our town december 29, 2011

December 29, 2011 Since 1970

News: Eastside ParkUnder Assault Page 7

2012 PREDICTIONSTHE END IS NEAR? NOT SO MUCH.

POLITICIANS, PUNDITS AND COMMUNITY

LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE YEAR AHEAD

» DONALD TRUMP RUNS FOR PRESIDENT » DONALD TRUMP RUNS FOR PRESIDENT »

» INTRODUCING THE » INTRODUCING THE »$122 METRO CARD » NEW YORK METS WIN THE WORLD SERIES

» NEW YORK METS WIN THE WORLD SERIES»

2012 PREDICTIONSTHE END IS NEAR? NOT SO MUCH.

+ Columbus Circle315W 57th St212-315-2330NOW OPEN!

+ Flatiron District37W 23rd St

COMING SOON!

+ UpperWest Side2465 Broadway212-721-2111NOW OPEN!

+ Upper East Side336E 86th St212-772-3627 www.CityMD.net

WE'RE NEVER CLOSED FOR THEHOLIDAYS.OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR.

2 • OUR TOWN • December 29, 2011 NEWS YOU LIVE BY

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

STAY UPTOWN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

You don’t have to drag yourself down-town or, heaven forbid, to Times Square on New Year’s Eve to have a blast. Here are just a few ways to ring in 2012 in the comfort of the Upper East Side.

Midnight Run in Central ParkThe Emerald Nuts Midnight Run kicks

off at the stroke of 12 from Central Park’s 72nd Street Transverse just south of Cherry Hill. Runners proceed around a four-mile course, heading east and north before looping around at the 102nd Street Transverse and finishing back at 72nd Street. The brave-legged can still register for the race at New York Road Runners headquarters (9 E. 89th St.), and while times aren’t recorded for this fun run, it does count as one of the nine required races for NYRR members to automati-cally qualify for the 2012 NYC marathon. For those more interested in celebrating on the sidelines, there’s a DJ and dancing at 10 p.m. at the Bandshell followed by a costume contest at 11 p.m. The race kicks off with fireworks and a laser light show at midnight. More info at nyrr.org.

Uptown Dance Party

Great news: You don’t have to go to the Meatpacking District to kick it club style on New Year’s Eve. The 92nd Street Y is hosting the Millenium Dance Party, an evening of Latin, classic, new-style hustle and West Coast swing dancing with party hostess Lori Brizzi and a team of fantas-tic DJs. The first portion of the night is reserved for mixed ballroom dancing, with lessons from 8–9 p.m. and sashaying around until 10 p.m., then the club beats start and last until 2 a.m.

If you’d rather stay low-key until the big 12 hits, there’s also a concert in Kaufmann Hall by the Knights Orchestra, featuring a champagne toast at intermis-sion. Your concert ticket gets you a $20 entrance to the dance party, which will still be going strong at Buttenwieser Hall afterward. 1395 Lexington Ave., $35 in advance, $50 at the door. Cash bar until 1 a.m. More info at 92y.org.

Wallet-Friendly Bar NightBrother Jimmy’s, the barbecue and

beer joint whose original Upper East Side location is at 1485 Second Ave., between East 77th and 78th streets, with another outpost uptown at The Baitshack, 1644

Third Ave. at East 92nd Street, is the per-fect low-key, low-cost destination. They’re serving up their regular menu and have a no-cover cash bar evening, with $3 drafts of Bud and Bud Light from 7 p.m. to mid-night. The Baitshack also boasts live band karaoke. More info at brotherjimmys.com.

Fun With the KiddiesFor those who want to celebrate with

little ones in tow, the Big Apple Circus is putting on a special New Year’s Eve per-formance at Lincoln Center. Following their 9:30 p.m. presentation of “Dream Big,” complete with music, juggling, mag-ic, acrobatics and animals, there will be live music as kids are invited to dance in the ring, grab goody bags and toast a glass of sparkling cider (champagne for the grown ups) at midnight. Kids tickets from $25, adults from $50, children under 3 who can fit on laps are free. Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 165 W. 65th St. More info at bigapplecircus.org.

FREE FITNESS FOR SENIORS AT THE LIBRARY

The 67 Street Branch of the New York Public Library holds free exercise classes for seniors every week. On Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 12 p.m., class leaders trained by the Department for the Aging take seniors through a series of moves focusing on strength, balance and flexibility. No special equipment or cloth-ing required. On Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m., the library hosts a knitting group where anyone can drop in to work on projects or help with the “sock dolls for charity” project. All materials and knit-ting needles provided. 328 E. 67th St., call 212-734-1717 for more info.

KELLNER HAILS NEW TAXI BILL

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the long-awaited and much-debated taxi bill last week after negotiating specific terms with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and agreeing to include provisions for an increase in handicapped accessible vehi-cles. Upper East Side Assembly Member Micah Kellner, a vocal disability rights advocate who has been pushing for a more accessible taxi fleet, expressed his approval of the bill after loudly criticizing the Bloomberg administration’s previous ideas on how to overhaul the taxi system.

“This is a taxi agreement we all can hail. I applaud Governor Cuomo for once

again championing the civil rights of a disenfranchised community,” Kellner said in a statement. “Not only does this plan add thousands of accessible vehi-cles to our city’s streets, but it forces the city to develop a long-term plan that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

The new bill will add 1,500 medallions to the taxi fleet, all of which would be

required to be fully accessible, bringing the total percentage of accessible taxis from 1.7 percent to 12 percent, and will also add 6,000 new livery cab street hail medallions, 1,200 of which will be acces-sible. The bill also allows all livery cabs to pick up street hails in the outer bor-oughs and northern Manhattan. The city estimates that the sales of the new medal-lions will bring in $1 billion in revenue.

LIgHTINg THE WORLd’S LARgEST MENORAH

tapped in

With the help of artist Ron Agam, Upper East Sider Andrew Scharf lights the giant menorah on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in celebration of Hannakah.

Notes from the Neighborhood

and

rew

schw

artz

CRIME CHECKWeekly, monthly and year-to-date crime stats from the 19th Precinct, on the East Side from 59th to 96th streets

Source: Compstat

Year to Date

2011 2010 % change

Murder 2 1 100

Rape 15 15 0

Robbery 136 141 -3.5

Felony Assault 107 93 15.1

Burglary 237 229 3.5

Grand Larceny 1,189 1,228 -3.2

Grand Larceny Auto 81 88 -8.0

TOTAL 1,767 1,795 -1.56

(Week to Date Dec. 12 to Dec. 18) 28 Day

2011 2010 % change 2011 2010 % change

Murder 0 0 ***.* 0 0 ***.*

Rape 1 1 0 2 2 0

Robbery 3 4 -25.0 15 21 -28.6

Felony Assault 1 3 -66.7 7 7 0

Burglary 4 2 100.0 10 11 -9.1

Grand Larceny 32 31 3.2 115 109 5.5

Grand Larceny Auto 2 1 100 8 5 60

TOTAL 43 42 2.38 157 155 1.29

O u r To w n N Y. c o m D e c e m b e r 2 9 , 2 0 1 1 • O U R T O W N • 3

+ No Appointment Needed+ Emergency Room Doctor On-Site+ Serving Children & Adults+ Most Insurance Accepted+ Ready:

365 Days a Year8am-10pmWeekdays9am-9pmWeekends

WE'RE NEVER CLOSEDFOR THEHOLIDAYS.

OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR.

www.CityMD.net

NOWOPEN!+ UpperWest Side2465 Broadway212-721-2111

+ Upper East Side336E 86th St212-772-3627

NOW OPEN!+ Columbus Circle315W 57th St212-315-2330

COMING SOON!+ Flatiron District37W 23rd St


By Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

We asked some Upper East Side leaders to look into their crys-tal balls for 2012 and tell us what we can expect for the

upcoming year. Here are some of their prognostications.

COMMUNITY Mark Thompson,

chair of Community Board 6

The East Side’s waterfront dream will become real as plans for the former Con Edison Pier park are completed.

East Siders will start envisioning the caissons as the start of the Esplanade rather than the leftovers from the FDR reconstruction project. As the focus shifts to creating more green space, peo-ple will come up with more ideas for pub-lic spaces and parks throughout the com-munity, making the East Side even more beautiful.

Our new elementary school will open on First Avenue, helping to temporarily relieve overcrowding. Enthused by the new school, parents and local residents will find a way to plan for another much-needed school.

Pub crawlers will realize that it really is possible to go out, have lots of fun and not trash our neighborhoods. People will be able to sleep at night and our overworked police will breathe a sigh of relief.

The city will tell us they were only teasing and the water main won’t be forced down 58th Street.

A coming together of private citizens, corpo-rations, government and civic angels will help alleviate the problem of homelessness here in the heart of the world’s greatest city.

Tara Kelly, executive director of Friends of the Upper East Side

Historic Districts

The Barbizon Hotel will be designated as a landmark.

The City & Suburban First Avenue Estate hardship application [which would strip its current landmark status and allow for the owners to tear down the buildings and construct new ones in their places] will be denied.

Matthew Katz, president of the

Roosevelt Island

Residents Association

R o o s e v e l t Island will begin

to fill its empty storefronts with

retail shops catering to the needs of residents and

visitors.Southpoint Park will open

for its first full summer of activity. It will be wonderful!

The Four F r e e d o m s / F D R Memorial Park will be one year closer to opening.

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association will pro-duce two elections in 2012 to give Gov. Cuomo the com-

munity’s choices to fill expired seats on the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors. It’s all about government with the consent of the governed!

Residential development in Southtown will continue, expanding the population of this planned community.

And finally: The New York Mets will win the World Series. I can

dream, can’t I?

POLITICSDan Garodnick,

Upper East Side City Council member

President Obama will win reelection.Mayor Bloomberg will

step down and be replaced

by his son, Mike Bloomberg-Un.

James Franco will have a sparkling attendance record in

all his classes.The Baron Davis

signing will be turn out to be a steal for the Knicks.

The NY Giants will win the Super Bowl.

The tenants of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village will succeed in their bid to buy the property and protect it as a stable and affordable neighborhood for middle-class New Yorkers.

The “Arrested Development” movie will be shot next summer. Believe the hype.

Jessica Lappin, Upper East Side City Council member

The Democrats will keep the majority in the NY State Assembly.

FEATURE

2012 PREDICTIONSTRUMP RUNS, A $122 METRO

CARD AND THE METS TAKE

THE WORLD SERIES

Matthew Katz.

Dan Garodnick.

Jessica Lappin.

OurTownNY.com December 29, 2011 • OUR TOWN • 5

featureDonald Trump will say he’s running for

president.

Dan Quart, Upper East Side Assembly member

Ron Paul will run for presi-dent as an Independent.

The new 73rd Assembly District lines will include Yankee stadium.

Adam Lisberg, editor of City

& State (a Manhattan Media

publication)

The mayoral race will stay largely quiet. Just as the rumors always swirl about a business-backed would-be Bloomberg jumping in as a Republican, rumors will also swirl about a black or Latino chal-lenger to try to undercut Bill Thompson among Democrat primary voters. Neither will happen. The existing major candi-dates have worked too hard, scrubbed their records too clean and raised too much money to let an interloper disturb their grim dance.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not fall to earth. He is too skilled a politician to believe his own press and is too focused on the mechanics of govern-ing to let his attention wander. He knows there are forces that hope he settles into a sophomore slump, so he will stay focused on getting results and keeping on top of every potential threat. Beginner’s luck wears off, but he knows the finish line wasn’t the budget, the tax deal or gay marriage—it will be New York’s economy and job market in 2014. Or 2016.

New York’s media will stay robust and vibrant, even as more and more New Yorkers shift from reading newspa-pers and watching TV. A new iPad model and other competing tablets will give more people a reason to get their news in mobile form, not in an old format they have to buy every morning or sit down to watch. Yet the profusion of emerging sources of credible and interesting media will continue to grow—as Capital New York did, BuzzFeed might and other start-ups dream of—giving everyone in New York an explosion of good options. That’s good news for new media outlets, bad news for old media empires and scary news for journalists who hope to one day have an employer that contributes to their 401(k).

CITY LIVINGGene Russianoff, staff attorney for

The Straphangers Campaign

Sadly, the fare will go up at the end of 2012. That’s the MTA plan. Last time, in

December 2010, the 30-day unlimited MetroCard went up 17 percent.

If that happens again, be prepared for a $122 30-day

card. It’s a good time to be in the 1 percent.

There will be some good news for long-suffering bus rid-ers: You will soon be able to use your cell

or smart phone to tell how far your bus is from

your stop in real time. A new “Bus Time” program

goes Staten Island-wide in January 2012, then around the city.

“Poetry in Motion”—subway car ads featuring works from Shakespeare to Frost—will return from retirement. You may get stuck in a subway tunnel, but it will be your chance to catch up on Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson.

Doug Blonsky, president of Central Park Conservancy

New Yorkers will discover Manhattan’s Adirondacks; Central Park’s best-kept secret is its north end, but it’s a shame it’s a secret at all. The Park’s wooded north end was originally designed to give city dwellers a taste of upstate New York without having to leave Manhattan. But more than 150 years after the Park was created, many New Yorkers still aren’t aware of the scenic woodlands ripe for exploration north of 100th Street. We pre-dict that 2012 will be the year visitors dis-cover the beauty of the Park’s north end, with its tumbling cascades, leafy paths and rustic bridges.

Central Park will look different this spring. Central Park suffered two destruc-tive storms in 2011: Hurricane Irene in August and the Halloween snowstorm that cost the Park nearly 1,000 trees. The result in spring 2012 will be a thinned canopy that will both open new views to visitors and allow new undergrowth to flourish. We predict that the year ahead will remind visitors that Central Park is a living, ever-changing thing to be explored over and over again.

There will be more ways than ever for New Yorkers to make Central Park their free “staycation” destination. New Yorkers know that Central Park is the place to be on a beautiful day, whether to take a walk or lay a picnic blanket down on the Great Lawn. But there are so many ways to enjoy the Park that New Yorkers don’t realize, all at little or no cost. How many people realize they can visit Central Park and in one day go swimming, fishing and people watch with a great gourmet sandwich? With free programs and performances, inno-vative playgrounds and more food offer-ings than ever before, there’s no need to board a bus or a plane for a day trip. We predict that in 2012, New Yorkers will use Central Park as their ultimate “stay-cation” destination.

HEALTHAlicia Salzer, M.D., and Leslie Miller,

M.D., founders of Medhattan

Sustainable eating habits: 2012 is the year to stop the insanity. It’s out with fad diets and in with moderation. 2012 is the year to realize that subsisting on grape-fruits or bacon or whatever the latest trend is is not sustainable. Family meals help balance work and family while cut-ting down on unhealthy takeout. They are a time to model healthy eating for the kids and teach them that it’s worth the time to try to eat healthy.

Saving money at the expense of health: The insurance industry’s answer to rising

health care costs is to increasingly offer high-deductible plans

and catastrophic-only insurance that only cov-

ers surgery, hospital-izations and the like. This means that in 2012, tons of New Yorkers will avoid going to the doc-tor to save money.

That’s a problem because it means you

miss the chance to diag-nose problems in the early

stages and intervene before things get out of hand. We hope that

this insurance trend does not translate into people ordering prescriptions online and trying to diagnose themselves via the Internet.

Accountability: In 2012, some little talked-about habits will start to surface, namely the rampant overuse of sleep aids and painkillers. 2012 is the year to con-front these issues with honesty, discuss them with your doctor and learn to love the person you see in the mirror without

reservation. Keeping it local: All over America,

when people get sick, they take advan-tage of their neighborhood Urgent Care Center—except in New York. The Big Apple is very late in joining this national trend, yet our ER wait times are some of the longest in the country. Sixty percent of people who are in ERs don’t need to be there, and we all know how hard it is to get a same-day appointment with your doctor. Visiting an Urgent Care Center like Medhattan Immediate Medical Care is a new option in 2012 for New Yorkers who want the ease of top-notch care brought to their own immediate neigh-borhood. Hallelujah for convenience in the New Year!

REAL ESTATEGary Malin,

president of Citi Habitats

I predict a limited supply of new rental and sale product will enter the market during 2012, thus keeping properties in both categories in high demand. It’s still the Big Apple, and everyone wants a bite.

Looking at the city’s sales market, prices will remain stable and may even appreciate slightly if the economic out-look improves. However, a lot is riding on potential home buyers’ access to credit.

2012 will see a continued influx of international buyers. Despite how expen-sive we New Yorkers think our city is, it is still a value when compared to other major international locales. Furthermore, for the wealthy who live emerging econo-mies, New York real estate is seen as a safe long-term investment.

With rental prices near record highs and mortgage rates near historic lows, the city’s tight rental market will push more clients into purchasing in 2012. In fact, I believe now is a golden opportu-nity for people who have been waiting on the sidelines to purchase real estate before the economy improves and prices rise.

I predict developers will plan more “hybrid buildings” in 2012. In a difficult lending environment, buildings that mix retail, hotel, condos and rentals are a good way for developers (and banks) to hedge their bets.

Look for increased development activ-ity along the Queens waterfront and the far West Side of Manhattan. I expect these neighborhoods to be the major growth areas in 2012.

Continuing on the theme of growth in Queens, I predict that despite the loss of Beltran and Reyes, 2012 is the Mets’ year to take it all.

Adam Lisberg.

Doug Blonsky.


A Look at Our Town in 2011Any year-end

list will of course leave off some deserving entries, but here’s our list of a few of our favorite, most memorable or noteworthy cover stories throughout 2011.

Most Feedback “ C o m m u n i t y

Boards: Old and Out of Touch or Changing With the Times?” (Sept. 1)

When Borough President Scott Stringer told us he was trying to appoint younger people to community boards and CB 8 chairperson Jackie Ludorf said she thought younger neighbors were probably not anxious to join a group with many senior citizens, it prompted a lot of negative reaction from readers, some of whom also disliked our headline.

Looming Project“Trashy Plan or Just Plain NIMBY?”

(June 16)The long-running fight over

whether to build a sanitation transfer station near Asphalt Green at East 91st Street heat-ed up this year as the environ-mental review process con-tinued. Local residents and politicians said the “environ-mental justice” argument was bogus since the facility would be near public housing, but environmental groups said the

dangers were exaggerated.

Largest Fight“School Battles”

(Dec. 1) Proposals to change

school zoning lines on the Upper East Side this fall consumed many parents who tried not to get cut out of P.S. 151 and 290—the Community Education Council meetings drew prob-

ably the largest crowds of any neighbor-hood topic in 2011. The new lines for those schools and one at the Our Lady of Good Counsel site were approved at the end of the year.

Foreshadowing Crisis?“Trouble on the Waterfront” (Aug. 11)Although the city has long-term plans

to redo the East Side waterfront, neigh-bors are more worried about the short-term problems. “We’ve been talking for years about building a blue necklace

around Manhattan, but we have a piece of that puzzle that’s literally being washed away,” said City Council Member Jessica Lappin.

Biggest Turf War

“Out of My Park: East Side slams crosstown path. West says build it.” (June

9)

The Upper East Side’s Community Board 8 battled some members of CB 7 on the Upper West Side in an unsuc-

cessful attempt to stop a plan to allow bikes on two of the pedes-trian paths cross-ing Central Park. East Siders used words like “stupid’ and “dangerous” to describe the proposal, but the city implemented it anyway.

feature

September 1, 2011 Since 197040ANNIVERSARY

2ANNIVERSARY

CityArts: A Look Behind

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Page 14

Un-Caped

Bat Crusader

Hoffa

Leans

on Sotheby’s

Tree Damage,

Evacuation Mistakes

P.2

P.6

P.9

ILLUSTR

ATION

BY EVAN

SOAR

ES

PAGE 10PAGE 10

Visit us at www.CityMD.net and see inside page 9 for more information.

Open 365 days a year • No appointment needed

We accept most major insurances

Call 212.772.DOCS (3627)336 East 86th St (Betw 1st and 2nd Ave)

August 11, 2011 Since 1970

40ANNIVERSARY

2ANNIVERSARY

Healthy Manhattan: Kicking the Restless Leg Habit Page 14

Pols, Tenants Rally

Against Landlord

2nd Ave. Subway

Concrete Meets Test

Protecting Art

Of the World

P.4

P.6

P.8


Open 365 days a year • No appointment needed We accept most major insurances


Trouble on the Waterfront

AND

REW

SCHW

ARTZ

East Siders hope to fix crumbling esplanade as

idea of path circling Manhattan moves closer

By Ashley Welch Page 12

December 1, 2011 Since 1970

Camps: Ready or Not? Page 18

Making Art

Out of the Dark

P.9

Sidewalk Santas

on Parade

P.2

Trash Talking

Garbage Station Fears

P.22

School BattleS east Side Kids Still Up in the air P.4

www.CityMD.net

+ Columbus Circle315W 57th St212-315-2330COMING SOON!

+ Upper West Side2465 Broadway212-721-2111NOW OPEN!

+ Upper East Side336E 86th St212-772-3627

FREE FLU SHOTS(While supplies last)

June 9, 2011 Since 1970

40ANNIVERSARY

2ANNIVERSARY

Healthy Manhattan: Weekend Warrior Warnings Page 16

Elderly Attack

Shakes Neighborhood

East Siders ‘Dump’

on Waste Station

Blackboard Awards

Make the Grade

P.5

P.15

P.10

Keep Your Bike...

East Side slams crosstown path. West says build it.

and

rew

schw

artz

Out Of MY ParK

By Megan Finnegan Page 4


Open 365 days a year • No appointment needed We accept most major insurances


Make the city yourplayground.

Find Marmot at the following Eastern Mountain Sports locations and at ems.com:

NYC–SoHo Spring & Broadway

NYC–Upper West Side76th & Broadway

© G

abe

Roge

l

SAVE $10 ON TICKETS WHEN YOU USE CODE: RDMM

TEXT: THERIDE TO 313131BRING AD TO BOX OFFICE - 1535 BROADWAY AT 46TH ST.

CALL (866) 299-9682 GO TO BROADWAYOFFERS.COMTO PURCHASE TICKETS:

Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.Nine ticket limit per order. This offer may be revoked at any time.

Give the gift of New York this holiday season!


news

Water Termites Wreak Havoc at East River ParkBy Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

Last year, Upper East Siders celebrat-ed the impending completion of a brand-new public space on the East River, Andrew Haswell Green Park. The new park, bordering the river from East 59th to East 63rd streets, has been under con-struction since 2008, when the city broke ground to renovate what had been strictly a drab industrial stretch along the FDR Drive. Now that the park is in its final phase, the Parks Department has discov-ered a unique problem that will set back the project by an unspecified amount of time and another $15 million.

“There was a study done recently that shows that some of the pilings under the pier need replacement,” said City Council Member Jessica Lappin, who has been a champion of the project since its incep-tion and has appropriated city funds to complete it.

The problem is unfortunate for the park’s timeline but is a good sign for the environmental health of the city’s water-ways. “As the East River has become cleaner and the marine life there has been able to survive, they are eating away at the piers,” Lappin said.

Parks Department spokesman Phil Abramson confirmed that aquatic beings are to blame for the problem with the timber piles that support the areas jutting over the river.

“As the East River has become sup-portive of life again, we have seen prob-lems with marine borers cropping up,” Abramson said in an email. “Marine borers are not fish per se, but a class of organism similar to water termites.”

When the Parks Department acquired the property to develop the new park, they ordered a full structural study, utiliz-ing divers to fully investigate the under-water elements. What they found, unfor-tunately, was “a pattern of increasing damage” from the borers. As a result, the lower portion of the park won’t be able to be finished until funding is identified for the additional work that will be needed to replace and fortify the pilings.

Lappin is looking to the City Council to find the money, and other funding could come from state grants portioned out to Borough President Scott Stringer, who has allocated money to the project in the past. The idea for the park originally came from Community Board 8 in 2002,

and the board has been closely watch-ing its development since then.

The 1.3-acre park is named after a little-known urban planner who was murdered in 1903. Green was largely responsible for the design of many of New York’s most memorable sites—Central Park, Riverside Park, the Bronx Zoo, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art—but is himself often forgotten in the collective historic memory of the city.

Hopefully, this will change upon the park’s completion. Abramson said that while the Parks Department waits to identify exactly how they can repair the pilings—and ensure that they will be resistant to the same type of underwa-ter damage—and where the money will come from to do so, they are continuing

with the rest of the park’s upgrades.“We are proceeding with developing

the portion on top of the old pavilion structure that once housed the heliport,” Abramson said. “We will renovate that area to include a large lawn, shrubbery, benches, game tables, new perimeter railing, new pavement and steps. It will become a destination point for East Side residents and all New Yorkers with strik-ing views of the East River.”

and

rew

schw

artz

Marine borers have eaten away at the pilings under Andrew Haswell Green Park, which will cost $15 million to repair.

We spend a lifetime planning for milestones such as weddings,

homeownership, our children’s education, retirement, vacations,

and insurance to protect our loved ones.

Planning in advance is a part of our lives.

Planning for a funeral is another milestone.

You make arrangements at your convenience, without obligationand all funds are secured in a separate interest bearing account inyour name only.

Call us at 212-288-3500 for an appointment to see for yourselfwhat peace of mind you will receive in return.

Owned by A Subsidiary of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, TX 77019 (713) 522-5141

FRANK E. CAMPBELL THE FUNERAL CHAPELknown for excellence since 1898

1076 madison avenue at 81st street212.288.3500

www.frankecampbell.com

george m. amato, president � dominic carella, vice president

“ N E O B L I V I S C A R I S ”

N07752 AdvPlan Ad-Campbell:Layout 3 7/22/10 11:17 AM Page 1

JOHN KRTIL FUNERAL HOME;YORKVILLE FUNERAL SERVICE, INC.

Dignified, Affordable and Independently Owned Since 1885WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES

• Direct Cremations $2250 Complete • Direct Burials $2850• Expert Pre-Planning Available

212-744-30841297 First Ave (69th & 70th St.) • John S. Krtil Owner/Manager

Newly Renovated & Enlarged • www.krtilfuneralhome.com Each cremation service individually performed by fully licensed members of our staff. We use no outside agents

or trade services in our cremation service. We exclusively use All Souls Chapel and Crematory at the prestigious St. Michael's Cemetery, Queens, NY for our cremations unless otherwise directed.

• Single Offices • Conference Rooms• Office Suites • Corporate Setting• Business Address • Instant Activation• Virtual Offices • Ferrari Building

SHARED OFFICES

Park Avenue • 212-231-8500 • www.410park.com410 Park Avenue, Floor 15, New York, NY 10022

Your PARK AVENUE office. Ready when you are.Great offices. Great reception team, IT & secretarial support. The BEST answering service. 50MB High speed internet. Fully flexible plans - expand or retract as you like. Private Offices from $1,450/month (Promo code 138)Business Address Service $90/month

city.office®

The smart shortcut

PARK

AVE

NU

E


Q&A with Robert Jack-son, Author of Highway Under the Hudson By Linnea Covington

Texas native Robert Jackson spent three and a half years compiling a com-plete history on a structure far from his home, something 33 million East Coasters pass through every year: the Holland Tunnel. Built in 1927, this daily part of New Yorkers’ lives was at the time the longest and largest of the vehicu-lar tunnels in the entire world, and the first to uti-lize a ventilation system.

In Highway Under the Hudson, Jackson delves into not only the history of this famous tunnel but the drama behind its construction, the people involved and the unique engineer-ing that took place.

What drew you to writing about the Holland Tunnel?

A few years ago, Director of New York University Press Steve Maikowski decided that a book on the Holland Tunnel needed to be written and he began searching for an author. I was recommended to him and was eager to accept the challenge due to my strong interest in the history of trans-portation engineering. After reading my history of the Eads Bridge, Steve decided that I was the right person to tackle the story and the rest, as they say, is history.

This is a very rich history; how did you start your research?

I began my research by contacting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to see what records it retained from the state commissions that built the tunnel, before they merged with the Port Authority in 1930. Unfortunately, all of those records had been stored in the Port Authority library in the World Trade Center and were lost on 9/11. But the New York State Library and Archives in Albany and the New York Public Library had enough material to get me started. I also relied upon the C. M. Holland Collection at Case Western University and found other bits and pieces of documentation in other libraries as I went along.

What surprised you most about the

Holland Tunnel?When I began, I assumed that the tun-

nel had been built primarily for use by passenger vehicles, with truck traffic being of lesser importance. Just the oppo-

site was true; it was built to facilitate the movement of freight from New Jersey to New York, with accom-modation of passenger vehicles a secondary con-sideration. I was also sur-prised to find that, around the time of World War I, approximately 50 percent of the nation’s foreign trade annually passed through the port of New York.

What did not surprise me because I have studied other great construction projects but might surprise others is the cost in human life of building and main-taining a major piece of urban infrastruc-ture. By my count, at least 14 workers died during construction of the tunnel, though it was thought that only 13 had died until I did my research. Also, two men, one firefighter and one patrol officer, died during the fire of 1949. It had previously been assumed that no one died because of the fire. In addition, two of the chief engineers died from overwork while the tunnel was under construction.

How does the Holland Tunnel com-pare to other large passenger tunnels?

There are many other vehicular tun-nels that exceed the Holland Tunnel in size, length or visual beauty, but the Holland Tunnel holds a unique place in the history of tunnel engineering as the first such structure that was mechani-cally ventilated. It thus influenced the design of virtually every vehicular tunnel that that came after it. It will never relin-quish its place as a seminal work of civil and mechanical engineering.

How long do you think the tunnel will last?

All great works of humankind are des-tined to fade away at some point, but, as the title of my last chapter states, the Holland Tunnel was built to last. I believe that with proper maintenance, it will remain in use long after you and I are gone.

Robert Jackson.

ARTS

‘TIS THE CIRCUS SEASON! NOW THRU JAN 8

AT LINCOLN CENTER(62nd St. Btw Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.)

Tickets Start at $25!*

BUY NOW!BigAppleCircus.org

888.541.3750* Offer good on select seat locations and performances. Other conditions apply. Children under 3 are free on the lap of a paid adult, one child per lap.

Grandma’s Farewell

Tour!


By Doug StrasslerHypnotik: The Seer Will Doctor You

Now is a play loosely inspired by the Viennese mentalist Eric Jan Hanussen, an occultist in Weimar Republic Germany. West Sider Ildiko Nemeth, founder and artistic director of The New Stage Theatre Company, now celebrating its 10th anniversary season, conceived and directed the show, in which an enigmatic hypnotist beckons subjects onto a stage for group catharsis, a form of therapy that slips into frightening territory. West Side Spirit spoke with Nemeth about what makes Hypnotik an unforgettable affair.

How did you first encounter the life story of Eric Jan Hanussen?

Ildiko Nemeth: Hanussen is a known historical figure in Hungary. Even the famous Hungarian film director István Szabó made a film about him, Hanussen. Mel Gordon, a Berkeley professor and a friend of mine, also wrote a wonder-ful book, entitled Erik Jan Hanussen: Hitler’s Jewish Clairvoyant, which was another source to draw from to round out

my knowledge of Hanussen.

One of the main goals of the NSTC mission is to challenge its audience. How does Hypnotik do that?

The Seer entices volunteers by prom-ising that he will heal all comers by getting them in touch with their malig-nant drives. This scenario should seem somewhat familiar to anyone who has watched Dr. Phil or a similar reality TV show. I hope the audience will find the final vision of the Seer to be chilling in that we can recognize ourselves in the projections his subjects have; to see in some new way how we participate in the ugliness of the world and see some of our dangerous delusions anew.

What draws you to the subject of the occult? What, if anything, repels you from it?

Curiosity in the possibility to see the future, to manipulate reality or to gain secret supernatural forces which are hid-den from most of us drew me to the topic. If such power does exist, how can this

power be used and how can it move and/or manipulate people?

It is fascinating how occultism became a new religion in Weimar Germany. It was a world where people were still in shock from the horrors and utter defeat of World War I and where traditional religion was not sufficient to heal or have answers anymore. Occult palaces and séances were able to enthrall the masses, who were desperate people searching eagerly for answers, certainty and comfort in this new religion. It gives me a chill to know how the occult was used for political gain, how it empowered the “chosen ones” and convinced the anxious and insecure to put their faith in magical mantras, miracu-lous potions or mendacious leaders.

Do you believe in the power of psy-chic healing?

Yes, I do believe in psychic healing. The mind can have a big influence on the body. There are many examples of miraculous healing using nontraditional medicines instead of just popping pills. Because of my past work experience, I

believe one can overcome psychologi-cal problems, troubling emotional drives [and] psychological complexes by bring-ing them into the conscious and dealing with them head on.

Hypnotik: The Seer Will Doctor You Now

Through Jan. 15, 2012, Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave. (betw. 9th & 10th Sts.), www.newstagetheatre.org; $18.

Challenging Audiences for 10 YearsA Q&A with Ildiko Nemeth, founder of New Stage Theatre Company

Ildiko Nemeth.

arts

Istvan G

ub

a

12/31/11

12/31/11

1-212-666-6666Going to the Airport?

To JFK . . . . . . . . .$48To Newark . . . . .$47To LaGuardia . . .$33

Tolls & gratuities not included.Prices subject to change without notice.

“We’ll Be There For You!”

www.CarmelLimo.comToll Free 1-800-9-Carmel

53

51

Great Tips on...Parenting, Shopping, Activities and more!

(And it arrives only once a week!)

Delivered to your inbox once a week.

Visit newyorkfamily.com to learn more about the best parenting e-newsletter in the city.

has a weekly e-mail blast!

Sign up at OurTownNY.com to receive your weekly dose of East Side news and be entered to win FREE theater tickets!

has a weekly e-mail blast!


new york family

By Angela JohnsonIf you’ve read Goodnight Moon more

times than you can count, we suggest you rally up the tots for a trip to Bank Street Bookstore. A part of the Morningside Heights community for more than 40 years, this charming and independent book nook not only carries a sturdy selec-tion of extraordinary reads, it also has puzzles and games for kids of all ages.

The shop’s story began in 1970 with a small space in the lobby of Bank Street College primar-ily serving the col-lege faculty and parents of students in the School for Children. Twenty years later, the store expanded into its current bi-level location at the cor-ner of 112th Street and Broadway and has grown to be an invaluable resource to both teachers, who can find there supplies and curric-ulum materials‚ and literary-minded par-ents throughout the neighborhood.

But let it be known: Bank Street Bookstore is a young reader’s para-dise. Kids will delight in the floor-to-ceiling shelves that are stocked with titles in almost 20 different languages. Overwhelmed with the possibilities? Narrow it down by heading to the heart of the store, which boasts a colorful display of carefully chosen staff favorites.

If you’ve got a baby at home or in tow, you don’t have to wander too far beyond the first floor. On the second level, con-tent is designated for older children and teens, featuring a wide range of fiction and educational books, as well as math, reading and logic games. There is even a special area devoted to reads on life’s more serious subjects, such as death, bul-lying and divorce.

And at a time when many small busi-nesses are struggling to keep their doors

open, Bank Street Bookstore continues to thrive under the leadership of Director Beth Puffer, who has been with the store for 25 years. A former early childhood edu-cator, Puffer’s time at Bank Street began as a holiday gig, serving as a short-term break from teaching. She enjoyed her work at the store so much that she never quite made it back to the classroom.

Puffer explains that while a large portion

of Bank Street’s customer base comes from the surrounding neighborhood, the store appeals to readers from across the tri-state area and even around the globe. “We have educators who come from places like Hong Kong, The Philippines and Australia year after year to shop here and have books shipped to them back home,” she said.

Additionally, many of the store’s titles can be found on Bank Street’s website, which is thoughtfully organized by age and topic, the way most of the in-store requests are received.

Puffer touts her knowledgeable, well-read staffers and their ability to think outside of the box as one of the key fea-tures that distinguishes her store from the competition. “The staff is the crown jewel of the store,” she said. “A teacher may come in requesting materials for a specific curriculum unit, and we’ll not only suggest nonfiction materials but also poetry, fiction and different subjects they might not think of that could expand a child’s vision of the topic.”

Bank Street Bookstore is not just a place to buy hardcovers and paperbacks.

The shop also hosts a variety of concerts as well as author and illustrator events each month. “We’ve heard over the years what an effect it’s had on children to meet the author or watch an illustrator create in front of their eyes,” Puffer said. “It’s like magic.”

Though faced with a diminishing num-ber of physical bookstores due the pro-liferation of e-readers and online shop-ping, Puffer remains optimistic about the

future. “We hope people will continue to support the idea of sitting with a child, turning the pages of a book and seeing the original art as it was created,” she said. “We hope to be able to continue to be the resource that we’ve been for years. I think we’re going to be here for a long time.”

We think so, too.To learn more, visit bankstreetbooks.

com.

Hot Tip of the Week

NYE at The Big Apple

The Little Bookstore That CouldFor more than 40 years, Bank Street Bookstore has remained a city staple for tiny readers

Spend this New Year’s Eve with the kids at the circus! On Saturday evening, ring in 2012 at The Big Apple Circus’ DREAM BIG! with post-show live music, dancing and a midnight toast. Champagne and sparkling cider, streamers and noisemakers will be provided, along with special goody bags for the whole family. The celebration starts at 9 p.m. at Damrosch Park on Lincoln Center Plaza. For more information, visit bigapplecircus.org.

Director Beth Puffer.

pho

tos b

y and

rew

schw

artz

O u r To w n N Y. c o m D e c e m b e r 2 9 , 2 0 1 1 • O U R T O W N • 1 1

IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT SUMMER CAMP FOR 2012!

Renee Flax, director of camper placement of the ACA NY & NJ, will be on hand to

answer parents’ questions and help guide them in their search for the right camp!

New York Family magazine and the American Camp Association, NY & NJ are teaming up

for their winter fairs! Meet dozens of different camp directors from local DAY CAMPS and SLEEPAWAY

CAMPS from across the region.Great for children ages 3 to 17!

pre-register at:Newyorkfamilycamps.comFor more info on summer camps:

TheRightCamp.com

Upcoming Fairs:

SATURDAY, JAN 21, 2012Upper West Side

St. Jean Baptiste School173 E. 75th St.

12PM - 3PM

SUNDAY, JAN 22, 2012Upper West Side

Congregation Rodeph Sholom7 W. 83rd St.12PM - 3PM

SATURDAY, JAN 28, 2012Downtown

Grace Church School86 4th Ave.12PM - 3PM

SUNDAY, JAN 29, 2012

Park SlopeUnion Temple

17 Eastern Pkwy12PM - 3PM

SATURDAY, FEB 4, 2012Upper West Side

Bank Street School610 W. 112th St.

12PM - 3PM


By Josh PeriloWhen most people think of New Year’s

Eve, they conjure up images of chugging cheap, fizzy alcohol straight from the bottle while wearing glasses in the shape of the New Year’s number. I, on the other hand, have a much more romanticized dream of what New Year’s Eve could be: Ladies in long gloves sipping on Krug in bowl-shaped glasses (true, while Marie Antoinette glasses aren’t as good for holding the effervescence of Champagne, they look damn sexy) and gentlemen in tuxedos smoking cigarettes in holders, sipping on arcane cocktails made with muddled whatnots and long-ago-pro-duced bitters and extracts.

After talking to my friend Jesse, who gave me the idea for last year’s New Year’s Eve column, I was inspired again to delve

into the concept of the holiday cocktail. This time, with a twist.

“I’m making homemade bitters,” Jesse explained to me, “because I have these cocktail books from 50 years ago calling for ingredients that don’t exist anymore...”

“So,” I said, finishing his sentence, “you’re making them yourself!”

“Exactly!”While I’m

in no mood to gather up all of the goods and equipment need-ed to concoct a

batch of early 20th-century-style Seville orange rind bitters, the conversation did send me to my own personal collection of vintage and antique cookbooks. My mission: Find a handful of extremely dated but fun looking cocktails to make and serve at this year’s round of holiday parties.

The field was wide, but I narrowed

it down to a motley crew of four. So if you’re feeling nostalgic (and maybe a lit-tle brave) I invite you to try some of these antiquated cocktails from years gone by with your New Year’s Eve crowd!

Gourmet’s Champagne Punch: From the 1957 edition of The Gourmet Cookbook, Volume II. Peel, core and slice three small, ripe pineapples. Put the slices in a bowl and sprinkle them with 2 cups of fine granulated sugar. Cover, allow the fruit to marinate for one hour or more, then add 2 cups of Cognac, 1 cup strained lemon juice, 3/4 cup eau de vie de framboise [substitute Chambord if you can’t find framboise], 1/2 cup peach brandy and 1/4 cup maraschino liqueur. Blend gently, cover and allow to stand overnight to ripen. To serve, pour over a large block of ice in a punch bowl and slowly add five bottles of chilled Champagne. Garnish the bowl with fresh raspberries, sprigs of fresh mint, thinly sliced lemons and oranges and other fruit to taste.

Peach Cup: From the 1945 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Peel and slice 6 ripe peaches into a small bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with 1 cup of granulated sugar and add 325mL of German riesling. Cover and let the fruit marinate in the wine overnight. To serve,

add several pieces of peach to each gob-let along with a tablespoon or two of the marinating liquid. Top off each goblet with more of the same chilled Riesling. Garnish with a raspberry.

Zombie: From the 1950 edition of The Old Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide. Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice and add 1 jigger each of Jamaican rum, Puerto Rican golden rum, white rum, pineapple juice and papaya juice. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon of simple syrup [equal parts sugar and water heated on the stove until the sugar is dissolved]. Shake vigorously and pour with the ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a pineapple stick, a cherry float and a paper umbrella.

Tom and Jerry: From the 1966 edi-tion of Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. For each drink, beat 1 egg yolk until it is pale and light. Add 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1 jigger light rum and beat the mixture until it is smooth and thick. Blend in 1 stiffly beaten egg white and 1/2 jigger of bran-dy. Pour the mixture into a warmed Tom and Jerry mug [no clues about what this might be—use whatever mug you’d like], fill with hot milk or boiling water and sprinkle generously with grated nutmeg.

Happy New Year!

By Josh Perilo

DINING

Antique Cocktails to Usher in the New YearHoliday drinks with a twist

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANT TO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will

hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a

petition from 75th & 3rd Corp. to continue to, maintain, and operate an enclosed sidewalk café at 1309 Third Avenue in the Borough of Manhattan

for a term of two years.REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT

AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, ATTN: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004

PUBLIC NOTICESERVING THE EAST SIDE SINCE 1976Free wine or draftbeer with dinners

Free dessert forchildren with meal

1462 FIRST AVENUECorner of 76th StreetFree 24 hour delivery

TEL: 212-861-75003 StarDiner

Open 24-Hours!Full Bar

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!Happy St. Patrick’s Day!Happy NewYear!Happy NewYear!

OurTownNYC

Follow us on.com/


seniors

By Fred Cicetti

Q. My wife and I recently moved into a retirement community. I’ve noticed a

lot of people I’d call alcoholics in this community. Do seniors drink more in these places?

A: I could find no information that demonstrated that residents of retire-ment communities drink more. However, these developments are, by nature, more social. So, perhaps you’re just seeing more drinking. With more drinking, you’ll always find more people who don’t han-dle it well.

Alcoholism is a serious problem among seniors. Here are just a few statis-tics that tell the story:

About 70 percent of hospital admis-sions for older adults are for illness and accidents related to alcohol.

About half of older adults in nursing homes have an alcohol problem.

Older adults lose an average of 10 years off their lives because of alcohol abuse.

About 80 percent of doctors misdiag-nose alcoholism as depression in older

women.The highest growing rate of alcohol-

ism is among 75-year-old widowers.About 10 percent of patients over age

60 who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are actually suffering from brain damage caused by alcoholism.

“Alcohol abuse among older adults is something few want to talk about or deal with,” said Charles Curie, former admin-istrator of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Too often, family members are ashamed of the problem and choose not to address it.

“Health care providers tend not to ask older patients about alcohol abuse if it wasn’t a problem in their lives in earlier years,” he said. “Sometimes the symp-toms are mistaken for those of dementia, depression or other problems common to older adults. Unfortunately, too many older persons turn to alcohol as a com-fort following the death of a spouse, a divorce, retirement or some other major life change, unaware that they are mark-edly affecting the quality of their lives.”

A few definitions:Alcoholism is a disease with four symp-

toms: a craving or compulsion to drink, the inability to limit drinking, high alco-hol tolerance and physical dependence.

Alcohol abuse is defined as drinking that causes problems in your life, such as failing at work, getting arrested for drunk driving and hurting someone phys-ically or emotionally. It does not include strong craving, loss of control or physical dependence.

Moderate drinking means consuming up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

The American Medical Association provides the following list of physical symptoms to diagnose alcoholism. If an older person shows several of these symptoms, there is a high probability of alcoholism.

�•�Bruises,�abrasions�and�scars�in�loca-tions that might suggest frequent falls, bumping into objects, physical alterca-tions or other violent behavior•�Cigarette�burns�on�the�fingers

•�Flushed�or�florid�face�•�Jerky�eye�movement�or�loss�of�cen-tral vision�•�Damage�to�nerves�causing�numbness�and tingling�•� Hypertension,� particularly� systolic�(the first number)•�Gastrointestinal�or�other�bleeding�•�Cirrhosis�or�other�evidence�of� liver�impairment, such as swelling in the lower extremities and other signs of fluid retention•�Psoriasis

An Age-Old Problem, Alcoholism, Also Hits the Aged

The Healthy Geezer

430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075 • 212-717-8888 • www.80thStreetResidence.com

The 80th Street Residence is the fi rst in the city to receive the New York State Department of Health licensure as an Assisted Living Residence (ALR) with certifi cates allowing the entire

community to serve as both an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) and a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR). With these new certifi cations 80th Street is now able to

provide additional specialized care and services for its Residents, all of whom suffer from cognitive impairment.

Clare Shanley, Executive Director says, “The 80th Street Residence has always been devoted to providing excellent care and specialized services to our Residents. In fact, our program was

the Nation’s fi rst to receive The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s ‘Excellence in Care’ award. Now with the highest level of licensing for Assisted Living, in addition to providing our unique

program, we are able to offer families the peace of mind in knowing that their loved ones may now age in place and receive more nursing care should they need it in the place they call home.”

Fully Licensed by the New York State Department of Health, The 80th Street Residence is the only dedicated assisted living community in New York City Specializing in Memory Care. In their

boutique setting, 80th Street offers unique neighborhoods, each composed of no more than eight to ten Residents with similar cognitive abilities. All neighborhoods have cozy and homelike

dining and living rooms and are staffed 24 hours a day with personal care attendants. The intimate setting allows for an environment that is conducive to relaxation, socialization, and

participation in varied activities. A true jewel of care on the Upper East Side.

The 80th Street Residence Earns Additional New York State Department of Health Licensure and Certifi cations

The only licensed Assisted Living Residence in New York City to obtain both Enhanced and Special Needs Certifi cation

www.80thstreetresidence.com

• Beautiful Upper East Side Environment• Each floor a “Neighborhood” with Family Style

Dining & Living Room• 24-hour Licensed Nurses & Attendants specially trained in dementia care• Medication Management• Around the clock personal care, as needed• Housekeeping, Linen & Personal Laundry• Courtyard & Atrium Rooftop Garden• Chef prepared Meals

The only dedicatedAssisted Living Facility inNew York City specializing

in Enhanced Memory Care.

Ensconced in the landmark neighborhood of the Upper East Side, Residents continue to enjoy the heart and soul of this incomparablecity they have always loved.

430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075Tel. 212-717-8888

80th Street Residents in CentralPark with the Essex House Hotelpeeking from behind.

Nation’s firstrecipient ofAFA’s Excellencein Care distinction.

14 • OUR TOWN • December 29, 2011 NEWS YOU LIVE BYDECEMBER 29, 2011 | otdowntown.com 15

Alternative Healthy Manhattana monthly advertising supplement

Yoga & meditation can help make your New Year’s pledges stickBy Paulette Safdieh

Staying healthy requires more than an impulsive New Year’s resolution and a spanking new gym membership. To nix bad habits for good and maintain posi-tive changes to your body in 2012, fitness experts argue that the first and biggest change starts with the mind.

The philosophies behind yoga, Pilates and meditation share the idea of a mind-body connection. These exercises require a certain awareness of the body that differs from running on the tread-mill or breaking a sweat in Zumba class. Instead of counting the calories burned, practitioners believe a mental shift and commitment to change yield the best results.

“We live in a fast-paced, results-ori-ented society,” said Allan Lokos, founder of the Upper West Side’s Community Meditation Center. “If you stick with certain exercises long enough, you realize one day that you can now handle difficult situations with greater ease than you could have before.”

According to Lokos, 71, newcom-ers flock to classes as holiday bells start ringing. He says the human body doesn’t know how to differentiate between nega-tive stress and the good stress brought on by the holidays, like shopping, overeating and traveling. People turn to meditation for the pleasant feeling of calm and quiet, but Lokos insists the sessions can be far from carefree.

“When you’re left alone with your body and your mind, all kinds of stuff comes up—and some might not be pleas-ant,” said Lokos, a two-time author on the topic. “Do I really want to lose weight? Do I really want to quit smoking? You get that clarity and it creates motivation.”

Meditation can help spur positive change—whether it’s dropping a few pounds or throwing out the cigarettes for good—if people have genuine concern for their well-being and the desire to change for themselves, not just because

the doctor said so. Unfortunately, the weight won’t slip

off just by sitting in lotus position with your legs crossed a few times a week. To reap the most benefit from meditation, proper activity should be incorporated between the hours spent in the office cubicle. Lokos agrees that exercises like yoga and Pilates maintain a similar philosophy—being attuned to your body, making long-term changes and clearing your mind.

“It’s about sculpting yourself from the inside out, changing your mind’s per-spective so your body will fall into place,” said Marissa Antebi, who has been a yoga instructor in Midtown for 11 years. “With any body issues, it’s about how you’re seeing something. You need to become aware of the bad patterns and grow from there.”

For Antebi, 40, January is the busiest time of year. Despite the holiday rush, not

all newcomers tap into the endurance needed to stick it out and see results. An-tebi suggests starting with something as

minor as a walk in the park once a week and building from there.

Attending group sessions provides the support system of fel-low classmates, further encouragement to stick with it. Soon enough, you’ll learn how to maintain your health and weight instead of experiencing the fluctuations of fad diets and cleanses.

Pilates instructor Donna Singer, of the Upper East Side’s Center for Movement, said that’s the common ground between yoga and Pilates—it becomes a way of life, not just a method of exercise.

“You become aware of your posture and alignment and understand that you don’t need intense exercise to feel limber, supple and stronger,” said Singer, 42, who opened her first studio with cousin Elle Jardim in 1998. “We don’t play mu-

sic—we want you to keep your mind on what you’re doing. It encourages you to make positive steps to a healthy lifestyle and continue on that journey outside of the class.”

Pilates helps create strength without the bulk that comes along with weight training. Sessions at Center for Move-ment, on the Upper East Side and in Scarsdale, focus on flexibility and elon-gating the body though breathing. The goal is to do the movements correctly, increasing efficiency so fewer repetitions are required.

“As opposed to a spinning class, where you feel sore or you sweat, we teach a method,” said Singer. “After six sessions, you start to see subtle differ-ences, like a flatter stomach and more flexibility. We want to help people meet their resolutions.”

Antebi agrees that sticking to your New Year’s resolution through mid-Feb-ruary can be long enough to earn a pat on the back.

“People get caught up in their goals for the year,” said Antebi. “If you put it on the back burner and just commit to becoming aware of your mind and body, positive changes will come from that.”

“You need to become aware of the bad patterns and grow from there.”

Getting the Mind to Listen to Resolutions


North Shore Animal League America has the largest selection of dogs, cats, puppies & kittens

available for adoption!OPEN DAILY fOr ADOPtIONs

25 Davis Ave Port Washington, NY

• SUNDAY – WEDNESDAY

10AM – 9PM •

THURSDAY – SATURDAY 10AM – 10PM

•NEW YEAR’S EvE

10AM – 8PM•

NEW YEAR’S DAY 10AM – 9PM

AnimalLeague.org • 1.877.4.SAVE.PET

ASK ABOUT OUR SENIORS FOR SENIORS PROGRAMNorth Shore Animal league America’s Seniors for Seniors Program matches amazing adult dogs and cats with caring senior adopters.Adopters 60 or older can adopt an adult pet from the Animal League and qualify for great benefits, including no adoption fee and great discounts.

Advertising sponsored by The Graham Family Foundation.

START THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW BEST FRIEND!

1 6 • O U R T O W N • D e c e m b e r 2 9 , 2 0 1 1 N E W S Y O U L I V E B Y

CLASS I F I E DSPOLICY NOTICE: We make every effort to avoid mistakes in your classified ads. Check your ad the first week it runs. We will only accept responsibility for the first incorrect insertion. Manhattan Media Classifieds assumes no financial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for copy changes. All classified ads are pre-paid.

Classified Advertising Department InformationTelephone: 212-268-0384 | Fax: 212-268-0502 | Email: [email protected]

Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Deadline: Monday 12 noon for same weeks’ issue

EmPLOYmENTEarly Education coordinator WantEd Coordinate 3 early childhood education centers in the Northwest Bronx. Programs include child care (private pay and funded). Head Start and UPK for children 1-5 years old. Supervise large staff, develop budgets, and work with Board and Parent Association. Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education NYS teacher’s Certification (birth-2nd grade) 10 years administrative experience in ECE required. Supervisory Licenses, SDA, SAS and SBL recommended.Resumes and 3 letters of reference to [email protected].

PErsonal oFFicE assistant nEEdEdOffice Assistant needed. Typical duties includes; • Pack Shipments Supplies; • Track Shipments; • Receive Shipments and Stock Inventory; • Data Entry; • Routing Mail; • QA Inspections. Experience & proficient in Quick book, Excel and Word Applications. e-Mail resumes to “[email protected] Interested Applicants must be 18+ yrs above.”

CArPET CLEANINgcarPEts & uPholstEry professionally steam-cleaned. 20 years experience. JP Carpet. 212-831-1189

EHEALTH SErVICES***hiV/std tEstinG***IMMEDIATE RESULTS! LOWEST FEE.Discreet. Expert Genital Wart Treatment & STD Treatment. Dermatology. www.CentralParkMedicalAssociates.com 212-246-0800

mASSAgEas aMErican as aPPlE PiESeasonal specials. Relax and let go of all your stress.Call Anne: 646-543-5147

www. Sudoku-Puzzles.netSudoku, Kakuro & Futoshiki Puzzles

Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (148672302)6 1 c

b 2 9 3 ac 9 5 8

3 4 7 a 2a 9 1

67 5

8 6 35 c 1 9 4

3 c 2 15 b 2 a 7 c

4 7 a 6 3 b

www.sudoku-puzzles.net

Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (141691040)c 9 a 2 4 3

5 3 1b 2 c 7 5 1

1 4 9 5 b3 4 c

8 36 2 1

5 97 2 b 6 8

8 4 a5 6 2

5 9 4 6 b 7


Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (147411346)4 b 3

1 53 8 a 1 b 2 4

2 7 5 6b 6 3 a

9 8 43 c 1

7 2 9 81 a c 2

7 3 2 a 9 ba 1 4 9 c 79 4


Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (141137878)c 8 6 5 3

1 8 3 c3 4 9 7

8 b 9 c 2 a3 75 b 2

2 1 6b 7 8

9 7 3 c 19 4 7 1 a 2

c 4 95 7 a 1


Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (147804931)4 a b 3 8 c7 9 1

c 7 69 4 1 8

5 8 a 42 b

5 3 ba 8 2 c 4b c a 95 9 7 c 2

1 b 2 95 c 6 7


Sudoku 12x12 - Medium (144047882)5 b

5 4 1 9 6c b 4 3 1

6 4 3 2 aa 1 2 7

3 9 89 7 1 2 6

3 1 8 95 a c

b c 7 4 98 a 64 b


Solution:www.sudoku-puzzles.net

Puzzle 141691040 Answers at www.sudoku-puzzles.net

BUY/SELL Place your

ad here. 212-268-0384

TRACK BY JACK

TRACK-LIGHTING SPECIALITSTS

INSTALLATION • SALES UPDATE OLD CANS W/SMALL,

EFFICIENT, LOW-VOLTAGE HALOGENS.

WHOLESALE BULBS DELIVERED

917-74 TRACK917-748-7225

PARK AVENUE – SHARED SPACEInterior, exterior and corner offices.

Conf. rooms. Secretarial & IT support. Flexible plans. Private offices $1450/up.

Virtual offices $90/month.www.410park.com Call 212-231-8500

COMPUTER REFURB SPECIAL

We Will Completely Refurbish YourOld Computer

for the unbelievable price of $149

Experts In Understanding and Handling Seniors’

Computer IssuesCall IT Doc NYC Today!

2 1 2 -758-9280

Everyone Saves atNettech PC Solutions!!Laptop and desktop repairs upgrades & serviceLaptop Screen RepairData Recovery $49.99+upVirus Removal $55.9920% discount to all students with ID on all services15% on parts and merchandise10% on laptops!

Not a student? Get 10% off on everything!!

235 E. 25th St. NY, NY 10010

212-725-6633

Manhattan AntiquesBuys for Cash

Paintings, Silver, JewelryBric-a-Brac, Pottery, Furniture

Anything Old212-406-6969

ADULT

GENERALAbe Buys AntiquesSilver, Chandeliers, Paintings,

Rugs, Brick-a-Brac,Estates & All contents from homes.718-332-9709

want less clutter & more space?

Let me help! / Free consult / $50 hourly

rooms for improvementHome Organizing for New Yorkers!

917-763-0478roomsforimprovement@gmail.comwww.roomsforimprovement.net

BaYsiDe, Bell BlvD medical center, (directly opposite Bay

Terrace shopping center) Furnished & Equipped.

perfect for: DDS, MD, psych, other

professionals. On-site valet parking. P/T & F/T. Signage!

Location! 718-229-3598

SErVICESManhattan ExPrEss dEliVEry Moving & Delivery Servicing NY/ NJ/ CT $10 OFF Furniture Delivery $100 OFF Moving Jobs over $800call: (646) 509-8181

ProFEssional driVEr looking for driving postion. Will drive to the airports,the Hamptons, etc. Non-smoker, very reliable. 917-734-4676

rEAL ESTATEthinkinG oF MoVinG to connEcticut?Full-time and Vacation homes. 15 years exp. selling in Fairfield County, CT.Rob Grodman, Realtor. The Riverside Realty Group. 203-952-6117www.RobGrodman.com email: [email protected]

LEgAL NOTICEnoticE is hErEBy GiVEn that a license, Serial # Pending for Beer & Wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer & Wine at retail in a restaurant known as: 1425 Aki Sushi Inc. d/b/a #1 Aki Sushi under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at: 1425 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 for on-premise consumption.

noticE is hErEBy GiVEn that a license, Serial # Pending for Beer, Wine & Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer, Wine & Liquor in a Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at: 360 Lounge LLC d/b/a 360 Lounge, 133-44 37th Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 for on-premise consumption. Akcafe of NY LLC d/b/a Babylon.

noticE is hErEBy GiVEn that a license, Number 1258935 for Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Liquor at retail in a Cafe under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at: 298 East 34th Street, NY, NY 10016 foron-premise consumption.

Law Offices of Michael J. Collesano, Esq.

Downtown:110 Wall Street, 11th Fl.

Upper West Side:490 West End Ave.

(212) 227-6879

www.nyslegal.com [email protected] Licensed Real Estate Broker


CLASS I F I E DS

BUY/SELL Place your ad here. 212-268-0384

CALL: 646-507-5110 718-280-0011 201-708-6148 732-510-2999 908-376-1999 516-471-5056 973-867-7930

LIVE CHAT

You must be an adult over 18 years of age to use this service and fully understand that APC, Inc., DBA Plus Preferred does not prescreen callers and anyone using this service hold APC, Inc. harmless with regard to any interactions with other callers occurring as a result of using this service.

Sensual Reiki The Joy of Touch& UltimateRelaxation

212-768-1996 34th St & 5th Ave. Location

www.SensualReiki.com

646.429.1300

Realhook ups,real fast.

www.livelinks.comLocal #s: 1.800.210.1010Ahora en Español 18+

TRY FOR

Free

FULL BODYWORKS T R E S S . . . G O N E

by StefanUpper West Side

646-496-3981

22 NEW YORK PRESS � JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2011 � NYPRESS.COM

After Hours After Hours

Call 212.268.0384 to advertise.

100s of SPANISH Singles18+ Try it FREE!212-965-8484646-502-0044 718-663-8566

ALL LOCAL CHAT! Try it FREE!Call now. 18+ 212-812-1212 646-825-4444 718-928-4444

ENJOY THE BESTSensual Body Work

Private Dancing & Light Fetish/Domination w/Beautiful Girls

917-463-3739

mASSAgEBody Wax & dEEP tissuE hEalinG MassaGEBy dual-licensed, experienced male therapist. Deep Tissue massage, men’s facial & body wax. Private. Shower available.W 55th St NYC. Also in L.I.C. Queens.718-612-1719

MaGic touchExceptionally relaxing touch by European ladies. Private, 24/7.E 30th St 212-661-6407E 60s St 212-705-7068E 40S St 212-576-1025

you Will kEEP coMinG Back!Talented, trained bodyworker does amazing Swedish and Shiatsu work on a table in a beautiful Chelsea apartment. Friendly guy who will focus on your specifi c requests. Very high repeat clients because you will like it! Call 646-734-3042

mASSAgESWEDISH/SHIATSU chinEsE GuyExpert masseur. Swedish & Shiatsu.

Therapeutic & relaxing.Private. 52nd St & 3rd Ave. Stephen:646-996-9030scintillatinG Fall BodyWorkRelax and let me melt away your stress. All-American early bird special.Call Jen: 212-481-1595 sEnsual BodyWork -young, handsome, smooth, athletic Asian. In/Out. Phillip. 212-787-9116sExy latina — J.loMidtown Loc. West 40’s Incalls only. 845-332-1891 Ask About Specials. No Blocked Calls.

BUY/SELL Place your

ad here. 212-268-0384

for large & lovely women & the men who adore themDating, casual encounters, matching and more!

Voted #1 By New York

Locals


Member

OUR TOWN is published weeklyCopyright © 2011 Manhattan Media, LLC

79 Madison Avenue, 16th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10016

Editorial (212) 284-9734Fax (212) 268-2935

Advertising (212) 284-9715 General (212) 268-8600

E-mail: [email protected]: OurTownNY.com

OUR TOWN is a division of Manhattan Media, LLC, publisher of West Side Spirit,

Our Town Downtown, Chelsea Clinton News, The Westsider, City Hall, The Capitol,

The Blackboard Awards,New York Family and Avenue magazine.

To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN, 79 Madison Avenue,16th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016

Recognized for excellence by the

New York Press Association

President/CeO Tom Allon [email protected]/COO Joanne [email protected] PuBLisHer Alex [email protected] OF interaCtive Marketing and digitaL strategy Jay [email protected]

editOriaLexeCutive editOr Allen [email protected] seCtiOns editOr Josh [email protected] rePOrter Megan Finnegan [email protected] editOr/editOriaL assistant Andrew [email protected] COntriButOrs Alan S. Chartock, Bette Dewing, Jeanne Martinet, Malachy McCourt, Lorraine Duffy Merkl, Josh Perilo, Thomas Pryor

[email protected] Gerry [email protected] OF new Business deveLOPMentDan NewmanassOCiate PuBLisHersSeth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworthadvertising Manager Marty StronginsPeCiaL PrOjeCts direCtOr Jim KatocinseniOr aCCOunt exeCutives Verne Vergara, Rob Gault, Mike SuscavagedireCtOr OF events & Marketing Joanna Virello [email protected] COOrdinatOr Stephanie MussoMarketing assistant Jessica ChristopherexeCutive assistant OF saLes Jennie [email protected]

Business adMinistratiOnCOntrOLLer Shawn ScottCredit Manager Kathy PollyeaBiLLing COOrdinatOr Colleen ConklinCirCuLatiOn Joe [email protected]

PrOduCtiOn PrOduCtiOn Manager Ed JohnsoneditOriaL LayOut and design Monica Tangadvertising design Quarn Corley

By Christopher MooreJump in, I tell myself. Jump into the

crowd and the excitement and the noise; that great big mass of humanity. In anoth-er lifetime, when you lived—or at least existed—in the suburbs of New Jersey, you said you thrived on this and took a Midtown Direct train to get to the center of everything. Don’t shrink now from the drama. Live a little. Just jump in.

That’s what I told myself every time I walked into the madness that is Macy’s—three separate times in two days—in the days before Christmas. But every time I am actually there, watching people bang into one another, just seconds before I become one with them, I find myself thinking, Get out while you still can.

Instead, I went in. I needed to because some moron had decided that there should be a wedding in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Eventually, I remembered that the moron was me and the wedding was mine.

Everyone else had holiday gift shop-ping on the brain. I can’t say that I blame them; in my high school years, back in another century, I would brave the Black Friday hordes to visit Macy’s. Hustle and bustle were my middle names.

As I got older, I got used to saying no, both as a newspaper editor and a human being. I have a talent for it. Peer pressure

is largely lost on me. I began saying no to holiday shopping and crowds, indi-vidually and certainly when they came together. Staying home developed con-siderable appeal. I did not see the point in spectacle, especially when the cable TV was working.

Still, Macy’s somehow got grandfa-thered in. I still went there, shopped there

and liked being there. This was the surviving store of my child-hood. The escalators remind me of my grandmother. My cynical nature oddly ends at the crowd-ed entrance to this store. I hap-pily explained last Thanksgiving morning to my partner that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

concludes with the actual Santa Claus, not an imposter like the others.

Often, though, I get wary of actually heading out in the city I keep saying I adore. What is that about? Home is cozy; the cats are so cute. It sounds psychotic to walk out the door and into the lines at Zabar’s, even though the meat counter is so worth the effort. Bloomingdale’s? It’s beautiful, if smelly, but too often I rush through the main floor looking for the nearest exit.

I moved to a crowded city and then developed an aversion to crowds. Weird, but I’m not alone. New Yorkers get good at navigating. I can zig while thousands zag. Sometimes I want to be like the fel-low who wrote in to the Times years

ago. He talked himself out of being wary of big-town grocery shopping by simply reminding himself that the chaos is part of a trip to Fairway. He embraces it.

I’m not that far along. But I’m telling myself to jump more in 2012. Just the oth-er day I went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Gorgeous.

The problem: Hell is other people, as Jean-Paul Sartre told us. He must have been in a perfume section when he said so. Seconds into my first holiday jaunt to Macy’s, a horrible woman behind me was pushing and saying, “Excuse me,” as if there were not 300 or so people in front of her also trying to get by. On Trip 2, the saleslady forgot to put all our purchases into the bag. This error necessitated Trip 3.

By then, though, I was a holiday vet-eran again—and mostly a happy one. This year, the world’s largest department store provided me with better customer service—by far—than our last visit to Disney World. There is some training or something going on at Macy’s, because I had more than three actual human beings ask me if I needed help, then provided it. They made leaving the apartment worth the effort.

Now I just need to extend my love of humanity beyond Herald Square.

Christopher Moore is a writer liv-ing in Manhattan. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter at cmoorenyc.

MOORE THOUGHTS

The Magic of Macy’s—and I’m Actually Not KiddingIn crowded Herald Square, trying to learn to love the chaos again

Trash Debate Heats UpThanks for getting the truth out there

(“Don’t Trash the Upper East Side,” Dec. 22). Citizens need to realize that the city has fed them propaganda about the Marine Transfer Station and it will be far larger and more dangerous than they are letting on, The city is also proposing to PRIVATIZE the MTS—that means have it run for profit. What do you think will happen then?

—Yorkville Human

One major inaccuracy in your article needs to be clarified—I actually did not make any claim that the MTS facility “would cause no significant environmental impact” to our neighborhood. What I did say is that the water-based system of garbage transport

is a great deal better than our current long-distance truck-based system of garbage transport, addressing global climate change and ocean acidification by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

In my opinion, the benefits to Yorkville of being a part of the mayor’s attempts to address these global environmental and humanitarian problems are larger than the potential harm of having the MTS.

—Philip Orton

Thanks, Jed. Your neighbors appreciate your clear, convincing response. It’s shock-ing how this has turned into an argument about “environmental justice.”

First off, we’ve had our turn in this neigh-borhood. But if it’s unhealthy, we shouldn’t

support it for any neighborhood—rich or poor. And nobody that I’ve spoken to who opposes this project has ever suggested that the alternative is to put it in a poor neighborhood.

—N. Roth

Sybil ExposedThis is quite disturbing (“The Truth About

Sybil,” Nov. 1). I find it disconcerting that a person’s private medical records might be unsealed for such purpose as writing a book. I also find it disconcerting that people sup-port this book in all its inaccuracies. Perhaps you should learn some proper facts about what you so ignorantly label MPD before attempting to write on this subject further.

—Eme Guta

CommUniTy Soapbox The best comments from OurTownNY.com


By Josh RogersWhy is this night different from all oth-

ers? If we’re talking about New Year’s Eve rather than Passover, the answer is that it shouldn’t be.

After years of worrying, planning and even feeling embarrassed because my plans for the night were still uncertain in the last week in December, I no longer fret.

One of the many perks of marriage is it makes you realize Dec. 31 can be like any other night if you want. But it’s silly to wait for matrimony to come to that simple truth.

Yes, there’s lots of good fun out there in New York City at parties, restaurants, bars and, I suppose, Times Square if you have the mental and physical wherewith-al to brave the crowds and cold for many many hours before the ball drops. But

ordering takeout, cooking a nice meal or watching your favorite movie are also good options. Sleep, too. It’ll be after mid-night somewhere whenever you decide to call it a night, so you can always join a celebration online.

It’s also a lot more economical to splurge at home or at a friend’s house with your favorite delicacies, wine or spirits. Your low-key neighborhood bar is likely to have some sort of $50 or $100 “special”—even if it doesn’t, it’ll probably

be much more crowded on what drink-ers call amateur’s night. If you know of a Manhattan bar that’s an exception, keep it to yourself and hope it stays that way for a few more years.

No need to worry about res-olutions, unless these thoughts make you feel good. For lots of people, worrying about what you hope to do next year only brings angst.

I had great, life-changing things happen to me in each of the years between 2007 and 2010—engagement, marriage, wife pregnant, child born—but ’11 was even better because my son became his own person and I got to spend a lot of time watching him develop. The simple things day to day can make any year special.

As for the big night, the fun comes from the people around you—and that includes yourself. If you can’t be with the ones you love, be with someone who is at least good company.

For all of my talk, I am, in fact, going to a big dance party Saturday. It starts at 3 p.m. and it’s being organized by my neighborhood toddler group. I hear some

of the moms are really looking forward to going “out” on New Year’s.

I’m sure we’ll have a good time, but I’m looking forward to the private after-party—having a good home-cooked meal with our favorite drinks five or six hours before midnight. Last year, we

drank single malt Scotch, ginger ale and formula.

This year, one of us will probably switch to milk. The years do bring change.

Josh Rogers, contributing editor at Manhattan Media, is a lifelong New Yorker. Follow him @JoshRogersNYC.

By Jeanne MartinetAt first, I was shaking in my boots. I

had been about to plunge into my usual last-minute holiday shopping when the friend I was going with bailed on me. Who wants to negotiate the teeming hordes alone or try to make quick deci-sions on items without another eye to help? It’s like running a marathon all by yourself. But then I reminded myself that solo shopping can also be the best shopping.

It was when I was shopping for bathing suits last summer that I had my shopping epiphany (if one can have an epiphany about shopping): There is really no such thing as shopping alone if you are willing to open up to strangers.

Shopping for bathing suits, if you are a woman, is like being held hostage in a tiny, airless room with harsh lighting and being forced to confront all your deepest, darkest, ugliest secrets. The small room is the store dressing room and the secrets are what has happened to your body over the past year.

I was out of town, shopping by myself and feeling unhappy about not having any-one to help me in my pursuit of the perfect suit. I was even more unhappy that the

only good mirror was outside the dress-ing room, forcing me to display myself to other shoppers. But soon I began to notice another woman coming in and out of her own dressing room, also trying on suits. I could tell she was in the same state of mind as me. “How do you think this looks?” I ventured to ask her.

“I liked you in the other one better, the blue one,” she said. “That one really looked terrific on you.”

She was polite, the way a stranger would be. But hers was also an entirely objective opinion, maybe even more than a friend’s would have been. A friend might have taken into account my particular insecurities and usual clothing prefer-

ences. She might have even rushed me so we could get to lunch. And while talking to salespeople can be enjoyable, the honesty of store employees can never be entirely trusted. I gave this fellow bathing suit shopper my opinion on her selections, she on mine, and we were both successful and happy. I left with two great suits.

Not only can solo shopping be more efficient—you can focus on your own pur-chases—but it is also rewarding the same way traveling alone can be. When you travel alone, you are forced to engage with people you don’t know. It’s good to think of the other shoppers in the store as fellow travelers. I know it’s my mantra, but inter-acting with strangers is broadening to the mind and beneficial to the spirit.

OK, so shopping the week before Christmas may not be exactly “broad-ening,” what with all of the jostling and standing in line and having to witness the occasional shopper’s meltdown (“I came all the way down here and you’re out of f***ing stock?!”) And there is no great joy in being stuck in crowds. But you know, some fun parties are like that too, right? And aren’t they worth it in the end?

Of course, holiday shopping “mingling” can be difficult because people are tired, frustrated and stressed. But if you can avoid the occasional raging shopper, the rest of the world can be your shopping comrades-in-arms. “Do you think an 8-year-old would like this cobra piggy bank?” you might ask someone. Or “Do you think my mother would like this apron with ‘Your opinion is not in the recipe’ on it?” When you find someone in a store with whom to compare gift choices and ideas—let’s face it, you are not going to be able to find a salesperson anyway—it can be really fun.

Mostly, it is satisfying to talk with oth-er people because it makes you realize you are not alone. You are not the only person who has to buy presents for 15 people in three days or has a crazy aunt for whom it’s impossible to shop. You are not the only person who is worried about the money she is spending. You are not the only person who hates the days lead-ing up to Christmas.

And you are not the only person who doesn’t get everything done. If you didn’t find that special clipboard with the LED light on it for your father, don’t fret. Just put it on the list for next year. It’s much more important that you stopped to chat with some of your fellow overconsumers along your merry way.

Jeanne Martinet, aka Miss Mingle, is the author of seven books on social inter-action. Read her blog at MissMingle.com.

citiquette

ironic Hopes

It’s Just Another NightA quiet New Year’s can be the perfect way to usher in 2012

Holiday Store Social Rediscovering the benefits of shopping solo

No need to worry if you are doing ‘nothing’ on New Year’s Eve.

Mostly, it is satisfying to talk with other people because it makes you realize you are not

alone. You are not the only person who has to buy presents for 15 people in three days or has a crazy aunt for whom it’s

impossible to shop.

2 0 • O U R T O W N • D e c e m b e r 2 9 , 2 0 1 1 N E W S Y O U L I V E B Y

Responsibly Green,Elegantly Glenwood

The finest Manhattan rentals in the neighborhood of your choice.Near the Best NYC Schools • Unparalleled Service • Fitness Center • Children’s Playroom &

Swimming Pool • 24-Hour Doorman • Magnificent Lobbies • Landscaped Gardens • Exciting CityViews • Spacious Layouts • Building-Wide Water Filtration Systems • On-Site Parking Garage

GLENWOODBUILDER OWNER MANAGER

UPTOWN LUXURY LEASING OFFICE 212-535-0500DOWNTOWN LUXURY LEASING OFFICE 212-430-5900Open 7 days, 10AM-6PM • NO FEE

Free parking while viewing apartments

glenwoodnyc.com

UPPER EAST SIDE1 Bedrooms from $2,495 2 Bedrooms from $3,995 Convertible 3 Bedrooms from $4,995

MIDTOWN & UPPER WEST SIDE1 Bedrooms from $2,795 2 Bedrooms from $4,295 Convertible 3 Bedrooms from $5,995

TRIBECA & FINANCIAL DISTRICT1 Bedrooms from $3,295 2 Bedrooms from $4,995 Convertible 3 Bedrooms from $5,195

Equal Housing Opportunity

our town december 29, 2011

Documents

street transverse

newstyle hustle

upper east side336e

new years eveyou dont

world series new york

street y

metro card new york

uptown dance party great