lot of attention, but directly across from it, at 3 World Trade Center, is another 9/11 memorial to 11 American Express employees that fewer people may have noticed because it’s in a quiet part of the lobby, away from the building entrance and the through traf-

Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

“Crossing LInes: The Many Faces of Fiber” is a juried exhibit of 58 textile works in the Courtyard Gallery of 3 World Financial Center through Feb. 19, 2012.

fic. Like its larger and more famous neighbor, it utilizes water, granite, greenery and benches to create a solemn space for reflection. The memorial, designed by Ken Smith, is centered by an illuminated quartz crystal suspended over a black, 11-sided pool on which the names of those who died have been etched. Next to each person’s name are some things that their families remembered about them and nearby is a plaque with photos and accounts of the deceased, all of

whom worked as travel counselors to Marsh & McLennan on the 94th floor of One World Trade Center. Eleven drops of water fall at random intervals into the pool, rippling the surface and expressing what cannot be adequately expressed in words or forgotten, no matter how many years come and go.

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

A memorial to the 11 American Express employees who died on 9/11 is in the lobby of 3 World Financial Center. Like the larger memorial across the street, the American Express memorial utilizes water and engraved stone.

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

11

12

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

downtown express

13

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

A winter walk along the Hudson This time last year, anyone strolling along Hudson River Park would have needed snow-shoes or even cross country skis. The blizzard of 2010 dumped over 20 inches of snow on some parts of the city.

88 Fulton Street (Corner of 33 Gold St.) New York, NY 10038 212.587.8930 212.587.8935

Free Delivery!

Min. $10

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

No Snow? So now what?

These winter scenes painted on the doors of Gigino’s Italian restaurant on Greenwich Street in Tribeca were about the closest the city came to having a snow-filled holiday season in 2011.

Authentic Thai & Vegetarian

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

14

When a new beginning is the best gift ever Continued from page 1 work a program also failed. Still, he was determined to change his life. Greg spent years keeping misdemeanor warrants out for his arrest so he would have “3 hots and a cot,” meaning three hot meals and a warm place to stay, even if it was in jail.

But having completed the program, Greg’s future appears bright. He plans to begin taking classes in ministry at Somerset Christian College next month, and to study drug counseling and psychology at Essex County College.

Though he has a heart condition and three other diseases, he is determined to stay healthy for his three-year-old daughter, Saniah Rose.

“I talk to her every single day on the phone. I ask her if she’s being a good girl, and she says ‘yes’ while her mother is screaming at her in the background,” he said with a laugh. “If I can’t see her because my duty keeps me here at the mission, she won’t come to the phone.

But, eventually, she does, and she says, ‘I love you daddy, I miss you, when are you coming to get me?’”

Every Saturday, Greg leaves the mission at 7:30 a.m. and takes three trains to New Jersey so he can take Saniah with him to his weekly doctor appointment. Greg said she runs into his arms and squeezes his face to make sure he’s really there.

When they move into the mission, the men are given work assignments, like kitchen captain and security guard.

Tutors help the men pick up where they left off in their education and prepare them to take the General Education Diploma exam. They are graded in seven separate areas: class participation, homework, work therapy, counseling, church attendance, quarters and hygiene, and “learning center.” The men are welcome to stay at the mission to live and do work service as they continue to try to find a job and a feasible living situation.

Nearly 23 million Americans currently suffer from alcohol and drug addiction, an incurable disease that doesn’t know race, age, gender or class.

Jerome, for example, was a fully functional, well-dressed binge drinker with a solid job as a paralegal and didn’t seem like a guy who always spiked his coffee with whiskey and spent every Christmas blacking out.

One day, while working in the courts at 100 Center Street, Jerome stopped into the mission for lunch while intoxicated. He ate, left and didn’t talk to anyone because he didn’t want to “eat with the bums.”

Downtown Express photo by Helaina N. Hovitz

John DeSantos, the learning center coordinator at the NYC Rescue Mission presents diplomas to the mission’s recovery program’s most recent graduates on Dec. 15.

Many men approached him and tried to tell him about the program before he finally relented.

His landlord promised to hold another apartment for him in the complex as long as he came back with proof that he had completed the program.

While working in the mission’s kitchen, Jerome saw men coming in just as he had, unruly and intoxicated.

“If they try to start a problem or start cursing me out, I remember that I was there. They probably don’t know what they’re saying,” he said. “I put my hand on their shoulder and ask, ‘are you ok?’”

Jerome spent Christmas with his daughter at his mother’s house in Harlem; it was his first sober holiday in over a decade.

Last weekend, all of the men celebrated Christmas with loved ones, whether they were blood relatives or brothers at the mission. Wayne and Jeff started their celebration at the mission with a special sausage and egg

breakfast followed by a Christmas service and a buffet dinner. Christmas movies were played on a projector throughout the day, and gifts were given out at noon. One anonymous donor provided K-mart gift cards for mission residents and another bought them all new sneakers and sweatshirts, which they received after graduation.

“I felt the heartiness of the gift because I did not ask for it but received it,” Greg noted. “I felt new and cool.”

Additionally, folks from New York Cares brought their coat drive to the shelter from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“For many, a new coat is a necessity,” said Jeff. “But for us, even one that’s slightly used is a blessing.”

The men may be going their separate ways this week, but, as Jerome said in his graduation speech, they will all be taking a little piece of one another with them.

“The steps we take are no easy road,” said Jerome.

“But the reward is great for those who take it.”

An Occupy Wall Street Christmas for all Continued from page 1 required park owner Brookfield Properties to relax restrictions on permitted items.

“The vigil will not include camping, erecting structures, lying on the ground, placing tarps and sleeping bags on the property, or anything else that unreasonably interferes with others’ ability to enjoy the park,” the New York City Civil Liberties Union said in a Dec. 19 statement that urged Brookfield to accommodate the event organizers.

But the effort did not receive a response and some items such as chairs were ultimately not allowed by park security, according to Sebastian, an event organizer and U.K. native who declined to give his last name.

When members of Judson Memorial Church did not arrive to facilitate a midnight mass, activists opted to commence shortly after midnight by reading Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Christmas Sermon on Peace.” King said in the sermon, “Means and ends must cohere because end is preexistent in the means” — a message which resonated with members of the O.W.S. movement seeking to empower individuals rather than promote a specific policy agenda.

While plans originally were for an event more religious in nature, a new niche presented itself as the holiday drew close, Sebastian said.

“It became obvious to us that we were the only [Occupy] event planned for Christmas

Day [so] we started to try to interact with other people and make it wider,” he noted.

Only days before, the Christian overtones of the holiday and the approximately $7000 in funding proposed for the event prompted resistance among some activists who attended a Dec. 21 spokescouncil meeting of O.W.S. organizers.

A specific budget for “Occupy Christmas” never materialized. Individual working groups contributed through their own budgets in addition to volunteering their time to ensure the event could be held at a cost of about $2000, Sebastian said.

“Even inside the movement we have differences of opinion and a certain amount of antagonisms which develop like it would in any other type of relationship,” said Richard

Devoe, a professional activist who was one of many non-Christians present Sunday. “All that stuff is set aside Christmas Day.” Some occupiers experience tensions not only within the movement but also from families who do not necessarily support their activism. An online video advised occupiers on how to tactfully discuss the movement with family members at holiday festivities. Hunt said he strengthened his resolve Sunday morning to remain committed to the movement despite setbacks.

“My family doesn’t really agree with what I’m doing here,” said Hunt. “They say, ‘It’s nice you did your little thing but you have to work on your personal stuff.’”

Hunt replied, “I have to work on both at the same time.”

downtown express

15

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Military charges eight in death of Chen Continued from page 5 diers with the need to treat all with dignity and respect. We enforce standards, and when our soldiers fail to meet those standards, we take appropriate action.�

Chinatown community activists and politicians — who strongly back the Army’s ongoing investigation — were pleased to hear that charges have been pressed. Hours after the news broke on the morning of Dec. 21, the New York chapter of OCA, an AsianAmerican civil rights organization, held a press conference in Chinatown to report the latest developments. “We don’t want any plea bargains here.

The soldiers need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,� said OCA-NY President Liz OuYang. “Justice for those that did this to Danny is an important element of ensuring these incidents don’t happen again,� she said.

The charges “are an important first step in ensuring that those responsible for this deplorable crime are brought to justice,� echoed Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in a statement. “I also hope that this horrible incident will lead the U.S. Army to increase sensitivity training and to improve its outreach to the Asian-American community,�

Silver added. “It’s a good beginning,� said Councilmember Chin, “but I think they still need to do the full investigative report.�

OuYang, Chin and others met with Wright and other Army officials at the Pentagon on Wed., Dec. 14, to discuss the military’s training and recruitment policies, with the hope that some of its rules will be altered and others more strictly enforced.

Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds

“We don’t want any plea bargains here,� OCA-NY President Liz OuYang said on Tuesday.

“The meeting wasn’t specifically about Chen’s case, because they told us the case was still under investigation,� Chin explained.

The concerned group demanded that, moving forward, commanding officers and other supervising soldiers be monitored and held accountable for their actions while on duty. They said appropriate interventions must be made “to weed out people who have racist views,� according to OuYang. “We want there to be clear guidelines that the commanding officer will be disciplined if these types of hazing occur under his watch,� she said. “Based on numerous

Keep on top of local crime, every week in

THE POLICE BLOTTER /VSTFSZ 4DIPPM r 1SF , r 4VNNFS

Newly Renovated Backyard r 'PS $IJMESFO :FBST $"-- '03 " 7*4*5 r )BMG 'VMM %BZ 1SPHSBNT r &YDFMMFOU 4UBÄŽ $IJME 3BUJPT r /"&:$ "DDSFEJUFE

2 blocks south of the World Financial Center

4PVUI &OE "WF #BĨFSZ 1BSL $JUZ /: XXX CQDEBZOVSTFSZ DPN

reports of Asian-American soldiers, diversity training is not effective, and we want community input into it.�

The officials were “receptive� to the group’s queries, according to Chin. “It was a very productive meeting,� the

councilmember said. “We gave them a whole bunch of questions they said they’d answer in about two weeks, and we’re going to be following up on their response.�

A follow-up meeting is tentatively scheduled for the second week of January, according to Wright. “Army leaders discussed diversity, investigation and reporting procedures, leadership and accountability,� Wright said. “They also pledged to look at ways to continue this dialogue and review diversity training and policies. “Our intent is to bring in soldiers that are openminded and that are willing to embrace a diverse subculture called the Army,� he said.

Chen’s father, Yan Tao Chen, and mother, Su Zhen Chen, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. They will be meeting with Army officials to learn more about their son’s maltreatment while in the service.

The meeting will take place Wed., Jan. 4, at the Fort Hamilton Army base in Brooklyn, according to Frank Gee, the couple’s spokesperson and interpreter. “After two months of agonizing over their loss, they sort of feel relieved of conflict by the seriousness of the Army that they’re going to prosecute eight soldiers,�

Gee said. “They hope the truth will come out to prevent anything like this from happening again.�

New York Times ★ ★

Michelin ★

“Marc Forgione is rustic and urban at once, a loft that might be in a Hudson River mill town. Service is warm and practiced, the food about three times better then it needs to be�

- Sam Sifton, The New York Times Join us New Years Eve for an amazing evening featuring Chef Forgione's Six Course Tasting Menu. Limited seating still available. Call 212.941.9401 to reserve. Happy New Year!!

Restaurant Marc Forgione 134 Reade Street, btw Hudson & Greenwich 212.941.9401 www.marcforgione.com

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

16

COMPILED BY NIKKI TUCKER & SCOTT STIFFLER

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 children 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.

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM The Junior Officers Discovery Zone is an exhibit 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. through Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 12-5pm. Admission: $8 ($5 for students, seniors and children; free for children under 2).

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 Tuesdays through Fridays 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 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.

THREE KINGS DAY CELEBRATION Teatro SEA’s annual familyoriented Three Kings Day Celebration commemorates one of the

p/a< [V 3,(95 [OPZ ZWYPUN :WYPUN :LTLZ[LY Z[HY[Z -LIY\HY` [O

-9,, 6WLU /V\ZL -LIY\HY` [O HT Âś WT >L H[ *O\YJO :[YLL[ :JOVVS MVY 4\ZPJ HUK (Y[ ILSPL]L

7YVNYHTZ MVY Z[\KLU[Z TVU[OZ [V HK\S[

;VKKSLY (K\S[ 7YLZJOVVS Q (M[LYZJOVVS (Y[Z (JHKLT` Q .YV\W HUK 7YP]H[L

[OH[ L]LY`VUL OHZ \UPX\L

Q

JYLH[P]L WV[LU[PHS HUK

Q

[OH[ [OL KL]LSVWTLU[ VM L_WYLZZPVU VM [OPZ JYLH[P]P[` PZ LZZLU[PHS [V [OL OLHS[O HUK OHWWPULZZ VM [OL PUKP]PK\HS HUK [OL JVTT\UP[`

0UZ[Y\TLU[HS 3LZZVUZ 9VJR [OL /V\ZL Q ;LLU 0SS\Z[YH[PVU Q (K\S[ 7YVNYHTZ Q )PY[OKH` 7HY[PLZ Q (UK TVYL Q

YOUTH ACTIVITIES most important Latin American Holidays. Over the years, this observance has grown into a large street festival. The 2012 edition will feature live music by Bomba & Plena ensemble Los Pleneros de La 21, arts and crafts, ethnic food and plenty of other activities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each year, thousands of children experience the magic of the Epiphany right at the heart of New York, with SEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family fun extravaganza,â&#x20AC;? notes Teatro SEA founder and artistic director Manuel A. MorĂĄn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I invite everyone to join us for this exciting annual fiesta that preserves tradition and promotes culturally-enriching entertainment.â&#x20AC;?

The first 1,000 children who arrive will personally meet and greet the Three Kings and receive a gift! Free. Fri., Jan. 6, 3-5pm. At The New Teatro SEA (107 Suffolk St., btw. Delancey & Rivington Sts.).

For info, call 212-529-1545 or visit teatrosea.org.

THE FROG PRINCE The Galli Theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season continues with â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Frog Princeâ&#x20AC;? (Jan. 7-29) and Aladdin (Jan. 8-Feb. 26). These productions are appropriate for all ages. All shows take place at 347 W. 36th St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.). For tickets ($20 for adults, $15 for children), call 212-352-3101 or visit web.ovationtix.com.

Also visit gallitheaterny.com.

POETS HOUSE The Poets House Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room gives children and their parents a gateway to enter the world of rhyme â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through readings, group activities and interactive performances.

For children ages 1-3, the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room offers â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tiny Poets Timeâ&#x20AC;? readings on Thursdays at 10am; for those ages 4-10, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weekly Poetry Readingsâ&#x20AC;? on Saturdays at 11am. Filled with poetry books,

SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholasticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sin-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 212343-6166 or visit scholastic.com/sohostore.

CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. Drop in with wee-ones (ages 10 months to 3½ years) for the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wee-Artsâ&#x20AC;? program every Mon. and Fri., 9:15-10:30am; Wed., 4-5:15pm; Wed.-Thurs., 10-11am, through Dec.23. Start the morning with Playdough, paints, glue and drawing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in an intimate and stimulating environment where experimentation, exploration and creative thinking are encouraged. Each session ($22 per family of three) ends with music and story time.

Museum hours: Mon. and Wed., 12-5pm; Thurs. and Fri., 12-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 10am-6pm. Admission: $10; 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 212-2740986, 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.

Moving Visionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Murray Street Studio A Wise Choice for your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dance education!

Dance for Children and Teens â&#x20AC;˘ Modern Ballet (ages 5-18) â&#x20AC;˘ Choreography (ages 8 & up) â&#x20AC;˘ Creative Movement/Pre-Ballet (ages 3-5)

ADULT CLASSES

Yoga - Tai Chi â&#x20AC;˘ Chi/Dance/Exercise for Women

19 Murray St., 3rd Fl.

212-608-7681 (day)

(Bet. Broadway and Church)

www.murraystreetdance.com

TRIBECA DENTAL For the Whole Family General Dentistry & CosmeticDentistry + Implants Bleaching + Orthodontics Dr. Martin Gottlieb Dr. Raphael Santore

79,:0+,5;:Âť >,,2 4<:0* (9; *(47:

Dr. Reena Clarkson, Orthodontist Dr. Ken Chu, Dr. Sara Fikree Pediatric Dentists

>HYYLU :[YLL[ ^^^ JO\YJOZ[YLL[ZJOVVS VYN

old-fashioned typewriters and a card catalogue packed with poetic objects to trigger inspiration, the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room is open Thurs.-Sat., 11am-5pm. Free admission. At 10 River Terrace. Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org.

19 Murray Street Between Church & Broadway

www.TribecaDentalCenter.com

For an appointment, call 212-941-9095

downtown express

17

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

DOWNTOWNEXPRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Winter’s chill warmed by hot Downtown theater January offerings include a ‘labor’ you’ll love

BY TRAV S.D. Happy New Year! Notice the difference?

Okay, there isn’t any — but that doesn’t mean we can’t all take a minute to breathe, get our bearings and collect ourselves before jumping back into the rat race. A little rest and recreation! While it’s too freezing to play Frisbee in the park, might I suggest what’s in a few Downtown theatres?

First, a show that will kick the year off with both an ending and a beginning. Kate Valentine (one of the early pioneers of the new burlesque scene, with her character Miss Astrid) will be presenting a very special show at Bowery Poetry Club on January 3 and 4. For this one, she’ll be breaking out her other comedy character, pregnant Bay Ridge teenager Crystal McBride. With her friend Brandi Van Pelt (Laura Sweeney), McBride hosts the mock public access cable “The Baby Daddy Show” — wherein the two clue-deprived mothers-tobe seek the fathers of their love children over the airwaves. The rub this time out? At performance time, Valentine will actually be nine months pregnant. There is a real chance she could go into labor during the show, in which case special guests Victor Varnado and Abe Goldfarb (a.k.a “Bastard Keith”) may have to spring into action with forceps. No problem: I’m sure they’ve done it before! Any way you slice it, this is guaranteed to be a memorable evening. More info at bowerypoetry.com.

Dixon Place, an important center for the variety arts, is starting the year off right. Of course they always manage to get it right — but what’s got me excited is two monthly series that will showcase scads of New York’s top variety acts (plus numerous aspirants).

On the first Monday of every month, look for “The Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Hour.”

On the third Monday, “Downtown Clown Revue.” Contrary to what you might think, these are not amateur nights. Yes, they are potential platforms for newbies who want a to premiere a new vaudeville act. But the vast bulk of their bills are made up of established neo-vaudevillians who either want to try out new bits, promote their own shows happening elsewhere or simply want a little stage time to keep from getting rusty. Such “fraternal” shows are very old school; an ideal set-up for vaudeville networking in the same way that the Monday Night Magic series (mondaynightmagic.com) is for magicians. The Bindlestiff show (which inaugurates January 2) is organized by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus — fresh from a two-year run at Galapagos. Christopher Lueck’s Clown Revue has been operating at a number of venues over the past several years (at Dixon Place for the past few months). The next edition is January 16. For information on both: dixonplace.org. Also visit bindlestiff.org and newyorkdowntownclown.com.

Two annual winter theatre festivals are back this month. “Under the Radar” (January 4-15)

Photo by John Patrick Naughton

“Who’s Your Daddy?” Kate Valentine and Laura Sweeney in The Baby Daddy Show.

is curated by PS122’s former artistic director Mark Russell, who bills UTR as “a crash course in theatre that is exciting, independent and experimental, created by some of the most dynamic artists working today.” The carefully culled menu of offerings includes 16 productions at five venues including “Goodbar” — a “live concept album” based on the novel “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” (which spawned the controversial 1977 film), “Lick, But Don’t Swallow” — a comedy about an angel who comes down from heaven but finds herself trapped in the body of a porn star (apparently the show was banned in Turkey after only one performance) and “The Plot is the Revolution” — featuring dueling Antigones played by Judith Malina and Silvia Calderoni. For more info, see undertheradarfestival.com.

Meanwhile, PS122 has COIL, its own festival of experimental dance, theatre and performance works from around the world (January 5-29). Artistic director Vallejo Gantner says that COIL presents work that is “fully realized, but on the bleeding front edge.” Ouch!

The 2012 festival may be the most international edition to date, with works from Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, France, Ireland and Lebanon — 11 premieres in all. Among the local entries: “Newyorkland” by director Kenneth Collins and video artist William Cusick, which mashes up scenes from movie and television crime dramas with interviews

Continued on page 18

FedEx, DHL, USPS & Freight You Bring It, We Pack It & Ship it!

One less holiday hassle. We can pack it and ship all of your gifts to family and friends. You can save with these coupons. Cannot be combined with other offers. Exp. 12/31/11

MAIL BOXES ETC.

295 Greenwich St. @ Chambers St. New York, N.Y. 10007 212 964 5528

M-F 8AM-7PM Sat 10AM-5PM Sun Dec 4, 11, 18 11AM-4PM Mbetribeca.com We Have Holiday Stamps closed 12/25 and 12/26

EVEN MORE VALUABLE COUPONS AT MBETRIBECA.COM

18

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

downtown express

Warm up to a trio of winter theater festivals Continued from page 17 with real cops; and “Untitled Feminist Show”

by Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company. I caught a workshop production of this mostly wordless, movement-based piece by the everelusive playwright-director Lee a few months ago. Her work never fails to surprise and inspire. As PS 122’s main space is under renovation, the majority of COIL will take place off-premise at a number of venues throughout the city. To get the skinny, go to ps122.org.

A third entry in our winter theatre festival sweepstakes takes us into realms of a more retro kind. The always backward-looking (and therefore forward-looking) Metropolitan Playhouse will be presenting its Horatio Alger Festival January 16-29. This company has had a tremendous track record of presenting festivals of new work by contemporary playwrights inspired by the likes of Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Nathan Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe. In the current outing, five latter day scribes give us their take on the novelist for young people — famed for his rags-to-riches stories. Given his problematic personal life, there are bound to be some spicy entries. At least one of them (Adam Klasfeld’s “Pluck”) delves into the unsavory backstory (accusations of pederasty) and should make for a rousing evening. Full details at metropolitanplayhouse.org.

On January 18, Daniel Talbott’s new play “Yosemite” will be premiering at The Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. I must admit I was initially hoping the play was a biographical treatment of the life of a certain Bugs Bunny antagonist with a very large mustache.

It turns out that it’s about “three siblings who are sent out into the snow-silent woods in the Sierra Nevada foothills to dig a hole that will be deep enough to bury a family secret.”

Great Horny Toads! I still hold out hopes that it will have at least some scenes touching upon the rootinest, tootinest hombre west of the Pecos. But even if it doesn’t, the play contains some live action stars weighty enough to justify checking it out, including Kathryn Erbe (known from “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and many fine productions with Steppenwolf) and Seth Numrich (fresh from “War Horse” up at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre). For more info, visit rattlestick.org.

Lastly, the month is ending on a high (low) note with a revival of the notorious musical “Carrie” — famous for being Broadway’s most expensive flop when it premiered in 1988. It ran for only three days, at a cost of $8 million, and inspired an entire book about that debacle and others like it (“Not Since Carrie: 40 Years of Broadway Flops”). The new version, rejiggered and improved (one assumes), will be opening in previews at the Lucille Lortel Theatre January 31. Beware of flying cutlery!

Photo by Roy Volkmann

It happens every month now: Dixon Place delivers the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.

downtown express

19

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

!3+ &/2 $!),9 30%#)!,3

HOMEMADE MACARONI 2AVIOLI "AKED :ITI ,ASAGNA

HOT HERO SANDWICHES

^ &REE $ELIVERY #HICKEN 0ARMIGIANA #HICKEN #UTLET

-INIMUM ~ 3AUSAGE 0EPPERS PIZZA PIES .EAPOLITAN

3ICILIAN SLICES

#HICAGO

3MALL .EAPOLITAN

-INI 0IE

,!2'% 3%,%#4)/. /& 4/00).'3 %ACH

DAILY SPECIALTY PIES CALL FOR PRICE

CALZONES TOPPING Photo by Peter James Zielinski

I remember mama: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The La MaMa Cantataâ&#x20AC;? gives musical praise to the late, great Ellen Stewart.

Just Do Art! COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER

THE LA MAMA CANTATA Most people have one good book in them. By the time she left this mortal stage (on January 13, 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at the age of 91), Ellen Stewart had over 3,000 theatrical productions to her name â&#x20AC;&#x201D; having nurtured theater, dance, performance art and music as founder and artistic director of La MaMa (currently celebrating its 50th anniversary season). Writer and composer Elizabeth Swadosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new theater work pays tribute to La MaMaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mama, by presenting a musical journey through Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and times. The text is taken from Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own word as well as those who knew her well.

A cast of 18, accompanied by a piano and percussion ensemble, bring the story to life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and what a story. Arriving in New York (via Louisiana, via Chicago), Stewart spent her early years as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then found herself, in 1961, in the improbable position of being a woman of color determined to open a theater â&#x20AC;&#x153;dedicated to the playwright and all aspects of the theatre.â&#x20AC;? In the process, she distinguished herself as one of a very few creative types responsible for creating what came to be known as the Off-Off Broadway movement.

At the November premiere of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The La MaMa Cantata,â&#x20AC;? our own Martin Denton (a regular contributor to this paper, and editor of nytheatre.com) declared, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like the best works at La MaMa over the years, the CANTATA is a dazzling showcase of diversity and imagination. The cast is alarmingly talented. They communicate Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words, commentary for her collaborators, along with passages from St. John and Corinthians to honor Ms. Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual side with passion and joy. Swadosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; score is magnificently varied, and filled with emotion.â&#x20AC;? Such high praise from Denton (an enthusiastic theatergoer, but no light touch), plus the long shadow cast by Stewart, is more than reason enough to clear your crowded holiday calendar.

At 7:30pm on Thurs., Dec. 29 and Fri.,

Dec. 30 (the Dec. 30 performance will be live-streamed, and features a post-show talkback with the cast and creator). At the Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. 4 St., btw. Bowery & Second Ave.). For tickets ($25; $20 for students/seniors), call the La MaMa box office at 212-475-7710 or visit lamama.org.

SALADS

0OTATO %GG

%GGPLANT 0ARMIGIANA

-EATBALL 0ARMIGIANA

6EAL #UTLET 0ARMIGIANA

'RILLED -ARINATED #HICKEN

#HICKEN -OZZARELLA ,EMON )TALIAN 0HILLY #HEESE 3TEAK

HOT PLATES CHICKEN %GGPLANT 0ARMIGIANA #HICKEN 0ARMIGIANA #HICKEN -ARSALA

#HICKEN &RANCAISE #HICKEN 3ORRENTINO

6EAL -ILANESE OR 0ARMIGIANA 6EAL -ARSALA

#HICKEN 2OLATINI

VEAL

(OUSE 3ALAD

#AESAR 3ALAD

'RILLED #HICKEN

3PINACH 3ALAD

'REEK 3ALAD 0ASTA 3ALAD #AESAR WITH #HICKEN

SELECTION OF APPETIZERS, SOUPS & SIDES SEE FULL MENU

ROLATINI

SEAFOOD

&RIED #ALAMARI APPETIZER 3HRIMP 3CAMPI

#ALAMARI ,INGUINI RED SAUCE 'RILLED 3ALMON

* Prices may vary

7E 3PECIALIZE IN #ATERING ,ET US CATER YOUR NEXT PARTY Â&#x2C6; 9OUR PLACE OR OURS

'REENWICH 3T s -ON 7ED AM PM s 4HUR 3UN PM AM

ACCIDENTALLY, LIKE A MARTYR Playwright Grant James Varjas imbued his latest endeavor with an unmistakable ring of truth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by imbibing, dishing and learning valuable life lessons at an East Village watering hole very similar to the old school dive which serves as the setting for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Accidentally, Like a Martyr.â&#x20AC;? Back in the day, Varjas spent his wonder years as a budding gay man by logging countless hours at The Boiler Room (still going strong at 86 E. 4 St., btw. 1st and 2nd Aves.; boilerroomnyc.com).

Decades later, extended families are still being formed at your local gay bar â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young bucks are more likely to be found raising a glass alongside straights and finding their casual kicks with the help of a smartphone app instead of that second Happy Hour drink. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Martyrâ&#x20AC;? is more concerned with the former rather than the latter. In 90 minutes (with a few flashbacks to 2007 thrown in), a group of gay men spend a pivotal winter evening hunkered down in their favorite bar, grappling with life and aging in the 21st century.

The cast includes Keith McDermott (who was the young male lead opposite Richard Burton in the original Broadway production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Equusâ&#x20AC;?) and Brett Douglas (â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Play About the Naked Guyâ&#x20AC;?).

Through January 8. Thurs. through Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at 3pm; Mon. at 7pm. At Paradise Factory (64 E. 4th St., btw.

Bowery & Second Ave.). For tickets ($18; $15 for students and seniors), call 212352-3101 or visit ovationtix.com. Also visit othersideproductions.org.

Continued on page 22

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

20

CLASSIFIEDS

www.thevillager.com

sea Chelnow

downtown

www.chelseanow.com

ÂŽ

express www.downtownexpress.com

DEADLINE WEDNESDAY 5:00 PM MAIL 515 CANAL STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013 TEL 646-452-2485 FAX 212-229-2790 VACATION RENTAL French Riviera, Charming Townhouse. Location: le Bar sur Loup (10 Kms Grasse, 25 Kms Nice), France.

Breathtaking views, 2 BM, 2 Baths, LR, DR, EIK. $1250/wk. Turn key furnished.

Photos at www.vrbo.com/268911.

(941) 363-0925

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE New Ren. Hitching Post Tavern and Inn Feat. Bar, Din Rm, Owners Apt., Guest Rms. Estab. in Catskill Mts intrsect. of 2 st hwys Min to ski, golf,st pks,Call 607-434-6382 Beach Front Property for Sale in Costa Rica Costa Ricaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South PaciďŹ c Coastline is the hottest area of Central Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest growing economy. This rare and stunning property -- there are very few available beachfront properties in Costa Rica -- is ideal for large or small scale beach front private development. It offers stunning views of CaĂąo Island and is an hour-long, astoundingly beautiful shoreline walk to Ballena National Park. It includes great infrastructure (electricity, water) and American style highway access.

The property is located less than one hour from an International Airport that is currently under development or a 4 hour drive from the capital city of San Jose.

We are offering the property in whole or in parcel with prices starting at $150,000.

Call 727-678-1298; from within Costa Rica call (506) 8860 5501 (Costa Rica); by email danymop@gmail.com or didier. rodriguez.dr@agrocosta.net.

I AM LOOKING TO BUY Brooklyn condo wanted 2 bedroom/2 bath, high ceiling, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Park Slope.

Email details/photos to mykonos55@yahoo.com

CLASSES

FINANCIAL

DENTIST

BPA & MERCURY FREE

! "#$

#

&RPPHUFLDO /RDQ &RPSHWLWLYH 5DWH &'V /RZ IHH :LUH 7UDQVIHUV /RZ 0LQLPXP %DODQFH IRU &KHFNLQJ 6DYLQJV $FFRXQW &RPPHUFLDO 5HVLGHQWLDO 0RUWJDJH

0RQGD\ Âą )ULGD\ D P Âą S P 6DWXUGD\ Âą 6XQGD\ D P Âą S P 7KH %DQN RI (DVW $VLD 8 6 $ 1 $ 0HPEHU RI %($ *URXS

ATTORNEYS

Write Right!

Essays, Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis, doctoral dissertations, manuscripts of any and all sorts, in private sessions with editor, widely published ďŹ ction writer, newspaper feature writer, and college English teacher for twenty years with Ph.D. 646-234-3224

SHAPIRO, BEILLY & ARONOWITZ LAW FIRM Specializing in injury, discrimination,overtime, labor 225 BROADWAY, NYC 10007 TEL 212-267-9020 FAX 212-608-2072

SOHO - Manufacturing space.

Ideal for service, industrial. Ground ďŹ&#x201A;oor 5.750 sq ft plus basement $70/sf Call 212-944-7979

COMPUTER SERVICES PERSONAL COMPUTER SERVICES Reliable!

Repairs, upgrades, installations, troubleshooting, instruction, custom-built PCs and consulting.

Older PCs serviced 212-242-7221

HOME IMPROVEMENT Wall Women Painting & Plastering Over 25 yrs experience. Located in Chelsea area. Excellent References.

Free estimate Call 212-675-0631

Helping our kids stay safe, healthy and smart

%UDQFKHV &DQDO 6WUHHW 1HZ <RUN WK

$YHQXH %URRNO\Q 0DLQ 6WUHHW )OXVKLQJ

WRITING HELP

COMMERCIAL SPACE

Non-invasive dentistry for kids!

Dr. Lewis Gross, D.D.S. Dr. Lewis Gross, D.D.S. www.holistic-dentists.com | Tribeca, New York www.holistic-dentists.com | Tribeca, New York

You Saw It...

You Read It...

And so did thousands of our Readers.

To advertise call 646.452.2496

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

21

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

22

Just Do Art! Continued from page 19

MATERIAL WITNESSES: NEW WORK FROM THE MANHATTAN QUILTERS GUILD A welcome, unique and overdue addition to the Chelsea gallery scene, The ArtQuilt Gallery NYC continues to make the case for the aesthetic merits (and artistry) of quilting. Their latest exhibit, “Material Witnesses: New Work from the Manhattan Quilters Guild,” showcases work from 21 members of The Manhattan Quilters Guild (a 31 year old professional association of art quilters based in NYC). The Guild’s urban roots can be seen in their chosen subject matter (jury duty, subway construction, legal injustice, crime scene investigation and abstract images of our skyline are all accounted for here). Next up at the gallery: Paula Chung’s “Painting with Fiber: Florals” runs from January 24 through March 4. Then, Sue Benner’s “Walking Through Time” runs from March 20 through April 28.

Through Jan. 7, at The ArtQuilt Gallery NYC (133 W. 25th St., btw.

Sixth and Seventh Aves.), Hours: Tues. through Sat., 11am-6pm; Sun. and Mon., by appointment. For info, call 212-807-9451 or visit artquiltgallerynyc.com.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Diana Goulston Robinson’s “The Looking Glass,” from ArtQuilt Gallery NYC’s “Material Witness” exhibit.

FILM: PRINCE OF THE HIMALAYAS The Rubin Museum of Art, The Shakespeare Society and Asian CineVision present the U.S. premiere of “Prince of the Himalayas.” Filmed entirely in Tibet, theater and film director Sherwood Hu’s high-altitude take on “Hamlet” is set in ancient times, under the shadow of the Himalayas. That location alone (a rare sight on American cinema screens) brings an epic scope to the proceedings. Factor in Hu’s eye for lavish costumes, painterly framing and historical

Photo courtesy of the filmmakers and Rubin Museum of Art

High altitude “Hamlet.” See “Prince of the Himalayas.”

Roses, Stripes, Skulls and Hearts.....

100% wool accessories.

histrionics and a good time is guaranteed for all. Well, as good a time as one can have, given the tragic arc of “Hamlet.” Described in the film’s press as “the proto-typical tale of oedipal anxiety, or of the terrifying possibilities of taking action in the social world,” this new cultural take on the melancholy Dane will, in all likelihood, be worth coming out of your winter cave for.

Screenings on Wed., Dec. 28/Jan. 11 at 7pm; Fri., Dec. 30 at 7/9:30pm; Mon., Jan. 2 and Sun., Jan. 8 at 3:30pm; Wed., Jan. 4 at 7pm; Sat., Jan. 7 and 14 at 3:30/6pm.

For tickets ($12; $5 student rush), call 212620-5000, x344 or visit rmanyc.org/prince.

Museum admission included with purchase of ticket. at Rubin Museum of Art (150 W. 17 St., btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.).

a few punchlines of his own. It’s all part of a good (albeit not 100 percent clean) “wild night of outsize LOLGBT hilarity.”

Wed., Jan. 4, at 8:30pm. At Gotham Comedy Club (208 W. 23rd St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Cover: $20, with 2-drink minimum. For reservations, call 212-3679000. Visit gothamcomedyclub.com and homocomicus.com.

HOMO COMICUS

shopbutternut.com Gently felted for warmth.

Your indefatigable host Bob Montgomery — that somewhat twisted but lovable den mother of queer comedians — has put together what reads on paper as yet another stellar roster of his long-running LGBT-themed comedy series. The first “Homo Comicus” of 2012 will feature Jackie Hoffman (currently starring in “The Addams Family” on Broadway), Nashvillebased Peter Depp (star of Sundance Channel’s original series “Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys”), local club and cabaret star Bianca Del Rio (from Logo’s “One Night Stand-Up: Dragtastic New York”) and Jackie Monahan (star of the recent film “Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same”). Between sets, Mr. Montgomery keeps your funny bone lubricated as he pulls

Photo is by Liz Liguori

Jackie Monahan will assault the mic, and your sensibilities, at “Homo Comicus.”

downtown express

23

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

As V.C.F. deadline looms, decisions must be made Continued from page 1 those who drop their lawsuits in order to apply for V.C.F. money could be taking a gamble if they’re among those hoping that cancer and other 9/11-related illnesses not currently covered by the V.C.F. are not eventually added to the legislation, according to Sean Riordan, an attorney for the FealGood Foundation who has been assisting V.C.F. claimants in the application process.

“I think it’s an incredibly difficult choice,” said Riordan. “While we’re hopeful the V.C.F. will add cancer at a later date, the fact of the matter is, we have no way of saying it definitively will be added.”

V.C.F. attorneys such as Michael Barasch insist that winning a V.C.F. award is more realistic than winning a lawsuit against the city. “The law suit is a very tough case — you have to prove the city is negligent,” said Barasch.

“It’s much more in their interest to withdraw their lawsuit against those claims and file under Zadroga,” echoed V.C.F. attorney John Dearie. “The reality is, most of the defendants… probably have minimal liability and not much insurance to cover [individual claims].”

Paul Napoli, who has negotiated more

than 10,000 workers’ claims against New York City, argued that it’s worth sticking out the pending litigation, particularly since he believes federal judge Alvin Hellerstein will be resolving the majority of the remaining cases in the next two years.

“Now that the volume [of lawsuits] is diminished, it shouldn’t be a problem for the court to be able to complete discovery and start scheduling trials within the next year,” said Napoli. “I think they’ll start next week, quite frankly.”

However, T.J. Gilmartin, a 9/11-recovery worker who won $12,000 in the 2010 settlement against the city, said he is dubious about the length of time for these and other such 9/11 cases to be settled. “[The first settlement] took seven years,” said Gilmartin, who has struggled financially since he was forced into retirement due to poor health in 2008.

“I can’t sit here and wait for another lawsuit — I could be dead in seven years.

The V.C.F. has a timeline, so at least I can plan what’s left in my life to do.”

V.C.F. VETTING PROCESS TO BEGIN IN 2012 So far, Special Master Sheila Birnbaum has received upwards of 1,700 completed registrations. Less than 100 indi-

viduals, however, have already submitted eligibility forms, the first phase of the V.C.F. application. Birnbaum is organizing additional free legal clinics for the New Year, details of which will be posted on the V.C.F. website, www.vcf. gov. Her team is also working on a video for the website that will guide applicants through the application process.

“I feel like we’ve accomplished a great deal from scratch since October, [when the fund was open for registration],” said Birnbaum. “I’m very pleased with the fact that we have all the forms up on the website, and that our frequently-asked questions are getting revised for people to use.”

As she awaits the completed applications, Birnbaum is beginning to train members of a panel who will be charged with evaluating them. “We’ll begin the process as soon as we have enough forms. I think it’ll start in the next month or two, at the latest,” she said.

Asked about the one-year anniversary, Birnbaum said, “We’ll celebrate when we get our first awards out.”

Riordan, who is keeping a close eye on the program, reported that things are moving along “at a good speed.”

“There really haven’t been any major setbacks at this point,” said Riordan, who is not expecting more than 20,000

individuals to apply for V.C.F. money.

“Really, you need to have severe impairment to get into the fund.”

Dearie has accrued approximately 175 applications thus far. The most common illnesses, he said, have been gastroesophageal reflux disease and sleep apnea.

“There are some indications the number will jump fairly significantly over the next couple of months as the filings get started,” said Dearie.

While the application process is straightforward, making a compelling compensation case requires an “awful lot of substantiation,” according to Dearie. “It’s a moderately comprehensive and complex document to put together.

Anyone who does it alone is at their own peril.”

Barasch, who has heard from approximately 1,200 potential V.C.F. claimants thus far, said he’s in no hurry to submit the claims. “Whether you apply now or apply a year from now, you’ll get the same [total] amount of money in five years for the same injuries,” he said. “So you might as well take your time and do it right.”

“There’s no need to hurry the process,” affirmed Birnbaum. Full V.C.F. payments, she noted, won’t be made until 2016, after all the claims are filed. “They have five years to file.”

Early Music for the Christmas Season

bach at one

st. paul’s chapel, 1pm

the theatre of early music

Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra J.S. Bach

December 28 at 8pm, Trinity Church

Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio)

uno + one

Parts IV & V: January 2 Part VI: January 6

Secular music of Monteverdi and his contemporaries TENET December 30 at 7pm, Trinity Church

historia der geburt jesu christi

concerts at one

Heinrich Schütz Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra December 29 at 1pm, St. Paul’s Chapel

Virtuosi Italiani: the florid style of Monteverdi and Handel Les Sirènes January 5 at 1pm, Trinity Church

vespers of 1640

epiphany service

Claudio Monteverdi & Giovanni Gabrieli Green Mountain Project January 3 & 4 at 7pm, St. Jean Baptiste (Lexington Avenue at 76th Street)

All Are Welcome Bach at One and Concerts at One events are free. Offerings accepted.

January 6 at 6pm, Trinity Church Tickets for other events at trinitywallstreet.org/tickets or 212.866.0468.

Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall Street St.Paul’s Chapel, Broadway and Fulton Street

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

trinitywallstreet.org · 212.602.0800

downtown express

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

24

35 T H A N N I V E R SA RY E X H I B I T I O N

CROSSI NG LI N ES: TH E MANY FACES OF FI BER THROUGH FEB 19

ALL EVENTS ARE

TUE-SUN, 12-4PM (CLOSED DEC 24, 25, 31 & JAN 1) COURTYARD GALLERY

F R E E! MUSIC FRI, JAN 6, 8PM WINTER GARDEN

N EW YORK GUITAR FESTIVAL

220 VESEY STREET (BETWEEN WEST ST. & NORTH END AVE.)

MUSIC

KNICKERBOCKER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA SAT, JAN 14, 7PM WINTER GARDEN

CO M M U N I T Y

WINTER

WORLD FI NANCIAL CENTER I N TH E LOOP

JAN 20, FEB 17 & MAR 16, 12–2PM

2012

COURTYARD (ACROSS FROM STARBUCKS)

DA N C E, M U S I C , A RT S & C R A F T S SAT, JAN 28, 1PM

DESIGN: THINK STUDIO, NYC

IMAGE COURTESY OF NASA

WINTER GARDEN

N EW YORK CH I N ESE CULTURAL CENTER

SILENT FILMS / LIVE MUSIC

BI LL MORRISON: A MODERN MASTER OF SI LENT FI LM

JAN 31–FEB 3, 7:30PM WINTER GARDEN

T H E AT E R

ArtsWorldFinancialCenter.com

N EW YORK CLASSICAL TH EATRE TUE–SUN, ALL SHOWS AT 7PM FEB 4–17 (OPEN REHEARSALS) FEB 21 & 22 (PREVIEWS) FEB 23–26, FEB 28–MAR 4, & MAR 6–11 (PERFORMANCES) WINTER GARDEN

Facebook.com/ArtsBrookfield Twitter.com/ArtsBrookfield

ARTS WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER IS SPONSORED BY

ARTS WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER IS SPONSORED BY

MUSIC

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU MON, FEB 13, 7:30PM WINTER GARDEN