DOWNTOWN EXPRESS 1-12-11

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZERThe community center now being

built on the west side of the Battery Park City ball fi elds in the Liberty Luxe/Liberty Green residential com-plex is just a shell. No fi nal deter-mination has been made as to what programs the facility will offer when it opens in January 2012.

But Asphalt Green, the organiza-tion chosen by the Battery Park City Authority to manage the community center, is trying to fi ll in the blanks by asking the people of Lower Manhattan what programming they would like to see.

A few weeks ago, Asphalt Green

posted a survey on its website ask-ing respondents for their interest in activities that include sports of vari-ous kinds, swimming lessons, cook-ing classes, cultural offerings (dance, theater, writing), holiday and summer camps, media instruction and more.

So far, around 200 people have fi lled out the survey. It will be posted until March, according to Christina Klapper, Asphalt Green’s marketing director.

“It would be unwise of us not to look at the survey seriously,” said Carol Tweedy, Asphalt Green’s executive director. “At the same time, whenever you do a survey, you have to under-

stand the sampling errors that you get with it. Some people who are likely to be users will never go near a survey. It’s one piece of important information, but it’s only one.”

After the programming line-up has been determined, Asphalt Green will be able to get a handle on the costs of operation and this will determine how much it will cost to be a member of the community center, to use the recreational facilities and to attend classes there.

In October 2009, when the Battery Park City Authority, which owns the

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

Chin chips inCity Council member Margaret Chin tosses a Christmas tree into a wood-chipping machine at last weekend’s MulchFest held at Bowling Green. The event was hosted by the Downtown Alliance and over 240 trees were turned into mulch.

BY MICHAEL MANDELKERN

Community Board 1’s W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee met on Monday to track the deconstruction progress of 130 Liberty Street and development status of the World Trade Center site.

Josh Rosenbloom, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp-oration’s director of city operations, told the board that, despite past delays, the L.M.D.C. expects to clear 130 Liberty Street, site of the former Deutsche Bank building, for future development by the end of this month. As of Monday afternoon, 35 percent of the concrete and support-ing steel had been stripped from the second floor.

The L.M.D.C. is now

focused on finishing the western and southern perimeter of the site. Workers will haul in heavy equipment next week to complete the project. But Pat Moore, a member of the C.B. 1 committee, bemoaned the machinery’s clamor.

“It’s early, loud and just awful,” said Moore.

Moore said she was spe-cifi cally referring to a recent Sunday when she was awo-ken by construction noise.

Rosenbloom replied, “It’s not going to be quiet, but not louder than a jackham-mer.”

Moore, whose bedroom window is right above the Ladder 10/Engine 10 Firehouse, said she woke up last Monday morning to see construction work-ers removing the scaffolding

Deutsche Bank building almost down

Survey gives public chance for input on center programs

Continued on page 13


downtownn expresss®

VOLUME 23, NUMBER 35 THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN JANUARY 12 - 18, 2010

ROCK ME, BOBA FETT, P. 23

Winter bloomsSnowdrops (“Galanthus nivalis”) are blooming in Battery Park City. Turn to page 12 for the story.

Januar y 12 - 18, 20112 downtown express

Diving for a blessing, a cross and good luckParishioners from St. Nicholas Church,

which was demolished during the 9/11 attacks, held one of the time-honored Epiphany rituals in Battery Park this past Sunday. The Blessing of the Waters and casting of the Holy Cross into New York Harbor was conducted after a mass at Saints Helen and Constantine Church in Downtown Brooklyn.

The ritual began with a procession from Pier 1 to one of the slips near where the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries dock. Crosses and religious artifacts were carried and chants were sung as the priests and divers boarded an FDNY rescue boat. At the appropriate moment, the swimmers were told to be ready and the gold cross was thrown into the water with a tether.

The successful diver, George Kantris, hoisted the cross into the air and swam back to the boat. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a small cross and a personal blessing from the priest to ensure good luck for the coming year. The ceremony concluded with the release of a white dove.

— Joseph M. Calisi

DOWNTOWN DIGEST

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7, 10-16

EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-23

CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

C.B. 1MEETINGSA schedule of this week’s upcoming Community

Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless otherwise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board offi ce, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room 709 at 6 p.m. The Community Board offi ces are closed on Thursday, November 11 in observance of Veteran’s Day.

ON WED., JAN. 12: C.B. 1’s Tribeca Committee will meet.

ON THURS., JAN. 13: C.B. 1’s Landmarks Committee will meet.

ON TUES., JAN. 18: C.B.1’s Seaport/Civic Center Committee will meet.

Gillibrand and Nadler clarify misinformation

Now that the James R. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act has been signed into law, thousands of people are looking to their local representatives for guidance. On Monday representatives from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s offi ce showed up to the Community Board 1 W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee meeting to dis-cuss the bill. Unfortunately, they provided misinformation that sparked outrage amongst the committee members.

A constituent liaison from Gillibrand’s Manhattan offi ce told the committee members that only fi rst respond-ers would be covered under the portion of the bill that reopened the Victims Compensation Act. A total of 2.5 bil-lion was allotted so people with 9/11 related illnesses could be compensated. But on Monday, the aide from Gillibrand’s offi ce told the committee that the fund was only for fi rst responders.

“The information presented at the meeting was not accurate. The fund is open to anyone who has a legitimate claim to some sort of World Trade Center related illness,” said Ilan Kayatsky, a spokesperson for Congressman Jerrold Nadler, one of the bill’s sponsors in the House of Representatives.

To clarify any misunderstanding, on Tuesday Glen Caplin, a spokesperson for Senator Gillibrand said, “Senator Gillibrand and her colleagues successfully fought to ensure that all of the community residents and fi rst responders who

suffer from 9/11-related diseases are eligible for critical compensation and health coverage.”

Extra prep this time around

New York City, following the blizzard that brought the city to a standstill two weeks ago, took extensive measures to prepare for the latest torrent of snow that hit the area Tuesday night.

Meteorologists predicted between fi ve to nine inches of snow while city offi cials heightened their projections to fourteen inches. The Offi ce of Emergency Management cautioned New Yorkers against driving during the storm and warned that parked cars in the way of snowploughs would be towed.

Mayor Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that 365 salt spreaders and 1,700 snowplows would be administered throughout the City.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority sent out extra employees to protect equipment and clear snow. Trains and buses are expected to run on a delayed schedule.

The Bloomberg administration has faced criticism for its response to the last blizzard. The City Council held a Joint Oversight Hearing on the City’s response to the last snow-storm, prompting the Bloomberg administration to form a 15-Point Action Plan on Tuesday to prevent future problems.

Some follies the City Council addressed were its belief that the City failed to declare a snow emergency, ineffi -ciently allocated its resources and poorly communicated the issue to the public.

Read the Archives www.

DOWNTOWNEXPRESS .com

downtown express Januar y 12 - 18, 2011 3

Department of Education to decide fate of 26 Broadway and Millennium HighBY JOHN BAYLES

A hearing held last week on the Department of Education’s proposal to move the Richard R. Green High School of Teaching from East 88th Street to 26 Broadway in Lower Manhattan might have been pointless. It’s very possible the D.O.E. has already made up its mind.

Since the city D.O.E. announced their proposal in the fall to give the open space in the building, which also houses the Lower Manhattan Middle School, to Richard R. Green in lieu of a proposal to have Millennium High expand into the building, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has launched an old-fashioned advocacy campaign on behalf of his district. But beyond the role of advocate, the Speaker’s opinion could be of little infl uence.

“The D.O.E. has stated publicly that their position is to move Richard R. Green into the space,” said Jason Fink, a spokesperson for Silver. “What we’re trying to do is to get them to change their mind.”

But Fink also noted that Silver has no power when it comes to the D.O.E.’s position on the matter. On January 19 the Panel for Educational Policy will vote on the proposal.

At the heart of the debate is the severe school overcrowd-ing issue that has plagued Lower Manhattan for the last two years. Education advocates fought to secure 26 Broadway under the impetus that it would house new schools for the Lower Manhattan population. Millennium High’s proposal to expand into the building would satisfy that criteria; having a school such as Richard R. Green move in, and relocating students that do not live in Lower Manhattan, would not.

At last week’s hearing, Paul Goldstein, a representa-

tive from Silver’s offi ce, delivered remarks on behalf of the Speaker.

“Over the past several years, I have led the fi ght to combat school overcrowding and create more educational opportunities for parents and their children in Lower Manhattan,” Silver wrote. “One of the great recent success stories Downtown has been Millennium High School, a top-notch educational institution that has attracted many local families and played a key role in this neighborhood’s recovery after 9/11. Today, I am asking the Department of Education to allow Millennium to expand into space it leases at 26 Broadway. School space in Lower Manhattan ought to serve the population of Lower Manhattan and there remains a pressing need for new classroom space in this neighbor-hood.”

Tricia Joyce, who serves on Community Board 1’s Youth and Education Committee, was unhappy with how the D.O.E. handled the hearing. She said parents and students from Richard R. Green showed up without full knowledge of the situation.

“They had no information about 26 Broadway nor its his-tory and attachment to our community,” said Joyce. “They just know that they’re in a desperate situation and that this space is available.”

Joyce pointed out that Richard R. Green is facing the same overcrowding issues as Lower Manhattan and that when the D.O.E. holds such a hearing, it usually ends up pitting two communities and two school bodies against

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Fatal fi reA 72-year-old woman who was trying

to get warm by heat of her oven in the kitchen of her apartment at 124 Ludlow St. near Rivington St. was killed when her clothes caught fi re on Friday morn-ing. The victim, Claudette Rivera, was enveloped in fl ames when a neighbor who heard her screams, tried to save her, police said. The neighbor Frances Ayers, 49, was treated for smoke inhalation at New York Hospital. Firefi ghters received the alarm at 11:18 a.m. Fri., Jan. 7 and declared the fi re under control at11:43 a.m. An Emergency Medical Service team declared the victim dead at the scene. The fi re was confi ned to the kitchen in the fi rst fl oor apartment in the six-story walkup.

Church roof fi reFirefi ghters responded to an alarm at

12:05 p.m. Mon. Jan. 10 at St. James the Apostle Church, 32 James St., between St. James Pl. and Madison St., where a fi re broke out in the roof of the fi ve-story building. A second alarm went off at 12:36 p.m., bring-ing a total of 60 fi refi ghters to the location of the city’s second oldest Catholic Church, completed in 1837. The fi re was under con-trol at 1:28 p.m., an FDNY spokesperson

said. No one was hurt and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Pleads in fraudRicardo Pignatari, 36, pf 300 Albany

St. at South End Ave. in Battery Park City, pleaded guilty on Dec. 30 to fraud and grand larceny charges in connection with stealing a total of more than $3,000 from fi ve victims by telling them he was con-nected to TAM Brazilian Airlines and could get them discount round trip business class tickets. Pignatari, a former NYPD Auxiliary Police offi cer who worked his scam out of his Battery Park City apartment, was not connected with the airline, the charges say. He took the victims’ money but delivered no tickets, according to the complaint fi led with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Pignatari was arrested Dec. 27, pleaded guilty three days later and is to be sentenced Feb. 28.

Robs pharmacyA man walked into the CVS store at

129 Fulton St. around 7:40 a.m. Sat., Jan. 8, forced open a locked door to the pharmacy section and confronted the 21-year-old pharmacy assistant, police said. The intruder force the assistant to

drop six blood-sugar test kits, police said. When she blocked front door to stop the thief from leaving the place, he pushed her aside and fled with the test kits with a total value of $726, police said.

Big haul on WorthAn owner of a chain of newsstands

was in the store at 90 Worth St., count-ing money around 5:30 a.m. Mon. Jan. 10 when a man walked in and said, “Just give me the money,” police said. The intruder then knocked the victim unconscious with a rabbit punch to the back of his neck, grabbed a bag of money and fled with about $43,000, police said. The victim often brought money from other stores to the Worth St. location for a deposit in a nearby bank, according to police. The sum was unusually large on Monday because of heavy mega lottery sales the previous weekend. Police said the sus-pect might have been tailed the victim from the PATH station as he walked up Broadway to 90 Worth St.

Drug bust grenade manAllen Hasty, 40, of 106 Norfolk St. was

charged with possession of an unspecifi ed quantity of cocaine and more than 2,800 small glassine bags with intent to traffi c in the drug, according to charges fi led with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Police found the coke and the bags after they responded to a call that a hand grenade, later discovered to be inert, was in Hasty’s top

fl oor apartment. Apparently, Kayla Coxx, a transsexual porn star, according to the New York Post, phoned the grenade alert into 911. Coxx told the Post she went to Norfolk St. after Hasty had phoned to hire her as an escort. She said Hasty offered her drugs after he confessed that he did not have her $2,000 escort service fee, the Post said. Coxx fl ed when she saw a silver handgun and the grenade in Hasty’s apartment, the Post said.

Panhandlers pickA patron of MacDonald’s, 160 Broadway

near Liberty St., who stopped in for a snack at 3 p.m. Sun., Jan. 9, hung his Nikon D 90 camera on the back of his chair and was eat-ing when one of two panhandlers working the place asked him for change, police said. The victim discovered 10 minutes later that the camera, valued at $1,050, was gone. He told police that he remembered a bump on the back of his chair when the panhandler solicited him.

Construction site theftThe manager of a construction site on

the southwest corner of Broadway and Dey St. told police that he opened the site on Monday morning Jan. 10 after it had been locked on the previous Saturday afternoon and discovered 25 power tools and appli-ances, with a total value of $2,900, had been stolen.

Borough of Manhattan Community College celebrates African Heritage Month 2011:

Different Cultures, One HeritageJoin us for a Kick-Off Performance featuring Ballet International Africans, including stilt walkers, mask dancers, drummers, musicians and traditional African dancers.

Wednesday, February 9, 20112 PM - 4 PM

BMCC Main Lobby Promenade

This event is free and open to the public. Visit www.bmcc.cuny.edu for more of the month’s events.

POLICE BLOTTER



C.B. 1 chair sets 2011 goalsBY HELAINA N. HOVITZ

Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin amassed a laudable list of accomplishments in 2010. She advocated to move terror trials out of Lower Manhattan, fought for the pas-sage of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and, in November, won a battle against Con Edison for $200 million in funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which will be used to back various cultural and community enhance-ment projects Downtown.

Entering into the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Menin has plans for everything from new schools to com-memoration ceremonies. She serves on six government and civic boards, including the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the board of the L.M.D.C. Menin now plans on using her position to advocate for more community needs in 2011.

At the last L.M.D.C. board meeting, Menin pushed for a Request for Proposal to make sure that remaining funds are spent on mean-ingful projects for the community. Menin would like to see $30 to 40 million allocated to affordable housing, to which a pot of $12 million has already been designated.

Approximately $100 million has already been allocated to the Performing Arts Center at Ground Zero, and Menin is currently working to create a separate 501c3 for the center so that additional fundraising can

begin. Menin feels that the center is impera-tive in assuring that the fi ve million tourists projected to visit the memorial later this year will spend time in the community. She believes the center will serve as an anchor for visitors coming into Lower Manhattan to stay, dine, shop and see the sights. It is

important to move the project forward as quickly as possible, she said, as its construc-tion will instantly create thousands of much-needed jobs.

“When our city faces a 9.2 percent unem-ployment rate, our priority should be to try to create jobs,” said Menin. “A large infra-structure project like the Performing Arts Center will do that.”

Assemblyman Shelly SilverIf you need assistance, please contact my office at (212) 312-1420 or email [email protected].

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“When our city faces a 9.2 percent unemployment rate, our priority should be to try to create jobs.”

— Julie Menin


Skyscraper Museum exhibit highlights NYC factories

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZERFactory labor and factory life — the

phrase invokes repetitive, monotonous work, unsafe conditions, assembly lines and com-pany towns. But factories have evolved from the “dark Satanic mills,” as described by William Blake, of the 18th century’s Industrial Revolution. That evolution is the subject of the Skyscraper Museum’s current exhibit, “Vertical Urban Factory,” which opened on January 12 and will run through June.

The show is based around specifi c, iconic factory buildings in Europe and the United States, with nine examples of the Modernist style from the early 20th century and nine examples of contemporary factories. One

section of the show is devoted solely to the factories of New York City.

“Many of these buildings emphasize the use of concrete, creating expansive spaces so that machines could go between the columns easily,” said Nina Rappaport, the curator of the exhibit. “There were large expanses of glass. In fact, they called the Ford Highland Park factory, [which dates from 1909], ‘the crystal palace’ because it had so much glass. The idea was to make the factories cleaner and safer, with more light and more air. That went hand in hand with the new technology – the cars and the machines that were being made inside.”

Rappaport, who is an architectural histori-

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Jamie Chan was helping install the Skyscraper Museum’s new exhibit, “Vertical Urban Factory.” The Starrett-Lehigh Building, part of the exhibit, was erected in 1930 between 26th and 27th Streets, running the whole length of the block between 11th and 12th Avenues.



Waterfront park president to set sail for new jobBY ALBERT AMATEAU

The Hudson River Park Trust announced on Wednesday that Connie Fishman, presi-dent of the state/city agency that is building the fi ve-mile-long riverfront park, is leaving her post after 11 years with the Trust, seven of them as president.

Fishman is credited with shepherding the park up to its current 80 percent completion and will leave the Trust in February to become senior vice president for real estate of the YMCA of Greater New York.

“Everyone who loves Hudson River Park and cares about New York City owes a huge debt of gratitude to Connie Fishman,” Diana Taylor, chairperson of the Trust board of direc-tors, said in the January 5 announcement.

“As the Trust’s president for the past seven years, she has steered the Trust through count-less minefi elds, building eight new public piers and acres of spectacular landscapes, not to men-tion an enduring relationship with the public we serve,” said Taylor.

Taylor did not indicate who might succeed Fishman, but as chairperson of the Trust, Taylor will probably be consulted in the process, which will involve New York State’s newly inaugurat-ed Governor Andrew Cuomo as well as Mayor Bloomberg.

“It will be an interesting search,” said Arthur Schwartz, a former chairperson of the Hudson River Park Trust Community Advisory Council and present chairperson of the Waterfront

Committee of Community Board 2, which covers Greenwich Village. Schwartz noted that former Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, appointed Taylor, the girlfriend of Mayor Bloomberg, as chairperson of the Trust.

“I don’t suppose Hudson River Park is at the top of Governor Cuomo’s agenda, but his administration will have a month to fi gure it out,” Schwartz said.

Fishman’s connection to the waterfront park dates back to when she was an aide to Deputy Mayor Fran Reiter under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In 1995, she was Reiter’s liaison to the Hudson River Park Conservancy, the predecessor orga-nization to the Trust. A year after the state

Legislature passed the Hudson River Park Act, creating Hudson River Park, Fishman, in 1999, was named executive vice president of the Trust, under Robert Balachandran, the Trust’s fi rst president.

Schwartz said that since Fishman became Trust president in 2003 she has been very good at bringing community boards and advocacy organizations, like Friends of Hudson River Park, together.

“She really listens. She doesn’t just go through the motions,” said Schwartz.

“Since joining the Trust in 1999, Connie has been largely responsible for turning our dream of an accessible waterfront park into a reality for New York City,” said Douglas Durst, co-chairperson of Friends of Hudson River Park.

“Connie has been wonderful to work with and always appreciated the independent and supportive role of Friends in advancing Trust plans,” said A.J. Pietrantone, executive director of Friends.

Fishman and Friends formalized the rela-tionship between the Trust and the Friends this year, under which the Friends have become a designated fundraising partner to help raise private funds needed to operate and maintain the park.

“I’m sorry she’s leaving as president of the Trust,” said Ross Graham, co-chairperson of the Friends, “She was a terrifi c leader. But I hope her new job will allow her to do more things with Friends of Hudson River Park. I

spoke with her a while ago and she said she wanted to be active in park advocacy.”

“When she took the job as Trust president, she committed herself to completion of the park. I think it’s evident — 80 percent of the park was completed in 2010 — that she fulfi lled that pledge,” said John Doswell, a member of the Friends and of Community Board 4, which covers Chelsea.

“When you look at the Lower West Side of Manhattan, you can see fi rsthand the beautiful park space, waterfront access, bike paths, piers and other recreational activities that all New Yorkers can enjoy, and that is a testament to the Trust and the community who worked so had to make this a reality,” said Julie Menin, chairperson of Community Board 1, which covers Lower Manhattan south of Canal Street “Connie was able in very arduous economic times to raise the money to ensure that the park was 80 percent complete, and Community Board 1 thanks her for her years of service,” Menin said.

In a letter to the Trust staff, Fishman said, “The past 11 plus years working together to build Hudson River Park have been the most rewarding of my 23 years in public service. The Trust and its board have realized a remarkable achievement: the nearly complete transforma-tion of the far West Side of Manhattan. The process of creating the park was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — one for which I will always be grateful.”

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“I don’t suppose Hudson River Park is at the top of Governor Cuomo’s agenda, but his administration will have a month to fi gure it out.”

- Arthur Schwartz


EDITORIALPUBLISHER & EDITOR

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Wear (no) pants!Last Sunday was “No Pants Day” and for the 10th year in a row, subway riders wear-ing no pants greeted regular, unsuspecting straphangers.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A fond farewellToday the former Deutsche Bank building at 130

Liberty stands only two stories high. According to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the build-ing will be completely demolished by the end of the month.

While there is no single reminder of the tragedy of 9/11 that, should it disappear, could make people forget what happened, the demise of this building will certainly signal progress. For years it has stood, shrouded in black, and when it is down and gone for good, it will be one less eye sore and one less remaining remnant of that horrible day.

What cannot be forgotten however are the pitfalls that plagued the entire project from beginning to end. Some were minor, like falling debris. But some were major, like the hiring of a contractor with no experience in demoli-tion and a careless demolition management where a lit cigarette resulted in a fi re that killed two New York City Firefi ghters, Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino.

The building’s disappearance will not erase these facts. But it will however make it easier to walk down Liberty Street and not see the building that for years stood as a beacon of disaster.

We only hope the saga of this project results in les-sons learned by all parties so another building, and another human, never have to suffer the same fate.

U.S. Rep. Giffords The awful, senseless act of violence that occurred in

Tucson, Arizona last Saturday has forced us to pause and refl ect. Within minutes of the massacre that not only put a Congresswoman’s life in jeopardy but also ended the life of six others, including a federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and a young man engaged to be married, many have began to question the role of extremist, violent rhetoric and references in today’s political arena.

We do not wish to blame anyone at this point, except the perpetrator, for what happened. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that a former candidate for vice president earlier this year posted on her Facebook page a map of the United States with target symbols on par-ticular districts, one of which was Gabrielle Giffords’. Ms. Palin used the term “reload,” a fact she cannot deny. Extreme ideological partisanship and overheated speech, mostly but not entirely coming from the right, increasingly characterize our politics.

Regardless of Ms. Palin’s poor judgment, the heated rhetoric that divides and instills fear in people was evi-dent here in Lower Manhattan during the debate over Park51. Our community saw what such language could do, fi rsthand, and we are lucky that nothing along the lines of the events of last Saturday happened here.

Beyond demanding that our politicians and pundits dial down their discourse, the shooting rampage in Tucson is a clarion call for common sense solutions to the availability and proliferation of fi rearms. We salute Mayor Bloomberg’s efforts, and those of 500 other may-ors in his group “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” to stem the fl ow of illegal guns into American cites.

That the Tucson killer, who has a history of drug use and aberrant behavior, was able to legally purchase a handgun with a high capacity ammunition clip is a further outrage. No sane society should permit ordinary citizens to purchase semi-automatic weapons, period. The federal law enacted in 1994 that restricted some assault weapons was allowed to expire in 2004 by a Congress cowed by the National Rifl e Association. Our state and federal lawmak-ers need to show some guts, and take a stand.

Who’s to blame?

To the Editor:I cannot believe what I heard and saw on

the television about Commissioner Doherty of the Sanitation Department. This man gave up years of his retirement to come back and help his department and us New Yorkers. In other snowstorms he and his sanitation workers were lauded for their good work.

Now that we’ve had a blizzard (not a snowstorm), he and his workers were blamed for a poor job. I guess they needed a scapegoat, and Doherty and his department were picked. If the average New Yorker couldn’t make it to work, how could a Department of Sanitation worker make it?

I saw TV footage of a worker asleep in his truck. If you put in 12 to 14 hours of plow-ing, and are not able to go to home to sleep, you would be doing the same thing.

I suggest that for the next snowstorm, Mr. Doherty should ask the Mayor, Mr. Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President, and Daniel Halloran, a City Council Member rep-resenting parts of Queens, which streets in their boroughs they would like plowed fi rst. Then we’ll see whom they put the blame on for not having certain streets plowed.

Mr. Doherty, us true blue New Yorkers would like to thank you and your depart-ment for the great hard work that you have done for New York for many years.

George Marmo


TALKING POINT

BY BARBARA ROSSAfter being cooped up inside, watching the snow that

blanketed the city melt from my apartment window, I grabbed the trusty bicycle I use daily for transport, eager to hit the streets again. I headed toward the First Ave. pro-tected bike lane that I’ve become accustomed to using on all my uptown errands, only to fi nd it still piled up with snow and unusable.

Being forced to ride with the fast-moving vehicle traf-fi c heightened my appreciation for all the new bike lanes and other effective safety measures the Department of Transportation has put into place over the past three-and-a-half years. Although there is a small but loud anti-bike lane chorus, our City Council must resist the temptation to cater to the car-centric past and instead support healthier, lower-cost mobility with permanent protected bike lanes that help people of all ages ride safely in New York City.

My thoughts returned to the City Council’s Transportation Committee hearing on New York City’s bike policy held last month. Hundreds of pro-bike lane enthusiasts attended the hearing to advocate for the healthy, environmentally friendly, cost-effi cient and social aspects of cycling that benefi t all New Yorkers.

The fi rst two hours of the daylong hearing were devoted to city councilmembers questioning Janette Sadik-Khan, the Department of Transportation’s commissioner, about the increase of new bike lanes in New York City. The commis-sioner discussed the measurable safety benefi ts of bike lanes for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, such as a 40 percent

decrease in crashes, as well as lowered rates of speeding by automobile drivers.

The commissioner assured the city councilmembers that all the new bike lanes were approved by the local community boards and were installed at little cost to the city. According to Sadik-Khan, “All of D.O.T.’s current bike projects combined have cost a total of $8.8 million… . When you factor in the 80 percent federal match, the city has spent less than $2 million from its own coffers on the major expansions to the bike network we’ve seen the last few years.”

The D.O.T. commissioner was followed by former Deputy Mayor Norman Steisel and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who seek to eliminate the hugely popular Prospect Park West bike lane.

Almost three hours into the hearing, when the public was fi nally allowed to give testimony, most of the city councilmem-bers had left the room, leaving the majority of bike lane sup-porters to address their empty seats. If councilmembers had stayed, they would have heard their constituents’ impassioned testimony about why they love using their bicycles for everyday commuting and their pleas for more safe places for families, senior citizens and new cyclists to ride, particularly more physi-cally separated, protected bike lanes.

Anti-bike lane advocates tried to use the careless behavior of random cyclists to justify the elimination of bike lanes. Would the city consider taking away the car lanes because motorists dangerously speed, run red lights and park illegal-ly? Would the city consider taking away sidewalks because

pedestrians carelessly jaywalk in front of moving traffi c? Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s well-

researched testimony at the hearing included details of his “Respect the Lane / Clear the Path” campaign; Stringer’s initiative emphasized the need for more bike lanes and offered real solutions to creating safer streets for every-body, encouraging all street users to be more courteous when sharing the road — not singling out any one class of commuter.

A new year has begun. In 2011, let’s turn over a new leaf and start the year celebrating safe, protected bike lanes. Let’s listen to the sensible majority and keep expanding the bicycle lane network — especially the still-uncompleted First and Second Aves. bike lanes that will serve the communities all the way up to East Harlem.

At Time’s Up! Environmental Group, where I’ve been volunteering and advocating for safer streets for more than a decade, we focus on courtesy, education and appreciation in connection with the bike lanes as part of our “Love Your Lane” campaign. Join us in celebrating this February for our annual “Love Your Lane” bike ride and after-party! The ride will be on or around Valentine’s Day.

Cycling is on the rise in New York City, which is recog-nized all over the world as a great accomplishment. Let’s keep working together toward a greener, healthier, more environmental New York City.

Ross is a volunteer with Time’s Up! Environmental Group

Critics can’t roll back the progress on bike lanes

Photo by Barbara Ross

Following the big blizzard of Sun., Dec. 26, some in the daily press angrily accused the city of prioritizing bike lanes for snow clearance. However, it appears what they were complaining about were, in fact, only a few isolated incidents. As this photo of writer Barbara Ross’s tricycle shows, the Chrystie St. bike lane near Grand St., for one, was still clogged with snow as recently as this Monday.


BY ALBERT AMATEAU Firefighters responded to two fires in the East Village

on Tuesday morning Jan. 4. Seven residents of the build-ing at 69 Second Ave. sustained minor injuries in a fire that broke out around 3:50 a.m. in a ground-floor gro-cery in the six-story building, a Fire Department spokes-person said. A second alarm at 4:11 a.m. brought a total of 106 firefighters to the smoky fire, which was declared under control at 5:12 a.m. Six of the injured residents were treated at Beth Israel Hospital. One tenant on the fourth floor of the building said his 2-year-old dog awak-ened him by barking, enabling him to flee safely.

A two-alarm fire in a first-floor restaurant of a five-story building at 503 E. Sixth St. between Aves. A and B was reported at 7:31 a.m. and brought under control about an hour later, a department spokesperson said. One of the 106 firefighters who fought the blaze sus-tained minor injuries and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital.

The previous week, fire broke out in the fourth floor of a six-floor building at 187 Chrystie St. around 4:42 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 29. Firefighters brought the fire, attributed to a space heater, under control at 5:09 p.m. A firefighter sustained minor injuries. The Box, a club next door, was open for business later that night.

In addition, fire in Con Ed cables in front of 228 Bleecker St. near Downing St. caused an explosion around 10:25 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 1. There was no inter-ruption of electrical service, a Con Ed spokesperson said. The fire’s cause was attributed to road salt corroding the cable.

Firefi ghters battle four blazes

Photo by Clayton Patterson

Firefi ghters at the scene of the blaze at 503 E. Sixth St. Tuesday morning.


New exhibit highlights NYC factories

an and critic, observed that many of the early Modernist factories were designed by engi-neers. But there were also architects, such as German-born Albert Kahn, who made his name and reputation in factory design. Kahn (1869-1942) emigrated to Detroit at the age of 11 and eventually became Henry Ford’s favored architect. Kahn was known for his innovative use of reinforced concrete to cre-ate the walls, roofs and supporting structures of his buildings.

“Many of the innovations — structural, material and spatially — were in factories because industrial buildings were places of innovation themselves,” Rappaport remarked.

Though Detroit was a center of industry because of the availability of raw materials, access and transit, New York City emerged as the country’s prime manufacturing center. According to a sign in the show, “There were 12,000 factories in New York at the turn of the 20th century, with a workforce of 500,000. Today there are approximately 6,500 manufacturing companies in New York City, employing 81,000 people.”

“Vertical Urban Factory” credits New York City’s 20th century preeminence to its port, railroad network and ever-expanding labor force. However, by the second half of the 20th century, manufacturing in the city had begun to decline. The question arose of what to do with the gargantuan buildings that had once housed this activity. “Many of the New York buildings have been in the news because of preservation issues,” said Rappaport.

The Domino sugar factory on the Brooklyn waterfront is an example. At one time the cartel that owned the factory, led by the Havemeyer family, controlled 98 percent of the country’s sugar production. The factory closed in 2004. In 2007, the oldest buildings were landmarked, with the remainder slated to be torn down and the property converted to residential use. There has been community opposition to this plan because of the scale of the proposed residential buildings.

Elsewhere in New York City, some fac-tory buildings have been converted into galleries, residences and shops. In addi-tion, small industries are moving back into some of the abandoned factories. Rappaport said the new businesses tend to be cleaner and greener than their predecessors. “The Greenpoint Manufacturing Center is a great example of conversion to light manufactur-ing,” she remarked. “Manufacturing may have moved out of central Manhattan but it’s still in the city.”

“Vertical Urban Factory” consists of mod-els, historic photographs, fi lms, architectural drawings, process diagrams and maps. Some of the photographs have never been seen before. There will be panel discussions and factory tours associated with the exhibit at dates to be determined.

For information about the Skyscraper Museum, call (212) 968-1961 or go to www.skyscraper.org.

Continued from page 6

Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Matt Pinto, curator Nina Rappaport and Jamie Chan installing the exhibit “Vertical Urban Factory” at the Skyscraper Museum. The exhibit opens Wednesday and will run through the spring of 2011.

Tools used in fl our milling and textile manufacture in early 20th century factories are part of the exhibit.


Only two fl oors left at 130 Liberty site

and fl ooring from the fi rehouse’s roof. She questioned whether any dust that might have been under the fl ooring might have been toxic.

“Anything that may have come off in construction should have been minimal,” said Rosenbloom.

By the end of the week workers will dismantle the tower crane that has pro-truded from the site for the past fi ve years. Rosenbloom called the crane’s removal “a positive milestone for the community.”

Employees are still working on the sew-age system on the west side of Greenwich Street for the Port Authority’s future Vehicle Security Center, which will be con-structed below the 130 Liberty site, and is set to be completed by 2013. Rosenbloom confi rmed that the Port Authority will get full construction access to the site in February, but said that control over 130 Liberty Street is a “more complex real estate issue.” The site is set to change hands, from the L.M.D.C. to the Port Authority, after the building is completely town down.

Construction workers will continue to work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday when necessary. The recent blizzard that hit New York City, cold temperatures and heavy dust clouds

through the deconstruction have hindered some steady work.

The Port Authority touted progress made on the W.T.C. site as a whole.

“There’s a lot of buzz and enthusiasm for the 10th anniversary of 9/11,” said Quentin Braithwaite, the Port Authority’s assistant director of W.T.C. construction.

“A great majority of infrastructure is in place,” he added, “including the memorial pools where Towers One and Two once stood.”

Tower One is now 54 stories high, about halfway done by Braithwaite’s estimate. About 100 trees have been planted through-out the memorial pavilion. The waterfall

in commemoration of those killed on 9/11 began running in one the fountains last October and the second fountain is expected to start fl owing sometime in late February or early March.

Both One and Four World Trade Center are set to be completed by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014.


Photo courtesy of L.M.D.C.

On Monday, only two fl oors remained of the former Deutsche Bank building.


BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER

SNOWDROPS IN THE SNOW: As snow-storm after snowstorm wracks the city, some-thing strange and a little hard to believe is happening in Battery Park City’s South Cove. Snowdrops are blooming! They come up in clumps in the sheltered glade, and with a little bit of sun to help them, unfurl their small, white fl owers. When the snow covers them, they merely rest. As soon as possible they pop up again and go about their business of reassuring anyone who sees them that spring will return soon enough

How do they do it? Maybe it’s in their genes. They originated in alpine regions of southern Europe and Asia Minor.

There are 19 species of snowdrops — all in the amaryllis family. The most common snow-drop is “Galanthus nivalis.” The name “galan-thus” has Greek roots — “gala” means “milk,”

and “anthus” means “fl ower.” All snowdrops are known by this name.

In the Middle Ages, snowdrops were cul-tivated as a remedy for arthritis, digestive problems and other ailments. Knowing their medicinal properties, monks and midwives spread them from their native habitats to the British Isles and elsewhere.

They offered solace for soul as well as body. In folk legends, they became symbolic of hope.

One legend said that Eve wept after being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Flowers no longer bloomed. There was only snow. An angel saw Eve’s distress and pitied her. The angel caught a snowfl ake and blew on it. A fl ower bloomed and Hope was born.

PRESCHOOL PLAY AND PRENATAL YOGA: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy has a remedy for toddlers and women — pregnant or with infants — with winter cabin fever.

On Thursdays from January 20 to March 24, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Conservancy is offering an Afternoon Preschool Play pro-gram. It meets at the Verdesian, 211 North End Avenue (between Warren and Murray Streets). Prerequisite for the kids: being able to walk. The fee is $175 for 10 weeks with a discount for siblings.

Prenatal Yoga, also held at the Verdesian, teaches postures and exercises specifi cally suited to pregnant women. The techniques enhance strength and fl exibility during preg-nancy and help in the birthing process. All levels of yoga and all stages of pregnancy are welcome. Classes meet for nine sessions, either Mondays, January 31 through April 4 (with no class on February 21, Presidents’ Day) from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. or Tuesdays, February 1 to March 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m

Also on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Verdesian, parents and babies, newborn through crawling, can take yoga classes. These classes meet on the same days as prenatal yoga. Monday classes run from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. and on Tuesday classes from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The fee is $180 for nine sessions.

The Monday instructor is Mary Barnes, creator of Yoga for Two. She has been teach-ing since 1990, and offers her program at Pure Yoga East and West and the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. Mia Borgatta teaches on Tuesdays. She is the founder and director of

Ma Yoga at Lila Yoga and Wellness. She is a registered nurse, and has been teaching yoga since 1990. Pre-registration is required. For information or to register for any of the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy programs, call (212) 267-9700, ext. 366 or 348.

SHIP WATCH: For those who want to see the three Cunard ships arrive in New York harbor on the morning of January 13 and depart later that evening, the latest infor-mation on the timing is as follows: Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria will arrive from a trans-Atlantic crossing around 7:30 a.m. and will proceed up the Hudson River to the Midtown Manhattan cruise ship termi-nal. Queen Mary 2 will have arrived several hours before and will go to her dock in Red Hook, Brooklyn. On the evening of January 13, the ships will assemble near the Statue of Liberty at 6 p.m. and fi reworks will begin at 6:45 p.m. If you’re not on a ship watching the proceedings (and several local lines are offering harbor cruises that evening, includ-ing New York Water Taxi, Statue Cruises and Spirit Cruises), the best viewing points will be the southern part of the Battery Park City esplanade and the Jersey City promenade.

For comments on Battery Park City Beat or for leads on Battery Park City stories, e-mail [email protected]

Photo courtesy of Battery Park City Parks Conservancy

A youngster in the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s Afternoon Pre-School Play Program works on a puzzle with the help of staff member Linda Lamontagne.

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Snowdrops (“Galanthus nivalis”) blooming in Battery Park City on January 10, in between snowstorms.

one another, a situation she described as unfortunate.

Joyce said due to remarks in the press by some Lower Manhattan parents prior to the hearing, Richard R. Green students and parents showed up in an attempt to prove themselves “worthy” of occupying the space.

“Of course they are worthy,” said Joyce. “All students are worthy of having a

school.”Joyce said what is needed is for the

issue to be “quantifi ed by people who understand in both of communities what it means.”

Speaker Silver will hold another meet-ing of his School Overcrowding Task Force this Thursday at his offi ces at 250 Broadway. Fink said the 26 Broadway issue will certainly be discussed. The D.O.E. is proposing that Millennium High open a new campus in Brooklyn instead of expanding into 26 Broadway.

D.O.E. on school fatesContinued from page 3


Asphalt Green turns to B.P.C residents for input

community center, signed Asphalt Green to manage it, membership fees of $1,200 to $2,400 were mentioned. Now those numbers are off the table.

“We don’t know yet what the fees will be,” Tweedy said. “We wrote the initial fi nancial plan in the fall of 2008. The city and the country have had a change in eco-nomic circumstances, so whether the num-bers are right or wrong, they all have to be revisited. We’re just starting to unpack that again now.”

Tweedy said that it would be necessary to lock down the budget by June so that marketing materials could be prepared and preparations made to implement the community center’s programs. Tweedy added, “There could be some shifting of the product that happens all the way through late 2011. Some of the services will be delivered through partnerships between Asphalt Green and other organi-zations, and their environment may shift. I’ll know it’s locked down when we open our doors.”

The Battery Park City Authority will have fi nal approval of the exact operat-ing budget for the fi rst year of operation, Tweedy said. “We are absolutely dedi-cated to making sure that the membership

fees are affordable to the Battery Park City community,” said Leticia Remauro, B.P.C.A. spokesperson.

She said that if the community center makes a profi t, it would be shared by Asphalt Green and the Authority. Initial

projections for the community center did not assume that a profi t would be possible before year four of Asphalt Green’s fi ve-year contract.

Part of any anticipated profi t was to come from operating a summer camp, which, on

the surface, would put Asphalt Green Battery Park City in competition with Manhattan Youth’s Downtown Community Center at 120 Warren St. that has long had both day camps and a sleep-away camp.

However, Anthony Notaro, chair of Community Board 1’s Community Center Task Force didn’t see a problem. “Bob Townley [director of the Downtown Community Center[ has been working with Asphalt Green to figure out where there’s overlap and where there’s comple-ment,” he said. “There’s a baby boom going on in this neighborhood. I don’t see this as competition. I see it as additional seats.”

Any summer programming, and indeed, any outdoor programming would require access to the Battery Park City ball fi elds. For a while, this seemed to be a contentious issue. Now it seems to have been resolved.

“The existing users — the Little League, the Soccer League, Townley’s usage — they are being grandfathered,” Notaro said. “They will have the time they traditionally had. Asphalt Green is not in charge of the fields. The Battery Park City Authority determines who uses them and when. If there’s free time there, [Asphalt Green is] welcome to apply for it.”

The survey is at http://www.asphalt-green.org/batteryparkcity.

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Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green

A rendering of the gym at Asphalt Green Battery Park City, the community center scheduled to open in January 2012.


Menin’s list of priorities

Menin spearheaded the development of P.S. 276, the new K-8 school in Battery Park City. Now that the school is up and run-ning, she’s back to working with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s offi ce to create another one. Some believe Menin puts too much emphasis on new schools, but she is not easily swayed.

“We’ve had people who’ve disagreed with the priority I’ve put on new schools, and me and my colleagues have been called a bunch of soccer moms, but that’s not going to stop me,” she said. “People know I’m always going to make it a priority.”

Lower Manhattan is still short 850 seats for students, so with the contin-ued cooperation of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office, C.B. 1 will pursue the Peck Slip post office site as a loca-tion for another new school. Numerous discussions between the post office, the School Construction Authority, Sheldon Silver’s office and C.B. 1 are already underway.

The board is currently fi ghting to get the available space at the Tweed Courthouse to serve as incubator space for the next new school, or as an entirely new school after P.S. 276, the Spruce Street School, moves into its permanent location. The Department of Education initially agreed to allocate the space to P.S. 276, but recently announced that they want to bring in a charter school instead.

In anticipation of the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum Foundation Board that Menin serves on is now focus-

ing on its pedestrian circulation plan. Five million visitors are expected to visit the site, and Menin has raised concerns as to how they will move through the community. She has already set up a meeting for February 14 so the Foundation can present plans for circulation fl ow, access and connectivity to the board.

Over the next few months, Menin plans to initiate a series of discussions with the community board to determine the best way to commemorate the actual day.

“It’s a somber anniversary,” she explained. “We have a 16-acre hole in our neighbor-hood, and we’re the only ones who have been attacked twice by terrorists.”

Department of Homeland Security funds were cut yet again this year, as they have been in previous years, and the board has been researching the issue and working to fi nd ways to ensure that the City gets its fair share.

“Since Lower Manhattan is at the top of the terrorist target risk list, we have to make sure we’re getting the maximum proportion-al funding,” Menin said. “Why should the state of Wyoming receive more per person than the city of New York in certain catego-ries when the risk is obviously greater here? We are survivors, and always have to keep in mind that Lower Manhattan is the number one terrorist target in the country.”

Nobody knows exactly what 2011 will hold for Lower Manhattan, but residents can expect Menin to come full force when fi ghting for the community, the only way she knows how.

“You have to be forceful, and you have to come prepared with solutions,” Menin said. “You have to be willing to have strong opin-ions driven by a strong sense of justice, and be unwilling to back down from them.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

Verdant Power, LLC hereby gives notice of its submittal of a Pilot License Application on December 29, 2010 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This Pilot License Application is to commercially develop a 1 MW hydrokinetic pilot project in the East Channel of the East River as the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project (FERC No. 12611). The proposed project is a hydrokinetic facility comprised of axial-flow turbines installed under water to generate clean renewable energy from tidal currents.

A copy of the Pilot License Application can be obtained online at www.theriteproject.com/Documents.html or at www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. The Pilot License Application is also available for inspection by request at the corporate address of Verdant Power, LLC, 888 Main Street, New York, NY 10044, or by email request at [email protected].

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Repeat with maskPolice arrested Matthew Senquiz, 17, on

Dec. 30 and charged him with the Aug. 10 burglary of a deli at 37 Madison St. near James St. and the beating and slashing of an employee. The suspect entered the deli, pos-sibly with an accomplice, around 11:20 p.m. and menaced the employee who challenged the suspects. They punched the victim sev-eral times before leaving the place, according to the complaint fi led with the Manhattan District Attorney’s offi ce. After the attack, the victim closed and locked the door to the place but Senquiz returned a few minutes later wearing a mask, broke the glass door and slashed the victim about the head, back and arm with a sharp metal object, according to the complaint. Police did not say how they caught up with the suspect fi ve months later. Senquiz is being held pending a Feb. 2 court appearance.

Environmental protector

An off-duty Department of Environmental Protection operations manager was arrested in his D.E.P. vehicle during the early hours of Wed., Jan. 5 after he fl ed from police who caught up with him at Rector and West Sts. after they chased him from Charles and Greenwich Sts. where he was said to be looking for hookers. The defendant, John Caccavale, was summonsed for loitering with the purpose of engaging in prostitution and was released pending a Feb. 1 court appearance. He has been suspended from his D.E.C. job and is liable to a 90-day jail sentence if found guilty, according to a Daily News item. The Charles and Greenwich Sts. location is frequented by “The Bus Stop Boys,” a group of transvestite prostitutes who wait for johns at bus stops to avoid loi-tering charges, the Daily News said.

— Albert Amateau

POLICE BLOTTERContinued from page 4


PRESCHOOL PLAY AND STORIES & SONGS A new session of “Preschool Play” has been SONGS added: This program, for walking toddlers, invites you to join other children, parents, and caregivers for fun interactive play, art, and theme days. Thursdays, Jan. 20-March 24, from 1:30-3:30pm. The fee is $175 for 10 weeks (siblings: $100). At “Stories & Songs,” a variety of musicians per-form child-friendly music and teach each week. Movement, dancing and shakers add to the fun. It takes place Mondays, Jan. 10-April 25 (except 1/17 and 2/21) as well as on Wednesdays, Jan. 12-April 13. Space is still available in 40-minute classes: the 9:30-10:10am class for children 6-14 months — and the 12 noon-12:40pm class for mixed ages (6 months to 3.5 years). There is a $231 fee for 14 weeks (20% discount for siblings). Both events take place in the Meeting Room at the Verdesian (211 North End Ave., btw. Warren & Murray, in Battery Park City). For info or to register, call 212-267-9700, ext. 366 or 348. Visit bpcparks.org.

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM The Junior Officers Discovery Zone is an exhibit designed for ages 2-10. It’s divided into four areas (Police Academy; Park and Precinct; Emergency Services Unit; and a Multi-Purpose Area), each with interactive and imaginary play experiences for children to understand the role of police officers in our community — by, among other things, driving and taking care of a police car. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activ-ity that will challenge them to remember relevant parts of city street scenes; a physical challenge similar to those at the Police Academy; and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by The Emer-gency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip. For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit www.nycpm.org. Hours: Mon. through Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., noon-5pm. Admission: $8 ($5 for students, seniors and children. Free for children under 2.

DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER For info on swim lessons, basketball, gym class, Karate and more, call 212-766-1104. Visit man-

hattanyouth.org. The Downtown Community Center is located at 120 Warren St.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided arts projects. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon — giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. Regular museum hours: Wed.-Sun., 12-5pm; Thurs., 12-6pm (Pay as You Wish, from 4-6pm). Admission: $10. At the Children’s Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette St. btw. Broome & Grand). Call 212- 274-0986 or visit cmany.org. For group tours and visit, call 212) 274-0986, extension 31.

SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities are designed to get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. The Scholastic Store is located at 557 Broadway (btw. Prince & Spring). Regular store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm, and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info about store events, call 212-343-6166. Visit scholastic.com.

BOOKS OF WONDER & CUPCAKE CAFÉ Literate kids and cup-cake enthusiasts of all ages mingle at the space shared by Books of Wonder and Cupcake Café. The Café has sweet stuff all day, every day (they’ve got some of the best icing in town) — while the bookstore has story time Sundays at Noon (appropriate for ages 3-7). There’s simply nothing better than being able to depend on a weekly story followed by a massive sugar rush. Life is good! Books of Wonder is located at 18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Call 212-989-3270 or visit booksof-wonder.com. Cupcake Café, at the same address, can be reached at 212-465-1530 (visit cupcakecafe.com).

POETS HOUSE The Poets House “Tiny Poets Time” program offers children ages 1-3 and their parents a chance to enter the world of rhyme — through readings, group activities and interactive perfor-mances. Thursdays at 10am (at 10 River Terrace, at Murray St.). Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org.

ANGELINA BALLERINA: THE MUSICAL Everyone at the Cam-embert Academy is all aflutter because a special guest is coming to visit. Angelina and her friends are excited to show off their hip-hop, modern dance, Irish jig and ballet skills — but will Angelina get that moment in the spotlight she’s hoping for? Based on characters from the PBS series, this show is appropriate for ages 3-12. Through Feb. 19, Sat. at 1pm & 3pm and Sun. at 1pm. At the Union Square Theatre (100 E. 17th St. btw. Union Square East and Irving Place). For tickets ($39.50-$65), call 1-800-982-2787 or visit ticketmaster.com. Also visit angelinathemusical.com.

MARK TWAIN: A WONDERFULLY FLAT THING This modern twist on Mark Twain’s short story “A Fable” finds Twain and his ani-mal friends on a journey of self-discovery and magic. Puppets, dance, music and interactive video are the new tricks that help bring this old writer into the modern age. Recommended for ages 3 and up. Sat.,

Jan. 15 at 11:30am, 2:30pm & 5pm and Sun., Jan. 16 at 11:30am & 2:30pm. At The 14th Street Y’s LABA Theatre (344 E. 14th St. btw. 1st & 2nd Aves.). For tickets ($15), call 212-780-0800 or visit.14StreetY.org/AWFT.

DEAR EDWINA This heartwarming show about the joys and frustrations of growing up has our spunky heroine (advice-giver extraordinaire Edwina Spoonable) sharing her wisdom on everything from setting the table to making new friends. That it’s done through clever, catchy and poignant songs makes the experience enjoyable and engaging for kids who know what Edwina’s going through as well as adults who remember what it was like. Through Feb. 25 at the DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th St.). For tickets ($39), call 212-239-6200. For groups of 10 or more, call 646-747-7400. Visit dearedwina.com for additional details and full playing schedule.

GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW: THE NEXT GENERATION Three years into its run, the Gazillion Bubble Show welcomes creator Fan Yang’s 20-year-old son into the family business. We’re promised that “Bubble Super-Star” Deni Yang will elevate this already spectacular experience to new heights of bubble blowing artistry). The open-ended run plays Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm and Sun. at noon and 3pm. 75 minutes, no intermission. For tickets ($44.50 to $89.50), call 212-239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com. Visit gazil-lionbubbleshow.com.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT LISTED IN THE DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Listing requests may be sent to [email protected]. Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Information may also be mailed to 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10013. Requests must be received three weeks before the event is to be held.

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YOUTHACTIVITIES

Photo courtesy of BPC Parks

Enjoying Preschool Play in Battery Park City. See “Preschool Play.”

Photo courtesy of the NYC Police Museum

Driving a Police Car, in the Junior Offi cers Discovery Zone. See “New York City Police Museum.”


BY MARTIN DENTON (OF NYTHEATER.COM)As a history buff, I’ve always been fascinated by the way

that drama can teach us about our collective past. And I’m not talking just about history plays. “The Boys in the Band” and “Angels in America” — to pick two somewhat related examples, have much more to tell us about our country’s cul-ture and attitudes at a particular political/historical moment than, say, “Sunrise at Campobello” or “Frost/Nixon” (and they do so much more vividly, too).

So a theatre company devoted to exploring the American past to see what it has to teach us about our American pres-ent feels like a godsend to me, which is why I’ve always been such a huge fan of Metropolitan Playhouse. They’ve been around for 19 seasons now — and for the past 11, they’ve been led by artistic director Alex Roe. He describes the com-pany’s mission this way:

Guiding the company’s growth has been a clear

vision of the rich portrait that theater paints of the culture that creates it. Refl ecting society’s values, aspi-rations, and character, theater offers, as does no other art, a doubly rich perspective.…Connecting us with our past in the light of our present, America’s theater gives invaluable insight into our cultural identity.

Metropolitan presents four mainstage productions every season in their cozy theatre space on East 4th Street in Alphabet City (located on the second fl oor of the Cornelia Connelly Center, which is also home to the Connelly Theater). Over the years, they’ve scoured the American canon as no other company in New York has done, looking for work from the early 20th, 19th and even 18th century that will enlighten

and entertain 21st-century audiences — simply by letting us see what our great-great-grandparents saw when they went to the theatre.

Thanks to Roe and his colleagues at Metropolitan, New Yorkers have had a chance to sample famous old plays like “Fashion” by Anna Cora Mowatt and “The Octoroon” by Dion Boucicault; lost works that were stupendously popu-lar in their day like William Gillette’s “Secret Service” or curiosities like “Metamora” by John Augustus Stone — and more contemporary neglected pieces, as in “The Pioneer” (which was a compendium of fi ve very early plays, pre-“Beyond the Horizon” of Eugene O’Neill). So far this season they’ve brought us back to ante-bellum New York City with a rousing rendition of W.H. Smith’s temperance “The Drunkard” and to the American South of the same era with a clear-eyed look at George Aiken’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

What makes Metropolitan’s productions so valuable is that they are never edited, camped up or otherwise “fi xed.” You’ll fi nd no Alan Gribben-style rewrites of these plays, which Roe and company steadfastly present in unexpurgated form, warts and all, laying bare what’s dated or discomfi ting in these works without comment. Thus, we learn how much things have changed in American popular culture over the years — and sometimes, joltingly, how little.

Lest I’ve led you to think that Metropolitan Playhouse is a one-trick pony sort of theatre company, I hasten to add now that in addition to their mainstage productions each year, they produce several other ongoing series. They’ve been mounting at least a couple of family shows geared for chil-dren every year for quite some time now; usually these have an interactive bent that helps youngsters appreciate how immersive and engaging the theatre experience can be.

Metropolitan also sponsors two summertime festivals, both

of which tie them directly to their home community: “East Village Chronicles” is an annual program of new short plays inspired by events, people and locations in the neighborhood; and “Alphabet City Monologues” are short solo performance pieces created from interviews with local personalities, some famous, some not. These two sets of original American plays illuminate the past and present life of the vibrant and historic section of New York City that Metropolitan Playhouse is part of; they connect the community to the theatre and the audi-ence to the community in a visceral, thrilling way. They also provide opportunities for Metropolitan — a company mostly rooted in the past — to work with contemporary and emerg-ing playwrights and theatre artists and help them develop their craft. Some of the folks who have gone through “East Village Chronicles” Alphabet City Monologues include indie theater luminaries like Trav S.D., Anthony P. Pennino, Tim Cusack, Lisa Barnes and Qui Nguyen.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Metropolitan combines aspects of their summer festival initiative and their main-stage season in an annual wintertime extravaganza known as the Living Literature Festival. Now in its sixth year, this highly anticipated January event brings to audiences new works inspired by the lives, thoughts and writings of important fi gures from America’s literary past. Prior years have celebrated Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe and notable women writers from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This year, from January 17 through January 30, Metropolitan will present the “Harlem Renaissance Festival” — compris-ing seven premiere works by cutting edge artists inspired by the life and writings of the dynamic artists who defi ned the Harlem Renaissance. Among those whose work will be explored are poets Langston Hughes, Georgia Doulas Johnson, Countee Cullen, Angelina Grimke and Paul Laurence Dunbar; composers Duke Ellington and Fats Waller; journalist and activist Marcus Garvey; as well as surprising personages such as enterprising purveyor of good eats, Pig Foot Mary, and librarian Belle da Costa Greene — fi rst director of the Pierpont Morgan Library. Bringing these fi gures to life will be indie artists Danny Ashkenasi, Leah Maddrie, Daniel Carlton, David Lally, Juliane Haim, Xoregos Performing Company and students from the Newburgh Performing Arts Academy.

As in previous years, the plays will be presented in short evenings, 90 minutes or so in length. There are seven dif-ferent programs in the Harlem Renaissance Festival, each scheduled for four performances.

All of Metropolitan’s programming serves the important dual purposes of entertaining a diverse audience and bring-ing them a deep and renewed understanding of who we are. Metropolitan Playhouse is a cornerstone of the East Village community, one that we hope will endure for many years to come.

Rooted in past, Metropolitan eyes emerging talentHarlem Renaissance fest has seven to watch

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE FESTIVALSeven new works by emerging artists

January 17-30

At the Metropolitan Playhouse (in the Cornelia Connelly Center: 220 E. Fourth St. btw. Aves. A & B)

Tickets: $15-$18 per program (four shows for $50)

For reservations and a schedule,

visit metropolitanplayhouse.org.

Photo by Noam Galai

Alia Chapman and Alex Ubokudom, in a scene from “The Octoroon” (part of the Harlem Renaissance Festival)

So a theatre company devoted to exploring the American past to see what it has to teach us about our American present feels like a godsend to me, which is why I’ve always been such a huge fan of Metropolitan Playhouse.

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Knickerbocker’s bio of Moses gets the job doneChamber Orchestra counting on Downtown’s supportBY HELAINA N. HOVITZ

It’s fi nally time for Robert Moses to face the music.

This Saturday, conductor, composer and South Street Seaport resident Gary Fagin will be presenting six excerpts from his musical “Robert Moses Astride New York” at the World Financial Center Winter Garden. He was com-missioned by the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts to present 20 minutes of the larger piece — which is still a work in progress.

Fagin, along with his Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra, will perform musical num-bers highlighting three different but equally pivotal occasions in the life of the man dubbed by Robert. A. Caro as “The Power Broker.”

Selections will include “The Man Who Gets Things Done” (in which Moses directs a whirl-wind of construction projects that begin to redefi ne the city) and “Aria: My City” (where Moses describes his feelings of betrayal and infallibility). Rinde Eckert is the man who por-trays Moses — the controversial visionary who helmed many of our city’s now-iconic parks, highways and bridges.

While the piece is specifi c to New York, the story of a man with a tremendous vision is universal. But it’s no easy feat to sing his praises. Those who’ve read Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel know that Moses was a man who favored highways over public transportation, vehicles over people — and displaced hundreds of thousands of New York City residents in order to build expressways in traditional neighborhoods.

“Moses was a man of tremendous ego, will and determination. That’s the kind of character that will be portrayed,” Fagin says. “Some people disagree with what he did and how he did it, but I’ve tried to let him speak for himself, in a musical way.”

Fagin is musical director of the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra. Currently in its third sea-son of performing exclusively Downtown, they’re counting on locals to come show their support. When Fagin assembled the orchestra back in 2008, his objective was to hire the best musicians possible, and pay them “respectfully, to refl ect their worth.” This meant that each

performance, with rehearsals, would be costly. The economic downturn has affected the level of support for all non-profi ts — especially a newly established professional chamber orches-tra. But since the KCO is based and performs exclusively in Lower Manhattan, their funding is dependent almost entirely on Downtown residents and institutions.

“It’s been a real challenge fi nancially to make this work during the worst recession in eighty years,” Fagin says. “I’m hoping that having this piece of the musical out in the world will engen-der more fi nancial support to help me continue and fi nish the work.”

Fagin also hopes that the show will help bring in the New Year on a positive note. “Because it is the tenth anniversary of September 11, we want to kick off a year of commemoration with a concert that celebrates the Spirit of New York,” he says. “Instead of having a concert of commemoration and solemnity, we want to be positive and celebratory.”

The orchestra will also be performing works by Euday L. Bowman and Charles Ives, and open the fl oor to the audience for

a waltz at the end of the show. This will be the third annual concert that Fagin and his 33-piece orchestra will perform in the Winter Garden (220 Vesey St.) on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The event is free

and begins at 7pm on Saturday, January 15. For more info, call 212-945-0505 or visit artsworldfi nancialcenter.com. Also visit knickerbocker-orchestra.org.

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The man with the plan: Robert Moses eyes Lower Manhattan.

“It’s been a real challenge fi nancially to make this work during the worst recession in 80 years,” Fagin says. “I’m hoping that having this piece of the musical out in the world will engender more fi nancial support to help me continue and fi nish the work.”


Bearing silent witnessElia Suleiman plays himself, adding compassion to his plight as a Palestinian

BY STEVE ERICKSONStatelessness is a horrible condition to

live with, so one hesitates to call it a gift to an artist. Nevertheless, the alienation of being a Palestinian informs all three of Elia Suleiman’s features. I can’t imagine what his work would be like without it.

Suleiman’s fi lms bring to mind the debate among some fi lm critics in the late 1960s and early ’70s about the differences between making political fi lms and mak-ing fi lms politically. At Cahiers du Cinema magazine, some criticized the likes of Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers” and Costa-Gavras’ “Z” for trying to express rad-ical content in conventional fi lm language, praising the fi lms of Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Marie Straub for raising questions about fi lm form instead.

Suleiman’s work doesn’t just speak about Palestinians’ disconnection from the politi-cal process. They incorporate it into their structure. This alienation marks “The Time That Remains” in several ways, as well as Suleiman’s two previous features, 1996’s “Chronicle of a Disappearance” and 2002’s “Divine Intervention.” It makes its presence felt in two main forms –– no camera move-ment and no speech from Suleiman, who plays himself.

“The Time That Remains” begins with Suleiman taking a cab with a talkative

driver. The fi lm then fl ashes back to 1948, where his father Fuad (Saleh Bakri) is a metal worker whose lathe has been used to make guns for Arab militias. Living in Nazareth, he’s arrested and subjected to mock execution. Eventually, he’s freed.

The initial Arab rebellion against the founding of Israel fades away. One man shoots himself in protest, but later on, another’s threats of pouring kerosene on himself and setting himself on fi re are played for laughs. Fuad raises a family and Elia grows up, becoming a ghostly witness.

Suleiman’s entire oeuvre can be seen as an attempt to fi gure out how to fi lm the damage done to the Palestinian psyche. He’s received his share of criticism along the

way. Made with a small amount of Israeli money (among co-production funds from many other sources, including the U.S.), “Chronicle of a Disappearance” was called defeatist, largely for its fi nal scene, which showed his mother falling asleep as Israeli TV signed off for the night.

“Divine Intervention” went to the other extreme, indulging violent anti-Israeli fan-tasies. In one, Suleiman throws a peach pit out the window, where it turns into a bomb and blows up a tank. In another, a female ninja takes revenge on an Israeli army troupe in a scene seemingly inspired by “The Matrix.” I don’t think such images were intended to be taken literally, but many people did.

“The Time That Remains” is notable for its lack of anger and apparent acceptance of the Israeli occupation. After 1948 passes, the Suleiman family seems to go on living their lives, even as they suffer occasional humilia-tions from the Israeli police and army. At one point, Fuad is arrested for possessing a box of bulgur, an ingredient in tabouli the police mistake for gunpowder. He’s harassed for fi shing at night several times.

Both as a child and an adult, Suleiman engages in small acts of resistance. At school, he’s reprimanded several times for calling America a colonialist and imperialist country. Later on, he climbs over the West Bank’s separation wall. The fi lm shows a Ramallah dance club ignoring an Israeli curfew. But the kind of organized resistance shown in the fi lm’s early scenes is missing. No new intifada seems to be brewing.

Especially in its second half, “The Time That Remains” is gentler than “Divine Intervention,” closer to the whimsy of “Chronicle of a Disappearance.” Suleiman has often been compared to Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, and it’s diffi cult to imag-ine his fi lms with another actor in his place. As a screen presence, Suleiman exploits his own vulnerability and seeming fragil-ity. It’s hard to believe that the waif-like fi gure on-screen had the guts to make a fi lm like “Divine Intervention.” Suleiman also acts like a dandy; somehow, he seems to rise above the confl icts he fi lms, perhaps because he avoids talking about them.

As a director, he uses repetition bril-liantly. “Chronicle of a Disappearance,” whose fi rst half recalled Jim Jarmusch’s “Stranger Than Paradise,” showed just how much mileage he could get out of stitch-ing together images of the same forlorn Nazareth locations.

Suleiman has not had an easy time mak-ing fi lms. In the 15 years since “Chronicle of a Disappearance,” he’s only made two more features, and “The Time That Remains” has taken almost two years to get an American release.

His most ambitious fi lm, it crams autobi-ographical material into a form that brings together the past and present. It offers no clear political program or solution to the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict, except the sug-gestion that a sense of humor is always helpful. Still, it shows compassion and a gentle irony in a place where few might expect it.

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Elia Suleiman’s wordless appearance as he plays himself speaks to his alienation as a stateless man in “The Time That Remains.”

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CITY WINERY Every Sunday, the Klezmer Brunch

Series pairs top tier musicians with top tier lox and bagels (10am-2pm, with music from 11-noon and 1pm-2pm). $10 music fee. At 155 Varick St. at Vandam. Call 212-608-0555 or, for a full schedule of events, visit citywinery.com.

HOUSING WORKS: THRIFT SHOPS & BOOKSTORE CAFE

The Housing Works mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through advocacy and the provision of life-saving services. Proceeds from their Cafe and Thrift Shops pay for that mission.

THRIFT SHOP LOCATIONS: Soho (130 Crosby St. — 646-786-1200); Tribeca (119 Chambers St. btw. W. Broadway & Church — 212-732-0584); Chelsea (143 West 17th St. — 718-838-5050); West Village (245 W. 10th St. — 212-352-1618).

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is locat-ed at 126 Crosby St. For general info, call 212-966-0466 or visit housingworksbook-store.org. For the Bookstore Cafe (open M-F, 10am-9pm & Sat/Sun, 10am-5pm), call 212-334-3324.

UPCOMING BOOKSTORE EVENTS: Mon., Jan. 17, 7:30pm (free): “Walt and Emily: Between The Rooms” — Neal Huff and Birgit Huppuch read the iconic writings of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, set in imagined conversation by author, Jonathan Cott. Also on Jan. 17, MLK Day is celebrat-ed with a 30% Off Sale.

Tues., Jan. 18, 7pm (free): Catchafi re Presents “A Salon on Giving: How the Web is Advancing Service and Philanthropy.” Thurs., Jan. 20, 7pm ($8): The Moth StorySLAM! makes its 2011 debut, with the theme of “Romance.” 10 stories, 3 teams of judges, 1 winner.

Fri., Jan. 21, 7pm (free): Electric Literature Presents J. Robert Lennon, Ben Greenman and Lynne Tillman — plus short fi lms by Carson Mell fi lms…and a DJ! Thurs./Fri./Sat. (Jan. 21/22/23): All day long, a Children’s Book Sale (30% off hard-covers. Paperbacks for $1).

FDNY PHOTO EXHIBITION The FDNY is showcased through the

work of New Orleans native, and photog-rapher, Lilli M. Albin — whose exhibition “Selections from ‘On The Job’ ” features pieces focusing on the public and private space within NYC’s fi rehouses. As for the sponsoring venue: The New York City Fire Museum (the offi cial museum of the FDNY) is located in a 1904 fi rehouse which has been repurposed to house over 10,000 artifacts from NYC’s rich heri-tage of fi refi ghting. The Museum is open Tue. through Sat., 10am–5pm and Sundays 10am–4pm. Suggested admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors. “Selections” runs through Jan. 30. At the New York City Fire Museum (278

Spring St.) For info, call 212-691-1303 or visit www.nycfi remuseum.org.

MEN GO DOWN Downtown theater company The Hotel

Savant presents the world premiere of founder John Jahnke’s new work, “Men Go Down (Part 3: Black Recollections.” It is part of a trilogy that utilizes the construc-tion of a Greek drama and the sensibility of a classic fairy tale to examine the ramifi ca-tions of antique guilt on the modern con-science. Through Jan. 23, at 3LD Art and Technology Center (80 Greenwich St.) Wed. through Sun, 8pm. For tickets ($25), call 866-811-4111 or visit 3ldnyc.org. Also visit hotelsavant.com.

POETS HOUSE Their Battery Park City home has a

50,000-volume poetry library, a children’s room, a multimedia archive, a program-ming hall and a reading room. Most events are $10, $7 for students/seniors and free to Poets House members. At 10 River Terrace, at Murray St. Call 212-431-7920 or visit www.poetshouse.org.

THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE At this unique museum, a series of

contemplative exhibits and talks educate and enlighten people of all backgrounds — by giving them a glimpse of Jewish life before, during and after the Holocaust. Through Feb. 27, “Project Mah Jongg ” traces the popular game from the 1920s to the present — revealing, along the way, the history and meaning of the beloved game that became a Jewish-American tradition. At the Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Place). Hours: 10am-5:45pm Sun., Mon., Tues., Thurs. On Wed., 10am-8pm. On Fri., 10am-3pm. General Admission: $12 (seniors: 10; students: $7; members and children 12 & younger: free). Museum admission is free Wed., 4-8pm. Visit www.mjhnyc.org.

SENIOR AEROBICS AND SWIM Seniors 65 and up who live downtown

can swim free in the Downtown Community Center’s very warm, very beautiful pool (after you fi ll out a no-hassle registration form). Mondays through Fridays, noon to 1:30 pm. If swimming on your own isn’t your cup of tea, their Water Aerobics class is offered Tues. and Fri., 12:45-1:20pm. At the Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St. For more information, call 212-766-1104 or visit www.manhattanyouth.org.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT LISTED IN THE DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Listing requests may be sent to [email protected]. Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Information may also be mailed to 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013. Requests must be received three weeks before the event listing is to be published. Questions? Call 646-452-2497.

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COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER

THE SUCKADELIC ART TOY UNIVERSE

Is your solemn holiday vow to be a bet-ter person already starting to show signs of cracking? If so, this “revolting, worthless art opening from the intergalactic dirtbag SUCKLORD wants to help you on your merry way. “The SUCKADELIC Art Toy Universe” is a retrospective gallery exhibition from SUCKLORD — who, thank you very much, happens to be one of the most respect-ed and infl uential fi gures in the art toy movement. We know that mainly because the press release said so. That release goes on to promise, only half-jokingly we fear, to “waste precious Boo-Hooray gallery wall space” with “intentionally confusing, misleading, disappointing and really funny limited edition parodies of action fi gures.” Full of vinegar and piss — with just enough room left in the bag for a healthy sense of satire, rage and pop culture cannibalism — the sucky output of this self-proclaimed Lord is sure to be one of 2011’s biggest wastes of time and space (once that still-chubby Baby New Year has morphed into a frail, rail-thin bitter old man at the end of his days).

Now for some utterly useless background on this highly pointless event: Boo-Hooray is a pop-up/parasite gallery curated by (mostly) Johan Kugelberg that, once in a while, shows up in New York or Tokyo or London or Paris or Stockholm or Mayberry or Hooterville. This exhibition marks the fi rst time the entire SUCKADELIC catalogue will be exhibited in one place. For the duration of the exhibit, a SUCKADELIC SUCK-SHOPPE pop-up store will be open. Original artwork, sculptures, silk-screens and paintings will be for sale.

Closing party: Sun., Jan. 23, 3pm. Open

daily from 11am-6pm. At Boo-Hooray Gallery (521 W. 23rd St.). Not that he’ll answer, but you can email the artist at [email protected]. Lots of spare time and no friends? Fill the void by visiting boo-hooray.com/suckadelic and suckadelic.com. Meet the SUCKLORD: boo-hooray.com/suckadelic/meet-the-sucklord. Facebook: facebook.com/boohooray. Twitter: twitter.com/boo_hooray. YouTube: youtube.com/boohooray.

SOSOMUCH“Sosomuch” is a solo exhibition of new

paintings and sculptures by NYC resi-dent Carol Peligian. It continues Peligian’s “alchemical seduction” of materials which include aluminum, oil, enamel and latex. Rather than conjuring gold from lesser ele-ments, Peligian’s use of organic and manu-factured materials in service of the aforemen-tioned alchemy seeks to create for the viewer an altered state existing somewhere between atmosphere and stratosphere. Through Feb. 12. At DEAN PROJECT. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 11am-6pm. At 511 West 25th St., Room 207. For info, call 212-229-2017 or visit deanproject.com.

DEVOTIONThis new dance piece, created by

choreographer Sarah Michelson, is per-formed by the New York City Players and Michelson’s own dance corps. “Players,” by the way, is the theater company of director and playwright Richard Maxwell. “Devotion” was inspired by a story of Maxwell’s. Jan. 13-15 and 19-22, 8pm, at The Kitchen (512 W. 19th St. btw. 10th and 11th Ave.). For tickets ($15), call

212-255-5793 ext. 11. Visit thekitchen.org and nycplayers.org.

SAMURAI SWORD SOUL PRESENTS: GEKIRYU

It seems like a very long time indeed since the gleaming blades wielded by Samurai Sword Soul’s precise and intense cast graced the stage in a full-length production. When last we saw them — in the 2009 FringeNYC production “Scattered Lives” — Samurai Sword was slicing and dicing their way through an epic tale, well-served by their trademark minimalist technique (lots of blood and gore and death and mayhem, all done without the use of actual buckets of red stuff). Primal screams let loose in the heat of battle — and shiny blades that generated a furious sound even though they weren’t made of metal — gave a literal kick to the proceedings.

Now, writer, director and fi ght choreog-rapher Yoshihisa Kuwayama has cooked up what promises to be another relentless, imagi-native series of violent encounters punctuated by moments of somber refl ection. That refl ec-tion takes place 400 years ago in Japan, and comes in the form of a Samurai family baffl ed by rapidly changing times.

“Gekiryu: When the torrent takes their lives” happens Thurs.-Sat., Jan. 20-22, at 7:30pm and Sun., Jan. 23 at 3pm. At Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), 280 Broadway, 2nd fl oor (entrance on Chambers St.). Tickets are $18 in advance, $23 at the door. For reservations, call 212-625-8369 or visit dnadance.org. Also visit samuraisword-soul.com.

MEN GO DOWNDowntown theater company The Hotel

Savant presents the world premiere of founder John Jahnke’s new work, “Men Go Down (Part 3: Black Recollections”). It’s part of a trilogy that utilizes the construc-tion of a Greek drama and the sensibility of a classic fairy tale to examine the ramifi ca-tions of antique guilt on the modern con-science. Through Jan. 23, at 3LD Art and Technology Center (80 Greenwich St.) Wed. through Sun., 8pm. For tickets ($25), call 866-811-4111 or visit 3ldnyc.org. Also visit hotelsavant.com.

Just Do Art!

This horrendous photo comes courtesy of The Super Sucklord.

Rock me, Boba Fett. See “SUCKADELIC Art Toy Universe.”

Image courtesy of Dean Project

“Sosomuch” — studio view.

Photo by Rudolf Grittner

Hopelessly devoted — to you? See “Devotion.”

Photo by Nobutoshi Mizushima

There will be blood: Samurai Sword Soul’s “Gekiryu” is set to strike.


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DOWNTOWN EXPRESS 1-12-11

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