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THE December 12, 2019 Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933 •

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THE December 12, 2019 Volume 89 • Number 49

Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933 •

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Older adult choir wraps season with holiday songs BY GABE HERMAN

singing group for older adults is set to wrap up its first season in the East Village with a free concert on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The 7:30 p.m. performance at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, at 131 E. 10 St., will last about an hour and be split between two groups from Encore Creativity, a choral organization for adults over 55. Encore Chorale is a choral group that will sing a variety of more traditional music, including Beethoven, spirituals and folk music. The other half of the show will feature Encore Rocks, a rock & roll chorus that performs more contemporary tunes. The Encore Creativity organization was founded in 2007 and is based in Annapolis, MD, but has held programs in Manhattan for the past couple of years. This fall was the first time at Third Street Music School Settlement, at 235 E. 11 St. in the East Village. There is no audition required to be part of the groups, which include 15 weeks of rehearsals and have been led this season by conductor Bernadette Hoke. Despite the range of experience in the groups, there are some challenging aspects to singing, like harmonies, sight reading and vocal techniques. But

PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN

Rehearsing with conductor Bernadette Hoke at piano.

the mood at a recent rehearsal was decidedly one of fun and good cheer. “I love it,” said Hoke after a recent rehearsal in the East Village. “We’re all fortunately on the same page, so I’m having a great time.” Hoke said she approaches training the singers as if they were professionals that she works with. “You have to go for the highest standard,” she said, and added that everyone in the groups takes it seriously. “Everybody has really done their homework,” she said.

The choral group has about 30 people, including just two men, and the rock group is all-women, and participants include retirees, widows and a range of ages over 55. The groups rehearse on Monday afternoons, and tuition is $295. Studies have shown singing to have physical and mental health benefits, and the singers say it gives a sense of community. “I think people help each other,” said Jonathan Parker, who lives on East 9

Street and is a returning participant in the program. “There’s no sense of trying to get people out, quite the opposite. So to me, it’s an empowering, safe space.” Parker added about the health aspect, “For older people there’s isolation sometimes, but learning to read new music, training the brain to do something new, that’s really stimulating.” More information about the program can be found at http://www.encorecreativity.org/new-york-ny.\

LES gallery exhibit showcases death of a mall BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

earning to see Santa? Want to avoid the crowds? Questions about the North Pole? Santa will answer them when he (re)appears at the Front Room Gallery on Saturday, Dec. 14. He was there last Saturday sitting amidst photos of the ruins of Wayne Hills Mall, his former staging area where he greeted delighted children from 1998-2006. Santa is a special guest at the exhibit “Mallrat to Snapchat: The End of the Third Place,” with images by Phillip Buehler whose photos document the death of Wayne Hills Mall in Wayne, New Jersey. Large photographs of derelict storefronts and even larger ones of shattered, plaster-filled interiors are the main element of Buehler’s exhibit, which is part photography and part cultural critic. Part installation, a bin of vinyl LP’s of music popular in 1973 when the mall opened welcomes visitors to play their selections on the vintage turntable. Buehler has genuine nostalgia and affection for “this very American economical and sociological experiment.” At the gallery last Saturday, Buehler, wearing his Sam Goody tee shirt, posed

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PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Phillip Buehler at his exhibit Mallrat to Snap: The End of the Third Place. In front of “The Cour t yard” and “Ar t World.”

in front of his photo of the ruins of the Sam Goody store, where he spent a lot of money. The exhibit’s subtitle: “End of the Third Place,” a term coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s in 1989, refers to places where people spend time outside of home and work, hence their third place. The American mall was among many other public gathering spaces, essential to community and

public life. To a packed reception, this exhibition opened on Black Friday, a wink and nod toward what the mall represented and presumably where the suburban shopping public may have been that day. The years between 1970 and 2010 saw the burgeoning growth of shopping malls in America. There were films set in malls. But most recently retail has changed dramatically leading to the

“slow death of indoor shopping malls.” Buehler’s photos of iconic hangouts and teenage meeting places, so familiar, are now ravaged and destroyed. The photographer doesn’t see what he does as “ruins porn,” a genre of documenting beauty in decrepitude and debris. He is hanging onto a sort of last respects, to the spirit of what was. This Bushwick-based photographer has a number of other photography projects documenting deterioration and remnants of neglected architecture constructed in the recent past, of places that have or will disappear. The installation includes some pages from a 1973 local newspaper supplement—the year the Wayne Hills Mall opened. “It was a time just before the Nixon impeachment hearings,” says Buehler, recognizing the historical irony. By 2006 so many of the mall’s stores had closed or moved and the very last ones left in 2014. By 2019, demolition was underway. Front Room Gallery’s very experienced Santa —played by Dave Conley— will be on site chatting with kids and handing out candy canes at 48 Hester St., from 1-4pm on Saturday. December 12, 2019

Cookies, cocoa and Santa at Village celebration BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

ast Friday, Santa’s sleigh traveled down MacDougal Street at 42-feet long and with red lights flashing, on his way to Father Fagan Park. That’s how he rolls, New York City style! Descending from Greenwich Village Hook & Ladder 5 (the firehouse is at 6th Avenue and Houston Street) with a gold bag in hand, Santa was ready to give candy canes to the eager waiting children. But first, he lit the Christmas tree in the center of the park! This is a dream come true for neighbor Al DiRaffaele, who for years wanted a tree lighting at the spot where Sixth Avenue, Prince and MacDougal Streets converge. And recently, DiRaffaele wanted to thank his neighbors for their caring and help during his recent health issues. With a grant from Partnership for Parks for the tree and electrical hookup (and printed flyers), and Terese Flores from the Parks Department on board, and a very cooperative community, DiRaffaele orchestrated a spirited festivity to celebrate the season. Additionally, the tree pits lining 6th Avenue were livened up. Jen Sale with Friends of Father Fagan Park and the horticultural team created pine bough-strewn, lush, colorful winter arrangements, brightening up the gray days of winter. For Friday evening, local chocolatier

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Leading the huddled celebrants in song are The Show Timers.

Jacques Torres supplied the cocoa prepared by new-restaurant-in-the-‘hood Lola Taverna, whose pastry chef also baked up batches of the yummiest Greek Christmas cookies, while Trader Joe’s supplied other cookie assortments. Seasonably cool at nightfall, neighbors drank hot chocolate and a chorus of carolers from 20 Washington Square North Greenwich House Senior Center

From his NYC style sleigh—atop the local firehouse’s ladder truck— Santa arrives at Father Fagan Park.

Let there be light! The tree gets lit.

December 12, 2019

led the outdoor party huddled on the plaza in Christmas songs. A sense of neighborhood grows in this corner of New York City. For years, a planned renovation of the decrepit concrete walkway and a few worn benches was delayed by a plethora of issues from various agencies. The little sliver Father Fagan Park, previously Father Fagan Square but really a triangle, initially was created as a result of the extension of Sixth Avenue beginning in 1925 and the de-mapping of the southern end of MacDougal Street. It is named for a priest at the nearby St. Anthony’s of Padua rectory who died in a 1938 rectory fire while saving two of his fellow priests. The park also

commemorates three firefighters who died fighting a 1994 Soho apartment building fire. The $1.9 million renovation was completed in May 2018, and love and work from community members continue to make this tiny plaza park inviting. For example, in warmer weather, neighbor Allen Massano is regularly seen watering plants and generally caretaking. It had been decades since a light-festooned tree added holiday cheer to the wedge-shaped plaza and finally DiRaffaele’s vision is realized. “Special thanks to the firehouse’s Lt. Tom Breslin for being such a good Santa,” DiRaffaele said. “And what an entrance! Climbing down from that truck!” he recalled while beaming, “And, people were so astounded!” Schneps Media

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Police Blotter Stolen watches on Stolen cards used Christopher Street for shopping spree A man and woman are wanted after allegedly using stolen credit cards to make purchases at Macy’s. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 8:15 p.m., a

29-year-old woman had her wallet allegedly taken by an unknown person while her bag was left unattended at offices at 770 Broadway, officials said. Later that evening, a man and woman allegedly used the victim’s credit cards to make several purchases at the Macy’s at Herald Square on 34th Street.

Attacked at the Port Authority

Missing wallet from East Village bar

A 71-year-old man was assaulted inside the Port Authority subway station on Monday, Dec. 9, police said. Around 3:40 p.m., the victim got into an argument with another man, and it escalated until the other man allegedly struck the older man in the head with a belt buckle, causing a cut. Police said the man continued to assault the victim by punching and kicking him several times, causing him to fall to the ground. The attacker fled with two other men, officials said. The victim was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue for treatment of his injuries. Police later announced that Bryan Robberson, 18, from Hempstead, NY, had been arrested and charged with two counts of assault. — Gabe Herman Cops are looking for the thief who found the time to steal luxury watches from a Village store. The theft occurred at around 12:55 p.m. on Nov. 27 theft at the Leffot shop at 10 Christopher St. Authorities said a man asked for assistance from an employee to see lighters in a display case, officials said. The employee complied and while distracted, the man allegedly removed two unsecured Rolex watches from the display case before fleeing. — Gabe Herman

DOA in Lower Manhattan Police are investigating the death of a man found at 54 Eldridge St. on Dec. 7, around 9:10 a.m.. Cops responded to a 911 call of an unconscious person at the location. Officers discovered a 54-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive, and EMS then responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. — Gabe Herman

A woman is wanted in connection to stolen credit cards from an East Village bar, according to officials. On Thursday, Oct. 24, around 2 a.m., a 32-year-old woman was in the Planet Rose bar at 219 Ave. A, when she discovered that she no longer had her wallet, which contained credit cards and ID. A later investigation found that a woman was seen on surveillance video making unauthorized purchases at several locations, including Wines on First at 224 First Ave., the following day, Oct. 25. — Gabe Herman

Morning robbery at gunpoint A woman was robbed at gunpoint early in the morning on Sunday, Dec. 1, in front of 1407 Broadway, officials said. Around 5:50 a.m., a 24year-old female victim was approached by a man, police said, who allegedly displayed a firearm and demanded her property. The man took the woman’s purse, according to officials, and then fled in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured during the incident.

Night club assault on Tenth Avenue A man was assaulted inside the Marquee New York night club at 289 Tenth Ave., according to police. On Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3:15 a.m., a 27-year-old man said that while inside the club, he was punched several times in the face by an unknown person, causing a small cut to his chin. — Gabe Herman

Arrests after ﬁght at restaurant Two women were arrested after an argument at the Catch Steak restaurant led to a physical fight, police said. The incident occurred on Dec. 8 around 2 a.m. As the two women, both in their mid20s, argued and were leaving the restaurant, one of them allegedly punched the other in the back of the head several times, causing a small cut. During the same fight, the other woman allegedly threw a glass at the first woman’s face, causing a minor lump and swelling to her head. — Gabe Herman

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FIT student launches body positive magazine BY GABE HERMAN

student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Chelsea has started a new fashion magazine that presents untouched photos and aims to portray more diverse issues in the fashion world. The bi-annual, digital magazine is called NOEMI (pronounced “no Amy”) and can be found at https://www.thenoemimagazine.com/. It was founded by 20-year-old Megan Morgante, who grew up in Westchester and loved reading fashion magazines, she said, and stills reads them a lot. But she said she was left feeling bad because she didn’t look like the women in the magazines, and said she was curvier than the models. “After reading every issue came new disappointments with it,” Morgante said. “When I didn’t see girls that looked like me, I was left with a lot of negative thoughts and body images that were really dangerous for my wellbeing.” Young people can be easily influenced by retouched images, she said, and deserve better than an edited version of what’s expected of them. “I wanted to showcase the realness and rawness of the fashion industry,” she said, “and I wanted to fill that gap for readers who are not typically rep-

PHOTO GRAPHY BY JUDE RISBERG

Megan Morgante, founder and editor of NOEMI.

resented.” The first issue, which came out in October and is the Fall/Winter 2019 issue, includes diverse represen-

tations of races, sizes and sexualities, Morgante noted. “I want the readers to see some sort

of reflection of themselves,” she said. “I want them to really resonate with something.” She added, “I believe there’s no true definition of what beauty is, and with this I want to illustrate that beauty is from what’s within a person.” It wasn’t easy starting a magazine from scratch, especially since Morgante does the journalism, fashion styling, graphic designs, and public relations. “It was so challenging,” she said. There are still growing pains and struggles to get the magazine’s name out there, she said, and there were hundreds of rejections from talent, designers and photographers in trying to put together the first issue. She kept reaching out and eventually found people who agreed to be in the issue, including YouTube star Margot Lee; fashion influencer and businesswoman Katie Sturino, who runs a blog for plus-size fashion called “The 12ish Style”; and teenage author Carrie Berk, who is an anti-bullying activist and entrepreneur. Morgante moved to New York City in early 2019 to study at FIT. She’s majoring in advertising and marketing communications, and is on pace to graduate next year. “I love living here and taking advantage of everything the city has to offer,” she said.

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Artist Antony Zito goes big in East Vil. show BY BOB KR ASNER

here are times when input from a gallery director can be a catalyst for change. For Antony Zito, the “magic words” from Howl Gallery’s Ted Riederer regarding his latest show were the instructions, “all new work, and go big!” “I’ve always mainly done straight portraits,” explains Zito, an Acker Award winning artist. “I love what you get from a face. I’m not usually a conceptual artist.” Zito’s past portraits, notable for having been painted on discarded mirrors, cabinet doors, thrift store paintings, coffee cups and just “anything that can hold paint,” kept him busy for many years in his Lower East Side studio. Having spent 25 years in NYC, he has recently gone back to live in the home where he grew up in Connecticut, following the death of his father. He took with him the contents of many storage spaces, having scavenged the streets for years for paintable debris. The work in his solo show, called “My Father Was a Satyr,” is not just physically big, it is thematically so as well. Take “The Threshold”, a piece that stretches about 19 feet wide by eight feet high. Painted on a conglomeration of old doors, found paintings, barn wood, a peg board and a piece of a tin ceiling, the central figure is a satyr that takes the protagonist (possibly you)

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Antony Zito in the hidden door of his piece “The Threshold.”

away from the innocence of childhood into a world of “adventure, possibility, danger and hope.”

Zito muses on the mythical image in the center of the piece, saying, “My father was an amazing artist and inspiration who

frequently painted himself as a satyr. But it was the Roman version – more mischievous, less sleazy.” Hidden in the piece are three doors. One door holds a drawing of his father’s, one has “the feminine presence” and one contains a quote from philosopher Alan Watts: “We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.” Animals represent various themes – the snake is metamorphosis, a deer is a catalyst, an 11-foot-high Griffin is “The Elixir of Life,” but humans are not entirely absent. In addition to a self-portrait titled “Mid-Century Satyr,” the artist’s late friend, Mars Bar owner Hank Penza, is depicted as a shaman. “Mars Bar – the last hardcore punk bar – was my home for a long time. I spent way too much time there,” muses Zito. Living once again in Connecticut, he “misses the intensity of downtown NYC” and mentions that he was “angry for a while, as I watched the culture that I was part of disintegrate.” But nowadays, he is happy to be in a “magical, incredible home, every inch handcrafted by my father. He was a stone carver and a painter who had never built a house before.” Zito goes on to reminisce about his upbringing, recalling that, “we lived out of the garden. My parents were hippies without the hippieness.” More info here: zitogallery.com

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Editorial A day of terror across the river The tragic events Tuesday in Jersey City, N.J. serve to remind us all of the heroism of law enforcement, the horrors of anti-Semitism, the terrifying experience of school lockdowns and the violent consequences of lax national gun laws. Once again, police officers put their lives on the line to protect those who can’t protect themselves. They went and confronted the shooters when others ran for their lives. Not every person has the capacity to sacrifice life and limb to protect people they don’t even know. During the shootout itself, police traded fire with shooters who had no regard for any other life but their own. They unnecessarily put the lives of innocent bystanders at risk, and took the life of at least one cop. The revelation later in the investigation that this appeared to be a targeted attack upon a kosher supermarket should shake all of us to the core. Anti-Semitism continues to rise across the country, due in large part to a manifestation of unchecked hate speech online and a White House too inept or complicit to condemn and combat it. In this day and age, we ought to be more respectful and loving of each other’s diversity. We ought to condemn and crush hate where it exists. All of us must do so much more to educate ourselves and stop the spread of hate, wherever it rears its ugly head. The shootout also led to the lockdown of every school in Jersey City. Cellphone videos captured the images of the reality young students face daily in this era where school shootings occur with alarming regularity. No school was targeted in this incident — but the shock and fear felt by students on the videos from within locked-down schools was palpable. Without question, the parents and teachers of these students felt the same fear and concern as the lockdowns went on. Lockdowns are an unfortunate, yet traumatizing necessity in this country, where gun violence is rampant and the efforts to implement some kind of gun control fail at almost every turn. States like New York and New Jersey have their own gun laws, which work only to a certain extent. But the extensiveness of gun violence nationally cries out for federal action to better regulate the types of weapons available to citizens, the amount of ammunition one can own, and the ability for law enforcement to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who pose a proven threat to themselves or others. We don’t know if that could have stopped the tragedy in Jersey City, but we do know it would prevent other tragedies.

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December 12, 2019

VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS ROBERT POZARYCKI GABE HERMAN ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL MARK HALLUM 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

he Jefferson Market Library building has a long and storied history, including being built in 1876 as a courthouse and a preservation effort starting in 1960 to save the Venetian Gothic building. Before the current building and tower were built, there was a previous Jefferson Tower, pictured above, that was made of wood, according to the Dec. 30, 1971 issue of The Villager. The wooden tower was used as a fire lookout, and a volunteer fireman would stand at the top and ring a large bell to signal that there was a fire in the Village area.

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Op-Ed

Letters to the Editor

Protecting tenants against landlord harassment

APPEAL FOR A CURE Governor Cuomo, please sign the bill and save our independent pharmacies. I attended the rally at Southrifty Drug. We gathered outside the store in Southampton, N.Y. and we are trying to show our support for our independent pharmacies. Mr. Bob Grisnik and his staff are so good to their customers and we are so appreciative of them. We need small community businesses and personal care. Donna Larcy

The SBJSA languishes in the Committee on Small Business (SBC) even though it presently has 29 sponsors. Why? Because REBNY supports key legislators including Council Speaker Corey Johnson and SBC Chair Mark Gjonaj. Small business advocates call Levin’s new bill the “Landlord’s Bill.” I call it REBNY’s Bill. REBNY’s bill is no real solution to the small business crisis and ending the blight of empty storefronts and empty office spaces because it does not provide any rights to small business owners, most of whom are immigrants. Ray Rogers

BLAMING GROUP FOR BIZ BILL FAILURE

PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL

BY LETITIA JAMES

n my years representing New Yorkers as an attorney and elected official, I have worked with rent-regulated tenants subjected to some appalling tactics by their landlords to force them out of their homes. Despite the severity of these acts and so many others, not a single landlord has ever been convicted of tenant harassment under a 20-year old state law intended to prevent such behavior. That’s because the standard to prove criminal culpability for tenant harassment was impossibly high. That changes starting this week. My office spearheaded the passage of a new law that will finally make it possible to hold landlords accountable when they engage in abusive behavior towards tenants. Tenant harassment has become a big business; in fact, an entire real estate investment model was created on the basis of purchasing buildings with significant numbers of rentregulated units and then using heavy-handed tactics to force out those tenants to maximize a building’s value. This is not a new problem. Culprits have included small landlords and some of the biggest and most notable real estate tycoons in the city, including Donald Trump. Before he was president, Trump purchased a building with rent-regulated tenants. He then hired, in his own words, a company that “spe-

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cialized in relocating tenants,” and embarked on a five-year campaign of tenant harassment. Before passage of our law, prosecutors had to meet a remarkably high standard to prove harassment: that the landlord wanted to force out the tenant and, in so doing, intentionally or recklessly caused physical injury to a tenant. This definition fails to capture all sorts of the most common – and dangerous – tactics including those referenced here, many of which are objectively harassment but might not ever cause an actual physical injury. This new law will make landlords think twice before they use abusive tactics against their tenants, and will give tenants the proper protections to defend against this type of abuse — abuse that we all know should be prohibited. To be clear, landlords will still be allowed to pursue lawful evictions of rent-regulated tenants. But the law will recognize the insidious tactics that bad actors have previously been free to employ to intimidate and abuse tenants. It’s unconscionable for a landlord to unlawfully force a family from its home simply to improve his own bottom-line. Now prosecutors in New York will finally have the tools they need to prevent abuse and tenants throughout New York will be safer. James is the attorney general of New York State.

Gabe Herman’s Dec. 5 article about the City Council assessing small business legislation discusses the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) whose prime sponsor is Ydanis Rodriguez but focuses on a new bill recently introduced by Stephen Levin. Passage of the SBJSA has been stymied by the Real Estate Board of New York for 33 years because REBNY does not want small businesses to have any rights during lease renewal that would empower them to prevent rent gouging. Rent hikes are the reason why thousands of small businesses are shutting down — with the consequent loss of tens of thousands of jobs — every year.

MORE MEMORIES OF EVELIO Regarding your recent obituary of Evelio Alvarez: We too remember Evelio as a friend going back to 1967 when we lived in “ his” building until 1975. He was kind, quirky and had a very good sense of humor. He loved and took care of the women in his life, especially his mother and aunt. He was a part of the Village before the major economic and real state changes occurred in the 70s. We will never forget him, the wonderful building with so many memories. I guess we miss him and our youth. Susan and Richard Kaplan

SOUND OFF Write a letter to the Editor news@TheVillager.com December 12, 2019

Temp stop to city relocation program BY MARK HALLUM

ew York City has temporarily halted its program to provide special assistance for homeless residents relocated to New Jersey. The cities of Newark and New York seem to have resolved a dispute over the de Blasio administration relocating homeless families across the Hudson River and sometimes under squalid living conditions. As a result of a face-to-face between the two cities, there will be a temporary halt to the Human Resources Administration’s Special One-Time Assistance program and Newark will have a full list of people placed in order to provide services, Newark Mayor

Ras Baraka said. The pause in SOTA placements will only pertain to Newark. Newark filed a lawsuit in federal court a week ago claiming that the SOTA program did little to vet housing where people were placed in Newark and other towns. The city’s own Department of Investigation delved into the matter itself backing up claims from Baraka that housing was often not inspected before families were suddenly forced to cope with apartments and houses that posed dangers to their health and safety. A day after meeting with city officials, Baraka said Tuesday that his administration would have greater

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE/FLICKR

Mayors Bill de Blasio and Ras Baraka of Newark, N.J.

involvement in making sure SOTA recipients are not left out in the cold. “So far, we’ve gotten much of what we asked for and we look forward to continue to work collaboratively with New York City to improve the quality of life for their SOTA recipients,” said Baraka. Baraka’s administration pressed for a list of SOTA recipients in their jurisdiction and the addresses of where they live for the sake of providing social services and protection from bad landlords. “This Administration wholeheartedly believes that people have the right to a roof over their heads and to choose where they want to live,” City Hall spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said. “In the spirit of productive conversations and with the goal of moving toward an improved program, we will be temporarily pausing placements in Newark. We will resume discussions on Thursday and if a satisfactory agreement is not met, we will file a formal challenge to the ordinance the next day.”

Sound off! Write a letter to the editor news@thevillager.com

December 12, 2019

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NYC WORKS ★

CELEBRATING LABOR IN THE BIG APPLE

MTA AND TRANSIT UNION REACH CONTRACT AGREEMENT

he MTA and transit workers’ union have reached a tentative contract agreement. MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye and the Transport Workers Union Local 100 announced an agreement last week after months of bitter back-and-forth between the authority and the union, which represents roughly 40,000 employees in the subway and bus system. “We have reached a tentative agreement with TWU Local 100 that’s fair to taxpayers, our riders and the tens of thousands of Tran-

sit employees who have worked hard to improve subway and bus service benefiting eight million daily customers,” Foye said in a statement. “This tentative agreement continues the forward momentum of NYC Transit that has led to a surge in subway on-time performance and ridership increases that reflect our customers’ returning confidence in the system.” Union employees had been working without a contract since May. Both parties in their announcement were tight-lipped on details. TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said in

a statement he was conﬁdent that union membership will ratify the settlement “in overwhelming fashion” after a discussion on the agreement. The framework for the deal was reached over the weekend and ﬁnalized after “several days of intense bargaining,” Utano went on. “I wish to thank TWU members for the incredible support you provided to me and the Local 100 leadership throughout this campaign,” Utano said. “We were truly united. We will be reporting details of the agreement as soon as the Executive Board has had an opportunity to vote on it.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR CARRANZA RENAME QUEENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO HONOR THE LATE HÉCTOR FIGUEROA

ayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza on Dec. 10 announced the re-naming of PS 398, a Jackson Heights, Queens elementary school to be The Héctor Figueroa School. The re-naming honors the late union leader and 32BJ SEIU President who passed away earlier this year. Open for the ﬁ rst time in the 201920 school year, The Héctor Figueroa School currently serves 117 Pre-K and Kindergarten students. The Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens has been home to the Figueroa family for years, and will grow to serve 476 students in grades Pre-K through ﬁ fth grade. Principal Erica UreñaThus engaged school community in this process, which highlighted sigSchneps Media

nificant fi gures from the Jackson Heights community. Students, teachers, and families votes and decided to officially rename the school in his honor. The 476 seats at PS 398 The Héctor Figueroa School will help alleviate overcrowding in District 30 as part of the more than 2,100 new seats created in Queens for the 2019-2020 school year. December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019

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December 12, 2019

Cabaret performer’s new show blends Bowie tribute with his style BY BOB KR ASNER

here are a couple of things that the Dutch/German cabaret performer Sven Ratzke would like you to know at the start. In town for a two-week run at La Mama for his show “Where Are We Now,” featuring the songs of David Bowie, Ratzke is quick to mention that his performance is “not that of a cover band – that is totally not what I am doing.” And he’s a little tired of being asked, “what’s your favorite David Bowie song?” The very striking and stylish Ratzke, who has performed to steady acclaim around the world, previously presented “Starman,” a tribute to Bowie at Joe’s Pub that had the blessing of the man himself. That show was touring Europe when the news came of Bowie’s passing. “When we lost Bowie the show became more of a comfort,” Ratzke muses. Rather than continue in that vein, he took a break from Bowie after completing the tour to present a new work, “Homme Fatale.” But then the time seemed right to re-examine Bowie’s catalog in a simpler manner than the band format of “Starman.” Working with just pianist Christian Pabst, Ratzke’s new show is, he states, “Fifty percent Bowie and fifty percent me.” Presenting each song with an accompanying monologue, he mixes fact and fiction as a tool to examine each piece. While there are certainly echoes of Bowie’s voice in his interpretations, this is not a performer whose main goal is to mimic the originals. Rather, his intent is hopefully to share what he has found out about the songs through the

process of performing and examining them. “There were a lot of his songs that I didn’t understand before I sang them, ” he notes. For example, “Sweet Thing/ Candidate,” one of the lesser known songs from the “Diamond Dogs” album, was one that the singer was “always intrigued by, but didn’t understand. And I had to understand it in order to sing it.” “I discovered the layers of the song – it’s an imaginary world that he steps into,” relates Ratzke. The story that he tells prior to performing the song relates to his interpretation on stage. Other songs are given unexpected treatments, such as “Let’s Dance,” a number that Ratzke recognizes as one that many find trivial. But in his slowed down, percussive treatment the pop concoction gains a previously unheard gravity. Part of the credit for this goes to his musical collaborator, composer/ pianist Pabst. The collaborative process of finding the arrangements and musical backdrops for Ratzke’s voice often comes down to the singer, who does not play an instrument, relating what he is looking for musically in visual terms, leaving Pabst to find a way to interpret his marching orders. Take “Rock and Roll Suicide,” which Ratzke explained that he wanted the music to sound like, “a shabby, empty nightclub in Berlin, where backstage a performer is looking into a mirror. There are French cigarettes and makeup, and a face that is totally white, disappearing into smoke.” “It’s only a piano and a voice, so we need to take everything out of that piano and that voice,” explains Ratzke. “I have to find a way to bring the stories to life.” Bowie’s songs “bring people

Ratzke’s new show opens Dec. 11 at La MaMa.

When we lost Bowie the show became more of a comfort” Cabaret performer Sven Ratzke.

December 12, 2019

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

together,” he states. “In a time when everyone is so egotistical, his songs are universal.” The title of the show, also taken from a Bowie song, is something that Ratzke feels more people should ponder, especially younger folks. “Where am I now, where am I going?” he asks. There will be two more legs of this tour and then, “this chapter is finished,” he says. But for now, he notes, “It gives me a lot of joy and comfort to sing these songs.” “By the way,” he adds, before leaving, “Heroes is my favorite Bowie song.” “Where Are We Now” runs from 12/11 to 12/21. Information is available at lamama.org/where-are-wenow/ Schneps Media

Eats

Las Delicias opens shop at the Chelsea Market BY GABE HERMAN

he upscale bakery Las Delicias, perhaps already well-known to those who like to frequent local farmerâ€™s markets, opened its first brick and mortar location this fall at Chelsea Market, at 75 Ninth Ave., called Las Delicias Chelsea. All of the bakeryâ€™s products are kosher, vegetarian and non-GMO. Theyâ€™re also made with local ingredients and no artificial preservatives. Menu items include rugelach, paninis, scones and crĂ¨me brulee, plus espresso drinks. There is a gluten-free menu, which goes back to the heart of Las Delicias, when founder Deborah R. Brenner set out to make gluten-free pastries that also tasted good, for her husband who was diagnosed with a severe case of Celiac, according to the companyâ€™s website. Brenner was in banking for over 20 years before making the transition to baked goods, first in the Greenmarket and now at Chelsea Market. The Las Delicias opening was part of the latest expansion of Chelsea Local, which is on the lower level of Chelsea Market and first opened in 2017. The area offers more specialty food items, often

COURTESY CHELSEA MARKET

The baked goods at Las Delicias are all kosher and vegetarian.

with rarer ingredients, according to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Localâ€™s recent expansion nearly

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doubled its size, and included the addition of other shops like Black Seed Appetizing, Pearl River Mart Foods, and a larger Dick-

sonâ€™s Farmstand Meats. More information can be found at http://lasdelicias-chelseamarket.com/.

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C Bao Asian Buns Comes to Hello Panda Festival

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 return to China to talk about C Bao Asian Buns a Queens-based business that specializes in one of my favorite sandwiches, Chinese bao. They’re just one of 60 food vendors curated by the World’s Fare at the Hello Panda Festival, which kicked off at Citi Field last weekend and runs until January 26th. For a long, long time the only pork buns I knew were the char siu bao found at Chinese bakeries in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The first time that I encountered a fluffy hinged bao bun was at a Peking duck restaurant. Until David Chang came on the scene in the 1990s offering his take on Taiwanese gua bao, or pork belly sandwiches I didn’t think of the bao outside the context of Peking duck. Unlike the tasty but rather one note char siu bao found in Chinese bakeries these little marvels were packed with thick slabs of wobbly slow cooked pork belly, pickled mustard greens, and sweetened peanuts creating a symphony of flavor. At about the same time roast duck buns, notably the famed “duck a buck” as prepared at Corner 28 in downtown Flushing’s bustling Chinatown, started to become a popular street food. On a cold Tuesday afternoon I stopped by C Bao’s Times Square outpost and tried both the duck and pork belly buns. I’d had them once before and thought they were pretty good, but frankly I don’t like to wait on lines so hadn’t tasted either in years. Both remain among the best bao I’ve ever had in New York City. Each of the fluffy buns was slightly larger than my fist. The pillowy dough of the gua bao yielded to tender slabs of pork belly whose richness was perfectly offset by the pickled greens and peanuts. The duck version was filled with hefty slices, which somehow retained their crisp skin even in the cold Times Square air. I’m willing to bet that the Korean beef, chicken teriyaki, and tofu bao are just as good, but I stuck to the classics. “C is for Chinese and C is also the initial of my husband’s first name,” says Annie Ye who started C Bao Asian Buns with her husband Chun Chung

Ip in 2013. The couple, who hail from Wenzhou, China, and now live in Fresh Meadows, developed the recipes for the bao themselves. Thanks to their delicious buns, C Bao quickly became a hit at some of New York City’s most popular food markets, including Smorgasburg, Queens Night Market, and Flushing Night Out. “We thought bao would be a healthy meal for customers,” says Yen adding the top seller after almost 10 years in business remains the hefty Peking duck

bun. “They love our food, especially the duck,” Yen says with a laugh of her four children. Since they’re open until 11 p.m. you could check out C Bao’s sandwiches in the dazzling lights of Times Square, but why not enjoy these Chinese treats, by the lights of the handcrafted lanterns at North America’s largest Chinese lantern festival. I know I’ll be there!

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December 12, 2019

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Manhattan Happenings

Terriﬁc events through the holidays, Dec. 19-25 THURSDAY DEC. 19

torytime in Nolen Library

Families with children ages 3 to 6 are invited to sing, listen, and explore picture books. Don’t miss the chance to go on a self-guided gallery hunt afterwards in the museum! 3 to 3:30 at The Met Fifth Avenue [1000 Fifth Ave., www.metmuseum.org. Free.

aim

Experience global warming and its effects played out in this performance by Zvi Gotheiner. 7:30 p.m. at New York Live Arts Theater [219 W 19th St., www.newyorklivearts.org]. $25 general admission/$20 students and seniors.

FRIDAY DEC. 20

trasbourg-Alsace Christmas Market

Bowling Green will become a winter wonderland with this Christmas village. The event will include traditional decorations, light displays, and goodies. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Bowling Green [Broadway and Whitehall St., www.nycgovparks.org]. Free.

ompost Concierge

Clean up this holiday season by bringing your waste to Bryant Park’s sorting station. A trained waste concierge will also be on hand to help you understand the ins and outs of recycling and composting. 1 to 3 p.m. at Bryant Park [40th Street Plaza, www.bryantpark.org]. Free.

un Winter Wonderland

This event features fun for the whole family. Take a photo with santa, play games, and create your own crafts. 3 to 7 p.m. at Hamilton Fisher Recreation Center in Hamilton Fish Park [128 Pitt St., www. nycgovparks.org. A NYC Parks Recreation Membership is required.

SATURDAY DEC. 21

ound Sound Workshop

Composer, sound designer, and performer Lea Bertucci will lead instruction on how to collage found sounds in a mixing session. 3 p.m. at MoMA [11 West 53rd St., www. moma.org. Free with admission.

arnival of the Animals

Puppetry will take the stage during this classic holiday performance that transforms

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PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL

Lighting of the world’s largest menorah in 2018. everyday objects into beloved animals. 1 p.m. at Miller Theatre [2960 Broadway (at 116th Street), www.millertheatre.com. $15.

SUNDAY DEC. 22

he 13th Annual Menorah Horah

The Schlep Sisters, Minnie Tonka and Darlinda Just Darlinda, will bring the heat to this holiday season through this performance. Along with several premier burlesque stars, they’ll help you celebrate all eight nights of Hanukkah in one evening!

among the decorations, jewelry, and artisanal foods. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Grand Bazaar NYC [100 West 77th St., www.grandholidaybazaarnyc.org. Free.

MONDAY DEC. 23

ighting of the World’s Largest Menorah in Manhattan Experience the lighting of the world’s largest menorah at Grand Army Plaza.

8 p.m. at Le Poisson Rouge [158 Bleecker St., www.lpr.com. $20-$30.

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Grand Army Plaza in Central Park [Fifth Ave. between West 58th and West 59th Streets, www.nycgovparks. org]. Free.

TUESDAY DEC. 24

rand Holiday Bazaar

This holiday market will take place indoors and outdoors, and it will feature over 150 local artisans. Find the perfect holiday gift

rsenal Gallery: 37th Annual Wreath Interpretations Exhibition

View the unique wreaths that over 40 artists and designers have created for this 37th annual exhibition. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Arsenal in Central Park [830 Fifth Ave., www.nycgovparks.org]. Free.

WEDNESDAY DEC. 25

efesh Mountain

Singer Doni Zasloﬀ and her husband Eric Lindberg will lead this performance of pieces from their album, Songs from the Mountain. They will also play some holiday favorites like Woody Guthrie’s “Hanukkah Dance.” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Jewish Museum [1109 5th Ave., www.thejewishmuseum. org]. $18 general; $14 Jewish Museum family members; free for children 18 and under.

What’s going on in your neighborhood? Tell us! Email your events for our calendar to news@thevillager.com December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019

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