Downtown Express - October 31, 2019

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VOLUME 32, NUMBER 21

OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 13, 2019

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VOLUME 32, NUMBER 21

OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 13, 2019

MTA speeds up 4/5/6

ALL THE BUZZ

Page 3

Honey of a business blossoms in Battery Park

Page 4 PHOTO BY ELISE BIRKETT

Ian Sklarsk y, a beekeeper and the creative advisor at The Honeybee Conser vanc y, shows off a beehive.

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Alleged Chinatown homeless killer indicted

BY MARK HALLUM

A

n indictment for brutal killings of four homeless men in Chinatown, allegedly by Randy Santos, 24, moved forward with an announcement from Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance.

Santos is charged with four counts of murder and two for attempted murder after he allegedly went on a rampage with a metal bar in Chinatown during the early morning hours of Oct. 5, shaking the community and calling attention to the need for better homeless services.

The indictment includes an incident eight days earlier in Chelsea, in which Santos allegedly attempted to kill another man.

“There is perhaps no population more vulnerable to violence than the growing number of unsheltered New Yorkers who lack a safe place to sleep,” Vance said. “As my Office works to secure justice for Cheun Kok, Anthony Mason, Nazario Abdelardo Vazquez Villegas, and a tragically still-unidentified neighbor, our City can further honor their memories by delivering secure housing to all New Yorkers. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims’ loved ones as our community

PHOTO : MARK HALLUM/THE VILLAGER

Doyers Street, near where four murders, allegedly by Randy Santos, played out on Oct. 5.

begins to heal.”

Surveillance footage allegedly captured Santos in the act of seeing Mason sleeping before fetching a metal bar and returning to bludgeon the man to death, striking him in the head seven times in front of 17 East Broadway.

Santos is accused of then crossing the street to 2 East Broadway, where the three other men were sleeping alongside one another.

Using the same weapon, Santos allegedly also began hitting these men, killing Villegas and a man still uniden-

tified almost a month later. One other was injured in this stage of the attacks.

After abandoning the metal bar, Santos allegedly came upon Cheun Kok sleeping near Doyers Street, the DA said. Santos is said to have gone back for the bar he used on the other sleeping men and struck Kok three times before witnesses called 911.

Kok was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA. While cops were surveying the scene of Kok’s murder, the survivor of the 2 East Broadway attack came stumbling toward emergency responders, who rushed him to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

Santos himself was allegedly found while still clutching the murder weapon near Mulberry and Canal Streets, according to the DA, and was arrested by police from the 5th Precinct.

Santos was also identified as the attacker of another sleeping man near Chelsea Piers on Sept. 27, according to Vance. Santos allegedly struck the victim in the head and neck before attempting to throw him over the railing and into the Hudson River.

The defendant, originally from the Bronx, is being represented by Legal Aid Society and the next court appearance does not yet have a date.

Faster speeds set for 4/5/6 and M trains: MTA

BY VINCENT BARONE

T

he subway’s busiest line is about to get a little faster.

The MTA has increased speed limits along stretches of the Lexington Avenue line of the 4,5,6, according to internal documents obtained by amNewYork.

Sections of track near Canal Street, 14th Street-Union Square and stations north, including where the 4 and 6 stretch out into the Bronx, have received higher speed limits as of this Friday. Speeds are also going up at two portions along the M line in Queens and Brooklyn.

The changes are part of Transit President Andy Byford’s “Save Safe Seconds” campaign to review speed limits implemented in the subway system and replace those found to be overly restrictive. The MTA had increased limits at 150 sections of track in the subway system as of this September, according to officials.

That effort has played a large role in helping the subway system bounce back from a service crisis, with reliability rates hitting highs the MTA hasn’t seen in years.

By Union Square, the speed limit on one track has been increased from 20 to 28 mph; Near Canal Street, another limit of 20 mph was increased to 25 mph.

Along the M, the biggest change announced Friday was seen at the Fresh Pond Road station, where speeds on certain tracks entering and exiting the station were increased from 25 to 30 mph.

Besides just swapping signs, the MTA has to acclimate train operators to the new limits. The authority has also appointed new “Train Service Supervisors” as part of Byford’s campaign to ride along with operators and educate them of the changes.

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PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Ser vice is getting speedier on the 4 train in Manhattan, among other lines, according to the MTA . (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Paul McPhee, MTA Transit’s chief officer of field operations, wrote in one internal document dated this Friday that the campaign makes the subways more reliable and improves on how many people the system can move each day.

“By adhering to the guidelines and directions pro-

vided by these train service supervisors, train operators will greatly improve our ability to safely provide faster, more comfortable and more consistent service while maximizing system capacity,” he said.

The MTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

October 31, 2019

3

Beekeepers buzzing on the Battery

BY ELISE BIRKETT

I

n a city that less than a decade ago labeled honeybees as equally dangerous as hyenas and venomous snakes, beekeeping has become not only a hobby for many New Yorkers, but a platform for bee conservation and food-insecurity education.

In July, bees were declared the most important species on Earth, according to a study conducted by the Earthwatch Institute. However, despite their significance, bees today face serious risks associated with climate change, pesticide use, colony-collapse disorder, habitat loss and parasites.

One in four native bee species in North America are at risk of extinction, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Beekeeping in New York City is bolstering bee populations against these threats.

The Honeybee Conservancy, a nonprofit based on the Upper East Side, launched a two-fold campaign called #BeetheSolution last month to address problems of hunger while also securing the future for bees. During a workshop at The Battery Urban Farm recent, executive director of The Honeybee Conservancy, Guillermo Fernandez, spoke to participants about the importance of these pollinators and how beekeeping in the city can benefit local food production.

Fernandez, who works days as a marketing director at Spectrum Reach, explained that their campaign donates beehives to community gardens in lowincome neighborhoods, which increases these gardens’ food yields while supporting honeybee and native bee species.

“I remember times when my parents were struggling to get food for us and it was an area that didn’t have really any fresh fruit or vegetables,” Fernandez said, on reflecting how growing up in a

PHOTO BY ELISE BIRKETT

Ian Sklarsk y, a beekeeper and the creative advisor at The Honeybee Conser vanc y, shows attendees of the Beekeeping workshop, hosted at the Batter y Urban Farm, a look at the bee and honey-covered frames from inside the bee boxes.

food desert influenced his work today.

Fernandez said the conservancy recently donated a beehive to Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project through the Sponsor-aHive grant. He anticipates the difference their grant will make to the soup kitchen and Community Supported Agriculture garden will be significant.

“We expect they’ll go from 250 to 400 pounds of food that they’re giving out to homeless people and families in need here in New York City,” he said.

At the workshop, co-hosted by The Honeybee Conservancy and New York City’s school gardens program Grow to Learn, Fernandez and two beekeepers

PHOTO BY ELISE BIRKETT

The Honeybee Conser vancy beekeepers Nicole Toutounji (left), program advisor and bee ambassador, and Ian Sklarsk y, creative advisor, are seen tending to the beehive located in the southernmost end of Batter y Park. Toutounji holds a bee smoker which is used to calm the bees, while Sklarsky can be seen suiting up in the protective covering.

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October 31, 2019

from the conservancy showed participants the beehive kept at the Battery Urban Farm, located in the northeastern edge of Battery Park near State Street and Battery Place.

While the beekeepers pulled out a bee- and honey-covered frame from one of three yellow bee boxes, Fernandez said that decreased use of pesticides in New York City (as compared to rural areas) means beekeeping in the city is better at revitalizing bee populations, while also increasing local pollination and therefore, food production in the city.

Both honeybees and native New York bees, like the Mason and leafcutter species, are critical pollinators for fruits, vegetables and native New York plants.

A 2016 UN report disclosed that more than 75 percent of the world’s food crops depend to some extent on pollinators like bees, so our ability to thrive is dependent on theirs.

Jennifer Sclafani, 30, a pre-K teacher at a private school, attended the event to become more educated on bees in the city. “I just really love them,” Sclafani said. “It’s important for me to know more about something I really love so I can teach more effectively.”

Chelsea Yamada, 27, a cycling and safe streets advocate who attended the event, also agreed beekeeping in the city is an effective way to invigorate bee populations while reducing food insecurity and giving more people access to local produce. Yamada felt it provides an opportunity to enjoy nature in an urban

PHOTO BY ELISE BIRKETT

Guillermo Fernandez, executive director of the Honeybee Conser vanc y, explains that the bee nesting house he holds contains hollow tubes of various diameters that act like the reeds behind him, providing a space for bees to burrow and lay their eggs.

environment.

Fernandez believes everyone can, and should, help support bee populations.

He suggests New York City residents plant flowers such as marigolds, lavender and nasturtium, avoid hybridized plants which produce little pollen, build homes for native bees, and support local beekeepers by buying locally grown honey and produce. “Helping support the bee population will also help support us,” Fernandez said.

While the threats bees face are serious, New York City and other urban environments are making it easier for individuals to explore beekeeping and conservation. Fernandez believes saving the bees comes down to collective action. In order to make these changes, people must come together and each do what they can.

For him, dedicating time to educating others and providing support is most important.

“I was blessed enough that I was a bookworm and I ended up going to a good school,” Fernandez said, reflecting again on his own upbringing. “Now I’m doing well, and this is really my way of giving back.”

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October 31, 2019

5

Police Blotter School safety agent sprayed

Village office burglary There was a burglary in a real estate office at 21 Grove St., police said.

An employee said she closed the office on Oct. 2, at 6 p.m., and when she reopened the office the next morning, she noticed the office had been rummaged through and items were miss-

ing. The items included a handbag, a sweater and a laptop, with a total value of $2,540.

Azariah Brundage, 28, was arrested on Oct. 7, and Alvin Cruz, 18, was arrested on Oct. 21.

— Gabe Herman

Creep groped underage girl

East Village woman evades trespasser

A NYPD school safety agent was assaulted while trying to break up a fight, police said. On Sunday, Oct. 13, around 12:10 p.m., a 25-year-old agent was helping other agents break up a fight between students in front of 64 Essex St., officials said. During the altercation, one of the males allegedly sprayed an unknown substance in the agent’s face, then fled into the Essex Street/Delancey Street subway station.

The victim was taken in stable condition to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, where he was treated for burning and irritation in his eyes, police said.

— Gabe Herman

Arrests for imitation gun Two police officers were spooked by an imitation pistol that a group of men had at the corner of Mercer and Bleecker streets on Thursday, Oct. 24. Around 11 p.m. the officers came across what they thought was a black semi-automatic handgun, which made them fear for their safety, according to a police report. The officers determined that the firearm was an imitation pistol not authorized by the administrative code of New York City. Three men were arrested for menacing, a felony: Ahmed Elafify, 18; Samin Bashar, 18; and Sory Barry, 22.

— Gabe Herman

BY GABE HERMAN

A

woman was able to escape from an attack inside an East Village apartment building, according to police.

The incident occurred on Friday, Oct. 25, around 11 p.m. A man allegedly followed a 19-year-old woman into a residential building near East 7th Street and Avenue A. Once inside the building, they both entered the elevator.

When the woman got off the elevator and walked to her apartment door, officials say that the man approached her from behind and covered her mouth.

He then allegedly wrapped his other arm around her waist and demanded that she open the door to her apartment.

The woman refused and yelled out for help. A neighbor opened her door to see what was happening, and the attacker released the victim and ran to the elevator, police said. He fled out of the building in an unknown direction.

Police described the man, who is wanted for burglary in the 9th Precinct, as black, 20 to 25 years old and 6 feet 2 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, a white hooded sweater, black shorts and black sneakers.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website, nypdcrimestoppers.com, or send a direct message on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Intoxicated man has items stolen Intoxicated man has items stolen An intoxicated man had several items taken earlier this year without his knowledge, which led to a recent arrest, according to a police report. On April 5, a 34-year-old man left the Dominick Hotel at 246 Spring St., which he said was the last time he knew he had his possessions, and that he was highly intoxicated at the time. He said he started walking and when he reached Sixth Avenue and West Fourth Street, he realized he was missing several items, including his wallet, multiple credit and debit cards, and a smart phone. The man said he had no idea what happened to his property, and that there were later several unauthorized charges on his credit cards. On Oct. 17, Jeffrey Stevens, 53, was arrested for grand larceny.

— Gabe Herman

Cour tesy NYPD Sur veillance of the man wanted by police.

BY GABE HERMAN

P

olice are looking for a creep who groped an underage girl in the subway, officials said.

The incident occurred on Monday, Oct. 21, around 2:40 p.m. A man approached a 16-year-old girl on a staircase in the subway station at Eighth Avenue and West 44th Street, police said. The man then allegedly grabbed her buttocks, before fleeing on foot.

Police said there were no injuries from the incident. The man wanted for forcible touching in the Midtown South Precinct is described as being bald and wearing a two-tone coat, a lavender shirt, tan pants, glasses and was seen carrying a black bag.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website, nypdcrimestoppers.com, or send a direct message on Twitter @ NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

For more news & events happening now visit www.TheVillager.com 6

October 31, 2019

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October 31, 2019

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Seward Park Liquors keeps serving strong

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

I

t’s been one year since Seward Park Liquors grand reopening on Ludlow Street.

Store owner John DiBlasio relocated to the Lower East Side side street after 43 years on Grand Street, and just like at his old location, he said he is dedicated to providing neighborhood residents with a wide variety of wines and liquors at affordable prices.

During a tour of the store, DiBlasio pulled down a bottle of one of the many types of aperitifs from one of the ceiling-high shelves in the store’s narrow front hallway. In his hand he held a bottle of St. Germian, a popular brand of an elder flower liqueur that can be used to make cocktails like martinis or drunk before dinner to stimulate the appetite. He carries the nearly $40 brand along with its less expensive counter part, St. Elder, which can be purchased for around $19.

“So, that is what I try to

do,” said DiBlasio. “Give the customer an option.”

And there are options for everyone at Seward Park Liquors — DiBlasio boasts that he carries 1,000 different kinds of wine and liquors in the deceptively small store.

Sections of the store are designated for Kosher wines, sakes and sojus, some things not found everywhere. Once customers pass down the entrance hallway, where unique liquors like Bolivian whiskey lie, they walk into a large wine room. There, wine bottles from countries like Italy, France, Israel and Austria are stacked so tall that DiBlasio has installed rolling ladders along the walls to better reach the fermented delights.

“I have great connections and can get mostly anything,” said DiBlasio, a native of the Lower East Side.

At the end of the wine room, the back door to Seward Park Liquors leads to small patio that DiBlasio recently created. The space can provide visitors short respites from city during the store’s monthly wine-tastings.

PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

John DiBlasio, owner of Seward Park Liquors, sits in front of a wall of wine. He carries wine from numerous regions and countries.

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October 31, 2019

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What to know about this year’s general election

AP PHOTO/ALEXANDER F. YUAN, FILE

Voters fill out their forms as they prepare to vote at a polling station in Brooklyn.

V

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October 31, 2019

oters will be heading to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Don’t be surprised when you get to your polling machine — here’s all you need to know before you go: When and where to vote: Vote from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you want to get it out of the way, early voting is in place this year now through Nov. 3. Hours vary and can be found on vote.nyc. Find your local polling station at nyc.pollsitelocator.com.

The Races Democratic Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (who won a special election against 16 other candidates in February), will be running against Republican City Councilman Joseph C. Borelli, and Libertarian Devin Balkind for public advocate.

Democratic judges Martin Shulman, Shawn T. Kelly (incumbent), and Jennifer Schecter will be up for Supreme Court Justice for the 1st Judicial District (three seats); Democratic Judges Ashlee Crawford and Robert Rosenthal are after two seats on Judge of the Civil Court (County); Democratic Judge Anna Lewis is the only candidate up for Judge of the Civil Court (3rd Municipal Court District); Democratic Judge E. Grace Park is up for Judge of the Civil Court (4th Municipal Court District); and Democratic Judge Erik L. Gray is up for Judge of the Civil Court (9th Municipal Court District).

The Proposals: Question 1 (Elections) includes a proposal to establish ranked-choice voting for primary and special elections in the city.

Question 2 contains five proposals concerning the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), including proposals to provide for a minimum budget for the CCRB based on the number of NYPD officers, allow the Public Advocate to appoint one CCRB member, and authorize the city council to appoint members without confirmation from the mayor.

Question 4 includes a provision to set minimum public advocate and borough president budgets.

For full proposals and more information, visit ballotpedia.org Schneps Media

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By Eric L. Adams, Jennifer Gunter, and Dr. David L. Katz

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When It Comes to the Health Dangers of Processed Meats, the Science is Settled Nutrition: why does it confuse us when the truth is simple and straightforward?

We are living in an age of information overload, where the

become increasingly blurry. The whirlwind of trendy nutrition claims can make us believe we don’t know anything about health-except, we do.

The most recent entry in the socalled debate around nutrition is the series of systematic reviews and metaanalyses on red meat consumption, just published in Annals of Internal Medicine. These papers conclude that there is “no need to reduce red and processed meat consumption for improved health outcomes.�

We believe the inaccurate

will set back many of the gains we have made in public health.

The researchers have not performed any new studies.

Despite the fanfare, there is no new information, and no new-found incongruences. These red meat reports simply re-evaluated studies that have already been peer-reviewed and published. But critically, they evaluated these studies using tools designed for pharmaceutical trials, which typically prioritize randomized control trials that tend to be very difficult and unethical as lifestyle medicine interventions.

Observational, cohort and longitudinal studies better measure lifestyle interventions, because they can study longer time periods, adherence and patterns.

As one of us has personally

as medicine, we understand the risks that come from reports designed to confound us. In the end, we are made to believe that the science is unsteady and the experts disagree.

This is simply not true. True Health Initiative, a global coalition of world-leading health specialists, includes experts from paleo to vegan who all agree on the fundamentals of healthy eating. There is pretty much unanimous agreement amongst the

The recommendations put forth by these reports are in direct contradiction to the data reported by the reports themselves. These studies provide no compelling reason to update guidelines, and they do not address the health detriments associated with eating red and processed meat in large quantities.

The problem isn’t that we don’t know what to eat. The problem is that we are constantly being fed a narrative that the jury is still deliberating on a number of health matters, when in many cases the verdict has already been rendered.

And this is a very, very big problem.

And let’s be clear: we have made a lot of progress. In New York, there has been a sea change in our approach to healthy eating. Responding to

Eric L. Adams the Borough President’s advocacy on meat reduction, New York City announced their visionary document, OneNYC this past April, committing to move away from processed meats and towards healthier options. In that document, branded as NYC’s Green New Deal, the City committed to a 50% decrease in beef purchasing via city contracts.

Meatless Mondays began in school cafeterias as a first step towards meat reduction and quickly expanded beyond schools, expanding to hospitals; other City agencies are considering implementing this policy as well.

These decisions were not made haphazardly; they were made because

supporting them. Reports like the Annals’ meta-analyses on red meat irresponsibly undermine nutrition science.

We often hear that shifting away from processed meats would be unpalatable to the broader public.

But there is a clear appetite for plant-based eating. The borough president recently took the lead on creating a plant-based nutrition clinic at Bellevue Hospital. In January 2018, the CEO of New York Health + Hospitals announced a $400,000 investment into this clinic. There is now a wait list of 650 people. We need more plant-based options, not fewer.

The Annals of Internal Medicine red meat meta-analyses and systematic reviews are not a revolution in dietary guidelines, they are simply a series of papers using

claims the papers make threaten to delay change with confusion. We are standing at a crossroads. Let us rely on sense before nonsense, and continue to evolve our communities towards better nutrition, sustainability and a culture that makes health the norm and not the exception.

Eric Adams is Brooklyn borough president.

Dr. David L. Katz and Jennifer Lutz are Founder and Director of True Health Initiative.

October 31, 2019

11

Editorial

You’ve got the time, now go out and vote!

Saturday marked a watershed moment in the history of New York state elections: For the first time, registered voters are able to cast their votes more than a week before the formal Election Day. The Empire State is finally on board with a voter participation program that other states have embraced for years.

It used to be that New Yorkers who knew they couldn’t get out and vote on Election Day had to jump through hoops to get absentee ballots in advance. Not anymore.

Now through this Sunday, Nov. 3, any registered New York voter can go to designated early voting sites and make their choices on both elected officials and ballot referendums.

Surely, most of us can find the time between now and 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, to head down to an early polling site and exercise our rights.

It’s no secret how abysmal turnouts have been in recent New York City elections. Just 23 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2017 municipal elections, nearly half of the turnout in the 2016 presidential election.

In the years to come, early voting can only help boost voter participation. It’ll be interesting to see what impact it will have on the turnout this year, a very quiet one in New York City politics.

The only main city-wide race is for public advocate, and incumbent Jumaane Williams — the popular Brooklyn Democrat who won the seat in a February special election — stands a solid chance of defeating his Republican rival, Staten Island City Councilman Joe Borelli.

Manhattan has a litany of judge seats on the ballot. Whoever wins these seats will make decisions from the bench that will have a lasting impact for years to come.

But there are five ballot questions affecting the City Charter which every registered voter should pay attention to, one of which includes another avenue of electoral reform: ranked voting, in which voters can number their preferences among a group of candidates running for city offices.

Regardless of who is (or who isn’t) on the ballot, it’s important for every registered New York voter to learn about the choices, and then go to the polls and vote every Election Day. With early voting, we have no more excuses for not doing so — but all the time in the world.

So, vote early!

Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now, Downtown Express and Manhattan Express PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER CEO & CO-PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF REPORTERS CONTRIBUTORS

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October 31, 2019

VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS LINCOLN ANDERSON GABE HERMAN ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL MICHELE HERMAN BOB KRASNER TEQUILA MINSKY MARY REINHOLZ PAUL SCHINDLER MARCOS RAMOS CLIFFORD LUSTER (718) 260-2504 CLUSTER@CNGLOCAL.COM GAYLE GREENBURG JIM STEELE JULIO TUMBACO ELIZABETH POLLY

T

he front page of The Villager on June 1, 1972, featured photos of Greenwich Village kids at play. One of the captions read, “If you think the kids keep busy, imagine how this swing set felt. It never had a rest with youngsters utilizing the top, the bottom—and the air in between.”

Another caption read, “Over at the P.S. 41 playground, Michelle Patrick people-watches from her perch far from the madding crowd.”

And the third photo description was, “Holiday weather brought some curious moods to kids. Above Ericka, 1 ½, engages in some serious babystrolling at 6th Ave. and 13th St.” — Gabe Herman

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Op-Ed

Letters to the Editor

The life and death of private NYC subways

FILE PHOTO/THE VILLAGER

BY L ARRY PENNER

R

iding the old 1904 subway cars between Times Square and 96th Street on Oct. 27 was a great way to celebrate the 115th Anniversary NYC Subway System.

It was a generation of people who respected authority and law. Previous generations of riders did not litter subway stations, trains, trolleys or buses, by leaving behind gum, candy wrappers, paper cups, bottles and newspapers.

On Oct. 27, 1904, the Interborough Rapid Transit company opened the first subway line.

It ran 9 miles from City Hall uptown on the eastside across 42nd Street (today’s 42nd Street Shuttle) to Times Square and proceeded uptown to 145th Street and included 28 stations. Over 150,000 riders paid a five-cent fare.

The original BMT (Brooklyn Manhattan Rapid Transit – today’s B,D,J,M, N,Q, R, W & Z lines) and IRT (Interboro Rapid Transit 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Franklin Ave and Times Square shuttles) subway systems were constructed and managed by the private sector with no government operating subsidies. Financial viability was 100% dependent upon farebox revenues. They supported both development and economic growth of neighborhoods in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens.

As part of the franchise agreement which owners had to sign, City Hall had direct control over the fare structure. For a time, owners actually made a profit with a five-cent fare. AfSchneps Media

ter two decades passed, the costs of salaries, maintenance, power, supplies and equipment would pressure owners to ask City Hall for permission to raise the fares. This additional revenue was needed to keep up with maintaining a good state of repair, increase the frequency of service, purchase new subway cars, pay employee salary increases and support planned system expansion.

Politicians more interested in the next reelection refused this request for over a decade.

Owners of both systems looked elsewhere to reduce costs and stay in business. They started curtailing basic maintenance, delayed purchases of new subway cars, postponed employee salary increases, canceled planned system expansion and cut corners to survive. (Does any of this sound familiar from the present?)

In 1932, NYC began building and financing the construction of the new IND (Independent Subway – today’s A,C,E,F & G lines). This new municipal system, subsidized by taxpayers dollars would provide direct competition to both the IRT and BMT. Municipal government forced them into economic ruin by denying them fare increases that would have provided access to additional needed revenues.

Big Brother, just like the Godfather, made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. The owners folded in 1940 and sold out to City Hall.

Larry Penner is a transportation historian, writer and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office.

Move forward with East River plan I have coached kids in the East River Park for 30 years, the last five years I have served with the New York Giants Youth Baseball Club, a baseball program with teams for kids ages 5 to 17. As a coach and a lifelong resident of the Lower East Side, I can attest that East River Park has been a haven for our neighborhood, offering our children and families a space to play, exercise and gather as a community.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, East River Park was one of the public parks that could not immediately be reopened due to the extensive damage to our ballfields and drainage system. As it stands now, the park’s existing drainage and sewage system does not have the capacity to handle localized flooding or heavy rainfall that we see throughout the year.

Kids in the community constantly lose time on the field due to massive water puddles that accumulate as a result of inadequate drainage. This has been the case at East River Park for at least 10 years.

Long term action needs to be taken to protect our community and upgrade our park and we must move forward with the East Coast Resiliency Project at the East River Park.

The plan has already been updated to address our biggest concern, phased construction, which will allow for nearly 50% of the park to remain open throughout the project.

While we are still working with the Parks Department to finalize schedules for our teams in the park and at other nearby fields our progress is a good sign of the city’s commitment to youth recreation and our community as a whole.

More important than any other feature, with the limited open space on the Lower East Side, the sports fields at East River Park are an invaluable resource to the thousands of children, many of them from NYCHA who rely on the fields for organized athletics and recreation.

With this plan, the children I coach and the rest of our community will get flood protec-

tion, construction phasing and a new park with new fields. I believe we should move forward with the East Side Coastal Resiliency Plan now that a good majority of our community’s concerns have been addressed.

Danny Ramirez

Remembering a great educator Regarding the memorial for Susan Korn (Oct. 24): Oh, how very sad. Susan was an amazing human being! So easy to be with, to talk with, to party with. I worked with her for ten years at PS 3 and would occasionally run into her on the M8 bus after I moved on to the Salk School. I will not be able to be at the memorial in body, but I will be thinking of Susan and all the wonderful memories of her and PS 3.

All my love to her friends and family.

Harriet Glassman

Honoring a beloved filmmaker On the death of NYU filmmaker Arnold Baskin (Oct. 24): Arnie gave me the encouragement to be myself as a filmmaker. He would laugh with us at our failures and he would not bullshit us and would not accept any either. He would look skeptical and move on. He would float when he moved. One day I was walking near University Place with my friend Greg, who was in Arnie’s class with me when Greg said “doesn’t Arnie Baskin live around here?” And like a Woody Allen Movie there he was right behind us and he greeted us both my name. He smiled, moved his scarf with his hand as if it was blown by the wind. Arnie taught us not just how to make movies, but how to be in our own lifemovie as he had created his.

We were special, we were filmmakers, Arnie’s auteurs.

Walter Pitt October 31, 2019

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OBITUARIES Susan Leelike, 81,

Villager and community activist

BY LISA RAMACI

H

er name was Susan Leelike, and she was a city and neighborhood treasure.

She was born in 1938, into a very different New York City, to parents of Russian Jewish extraction; both of her parents were Communists, and she was a true Red Diaper baby who lived for the vast majority of her 81 years in either the West or the East Villages, the last 50 of them on our side of the island.

She co-founded GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side) in 1977 with her friend Floyd Feldman, with the objectives of providing tenant advocacy and shining an early spotlight on neighborhood preservation. Among other things, they envisioned the transformation of an underutilized Department of Sanitation facility, in one of Mayor LaGuardia’s old former city markets, as a perfect spot for a theater; without their creativity and tireless efforts, Theater for the New City would not today be calling East 10th Street and First Avenue home.

She was also a founding member of the Shelter Task Force, created in an attempt to block the city from overloading the East Village with homel e s s

shelters, and BASTA, formed to regulate and better conditions at the infamous Third Street Men’s Shelter, a processing shelter for the homeless, since the city was doing absolutely nothing about the horrific site they were supposed to be overseeing.

Through her – and others’ – yearslong efforts, the shelter was cleaned up and became a positive resource for the East Village rather than a nonstop source of thievery, drug-dealing, garbage, violence and menace.

In the 1990s Susan and her neighbors on 10th Street between 1st and 2nd took on the 24/7 drug dealers that infested so many streets of the East Village back then and won; this on top of helping to gut-rehab an abandoned, fire-ravaged tenement building that she had called home since 1982. Now a fully-functioning HDFC, it survived and thrived in no small part to her unceasing labors, and the success of her undertakings helped to turn that block into the thriving hotspot that it is today.

She was a founding member of the Democratic Action Club, formed to take on and eradicate the issue of the homeless encampment in Tompkins Square Park, another city-ignored

situation which turned one of the only green areas in the neighborhood into a filthy, drug-ridden haven for the homeless, while putting it off-limits to neighborhood residents. Anyone who utilizes the park today – its playgrounds, asphalt, dog run or lawns – can thank, among many others, Susan. She tried to fight for the preservation and renovation of the now-closed-andawaiting-demolition Essex Street

M a rket , one of only two instances I can recall of a battle in which she was vanquished.

I called her the East Village Jane Jacobs – her love of New York and its Schneps Media

historical significance, her knowledge of the neighborhood and its architectural and personal history, her memories of the things that used to be here that have vanished in the mists of time, were encyclopedic, and the loss of the memories she carried in her head is incalculable. She labored in obscurity and has passed into the shadows with no fanfare save for that given to her by those of us who loved her, her sense of humor, her stubbornness, her sharp laugh, her crankiness, her belief that a city’s history and the everyday people who made it mattered, and above all her fierceness in fighting for the things she believed were right.

Susan was my friend for 30 years, and on October 26. 2019, I was holding her hand as she lost that second battle, surrounded by the family and friends who cherished her, and whom she loved so much in return.

Her passing has ripped another hole in the every-evolving quilt that makes up New York; while to some it may seem tiny, to those of us who knew, put up with and adored her, it is a massive, gaping one that will never be filled. There aren’t many like her left today, and we have just lost one of the good ones.

October 31, 2019

15

VILLAGE SCARES at East Ninth Street Halloween display

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

I

t’s safe to say that the Village is fully in the Halloween spirit.

A garden of terror greets any passersby who happens upon the Brevoort East at East Ninth Street, between 5th Avenue and University Place.

Residents and staff have gone all out

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October 31, 2019

for Halloween with a headless horseman riding past zombies and two welllit mummies in the spacious mid-block garden that is a veritable cemetery of horror. Skulls and skeletons are also scattered among the tombstones.

Halloween couldn’t be more fun for Villagers exulting in the spirits of the season.

Schneps Media

RETURNING TO CITI FIELD THIS WINTER theworldsfare.nyc

Take a Tasty Trip to Ecuador via LIC and Rincón Melania

BY JOE DISTEFANO

As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m so very fortunate to live in the most diverse and delicious destination in all of New York City. Really I’m not royalty though, I’m an ambassador, and a hungry one at that.

Today, we take a trip to Ecuador via the International Express—aka the 7 train—to savor the offerings at the family run Rincón Melania in Long Island City.

For decades the sum total of my knowledge of Ecuadorean cuisine in Queens was limited to the many food trucks that line Warren Street forming a Little Quito of sorts where one can enjoy such traditional specialties as seco de chivo, a hearty goat stew; various ceviches; and the sunny yellow potato and cheese croquettes known as yapingachos.

About year and a half ago though I started to hear my fellow Queens food nerds chattering about an Ecuadorean spot called Rincón Melania located some 3 miles away from Little Quito.

“How good can it be? There are no Ecuadoreans there,” I thought to myself practicing culinary contempt prior to investigation. Good enough to garner a glowing review from the Times it turns out. I’m a little late to the party, but I’m doing my best to eat my through the exquisite Ecuadorean cuisine that makes up the menu of this restaurant whose name means Melania’s corner.

The Melania in question is family matriarch, Lucila Melania Dutan, whose son Nestor Jazmani Dutan and his siblings Jennifer, Alex and, GiGi run the place. Nestor takes care of the front of the house and is also responsible for the decor in the cozy modern dining room, which features at least a half dozen stuffed alpacas, which have become the restaurant’s de facto mascot.

Bolon mixto—a golden deep fried orb of plantain filled with mozzarella and chicharrón— hailing from Guayaquil in the Costa, or Pacific Coastal region, is a great way to start off. It is a revelation: The golden mantled crust yielding to

The potato croquettes called Yapingachos, a specialty of the Ecuador's mountainous Sierra region, here filled with mozzarella are also excellent. an interior studded with bits of fried pork and filaments of mozzarella. The secret, Nestor says, is that it’s made fresh and fried twice. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare, but is well worth the wait. Yapingachos, a specialty of the country’s mountainous Sierra region, here filled with mozzarella are also excellent.

While you’re waiting for your bolon, munch on tostado, crunchy salty kernels of pan fried corn that are a popular snack in the Sierra region.

Should you choose to order Ecuador’s national dish encebollado—a ruddy, fortifying stew of generous hunks of tuna, yucca, and tomatoes topped with pickled onions from which it gets its name—save some of the kernels. They make for an excellent add-in as does a generous squeeze of fresh lime. Back home the dish is a popular hangover cure, says Dutan. “I’ve tested that a couple of times. It does work it makes you full the day after when you’re super hungry. It immediately cures it,” he says.

Mariscos mixtos, also a renowned hangover cure, a ceviche comprised of octopus, shrimp, and bass cooked in lime is excellent and has been a family favorite for decades. It’s served Costa style, with tostones, thick planks of fried plantains, that can be used to make an Ecuadorean seafood bruschetta of sorts.

Rincón Melania's vibrant ceviche mixto, featuring shrimp and octopus, and the mighty bolon filled with pork, plantains, and mozzarella.

“I would refuse to like fight about that because it doesn’t make any sense. At one time we were all one country. People like to fight about it,” Dutan says with a laugh when asked whether ceviche was invented in Peru or Ecuador. His Mom may be responsible for the mariscos mixtos, but he and his half sister GiGi take the credit for ceviche vegetariano, a surprisingly delicious combination of quinoa, garbanzo beans, and cherry tomatoes.

Many of the restaurant’s best dishes, including seco de chivo a dish from the Costa region, are found on the Tradicionales section of the menu.

It’s a rich earthy goat stew cooked with Cerveza Pilsener—an Ecuadorean beer—and passion fruit pulp, which tempers the goat’s muskiness. “People eat it over there at 7 a.m.,” Dutan says. “It’s not a breakfast dish, but it’s a hearty dish that will keep you full during almost the whole day.”

Dutan who lives in Flushing these days grew up splitting his time between Ecuador and Queens, and his passion for his heritage shows in Rincón Melania’s décor. Several large tapestries featuring indigenous women known as Otavaleñas wearing tradtional hats line the dining room. A wall of photos, including one of people enjoying almuerzo—or midday meal—in his cousin’s hometown of Azoguez lines one wall. “Almuerzo is really popular here Monday through Friday, so I wanted to express that,” Dutan says. The photo on the bottom featuring folkloric dancers in native dress may look like it was taken in Ecuador, but Dutan confrims that is was shot in Queens. “That was our grand opening,” he says proudly.

Rincón Melania

Encebollado—a hearty fish stew that is Ecuador’s national dish—takes well to a few squeezes of lime.

Schneps Media

35-19 Queens Boulevard, Long Island City 718-361-1905 https://www.rinconmelanianyc.com/

October 31, 2019

17

Center on the Square Art exhibition is about ‘inclusion,’ curator says

BY TEQUILA MINSKY

V

isual artists and members of Center on the Square, the Greenwich House Senior Center, are showcasing their photos, collages, drawings and paintings in a three-week exhibition that opens November 7.

It’s the third art exhibition this year with 35 works of art from 18 people.

For curator Desiree Rodriguez, “inclusion” is the operative word.

“I don’t want anyone who wants to take part to be excluded,” she said. “I want everyone to get a chance to show work. And, the group exhibition expands the sense of community. It’s inspiring to see the increasing interest in these shows from both the public and exhibiting artists” The mezzanine floor’s parlor room, its all-purpose space that screens films, hosts chair yoga among its classes, as well as all sorts of lectures and other presentations, is where the shows are mounted.

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October 31, 2019

“The space lends itself to exhibiting art,” Rodriguez said, also noting re North is how 20 Washington Square a historical building. The works are ubject from categorized by genre and subject e. abstracts to people to nature. ut to her Rodriguez gave a shout out grapher husband, (retired) photographer xperiHector Rodriguez, whose experience in installing art shows iss put o into use — he’s been drafted to stall these exhibitions. He helps with the flow and ordering the ins. work aesthetically, she explains.

“He’s a master installer and has a great eye,” she said. Hector is also exhibiting a photograph and Desiree will be showing two watercolors and one collage.

Center member and volunteer Eunice DeTrani, whose deceased husband painted and whose son is an artist, has eagerly embraced the role of chair of the center’s art committee.

“Members are so enthusiastic when they are submitting their work, and participation is growing,” she beamed.

“I’m particularly impressed by the quality of the work.”

“There were several planning meetings that put the show together, managed and curated by volunteers,” explained Laura Marceca, who directs Center on the Square with the much appreciated assistance of 50 volunteers.

“It’s important to empower our senior volunteers. It gives them a purpose and helps make the center strong,” she said.

The idea of exhibitions came from center member and photographer Joan Silinsh who has previously shown work.

“I am grateful she brought this idea to the attention of the Advisory Council, that has implemented this into an ongoing part of our programming,” she said.

The show’s opening reception with refreshments is Nov. 7, from 2:30 to 4:40 p.m. The exhibition can be seen Mondays through Fridays during center hours, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the parlor is not being used for classes or presentations.

Schneps Media

Eats

HYUN offers high-end Korean barbecue in Midtown

BY GABE HERMAN

H

YUN, a Korean barbecue restaurant that opened this March at 10 E. 33 St., specializes in giving diners a unique and personalized experience with their own grill masters and imported A5 Wagyu beef from Japan.

The servers grill at the table on traditional Korean cast iron pans, which use electric induction instead of gas for less smoke and a shortened grilling time so that more flavor is given to the Wagyu, according to the restaurant.

The eatery was founded by Jae Kim, a business entrepreneur and restauranteur.

When he moved from Korea to New York City three years ago, he became homesick and decided to open a Korean restaurant that included traditional elements in the food.

The menu features many sharable dishes, including Chawanmushi, a steamed egg custard decorated with sea urchin and truffle mushrooms. There is also Kimchi Biji-Jeon, a pancake with soybean curd and stuffed with kimchi. The Galbi Mandoo are leaf mustard kimchi, tofu that is made in-house, and dumplings wrapped in thin slices of Wagyu short rib.

For the barbecue, HYUN offers over

30 cuts of the Wagyu meat. The server starts the grilling by placing a cube of Wagyu fat, rosemary and garlic in the cast-iron pan on the grill and then adds a salt preparation, which there are several to choose from and change weekly, including truffle mushroom salt, Pinot Noir salt and wasabi salt.

The menu also includes soup and rice dishes, and several desserts, including homemade ice creams and sorbets. Another dessert is Hodo Gwaja, a small walnut-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste and a large chunk of walnut.

The restaurant has mostly good reviews on Yelp, getting four out of five stars overall. The general consensus is that the food and service is good, though pricey. The cost of the Wagyu dishes is generally in the $44-$59 range. Sharable plates can range from $12 up to $46. “Yes, it’s expensive,� one man wrote on Yelp, “but it’s expected for this quality. Very much worth it for a special occasion with clients or with a date.�

HYUN is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 5 p.m. to midnight. More information can be found at hyun-nyc. com.

COURTESY HYUN

HYUN diners get personalized ser vers, who grill the food at the table.

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Village g Halloween Costume Ball

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Stan Baker, The Amazing Amy, Jimmy Corcoran 7:30PM Inside - Tickets $20 Wise Guise, Von DuVois Dance Collective, Wycherly Sisters, Rocco Nicholas, Keppers of the Pot, COME TO THE MOST FABULOUS NIGHT Zero Boy, Michael Sanders (BlackLight), OF YOUR LIFE! Jennifer Blowdryer, Izzy Church, Norman Savitt Camilo Sanchez Lobo, Vincent Manus, ART LILLIARD’s HEAVENLY BIG BAND Projections by Terri Ferrari, Basma Sheea, MAQUINA MONO Cancion Franklin and Jon D’angelo FIDDLER & the CROSSROADS Sarah and Scott Lilly, Arthur Abrams MICHAEL DAVID GORDON BAND Richard West and Susan Mitchell, Elizabeth Ruf

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October 31, 2019

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New laws make for stronger tenants and stronger tenant-landlord relationships.

Learn more at nyc.gov/tenantprotection.

Mayor

#RentersRights

In Partnership with:

The Everything Autism & conference and resource fair will be a guiding map to inform parents, educators and caregivers with resources they may not have access to.

REGISTER NOW:

Fair & Conference Monday, November 18, 2019 9:30am - 5:30pm

+RWHO 3HQQV\OYDQLD Ť 6HYHQWK $YH 1HZ <RUN 1<

www.newyorkfamily.com/everythingautism Hear from our experts discussing:

Communication & Mindfulness Health, Science & Environment Parent Journeys What are my childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educational rights?

A legal perspective 20

October 31, 2019

Integrating Methods of Learning Navigating Independence, Self Direction, & Financial Planning

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Manhattan Happenings

Ten great things to do in Manhattan, Oct. 31-Nov. 6

FILE PHOTO/THE VILLAGER

The Village Halloween Parade marches on tonight, Oct. 31, with thousands of ghouls and goblins hitting the streets and having fun.

Thursday, Oct. 31

Saturday, Nov. 2

Village Halloween Parade Walk with the 46th Annual Parade dressed in your own costume, or opt to watch from the sidewalk as puppets, bands, dancers, and artists walk down the street. You can also choose to buy a ticket to participate in special sections of the parade. Starts at 7 p.m. at Canal Street and 6th Avenue. www. halloween-nyc.com. Free.

Chamber Music Series 2 Listen to readings from Beethoven’s favorite book, Reflections On the Works of God, and His Providence Throughout All Nature. Then, hear how he used the themes from this book to inspire his quartet no. 13 with “Grosse Fuge” as The New York Classical Players perform this work. 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Bruno Walter Auditorium, 111 Amsterdam Ave., www.nycpmusic. org. Free.

Halloween Fashion Parade Infants to pre-K children are welcome to come dance to Halloweenthemed music in their costumes. 10:15 a.m. at 58th Street Library, 127 East 58th St., www.nypl.org. Free.

Friday, Nov. 1 NYC Craft Beer Fest Halloweekend Harvest Taste 150 craft beers from 75 breweries, shop food and vendors, and receive unlimited spirits, cider, and craft beer tastings. 10:30 p.m. at Union West, 535 West 28th St., nyccraftbeerfest.com. $55-$85.

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Design a Flower Centerpiece Learn about flowers and useful tips for designing your own centerpiece in this first come, first served interactive workshop! Leave with your own piece to take home! 12 p.m. at Webster Library Auditorium, 1465 York Ave., www.nypl.org. Free.

Sunday, Nov. 3

New York City Marathon: New Balance Mile 16 Block Party Cheer on the New York City Marathon runners with performers like DJ Corey Townes and the Brooklyn United Drumline. 9 a.m. at First Avenue at 62nd Street, www.nypl.org. Free.

New York City Public Markets Festival Head down to the Seaport District to celebrate the public markets and local producers of New York City. Experience the variety of food and culture of the public markets. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pier 17, 89 South St., www.fultonstallmarket.org. Free.

Monday, Nov. 4 Juggling Join in on juggling fun with The Bryant Park Jugglers. You can jump in as a drop-in and learn with the provided equipment, or choose to just watch! 12

to 1 p.m. at Bryant Park, Upper Terrace or Lawn, www.bryantpark.org. Free

Tuesday, Nov. 5 Morning Fitness at Fort Tryon Park Trained professionals will lead this morning hour of exercise, focusing on stretching, strengthening muscles, and walking. 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, Cabrini Blvd. and Fort Washington Ave.., www. nycgovparks.org. Free.

Wednesday, Nov. 6 Narcissus (Live Feed In-Process) Come see Christopher Williams’s choreographed portrayal of the original Greek myth of Narcissus, but through a modern, queer lens. The piece is set to Nikolai Tcherepnin’s ballet score Narcisse et Echo. 8 p.m. at New York Live Arts Studios, 219 W 19th St., www. newyorklivearts.org. Starting at $10.

What’s going on in your neighborhood? Tell us!

Email your events for our calendar to news@thevillager.com October 31, 2019

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NYCBS Welcomes Dr. Keith Brunckhorst to its Oncology Team Keith R. Brunckhorst, MD is a talented physician who is board-certied in medical oncology and hematology. He is experienced and well versed in the most cuttingedge cancer technology, with an impeccable work history and education. For Dr. Brunckhorst, patients come rst. He pledges to treat each patient with the utmost care and compassion. He will be practicing at 112 East 83rd Street, New York.

Dr. Brunckhorst earned his medical degree from New York Medical College, where he received the Mosby Scholarship Award for his scholastic effort. Dr. Brunckhorst then completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Stamford Hospital. He also completed his fellowships in hematology and oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Brunckhorst has been employed at Lenox Hill Hospital, most recently serving in the esteemed position as Associate Chief and Associate Program Director of Oncology.

In addition, Dr. Brunckhorst has served as an investigator for multiple research projects and also worked on two publications. He was appointed as a clinical instructor of medicine at Cornell Medical School.

To make an appointment with Dr. Brunckhorst, please call 212-583-2858. For more information, please visit www.NYcancer.com.

About NYCBS New York Cancer & Blood Specialists is committed to our patients. We are dedicated to providing each patient with a unique path to treatment and unmatched support. We strive to make quality, community-based cancer care available in each and every New York community.

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October 31, 2019

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Extra!

Extra!

Local News Read all about it!

www.TheVillager.com

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October 31, 2019

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Real Estate

Living on the ‘Edge’ with new Hudson Yards deck

BY SHAYE WEAVER

S

tarting next March, New Yorkers can get the highest outdoor view of their city at Hudson Yards’ “Edge.”

The soon-to-open attraction is on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards, a new building reminiscent of the Avengers’ tower with its landing pad-like observation deck, and will be the western hemisphere’s highest outdoor viewing observatory.

Guests will actually be able to inch their way out onto the glassbottomed deck, which will be 1,131 feet high with views of the city, Western New Jersey and the rest of New York up to 80 miles, according to Related Companies, its developer. Photos and video released by the company show renderings of people taking their photos laying down on the glass or in front of its angled glass walls with views of Downtown Manhattan and New Jersey.

Not only will people get to take photos up there, but they’ll be able

RENDERING COURTESY OF RELATED-OXFORD

Hudson Yards’ Edge is the highest outdoor sk y deck in the Western Hemisphere.

to sip champagne at a bar by Rhubarb, a London-based restaurant that will also operate Peak, a restau-

rant, bar, café and event space on the 101st floor.

Tickets just to get up to Edge are

$36 online or $38 on-site. Tickets for kids are $31 online or $33 onsite. New York City residents can get a two dollars off ($34) online.

They’re available for purchase now at edgenyc.com with access beginning on March 11.

The observation deck itself extends 80 feet from the building, which Related has called “a marvel of modern engineering and structural design.”

The 765,000-pound deck was assembled from 15 sections that have been bolted together and anchored to the sides of the building. Each glass panel surrounding it weighs 1,400 pounds.

Edge is the latest in announced openings for Hudson Yards, which officially opened its Shops & Restaurants to the public in March. Already, the area has been deemed the “most expensive neighborhood in New York City” by Property Shark with a median average sales price of $4,994,792.

The Villager Sales Guide Listings selected at random. Courtesy StreetEasy.com and Google Maps GREENWICH VILLAGE

LaGuardia Place

SOHO

Greenwich Street

LOWER EAST SIDE

Rivington Street

CHELSEA

West 25th Street

Under $1 million 125 West 12th Street #1F Price: $980,000 Beds: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Broker: Compass

Under $1 million 11 Charlton Street #2D Price: $899,005 Beds: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Broker: Corcoran Group

Under $1 million 455 FDR Drive #B702 Price: $825,000 Beds: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Broker: Loho Realty Inc

Under $1 million 225 West 25th Street #5E Price: $883,000 Beds: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Broker: Compass

Under $3 million 542 Laguardia Place #4B Price: $2,845,000 Beds: 3 Bathrooms: 2 1/2 Broker: Halstead Property

Under $3 million 110 Charlton Street #9B Price: $2,775,000 Beds: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Broker: Corcoran Group

Under $3 million 150 Rivington Street #5G* Price: $2,237,000 Beds: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Broker: Compass

Under $3 million 300 West 23rd Street #4ED Price: $2,495,000 Beds: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Broker: Compass

Under $5 million 59 West 12th Street #4EF Price: $4,500,000 Beds: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Broker: Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Under $5 million 487 Greenwich Street #5A Price: $4,295,000 Beds: 3 Bathrooms: 3 1/2 Broker: Sothebys International Realty

Under $5 million 252 South Street #72C Price: $4,326,000 Beds: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Broker: Extell Marketing Group

Under $5 million 252 Seventh Avenue #7QT Price: $4,545,000 Beds: 5 Bathrooms: 4 Broker: Brown Harris Stevens

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