AUGUST 14, 2014 DOWNTOWN EXPRESS

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 5

AUGUST 14-AUGUST 27, 2014

QUICK ROAD FROM WALL ST. TO NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC WINNER

BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C

F

victory over Delaware on Aug. 3.

However, the next day their bats got heavy as New Jersey chipped away at an early 2-0 deficit and emerged the victory in the 4-2 contest.

There is no higher tournament than the state level for 11u softball so the team’s season ended with the championship.

The two post-season runs represent progress from three years ago, according to Chris O’Mara, father to twins Ava and Morgan O’Mara on the 14u team. Back then, he and other local parents saw the version of softball available to their daugh-

inancial Distr ict resident Max Taylor decided to enter a photo contest for the first time — and won, beating out over 30,000 submissions.

“It is kind of still settling with me,” the 25-year-old photographer said.

T he # ItsA ma z i ng O utT here national contest was sponsored by the Weather Channel and Toyota. Taylor was checking out the Weather Channel website for lightning strike updates when he saw the call for photos and submitted three images.

The winner titled “An 8 Meter Whale Shark Glides Through a School of Jacks” showcases the shark swimming away and surrounded by jack fish in the stark blue water of the Andaman Sea off Thailand’s coast.

The barracudas and jack fish “were so dense, you couldn’t see the surface,” said Taylor, as he described his underwater photo expedition that he took with his father, a former professional photographer.

He saw two eyes coming at him and was getting as nervous as the massive shark, whose spots in photos he described looked like “runway lights,” passed three feet away from him.

“He took my breath away,” said the Seattle native, who started diving when he was 16, mostly in the Puget Sound.

Continued on page 12

Continued on page 15

Downtown Express photo by Zach Williams

Seven members of the Downtown Little League’s two state championship teams including three of the seven sets of sisters (L-r): Grace Kirwin, Jamie Morrison, Zoe Morrison, Brooke Kirwin, Morgan O’Mara, Sophia Marino and Ava O’Mara.

Sisterly love & sibling rivalry helped fuel Downtown’s success

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B Y Z A CH WI L LIA MS

any a boy and girl plays a backyard ballgame with a sibling, fantasizing about winning a championship if only fate would eventually permit. For two Downtown Little League softball teams though, that’s the reality for not one, but seven sibling sets.

The sisterhood of two state championship teams — one comprised of girls 11 and under (11u), and the other 14 and under (14u) — is just one of the stories behind the emergence of Downtown youth softball as a regional powerhouse.

Since parents began strengthening the offerings of the girls-only sport

three seasons ago, this league of their own has evened the playing field long tilted towards the boys, and the results are in.

“It was pretty crazy because we are from Manhattan and when you go to tournaments they underestimate you,” said Grace Kirwin, one of the state champs whose older sister, Brooke, plays on the 14u team.

For the first time, a 14u Downtown team represented the state at the Eastern Regional tournament, the last round before nationals. However, an early loss in the tournament put Downtown at a disadvantage. They staved off elimination with an offensive-driven 10-7

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Police fun and gratitude Downtown Set against the sunset over the Hudson, local organizations and officials joined the community to honor Lower Manhattan’s cops at the First Precinct’s National Night Out Against Crime on Battery Park City’s esplanade Aug. 5. Proclamations were presented to Captain Brendan Timoney (at right in right photo), commanding officer of the precinct, and Captain Anthony Carter, commanding officer of Transit District 2, marking the only serious part of a lighthearted evening with many activities for children. Not shown, but also attending were Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Sen. Daniel Squadron, and Councilmember Margaret Chin.

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Eight Injured in Tribeca fire credit card, he asked for a receipt.

An employee swiped the card again using a device that fit in the palm of his hand.

Suspicious, the customer asked for the manager, who said the store did not use the device to issue receipts. The employee was arrested, but police did not release his age.

KEYS GIVEN TO CAR THIEF Police say a parking lot attendant unwittingly aided a car thief who was given the keys to a new $82,000 car just after midnight on Fri., Aug 1.

The suspect, Dae Do, 20, claimed to have lost his ticket when he got the car in the early a.m. from Alliance Parking Lot at the corner of Canal and Greene Sts. He made off with a 2014 black Audi two-door car. The vehicle was damaged the next day when Do was stopped for speeding

by New Jersey state troopers, who arrested him, which was first reported by DNAinfo.com.

The victim is a 45-year-old Upstate woman, who had parked the car for three days. When she returned to pick it up Friday night, she was told the car was gone.

BURGLAR STEALS WATCHES WORTH $20,000 A Soho man lost $26,000 worth of possessions after someone apparently climbed through a ground-floor back window sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Fri,, Aug. 1. The most valuable item taken from the home on Prince St. between Thompson St. and W. Broadway was a $12,000 Breitling watch, but the 27-year-old victim also lost an $8,000 Tag Heuer watch, a $5,000 bike, a Mac laptop and an iPad. The man returned from work to find his front door and back door open.

SAFE SURPRISE After breaking into Soho’s Union Bar and Kitchen on 300 Spring St. and ripping out the safe, a burglar may have been disappointed to find no money in it. A DVR for the security camera system was also stolen.

The employee who reported the crime said it must have occurred sometime on Sunday, Aug. 10 while the restaurant was closed. It is unknown when and how the thief gained entrance.

CLIPBOARD KERFUFFLE Two men got into an argument that turned violent on the northeast corner of Sixth Ave. and Spring St. in Soho on Sat., Aug. 9 at 5:20 p.m. Police said the men were arguing over work tools, when one of them hit the other with a metal clipboard, landing it above the 39-yearold man’s right eye and causing a laceration.

The man who wielded the clipboard fled and the other was taken to Lenox Hill hospital.

No arrests were made.

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Downtown Express photo by Josh Rogers

Cars parked at the Alliance Parking Lot, the site of a car theft earlier in the month.

Memorial discovered Fri., Aug. 8. At 8:30 p.m. that his wallet had been snatched from his back pocket. Eight unauthorized charges had been made at such varied places as Urban Outfitters, Starbucks, and Radio Shack — totaling over $1,200. The man had last seen his wallet at a shoe store near 81 Broadway and did not know if the crime occurred at the memorial.

BARISTA ARRESTED On Sat., Aug. 9, a man who ordered a coffee at Starbucks at 38 Park Row in FiDi got a little more than he bargained for when he tried to pay.

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There is no way to know if the thief ever got to “Thou shalt not steal,” but either way it does not appear to have led to redemption since he or she is still at large with a stolen bible.

Police say someone stole a purse containing the bible at the McDonald’s at 52 Fulton St. on Thurs., July 31 at 3 p.m. The victim, a 53-yearold woman, placed the purse next to her while she was eating, and did not notice it was missing until she got up to leave. She also lost $240, a Medicaid and other ID cards, keys, some medications, in addition to the Good Book, which was valued at $38.

One attendant at the scene this week said it was his first day on the job and he had not heard about the crime. Anther worker said he was on vacation when it happened and could not comment.

Twenty-five firefighter units responded to a fire at Independence Plaza North at 310 Greenwich St. in Tribeca at 8:40 p.m. Sunday night, according to the New York City Fire Department.

There were eight injuries, including one firefighter, and five people were taken to the hospital for treatment. Three people were injured but refused medical attention.

The fire that started on the fifth floor of the 39-story apartment building Aug. 10, was under control by 10:25 p.m.

“I could smell the smoke in our apartment,” said Cristina Garcia-Coleman, 34, a lifelong resident of the complex whose apartment is on the 27th floor. She tried to leave but was unable go further down than three flights because the smoke was too intense.

Jay Paltoo, 33, another lifelong resident, was not there when the fire occurred, but noticed its consequences. “The elevator smelled like burnt plastic,” said Paltoo, who resides on the 30th floor.

It may have been a rubbish fire, according to the F.D.N.Y, but the cause is still under investigation.

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5

Tribeca artists still hoping to keep their homes

No degree, no problem in the tech industry

BY ZAC H WI L L I A M S Residents of 67 Vestry St. have not given up on efforts to preserve their homes in an 117-year-old former warehouse in Tribeca.

Although efforts to landmark the building fell short in the spring, a handful of options remain for the tenants, including challenging the permit process and working through local elected representatives.

Owner Aby Rosen received approval from the city Dept. of Buildings on July 22 for an 11-story building, which would replace the current structure, should demolition permits eventually be acquired. However, no such application has been received by D.O.B., according to department records.

In the meantime, residents are examining their legal options, including possible grounds for appealing the approved building design with the help of Borough President Gale Brewer.

There is also talk about expanding the Tribeca North Historic District to accommodate 67 Vestry St. — which lies just outside the current district boundaries — with the incoming

BY ROSA KI M Melissa Carbone never imagined she would grow up to be a software engineer.

“I was always telling myself that I had to be good at math and that I wasn’t the kind of person who could code. That kept me away from the field,” she said. “Until I realized that I was sitting in front of a computer all day anyway and I might as well be creating something.”

Carbone, 30, is now a junior software engineer at a start-up called Intent Media, one of 688 tech businesses in Lower Manhattan according to the Downtown Alliance. She is a licensed mental health counselor in New York, and before becoming a software engineer, she worked as an applied behavior science specialist with adults with developmental disabilities and as an assistant director at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. Carbone said she wasn’t fulfilled at these organizations where staff were often overworked and underpaid.

“I was tired of working in envi-

Landmarks Preservation Commission chairperson Meenakshi Srinivan, according to Jacqueline Miro, a 16-year resident of the building. She added that a date for such a meeting has yet to be set due to scheduling conflicts.

“It’s not an easy building to pull down,” she said on Aug. 10. “It’s got history. It’s got force and it’s got unmovable tenants.”

A previous effort to have the city Landmarks Commission re-examine its prior decision was not successful.

Robert Tierney, outgoing chairperson of the commission, reiterated the reasoning behind the board’s prior decision not to landmark the building, in a June 1 letter to Community Board 1.

“Though the property’s history as the first large, purpose-built warehouse of the A&P Company and as an example of the work of architect Frank Dinkelberg does not altogether lack merit, there are numerous more intact buildings within the Tribeca historic district that encapsulate this area’s warehouse history,” Tierney wrote.

Alterations made in 1910 added two

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

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

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August 14-August 27, 2014

Downtown Express photo by Zach Williams

Residents including many artists at 67 Vestry St. are hoping to keep their homes although the city recently approved plans for a new building at the site.

floors, diluting the historical value of the building, Tierney added.

The nine-story building, though, is one of the few remaining warehouses along West St., said Miro, an architect.

Its role in the advent of reinforced concrete within the American architectural canon further distinguishes it from other former warehouses which utilized more primitive materials, according to Miro.

More recently, the building housed some of the artists, including Andy Warhol, who would transform Tribeca during the ‘70s and ‘80s from a grimy industrial area into a ritzy residential neighborhood. Now the neighborhood ranks among the most affluent in New York City — making it prime territory for the expansion of real estate portfolios in the booming local market.

According to the plans approved

by D.O.B., the new building would be 134 feet high and have 42 residential units.

“I love Old Tribeca, There’s not much left,” said Orshi Drozdik, an artist and longtime resident of the building.

Fifteen out of 23 units within the building remain occupied, according to Miro. However, the remaining residents fall into two categories, she acknowledged: longtime residents inclined to fight displacement, and a “less enamored” group of residents who are more open to negotiation, or who are just sick of fighting a well-connected landlord and “endless construction” work.

Among them was one resident who said he received a buy-out offer from

the landlord, though it was “not in writing.” The 15-year resident added that he expects Rosen to eventually prevail in acquiring all the necessary permits to construct the building. A “reasonable” offer would convince him to leave, said the resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said it could affect negotiations.

Other residents said they were not sure what to do. While they would prefer to stay, the nature of rental properties means that their homes were always owned by someone else, such as now with Rosen. Only the one resident said he has received an offer from the landlord, among five residents interviewed for this article.

Rosen representatives did not respond to several phone messages requesting comment.

Now is the critical juncture as residents search for final options, as Rosen prepares for the next step in the construction process. What will happen next, no one knows, said Miro.

“What will come first — the egg or the hen? We do not know,” she said.

For now, Drozdik said she will enjoy the building with a wide roof ripe for wine sipping, as much as possible.

Miro said the “gregarious” community within the building has been a place where people can remain the same even as their once gritty loft apartments became another target of local development.

“I have no idea,” said Drozdik when asked where she would go if she lost her apartment. “So I just want to enjoy it as long as I can live here and hope that [Rosen] cannot demolish it.”

DowntownExpress.com

ronments where most employees, including myself, were unhappy with their jobs,” she said. “I burnt out really quickly. I wasn’t really using the skills that I had learned in school. I wanted to look forward to going to work everyday and I knew that the only way I could make that happen was to make a dramatic change in my career.”

A year ago, she decided that it was time to make that change and enrolled in a coding boot camp called Launch Academy in Boston.

For three months, she spent six days a week, ten plus hours a day learning how to code.

Carbone is one of many career Downtown Express photo by Rosa Kim changers in the tech industry with no formal computer science back- Melissa Carbone, left, and Krystle Bates, are two of many Downtown workers ground who left another profession who came to the tech industry from different fields. to become a software engineer, web, or app developer. She said at “You can be someone who has a constantly asked by companies to Launch Academy, her classmates doctoral degree or someone who refer them to candidates with comincluded chefs, teachers, psychol- never went to college. It’s all about puter science training and there ogists, and people in finance who how much work you put into it.” weren’t enough people to meet the Dan Pickett, 30, co-founded demand. were not happy with their jobs.

“We were all serious about mak- Launch Academy with Evan Charles ing a big change,” Carbone said.T:8.75”after working in consulting. He was Continued on page 9

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7

Car speeds to drop on Bowery, Sixth Ave. & Houston

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON In the coming months, 14 more corridors — including Houston St., the Bowery and Sixth Ave. — will be added to the city’s growing number of so-called “arterial slow zones.”

The Department of Transportation announced the second batch of new arterial slow zones on Fri., Aug. 1.

The city’s first two arterial slow zones were launched in May, when it was also announced that Canal St. would become one — Downtown Manhattan’s first slow zone — by June.

In June, state lawmakers authorized the city to lower its so-called default speed limit — which is 30 miles per hour, unless signs are posted stating otherwise — to 25 miles per hour. Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law Aug. 9, and the reduction is expected to go in effect in three months.

Although the arterial slow zones will be posted with 25-mile-per-hour signs, the same reduced speed limit will soon apply to the city as a whole. The rollout of the program’s second phase was “planned months ago, long before any legislative action in Albany,” a D.O.T. spokesperson explained.

Last Friday, it was announced that the

Bowery corridor arterial slow zone, from Chatham Square to Cooper Square, will launch in November. This 1-mile-long section of roadway saw five fatalities from 2008 to 2012.

In addition, the speed on Houston St. from West St. to Baruch Place will also be reduced by 5 miles per hour starting in November. There was one fatality on the 2-mile-long cross-town boulevard during the four years ending in 2012.

ing 20 new speed bumps — set to go into effect this month.

For anyone contemplating being an arterial slow-zone scofflaw, according to D.O.T., “The locations will also benefit from increased enforcement by the N.Y.P.D., with temporary speed boards installed at key locations to alert drivers of the new speed limit.”

D.O.T. will update signal-light timing to maintain mobility along the slowed-

‘D.O.T. will make essential improvements to our most dangerous roads, which will save lives.’

Sixth Ave. for 3.8 miles, from Central Park South to Franklin St. in Tribeca, will also be an arterial slow zone as of December. There were five fatalities along this corridor in the four-year period.

Distinctive blue-and-white signs with the new lower speed limit will be put along the reduced-speed routes, and will complement the signage around new “neighborhood slow zones.” The latter designate entire communities as 20-mile-per-hour districts, such as the new Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Park neighborhood slow zone — featur-

down stretches and prevent diversions to side streets.

The arterial slow zone program is one of 63 initiatives that are part of Vision Zero, Mayor de Blasio’s initiative to prevent traffic fatalities and improve street safety.

Citywide, major traffic arteries account for 15 percent of the total road mileage but a disproportionate amount, 60 percent, of pedestrian fatalities.

Polly Trottenberg, the D.O.T. commissioner, said the arterial slow zones are “a critical and widely endorsed element of

Vision Zero.”

Speaking in June about the city’s plan to reduce its overall citywide speed limit, Trottenberg assured that driving efficiency is often “determined by the intersection far more than it’s determined by the speed on the straightaways.”

Local politicians uniformly hailed the new arterial slow zones.

“Keeping traffic flowing along our most important thoroughfares need not come at the expense of people’s safety,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “By creating arterial slow zones, D.O.T. will make essential improvements to our most dangerous roads, which will save lives.”

Councilmember Margaret Chin’s district will have three of the latest sloweddown stretches.

“I’ve heard from many constituents about the need for slower speeds on the Bowery, Houston St. and Sixth Ave., and I’m excited to see the positive impact these changes will have in our community, especially for our seniors,” Chin said.

Assemblymember Richard Gottfried added, “It’s time to slam the brakes on speeding motorists who put pedestrians at risk, and to accelerate the pace of traffic-calming measures that will increase safety.”

Tech world draws many career changers Continued from page 7

“It bothered me that there was all this demand and not enough people to fill it,” Pickett said.

According to Code.org, computer science jobs are growing at twice the rate of the national average. The site projects that by 2020, one million more jobs will exist than there are students to fill them.

Pickett believes there is something inherent about technology and the Internet that welcomes people from a wide range of backgrounds. Your ability to code has little to do with what you studied in college, he added.

“Even programs before ours, some of the best developers I knew had what I considered a non-traditional background,” he said. “There are always a good number of people who had backgrounds in finance and mathemat-

ics and lots of musicians, inspiringly enough. They take to the concept of software development easily.”

For Carbone, software engineering gives her the creative license that she had craved in her past jobs.

“It’s very empowering—you have the skills to build a website that could be anything that comes out of your head. You don’t need a cofounder and you don’t need to put your idea into somebody else’s hands,” Carbone said.

“I’ve always been drawn to creative activities like music. You get a sense of accomplishment out of that. This is just a natural extension of that for me.”

Kun Qian, an application developer for an electronic wholesale distribution company, believes that there are challenges to teaching yourself programming.

“I know people who felt that there were too many holes. It’s hard to fill all

of them. And it takes too long to do it by yourself,” she said.

But the rewards of seeing it come together after overcoming obstacle after obstacle are worth it, she said.

“It’s like dancing—you learn the moves but you eventually have to dance. In the beginning you struggle but once you put everything together you can move fluidly in this field,” Qian said.

Krystle Bates, a junior Ruby on Rails developer at a start-up called Flinja, located on 222 Broadway, was in her own words, “an all around go-to” for a boutique investment bank before she taught herself HTML and CSS using online resources such as Codeacademy.

She later attended Launch Academy to learn Ruby on Rails, an open source web application framework.

“There are all kinds of resources to help people transition. I had no idea

how to do it because I had no friends in tech, no exposure to people who developed. I didn’t know anything about it,” Bates said.

Making the decision to pursue a completely different career wasn’t easy, Bates said.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘Will I be better off or equal to where I am?’ You don’t want to be worse off. ‘Am I making the right choice? Or am I risking everything to end up with nothing?’ I wanted to make sure if I was going to take a risk, I wasn’t going to be at the same place I was before,” she said.

What drew Bates to the tech industry was the ability to make something from scratch and to be able to support a variety of causes.

“In tech, you can work for a sports company or a nonprofit and you will be making a difference,” she said.

World Trade Center Cancer Deadline Approaching National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has linked 67 cancers* to the toxi dust OCTOBER 12, 2014 IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER A CLAIM

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Please tell your friends and neighbors who lived or worked south of Canal Street between 9/11/01 and 5/20/02. Don’t let anyone diagnosed with a WTC cancer miss the deadline to register with the Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. *The most common cancers linked by the NIH and the WTCHP are cancers of the lungs, esophagus, kidneys, prostate, lymphoma, leukemia, and thyroid. Get yourself checked out!

If anyone you know were in NYC after the 9/11 attacks and have been diagnosed with any of the 67 WTC-linked cancers, there is a presumptuon by NIOSH and the WTCHP that your cancer was caused by the toxic dust.

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Downtown inspired state’s new school law

BY JOSH ROGERS Downtown school advocates have been better than the city at forecasting the growing need for schools in recent years, and now there’s a new state law requiring the New York City to adopt some of their methods.

The law, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Monday, requires the city’s School Construction Authority to consider information like birth rates and upcoming residential building construction before projecting future school needs for the five-year capital plan.

The bill was co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Sen. Daniel Squadron, two Downtown legislators who have fought for years alongside local advocates to get more schools built in Community Board 1 — where population growth over the last decade has dwarfed all other parts of the city.

Silver and Squadron praised Eric Greenleaf, a member of Silver’s School Overcrowding Task Force, for coming up with more accurate ways

Continued from page 10

Downtown Express photo by Yannic Rack

State Sen. Squadron

to predict school needs.

“The truth is Eric Greenleaf, who is a Community Board 1 resident has repeatedly done a better job of knowing what the school population of Lower Manhattan is going to be than the schools have, and that’s wrong,” Squadron said to cheers at the June Continued on page 11

C.B. 1 meeting, just after the legislation passed the Assembly and Senate.

Squadron said then that he had been working on the bill for five years, but one of the keys to success this year was that he and Silver had the support of the School Construction Authority and the City Dept. of Education. Squadron said the change in attitude was not solely due to a new mayoral administration — he and Silver made adjustments to the bill in response to S.C.A. concerns.

An official for both school agencies said in a statement prior to the bill being signed into law, “We share Speaker Silver and Senator Squadron’s commitment to reducing overcrowding in our city and are excited to continue our work with them to achieve that goal.”

But, speaking on background, the official also pushed back on the notion that the law would change what the city has been doing, saying school planners already collect information from many agencies including the departments of Buildings and

Health, and that past projections have been accurate within two percent.

While that presumably is true citywide, the norm in Lower Manhattan in recent years has been for officials to insist there was enough space, only to find kindergarten waiting lists of 100 or so in Tribeca, Battery Park City and FiDi combined.

This year the initial waiting list number was “only” 52 at P.S. 276 in Battery Park City, but that lower number was only made possible because Tribeca’s P.S. 234 took an additional two kindergarten classes, and several pre-K classes were eliminated in Lower Manhattan schools.

By June, all of the waitlisted 5-year-olds were offered seats in Downtown schools, but Greenleaf told Downtown Express then that was not a sustainable situation, given the birth rates and the extra classes this year at P.S.234.

In a press release this week announcing the law’s signing, Greenleaf said the city’s schoolchildren are the “winners” and the legislation “places a new emphasis on using

Downtown Express photo by Yannic Rack

Assembly Speaker Silver appeared last week at the First Precinct’s National Night Out event.

neighborhood-level data, and more useful data, such as building permits for new apartments and houses and mapping recent births, will help the Department of Education forecast enrollments more accurately.”

Silver has said the law should help get schools built more in line with demand, and in a statement this week said, “In my own Lower Manhattan community, families spend anxious

months with their children on waitlists that can run over 100 names only to find classrooms filled to the brim and schools far over their capacity.”

Though it took five years to pass, when it came to a vote in both houses there was only one no vote: State Sen. Greg Ball, a Republican who represents north Westchester and Putnam County.

Trinity Preschool

NURSERY SCHOOL • PRE-K • SUMMER

New location opening in the fall

Same great programs with new options for preschool and pre-kindergarten classes

The Trinity Preschool has provided excellent childcare for the Lower Manhattan community for more than 30 years. We are proud to announce the school’s new location at 50 Park Place between Church Street and West Broadway. The preschool offers a full-day program (from 8am to 6pm), year round, for children ages 3 months to 5 years. Part time enrollment for 3- or 2-days a week is subject to availability.

Join us 9am-3pm, 9am-12noon, 2pm-5pm or 8am-6pm

Call For A Visit 212-945-0088

Visit us online

bpcdaynursery.com 215 South End Ave., Battery Park City (Two blocks south of Brookfield Place)

10

August 14-August 27, 2014

Schedule a tour: 212.602.0829

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

DowntownExpress.com

August 14-August 27 , 2014

11

Sister softballers helped fuel Downtown’s titles Continued from page 1

ters as a bit underwhelming. Like many girls, they had played with the boys in baseball.

Then they saw the potential in instituting rule changes such as full windmill pitching for girls 12 and

was helped in part because a good number of interested families had at least two girls who liked softball, according to Scott Morrison, whose younger daughter, Jamie, pitched on the 11u team while older daughter Zoe played for 14u.

Some subliminal encourage-

‘You get a sense of leadership … and we are not overpowered by gender because [boys] think they’re better than us.’ under rather than the gentle underhand loft then permitted in local youth softball and giving the girls something different. While at first the teams were not so competitive against city competition, things are different now.

“We try to champion our daughters and we tried to change the league here years ago to make it more competitive and challenging,” said O’Mara.

Finding enough players for teams

ment comes in the form of team names borrowed from N.C.A.A. sports. There are the Bull Dogs [Georgetown], the Gators [Univ. of Florida] and the Crimson Tide [Univ. of Alabama].

Enrollment in Downtown Little League girls softball has increased by four-fold, according to O’Mara, with plans underway to open a teeball league next season — “the last

Learn to

Sail!

MANHATTAN SAILING SCHOOL Adult courses begin at $390. Summer camps for juniors. ǁǁǁ͘ƐĂŝůŵĂŶŚĂƩĂŶ͘ĐŽŵ ;ϮϭϮͿ ϳϴϲ-0400 12

August 14-August 27, 2014

Downtown Express photo by Zach Williams

Downtown Little League’s 11u team celebrated after winning the city championship in Manhattan last month.

piece of the puzzle,” he added.

In many little leagues across the country, girls play with the boys until the early teen years when they must play softball, a game similar but different from traditional hardball. O’Mara added that years spent playing the wrong sport can ultimately be a disadvantage for girls competing for collegiate athletic opportunities.

“I like playing with just girls a lot better because you get a sense of leadership where we can take responsibility in the game, and we are not overpowered by gender because they think they’re better than us. So it just feels good to have equality,” said Morgan O’Mara of 14u.

The Downtown Little League season has finished but that does not mean that there is not more softball to play before the next season commences. Several of the 14u players now engage in more competition through the Manhattan Mayhem tournament club, which includes players up to 18 years old.

On the field it seemed to be all business as the girls conducted drills and shagged balls during an Aug. 12 practice at the Battery Park City ballfields. Then a dropped catch or a wildly errant throw reveals that quintessentially teenage combina-

tion of amusement and embarrassment.

As many champs say, the season’s success was unexpected, according to Jamie Morrison, a younger sister who played on 11u. The role of sibling rivalry and love in motivating their championship aspirations though could not be denied

by Grace Kirwin, who had to wait a day to catch up to her older sister with a state title.

“My sister is proud of us anyways but sometimes it gets competitive,” she said.

On the eve of their state championship game versus upstate Pearl River, the score was not tied between Grace and Brooke.

Grace said, “We were talking and she said: ‘We are already state champions. You guys have your game tomorrow.’ ” Jamie had a similar experience, but her older sister Zoe thought maybe little sisters are just used to a bit of ribbing.

“My sister and I are obviously closer because we can relate to each other but it also kind of creates a competitive drive because I want to be better than her,” Zoe said. “She wants to be better than me. When we won the state championship Jamie was like: ‘thanks for putting more pressure on us.’”

DowntownExpress.com

TRANSIT SAM THURS., AUG. 14 – WED., AUG. 20 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED FRIDAY FOR FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION Last Summer Streets of 2014! If you haven’t gotten to go there, do so; it’s terrific and quiet with no cars. Centre St. will close between the Brooklyn Bridge and Foley Square and Lafayette St. will close between Foley Square and Astor Pl. (and Park Ave. all the way up to E. 72nd St.) 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Saturday. Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge will take the F.D.R. Drive or the Park Row South exit. The following crosstown streets will remain open to cars: Chambers, Reade, Worth, Canal, Broome, and Houston Sts. On the Brooklyn Bridge, all Man hattan-bound lanes w ill close 11 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m.

Friday, midnight Friday to 7 a.m.

Saturday, and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Monday through Wednesday nights.

Drivers will instead take the Battery Tunnel and Manhattan Bridge,

making for slowdowns on West St. and Canal St. In the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound tube will close midnight Friday night to 8 a.m.

Saturday morning. This will send Manhattan-bound traffic down to the Holland Tunnel.

In the Holland Tunnel, one New York-bound lane will close 11 p.m.

Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.

On West St. /Route 9A, one lane will close in each direction between W. Thames and Vesey Sts. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Two northbound lanes will close between Chambers and 59th Sts. 10 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.

Eminem and Rihanna perform at MetLife Stadium 7:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, which will jam the Lincoln Tunnel and send drivers down to the Holland.

A Stickball Classic will close Gouverneur St. between Madison and Water Sts. between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday.

T he Community Board 1 Business Expo Street Festival will

close Fulton St. between Water and Gold Sts. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

No trains at A,C,E, stations bet ween 59th St.- C olumbus Circle and Jay St.-MetroTech 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights. A trains run via the D in both directions between 59th St.-Columbus Circle and 34th St.-Herald Square, and via the F in both directions between 34th St.-Herald Square and Jay St.MetroTech. C service ends early each night. E trains run via the M in both directions between Fifth Ave. /53rd St. and 34th St.-Herald Square and via the F between 34th St.-Herald Square and the Second Ave. F station, the last stop.

FROM THE MAILBAG: Dear Transit Sam, I parked on the wrong side of the street during alternate side parking — my mistake, I have no problem paying the ticket. Problem is, I received two tickets, the second one issued ten minutes after the

first. Each was issued by a different traffic enforcement officer. Isn’t this double jeopardy? What should I do?

Jacob, New York

Dear Jacob, There is no double jeopardy for parking regulations – the law says as long as a vehicle is in violation, it can be cited. That means the second ticket is valid. I recommend you mail in both tickets, with a check enclosed for the fine of the first ticket. With the second ticket, write a letter explaining that you admit fault for the first ticket, but would like the second to be dismissed. Since the tickets were only issued ten minutes apart, you may get some leniency. You can present all this information in person too.

Write back if the second ticket isn’t dismissed.

Transit Sam Email your traffic, transit or parking questions to transitsam@ downtownepress.com.

SING WITH US! AUDITION FOR THE TRINITY YOUTH CHORUS

The Trinity Youth Chorus, the voice of youth in Lower Manhattan, will hold one-on-one auditions for children ages 10–18 at Trinity Church from September 2–5, 2014.

For an appointment, contact Melissa Attebury at 212-602-0798 or mattebury@trinitywallstreet.org.

No prior musical training or religious affiliation is required.

trinitywallstreet.org/youthchorus DowntownExpress.com

August 14-August 27 , 2014

13

Downtown Poem C O N TAC T H I G H S

BY SY SCHLEIMER

What a miracle of human sound When sharing by voice was found.

Early grunts, shrieks and groans Magically evolved into human tones.

Enabling pairs and groups to grow Into diversified societies we know, Inexorable cultural complex needs, Impelled literature and tech deeds.

The sound images of video and TV Transmitted life into homes to see Now reminisced as days of old Done in the privacy of one’s fold.

Hard to miss the lightning speed, Magnifying user and cyber feed, Social nets now sweeping the nation, Of Disembodied verbal masturbation.

PUBLISHER

Jennifer Goodstein EDITOR

Josh Rogers REPORTER

Dusica Sue Malesevic ARTS EDITOR

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

Francesco Regini RETAIL AD MANAGER

Colin Gregory

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Bill Fink Allison Greaker Mike O’Brien Rebecca Rosenthal Julio Tumbaco ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Troy Masters

SENIOR DESIGNER

Michael Shirey

Sy Schleimer is a resident of Southbridge Towers.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Andrew Gooss

Posted To

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Milo Hess Jefferson Siegel PUBLISHER EMERITUS

“SUSPECT SLASHED WOMAN IN ANTI-GAY ATTACK, POLICE SAY”

John W. Sutter

(POSTED, AUGUST 8):

Downtown Express photos by Tequila Minsky

Precise Height Discrimination PUBLISHED BY NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC ONE METROTECH SUITE 10-01 BROOKLYN NY 11201 PHONE: (212) 229-1890 FAX: (212) 229-2790 WWW.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM NEWS@DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM

Height rules the day at city pools where children of any age may enter without adult supervision as long as they are at least eight inches taller than the water’s depth. So at the shallow children’s pool in Vesuvio Playground in Soho, 3’8” is the cutoff.

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 - © 2012 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

© 2012 Community Media, LLC

14

August 14-August 27, 2014

New FiDi photographer beats out thousands in contest Continued from page 1

His photo was selected by a panel made up of three photographers and the editor-in-chief of weather.com.

Taylor, after attending the University of Washington in Seattle and graduating with a degree in finance, moved to the Financial District in the fall of 2011. He worked at a small investment advisory business.

“I’ve always loved the markets,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

At first, he did not have the same passion for photography as he did for finance, but to deal with the job’s stresses, he started running four to seven miles a day after work and noticed funny local scenes that he wanted to shoot.

“I should capture this with something better than a cell phone camera,” he said.

T hen Hurricane Sandy hit.

Taylor was without water and electricity for 25 days and said there were fish in his lobby. Six months later, he decided to leave his finance position and focus on photography.

The first serious photo he took featured Battery Park’s famed tur-

key, Zelda, in the foreground, the colors of her feathers pronounced, while a bus zoomed past her in the background.

Taylor said he likes shooting mostly at night with a long exposure and inclement weather -- his portfolio includes shots of the Brooklyn Bridge consumed by fog and a January shot of a flock of seagulls flying past the Seaport.

Along with his website, loosecanonnyc.com, he has set up a stand to sell his photographs at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side.

“It’s been a really rewarding experience. I get to hear people say ‘wow,’” he said. People also take photos of his pictures, which highlight different parts of the city such as Little Italy, the Seaport, the New York Stock Exchange, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the Lower Manhattan skyline.

With the $15,000 prize, Taylor plans on paying school loans, rent, and then using the money to travel after his lease is up in November.

He plans on returning to FiDi in the spring and perhaps set up a pop-up photo gallery.

“There is a really great community down here,” he said.

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Max Taylor, a FiDi resident, worked in finance before deciding to focus on photography.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN! GO TO OUR WEBSITE TODAY!

Some people are so ignorant. I remember years ago walking at night in the Village with a female coworker, minding our own business, and this guy began yelling anti gay slurs at us, but little did he know, we were not Lesbians! People just need to mind their own business.

Ebony

FALL SEASON 2014

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 emailed to letters@downtownexpress. com or can be mailed to 515 Canal St., New York, NY, 10013.

RECREATIONAL LEAGUE & INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES SEPTEMBER 13 TO NOVEMBER 16 BOYS & GIRLS · AGES 4-18 Taylor’s award-winning shot was taken off the coast of Thailand.

10 WEEK PROGRAM $200 PER PLAYER

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DowntownExpress.com

DowntownExpress.com

August 14-August 27 , 2014

15

Activities

EVENTS DOWNTOWN THURS AUGUST 14- WED. AUGUST 27

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Art: Come learn art with paper, clay, wood, and paint.

Ages 4 and under | Free, drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park| 10:30 a.m. – 12: 00 p.m.

EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 10/30

Art & Games: Ages 5+ | Free, drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park| 3:30-5:30 p.m.

EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 10/30

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, ny pl.org / lo c at ion s / bat ter y-pa rkcity Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; firstcome first-served.

Ages 0-18 months | Free | 11:30 a.m.

EVERY THURSDAY AT 11:30 A.M.

Bilingual birdies: Bilingual Birdies is a foreign language program for kids that will teach Mandarin (August) through live music, movement, dance, puppetry, and theatre-based games | Free | 4: 00 p.m.

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ big-city-fishing Big City Fishing: The rods, reels, bait and instruction will be provided. Beyond teaching fishing, the program also provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to learn about river ecology and the many fish species that can be found in the river.

Ages 5+ | Free | 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

16

August 14-August 27, 2014

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudsonr iver park.org /events /cmaart-outpost CMA Hudson River Art Outpost: Teaching artists from Children’s Museum of the Arts will facilitate hands-on art-making activities including an individual mixed media project and a larger-scale collaborative project, inspired by the unique waterfront environment.

All | Free | 1: 00 p.m. - 4: 00 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 FIDI FAMILIES South Street Seaport Summer Stage Fulton Street, FiDiFamilies.com Summer Fridays with FiDi Families: Every Friday in July and August, FiDi Families will present a fun, family-friendly activity and/or musical performance at the South Street Seaport Summer Stage.

All ages | Free | 10: 00 a.m.

FAMILY FRIDAY PIZZA AND MOVIE NIGHT Charlotte’s Place 107 Greenwich Street, rear of 74 Trinity Place, between Rector and Carlisle Streets, trinity wallstreet.org /events /family-friday-pizza-and-movie-night Bring the whole family to Charlotte’s at 6 p.m. for free Family Friday Pizza & Movie Night. Charlotte’s Place is a free space in Lower Manhattan. Open to everyone, it is supported and operated by Trinity Wall Street, an Episcopal parish All ages | Free | 6-7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 SUMMER STREETS Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, along Park Avenue and connecting streets, downtown rest stop at Foley Square on Lafayette between Duane and Centre Streets, nyc.gov/ html /dot/summerstreets /

html/route/route.shtml With nearly 7 miles of open streets, 5 rest stops and a seven-block-long art installation in the Park Avenue Tunnel, there is plenty to explore at Summer Streets.

All ages | Free | 7: 00 a.m. - 1: 00 p.m.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ pop-up-maker-space Pop Up Maker Space: Guided maker workshops challenge participants to design and construct projects inspired by both innovative technologies and traditional crafts.

Participants will learn from and collaborate with each other while working together to find solutions to real-world challenges. Projects will range in difficulty from lowtech to high-tech. Investigate WHY and HOW things work. Each workshop has two projects – an interactive guided lesson and a “larger than life” build, which challenges participants to adapt newly learned skills to different resources and scale.

All ages | Free | 10: 00 a.m. - 12: 00 p.m.

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ big-city-fishing Big City Fishing: The rods, reels, bait and instruction will be provided. Beyond teaching fishing, the program also provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to learn about river ecology and the many fish species that can be found in the river.

5 + | Free | 1: 0 0 p.m. - 5 : 0 0 p.m.

EVERY SUNDAY THROUGH 9/28

SEE/CHANGE South Street Seaport, southstreetseaport.com/events/ KidAround Series: Lesley and the Flying Foxes: KidAround! at the South Street Seaport is a free family event series featuring live music, story-time with characters, games and more. Why do we have eyebrows? What does a turtle singing opera sound like? These are some of the important questions Lesley and the Flying Foxes answer in their Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winning songs.

All ages | Free | 2: 00 p.m. - 4: 00 p.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 18 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, ny pl.org / lo c at ion s / bat ter y-pa rkcity Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; firstcome first-served.

Ages 0-18 months | Free | 9:30 a.m.

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ big-city-fishing Big City Fishing: The rods, reels, bait and instruction will be provided. Beyond teaching fishing, the program also provides participants with a first-hand opportunity to learn about river ecology and the many fish species that can be found in the river.

5+ | Free | 5: 00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

EVERY MONDAY THROUGH 8/25

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19

EVERY MONDAY AT 9:30 A.M.

Toddler Story Time: A librarian will share lively picture books, finger plays, and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers.

Ages 18-36 months | Free | 4: 00 p.m.

EVERY MONDAY AT 4:00 P.M.

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Play: Interactive play on the lawn. Toys, books, and play equipment provided.

Ages 4 and under | Free, drop in | Wagner Park | 10: 00 a.m. – 12: 00 p.m.

EVERY TUESDAY AT 11:30 A.M.

Picture Book Time: A librarian will read classic stories and new picture books.

All ages | Free | 4 p.m.

EVERY TUESDAY AT 4 P.M.

Children’s Basketball: Adjustable height hoops and fun drills to improve skills. Close-toed shoes required.

Ages 5+ | Free, drop in | Rockefeller Park | 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., 5-6 year olds; 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., 7 & older

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Play: Interactive play on the lawn. Toys, books, and play equipment provided.

Ages 4 and under | Free, drop in | Wagner Park | 10: 00 a.m. – 12: 00 p.m.

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudson r ive r pa rk .org /eve nt s /r iver-rangers-2014 River Rangers: Hudson River Park offers budding scientists an opportunity to learn more about the great outdoors. Hudson River Park’s environmental educators bring the opportunity to observe and explore through discovery-based science experiments and nature-inspired crafts. Hands-on learning and play activities for kids will vary from week to week and will include touch tanks, puzzles, science experiments and more.

Ages 3 – 9 | Free | 2: 00-3:30 p.m.

DowntownExpress.com

EVERY TUESDAY THROUGH 8/26

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, ny pl.org / lo c at ion s / bat ter y-pa rkcity Toddler Story Time: A librarian will share lively picture books, finger plays, and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers.

Ages 18-36 months | Free | 10:30 a.m.

FIDI FAMILIES Summer Fridays with FiDi Families see August 15

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 HUDSON RIVER PARK Big City Fishing see Aug 17

MONDAY, AUGUST 25

Soccer for Preschoolers and Elementary Schoolers: Have fun passing, shooting & dribbling!

Parks programming leaders facilitate the fun. Everybody plays!

Closed-toe shoes required.

Free, drop in | Nelson A. Rockefeller Park 2:30 – 3:15 PM, 3-4 year-olds 3:30 – 4:15 PM, 5-7 year-olds 4:30 – 5:30 PM, 8-11 year-olds EVERY TUESDAY THROUGH 10/28

HUDSON RIVER PARK Pier 25, at N. Moore. St. hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/ big-city-fishing DowntownExpress.com

SEE CHANGE Front/Row Stage, southstreetseaport.com/events/# Wednesdays with Bilingual Birdies: Free | 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Wagner Park, 212-267-9700, bpcparks.org Preschool Play: Interactive play on the lawn. Toys, books, and play equipment provided.

Ages 4 and under | Free, drop in | Wagner Park | 10: 00 a.m. – 12: 00 p.m.

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers see Aug 19 Picture Book Time see Aug 19 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play see Aug 19 Soccer for Preschoolers and Elementary Schoolers see Aug 19

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers see Aug 18 Toddler Story Time see Aug 18

HUDSON RIVER PARK Big City Fishing see Aug 19

BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play see Aug 18 Children’s Basketball see Aug 18

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 10:30 A.M.

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH 175 North End Ave, 212-790-3499, ny pl.org / lo c at ion s / bat ter y-pa rkcity Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers: Enjoy simple stories, lively songs and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers; firstcome first-served.

Ages 0-18 months | Free | 11:30 a.m.

EVERY MONDAY

EVERY MONDAY UNTIL 10/27

Big City Fishing: 5+ | Free | 1: 00 p.m. - 4: 00 p.m.

HUDSON RIVER PARK Big City Fishing see Aug 18 HUDSON RIVER PARK River Rangers see Aug 18

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26

FRIENDS OF THE HIGHLINE See Aug 19

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH Toddler Story Time See Aug 20 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Play see Aug 20 Wednesdays at Teardrop see Aug 20 Drop-in Chess see Aug 20

Wednesdays at Teardrop: Come enjoy lawn games and art projects.

Art supplies provided.

Ages 5+ | Free, drop in | Teardrop Park | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

EVERY WEDNESDAY UNTIL 10/29

Drop-in Chess: Play chess and get pointers from an expert.

Ages 5 – 15 | Free, drop in | Rockefeller Park | 3:30 – 5: 00 p.m.

EVERY WEDNESDAY UNTIL 10/24

SEE CHANGE/NY FAMILY FILM SCREENINGS South Street Seaport, southstreetseaport.com/events/ Outdoor movie screenings at the Seaport all summer long.

8: 00 p.m.

EVERY 8/27

WEDNESDAY

How a child learns to learn will impact his or her life forever.

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

Open House | City and Country

a child learns tolearn learnwill will HowHow a child learns to Please visit www.cityandcountry.org for information and application materials.

THROUGH impact his or her lifeTel:forever. impact his orNew her life 146 West 13th Street, York, NY 10011forever.

212.242.7802

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS CONSERVANCY Preschool Art see Aug 14 Art & Games see Aug 14

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22

Wednesday, November 13, from 6-8pm

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

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

Open House | City and Country

OpenWednesday, Housey|, City and Country W e d n e s d aNovember N o v e m13, b efrom r 1 96-8pm , 6-8pm Wednesday, November 13, from 6-8pm

Please visit www.cityandcountry.org for information materials.

Please and visitapplication www.cityandcountry.org for information

146 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212.242.7802 and application materials.

146 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212.242.7802 August 14-August 27 , 2014 17

FringeNYC has the classics covered

A fresh batch of usual suspects

Continued from page 18

Themes emerge among FringeNYC’s 200 shows FringeNYC THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL

A production of The Present Company Through Aug. 24 Weekdays, 2 p.m. – midnight Weekends, 12 p.m. – midnight Tickets: $18 Advance Purchase: FringeNYC.org

By Smartphone: FringeOnTheFly.com Credit Card purchase at the Box Office Cash sales only at FringeCentral (114 Norfolk St., btw. Rivington & Delancey Sts.)

B Y SC OTT STIF F L E R General Manager Christian De Gré is happy about the large dark cloud hovering over this year’s New York International Fringe Festival.

Other than its abbreviation — FringeNYC — there’s nothing smallscale about this 17-day, 18-venue East and West Village marathon of comedy, drama, music, and dance. For the 200 applicants chosen (out of roughly 800 hopefuls), being part of FringeNYC gives them a globally recognized resume credit whose implied credibility will never fade.

So why all the glum faces?

“This year, in terms of submissions,” says De Gré of the jury process, “we had a lot of shows about death and suicide.”

They include “The Most Fun Funeral,” “Fatty Fatty No Friends,” “Depression: The Musical,” “The Death Monologues,” “Clive Barker’s History of the Devil” and “Campo Maldito” — which, De Gré says, “is about ghosts and Santeria

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Photo by Rebecca Seaman

Tennessee’s Drifting Theatre company’s “Human” gives body to the unseen changeling boy character from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

priests. There’s also a lot of [shows about] bullying and abuse, so it’s darker than usual.”

Every year, notes De Gré, FringeNYC seems to have at least one recurring motif. Audiences should consider themselves lucky to find so much doom and gloom on the boards in 2014, given the alternative. “As we were doing the panel work one year,” recalls De Gré, “a Martha Stewart theme emerged.”

Happily, times have changed and the zeitgeist has shifted — so this year, you won’t see any self-satisfied residents of Connecticut demonstrating the proper technique for fashioning birdhouses out of gourds. There will, however, be another entry in the very long tradition of wringing comedy and pathos from Utah’s favorite religion.

Years before Broadway embraced “The Book of Mormon,” FringeNYC was on that bandwagon, presenting more than a few shows (some compelling, some

cringe-worthy) in which Mormons struggled with their sexuality.

At least this year’s entry, “The Mormon Bird Play,” has a legitimate claim to being original — billing itself as “a Mormon fantasia” in which “six men play little girls who become birds that manifest themselves as Mormon temple workers and pioneer women.” Oh, and also? There’s burlesque!

“The festival is reflective of the submissions,” says De Gré, in an attempt to bring some sense of logic into a juried process that would champion the supremely odd abovementioned narrative. “We find the interesting ones,” he proudly asserts, in what might be the understatement of the year.

Hey, if you want the spit, polish and safety of a Broadway production, take the train a few dozen blocks Uptown.

Below 14th Street, for two weeks in August, it’s all about embracing the edge by surfing the Fringe. Even the odd

stuff, though, tends to break down along party lines — so here are our top picks from this year’s batch of (highly unusual) usual suspects.

SHAKESPEARE ADAPTATIONS: THE NEVER-ENDING STORY “Twelfth Night” happens twice at this year’s Fringe — first, in the form of a time/space-tripping production from the Manhattan-based Helikon Rep company.

Billed as a “spinning, provocative exploration of desire,” their gender-bending production of “The Sun Experiment” has, among its three love triangles, the pursuit of Eros by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. With 10 songs inspired by the play’s opening line (“If music be the food of love, play on”), Essential Theatre Group’s “Twelfth Night” reimagines the comedic tale of shipwrecked siblings as a folk musical. A FringeHIGH (as in, high Continued on page 19

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school) production, it’s fit for consumption by all ages. Find out how director Tony Lance made Shakespeare’s text sing, when he takes part in an Aug. 12 panel discussion about stage adaptations (see the FringeU section, at fringenyc. org).

When you’re playing a character who’s feigning madness, it helps to possess a spark of genuine insanity. That’s the beautiful logic behind this farce from comedian David Carl. “Gary Busey’s One Man Hamlet” finds the off-kilter Hollywood actor using homemade puppets, videos, live music and poetry to mount his own production. The personal demons Busey injects into his melancholy Dane might just pale in comparison to the indignities suffered by “BURBAGE: The Man Who made Shakespeare Famous.” In this comedy from the Bay Colony Shakespeare Company, Richard Burbage (“the world’s first Hamlet”) sounds off on life as an interpreter of the Bard — which includes copious amounts of backstage politics and sex!

Three productions use good old Willy S. as a key ingredient or jumping off point. “Wing to the Rooky Wood” is a multi-media production by Brooklyn’s Renaissance Now Theatre & Film company, which incorporates elements of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Photographic imagery and dynamic physical gestures are used to tell the story of all three classics.

MAUS Theater of Berlin also does the mash, with “Come Thick Night,” in which a young woman’s nightmare about patricide has elements of Ingmar Bergman movies, Elvis Presley music and “Macbeth” plot points. Coming to us by way of a New Orleans Fringe run, the Elizabethton, TN-based Drifting Theatre company’s rumination on an unseen character from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is heavy on forests, fairies and fanciful backstories. “Human” fleshes out the changeling boy — here, imagined as a mortal named Kellen who must navigate a destructive, planet-endangering rift between Queen Titania and King Oberon.

WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE “Tales From Geriassic Park: On the Verge of Extinction” finds seventysomething Verna Gillis (“Her niche is DowntownExpress.com

aging!”) embracing the march of time.

It’s no wonder this gig is billed as a “One Older-Woman Reading” of a work in progress. You’d need notes too, if you had earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, spent 1972-1978 recording traditional music throughout the world, founded the American International Sculptors Symposium, developed the Poetry in Public Places initiative, and opened Soundscape — the first multi-cultural music performance space in New York City (1979-1984). You’ll hear about it all, plus get some zingers from her recently published book of one-liners (“I Just Want to be Invited — I Promise Not to Come”).

Not to be outdone in the lifelived-well department, Joan Shepard’s “Confessions of Old Lady #2” garnered four stars from the London Times. It’s a musical memoir of her long career — which goes from an age seven appearance in Laurence Olivier’s 1940 Broadway production of “Romeo & Juliet” all the way up to a recent gig on HBO’s “Girls.” Between those brackets, she was a radio Quiz Kid and a pioneer of 1950s television who founded the River Rep Theatre Company with actor husband Evan Thompson, raised two kids and had memorable run-ins with Lenny Bruce and Elvis.

She gives James Bond and Sherlock Holmes a run for their money, when it comes to successful screen adaptations — but when Margaret Rutherford was cast as Miss Marple, Agatha Christie voiced displeasure at having her unassuming spinster sleuth played by “the funniest woman alive.” As told by the solo show “Murder Margaret and Me,” Christie eventually forged a bond with Rutherford — then did some sleuthing and excavated a few dark secrets that could have been torn from the pages of a Marple mystery. Janet Prince brings the author and the actress to life, in the show’s U.S. debut (it’s been garnering raves ever since a sold-out run at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe).

SOLO SHOWS, WHOSE SCRIPTS WE’VE READ None other than Dave Chappelle — a genuine comedic genius — has declared Filipina-American character actress Nicole Maxali’s “Forgetting The Details” to be “funny, heart-warming and funny again.” The funny part comes from Maxali’s ability to add fresh ingre-

dients to a familiar solo show recipe (the old family conflict and ethnic heritage routine). The heart-warming part comes from her witty and rambunctious grandmother’s slow slide into an Alzheimer’s haze. The funny again part?

Well, that’s the good news. Maxali never really does stop finding amusing ways to mine humor from the nasty scars made by her absentee mother, pothead father and reckless youth. Neglecting her ailing grandmother while using the family as material for comedy shows, Maxali is all alone by the time she links that genetic predisposition for abandonment to her own years of isolation and rebellion. It’s a stunning realization that stays with you long after the last joke is told.

Lifting its title from a song lyric that expresses the bliss of finding crystal clarity on the FM radio dial, “No Static At All” is Alex Knox’s quest to locate his own perfect frequency — by reconstructing how an intense bond with his best high school friend, Josh, was forged and broken. When confident Josh ventures into the world only to

S

Photo by Jeanette Sears

Crowded head case: David Carl plays one guy playing all the characters, in “Gary Busey’s One Man Hamlet.”

have his mind further clouded by each new idea he embraces, Knox clings to occasional moments of contact with his fading friend — then finds comfort in the Walter Becker/Donald Fagen dynamic behind Steely Dan’s complex musical arrangements. He also sees himself in a Biblical tale of twin brothContinued on page 20

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Pitch black and poignant

Multiple solo shows, in FringeNYC

Photo by Tony Correa

Funny, in a tragic kind of way: Marianne Pillsbury and the Greek chorus cast of “Depression: The Musical.”

Continued from page 19

ers, eventually grasping at a possible connection between his own estranged relationship and a recently unearthed relic in Israel.

Writer and performer Knox is more than a conspiracy theorist throwing a pity party. He’s an introspective searcher working his way towards the realization that nobody can depend on a single band, buddy, or belief system.

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Vote of confidence: “No Static At All” won the Best Solo Performance award at the 2013 Hollywood Fringe. Bonus vote of confidence, followed by a metaphor: This show has lots of Steely Dan music — with Knox making the case for its lasting appeal, despite some acknowledged shortcomings.

Okay. Strictly speaking, it’s not a solo show. Writer and performer Marianne Pillsbury does, after all, share the stage with a Greek chorus that gives life to the multitude of voices in her head — and there are so many, they handily outnumber the amount of people on stage during the curtain call at “Les Misérables.” Now add in a few dancing prescription pills, a therapist named Joy and a recurring bit that has Pillsbury channeling Bob Newhart (by way of one-sided phone conversations with her well-intentioned but soul-crushing mom). The result, we’re happy to report, is “Depression: The Musical.”

Built on the solid foundation of a time-tested comedic device (the

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self-deprecating neurotic), writer and main performer Pillsbury graduates quickly from Woody Allen territory by functioning as more of a tart observer than a cynical nebbish. Presenting her story as a “darkly humorous but ultimately uplifting pop-rock musical about falling apart and putting yourself back together” (that’s her one-line pitch) also sweetens the pot — and then, there’s the sudden appearance of a lesbian love interest whose own baggage gives new AA member Pillsbury the self-improvement project she’s been looking for.

“When you do get some relief from fixating on yourself and everything that’s wrong with your own life, it might occur to you that you can help fix someone else!” says Pillsbury, who soon finds herself alone again and forced to take a good, long look in the mirror. Fortunately for us, her life-altering breakthrough comes in the form of a song whose title makes a pretty good mantra, no matter what your state of mental health is: “Oh, I’ve Gotta Let Go.”

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CHEMISTRY A FringeNYC Presentation Written by Jacob Marx Rice Directed by Anna Strasser Runtime: 1h 20m Aug. 16, 4:45 p.m. | Aug. 19, 2 p.m. | Aug. 22, 7 p.m.

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Between matching wits and comparing scars, Steph (holding card) finds time to get turned on by the sexy medical coverage of Jamie.

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BY PUM A PERL Picture Nick and Nora shaking martinis mixed with Prozac while sitting on the railroad tracks. That, and the program description (“a pitch black and piercingly incisive comedy”) should give you a pretty good indication of what to expect.

The one word title — “Chemistry” — is multilayered. Sharply written banter and well-delivered one-liners allow us to access the darkness of the tragedy unfolding before us, as Steph (Lauren LaRocca) and Jamie (Jonathan Hopins)

meet in a psychiatrist’s office. Thank God, the “meet cute” stereotype is avoided. Steph, a veteran of hospitalizations and suicide attempts, has become as well-versed in her understanding of pharmaceuticals as any resident on psych rotation. Jamie, who is a novice at negotiating prescriptions, diagnoses and psychiatric assessments, has recently harmed himself while, presumably, enduring a manic episode.

A relationship begins, as they match wits and compare scars. It is a casting strength that these characters are not model-perfect. Besides the rare pleasure of seeing people with real bodies, it brings the pain of living with mental illness home, reminding us of how little we know of what our friends and neighbors

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ity of a love that is healing for him, but cannot heal her.

Director Anna Strasser has made choices that allow the characters to move in and out of the simple set and occasionally break the fourth wall. Asides to the audience may consist of a cocked eyebrow, or expand to narrations and ruminations. At one point, the characters take turns providing information to the audience. This is Strasser’s one misstep.

She and the playwright have allowed the actors to trade fours like jazz musicians, so a sudden foray into an educational segment feels forced and unnecessary — especially since “Chemistry” has already increased our understanding of mental illness in a manner that’s real, poignant and funny — though not played for laughs.

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may be enduring.

Steph is adorable, funny, smart, and probably has heard all of her life that she has everything to live for. But, as she says, “I can’t wait for non-existence. I still want to die even when I’m happy.”

But, courageously, she has continued, although her hopes for herself, and the relationship, have been modified. A world that doesn’t hurt as much as it used to may be enough. Jamie, on the other hand, finds the distraction of his medication’s side effects an unbearable compromise to who he is. He cannot read, concentrate or function in the Type A way that he feels defines him. He takes himself off his meds and returns to work; Steph takes to her bed. The gifted and likable young actors display the tangibil-

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Real Estate

High Line brings high living opportunities

BY LAUREN PRI CE Intertwined neighborhoods stretching from Gansevoort Street to 34th and from Broadway to the Hudson River, the Meatpacking District, the High Line, and Chelsea are among Manhattan’s most sought after residential locales.

Before its gentrification, the Meatpacking District was just that.

By the late 19th century, this cobblestoned historic district was filled with as many as 250 meat markets and slaughterhouses. Currently, less than a dozen remain in operation. A neighborhood where Florent Morellet’s eponymous French bistro was for decades a 24/7 pioneer is now home to hot designer shops, like Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Tory Burch, and Diane von Furstenberg.

The streetscape also includes art galleries, tony clubs, and hard-to-get-atable restaurants.

The High Line represents a remarkable transformation of an abandoned strip of a freight rail line — which operated from 1930s to the ‘80s — into a beautifully landscaped

public park.

A neighborhood once dominated by 19th century brownstones and row houses has seen an explosion of midrise and high-rise rentals, condos, and co-ops, one that amped up considerably in the last decade as the High Line Park took shape. Big buildings, however, are not new to the neighborhood. Pre-wars have long been a feature there, and none is more famous than London Terrace, which occupies a full city block from Ninth to 10th Aves., between 23rd and 24th Sts. According to several real estate industry professionals, current median sale prices in the neighborhood hover around $1.9 million. Average monthly rentals range from $3,600 for a studio to about $4,500 for a two-bedroom unit.

Only minutes from the High Line, Halstead Property is currently listing a light-filled one-bedroom duplex with a south-facing terrace inside a gut-renovated Federal-style townhouse built in the 1800s. Located two flights up at 443 West 24th St. between Ninth and 10th Aves., the residence is priced at

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$1.155 million. It features a washer and dryer, hardwood floors, floor-toceiling windows, recessed lighting, custom closets, and motorized shades throughout. The reconfigured open kitchen was designed by the Italian firm of Molteni & C Dada of Soho.

A lovely three-bedroom loft is now listed for $4.285 million with Warburg Realty at 520 West 19th St. between 10th and 11th Aves. Recently renovated, it offers more than 2,000 square feet of living space. Sunny to the max, the south and north views provide excellent eyefuls of both the Hudson River and Manhattan’s skyline. Features include 10-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closets, and custom-built cabinetry in the living and dining room. The new kitchen includes a wine fridge and an adjacent washer/dryer area. With full city views on a quiet tree-lined cobblestone street around the corner from the High Line Park, Hudson River Park, Abingdon Square, and the Meatpacking District, a triple-mint studio at 354 West 12th St. between Greenwich and Washington Sts. is

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The private terrace in a one-bedroom duplex at 443 West 24th St.

the very definition of location, location, location! It has 10-foot ceilings, exposed brick, tall arched windows, beautiful woodwork, a decorative fireplace, refinished hardwood floors, and terrific closet space. The bathroom is outfitted with glass mosaic tile, a unique bronze vessel sink, and Philippe Starck-designed Hansgrohe fixtures. The building features a large landscaped common garden and has a live-in super. This co-op is priced at $430,000.

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