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XIX to MSG for Papal Mass BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC The Pope is the hottest ticket in town. For two days — Sept. 24 and 25 — Pope Francis will make a historic visit to New York City. In the two events open to the public and Catholic parishioners, tickets have been in high demand. On Fri., Sept. 25, between around 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., there will be a Papal motorcade through Central Park. According to the mayor’s office, 93,143 New Yorkers entered the lottery to see Pope Francis’ procession. The lottery was open to New York state residents, Continued on page 7

Legislation Targets Income Inequality

Photo by Yannic Rack

James Ford and his daughter Madeleine won’t need a tandem bike anymore, when traveling to the Javits Center, the High Line, or Hudson Yards. They were among the thousands who showed up on Sept. 13 to celebrate the long-awaited opening of 34 St–Hudson Yards, an extension of the No. 7 line. Meet the Fords and other early adopters, on page 14.

A New Ride For The West Side Courtesy office of State Senator Brad Hoylman

At the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, State Senator Brad Hoylman, in conjunction with Assemblymember Deborah Glick (both at podium), announced legislation to combat wage discrimination in New York State.

BY ZACH WILLIAMS The week of Labor Day yielded political developments in addressing income inequality that could lead to new laws boosting the minimum wage and narrowing the wage gap between men and women. Local elected officials announced a bill on Sept. 8 requiring that state contractors disclose their respective rates of pay for both genders. Continued on page 4

BY YANNIC RACK In a glimpse of what’s to come for Manhattan’s far West Side, trains started rolling this weekend into the city’s first new subway station in a quarter-century. An extension of the No. 7 line, 34 St–Hudson Yards (the city’s 469th station), was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday morning by Mayor Bill de Blasio as well as state, city, and local officials. Speaking in front of the new station entrance at W. 34th St. near 11th Ave., the mayor called the opening a “monumental day” for the city, one that had been a long time coming, but was worth the wait. “This extension connects this extraordinary development happening here — a whole new city being created within our city — connects it with thousands of jobs in neighborhoods like Flushing and in central Queens, bringing people from those neighborhoods to the jobs here,” de Blasio said, before descending the escalators to take the inaugural ride to Times Square–42 St. and back

again. “The days of the Wild West Side are over, the days of the West Side renaissance are in full swing,” said US Senator Charles Schumer — and indeed the signs of progress were all around. Across the street, cranes dotted the sky where the first towers of the Hudson Yards development are rising up, and the official opening of the Hudson Park and Boulevard provided a second cause for celebration that day. The $2.4 billion extension, which now carries subway riders 1.5 miles closer to the river, makes the No. 7 the only subway line south of W. 66th St. to provide service to the transit-starved far West Side. The city estimates that it will become the busiest station in the whole system, serving up to 56,000 people every day by 2025.

Continued on page 12 VOLUME VOLUME 07, ISSUE 07, 29 ISSUE | SEPTEMBER 22 | JULY 17 16 - 23, 22, 2015

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES LONDON TERRACE STREET FAIR This September tradition gives shoppers the chance to bag treasures directly from the closets, shelves, and walls of London Terrace residents and other select vendors. Local electeds will also have tables (Councilmember Corey Johnson and Comptroller Scott Stringer are already signed up). A portion of the proceeds go to support the London Terrace Tenants Association, as well as the event’s co-sponsor: New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth, which works to increase their self-sufficiency and enable them to transition into stable adult lives. Rain or shine on Sat. Sept. 26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on W. 24th St. (btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). For info, email LTTAstreetfair@aol.com and follow on Facebook, at facebook.com/ LondonTerraceStreetFair. Also visit newalternativesnyc.org.

FREE MAMMOGRAMS In advance of October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, State Senator Brad Hoylman is presenting this cost-free opportunity for women 40+ who have not had a mammo-

gram in the past year. It takes place on Thurs. Sept. 24, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. at Project Renwal’s Scan Van, which will be at Amsterdam Ave. & W. 69 St. Space is limited, and by appointment only. Call 800-564-6868.

RENT INCREASE EXEMPTION CLINIC Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal presents this clinic for West Side residents, which explains aspects of the homeowners’ exemption and rent increase exemption for senior citizens. Thurs. Sept. 24, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at 230 W. 72nd St., Suite 2F (btw. Broadway & West End Ave.). RSVPs encouraged. Call 212-873-6368.

SENIOR PLANET’S BRING YOUR OWN VINYL INTERGENERATIONAL DANCE PARTY BENEFIT The beat goes on, gets turned around, and is technotronic — when you bring your own vinyl recordings from the 60s and beyond to the DJ booth, at this dance party where music lovers of all ages can come together to boogie, vogue, twerk and maybe even electric slide. Older Adults Technology

Photo by Andy Humm

London (Terrace) is calling. Seek and find treasure from its tentants, Sept. 26 on W. 24th St.

Services (OATS), a nonprofit that teaches seniors how to use technology, is the host — and Senior Planet, the organization’s hands-on Chelsea tech center, is the beneficiary of this hip-shaking social mixer. Artist and writer Faith Ringgold is the special guest, as the Senior Planet fashionistas and an intergenerational crowd groove to the Senior Planet “aging with attitude” creed.

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Walk of Remembrance Stops to Honor Chelsea’s Fallen

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

Thurs. Sept. 24, 6–9 p.m. at Avenue Lounge (116 10th Ave. at W. 17th St.). Proceeds support Senior Planet. Tickets: $75 (first drink, hors-d’oeuvres, cool swag) and $150 (VIP lounge, two drinks, hors-d’oeuvres, swag, mingle with special guests), visit sp-byov. eventbrite.com. For info: SeniorPlanet. org and oats.org.

Photo by Larry O’Neill

Rev. Mychal Judge, OFM, a Franciscan friar, was a Chelsea resident and is listed as Victim Number 0001 of the World Trade Center attacks. The Fr. Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance traces his footsteps, from his friary to the attack site — and honors the memory of all those killed on September 11, 2001. Held annually since 2002 on the Sunday prior to September 11, the Walk remembers and reflects at some of the Precinct Station Houses and Firehouses whose members’ lives were taken that day. This year, some 400 Fr. Judge family members and friends,

clergy, senior Fire Department officers, community members and elected officials (led by a Color Guard of NYPD Officers from the Ceremonial Unit) joined in the walk from St. Francis of Assisi Church on W. 31st St. to the World Trade Center and St. Peter’s Church on Barclay St. They were met at W. 19th St. and Seventh Ave. by a 50-member contingent of 10th Precinct Officers and Auxiliaries led this year by D.I. Michelle Irizarry, Precinct C.O., Det. Michael Petrillo, P.O. Salvatore Saetta (both of the Precinct Community Affairs Office), P.O. Ramon Sandoval, and Precinct Auxiliary Coordinator and Community Council President Larry O’Neill. Also in attendance were NY State Senator Brad Hoylman and NYS Assemblymember Dick Gottfried. The men and women of the 10th Precinct and the Community Council are honored to represent the New York City Police Department and the Chelsea community in this extraordinary event.

—Frank Meade (Recording Secretary, 10th Precinct Community Council) .com

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Electeds Address Wage Inequality and Gender Bias Continued from page 1 Two days later, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his support to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour statewide by the end of 2018. The two bills will go before the state legislature once it reconvenes in Jan. 2016. Though their respective prospects for passage remain uncertain, they do reflect a broader legislative emphasis at the state level this year on income inequality and just how much an hour of anyone’s time ought to be worth. “Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will add fairness to our economy and bring dignity and respect to 2.2 million people, many of whom have been forced to live in poverty for too long,” Cuomo said in a Sept. 10 statement at the Javits Center, where over 1,200 workers, community members and advocates gathered in support of fair pay. The rally took place on the same day that an order by Acting State Labor Commissioner Mario J. Musolino designated a $15 per hour statewide minimum wage for fast food workers (taking full effect by December 31, 2018 in New York City and July 1, 2021 for the rest of New York State). While this does not guarantee that supporters of the minimum wage will prevail in the state legislature, it does represent an increased legitimacy for the idea of a $15 minimum wage — a notion once dismissed to the fringes of political discourse. Vice President Joe Biden joined Cuomo at the Javits Center, two days before 15 members of the state legislature added their political weight behind the proposed increase, by marching with activists as the Labor Day Parade made its way up Fifth Ave., from W. 44th to W. 67th Sts. Fast food workers have been at the forefront of demonstrations in the past year, advocating “the fight for 15.” Some supporters emphasize that wage fairness extends to gender politics as well, especially considering that women continue to be paid less than men for the same work. Low-income people are also disproportionately female and people of color. Closing the wage gap between men and women requires legislative action in more than one way, according to State Senator Brad Hoylman, who represents Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. Increased transparency would encourage more equitable treatment of employees while also better informing the public at-large as to how local economies reflect the national disparity in pay between men and women,

September 17 - 23, 2015

Design by Zach Williams

The numbers tell a startling story of wage discrepancy between men and women, which electeds have pledged to correct at the state level.

he said in a Sept. 11 telephone interview. The bill he announced on Sept. 8, in conjunction with Assemblymember Deborah Glick, would require companies with more than 100 employees to issue public reports of mean hourly wages for men and women. Hoylman advocated “smoking out companies that don’t pay fair wages to their female employees” as one method to establish balance. The federal government already requires similar disclosures from its private sector contractors. Tens of thousands of projects and billions of dollars in state business would promote pay equity, especially if the public knows whether government business is going to companies who pay women fairly, according to Hoylman. “That’s a lot of bargaining power that New York can use to address this issue,” he said. Another bill proposed by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal would reward companies that narrow the gap between pay for men and women to within a 10 percent difference. The companies would a certificate of compliance (the legislative equivalent of a gold star), according to the bill.

Businesses that pay women more than 90 percent of the wage of a man in a similar position are rare. Public statistics outline a wide wage disparity at the local, city, state and national levels. Women who have full-time employment make 78 cents for every dollar made by an American man, according to a Spring 2015 report from the American Association of University Women called “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap” (aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap). Employers in New York actually performed the best (86 cents for every dollar) compared to those in the 49 other states, according to the report, which based its findings on 2013 data. The data tells a story defying explanations beyond inequality, according to the report. “In part, these pay gaps do reflect men’s and women’s choices, especially the choice of college major and the type of job pursued after graduation… Yet not all of the gap can be ‘explained away,’” states the report. A 12 percent difference in earnings remains unexplained for women and men 10 years after their college graduations,

even after criteria such as major, occupation, and hours worked are taken into consideration, according to the report. Latinas only make 54 cents for every dollar made by a White man, and 90 cents compared to Latino men, the report notes. Black women make 91 cents compared to their Black male counterparts and 64 cents compared to White men. Perhaps the starkest statistic comes from a 2014 report (iwpr.org/publications/ pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2014-earningsdifferences-by-race-and-ethnicity) from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. At the current rate of change, parity in pay for men and women would not arrive until at least 2058, according to the report. The consequences of such a lingering social phenomenon can be felt 52 years after the passage of the federal Fair Pay Act that ostensibly requires equal pay for equal work. “My four-year-old daughter started kindergarten two days ago,” Hoylman said in the Sept. 11 telephone interview. “It’s appalling to me that she is already behind her male counterparts on day one, simply because she is a girl. Statistically, she is going to make less than the little boys in her classroom if things remain the same.” .com

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Fortunate St. Francis Xavier Parishioners to See Pope at MSG Continued from page 1 and a total of 80,000 New Yorkers will get their chance to see the Pope, according to the mayor’s office. “The overwhelming response we received from New Yorkers throughout the state made clear: Pope Francis is one of the world’s most important voices, and his historic visit to New York City will be an unforgettable experience,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a press release. After Central Park, tickets for the Pope’s second event, a Mass at Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m., were also highly sought after. In Chelsea, at the Church of St. Francis Xavier at 55 W. 15th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.), 19 tickets were allotted for the church’s parishioners, Father Joseph Marina noted in a phone interview. “We’ve been focusing on the Papal Mass in Madison Square Garden on Friday, the 25th,” he said. “Every parish in the Archdiocese of New York was given an allotment of tickets for the Mass, and that number is different for

each parish, based on the size of their registration.” Fr. Marina said there were so many requests for those 19 tickets that the only fair way to distribute them was through a lottery. “We made the phone calls to those who won, and without exception, everyone was just ecstatic. Some were even screaming so loudly we had to hold the phone away from our ears,” he said with a laugh. “So we’re all looking forward to Friday.” The Church of St. Francis Xavier has three full-time priests, he said, and they, like the other priests in the Archdiocese, were invited to celebrate the Mass with Pope Francis. The priests will be together in their own section at Madison Square Garden, which can hold over 19,000 people. These tickets were separate from those allocated to the parishioners and other Catholic organizations, nonprofits and schools, said Fr. Marina. This means that the priests will concelebrate the Mass with the Pope. “So when a priest celebrates the Mass, he’s usually by himself,” Fr. Marina explained. “But sometimes he’s joined

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by other priests. Then he would still be referred to as celebrating the Mass, and the other priests who joined him would be concelebrating. That’s when they formally participate in the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass. “There will be hundreds of priests concelebrating the Mass with the Pope,” he added, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Archbishop of New York. The popular Pope Francis has a full schedule during his visit, according to popefrancisvisit.com. On O Thursday, R THheE Fprayers S U N will pray at the evening at St. I JO Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown. The next morning at 8:30 a.m., he will address the United Nations General Assembly. Then Pope Francis will visit the 9/11 Memorial, where he will likely pray, according to the website. He will then go to Our Lady Queen of Angels, 15 Church of St. Francis Xavier an elementary school in East Harlem, 20Courtesy TH,Joseph 9 1 R E Father Marina. before heading to the CentralEPark for MB SEPT ! the procession. | FREE m p 3 For Fr. Marina and his parishioners, 10am this is “obviously a very exciting time. that the Holy Father is coming to the After really capturing the hearts of the United States, and especially to New world by his great pastoral style that York, brings it home to us. It brings him he’s been demonstrating in so many local. We’re hoping to get as close a look ways since he was elected, the fact at him as we can.”

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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

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Stephanie Buhmann Sean Egan Michael Lydon Dusica Sue Malesevic Winnie McCroy Puma Perl Yannic Rack Paul Schindler Trav S.D. Eileen Stukane Zach Williams

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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 weekly by NYC Community Media

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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.

September 17 - 23, 2015

It’s crazy not to love Lenore To The Editor: Re: “Rhymes With Crazy” (weekly column by Lenore Skenazy): Crazy, but not lazy or hazy. Nope. Your columns are sharp and well written — a pleasure to read. I’ve been enjoying them since Chelsea Now started delivering to our lobby at Penn South. As someone who used to do a similar work (many years ago, in the last century actually, working for Newsday as a reporter and then as a columnist), I know it’s satisfying to get fan mail. So I just wanted to let you know you have a fan on 24th Street. Keep writing. Marilyn Goldstein

Private investment at the public’s expense To The Editor: In her Talking Point (“Private Investment, Public Enjoyment,” Aug. 20, 2015), Madelyn Wils fails to mention that a great percentage of those flocking into New York’s parks, eateries and cultural richesare tourists. What Wils further neglects to mention is that local residents, now sharing their neighborhoods and open space, are often shut out of the public/ private equation — having, even as taxpayers, little voice in what is happening in their own communities. Done deals are progressively becoming the norm. The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) now seems to excel at this practice, all in the name of generating much-needed revenue. Legislation allowing the transfer of over six million square feet of development rights from commercial piers one block inland — from Chamber to 59th Sts. — was included in a 2013 amendment of the 1998 Hudson River Park Act. Details of this legislation became public only following the bill’s passage by both State Senate and Assembly. Prior to the vote, there was NO opportunity for public input. Then there was the 2014 discovery of a secret $100 million dollar deal brokered in 2013 by the state to

sell Pier 40 air rights for a massive development across the highway at St. John’s Terminal. This Memorandum of Understanding was between the HRPT, the Empire State Development Corporation and Atlas Capital Group, an owner of the Terminal. Lack of transparency surrounding Barry Diller’s plan for Pier 55, which also raises environmental concerns, motivated a lawsuit by the Manhattan City Club of NY in 2014. Robert Moses famously opined that regular citizens were neither qualified nor smart enough to have any say in public works projects, parks or highways. Sadly, it appears that his methods are making a big comeback. Fortunately, after years of study in the school of political hard knocks, the “regular citizens” of today are far more savvy and prepared. Save Chelsea savechelseany.org

Fund LPC, banish #775 To The Editor: The Mayor and the City Council wrestle every day with such heavy problems as how to deal with crime, homelessness and affordable housing. But how can this city fund any of these things without a healthy, intact historic community, which brings record numbers of tourists (and their money) here from all corners of the world? These tourists don’t come here to see white-brick apartment houses or banal office buildings on our streets. They go on walking tours in our fabulous historic districts, eat in the many fine restaurants in these districts, and shop in chic district stores as well. When adventure films want to alarm people to the max, they don’t flood or bomb those banal apartment houses or office buildings, remember — they destroy our landmarks, particularly the Chrysler Building. We are totally alarmed that two city councilmembers, probably under the aegis of barbarian developers, are trying to enact Local Law #775, which would put undue pressure on the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). This is like punishing some-

one who is starving with no food, for looking too thin! The LPC is hardly doing a good job these days, using 1940 tax photos for restoration permits on buildings built 100 to 200 years previously. It’s pitiful. But this is a sign that they need more funding, more staffing — not to be put in handcuffs or starved. Historic designations have increased manifold over the past decade — but LPC’s funding hasn’t. It is the smallest agency in the City. Who will be the heroes of our economic health who amply fund LPC and banish #775? Carolynn Meinhardt, Chelsea Historic District Council

Boo to the buffet! To The Editor: Bed Bath & Beyond has changed their policy about allowing dogs in their store. Why? Because they now have a food department! Do we really need another food outlet in NYC? BBB...what are you thinking? One of the joys of the many dog owners of Chelsea was combining a shopping outing with walking our dogs. We could get a cart, place our pooch in it, and add our many purchases. Happy Dog/Happy Buyer/ Happy Seller! BBB, you are a one-of-a-kind in Manhattan. Do you really need to compete with the many food outlets? Let our canine companions back in the store. Sharon Goodman

E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to Scott@ ChelseaNow.com or fax to 212-2292790 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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POLICE BLOTTER GRAND LARCENY: The costs of carelessness A 30-year-old man lost a bag’s worth of personal possessions at the Winston Wachter Fine Art Gallery (530 W. 25th St.) on Thurs., Sept 10. He left the bag unsupervised sometime before 8 p.m. in a communal storage area near the doorway while he hung out with his friends. An unknown person, meanwhile, left the premises with the property, according to a police report. A dental retainer, external hard drive, prescription medicine, and keys to a Honda Civic were among the things that the upstate resident lost.

ASSAULT: Man messes with janitor One man took offense on Sept. 11 to getting hit with a mop inside a restroom at Chelsea Piers (11th Ave. & W. 21st St.). In response, he grabbed a toilet plunger at about 9 a.m. and began hitting the 63-year-old man who was cleaning the place. The 46-year-old perpetrator then began punching the other man with the left side of the victim’s face receiving the worst of the attack, according to a police report. The victim was transported to Lenox Hill HealthPlex. A 38-year-old woman reported the incident to police on behalf of the older man, who only speaks a dialect of Chinese and lives in the Lower East Side. Police arrested the perpetrator and charged him with felony assault.

PETIT LARCENY: Police deny they did it Police said they are innocent of an allegation that they took a man’s iPhone. The victim, a 20-year-old Queens resident, lent the cell phone to his friend earlier in the month and never saw it again. His friend told him that he got arrested near the southeast corner of Eighth Ave. and W. 28th St. on Thurs., Sept. 3. Cops confiscated the phone, the friend said. The police, for their part, later told the iPhone owner that they did arrest his friend at about 1 a.m. that morning but do not have the phone. The friend was served a summons for an unstated offense and released with no property vouchered, according to a police report. The whereabouts of the iPhone, valued at $100, remain unknown. .com

HARASSMENT: Tenant says landlord wants her unhinged

A threatening message from a landlord supposedly came via loosened door hinges on Sat., Sept. 12. A tenant of a building on the 500 block of W. 28th St. told police that someone loosened her front door hinges at 2 p.m. She thinks the supervisor did it, according to a police report. It is all part of an ongoing rift between the two sides, she said. Documentation of the incident would be helpful in housing court, she added. Police did not suspect any criminality, according to the report.

INVESTIGATION: Police have questions for BK man Correlation is not causation, but police have questions about how a Brooklyn man spent time with two women who later turned up dead. The Manhattan Broadway Hotel at 273 W. 38th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) was where police found a 43-year-old woman dead at about 4:15 p.m. on Tues., Sept. 8. Another woman associated with the 36-year-old person of interest was discovered dead on July 23 in Brooklyn. The NYC Chief Medical Examiner is currently examining the manner of each death, according to a police statement.

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THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-7418216. Youth Officer: 212-7418211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. 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 council is on summer break, to resume on Sept. 30.

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Rhymes With Crazy

New 7 Stop a Trip to New York’s Civic Glory Days BY LENORE SKENAZY Do yourself — and your soul — a favor. Hop on the 7 train and go to the last stop in Manhattan, the brandspanking-new one: 34 St.-Hudson Yards. You will emerge into the station and, I guarantee you, grin. Everyone does. I spent Sunday, opening day, just watching people get off the train and smile like they’d landed in Disney World. It’s not just that the place is so new and big and bright. It’s not just the amazing “inclinator” — an elevator that glides up and down an incline like something out of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” It’s not even the fact that there’s no gum on the floor, or trash on the tracks. I didn’t even see a rat — which was kind of disorienting. Like, “Am I still in New York?” But that’s the point: This is very much New York. And maybe the optimism it engenders is due to the fact that our city (and state) made something this magnificent happen.

Photo by Vincent LaFaro

You see, without exactly articulating it, a troubling notion had taken root in the back of my mind, and possibly yours, that New York’s civic glory days were over. Yes, we could build the Freedom Tower, but look how long it took. Look at how different it ended up from the original

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September 17 - 23, 2015

design. And yes, we built two baseball stadiums recently, but those were… baseball stadiums. And then suddenly the MTA unveils a transit hub that opens up a whole swath of previously no-man’sland Manhattan, like the Golden Spike opening up the Wild West. And it does this with a station as uplifting as a cathedral. “It’s a point for urban equality,” said Alex Restrepo, an academic advisor at LaGuardia Community College, taking an opening day stroll through the newness. “It’s also built on a usable scale,” added Michael Rohdin, an administrator of undergraduate studies at John Jay College. Unlike, say, the 72nd and Broadway Station, an express stop with just enough platform space for a ballerina to slide past a supermodel if neither of them has eaten breakfast, the Hudson Yards stop is vast. The platform is wide, but it almost feels as if the stairways are wider still. “And there are many entrances between the station and the mezzanine, so there won’t be so many choke points,” piped up Leo Wagner, a 14-year-old train buff visiting with his mom from Washington D.C. The train buffs were out in force, of course, all of them ecstatic. “I actually got chills — and not

just because of the air conditioning,” said 17-year-old Jovan Griffith, a senior at Northeastern Academy in Inwood, taking photos. (He was right — the A.C. was working on the platform. Amazing!) “I like the design, the walls, the lighting — everything,” said an equally effusive Vincent LaFaro, a CVS customer service rep from Brooklyn. His friend Veniece Campbell had come in from Yonkers to exult in the new station. “It’s historic!” she said, promising she’ll be back soon. Then again, she has to be. She’s a train operator, and on Thursday her run starts at that station. Outside, on one of the new benches facing the new grass that looks about as natural as a Starbucks in the Sahara, retired Domino Sugar worker Robert Shelton sat basking in the sun, and pride. “My daughter’s an electrician,” he said. “She helped to construct this.” This is a daughter who went to electricians’ school only after her parents begged the administration to let her in. It was a Downtown Brooklyn trade school that only accepted certain students. “You had to have been on Welfare, an ex-offender, or a drug addict to go to the school,” Shelton explained. His daughter wasn’t any of those, but that’s the school her family had heard about in the Roosevelt Houses, and that’s where she wanted to go. Her parents did too. “So we took off from work and fought for her to go to school there,” recalls Shelton. “We said, ‘We pay taxes. Let her in.’ ” And the school did. Now, 30-something years later, she’s worked on everything from Bloomberg headquarters to the city’s newest gem. “I am so happy to be here today,” said her dad. See? This station is going to make a lot of us happy for a long time. Lenore Skenazy is a public speaker and founder of the book and blog Free-Range Kids (freerangekids.com). .com

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September 17 - 23, 2015

7 Subway Station is a Milestone S

Photos by Yannic Rack

The ticket hall, or upper mezzanine, of the new station is decorated by one of two glass mosaics from artist Xenobia Bailey, entitled “Funktional Vibrations.”

Curious residents and transit enthusiasts str

Continued from page 1 And it will not only be the main access point to Hudson Yards once the development is completed over the next decade, but already delivers visitors to the High Line and the recently renovated Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, as well as the new park. “It was a big investment, and it will have a big impact,” Mayor de Blasio said. His predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, took a ceremonial ride to the station way back in 2013, during his final weeks as mayor, but many locals and commuters to the area have been waiting for much longer. The extension has been under construction for the past eight years, its opening repeatedly delayed because of problems with its two incline elevators, the first in the New York City Transit system. Some riders also lamented the loss of a second station at 10th Ave. and W. 41st St., which was dropped from the plans in 2007 due to cost overruns. The MTA had indicated that the second stop might be included in the 7 extension project, if funding were

September 17 - 23, 2015

found. But those past frustrations were quickly forgotten on Sunday. The anticipation was visible on the sidewalk of W. 34th St., where some local families and subway enthusiasts from across the city had been waiting for hours to finally be allowed into the brand-new station. Once the first public train pulled in shortly after 1 p.m., hundreds swarmed into the station, eagerly posing for selfies and marveling at the colorful mosaics on the ceiling and the countless other amenities, which include the two inclined elevators reaching down roughly seven stories, or 82 feet, from the upper to the lower mezzanines. “We were waiting outside for like, thirty minutes, and now we’re loving it,” said Wanda Salas, who is a tour guide in the city and brought along her mother and a small group of tourists visiting from Argentina. “It’s beautiful, I love that it’s so fresh, it’s not hot at all,” she added, beaming with excitement. “That’s the first thing I notice as a New Yorker.” The station has air-conditioning on the platform level (the MTA promises a year-round temperature between 72 and 78 degrees) and sports the longest

column-free platform, as well as the highest and longest escalators inside any subway station in the city. To reach the platform, riders are transported 125 feet below street level, which led some visitors on Sunday to remark on the long trip down the escalators. Because tracks were built as far south as W. 25th St., there is also more space to store and turn around trains, which is supposed to improve service for all No. 7 riders. “It feels great, but it was very crowded,” said Emil, who had taken the first train into the station with two friends, self-described transit enthusiasts who volunteer at the New York Transit Museum. “It’s very large. It looks like it could handle a lot of people,” said Max, nonetheless noting some aspects that seemed to require improvement, like a pool of water in one corner and a partly unfinished exit. “It’s not every day that a new subway station in New York opens up,” he quickly added. The occasion was, in fact, a historic moment for the city (the last addition to the system was made in 1989). The new stop is also the first time

in over 60 years that the city has paid for a subway extension. Although the mood on Sunday was mostly celebratory, both officials and subway riders brought up the issue of financing, with many asking for more participation from the city. “It’s beautiful, it’s very bright and airy,” said Steve Salee, who visited the station with his eight-year-old son, Aaron. “It’s amazing what happens when the city of New York contributes to the cost of transit infrastructure in its own city. It’s good for New York to help to pay for these things. You can see it.” The mayor has thus far ignored calls for the city to finance a bigger share of the state-run MTA, and some tensions were on display at the press conference. In his speech, Thomas Prendergast, the authority’s chairman, mentioned the need for the city to close the gap in the MTA’s five-year capital program to “respond to the growth” of the city. “All of this is possible because the city of New York fully funded this project. And that happened today because Mike Bloomberg, who couldn’t be with .com

Stop on the Road to Hudson Yards

Local, city and state officials at the ribbon-cutting. From left: State Senator Brad Hoylman, City Councilmember Corey Johnson, City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, President of the MTA Capital Construction Michael Horodniceanu, State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (with hat), US Senator Charles Schumer, Mayor Bill de Blasio, US Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen.

reamed into the new subway station as soon as it opened, shortly after 1 p.m.

us today, saw the needs and the possibilities and partnered with the MTA and New York State to make this critical expansion of our system possible,” he said. The administration of former mayor Michael Bloomberg agreed that the city would pay for the project as part of its effort to develop the Hudson Yards site. The mixed-use project, which will eventually house 40,000 residents and workers every day, forms the core of a cascade of redevelopment in the area, which began in 2005, when the City Council approved the large-scale rezoning of the far West Side. After the city lost its bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, plans for a West Side Stadium for the New York Jets were scrapped, and now Hudson Yards is being built atop the MTA’s John D. Caemmerer rail yards instead. “What arose from the ashes [of the stadium] was a very carefully planned development for Hudson Yards,” Councilmember Corey Johnson said on Sunday. “And as part of that, because we .com

were not going to get enough open space over on the Eastern and Western Rail Yards, the community board fought really hard to ensure that there was going to be ample open space for the concentration of people and buildings that are going to be on the far West Side.” The new subway station now sits right in the middle of the new Hudson Park, or more exactly its southernmost block, (btw. W. 33rd & W. 34th Sts. and 10th &11th Aves.), one of three that stretch all the way to W. 36th St. The other two sections, which boast fountains, sitting areas, a playground and a kiosk, quietly opened to the public last month. But local officials and the Hudson Yards / Hell’s Kitchen Alliance, the business improvement district that will manage and maintain the park, ceremoniously unveiled them park on Sunday. “They say fences make good neighbors. Well, in New York City, parks make good neighbors,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman, who attended

Continued on page 17

The escalator from the street level to the ticket hall runs underneath a colorful glass mosaic — one of two in the new station, both designed by artist Xenobia Bailey.

The station features high-end finishes such as stainless steel tile wall panels, painted steel ceiling panels, granite floor tile, and energy efficient lighting. It is maintains a year-round temperature of 72 to 78 degrees, on the lower mezzanine and platform levels. September 17 - 23, 2015

Commuters and the Curious Say 7 Train Ex BY YANNIC RACK

JAMES & MADELEINE FORD

Photos by Yannic Rack

BILL & DEBORAH SAMPSON On Sunday, September 13, Bill and Deborah Sampson were among the first to try out the 34 St-Hudson Yards 7 Station. “We travelled all the way from the Upper West Side to see this,” Bill joked. “It was very pristine. It even smells new, like a new car,” Deborah said of the station, noting that they haven’t been regular visitors to the area “because there was nothing here before. We caught a Megabus once, but that’s it,” she said. “This park is very pretty, too,” she added, referring to the grand opening of nearby Hudson Park (W. 33rd to W. 36th Sts., mid-block btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). The Sampsons regularly come to the Jacob Javits Center, and they appreciate the closer connection. They have also noticed the rejuvenation of the area ever since Section 1 of the High Line elevated park opened in 2009. “Whenever we have visitors from out of town, it’s to the High Line. And this is a nice addition,” remarked Bill of the Hudson Park space, which has fountains, sitting areas, a playground, and a kiosk. “Now there’ll be some nice restaurants over here soon.”

STEVE & AARON SALEE Marveling at the digital advertising screens installed in the station was Aaron Salee, 8, who had taken one of the first trains from Times Square with his father, Steve, on Sunday. He won’t use the extension on his commute, Steve said, but wanted to show the station to Aaron, who is a big fan of trains. “It’s really cool,” Aaron said, shyly looking around. “It’s beautiful,” added his dad. “It’s bright, open and airy. It’s amazing what happens when the city of New York contributes to the cost of transit infrastructure in its own city. It should be doing more.”

September 17 - 23, 2015

James Ford was passing by the station with his eight-year-old daughter Madeleine on Sunday, riding a tandem bike. The two were on their way from Hamilton Heights, where they live, to Governors Island for a day trip — but decided to check out the new stop on the way. Although they won’t be using the station regularly, they were impressed, and eagerly snapped pictures. “It’s awesome! I heard of it [on the radio] this morning, and I thought it would be awesome to see it,” Madeleine said. “One day I can show my grandchildren a picture of me in front of this station when it opened.”

SYLVIO LAMISERE On Monday morning, Sylvio Lamisere was riding the extension from Times Square to the new station at Hudson Yards with his phone in hand, taking smiling selfies and narrating videos on Snapchat. “We’re pulling into the new station, this is it!” he said into his camera, visibly excited. Lamisere lives in Queens and works on 11th Ave. and W. 26th St., eight blocks south of the station. “So this is like the perfect train station for me because now it’s closer to my work,” he said, adding that he estimates the new extension to shorten his commute by around 20 minutes. “I’ve been waiting for the opening for a while now. I used to take the 7 train to Roosevelt Station, then take the E train all the way to 23rd St. and get off at Eighth Ave. and then walk all the way to 11th Ave. It was a hassle and now I just take one train.” .com

xtension is a Welcome, if Overdue, Addition BLANCHE CORTES

LILY QUARTARARO Lily Quartararo was walking around the station rather aimlessly on Monday morning, trying to figure out which exit would take her closest to her job on 12th Ave. and W. 28th St., six blocks away. An MTA employee fi nally informed her that she only had one choice. “So far I think it’s beautiful,” she said of the station. Quartararo, who lives on Long Island, said she has been working in the area for six months, and used to walk to work from Eighth Ave. and W. 33rd St. “It was the worst commute of my life, and I’ve been commuting for 30 years,” she said, adding that she’s been hoping the station would open before the winter. “I used to walk. I didn’t have much of a choice. It’s a long walk, like four avenues and five or six blocks. In the cold, it’s horrible. This stop won’t save me any time, I think, but in the cold it will help to be closer.”

Although most visitors to the station on Monday were rushing through on their way to work, only stopping to snap a picture here and there, some were there just to see the new facility. “I grew up here. This is awesome. I had to come, are you kidding?” said Blanche Cortes, who made the trip all the way from her home in the Bronx. “I didn’t want to come yesterday, because I thought it would be very crowded. I grew up in Hell’s Kitchen and went to school in Chelsea, at [High School of] Fashion Industries.” Cortes said this part of the West Side deserved its own station. “It’s awesome. This was just so needed. The whole thing, it’s so new. I just hope it’s kept like this,” said the daily visitor to Manhattan, who expects to be a regular presence at the station, “even if it’s just for a ride.”

JAMES KNICKMAN Although the station won’t save him any time on his morning commute, James Knickman said on Monday that he might use the 7 extension for a different reason. “What I’m interested in doing is getting up in the morning and going for a walk on the High Line, and then taking the train back from this station. Get some exercise,” he said, standing in front of the station entrance off 11th Ave. “It’s beautiful, it’s really far down,” he added of the station. Knickman, who lives on the East Side of Manhattan and runs a philanthropic organization (the New York State Health Foundation, on Seventh Ave.), said he would normally end his commute at Times Square, which is almost the same distance from his office as the new stop at Hudson Yards.

T:8.75”

Photos by Yannic Rack

Continued on page 15

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High Marks for New Subway Stop’s Form and Function VIVEK SHARMA Although most of the passengers on the extended 7 line moved from Times Square towards the new stop at Hudson Yards on Monday, some local residents took advantage of having a train their own doorstep for the first time. Vivek Sharma was finishing a cigarette in front of the station before descending the escalator to the ticket hall, past the colorful mosaic on the ceiling. He lives a few blocks from the station and has to travel to Wall St. for work. “I was walking all the way to Times Square,” he said. “This is the first time I’m using it. Hopefully it will take off about 10, 15 minutes of walking. That’s definitely nice in the winter — and not just for work.” Photos by Yannic Rack

Continued from page 16

DEREK SOKOLOWSKI For Queens resident Derek Sokolowski, the new station is not a major time-saver — but standing outside the extension on Monday, he said he would use it anyway. “Oh, yeah. Not only that it’s new, but I find that a lot of people get on the subway at Times Square

and there’s no seats available,” he said. “If you’ve ever seen the 7 train at Times Square, the moment the doors open it’s like a flood. I think it’s going to be more convenient here. You can relax and don’t have to worry about getting a seat. After a long day of work, you just want to sit down.” He also took note of the new and improved look of the station. “If every station looked like this, I wouldn’t mind paying $2.75,” he quipped.

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September 17 - 23, 2015

LYNETTE Over the weekend, the overwhelming response to the new station was positive. That trend continued on Monday, the first working day that commuters could use the extension — but there were some dissenting voices as well. “I just came to ride and see how my money is spent, because I buy a monthly pass,” said Lynette, who declined to give her last name. “I’m not impressed. No, I’m not. What’s the purpose? They spent billions, to do what? One stop? I thought you might have had a couple of stops going down to the water. It’s wasted money,” she said, adding that she lives and works in Queens but goes to the nearby Javits Center occasionally. On Monday, Lynette had the day off and was making a trip to Macy’s, a good walk away. “I was on the F train, but I switched at 74th to see what they spent my money on,” she said, adding that she might use the extension to get to the Javits Center in the future but would have appreciated more direct access to the river. “It’s pretty, don’t get me wrong. But for that money, I expected a couple more stops.”

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Start of a New Stop: 7 Trains Roll Into Hudson Yards

Photos by Yannic Rack

The second block of the recently opened Hudson Park and Boulevard, between W. 34th & W. 35th Sts.

The third block of the new Hudson Park livened up on Sunday for its official opening. The kiosk was in operation for the day but won’t be open and completed until the spring.

Continued from page 13 the opening along with a host of other officials after taking the inaugural train ride to Times Square. “This really is a nice park,” added State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried. “This just shows that when the city works with the community — not every community, but certainly this community — it turns out a whole lot better.” In time, as the rest of the neighborhood is transformed, three more blocks of the park, reaching north to W. 39th St. and the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel, will open as well — although the first of them, block four, is not expected to be completed until 2017. “Today is just a taste of what will come,” said Kevin Singleton, the chairman of the Hudson Yards / Hell’s Kitchen Alliance. On Sunday, the park was already filled with visitors young and old, who strolled along the fountains in the sunshine and listened to live music, while children climbed bouncy castles and had a blast on the playground and at a face-painting station. The elliptical orange kiosk was in business for the day, serving sandwiches and lemonade, although it is still partly under construction and won’t be open regularly until the spring. “I absolutely love it. It’s of the same quality as the High Line and the Hudson River Park. I’m glad I don’t have to go all the way to the river now to see these beautiful fountains and have some greenery,” said Robert Marchesani, sit.com

Metrocard Man, real name Matthew Sterling, posed for selfies and issued advice to his fellow straphangers on Sunday, urging them to keep the new station clean.

ting on a bench in the park’s northernmost block. “I often felt we have too much concrete and steel in this neighborhood, since I moved here after 9/11, so this is like a dream come true.” Marchesani said he lives just down the street, and also has his private psychotherapy practice in the neighborhood, which makes both the park and the subway station a welcome addition. “I couldn’t wait until they started transforming this whole area,” he said. September 17 - 23, 2015

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT ‘Pie Show’ Plumbs Primal Fears of Parenthood Chapman and Cheek on the joys and pains of ‘Labor’ BY CHARLES BATTERSBY Theater calculated to terrify is everywhere during the month that culminates with Halloween — but “The Pumpkin Pie Show” is off to an early start, as of September 24. This is the 17th annual presentation of psychologically complex, often shocking and occasionally gruesome monologues, which this year will tackle the horrors of parenthood. We spoke with writer/performer Clay McLeod Chapman and actress Hanna Cheek to talk about “The Pumpkin Pie Show: Labor Pains.” The show has been a mainstay of East Village theater for so long that even its creators are surprised. “The first ‘Pumpkin Pie Show’ in New York was at the first New York International Fringe Festival,” says Chapman. “We were here when that began almost twenty years ago. It had its root in wanting to put on a show with my actor friends, wanting to do it without a lot of money, and therefore not a lot of production elements — no costumes, no set, nothing beyond the story strapped to our backs.” Cheek points out that the show still uses that barebones aesthetic today. “We take the fourth wall, and push it back behind the last row of the theater,” she notes. “We’re speaking directly to the audience, inviting them to be the other person in the scene or story that we are telling. That matches with the lack of props, the lack of costumes. Everyone’s imagination in the room is coming together and becomes communal. That’s what fills out the details.” Each monologue contains a blend of horror and comedy. This year, the roles played by Cheek include a woman who cuckolded her husband with Sasquatch, as well as darker roles, like a predator who kidnaps children. “As a performer I love to find that kernel of humanity in the villain, and Clay, as a writer, loves to embellish that kernel,” she said. “At least once a year I get to play some fantastic, dubious characters and find the heart in them, and that’s why I keep coming back.”

September 17 - 23, 2015

Photo by KL Thomas

Birth of a nightmare: Clay McLeod Chapman and Hanna Cheek welcome a new arrival into the world, when “Labor Pains” premieres on Sept. 24.

“Hanna is a dubious character in and of herself,” jokes Chapman. “Every writer is trying to find the best actors that they can work with. I lucked out early on and found Hanna, and have exploited her talents for decades.” Blending humor with horror is difficult to pull off — but as Cheek explains, “That’s part of the fun for me as a performer. That volley between horror and comedy, they each allow the other one to land more fully. The more we make you laugh, the more comfortable you feel in our hands — and then we can tighten the fist around you and you’re trapped, and that’s horrifying. Then we release you again with laughter, and the laughter becomes a deeper laugh — and the horror becomes that much more terrifying.” Many of Chapman’s stories end with an ironic twist, which longtime audience members have come to expect from his writing. “The twist exists in

the character from the very first word,” he explains. “I’m a ‘Twilight Zone’ baby. There’s no denying it. That is where my pop culture heritage started. The challenge will always be to make the twist feel organic and real.” People who missed previous installments of the show will be able to hear them as podcasts on Fangoria in the near future. Chapman and Cheek are the sole performers confirmed so far, but Chapman hints about reuniting with some of the previous cast members. “The back catalog is pretty expansive, so we’re hoping to have some special guests come back and reprise their pieces from yonder, way back when.” Cheek says her favorite old story from previous shows is one called “Overbite.” “It’s from a show called ‘Big Top,’ where all of the stories were from circus performers. She’s one of my favor-

ites. She’s the Iron Jaw at the circus and she spins from her teeth and her story of twisted revenge.” “It’s tragedy!” chimes in Chapman, and the two giggle, sharing a private joke from their decades of collaboration and friendship. Horror fans will also be interested in the recently released film “The Boy,” which Chapman wrote the screenplay for, along with Craig Macneill. “The Boy” is based on a chapter from one of Chapman’s “Miss Corpus” novel, and tells the story of a nine-year-old who is heading down the road to becoming a sociopath. It is a slow burn, with many small reveals leading up to a violent conclusion. “We made an active choice at the beginning of the process to deconstruct the slasher movie,” Chapman says of the film. “In a way, it’s like a sheep

Continued on page 19 .com

Comedy and Horror Seed ‘Pumpkin’ Stories

Gay City News presents the

Photo by Blair Anthoney Frowner

Annual Readers’ Choice

“The Pumpkin Pie Show” shines a light on the darkness within.

Continued from page 18 in wolves’ clothing. If you come in expecting ‘Friday the 13th,’ you will be disappointed. But if you expect to see something a little new, a little different, a character portrait of a sociopath — that, to me, is a little bit off the beaten path and exciting.” The prolific Chapman also has a graphic novel coming out this October on Michael Bay’s new comic book line, 451 Media Group. It is called “Self Storage,” and Chapman describes it as “A lovely little Zom-Rom-Com about what it would be like to stumble upon a zombie in a self-storage unit.” Think of it as “The Walking Dead” meets “Storage Wars,” he says.

Hanna Cheek will jump right from “The Pumpkin Pie Show” into another performance in “The Honeycomb Trilogy,” beginning on Oct. 13th. In the project, which she describes as “a sci-fi film on stage,” Cheek plays Ronnie, the grizzled, war-weary leader of a community in the wake of an alien invasion. We’ll have more coverage of “The Honeycomb Trilogy” in the weeks ahead. “The Pumpkin Pie Show: Labor Pains” runs Thurs.–Sat. at 8 p.m., from Sept. 24–Oct. 10 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, btw. First Ave. Ave. A). Purchase tickets ($18, $15 for students) in advance, at horsetrade. info. Artist info at claymcleodchapman.com.

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September 17 - 23, 2015

Bringing Nuance to the North Korea Narrative Soon-Mi Yoo’s essay ﬁlm is a revealing look at the country

Courtesy Kino Lorber

A group of North Korean children gather to sing one of the titular “Songs From The North” in Soon-Mi Yoo’s essay film.

BY SEAN EGAN Soon-Mi Yoo is tired of the conventional western narrative surrounding North Korea. She’s had it with the “satiric and, frankly, racist takes” that “use North Korea as kind of a cheap joke,” and the winking, “kind of dishonest,” news coverage, courtesy of outlets like Vice. “But then, it’s not just Vice,” the filmmaker notes. “It’s even PBS or BBC, these journalists who went into North Korea — they’re thinking of going in with already kind of a set idea. And their brief exchange in North Korea confirms their idea that these people are brainwashed. “And they react to it really badly. Like emotionally. They hate the place. You know, they hate the place, they hate the people. You know, ‘It’s an awful place.’ And I say, like, ‘I kind of know that

already.’ Like, I’ve been told,” she laughs. “And so, what else can you tell us from your experience, or your endeavor, that’s more than this surface reaction that anybody can have. So I felt a little bit responsible.” This sense of responsibility led to “Songs From The North.” The Cambridge, Mass.-based Korean filmmaker’s first feature length work is an unconventional and deeply personal essay film determined to bring insight and nuance to the narrative of North Korea and its people. In order to achieve this, Yoo recently travelled to North Korea three times to film, and the footage she shot there comprises a large portion of the movie. “Initially, my first and second trips, I was invited, quote unquote, or brought in, by somebody who had a very good relationship with the regime,” she reveals.

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September 17 - 23, 2015

“Her whole thing was that I was there to actually shoot footage for [tourism] promotion,” she discloses, despite the freezing December weather of her first visit. She found it difficult to shoot much beyond the designated tourist sites, though, because minders were watching her. “At the end of my third trip I realized that no matter how many times I go back, I would only accumulate a tiny bit of the material that I’d be actually satisfied with,” she says, also noting the air of oppression and paranoia that managed to surprise her when faced with it firsthand. “The footage, and my own experience, was very fragmented.” Despite this, many of her shots are artfully framed, and she managed to capture landscapes not approved by her minders and stolen moments with average North Koreans. In one particularly evocative sequence, Yoo simply lingers on a woman cleaning, as steam rises from a bright pink bowl of hot water nearby. The bowl stands in stark contrast to its bleak surroundings, and the woman is charmingly bashful about being caught on camera. “I find those moments touching,” Yoo says. Also touching is the contemporary interview footage of Yoo’s father. “At the time I didn’t know that I was going to use the footage, but I wanted to have it on camera anyway,” she explains. “He offered more than what he had told before in terms of experience. My understanding of his experience deepened,” she notes. This revealing footage provides

useful historical context via a fascinating anecdotal lens. The film’s final component is extensive archival footage. Yoo incorporates illuminating government news broadcasts, as well as sometimes strangely beautiful domestic entertainment — from melodramatic revolutionary films to colorful, flamboyant stage productions praising the regime. “In a way, North Korean fictions are like documentaries, and so-called North Korean documentaries are more like fiction,” she observes. Though she recognizes how well the regime manipulates the media, and the propagandistic nature of this art, she says she “found them to be, a lot of times, very moving” in their genuine emotion — especially the titular revolutionary songs. She cites, for instance, a striking scene in the film, where she observed people plodding along in the -26 degree cold while propagandist songs played over loudspeakers, and realized how this “entertainment” could almost function as a coping mechanism. “At first I thought it was just terrible, you know this kind of propaganda, just — you cannot escape it, right? You know, you’re out in the open and there is this loudspeaker blaring about some ‘great leaders,’ or ‘dear leaders,’ ” she recalls. “It would drive us crazy, you know? And it did drive me crazy. But then I realized, ‘Actually, maybe it’s better than having to just walk in the cold without anything,’ ” she concludes. “Before, I guess I wasn’t looking and listening carefully enough,” she muses. “And so I reacted similarly to most people, in the sense that I reacted to the message. I reacted to the ridiculous singing about the ‘dear general,’ or whatever,” she continues. “And through this process of making this film, what I really learned was to listen and watch a little more carefully.” And with “Songs From The North,” Yoo has certainly provided audiences with a rare opportunity to watch and listen more carefully — in order to better actually understand the people of North Korea. “Songs From The North.” Directed by Soon-Mi Yoo. 72 minutes. Opens Sept. 18 at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave. at Second St.). Yoo will be present at the Sept. 18 & 19 screenings. A program of Yoo’s short work will also run on Sept. 18. Call 212-515-5181 for more info or visit anthologyfilmarchives.org. .com

She’s Playing ‘Possum’ for Laughs Andrea Alton’s Fringe hit extends its run, and her range BY SCOTT STIFFLER Known by comedy, theater, and LGBT benefit audiences from our town to Provincetown for her profane Molly “Equality” Dykeman character, Andrea Alton added another potent creation to her satirical arsenal last month, when “Possum Creek” made its debut at FringeNYC. It was an unexpected and welcome change of pace (literally!) for Alton, whose sunny but dim Beth Ann is every bit as meek as Molly is brash — and just as much a product of her time. Set in Possum Creek, Ohio from the outset of the Civil War to over 30 years later, the eight-character solo show begins as Beth Ann’s husband goes directly from the altar to the Union Army, vowing to return and consummate their marriage. What follows is a series of beautifully crafted comedic misunderstandings, as the beyond-naïve virgin bride escapes to the relative privacy of an outhouse, where she composes letters to her absent Joseph (“I hope that you are enjoying the war,” she writes, in an early missive that nails her kind but clueless world view). Joseph’s failure to reply to a single letter doesn’t deter Beth Ann from penning thousands of them, full of wildly misinterpreted observations about the goings-on in her small rural town. Through the years, Beth Ann’s chipper disposition insulates her from life’s grim realities — although her inability to grasp the basic concepts of agriculture, reproduction, and the Underground Railroad tests the patience of the entire town. Oddly, the good citizens of Possum Creek never give in to temptation and yell at her, even when she’s playing a decisive role in the devastating waves of disease and starvation (Alton seems to imply that people were just more polite and decent back then, even when it was to their own detriment). Garbed in the same cartoonish, .com

Photo by Jeremy Patlen

Andrea Alton shines as a sunny but dim Civil War bride, in “Possum Creek.”

ballooning hoop dress throughout, Alton slips in and out of flawed characters (brimstone preacher, closeted neighbor, crackpot doctor) while playing Beth Ann with a level of sincerity that grounds the punchlines and slapstick in a sober, often sad, reality. In a further triumph of tone, the events unfold in a style that mocks the hushed, plodding school of storytelling employed by Ken Burns — making “Possum Creek” a sweet and subversive Civil War satire that creates its own revolutionary blend of sex, race, heart, and hope. Written and performed by Andrea Alton. Directed by Eric Chase. Runtime: 50 minutes. Fri. Sept. 25, Thurs. Oct. 1 & Fri. Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. At The Celebration Of Whimsy (21-A Clinton St. btw. Houston & Stanton). For tickets ($18), visit smarttix.com. Show info at possumcreektheplay.com. Facebook: f a c e b o o k . c o m / p o s s u m c r e e k p l a y. Twitter: @possumcreekplay.

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September 17 - 23, 2015

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Buhmann on Art

Enrique Martínez Celaya: ‘Empires: Sea’ and ‘Empires: Land’

Courtesy the artist & Jack Shainman Gallery, NY

Enrique Martínez Celaya: “Empires: Sea” (installation view). At Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W. 20th St.

Courtesy the artist & Jack Shainman Gallery, NY

Enrique Martínez Celaya: “Empires: Land” (installation view). At Jack Shainman Gallery, 524 W. 24th St.

“The Bloom, for the Wilderness” (2015. Oil and wax on canvas. 74 3/4 x 101; 3/4 x 2 1/2 inches, framed). .com

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN (stephaniebuhmann.com) Enrique Martínez Celaya’s twopart exhibition aims to create a complex experience that is simultaneously visceral and elusive. Blending reality, fantasy and memory to create a world that is both semi-autobiographical and universally applicable, the artist’s oeuvre spans a large variety of media. The two installations (“Sea” and “Land”) reflect as much, featuring new paintings, sculptures, needlepoint and poetry. Together, these diverse components inform a dedicated search for authenticity and a sense of belonging, while remaining conscious of the fact that self-knowledge is limited. In this particular exhibition, land serves as a metaphor for what is known, has been discovered, declared, and generally feels familiar. In contrast, the sea is employed to address the mysterious, great unknown at our fingertips. Though this ambitious project marks his first solo show with Jack Shainman Gallery, Los Angeles-based Martínez Celaya has shown his work extensively, including at the Hood Art Museum and The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Through Oct. 24 at Jack Shainman Gallery. “Empires: Sea” is at 513 W. 20th St. “Empires: Land” is at 524 W. 24th St. (both locations, btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). Hours: Tues.–Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Call 212-645-1701. Visit jackshainman.com. September 17 - 23, 2015

Location, location, location. If they weren’t the three most important words in medical care, they are now. The Mount Sinai Health System provides exemplary care throughout the entirety of the city. In fact, our footprint even extends into Long Island, Westchester, and beyond. The system includes seven hospitals, more than 140 ambulatory practices, 31 affiliated community health centers, and over 6,100 primary care and specialty physicians. In addition, Mount Sinai maintains more than 80 relationships with local physicians and group practices serving patients in some 300 community locations throughout the region. Ironically, our number one mission is to keep people out of the hospital. We’re focused on population health management, as opposed to the traditional fee-for-service medicine. So instead of receiving care that’s isolated and intermittent, patients receive care that’s continuous and coordinated, much of it outside of the

traditional hospital setting. Thus the tremendous emphasis on wellness programs designed to help people stop smoking, lose weight and battle obesity, lower their blood pressure and reduce the risk of a heart attack. Mount Sinai is blurring the line between impossible and possible. Its pioneering research has led to breakthroughs in critical areas like cancer, heart disease and neuroscience. In terms of our stature and reputation, vision and innovation, we’d like to think that no other hospital system comes close to Mount Sinai. You, on the other hand, are closer than you’ve ever been before.

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September 17 - 23, 2015

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