JUNE 2013

LO-DOWN
www.thelodownny.com

News from the Lower East Side

Ludlow Streets Artsy Edge:

THE

MELISSA ERRICO

Bowery Babes Founder

Also inside

Going, Going, GONE

www.thelodownny.com

Ne w York Cit Y

ha mptoNs

h u d s o N va l l e Y

CoNNeCtiCut

New jerseY

SPRING SelectIoNS oN the maRket

NEW LISTING NEW LISTING

Exclusive 2BR/2BA Penthouse with Huge Terrace, Triple Exposures, and Panoramic River and Skyline Views.

573 Grand street

$995K

weB#4060802

Exclusive Fully renovated 2BR/1BA/Balcony with enlarged mint spalike bath, opened kitchen with dining bar, and peaceful park views.

477 Fdr drive

$639K

weB#164628

NEW LISTING

GrEAT VALUE

Exclusive Mint renovated 1BR with enclosed balcony/sun room, walls of windows, additional bonus room/sleeping area.

417 Grand street

$589K

weB# 1083139

Exclusive Spacious 2BR with all new floors throughout, a fully updated windowed kitchen, windowed bath, and excellent storage.

550 Grand street

$539K

weB #1465969

NEW LISTING

OpEN & AIry

NOW OPEN
LOWER EAST SIDE
Exclusive Pre-war 1BR, mint renovated windowed bath, hi ceilings, hardwood strip floors, and double exposures in the bedroom.

504 Grand street

$449K

weB #1926933

Exclusive Large studio with renovated kitchen & open midtown skyline views.

212 east BroadwaY

$359K

weB#1130427

Neal Young

Lic. R.E. Salesperson Senior Vice President Halstead Property, LLC t: 212.381.6510 nyoung@halstead.com
Halstead Property, LLC We are pledged to the letter and spirit affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are information is from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, description. All measurements and square footages are approximate

Jeremy Bolger

Lic. R.E. Salesperson Senior Vice President Halstead Property, LLC t: 212.381.6516 jbolger@halstead.com

Your Lower east side ReSIdeNt SPecIalIStS

of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. All omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal without notice. No representation is made as to the accuracy of any and all information should be confirmed by customer. All rights to content, photographs and graphics reserved to Broker.

WORKATTHEYARD.COM PRIVATE OFFICE + COWORKING COLLECTIVE

LO-DOWN
Ed Litvak Editor-in-Chief Traven Rice General Manager/Arts Editor Jennifer Strom Associate Editor Kim Sillen Gledhill Art Director Tobi Elkin Contributing Writer

THE

LO-DOWN
June 2013

THE

LO-DOWN

Royal Young Contributing Writer Alex M. Smith Contributing Photographer Evan Forsch Cartoonist Advertising inquiries: ads@thelodownny.com Story tips: tips @ thelodownny.com Contact us: 646-861-1805

THE

letter from the Editor:

A few years ago, counterculture legend Taylor
Mead told an interviewer he still loved his old neighborhood; he even loved the very nice yuppies who helped him get out of cabs. A lot had changed since 1979, when Mead first moved to Ludlow Street alongside the heroin dealers. When he died last month at the age of 88, the Warhol superstar took a big piece of Ludlow Streets bohemian spirit with him. In this months magazine, we reflect on this blocks remarkable contributions to alternative culture worldwide in the past quarter-century. No neighborhood stays the same forever; frequent change is what has always kept the Lower East Side interesting and influential. The life of Ludlow Street may very well take unexpected and inspiring twists in the years ahead. But in this moment, as gentrification sweeps the street, its important to acknowledge whats fading away. Also this month, we check in with ramen master Ivan Orkin, whos about to stir things up on Clinton Street, and with Broadway star Melissa Errico, whos the inspiration behind the popular parenting site, Bowery Babes. Well be back next month with an issue packed full of ideas for your summer in the city. In the meantime, you can catch up-to-the-minute LES news every day on our website.

in this issue
4 Cover Story
Ludlow Streets bohemian spirit fades away

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

221 East Broadway (at Clinton) www.pushcartcoffee.com

COME ENJOY OUR

New Arrivals

Preserve24, Tiny Fork, Ludlow Studios Seward Park developers, Stanton Street garden controversy, Sheldon Silver plays defense LES Sports Academy takes off NY Funny Songs Fest, DayLife, Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Previewing the LES Film Festival Ivan Ramen takes shape on Clinton Street Broadway actress, Bowery Babes founder Melissa Errico Lower East Sideways

10 Neighborhood News

13 Play Ball

The Lo-Down is a publication of Lo-Down Productions LLC, 2013.

14 Calendar/Feat ured Events

16 Ar ts Watch

The Educational Alliance Preschool Discover our Community. Join us!

www.edalliance.org/preschool Phone: (646) 395-4250 Email: Preschool@edalliance.org

17 The Lo-Dine 18 My LES

20 Car toon

Ed Litvak

Cover photo: Max Fish interior by Alex M. Smith. The legendary bar is moving to Brooklyn after a quarter-century on Ludlow Street.

R I P Ludlow Street
heres not much to see these days outside 176 Ludlow St., the former home of Pink Pony, the beloved bohemian cafe that succumbed to Lower East Side gentrification earlier this year. But for a time last month there was this: a tattered sign taped to the metal drop-down gate that read, Taylor Mead, the Spirit of Ludlow Street, R.I.P. The legendary actor, poet and artist, who lived in a fifth-floor walk-up on this block for 34 years, personified Ludlow Street, the onetime epicenter of underground culture. Meads death, just a month after being forced from his dilapidated apartment by one of the citys most reviled landlords, drove home an inescapable truth: the creative spirit that once defined Ludlow Street is all but dead. Arts venues and artists have been disappearing from the block for at least a decade. One by one, groundbreaking theaters, music clubs and artist hangouts have been pushed out to make way for luxury hotels, upscale restaurants and generic bars. But this year, the pace of gentrification has definitely accelerated. In the past six months alone, LES institution Max Fish, as well as two established nightlife spots, the Living Room and Motor City, have announced their departures.
4
www.thelodownny.com

Photos, left to right: 1. Pink Pony, the Ludlow Street cafe, closed in January. Photo by Alice OMalley. 2. Artist and actor Taylor Mead, who died last month, was a Ludlow Street legend. Photo by Alice OMalley. 3. Formerly stalled hotel project at 180 Ludlow St.

by Ed litvak
above Pink Pony for $650 a month. When I first moved to Ludlow Street I used to say it was like an Alaskan outpost, said OMalley, It was like a small town. Her landlords were Mark Glass and Elliot Kurlander, Orthodox Jews, who owned more than 30 rundown buildings throughout the neighborhood, most of them on Ludlow and Clinton streets. Tenants paid their rent in cash, there were no background checks and if you were a month or two behind it usually wasnt a big deal. It was the way things worked on Ludlow Street. Yes, the block was still a little rough around the edges and most walkup apartments were less than pristine. But the price was right, and most of the creative types living in Glass and Kurlanders buildings knew and liked them. They were a regular presence on the block, OMalley said. That was before the dramatic events that occurred in late 1997, when Glass was arrested and later convicted of attempted murder and other charges, for hiring a local drug dealer known as Crazy Eddie to kill two tenants with lethal doses of heroin. At around the same time, the cops were cracking down on the Lower East Sides drug trade. You used to see S.W.A.T. teams on the roof, OMalley recalls. At trial, many tenants defended Glass, including Max Fish owner Ulli Rimkus, who like many local residents subscribed to the theory, the devil you know is better than the devil you dont know. After Glass, whos real name is Alvin Weiss, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, there was a sell-off of his LES properties and a sea change on Ludlow Street. All of a sudden we went from dealing with guys we knew, even if they were unsavory, to a faceless LLC, OMalley noted. Today, her building is one of the few still owned by the Weiss family but the personal touch is a thing of the past. By 2005, Luna Lounge, where The Strokes, Elliott Smith and Interpol played, had closed. A year later, Joseph Yavarkovsky Paper, in business at 182 Ludlow St. since 1898, shuttered to make room for a high-rise hotel project. At around the same time, a 23-story apartment building, The Ludlow, was going up across the street from Katzs Deli. Local residents were also starting to feel the pinch. At 163 Ludlow St., Taylor Mead was seemingly always on the verge of expulsion from the cockroach-infested apartment hed occupied
www.thelodownny.com

Constant neighborhood churn is one of the things that makes New York City great. The extraordinary burst of creativity on Ludlow Street in the 1990s was f leeting, but anyone with any sense of history would have to acknowledge that its never been any different on the Lower East Side. Just ask the Jewish, Puerto Rican and Dominican communities who once defined this block. But even for those who embrace change, the transformation on Ludlow in recent years has been unsettling. You cant blame those who were part of the creative LES scene that evaporated around 2005 for feeling at least a little wistful about the end of a remarkable era. Many creative luminaries, including visual artist Kiki Smith, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and Mead, who became one of Andy Warhols superstars in the 60s, made Ludlow Street a bohemian mecca. Alternative theaters such as Toda con Nada and Collective:Unconscious, music venues like Luna Lounge and art bars, most notably Max Fish, provided cutting-edge artists with a living laboratory for self-expression. In 1994, photographer Alice OMalley joined the already burgeoning creative community on Ludlow, renting an apartment

since 1979. After Ben Shaoul bought the building last year, Meads home became a noisy, dusty construction zone, as Shaoul upgraded the property for new market-rate tenants. Mead finally accepted a buyout this spring. Not much about the new Ludlow Street is recognizable. Katzs, celebrating its 125th anniversary, is still going strong. El Sombrero, the Dominican-run Mexican restaurant at the corner of Ludlow and Stanton streets, is barely hanging on. By the fall, that hotel project at 180 Ludlow, now seven years in development, is scheduled to open, and will undoubtedly complete the transformation of the block between East Houston and Stanton streets. Another sign of the times: the possible arrival of Soho House at 139 Ludlow, formerly the H. Nieberg Funeral Home. After news first surfaced in February that the exclusive members club was eyeing the LES, a heated debate broke out in the neighborhood. Some fear the club, which would be called Ludlow House, will contribute to the boisterous, frat-party atmosphere on the block. While Soho House executives say theyre coming to Ludlow to be closer to the local arts community, many residents argue they are about 15 years too late. Lower East Side documentarian Clayton Patterson helped facilitate a tribute to Taylor Mead in the future home of Ludlow House last month. It was organized by filmmaker MM Serra, a longtime Ludlow Street resident. Later that same evening, word spread that Mead had died after suffering a stroke in Denver. Recently Patterson said, the gentrification battle on the Lower East Side is over and we lost. OMalley says she does not wish to become overly sentimental about the good ol days and continues to have an appreciation for the energy, constant churn and the youth culture on the Lower East Side. But the fact remains, she says, the lights have gone out on Ludlow Street as a cultural epicenter.
6
www.thelodownny.com

25 Years on Ludlow Street

1988
167 Ludlow St. Pioneering alternative theater Todo con Nada opens, creating a new home for Off Off Broadway productions on a crimeridden, drug-infested section of the Lower East Side.

2007
182 Ludlow St. Ulli Rimkus opens Max Fish, a bar that quickly becomes a focal point of the edgy LES arts scene.

The building housing Joseph Yavarkovsky Paper, in business since 1898, is demolished to make room for a towering new hotel from developer Serge Hoyda. The Ludlow, a 23-story luxury residential tower across from Katzs Deli, is completed.

1989
178 Ludlow St.

2008
188 Ludlow St.

1989
99 Rivington St.

1995
145 Ludlow St.

The cover of the Beastie Boys album, Pauls Boutique, features an image shot at the corner of Rivington and Ludlow streets.

2011
180 Ludlow St.

The BD Hotel Group purchases the long-stalled Ludlow Street hotel project, referred to as the hell building, for $25 million, and resumes construction. Developer Ben Shaoul purchases three contiguous buildings for $16 million. Among his new tenants: LES counterculture legend Taylor Mead. Owners of The Living Room announce that rent hikes are forcing the club to move from Ludlow Street. Pink Pony, a popular hangout for artists since 2001, closes.

2012
163-167 Ludlow St.

1996
127 Ludlow St. Rock n roll dive bar Motor City opens.

Collective:Unconscious, an alternative theater owned and operated by 15 artists, begins a nearly decade-long run on Ludlow Street.

St.St.

2012
154 Ludlow St.

1999
various sites

2001
177 Ludlow St.

Lower East Side landlord Mark Glass, who owned many Ludlow Street buildings, is convicted of attempted murder for plotting to kill two tenants. Many properties change hands following his imprisonment. Earthmatters, a popular health food store and cafe, is opened by Isaac Tapiero, a real estate investor who purchased the building in the mid-1990s.

Jan 2013
176 Ludlow St.

Feb 2013
139 Ludlow St.

Soho House, the exclusive private club, announces its expansion to the LES, inside an abandoned funeral home. Word spreads that Max Fish is preparing a move to Williamsburg, due to skyrocketing rent in the space it has occupied for nearly a quarter-century. A new firm, Four Winds Real Estate, purchases the residential complex that houses Cake Shop on its ground floor, for $19 million.

2003
154 Ludlow St.

April 2013
178 Ludlow St.

2004
178 Ludlow St.

April April 2013 2013

The Living Room, an indie music venue, joins Pianos on Ludlow Street. The two are soon to be accompanied by Cake Shop, forming a mini-music row on a changing block. Dingy rocker bar, The Darkroom, takes over a basement space at 165 Ludlow, formerly occupied by the Ludlow Cafe, a popular local spot. 152 Ludlow St.

2005
171 Ludlow St.

May 2013
178 Ludlow St.

Sal Principato reveals that his 27-year-old music rehearsal space, located below Max Fish, will close by early summer.

Luna Lounge, a venue frequented by The Strokes, Elliott Smith, Interpol and Janeane Garofalo, among many other future stars, closes after a decade on Ludlow.
145 Ludlow St. photo credit: Justin Davila 1997/ Foter.com

Taylor May (continued on page 8) Mead dies at the age of 88 in Denver, Colo., one month after accepting a buyout from landlord 2013 Ben Shaoul. www.thelodownny.com

Looking for a Living Kidney Donor!

People can get cars, boats, jobs, pets & even dates through advertising so why not a kidney?

new arrivals

BLACKTREE SANDWICH SHOP

Please HELP!

Living with one kidney presents no difficulty to the body, as long as you are healthy.

Preserve24

We are searching for that special altruistic individual who is willing to donate one of their healthy kidneys to my father, who is in need of a kidney, Blood Type 0.
ALL MEDICAL COSTS WILL BE COVERED. E-mail R596@Renewal.org or call 718-431-9831 for additional information if you or someone you know could save a life. Please, serious inquiries only. Thank you!

PRESERVE24 (177 E. Houston St., preserve24.

(131 Orchard St., blacktreenyc.com) is the first permanent home of locally sourced seasonal sandwiches you may have sampled at various pop-up venues and other retailers, including the Hester Street Fair, New Amsterdam Market and Pushcart Coffee. Originating from the kitchen of a Brooklyn bar, The Crown Inn, BlackTree specializes in ingredients and produce from local suppliers and farms, featured in an ever-changing rotation of sandwiches. It also serves a full bar menu, including housemade bitters, specialty cocktails and regional beers.

Dr. Shu Ping Rong, D.D.S. P.C.

13
Te l : 2 1 2 . 2 2 6 . 6 3 6 8 w w w. d r r o n g dd s . c o m drro n g d e n t a l @gm a il.c o m 10:00 am - 6:30 pm
Monday - Sunday:

Sat.

com), a new restaurant/bar/club/art installation, opened to much fanfare in mid-May. An enormous space brimming with recycled, reused and repurposed materials, the bi-level restaurant occupies the ground floor and cellar level of three tenement buildings, wrapping around a courtyard housing plantings of flora that were native to Manhattan in the 17th century. The eyepopping decor, designed by restaurant partner and artist Brian Goggin, includes a 150-year-old oyster boat tipped on its side that forms a raw bar serving area, and parts of antique pianos that find new life as tapheads for regional draft beer selections. Chef John Parlatores menu is rustic American Mediterranean and features locally sourced meat and produce. The vibe is intimate despite the square footage and 166 seats, and the cocktail menu is inventive. Preserve24 serves continental breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Saturday and Sunday brunch starts at 10:30 a.m. Dinner runs from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week and weekends until 4 a.m.

URBAN CRICKET AND PAMELA BARSKY (29 Essex St., urbancricketnyc.com

| pamelabarsky.com), two creative silkscreen printing and design companies, have moved in together on Essex Street. Urban Cricket partners Audrey Nasar and Gloria Erani got their start selling their fresh and funny T-shirts at a table in Union Square. Pamela Barsky does crisp, humorous zipper bags. They all met as vendors at various markets (including the Hester Street Fair) throughout the city and recently decided to team up to find their first brick and mortar location jointly.

TINY FORK (167 Orchard St., tinyforknyc.com)

Cosmetics, Soft Tissue Surgeries, Crowns/Bridges, Root Canal, Dentures, Childrens Dentistry, Wisdom Teeth Extractions, Veneers, Emergencies, Appliance Therapy, Full Mouth Reconstruction, Invisalign

Implants, Braces (Metal/Invisible), Gum Disease, Laser Surgery & Whitening

is the latest venture from nightlife entrepreneur Rob Shamlian. The Spitzers Corner and Fat Baby owner battled the community board and some neighborhood opposition to secure a liquor license for his new oyster bar. (A second permit for a downstairs club was denied.) Located in the former Slipper Room space, Tiny Fork opened in late April. The cold menu offers oysters, a prawn cocktail, Alaskan King Crab and a lobster roll. On the hot menu: oyster sliders, crab cakes and beer-batTiny Fork tered fried lobster tail.

Urban Cricket / Pamela Barsky

LUDLOW STUDIOS (40 Ludlow St., ludlowstudios.com) is a photography studio, art gallery and cafe. It hosts events that range from live streaming of episodes of HBOs Game of Thrones to global art projects like the May 6 We Believe in Balloons (in partnership with Imagination In Space). The bulk of the space operates as a fullservice photo and video studio, complete with hair and makeup prep areas and marble bathrooms. Also, theres a ping-pong table.
www.thelodownny.com

www.thelodownny.com

neighborhood news
Forest City Ratner, the Met Council for Jewish Poverty, the Henry Street Settlement and WeWork. Ratner is the developer of Atlantic Yards and has a longstanding relationship with the Met Council, which has very close ties to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Henry Street is a Lower East Side-based social service organization, while WeWork provides boutique office space to startups and other businesses. The Gotham Organization, a development company that recently completed a large mixed-use project known as Gotham West, at 44th Street and 10th Avenue. The Related Companies, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), Urban Green Builders and Paul Stallings. Related is developing Hudson Yards among many other projects. AAFE is a 39-year-old nonprofit developer on the LES and in Chinatown. Urban Green Builders partner Eric Anderson is probably better known in the neighborhood for his involvement in two restaurants, Prune and Calliope. Stallings owns the Hotel on Rivington. Douglaston Development and Two Bridges Neighborhood Council. Douglaston developed Northside Piers in Williamsburg. Two Bridges is a nonprofit developer that built much of the affordable housing in the Two Bridges area. The Lower East Side BID, which is working on a proposal with partners. The BIDs part of the plan would create a small business incubator and would involve the current merchants of the Essex Street Market. The Peebles Corporation, one of the largest African-American owned development firms in the country. It already has several New York projects in the works, including a large condo development in Tribeca.

parks

real estate

A long-simmering dispute over the fate of a garden lot on Stanton Street boiled over May 15, when the developer who owns part of the land known as the Childrens Magical Garden sent workers to erect a fence around his section of the parcel. Developer Serge Hoydas move met with angry outcry from neighborhood residents and gardeners, resulting in police being summoned to the scene to keep the peace. The garden is made Developers on one side, gardeners on the other at up of three lots, two of which are owned by the city and Childrens Magical Garden one that Hoyda acquired several years ago, and has been active for three decades, since community members rescued it from drug dealers and neglect. The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which controls the bulk of the property and whose mission is to create affordable housing, has been in ongoing talks with Hoyda about building a new residential project there. In the interim, the city offered the gardeners a temporary agreement for the two parcels last fall, but was unable to secure a deal. According to HPD, the agreement would have provided certain protections under city rules for temporary gardens, such as providing notice to the group when development is imminent and helping to locate alternate gardening sites if a garden has to be vacated. Garden Director Kate Temple-West said the group rejected the agreement because it would have only protected the community space for one year and it would have established the parcel as a future development site. The organization believes the city should make the space a permanent community garden under the Green Thumb program. Its shortsighted of the city to designate the site for luxury housing, she said. The group is weighing its options, including legal action. Community Board 3 is expected to take up the matter at a meeting later this month.
crime politics

The Seward Park Mixed-Use Development project passed a large milestone last month, when developers bidding on the project submitted their proposals May 6. The various visions for the 1.65-milion-squarefoot space were not released publicly, but since the deadline has passed, information has begun to surface about the potential participants. So far, the companies and partnerships known to be vying for the chance to develop nine underused lots near the Williamsburg Bridge into 1,000 apartments, commercial spaces and a new Essex Street Market include: The Avalon Bay Communities, Jonathan Rose and Equity One. Avalon developed a portion of the former Cooper Square Urban Renewal Area at East Houston Street. Rose is a large affordable housing developer. Equity One is a retail developer. L&M Development Partners, BFC Partners, Grand Street Settlement and Taconic Investment Partners. BFC developed Schaefers Landing in Williamsburg. Taconic, which sold its Eighth Avenue building to Google in 2010 for nearly $2 billion, could help establish the Seward Park site as a center for New Yorks technology industry. 10
www.thelodownny.com

A suspect wanted in connection with the July 5 shooting of a police officer on the Lower East Side was taken into custody in Virginia on May 8. King William County Sheriffs deputies arrested Kenneth Siders, 35, after a standoff. Siders was one of 13 people charged by the U.S. Attorney late last year on federal drug trafficking and gun charges. NYPD Officer Brian Groves was shot inside 64 Essex St., which is part of the Seward Park Extension public housing complex, but was saved by his bulletproof vest. During a related undercover operation, prosecutors said, cops bought cocaine and crack from alleged members of a large drug-peddling ring on 25 occasions and purchased a .22-caliber handgun that ballistics tests linked to the shooting of Groves.

Lower East Side rep and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing mounting criticism over his handling of a sexual harassment case involving a fellow lawmaker, Vito Lopez. A report released May 15 by the state ethics commission was sharply critical of Silver, accusing him of protecting Lopez from public scrutiny and of disregarding Assembly rules for failing to refer complaints from several employees to the legislative ethics committee. Calls for Silver to step down followed, with several media outlets beating the drum for his ouster from the top leadership position. After Lopez resigned May 20, Silver issued a public apology but deflected any talk of resignation.

www.thelodownny.com

11

Summer 2013 Arts Programs forCamp, Kids Broadway

--

Youth Sports Group Raises Its Profile

A youth sports league, Lower East Side Sports Academy, shared the news last month that it has been accepted into Major League Baseballs Junior RBI Program. The initiative is designed to support youth leagues in urban communities. LES Sports was started three years ago by longtime Lower East Side resident Frank Alameda. About 150 kids are now enrolled in the baseball league, about double the number who took part last year. Alameda says he created the organization because too many young people in the neighborhood, espeFrank Alameda coaches kids cially those from low-income communities, dont at East River Park. have access to quality after-school programs and other extracurricular activities. We take those kids who dont know how to put on that glove and teach them how to put it on so they can at least play the game and enjoy it, Alameda explained one recent Sunday morning before the kids arrived at the East River Park playing fields. LES Sports is a shoestring operation. The top financial contributors so far have been Good Old Lower East Side, the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council and music industry manager Johnny Marines. The league is open to kids 4-14. Theres more information on their website, lessports.org.

Lab, Arts Camp and Summer July 1August 16 Classes 2013 Broadway Lab
July 126

ABRONSARTSCENTER
HENRYSTREETSETTLEMENT

466 Grand Street at Pitt abronsartscenter.org 212.598.0400

Hardwood Floors For less!

First Quality Laminate Flooring from ......................................... 49 sq.ft Solid Hardwood from............................ 89 sq.ft Engineered Flooring from ............... $1.69 sq.ft. Bamboo Flooring from ..................... $1.79 sq.ft. Handscraped Hardwood from ........ $2.79 sq.ft. ............................................................. $3.49 sq.ft
30 E. 18th St., New York, NY (212) 352-1111 64 12th St., Brooklyn, NY (347) 756-4215 95 Delancey St., New York, NY (347) 286-7552 32-32 49th St., Long Island City, NY (347) 527-7664

Schn Brazilian Cherry Engineered

12

www.thelodownny.com

www.thelodownny.com

13

calendar

what to do in

JUNE

1
NY Funny Songs Fest: Comedy Songs Gone Wild: Comedians Jessica Delfino, Red Peters and Ben Lerman promise to raise eyebrows and make sensitive people faint with this night of dirty songs. Part of the 2nd Annual New York Funny Songs Festival through June 2. 8 p.m.,Tammany Hall, 152 Orchard St., $10, nyfunnysongs.com. DayLife Street Festival: The LES Business Improvement District rolls out astroturf, DJs and pushcarts for a day of local festivities. Enjoy free yoga classes, badminton, urban croquet, face-painting and live music, not to mention a Katzs Deli pastrami-eating contest. Noon-5 p.m., Orchard Street between Delancey and Houston streets, free, lowereastsideny.com.

Sat.

Visit our CALENDAR online at www.thelodownny.com/calendar for more details and to add your own events.

dance acting art music swimming field trips outdoor play time Astor Place location www.soulartsacademy.com

Summer at Soul Arts

14
Rooftop Films New York Non-fiction Shorts: An evening of stories about New York City; enjoy short-form documentaries under the stars, then head to Fontanas for an after-party sponsored by Red Stripe. Open Road Rooftop, 350 Grand St., 8 p.m., $13. rooftopfilms.com.

Fri.

2 9
Sun.

Sun.

15
Eighth Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island: Bust out your flapper gear and brush up your Great Gatsby impressions for a Prohibition-era soiree with live music from Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra. Also Sun., June 16. Catch the ferry to Governors Island at the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South St.,11 a.m.-5 p.m., $30 (children under 12 free), dreamlandorchestra.com.

Sat.

growing artists from the inside out

Altagracia Salon
hair + make-up

Jenifer Wolf, LMSW

PSYCHOTHERAPIST & COUNSELOR
Specializes in OCD and related disorders: generalized anxiety, depression, and the challenges of aging. Contact her by phone: or email: jenerate8@yahoo.com
646-449-0604

Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival: Everyones favorite festival on Eldridge Street returns with Peking Opera, klezmer music, Chinese folk dancing, Yiddish and Mandarin classes, mahjong games, Hebrew and Chinese scribal art and of course egg rolls and egg creams. Noon-4 p.m., 12 Eldridge St., free, eldridgestreet.org.

22

Sat.

12
14

Llyn Foulkes Opening at the Wed. New Museum: An extensive career retrospective marking the first New York museum exhibition of work by this influential painter and musician. Through Sept. 1, 235 Bowery, Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free on Thurs. evenings, $12, newmuseum.org.

Leon Redbone at Abrons Arts Center: The Blue Note Jazz Festival brings the iconic musician and his white fedora to Abrons for one night only, with special guest Vinnie Raniolo. 466 Grand St., 8 p.m., $40/ advance, $45/door, $75 VIP reserved seating, abronsartscenter.org.

Franks Bike Shop

Haircuts Color Highlights Extentions Keratin Treatment Relaxers Perms Make-up Application
SALES, RENTALS & REPAIRS ON ALL BIKES

A Bike for Everyone in the Family!

553 Grand Street NYC
FranksBikeShop@verizon.net www.franksbikes.com Tel: 212-533-6332 Fax:212-475-1584

Blow-dries start at $20

212. 964. 0611 | www.altagraciaunisex.com

245 East Broadway, New York, NY

www.thelodownny.com

www.thelodownny.com

15

arts watch
The LES Film Festival, Year Three

LO-DINE

Left to right, Damon Cardasis, Roxy Hunt, Shannon Walker and Tony Castle. Photo by Zack McTee

By Royal Young

Its refreshing to meet new Lower East Siders dedicated to not selling out. For example, take LES Film Festival founders Damon Cardasis and Shannon Walker, who made an ultra-low-budget film (under $10,000) in seven days back in 2010. You do all this hard work and nobody really gets to see it at the end of the day, says Cardasis. That was the inspiration to bring just such movies to a bigger audience: he felt there must be other people in the same position and decided to create a platform for screening them. And what better neighborhood to give such unpretentious, underground art a start than the Lower East Side? Cardasis and Walker teamed up with young guns Roxy Hunt and Tony Castle, two fresh thinkers who studied film at the Stan Brakhage school at the University of Colorado, Boulder. They had created their own film festival, called The Big Freakin Deal Festival, out there. The four energetic transplants started screening films in the storefront/creative space, Grand Opening. What was so exciting is, it wasnt typical, says Castle,.All the events there were BYOB, so it was really cool to have a really relaxed audience watch the films. It wasnt a stuffy, VIP kind of event. It created an atmosphere where, though the filmmakers were there, it wasnt intimidating. Indeed, the Tribeca Film Festival started by Robert DeNiro has become a glamorama of big stars, red carpet events and sponsored parties that are more about top-shelf hard-boozing and exchanging business cards than film appreciation. 16
www.thelodownny.com

The Lower East Side itself, with its oft-seedy past filled with broke, innovative artists lends its character perfectly to a more authentic scene. Lower East Side is synonymous with arts and indie, Cardasis agrees. It is about what the history represents. In just three years running the festival, Cardasis, Walker, Hunt and Castle have stepped squarely into the limelight from their storefront BYOB days. They have featured talent like Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara, Dolly Parton and Harvey Wang. Their judging panels have included the likes of Susan Sarandon, Judah Friedlander, Justin Vivian Bond, Lizzy Caplan and the list of stars goes on. We want to keep it growing organically, Cardasis says. What we like about it is the personal feel. All four of us still do everything. Last year, for example, the partners carried their festival logo backdrop to the Crosby Street Hotel to shoot pictures with Willem Dafoe, and then carried it back. Being neighborly and approachable are qualities all four founders want to retain. The kind of films that we like tend to be made by the people that are the most humble, explains Hunt. Yes, the directors that make really great films, tend to be the most awesome to work with, chimes in Castle. We want to make sure its a fun night, too, Hunt says, getting excited. For many festivals,
(continued on page 20)

THE

photo: Alex M. Smith

A Ramen King Comes to Clinton Street

by Tobi Elkin Get ready for some ramen magic on the LES. He runs two popular ramen restaurants in Tokyo and now Ivan Orkin is bringing his version of the tasty delicacy to New York, setting up shop at 25 Clinton St. on the former site of Eds Lobster Bar Annex. The 50-year-old ramen impresario, who created Ivan Ramen and Ivan Ramen Plus, grew up in Syosset, Long Island, and migrated to Japan after stints in the kitchens of Mesa Grill and Lutece, among others. Orkin has won accolades in Japan for his shio ramen (one soup made from two broths) and homemade noodles. After several years in Japan, he returned to New York a little over a year ago with his young family. Orkins tie to the LES? His grandfather lived in the neighborhood when he first came to the United States in 1909. Apart from the family connection, Orkin fondly recalls eating his way through Chinatown and the LES in the 80s and 90s: Id start out eating Chinese food and then ended up with Jewish food. Among his favorite stops were Kossars, Guss Pickles, Economy Candy, Russ & Daughters and Katzs. When he was a kid, hed go with his mother to one of the many fabric stores that lined the neighborhood. He says the gentrification of the LES kind of passed him by while he was living in Japan. Orkins excited to be on Clinton Street in a corridor that offers so many choices. Were joining some wonderful restaurants Clinton Street Baking Company, wd~50, Yunnan Kitchen, Mission Chinese, among others. It feels like a really nice, tight-knit community, he says, having met the owner/operators of neighboring restaurants. Orkin chose the LES for the simple reason that its a great destination: What Im making is very young and fun and the Lower East Side is a fun and young place. Orkin projects Ivan Ramen to open by mid-July. If Orkins timing is anything like it was when he dovetailed with the Japanese ramen boom in 2003, hes likely to have a hit. Ramen has become very popular. I would say its happening, Orkin says. While ramen has been in Japan since the 1950s, it exploded 10 to 15 years ago. Here, Orkin says, the idea of ramen is just beginning: The fortunate thing is a lot of chefs are making it interesting, figuring it out and making it really delicious. Its fun to be part of that whole movement. (continued on page 20)
www.thelodownny.com

17

Melissa

Errico

my bathtub too much, I drown my neighbor downstairs. Ive had to pay to fix his dining room a few times. I think I may need to renovate the bathtub. The ugly is honestly the smell of smoke from a certain neighbor. Shes a perfectly nice person but really cigarettes are killing her and Im not that keen on dying (even a little) for her habit. I have a neighbor whose kids never go to bed, and I dont mind the running feet. I have another neighbor who likes some serious house music and I think has some dames around. I like New York. Favorite cheap eats? We like Bianca on Bleecker and Elizabeth. We call it cheap and cheerful. Favorite place for a special night? Its always a sign that my husband and I are in the mood for rekindling some super vibes if we go to Pylos on East Seventh Street. We become very happy there, we relax, we feel welcome by the wonderful staff and we always chat with some fun people at the communal table. How have you seen the neighborhood change? Its getting a little alarming. American Apparel, billboards, nicer and nicer shops everywhere you turn. I am not completely worried but it is starting to seem a bit too posh. And there are so many drugstores! Is everyone in need of cotton balls 24 hours a day? Another change I have seen is the invention of The Bowery Babes (bowerybabes. com), of which I am the founder. Seven years ago, when I got pregnant with my first child, there was no mothers community that I could find. There were some services and some prenatal yoga classes, but there wasnt a website or a way to meet for classes, for playgroups and for general connection. In 2005, I met 12 women at a prenatal yoga class on the Bowery, and thus a community grew. I worked really hard, starting with a Yahoo! group. Connecting neighbors, connecting people with like circumstances be it autism, divorce or something as simple as you two should meet. I was like a dating service for mothers! Now it is almost 2,000 families, has a great spirit and was incorporated as a nonprofit 501c3 in 2009. I am running out of energy to run the whole thing but I am amazed by how it has been sustained by our amazing board of directors and a lot of members who realize that it is a beautiful thing. Membership is free. The goal is to connect neighborhood moth-

ers and create a haven for ideas and support. What do you miss from the old LES? I badly miss The Kitchen Club. When Marja had to close that place, I knew an epoch was ending. She was really a major neighborhood star, the truest of authentic New York restaurant owners. Do you remember her? And her dog Chibi? Is there a new arrival you love? Why? I like Petrosino Triangle. Its a little mini-park near Centre Street and Lafayette. It used to be a wasteland. I heard it cost two million dollars to spruce it up. I am really big fan of the idea of taking any mini-lots anywhere on the LES and creating parks, or sitting areas. Anything that creates an oasis anywhere is crucial to our spirit. We need them, even if they are tiny spaces. Im also delighted that the New Museum came to the Bowery. I have yet to spend much time there, but I have really enjoyed my visits. What drives you crazy about the neighborhood? Not that many things. Im not a huge fan of the San Gennaro Festival but I know its kind of fun too. Drown The Clown used to be under my window so for over a decade I listened to him yelling obscenities for 10 hours a day, and being drowned for it. What a crazy career, I should shut up. Broadway musicals can feel similarly brutal. Whats the strangest thing youve ever seen on the LES? It has to be something to do with Hurricane Sandy. Maybe it was the corner of Elizabeth and Houston during the blackout. Literally there was one corner where you could get cell reception. No one had electricity to charge their phones. So, we would all go to this one corner and connect to the world. No one had showered, or eaten normal food in days. We were all standing within a foot of each other, being tolerant, seeing each other trying to stay connected to the rest of the world. To think that about 40 blocks up, people were living like nothing happened. I never left the neighborhood and was really fascinated by the darkness and the challenges it all posed. My building was mostly abandoned by the end of the week. I think it was eight days we had no power and limited water. The city was so weak and it really was scary. I pray for us all that we dont have more challenges ahead. It is so easy to forget and just go back to being busy bees.
www.thelodownny.com

photo: Alex M. Smith

For our regular feature spotlighting the people who live and work on the Lower East Side, we talked with Melissa Errico, Broadway star and founder of Bowery Babes, the popular parent support group. How long have you lived on the LES? I feel compelled to point out that when I moved here, my street was called The Lower East Side by Corcoran Realty, but since then it has become known as Nolita. I moved here in 1997. Why did you move here? I moved here because I didnt want to live in my husbands apartment building on Central Park West. I thought the Upper West Side would turn me into a wife and mom way before I was ready. Im sure it has nothing to do with his apartment building, but I felt something creepy about it. As our wedding approached, everyone asked us about when we were going to have kids and I dont recall feeling that there was a whole lot of variety of people or choices. I had this idea that if 18
www.thelodownny.com

we moved to the LES, we would be free and less likely to be defined in any way. Of course, we now have three kids and my career is, well, my career is what every actors career is insane. What do you do? Oh, I just mentioned it. I am an actor. I am a singing actor really: melissaerrico.com. You can find a lot of singing on YouTube. Tell us about your apartment the good, the bad and the ugly. Our apartment building was a chocolate factory. I believe the developer had to kick some wonderfully funky residents out 15 years ago and that was probably super uncool for a bunch of people. We bought raw space and just accepted whatever fixtures came free with the price. Most people in this building ripped out their stuff and customized their homes. We were super economical and havent changed one faucet. Whatever came with the price was fine by us. The good is that I love it and I can see a lot of sky. The bad is that if I enjoy

19

arts watch

THE

(continued from page 16)

LO-DINE

(continued from page 17)

you get the impression they never thought about how the audience was going to feel. We have more serious films, its not all a party, but we also have themes like mind-fuck night. Now Cardasis jumps in, getting hyped, too: Yeah, we started out to prove that no matter what your budget these films could still have a heart, could be powerful, having that experience where youre moved by [the film itself] instead of being moved by the stars that are in it.

The Lower East Side Film Festival kicks off at the Sunshine Cinema on June 13 and continues at venues around the neighborhood through June 23. Visit lesfilmfestival.com for details.

Orkins dining room will seat 40, with about 20 more seats in the backyard garden. While hes not ready to tip his hand on the menu, Orkin says his restaurant will feature all the signature dishes from his Tokyo shop like Shio Ramen with pork belly, along with small plates like fried pork meatballs and crispy fried ramen. Hes had to redevelop all his noodles and craft new recipes that take into consideration New York water and American flour. Any time you bake or make pasta or combine flour and water, it just changes. Hes using American and Canadian flour now; in Japan, he sourced his flour from southern Japan and Australia. As for opening a restaurant in New York, Orkin maintains that its much more challenging and complex. Theres much less red tape in Japan and its easier to line up workers there. Believe it or not, Im more comfortable opening a restaurant in Tokyo than in New York, he says, laughing. A second Orkin restaurant in a more casual setting is set to open in the forthcoming Gotham West Market in Hells Kitchen this fall.

35,000 35,000
ontheLES ontheLES

REACH REACH
customers customers

Plan now for your summer events and promotions!

Advertise in The Lo-Down Magazines July/August issue

(no issue in August!)

ads@thelodownny.com orcallusat:646.861.1805 forratesandinformation.

Contactusat:

20

www.thelodownny.com

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit #1512 New Brunswick, NJ

*******************ECRWSS****

Residential Customer New York, NY 10002

Eld_EggRollad:Layout 1

4/26/13

9:50 AM

Page 1

Experience New York Citys best block party, a cross-cultural celebration of the Jewish and Chinese communities of our neighborhood!
Klezmer and cantorial music Chinese opera and acrobatics Yiddish and Chinese language lessons mah jongg scribal arts food & folk art demos crafts kosher egg rolls & egg creams tours of the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue

THE MUSEUM AT ELDRIDGE STREET

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 | 12 TO 4 PM

EGG ROLLS & EGG CREAMS FESTIVAL 13

presents

FREE
Museum at Eldridge Street 12 Eldridge Street between Canal & Division Streets www.eldridgestreet.org or call 212.219.0302