APRIL 2019
PATRICIA FOX AND HOWARD CHEZAR:
UNIQUELY TRUE TO THEMSELVES Cover photo by Brett Deutsch PARK WEST NEIGHBORS
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APRIL 2019
DEAR RESIDENTS, PUBLICATION TEAM
PUBLISHER: Jonah Hochman
CONTENT COORDINATOR: Sierra Powell
spowell@bestversionmedia.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Robert Alexander
ralexander@bestversionmedia.com
PHOTOGRAPHER: Brett Deutsch
brett@gothamfamilyphotos.com
ADVERTISING CONTACT: Jonah Hochman PHONE: (631) 428-3858 EMAIL: jhochman@bestversionmedia.com
Gracing this magazine's cover like tidings of spring, our featured residents for April bring a breath of bright color and fresh spirits to the world around them. Patricia Fox and Howard Chezar are some of the most interesting people I know, and they will surely brighten up your day and inspire you with their vibrancy, style, and passion for life. If you've ever seen this distinctive, unmissable couple around the neighborhood and wondered who they could be, now you can find out! Check out their amazing story on page 6. As the city thaws out and begins to bloom into spring, it's time to go outside and experience nature coming back to life. Bird walks in Central Park - listed in the Calendar of Events on page 10 - are a great way to witness the natural beauty that New York City has to offer. You'll find plenty of other fun spring activities in the Calendar as well. Featured on page 5 is the non-profit Concerned Home Managers for the Elderly (COHME, Inc.), a home care agency dedicated to supporting its home health aides so that they can in turn provide the highest level of care. Unlike most agencies of its kind, COHME provides social work services to both staff and clients, and its focus on taking good care of its staff means that aides are able to securely dedicate themselves to those they care for. The St. Agnes Library also offers resources related to aging this month with a workshop on recognizing the signs of Alzheimer's and the continuing Death Cafe series, addressing issues of grief and end-of-life care. Find out about these and other library events on page 14. And of course, happy Easter and Passover to those celebrating! Make sure to look out for Patricia and Howard at the Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival on 5th Avenue, where they always make a splash.
FEEDBACK / IDEAS / SUBMISSIONS: Have feedback, ideas or submissions? We are always happy to hear from you! Deadlines for submissions are the 25th of each month. Go to www.bestversionmedia.com and click “Submit Content.” You may also email your thoughts, ideas and photos to: Jonah Hochman jhochman@bestversionmedia.com
With much warmth,
SIERRA POWELL
CONTENT COORDINATOR
spowell@bestversionmedia.com
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APRIL 2019
NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT
CONCERNED HOME MANAGERS FOR THE ELDERLY Helping the Caregivers of Those Needing Care Article courtesy of COHME, Inc.
H
ome health aides who can provide good quality care to those needing help at home are very much in demand, but for a variety of reasons they often do not stay on the job for long. In many instances, agencies must find whomever they can to fill in the schedule of care and hope for the best. Concerned Home Managers for the Elderly (COHME, Inc.) is celebrating its 35th year of providing top-tier home care services in New York City, particularly the Upper West and Upper East Sides. This non-profit agency was founded by Lucille Rosengarten, a social worker working at Mt. Sinai Hospital who wanted to find a way to provide better support to home care staff, so that they in turn could provide good care to those they work with. She started COHME out of her own home on the Upper East Side in 1984 and the agency has been operating ever since. The solution that Lucille came up with was to provide dedicated social workers for home care staff to help them with issues such as finding child care and housing and pursuing further career development. COHME staff are also provided with benefits including pensions, life insurance, and even scholarship money towards obtaining further training and educational degrees. This has led to an 85% year-to-year retention rate of COHME aides, 35% of whom have been with the agency for more than five years. PARK WEST NEIGHBORS
In addition, COHME provides social workers not only for its nursing staff but also for every client and family who comes to the program. The small size of the agency allows for a very hands-on approach. The social worker does a visit before services start to assess the client's needs and ensure that a good match is made between the client and the caregiver. The social worker is also the on-going point-of-contact to troubleshoot any concerns and provide referrals for other services as needed. The expectations of what home health aides need to know and help with has increased as people stay home longer and come home from the hospital or rehabilitation facility earlier. COHME makes a point of ensuring that its home health aides have good training. Aides are trained in dementia care through Caring Kind and other organizations. They also receive training in Parkinson's, hospice care, fall prevention, transfer assistance, and more from nurses, physical therapists, and others. Current executive director Laura Radensky is a longtime resident of the Upper West Side and only the third person to lead the agency. She is pleased to oversee a non-profit home care agency that takes very seriously its mission of providing compassionate care for everyone. COHME is about caring for the caregiver, who in turn can provide better care in the home.
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FAMILY FEATURE
UNIQUELY TRUE TO THEMSELVES
PATRICIA FOX AND HOWARD CHEZAR
N
ew York City in late winter can be a drab and dreary place indeed. Gray skies hang over the salt-stained streets, cold wind blows through the bare trees, preoccupied New Yorkers rush about in their ubiquitous black coats – but somewhere in this gray blur, there is a vibrant splash of irrepressible, infectious color in the form of Patrica Fox and Howard Chezar. It was on a particularly bleak February afternoon that I had the joy of meeting this colorful couple for an interview in their eclectic Upper West Side apartment, and the warmth and uplift of our brief interaction left me feeling inspired for days. Patricia and Howard welcomed me into their beautiful home with openness and warm hospitality. There is not a trace of arrogance or pretentiousness about these two accomplished, remarkable people, just effervescent good humor and bubbling vitality. In the few hours I spent with them, I accumulated enough
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information and impressions for a whole series of articles. Over tea and biscotti, our conversation wound through dozens of topics from trivial to profound, and later, Patricia let me try on one of her headpieces and showed me her astonishing dressing room, even asking my advice on what she should wear for her photo shoot – as if I could advise her! When Patricia calls herself “a colorful person living in a beige world,” it's a bit of an understatement. Presiding over our lively interview dressed head to toe in bright colors, mismatched patterns, and bold accessories – what she described as a “conservative” outfit – Patricia bowled me over with her uplifting charisma, saucy humor, and unapologetic sense of self. “I never diminish myself for anybody,” she states with emphasis, and truly I'm not sure I've ever met anyone else with such audacious, assured self-expression
By Sierra Powell Photos by Brett Deutsch
and such a forceful yet welcoming presence. Next to her, Patricia's longtime partner and collaborator Howard Chezar seems almost quiet and unassuming, though in fact he is a supremely personable and friendly man with a flair for story-telling, a dashing personal style, and a joie de vivre to match Patricia's. Full of energy and enthusiasm, he is at the same time calm, steady, and contented, perfectly complementing Patricia's more wild and wind-blown nature. Though Patricia dominates the room with her magnetic personality, Howard holds his own while also managing to both support her and give her room to be herself. Together, they form an inspiring partnership. Completing the family is their beloved miniature red French poodle Ruby Woo, an adorable little fluff ball who Patricia declares is “the nicest dog you'll ever meet.” Patricia, an interior designer as well as an assemblage artist, fashion ambassador, model, and Instagram personality, APRIL 2019
and Howard, a master builder sought after for his expertise in restoring historic homes, are partners in work as well as life, often collaborating on remodeling and refurbishing projects. Though they split their time between their Upper West Side apartment and their country home in the Berkshires, both feel strongly at home here on the Upper West Side, where they know all the doormen and shopkeepers on the block, rejoice in the nearby restaurants, and love taking Ruby Woo for walks in Central Park. Being a part of the community is deeply important to them. They are famous in the neighborhood for baking enormous quantities of Florentine cookies every Christmas and giving them to all the doormen, shopkeepers, mail people, and others that they see every day throughout the year. But just six years ago, when they first relocated to the Upper West Side, the neighborhood felt like a foreign country. Patricia had been an entrenched denizen of the West Village for many years, but one morning, she recalls, she woke up realizing that the gentrified Village no longer fit with her sensibility and she needed a change. Without any clear idea of where to go, the first apartment she viewed happened to be on W. 72nd St, and its French doors, leading onto a little balcony, were just what she had been looking for. But after moving in, she felt intimidated by the size and seeming anonymity of the neighborhood. “How does anybody ever find each other here?” she recalls wondering. “How do they build a community?” Luckily it wasn't long before she began to find the answers. A turning point came when Howard first took her out to Piccolo Cafe around the corner. She walked in and felt instantly transported back “home” to the Village, and when two other customers recognized her
from the street and introduced themselves, she suddenly understood that she could make herself at home here. Getting a dog, too, quickly helped them integrate into the community, and today they couldn't feel more at home in the neighborhood. “It's turned out to be where I've always been,” Patricia says, “which is in the middle of everything.” (Continued on Pg. 8)
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RESIDENT FEATURE
(Continued from Pg. 7)
Patricia grew up in Rhode Island and went to school for fine arts in Miami. She had a successful and fulfilling career in the cosmetics industry, starting behind a Clinique counter and working her way up to be national training director for Estée Lauder. Howard, who has been a master contractor for decades, was born and raised in Brooklyn and went to City College, driving a taxi to pay his way. He and his former wife raised their two daughters in the Berkshires, where Howard still conducts much of his business. When the two of them first met in the early 2000s, Patricia was embarking on a complete renovation of the West Village townhouse that she owned with her then-husband, and Howard was in the neighborhood renovating none other than Gwyneth Paltrow's house. Patricia, on the lookout for a builder for her home, came by and talked him up, eventually convincing him to take on her project. It proved to be a fortuitous pairing: they got on famously, the project ran smoothly, Patricia discovered her instinctual passion and talent for interior design, and the house turned out to be a grand success, featured in the The New York Times. Thus began Patricia's successful career in interior design, where her expert eye for color and her artist's sensibility give her an inimitable style and expertise. Her business, Patricia Fox Design, is based on creating a fun and positive experience for her customers. She works with the concept of “Refine in a day, refresh in a week, or refurbish in a month,” and for larger projects involving building or remodeling she collaborates with Howard – a partnership which both of them relish. “Howard is without a doubt my favorite collaborator of all time,” Patricia enthuses. Howard agrees that they work exceptionally well together and praises Patricia's talents and reassuring manner with her clients. At the Benjamin Moore paint store, where she spends so much time that she tends to be mistaken for an employee, she has been known to win new clients by offering insightful color advice to confused customers searching for the right hues. But interior design is only one facet of what Patricia Fox does. For the rest – where to begin? Patricia thoroughly escapes categorization. “I am the creator of my own destiny,” she says. As an iconic personality and fashion influencer, she has created her own brand, Purely Patricia, a celebration of her powerful individuality and iconoclastic style. She is well-known on Instagram and does modeling and promotional work - “people are always calling me to do things.” She was on a billboard for Product (Red) in Times Square, has been featured in numerous books and style magazines, and did a national advertorial piece for Quaker Oats. She is also an artist who creates assemblages, a loose term for various objects and materials brought together to form mixed-media works of art. She specializes in creating unique and often outrageously flamboyant headpieces and often paints, decorates, and embellishes her own clothes. Her motto is “Nothing matches and everything goes.” An artist friend once commented to her, “You know, Patricia, you're like a walking installation.” Her everyday, Purely Patricia style is so elaborate, so unique, so eye-catching, and
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so exciting that it's hard to believe how easily and naturally it comes to her. “My style is innate,” she explains. “I don't take a long time to get dressed. I get dressed with a feeling, with a mood; it's determined by the weather, where I'm going and who I'm going to see.” But she dresses first and foremost for herself. “People will come up to me and say, what are you all dressed up for?” she says. “I'm dressed up for my life.” She takes it as a compliment when people stare and point at her: “I never think they're making fun of me, and if they are, OK for them because I certainly don't want to look like they do.” Howard, for his part, has a much mellower style, but he is a sharp dresser and has not been immune to Patricia's colorful, bold influence. A yearly highlight for both of them is the Easter Parade, for which Patricia of course always outdoes herself with show-stopping headpieces and outfits. When Howard first started accompanying her, he was no match for her incredible ensembles and was excluded from photographs, but he has gradually stepped up his sartorial game and last year scored a major victory when he was even photographed on his own. Patricia and Howard share a commitment to health and vitality, which are “a very strong part of our life together,” Howard says. Patricia does yoga and Pilates and works out at a gym in the neighborhood, and Howard has convinced her to join him in rock climbing – at which she does amazingly well considering her fear of heights and her tendency to touch up her lipstick in the middle of a climb! “A lot of people talk about growing old,” says Patricia,” but “I say APRIL 2019
my spirit is timeless; therefore my age doesn't matter. Howard and I don't live in an age.” Finally, kindness is another core principle that brings the two of them together. “I live my life around kindness,” Patricia says. “I wake up every morning and I look to do a kindness for somebody in this neighborhood” - such as the time she spontaneously decided to check a man sleeping in the park into a hotel for the night. One of the things she loves most about Howard is that he, too, is “one of the most kind-hearted, caring, giving people,” though he's too modest to say it himself. These two generous, spirited people have found in each other the ideal soul mates. “I describe myself as not for the faint of heart,” Patricia muses: “I have a strong personality and a very strong sense of style.” Howard is the only partner she's ever had who has truly lived up to the challenge. Not only does he manage to keep up with her, but he allows her to be herself and gives her a freedom that she never knew she could have with another person. And Howard is proud to be an integral part of her world. “We've built a life together that is even between what we both contribute and what we both get out of it,” he says. “It goes without saying that we're very much in love.” Side by side, the two of them enjoy life to its maximum, bringing joy and color to everything and everyone around them. If you see Patricia, Howard, and Ruby Woo in the neighborhood – and they're certainly hard to miss! - take a moment to say hello. They'll be glad to meet you, and you'll be inspired by their infectiously buoyant spirits and audacious individuality.
Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at spowell@bestversionmedia.com.
PARK WEST NEIGHBORS
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Every Tues. and Fri. year-round Little New-Yorkers @New-York Historical Society Dimenna Children's History Museum Each Tuesday and Friday, kids can come play with historic toys, sing a special song, read a story, and complete a related craft project. Ages 2-7. Time: 3:30-4:15pm Cost: Free with museum admission www.nyhistory.org Every Sun. year-round 79th Street Greenmarket @Columbus Avenue, 77th to 81st Sts Make your weekly visit to the Greenmarket to browse the stalls or to purchase produce, protein, baked goods, herbs and more from local farmers. Time: 9am-5pm Cost: Free www.grownyc.org Tues., Wed., Thurs., & Fri., April 2-May 24 Bird Walks in Central Park @American Museum of Natural History Join ornithologists Paul Sweet and Joseph DiCostanzo for weekly bird walks over the course of two months and observe the vibrant spring migration of birds in Central Park. Learn how to identify birds through field marks, habitat, behavior, and song. Choose either Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday mornings, or Tuesdays at noon. Morning walks are part of an eight-week series; midday walks on Tuesdays are divided into two fourweek sessions.
APRIL 2019 Time: Tues. 7am and 12pm; Wed. 7am; Thurs. 7am; Fri. 9am Cost: $85 per 8-walk morning series, or $50 for 4 Tuesdays at 12pm www.amnh.org Wed., April 3, 10, 17, and 24 Jazz + Wednesdays @American Folk Art Museum Standards from the American Songbook played each Wednesday by the Bill Wurtzel Trio. Time: 2-3pm Cost: Free www.folkartmuseum.org Thurs., April 4 Liederabend @Paul Recital Hall at Juilliard Artists from Juilliard's Collaborative Piano department perform with singers from the Vocal Department for this free recital of song repertoire. Time: 7pm Cost: Free www.lincolncenter.org Fri., April 5 Classic Film Series: Casablanca @New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society's Classic Film Series features significant films with introductory remarks exploring how films tackle issues such as social strife, morality, and right and wrong. Michael Curtiz' Casablanca, from 1942, is considered one of the greatest films of Hollywood's Golden Age. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the story follows the beleaguered and cynical Rick as he must choose between the woman he loves and sacrificing all for a greater cause. Ingrid Bergman's daughter Pia LindstrĂśm and journalist Ron Simon introduce the film. The event is free with Museum admission, and tickets are distributed on a firstcome, first-served basis starting at 6pm. Time: 7pm Cost: Free with museum admission (pay-as-you-wish Fridays 6-8pm) www.nyhistory.org Fri. & Sat., April 5 & 6 McCoy Tyner and Charles McPherson at 80 @Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center Jazz greats McCoy Tyner and Charles McPherson, pianist and saxophonist respectively, are true living legends of music, each with storied careers straight out of the annals of jazz history. Both 80 years old, they're here to prove that jazz keeps you young! Backed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, they'll play brand-new big band arrangements of their iconic compositions. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see two of jazz's greatest living virtuosos
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side by side! Time: 8pm Cost: From $40 www.lincolncenter.org Sat. & Sun., April 6 & 7 and April 13 & 14 Scurry @Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center In this play for the very young by Trusty Sidekick Theater Company, the same three squirrels have been having parties for as long as they can remember. But when suddenly one of them is replaced by an unexpected newcomer, they must face themes of loss, change, and empathy and learn to let others join the party. For ages 2-5. Time: 11am & 2pm each day Cost: $25 www.lincolncenter.org Sun., April 7 Meet the Music: Magical Mystical Moonlight @Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents this special performance bringing chamber music to life for young audiences. Humans have been writing poems and music about the moon for thousands of years – this concert is all about the magical moon! Featuring music by Debussy, Beethoven, Schumann, and George Crumb. For ages 6 and up. Time: 2pm Cost: From $10 www.lincolncenter.org Tues., April 9 Dialogue & Studio: Spoon Carving @American Folk Art Museum Inspired by the carved works on view, teacher and woodworker Kate Hawed will discuss early American furniture making and then lead a spoon carving workshop featuring the fundamentals of woodworking Time: 5:30-8:30pm Cost: $25/$30 www.folkartmuseum.org Tues., April 9 Uptown Showdown: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones @Symphony Space The Uptown Showdown comedy debate series brings together teams of funny people to tackles topics of great cultural importance like which is better, cats or dogs. This time the debate pits the heartfelt pop of the Beatles against the cocksure swagger of the Stones. Representing the opposing opinions are two teams of comics including Carolyn Castiglia, Peter Grosz, Dave Hill, and APRIL 2019
Carmen Lynch. After much verbal sparring and absurdity, the audience gets to choose the winner. Time: 7:30pm Cost: $16 www.symphonyspace.org Sat., April 13 Great Pianists Play Beethoven and Chopin @Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center In these two separate programs, watch film footage of some of the greatest pianists of the last century play some of the greatest works of classical music. Rudolf Serkin, Claudio Arrau, and Wilhelm Backhaus play Beethoven; Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, and Martha Argerich play Chopin. Time: Beethoven at 1pm; Chopin at 3pm Cost: $15 www.lincolncenter.org Sun., April 14 Origami Folding Fun Session @American Museum of Natural History A daylong extravaganza of origami classes taught by skilled teachers from OrigamiUSA! The separate morning and afternoon sessions each include a choice of four different classes, ranging from absolute beginner to advanced intermediate, in which you can make simple origami gifts, fold more advanced creations like “fireworks,” and enhance brain functions through use of your fingertips. Time: 10:30am-12:30pm and 2:304:30pm Cost: $35 per class www.amnh.org Sun., April 14 Reading Into History Family Book Club: The Great American Dust Bowl @New-York Historical Society Author and illustrator Don Brown joins families in a discussion of his stunning graphic novel The Great American Dust Bowl. Vividly depicting the catastrophic, man-made ecological disaster that ravaged the Great Plains and Midwest in the 1930s, this book weaves together ecological history, a history of the Great Plains, and personal narratives to bring together an affecting and important account of the Dust Bowl. Following the discussion, participants will be able to view objects related to the book and the Dust Bowl from the Museum's Library collection. Time: 2-4pm Cost: Free with museum admission www.nyhistory.org PARK WEST NEIGHBORS
Tues., April 16 Nature and New York: Victorians “Greening” Their Homes and Cities @New-York Historical Society Contrary to modern assumptions of Victorian homes as claustrophobic and dark, in fact during the 19th century there was a distinct effort to bring nature into homes and cities. New York City brought nature to its residents through public spaces like Central Park and Riverside Park, and private homes increasingly sought ways to bring light and views into even the densest parts of the city. Architectural historian Barry Lewis offers this talk exploring how Victorians “let the sun shine in” through city green spaces and private homes along the Hudson River. Time: 6:30pm Cost: $48 www.nyhistory.org Thurs., April 18 Castalian String Quartet @David Rubinstein Atrium at Lincoln Center This free concert by the UK-based Castalian String Quartet will feature Britten's inventive String Quartet No. 2 and Schubert's wistful “Rosamunde” quartet. Time: 7:30pm Cost: Free www.lincolncenter.org Sat., April 20 Sing-Along: Fiddler on the Roof @Symphony Space Miracle of Miracles – come sing along with Tevye and his family! This beloved classic starring the down-trodden milkman and his five daughters in rural Russia features such well-known songs as If I Were a Rich Man and Tradition. L'chaim! Time: 6pm Cost: $13-$15 www.symphonyspace.org Sun., April 21 Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival @5th Ave. from 49th St. to 57th St. This iconic, whimsical New York tradition brings 5th Avenue to wonderfully colorful life with swarms of exuberant celebrants decked out in their most creative, colorful and outrageous styles. The astonishingly imaginative “bonnets,” ranging from gorgeous to absurd, are always a sight to see, along with the remarkable outfits that accompany them.
Watch the joyful proceedings from the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral or elsewhere along 5th Ave as the parade works its way up towards Central Park, or better yet, get creative, don you bonnet, and join in the fun! Time: 10am-4pm Cost: Free www.nycgo.com/events Mon.-Mon., April 22-29 Project Broadway @Symphony Space This week-long series at Symphony Space explores the place and role of women in the Broadway world, featuring female singers, composers, lyricists, and characters and showcasing how women shape and have shaped Broadway. Each performance of the series explores a different performer, theme, or idea, like Judy Garland, female lyricists, or who to watch in musical theater today. Time: Mon. 8pm; Tues., Thurs., Fri., & Sat. 7:30pm Cost: From $30 www.symphonyspace.org Tues., April 23 Astronomy Live: Gaia and the Milky Way @American Museum of Natural History The Gaia space telescope recently released a catalog of over 1.3 billion stellar distances, which are helping astronomers visualize the universe and map the Milky Way like never before. Exploring this data, Museum astrophysicist Jackie Flaherty will lead us through the Milky Way in an immersive full-dome experience. Time: 7pm Cost: $15 www.amnh.org Sat., April 27 Gould Plays Bach @Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center In moving film footage, watch the iconoclastic Glenn Gould play Bach, the composer with which he is most associated. Hear and see his youthful, radical interpretation of Concerto No. 1, with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, and a rendition of The Goldberg Variations from late in his life.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Time: 1pm Cost: $15 www.lincolncenter.org Sat., April 27 Dancing the Gods: Rama Vaidyanathan & Dancers @Symphony Space Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the foremost classical Indian dancers of her generations and an exemplar of the Bharatanatyam tradition. Her career has spanned over 30 years and taken her all over the world, including many stops in New York. Her singular style and choreographic flair are marked by an extraordinary conviction and complete mastery of the dance form. In “Vivartana,” she performs alongside a group of six of her senior disciples. The performance will be preceded by a lecture at 7pm and followed by a discussion with the performers. Time: 8-m Cost: From $25 www.symphonyspace.org March 10, 15, 19, & 24 Sun., April 28 From Mendelssohn @Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents an evening of music by or inspired by Mendelssohn. Starting with Mendelssohn's duet for cello and piano and ending with his Piano Trio No. 2, the program also includes chamber works inspired by his style by three admirers – Schumann, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. Time: 5pm Cost: From $75 www.lincolncenter.org Tues., April 30 City of Dreams: Immigrant Life in 19th-Century New York @American Folk Art Museum In this lecture, Tyler Anbinder, a specialist in 19th-century American politics and
APRIL 2019 (CONTINUED) immigration, will discuss immigrant life in New York City. Anbinder is the author of City of Dreams, an acclaimed history of New York City from the perspective of its immigrant populations, and an expert in the history of immigration and ethnicity in America. Time: 6:30-8pm Cost: $8/$10 www.folkartmuseum.org Ongoing through Tues., April 30, 2019 Backyard Wilderness @American Museum of Natural History This film, shown in 2D and 3D, follows a young girl and her family who are blind to the splendors of the natural world, absorbed in their devices – until the girl steps outside and uncovers an extraordinary new world. With breathtaking detail and immersive filming of animal and their habitats, this film reminds us of the teeming and inspiring life to be found in the most ordinary places. Time: Hourly showing from 10:30am-4:30pm Cost: $16.50-$28 www.amnh.org Ongoing through Mon., May 27, 2019 The Butterfly Conservatory @American Museum of Natural History At this popular annual exhibition, dive into the colorful world of the fascinating insects known as butterflies and escape winter weather in a lush, humid greenhouse full of butterflies of every kind. Time: Museum hours Cost: From $13 www.amnh.org Ongoing through Sun., June 16, 2019 Inside You @American Museum of Natural History Microbiome research is emerging as some of the most groundbreaking today. This exhibit details the science that is
opening new doors to human health and our knowledge of digestion and the immune system. Time: Museum hours Cost: Free with museum admission www.amnh.org Ongoing through Sun., August 4, 2019 Hudson Rising @New-York Historical Society For centuries, the Hudson River has been a vital habitat for humans and wildlife, inspiring artists and writers, fascinating scientists and surveyors, and playing a crucial role in New York history. This exhibit explores the ecological change, artistic imagination, and environmental change surrounding the Hudson – which has been called the most interesting river in America - highlighting how it has been an incubator for our changing ideas about the environment and the natural world. This comprehensive combination of art, artifacts, and storied evokes the beloved landscapes of this great river and weaves together 200 years of history. Time: Museum hours Cost: From $13 www.nyhistory.org Ongoing through Sun., August 9, 2020 T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator @American Museum of Natural History This immersive exhibition dedicated to the most iconic dinosaur in the world explores the 100 million year evolutionary story of the entire tyrannosaur family. Stunning life-sized models, fossils, and casts, engaging interactives, and a multiplayer virtual reality experience developed specially for this exhibit will introduce you to the world of this monster predator like never before. Time: Museum hours Cost: From $13 www.amnh.org
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LIBRARY FEATURE
APRIL NEWS FROM ST. AGNES LIBRARY By Justin Glasser, Senior Librarian
T
his April, the Alzheimer’s Association will present the workshop “Know the 10 Signs” at St. Agnes on Tuesday, April 9th at 5pm. The warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are often dismissed as inevitable parts of normal aging, but if you or someone you know is experiencing memory loss or behavioral changes, it’s time to learn the facts. Early detection is the key to improving quality of life for anyone affected by memory impairment. Attend this interactive workshop to learn the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, separate myth from reality, and address commonlyheld fears about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Hear from people who have the disease and find out how to recognize the signs in yourself and others. Anyone who is interested in learning the warning signs of Alzheimer’s and a little information about Alzheimer’s disease itself is encouraged to attend. For more information or to register for this program, contact 1-800272-3900. This workshop will be presented by Licet Valois, LMSW, MPS. Our Death Cafe series continues on Thursday, April 4th and Thursday, May 2nd at 5pm. This monthly seminar series supports and educates communities on end of life care, providing a forum for individuals to discuss and learn about all things end-of-life. Each seminar consists of an opening question, group discussion,
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teaching segment, and Q&A. “Death Cafes are a wonderful way for people to come together and discuss death in a safe and respected space. There is a strict policy that does not allow for any teaching or for leading to any specific conclusion. I have found personally that many people not only want to share their feelings regarding death, but are ready to learn all they can so that they can make empowered, informed choices for their own lives,” testifies registered nurse Suzanne B. O’Brien. In addition to our Saturday computer help (Digital Grandparents, 12-2pm on Saturdays), patrons can now attend one-on-one sessions on Mondays from 1:303:30pm, thanks to the generous volunteers of New York Cares. You can get help in basic computer skills, learn how to download eBooks, and more. Sessions are held in the third floor computer lab. Book lovers, don’t forget to stop by during our book sales, held on Saturday, April 6th and Wednesday, April 24th from 12-4pm. And join us for our monthly book group discussion on Monday, April 22 at 4:30pm, which this month will focus on Rachel Kushner's The Mars Room, a fictional account of life inside a women's correctional facility.
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