ECRWSS
December 18, 2020
The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, where we celebrate our hometown with Greenwich news, people, and events.
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Back Countr y | Banksv ille | Belle Haven | By ram| Chickahominy | Cos Cob | Glenv ille | Old Greenw ich | Pember w ick | R iverside | Bedford, N Y COLUMN: ON MY WATCH
A Wonder of the World
The new King Kong exhibit is a thrill on the second floor, and celebrates that 1933 film. (Photo courtesy Empire State Realty Trust)
By Anne W. Semmes It’s that Art Deco masterpiece, the Empire State Building I wish to visit in this locked down time. A recent article declaring it a masterpiece that told of its finally completed restoration brought it to my attention, with its title of, “An Iconic Beacon Shines Anew.” Yes! The Empire State Building is an icon, of beauty, great design, and brave men who built it, and I am thankful to those who care for it – but that comes later. This new restoration took five years and cost $165 million dollars and lifts me up, seeing what has been done. Severa l yea rs ago, I saw t hat great exhibit at Fairfield University of photographs of Lewis Hine who do c u mente d t he con st r uc t ion of the Empire State Building from the groundbreaking on 34th and Fifth Avenue in 1930 to its swift completion in 1931. One image stays in the mind of that worker strung precariously along a cable unravelling a wire, making his way up into outer space. Hine rightly entitled that shot, “Icarus Atop Empire State Building.” I since learned those aerial workers were called skywalkers. And that new restoration is honoring them in a special exhibit “Construction” inspired by those powerful Lewis Hine photographs, that includes four bronze sculptures of those iron workers/ skywalkers/ masons taking a break, with surround sound and more to take you back in time to that building. Surely this will fascinate anyone interested in skyscraper building like my seven-year-old grandson Arthur. Last year’s Christmas g if t was a puzzle to put together that icon.
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COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived at Greenwich Hospital on Tuesday night. (Peter Negrea photo)
A Reason for Hope Arrives By Richard Kaufman
The Empire State Building, now impressively restored, turns 90 years old in 2021. (Photo courtesy Empire State Realty Trust)
Imagine tak ing A rthur this Christmastide to see Construction, with its nearby space featuring King Kong’s giant f ingers breaking their way in, and the face of Kong peering menacingly through a window. Imagine riding up with Arthur in that new glass walled elevator from the renewed 86th observatory all the way to the top to the newly renovated 102nd f loor observation point with its 360-degree views of New York City stretching as far as 80 miles, seen through f loor to ceiling glass walls. It promises to be a Burj Khalifa experience all over again as shared with Arthur in that now tallest building in the world. But little did Arthur and I know that this icon’s spire topping out at 1,454 feet was originally constructed to ser ve as a “moor i ng mast ” to
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Marriage 1.0, 2.0, 3.0
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new weapon in our battle against COVID. We finally have the vaccine." A lmost 3,000 vaccine doses a r r ived at Greenw ich Hospita l on Tuesday evening, and Phase 1A of the distribution plan began with the initial five vaccinations on Wednesday. "There's a lot of bookwork we have to do. We have to log it into the CDC and the state. We have to check the temperature tracker and make sure it did not have any temperature excursions and the cold chain is intact. Then we store it in our refrigerator, which is at 28 degrees centigrade," he said. The Pfizer vaccine requires ultracold freezer storage at minus 70 degrees centigrade when it’s shipped, but it can be refrigerated for five days before it needs to be administered. "We're only going to receive enough vaccine to manage the people we have
signed up for the clinic each day," Duffy said. Officials are anticipating receiving an additional 7,000 doses on Sunday. The first phase of vaccine distribution includes healthcare providers, frontline workers and pre-hospital care staff within the Greenwich Hospital/Yale New Haven Health System. EMS providers, as well as residents of nursing homes and skilled facilities, will also be at the front of the vaccine line, said Dr. Karen Santucci, Chief Medical Off icer for Greenwich Hospital. Additionally, on Wednesday, the Hospital began to distribute names of those who work in affiliated offices who will get vaccinated. All told, the process to vaccinate internally is expected to take 6-8 weeks, and then the general public will get their shots in the arm.
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Radar Screen
The Kids in Crisis shelter needs general cleaning items: disposable non latex gloves (size large), disinfectant wipes, laundry detergent, paper supplies, tupperware/food storage containers, kitchen rubber gloves, dish towels and Mr Clean Magic Erasers. Contact Melissa Basile-Reolon at mbasile-reolon@kidsincrisis.org or call 203-622-6556 for drop off details.
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT During the course of our relationship, we may be in our second, third, or even sixth marriage to our f irst spouse. Investing in the person that our spouse is becoming is the most important investment in ou r econom ic por tfolio. Relationships are no more static than financial investments, and they are much more important to our emotional well-being. We either intentionally support a n d m ove tow a r d e a c h other, or we drift apart. The mar r iage of t wo g randparents is not the same marriage that they had as newlyweds. Relationships have seasons: dating, being n e w l y m a r r i e d , h av i n g young kids, navigating a major move, coping with new jobs, sending kids to col le ge , empt y ne st i ng , grieving the death of one’s own parents, and dealing with the aging process. Each season is a chapter with its own number. Relationships with no crises are highly unusual.
Pharmacist Jasmine Sahni, PharmD, administers the vaccine to Piyal Alam, MD, a family medicine physician with Northeast Medical Group, part of Yale New Haven Health. (Photo courtesy Greenwich Hospital)
Calls to Action Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
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The past nine months at Greenwich Hospital have been difficult for many b e c ause of t he ongoi ng COV I D -19 pandemic, but on Wednesday morning there was reason to believe that better days are ahead. Greenwich Hospital vaccinated its first healthcare workers in a livestream event: Dr. Samantha D'Annunzio, who has worked in the Intensive Care Unit; Kathleen Collins, a nurse in the ICU; Mark Anthony Abile, a nurse in the Post Acute Care Unit; Deyanira Ferreras from Environmental Services; and Dr. Piyal Alam, from the Hospital's Port Chester walk-in center. Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly called Wednesday "an important moment for us all." "We have been battling COVID now for nine long months, and the sacrifices made by our frontline caregivers in all healthcare facilities here and throughout the country continue to spire me on a daily basis. They are truly healthcare heroes," Kelly said. As of Wednesday morning, there were 416 COVID-19 patients being treated throughout the Yale New Haven Health System, with 35 at Greenwich Hospital. "Without a doubt, we are tired of the suffering brought on by this virus, and our caregivers' fatigue is evident in our daily work," Kelly continued. "But their spirits, their compassion and their resilience are also evident, and we are grateful to all of them. Today, we have a
Betrayals and the loss of a child are two of the hardest, but even the most difficult experiences do not have to be the death knell for a relationship. Relationships, like sk in, are stronger where there is a scar. Being honest, embracing humility, and taking responsibility for personal grow th are the tools to make marriage 2 .0 or 3.0 stronger than marriage 1.0. J u l i a n n e a n d Ky l e ’ s marriage had three neardeath experiences: a serious f inancial mistake, the death of a child , and J u l i a n n e’ s a d d i c t i o n t o pain killers after surger y. After 43 years of marriage, Julianne and Kyle are both grateful that someone normalized near-death experiences for them when they were a young couple. Greenwich resident, Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Book s (203-869-1515) or info@dianesbooks.com) or at Amazon.
Community Centers Inc. (CCI) needs 15 hams, 185 Christmas boxes of cookies and 85 poinsettia. They also need volunteers to deliver these holiday staples on December 21st and December 28th. Please help CCI make the holidays special. If you can deliver or donate, please call Vanessa at (203) 869-1276 or email: Vanessa.Cardinal@ccigreenwich.org. Support Abilis and shop local by visiting the Abilis Garden and Gifts shop, their retail store training site, between now and December 24th. Enjoy 25% off holiday gifts, handmade bath products and candles, accessories and plants* (some exclusions apply). Store location: 50 Glenville Street, Greenwich. Hours: M-F 10AM-5PM, SAT 9AM-5PM and SUN 9AM-2PM. The Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich is holding a Virtual Family Game night, tonight, Friday December 18 from 6 PM - 8 PM. Go to their website: https://bgcg.org/ and click on Family Fun night. Purchase a $10 BGCG bingo card or multiple cards to use all night to play and win prizes. The St. Joseph’s Parenting Center is collecting hats & gloves for the parents enrolled in their programs, toys for kids up to 12 and $20 gift cards for teens. Please reach out to Mariana via email at mdelmore@sjpcenter.org or call 203 548-0067 about dropping off donations. Liberation Programs needs new winter coats for those living in their inpatient and residential care programs. Coats can be purchased through Amazon at https://www.liberationprograms.org/, click on donate and scroll down to their Amazon Smile link to visit their wish list. Liberation programs specializes in substance use disorder treatment with offices at the Greenwich YMCA and throughout Fairfield County. Support the Bedford Playhouse by Holiday shopping using the Bedford Playhouse gift collection. Shop while giving back to this wonderful local theatre. Go to: https://bedfordplayhouse.org/, click on Holiday Gift Guide and start shopping. Call 914.234.6704 for more information.. Visit the Jewish Family Services wish list to help make our neighbors holiday bright by purchasing a gift for those in need. Visit their website: https://jfsgreenwich.org/ and click on donate to get to the wish list. Call (203) 622-1881 for more information. Nugs not Hugs ~ Holiday Edition, sponsored by Garden Catering and local non-profits is providing full holiday meals to 500 local families. A $9 donation will cover the cost of a holiday meal for one, a $54 donation covers a family meal. Garden Catering is also offering the option to Buy One & Give One. For $99 you can send a family a holiday dinner and choose a family meal for your family as well. www.Gardencatering.com.
By Beth Barhydt On the radar screen this week: the best Sarah Bernhardts on the planet may be disappearing from Greenwich Avenue. We did a blind taste test of Sarah Bernhardts (a crisp almond macaroon topped with a creamy chocolate ganache and enrobed in a thin layer of Swiss chocolate wellknown in Greenwich) a few years ago. We bought from four of our local bakeries and, while they were all admittedly extraordinary, the one's that came in the box from St. Moritz Bakery, located at 383 Greenwich Ave nu e , we r e t h e u n a n i m o u s favorite. We have been enjoying these particular Sarah Bernhardts for three plus decades but St. Moritz has been delighting chocolate lovers for much longer, since 1939. If you have yet to experience a Sarah Bernhardt from St. Moritz, you might consider going now to get one, or a dozen, otherwise you may be out of luck. Like many stores at the bottom of Greenwich Avenue, St. Moritz has struggled both with slow business due to the pandemic and the closing of that part of Greenwich Avenue to cars. We are hearing reports that more than a few retailers will not be coming back after the new year, including St. Moritz. This has not been confirmed by the owner. We are hoping this local legend will be able to remain open in 2021 ... another small local business worth supporting and one to put on your radar screen.