June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

28
Downtown Express photo by Tequila Minsky Many Downtown youth programs like Children’s Tumbling in Tribeca are cutting back classes. BY JOSH ROGERS Pete Gleason won the endorsement of Downtown Independent Democrats Tuesday night delivering a body blow to the reelection efforts of Councilmember Alan Gerson. D.I.D. is considered by many to be the most important political club in the Council’s First District because it cov- ers most of the area’s Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. As a practical matter, the endorsement means club volunteers will be helping Gleason collect signatures over the next few weeks to be on the ballot for the Sept. 15 Democratic primary, but perhaps more importantly, it means primary voters who have not tuned in to the race yet will see some of their most politically active friends and neighbors out stumping for Gleason, an attorney and a former police officer and firefighter. “I’m stoked,” Gleason said immedi- ately after beating Gerson at St. Anthony’s Church on Houston St. “This is tremen- dously important. It sends a clear signal that new leadership is needed.” The D.I.D. endorsement helped Gerson narrowly win the Council seat in 2001, when he was one of seven Democrats vying for the open seat. He has won the club nod each time since, including in 2003 when he handily beat Gleason in the endorsement vote and in the primary. In more recent years however, Gerson has lost the support of some Downtown political leaders who previously helped him get elected, including Sean Sweeney, Julie Nadel, Adam Silvera and Jean Grillo. Gerson also lost support in the club because many members believe he put up two of his political allies, Noel Jefferson and Avi Terkel, to run as Democratic district leaders against Grillo and Silvera. Gerson, in a phone interview, acknowledged giving “friendly advice” to both about mounting challenges, but he said each candidate made their own decision to run. The official vote tally was 62 for Gleason and 54 for Gerson, with eight votes split between their three opponents and “no endorsement.” The numbers were slightly different in the first count done by two different people, with Gleason getting 65 votes on both counts and Gerson getting 56 and 57. Bob Townley, a Gerson supporter, said he thinks Gerson is having more trouble getting reelected this time because people Gerson loses Downtown club’s endorsement vote BY JULIE SHAPIRO On the playground and in schoolyards, Lower Manhattan parents are talking about how to save money on programs for their children. “People are not doing what they normally do this year,” said Tricia Joyce, a Tribeca mother of 5-year-old twin girls. “They’re being more careful.” As parents close their pocketbooks, many children’s program providers are feeling the pinch. From nursery schools to children’s gyms, half a dozen owners who spoke to Downtown Express said they are seeing dips in enrollment. They said some laid-off parents are moving their families out of the city, while others who recently lost their jobs are watching their children themselves rather Youth programs hanging on as families tighten their belts Continued on page 3 Continued on page 14 do w nto w n n expres s s ® VOLUME 22, NUMBER 4 THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN JUNE 5 - 11, 2009 Prince Harry Prince Harry Downtown Downtown PICTURES, PAGE 5 Sam Rockwell’s space oddity, p. 24 Photo by Clint Spaulding/PatrickMcMullan.com

Transcript of June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

Page 1: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

Downtown Express photo by Tequila Minsky

Many Downtown youth programs like Children’s Tumbling in Tribeca are cutting back classes.

BY JOSH ROGERSPete Gleason won the endorsement

of Downtown Independent Democrats Tuesday night delivering a body blow to the reelection efforts of Councilmember Alan Gerson.

D.I.D. is considered by many to be the most important political club in the Council’s First District because it cov-ers most of the area’s Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. As a practical matter, the endorsement means club volunteers will be helping Gleason collect signatures over the next few weeks to be on the ballot for the Sept. 15 Democratic primary, but perhaps more importantly, it means primary voters who have not tuned in to the race yet will see some of their most politically active friends and neighbors out stumping for Gleason, an attorney and a former police offi cer and fi refi ghter.

“I’m stoked,” Gleason said immedi-ately after beating Gerson at St. Anthony’s Church on Houston St. “This is tremen-dously important. It sends a clear signal that new leadership is needed.”

The D.I.D. endorsement helped Gerson narrowly win the Council seat in 2001, when he was one of seven Democrats vying

for the open seat. He has won the club nod each time since, including in 2003 when he handily beat Gleason in the endorsement vote and in the primary.

In more recent years however, Gerson has lost the support of some Downtown political leaders who previously helped him get elected, including Sean Sweeney, Julie Nadel, Adam Silvera and Jean Grillo.

Gerson also lost support in the club because many members believe he put up two of his political allies, Noel Jefferson and Avi Terkel, to run as Democratic district leaders against Grillo and Silvera. Gerson, in a phone interview, acknowledged giving “friendly advice” to both about mounting challenges, but he said each candidate made their own decision to run.

The offi cial vote tally was 62 for Gleason and 54 for Gerson, with eight votes split between their three opponents and “no endorsement.” The numbers were slightly different in the fi rst count done by two different people, with Gleason getting 65 votes on both counts and Gerson getting 56 and 57.

Bob Townley, a Gerson supporter, said he thinks Gerson is having more trouble getting reelected this time because people

Gerson loses Downtown club’s endorsement vote

BY JULIE SHAPIRO On the playground and in schoolyards,

Lower Manhattan parents are talking about how to save money on programs for their children.

“People are not doing what they normally do this year,” said Tricia Joyce, a Tribeca mother of 5-year-old twin girls. “They’re being more careful.”

As parents close their pocketbooks, many

children’s program providers are feeling the pinch. From nursery schools to children’s gyms, half a dozen owners who spoke to Downtown Express said they are seeing dips in enrollment. They said some laid-off parents are moving their families out of the city, while others who recently lost their jobs are watching their children themselves rather

Youth programs hanging on as families tighten their belts

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 14

downtownn expresss®

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 4 THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN JUNE 5 - 11, 2009

Prince Harry Prince Harry DowntownDowntownPICTURES, PAGE 5

Sam Rockwell’s space oddity, p. 24

Photo by Clint Spaulding/PatrickMcMullan.com

Page 2: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 20092 downtown express

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SOHO’S INFAMOUSSoho fetish studio owner Don MacPherson, who’s

under indictment accused of recruiting dominatrix cli-ents for a $50 million real estate fraud scheme in the Hamptons, showed up to Tuesday night’s Downtown Independent Democrats endorsement vote. MacPherson, a club member, would not tell us whom he voted for, but he looked very happy when Pete Gleason won the club’s City Council endorsement, and he was one of the fi rst persons Gleason hugged after winning.

Before the vote results, Gleason said he thought he had MacPherson’s support and he was not concerned it could backfi re. MacPherson is innocent until proven guilty, Gleason pointed out, and he had been very critical of Suffolk County offi cials long before the indictments.

MacPherson was friendly, but he did not want to talk about his case. “Oh now, you know better than to ask me a question like that,” he told us.

NEWELL’S BACK Speaking of the First District race, onetime State

Assembly hopeful Paul Newell has thrown his support behind Pete Gleason.

Last fall, Newell tried unsuccessfully to topple Speaker Shelly Silver, and since then he’s been lying low, politi-cally speaking. But Newell told UnderCover this week that he’s volunteering as a consultant for Gleason’s cam-paign to unseat incumbent Alan Gerson.

“Lower Manhattan has been inefficiently represented for some time now,” Newell said. “Pete has the experi-ence and the energy to do a good job.”

TRIBECA TVThere’s nothing entirely autobiographical in the

Tribeca-based TV show Bonnie “Alixx” Schottland is pitching, but the characters may be familiar to anyone who hangs out with a stroller in Washington Market Park.

There’s the quintessential stay-at-home mom, who fre-quents charity board meetings and refuses to get a nanny, whose husband may or may not be having an affair. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a coke-snorting Upper East Side socialite who just moved to Tribeca.

“It’s just about being a mom and trying to keep it all together,” said Schottland, who has some experience as a mother of two, married to Matt Pomerantz, owner of Zucker’s Bagels on Chambers St.

Schottland dreamed up the show, called “Mommy in Manhattan,” with her sister Alyssa Schottland-Bauman, a writer in Vancouver. She hasn’t filmed a pilot yet but will

hold a staged reading June 17 and 18 at the Flamboyan Theatre, hoping to attract a network or even a Broadway producer.

The cast for the staged reading includes Donnetta Grays from “The Wrestler” and Josh Burrow, who played one of Carrie’s one-night stands, Chad, on a “Sex and the City” episode. Recording artist Marc Ribler will perform, and Isaac Byrne is directing. The reading will feature local footage, including pickup time at P.S. 234 and last month’s Taste of Tribeca. Reservations for the reading are required (604-290-1231, 215-353-3780).

WALL ST. TAKEOVERThe Municipal Art Society is taking over Wall Street Rising,

the nonprofi t that Julie Menin founded after 9/11 to help Downtown’s recovery.

The Wall Street Rising name will live on under M.A.S., and Menin will retain some infl uence over the organization since she was appointed to the board of M.A.S. last year.

“We’re absolutely delighted about it,” Menin said of the merger. “We can have greater infl uence if we partner with a larger organization, and the Municipal Art Society has tremen-dous resources.”

Wall Street Rising’s resources aren’t too shabby either, with $1 million left in the bank.

Vin Cipolla, president of M.A.S., promised the money would stay in Lower Manhattan. He wants to combine Wall Street Rising’s knowledge of the neighborhood with the Municipal Art Society’s focus on planning. One idea is to hold a summit on Downtown’s future, which Menin said would be a great idea given the rapid population growth.

Another potential project is to update the Civic Center guide that jurors use to navigate the neighborhood. Menin hopes to create a podcast of famous New Yorkers giving a tour of the Civic Center that jurors can listen to on their lunch break.

Wall Street Rising’s two staff members will keep their jobs running the Downtown Information Center, which will stay open on the fourth fl oor of 55 Exchange Pl. The information center once had ground-fl oor space when Wall Street Rising was more active, but the nonprofi t has held few events recently.

Talks on the merger and the $1 million booty started just after Menin joined the prestigious M.A.S. board last year. Menin said M.A.S. approached her about the board, and she did not think about a merger until after she became a director and learned more about the society. Menin stopped directing Wall Street Rising in 2005 when she was elected chairperson of Community Board 1, but she remained involved and on the W.S.R. board.

SILVER AUDITORIUM The community is unlikely to forget that Assembly

Speaker Shelly Silver secured space for a new school in the rapidly rising Beekman Tower, but just in case, Community Board 1 wants to name the school’s auditorium after Silver.

“If it wasn’t for Shelly Silver, we wouldn’t have the build-ing,” said Paul Hovitz, a C.B. 1 member. “And we can’t name the school after him because he’s still alive.” Also, the K-8 has already been christened Spruce Street School by new principal Nancy Harris.

Since naming the whole school for Silver was out, Hovitz was then left deciding between the gym and the auditorium. The gym was tempting because Silver is known for his basketball skills, but Hovitz ultimately settled on the auditorium because it’s “more prestigious and more frequented,” he said.

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Mixed Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-22

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-27

Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-27

CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27

C.B. 1MEETINGSThe upcoming week’s schedule of 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.

ON THURS., JUNE 4: The Planning and Community Infrastructure Committee will meet.

ON MON., JUNE 8: The W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee will meet at 250 Broadway – Assembly Hearing Room, 19th Floor.

ON TUES., JUNE 9: The Seaport/Civic Center Committee will meet.

ON WED., JUNE 10: The Tribeca Committee will meet.

ON THURS., JUNE 11: The Landmarks Committee will meet.

Read the Archiveswww.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.com

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had been expecting to get a new councilmember due to term limits. Citing the dire economy, Gerson voted last year to extend limits for the Council, the mayor and other offi cials even though he had previously said at various times over the years that he would not support overturning voter referenda on the matter without a new referendum.

Townley, who runs Manhattan Youth, also thinks Gerson is more vulnerable because there are a lot of new residents who have moved Downtown in the last few years and don’t know Gerson well.

“There is a spirit of change,” Townley said as the club ballots were being counted. “Alan has to work hard — there’s a lot of new people in the community.”

Townley said Gerson should be reelected because of his experience helping Downtown, both in the Council and leading Community Board 2 before that. “I think Alan deserves four more years because of his original commitment of the last 20 years.”

Nadel said she continues to like Gerson personally, but he’s “totally disorganized,” echoing a common criticism of him. “People deserve better. I would try anybody else.”

She said she feels Gleason is the strongest opponent right now, but she said she ultimately could end up supporting a dif-ferent Gerson opponent as she learns more about them.

Margaret Chin, a former executive with Asian Americans for Equality, PJ Kim, a former Community Board 1 member who has administered anti-poverty programs, and Arthur Gregory, a bar owner and former C.B. 1 member, are also run-ning for the seat. Chin and Kim lead the fundraising race so far, respectively with $108,000 and $71,000, followed by Gerson

($26,000) and Gleason ($23,000). Gregory has not yet fi led fundraising fi gures.

Money is not expected to be an issue because the city’s gen-erous matching fund law make it relatively easy to raise enough money to run a credible campaign.

The opponents point to their individual experience as being right to lead the Council, and criticize Gerson for not effectively using the bully pulpit to get more for a district that includes the

World Trade Center site.Townley and other Gerson supporters say he was a steady

force after 9/11, and continues to fi ght hard throughout the district, which includes Battery Park City, the Financial District, the Seaport, Tribeca, Chinatown, Soho as well as parts of the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village.

Gleason beats Gerson for club endorsementContinued from page 1

Pete Gleason hugged a supporter after winning the Downtown Indpendent Democrats’ endorsement Tuesday. At left, Gleason consults with Julie Nadel as the votes were being counted.

Continued on page 6

BY JOSH ROGERSPJ Kim showed up for an interview last

week with a big knapsack on his back looking like he’d fi t in better on a grad school campus than at a City Council candidate forum. He said he didn’t expect to get any political club endorsements, and this sounded less like false modesty than a realistic self-assessment by a young, relatively unknown candidate.

But that evening, he earned the endorse-ment of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in the First District City Council Democratic primary. Alan Roskoff, the leader of the gay club, said Kim had no support at the beginning of the meeting but won the group over with his intelligence.

“I don’t think anyone in the room had ever spoken to him before,” Roskoff said.

Still Jim Owles is smaller than other gay clubs and may not be that infl uential in the district. Kim, who looks younger than his 30 years, said last week that as a political new-comer and the last entrant into the race, the clubs will not be helpful.

“I’m not counting on the traditional levers of political power to get me where I need to be,” he said in an interview.

He has got off to a fast fundraising start, leapfrogging all but one of his opponents with over $70,000. Kim said he has reached out to friends and colleagues around the country for donations, but he hopes to raise more money in the district as the campaign proceeds.

Kim has two masters degrees from Harvard (in business and public administration) and an undergraduate degree from Princeton, and

friends and foes alike routinely cite his intel-ligence as his greatest strength.

Before Harvard, he was a business analyst at the McKinsey & Company consulting fi rm from 2001 to 2003. After grad school, he was the director of FoodChange’s tax sup-port program from 2006 to 2007, providing the poor with free tax services, allowing them to collect Earned Income Tax Credits. Most recently, he has worked for Single Stop USA, overseeing anti-poverty programs in California, New Mexico and New Jersey.

He said a councilmember has to go beyond the powers of the offi ce to work with businesses, non-profi ts and others to look for solutions in the neighborhoods — something he doesn’t think Councilmember Alan Gerson has done well.

“There’s a need for new energy, new ideas and a new approach to problem solving,” he said “There’s some candidates in this race that have been running for a really long time, and Alan has served honorably but he’s been a professional politician for many years.”

Kim, was appointed to Community Board 1 in 2007, when he was working in Lower Manhattan. He did not move into the Financial District until a year ago. By his own admission, he did not speak up much his fi rst year on the board and he did not attend many meetings his second year, which is why he was not reappointed in 2009.

He said in his fi rst year, he wanted to learn about how the board worked before insert-ing himself into the debate. Then he got the job with Single Stop, which made it hard to

attend most meetings because he was travel-ing around the country.

He said if elected, “I’ll work 24-7,” because “it’ll be the only thing on my plate.” He said he has always given full effort to every job he has had, but it was hard to ful-fi ll the time commitments of the volunteer board position when he had to travel.

He has not decided whom he will vote for mayor in November, but Kim could be the only candidate who could support Mayor Bloomberg.

“I think he’s done a good job,” Kim said. “I think a couple of things process-wise he could have handled better.”

He praised Bloomberg for trying new anti-poverty programs and other innovations. But he said the mayor should have planned sooner for the school crowding crunch in

Lower Manhattan, should have put the term limit extension to a voter referendum, and his Dept. of Transportation has not had good relations with the Downtown community on issues such as the Grand St. bike lane.

The First District does have poor resi-dents, particularly in Chinatown and the Lower East Side, but it also has some of the city’s wealthiest in neighborhoods like Battery Park City and Tribeca.

He said he will fi ght for the bread and but-ter issues in richer neighborhoods like parks, schools and quality of life, but he thinks people in all neighborhoods, inspired by Obama’s win, are looking to help those most in need.

“There’s also a different sensibility of not only caring just about their narrow self interest, but I think they also have a larger vision of social justice in a way that didn’t exist before,” he said.

Kim was born in South Korea and came to the U.S. at age 6, with his parents. He lived in Baton Rouge, La. and then Memphis while his parents attended grad schools.

His given name is Jin. In Korea, older kids gave him the nickname “PJ,” and he adopted it as his name when he came to this country because it was easier for people to pronounce. He is leaning toward using the name Jin “PJ” Kim for the ballot, but said at this point in his career, he won’t be hurt by whatever he chooses.

“I’m not that well known,” he said. “Either way it doesn’t matter.”

[email protected]

Newcomer to the Council race says fresh approach is needed

PJ Kim

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June 5 - 11, 20094 downtown express

Arrest in fatal crashThe driver of a 2005 Audi, Brandon

Connelly, 32, of Valley Stream, crashed into the rear of a 2001 Chevrolet driven by Jamil Aljabal, 42 of Hencerson, N.C. at about 4:41 a.m. Sat., May 30, on the southbound F.D.R. Dr. near Catherine Slip, police said. The Chevrolet plowed into the concrete median and Connelly’s car struck a third car, police said. An Emergency Medical Service team declared Aljabal, who was driving the Chevrolet without a license, dead at the scene. Four passengers in the Chevrolet were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Robert Bradley, 38, the driver of the third car, was also taken to Bellevue in stable condition after his Dodge mini-van was hit. Police charged Connelly with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.

Tribeca slashingPolice arrested Abiah Hostvedt, 17, on

Wed., May 27, and charged him with slash-ing a man in the shoulder around 10:40 p.m. on the sidewalk of Hudson and Jay Sts. The suspect, a Franklin St. resident, and the victim, 29, had been involved in a argument earlier. Hostvedt was released on parole pending a Sept. 3 court appearance on charges of second degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon, accord-ing to the Manhattan D.A.

Firefi ghters stop thiefA New Jersey man, 20, was walking

on Varick St. at Vandam around 6 p.m. Thurs., May 28 when a stranger punched him in the mouth, grabbed his cell phone and ran, police said. The victim gave chase and his yell for help alerted fire-fighters at the station on Houston St. and Sixth Ave. who apprehended the suspect and held him for police. Allam Lawrence, 18, of Irvington, N.J., was charged with robbery and was being held in lieu of bail

pending an Aug. 26 court date.

Hudson Sq. burglaryA burglar who entered the Hampton

Inn Hotel, 52 Watts St. near Sixth Ave. at 11:30 p.m. Tues., May 26 managed to make his way into two rooms and steal a digital camera, iPod and cell phone, police said. The hotel concierge became suspicious when he saw the suspect walking out of the lobby and chased the burglar, but failed to catch him, police said.

Driver hits offi cerA driver who was pulled over at Watts

and Thompson Sts. for a traffi c violation at 7 p.m. Mon., June 1 sped off while the traf-fi c agent was writing a summons, according to police. The side view mirror struck and injured the agent’s hand. The driver has not been apprehended.

Peacemaker assaultedTwo men walked into a Chinatown

store on Henry St. near Catherine St. at 9:40 p.m. Fri., May 29, greeted the owner, then hit him over the head with a chair and fl ed police said. The victim told police that he had broken up a fi ght the day before between the two suspects and a third man.

Mugged on MottTwo suspects ambushed and robbed a

man, 77, as he was walking up to his third fl oor apartment on Mott St. near Grand around 7:45 p.m. Sun. May 31, police said. The suspects waylaid the victim on the stairs between the second and third fl oors; one suspect put a hand over the victim’s mouth while the other went through his pockets and took $250 in cash, police said.

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Page 5: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 5

Downtown’s wild about HarryPrince Harry’s visit to New York City last week was a

whirlwind of dignifi ed tourism that took him all around Downtown, from the World Trade Center site and the British Memorial Garden to a polo match on Governors Island.

It was the prince’s fi rst trip to New York, and he asked about some of the same issues that preoccupy the city’s residents.

While touring the World Trade Center site on Friday, Harry, 24, turned to his guides from the Port Authority and said, “Big question — when is this supposed to be fi n-ished?”

Then, after planting an Elizabeth magnolia tree in the British Memorial Garden, dedicated to the 67 British victims of 9/11, Harry asked several onlookers if they used the park. He seemed concerned that the park was maintained, saying, “As long as they take care of it.”

The issue of the park’s maintenance has upset some residents of Hanover Square, but the garden appeared to be spruced up for the prince’s visit.

Across Lower Manhattan, tourists and locals on their lunch breaks greeted Harry with smiles and cheers. As the prince left the memorial garden, several women called out, “We just love you!”

The largely somber two-day trip, paid for by Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s grandmother, seemed designed to counter-act the tabloid image of Harry the partier, who once donned a Nazi costume. In addition to meeting with family members of 9/11 victims, Harry also visited the Veterans Affairs Hospital on E. 23rd St. and the Harlem Children’s Zone, which offers educational and social services programs.

The only real opportunity for fun came Saturday after-noon, when the prince participated in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governors Island’s opening day. The star-studded event pitted Prince Harry against Argentine polo champ Nacho Figueras, and the prince’s victory was accompanied by popping bottles of champagne.

Pool photo by the Associated Press

Prince Harry played laid a wreath at the World Trade Center, visited with fi refi ghters across the street and played polo on Governors Island last week.

Photo by Clint Spaulding/PatrickMcMullan.com Pool photo by the Associated Press

Page 6: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 20096 downtown express

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Gerson, who insists he is stronger politi-cally than he ever was, said the endorsement loss was “disappointing,” but he said there were several contributing factors that lessened its signifi cance. He said Gleason “stacked” the club, although Gerson acknowledged it was not a violation to get new members to join the club six months in advance before the vote as Gleason did.

“This club does not represent the district,” Gerson said. adding he had won most of the other club endorsements.

Gerson said there were potential voting irregularities since his side was denied access to the D.I.D. membership list before the vote, a charge echoed by a few other Gerson supporters.

Sweeney, the club’s president, said under the bylaws, members can view the list with advanced notice, but the Gerson camp did not make such a request before the vote.

The Gleason people had their own criti-cism for Gerson, namely that he distributed his own publicly-funded Council newsletter at a political event in which he was vying for an endorsement.

Gerson said he did not print any extra newsletters for the event and it was not passed out to all club members as campaign literature, but merely made available to some

who were there. He said he takes “whatever newsletters I have to wherever I go. It was not widely distributed [at the meeting.]”

Gleason was surprised by the explana-tion. “He’s an attorney,” he said. “For him to use public money for political purposes is against the law — and that’s exactly what he did. Case closed.”

At least 130 people attended the meet-ing, making it the largest one in the club’s 37-year-old history, according to D.I.D. founder Jim Stratton. It was fi lled with tense moments and there were also unconfi rmed charges and countercharges of near or slight physical confrontations.

In citywide races, the club endorsed Bill Thompson for mayor; David Yassky for comptroller after he beat John Liu in a run-off; Bill de Blasio for public advocate after he beat Norman Siegel in a runoff; and Richard Aborn for district attorney.

In the Third City Council District where D.I.D. has less infl uence because it goes as far north as Clinton, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn lost the endorsement to Yetta Kurland in a runoff. In Democratic district leader races, Silvera and Grillo won the endorsement. District leader David Reck, a Gerson supporter who has battled Sweeney and other members, got the club nod with 58 votes, but 41 members preferred “no endorsement” to Reck.

[email protected]

D.I.D. voteContinued from page 3

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Councilmember Alan Gerson, right, received words of encouragement from supporters, including from Council Speaker Christine Quinn, left, after he lost the D.I.D. endorsement Tuesday night. Quinn went on to to lose the club’s endorsement later in the evening.

Page 7: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 7

Candidate’s bar faces eviction City Council hopeful Arthur Gregory

has more on his mind lately than the rap-idly intensifying race: Now he has to worry about his Financial District pub, B4, getting evicted because he hasn’t paid the bills.

Gregory said the trouble started when scaf-folding went up around his entrance at 50 New St. last fall, hiding his bar from view. Around the same time, crashing fi nancial fi rms depleted his Wall St. crowd. Gregory’s business dropped by half over the past year, he said.

Gregory and his partners had trouble paying his rent and utilities, and it was even harder to pay the $1,500 a month he owed for past unpaid bills, he said.

As a result, Cushman & Wakefi eld and attorney Adam Pollack, representing Gregory’s landlord, served him with an eviction notice last month, Gregory said. Gregory responded by taking them to New York County Supreme Court, hoping for a

rent abatement on account of the economy and the scaffolding. The judge has not made a decision but in the meantime, Gregory can stay open, he said.

Cushman & Wakefi eld does not com-ment on litigation, a spokesperson said, and Pollack did not return calls for comment.

Gregory previously went to court in 2005 over a rent dispute related to the A&M Roadhouse on Murray St., which he then owned.

Gregory has spent much of his campaign for City Councilmember Alan Gerson’s seat this spring advocating for other small busi-nesses struggling under the recession, but this dispute gave his rhetoric a personal fl avor.

“I’ve been fi ghting for everyone else’s businesses, and now I’m fi ghting for mine,” Gregory said.

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Page 9: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 9

BY ALBERT AMATEAULandmarks Preservation Commission

Chairperson Robert Tierney told the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce that he sees the Village as “the epicenter of historic preservation.”

At the chamber’s monthly lunch meet-ing last month, Tierney spoke about the most recent Village issues before the commission, although he said he had to be “somewhat circumspect” about the St. Vincent’s Hospital redevelopment because it was still pending.

The hospital project proposed for the Greenwich Village Historic District has been on the L.P.C. agenda for the past 16 months, and like all issues before the com-mission, requires careful consideration, Tierney said.

The Village historic district, the first in the city — established in April 1969, four years after the L.P.C. was created — has 2,500 buildings, and demolition or altera-tion of any of them must be approved by the commission. Tierney noted that the commission had confirmed on May 12 the demolition of the St. Vincent’s O’Toole building to make way for the new hos-pital. L.P.C. is now considering whether the residential conversion of the present hospital site is appropriate.

“We cannot freeze the built environ-ment, but it has to change in an appro-priate way,” said Tierney. He noted that L.P.C. recently gave final approval to the changes involved in the redesign of Washington Square Park. And he pointed with pride to the designation last year of the West Chelsea Historic District with 24 industrial buildings between 25th and

28th Sts. between 10th and 12th Aves.Tony Juliano, the chamber’s new presi-

dent, urged Tierney to protect the 19th-century buildings between 333 and 359 W. 29th Sts., known in the 1800s as Lamartine Place, by putting them on the designation hearing calendar. The row of houses were way stations on the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad and are threatened with demolition, Juliano said.

At a meeting of business leaders and property owners, the issue of the burden of landmarks designation was bound to arise. Rocio Sanz, who runs Tio Pepe restaurant on W. Fourth St. with her hus-band, Jimmy, and owns several buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District, said the cost of repairing a historic-district building is four times that for ordinary buildings. She also said it took her a year and a half to get L.P.C. approval for replacing windows. The proposal to extend the Village historic district into the South Village would put more pressure on landlords, she added.

Tierney said the length of time for the windows approval was unusual and that he would look into it. He added that L.P.C. staff tries to find ways for landlords to make appropriate changes as low cost as possible, but the commission cannot give financial assistance or loans to repair landmark properties. But Tierney said he believes there should be more tax benefits at the city and state levels for repairing designated historic buildings. He noted that the nonprofit Landmarks Conservancy has loan programs for landlords.

[email protected]

Landmarks chief tells Chamber,‘Can’t freeze built environment’

Residents pleased with Amuse bar’s withdrawl

A new bar that hoped to open in Tribeca where the Grace Bar and Restaurant used to be is withdrawing its application after facing strong community opposition.

Anthony Daddabbo hoped to open a venue called Amuse at 114 Franklin St., but neigh-bors worried that it would bring too much noise to the neighborhood. The residents, backed by Community Board 1, requested that Daddabbo close at 1 a.m. on weeknights, but Daddabbo refused, saying 2 a.m. was the earliest he would consider closing.

In an advisory vote, the community board rejected the application. Warren Pesetsky, who is representing Daddabbo, said he did not want to move forward without the com-

munity board’s support for the 2 a.m. closing time, even though the State Liquor Authority would have made the fi nal decision.

Daddabbo did not return a call for com-ment.

Marc Tauss, who lives above the venue, was glad that Daddabbo appeared to be backing off. He and other residents recalled the noise from Grace that used to keep them up at night until last summer, when Grace closed.

“We would welcome a place that would fi t in,” Tauss said. A lounge on the quiet block “didn’t make sense,” he said.

— Julie Shapiro

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Page 10: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200910 downtown express

Don’t be subtle, make a statement, city tells Cosmo architectsBY JULIE SHAPIRO

Using the words “bland” and “generic,” city commissioners sharply criticized a pro-posal to enlarge the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca this week.

The design for an addition adjacent to the historic hotel will need major changes before the city Landmarks Preservation Commission will approve it, the commissioners said Tuesday during a public hearing.

Architect Matthew Gottsegen defended his six-story brick design for the addition, calling it “subtle,” but the commissioners replied that subtlety wasn’t necessarily a good thing for a new building in the Tribeca South Historic District.

“It is very subtle,” agreed Pablo E. Vengoechea, vice chairperson of the L.P.C. “Perhaps it is too subtle in its relationship to the existing details of the district.”

“Design subtlety works when the detail-ing is spectacular and when the materials are spectacular,” added commissioner Margery Perlmutter. “I don’t know that that is the case here.”

The six-story addition would expand the 165-year-old Cosmopolitan Hotel building onto the adjacent site at the corner of Reade St. and W. Broadway. The addition would replace the two-story stucco building on that corner that now houses Mary Ann’s Mexican restaurant.

Gerald Barad, one of the Cosmopolitan’s owners, said the Mary Ann’s lease is up this month, and the restaurant would not have remained in the space long-term, even if the hotel wasn’t looking to expand. Mary Ann’s will now go to a month-to-month lease, Barad said. The restaurant’s owners have not responded to requests for comment.

The L.P.C. did not object to demolishing the Mary Ann’s building because it has under-gone so many changes that little historic fabric remains. Commissioner Frederick Bland went as far as to say it was “laudable” to tear down

the squat stucco building and replace it. Still, all the commissioners objected to at

least some aspects of the design for the new building.

After the meeting, Frederick Becker, a lawyer representing the hotel’s owners, said the team would redesign the building based on the commissioners’ comments. There is no timeline for when the team will return to the L.P.C.

The Cosmopolitan is among the oldest no-frills hotels in the city. It was fi rst known as the Girard House when it opened in 1853, then as the Cosmopolitan and later as the Bond Hotel. The hotel is falsely believed by some to have housed Abraham Lincoln the night he gave his famed 1860 Cooper Union speech, but Lincoln in fact stayed at the Astor House further Downtown at Broadway and Vesey Sts., according to the L.P.C.

After undergoing major renovations in the 1980s, the hotel is now most popular among budget travelers looking for a bargain and willing to settle for small rooms with few amenities.

The rooms in the adjacent addition will not be much bigger or pricier than the rooms in the existing hotel, said Barad, who owns the Cosmopolitan with Jay Wartski. The hotel does appear to be looking for an upgrade, though, as plans include a new roof deck for guests.

Despite the economic downturn, Barad said he had full fi nancing in place to build the project, which also includes a new entrance to the existing hotel on W. Broadway.

But the project cannot move forward without the blessing of the L.P.C., and on Tuesday it looked like Barad and Wartski still have a ways to go on that front.

Several Landmarks commissioners acknowledged the challenge Gottsegen, the architect, faces in designing the addi-tion on a highly visible corner facing the Bogardus Triangle garden. The new build-ing must relate to both the well-preserved historic structures on Reade St. and to the Cosmopolitan, the commissioners said.

One of the commissioners’ chief concerns

was the all-glass storefront of the new build-ing, which contrasts strongly with the solid brick on the stories above. Commissioner Stephen Byrns struggled for words as he tried to express that the transparent store-front left the building looking unsupported.

“What’s the opposite of decapitated?” he asked.

“De-footed,” another commissioner replied, and Byrns agreed.

Several commissioners suggested rais-ing the storefront to match the storefront heights of the historic buildings on Reade St. The shorter storefront on the new building leaves it looking “squished,” commissioner Perlmutter said.

The commissioners also criticized the top fl oor of the building, which features alternating bands of windows and painted aluminum. The top fl oor is supposed to be a nod to the attics in the neighborhood’s older buildings, but com-missioners said it looked more like a modern, non-contextual rooftop addition.

Commissioner Joan Gerner suggested dis-pensing with the attic idea altogether and just extending the red-orange brick facade up anoth-er fl oor, and several commissioners agreed.

The commissioners also encouraged the architect to design a more pronounced corner for the building, drawing on historic prec-edents. Additionally, they disliked the hotel’s new W. Broadway entrance, which they said was too modern.

The commissioners questioned the archi-tect’s choice of materials, particularly the painted aluminum that will wrap the top fl oor of the addition, which may not weather well. Several times, commissioners noted that it looked like the owners were trying to save money, and the commissioners worried that the results would be noticeable.

The commissioners’ comments on Tuesday echoed some of the concerns expressed by Community Board 1, City Councilmember Alan Gerson and the Historic Districts Council, who all urged the L.P.C. to reject the application.

[email protected]

Landmarks commissioners said this design to expand the Cosmopolitan Hotel is not bold enough.

‘Design subtlety works when the detailing is spectacular and when the materials are spectacular,’ says one Landmarks commissioner. ‘I don’t know that that is the case here.’

A Strong VoiceThe Downtown Express DifferenceCELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF PUBLISHING

THE NEWS OF DOWNTOWN.

We believe that a good community newspaper does make a difference.

Page 11: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 11

2009 River to River Festival

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Stepping Off “The Corner”

tribiute to Miles Davis Rockefeller Park, 7pm

Thursday, July 9

The Alexis P. Suter Band Wagner Park, 7pm

Sunday, September 13

Harmony on the Hudson

Tom Chapin & Friends and more… Wagner Park, 1 - 6pm

Thursday, July 16

The Junior Mack Band Wagner Park, 7pm

Wednesday, July 22

Frankie Negrón Wagner Park, 7pm

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Hazmat Modine Band Wagner Park, 7pm

Wednesday, July 29

Qímbombó Wagner Park, 7pm

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Jay Collins and the

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Page 12: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200912 downtown express

Drinks for Lady LibertyThe island that offered the fi rst glimpse

of America to millions of immigrants now hopes to offer something else: alcohol.

Evelyn Hill, Inc., which has been running concessions on Liberty Island for 78 years and recently took over concessions on Ellis Island, is seeking a liquor license for private events on Ellis and Liberty Islands, said Darren Boch, spokesperson for the National Park Service.

The license will only allow Evelyn Hill to serve alcohol at events like weddings and corporate parties when the islands are closed

to the public. Visitors to the island during the day will not be allowed to imbibe.

The National Park Service receives a fee for the after-hours events, but the money just covers the cost of security for keeping the island open, Boch said.

The license application will go before Community Board 1’s Waterfront Committee, whose vote is advisory, on June 15. The State Liquor Authority will make the fi nal decision.

— Julie Shapiro

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Speaker Sheldon Silver Tackles Downtown’s School Overcrowding Crisis

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In its one year of existence, my School Overcrowding Task Force

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The city is launching a series of podcasts showcasing New York sites made famous by TV and movies, and the fi rst two down-loadable walking tours focus on Lower Manhattan.

Narrated by actors Julianna Margulies and Matthew Modine, the two hour-long tours take listeners through Tribeca, the Civic Center and the Financial District. In Tribeca, cinephiles will recognize the Ladder 8 fi rehouse on N. Moore St. from “Ghostbusters” (the insignia is still on the fi rehouse’s wall) and the Odeon from “Bright Lights, Big City.”

Closer to City Hall, the New York County Courthouse will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched “Law & Order,” and fans of “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “The Verdict”

may recognize Tweed Courthouse as the location of those movies’ court battles.

The second podcast picks up at City Hall itself, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made several cameos on “Law & Order” and “30 Rock.” Just to the south, Eve Mendes and Will Smith shared a romantic moment in City Hall Park for the movie “Hitch.”

After winding down Broadway past Trinity Church (featured in 1974’s “The Great Gatsby”) and the U.S. Customs House (featured in “Working Girl), the second tour ends at the Battery Park promenade, which has a view of New York Harbor that many fi lms have captured, including “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Men in Black.”

To download the free podcasts, go to nyc.gov/fi lm.

Downtown the movie star

Page 13: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 13

BY PATRICK HEDLUND

THE DE NIRO TREATMENTThe Fairchild, a North Tribeca condo

building, has partnered with Robert De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel to give residents access to the luxury lodge’s decadent ame-nity offerings.

Under the agreement, Fairchild home-owners will now have access to the hotel’s thousand-square-foot fitness center and Japanese spa featuring a pool, lounge and four full-service treatment rooms.

The “Shibui Spa” also contains a shi-atsu room, bathing room with a large tub for “Japanese bathing rituals,” a wet room with a shower for wraps and scrubs, and a treatment room for massages, manicures, pedicures and facial treatments.

“The luxury and elegance of Tribeca’s Greenwich Hotel is the perfect comple-ment to the Fairchild’s classic New York style,” said Raphael De Niro, manag-ing director of The De Niro Group, the Fairchild’s exclusive sales agent (and Robert’s son). “The privacy and comfort offered at these prestigious addresses create an incomparable lifestyle for resi-dents.”

We didn’t know that “classic New York style” included facials and foot rubs, but there’s a reason Tribeca remains the most expensive neighborhood in the galaxy.

The Fairchild contains 21 simplex, duplex and triplex units ranging from $1.965 million to $8.995 million — De Niro fruit basket not included.

A.I.G. BAILING OUTTroubled insurance giant A.I.G. has

agreed to sell its Lower Manhattan head-quarters to an unknown buyer after getting bailed out by the federal government.

The company has struck a deal to sell its main offi ce at 70 Pine St. and the adjacent building at 72 Wall St. after recently dealing properties in New Jersey and Japan, accord-ing to Bloomberg News. The price and the buyer were not disclosed.

The two buildings, which are connected by a skywalk, have a total of 1.05 million square feet that could reportedly be convert-ed into offi ces, apartments or hotel rooms.

Last week, the New York Observer report-ed that an “offshore buyer” was expected to take the two properties, hinting that both a Korean and Chinese fi rm were working with A.I.G. to come to terms. The taking price is reportedly in the area of about $100 a square foot, on average less than half of what the buildings would have commanded in 2007. Just two years ago, 60 Wall St. sold for approximately $730 per square foot.

A.I.G. will occupy the 66-story 70 Pine St. until the end of 2010, Bloomberg report-ed, before moving employees to its offi ces at 180 Maiden Lane.

CITY MOVES ON EYESOREThe city has begun the process of fi ling a

lawsuit against the owners of a South Village property that has been wilting for years on an otherwise idyllic stretch of MacDougal St.

The vacant three-story building, at 43 MacDougal St. at the corner of King St. in the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District, has remained an eyesore for decades with increasing problems related to vermin, mold and squatters on the premises.

Earlier this year, the 1846 property had its window broken and excrement smeared across the building before the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development stepped in to make the necessary repairs at the urging of the Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation.

The society followed up with an inquiry to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which began fi ning the owners $5,000 per month for failure to voluntarily make the repairs. The owners, described as an elderly couple, have amassed a total of $15,000 in fi nes since February for failing to appear before the Environmental Control Board to address the situation, with another $5,000 penalty expected to follow.

“At this time, due to the absence of any apparent effort by the owner to make repairs, the owner’s complete non-responsiveness to multiple L.P.C. violations and large fi nes, the L.P.C. has begun the process of initiating a demolition-by-neglect lawsuit against the own-ers,” stated the commission’s deputy counsel, John Weiss, in a letter to G.V.S.H.P. The letter notes, however, that this type of lawsuit entails a lengthy process, including visits to the site, evaluation of existing conditions and the draft-ing of multiple legal documents.

“That’s really the strongest civil legal tool that they have at their disposal to get an unwilling owner to restore a landmark prop-erty,” Andrew Berman, the society’s executive director, said about the commission’s action. “Demolition-by-neglect cases have certainly had some pretty powerful results in the past.”

By levying substantial fi nes, the lawsuit’s goal is to either force the owners to make the appropriate repairs or sell the property. Berman said the owners have thus far not been receptive to selling, though the loca-tion would command top dollar. He added the owners have continued to pay real estate taxes despite disregarding legal obligations, creating some question over their apparent competence in adhering to city laws.

Nearby residents have been particularly active in the process, Berman added, since the building’s deteriorating conditions have affected them the most.

“Nobody wants this more than the poor people who live on that block,” he said. “They have had to deal with the vermin and smell.”

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Page 14: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200914 downtown express

than paying for childcare and classes. Parents who still work full-time, like Joyce, have little

choice but to spend some money on childcare over the summer. Joyce looked for affordable options and ultimately settled on a month at Manhattan Youth’s Downtown Day Camp, which at $2,195 a child is not much more expensive than a full-time babysitter, Joyce said.

While Manhattan Youth offers one of the least expensive deals Downtown, executive director Bob Townley said his enroll-ment is still down about 10 percent compared to last summer. At the same time, requests for fi nancial aid are up 20 percent.

“People who signed up have lost their jobs,” Townley said. This summer, Townley is launching a weeklong Upstate

camp for $900 a child, but he expects half the children to receive scholarships. He is using a sliding scale that gives 50 percent off to families making less than $100,000 a year, and 25 percent off to families making less than $150,000.

“People tell me what they can afford,” Townley said. But not every children’s program can be so fl exible, and

some of those that cannot are suffering even sharper drop-offs in enrollment.

“This is even worse than last summer,” said Denise Cordivano, director of Battery Park City Day Nursery. “It’s awful.”

Cordivano will have to close one classroom this summer because not enough children signed up for the programs, which range from $675 to $1,850 a month, depending on the age of the child and the number of hours they attend.

Cordivano also still has openings for her fall classes, while in previous years she would have been taking names for waitlists by the beginning of June.

“It’s a strange time right now,” Cordivano said. “We should be growing, we should have waitlists, but we don’t.”

One upside for Cordivano is that more parents are picking full-time programs rather than part-time. She thinks they are trying to limit their expenses by cutting nannies and once-a-week specialty classes, and full-time programs offer a better value.

As Cordivano predicted, those specialty programs are seeing their enrollments fall. MiniMasters, an early childhood arts cen-ter in Tribeca, closed at the beginning of May because children stopped signing up. And Tribeca Hebrew, a 5-year-old Jewish educational community, just closed this month.

“It’s just the perfect storm,” said Karie Parker Davidson, one of Tribeca Hebrew’s founders.

The after-school program needed to reach 120 students, but fewer than 100 signed up. At the same time, scholarship requests rose and donations dropped.

“We had people who were just unable to pay,” Davidson said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty. When there’s uncertainty, people are slow to make commitments.”

Davidson is encouraging Tribeca Hebrew’s families to join Tribeca’s Jewish Community Project, which will expand its after-school classes to include the newcomers.

Rabbi Darren Levine, J.C.P.’s executive director, said about 10 percent of his families receive scholarships, but he has not seen a large impact from the recession. Still, Levine said J.C.P. decided to put some new programs, like a family retreat, on hold until the economy improves.

Another specialty program that is struggling is Suellen Epstein’s Children’s Tumbling on Murray St. Epstein has enrolled only one-third as many children as usual in her summer session, and even if many families sign up at the last minute, she still only expects to reach two-thirds of last summer’s count.

“It’s not looking good,” Epstein said. She will have to cancel several classes unless more people sign up.

Some parents told Epstein they are looking for free pro-grams for their children this summer. Others said they want to take advantage of the programs that come with membership to Manhattan Youth or other community centers, rather than pay separately for a la carte classes.

Susan Spielger, whose 8-year-old daughter Lily takes

classes at Children’s Tumbling, said she might have to cut out her daughter’s piano and signing lessons, but she wouldn’t take away gymnastics.

“It’s good for her self-esteem,” Spielger said as she watched Lily swing from a trapeze.

Another parent, Jennifer Lupo, said she appreciated that Epstein has kept her prices the same, while other programs have raised costs while cutting program time. A seven-week Children’s Tumbling class that meets once a week costs $250.

Anna Grossman, director of the Hudson River Park Mothers’ Group, sees an unfi lled market for affordable “mommy and me” classes for young children in Lower Manhattan. Many of the children’s centers that have sprung up in Tribeca over the past few years, including miniMasters, marketed themselves more by the amenities they offered fami-lies than by affordability.

“People have gone through a lot of changes,” Grossman said. “They’re looking for jobs or they’re between jobs. You’re going to see a lot of people being more conservative with their spending.”

Not all children’s facilities are having a problem, and some are even expanding. The Church Street School for Music and Art is adding 6,000 square feet to reduce the long wait lists that the popular program has seen in the past. So far, despite the reces-sion, enrollment is holding steady but fi nancial aid applications

are up, the school said. The Park Preschool opened a second location last fall, called

The Barclay Street School, and executive director Kevin Artale said he was not having trouble fi lling the new seats for either this summer or next fall.

“When we planned this, we didn’t plan on the recession hit-ting,” Artale said of the expansion. “It is what it is…. I’m a little bit nervous, sure, but everything is working out.”

Artale said Lower Manhattan’s growing population of young families could be cushioning the blow of the downturn. Residential rents Downtown have been staying steady relative to the rest of the city, and Artale sees a constant stream of new families moving into luxury rental buildings, including Barclay Towers right next to the preschool’s new location.

Those new families replace the ones who are forced to leave the neighborhood because of layoffs, said Ayala Marcktell, founder of the Tribeca Community School. Marcktell is expand-ing her program as well, adding two new classrooms. She still has 10 spaces available for next fall, but sounded confi dent that she would fi ll them.

“I don’t know,” Marcktell said when asked whether the reces-sion was affecting her school. “I hope not.”

With reporting by Candida L. Figueroa and Helaina N. Hovitz

Cuts at many youth programs

Downtown Express photos by Tequila Minsky

Suellen Epstein, owner of Children’s Tumbling, above, said if things go well, enrollment will only be about two thirds of what it was last summer.

Continued from page 1

Page 15: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 15

Ratner back to building 76 stories on Beekman

The Beekman St. apartment tower will rise to its full height of 76 stories to be the tallest residential tower in the city, developer Forest City Ratner announced last week.

Ratner had halted the upward con-struction of the tower two months ago when the poured concrete reached 38 sto-ries. Ratner was considering leaving the tower at that height, cutting off architect Frank Gehry’s undulating stainless steel design at its halfway point.

But an agreement with the city’s con-struction unions and a softening in the price of materials netted enough cost sav-ings to allow the project to move forward, Ratner said in a press release Friday.

During the two-month hiatus, con-struction continued on the K-8 Spruce Street School that will sit in the tower’s base and on the Downtown Hospital ambulatory care center.

Ratner is still predicting that the build-ing’s 903 apartments will begin occupancy in summer 2010 and that the school will

be ready to open that fall, but a source familiar with the project said those dates are likely to slip. Ratner will have a more realistic prediction soon, once the bids for interior work come in, the source said.

Downtown residents have long expected that the Spruce Street School would not open until 2011, because even if the school itself is ready in 2010, the ongoing construc-tion on the tower above it could make the site dangerous for children. Will Havemann, a Dept. of Education spokesperson, said the city would make a decision about the safety of opening the school when the date got closer, but he did not give a timeline.

Ratner previously froze work on the tower in 2007, when only the founda-tion was done, because of trouble get-ting financing. But then in March 2008 Ratner received $680 million in construc-tion financing, including $204 million in Liberty Bonds, which allowed work to move forward.

— Julie Shapiro

bagels

sandwiches

financialdistrict.

perfection

hand-rolled to

available to the

at stone st.

hanover sq.

&delicatessen

are finally

cateringcall about

make your way to

Rendering of the Frank Gehry designed tower and school being built on Beekman and Spruce Sts.

Page 16: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200916 downtown express

PUBLISHER & EDITORJohn W. Sutter

ASSOCIATE EDITORJosh Rogers

ARTS EDITORScott Stiffl er

REPORTERSAlbert Amateau

Lincoln AndersonPatrick HedlundJulie Shapiro

SR. V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING

Francesco Regini

SR. MARKETING CONSULTANTJason Sherwood

ADVERTISING SALESAllison GreakerJeremy MarksJason Sparks

RETAIL AD MANAGERColin Gregory

OFFICE MANAGERDavid Jaffe

ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTORTroy Masters

ART DIRECTORMark Hasselberger

GRAPHIC DESIGNERJamie Paakkonen

DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATIONCheryl Williamson

CONTRIBUTORSFrank R. Angelino Wickham Boyle

Tim LavinDavid StankeJerry Tallmer

PHOTOGRAPHERSLorenzo Ciniglio

Milo HessCorky Lee

Elisabeth RobertJefferson Siegel

Published by COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC

145 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 229-1890

Fax: (212) 229-2790On-line: www.downtownexpress.comE-mail: [email protected]

Downtown Express is published every week by Community Media LLC, 145 Sixth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890. The entire contents of the newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2009 Community Media LLC.

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERRORThe Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The pub-lisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

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© 2009 Community Media, LLC

EDITORIALThe Zen of quiet

New York City is the city that never sleeps. But when New Yorkers are at home and it’s nighttime, many of them do, in fact, actually like to sleep. And when we’re at home during the day, most of us don’t like to be disturbed by loud noises, either. That’s the dilemma of living in a chaotic, energetic, noisy city like New York.

“Noise From Neighbor” is one of the most com-monly called-about conditions to the city’s 311 com-plaint line, and results in more police action than any other 311 call. Tribeca, the Lower East Side, and other Downtown neighborhoods have seen many problem bars over the years.

Construction noise is also a pervasive problem. At the World Trade Center site, despite the current impasse, work continues and can be disruptive. The long-awaited demolition of the former Deutsche Bank building looks like it may finally be close to resuming, but that could easily lead to more noise for W.T.C. residents as concrete crushing probably will be required.

And we know many of our readers have other pet construction noise peeves, which unfortunately, are well within earshot of their windows.

Our zoning laws, in some instances, can work to lessen clashing uses: for example, a large disco or nightclub would not be allowed right in the middle of a quiet, residential neighborhood. Thus, the use of the Stephan Weiss Studio at Greenwich and Charles Sts. as a major private event space — even though the events admittedly seem to be fairly intermittent — has been an aggravating quality-of-life headache for neighbors for several years now.

The Village building was formerly the sculpture studio of Stephan Weiss, late husband of fashion designer Donna Karan. It’s now a beautiful, airy space on two levels, painted all white inside, with large windows, lit with hundreds of candles during events.

Karan is using it for her Urban Zen benefits, letting it be used for free by some local nonprofit groups and renting it out for private events. While some say the Urban Zen events and yoga sessions can be a bit loud (incessant bongo playing is cited) it’s the private events — like the recent Def Jam Spring Collection extravaganza — that are apparently push-ing neighbors over the edge. Indeed, one neighbor allegedly threatened to come over to the place and “start shooting.” He denies it — but readily admits to being maddened by the relentless noise.

Karan is doing much good work through her Urban Zen Foundation, which helps patients and pro-motes well-being, empowers children and preserves world cultures

However, Karan — and those who run the private events at her space — should be more considerate of their neighbors when it comes to noise. That’s good advice for all of Downtown’s noise contributors. The police and zoning laws can do their part, but many of these problems can be solved with old-fashioned neighborly consideration.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORWho loves ya, Cosmo?

To The Editor:Re “Budget hotel from 2 centuries ago

hopes to expand” (news article, May 29 – June 4):

Julie Shapiro’s story about the budget hotel on West Broadway reminded me that back in the mid-1970s, a couple of sea-sons of the TV cop show “Kojak” (starring Telly Savalas as the lollypop-sucking detec-tive) were fi lmed in New York City, rather than on a L.A. sound stage. One particular-ly good episode guest-starred former pro-football great, turned actor, Roosevelt Grier, as a bounty hunter who was tracking a felon in Tribeca. In several scenes, the Cosmopolitan Hotel was featured, as the “Hotel Lyons.”

Reed Malloy“TV historian”

“Will it Rock-n-Roll away with a Tony?” (arts article, posted May 7):

Obviously, the nominating committee for the Tony Awards felt that Constantine Maroulis’s performance as Drew in Rock of Ages was far more than “serviceable.” And as far as your comment that the show is “thematically hollow,” the committee felt there was enough substance there to give it

a nomination for Best Musical. This show was never intended to be Shakespeare set to rock music. It’s feel good escapism, plain and simple. And it serves that purpose very, very well.

BellaDonna

I loved Constantine’s role in this show, but Amy Spanger didn’t impress me. I think she has a weird voice, not one suited to be singing this type of music and she doesn’t come off as innocent at all. She has a harsh look about her. Constantine on the other hand rocks this genre and coupled with his superb acting skills he defi nitely carries the show. With that said, I loved the show and will defi nitely be fl ying back to NYC specifi cally to see this show.. It’s just that good.

Shirley

Letters policy Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s fi rst and last name, a phone number for confi rmation purposes only, and any affi li-ation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to [email protected] or can be mailed to 145 Sixth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.

POSTED TO DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM

The government now drives the auto industry

IRA BLUTREICH

Read the Archiveswww.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.comwww.

DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.com

Page 17: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 17

BY MARIA SCOVEL

Dear Reader, It appears that you are reading this

article. My name is Maria Scovel and I am a 9-year-old girl who goes to P.S. 89 and has a great time there. We have recently had our 10-year anniversary over the weekend. This means a lot to me and some of it means I’m getting older as well as the school. This is a celebration to show our school’s time.

I’ve been in P.S. 89 since 2004. I’ve had so many memories that I hold close to my heart. One memory is my fi rst teachers at

P.S. 89, when I was in the inclusion class, which includes people who have Down syn-drome and are in wheelchairs. My teachers were Shannon and Elisa. Elisa moved away because she had a baby. Elisa and Shannon taught me some of the fi rst things in life.

Next year, was fi rst grade. My teacher was Maria Alden. Alden...ring a bell? It should because it comes from the name John Alden, her husband, who is related to the John Alden on the Mayfl ower. Maria was a great teacher and had a lot of fun with students but wouldn’t let you get away with things. She taught me to laugh and goof off a little. Sure enough, Maria had to leave because she had a baby. She wanted to name her baby after me, but that would be odd because of her own name being the same.

In second grade, I had Nicole. She was the fi rst teacher not to leave and have a baby. She had a caring heart that would show you what to do. Next was third grade, the fi rst year of testing. I fi rst thought it

would be horrible, but Lindsay, my teacher, cleared the skies. She was a sweet, caring teacher. She also left because she had a baby. Now, I’m here in fourth grade with Roe. Roe is said to be the best in the school and apparently she is. Roe has guided me through the diffi cult paths of fourth grade. I hope she stays. And, with that, dear reader, I say a goodbye.

Editor’s Note: Maria Scovel tagged along with Downtown Express reporter Julie Shapiro as part of the paper’s cover-age of the 10-year anniversary of P.S. 89 (See article, Page 19). The paper donated the opportunity as part of a P.T.A fund-raiser. Scovel also submitted the above essay, which impressed us enough to publish.

DOWNTOWN NOTEBOOK

BY CORKY LEEFor the benefi t of anyone who was too young

or was not born yet, Confucius Plaza was the site of a community uprising in 1974. The Chinatown project was to build low- and mod-erate-income housing totaling some 600-plus apartments in two buildings. The protests began when the builder did not hire Chinese workers.

Looking north from the 44th fl oor today, one can see both the East and Hudson Rivers. On the south side there is an equally majestic view of Lower Manhattan. It is the largest government housing project in any Chinatown community in the United States.

When I walked into the exhibit opening marking the uprising’s anniversary last week, “Confucius Plaza Struggle: 1974,” I knew I would be meeting some of those who considered themselves “activists” 35 years ago. I remem-bered that among the Chinese, Japanese, blacks and Hispanics in daylong marches, rallies and protests by students, senior citizens and workers, some of these individuals also “hooked up” dur-ing those days and in its aftermath. A current comic book artist, Janice Chaing, married Danny Louie, who was arrested three times in work stoppage incursions on the construction site. In all, about 30 individuals were apprehended, even Tzi Ma, the actor who was opposite Jackie Chan in “Rush Hour 2” and 3, saw jail time.

There were brothers and sisters from the same family involved. Three Chin sisters, three Chiang sisters, three Lee brothers, two Wong brothers and a brother and sister from the Tom family which included their mother Bo Lan Tom. She’s still proud and beaming with pride when she recognized people in the 13 exhibit photographs displayed on the wall of Asian Americans for Equality offi ce at 111 Division St. At 85 years old, she said she would do it again.

A majority of participants were fi rst genera-tion college students of immigrant parents back in 1974, but it was heartwarming last week to talk to a brother and sister in their twen-ties, Justin and Nicole Woo, who recognized

their father Arnold and their aunt Jeanie Chin. Justin said they learned from their father that “they should question everything and don’t believe everything you read.”

Arnold said “it was a progressive time and a perfect storm for the community to assert its demands to hire Chinese for construction trade jobs.” Eventually 27 minority workers, includ-ing Chinese, were hired.

I remember Jeanie Chin and Margaret Chin (no relation) in those marches and rallies of 1974. Both are still very active in the civic life of the community. I don’t know where they get their energy, maybe they feel their work is unfi nished. Jeanie was very vocal opposing the closing of Park Row to vehicular traffi c by the N.Y.P.D. after 9/11, while Margaret is running for a fourth time for City Council in the First District, which includes Chinatown. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to fi nd out, Jeanie is working on Margaret’s campaign this time.

The rallying cry in 1974 was “the Chinese built the fi rst transcontinental railroad, they can build Confucius Plaza.” There was a common cause in the community, but other organizations sprang from this seed. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a civil rights organization, was founded the same year. They have represented restaurant and gar-ment workers in regaining lost wages and back pay, including the $4.5 million to 27 delivery men working for Saigon Grill.

I remember only because I took the photo-graphs 35 years ago. Who will remember 35 years from now? Maybe, when the Museum of Chinese in the Americas fi nally opens its doors between Centre and Layayette Sta. later this year. This exhibit would add a lot of dimension to its mission. A progressive time germinated 35 years ago, its roots are strong but the collective community must make sure it gets the proper leadership and activism for another 35 years.

Corky Lee is a freelance photographer who has frequently taken pictures for Downtown Express.

Remembering when Chinatown rose up

Learning life’s cycles as a school grows up

Downtown Express photos by Corky Lee

Top, a photo taken by the author shows demonstrators protesting the construc-tion of Confucius Plaza in Chinatown 35 years ago. David Louie, above, last week showed Jeanie Chin a picture of himself getting arrested, at the opening reception to an exhibit about the protests at Asian Americans for Equality.

Maria Scovel

DOWNTOWN NOTEBOOK

Page 18: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200918 downtown express

African Burial Ground National Monument Seeks Input on Park’s Plans for the Future What will visitors learn, feel, and experience when they visit the African Burial Ground in 2019, or 2029? How will you help shape this unique National Park Service site in downtown Manhattan so it may realize its full potential as a site of conscience that educates and inspires generations of visitors?

The African Burial Ground, unlike many other National Park Service sites that have larger footprints and more natural resources, is a place that tells the story of a people, their struggle for freedom, and their immeasurable contributions to a city and a nation.

As a unit of the National Park System, the African Burial Ground is required to draft a General Management Plan (GMP). A GMP is a management plan intended to guide national parks for 15 to 20 years. It deals with facilities, resource management, visitor experience, education, and potential partnerships. It tries to anticipate the audience and their needs, as well as find ways to engage new audiences.

The National Park Service invites members of the public to three Open Houses to share their ideas and expectations for the future of the African Burial Ground National Monument. Plan to attend one of the Open Houses to launch the 12-month planning process, to receive up-dates on the site including the opening of the new Visitor Center, and help craft a vision for the future of the African Burial Ground.

Tuesday, June 9, 6pm - 8pmBrown Memorial Baptist Church484 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Wednesday, June 10 6pm - 8pmThurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change200-214 West 135th Street, NY, NY

Thursday, June 11 12 noon - 2pm290 Broadway, 30th Floor, NY, NYPlease bring passport or photo ID for entry

For more information about African Burial Ground National Monument, visit www.nps.gov/afbg or call 212-637-2019.

Page 19: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 19

BY JULIE SHAPIRO A parade of photographs at P.S. 89’s

anniversary celebration showed just how much can change in 10 years.

First there was a weed-strewn field on Battery Park City’s landfill, then a brand-new but nearly empty building, and now a school overflowing with children that consistently ranks among the city’s best.

“It’s amazing that it’s only been 10 years, and it’s also amazing how much we’ve done in 10 years,” said Ronnie Najjar, the elementary school’s first and only principal.

Hundreds of people turned out on Saturday to celebrate the near-end of P.S. 89’s 10th school year. Graduates wearing braces and flip-flops reunited with former classmates and teachers, young children raced over play equipment in the school-yard and parents stood in groups talking and taking in the sunshine.

As if to highlight how much growth can happen in 10 years, Najjar invited P.S. 89’s very first student back to the school for the party to cut the ribbon on a new mosaic column dedicated to the anniversary.

Melissa Watt, a 15-year-old freshman at Stuyvesant High School across the street, grinned as she towered above a crowd of young P.S. 89 students on Saturday.

“It feels a lot smaller,” she said, look-ing around at the school she called home starting in 1998, when she was the first student to sign up for pre-K. “It’s a great place to start. It just really prepares you for everything else.”

Monica Watt, Melissa’s mother, described P.S. 89 as the equivalent of a small-town church: the cornerstone of the community, the place where everyone meets.

“It’s what brings this whole neighbor-hood together,” Watt said. “It’s a very inclusive school, very caring. People really go out of their way to help each other.”

Watt and other parents described P.S. 89 as a safe, welcoming place where they could count on Najjar to remember every child’s name. Teachers lauded the curricu-lum’s focus on social studies and the arts, and former students said the emphasis on collaborative learning came in handy when they got to middle school.

“It’s made the neighborhood,” said Anil Dang, whose two sons go to P.S. 89. “The school is the reason the neighbor-hood is so good.”

Added Greg Zaletofsky, whose daugh-ter is in first grade, “They just treat every-body like family.”

P.S. 89’s family was much smaller 10 years ago. After a parent-led push comprised of petitions and letter-writing campaigns, the school opened in the base of a residential tower on Sept. 10, 1998 with just under 100 students. I.S. 89, the middle school that shares the build-ing, also opened that year, but Saturday’s celebration was organized by P.S. 89 and focused just on the elementary school. I.S. 89 principal Ellen Foote did not return a call for comment.

When P.S. 89 opened, Najjar, a long-time teacher at P.S. 234, moved across West St. to lead the new school. She brought with her a teaching philosophy centered on collaboration — not just among students but also between teach-ers, administrators and parents.

Carolyn Happy, co-president of the P.T.A., uses the metaphor of a mosaic to describe the school’s progressive model: The children are unique and learn in their own way, but also have to work together to form a miniature society.

Najjar and Happy both described the school as an anchor for the community, particularly after 9/11. On that day, Najjar led the evacuation along the unpaved highway, holding children by the hand and waiting with them into the evening until their parents came. Several children recall looking over their shoulder as they fl ed and seeing the second tower fall.

In the aftermath, P.S. 89 was as splin-tered as the neighborhood, with families dislocated to other parts of the city and beyond. P.S. 89 held small classes first at P.S. 3 in the West Village, then on the Lower East Side in the building that now houses NEST.

“There wasn’t any consistency in these children’s lives outside of school,” Najjar

said. “Our job was to give them as much of that consistency as possible.”

On March 1, 2002, P.S. 89 reopened in Battery Park City with a celebration including balloons, banners and cheer-leaders from Stuyvesant High School.

Najjar’s favorite moments over the past 10 years are not always the biggest ones, but rather they are like a series of snap-shots as her students grow. She remembers the pre-K kids who cried when separated from their parents but now strut into their second-grade classrooms with confidence, the fifth-graders who show sudden poise as they master the tango and rumba, and the 15-year-old alumni who come back to visit and volunteer to check coats for school fundraisers.

“There’s a whole host of feelings I get after watching these kids grow up,” Najjar said.

As the children have grown, so, too, has the school. The first staff meeting involved eight people sitting around a table; now, the staff has to squeeze into one of the largest classrooms. The school founded to relieve crowding at P.S. 234 quickly became overcrowded itself, and Najjar had to sacrifice a computer room and a guidance suite to fit in the extra children, a total of 540 this year.

But relief is on the way, in the form of P.S./I.S. 276, opening in southern B.P.C. in 2010 and starting its first kindergarten classes in Tweed Courthouse this fall.

“It’s going to be nice to be a little smaller again,” Najjar said.

On a recent afternoon just before the anniversary celebration, students in Roe Wrubel’s fourth-grade class discussed what makes P.S. 89 special. Top answers were teachers, friends, and, of course, recess.

“I learned to be a really good friend and to not be mean,” said Melina Driscoll, 9, as she colored an anniversary card for the school. “When you disagree, disagree politely. Share with your friends if you have something they might want.”

Samantha Pastoressa, 9, said she loved her teachers at P.S. 89, who taught her how to read and do math.

“I learned a lot,” Samantha said. “I learned everything I know now.”

Many of the students took the stage at Saturday’s anniversary celebration to sing, play instruments and dance. The performances culminated in a 15-minute video documenting P.S. 89’s history that left some parents both smiling and wiping their eyes.

After the video, as the auditorium emptied, Viviane Gondin Decastro, 9, stayed behind to chat with the custodians. The third-grader’s favorite times at P.S. 89 include a visit to the butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and a trip to a farm in Queens.

Of the 10-year anniversary, Viviane said, “That’s a lot.” Grinning, she added, “I wasn’t even born 10 years ago.”

[email protected]

School celebrates a decade in Battery Park City

Photo courtesy of P.S. 89 and Elisabeth Robert Photography

P.S. 89 principal Ronnie Najjar, center right, with P.T.A. co-president Carolyn Happy at the school’s anniversary celebration over the weekend.

The Downtown community will soon be home to a whole new generation of aspiring young artists, and thanks to the CUE Art Foundation, students from P.S. 89 will be getting their fi rst big break.

This year’s exhibition displays the work of students from ten New York City schools, including P.S. 89’s own Cecilia Gault and Olivia Zachs, both in fi fth grade, and Zach Cassel, second grade.

The exhibit theme is collections, so the kids in all of the 12 schools involved have produced over 200 pieces of art collectively on their own personal interpretation of what a collection is.

Gault,10, decided to do her piece on Kewpie dolls. “I was like you know what I want to do, I want to do a piece of art with these nice dolls,” said Gault. “I photographed it and then I went to a copy machine thingy, then it became black and white, and then I put it on a silk screen. It took me a week or so to complete it.”

Ryan White, CUE’s programs assistant, said that participating students, who are

chosen by their teachers, visit the nonprofi t foundation for one of many rotating exhi-bitions to meet with either an arts educa-tor or an artist. “The basic goal is to get them engaged and talking about the work that they see, feeling comfortable in gallery space, and [then have the artists] start a dialogue with the students about the work,” he said. Following the initial visit, CUE sends donated canvases to the participat-ing students’ respective schools, where the students then create their own work for the week-long exhibition.

The students’ pieces are all available for sale at the gallery for $50 each, and the prof-its from each work will be divided equally between the student and their school. The 2009 Modern Art Works exhibition will run through June 6 at 511 W. 25th St.

So has the program spawned a new lin-eage of artists?

“Well, after doing this,” Gault said, “I think I would want to do it every day.”

— Helaina N. Hovitz

Student exhibit

Page 20: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200920 downtown express

Downtown Little League highlightsJUNIOR MINORS LOWERYankees v. Phillies

The Yankees and Phillies met on a beauti-ful Saturday morning for a classic match-up of rivals. The strong hitting in the top of the fi rst got the Yankees off to a great start. Consecutive hits from Wiley Muchowski and Holden Higgins were followed by a double to center fi eld by Jason Bogdanos for two runs. The hit parade continued with shots by Freddy Purpora, Myles Dunlop, and Aakash Yagnik, and closed with a two- R.B.I single by Erin Paholke.

But the Phillies came roaring back, con-tinuing their torrid hitting assault with sig-nifi cant contributions throughout their line-up featuring hard-hitting Julian DiMuro, Asa Levite, Brendan Farrell, Josh Davis, Jack MCabe, Eric Prince and Jesse Walk, all of whom crushed R.B.I.-producing doubles and provided clutch hitting. Only an eye-popping catch of a linedrive down the line by Julian Memmo at third base helped to hold the Phillies — at least temporarily.

The Yankees got a few more runs on the board in the top of the third, with a base hit from Holden Higgins followed by another

blast by Jason Bogdanos, this time a triple to left fi eld. The hits continued, with base hits by Myles Dunlop, a double to leftfi eld for Max Marshall, and hard-hit singles by Aakash Yagnik and Scott Robbins. But the Phillies were not to be out done — and their fi elding was just as spectacular with superb plays by Charlie Lipman, Cameron, Christian, Thomas, and Mikey Schuy.

The game continued with more clutch hit-ting by the Phillies, but some sweet leather by Julian Memmo, who then made two strong throws to fi rst, and a running catch by Jason Bogdanos fi nally stopped the Phillies jugger-naut in the fourth. Trying to come back, the Yankees’ Myles Dunlop and Max Marshall both stroked base hits in the top of the fi fth, while Erin Paholke and Karun Sagar kept up their strong hitting in the sixth. In the fi eld, Myles Dunlop saved several Phillies’ runs with a great stop on a drive to center fi eld and then dove to nip the runner at second.

A very competitive game all around, both sides continue to prove they are the class of the league. On this day, the Phillies’ hit-ting and fi elding were just too much for the Yankees.

MINORSReds v. Red Sox

In the rematch between Reds (3-2) and the Red Sox (1-4) at Pier 40, Sox pitcher Joseph Dudley struck out the entire side to start the game.

In the bottom of the second, Julian Tutuncu-Macias was hit by a pitch and stole second. Tyler Rohan, now on the mound for the Reds, fi elded James Stanke’s grounder with a nice throw to Oliver Brown at fi rst base for out one. T. Goldstein had a nice hit to left fi eld, which was fi elded well by Luke Marable but still gave Goldstein a ribbie single. Jake Katzenberg and Ben Beaumont walked, loading the bases for the Red Sox, and Joe Torres followed suit, bringing in run two for the inning. But Rohan was able to strike out the next batter, and W. Best slid on his knees at third to stop Joe Aboaf’s pop fl y, ending the scoring.

Dudley used his last eight pitches to strike out the next two Reds batters, and W. Goldstein relieved him on the mound. Rohan hit a solid grounder to right fi eld for the fi rst Reds’ hit of the game, then stole second. Liam Doyle followed suit with a single that moved Rohan to third, and when the ball was overthrown to third, went home for the only run of the game for the Reds. Jonah Frere-Holmes was deprived of a hit when his fl y ball was nabbed by second baseman Katzenberg.

In the bottom of the third, with the mist still falling, Dudley smacked the ball over the pitcher’s head and went to second on the overthrow.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Reds played their best defensive inning, shutting out the Sox for the fi rst time. Best had two strikeouts,

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Continued on page 21

Page 21: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 21

and Rohan robbed Aboaf of at least one R.B.I by snagging his line drive down the third base line. But the damage had been done, and when W. Goldstein struck out the remainder of the Reds lineup, the fi nal score was 7-1, Red Sox.

Reds vs. DodgersOn a perfect evening at B.P.C fi eld, the Reds

faced the Dodgers again, hoping to make up for that agonizing loss of one run, scored on an overthrow. Tyler Adams was on the mound for the Reds, and struck out the fi rst batter look-ing. Jackson Mansfi eld’s foul tip was snagged in mid-air by catcher Douglass Stapler for the second out. Lucas Pryor took his fi rst of four walks for the day, and stole two bases, making it even easier for Spencer Kiehl’s smash double to left score the Dodgers’ fi rst run. Noah de Guchteneere also walked, but Adams struck out the next batter for the third out.

In the bottom of the inning, it was déjà vu all over again as Tyler Rohan grounded to right fi eld for a single, stole two bases, and then went home on an overthrow to tie the game. Dodgers’ pitcher Yannick de Guchteneere struck out the next batter. Stapler walked and stole a base, but Yannick took down the next two batters to end the scoring for the Reds. Yannick struck out the next batter, but Rohan’s rope to right scored two runs before Iliana Memmo was tagged between second and third.

In the top of the fourth, Matthew Levine led off with a walk, followed by Jake Dickerson. W. Best came in to strike out the next bat-ter, but walked Nicolas Fandrich. Yannick’s

hard grounder took a mean hop over Brown’s glove, careening into right fi eld and scoring two. Mansfi eld was hit by a pitch, loading the bases again. Pryor’s walk scored another, but once again Kiehl was up with the bases loaded. His line drive up the fi rst base line was played perfectly by Brown for the second out. Noah walked, but Douglass Stapler caught Swain’s line drive up the third base line with a leaping catch that drew oohs and ahs from the crowd.

Down 11-9, the Reds tried to play catch-up in the fourth, starting with walks by I. Best and Rohan. But Mansfi eld struck out the rest of the batters to shut out the Reds. The Reds returned the favor by keeping the Dodgers scoreless in the fi fth. Stapler, now on the mound, struck out three of the fi ve batters he faced. In the bot-tom of the 5th, Frere-Holmes walked, but when Kiehl walked up to the mound for the Dodgers, he struck out all three batters he faced with searing heat. Even his catcher asked if he could slow it down, but Kiehl humbly replied, “I can’t control it.” With the sun setting and the breeze picking up, the Reds exhausted three pitchers, but could not get that fi nal out. Ostermaier walked, but Stapler faked out Fandrich for out one. Doyle tried his hand, and was able to strike out Mansfi eld, but walked Yannick and Pryor, and the bases were loaded for…Spencer Kiehl (cue the music). His neutron bomb to left fi eld was well over the outfi elder’s head, and an overthrow in the infi eld allowed for a grand slam. Noah and Swain walked, and Steinberg was brought in to relieve Doyle. When his pitches failed to tickle the umpire’s strike zone, and runs continued to walk in, the Reds’ coaches conceded the game. The fi nal score was Dodgers 16, Reds 9.

New Downtown Community Center and P.S. 234 home locations.Private pool. Outdoor ball fi elds.Field sports, karate, computers, arts, crafts, movement, more!Experienced administrators, teachers and childcare professionals.Transportation below 23rd Street with many pick-up locations. Generous counselor-to-camper ratio.K through 6 program.Nature Camp option for grades 5 to 8.

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Continued from page 20

Page 22: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200922 downtown express

ARTS +GAMES Art project designed by an art specialist includ-ing clay, painting and jewelry design. School-age children. Free. Every Thursday through October 29th. 3.30-5.30 P.M. Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City (access: Chambers) 212-267-9700 bpcparks.org

BABY LAPSIT PROGRAM Thursday, June 11, 10.30 A. M. Pre-registration needed. The New Amsterdam Branch Library, 9 Murray St. 212-732-8186

CHILDREN’S DAY AT THE SOUTH STREET SEAPORT Bring your child for an exciting day of performances, attractions and fun for the whole family. Beware! There may be Pirates hiding around the corner! Free with Museum admission. June 13, 12-5 P.M. South Street Seaport Museum, Pier 16 212-748-8786 south-streetseaportmuseum.org

CHILDREN’S BASKETBALL Play with adjustable height hoops for kids of all sizes, plus fun drills to improve your skills. Free. Mondays and Fridays through October 30 (except holiday week-ends) 3.30-4.30 P.M. for 5-6 year olds, 4.30-5.30 P.M. for 7&older. Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City, Lower Manhattan (access: Chambers Street) 212-267-9700 bpcparks.org

DOWNTOWN SUMMER DAY CAMP Your child can enjoy the same enriching activities that country day camps offer with-out the stress of traveling out of the city every day on the bus. Camp combines a daily program with special events to give your

child an exciting and varied camp experience. Kids K-6th grade. To register and for rates go to downtowndaycamp.com or call 212-766-1104 x250

FREE KIDS TENNIS CLINICS One-hour clinics with profes-sional tennis coaches from Bumble Bee Tennis. Four to six chil-dren per group. To sign up email [email protected]. Include child’s name, age and contact information. You will receive an email confirmation. Free. June 6th ( raindate June 13th) 9am: 4-5 year olds, 10am: 5-7 year olds - 2 groups, 11am: 8-10 year olds - 2 groups, 12 noon: 10-14 year olds. Washington Market Park - Park Tennis Courts located on Chambers Street between Greenwich and West Streets.washingtonmarketpark.org

KIDS PROGRAMS Fun ways to put children’s energy to good use. Kids are exposed to art, basketball, chess, cycling, explora-tion, gardening, and music among other activities. Days, materi-als fees, and park locations vary. Battery Park City Parks Conser-vancy, Two South End Ave. 212-262-9700, bcparks.org

TEEN PROGRAMS Save teenagers from the boredom blues through classes on art, babysitter training, CPR, and environmen-tal activism. Days, materials fees, and park locations vary Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, Two South End Ave. 212-262-9700, bcparks.org

PRESCHOOL PLAY AND ART join other toddlers, parents and

caregivers for interactive play on a grassy lawn. Toys, books and equipment provided. Free. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, through October 27 (except September 7 and October 12) 10 A.M- 12 P.M. Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park.212-267-9700 bpcparks.org

SUMMER ART COLONIES The Children’s Museum of the Arts will run a Summer Art Colony on Governors Island and the CMA facility at 182 Lafayette Street in Soho for children ages 6 to 14. The two-week day camp sessions, led by professional artists, will begin on June 15 and run though September 4. CMA’s Sum-mer Art Colonies allow children to spend their summers exploring nearly every art form in the fine, performing and media arts. The classes are structured to allow full immersion into art. For more information call 212-627-5766 or visit cmany.org

TODDLER STORY TIME Babies from 18 months old to 3 years old and their parents/caregivers can enjoy great books, lively songs, and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. June 18 and 25, 10.30 A.M. Pre-registration needed. The New Amsterdam Branch Library, 9 Murray St. 212-732-8186

TEEN ENTREPRENEUR BOOT CAMP It’s a program that gives teens the exciting learning experience that they need to succeed later in life. For more information, please go to teenen-trepreneurbootcamp.org

TEEN VOLLEYBALL All teens are welcome and no previous experience necessary. Referee/Scorekeeper and Ball Provided.

Presented by the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. Saturdays, 4:30-6:30 pm. Community Center at Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers St., 646-210-4292

SUMMER CAMPS AT THE EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE ART SCHOOL Top-Quality, Affordable Choices for Summer Fun. For dates and rates go to edalliance.org

YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM, SPRING 2009 Students expe-rience creating in professional art school. Class size is limited to 12 students-individual attention is maximized. All art supplies are included. For ages 10 to 14 and 15 to 19. Classes start June 29.Meetings twice a week for 6 weeks. $220 per 12-session course. Educational Alliance Art School. 197 East Broadway between Jefferson and Clinton Streets. 646-395-4237 edalli-ance.org/artschool

MANHATTAN YOUTH’S DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER First spring catalog is now online at manhattanyouth.org. Join Manhattan Youth’s community center and take part in activities such as swimming, ceramics, to toddler tumbling. Con-venient hours and friendly staff. 120 Warren St. 212 766 1104, manhattanyouth.org.

SUMMER FAMILY CONCERT SERIES It’s a summer event for the whole family to enjoy! Free. Every Thursday. June 18: Brady Rymer. June 25: Princess Katie and Racer Steve. Washington Market Park, 6:30 P.M. Greenwich & Duane Streets. (rain location: Downtown Community Center - Warren Street between Green-wich and West Streets) washingtonmarketpark.org

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT IN THE DOWN-TOWN EXPRESS KIDS LISTINGS? Listings requests may be e-mailed 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 10013-1548. Requests must be received two weeks before the event is to be published. Questions, call 646-452-2507.

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Page 23: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 23

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN Between 1942 and 1943, Piet Mondrian

painted one of his most famous works: “Broadway Boogie Woogie.” It was his hom-age to New York City, where he saw his passion for the dynamics of modern life realized. American Jazz, and traffi c infi ltrat-ing the urban landscape in a way that was reminiscent of his painted grids, prompted him to rethink his signature style.

In New York, he broke away from his more austere patterns of black lines on white ground and replaced them with colored bands. On a postcard from 1943, addressed to James Johnson Sweeney (the curator for the Museum of Modern Art at the time), Mondrian wrote: “Only now, I become con-scious that my work in black, white, and lit-tle color planes has been merely ‘drawing’ in oil color…In painting, however, the lines are absorbed by the color planes.” “Broadway Boogie Woogie” features a yellow grid on white ground, which is rhythmically inter-sected with red, blue, and grey elements. It is a refl ection of the syncopated beat found in boogie-woogie and the blinking lights that characterized Broadway then as much as today. With its radical use of abstraction, “Broadway Boogie Woogie” would become a landmark within Mondrian’s oeuvre. It also became a tribute to the last chapter of his life — the New York years.

In September 1938, Mondrian, who had been based in Paris, left the city just before the Nazis’ invasion and moved to London. After the invasion of his native The Netherlands and the fall of Paris in 1940, he headed further West to New York City. On borrowed money, he arrived in New York in October. Local artist Harry Holtzman, whose own work was strongly infl uenced by Mondrian, sponsored Mondrian’s immi-gration to the United States, paid for his apartment and studio, and introduced him to his circle of friends. In return, Mondrian made Holtzman the sole heir to his estate. Optimistic for the future, Mondrian began working on several new paintings, such as “Victory Boogie Woogie.” Begun in 1942, it which remained unfi nished as he rather sud-denly succumbed to pneumonia on February

1, 1944 at the age of 71.Though already considered one of the

leading abstract artists by his contempo-raries, Mondrian’s critical acclaim never translated into prosperity. His works might have signifi cantly shaped the course of art history, but they nevertheless remained hard to sell. As an idealist, Mondrian stayed true to his vision and pursued an art that could offer a pure and spiritual experience; but in the end, he died in poverty and solitude. This is surprising when considering that the memorial service held two days later at the Universal Chapel on Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street was very well attended. Among the attendees were American artists such as Alexander Calder and Robert Motherwell, as well as European expatriate artists — includ-ing Alexander Archipenko, Marc Chagall, Marcel Duchamp, and Fernand Leger.

An even bigger surprise — even to those who know that Mondrian spent the last three-and-a-half years of his life in New York — should be that the famous Dutch painter was buried in Brooklyn. Last month, two New York based artists and friends, the abstract British painter Paul Pagk and the internationally acclaimed sculptor Leonardo Drew, made it their mission to search for Mondrian’s grave in. It was after Pagk visited Drew’s new studio in Cypress Hills that both men decided on their quest. Pagk recalls: “I went out to see Leonardo without any intention of seeing Piet Mondrian’s grave let alone the one of Harry Houdini, which is in the nearby Machpelah Cemetery. Two magi-cians: Harry Houdini freed his body from chains and strait jackets, and Piet Mondrian freed minds through paint.”

Even with map in hand, it proved a dif-fi cult task to locate what Drew described as “the fi nal resting place of one of our very own, art god Piet Mondrian.” He remembers: “It was hot and we began to realize as we walked up and down the rolling hills of tombstones that this could take a while. So we thumbed a ride (from within the cemetery believe it or not) from another lost soul. After getting him thoroughly lost, we got closer to our goal…” Pagk remembers that the girl at the front desk of the cemetery said that Mondrian was

buried in a “very old part of the cemetery,” adding: “Old I thought; 1944 isn’t that old, maybe she meant poor?”

Labeled number 1191, on plot block 51, Mondrian’s grave turned out to be marked by a bland headstone. It was one among many identical ones, which are arranged in long rows. “It certainly wasn’t very exuberant,” Pagk explains. “Every stone was the same in

rows similar to his paintings, organized in a grid. All that there was inscribed was ‘Piet Mondrian 1872 – 1944.’ No paint brushes were left for him, nothing, not even a tube of lead white or lamb black. Missing were also the primary colors — no one came.”

While Mondrian himself might have appreciated the grid-like arrangement of the gravestones and the simplicity of this sec-tion, Pagk and Drew found themselves awed by the insignifi cance of the graveside. One cannot help but wonder if Mondrian was to be buried in The Netherlands or Paris, would his grave be more signifi cant? Pagk sums it up: “Thousands pass in front of his paintings at MOMA and here, no one. If you didn’t know, who Piet Mondrian was, you certainly wouldn’t pay much attention to this specifi c headstone. It’s too plain.” But there is something well worth discovering here. Pagk explains: What really struck me here were his dates. When one thinks about Piet Mondrian’s work, one thinks of his signature style — which came about between the late 1910s and 1921. That means he was already 48. Beautiful!!!”

It is depressing to know that the grave of one of the most important artists of the 20th Century has almost vanished into anonymity — but it should be encouraging that great-ness is not necessarily something that needs to be achieved as a younger adult.

Remembered at MOMA, forgotten at the cemeteryTwo NY artists track down the grave of Piet Mondrian

Photo by Paul Pagk

Mondrian’s lonely, nondescript headstone

*Networking space is reserved on a first come first served basis. Exhibitors are pre-qualified by the business expo coordinators. ©2009 Capital One. Capital One is a federally registered service mark. All rights reserved. Capital One Bank is an equal credit opportunity lender.

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Page 24: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

June 5 - 11, 200924 downtown express

ADVERTISEMENT

NOTICE TO BIDDERSThe Director of Supply Chain of New York Downtown Hospital (“NYDH”) invites submission of bids by qualified trade contractors for construction at NYDH’s Lower Manhattan facility. NYDH is planning a number of construction projects over the coming months related to modernization and new program initiatives. These projects are funded in part by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development through the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and by the New York Department of Health through a HEAL Grant. All bidders must complete a prequalification questionnaire and be deemed qualified by NYDH to work in a hospital and clinical environment in order to be considered for bid award. Sealed bids will be received on behalf of NYDH by NYDH’s construction manager, Michael Anthony Contracting Corporation (“MACC”) as set forth below for the following work:

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New York Downtown Hospitaland Michael AnthonyContracting Corporation areEqual Opportunity Employers.

“OWL AND THE SPARROW” (-) Regrettably, this fi lm did not come close to

providing an enjoyable evening of entertain-ment at the theater.

I wanted to see the picture because, like most Americans, I am fascinated with Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, my sister took care of a Vietnamese child who had been injured in that war. He lived with her and her family in their Orange County, New York home for about a year before returning to Vietnam. Not long ago, she visited him in Vietnam where he now has his own family. When I was a mem-ber of the City Council (1966-1968), I pro-posed a bill that would allow some Vietnamese children from the North and South to receive medical care in New York City’ municipal hospitals. It never became law.

The “Owl and the Sparrow” is a poorly concocted fairy tale involving the lives of three Vietnamese individuals. Ten-year-old Thuy (Pham Thi Han) who has no parents, works for her uncle making bamboo trinkets. Feeling abused, she runs away from his home. Lan (Cat Ly) is a 26-year-old airline stewardess who is having an affair with a married man. The third main character, Hai (Le The Lu), takes care of an elephant at a local zoo. He is distraught by the news that the zoo intends to sell the elephant to a zoo in India in order to reduce its expenses.

The storyline of how the lives of the three

individuals intertwine and how their issues are resolved is crudely portrayed, and the fi nale is unbelievable. One truly enjoyable aspect of the fi lm is the performance of Pham Thi Han. She is a wonderful actress and indeed could be the Shirley Temple of Vietnam in the making. On the other hand, some of the kids who did a wonderful job in “Slumdog Millionaire” are not doing so well in India. (In Vietnamese, with English subtitles.)

“O’HORTEN” (-)The fi lm’s principal character is Odd

Horten (Baard Owe). After 40 years of ser-vice as an engineer on the Oslo-Bergen line railroad in Norway, Horten reaches mandatory retirement at 67. I did not fi nd his adventures following that departure to be exciting, nor did I draw any inner meaning from them that audiences might fi nd useful in conducting their daily lives.

In his New York Times review, A.O. Scott eloquently described “O’Horten” as “made up of meticulously constructed, deadpan scenes that turn on Keatonesque visual jokes. The slightly anachronistic mood and décor, as if we had wandered into a neighborhood untouched since sometime in the middle of the 20th cen-tury, shows clear affi nities with the work of Aki Kaurismaki of Finland, many of whose charac-ters are more dissolute versions of Horten.”

I’m either like the boy in “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” or I’m simply unable to appre-ciate a thoughtful story that most fi lm critics seemed to enjoy. As I watched the movie I thought of the old axiom — this is like watching grass grow. For me, “O’Horten” was an hour and a half of absolute boredom.

(In Norwegian, with English subtitles)

BY TRAV S.D.Frequently, an actor is called upon to

carry a picture; less often, is he asked to be the picture.

Such is the case with Sam Rockwell in “Moon,” a sci-fi one-hander in the tradition of “THX-1138.” “Countdown” and long stretches of “2001: A Space Odyssey” — not to mention the song “Space Oddity” by writer-director Duncan Jones’s father: David Bowie.

Rockwell plays Sam Bell, the lone human inhabitant of a lunar mining facility (aside from an infuriatingly calm robot named GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey). We are already suspecting that Sam is going a little space-happy when he has an accident that seems to push him over the edge. He wakes up in the base’s infi rmary only to discover another version of himself now inhabiting the station. Is this second edition of himself a clone? The result of a time warp? A hal-lucination? GERTY will never tell. But the suspicion that Sam’s greedy bosses back on earth are somehow behind it all is never far away.

Rockwell acquits himself admirably in the sink-or-swim role,

by turns heartbreaking and hilarious as he interacts with what is essentially

an empty room. Equally rewarding, though, is the world he is given to inhabit

— which in the tradition of Ridley Scott’s “Alien” is more plausibly mundane than fantastical, casting an illusion of realism over a world that has never existed. Sad-sack Sam’s lunar workspace is the ultimate corporate cubicle (one with a fourth wall), rife with coffee mugs, post-its, and pictures of the family. In one of the more delightful touches, he watches old (now very old) episodes of “Bewitched.”

Combined with Jones’s realization of the silvery-grey, dusty lunar surface (a vision which seems to have benefi ted from more than a few hours of research in the NASA archives), the recognizable work environment conspires to trick us into believing we are watching our own future. That — and the political vision of an affl u-ent society being built on the backs of workers cruelly used beyond your wildest imagination.

Lonely lunar worker: gone looney?Son of Bowie creates his own space oddity

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell

MOONopens: June 12th at AMC Empire and Sunshine Theaters, NYC

Directed by Duncan Jones

KOCH ON FILM

FILM

Page 25: June 5, 2009 Downtown Express

downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 25

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CLASSES INTRODUCTORY ART WORKSHOPS Are you thinking about taking an art class, but not sure what you want to take? Come to the art work-shops, try out a class before committing to a full course and make an artwork to take home. Pottery, Cartooning, Drawing and Photo-grams $15 per workshop The Educational Alliance Art School 197 East Broadway 212-780-2300 x 428 edalliance.org/artschool

ADULT FITNESS PROGRAM Yoga at 9:15 A.M. on Mondays, Zumba at 7 P.M. on Mondays and Thursdays and Total Body Workout on Tuesdays at 9 A.M. Free trial classes, Downtown Community Cen-ter, 120 Warren St., manhattanyouth.org. DANCE AND PILATES Ballet, jazz, tango, hip-hop, and modern dance classes offered for all levels. $16/class, discounts for multiples. Ongoing, Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers St.) 2nd Floor. 212-279-4200, dnadance.org.

DOWNTOWN BOATHOUSE Offers a number of kayaking classes and trips for a variety of levels. Go to the Park office and get an identification card (cost $9), which is needed for any class in the park. Ongo-ing. 241 W. Broadway, 646-613-0740,DOWNTOWNBOATHOUSE.ORG

TABLE TENNIS TRAINING PRO-GRAM Table tennis training and play to players of all skill levels, and provide a venue for players of all ages to come together, enjoy the sport, and build new friendships. Mon.-Fri., 10 A.M.-1 P.M. $100 a year for people ages 6-15 and 50 and older, $200 for others. American Asian Cultural Center of Tribeca, 384 Broadway, lower level. 646-772-2922.

N E W B E G I N N I N G S C H A I R YOGA Trinity Church’s seniors group meets for one hour of gentle yoga while seated. 10-11A.M. Ongoing. Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall St. 212-602-0747, trinitywallstreet.org.

S U M M E R D E T O X & W E I G H T LOSS Free health talk from Dr. Lou

Gregory about the right and healthy way to lose weight and keep it off just in time for summer. June 16, 7 P.M. Tribeca Chi-ropractic PLLC, 249 W Broadway 2B. 212-226-6320

SUPPORT GROUP FOR FIRST-TIME MOTHERS Join parenting experts, Drs. Ann Chanler and Nancy Carroll-Freeman, and other new mothers to voice your thoughts and feelings and find support and encouragement. $25 per group. Thursdays 10-11 A.M. Tribeca Pediatrics, 46 Warren Street. 212-219-9984

WEIGHTWATCHERS Weekly meet-ings to help motivate you and keep you focused. Stop dieting and start living! Come and meet our friendly group and new leader. From $9 per week. Tuesday afternoons at 3.30pm. Doors open from 3.00pm for weigh in. Caring Community Room, Level 2, 310 Greenwich St. Entry at side of building next to Washington Mar-ket Park.646-673-5096.

DANCEDANCEWAVE SPRING CELEBRA-TION Dancewave’s Kids Company, under the artistic direction of Diane Jacobowitz, showcase their latest repertory work. $25 adults / $12 kids and teens 18 and under 2 P.M. June 7. Acclaimed modern dance choreographers, emerging artists, and special guests perform for the Fundraiser Concert to follow at 7 P.M. $75, $55, $40 / $20 kids and teens 18 and under. Tribeca Performance Arts Center 199 Chambers Street718.522.4696, www.dancewave.org

ZVIDANCE Lower Manhattan Cultural Council launches the summer and the River to River Festival with the first of the series of site-specific performanc-es- “White” by ZviDance at the annual opening weekend of Governors Island. “White”, performed on Fort Jay, high-lights its historical significance and eerie sense of abandonment in a provocative and unexpected way. Free. June 6,7, 13. 3.30 and 4.30 P.M. Fort Jay, Governors Island. Governors Island Ferry-Battery

Maritime Building at 4 South Street. 212-219-9401 ext 118 lmcc.net/sidelines

EVENTSFIRST ANNUAL DOG WASH Help improve Warren Street Dog Park and make it both dog and owner friendly and raise money for nighttime lighting, waste bag dispensers, a year round water foun-tain and signage displaying park rules. Dog wash, raffle prizes and more. $20 donation. June 6th, rain date June 13th. 8 A.M – 12 P.M. Warren Street Dog Park. dogownersoftribeca.com

FREE HEARING SCREENINGS AT THE LEAGUE FOR THE HARD OF HEAR-ING Every Wed. from 12-2 P.M. and every Thurs. from 4-6 P.M.. Call or email to schedule an appointment. LEAGUE FOR THE HARD OF HEARING, 50 Broadway, 6th Fl. 917-305-7766, [email protected].

35TH ANNUAL STUDENT RECITAL AT THE NY CHINESE CULTURAL CEN-TER Dance and art come together as students present the traditional Red Ribbon Dance, Ballet and Tai Chi as well as visually inspiring Dunhuang. $20, $15 for groups 10+. June 28, 2 P.M. BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center-199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich and West St.) For tickets call: 212-220-1460 tribecapac.org

5 0 & B E Y O N D C O M M U N I T Y EXPO This event, presented by the Lower Manhattan Health Care Coalition targets people over 50 years old and addresses issues affecting them, includ-ing stress management, financial plan-ning, volunteering, sleeping well without medication, healthy aging, diabetes management, and eating for energy. Free. June 14, 11A.M-4:00 P.M. PS 20, located at 166 Essex Street (between Houston and Stanton Streets) 212-374-4100.

PUBLIC SAILS ABOARD 1885 SCHOO-NER PIONEER Enjoy spectacular views of the New York Harbor from the deck of the historic ship. Tuesdays-Fridays: 3-5PM, 4-6PM and 7-9PM, Saturdays-

Sundays: 1-3PM, 4-6PM, 7-9PM. Prices: 4-6PM and 7-9PM sails: Adults $35, Stu-dent/Seniors $30m Children 12 and under $25. 1-3PM and 3-5PM sails: Adults $25, Student/Seniors $20, Children 12 and under $15. Members receive $5 discount. Reservations suggested. South Street Seaport. Pier 16. 212-748-8786 south-streetseaportmuseum.org

VOLLEYBALL AFTER WORK Leave your workday behind and join other adults for good-natured, fun and cooperative pick-up games of volleyball on the beau-tiful outdoor Esplanade Plaza. Everyone gets to play! No experience necessary! Free. Esplanade Plaza (access: Liberty Street) Wednesdays, June 3 through September 30. 6 P.M. to 7.30 P.M. 212.267.9700 bpcparks.org

SOUTHBRIDGE TOWERS COMMUNI-TY YARD SALE Will take place 10 A.M –5 P.M.on June 5 and 6 in the courtyard off Fulton & Pearl streets.

EXHIBITSBLACK&WHITE WORKS The group exhibition will highlight a diverse range of black & white artworks in varying media. Opening Reception: June 6, 6-8 P.M. Ron-ald Feldman Fine Arts, 31 Mercer Street, 212.226.3232 feldmangallery.com

BEAUTY SURROUNDS US Featur-ing an elaborate Quechua girl’s dance outfit, a Northwest Coast chief’s staff with carved animal figures and crests, Seminole turtle shell dance leggings, a conch shell trumpet from pre-Columbian Mexico, and an Inupiak (Eskimo) ivory cribbage board. Two interactive media stations show visitors in-depth descrip-tions of each object. Ongoing through March 2010. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, One Bowl-ing Green, 212-514-3700, nmai.si.eduBITTER SWEET BY ARLENE GOT-TFRIED This collection of Gottfried's work, which reflects the intricacies of the street photography genre today, blurs the lines of conceptual and documentary pho-

tography in her mix of personal and public musings of New York City and its people. June 2 through July 4, opening reception June 2 6-8 P.M. Gallery Hours: Wednes-day thru Sunday, 1-6 P.M., and by appoint-ment. 15 White Street. 212.662.5532 Sohophoto.com

J O H N K E L LY - T H E M I R R O R STAGES:SELF PORTRAITS 1979-2009 An unknown area of artistic expression of an enigmatic performance artist is presented in the from of self- por-traits-drawings, paintings, photographs and video. Through June 26. Alexander Gray Associates.526 W 26th Street. 212-399-2636. alexandergray.com

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK As Manhattan’s oldest surviving building, 54 Pearl Street has witnessed nearly 300 years of the city’s history. Ongoing. $4, $3 seniors and children under 18, and free to children under six. Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl St. 212-425-1776, frauncestavernmuseum.com.

MARINE ECOLOGY ABOARD 1885 SCHOONER PIONEER Learn about the creatures that inhabit the local harbor estu-ary, harbor water quality, and what is being done to maintain this valuable ecosystem. $30 adults / $25 students & seniors / $20 children 12 and under / Members receive a $5 discount. South Street Seaport, Pier 16 (Programs Afloat) 212-748-8786 south-streetseaportmuseum.org

RE:CONSTRUCTION Bridges the efforts of public partners and the creative community to improve the quality of life in Lower Manhattan through the creation of places of attraction. The three-pilot proj-ects are “Best Pedestrian Route” (John St, east of Bway), “Fulton Fence” (Fulton St east of Bway), and “Concrete Jungle” (Bway, bet. John & Ann St.). Ongoing, see reconstructionnyc.org

PEACE AND LOVE GROUP EXHIBI-TION Jennifer Jo Contini: Downtown Girl. Contemporary expressionist painter leads group art exhibition in TriBeCa. Pro-ceeds of the art sold benefit the Gilda’s

Club NY – a cancer charity. June 4. 5-7 P.M. Peace & Love Café in TriBeCa, 378 Greenwich St. 917.952.0708

W O M A N O F L E T T E R S : I R È N E NÉMIROVSKY AND SUITE FRAN-ÇAISE The exhibit examines the life, work, and legacy of this enthralling, often controversial, literary figure. Now extended through. August 30 $12 adults, $10 seniors, $7 students, children under 12 free. Museum of Jewish Heritage 36 Battery Place 646-437-4202, mjhnyc.org

WOMEN OF WALL STREET The exhi-bition showcases notable women in the world of finance and Wall Street, both historically and in modern times. Opening reception June 9, 5.30- 7 P.M. Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall Street, 212.908.4110 financialhistory.org

MUSICMUSIC ON THE OVAL This unique out-door summer concert series that will bring the sweet sounds of rock, funk, reggae, and soul to the famed Stuyvesant Town Oval every Wednesday night from June 10 – July 15. Free. 7 P.M. pre-show 6 P.M. The Stuyvesant Town Oval- between 16th and 18th Streets and Avenues A & B (the entrance is off First Avenue and 16th Street) 212-598-5296 stuytown.com

PIANO SINGS INTIMATE CONVERSA-TIONS Enjoy an evening of solo piano at the South Street Seaport. Presented by Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art’s Seaport Salon. Starring Alva Nelson, directed by Imani. $20. Discounts avail-able. Through Sunday, June 7th. Fridays and Saturdays at 7.30 P.M. Sundays at 5 P.M. Shooting Star Theater, 40 Peck Slip at the South Street Seaport. 917-239-6690

THEATER SUMMERWORKS FESTIVAL OF NEW

THE LISTINGS

Listingscontinued on page 27

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June 5 - 11, 200926 downtown express

APTS FOR RENT!

Studios $2,000 1 bdrms $2,800 Conv. $3,200

189 Sullivan Street

K V N Y

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PIZZA PIESNeapolitan 16.75Sicilian 12 slices 25.00Chicago 16.75Small Neapolitan 13.00Mini Pie 7.50LARGE SELECTION OF TOPPINGS 3.75 Each

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CALZONES 6.50 topping 1.75

SELECTION OF APPETIZERS, SOUPS & SIDES (see full menu)

SALADSHouse Salad 6.50Caesar Salad 12.00Grilled Chicken 10.00Spinach Salad 5.75/8.50Greek Salad 5.75/8.50Pasta Salad 5.75/8.50Caesar with Chicken 7.50/10.00

HOMEMADE MACARONIRavioli 11.00Baked Ziti 11.00Lasagna 11.75

HOT PLATESCHICKENEggplant Parmigiana 13.00Chicken Parmigiana 13.00Chicken Marsala 14.00Chicken Francaise 14.00Chicken Sorrentino 14.00VEALVeal Milanese or Parmigiana 14.75Veal Marsala 14.75ROLATINIChicken Rolatini 14.75SEAFOODFried Calamari (appetizer 10.00) 15.00Shrimp Scampi 15.00Calamari & Linguini (red sauce) 15.00Grilled Salmon 15.00

HOT HERO SANDWICHESChicken Parmigiana 8.75Chicken Cutlet 8.75Sausage & Peppers 8.75Potato & Egg 8.75Eggplant Parmigiana 8.75Meatball Parmigiana 8.75Veal Cutlet Parmigiana 10.00Grilled Marinated Chicken 8.75Chicken, Mozzarella & Lemon 8.75Italian Philly Cheese Steak 8.75

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You can earn approximately $1479.

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downtown express June 5 - 11, 2009 27

DEADLINE WEDNESDAY 5:00PM MAIL 145 SIXTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10013 TEL 646.452.2485 FAX 212.229.2790DOWNTOWNCLASSIFIEDS

DENTISTSFINANCIAL

Apartment WANTED to BUY or RENT

Large Studio inLower Manhattan,

UWS or Hells Kitchen.

Please e-mail medetails/photos to:

[email protected]

APARTMENT RENTALSFRENCH RIVIERA. Charming town-

house, authentic village Gorges du Loup, France, near Nice, Cannes, Grasse. Breathtaking views, 2 bdrm, 2 bath

$1250/wk. Available year round, turn key furnished. 941-363-0925

TUTORINGDoes your child need

help with school work? I am an energetic, creative,

compassionate, organized, reliable andexperienced NYS Certified teacher with

a Masters degree in Education fromNYU. Affordable tutoring is available for

all ages and levels of students in allareas of english, math, social studies

and study skills.Please contact me at 917-952-5849,

or at [email protected].

Residential MortgageCompetitive Rate CDsLow-fee Wire TransfersKids’ SavingsLow Minimum Balance for Checking& Passbook Savings Accounts

202 Canal St., New York, NY 10013(212) 238-8208

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WRITING SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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PETS

LANGUAGE CLASSESAre you interested in Learning

Spanish or Japanese? Reasonable Rates

Call: Mauricio Lorence 718-789-0430

Action Letters - $10-$15Well-written, low cost, betterletters fix any business or job

problem. Key-Rite 212-587-3934

My Teacup Yorkie Terrier & EnglishBulldog puppy for adoption which is AKC

registered. Interested person shouldemail Rev. Alan Walker through

[email protected]

TriBeCa - Laight & Washington StreetsFor Lease: Approx 4000SF, groundfloor,

M15/TMU/Area B-2 zone district.Conforming uses (wholesale/manuf)

NO Retail. Ask $50/SF.Call: 212-508-7334

Resume-Write $20-40Best Buy in NYC! Get hired with

fast revamped/reworded makeover212-385-9363 or resume-riter.com

TRAVELPROVENCE,south of France.”The

Painter’s Brush” art tour.Don’t missthis rare opportunity to see Picasso

chateau plus Picasso-Cezanne exhibit; fully escorted exclusive excursion Aix en Provence. Sept 13-20, 2009, excellent

accomodations,private art lectures,renowned vineyard, visits with localcelebrities. Les Baux de Provence,

St Remy, Picasso-Cezanne-Van Gogh-Renoir. Fantastique!

www.frenchtraveler.com800-251-3464

PLAYS Obie-Award winning Clubbed Thumb proudly presents Summerworks 2009, 14th annual festival of new plays. The festival’s three shows will run Sun-days-Saturdays 8 P.M.(except Wednes-days). Punkplay written by Gregory Moss and directed by Davis McCallum, plays June 7 - 13, Precious Little, written by Madeleine George and directed by Hal Brooks, plays June 14 – 20 and Telethon, written by Kristin Newbom and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, plays June 21 – 27. $18 (adult), $15 (student) theaterMania.com, 212-352-3101 for tickets. June 3 to 27, Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster Street (between Spring & Broome) 212-802-8007 clubbedthumb.org.

S H A K E S P E A R E ’ S T W E L F T H NIGHT Queens Shakespeare makes its Manhattan debut with an encore engagement of it acclaimed produc-tion of William Shakespeare’s roman-

tic comedy classic. $15. June 17-27, Wednesday-Saturday 7 P.M., Saturday matinees 3 P.M. The Flea Theater- 41 White Street (between Broadway & Church) 212-352-3101 theflea.org

TOMANDO CAFE This theatrical scrapbook of a black Puerto Rican wom-an’s family in the 1950s is told through magical realism, storytelling, myth, poetry and music, with a liberal dose of strongly brewed coffee. Written, composed and performed by Subway Diva Rosateresa Castro-Vargas. Gen-eral admission $12. June 11-28 Thurs.-Sat. 8 P.M Suns 3 P.M. Theater for the New City 155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Streets) 212.254.1109 theaterforthenewcity.net.

READINGS AND TALKS

WE REMEMBER WITH REVERENCE

AND LOVE:AMERICAN JEWS AND THE MYTH OF SILENCE AFTER THE HOLOCAUST Author Hasia R. Diner will discuss her compelling book, bringing new insight to the topic of the indifference of American Jews to the atrocities of the Holocaust. $5, free for members. Get tickets online or call 646.437.4202. June 24, 7 P.M. Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memo-rial to the Holocaust Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place 646-437-4339 mjhnyc.org

HARBOR VOICES Book signing and a meeting with the author of “Harbor Voices” put together with a walking tour of the historic district of South Street Seaport makes an afternoon to remember. Children can create and decorate their very own tug model that actually floats! Free admission from 5-9pm. June 19, 508 P.M. South Street Seaport Museum 12 Fulton St. 212-748-8786 southstreetseaportmuseum.org

TOURS GOURMET WALKING TOUR OF T R I B E C A Vi s i t Tr i b e c a ’s m o s t delightful gastronomic destinations. Stop at gourmet stores, wine and cheese shops, bakeries and more. Taste samples and get an inside look at new products. Francine Segan, noted food historian and guides the tour. $25. June 19, 11 A.M.- 1 P.M. Meet at 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street at Canal Street. 212.601.1000 92ytribeca.org

P U B L I C A R T W A L K I N G TOURS LMCC offers a series of three self-guided audio tours exploring pub-lic art downtown. Titled “Art and Secu-rity,” “Art and the Body,” and “Monu-ments and Memory,” the 45-minute tours are narrated by Perry Garvin and William Smith. Download the free tours to your iPod or other MP3 player and start walking. lmcc.net

WALL STREET WALKING TOUR Free 90-minute guided walking tour weaving together the history, events, architecture and people of downtown. Thurs. and Sat. at noon. Meet at the steps of the Nation-al Museum of the American Indian. One Bowling Green, Alliance for Downtown NY, 212-606-4064, downtownny.com

M U S E U M A T E L D R I D G E STREET Guided tours led by historian-trained docents tell the story of the 1887 landmark synagogue, and illuminate the experience of the East European Jewish immigrants who settled on the LES in the late 19th century. Sun.-Thurs., 10 A.M.-4 P.M. $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children Museum Of Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge St. 212-219-0888, eldridgestreet.org

LAST CHANCE

SUNSET SINGING CIRCLE An

o p p o r t u n i t y f o r p e o p l e t o g e t together and sing in a casual and welcoming atmosphere. Free. June 5, 12 and 26, 7 – 8:30 P.M Battery P a r k C i t y P a r k s C o n s e r v a n c y, 2 South End Ave. 212-267-9700, bpc-parks.org

AND DON’T FORGET…

L I S T I N G S R E Q U E S T S f o r t h e Downtown Express may be mailed to L is t ings Ed i tor at 145 Avenue o f t h e A m e r i c a s , N e w Yo r k , N Y 10013-1548 o r e -ma i led to l i s t -i n g s e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m . P l e a s e include listings in the subject line of the e-mail and provide the date, time, location, price and a descrip-tion of the event. Information must be received two weeks before the even t i s to be pub l i shed . Ques -tions, call 646-452-2472.

THE LISTINGSListings

continued from page 25

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June 5 - 11, 200928 downtown express

PORT

FRESH BAKED

FRESH CUT

FRES H P I CKED

NOW OPEN AT T HE SEAPORTFRIDAYS A N D SAT U R DAYS FR OM 10AM - 6 PM

BREAD ALONEEuropean-style, organic breads and hand-crafted pastries from the Hudson Valley.

BREEZY HILL ORCHARD & KNOLL KREST FARM Pears, apples, cider, eggs, fresh pasta, and baked goods from Rhinebeck, NY.

CUPCAKEXPRESSNamed #1 cupcake by the NY Post! Made daily with 100% butter, 100% love.

FLORA PERFECTACut roses, lilies and stock flowers, grown outside New Paltz, New York.

HOBOKEN FARMSCreamy mozzarella, homemade ravioli, crusty bread, and gourmet entrees.

IL BRIGANTEImported Italian specialties plus homemade sauces, dishes and more.

NEW YORK WINESTANDA rotating roster of winegrowers from across New York State plus chef demonstrations.

SANG LEE FARMSOrganic greens, mesclun mixes, heirloom tomatoes, chutneys, and soups from the North Fork of Long Island.

SHORE CATCHFresh, local catch straight to market from Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

STONY HILL FARM MARKETFruits, vegetables, plants, and baked goods from the Garden State.

VALLEY SHEPHERD CREAMERYArtisan cheese, yogurt and lamb from Long Valley, New Jersey.

YUMMY COFFEEFair trade, organic and rainforest-alliance certified coffees, roasted in NYC, all profits donated to the autism community.

Visit Our Purveyors on Historic South Street between Fulton and Beekman Streets