THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL'S KITCHEN
IT’S INEVITABLE!
CB4 Tackles Full Agenda in Short Order BY EILEEN STUKANE The Community Board 4 (CB4) full board meeting, held in the Fulton Senior Center Auditorium on March 4, did not seem rushed — but it may have set a speed record. Called to order at 6:45 p.m. and adjourned at 8 p.m., the evening (usually a two-hour-plus affair) moved at a brisk clip. Along with community news, there were notable announcements about changing faces, both on and off the board. The possible arrival of the Japanese ramen chain, Ichiran, to 123 W. 20th St. Continued on page 5
Courtesy of Clinton Housing Development Company
CRDC Hears Strong Argument for NY Health Act BY DONATHAN SALKALN Life seems to revolve around insurance companies. They’re everywhere. After Sandy, this writer even had nightmares about them. That’s what made New York State Assembly’s Chair, Committee on Health, Richard Gottfried’s “Single-Payer” discussion with the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club (CRDC) so intriguing — a plan that will eliminate health care insurance companies, with their costs and profits, from the family budget. The meeting, moderated by CRDC’s Executive Board member, Joel Vatsky, was held at Chelsea’s Elliott Center on the cold Continued on page 6
Lean and serene, Alice’s Garden (W. 34th St. near Dyer Ave.) is poised to return to the full-bloom splendor depicted above. If you’re interested in beautifying this or any of the other nearby Key Parks (or a patch of earth on the street where you live), then attend the First Annual Hell’s Kitchen Greening Summit. Sponsored by the Clinton Housing Development Company, it’s a chance to meet fellow gardeners, build relationships, share resources and plan for a brighter, greener future. Sat., March 14, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the community room of 554 W. 53rd St. Please RSVP to cultivate@clintonhousing.org or 347-236-2261.
For Video Rental, Our Alan Beats Their Algorithm BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC The fifth floor at 164 W. 25th St. holds a secret worth discovering and sharing: the resilient Alan’s Alley, a video store that recently moved to this location after 26 years on Ninth Ave. Video store. Yes, you read that correctly. But this store has something that not even Netflix’s algorithm can touch: owner Alan Sklar. Residing in his head is a cornucopia of cinema and television knowledge that he uses to recommend and inform those who continue to come to his store.
Loyal customers and corporate clients have kept the business afloat, said Sklar, 65, who sat down with Chelsea Now in his new smaller spot, brimming with DVDs. “Some people still don’t know we’re here,” he said. “We were under the impression that we [were] closing — we didn’t have a location. And so we were doing a ‘going out of business’ sale. But about ten days before we closed, we found this location.”
Continued on page 4
! k c a B We’re 1504 Old COuntry rOad, Westbury, ny 11590
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VOLUME 07, ISSUE 08 | MARCH 12 - 25, 2015
Community Activities BY SCOTT STIFFLER (submit your event to scott@chelseanow.com)
CHELSEA GARDEN CLUB MEETING With spring nearly here (finally!), it’s time once again for Chelsea Garden Club’s pre-season meeting. Strategize, compare notes, greet their newest gardeners and discuss ways to better maintain the aesthetic integrity of the side street and bike lane tree pits that CGC has lovingly adopted. Sat., March 28 at 12:45 p.m. at the rectory of St. Peter’s Chelsea Episcopal Church (346 W. 20th St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Find CGC on Facebook and at chelseagardenclub.blogspot.com.
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING EXPO As part of the City of New York’s first-ever Participatory Budgeting process, our 3rd Council District has been given $1 million from the capital budget to spend as we see fit. City Councilmember Corey Johnson’s office has been coordinating the effort — which will culminate in a pubic voting period (April 11-19). The upcoming Participatory Budgeting Expo gives you a chance to see what projects your neighbors have been developing into proposals (composting stations, park renovation and a soccer area in Fulton Houses are among the ideas on the ballot). Tues., March 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library (40 W. 20th St., btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). For more info or to get involved, contact Matt Green of Councilmember Corey Johnson’s office. Call 212-564-7757 or email him at mgreen@council.nyc.gov.
Courtesy of Chelsea Garden Club
Chelsea Garden Club member Chewy watches over the Ninth Ave. & W. 20th St. tree pit. The club’s pre-season meeting happens March 28 at St. Peter’s Chelsea.
THE 10TH PRECINCT The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The next meeting is March 25. Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245.
PI DAY OF THE CENTURY IN MADISON SQUARE PARK Reality TV may provide a powerful argument against the notion we’re living in enlightened times, but consider this: earlier civilizations looked to calendric alignment and saw portents of doom — while the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) sees it as a cause for celebration. Case in point: the crowds set to create a stunning illuminated demonstration of the meaning of pi — the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter equal to 3.141592653... (the digits go on forever without repeating). Notice anything about those initial numbers?
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March 12 - 25, 2015
Courtesy of The National Museum of Mathematics
Celebrate Pi Day with fellow math enthusiasts…and real pie! March 14, at Madison Square Park and the National Museum of Mathematics.
March 14, 2015 (aka 3.14, aka Pi Day) is particularly special, as it is the only time this century when the date will align perfectly with the first five digits in pi. To celebrate, MoMath invites you to be one of the hundreds who’ll surround Madison Square Park’s north fountain with MoMath’s shimmering, glowing light sticks (the distance around the circle can be compared to the distance across it, showing the true meaning of pi). A smaller circle within the fountain, and a larger circle outside the first, will show “the surprising and beautiful recurrence of pi” (that’s a direct quote from the Museum!). At 9:25 p.m., participants will begin the Pi Countdown to exactly 9:26 p.m. (that’s 3.14.15.9.26), followed by free hot chocolate and…pie. Attendees are encouraged to bring or sport their favorite circle or illustration of pi. If you’re the parent of a young math enthusiast who should be asleep in the p.m. hours, come to the morning Pi Day activities. Beginning at 9 a.m. in Madison Square Park, kids will
learn the real meaning of pi and count down together at 9:26 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., the Museum will open 30 minutes early for the special occasion. During regular Museum hours, visitors can participate in a number of exciting Pi Day activities, from a scavenger hunt through the exhibits to circular tic-tac-toe to pi puzzles. Guests can make pi personal by finding a unique number sequence in its infinite digits, and make pi even more delicious by using candy to estimate its value. Pi Day takes place on Sat., March 14, 8:30–9:30 p.m. at Madison Square Park’s North Fountain (26th St., btw. Fifth & Madison Aves.). MoMath is located at 11 E. 26th St. (on the north side of Madison Square Park). The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Purchased in advance online, admission is $15 ($9 for children, students, seniors). Otherwise, $1 more at the door. All Pi Day events are free, included with the price of admission. Visit momath.org or call 212-542-0566. .com
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Video Store’s Personal Touch Trumps Streaming Services
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March 12 - 25, 2015
Photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic
Proprietor Alan Sklar — in the good company of Kazan, Brando and Astaire.
Continued from page 1 Sklar had been scouring the neighborhood to find a new space, but nothing came close to what was needed — they were either too big or small or expensive. A chance meeting with the landlord’s mother led him to land the spot near Seventh Ave. But there is a huge difference between the two locations, he said. The original space, which he left in July of 2014, was at street level on Ninth Ave. between 22nd and 23rd Sts. “You don’t get walk-in traffic,” he explained. “People used to walk their dogs in the area, that type of thing. It was just a much more convenient location for more people because it was on 23rd and Ninth. You had London Terrace over there.” Another challenge is that the building management doesn’t allow him to put anything up, such as signs, for fear there will be too much foot traffic. Sklar said he tried to explain that half his business comes from corporate clientele, but to no avail. “It’s been a struggle here,” he said. “[But] we’re functioning.” However, a lot of regulars, such as Jennifer McAlister, continue to stop by, rent and chat with Sklar. “I like the personal interaction,” she said. “I like to look around.” McAlister, 44, who called herself “lofi,” told Chelsea Now she has been coming to Alan’s Alley since she moved to
the neighborhood in 1994. She recalled fondly about how when she put her laundry to dry, she would dip over to the store on Ninth Ave. just to browse. A lot of regulars, said Sklar, buy pre-pay packages: for $60, they can get 20 movies. A rental costs $4 for three nights. He has done special deals for students and teachers, extending the days if a student has a paper and needs to watch a film more than once. When customers came by, Sklar knew them by name and discussed the movies they just saw or were thinking about seeing. Alan’s Alley also offers delivery. Sklar, who has lived on 23rd St. since 1989, said he drops off rentals to London Terrace after the shop is closed for the day. “I don’t mind taking a little detour,” he said. People can also drop off their rentals next door to the former location, at Rail Line Diner (400 W. 23rd St. at Ninth Ave.), and Sklar picks them up every morning on his way to work. He says he has known the manager for about 20 years, which is how the usual drop-off point came about. He makes allowance for late returns as well and sparingly charges fees. “It’s been tough for some people to get things back in this weather,” he said. “We’re the neighborhood store. We’ve always been and it’s kind of what we’ve always done. It’s not really a big departure.”
Continued on page 11 .com
New CB4 Members to be Appointed in April Continued from page 1 was not on the board’s agenda for the evening, but it was brought up nevertheless. At CB4’s earlier Business Licenses and Permits Committee (BLP) meeting, the vote on whether to support Ichiran’s liquor license was split 5/5, requiring another meeting. Still, the issue was on the forefront of W. 20th St. resident Diana Beacon’s mind as she told the board that a 110-capacity fast food establishment should be on an avenue, not on her quiet residential side street. Bill Borock, president, Council of Chelsea Block Associations, told Chelsea Now that Ichiran representatives had been cooperative and changed their request from full liquor to a wine/beer license. But, he added, the side street location (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.) continued to pose a problem for residents and some board members. High-profile chef Mario Batali and his partner Joe Bastianich have taken over the Maritime Hotel venue La Bottega (88 Ninth Ave., at W. 17th St.). to create Maritima, a new 474-capacity Italian cuisine restaurant. On the board’s agenda was a vote on its letter to the NY State Liquor Authority (SLA) regarding the owners’ application for a liquor license. During the public session Miguel Acevedo, president, Fulton Houses Tenants Association, spoke out against approval, citing the already-existing traffic congestion in the neighborhood from Tues. to Sun., with taxis triple parked, horns honking, and Fulton residents asking “When is it going to end?” He noted that there were two schools within 500 feet, prohibiting a liquor license — but later on, CB4 chair Christine Berthet explained that there would only be a problem if a school were within 200 feet of an establishment. Acevedo also said that the owners had been asked to do community outreach and speak with him, and he had not been approached. Chelsea resident Frank Lowe supported Acevedo’s opposition to Maritima and questioned whether the restaurant fell within the SLA’s rule that a liquor license should not be granted if there are already three liquor licensed establishments with 500 feet of an applicant. Lowe repeated what is heard so often at CB4 meetings, that Chelsea residents need more services, not more restaurants .com
and bars. Berthet suggested that Lowe and anyone interested attend CB4’s Balanced Business Working Group meeting on April 21 with ideas for resolving the imbalance. That meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and takes place at the CB4 Office (330 W. 42 St., 26 Fl., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). When it came time to vote on the Maritima liquor license, the board heard from Paul Seres, co-chair, CB4’s BLP Committee, that the owners were combining the mezzanine and 2nd floor areas into one space, enclosing more of the bar area, and asking for a daily 2 a.m. closing, two hours earlier than La Bottega’s 4 a.m. Seres felt these actions signaled owner-awareness of the community. In its letter to the SLA, the board sanctioned a liquor license as long as owners abided by an agreed-to stipulation that there would be no music or amplified sound when windows and doors were open. After discussion about sidewalk traffic and the need to have ongoing communication with Maritima, Berthet added to the letter that a CB4 committee would be contacting owners for follow-up. The board then voted to approve the letter. Among the 18 agenda items requiring a vote, only two — the Maritima and the board’s support of a borough-wide resolution to crack down on illegal hotels — drew discussion. Clarification that a landlord’s use of vacant apartments for transient rentals, a use that reduces the stock of the district’s affordable housing, was at issue, not an individual’s renting of his/her co-op or condo according to building bylaws, or the renting of a room in an apartment where a tenant is also in residence. All agenda items were approved. Noteworthy is CB4’s letter to the MTA recommending improved weekday and increased weekend service on the M 11 bus on 10th Ave., a recommendation advocated in the public session by Douglas Leland, president, Manhattan Plaza Tenants Association.
COMINGS, GOINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES Diana Howard, CB4 liaison for Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, reported that Brewer’s office had received 722 applications for positions on Manhattan’s 12 community boards. Appointments will be made in April. CB4 will have a number of openings to fill. Board members Kemraj
Photo by Eileen Stukane
Miguel Acevedo (Fulton Houses, speaking about Maritime Hotel), Erycka Montoya (Friends of the High Line, about hiring taking place), Jeffrey LeFrancois (Meatpacking District Improvement Assn., introducing himself as director of operations and communications).
Singh and John Doswell recently passed away. At the meeting, CB4 chair Christine Berthet praised four current members who, for various reasons, are leaving: Tanya Odom, Hugh Weinberg, Eric Latzsky, and Miranda Nelson. Berthet encouraged CB4 residents to
think about serving and “really making a difference in the community.” Others in public service have moved into new positions. Jeffrey LeFrancois, former chief-of-staff for
Continued on page 9
Were you there? Providers in the New York City area, and across the country, monitor and treat conditions related to the September 11th terrorist attacks — like asthma, heartburn, certain cancers, depression, and PTSD. These providers treat responders and volunteers who participated in rescue, recovery, or clean-up on or after 9/11, as well as those in the WTC dust cloud or who lived, worked, or went to school or daycare in lower Manhattan south of Houston or into parts of Brooklyn.
Learn More. Call 1-888-982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc World Trade Center | Pentagon | Shanksville, PA Image is a model portraying an actual member of the World Trade Center Health Program.
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Gottfried Promotes ‘Single-Payer’ Bill to CRDC Continued from page 1 evening of February 19. It had passionate and sometimes heated exchanges on the pros and cons of Assemblymember Gottfried’s “Single-Payer” health care bill: New York Health, A7860. The bill would form a single public agency that would organize health care financing. It largely reflects the universal health care that Canada has used for the past 45 years. And, according to the World Bank, since then, the average Canadian’s life span has expanded to 2.5 years longer than the average American life (Can: 81.24 yrs., USA: 78.74 yrs.). “If you want to find a country that rations care according to wealth, if you want to find a country where people have to go without health care in the midst of enormous wealth, if you want to find a country where people go bankrupt trying to keep themselves healthy, you’re living in it. And I want to change that!” declared Gottfried. “Last year, due to high deductibles, one third of American households who had health care coverage had someone in
Photo by Brice Peyre
At podium: Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, at a New York State Assembly Health Committee hearing on the New York Health Act held at NYU on Dec. 16, 2014.
their family go without it, for financial reasons. And for two thirds of them, it was for a serious condition,” he stated, adding, “Healthcare is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America.” Gottfried detailed how his New
Holy Week Services at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Chelsea 3/29 Palm Sunday
9:00am Children & Family Service 10:00am Liturgy of the Palms & Holy Communion 6:00pm Taize Prayer Service 8:00pm Compline
3/30 Monday 3/31 Tuesday 4/1 Wednesday
4/4 Holy Saturday
7:00pm The Great Vigil of Easter
4/5 Easter Sunday
9:00am Children & Family Service 9:45am Toddlers Easter Egg Hunt 10:00am Festal Eucharist 11:15am Easter Egg Hunt 6:00pm Evening Prayer
8:00am Holy Eucharist
4/2 Maundy Thursday
6:00pm Community Supper 7:00pm The Maundy Thursday Liturgy & Stripping of the Altar
4/3 Good Friday
12:00pm The Good Friday Liturgy
346 W. 20th St. (8th & 9th Aves.) 212-929-2390 | stpeterschelsea.com All are welcome here! 6
March 12 - 25, 2015
York Health would be less expensive, while including more coverage. “Today, whether you’re the multi-million dollar CEO of the company, or the lowest paid receptionist or janitor, the insurance company wants the same health care premium. If you’re at the top of the income range, instead of it being 25 percent of your household income (NYS medium households), it is more likely to be one or two percent.” The New York Health plan, Gottfried continued, “is to be funded by assessments, progressively graduated based on payroll and non-payroll taxable income.” He also noted that the costs will be brought further down by the elimination of insurance company administration costs, the costs of providers that have to hire a lot of people to deal with insurance companies, and insurance company profit. Gottfried surmised, “The reason the plan will work pretty well, is the same reason suburban schools work pretty well. People with wealth and influence will be using the system and they will make sure that the system works well. The rest of us will benefit.” An audience member asked, “Wasn’t the Affordable Health Care Act supposed to solve all this?” — to which Gottfried responded, “Under the Affordable Care Act, while the marketplace is inducing the insurance companies to lower their premiums, they are both jacking up the deductible, the amount that you have to pay before the insurance company pays a nickel, and cutting back on what they spend, by having very limited provider networks
‘If you want to find a country that rations care according to wealth, if you want to find a country where people have to go without health care in the midst of enormous wealth, if you want to find a country where people go bankrupt trying to keep themselves healthy, you’re living in it. And I want to change that!’ —Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
with providers who are willing to work, at the minimal amounts that the insurance company is offering.” Several in the group wanted to know how the plan would impact those now covered by NYS employee unions and those that now qualify for Medicare, but will have to continue to pay, if they have taxable income. Gottfried responded: “Anything that is now covered by
Continued on page 12 .com
Pols Call on Albany to End Vacancy Decontrol BY GERARD FLYNN Though Mayor de Blasio was notably absent, his progressive voice was resoundingly clear Monday on the frigid steps of City Hall, where Democratic pols and tenant groups repeated their demands that Albany strengthen existing rent laws, which expire in June. Sounding a bit like Jimmy McMillan, Public Advocate Letitia James called on Governor Cuomo to “step up to the plate and recognize the rent is too damn high” and that the city is in an “affordable housing crisis.” Councilmember Jumaane Williams, chairperson of the Committee on Housing, which is proposing nine new bills to address the situation, told the crowd that a vote in June can only be considered a victory if the rent laws are strengthened. A mere extension — with its many loopholes — won’t be enough, he said. Extending the status quo, they said, would merely extend these loopholes, especially vacancy decontrol, which, if not repealed, will continue the trend of illegal evictions, and the oft-told “Tale of Two Cities” — a city for the very rich and the very poor.
Under state law, rent-regulated apartments can become market rate once a tenant moves out or dies, if the rent is above $2,500. However, advocates accuse the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal of being lax in enforcement, allowing landlords to illegally deregulate apartments. Vacancy decontrol, they say, has been a windfall for many landlords and is responsible for deregulating more than 150,000 apartments during the last 10 years. “First thing he can to do is repeal vacancy decontrol,” James said of Cuomo. “Too many landlords are exploiting it.” The rally also called for an end of charges for major capital improvements or “MCI increases,” which allow a landlord to make improvements to a building, then tack the cost onto tenants’ rent in perpetuity. James further called on Cuomo to end the 1971 Urstadt Law, which ended the city’s ability to govern its own rent laws. “The City Council knows best,” she said, “and are in a position to regulate the rent laws in the city.” The net effect of these loopholes, the
Photo by Gerard Flynn
Corey Johnson encouraged tenants to “get on the bus” and lobby in Albany to close loopholes in the rent laws.
politicians charged, has been to create a city more geared toward the wealthy, who can afford ever-increasing rents. Speaking to that point, City Comptroller Scott Stringer told the gathering that, according to city data, between the years 2000 to 2012, there was a loss of roughly 400,000 apartments renting for $1,000 or less and a corresponding gain in the number of units renting for
more than $1,000 per month. Today, less than 1 percent of the city’s available rental housing stock rents for under $700 a month, he added. Talking of building hundreds of thousands of new affordable housing units is fine, Stringer said, but he added, “If we are losing the same number of housing units on the other side, we are playing a zero-sum game. We are continuing to plunge people into homelessness.” Similarly, Councilmember Corey Johnson said, “Merely renewal is not a victory. That would not be a victory for tenants. It would lock in the existing slow-motion disaster that is vacancy decontrol — a loophole so big you can drive a truck through it. “We must end vacancy decontrol. We need better enforcement about harassment. And we need a revolution in Housing Court,” Johnson said. Otherwise, tenants will only continue to be victimized by predatory landlords, he warned. “The next three months are game time for tenants,” he declared. “Tenants have got to get on the bus, go to Albany and tell Republican and Democrats there can be no compromise.”
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Publisher
Jennifer Goodstein
Editor Scott Stiffler
Editorial Assistant Sean Egan
Art Director Michael Shirey
Graphic Designers Andrew Gooss Chris Ortiz
Web Master Troy Masters
Contributors Stephanie Buhmann Sean Egan Raanan Geberer Michael Lydon Dusica Sue Malesevic Winnie McCroy Puma Perl Paul Schindler Trav S.D. Eileen Stukane Zach Williams
Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Francesco Regini
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month To The Editor: Since 1997, I’ve tackled the ongoing daily ups-and-downs of my own wholly life-altering traumatic brain injury, caused by Con Edison’s now so-called stray voltage. Much of the media’s limited focus when they cover the more “sensational” incidents emphasize “remarkable recoveries,” “exceptional care” and “vast support.” The typical brain injury story actually is usually a very complex, erratic, gritty, and lasting one, with no less inspiring or heroic elements than the media models; each one is also replete with a dire need for a better understanding, support, respect, and covered or affordable services and therapies. Many of the injury’s symptoms are often recognized only by its survivors or the most sensitive care
providers, who themselves are likely to be baffled by the overwhelmingly and even contradictory array of systemic challenges. Professionals and the public at large need to more carefully educate themselves about these injuries so as to improve prevention and care for this devastating, yet often preventable, menace that, statistic show, hurts more lives than any other health threat, and for which everyone is at risk. Improved awareness and care may begin by obtaining information from organizations like the Brain Injury Association of America and by encouraging more in-depth representation in the media. Phil Vanaria
Mom and Pops as important as housing To The Editor: Re: “Progress Report: Affordable Housing” (news,
Feb. 26, 2015): But where is the move to save affordable small businesses, which make neighborhoods livable? All the attention goes to affordable housing and transit, and the city becomes a workplace, an entertainment place and a bedroom community. Something like that. You could say it better and hope you will. Bette
After court win, Hopper-Gibbons still needs your help To The Editor: Re: “Hopper-Gibbons Supporters Prevail in Court” (news, Feb. 26, 2015): We are glad that we won at this Appellate court hearing. Please help us by writing letters of support to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, to ensure that this building is properly restored to its original four
story height, to match the rooflines of the neighboring houses on either side. The Dept. of Buildings ordered the owner/developer to tear down his secretively and illegally built addition, and restore the building to its 1847 and 2001 condition. Julie Finch Friends of Hopper-Gibbons Under-ground Railroad Site & Lamartine Place Historic District
E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to Scott@ChelseaNow.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, NYC Community Media, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.
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One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Phone: (212) 229-1890 Fax: (212) 229-2790 www.chelseanow.com scott@chelseanow.com © 2015 NYC Community Media, LLC Member of the New York Press Association Chelsea Now is published biweekly by NYC Community Media LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (212) 229-1890. Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $75. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2015 NYC Community Media LLC, Postmaster: Send address changes to Chelsea Now, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. 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.
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Photos by Michael Shirey
L to R: COFFEED founder/CEO Frank “Turtle” Rafael and New York Foundling CEO Bill Baccaglini.
Every other week, there seems to be a new study touting the advantages of drinking coffee. Even if your own personal jury is still out, there’s no disputing the fact that the java they’re serving at COFFEED has benefits (for other people). The locally sourced café recently opened its first Manhattan location, on the ground floor of The New York Foundling — a charity that empowers thousands of children and families to live independent, stable and fulfilling lives. Foundling leased
its space at a reduced rate to the socially conscious store, which has pledged to put aside 10 percent of beverage and 5 percent of food sales to support Foundling’s many programs and services. So drink up, because what’s good for you is good for them! COFFEED is located at 590 Sixth Ave., btw. 16th & 17th Sts. Soon, their large storefront windows will be opened to let in the spring air. For more info, visit coffeednyc.com and nyfoundling.org. .com
High Line is Hiring RISTORANTE ITALIANO
PrixFixe Dinner
SUNDAY – THURSDAY | 4PM – 10PM
3 COURSES FOR $19.95 Photo by Eileen Stukane
Jesse Bodine, center, giving the CB4 district manager’s report.
Continued from page 5 NYC Councilmember Corey Johnson, introduced himself in his new position as director of operations and community affairs for both the Meatpacking Improvement Association (MPIA) and Chelsea Improvement Company, which will merge when the Meatpacking’s Business Improvement District (BID) becomes official. NY State Senator Brad Hoylman announced that his deputy chief of staff Robert Atterbury has been hired by US Congressman Jerrold Nadler. Erycka Montoya, community liaison for Friends of the High Line, made it known that the High Line was looking to the community to fill six job openings, among them Custodian, and Director of Communications. Job descriptions and applications can be found at thehighline.org/about/ careers. Montoya emphasized that High Line positions require people who are comfortable relating to the public. A custodian on the High Line has high visibility, so customer service is part of the job.
NEWS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS NY State Senator Brad Hoylman, just having returned from Albany, spoke about his legislative package “Clean Up Albany,” which includes ethics reforms such as limiting outside income to 15 percent of an official’s base salary. His bill would ban lawmakers who practice law from taking on private clients. “The public doesn’t know who you’re representing,” said .com
Hoylman. “You’re serving two masters. You’re not only representing your constituents but you’re also representing private law clients. One could surmise that they want access to your votes and that is unacceptable.” Hoylman also reported on his #5000TooMany Campaign to increase funding by $2.4 million for sheltering runaway homeless youth in New York State. The campaign is named for the 5,000 homeless youth that are turned away from shelters each year due to overcrowding. A newly released government study has found that in the winter cold, homeless youth engage in “survival sex,” turning tricks to have a warm place to stay. Hoylman called this “a phenomenon which I think we all need to work to eradicate.” Edgar Yu, representing the NYC District Attorney (DA) Cyrus Vance’s office, reported that March 27 is the deadline for application submissions for the DA’s High School Internship Program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. The six-week paid internship ($150 weekly) offers a chance to be on the inside of the criminal justice system. Applications are online: manhattanda.org/highschool-internship. Yu also announced the indictment of James Dixon on charges of manslaughter and assault in the 2013 death of the 21-year-old transgender female Islan Nettles. The indictment charges that Dixon punched Nettles in the head and she died days later from her inju-
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Relocated Video Store Open, Often Past Closing Time Continued from page 4 The neighborhood showed an amazing amount of support, he said, when he was closing: people brought him homecooked meals, helped at the counter and boxed everything alphabetically. Before the new location opened in the beginning of August, people also helped shelve the DVDs. “It was remarkable,” he said. “It was just overwhelming, the support that we had.” Sklar grew up in Bensonhurst, but had his first store with a partner in Forest Hills from 1983 until 1988. He then decided to venture out on his own. “My partner and I were never on great terms,” he recalled. “So I was very happy to leave and start my own place. So I always wanted Manhattan. The city had a lot more action. Chelsea at the time — 26 years ago when we opened — had a lot of artists and writers [and] musicians.” His wife’s family business was on 14th St. and they were always in Chelsea. Sklar had his eye on a space — a former A&P supermarket that had been empty for years. When it came on the market, they made inquiries about it. It later became home to Alan’s Alley. Chelsea was a great mix of people at that time, he recalled. A lot of his best customers, he noted, have moved to Hoboken, Brooklyn and Harlem. Higher prices follow gentrification, he said, noting the vacancies in the neighborhood. “The store that I moved out of is still empty — hasn’t been rented,” he said. Sklar said that rent was not the only reason he moved, “it was also part of the nature of my business. I wouldn’t just blame the landlord for my particu-
lar situation. He was very fair compared to what we see in most places.” Landlords, he said, are looking for chains or brands because of their ability to pay. “They always want a bank — they really have deep pockets,” he said. He also sees needed services, such as Laundromats, in the neighborhood get replaced by high-end shops and restaurants. There are fewer services for those who have stayed, he said, and “less places for people to shop that really reflect their lifestyle.” Nonetheless, he says he wants to stay in Chelsea and has been looking for a street level store, but that is difficult to find with the way rents have gone up. “I feel like I can’t move to any other neighborhood because of my clientele — people don’t know what a video store is [anymore],” Sklar said. At one time, Alan Alley’s had around 30,000 titles — a combination of DVDs and VHS. Now, said Sklar, there are more than 15,000 DVDs. He sold off or threw out the VHS tapes. “VHS is not going to become the new vinyl,” he said. “But DVDs could become the new vinyl.” Rare DVDs, such as “The Third Man” (which features Orson Welles) could go for $100, he explained. The store is pleasantly crowded with DVDs. Categories — such as the Criterion Collection (a boutique distribution company, which features works by the likes of Truffaut and Fellini) — are not the typical genres you’ll find On Demand, like action, drama and comedy. Sklar also acquires for clients who still want DVDs. He provides them to ad agencies, such as McGarryBowen, and television programs like the “Today Show” and the “Daily Show.” When
Photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic
Alan Sklar stands beside the poster for “There Were Always Dogs, Never Kids” — a 23-minute documentary shot back in the store’s Ninth Ave. days (visit alwaysdogsneverkids.com).
the Tony Awards or the Film Society of Lincoln Center is doing a montage for Robert Redford or Tyne Daly, they go to Sklar. Around 15 years ago, a friend of a regular came in and mentioned that she was doing a montage of bathrooms for an ad campaign. Sklar provided the clips and another aspect of his business was born. “That’s how we kind of started to realize there’s this whole other business out there,” said Sklar. He said his love of film started with the movie theater on his block in Brooklyn. Movies were 25 cents in the late ‘50s and he went twice a week and also sometimes with his parents. The 1945 film “I Know Where I’m Going!” is still his favorite movie because, he said, “It’s charming. It’s romantic without being sappy.” Sklar has seen streaming services erode his rentals year by year, but said that not everybody is enamored with them.
“They are plenty of people who just don’t want to get involved with Netflix,” he said. He acknowledges that he is “a bit of a dinosaur — there’s no question. But it’s still nice to have human contact. [People are] willing to accept less in their life in some ways. They’ll take the suggestion of, ‘If you like this, you’ll like this’ — and that’s okay. People are going for convenience over quality.” But in the meantime, Sklar will continue to work 365 days, keeping the store open past it’s closing hour if it suits his customers. “I’ve told people if they’re having a hard time getting over here, I’ll hang out. [I’ll] just put another movie in,” he said with a laugh. “It beats work.” Alan’s Alley Video: DVD & Video Store is located on the fifth floor (#5D) of 164 W. 25th St. (at Seventh Ave.). Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 10 a.m.–10p.m. Sun., 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Call 212-645-0999 for info.
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CRDC to Endorse and Promote New York Health Act Continued from page 6 Medicaid, Medicare, by state insurance mandates or any benefits available to state public employees, plus anything the plan chooses to add, would be available to every New Yorker.” He went on to state, “Those covered by Medicare are going to have better coverage and spend less out of pocket than they now do. They’ll have more choice of doctors, no co-pays, no deductibles, no out of network charges, and no premiums for supplemental policies. Long term coverage won’t kick in until we devise a plan for that, but for everything else, that’s it.”
tered, “Today, insurance companies pay doctors whatever they please. If doctors flee New York they will find themselves in the hands of insurance companies that will pay them what the insurance company wants to pay. If the doctors are out of network that will be zero.” Gottfried was the first to admit that the Canadian plan had its flaws, that it needed tweaking, and is open to suggestions for his plan. CRDC Executive Board member Carol Demech reflected on her years of living in Vancouver. She recounted a story of how she was told that she might have kidney cancer and then informed that she would have to wait three months for a kidney exam. She also spoke of an injured
Several in the group wanted to know how the plan would impact those now covered by NYS employee unions and those that now qualify for Medicare, but will have to continue to pay, if they have taxable income.
In adding yet another government agency to New York, State Committeewoman Francine Hasselkorn asked Gottfried “What are the start-up costs and which entity would be created to do this?” Gottfried said that the Health Department would administer it, noting, “The administration costs would be in the three percent range, maybe lower based on what traditional Medicare spends on administration. For start up costs, an awful lot of machinery is already up and running in the state, as it pays bills under the Medicaid program.” District Leader Sylvia DiPietro was very concerned about the possible fleeing of wealth and doctors. She warned, “Under this system we will have a flight of quality doctors from the state and will have lines around the block just to see an average doctor.” DiPietro continued, by asking, “How do you tell a quality doctor that they’ll get the same amount of money as a much less experienced doctor, and how do you stop them and the people that can afford it now from fleeing the state, when it’s mandatory?” Gottfried coun-
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teenager who would have to wait a year for an MRI, and chose instead to go to Seattle. Another member cited the extremely high cost of malpractice insurance for US doctors. Due to tort laws, Canadian doctors pay one tenth of the malpractice insurance of their USA counterparts. Gottfried responded that there are no tort reforms included in his bill. Most heartfelt was CRDC’s Executive VP Judy Richheimer’s conversation with a Canadian doctor concerning a Stage 4 cancer that her partner died from, here in New York. The doctor told her that in Canada they never see patients presenting at Stage 4, because the patients have been in the system too long. Richheimer concluded, “It is definitely cheaper and with better outcomes to treat someone when they’re precancerous, or a little bit cancerous.” Well past the meeting’s cut-off time, the CRDC voted to endorse and promote Richard Gottfried’s New York Health Bill (New York Health, A7860), then bundled up so as to not catch pneumonia, and went home. .com
CB4 Reports Improvement on BRC Block Continued from page 9 ries. “We look forward to prosecuting this case,” said Yu. He also reported the indictment of 50 defendants in a widespread bribery housing fraud scheme that involved employees of the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). A number of buildings involved in the scheme are in CB4’s district. Newsletters from elected officials are available on the CB4 home page online: nyc.gov/mcb4.
FROM THE DISTRICT MANAGER AND THE CHAIR One of the highlights of Jesse Bodine’s District Manager report was that he had attended a Community Advisory Council Committee meeting about the Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC) at 127 W. 25th St. (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.), and saw relations improving between the BRC and the community. Chelsea Now has reported (May 15, 2013) that neighborhood residents and business owners have felt harassed by BRC residents who they say, have changed and diminished community life. Bodine announced that the neighborhood is
March 27 is the deadline for application submissions for the District Attorney’s High School Internship Program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.
now getting its requested dedicated phone line in the BRC lobby. The line goes directly to the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) peace officers and should greatly improve turnaround time between complaint and response. The DHS has also begun tracking monthly incidents, interventions, calls to BRC and to 911, to compile data for future action as needed. Important news from CB4 chair Berthet was that the CB4 Quality of Life Committee had made a breakthrough with Brookfield Properties Manhattan West development (W. 31st to W. 33rd Sts., btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.). Noisy construction has been .com
Photo by Eileen Stukane
CB4 full board takes a vote.
going on for 18 months, day and night, and will continue for five years, much to the dismay of surrounding neighbors. The committee, after months of negotiation, reached an agreement with the developer, who has started to implement a satisfactory sound mitigation plan to improve the lives of residents in the 220 apartments facing the construction. “This is a big break for our community,” said Berthet, “the first of this scale in the neighborhood.”
gmail.com or 212-788-6975. CB4 serves Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. Its boundaries are 14th St. on the south, 59/60th St. on the north, the Hudson River on the west, Sixth Ave. on the east (south of 26th St.) and Eighth Ave. on the east (north
of 26th St.). The monthly full board meeting, open to the public, takes place on the first Wed. of the month. The next meeting is (no joke!) April 1, 6:30 p.m. at Roosevelt Hospital (2nd Fl. Conf. Rm. B, 1000 Tenth Ave. at 51st St.). Call 212-736-4536, visit nyc. gov/mcb4 or email them at info@ manhattancb4.org.
CALENDAR NOTES
•A Rally to Albany to Fund Public Housing, March 16. Buses depart at 7:30 a.m. from Ninth Ave. (btw. W. 23rd & 24th Sts.) and 10th Ave. (btw. W. 58th & 59th Sts.), return at 6 p.m. RSVP by March 13, to Bianca MacPherson in Assemblymember Richard Gottfried’s Office: 212-8077900 or MacPhersonB@assembly. state.ny.us. •M anhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is looking for recommendations from the public regarding the needs of the borough, for the annual Borough Budget Priorities Report. Deadline for participating in a “Virtual Town Hall” survey is March 17, 5p.m. Visit bit.ly/mbpobudgetsurvey. •N ew York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and Councilmember Helen Rosenthal are sponsoring “Know Your Rights” Forum on Coop/Condo Conversions, April 2, 6–8 p.m., Congregation B’nai Jeshurum, 257 W. 88th St., To RSVP: KnowYourRightsRSVP@
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Advocates Press to Broaden HIV Housing Eligibility BY DUNCAN OSBORNE Legislation that would give the benefits currently provided to people with AIDS by the city’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) to people who are HIV-positive but asymptomatic was introduced in the City Council, but it likely faces an uphill battle to be enacted. “We recognize that HIV is an epidemic that thrives on inequality,” said Corey Johnson, the city councilmember who represents Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, and the West Village, at a Feb. 26 press conference at City Hall. “To fight it, we must keep our focus on the socioeconomic factors that have allowed it to continue for all of these years — poverty, homelessness, and a lack of access to healthcare.” Currently, people who have an AIDS diagnosis or “clinical symptomatic HIV illness” and meet the financial need requirements are eligible for HASA’s package of benefits, which includes rental assistance, food stamps, enrollment in Medicaid, and transportation assistance. HASA, which is a unit of the city’s Human Resources Administration, serves just over 32,000 people with AIDS and another 11,000 family members. Anti-HIV drugs have significantly reduced the number of people who progress from HIV-positive to AIDS so HASA’s qualifying definitions have barred HIV-positive people who are healthy but in need of assistance from accessing the agency’s services. Advocates have sought to change the qualifications for HASA services since 2007. Some science supports the view that stable housing helps HIV-positive people stay on their anti-HIV drugs and healthy, HIV-positive people who stay on their anti-HIV drugs and have no detectable virus in their blood are far less likely to infect others. Advocates, including the roughly two dozen groups that support the City Council legislation, promoted a state plan to reduce new HIV infections in New York from the current roughly 3,000 a year to 750 by 2020, which they say would “end” AIDS as an epidemic in New York. In that plan, they sought expanded housing and benefits for people with HIV in the state budget, but with limited success. The Cuomo administration proposed spending $116 million over five years to build 5,000 housing units spread broadly among people with special needs, people with HIV, and the homeless. That money is from a one-time $440 million .com
Photo courtesy of Gay City News
City Councilmember Corey Johnson and Ali Forney Center executive director Carl Siciliano at the Feb. 26 City Hall press conference.
lawsuit settlement. There are an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people with HIV statewide who need housing assistance. Expanding HASA to include financially qualified HIV-positive people could cost $100 million annually, with half that cost borne by the state. Over time, it could add 10,000 to 15,000 people to HASA’s caseload, though that estimate could decline as the HIV prevention elements of the state plan are implemented. The City Council legislation is viewed by advocates as integral to the state plan to end AIDS. “The science is clear, the path forward is clear,” said Johnson, who is openly gay and HIV-positive. “It is a matter of leadership, it is a matter of resources. We all know what to do to end this epidemic. It is time for elected officials at all levels of government to fulfill their moral duty and obligation and end this epidemic.” When this legislation was first introduced in the City Council in 2007, it was opposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an out lesbian who represented Johnson’s district, as too expensive. The legislation, as reintroduced, has seven co-sponsors in the 51-member City Council. Advocates have reported that the HASA-qualifying definitions have led to the perverse result of some HIV-positive people avoiding anti-HIV drugs so they progress to AIDS and can obtain HASA benefits. “One of the most gruesome things we hear at the Ali Forney Center is our young people who have been recently diagnosed in their desperation to get
shelter and housing will forsake taking the medication because they want to be eligible for the current HASA guidelines,” said Carl Siciliano, executive director of the group, which helps homeless LGBT youth. Gina Quattrochi, the chief executive officer of Bailey House, an AIDS housing group, described a conversation with
a friend whose son was recently diagnosed as HIV-positive. He was struggling to find housing and the mother asked for advice. “I had to ask that stupid question that we have to ask every time, ‘Does he have AIDS?’” Quattrochi said. “If we are serious about ending this epidemic… we have to provide housing.”
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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT At Cornelia Street Café, Always Something to Say An eclectic booking policy is its own form of creative genius BY MICHAEL LYDON Robin Hirsch sipped thoughtfully on a glass of red wine in a quiet corner of the Cornelia Street Café. For an hour or more, with many a twinkle in his eye, he’d told tall tales of his four decades as the Café’s fearless leader — the legendary toaster oven that served as the their first kitchen, the spindly, splintery ladder down to the junk-filled basement, the night hundreds showed up to hear Oliver Sacks discuss the mysteries of mental abnormalities, and could I guess who had been the first poet to read at the Café? No, I couldn’t. “Eugene McCarthy,” said Robin, “That’s right, the senator, the presidential candidate!” Now for a moment he turned serious. “Our commitment to putting all kinds of music on our little stage, plus prose, poetry, science, drama, puppetry, mime, you name it — 700 shows a year. That’s no accident. I’ve always tried to stick to an open-minded sensibility, never thought that we have to do either this style or that style to succeed. Both — and that’s what I love!” In the constant battle to keep their tables filled through the vagaries of popular taste, most Village club owners find an “either/or” booking policy their safest bet: the Village Vanguard is a jazz club, Sidewalk Cafe a folk club, the Bitter End a rock club. Hirsch knows his “anything goes” policy poses risks — he’s seen many eclectic clubs go belly up — but even through this winter’s deep freeze, the Café has held its own. “By now,” said Hirsch, “people know they’re going to get a you-never-know-what-toexpect variety from us. That’s why they come.” A look at the Cornelia Street Café’s upcoming calendar proves his point: at 6 p.m. on March 12, Slapering Hol Press will feature poet Richard Parisio reading from his chapbook, “The Owl Invites Your Silence,” joined by a half dozen other Slapering Hol poets who will read their work. They’ll finish by 8 p.m., and drummer Harris Eisenstadt and his Golden State group, featuring saxophonist Marty Ehrlich, will take the stage, celebrating the release of a new CD, “Golden State II.” More poetry .com
Painting by Stephen Magsig
March 13 at 6 p.m., drawn from Autumn House’s “Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry,” followed by two jazz sets by bassist Michael Formanek’s Cheating Heart Band. On March 14, award-winning R&B and jazz vocalist Lili Anel has the 6 p.m. slot, and then the Cheating Heart Band will return for two more shows before flying to Europe for a festival tour. Liz Stretch will return to the Café at 6 p.m. on March 15 for “Fork It Over”
— a talk about food that she promises will “inspire and entertain,” and the Café’s chef, Daniel Latham, will offer a tasty menu to match her tasty words. At 8:30 p.m., seven-string guitarist Jason Ennis and the Trio Jota Sete will play a blend of jazz, blues, and bossa novas — and for more Brazilian music, stick around for pianist-singer Abelita Mateus at 10 p.m. On March 16 at 6 p.m., Susan Sindall and Nancy Kline, friends for decades, will read from their
poetry and prose. At 8:30 p.m., popjazz vocalist Tracy Michailidis will sing tunes culled from the great American Songbook, gathered around the theme “To Build a Home.” And on it goes: March 17 at 6 p.m., Red Hen Press will offer an evening of “witty poetry with a surrealistic twist” that promises “to stir the soul,” and at 8:30 p.m., NYU psychologist Gary Marcus will give a talk: “The Future of Minds, Brains, and Machines” considers the overlap between neuroscience and artificial intelligence. At 6 p.m. on March 18, Philip Giambri (known on the downtown reading scene as the Ancient Mariner) hosts the first night of his new series. “What The Hell Is Love?” is a reflection, Giambri says, of “a lifetime of loving and being loved.” Guitarist Tom Chang’s jazz quartet follows Giambri’s gang at 8:30 p.m., playing new compositions and music from “Tongue & Groove” — Chang’s debut CD. All that makes one ordinarily extraordinary week at the Café, and the week after (story tellers from London, violists from Manhattan, a Jack Kerouac evening…) promises more of the same. Yet even this list doesn’t give a full sense of Cornelia Street’s interwoven bookings. Take me for example: I’ve sung at the Café with my band, as a guest with folk singer Craig Werth, and at Thomas Pryor’s storytelling evenings. I’ve hosted a Mark Twain celebration, acted and sung in the cast of “Gadeng Vadoo,” a folk music musical, and Cornelia Street recently gave me two nights to present my and Ellen Mandel’s opera, “Passion in Pigskin.” Hirsch’s commitment to eclecticism predates the Café’s founding. The son of Jewish refugees from Germany who settled in London, Hirsch came to the States in 1967 to study American avant-garde theater. Soon he was in the middle of it, acting, directing, and producing at La MaMa, Caffe Cino and his own New Works Project (“We put on an early play by John Patrick Shanley. In verse, no less!”). In this bubbling
Continued on page 18 March 12 - 25, 2015
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Sweet Variety Spices Up Cornelia Street Continued from page 17 world of ambitious up-and-comers, Hirsch met Charles McKenna, an IrishAmerican actor and Raphaela Pivetta, an Argentinian-Canadian-Italian visual artist. McKenna convinced his pals that their ideas needed a seedbed to grow in, and after a long search for a place cheap enough for their $2,500 nest egg, they found a one-room former junk shop at 29 Cornelia, a sleepy block between Bleecker and W. Fourth St. “Filthy doesn’t begin to describe the place,” Hirsch remembered with a shudder, “it was an Augean stables.” They swept up piles of dried dog poop, hung Raphaela’s paintings over cracks in the walls, bought an espresso machine and the famous toaster oven, and opened the doors, most appropriately, on Independence Day weekend, July, 1977. To the partners’ amazement, people came in, “and not just anybody,” Hirsch remembers, “but people with something to say, people who knew other people.” He asked poet Siv Sedering if she’d like to read with someone. She replied, “How about Eugene McCarthy? He’s
Courtesy of the artist
No need to beware the Ides: pianist-singer Abelita Mateus performs at 10 p.m. on March 15.
a published poet.” Hirsch heard singer-songwriter Carolyne Mas playing at another hole-in-the-wall club up the block, and when he invited her to perform, she in turn invited so many young Village folkies — David Massingill, Jack Hardy, Rod MacDonald, and Suzanne Vega among them — that Hirsch gave them every Monday night. Soon, the
New York Times noted the series as a rebirth of Bob Dylan’s old Folk City days. Through the decades, the Café expanded to three upstairs dining rooms offering a full French-American bistro menu — “But we put Thai spices in our bouillabaisse!” says Hirsch — and a knowledgeable wine list. Yet it’s the downstairs performance room that makes the Café unique, a long and narrow brick-lined space with the aura of a Parisian cabaret: Juliette Greco singing “chansons d’amour,” Albert Camus arguing existentialism with Samuel Beckett. Hirsch used to do all the room’s booking. Now, poet Angelo Verga books the 6 p.m. spoken-word shows, and guitarist Tom Chang the 8 p.m. jazz slot. “I love Cornelia Street,” says one sax-playing regular. “It’s got a big reputation. DownBeat [magazine] calls it one of the world’s top hundred jazz clubs, yet it’s so small that if you draw fifty people, you’ve got a sell-out.” Another advantage Cornelia Street offers: the Artist Salon, informally known as the Schmooze, held the first Thursday of every month at 6 p.m., when anyone hoping for a gig is wel-
come to stop by for wine and cheese and a chat. Artistic job hunting can be as impersonal and soul-wearying as corporate job hunting — sending out email blasts, leaving never-to-be-answered phone messages. Yet if an artist goes to a few Schmoozes, meets and greets Robin, Angelo, Tom and other hopefuls, maybe gets on stage to give a sample of their wares, the chances are fair that soon he or she will get an evening on their own, or another artist may say, “Hey, I like what you’re doing, could you join me next time I play here?” A growing crowd began filling up the tables around us for dinner, and Hirsch looked about himself with a mixture of pride and disbelief. “The first time we served real dinners here, made in a real kitchen,” he said, laughing at the memory, “we served twenty-nine meals — success beyond our wildest dreams! But our true success is that today, just as in 1977, if someone comes into the Café with something to say, whatever it is, we’re going to give them a chance to say it.”
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For more information, call 212-9899319 or visit corneliastreetcafe.com.
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March 12 - 25, 2015
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Buhmann on Art: Tomi Ungerer
Collection Rennert’s Gallery, New York
“Choice Not Chance” (1967 | political poster | 21 x 26 5/8 inches; 53.3 x 67.6 cm).
Children’s Literature Research Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia
A 1961 drawing for “The Three Robbers” (page 21, first pub. 1961 as “Die drei Räuber” by Georg Lentz Verlag, Munich | Colored pencil, gouache and watercolor on paper | 11 3/4 x 8 5/8 inches; 30 x 22 cm).
BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN (stephaniebuhmann.com) This exhibition, which marks the artist’s first U.S. retrospective, begins with his childhood drawings and concludes with his mature political and satirical campaigns as well as animations, among others. Born in Alsace, France, in 1931, Ungerer is best known as the award-winning author and illustrator of such beloved 1960s children’s classics as “The Three Robbers” (1961) and “Moon Man” (1966). However, as this survey skillfully reveals, his interests and talents reached beyond one genre. In fact, at the same time he was successfully working on children’s books for Harper & Brothers, Ungerer also gained recognition for his witty .com
advertising campaigns for the New York Times and the Village Voice — biting satirical illustrations about the business world, and brutal pictorial responses to racism, fascism, and the Vietnam War. As if this would not cover plenty of territory, he also made graphic erotic drawings throughout his career. That Ungerer is not as well known in America as he is in Europe is largely due to his self-imposed exile in 1971 when he abruptly abandoned New York and relocated to Nova Scotia. Nevertheless, he has found much international recognition since. He was awarded the Legion of Honour in Paris and, in 2007, the Tomi Ungerer Museum opened in Strasbourg. The documentary “Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story” was released in 2012.
Collection of Jack Rennert, New York © Tomi Ungerer/Diogenes Verlag AG, Zürich
“Eat” (1967 | Self-published poster | 21 x 26 1/2 inches; 43.5 x 67.2 cm).
TOMI UNGERER: ALL IN ONE Through March 22 At The Drawing Center 35 Wooster St. (btw. Grand & Broome Sts.) Wed. & Fri.–Sun. | 12–6 p.m. Thurs., 12–8 p.m. (free admission, 6–8 p.m.) $5 admission ($3 for students/seniors) Free admission for children under 12 Call 212-219-2166 or visit drawingcenter.org
March 12 - 25, 2015
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March 12 - 25, 2015
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Just Do Art: The Irish Edition
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of Merchant’s House Museum
A scene from Hugh Leonard’s “Da,” at the Irish Repertory Theatre through April 5.
Up a steep and very narrow stairway: the Merchant’s House Museum walking tour includes a visit to the fourth floor (Irish) servants’ quarters.
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
A TRIBUTE TO THE TREDWELLS’ IRISH SERVANTS at MERCHANT’S HOUSE MUSEUM For a place that’s been living in the past since before most of us were born, Merchant’s House Museum has a knack for appealing to contemporary tastes. So whether you’re suffering from “Downton Abbey” season five withdrawal or just looking for one of the city’s most unique Irish experiences, this pristinely preserved 1865-era home has an event custom-made for your tastes. On March 13 at 6:30 p.m., their “Spirit of the Irish Candlelight Ghost Tour” confronts facts, rumors and speculation surrounding the dwelling’s wellearned reputation as “Manhattan’s most haunted house.” Carefully documented by staff and frequently investigated by the Sturges Paranormal team, you’ll hear true tales of inexplicable occurrences from those who actually experienced them. Some of the most compelling incidents have been attributed to the Tredwell family’s all-Irish staff (four at any given time), and this special tour will include a visit to their quarters. $25 ($15 for museum members). Can’t make it that night? Upcoming Ghost Tours happen Fri., April 17, May 15 and June 17. Shades of “Downton” — like the fictional British estate, there was a cook toiling away in the lower level of Merchant’s House, a bell system to alert the staff of upstairs needs and servants working day and night behind the scenes. “In the Footsteps of Bridget Murphy” gives participants a rare and detailed glimpse into the daily duties of the Irish servants who were an indispensible part of life in the .com
Tredwell home. This 45-minute walking tour of the surrounding neighborhood explores the world of the immigrants who worked as domestic servants for the wealthy families of the Bond Street area. What did they do on their day off? Where did they shop? How did they find employment when they first arrived? You’ll find out, then proceed back to Merchant’s House for a special tour of the fourth floor servants’ quarters. Sun., March 15. The walking tour begins at 12:30 p.m., house tour at 2 p.m. Participation in this event is included with regular admission. Reservations not required. Merchant’s House Museum is located at 29 E. Fourth St. (btw. Bowery & Lafayette). For event reservations, visit merchantshouse.org/calendar or call 212-777-1089. Regular Hours: Thurs.– Mon., 12–5 p.m. Admission is $10, $5 for students/seniors (free for children under 12).
15–June 7). Claudia Weill directs the New York premiere of a play developed as part of their 2013 Reading Series. Written by Nate Rufus Edelman, “The Belle of Belfast” takes place in 1985, as fiery and profane Anne Malloy commiserates with her best mate while seeking fleshly comfort from her parish priest. “A wry and bittersweet portrait of a city
at war,” the IRT promises, which “forces us to consider what is wrong and what is righteous.” “Da” plays through April 5. Tues. & Thurs. at 7 p.m. Wed. & Sat. at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. Fri. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 3 p.m. At the DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th St. in Union Square). Tickets: $70. Call 212727-2737 or visit irishrep.org.
THE IRISH REPETORY THEATER presents “DA” The latest from Chelsea’s venerable Irish Repertory Theatre — currently ensconced in Union Square’s DR2 Theatre while their W. 22nd St. venue is being renovated — has a theme that speaks to the company’s own inevitable homecoming. Helmed by IRT’s artistic director, Charlotte Moore, “Da” is Hugh Leonard’s melancholy, heart-wrenching and occasionally hilarious memory play. Set in 1960s Dublin, Charlie visits his childhood home after attending his father’s funeral — only to find the patriarch’s ghost in wait, and unwilling to leave the house. “Da” is followed by the fourth production of IRT’s 27th season (April March 12 - 25, 2015
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March 12 - 25, 2015
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When The Road Was King
Roger Miller’s heady celebration of freedom turns 50 BY JIM MELLOAN Summer of ‘65. My family makes its annual pilgrimage from Jersey to Indiana to visit the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I’ll turn 10 in a couple months; my sisters are turning eight and four. The default place for the overnight stay and meals on the way is Howard Johnson’s. They had those little jukeboxes you could play at each booth. The soundtrack for that trip, requested at every stop by eight-year-old sister Missy (who now goes by Molly) is Roger Miller’s “King of the Road.” Fifty years ago this week the song was climbing the charts. It entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in late February and peaked at No. 4 the week of March 20. It resonates today as a uniquely American synthesis of styles, standing proud in the face of the British Invasion. Miller was genuine country, born dirtpoor in Oklahoma and sent off to live with an uncle and aunt because his mom couldn’t afford to keep him. But he was too quirky, funny and happy-go-lucky to fit into the standard Country genre, with its songs of pining for lost loves. Miller had some success as a songwriter in the ’50s and ’60s, and had just enjoyed pop success as a performing artist with “Dang Me” and “Chug-a-Lug,” which hit No. 7 and No. 9 respectively in 1964. Both songs, unusual for pop hits of the day, or pretty much any era, were celebrations of dissolution, and “King of the Road” continued in this vein. But musically, with its jazzy opening featuring just a stand-up bass and finger snaps, it owes a lot to Peggy Lee’s signature “Fever,” from 1958. And musically and lyrically, the tradition could be felt almost 30 years later with Beck’s breakout hit “Loser,” albeit splintered into a thousand avant-garde pieces.
45cat.com
Released a half-century ago, “King of the Road” resonates today as a uniquely American synthesis of styles.
The strange hybrid character of the song is perhaps best captured in The Proclaimers’ 1990 video for their cover, featuring identical twins Charlie and Craig Reid looking spiffy in Country & Western suits and ties, delivering the song with old-style microphones and swingy finger-snaps, thick Scottish burrs intact, amid desolate old roads and rail yards. I think Missy and I especially liked the lyric “I ain’t got no cigarettes.” It was an enticingly adult complaint, rendered with a directness and crudity hitherto unknown in pop. It just felt modern all
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around, a heady celebration of freedom with none of the trappings of any kind of success, in that sense a turning point from the aspirational themes of the early ’60s to the live-and-let-live ethos of the counterculture later in the decade. Today, it has me wondering what would it would be like to crave old stogies, and to actually find and smoke them. Apparently, a lot of guys did. Tons of artists have covered the song. It was a natural for Dean Martin. There’s a YouTube video of him hamming it up while performing it at a Rat Pack benefit in St. Louis for Father Dismas’s
Half-Way House, appropriately enough, for ex-cons, in June of 1965. He put his version out on vinyl on the album “(Remember Me) I’m the One Who Loves You,” released in September of 1965. The Ray Conniff Singers, all 25 of them, plus a huge orchestra, took their schmaltzy whack at it in 1966. That cut ends with a satisfyingly dissonant vocal chord meant to sound like a train horn. Rufus Wainwright, son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, teamed with Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda Thompson, to make a sweet duet of the song in 2005, used in the movie “Brokeback Mountain.” And the Tucson-based band Giant Sand has a great version from their 2002 album “Cover Magazine,” featuring Howe Gelb’s dry-as-a-tumbleweed bass vocals in a honky-tonk arrangement. Another memory: Inc. magazine president-at-the-time Bob LaPointe doing the song with company band the Mansuetones, of which I was a member, at a company holiday party in the late 2000s. Obviously the song’s down-andout-but-not-beat theme had a resonance for him, as it probably did for much of Inc.’s entrepreneurial target audience. Louis CK once did a bit where he talked about being alone in an elevator, and for that short span of time he could strut about and declare himself King of the Elevator. As with King of the Road, no matter what our station, we can all declare ourselves King or Queen of something. It’s a powerful idea. Jim Melloan is a writer, actor, musician and editor. He’ll be doing occasional columns on pop music from 50 years ago. You can hear a lot of playlists he’s created on Spotify.
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March 12 - 25, 2015
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